#i guess it could be considered practice for my upcoming art exam???..

[inconspicuousd20sideblog]

when you commit to drawing a background but that means Drawing A Background

[therealvalkyrie]

Painter’s Hands and Guatemalan Coffee: Part 1.5

portraiture and speculation

Pairing/setting: Levi Ackerman x Female!Reader, modern!college!AU

Summary: When you catch your idiot boyfriend cheating, your grumpy roommate is there to pick up the pieces and watch your back as you toe a carefully drawn line in the metaphorical sand.

Word Count: 1.1k

Warnings: mentions of insomnia, slight angst, swearing, and idk libraries?? ‘Tis not a heavy one

AN: So this is a mini-chapter, entirely Levi’s POV, hopefully to give some more background/insight into what homeboy’s thinking. And we get some Hange in this chapter which I had so much fun writing:)) Thank you for the wonderful comments on the last chapter and again, please don’t hesitate to reblog/comment/send in an ask with any suggestions, questions, or feedback!! ~valkyrie

(read Part 1 here)

In the hierarchy of genres established by the Academy, history painting was at the top and portraiture came next. Artists aspired to elevate the importance of…

Levi takes a slow sip of tea while his eyes glide over the article in front of him: the latest reading for his European Art History class. His mouth twitches at the bitter taste of over-brewed Earl Grey. The library cafe never seems to be able to get tea right, but he was desperate for some caffeine to push him through a couple more hours of studying.

...female members of the royal family have been depicted as goddesses…

Fuck. Levi’s brain had gotten away from him again. I have no idea what I just read.

With a deep sigh and adjustment of his posture, Levi starts the paragraph again.

In the hierarchy of genres established by the Academy, history painting was at the top and portraiture…

The portrait in his room flickers into his mind’s eye. Nearly complete, his mother’s smiling face stares back at him. The stormy grey of her eyes had taken Levi a week to remember and another to perfect. Sometimes, when he can’t sleep, he sits cross-legged on his bed facing her and wondering if it’s truly an accurate depiction. In his best memories, she is warm and smiling and beautiful. Levi can’t help but wonder if somehow he’s written over his mother’s true features with an invention of his own; some sort of collage of the kind women in his life. He had caught himself painting Hange’s wide smile instead of his mother’s once, and he hadn’t worked on the portrait for a month after. If he was going to ever do it justice, he had to be certain it was as close to his actual memory as possible.

The end of the page jars Levi out of a reverie, and once again he hasn’t retained any of what he just read. Leaning back in his chair with a frustrated groan, he allows the ambient noise of the library to drift back into his consciousness.

The beeping from the front desk as a librarian scans books. The thunk of someone’s metal water bottle on a table. A spirited discussion between two professors in line at the cafe. Levi can feel his will to work slipping from his grasp with each passing moment.

“No use trying to study with your mind caught up in more important things,” your voice seeps through the cracks of his work ethic. It had been six weeks into living with each other when you caught Levi staring into space at his desk instead of working yet again and decided to do something about it. Your pretty hands had guided his own away from the laptop and closed it with a finality even your obstinate roommate couldn’t argue against.

“We’re going out for sushi,” you’d insisted. “And then you’re going to watch your favorite show and go to bed.”

You were right. It’s exactly what Levi needed, both then and now.

“Hey, shortstack!” A pair of hands lands heavily on his shoulders, and Levi has to quell the urge to break Hange’s nose with the back of his hand. He settles for a steely glare over his shoulder, greeted by her energetic grin.

“If you touch me without warning like that again I will not hesitate to put you in the hospital.” Hange doesn’t seem perturbed by his deadpan delivery, but nonetheless removes her hands and holds them up in surrender.

“I come in peace! Just thought I’d say hi before my lab.” She pulls out the chair next to him and plonks down but doesn’t bother to put down her backpack or unwrap her scarf. “How’s the studying going?”

“I was just finishing up. Can’t concentrate in this environment.” He gestures vaguely to their surroundings.

“Yeah, no kidding. I’m surprised to find you here, actually, don’t you usually hole up in an empty studio?”

“Eh, figured a change of pace might help. Clearly not.”

“Great, then you can walk me to class! I’ve been meaning to talk to you anyway.” Hange bounces out of her seat and flits her gaze around the library as Levi packs up his stuff.

As they leave the library together, frigid winter air swirls around them, kicking up a flurry of snow from the snowbank by the sidewalk. Levi zips up his jacket and stuffs his hands into its pockets. Hange is unusually quiet as they walk towards the sciences building. Levi hazards a glance and sees her deep in thought, chin tucked into her scarf and glasses fogged with breath.

“So are you gonna tell me what you wanted to talk about or am I supposed to guess?” He nudges her with an elbow and she jumps.

“Oh! That’s right. It’s about your delightfully brilliant roommate,” she starts, grinning at Levi once more.

“What about her?”

“How has she been doing? Y’know, since the breakup?” Hange’s tone is almost too casual, and it makes Levi take a second to carefully consider his answer.

“She’s been fine, I think. Going to class, eating, studying.” He pauses to think again. “She has been staying up late a lot. Why do you ask?”

“That’s just it, she looked exhausted this morning in our seminar. Like she hadn’t slept at all.” Her quizzical gaze is fixed on him as he considers this.

Come to think of it, you had been looking quite tired recently. He had attributed it to upcoming exams, but it could certainly be deeper than that. For the past two weeks since the breakup, Levi had noted light from under your bedroom door every night as he went to bed. And yet, you were consistently awake before him, already on your first or second cup of coffee.

“You’re right. I don’t think she’s been sleeping,” he affirms, setting his mouth in a thin, worried line. While Levi was no stranger to insomnia, he did have strategies to help himself get enough sleep even when his mind couldn’t rest. Chamomile tea, meditation, sleeping pills when it really came down to it. Does she have those resources? he wonders.

They arrive outside the sciences building and Levi stops just short of the stairs, Hange turning to face him.

“Will you check up on her, please? Make sure she hasn’t actually been turned into a vampire?” Her tone is joking, but Levi can see the worry behind Hange’s eyes as he gives her a nod.

“Of course. I’ll text you later. Good luck in your lab.” He waves her off as she practically skips up the steps, giving him an impish salute.

“Have a good one, shortstop!”

As Levi turns back to begin walking home, worry sets in his chest with a winter-like frigidity. He thought you had been doing fine. 

I thought she was glad to be rid of that jackass.

-- (read part 2 here)

[angelic-serenade]

✧༝┉┉┉┉┉˚*❋ ❋ ❋*˚┉┉┉┉┉༝✧

request: Imagine Light discovering that you know MMA and you offer to teach him so he can properly defend himself

requested by: @sacredwarrior88​

a/n: hope the waiting was woth it! jokes aside, I am deeply sorry for the amount of time this took and the fact I got sidetracked, I hope you can still enjoy this piece!

gif, original work and characters do not belong to me

pairing: Light Yagami x f!reader

fandom: Death Note

warnings: angst, ment of death & murder, guilt tripping, manipulation, light yagami being light yagami, toxic relationship, canon typical violence

✧༝┉┉┉┉┉˚*❋ ❋ ❋*˚┉┉┉┉┉༝✧

“You're a pretty boy, Light Yagami. You should be able to properly defend yourself!”

That's what you kept repeating to the golden student of the prestigious Daikoku private academy ever since you had been granted the 'privilege' of referring to him as a friend. Light Yagami was nothing short of extraordinary - perfect, some would dare to say. But perfection and popularity, above all, are bound to have a price and you feared the day someone would finally strike up enough courage to try and shred the boy to pieces out of envy for his academic success and overall superiority in everything he did. Revenge was petty like that.

Therefore, being a well-practiced mixed martial arts fighter yourself, you insisted on giving the boy some lessons in order to at least help him reach a decent level of self-defense, so that he would hopefully be able to get out of any minor sticky situation unscathed. Extreme apprehension aside, it was a really useful skill which would benefit anyone and Light Yagami would be no exception. You knew the mighty hero of adults and students alikd had no time to spare, with his schedule permanently jam-packed and quite the amount of expectations to meet: MMA trainings would cost him more time he could afford losing - or so he had said. Whatever reason he conjured up each time you offered, it could do nothing to soothe your worries, which kept falling on deaf ears as Light kept politely turning your queries down.

“I may be a pretty boy as you say, (Y/N), but I am no secret agent or spy. I doubt I'd even run into any situation as dangerous as to call for such drastic measures. Besides, if I ever get in trouble I'll simply have to give you a call.”

And so the days passed between playful banter and boring study sessions, with no further mention of those lessons you wished your friend had accepted; you were a bit crestfallen to say the truth, but you guessed that maybe he’d manage even with no training at all. Besides, Light made sure to make it up to you by inviting you to hang out with him any time he had a moment to finally breathe and take a break – you were glad that you’d get to meet with him outside of school as no one else could actually say the same for themselves. You were aware that the boy was practically married to his academic career and the effort he made to keep the relationship working outside of the academy’s walls too was not lost on you. At first, everything seemed to work out just fine between the two of you: you were friends, best friends even, and you also became a regular at the Yagami household’s dining table. Furthermore, each time you’d have a MMA match, he’d be there to support you. You’d gotten so used to spot him through the crowd that your eyes seemed to immediately find him among the many anonymous faces around you. It was nice and it became routine.

That is until something seemed to change.

The shift was gradual, nothing major to be concerned of at first – maybe he was just tired because of the exams? Or maybe the field work he’d taken up to help his father was really burning him out, right? As days went by, you tried to cheer your friend up, but to no avail: his expression grew distant, and even though Light Yagami had never been an outgoing individual per se, his prolonged silences and far-away stares made him look even more stoic and cold than usual. It was worrying and it started to bother you, a lot. You didn’t know what was troubling the usually moderate boy, but you were certain that whatever the hell was happening, it was affecting Light immensely. Being a discreet person himself, Light never spoke a word to you about anything that might have been considered remotely negative. Your days were spent as before, enjoying each other’s company – to an outsider’s eye, nothing had changed in the way he carried himself, but to a more attentive eye, such as yours, his conduct grew to be concerning: even when he was with you, his mind would always be elsewhere. You pondered the idea of confronting him face to face, but you didn’t want to pry or come off as coquettish. Therefore you kept worrying in silence, mind haunted by the possibilities that could have led your dear friend down on such a questionable path.

You didn’t wait for long though. The confirmation to your suspicions made itself known when Light came to you one day to ask about those lessons you had offered him months back.

The sudden request, after so much time spent together without ever mentioning the offer, struck you as odd. What had changed his mind? As you racked your brain to try and get the answers you so desperately craved, you couldn't help but to come to the same conclusion over and over again: Light's excuse for finally making up his mind about self-defense was bulletproof, sure, but the sudden change of heart didn't sit well with you still. Was the wish to aid his father on the field all there was to it? You didn't think so. But until you had no solid proof to your suspicions, that was all they'd ever be. You refused to act on a whim and rather logically decided to humor the boy in his newfound interest, as long as he kept his sights on self-defense and self-defense only. In the meantime, you decided you’d monitor the evolution of his behavior and keep a close watch on him .

“You have made quite some progress, huh.”

You swallowed down almost half the water bottle in your hand, while looking at your equally worn out companion: it had been another two hours of training and you came to the conclusion that maybe it was time to end your little sparring session.

“If it’s you who says it, it must be true.” Smiled the boy, but it did not quite reach his eyes.

“I think our lessons are numbered, there’s not much else I can teach you.”

“That’s nice to hear, you really are a tough teacher.” Another fake smile which you did not reciprocate. As he made haste to get everything he’d brought with him in his bag, you made up your mind and settled for upfront confrontation.

“I guess… say Light, is there something that’s been bothering you lately?” it was now or never and you weren’t going to let the occasion go. He was tired and supposedly had his guard down – it was a moment as good as any to get some information out of him.

“Oh, I guess I’ve been pretty out of it lately, huh? I’m sorry if I had you worried, work at the station has been quite hectic and I can’t help but take it home with me.”

“That makes sense, don’t stress yourself out too much though. I’m sure you’re doing the best you can to support your father.” your words were automatic, articulated with little to no regard for the boy’s feelings: you were disappointed your so-called friend had decided to feed you yet another hollow excuse instead than opening up to you as a friend should. If there was anything you absolutely could not stand about Light Yagami, it was his charming way of spinning words in order to avoid revealing the whole truth.

“Thank you, (Y/N).”

Frustrated that he had let the conversation drop for the umpteenth time, annoyed at your fruitless attempts to persuade your friend to simply talk to you, and, to top it all, exhausted by the tough training session of the day, you let the negative impulses get to your head and acted in an uncharacteristically rash way: the surprise punch landed on the target with no effort at all and, even though you realized one second too late that you had broken almost a dozen rules of the moral code of martial arts, you felt invigorated by the action. The sound of your punch colliding with Light’s jaw brought an immense amount of satisfaction to your fogged mind, so much so that you almost came to question your own twisted way of taking it out on the boy; the moment of blind anger subsided, but you did not back down from the upcoming fight:

“I intended to give you the benefit of the doubt, given the sincere nature of the friendship I thought we shared, but apparently I was way too understanding with you. I keep extending my hand towards you and you threaten to bite it off each time with your half-hearted excuses and half-truths. You may not be aware of it, but this-” you gestured towards him and then yourself: “this is not the way things should be between friends, Light Yagami and I’m sick of pretending everything’s alright.”

The boy did not flinch, nor did he make any move to reciprocate your previous offending motion. He just stood there, impassible and unreadable.

“Will you at least say something? Or do you not care at all?”

Light Yagami was stuck, both physically and figuratively speaking. Your harsh words had caught him off guard, literally hitting him in the face with the hard reality he’d been progressively distancing himself from. He had underestimated what an issue your shared bond could become for his great plan of rebuilding the world; if he were to be completely honest, he’d considered disposing of you at first – not permanently, of course, but cutting you off from his life would have been one less burden to worry about. His game of cat and mouse with L did not make things easy though: you were the weak link, a bothersome liability he should have taken care of since the start, but terminating the friendship with you so abruptly would have done nothing but to bring more attention upon himself and you. His position within the special task force of L was precarious enough as it was, he couldn’t afford the slightest miscalculation. Therefore he’d settled on exploiting whatever he could gain from the relationship (hence the MMA training lessons) while maintaining the façade of a precious but unfortunately extremely busy friend. He hadn’t anticipated you’d actually see right through his little stunt.

He raised a hand to his jaw – it stung. A sudden urge overcame him and his hand twitched as if expecting to clench around a certain black notebook. As soon as the compulsion hit, he composed himself once again:

“I’m sorry (Y/N), I realize I’ve been a terrible friend to you, but-” the words caught on his tongue, a sob rocking his frame so suddenly you almost jumped back, startled. Guilt began to pool in your stomach, had you been too hard on him?

“Things are not going well at the station and I can’t give you any details but it is all so- so overwhelming-”

You closed the distance between the two of you and, feeling oh so regretful for your hasty actions and so hypocritical for your arrogant claims, you hugged your dear friend as if it were your lifeline.

“I’m sorry Light, I-”

“There’s no need to apologize (Y/N), I have been so cold to you and it is my fault that I cut you off like that. I assure you it will never happen again, I will do better.”

You held the boy in your arms, and let him take his time to calm down. Horrible, that’s what you felt for treating a friend so hatefully - he’d already been struggling on his own and instead of landing him a comforting hand, you had hit him with it. You promised you’d make it up to him, too.

“If that punch managed to catch me so off guard, it means you’ll have to bear with me for a few more lessons, I guess” he finally smiled.

[…]

“You should have seen the look on your face when she punched you! Priceless! Oh I am so glad you humans can prove to be so entertaining yet!”

Light gave you a wave of his hand as he made his way down the street, away from your house, ignoring the nagging laughter of the hellish being following him around. What a waste of his time.

“I really thought you’d get rid of her for good this time! What a night!”

The boy made no comment to Ryuk’s exhilarated blabbering, trying instead not to lose himself in that primordial fury that made him tempted to write another name on the Death Note.

“And the way you managed to play her- she was mortified when you started crying! You are a great actor, Light Yagami.”

“Shut up, Ryuk.” whispered Light.

“You know what I think? I think you can’t really get rid of her, even if you desperately want to, even with no L getting in the way of your plans – you’d still wouldn’t be able to kill her. Oh, now, that’s gold!”

The boy did not confirm nor confute Ryuk’s words - he kept silent as he made his way through the darkness.

[comicgeekscomicgeek]

Their Hero Academia - Chapter 67: Island Insanity Intensifies

Presenting the next installment of my on-going, nextgen, MHA fic! Earlier chapters can be found here

“Ah!” Tensei Iida exclaimed, gesturing wildly at the display before them.  “A most ingenious device.”

Toshi gave it a second look. He’d glanced at it briefly, but had been busy listening to Sora and Dave discuss the punch-enhancing gauntlets they’d seen at the previous booth and hadn’t been paying a lot of attention.  So far, he didn’t use any Support equipment himself, though he had a few ideas for some new bits for his costume he’d thought of after the Final Exam.  But if one of the twins thought something was well designed, it was probably worth paying attention to.  His girlfriend and her brother were two of the smartest people he knew, somehow managing to be in the Hero Course and still having time to take Support course classes as well.

Speaking of girlfriends, the device had now caught Sora’s attention as well.  She was, in fact, practically drooling over it.  “Oh, yes,” she agreed.  “This is quite spectacular!”

Toshi considered himself relatively smart.  He was probably wasn’t in the top fourth of the class, but close enough.  But when it came to advanced stuff like this, he didn’t have a clue.  It just looked like a silvery helmet with a dark visor to him, connected by wires to some kind of power source.  Before he could ask any questions though, Sero piped in.

“So, what’s it do?” Sero asked.  “Because I don’t know if that’s going to work with my aesthetic.”   Considering Sero had once said he’d purposefully bought a bowling shirt because the colors gave him a headache, Toshi wasn’t exactly sure what his aesthetic was and how anything could clash with it.

“Oh, it would be very useful,” Tensei explained.  “It combines several different scanners from across the electromagnetic spectrum into one device.  This should enable its wearer to view everything from the infra-red all the way to the ultraviolet end of the spectrum.  Very useful for locating Villains, even if they have stealth Quirks!”

“I do have concerns about the power source, though,” Sora added, further scrutinizing the device. “It would have to be properly armored and those wires could be easily grabbed.  And, of course, if pierced, the detonation could be rather significant…”

“Definite significant,” Sero said.

“You would not require cremation,” Sora told him, matter-of-factly.

“Still,” Tensei went on, “I do see possibilities.  I wonder though, if it would be better to house such power sources externally? Somewhere where they would not endanger the user?”

“A drone, perhaps?” Sora questioned.  “That way its power source could be properly armored, and then you would only need a wireless transmission to a visual source, such as a visor or other display…”

“Yes!” Tensei agreed. “Though the power supply needed to see the entirety of the spectrum would…”

Toshi lost track of the conversation at that point, not having the head for the engineering or scientific principles behind it.  If it ever got to gravity or some basic physics, then he was on pretty good ground. Otherwise…

“Got us a couple of smart ones, didn’t we?” Sero said, after a moment, giving Toshi a conspiratorial look. He grinned.  “I have no idea what they’re saying.”

“Then why do you look so happy about it?” Dave asked.  Once again, his patience for Sero’s actions was wearing thin, Toshi could tell.  “Don’t tell me you’re celebrating your ignorance.”

“Nah,” Sero said.  “I just like seeing Tensei get all happy about something.  He’s cute when he’s pontificating.”

Toshi had to admit, Sero had a point.  He thought the same thing about Sora.  Her eyes just lit up when she got passionate about something she was working on, even if he couldn’t follow it.

Mercifully, it didn’t take too long for the twins to wind down though, and by the sounds of it, they’d come up with yet another project for when they were able to access to a lab again. He was sure he’d hear more about it later.  He was probably going to have to remind them to eat and sleep in the near future.

“You two might want to consider a limited A.I.,” Dave said.  “Otherwise, it’s of limited utility.  If you have to keep manual control, then you’re going to be distracted focusing on that.  With an A.I., you can give it a target to follow or a patrol route.”

“Dave’s got a point,” Toshi agreed.  Not surprising.  Dave was both a star of the Support Department and had grown up with a Hero dad and older siblings.  It gave him a unique insight into the way in which the two met up.

“He does indeed,” Sora agreed.  

Tensei nodded.  “More difficult then.  And not our specialty.  Would you care to collaborate, Togata?”

Dave shrugged.  “So long as Power Loader signs off on it. Last time I checked, you two were on his shit list.”

“Very unfairly!” Tensei declared, arms flailing.

Sora joined in the protest, her own arms flailing as well.  How they managed not to hit each other, Toshi didn’t know.  “Just because we occasionally cause small explosions is no reason to restrict our lab access!  You would think he would understand that explosions are merely learning opportunities!”

This got a laugh from Sero and Dave, who looked at each other in surprise.  Both shrugged and then the group peeled off to look at the next exhibit.

“Oh, speaking of opportunities,” Sero told Dave, “Kimmie made me promise I’d ask if you were seeing anybody.  Because if not, she’s actually got some people lined up.”

Dave just shook his head. “I swear, you’re all as bad as Dad….”

***

“I can’t believe you know Godzillo,” Isamu told Togata, carefully carrying the signed statue in a small bag.  He’d mentioned wanting to get the retired Hero and actor’s autograph and Togata had insisted on introducing him.  Kana was going to flip out when she saw this.

“Dad and Uncle Izuku teamed up with him back when I was just a kid,” Togata explained.  “They got along real well, I guess.  Of course, Dad gets along with everybody…”  He laughed.  “But yeah, I figured I could convince him to do a gratis autograph if I asked.”

Isamu just shook his head. “I appreciate it though!  Kana’s going to love this!”

“Kana?” Togata asked, inclining his head slightly.

“My, ah, girlfriend,” Isamu said.  It still felt weird to be able to say that.  The notion that any girl might like him, let alone one who could probably kick his ass six ways to Sunday, was still a surprising one to him.  Though he also wasn’t entirely sure if her parents knew. He’d mentioned Kana to his, to his mom’s particular delight. On the other hand, she hadn’t formally introduced him yet to her mother, despite her mom being a teacher at U.A..  So he wasn’t sure what was going on there.  He wasn’t going to put too much thought into it. Considering she’d been the one to ask him out, he was relatively sure she wasn’t embarrassed by him or anything like that.  “Kana Tetsutetsu.”

“Battle-Fist and Real Steel’s daughter?” Togata asked.  He nodded slightly.  “Saw her at the Sports Festival. Uncle Izuku likes to have everybody working under him watch, get our opinions, see the upcoming Heroes. She’s pretty talented.”

“She is,” Isamu agreed. He wasn’t sure how well he’d have stacked up to her martial arts skills or ability to guard against attacks.  

They passed a few stalls selling various Hero merchandise, including one with a man with floppy once-dark now-grey hair and glasses glasses, who seemed to be selling copies of some kind of book.   Isamu looked up at the banner on top of the stall.  Taneo Tokuda – Author of When the Symbol of Hope Was Young –Soon to be a Major Motion Picture!

Isamu recognized the name and the title; there was a copy of it in his house.  It had been in publication for years, though originally it had been titled When the New Symbol of Peace Was Young.  It had retitled after a few years, when Deku had adopted the different and more fitting title.  It was still one of the top selling books, annually.  

The man—Tokuda, he now recognized from the author picture—shot up at the sight of them. “Tamaki Togata,” the man said, beaming. “As I live and breathe!  It’s been too long!”

“Not since the last time you interviewed Uncle Izuku for your script, Mister Tokuda,” Togata said. “I still can’t believe they’re finally turning your book into a movie.”

Tokuda laughed.  “You, me, and my bank account.  And I’ve told you, call me Taneo.  All my friends do.”   He gave Isamu an appraising look.  “Ah!  I know you! From the Sports Festival. Haimawari, right?”

“Yes, sir,” Isamu said.

Tokuda seemed to give him an appraising look.   “Oh yeah,” he said.  “I can see why Deku took you on.”   He pointed towards Togata.  “Both of you. You’ve got the same kind of spark. Takes me back to the first time I met him, really.”  He peered at them over the top of his glasses.

Not that he didn’t appreciate the comparison (He was, however, not going to think about it too hard, because down that path lay panic), but Isamu wasn’t entirely sure he was comfortable with the scrutiny the man was giving him.

A smile did work its way onto Togata’s face, though.  “You can turn that investigator mode off, Taneo.  He’s here on vacation, same as me.”

Tokuda’s face fell just a little, but he pushed his glasses back up and smiled amiably. “So no chance of an interview about everything going on back home?”

“Top secret,” Togata told him.

Tokuda laughed.  “Ah, well, can’t blame a guy for trying.   Still, expecting big things from both of you, so promise me an interview whenever you go Pro?  I know we’re going to see big things from you, Togata.  Just call it a hunch. ”

“Ah, sure?” Isamu said, uncertainly.  Deku taking an interest in him was one thing, but a reporter/writer as well?  One who’d done an official biography of Deku?  What exactly was his life?

“You’re going to be waiting a while,” Togata said.  He didn’t actually answer the question, Isamu noted.  “He’s just a first year student and I want a few more years working with the best under my belt.”

Tokuda shrugged, smiling easily.  “I’ve got time.  But let me know if you want to come on set sometime.  They start filming in a couple months and I’m sure I can get some passes.”

That might be fun, Isamu thought, though he figured Tokuda was probably talking more to Togata than him.

“We’ll see,” Togata said. “Nice to see you, Taneo.”

As they were walking away, Isamu turned to Togata.  “Everything all right there?  Guy seemed a little, ah, intense?”

Togata just smiled and shook his head.  “Tokuda’s a good guy.  Probably nobody out there who’s a bigger fan of Uncle Izuku than him, actually. …Well, maybe not bigger than the Shinso kid.  He just really believes in what Uncle Izuku means as a symbol.  But he can’t quite stop looking forward or turn off that reporter’s instinct, so he’s always looking for the next story, whether it’s there or not.  His instincts are usually on the money though.”

“Great,” Isamu sighed. “One more person expecting big stuff out of me.”

“I told you,” Togata said. “Don’t worry about that.  Focus on your training and being the best you can be. You’ve got time.”

***

Melissa had already studied the hologram in front of them numerous times.  Hell, she’s studied the real thing.  She’d been up to her elbows in it, even.  Working together with Mei and the best forensic analysts at both Deku’s agency and that the HPSC could spare, they’d taken all of the robot-Nomu apart one piece at a time and studied every inch of every one of them.  

That their secrets continued to elude them was nothing short of infuriating.  The combination of enhanced technology and bio-augmentation suggested an expertise in multiple fields of science.  Who had that level of knowledge and expertise?

Jinsei rubbed his chin with his hand.  “The same design, every time.  These were definitely mass produced.   Nothing identifying to any of the parts either.”

Melissa nodded. “There’d been some technology thefts in the weeks prior to the attack, but none of the Heroes were able to find any leads, even with the Voice and Glamour hitting the streets and shaking down just about every source.”  She tapped a few keys and called the list up.  “Not nearly enough to account for all of this… unless you only needed a handful to take apart as a model.”

He nodded his agreement. “Very sophisticated robotics. You can see certain systems here and there that are extrapolations of current theories and designs though.  I can see some of the technology from U.A.’s robots, there’s Shield tech, and I even see a few of Hatsume’s designs.  And…”

Nothing they didn’t already know.  Whoever had built them was well versed in current technology, no matter how proprietary. But the facial journey Jinsei was undergoing was something else entirely.

Jinsei frowned, his face flush with anger in a way that made his scars stand out even more.  “Those bastards.”  He slammed his hands on the console, causing the hologram to briefly flicker.  “Those bastards!   How!?”

“What? Melissa asked. She’d jumped at his outburst and paused to readjust her glasses.  “What is it?” She’s seen Jinsei get angry before, especially after…  But the pure rage she was seeing here was stunning.

He tapped keys, bringing up a hologram next to the one of the Nomu.  With more tapping, he isolated what they’d identified as the Nomu’s power source.  Melissa let out a soft gasp.  The two were identical.

“That’s the power source for the robots I’ve been designing,” Jinsei said.  “The ones I consulted you about.  The ones that were going to…”

He trailed off. Melissa had listened to his arguments about the failures of Heroes often enough to know where he’d been going with it. That they took too much on and that too much was expected of them.  That they were worked to exhaustion and made mistakes.  His idea to replace or supplement them with robots who didn’t get tired or have bad judgement was well meaning, even if she knew it wasn’t possible. The level of A.I. just wasn’t there yet, among other things.  

“That was Ami’s design,” he growled, head down, body shaking with rage.  “Back when we were just designing the robots to support the Heroes. Before…”

His head snapped up. “Those bastards stole her design!”

Melissa blinked her eyes slowly, then set her face in grim determination.  Jinsei needed goals and directions now, if he was ever going to come out of this state and not spiral into self-destructiveness.  “Who else would have had access to the plans?  Do you think there was a data breach?”

Jinsei started pacing, quick frantic steps back and forth.  “My lab assistants.  The board. A few others I’ve had to consult with. You.”

She jerked in surprise. “You can’t possibly think…!”

He shook his head rapidly. “No, not you, never you.  I trust you, Melissa.  I’m just…  my life’s work… turned into part of those monsters.  I wanted to help. And something I designed nearly killed so many…”

Melissa placed a sympathetic hand on his shoulder.  “Hey,” she said quietly.  “It’s another clue.  We’re going to get this figured out.”

***

They were working their way through the crowd to meet back up with Midoriya and the others when Togata suddenly stopped.  “Everything okay?” Isamu asked.

“I don’t know,” Togata said. He looked around, scanning the crowd. In an instant, his body language had changed, moving from relaxed and at ease to alert and ready for action.  Isamu had heard that the really good Heroes had a certain kind of instinct, the kind that came from years of dealing with trouble. Supposedly, they could tell when trouble was coming practically before it even started.

Tamaki Togata was only a Sidekick.  But he was the Sidekick to the greatest Hero on the planet and had worked with many more. It wasn’t surprising that his instincts would already be finely honed.

Isamu straightened up, looking around as well.  If Togata thought there was something worth getting ready for, there probably was. Even if he couldn’t see it.  All he could see were people milling about, going from stand to stall to booth.  People were snapping pictures, signing autographs, showing off their Quirks. It seemed about as non-threatening as was possible to get, his early feelings of being overwhelmed notwithstanding.

He forced himself to listen, to look around for signs of trouble.  Isamu didn’t have super-human senses.  He wasn’t an even an expert at listening like Shoji.  But his Quirk did demand that he be observant and react quickly. If he wasn’t, he’d have ended up a smear on a wall the second something came up that he couldn’t maneuver around when he was sliding.

There.

It was distant, but he could hear the sound of screams now.  They were growing louder and getting closer by the moment.  The crowd was parting now, trying to run away from whatever it was.

Togata was already taking off, heading towards the source of it, a blur of motion.  He should have stayed where he was.  Even with the super-relaxed Quirk-use laws on I-Island, he was still just a Hero student.  No license, barely a term into his studies.  Absolutely no one would have blamed him if he’d just stayed where he was.

Instead, his body moved on his own. He pitched forward and fired a burst of power from his Quirk, his autographed statue left behind without a thought, sliding through the crowd and around the fleeing Expo guests.  Just ahead, he could still see Togata, faintly glowing with power as he darted through the crowd.  

It didn’t take long to see what was going on.  Already, a number of booths and stalls had been completely trashed.  It didn’t look like anybody was injured, but that wasn’t likely to last long.  At the center of the destruction were several people—he assumed they were civilians because they weren’t in costume—all swathed in a bright orange glow.  One seemed to have some kind of fire Quirk, one was a giant rhino man, and the other was woman lobbing blobs of sticky goo.

There was no coordination in their attacks, just seemingly random destruction.

“Get away!  Get away!” the fire-wielder, said, letting loose a stream of crimson flames.  They didn’t look all that hot; he couldn’t even feel the heat from this close.  “You can’t have my liver!  I’m using it!”

“Scorpions!” the rhino man shouted, charged and smashing everything in his path.  “Covered in scorpions!  Get ‘em off me!  Get ‘em off me!”

The woman was spraying goo everywhere, her eyes wide in panic.  “Clowns!” she screamed.  “Not clowns! Anything but clowns!”

Togata seemed to sense his arrival.  “Haimawari?” he said, not turning to look.  “Stay back.  This looks dangerous.”

Another Hero arrived on the scene, but not one that Isamu recognized.  He was wearing a black costume, with boots, gloves, trucks, and a cape all the dark grey of approaching storm clouds.  A square-ish lightning bolt symbol adorned his chest. “<Don’t worry,>” the Hero said, in what he realized was English, “<Thunderhead will stop them!”>

The Hero—Thunderhead—brought his hands out to the side and then slammed them together, hard.  It created a powerful boom that sounded like a clap of thunder, sending a wave of sound out from his hands.  It struck the rhino man dead on but did little more than knock him back for a second.  

The rhino man eyed him, his tiny, dark eyes widening in fear.  “More scorpions!” he shouted, his voice laced with fear.  “Gotta stop them before they can sting me!”  The rhino man struck out, hitting Thunderhead hard enough to send him flying.

When Thunderhead got up, he was glowing.  The exact same orange glow as the others.  There was a madness in his eyes, one that was clearly driving his actions now.  “They’re all against me!  They think I’m an idiot!  Well I’ll show them!”

Thunderhead brought his hands together, unleashing another wave of force.  But Togata moved, his own body aglow in green light and he placed himself right in the line of fire.  The wave of force rocked against him, but he was not moved.  Not for nothing was his Hero name the Shield.

“Whatever it is that’s driving them crazy,” Togata said, “it’s contagious!”

Togata drew back a punch. “Dammit,” he hissed, “no time to be subtle about it!”  He threw the punch forward, glowing brighter as he amped up his density.  The force of the blow itself was enough to push the air forward, a powerful gust that knocked Thunderhead down for a moment, still aglow with orange light.

Which still left the other three.  If they touched anyone else…  Isamu quickly began to realize that following might not have been the best idea.

“Do not worry,” a voice shouted, “I am here to render assistance!”   Isamu looked to the source and found that it was Ingenium:  Tenya Iida, the twins’ father.  He was clad in his armor and running at full speed.

“Roller skate clowns?!” the goo-throwing woman shrieked.  She tossed blobs of her goo, but Ingenium dodged every one.  But then he got close…

“Ingenium!” Togata shouted. “Look out!  Don’t let them touch you!”

But it was too late. The woman’s fingers brushed against Ingenium’s armor, even as he dodged out of the way of her attack.

That was all it took.  Ingenium skidded to a stop, turning on a dime.  And by the time he had finished, he too, was glowing orange. Isamu couldn’t see the man’s expression behind his helmet, but he got the feeling that it wasn’t one he would have wanted to ever see.

Ingenium readied himself to run again.  “Back for more, eh, Stain?  You’ll not find me a careless child now!”

There was a roar like a jet engine as Ingenium fired his Recipro-Burst.

***

Rei lowered her binoculars and grinned.  “Looks like the guy we sprung is doing his job.”   Unlike the other “voluntary detainees” under I-Island, Setsushi had been stored in a tube, constantly sedated.  His Quirk took the form of a communicable madness, making whoever was infected with it hallucinate heavily, bringing their worst fears or other delusions to life. And once someone was infected, they could pass it on to others.   All it took was a touch, didn’t even have to be skin to skin contact.  Ursa had had to design very special gloves for the two of them to wear to be able to get him up to the surface and let him loose in the expo. Didn’t even need any real prompting. Just had to let him stagger around and bump into a few people.

Perched on one of the island’s towers, in the blind spot between cameras, they had a very excellent view of the chaos below.

Miss Compress lowered her own binoculars.  “Barely twenty minutes since we dropped him off, and he’s already infected more than a dozen people, including a few Heroes.  Everyone else is running or panicking.  Quite the catastrophe we’ve engineered, dahling.”

Rei did, ultimately, feel just a little guilty about that.  She did have family down there, after all.  Not close family, but her little rocket-powered cousins-in-law were still part of the crowd.  At least it wasn’t her actual cousins or anybody like that.  Sometimes, you did have to break a few eggs.  

“How long did the boss say this was supposed to last?” she asked Compress.

Her companion pulled a pocket watch from her coat pocket and examined it.  “Infection in any given person is supposed to last no more than thirty minutes and no less than five, depending upon individual resistance factors.  But reinfection is possible, so depending upon how many people it spreads through once it starts hitting the crowds…  Possibly forever.  Or at least until they all beat themselves senseless or worse.”

Compress replaced the watch in her pocket.  “Quite the show.  You don’t think our dear leader is going too far, do you?”

Rei shrugged. Compress was, she knew, more in it for the thrill of it all, the chance to pull one over on Hero society.  That it aligned with their leader’s overall goals of showing the cracks in Hero society and destroying it worked out well, but she didn’t have quite the same lust for battle that some of the other members did.

As far as Rei was concerned, it could all go burn.  Any society that let monsters like her grandfather live, even humiliated and in exile, didn’t deserve to stick around.  

“Still,” Compress went on, “one more straw for the proverbial camel’s back, I suppose.  And I can’t say I’m disappointed to see Ingenium down there.”  Ingenium, Rei recalled, had ultimately been responsible for the capture of her mentor, Mister Compress.  He’d been the last of the original League of Villains to be captured, staying free for years after the others had been captured or killed.  Small wonder she bore him some enmity.

Rei’s communicator beeped and she checked it.  “We’d better get going.  Overdrive just sent the exit confirmation.  She’s meeting us at the docks in twenty.”  Her tongue slid over her lips.  There was bound to be plenty of blood by the end of the day.  “Shame we gotta run so fast.  It was just getting’ interesting.  You got still got the sample?”

Compress patted one of her coat pockets and nodded.  “Of course, dahling.  And don’t worry.  I’m sure our benefactor will have plenty of video we can watch later.”

***

Ka-Pow!

The blue-white energy bolt hit Ingenium squarely in the middle of his forehead.  There wasn’t a lot of power behind it, but when combined with the Turbo Hero’s speed, it was like running head first into a throw fastball. Isamu looked at his hand as though he was seeing it for the first time.  Had he really done that?  Had he actually just assaulted a Pro-Hero, the Number Six ranked Hero at that?

He wondered if you could get expelled for that kind of thing.

Togata turned his head to look at him.  “Good job!” he said, flashing him a brief thumbs up.  But worry immediately replaced the cheer on his face.  “This isn’t good.  Whatever this is, it’s spreading fast and spreading by touch by the looks of it.”

Isamu’s thoughts quickly went to Midoriya and the others, and then to the countless others on the island. Even with more Pro-Heroes than you could shake a stick at, it wouldn’t take much for this to spread and spread quickly.  He didn’t even know if it would wear off.  Ingenium was down, but still glowing.  

The other infected were leaving them alone for the moment, but still causing plenty of trouble, lost in their own personal madness.  But it was only a matter of time before someone was seriously hurt.

“Probably shouldn’t do this,” Togata said, “but I know Uncle Izuku has faith in you.  So I’m deputizing you until this is all over.  So you can use your Quirk to fight. Just don’t get killed, okay?”

Isamu nodded, even as his heart was thudding in his chest.  “Okay,” he said.  “What… what do we do?”

Togata shook his head. “Try to keep people from killing each other, try to find the cause of this, work with as many Pros who’ve managed to avoid catching this as we can.  See if anyone’s made a call for help.  Whatever else happens, we can’t let this get off the island.”   Worry strained his voice.  Isamu knew his family was somewhere on the island now too. Togata’s younger brother, David, would probably be with Midoriya and the others, so he was about as safe as could be. But he had no idea where Doctor Shield or Togata’s older sister, Nejire, were.  Nejire Togata was, at least, a third year U.A. student and one of the Big Three.  Her phasing Quirk would probably keep her safe.  

People counting on them. The whole island in danger.  His friends missing.  Some kind of insanity that was spread by touch.  And he’d just shot Ingenium in the head.  It was all too much.  Isamu could fell himself start to shake and he bent at the waist, hands on his knees to keep himself from falling over.  This was supposed to have just been a vacation.  Not… whatever this had become.  He was barely sixteen.  How the hell was he supposed to cope with all of this?

He became aware of a hand on his shoulder.  Togata. “Look,” he said, “I know this is overwhelming.  I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t scared too.  But right now, we’ve got to get moving.  Every second counts.”

Isamu straightened up. He pulled his goggles down over his eyes and his bandana up to cover his nose and mouth.  All round now, he could hear the sounds of screams, of Heroes calling out attacks and telling people to head for shelter, and the sounds of all kinds of Quirks going off.  It definitely wasn’t the time to be worrying.  It was a time for action.  “Can I have a panic attack later?”

“We all can.”

***

The sound of screams split the air.  The kind of raw, panicked screams you heard when there was serious trouble afoot. Takuma’s eyes darted around and he could see that Midoriya, Sora, and Tensei were all doing the same.  They might only have been first-year students, but all of them were the children of Pro-Heroes.  Long before they entered U.A., their parents had been teaching them how to look out for themselves.

His parents were lower-ranked than some of his friends, but both still well within the top one hundred. He knew for a fact that there had been more than a few kidnapping attempts on the children of higher ranked Heroes, the twins and Midoriya among them.  The adults didn’t talk about those much, but from what little he’d been able to gather, it hadn’t gone particularly well for any of the would-be kidnappers.   Kaminari had once joked about it, suggesting that anyone who had kidnapped Kirishima-Bakugo would have brought her back almost immediately.  But even now, on the road to becoming Heroes themselves, vigilance was a must.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see David Togata moving to the back of their group. Probably smart.  Togata didn’t have Hero training or even a combat-oriented Quirk.  It sounded like the screams were coming from outside though…

“Maybe… maybe it’s nothing,” Takuma ventured carefully.  He didn’t really believe it, but…

“I don’t think so,” Midoriya said.  The crowd around them in the Expo building had frozen, waiting for the next shoe to drop. A few people he recognized as Pro-Heroes were making their way towards the front of the show floor.  

“But who would dare dream of causing trouble here, with so many Heroes present?” Tensei asked.

“It has been dared before, little brother,” Sora said.  “You’ve heard Father tell the story often enough.”

CRASH!

With a terrible sound, a chunk of wall came tumbling down, sending people fleeing and crushing several booths and pieces of Support equipment on display.  And through the hole stepped a purple-haired man in a military-stylized uniform with a peaked cap.  An orange glow surrounded him, as well as the blobs of flesh floating in the air around him.

“That’s Sisicross!” Midoriya exclaimed.  “But why’s he glowing?”

Sisicross looked across the show floor and sneered.  “Trying to surround me, eh, Villains?!  You’ll not find this son of Shiketsu so easily beaten!  Come at me!  I’ll take you all on!”  With his hands held behind his back, he clicked his heels and send the fleshy blobs flying into the crowd.   Each time they stuck someone, that person went down, transforming with a painful sound into a fleshy-blob.  Takuma gulped and fought the urge to be sick. And worse still, the blobs themselves were glowing the same orange.  He saw one man try to pick up the blob that had been his companion and the glow spread to him.  

The man let out a scream, dropped his friend, and unleashed his Quirk, firing sharp Quills from his body. Most of these missed, but a few stuck people, spreading the orange glow even further.  They started freaking out too, talking about perceived threats and other nonsense.

It was, in a word, madness.

A swarm of fleshy missiles headed straight towards them.   “Move!” Midoriya shouted.

They hadn’t planned on it, but not for nothing were they Hero-trainees and friends.  The twins rocketed into the air, Sora grabbing onto Midoriya’s hand while Tensei grabbed Togata.  Takuma fired off a strip of his Acid Tape and gave a hard yank, reeling himself upward towards the ceiling.  The flesh missiles hit where they had been seconds earlier, splattering against the floor with a sick, wet sound.  

“Too close,” Takuma muttered.  They touched down at the far end of the room.  The chaos was only getting worse, with people succumbing to the orange glow or panicking trying to get out.

“Let’s not do that again,” Togata said.  He looked vaguely ill from the sudden acceleration, to say nothing of the danger they’d been in.

“What do we do, Toshi?” Sora asked.

Midoriya looked pale. “I… don’t know.”

[smileyjaeminies]

Protect Them All.

Synopsis: Mark watches over his friends in a crime ridden New York City. What happens when his most guarded secret is found out?

Word Count: 2,7 k

Genre: Spiderman au!

Warnings: Fighting, violence

Member: Mark, ft all the Dreamies

A/N: Hey guys! I’m back after what felt like an eternity. I hope this work makes up for it though. It is so precious to me that I managed to put together two of my favorite things, Dream and Spiderman. I hope you guys can enjoy this work as much as I do.

Part one, part two

       Mark was sitting on a rooftop at sundown. He stopped momentarily to admire the scenery before him, a view that never failed to overwhelm him. As the last rays of sunlight cast their light upon New York City, only for the cover of darkness to take their place, it felt as if a hand twisted at Mark’s heart.

     After being bitten by a radioactive spider his life had completely turned upside down. Harnessing his powers and realizing just what his late uncle had meant with the words “With great power comes great responsibility”, Mark had to balance two worlds: Mark Lee, the high school senior, and Spiderman, fighting off crime from the streets of New York.

     His main concern of course was his Aunt, May who should never find out about it all. Then it was his six best friends, all so different but all so dear to him. Four of them were juniors, Donghyuck, Jeno, Renjun and Jaemin. One a sophomore, Chenle and then, their youngest, only a freshman, Jisung.

     Mark had managed to memorize all of their schedules and did his absolute best to trail them while they returned home at night. First to leave for home was Donghyuck, returning from his singing classes. Once Donghyuck gets home, he has just enough time to make it to Renjun, returning from his art class.

     He usually catches Chenle and Jeno halfway through their way home from their basketball practice. Thankfully, that is really close by to Jaemin and Jisung’s dance practice. That leaves Aunt May, returning from work only a few blocks away from their apartment.

     He has been watching over his loved ones for months now with no incidents. He has stepped in in small fights, he has helped a woman to go home safely. He fights whenever he deems it necessary, he avoids being seen or making a scene. He helps with what he has and he tries his best.

     He works on his schoolwork when he can, but that is not always easy. His grades are decent, but nothing like Renjun’s. Still, he does his best for his Aunt.

     Darkness engulfs him while he is lost in his thoughts.

     “Well, time to go to work!” he thinks to himself and gets up.

 ----------------------------------------------

      Mark is sitting in Calculus, looking down at a test full of equations he is supposed to know how to solve. He can’t help but stare at it with a blank look on his face. He had no time to go over the material the previous evening and he is so lost. He considers asking the teacher for help but he couldn’t even start asking questions.

     He takes a deep breath. “You can do this” he murmurs to himself. “You’re Spiderman” his subconscious adds.

     He picks up his pencil, trying to do the best he can. Before he can finish the entire thing, the bell rings.

     “Okay everyone!” the teacher exclaims loudly, “Turn in your tests on your way out, please”

     Mark looks down at his answers and can’t help but feel disappointed in himself. He makes a mental note to try harder in this particular lesson so he can make up, maybe he could ask that really smart girl in his class for help.

     He gets up and turns in his work feeling almost defeated. He walks out of the door and nearly loses his balance as a huge weight jumps on him.

     “I see you took your sweet time in there” Donghyuck proclaims, energetic as always.

     “How was it Mark? Better or worse than you thought?” Jisung asks.

     “Worse. Definitely worse. That was a bloodbath” Mark says as they make their way to the courtyard.

     “Hey, it can’t be that bad! I’m sure you’ll make up for it.” Jeno says.

     “I agree. Besides, it can’t be easy, with your internship and all. I mean, balancing everything must be super rough.” Renjun says.

     Right. The internship. The biggest lie Mark has ever said. He hated it, he hated it with a burning passion, lying to the people that mattered the most to him. But he had to lie. To protect them.

     After all, it’s not like he could walk in one day and simply say “Hey guys, guess what, I’m Spiderman!” No, it didn’t work that way. He couldn’t just put the weight of this huge secret on their shoulders.

     So he kept quiet. He had to.

     After the talk of his test ended, other topics took its place like the upcoming basketball game for Chenle and Jeno, Renjun’s current work in progress and Jaemin’s upcoming Bio exam.

     The conversation flowed easily between the friend group, as it always had. When a heated argument broke out between Donghyuck and Chenle about what game console was better, Jaemin leaned in to talk to Mark.

     “What’s on your mind?” Jaemin whispered. “And don’t tell me it’s about the test because I know you better than that. Something has been bothering you, I can see it”

     Mark tried to fight the urge to tell him everything. He gulped the true explanation down and answered just as quietly.

     “It’s just been everything I guess. Like Renjun said, it isn’t easy to balance everything. I think it’s just that some days it gets harder than others.” It was half the truth, but it would have to do.

     “I get it, I really do. But, Mark, maybe you should give up the internship. Maybe it’s just not your thing, maybe it’s not the right time. I’m not sure it’s doing you any good.” He replies.

     Mark had to smile. Of course Jaemin would be worried. That’s just… Jaemin. He tried his best to reassure him.

     “Thank you Jaems, I’ll keep that in mind” he smiled at his friend.

     “Mark! Back me up here! The Switch is so superior!” Donghyuck turned at him.

     “Oh no, do not drag me into this. Besides, you know I suck at any video game we play, how am I supposed to have an opinion?” He asked and the group laughed at him.

--------------------------------------------------------- 

      Mark was getting worried. Donghyuck seemed to move very quickly, which made it even more difficult to trail him without being obvious. He lurked in the shadows or the rooftops of the buildings and followed his best friend on the way home.

     Then, as it was bound to happen one day, trouble found Donghyuck. He was trying to take a shortcut home, so he turned in an alley which was… occupied.

     Two men, clad in black were discussing in low voices, heads close together. It was a heated discussion filled with tension. Donghyuck was frozen in the entrance of the alley. He had to act quickly, but what would he do? Walk by them as if nothing is happening? Turn around on his heels and pretend he saw nothing?

     Mark chose that moment of hesitation from Donghyuck to jump down in front of the two men. They were clearly dealing something, probably drugs, but it didn’t matter. What mattered was that Donghyuck was okay.

     “Gentlemen, good evening” he said, his voice muffled by the mask and also slightly changed so Donhyuck wouldn’t recognize him.

     He saw both the men’s hands twitch towards their back.

     “Shit. They have guns” Mark thought. He wasn’t equipped for this.

     He gave them no time to react, swiftly throwing some web in the face of the man closest to him, he then grabbed him by his shoulders and throwed him in the direction of the other man. The men, losing their balance fell down. He gave punches wherever he could land them, in the man’s face, his jaw, his stomach.

     He throw some web in the second man’s hands, then his feet to keep him still. The first man then started to get up, taking the web off of his face. Mark crouched down, kicking his feet from under him and punching him once more, square on the jaw this time.

     “Donghyuck!” he hollered, “You need to go!”

     Donghyuck was still standing in the entrance of the alley, watching the scene unfold. His eyes darted from the two unconscious men to Mark. He collected himself and darted through the alley.

     “His house is only two blocks away. He is going to be okay” Mark told himself.

     He needed to sort this out before leaving.

     He pushed the two men towards the wall of the alley, casting his web to keep them there. He threw some extra web in their mouths to keep them from shouting.

     Mark searched their pockets to find what they were dealing. It was cocaine. He felt disgusted that people would use this, that they would ruin their lives for just a couple grams. He felt even more disgusted at the people selling it.

     He lifted his mask enough for his mouth to be out of it, and called the police from his burner phone. The coat of web on them would hold until the police came. It was time to check on Donghyuck.

 -----------------------------------------------------------------

     He quickly arrived at Donghyuck’s apartment. He ran up the stairs and banged on the door. His mother answered the door.

     “Hi Mark!” she greeted him happily.

     “Hello Mrs. Lee. Is Hyuck home?” he asked.

     “Oh no dear, he was just here, dropped off some things and headed right back out. You know Donghyuck, I could never know what he’s up to” She answered him with a light laugh.

     Mark started to panic. Where did he go? He tried not to show his feelings.

     “Thank you Mrs. Lee, now I remember where he is! He said he’ll go see Jeno and Chenle’s practice! I will tell him to come straight home when I find him!” he told her. She said something in return but Mark was already rushing down the stairs.

     Mark just had the thought to check his phone. He always had it on silent, something the others always whined about and he tried to justify with his “intership”. Just as he opened his phone he saw a message from Donghyuck.

     Hyuckie

I’m at The Corner. Come as soon as you get this.

     Mark noticed the message was sent to him and not to their groupchat which helped him breathe better again.

     The Corner as they called it was an old, almost abandoned building. It was pretty run down, so it didn’t feel like trespassing when they were there. Mark was pretty sure someone owned it though, someone had to. It was really close to all of the guys homes, so they made it their own hiding spot a little while after the group was formed. Jisung and Chenle absolutely loved it, they were the ones who found it. They had done their best to fix the interior but the lack of electricity made it harder.

     Mark made his way to The Corner and tried to gather his thoughts. When he arrived, he still hadn’t managed to stop his racing mind but he would do his best to keep his mouth shut.

     He walked in and saw Donghyuck immediately, on a broken down green couch Jaemin and Jeno had “saved” from the garbage truck. He had his head in his hands, his foot tapping against the wooden floor.

     Marks footsteps echoed and made the wood creak under him. That grabbed Donghyuck’s attention, making him whip his head up and turn to face his best friend.

     “Hey Hyuck.” Mark said slowly. “I got your message. What’s up?”

     Donghyuck sat there and looked at him for a minute before saying anything.

     “Fuck you. You “what’s up?” me? Me of all people? I mean if it was Jisung sure keep putting on your stupid act but me? I know you better than anyone Mark you can’t keep bullshitting me. Not after I just caught you red handed.” His voice was getting louder as he was getting angrier.

     Mark had to. He had to keep lying to him, as much as he hated it. He tried to keep a straight face as he answered.

     “I have no idea what you’re talking about. What happened?”

     “Like hell you do! You just caught two thugs selling I don’t even know what a few blocks from my house! And they had guns! Guns Mark! How are you equipped to take care of situations like this? You’re still in high school for fuck’s sake.”

     “Hyuck what the hell are you talking about? Who do you think I am?” he asked. Apparently, that was the wrong question.

     “FUCKING SPIDER-MAN THAT’S WHO. Don’t even try to deny it. Renjun and I have known for a while. Well, we suspected it. Renjun is the smartest in our group and I’m, well… Me. But I didn’t want to believe it. I didn’t want to think that you would keep a secret like this from us, from me. I’m supposed to be your best friend God damn it.”

     Mark needed a minute to recollect himself after that. Renjun knew? And he didn’t mention it? That could mean that Jeno and Jaemin couldn’t be far from the truth either. He had to make a decision right then and there, to come clean or to keep his act together.

     That decision however, had already been taken for him.

     “Even if I were Spider-man, which I am not” Donghyuck shot him an angry glare at that. “Don’t you see why I wouldn’t tell you? You would be bait for any thug, any gang I opposed to. They could use you to get to me.”

     “You just called my name in front of those guys! Don’t you think they gathered that I was someone you cared about?”

     Mark was frozen. Did he really make such a rookie mistake? Was he that fucking stupid? Donghuck saw the distraught on Mark’s face and changed his stance immediately.

     “You didn’t know.” He said in a low voice.

     Mark shook his head. He had to sit down. He made his way to the couch and slouched down. His mind was racing again. A headache was soon approaching, he could feel it.

     “I’m sorry for pressuring you. I know it’s hard on you, watching over us all the time.” Donghyuck said, sitting down next to him.

     Mark looked at him. That was his best friend. He had saved his life tonight. He cursed at the universe for making him do this, he hated the lies, he hated everything but he had to continue. Always.

     “I need to go” he announced getting up and walking out.

     It had started to rain. Great. He had no umbrella, but at least the weather matched his feelings. He put his head down and started walking. He had to walk his Aunt home as well so he had to hurry.

     A hand at his shoulder stopped him. He spun around, seeing Donghyuck in front of him, also drenched in the rain.

     “What are you doing? You’re gonna catch pneumonia!” Mark shouted at the younger boy.

     Donghyuck just shook his head.

     “If you don’t want me to tell I won’t. I’ll make Renjun stop having doubts, I’ll help you find better excuses. I can help you Mark. Just please, you have to let me in. You can’t do this on your own.”

     Mark was at a loss for words. Donghyuck had always been there for him. Always. And now this. It was true, he couldn’t do it on his own. He hugged the younger boy, crashing him to his chest. The rain was still pouring over them, but none of them cared. Donghyuck sighed into the hug, hugging him back with just as much strength.

     It almost brought tears to Mark’s eyes. But they had to go.

     “Let’s get you home” he said, breaking the hug.

     “I have questions” Donghyuck answered with no hesitation.

     Mark sighed. Of course.

     “One question at a time, Hyuck. And only until I get you home.” He said.

     Donghyuck smiled and wasted no time.

[365daysofsasuhina]

[ 365 Days of SasuHina || Day Two Hundred Seventy-One: Bewildering Experience ] [ Uchiha Sasuke, Hyūga Hinata ] [ SasuHina ] [ Verse: Best Years of Your Life ] [ AO3 Link ]

There’s certain social rules when it comes to high school. Navigating as many of them as you can means getting through those four years a little less scathed. While it’s tedious at best for most, there can still be moments that stand out positively for students. The typical dredgery of classes, homework, tests and exams have the occasional break in the monotony.

For Hinata, this is her final year. A senior at last, whittling at her schedule until graduation next Summer. A rather model student, her college is all picked out, major decided, and all that’s left is to get through this last batch of school days until...well, more schooling. But surely college won’t be nearly the task high school has been, right?

Well...so she hopes.

Hinata has always been a bit of a stereotype. The quiet, nerdy, shy girl...with a crush on the star of the basketball team. Fairly academic, she also branches into some of the more artsy institutions of her high school: choir, theater club, and the occasional art class. She even participates in volleyball and tennis. Her grades are top notch due to her diligence, and...lack of a social life, really. Her quietude means mostly being ignored by her classmates. A few like Sakura, maybe Ino, occasionally drag her along for something. But for the most part, she’s left to her own devices.

The only real talking she does is digitally. She texts, she IMs on Discord, lurks on social media...but she devotes most of her time and energy to her classes, clubs, and sports.

Most of the year passes fairly normally. The typical teenage drama, class difficulties, club activities...and then they enter the last quarter of the year. Hinata’s still in her clubs, and after Winter quarter off from sports, enters her last high school tennis season.

And that’s when things start to get...weird.

For the longest time, Hinata’s crushed on one Naruto Uzumaki: aforementioned basketball player, but also baseball. Alongside him is his best friend, Sasuke Uchiha. Naruto, however, has long crushed on Sakura: a rather jock-like girl who plays sports all year round, ending with softball. The pair seem to be teetering on the edge of finally going out, and...quite obviously, that left Hinata in a bit of a funk.

...but then the unexpected happened.

Sasuke offered to come watch her play. Which, Hinata supposed, wasn’t that unthinkable. They’d been talking about it, Naruto excusing himself due to watching Sakura’s upcoming softball match after Hinata had admitted to planning to watch the boys’ baseball game. She had been rather disappointed until Sasuke spoke up.

...and then he went and confronted her about her dead-end crush once the others had gone.

Hinata was...a bit flabbergasted. But he had a point...Naruto was never going to see her the way she saw him. But it was the subtle hint beneath it that left her a bit bewildered.

...was he…?

A challenging quip resulting in his blush and stutter all but confirmed it: he, in turn, was crushing on her.

...it was completely unexpected. He was one of the most popular guys in their year…! And he...he liked...her…? Why? She’s quiet, uninteresting, unnoticed...not anyone someone like him would care about!

And yet...he did.

Disaster nearly struck when - on her way to the game - she’d gotten a flat tire on her bike. But lo and behold, none other than Sasuke’s mother - also headed to the field - offered to give her a ride. Sitting next to both Mikoto and Kushina, Hinata had watched as they achieved victory, needing only one more win to make it to state.

He’d been surprised to see her there. Made a bit of flustered small talk. And then they’d parted ways rather...awkwardly.

And it only got worse the next time she really got to see him. Nailed by a flyaway baseball bat, he’d been left with a sizeable split in his brow. Hinata, excused from a cancelled practice, offered to take him to the nurse.

Cue more careful dancing around each other, Mikoto even teasing him when he drove home (Hinata accompanying to make sure he was okay to drive).

By then, it wasn’t quite so shocking anymore. Sasuke, quite obviously, despite the breaks in social hierarchy, was very smitten with the class wallflower.

...and after all her considering it, Hinata has decided...maybe she could like him back. He’s a lot sweeter than his typical aloof persona shows. Maybe not quite the brash charm Naruto has that she originally fell for, but...it’s nice. She feels rather at ease talking to him.

So, Hinata decides to break some social rules of her own.

Waiting outside the locker rooms after an afternoon of practice, she ignores the curious looks the other boys give her, clearly suspecting she’s up to something. But Hinata just waits until the proper one emerges.

“Hi!”

Startling, Sasuke looks to her with wide eyes...and then promptly goes pink.

...she’s really starting to like when he does that. It’s just so funny compared to his typical composure. To think, she has that sort of power.

“...uh, hi?”

“I got out a little early, so I thought I’d see how your practice went,” Hinata then offers, still smiling at him.

...it’s his turn to look suspicious. “It was...fine? Why?”

“Just make sure you didn’t take any more b-bats to the face.”

His flustered expression gets all the worse, going from pink to bright red. “No! I’m fine, that was just...a freak accident. Besides, you’d probably find a way to hear about it if I did,” Sasuke then mutters, shoving hands into his pockets.

Hinata’s expression warms. “Sorry, I don’t m-mean to tease you. I really do hope you’re okay. How’s your forehead…?”

“It’s pretty much healed up. Really wasn’t that bad.”

“Good.”

After a moment of just...standing awkwardly, Sasuke tentatively starts walking, seeing her follow. “...so, did you...need anything else?”

“No. Not really.”

“...uh, okay. How, uh...how was your practice?”

“Fine! It was a bit of a light day since we have a game in two days, so...coach doesn’t want us too burnt out. That’s why I was able to catch you!”

“Oh...what team are you playing?”

“Iwa. They’re sort of our rivals in tennis. I’m r-really hoping we beat them. We’re already too low in the rankings to go to state, so...this is really our big push for the end of the year.”

Genuine concern bleeds through Sasuke’s expression. “Oh...sorry to hear that.”

“It’s okay. I’m h-hoping it means I can make it to some of your state games!”

“Oh, well…” Sasuke itches his neck, looking a little sheepish. “We still have one more game against Suna...we’re not there yet.”

“But I bet you will be,” Hinata counters, smiling. “You guys have done r-really well! And it would be so neat if you made it there your last year…”

“Yeah...I hope so. My brother’s soccer team went all four years, and won his junior year. I’d like to at least brush up against that, honestly.”

Hinata glances over at the wistfulness in Sasuke’s tone. “...I see. Will he...will he be able to come watch?”

“Maybe...he’s just out of college and working pretty heavily, so he might not have time. But I think the games are live streamed, so...maybe he can catch it that way.”

“That’s true. But...I hope I can go. I think a group of seniors are planning to skip out and go if you make it to the finals!”

“Really?”

“Mhm! I’d go with them, even if my dad might get mad...I’ve never skipped school before.”

Sasuke considers her for a long moment. “...why do you want to go so bad?”

“Well, it’s been a while since any of our school’s teams made it to state! I want to support them.” Looking up, there’s a small sparkle in her eyes. “...and that means you, too.”

A hint of pink creeps back into his face. “...well, uh...thanks.”

“Sasuke…?”

“Yeah?”

“Can I ask you something?”

“Uh, sure. What’s up?”

“I know you’re awfully busy with baseball and stuff, but um…” She looks to the ground, tucking hair behind her ear as she walks. “But...I was wondering if you’d like to...g-go out with me sometime?”

Sasuke actually freezes in his tracks.

Ending up a few paces forward, Hinata turns back toward him, seeing his wide eyes. “Would...would that be okay?”

“You...you’d wanna…?”

Dropping her coy teasing, Hinata softens, smiling warmly at him. “...I know we started off a bit, um...a bit awkwardly. With the whole...Naruto thing. But...it’s been nice getting to know you a little. You’re a very sweet person, Sasuke. I guess...I never got to see that until recently. I was too busy looking at Naruto, and...well, you seem to like to keep that sort of thing h-hidden.”

Slowly, Sasuke’s posture loses its tense edge.

Hinata glances aside, expression a bit unreadable. “...I’m sorry if you...if you had to keep this to yourself for very long. I know how that feels, and...I’m sorry for never noticing.”

“...well, I wasn’t exactly open about it. I just thought...y’know...you couldn’t really be interested with Naruto around.”

“...well, you were right. He’s never going to see me that way, and...maybe I need to try looking elsewhere.” Shyly, she glances up to him. “...maybe at...someone who already sees me.”

Nerves showing through his expression again, Sasuke dusts pink across the bridge of his nose. “...I’d...I’d like to try that. I know the year’s almost over, and...maybe we’ll end up apart once college starts. But...I really do like you, Hinata,” Sasuke offers in a rare moment of openness. “So...yeah. I’ll let you know when I’ve got some time where we can...do something. Hopefully a day will line up, right?”

She nods, smile back in place. “Okay. Here, I’ll...give you my number. And we can...text about it later? When you’ve got a moment?”

“Yeah, sure.” With digits exchanged, the pair stand in silence for a moment. “...y’know, I...wasn’t expecting you to do that. You really caught me off-guard,” Sasuke admits with a huff of a laugh.

“I f-figured I would,” she agrees with a laugh of her own. “But...well, one of us had to say something, right?”

“Yeah...glad you did.”

“...me too. Anyway, I...better get home. Homework and all that,” Hinata sighs.

“Yeah, same. I’ll text you later.”

“Okay!” Giving a beaming wave, she takes off toward the bike rack as Sasuke makes his way to the parking lot. There’s a happy little flutter in her chest. It was a bit of a bewildering experience on both sides, but...for once, she’s glad she took a leap.

Now to see where it will take her…!

                                                     .oOo.

     (This is a sequel to days 149, 168, and 183!)      More sportsverse! And I'm slowly making up my behind days xD With this I'm just one behind now, though I'm not sure when I'll have time to be 100% caught up. October is gonna be busy both irl and in regards to writing, so...we'll see!      Anyway, we have Hinata leading the charge for once! Nervous, blushy Sasuke is best Sasuke. And I like Hinata having her bold moments...especially when it's something like this! We officially have a relationship going, woohoo! Maybe another prompt will let me write a date xD We'll have to see!      But yes, for now I've got some irl stuff to get done, but! Thanks, as always, for reading!

[faunaspirit]

VOLTRON AU High School

This is my first time writing a fan fiction, but I felt pretty inspired after seeing @chiouart post some pretty Voltron art of the Paladins as high schoolers. I hope you like it, I might write more!

Shiro - Senior; 18(early bday) Allura - Senior; 17 (moved up a grade) Keith - Junior; 16 Lance - Junior; 16 Hunk - Junior; 16 Pidge - Junior; 14 (moved up 2 grades could’ve been 3 but she liked her lame ass friends) Coran - Graduated; 20 (is the super chill older kid who works part time by the high school)

-It’s finals week and top Paladins of Altea High are currently relaxing at their usual spot in Sals Diner; Coran just started his shift so they’re all eager to annoy him as they study for upcoming exams-

Lance: I’m totally flunking out in Altean Lit guys, I don’t even how I’m supposed to pass the dumb test. Pidge: *mildly annoyed* You could try studying like the rest of us Lance.. Hunk: Lance have you even read the book? Lance: Wait, what there’s a book!? Keith: *deep sigh* What did you even think the test was on? Pidge: If he didn’t spend all class staring at the back of Nymas head maybe he wouldn’t be struggling. I swear I don’t even know how you’re in the advanced class! Lance: *blushing* I don’t spend all class staring at Nymas head! She just happens to sit in front of me.. Keith: *rolling his eyes* Ok so who’s got the better grade in Altean Lit because I’m in the Galra Lit class.. Pidge: *mildly defeated*Hunks pretty good at Altean but we should wait for Allura considering she has the top grades in the whole school. Hunk: Don’t worry about it Pidge, that’ll definitely be you next year. *Coran walks to the young Paladins table* Coran: What’ll it be today guys? Pidge: Vanilla Shake. Hunk: Chocolate Sundae, and a side of large fries. Lance: Blueberry Lemonade. Keith: Strawberry Shake. Coran: Alrighty, you know you could have said the usual considering you get the same thing every time. Pidge: Goodpoint. *the rest of them nod in realization* Coran: So where is Allura and Shiro? Lance and Keith: *annoyed inflections* Senior duties.. Pidge: *chuckling at the word duty* I know Allura was helping the yearbook club finalize designs for the cover. Hunk: Yeah, and Shiro stayed after football practice to go over next games plays with coach Ulaz. Coran: Ah, I see. Well they shouldn’t be long now, I’m gonna put in your order. *Coran walks away and as he does the doors to Diner doors open to reveal Allura and Shiro entering, they approach the table* Allura: How’s the studying coming along? Lance: *pushing Keith* Saved you a seat Princess ! Allura: Lance how many times have I told you Allura is just fine, we are friends aren’t we? Lance: *slightly defeated by the word Friend* *Shiro takes a seat next to Keith and Allura sits next to Pidge* Shiro: *he takes in a deep sigh but still smiles* *Everyone looks over to him a slight look of concern* Keith: Is something wrong Shiro? Shiro: *slight pause* This is Allura and I’s last year at Altea High.. Allura: *smiles gently in his direction* Shiro: We’ve achieved so much already but there’s a lot left unknown, *to the group* I want you guys to keep putting your all into your time here, one day we’ll all be attending Voltron University and maybe even someday form Voltron ourselves. I’m so proud of you guys.. Pidge: Lance is flunking Altean Lit. Lance: Shut up Pidge, I’m not completely flunking ! Shiro: Well I’m no Altean scholar but what parts of the book are you struggling with? Keith: *mildly amused* He hasn’t even read the book.. Shiro and Allura: Lance! Hunk: *chuckling*I’m pretty sure if there’s a question where you need to draw the back of Nymas head he’ll pass. Pidge and Keith: Nice one. Shiro: *looking at Allura* You got this? Allura: *looking towards a puppy faced Lance* I guess… Lance take out the book I’m gonna go over it with you, *Coran interrupts with food* Coran: *smiling* Looks like you’re all here now, Shakes for Pidge and Keith, Sundae and Fries for Hunk, Lemonade for Lance, strawberry Jello for Allura, and tall iced green tea for Shiro. Allura: Awe thank you Coran for remembering. Shiro: Thanks Coran you can put it on my card today. Allura: You’re too kind Shiro, Coran just put it on my tab. Shiro: Allura you always treat us, now it’s my turn. Allura: It’s really no trouble Shiro, you work hard for your money it’s really no trouble to treat my friends. *the young paladins watch the two go back and forth* Keith: We’re all super broke but it shouldn’t be all on one person I’m sure we can all cover what we ordered individually. *Shiro and Allura glare at Keith before they continue on who will pay the bill* Pidge: How about you split it ? Allura and Shiro: Sounds good to me. Keith: *still feeling wounded from glares he received a moment ago* Shiro: I’ll cover Hunk and Keith as a treat from their captain. Allura: I’ll take Pidge and Lance as a treat from the robotics club president. Coran: Alright then, I’ll leave you guys to your studying. Have fun guys. *Coran walks away and the paladins begin there studies* Hunk: Here Allura maybe my notes will help you with Lance. Allura: Thank you Hunk, ok Lance time to focus. When’s your test? Pidge: Tomorrow. Up to Chapter 12. Allura: Tomorrow?! Lance how could you leave this to the last minute. Lance: *feeling guilty* Well I mean I had two swimming competitions and then all the practice and then Hunk and I had to finish the preliminary designs for Engineering. Allura: Ugh fine Lance let’s go through these notes. Pidge: Hunk you needed help with History right? Hunk: Yeah, I had food poisoning when my class went over the lesson on Zarkon. Keith: Oh Pidge and I are in advanced the advanced history class. Maybe our notes will help boost your grade. Pidge: You should probably look through my notes, Keith’s is mostly bad pictures. Keith: *embarrassed* They help me remember, it’s not like I’m bad at the class. Pidge: That’s true Keith got a better score than me on our last test. Shiro: Woah nice job Keith, I’m proud of you! Keith: *uncontrollable smiling* I mean it’s like you said Shiro “Patience yields focus”. Shiro: I’m glad you remembered that, *Leans forward to look at Lance* maybe it could help some others with their studies. Lance: I’m trying really, aren’t I doing well so far Allura. Allura: He’s not as absent minded as I thought, he should be ready for his test tomorrow by the time we finish going over chapter 12. Shiro: That’s good, as long as we work together there’s no reason any of us should fall behind. *The Paladins continue their studies until the sun had already set* Shiro: I’m thinking we should call it a night, anyone need a ride home? Pidge: My moms dropping off Lance and Hunk. *Pidges phone rings* Pidge: Oh that’s her, cmon guys. *Hunk, Lance and Pidge all step from their booth seats* Hunk: Later guys, see you tomorrow. Lance: See ya tomorrow oh and Allura thanks for the help I’m totally gonna beat Pidge and Hunks scores tomorrow. *Everyone laughs as Lance makes his annoyed exit, Pidge and Hunk Exit behind him* Shiro: Allura do you have a ride? *Coran interrupting* Coran: I actually just finished up, so I’ll take her home. Allura: Thanks Coran, *she winks* maybe next time Shiro. Shiro: *lets out an embarrassed chuckle* C'mon Keith I’ll drop you off, you’re on my way home anyway. Keith: Oh, sure. I actually my bike with me, do you think I can fit in the back? Shiro: Yeah no problem. *Coran, Allura, Shiro, and Keith all exit Sals together making their way to different cars* Allura: *she shouts from the other side of the small parking lot*See you tomorrow, goodluck on your exams! Shiro: *Smiling he waves back to her and enters his car* You got it Princess ! Keith: *waves and enters the passenger seat of Shiros Car* -The next week- *Paladins sit at a lunch table in the cafeteria together* Pidge: *smirking* So what’d you get Lance? Hunk: Yeah I want to see this cause that test was harder than I thought, I only got an 84. Pidge: I got an 89. Shiro: *he smiles proudly* Nice job you guys. Allura: Well Lance, we’re waiting.. *Lance dramatically whips out the tests from his bag* Lance: 91! I read ahead and answered the bonus question ! Woo beat that Keith! Keith: *confused* Im not even in Altean Lit.. Shiro: *shocked* Wow Lance nice job, I guess we should be expecting more from you. Lance: Wait, no way I’m not gonna study any more than I already do! Hunk: Lance you don’t really ever study. Lance: Exactly. This is all Keith’s fault. Keith: *annoyed* I’m not even in your class! -End-

[pricelessmomentblog]

I’m 29

Every year, on my birthday, I write an update on what happened in my life in the preceding twelve months. I’ve done this since my eighteenth birthday, so if you’re interested you can see how my life and views have changed over the last decade.

Of course, if you’re not interested, I’ll be back to my normal articles which are less self-indulgent next week.

In this post, I’ll go over what has happened in my life this last year, plans for the future and how my views on life have changed.

My Life Last Year

In terms of public projects, this last year was relatively quiet. No new languages learned. No racing through MIT exams.

My only public project was a small one: trying to level-up my Korean on five hours per week. I’m now in the middle of the final month of this project. I’ll save a full write-up for later, but it has been a mixed success. I’ve definitely improved my Korean language abilities, but it hasn’t reached the level of spontaneous engagement I have in Chinese or Spanish.

Professionally, most of the year was spent mixed between unsexy business development and preparation for writing a new book. The book, if all goes well, will be my full-time project next year.

From a public-blogging standpoint, there hasn’t been too much to say.

Personally, however, this year has been a pretty important one. I got engaged to my girlfriend of three years (and close friend of eleven years), Zoey. We now live together in Vancouver. Previously, I had been going to stay with her in Winnipeg, for a few months at a time, before she was able to move here.

I don’t write about my intimate relationships much on this blog. Part of that is the desire to maintain some separation between my public and private persona. Contrary to the share-everything-authenticity crowd, I do think those are two different things and trying to merge them completely is itself a weird kind of inauthenticity.

It suffices to say that getting engaged to my best friend has been one of the happiest moments of my life.

My Plans for Next Year

My next year, if all goes well, will be devoted full-time to writing a book. I hesitate to share too much on that point, if only because writing a book through a traditional publisher is such a long process, that it often disappoints audiences when the book itself won’t be available for a couple years.

That said, writing a traditionally-published book is new territory for me. In the past, I’ve self-published everything. This affords a lot of flexibility and control, but it also allow for a certain amount of complacency. I’m hoping that by pushing myself I can get to a new standard in my writing and understanding of the topics I talk about.

With a book project taking on most of my time next year, I won’t be taking on any other large professional projects. I’ve found taking on multiple goals simultaneously is the easiest way to not make much progress on any of them. Focus, however difficult, is powerful.

Long-Term Plans for the Future

Although I only have one project planned to try to accomplish for next year, I do have large visions of what I’d like to accomplish in the bigger picture. Some of these plans are still in the idea phase, and will need to wait until my current projects wrap up before I can work on them. Others require longer incubation, so I might have someone on my team work on them as I work on my writing.

Here are a few of those ideas:

1. Setting up a Chinese-language presence.

One of the more interesting developments in this blog’s history has been the explosion of interest in my books, particularly Learn More, Study Less, in China. This, combined with my interest in learning Chinese, has made me more interested in the possibility of trying to establish more business in China.

This is a lot easier said than done. China is very restrictive on the internet, so getting set up is a lot trickier than simply hiring a translator. However, I’m hopeful that if the obstacles can be overcome, I might be able to write more directly to the people who enjoy my work in China.

2. Working on next-generation courses.

I’m proud of the work my team and I have been able to do in Rapid Learner and Top Performer. I think they teach important skills and many people have used them to get impressive results in their career, academics and personal life.

However, I’m fascinated with the future possibilities of the intersection between technology, education and self-improvement, and I don’t at all think we’re at the limit of that frontier. In particular, I think there’s room for improvement in terms of:

Evidence-based practice. Right now I lack the abilities and budget to do the kind of evidence-based assessments that would meet the criteria of scientific authority. However, inching closer to more direct experimentation on what works, in what situations and for whom, would be a big leap over the status-quo.

Entertainment and follow-through. The biggest challenge facing self-improvement is that it’s hard to do. I don’t suspect I can fix this problem on my own, but I think technology might be able to make courses work on multiple levels, so that serious students can get the real advice they need, but those more interested in passive consumption aren’t left behind.

Customization. Unlike books, technology has the possibility to deliver a more tailored message and advice, depending on the student. One of the biggest weaknesses I’ve seen with current offerings is that students who lack ability often also lack the introspective sense of which advice actually applies to them. An ideal system would be able to deliver the exact advice a student needs to solve their current problem, something only currently viable with one-on-one coaching.

Many of these are still outside of the current skills and scale of my business. But I hope if we can continue to increase revenue and hire more smart people, that we’ll be able to start solving some of these issues.

3. Long-Term Learning Goals

I have a number of things that I’m currently learning. Although, aside from Korean at the moment, none of them reaches the threshold of a formal project, I still have my sights on improvement in the long-term.

Here’s a few of the things I’m striving to get better at:

Chinese. Although in many of my past pursuits, I’ve lost interest once I’ve reached an adequate level, Chinese continues to fascinate me well past a thousand hours of practice. Some things I’d like to be able to do that I find difficult or impossible currently: read a book without any dictionary help, write articles similar to those I write in English and give speeches in Mandarin.

Cognitive Science. Given my upcoming book will be about learning, I’m using this as an excuse to dig deeper into much of the research that straddles the cognitive science learning project I’ve been working on.

Buddhism and non-Western philosophy. I hope to do a 10-day meditation retreat in the upcoming year. I’m currently reading the Majjhima Nikaya. There’s a lot of ideas in these veins that haven’t coalesced yet into a clear picture, but I think there’s a lot of fruitful concepts for rethinking some of the assumptions I have.

Art. In addition to my portrait drawing challenge, I’ve been working on painting, mostly in acrylic. I’m still very much at an amateur level, but with patience I’ll keep getting better. Given much of my regular work is highly on the analytical/verbal direction, I think working on artistic skills gives me a broader base of thinking.

Changes in Outlook

Since I’ve been writing this blog since I was seventeen, my views on life have grown as I have. I think this can sometimes be confusing, in part because writing is a static thing. Someone can read an article or ebook I wrote a decade ago today, and thus get the impression that they were both written by the same person, when in reality there’s a huge gulf between nineteen and twenty-nine year-old Scott.

Sometimes my opinions on things change dramatically, switching from one opinion to its opposite. When that happens, I do my best to document it, as I did with speed reading and other issues here.

However, most of the time the changes are more subtle, and harder to articulate in an essay.

The biggest change in my outlook is simply that many things which seemed crystal clear to me when I was younger, no longer do today. Ironically, this isn’t because I’ve learned less, but because I’ve learned more. When you’ve heard a few good arguments in a single direction, you can become convinced in them strongly. When you’ve heard many good arguments in many directions, including many that you never would have considered before, it becomes clear how difficult it is to know things, and how many possible explanations or ideas there are to fit the patterns of life and reality.

This softening of my views, also perhaps ironically, has also come with greater effectiveness. I’m better at accomplishing my goals in most domains than I used to be. Part of this is just the accumulation of practical knowledge. I understand business, relationships, health, life and habits more deeply now, so I make fewer mistakes. Part of it is the accumulation of past successes creates richer opportunities.

So, on the one hand, I’m less convinced in the rightness of my ideas, while also seeming to have more evidence for their rightness, personally. Life is weird that way.

I guess the biggest description I could offer for my change in beliefs is a bigger belief in plurality. The idea that there’s more than one right way to see things, more than one strategy that will be effective. This is challenging for a writer, because people like me to have strong opinions and advice that says “do X and not Y”, rather than the probably more true that, “X works for me, Y might also work, and there’s this complex list of trade-offs you’re not considering.”

Maybe all this is just the result of growing up.

Nonetheless, I’ll continue to do my best to share what I find with you. It may not be the only answer, or even maybe the right one, but I’m not sure we can ask for more from the people we want to learn from. Regardless of where I go, I hope you’ll continue the journey with me. Thanks again for being my reader.

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