#it's the team where we each take a turn leading a project so i did not do the organization for this btw.

[proteuus]

if you want to do the whole "oh I'll just go to bed now and wake up early and do it before work" bit as an opener this requires you to actually wake up at 4 am. girl....

[yerimacoustic]

𝙖 𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙙𝙚𝙘𝙚𝙢𝙗𝙚𝙧 ♡ 𝙨. 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙥𝙨 𝙭 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧

summary: you, the head girl of the ravenclaw house, realize you might have bitten off more than you can chew when you take part in a risky challenge with your arch nemesis, seungcheol. 📚🧺🥀

content warnings: academic rivals to implied lovers, hogwarts!au, gryffindor!s.coups and ravenclaw!reader, you’re both head boy and head girl of your houses, banter, banter and more banter (i did my best with it okay), light swearing, kissing, not proofread (sorry besties) 9.8k wc.

note: this took me wayyyy too long but i’m cooking another idea for a fic for a certain seventeen member, so i’m trying to get back into the swing of things <3

“doesn’t it look beautiful?” professor slughorn gazed at the tiny vial resting on his desk, just barely out of reach from the rest of the students. although you had an inkling of what the contents in the bottle really were, you felt just as confused as the rest of your peers.

your best friend, irene was the first to speak up, “professor, what exactly is it?” 

“thank you for asking. what you see before you is a curious little potion known as felix felicis. otherwise known as-“ 

“liquid luck,” you chimed in with a voice behind you just barely beating you to the punch. you knew who it was without turning your head back: choi seungcheol. typical. he was always trying to outshine you. 

ever since the two of you had been selected as prefects for your houses, gryffindor and ravenclaw, he seemed hellbent on making your life miserable. you two seemed to constantly be competing. whether it was for the house cup, who would be the top of the class, even who managed to get their students into bed with all the lights out first. it only got worse when the two of you were selected to be in the slug club, seeing a lot more of each other as a result. 

unfortunately, slughorn seemed to catch onto your rivalry rather quickly and while he never acknowledged it out loud, there were several instances where he seemed to be fanning the fire.

“yes, that is correct, y/n and seungcheol. liquid luck.” professor slughorn lifted the glass from desk, holding it on display for everyone to see more clearly. “desperately tricky to make, disastrous if you get it wrong. however.. one sip and you will find that all of your endeavors will succeed. well.. until the effects wear off.”

you tilted your chin up while trying to hide a mischievous grin from your classmates. you pondered everything you could achieve from one mere sip of the rare potion- you could pass all of your exams with flying colors, you could finish all of your projects in record time.. the possibilities were endless! 

unfortunately, you weren’t the only one chasing good fortunes. seungcheol knew if he led the gryffindor’s team to another consecutive victory, he would be a shoe-in for the holyhead harpies. after all, what was more impressive than leading your time to a winning season four years in a row? he could picture professor dumbledore handing him the house cup clear as day- surely his career in quidditch would only skyrocket from there. 

just as both of you pondered how you would be able to get your hands on such a remarkable potion, slughorn clapped his hands, “now, usually every student in my class gets the opportunity to compete for the potion. this year we are doing things a little differently: the two students with the highest grade point averages are competing against each other!”

oh no. 

you didn’t doubt for a second that you were one of the students in the running; a large folder dedicated to very successful report cards gave you more than enough confidence in your chances. but you didn’t like considering the odds of who your opponent could be: irene, your best friend. jihyo, another member of the quidditch team who had a secret affinity for brewing potions. or.. seungcheol. but what was there to be said about him that hadn’t been said already?

slughorn made a rather dramatic show of reaching into his drawer to grab the grade sheets. you held your breath as you watched the professor reposition his glasses and examine the parchment with furrowed eyebrows. he cleared his throat, a mischievous glint in his eyes as he gazed towards the class, “the two students with the highest scores are…”

now the entire class seemed to be holding their breath. comically, mina and sana leaned in close while waiting for slughorn’s revelation. your gaze shifted unwillingly towards seungcheol, who winked at you. you replied by scowling and looking away with a huff. if merlin was on your side at all, if he really did have a hand in all of your dealings with other witches and wizards, he would let anyone besides choi seungcheol be your contender. 

“seungcheol and y/n, respectively!” slughorn announced cheerfully, setting the parchment on his desk in favor of leading the rest of the class in applause. 

respectively? 

seungcheol scored higher than you? how was that even possible? 

“what?” you scoffed, furrowing your eyebrows. 

“don’t act so surprised, y/n.” seungcheol smirked in your direction, his chest puffing out as he threw his shoulders back. “you’re not the only one in this school working your ass off.”

“but i am the only one who’s finally going to knock you off your high horse,” you retorted.

“i feel the need to remind you both-” slughorn interjected, sending something between a glare and a look of concern in your direction. his tone wasn’t scolding, much to your own surprise. “to keep things civil. if you cannot abide by my classroom’s policies during this.. impromptu competition, then i will have no choice but to eliminate you both and revert back to my old customs.”

you parted your lips but seungcheol was quick to interject and smooth-talk the professor (as he always seemed to have a talent for doing), “you have nothing to worry about, professor. i don’t mind a little competition.” suddenly he looked towards you with a shit eating grin. “especially not when it's so damn cute.” 

and there it was- that furious, fiery sensation in your cheeks. you weren’t sure if it occurred out of genuine flattery, embarrassment or.. pure rage. you wouldn’t have been surprised if steam fell out of your ears in that moment- you were in pure shock and disbelief that he would say something like that in front of everyone. of course, you were also shaming yourself for being so surprised; it was seungcheol, after all. 

the professor ignored the catty whistles and cheers in the classroom with a wave of his hand, “very well. the two of you will brew a draught of the living dead. the first one to create the acceptable potion wins. and there will be no backseat brewing from the rest of the class; you are to take notes on both students’ techniques, is that understood?”

silence passed through the classroom, a few students nodding their heads in response before slowly making their way to the back of the class. “good. seungcheol, y/n, i will give you a few minutes to get your ingredients. good luck to the both of you.”

you, of course, were searching through your textbook for the recipe before slughorn had even extended his best wishes. irene, luckily, had stayed by your side to provide you some much needed moral support. of course, you barely noticed; your nose stuck so far in your textbook you couldn’t see past the faded words. this is what you get for buying it secondhand. 

“you’re gonna do great, y/n,” irene reassured you. “seungcheol doesn’t know the first thing about potions. you’ve got this.”

you chuckled bitterly. “obviously that’s not true. he’s top of the class.”

“she’s got a point there,” seungcheol chimed in, smirking. “don’t worry, y/n, i’m sure there’s plenty of positions in the ministry of magic for people who aren’t proficient in potion brewing. like.. secretaries or scribes; you know, record keepers.”

his words prompted you to slam your book shut, keeping your thumb between the pages so you wouldn’t lose your spot. you looked past your shoulder, keeping your tone hushed so slughorn couldn’t hear the two of you bickering. “need i remind you that i’m the second ranking student in this class for a reason. all it’s going to take for me to rise above the ranks is to beat you at this stupid little competition.

“and by the way, i’m more than proficient at potion brewing.”

“says the one who mixed up dittany and wolfsbane two weeks ago,” seungcheol retorted. 

“it was a simple mistake! anyone could have made it,” you argued.

much to your dismay, seungcheol’s best friend sangyeon felt the need to chime in with a smirk, “why don’t we raise the stakes a little bit?”

“what do you mean?” irene asked, cocking a brow.

“it’s felix felicis we’re competing for. the stakes have never been higher,” you deadpanned.

“i mean- you two obviously have some arguments and disputes you need to resolve. maybe this competition could be a good chance for the two of you to humble each other.”

you tilted your head, part of you in disbelief that you were actually entertaining his words and another part of you believing that he actually made a fair argument. suddenly, a smirk etched at your lips as you began to calculate.. “alright. if i win, which i will, you have to act as my personal assistant for a month.”

seungcheol barked out a laugh, his eyes going wide in amusement, “personal assistant? for a month? what are you getting at?”

“you heard me,” you retorted. “you have to walk me to my class, carry around my books for me, and help me with all of my homeworks, meetings, and schedules.”

“seems a bit outlandish, but alright,” seungcheol snickered. “alright. if i win, which i will…” he paused. “you have to go to the yule ball with me.”

“what?!”

“you heard me,” seungcheol repeated after you, even going so far as to mimic your smirk. “you have to go to the yule ball with me. we have to wear coordinating outfits, we have to dance together, and take plenty of pictures. and you cannot try to sabotage our last ball at hogwarts.”

you scoffed, “there is no way i’m agreeing to that. not even in your wildest dreams.”

“fine, then you can forget all about your precious personal assistant.” 

you huffed. you would love nothing more than the chance to publicly humiliate seungcheol, to get him back for all the times that he had embarrassed you. the devious bastard needed some humbling. but.. what if things took a turn for the worst and he won? he was top of the class for a reason, and the universe seemed to have the cards stacked against you. was it really worth it, adding a bet onto a competition that had high stakes to begin with?

irene sent a knowing smirk in your direction just as you got to your feet, “give me a second to think about it.”

you grabbed irene’s hand, rushing to the supply shelves where the ingredients you had been neglecting were waiting. asphodel, wormwood, valerian root.. as you began to gather everything you needed in one hand, you turned to your best friend with a groan of annoyance, “can you believe that man? he’s incorrigible! insufferable!”

“yes, but who knows? he might end up surprising you and you could have a great time at the dance together,” she peered through the recipe in her own textbook, helping you gather the rest of the roots and broths. 

you snickered, “seungcheol? surprise me? i highly doubt that.”

she shook her head and took a much calmer approach, looking through the shelves and graciously handing you a fair amount of the ingredients that you weren’t able to find. “you deserve a night off, y/n. you’ve been focusing too much on your studies your entire time at hogwarts. you’ve barely had any time for extracurricular activities besides the slug club. just do this one thing and if it goes horribly.. then.. we’ll grab some of those prank snacks from zonko’s and ruin his life until the school year ends.”

you tilted your head in contemplation, “i would like to see his face covered in boils.. fine. but all this bet does is give me more incentive to win this competition. i will not be caught dead dancing with seungcheol.” 

“we’ll see about that,” seungcheol called to you from across the room. 

god, you couldn’t wait to wipe that insufferable smirk off his face. 

once slughorn had reset his rather eccentric hourglass to time the two of you and the rest of the class scooted to the back of the room, everything else seemed to disappear around you. you focused only on the recipe, measuring the broth without letting so much as an extra drop fall into your cauldron. 

then it was time for the sopophorous bean. you tried to cut it in half, as per the instructions, but it actually bounced out of your reach. you tried it again, but it yielded the same results. and then the third time, seungcheol had to duck his head to dodge it once it was sent flying across the room. what in the world? 

you refused to ask for slughorn’s help. you were the second highest ranking student in the class for a reason, after all. you’d gotten this far without asking him or snape any stupid questions. after reading over the instructions again, a particular passage stood out to you: you only needed the juices from the bean. 

exercising great caution and timidity, you attempted to crush the bean with the blade of your knife instead. and much to your pleasant surprise, it worked. the bean didn’t budge. you looked over to seungcheol as you began to pour the juices into your cauldron, immediately furrowing your eyebrows, “how are you already two steps ahead of me??” 

the man looked up and continued to stir the broth clockwise, per the directions. it didn’t stop him from sending an arrogant smirk your way; you had to hand it to him, he was a great multitasker. “a magician never reveals his secrets. especially to the competition.”

you huffed; you didn’t need his help anyways. as you started to crush the thick root into a powder, you could have sworn you heard the clock from across the hallway ticking. uncomfortable silence rang through the air, save a few quiet mutters from fellow students and the boiling from the cauldrons. 

meanwhile, slughorn paced back and forth with his hands intertwined behind his back, studying the two of you carefully. there was a hopeful glint in his eyes, as if he wanted the both of you to succeed. between you and seungcheol, he couldn’t decide who his favorite student was. something told you that the results of this competition would finally give him his answer…

as you tossed the powder into the broth, a thick cloud of black smoke materialized in front of you, covering your face in the powder. the powder had shot straight out of the cauldron, as if rejected by the broth. your hand flew to your mouth as you fell into a fit of loud coughs, which unfortunately were not loud enough to muffle the sounds of your fellow students’ laughs.

just as you regained enough composure to wipe some of the soot out of your eyes, you were greeted by the sight of seungcheol trying to hide a snicker while stirring the broth in the other direction. shit. he was already on the last step. he chortled once he took notice of your scowl, shaking his head, “it’s honestly a shame. i thought you were better at following instructions.”

“i’m doing exactly what the book says! you obviously have some sort of cheat sheet.” 

seungcheol furrowed his eyebrows in mock offense, holding up his textbook with his free hand. “hmm.. that’s curious because it looks like we have the same one. maybe you’ve just lost your touch.” before you could offer a rebuttal, however, seungcheol set the ladle down and waved towards your professor. oh no, oh no.. 

“ah, seungcheol! finished already?” you watched in horror as slughorn strode towards your opponent’s cauldron, fishing a leaf out of his pocket. “well, uh, here we are. moment of truth,” he snickered, holding his breath as his hand hovered over the cauldron. you looked back towards irene, who was watching everything play out in front of her with the smallest frown. 

and just like that, the tightening sensation in your chest loomed, causing you to clutch at the collar of your shirt. you couldn’t help but chuckle at the absurdity of the scene playing out in front of you, and of course, the dreaded feeling that your life was over simply because the tiny leaf dissolved into the broth. his broth. you had lost to seungcheol, your rival, your mortal enemy, once again. 

“merlin’s beard! it’s perfect!” once again, slughorn slowly began to clap his hands and lead the rest of the classroom in a rather loud chorus of applause. the only reason you joined in was because you were in plain view of slughorn and you didn’t want to risk appearing petty in front of him; however, you made no attempts to rid the look of disappointment on your features. 

you were so wrapped up in your dark blanket of self pity that you barely even noticed the older man pick the vial up from his desk and hand it to seungcheol. the look of pride on your professor’s face was too much for you to handle, seeing as how you felt it was entirely misplaced. it should have been you who won. you knew that textbook backwards and forwards, you took extra notes in class every single day, studying was your favorite pastime.. how in the hell did he win? 

“now, as promised, one tiny vial of felix felicis. use it well.” as the classroom erupted into thunderous applause and cheers, you vowed to yourself that you would find out exactly how he cheated.

—-------------------------

you could barely speak to anyone after admitting defeat the day before, including irene, fearing that they would bring up your epic failure. endless hours in the library were not unfamiliar to you; in fact, you considered it like your home away from the ravenclaw dormitory. luckily, your extra time alone did not meddle with your duties as ravenclaw prefect. not that it mattered; when news of your failure traveled amongst the rest of the house, you could have sworn they stopped taking you seriously. 

granted, it had barely been twenty four hours, but still. 

you were brushing up on some light reading, lost in theories of dragon and centaur evolutions when you heard a pile of books slam next to yours on the table. it echoed through the library, causing several nearby bystanders to lift their heads up with matching scowls. when you snapped your head to the left in order to get a better look at the culprit, you instinctively rolled your eyes.

“what? i thought you would be a little happier to see a champion,” seungcheol chuckled in a hushed tone, taking the seat next to you. “oh, and your date to the yule ball.”

“can you keep your voice down? i don’t want anyone to hear i’m going with you of all people.”

seungcheol dramatically pressed a hand to his chest, “oh. that cuts deep, y/n. but i’m afraid people are going to find out eventually. you know, during the prefects’ dance, for example.”

“what?!” you exclaimed, only to be rudely shushed by several of the library attendees. taking a few precautionary looks over your shoulder, you whispered, “you never said anything about a prefects’ dance.”

“that was because i thought you already knew,” seuncheol replied conceitedly. “unless.. oh.. you weren’t planning on going to the yule ball at all, were you?”   

you tilted your head, “i know exactly what you’re implying..”

“implying? i’m not implying any-”

“and i could easily have gotten another date to the ball if it weren’t for you,” you lied. unless you had some sort of secret admirer, you knew there wasn’t a chance in hell that you would have been asked to the ball. you were planning on using the extra alone time in the ravenclaw common room to your advantage anyways; there was much more space in there for studying. “i just don’t have any time for such trivial pursuits.”

“i wouldn’t call social interaction or international magical cooperation trivial pursuits,” seungcheol retorted.  

you slammed your book shut and tossed it into your book bag. “was there a reason you decided to come in here and bother me? besides attempting to get me kicked out of the library?”

“ohh, right,” seungcheol whispered with a mischievous grin. “i forgot to mention one other thing. as prefects, we’re supposed to help plan the event. decorate the great hall, hire the musicians, the works.”

if you didn’t respect the sacred space of the library, you would have screamed your protests at him. of course he planned this out to the number. he didn’t have a partner to assist him in his party planning tasks and he needed another chance to publicly humiliate you. so in order to kill two birds with one stone, he asked you to be his date. since you were a prefect, now that your attendance was confirmed, you had no other choice but to participate in the planning. 

“you slippery snake,” you hissed.

“oh? look what we have here, the high and mighty y/n l/n, picking and choosing which responsibilities she gets to take seriously.” 

“this is a new low, even for you. i can’t believe you would trick me into doing your stupid party planning for you.”

he chuckled, “oh no, no, no. i’m not making you do all of it for me, you have my word. i’ll be with you every step of the way.” you cringed; for some reason, that sounded worse than leaving you to do his chores for him. “now we better get a move on, darling, or we’ll be late.”

seungcheol led you eagerly to the great hall where yeji and seungkwan were waiting. the two of them were head girl and boy of the slytherin and hufflepuff houses, respectively, and had already begun preparations for the ball. when you took note of how eager seungkwan was to take leadership and oversee all of the preparations, you began to wonder why he wasn’t sorted into the gryffindor house. 

of course, yeji knew that he was simply a placeholder until the real self proclaimed leader would show his face. you witnessed a complete shift in her demeanor in real time, an annoyed frown shifting into an inviting smirk the moment she saw the two of you walk to the hufflepuff table. “ah, there you are, cheol. i was beginning to think you wouldn’t show up.”

“i don’t take my position as head boy lightly, unlike some people,” he tilted his head towards you, earning a dirty look. yeji simply held an amused smirk as her gaze shifted from seungcheol to you, a knowing look in her eyes.

seungkwan, however, looked like he had seen a ghost. or a hologram. to be honest, anything else was more believable than you being willing to have anything to do with the yule ball. “y/n! i thought you weren’t coming.”

“i thought so too,” you sighed. “but-”

“she changed her mind,” seungcheol cut in with the shameless lie, much to your surprise. “we both thought it would be a good idea if a head boy and a head girl went to the ball together. especially since its our last year at hogwarts and we didn’t want to miss out on the opportunity.”

yeji made no attempt to disguise her confusion- seungcheol could easily get any other girl to go to the ball with him. so why would he ask you? and why would you say yes? the two of you had a very public and long lasting rivalry; it seemed odd that the two of you were able to make amends so quickly. “seems like the two of you finally made up,” she cooed, folding her arms across her chest.   

“yeah, for the most part,” seungkwan laughed, pointing out the look of annoyance etched across your features. 

seungcheol barked out a laugh, “we’re both more than capable of keeping things civil. we figured that out for ourselves just the other day, didn’t we, darling?”

it took a great deal of willpower for you to hold back a groan of annoyance. “we’re wasting time. we should probably get started on the decorating now.”

“right,” seungkwan snickered, gesturing to several large boxes cluttering and even surrounding the table. “filch brought everything from the dungeon up here. personally, i think that we should go for a winter wonderland theme. white, grays, light blues..”

“sounds good.” yeji was quick to agree. you would have been surprised, but something told you that she was only agreeing with him so this meeting would go by much quicker. not that you blamed her..

“i agree,” seungcheol chimed in. “yeji and seungkwan, why don’t you work on fixing up the right side of the hall. we’ll focus on the left.”

as the two of them nodded and followed seungcheol’s direction, you could hear seungkwan immediately lecturing yeji on how to carry out his vision with precision and intent. meanwhile, the young man at your side smirked with infuriating amusement as he studied you carefully. as a response you turned towards him with a huff, “let’s just get this over with.”

he chuckled, “i admire your enthusiasm. we’ll need it, considering the ball’s less than a week away.”

great. more good news. 

—--------------------

as preparations for the yule ball were under wing, you actually found yourself horrifically overwhelmed for the first time during your attendance at hogwarts. if you weren’t studying, you were figuring out with the others which bands would play at the ball. if you weren’t monitoring the common room with the other prefects, you were organizing the tables, chairs, and centerpieces. and if you weren’t with irene, the only other person who seemed to bring you a sense of comfort during a time when your anxiety was at its peak, you were with seungcheol, who seemed to gift your anxiety to you.

this stupid ball was taking over your entire life. even with a total of twenty four students carefully planning the evening, it seemed to take an eternity for all of you to come to any semblance of an agreement. day by day you were filled with endless disappointment and dread. worst of all, you couldn’t figure out how you ended up in this situation; there seemed to be no explanation as to how seungcheol went about cheating in your little showdown. you learned that slughorn cast a protection spell against cheating in his classroom, so he couldn’t have muttered anything under his breath. he couldn’t have tampered with your spellbook; the recipe in yours was the same as irene’s. 

through all of the formulas, the lectures on runes and the arguments with seungkwan and yeji about tacky balloons and garlands, the one question that bothered you the most was how in the hell gryffindor’s beloved, corrupt champion managed to cheat. it plagued your mind even as you and seungcheol began to set up one of the three giant, towering christmas trees in the great hall. 

“don’t you love this time of year?” he asked, startling you out of your daze.

you furrowed your eyebrows, finding his attempts at making friendly conversation rather pathetic. you shrugged. “i guess.”

“it’s usually not my favorite, since it can be a pain in the ass to fly a broom around in this type of weather,” he chuckled, gently waving his wand to direct silver ornaments onto the tree. “but i don’t know. something about this year feels special.”

you paused your own enchantments in contemplation, letting a tiny string of garland settle comfortably against the pine tree’s branches. you were using the same spell as seungcheol, hoping to finish the decorations as quickly as possible to put this long day to an end. “maybe this being our last year in the castle has something to do with it?” 

although your statement came out sounding much more sarcastic than you intended, your words came from a place of genuine belief. until that moment, it felt like you had been in denial that you were about to leave the castle forever. go into the real world. 

seungcheol seemed pleasantly surprised that you were making conversation with him, even if your response was somewhat harsh. he chuckled, “i guess so. but.. i don’t know. something’s different. in a good way.” 

“hopefully you figure out what it is before the school year ends,” you chuckled. 

seungcheol only nodded before lifting the last few ornaments onto his side of the tree with a mere wave of his wand and then the two of you stepped back to admire your work. it looked beautiful, the silver and dark blue ornaments glowing in the candlelight. but you knew it would look even better on the night of the ball; seungkwan would be casting an enchantment to make the entire hall look like a real winter wonderland. “i think we’re at a good enough place to call it a day, don’t you?”

you sighed in relief and threw your book bag over your shoulder. “thank god.”

he called to you before you could turn your back on him, “hey, wait a minute-”

you sighed and reluctantly turned around to face him, tilting your head to the side. “what?”

something strange happened to seungcheol. for the tiniest moment, a mere millisecond, if anything, he appeared flustered. at a loss for words, as if he was surprised that you were giving him the time of day. “shouldn’t we go shopping for some dress robes together?”

you made no attempt to disguise your annoyance, clenching your jaw. “what, so you can pick out one of those horrendous, poofy dresses that makes me look like a pastry? i think i’ll go by myself, thanks.”

he laughed, waving his hand dismissively. “no, trust me. i wouldn’t do that to anyone, not even you.”

“even so, i don’t feel like going dress shopping with you.”

“and why’s that?” he raised an eyebrow inquisitively. something about that.. punchable look on his face served as a reminder that you really had no reason to decline his invitation. by some miracle, the two of you had been able to keep it civil for this long. plus, if the two of you had to coordinate outfits (as per seungcheol’s terms and conditions), it would be much easier to do that in person. 

with all of those sentiments in mind, you sighed in defeat. “fine. let me grab my robes.”

the two of you threw your large, black cloaks over your figures before stepping outside in the real winter wonderland. they did nothing to keep the chilling winds from nipping at your noses and causing the tips of your fingers to freeze. pushing past the flurries of snow and following the magically shoveled pathway, the two of you made your way to the nearest costume parlor. 

the moment you stepped inside with your sworn enemy, the reality of the situation hit you. any other girl who was ‘lucky’ enough to be invited to the ball by him would have loved the experience of shopping for coordinating outfits with him. more notably, if you were invited by someone, anyone else, you most likely would have been trying to tone down your excitement. 

and yet here you were, staring at the rows and piles of dresses, tunics, and cloaks in dread. of course, he seemed to notice it, moving a hand to pat your back with a stupid grin. “so.. what’s your favorite color?”

you held yourself back from letting out a huff of annoyance, “green.”

“green..” he cupped his chin with his thumb and index finger, acting as if he was in an state of contemplation. “well, i suppose it's not really in season, but we can make it work. follow me.”

your eyes almost rolled to the back of your head as he grabbed onto your hand, dragging you to a row of dresses. it was oddly satisfying, the way the dresses were arranged in a pattern that made the fabrics seemed to fade from key lime to emerald. and they had a lot of options, the rack suffering from the impact of the hangers. 

you would have expected nothing less from seungcheol if not to display the first dress with the ugliest shade of asparagus green splashed upon the fabrics. “i think this would look gorgeous on you,” he whispered to you in a sentimental tone, his shit eating smirk giving his true intentions away.

“i’m not wearing that, its ghastly.” you snatched the dress from him, putting it back in its assigned place on the rack. “shouldn’t we focus on darker colors, anyways? since those are what’s ‘in season?’” you made sure to add air quotes when using his words, a smug smirk of your own tugging at your lips.

seungcheol’s smile seemed to be one laced with pride, as if he was pleased to see you catching onto his behaviors and mirroring them. “i like where your head’s at. come along...” 

you let him grab your hand again before leading you to a nearby aisle, where dresses with much darker shades of blue and green were stuffed haphazardly onto the racks and shelves surrounding you. “see, this is what i meant when i said i liked green,” you told him as-a-matter-of-factly as you held up a long, modest emerald green dress with gauntlet sleeves that would hook over your middle fingers. 

he stretched out his hand to brush along the skirts of your personal favorite selection, tilting his head as if he was carefully studying the fabric. his gaze shifted from the elegant dress to you, as if he was imagining you in it. “i think i should let you pick the outfits from here on out. you’ve got an eye for color theory.”

you folded the dress over your arm with a dry chuckle, “you should have learned that during our committee meetings together. who was it who organized all of the centerpieces?”

“right. i never got to tell you about how well they match the tablecloths.”

“because someone wishes they had half the natural talent for interior design that i possess.” you imitated his trademarked smirk to the best of your ability, tilting your head to the side once it appeared as if the man in front of you was at a loss for words. “we’re going with this one.”

“don’t let it go to your head just yet. we’ve still got to find something for me to wear.”

“and i have just the thing.” this time it was your turn to grab onto his hand, pulling him towards the men’s section. your eyes scanned through the shelves in front of you until they landed on the ugliest thing you could find in that shop: a large, fluffy collar that was adorned by feathers and a large broach in the middle. “i think it matches your eyes perfectly.”

“you cannot be serious,” he deadpanned.

“hey, you were the one that said i’m picking the outfits from here on out. i think wearing it is the very least you could do, all things considered.” you couldn’t disguise the broadening smirk making its way upon your lips even if you wanted to. the look of disgust upon his features was just too good not to revel in. “what’s the matter, you don’t like it?”

he tilted his head up, pressing his lips to a thin line in a vain attempt to smile, “yeah. sure. it looks very eccentric. i think i’ve got just the cloak to match it.”

your eyes widened in a rather successful attempt to patronize the man in front of you. “do you really? i guess fate really does exist.” you stepped closer to fold the collar around his neck, admiring the look of disdain on his face as he made no effort to pull the hideous thing off of him. “see? i think it suits you so well. you could comb your hair back a little bit..” 

as if you completely forgot who you were talking to, you lifted your hand up to tuck a few strands of his hair behind his ear. seungcheol’s expression of disdain faded at the contact, a puzzled look quickly taking its place instead. your newfound proximity seemed to almost startle him, prompting you to take a step away from him and clear your throat. “let’s get out of here.”

“huh?” 

you shook your head, “we’ve got studying to do. i’m running behind thanks to this stupid ball.”

“you’ll get back on your feet, love,” he countered in a reassuring tone. “you always were an overachiever.” 

his words seemed to echo through your mind even as he walked with you up to the register and graciously paid for your dress without a second thought. you could barely even protest, still feeling rather puzzled. even if it wasn’t customary for a man to pay for his date’s dress, you could let it slide just this once. heaven knew he had the money for it. 

besides, it was the very least he could do, all things considered.     

—---------------

the night of the ball finally arrived. irene graciously allowed you to borrow some extra hairpins she had, tiny snowflakes encrusted with shining diamonds. they shone like tiny stars in the candlelight, only accentuating the emerald fabrics pooled around your figure. 

even so, you felt like a fish out of water among your peers who were dressed to the nines in silvers and deep blues.. you alway thought that beauty seemed to come so naturally to all of them. but not to you. never to you. even now, standing in front of the mirror, caked in makeup, hairspray and a dress you wouldn’t have been caught dead in any other day.. you didn’t feel special. 

irene seemed to sense your distress, just as she always did. it prompted you to wonder if your best friend had some sort of intuition, or if you were just terrible at hiding your emotions. as she stepped by your side and gazed at your reflection in the mirror, draping her arm around your waist, your frown only grew more prominent. she was by far the most beautiful girl in the common room. while you tried not to envy your best friend or place any blame on her, it was difficult putting those sentiments into practice when you got a full look of her light blue dress and gorgeous icy features.

you bowed your head with a sigh. as her eyes followed your gaze in the mirror, she lifted a hand to cup your chin so you would look in the reflective glass again. “chin up. you look beautiful.”

“i don’t feel beautiful.” you sighed, gazing at your reflections with a forlorn sigh. you wondered how she couldn’t see the stark difference between the two of you. 

she moved a hand to brush some hair out of your eyes, offering you a gentle smile. “i promise you- you look absolutely gorgeous. you’ll be the belle of the ball, i’m sure.”

the two of you chuckled as she linked her arms around your waist, smiling at the sight of your reflection. at the sight of a tiny, somewhat reluctant smile slowly starting to surface. “let’s just hope midnight approaches quickly.”

she only chuckled and held on tightly to your hand as she slowly led you out of the dressing room and down the stairs. you could hear the gentle, slow jazz band that yeji and seungkwan had argued about for days beginning to play. their music grew louder and louder with every step down the stairs you took, but the wild heartbeat in your chest seemed to clash terribly with the rhythm of the instruments. it all felt so.. unconventional. and yet, you couldn’t pinpoint an exact reason as to why you were so nervous. 

irene’s date, kai was waiting for her at the bottom of the staircase. you noticed the change in his demeanor in real time, noting how his previously dull eyes widened the moment he saw her making her way towards him. strangely enough, a pang of jealousy surfaced in your chest once she left your side and you immediately missed her warmth. your hand felt empty and cold as she waved goodbye and mouthed a ‘good luck’ to you before joining kai in the great hall.

seungcheol was nowhere to be found near the base of the staircase. before you could assume the worst about him (and mentally kick yourself for ever giving your sworn enemy the benefit of the doubt), you tried to remain neutral as you walked in the great hall alone. 

your eyes widened as you took note of your surroundings- it went without saying that seungkwan had mastered the winter wonderland enchantment. fake snow fell from the star studded ceiling, disappearing before it could fall on any of the students. it fell upon the branches of the large christmas trees and stuck to the walls, icicles hung from the pillars, snowflakes shone in the candlelight and yet there wasn’t even the slightest chill in the air.

there was a large circle around an empty space in the hallway, which you assumed was the dance floor. there was no doubt in your mind that the prefects’ dance would be starting soon, which was why panic began to set in once your eyes scanned through the crowds of students surrounding you. your date was nowhere to be found. of course he had stood you up. you wouldn’t have put it past him to leave you stranded near the dance floor, looking like an idiot. 

just as you turned on your heel, planning to make a quick getaway before anyone could notice you standing there awkwardly, your body went stiff as you bumped into a man standing directly behind you. the first thing you noticed was the familiar broach surrounded by small, white feathers.. “wow, you actually came,” you muttered.

“i could say the same about you.” tonight, there was something almost..endearing about his smirk. maybe it was because he had taken your advice and combed some of his hair back. maybe because his tone lacked that familiar condescending air. or maybe because.. the twinkling lights suspended in the air made his dark eyes shine brighter than usual. “we better get a move on, darling, the others don’t like to be kept waiting.”

just as you nodded, you felt him rest a hand over your arm in favor of leading you through the crowd of students and onto the empty part of the floor. yeji and seungkwan were the first of the twenty two other prefects that you noticed, paired with taeyong and nayeon, respectively. it felt like the rest of them were just waiting for the two of you, watching you and seungcheol walk towards the center of the hall like merlin and guendoloena themselves had graced the student body with their presence. It was horrifying. 

obviously, you’d forgotten to make an efforts to disguise your embarrassment because when seungcheol faced you, he frowned. surprise washed over your features; you thought he would make fun of you or gloat but there seemed to be the smallest hint of sympathy in his eyes. it was almost.. off putting. like he was hiding something. “what’s the matter?” he finally asked.

“nothing.” you were quick to whisper to him. 

“hey-” just as seungcheol curled an arm around your waist to reel you in closer to him, his tone grew hushed. “you don’t have to be nervous. just follow my lead.”

“i’m not-” once you quickly came to the realization that this was neither the time nor the place to argue, you swallowed your pride and timidly draped your arm around his broad shoulders. once his hand was laced with yours, you realized this was the closest you’ve ever been to him, your chests nearly touching, and you weren’t even repulsed by him. in fact, you made eye contact with him for much longer than you ever thought you were capable. “thanks.”

seungcheol nodded in acknowledgement as the band in the corner of the room began to play a beautiful, soothing waltz. he took the lead, starting out with a basic box step waltz and waiting until you got a hang of the pattern before starting to turn counter clockwise like the rest of the couples. he kept a firm but gentle hold on your waist, his hand squeezing yours in reassurance as you found yourself scooting closer to him. “see? as always, you’re learning quickly.”

you hated to admit it, but such an unexpected compliment from seungcheol, of all people, prompted your heart to skip a beat. you pushed the unfamiliar sensation away to the best of your ability. “and you’re a pretty decent teacher. who would’ve thought?” you chuckled.

“well.. maybe you shouldn’t be so quick to jump to conclusions.” he chuckled, affection laced within the quiet laugh. “i will say, though, i expected you to step on my toes at least once or twice.”

“there’s still plenty of time for that,” you mused, a smirk tugging at your lips as your gaze flicked down to your feet. he must have purchased brand new dress shoes for the occasion; the patent leather shone almost like a diamond in the limelight. for some reason, you didn’t want to risk scuffing them.

“i suppose,” he shrugged before looking just past your shoulder in quiet contemplation. he wasn’t fixed on any certain point behind you, but his eyebrows were furrowed as if he was studying the fabric of your sleeves carefully before meeting your eyes again. “but would it be so terrible if we got along? just this once?” 

the shift in his demeanor brought a small sense of uneasiness to your chest until he spoke again. hoping to ease the tension growing in your heart, you snickered, “why? you don’t want me to ruin your brand new shoes?”

he hated how your words brought a tenacious grin to his lips, one that he couldn’t get rid of even if he wanted to. and you hated how you found it so endearing, especially when your eyes fixed on the dimples in his cheeks that you never seemed to notice until now. “something like that.” he muttered.

as if he couldn’t get through the dance without embarrassing you just one time, he pulled back from your embrace to spin you under his arm. after you completed the circle he kept both hands on your back, leading you into a less than graceful dip. you stumbled a tiny bit in his tight and affirming grip and held onto his upper arm for that much needed security. before you could bring yourself to curse him out, you let your eyes find his. instead of that infuriating look he had when he knew he’d successfully gotten under your skin, there was a certain warmth hidden in his irises. 

it was confusing.. almost more infuriating. especially considering the heat that rose upon your cheeks when you’d gazed upon his features long enough. 

and then he carefully pulled you back into a standing position and the fuzzy feeling in your head was gone. for the time being, at least. you had kept your arm draped around his broad shoulders, expecting the music to continue. but the students in the crowd began to clap as the rest of the prefects broke away from their partners and you suddenly felt like you’d been in the embrace for much too long. maybe you were overthinking it, maybe you weren’t. 

you let both arms fall by your sides as you took a single step backwards. your date could only chuckle in amusement, “glad that we finally got that over with?” he waved a hand dismissively just as you parted your lips to defend yourself. “come on. i think we could both use a drink.”

much to your own surprise, you let him take your hand in his and lead you to the refreshment table. seungkwan and nayeon beat you to the punch (both literally and figuratively, as seungkwan was already pouring a glass for the two of them), the lovely couple beaming the moment they saw you from across the table. 

“oh, hey guys!” seungkwan was the first to greet the two of you with a large smile. “you guys looked really good out on the dance floor. for a second, i was worried you were gonna steal all the attention away from me and nayeon.”

nayeon laughed before you could even conjure a witty response, “oh seungkwan. it's their last year here, i think they should enjoy their time in the spotlight while they still can.”

thankfully, seungcheol intervened before you could. “please. there’s plenty of time for us to enjoy our respective places in the spotlight when i’m a world renowned quidditch player and y/n’s the most successful auror in the ministry.” 

seungkwan’s eyes went wide. “wait- you mean the holyhead harpies..accepted you?”

just like magic, that all too familiar smirk materialized upon seungcheol’s lips just before he took a sip from his glass of punch rather than providing the three of you with a direct answer. however, it proved to be more than a satisfactory response. the couple in front of you broke out into applause with wide beams and quiet giggles. you, however, stood speechlessly in place.

for until that moment, you’d forgotten all about the potion.. 

“that’s amazing news!” nayeon almost shrieked. “we should celebrate.”

“maybe some other time. we better let him celebrate with his date first,” seungkwan reasoned while sending a knowing smirk in your direction. before too long, the four of you were exchanging goodbyes and more congratulations until only you and seungcheol stood near the table. of course, you weren’t sure how to approach the subject of felix felicis, so the two of you were forced to revel in the awkward silence for a good minute or two. 

that was, until seungcheol decided he had had enough. he brought a hand to your lower back, tilting his head towards the nearest exit. “come on. let’s go get some fresh air.”

once greeted by the chilly december air, you found yourself tugging your wrap closer to your chest. judging by the fresh layer of snow upon the balcony, it had just barely finished snowing for the time being. although he’d removed his hand from your waist, he stayed in close proximity to you, your shoulders barely brushing as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other. the two of you took a deep breath in alarming synchronization, releasing a visible sigh afterwards. 

you watched carefully as the small cloud disappeared in front of you before turning to him. “so.. you made the team.”

seungcheol nodded with confidence, but something told you that he had no intention of rubbing his victories in your face. “that’s right,” he replied quietly.

once again, you weren’t sure how to approach the nagging question in your mind- you had no intention of asking if he used the felix felicis to cheat at tryouts, guaranteeing him a spot on the team. you pondered on the correct delivery for just a moment too long, your eyebrows slowly knitting together as your lips parted. “how..”

seungcheol mocked an expression of offense before quietly replying, “pure talent. nothing else.”

“you mean..”

the man in front of you pressed his pouty lips to a thin line before reaching in his inner pocket. your eyes widened as the small vial he pulled out shone in the moonlight. clearly, seungcheol hadn’t used a single drop of the potion yet. you looked in his eyes, only to see the smallest glint of hurt. “do you really think so little of me?” he asked you timidly.

it would have been a knee jerk reaction to tell him yes, to tell him that he got on your nerves and seemed to be hellbent on embarrassing you at every chance he could get. that you thought he was a pompous asshole and thought too highly of himself. but when you reflected on the time you spent together, you realized.. seungcheol was just like any other student that went to this school. 

he had ambitions. he had goals. he had drive. not only that, but he had interests outside the academic field. for example, he loved christmas. winter was his favorite season. he loved strawberry punch. he had a handful of likes and dislikes. in that sense, he was just like any other student that roamed through the halls of hogwarts, trying to make a name for themselves. in that sense, he was just like you. 

and you felt horrible for ever accusing him of cheating.

with those sentiments in mind, you shook your head slowly. “no. no i guess i don’t.”

before he turned towards the balcony again, you were able to catch the smallest glance at of his smile, faint as it was. it seemed as if he saw no need for keeping up appearances, considering the two of you were finally alone. he brushed the thin layer of snow off the railing before crossing his arms over the concrete. “i can’t believe in just a few more months.. all of this will be over.”

you mirrored his actions, keeping close to him as you peered down the balcony. carriages pulled by invisible steeds were parked near the entrance of the palace, covered in thick sheets of snow. “i know. can’t believe you’ll have to find someone on the harpies to torment everyday.”

he snickered loudly, “but what about you? hopefully you’ll meet another auror who’ll keep that fire in you burning on.”

“i don’t think anyone will keep that fire in me like you do, seungcheol,” you confessed, looking over to him with a smirk of your own. it was all you could do to downplay the severity of the confession. “i’ve never met someone so infuriating yet so.. captivating as you. and i don’t think i will for a long time.”

you could have sworn you noticed seungcheol’s ears turn red once the bold confession hung in the air between the two of you. had you brought it up, however, he would have quickly excused the display of bashfulness by blaming it on the cold weather. “in that case.. i’m glad that we were able to do all of this.. the planning, the dancing.. even if it meant you had to lose to me one last time.”

you laughed and shook your head fondly, “you just had to ruin a decent moment between us, didn’t you?”

although a deep chuckle from the man in front of you soon followed your display of annoyance, nothing could have prepared you for seungcheol’s quiet response: “well, let me make it up to you.”

even if you could find the right words to ask him exactly what that would entail, you couldn’t seem to make a sound. your lips were parted as he turned to face you fully, moving a cold hand to cup your cheek. his touch was much more delicate than you could have ever expected from him, a sense of timidity within his demeanor. as if he was waiting for you to push him away.. but you didn’t. even if you wanted to, your gaze on his pursed lips kept you from paying any mind to your surroundings, the snowflakes beginning to materialize, the muffled music, the flickering of the enchanted lanterns…

the next few seconds that followed were a blur. you leaned in to meet him halfway, your lips finally meeting. the kiss was deep, slow, as if the two of you were savoring a moment you’ve waited for far too long to come. he kissed your lips with such gentle deliberation that you wondered how long he really had been wanting this. of course, you could do nothing but return the kiss with equal eagerness as you moved your hand to his other cheek. there was a soft exhale through his nose, which fanned lightly over your skin before he pulled away.

the two of you stayed silent for a moment, relishing the beautiful moment in all of its remaining glory. never in a million years did either of you expect something like a bet would result in such a wonderful night. a wonderful night filled with contemplations and observations you previously would never have entertained. 

and yet, even after such a truly mind numbing moment, you couldn’t stop yourself from asking him, “seungcheol.. what are you going to do with felix..?”

this time, it was his turn to shake his head fondly. “you just had to ruin a decent moment between us, didn’t you?” the chuckle that followed his repetition of your own words was much too endearing, causing that heated sensation in your cheeks to materialize yet again. “but to answer your question, i’m.. not sure. i guess i’ll cross that bridge when i get to it.

“or.. i could always give it to you.”

“no,” you immediately refused with a shake of your head. ”as much as it.. pains me to say it: you earned it, fair and square. besides… i learned from someone tonight that real achievements aren’t made with lucky charms. and even if i don’t become an auror.. i’m more than capable of doing something else with my time.” 

seungcheol bowed his head with a grin. “whoever he is.. sounds really wise.”

“he is,” you chuckled, moving your hand to lace your fingers with his once again. there was a warmth in his palm, one that you sought for as you squeezed his hand. “he’s.. insufferable and pompous the majority of the time. but incredibly smart and driven the rest of the time.”

his gaze remained fixed on your intertwined hands for a moment before his eyes met yours again. “you finally see your worth,” he whispered to you, almost incredulously. “believe me, y/n, i’ve known you to be more than capable of accomplishing anything you set your mind to since the day we met.”

feeling unsure of how else to express your gratitude, you placed another gentle kiss upon his lips. savoring the feeling, the taste.. since you knew it was only a matter of time until the two of you would part ways as nothing more than pupils. still, as the two of you spent the rest of the enchanted night dancing, laughing, and talking each others’ ears off, you and seungcheol hoped that this night wouldn’t be the end of your precious time together.

[caws5749]

hiii i saw that you were looking for fluff requests so could u do something like natasha and reader both busy and not looking while walking through stark tower or soemthing and y/n obviously knows who natasha is has a bit of a crush on her and nat is like teasing her. later on they keep bumping into each other until nat is like “i’m done with the meet and greets” and asks reader out on a date. (nothing specific lol take and pick at if if you’d like, i just wanted to pitch in! :))

WARNING: THE BAREST HINT OF THIRSTING AND MENTION OF BREASTS IM SORRY I COULDN'T HELP MYSELF

A/N: you know that part in despicable me where she goes "IT'S SO FLUFFY" ?? yeah that came to mind reading this because ITS SO FLUFFY AND CUTE AND SUCH A GREAT IDEA THANK YOUUUUU <3

Consulting with the Avengers team was something you still couldn't believe you had the privilege to do. You had more been consulting with the brand itself versus the actual humans, but it still felt like a privilege.

You were a bit rushed leaving the compound, face glued to your phone looking at the plane tickets for the upcoming weekend. You were set to visit a friend but hadn't even bought your ticket yet. With one strap of your bag hanging off your shoulder, you rounded the corner and bumped right into someone...hard.

"Oh my god, I am so sorry," you quickly got out, eyes finally moving up to meet lively green ones. Your jaw dropped a bit.

"Are you alright?" Natasha asked softly, eyes scanning your form for obvious injury. When she found none, she focused back on your face. She didn't even seem fazed by the collision.

"I'm fine, I'm so sorry, are you?" You questioned quickly, nearly slapping yourself in the face once you realized you asked an Avenger, hell, the Black Widow, if a bump into you had injured her.

"I'm alright, thank you. You seem like you're in a hurry, I won't hold you up."

All you could do was nod as she walked around you and you let out a breath you didn't know you'd been holding.

++++++

Somehow the exact same thing happened again, though this time it wasn't your fault.

Natasha was exhausted, just returning from a mission that drained her both physically and mentally. While it was only just after five in the evening, she couldn't wait to go straight to bed after a warm shower. She exited the elevator as soon as the doors opened, walking right into you.

"Oof," you muttered in surprise.

"Are you- I know you," the red-head stated, her eyes scanning over your form for injuries as they did previously, even after just a simple bump. "I'm sorry, are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Natasha," you replied as you sent a reassuring smile. The corner of her mouth quirked upwards.

"And you are?"

You blushed. "I'm Y/N L/N. I consult for the Avengers."

"Nice to meet you, Y/N. I'll see you around."

You entered the elevator, your legs feeling like lead. You turned just in time to watch her continue her walk down the hall. It just might have been the greatest sight you'd ever seen.

++++++

The universe must have been against you because it just seemed utterly impossible for you to not run into the widow.

It was just after midnight and you couldn't wait to leave. You were trying to finish up a big project and you knew having it done as quickly as possible would be a good thing, especially because you believed in the project so much. So you stayed in a conference room working later than normal. But you were exhausted and it was time to go home so you quickly tossed your things in your bag and headed out the door. You reached the door to the hallway and pushed it open with all of your might, eyes widening when a certain red-head had to jump out of the way to avoid it.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry. Again," you rushed. "Are you okay?"

"It didn't hit me, I'm okay," Natasha responded, before tilting her head. "What are you doing here so late?"

"Just trying to finish up a project. I hadn't really realized what time it was, to be honest."

She hummed thoughtfully. "You know, we do have guest rooms if you want to stay the night. You might not want to be out driving this late."

God, you knew it wasn't her protecting you or being worried about you because there was no way, but you couldn't help the flutter in your chest and the red that creeped into your cheeks.

The woman across from you smirked at your pink cheeks. She wasn't sure if you were like this with everyone or just her, but she loved it.

"Oh, I'm fine, but thank you. That's really nice of you... guys. That's really nice of you guys," you babbled, feeling the heat spread to your entire face.

"Just don't tell Tony I offered, he's picky," she laughed, before pulling the door open and walking through.

"Might want to check your temperature, Y/N, you're flushed like you have a fever," Nat yelled back, amusement in her tone.

No chance she hadn't noticed then. You were certain you couldn't make any bigger a fool of yourself.

++++++

The next time you ran into her, thankfully there were no close calls for injuries. Natasha had just finished her workout and was heading to the kitchen for a snack, where you had just finished a conversation with Sharon Carter, who had helped you on your latest project. She had told you to grab anything you wanted from the snack drawer, something that was somehow empty by the end of each day.

You searched the drawer for something that seemed appealing, jumping out of your skin from a smooth voice that came from behind you.

"Find anything good in there?"

"Natasha," you breathed as you whirled around, heart pounding in your chest. Your eyes widened as you took in her sweaty appearance, skin glistening, the top of her breasts just visible with the sports bra she had chosen.

"See anything you like?"

You flushed a deep red. "I, uh-"

"In the drawer, Y/N," she interrupted, eyes sparkling with humor.

"I- not really."

She walked up to you, the distance between the two of you now nearly nonexistent. You could see the dimension in her green eyes, the sweat bead slowly making its way down her right temple, the gentle pink to her full lips. You gulped, trying to steady your breathing when her arm reached around you, grazing your skin as she grabbed a snack from the drawer.

"I'm tired of these little meet and greets. Meet me here later at 8."

She gave you a wink and walked out.

You weren't quite sure what you'd done to deserve a date with that woman, but boy were you grateful.

[ddejavvu]

and what about Rooster? we all know he's loud and the life of the party( nothing wrong with that) but what about when the squad finally meets his "misterious lady" and she's super sweet and calm , the only one who can ground her and they're total opposites but complete each other

please send me top gun requests!!!

--

Rooster's four beers in, and not stopping soon. The bottle in his hand leaks condensation on the bar, but he doesn't notice as he's shouting to be heard by Coyote who's perched three stools away from him. Phoenix and Fanboy are between them, taking every opportunity they can to root for Bob who was standing at the pool table, and to laugh at Hangman, who was opposite him.

"-anyways I said- I said babe!" Rooster hollers, far too animated as Coyote strains to hear him, "You gotta come tonight! Everyone wants to- to meet you!"

"Man I still don't believe she's real," Coyote grins, taking a sip of his own beer, "You gotta be makin' her up."

"I'm not," Rooster insists, shaking his head, "'Swear to god she's as real as- babe!"

He spots you stepping tentatively into the bar, eyes wide as you scan the room. Everyone there is drinking, everyone there is loud, and everyone there is a stranger.

Except, of course, the man at the bar. Rooster barrels towards you with excitement far too elevated for your sensory levels right now, and you brace yourself for impact. Luckily, he supports you while he tackles you, catching you before you can fall when your feet aren't on the floor anymore.

"Baaaabe," He gushes, squeezing you tight to his chest, trapping your arms at your sides. He lifts you off of your feet and rocks you side to side, beer back at the bar but not forgotten as it courses through his systems, "You're here!"

"I told you I'd come," The hug is comforting, even if it suffocates you, and you breathe in the scent of his laundry detergent through his faded hawaiian shirt. You'd started using the same brand, and you feel closer to him than ever.

"How was work?" He keeps his mouth close to your ear as he leads you through the bar, an arm around your shoulders to weave you through the patrons, "Did you get that project done?"

"Mhm," You hum, your hand still gripping the fabric of his shirt, "One of my team members was out sick today, but she still emailed me stuff. It wasn't as terrible as I thought it would be."

"I'm proud of you," He croons, reaching his stool and easing you into it, "I think you deserve a drink for your efforts."

"Just one, and something light." You warn him, eyes wide, "I'm driving us both home tonight."

He seems to agree with you, though you're not sure if he'll remember by the time you're finished with your first one. There's a moment of silence between you, though the ambiance of the bar still rages around you, and then Bradley's perking up again.

"Oh! He steps out from where he's standing between you and three more occupied stools, "Guys! This is Y/N."

Coyote, who'd joined in on the spectacle of Hangman v Bob, doesn't hear him at first. Phoenix, who you recognize from Rooster's stories, greets you kindly, making a remark about dealing with Rooster 24/7 that's admittedly funny enough to make you giggle.

"Coyote," Rooster shouts, reaching over to smack him on the shoulder, "I said, this is Y/N! Babe," He turns to you, voice still at full volume, "This is-!"

You slap a hand over his mouth before he can finish, eyes nearly squeezing shut as he yells in your face. He doesn't mean to, of course, but the noise is overpowering, and you can't take it.

"Too loud," You remind him, voice soft in comparison. He hears it, watches your lips move while you're speaking, and realizes his mistake, albeit too late. You feel him press a soft kiss to the palm of your hand in apology, his mustache tickling your skin.

"Sorry," He mumbles, much quieter now. You drop your hand so that he can speak normally, but he catches it on the way down, bringing it back up to his lips. He dots kisses along each of your knuckles, standing between you and the open space of the bar so that you're shielded from some of the hustle and bustle, "Didn't mean to scream at you."

"It's okay," You laugh fondly, letting your hand rest in his own. You turn back to Coyote, clocking his wide-eyed expression, "It's nice to meet you!"

"You too," He gushes, eyes bright, "You got him to shut up!"

[snapghoul]

Ooh, love (there he goes again)

Bradley and Kate bond over ham sandwiches and their choice of partner.

Note: Kate and Bradley love their obnoxious boys, it annoys them but they love them and I’m working on making some more fluff. I wanna get to writing hangster more because Bradley is fun to write.

Warning: none

Song: good old fashioned lover boy - queen

Bradley found himself once again in some random field in Oklahoma, now on the fifth day of being with the wranglers. He was perched on the tailgate of the red truck, watching Jake and Tyler converse animatedly at the bottom of a small hill.

“Ham sandwich?” A slightly squashed, plastic-wrapped sandwich appeared before him, and Bradley turned his attention to Kate, who was smiling warmly.

“Yeah, thanks,” he replied.

Kate took a seat beside him, and they ate in companionable silence for a moment before she broke it. “How did you meet Jake? I’m guessing it was through the Navy?”

Bradley chuckled, shaking his head as he looked back at Kate. “Actually, we were in the same class at the naval academy. On the first day, I picked a seat in the back, figuring it’d be more comfortable—well, you know,” he said, kicking out one leg to emphasize his height.

“Then this cocky guy strolls in like he owns the place and takes a seat right in the front. He had this ridiculous toothpick and an insufferable shit eating grin. I’m sure you can guess who I’m talking about.”

Kate laughed and nodded, clearly familiar with the type of grin Bradley was describing—she’d seen Tyler with that exact look. Bradley chuckled along with her, then nudged her playfully with his elbow. “What about you?”

Kate grinned. “Oh, just as you’d expect. A certain guy rolled up to the gas station where Javi and I were meeting up with our team at the time, honking the horn and blasting music. He jumped out, and the place was instantly swarmed by storm chasers. And sure enough, he had that same insufferable shit-eating grin.”

The two laughed, enjoying their new inside joke. Bradley shook his head, then nodded toward the twins in the distance.

“Copy-paste, just in a slightly different font,” he said with a grin.

They laughed again before settling into a comfortable silence. In the few days they’d known each other, Bradley and Kate had gotten along remarkably well.

After a long moment, with only the wind rustling through the wheat field, Bradley finally asked, “When did you… y’know?” The question was clear, though unspoken: when did Kate realize she had feelings for Tyler?

“When he helped me perfect my polymer project… he had no obligation to stay and help, yet he did,” Kate said slowly. “He helped me face my fears, pulled me out of my guilt.”

Their eyes were focused on the twins.

Bradley nodded. “For me, it was when he saved me. I was on the edge for a long time, and that just pushed me over.” He paused, “I guess they saved us both.”

Kate hummed, and they fell into silence, sharing an unspoken understanding about how important the twins were to them.

Their peaceful moment was broken by Jake shouting something and pushing Tyler over, leading to a lively wrestling match.

Bradley sighed. “Why did we have to choose them?”

Bonus:

Jake, hands on his hips and gazing at the horizon, asked, “So when did Kate get you all smitten?”

Tyler, looking a bit sheepish, replied, “When I first saw her.” The admission felt a little cringy, but it was the truth.

“Oh my god,” Jake sighed, embarrassed for his brother.

“Oh and what about Rooster?” Tyler snapped, clearly annoyed. There was no way his brother would make fun of his love life. Jake remained silent, his look revealing that he felt the same way.

“You’re joking,” Tyler gasped as Jake shoved him with an echoing “shut up!”

[timetoletmyimaginationfly]

Wanting More

Nanami Kento xReader

(Song Inspiration: One of the Girls by The Weeknd, JENNIE, Lily-Rose Depp)

You weren’t a fan of parties. You only went tonight because it was a company party. Your team finished one of the biggest project you ever had to do and it became a success. Gojo, your boss, couldn’t help but throw a big party.

So here you are, wearing a silky black dress that hugged your body, a slit on the side reaching halfway up your thigh, spaghetti straps, and black high heels. You sipped on your wine as you were talking to Shoko, one of your favorite coworkers and best friend.

“Do you think he’ll come?” she asked you. You shrugged your shoulders, eyes roaming around the room. When you looked back at your coworker, she gave you a smirk.

“What?”

“I’ve seen you two together. It’s like…how do I put it? It’s like the two of you are trying so hard to keep your dick and pussy in check.”

“Sh-Shoko!!” you exclaimed. Shoko laughed, leaning against your shoulder as she did.

“Did you purposely wear that dress for Nanami-san?” she asked.

“N-No! It was all I had that was clean,” you answered. You knew you were lying. You wanted to attract him.

“Liar.” You couldn’t hold in your smile. “Let’s go outside. I need a smoke and I need you to talk.”

“About?”

“Nanami Kento! Now let’s go!” She grabbed your arm and dragged you outside on the large balcony the venue accommodated the company with. It was chilly outside but you didn’t mind it. It was empty and quiet. It was worth the shivers of the cool night. Shoko lit her cigarette.

“So, what do you want me to say?” you asked.

“Anything relating to the man!”

You blushed. It was a secret. Halfway through the project, you and Nanami were arguing in his office. One thing lead to another. And the next thing you knew, he laid naked next to you in your bed. Stressful events lead to sex. And the two of you would take turns at each other’s apartments. Nanami would lay down next to you for about an hour before he dresses up and goes home. Or Nanami would take you back home if you were at his place. It was just a week ago where you fell asleep overnight.

“Don’t worry about it,” he said when you woke up worried. You blushed. “I’ll make us some breakfast and then I’ll bring you back to your place so you could get ready for work.”

You wanted more. You want more from Nanami Kento.

“You can’t tell anyone,” you said. Shoko raised an eyebrow. She knew that you were serious.

“Are you two dating?” she asked. You shook your head. You sighed and leaned back against the balcony, hugging your arms warm.

“We’ve been…” You looked around, making sure the coast was still clear. “We’ve been having sex halfway through the project.”

“And that’s why you two look like…”

“I-I know! I know! We-We’ve been having sex almost everyday,” you confessed again as you felt your face heat up quicker and quicker.

“Is he good in bed?” Shoko asked with a sly smile. You wanted your body to melt. You were never one to talk about your life, especially with the intimate parts of your life. Shoko laughed. Your body was tense and she just found joy to make you uncomfortable. “Sorry.” Your body relaxed. You took another sip of your wine and watched the crowd dance, mingle, eat, and drink.

“I want more,” you said as you swirled the wine in your glass.

“We could go back in and come back—“ she stopped when you shook your head.

“I want more from him, but I don’t know what he wants.”

“Just talk to him. Any sort of relationship is going to stem from communication. Speaking of…” Nanami entered the balcony. He held a small glass of whiskey and a glass of wine. A soft smile was formed on his lips when he looked at you. He softly called your name and looked at Shoko.

“And hello, Ieiri-san,” he said.

“Nanami-san! I’ll leave you two alone,” she said and quickly left.

She gave you one last wink before closing the door behind her. You blushed. Nanami placed the drinks down on the rail and took off his black suit jacket. He covered your shoulders with his jacket, causing you to look at him.

“I got you another glass,” he said. You smiled and quietly thanked him. “You look very beautiful tonight.” He leaned in closer to your ear. “I just want to go back home with you and have a party of our own.” You could feel your heart race.

“Kento-kun…” Nanami just smiled and kissed your forehead. “Th-They’re going to see and—“

“Let them,” he said. “You know, I had a hard time looking for you earlier. But then I watched the guys stare at you while you were outside. It really bothered me.”

“Did it?” Nanami nodded.

“I didn’t like the idea of other men eyeing at my girl,” he mumbled. You watched him blush ever so slightly. Your eyes widened in realization.

“Kento-kun,” you called softly. Nanami looked at you with soft and curious eyes. “I-I want more. I want more than just sex from you. I want…” You paused.

You honestly wanted everything. You didn’t want to just leave him after sex and sleep alone in an empty bed. But you want to wake up next to him in the mornings and enjoy breakfast and get ready together for work. You want to go out on dates after the shift and lay lazily at home with him on the weekends. Your thoughts were interrupted when Nanami leaned in to kiss you softly.

“Funny because I was going to say the same thing,” he said as his hand rested on the side of your cheek. You held his wrist and leaned in his palm. He found you adorable. “I’ve been thinking about it for a while now too.”

“So feelings are very mutual.” Nanami nodded and smiled. He leaned in close and gently kissed your lips. You love his kisses. His lips against yours were addicting to you. You could never get enough of them. Whether they were soft, playful, passionate, or rough, you want it all. His lips trailed down behind your ear and then down your neck. “W-Wait.”

“I’m sorry, darling. I got too caught up in the moment,” he said as he rested his head on the crook of your neck. You lightly laughed and hugged him.

“It’s okay,” you said. You wanted to go home, but you couldn’t leave the party. You were a part of this project, and you promised Gojo that you’d stay the whole time. “Let’s go back inside?”

“Okay, my dear,” he said. He gave you one last kiss before resting his hand on your lower back as the two of you walked back inside the party. And this time, Nanami made sure the men knew that you were taken.

[unknownspecies]

[Not Shy]

[Mikey x f!Reader]

There were people who were considered shy, socially anxious, or even easily flustered. You were often mistaken for these traits, but you never thought yourself to be any of them. You were just… quiet. You never spoke, and when you did, it was usually no more than just a few words. 

Despite being visualized as an emotionally constipated girl, You really had an active social life, always hanging out with friends or playing on your sports team. You were a kind girl as well, never refusing to help out others when needed. 

However, you also knew that because of your quietness, no one really sought you out other than your close friends. Which kind of sucked, but you were fine being by yourself sometimes just as much as you liked being with other people, so it didn’t bother you that much. 

What you didn’t know was that there was someone whose eye you caught: A well known boy in the school named Mikey. Everyone knew about him, how he was a well known martial artist and how he would “claim” friends even in other schools and force them to hang out with him. Despite some rumors of him forcing friendship onto others, most knew that he was just an idiot who was trying to get to know as many people as possible. 

The reason why Mikey never really approached you, though, was because he was intimidated by you. What you weren’t aware of was that your quietness gave you an intimidating demeanor. The way you held yourself with confidence, the way you stayed quiet and listened, and the way you seemed to stare into people’s souls and analyze them was what scared him. Well… he wouldn’t consider himself “scared,” but rather… nervous. 

Luckily for him, luck came on his side. After a few months of simply observing you, you were paired up with him, and his best friend, for a science project. 

Mikey was excited to say the least. He finally got to interact with the quiet girl that he never really knew much about, and he knew about everyone. 

You sat down in one of the chairs of the three tables that were moved together. Mikey’s leg was bouncing on his feet, contemplating on what to say. “So…” He scratched the back of his neck, “I’m Mikey, but I guess you already knew that.” He mumbled the last comment. 

You smiled and nodded. You looked at the worksheet for the project outline in front of you and slid it towards Mikey and your other partner, Draken, tapping at the “Project Topic” section with your pencil while giving them a questioning look. 

Mikey straightened up, happy that he was saved by his awkwardness by the need to get this assignment done. I guess school is good for one thing. Draken decided to take the lead in the conversation, after internally cackling at Mikey’s flustered attitude. 

He leaned back, “We should do something simple, that doesn’t require much work yet gives us a good grade.” 

You tilted your head for a moment, mentally searching for topics you three could do. Mikey internally swooned, thinking that the small gesture was so cute. Wait… where did that thought come from? He shook his head, he barely even knew you and he was getting these weird ideas already. Though he wouldn’t hesitate to admit that you were pretty.

Mikey and Draken watched as you lit up and scribbled something on the paper. After a few moments, You slid the paper towards them and they read what you had written. 

How effective different cooling sleeves 

are at keeping water bottles cold.

They all looked at each other. You looked at them with an expectant look on your face. Oh how expressive you were despite speaking no words, it’s like he knew what you were saying. 

Draken nodded, “Seems simple enough. I have a beer can cooler and another thicker one back at home. I think Mikey has one as well.” He turned to his friend, “The pink one with the Hello Ki–” Mikey threw his hands onto his friends loud mouth. 

“No no! It’s not mine! It's my sister’s!” Draken pushed his hand aside. “No, it’s yours. Emma gave it to you for your birth–” Mikey shushed him loudly again. If he could kill his friend that moment he would’ve. 

You watched them with mirth in your eyes and laid your hand on Draken’s arm that was resting on the table. When their attention went to you, you nodded, and smiled. And it was at that moment that Mikey realized that you were far more than the pretty he had viewed you two minutes ago. You seemed to radiate light out of your skin and that was the moment Mikey decided to win your heart. 

Two weeks passed as they did the project. They all decided to do it at your house because it was the best option out of those three. It would’ve been Mikey’s house, but Mikey insisted that the three have it at your place because of some reason where “you have the best fridge model out of all three of us.” He didn’t know what fridge model you had, he didn’t even know fridges had models, but you didn’t care enough to question him further, and simply agreed. (This totally wasn’t a plot to get closer to you and to prevent you from meeting his sister.)

Mikey considered this time to be the best of his life. They really spent a majority of the two weeks chilling together, as they had finished the project within two days. (It was really sticking water in the fridge then checking the temperature when they were put outside with the three different cooler wraps.) 

Draken, God bless his soul, easily figured out Mikey’s small infatuation with you and proposed the idea of hanging out with you more often. You accepted, of course, happy to make new friends. And maybe, just maybe, you had also gotten a small attachment to the short blonde who, unknowingly to you, started to think the world of you. 

~~~

It all started a month later. you were close to both Mikey and Draken, and hung out with them often enough. You still hadn’t spoken much. They had heard your voice a few times already (Mikey almost fainted the first time, and the second, and the third.), but it still wasn’t common, even the average quiet person spoke a thousand times more than you. 

Draken watched as your crushes grew on each other and internally laughed, reminiscing on when he had his own crush on Emma and asked her out. Emma eventually figured out what was happening (read: Draken couldn’t hold the gossip in and spilled) and encouraged Mikey to confess to you as soon as possible.

Mikey actually decided to take the advice, and bought a small bouquet of flowers and a packet of dorayaki to confess to you when school ended. 

But God decided to take away whatever luck He had bestowed upon him. 

Right as he was about to walk up to you in dismissal, he saw a scene that made him wish he could spoon his eyes out. 

It was a boy, about your age, walking up behind you with an affectionate smile on his face. He tapped you on the shoulder and when you turned around, you squealed and jumped on him to hug him. 

The stupid, ugly, dumb haircut boy laughed and spun you around before pecking you on the top of your head and ruffling your hair. He saw as you looked up at him with a sparkle in your eye, and then you spoke. You were talking to him?! Just who was this boy? Mikey was itching to grab him by the shoulder and beat him up for taking his crush away from him. You were his, not this random stranger’s. But he stayed his hand, deciding that if you spoke to this guy and not Mikey, then obviously… he didn’t even want to finish the thought, but it came crawling out anyways. …obviously you didn’t like him like you did this boy. 

How dare he? How dare this random stranger take you away from him and kiss you on your head, defiling your hair, and walking away with you. 

The flowers fell from his hand as Draken came up behind him. Mikey frowned, sadly mumbling, “I guess she doesn’t like me then…” His best friend looked at him, it was unusual. Draken didn’t like seeing Mikey sad like this. Although he never showed it, it broke his heart to see his best friend crumble. 

It was strange, Draken thought, on how friendly you acted with the guy. Yet the affection you seemed to show this stranger was different from the affection you seemed to show Mikey. Almost like he was a close friend rather than a romantic partner. He decided to investigate. 

One week later, Draken had pulled you to the side. That one week was hell, for all you, Mikey, and Draken. 

Mikey avoided you like the plague. Thinking that the less he saw his crush, the less he would feel heartbroken. He really did like you, and it shattered his heart to see you talking to someone else. You never spoke to Mikey. It was always short answers, if there were any at all. Yeah, you always interacted with him. You laughed at him (he loved that sound), you touched him when you wanted to hug him (or smack him), you spoke through your expressions to him. Yet you never verbally spoke to him. 

You, on the other hand, were confused. Why was Mikey avoiding you? Have you done something wrong? You realized that you didn’t hang out with him this week, but you were too busy hanging out with others. But still, even when you had plans to go out with other friends, or preferred to stay home alone and have some time for yourself, Mikey never gave you an attitude like this. You yourself became upset as well. You had really liked him, and was hoping to confess to him soon… 

And Draken? Draken was wondering how to get information out of you. He was really overthinking the whole thing when a simple question would’ve fixed everything. He asked his friends in other schools about this newcomer in their lives and found out an interesting thing. Apparently he visited you often, which didn’t make the situation any better in the slightest. But the thing is that those friends claimed that he did not have a girlfriend whatsoever, which confused him greatly. 

In the end, he decided that talking to you directly was best to clear up the situation. If you were dating this guy, then what’s done is done. The best thing he would do is to help Mikey move on. But…if by chance you weren’t dating him, and he was just a close friend, then he would be more than happy to tell Mikey that you were free to date him as soon as possible. 

During lunch, he pulled you to the side. 

“Hey, I have a question to ask you.” He stared down at you, a stern look in his eyes. 

Your own widened, wondering what warranted this curt behavior from Draken. You kept staring at him, waiting for him to continue. 

Draken huffed, “The guy that you left with last week, who was he?”

You tilted your head in confusion, processing the question before it hit you. 

“My cousin.” Draken blinked. “We grew up together, so he likes to visit sometimes…” You replied quietly, staring at him as you watched the gears turn in his. 

Draken threw his head back and groaned. No wonder things weren’t adding up. This guy was your cousin, not just some rando. Not to mention he seemed like a brother to you. He rubbed his eyes, he was such an idiot. He should’ve pieced this together long ago. 

You stared up at him inquisitively, waiting for him to explain. “Um, both Mikey and I thought… that… uh… you and your cousin were dating.” Draken mumbled the last statement so softly you could barely hear it. 

…

What?

Mikey thought you were dating someone? You internally groaned. That’s why he’s been avoiding you. You thought that the way he’s been acting a month before the whole incident meant that he liked you back, and you were hoping that you hadn’t been reading too much into it. But with Draken’s unspoken confirmation you felt elated. 

You immediately turned and ran towards where you last saw Mikey: behind the school building eating his lunch. Draken stayed behind, letting you take care of the situation from here on out. 

When you saw Mikey, he was picking at his food with a sad frown on his face. He looked up at the sound, and his frown deepened when he saw that it was you. 

“Oh now you’re here? Don’t you have your boyfriend to go bother?” He hated the words he said, but it was the truth, wasn’t it?

You huffed at his pouting and bent down in front of him, hand resting on your knees as you stared into his eyes. He looked away. Mikey was too intimidated by your stare, too flustered at your beautiful eyes, too sad that you weren’t his. 

You grabbed his face with your hands and made him face you. Mikey blushed, you were so gentle, he could barely feel the pressure your hands were putting on his cheeks. 

You opened and closed your mouth like a fish, searching for the most effective way to say what you wanted to say for the past month. 

“He’s my cousin.” He stared at you in shock, barely digesting the words because he was too busy appreciating the tone of your voice. When he did process the message, though, he dropped the bit of food in his hand. 

You touched your forehead to his, “I like you, Mikey.” And he swore that he was hallucinating. You liked him? What? Since when? How did he not know this? Why was he so stupid? He should’ve just asked you. You should’ve just told him. Does Draken know? What is going on?

You giggled softly at his reaction before kissing him. You pulled away too soon for Mikey’s liking, and got up. 

Smiling at him, you said, “Let’s go to class, then get some ice cream after… We’ll let Draken pay.” You outstretched your hand, smiling wider when he took it and got up. 

Mikey then gave the biggest, toothiest grin ever. “Yeah!" He laughed loudly, "I was craving ice cream too. But…” He stared at you in the eyes, not looking away.

You looked at him in silence, waiting for him to finish his sentence.

“I’d like for it to just be me and you, please.”

[chirpsythismorning]

Your post about Mike's guilt complex was AMAZING. I can't wait to read what you put out in the future about later seasons.

I just had a thought inspired by that. Do you think part of Mike's anger towards Lucas' desire to join the basketball team to alleviate some of the social ostracism the party faced in school may be a projection of his own shame?

To expand, Mike's own internal discontent with himself is valuing his identity in the party-- a group of 'freaks' and outcasts'-- but Mike knows that by trying to conform to something he is not (hetero), he is causing pain to himself and his loved ones. So clearly Lucas must not be conforming for good reasons either, in his mind. We know Lucas has different motivations for playing BB and genuinely enjoys it, but I think Mike is clouded by his own feelings here and doesn't see that at all.

Yes, but I think he knows it (deep down at least).

The look Mike gives Lucas at the end of the pep-rally, goes from this offended sort of annoyance, but then shifts to something a little more sad, only to go back to a less severe case of annoyed offense. And I think this is because the tables have turned and he's aware of it.

Because isn't it ironic that last summer Mike was going to Lucas for advice about his girl problems, what he looked at as 'growing up', and so that behavior arguably could have continued in s4? Mike's arc in s4 could have easily involved him trying to fit in with one of the more accepted cliques amongst the student body, with him and Lucas at least being closer based on their social circles overlapping.

But that didn't happen.

Instead what we get is a total flip in s4, where instead of Will trying to convince Lucas and Mike to play, it's now Dustin and Mike trying to convince Lucas to play.

Another part of this I can't help but think about, is how leading up to the rain fight in s3, yes Mike was focused on trying to fit into this box of what a boyfriend should be, and so he was compensating a lot to do just that. But in doing so, he got so caught up in the persona, that he didn't realize he was hurting Will in the process. And Lucas too. It's like their mutual attempts at pretending to be these mature dudes with girlfriends fed off of each other, and turned into something a little too mocky and toxic, only for it to backfire and for Will to storm out. And suddenly that's when Mike is saying that they're just 'not in the mood' and it's like.?.. What? Like, just imagine trying to use that as an excuse for bailing on a DND game to Mike in s4... Dude would have gasped in disgust. And so Mike's attempt at trying to be honest with Will in s3, by telling him that the real reason they don't want to play is because they're just 'not in the mood', is a crock of shit, seeing as Mike himself wouldn't have even been willing to take that as an excuse less than a year later.

Honestly, I think in that moment at the pep-rally, Mike was thinking something along the lines how Lucas was ruining the party for being more interested in being popular (aka growing up) than he was in playing d&d anymore (games), which is reflected in their costumes, with Lucas rocking the bball jersey throughout the day followed by sitting with the team at lunch, in contrast to Dustin and Mike sitting at the table with the club in their hellfire shirts. So in thinking that, Mike's instantly being reminded that he's not all that different from Will, and so now he's wondering why he feels the way Will did, only to push it down and put back on his face of annoyance. What this back and forth shift tells me is that Mike is stubborn (not new) and is evidently not willing to face what him switching up in such a short time, and under these specific circumstances (Will and El being gone), could possibly mean.

I do think that Lucas likes basketball. I mean it's not like he's going to hate it in s5 just because of his experience with Jason. It's likely it's going to be a sort of bittersweet thing, where he wants to appreciate the moments he enjoyed, but feels like he can't because it's been spoiled by everything that went down. Maybe he'll even feel like he's sort of betraying the party by wanting to keep playing in some capacity or something.

Which would be kind of stupid tbh, because we all know that a person should be able to have other interests outside of what they specialize in with their core friend group.

I would like for Dustin and/or Mike to have a conversation about the whole thing, like how despite everything that happened they shouldn't have blown off Lucas' game like that. Like he literally made the winning shot. That's something to be proud of. That's the kind of thing you want your close friends to experience with you.

I do think that despite the show's message of going against conformity, there's also an aspect of it that they need to explore, which is that there is a happy medium.

Yes, you should be able to enjoy what you like and how often times that might look like embracing being seen as an outcast/different, but you should also be able to enjoy things that are seen as overrated/cliche/normal without it being the end of the world.

Like, you don't need to be Eddie, insisting that you're against conformity at all levels, to the point where you assume anyone that merely enjoys things that fall in line with being seen as 'normal' means that they're against you or something.

And you also don't need to be so scared of stepping out of the line of normal, to the point where you live an inauthentic life out of fear of not fitting in.

There is a balance.

Dustin and Mike didn't have to get along with the popular crowd if they didn't want to or maybe they could have at least tried at first to see how it went. Or they could have just gone to Lucas' game and cheered him on anyways as his friends. If Lucas wants to have other friends and still hang out with the og party too, then he should be able to.

I feel like a lot of us go through that when we're really young, where it takes time to let go of those expectations and constraints we put on ourselves growing up and we eventually just let all of that go by the end of high school.

And I do think some people find themselves craving one side more than the other because this is usually after years of being stuck on the opposite side as a result of pressure put onto you (or maybe because it wasn't even in your control to begin with).

This also kind of reminds me of the difference between El vs. Will (or Mike) and how being different makes them feel.

El doesn't want to be known for being different aka being a superhero and that's because she's spent her whole life living and breathing that experience only, against her will, while Will (and Mike) have been so used to trying to be as normal as possible their whole lives, they want someone to tell them it's okay to be different.

El should be capable of embracing her powers, while also wanting to explore a life that entails normal everyday things she missed out on. Will (and Mike) should be able to embrace aspects of themselves they'd been hiding for so long (their queerness), while also accepting that normal for them doesn't have to always mean being less of who you are.

I think in order for Mike to evolve, he needs to accept that him blocking out the truth is causing him to behave in ways that go against what we've seen is his true self. We saw him go from trying to be someone he's not in s3, back to his true self in s4, only to, in that same season, revert back to being someone he's not. And we know why. So it's going to take him acknowledging that and accepting it and also realizing that accepting it doesn't necessarily mean having to overcompensate by rejecting anything and everything that on the surface seems like a threat to what makes him different. It's really just about accepting himself and being sure of who he is so that he has the confidence to live a life that is authentically him. Because when he does that, then it wont matter what anyone else is doing or what they think.

I think in order for Lucas to evolve, he needs genuine support from others around him, which will require work on their part, in a way that acknowledges why Lucas felt pressure to be more accepted (we all have our reasons, some more than others). Unlike Mike, I think Lucas playing along with treating d&d like a joke in s3, then being followed by a continuation in s4 of him again putting d&d on the back-burner, is showing that he is consistently striving for this idea something outside of a life of otherness. Does that mean he doesn't like d&d anymore? I don't think so. It means that there needs to be clarity on things from his side, and why his situation was much different from the others. Do I think Lucas' experience as a Black kid in a small town in the 80's is going to be something explored thoroughly in s5? No, probably not. I also wouldn't want that to be the main focus of his arc at the end of the story though either because the whole point of his arc is that he doesn't want what has always defined his otherness to get in the way of every aspect of his life. His arc does feel like someone who has been trapped in his otherness in a way that is outside of his control. And so having the ability to live life in the way he wants, in some cases to manage what comes with experiencing racism, but in more ways that embrace who he is regardless of the world around him, is something that I think is important for him to close off his arc in a way that is satisfying.

And I do think that given the message of the show, they have a responsibility to explore what accepting yourself looks like for all of these characters. And that includes Lucas and Max and Dustin and all of the other main characters that weren't mentioned in that David interview referring to the OGs getting their happy endings. With a 2 1/2 hour finale and apparently a 30 minute ending sequence covering all of those endings, I'm expecting something vaguely along those lines.

[aishangotome]

Main Story Chapter 16-11: Before the Storm (暴雨來臨前) | Light  and Night 光與夜之戀

Chapter 16-09

♡———♡

It was another hot and long summer.

I walked into Wan Zhen and happened to run into the administrative woman explaining the precautions to a group of new interns. She introduced me to them as the person in charge of Pristine.

"Hello, senior!" I don't know who in the crowd took the lead and shouted, and the rest of the people followed suit, unable to hide the longing and shyness on their faces.

I smiled and nodded at them. "Senior", this feeling is really wonderful. it should have been a year ago that I stepped into Wan Zhen like them, uneasy and full of longing for the future.

Time passed so quickly, the girl who first arrived and was a little reckless and curious about everything became a lot more relaxed and comfortable.

The people around me stop and go, come and go, some will never see each other again - the constant is always change. I don't know where I will be in the future?

I turned around and walked towards the office.

-

Pristine's production has come to an end and has entered the new stage.

Just after its launch, the main model was sold out of stock. Not only did it have a high degree of discussion on various platforms, but its first-day sales even directly rushed to the first place in the fast-selling category.

The company held a grand celebration banquet for our project team, and the atmosphere of joy filled the A group office every day.

However, the success of this season means that the pressure of the next season will be greater. After a short break, all of us put our energy into the design of the next season's new products.

Everything was progressing smoothly, and in a blink of an eye it was time for the weekly regular report.

Because the design center is now directly under Evan, I have to have a weekly meeting with him.

I clicked on the work software, and I was about to confirm the time of the regular meeting when I suddenly saw Evan's message.

Evan's Message: I have something to do today and I won't come to the company, so the regular meeting will be postponed.

His words, concise and to the point businesslike. I froze for a moment before I hurriedly replied "Okay."

Since I rejected Evan's offer to take me home last time, I have been trying to stick to the plan of not having any unnecessary contact with him outside of work.

And Evan, as if he had a good understanding of me, did not ask a word more than work, and became polite and unfamiliar. Later, he became busier and busier, and he basically didn't even show up for regular meetings.

It seems that we have really become the most ordinary of employees.

At the same time as I breathed a sigh of relief, my heart seemed to be empty.

Did he understand my thoughts and cooperate with me? Or did he also feel that getting along with me would bring him extra trouble, so he went with the flow and avoided it?

I don't know the answer, I only know that because of the sudden distance between us, the speculation about our relationship on the company forum gradually disappeared.

I see him less and less in the company, and the news about him comes from hearsay. I heard that he won a new cooperation project, heard that he was absent from work these days because of illness, heard...

Pristine's results are bright, Lu Ting has not taken any action recently, and under several factors, Evan's support rate in the company has climbed steadily.

This seems to be the best situation. As long as we continue to maintain the status quo, the election will most likely be successful.

But why don't I seem to be happy? Instead, I was occupied by a sourness. Isn't this the result I want to see?

My thoughts were stuck, and I couldn't draw the feeling I wanted. I put down my pen, and my thoughts gradually drifted away.

Mao Ge: Why are you so distracted?

Returning to the present, Mao Ge was looking at me worriedly.

Mao Ge: Have you had too much pressure recently?

You: Maybe.

Mao Ge: I've been drawing from last week until now, and my brain will explode if it keeps running for so long.

Mao Ge: It's better to change your mindset and find some physical work to do.

It's true. Even if I continued to think about it, I won't be able to keep focusing on drawing. Instead, my mood will just become more irritable. It would be best to find something else to do to get away from this stubbornness.

Just in time for this season, several sample clothes have arrived, and there will be a meeting with the marketing department in the afternoon to discuss the marketing direction, so let's send them over first.

-

Physical labor is best for stress-relieving, so I ran back and forth a few times and helped with transferring the items. Although I was not tired, I did sweat a little.

Mao Ge: Why don't I get the biggest one? Although it's not too heavy, the shelf may be too tall for you.

I picked up the box and tried it, and the highest point was just below the line of sight. I made an OK mouth shape to Mao Ge and walked towards the elevator.

-

Ding—the door opened.

When I saw who was standing inside, my feet froze, and I suddenly felt like I was being played by God. The person I thought I wouldn't see just appeared before my eyes.

You: .. Mr. Lu?

The man glanced at me, not surprised, and just stepped back to make room.

Evan: What floor are you going to?

He asked politely, his expression indifferent.

You: 12th floor, thank you.

I hesitated for a moment, but still walked in.

Didn't you say you weren't coming to the office? How could I run into him…. Did he lie to me?

My chest felt like it was blocked by something.

Don't think too much, maybe he just finished his work quickly and came back. Don't ask unnecessary questions, I told myself.

The elevator doors slowly closed in front of us.

I've never felt time move so slowly.

From the 36th floor to the 12th floor, it should only take a few seconds. But at this moment, two people, a small space, time seemed to suddenly freeze.

I tried to think about the unfinished design draft from earlier to get through this long silence.

However, God seemed to think that teasing me once wasn't enough, the elevator car suddenly shook and stopped, and the two numbers "20" on the display kept flashing.

You: ....!

The all-too-familiar scene made my body react before my brain could catch up. When I came to my senses, my hand was tightly gripping Evan's sleeve, and the suitcase had long since fallen to the ground.

I looked up in a panic, wanting to ask him if he was experiencing the same thing as a year ago. I remembered him telling me later that the elevator had been deliberately sabotaged.

However, I was met with a smile that was both unfamiliar and distant.

Evan glanced at the sleeve I was clutching, seeming to hesitate, but in the end, he didn't say anything. He simply used his other hand to press the call button on the wall.

With a buzz, the light on the intercom turned on.

Intercom: Sorry for the inconvenience, the elevator just experienced a brief interruption and is now back to normal.

The numbers on the display resumed scrolling, and the elevator smoothly descends.

Evan: The elevator is fine now, so you can let go now, right?

Though a smile remained on their face, their voice was flat and emotionless. That complete indifference made my heart sink.

I moved my lips, taking a while to find my voice.

You: "Um, sorry."

He shook his head without speaking, hands in his pockets, eyes fixed on the distance. Clearly, he didn't care about what just happened.

-

Finally, the elevator stopped. The doors had only opened halfway when I couldn't wait to get out. I can't explain why, but I felt extremely embarrassed.

However, maybe because I was rushing, I slipped as soon as I stepped out of the elevator.

You: Ah!

Luckily, the box cushioned my fall. In the split second before I fell, I braced myself with my hands and managed to keep my balance. But even though I didn't fall, my knee still hit the ground.

Thud! Even through the fabric, it still hurt. I endured the pain for a while, trying to figure out how to get up, when I suddenly felt someone watching me from the corner of my eye.

I turned my head. The elevator doors hadn't closed yet. Evan was standing to the side, his eyes fixed on me.

☼ Light: Ask for help

☾ Night: Don't ask for help

☼ [Light: Ask for help]

I don't know if I had a look of asking for help, I guess I must have.

But all around was silence. There were no footsteps, no sighs, no voices, none of the sounds I expected. He remained standing there, his expression unchanged.

Evan: Can you stand up?

I was stunned for a moment, then realized he was talking to me. Of course, there was no one else here. But a dull ache suddenly rose in my chest, as if I had finally received the delayed pain signal from my knee.

You: Yes.

Kneeling for too long had made my legs numb, but nothing made me feel as bad as this sentence. I gritted my teeth, braced myself with my hands, rolled over, and slowly stood up.

Evan: Good.

Evan nodded and pressed the elevator button.

Evan: I have something to do, I'll go first.

I didn't even see his face, only his back disappearing behind the elevator doors.

☼

☾ [Night: Don't ask for help]

I opened my mouth, but quickly turned my head away.

Forget it, it's not a big deal. I've persisted for so long before, there's no need to look for him for this trivial matter now.

However, even though I thought so, there was a hint of anticipation in my heart that I couldn't ignore.

At this moment, the sound of cloth rubbing sounded in the silent corridor. I was stunned for a moment and turned my head to find that Evan had put the clothes that fell out back into the box.

Evan: If there's nothing else, I'll go first.

The elevator door closed slowly, I looked at the clothes in the box, lowered my head, the boredom and sadness in my heart almost overwhelmed the pain from my knees.

Finally, I supported the ground with my hands and stood up little by little.

☾

-

Back in the office, I sat down and found that my knee was scraped. I pressed on the bone and it didn't hurt, so it shouldn't be anything serious.

But the dull ache in my heart wouldn't go away.

I couldn't tell when it started, but the "distancing" act between Evan and me had unknowingly become real.

He didn't actually care about distancing himself from me.

I shook my head with a bitter smile and limped slowly to get some medicine.

-

Bad luck never comes alone. The place where the first aid kit was usually kept was crammed with junk. I couldn't find it after searching everywhere.

I leaned on the cabinet, lost in thought for a while. When I snapped out of it, I didn't know what I was thinking about, maybe nothing at all.

I opened the food delivery app, about to place an order, when Mao Ge suddenly walked in, holding the missing first aid kit.

You: You took the first aid kit?!

Mao Ge: Yeah, admin told us to restock some medicines. And Jiang Lai got a cold recently, right? What's wrong?

You: I fell down.

Mao Ge: Don't move, don't move. Let me help you to your seat.

Mao Ge: I told you I'd carry the box, but you insisted. Do you need to go to the hospital?

You: It's not a big deal, just need some medicine.

After helping me to my chair, Mao Ge suddenly remembered something.

Mao Ge: Should I say you're unlucky or lucky?

Mao Ge: The medicine admin restock happens to be iodine, gauze, and bruise spray.

Mao Ge: It's like they knew you fell.

I opened the first aid kit, but Evan's indifferent face uncontrollably appeared before my eyes.

You: I guess I'm just... unlucky.

-

The noon bell tolled over the city.

Lu Ting sat in the car heading towards Wan Zhen, his face livid as he stared at the astronomical figure on the fabric purchase contract in his hand.

He had assumed that Evan, for the sake of the brand's reputation and support rate, would definitely be willing to swallow the cost of that batch of fabric, so he planned to make him bleed.

And indeed, he did so, relentlessly raising the price against him in the auction.

But unexpectedly, at the last moment, after he had raised the price tenfold, Evan gave up and somehow managed to get ready-made fabric from somewhere else.

He actually spent a fortune on a pile of scrap metal!

Recently, there was also a company of unknown origin acquiring Wan Zhen's shares. Everything was going wrong, and Lu Ting angrily kicked the back of the front seat.

The driver slammed on the brakes, fearfully lowering his head, waiting for Lu Ting's instructions.

In the deathly silence, a monotonous sound came from overhead. Lu Ting rolled down the window and listened to the last two tolls, like a countdown to a death knell, gradually calming him down.

So what if he won this round? Evan didn't know yet that he had already suggested to the head of the family to use Y/N's body as the new vessel.

He guessed that the head of the family had already had this idea, and all he did was add fuel to the fire.

Lu Ting: Return to the Lu family castle.

Let's start with what he cares about most now. After so many years, he seems to have forgotten the taste of loss.

-

When Evan arrived at the Lu family castle's basement, it was already past one o'clock. He remembered the last time he was here was years ago, when the head of the family changed bodies.

The stairs extended downwards, seemingly endless. Step by step, he moved away from the world of light.

The inability to walk was a sign that the vessel was collapsing. It seemed the head of the family had a new plan. This time, he was called here, probably for this matter... Suddenly, Evan stopped in his tracks.

A strong sense of foreboding made him immediately look up. The entrance closed shut at that moment, with a loud bang.

There was no turning back.

Statues lined both sides of the path, their eyes open, glaring angrily. The blue light shone down on them, as if they were about to come alive at any moment.

The thicker the fog, the stronger the smell of blood.

Evan saw the old man sitting in the leather chair ahead. He respectfully lowered his head.

???: You're getting later and later.

Evan: I had some personal matters to attend to, which caused a delay.

???: You should always remember your duty.

???: You've done well from childhood to adulthood. What's the reason for your recent repeated mistakes?

Evan: It won't happen again.

Evan's expression remained indifferent.

???: I called you here today because I have a task for you.

???: I've found a suitable vessel. All you need to do is bring her here.

Evan: It sounds like I know this new vessel.

???: Y/N. Of course you know her.

Evan was taken aback, a clear hesitation on his face. The old man recalled what Lu Ting had told him earlier, the rumors about Evan and Y/N having a close relationship at the company. This displeased him greatly.

???: Or, can't you do it?

Evan: No, as long as you need her, I will definitely bring her to you.

Evan: But... Uncle must have found many suitable vessels for the head of the family. Why are you particularly interested in her?

???: You've spent too much energy on the company. It's time to learn about the blood clan's past.

???: Do you remember how the blood clan left the seabed?

Evan: You said that most of the gods suppressed under the sea left by voluntarily accepting divine punishment.

Evan: They are the ancestors of the blood clan.

Evan: And those gods who refused to accept divine punishment are still imprisoned there.

???: But there's one more thing I didn't tell you.

???: The power of the seabed barrier is weakening. A tsunami twenty-three years ago further loosened the barrier.

???: At that time, some gods escaped to the human world.

???: And Y/N, she possesses the power to destroy the blood clan's self-healing ability. This is the power of the gods.

Evan: Are you saying she's a god? But from my interactions with her, I don't think she knows about this.

???: It is indeed strange. Gods don't lose their memories when they come to the human world.

???: And from the looks of it, it seems like she only recently acquired that power and doesn't know how to control it.

Evan: Do you need to arrange for someone to investigate?

???: No need. Whether it's the spirit clan or the blood clan, there are very few left who know about these things.

The old man let out a long sigh.

???: No matter what secrets she has, as long as she possesses the power of the gods, she will be a perfect vessel for the blood clan.

Evan finally seemed to understand and nodded.

Evan: I understand.

Evan: However, you may need to give me some time.

Evan: Before bringing her here, I will first extract her soul while she is unguarded, so as not to damage the vessel and affect your subsequent use.

The old man was extremely satisfied with Evan's obedience and humility.

???: I'll give you two weeks. Don't disappoint me.

Outside the door, Lu Ting heard everything. He turned and left thoughtfully. By the time Evan came out, there was no one in sight.

-

The car drove along Huinan Road towards the suburbs. As the traffic light changed, Zhou Yan stepped on the brakes.

He glanced at the rearview mirror. Evan's brow had been furrowed since they left the castle. He figured the old head of the family had given his young master a task that was both impossible to refuse and extremely cruel.

Zhou Yan had seen this expression many times. In fact, this expression had been on the young master's face since he was very young, and there was even a time when he lost all other expressions.

But as he grew older, such occurrences became less frequent, and in recent years, they had almost disappeared.

Besides, having followed the young master all these years and seen him do all sorts of cruel things, what else could make him like this?

Zhou Yan couldn't find the answer, and he didn't know how to ask. Suddenly, he saw Evan in the mirror smile slightly.

That smile instantly transported him back many, many years ago, to the time when the young master first volunteered for the trial.

When he arrived, corpses were scattered everywhere.

The sun was about to set, losing its daytime ferocity. The blood-red light made it look particularly gentle. The young master stood before the setting sun, staring at his palm, lost in thought.

He cried out in fear, and the young master turned around. A smile slowly spread across his clean face. He didn't understand, but a smile meant happiness, so he smiled along with him.

In Zhou Yan's memory, the young master was happy that night.

But was he really happy? He suddenly felt that his memories had deceived him, and the words he wanted to ask became awkward. Zhou Yan tried many times, but in the end, he changed the subject.

Zhou Yan: Boss, the fabric incident this time dealt a heavy blow to Lu Ting.

Zhou Yan: Currently, the total share acquisition is 9.65%, 0.95% higher than Lu Ting's.

Zhou Yan: Your reputation and support rate in the company have also surpassed his.

But he soon realized that Evan was just staring absentmindedly out the window. He didn't care about these things.

Zhou Yan: By the way, the iodine and other things you asked me to prepare earlier have been delivered to the administration department.

Zhou Yan: The design center has also been notified to pick them up.

Evan: Hmm.

A very soft reply, but Zhou Yan knew that Evan was listening to him attentively.

Zhou Yan: The stock price rose by 3.98% in a single day. I think Pristine played a big role in that.

Zhou Yan: Miss Y/N contributed greatly to this season's success. You always have the best eye for people.

Zhou Yan: Sometimes, looking at Miss Y/N, I even feel like I'm seeing the young master from the past.

Evan, who was flipping through financial reports, looked at Zhou Yan in surprise. Zhou Yan immediately realized that he had almost lost his composure.

Zhou Yan: I apologize, I shouldn't have said that.

Evan: Why?

However, Evan didn't ignore it as he usually did. Instead, he asked him very seriously, even a bit confused, why.

Evan: Why do you think she's like me?

Zhou Yan: You once said that she was being followed at the café in the beginning, similar to what happened to you back then.

Evan: So that's it.

Evan chuckled, but Zhou Yan inexplicably felt that he was actually sad.

Zhou Yan: Miss Y/N is very insightful. She seems gentle and soft, but she's actually very determined.

Zhou Yan recalled his few interactions with Y/N, carefully counting them. He didn't notice that Evan's hand, which was turning pages behind him, had stopped.

Zhou Yan: She has a clear goal, and once she sets her mind on a path, she'll follow it through. There's nothing that can sway her.

Zhou Yan: If there's anything else--

The light turned green, and the car could have easily made it through the intersection, but Zhou Yan stopped for no apparent reason. He looked troubled, as if something was on his mind but he couldn't quite articulate it.

Zhou Yan: Y/N, she...

The sentence trailed off, and Zhou Yan eventually shook his head, unable to find the right words.

Zhou Yan: Sorry, Boss, I can't quite explain it. I just feel like there's more to it.

Evan: It's okay.

The green light saved Zhou Yan from further explanation. He breathed a sigh of relief and glanced at the rearview mirror again, only to see Evan engrossed in some documents, as if nothing had happened.

-

The car pulled over at the alleyway of Huinan Road. Zhou Yan hurriedly got out, only to find that the familiar shop was gone.

Zhou Yan: Young Master, Zhou Weicheng is missing.

Evan: Have you been in contact since your last meeting?

Zhou Yan: No. He was sent away by my grandfather when he was very young, and we don't have a close relationship.

Zhou Yan: We only met again when he became that person's assistant.

Zhou Yan: Maybe my father knows his whereabouts.

Evan: Be sure to find him.

Evan: He should be able to tell me about the "God."

Zhou Yan: Yes. Shall we return to Wan Zhen now?

Evan nodded, but as he opened the car door, he suddenly realized he had overlooked something. There had always been a man with a blurred face standing between him and Zhou Weicheng.

Even though they weren't close.

He didn't deliberately try to forget, he genuinely couldn't remember.

Evan: Let's not go to Wan Zhen yet. Head back to the Lu family castle.

A sudden, inexplicable anticipation rose within Evan. He thought, perhaps that person could give him an answer that satisfies both sides.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Chapter 16-13

If you’d like to support my translations, feel free to buy me a coffee here! :)

[effygiraffetalks]

DK Records Now Set To Release ‘End of the Beginning’: Shocking Reunion Explained

In a probably shocking turn of events, End of the Beginning will be releasing this year under DK Records (formerly known as SD Records).

In March, I initially walked away from the label to try and strike a better deal for myself after the success I had with Beginning of the End. The contract I was under left me with next to nothing, while they held a huge percentage in my royalties.

In their eyes, they did me a favor by signing me in 2022 for a two album deal. After being away for 8 years, they saw the contract offered to me as a fair deal considering my relevance faded over the years.

As soon as I announced my return, I revealed the first single, End of Everything, would serve as the title track to one of TWO albums I’d be releasing. The first album initially was to be titled Beginning of the End, set to release in 2023, and the second being End of Everything, which was set to release in 2024.

Plans for a double album later collapsed, and we decided to release one album which would become Beginning of the End. The singles did progressively well with each release we pushed. I couldn’t be prouder. By the end of 2023 we had the album released and already had the first 3 singles for 2024 scheduled.

We opened the year strong with I’ve Moved On, shortly after we released second single Better Off Alone, which again saw really great numbers. Then by March we released a second edition of Better Off Alone, a slowed down version, to continue promoting it— as the single was my best of my return.

I then reached out to DK Records demanding a fair deal or I’d release my next and future projects under my own label. I halted recording my next album and announced its delay into 2025 due to what I assumed would be a lengthy negotiation process.

At first, they did push back demanding I stand by my contact and release my second album plus the albums third single, Be My Guy (Don’t Want You To), which they already had scheduled for May 2024.

I got in touch with my team who advocated for me stating I did in fact release two albums under them. One being my return debut Beginning of the End, and the second was a greatest hits compilation, Effy Giraffe: The Hits Collection, which I just so happened to release in May 2023.

For a few weeks they attempted to state the hits collection wasn’t technically a new release— but given the album remastered my hits, featured two songs that weren’t apart of an album of mine prior, plus included a new edition of One Night Stand my team successfully argued it to be new. They then argued I still owed them Be My Guy (Don’t Want You To) which they already invested in to be release in May 2024. They stated I had to release it.

So I did what anybody wanting to break free would do, I released the song much earlier — in February, and again reminded them I wanted a new deal or I’d walk at this point. Days later I received an email where they stated:

We don’t want your album… We will be releasing you from your contract as of March 21, 2024.

I then revealed my next album, which at the time was going to be called End of Everything including the first three singles had to be scrapped as they were released under DK Records. So I started fresh. Announcing End of this World, releasing it’s lead single The One That Got Away and moving forward on my own.

The single did okay but definitely was a step down from the Better Off Alone numbers, probably due to the period of time I had to take off before jumping back into releasing singles again. The second single Me, Myself & I thought did much better. Then by August we released High and I heard from a friend a new deal was drafted by DK Records and they wanted to set a meeting.

I was hesitant at first, but:

A. The deal actually was decent.

B. Most importantly I have big plans for 2025 — those plans include an Out Of This World sequel album. They own the rights to that album, so with this deal I’d actually have the ability to (possibly) recreate and or incorporate some of the songs into the sequel album — which is major considering I have a BIG intro in mind for the albums first track.

I made a few requests, which they graciously obliged to, and then as of September 1, 2024 I signed the contract — which will begin starting September 23rd, the same day as End of the Beginning’s fourth single release, Fairytale.

The album will now have an official release date, album cover, and tracklist reveal very soon. DK Records is wasting no time with this release. Fairytale will be the album’s final single. The album release will shortly follow.

Keep an eye out for the announcement soon

Xx

Effy

[omegasquire]

Rose Gold: Ch 26

The silence in the conference room was heavy. The tension was so thick, it was almost tangible. The scene that played on screen was nothing less than a nightmare. Even though the view was far, enough detail came through to show what was going on across the beachside city. 

If there had been any question before about how strong Strife’s lookalikes were, now they knew. There was no ambiguity to their ruthlessness and strength. Normal people wouldn’t stand a chance; normal weapons barely made a dent. Sending the wrong people to fight them was synonymous with sending them to their graves.

The brothers’ inhumanity was as clear as day. They would spare no one.

Tifa’s hands shook as she covered her mouth. Almost as soon as the fighting had started, she was frozen in horror. It was like witnessing the massacre of Nibelheim all over again, except this time she truly couldn’t do anything to help. She was on the other side of the ocean, watching a recording of this event well after the fact. 

The sound of Reeve sighing gravely could be heard on the other end of the speaker. He had been placed on video call during the meeting, a hologram of him in his office projected just above the device. 

Reeve was pressing his fingers to his temples. “This was transmitted to us through the surveillance moogle I had sent with Team Typhon.”

“The feed cuts off abruptly,” Red noted as the footage they were all looking at froze just before something collided with it. 

Sephiroth’s eyes were narrowed. “Why did it take so long to relay the message?” 

Reeve shook his head and lifted his gaze. “As you can see, it was damaged. It didn’t register in our system until an hour ago. I contacted you as soon as I could.”

Even by just an hour, that was still lost time when it came to getting Barret help and chasing after Strife’s brothers. Everyone was already calculating their losses and just how dangerous it was to confront these three. Sending even one wrong person would lead to death. 

“We have to go to him.” Tifa was barely able to lower her hands without feeling like vomiting. 

Zack nodded. “She’s right. Costa Del Sol doesn’t have the right equipment to take care of his wounds. And the others need a proper burial...”

Peoples’ expressions were grim. The moogle had captured the gorey deaths of Reeve’s men and the Turks. Reno could be heard spitting a vile curse from his spot in the back, and for once no one reprimanded him for it. They all had similar feelings. 

However, there was a distinct difference between each of them when it came to who they were cursing. While most weren’t directing their anger at Cloud, a few couldn’t help but instinctively resent him. Tifa, especially, saw Cloud as the true culprit. 

Even if Strife’s brothers were the ones who did the deed and murdered people, they wouldn’t be here if not for Cloud. Simply by proxy, he was the one who killed them. 

Bile rose in Tifa’s throat as she struggled with her emotions. She wasn’t too familiar with Knife or Rod – she didn’t even know the names of the people Reeve had stationed at Costa Del Sol – but she was close to Barret. They had spent so much time together, it would’ve been strange if she wasn’t affected by his injuries. 

Worry and anger gnawed at her as questions kept popping up: Was he alive? Was he dead? Where was he being treated? How long would it take to get to him? Could they fix the damage inflicted on both of his arms? Would Barret ever be okay again?

Tifa’s hand clenched into a fist. She pressed it against her chest as if it would somehow calm her down. She felt Aerith next to her, holding her other hand. It was a gesture of comfort that Tifa wished she could erase the growing knot of raw emotions inside her. 

“It won’t take long to get the airship up and running.” Cid sighed and roughly ran a hand through his hair. “If we’re going to Costa Del Sol, there’ll be the time difference to consider.” 

Sephiroth turned to look at them. “We will leave as soon as it’s ready. We’ll split into two groups: one will do damage control and see that Barret gets proper medical attention; the other will go after those three.”

When Sephiroth’s gaze landed on Cloud, Cloud’s expression was dark. “Are you leaving me here?”

No one answered right away. 

“Sending you would play into their hands,” Rufus openly mused. He leaned to one side, propping his chin on the back of his hand as he looked from Cloud to the frozen footage. “It would be safer to keep you here.” 

Reno straightened up. “Who’s going to babysit him?”

“That would fall on us,” Rude replied. His comment suggested removing the Turks from the pursuit. 

Reno looked at him, ready to protest, when Sephiroth interrupted. 

“No.” He was still looking at Cloud, holding the blond man’s gaze as his mood seemed to worsen at the mention of being watched by the Turks. “You’ll be with us.” 

“Is– um, is that safe?” Yuffie hesitantly asked, fidgeting nervously.

“No,” he repeated. “However, there is no guarantee that while we are away, Jenova won’t strike again. I want you within sight.” 

Cloud nodded slightly after a moment.

Tifa didn’t like it. She didn’t want anything to do with Cloud, or have him involved with what was going on. 

Why did they have to suffer because of him? 

She hated that they had no choice but to take him with them because he was too dangerous to leave alone. Even if the Turks were capable at their job and Midgar was equipped with all sorts of defense mechanisms, the safest place for Cloud to be was next to Sephiroth. There was Zack as well, but it was already clear that Zack would hesitate to kill Cloud if it came down to that. Sephiroth was the only one pragmatic and capable enough to land the blow without hesitation. 

“Yuffie,” Tifa looked at the younger woman. “Can you take care of Marlene?”

Yuffie’s eyes widened. “Huh? What? Me?”

Tifa knew Yuffie didn’t want to go. It was clear on her face that she was terrified of the idea of heading to Costa Del Sol. “Yes. She likes you, so you won’t have to worry about a thing.” 

“I know!” Yuffie quickly replied. “I just– I thought you would want to stay?”

Tifa drew in a deep breath and tried to shake off her anxiety. She didn’t know if she wanted to cry or lash out, but there was no way she was going to be left behind. Barret meant too much to her. She had to see for herself that he was okay. 

“I...”

Her gaze slowly shifted to look at Cloud. She saw him staring at her and nearly flinched; his gaze was so serious, it made her tense up. Strife never looked at her that way, so she wasn’t sure how to respond to it. Still, she couldn’t waver. 

“I have to go.” 

“Don’t worry Tifa,” Aerith spoke softly next to her and squeezed her hand. “We’ll make sure he’s okay.” 

She could only nod in return. 

~*~

Cloud wanted to bury his head in his hands. He never expected that scene from Costa Del Sol to happen. Some part of him already expected that Strife’s lookalikes would be formidable, but he didn’t think that they would be like this. They were destructive, yes, but more importantly they were savage. They had no problem with torture, especially the one called Isolfr. 

Anger surged in Cloud’s chest as he vividly recalled what the younger man had said. 

“You’ll make a good welcoming gift.” 

The rest of the dialogue that passed between each party member couldn’t be heard over the sound of explosions and gunfire, but this one sentence before it all started rang in Cloud’s ears. 

Barret was mutilated just to drag him out of Midgar. Cloud knew it was bait, but he couldn’t ignore it. Even if Sephiroth told him that he had to stay behind, he would argue that it was necessary for him to go to Costa Del Sol. 

Who would even be able to watch over him if, like Sephiroth had said, Jenova struck while their defenses were thin? How was Sephiroth supposed to come find him if he was halfway across the planet? 

Cloud still didn’t know what magic was applied on the bangle that Sephiroth had given him, or how it would let Sephiroth pinpoint his location. It seemed to be more than just a fancy tracker; there was more to it that he didn’t understand. 

Since that was the case, he had to go with Sephiroth. 

Sephiroth didn’t seem like he would sit back after what happened either. Cloud doubted he would even entertain sending the others after Strife’s brothers now that they knew how ruthless they really could be. They could stand toe-to-toe with Barret and Vincent individually. If either of them was like the versions from Cloud’s world, then that wasn’t easy to do, especially when it came to Vincent. 

Vincent wasn’t the type to boast about his power or take the foremost position in a fight, but he had experience from his early years, and the strength of a monster when he lost control. He was quick on his feet and didn’t hesitate to make judgment calls during battle. If there was one person Cloud could give his back to, it was him. 

He had no idea how this Vincent measured up to the one from his world, but even so, he couldn’t have been that different. Which meant that the brothers were very strong... Enough to keep Vincent on his guard. 

Cloud hit the railing with his fist. It wasn’t common for him to lash out, least of all against inanimate objects, but that was how angry he was. Barret might want to kill him, just like the others did – maybe they still do – but that didn’t mean Cloud wished for Barret’s death in return. 

This world’s Barret didn’t go through the same trials, but Cloud still had an emotional connection with the guy. They were comrades and friends. He wouldn’t abandon Barret, just as he wouldn’t abandon the rest of them. 

And Tifa... 

Cloud stared outside the window. The clouds rolled by as the airship sped through the air towards Costa Del Sol. Even more crushing than Barret’s injuries, Tifa’s distress tore at Cloud. She hated him, and certainly blamed him for everything that was happening, but Tifa was still special to Cloud. She was the person he grew up with; she was the one who knew his faults and cared for him regardless; she was the one who pulled him out of his downward spiral. 

He wished he could comfort her, but he knew that if he tried, she would only resent him. The idea of her turning away from him for good scared him. 

“We will be landing shortly.” 

Cloud turned his head to see Sephiroth approaching. 

During the entire trip, he had to be cautious about the others on the ship; it wasn’t just Avalanche, but the workers who barely knew anything about his situation. They acted like he wasn’t there, silently creating a barrier between them and Cloud that was uncomfortable. 

He couldn’t avoid it, though, as he had to remain near Sephiroth. Even though he had free movement on the airship, that didn’t mean that other people wanted to see him roaming around on his own. 

Frankly, at this point, Cloud’s current worries were far too important to pay them much mind. (Though, that didn’t mean he didn’t notice.) With their destination drawing near, Cloud couldn’t afford to lose focus. He had to gather his resolve, because what came next would not be easy. 

“Barret is at the hospital?” he asked Sephiroth. 

“Yes. They’ve managed to stabilize him, albeit barely. The amount of blood loss was almost fatal.” Sephiroth looked at him. “You will join me and Zack to pursue Strife’s brothers.” 

Cloud nodded. He figured that would be the case. He was useless in medicine, and he doubted anyone wanted him near a comrade in critical condition. 

“Do you know where they went?”

“West.” Just as he said it, the clouds beneath them parted. Below them was an open field next to Costa Del Sol, signaling their arrival. “We’ll confirm the details with Vincent when we meet up with him.” 

Cloud felt a little apprehensive about meeting Vincent, but he hoped that he could rely on his intuition about the other man and treat him as he normally would. “Alright.” 

He watched as the airship slowly descended and landed on the ground. It would take a bit for the motors to wind down and make it safe for them to exit, but Sephiroth was already moving towards the exit. 

Cloud followed suit, quickly checking that his helmet was still in place as he went. He was able to keep his sword on him all through the flight; its weight was comforting as it rested against his back. If he was going to join the fight with Sephiroth, it was necessary for him to be armed. It made some of the others uncomfortable, but they didn’t say anything since it was Sephiroth’s order for him to have it. 

Despite how awkward their last meeting in Sephiroth’s office had gone, Cloud was secretly grateful that the other man didn’t mention it. It was as if Sephiroth had chosen to forget or ignore what had happened, which made Cloud do the same. 

He tried to ignore the tension that still lingered between them and keep his focus on what was important. He knew that eventually they would have to come back to address what happened, but now wasn’t the time. 

One by one, the others gathered to leave the airship. They climbed into two separate vehicles; Zack drove one, while Sephiroth drove the other with Cloud in the passenger seat. 

As they made their way to Costa Del Sol, it became increasingly clear how much damage had been done. If the civilians hadn’t been evacuated, there would have been dozens of deaths. They would’ve been caught by stray bullets and explosions, struck by magic, or caught under collapsing structures. 

Cloud looked out the passenger window and saw people in the midst of cleaning up. The evacuated civilians were returning, saddened by the destruction but alive and well. Compared to Junon, Costa Del Sol had suffered more damage, but it was still better than the loss of lives.

“Where is Vincent?” he asked Sephiroth, turning his head to glance over at the older man. 

“The hospital. We will meet up with him and take stock of the situation.” Sephiroth glanced back at him before returning his gaze to the front. He carefully weaved past the debris as he made his way to their destination. “After that, we’ll pursue Strife’s brothers.” 

Cloud nodded. 

A silence fell between them, but before it could stretch too long, Sephiroth spoke again. “When we arrive, don’t agitate the situation.” 

Cloud didn’t like the other man’s wording, but he understood what he meant. Whatever the situation was at the hospital, he would be walking on eggshells. If anything, he questioned if he really should be here or not. 

Yet, because Sephiroth was going, he had to go as well. 

“I know.”

The vehicle slowed down as they reached the hospital and pulled into the parking lot. Zack drove up next to them and parked so the others could get off. Cloud saw Tifa practically leap out of the back door and quickly made her way to the entrance. Aerith followed her at a hurried pace as she tried to keep up with Tifa.

Cloud climbed down from the vehicle at a slower pace in comparison to the women, but he was still brisk to join Sephiroth and Zack on the other side. 

“Should we give them a moment?” Zack asked Sephiroth as he waved at Cloud. 

“Yes. We need to meet up with Vincent anyway.” Sephiroth led the way inside, with Cloud and Zack right behind him.

It was rare for Zack to not try and lighten the mood whenever it turned grave or heavy with tension, but this time it seemed like even someone like Zack couldn’t avoid the gloom that darkened all their minds. He was quiet as they entered the hospital and checked in with the receptionist for Barret’s location. 

Considering it was small, and more like a clinic than a hospital, it didn’t take long to locate Barret’s room. There was a window on the side of the wall, but the curtain was drawn, disallowing people from looking inside. Standing in the hallway to meet them by his door was a familiar man. 

With black hair, red eyes, and a tall physique, Vincent was easy to spot. He stood out against the cream colored hallways and beach-styled waiting benches. 

The tall man’s gaze shifted from Sephiroth to Zack, to Cloud. He silently studied Cloud for a moment before returning his attention back to Sephiroth. “His condition hasn’t changed.”

Sephiroth nodded and stopped before the door that had a small window slit. It was hardly enough to peek through. “Nothing from the physician?”

Vincent shook his head. “He will need better medical attention. There’s nothing more they can do at this point than keep him stabilized.” 

“Is he conscious?” Zack asked and leaned next to Sephiroth to try and look through the window slit too. 

“He hasn’t woken up since the battle.” Vincent gave a slight nod at the drawn curtain. “They had the curtains open before you came.” 

Cloud could tell what that meant. Whatever Barret’s condition was, it wasn’t good. Tifa and Aerith probably thought it was better to hide it, even if only temporarily. It made Cloud’s worry grow; he wanted to look through the window slit as well and see what was going on. 

“Leave them,” Sephiroth responded and stepped away from the door. He glanced in Cloud’s direction and gave a small nod. 

Cloud hesitated but moved toward the door. Zack gave him room to peek, letting Cloud get closer. There wasn’t a lot he could see, but he could make out the edge of the bed and what looked like a machine positioned next to it. A blanket was drawn high, but Cloud couldn’t see Barret’s condition at all. 

He reached toward the door handle but stopped himself. 

What was he going to do if he did see? 

He couldn’t change what happened. Cloud pulled back his hand and took a step back. 

Almost as soon as he did, the door was yanked open from the other end. Cloud startled and froze when he saw Tifa gripping the door with tears streaming down her cheeks. Her face was flushed from crying, and her eyes were puffy and burned with anger. She glared straight at Cloud.

“Because of you...” she hissed as more tears flowed down her cheeks. 

Cloud’s eyes widened. It wasn’t her words that made him freeze, but the expression on her face. The last time he saw that expression was when her father died. That time period was still mixed up in his memory, but he distinctly remembered the anger and anguish on her face when he found her in the reactor. Even while her life was being threatened, she held onto those emotions. 

He was so transfixed by her expression, Cloud didn’t see her swing. All he felt was the impact, and his body jerked from the force. He crashed against Sephiroth, who caught him before he fell to the floor. Cloud hardly noticed; he was still looking at Tifa as she clasped her bruised fist to her chest. She looked like she wanted to hit him again. 

“He can’t–” She choked on a sob that threatened to drown out her words. “His arms–!”

Cloud strained to look past her and finally had a better view inside. Aerith was next to Barret’s bed, her eyes puffy from fresh tears as well. When she saw Cloud looking at her, she shook her head helplessly. 

Cloud forced himself to stand upright and paled as he took in the sight of Barret on the bed. The footage they saw back in Midgar didn’t detail just how badly the large man was injured. To see it upclose like this made Cloud’s mind go blank. 

He would never be able to use his arms again... 

Tifa moved in front of Cloud’s vision, blocking him from seeing Barret. She roughly wiped at her tears, the action only agitating her eyes even more. “Leave. Don’t ever show your face to me again.” 

Cloud unconsciously stumbled back. He felt his back hit Sephiroth’s chest, and the other man steadied him. Tifa shoved the door closed in his face, only barely stopping herself from fully slamming it if only because they were in a hospital. 

He stared at the closed door in shock. Words he never expected or wanted to hear rang in his ears. Tifa had rejected him. No, she was completely cutting him off. Even if he wasn’t the one who injured Barret, in her eyes, he might as well have done it. 

The one person he didn’t want to see turn their back on him... 

“...Vincent.” Sephiroth’s hand settled on Cloud’s arm and firmly held it. “We’ll continue later.” 

“Find me when you are ready,” Vincent replied and turned to head down the hallway. 

Zack looked between Sephiroth, Cloud, and the door. He ran a hand through his hair and let out a heavy sigh. “I’ll stay here and let you know what’s going on.”

Sephiroth only nodded and moved down the hall. He brought Cloud along with him, taking advantage of the stupor Cloud was in to lead him somewhere private. 

It was only as they made their way to the rooftop that Cloud finally shook himself free of Sephiroth’s grip. He deliberately took a step away from the taller man and sucked in a deep breath. His chest was tight and his throat felt like it would shut any second. 

There were a million words he wanted to say, a million questions he wanted to ask, but nothing came out. His hands clenched into fists and his shoulders trembled as he reeled from what just happened. 

Eventually, all he could do was whisper a curse. “Shit...” 

[kennan73888]

Mission Impossible, or just Prologue

Deviant Twain was a series I planned and set each arc orderly; Unconditionally, Behold the Mission, Family meet Family, Different Outcomes, Hate turn to Love, A True Star, Inner Beauty, Hateful Reunion. At first, it was just Behold the Mission, telling a case about two agents going on a mission to solve people turning into wild animals. A world where people can become animals as they please, which this medication they’re solving, had people becoming animals permanently.

I love the story that I was thinking of scratching and turning it into a fanfic base of Zootopia. The name series was given as Deviant Twain, so the process began. It made me love these characters more than ever.

As some years passed, I gave up on setting it up as fanfic when creating stories for each character, though I worked hard and got ideas from other fanfic writers. I refresh myself and rebuild the world with the characters. The first place it will take place is Empyropia, a new series I am now settled with and proud of working on. So, below is where it started.

—————

2988

“There’s no cure, but if there is, you better find it quick, John.”

In a dark room of an office, the chief of the Federal of International Security (FIS), John Theodore Swanson, sitting behind his desk while a big screen was being projected. He discussed with Prince about people who went missing then later was found as an animal, their spirit animal. There were no traces to how to cure them, also, where did it all begin. The information from the victims had no lead, and he had no patience to sit and wait.

“I know,” he growled, then something caught his eyes, two files on his desk. He picks them up and rushes through it, then smiles as he mumbled, “They’re perfect.”

“Who? Who’s perfect, John?” Prince moved closer to the screen, unsure what was John reading. “Did you find a solution to our problems?”

“There’s two agents that are perfect for the job, Diane Wilde and Jeremy Leonhart. Those two made the best team, Agent Wilde is the top best agent and Agent Leonhart — ”

“I’m against sending my nephew out there!” He cut John off before he could finish. “You know Jerry is new in this, he’s still a rookie. If you send him out there with no awareness, he’ll be killed for sure.” Trying to calm himself, Prince brushes his hair through his hand. He takes a deep breath then looks straight at him. “I can’t stand losing him.”

“Prince, we have known each other more than ten years. Every year, agents die, and they risk their lives. Finding a cure is our biggest problem, they can’t stay as an animal forever. They have family, Prince, same as you and me.” John went silent, waiting for Prince to respond. Prince gives a few thoughts then closes his eyes and nods. “Thank you for understanding.” He reaches for his telephone. “I want Agent Wilde and Agent Leonhart in my office by tomorrow.”

“Right away, Chief,” replied from the other line.

A loud noise comes from the screen, out from the monitor, causing Prince to panic. “I have to return my job, I’ll give you an update if anything changes,” Prince announced, shutting himself off before John could respond.

When the screen disappears, the blinders behind him pull up, showing the scenery of the city that is near the ocean. John settles back in his chair as he hangs the phone, hoping to solve this case quickly enough. He would hate letting wild animals running throughout the world, especially animals that were once human. Damn evolution. He grit his teeth as he wonders why must humans evolve, containing these nonsense abilities to shift into animals. Trying to calm himself, he faces the sea and wishes this mission will end well.

[illustratorintheprocess]

WEEK 16: No Teaching Week - UAL Creative Hack

I won't spend 2 hours typing out every detail of all 3 days again. Sorry folks. It's gone. I will give you the briefest rundown possible:

3 Days - 3 Topics you could chose from (I chose Equality & Social Justice) - A Business Idea to be developed and Presentation to be held - £1500 to win

Day 1 : Monday

We got an introductory lecture and I had a pleasant chat with 2 students from different courses and colleges beforehand, very nice, very cool. Then we were put into rooms according to the topic we chose to speed-run through a bunch of exercises then we had to find groups. I was part of the left-overs group of people who didn't have enough time to chose a group. We were 7 people from different colleges, courses and with different specialties. We speed-ran through a bunch more team building exercise we had way too little time for, made a whatsapp group and that was day 1.

In the evening we texted ideas for the project topic via Whatsapp in the group.

Day 2: Tuesday

We had to descide between 3 project ideas:

- Knife Crime in London

- Housing Crisis

- Disability in everyday life

Personally I liked the last one best even if it wasn't my idea. Specifically the Knife Crime was held onto tightly by one of the other girls so we decided to take a few minutes to prepare a mini pitch for each other before deciding. We had also booked a timeslot with a mentor to stop by our table and help us so they joined our little decision making process. Knife Crime was tossed (2 girls wanted to do it but eventually supported our other idea). They offered to do the powerpoint presentation for the pitch to the judges on the 3rd day. We hashed out the details of our idea: it would be an app similar to googlemaps, yelp and tumblr where people w disabilities could check their route, rate venues and connect with their community over a variety of different topics, all in one place.

Big shock: we found a competitor app that does something similar already. Another mentor helped us to decide to keep at it anyway because we will set ourselves apart with the community aspect of our app + as second comers we can learn from the first one's mistakes and be better.

Funding: we talked about starting with a go-fund-me and partnering with charities, leading into paid partnerships with venues post-launch and the potential inclusion of a paid prime membership that comes with perks for the user

Day 3: Wednesday

The 2 people who liked knife crime better and said they'd do the powerpoint presentation called in sick, disqualifying themselves from the competition and leaving us with no presentation because turns out they did nothing the day before. The 5 of us remaining pulled together strong and came up with a name, a logo, an interface mock-up, financial plan, etc. Wee had 2 more mentor meetings and managed to get together a presentation in time for the pitch to the jury. There were 2 groups that seemed to be especially strong contestants. When we gave our presentation we ran out of time and didn't get through all our slides but we made up for it by answering all the joury's questions without problem. One of our team blamed herself for the fact we ran out of time during presenting and started crying but we reassured her she worked hard,did amazing and we don't blame her.

The judges took all presentations with them upstairs to make a decision. We waited downstairs drinking juice, chatting, hoping for 3rd place and taking group pictures together (one of us had to go early for a job interview but we'd tell her the results via Whatsapp).

The jusdges announced 3rd place - wasn't us.

They announced 2nd place - wasn't us.

We had no hopes of coming first.

They announced the 1st place - we didn't realize it was us.

Wee were told to stand up and come forth after we had kept seated for a good 10 seconds not realizing they meant us because thwy called us by the app name that had only existed for a few hours at that point. I shock cried. We shook people's hands, our picture was taken, we called our 5th member and she hurried back to meet us. When we were approached for an interview we left that honor to the person who had the idea of making it about the disabled community, the one who had the closest personal connection to the topic, the girl who thought she had botched the presentation when we was the one working the hardest. I called my boyfriend and told him we won. Then we waited for the interview to be done and caught up the 5th member on what had happened before going out for dinner together as a group. Insane.

The price money for first place was £1500 and since the other 2 girls had disqualified themselves this morning by not showing up we split the money 5 ways, meaning £300 for each of us. Not bad for 3 days work.

As a team of 5 we decided to try and peruse our idea with hopes of actually building the app and making it a reality.

[thelensofyashunews]

Skevious Tips (1st Interview)

Toronto-based rapper, songwriter, and artist Skevious Tips is an upcoming artist that is stirring up something with their music and musical development. I recently have seen and managed to check out Skevious Tips live when he performed as an opening act for illvibe’s annual concert at Toronto’s Hard Luck Bar back in June. He brought a unique musical style, which was something that I had to check out, and so I listened through his catalogue. Noticing that he had released two projects so far, I had to check both of them out and see where the musical direction would take me. After listening to both those projects, Skeves is definitely someone who i would want to listen to more and check out his tracks, if anything has been released. If there is a rapper in Toronto who actually respects the history and direction of how hip-hop and rap is based upon, then Skevious Tips is someone who I would want to see get more promotion from various platforms for his music, and actually be the next artist to blow up. Sitting down with Skevious, we discuss his upbringing throughout Toronto and his previous projects. We also talk about his musical relationship and history with illvibe and Myer Clarity, being signed to Heavy Aux Recordings, Buddy Guy, details about his upcoming album, and much more.

Growing up all around Toronto throughout the 90’s and 2000’s, Skeves explains that Toronto has changed massively on being a big music city. Living around the North York area, and now currently living in East York, he has moved around a lot, as an only child with separated parents, he has experienced various sides of Toronto. When discussing Drake’s impact in Toronto, he mentioned that Drake was huge for Toronto, due to the way he represented the city through various platforms (ex. Toronto Raptors, multiple restaurants, Degrassi). With other superstar musicians and celebrities, that managed to maintain their fame through movies and music, they never really put the city on, as much as Drake did. The rapper also stated that Drake added more knowledge about the city for tourists, like no other celebrity before him.

Speaking about his musical background and history, Skevious Tips had no musical background and history, in fact he didn’t perform well on his music courses throughout elementary and middle school. One funny story about that experience was him using his trombone mouthpiece (since he played both trombone and trumpet) as a dope piece to smoke weed out of, back in grade seven. In a classical sense, he hated music, but what turned his life around was his passion for creative writing and being drawn to the lyricism in hip-hop music is what ultimately lead to a musical career. Although it didn’t come naturally, he is still learning each and every day, and Skeves manages to love what he does with his creative writing.

Talking about his previous projects, Wonderful and Avocado Toast, he explains that Avocado Toast is 2017 and that his style from the project is way out of his thought process, but he still likes the project. With Wonderful, he started working on that project in September of last year. He was working at the Heavy Aux studio with Myer Clarity who provided the beats for the project, a double-single consisting of the songs Wonderful and Far Kid. Skeves also mentions that it was one of the first things that him and Myer put a lot of time and effort into as a team. When speaking about his relationship with Myer Clarity, Skeves explained that Myer is a genius, and expressed that he can’t give him enough credit for the way that his sound is developed and changed for the better since having him as a producer and engineer. With the stellar learning process and constant improvement for Skeves, the working relationship between him and Myer gets better and the songs get better, as well as with communicating and working as a team. Finally, Skeves mentions that before working with Myer, he always figured that at some point, he would click with a producer just like Myer, and he was glad that it worked out well.

As far as the impact, Skevious Tips mentions that with the limited audience that it had reached, the feedback has basically all been positive, with few exceptions. He also is grateful for the people that have contributed to his early projects. When discussing being signed to Heavy Aux Records and the feeling and impact of that experience, Skevious Tips mentioned that it was a work in progress for a long time and that he was optimistic about the future of his partnership with Heavy Aux. Skeves also tells a story about three years ago, when he walked into a rap contest hosted by illvibe which took place in various cities all over Ontario. Although he had no expectations of winning and didn’t take the contest seriously at the time, he managed to win the Toronto division championship. From that experience, he developed a relationship with illvibe and the Heavy Aux team, and illy started booking him as an opening act for some of his shows locally, and tours all around North America soon after. Knowing that it is the music industry, the main basis is relationship-building and he managed to gain a great connection with illvibe, based on the communication and providing the hard work, which is his music to be distributed, and he is proud about it. Discussing his latest single, Buddy Guy, the rapper stated the song is all about challenging the stereotypes of Canadians being known as friendly, as he states that it is not always the case. He wanted to prove that there is friendly people out elsewhere, and there’s not so friendly people everywhere. But second of all, that song was just him flexing, having fun, and trying to be silly as possible, and lyrically being as potent as possible. Skeves mentioned that the song is not to be taken seriously, but he hopes that people have fun listening to it.

Speaking about his upcoming album, Skevious Tips mentioned that this album will present more higher quality than his previous projects. As far as the direction, he mentioned that it is much more of a personal album, with its short tracklisting and a condense subject matter. It’s a concept-driven album entitled Bridgefires, and it’s about relationships that end up being on fire. Furthermore, he mentioned that he had experienced most of that in his personal life, and hopes that people will respond well to that and be able to relate to that. When speaking about the relationship between him and illvibe, the rapper mentioned that he likes working with illvibe in the writer’s room. With a strong direction and process when it comes to multiple singer-songwriter collaborations, illvibe’s leadership direction pretty much suits him for the position that he’s in and Skeves mentions that it’s always a pleasure to be in that writer’s room. Furthermore, he mentions that it wouldn’t happen without Myer either, being able to produce at the level that he does.

As far as influences, Skevious Tips mentions that he likes lyricism and lyricists who play that role well, and that the production of the song doesn’t always matter, as long as the lyrics makes sense and are relatable. Outside of hip-hop, he also listens to singer-songwriters and wants to write songs for other artists due to his love for creative writing and he see’s this as an avenue among many to someday establish a financial independence. He also listens to soul and blues music, which indicates his interest in the subject matter and feeling of sadness. As far as plans for this year, Skevious Tip’s sophomore album Bridge Fires, is set to drop on September 27th, 2019. Following that, the rapper will release an EP in November, and has planned to drop monthly singles for the first six months of 2020.

Asking Skevious Tips on any final words to say for any creative or any person thinking about pursuing their dreams, and he said:

“Just don’t be an asshole, and work, and get better every day, just a little bit. But mainly if you’re any good and you’re just not an asshole, you might get lucky.”

[ineversayitoutloud]

My first day as a project manager for American company. I a nervous but keep my anxiety in check.

-Hello everyone, I’ll be joining the team as a project manager. I’ve already set up half an hour one-on-one with each of you, so you can tell me what concerns you have, what can have been improved and obviously get me rolling in this position. I am here to help you, I am not your manager, I manage the projects and make our lives easier.

-I like her already. Might be a good change here?

-Maybe. Or maybe it’s just empty words, she might be like the others.

After meeting all the team members, I start changes right away. The everyday stand up was switched to every other day, I created a tracking sheet for all the projects.

Another team meeting.

- And we are missing finishes for this one…

-Who usually communicates this with the client and picks those?

-Team Lead aka you.

I think for a bit

- Michelle, can you handle it? You were involed in this from the start.

She looks confused for a second and then brightens up

-Aye aye captain

Everyone laughs. This team has a lot of potential, I am here for it.

I fly to states the next week. HQ is like a damn maze. When I finally find the meeting place, everyone is already there.

-Million apologies guys. This place is a fucking maze,-I say as I walk through the door.

There is an empty place at the head of the table and one beside lead designers. I take one beside Michelle and everyone looks at me confised.

-Let’s get it rollin’

We sit there for 15 minutes updating each other and arguing if we could send client to the bloody Italy to get that chair that he wants so much, when the door behind me opens.

I don’t turn around, everyone looks behind me.

-Where the hell is you project manager?

I lift my arm up still looking at the tracking app on my laptop.

I finally turn around and look at the man in his 50s, I think.

-Oh. How are you?

I flown.

-Was better until you interrupted the meeting.

Everyone looks at me wide eyed.

He chuckles.

-I apologize, please go on.

He walks in the room and takes the seat at the table.

When we are done, everyone leaves.

-I am Thom, I am the CEO of this agency.

-Oh? I was pretty sure the CEO is a young man as it said on our website. Don’t get me wrong you look great but I won’t give you 29.

He smiles and I return it back.

-That’s my son. I am rulling the empire from the shadows. Speaking of the devil..

The door behind me rolles open again. People are very entitled to interrupting here. I turn around and freeze. Out of all damn people. He looks at me surprised and frowns.

-When I heard we have a new team lead in town I did not expect to see a familiar face

My first teenage stupid love. Until i found out he is a prick. That’s going to be interesting..

The whole office now know that we don’t like each other. We always sarcastic, throwing stubbing words here and there. The CEO is really entertained by us, in his own words “somebody has to put this damn boy in place, after i failed”.

Some girls squeeled, some gasped, when I told them my origin story with him. They were comfortable enough with me now. They learned I look like I can bite your head off but will do so only if you give me a reason to.

He still interrupts our meetings when I am at HQ. One day I heard approaching steps. I got up motioning team member to continue talking and closed the door in front of his face. He looked like he was ready to pop.

When I am leaving the office, it’s already dark outside. The elevator finally dings and doors open revealing him. He is looking at the phone.

I enter without a word, my back facing him.

- Working late miss?

- I have no idea how your company got an award with that fucking schedule, did you slave all of your designers?

- How have you been? I haven’t heard of you since I graduated high school.

- How sweet of you to even remember me.

- Is it going to be a problem that you work here?

- I don’t answer to you, so it doesn’t matter.

- you are angry with me

- I don’t feel a thing towards you, you brought it upon yourself just by being an asshole.

He keeps quiet till we reach the parking lot. All I want is to go to bed.

Next morning I wake up to an email announcing team bonding bar party. I am not going, thank you very much, I’d rather take girls out one day. Just my team.

Scratch that, cause my team is getting out of hand. My own fault of not setting boundaries. My ass was dragged to that event either way.

I meet the rest of team leads. They asked me for tips and I told them to join our team meetings whenever they have a chance. We also agreed to have all teams gathered bi-weekly.

Most of team leads are men. There is only another woman leading the design team but she is a mother of two, so she nowhere to be seen on this type of events. Guys look behind me, chuckle and walk away. “There goes a head biter” I am confused until I hear a voice behind me.

- You are awfully chatty tonight.

I roll my eyes until I see my brain. How stupid can you be in the position of CEO?

-It’s a social event.

-We are talking about you

-Why do you keep approaching me? I thought your virtue is to avoid me and talk shit behind my back.

-You are one of my team leads, I have to keep my face

-There is no face, I still have no idea how you lead this company

-It’s a lot of hard work

I smirk

-Sure thing.

-Go out for a dinner with me.

-No

-Let me take you out so we can clear the air for agency’s sake

-I said no

-Stop being stubborn

-Stop being a prick

I can feel people watching us

-Was your intention to do this in front of the whole damn company to embarrass yourself?

-No because when you see me coming to your office you disappear right away, you are hard to catch

-I am not your catch

-Quit it and just say yes. Call it a business meeting.

- We will talk about it later.

When crowd slowly starts heading home, I am standing outside on the phone.

-Mr Botticeli, do you trust my team?

-Now I am starting to second-question my trust in you

-We are talking about one chair for 10K square feet space.

-It’s important to me and my family’s company

I sigh and throw my cigarette butt on the ground, smooshing it with my boot toe. I wave the guys goodbye, who just caught a cab.

-Fine, you won. Here’s what I offer and nothing more. You organize pick up. My company covers the freight. You make sure logistic company has access to the building to grab it and do the magic.

-I knew I can trust you,-I can hear a smile on his face. I sigh at the thought of explaining this to our shipping team. Maybe I can bribe them with bottle of Macallan.

- Good night Mr Botticelli.

I hang up and turn around to get my purse I left behing in the bar. However, I was stumbled into a body who catches me by my waist.

We are close. Too fucking close but we have a staring competition and I can’t let him win.

I see the background. I was on the phone for too long, everyone is gone.

- I will take you home

-No need, I am calling a cab.

- goddamn it, Diana.

And then he pushes me closer and crushes his lips to mine, like noone else did before. I am so speechless I don’t respond right away. My hands fly to his jacket and I fist it, pulling him closer, so there is no air in between us. I blame cold, I blame me not seeing anyone for a year, I blame his cologne smelling too fucking good. He finally lets go of my lips but still holds me very close to him.

-Scratch that. I am taking you to my place.

-I need to work. I notice that he was holding my purse all this time. Dang it, can’t use that as excuse to get away from him.

We drive in silence. I am contemplating all my life decisions. He feels me overthinking and reaches for my thigh, pulling it closer in a dominant way.

I cover his hand with mine and let long exhale out. We look at each other and he gives me a warm smile.

What happens next surprises me to the point I am speechless. And this prick notices it.

-What? Got nothing to say this time?,- he gives me a crooked smile. He loves teasing me, every damn second of it.

What I thought is going to happen is him taking me to his apartment and wiping all non-existent dust with my back on all surfaces until we land in bed.

Now I am looking at him behind the kitchen counter with rolled sleeves of his dress shirt, washing zucchinis. He is cooking a quick pasta for us. He cooks pasta for me. I am at his place and he decides to sweep me off my feet by being r-o-m-a-n-t-i-c.

We settle at his couch and I am devouring his pasta. It’s bloody good and I can’t help it. I haven’t eaten since lunch except small snacks at the bar. I tuck my legs in a couch, plate on my knees. He watches me holding a glass wine. I refused to have one, trying to keep my mind sharp, I had enough at the bar.

When I am done he takes plate off my knees and settles it on coffee table in front of us. He puts his hand on my thigh again, only this time skin is separated by thin material of my stockings. It burns.

-Now here is a thing. Do not interupt me,- he squeezes my thigh warningly, - when I saw you in that conference room, I was speechless. Because you have changed since I saw you last time. I never had a thing for dress code in my office until I saw you. I have a thing for pencil skirts now and I blame you. I thought I can ignore whatever spark I felt when I laid my eyes on you and clearly you had not positive feeling towards me. I couldn’t get you out of my head. I couldn’t sleep. I thought it was just hormones but then I saw changes in our projects. You are bossy, stubborn as hell but a damn good fucking team lead that my company needed all this time to shake things out. I get only positive comments about you starting from clients to my cleaners. I will mention that your attitude with clients sometimes is getting out of hand though.

I open my mouth to throw needles at him but he squeezes my thigh again. It sends a shiver to my spine.

- This is not a one night stand, this is not us being enemies with benefits, I am not playing you, I am not that entitled prick I was in high school. And I promise I will treat you like you deserve to. I am pretty damn sure I am head over heels over you and I can’t shake this feelings off. So I hope you can give me a chance again that I missed in high school. Because I need to prove you, I must prove you that I am not that boy anymore.

I look at his eyes. He is looking in mine for an answer. I think but not a single thought in my head. I sigh and fall backwards on a couch, stretching my legs on his lap.

I state at the ceiling and think harder. Is this going to affect work?

- it won’t affect anything, I promise. I will still be CEO, you are still a team lead. Nobody will have to know until you want them to know.

How the fuck this asshole can read my mind? He distracts me by running his hand up and down from my ankle to where my stockings end.

- I am here for another week. You can try to prove whatever you want and then I go home to think things out. And then I give you an answer. Right now, I am going home though.

- No, you are not. I drank, I can’t drive you.

- I am calling an uber.

- No, you are not

I throw daggers at him.

- Stay with me tonight. Please.

He never says please. Jesus fucking Christ, I am going to regret it.

-Okay, I need a fresh towel, pair of boxers and a t shirt.

I strip off my clothes. As much as I love how it makes me feel and look, I’d rather be comfortable right now. I take a long hot shower and get out of the bathroom. He is settled in bed aready, bare chest and damp hair. He might have used another bathroom. He is on his phone, typing someting, when I settle under the comforter and sign tiringly into the pillow. He puts his phone away and grabs me by my waist to pull me closer.

- I kick, I toss-n-turn, I snore,- I warn him as he settles behind me, one arm between my neck and pillow, another wrapped around my waist. I can feel his little laugh on my neck and it gives me a shiver.

- I’ll take my chances.

The lights go off and I takes less than a minute for me to fall into darkness. “I am so exhausted I am definitely snoring tonight” was my last thought.

I wake up but don’t open my eyes yet, I feel dimmed sunlight hitting my eyelids. I start searching for my phone with my hand until I hit the sidetable. I hear a small groan behind me but ignore it. I finally open my eyes, after that there is no going back, if it’s still early, I will hate myself. I check the time, it’s 9:17 AM. Okay not too bad. I settle my phone and turn around in his hands. Even if I snored the whole night, we haven’t shifted. I woke in the same position we fell asleep in.

I look at his face and brush a standed hair off. He snored just a little bit and flowns in his sleep. Maybe it’s the sunlight dimmed by blackout curtains. He is awake now, judging by how he starts rubbing my back under the t shirt.

He opens one eye and mumbles:

-Why are you awake already?

-It’s 9AM

-So? It’s Saturday

-I am used to it.

He lets go off me and stretches. Now it makes sense him having a king bed. This guy has too long of a body. His hands back on my body.

- 5 minutes of cuddles and then we get up for breakfast.

He lowers his body down and presses his head in my chest, I wrap my arms around his shoulders and neck, settling my chin on top my hand. I scratch at his scalp, thinking about what I need to do today but my head is empty.

I help him cook because I hate just sitting there. He threw sweatpants on but still no t shirt. Pretty sure he’s done it on purpose.

As I am devouring bacon, he settles his coffee mug

- Stay with me for a day?

I think for a second and nod.

-Fine but if we are going out, we are stopping by my place so I can get changed.

I smile at the thought what’s coming.

- are you sure you are okay with me coming in?

- yup but someone else might not be as welcoming as I am

- Hold on a second, you live with someone?

I just shrug

-yup

-are you married? He looks terrified and it takes everything for me to keep my face serious and not to laugh.

-now you care? Aren’t you suppose to ask this question before you take a girl home?

I finally unlock the door and swing it open. He freezes.

Black doberman is patiently waiting at the door, he looks very intimidating but his little nub gives him away.

-He is a friend, don’t attack Hunny.

We walk in and I settle my purse down before giving in and giving him all the love and pets.

When I walk out of my room changed, I see a scene that I really would love to capture on my phone.

He is sitting on the floor, dobbie in front of him and he is running his hands down his back, like he did this morning with me.

- time for a walk Hunny.

- I love him so much, he is very well trained.

At some point on our walk, he takes a leash from me and runs around in the park like a kid. Interesting scene I must admit, a grumpy CEO running around with a dog. I grab coffee at the little trailer and head towards them. They both are panting.

[makeste]

BnHA Chapter 325: Deku VS the Outside of U.A. ~Conclusion~

Previously on BnHA: Ochako was all “dear bloodthirsty mob, this kid you see standing before you has fought harder than anyone and put his life on the line to protect you all, so please chill the fuck out, jesus christ. like, putting aside that he’s humanity’s best hope and so it’s very much in your best interests to let him rest and recover someplace safe so that he can keep fighting for us, are y’all seriously going to turn away an injured and exhausted child in front of his sobbing mother?? seriously?? come on now.” I’m paraphrasing here but that’s basically how it went down. Anyway so then the mob was all, “...” and Deku collapsed to his knees in tears, and Gigantic Fox Lady and Kouta ran over to give him a hug but then the chapter ended.

Today on BnHA: Horikoshi is all “FINE, YOU CAN HUG HIM”, which, was that so hard?? The U.A. Clown Mob is all “come to think of it, we’ve kind of been taking the heroes for granted this entire time, maybe we should be less passive in the future. anyway so Deku if it’s not too much to ask, can you please save everyone and fix everything.” Deku is all “I sure can, and by the way I forgive you for swarming around all menacingly two minutes ago and trying to deny me basic shelter and stuff.” Ectoplasm is all, “hey Todogang get a load of this. [walks in a circle].” Hawks is all, “that’s literally the greatest thing I’ve ever seen.” Rat Principal is all, “anyway so that’s what your students did today, hope you’re enjoying your new *~*ROBOT LEG*~*, Aizawa.” Aizawa is all “[lots of exposition about Kurogiri and for some reason, Toga, while being all brooding and sexy].” All Might is all “[standing here right outside of U.A. doing absolutely nothing and being foreboding AF]” and that immediately sucked away all of the warm fuzzy feelings from the hugs, goddammit.

each new week has become a waiting game of “when will Deku finally get to take a bath so people will actually be willing to go near him and give him the hugs he deserves.” the stakes have never been so compelling. I’ve almost forgotten about AFO entirely

lmaoooooo

me: for the love of god will someone please give Deku a hug before I die of old age

Mineta: YOU GOT IT!! --

Iida: [SWIFTLY CUTS HIM OFF] NOT YOU

fucking losing it at Mineta’s crying face. he really wanted to hug him. I legit feel bad but this is also the funniest thing I have seen all week, omg

somehow Kouta, who last week was only a hand’s breadth away from touching Deku’s head, is now twenty miles away from him in this new chapter

can I make a Loki reference here. is this recap a good place to insert a joke about someone using a TVA time-rewinding device to fuck with my poor boy Kouta over here. well anyway there it is

AND NOW HE’S BACK ALL OF A SUDDEN OMG

(ETA: since when is he “niichan” omg?? can’t handle this cuteness.)

BUT THEY’RE STILL NOT HUGGING HIM FFFFKFFFFF. WHAT DO I HAVE TO DO. WHO DO I HAVE TO BRIBE AND/OR BLACKMAIL

OH NO KOUTA IS CRYING THAT’S IT I’M DONE FOR

“when I heard that lady I knew that I had to go, but then stop again within inches of actually touching you because you smell like week-old rotten onions.” listen Kouta, I’m not saying I don’t get it, but you all can’t keep doing this to me. it’s the way you guys keep teasing it. like, if you’re gonna hug him, hug him. don’t just stand there with your arms held rigidly out in front of you like a molded action figure

OH MY GOSH BUT HE SAID THE THING

KOUTA SWOOPING IN AT THE LAST MINUTE TO TAKE ALL THE CREDIT FOR FIXING DEKU LIKE THAT ONE KID IN THE GROUP PROJECT WHO DOES ABSOLUTELY NOTHING BUT STILL TAGS HIS NAME ONTO THE REPORT ANYWAY, WHAT A KNAVE

GASP

(  ´͈ ᗨ `͈ )

SHE PICKED HIM UP LIKE A LITTLE BABY OMG?? she just leaned right over and lifted this child like he was a small animal. like a lil baby futon that she was about to hang up to dry. oh my god

-- HEY WHAT

(: well that’s extremely fucked up. though sadly not too surprising given what we just saw these past couple chapters

incidentally, I hope that anyone who was legitimately defending the civilians’ perspective earlier takes note here of how quickly that line of thinking -- “we’re just trying to keep our families safe” and all that-- can lead to straight up bigotry. if you’re willing to deny a child shelter and protection simply because he’s not YOUR child, and because you’ve decided based on Internet rumors (no real-world parallels there, I’m sure) that he might present a threat, it’s really not that much further of a leap to discriminating against entire groups of people simply because you perceive those groups as being dangerous. I’m sure the people who turned Gigantic Fox Lady away also told themselves afterwards that they did it to protect their families. “better safe than sorry.” “she’ll be fine, someone will take her in, but as for us, we can’t afford to take that risk.” people can come up with all kinds of justifications for treating other people as less than human, and the really scary thing about it is how fucking easy it is

one last quick side note, which is that Horikoshi does a great job here of showing how scapegoating works, given that AFO is the one who’s really to blame and who presents the actual threat, and yet Deku is the one who ultimately winds up being the target of the mob’s fear and outrage despite him being as much of a victim as they are. gotta love that irony, which unfortunately plays out far too often in the real world as well.

anyway I’ll get off my soapbox now, sorry about that. let us continue

YES, FINALLY OH MY GOD!!!!

AND THAT’S THE STORY OF HOW GIGANTIC FOX LADY BECAME THE GREATEST HERO. PACK IT ALL UP, WE’RE DONE HERE KIDS

holy shit. the real MVP right there. thanks for getting it done champ

jesus christ I have had it up to here with these people

literally the bar is set so low at this point that I’ll go ahead and take it. helping him because it offers them a tactical advantage is at least one step up from not helping him at all

“WHY NOT SHIKETSU” MOTHERFUCKER I SWEAR TO GOD

-- thank you!!

okay this one guy with the antennae hair is having himself a character development speedrun here

-- okay, but this part?? fucking this part, right here??

can we repeat that again?? the part where this guy acknowledges that the problems of hero society were caused not just by said heroes, but also by said society?? the part where he acknowledges that they treated the heroes like celebrities who were putting on a show for them?? the part where he acknowledges that when push came to shove, the vast majority of those heroes, when faced with a situation that offered no reward, were nonetheless willing to put their lives on the line to protect the very same people who then turned around and blamed them rather than thanking them?? are the civilians of BnHA even allowed to have actual deep thoughts about this stuff. holy shit

bro!!

ANTENNAE HAIR GUY SHOVING KOUTA AND GIGANTIC FOX LADY OUT OF THE WAY TO SLAP HIS NAME ONTO THE END CREDITS AS EXECUTIVE PRODUCER. CONGRATULATIONS SON YOU FIGURED OUT THE CORE PHILOSOPHICAL QUESTION AT THE VERY HEART OF THE MANGA. WAY TO GO BUD

meanwhile, on today’s episode of “one more chapter to go till the big volume cliffhanger, how else can I drag things out let’s see”

it’s a panel. of people’s feet. just a bunch of normal feet. with sneakers and shit

this All Might shirt guy is getting more screentime in this arc than 90% of the class 1-A kids

I guess I’m supposed to feel sorry for this dude now that he’s all “if we let you stay here do you promise to somehow magically fix every single problem that we are now currently facing?” those are some ridiculously exacting standards my dude. come on now

KACCHAN SIGHTING

thank fuck I’m not the only one who’s thoroughly unimpressed by absolutely all of this lol. I feel better now. meanwhile Iida and Kouda and Kiri are ready to run over there and hug them all. you guys are way too forgiving. damn you and your pure hearts

anyway so Deku’s like “yeah, definitely”

(ETA: almost forgot to comment on the “I’m no longer alone” part – he basically corrects the guy and says “sorry, but you’ll need to direct that question towards all of us, not just me, because moving forward we’re a team.” good stuff.)

you know what though, all joking aside... fuck yeah. because perfect victory, right. the strongest guys don’t settle for anything less. so I guess Deku has pretty exacting standards himself

also can you all just take a look at this fucking kid who’s got so much light in his eyes now that I’m gonna need eclipse goggles. hot damn. “you’re welcome” says All Might Shirt Guy as he is frantically interviewed by several local news networks asking him how he daringly managed to save Deku all by himself. “well I guess I’ve just never been the kind of guy who can sit back and let a bunch of rabble-rousers blame a little kid for all of humanity’s problems. someone had to step in and take action, you know?”

oH MY GOD THE SCENE IS FINALLY ENDING

don’t let the door hit you on your way out All Might Shirt Guy

but meanwhile, sudden Tododrama action??

oh shit

there are honestly so many ways in which Ochako’s very moving speech could have wildly backfired that I genuinely have no clue where this is headed lol. how exciting!!

so now Horikoshi is once again stalling for time with random filler panels, but this one is 10x better than the shoes lol omg

(1) was Ectoplasm’s jacket always this oversized. (2) did you guys know that if you go back to chapter 319 you can see that Horikoshi gave us a sneak peak at Enji’s Sad Detective disguise and I in fact made a joke about it in the 319 recap not realizing it was actually the stone cold truth. (3) did Shouto deliberately speed up out of impatience because Hawks was walking so fucking slow and he couldn’t take it any longer. (4) and what, I ask you, is up with these dramatic speedlines. so many mysteries here. what a masterpiece

everyone is acting all shocked about something ahh what’s going on

wait what

what the heck. did they just loop around behind everyone. what was the point of that lol. “anyway, so this is what they look like from the back” well okay, thanks for that Ectoplasm

(ETA: so it seems like they were actually hanging out someplace else away from the crowd this whole time, I guess? here I thought they had more faith in Enji’s disguise. I guess Shouto and Hawks don’t particularly want to attract this crowd’s attention themselves right now either, though.)

I am so fucking confused lmao

speaking of All Might WHERE THE FUCK IS HE lol. but yes, good, OFA brings everyone together, and Hawks is very deeply moved about this out of the blue all of a sudden. you know how it is

aw heck yeah now this is another filler panel I can get behind

Mineta really wants that hug, good lord. I genuinely love this actually. Mineta if you could just stay little and cute and keep crying about how much you love your classmates in a non-gross way for the rest of the series I would be so appreciative. you’re doing great

IIDA IS HOLDING DEKU’S HAND THIS IS NOT A DRILL. ONE TIME WASN’T ENOUGH FOR MY MAN HE’S ADDICTED NOW

what did I tell you. Kiri wants to get all of the mob’s autographs now. Kiri you’re a peach

Shouji having a conversation with another mutant type is a very nice touch! we really need to get to his backstory soon. I feel like that casual remark from GFL earlier was kind of hinting at more to come

is this the first time we’ve ever seen the Yaoyorictionary in action?? never forget that Viz tried to call it the “Yaoyorozu Reference Book” because they hate fun

last but not least, KAMIBAKU IS BACK ON THE MENU, FUCK YEAH. Kaminari trying to spice things up and introduce a little bit of controversy by smacking Kacchan on the back of the head for god knows what. I will be deeply disappointed after this if I can’t find at least one person unironically declaring that KamiBaku is now toxic and abusive

lfkdlWLWK TODODRAMA??

oh my god. Shouto’s face. Enji’s face. the back to “oyaji” again. the blunt, not-taking-no-for-an-answer, “I don’t know how much louder the universe can scream at you that doing things alone is not it, so hopefully you got the point” directness of it. fffdlkslj I’m so ready for this Horikoshi please don’t fuck it up my expectations are so high

HOLY FUCK

I SCROLLED DOWN AND HE WAS ALL “( ❛‿❛)” AND I JUST WASN’T FUCKING EXPECTING THAT OKAY. JESUS CHRIST. GIVE ME A SEC

lol okay moment over and now Enji’s pulling his hat down all dramatically like a world-weary Cowboy

OH MY GOD WERE YOU FACETIMING??

AHHHHHHHHH

(ETA: not to put Iida down or anything, but it’s kind of strange that Aizawa is all “the class rep sure did great” when Ochako is the one that was giving that whole big speech for like twenty minutes just now lol.)

(ETA 2: “thank god Iida stepped in just in the nick of time to keep Mineta from hugging Deku.” sorry Mineta I really do like you lately but it’s still low-hanging fruit lol.)

HE LOOKS SO SAD??! HE LOOKS LIKE HEARTBREAK ITSELF??! I AM BESOUGHT WITH THE URGE TO REACH INTO MY SCREEN AND PULL HIM INTO THE SAFETY OF MY ARMS??? MY GOD, AND I THOUGHT DEKU NEEDED HUGS

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH okay I was gonna just hold down the letter H for a full minute and count it out loud but within about ten seconds I realized I needed to chill lol

-- but then again NO, I DON’T NEED TO CHILL, I HAVE ZERO CHILL, ACTUALLY, BECAUSE IT’S AIZAWA WITH A ROBOT LEG AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

COMPLETE WITH ROBOT TOES FOR THAT EXTRA TOUCH OF AUTHENTICITY!! I LIKE HOW HORIKOSHI PUT ALL THIS EXTRA “!!!” EMPHASIS AROUND IT IN CASE WE COULD SOMEHOW POSSIBLY FAIL TO TAKE NOTICE. “REMEMBER, EVERYONE?” SAYS HORIKOSHI HELPFULLY. “REMEMBER THAT TIME AIZAWA CHOPPED OFF HIS OWN LEG?” oh wow now that you mention it we somehow forgot all about that. like who do you take us for

OH NO NOT THE SAD BOYFRIEND ANGST THAT I WAS SECRETLY LOOKING FORWARD TO WITH GLEE

well at least he’s not M.I.A. or back with the villains again like I thought he might be. still, that’s gotta be brutal to know your friend is in there somewhere, but to not be able to reach him again no matter how hard you try. that’s the kind of angst that pays off in final battles just when you most expect it. such is my hope, at any rate

what’s this now??

trying to decide if this is Horikoshi’s way of saying don’t worry about that, or his way of saying definitely worry about that lol

anyway so Aizawa is out here being all irresponsibly handsome once again. when is someone going to do something about him

here for Sexy Robot Leg Eyepatch Aizawa clenching his fists and making speeches about revenge. pretty sure we’re all here for that

WELL, WELL, WELL

IT’S ABOUT FUCKING TIME

I’M VERY GLAD YOU’RE ALIVE AND SEEMINGLY WELL, THOUGH!

BUT WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK THOUGH, ALL MIGHT

ffff. bracing myself for that cliffhanger next week. you’d better not touch one hair on this man’s head Horikoshi. I’m watching you