#it’s fine I’m fine I have like 20 hours to recreate this and other things 6 times it’s fine

[nekohooch]

People aren’t even gonna see this part why are you like thisssssssssssss

[chloeangelic]

Line cook Joel origin story drabble

Here’s what I think line cook Joel’s origin story is, some info about him and Sarah, his general personality and interests, relationship history etc that might explain what he’s like in my series Belong to me

This is my most self indulgent series and Joel iteration, be warned lmao

Warnings: SPOILERS for ch 1-3, mentions of child abandonment

Word count: 1.2k

Joel is 40 in this AU, and I feel like it takes place in 2005ish, which doesn’t really come through in the chapters but it’s how I see the whole situation in my head.

Joel had Sarah at 24, with a sort of low commitment on and off girlfriend at the time who was somewhere in the 22-24 range. I’m not sure why she decided to go through with the pregnancy (pressure from her parents, maybe?) but she did, and Joel figured he would be involved as a typical baby daddy, having the kid live with their mom and seeing them as often as possible. However, her mom likely decided she was gonna put Sarah up for adoption, which was obviously an immediate fuck no from Joel, who basically swooped in and got custody of her. The mom moved to another city, and I don’t think Sarah or Joel ever heard from her again. 

Out of all my fics, this is the one in which Sarah’s mom has been involved the least. In my other tales (Joel is always a dad in my works haha), her mom usually is mentioned to have been involved for 1-5 years, but in this one she was not involved at all, and I think Joel’s sole responsibility for her from such a young age has made their bond very strong. I definitely see them being best friends and having a very good line of communication. 

He worked in construction for many years until his early 30s (hence why he still has a truck instead of a regular car), then when he’d gotten to a pretty high level with cooking at home, Sarah pushed him to apply for a cooking job. He was tired of the long hours working in construction and thought it would be a nice change to have some free time. He’s pretty grumpy at work because he prefers working individually and doesn’t care to get involved in anyone’s disputes in a high pressure environment like that, doesn’t like to excessively share about his life etc. He’s very observant and definitely cares about the people around him, but he likes being left alone to do his work efficiently so he doesn't have to get stressed or fall behind.

Speaking of work; Jermaine, who they stole cigs from and is also a cook at the restaurant, is one of his closest friends, and they like to hang out from time to time. If Sarah is out doing things on the weekend or at a sleepover, I can see Joel and Jermaine playing GTA San Andreas and eating at his house, maybe he also plays on his basketball team. Jermaine is like 37 or something and more outgoing than Joel. He's definitely around if Sarah needs something and Joel isn't available, sort of like an uncle next to Tommy. His relationship to Tommy is fine, though he says in an upcoming chapter that he's "done enough for that jackass" in what is, presumably, a loving way but probably has some truth behind it.

This whole basketball thing is very funny to me for some reason, but here’s the story: 

Joel played basketball in middle and high school (purely because he ended up being 6’6” and his parents put him in sports very quickly), and continued to play on different teams in his 20s/30s at a competitive level. At this point, I see him playing on a long term recreational team and DON’T @ me if this sounds insane, cause I know very little about basketball, but I think he’s a power forward on his team. 

If he wants Sarah to do him a favor, he definitely tells her that he “passed up an opportunity to play in the NBA to raise her instead” which is a massive lie. He has dragged Sarah along to many basketball games throughout the years, and she gets kinda bored but knows it means a lot to him that she’s there. She prefers watching pro/college basketball with him, though, and they do that often. 

Other than that, in his free time, he works out at the gym pretty often, and for two reasons. One is to be a better player, the second is that he wants to give Sarah some space and not have her feel like he’s breathing down her neck all the time. So he gives her the house to herself for a few hours to decompress after being around people at school all day, while he goes to work out, then he comes home and makes her dinner. 

Entertainment wise, I see him liking a lot of 90s hip hop (Radio Los Santos anyone?) and he definitely is a Sopranos enjoyer. He probably does a really shitty Tony impression.

At work, he wears black pants, black t-shirts, and black high top converse shoes. At home I see him wearing a pretty typical combo of jeans, basketball shorts (obvi haha), sweatpants, t-shirts, long sleeved shirts, hoodies etc. This is likely my only non-flannel shirt wearing Joel. He of course wears a jersey and shorts while playing ball. 

As I mentioned, he doesn’t talk much about his life at work but he sometimes talks about Sarah, I think. They went on vacation together to Jamaica or something once and, when he came back, the waitress was like oooh, you’re so tan, look at you, and he was kinda flattered by her being touchy so he showed her vacation photos on his phone hahahaha

I obviously have to address his relationship to the waitress girly, so here:

As mentioned in ch 1, he has a very long term “crush” on her that started when she began working at the restaurant. I think they started talking more when she jokingly asked him to make her dinner cause she forgot to eat and then he actually did it, and she kept “forgetting” to eat so he kept cooking for her, and then she started bugging him on his breaks and he secretly liked it so then he started waiting for her to come out and keep him company. Also I say “crush” cause he’s obviously in love with her but hasn’t wanted to admit it to himself or anyone else haha, and she’s the same way back - which is why the narration is the way it is, with her actions showing her feelings but her not really conceptualizing them for herself, if that makes sense  

I think he said yes to her request to get her pregnant because, deep down, he does have a desire to have more kids, to be in a long term relationship etc. And sure, it’s a very unconventional way of going about it, but there’s obviously something in him that knows that he and this girl have a real chance at a relationship, so that confidence made him go okay, fuck it, let’s just do this completely out of order haha 

Prior to this, though, dating wise, I think he was in some relationships here and there, had some hookups but none of them really lasted all too long. Some of that might’ve been because he had full custody of Sarah and was never really by himself, he worked a lot, and always put Sarah first. Essentially he would need someone to fit into that puzzle, he wasn’t gonna try to make someone fit, they had to know and understand his situation and want to be a part of it.  

Let me know what you think or if you have any questions about this Joel of ours hahahah

[myherowritings]

order’s up!

— Osamu gets a big order of some rather strange rice ball combinations an hour before closing. He doesn’t expect that he’d find the customer who ordered to be so damn cute.

pairing: miya osamu x reader word count: 2,387 genre: fluff, post manga timeskip

a/n: first haikyuu fic and aHH it was so fun to write ,, i didn’t expect osamu to be my first but here we are and tbh i am not mad~ ;) FJSDHKJ hope u enjoy!!

“One unagi onigiri to go-- Your order’s ready!”

A middle-aged man stood up from his seat at the waiting area and headed over to the counter, thanking Osamu for the fresh onigiri and making brief small talk. As the man left, Osamu looked at the customer next in line, thankful there was only one person in here so close to closing time.

“I’ll be with you in a moment,” he stated when your gaze met his, lips quirking up to give his best customer service smile.

You nodded with a warm smile of your own before looking down at the phone in your hands, murmuring what he thought sounded like “salmon, plum, beef, extra green onions, heavy on the seasoning.” Now, he liked to think there were no rules to onigiri, but part of him did hope you wouldn’t ask for all those ingredients in one gigantic, imbalanced rice ball. Maybe you were reciting a large number of individual orders.

He shrugged. Money was money, and all onigiri was good onigiri when made with his special Miya love. Miya love that was specific to Osamu in particular, of course. Atsumu could never recreate it even if he tried-- Not that he ever tried. The day he tried in something other than volleyball would be the day Osamu said he was the worst onigiri chef in Japan.

In other words, never.

Osamu hustled over to the cash register and you took that as your cue to step forward, hands fidgeting with your wallet and cellphone.

He smirked to himself in silent amusement. A shy one, were you? By now he had lost count of all the nervous and fidgety costumers he had gotten at his shop, but to allow them to stay that way simply wouldn’t do. If his patrons weren’t 100% comfortable in his care--well, as comfortable they could be in an onigiri shop--it meant he was doing his job wrong.

As the owner of Onigiri Miya he wanted to make sure every customer would leave with a smile and a desire to come again soon. That was how he built rapport and got so many regulars after all.

“I can take your order whenever you’re ready,” said Osamu in a slow pace, encouraging you to slow your rhythm as you tapped your fingertip restlessly against your protective phone case. Were you in a hurry? You seemed rather antsy, but he went on. “There’s no rush here.”

There was less than an hour until closing and he figured you would be the last customer of the day-- Meaning there was no reason not to slow down. As much as Osamu appreciated how lively his hometown could be, he also enjoyed quieter moments like these.

Not everything had to be so loud. Not everything had to be moving so fucking fast all the time. And he learned that in some instances, he could just control the pace himself.

Your worried chatter brought him out of his musing. “Are you sure? Because I know you close soon and I really didn’t want to come in so late but the guys are still down over a loss and said this was their favorite comfort food,” you said, eyebrows furrowed in a tell of concern. “It’s kind of a big order, so if you need to start cleaning up for closing I can just go to another store-- Sorry for imposing!”

He blinked. He thought he just said there was no rush to imply he wasn’t worried and you shouldn’t be either, but you didn’t seem to pick up on that.

“Hey, you’re not imposing,” Osamu soothed, somewhat alarmed at your apprehension. “You said someone was down over a loss? You on a sports team?”

Losing sucked. Osamu knew this firsthand.

Sure, in hindsight it wasn’t the worst thing in the world, but while it could sure feel that way sometimes. If it was bad enough, it could take a few days to really get over and grow from it. So hearing that Onigiri Miya was someone’s comfort food that could help cheer them up on days like those… That certainly gave him reason to puff his chest up a little more.

“Yeah! Well, kind of.” You moved your head side-to-side as if unsure of your answer. “I help assist the volleyball team at my university. It’s my last year in school and I’m sure all of the other fourth years are bummed too.” Catching the small frown on your face, you stopped yourself before it spread, clearing your throat. “But it’s okay! At least we all had fun. And now they’ll be getting some of their favorite food to cheer them up-- If you’re still taking orders, that is…?”

He nodded. “‘Course I am.” Osamu flashed you a grin intended to make your worries disappear. “What kinda store owner would I be if I couldn’t make your team their pick-me-up food?”

The two of you shared a look before you tore your gaze away, biting your lower lip to hide your smile.

“Thank you, then,” you murmured, unlocking your phone to what appeared to be a notes app.

Osamu picked up his pen with a short hum. “Ready to take your order when you are.”

“Right.” You stared at your screen in concentration before listing off what you had written. “Can I have three salmon onigiris with green onions, two umeboshi and mentaiko with light seasoning and ginger, one tempura and unagi with green onions and sesame seeds and heavy seasoning, two…”

As he noted your orders, some arguably stranger than others--not that he should be one to judge, what with his own peculiar preferences--he made a mental note of how cute your voice sounded and tucked it away in the depth of his mind. Was cute the word for it? He wasn’t exactly sure, but he guessed that sounded okay enough. There was something about hearing you talk that made Osamu want to hear more, even if it was just a list of onigiri ingredients.

He huffed. Weird.

When you finished he repeated back your order, affirming it was all correct.

“Great, so I’ll be with you in about 15 to 20 minutes with your order ready,” he informed as he held the paper with the dishes he had to make. “You can have a seat at one of the tables ‘til I return.”

You nodded at his words but hesitantly opened your mouth. “Erm-- Wait!”

He looked back at you, mere steps away from the cooking area.

“Is it just you working at this hour?” you asked, standing with your hands folded behind your back as you craned your neck.

“Yeah, we don’t get many late customers on a Tuesday night so I’m the only one closin’ today.” Osamu gave you a curious once-over. Bright eyes, nervous yet playful smile, cute outfit-- Damn, he sure was using the word cute a lot today. All in relation to you nonetheless. “Why?”

“Are you sure the order isn’t too big for you in this hour?” Once again, you were fretting. He reckoned he ought to teach you some relaxation techniques and tips of how to be less...selfless. “Do you need some, uh, help?”

The corner of Osamu’s lip twitched upwards. Help? What were you planning on doing if he said yes? Learn the basics of food safety and onigiri-making in less than 20 minutes so you could assist him in making your order?

Something told him that was, in fact, what you were ready to do.

Cute.

“Stop stressin’, sweetheart,” he said with a tsk, not bothering to hide his amused grin. “I’ve handled bigger orders than this. You just rest your pretty little head and I’ll be finished before you know it.”

Though you still looked concerned, you nodded and sat down, probably figuring you would be more of a hindrance in his onigiri-making flow than anything else.

“Don’t miss me too much-- And don’t even think of saying sorry or anythin’ like that!” His tone was teasing but he meant what he said. You were a customer at Onigiri Miya and he wanted no patron of his to be worrying this much if he could do anything to help it. “The store’s still open and I’ve no issue taking your order. ‘Kay?”

You blinked. “Okay. I… Thank you, uh, Miya-san.”

“Just Miya’s fine.”

“Right. Miya. Thank you.”

He sauntered off into the kitchen to get started with your order and as he went through making your onigiri, he hoped you wouldn’t still be feeling bad about a big order that wasn’t even that big compared to others he got. Besides, you had already paid for the order. There was no point worrying after the transaction went through.

Osamu soon made his way down the list of rice balls and, just like he promised, popped his head out of the kitchen along with three, full takeout containers in record time.

“For the cutest customer here tonight-- Order’s up!”

You perked up at the mouthwatering smell of his onigiri, pressing a hand to your stomach as you hummed. “I’m the only customer here tonight, but since your food smells so yummy I will choose to let that comment slide.”

Holding the bag of takeout in front of his, Osamu smirked at your surprisingly steadfast composure. You didn’t get flustered at his unabashed compliment like he thought you would, and for some reason that made you seem even more appealing.

As you accepted the order, he quipped, “Only customer here or not, you’re still the cutest.”

You wrapped your fingers around the handle of the takeout bag, the edge of your pinky brushing against his thumb. “Hmm, then-- I guess you’re definitely the cutest worker here tonight, even though it is by default.”

Osamu laughed, both in amusement and in happiness after finally getting you to feel comfortable in his shop.

“A compliment’s a compliment and I’m not above being the cutest by default,” he said with a lazy drawl, watching as you set the onigiri bag on the counter in front of you while easing into a conversation with him.

“As if you would ever have to win by default. You seem much too handsome and talented for that.”

It sounded like you were flirting. Were you flirting? He noted the mischievous glint in your eyes and the way you lingered in the store instead of leaving once you received your order.

Yeah. You were so flirting.

“Cute.”

“Huh?”

“Oh, nothing.” He smiled secretively but wouldn’t expand on what he said despite your questioning look.

You narrowed your eyes. “Sure, okay then.” Your fingers wrapped and unwrapped themselves from the handle of the to-go bag, like you didn’t want to leave just yet but didn’t know what was left to say. “Well-- Um, thank you for the order! I’m sure this’ll cheer the team right up.”

“And you as well, I hope.”

“Of course. I haven’t even tasted it but it already has.”

Just being here already has, is what you seemed to say. Osamu rather liked that implication.

“But… I still feel kind of bad for ordering all this so close to your closing hours,” you said sheepishly, rubbing the side of your neck like it had a knot. “I’m sorry.”

Osamu waved his hand at your words. “Please, what do you have to apologize for? Making me do my job?” he asked cheekily, his sideways grin showing teeth. “You shouldn’t feel bad.” He noticed the way you brought your lower lip into your mouth with uncertainty and he continued, “But if you still do...there is a way you could repay me and soothe those worries.”

You looked up, eyes widened. “How? I’d do anything.”

Dangerous words coming from such pretty little lips.

He adjusted the cuffs of his sleeves, unintentionally bringing your attention to his forearms. “Let me treat you out this weekend, yeah?”

Your gaze followed his hands as you nodded. “Yea--” You blinked to snap out of your daze and he stifled a laugh. “Wait, wait! Shouldn’t I be the one to treat you?”

“What kinda gentleman would I be if I were to ask you out on a date and tell you to pay?”

Maybe Atsumu would’ve made his date pay for their meal and activities of the day, but Osamu wasn’t him. Osamu had class.

“A date?” you parroted. “As in one with me? And you? Together?”

There wasn’t anyone else in the store he could be asking. Nope, just you and your awkwardly cute self.

Osamu nodded in affirmation. A date is just what he was asking you out on. “Well, only if you want, of course.”

You bit the inside of your cheek to contain the wide smile that threatened to spread across your face. “I wouldn’t mind a date with the cutest worker here tonight,” you teased, looking around the store before meeting landing on his face. “I still want to be the one to treat you, though. It’s the least I could do.”

As happy as he was that you didn’t reject him, he didn’t give. “Don’t worry about treating me-- Your company’s a better treat than money could buy.” You snorted at his pickup line and Osamu silently cursed his brother for saying that line would always work. And then cursed himself for believing it. “Look, I’ll pay. I insist.”

“I insist too.”

You held each other’s gaze, neither one wavering. He seemed to realize you weren’t going to give in, but he wasn’t planning on it either. He huffed, shaking his head, entertained. “Okay, then. How ‘bout we rock-paper-scissors it when the day comes?”

“Fine by me,” you laughed, hiding the bottom half of your face with your hand. He wanted to hold it in his so he could see the full smile you were covering, but Osamu decided he could save that for another time. “But don’t think you’ll have an easy win! I’ll have you know I play a mean game of rock-paper-scissors.”

“‘Course you do, sweetheart.”

And he didn’t doubt that at all.

As strange as the orders were and as nervous as you may have been at the start, Osamu found himself rather fond of you. Was working overtime worth it just for a date with a cute costumer?

Yeah, he decided. It was.

a/n: y/n’s vball team waiting for their comfort food after a bad loss while y/n and osamu are just there flirting after hours: 👁💧👄💧👁

[froggie-recs-fics]

Fic Roundup (up to 9/26/21)

I'm gonna start collecting fics I've read recently to recommend them, because making trope lists takes too long and many fics fall by the wayside. Let me know if you like this new format!

The fandoms in this list are as follows: Marvel (SamBucky, HTP, SpideyPool, WinterHawk, WinterIron, Stony, Stucky, SpiderShield), DCU (Bane/Blake), Inception (Arthur/Eames), Teen Wolf (Sterek).

A * signifies a particular favorite (though I love all these fics)

Marvel

Sam/Bucky

double back by flowermasters (E, 12K, Post-Endgame, Time Loop, Time Travel)

Sam gets stuck in a time loop. In 1943.

Things could be worse, but they could certainly be better.

Companion piece here: quick time

I'll explain everything to the geese by napricot (Post-Endgame, E, 50K, Sam can talk to birds)

Bucky is so competent that it hurts my feelings is not a rational complaint to have about a person, and yet, after a year of being Captain America and partnering up with Bucky for the new and improved, post-Blip Avengers, that’s kinda how Sam’s feeling.

It’s not great. It maybe leads to Sam making some rash, ill-advised decisions like claiming he has a previously undisclosed superpower, and then getting caught in a web of lies when he ends up actually developing that surprisingly inconvenient superpower. Talking to birds had seemed like a harmless superpower, but it turns out that birds have a lot of opinions, and they don’t hesitate to tell Sam about them, especially when it comes to his supposedly subpar courting skills. Which is ridiculous, because Sam isn’t courting Bucky. Right?

Rumlow/Bucky

**blueprints for a better world series by itallstartedwithdefenestration @astralhux (CATWS, Post-CATWS, Noncon, E, 115K, Dark Main Character)

When Pierce discovers the asset is no longer capable of getting himself hard during recreational use, he tells Rumlow to figure out what the problem is, and to fix it. The solution turns out to be more complicated than anyone expected.

I can't recommend this series enough

Peter/Wade

*Dead Men Walking series by doctorestranged @lazystrawberrymilkshakes (E, 235K, Identity Porn, Slow Burn)

When a series of murders take place, Peter Parker goes undercover in Sister Margaret’s to get intel on Tony Stark’s prime suspect: Deadpool. Peter goes in hoping to get enough information so that Spider-Man can save the day, but like everything in Peter’s life, it becomes a bit more complicated than that and it soon becomes apparent that he might not be the best fit for the job.

All About Chemistry by TwiceBakedPotato @sedatedkoala (No Powers AU, M, CNTW, 74K, Teacher-Student Relationship, Slow Build)

After serving his 20 years in the Marine Corps, Wade Wilson is cashing in his GI Bill and going back to college. He feels like the old man on campus, but that doesn't matter. He likes his classes. He likes learning. And he especially likes his Chemistry professor with the messy brown hair.

Clint/Bucky

Making Me A Habit by Kangofu_CB @kangofu-cb (No Powers AU, T, 20K, Pet Store, Slow Burn, Pining, Misunderstandings)

Bucky is a disabled vet struggling with reintegrating into civilian life. He has a routine and a rhythm, and he doesn't like to let anything - big or small - disrupt it. That all changes the day Bucky finds himself inside CATastrophe, the local pet rescue, recovering from a panic attack in the back room of the shop.

He’s used to walking by the place, not visiting, but the next thing Bucky knows, he’s hanging signs and being used as a climbing tree for a bunch of freshly-acquired kittens. And he just...keeps going back. First for the kittens, then for the disaster shop owner who rescues actual kittens from actual trees and teaches archery as a side-gig, and eventually because he’s hopelessly in love.

(Clint was in love before Bucky ever walked in the door.)

*Nameless by AvaKelly (Post-CATWS, M, 101K, Time Travel, Time Loop, Slow Burn)

A gun is pointed at him before he can even move from his position, the Soldier's metal arm steady in its aim. Clint sighs.

"Nemo," Clint says. "It's tattooed on your wrist, right here," he lifts his right hand and taps his left index finger where his palm ends.

The Soldier's eyes widen. "How do you know this?"

"I put it there."

Glitter, G-Strings and Other Mission Hazards by flawedamythyst @flawedamythyst (T, 16K, Undercover, Stripper Clint)

“Which is why you need me to shake my booty for cash,” said Clint.

“Precisely,” said Coulson. “You’re the only agent we have who wouldn’t need additional training in the skills of an exotic dancer to take on the mission, and we want to get someone in there as soon as possible.”

Clint nodded, shutting the file. “Okay, awesome. I’ll dig out my sequined g-string.”

“You’ll have full access to requisition any costumes you might need,” said Coulson.

A mission requires Bucky to be Clint's back-up as he goes undercover as a stripper, which gets more difficult with every new costume he comes out in.

Paternal Error by EVVS @skylarkevanson (Post-CATWS, T, 33K, Kid Fic, Established Relationship)

Bucky has never once thought of being a parent. Not since the Winter Solider happened.

Until he falls in love with Clint Barton. And that idiot just keeps collecting children for his flock.

Now Bucky has to pretend like he's good at parenting.

Bucky/Tony

Forms of Love by bear_bell (Post-CACW, E, 33K, Split Personalities)

Months after the Avengers' dispute in Germany, the team returns to the US and moves back into the tower. As always, everyone pretends that nothing happened. Tony is just fine with this. He's used to pretending, and he'll be damned if he lets any of them see him flinch.

Tony's the bad guy, after all. He's used to it. He's fine with it. He's good at it.

Only now, there's something far worse loitering around the tower - The Winter Soldier. No one notices the guy at first, but when they do, Tony figures that he should have the soldier's back.

Birds of a feather should flock together, and the bad guys should start a book club.

Steve/Tony

While You Were Sleeping by betheflame @betheflame (No Powers AU, M, 65K, While You Were Sleeping AU)

It's been years since Steve Grant Rogers Drysdale has spoken to his twin, Ransom. So it was quite a shock when he was summoned to a hospital and found out that Ransom was in a coma.

Even more shocking? That Ransom is engaged. To Tony Stark.

Steve/Bucky

The Road Goes Ever On And On by PipGraham (Omegaverse AU, M, Noncon, Graphic Violence, 20K, Road Trip, Pre-Serum Steve, Past Domestic Violence)

When Brock's continued domestic abuse puts not only Steve's life in danger, but also that of his unborn pup, he flees into the night with just a small backpack of clothes and almost no money to his name.

Steve quickly runs into trouble as he tries to embark on a 3-day cross-country bus journey back home to New York City.

He meets a kind veteran when he most needs a helping hand.

Just Words by LadyRazzle (crimegimp) @ladyrazzle (Pre-CATFA, Soulmate AU, T, 2K, Fluff)

Inspired by that now legendary post: "soulmate AU where you wake up on your 18th birthday with the first words your soulmate will say to you tattooed on your body so you’ll know them when you meet them." Well what if they appear the moment you turn 18, rather than just the day? And what if by the time you turn 18, you'd already fallen in love?

Bucky wasn’t eager to discover what the words said. He already knew what he wanted them to say. He always had.

Peter/Steve

Forgetting It's There by spinstitcher (stygian) (NR, 8K, Crack, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Identity Porn)

“You’re Captain America,” he blurts out.

“What?” says Captain America, looking a little wide-eyed. He casts a nervous glance at the girl at the counter – he has nothing to worry about there, she’s rocking out to her iPod and could care less what they’re talking about – and says, “No, uh, Steve, it’s just, I’m Steve.”

“Right,” says Peter, and then because his brain-to-mouth filter had apparently been completely destroyed in the fight on Oscorp Tower: “Hey, your butt really is as tight as it looks on TV.”

DCU

Bane/Blake

7 Deadly Ass(as)sins by teacuphuman @teacuphuman09 (AU, E, 23K, BDSM)

Bane and Barsad own a sex shop and John needs a job.

Straws by Menirva (Bane/Blake/Barsad, AU, E, 38K, BDSM)

John works in a smoothie shop.

He has a knack, a second sense if you will, for being able to look at a person and know what they're going to order. It's not the most spectacular gift in the world but he likes being able to figure people out and he's never wrong.

Except for this scruffy asshole who is clearly just ordering the wrong thing to fuck with him.

How is he even finishing an extra-large?

Inception

Aurthur/Eames

Rough Trade by Whisky (whiskyrunner) @whiskyrunner (AU, E, 23K, Internalized Homophobia)

Arthur is an investment banker. He is professional and efficient. He's a halfway decent cook. He's totally independent and has been since the age of eighteen. Maybe he's tired all the time because he works about ninety hours a week which is twice what normal people do, but he's rich and he's competent at his job. He's almost thirty, and already a success.

And there are some things Arthur is not. For instance: Arthur is not gay.

Lucky by earlgreytea68 @earlgreytea68 (M, 37K, Kid fic)

Arthur finds a baby.

Teen Wolf

Stiles/Derek

Cut to the Bone by standinginanicedress (Omegaverse AU, E, 112K, Secret Relationship, Enemies to Lovers kinda)

“Not that it’s any of your god damn business, but my name is Stiles. Do you need something?”

The alpha grins. All teeth, shiny white, straight as an arrow. He’s got this sculpted perfection to him that Stiles is sure has worked on all the omegas he’s ever encountered before, but Stiles stands his ground and narrows his eyes. “A date.”

Stiles looks him up and down, slowly, from the black shoes on his feet, to his uniform khakis and blazer littered with pins, to his face. He frowns, makes a face, and says, “pass.”

Cornerstone by Vendelin (Human AU, E, 83K, Marine Derek, Blind Stiles, Friends to Lovers)

Suffering from PTSD, ex-Marine Derek Hale moves back to Beacon Hills to open a bookshop and find a calmer life. That’s where he meets Stiles, completely by accident. Stiles is talkative, charming and curious. Somehow, despite the fact that he’s blind, he’s able to read Derek like no one else.

Stand Fast in Your Enchantments by DevilDoll, Rahciach (AU, Graphic Violence, E, 76K, Captivity, Feral Derek)

"Stiles knew damn well what a pissed-off wolf sounded like, and every hair on the back of his neck was telling him that somewhere in this room was a very pissed-off werewolf." An AU in which Derek is feral, Stiles is magical, and they eat a lot of fast food.

The Payoff Pitch by Leslie_Knope (Sports AU, E, 83K, Coming Out, Friends to Lovers)

Derek is on the cusp of his second season with the LA Dodgers, and as the reigning runner-up Rookie of the Year, the pressure’s on him to become the team’s star pitcher and lead them to the playoffs for the first time in five years. He’s trying to deal with the burden of expectations and really has zero desire to spend any extra time or energy on anything that isn’t baseball.

But then he meets Stiles.

[shesawriter39049]

|Breakdown’s & Bugatti’s| M|

PAIRING: Namjoon x Reader (Ft a hint of Tae & Jin)

About- Namjoon just does what he has to do to keep you ....calm while at a charity gala!  

OR:

CHAPTER 1 : MEET THE KIMS OF NEW YORK 

**WARNINGS: **Semi public sex, Fingering (F receiving), Minimal prep, Light dirty talk, Light spit play, Choking, Spanking, Gags (Makeshift), Non protective sex (Creampie), light overstimulation

WC: 7K (This is a sneak peak so it’s 1.2k)

NON SEXUAL WARNINGS: (Fictional political background)  Hints at recreational drug use (Molly) Brief mentions of death, father issues, and panic attacks/anxiety (All of these topics are super minor but again, out of respect I’m mentioning them) 

The remaining “characters” will be introduced at a later date

This chapter hints at various future plots 

This is almost 2 years old, I reworked it recently 

If you’ve been following me for a while this is the original draft for “Club First Royale” 

FINAL NOTE: I haven’t been active in damn hear a year ( 8 months) So I am posting sneak peeks intentionally! No, not to torture you guys lol but to get my blog flowing again because I’m sure people aren’t really checking in anymore

OT7 ALTERNATING STORYLINES

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

FINALLY, fuck 36737 years later you spot your Kim!

Standing there in all his glory, in a Valentino slim fit navy blue suit, the jacket appearing to have some sort of paisley print, opting against a tie. Leaving his crisp white dress shirt slightly unbuttoned, teasing at his broad carnalized chest as he makes his way from the bar. Heading over to the table, which has an empty seat waiting right beside him with your name written all over it...literally!

Purposely dodging the old lady to your left in a coat that would have PETA ready to throw hands! Gaudy diamonds, terrible Botox, and smelled as if she showered in an entire bottle Chanel No. 5! 

Yeah, no, sorry, not in the mood for another meet and greet right now!

“Joonie” Squeals from your lips once you’re in close enough proximity, his dark piercing eyes cut over to meet yours. A playful smirk tugging on those sinfully thick lips of his, accompanied by those disrespectful ass dimples!

“There she is!” Eyes dripping with warmth, as he ushered you in with open arms ,and in these types of situations, Namjoon felt like home, he was your safe space. “You look fuckin good” The words hushed into your hair in a tenor meant for your ears and your ears only! A hint of something a little more than just friendly playing on his tongue. 

A small little “Thank you” leaves your lips, and if I didn't know any better I’d think the compliment made you a little flustered.

Namjoon was the definition of Ocean arm’s and goddamn if you didn't just love how big this man was! It literally felt like he was hiding you from the entire universe when he has you nuzzled into his frame! The whole interaction couldn't have lasted longer than 20 seconds in all actuality but god you needed it! 

Face flush to his chest, wrapping your arms firm around his waist, letting your eyes flutter shut briefly, a deep slow exhale flooded through your body. Inhaling the musky yet sweet scent of his cologne mixed with his natural aroma, which has grown to become a calming mechanism over the years. 

“You had me worried for a minute…” Placing a quick kiss in your hair, that you would have missed if you blinked but again, your in public soo...

Palms soothing up and down your back gently, as he breathed into your hair , pulling back a little so there was some form of personal space between the two of you.  

“Your late, even for you princess...I know you started early, I got your live(Instagram) notification, so what happened?” Head clocked to the side as he appraises you and fuck, the bass in his voice still has you all types of fucked up! Glancing over your shoulder briefly before leaning up to place a kiss on the hinge of his jaw, that tittered the line of passing as an “innocent” greeting. 

“I’m fine Jonnie it’s nothing, we just got held up in glam.., Ariel was flying in from Miami...we got a late start” Gaze intentionally diverted as you welcomed yourself to his glass of Scotch instead. Damn near inhaling the entire drink as we speak and you hated dark liquor so that alone let him know something was up!  

Merely resisting the urge to smooth out the crease he felt forming between his brows, a dry snort left his lips, rolling his eyes in response to your blatant stubbornness. Nevertheless, always the gentleman, reaching down to pull out your chair so you could take a seat next to him. Mirroring your actions just moments prior, quickly scoping out his surroundings before he brought those plush pillows he calls lips a centimeter away from your ear.

Fuck. 

  “Right, so I'm just going to assume you don’t wanna talk about it right now! Or wait I’m sorry, have you just upgraded to insulting my intelligence straight to my damn face?” 

Brow quirked inquisitively, and you could literally feel every word, tone taking on a hint of seriousness the more he talked. Namjoon licked his lips and the tip skimmed the edge of your ear and I - . 

“For one you smell like an entire bottle of Heidsieck, I can almost taste the nicotine on your tongue and you've been crying I know you. ”  

Pulling back just enough to glare down at you above the brim of his glasses, which he always wore low along his bridge. Eyes daring you to look him in the face a lie again, teasing his fingers through his chocolate locks. Styled in the perfect semi grown out undercut, the top a little on the long side, while the sides tapered into a crisp fade. Sideburns outlining that extremely understated jawline of his! Though you had to admit the yellow gold diamonds dawning his ears were kinda stealing the show right now! 

“So again, do you just not wanna talk about it right now? Or have you forgotten that I have an IQ of 137, and can smell bullshit from here all the way to Gangnam!?” 

You're having very vivid day daydreams of your hand wrapped around this man's windpipe and for once it’s not even remotely sexual! 

Blatantly ignoring the strong twitch within Namjoon’s jaw and simply saying “I’m here, aren’t I!?” Face stoic, tone flat as all hell, in case it wasn’t clear that this conversation was more than over, you opted to eye his bourbon glazed salmon until he got the hint.

 “Oh, for fucks sake! ” Hissed from his lips without a lick of heat behind them, because as quiet as it’s kept ,your lowkey Joon’s baby, which is why he cares to begin with! Picking up a piece on his fork before essentially shoving it into your hand ”Your lucky I can’t have your ass getting sick on me tonight, we still have like, 3 hours left of this bullshit.”

More like he just can’t tell you no, but hey, whatever helps him sleep at night! Sliding his plate in your direction, completely giving up on eating at this point, he knew you needed it more anyway! Finally, starting to feel your mix of poisons hit your system so you knew you needed  to even it out with a little substance. I mean yeah, you could have just ordered your own plate but meh, this was easier! 

Namjoon started busying himself on his phone while you ate, scrolling through a couple contacts until he landed on a contact labeled under “Kookie”.

“Even though you were only late because “Your glam team ran late” There were air bunnies involved, and again you just really wanna choke his ass!  “What are you thinking tonight? He’s actually on his way here right now, but he already has a couple options on him...” 

The question was vague and for damn good reason...considering…

However you knew exactly what he was referring too.., and thank god!

Speaking over a mouth full of salmon, sounding utterly exasperated!  “Honestly, any fucking thing at this point…” 

Namjoon hums thoughtfully, sucking on a Bourbon soaked Ice cube “He’ll be here in 20, I just went with Smartees…always a safe bet...” 

Smartees, candy, Vitamin -E, Molly... Estcasy...it’s all one and the same, just depends on who you ask!

He leans back in, apparently keen on whispering tonight. “Maybe, if your a good girl and eat enough we can split one before we leave...chill you out a little bit. '' Voice thick and heady, lips curling into a grin with a hint of something wicked playing on the ends, as his fingers idly ghost over your forearm. Giving it a light squeeze and regardless of how innocent the skin-ship may seem to the naked eye, you’re well aware of all the underlying innuendos behind it! 

You make a noise of agreement, trying your damnedest to ignore the slight chill coursing up your spine at the pet name. Though before you could even dwell, Namjoon was sliding back in with another update, this one however wasn't as...arousing…to say the least!

“Fox 2’s been waiting for you to get here by the way...since the event was put together by council and all. They've been wanting to talk to us together about the fundraiser, just the same shit as last year.” 

Waving his hand dismissively idly twirling the various pieces of Bvlgari around his fingers, seemingly un-phased while you on the other hand...release the most exasperated huff! Reclining against your seat, eyes rolling to the back of your head in 30 different directions! Yeah, It comes with the territory, you know this, hints Namjoons reaction, or lack thereof!  But fuck you just really weren’t in the mood to do press tonight, It’s literally physically exhausting to pretend that you weren’t just PISSED! 

“Of -fuckin- course they do!” Stabbing your mashed potatoes in a way that's... somewhat concerning… 

“Baby.” It was a warning, though his voice sat barley above a whisper, his tone was crystal! Eyes cutting in your direction briefly before dropping back down to his phone….

You didn't have it in you to argue, there’s no way around this anyway, fuck it!  “What -the-fuck-ever!” Sliding the half empty plate aside “Well, you wanna just get it out of the way now? Because I’m really not in the mood for-”

“Y/n..oh my god! Hi, honey how are you!? You look beautiful as always…” Suddenly there was a human, a human wearing the wrong shade of foundation kissing your cheek. A human by the name of Caroline, one of the local news anchors...clearly her damn ears were ringing.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Hi guys, that’s all she wrote, well kinda, actually she finished it like 16 months ago lol but that’s all she wrote for now I guess....

**_

_****Love you...see ya soon!!**

***SIDE NOTE, MY FRIEND MADE THE TWITTER EDIT SO DON’T ASK LOL IDK ****

UPDATE: HEADCANONS FOR THE KIM BOYS/OC

  HEADCANONS

[anothers-trash-my-treasure]

Stoners

Stoner Snaf <3 So this one's kinda weird, I based it around the Watch Me from fictober so if you haven't already read that, I suggest reading it first! It's also set in a post COVID world because I need something to look forward to. Disclaimer; I wrote this while very high last night and didn't really edit it so it's probably a mess.

Pairing: Merriell Shelton / Female Reader

Warnings: 18+, unprotected sex (don't do this), recreational drug use, if you squint there's some kinky undertones but nothing too crazy.

Word Count: 4.4K (i haven't written something this long is forever omf)

Tags: @edteche2 @xmxisxforxmaybe @diasimar @txmel @gloriousdarkangelsworld @paradoxicaltornado @404-not-found-xix

Enjoy and happy 4:20

~

Ever since the pandemic, you hadn’t been able to do crowds. Not like you used to anyways. It killed you a little bit because all the things you missed doing so much involved crowds; concerts, clubbing, festivals, travelling. Getting back into the swing of things took time. The feeling of being surrounded by people you don’t know set every one of your nerves on fire in the worst way. It felt so...

Uncomfortable.

This is probably why you didn’t last more than a half-hour at some seedy dive bar your friends had dragged you out to for the night. They begged you to go out with them, if even only for a drink or two. It had been so long since the whole group had a proper outing, it was nice to have the gang out for a night. Until some dickhead grabbed your ass and whispered some unwanted filth in your ear, his breath hot and unpleasant on your skin. After that, you were quick to grab your bag and say goodbye to your friends. You knew they were disappointed, but you could still feel the strangers breathe on your skin like it had been singed.

You welcomed the cool air of the night, feeling it immediately cool your skin. You hadn’t realized how warm it was inside but now that you were out in the open, you felt better. The burning on your neck had settled, more of an afterthought now. Your brain still felt overwhelmed, and you knew exactly how to remedy that.

Sitting down at one of the picnic table benches nearby, you began to sift through your bag when a voice rang out through the quiet streets.

“Well aren’t you a sight for sore eyes,”

You’d know that slow drawl anywhere, you’d go so far as to say it near haunted your dreams.

“Merriell Shelton,” you beam up at him as he walks closer to you, nodding at his friends to continue without him, “I haven’t seen you since-”

“That last party.” He nods, smiling at you in the way where you’re not quite sure if he’s flirting with you or if he’s just that naturally gorgeous, “when I taught ya’ how to smoke.”

An excited smile bubbles onto your face and you shake your head at him, “Oh, you’d be so proud of me. I’ve grown so much since then.”

You resume digging through your bag to find your various forms of weed paraphernalia you carry with you. The pandemic had not been kind to you, and some days it felt like the only thing keeping your head above water was your bedtime joint. It wasn’t something you were terribly proud of, but it helped your anxiety and that was good enough for you lately.

He barks out a laugh at your response and you can’t help the pride the swells up inside of you knowing that you made him laugh like that. He comes to sit on the bench, placing himself close enough that it wasn’t weird, but far away enough so that he wasn’t directly in your space.

“What, you some kinda stoner or something now?” he asks as you layout your joints and pipes. He whistles, a mix between being impressed and mocking, when you pull out your vape too, “Damn, you got a bong in there too?”

Now it’s your turn to laugh, “No, that stays at home.” you say with a wink, “So, how have you been?” you ask, starting to put everything but your joints back in your bag.

He blows out through his lips and laughs a little, running a hand through his hair, “Been better lately, that’s all that matters, I s’pose.” He watched, something like a weird form of pride in his eyes as you pull out a joint and light it carefully. You certainly can’t complain, you forgot how great it felt to have his eyes on you.

You hum knowingly, “That’s what I keep telling myself, anyway,” you hold the joint up hesitantly.

“I don’t usually share my joints anymore, but if you’ve got your shots...” you shrug, your sentence tapering off. It’s a weird world you live in now, no one quite knows what’s socially acceptable anymore.

He smirks at you, amused, taking the joint from your fingers, “I’ve got my shots alright,”

His eyes don’t leave yours as he brings it up to his lips and takes his hit. He’s not even doing anything out of the ordinary, but he looks like he’s up to no good in every way. It’s like he’s just taking you in as if comparing you to the girl he met years ago.

“You changed,” he comments on an exhale, passing it back.

You nod, laughing softly, “Turns out I get really impulsive when I’m alone,”

He scoffs, “tell me about it,” and then he’s shrugging off his hoodie to reveal a handful of new tattoos covering his skin, “Buddy of mine is an artist,”

You gasp, ‘ooo’ing at some of the more complex pieces. Without thinking your hand darts out to let your fingers drag against his forearm, following the linework of the ink. His muscle twitches beneath your fingers involuntarily and you’re reminded of how long you’ve gone without intimate touches like this. You wonder if it’s the same for him. Did he long to be touched so innocently like this too?

“They’re wonderful,” you say, pulling your hand away, still admiring from a distance.

“Yea, I like ‘em.” He shrugs, nodding at you to take the last pulls from the joint, it’s your weed after all, “You get any?”

You shook your head, “No, surprisingly enough every time I finally convinced myself to book an appointment, shops got shut down again.” You said, only kind of bitterly.

He laughs and you scowl at him, “Aw, baby, don’t be like that,” he laughs, swatting at you half-heartedly, “Look, I betcha I can get you a discount at my buddy’s shop.”

You eye him suspiciously, “I can’t tell if you’re kidding.”

He puts a hand to his chest with a lazy smirk, “On god,”

You bite your lip to suppress a smile, shaking your head lightly, “Okay fine but that just means you’ll get to see a whole lot more of me,”

His smirk turns darker, into something more playfully suggestive, “I have no problem with that,”

A silence fills the space between you as you both take each other in. You had really only hung out with him that one night and nothing had really happened. You just sat and talked really. You talked for a while. You talked so long you didn’t realize the party had ended until your friend came to get you. You exchanged numbers and then just a few weeks after, you were instructed to start isolating. You’d kept up a steady social media friendship since then, but you had missed actually talking to him. He wasn’t much of a texter. The silence only lasts a moment, but it feels thick with tension.

“You look good by the way,” he comments, leaning ever so slightly closer to you, “I meant to say that earlier but then you made me strip for ya-”

“Whoawhoawhoa!!” you sputter through a laugh, “I did not make you do anything, you did that yourself.”

He shakes his head at you, “Nah, that doesn’t sound like me.”

You're giggling at this point, “You’re ridiculous.”

He beams at you, clearly pleased with himself for the moment. It settles for a second as he looks at you, eyes softening a bit before he glances down, nudging your knee with his a bit, “I missed you,” He cringes a bit, “I know it’s weird to say but, I did.”

Your nodding before you can even think to play it even a little bit cool, “No, I get it,” you assure him, smiling softly, “I missed you too, actually.”

He hums, smiling a rare soft smile at you before changing the subject, clearly wanting to shift the attention away from his moment of vulnerability, “So why aren’t you inside?” he asks.

“Oh,” you glance back at the bar behind you, having forgotten it was even there, “I was heading out, I wasn’t really in the mood for dive bars tonight.”

He nods, “The crowds right?” you nod and he’s talking again before you can ask him how he knows that, “I get it, sometimes being so close to that many people again makes me wanna crawl out my skin.” he chuckles.

You nod, a weight lifting off your shoulders to know you’re not alone, “Exactly, it’s not something I’ve gotten used to yet.”

“Well, can I walk you home?” he offers with a smile, “I’m in no rush to head in there,”

You smile and nod, “I’d like that,”

~

Somehow he had ended up on your couch. You weren’t entirely sure when walking you home had turned to him being on your couch, but you certainly weren’t complaining. You were both pleasantly high, talking anything from movie theories to possible dystopian futures and alien invasions.

“Look, I’m jus’ sayin’ that if I was an alien, I wouldn’t wanna fuck a human, are you kidding?” he reasons, eyes squinted as if he’s offended and your laughing so hard you have tears in your eyes, “Nah, I’m goin’ for a much cooler species.”

He watches you as you fight back giggles at his ridiculousness, a lazy, grin settled on his face. He reaches for his jacket that’s slung across the arm of the couch, reaching into his pocket to pull out his own stash and you gasp, mocking offence.

“You had your own weed all this time and you’ve been smoking mine?”

He rolls his eyes, settling the joint between his lips and lighting it. He inhales slowly, watching the tip as it sparks to life, eyes flicking back to you as he exhales, “I was gonna share,”

He holds out the joint for you, however as soon as you go to steal it he holds it back, just out of your reach, “what’s the magic word?”

“Oh my god, are you kidding?” you ask through a laugh, straining forward further in an effort to reach it but you’re hindered from the way you’re sitting. You make grabby hands at it instead.

“Ya want it or not?” he asks, eyebrows raised expectantly. There’s a tension between the two of you, still mostly playful but turning ever the more thick as the moments pass by.

You huff, getting comfy again in your spot, keeping your hand stretched out lazily, “Please,”

As soon as the word leaves your lips you can see his eyes get darker, that infuriating smirk only stretching across his face and you’re so mad that that’s all it takes for the playfulness between you to shatter into pure sexual tension.

Without a word he hands you the joint, enjoying the way you quickly bring it into your mouth for a deep drag to calm your rising nerves. It’s infuriating, how good he looks like this. All calm and relaxed on your couch in the low living room light, curls messy and looking at you through hooded eyelids. You want him. Just his eyes on you like this has a warmth pooling in the pit of your stomach.

You try to play it cool though, taking another slow drag and enjoying the way the smoke rises up around you. His eyes zero in on your lips, watching with a peaked interest as they wrap around the filter, watching the way the smoke escapes them. Neither of you say a word for a while. Just sitting in a comfortable quiet, a forgotten Spotify playlist playing in the background as you pass the joint back and forth.

He didn’t make his move until the final few hits of it. He shifts to sit straighter on your couch, a little more proper. What left his mouth was anything but.

“C’mere,” he says lowly, cocking his head to the side and gesturing to his lap, “gotta nice seat for ya,”

You don’t hesitate to comply, your high erasing any ideas of playing hard to get. You maneuver yourself as gracefully as you can, swinging a leg over his and settling there, straddling him comfortably with his hands on your hips. Once you're settled he raises the joint to his lips, taking in the last drag, eyes glimmering in the low light of the room. He holds it for a second, one hand moves upwards to cup the back of your neck and pulls you in closer.

Your lips are so close, the tension crackling between you like electricity. He tilts his head ever so slightly, lips parting to exhale the smoke into your mouth. You inhale on impulse and your mind goes blank as your lips brush ever so slightly together. You knew people said shotgun kisses were hot, but you had never truly believed them until now.

You know you should pull away to exhale, but you can still feel his lips brushing against yours and your mind is dizzy from the weed and from him and you can’t take it anymore. You close the distance the rest of the way, kissing him slowly through your exhale, smoke slipping through your lips as he returns the motion.

You kiss him like that for a while, enjoying his hands on your waist and the feeling of his chest beneath your hands. You were quickly realizing that Merriell was his own kind of drug. You’d only had a little taste of him and yet you found yourself craving more. His fingers flex against your body and you can’t help to low noise that slips out of your throat. It only spurs him on, emitting a growling sound of his own as he tugs you closer, dragging you against his growing erection. Your hand slides into his hair in response, feeling like you’re so high on weed and him that you might just fly away.

“Is this okay?” he asks against your lips, letting his forehead press against yours while he waits for your response.

You hum your affirmative, nodding your head quickly while diving back into for another kiss, this one much more ravenous than the last. God, you felt like you were starving for him. You couldn’t get enough at the way his tongue slid against yours, the feeling of his hands gliding up and down your body. They continue down the curve on your spine, settling once they reach the globes of your ass.

“You don’t know how many times I thought ‘bout this,” he mumbles, pulling away to stare at you teasingly through hooded eyelids. His accent, already a slow drawl, comes out much thicker when he’s high like this. It washes over you like honey. He smirks at you and before you can begin to wonder what he’s up to he brings one of his hands down in a sound smack against your right ass cheek.

You gasp at the feeling, dulled by the layer of your jeans but rippling throughout your sensitive skin nonetheless. You laugh lowly against his cheek, “likewise,”

He bites his lip on a grin, capturing your lips in a single, filthy kiss as if he knows exactly what it’ll do to you. Your hands wander up under his t-shirt, nails digging in sightly, just as a preview, returning the favour.

Like a switch, he’s on you a little more urgently and things begin to move faster. His hands tug on your shirt impatiently and you obediently part to take it off, shucking your bra off as well, and feeling pleased when he follows your lead. Your hands explore each other's bodies, every inch of new skin. It’s not long before he switches positions, standing up and dropping you back on the couch so that this time you’re laying on it properly. Without wasting a moment, you wiggle your jeans off, tossing them somewhere over the coffee table and taking in the way his eyes darken further at the sight of you.

He crawls his hips between your legs, capturing your lips in a messy kiss before starting to trail them down your body. Your high has your skin feeling so sensitive, every soft brush of his lips feeling like a shock of electricity through your body. He spends time on your breasts, marking and kneading them with his hands, enjoying how responsive you are beneath his ministrations. Though he doesn’t spend long there, clearly more interested in another prize.

He settles, this time his shoulders keeping your legs spread. He presses a soft kiss to your inner thigh, lets his fingers dust over your panty-covered pussy. Your muscles twitch at the feeling, and you feel your cunt clench around nothing. He looks good there, tattoos cover his skin and you long to be able to leave something that permanent on him. Fuck, you want him so bad.

He grins at you, knowing exactly how impatient you must be feeling. And that bastard uses it to his advantage. Sucking marks into your thigh just to watch your squirm. Eventually, he pulls your panties to the side, letting his fingers slide through your folds. He whistles lowly between his teeth.

“Mmm, baby, you this wet for me already?”

The whimper that leaves your lips is pitiful, your hips twitching in an attempt to get the pressure where you need it. He chuckles under his breath, eyes darting between your heat and your face, “Look at you,” he near coos, letting his thumb trace circles around your clit, watching as your mouth drops on a silent moan, “You want it so bad, don’t cha? Sweet thing...”

“Are you gonna be an asshole like this all night?” you ask, breathless but trying to redeem some of your dignity through what little wit you have left.

He laughs, sinking a finger into your heat just to watch the pleasure ripple across your face, “Don’t pretend like you don’t love it.”

And he’s right of course. You do love it, love the way he comments on how wet you are for him, almost mocking. Love the way he’s taking his time to find the most sensitive parts of your body and using them to his advantage. You let out a breathy moan as his finger brushes your G-spot.

The sound must do something to him because within a second he's attaching his mouth to your pussy with a growl, not even bothering to remove your panties before doing so. The heat of his tongue on your clit as his finger works that sweet spot inside of you turns your breathy moan into one much louder.

He’s good with his mouth because of course, he is. Within moments you feel like you're right on edge. And the smug bastard knows it too if the amused glint in his eyes is anything to go by. Your one hand twists in his curls, encouraging his movements while your other works at your nipple.

“God,” you whine, tugging at his hair as you feel heat wind up your spine. You swear you’ve never felt this good. It only takes another flick of his tongue against your click before your orgasm rips through you, thighs attempting to squeeze around his head, stopped by his free hand holding your one leg open so he can work you through it. Your body twitches in its aftershocks, mewling pathetically when the simulation starts to ride that edge between pain and pleasure.

“It’s just Merriell, actually,” he supplies when he pulls away with a smirk.

“I fucking hate you,” you breathe out, pulling him up your body so you can kiss him again, despite your words. He laughs, moaning softly against your lips when your hand finds the bulge in his jeans.

He kisses you for a while, letting you paw at him for a bit before he pulls away to work them off his body. There’s no real rush, the high allowing you to take it slow and enjoy the moment as opposed to the frenzied fucking drinking tends to lead you to.

You whine and he laughs at you, low and cocky as he leans down for another wet kiss, “You hurtin’ that bad for it, baby?”

You beam up at him from your place on the couch, feeling comfy and sexy with the way his eyes trail across your skin, leaving a tingling feeling in their wake. You shrug, watching with interest as he rids himself of his briefs, admiring his cock as he awaits your response.

“It’s been a while,” You say, distracted as you anticipate the stretch required for your body to accommodate him, ‘I’m excited, sue me.”

His hands use your hips to drag you closer to him, lifting one leg onto his shoulder while letting the other wrap around his body. He leans down to kiss you and you only have half a second to wonder the last time your legs were stretched like this before the feeling of his cock at your entrance steals the breath from your lungs.

Your mouth drops open, a moan caught in your throat as he slowly sinks into you. Your eyes roll back, shamelessly enjoying the stretch as he sinks, inch by slow, pleasurable inch. He continues the slowness, but you’re not sure he’s doing so on purpose.

When your eyes focus again you see the definition of bliss on his face as he thrusts slowly in and out of you, moaning lowly in his throat.

“Fuck,” he says, drawing the word out through gritted teeth, “that’s it, takin’ me so good.”

His thrusts begin to pick up, still fucking you slowly but with more force behind them. Each sharp movement of his hips as the tip of his cock dragging sweetly against the deepest parts of you, and it feels so fucking good. In the moment, it’s intense. He’s folded over you, holding your leg against your chest so he can suck and bite at your neck as he fucks you. You can’t help the filthy moans you let loose in his ear, one hand fisted in his hair while the other digs your nails into the smooth skin of his back.

“Merriell,” you gasp, feeling distinctly insane with the pleasure you're feeling. Your head drops back onto the couch, body jolting with each thrust of his hips. It’s good, god, it’s so good. But the need that burns through your veins makes you impatient, “Let me ride you.”

The words are out of your mouth before you can stop them, but it’s a suggestion he is clearly open to acting upon. He quickly pulls out, sitting back in his original position and pulling you on top of him.

“Be my gu-” he doesn’t finish his sentence, instead tapering off into a moan as you waste no time in sinking down on to him again, “Christ,”

You waste no time. Quickly stabling yourself with your hands on his shoulder and maneuvering yourself up and down on his cock. Now it’s your turn to watch him. Watch him as his eyes roll back and his hands grip your hips with a vice-like grip. That smirk never strays from his face though, clearly enjoying himself.

“You look so pretty like this,” he talks, bringing a hand down on your ass again, loving the way it spurs you on, “talk to me baby, tell me how it feels.”

You moan, loud and borderline pornographic, “You feel so good,” you breathe, biting harshly down on his lip, savouring the growl that vibrates through the both of you, “Oh, fuck, Merriell, you feel so good,” You emphasize your words with a particularly good roll of your hips.

You can tell he’s getting close by the way his hips start to snap upwards to meet yours and the way his brows furrow in concentration, “Fuck, baby girl,” he groans, unaware at the way the nickname makes you melt, “tell me you’re getting close. I wanna feel you cum around my cock.”

You nod immediately, pulling on his hair so you can capture his lips harshly, letting him bite your lip and pull your hips frantically against his own, “yes,” you whimper, “yes, yes, fuck imgonnacum,” you rush out, feeling like every touch he’d ever laid on you compiling into this one moment. It’s completely overwhelming and for a moment, you blackout.

When you come to he's kissing at your neck, hands massaging and pull at your ass, helping you ride of the aftershocks of your orgasm. His sounds have turns high and desperate against your neck, hands gripping at your skin so hard you think you’ll have bruises tomorrow. He needs you to keep going. Give him something.

The small, dare you say whimpery, “Oh baby, please,” has you moving quickly, almost as desperate to make him finish as he is to finish.

In the blink of an eye, you’ve lifted yourself off of him and onto your knees in front of him, quickly enveloping his entire length into the warmth of your mouth.

“Oh fuck, baby,” He moans urgently, both hands coming to tangle in your hair as you work your mouth over his cock, eyes trained on his face, “Fuck, I can’t-”

You hum, encouraging and within seconds you feel him reach his climax. His head thrown back, hips twitch upwards into the welcoming heat of your mouth, a low long moan pulled from his throat. He lets you bring him down, continuing to suck and lick softly at his spent cock, eyes lazily following your every movement.

When he finally pulls you up off the floor it’s to kiss you, lazy and heated. You collapse basically on top of him as you kiss, unbothered by the smallness of the couch and the cold air that bites at your cooling skin. He makes a noise in his throat when you pull away, watching in amusement as his eyes barely open to look at you.

“‘M so fuckin’ high.”

It pulls a laugh from you, bubbling up from your chest. He smiles, bright, relaxed and dazzling, “Hope you weren’t plannin’ on kickin’ me out because ‘m not movin’ for a while,”.

You rest your head on his chest, letting yourself sink into the moment with him, your own high coming back to you as you bask in the post-sex haze.

“You're still gonna get me discounted tattoos though right?"

[adaodinson]

Wrong place, wrong time

This is something I´ve been wanting to write for a while and I finally got the time to do so, wohooo. It´s going to have several parts and is based on the Falcon and the Winter Soldier. English is not my first language so I apologize for any mistake.

Summary: You needed to get in, seal the deal and get out. That would have been easy if a certain group of three men hadn´t been making business with Selby at the same time as you were.

Relationships: platonic in this chapter (different endings, you’ll choose) Bucky x reader, Sam x reader, Zemo x reader.

Warnings: Swearing and nothing else so far.

Part 1

Part 2

Again, your stupid brother had managed to get himself into trouble, oh but this time you had to be the one to go and save him. You couldn’t have just stayed at your small, cozy apartment and enjoy a good movie, you had to grab a plane, go to Madripoor, head to a bar and find a way to make business (thing you had no idea how to do) with a woman named Selby because your mess of a brother couldn’t stay still.

He had gotten himself in trouble multiple times before, but this time it had been in Madripoor, of all places. You just needed to give Selby the money, hear her make the phone call confirming your brother would be left alone, and then you could go, take your plane and head back home. It couldn’t be that hard, could it?

You walked through the crowd, dancing a bit to the music. You guided your feet towards the bar and took a seat. Turning your head and taking in the place, you noticed three men walking in. They were all ridiculously handsome, like seriously, and they seemed to be there together.

They sat across the bar from you, and you swore you felt their gazes in you for a few seconds, but you weren’t there to flirt, specially with the people that came to the bar willingly. You did laugh on your insides at the reaction of one of them when the bartender put a part of a snake in his drink. It was weird though, he ordered that because he likes it, right? You didn’t let your mind wander in that for too long, you needed to focus on your task, not on the deep blue eyed brunette, or the beautiful chocolate skinned with amazing features, or the handsome brown eyed with light colored hair. Jesus, they were freaking gorgeous.

-You! Selby will see you- A tall, scary man called you out, and as you walked you heard a fight in the bar, but you didn’t look back. The place was a mess, hallway after hallway covered in packs of money, drugs and things you weren´t excited to know about.

-I had never seen you before, what do you want?- An… extravagant woman (to say the least) asked fiercely.

-My brother, he is …-

-I know who he is, your last name sold you out-.

-Well, if you know who he is, you probably know why I’m here-. You didn’t know where that came from, but it came out way more threatening that you were planning, and that was great.

-Give me the money and I’ll deliver what they ask for- you needed to give specific stuff to the people that had your brother in order to get him released, and Selby knew that.

-Here’s the money- you said, showing the inside of the bag you were carrying- but make the call first-.

-Hah, you are not as incompetent as you seem-.

While Selby was on the phone, you heard steps approaching the room. It was the three men you had seen before. But why where they here now?

-Perfect- Selby said as she hang up. It was done, you just needed to get the message from your brother confirming he was out, but that would take a few hours.

You handed the money to one of the bodyguards, since Selby was talking to the three man, and just as you were about to leave, the worst happened. In the blink of an eye a failed phone call sold the guys out and before you could even process anything, Selby was dead, shot.

Your business was made, but you knew that just by being there when it happened, you would be hunted down. FUCKING HELL. The men raced towards the door, but the one in the large, fuzzy coat turned to you first.

-Listen, you need to come with us, you’ll get killed if you stay. There’s a price on your head just for being here- he spoke with what seemed to be a Sokovian accent (your brother had many contacts, you knew Sokovian people), but you were too freaked out to notice the effect his voice had on your heartbeat.

Without saying another word, he grabbed your arm and when you didn’t pull back he walked on. You exited the place and ran through the streets. Just when you thought you were safe, a rain of bullets fell on you and before you knew it, the same guy had embraced you and led you to a corner. You knew the other two man had no guns, so when the bullets stoped your mouth acted before you could think.

-Who stopped them?!-

-I don’t know- he answered.

You two left your corner and headed towards the group. A blonde woman was pointing a gun at the guy that had saved your life twice, so you reacted by putting yourself in front of him. That took him by surprise, him and the other three had looks that screamed “what the hell are you doing”. Before they could say anything, you talked.

-Listen, I have no idea who any of you are, but this man here saved my life twice in the past 20 minutes, so I don’t appreciate someone shooting at him without knowing why- You didn´t see it, but when you finished talking, Zemo had the biggest smile he had produced since he had been in prison.

-I´m Bucky, and, doll, this guy is Zemo, a criminal, a killer that tried to end the Avengers and succeeded in separating them- The blue eyed responded with a fierce look directed to who you now knew was called Zemo.

-Why is he not in jail then?- you asked with a tone that came out way too sarcastic than what you would have wanted. Zemo tried, unsuccessfully, to hide a snort at your words.

-Hey, we don´t really have time to convince you that he is a criminal- The other answered. He was right, it was clear they had many problems aside from the ones they had just gained, but you weren´t stupid enough to think you would beat bounty-hunters on your own. What you knew was that Zemo had helped you, and in your current situation, you couldn’t give yourself the luxury of denying help, even if it´s from a supposed criminal. You didn´t want to get in their way, and you didn´t want to get involved in whatever they were doing, but you needed their help. Those bounty-hunters were after you too now, and even though you knew how to defend yourself in the streets outside your apartment, you knew you needed help to escape Madripoor.

-Sam is right, you guys are clearly in a lot of trouble- The blonde woman said.

-We need your help, Sharon. Someone is recreating the serum and we need to stop them- Bucky said. The serum? What? You were confused as hell, and nobody seemed to want to explain to you what was happening.

-Ugh, I have a place in High Town, you´ll be safe there. And you- she said pointing at you- I guess it´s your time to leave-.

-WHAT? And where the hell I´m I gonna go?- You asked. You were panicking, if they didn´t agree to help you, you were gonna die. You noticed Zemo stiffened and he clearly wanted to say something, but he was waiting for the right time to do so.

-To your home, doll. Or wherever you wanna go- If you had been in any other situation, the nickname Bucky gave you would have turned you into a freaking tomato, but you were literally arguing for your life.

-If I try to get out of Madripoor on my own I won´t survive the next two hours. The same bounty-hunters that are after you, are after me now because I was with you when Selby died. I´m not stupid enough to think I can outrun them. Please, let me go with you. I promise I won´t be a problem, I just need help getting out of here and you’ll never hear from me again-.

-I guess you´re right. What´s your name?- Sam asked softly, almost empathetically.

-I´m Y/N-. You answered.

-Pretty name, it fits you- Oh so now Zemo talks. You smiled at him, criminal or not the guy was quite charming. Sam ignored him though, but Bucky gave him a look that would have made anybody else run in terror.

-Okay Y/N, we have some things to do first, but we´ll help you get out of Madripoor- Sam said as him and Bucky smiled at you. Again, in any other situation you would have melted right there.

-Thank you! I´ll do my best to be useful, even if that means staying out of your way-

Sharon sighed but she had a small smile in her lips. You had no idea what you were getting yourself into, but you definitely made the right choice by convincing them to help you.

The way towards Sharon´s apartment was… strange. You had tons of questions, but you really didn´t want to get yourself more involved, so instead you tried making conversation, and Sharon seemed interested in your life. The three men were sitting in the back and you and Sharon were together at the front. She was driving.

-So, what led you to a place like Madripoor, and more specifically, to Selby?- She seemed to have no intention on asking the guys more about their problems, and you didn´t hate talking to someone that wasn´t another boring neighbor. She seemed genuinely interested.

-Well, my brother is the type to get himself into trouble. He managed to owe a guy so much that he threatened him, so I had to buy some things from Selby to give to the guy what my brother owed because if he shows his face in Madripoor he´d get killed at the first step inside- In your voice the pain and concern was evident. All the hearts that were inside that car ached a little bit, not just at your suffering (since you were, in the end a stranger), but also at their own.

-I managed to finish the deal with Selby before you guys arrived, now I just need to get a message from him to confirm everything is fine. But, of course, I had to be at the wrong place in the wrong time and I now got myself into more trouble than my brother. I´m sorry, I really am. It´s pretty clear you guys have a lot in your hands now, so I really appreciate your help, all of your help- You finished, smiling at Zemo. He seemed to want to smile at you, but your words took him by surprise again and he only nodded.

-Well, it´s the least we can do, you did find yourself at the worst place and time. And I hope you get that message from your brother soon- Sam said.

-Thank you, Sam-.

The rest of the drive was silent, except for the occasional complaints from Bucky at how close Zemo was to him. You couldn´t help but giggle and little did you know, whenever that sound exited you, the three men went silent just to be able to hear.

Sharon´s place was HUGE, and quite frankly, a little too much for you, but it was nice. You got a fresh change of clothes from Sharon (you were curvier than her, but she seemed to have something perfect for you) and without interfering, you heard the conversations going on between Sam, Sharon and Bucky. They clearly had many issues with Zemo, and he was completely aware of it so he too remained silent.

Bucky seemed to take some pity in your soul and explained the situation a little bit. A version of the serum that had been used to create Captain America had been recreated and they needed to find it and destroy it while stopping the group called the Flag Smashers that was using it to go back to the way things were during the Blip. After the explanation you had mixed feelings. You didn´t vanish during the Blip, and with all honesty, even before it you came from a pretty privileged place, so during it nor after it you never had a problem, but you were aware of how things had gone for the people that came back, and you couldn´t help but agree with Sam when he said he sympathized with the fight, just not with the way they were fighting it. They also explained more about Zemo, but again, you agreed with his fight, just not in how he fought it. You completely agreed with his idea that no human should have more power than others, especially in the already capitalist world we live in. People with a lot of money were a problem (not for who they were, but for what they have that others don´t) and adding superpowers to money could never end in something good.

They respected your opinions, and even agreed on most. But before you could continue in your conversation and Zemo on his listening, Sharon announced she would help find information on the name they had earned from Selby, so you needed to just blend in her party while she took care of that. You were more than happy, you loved parties.

The peaceful and wide space you once knew as Sharon´s first floor was now covered in all types of people dancing to all types of music. You had always enjoyed dancing and singing, but by the first minutes you had it clear that Sam and Bucky didn´t particularly love parties, and that Zemo had missed the feeling while in prison.

After unsuccessfully trying to convince Bucky and Sam to go to the dance floor with you, you headed towards the Baron and smiled widely at him.

-How long has it been since your last party?- you asked leaning closer to him because of the loud music.

-Too long for my liking- He answered, and before you had any time to react, he grabbed your hand and had you spinning around at the beat in a mixture of laughter from the both of you. All the time you spent in the party was also spent holding Zemo´s hand and dancing ridiculously to the rhythm. Both yours and Zemo´s stomachs were aching from laughter, and to all honesty, you never expected to have this much fun while being basically a fugitive.

If you hadn´t been so immersed in your fun, you would have noticed the hateful gazes both Sam and Bucky were directing towards the Baron. But they had said no to dancing with you, so this was their fault.

You had no idea how much time had passed, it could have been two minutes or ten hours, but you were having the time of your life when Sharon called you back with the information she had found. You all called it a night and went upstairs. She stayed down because she was, in the end, hosting the party, but the three guys and you were ready to try to sleep.

Before each one headed to your respective rooms, you checked your phone and discovered two things. As you read the first one your heart felt a calm you hadn´t experienced in a long time, but when the second one came in… Bucky had to catch you to keep you from falling.

Your brother was safe and sound, everything had worked out, but he had used his connections to now if you were alright and found something. You only needed to get away from Madripoor to escape the bounty-hunters, but after being put on the list of bounties, the Flag Smashers had you on the spot because they were now convinced you had teamed up with Sam and Bucky, so now, according to them, you were their enemy as much as Sam and Bucky were, so even if you managed to leave Madripoor, you knew you couldn´t just go back home, not without the guys at least.

[tigerkirby215]

5e Irelia, the Blade Dancer build (League of Legends)

(Artwork by Jessica “OwleyCat” Oyhenart. Made for Riot Games.)

FINE I’LL MAKE IRELIA GOD FUCKING DAMMIT!

Irelia is my least favorite champion in League. She’s not my most banned (Shaco) nor is she the champion I complain the most about, but she is absolutely the champion that I look at and constantly think “this character actively ruins the game for me.” I’ll admit that Irelia’s role in the Sentinels of Light story was pretty interesting but you’re still not going to make me like Irelia, Riot!

I’m not going to bore everyone with a long-winded rant about my hatred for this character and how what I thought was going to be a nerf actually made her S tier (joy to the fucking world I now actually have to ban her) but I will say this: there are no champions who I won’t make a genuine build for if I take the time to make a proper blog post about them... Except Talon, but that’s because Talon has one of the most boring kits in the entirety of League of Legends.

GOALS

Step. Two. Whirl. Lift! - What? Do you think that a champion with literally unlimited dashes is unfair?

Perfection of form - We’ll also need to weave our blades around us like a dress, slicing at foes and protecting yourself in one fluent motion.

Remember the Placidium! - When in doubt just use more blades.

RACE

Irelia’s a human... but making humans all the time is boring. Irelia has an innate magic and I’d consider being in-tune with Ionia’s spirit a connection to the Fey. So I decided to make her an elf for the sake of this build, more particularly an Aereni High Elf from Eberron for the innate Expertise.

A regular High Elf works too if your DM doesn’t allow Eberron races; the only thing that really changes with the Aereni High Elf is that you get Expertise in a skill. Valenar elves are also cool for the Double Scimitar.

You can also make Irelia a human but there aren’t many feats I want for her except maybe Mobile, but I felt like being an elf was more fun to grab other feats.

As an elf you have +2 to your Dexterity score, Keen Senses for proficiency in the Perception skill (gotta watch those wards!), and the Fey Ancestry of Ionia grants you advantage against charms and immunity to being put to sleep magically. Instead of sleeping you can spend time in a Trance meditating to regain strength. You only need 4 hours in a trance to rest, and are fully aware of your surroundings while doing so.

As an Aereni Elf you get Expertise in one skill of your choice: we’ll be taking Performance because... well you are a dancer. As a High Elf you learn one Cantrip from the Wizard list, and we’ll actually be taking Prestidigitation to aid in our performances. Oh and you’d normally be increasing your Intelligence by 1 but we’ll instead be increasing your Wisdom because... well it fits Irelia more. (No big loss if you increase Intelligence instead though.) And you can learn one language of your choice: pick whatever you think would inspire fear into the heart of Noxians!

ABILITY SCORES

15; CHARISMA - A dancer is meant to be beautiful first and foremost.

14; DEXTERITY - Of course dancing takes nimbleness. "When no one's around, I dance for myself."

13; WISDOM - This is where the +1 from our race is going! Keep in-tune with the natural world and Ionia’s spirit.

12; CONSTITUTION - You are still a top laner with just... way too much sustain. (Feel free to swap this with Wisdom for more HP but less roleplay.)

10; INTELLIGENCE - Nature is an intelligence skill and military tactics are good to learn, but we simply need everything else more.

8; STRENGTH - You swing your blades with the rhythm of the natural order. Which is to say Riot doesn’t like buff ladies.

BACKGROUND

A dancer is a type of Entertainer. You get proficiency in Acrobatics but since you already have expertise in Performance feel free to grab Nature to become more in-tune with the world around you. You also get proficiency with a Disguise Kit and an instrument of your choice: pick whatever you think suits you and make your own Ionian war hero!

You feature By Popular Demand makes you known as both a dancer and a war leader! You can perform in exchange for a place to rest for you and your allies, and people will remember your dance and treat you with respect.

(Artwork by Bo “chenbowow” Chen. Made for Riot Games.)

THE BUILD

LEVEL 1 - ROGUE 1

What? Did you expect this to just be 20 levels of Swords Bard? Honestly Rogue serves as a better recreation of Irelia’s abilities, at least at early levels. That and I want proficiency in 4 skills, so take Insight, Persuasion, Intimidation, and Slight of Hand proficiency to lead and dance with grace. You also get Expertise in two of those skills: Acrobatics is a must but since we’ve already got proficiency in Performance you may as well grab Persuasion for good relations with Ionia’s people.

You also get Thieves’ Cant to speak in the way only other performers can understand, “performers” in this case being other Rogues. But of course the main skill you get is Sneak Attack, giving you an extra d6 of damage if you have advantage on your attack or an ally is near the enemy you’re attacking.

LEVEL 2 - ROGUE 2

I always love when I get to recreate League of Legends dashes by just... letting you use the Dash action a lot. Second level Rogues can make Cunning Actions to Dash, Disengage, or Hide as a Bonus Action. Keep it simple stupid and weave around your foes on the battlefield.

LEVEL 3 - ROGUE 3

Third level Rogues get to choose their Roguish Archetype, and to dance around the battlefield while slicing down foes the Swashbuckler is a great choice to keep your rhythm in check. Your Fancy Footwork will allow you to attack a foe before slipping away without provoking Opportunity Attacks while your Rakish Audacity will allow you to add your Charisma to your Initiative to always be the first on the front line.

Rakish Audacity also lets you Sneak Attack a foe who is alone on the battlefield as long as you don’t have disadvantage and they don’t have an ally within 5 feet, letting you hit them for an extra 2d6 with your blades.

Now may as well be a time to ask: Dual Wielding or single weapon? Since you’re not going to be getting a shield I’d say carrying two blades is worth it for the potential to deal more damage when needed. You can also use your Dual Wielding attack to activate Fancy Footwork more often to evade more enemies. Just be mindful of when Dashing or Dodging would be more useful.

LEVEL 4 - ROGUE 4

4th level Rogues get an Ability Score Improvement and Dexterity controls most of what we do right now, so a +2 to DEX would be beneficial.

LEVEL 5 - ROGUE 5

Normally I wouldn’t go out of my way to grab level 5 in Rogue just for the sake of Uncanny Dodge, but here’s the thing: it’s literally Irelia’s Defiant Dance! Take less damage from an attack you saw coming before striking back with your 3d6 Sneak Attack.

(Artwork by Michelle Hoefener. Made for Riot Games.)

LEVEL 6 - BARD 1

Now it’s time for those 20 15 levels in Swords Bard! Multiclassing into Bard gives you proficiency with one musical instrument (pick your fancy) and one skill of your choice: I opted for Arcana because... well you’re fighting with magical floating blades. (Or at least you will be in due time.)

As a Bard you can inspire your allies as a Bonus Action thanks to Bardic Inspiration, letting them add a d6 to their Attack Rolls, Ability Checks, or Saving Throws. You have a maximum number of Inspiration die equal to your Charisma modifier, which come back after a Long Rest... for now.

But of course as a Bard you get Spellcasting! You learn two cantrips from the Bard list such as Message to communicate on the frontline, and Vicious Mockery which is sure what I fucking feel playing against an Irelia one-trick smurf account. You can also learn four leveled spells like Faerie Fire to mark your foes, Command to strike fear in the hearts of foes, Heroism to strike vigor in the hearts of allies, and Healing Word; because healing is always good to have.

LEVEL 7 - BARD 2

Second level Bards have dabbled in a little bit of everything: healing, damage, healing, mobility, healing, crowd control, oh and I think Irelia does need some more healing. Regardless Jack of All Trades will let you add half your proficiency bonus to any skill checks you aren’t already proficient in. (This also includes Initiative which is important to mention!)

If you use Tasha’s rules you can also grab Magical Inspiration to make your allies’ spells either heal more or do more damage thanks to your Inspiration. Oh and speaking of spells you can also grab Longstrider for more speed on the battlefield.

Oh and you get Song of Rest, the ability I always mock for scaling poorly. But it will help your allies recover after a hard battle!

LEVEL 8 - BARD 3

Irelia has many magical blades because she went to the College of Swords. Along with Bonus Proficiencies with Medium Armor and Scimitars (neither of which Rogues have for some reason) you can pick up a Fighting Style: I personally opted for Two-Weapon Fighting to get more attacks in but Dueling is also a perfectly fine.

Of course the main appeal of being a Blade Dancer is your Blade Flourish: When you attack on your turn you move 10 feet faster until the end of the turn, and if you hit you can use a Bardic Inspiration on a Blade Flourish:

Defensive Flourish lets you roll your Bardic Inspiration to add to your damage and AC.

Slashing Flourish lets you roll your Bardic Inspiration to add to your damage, and do that extra damage to any other creature of your choice (that you can see) within 5 feet of you.

Mobile Flourish lets you roll your Bardic Inspiration to add to (guess what) the damage. You can also push the target up to 5 feet away from you, plus a number of feet equal to the number you roll on that die. Immediately afterwards you can use your reaction to move up to your walking speed to an unoccupied space within 5 feet of the target. It’s not quite a Dash, but it’s certainly a Bladesurge!

You can only use one Blade Flourish per turn though. Additionally you get Expertise in two skills like Insight and Nature, to know the spirit of both people and the world around you. And finally you can learn a second level spell like Hold Person for a stun before you do your full combo.

LEVEL 9 - BARD 4

4th level Bards can grab something a little better than Flash; the Fey Teleportation feat! Along with a +1 to your Charisma you learn Sylvan, but most importantly you can cast Misty Step once per Short or Long Rest to get out of a dangerous situation! It unfortunately doesn’t add the spell to your spell list (like Fey Touched from Tasha’s Cauldron) but being able to regain your mobility spell after a Short Rest is extremely useful!

Speaking of spells you learn one more Bard spell, and one more cantrip! For your cantrip take Mage Hand to grab blades from afar, and for your leveled spell take Calm Emotions. It perhaps isn’t the most practical and there are certainly better options, but it’s fitting.

(Artwork made for Riot Games.)

LEVEL 10 - BARD 5

5th level Bards get a Font of Inspiration, letting their Bardic Inspiration charges come back after a Short Rest. That’s nice because your Bardic Inspiration (and Blade Flourish die) also increases to a d8.

You can also grab a third level spell like Hypnotic Pattern, to stun an entire army with your blades.

LEVEL 11 - BARD 6

6th level Bards can finally turn their Vampiric Scepter into Blade of the Ruined King, giving them some Attack Speed for an Extra Attack. You can still only use one Blade Flourish per turn, but at least now you can attack twice with your action or up to three times if you make a Two-Weapon Fighting attack.

You can also grab another spell but there’s not much I want from third level, so instead I’ll talk about Countercharm, which is dumb and bad. You spend an action to give yourself and nearby allies advantage against Charms and Fears. Or you could fight through the fear and slay your foes... or cast Heroism or Calm Emotions.

LEVEL 12 - BARD 7

7th level Bards can learn 4th level spells like Dimension Door to teleport into lane or back to base, and Freedom of Movement for some Tenacity.

LEVEL 13 - BARD 8

8th level Bards get another Ability Score Improvement. We’ve been investing more in Bard so more Charisma would be nice for more Blade Flourishes and better spellcasting.

You can also learn another spell but again: don’t really want anything, so we’re going to wait for...

(Artwork by Jana Schirmer. Made for Riot Games.)

LEVEL 14 - BARD 9

9th level Bards get to pretend that Song of Rest is a useful ability that scales well, especially when multiclassing. I mean, at least it’s a d8 now!

You also get 5th level spells like Animate Objects. Hey: it only took us 14 levels to get your blades! You can also grab Rary's Telepathic Bond (ty Tasha’s) to keep to team chat with everyone.

LEVEL 15 - BARD 10

10th level Bards get Expertise in two more skills: take Arcana to further your connection to Ionia, and Slight of Hand for the specific hand movements to manipulate your blades. You also see your Bardic Inspiration increase to a d10, which also means your Blade Flourishes deal a d10 of damage!

Additionally you get Magical Secrets from any class so you can use your unique brand of blade magic. And by far the most blade-like spell you can grab (at this level) is Steel Wind Strike, to dash through multiple foes for a big burst of damage!

Additionally we will be grabbing Blade of the Ruined King (finally) with Spirit Shroud; yes it’s a bit of a low-level spell but it serves as a great damage boost to your melee attacks and also keeps enemies close for you to fight them. And finally you get one more cantrip: Mending will help you keep your outfit in check.

Also if you want you can replace Message with Prestidigitation now that you have Rary’s Telepathic Bond.

LEVEL 16 - BARD 11

11th level Bards get 6th level spells: you can lean into your lessons as a dancer and take Otto's Irresistible Dance to force your foes to keep up with the rhythm or die trying. "Okay, I'm warmed up."

LEVEL 17 - BARD 12

12th level Bards don’t get extra spells, but they do get another Ability Score Improvement: more Charisma means more Bardic Inspiration die (for more Blade Flourishes), better spells, and more initiative so capping that out would give you more bang for your buck overall.

(Artwork by Art of Maki. Made for Riot Games.)

LEVEL 18 - BARD 13

Hey remember when I said Song of Rest is a useful ability? Well it’s a d10 now!

At least you can learn Forcecage to take Noxians as prisoners of war to be properly judged... As long as they don’t have a filth bucket in their cell.

LEVEL 19 - BARD 14

14th level Swords Bards as masters of their blades, and can perform a Master’s Flourish using a d6 instead of one of their Bardic Inspiration.

You also get two more Magical Secrets, and hey we can finally grab your ult! Take Blade Barrier to cut the armies off with your Vanguard’s Edge. Alternatively if you need to go back to base take Word of Recall to recall back to your fountain. Which is to say: I had no other good spells to give you.

LEVEL 20 - BARD 15

15th level Bards see their Bardic Inspiration die (and their Blade Flourish die) increase to its maximum size of a d12! And you can cap off the build with an 8th level spell, but in all honesty there isn’t many spells I want from 8th level. So use that slot to upcast and take Hold Monster instead to finally be able to stun Wukong.

FINAL BUILD

PROS

Grace bends where strength breaks - You have a variety of ways to deal consistent damage between competency with swords, Blade Flourishes, and powerful spells.

I move to unsung melodies and unbeaten rhythms - +12 to initiative and the ability to move between enemies you attack freely means you’re guaranteed to be on the battlefield fast and able to put yourself in a position to fight with your allies.

Never stop learning; there's always a form you don't know - It was not my intention but turns out Bards and Rogues get a lot of skill proficiencies. +17 in Performance and Persuasion, +16 in Acrobatics and Slight of Hand, +14 in Insight, and +12 in Arcana and Nature. Not to mention Jack of All Trades helping you with all the skills you don’t have proficiency in.

CONS

Each form has a name known only to the wind - So your Dexterity isn’t maxed out, which means you’re a little lacking in both AC and hit chance. Honestly level 5 of Rogue isn’t that good, even if Uncanny Dodge works well as Defiant Dance. 4 / 16 would’ve been better for another ASI.

Stay ready, and there is no need to get ready - Most of your fun spells are accessed at a very high level, with your lower leveled spells dedicated more to utility. You’re a sword fighter first and foremost but seeing as your Charisma is maxed it would be good to use your high Charisma.

We are sharpest where we break! - Low DEX and no Shield (no Shield spell and two-weapon Fighting) means that your AC isn’t the most impressive. That along with 120 health means that a few bad hits can put you in the danger zone. Sure Uncanny Dodge gives you a reliable way to soak up damage but a good surprise hit will quickly put an end to you.

But you don’t need to worry about weaknesses when you’re probably smurfing anyways. Dash, dance, and decapitate foes in a graceful death of a thousand cuts. Keep your style and inspire the commonfolk to take up arms to protect their homeland. Just don’t get too out of line, or Riot might nerf your movement speed by 5.

(Artwork by Bo “chenbowow” Chen. Made for Riot Games.)

[steve0discusses]

S5 Ep 15 Pt 1: The Gang Gets Lost in India

Ah, back to Yugioh classic. Sort of. We’re going into the second filler arc before Bakura, which I have been told is kind of nonsense. And youknow what, from the first scene--this is the first scene by the way--yeah I can see the nonsense.

We got Yami cosplaying as the Chrysler building, we got Yugi saying WTFWTF, we got...this thing?

This thing tells us “Join my game, Yugi!” and then the demon just kinda bounces.

K, bye, I guess.

(read more under the cut)

Waking up from this nightmare, Yugi reveals that he has outgrown his good pajamas. Or maybe he just overused them like I did to my favorite pajamas during quarantine (which, not gonna lie, I hand sewed my favorite pajama pants back together 2 or 3 times like they were the Velveteen Rabbit. Quarantine pajamas and me were like best buds for a year there.)

RIP Yugi’s good pajamas.

It’s fine. I’m fine.

I can get used to Yugi in his normal ass old man pajamas without any cute stars on them. I can accept this. He’s getting older. So much older that for a second I thought he was learning Hebrew, by the looks of his books on his counter. I thought...wow, is Yugi actually attempting to learn a language spoken around the time of ancient Egyptians???

But uh...I went a searching and unfortunately that’s not Hebrew, and if that is a language, I don’t know what it is. Pretty sure it’s just random marks because this show has to be translated in so many languages. Man. For a second there that looked like really sneaky world building, but nah, Yugi is still kind of a dumbass who has yet to attend a solid year of school.

Also, I got to take in this mustard yellow as if I’ve seen it for the first time.

It has strong building blocks energy. It’s...so much yellow and it’s extremely the vibe of that one set of animal crossing decorations that I have because it’s a very common recipe, but, can’t figure out for the life of me how to fit into any room.

What am I supposed to do with these, Nintendo? Other than recreate Yugi’s Muto’s haunted game store/house?

Like I live in the Bay area and we have wild painted houses so you can see them through the fog (back when we...still had fog, RIP California) --but this is a little much. This is such strong Protagonist energy but as a house.

Also, I’ve don’t think I’ve brought this up before, but like...Yugi is loaded, right? Like he’s way too good and humble to ever say he’s loaded, and they sort of make it seem like he’s not (when compared to Seto Kaiba) but damn, this location of his real estate sure is something. That and Grandpa’s tiny shop seems to run on a constant deficit and his family just doesn’t care.

We flash back a bit to Gramps sneaking out, and Yugi is like “oh great, my only Father figure I ever talk about is getting a backpack together and just...leaving without any notice, huh? Without telling me you were going to go? Didn’t think that would maybe be a little off putting?“ and Gramps is like “Yes?”

Like Gramps nearly died going to an amusement park a few episodes back so I can see why Yugi is a little bit concerned.

Down the street at a little town lottery, Joey is getting further into gambling (I don’t know what those little street lotteries are called, it’s in a lot of anime--but kinda looks like mom lotteries for moms.)

I’m not sure why India is on Joey Wheeler’s bucket list, seems a little random, but he went to Pegasus’ country, after all and that’s barely even a country.

Joey going nuts on a lottery machine instead of going to school was pretty peak filler, so I’m not really minding this stuff so far.

And then, just to spook me, check this out:

I can’t believe they even let them back into a classroom. In my nerd school, if you missed one too many days, you were sent to the bad schools to be someone else’s problem. But in Yugi’s case...that either IS his school or...Yugi is failing International School, which is just a thing he’s allowed to do, because, as I said before, this kid has got to be loaded. Even Seto Kaiba was like “I’m not spending money on this school anymore. That outfit is like 50 bucks a jacket.”

Youknow, I have seen all the other characters knock on Tea’s choice of cute ass monsters for the last 5 seasons, and she has never once changed them out. She is holding onto this scary seraphim thing with the many wings like every child with their first Pidgey. She does not care.

Also how is this thing cute?

like the front of this orb has a face with hearts on it but like...it is kind of remarkable what Yugioh decides is cute. Magma golem: not cute. this thing? This thing that looks like it’s a chibi version of the last chapters of the bible and will sound the trumpets of the second coming? So cuuuuute.

Tristan used to be the Janitor/hall monitor/square archetype. Like hell he can walk around with that 00′s R+B soundtrack.

Joey appears in order to get us the hell out of school, and the art team retires this school background for the rest of what I assume is this entire series.

Goodbye school. Maybe you’ll come back with Bakura. Which would be weird, since rumor is that arc takes place in ancient Egypt.

On their walk home, Tea lets out in an inner monologue that no one could hear that after 5 straight seasons of his BS, she’s sick and tired of Pharaoh being the center of attention all the time and she needs a freakin break.

TBH, as she was thinking in her head like “Pharoah is just so freakin much” Yugi switched over to Pharaoh and was like “WHATS UP TEA, THINKING ABOUT ME??” and I thought for a split second maybe he read her mind with his Pharaoh powers.

And like...maybe he did? Seems like a thing he can just do but chooses not to tell anyone about. I mean would you tell anyone? I wouldn’t.

So, unlike Miho in Season Zero, who at least had the decency to try to take her Mother to Australia, Joey Wheeler has wisely decided that the 3 other ticket holders will not be the 3 other members of his immediate family. That would have been the most awkward trip between Serenity, his mother he hasn’t really spoken to in 7 years, and his absent father who was written out of the series for being a raging alcoholic. They would have not even made it to the plane.

Instead he’s gonna take the ghost in Yugi’s head and call that an adult (two tickets in one, really). It’s honestly not that bad of a plan, since his only other father figure, Grandpa, is MIA, and his only other, other father figure, Roland, charges like 300 dollars an hour and wants stock options and health insurance.

And honestly they should have taken Roland because he’s one of their best plane guys.

So they take the smallest little Amelia Earheart plane in the world, going from Japan to (checks map) India...which 2 times the distance this plane can go and it crashes...which is exactly what would happen if you took a teeny tiny plane over the Himalayan mountains without refueling that thing.

We call this a magical incident later in the episode, but this is just basic math.

So, fun fact, (and probably why I discuss planes so often on this blog) two of my Grandfathers were pilots (well, three, since my grandmother remarried another pilot), which sounds like a crazy coincidence until you recall that their generation was in WW2 and we just shoved children in planes for 20 years and called that normal.

Anyway, to save on travel costs, my engineer Grandfather built his own plane out of junkyard parts, which, as you can imagine, is a living nightmare, and it was held together by like duct tape and gasoline (which at one time used to be cheap). Tempted God every day that Howls Moving Castle touched the sky.

And while I only know it from photos since I wasn’t exactly born yet, it looked exactly like this plane. So looking at this, all I can think is...yeah...that’s what you get for flying to India in a tin can car. To this day I cannot trust any plane of this size.

So, they climb out of their wreckage virtually unscathed and into familiar Californian territory.

At least Joey thought about bringing a tent.

It’s interesting how our cast has become so accustomed to this that they’re not even all that shell shocked. It’s just another day in the life.

So next time we shall find out what India has in store for us. Or if we’re even in India...because again...feels a lot like this BG team doesn’t do any research into their landscapes and every place feels a whole lot of the same. But...at least they didn’t put any Arizonan mesas in India.

[ushiwakaout]

Omg i read the series of the things you thinks the hq boys will say and is so cuteee may i request it with Hinata??(im not sure if you already write it tho)

HINATA 😭 MY BABY! MY SUNSHINE [thank you btw, very sweet of you, i’m glad you like the series]

mmm mmm mmm, timeskip Shoyo got me feeling all hot and heavy 😩

warnings: Timeskip haikyuu

“Hey honey... Yeah it’s time to get up.” (6:00 am)

“We have early practice today, do you wanna watch?”

“You can just lay on the sand if you want, maybe take a small nap under the nap?”

you: “Five more minutes Sho.”

*will come back in five minutes exactly and dive into your bed*

“Five minutes are up sunshine... get up!”

*he really do be slaming his toned body on yours and starts laughing*

“Come on, get up before I throw you over my shoulder.”

“It’s a little chilly so bring a jacket too.”

“I mean I can just bring mine, and you know i always end up take if off before practice.”

“Hurry up in the shower too.”

“Ready?”

“You look so cute.”

“Come on, lets go- Hold my hand.” (6:30 am)

*holding hands to the beach because you’re his only piece of home*

*okay but Oikawa really did end up contacting you because he could tell how homesick Hinata was getting and you surprised him by moving in his him*

*he definetly cried because he missed you and home*

“Here, *wraps his sweater around you shoulders* so you don’t get chilly” (7:00 am)

“Oika-san!!!”

*watching him play volleyball is such an experience because no matter what it is, practice, scrimage match or a real game, he always plays at 110%*

“Did you bring my sun *hands him his sun glasses* you are A SAVIOUR!”

*cups your face to give you a kissing frenzy.... which just means he kisses your face eveywhere*

“You wanna go wander around and get some breakfast? Just so you don’t get bored, yeah?”

“You know i’ll be fine, you’re here with me in spirit and that’s enough for me!”  (7:30)

*you might have gone overboard and gotten everyone food*

teammate: “Você é um homem de sorte, shoyo! (you’re a lucky man)”

*shoyo smiles as youre handing out his team food and how oikawa pampers you for bringing them food*

“I am, aren’t I?” (8:00 am)

“Y/n come here!!!~”

*Will jump on you so you better catch him so he can hug you*

“You wanna stay at the beach? Have a beach day? We haven’t had one of those in a while.”

“I’m gonna run home and freshen up, you okay staying here while they clean up?”

*shoyo leaves you alone for no more than 10 minutes because your place is someone close to the beach but he came back with his bike and someone was trying to hard to flirt with you*

*Oikawa eyes shoyo when he comes back and they are looking at each other as if they have a plan*

*Oikawa is running in front of the guy and nods at hinata*

*Sho 100% will spike the guys head*

“Oh shoot! Sorry, you where in the way...” (8:20 am)

*casually sits down where he was standing and kisses your temple*

“Is there something I can help you with?”

*believe it or not shoyo is very possesive, especially in brazil*

“Have you eaten yet?”

“Did you wait for me? *sniffle* You’re too good for me.”

*has a tendancy to sway side to side and bumb into your shoulder*

“I think i’m gonna take a nap, wake me up so I can switch sides.”

*stand up and strips off his shirt with one hand and your just like- blushing*

“Oh no, did you burn your face? You’re really red, put on some sunblock”

*he finally learned the diference between sunblock and sunscreen while in brazil*

“Oh? You’re blushin because of me?”

*hes so dumb so he gab s your hand so you can run it down his chest and toned stomatch*

“It’s just skin, what’s so- YOU’RE NOSE IS BLEEDING! I’M SORRY I JUST WANTED TO HELP!” (9:00 am)

*mother fucker doesnt realize how sexy hes gotten since highscool like STOP IT*

“Mmm *waking him up from his nap* Has it been an hour yet? Do you mind putting some sunblock on my back.” (10:00 am)

“Thank you baby, give me a kith.”

*yes he says kith, not kiss.... hes baby*

*will quickly fall asleep because while you put on sunlock on his back, you give him a good rub and hes just drools while falling asleep*

“Has it been an hour yet?” (11:10 am)

*startles you bc you didn’t realize he was awake*

“hehe, sorry... I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“You’re so cute, gimme a kith.”

“You’re gonna go for a swim? I’ll catch up in a second.”

*100% oggles at you when youre zipping of his jacket before heading to the water*

*hes slapping his face bc he feels like a perv*

“HOW’D I GET SO LUCKY!!!” 

*yes he did legit just scream it- people are looking at him weird- yes you do start bushing*

“I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you!!!”

*hugs you to the point where you tumble and fall on your ass with him ontop of you*

*shoyo is really emberassing but i don’t think you’d have it any other way*

“Come on, lets get out of the water and get food. All this swiming has made me hungry.” (12:40 pm)

“What do you wanna eat?”

“I’m in the mood for tacos... fish tacos sound good... I want fish tacos.”

“Do you not want fish tacos? We can make another stop, don’t worry!”

*you hold his bicep because hes rolling his bike beside him*

*does that little flex, to try and impress you but-*

“Ow! Ow! Arm cramp!”

you: “I told you don’t need to flex anymore”

*lets out a little Hmph noise and his cheeks are full of air*

“I just wanna impress you baby.”

*HE 100% MAKES YOU RECREATE THAT ONE SCENE FROM CLOUDY W A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS AND U HAVE TO KISS HIM WHEN HIS CHEEKS ARE FULL OF AIR*

“No I don’t want your kisses...”

“Because you’re making fun of me.”

“I want you to apologize.”

“W-with a kiss....” *hes making that little uwu face iudfidfviebfvkjfhedi*

“No you don’t get a kiss back. Hurry up I want my tacos!”

*you make him order since he knows more portuguese*

“ give me a kith or you don’t get your food” (2:00 pm)

*you obviously give him a kiss and hes all happy now*

“Do you wanna eat this at home?”

“You carry this then, I gotta push my bike”

“Ah the apartment is so nice and cold!”

“I’m gonna shower first... Join me?” (2:30 pm)

*you cant tell me this man wouldn’t pick you up in the shower and fuck you so so so so good. hes so sweet with you too because he’s always been naturally thick so he stetches you out a lot especially without prep- and shower sex with Shoyo does NOT come with prep but he does fuck you nice and slow*

*the shower was a big waste of time because he turns off the water and walks you to the bed while he’s still in you and fuck you at the edge of the bed because he loves spreading your legs for him and watching you cum while hes thursting deep*

“Still hungry?” (4:00 pm)

*he really is laughing at how you only nod because wtf... he really does leave you breathless*

*makes you rinse youself off while he re-heats the food*

*you’re legs a wobbling by the time you’re making it to the kitchen and hes just watching you struggle as you sit down*

“Is that my shirt?’

“No, no! D- don’t take it off... It looks good on you.” (4:30 pm)

“That was really yummy, did you enjoy it?” (5:30 pm)

“Wanna watch a movie?”

*makes you watch frozen and frozen 2 because they are his favorites*

“did you hear the theory about Elsa is actually dead in the second one?”

“You want some popcorn?”

“Candy?”

“We don’t have any? I’ll go down the street real fast... Just pause it.”

*really does start dashin home from the store bc he thinks youll start it without him*

“Why am I out of breath? No reason...” (7:40 pm)

“Here, I got you a drink too.”

“Look see! There she looks like she’s transparent.”

“Oh and there! She send the letters through the wind because she can’t physically do it.”

“I’M NOT CRYING!” (9:00 pm)

“HEY! YOU’RE CRYING TO”

*will start to restle you... does it become something more because you grinded on him.... yes it did*

*He’s caressing your head as youre laying on his chest, kissing the crow of your head before whispering sweet nothings into your ear.*

“Goodnight baby...” (10:40 pm)

[echoghost1]

EchoGhost's Phic Phight 2021 Master Post

And in case you missed any, or just like seeing the whole gang together, here is every single fic I wrote for my first ever Phic Phight!

1) Perseverance

AO3 or Tumblr

Summary: While Maddie is helping Danny with his homework a notification from his phone becomes a major distraction.

Prompt: PR134 - Danny is sitting quietly next to someone. Maybe he's doing homework with his friends, maybe Jazz is driving him somewhere, maybe he's working on a group project with someone, maybe he's doing something else entirely. He suddenly starts *freaking* the heck out - Perseverance has just landed on Mars, and he just found out about it. How is his reaction perceived by whoever he's with?

2) The Reason You Wail

AO3 or Tumblr

Summary: An odd feeling he can't quite explain is haunting Danny. He wants it to stop but he knows it won't, he just knows now.

Prompt: PR054 - As Danny gets older, he doesn't just predict the appearance of ghosts. He starts predicting when someone's going to die.

3) Forget Your Life Story

AO3 or Tumblr

Summary: Danny woke up with no memory. He didn’t even know his own name. The doctor told him it would come back and his parents were there to help him. He trusts them, even if he doesn't recognize them. Even if some things didn’t quite line up.

Prompt: PR002 - Danny woke up from being in a month long coma with no memory of how he got there or anything about his past. Thankfully, the doctors said that his memory would return eventually, and he had his loved ones nearby to tell him who he was and his life story. However, as his memory slowly returns, there's huge, distinct differences between what he's been told and the things he's remembering.

4) Recreational Botany

AO3 or Tumblr

Summary: It wasn't her fault. She was merely curious, had only wanted to help. She didn't mean for this to happen. She just hoped it would wear off soon. (TW: Drug use - Weed)

Prompt: PR228 - Ghost weed.

5) Fool’s Errand (Ghost Prince AU)

AO3 or Tumblr

Summary: It had been hours since Danny flew off to fight Pariah Dark and Vlad took it upon himself to see what was taking the boy so long.

Prompt: PR065 - After their fight, Pariah Dark decides Danny has all the qualities he wants in an heir and forcibly adopts him. (Danny can either lose the fight to put him back in the Sarcophagus, or Pariah can get out again later.)

6) You Walked Right Into This

AO3 or Tumblr

Summary: Sometimes walking is more than just walking. (TW: Child Abuse)

Prompt: PR142 - Jack and Maddie seriously injure Danny Fenton, resulting in him being at their mercy and revealing he’s not exactly human. Now the parents have to decide wether to help him... or finish what they started. TW for serious injury and probably gore and angst.

7) What You Fear The Most (Scary Ghost Form AU)

AO3 or Tumblr

Summary: What if his ghost form was less human-looking? What if he looked every bit the monster his parents had always told him ghosts were?

Prompt: PR035 - Monstrous: AU where Danny's ghost form is monstrous and grotesque. On one hand, he doesn't have to worry about anyone recognizing him; on the other, it might be even harder to convince people that he's a good guy

8) Parallels

AO3 or Tumblr

Summary: It's amazing the things you learn on a field trip.

Prompt: PR047 - Wacky reveals (ex: Danny drying up too quickly bc intangibility, Danny's drink stays cool way too long, people's electronic devices are always more charged when they've been near Danny, etc)

9) Cast Into Obsidian (Blind AU)

AO3 or Tumblr

Summary: The accident sent Danny to the hospital due to the damage to his eyes.

Prompt 01: PR092 - Write a more traditional ghost story. How would things change if ghost powers weren’t super powers, but closer to old horror movie tropes?

Prompt 02: PR259 - The Accident didn’t turn Danny into a half ghost, but instead allowed him to see, hear, and physically interact with the very real ghosts that are now pouring through the portal (Alternative: Danny’s always been clairvoyant, but after the accident he finally sees all of the ghosts he’d grown up talking to)

10) Where The Lines Overlap (Parallels part 2)

AO3 or Tumblr

Summary: Maddie wants to know what her son has been keeping from her and today he finally decides to tell her. (TW: Outsider POV of PTSD flashbacks)

Prompt: PR091 - When he told his parents the truth, Danny had only ever bothered thinking about the stress of potential dissection. With that out of the way, and his secret fully accepted, he realised that there were a lot of unexpected things to adjust to... Write about something funny or awkward as the Fentons learn to live with a half ghost son!

11) Quoth the Librarian, “But I’m Alone?”

AO3 or Tumblr

Summary: Eleanor loved her job at the school library. She always made sure to come in early to make sure everything was just right before the students came. Today something beat her there.

Prompt: PR234 - Suddenly, there was a knock at the door...

12) The Baldr to My Odin (Ghost Prince AU part 2)

AO3 or Tumblr

Summary: Pariah has recently acquired a son and wants to get to know him better.

Prompt: PR121 - Pariah Dark wakes up from his slumber and tries to live a peaceful existence in his castle practicing his swordsmanship and rebuilding his castle with all modern luxuries. But ghost from the ghost zone keep trying to challenge him to become king.

13) Tagged

AO3 or Tumblr

Summary: Dr. Flora Santos and her partner Dr. Carlos Rodriguez have lucked out as they have finally caught their most elusive subject.

Prompt: PR090 - Something physical happens to Danny’s body that makes it impossible to keep his secret identity, well, secret.

14) The Paleontologist and The Princess (Dino boy AU)

AO3 or Tumblr

Summary: Danny had one true passion; Paleontology. So can anyone really blame him for getting excited when he thinks he comes face to face with a dinosaur? Even if it isn't a dinosaur after all.

Prompt: PR139 - "Actually, Dad? I wanted to be a paleontologist."

15) Lost In Transmission

AO3 or Tumblr

Summary: There's a Ghost Expo happening at Casper High and Danny thinks it'll be fun to see all the incorrect ways people try to find ghosts. He learns the hard way that just because is old, doesn't mean it doesn't work.

Prompt: PRO58 - Casper high is holding a supernatural expo. Supposed paranormal experts are gathered in their gym to show off their expertise. Thinking it'll be a flop, since most employ methods that aren't modern, Danny and his friends go for fun. Only, it turns out that traditional ghost hunting techniques are more efficient than they seem.

16) Dark Familiarity (Role Swap AU)

AO3 or Tumblr

Summary: Danny has been hunting ghosts for a while now. He has been ever since they ruined his life and a mysterious package arrived with everything he needed to exact his revenge. (TW: Character Death)

Prompt: PR095 - Danny and Valerie role swap (but not personality swap!!). How does Valerie fair as a ghost? How does Danny do as a ghost hunter (and what motivates him to do it in the first place?) [Shipping them is fine, but gen fics are preferred!]

17) I’ve Felt It Too

AO3 or Tumblr

Summary: Ember's having a bad day and Danny tries to help.

Prompt: PR079 - Phantom looked at Ember. Her eyes filled with tears. She gnashed her teeth and screamed. "You don't know what it's like."

And Phantom, with a heavy sigh whispered. "Yeah, I do..."

18) Repair All Of The Damage (Undead Danny AU)

AO3 or Tumblr

Summary: After the tragic loss of her son, Maddie vows to bring him back. No matter what. (TW: Death of a child)

Prompt: PR088 - tw; death of a child?

The Fentons had their daughter sure but they always wanted a son. due to an accident or complication with their son, Danny, died. They decide to put their ghostly knowledge to use and try to summon the spirit of their son back to them. They are ghost scientists. they know how to contain them after all. How much time that has passed between the death and the 'summoning' is up to you!

19) Out Of This World (And Into The Next)

AO3 or Tumblr

Summary: What if when Danny first fought the Lunch Lady ghost she actually noticed how young he was. What if she didn't know he was more than just another ghost? What if when she commented on how underweight he was, she decided to help him?

Prompt 01: PR113 - Danny has an existential crisis because he’s dead

Prompt 02: PR242 - somehow, he's gotten younger

20) Spirit Versus Spunk

AO3 or Tumblr

Summary: Mr. Lancer isn't sure how he's supposed to be reacting to what he's seeing, but seeing as he's the adult here, he better make up his mind.

Prompt: PR019 - Danny and Wes Weston fight over a harmless ghost. This happens during a ghost attack.

21) The Group Project From Hell

AO3 or Tumblr

Summary: Danny and Tucker get stuck working with someone that they really don’t want to

Prompt: Everyone hates group projects, and that’s even if you like your group members. Tucker, Danny, and Elliot/Gregor all get teamed up for a group project, and Tucker and Danny need to refrain from killing him.

And as an added bonus I did make a Spotify playlist for this too! There's a song for each fic that I felt best fit the vibe of each story.

[eideticmemory]

EVER SINCE NEW YORK V | MATTHEW GRAY GUBLER

Description: I was messaged saying: “If you don’t write a young Matthew enemies to lovers fic featuring an obsession with sucking on boobs then what’s the point 😔.” So, here it is, folks! The ultimate College!Matthew fic.

PART 5! Read Part 4 here!

SOUNDTRACK:

Falling - Opia.

Her - Majid Jordan.

Daylight - Maroon 5.

Word Count: 4,619.

Rating: M.

Warning/Includes: Sexual intercourse, drinking, recreational drug use, a bit of angst.

Spring, Junior Year.

Las Vegas,

Nevada.

“Hey.”

You pulled up the cover, holding it over your body and looking down at Matthew. His head was perched between your legs, and his lips were covered in slickness. “Hey,” you replied. “What’s up?”

“Nothing,” he shrugged, and placed a kiss on your inner thigh. “Wanted to ask you something.”

“Right now?” 

He laughed, “Oh, relax, princess. You’ll get your nut. I just wanted to see if...maybe, you might wanna go to Vegas?”

“Vegas?” you mumbled. “Why?”

“A bunch of us are going for spring break. I’m gonna be everyone’s tour guide, my mom is putting us up for the week. You should come.”

“You know what?” You smiled. “I should come. I really, really should. So, c’mon, get back to it.” You grabbed onto his hair, twirling it on your fingers. 

“Bossy,” he whispered. He leaned down and continued to eat you out. Your head fell back against the pillow, you let out a happy sigh. 

“Worst timing ever, Matthew. Ask me in, like, 10 minutes.”

He stopped, gasping, “10 minutes?” 

“Fine, 15, 20, I don’t care. Just please—“

It took approximately 16 minutes. Matthew was able to get you off with his mouth in no time, and the two of you tangled together in a sloppy kiss. His cock pushed into you, his hand wrapped around your throat and you went dizzy as he pressed his fingers into your neck. It was three in the morning, soft music was playing through Matthew’s room, the lights were dim. The brief seperation last semester happened, it was over, and you both silently agreed that it shouldn’t happen again. 

Since returning from Christmas break last month, you’ve gone back to your late night schedule. Aside from seeing each other in class and parties and hangouts, you spent the hours between midnight and three AM at Matthew’s place. It often left you tired for your 8 o’clock class, but it was worth it. You were getting dicked down — very well, by the way — Matthew and you were getting along, laughing and cracking inside jokes with one another. Things were great. Hence, Matthew’s invitation to Nevada. 

“So?” He said, holding you against his chest after the deed was over. 

“So? So what?”

“Vegas? Spring break?”

“To meet your mommy?”

“Well—“ he stuttered. “Yeah, it’s her house, so you’ll probably meet her.”

“You gonna bring me home to your mom? And say ‘hey, mom, this is [y/n], my nutty buddy.’?” You laughed. 

“If that’s how you’d like to be introduced,” he shrugged. “I was just gonna tell her your name and keep it at that.”

“Wow, I’ve never been so honored!”

You shook his head at you, giggling, “A simple no would suffice.”

You looked up at him, a small smile on your lips, “I’ll go.”

“Huh?”

“I’ll go,” you repeated. “To Vegas. Count me in.” 

“Cool,” he smiled. “Cool.” 

“Only if Claire can come, too.”

He sighed, “Claire.”

“That’s my condition. Take it or leave it, dude.”

He took it.

You got a few hours rest in your own dorm, and woke up promptly to shower and get ready for class. When you got out of the bathroom, Claire was awake, brushing her teeth in front of the mirror. 

“Hey,” you grinned, drying off your hair. 

“Morning!” She pipped.

“Hey,” You began to get dressed. “You didn’t have plans for spring break, did you?”

“In what world would I have spring break plans that you don’t know about?” She asked. 

“Right,” you nodded. “So, how would you feel about going to Vegas?” 

Claire stopped applying her makeup and turned to you, “Vegas?”

“Yeah. We fly out the Sunday before break. What do you think?”

She leaned against the wall, her eyebrows furrowed slightly. “Sunday...” she whispered. “This wouldn’t be, uh, the trip Matthew’s taking everyone on, would it?”

You took a step back, freezing from buttoning your shirt. “Well...yeah, I guess. I’m not sure, I just got invited by someone else.”

“Who?”

“Huh?”

“Who invited you?”

“Um—“

“Cause I can’t think of anyone in our friend group that would invite you on Gube’s trip, knowing...how you feel about him.” She crossed her arms.

“So...is that a no to Vegas?” 

She sighed, shook her head, “C’mon, [y/n]...”

“What?”

“Are you...are you fucking Matthew again?”

Her words hit like a bullet. They blew through you like a disaster, racking your stomach with nerves and knots and fear. You felt yourself falling in this pit of despair, of terror, the realization that your worst fear had come to life. And you could only say one thing: 

“Huh?”

“Oh, God!” She shouted. “You are! You’re fucking Matthew again!”

You gasped, “C-Claire, what...what are you talking about?” 

“Oh, cut the shit, [y/n]! I saw you guys in the pool at the beach house, okay?”

You sighed deeply, closing your eyes and ducking your head to avoid her gaze.

“Claire...”

“He treated you like trash, [y/n]! He fucked me, he fucked you, and broke your heart—“

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Oh, please. The Roni thing had you depressed for weeks. And I thought maybe Alex was getting your mind off it. Oh, my God, [y/n], tell me you did not dump Alex to mess around with Matthew. Please, please tell me you have not been running around here, letting Matthew Gubler put his dick in you.”

“Stop!” You shouted. 

“What is it about him? I used to have to pay you five bucks just to be in the same room as him. Now, he’s got you out at all hours of the night, and running off to Vegas?”

“What’s your deal, Claire?”

“My deal is that you’re my best friend. My very best friend. You deserve better.”

“I’m going to class,” you muttered. You continued to fix your outfit, moving on to your hair — which you quickly styled. You grabbed your backpack and headed out without another word. From you or Claire. 

You didn’t mention this spat to Matthew. You just began spending an abnormal amount of time at his place, but he didn’t mind. He welcomed you with open arms, supplied you with an ample amount of sex. He helped you study, waited up for you after ballet practice, and always, always kissed you goodbye when you left. 

When spring break rolled around, Claire and you weren’t on speaking terms. She was well aware that all the time you were spending away was spent with Matthew, and she refused to entertain it. She spoke roommate business with you, kept things civil, but there were no late night movie marathons or afternoon lunches. 

“I’m leaving for Vegas,” you told her, hauling your suitcase. 

“Okay,” she replied, flipping through a book on her bed, and not looking up from it.

You sighed, “Okay.”

Matthew greeted you at the airport, keeping his distance to keep from alerting the rest of your friends to the relationship. “Hey, where’s Claire?”

You gulped, “Um, uh, she’s not coming. I didn’t tell you?”

“Oh. No, you didn’t. Everything okay?”

“Everything’s fine. Hey, how much money do you think I can win in one week?” You changed the subject.

He giggled, “I’m gonna have to keep my eye on you, aren’t I?”

“And keep me close,” you whispered. “Very close.”

You sat separately on the plane, but took the same car to his house. Matthew held the door open for everyone, winking at you as you came in last. His house was charming, had family photos plastered on the wall. 

“Aw, look,” you murmured to him, pointing at a baby picture of him on the wall. “Little Matthew!”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, keep it moving,” he rolled his eyes, and put his hand on your lower back, guiding you through the house. 

The group gathered in the living room, silently admiring the place. “My boy!” Matthew’s mom exclaimed, rushing from the kitchen with her arms wide open. This big smile grew out on Matthew’s face, and it made you smile instantly. His mom engulfed him a tender hug, holding him close, rubbing his back.

“Mom, you remember everyone,” Matthew said, his arm around his mom’s shoulders. He renamed everyone in the room, pointing them out to her. “And this is [y/n],” he motioned to you, giving you a faint smile. 

“Hi, Mrs. Gubler,” you greeted her. You reached out to shake her hand, and she shook it softly. 

“[y/n]...” She whispered, subtly glancing at Matthew. “Okay. Nice to meet you, [y/n].”

“Nice to meet you too.”

Matthew quickly ushered everyone upstairs. He showed your friends to the guest rooms, and while they were getting squared away, you waited in the hall patiently. He came up to you, your smiles mirroring each other’s, and the distance between you two was dangerously small.

“So, should I just set up my stuff out here? Lay down in the corridor?” You chuckled.

He shook his head, “Come on.” He grabbed your hand and your suitcase, and led you down the hallway. He pulled you into a bedroom on the right, set your stuff down on the mattress, and closed the door. 

“This is my room?” You asked.

“It sure is,” he nodded. “And the best part about it is that, there’s a room right next door.” He took slow strides up to you, a smirk on his face. You let him wrap his arms around you waist, pull you close. “And... tonight, or, every night this week, the door to that bedroom will be open. Real late at night. If you’d like to come check it out.”

“Oh, yeah?” You mumbled. 

“Yeah,” he put his forehead against yours, sighing. “I have to go talk to my mom. Be here when I get back.” 

“I might be,” you shrugged, watching him as he separated his body from yours. He gave you one last smile before leaving. 

Downstairs, Matthew’s mom was cleaning up the living room, talking to his roommate Steve. Matthew took a seat on the couch, kicking his feet up on the table. “Hey, my love! Is everyone settled in?” She asked Matthew. 

“Yeah, yeah, they’re getting there,” he replied.

“And your girlfriend?” She added.

He cut his eyes up to her, then Steve. Steve was chuckling under his breath. “I don’t have a girlfriend, mom.” 

“Oh? [y/n]’s not your girlfriend?”

“What? No,” he shook his head. “No. She’s not.”

“She’s new. I’ve never met her before.”

“Yeah...well, she...she’s my...uh—“

“Are you guys...are you...” His mom hesitated. He looked up at her, confused, until she raised her eyesbrows at him suggestively. 

“Oh, God, mom! Don’t ask me that!” He groaned, hopping up from the couch.

“I’ll explain.” Steve directed at Matthew’s mother. Matthew stopped in his tracks, and look at Steve, his arms crossed. “Matthew’s in love with [y/n].” 

“What?” Matthew shouted. “I am not—why would you say that?” His face turned bright red, the words flailing from his lips in jumbled stutters. 

“Oh, you really like her,” his mom grinned. 

“I don’t!” Matthew’s voice squeaked. 

“Matthew, I saw the way you two looked at each other. I saw how you came in with her, how you introduced her. You like her.”

“I’m hungry. Who’s hungry? I’m gonna see if everyone wants to go out for dinner.” Matthew rambled as he left the room. 

Matthew didn’t speak to you much throughout the day. He let you ride in his car, but not in the front seat. He started to pull the chair out for you at dinner, but played it off like that wasn’t his intention. It was his idea to show you all a nearby bar, and there, he was knocking drinks back, partying with friends, joking around. When you smiled at him, he pretended not to notice, and ducked his head down. And while your friends were keeping you plenty happy, you suddenly didn’t feel like being out anymore. 

You took an uber back to Matthew’s house, alone, and let yourself in through the back door as he had mentioned earlier. It was nearly two in the morning, pitch black, and you wound up getting lost upstairs. You waltzed into your room, at least you thought so. But when you opened the door, you came face to face with a room covered in movie posters, decorated with spooky trinkets. There was a blue undertone, a full size bed pushed against the wall and it smelled of smoke and mint. 

“You found it.”

“Ah!” You jumped, and turned around. “Fuck,” you huffed. “I’ve gotta get you a bell or something. What the hell, Matthew?”

“Why’d you leave tonight?” Matthew asked, stepping in and closing the door.

“I was tired. I wanted to sleep.” You shrugged. 

“In here?”

“I got lost. I can leave,” you sighed, and started heading for the door. 

Matthew grabbed onto your waist, and pulled your body into his. “What’s up, princess?” 

“Nothing. What’s up with you?” You scoffed. 

“What’s the supposed to mean?”

“You’ve been weird tonight! Why? Is it your mom? Are you — are you not comfortable with me being here?” 

“What? That’s crazy—“

“No, it’s not. Maybe me being here was a bad idea.” 

Matthew sighed, and ran his fingers through your hair. He turned away and walked up to his dresser, “You wanna know one reason I’m so excited to have you here?” 

You stared at the ground shyly, “Why?” 

He rummaged through his things, pulling out a small object that he craddled in his hands. “Because here...I have this.” He held up a sleek, professional looking camera.

You eyed it, stumped, “A go-pro?” 

“Yeah,” he shrugged. “Thought we could put it to use.” 

You tried to stifle your grin, “Put it to use?”

“Yeah. Let’s make a movie.”

You laughed dryly, “A movie?” 

“Yeah. A dirty one.” 

“Um...no!” You exclaimed. 

“Why not?” 

“Because...icky.”

He chuckled, “It’s not icky. It’s the same thing we always do. Just caught on film. C’mon, please? Pleeeease? I’ll make it tasteful.”

You rolled your eyes and exhaled, eyeing him intently. “Fine,” you agreed. “But, I have one condition.” 

“Name it.”

His bed was comfortable, soft. It permanently smelled like him. You laid on your back, your dress pushed up your thighs, and your panties laid on the floor. You held the tiny camera in your hands and had the lense aimed between your legs. You tried not to moan too loudly, Matthew working his mouth on you underneath the bed sheets. He was putting on a performance, twirling his tongue on your clit, sucking on it, humming in delight. 

You couldn’t help but touch his nose, admiring the way it sat on his face and grazed against your pelvis. You pressed your fingertip onto the bridge of his nose and ran it down to the tip, smiling down at him. He opened his eyes and peered in the camera. Watching on the camera screen, you couldn’t help but gasp at the sight of his irises, his gaze filled with intensity and lust. 

You tangled your fingers in his hair, your thumb tracing his cheekbone, “Come suck on my tits.” You commanded. 

He grinned, and he quietly began to kiss up your stomach. You kept the camera close to his face, capturing his every move. His tongue swirled around your nipple, and you had to push his hair out of his face to catch the action. The camera picked up the sound of your whimpers, the sight of Matthew gropping your breasts, his lips on you. 

Matthew kissed a trail up to your neck, sucking on your skin, so you could angle the camera and get a nice little shot of the two of you bundled up. “Give me this,” he whispered, taking the camera from your hand. 

He sat back and filmed himself undoing his pants, pulling his cock out and stroking himself. “Want me to fuck you?” He asked, and angled the camera at your face. You looked into the lense and nodded, twirling your hair on your finger. 

He bit down on his lip, pointed the camera back down at his cock, and pushed the tip into you. He listened to the wet sound of him sinking inside of you, pulling out halfway and them slamming back in. You tensed up and gripped onto the duvet cover, gasping. He immediately focused the camera on your face, watching through the screen as he pounded into you. 

“Fuck,” you muttered, your eyes rolling back. Matthew was practically drooling over you, huffing and puffing as he writhed on top of you. His shoulder were too far away for you to grab onto, but you dug your nails into his torso. You face was laced with pleasure and estacy, sweat forming on your forehead, your lips parted slightly. 

Matthew’s other hand held onto your face, his thumb tracing over your bottom lip. He continued to record your face as his thumb slid into your mouth. 

“Look at me,” he begged. “Look at me.”

Your eyes flickered up the camera, your lips tightened around his thumb and he nearly exploded. “Oh, God, you’re so hot,” he huffed. “You’re so fucking hot, princess.”

You whimpered against his skin, your jaw dropping down to release strangled moans. His hand dropped down to cup your boob, massage it between his fingers. He centered the camera on your chest, watching as your boobs bounced up and down. The camera followed his hand down to your clit, and he recorded himself fucking you and rubbing the sensitive nerve. You trembled underneath his touch, beginning to fall apart. 

“You gonna come, baby?” He panted, camera pointed at your face. You nodded quickly, your face hot, your lip caught between your teeth. “Come on, come on my cock.”

His voice sent you over the edge, and the camera caught everything. You — quivering, groaning, moaning, gritting your teeth. It set Matthew on fire. He fucked you through your orgasm, until you were melting into the mattress. His hips bucked into you sloppily, and aggressively, now videoing his cock with the camera. 

He moved the camera perfectly, capturing the moment he pulled out and came on your dress. His hand moved quickly to jerk himself off, until every last drop was on the fabric. He crumbled into a fit of breathy groans, hunching over and trying to catch his breath. 

“My dress,” you whined.

“Well,” he sighed, shutting the camera off. “Guess you’ll just have to take it off then.” 

By the time spring break was over, the two of you had made 5 videos. The number of times you fucked, however, was much greater. You were grateful for an opportunity to get back at him for every hickey he’d given you in the past. You constantly left marks on him that he had to hide from his mother, and you enjoyed every second of his squirming. Feeling much looser and more relaxed in Vegas, the two of you fell into a comfortable rhythm. Still secretive, still sneaky, just...less. You even got up the courage to sit on his lap in front of everyone, and no one said a word. 

They did, however, let you sit with him on the plane ride home. 

Matthew gave you a kiss on the cheek before you headed back to your dorm. You stepped up to your front door, took in a deep breath, and stared at the peephole. You weren’t ready. Ready to tell Claire everything that had happened. Even though there was no one in the world you wanted to tell more. But she had made her feelings about the situation very clear, and you had to respect that. So, instead of facing up to her right away, you left. You didn’t even think about why, or where you were going. Because the destination was obvious.

“[y/n]?” Matthew said as he answered the door. He looked down, noticing your suitcase still at your side. “Everything okay?” 

“Yeah, I, uh, locked myself out the room. Can I stay here for a bit? Just until Claire gets back.” You asked.

“Yeah, of course,” he nodded, letting you into the suite. 

You got to his room and instantly crashed on his bed, feeling so comfortable. “Jet lag?” He laughed.

“Amongst other things.”

“You really need to let your body adjust to the time change.”

“Mhm,” you hummed, pulling the covers over your body and snuggling into the pillows. He laughed at you, and sighed. Then he crawled into bed with you, and you let him hold you close. Thinking you were falling asleep, Matthew lightly ran his fingers down your cheek. It was soft and gentle and felt nice. And you desperately wished for a way to have this. To have him. Without losing your best friend.

But things between you and Claire just got worse. 

Over the next few weeks, she not only kept you at arms length, but Matthew as well. Despite living with you, she found creative ways to keep your conversations short and brief, and oftentimes would leave before you got back from Matthew’s. And despite being Matthew’s friend, she managed to avoid him at every party, every class. It just sucked. Because you were so, so happy, and then there was Claire. 

“We have to move out,” she grumbled as she entered the room.

“What?” You were stocking your mini fridge, but stopped to look at her. 

“They’re kicking us out because of this goddamn virus! Fuck!” She shouted. 

“What? Where’d you hear that?” 

“The school just sent out an email.”

You rushed over to your bed, grabbing your phone off your mattress. The email notification popped up, causing a vibration in your hand, and you opened the app right away. All NYU students to be moved out of campus housing by Sunday.

“Sunday?” You shouted. “Sunday? They expect me to pack all my shit in 4 days?”

Claire would’ve responded, but she was too busy already getting her stuff together, and you were occupied with rampant thoughts about, well, everything. You’d have to pack. Everything. Clear out your room. You’d have to call home. Have someone help. Fuck. You’d have to live at home. Home. For months. You couldn’t go out on campus, couldn’t see your friends, your friends!

Matthew. Oh, God. Matthew. 

He crossed your mind everyday for the next 2 days, as you packed your room into boxes and bags. He didn’t attempt to contact you, probably too busy with his own packing. Your family would be picking you up Saturday morning. So, you felt it best to go say goodbye on Friday. 

It was almost midnight, and you had just finished packing. You stood outside of Matthew’s bedroom door for a long time, after having been let in by his suitemate. Before you could knock, the door swung open and the two of you nearly collided. 

“Oh! [y/n].”

“Hey.”

“Hey,” he mumbled. “I was just on my way to see you.”

“You were?”

“Yeah.”

“I, uh, I’m leaving tomorrow morning. So, I wanted to come say...goodbye.” The words were hard to push out, and they hit Matthew even harder. His heart sunk to his stomach, and he wanted to do anything, anything, to make it go away. 

He grabbed onto your face and pulled you into a passionate kiss. You instinctively gripped onto his shirt, your face contorted in shock and confusion. He pulled you into the room, slamming the door behind you. 

“Matthew,” you whispered, but he continued to press his lips to yours. “Matthew.” You repeated as he began to kiss your neck. Your legs started to go weak, your breathing sped up. “Matthew, wait.”

He stopped abruptly and looked you in the eye, your face in his palm. “What is it?”

“I just—“ you sighed. “Are you okay?”

He digested the words for a second, looking down at you with a soft gaze. He kissed you once again, arms now around your waist, chest pressed against yours. You gave in. You both needed this. 

It was hungry. Eager. Clothes were torn off in less than a minute. Matthew pushed you onto the bed, tangled his fingers in your hair and devoured your body. He left a trail of hickies from your neck, to your chest, to your rib cage. The sensation was so overwhelming that you couldn’t do anything but stare at the ceiling, attempting to control your breathing. 

Soft kisses on your thighs led to an intense session of him eating you out, him pressing you against his face, his tongue encircling your clit. You rolled your hips against his mouth, gasping his name and pulling his hair. He worked himself to the brink, his jaw going numb, until you cried out his name as you came. It was an other-worldly, hypersensitive, super sonic orgasm. And it took you a minute to recover. 

His body laid on top of yours, his lips on your neck, his torso between your legs. You whined into your mouth as he pressed his dick in you, slowly, gently, until he was buried inside you. You could feel his arm muscles contracting and relaxing under your touch. His breath hit your shoulder with each quiet groan that escaped his lips. He put his forehead against yours, watching your face as he moved in and out of you at a steady pace.

You hummed softly, and kissed his lips, then his cheek, then his neck. His mouth dropped open, and he couldn’t stop himself from moaning. “Oh, my God, [y/n],” he panted. He never said your name to you. Ever. Very rarely. Especially not in bed. And it tore you apart. You held onto him for dear life and looked him in the eye as you massaged your clit.

Your moans increased in volume together, both of you nearing your release at once. You whimpered uncontrollably, your eyes fluttering closed. You couldn’t see Matthew watching you, but he was. He watched the way your hair framed your face, your expression of pleasure. He placed soft kisses all over your face, and the moment he caught your lips on his, you came. You accidentally bit down on his lip, and he let out a weak moan.

“S-sorry,” you whispered. 

“It’s okay,” he nodded. “It’s okay. Are you okay?”

“I’m okay. Are you okay?”

“I’m okay, baby.”

He followed his words with a grunt, slamming himself into you. Your chests rubbed against each other’s, the bed squeaked along with the movement of Matthew’s hips. His moans became breathy, vulnerable, and he proactively pulled himself out of you. You dazedly reached down and stroked his cock, watching his face as he trembled. He said your name again, faintly, very faintly, in a fit of moans as he released himself onto your stomach. 

You were sticky and sweaty and gross — both of you — but you held each other close, panting and wheezing. 

You spent the night at his dorm for the first time that night. The two of you slept cuddled up, his head on your chest, your arms wrapped around each other. At six in the morning, you woke up and slid out of bed without waking Matthew. You kept your vision away from him as you got dressed. And when you were ready to go, you turned to him and admired him.

He looked peaceful, soft. You wanted nothing more than to wake him up, stay in bed with him for hours. But you couldn’t, and you wouldn’t. So you gave him a kiss on top of his head, and you left.

[PART 6.]

[carbscartoons]

Aoi drabbles

Aoi sat alone in her room, sobbing softly to herself. She had just witnessed the brutal murder of Leon, and he himself had brutally murdered a fellow friend. Tensions were high, and trust was deteriorating fast. Aoi hated it. Everyone was sensing a growing barrier between each other, and Aoi had never felt more alone in her entire life.

Aoi constantly had thoughts running through her head, and without companionship she had no outlet. Her brain felt like it was going to explode. Back home she always made sure she was with someone, because she feared the thoughts that would come if she was by herself. Now she was alone, and her self deprecating thoughts were amplified ten fold by the fact that she was literally in the middle of a murder game. She hated herself most of all for doubting the loyalty of everyone else. She wanted to believe in them, but already two of them had proven themselves capable of betrayal. She hated herself for being no help whatsoever during the trial. She knew she was stupid. She felt utterly useless and powerless. She loved having control over her life, and here she had none.

She tried to form friendships with the others, but all of their interactions felt so hollow. How can you act normally under such crazy circumstances? She was always very painfully aware of the cameras watching her every single move. She wondered if there was anyone out there, watching her. Seeing her in all of her idiot glory.

Aoi did not form permanent friendships. She kept everyone at arms length because she feared what they’d think of her if they got too close. She knew she had a habit of rambling, and being overly excited and loud. She didn’t want to put people through her company longer than they needed to be. Here though, she was locked in. The walls were literally closed in around her and there was no way out. She felt suffocated. She was being pulled between two desires: to hide away from everyone and to seek companionship to somewhat settle the voices in her head. She felt helpless because she knew either way she would hate herself.

Aoi committed herself to trying to befriend everyone, that way she could space out her time spent with individuals.

“Celeste hey!! Do you want to maybe walk around for a bit? I actually saw some cards in the recreational area and I know you like gambling so I thought-“

Celeste put up a hand to silence her. Aoi clamped her mouth shut.

“Not at the moment I am afraid. I am much too preoccupied in my own pursuits. Besides, I’m not so sure you would be a suitable playing partner.”

“Oh.. okay..” Aoi stood in the hallway as Celeste walked away. Of course she didn’t want to hang out with her, Celeste was much to smart to be affiliating with an idiot like herself.

She felt dejected but pushed it down. She was going to find someone else.

As she wandered into the kitchen she spotted Makoto and Chihiro sitting at a table together. They had seemed nice, so maybe they’d be more receptive to company. She walked over.

“Hey guys! Would u mind if sat with you for a bit?”

Makoto beamed up at her. “Not at all Hina! Chihiro was just telling me about a game that she had begun programming before she ended up here.”

Chihiro blushed and looked off to the side, “i-it’s not actually that big of a deal... just something I was doing on the side. It’s kind of stupid.”

Aoi slammed herself down into the seat next to Chihiro, “HEY!! No bad talking yourself like that. Dude you’re literally the ultimate programmer! If the ultimate programmer made a video game, I KNOW I’d play the heck out of it!”

Chihiro blushed harder and stared intently at the table in front of her, but a small smile twitched at the ends of her lips. “Oh... that’s very nice of you to say Hina. Thank you.”

Aoi slapped the girl hard on the back, causing her to slam forward into the table. “No prob— oh! I’m so sorry Chihiro are you okay?!”

Chihiro looked a little pale but nodded her head quickly. Ugh stupid!! She should’ve been more careful with someone as fragile as Chihiro. “Gosh I’m really so sorry, I didn’t mean to hit you so hard.”

Chihiro forced out a small laugh. “It’s fine please, do not worry.” Chihiro smiled kindly at her, “I admire how strong you are actually.”

“Oh!” Aoi was taken aback by the sudden compliment, and she actually felt pretty good about herself. “Well thank you! I guess I got some pretty big muscles huh? That’ll happen when you are doing almost nothing but swimming all day. Plus a few hours at the gym and my daily 20 mile runs. I just like the feeling of exercising you know? The slight ache in your muscles, the adrenaline coursing through your body. I always push to my limit, and then I go even further than that! When it hurts you know you’re getting stronger!!! My coach always told me that I worked too hard. He would say “Aoi. You’ve been swimming nonstop for almost 3 hours. If you keep going you’re going to have a stroke.” I laughed at him because that was a really good pun! And when I told him so he said it wasn’t intentional, but I think it was. My coach is just a pretty naturally...”

Aoi suddenly stopped and looked at the two people in front of her. Chihiro was staring at the table again, although the slight smile from earlier was gone. She actually looked like she might be on the verge of tears. Meanwhile Makoto was watching her with a smile, but Aoi could tell it was somewhat strained.

She was upsetting them. She was boring them. She’d interrupted the probably really interesting conversation that they’d been having to just go off on some tangent about herself. Why couldn’t she just be normal?

There was a slight awkward silence before Makoto chipped in. “Huh. That’s really interesting Hina! It sounds like you work really hard.”

It wasn’t interesting. “Yeah, I guess I do haha. But uh, Chihiro! I’d love to hear more about this game that you were talking about! What’s it about? Is it fantasy? Science fiction?”

Chihiro lifted her head and she suddenly looked very tired. “Ah.. it would probably be considered science fiction yeah. But like I said it’s not that big of a deal. Also it’s been a really long day and I think I might be ready for bed. It was great talking to you two though! I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Chihiro got up quickly and without looking back walked through the doors. Makoto tried to make conversation about how good the food was here, but all Hina could think about was how tiring she must be to everyone around her.

——————-

This is just a short drabble to kind of get a grasp of my take on Aoi’s personality. I think from this the main takeaway is that most of the things she does is motivated by her low self esteem. She vacillates between throwing herself into social situations and distancing herself from people before she get’s too close for fear of letting them down. Her intense exercise regimen is also an attempt to push out her constant barrage of negative thoughts.

Anyway I want to write a Sakuraoi fic and I’m getting a feel for the characters so yeah :)

[karihighman]

Witness - Upstead AU

PART 2: BECOMING YOUR FRIEND WAS A CHOICE

After the longest night of her life, Hailey just wanted to sleep. The problem? It was 6AM in the morning, and her roommate, Vanessa, was already at work. Vanessa works at the recreational center nearby Hailey’s family’s bakery. She grew up in the foster care system, and worked odd jobs to put herself through college. She has a social work degree, and plans to open her own community center. That’s where Hailey met her, was in college. Point being, Vanessa was always up before the sun, and would get home in the early evenings. Meanwhile, Hailey takes her classes during the day, and on her off days, she spends it working the afternoon and night shifts at the bakery. Her parents need a break, and honestly, she needed a break from them.

Her parents were great, helped Hailey with her tuition, and were in her life for all the major moments. But, her parents’ relationship? That was another story. Her dad was abusive towards her mom, her brothers, and herself when they were younger. The physical abuse didn’t happen anymore, but it didn’t stop her father from berating her mother, or his sons and daughter. It only happened sometimes, when he would get really plastered.

If his sports team lost, if he lost his job, you name it, it usually ended up in the same tragic way.

Hailey was drawn out of her own thoughts by the pulling back of the hospital curtain. The last thing she remembered was meeting Jay, and by that time, it was either 1 or 2 in the morning. So, at least she’d gotten a few hours of sleep. Why it was still at Chicago Med, she didn’t know. But, she assumed the redheaded doctor that entered her room could answer that question.

“Hailey Upton, good to see you awake! I’m Will Halstead, and I’ll be reviewing your discharge information with you.”

Hailey furrowed her brows. Did he just say Halstead? Or was she hallucinating? “Did you say Halstead?” She asked him.

Will’s mouth quirked into a lopsided smile. “Yes, I did. I’m assuming you met my younger brother, Jay, a few hours earlier.”

Hailey nodded, remembering the very attractive detective she had spoken to. “Yeah, I did.”

“He was the one that told me you had fallen asleep mid conversation, so we figured it was okay to let you sleep given what you’d been through.”

Hailey’s mouth dropped open a bit. She fell asleep? While talking to Jay? Well that’s just great. “Oh. Well, if you see him, could you please tell him I’m sorry about that. I had been working a full shift, and had a full day of classes the day before. I’d barely logged 4 hours the night before, so I was on “this is my fourth coffee” mode.”

Will was maneuvering around her as she offered up an apology. He shined a bright light in her eyes to check her vision, which jarred Hailey a little. She blinked to get the spots out of her eyes, but tried to listen to what he was saying as he put the blood pressure cuff on her arm.

“Hm?” She hummed as he put all his materials down.

“I just said we’re done. You just need to sign this paper, and you’ll be on your way.”

“Oh,” Hailey faltered. “Yeah, okay. Um, I’ll just need to call a cab or an Uber since my roommate’s at work already. And, well, my car is back at the bakery…” She wasn’t meaning to spill her guts to Dr. Will Halstead, she was just talking out loud.

Her head snapped up as Will snapped his fingers. “Well, I happen to know someone that’s very willing to give you a ride back home. Plus, you can apologize on the way to your apartment.”

Hailey barely mastered an “Um” when she was met with those damn green eyes again.

Jay stood next to his brother, which 1) allowed Hailey to see the resemblance between them and 2) allowed Hailey to pay attention to tiny details about him. Like the smattering of freckles across his face, or how he always kept his hands in his pockets. His eyes were kind, and his smile was soft as he gave her a small wave.

She couldn’t help but smile back. “Hey, Jay.”

“Hi Hailey,” he replied. “I figured since we didn’t get to finish our chat earlier, that I’d offer you a lift home so we could.” He shrugged his shoulders awkwardly, like he didn’t really do this often.

Neither did Hailey, but what other option did she have?

“Uh, sure, thank you. Just let me grab my stuff and we can go.”

Jay nodded, and Hailey hopped off the table she fell asleep on, and onto the ground to pick up her purse. She zipped up her jacket, and she was fine to go. She noticed on their way out of the hospital, that Jay was wearing normal clothes. Usually the police officers she saw wore navy and/or light blue uniforms. She did however, see a glimmer of a badge on his belt, only because he fished his keys out of his back pocket.

She had the dumbest thought in the world as they exited the doors and Jay pointed them to his truck. Where did he keep his gun?

She smiled to herself and ducked her head down before Jay could catch her and then ask her what she was smiling about. She ran a couple fingers over her lips before stuffing her hands into her jacket pockets as they stood in front of his black GMC truck.

“And here I thought you’d be driving one of those white patrol cars I see roaming neighborhoods,” she told him, cracking a smile so he knew she was only kidding. Somewhat, anyhow. Truth be told, he was nothing she thought a cop to be. The ones that showed up at her doorstep all those years ago….they were blunt, harsh, and intimidating. Older guys shoving her and her brothers out, others holding their parents back.

It was a lot to handle at 12 years old. Her brothers were 14 and 15 at the time, so they looked out for her. But even they couldn’t comprehend why their parents were being talked to separately, or why their mom looked like she’d been crying, and why their father looked like he didn’t have a care in the world. They’d been fine all of those nights….or so she thought. Sure, there were some screams from a loud argument, or a harsh word exchanged here or there, but she thought all adults fought at some point. People in general fought, right? War, politics, etc. People can hurt other people. It may have been a harsh reality for a twelve year old to hold onto, but, hey, she wasn’t like most girls. Never had been. Never planned on being either.

—————

Jay couldn’t help himself. On the 20 minute drive from Med to Hailey’s apartment, he’d keep checking on her out of the corner of his eye. Once or twice, both of his eyes would flutter in her direction, to which he’d offer her a general smile. He’d breathe a quiet sigh of relief when she’d return it tenfold.

She had a really pretty smile. No, he thought to himself. He’d used pretty before already. Call it detectives intuition, or maybe it was just because he’d grown up studying people and how they behaved since his own family dynamic was pretty screwy – but regardless, he knew people like Hailey had stories buried beneath the surface.

He could tell by the tension she held in her face and body. How her jaw clenched ever so slightly, or how her hands would fidget in the same patterns every couple minutes. And of course, her tell of running a hand through her hair.

Complex, would be the word he’d use to describe that behavior. Mysterious would be the term he’d use to describe the enigma that was Hailey Anne Upton (he’d peaked at Will’s chart for a second, sue him). But, her smile? Gorgeous. Yeah, that was the one.

He almost contemplated asking her about herself, so he could get to know the woman wrapped up in so many proverbial layers. But, her voice cracked through his illusion. “This is me right here.”

Jay was pulled up to the curb of a quaint apartment complex, with a few units, he assumed on either side, even though he only saw the front. The white building’s homes each had their own bright orange doors, which he found funny given the classic white paint job.

Then he noticed the orange tiled letters and numbers that made up the street address of the complex. 185 Vinton Street. They were – you guessed it – bright orange. He frowned, not out of sadness, but out of…oddness? He couldn’t quite pinpoint the emotion. He was just….observing things. Like the way Hailey idled in the passenger seat for a few moments while he had gotten out.

“You alright?”

He tapped lightly on her window. She pointed down to the lock, and he could’ve – and should’ve – smacked himself silly for not unlocking it. Nice going moron. He grimaced, hoping his eyes conveyed a sheepish apology as he rectified the error. Her lips had twisted into a semi smile as she got out. She seemed to be smiling at herself, but she looked at him before looking back down to her feet.

“Um, thanks for the ride back. And I am sorry about falling asleep last night. Or should I say this morning.”

Jay leaned against his truck. “That’s okay, really. You needed some rest. Not many people see things like that. I mean, I do, but that’s because it’s my job. You’re…I mean, I don’t know much about you, but like you said – you’re a future psychologist – you’re not a cop.”

Hailey pulled her bottom lip inbetween her teeth. “Yeah, right.” She paused for a second, before asking: “Is that the last thing we talked about?”

“Um, no. No, the last thing we talked about, or should I say, I was talking to you about, was: golf. Which I found ironic that you fell asleep during the middle of the conversation, as you had just got done saying how you loved it, despite your roommate Vanessa making fun of you for it.”

Hailey shook her head as she walked to stand across from him, so she could lean her shoulder against his truck too. “Gotcha. Well, if you’d like, we can finish that conversation? I have coffee inside,” she offered, mentally smacking herself for how lame that invite was.

“Uh, sure, that is if you don’t mind. I could use some coffee right now.”

Hailey motioned for Jay to follow her up, and they entered her apartment. She thanked the lord that she was the neater between herself and Vanessa, so their apartment wasn’t a total disaster area. Vanessa’s room, however, was a completely different story. But that was partially because her boyfriend Kevin would sometimes stay over, and his stuff was left there too.

Hailey had told Vanessa she could always move in with Kevin, or find a place of her own, but she insisted that she and Hailey would be roommates until both of them had boyfriends. Hailey rolled her eyes at that ridiculous rule, but was secretly glad. She loved having Vanessa around.

“Welcome,” she said, raising her arms out as if to display the small space to him. “Um, you can sit wherever. I’ve just gotta change my clothes real quick, then I’ll put a pot on.”

Jay was admiring the photos that littered their living room area. Vanessa and Hailey had both taken photography as one of their electives, so black and white photos from a class project decorated their place.

He turned his head toward her as she spoke though. “Okay, thanks.”

Hailey quickly nodded before hurrying back to her room to throw something other than her jogging sweats and hoodie on. Sometimes she’d wear old clothes if she was going to be working in the back of the bakery, because flour + nice clothes = total mess.

She pulled on some jeans and a plain white tee shirt that she tucked in, before tossing her hair into a messy ponytail. Better, she thought to herself as she looked in the mirror.

She walked back out to see Jay camped out on her couch. The kicker? Now he was the one asleep. She literally had to bite her tongue to keep from bursting out in laughter. It was cute, seeing him all nestled up like he’d meant to do that all along or something. His elbow propped his head up a little against his hand, and the lower half of his legs were hanging off the edge. She was honestly surprised he didn’t take up the whole couch, given that he had to be at least 6 feet tall.

Vanessa’s boyfriend Kevin, after all, was like 6’4. That was pretty much all she knew about Kevin though, as she’d only seen him in passing. Thankfully, he’d been clothed, as had Vanessa, or else Hailey would’ve had to move out for sure. Vanessa had joked to her one night after Kevin dipped out that there’d be a day where Hailey would be the one sneaking a boy back to their apartment. Hailey had rolled her eyes, and told Vanessa to keep dreaming. But now, as she watched the slow rise and fall of Jay’s chest against his light grey fitted shirt and unzipped jacket, she realized she did in fact, have a boy over.

She let out a puff of air, feeling silly for just standing there like a moron. She didn’t know if she should wake him or not. She didn’t know what times cops had to be at work. All she knew was she didn’t have to be at work until noon, and it was only….she looked across the way to her microwave clock. 7AM. Cool, cool. She ran a hand through her hair again, before deciding to brew the coffee she’d promised him. Hey, even if he was asleep, didn’t mean Hailey didn’t need the coffee just as much as Jay did.

So, she bounded over to her kitchenette and put on some coffee. She leaned against the counter, pulling her phone out to check her messages.

One from Vanessa, which read: SORRY I COULDNT COME GET U THIS AM. DID U MAKE IT HOME OK??

Hailey typed a response. YES I DID, V. DONT WORRY.

She watched the three bubbles pop up on her screen. K. AND UR OKAY RIGHT?

YES :) TALK TO YOU LATER VANESSA.

She flipped her phone off before going to fix herself something to eat. Her grumbling stomach gave her hunger away. She was making eggs and bacon when she heard a mumble from her sofa. She’d honestly forgot Jay was there, he was that quiet.

“Mmm,” she thinks he “said.”

“It’s okay Jay, this time you were the one that fell asleep,” Hailey called over her shoulder. “I knew you’d wake up sometime though, so I figured you deserved some rest too.”

She was plating a portion of food for herself when she saw him emerge from the couch. He was headed for the coffee, but hey, the rest of her food wasn’t going to eat itself. “And you’re welcome to the rest of the food there,” she offered as casually as she could as she sat down.

Jay had been filling up a coffee mug when he turned his head up to look at her from across the way. “Oh, no, that’s okay, Hailey. I–“

“Seriously, Jay. I don’t mind. Besides, it’s the least I can do after falling asleep on you–“ she felt her cheeks heat up at the only semi-innocent implication that created. “–I mean, y’know, during our conversation, not to mention you taking me– giving me a ride home.”

Jay set down his cup, but he didn’t argue. He grabbed some food and made his way over to where she was sitting. They sat in silence for a few minutes, simply drinking their coffee and eating their food.

Hailey was the first one that spoke. “So, what exactly were we talking about when we were talking golf?”

“Ummm,” Jay mumbled as he finished a bite of eggs. “I think we were onto what is better: a club or a putter for a shorthand shot on the green.”

They answered simultaneously: “putter.” They smiled at each other.

“Huh, I never thought I’d meet another golf aficionado,” Hailey said as she bit into a piece of bacon.

Jay shook his head as he swallowed another bit of coffee. “Neither did I. I mean, my brother and I golfed sometimes…before he went off to med school and I joined the service. But, since then, neither of us have really had the time for it.”

Hailey pouted. “Aw, well that’s no fun. I think everyone should have something that they enjoy in their day. Like for me, it’s photography. Well, I really like still life’s. My roommate, Vanessa, she likes the live-action type of shots. But me? I like capturing a single, seemingly minute, moment of time.”

She realized she’d completely glossed over possibly the most important part of what Jay told her. Nice work, Hailey. “So, you were in the military?”

“Yep. Rangers, 75th Battalion.”

“Wow,” she mused, very impressed. She’d never known someone in the military before. Her older brother Andy almost joined the Navy, but it was only his backup plan if he didn’t make it into law school. But, when he got in to Harvard Law, he couldn’t pass it up. “That’s incredible. I, well, I mean, thank you,” her foot should’ve met her mouth a few words ago when she saw his eyebrows raise. “Thank you for your service.” She clarified, hoping her face was not as red as a tomato right now, or else she could just die of embarrassment.

Her pinky graced her cheek as she ran a hand through her hair once more. Nope, all good. Phew.

“Thanks,” he said gently. “Most people want war stories, or dangerous tales because they think it’s like it is in the movies.”

Hailey frowned. She was no movie buff, but even she knew nothing was like it was on TV or film. No way. She knew that after she watched her first princess movie. A prince would sweep the girl off her feet and away from danger. But, no one came to save her from her own hell. So, she’d given up on the whole idea of fairytales; honestly, she’d given up on the idea that life was going to give her anything. That’s why she worked damn hard to get where she was.

“Oh, no, I can’t imagine what it must’ve been like over there for you. I know what that kind of impact veterans can have when they come back from war. It’s a lot.”

Jay nodded, actually feeling thankful that someone understood that. “Exactly.”

Hailey offered him a smile, but he could tell it was tinged with sadness. Or maybe like she had something to share too.

“So, what about you? I mean, as I’m sure you guessed, I jumped from the army to the police, but what made you want to become a psychologist?”

“Um,” Hailey did her same nervous habit of running her hand through her hair. Shit, well that she wasn’t expecting. Most people liked to talk about themselves, or didn’t care to hear about psychology, of all things. Guys, Hailey, not people. She and Vanessa could talk classwork all day.

“I’ve just always been interested in helping people. And I’ve always been good at reading people, I guess. Like how they act, or interact with other people. People always think that their eyes or their lips give away what their intentions are, but actually, it’s their body language.”

Jay’s head tilted. “Is that right?”

Hailey vehemently nodded her head. “Yessir.”

Jay narrowed his eyes slightly. “Well then, Dr. Upton, what am I saying? Or what are you getting from me?” A small smirk played on his lips, and Hailey had yet another moronic thought of wanting to kiss it off of him.

She tilted her head a bit too, as her eyes studied him. One of her brows arched as she noticed his movement underneath her gaze. She clicked her tongue against her cheek.

“Well,” she began, unfolding her hands. “You’re sitting straight up, which indicates a polite demeanor. You’re holding eye contact, which means you’re not afraid of the truth. Your hands underneath your legs show that you’re carrying something, or have a lot on your mind or on your plate, as they say.” She debated on throwing him a bone with the last one. “And your feet are pointed at me while we’re talking, which means you’re genuinely interested in what I have to say.”

She could help but break into a grin when he did. “I appreciate it, by the way.”

He had opened his mouth to say something in return, when their moment was interrupted by the sound of a phone. Hailey had hers on vibrate in her pocket, so she knew it wasn’t hers, as this was an actual ring. “I think that’s you,” she said to Jay.

“Oh,” he mumbled, fumbling for it in his pocket. “Sorry. It’s work.”

She flitted her hand off, indicating that he could take the call. She busied herself by taking their plates and mugs to her sink, washing them off, and placing them on her drying rack. She’d just begun to turn around when she almost ran smack into Jay. Not that she would’ve minded…that much. She was 99.9% sure he was perfect, in every way. From the way his shirt pulled across his pecs, to the way his broad shoulders took up a doorway, but weren’t overpowering in the least.

“Uh,” she awkwardly sputtered. She really needed a new vocabulary. “Sorry,” she squeaked, not daring to look up into his green eyes. They were standing so close together that she felt his breath hit her cheek though. And that was about all she could handle right now, without her legs giving way, that is. Hell, she even held onto her counter for support. Subtly, of course.

“I, sorry. I have to go. My sergeant said we got pod footage of the guy that killed Crawford.” He was about to break apart from her, when Hailey heard a sharp intake of air. “Actually, um, we might need you down at the district.” He finally said. His voice was so smooth and low it reminded Hailey of rich milk chocolate, and she felt like she needed to sit down before she either A) kissed him or B) grabbed a giant Hershey bar from her secret stash.

“Oh, okay,” she replied stupidly. Duh, Hailey, major duh. “So I guess I’m riding yo– I mean, riding with you.”  Yep, if she could melt into a puddle on the floor, right then would’ve been the perfect time to do it.

“Looks like it,” he said as he finally put some distance between them.

Hailey oddly felt at ease with that. She just hoped she’d still feel that way once she was there.

___________________________________________________________

TAGGING: @ruzek-halstead (requested)  um, let me know somehow if anyone else wants to be tagged? i’ve never done tagging on my fics before lol. hope you like this second part. part 3 will be the last installment. but it’ll be good, don’t worry! ;) 

[namjoonmiluna]

Breaking Free - BTS (M)

btsIf you’ve enjoyed my story please share & visit the link at the bottom to view the rest. Thank you!

Main characters : Kim Namjoon & a girl an average girl named Jenilyn. All BTS members are side characters. Suga becomes a main character in later chapters.

Genre/Warning : Written as a Kdrama. 18+ Triggers for mature content, emotional abuse, physical assault, violence, & sexual content. Later chapters may contain mental instability, drug use, racial undertones and sexual assault. Read with caution.

Length of Fic : Very long, at least a novel or two in length currently. It is not completed.

Summary : Purely by chance, a ordinary girl's life is forever changed by her favorite man-band. The simple act of choosing a new career path sets off a chain of events taking her on a journey of love, jealousy, heartbreak, desire, destiny, & drama. With a target on her back she fights to stand tall in the face of adversity.

I tried to make this story very digestible for new and old army. There is a lot of the fandom put into it and I tried to keep their personalities as close to accurate as possible.

Chapter 1 - The Meeting

It had been a long night. One of those nights that make you question why you even work there anymore. She was alone, as she usually was. The gift shop was small - only the sound of the FM radio, 90s, 00's and today's. There had not been a customer in hours. It was late, but nearing the end of her shift. She went to the restroom where she could see the eyeliner rubbing under her eyes. She did her best to fix it and laughed at herself in the mirror. Her blonde hair, now frizzy and limp from a long day - rested on her shoulders, cascading down her upper back. Why is it I'm always the one covering the shift when someone calls off, she asked herself. Her breasts were large and bouncy, held up by a small waist. Her hips were wide with an ass to match. She looked ridiculous. Thank god I can go home soon, she thought. The white tee looked stretched out from the day. She untied the black and white flannel shirt she had tied around her waist and put it on over her shirt. Her skinny jeans had torn a little more from when she had put them on, exposing more of her thighs than she liked. She thought about how she looked and quickly brushed it off - it was closing time soon anyway. She planned to crawl into bed as soon as she could.

   It was 15 minutes until closing when she noticed lights in front of the store. She had already turned off some of the overhead lights, letting her eyes adjust to the darkness - the headlights all but blinded her.

   Great, last-minute customers, she thought to herself, the absolute worst kind.

   She could see many figures getting out of what looked like a bus. One by one, seven entered the store. Each bringing multiple pieces of luggage and handbags. They all looked tired, and perhaps a little angry. One last man entered after them. Entering the store he removed his sunglasses, tucking them into his jacket pocket. The man looked tall, mature. Thick black hair and of clear Asian decent. He had slightly beady eyes and a rounded nose. His lips were thick and dark.

   "Hi! Can I help you?" she asked loudly from across the store.

   The older man walked to her counter, offering out his hand, "Seijin" he smiled. "I know it's late. Our vehicle broke down and there isn't much around here. I realize this is a campground, but I'm hoping you may have somewhere we can stay?"

She took his hand and shook. She looked to the boys, to Seijin, and back again. Trying to piece together what she was seeing, she managed to spit out, "Um, yeah! We should have something available. Let me find out for you. Are you wanting 8 rentals?" She asked him. He nodded.

   She could see that some of the boys had sat down on the floor, two more laid down, resting their heads on their bags. There was one in particular who laid on the other members of the group, flopping his arms and legs enthusiastically over them. Another slowly walked around, picking up things and calling to the others to look at what he found before setting the item back down. He was curious about all the oddities to seen around him.

   She made a few phones calls and figured out availability. "Okay so, we have 4 deluxe rentals, and 4 regular. The deluxe come with linens but ---" she paused "the regulars do not." She braced herself for him to cop an attitude with her - her years in the recreation industry had toughened her skin giving her the ability to handle any disgruntled customer with ease. She tried not too let it bother her too much, that's just how it was - being mad about it wouldn't change it.

   "Okay" one of the boys on the floor groaned, loudly. It sounded like he wanted to lay on an actual bed as quickly as possible.

   Seijin laughed at the boy who groaned, "I guess that's fine, then."

She made him a map of where the rentals were located. The park spanned a total of 80 acres. She handed it to him and vaguely gestured to where they were located, which was all over the map in different areas.

He looked down to study it, seeing that all of them were in different parts of the campground he said, "I hate to ask another favor but can you possibly take them to the rooms? They are exhausted - it's been a tough day. Anonymity is of importance."

   Still slightly stunned from the strangeness of it all, she managed to get out, "Yeah for sure, but I can't leave for 10 mins when I can close up shop." She pointed to the clock above her.

   Seijin, "That is just fine. Boys." He turned towards the boys, who seemed to be getting comfortable on the floor, "do you want to get any snacks before the nice girl closes?"

   She laughed to herself. Girl. She was in her early 30s, far from a girl. Although she had always presented younger. Coworkers always assumed she was in her early 20s. She didn't bother to correct them. It must be her skin care routine. In her mind if you act young, you stay young. It had worked well so far.

   A few of the boys jumped up. One boy followed the others around explaining what things were as they picked them up. They spoke a foreign language that sounded extremely familiar to her, perhaps a movie she watched with subtitles. Even though they spoke a different language, they riddled each other with English phrases, often spurting out words like "Ok" "Yes!" "Let's go" or "Fighting". The boy following them around laughed and shook his head, often covering his face with his hands. He's super cute, she thought to herself as she watched them walk around the store.

While the boys walked around, another man entered the store, he immediately walked to the counter and greeted Jen. He was tall and just slightly on the chubby side, he had a full beard and looked like he lived in the country his entire life. The boy following the others around the store gave him a side-eye, paying close attention to their conversation. As the member of the group most fluent in English it was hard for him not to listen. Their conversation sounded like they knew each other extremely well.

"Hey Jen" he called.

"Oh hey, Brody!" she chimed, "it's late what are you doing here?"

"We're leaving tonight" he mentioned, "someone at work got into an accident and I have to work tomorrow after all."

"Oh" she said, her voice sounding slightly disappointed.

"I'm really sorry" he apologized, "you know I was really looking forward to seeing you."

She nodded, "it's fine, we'll get together another time."

He laughed, "yeah I hope so." He looked around the store to see the guys walking around, "do you know them?"

"I don't" she said, "they just booked some rentals for the night."

"Nice to meet you" he yelled through the store, "I'm Brody."

The guys turned around and mumbled hellos to him for a second before continuing on their way.

"Not very friendly" he murmured.

Jen laughed, "give them a break, I'm pretty sure they are foreigners."

"I can see that" he said, looking to them again. He moved his gaze back to her. He gave her a big smile and dropped his head sideways.

She laughed, knowing he wanted a hug before he left.

She walked around the counter and gave him a big hug. His arms wrapped around her so tightly they arms reached his body again on the opposite side. He hummed while he hugged her before picking her up in the air and setting her back down.

The boy following the others couldn't help but notice her. She has great body lines, he thought to himself. During the hug, her back faced him.

She stepped back from him, "drive safe."

He leaned forward quickly to whisper in her ear, "the tall one is checking you out." She turned around quickly to find him staring in their direction, only to quickly look away. Jen giggled.

He nodded, "I'll talk to you soon" he said before turning to leave.

   She turned around as one of the boys opened the fridge and loudly yelled "SPRITE!" in plain English. The other boys laughed next to him, each grabbing their own drinks. Lots of bottled water and Gatorade - the typical drinks any young guy would choose.

   Items were piling up on the counter : chips, snacks, sprite, bottles of water, slim jims - even cups of ramen noodles. Enough snacks and drinks for seven.

   She packed up the items, making sure to bag the items separately. Each took their bag and went back to sit on the floor. They seemed a little happier and began eating their snacks. The sounds of snack bags crinkling covered up the music on the radio. She could hear light conversation and laughter coming from them. They reminded her of children.

   The last boy stepped up to the counter, shaking his head and laughing, "These guys act like they haven't eaten in days. How much do we owe?"

He was extremely exotic looking. His heart shaped face matched perfectly with his thin eyebrows. He had somewhat soft cheekbones and jawline. His chin sharp when he smiled. His lips were gorgeous and full. She always preferred men who looked different - normal was boring to her. His hair looked to be between a blonde and silver with a hint of blue, as if it was fading out. He stood tall and lean, towering over her 5'4" frame. His shoulders back, he knew how to carry himself to make others feel slightly intimidated. She wasn't intimidated by him in the least, but she did think he was attractive.

She laughed, "$134.89" From the looks of it, they had a very long day.

   The boy threw his head back, looking at the others happily eating their snacks. He handed her a credit card. She ran the card on what seemed like an ancient credit card reader.

"Boyfriend?" he asked in very clear English, his voice low and deep.

"Huh?" she asked.

"Brody" he smiled, "is he your boyfriend?"

"Oh god no" she laughed, "we're just friends."

"Not interested in him?" he asked, curiously.

"I um.." she thought for a minute on how she should respond, "We've known each other since we were teens. At one point we considered dating - on our first date we went to see a harry potter movie so that tells you how long ago that was."

He laughed and nodded, "didn't hit it off?"

"We did but--" she laughed, "it turns out he's in love with his best friend and I wasn't trying to get involved with that."

He grimaced, "ouch."

"He's persistent, I'll give him that" she laughed, "to this day he's still chasing her and she has at least a few boyfriends at any given time."

"He's just basically a backup but he keeps his hopes up" she explained, "whatever works for him." She truly did hope he gave up the chase and found someone, she felt he needed it desperately.

He nodded thinking about all the strange things he learned while in America.

He fiddled with things on the counter, accidentally knocking some candy on to the floor. He would occasionally catch a passing glance at her when he thought she wasn't looking, only to sheepishly smile and look down to avoid direct eye contact.

"Sorry" he apologized, bending over to put them back. She laughed. He is clumsy in the cutest way, she thought to herself.

   "I'm sorry this thing is so slow" she said nervously. She hated how long it took, waiting for it to finish made her anxious in his presence. Awkward forced conversations were a pet peeve of hers.

   He shot her a sideways smile, dimple forming on his cheek. "That's okay" he said, flashing a peace sign over his right eye. "You can call me RM"  he said, loosely introducing himself to her.

   And just like that she knew exactly who he was. Who THEY were. Maybe it was how late it was, but she hadn't put two and two together. Her heart started racing, she gulped and tried to control her breathing. OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG, she thought to herself.

Kim Namjoon, also known as RM was the leader, spokesperson and main rapper for one of the most popular K-Pop groups from South Korea. His singing voice a tenor while his rapping voice ventured closer to baritone - sometimes sounding almost throaty. He grew up in the small city of Islan. As a boy, he had big dreams of being a superhero and changing the world. He felt his music did just that. He chose the stage name of Rap Monster, later changing it to just RM - a better reflection of who he thought he was. During their debut, Namjoon was one of the most hated members. Often receiving hate from "fans" who claimed he shouldn't be in the group at all. He worked hard to prove the naysayers wrong. A lyricist by nature, he provides many of the lyrics for the group. His belief in the group so strong that when asked if he would like to go solo or stay with the group - he chose Bangtan Sonyeondan without hesitation. He believed in the group and each of its members without fault. He had a tendency to hold onto his feelings without letting others know, and doing so has lead him to depression and anxiety in the past. He struggled and continued to struggle with loving himself - something he admitted he will strive for until his death. Although he was technically the "middle child" of the group, he was considered to be in the hyung line - a term used in South Korea that meant eldest of the group. Lover of all things cute and quirky - he had many collections of toys and figurines. If he could choose his own middle name it would be fashion which doubled as his passion.

He looked back over to the guys, "I'm kind of like the leader of the group." He looked back at her and gave her the sweetest smile. His smile is so charming, she thought to herself.

   She collected her thoughts before responding, "Jenilyn" pointing to her name tag. "You can just call me Jen."

   The credit card finally went through, she handed him the card and receipt to sign.

She added the receipt to the register and checked the time. "One minute is close enough" she announced packing up her register. The boys rolled their luggage outside while she finished closing. She put her register drawer in the safe, turned off the lights and clocked out for the night.

Locking the front door to the gift shop, she turned around to say, "I can't fit all of you in my car at once. I can take two of you at a time." She pointed to her pearl white Hyundai Elantra in the parking lot.

"You guys want to introduce yourselves?" RM asked, suggesting the guys to be more polite towards her. He physically pushed one of them closer to her gently.

Two of the boys stepped forward while RM loaded their luggage.

"V" one said in a low tone, bowing slightly and avoiding eye contact. He was slightly shorter than RM, although he kept his head down making him feel even shorter, closer to her own height. His voice sultry and deep. When he did smile, his mouth formed an almost stretched out heart shape. His dark hair looked messy, slightly curly, covering his eyes. He looks like a shaggy puppy, she thought to herself. He had a beautiful set of eyelashes that would make any girl envious. He was extremely shy towards her. She imagined he would look great in a preppy sweater vest or a leather jacket, his beauty knew no bounds.

Kim Taehung, also known as V. - A quirky guy and baritone vocals for the group. Easily distracted by animals and would occasionally act a little strange - so much so that anti-fans dubbed him as an alien, a nickname which he hated.  Considers his dog to be his child. Gets bored easily and sleeps with his eyes open - fans often wondered if he slept during American interviews. Originally considered to be the "pretty" one in the group. While it sounds like a compliment, it was more often used as an insult - that the only thing he had going for him were his looks. Like Namjoon, he worked hard to improve his vocal skills - proving everyone wrong. Very honest about his true feelings in the moment. He was the third youngest member of the group, making him part of the maknae line - a word used in South Korea that referred to the youngest. His personality and quirks made him seem much older than many of the group members.

She smiled at him, "Nice to meet you, V."

RM pushed the other boy on the back softly.

"Suga" he said. He was about an inch shorter than V. His hair also looked a little shaggy, although not as long as V's. His hair stopped just at the top of his eyebrows. His face somewhat round, with a chubby babydoll look. His eyes were dark and almost triangular in shape, as if he was judging the situation. They looked to be a cross between both monolid and double eye lids. His features were soft, even delicate at times. He pulled off the look well. The first thing she noticed about him was his confidence, nothing really seemed to bother him and he had no problems looking her in the eye. He didn't try to present himself in any particular way - he existed as he was. She loved that he could be that way.

Min Yoongi, known as Suga - Another rapper for the group and one of the fastest rappers in the industry of kpop. As a descendant of a very powerful clan during the Joseon dynasty, he had a rich heritage despite growing up poor. He spent much of his time producing his own music as well as music for the group. Slightly anti-social due to his social anxiety, he did the best he could in social situations. He could most often be found observing the group and letting the other guys lead the way. In his down time he liked to sleep, write lyrics and play games on his phone. He thought his fans to be the most special as he saw himself as average looking at best. Slightly obsessed with basketball, his favorite manga featured the sport. He didn't care to show certain parts of his body and remained covered at all times. He suffered from a shoulder injury he acquired during his trainee days, when he took a side job for extra cash. He kept his emotions well hidden, very rarely allowing his true feelings to escape. He remained a loud advocate for mental health and depression as his fight had been long and difficult. Loved to be hugged by the other members but pretended to hate it. Fans called him "sleepy" for his sleeping habits as well as "meow meow" for his cat-like appearance. Even though he looked the youngest, he was the second-eldest member of the group he - was hyung to all members aside from Jin. In their debut days, he felt like he got shafted by the company - he thought he'd be joining an all rap group and with focus on music production with little choreography required. Success and their fan base, known as ARMY, helped him come to terms with and accept his new life as an idol.

"Nice to meet you Suga" she said, opening the car door. Both boys sat in the back of the car, moving the pillows around in her back seat.

Everything in her car was galaxy themed - from the car seat covers to the pillows. Suga picked up one of the pillows, fluffing it in his hands. "You like stars?" he asked.

She laughed, reversing out of her parking space. "Yeah I really like the galaxy patterns. The colors are super pretty."

He nodded his head, placing the pillow next to him and using it as an arm rest.

"I actually have lights installed in the floorboard. Let me get going and I'll turn them on" she put the car in drive and slowly took off. The speed limit was 5 mph in the park. She flipped the switch located under her dash, lighting up the floorboards in purple lighting.

"Oh cool" Suga said checking out the floorboard. He stared at her dashboard, "Bluetooth?"

"Unfortunately, no. But I do have an aux" she said passing the cord back to him. He took the cord and plugged his phone in, playing the next song on his spotify. Drake.

"Do you listen to Drake?" he asked, curious about her.

"I do like Drake. I actually love almost all music" she said pulling into the parking space of the rental. She popped open her trunk. She got out and helped V with his luggage, handing him the key to the rental. She stepped into the rental really quick to show him some key features. "If you need to use the hot water you will need to push this button about 15 minutes in advance." He nodded and said "thanks."

She got back into the car with Suga, who had moved to the front seat in her absence. It had taken several minutes to get V all settled in, Suga still jamming out to Drake when she got back in.

"Geesh, you scared me" she laughed, seeing him in the front seat. He smiled a big smile at her. She pulled out of the parking spot and headed to his rental to drop him off.

"Anyway so as I was saying I really do love just about anything" she laughed, "I remember watching Drake on Degrassi when I was a kid. He was always one of my favorites. Drake is just slightly older than me so I was really at the right age to relate to those struggles in the show." She paused, "I spent a good deal of time watching it."

He smiled at her, still bobbing his head to the music. She pulled into the parking space for Suga's rental. She opened the trunk to help him with his bag.

She laughed, "Oh, wow. You only have one bag? You pack surprisingly light." She handed him the key. "There is extra bedding in the closet."

He smiled at her, his eyes looked tired but he remained attentive to her. "Can I text you?" he asked, holding his phone.

"I uhh.." she wasn't sure what to say.

"As friends" he said laughing slightly.

"Oh okay, sure" he handed her his phone and she entered her number, handing it back to him with a smile, "have a good night Suga."

She got back into her car and made her way up to the front again. She pulled into her parking space and got out, motioning for the next set of boys to get in. RM loaded their luggage into the back.

Another boy stepped up to introduce himself, this one slightly more aggressive than the others. "Jin" he said, "also known as worldwide handsome." He was tall, although slightly shorter than RM with dark hair. Lean, but stockier than the others - very broad shouldered. She imagined he would give a very comforting hug. His eyes were slightly cat-like, flattering his oblong face perfectly. His cheekbones and jawline strong. He had beautiful full lips that looked almost heart shaped when he didn't smile.

Kim Seokjin, Jin for short - Another vocal for the group - one that was renowned for being a "silver voice". His stable breathing and strong falsetto made him extremely versatile in all genres. A funny guy with a mild temper - he was considered the mom of the group, always making sure the guys were well taken care of - bringing them ice cream to cheer them up. Often times preparing meals and lunches for them. Cooking was another passion of his. He had a love of telling uncle jokes. His laugh was contagious and his face would turn red when he felt like people were staring at him too much. He was a terrible liar and loved to be complimented. Easy going until he got worked up - once slightly angered he would speak so fast it was hard to understand him. So handsome that his fans named him "Mr. Worldwide Handsome", meaning he was considered handsome in every country he visited. He was the eldest member of the group.

RM laughed while he put the luggage in the trunk, "It's late can we give the flirting a rest?" He rolled his eyes at Jin.

Jen smiled at Jin, he was very handsome, although in a very traditional sense. Very Hollywood actor. She preferred a man with more unique features but she could appreciate his beauty all the same. He obviously spent a great deal of time perfecting himself and he was proud. "Nice to meet you, worldwide handsome" she said giving him a smile.

His black hair fell over his face as he stepped forward, "Jungkook." His eyes were big and bright as if he was excited about something. Of all of them, he smelled the best, smelling slightly fruity with base notes of vanilla and chocolate. It smelled very familiar to her. He smells slightly feminine but it suits him well. I am pretty sure I own that perfume, she thought to herself. He had beautifully cut features, as if he could pull off both the innocent boy look and a badass at the same time. His lips featured a prominent cupid's bow and reminded her of her own lips. Very full on bottom with a slightly thinner upper lip. He looked sweet and innocent.

Jeon Jeongguk, stage name Jungkook. - For lack of a better word, he was the most "average guy" out of all of them. As the youngest member of the group he was known as the "golden" maknae - a term given to the absolute youngest member. Although he seemed like an average guy with his love of manga, food and video games - his outstanding appearance and professionalism told a different story. His vocals rivaled the greatest of singers - new and old. While the other members preferred to dress in expensive clothing, he stayed with his tried-and-true brands. He was one of if not the most popular member in the group. Fans gave him the nickname of Kookie. Despite their success he had average dreams - he wished to eventually get married and have kids, to settle down and live an average life. Training as an idol from a young age, he joined the group as a teen - his childlike demeanor still holding true. He had an uncanny ability for learning quickly and excelling at everything he tried. It often left him feeling like he needed work harder to feel like he worked just as hard as the other members, to the point of dehydration and exhaustion.

"Nice to meet you Jungkook" she said opening the car door. Jin sat in front with her, Jungkook in the back. Jungkook laid down in the backseat, getting comfortable on her pillows. I'll take him home last since he's so comfortable, she thought to herself. She handed the aux cord to Jin, "Suga wanted to listen to music on the way. You can too if you like." He nodded and set the cord down without playing music.

Her phone sat in the cup holder between the front seats. Her phone starting going off. Her text notification for one of her friends was, "Waste it on me", specifically, RM's part of the song all the way to the end. She quickly took the phone, placing it face down to end the notification. She laughed, slightly embarrassed.

Jungkook immediately started singing and continued singing after the notification stopped. He really does have a beautiful voice, she thought to herself. It was extremely soothing to her and made her feel more relaxed.

"A fan?" Jin asked, curiously looking at her.

She could feel her face getting flushed, "I am." She nodded hoping the moment passed quickly.

"You didn't ask for an autograph?" he asked, although it sounded more like a statement.

She smiled, pulling into the parking space for his rental, "You guys looked tired and honestly I'm not into that kind of thing." She stepped out of the vehicle to help him carry his bags.

He gave her a half smile and raised an eyebrow slightly, getting out of the car with her, "What do you mean?"

She opened the trunk and started removing his bags, setting them gently on the gravel, "I don't really like to get close to celebrities. I like to admire from afar." She paused and stared at him. "In my mind if I can give them one less crazed fan to worry about, maybe their lives will be a little more peaceful." She handed him the key for the rental.

He hugged her, his broad shoulders wrapped around her. I was right, his hugs are the best, she thought to herself. She left her arms to the side without hugging back. He thanked her and headed up the stairs to his rental. She waited until he got inside before leaving.

Jungkook had sat up by the time she got back in the car. In her rear view mirror she could see him smiling at her. He moved close behind her, using her seat to pull himself forward. She felt as if he liked being able to intimidate her slightly. Perhaps he is into power plays, she thought to herself. He was so close to her that she could feel him breathing on her neck. It was kind of weird but slightly erotic. She wasn't even sure if he did it on purpose or not. He looked too sweet and innocent to do it purposely.

She pulled into the parking space, opening the trunk once again. He joined her at the back of the car, removing his luggage. He stood directly in front of her with a big smile on his face. His wide eyes open as if he had a million racing thoughts. After several moments he reached out to her hand, holding it within his. She looked down, noticing the tattoos on his hands. She looked up to see him smiling at her still. She laughed and took her hand back, handing him the key.

"Goodnight Jungkook" she said. He gave her another big smile, this time big enough to crinkle his eyes. He went to his rental while she made she he got in safely.

She drove back to the front of the park. She couldn't stop thinking about how flirty the guys had been. They were all so cute but man are they good at making me feel uncomfortable, she thought to herself.

She opened the trunk and didn't bother getting out of the car this time. It was already nearing midnight and she was exhausted. RM helped load their luggage, lightly patting the trunk after he closed it. Seijin sat next to her in the front seat, another hopped into the backseat, he sat in the middle, leaning in between Seijin & Jen.

"I'm J-Hope" he said cheerfully. He had a very thick Asian accent, suiting him perfectly. He shared a similar height to the other guys, although he seemed noticeably thinner. Very fashionable. He had a slightly longer face cut with a strong jawline and high cheekbones, Like RM he had dimples when he smiled. An adorable nose that turned up slightly at the end. She had always known that he was really cute, but his personality really won her over. He was extremely kind and happy. She often wished she could be that person. Being an introvert, she often tried to conserve her energy for situations she really wanted to enjoy. Being outwardly happy all the time exhausted her in most cases. It was rare she found someone didn't drain her mentally, she thought most people to be energy vampires.

Jung Hoseok, stage name J-Hope and sometimes referred to as Hobi. - The final rapper of the group and another member who received much criticism in their debut days. Anti-fans asked him to leave the group on numerous occasions which he eventually considered before deciding not to - the love and trust of his group pulling him back. He was the best dancer and most fashionable of the group. His laugh was contagious and animated - he had no problems with falling over from laughter. Spending too much time in water made him seasick and roller coasters scared him to death, though he did think it was fun after the fact. He is known as the happiest member of the group - often gritting his teeth and hiding any problems he faced. He was considered to be the second-to-the-last favorite member of the group, after RM of course, in their debut days. His fan base grew as they reached unimaginable levels of success. As the third eldest member of the group, he was a part of the hyung line.

Seijin sat quietly as J-Hope talked both to, and at, Jen. He often nodded his head in agreement, listening to him be so happy. She pulled into the parking space for Seijin's rental. She had her hand on the door handle when Seijin said, "I'll get my bags. You stay here." She smiled at him and handed him the key. He returned a smile adding, "thank you" before exiting and grabbing his bags. She waited until he entered the rental before backing up. She pulled into J-Hope's rental, a mere 40 feet away. She exited her car, helping him remove his bags. He had more bags than most of the other guys. She set his bags gently on the gravel.

He smiled at her, he swayed back and fourth slightly as if he was nervous. She handed him the key. He picked up his bags and turned away for a brief moment before turning around to ask, "phone?" he asked in English, making a phone call gesture next to his face.

She laughed, louder than she probably should with how late it was, "You are the second person to ask tonight. Let me see your phone." He handed her the phone and smiled, a low chuckle escaping his lips.

"Second? Who asked first - V?" he asked.

She entered her number into his phone. She handed it back to him, still laughing about it, "Suga."

He looked at her stunned before returning the phone to his pocket. "I can't believe that. He doesn't even respond to us."

Her laugh died down into a smile, "Well he hasn't actually texted yet so...." her voiced trailed off, dropping her smile. She could feel how tired she was now, even with the excitement of meeting BTS she felt like she could fall asleep at any given moment.

He smiled at her again, giving her a thumbs up before entering his rental. She waited until he got inside and she could see the lights pop on.

Seijin & Hope's rentals were in the back in the campground, it took her awhile to get back to the front. Pulling into her parking spot she could see RM and Jimin outside the store. Jimin laying on the ground, resting his head on RM's thigh. RM staring off into the distance, resting his head against the window of the store. They both looked fatigued. She couldn't imagine what they had gone through.

   She exited the car, and gestured them to get in.

    The last boy she had not been properly introduced to stood up slowly and whined half-playfully and half-seriously,  "I'm hunnnnngry."

   RM rolled his eyes. "Jimin, you just ate" he said with a sigh.

   "No, real food" he whined again. This time almost stomping his foot, his blonde hair bouncing with the motion. Compared to the others, he looked petite, but strong. His lips plump and a generously handsome smile. His had slightly chubby cheeks yet still prominent cheek bones, very doll like. He seemed comfortable in his sexuality and that in itself was attractive to her. He presented himself in a very fun, childlike manner. She could see immediately that he often needed reassurance from the others.

Park Jimin, stage name Jimin. - The second-youngest in the group after Jungkook. Lead vocals and well known for his falsetto - he had the voice of an angel. He was a sensitive guy with a need for attention. He loved being the center of it just as much as he loved showering the other members in it. He loved to compliment and purchase gifts for the other guys, always holding on to or touching the other members. In their debut days, he felt out of place when they would strive for a "bad boy" image. In more recent years he allowed his true personality to shine brighter and was met with complete acceptance from his fans. As one of the most popular members, he loves his fans more than life itself. In their early days, he was one of the most hated members - not by his fans but by fans of rival groups. So much so that he had received multiple threats on his life. He struggled in the beginning with loving himself as he was. In his quest to find perfection he often starved himself to the point of exhaustion. Recent years had treated him much better and he was a happier person because of it. He was one of the sweetest members of the group and his love for army knew no bounds.

RM sighed loudly, tilting his head back, letting his arms fall to the side.

   "I have food, not a lot but I can probably get you something?" Jen offered.

   "It's really not necessary--" RM said before being cut off by Jimin.

   "What kind?!" Jimin asked, practically jumping up and down.

   "Umm, chips, fruits" she said thinking, "maybe some spicy ramen?"

   Jimin didn't even say anything before getting up, he bounced around happily next to her.

   "It's been a really long night for everybody, we don't mean to waste more of your--" RM rebutted, trying to calm Jimin.

   "It's really no big deal. I live in the apartment up there" she said, pointing towards the sky above the gift shop.

   RM looked up to see there was an apartment above the A frame building. Jimin looked to him expectantly. He smiled, rolled his eyes slightly and said, "Well, let's get it."

   They walked around the building and up the set of stairs, dragging their luggage behind them. Jen helped Jimin with his as she noticed his struggle.

She placed her key in the lock and turned the doorknob, forcefully pushing the door open. Immediately the smell of blueberry pancake filled their senses.

"Mmm" Jimin said, smelling the air, "what smells so good?"

She giggled at him, "It's a candle. I love candles but I'm especially fond of fall scented ones."

The apartment was small, but cozy. She loved the shabby chic look and decorated her space to reflect that. Lots of white and ivory with subtle pops of pink. It was calming to her.

   Jimin dropped his bags near the door. Walking through the kitchen, he immediately opened the fridge and started pulling things out, naming things as he went. "Strawberries, blueberries." He found the bananas on the counter. She handed him a plate, smiling at how happy he was.

   RM sighed loudlly, giving up at this point.

   "If you keep walking straight you'll find the living room. You can sit down if you want" Jen offered.

   RM thanked her with a smile, and headed to the couch. He removed the pillows from the corner and placed them in his lap, laying his head back and letting his neck hang. It feels so good to sit on something other than a bus seat, he thought to himself. He looked around to survey the room - clearly a girls space. Candles. Blankets. Throw pillows. He found the remote and turned on the TV, scrolling through her apps. He scrolled through, finally deciding on Funimation, he reached across to grab a blanket. Covering himself he could smell the faint scent of perfume. It smelled beautiful and warm, just like she did. Slightly expensive, but not too expensive. He breathed deep and let the scent fill him.

She walked into the hallway leading to the living room, stopping at the console table to empty her pockets. She usually carried so many things with her, always her phone but also lip balm, a small vial of perfume, and a pen. She plugged her phone into it's charger. "I'm going to change my shirt" she yelled, unsure if they would even care. It felt super awkward having them in her apartment but they acted like it wasn't a big deal. They are probably used to meeting strangers, she thought to herself. She closed her bedroom door and took off her shirt, adding it to the laundry basket. She rummaged through her drawer to find something comfortable, but appropriate. She chose a plain white tee that ruched on one side. She typically preferred to get comfortable as soon as she got home - getting out of her jeans as fast as possible. To her, pants were leg prisons and shoes were foot prisons.

   She entered her living room. "Comfy?" she asked, sitting down on the opposite side of the couch. She admired how cute he looked snuggled in her blanket.

   He smiled, "Yah" purposely snuggling a little more.

   She giggled, "Jimin found the fruit and he's having a good time in there." She said, reaching for another blanket.

   He laughed and shook his head, "I bet he is."

   "We can share" he said, throwing a corner of the blanket at her.

   Damn he's cute, she thought. She wasn't even sure how she was containing her inner fan-girl. Her heart was screaming but she managed to play it so cool. She thought her heart might burst with how fast it was beating. She covered her legs and snuggled on the couch. She was happy, but so very tired. She could feel her eyes slowly closing against her desire to stay awake.

   Jimin finally emerged from the kitchen, smiling and rubbing his tummy. He sighed, eyelids half closed.

   "Ready to go?" Jen asked, sitting up on the couch. Jimin nodded. She got up to take Jimin to his home for the night.

   "Do you mind if I stay here?" RM asked "Thinking about that ramen now."

   "Oh yeah sure. Pans are in the cabinet near the sink. Ramen in the upper cabinet" she said heading out the door, carrying some of the bags for Jimin. He watched through the blinds as she helped Jimin into the car, loading his bags for him. Jimin seems to like her a lot, he thought to himself, I can see why - she is lovely.

RM got up and began looking through the cabinets, finding the extra spicy noodles and boiling the water. He finished the noodles, drained and then mixed them together.

   She had gotten halfway to drop Jimin off when she realized she forgot her phone. CRAP, she thought to herself, It's late anyway, I will be okay. Jimin sat in the front seat next to her, leaning his head against the door. He fell asleep on the ride. He looked peaceful, as if the car ride comforted him in ways he had not been comforted in a long time. She pulled into the parking space, letting him sleep a minute longer before waking him up.

   RM sat the bowl down, deciding he needed to find the bathroom. He entered her bedroom. Small, but plenty of room with a desk and vanity. Curious, he opened her closet doors. The closet was surprisingly big for how small the apartment was. He looked over her clothing, fashionable, mostly tees and denim. Comfortable shoes - Adidas and converse. Clearly a girl who dresses to be cute and comfortable. He closed the doors. Exactly what he expected based on the little he knew about her.

   He went to the bathroom, located next to the closet.

   Exiting the bathroom, he had a clear view of her desk across the room. He walked closer and realized that her screensaver was none other than BTS. He moved the mouse to see that her background had a picture of him, specifically from the "Butter" concept photo shoot. He raised an eyebrow and smiled.

On the other end of the wall sat her vanity, slightly messy as if she used it often. It had a large Hollywood glamour style mirror, surrounded by fifteen bright light bulbs. Exiting the bedroom he could hear music. Getting closer to the source, he could hear it was a BTS song. Mic Drop, in particular. He picked up her phone from the table and looked at it, recognizing the number that texted her.

The text message contained only one word. "Hey." He laughed a little, shook his head and said, "Suga" to himself out loud.

He set the phone down, only for it to immediately begin ringing again, this time a phone call. He picked up the phone again to see "Ex" calling. He let it ring, setting it down and listening to "I'm fine" playing. He sang along softly to it.

   He picked up his bowl of ramen again about the time she walked in. She shut the door quietly.

   "Jimin is safe" she said turning off the porch light. "Poor thing fell asleep on the drive" she mentioned.

   RM, slurping his noodles, raised both eyebrows, "You had a call."

   Immediately she knew that her ringtone was on. He heard it. Oh god he heard it, she thought to herself.

   "It was Ex?" he asked.

   "Yeah" she sighed, "my ex husband."

   Still eating his noodles, he made a sound between huh and oh?

He gave her a big smile, "And Suga texted you." She blushed, slightly embarrassed. He laughed, louder this time, "I can't even get him to text me."

   She picked up the phone, adding Suga as a contact. She returned the call to her ex. He listened to her from the kitchen.

   "Yeah what did you want?"

   "What does it even matter?"

   She sighed.

   "We've been through this. I'm done and it's over".

   RM heard the anger rising in her voice, and gestured with two fingers for her to give him the phone. She handed it over, giving him a sideways look.

   "Yea man, she said no. Its over." He ended the call and smiled - both dimples showing this time.

   "What did you do?" she asked, panicking.

   "Now he knows you're with a man. He'll leave you alone" he shrugged.

   It was silent as they returned to the living room, "Not something you can fix?" he asked out of curiosity.

   She laughed. "No, it is not" she said, plopping down on the couch.

   He sat down on the other end, one eyebrow up as if he questioned her.

   She leaned her head back and stared at the ceiling. It was always hard for her to hold back her tears when someone asked directly. "After five years of marriage he decided that he would rather have girls on only fans." She looked at him dead in the eyes, "and fuck them." She looked down this time, "more than a few times."

   RM was quiet. He had no words that would comfort her in the moment. She seems like a really chill girl, he thought to himself. He moved closer and rubbed her upper back softly, offering what little support he could think of.

   She laughed as she wiped away the tears. "Its alright. He's the one that's missing out. I'm fucking great" she announced.

   RM laughed. She's kind of cocky - I like it, he thought. Clapping his hands together he said, "It's been a long night and I think we're both tired.."

   She blinked at him a few times. She didn't really want to go anywhere at this point. She wanted to fall asleep when Jimin did earlier. "You can stay here if you want?" she offered, half question half offer.

   He nodded his head in agreement. She brought him some pillows and a larger blanket for the couch.

   "Bathrooms off my room if you need it" she smiled. She went into her room, changing out of her jeans and into ruched shorts. She faced the desk fan towards her bed before getting in, she preferred the cold when she slept.

   She fell asleep quickly.

The group chat that they used to communicate with each other was on fire that night :

Suga : Thoughts? She's cute

V : Very

J-Hope : Her car smelled nice

Jimin : Her apartment smelled nice too

Suga : What?! You went to her apartment?

V : I'm thirsty, do you think she'd help? :D

Jin : Too much V

RM : Jimin complained he was hungry

Jimin : I'm full now : )

Jin :  She seems really nice. Reminds me of my mom.

Suga : She likes drake

Jungkook : Cool girl

Jin : She likes us

Jungkook : Yeah all of her ringtones are bts.

RM : I can't believe Suga is actually responding to us in group chat.

J-Hope : A pretty girl will do that to him.

V : We should invite her to the show tomorrow night

Suga : YAS!

RM : We will ask Seijin in the morning.

Jimin: *clapping emoji*

RM : *sent a picture of him laying on her couch to the chat*

J-Hope : You stayed with her?!?!

Suga : OMG

   He didn't respond further after sending the picture. He laid on the couch, thinking about the day. She was obviously a fan but she treated him like any other person. It was refreshing. He thought about Suga asking for her phone number. It almost pained him to think about and he wasn't sure why. To think of it, all of the guys seemed really smitten by her, he thought to himself before falling asleep.

   He fell asleep for a couple of hours before waking up in the night. He walked through her room to the bathroom. He could see her silhouette in the moonlight. She was sleeping on her stomach with one leg bent. He could see her butt poking out the bottom of her shorts. He went to the bathroom and came back. He admired her figure. Her butt was idealistic, the kind that many women would photo shop to copy. Almost too good to be real, he thought. He slowly climbed into bed next to her.

   Him laying next to her woke her slightly. She was a very light sleeper, with any kind of noise waking her. She could feel his body next to hers. Wiggling closer she rested her head next to his and offered him half of the blanket. They slept together but in the most innocent way. Similar to how you would sleep with a very good friend - cuddled together without sexual expectations. Neither of them had been cuddled in so long, both enjoying it immensely.

He woke up very early. He stared at her while as she slept. He wished he could lay next to her for awhile longer but there was a van waiting to pick them up. Before he left, he took a selfie with her phone, entering himself as a contact. He noticed Suga had sent her another text message as she didn't respond to the first. He smiled, surprised that Suga tried a second time. It was unlike him to pursue someone more than once.

He found a notebook on her counter and wrote her a note before grabbing his bags to head out the door. He quietly closed the front door when he left, his luggage behind him. Before getting into the car he dug out his journal. He sat between Suga & J-Hope. Once settled and on their way, he wrote yesterday's journal entry :

"Today was a great day. The day was long and the ride even longer. Our vehicle broke down on the way to Chicago. We stopped at a campground and met a really nice girl. Pretty. Smart. I slept on her couch and then moved into the bed with her. It was lovely."

He read his entry over, adding small details he wanted to remember. J-Hope couldn't help but notice his entry, "She's pretty" he admitted.

RM laughed, "Yeah so pretty Suga got her number." Suga laughed, letting out a little snort.

"Had to try" he responded.

J-Hope blushed, covering his face.

RM laughed, "You asked for her number too didn't you? How many of you do you think she can see at once?"

V, who sat behind RM, leaned forward between the seats, "I wanted to ask her but I was too shy. She seems really confident."

Suga laughed at V's misfortune. "You weren't able to form words around her."

RM smiled as he listened to the boys jokingly fight over the girl. They often fawned over pretty girls, but usually not the same one. His mind got lost in thought.

Suga's phone went off. He looked at it, seeing a text from Jen. "I win." he said, showing the text message around as if it were a gold medal.

Both V and J-Hope sighed. RM laughed at their behavior. It was cute and charming, but also somewhat childish. He rolled his eyes listening to them talk about her.

Jen woke several times during the night to find him snuggled with her pillows. She thought he looked like a sweet angel when he slept. He snored softly and looked at peace.

In the morning, he was gone. She yawned and stretched. He didn't wear a cologne - instead he smelled of incense with hints of honey and lemon. His scent lingered on her sheets. It smelled as interesting as he was.

It was her day off, she wasn't in a hurry to do anything today. She made her morning coffee. She looked out the window, mug in hand, to see if the bus was outside. It wasn't. For a minute she thought it was all a dream until she noticed a note on her console table.

"Thank you for everything. -Namjoon"

She smiled at the note and looked at the dishes in the sink from the noodles and in that instant it hit her like a truck. Last night was real. And amazing - but short-lived. She honestly had the best night of her life. It really doesn't go up from here, she thought to herself.

   Her doorbell rang. She opened the door to find flowers on the deck. A beautiful bouquet of mixed flowers of all colors. Bringing the flowers in, she set them on her dining table and checked the card.

https://www.wattpad.com/story/278213084-breaking-free-bts-rm-kim-namjoon-fanfiction

[rushingheadlong]

So I’m seeing a surprising number of people who are disappointed by the Live Album announcement, either because of the specific track list or because it’s a compilation album or because it feels like a money grab or whatever.

And people can feel however they want to about this, and no one is going to force you to buy any of the products associated with the Live Album launch... but let’s take a moment and really think about this, okay?

“Why did it have to be a compilation album? Why could it just be a recording of the Rhapsody Tour?”

Maybe Queen doesn’t have a full recording of a Rhapsody Tour show. The only clip they’ve shown with any regularity is the Fat Bottomed Girls in Dallas, which is the one being included on this album. Just because they have some video from the Rhapsody Tour doesn’t mean that they have an entire show that they’re able to release. It doesn’t seem like they recorded any of the Rhapsody Tour shows with the intention of releasing it as a live album and DVD, so they may have audio or video that just isn’t a good enough quality to put out.

Or maybe they do have that, and they’re holding off on releasing a Rhapsody Tour live album until after they complete the entire tour so they don’t spoil things for people who will be seeing them next year. There are people who are torn about buying this Live Album specifically because they’re still waiting to see Q+AL next year and they don’t want to spoil the experience. I can’t blame Brian, Roger, and Adam for not wanting to release the full Rhapsody Tour footage if they even have it. 

Personally, I like that it’s a compilation album because I like that we’re getting the full span of what Q+AL have done over the last decade or so! It’s makes for a rather nice tribute to their history together.

“Why didn’t they include ____? Why aren’t there more songs? It’s so short!”

Again, they’re probably working with whatever they have! They need not only good video of a song, but also good audio of it as well. If the only have one of those two things they can’t include it on the Live Album. 

Also in terms of length, this album has a similar number of tracks as Live Killers. Yes, it’s not a full two-hour concert and it’s shorter than releases like Live at Wembley and Rock Montreal, but it’s not an obscenely short release. The audio formats will have 20 tracks, the DVDs will have 22. That’s still a respectable length, at least IMO. 

“Why is so much of it taken up by the Fire Fight concert? We’ve seen so many of these clips before! Give us something new!”

Again, they are working with what they have! We keep seeing the same clips from them because these are the professionally-filmed clips that they have that are suitable for release.

There’s also the issue that some of the professionally-filmed material that they have, they might not be able to release. They’ve included one song from the Global Citizen Festival, but that doesn’t mean they were able to get permission to include more (depending on who owns what rights to the video content, and since Global Citizen in general is the organization who uploads those video clips to youtube I’m assuming they have some say in the matter here).

Furthermore, Q+AL already had a Japan-only release of the Summer Sonic 2014 performance so they may only be able to re-release a certain number of those tracks depending on what arrangements were made for Live in Japan. (Personally, I’d like to see Live in Japan get a worldwide release and I’m disappointed that that hasn’t happened.)

Queen, apparently, owns or was able to get the full rights to the Fire Fight concert. And I know that people feel that we’ve seen that a thousand times before (and I’m given to understand that our Australian fans have, because it was shown on TV there) but at least in the US the only youtube uploads of it are on unofficial accounts. I don’t think it’s fair to assume that since you, personally, have a bootleg of something that means that everyone does or that everyone is as tired of it as you are. 

Also, for better or for worse, the Fire Fight set is somewhat iconic/historic/whatever because it’s the Live Aid recreation. You might not love that (personally, I’m meh about it) but it does make for a good ending for a live album because of that and I can’t fault Queen for wanting to include it.

“If they weren’t planning on doing a live album, they shouldn’t have made one then! Putting together this material is just a cash grab!”

Okay, but is it though?

There’s a demand for this material. Yes, bootlegs exist. Yes, you can rip the audio off of youtube. But I for one am very excited to own Q+AL performances on an official album, especially since Brian said not too long ago that whatever material they’ve recorded with Adam in the studio isn’t fit to be released.

Everything is priced reasonably well. The clothing is maybe a bit expensive, but it’s still in line with the rest of Queen’s products and their tour merch so I’m not mad about it. But the vinyl, CD, DVD, etc. aren’t exorbitantly overpriced, even though Queen very easily could have jacked up the price of everything especially the LP.

They may not have been planning this, in the sense that they set out to record a specific concert to release as a live album like they did in the past with Live Killers, Live at Wembley, Rock Montreal, etc. But the demand is there, and this is a good stopgap between tours that doesn’t ruin the spectacle of the Rhapsody Tour for those who haven’t seen it yet. 

Anyway, here are my final thoughts...

There’s definitely a subset of fans who are going to be disappointed by this release. Personally, there’s a reason why I haven’t pre-ordered a DVD or blu-ray and it’s entirely because I don’t think the video will contain enough new material for me to be Super Invested in owning an original copy of it. I’m fine acquiring a bootleg once that hits the internet, that doesn’t bother me. 

But I am really, really excited about owning the vinyl. I’m excited about Q+AL finally releasing a proper album together, so I can finally listen to their performances without it having to be ripped from a youtube video. I’m so excited to hear how they sound on vinyl, and I will absolutely be buying a digital copy of the album once it’s out as well. 

At the end of the day, this wasn’t planned months in advance and they’re working with whatever material they already have on hand, not anything that they’ve purposefully recorded for this sole purpose. That means that there’s going to be limitations in what they can release, not because they don’t care or because this was rushed but because there are other factors at play here. 

You don’t have to be excited about this, but throwing around accusations of Queen doing this as a “cash grab” just feels really mean-spirited. As Roger said in the press release, they had this idea after seeing the response that they got to the youtube fundraiser video - I don’t have any reason to doubt that that’s true, and that means that they’re responding directly to what fans want and working with what they have to make that happen.