#but hopefully now that i got a huge assignment done i can draw them more

[sad-leon]

Leo is incredibly excited to be in a comptetion!!! (He thinks he will be fighting, he is going to be incredibly disappointed)

Gali, though, is not a fan of Leo making the dress up in Victorian dresses. She misses her simple outfit and absolutely is changing out of this as soon as she can... and also as soon as she can find Leo

@tmntaucompetition

[ninacarstairss]

yes exactly!! that should be it. also thank you for beating up some people on my behalf. very much needed and well deserved in this case. we are short staffed and the manager won’t hire anyone. she just keeps adding hours to our shifts and delaying actually hiring some of the hundreds of people who came in for an interview :/

yess it’s really heartbreaking that we can’t just sent food like that. also, WHAT DO YOU MEAN THEY DON’T SELL IT ANYMORE??? i’m about to board a plane to come there and add it back to the menu myself!!! how dare they?? you need biscoff latte, i can’t believe they took it off the menu 😭😭😭😭

good food and wine can make anything better 😌 i will definitely do that!! she’s really great, she gets me a lot in the stress department. but yeah the work situation isn’t great at the moment. i’ll see if i want to stay or just find something else before it drives me mad. it’s sad because i really like the job, but some of the people and their expectations are way too stressful…

lol it’s always so funny when you have a whole team ready to buy the tickets and then one person manages to get them and you have yo stop the others so that you don’t end up with 15 tickets 😂😂 but again, really glad you got the tickets, even in that chaos 😂

i actually have to go through it again soon too!!! i’ve been waiting five years to be at this concert so i will personally destroy the arena if i don’t get my tickets :)

no way 😂 now i’m wondering if they’re all lightweights or if you have some kind of alcohol superpower 😂😂 i bet they were very glad to have a babysitter who got them safely back to the hotel lol

oh please do not mention bank accounts 😭😭😭 i just checked it today after a few weeks and i cried for about an hour :,) i keep telling myself that it’s just because i was in rome so i was eating out all the time and we were going places, but also i just want to cry because i’m about to spend another 50 bucks on a concert ticket and i have no more money to spend

oh my god 😂😂 i wish i could have seen that scene!! it must have been so funny to see you walk to the register with a pile of stuff taller than you are 😂 uhh okay then, i understand the tears about the person at the register not thinking you were over 18. i always take it as an insult whenever i go somewhere and the ask me for my id. like seriously can’t you see i’m bent over because my back hurts all the time?? i’m old!!!! 😂 and i’m really curious to know if you’ll appreciate it too now!

oh yeah, i see it now. your eyes are closed 😂😂 i always love it when the venues are huge, the energy is unmatched!!!

i can totally picture that 😂 and again, very understandable. she was on a pole!!! i would have died too!!!!

this reminds me that today i had my own gay panic moment. which was actually more of a gay joy moment but anyway. i was at work and this person i was helping tells me they love my rainbow tattoo, and for a moment i was so shocked because no one ever notices it, it’s really small and it doesn’t draw much attention compared to my other tatts, but they were smiling at me and i was just like oh 🥹 i don’t know it made my day, i was so happy

oh that sounds nice actually, i’ll have to try it then!!

ohhh nero you can’t tell me these things, i just melt 🥺🥺🥺🥺 the fact that he’s always with you and you play with his ears is the cutest thing i’ve ever heard 🥺

ugh nero i’m sending lots of hugs your way. this class sounds really stressful. i hate professors who give you assignments but don’t really explain you what you have to do. i’m really glad it’s done though, and hopefully you managed to do some skeleton structure for the short story and you can relax a bit 🥺 you should get every other week off just so you could shake all the stress from the week before

exactly 😂 that’s my policy. and she’s definitely very rich by now 😂 again, i just realised my bank account is empty and the tattoos were a big part of the problem 😂

i’m sealing this letter with the same hope, they better give you some time to rest and not be stressed about weird assignments no one told you how to do!!! and i’m also adding a warm cup of biscoff latte <333333333

hello nero my beloved soulmate!! <33

i’m back and i am already suffering from severe PHD (post holiday depression, i decided it is a thing). my friend left last night and i hate this. it’s so unfair that we live in two different countries and we can’t see each other as much as we would like to. i’ll probably see her soon, i should have another week off in august and we were talking about me visiting her this time so hopefully i’ll be able to go.

anyway, on to the trip!! it was so cool!! i mean the first week we stayed in tuscany, we went around florence and a few other cities around here, and we got tattoos!!! i told you about this already but they are so cute!!! our little irish dinosaurs (they’re irish because we met in ireland <3 they’re named saoirse and niamh).

then for the second week we went to rome!! oh it was so nice!! we found the perfect weather. it was always sunny and warm enough to go around in shorts, but never too hot not to be able to explore. we went for the usual places: the colosseum, the pantheon, the squares and fountains, all that. but also we accidentally found ourselves into the roman forums and they were amazing!! i’d never been in them, only seen them from above, but they are so big, you can see a whole city. but the highlight was ostia antica. it was this archeological site near rome and it’s so quiet because not may people know it. it’s an 84 acres site where you can literally walk into houses and shops and temples and theaters from the roman period. and it’s amazing because usually rome is very protected, like there are fences and barriers everywhere, you can’t get too close to a lot of stuff, but in ostia antica we could literally touch the ruins, walk through them and find our way back in a maze of doors and corridors. it was so cool!!! also that’s where i found the cats!! they were so cute and friendly 🥺

last thing before i close this letter. the food!!! oh the food. we found this little restaurant on the very first night, which was actually so close to the trevi fountain, and it was so cheap and good (very rare combination to find in the middle of rome). they had some of the best spaghetti i’ve ever tried. also we kept going back there in the next days so they recognized us and they were so nice because they offered us appetizers and wine and they always remembered that we liked to order three plates of pasta to share between the two of us. they were so nice!!

i really needed this trip. i needed to be off work for a few weeks and just disconnect from all the drama and stress. and the good food and wine helped a lot with that lol. but seriously i’m so happy, it was an amazing trip and it was so good to see my friend again after so long <3

but enough about me now!! how are you doing nero?? what have you been doing these last two weeks??

also, about our last letter, i am very happy that you are following my orders and planning a very relaxing trip :) you deserve to not even think about uni when you’re on a trip. and it’s gonna be so fun to dance to that kind of music!! can’t wait to hear all about that one!!

and i’m very happy you’re obsessed with me getting tattoos because this is turning into a sickness. i can’t stop now :’)

but here are my other two tatts!!! the little rainbow one is very simple but very personal. i’ve been waiting forever to get it and it looks perfect 🥺 (yayyy you can start booking stuff!!! that means tattoos coming soon!!!)

i’m enclosing a hug and a really big plate of cacio e pepe (a kind of spaghetti with cheese and black pepper) just because one can never have too much pasta <3333

hi cece my beloved soulmate!!!!

i believe phd (post holiday depression) is a thing, i get it every time. it’s sad that your friend has gone home, but think about august!!! that should be so fun!!!

i’ve seen pictures of tuscany and it’s so beautiful!! and yes tattoos!! the fact that they are irish dinosaurs named saoirse and niamh because you met in ireland is the cutest story behind a matching tattoo ever 🥺🥺

oh rome!!!! that weather sounds lovely, i’m glad it was around for the entire trip!! sounds like you got up to quite a lot!! i’m literally imagining you walking around and pointing out these little tourist attractions 🥺 but ostia antica sounds so beautiful. a whole 84 acres to explore and experience the ancient roman life?? i would go crazy in there, especially with all the cats!!

oh the food sounds incredible!!! it’s so amazing you found something good and cheap!!! but those people sound so nice 🥹🥹 i’m glad they also added to such a wonderful break you had! i feel like pasta now…

you definitely needed that trip!! just a refresh is sometimes all you need, and good food and wine are recommended to help relax by doctors actually 😌😌😌 but i’m so happy you got to see your friend after so long and i’m so glad that you enjoyed yourself!!!!

i’ve been doing alright!! i had my trip to sydney and my twice concert, and it was so much more fun than i thought it would be!!! so i took my best friend and a family friend of mine, and my manager from work came too, but we all booked our concert tickets together so it was me and my friends, my manager and her brother and his partner. (don’t even ask me how stressful buying six tickets was)

the japanese place opened up again, and we were staying somewhere even closer to it. we basically walked everywhere, because the train station is in the shopping centre next to the japanese place, and that was only ten minutes away. so i took my friends to eat more ramen than we could see and we shared a bottle of soju (my friends are lightweights and it was VERY funny to watch. i had to finish the bottle off though)

and then we did lots of activities on the tuesday before the concert and we went to that album shop and book shop again and i spent way too much money, cece’s orders 😌😌 i spent so much money in the album shop they gave me a free album and preorder benefit photocards (which are really rare!!) and i had to show my id in the book store because i bought a level one restricted novel (actually banned in my state, but my professors made me too curious), which was quite funny

the twice concert was so fun, literally everyone in the audience were dancing and singing, and i was gay panicking and it was wonderful! each of the members of twice also had a solo performance and they did so well! one of them, momo, had this dance where she HAD A POLE?!?!? AND SHE HAD NEVER POLE DANCED BEFORE?? she was so good, i will save your eardrums by not sending the video i took 😌

anyways, here’s the photo they posted at the end!! we are in the centre and slightly to the right <3 (i’m sure you’ll see me 😂😂)

and then we actually got the chance to go to the harbour bridge and the opera house, which are in the same place, so we didn’t waste too much time there! and then we went to this room of claw machines near the eateries and i managed to win two things!! (one of them i spent way too much money to grab out, but he looked so lonely and i had to get my son out 😭😭) and then we had gelato mochi, which my friend found. so they get a scoop of ice cream and wrap it with mochi! we all got two, because none of us can make a decision and it really was a good end to the trip 🥺

other than that, i am running a little behind on uni, but i decided to use some of my leave and take the week off work. i’m just going to smash out the essays i have due (and overdue) and i’ll probably be able to rest better during the big exam session 😌

i’ve been looking forward to seeing these two and you didn’t disappoint! the rainbow one is adorable and the font for the script on your ribs is beautiful!!! i think i might be addicted to your tattoo addiction 😂 (yay!!! i’m so excited!!)

i really wanted this cacio e pepe, all this talking of food made me hungry! i’m squeezing you back real tight and i’m giving you a bowl of ramen <3333333

[kkusuka]

3rd year hinata, beefy, 5’8 hot af volleyball, ace of karasuno and he’s just walking around like he normally is, he has no idea why so many girls blush when he talks to them be just assumes they all are overheating. He doesn’t understand why you gasp or get all flustered when he brushes up against you or when puts his hand on your waist when he needs to get by or when he lays his hand on your thigh causally cause he noticed your friend doing it so he thought it was okay and normal for him to copy. He also doesn’t understand why he wants to kiss you so bad when he has you pinned against the bus wall cause it’s crowded on the way home ((like he accidentally pins you to the wall cause the bus gets crowded)) ✨Puppy🤩

hinata can be my fluffy almost boyfriend for as long as he wants.

cw: none

synopsis: a series of small events make you realize how wonderful hinata is.

��

if you asked hinata if he thought he was attractive, he would stare at you. known from the sheer amount of times you’ve tried to ask him that, many, many times. (apparently he’s also extremely dense)

though his looks have evolved, his intelligence hasn’t improved all that significantly. test grades still bordering the 40’s, can remember vocabulary only if his life depended on it, and

“y/n! help, help! they’re trying to kill me!” pissing of kageyama and tsukishima to no end.

before you could even see him coming. you could feel is hands resting on your hips, pulling your body to his in a sad attempt to hide from the two, much taller, boys. of course after the two boys failed to arrive within five minutes, his arms wrapping around your waist, head falling onto your shoulder.

“that was close, sho, what’d you do this time?” your face was almost and inch away from his, you didn’t know when but he must have turned his head to your neck. “i told sucky-shima that kageyama was interested in his dinosaurs, he didn’t like it very much though.” accompanied with his explanation, the ginger shooting you one of his sunny smiles.

his valence shifted, using you as support to start swaying like the two of you were dancing. you could feels his thumbs twirling around the hem of your uniform skirt. before you could think on his movement all that much, the bell rang, signaling the beginning of class.

••

“hinata-kun! come sit with us please?”

lunch was...per the usual. apparently going to nationals three years in a row, garners more than attention from the female population.

but dense-less doesn’t even cover what hinata is, if he were the sliver smarter he would know why they got so excited when he smiled at them and how blushy they got when he rolled his sleeves up and leaned on their table.

but without fail everyday the readhead plops down next to you, inquiring what his favorite manager has for lunch. though today you decided to sit at one of the tables outside the volleyball gym to watch kageyama berate hinata for about 20 minutes before hunger overruled their passion.

bouncing over to you, hinata dropped his body onto the bench, shoving his face into the fabric covering your stomach throwing his tired arms around your waist. you didn’t really care until his hands moved under the cloth of your shirt and moved to the skin of your back.

“what- what are you doing!”

“huh? what- oh! i saw hari and matsuko doing it! and you look so comfy!” he smiled up from your lap.

‘because they’re dating’ goes unsaid.

••

you were in a predicament.

this math assignment had to be uploaded to your teacher my midnight and it was now 11:15. that in itself was not the problem, the problem was your hot best friend was napping in your lap. he’d actually been asleep since 10:40 and you’d spent more than an embarrassing amount of time looking at him.

did you realize how long his hair had gotten? or how but his hand, that so happened to be resting on your thigh, was compared to yours. and how pink and plush his lips looked— or how generally angelic he was as he slept.

that it self was a problem, he was your best friend, but the real issue was how you were going to somehow lean over his sleeping form to get your assignment done. well you didn’t really have a choice, you aren’t going to wake him up know big how early he was up for practice and you can’t just not hand it in, hopefully he won’t suffocate.

hinata awoke to a soft pressure on his face. opening his eyes he didn’t see anything other then your shirt and a small sliver of dim light spilling through the cracks of your body. he could feel that you were asleep, not really knowing how long or the time, ignoring his moral compass, he nuzzled himself back into the comfort of your lap.

••

the metro has always been a huge pain in your ass. specifically on friday’s after hinata s practice, that he so gentlemanly walks you home from. but today you decided a detour would be in place, to an out of town ramen shop that he begged you to try with him.

but 6pm on a friday is rush hour, which means all the people getting off work are on the same train you and your favorite ginger were squeezed on.

you were lock in a heavy conversation about kageyamas idea for a new quick when a rush of people crowded your train car, forcing hinata off his balance pushing him strait into your body. your eyes shut in preparation for impact while an arm aligned around your waist and you were met with a chest.

cracking your eyes open you saw brown irises staring back into yours. you could feel his breath on your lips as his hands tightened around you waist.

“you-“

“i’m-“

the two of you burst into a synchronized laughed drawing attention from a few people surrounding you.

“you have very pretty eyes y/n”

“as do you sir hinata! onward to the ramen!”

tags: @bakugos-cumsock

[angryschnauzer]

Distraction

Summary: As a junior CIA agent you are added to a mission to help with scientific analysis, but when half the team are hospitalised you have to suddenly become a hands on field agent, alongside August Walker and Will Shaw. When the final part of the mission at a tropical plant glass house has an unexpected side affect, you have to work as a team to survive the night.

Pairing: August Walker x Female Reader x Will Shaw Fandoms: Mission Impossible: Fallout (Movie), The Cold Light of Day (Movie), Henry Cavill - Actor.

Warnings: NSFW, 18+, Sex Pollen, Threesome, Oral Sex, Unprotected Sex, Vaginal Sex, Blowjob, Cum Play, Double Penetration, Anal Sex.

A/N: This is my first time writing the Sex Pollen trope, so i hope you like it. Fic is unbeta’d; only the finest free range organic typos for me. I do not run a tag list, but if you follow @angryschnauzerwrites​ and put that blog onto notifications, you will then get an alert when i post something new.

Back catalogue can be found on AO3 Link Here, or you can follow my facebook page HERE.

 Distraction

 If there had been someone narrating a movie of this mission, the first line would have been ‘it was a simple mission’. However, they would have been lying. The mission was far from simple, it was convoluted, complicated, and the team fucking hated each other.

 The team were scheduled to arrive via two flights, from opposite directions of the globe as not to arouse suspicions that a large team would do if anyone was picked up on facial recognition. You had been brought on board because of your scientific and tech background, and as the team were tasked with retrieving the formula for the most dangerous biological weapon in the world, you were the one that would check they had the right thumb drive before the mission was able to be called a success. There would be multiple extraction points, numerous undercover assignments that would all lead to the final extraction at the gala dinner.

 That was the plan. What actually happened was the half of the team coming in from Dallas ended up with severe food poisoning and were currently being hospitalised in a local treatment facility. That left just your half of the team, and the senior agent now in charge was none too happy about it;

 “I’ve got a fucking chemistry nerd and a number cruncher for a hands on mission that requires multiple scenes where infiltration and distraction are needed, and neither of you have any fucking field work!”

 August Walker hated everyone and made sure he did everything he could so that everyone hated him in return. The other member of the team quietly ground his teeth, Walker never once let him forget that he came into this agency completely by accident following a rogue faction and a situation that started with the death of his CIA Agent father, and resulted in smashing up half of Madrid’s traffic in a 24 hour long series of car chases;

 “I was a stockbroker, and i didn’t hear anyone complaining when i discovered the currency discrepancies that found us the targets insider trading”

 Will Shaw was so similar yet so different to Walker it was startling, you even thought they looked similar enough to be long lost brothers, but never dared to mention it.

 The hotel suite had all the facilities you needed to set up a small command post, with enough counter space to set up the laptops and work-stations, whilst not getting under each other's feet. However it was still small enough for the two men to continually bicker and make snide remarks at each other, and you had to push the earpiece of your surveillance equipment closer to your ear to hear, finally you heard what you needed to, holding your hand up and clicking your fingers at the two men who immediately silenced and crossed the room;

 “They’re going to be at the MMA Gym in thirty minutes”

 “Okay” Walker huffed; “We need to extract the codes from his device that will give us access for the holding location. You and Shaw take the gym and cause the distraction, i’ll get the codes”

 Will shook his head;

 “Not gonna work”

 “It's not?” you were surprised

 “The gym is men only, the only women are administration and janitorial”

 “That’s fucking antiquated” August spat out in disgust.

 You had to hide the smirk that tugged at the corner of your mouth, that August Walker of all people would be an advocate for equal rights, but nonetheless started to prepare for the first distraction.

 -

 Walker and Shaw had entered the building separately but within 5 minutes of each other, signing in under false names and keeping it simple and silent as they started training on the weights and cardio machines in the gym. You had already entered through the basement deliveries door which you’d been able to pick the lock of, finding a staff uniform t-shirt in the storeroom and pulling it on over your top. You could hear both men through their hidden comms, and within a couple of minutes pretending to sort out a cleaning kart that you knew the morning crew had finished with, you heard the code word that the target had entered the weights room.

 Seconds later you were tentatively pushing the door to the locker room open, calling out;

 “Housekeeping!”

 You had no idea if they called themselves housekeeping or janitorial staff or whatever, but when you didn’t get a reply you quickly entered the room and did what needed to be done. 

 Through your ear piece you could hear the first stage of the distraction starting, with your two fellow agents starting to challenge the other to out lift each other, and from the muffled background noise you could tell that they were drawing a crowd of onlookers.

 Tapping your comms you alerted Walker and Shaw that you’d been successful, and that it was time for them to leave. But as you got no response you quickly made your way out of the locker room through the other exit, only to find yourself in a glass walled corridor, the gym on the other side of the glass. What surprised you however was that there was now a huge crowd of spectators as they watched your two agents try to pull out more reps on the bicep curl machine. Scowling you grabbed a cloth and bottle of spray cleaner and squirted the glass, glaring at the two of them before they finally saw you;

 “Its time to go, dumbasses. Finish the contest. I’ll be in the car in the street behind the building”

 -

 Pushing through the door of the hotel suite you scrunched your nose as Will pushed past you, August not far behind;

 “You two need a shower… did you really need to get that sweaty?”

 “Well… you wanted the distraction to look convincing, didn’t you?” Will shot back, stripping his t-shirt off, already halfway to the bathroom.

 A quiet cough behind you drew your attention away from Will’s sculpted back muscles;

 “When you’re done staring at Shaw…”

 “I...I wasn’t stare…”

 “Whatever sweetheart, either way; you two need to change”

 Looking down at your outfit you pulled at the gym t-shirt;

 “Yeah, i can just find a utility shirt or something…”

 “No, you’re front of house with me. Will’s taking the extraction of the thumb drive”

 “But...I didn’t bring an outfit…”

 August nodded to a pile of bags in the corner of the room from the agents that hadn’t made it to the mission but their luggage had;

 “So check Marianne’s, she is about the same size as you. Either way its you and me sweetheart, now get dolled up, you can’t go to a gala looking like that”

 -

 Twenty minutes later you took a deep breath; you’d found Marianne’s bag and had found that although she was a similar size to you, it was one size smaller. She also had a completely different taste and style to makeup and you were now way out of your comfort zone. The red lipstick however seemed to work, a touch of gold bronzing powder across your shoulders and chest made the red silk dress really work for you. Adjusting the straps so they sat over the top of your bra, the pretty floral pattern hopefully not too noticeably jarring against the sultry silk. Taking a deep breath you stepped out of the small dressing room and came face to face with Will;

 “Oh hey” he looked you up and down before clearing his throat; “Looks good”

 “Yeah?” you smoothed the dress down over your stomach

 “I mean… the bra kinda takes away from the look… but yeah, it looks really good”

 “I...I didn’t have anything suitable for a gala, this is Marianne’s… from her bag…”

 Will stood in front of you, reaching his hand around your back and with a quick snap of his fingers he’d unfastened your bra;

 “It really will look better without the bra… trust me…”

 Without another word he turned and crossed the room, pulling his tie from his bag, fastening it as August emerged from the other room;

 “Agent. Bra off, now”

 Shimmying the offending garment down your arms you pulled it out of your dress as he crossed the room;

 “I don’t see why…”

 “Because the people at this gala have got so much money they flaunt what they’ve got. You’ve got to fit in” He held his finger out and you hooked it over the protruding digit.

 “We’d better get going… the gala is about to start”

 With a nod August grabbed the keys to the BMW you’d been assigned and tossed them to Will; he was taking on the role of Driver and Bodyguard to your’s and August’s ‘couple’, the three of you filed out of the room and into the elevator.

 The ride down the highrise hotel was slow, and you could feel both men’s eyes on you as they stood behind you, before the doors finally opened to the basement parking. You struggled to keep up with them as they strode out with their long legs, the heels of your stiletto sandals clicking on the cement. Finally as you reached the car you were surprised as August opened the door for you, not uttering a word as he watched you climb in before he rounded the car and slid into the back seat beside you.

 You’d barely had time to fasten your seatbelt before Will was peeling out of the hotel parking with a squeal of tyres and you were heading to your destination.

 “Panties, off” August’s words surprised you

 “W-WHAT?!”

 “Panties. Take them off”

 “Agent Walker…”

 “They dig into the meat of your hips and take the attention away from the sexiness of the dress. You need to fit in tonight”

 “B-b-but…” you attempted to stall, but without another word August pulled your knees towards him and slid his hands beneath your dress. He grasped the thin elastic straps that ran over your hips and pulled hard, snapping the fragile pieces of fabric and pulling the now ruined undergarments. Glancing at Will he had a brief smirk on his face but quickly looked away, concentrating on the road ahead. 

 -

 The gala was amazing, and it was hard not to get absorbed into the evening as if you were a real guest. You could hear everything through the hidden comms units in your ears, and apart from the occasional grunt as Will silently passed the guards as he made his way further into the underground chambers that ran below the massive glasshouse the gala was in, it seemed to all be going exactly to plan. The host had announced for everyone to celebrate, and you had found yourselves being swept onto the dancefloor, and suddenly you were in August’s arms as he held you close, the music thankfully loud enough to drown out your conversation from the ears of others;

 “Do you think he’s getting on ok?”

 “He’d say if he wasn’t” August assured you as he moved in time to the music, his hand on your lower back pulling you closer to his body. At that very moment you both heard a guttural cry through the comms, your eyes wide in panic as he grabbed your hand and you quickly made your way through the crowd;

 “Shaw, come in… are you ok?”

 You heard gurgling on the comms and watched as August pulled out his phone and activated the trackers that you all wore, the two of you coming up together on screen, but the third - Will’s - showing as on the level below and not moving.

 -

 The stairs had been hell in your heels, eventually you’d kicked them off and had run barefoot behind August, chasing him around corners and along corridors, before he’d finally come to a halt in front of a sealed door, his phone showing that Will was in the room behind it.

 “Stand back”

 You took a couple of steps back and watched as August kicked the door, the deafening bang as it broke from its hinges and splintered in was immediately forgotten as a sudden rush of air came out of the room, covering him in a dusting of strange grey-pinkish powder. He fell to the floor coughing and you rushed to his side;

 “Check on Shaw! I’m fine!”

 Quickly entering the room you looked around, finally seeing Will laying on the floor, he too was covered in the powder. Kneeling at his side you checked his pulse, relieved to find one as he opened his eyes and groaned.

 “What happened? Are you ok?”

 “Stop fussing, i’m fine… we gotta get out of here. Security will be on their way…”

 At that moment August appeared at your side;

 “Did you get it?”

 “Yeah, i got it”

 Will held out the thumb drive and pushed it into your hand as August pulled him to his feet, and they attempted to dust themselves off as the three of you staggered down the hallway and out of the fire exit.

 -

 Pushing into the hotel room, both Will and August had already shed the majority of their clothing, now dressed in just their smart dress pants and under shirts, still coughing from the dust cloud that lingered in their airways. You’d run the briefest of tests with the tiny blood monitor that you’d kept in the car to ensure it wasn’t a known nerve agent or poison before you’d even left the extraction point, thankfully the results being negative, but both men needed to wash off whatever it was as soon as possible. But first, you needed a proper sample;

 “Agent Shaw, i need to take some blood, hair and saliva, run it through the test software, to see if whatever it was has synthesised into your bloodstream” you nodded to the small scientific station you’d set up at the end of the table, the case having contained tiny gadgets that amounted to a microscope, a mass spectrometer, and other testing equipment… the whole point of why you in particular had been placed on this mission.

 A minute later you’d collected the samples, trying hard not to get flustered as Will had stood in front of you bare chested and in just his underwear, heat radiating from his body;

 “So what do you think it is?”

 “I have no idea”

 “Well i’m burning up, i need to take a shower”

 Quickly loading the samples into the rapid mass spectrometer you turned to Agent Walker to check his vitals and let out a tiny squeak of surprise when you saw him sitting on the edge of the bed in just his underwear. His chest was flushed and he had a sheen of sweat over his entire body;

 “I guess i’m next?”

 Pressing your hand to his forehead you could feel he was burning up;

 “I’m going to check your temperature first”

 Quickly using the thermal reader you could see that his core temp was heading towards fever;

 “I’m going to take the samples then as soon as Will is out of the shower you need to get in there”

 “Yes Ma’am” he chuckled, closing his eyes as you pushed your fingers through his hair to pluck a sample strand. The powder had caught in the strands and it was only as you combed your fingers through the dark locks did you realise he had soft curls. As you tried to separate them he let out a groan as you stroked his scalp. He swayed a little even though he was sitting down, and before you could do anything his hands were on your hips to steady himself, the heat almost searing through the silk of your dress. 

 Finally having got all the samples you needed you reluctantly pulled away, not saying a word as he simply flopped back onto the bed with a smirk on his face. You busied yourself preparing the test samples from Agent Walker, the machine finishing with Shaw’s. You were vaguely aware of the shower being turned off and the men moving around the room, before the shower was on again and you presumed it was August in there.

 Peering at the saliva samples through the microscope you frowned, the particles present completely organic and very familiar.

 “So what is the diagnosis Doc?”

 Will’s voice surprised you, and as you jumped and turned your eyes went wide when you saw he was in just a towel, tied low on his waist as he drank from a bottle of water.

 “Y-You don’t want to put some clothes on?”

 He looked down at himself, almost surprised to find he was only wearing a towel and shrugged;

 “No point, the way i’m burning up i’ll be naked soon” he nodded to the screen; “So?”

 Turning your attention back to the screen you swallowed hard, your throat suddenly dry;

 “Well… it seems organic, spores of some kind. Its hard to tell what they are from, but their chemical make-up is unique. The only time i’ve seen anything similar is in isolated microclimates that are cut off from the rest of nature… there was this one… in a volcano… a pollen from a plant that grew in tropical climates…” you trailed off as you sensed another presence now flanking your other side, glancing away from the microscope, taking in the sight of August in an identical outfit to Will, his broad expanse of chest at eye level as he bent down to look into the microscope.

 “Hmmn… so, how’s it gonna affect us? The gala was in a fucking giant greenhouse; you saw the plants they were growing there, some of them were 20ft tall and looked like they’d come from another planet. Do we need to pop an antihistamine or something, what’s it gonna do?”

 Standing you quickly slid out from between the two barely dressed men, checking the mass spectrometer and frowning;

 “It seems to be elevating your testosterone levels…” you peered at the saliva results; “...and pheromones… your bodies are heating up where your body is fighting against the pollen, its affecting all your hormones...”

 “Pheromones…” Will mused; “... that’s the sex hormones, right?”

 “Urrr…” you faltered, looking up at the two men who were now looking at you like hungry wolves.

 August stepped closer;

 “Sweetheart, i think you’d better get yourself tested too…” he paused, his finger hooking beneath the thin strap of your dress, making you acutely aware you were completely naked beneath it; “... cos’ i could smell you from across the room… and you smell so sweet right now…”

 You went to take a step back, only to bump into the hard expanse of Will’s naked chest, his hand curling around your arm;

 “C’mon, lets get you tested…”

 You were suddenly putty in their hands, your head swimming and it was only then that you realised you were burning up. It felt like you had a core of lava within you, and the only thing you could liken it to was a hot flash, your body flushed with heat. You recalled the time you’d overheard a much older agent talking to her friends, unaware you had been in the room and she’d spilled the beans on how she would recover from an episode and calm her hormones down... with the help of her husband.

 As your head had been swirling, Will had taken your blood sample and had loaded it into the mass spectrometer, having watched as you’d shown him before the mission. But you could barely concentrate;

 “I...I know how to counteract the affects of the pollen…” you panted out, unsteady on your feet as you swayed and August caught you in his arms

 “Oh yes?”

 “En… Endorphins… they counteract… they burn off the pheromones…”

 You felt hot breath on the back of your neck as Will pressed against you;

 “I’m not a scientist, but i know how to create endorphins…” 

 His lips made contact with your neck and you turned to jelly, your head resting against his shoulder and your eyelids drooping, barely open, yet you had enough of your senses to be aware of August in front of you, pulling the straps of your dress down your arms, you pliable in his hands as he stripped you of your only remaining garment, pressing his lips to your over heated skin as went as the silk pooled at your feet;

 “So beautiful…”

 “Absolutely” Will agreed from behind, his lips grazing over your jawline as his arms reached around you and cupped your tender breasts; “We need to work as a team to get through this… what are the hazards of hot flashes then Doc?”

 “Y-Y-You can over heat your brain… your heart could give out…”

 “Uh-huh… and endorphins will help stop this?” August enquired, his breath hot on your naked chest

 “Y-yeah…”

 That was the last word spoken for a very long time. From that point on the only sounds in the room were hums of pleasure combined with the carnal soundtrack of three bodies moving towards the inevitable. By the time you got to the bed both men had lost their towels, hard naked bodies pressed against your soft curves, sculpted hard muscle available everywhere you touched, and oh did you touch… and caress and stroke, the second you’d reciprocated their affections they had softened to your touch, sighs of pleasure as your fingertips gave them just the slightest relief.

 You found yourself sandwiched between the two men on the soft covers of the king-size bed, each taking turns to capture your lips for searing kisses, each having their own unique talent and style with their tongues. When you were deep in August’s embrace you felt Will move down the bed, his hands pulling your legs apart before he pressed kisses up your inner thighs and his mouth made contact with your soaked folds. The cry of pleasure that erupted from your mouth broke the kiss, yet August didn’t seem to mind as your hand had found its way to being wrapped around his weeping shaft, tugging him sloppily as you struggled to concentrate;

 “That’s it Sweetheart, you don’t need to be gentle… i like it rough…”

 You tried to answer, but Will’s tongue had found your soaked entrance as his hand curled around your thigh and sought out your clit, the pleasure he was giving you was too intense to allow you to form coherent words. August claimed your lips again for another searing kiss, humming his appreciation as you worked your hand over his heated flesh.

 Before you knew it you were coming hard, your orgasm tearing through your body as you ground your core against Will’s face, his eyes sparkling from between your thighs, and as you were floating on the high of the afterglow you could feel the two men moving you, adjusting you to suit their needs.

 On all fours on the bed you were faced with August’s dick, opening your mouth instinctively to take him deep, the heavy weight on your tongue a welcome feeling. Saliva spilled from the corners of your mouth as you struggled to stretch around his girth. At the same time you felt Will’s powerful thighs pressing against the back of your own, the velvet touch of his bulbous crown pressing to your still trembling hole before with a grunt he thrust into your soft body.

 There were only grunts and gasps of pleasure, the two men rocking your body between them as they defiled you in the basest of ways, but that you were eager to participate in, the mixing of pheromones in the room removing your inhibitions, knowing that it was an act of survival. You could feel your body climbing again, your orgasm imminent. You felt the first salty tang of August’s seed on your tongue, the tensing of his muscles as his body prepared to release into the welcome warmth of your mouth. His massive hand cupped your chin and pulled your head up to look him in the eye as he finally reached his peak, grunting curses as he pumped thick ropes over your tongue, raining praise upon you as you swallowed everything he gave you. 

 August fell back onto the pillows, but before you could let gravity take hold of you too Will wrapped his arms around your torso, pulling you upright until you were pressed against his chest, his hips thrusting as he filled you so deliciously from behind. Through lust soaked gaze you watched August watching the pair of you as you fucked in front of him, his eyes travelling down your heated body until he was watching where your bodies were joined, how Will’s thick cock stretched you out so well.

 “Get your finger on her clit Shaw, i wanna watch you make her come undone”

 Doing as the senior agent instructed, Will snaked a hand down your stomach, rubbing tight firm circles against your sensitive bud as he continued to fill you, until you were shaking, hanging onto the precipice of pleasure and that final flick of his finger was enough to set off another orgasm. 

 The vice-like grip of your velvet walls was the final trigger for Will, and with a sin filled groan he pushed in one last time and you could feel him spilling deep inside you.

 Finally he pulled out, carefully setting you down onto the soft bedcovers. Your eyelids felt heavy, but the burning deep in your body seemed to be sated. You felt the men moving around the bed, a large hand cupping the back of your neck before lifting you from the bed a little;

 “Drink…”

 Opening your eyes, you watched as August lifted a water bottle to your lips, making sure you gulped down the chilled water before pulling away;

 “How… how are you guys feeling?”

 He turned and sat on the bed beside you, his finger trailing down your neck and between your breasts, and only then could you see the sheen as his skin glistened with sweat, a droplet running down his abdomen to where his cock stood hard and proud from a thatch of dark curls;

 “Not… not quite done yet…”

 Gently pushing you back down onto the bed he tossed the empty bottle aside before crawling atop of you, capturing your mouth with his as you felt the nudge of his hardened dick breach your body, his wide expanse of chest pressing you to the bed. He didn’t start out gentle and it only got rougher, ploughing into your body as he sought to relieve the effects of the pollen coursing through his veins like fire, burning within him until all that was left was red hot embers of passion. Your body writhed beneath him, begging for more, eagerly taking whatever he could give.

 He hit spots you didn’t know existed, your back arching with pleasure as he filled you, your hardened nipples almost too sensitive from his chest hair roughly rubbing against them, the stimulation almost too much until the levy broke and you came hard, your fingers digging into his back to leave dark welts, the pain his trigger for the final thrust as he pumped you full of his seed. 

 Finally he rolled off you, laying at your side as your chests heaved, struggling to catch your breath when you felt another hand grasp at your wrist;

 “Babe… please… i need you…”

 Looking to Will you saw a pained look on his face as he sat partially propped up against the pillows, his chest soaked and his dick standing hard and proud;

 “Please…” he begged.

 Somehow you found the energy to move, your body still shaking but yet you straddled his lap, pushing his sweat soaked curls from his face;

 “It’s going to be ok Will, i’ll take care of you… its ok…”

 You sank down onto his waiting body, taking him where August had been only a minute before, the comingled seed lubricating you as this new angle found yet more pleasure points that had remained undiscovered until then. Wills hands moved to your hips, his grip tight as he gritted his teeth and moved you on his lap, rocking you to ride him like a rodeo stallion. Sweat dripped down your body, rivulets running between your breasts as you threw your head back and basked in the flood of pleasure chemicals soaking your brain. The haze of lust clouding time and space as you came to another orgasm, Will filling you with another load of his thick cum, your cries of pleasure finally ebbing away as you collapsed on his heaving chest, his hands stroking your back whilst your bodies stayed joined.

 A pair of strong arms lifted you off of Will and set you down on the mattress, August’s dark smile haunting over you as he parted your legs and kissed down your thigh, before with a smirk he bit the soft flesh. It wasn’t enough to break the skin but the pleasure pain receptors in your mind were immediately set off again, and you knew that even if you couldn’t see the mark you’d feel it for days to come. He lifted your legs and parted them, his face at your centre, yet where his tongue ended up you let out a squeak of surprise as he circled your back entrance. 

 “Oh, OH… August…”

 “Mmmnnfff” was all that could be heard as he pushed his tongue at your asshole, his thumb pressing against your clit as he worked you open, your body deceiving you as a fierce orgasm washed over you almost immediately. When he pulled away he had a smug look on his face;

 “Thought as much… hold tight…”

 He quickly disappeared to the bathroom, before returning with a small bottle in his hand. Pouring some of the liquid contained within on his fingers, he worked the oil over your skin before pushing his thick finger into your ass, eagerly praising you as he worked your body until you were ready.

 “Walker… hurry up and fuck her… i’m burning up here, i need another round…” Will gasped out as August moved you.

 “C’mere then Shaw, we’re never gonna get this out of our systems if we have to wait to take turns…”

 Even through the haze of the pollen Will immediately got what August was saying, the pair of them pulling you from the bed before Will took you into his arms;

 “Jump…”

 With a surprising amount of strength Will pulled you up, your legs hooked over his forearms as he angled his hips to push his dick back into your cum soaked cunt, letting gravity help as he sank deep. Just as you thought you were about to overbalance a hard chest pressed against your back, August stooping behind you as he took his iron hard dick in hand and sought out purchase on your ass;

 “Gonna take this as slow as i can Sweetheart…”

 Slow didn’t seem slow enough, and you cursed Newton and the laws of physics as the same forces that had pulled you down onto Will did the same with August, leaving you gasping for air as you were filled in both holes. The boys held you up, in place and still whilst they resisted ravaging your body, fighting against the pollen until they could no longer hold back and they unleashed their raw power upon your body. Fucking you in tandem with the thinnest of walls separating themselves inside you, they defiled your body as you begged for more; harder, deeper, faster. It was never enough.

 -

 The night ebbed away into the mists of time, each sex act more depraved than the last, the three of you driving the deadly force of the pollen from your bodies in an endless battle of lust.

The last thing you recalled was the sun rising as the two men stood before your kneeling body, spraying your face and breasts with a final load before sleep finally claimed your sated body.

 -

 Bright light streamed in the window and you winced as your head pounded. A deep voice could be heard but you weren’t listening. A warm body beside you shifted and a large warm hand pressed to your aching abdomen, soothing the overworked muscles. A soft pair of lips pressed a kiss to your shoulder, and the lack of moustache told you it was Will that was spooning you.

 “C’mon Agents, rise and shine” August barked from the bathroom doorway, packing his things; “Got a flight to catch in two hours, debriefing in twelve”

 -

 Closing the file you nodded at your superiors, their approval of a good job done ringing praises in your ears as the debriefing ended, people pushing their chairs out and making small talk as they were dismissed for the weekend and a well deserved rest.

 Walking to the elevator you didn’t make eye contact, trying hard not to wince as your thighs rubbed together and you felt the bite that August had given you, wanting to avoid any probing questions. You’d skimmed over a lot in your report, mainly the sex-pollen induced orgy that had taken place, but as the thumb drive with the vital data on had been recovered no-one was concentrating on the part between the retrieval and the debriefing.

 The elevator dinged as the doors opened, and absentmindedly you stepped in, looking out of the glass windows as you were only partially aware of just a few other passengers. It was only when you realised you were flanked on both sides did you look up and see that August and Will were either side of you. 

 With a smirk August handed you a file;

 “This wasn’t needed for the debriefing”

 You flicked it open and saw that it was the mobile test data from the hotel room;

 “Yes, probably for the best” you agreed, your throat dry.

 As you held the pages Will pointed to a trio of lines towards the bottom. For a moment you stared at the numbers before you recognised what they meant;

 “That’s our results…”

 You felt August’s breath hot on your ear as he whispered;

 “Look at yours…”

 You saw the readings of Will and August’s blood count, of the pheromone saturation… then you saw yours;

 “But… but that can’t be right…”

 “You know that equipment better than anyone else… when has it ever been wrong?”

 The elevator reached the Lobby and everyone filed out, August and Will stopping and nodding to the bar across the street;

 “We’ll be catching a drink or two… you’re welcome to join us once you’ve taken in the test data…”

 You nodded, speechless, staring at the data in black and white. It couldn’t be wrong; it was never wrong. It was clear as day.

 You hadn’t been infected by the pollen.

[junipersgarden]

metanoia 1. | Recover

PAIRING: Peter Parker x Superhero!Reader

SUMMARY: 8 months later from Tony’s funeral and the promise Peter and you made, where do you two stand now?

WORD COUNT: 4119 words

WARNINGS: N/A?

a/n: i did not expect this to blow up so quickly so thank you all sm!! ill be updating every Friday/ re uploading from Wattpad and converting it to here!! hope you enjoy this chapter and ill see you next Friday ; )

[NOT MY GIF] 

...

8 Months Later...

...

"I have a plan. Okay. First, I sit next to Y/N on the flight."

"Mhm."

"Second,  I'm gonna buy a dual head phone adapter and watch movies with her the whole time."

"Okay."

"Three, when we go to Venice; Venice is super famous for making stuff out of glass right?"

"True."

"So I'm going to buy her a white gardenia necklace because it's a really pretty flower and... because... well-"

"Is it because of the-?"

"Because of its meaning yeah. Step 4 is when we're in Paris, I'm going to take her to the top of the Eiffel Tower, give her the necklace and 5, I'm gonna tell her how I feel. And 6, hopefully she tells me she feels the same way."

"And don't forget Step 7."

"Step 7?" Peter questions and clicks the top of his pen to write down Step 7, ears perked to listen to Ned.

"Don't do any of that."

Peter lets out an annoyed and frustrated sigh as Ned gave him a look that expressed 'what? what did i do?'

"Why?"

"Because we're gonna be bachelors in Europe Peter!"

"Ned."

"Look, I may not know much, but I do know Europeans love Americans."

Peter had little belief in Ned's statement that he scrunched up his face and looked at Ned.

"Really?"

"-And more than half of them are women!" Ned exclaims to make his point.

"...Sure but, I really like Y/N man. She's awesome, she's super funny like in a kind of dork way, and whenever she looks at me I feel like- she's coming over don't say anything!" Peter quickly shuts himself up.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"Don't say anything!" Is the only thing you hear as you walked up to Peter and Ned's table.

"Sup guys? You excited for the science trip?" You greet them, rocking your body with a smile planted on your face, your assignment folder occupying your hands. Technically you got up from your, F/N's and MJ's table so you could photo copy your guy's group project but you heard Peter and Ned rambling about Europe and thought you could start up a conversation.

"Hey! Uh, yeah! We're just talking about the trip."

"Yeah and Peter's Plan." Ned confidently slides in the conversation.

Peter's Plan?

You stop moving and shift yourself to Peter, averting your eyes so yours meet his.

"...You have a plan? For what?" You nervously smile and laugh at him, playing with your bracelet on your wrist. The bracelet was silver but held a black cross (similar to a crucifix) in the middle of it.

"I- I don't have a plan." Peter mumbles, fiddling with his pen and looking at you with anxious eyes.

"No he's just gonna collect tiny statues while we're travelling to other countries." Ned blurts out and you can see he exchanged a look to Peter.

"I didn't know you liked-" You stopped speaking immediately, your response lost in your mind, something else distracting you.

You looked past Peter's head and your eyes meet with the dozens of drawings and tributes to Iron Man, to Tony and his sacrifice.

It seemed like yesterday you were on the battlefield, when you found out Peter was Spider-Man and all of those emotions and memories swept and flooded your mind in a tidal wave.

You can feel the whole room spinning even though your feet were planted on the ground, the voices of Peter and Ned fading as the sobs of Peter replaced them and Tony's dying breath.

It's been 8 months and you thought you had finally moved on from all the grief and suffering, the sleepless nights full of insidious nightmares and the suffocating feeling that came from all those panic attacks.

"You can rest now..."

"Did you photo copy it?" Someone asks and you whirl yourself around suddenly and possibly too fast, loosing balance and landing into someone's arms. F/N.

"Oh shoot sorry F/N I was talking to Ned and Peter about Europe and got side tracked?"

"It's okay! I was just checking since MJ was sorta getting antsy since she wanted it to all be done before you guys leave tomorrow." F/N beams at you, still holding you up.

"I-I'll go do it now-"

"Y/L/N, did you firstly ask me and secondly get a hall pass?" Ms. Warren spoke up and alarmed you. She was sitting at her desk and was staring at the 4 of you.

"N-No Ms. Warren..."

"I'll go!" Peter shot straight up from his seat. Ned shook his head and F/N laughed at his eagerness.

"No Parker you've got work to do. Y/L/N, Davis can take you."

Davis... Brad Davis?

Just on cue, Brad lifted his head up from being preoccupied at his desk and sent you a friendly smile and wave. He stood up immediately and from his demeanor, seemed over the top that the teacher asked him to escort you to the printers. He looked so familiar but no matter how heard you tried, you couldn't conjure where you'd seen him from.

Brad walked over to you and was still smiling from before so you nicely smiled back. Brad offered you to go first so you walked to Ms. Warren's desk and grabbed the huge hall pass with Brad trailing after you.

"We won't be long Ms. Warren!" Brad yelled out as he closed the classroom door.

You shot F/N a look that said 'okay guess i go and also what just happened?' and F/N shrugged back with no explanation and return back to MJ. You saw Peter looking at you as you left and saw him sigh heavily and immediately get back to his work. I hope Peter's okay.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

The cold, crisp breeze whirled through the dim lit streets of Queens as you walked back home;  the streets were always alive at night with people hurrying from one place to another, lights shine brightly, beaming against tall, towering buildings and billboards, apartments until rooftops could reach the sky. New York was always cold in the night and what lurked in the darkness was even colder. Robberies, assaults and muggings were a regular sighting in alleyways but with yourself as Saviour and Peter as Spider-Man, the number has been decreasing over time thanks to the both of you. School was weird today with the whole Peter and Ned thing and especially with Brad. He was nice taking you to the printers but he kept asking way to many questions about you and you caught him staring a couple of times... weird.

You gripped your coat tightly around you, wrapping it as much as you could around your body to fight the wind, shivers being sent down your spine. Your mind had been blurry lately; balancing the lifestyle of school, social life and duties into one while trying to properly rest and to be there whenever anyone needed you was a struggle; the biggest fear you had was if you just took one, innocent day off that'd you regret it for the rest of your life. You also found it hard to escape your thoughts,  insecurities and nightmares whenever you'd zoned out or even closed your eyes for a second. Despite it all you had your anchors though; the people who were holding you down from losing yourself from all the madness happening. You slip out a smile at the thought of those special individuals; friends that you put above anything or anyone else. Peter, Ned and even Michelle were all you had and all you were relying on to help you back up.

"Help! Someone!" A stranger cries into the night, pleading for a saviour, followed by the sound of gunshots and glass shattering.

Show time.

Reacting instantly, you check for your surroundings before fleeing into the shadows of a lonesome alley and with a single flick of your bracelet, it lets of a white glow, letting you know its activated.

"Hello Ms. L/N, how may I assist you tonight?"

"You know the drill ARIS: suit up."

"Right away Y/N."

On command, the familiar cool and sensational feeling of the nano tech being released from your bracelet began spreading all across your body; you loved the feeling of your suit coming alive just by wishing it, AI on the ready and that the suit was also with you, being a part of you.

As you relished in the moment your suit was fully on your body, you rushed out of the alleyway, concealing your true identity under your mask, prepared to fight,  you begin to follow the cries of the citizen in need.

You felt your heart beat and pace fasten, senses heightened and the adrenaline coursing through your veins.

A shift in your vision changes as you feel your pupils fill fully black and steady themselves with your mask lenses,  you exert all your energy into a singular jump and successfully land on the rooftop.

"ARIS, scan for location of activity."

"The distress signal appeared from 21st Street."

Ahhh, classic bank robbery.

"Okay ARIS, are all systems ready to go?"

"Affirmative. Initiating heads up display and initializing flight power."

You roll your head back and crack your knuckles, jumping up and down on the spot, ready for take off.

Nodding your head, you extend your arms out and feel the palms opening up and see the infinite blue glow from your thrustsers and feel the energy spreading and going to the soles of your suit.

Staring down the run way of the roof, you start walking before speeding up into a full sprint, running across the abandoned roof top. Steps quickening, you can see the end of the roof nearing with each step you take; you're going to jump. Before you know it you've leapt off the roof and it feels like time has stopped and you're floating on nothing; it's only you, the sky and the city's blurred noises and lights.

"Flight power fully restored."  ARIS states, crashing and hauling you back into reality.

The euphoria of you floating has started to turn into the immense awareness that you are plummeting straight down with such speed to the lively streets and roads of New York below.

Extending your arms and legs, you point them into the direction of 21st Street and hear the whirring of your suit taking control and then, you're off. You're flying, just like Tony did, in the late night sky of New York City to stop a robbery.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Positioning yourself, your eyes meet with the victim in front of you; the typical situation.

"Hey."

The criminals all stop with their actions and immediately turn their heads to you. The hostages look up at you with hope and desperate, tears of fear and joy being to stream from their eyes.

"Looks like you forgot your credit cards huh fellas?"

2 out of the 4 robbers stand up and you took the chance to fire an energy blast, distracting them you slide on your knees towards the captives.

"Go! Go!" You beckon as you freed them from their constraints, they hurried out of the door shouting 'thank you's'  and praises for your service and gratitude.

Getting up from the ground quickly, you turn around and see the 2 robbers running toward you.

You spring off the floor, back onto your feet and observe your surroundings; the 2 robbers are still sprinting towards you. You ball your fists and stance yourself ready to fight.

"Guys, guys, guys! You can either return back the money and nothing happens or we can do this the annoying and hard way."

One of the robbers racing towards you pulls back their gun and you hear a gunshot and feel a little ting and flick on your suit; the robber was really dumb enough to shoot you and your bulletproof suit.

"Well, guess you chose the hard way."

The 2 robbers still at full speed rush towards you but before they can even touch you, you step to the side and they loose control and crash into the wall.

"Ooooh! That's at least gotta leave a bruise.' You mock them.

You dart towards the fallen robbers, dizzy and dazed from the impact. You hit your right wrist twice on your suit and it opens up and greets you with what you were looking for; your trusty tool and invention of electric rope. The rope appeared as a blue wire with white sparks that shot out of it and you used it to tie up criminals and lets say if they were to hesitate or make a runner, they'd get a bit of a shock.

Grabbing the 1st and 2nd robber's hands, you wrap the wire around them both so they are both stuck together and unable to escape.

2 down, 2 to go.

The other 2 robbers that were still looting money had stopped since they'd heard the crash and the groaning of pain from the one's you'd taken on.

One robber stands up and places his fingers in his mouth and whistles.

You tilt your head in confusion but see that 3 more step out from the remaining safes.

"Aww brought more of your friends for me? How sweet..."

They all attack you at once, bullets ricochet off you and bounce back, flying back at them.

In unison they all duck down behind a counter from the bullets and curse out profanities and you take the opportunity to dash forward and leap onto the counter and land in front of them.

They all jump to their feet and a robber steps in front of you and tries to land a hit. You grab their arm and twist it and they let off a howl of anguish, you tasered him with your bracelet and flipping and throwing him to the floor.

Another takes his place and goes to hit you but one from behind tackles you and pins your arms, locking them in a firm and harsh grip.

Even through the suit, you can feel sharp fingernails attempting to latch and pierce you.

The guy in front of you clutches a solid grasp on both of your shoulders, forcefully yanks you down into his knee and hits your stomach. Already you can feel a bruise forming on your lower abdomen.

Jesus this one will be hard to cover...

You groan at the extensive, burning sensation building, your skin becoming tender and aching from the hit. The guy holding your arms down is tightening his grip and

"Given up huh Saviour?" The robber in front of you spits.

"T-that's the thing...." You let out a breathless chuckle, "I'm only getting started."

The robbers stare at each other and back before laughing furiously at you, the rest approaching you with guns.

What the robbers were thinking is that they'd won; they had successfully robbed Queens County Saving Bank and had taken down one of Queen's own superheroes. You on the other hand, had plans and knew perfectly well how criminal's minds worked; allow them to think they've won, they'll loose all focus and control on the situation, so you'd gotten them in the spot you wanted them: busy getting ready to celebrate a fake victory and not realizing the black smoke manifesting around them.

"As I said, I'm just getting started." A smirk lies on your covered face as you look deeply into the taunting robber's eyes full of bewilderment and fear.

The black smoke begins flurrying around your body finds it way around the robber's hands, instantly making him let go you. You lunge forward and punch the one in front of you with full power, he stumbles back and falls to the ground defeated. You then sharply turn and kick the other in the face.

The two out of the three still left go to attack you but you raise your arm in defense and send a gust of smoke flying to them. They stagger back and remain frozen as the smoke curls around and drags them to the ground. You rush over and deploy more of your rope onto the two and wrap it tightly around them, restraining them to the one place.

The last robber you spot is kneeling on the ground, trembling slightly with fear and piling as much money possible into one bag, trying to make a clean getaway.

Slowly and antagonistically, you make your way over to him and stand there, staring at him and waiting for him to notice. So busy and frantically he continues filling the bag he doesn't take care of his surroundings or even the cries of his comrades.

"I'll take that thank you." You cleanly snatch the bag and kick him to the ground with your heel.

He lands flat on his chest, hands out to the side you grab them and wrap them around once more.

People emerge from hiding and cry out cheers of joy and appreciation, a few giving you a pat on the shoulder, hugging you and the occasional asking for photos. The sound of police sirens ring in the distance, signaling its time to go. Waving your goodbyes, you turn to flee the scene but you hear and notice the vibration of a tap being played on your suit. You pivot back around and see one of the bank accountant's smiling frailly at you, evidently anxious and nervous in your presence.

"T-thank you so much Saviour, how ever can we repay you?" The accountant's eyes full of tears and lost distress begged.

"You don't need too; this is my job. Saving people's lives is what I do." You reply to the accountant, taking off into the night.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"You did quite an excellent job tonight might I say so myself Y/N."

"Why thank you my Another, Rather, Intelligent System."

"Was that perhaps what you call, a flex?"

"...Yes ARIS, that was a flex." You mumble with a hint of embarrassment.

Currently soaring in the air with another criminal taken down, the fresh and cool wind rattles against you. Patrols were always 'relaxing' in a sense to you; gliding around the city and if your AI or you come to the attention of any law breaking activity, you swoop in (literally) and handle it. At times, you would bump into now and then into Spider-Man and the two of you mixed with your skills, would work together as a dynamic duo to take down the enemy. Queens loved and adored the both of you as individuals but as partners as well. Before knowing Peter was Spider-Man, there was a bit of tension and jealously and bickering from both of you: 'Dibs I had him first!' 'No, you know I patrol this area!' arguments occurred so many times that even the Avengers were pulled into it.

"I apologize for interrupting your thinking but it seems to be you have approximately 3 missed calls from your mother and from Pepper Potts accordingly."  

Missed calls from Mum is bad but wait- Pepper called?

"W-when did they call ARIS? Any voicemails?"

"Your mother called to say to be home earlier from 'study group' to prepare for Europe tomorrow and that not to miss dinner again... which you did and Ms. Potts left nothing for you."

"C-can you auto text Mum that study group when longer than expected and that Y/F/N's offered dinner so I stayed and that I'll be home soon?"

"Already on it and for Pepper?"

"Don't text her anything."

"Text sent."

Pepper? The Pepper Potts? It's been 8 months; what does she want and is that Peter?

Drifting down from the air, you land quietly behind a wall and crouch down behind it,  peering out carefully and you see Peter in his Iron Spider suit, eyes red and wet with tears as he stares at a piece of graffiti.

What's so bad about- oh.

The piece of artwork was of Tony; no wonder he was so distraught.

"You okay Spider-Man?"

"Y-yeah, I j-just c-crashed into a w-wall?" His voice high pitched, obviously lying.

"Uh huh... mind if I sit?"

"O-oh uh... no! No, you can sit!"

Giggling at Peter's awkwardness, you slide next to him and take a seat. You knew something was wrong by the way he was breathing and that his eyes were wet and red but how do you bring it up?

"So..."

"So...?"

"H-how is everything Spidey?" God that was awful.

"T-things could be s-so much better... just, the whole Blip thing is, it's getting to me."

"Blip?"

"The Blip? W-where the alien guy on Titan s-snapped his fingers and e-everyone d-disappeared?"

"Wait that's called the Blip?"

"Well that's what everyone is calling it."

"It sounds better than something to do with a maniac murdering half of the Earth's population... plus it's easy to say and remember."

And for the first time in a long time, you actually heard Spider-Man and Peter laugh. It was more of a sad and dry chuckle but, at least it was something.

"I'm assuming you didn't hear about 21st Street then?"

"21st Street what now?"

"Just now there was a robbery; apparently some of uhhh, what's his name? The macho, pacho penguin looking guy? Sends out his henchmen to do all the dirty work?"

"K-Kingpin?"

"Yeah! Pretty sure that's the one! But, really? Kingpin? Sounds really dumb; reminds me of bowling or something instead of an evil business man."

"His head does look like a bowling ball..." Peter murmured quietly.

You smiled brightly and threw your head back as you laughed; that's the Peter and Spider-Man I know.

From his mask, you could tell he was smiling since the corner of his mouth was showing the little peaks from out of it.

Your and his laughter began to die down you two just stayed silence  and looked up into the cloudless sky.

"It's beautiful isn't it?"

"It really is... makes my night."

"And mine as well, I mean besides your company." Spider-Man, well more like Peter coughed, trying to cover up what he said.

"T-thank you though.. this was a nice chat Saviour. Not to alarm you or anything, but I'm not gonna be here much longer-"

"W-woah, what the hell do you mean-"

"N-no! Sorry, I worded that wrong don't panic! What I meant to say is I'm not going to be here because, I'm going on vacation."

Parker I swear...

You lightly hit his shoulder and let out a breath of relief. "Don't scare me like that! I did not need that!"

"S-sorry! B-but yeah... I'm going on vacation.. can you handle Queens without me?"

"I already do. Besides, there's always the other Avengers who can."

"Y-yeah... the Avengers... a-anyways Saviour, I-I'm gonna go now. I'll s-see you soon?"

"See ya Spidey and don't go crashing into any walls!"

"When did I- oh."

"Ratted yourself out. Bye Spideyyyyy!" You call out and wave as you watch him swing away and make tracks home yourself.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

"I dunno how I did it, but I snuck back in ARIS."

"Well, your mother is asleep-"

"Shhh lemme have this!"

"... Congratulations Y/N."

"Thank you ARIS-"

"Even though I do not condone this behaviour."

Rolling your eyes, you shrug your body and switch your bracelet and your suit slowly peels away from your body, the nano- tech shrinking so it all fits inside the bracelet. You stretch your body but wince from your stomach. Cautiously, you lift your shirt and see the enormous bruise left on you from the robber and his knee.

Bye, bye crop tops...

Plopping yourself on your bed, you lie down and sigh in exhaustion. Closing your eyes slowly, you feel yourself falling to asleep. Until the chime of your best friend's ringtone plays from your phone which causes you to lurch up and open your phone to look at the text.

from: F/N ✌️

yeah.... i'm really sorry that I can't go to Europe...

from: you  

i get it, it's totally fine! your family needs you.

don't feel bad trust me it's all g.

from: F/N ✌️

...if you say so dude. just, have a great time,

take photos and promise to text me when you can?

from: you

you know I will 😤

from: F/N ✌️

kk. well, I better go. it's late and unlike you, people have school tomorrow.

from: you

haha, very funny... well, goodnight nub > : (

from: F/N ✌️

see ya geek : P

Reaching over you place your phone back on the charger and look at the ceiling and sigh.

New York has been chaotic since the Snap- Blip. The Blip. And the amount of crimes has only doubled since before then and everything with school and my friends, Ned, MJ, F/N and Peter and oh god...

Hopefully Europe gives me a break.

☆━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━☆

TAG LIST !! < 3

@eridanuswave

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[psyga315]

Fixing RWBY Volume 4

Volume 4 is… interesting, to say the least. It is obviously a breather volume, but at the same time, it tries to hammer home that every character is suffering to some degree. It also tries to do a sort of Game of Thrones-style “location-based arcs”, where multiple plots unfold across different areas. The only problem is that not everyone gets that spotlight. I can point you guys to the scene where Ruby sees Jaune training and nothing comes of it.

This is where I was beginning to see the problems of RWBY (dropped out midway through Volume 1 and only picked it back up before Volume 3), but I couldn’t quite put my finger on where exactly. Some critics have pointed to Volume 4 as a place where things begin to fall apart, especially in regards to Blake’s character. Then again, she was drawing pictures of the man who abuses her so…

As such, I’m going to tackle this Volume and try to tweak it so that it’s better. As before, I’m not going to reinvent the wheel or slap unneeded characters around. At this point, the only biggest change was Hazel’s appearance earlier in the show. With that in mind, we should begin with a meta-story first.

Keep Moving Forward

Volume 3 was a success and hype for Volume 4 was at its peak. Because RT managed to sell the idea that RWBY was gonna get dark way earlier than they did, I don’t see them using RWBY Chibi for anything other than training people to use Maya. Although there were plenty of animators from Volume 2.5 that used Maya, the ones RT picked out had experience with Poser and thus, they need to bridge the gap before the big Volume.

Around the same time, Miles and Kerry begin to realize that they’ve undertaken a rather ambitious task. Realizing the limit of their age earlier than they did (no joke, part of the reason the Faunus subplot got ditched was because they considered themselves too young and inexperienced to properly tackle it), they had an emergency meeting to figure out how to handle this Volume.

One solution was to simply keep the girls separated for one or two episodes before they’re reunited, nipping the problem in the bud and allowing the plot to continue. Miles insists that there should be a longer degree of separation. After all, all these girls have been traumatized and this isn’t going to be a simple pat on the back for them. The idea is then extended to one volume, to which Kerry suggests that the girls spend two Volumes separated. One where they’re getting over their trauma and the other where they’re doing something about their situation.

Instantly, the idea sticks and plans for both Volumes 4 & 5 began to take shape. Now comes the question of how to handle the high concept of four, maybe five plots going on at once. I’d assume that, with the Volume 2.5 thing, RT would have a lot of animators they could call upon. And so, a means to tackle the idea was formed: Much like how RWBY split up, so too should their animators. Miles and Kerry would continue to write scripts for the episode (barring suggestions from each animation team) and the four animation teams would handle their respective arc.

We have Team Mistral, the main team that deals with all the RNJR scenes and scenes that don’t involve the other members of RWBY, such as Salem’s Lot and Oscar. Then we have Team Atlas, who handles Weiss’s scenes. Team Menagerie handles Blake’s and Team Patch deals with Yang’s.

M&K also decide, this time, that, if they’re going to get serious, they should at least set up some sort of timeline. This leads to a month of brainstorming between them and other members of the crew to figure out what sort of hijinx would happen in a 6-8-month timespan and more importantly, how the saga would unfold. Should it all be at the same time or split across different points? Miles argues that it’d get too confusing, so at the same time would do.

They also decided to plot out how Volume 4 would unfold. Each episode will have RNJR as a major focus, with the members of RWBY sharing focus each episode. The way it works would be as follows:

· Episodes 1, 11, and 12 would focus on RNJR and WBY.

· Episodes 2, 5, & 8 would focus on Weiss.

· Episodes 3, 6, & 9 would be on Blake.

· Episodes 4, 7, & 10 would be on Yang.

· Some episodes would sprinkle in scenes of Salem’s Lot and Oscar.

This obviously messes up the flow of Volume 4, but at the same time, it would give everyone proper focus instead of randomly across the entire volume.

With the hype of Volume 4 reaching critical mass, it premieres on October of 2017 (remember, they delayed Volume 3 by a year to get the additional animators) and this is how Volume 4 would be tweaked…

Salem’s Arc

The first thing we see is Salem’s group celebrating their victory over Beacon while berating Cinder over getting injured. Salem destroys any vague wording she had given in the original and outright says that the method of which Cinder took her powers was considered unnatural and that she did not expect Ozpin to have a Silver-Eyed Warrior in his academy. Hopefully the audience can put two and two together that she’s talking about the Grimm-

[cue that clip of the audience reacting to the Volume 4 trailer and someone shouting “IT’S SUMMER!”]

… Salem explicitly points out that Cinder used the Grimm and that’s why she got fucked up by the Silver Eyes.

Most of these scenes stay as they are with the exception of Hazel being the new member of the group and thus be introduced to Watts and Tyrian, the latter of which being the one who saved Cinder last Volume. Hazel shows some remorse to the Fall of Beacon (to the point where he takes over Emerald saying “it’s almost sad” from last Volume) but when Salem says Ozpin was killed, he is relieved. At least something good came from the bloodshed.

Another change would be that Salem assigns Watts to Atlas instead of Haven. Her reasoning is that, with the CCT being down, she’d need to find a means to see what’s happening in Atlas. Watts understands and prepares a transport to Mantle, knowing he can hack into it with relative ease. When Hazel gets his assignment to talk with Sienna Khan, he asks if Tyrian would be a better choice, since… Y’know, Faunus. When Salem considers switching Tyrian’s job with Hazel’s (hunt the Silver-Eyed Warrior) Hazel and Tyrian instantly reject the offer. Hazel because he doesn’t want to hurt Ruby and Tyrian because he wants to hurt Ruby. Note that Salem doesn’t mention anything about the Spring Maiden. It’ll become apparent why in Tweaking Volume 5.

Also, I’d keep Salem’s motherly nature in this scene because that was always the nice contrast to Ozpin and considering how I dialed up the untrustworthiness of Oz, having Salem treat her minions like children instead of tools or assets would set up a huge contrast.

Cinder’s scenes are kept the same. At some point, I want to establish that the reason characters seemingly teleport all over the place is that it’s something Salem’s Seers can do. This would be done by placing multiple Seers across Remnant, which his why Watts is also going to Atlas, and then using one Seer to teleport to the other.

Oscar’s Arc

I like to thank Vexed Viewer’s video on how the creators screwed up introducing Oscar, since it gives me an easy means to avoid all the shit they did.

Oscar’s arc begins same as it does, but this time, his aunt (who we actually see) enters his room and asks if he’s okay. This has been the fifth night in a row where Oscar has had night terrors, almost centered around the exact same thing: the Fall of Beacon. Despite living so far away from Vale, he remembers the massacre vividly. More importantly, he remembers fire. Lots of it.

One of the episodes would end with focusing on him, only for a voice to pop up: “Hi! I’m Professor Ozpin!” That’s clearly more of an ending bit than a beginning bit.

Episode 6 and 7 would be where we see a good chunk of Oscar’s story unfold. Obviously, we have Ozpin trying to get Oscar to go to Haven, Oscar wants nothing of it. He has dinner with his aunt where, slowly, Ozpin takes over Oscar and forces him to go to Haven, convincing Oscar and his aunt that he always wanted adventure. Even without a body, Oz manages to find someway to ruin someone’s life to have his way.

Also, we don’t have him take the train. That’d be like if in Lord of the Rings, everyone was walking into Mordor and suddenly some 12-year-old kid flies in on the hawks. He’d be in actual walking distance from Haven. About an hour away. The encounter with Hazel stays the same, but Oscar has a slightly longer conversation with Hazel where he asks him if he’s ever been pressured to do something he doesn’t want to do. Hazel, having no idea about Ozpin’s reincarnation, tells him he has, but the reward would be to have peace of mind. This motivates Oscar to fully commit to going to Haven.

Also, skip the stinger because we’re going to use that for Volume 5.

Yang’s Arc

It’s mostly the same, but Port and Oobleck aren’t in the house since they’re dead. Also, Ironwood states in a letter that he apologizes for DQ’ing RWBY and that there’s no need to thank him for the arm so we can get rid of that meme.

There’s another plot detail, one that I’ll establish in Weiss’s arc, but the long story short of it is that the news plays footage of the ball where the Trophy Wife laughs about Vale lacking proper defenses, setting the already upset kingdom into fury, since those defenses were Atlas’s and as far as everyone knows, they were part of the problem. Taiyang is forced to go out and help quell the demands to go to war on Atlas.

Here’s how I’d structure it:

Episode 1 would have Yang adjusting to life without the arm. The simple montage of her doing chores which gets interrupted with Adam flashbacks.

Episode 4 has Taiyang giving her the prosthetic. She tries to wear it, only to have flashbacks of not only Adam, but injuring Mercury and Blake leaving her. She gets her signature hand trembles as she remembers the train from Volume 2, Gretchen’s death, and Raven telling her about Summer. It ends with her asking if she should really become a Huntress.

Episode 7 shows her watching the news when the Trophy Wife footage comes on and sees Weiss attacking her with a Boarbatusk. For the first time since arriving in Patch, she feels concern for her teammates. She knows that Ruby would be safe since she has Jaune and the others and Blake can die in a fire for all she cared. Taiyang comes home, tired and even battered a bit, having to stop some people from committing Atlasphobic attacks, which led to a Grimm attack. They have a chat about the state of Vale and Yang asks Taiyang why she even became a Huntress in the first place, to which Taiyang replies that she wanted to be like her mom, Summer. After she left and was presumed dead, Ruby had been menaced by a small bird Grimm (I’m going there) and Yang tried to fend it off. This was the spark that led to her being a Huntress. Yang, however, doesn’t buy the idea and goes to bed.

Episode 10 would bring the Atlasphobic attacks right to Yang’s home as the house is bombarded with people citing Taiyang as “Ironwood’s bootlicker” and “a droid sympathizer”. They want Taiyang’s head because if he’s not with them, he’s against them. The sad thing is that most of them are traumatized people who lost loved ones to the attacks. Yang wants nothing of it, but the moment the group grabs Taiyang and tries to string him up, her anger flares up, grabs the arm, and slaps it on her. She goes in and saves Taiyang from getting lynched but when it comes time to attack the crowd, she flinches and remembers attacking Mercury and recalling the words of doubt Blake casted in her head. She ejects the arm and, realizing she’s fighting people without awakened Auras, fights to knock them a few out before calling everyone out for letting fear control them. This obviously doesn’t instantly resolve the tensions with Atlas, but it does inspire Yang to return to being a Huntress.

Episode 11 has Taiyang, after healing up from the beating he got, talking to Yang about Raven. Because she knows about STRQ in this tweak, we don’t need to do the whole “oh, so now you talk about her” thing, but Yang does ask what Raven meant with Ozpin valuing Summer as a Pawn. Taiyang asks when she met Raven and notes that she would add that little detail. He then explains to her that Summer was special, just like Ruby, and that she was sent on special missions that none of the others were invited to. With Ozpin kicking Raven out, having favoritism placed on Summer and making Qrow his personal Huntsman, he slowly dismantled STRQ and Taiyang has quite a bit of upset over that. Realizing that this is what’s happening to RWBY, Yang decides to head to Haven…

Episode 12 has her using her motorbike, only to be stopped by a Huntress, Heather Shields, who asks for her help in tracking down a bunch of bandits. She isn’t interested until Heather says that their leader is possibly in league with the White Fang as they have a Grimm Mask. This piques Yang’s interest since this could either mean Raven or Adam.

The reason I added this subplot about Atlasphobic attacks is that I really didn’t want that ballroom scene to be in a bubble and I also wanted to emphasise the whole “angry at Atlas” thing.

Weiss’s Arc

Quite literally the same arc, but with a battle between Weiss and Jacques because he didn’t really have any earned comeuppance in Volume 7 and it’d be a better place for “This Life is Mine”’s rock version than battling giant bumblebees.

Episode 1 has Weiss more subdued than her earlier Volumes, showing her father’s leash is well on her neck. She is asked to visit her father, leading into episode 2, which has no actual changes outside of the reasoning for Ironwood’s embargo being more vaguely worded, since we want to illustrate that he’s going 1984 right now.

Episode 5 is Episodes 6 & 7 of the original mashed up into one episode. However, we get a shot of Watts recording the ball, then using the Seer to teleport to Vale and hand his recording to a local news outlet before moving to Mistral with the Seer.

Episode 8 is Weiss mastering her summon and sneaking out… Only to be caught by Jacques. Jacques is well aware that Weiss’s songs were nothing but hate speeches to him and he demands respect. Weiss refuses, telling him that he’s a poison on the family. Jacques remarks that she’d technically be poison too, since the Schnee children share his DNA. It soon leads to a battle in the Schnee manor where Jacques over relies on Dust as he isn’t a skilled fighter while Weiss over relies on her summon. As such, the two are evenly matched until Jacques runs out of Dust. Realizing that her fighting has become sloppy, she goes back to using her Glyphs and uses one to pin Jacques in place in a manner similar to how Watts pinned Ironwood in their V7 fight.

Episode 11 has her try to get on an airship before Ironwood stops her and tells her about the closures in place… Then assures her she has clearance to go, inquiring that she goes to investigate Winter’s findings on Haven. She jumps at the chance because she thinks Winter is there. Episode 12 is her on a private military aircraft with Pilot Boi.

Blake’s Arc

… Oh boy. You can tell why I saved this one for second last. Blake’s arc is by far the most infuriating of the arcs and really sets a bad standard for her. I remembered flipping her off when she said “we’re not going to fight the White Fang” when I was first watching Episode 11 because I had it up to here with her tomfoolery.

So, instead of making the battered abuse victim abuse Sun and chilling at her parents’ place as the rest of her team suffers while being stalked by someone who has a big lesbian crush on her, we’re gonna rehaul her entire arc.

Episode 1 has her secure passage on a boat. It’s not as grand as a liner in the original, but it’s not the rinkydink rowboat she was on in the comics. Rather, a simple cargo ship she had to bribe in order to get on. She has no clear goal in mind and when asked where she’s going, she says “nowhere. I just want to keep running.”

Episode 3 plays similarly to Runaways and Stowaways, but Sun stalking Blake is removed. If he wanted to be a good Samaritan, he shouldn’t dress up like some fucking cultist for no discernable reason other than “le bait and switch!” Instead, he’s there because SSSN need a lot of supplies and money to back to Haven and Sun is just doing his job as a security guard. He plays catch up with Blake whose moody nature causes a Grimm to attack them. The Grimm is defeated, but the ship has taken damage and must make a pitstop. When asked where it’s landing, the captain says “Menagerie” and this fills Blake with fear.

Episode 6 has Sun and Blake arrive on Menagerie, where it’s actually crowded this time. Failing that, the big problem is that they’re intolerant towards humans, since this is their turf. Obviously, the captain is met with tons of scrutiny and forces Blake to do the one thing she’s avoided her whole life: Talk to her mother.

I should explain something before we continue. In this tweaking, Ghira was killed by that group of people in Adam’s short. This explains the sudden shift between White Fang leaders and Adam’s words in Volume 3. In honor of Ghira leading a noble cause, Kali was given the title of Chieftain of the village I forgot the name of (Kua Kuana?) With her status, Kali could grant humans a temporary pass. And so, Blake reluctantly visits her and we get a touching reunion.

We also see Blake get introduced to the Albains, who in this tweaking aren’t telegraphing that they’re bad guys and are genuinely trying to get in Kali’s good graces. When Blake gives the Albains the business of the White Fang killing people, they state that they’re well aware, as they have Adam in custody and will sentence him to exile in the wilds of Menagerie where he’d most likely meet his end at the hands of monsters. Keen eared viewers would notice that Salem said that Adam was meeting Sienna Khan so… what gives? Well, that’s going to be explained in…

Episode 9 has Blake and Kali talk a bit about Ghira, we have that much needed talk, but instead of Sun busting it, it’s Fennec. He reports that Sun had been kidnapped by renegade White Fang members, but not saying that it was their members that kidnapped Sun. This causes Blake to give chase and goes to the outback where we get to see one of the vicious monsters Blake talked about instead of leaving it to the imagination or DC.

There, we see Sun and Blake were able to defeat it with moderate difficulty before they see Adam. The three fight, but as Blake’s trauma kicks in, Sun protects her and ends up knocking Adam senseless, revealing that it isn’t even Adam, but Ilia using a Semblance that makes her camouflage as other people (think Neo’s Semblance, but on a smaller scale). Blake and Sun are confused before Ilia knocks Sun out and retreats. I should also mention that in the battle, they also knock the scroll out of her.

Episode 11 has Blake explain to Sun why she ran (without her being a bitch about it) and Sun says why that reason’s bullshit. Kali and Corsac come in and they converse about how Adam is still out there. Kali shows plans for a raid on Haven and Corsac feigns condemnation of Adam’s actions. Blake then states that the White Fang has gone too far with its corruption and must be destroyed.

Episode 12 isn’t focused on Blake, but rather on Ilia, as she reports to the Albains and informs them on why she had to disguise herself as Adam. It’s here we find out that, yes, the Albains were in on Adam’s plans the whole time, but had to keep up appearances. They then explain that their goal is to try and prevent Menagerie from going to Mistral’s aid.

Ruby’s Arc

Finally, we get to RNJR. This is gonna be a long one since they’ll have all 12 episodes, even if they appear in only one scene. Let’s knock these out of the park by saying that Episodes 1 & 2 relatively stay the same, but episode 2 has them arrive in Shion just as Raven’s team attacks. This leads to a battle where Ruby battles her sister’s mom and doesn’t even know it. However, Ren sees the mask and freaks. Making matters worse is that the Nuckelavee appears and forces Raven to retreat. The group manages to hold off the Nuckelavee, but are unable to defeat it, leading them to run with a Huntsman following them, the same one that died in the original.

Episode 3 has Ruby talking to Ren about what the hell was up with his freak out but Ren refuses to talk and Nora isn’t helping matters. The huntsman introduces himself as Shiro Wan and says how he’s been assigned by Lionheart, the Headmaster, to investigate a recent string of bandit attacks. He then says that, if they can help him with the bandit, he can get a good word in to bring the group to Mistral. Ruby later confronts Jaune on his training with Pyrrha’s video as Jaune berates himself for letting Pyrrha die at Beacon, saying that if he was stronger, he would have helped her. We end the episode with him confiding in Ruby something: “Ozpin tortured Pyrrha…” That or he wants to kill Cinder.

Episode 4 reveals that Qrow is not only following them, but is talking to Raven about the Spring Maiden. Raven feigns ignorance, but her wording leads Qrow to confirm that she knows where the Spring Maiden is. Also, I want him to say this:

Qrow: If you don’t tell us, we’re all going to die.

Raven: And who’s this ‘we’ you’re referring to?

Qrow: EVERYONE, YOU DUMB FUCKING EDGELORD BITCH!

… I just want to do that.

Episodes 5, 6, and 7 are relatively the same, but Tyrian kills Shiro. Episode 8 has Jaune lay into Qrow about Pyrrha and Qrow tries to defend Oz by saying that Pyrrha chose, but Jaune brings up how he saw the contrary, even asking Qrow if they informed Pyrrha about Salem and the Relics, to which he sadly says no. Episode 9, 10, 11, and 12 are relatively the same as well, with only two exceptions. The first is that, in the flashback for Kuroyuri, we see that Ren makes friends with a ten-year-old girl before Raven and her bandits attack. Nora is also there and with her depression and the bandits, the Nuckelavee is let loose onto Kuroyuri, the ten-year-old last being seen with Raven and looking at the destruction with remorse. During the Nuckelavee fight, Ruby’s silver eyes act up, freezing the Nuckelavee in place for Ren to hand some final blows, rather than “hold arms down to win”.

The stinger isn’t really plot important, but reveals what will immediately happen in Volume 5 as Jaune, Nora, and Ren, with Pyrrha’s shield (if you’re gonna say she has extras, at least show she has extras), carry it over to a house and knock on the door… It’s clear what’s going on, but as the door opens, we cut to black. To be continued in Volume 5.

DVD Extra

I’d say four extra stories starring each member of Team RWBY. Maybe even adapting a story from the comics?

And that’s Volume 4… The next tweaking is going to be my final one and I’m gonna go out on a bang.

[pasteljeon]

Nymphet Garden: Prologue

Prologue: White Heather - Calluna vulgaris is a flower native to Northern Eurasia and America with a history of being very versatile as it was used in nearly everything from household items like brooms and baskets to flavoring drink like beer. The plant is immersed within Scottish folklore as they believed that the soft blossoms only grow where faeries have been and that owners are blessed with good luck and protective powers. It means that ‘wishes will come true’ and that is what happened when the boys met you.

➟ Based off this request: I’d like to request a multi-part fic with the reader being a solo!idol and the bts boys perhaps being big fanboy of hers? I’d love to see your take on this. I’d love some down and dirty smut too please! from @/stxrlxghtsora

➟ Summary: He was just a fanboy, they got dragged into it, and so blooms your love story.

➟ Pairing: OT7/Reader, non-idol!BTS, idol!Reader

➟ Warnings: uhh, this is basically a short smutfest with a loose plot (reverse ynwa style), including, but not exclusive to: switch!reader, switch!ot7, overstimulation, oral (m&f), edging, cuckholding, bondage, breathplay, daddy kink, noona kink, some hot jealous fucking, 3somes

➟ Length: 6.8k

➟ In collab with @/sugarcookiesandsins - please give her some love! ♡♡

➟ Notes: We spent a literal 8 hours on this first part sdhjsk we hope you all enjoy and look forward to the next parts! The following chapter will be posted on Jae’s blog, @/sugarcookiesandsins so please keep this in mind! Links will all be reblogged. 

Next

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“Please.”

“No.”

“Please?”

“No.”

“Hyung!” Yoongi groaned, throwing his head back to glare at Jimin who eyed him hopefully from across the couch. The boys were already crowded at the door, shoes on and looking rather excited themselves despite their reluctance earlier that week. Jimin, the source of exposure, had his hands clasped together and amber irises blown out pleadingly. They were practically glowing, and it was lethal, at least, to everyone except one Min Yoongi .

“Just get Taemin to go with you guys. You know I hate public places and that venue is going to be packed. I can’t stand another twenty thousand you’s screaming in my ear,” Yoongi grumbled.

“I’ll get you that new studio equipment you wanted,” Jimin wheedles. His bank account would suffer, but it would be worth it if Yoongi went to the concert. Having the iconic Bangtan Ensemble was what he wanted, after all, for attendance at his favourite idol’s concert tonight. Besides, he had spent good money on these tickets. He could have used it to replace the speakers in his dance studio or his worn sneakers, but no. He had single handedly paid for 7 front row tickets, and damn it to hell if he wasn’t going to get his money's worth.

The aspiring composer squinted at the younger suspiciously, but Jimin only beamed back at him. “Please, hyung? I really want us all to go together!”

With a drawn out sigh, Yoongi swung his legs over the couch and grabbed his jacket. “Fine. But you owe me. I better see that ASR 88 sitting in my room by the end of the year.”

Jimin winced inwardly but nodded eagerly. As long as he got all of them to go, then any future pain would be worth it. Besides, he was sure that after that night, Min Yoongi would be thanking him for dragging his ass to this concert. “It will, don’t worry.”

Twenty minutes and a bus ride later, Jimin still couldn’t  believe that he was actually here, standing a couple feet from the stage where his future wife would soon be singing your her heart out. He had their wedding planned and everything, she just didn’t know it yet. Looking to his right and left, he was happy to be surrounded by his closest friends, even though he knew that what he had promised some in exchange for their attendance may be a little out of reach for his. He would deal with that later and focus on the now. Besides, there had to be extra shifts he could pick up at work to make up for the huge dent in his expenses.

Suddenly, any stress he had melted away as the familiar piano of your intro played over the speakers of the venue. The screen on stage lit up as the video began to play. He had seen it so many times, Jimin could probably watch everything with his eyes closed, but he still kept them locked on your features as you played your role in the video, your skin looking softer then it had ever looked on either his phone or his computer. The screams never stopped. The boys were sure they were going deaf wincing as pitched voices echoed around them. Still, they were at a concert. What did they expect?

Jimin had been lucky enough to snag tickets to the GA area and they rushed in to secure a position at the front. Camping was prohibited so it was a fight to the death to get into line as early as they were permitted. They lounged around on the ground, joking around as they patiently waited for the actual performance to begin.

It was almost an hour later when you came onstage yourself, decked in the familiar attire from your debut song. The boys shot to their feet instantly. It was an upbeat tempo that got everyone dancing and screaming the lyrics as you executed the choreography to perfection just like Jimin had seen in live performances.

Taehyung was jumping up and down next to him, yelling something indiscernible over the roaring of the crowd. “What?” Jimin yelled. Taehyung pulled him closer, shouting, “She’s really good! Where can I buy her album?”

Jimin grinned, telling him he would send the link when they were home. One down, five more to go. Taking a quick sweep around, he spotted Namjoon and Hoseok jamming out near the barricade. Seokjin was nodding his head along to the beat enthusiastically to the right of him, and even Yoongi looked impressed in spite of his reservations earlier. Jungkook was hooked the moment you walked on stage and opened your mouth. The music major was a sucker for a voice as angelic as yours, his jaw dropping so low Jimin feared the fireworks would fly right into it. He smiled to himself. Jimin 1 : Bangtan 0.

The concert ran for two hours, though there were breaks in between where you were offstage changing outfits and videos promoting your tour theme ran on screen, or you’d walk forward and speak to the audience. Jimin swore his heart stopped beating when you knelt in front of him, smiling directly at him as you sang a line to one of his favourite songs off your older albums. God, you were perfection. You sent him a heart and he swooned, mouthing an I love you. Jimin ignored Taehyung’s boisterous laughter, having noticed the exchange.

“You’re so whipped for her, Chims,”  Taehyung cackled. Jimin flushed, still singing along.

He still didn’t forget to check his phone periodically, eyes flying to his notifications at every vibration in his pocket. Before the concert, you had done a vlive during the soundcheck when you announced the raffle that would make one group of people very lucky indeed. In between songs, you explained to an enraptured crowd that you would be drawing for the winners of backstage passes. Those that purchased in groups of 5 or more tickets were grouped together and solo purchases were randomly assigned to groups. Thankfully Jimin had purchased all seven tickets so when he checked the website, he was happy to find them all together in group number 713. He had watched the entirety of the livestream, including where you draw from a hat that was part of a costume set.

“... 713!” He swallowed. “Um, Tae?”

“Hmm? Yeah?” Taehyung said absentmindedly, eyes glued to the screens as a new teaser began to play.

“We won,” Jimin said slowly. His palms slickened and he shoved his phone into his friend’s face, his knees already quivering at the thought. “We’re going to see ___! Backstage! In person!”

Taehyung blinked at him uncomprehendingly. “Oh fuck!” Jimin screamed. His voice was swallowed easily by the crowd but now he could barely focus on the remainder of the concert, feeling dizzy and feverish.

“What’s going on? Is he okay?” Seokjin yelled over from the side. Taehyung smirked, making an O with two fingers and shoving another into it, eyebrows wiggling.

Jimin stepped on his foot so hard Taehyung had to squat and massage it for the entirety of your next song. The 95 liner sighed happily, returning his attention to you, eyes glazing over dreamily.

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Jimin was practically vibrating with equal parts fear and anticipation. “Oh fuck, oh fuck,” he whispered, pacing before the door. “This is really happening. Oh fuck!”

Namjoon placed a hand on his shoulder, concerned. “You alright there? Should we leave?”

“NO!” Jimin almost shouted. “No,” he said again, shaking his head furiously. “I need all of you there. Besides, we won together. It’s not just me.”

“Don’t worry so much hyung,” Taehyung grinned. “Chims is just excited to meet my future wife.”

If he wasn’t in public, Jimin would have tackled him, but instead he just shot him a glare that could burn hotter than the sun. “It’s not good to lie, Taehyungie.” His voice was sickly sweet saccharin, that Taehyung knew he would be sleeping with one eye open for the next couple days. He had been witness to Jimin taking revenge on Jeongguk for breaking a speaker, and there was nothing he had wished for more than to be the last person in the sights of Park Jimin.

Before anyone could say anything to diffuse the situation, the security guard they had shown their tickets to came out from behind the door with 7 pases dangling from his hand, lanyards colored to match the tour’s theme with writing indicating both your name and the name of the tour in bold letters. Behind laminated plastic were the very things that Jimin had dreamed about: backstage passes. He had read enough fanfiction to imagine a lot of things, each one riskier than the last, painting his face a bright red. Clearing his throat before speaking, he grabbed one once the security guard held them out. He flipped it over in his hand multiple time making sure it was real. Finally assured that it would not get ripped from his hands, he pulled it over his head letting it hang where everyone can see it.

“Miss ___? Your guests are here.” The guard knocked on an ajar door, the mirrors and rows of clothing indicating it was probably your dressing room. Jimin choked on his own fucking saliva when you turned around from where you’d been speaking to a staff member. You were patting yourself down with a towel, wiping off sweat from your neck as you walked forward.

“Hello! I’m ___. It’s wonderful to meet you all,” you said warmly, voice melodic though a little raspy from exertion. You’d changed into casual clothing and removed the heavier aspects of your makeup, caring less about your appearance than how comfortable you were. Shit, you were even more beautiful barefaced. Jimin tugged at the collar of his shirt, the room suddenly stifling.

“H-hi! Your name is Jimin!” He stumbled over his words, immediately wanting the ground to swallow him whole. Great. The one time I meet my all time favourite idol and I fuck it up. Go figure. He groaned inwardly. “I mean - My name is Jimin,” he gulped. “And it’s really such an honour to meet you.” He nearly smacked you as he stuck out his arm.

You giggled, eyes crinkling as you regarded the man. His hair was tousled, looking like he’d run a hand through his thick locks several times in anxiousness and you noticed his body trembling slightly, fingers shaking as he shook your hand. He wet his lips, plump and pink and you concluded he was quite handsome.

In fact, all seven of them were. The one next to Jimin let out the deepest laugh. Ah. You noted. One of those whose face did not match what you’d expect his voice to be. “Don’t mind him, he’s just extremely nervous. I’m Taehyung, this idiot’s best friend,” he said cheekily, stepping up to take your hand next.

“Namjoon. Your performances were lovely. I loved the lyrics. Did you write them?” He looked like he wanted to take notes at your response.

“Hello, I’m a thief and I’m here to steal your heart.” Cue windshield laughter. “I’m Seokjin, but everyone calls me Jin.”

“H-hello. I’m Jungkook. I really like your voice! And um, your dancing. It was all very good.” Heavy blushing.

“I’m Hoseok! Your choreography was sick! What kind of concept are you going to be using for your comeback?” This one had the sunniest grin, making you recoil just a bit so you could shield your eyes from the blinding effect.

“Yoongi.” He didn’t say much, but you could tell it was his natural character. He was quiet throughout the entire exchange, though his eyes were sharp and watchful as he examined you.

Jimin, bless him, was still fluttering around awkwardly, clearly wanting to convey everything he’d been harbouring for years now that he had an opportunity, but he kept tripping over himself and ended up staring at the ground for most of the conversation, looking disappointed and frustrated.

Namjoon and Hoseok chatted animatedly with you, discussing choreography and the elements of music like mixing and editing. From what little they knew, you also composed most of your own songs.

Seokjin cracked jokes here and there, Taehyung popping in periodically and Yoongi simply listened attentively. Jungkook spoke timidly, asking a few burning questions and his smile was surprisingly sweet, bunny like and bright.

Forty minutes into their visit, your stylist tapped you on the shoulder, murmuring something as she passed.

“Ah,” you said apologetically. “It looks like our time is up. I really enjoyed meeting you all. Best of luck with your own careers! And,” you paused. They looked at you inquisitively. “I hope to see you all on the billboards one day. From the sound of it, you all have immense talent and potential.”

Taehyung nudged Jimin frantically, jerking his chin at you. “Do it now!” he hissed.

“U-um. Please, will you sign my album?” Jimin thrust it in front of you with trembling hands, bowing his head deeply.

He almost regretted his question as you turned to him and unleashed a wide smile that could put Hoseok's to shame, at least in Jimin’s eyes. He was the cutest of the bunch with his rosy cheeks and nervous habit. “I would love to,” you said with a grin as you motioned to a staff member to bring you a marker. Once the black ink was in your hand, you proceed to make your signature on the cover of the album, directly below the tite and accomapnying infomation. Below that you wrote a cute message. ‘Thank you for coming to my concert cutie!’ with a little heart and kiss.

It was simple enough, but Jimin felt his soul leave his body as you gave the album back to him, fingers grazing each others’. Smiling again at him, you got up and enveloped his body in a hug, a small gift for being a fan as well as a farewell. Jimin thought he would die of happiness again as Taehyung brought him back to reality by poking him in the side. You were hugging him! Over your shoulder, Jimin saw Taehyung motioning to your body and he understood the message. He wrapped his arms around your frame, squeezing a little. You pulled out of the hug a moment later, still with that smile as you said your goodbyes. Jimin could only stare, eyes dreaming of you as you said your departing words to the others.

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On the way home, Jimin lay limp against the window, letting the cool glass dispel the heat that he felt after leaving the venue. He was still on an adrenaline high after the backstage experience. The other boys were in various stages of drowsiness after the concert since it had run late, not including the time that they spent with you backstage.

Still, all the boys were feeling the same symptoms. Doctors have termed the disease ‘idolstruck’ as most seem to become infected after meeting their idol. They were all lost in the image of your smile as you talked to them, face illuminated by the lights of the venue. The same smile that someone has when they are doing what they love. The boys were truly happy for you, and they were happy for themselves for agreeing to go with Jimin to this concert.

They had heard him a million times squealing from the confines of his room and knew the reason behind it. Still, they had left it alone, not really bothered by Jimin’s fanboying unless he spontaneously decided to take over the living room big screen to curl up on the couch and watch you participate in variety shows. They would walk in to see him smiling stupidly at your image on the television as it reflected in his eyes. Previously, they would all just shake their head and walk out, but now they were considering asking him if they could join him. They went home silently, and fell asleep as soon as their heads hit pillows.

Until the sun came up, they dreamed of you, angel eyes and all.

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The next morning, not a single person was awake before noon as they took advantage of the weekend and slept in. Still, hunger affects the strongest of us, and soon enough the boys made their way into the kitchen, still rubbing the sleep from their eyes as they planned the quickest strategy to get back to bed. Almost as it it was magic, they locked eyes in the kitchen and burst out in smiles as they thought of the reasons they slept like the dead. The first one was your concert, and all other items on the list were only subpoints to this main header.

“Did that actually happen?” Jimin was the first to voice their thoughts, he was still sporting sweater paws as he had not worked up enough to care that he had slept in another boy’s shirt, not that anyone else was too quick to call him out on it either.

“It did Jimin,” Namjoon may have also looked sleepy, but he was still more awake compared to the rest of the boys since he had gotten a whiff of the coffee he was making.

“That was amazing. She was amazing.” Jeongguk was still hung up by the memory of your voice. Sure, he had been forced to listen to it with Jimin, but he had always put it down to really, really damn good vocal editing. He was in awe last night when your voice sounded exactly like the songs on the album as well as your ability to belt out the lyrics while still keeping up with choreography that was fast-paced and technique oriented.

The coordination with your back-up dancers made Hoseok's eyes shined as he remembered a  5 minute period when you demonstrated a difficult section that he liked, laughing as you recounted memories of mistakes that left the boys unsuccessfully stifling their laughter at your predicament.

“Hey Jimin.” Seokjin hid his face behind a mug of tea as spoke, half in embarrassment and half in relief as the tea woke him up slowly.  “Can we have a variety show marathon tonight?”

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The week following passed by in a blur. The boys consumed your content like Jungkook drank banana milk - every chance they got, they were glued to their phones, laptops, TV to watch you laugh, dance, sing and talk.

“Guys,” Namjoon said solemnly. “I think we have a problem.” It was Friday, with all the boys sprawled over couches and lying on their stomachs as your newest Run! episode played on screen.

The past few days had been stressful. Jungkook had finally finished the demo he’d been fretting over for his final project with some help from his hyungs - though they fared no better. Yoongi and Namjoon poured over a new collaboration with an indie artist that had just signed them, spending hours cooped up in their studio. Taehyung had all but disappeared, travelling to different ends of the city for material on his photography initiative. Seokjin had been on and off as well, working for his father at his company whilst finishing his Master’s. Hoseok and Jimin were instructors at one of the best dance studios in the city, but Jimin had recently taken up a part-time job at a nearby cafe to pick up some extra cash to fulfil his end of the bargain for Yoongi.

“Hyung, I think we’re addicted,” Jungkook said absentmindedly as he reached for the bowl in the middle of the table. Various snacks were poured into it, and given the state of their lean, well-muscled bodies, they could afford a day off. They burned through calories quick enough as it was.

“Holy shit,” Jimin exclaimed, interrupting their conversation, leaping to his feet. His eyes widened as they flew across the screen of his phone. “She’s holding a contest. Guys, this could be our chance to see her again!” His heart fluttered at the thought, beating fast.

“Contest?” They flocked him like birds, jamming together instantly. Even Yoongi dragged himself over, looking mildly curious.

“It says you can either do a song or dance cover. There’s a winner for both. The prize is being able to shadow her for the production of her new music video!” He explained, showing them the post on her Instagram. “It’ll give us a chance to see what it’s like to film in a setting like that and how the whole process works!”

Taehyung perked up. “You think they’d let me shadow the filmmakers instead?”

Jimin nodded. “They’re usually in the same room so it’s up to you really. You can ask about the editing process, maybe they’ll let you in on that as well.”

“Let’s do it.” They stared at the speaker in shock. Yoongi shrugged. “What? It sounds like a good opportunity. She’s part of a pretty big entertainment company. We could check out the equipment.”

Seokjin cackled. “Like you’re really going for that. I saw your browsing history and I’m pretty sure you have more tabs saved on ___ than Jimin at this point.”

The composer flushed hotly under the disbelieving looks his friends shot him and scowled at the older man. “It’s for science,” he muttered, crossing his arms. “Obviously.”

“Uh huh,” Hoseok said skeptically. “Didn’t you fail science in fifth grade?”

Yoongi hissed at him. “Fuck off, Hobi.”

“Let’s split up,” Jimin suggested eagerly. “Tae, Jin, Yoongi and Namjoon can do a vocals cover. Hoseok, Jungkook and I can do a dance cover.”

“Is there a limit to how many people can win?” Namjoon asked doubtfully.

“Nope, just everyone that was involved in the production.”

“I’m in,” Jungkook offered. Taehyung agreed readily. They all turned to Yoongi.

He sighed loudly.

“Fine,” he grumbled. “Fine, you little fuckers. I’ll go along with you but if we lose, don’t come crying to me.”

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Jimin ruffled his dark tresses, pushing back his bangs as he chewed his lower lip nervously. He whirled around the cafe, picking up plates and delivering dishes. One hand rested on his pocket periodically, as if anticipating the buzz.

“You okay there?” Jimin turned to Kai, a barista and an old classmate who eyed him with amusement from behind the counter. It was near closing time, clients trailing out as the hour ticked by.

He nodded quickly. “Yeah. I’m just waiting for the results. They’re supposed to come out today.”

“Ah,” Kai made a noise of understanding. “For ___’s contest right? Coups mentioned something about that. I think he entered too.”

Jimin clutched his phone tighter. Shit, if his other friends were contestants, they had to start praying. They were all extremely talented.

His phone vibrated quietly in his hand. “Good luck,” Kai sang as he picked up the disinfectant to start wiping the counter down.

Jimin gulped, swiping left.

Congratulations Jimin! Your cover is the winner of ___’s Shadow Set contest. Attached are the forms and details to the event. Please ensure all members of your group have completed these prior to attending.

Thank you and we look forward to seeing you soon!

“Holy sh - ”

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“So who were the lucky winners?” You hummed, looking up from your laptop. Your manager walked in, handing you the rundown of the shoot’s schedule.

“Who else? I knew they were something special.” She laughed but agreed. Sifting through the documents, you smiled down at the papers as Jimin’s voice played through your speakers.

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“Jimin!”

“Hobi-hyung!”

The two ran at each other, jumping into a hug as they screamed incoherently at one another. “We won!” Hoseok promptly broke into a dance, grinning widely.

A groan. “Not this shit again.” But the dance managed to wrestle the composer down before he could escape. “We won hyung!”

“Yep, heard you the first time,” Yoongi muttered, rubbing his ear.

“I’m going to see her again,” Jimin said excitedly, eyes glimmering as he did his own little victory dance as he raced to print out the forms for the boys to fill out. The others were not as vocal in their excitement (except for Taehyung and Hoseok), but each was excited in her own way to see their favorite idol outside of there screen of electronics.

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You sadly stood in the center of your practice studio as you finally got a break from the events of the day. It had been business as usual as you entered to the chatter of your back up dancers and the staff. Following your usual breakfast of a smoothie, you set up in the center of the room to practice the new choreography for your next mini-album. The company had decided to try a new theme this time to test the proverbial fan base waters.

Most of your themes had been powerful messages of believing in yourself or softer ballads that accompanied pastels and picnic. For the first, and maybe last time, you were doing a sexy themed performance. It was darker than before too, the lyrics angstier and centered around heartbreak. There was plenty of couple dance routines mixed in with the floor technique and your outfits were no less sexy. Plenty of fishnet and shorts with crop tops, that you had mixed feelings about. On the plus side, you would no longer be sweating buckets during performances; skinny jeans and t-shirts were hotter than you’d think when dancing under the lights. Still, you were still relatively on the younger side of the age spectrum, and thinking of the revealing costumes still made you cringe. Either way, you were starting to enjoy this new persona, it was confident and powerful.

Still, it seemed that it would have to be pushed back. One of the main dancers had broken their leg and was out of commision for a month or so. He was your main partner throughout the choreography and it would difficult to get a new dancer to replace either a back-up that moved forward to to replace the main. Not only that, the dynamic had to be pretty comfortable between partners or the flow was choppy. She had danced with Kyungin since she first debuted, so even if they were not partners before, they still knew each other to be comfortable with some of the choreography.

__ didn’t want the release to be affected by this set-back but it seemed like they had no choice.  

“What do you want to do?” Your manager had pulled you to the side as the crew continued to set up, though slower as they waited for your decision.

“We don’t have anyone on the call, do we?” You tapped your chin thoughtfully. She shook her head ruefully. “No, but I should’ve. This is on me.” Then your eyes trailed to the boys at the side.

The seven boys had come trotting in obediently, lead by your manager, wide-eyed as they took in the logo of your company in big illuminated letters. This was the same sign they had seen in the background of every choreography video they watched, mesmerized by every twist and turn of your body and particularly interested in the moment when your lose shirt flew up when you jumped. Boys would always be boys.

You giggled at their expression, the small sound pulling their attention to your form. You had ended practice only moment ago, moving away from the new to practice the old as most of the staff went to the hospital. Thus your form was glistening with sweat, much like the night you first met them after to concert. Making you way over to them, you snagged your water bottle from a nearby table to replenish yourself.

You many be an idol, but you were still a woman so you felt their eyes very clearly on you as you tilted your head back to allow the cold liquid to run down your throat. You felt their eyes trace a stray drop that had escaped you mouth as it ran down your skin, tracing every curve and dip, much like men did with the woman they loved.

You smiled devilishly. Maybe this contest would be more fun than you thought, especially with these boys around. This concept had introduced to the character of the dominant female, and it was starting to become you more that you would ever care to admit.

Then you realized the reason they were here; they wanted to see the life of an idol, to shadow you with this next comeback. Now, with a dancer missing, you wondered if there was even gonna be a comeback. Unless….you took a long time looking at the boys who you had dubbed mentally to be the dance line.

You had seen their submission, they were very good at what they did so perhaps you could give one special treatment. You turned to you manager and raised an eyebrow? Tilting your head in their direction. The boys were silent, watching. The three who were under scrutinization sweated. Something serious was up if the managers expression was anything to go by. Looking back and forth between you and the boys, you manager nodded once, so quick it would be easy to miss, before stalking out the door towards the elevator. She had things to discuss with the CEO.

On the other hand, you turned to the boys with a smile and motioned for them to follow you. The eight of you walked through the halls towards the large conference room. You would be taking them to your personal studio, but the Shadow Contest was now up in the air after the loss of a dancer, so you still had to protect the interests of the company. The answer that you manage got would determine the future of these boys.

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“You’re sure about this? You don’t have to if you don’t want to,” you told him gently. Jungkook shook his head, smiling. “I want to, ___-noona.”

Oh. Oh, you liked that very much. “Okay. Let me call over my choreographer and he can teach you the steps for the first part that we’re filming today. It’s not too intense or long. Do you think you can learn it in the next three hours?”

At that, Jungkook grinned. “Definitely. I’ve done worse, trust me.” He shrugged off his sweater, passing it to Hoseok. Underneath, he wore a plain white tee that shifted as he moved. Mmm. It surprised you to noticed that he packed some hard muscle, visible through the thin material. He was lead off centre, where they set to work immediately.

“Yoongi, Namjoon,” you called. They stood to meet you as you approached. “Would you guys like to meet my producers? I heard they’re working on something new today so if you’re interested, I can take you there.”

They looked at you, mouth agape. “No way, seriously?” Namjoon was the first to recover. “Please, that would be such an honour.” Yoongi nodded rapidly. You gestured them to follow through a separate door.

Jimin glowered at the youngest from where he sat with Taehyung, pouting. “Why didn’t she choose me?” Hoseok had wandered over not long after to observe Jungkook and the choreography.

“Because you’re too short pabo,” Taehyung flicked his forehead. Jimin sighed, melting back into his seat. He fiddled with Jungkook’s jacket, looking a bit put-out.

You returned shortly, and with your own outfit on for the video shoot. It was definitely more revealing than any of the outfits the boys had seen you in before. Even the makeup did not make it any better with a red lip and smoky eyes that made you more alluring. Combine that with your stage presence and it was a lethal combination to anyone remotely interested in girls.

You noticed the look on Jimin’s face and wanted to pinch his cheeks. The sweet boy was pouting as he clutched onto the jacket Jungkook tossed his way. He looks unbelievably small and child-like with his pastel sweater contrasting the leather of the jacket which looked big on his frame.

Smiling softly, you made a guess at the reason behind his disappointment and smiled at the jealousy. It was no secret that he was your biggest fan among the boys with his name always being used for the group as a whole. You walked towards the two men, grinning as they met your gaze.

Jimin smiled at you, red-faced as he dragged his eyes up your legs and torso, to stop on your face. Taehyung, though not as physically prone to show his feelings, still tensed at the sight of you in front of him. Since the concert, he had looked into you more and fallen deeper into your fandom, even dabbling in fanfiction as he cuddled his pillow, pretending you were the one there beside him. You would be the one greeting him when he came home, you were the one that made him coffee when he stayed up late to complete assignments.

“Having fun boys?” Both felt shivers run down their spine at your voice. It was smooth and sultry, the kind of voice that suited the theme perfectly. They could only nod in response, too distracted by your charisma.

“Don’t be nervous. I’m still me.” You grineed, teeth on display. For a second, __ the idol was gone and was replaced with __ the girl. This was the you the boys loved, the personality they saw on the variety shows with her twinkling eyes and kind heart. The girls who was not afraid to laugh or get messy in the kitchen having the most domestic of argument debating how much water should be added to the rice pot. This was the girl they saw when you looked at them and this was the girl they fell for when you appeased their fears, sitting next to them dishing out bad jokes that put a smile on both their faces.

.

.

.

Your stylist ushered Jungkook in a chair and you watched rather amusedly as she fussed over his hair, applying light makeup and rifling through the closet for clothing his size.

He changed quickly, tugging on the suit and smoothing over the wrinkles. You cocked your head, drinking him in. “You look good.” Jungkook blushes. “T-thank you.”

“Nervous?” You asked. He nodded, looking a little overwhelmed. “I’ve never been in a professional shoot before. But,” he hesitates, peeking up from his lashes to peer at you shyly. “I’m glad it’s with you, noona.”

You wanted to coo at him, he looked so sweet smiling up at you like that. “Thank you for doing this. We really appreciate it.”

He reddened, rubbing his neck. “I’m glad I could help.”

“Ready?” The director called. Jungkook nodded at you, retreating to the shadows as he waited for his cue.

“Take one.”

The music started. It was soft, a little haunting. You glided in, steps light as you walked to the throne set up in the middle. As the line quickened, you mouthed the first line as you took a seat, leg crossing over the other.

Jungkook strode in, one hand in his pocket, the other slicking back his hair as he made eye contact with the camera.

He knelt before you, taking your hand and dusting a light kiss onto the back of it. You tipped his chin up, the camera zooming in as you grazed your manicured finger across his chiselled jaw. You swore you felt him shiver beneath your touch, his eyes fluttering closed as your cool breath whispered across his ear.

He turned, ripping himself from you as he stood, feet planted apart and expression tormented. You snaked an arm around his upper body, tapping down the expanse of his chest. You pressed yourself to his back, staring at the camera with lidded eyes as you sang.

He twisted away from you as soon as the bass dropped. Stepping behind you, it started. Oh God, did it start. His movements were powerful, sharp and clean. His hands trailed up your legs resolutely, his hips rolling against yours. Though your pelvises did not touch, you could feel his heat through the fabric of his suit. Then the bass backed out of the tune slightly as your vocals became the center of the song, commanding the attention of all, including Jungkook. You gripped his body and brought it surely in front of you, pushing him gently to his knees as you gazed down at him, simpering at the expression on his face. The next part harkened back to your debut song as you controlled Jungkook like a puppet, your arms and his body moving in sync as his expression emulated the idea that he was at your mercy in all possible ways. Then the dynamic of the song switched again, the base entering as Jungkook took control of the situation. His popping showed him breaking out of your control as you struggled to maintain your power over him. In the most risque move yet, he turned you so you back faced the camera as he pulled gently on your hair, following his lead and the choreography, you bent backwards until you were looking at the camera upside down, still singing along to the track echoing from the speakers as his mouth came down on your neck. From the frontal angle, it looked inappropriate but he was doing nothing more than just shifting the angle of his head.

Still, Jungkook could almost feel your skin beneath his lips and temptation set to to trace the same path that the water droplet took the other day when you first met them at the studio. You were glistening the same way too, the sheen of the sweat making your skin shine like diamonds under the powerful lights. Then you pushed him back as the second verse started, already tired of dancing to his beat.

The music cut off just as he fell to his knees, the power balance shifting as you gained the upper hand. Sweat dropped from his fringe as he brushed it back, panting. You helped him up, breathing heavy yourself. Jungkook took it gratefully and gave you a tired grin. “How was that, noona?”

“Wonderful,” the director boomed before you could say a word. “No need for a reshoot. We can use this footage. Maybe even raw. Good work, ___-ah! And Jungkook-ssi, that was excellent. I should hire you permanently.” He gave a wink before whisking away.

“He’s right,” you said, smiling. “You did really great. Thank you once again. You’re a lifesaver.”

“Ah, it was nothing, really. If anything, I’m the one honoured I get to work with you,” Jungkook said awkwardly, a light hue dusting his cheeks as he looked down.

Staff came hurrying over, distributing towels and water bottles. Jungkook wandered off to greet his friends who had been watching with wide eyes. Namjoon and Yoongi had returned halfway through the scene and were now in similar states of awe.

“Guys,” Jungkook gulped. They all stared up at him dumbly. “I think I’m in love with her.”

“No shit genius,” Namjoon hissed, slightly jealous that he wasn’t the one getting to touch you. Jimin felt the same way, giving over an expression that was somehow pouty and hateful at the same time.

Hoseok could only watch the vacant dance floor, still dumbfounded as his mind failed to comprehend what he had just seen. You and Jungkook dancing together, running your hands over each other. Still, he was not the type to be overly zealous. He would get his chance when the time came. So all he could do was clap Jungkook on the back, perhaps a bit harder than necessary and shake his head. “You lucky, lucky bastard.”  

.

.

.

Following the end of the first day shooting, your company treated everyone to dinner at a barbeque place. You had a table to yourself with the boys and more than an hour was spent eating, drinking and laughing as the boys told you more about themselves and they found out more about the girl behind the screen.

It didn’t hit the others as hard as it did Taehyung, Jungkook and Jimin, but the feeling crept on them slowly like night swallowing the day, unnoticeable until the very end. They saw the separation between the you that they saw on stage and the you that was the real you, without the managers and company and staff. This was the you that they never realized would captivate them, but you did. And against what seemed like impossible odds, they interested you.

As the boys walked home that night, Yoongi muttered a single phrase that they thought summed up the whole situation pretty well.

“I’m so fucked. Completely and utterly fucked.”

Jungkook walked straight into a pole.

[leviathan-says-hi]

Ask 21 / Tag 21

Answer 21 questions then tag 21 people you’d like to know a little better. Tagged by @fahrenflame Hope you're doing well! 😊

× Nickname ×

Levi, I guess? Not too many nicknames, most people think my actual name's bizarre enough and just go with that 😅

× Real name ×

Leviathan

× Zodiac ×

Pieces 🐳

× Height ×

Uhhhh...like 5.7"-5.8" ish??? Maybe???

× What time is it? ×

13:03

× Favorite musician ×

Marilyn Manson, Ghost, My Chemical Romance...idk honestly. I don't really listen to whole artists anymore, I just find random songs I like by all different people and throw them in a huge playlist, so most of my 'favourites' I literally know like 1 song by ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ whoops. Individual songs I've been enjoying lately though are:

° Nightmares - Easy Life (hence the recent animation lol)

° The Bidding - Tally Hall

° Boys Will Be Bugs - Cavetown

° Carnal Carnival - Here Come The Mummies

× Favorite sports team ×

Ngh...not so much a sports person ngl, but my dad gave me his Oakland Raiders baseball jacket he had as a kid and I wear that a bunch so er...go Raiders?

× Other blogs ×

Oh god I have a whole bunch. I have the really bad habit of making a new one everytime I get wrapped up in something then kinda abandoning it...I'm probably most active on my Ghost one @cardinal-cornucopia

× Do I get asks? ×

Nah, not so much

× How many blogs do I follow? ×

Christ, like...4,000 I think. I've been here a while, what can I say 😅

× Any tumblr crushes? ×

Eh, more so admiration than crushes, but there's a few people who are pretty rad, yeah

× Lucky number ×

13! 6 is pretty chill too

× What am I wearing right now? ×

Having a slouchy day revising for uni stuff, so grey sweatpants and my Unus Annus shirt 👍 Comf

(Quick side note, imma be pretty busy until the start of February when the new semester kicks in / spring exams are over, so hopefully I can start back up drawing/animating then!)

× Dream vacation ×

Maybe a road trip? I'm not really one for travel but a long, chilled-out drive to nowhere sounds really good rn

× Dream car ×

Welp, my sucky health means I would be considered the biggest of liabilities on the road so was basically told it's not even worth getting my licence 😅 BUT teenage me was really into motorbikes and was actually saving for a Suzuki GN125 👌

× Favorite food ×

Probably mac n cheese? Any form of instant noodle/pasta that can be microwaved at 3am between assignments. University broke me, what can I say

× Drink of choice ×

Blue raspberry jolly rancher soda / Pink grapefruit Fanta / Vanilla coke are my sugary weaknesses, but I also really love weird tea flavours like strawberry cupcake green tea and pineapple with grapefruit!

× Languages ×

English...barely 😅 Tried learning Russian but got sick so had to stop. Brain don't work so good ✌️ Think I still rember the alphabet/1-10 though!

× Instruments ×

Okay, okay so like, hear me out...I play banjolele. Well? No. Enthusiastically? Very! For anyone who doesn't know it's like the ungodly amalgamation of a banjo and ukulele and I love it to death. I also have a full sized banjo and ukulele not smushed together too so I guess they count separately too? But yeah, banjolele's my main squeeze 🖤

× Celebrity crushes ×

🤫

× Random fact ×

I've got a few months of neuroscience left before I should get my psychology degree, and I've been (unofficially, shh!) invited to stay on and complete a masters degree in research methods! Whoo 🎉🎊✨ Sounds boring, I know, but my academic dream would be a PhD in evolutionary psychology/neuroscience soooo...Slowly, slowly doing the thing 👍

× Tagging ×

Been out of the loop for a while so no idea who's done this already or not, sorry!

@pierlerett

@cardicishot

@markipliersin89

@nameless-jinx

@haunted-kazoo

@goodboysatan

@copias-caboose

[comeback-tomy-home]

The Star Student - Chapter 4

pairing: student Namjoon x professor reader (feat. ???)

genre: university AU, smut, angst, dom!Joon

word count: 2.3k

warnings: none for this chapter! 

chapter 1 chapter 2 chapter 3 chapter 4

As Monday morning approached, you started feeling better about what had happened with Namjoon. It seemed that a bit of distance had indeed been helpful in getting some perspective - and more importantly, talking to Rosina had helped you see that it wasn’t worth beating yourself up over. Everyone made mistakes. You weren’t even dreading talking to Namjoon any more, because you knew that it would mean drawing a line under Friday and would finally enable you to just get on with life as normal. Sure, you were a little anxious still - particularly when you remembered the look on his face as he’d slipped his fingers into your mouth - but it would be fine. He was the student, you were the lecturer, and you’d have the final word whether he liked it or not. All you wanted was for things to go back to normal, as if it had never happened. 

It didn’t hurt that your confidence had got an unexpected boost, either - the handsome man from the dating app had actually messaged you! His name was Jin, he was a trainee veterinary nurse, and he was just as charming as you had hoped. It turned out he definitely remembered you nearly bowling him over at the cafe but luckily he’d found it funny rather than irritating, and he had even asked you out for a bite to eat at the end of the week (which you’d immediately accepted). You hadn’t had a proper date in...you couldn’t remember how long it had been, which probably wasn’t a good sign. 

Your first lecture with Namjoon’s class was on Tuesday this week, and you were glad you didn’t have more time to overthink what you had to say to him. It seemed like your semester plan had favoured you as well, because the plan for that lecture was for the students to work in groups to discuss source material and give a short presentation outlining their assignment plans. That meant that Namjoon’s attention would (hopefully) be entirely focused on his fellow students instead of on you as you drifted from group to group, for which you were extremely thankful. You didn’t know whether your resolve would have held if you had had his eyes following you around the room, like the first day you’d met him. And after all, he did have to actually pass your module, the same as any other student. 

‘Namjoon? Can I have a word, please?’ you called as the class filed out, trying to sound casual. He looked surprised for a moment, but inclined his head and walked slowly over to your desk, clearly waiting for the rest of the class to leave the room before speaking. ‘Everything okay, professor?’ he said with a flash of his dimples, hands in his pockets. There’s no backing out now, you thought. You just had to grit your teeth and tell him. You cleared your throat and looked him straight in his deep, beautiful brown eyes. ‘I need to talk to you about what happened on Friday. It can’t happen again.’  His eyes widened slightly and then narrowed as he frowned. He ran a hand through his soft hair and you had to look away so you didn’t imagine twisting your fingers into it while his face was buried between your legs. How does he do this to me? you thought, clenching your thighs involuntarily as your skin tingled. ‘Why? I thought you said you weren’t uncomfortable with me?’ ‘I’m not, but it was a mistake. It was unprofessional of me, and I’m not willing to put my position at this university at risk by crossing the line with one of my tutees.’ Regardless of how much I want to. 

Because you really did want to. Now that he was in front of you, you realised that you weren’t at all in control of the effect he had on your body. As he stood over you, all you could think about was how he had growled as he fucked you with his fingers on Friday afternoon and how hard you’d come for him, and you shivered a little. You had to stay strong, and you still had an ace up your sleeve if you needed it.

He was biting his bottom lip now and looking at you with a mixture of confusion and disappointment, and to your surprise he suddenly looked a lot more vulnerable than you would have expected him to. That vulnerability was short-lived however, because he straightened up and cupped your chin with his hand, lifting your face to look up at him like he had the first time in your office, and you knew he was about to kiss you.  ‘Y/N...are you sure?’ You so, so badly wanted to let his full, soft, lips touch yours, let him hold you and bend you over the desk and fuck you senseless. All the air in your lungs seemed to evaporate in the moments that Namjoon looked into your eyes and lowered his face to yours, and as his fingers gently stroked your cheek you felt your resolve melting away. If your lips touched, would you be able to stop yourself kissing him back? 

‘That’s enough, Namjoon! I’m transferring to Professor Johnston’s tutor group,’ you said loudly, pushing his hand away. ‘What?’ ‘You’ll be continuing in my classes and you’ll still get assignment feedback from me, but I think it’s best we don’t have tutorial sessions together any more. Now please, get out of my classroom.’ 

Namjoon didn’t say anything, but he kept his eyes on your face for a moment before turning on his heel and walking straight out of the door, not sparing a glance backwards. You let out a shaky sigh and sat down heavily in your desk chair as you covered your face with your hands. That could have gone better. But it could have gone worse too, you reflected. You’d stayed strong, and you’d pulled your ace by transferring him to Johnston’s tutor group. Johnston was one of the university’s stalwart academics - yes, he was very grey and somewhat set in his ways, but he was the one you got on best with from your department and you knew Namjoon would be in good hands with him. And there was very little danger of Johnston being affected by Namjoon’s charisma in the same way you had been, since he was married to a woman and had four lovely children of around your age.

You half-expected Namjoon to skip his next class with you (you certainly would have done, if your positions were reversed), but he turned up on the day acting like nothing had happened. In fact, he seemed to be in an unusually good mood, and even volunteered to answer some questions (not that you picked him when he put up his hand - you weren’t quite ready for that yet). You saw him talking animatedly to one of his classmates as they filed out, a pretty woman with pastel hair whose name you couldn’t quite remember at that moment, and you couldn’t help but feel a stab of jealousy before your common sense kicked in and told you to forget it. Namjoon had to stay at arm’s length, no matter how much you wanted him to be much, much closer than that; and fortunately, you had the date with Jin coming up in a couple of days which would be a welcome distraction. 

Friday rolled around, and you decided to head home early to prepare for your date seeing as you now had a spare tutorial slot in the afternoon. You already knew what you would wear, having spent the preceding day mentally rifling through your wardrobe, and had even hung the outfit on the back of your bedroom door to prevent last-minute changes of heart. Amazingly, you weren’t even that trepidatious; it had been so long since you’d had a date that you were just excited to ‘get back out there’, as Rosina had put it, although you couldn’t deny that the idea of seeing Jin in person again was giving you a little more nervous energy than usual. Namjoon had only crossed your mind today because you knew he’d be having his first tutorial slot with Professor Johnston, and the relief of having something else to occupy your thoughts was palpable. You’d found yourself wondering idly whether this date would end the way you hoped it would - even in your brief meeting outside the cafe, Jin’s broad shoulders and perfect lips hadn’t escaped your notice.

You had elected not to share the real reason for switching when you’d asked Johnston about moving Namjoon to his group, instead playing up to his ego by pretending you were struggling with the number of tutees you had. He’d given you a patronising smile and an ostentatiously gracious ‘Of course, my dear, no trouble at all,’ and you’d had to thank him as if he was doing you a huge favour. Which, you supposed, he was - he just had no idea what your true intentions were in shifting Namjoon to his tutor group. 

Having completed your final check of your bag and pockets for all the bits and pieces you needed to take home for the weekend (including a letter of recommendation for one of your previous students who unfortunately hadn’t impressed you once in two years of classes), you leaned down over your desk and started shutting down your computer, closing tab after tab of ‘research’ articles - really, you’d just wanted to read about a scandal at another university which had involved some sculptures of dubious origin and whispers of money changing hands under the table. There was a knock at the door, but you didn’t look up and give whoever-it-was the chance to ask you for a last-minute favour, instead saying, ‘Hello, I’m just on my way out…’ hoping they would get the hint. 

‘Ah, Y/N. I just hoped to catch you for a moment, if you don’t mind?’ The papery, slightly wheezy voice of the faculty director was not at all what you’d expected to hear. Professor Augustin was slightly stooped in his old age, but still tall and with a shock of curly white hair. He wore tortoiseshell half-moon glasses and had an air of gentility, which you knew wasn’t entirely genuine - you’d witnessed him roundly berating a teaching assistant for photocopying his lecture notes incorrectly. The poor kid had broken down in tears as soon as Augustin was safely out of sight, and you’d spent your twenty-minute lunch break consoling them while they sobbed into their hands. ‘Not at all, Professor. Please, sit down - would you like a cup of tea?’ you said quickly. He was your boss’s boss and undeniably your superior in an academic sense, having published three books in the last year alone, so it was important to keep him on your side.  ‘No thank you, dear. I will have a seat, though. The knees aren’t what they were,’ he said, lowering himself into the chair facing your desk with a little huff. You followed suit and sat down as well. ‘Now, I realise this is a little...delicate, but I thought it would be best to nip it in the bud, so to speak.’ He let out a small sigh and looked at you over his steepled fingers. You knew what was coming. ‘Y/N, I was walking past your classroom on Tuesday and couldn’t help seeing…’ You couldn’t bear to hear Professor Augustin tell you what he’d seen - you knew exactly what he was talking about. There had been a few long moments when you and Namjoon could easily have been mistaken for lovers - more than enough time for an elderly professor to shuffle unnoticed past your classroom. You spoke up straight away, interrupting as politely as you could with a deep blush in your burning cheeks.

‘That’s nothing!’ You cleared your throat, speaking more slowly. ‘Sorry - that’s nothing to worry about, Professor Augustin. Mr Kim misunderstood the nature of our relationship. I’ve just transferred him to Professor Johnston’s tutorial group, actually.’  ‘Good, good. You’re a sensible girl, aren’t you? Well, glad you’ve got your head screwed on, at least.’  You ignored the ‘girl’ comment and tried to look unabashed, but your insides were squirming with shame.  ‘Yes, sir. I’m sorry for the misunderstanding,’ you said.  Professor Augustin gave you an appraising look over his glasses, and after a pause got up from the chair. He was still quite a bit taller than you, though his cardigan and comfortable loafers made him seem smaller than he was.  ‘But, Y/N, you must understand: I expect not to see anything like that again. There has been too much indiscretion in this place in recent years, and I am sure you appreciate the need to be...mindful...of our institutional reputation. Yes?’ ‘Yes, sir,’ you murmured, and you were sure you’d never blushed quite so deeply. ‘Excellent. This isn’t meant personally, of course, but I’m afraid I will have to be rather less lenient with this type of indiscretion than I have been previously. Now, do enjoy your weekend, won’t you?’ the professor said with a genial smile, and shut the door behind him.

Your date with Jin that evening unfortunately didn’t showcase you at your best. You’d been somewhat rattled by the conversation with Professor Augustin and had found it hard to put out of your mind, so you knew you’d seemed more distracted than you wanted to be; Jin didn’t seem to be too bothered though, as he’d spent much of the date face-down in a bowl of ramen. He had been sweet and funny and you’d kissed before parting ways, which is really all you could have asked for in the circumstances. On your way home, he’d messaged to tell you the punchline to a joke he’d forgotten earlier, and you found yourself smiling as you tapped out a reply. Maybe the tryst with Namjoon was just what you had needed to get your love life back on track - and the price you had paid was that Professor Augustin would be watching you a lot more closely from now on. 

a/n: did you guess who our mystery man was? ive deleted ‘semi-pwp’ from the genre list cos this is turning into a proper story! ngl, i didnt have it planned out to be more than 2-3 chapters when i started it, but im now thinking its gonna be 8-10. smut is coming up in chapter 5 so stay tuned... thank you so much for reading as always, shoot me a message if you wanna feed back (or just say hi)! and as always let me know if you wanna be tagged x

tag list: @xxathixx @triviajo0n @knamjooned @solar-princess

[the-lupine-sojourner]

Sarada, Princess of the Saiyans [’Season’ 1 Episode 3]

Hi! Sorry it’s been a while since I posted this, but uh here’s the next chapter of Sarada’s insertion! :) 

Here’s a Link to the first chapter, and Here’s a Link to the second chapter, for anyone who wants to catch up. I’ll be making a masterlist for each ‘season’ (aka each 25 episodes Sarada is involved in), and I’ll be adding that link when I make that list. 

Anyway, let’s get to the story! 

God Bless and Good Day!

~The Lupine Sojourner

The next thing I was aware of was a huge jolting crash. I barely stop myself from going headfirst into the computer. I hold my neck, already feeling a bit of whiplash. Blearily, I reach for the latch to get out. Guess we’d arrived. 

“Alien!” Someone screams as we exit the pod. I groan, rubbing my neck. I glare up at the edge of the crater and see several gathered locals, all peering down at us, most with fear, some with curiosity. I roll my shoulders out as I hear Vegeta and Nappa exit their pods. 

“My neck is killing me.” Nappa groans. 

“Yeah, think I got slight whiplash from the landing. It’ll fade.” I reply. Smirking, I float up, pleased to see Vegeta and Nappa joining me moments later, to panicked murmurs and outcries among the crowd. We land on the other side of the crater from the crowd, scanning the surroundings briefly and taking in Earth. Really not much here. 

No wonder it was so low on the rankings. 

“So what should we do with these gawking fools?” Nappa asks. 

“We might want to ask them about the Dragonballs.” I point out. “If the dragonballs can do what Kakarot’s ally from the recording says they can, they most likely are a treasure known to all.” 

“A good deduction, Sarada.” Vegeta praises, “However. If the dragonballs are as powerful as the ally says they are, wouldn’t it be wiser to keep it secret?” He counters. “After all, a powerful artifact like that should be closely guarded, right? Wouldn’t want it falling into the wrong hands.” He smirks, crossing his arms. I shrug and cross my arms, as well. 

“You make a good point there, Vegeta.” 

“Can I blow them up?” Nappa interjects. “They bother me.” I feel my eye twitch subtly. I didn’t want to kill anyone I didn’t have to, but if Vegeta says Nappa can, I don’t want to dig my grave by objecting. 

“Oh...I don’t know.” Vegeta says, still smirking. “Why don’t you decide for once?” I feel sorry for these earthlings. They won’t know what hit them. 

“Heh. Really?” Nappa asks. “Thanks, Vegeta. This is gonna be a lot of fun for me!” I move closer to Vegeta to give Nappa a bit more room and watch as he prepares to attack. 

“Don’t mention it.” Vegeta replies, chuckling. Nappa laughs, gathering energy in his hand and releasing it in a wave that comes up from underground, decimating the surrounding area in an impressively large radius. The wave increases and I imagine it could be seen from out in space. As it dies down, I view the aftermath. 

It was a painfully familiar picture. A rather large crater, crumbling city on it’s edges. 

A few burnt shoes here, maybe a child’s toy there, glass shards glittering like uncovered jewels in the sunlight. 

All a grotesque picture of the life I’ve led alongside my brother and Nappa, who’s laughing at the sheer destruction he’d wrought. “Do you think I was trying too hard to impress them, you two?” He asks coyly. We float above where we’d been standing. 

I sigh. “There isn’t anyone left to impress, Nappa.” I point out. 

“I should have known better than to let you have any fun. I’m beginning to think we should have followed Sarada’s advice and asked them about the dragonballs. But,” He cuts off Nappa’s apology, “if my hunch is correct, they wouldn’t have known. Besides, no point squabbling over it now.” 

“Yeah, c’mon; a little destruction won’t affect the sale price of this planet.” Nappa adds. 

“We’re here for the Dragonballs, Nappa.” I retort. “Not necessarily to prep it for selling, although that could excuse our presence here against orders.” 

“We’re here for the wish only. I don’t give a damn about orders.” Vegeta cuts in, and then turns to Nappa. “You do remember the wish, right Nappa?” Nappa flinches a little. 

“Well...yeah. We were gonna wish for...immortality, weren’t we?” Vegeta’s frown deepens. 

“Good, and we need all seven balls. Now, let me ask you; what if one of the balls happened to be in the city you just destroyed?” Nappa deflates completely. 

“Uh...I’m sorry. I guess I just forgot about that, huh?” I sigh. 

“Look, Vegeta’s theory about them being hidden and well-guarded makes a lot of sense. More than likely, no one would hide something of that value in a city like this. But don’t destroy anything that big again, alright?” Vegeta nods in agreement and Nappa licks his lips. 

“Alright.”  

“Now let’s all forget about it. What’s done cannot be undone.” Vegeta says. “First, we need to find out who has the highest power level. He’ll be the one who took down Radditz.” Almost simultaneously, we click our scouters and the beeping fills the silence. 

“Huh?” Nappa gasps after a few moments. “More than half a dozen people on this planet have power levels over a thousand! How is that possible?” I frown. 

“I don’t know.” 

“How should I know?” Vegeta snaps, cutting over whatever else I was about to say. 

“Maybe they’ve been preparing for us.” I suggest. “Radditz did say we were coming.” Vegeta scoffs. 

“Lucky guess. For all he knew, we had our scouters turned off and didn’t hear a thing he said. That fool was an embarrassment.” He then clicks his scouter. “Now, we need to find the biggest power level.” He orders, redirecting us back to the task at hand. Vegeta scans one hemisphere and Nappa and I take the other. Almost immediately, we find the two largest power levels, almost equal to each other. 

“Just found two of them!” Nappa reports. 

“They definitely have the highest fighting powers on the planet.” I confirm. Vegeta turns, smirking excitedly. 

“Really? Good, then. This may be interesting after all.” Nappa grunts in agreement and we take off, flying towards it as fast as we could. 

“Heh. Amazing.” Nappa notes, “This planet’s weak gravity makes me feel like a kid again. I’m invincible!” I grin. It did make me feel rather giddy. I remember the first time I went into the training chamber with Vegeta and experienced increased gravity. We were only in there an hour, but when I came out, it was like I had wings. Everything was so much lighter. 

Those were the days…before Frieza started assigning us missions. 

Before we lost whatever innocence we had.  

Vegeta simply keeps flying. “Don’t fall behind, Nappa.” I caution, keeping my voice even, but I worried what would happen if one of us screwed up. There’s no telling with Vegeta sometimes. 

He is my brother, but even so, he pushes me harder than anyone, expecting great things. He says it’s because he sees my potential, but I think it’s just because I’m his blood and he doesn’t want to be embarrassed by his sister failing.

I shake myself and keep flying. Nappa stops clowning around, stays with us, and we continue in silence. Within the next few minutes, we arrive, and I must say…

Not what I was expecting. 

One of the figures is nothing more than a child, wearing some kind of baggy purple clothing, probably the Earth equivalent of our training outfits. 

The new figure, one with the second lowest power level, but not by much, is bald, wearing an orange and blue outfit somewhat like the other two, recognizable as yet another version of Earth’s training outfits. 

The largest figure is green and- -wait...he’s a Namekian? I’ve heard of them, sure, but I’d never been this close to one. He wears a similar outfit to the boy’s, all but confirming it was some kind of training uniform. He scowls at us as the others subtly begin to tremble. It was clear the Namekian was the strongest, and had the most experience. Plus, with him being a Namekian, according to intel I’d heard, he should almost certainly know about the Dragonballs and probably even where they are. 

All we had to do was get that information out of him. Hopefully without destroying too much of the planet or killing too many people. 

Nappa laughs, drawing me from my thoughts. “So, one more joined ‘em.” He muses. “What’dyah suppose these three are doing out in the middle of nowhere?” We slowly descend as Nappa’s talking, and I scoff. 

“Isn’t it obvious?” I ask rhetorically. 

“They were waiting for us.” Vegeta chuckles. “Yes, I’m sure of it.” Waiting for us in the middle of a wasteland was actually a smart move. 

The further the fight is from civilization, the less they had to worry about collateral damage. 

That means they intended to fight like hell. 

I find I can respect that, even if it was fruitless. Our power levels were simply too high for even the Namekian to defeat. Even Nappa could easily get rid of them. 

“Whoa, this is it! It’s really happening!” The bald one whimpers, shaking even as he assumes a fighting stance. “So. These are the Saiyans.” I smirk. “Can you feel those power levels?!” I blink, all smugness gone. ‘Feel’ power levels? That was a new one. Was it possible to sense power levels without a scouter? How interesting. “They’re even stronger than I imagined!” The shaking becomes more visible, fear evident in both the boy and the bald one’s eyes. “What’re we gonna do, guys?” As the bald man speaks, we descend. Then we land. 

“So, we meet at last.” Vegeta muses, arms crossed and expression extremely smug. Nappa chuckles and I find myself almost rooting for our opponents. They were fighting to protect their planet, and I respect their tenacity, despite their outward fear. 

“The pleasure’s mine.” The Namekian growls in response, and I blink. 

“Vegeta, he’s the ally Kakarot found to retrieve his kid. This Namekian is the one who killed Radditz.” I whisper, moving subtly closer to my brother. 

Regardless of if heard me, the Namekian continues. “I’m only gonna say this once; leave this planet! This is your first and last chance to get out of this alive.” 

“You’re right, sister.” Vegeta muses aloud, his smirk widening. “He is the one who defeated Radditz one year ago. I recognize his voice” The Namekian blinks. 

“...My voice?” He asks, almost to himself. I nod. 

“Didn’t Radditz tell you?” I ask rhetorically, tapping my scouter. “Our scouters also work as communicators. We heard everything that was said while Raditz was here.” I explain, crossing my arms and smirking. If I had to fight, I had to. This Namekian, however, might be very interesting to deal with. I wonder how much experience he has and just what he plans to do. 

“Wait, you said the green one was from Namek, right?” Nappa asks, ending my train of thought. I turn to reply to Nappa, but Vegeta beats me to it. 

“Yes, he’s from Namek, alright.” He says. “No wonder Radditz had such a hard time with him and Kakarot.” I nod. 

“That, and Radditz was an idiot.” I add. Vegeta chuckles. 

“That, too.” Something strange happens in the Namekian’s face. It’s almost as if he were shocked to hear that he was a Namekian. As if he didn’t already know that. He mumbles something, then appears to be wrestling with the information. 

“Piccolo, I didn’t know you were from space.” The bald one muses in slight shock to the now trembling Namekian. ‘Piccolo’ (if that’s his name) appeared mad now, ready to fight. “Course, it makes sense.” The short bald one continues. 

“You didn’t know?” Vegeta asks condescendingly. “Well, what a surprise!” His tone then turns amused. “Surely, you must have suspected something before now.” He continues. “The green skin and pointy ears are a dead giveaway, don’t you think?” 

“Not to mention the antennas coming from your forehead.” I add. Honestly, it was surprising he didn’t already figure it out, but stranger things have happened, I suppose. “Now, you were the one who told Radditz about the Dragonballs. So tell us; where are they?” I demand. If I played this right, we might not have to kill everyone. If this Namekian is smart, he’ll tell us and we’ll be on our way to immortality. The bald one pales. 

“B-but, no one knows where they are! Not for a whole year!” He protests. I raise a brow. 

“What?” I snap. Before the human can reply, Nappa cuts in. 

“That’s enough. We know the balls are down here.” He growls. “Make no mistake; we will find them. With you alive or with you dead; it’s your decision. Tell us where they are, or you will all be killed.” 

The Namekian, Piccolo, smiles. “I wanna thank you.” I raise a brow. What? “Because of you, I now know I come from the planet Namek. But this is my planet now, and no one is going to tell me what to do with it!” I gotta hand it to Piccolo: He’s very brave. However...

“I admire your bravery, but it’s futile.” I retort. “We’re far stronger than that fool, Radditz. You won’t win.” I warn, hands forming fists and eyes narrowing. “Now tell us where the Dragonballs are!” If we really had to fight, I had no choice but to go all out, no matter how much I didn’t want to kill these fighters.

“Back off!” Piccolo barks. “We’re not here to bow to your demands! We’re here to fight!” He gets into a stance. “So go ahead and do whatever it is you came here to do!” before anyone can do anything, there’s a buzzing sound and an approaching wind, then odd hovering vehicles appear. Before they do anything, Nappa shoots one down. I know better than to protest. Anything I said would probably be viewed as weak and soft. 

The two earthlings get into stances as the flying vehicles retreat. 

“I don’t think they’re going to tell us where the Dragonballs are, Nappa.” Vegeta muses wryly.

“Wanna bet?” Nappa replies, smirking. “Alright! Let’s see how strong you really are!” He clicks the scouter. “The kid’s at 1000.” He reports. I blink. Really? Impressive for an earthling that young. “The Namek’s at 1400, and the midget is at 1100.” I narrow my eyes in resignation. Too bad, though. They just don’t compare to us. Nappa scoffs. “You fools! Do you really think you can beat us with such puny power levels?” I refrain from pointing out that Nappa didn’t stand far above them, choosing to just watch. 

“Hey, Nappa, Sarada! Take your scouter off!” Vegeta suddenly orders. I do, glad to be rid of the thing. I never liked it except that it let me keep in contact with Vegeta. That’s the only reason I keep this thing around. 

“What?” Nappa asks, despite reaching for his scouter as Vegeta and I remove ours. 

“It seems they know how to concentrate their energy and raise their power levels.” Vegeta explains, dropping his scouter to the ground. “These figures are most unreliable.” It takes a second, but Nappa understands quickly, taking his scouter off. 

“Hey, right. Good call.” Nappa replies, and his scouter hits the ground seconds later. “Now I remember that pathetic loser Radditz let himself be fooled by all their power readings.” Piccolo realizes we’re about to start fighting and warns his allies to be ready. 

“Wait, Piccolo, if they’re stronger than radditz, and Goku isn’t here, then how do you expect to defeat them with just us?” The bald earthling asks. In response, Piccolo says nothing, gritting his teeth. Likely, he knew this battle wouldn’t end well, but was willing to fight anyway. I find a measure of respect in that. The bald one then gets back into a ready position, looking nervous but ready to fight. Again, I can respect their bravery, despite knowing it would lead to their demise. “Oh well, guys. Let’s just do it!” The poor earthling has no idea what we’re capable of, does he? He’ll learn soon enough. 

Vegeta then gets a look that says he has an idea. “Nappa, I believe it’s time to have a little fun with them.” he muses. I raise a brow. 

“How?” I ask. Vegeta just turns to Nappa. 

“Get those Saibamen out. There should be six of them left. They’ll do.” I snort. 

“Really? They’re as strong as Radditz. These earthlings might overpower them.” I point out, voice too low for the earthlings and Namekian to hear. Or so I thought. I didn’t notice Piccolo narrow his eyes in my direction.

“Nonsense. They barely handled Radditz. The Saibamen will be fine.” Vegeta replies and I sigh. 

“Alright then.” 

“Yer too much!” Nappa laughs. “You really know how to have fun.” Yeah, because watching a 6-on-3 battle sounds like a good time. I knew this opinion would be mocked and might get me into trouble, however, so I keep it inside as Nappa begins rooting in his armor for the Saibamen. 

“I don’t see any men.” The little boy points out, brow raised in confusion. 

“You will in a second.” I reply, smirking. I had to keep up the act, but I was concerned about this boy being in a battle such as this. After all, at his age (or at least, the age I thought he was; probably somewhere around 5 years old) I was still just sparring with instructors and Vegeta. I hadn’t been in an actual battle yet. Granted, I was going on assignments with Vegeta just a year later, but this was a literal child that was about to clobbered by a Saibaman. I’m not sure I’ll be able to watch the whole thing. 

Our opponents watch as Nappa fishes the vial out, and sure enough, there are six, as Nappa notes aloud. “Maybe these Saibamen can persuade them to tell us where the Dragonballs are, huh Nappa?” Vegeta asks, smirking. Nappa laughs. 

“Oh, I think they can arrange that.” Nappa replies, using his finger to make six holes in the ground and putting the seeds inside, covering the holes, then pouring the weird liquid that made them grow on the patch of ground the seeds were in. it seeps into the ground and I almost sigh. This would not be pretty, would it? 

“Uh….okay...what’re they doing?” I overhear the bald earthling ask rhetorically. 

“I think we’re about to find out.” Piccolo replies grimly. 

“There.” Nappa says, tossing the Saibamen container aside, watching the patch as we wait for them to grow and come out. It doesn’t take more than a few moments, Vegeta and Nappa chuckling as the little aliens pop out of the ground. I always found them ugly and fairly useless aside from training partners when I was younger. This was not how I wanted to spend my time on Earth, but if Vegeta says it’s what we’re doing, there’s no real arguing with him. 

“Well...at least...they’re shorter than I am.” The bald one (I really should learn their names.) mumbles nervously as the Saibamen set their eyes on him and his allies. 

“And you’ll die with your sense of humor intact.” I retort, chuckling. “You won’t live long enough to lose it.” As I say this, the Saibamen leap out and run in circles around the group, chuckling and grunting evilly and generally intimidating our opponents. They then proceed to wreck a few of the surrounding outcroppings to show off their skills and power. It seems to work. 

If these people thought the Saibamen were bad...this battle will be over with all too soon, and we likely won’t learn anything about the Dragonballs. 

“They’re brainless, crazy monsters!” The bald midget cries. The Saibamen return to us and I shake my head. 

“Not quite brainless, but not truly autonomous, either.” I reply. “More like, very obedient henchmen that are actually decently powerful.” He gulps, but remains in a fighting stance. 

“This should be a pretty good matchup.” Vegeta muses. “These Saibamen seem spunky.” 

“I’ll take the two on the left.” The short adult calls. 

“I’ll take the two in the middle. The other two are yours, Gohan.” Ah. So Gohan is the boy’s name. To his credit, the boy deepens his stance, determination in his face. I wonder…

The other earthling mentioned that someone named ‘Goku’ was on his way, but obviously not here yet. Gohan...Goku...hmmm...I’ll bet Gohan is the son that was kidnapped a year ago by Radditz. Which means, Goku could be Kakarot. I’d have to review the recording to confirm, but...I think I remember that mixup in the names.

“Okay.” Gohan replies, cutting my train of thought off. The air grows tense as the battle nears the start. 

I for one am curious how this will play out. The Saibamen were around Radditz’s power level, so unless the Namekian and his friends have trained and raised their levels a decent amount, I doubt this fight will last long. 

Despite knowing he’s against us, I almost want to protect Gohan. He’s too young to be fighting in real battles, even if he has a rather impressive power level for his age. 

There’s just something about him that makes me want to make sure he’s okay. 

But I know I can’t show this outwardly, so all I can do is watch and hope Piccolo and the other earthling protect him if things get bad, which they more than likely are.

After all, their power levels just weren’t comparable to ours and I seriously doubt they can match the Saibamen, either. I hate watching uneven matches like this. But I don’t really have a choice, so I prepare myself mentally. 

This might get bloody. 

These chapters will only be as long as the episodes go, so I cover what the episode covers, okay? I hope you guys are liking this story so far! I know I’m having a lot of fun writing it.

Okay, time skip info! Um, I think it’s about another 5-6 months, then maybe ten minutes after the Saiyans land til the meeting of Piccolo, Gohan, Krillan, Vegeta, Sarada, and Nappa.

The power levels of the Saiyans haven’t changed, so Sarada is still around 17500 or so. Now, Nappa mentioned the power levels of Piccolo, Gohan, and Krillan, so I don’t have to put it here. 

Anyway, hope you are looking forward to the next chapter! :)  

[fragmentedshards]

Lee and Rio and the Haunted Doll

Chapter Two

-

Lee Harker stared at the bar window from inside his car, feeling unusually apprehensive. After President Jelani assigned him to be Rio’s investigation partner, Lee had reached out to Rio in an email. She had responded asking him to meet her later that day at Wanderley’s, the bar near Thredson College.

He had not been entirely honest with President Jelani; he had been in contact with Rio since her high school graduation, although he had not talked to her since long before either of them had started teaching at Thredson. While he wasn’t exactly nervous about seeing Rio again, he wasn’t sure how it was going to go. Even though their parting had been amiable enough, it was still a little awkward. Lee sighed to himself. He wasn’t even sure if Rio was already inside or not. Shaking himself, he climbed out of the car and walked into Wanderley’s.

Of course the light was dim inside. He waited for his eyes to adjust, then scanned the place for Rio. He found her sitting at the counter, flipping through papers and drinking a margarita. Before he could start walking towards her, she looked up and spotted him, waving him over. Once he reached her he ordered a beer and glanced at the papers in front of her, only to realize they were essays from her students.

“So they really asked you to be the one to help me out with these projects, huh?” Rio asked, spinning on her chair to face Lee and taking her margarita with her.

“Yeah,” he confirmed. “I’m the scientist, you’re the bookworm. That’s the balance needed for these cases, apparently.” he gestured to the folders in Rio’s large embroidered bag, which was draped over her chair. “Are any of those our first case?”

Rio’s face lit up. “I’m glad you asked!” she closed the folder of papers in front of her (“I’m so sick of reading these papers on Catullus; that man is proof that toxic masculinity has always been part of human nature”) and pulled another folder out of the bag, plopping it onto the counter and opening it to the first page. “Check this out. We’re going to investigate one of the most famous haunted dolls in the world.”

“Annabelle?”

“No,” Rio shook her head. “No, I’m pretty sure Annabelle is with Lorraine Warren. This one we have to investigate is called Letta. Take a look.”

Lee dragged the folder over to himself as the bartender brought him his beer and took Rio’s order for another margarita. He read over the information in the file before taking a huge gulp and looking up at Rio. “So, the only evil thing related to this doll is the foreboding some people feel when they’re around it, is that right?”

Rio nodded. “But he does periodically call out; that’s how he got the name of Letta, for Letta me out. He supposedly has real human hair and the likeness of a human brain -”

“Now what on earth does that mean? What does a likeness of a human brain look like inside a doll head?” Lee asked.

“Dunno,” Rio shrugged. “That’s part of the mystery and part of what we’re going to figure out.” she drank from her margarita and pointed to a section of the paper. “See what it says about how Letta was found? Kerry Walton found him under the porch of an abandoned house. I’d be interested to know how the doll got there in the first place.”

“So how do we do that?”

Rio reached into her bag and fumbled around, looking for something. “Shit,” she said after a minute. “I left it at home. You’ll have to come with me for a bit.” she tossed some money onto the counter, said “His is on me” to the bartender, and hopped off the stool while gathering up her folders in her arms. “Come on,” she waved at Lee to follow her.

~

“Jesus, Rio,” Lee muttered when he stepped through the door of her apartment. “What the hell did you do to your place? It looks like some conspiracy theorist’s hideout.”

“Shut up,” Rio balled up her sweater and threw it at Lee jokingly.

Lee wasn’t wrong. The bookshelves were crammed full of books, yet more books still lay open on every flat surface. The walls were covered with maps and pictures and pages of information, either printed out or torn from books - though if Lee knew Rio, there was no way she would have torn pages out of books, so where she got the torn pages was a mystery to him. Rio had tied strings to thumbtacks and stuck them in various places all over the pages, connecting concepts and facts, similar to a murder board. It looked exactly like a place a conspiracy theorist would live.

Rio made her way carefully to her desk and fished through a stack of papers. Finally she seemed to find what she was looking for, clambering back to Lee and handing him a printed-out email.

“If you read that, you’ll see it was from Kerry Walton, giving us permission to ask him more questions about Letta.”

Lee adjusted his glasses and peered at the paper.

Professor Bennett,

Yes, I know Letta draws much attention from all over the world. If you have some questions that have not been answered by the other interviews I have done, certainly you may meet me and ask me. I have some new developments on the doll which you may want to hear anyway.

You may as well meet me in Sydney. Let me know which hotel you choose and I’ll come to the hotel bar. I’ll even bring Letta along, if you wish. Come quickly.

Regards,

Kerry Walton

Lee folded the paper in half and handed it back to Rio. “So, when are we going?” Rio handed Lee a plane ticket before he even finished his question. “You can pay me back for that later, though you don’t need to worry about the hotel bill. The college took care of that.”

Lee took a closer look at the ticket. “Tomorrow?” he exclaimed. “God, they could at least have given me a heads up so I could organize something for my classes to do while I’m gone.”

“Just create an extra credit project for them,” Rio shrugged. “That’s what I did for my classes. I posted it on the website; the creative writing classes have to come up with an additional short story, the literature and core English classes have to write an additional literary criticism paper, you get the idea.”

“Hmm,” Lee rubbed the back of his neck. “I guess I could assign them a research project about invasive species in the Everglades.”

“Oh, right,” Rio disappeared around the wall to where Lee assumed there was a kitchen, and his guess was confirmed when he heard a Keurig up and running. She continued to talk loudly over the coffeemaker. “That was your area of expertise, wasn’t it?”

“Still is, technically, but yeah.” he replied. “How did you know that, though?”

“I still talk to Winter once a week at the very least,” Rio said over the clanking of a spoon on the inside of a mug. “Though I haven’t had the chance to tell her that you’ll be my case partner.” she poked her head around the wall. “Coffee?”

Lee shook his head. “I didn’t drink all that much.” Rio’s head disappeared and reappeared again in a moment, gripping a Hello Kitty mug in her hands. “I should probably go pack, if I have to be at the airport in the morning. I’ll pick you up from here and we can go together, does that sound good?”

Rio nodded, sipping her coffee. “That’ll be fine. I’m packed, so I’ll just double check to make sure all the papers are together and then try to sleep.”

Lee was halfway out the door of the apartment before he turned back and said half- smiling, “Hopefully that’s decaf, then,” before dodging a poorly-aimed ball of paper Rio threw at him and laughing as he exited. Not awkward at all, actually, he thought to himself. And apparently she still likes to throw things.

[ddaenghoney]

SERIES: HALLOWEEN BETWEEN MIDNIGHTS

Chapter 12.2

On October 1st, you attend a Halloween party in an abandoned house rented by some friends. As scary as the idea of cult owners is, nothing could have prepared you and BTS(regular people) for the mayhem and terror that follows until October 31st.

This is an INTERACTIVE fic. At the end of each part, readers will be able to vote to decide what happens next. Analyze everything(except the time) carefully. Choices decide romance, friendship, and deaths; and yes, ANYONE can die.

In other words, please read at your own risk; anything goes in this story.

Start here | Previous part | Next part

Following a long sleep in two clumps squished into your small bed, you eventually got back into the groove. Scribbling some notes on the margin of a scholarly article you needed to read for the next day, you largely ignored Yoongi who stayed curled on the corner of your bed. His hands scrolled through whatever he found on his phone to entertain him, yawning a couple of times due mostly to the many tiny waffles you both consumed when you woke up around noon.

“Are you going to do anything productive?” You teased, rolling back on your chair to watch as Yoongi only pouted his lips.

“If I’m alive then my body is being productive on its own.” You ignored the growing smirk on his face due to you rolling your eyes. Tossing your pen to the tiny shelf of the desk, you went to hop your knees into the plush beside him,

“What are you looking at? Cures for being the worst-”

“Nothing, loser,” He held his phone away from your playfully grabbing hands, using one of his own to grab your wrist, “It’s a secret.” You ceased, an eyebrow rising to acknowledge the words with skepticism, “You look intimidating,” He smiled, holding your hand against his chest when you lightly pat against him, “It’s nothing illegal.”

“Next thing I know you’re involved in a bank heist.” You giggled, trying barely to tug your hand away, but he held it in place. Eyes moved contemplatively around the room, a smile growing,

“How’d you find out?” You shook your head at his dry done, and contrastingly warm smile,

“Give me my hand back, nerd.”

“If we do something, I’m getting bored.” He began, whining towards the last phrase as his head fell back against your pillow. His hand contained yours against his chest.

“I wanted to go check up on Jimin, actually.” You admitted, beginning to prod against his chest by use of your trapped fingers. A smile blossomed as he released your smaller appendage with a quick jerk from the tickling sensation. “Want to tag along?”

“I was going to go see him later actually,” Yoongi say upright, eyebrows knitting in consideration. “I was gonna go on my own though.”

“Oh, because you hate me; I get it.” You sighed dramatically, jerking when he poked his finger into a ticklish spot on your side.

“No, angel.” He chuckled, as your hands defensively moved as little shields in case of more prodding. “No, we can go together.”

Jeongguk’s arm slumped onto the wooden desk, sneakers tapping at a slow pace just as a means to stay awake. Taehyung in the chair beside him, scribbled nothing in particular against a blank leaf of his notebook. Jeongguk yawned, trying to make out what it was the image intended to be,

“Did you even sleep at all when we got back?”

“Not really,” He murmured, fixated on what seemed to be a flower maybe, “You?”

“In and out, but not longer for an hour probably.” Jeongguk watched Hoseok walk in from the far door, his hoodie slung up over his head and no doubt wishing he too was asleep at his dorm. “You need to figure out a way to sleep though, dude. You haven’t really in the past two days now.”

“Yeah, well,” His voice trailed off, avoiding the conversation, though he wished it hadn’t been Hoseok who came over to properly change the topic.

“You guys holding up okay? This is both of your last class too, right?”

“Yeah, luckily enough.” Jeongguk rolled the joint of his neck around, trying anything for blood to stimulate better and keep himself awake. Taehyung continued drawing, then turned the page to scribble down the date and the class name.

“You know,” Hoseok sighed, hands tucked deep into the pouch of his hoodie, “I didn’t cheat on her, and we really didn’t have a huge fallout. I don’t know why you’re so mad at me still.”

“You still made her really sad.” Taehyung didn’t even glance up, “And besides now that you’re done with your rebound you just want to go back to her.”

“There wasn’t a rebound, Taehyung. Did Y/N even tell you why we broke up?” Taehyung looked up at him, eyes narrowing.

“We’re all sleep-deprived,” Jeongguk intervened, a hand ghosting atop of Taehyung’s tensed shoulder. “Let’s not talk to each other when we’re so annoyed about the sleep thing, okay?”

“Is she feeling okay though?” The question went towards Jeongguk, as Hoseok disregarded the sigh Taehyung exhaled before going back to his notebook. “Jimin’s doing alright, I went by to see him earlier.”

“Yeah, she’s ditching classes today with Yoongi.” He nodded, gesturing his neck to the free space beside him, “So just taking it easy.”

“I haven’t seen Yoongi in our Music Theory lecture in over a week now.” Hoseok laid his backpack on the desk, moving around to take a seat.

“He’s thinking about dropping out.” Taehyung spoke up, relaxing back against his seat, “Not sure why though.”

“Hopefully it’s just for a semester or something. He’s really close to getting a master’s.”

Jimin grinned pulling the door to his room wider as you ushered yourself in, a bag of food in hand. Hugging onto you, Jimin spoke up excitedly,

“First Hobi and now you. IT’s great my friends love me so much.” Yoongi rolled his eyes, smiling despite himself as he shut the door on the way in.

“Wait, if he got you food then I’m going to eat this-” You grinned as he snatched away the bag, sitting down on his bed criss-cross.

“I’ll share the fries with you?” He offered, looking up with eyes pleading to keep most of it. Shrugging, you just took the space beside him,

“No, you can eat all of it. I’m stuffed on waffles.” You repressed a chuckle as Yoongi heaved himself into the desk chair, rubbing his still full stomach with an unnecessary sigh. “You’re doing alright though?”

“Yeah, since Yoongi went to go and get you all to come rescue me.” He ate two fries at a time, not noticing the immediate frown overtaking Yoongi’s expression. You looked over at him, also confused by the words. Jimin caught onto the lack of replies, and glanced between the two of you, “Is that not what happened after you left the house?” “I thought you said you didn’t go to the party.” You frowned. Yoongi’s head shook,

“I didn’t, I mean.” He paused scanning through the dents in his memory, “I don’t think I did.”

“You texted me though.” Jimin disregarded the bag of food to the side, watching Yoongi reach into his pocket for his phone. “Up until that guy found me hiding. We were texting each other.” Yoongi further frowned, frustrated that there were a string of texts in his phone he didn’t remember typing in, but now that he stared at them he somehow felt similar emotions that would be attached to the memory. He held the phone to Jimin, not minding that you peeked over his shoulder to also take a look.

“Those ones at the bottom,” Jimin swallowed, biting his lip at the texts sent from his phone, “I didn’t type those about meeting up with you to escape… That guy must have.” He rolled up further, nodding as he found familiarity in earlier texts, “But yeah. We were talking about you coming to the party. I’m glad you took whatever way you did to escape, otherwise you could’ve ended up in the same state as me down there.”

You gripped tighter onto your leggings with the discussion. Wishing this could’ve ended last night, you sighed and looked towards Yoongi who was staring towards his shoes. Focused. “You can’t remember,” You paused at the idea. “Any of it?”

“It was traumatic-- maybe you suppressed it-”

“No,” Yoongi reached up to rub his head, lips tightening into a line as he thought longer. “I remember. Now that I’m thinking about it more. I remember running out through the front, and I saw an owl-” He glanced towards you wondering if it was the same one you kept mentioning. “But after that-- after I kept running, I don’t know what happened. I just went home, but I don’t know why.”

Stepping away from the disperse of students leaving the building, Jeongguk mumbled something about hating the homework assignment, then stretched out his arms, “Should we go get lunch or something?”

“Nah,” Taehyung shook his head gently, sliding his phone back into his pocket, “I have some stuff to go do. I’ll try and meet with you later to study, or something.” Jeongguk raised an eyebrow at the evasion, but nonetheless gave a small wave before Taehyung began walking away. Eventually exhaling from the amount of weirdness that has gone on, he decided it was probably just everyone trying to get back to normal.

“I’m kind of worried about him.” Hoseok walked from the base of the stairs, glancing to Taehyung’s back as he dipped around a building out of sight. “He was really weird yesterday.”

“How so?” Jeongguk’s neck turned towards him quickly, “I mean we all were.” He added after a second thought. Hoseok only shrugged,

“I don’t know he just seemed different after the party. Maybe I’m reading into it too much though.” He reached for his water bottle, seemingly casual about the discussion, “Well anyways, I was gonna meet up with Namjoon and Seokjin. They’re gonna look at a video of the first seance. Did you want to tag along?”

feel free to send me comments, predictions, thoughts, etc. uwu

[altonadventures]

ALTON ADVENTURES BIG ANNOUNCEMENT

So...because its Friday and I usually update AA on Fridays, I figured it was time to make my big announcement! 

And that is...that Alton Adventures is changing. A little bit. 

Am I rebooted the comic again? No haha! Once I get back to it it shall continue as normal but some characters may look a bit different going forward. 

Who may those characters be?

Sir Gareth Nemesis 

Why is he changing? 

Sir Nemesis’ change is actually less drastic than one may think. For starters, he needed a design rehaul. I wanted his armor to be more simple, easier to draw but with still details that could tie him to Nemesis (the green eye, the arms, the light pink details instead of inconsistent tentacles). I also had an issue where his hair was too close to his skin color, so to combat this I turned him into a ginger! His eye color also changed from gold to green, another thing to visually tie him more to Nemesis. 

So yes, I changed Sir Nem’s design because I was unhappy with it. His armor was never drawn consistently ever, I was constantly changing the tone of his hair and his skin so that was inconsistent. I want my designs to be more consistent and polished going forward.

What else is different? Well, you can probably tell he looks much more serious, like in older pictures I drew of him. Why is that? Well, I was kind of..honestly tired of his role as the “dad character tm” that he kind of turned out to be. It almost undermined his true characterization and turned him into a typical over the top exaggerated hero character. And I started to realize how much I missed his original concept. A battle hardened solider that was filled with regret and remorse, who heavily sympathizes with the plight of the alien he’s locked in combat with. He’s still much a father however, as he has a biological son and adopts an alien who mimics his likeness (hence another reason he’s a ginger now as his Nemesis daughter always was one). He’s just returned to his roots as a character. Because I felt that characterization was a unique one for the Nemesis ride. And it was an idea I really loved. Sir Nemesis actually WAS one of my favorite characters...I wanted his role to be much larger than it is in the comics. I don’t blame anyone for him becoming a joke, I did initially kind of fuel the fire for it, I’m just hoping that its not to late to get back to the Sir Nemesis I originally wanted to write. And of course, all my characters are still meme and joke worthy. I just want to tackle much more serious issues with my comic and show the more serious side of some of my characters and don’t want there entire existence to be a joke Mr.S can’t have too many folks 1 uping him in the laughs department!  I guess to note with this change that his original voice claim has also been solidified as well. It’s a more somber and serious tone that I feel fits him as a character. 

Final Notes 

Sir Nemesis is a character that I have a lot of thought put into. His backstory is tragic, emotional, and his character is complex and he’s not the perfect hero people might image him as. I plan for his Arc to follow the Fireworks arc in the comic, as well as I am planning to start some more text heavy short stories about how the Secret Weapons became Secret Weapons (which I will likely call Secret Weapon Short Stories hehe) and will be writing his first. Also a very important thing i must address. Yes, the eye on his chest moves. (I have a gif but it doesn’t want to work on this post Ill have it up later ><)

Erica Annabelle Cloud 

ooof okay this is a huge one. Confession time. Erica was always my least favorite character. Why? She just had...no character. I didn’t know what I wanted to do with her, her design felt phoned in and there because I needed an Air/Galatica character, (yes, she is changing as her Galatica stage too). She was just. not well thought out. She had a dual identity but I think a lot of people didn’t pick up on that? She felt like a Rita 2.0 as just a nice and friendly optimistic person and literally had 0 backstory. Originally she was supposed to have had some sort of accident that turned her into Galatica and she had memory loss and forgotten about when she was Air, yeah it was a mess. That eventually just turned into Nebula Corona being a character she made up (bc her one trait was that she was into space and wrote a lot) that she played as when her rides themeing changed. 

She was just..barely a character and her design was abysmal (Her Galatica suit was okay but her Air outfit was an afterthought) She needed a massive visual upgrade. A sleeker flight suit that makes more sense (I used a ref or two for this design!) A different face shape to help her stand out more, my signature they wear glasses they have dot eyes look. Long, wispy, flowing hair to resemble those trails planes make. A bit more lanky and tall. And let me tell you I LOVE her design now. It looks so much more unique and you can just SEE she has so much more character now!  As for her characterization im going full into her being a nerd. A very tech nerd at that! She designed her suit to help her fly at her best, and eventually will be the one that designs and builds all her Galatica tech! Her Galatica design hasn’t been done yet, mostly bc I wanted to focus on her current comic canon design, but not much would change I feel with her upgrade anyways! She is effectively the brains of the group, and the others often turn to her for plans of attack when dealing with a situation, or innovative solutions to problems! I have yet to get a voice claim for her, but im sure one will come to me soon enough! 

Final Notes

Erica/Nebula was a character I struggled to connect with. Everyone else had Airs that were either super plot important, or just much more cool and creative in general. I felt, that with my Air/Galatica she was just there, and I wanted her to be more. So a full character rehaul was done with her and it makes me so happy. She feels much more fleshed out, better designed, and I’m super excited to do more stuff with her, and hopefully you will all see her much more now that I’m a lot happier with her as a character! <3 

Welp that's the end of the updates....wait. Hold on. I have something written here. What could this be? Oh! I remember now! 

Black Hole, AkA Beatrix, will be joining the MAIN CAST of Alton Adventures! 

When I drew my Black Hole design, I knew she was something special. She stands out compared to a lot of my characters, and her design SCREAMS main character. While the biggest main roles will still be held by Mr. S and Rita, I wanted to add another non SW coaster to the main crew, and because Canonically Corkscrew is MIA, Black Hole seemed like a fitting addition to the main crew! As she isn’t human, a species literally only referred to as Black Holes, I thought making her a main character and giving her a big arc would help flesh out the reality of non humans in Alton Adventures! Her powers and design and character and personality are just too fun to shove her into the background. I feel that adding her to the main cast gives them not only another character to support them, but a closer friend! You will all see her much more in the future for certain! 

Well that's about it! In terms of comic updates themselves...its still going to be hiatus as long as I’m being swamped with school work. I hope you all understand. I’ll try to squeeze in updates over the breaks I have IF im not working on assignments for class. As I also said, I wanna do short stories as well, to expand the world and explain it better, as a comic will only develop the world so quickly and lots of you have tons of questions! I also wanna do something animated at some point, that’s my dream. I’ve ALSO mentioned to some people about merch, likely going for making stickers first since that's simple. I got an excited reaction for that so I’ll come up with designs for them soon! I just wanna do a lot with Alton Adventures, because I know how much it means to people, and of course it means so much. Goodness I really need to actually get to this park, I look quiet silly constantly gushing over a themepark I’ve never been to all the time XP  That all aside I thank you all for sticking by me. I promise that even if I don’t do comic updates as frequently during the school year, I’ll still work to push out as much AA content I can outside of that! I’m always open to suggestions to what you guys want to see! ALSO, working on a big google doc spreadsheet with info on all the characters I’ll be posting when its more completed! So be on the lookout for that! 

Again thank you to everyone who’s stuck with me through this, Your support makes me feel nothing but proud of what I’ve created. These characters may have been created out of something some may consider silly or odd, but the only thing that matters to me if that I can make at least someone happy with what I create. 

Patreon (note that patrons got to see all of this content as it was being worked on!) l Ko-fi

[sunsetinmyvein]

Just Off the Key of Reason - Chapter Ten - Been Looking Forward to the Future

Friday, 6th of April, 2007 - Detroit, Michigan

Now that Patrick had his precious Gretsch back in his hands, the show sounded flawless. Nobody messed up, the vocals were perfect, and there were no more accidents involving Pete punching equipment. They weren’t quite sure if it was actually the guitar or just Patrick being willing to perform better from behind his favourite instrument, but everyone was glad to be back in the groove. The crowd went wild for them and that only filled the band with even more adrenalin than what they already had.  Only one more night and they’d be back at home. The label hadn’t booked them a hometown show until the end of their tour when they came back for the second leg, but they had already had a few close friends ask for garage gigs to fill the void until they went back on tour in June. They gladly accepted. After their show in Michigan they had decided to go out for a few celebratory drinks at the closest bar to the venue. This was the last show of this leg and they had nowhere to be the next morning, no responsibilities until they got back to Chicago. They also had a bed each for their final night on tour which made going home drunk all the sweeter. Joe had said it was his aunt’s place but the grungy decorating style and stench of weed made that seem unlikely. Regardless, it had five bedrooms, a functional television and more than enough food to feed them for the 24 hours they’d be there. The plan was to start the four hour drive back home once they were sober enough to drive the next day. A few die-hard fans had already made the trip to see them play, they were faces that Joe had recognised and invited out to the bar with them.

 Pete had offered to buy everyone a round of drinks as soon as they got there, instantly becoming the fan favourite and drawing the attention of other patrons. Andy rolled his eyes as he ordered himself water instead. He shouldn’t be surprised by Pete’s love for attention from strangers by now, but it sometimes made celebrating a successful show a bit harder.

“A toast!” Pete shouted, holding up his glass. Everyone turned to look at him and did the same. “To the album, the tour and going home!” He grinned, taking a large mouthful of the drink. The small crowd shouted in agreement as the band shared a collective look of pride. Regardless of Pete’s attention seeking ways, they were still happy to celebrate how well their first ten shows had been. After the toast, the drinks were flowing pretty fast; probably because Pete kept buying them for people. People quickly congregated around the man who was all too happy to take his wallet out while the other four members of their group found a quieter table in the back to celebrate with a little less grandeur. Andy and Joe had very quickly gotten into a debate about who was more excited to go home. The former arguing that he had a girlfriend waiting for him and the latter pointing out that being at home in your own bed is better than staying in someone else’s, regardless of if you get sex in that bed or not. Patrick found himself looking at the girl sitting across from him, thinking that maybe tonight was the night to ask her on a date before they got home and parted ways for nearly two months. But whenever he tried to his heart felt like it was sitting in his throat, stopping the words from coming out.

 “So… what are you gonna do when you get back home?” She asked finally, staring into her half empty glass. He sighed in relief, glad to have something to break the silence as the other half of the table continued to argue.

“Probably mess around with some music. We’re on a bit of a break from writing and recording at the moment until we finish the tour, but I’ve got some ideas of my own.” He shrugged. She looked up at him curiously, urging him to continue. “I uh… produce music sometimes. Sometimes write my own stuff, play the instruments and all. The lyrics aren’t as good as Pete’s but the music is pretty good. Or I think so, anyway.” He admitted sheepishly.

“That’s so awesome, Pat! I’d love to hear it sometime.” She beamed up at him. “How do you manage it all yourself?”

“I have this… huge switch board thing? It… It’s hard to explain.” He laughed, “But it lets me mix all the sounds and stuff. It would be better to show you to explain it, then you can see what it does. I’ve got it at home, I’ll just show you once we’re back in Chicago.” He nodded, giving her a small smile. The thought of hanging out outside of band-related work made her pulse pick up ever so slightly. It sounded like a good step in the right direction.

“Sounds like a plan.” She grinned, holding her glass up. He tapped his to it and took a sip, an excited glint in his blue eyes. The familiar ringtone of her phone suddenly broke their conversation. She fished the phone out of her pocket, seeing her manager’s name blinking across the screen. It had been a while since she’d heard from the label, but she wasn’t expecting to hear from them until they were back in Chicago next week. “Sorry, I’ve just gotta take this.” She excused herself, pushing her way through the small crowd that had formed and into what looked like an unused coat room.

 “Hey, boss.” She answered with a laugh, trying to keep the mood light in case she was being told off for something she wasn’t aware of. Fireworks instantly came to mind.

“Hi, just calling to check in and see how it’s all going?” His voice echoed down the line.

“Excellently! The shows are going off without a hitch other than the guitar damage you are already aware of, and everyone is doing pretty well for themselves.” She found herself nodding, even though she knew he couldn’t possibly see that.

“Good to hear.” The sound of chatter and shuffling papers could be heard in the background, she assumed he probably just got out of a meeting and was asked to check in. “So Peter has been behaving since the incident on stage with the guitar?” He asked. She paused for a moment, thinking back to the lamp at the party and the interview a few days ago.

“Yep.” She lied.

“Great, I’m glad that our investment in hiring you is paying off. Hopefully soon enough he’ll stop acting out all together and you can be back here in Chicago!” His words hung in the static air for a moment as she tried to process them.

“You mean… go back to my old job?” She asked with a frown.

“Well, maybe not your old job. There’s talk of giving you a promotion for how well you’ve done with this!” He was trying to make it sound like her being back in their stuffy office would be a good thing, but that was the last thing she wanted. In the background she could hear him continue to talk about what the promotion would mean for her, but the thought of not being on tour with the guys anymore was all that ran through her mind. She didn’t want to leave; the thought hurt a lot more than she was willing to admit after only having known them for about a month. It was just too easy to fall into their routines, and they were far too easy to get along with. Even Pete had turned out pretty good in the end. His ridiculous antics normally brought humour to their days, not that she’d ever tell him that. Eventually she heard her name being called through the phone and tried to snap back to reality.

“Sorry, what did you say?” She asked, scrunching her eyes up and trying to push the thoughts to the back of her mind.

“I said drive safe and we’ll see you when you get to Chicago.” He laughed lightly as the line went dead.

  His words echoed around her head: she’d have to leave the band. It shouldn’t have come as that much of a surprise, she should have known that eventually she would be leaving the band, it wasn’t like she was going to tour with them forever. But it wasn’t something that had crossed her mind. As much as she missed her family and friends, this new life on tour was one she had already grown used to. She’d be losing four friends and going back to a job she hated. And Patrick- Patrick. Her head spun. She had only just accepted that she might have feelings for him and it was so quickly ripped out from under her. If something happened between them and then the label decided that her job was done and she needed to be back in the office, it would be heartbreaking. She couldn’t do that to him. She found herself pacing the small room, trying to think of a way out of being assigned back to a desk job. He’d called it a promotion, so maybe if she did a terrible job they wouldn’t promote her? But then they’d probably just hire someone else to be Pete’s impulse control. Maybe she could just quit? But that was too risky, what if the band didn’t want to keep her around? She’d have no reason to be there if she quit. Heading back into the bar right now seemed like a bad idea, she needed time to process this information and work out the best course of action. She sent Pete a quick text to say she would see them back at the house and left.

 “What do you mean she left?” Patrick asked with a frown as he finally cornered Pete at the bar.

“I dunno man, she just texted me saying she was going back to the house.” Pete shrugged, taking his fifth jacks and coke from the bartender greedily. He was nowhere near drunk enough to deal with the fact that people he knew had driven up to Detroit to see them play and had then followed them out for the night. Entertaining them on stage and in this bar was too much pressure for a sober Pete. But a drunk and cash-happy Pete was someone everyone loved, and being able to distract himself with stranger’s affections was something he always enjoyed.

“Why?” He pressed.

“I don’t know.” He repeated as he took a mouthful of his drink. “Why don’t you go ask her for yourself?” He asked with a sly smile.

“Well, obviously none of you are going to.” He huffed, finishing his drink and setting the glass on the bar.

“Go get ‘em, tiger.” Pete winked, pushing Patrick’s shoulder lightly.

“Shut up.” He grumbled, pulling his cap low over his eyes as he left the bar.

 She couldn’t remember the last time in the past month that she had privacy, proper privacy. Not just a room to yourself, but a whole house to yourself. By the time the taxi had dropped her off back at where they were staying for the night it was about two in the morning. Knowing how the guys liked to party and the fact that they didn’t need to leave first thing the next morning, she assumed she’d probably have a couple of hours to herself until they drunkenly stumbled through the door. At first the silence had been nice. The space and quiet had been room to think, to breathe and try to get a grasp on what might happen in the break before their second leg. She assumed it was fairly likely that she would hold her position until the end of the tour and then things would be reassessed, but that depended on what happened in the month the band was at home. Maybe in light of that Pete hadn’t cost them anything in a while they wouldn’t let her go on the second leg of tour to save on the hotel rooms and bigger tour bus. They might consider that a better cost saver than hiring her to watch Pete for another month.  If they made her keep the desk job, she might not see the band again. They’d almost certainly lose contact when they went back on tour. She found herself chewing at the side of her nail anxiously and decided maybe this house was too quiet. Maybe being left alone with her thoughts was not as an excellent idea as it had been at the bar. A few minutes later she had the TV on loud enough to be a decent distraction and a bag of potato chips in hand, deciding that it was an issue that could be dealt with later.

 The minutes dragged on into what felt like hours, and soon enough her brain was slowly starting to give way to sleep and forget about the thoughts that had been worrying her; until a knock at the door abruptly pulled her back to reality. She grudgingly pulled herself up to her feet and looked through the peephole in the door, seeing a familiar sideburn and cap clad singer on the other side.

“Pat?” She frowned as she opened the door. “You’re back early.” She moved to the side, letting him into the house.

“Yeah, Pete told me you left so I thought I’d just make sure you were all right.” He explained before shrugging off his jacket and draping it over the table next to the front door. His eyes were instantly drawn to the flickering of the TV and the half eaten bag of chips on the couch. “Couldn’t sleep?”

“Something like that.” She nodded, moving back to the couch to retrieve the bag of chips and put them back in the cupboard.

“Did you want company?” He offered, taking a step closer. The warning bells went off in her brain straight away: getting close with him meant that inevitably it will all get taken away.

“Uh, no. I might just go to bed actually.” She rushed out. He stared at her in confusion. “It… it’s pretty late.” She tried to lie, feeling like her face was probably betraying her with how red it felt.

“Oh, okay.” He swallowed hard at the hurt that pooled in his chest. She went to walk past him in the direction of the bedrooms but he caught her wrist in his grip. “It, um… I didn’t do anything, did I?” He asked anxiously as she turned to look at him. “Just you left right after we talked, and-”

“No, it’s not you.” She answered. “It’s just work stuff.”

“All right…” He nodded softly. “I know you work for our bosses and all, but if I can help all you need to do is ask.” The amount of genuine care in his eyes was enough to push her over the edge. Instantly she felt the tears threatening to spill, so she mumbled a thank you before quickly retreating to her room. Leaving him standing in the hallway alone.

[mochi-peaches]

✨ this tag was started by the lovely @byunrelatable thank you for tagging me! ✨

hmm... i don’t even know where to begin really!!! i guess my hobbies are ~probably reading, some writing, photography [which is also what i study! and i’ll put some photos i’ve taken under a read more], video games, drawing/art in general, and learning languages!

i guess my ‘talent’ is also technically photography too... i don’t think i’m that good ;-; [i also discovered i can fit the majority of my fist in my mouth??? idk if that’s a talent though...]... personally i don’t see myself as talented at anything...

when i was younger i used to be into sports like swimming [i was pretty good!!!], football [i played for my junior school’s girls team as a goalie], tennis, rounders [i also played for my school sometimes]... but now the mere mention of sport makes me wanna choke?

languages... i took french for 3 yrs in school and spanish for 4 yrs [because i did it for gcse] and i’m trying to sort of ‘re-learn’ what i learnt there... it’s been a while oops? and then i’ve been (trying and failing) to teach myself korean... that’s a journey. i’m also trying to learn mandarin [i went to shanghai for a summer school last year but i got sick and missed so many classes :(]. i want to try and be fluent in at least 2 other languages tbh  

reading and writing is something i’ve always done, but lately i haven’t really had much time for it because of uni and other things :(

video games... i mostly play pokemon, my absolute favourite thing the formula is essentially the same in every main plot game BUT I DON’T CARE I LOVE IT. i’ve grown up with it and i still love it to this day!!!! wow

art and drawing is another thing i’ve always enjoyed doing and i want to get better at it, but i’m an absolute perfectionist and get super frustrated... so i have to work on that!

i’ll put some of my photo’s and talk more about photography under a read more so this post doesn’t get too long!!! i hope you enjoy my photographs and reading this if you’ve chosen to do so! ☺️💖💖💖💖💖💖💖

okay!!!! photography... well, i took it as an a level in college [way back in 2012... god] and i really enjoyed doing it and it was the highest grade i got out of my 3 a levels [the other two being media studies and geography... i wanted to do something like graphics/art/classics or smth else but my college had these weird restrictions on subjects??? and i was originally taking combined english lit/lang but ended up dropping it 2 months into a levels bc my teacher was AWFUL] 

i didn’t really know what i wanted to do at university... and my parents were SUPER against me even doing a levels :/ but my college were super strict and you had to apply for university otherwise you would get suspended or something stupid... so i applied for uni’s for photography/media studies as those were my best subjects, and i ended up staying at my college to do a 2 year foundation degree in photography!

then for the 3rd and final year, i had the choice of staying there or going to my current university. i decided to defer a year and go into the second year of their photography undergraduate so i could do an extra year of study, because i was in no way ready for the third year and i wanted to do this exchange programme... i eventually couldn’t because my university fucked up :) [i got accepted to attend ewha in seoul which was a HUGE honour for me but i couldn’t go thanks to my uni being butts!!!!! anyway i went to a summer school they ran in shanghai instead for a month that was still cool]

people tend to view photography more as a hobby i guess? in a way it is but... for me it’s more than that? it’s SUCH an interesting subject, it encompasses every other subject you can imagine and you have so much room for creativity and one thing i really like to do is the research and coming up with ideas [although my brain and hands often don’t cooperate so i can’t make my ideas reality smh]. also like you have to have talent and eye for it to be classified as being ‘good’ at it... it’s kinda shitty but i’ve gotten used to that these past 6 yrs. i’m really hoping that my final project, the one i’m doing now, will get noticed and i’ll hopefully get some work at my upcoming graduate exhibitions!!!!

okay now i’ll talk briefly about my kind of practise in photography and this final assignment that i’ve been doing!!!!

i mostly practise landscape photography, and in that i kinda include some documentary, architecture, street photography... i have done some portraits and fashion but uhhhh social anxiety and general anxiety prevent me from working with people :/

i’ve done a bunch of assignments over the years but i think this one is definitely one of my absolute favourites!!!! i’m kinda... like looking at mythical creatures and seeing where there’s crossovers in different mythologies and cultures, like there’s examples of dragons and mermaids in stories and legends WORLDWIDE... LIKE HOW COOL IS THAT YOU CAN MENTION THE CONCEPT OF A DRAGON TO ANYONE AND EVEN THOUGH THE INTERPRETATION OF IT MIGHT DIFFER IT’S STILL THE SAME CONCEPT!!!! so what i’m doing is looking at different texts both fictional and non-fictional and those are meant to be mostly in my research which i’m very behind on :)))) anyway. and i’m photographing landscapes looking at them through this sort of scientific scope as ‘habitats’ for those creatures? and the thing is i’m restricted to a limited area in terms of landscape so one of my challenges is making those photographs look very ambiguous? as if i could of taken them in the actual places i’m supposedly photographing as opposed to photographs i’ve taken in this one small area of england!!!!! it’s super cool and really interesting and i would LIKE to maybe make a book - like a bestiary sort of thing of darwin’s origin of species but for mythical creatures that also encompasses all these ‘collective mythologies’ and understandings!!!! this probably sounds super weird and pretentious wdijvnejvbfj but yes i’m really excited about it so now imma shut up and show you some photos!!!! some have text some don’t i’m still taking photographs hehe

i do have more... those are some of my faves for now osdjnjkfnck but here’s some other examples! these i took in china :D

okay that’s china..... these are some graphics and things i’m working on for a portfolio i need to put together and some other things!

those are works in progress tbh but... yeah!!! i hope you guys enjoy my terrible work sdjfiejfc 

[jesseching2001]

28/10/2020 (Week 6)

Task: Story development (Day 22 - Day 28)

Day 22 (21/10/2020) - Stay Strong  Loves to imagine things which doesn’t make any senses, illogical things, and  always think I'll get what I crave for. Whatever I think it in any positive ways in the end bad things still happen on me. I trust friendships, person I love, promises but not myself. I always feel like I'm bringing tragedy to everyone and even doubted myself. I thought, I thought, I thought... That’s what I thought I asked I need, an expectation you want. Today just telling myself not to expect anything from others but expect something from myself. My artworks rejected plenty of times, I always thought I could pass this round but none of the rounds I pass. Even got rejected, I told myself to believe and expect something from myself starts from today. I know it needs practice but is a way to comfort myself to calm down even I got nothing. STAY STRONGG !!!

Day 23 (22/10/2020) - That’s What I Like Everyone has things they like same to me but not everything I can do as what I wished. I never thought I choose graphic design course instead of illustration course. Well, I really love to draw illustrations since I was young until now yes I do. In another perspective, I worry about my future, I worry what if I didn’t get a job didn’t get enough money to take care of my family. This is what I worry about all way long, in the end I choose graphic design course as my carrier even its not my favorite but at least I interested with it. Things I like, things I love only exist in my dreams but hope one day I give myself I start to choose things I love not things I should love. 

Day 24 (23/10/2020) - Saves Myself Recently, unmotivated in schoolwork, emotionally pessimistic, feeling lonely and frustrating without any reason. What should I do? Why? Plenty of questions popping out from my mind. Worry if I have depression? Well, maybe I just think it in way too serious. I go for a research about my current situation issues and taking a free online depression test, I got mid depression which not that serious but they suggest me to ask for help to consult me personally. That moment I stuck, who should I find? Without thinking much, I just go to sleep. 

Day 25 (24/10/2020) - The Extrordinary Star  Nobody likes to be alone, every lonely night only the stars in sky accompany me to sleep but didn’t stand a chance to meet up with the ordinary star that heals the wounds in my heart. I don’t believe much about gods, some of my friends believe in gods who can help them score high grades, I disagree what they have done and I think everything starts from myself. What you asked, there’s a cost for you to pay it back. Nothing bad about gods but I choose to start with my own even I have depression to handle but in the end we still need to do what we humans should do. Same to self-love, love starts from myself so we can love others. However, I yet to love myself if I missed out the ordinary star that able to help me. 

Day 26 (25/10/2020) - The Answer Is All Around Us. It's like waking up without memories, a brand new day for myself. Even sad thoughts hit me so hard last night but life goes on. Nothing to do with maintaining unnecessary thoughts the whole day, I’m not good at all with my companion personal rules to make sure not hurting anyone and try to be nice to everyone and not allowed myself to hurt anyone. Always bear in mind, I can handle this on my own. It's more like a curse that has been playing hide and seek with me all along the time. I hide from the curse, attempt not to let anyone find my broken heart, worry that be one of me later if they found it. Today I meet the extraordinary star that can’t be found these days, the answer is all around us, the ordinary star is in my heart all the time, when I have any emotions everything starts with my heart and the only place I can change. Well, I’m here to change, transform into a better self. Stays away from my grumbles, the unperfect me by not asking more or better from myself. That’s why the star hides from me, writing a journal is a way to let myself slow down everything and jot down my daily life to let myself or someone to understand and learned from my journal. The only answer to cure me, start with yourself today, it's not late to get myself a healing time.

Day 27 (26/10/2020) - The Last Three Days Three days to go before the end of my 30 days self-love journey, time passed without notice, everyday reminding to do something good for myself, slowly today become a habit. The first and the last journal I write for my college life, hopefully, is a way for me to remember this book when I read this journal next time. Well, the memories and experiences to love me was never enough but will keep trying to remember every single moment. Well, I have a really straightforward and annoying mouth which the part I hate the most. Today nothing much just set myself to silent mode, that’s it. In fact, this is the toughest task for myself, I like to talk nonsense, I like annoying my brother who hates it more than just a lot. Well, I think is the best day for my brother to enjoy his silent moment lol. At first, I unable to control my talkative mouth but I distract myself from talking by doing my assignments. The almost half day I practice this, well my brother for sure enjoy this precious moment and he asked what’s wrong with me today? Never thought he would ask but I guess everyone used to my lousy and annoying me, haha, but I pleased to know my family still care about me, nothing bad to be silent like people always say talk less, wrong less. With patience nothing will stop me I guess, one tiny step gives a huge impact, know people love me without asking but I feel it! The person I care about loves me which means I have been loved and cared for. 

Day 28 (27/10/2020) - The darkness  Meet the one who inspiring me , the one who I admire the most is where they act with charm compare with myself. I admire others more than myself, it’s why a hard task for me to love myself, when I only focus to love others instead of myself. Every time I feel inadequate, I like to hold on to the idea that the worst is about to happen to me, slowly it has become a habit. I've prepared for everything, but today I'm just trying not to think of the worst, but I'm still worried that I'll make a mistake or get an unsatisfactory result on my presentation, and before I know it my hands are shaking as if I've done something bad. I should calm myself down a bit and try to avoid the negative thoughts crossover in my mind. I was very nervous at the beginning, even though it was not the first time, but I was still afraid that my carelessness would make a mistake, but I never expected that I would enjoy the presentation and going on well. Finally, I done my presentation but never thought to be that silent but I remain to think positive but never expected I done it well, this is what I get back from my lecturer. But it's not as bad as I thought it would be, and thinking on the bright side may have saved myself from the darkness.