#i watched two of her interviews today which lit a fire under my ass

[wellthatsclever]

When you find out the seed oils stay lodged in your fat so even when you DO lose weight, you will feel shitty while burning it off because it's basically dirty fuel

[barnesbabee]

‘Yes, Mr.Choi’ || C.S [1]

Summary: Most bosses give you work, this one however got you worked up.

Pairing: Choi San x Reader

Words: A bunch

Genre: Smut

A/N: There’s some harsh shit here

ᴄʀ: ʙᴀʀɴᴇꜱʙᴀʙᴇᴇ

[1] [2] [ꜰɪɴᴀʟ]

 You knew the sparkle in his eyes wasn’t because the meeting had gone well, you knew the praises weren’t towards your work and when he asked you to work overtime you knew damn well you’d be touching no papers.

  You held the door open for all of the owners of other companies to exit the big room where the reunion had happened. As your boss passed by you he made sure to give your ass a harsh squeeze, before bidding goodbye to the other men.

  Choi San was a shameless man, he fucked, he partied, he broke women’s hearts... But he was meticulous about everything he did, you’d never find any dirt on his name. Every move of his was calculated to a point where he’d live his life with his messed up version of fun while maintaining this perfect profile to the public eye. He was truly something else...

  Of course you knew nothing about this when you were interviewed for the job. You sent multiple applications to several companies and San’s was the only one who happened to accept you. 

 On the very first day of your job the word around was that Mr. Choi was mad someone had hired a personal assistant for him without his consultation, so when you were called to his office, your original nervousness multiplied and spread wherever it could. Little did you know, he had originally called you in to fire you. He liked to take matters into his own hands, he didn’t need a fucking assistant. But the second you came in his big office surrounded by large glass windows and he laid eyes on you, it all changed. His burning look examined your figure (that was certainly petite next to his) and he smirked. You didn’t know what that meant, but you would soon find out. 

  He had asked you to stay over and do some “extra work” for him for the first time, and to show your interest in the job, you stayed. You were organizing files alphabetically in his office when he slowly walked behind you and grasped your hips, pushing you back slowly, so your body was pressing against his.

  “You know Y/N, you have such a beautiful voice,” one of the man’s hands traveled up your body, and he twirled a strand of your hair around his finger as his lips got closer to your ear “I bet it would sound so much better calling for my name.”

  In your head, the situation sounded so messed up... Having sex with your boss?

  But your skin burned under his touch and you couldn’t help but melt at his words. He spun you around slowly so you’d be facing him. San looked you in the eye and he chuckled.

  “Am I making you nervous?” He asked.

  The terrified yet excited look on your face had given you away for sure. You looked away shyly and nodded. 

  The boss grabbed your chin, making you look him in the eye and started by kissing your jaw, your cheek and finally, the corner of your mouth.

  “Don’t worry,” he said with a sly smile “your boss won’t fire you if he finds out.”

  You chuckled slightly at his joke, which made you feel more comfortable, and that’s how Choi San first got you. And you couldn’t lie, you loved it. You loved the thrill of being taken by your boss after a long day of work. You loved seeing his amazing body craving for your own. You loved the feeling of you coming all over him while he pulled your hair or choked you with those large hands of his.

  And today was no different, you only had a couple hours until everyone went home, but you were growing impatient. You yearned for his attention as he had been too busy for almost two weeks now, so when he asked you to “work overtime” it was hard to hide your excitement.

  You couldn’t stop looking at the watch, while biting your lip, and, by pure luck, a colleague of yours handed you paperwork that needed Mr. Choi’s approval, so you eagerly made your way to his office and knocked on his door, waiting for a response.

 Once you heard the familiar ‘yes’ come from the inside, you went in and closed the door behind you.

  “Mr. Choi, I need you to sign these release forms for Mr. Park please.” 

  He hummed and you put the papers in front of him, then proceeding to cross your arms as you waited for his signature, purposely accentuating your breasts

  You watched as your boss took a quick look at everything and signed finally. When he handed you the papers back however, his eyes got stuck on your chest and he chuckled slightly, knowing exactly what you were doing.

  “Thank you so much, Mr. Choi.” You thanked and winked before leaving the office.

  The both of you counted the seconds until everyone left, and once the last co-worker of yours left, you heard the door to his office open, and you knew exactly what to do.

  You unbuttoned a couple more buttons from your shirt and stripped from your panties, wanting to give him a little surprise once he went under your skirt. 

  When you entered the room you saw the most ethereal image you had ever laid eyes on: San was leaning on the window, whiskey cup in his hand, with his dark hair still neatly combed back. He had lost his tie and jacket somewhere in the room and his shirt was buttoned down as much as yours while the sleeves were rolled up. You’d always loved a man in a suit, and this one certainly didn’t disappoint. His face was lit up by the moonlight, and he looked as appealing as ever.

   “Mr. Choi?” You called.

  He looked at you, acknowledging your presence, and smirked. The man put down his drink and called you over with his index finger. You obliged and made your way over to him, cupping his cheeks while he grabbed your waist and brought it to his own.  

  He connected your lips, and he made sure to skip all the “soft” steps. With Choi San everything was intense, from the first to the last second. He started with a rough kiss right from the beginning, tugging on your bottom lip from time to time.

  San’s hands traveled to your ass and grabbed it harshly.

   “You’ve been a bad girl, hm? Teasing me while I’m working, making me think about fucking you raw... You know what bad girls get right?”

   “They get punished...” You replied breathlessly as you tilted your head back, giving him access to your neck.

  He nibbled on your soft skin and bit some spots, making sure they would leave a mark.

   “That’s right baby, and should I punish you?” 

   “Yes please Mr. Choi.” You begged.

  He smirked onto your skin as his hands skillfully undid the rest of your buttons and threw the shirt somewhere. His lips attacked your neck once more as his hands sneaked around your body and reached for your bra, unclasping it slowly, and removing it off of you.

  Your boss admired your figure for a second. Your lips were plump and bruised from the harsh makeout session, the marks on your neck were starting to show, your breathing was uneven and your eyes glistened, for him. The man had the darkest expression on his face, he was hungry for you. 

  San pushed you back so you could lean against his wooden desk. One of his hands grabbed your breast violently and played with it while his mouth sucked on the other. You moaned quietly at the contact of his mouth with your sensitive skin, and he took that as a sign to make it rougher.

  His free hand that had been settling on your thigh started making its way up your leg, caressing your inner thigh and then eventually making contact with your core. Once he did however, his lips pulled away from your skin making you groan.

  “Oh? What’s this? My pretty baby decided to ditch her panties?” He asked wearing a smirk.

  “I wanted to surprise you Mr. Choi.” You replied innocently.

  The man chuckled and pulled your skirt up. He then grabbed your hips and made you sit on the desk you were leaning on. 

  You watched as he knelt and attached his lips to your inner thighs, leaving a trail of small kissed up your leg until he reached your womanhood. He teased you by kissing every little spot around it.

  “Please, please Mr. Choi...” You begged.

  You know he couldn’t resist you begging for him, and he quickly moved his lips to suck on your clit while two of his fingers entered you. You moaned his name, and the small sounds and whimpers became stronger and more frequent as he added a third finger and sped up the pace.

  “Do you want to come baby? Hm?” He asked looking up at you.

  One of your hands supported your body and the other was tangled in his hair.

  “Yes, yes please I want to come.”

  He instantly pulled out his fingers and licked them clean, causing you to whine once more at the loss of contact.

  San stood back up and grabbed your jaw harshly, bringing your face dangerously close to his.

  “Bad girls don’t get to come.” 

  The sentence sent shivers down your spine. He connected your lips in another harsh kiss, and you took the time to undress him from his shirt and then palm his already hardened member through his suit pants. San groaned into the kiss, and nothing turned you on more than hearing that man moan and groan because of the way you touched him.

  He was quick to undress his lower half, then bringing your hand to wrap around his dick. You pumped him for a couple of seconds as he kissed you, before placing his tip at your entrance. 

  San was about to ask you something, but once he saw the neediness in your face, he just smirked for the nth time and thrust in you slowly. 

  You gripped his biceps and buried your head in the crook of his neck. One of his hands held your waist while the other rested on your back. His slow thrusts became violent and fast from one second to the other, and it drove you crazy. You threw your head back and cried out his name as your nails dug into the skin of his arms.

  “Fuck, you feel so good, so tight around my cock baby...” He praised you.

  His hand caressed your body as it made its way from your back to your neck to choked you. Your eyes rolled into the back of your head as you made a huge effort to not come.

 “Mr. Choi can I please come?” You begged.

 You heard him chuckle followed by a harsh slap to your ass and you knew your request was about to be denied.

 “Oh no princess, you don’t get to come just yet.”

 He pulled out and made you stand up, so he could turn you around and fuck you from behind. You spread your legs for him and supported yourself on the desk with your elbows, lusting for what was about to come.

 San did not pity as he entered you harshly and slammed in and out of you. He grabbed your hips to give his movements more stability. His praises, occasional spanks and small groans were driving you crazy, and by the way your legs started to tremble he could tell you wanted to come.

 “You want to come baby girl? You want to come on my dick?”

  “Oh my God yes Mr. Choi!” You yelled, dragging your fingernails through the desk.

  “Come for me then.” 

  As soon as he gave you the permission you came, with a loud moan for his name. 

  He grabbed your ass and with a few more thrusts and the feeling of you clenching around him sent the man over the edge.

  The room was dead silent. All the two of you could hear were your heavy breaths and the sound of San’s chair creaking as he sat on it. 

  You gathered your items and quickly got dressed. As you opened the door to leave his office you looked over your shoulder.

   “Goodnight Mr. Choi.”

  He usually didn’t reply, he’d just let you leave as he’d sip on his whiskey, but tonight, just as you started closing the door behind you, you heard a small ‘Goodnight Miss Y/N’ and you wished that, for once, you didn’t have to leave.

[gabeswritingthingy]

A Slice of Life in Space (Sample Work, Short Story)

Log Entry – 07.05.2050

Everyone on Earth saw it with their own eyes. Yesterday’s events will not be forgotten for a long time. For my part, I saw it while I was preparing pasta for my dinner. At 8:00 pm last night, the moon exploded. The blast was so strong the shockwaves could be felt here on the planet, which resulted in a short 2.5 magnitude earthquake. Thankfully, little to no damage was caused. It also didn’t produce any casualties, either - at least if you don’t consider my carbonara a casualty, because one of the moon chunks fell on the damned thing just as I was about to eat it. Instead, I carefully put on my gloves and placed it in an airtight container immediately. I called my boss and told him about the incident, all worried. She assured me that they have prepared for such an eventuality and have begun The Lunar Restoration Program as we spoke. Since the advancement of technology has come so far, the astronauts at the United Global Space Station had no trouble replacing the damaged 75% of the moon almost instantaneously by getting a clean sample of a moon rock, cloning it, then reattaching it to the rest of the moon on a molecular level. The actual problem, my boss said, is figuring out what caused the moon to explode in the first place.

I also asked her if moon dust is safe for the human body to consume in the hopes that I can still eat my pasta, and she threatened me with bodily harm if I even thought of attempting to do what I wanted to do. I just hung up and went to bed, knowing the next day is gonna be busy.

As part of The Lunar Restoration Program, Stargazer Laboratories has now been tasked by the Global Alliance to find out the cause of the moon’s destruction. My boss, Dr. Valentina Petrova, will be the one leading this operation. I am quite excited to put my efforts toward solving this mystery because we may finally find evidence of intelligent life outside the universe; or maybe this is all a big conspiracy and an UGSS astronaut blew up the moon for their own self-interest. Whatever it is, it’s very exciting stuff.

My name is Dr. Leonard Anderson, and these personal log entries aim to narrate and catalogue what will happen as this operation is going on. Although I do want to emphasize that this is still kinda like my own personal journal, in case this mission blows up in our faces – figuratively or otherwise – and the journalist, historian, or whoever finds this is baffled by the loose language and unnecessary details that will be seen here. So yeah, that’s it. Can’t wait for tomorrow.

[end of audio log]

Log Entry – 07.06.2050

Crazy stuff, you guys. The astronauts finally flew in all the chunks that came off the moon for analysis. I also gave them my pasta-stained space rock, as it is still apparently valuable. We also interviewed the astronauts working on the space station that day. They told us that they found no traces of radiation after the explosion, so the use of nuclear weapons is out of the picture. They also found no radio signals or transmissions presenting threatening messages coming from outer space or planet Earth minutes before the event, so there is no evidence of human or alien intervention. Not yet, anyway.

The actual analysis of the moon rocks had revealed little, but what we did find out was interesting nonetheless. We found small traces of purple slime in the craters and small crevices, including the ones in my rock pasta. Finding the damn things took all day because there were a lot of chunks we had to go through and we only found a few traces of it. As of today, we have no idea if it was synthesized in the moon naturally, or someone put it there. We called it a day after that. Chemical analysis will be done tomorrow.

After a long, boring day of getting purple goo out of moon rocks, I finally went to see the Hamilton premiere on Mars with Paolo, Sigrid, and Jane. I don’t know them very well yet since they’re new additions to the team, but they seem cool from the first few hours I hung out with them, so I invited them to go with me. It’s amazing that Hamilton is still getting staged after 35 years, but it’s not very surprising, is it? Holy crap, I’m still getting chills when I watch it. What is amazing, however, is that we were able to see it on Mars at all. The planet was only colonized 10 years ago, and terraforming only started two years after that. We’re only half-way finished with the terraforming, but a fully-functioning atmosphere has already been built, and a few thousand people are already living there, which is incredible. The musical is still awesome whatever planet you stage it on, though. The production turned off the artificial gravity and took advantage of that to its fullest when it came to the choreography. It’s even more amazing than when I saw it back when I was a teenager.

What’s even more amazing, however, is the fact that our boss was also there. Seriously. Because we didn’t think that Dr. Petrova, the scary, muscular Russian lady who looks like she bench-presses bears as a hobby, is a fan of musical theater. We almost snuck out undetected, but she saw us. She invited us to have dinner with her, and we were honestly too scared to refuse.

But now, I am fascinated by her. My boss turns out to be a very chill lady. She has a deep, scary laugh, but that’s the only thing kinda scary about her, along with the muscles and the brooding attitude. So yeah, I guess we only found her scary because she’s our boss, and we never really thought of building a relationship with her outside of work. After that, we sang some zero-g karaoke and had a few drinks. Paolo, the little weakling that he is, vomited after two bottles. Puke is very gross when you look at it floating around. We flew him home after that and went our separate ways. This day did a lot of good easing my anxiety about this moon thing. But man, I am very tired.

[end of audio log]

Log Entry – 07.07.2050

Fucking hell, my head hurts. Wait. Why am I recording this right now? It’s only 3 am. What? Oh, damn, I’m still drunk. [snoring]

Holy crap, was this thing turned on all night? Alright. I am now fully awake and sober. I’ll record today’s events after work, as I always do.

[end of audio log]

We finally did chemical analysis on the purple slime. It has some properties that aren’t found on anything else on the planet, but it strangely bears some resemblance to nitroglycerin. Although because of its baffling chemical traits, it does not ignite when lit on fire. Something else probably detonated the slime, although we’re still not sure what it is.

The analysis almost didn’t happen, though. The samples went missing when work started in the morning. We were all frantic trying to find them. Then we found Paolo, bless his hungover ass, standing over the samples with a knife, a jar of peanut butter, and some bread. Dr. Petrova yelled at him, “THAT’S NOT GRAPE JELLY YOU DUMBFUCK!” and some Russian expletives I couldn’t understand. He jumped in surprise and fell on his ass, but otherwise he’s fine. He was sent home for the day because of his hangover. He didn’t eat the samples by accident, fortunately. I think the boss also didn’t punish him or anything, which is fair.

After that clusterfuck of a morning, work went smoothly. The analysis was done, and we found out what we found out. Work ended after that, because all of us were at a loss at what to do. It really seems like it’s an alien object, but we still can’t be sure. For now, we just put it inside the observation chamber. I immediately went home after because I didn’t really feel like hanging out. Solving a mystery’s just too exhausting sometimes, ya know?

[end of audio log]

Log Entry – 08.08.2050

I stopped recording for several days after my last audio log because work had been long and busy. I only started again now because the experiments finally yielded results. Well, kind of.

Fucking scorch marks EVERYWHERE, y’all. After almost a month of nothing, the goo exploded again. I had to wake up at 6 am today because of that. My boss called me, absolutely frantic. I just thought that if SHE is panicking, then we are ALL panicking. I showered, got dressed, and ate breakfast in the span of ten minutes and immediately went to the lab like it’s the 2010’s and I had to go there by car because warp gates didn’t exist yet. THAT is how urgent the situation is.

What happened was that the alarms went off because the observation chamber blew up. All my friends and the boss were already there. We looked inside, and the samples got out of their glass cases, but not the room itself. Large-ass scorch marks were seen everywhere. Good thing the entire room is made out of titanium alloys.

Another look-around revealed that most of the room is now covered with purple goo, which means they somehow multiplied. It doesn’t complicate things at all. The security cameras also showed that nobody broke into the lab. An inventory of the items revealed that no equipment was stolen or messed with. Knowing that the observation chamber was still airtight, locked under heavy security, and nothing in it was actually broken, the only conclusion we came to is that the slime slipped through their cases, somehow ignited, then multiplied.

After cleaning up, we put all the slime in titanium-alloy boxes instead of glass ones. We cannot observe it properly that way, but we can’t take any chances, either. Letting it have even the slightest means of escape is dangerous. The only thing we can do for now is to continue analyzing while containing the rest.

We also managed to recover footage from the damaged security cameras inside the observation chamber. What we saw is kinda confusing, and we still don’t know what ignited the slime in the first place. It turns out that it kept exploding inside the glass case and somehow got bigger ang bigger until it got all over the chamber. The source of the explosion is still a mystery. More analysis will be done tomorrow. Hopefully some progress will be made.

Our boss wanted to hang out with us again, and we did not hesitate to say yes. There’s a meteor shower that’s gonna pass through the solar system today, and we can see it up close on Mars. We went there after work, and it was beautiful. The zero-gravity environment and protective force field around the planet allowed us to observe the meteors up close. None of y’all have lived at all if you haven’t seen comets changing colors and streaking through the darkness of space so close you can almost touch them. I haven’t seen such beauty since the first spacecrafts that landed on Mars was televised. Three of us saw Sigrid holding on to Paolo’s arm while they looked up, all mesmerized. Is she in love with him, or, knowing how much of a klutz he is, trying to stop him from careening over the observation deck by accident? We didn’t know. We just let them be.

After that, I realized I forgot my laptop in the lab. My boss said she’d go with me since she wanted to do some last-minute security sweeps and make sure the observation chamber wouldn’t explode again. All my friends went home and I went with my boss. She said she wanted to go there by spacecraft instead of warp gate because she wanted to take in the sights when we travel between Mars and Earth. Being that I have no plans and it’ll only take about an hour and a half anyway, I said sure, why not? She took her craft out of her bag, unshrunk it, and we set course for Earth.

There were some sights worth seeing, alright. Ever since humanity became capable of space travel 30 years ago, we developed a newfound appreciation for it. New quasars recently started to form between the empty spaces of Earth and Mars and I am ecstatic I live in a time I get to see them up close. Those beautiful gas clouds would eventually turn to stars and I cannot wait to see them.

I pondered a bit during that car ride. All this wouldn’t have happened if the planet didn’t get its shit together. 10 years before space exploration became a thing, Earth was on the brink of collapse. Thankfully, every country decided they had enough and actually worked together to finally put a stop to global warming. My parents said that to this day, they still can’t believe the sheer scale of unity that happened back then. From what I have read in history, I couldn’t believe it either. Holy crap, we can actually work together. All of those countries eventually became unified as the Global Alliance, one big-ass country with a big-ass, but more efficient government. All this happened a decade before I was born. I wish I could’ve seen it.

We finally got to the lab, and we did all the things we had to do. But my boss asked me if I can stay with her for a few minutes and have a couple of drinks. Turns out she has a secret stash stored in her office. It’s not late yet, so I said yes. I also wanted to know her better because she honestly seems cool.

We got to talking. I told her about myself; how I grew up in Washington, D.C., nearby what used to be NASA headquarters because my parents both worked there; how I saw the prototype for future spaceships being built; how all that inspired me to work in astronomy and join Stargazer Laboratories, all of it. To my surprise, she pressed further and asked me to tell her stuff about myself that has nothing to do with work or outer space or whatever. I mean… I guess she wants to be friends, too. Okay, sure.

Sorry to disappoint you, I told her, but there really is nothing else to tell. I can sing and play guitar a little bit, but I haven’t done those things in a long time because of work. They’re more of a hobby, really. She cut me off and told me that she actually kinda sings too, which just didn’t surprise me anymore considering she just seems like the type. I dunno, by this time I’ve just learned to throw away my initial impression of her that I got because she is clearly very different from the idea I had in my head. At this point, it’s getting very late, but we both didn’t care, so I just went ahead and asked her stuff about herself. She said she was born and raised in Russia, no surprise there. She also told me how her parents both worked in what used to be Roskosmos, the Russian space agency; how this also served as a catalyst for her to work in astronomy; and how she is also the eldest child, with four younger siblings. Now I know why she can lead a team so well. I thought this entire thing might be awkward at first, but man I am glad this happened. She gave me permission to call her Val outside of work, so I guess we cool now. We finally went home after a few hours. I should stop now. I still have work tomorrow.

[end of audio log]

Log Entry – 08.09.2050

As I predicted, I woke up super late this morning; 20 minutes before work started, in fact. It’s times like these I am very grateful for the existence of warp gates. I managed to prepare my tired ass in 10 minutes and get to work. I thought that would be the worst thing that’ll happen today. I still wish that I was right.

I got to work without incident. We conducted more chemical analysis on the definitely alien goo. Yeah, the others say there isn’t enough evidence, but I’m calling it right now; it definitely is. While in the middle of analysis, the power suddenly went out for a few seconds before turning on again. We checked the wiring and the generators after that happened; there was nothing wrong with them. Out of suspicion, I placed an EMP detector in the middle of the room and confirmed that there was an electromagnetic pulse that burst out in that spot — the exact spot where the purple slime was. We immediately contained it in the titanium-alloy box, and then I passed out.

I woke up in an ambulance, but thank heavens I was well enough not to go to the hospital. From what Val and the others told me, the slime exploded again the second we contained it. It was strong enough to break it open, which just gave me a lot of anxiety. Fortunately, it absorbed some of the impact and we were all just knocked out. Some of us have a few bruises — I have one on my left side right now — but aside from that, none of us were badly injured. We didn’t break any bones or anything like that. Aside from broken glass, shattered microscopes, and other things, none of our equipment was badly damaged. The construction crew said everything can be fixed by tomorrow, so most of us just went home early.

Jane went home because she can’t walk very well, but I saw Sigrid and Paolo going somewhere together. I am very sure they didn’t go home; not very surprising from what we’ve seen a few days ago. I also planned on going home, but Val asked me to hang out with her for some reason if I was feeling well. I said yes, since I can still walk fine and all.

She insisted on driving me there instead of just using a warp gate. I saw extreme excitement in her eyes, so I said yes out of curiosity. She said the trip would take about two hours, so I took a nap. I woke up and, to my surprise, we’re nearing Mars. I thought we were going to your house, I asked her. She said yes. Silence hung in there for a bit, then I realized. I mean, while I am kinda surprised that she lives on Mars, it still wasn’t that surprising. She seemed like the sort of person who would do it. But it turns out the surprise does not and there.

I got to her house, and my jaw dropped all the way to the floor of her spacecraft. It looked real fucking amazing. It was a behemoth of a structure. The middle looks like two giant gears. Surrounding it was what basically looked like a bunch of giant spears jutting out of the ground. The most insane part, however, was that the entire thing was made of glass. All of it. Made of glass. Oddly enough, it looked familiar, too; then it hit me. It looks exactly like the glass structure thingy Doctor Manhattan made in Watchmen! I said this to Val, and she looked quite surprised. She said that she planned it on purpose, and I was the very first to notice. Guess that’s another thing we have in common.

The landing bay was in the middle, so that’s where we went. The interior of her house — if you can call this thing a house — looks surprisingly normal. Well, normal for the head scientist of the world’s best space station, at least. It’s still big and all, but it doesn’t give off the scientist vibe. She took me to her living room surrounded top-to-bottom with bookshelves and a large-ass flatscreen TV. She served coffee, and we got to talking.

I saw her own copy of Watchmen and I lost my shit. It was a physical copy! The edges were a bit frayed, which showed that it was a well-read copy. She doesn’t keep it in a glass case because it’s a collector’s item or any of that bullshit, which is dope. Classics are meant to be read, not kept in a shelf to preserve it in “mint condition.” Physical copies of any books are rare these days — not that I’m complaining, since the almost non-existent use of paper did loads of good for the environment — but it’s still nice to see an actual book and not just a holographic facsimile. I saw her suddenly smiling at me like a maniac. “Nice to see you finally nerd out around me,” she said. “It’s nice that I can fully relax around you now,” I told her. She told me not to relax yet because she has a surprise.

She went into another room and gave me this huge box with wrapping paper. I stared at her like an idiot for a few seconds. She asked what was up, and then it occurred to me to look at the date. I felt like a moron in that moment and I told her why; I straight-up forgot it was my birthday today. Holy crap, I’m 30 years old already. She laughed at that. She laughed real hard. I mean, work’s just overwhelming and we might be dealing with eldritch alien horrors beyond our understanding, so it’s not surprising I forgot. After her fit, she finally handed me my gift. I opened it and my day got a whole lot better.

It was a Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure special edition boxed-set. All of the anime adaptations were in it, parts 1 until 10. It’s surprising Jojo even ended at all, but I guess even Araki had to retire at some point. Guess he’s not a vampire after all. But how did she even know I’m a fan? To answer that question, she told me how much I talked non-stop about Jojo back when we got drunk at that karaoke bar on Mars. She got it on video, even; although it was blurry as hell because she was also drunk. Damn, it turns out I talk a lot when I’m hammered. The party got started after that. She suggested we watch it together on her big-ass TV since she also hasn’t watched it in a long time, so we did. Holy crap, the animation looks better on a TV that large. Another fact about Val: she cooks a mean pasta.

After binging season 1, she told me to close my eyes for a bit. Guess the surprises weren’t over yet. I opened them after a few seconds, and my face suddenly got covered in chocolate icing. Turns out she secretly invited Jane and the others while I was distracted. We celebrated some more; we bungee-jumped off her balcony; we ate more food; we jammed to some songs, with me and Val singing some songs while I played guitar. We blended well when we sang some show tunes. It felt good to sing after a long time. I didn’t know that I missed it this much. I can definitely say this is the best birthday ever. Work begins again tomorrow. But for now, I rest. Can’t wait to binge Jojo again after all this.

[end of audio log]

Log Entry – 08.10.2050

For the first time in a long while, we finally had a breakthrough! We had to finagle the experiment a bit to get there, too. We already tested for temperature and got no results; putting the goo through varying degrees of temperature does not do anything to it. Lighting it on fire doesn’t yield any results, either. Because of that, we thought that maybe it’s being ignited like an actual bomb by an outside force and not through natural means. The idea we came up with is to simply put a small radio transmitter inside the damn thing. Yup. That’s it. It seems too simple to work, but it surprisingly did.

The transmitter lit up five hours after we put it in. Holy crap, we were right! The goo is somehow receiving radio signals from somewhere we cannot locate. A few seconds later, it exploded inside the two layers of the titanium-alloy box we put it in, so we know that radio signals can pass through the box somehow. I’m quite relieved and excited by this because it means two things: we’re just dealing with a criminal with sophisticated equipment and not extraterrestrial forces or whatever, and the solution to this won’t be too difficult. We just have to track the signal with better equipment, track down the criminal, arrest him and finally get some answers. After that, we put the goo back in the observation chamber with some signal jammers to ensure that it won’t ignite again.

I prepared to go home, since Jane and Sigrid are both sick so after-work hangout seemed impossible. But Val pulled me into her office. Paolo was also there, and apparently, he needs our help. He said that he and Sigrid finally became a thing a couple of days back, after almost a month of dating. Props to them. He said he hasn’t told her about it yet because it’s supposed to be a surprise; he plans on taking her to the restaurant peak of Olympus Mons tomorrow for dinner as their first actual date, and he needs us to take her there. Being the good friends that we are, we immediately said yes. He was so ecstatic he ran out the building skipping and yelling in glee. I was about to leave as well, but Val held me back. Okay, I guess she wants to talk a bit more.

She looked flustered as hell for some reason. I can tell she was blushing under the moonlight coming from her window. She kinda looked cute, actually. She said that it’s already been a month since we became friends, which was true. She also said despite it only being a month, a lot already happened and we were kinda close already and stuff, which was also true. I told her that yes, I also do think we grew closer in that time and that I think she’s really cool, especially after she threw me that surprise party. This was also the point that I asked her where she was going with this, and I am quite aware that I should’ve seen it coming. She told me she liked me for already quite a while now. It all started when I nerded out over her copy of Watchmen, she said, and that she’s been hinting at that the past few times we were hanging out. What I’m about to say next would be an approximation of the play-by-play of my thoughts during that moment and how I reacted: “She was hinting at it? How did I not notice? Am I that oblivious? More importantly though, do I like her back? I mean, she is cool. She lives on Mars on a giant glass mansion. She’s an anime fan, a singer, we click together. She’s a bit loud sometimes. She’s also assertive as a boss and a very chill person outside of work and I am definitely into that. She’s a very good leader and also a great friend and person so what do I really think--?”

That entire thought process went through my brain like lightning. My feelings for her immediately crashed down on me like a waterfall. It was insane. The reason my thoughts just stopped there was because I immediately kissed her suddenly, inside her dark office lit only by moonlight. I imagine she saw me blush after I pulled away. I profusely apologized after that and was almost out the door when I was cut off, this time by her kissing me back. Silence hung in the air for a minute after that.

So, she asked me back. “When did you start liking me?” I thought back, and I said it was probably the first time we drank in her office. We planned an actual date tomorrow, and we finally left the lab. I guess that’s that. I am quite surprised, although I know I shouldn’t have been. I went home feeling a bit giddy and at peace. I am gonna sleep well tonight.

[end of audio log]

Log Entry – 08.11.2050

[crying]

It’s been quite a long day. I… I’m not well. I’ll have to start from the beginning.

Work began normally, at first. When this day started, I’m happier than I’ve ever been. I had a date after work and I was also gonna help my friends with theirs; I had things to look forward to. But that all changed, just like that. God, I can’t do this.

It all began when Val informed us that Jane had been missing since yesterday. She received a call from the police just this morning; apparently, it seems like someone broke into her house. Signs of a struggle can be found everywhere, and she’s nowhere to be found. So yeah, one can say it was a rough start. We went to work, hoping she eventually gets found.

The uh, the thing happened when we were supposed to start analysis again. Paolo and Sigrid went into the observation chamber to get the sample. The rest of us were setting up equipment when we heard the sound of metal tearing apart. We ran there as fast as we could; I wish I hadn’t got there first.

We were shocked to see Jane there, except by that point, she wasn’t even Jane anymore. Her red hair has been cut short; patches of bald spots could be found everywhere. There were cracks all over her face and body, all glowing purple. Her eyes were also glowing purple and [choking sounds] she was swinging a kitchen knife around. We tried to go in, but she ripped off one of the empty glass cases from the floor and threw it at us with ease. She screamed in a garbled voice that wasn’t hers and lunged at Sigrid with the knife. Paolo pushed her out of the way and he got wounded instead. Sigrid screamed in shock, but she suddenly got cut off when the creature held her on the neck and threw her at the wall head-first, instantly breaking her neck. I can still hear her screaming until now; the moment that scream suddenly got cut off for the last time is still fresh in my mind.

Before any more damage can be done, the creature suddenly collapsed. With all the commotion, we didn’t hear the alarm sounding and the police getting here. They said they used a small taser to take it down; when we investigated, we saw a small, circular thing around its neck. It was the size of a button and probably where the electric shock came from. We immediately worked with the police to restrain the creature, being that we had all the equipment we need. We contained it in a large titanium box, the ones used to transport dangerous criminals. The creature was also restricted in there by titanium straps around her forehead, waist, arms, wrists, legs, and ankles. As a final measure, the box also has electricity running through the outside so that it gets shocked when it breaks the restraints and tries to force its way out. The creature will be interrogated by all of us tomorrow. First, we took care of my friends and gave them a proper burial. After work, I just climbed up onto the roof of the building because the moon looked beautiful and I needed to be alone. Turns out Val had the same idea. We just sat there, alone, not saying anything. Eventually, we just cried with each other for God knows how long until our tear ducts simply dried out. Knowing I can’t bear to be alone right now, I invited her to sleep at my house. She agreed, and we went home.

She’s asleep right now, as I’m recording this. That’s where my life is at, I guess. We’re one step closer to solving this mystery, but my friends have died. That’s simply not fair. [choked sobs] God, I’m gonna miss them so much. We’ve been through a lot now, even though we’ve known each other for only a few months. I hope the creature that took my friend’s body gives us what we need tomorrow. I hope it pays dearly for what it did. [crying]

[end of audio log]

Log Entry – 08.12.2050

Just came back from the interrogation today. I won’t record much. I feel a bit sick to my stomach from what I’ve just heard, and I don’t think it’ll go away soon. I’ll just listen to the audio log of the interrogation the ICD was kind enough to share with us.

[end of audio log]

Interplanetary Crimes Division

Interrogation Audio Log #48783

This is Detective Charles Chapman speaking for the Interplanetary Crimes Division offices located in Tromsø, Norway. Just yesterday, one of the scientists at Stargazer Laboratories had brutally murdered two other scientists there and had also caused significant damage to some equipment. Considering that the perpetrator seemingly has inhuman strength, glowing skin, and other physiological anomalies that cannot be found in other human beings, the possibility that the perpetrator is no longer human but merely an empty shell being used is being considered as a possibility. The creature is now properly restrained inside a titanium box with titanium straps. The cage is also lined with electricity and is inside a forcefield. The interrogation will be conducted with me outside the forcefield; communication will only be done through wireless communicators.

Detective Chapman: Who are you?

The Creature: [silence]

DC: Do you have a name?

H: I am called Helvig, but my people have given me the moniker of The Oncoming Storm, for all the planets I have brought destruction upon.

DC: If I recall correctly, your friends told me that your name is Jane.

Helvig: The one you call Jane is no more. What you see before you is nothing more than her empty body, hollowed out when I took possession of it.

DC: OKAY. I’m glad we cleared that up. I guess the next thing I have to ask is, how did you manage to infiltrate this planet?

H: I came here when I destroyed your moon using what you call the purple slime as my weapon. I hitched a ride inside one of the resulting debris then took possession of this biped’s weak body. Do you know how hard it is to control human brains? It took me almost a month to assert total dominance.

DC: Really? Well, if that’s the case, how come you’ve been able to manipulate your weapon before that?

H: I have been able to assert a tiny bit of control before, although this biped didn’t know it at the time. I’m just damned unlucky that the times I gained little authority over this body and attempted to kill you all didn’t amount to anything.

DC: I guess that answers that. So why are you here? Why this planet in particular?

H: Why do you think I am called The Oncoming Storm? I am here to bring destruction, nothing more.

DC: Now, why would you do that? Were you ordered to do so by your people?

H: My people are no more. My planet was destroyed when two stars near the place your people call the Kuiper Belt collided; the resulting supernova destroyed my home, and the blast was so strong it propelled my ship all the way to your moon. Had I not found this body to possess, I might have died. But I am here, and this planet shall be destroyed in the memory of my people.

DC: If I may ask again, why? What could the destruction of this planet possibly do for you?

H: Nothing! It will do nothing for me! My people are gone, and my planet is no more. Keeping up our tradition of destruction will be the only way of preserving their memory. After your planet, other ones that bear life will also fall by my hand.

DC: Well, thank you for answering my questions without any fuss. You are the politest criminal I have ever talked to; you know that?

H: Thank you, Charles.

DC: In return, I will extend the same courtesy; do not attempt to destroy this planet. Humanity has advanced beyond your imagination, and there are a lot of us. You will not succeed.

H: [laughter] None of you can stop me! The only reason I gave you information freely is because I know none of you will be able to do anything; you weaklings only managed to restrain me because my powers have not settled into this weak body yet! Give it a bit more time, and I will burn this place to the ground. After this, your planet comes next! [laughter]

I decided to end it there, because I’ve gotten all that I need. Orders from the top brass indicate that the next course of action to be taken would be a joint effort with Stargazer Laboratories to find ways to defeat this creature and save the planet.

[end of audio log]

Log Entry – 08.13.2050

I guess I was wrong. We are dealing with aliens. If not for what’s happened, I would be very happy right now. But not even getting a definitive answer to the question of “are we alone in the universe?” would excite me; especially because one of the answers to that question just killed three of my friends and is now controlling one of their dead bodies like a puppet. Work has been postponed due to the damages our lab has taken, so I honestly don’t know why I’m making the effort to record right now; it’s not like something’s gonna happen today, anyway. Maybe I just need to distract myself from the quiet.

I tried to distract myself by other means, of course. I attempted to binge that Jojo box set I have, but it didn’t work; memories of my surprise birthday party just resurfaced. It’s just too painful. [sobbing]

I… I can’t. I just… I just, can’t. It’s not fair! [crashing sounds] [crying] It’s not fa- [static]

[end of audio log]

There you go. So I, uh… I may have gone berserk earlier, but I’m doing kinda better now. I broke my audio log recorder, but I think I’ve fixed it. Before I stop though, something did happen today that’s worth recording, so… I’m glad for that.

After crying for I don’t actually know how long, somebody rang my doorbell. I looked through my security cameras and found Val standing in my doorway; which honestly came as a surprise, until it occurred to me that she probably wants to check how I’m doing. It stung a bit, knowing that I was too sad and didn’t even think about doing the same for her. I hastily prepared myself and went downstairs.

She looked kinda disheveled and sad, like she’s on a great rush to get here; she had that sad look on her eyes, too. But that’s hardly a surprise, is it? What was a surprise, however, was how beautiful she looked despite all of that. It just so happens that my house has an awe-inspiring view of the hills, and the sunset just happened to hit her as she stood by my door. My day got marginally better after that.

I let her in, and we talked. I asked her if she was okay, and she told me she’s holding up as well as I am, after a cursory look around the mess I made just before she showed up. My recorder was broken in some parts; furniture was everywhere; my glass table was in pieces, all that stuff. We sat in quiet for a while. She eventually told me if I wanted to have the date that we had to postpone two days ago. It took me about two full minutes to think about it, but I said yes; it looked like we both needed it.

We warped to the grassy, quiet park on Olympus Mons; I’m still amazed at how far humanity has gone in terraforming. She prepared a picnic and everything. I cooked some pasta, because of course I did I’m good at it, and I needed a win today. The whole thing wasn’t very eventful, but it was exactly what we needed. We talked, like we always talked. We looked down from the mountain we were on top of, and the view was exhilarating. We looked up, and stared in awe of the stars above us. We reminisced, and remembered the moments we had with them; how Paolo got drunk and vomited in zero gravity; how Sigrid bungee-jumped from the top of Val’s roof and the anti-climactic result of it as we remembered that the artificial gravity was turned off; how Jane accidentally got a face full of cake when I threw it at her; all these memories and others, we remembered last night under the stars on top of the tallest mountain on Mars. It stings, remembering them; but it’s also comforting, somehow.

The nature of our friendship was contemplated as well. If Earth didn’t get its shit together all those years ago, the Global Alliance wouldn’t exist today; all the space travel and huge technological leaps wouldn’t have happened, and travel between countries would still be a pain. We were lucky that we were all brought together in one place. Thinking about the unlikeliness of our friendship just made both of us sadder, considering what happened. We eventually got up and left the mountain.

One last thing we wanted to do before going home was to visit the places where they’re now buried. We already conducted a funeral for them after the creature got arrested and sent them back to their families, but we wanted to see them again, so we can properly say goodbye this time.

First, we warped our way to Brazil to visit Paolo. His family was there, watching over him. We quietly mourned with them for a few minutes, although it felt longer than that. We eventually gave our condolences and left. Our next stop was Sweden, where Sigrid is. No one was watching over her grave, but we did see a few freshly-lit candles around it. The cold winds were swirling all around us, but we hardly noticed them at all. We had no idea how long we stayed, but the cold did get to us eventually, and we left. Our last stop for the night was in Canada, Jane’s home. This visit just made us sadder because we know that her grave is empty; her family will never have a body to bury. No one else was there, which wasn’t strange, considering it’s almost midnight, but we weren’t alone for long when two young women came there; they were her two younger sisters, it turns out. They brought warm tea, and they were kind enough to share it with us. We talked, reminisced about the memories we have with her, and we mourned. Before leaving, Val and I promised them that while we cannot bring their sister back, we can put her to rest by putting the creature down permanently.

I brought her back to Mars. We said our goodbyes, kissed for God knows how long because we didn’t count, and we went home. I… I miss them. I miss them so damn much. [crying]

[end of audio log]

Stargazer Laboratories

Log Entry – 08.15.2050

[crying]

I’ll admit. Considering what I’m about to do, I am scared. I fear that I may not come back from this, but strangely, I am also at peace. This insane, dangerous plan has a high chance of success, and I am more than willing to do it. But first, let’s go back to the beginning.

Yesterday, I got a call from the ICD at 6 am telling me that the prisoner has escaped. Apparently, it got out of its restraints and simply destroyed both the cage and the forcefield using brute strength alone. The thing that is defiling my friend’s body got stronger, just like it said it would. It killed almost all of the police officers before everyone got out and put the building on lockdown. The entire building was then launched through the sky via rockets attached to the foundation as a last resort security measure; it is now floating just a little bit above the atmosphere, surrounded by a bigger forcefield. The creature will be kept in there, but not for long. I immediately prepared and went to the lab with the others; I imagine they got the same call.

We immediately started to formulate a plan to defeat the creature. According to the police, the forcefield will only last until about 4 am today until it runs out of power. There’s also the trouble of the creature getting even stronger than it is now, so we had to account for that, too. The only consolation we have is that it can only use its psychic powers to activate the slime and nothing else; it has to be near it, too. One of the police officers suggested that we simply just have the rockets push the building farther into space, but that was shot down; the rockets simply weren’t built for that, so it doesn’t have enough fuel. We also thought of just straight-up making the building explode, but Detective Chapman shot this idea down, too. Turns out he already fired a couple rockets at the creature and it simply kept walking, unscathed. Our last idea was to warp the entire building to the other end of the universe, but we realized it was also futile; warp gates were made with humans in mind. Creating one as big as a building has never been done before; it might collapse in on itself and implode, or create a black hole that will destroy the Earth. We came to the conclusion that there is only one way to solve this once and for all; one of us has to go up there and destroy the creature ourselves.

A drone was sent to fly near the building and investigate. The entire structure was reduced to rubble. The creature was jumping around, throwing large chunks of debris at the forcefield in an attempt to destroy it. That gave us the drive to really solve this as soon as possible. I remembered what the creature told us back then; how it got to Earth because a supernova propelled its ship here while it’s trying to escape. Then I had a crazy idea.

I told them that the energy of two collapsing stars was the only thing we know of that almost destroyed the creature; I remembered how it told us it was on the verge of death and only survived because it found a host. Then I told them my idea; find three stars that’s the nearest to Mars, put an artificial gravity drive between them, wait for them to move towards each other, then siphon off the energy from the resulting supernova into the engine of a laser cannon. This is the easy part. The next step is that said laser cannon with the energy of three collapsed stars now have to be attached to a spacecraft and fired directly at the creature. The resulting recoil may destroy said ship; or it won’t. This is something no one has actually done before, so none of us are quite sure how this will happen. None of us can come up with a new plan, so this is what we have to go with.

We found three stars near each other just beyond the outskirts of Mars. Siphoning off large amounts of energy in a supernova was terrifying, but not actually that difficult. I, and two other scientists, finished the job in just a couple of hours. Val and I worked together to design a laser cannon strong enough to handle the energy of three stars. The next thing we have to do now is to decide who’s gonna fly up there and do the job. The ICD can’t do it; only two of them are left. One has no combat experience, and the other is Detective Chapman, who’s simply too old for the job. We can’t ask for help from the military, or the other offices of the ICD, either. All of the warp gates in the lab had been damaged, and the personal warp gates we’re carrying had also been messed up due to the star radiation we had to work with. We’re all alone in this.

I looked around the room and realized that the only person who can do this is me. I told this to the others, and Val vehemently opposed it, as I expected. After a shouting match, I told her we just have to talk it out in private. It didn’t really work; we just shouted at each other louder since no one was around to hear us. We finally ran out of energy and just sat down.

So… yeah. After calming down enough to talk, she asked me why I thought I’m the only one who can do it. I told her it’s because I built both the cannon and the modified ship with her, so I’m the only one who can use them. I also want to be the one to personally put the creature down. She got angry at me, told me that she’ll be the one to do it instead, since she knows the machines as well as I do. I tried to talk back, but she was still so angry and started speaking Russian, like she always does when she’s mad. I did something I didn’t expect to do; I laughed. It was real, too. I haven’t had one like it in what feels like a long time. She started laughing, too. We just did that until we ran out of breath again.

I explained to her that this was exactly what she did when I asked her if I can eat my rock pasta; it was also what she did when Paolo almost ate the purple goo. I told her that I love this about her; how passionate and caring she is for the ones that she loves; how I do not want her passion to be snuffed out of this world too early; and how I am sure I am the only one who can do this because she can still lead Stargazer Labs further into the future. I told her how I wanted her to see Earth and the rest of humanity go further into the reaches of space. Finally, I told her the simplest and most important reason why it has to be me; I told her I love her. I love her very much and I cannot bear to see her die and that is why I have to do this. After that, we just broke down together. The tears just kept flowing. She told me she loves me, too. She told me she can’t bear to see me go, either, but I told her she has to go on. I told her again how the lab needs her, and after this, probably the world. We just kept quiet, savoring each other’s company for what might be the last time. We eventually slept for two hours, in each other’s arms. We got up and made the last preparations. We had another short meeting on how things would be done. I simply have to fly up there and aim directly at the creature. Sounds too easy, but we all know it isn’t. After saying goodbye to them, I excused myself for a bit and ended up here.

It is now 3 am, August 15, 2050. I will do what I need to do half an hour from now. From what we’ve seen of the drone footage, the forcefield will last until 4 am, as predicted. I wish I was recording this at home, using my own recorder, but I have no way to get there, so here I am, using the only functional one in the lab. I’m gonna end it here, so suffice it to say the next words I’ll be saying may be my last.

Val, I love you. I know you’re my boss, but I’m glad we did away with the professional awkwardness that might have arisen and just found the time to relax with each other. I am so happy that we met outside of work during that Hamilton premiere on Mars. I thought that I have what I wanted out of life, working in a space station; I am happy you were the one who proved me wrong. [crying] I love you, Val. If these are the last things I will ever say, then I want them to be these words. I love you, and I always will.

[end of audio log]

Log Entry – 10.15.2050

It’s been two months, Leo. Two months. Two long, agonizing months since you passed. [crying]

It’s still clear as day, what happened. I remembered the kiss we shared before you took off. I remembered seeing the blast from the cannon finally incinerate the creature after a minute. I remember how we cheered when we saw you succeed, then suddenly get silenced when your engine blew up. I remember being horrified seeing you fall back down to Earth, then zooming in on the cockpit and seeing you smile one last time before the drone was destroyed by the blast.

The charred remains of the ship landed just outside the lab. Although burned, you somehow managed to stay in one piece. After that, we did what we were supposed to do. We cleaned up the lab and the ship, and we had your funeral a few days later. I was the one who gave your eulogy, you know that? I hope you heard it, and I hope you liked it if you did.

This is the first time in a while I came back to Olympus Mons. I finally had the courage to go after hearing the message you left for me. Your parents let me have a copy of the other audio logs you did. I’ll admit, I haven’t been doing well in a while, but hearing your voice again really helped me.

I think it’s finally time. You said you wanted me to see space travel advance further, right? I already have an idea. Since we now know that life exists outside of Earth, I thought of how maybe we can come up with ways to reach them. I know the last species we interacted with almost destroyed us, but I know there’s more of them out there. Perhaps they are kinder. Perhaps they’re willing to break bread with us. I was thinking of calling it “The Cosmic Unity” project but it sounds too tacky, doesn’t it? I just hope I already have a proposal I can pass to the Global Alliance in a year or so. All of this is for you, Leo. All of it. It’s for the sake of the planet’s progress, too, but it is for you I do this, most of all. [sobbing]

I love you, Leo. I love you more in every day that passes.

[end of audio log]

[girlmeetsliv3]

Datura Interview

Datura Interview

A place where the cast of Datura answer all your questions along with some fun fourth wall breaking.

Word Count: 2k

A/N: Here you go. Hope all of you enjoy and stay tuned towards the end for an announcement.

In a whitened out sound stage lit with professional lighting and multi-angle cameras stood four chairs, each having a name written on the back. Identifying which individual was designated to it. Originally there were supposed to be eight chairs, however, in an effort to avoid conflict it was decided the interview should be split into the main and supporting cast to avoid…tension. Seeing as the cast is quite difficult to control, or comprehend, a special interviewer was called into “sort them out” and be able to successfully conduct the interview without mishaps this time. The coordinators had desired more professional and worthy people to conduct the interviews, but all had declined the second they heard who their subjects were. The main doors opening as the smell of Chrysanthemum a college-aged woman walked in with her hair thrown back into a low messy bun whilst sporting baggy jeans and a crop top. Glancing up at the crew she sighed, “Let’s get this show on the road. I’ve got a one-shot that needs to be finished by tonight.” The coordinator at the event opened his mouth, to inform her that the cast had yet to arrive but before he could the lights blacked out. Once they turned back on the main cast were sitting in their chairs, as if they’d been there the whole time. Taehyung, Jimin, and Baby all sporting signature black attire and wearing long coats over top. Taehyung eyes narrowed on the crew, “What is it that you’re waiting for?” Suddenly all of the staff flew into a frenzy, attempting to get everything prepared in order to star right away. None wanting to upset Taehyung or draw his attention again. “Tae play nice,” Jimin spoke, though the sarcasm was evident. Baby shifted uncomfortably in her seat, she had never been good at interviews or anything of the sort. The questions that may possibly be asked, along with the reactions they may incite in her lovers worried her.

“You guys said you would behave so do so.” Alex Mei, the interviewer, spoke her foot tapping obnoxiously against the concrete floor. She marched right up the fourth chair, the one in front of the three of them and sat down. “The only reason we agreed to this stupid thing is that we were promised two weeks off,” Taehyung spoke with a slight snarl. The woman before him always pissed him off, mainly because she was obnoxious, but also because she was a stand-in for his creator. “If you all play along, I’ll get Cloud to agree. But if you so much as kill anyone or summon Satan, deals off.” Mei retorted, a smirk on her lips. “Mei don’t you ever not want to be covered in shit?” Jimin asked. Baby turned to look at him, eyes silently begging him not to add more fuel to the fire. “Why would I be covered in shit?!” A frown had settled between Mei’s brows demonstrating her confusion at the statement. “From being so far up Cloud’s ass.” Dead silence was all that could be heard. “Why you little –”

“And we’re live in three…two…one.”

“Hello everyone, I’m Alexa Mei here. Your favorite and most important news reporter in this literary universe.” Isn’t she the only reporter ever written though? Baby asked herself as the perky blonde continued to speak into the camera. “Now I have some questions submitted by the fans that I’m sure the cast would just love to answer!” Mei turned around facing the three of them with a fake overexaggerated grin on her face, it was the scariest thing they had ever seen. “Now how are you guys?” A symphony of muttered ‘goods’ was the only response she got. “Alright, so let’s start with the first question which is for Taehyung and Jimin. What exactly are the two of you? How did you meet? And how long have you been together?” Both men looked at each other, a silent communication occurring between the two of them before Jimin turned towards the camera. “Tae and I have known each other since we were kids. Before birth even, it was like we were destined for each other. Soulmates in this dark cruel world. Baby as well was always meant to be ours.” He gives a charming smile to the camera, one that has even those behind the stage melting at his charisma and charm. 

“You didn’t answer the first question.” Mei stated rather monotonously. “Let’s move on to the next question, shall we?” Taehyung said, casting Mei a dark look. “Very well,” she rolled her eyes. “Now Baby, given the last chapter’s events: Do you still consider Taehyung and Jimin as a part of your family? Even after everything they’ve done?” Baby could feel Taehyung and Jimin staring intently at her from the corners of their eyes. Waiting to see how she would respond. The last time she had been asked this question, the fan had ended dead in a sewer eaten by rats. Baby’s hands instinctively went to her stomach in an effort to shield herself. “I love them. I always will. You can’t control who or what you love. They aren’t perfect, but neither am I. They don’t judge me for the things I’ve done, so I can’t judge them.” Mei couldn’t help but look at her with sympathy. “If you say so.”

“Back to the two of you, why did you choose Baby that night? What drew you to her?” Now it was Baby’s turn to be anxious. She had often wanted to ask them, but they always replied with the same response: their meeting was fated. It wasn’t that she doubted them, but there had to be a different reason. “She was lost. Anyone could see that. She was lost and innocent in an environment where those sorts of things are taken advantage of. Who knows what could have happened to her that night, if we didn’t take the first step?” Thoughts ran wild in Baby’s head of life without Taehyung and Jimin. It would be a different life, but would it be a better one? She couldn’t tell. “Plus to add to what Tae said. We knew from the second we laid eyes on her that she was perfect. Perfect for us. It was fate, I tell you.” Jimin leaned back into his seat, his hand finding Baby’s and entangling their fingers together. “What a perfect response. Nothing to look into at all.” Mei gave a chagrined smile, before looking back at the questions placed in her hands. “Oh, I see a question for Namjoon. It says: do you know what’s really going on with Taehyung, Jimin, and the rest of their cult. If so, what was your initial reaction?” Mei had wondered why the rest of the cast wasn’t there, but maybe they would have video responses or something. “Unfortunately Namjoon hasn’t been in the best state of mind, so he won’t be able to answer any questions today or ever,” Jimin said, giggling at the end at his own personal joke. “Namjoon has willingly chosen to become a member of our organization. He’s very thrilled to have found people who accept him for who he is and is looking forward to the future.” Taehyung’s words sounded as if they had been recited a thousand times. They probably had.

Mei nodded deciding to not prolong this anymore. “Baby how have things changed in your relationship since becoming pregnant?” Baby was able to answer this one with ease, “Taehyung and Jimin have been more protective of me, but it’s nothing too bad. They’re excited for the child and what’s to come, as am I. I think they’ll make great parents.” A soft smile spread across Baby’s face at the thought of Taehyung and Jimin cradling a child between them. It brought much-needed warmth back into her heart. “We don’t have a name yet, but we’re sure the fans will think of a great one. We’re up for suggestions.” Jimin had a small smile on his lips, as he glanced at the clock. Likely counting the minutes until the interview was over. “Lastly, this one is for some very special guests who couldn’t be with us today. However, the crew is informing me that their interview was prerecorded and will be streamed now. Please enjoy.”

           A video is played of balmy tropical weather filled with palm trees and a beautiful sparkling sea. Suddenly the camera turns and Jungkook can be seen filling up the entire screen, his now long locks framing his face perfectly. “Hi, I can’t talk too loud because Hyung is sleeping beside me,” Jungkook turns the camera to show a sleeping Yoongi resting in a hammock under the shade. “However, I know you guys really wanted to know these questions, so I’ll do my best. So, how did I meet Tae and Jimin?” Jungkook sucked his lower lip into his mouth, as he thought about a way to say it without potentially pissing off the men most likely watching. “I was in college when I met them. I met Jimin first and through him Taehyung. They were always together, a part of me wanted something like that too so I asked them. We broke up due to miscommunication, that’s all.” His eyes skimmed across the next question face lighting up instantly, “What was my first reaction of Yoongi-hyung? I thought he was a bit intimidating and might not like me. It turns out he wasn’t like that at all, a bit shy and aloof sometimes but…” A sincere smile spread across his face. “I wouldn’t change anything if it means I get to be with him now.” Jungkook waves goodbye to the camera before the video clicks off.

           “Well, I do believe that’s everything for today. Please join us next Tuesday for Datura’s next installment.” Mei spoke into the camera with a sadistic gleam in her eyes. “Wait a second you said if we did this, we would get two weeks off!” Jimin pouted, his voice whiny and high-pitched. “That was before you said that stupid joke, you big baby. Sorry Baby.” Mei yelled at him, before quickly apologizing to the woman beside him. All it took was a snap from Taehyung, for all the equipment in the room to cease working and for everyone to be plunged into darkness. “Well now that it’s over. I get to have my fun.” All hell broke loose in that interview room, the only thing that could be heard were screams of pain and agony that bled through the walls.

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

A/N: So as you can see Datura will not be updated until November. This is because I have a new series that will be updated every weekday, starting October 4th until October 30th. I thank everyone for the support they’ve shows the series and hope that you will continue to support it. Thank you <3

[afroboydyke]

A VOLTRON PENTATONIX AU?? AKA LANCEYONCE AND CREW

Okay so sit the fuck down everyone I’m documenting this annoying ass dream that has been haunting me for the best few months. 

The Basis: So we all know about Pentatonix, right? (If you don’t, it’s an a capella group that remakes the old songs of famous artists to give them a new sound. They also have a few of their own original pieces). So, basically, imagine the Voltron gang doing this, except not a capella. They remake the tracks and beats to near perfection in order to pull this off.

The group consists of Allura, Pidge, Shay, Hunk, Lance, Keith, and Shiro, with Matt and Coran doing background work. 

Now to the Details.

Lance

Lance is in charge of any and all Beyonce-related performances.

The group itself started with him. He performed to her songs with his own original choreography and everything. Sometimes he would collab with Hunk. 

He picks his own songs

He does nothing half-assed in this group. He’s very nitpicky with lighting and stage set up because he needs to achieve that WOW! factor

Sometimes he goes a little overboard and the team needs to reel him in really quick because they can’t light fireworks on stage

He was disappointed but then he realized glitter and confetti cannons were a much better idea

Because all of Yonce’s songs have a certain feel to him, he chooses based on how his life is going

Happy? Fun? Well-off? TIme to whip out his favorites.

Sad? Had an argument? Where’s his sad stuff at.

Somebody died? Feelings of worhlessnesss? There’s a song for that, too. 

All his outifts are chosen by Shay while Allura does his makeup

These three are besties they do all the styling stuff tgether                

Lance either wears practical shoes or heels there is no in between

Performing in heels is a little harder but he manages because he’s just that good

He was excited to perform “6 Inch” because he had the perfect shoes for that

A lot of the songs he sings are romantic-like so he does a partner dance with Keith

One time the two had gotten into a fight, so he performed the most of the Lemonade album and some of the songs from the 4 album

Keith was in tears and ended up dancing with him again

The crowd went fucking nuts

His favorite songs to perform are probably Partition and any other song with sexual lyrics bc he gets too into it sometimes

Keith loves it but at the same time he blushes really hard

It’s funny to watch

Before a concert he discovers that his uncle died and that hit him hard because they were very close

And yet he still performed but with more passion

And he added the song I Was Here because death is such a sudden thing and he could die any second now just like his uncle did

The others actually played the background instruments for him (cello, piano, ect.)

Lance responds to as many fans as he can on his social media

The boy has Tumblr, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, and he’s the main one who runs the group’s Youtube channel

Sometimes he holds Q and A’s on Periscope 

During interviews he answers nearly everything meant for him

He also makes up the names of his fans and it changes every time

“Sup Lancers”

“How’s it shaking, my Bluebells?”

“What questions are in store for me today, Voltribe?”

It’s out of control

Whenever Lance isn’t performing he’s on back up vocals/dancing

That’s the rules: If it isn’t your turn, you work your ass off with back up and background dancing

If he’s feeling a bit peppy he’ll also certain Jason Derulo songs

Hunk

Let’s establish one thing: If Lance is Beyonce than Hunk is Nicki Minaj

It started off as a joke at first, but Hunk found it really fit with how he felt

And his flow is DOPE so win-win

He performs literally every song out there by her with no shame because Nicki Minaj has been his Girl for Years and she gives him confidence

His outfits slay all the time. All. The. Time. 

They’re pretty much renditions of Nicki Minaj’s own performance outfits, but designed to make him feel comfortable

Shay helps him tailor all his outfits and even designs them sometimes

He prefers boots and sneakers when performing because heels kill his feet

His favorite song to perform is the Flawless remix with Lance because they kill everyone within a 20 ft radius

The choreography is his favorite as well

He even installs fire things to shoot flames up from the stage

He also has a really nice voice, but he prefers to rap than sing since he’s better with low notes

Sometimes he collabs with Shay, who’s the group’s other prime rapper

They’re fire onstage and off

Hunk loves Feeling Myself a lot because his confidence rises

So many people find it odd that Nicki Minaj is his persona

Hunk is so kind and timid?? He’s very smart and not one who curses unless very angry or upset

But when he’s rapping he gets all flashy and bold and suddenly he’s cursing all the time very clearly

His moms come to every concert, along with the McClain parents because they love supporting their sons together

Hunk’s moms always jokingly scold him about how provocatively he dresses and his potty mouth but they really don’t care

They smother him in kisses and gifts and flowers 

Once, for their anniversary, Hunk asked Lance to perform “Ring Off” for his moms while he put together a video collage in their honor

The song fits their relationship so well

They cried very hard

When the Moana soundtrack was released, he got his own night to perform the whole thing with his family

He loved the event; it was the first time his whole family had done something together in such a long time

Hunk also helps Pidge and Coran with technical stuff likes lights and smoke affects

At interviews he takes shit from nobody and likes to brag about all the times he’s been right

Spoiler Alert: It’s a lot

He also shares embarrassing stories of the team 

A lot of the gossip actually comes from him tbh

“Spoiler alert: there may or may not be a surprise performance some time soon.”

“A little birdie told me that two of our members are getting a little buddy buddy, so look out for updates on that.”

“Oh, y’all are gonna LOVE my outfit for the next tour. It’s gonna be lit.”

The outfit was, in fact, on fire.

Allura

To complete the Power Trio, Allura is Rihanna

Sorry I don’t make the rules

Except I do lmao

This role originally was gonna go to Shay but then Shay realized she loved to rap so Allura hopped on it

Allura loves Rihanna fashion choices 

A lot of her outfits are based off of RiRi actually

Her favorite album has got to be the ANTI album

It’s a masterpiece 

Just so well written

Best songs ever

The fans love when Allura comes on stage because she provokes so much emotion and her voice carries so well

Not to mention her British accent gives a different feel from Rihanna’s Barbadian one

She has a very diverse cast of fans and probably recieves the most fanmail out of everyone

Lance and Hunk are second

Lance is Bitter

Shay’s third

 Keith, Pidge, and Shiro are tied for fourth

All of her songs are choreographed by herself

Her makeup artist is either Lance or Shay

Depends on who wins the coin toss that day

With Shay her eyeliner is swoopy and sharp with rinestones 

With Lance it’s artsy eye makeup and glitter

Allura likes both

All of her outifts are planned from the the top to the socks she wants to wear

Her hair is so long that it makes styling it very easy?? Like she has so many options

If she doesn’t style it herself than either Shiro or Coran does because they always have great ideas

For every performance, Allura opens with a quote related to what songs she plans to perform

Everyone thinks their from philosophers or something but really she’s quoting tumblr posts

She has the same social media as Lance, and they often compete for followers and such

All of her stuff is very pastel space

The pink marks under her eyes are in fact tattoos

She got them along with Coran for her 18th birthday 

They’re her trademark

Nobody knows if her hair is natural or dyed at first

It’s naturally really bright she just added highlights to it

When not performing, Allura is Lance’s number one backup singer

Sometimes Lance will let her perform Beyonce songs

Specifically Who Runs The World (Girls) bc that’s her actual anthem and Lance feels disrespectful 

And Daddy Lessons, which makes her emotional

Both she and Lance sing Pretty Hurts together because it applies to both of them 

Allura and Lance have a contest for who’s the Better ‘Yonce

Lance wins

Lance and Allura are constantly accused of being siblings due to their bond

It’s a running gag in the fandom for quite sometime until Lance breaks the rumors

Some of her songs involve couple dances with Shiro

It’s amazing watching them interact with one another because they’re so gentle with each other and their love is so Real that it almost seems like you’re intruding on a moment

At interviews, Allura is constantly bragging about how strong she is 

“Hunk and I are clearly the strongest ones here. We haven’t determined who holds reigning title, however.”

The two them proceed to arm wrestle.

It’s a tie

Everyone is crying. Everyone.

Sometimes, if she’s feeling it, she’ll do Marina and the Diamonds

Everyone takes a back seat to her then because she absolutely slays

Pidge

Pidge doesn’t normally sing but when she does it’s Hayley Kiyoko

Pidge loves her 

Very much

She probably dresses the most simple out of them all 

Her main style is shorts with stockings or knee socks and a loose fitting top

She let’s her hair grow out to her shoulders

She appreciates both long and short hair, and finds this a happy medium for her

She sports an undercut and the fans go crazy

Everybody finds Pidge adorable and most girls her age want to be her

Glitter! All over her eyes! Brings out the green!

Is either wearing glasses or contacts but mostly contacts

Pidge’s style is definitely K-Pop Idol

She’s a great dancer and does tons of flips 

Everybody loves throwing her in the air

Pidge is in charge of all music and technology and such. Everything must be run by her  

She adds the best effects to performances and is constantly praised

Pidge has social media too but it’s limited to Twitter and Instagram

Her livestreams are by far the fan favorite

It’s full of her pulling pranks and giving sneak peeks into practices and making bets

“Lmao ten bucks Lance is gonna be tripped by Allura”

He is, in fact, tripped by Allura

“You all owe me at our next concert

She films bloopers for the YouTube page

Most of the bloopers are of her and Keith screaming about aliens and Shiro favoriting her

Sometimes it’s Matt being an idiot

One time she temporarily dyes her hair a pastel green color

She loves it

Keith

Like Pidge, Keith doesn’t sing much. He mainly aids in choreographing performances

He’s been perfecting his dancing for years and has the smoothest rhythm 

When he does perform, Keith’s specialty is P!ATD

He’s emo okay

And Brendon Urie is his first celebrity crush so why not pay tribute to him

Keith gets an undercut with Pidge

It’s not his favorite style so when he grows his hair out again he grows it out long

Longer than originally

Keith’s makeup is limited to eyeliner done by Shiro

His outfits have to be the exact ones in all of Brendon’s videos

“You guys don’t understand if I don’t have the top hat and red suit how can I do “I Write Sins Not Tragedies?”

“Keith, you’re going overboard”-Lance

“You have N O ROOOM TO TALK”

When doing interviews, he also has the KPop Idol look

It drives the fans insane

He secretly loves the attention

He probably has the loudest songs out of everyone but he appreciates it

Everybody loves dancing to his choreography

He doesn’t like social media but still has a Tumblr and Instagram

They aren’t for the group though they’re for his conspiracy theories

Pidge Co-runs the tumblr account and has her own cryptid Insta

His live streams consist of the group cryptid hunting together 

If he does post to the group’s YouTube account it’s for cryptids or a sneek peak of some choreography

Sometimes he lets Lance do his makeup and post it on the channel

He loves to choreograph for Lance specifically because it always somehow involves him

Partition is probs his favorite too for obvious reasons

Shay

Shay’s the universal rapper of the group though she mainly does Drake

Shay just seems like a Drake fan so-

Still she does other rappers since she isn’t very picky

Shay’s outfits mirror Drake as well, though adding her little twist and touches to them

Most of the time Lance and Allura help her with clothes

Her makeup always deals with earth tone or stars there is no in between

She lives for glitter and small jewels

And she’s always wearing a necklace and earrings

Shay’s flow is even better than Hunk’s can you believe it

Hunk can

ANYWAY

Shay loves collaborating with others, specifically Hunk and Allura

She’s very loud and boisterous on stage but off stage she’s kind and quiet

Kinda like that friend who’s very meek in public but wild at parties with close friend

Very passionate about her dream

She’s also in charge of keeping everybody on schedule because nobody follows schedules like she does

Sometimes she’ll do small rituals to ensure good luck for performances

They have yet to fail her

At interviews she’s always really peppy and happy to answer questions

One of the fans asked if  she’s dating Hunk

“Oh no, I’m just a rock he admires very much”

The crowd is confused but the group gets it and starts picking fun

Shay bonds with everybody on the team and it’s great 

She and Matt talk about space for long periods of time on end it’s crazy

With Shiro it’s how pretty Allura is and how much he wants to fling himself into the sun

Also about the other team members

Allura literally politics and makeup and 

Lance it’s Spanish dancing and the ocean

Keith it’s Lance and like random shit

“What if Coran was in a gang”-Keith probably

“Dude,,, we have to investigate”-Shay

Hunk it’s lovey couple stuff and rocks and food and really cool movies

Pidge it’s plans for the next concert

Coran it’s schedules and stories

She loves having such a big and supportive family

Shiro

Bruno Mars. That’s it.

Shiro bops to Bruno Mars like it’s his religion 

Wears rolled up sleeves and jeans with sneakers forever 

His eyeliner is sharper than everyone elses and he takes pride

Fans eat him up

They love his “dad-like” personality

Sometimes some of them bring him cookies and such backstage

He takes them because who passes up free food??

Seems like dad, is actually 12 

Seriously, he causes most of the food fights 

And he’s always making bets with Pidge and Matt

But he’s still responsible when needed

He does his own choreography and everything what a man

Once he did a split in the middle of Uptown Funk and everybody lost their shit

Even the group

They just all started laughing while Shiro continues to strut his shit

Shiro’s snapchat is full of videos of him and the team

Half the time he’s screwing around with Matt

Other half he’s posting death jokes

Nobody is phased by this anymore 

They’re so used to it

“I want a light to fall from the cieling, knocking me out instantly”

“Yeah Shiro we get it you wanna die now help me stretch”

He probably has the most questions asked at interviews

Most of them are “Will you be my daddy”

“…I’m everybody’s dad”

“But only Allura’s daddy”- Lance

“Say your goodbyes to Lance because he done fucked up, kids”

His favorite album is probably 24k Magic bc he feels fly as fuck

Imagine him proposing to Allura with “Marry You”

Everybody knows except for Allura and she literally sobs when he gets down on one knee and pulls out a ring

It’s epic

Pidge once suggested putting a confetti canon in his prosthetic

Although he would like to Allura said no so-

He still does it anyway

Matt

Matt’s a fucking Meme

He handles booking places and unwanted press

And he co-owns the YouTube Channel with Lance

The place is meme central nobody can believe it

He also has a snapchat and Twitter

Live streams happen every week

Most of the time he’s just screwing around the tour bus/ hotel rooms it’s hilarious really

He dresses like a tired college student all the time it’s great

He’s friends with everybody

With Shiro he’s literally goofing off half the time

They rival Hunk and Lance for best bros of the year

Half time time his story is filled with ugly pictures of Shiro

With Allura he’s spreading Shiro gossip and doing her hair

Lance + Matt = Hardcore memes and suffering

Pidge it’s the normal sibling stuff

He once picked Pidge up and threw her

“Y E E T”

Hunk it’s techno stuff and like animals

Keith it’s sharing stories about Shiro and how he’s not from this planet

They plan “experiments” to expose him for the alien he is

They fail

With Coran he helps to clean everything because these people are pigs it’s terrible

And when he’s with Shay they’re literally memeing together but on a lower scale

He helps her withh her style and stuff

When Pidge is on stage he’s handling the lights and shit

One time he got stuck in the lights for the whole concert

When asked where he was, he fell straight into Shiro’s arms

Shiro dropped him

Makes the most jokes

Coran

Team Aunt

Takes the group out for victory dinners

Buys sweaters for everyone

Let’s you do whatever you want as long as it’s legal

Because he’s a retired dancer he’ll step in sometimes and lend a hand

Cooks when Hunk doesn;t

And it’s not bad

But Hunk is just better sorry Coran

The group’s body guard

Literally he dropkicked a loser for eyeing Pidge the wrong way

“Coran was that necessary”

“Not but, as Lance would say, it was dope”

Groan

He also handles press coverage and makes sure all venues check out before Matt goes to book them

Lance is his favorite and it’s insane

Lance: “Hey Coran can I have like fifty dollars?” 

“Of course!!

Allura: “Hey Coran can I borrow 20 dollars”

“Sorry I don’t have any money.”

Will treat everyone to a shoppinf spree every once in a while

Loves everybody like they’re his own and assures parents that they are Okay and In Good hands

Also almost blew up the tour bus and ran like three red lights

Extras

Lance, Shay, and Allura went through a KPop phase

BTS, EXO, GOT7, Red Velvet, MAMAMOO, TWICE, BLACKPINK

They freak out all the time and scream

Meanwhile Keith and Shiro are KPop veterans

“Hah, losers.”

One time they all learned the choreography to “Monster” and posted it to the YouTube channel

Matt sat in the background and screamed random things

Slumber parties all night every night

When they tour they literally get one giant hotel room

Couples each get an hour to themselves throughout the day and then they meet at night to sleep

It’s not even sleeping it’s taking ugly pictures and face masks and nightly rituals and love

They wake up: Shiro, Coran, Shay, Allura, Pidge, Keith, Hunk, Lance, Matt

They go to sleep: Coran, Hunk, Matt, Keith, Lance, Shay, Pidge, Allura, Shiro

Every award they win everyone’s family comes together and they have a very large dinner

The group is called Voltron (how original lmao)

Fans are part of the Voltribe 

I’ll add more if I come up with anything else

[canaryatlaw]

alright, well today was all around pretty good. I was bad and did not get out of bed when my alarm went off at 9:30, and slept until like 11:38 instead...lol, whoops. so I did as much bar prep as I could before my 2 pm PT appointment. PT was fine, one of the world cup games was on the tv so most of us were watching and discussing that. My PT guy and me are trying to figure out where to go from here, it seems like my back gets aggravated on days when I’m out and doing things, but not so much when I’m staying in all day studying, which of course isn’t a terribly realistic situation for any period of time beyond something like this. At the end he did mention that something that has helped other female patients with back pain was to get a breast reduction and I was like........idk how to feel about this. Like has it occurred to me that starting to get back pain at 24 years old might be related to my somewhat oversized chest? Yes, of course. Is that something I want to do to treat it? eh.....I don’t know. I already have really shitty body image issues and I feel like going into something like that without really knowing how I would look when I came out would be a big risk to take and idk if I want to do that. So idk, I guess I’ll think about it. From PT I took an uber because it was gross and rainy to the apple store, where I had an appointment to get my screen replaced since it was tragically shattered Sunday when I was heroically rendering aid to my injured baby sister (or something like that) so that was going to take like an hour, there were some stores around but like, I knew if I went to them I would just spend money on things I didn’t need, and if I went into the Carter’s that was right there I would just spend a bunch of money getting my nephew and my friend’s baby girl way more clothing than they need because it’s all so damn cute, so I opted to stay inside the store for the time being. I looked at the different phone models for a while, trying to determine if there were any real differences between the iPhone 7 and 8, and of course the X is the full screen thing, which I’m not sure how I feel about, I’m sure I would get used to it once I had it but it wasn’t terribly easy to use just looking at it. So from there I went to one of the giant Mac displays they had on the wall that people can use, so I was a bum and brought up my twitter account because I can’t deal with being cut off from my twitter feed even for an hour 😂 so I spent a while on there then eventually just sat on a bunch by the entrance for the rest of the time. I had brought a pair of jeans with me to change into for the party tonight instead of wearing my sweatpants from PT, so shortly before my phone was going to be ready I ran to the bathroom and switched my pants, then grabbed the phone and ubered to the retirement party for my old boss. It was super convenient because the riders before me were getting dropped off like exactly where I was, so legit like they just got out and I went in with the door never closing lol. I wasn't sure what to expect about the place it was at, it was a “lounge” but I mean, that can mean a lot of different things. They were checking IDs at the door, so I just let them check mine even though I wouldn’t be drinking, just easier that way. the party was on the second floor, which was a nice sectioned off space with a bar and some food and some mini tables, and many people milling about. My boss worked at the office for almost 30 years, so pretty much the whole office was there, plus the judge from the courtroom he was assigned to, and the two former public guardians along with the currently acting one, so plenty of familiar faces were there. My legal drafting prof who used to work there was there, and I at least traded hellos with everybody else I knew but she seemed very pointedly trying to avoid acknowledging me, and I mean whatever lady you do you I don’t really care 😂 at one of the first tables was the receptionist/support service guy who I’d been kinda flirty with last summer and left the office with his phone number, and we chatted a few times and then kinda just faded out. But I claimed a spot next to him at the table and pretty much stayed there for the rest of the night lol. We talked about a lot of stuff, apparently the office is going to be in need to hire attorneys very soon, because they just had a LOT of attorneys leave (I think they said upwards of 20, which is like, 1/5th of the office) so I will definitely be looking out for that, I don’t want to be overconfident but if they are hiring for an entry level position I think it’s fairly likely I’d be able to get it, they hire a lot of their law clerks, half the people who work there told me they clerked there during law school, and I know I have 3 semesters worth of glowing performance reviews because I worked my ass off for 3 semesters making sure I went the extra mile and got everything right. So that would honestly be a lifesaver, because they were always going to be my first choice, but they’ve been in a hiring freeze for years now so they never really came into play, but if they’re hiring it’s a game changer. I know I have to hash out with my parents what exactly my plans are for the next few months at least, because I’m very worried that if I end up taking the Illinois bar I’m going to end up being very unprepared. I mean, the substantive stuff is gonna be the same, so it can’t really be that different, but still, they have separate courses for separate reasons, and the bar is only 4 weeks out now (which is terrifying). So I know I need to figure that out very soon. But the party was fun, they had some good food including some heavenly poutine, and I got to talk to a lot of people I knew. It was funny, because when I worked under him like everybody else in the office I talked to was like “oh, he was my first supervisor when I worked here!” and he’s just honestly the sweetest most hardworking guy who often says and truly believes that he had the best job in the world, because we’re able to help children who can’t help themselves, and we even get paid for it where I’m sure many of these people would be here even without pay. I really liked that because it’s very much how I feel about the situation and where I want to be with all of this, so if this job works out I’m gonna be very pleased. Of course I have to go back to 7 am wake ups 5 days a week, but thankfully this time I won’t be cripplingly depressed so that won’t be such a big issue. When I was chatting with people my boss introduced me to one guy and said he was handling the appeal on the child death case I had worked with my boss, and that kind of peaked my interest, because not all that many people appeal, and I mean, they had a pretty  open and shut case. So I asked who was appealing and he said all three parents (mom, dad of the oldest 3, and dad of the twin babies) were, which is kinda ridiculous being that mom is in jail still for everything they could convict her on, which for some reason did not include a homicide charge, and I don’t think I will ever be over what a gross miscarriage of justice that is when dozens of similar cases (child neglected to the point where they starved to death) got murder charges. It’s just not fair. This sweet little boy deserved better. He deserved justice, not a minor penalty for “arson” because they lit his body on fire. Whenever I get frustrated and disillusioned about what I’m doing with my life I look at my wall where I have a picture of Manny, and it never fails to stiffen my resolve, because I never got to meet this sweet little boy, but there are so many other children out there like him that may end up dying at the hands of their parents that we can stop. How could I not throw everything in my life towards that? If the system is going to be broken (as it is), well then I’m going to be the one to fix it, even if it takes a lifetime. I’m rambling, I know, I just get emotional about that case. But anyway, back to the party, I spoke with the guy for a few minutes about how awful the case was and how it must’ve been even worse on the trial level than the appellate level. He said he “wasn’t worried” about it which I think is a very fair assessment. It all just reminded me of when I was in the first interview for the NYC job back in December and I was talking about working on the case and arguing a motion and this guy is just staring at me like I have two heads, and was like “......they let you do that?????” And I just kinda smiled and said that my boss had a lot of faith in me, and he did, and I think that sums up what kind of leader he was. There was a time of people talking and sharing stories which were all very nice. I ended up heading out around 8, receptionist guy (I do know his actual name, I forgot it at first but found it in my contacts) walked with me to the bus stop I was going out from, apparently his home was in the same direction lol. He has really nice eyes and eyelashes, and we spent a lot of the time at the party being low key flirty and like, even if this ends up being just nothing it was at least a good time. I had to switch buses, so I did that and had to wait for like 10 minutes for the next one to show, but at least it wasn’t either dreadfully hot or freezing out. Once I got home I jumped right back into my bar lecture because I know I needed to get that done, and I ended up with less than an hour (out of 4) left on it when I stopped a little before midnight. Tomorrow I’m gonna have to make a quick Target run at some point to pick up a prescription and get refills of my CO2 bottles for my sodastream, since I’m almost all the way out of those. I’m hoping to keep the trip short though (I may just uber there and back to save the hassle of timing multiple transit vehicles to work into a workable timeline). But other than that I’m going to be studying the rest of the day and hopefully knock out a good chunk of the work. It’s now past 2 am and I am quite tired, so I think I will be getting to bed and hopefully falling asleep at this time. Goodnight my loves. Happy Friday.