#so if the course is lead by that same professor I met in the end and it's good and the money is good... I mean why not make maps instead?

[da-riya]

Openning up my uni's webpage like "I never thought I'd be here again"

[hauntedbythefanficsofmypast]

Past, Present and that of Space

Masterlist

Dead-ends and Surprise Visits

“Alrightie, Duke your classes don't start for an hour right, LightBrite?” Duke snorted, nodding as he got comfortable pulling his blanket tighter around his shoulders. “Good good, should be enough time, ehhhh maybe we'll see, anyway!!” 

Harley snagged a cookie munching on it before she began. “Sooo years ago before I was a doctor and your daddio a crime-fighting college drop-out vigilante, we went to Gotham Uni. Bruce had been studying to be a Doctor like your granddaddy, so all of us had the same base classes. We actually had a study group and we'll as a ‘Fuck Professor Tanner’ club.

We met in advanced Calculus, I sucked and Brucie was my seat buddy along with Vladdie. After a bad failed test on my part and Professor Tanner purposely marking the others down, we formed a spite study group. I dragged Crane into it and Vlad pulled Jackie and Mads in! It kinda cemented our friendships a bit!” Harley snorted, shaking her head while reminiscing on the old days.

“Jackie, Mads, and Vladdie we're going for Doctorates in Science and Engineering. Jackie was more towards Engineering that was his crazy strong point while Mads and Vladdie were genius to boot. Would've fit in very well with your bunch now that I think ‘bout it! It grew a pretty decent friend group between us. Of course Brucie dropped out after that year, but Crane and I stayed pretty close with them. It was our final year when a lot of drama happened.” Harley sighed before grabbing her Tea cup downing it.

“The three of them were convinced that another universe lay parallel to ours. Called it the Ghost Zone, they'd been attempting to make a portal to it for months. Then the accident happened, it exploded and Vlad got carted off campus, didn’t see him again after that. He transferred out and last we heard he went to Wisconsin. Jackie and Mads were heartbroken, they’d been friends for a while at that point and losing Vlad made them a little unstable. Not ya know, rouge unstable but they started designing weapons to hunt ghosts. Caught some attention shortly before graduation and got a couple grants, they were really ecstatic. They left soon after we graduated, Jackie proposed and Mads said yes, went back to Mads hometown for the wedding. I got invited but at that point I was already at Arkham and well, you know my story already.” 

Tim stopped his note taking, looking up at Harley, who seemed slightly trapped in thought. He coughed slightly, breaking her out of her remembrance of who Harleen Quinzel used to be. 

“Ghost Zone? Huh? Weird niche of all things but ya know, we dress up and go fight crime nightly.” Duke elbowed him teasingly as he ate a cookie, and Tim rolled his eyes. “Right, right I forgot one of us is  a weirdo and patrols during the day time!”

“Oi! At least I don’t have an ugly ass cowl, owl head ass.” Tim gave him the dirtiest look, already calculating how far Duke dropped on his favorite sibling list.

“Congrats Duke, Damian has officially passed you on my favorite siblings list. It’s a sad day when two siblings drop below the one that has stabbed me multiple times.” Duke went to respond but was cut off by Harley’s barking laughter. Harley was bent over holding her stomach laughing so hard Duke contemplated running to get a cure for Joker Venom, but seeing the satisfied look on Tim’s face calmed him. Tim’s plan to distract her clearly worked, besides he had enough to work on now.

Of course Danny had contact with the Realms, his parents succeed in making their portal after all. 

Alfred hummed lowly to himself as he entered his bedroom for a short break. He set the tea tray down before pulling out both his chairs and sitting down.

“You were cutting it close you know, old friend.” He sipped his tea slowly before looking up at the person now sitting in the chair across from him. “You’ve set my charges into a protective mode that will lead to less sleep. Honestly the extra stress you’ve added to my plate with this stunt.”

“Apologies are in order for that, you know I should not interfere too often. Their eyes weren’t on me for only a few seconds, talking with Young Timothy was not possible.” His form shifted and Alfred hummed taking in the appearance of the elderly man in front of him.

“Your form has changed. I see you added to your family circle, congratulations.” Clockwork chuckled knowing he had taken some aspects from the kids he had practically adopted when they were fourteen.

“Indeed, not as many as your brood, but I am content. They have fine futures, fine futures indeed.”

“I see, and their futures are now intertwined with my charges.”

“Yes they are, we will be seeing more of each other in the future. Young Timothy will get along very well with my Phantom. They will be a force to be reckoned with.”

“Dear Clockwork, I believe they are on their own, together they could rule the multiverse.” Clockwork and Alfred were silent for a while, simply enjoying tea together. However he was the first to break their silence with a chuckle.

“I believe you are quite right Alfred. Quite right indeed.”

Dani typed silently on her phone as she sprawled across Danny’s back. The other Halfa too busy editing a video to pay attention to her. The others in their family were in varying places of Fenton Works but the two self-proclaimed siblings had holed up in Danny’s room. At first they simply sat staring at the ceiling, or rather staring into space, literally. After discovering Danny was the new Ancient of Space came even more power training that had Danny wish to rip his hair out.

Danny had discovered the ability to make a rift that could remain open until he willed it away, it was unlike portals that he needed to concentrate on to keep open. No those portals were Dani’s expertise, able to portal them to any place and even universes. Danny’s rifts allowed him direct access to space, and since discovering it his ceiling had been a constant show of the different galaxies that graced their universe. So often the others would come to call them for dinner and find the two’s eyes locked on their stars.

Val often joked that Dani’s love for space came from her template. Of course Dani wasn’t as crazy about space as Danny was but she still loved it. Dani paused her typing looking up at the ceiling for a moment before grinning.

“Danny, I have a great idea. Our next video should be in space.” Danny stopped editing mind racing between different ideas before his core was vibrating so hard in excitement that he was purring. Dani’s mirth couldn’t be contained as her body took flight lifting off him and towards the rift. “We could do so much!”

“Visiting other planets!”

“Space fights!”

“A day in the life with off-world species!”

“Jumping universes! People will lose their minds if we go to the ‘Futurama’ universe!”

“Oh my crown Dani! The possibilities are endless!!” Danny laughed as he took flight playfully taking the girl out of the air, both phasing through his bedroom floor and bouncing off the couch as they began a mini fight. Wes watched them amused as he paused his show, thankful he was sitting fully to the left of the couch and not in the middle. “Black holes! We can explore black holes!!” Danny announced laughing as he got Dani into a headlock only for her to phase out and land a hard elbow to his gut.

“Yes! Oooooh I want to kick you into a black hole so bad!!” We can cut the video there and the next one can be you in the Futurama Universe trying to find your way back!!” The two cackled together as their fighting amped up. 

“That is a pretty good idea.” Wes hummed, blinking as mischievous eyes locked on him. “Don’t even think about it you two.” He warned as they started grinning, he threw himself to the side flipping over the arm of the couch as they lunged at him phasing through and landing on the other side in a crouch. “Damnit!” Wes yelled as he scrambled up taking off up the stairs. The two grin as they jumped flying up through the floor to the hallway waiting to ambush him, only to be surprised when the front door slammed shut.

“Did he just?” Dani asked as she stuck her head through the wall Danny followed a second later as they watched Wes booking it down the street.

“He just juked us. Oh we gotta get him now!” The two flew through the wall, not even transforming as they rushed after him, waving to a few people who called out to them. Jack and Maddie watched them go from where they were unloading groceries from the Fenton Ghost Assault vehicle.

“Oh I hope they have fun hunting Wes!” Jack said with a laugh as Maddie slid a fifth bag onto his right arm. “Ah these kids keep up young Mads!” Maddie laughed leaning up and kissing his cheek as she grabbed the last four bags and locked the assault vehicle.

“Those kids of ours they really do, and they’re all growing up and breaking my heart! I wish we could have more.” Maddie said with a small laugh as Jack wiggled his eyebrows at her, Tucker opened the door for them as they approached and Maddie kissed his forehead in thanks as they walked to the kitchen. “Thank you Tucker dear. Are Sam and Val here?” Tucker nodded following them after he took some bags from Jack.

“Yes, they’re in the kitchen waiting to help with groceries. I was gonna let the other three know but Danny and Dani were having one of their bonding fights, then Wes got dragged into it.” Jack laughed as he put the last bags on the counter.

“We saw that! If it wasn’t for the groceries I had I would’ve ran after to join them! It's that Fenton blood after all!” Maddie chuckled, sharing a look with Sam before she moved over to the fridge starting to clean it out.

“And the fact that ghosts literally bond through fighting, it's like another language to them.” Val said with a chuckle as she unpacked some bags. “How about spaghetti tonight?” Moving aside the needed ingredients as agreements rang out from the room. “Sweet, is it alright if I invite my dad? He makes some mean garlic bread.”

“Of course Val! You’re our kid now and that makes him a Fenton too! The more the merrier!” Jack said moving over to pull out the needed cooking utensils. Sam was quick to take them from him, shooing him away while waving a spatula.

“I’ll invite my grandma over too. She made cookies yesterday and wanted more people to try her new recipe. I’ll make dinner with Tucker, you two aren’t allowed to make food anymore after those hot dogs took over the town.” Jack held his hands up defensively with a laugh as Maddie didn’t make eye contact with anyone.

“In my defense we didn’t know they were hot dogs from the Infinite Realms!”

“We came back to them trying to sacrifice Lancer, Dash and Kwan to their god.” Val said deadpan remembering the return home from their senior trip. “I smelled like hot dog water for weeks. I couldn’t look people in the eye anytime they questioned the smell.” Maddie couldn’t hold back her snort as she continued to not look at them. He shoulders shaking as she remembered the look on their kids faces the moment they stepped through the portal in front of City Hall. Laughter finally burst from her lips as she shook her head sitting on the floor in front of the fridge.

“Your faces that day!! You all, you all looked so done!” Soon everyone joined in laughing with Maddie as they remembered that day and the fight that followed.

“What's so funny?” Danny asked from the doorway Dani standing next to him with a slightly bruised and pouting Wes slung over her shoulder. Everyone turned to them laughter pausing for a second before they just laughed harder remembering when the biggest hot dog attempted to eat Danny.

Universe Hopping and Reunion Trip Planning

[bvidzsoo]

Love Me Like A Rockstar (Special Chapter)

ー☆ Special Chapter: High In Low Places

Author: bvidzsoo

Pairing: Song Mingi x female reader

ー☆ Warning: cussing ー☆ Word count: 8k ー☆ Genre: university!au, enemies to lovers!au, rockstar!au ー☆ Rating: sfw ー☆ Summary: Love. You wanted none of it. You had already been heartbroken very badly once, you didn't wish to go through that ever again. But the Universe works in intricate ways and, somehow, you found yourself webbed up in a local rockstar's life, Song Mingi. He was everything you expected him to be, yet nothing like you imagined him he would be. What happens when you find mutual understanding and have heartful conversations? Will he be able to break down your walls? Will you be able to chase away his darkness?

A/N: Hello, loveliees! As promised, you won't have to wait so much for updates anymore! ^^ I am so-so curious of what you will think of this chapter, I think it has a special place in my heart. I think I could have written it much better, but this is how it turned out, I hope it's still good. Before you start reading, I'd like to point out that reader (y/n) in this chapter is referred to as: she/her! ^^ Listen to High In Low Places before or while reading this chapter, and check out the author's note at the end of the chapter as well, it's important hehe! Let me know your thoughts and as always, I hope you enjoy, happy reading! divider

Taglist: @orshii @or5i @lovely-red2 @scarfac3 @juicy-red @sunaswifes-blog @voicesinmyhead-rc @teez-the-time @maru-matt @kyeos4ng @deathbyyeekies @chicksmoothie @mjlbn01 @xhexy @tmtxtf @hwashiningstar @thatfavouritesong @ateez-atiny380

⟨Series M.list ↭ Previous Chapter⟩

♫Playlist♫

Mingi’s POV:

            The studio apartment Mingi can afford for himself isn’t the biggest, let alone the fanciest, but it’s a nice home. It’s cozy now that he’s finally decorated it to his liking. Yunho always complained about the emptiness of the walls whenever he came over, so now, they are decorated with prints of Mingi’s favorite artists, musicians, and anime posters. Yeah, Mingi, apparently, is still into anime. It appears so that his mother’s ‘predictions’ of him outgrowing his ‘phase’—ironically, she’s said this both about his ‘phases’ when he got into anime and on the day he finally mustered up the courage to tell her that he wanted to become a musician—so, to put it simply, yes, Mingi is still into anime at the fragile age of twenty-three, and yes, he will always be into anime, even at the not so fragile age of seventy-five.

However, about the musician part…if Noir Zenith have a break-through and make it into the industry, all of Mingi’s dreams will be accomplished. Well, most of his dreams. He fears he cannot beat the record of eating seventy-six hot dogs in ten minutes—what an accomplishment it would be though. Mingi knows he’s good—surprisingly, around two years ago, he finally started believing in himself—and he has a silver of hope that if Noir Zenith don’t make it big, he can have a successful solo career still. His professors say so, at least, and so does Yunho. The second person who’s opinion counts the most to Mingi. The first would be his professors’ opinions—and maybe hers, but Mingi isn’t yet ready for that conversation. Not that there needs to be a conversation about it. Yeah, Mingi is pretty hardcore into her and sometimes he wonders if others can see it. If she can see it.

She’s like an enigma, hard to read, yet, at the same time an open book. That’s how Mingi sees her, at least. He thinks he’s never met such a complex and beautiful person inside out. He wonders if she wouldn’t have been so animus towards him at the beginning, whether they could have started out as something other than friends—considering the wishful fantasy that she did recognize the progress that’s been made between them, leading to a potential friendship. At least that’s how Mingi sees things. He wants more, of course he does, but he will never force her into doing something she’s not comfortable with. Maybe she’ll never like him the way he likes her, and that’s fine with Mingi. He can sit back and support her from the shadows if that means he gets to see her happy and content with herself and her life.

Will it absolutely crush his heart and turn him into the emo boy he was back in highschool? Absolutely. Does that stop him from silently yearning for her to return his feelings at the end of each day? No, it doesn’t. But that’s just who Mingi is. A sore loser who loves deeply, cares about everyone else first before he cares about himself, sacrifices himself for them and regularly throws himself under the bus for these people. Maybe that’s why having Yunho as his best friend is such a blessing in disguise. Yunho had taught him a few tricks, helped him become more independent and less sacrificial—but you know, Mingi could never fully get rid of that core part of his personality.

He's cooped up at his makeshift studio at home—really, it’s just a large oak desk pushed up against the wall of his bedroom, a mixer and laptop placed on it with tons of notebooks and scattered pencils around, his expensive headset that was totally a gift from Yunho when he started university, and his shitty microphone that he should change soon if he wants to keep producing at home—and then there’s a distant rumble in the distance, the storm is coming back. It’s been raining quite often lately, and Mingi hates the rain. He prefers to cozy up underneath his favorite blanket—yeah, it’s totally yellow and it totally has chicks on it, sue him, it was a gift from Wooyoung, after all, for his birthday two years ago—and whenever it rains, Mingi likes to drink some hot chocolate and watch a really sappy movie. If he cries, no, he doesn’t, at least he wouldn’t admit it to anyone—maybe Seonghwa, but that would be embarrassing still. He has an electronic piano in his living room snuggled up in the corner of the room, taking up quite the place of his already small enclosure, but Mingi is a musician, he needs his instruments at hand at all times. Hence the three guitars lining his wall in his bedroom, behind his back, as he’s currently clicking through folders on his laptop.

He needs to work on his music—he’s behind on two assignments, and the thing is, Mingi’s been inspired often lately, and so, there are many unfinished lyrics and beats waiting for him to return to and complete them, but most require of him to be in a certain mood. Like the one he is in right now, jittery a little bit, and maybe caffeinated to the point he should make sure his heart wouldn’t bail on him. Fear not, though, it’s not his first time. After all, Mingi is a university student and this is nothing compared to the three all-nighters he pulled one after the other last year after he procrastinated badly. If it wasn’t for Seonghwa and his worrisome nature—okay, maybe Mingi wouldn’t be here right now, but he tends to stop his brain from straying towards thoughts as such. He’s had dark moments in his life before, and recalling them would completely destroy his mood.

As he clicks open another folder, Mingi pauses. Okay, so, the thing is…Mingi is a loser. And he’s so deep in this unclear relationship—friendship—that’s got his mind preoccupied lately, that if anyone were to see the folder with her name in his laptop—yeah, he’d be mortified. You see, these songs aren’t about her, per se—they totally are, but Mingi is a scared loser and he won’t admit it just yet—these songs are for her. You know, from a friend to a friend—he hasn’t dedicated any songs to Yunho yet, but let’s ignore that detail—and Mingi really hopes that one day she’ll be able to listen to these totally friendly songs that aren’t about her. Yeah.

Mingi opens the newest folder and his eyes fall on the latest documents he’s been working on. He had composed the beat for this song a while ago, when he was still unsure whether Seonghwa and Wooyoung would be up to explore something that is more indie, but now it’s been the center of his attention for a while now. For two weeks, precisely. He’s meticulous when it comes to lyrics writing, it’s an irritating defect he has, at least that’s how he sees it. But his professors always praise him for how lyric and poetic, at times, his lyrics are, so he takes pride in that and tries not to get mad at himself for taking so long to finish one goddamn lyrics.

He licks his plush lips and pushes up his glasses on the bridge of his nose as they were close to slipping off. And sue him, really do so, but he has noticed her staring at his glasses quite often. And her eyebrows always furrow just a little, deep eyes hyper fixating on his nose and glasses. Mingi can’t say for sure, but he’s pretty sure she’s bothered by his lack of unbotheredness whether his glasses are slipping off his nose or not. Sometimes he forgets he’s wearing his glasses, that’s why. He clicks on the document and it opens, so he takes his headphones and puts them on, pursing his lips as he grabs one of his notebook’s and a pencil.

‘Me and you/Me and you are fireproof’ – The beat starts off simple, nothing too crazy or jumpy. Mingi wanted the beats to be calm and chill, kind of crawl in your ears at the first listen. His raspy voice is smooth too, void of its usual raspiness this time. He can rarely control that, but after much experimenting, Mingi realized if he loosens his throat enough and sings deep in his throat, his voice comes out softer and less raspy.

‘Always try to blame my youth/I just wanna be your muse’ – The beat is steady, Seonghwa will love the fact that he gets to play the drums so early into the song, and Mingi’s voice drops significantly. He loves playing with intonations, he loves putting emotion into his words, into his voice. It’s like a play for him, a game of playing hide and seek with whichever emotion he wants to show or mask through his voice. Right now, it’s sultry, it’s breathy, and it’s exactly the way he’s intended it to be.

‘Neon light leads us to the end of time/'Cause I can see infinity in your eyes, in your eyes’ – Mingi closes his eyes as he lets the music take over him, pencil tapping against his notebook rhythmically. And he’s taken by his own words, finding himself relating to them more and more as days pass by. Whenever he closes his eyes, he can see hers, deep and dark in its color, blending in with his, always holding his gaze fiercely. Mingi’s been told that he’s an intimidating person at first glance—eyes, nose, cheekbones sharp—his face expressive and rarely hiding how he’s truly feeling, but that’s just first impressions, because Mingi is anything but cold or unfriendly. And whenever she holds his gaze, Mingi cannot help but try to ignore the way his heart jumps in his chest, pulse quickening. And whenever she smirks or her eyes crinkle from her laughter, Mingi thinks he’s getting deeper and deeper into this mess he’s created for himself.

‘You and I got some troubles we're facing/I know we can make it staying high in low places’ – The beat drops for a second, and then the instruments are back with Mingi’s voice, accompanying each other well, the rhythm picking up just slightly. Mingi can feel the words crawling together in his brain now, his body jittery again as he grins, gripping his pencil tighter. The chorus is good, but he hasn’t been able to write past it, but it’s coming to him right now.

‘Never mind all the tears that we wasted/I know we can make it staying high in low places (ooh)’ – And Mingi remembers the night he found her in his favorite diner, looking like she’s been crying for a while now, eyes rimmed red and nose and cheeks flushed. The rain had soaked her clothes, her hair sticking to her face, and Mingi swears he hasn’t seen anyone more beautiful than her. He wishes he knew when it all started, this—infatuation he feels towards her—but he’s clueless. Or maybe he’s not, maybe he’s just afraid to admit that he’s seen her around campus before and found her breathtaking. Maybe Mingi always has had his eyes on her and has just opted to remain in the shadows, because quite frankly, he sucks at approaching people and initiating anything. And maybe the day Wooyoung showed him pictures of Seulgi on her Instagram account, he had spotted her next to Seulgi, maybe Mingi’s heart had started racing with a stupid flicker of hope in it. Maybe Mingi really is on the brink of dropping a random ass confession onto her, but he knows she’s not ready, and he’d hate himself if he ever made her feel uncomfortable. He knows someone has hurt her gravely, and he wants things to go right this time. He can’t fuck it up.

‘In your arms, in your arms (ooh)/High in low places’ – Mingi thinks she can take him higher than anyone else, show him a whole new world. If there’s one thing he thinks can compete with her beauty and wits, it’s her art. Mingi doesn’t know much about fine art and paintings, but he knows goddam well that whoever that Monet guy was that she loves so much had nothing on her—and as you can see, Mingi is down bad, because Claude Monet was, and still is, a legend of Impressionism.

Mingi ruffles his dark hair, it’s gotten a little longer, and adjust his glasses again before he grins, jotting down the next words that will turn into the lyrics of his song. He’s composed the song with Seonghwa and Wooyoung’s timbre in mind, and he knows their voices will fit beautifully, complete it with a harmony that his unfortunately lacks. But that’s the beauty of their band. Each one of them has a particular charm that the other one lacks and they complement each other in a subtle, yet obviously gorgeous way—and well, Mingi isn’t a narcissist, but he is a Leo, and he can’t deny that their looks aren’t eye catching as well, definitely another asset of theirs that just so happens to add to the charm of Noir Zenith. – ‘Wasted days/Wasted 'til we're MIA/Stuck inside a desert haze/I just want to slip away’

Friday (11:30 am)

Me: i see u still haven’t checked my message… nothing too worrisome u certainly know how to make a man yearn for you lol that was a joke…dont freak out on me pls (lowkey true tho)

            Mingi was restless. He thought that when had texted her that he got home safely—you know, after they hung out at her place, waiting for the rain to stop while killing the time by watching a movie and they have almost kissed—Mingi really thought she was just busy. And he still thinks so, because why would she ignore his messages? He’s texted her a few times already and she didn’t even bother to read them. Mingi wasn’t expecting anything from her, wasn’t trying to push her, but he was a little bit restless now. Sue him, but he couldn’t help himself. He took another glance at his phone, waiting for his messages to be read, for her to finally start typing back, but there was nothing. And the fact that her contact name stared back at him as if it was mocking him wasn’t helping with Mingi’s racing thoughts. He was an overthinker, after all. In case you were wondering, Mingi has saved her in his phone as: her (my artsy girl).

Yeah, maybe Mingi was a lot more into her than he had realized at first. But to be fair, there was nothing wrong about saving her like that. She is an artsy girl, and she’s—Mingi doesn’t want to elaborate on that just yet. And so, he’s pacing up and down in his not so big living room, walking around his couch and glancing down at his phone every few seconds. Okay, he’s effectively going crazy right now and he wants to pull out his hair. Which isn’t a smart idea, he fears his handsomeness stops at him going bald. And okay, maybe he’s spiraling. Maybe his heart is about to fall into his ass, and maybe he’s trying to take deep breaths in order to not pass out. Maybe Mingi is handling the radio silence horribly. Actually, make that horrifyingly bad, that’s how he’s not handling all this.

If he stops for a second and takes a deep breath, ripping his glasses off in frustration and rubs at his eyes quite painfully, he can feel it all coming back. The warm feeling he’s felt while they settled into her bed, the way his eyes lingered on her pursed lips as she searched for a movie to watch. And her room—let him not even get started on her room, Mingi fell in love with it. It’s just so her that he feels like he knows her a lot better now that she’s allowed him inside her safe place. Her drawings and paintings were breathtaking. He—he saw the drawing laying on her bed, sketchbook all open and shit, and yeah, he fought every muscle in his body to not grin and jump up and down in excitement at the replica of him in her own sketchbook. Mingi knew she would draw him sometimes, but now he’s wondering just how often she finds herself drawing him. Does that mean she thinks of him often? Or does she just simply get carried away and mindlessly draws whatever person comes to mind first? But if that’s the case, why would he come to her mind when she wasn’t even fixating on him?

Mingi is a mess, alright, he’s panicking. He’s panicking because he can still feel the ghost of her warm breath against his cheek, the feel of her soft skin. He was right there; the opportunity had been beautifully given to him—and he does not regret not kissing her. Yeah, he kissed the corner of her lips, because he wanted it to be her choice whether they actually kiss or not. Don’t get Mingi wrong, if it were after him, he fears he would have devoured her ages ago, but after so many years of struggling with his own emotions, he became really good at restraining himself, at having control over himself in tense situations. It’s both a curse and blessing in disguise, because he really just should have kissed her, dammit. Why is he such a considerate gentleman? They didn’t even kiss and she’s ignoring him now. Great job Mingi, you tried to avoid a disaster only for it to still become reality. Sometimes, he hates himself, but he thinks that’s okay. Everybody hates themselves a little bit at times, even if they deny it.

Mingi chews on his bottom lip and decides to place his phone face down on his couch and meditate—Mingi doesn’t know how to meditate. The air is chilly outside and maybe he forgot to pay some bills so his heater isn’t exactly working at the moment, but fear not, Mingi is a big boy—he’s a man, alright—and he will pay his bills. Tomorrow. So, due to this itsy bitsy tiny little fact, he might be bundled up in his sweater. Well…the sweater’s his now. It wasn’t his two days ago. It was her cousin’s, more precisely, but since she gave it to Mingi, it’s his now. And if he wears it almost every day, no, he doesn’t. It bogs his mind a little bit that it just so happens to resemble the same sweater Yunho used to love, to the point his mother had to hide it from him, that’s how often he’d wear it—and maybe this is another factor that makes Mingi cling to it that much more. Maybe the fact that it’s from someone he really likes, and the fact that it makes him remember someone he really loves, fucks with his mind. Especially if seasonal depression is hitting hard. He’s trying to fight it; he’s trying to do better—he’s promised Yunho and himself that he’d do better—but he feels his chest get heavy, and he hopes Seonghwa hurries his ass over before he can spiral even further into the madness his thoughts bring with themselves.

And Seonghwa, like the angel he is, does indeed save Mingi from the doom that has been looming over his head. There’s a knock at Mingi’s door and he jumps up from the couch, racing to the door. He makes it there in three long strides, his apartment really isn’t that huge. Seonghwa is smiling at him softly as Mingi opens the door for him, and so very out of character, Mingi lunges for his close friend and engulfs him in a tight hug, “Thank you for coming.”

Seonghwa is speechless and frozen for a second, but then he chuckles, “My, my, my, you must have been really lonely if you’re so happy to be in my company.”

“I’m always happy and eager to be in your company, Hwa.” Mingi says with a pout and makes way for his friend to step inside. Seonghwa chuckles, his round eyes twinkling under the light of Mingi’s lamp. It’s barely noon but rain clouds are gathering outside once again, and Mingi hates it with all of his soul. Why is it raining so much lately? Isn’t it supposed to snow, rather? It is almost the end of November, after all.

“I know.” Seonghwa whispers as he ruffles Mingi’s hair, having shaken off his coat and discarded his shoes at the door, he walks further inside Mingi’s apartment. He’s been here plenty of times, and he knows he can make himself at home and do whatever. Mingi doesn’t really mind. Seonghwa has a tote bag in his hands as he nears Mingi’s round table in the kitchen area—Mingi’s living room and kitchen are just one big room, divided by nothing—and Seonghwa starts emptying his bag onto the table. Mingi walks closer, peaking at the items Seonghwa has brought over. Dye and bleach. Okay, maybe Mingi’s at the brink of a lapse of judgement, but he knew Seonghwa wouldn’t bat an eyelash if he randomly called him up and asked him to help him change up his hair. Mingi’s been wanting a change for a while now, it’s almost unfortunate that she is the one that pushed him into enough ‘madness’ to finally do it. She is a catalyst for quite a few things happening in Mingi’s life right now, or so he had noticed.

“Are you sure you want to bleach your hair, Mingi?” Seonghwa’s voice carries doubt as Mingi leans his hip against the table, grabbing the bleach out of Seonghwa’s hands.

“Yup, pretty sure about it.” He mutters, his lips pursed as he turns the box over a few times.

“How come?” Seonghwa mirrors his pose, hips resting against the table and arms crossed in front of his chest. He has that critical look on his face, and Mingi considers for a second if it was smart to ask Seonghwa over Wooyoung to help him. Wooyoung is nosy, but at least he can be easily distracted. Seonghwa, however, he presses and presses until he gets the truth out of you. Mingi sometimes hates that, there are no secrets in front of Seonghwa, yet he holds too many secrets.

“I’ve been thinking about it for a while now, actually.” Mingi tries to sound nonchalant as he absentmindedly lets his fingers run through his dark locks.

“But?” Seonghwa raises one eyebrow and Mingi’s lips purse as he averts his eyes.

“Can you not interrogate me this time?” Mingi’s voice is whiney, nothing Seonghwa isn’t used to, “I just really need a change, no big deal.”

“Okay, fine, I believe you.” But Seonghwa doesn’t sound completely convinced as he says that, and Mingi offers him a very fake grin, smile boxy and full of teeth. It makes Seonghwa chuckle as he takes the bleach out of Mingi’s hands, and grabs his tote bag before he makes his way to Mingi’s bathroom. Like a puppy, Mingi follows after him as he grabs the dye, and turns on the light switch for Seonghwa as he places everything in his hands down on Mingi’s counter in the bathroom, “Silver blonde, then?”

Mingi hums and closes the lid of toilet, sitting on it as he watches his friend, “It’ll be a hard process though, I don’t promise I’ll be able to pull it off right away.”

“It’s fine, I don’t mind.” Mingi shrugs, fiddling with his fingers in his lap, “You’re pretty great at these type of things, I trust you.”

“Yeah, well, Hongjoong didn’t see my vision when I dyed his hair half blonde and half black.” Seonghwa huffs under his breath, still pretty salty about his boyfriend not liking the look as much as Seonghwa, and quite literally everyone else around him did. Mingi chuckles, still remembering Seonghwa sulk for a few days because of it. It was endearing how much Hongjoong’s opinion mattered to Seonghwa. When the two were together, Seonghwa’s eyes sparkled, and his skin glowed, his laughter more frequent, and disposition overall just happier. And Hongjoong—Mingi’s known him for four months now, that’s how long the two had been dating for—and despite Hongjoong trying to remain impassive around his lover, it was so very obvious of how in love he was with the taller one. Hongjoong rarely smiled, but when he was with Seonghwa, his cheeks would hurt and flush a light shade of red. Mingi quite quickly realized Hongjoong loved looking at Seonghwa, his eyes somehow always straying onto his lover, lingering there with profound love written all over his face. Mingi was witness to the almost disastrous end of their—at that time—short lived relationship as Seonghwa’s insecurities got the best of him and drew him away from Hongjoong. But Hongjoong didn’t give up, and partially thanks to Mingi—and Wooyoung—here they were now, happy and in love, looking forward to many more years together.

“Hongjoong is quite daft at times.” Mingi finds himself saying as he rolls his eyes, making Seonghwa pause his actions as he looks at Mingi sharply.

“You would never dare say that to his face.” And Seonghwa was right, Mingi would rather shit himself than badmouth Hongjoong to his face. That man might be shorter than Mingi himself, but he’s certain Hongjoong would drag him through all levels of hell and embarrass him to the point he’d be on the verge of tears—simpler put, Hongjoong is ruthless and sharp, and Mingi is scared of him.

“Of course, I wouldn’t dare say that to his face,” Mingi shudders, making Seonghwa almost smile, “He’d make me suffer in my next life too, if I did.”

“Serves you right for always talking shit about others.” Seonghwa chuckles, making Mingi scoff.

“I don’t even do that, hey, I’m just honest.”

“And dumb, but what’s new.”

            And just like that, Mingi finds himself half an hour later sitting on the cold tiles of his bathroom floor with Seonghwa, second round of bleach all set on his hair and burning just a little bit his scalp—Seonghwa reassured him multiple times that he wouldn’t go bald, but Mingi is still skeptical about it. A little bit too late for that now, I guess. Seonghwa had placed two towels on Mingi’s shoulders, one at the front and one at the back, to protect Mingi’s sweater in case the bleach dropped on it, and they were kind of dragging down Mingi’s sweater’s collar, but he wouldn’t complain about it just yet. They would be taking the bleach off soon, and he knows Seonghwa would go off on him for whining when all of this was Mingi’s idea in the first place. Music is playing softly in the background, and Mingi tsks as Seonghwa accidentally overlines his pinky nail, smudging his skin too with black nail polish.

“You’re so bad at this, Hwa.” Mingi groans, grimacing as Seonghwa’s tongue is stuck out as he concentrates on painting Mingi’s nails black. They were far from perfect, and Mingi’s heart mourns for a second, until he realizes it kind of looks cool. Edgy. Maybe Seonghwa is onto something.

“Yeah, because it’s usually Hongjoong who paints our nails, and not me.” Seonghwa’s gaze is sharp as he throws Mingi a look, Seonghwa’s own nails painted, but an obnoxious neon pink. It is a little bit out of Mingi’s comfort zone, but Seonghwa said he liked the color and wanted to try it out. And who is Mingi to judge? Plus, he would’ve been a really bad friend if he didn’t do as his close friend wished.

“Okay, done!” Seonghwa grins, closing the black nail polish and putting it aside, “We should wash out the bleach too, before you actually go bald—”

“Seonghwa!” Mingi screeches, getting to his feet in an instant as he faces the mirror on his wall, gaping at himself. His hair is a yellowish color; however it is turning whiter by the second.

“I’m just kidding.” Seonghwa snickers, and then, as if a bulldozer hit the side of the building of Mingi’s apartment complex, his front door is thrown open, and a loud screech resounds through the open door of his bathroom.

“I’ve arrived!” Undoubtedly, the high-pitched voice belongs to none other than their dear friend, Wooyoung, “And I’ve got pizza!”

“Lock the door!” Seonghwa calls out as Mingi leans over his bathtub, letting Seonghwa rinse out the bleach tenderly from his hair. Finally, Mingi’s scalp had felt like it was on fire, but he was too scared to let Seonghwa know. Now, he prays his fair won’t fall out completely. There is shuffling outside the door and then, Wooyoung in all of his glory, barrels through the open door.

“Damn, it smells like poisonous gases in here.” He gags, placing the pizza boxes on the floor as he beelines it for the small window, “And your music sucks.”

“Fuck off!” Mingi hisses, twisting his arm to give Wooyoung his middle finger, “Limp Bizkit is a great band!”

“Yeah, if you like noise.” Wooyoung huffs and suddenly the music is stopped, making Mingi groan as Seonghwa just chuckles, massaging the strawberry smelling soap into his hair.

“You are the noise here, Wooyoung.” Mingi fires back, making Seonghwa snort loudly as Wooyoung puts on some pop music, making Mingi groan. He isn’t in the mood to listen to pop music right now.

“Stop bickering,” Seonghwa says, rinsing the soap out of Mingi’s hair, “and feed me some pizza, Wooyoung.”

Wooyoung happily obliges as he opens one box, a slice already missing as he had eaten it on his way up to Mingi’s apartment, and he takes a slice for Seonghwa. He walks over to his two friends, and before he can feed Seonghwa, Wooyoung throws his left arm around Seonghwa’s waist and nuzzles up against his back, making Seonghwa sway and spray the side of Mingi’s face with water.

“Hey!” Mingi yelps as water enters his nose, making Wooyoung cackle into Seonghwa’s back as he hides his face in his friend’s back, inhaling Seonghwa’s familiar scent. Wooyoung can be a complete menace at times, but Mingi and Seonghwa would never admit they love him the way he is. It is hard not to when Wooyoung is such a good and respectful person.

“Oops, my bad!” Wooyoung giggles as he finally releases Seonghwa and holds pizza slice up to his mouth as Seonghwa takes a bite while putting conditioner in Mingi’s hair.

“You can see yourself out if you’re only here to disturb our piece of mind—Wooyoung!” Mingi, it seemed like, is Wooyoung’s target for the day as he had slaps Mingi’s ass hard, enjoying the way he is bent forward and over the bathtub. It makes Seonghwa laugh loudly, the cute sound has Mingi giggling too, and in no time, the three of them are shaking with laughter, reveling in each other’s company. There is nothing more healing to Mingi than spending his time with his closest friends—and Yunho, of course.

『In your arms, in your arms

Staying high in low places』

            More days passed and Mingi was helpless. He really doesn’t understand whether he has done something so deeply wrong to deserve this—to be ignored by her. It’s Sunday, and his texts weren’t even read. He thought of calling her, but ultimately talked himself down and found something else to do. Like write his sappy lyrics that is about her. Okay, Mingi has to admit this one. He feels like he is going crazy, and the problem is that he could talk about it to someone, but he just doesn’t want to. Not yet, at least. He is scared if he says it out loud, it would become reality. Her, leaving him. Not that they are together or anything, but Mingi just simply doesn’t want to lose the friendship that’s blossomed between them over the month. It was gradual and not sudden, he knew she still had some prejudice about him and didn’t fully trust him, but they were making progress. And now Mingi hates himself for the near kiss. If he had been a little bit smarter, more in control of himself, it would’ve never happened. And it kills him that he can’t turn back time, but would it change anything? Would he actually do it differently? Would he when she was looking at him with eyes that were shining with curiosity and want? When her expression was inviting and warm and yearning? Yeah, no, Mingi has self-control, but not to the point to stop himself from giving in when someone looked to be wanting just as much as him. And Mingi has to stop thinking about her, for God’s sake he’s been trying so hard over these past few days that he’s convinced he’s finally going mad, so when Wooyoung texts him that they are going out for dinner later tonight, Mingi jumps in delight and starts getting ready.

And they go to his favorite diner too—where him and her had met, and she was all wet from the rain and crying due to something unknown to Mingi—and he has to stop thinking about her when he’s with his friends! The atmosphere is light and cozy, lightning dim but not to the point you can’t see, and the music playing is retro and if Mingi turns around, he can see an elderly couple dance around happily, laughing and talking to each other. His stomach coils at the sight, and he tries to fight the yearning and sadness that tries to overtake him, he really does.

“So, Seonghwa,” Wooyoung breaks Mingi’s intense gaze and mindless thoughts, “how’s that art gallery looking?”

Seonghwa blushes for a second, and hides his mouth behind his palm as he tries to chew his chicken nugget faster, “Good, good. I found a spot for it, finally.”

Wooyoung beams at that and Mingi can see Hongjoong trying to bite down his smirk, “That’s amazing! Why haven’t you said anything?!”

“He thinks he’s gloating if he says anything,” It’s Hongjoong who answers instead of Seonghwa, and his answer makes both Mingi and Wooyoung roll their eyes at his words, “He thinks everything he’s achieved lately isn’t because of his own merit—”

“Hongjoong!” Seonghwa flushes even more, his cheeks already tinged pink from the alcohol he had consumed during the evening, “Why would you say that to them?!”

“So that there’s someone else other than me praising you for your hard work and letting you know that you are the reason these things are happening to you, my love.” Wooyoung pretends to gag when he hears the endearing words leave Hongjoong’s mouth, but Mingi just smiles and takes a sip of his own beer. It’s been a while since he had drunk, he felt the need tonight. He had hoped it would help him unwind—it wasn’t working so far.

“You need to stop having this impostor syndrome, Hwa.” Mingi hears himself talking, eyebrows furrowed as he steals a fry off of Wooyoung’s plate. The shorter one makes a sound of displeasure, and in a petty revenge, steals a pickle off of Mingi’s plate.

“Let’s stop talking about me, please.” Seonghwa says with a sigh, eyebrows furrowing, and it’s obvious he isn’t feeling comfortable. Mingi pretends he doesn’t see Hongjoong place his hand on Seonghwa’s thigh and squeeze. Mingi pretends he doesn’t suddenly feel a pang of jealousy towards the couple. They worked through their differences and doubts, and here they were, in love and going forward. Why could Mingi not have that too? Why did everyone abandon Mingi in the end? His parents told him he had to fend for himself if he chose to be a musician, and if it weren’t for his grandparents funding him until he has finished university—he doesn’t want to think where he’d be. Yunho had once abandoned him too, left him alone in this city, letting him unknowingly almost destroy himself. Wooyoung, now, has Seulgi and he spends a significant amount of his time with her, and is rarely up for their schedules gaming nights, Mingi feels abandoned. Seonghwa is like he has always been like, but he’s not as spontaneous as before. Sometimes Mingi just wants to go on night drives and listen to music and Seonghwa isn’t available because of Hongjoong anymore, Mingi feels abandoned.

“How’s the deal with the label going?” Hongjoong speaks up after the prolonged silence, not uncomfortable by any means, and Mingi heaves a sigh as he downs his beer in one go. Wooyoung raises an eyebrow at that.

“We’re still negotiating the terms, payment, and all the gist.” Mingi mutters, placing his chin in his palm. He’s not drunk, nor tipsy, but he feels a light buzz in his head. One more pint and he might just become tipsy.

“I see,” Hongjoong hums, rubbing his lower lip with two fingers, “But they’re treating you well, right?”

Hongjoong, as usual, is wearing fancy clothes. It’s a Sunday evening, yet he’s dressed to the nines. Mingi feels a little uncomfortable because of that—and just what’s his problem?! What’s gotten into him today? He’s never been like this before; he feels annoyed at himself.

“Yeah, yeah.” Mingi mutters, chewing on the inside of his cheek. Wooyoung, despite being labeled as someone who talks and talks without paying attention to those around himself, has picked up on Mingi’s displeased mood, and scoots his chair closer to his. He grins widely at Mingi and throws his arm around his friend’s shoulder, pulling Mingi into his side. Mingi doesn’t say anything despite not feeling up for the physical closeness, and allows Wooyoung to pinch his cheek.

“Lighten up, dude, what’s wrong?” Wooyoung asks, but not loud enough for Seonghwa and Hongjoong to hear as they have started softly conversing about something. Seonghwa is smiling, eyes narrowed and the way he’s leaning towards Hongjoong have both Wooyoung and Mingi knowing that he’s saying something inappropriate, and if Hongjoong’s eyes widening isn’t confirmation for Mingi and Wooyoung, then Hongjoong choking on his water certainly is.

“Nothing’s wrong.” Mingi gulps, picking around his food before he steals another fry from Wooyoung’s plate and dips it into his own ketchup, “I think I’m tired.”

“Dude, it’s a Sunday evening, how are you tried?” Wooyoung is confused as he finally releases Mingi, and he tries not to let it show on his face that he’s happy for the separation.

Mingi thinks for a second, though, and makes up a stupid lie, “I still haven’t recovered from yesterday’s game.”

“Right.” Wooyoung doesn’t believe him and it’s nothing new to the both of them, Wooyoung sees right through Mingi’s lies. Everyone does, actually, he can’t lie to save his life, “You know you can talk to me, right?”

“I just—” And Mingi almost goes off, but he abruptly remembers where he is as people start clapping behind him, “Nothing, I’m just tired. I’ll be fine, I promise.”

“Okay.” Wooyoung whispers while looking disappointed, and Mingi suddenly hates himself for making his friend feel like that. He can’t help but think he’s made Wooyoung feel like he’s not worthy of knowing Mingi’s thoughts, of knowing what his heart desires. And he wants to talk about how much it affects him that she hasn’t texted back—and probably won’t, Mingi came to the realization—but there’s a lump in his throat that is kind of making him choke up right now. And when he hears Seonghwa giggling, and he looks up, Hongjoong is leaning towards Seonghwa with a mischievous look on his face, and then Seonghwa steals a kiss from his boyfriend that makes Hongjoong freeze. Wooyoung is typing away on his phone, and Mingi knows he’s talking to his girlfriend, Seulgi, because who else would Wooyoung be talking to? And the lump in Mingi’s throat tightens and he abruptly stands, heartbeat quickening. His three friends look up at him alarmed, and Mingi’s embarrassed, but he can’t help himself as he grabs his phone off the table and pushes it in his pocket.

“Sorry, guys, I’m not feeling well.” Mingi croaks out, clearing his throat as his tone wavers, “I’ll head home now, you enjoy yourselves.”

“Hey, Mingi,” Hongjoong has concern written all over his face and it makes Mingi almost cry. He hates how sensitive he is, “I can drive you home—”

“That’s cool, man.” Mingi is shaking his head at the offer, he needs fresh air and a long walk to try and clear his mind, otherwise he’ll have a panic attack. He can feel it, and he does not want that.

“Mingi—”

“Seriously.” Before any of his friends could insist more, he throws his jacket on and waves at them. And then he’s out of the diner in a second, feeling a little bit bad for not greeting Dahyun first, but the place feels too stuffy and warm for him to stay inside anymore. He takes off and tries to take deep breaths, but his lungs won’t expand fully. His hands are slightly shaking as he grabs his phone out of his pocket and he unlocks it, staring down at her contact. Nothing, still. Mingi’s heart clenches and he bites his lower lip, stopping in the middle of the sidewalk. He can’t do this anymore; he feels like he’s breaking. He doesn’t understand why she won’t at least give him an explanation. Fine, she doesn’t want to be friends with him anymore, but she has to explain why. Mingi won’t rest until he doesn’t know the reason, and it’s making him crawl up a wall. He dials a number before he can even think more about it, and he finds himself teary eyed at the familiar male voice.

“Hey, Ming!” It’s cheery as always, and Mingi knows Yunho is smiling on the other end, “Fancy seeing you call, it’s not like I haven’t heard your voice like—four hours ago.”

“Yunho.” And Mingi feels horrible for worrying Yunho, because the last time he called his best friend and sounded like this—things were bad. And by the way Yunho goes quiet before he gasps quietly, Mingi knows he fucked up and he shouldn’t have called when he feels so all over the place, but he needed to hear his best friend’s voice, he needs Yunho. Because there’s no one else like Yunho in the world. No one else who understand him like Yunho. No one else who knows him like Yunho. No one else who’s always been next to him like Yunho has been. No one else who loves him unconditionally like Yunho does.

“Mingi, what’s wrong?” Yunho sounds panicked and before Mingi can stop himself, a tear falls down his cheek, “Please, talk to me. Do I—do I have to come home? I can drive down right now, but it’ll take two hours—”

“Yunho,” And Mingi’s now crying as he crosses the road quickly, walking to a park that’s dimly lit so he can cry in peace, away from prying eyes—not that there are many people out at this hour, “You don’t—don’t have to come home, I just—I’m so confused, and I’m tired, and I need someone.”

“Mingi, you have me, tell me what’s wrong.” Yunho’s voice is soft and Mingi is grateful they aren’t on facetime, because he’s positive Yunho’s eyes are filled with tears right now, and that would just make him cry harder. He tries to wipe at his cheeks, but the tears just keep coming, and the lump in his throat gets harsher and makes it a little hard to speak, but Mingi powers through.

“I met this girl,” He sniffs loudly and takes a deep breath, and Yunho is quiet, listening closely, “you know her, I’ve talked about her a few times.”

“The girl who paints and draws, right?” Yunho asks just to make sure.

“Yes.” Mingi sniffs, his tears becoming fewer, “And she’s—there was a heavy rain on Thursday and I drove her home before it got that bad, but I would have had to wait for it to pass in my car—but she invited me inside. And it was fine, it was fun and everything went well and then—then I—she—we almost kissed. Her mother got home and she interrupted us, and it’s just, she was a little weird right after it, but—she—she hasn’t texted back since Thursday, Yunho. She didn’t even look at my messages and I sent her plenty. I—I don’t know what to do because I think—I think I like her a lot, Yunho, and I don’t want to lose her over something so banal. We’re not even a thing, we’re just friends, but I—I don’t want to lose her too.”

What a word-vomit, Mingi thinks, as he sniffs loudly and rubs at his nose and cheeks with the sleeve of his jacket, sitting on a bench as he pulls his legs up and hugs them to his chest. Yunho is quiet for a second on the other end, until he sighs long.

“Oh, Mingi,” He sounds sad, and it makes Mingi chew on his bottom lip again, holding back a new flood of tears, “That’s so fucked, what the hell! I know you feel like shit, and I know what you are thinking right now—I’ve known you for my whole life—so, please, stop blaming yourself for her own actions and reactions. You didn’t do anything wrong and she should treat you better. You don’t deserve to be ignored and you do deserve an explanation. I’m sorry I can’t be physically there for you.”

“This is enough.” Mingi whispers, feeling his heart less heavy now that he’s said all that, “It’s enough that you listen to me and reassure me. Hearing your voice is enough too, Yuyu.”

Yunho chuckles on the other end and Mingi cracks the smallest smile, “You’re so sappy, but I’m glad I’m able to help even if I’m not there with you. I would tackle you in a big hug right now and definitely buy your favorite chips and go on a drive with you, if I could.”

Now, that makes Mingi sad again, dammit, “You know what? Maybe you should drive here tonight.”

Yunho snorts, and Mingi stands, determined to walk home now, “I am planning on going home in a few weeks, actually.”

“Why not tomorrow?” Mingi insists, eyebrows furrowing at having to wait that much more. It’s been almost two months since Yunho has come home.

“We’ll, I’ve already got—”

“Stuff to do and shit.” Mingi cuts his best friend off, already knowing what he would say. They snort at the same time and then break into quiet giggles. Mingi is content all of a sudden, head a little clearer and lump from his throat gone, finally.

“I miss you.” Yunho beats Mingi to it, and Mingi smiles from ear to ear as he turns onto his street, he doesn’t live that far away from the diner.

“And I miss you too.” Mingi says it back, tipping his head back as he looks up at the night sky. The sky is finally clear and he can see the stars and the moon. It makes him smile again, Mingi loves the moon a little bit too much, perhaps, “I love you, Yuyu.”

“I love you, Min.”

And to Mingi, there is nothing more therapeutic than talking to his best friend, hearing his voice, being in his presence and able to share his affections towards him. Yunho is too precious to him.

Sunday (1:01 am)

Me: …you’re ignoring me, arent u? im sorry, y/n, i dont know what i did wrong, but we can talk about it we’re friends, after all…right?

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A/N: So, hi again. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, because I have another surprise for you all hehet. If you are interested in Seonghwa and Hongjoong's story, I can happily tell you that I have created their own spin-off on AO3 and it's called Our Atoms Fusing. It's on-hold currently, but I am happy to announce that I will be picking up writing for that too, and it will have in total around 7~8 parts. So, check it out if interested! ^^ I've kept this a secret for long as I wanted the timing to be right lol, despite the hints I have dropped about them, I am so glad I can finally talk about it. Istg, I'm obsessed with these two, I can't wait to continue their story too! And sorry if there are mistakes, I'm spent lol.

Also, if you happened to notice the mistake I made, no you don't, shhh.

[om-nom-snom]

Can I request headcanons of Leon crushing on a sweet, book-obsessed reader who is also a Fairy-type specialist please?

[A Fairy Specialist]

Leon x Reader

Leon happened to meet you when he barged into Sonia's lab, wanting to ask her a few questions and deciding to just 'pop by'

Instead, he finds himself face to face with an unimpressed gardevoir and a very attractive person he's never met before perusing a bookshelf

You been invited by Sonia to look through her collection of research, a Pokémon professor in training yourself with a penchant for fairy types

Both Leon and Sonia are quick to apologise for him interrupting you, the professor chiding Leon for not asking if she was already busy

The champion is fine letting the words roll off him, however, much too interested in you

After you say it's okay for him to stay and speak with Sonia you go back to your papers, gardevoir still keeping an eye on the strange man

After a couple of questions, of which you help answer, Leon is just about swooning at how smart you are

Unfortunately, he can't stick around all day

The champion doesn't even make it home before he messages Sonia to ask questions about you

Sonia sees what he's getting at miles away and is so here for it

He does come back to the lab a few days later with the same excuses

With Sonia out on fieldwork, you make yourself and Leon a cuppa while you try to answer his questions

He tries to sneak in some questions about your personal life but he's not very slick, Leon ends up blushing every time you laugh before answering him

It does lead to him figuring out what your favourite Pokémon in galar is, however

Galarian ponyta

Unfortunately due to the nature of your work, and your interest in fairy types merely being a hobby, there's no way for you to travel all the way to glimwood tangle just for one pokemon

So imagine your surprise when Leon shows up again a week later and offers you a pokeball

Did he just go camp out in glimwood tangle for a couple nights looking for the perfect ponyta? Of course not....

He absolutely did

Seeing the smile on your face as you fawn over the pastel Pokémon is the best reward he could've asked for

Leon won't say no when you offer to take him out for coffee as thanks, though

[mymoodwriting]

Request for Anon (Yandere Werewolf!Wonwoo) 3.4k, yandere, ABO dynamics, aggressive behavior, supernatural, kidnapping, restraints, biting, blood (@starillusion13)

“Ignore the Sigma House.”

It was your first day of uni and you were following a student tour guide around campus. Your whole group were incoming freshmen, all of you bright eyed and unaware of what uni was really like. After the initial tour you wound up at the involvement fair, a place where all the clubs and sports gathered around to recruit new people. Of course this also included the fraternities and sororities. You were all allowed to go your own way as this was the end of the tour, but your tour guide did warn you to avoid the Sigma House.

“Those guys are just a bunch of animals.”

The warning did nothing to help as those same people overheard and came over to greet all the freshmen. They were super energetic and welcoming, going to show maybe the tour guide had a personal bias they were pushing on you.

“… ha… hi…”

You didn’t notice someone had approached you until you heard a nervous greeting, turning around to find a tall boy with glass giving you an awkward smile.

“Hello…”

“You’re really pretty.”

“Ah, thank you.”

“Uh… so, I’m Wonwoo, and the Sigma house is-”

“I’m y/n, and I’m a girl, and Sigma is a fraternity, right? Which means boys only.”

“Right, right, sorry…”

“It’s okay. I’m sure you’ll find some great guys to recruit. I’m gonna check out the rest of the fair.”

“Yeah, yeah, have fun.”

“You too.”

As you said, you took a look at all the tables at the involvement fair, signing up for a few things to get freebies, and thinking of giving them a shot down the line. When you finished with all that you went off to your dorm, needing to unpack, and still get some boxes moved in. While moving around you ended up bumping into Wonwoo.

“Hello again.”

“Oh, hi, what are you doing here? Don’t you dorm in the frat house?”

“Yeah, yeah, we just like to help others, especially when it comes to moving into the dorm.”

“Ah…”

Without asking he took one of the boxes you had and gestured for you to lead the way. You weren’t going to deny some help, so he followed you as you got all your things to your dorm and the two of you started to get to know each other.

“What year are you?”

“Junior.”

“Oh wow, halfway there.”

“You can say that.”

“Do you like this place?”

“The professors are good, and there are plenty of resources to take advantage of. I think you’ll like it.”

“This was one of my top choices, but this will be my first time living alone. Well, not completely alone as I have a roommate but you know what I mean.”

“Yeah. It’s something else, but I’m lucky to have my brothers looking out for me.”

“Brothers? Oh, you mean the frat house.”

“Yup. You know, we are having a party tonight to celebrate all the new people. It’s open to everyone. You should come by. It’s a great way to socialize and meet new people.”

“I’ll think about it.”

“If you come by-”

“Wonwoo!”

You were startled as someone shouted, seeing another boy come over and grab Wonwoo. He offered you a smile, but said nothing as he pulled Wonwoo away. 

“I’ll see you at the party!” Wonwoo yelled. “Bye now.”

“Bye.”

It was kinda weird that someone just showed up and dragged Wonwoo away, but you figured it was probably one of his frat brothers who needed him for something. Now that it was just you it was much easier to unpack and get your things all set up. While you were doing that you met your roommate, Misu. You helped her with her things and you both began to get acquainted with one another. You also used the time to mention any allergies or rules you kinda wanted to set down.

“So, I heard the Sigma house is throwing a party, you in?”

“I don’t know…”

“The rumor is they throw the best parties.”

You really weren’t one for parties, but in the end Misu ended up convincing you to go with. You had nothing else to do, so it wasn’t a bad thing in any way. You weren’t sure what to expect, but there were certainly a lot of people. The atmosphere was definitely vibrant and alive, everyone around seeming to be having a good time. Unlike yourself, Misu was a social butterfly, immediately engaging with people. You felt more awkward than anything else. It wasn’t long before Misu disappeared from sight and you were alone.

You thought to hang around for a while, going into the house and looking around. You didn’t see Wonwoo though, figured he was busy with others anyway. This was his party so he probably had things to do. After a while you dipped, preferring to take in the campus at night before returning to your dorm. Tomorrow was day one, and you wanted to be well rested. Going by the noises around you, that wouldn’t be the case for others. It would take some getting used to all this, the bed and atmosphere, but this was what you wanted. Eventually you’d get used to it all, but you had to take it one day at a time.

🖤

It wasn’t exactly easy to sleep that first night, but you were ready for the first day. There wasn’t much to expect though. As freshmen, and this being your first week, it was all mostly syllabus talk and class expectations. So you were just going from one to another, which was honestly kind of boring, and that’s how the whole week went.

“Y/n.”

After one of your classes you heard your name, surprised to find Wonwoo waving you over. He had been waiting for you.

“Hey, how are you?”

“Good. I missed you at the party.”

“Yeah, sorry, I was tied up.” Wonwoo explained. “How’s the first week going?”

“Oh you know, the usual, just going over class stuff. No real learning just yet, although I do need a partner for-”

“I’ll do it.”

You chuckled. “Wonwoo, you’re not in my class. I need a project partner.”

“Ah, right, right…”

It was kinda funny to see how Wonwoo got. He was probably shy around you, but still making an effort to talk to you. Although you had no idea how he found you. The campus was huge and you were going back and forth all day. Guess he got lucky.

“You know… we’re having another party at the end of the month.”

“Wow, guess you guys do party a lot.”

“No, not really, but this next one is to celebrate getting past the drop out deadline, meaning you are committing to your classes. Or at least intend to.”

“I see. Well, I’ll think about it.”

You started running into Wonwoo more often. He liked talking to you, and he also checked in with you, asking if you needed help with anything. He was very sweet, especially that time he brought you a smoothie. Besides keeping you company and making you feel less alone, he really did let you know about all the best places around campus. You knew where to go when you really needed to focus, and what the best drinks on campus were. To you he was like your unofficial mentor, making it easier for you to adjust to uni life. Of course you didn’t always have time for him, but he did his best to be around.

“Hey, y/n!”

You heard Wonwoo shout for you, finding him in the crowd and waving over to him. Before you could get to him you noticed someone else grab him and try to drag him off. You could see a little altercation going on, but couldn’t make anything out. In the end they dragged Wonwoo off and you were left a bit confused. You figured he had something important he had neglected. You didn’t think too much about it until you were approached by someone else.

“You’re y/n, right?”

“Uh… why?”

“Keep away from Wonwoo.”

“What? Who are you to-”

“You’re a distraction for him and he needs to focus on his studies.”

“I don’t understand. Doesn’t he balance-”

“He has responsibilities, and you’re just getting in his way. For both your sakes, I suggest you avoid him.”

“But-”

“We’re not gonna let some freshmen mess him up, got it?”

“I… I’m sorry… I didn’t know…”

“Just stay away from him.”

“Okay…”

You really couldn’t understand why things had gotten so serious, but you tried to make sense of it. After all, Wonwoo was part of a fraternity, those people tended to take the brotherhood seriously, and look out for one another. Not to mention they had all kinds of codes and rules among themselves. You didn’t see Wonwoo for a while after that incident, but soon enough you ran into him again. The first thing that came to mind was his tall friend cornering you and telling you to stay away. Despite seeing Wonwoo, and probably making eye contact, you ducked your head down and tried to get lost in the crowd. That didn’t work though as Wonwoo chased you down and grabbed your arm.

“Hey, I was calling you.”

“I have to get to my next class…”

“You have a free period right now.”

“Look, I don’t wanna cause trouble or be a burden to you, so can you please let go.”

“A burden? Who said that?”

“I appreciate you looking out for me, but I can take care of myself.”

Those words seemed to piss him off as his grip on your arm got tighter. You whimpered and asked him to let you go, but he did no such thing.

“Who told you all this?”

“Wonwoo-”

“Who? Did one of my brothers say something to you?”

“No one said-”

“Don’t lie to me. Who?”

“I don’t know… he was tall… and told me to stop being a distraction…”

“They are unbelievable.” Wonwoo hissed. “Come on.”

“Huh? Wait, Wonwoo, where are you taking me?”

He didn’t answer you, instead pulling you along. By now the crowd had basically disappeared, and no one cared to get involved with the scene. That is until a few other boys came by and pulled Wonwoo away. You expected there to be some arguing, but instead Wonwoo threw a punch. You stumbled back a few steps as the group of boys began to grab Wonwoo and basically try to restrain him. One told you to leave, but you were kinda frozen in place from the shock.

“I told you to leave!”

The guy shoved you with enough force to knock you down. It was so unexpected you ended up scrapping your hands, drawing a bit of blood. You whimpered, taking a look at your injury when you heard a growl. Your vision snapped over to see Wonwoo fighting against his friends, his eyes locked on you. For a moment you swear his eyes changed, but next thing you knew someone was in your field of vision and helping you up. They took hold of your arm and pulled you away from the scene. You tried to look back, still wondering what it was you had seen, but you couldn’t see Wonwoo clearly anymore.

The person who took you away from the scene brought you over to one of the gender neutral bathrooms on campus. Without saying anything he began to attend to your cuts, cleaning them up and getting the first aid kit to properly wrap them. They weren’t harsh, which you were grateful for, although they didn’t seem that friendly either. This wasn’t the guy who had come to see you before and told you to stay away from Wonwoo. Still, the silence was awkward and you had to at least thank him. It seemed like he was reading your mind as he spoke before you got the chance.

“I don’t need a thank you, but you were told to avoid him.”

“I… I tried… but he-”

“We know. We’ll keep a better eye on him.”

“Okay… can I at least know your name?”

“Jeonghan.”

“And all you guys are from Sigma, right?”

“Yes.”

“So-”

“Enough. Make sure to check on the wound so it doesn’t get infected.”

With that said Jeonghan left the restroom. You hung around for a moment, collecting your thoughts. It seemed they would keep their word as you didn’t see Wonwoo for weeks. You figured they finally got it through his head that it was a bad idea to hang around a freshman. It did suck as it felt like losing a friend, but you had also been using him as an excuse not to socialize. One friend was enough, or at least you told yourself, but it would be better to have friends your own age who are going through similar things as you.

You got into your own rhythm with school work and social activities. Before you knew it midterms had arrived. Of course your roommate had mentioned some parties, some hosted by Sigma, but you skipped out on them. The alcohol and loud music and possible drugs and one night stand objectives wasn’t really you. Besides, you’d be more likely to run into Wonwoo if you went out partying. You didn’t think you were missing anything. Most nights you’d head over to the library for some studying. It was always quiet once the sun went down, that is unless you walked by a party.

“Y/n.”

You didn’t even stop to look, just picking up the pace but you heard footsteps right behind you, and soon enough a hand grabbed your arm and turned you around.

“Don’t walk away from me.”

“Please leave me alone.”

“Look, I need to apologize.”

“Apologize?”

“My brothers crossed the line with threats, and shouldn’t have involved themselves.”

“Are you okay?”

“Huh?”

“You’ve been gone for days now… I mean I don’t know your schedule or anything, but you’ve been okay, right?”

“Yeah… I’m fine.”

“Then we can part ways.”

“What?”

“You really helped me adjust to campus life, but your brothers are clearly worried about you, and I don’t want to get in the way of anything.”

“You’re not. I-”

“Your brothers don’t want us to socialize, and I’m gonna respect that.”

“Fuck them.”

“What?”

“They don’t know anything! I’m not just gonna leave you alone cause they said so. I want to get to know you and be your friend, your closest confidant, and they’re not-”

“Wonwoo, do you hear yourself? What is going on with you!? Cause you’re not the person I met.”

“I’m fine, we’re fine, so can we just move past this and-”

“No!” 

You tried to get yourself free from Wonwoo, but his grip was firm. As you struggled his hold only got tighter, and it started to hurt.

“Wonwoo… let go… you’re hurting me…”

“I’m not gonna let them get in between us again.”

“Wonwoo, what are you talking about? It’s my decision-”

“It’s not! They’ve said stupid shit and you believe them.”

“It doesn’t matter if I do, I don’t want to be around you.”

“You… you don’t mean that…”

“Wonwoo, please let go. Maybe we can talk later or-”

“No, there is no later. When they realize I snuck out and-”

“You snuck out? See, your brothers are worried about you.”

“They don’t care, they’re just getting in the way.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Us. You’re coming with me.”

“Wonwoo, I’m not going anywhere with-”

“I’m not asking.”

Now you were panicking and really trying to free yourself, but Wonwoo wouldn’t budge. He began to drag you along with him, but you fought him. Although when you started screaming he pulled you close. You could barely register what was happening until he had your back pressed against his chest, and he was forcing your mouth open while he poured some liquid down your throat. You tried not to swallow, but you soon began to feel dizzy, your vision starting to go dark.

“… wonwoo…”

🖤

As you began to regain consciousness the first thing you felt was cold. You opened your eyes to darkness, and even once you adjusted to the light there wasn’t much to see. You apparead to be in some kind of concrete room, like a basement. You were sitting on a mattress and then you realized the chain around your ankle. Panic started to build up and you tried to get the restraint off, but it was no use. You couldn’t do much else but scream for help, hoping someone would hear you. The only way out was the door, but you soon realized you couldn’t get anywhere near it. You were about to scream again when you heard voices.

They were approaching fast, and it seemed to be some kind of commotion. You quickly backed up, tripping over the chain and collapsing onto the mattress. When the door opened you were momentarily blinded by the light. Although once you could see again the scene before you didn’t make much sense. A group of boys threw Wonwoo into the room, yelling at him to get his head on straight and calm down. In response Wonwoo growled back, making an attempt to escape, only to get thrown back in. You locked eyes with him, seeing them glow in a strange way which struck fear into you. That’s when everyone else became aware of your presence but it was far too late. 

Wonwoo scrambled over to you, pulling you into his arms and nuzzling your neck. You went still, suddenly finding it hard to breathe. Your eyes were wide with fear and the others had come into the room, all of them in disbelief as well. They tried to get Wonwoo to let you go, only for him to snap back at them and bite one of them. You saw blood spill on the floor, trying to cower away but then Wonwoo pulled you close again, this time getting behind you and wrapping his arms around your waist. He had your back pressed against his chest, nuzzling the crook of your neck once more as he breathed in your scent.

“Wonwoo, let her go!”

“How the fuck did she get in here?” One asked. “When?”

“Wonwoo!”

“She’s my mate.” Wonwoo growled. “She can’t leave!”

“He’s in a fucken rut right now, he’s not thinking straight.”

“I told you guys we shouldn’t have let him out!”

“Then what were we supposed to do with him?”

“Someone go get Seungcheol and Jeonghan.”

“What’s going on…” You mumbled. “I… I don’t…”

“Y/n, right? Everything’s going to be okay.”

One of the boys tried to get close, only for Wonwoo to growl and his hold over you to get tighter. You could feel something digging into your arms, looking down to see Wonwoo had claws and they were digging into your skin.

“Let go!” You cried. “Please, please, Wonwoo…”

“It’s okay.” He whined. “Everything’s going to be okay.”

“You’re hurting me…”

“I’m sorry… I don’t mean to…”

“Please, just let go.”

“But then you’ll try to leave.”

“I won’t run away, I promise.”

“I don’t believe you.”

Wonwoo let out a whine, pressing soft kisses onto your shoulder, then you felt the pain. You screamed as he dug his teeth into your flesh, feeling the blood run down your arm. The guys really started to panic then, yelling at Wonwoo to stop and desperately trying to get you away from him. One of them broke the chain that was around your ankle, and the managed to get you out of Wonwoo’s grasp. They pinned him to the ground, a handful of them using their own weight to keep him still. By then your vision had gotten blurry and you could barely stand on your own. You collapsed to the floor, the world spinning around you. Your breaths were heavy and labored as you tried to calm yourself down.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck, what do we do?”

“The fuck happened!?”

“Don’t yell at us, Seungcheol! Yell at Wonwoo!”

“You were also supposed to watch him.”

You could barely make out the gentleman in your field of view. He was trying to talk to you but his voice sounded so far away from you. His hand hovered over your bite mark, looking it over.

“Is the bite gonna take?”

“I’m not sure. Wonwoo, what the fuck!?”

Seungcheol and the others looked back at Wonwoo. He had stopped struggling but was merely watching everything. Once he realized all eyes were on him he smiled, showing his bloody teeth proudly.

“Mine.”

[masked-vee]

Harmonia Warm Welcome

The three young prodigies met their professors with the burlap Baneumbreon, making double sure that the children were safe in the university, and he was reassured, multiple times.

After a teary goodbye, from Mouse and Stitches, Marcin lead the trio to their dorm.

"And here we are. Home, sweet dorm." The shiny Lopunny smiled. "The previous students that lived here had a bunk bed in one room. Since that Stitches guy said that Mouse can't sleep by themself, you three will need to discuss the sleeping arrangements."

The trio listened while getting accustomed to their new surroundings.

"If you need anything, don't hesitate to call any of your councilors or professors at the front desk." The Lopunny assured. "Now, if you three got everything under control, I'll be out of your way. I've got a mountain of paperwork to file..." Marcin mumbled at the end.

"Thank you for having us here." Grey bowed politely.

"You're quite welcome, young mix." The shiny Lopunny returned the bow. "Welcome to Harmonia University." Was the last thing he said before closing the door. He sighed, and hopped his way to the staff room.

Unbeknownst to him, three students were walking down that same hallway.

"Remember you two, we need to make a good impression on these kids, that means no Mankey business." The Sneasler said.

"I'll refrain from the fangirling, Fiona. What I'm more curious about is the rumors around them." The shinx said.

"Violeta, these kids haven't been here for a day, and they've already got rumors about them?" Fiona asked.

"Yeah, I heard whispers that the little masked Eevee's dad is actually a demon. And the kid wears that mask to hide their demon face." The Lycanroc exclaimed.

"What about that rumor about the Rockruff, I heard he was killed and revived with amnesia." Violeta said.

"Or that Zorua being a princess from another dimension."

"Medley, Violeta, while those rumors are plausible, I think It'd be best not to bring those rumors up around them." Fiona said. The trio quieted down when they heard voices on the other side of the door.

They all put their ears to the door...

"...All I I'm saying is that we're going to need a code word when things get overwhelming for Mouse." Grey said.

"Of course, But what would be a good word...?" A more mature female voice said.

"Maybe fluff?" Oaken suggested. "That would be my word, but since it's Mouse's word, we should let them come up with it."

"I like fluff." Mouse signed.

"Looks like fluff is staying." The woman's voice said.

"Did one of them bring there mom here?" Violeta asked.

"They couldn't have, only their dad dropped them and their friends off." Medley replied.

"Hold on... I think I heard something." Grey said as footsteps approached the door.

Thinking fast, Fiona knocked on the door. There was a moment of silence, until the door opened slightly, and the Zorua peered out. "Are you one of the new prodigy students?" The Sneasler asked.

"Yes... Who are you?" Grey asked in a suspicious tone.

"Fiona, and these are my friends, Violeta and Medley." Fiona answered. "May we come in and introduce ourselves."

Quietly, Grey opens the door, allowing the the trio entry. Oaken was sitting at their desk writing things down, and Mouse backed themself into a corner, wrapping their arms around their knees and tail wrapped around their feet.

Slowly, Medley sat down next to Mouse, carefully as to not make the nervous Eevee feel cornered. "I'm Medley. What's your name?" The Lycanroc said.

"I'm Mouse." Mouse signed, still nervous.

Medley smiled a little, not really sure how to react. "I... I don't know what that means."

"I do, they said their name is Mouse." Grey said. "They're too shy to speak, so they use sign language to communicate."

"By the way, do you have someone else here with you?" Violeta asked.

"What do you mean?" Oaken tilted his head. "It's just me, Mouse, and Grey."

"We thought we heard another voice." The shinx explained.

"I think you mean me." Mouse pulled a green hilt out of their pocket. "My name is Elizabeth. And I'm this kid's guardian and protector." Everyone looked at Mouse and Elizabeth in amazement. "This child may be small, but they're stronger than they look."

"Mouse and I were enrolled due to our better than average stats for your typical Eevee and Zorua." Grey explained.

"And Oaken?" Fiona pointed to the Rockruff.

"I'm just really good at math." Oaken smiled with a giggle, causing everyone laugh with him.

"Anyway..." Fiona cleared her throat. "Anyway, we just wanted to stop by and give you three a warm welcome."

"And what better way than inviting you to a little friendly game night." Medley smiled, wagging their tail.

"And don't worry, we'll make sure our friends aren't too immature." Fiona assured.

"We're gonna be playing Jackbox!" Violeta grinned.

"You just need a phone, a tablet, or a laptop, and the game host takes care of the rest." Medley explained.

"Only if you guys want to." Fiona said.

Grey thought for a moment, then looked at her friends, as if they shared the same thought. "Okay, We'll join you." Grey smiled. "It sounds fun."

"Great!" Medley jumped up. "We set up in one of the library's study room tonight at 6:00."

"Alright, you two, let's leave so the kids can finish unpacking." Fiona said as she ushered her friends out. "We hope to see you soon."

When they left, Mouse stood up very excited. They looked over to see Grey's with a conflicted look on her face. They put a paw on her shoulder, making her look at the tiny Eevee. Reassuringly, The Zorua held their paw. "It's okay, Mouse. Letting my guard down is hard after what happened. Hopefully during the game tonight, I can actually relax."

Later that night, the Jackbox session went off without a hitch! There were laughs, jovial names thrown, snacks shared, a good time was had by all.

Maybe this would be a safe place after all.

Marcin, Fiona, Medley, and Violeta belong to @harmonia-university

Hope you liked it!

[fangirleaconmigo]

Hi! Sorry to bother you but I'm currently looking for like 4 different fics, which are all geraskier:

- The first takes place after the mountain breakup and Jaskier encounters another Witcher, who I believe is Lambert?? Basically he becomes Lambert's new travel companion, even creating some new songs for him. He eventually takes Jaskier to the keep, which Geralt is at as well, and they just kind of try to make Geralt jealous, even going as far as to pretend they had sex in the room next to him. Yeah, he's hurt... but they work through it.

- the second I'm not sure when it takes place, but Jaskier had died. It's a non-human/creature Jaskier. He sprouts up in the middle of a field and basically begins wandering around. we follow him as he goes through this and begins to relearn everything he once knew. There's a scene where he (unintentionally) terrorizes a family at a camp, and as they flee, the father feels for Jask, despite him being well... a monstrous being.

- The third one is kind of a modern au. Since witchers get to live long, he and the rest of the gang (including Ciri, Yen, Regis, etc.) have just lived through everything until the 21st century. Jaskier, having been mortal, died a long time ago. But recently, his body had gone missing. Julian is a professor, I believe he's a uh History professor? Nonetheless, all i remember is that Roach is a van and they got hunted by vampires at some point. I think Geralt owns a villa at a town in which Yen is the mayor. Julian's parents do NOT like Geralt because he's a witcher.

- The last i believe is an established relationship fic. But basically, Jaksier is hit with a curse or something, but it's causing him to age backwards now. So of course this leads to him forgetting about Geralt. That's just kind of it, they're trying to enjoy the time they have left with each other and their memories. It ends when Jaskier turns 18 once again, the same age at which he met Geralt.

Anyway thank you sm and I'm very sorry about the incredibly long ask 😬 (you very much do not need to answer)

Hi Nonny,

I'm going to put this out there for my followers. None of those sound like any fics I've read (shockingly enough, because I've read a lot of fics) so I'm hoping someone else can ask. They sound very cool though. (Jaskier growing in a field? I want to know what that one is)

Also, I'm tagging in @wren-of-the-woods for the last one, because they love fics with curses, so maybe they can help with that one.

[lutiaslayton]

Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva

ＰＡＲＴ　０３

〚ＦＩＲＳＴ〛〚ＰＲＥＶ〛〚ＮＥＸＴ〛

Disclaimer: This is a fan-translation for the Japan-exclusive novellisation of the movie Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva. The original novel was written by Aya Matsui under the supervision of Akihiro Hino, and belongs to Level-5.

This translation only aims to be a pleasant read for non-Japanese fans, nothing more: I made a few deliberate changes while translating in order to get the writing style closer to what is usually found in English fanfictions, as the Japanese storytelling can sometimes be different than what we are used to.

── Three years ago

＊ A Letter from Janice Quatlane

“Professor, there is a letter for you!”

I held out for him an envelope which had his name on it in neatly drawn cursive.

“Who is it from, Luke?”

He did not look up to read it himself, as I noticed that his eyes were currently glued to his microscope. Scotland Yard had sent him some fossils and asked for his expertise on them.

So I turned the letter around to look at the sender, and read:

“Janice… Quatlane…”

“Janice…” he repeated, deep in thought.

I frowned. “P-Professor, this isn’t the same Janice Quatlane as the opera singer Janice Quatlane, is it?”

“Of course it is,” he simply responded.

“But… You’re saying it so casually! Janice Quatlane is an immensely popular singer in London, maybe even in the entire United Kingdom! Her records always end up selling out so fast in Misthallery…”

As I was still talking, Emmy came back. She was working as the professor’s assistant and would travel around every day to help him with his puzzle solving.

“Luke, you’re so loud that I could hear you all the way from the front gate. So, what’s sold out?”

“Music records… But that’s not important. The professor received a letter from Janice Quatlane, that singer!”

“Whaaat!?”

I was ready to assume that Emmy’s surprised voice must have reached all the way up to the bells of Big Ben, not just the front gate.

“Professor, are you acquainted with Janice Quatlane?”

Our shared excitement finally convinced him to look up from his microscope.

“Janice graduated in Gressenheller. Her major was in the Faculty of Arts, but she also opted for some archaeology classes. She was an enthusiastic and serious student.”

Having said that, he took the letter from my hands, a paper knife from his desk, and removed the seal.

As soon as he ran his eyes over the letter, tension flashed on his face. Emmy’s expression became stern when she saw him.

“Is that a new case?” she asked gravely.

Once he was done reading, the professor took a deep breath, then answered:

“I am not sure we can yet call this a case… but this certainly seems to be a very curious puzzle.”

Emmy eagerly took the letter from his hands when he offered, and she started reading it aloud so I could hear.

Professor Layton, how have you been? For my part, I have just met quite the astonishing event. My friend Melina Whistler, who died of illness a year ago, has come back to life. What’s more, she is now taking the form of a seven-year-old girl… This child knows secrets that only Melina and I could know. I can only assume that this truly is her. To my utter shock, she also said: 　　“I was granted eternal life, Janice.” There is an upcoming performance for a new opera at the Crown Petone Theatre, called ‘The Eternal Kingdom,’ in which I will play the lead role. Professor, please come to this opera. I need you to solve this mystery. 　　　　　To Professor Layton, 　　　　　　my esteemed teacher, 　　　　　　　　　　　Janice Quatlane

As the contents of the letter were unravelled to me, I couldn’t help but get excited.

“Granted eternal life, she says?”

In the ten long years I had lived, never had I ever heard of such a strange story. And yet, ever since I met professor Layton, my days had been a long series of surprises and incessant puzzle-solving.

“Professor, we have to go now! Let’s go to that theatre… to the Crown Petone!”

The professor smiled gently. “It appears that we still have to wait a few days until the performance, Luke.”

“Oh…”

“Come on, you’re in such a hurry,” Emmy giggled mockingly.

As I blushed with embarrassment, she pulled out two tickets from the envelope and showed them to me.

“Hm, she sent two tickets… One is for the professor, of course, but what about the other?”

Oh no, there only were two?

“P-Professor, I’ll go with you!”

“But, as his assistant and as someone who is older than you, it should be my responsibility to go—”

Emmy often loved teasing me like this. This was such a bad habit.

I knew she was not mean-spirited, and that it was my fault for falling into her provocations so easily, but…

Sure, she was his assistant as an actual job. She was older than me, and I was younger than her. Those were facts. But this specific situation was absolutely non-negotiable!

I had decided I would be a perfect gentleman, just like him. From the very moment I saw the professor’s brilliant puzzle-solving in action in Misthallery, this had become my goal.

I could not afford to miss the chance to see him solve another case from up close once again! I had to convince him to let me go…

Just as I was thinking this, he spoke up:

“Emmy, I need you to do some research regarding this ‘eternal life’ matter. Gossip, rumours… Anything you can find. You have to start working on it immediately.”

Instantly, her face switched from her teasing expression, to her working mode expression.

“Right away, Professor!”

And with a quick stride, she ran out of the office. She had only come back a few minutes ago, yet now she was already leaving again, full of energy. This was something I really admired about her.

“Professor, what about me…?”

“Well, I shall ask you to do some research regarding a certain opera called ‘The Eternal Kingdom,’” he said with a wink. “Go to the library, look for recent newspaper articles, and see what you can find.”

“Y-yes!”

“The more mysterious the puzzle, the better it is to have prior knowledge of it,” he explained. “It will serve you greatly once you come watch the opera.”

My eyes widened. “S-so that means— I’m going to the theatre!?”

The professor did not say a single word; but as he looked down on me, his flashing smile answered every question I had.

　⇚　　　　　　　⇛

[lift-heavy-be-gay]

Let's talk about transgender athletes

this is gonna be a long rant so I'm just gonna put a cut down below. dni if you're a terf or just wanna cause problems.

So, recently in class we were discussing different drugs used illegally and legally in sports and eventually the topic of transgender athletes came up (because of course). However, my professor handled it really well and as a trans athlete (pre transition), I just wanna talk about my feelings on the matter.

Keep in mind that this is my opinion, but I have been studying this in uni and may have more of an insight on how testosterone and estrogen actually affect the body. Anyway, there are two main points I wanna make.

As an afab athlete myself, I compete in a mostly strength based sport (though some technique and skill is necessary). However, I could not even begin to think about competing with my amab counterparts. It would put me at an unfair disadvantage and them an unfair advantage.

The first being that—depending on the time you began taking hormones/how long you've been taking hormones—you most likely won't be able to compete in high level competitions like the olympics. I know that people are going to be upset at this, but please listen. If you began taking hormones around the age you would begin puberty, then by the time you're an adult still presumably taking said hormones, then your levels would most likely be that of a cis person. However, if you're taking hormones after puberty, then the testosterone difference between amab and afab people is *staggering*. This article states that amab people generate 15x more testosterone than afab people. Even if they begin taking hrt, it takes YEARS to even begin to see a significant difference.

But

(and this leads to my second point)

There are numerous advantages and disadvantages for cis people in sports. Whether it be financial status, family history, access to training, facilities, or injury prevention/rehabilitation. If kid A is from a long line of well-off basketball players and has the resources to compete, then he definitely has an advantage over kid B who is from the middle of nowhere with no support and even worse facilities. Fact of the matter is, cis people are unevenly matched up against each other all the time. There are a hundred and one different ways that they may have an advantage or disadvantage over each other. Why is it different for transgender athletes? Scratch that. Why is it different between genders at all?

What I'm trying to say is that, I've met plenty afab people who are stronger than amab guys. I really don't think gender matters that much in a lot of sports. I believe we should start separating athletes based on weight rather than gender. (Of course, that's just my opinion.)

It's just that whenever I hear the topic about transgender athletes in sports, it's always about trans women. It's about how it's "not fair" and they are "doing it on purpose to get an easy win" and a bunch of other excuses to try and justify not letting them play. Surprisingly, I don't often (if at all) hear the same argument about trans men. On the surface, a lot of these debates about trans athletes is good ole' transphobia. But if you look deeper, it's really just misogyny. Most people don't even care about the sport, they just want another avenue to oppress a group of people.

Basically, the situation is not as black and white as most would like to believe, and there's a lot of nuance involved when trying to understand this topic. It's unfortunate that many trans athletes have to even deal with this extra bs in order to compete.

anyway, end of rant. thanks for reading if you made it this far. there's definitely more I could say on this, but these are the main points I wanted to make.

tldr: while there are inherent biological differences between amab and afab people, that doesn't excuse excluding trans athletes from being able to compete

[medea10]

Medea Played Pokemon Scarlet & Violet, The DLC’s (Part III)

Just because the main story is over, doesn't mean you have to stop playing the game.

Once you get back from your adventure in Area Zero, Briar has quickly written a book about the ordeal.

An apology for doing absolutely fuck-all when Terapagos was kicking all of our asses and for not controlling Kieran. Fuck no and fuck you.

Actually, you don't have to keep it for long. In Kitakami, go to the Crystal Pond, have Terapagos, and watch as things make no sense.

That's right. A mist comes through and you meet with the professor. You have an in-depth chat about things and in the end, you exchange Briar's book for the Scarlet Book. Everything comes back around full-circle. Back at the school...

Go to Amarys and she'll feed Koraidon/Miraidon a supplement that'll make him fly now.

No, she still doesn't call them by their actual name.

Outside the school, you can meet Mr. Snacksworth. A man who has apparently met nearly every legendary (except Dialga and Palkia) and has crafted snacks for each one.

Once you capture 200 pokemon for your Blueberry pokedex, go to Perrin for a special quest in Area Zero. However, after you complete the request Perrin only gives you a Park ball. You know, the balls you use at the National Park in Johto.

In the clubroom, you can spend those BP's on the item printer, throwing styles, or changing the music.

Cute choices and all, but might I suggest some better songs?

*Mt. Pyre

*Route 27

*Route 44

*The three lakes in Sinnoh

*Lavender Town

Just to name a few.

And of course, you can invite coaches to the club room. Invite two certain coaches at the same time and they might strike up a conversation and you might learn something. Here are some of the things I learned.

*Katy was the one who gave Kofu the Venonat wallet

*Grusha was a fan of Iono's back when she first started streaming

*Nemona knows Lacey from a party a few years prior and gave us confirmation by saying her father Clay's name

*Poppy is nine-years old

*Hassel knows Drayton and his granddad

*Clavell thinks Mr. Jacq-strap is a total slob

*Drayton is a total dick to Kieran long-after the incident

*A lot of the gym leaders are a bit resentful towards Geeta

Let's not forget the gifts and trades! After you battle the coaches, you get a gift. The first time, you might get cool stuff like phone cases, Drayden's black tracksuit, and...

Clive's wig? I look so dead inside.

Invite everyone on the list at least 3 times and trade with all of them will allow you to invite the mystery person named Saffron. That person of course is Cyrano, the director of Blueberry Academy. Defeat him in battle and he'll trade you his Shiny Blitzle.

Let's return to Uva academy and help Team Star.

I got major whiplash seeing Eri here.

Giacomo and Eri ask you for help in tutoring the other Team Star members and hide it from Penny too. It didn't go as planned, but there was a happy conclusion. Plus, you get some new outfits in the process.

This leads to Atticus being grateful for the help that he makes his own garment knock-offs to be bidded on.

Many of these items you might recognize from past games like shoes from Aether, helmets from ORAS, and another reminder of Ball Guy's existence from Sword/Shield. Getting all the items are very costly with most auctions costing as much as 365,000 wing-wangs.

And now, let's get to the Mochi Mayhem.

First of all, you must get this mythical pecha berry from the mystery gift. Once you get it, go to Peachy's store in Kitakami. You notice a certain pink object move and then Arven calls asking to stop by your home. Next thing you know, the object is gone.

Back home, Nemona and Penny joined Arven. There, you also get a letter from Kieran asking for you and your friends to come to Kitakami. He's using snail-mail due to not having a smart-Rotom phone. Before we leave, we learn something about Penny.

Her father used the word "Adven-tour". So it's a good chance that her father is Peony. Which means her sister is Peonia. Which means her uncle is Chairman Rose. I have so many questions and this is the only time we hear about Penny's papa. Once we're in Kitakami, we're greeted with a familiar face.

Kieran is a meek cinnamon roll again. I guess the answer all along was to have him battle with Nemona. Nemona beat the pants off this boy but also had him enjoy himself.

Unfortunately, there is something wonky going on in Kitakami. Carmine has been acting weird. And...um, how do I go about this?

She flaps like a chicken and says the word "Mochi" over and over.

With Carmine acting strangely, there's only one thing to do.

I am...just wow.

After this idiocy, we step outside and it turns into a cliche horror film trope.

Everyone in the town is slowly turning into these flapping, mochi-munchers.

Even Kieran's grandparents get hit with this mochi-demic.

Also, not helping in my suspicions on these two being Jessie and James. I know that's not their names, but Gramps battles you with Arbok and Weezing.

Back at Peachy's, we find the mystery pokemon causing this trouble. But it winds up shooting mochi at us.

Penny and Arven eat up. I avoided it. And Kieran got conked on the head with it. And before you can say, "Mochi, Mochi"...

They were under the mochi spell.

Before you know it, the entire place is surrounded by moch-ombies.

It's just that Nemona is too hard to possess fully.

Once you beat Nemona, you have to fight Peacharunt and catch it.

And those are the DLC's.

The Teal Mask was just okay. I think the only thing I really liked was just Ogerpon and the ability to catch some of my favorite pokemon.

The Indigo Disk, I was actually surprised by. The fact that you couldn't play that one until you've finished Teal Mask and the main game in total meant some major stuff was going to go down. Plus, the battles are a lot harder than normal.

Mochi Mayhem was cute. It reminded me of some of those events for legendaries like the ones in R/S/E or the Victini one in B/W. I'm glad that we got an event pokemon through mystery gift. Something I wish we could have had with Zarude back in gen 8 instead of that bullshit joining a newsletter or something stupid.

So...I suppose this is the end of Scarlet and Violet. Unless we get more mystery gift surprises, this is probably it. I am a little upset that there isn't a battle tower like in previous games. And more important, Pokemon Horizons is going to go off and do it's own thing, not attaching it to the game whatsoever. We'll see what happens at the end of February as Pokemon Day always arrives with huge news in the games department.

And that was Pokemon Scarlet and Violet.

[kimium]

Saw AU ask time! So, I know you’ve said more than once you’d like to add a bit where Yuu’s university/college friends (the OCs) meet Yuu’s NRC friends and freak out over how famous they are…so I wanna know:

1. Which OC’s would meet which houses?

2. What would their initial reaction be?

3. Is there a point where they sense anything suspicious about the NRC alumni?👀

Oh! What a fun ask! I'm so excited to answer it!

As always to anyone who isn't aware me and @m34gs have a Twisted Wonderland Sort of Saw AU that we're writing together. If you haven't checked out our fics, the link is above!

First, I'm going to leave Leona out of this since I already wrote majority of my OCs meeting him in my Leona focused fic Casino Night.

Next, I'm going to lay out my OCs for everyone. I will admit, there isn't a ton to them. Mostly because I wrote them to be other characters for Yuu to bounce off. So don't expect any deep lore about them. I'm not a big OC making person.

My OCs are as follows:

Professor Robertson - He's the professor that Yuu is working under as a Masters Student. He's friends with Trein and the two enjoy drinking tea/coffee together.

Heather - She's a reliable person. Probably bisexual or lesbian. Unclear. Up to you to decide, I suppose.

Chloe - My favourite one due to her bright personality. She's also a fan of Vil's works.

Riley - Another graduate student.

Pierce - Another graduate student. Dating Nathan.

Nathan - Yet another graduate student. Dating Pierce.

Onto the questions!

1. Which OC’s would meet which houses?

Besides Leona, who they all met, here are the houses they'd meet:

Heartslaybul: I want everyone or a majority of them to meet Heartslaybul. I feel it's inevitable given that Yuu hangs around Ace/Deuce all the time.

Octavinelle: I want either Pierce or Nathan to meet them! I want this because I haven't written those two in a long while. Give them a chance to have the spotlight and maybe flesh a bit more out for their characters.

Scarbia: It has to be Riley because (fic spoilers) he's the one who had the issue that Yuu told Jamil and Kalim about which lead to their murder victim.

Pomefiore: Chloe has to meet Pomefiore.

Ignihyde: Bold to assume anyone could meet Idia. JK, I think someone like Heather or Riley would be fun for Idia to meet.

Diasomnia: Everyone will meet Diasomnia.

2. What would their initial reaction be?

Heartslaybul: They'll be mostly excited to meet some of Yuu's other friends! They've heard many stories about Ace/Deuce. Though, I imagine there will be some shock when they realize Yuu is friends with Trey Clover (owner of one of the most popular bakeries in town), Cater (Magicam extraordinaire), and Riddle (one of the youngest CEOs of a law firm).

Octavinelle: I think it depends on who they're meeting. Contextual wise it makes most sense to have them meet at a Monstro Lounge. In which case they'll see the Customer Service Azul, Jade, and Floyd. Well, as best of a customer service Floyd one can hope for. Working hasn't stopped Floyd from running across the restaurant to squeeze Yuu. In any case, I'm certain any OC who meets them will remain on the polite end of "I'm meeting new people".

Scarabia: Extremely shocked and in awe that Yuu is friends with Kalim Al Asim. This shock will only increase when Kalim (in his earnest nature) wants to throw a "small party" to get to know Yuu's other friends. Yuu wants to apologize, but also there is some amusement to watching someone taking in the grandeur of Kalim's wealth first hand.

Pomefiore: Once Chloe is over the shock of Yuu knowing THE Vil Schoenheit she's going to have a huge fan girl moment. She'll be super respectful, of course, but elated at the same time.

Ignihyde: I want anyone who meets Idia unaware of who he is at first. I want them to think he's some weird, pale, shut-in that Yuu somehow befriended. It's only after a while that all the pieces click into place and they realize "That's Idia Shroud of the Shroud Family".

Diasomnia: I don't just want shock. I want disbelief. I want everyone to Blue Screen for at least 5 minutes when they realize Yuu is friends with The Malleus Draconia, Crown Prince to Briar Valley. Sebek will take this as "They're in awe of Malleus-sama... AS THEY SHOULD BE. Bow before my Lord, Mortals" but thankfully Silver is there to assure everyone they do NOT need to start worshipping Malleus.

3. Is there a point where they sense anything suspicious about the NRC alumni?👀

Rapid fire answers here! Savanclaw can be included this time, given I didn't address this part in the fic.

Heartslaybul: I think it depends on the person. Some are easier to excuse than others. For example: Riddle is just too good at covering his tracks and Trey isn't participating in the murders. So, they're off the hook. However, I could see Ace/Deuce and maybe Cater accidentally slipping up a bit from time to time. It's easily fixed though.

Savanaclaw: Yes, but it's easily swept away with a "Well, he's Royalty and there have to be secrets kept from us lay people". Everyone thinks what Leona is hiding are national security/sensitive cases that comes with ruling and politics. Ruggie is not sloppy and Jack would never be that unprofessional.

Octavinelle: Yes. If they're not a little suspicious of Octavinelle there is something wrong. However, Jade and Floyd will "resolve" their suspicions with a red herring. For example, Jade will purposefully make a parcel look suspicious only to reveal it's an expensive mushroom he purchased to try out for a new dish. Thus, their suspicions will be "alleviated" and all will seem fine.

Scarabia: No. Kalim is just too bright and cheerful to suspect. Jamil is a little quieter, but he's good at covering his tracks (see: Book 4). If any suspicions arise it will be similar to Leona's except it will be business focused rather than royalty/politics.

Pomefiore: No, never. Vil has a Reputation to Uphold. He'd never allow himself to be the source of suspicion. Yes, Rook can be a little off putting, but that's chalked up to Rook being... himself. However, Rook would also never allow himself to be the reason why Vil is suspected. He'd rather perish than do that. Epel thinks that Rook is being extremely over-dramatic.

Ignihyde: No, everyone thinks Idia is a harmless gamer/nerd/shut-in. If any suspicions arise, similar to Leona and Kalim, it's chalked up to "STYX sensitive information". The only thing Idia is suspect of is buying all the dakimakura (body pillows) from his favourite slice of life "cute girls do cute things" anime. Sorry, Idia. It's the truth.

Diasomnia: No. This is because of two things. First, like Leona, Malleus is royalty and if he's suspected of hiding things, it's because it's due to that. Also, he's Fae and they operate on different rules/mindsets. What they feel is "normal" is normal to Fae! Besides, being suspect of murder means that jeopardizes Malleus seeing Yuu for tea time. He'd rather burn the world to ashes than risk his relationship with Yuu.

And there you have it friend! I hope you enjoy my answers! Let me know!

[fire-fist-ann]

not so sneaky kisses under the mistletoe

If there was one thing Nami hated, The parties were too loud. There are too many sloppy drunks. The only thing she liked about them, however, was that it was so easy to steal wallets from drunk men and women alike. And no one would even bat an eye, but this party was different; she had been forced to go by Luffy. She originally told him no every day leading up to the party, but alas, he of course just had to use the puppy dog trick on her. 

So here she was stuck in the crossing, her arms crossed, nursing a holiday cocktail that Sanji insisted on making to help her lighten up. Nami just wanted it to end, but she just knew she would be stuck here in the early hours of the morning. After all, all of Luffy’s parties lasted for hours,  sometimes days. 

Her brown eyes caught a flicker of something blue in the corner of her eye. Her face grew flushed. What was Luffy thinking about inviting her crush Vivi here? Was he trying to kill her out of sheer embarrassment? They had met over two years ago in college. Both Nami and her were in the same history class about alabasta history. And they very quickly became friends. After all, they were always together. If one went looking for Nami, they would find her and Vivi, usually in the library or across campus at the diner owned by one of the professors and run by the students. Well, they had been close friends up until the Halloween party Luffy had invited them to. Everyone had been telling Nami to just confess to Vivi that she wasn't going to wait forever for her, or even worse, she could get tired of waiting on Nami and give up. 

So Nami had done just that when they were playing seven minutes of heaven. Nami was so nervous to go with her, but not only did she confess to her. Vivi did not respond to it, so Nami left the party and hasn't spoken to her since. It made classes and projects really awkward between them. Vivi, of course, had kept trying to talk to her, but Nami just wasn't having it. 

Nami nearly groaned when she spotted the blue-haired vixen start walking toward her. Nami had nowhere to run, mostly because she was so fast. Nami jolted when Vivi grabbed her hand. "Just hear me out if you still don't like what I say. I won’t push the issue anymore, okay?” She said her voice was as sweet as honey. 

Nami let out a heavy sigh once upon a time, feeling that her touch would have sent little sparks down her spine; it would have just felt so right. "Fine, I'll listen. What do you want to say to me, Vivi?” Nami decided to play along with what she was playing at. 

"First, I am sorry about Halloween, and second, you misunderstood what happened, Nami." 

"Misunderstood what? You led me on all this time only to reject me when I poured my heart out for you to not say a single thing????” Nami couldn't help but snap back, fighting back the tears again. 

"That's not what happened at all; I didn't lead you on, Nami." 

"Yes, you did; you were always going on dates with me. If you didn't feel that way toward me, why do that to me? Why did you toy with me? Was it fun for you?” 

"Do you really think so low of me? Nami, I would never do that to you, but you didn't give me enough time to respond before you ran out of that closet. Nami stiffened up; her shoulders could not stop trembling. Had she been too quick to misjudge her?. At the time when Vivi didn't answer her, all she could feel was betrayed and hurt. Much too hurt to even what she said. Vivi wasn't like her; she was the light itself in her life. Sure, she had her friends and family, but no one made her feel like Vivi made her feel. 

Vivi moved her hands, grabbing Nami by the face, her thumb brushing the tears pooling at the edge of her eyes and staring at her brown iris.

"For someone so smart, you're so stupid; you know that, right?” Vivi said it in a whisper. They were surrounded by people, but all she could see was Nami and how upset she had made her; it was killing her on the inside. She had to make this right for her.

"Explain then,” Nami said, biting her lower lip. 

"I froze because I didn't actually think you would like me back; I wasn't even sure if you liked girls—well,  girls like me at least,” she admitted to her with a bashful flush of her cheeks. 

Nami felt her eyes widen in surprise, and wait, did she hear her correctly? Vivi liked her back. She was worried about her reaction???. Nami could only gawk and stare at her in absolute and utter shock. Well, she at the very least had her undivided attention, that was for sure. Nami could feel the words die at the tip of her tongue before she forced them out. "Are you serious, Vivi? Please don't mess with me right now." Nami whispered out, "Of course I'm serious. I have wanted to ask you out for months. I was actually going to ask you out after the Halloween party, but due to everything, it didn't happen,” Vivi said in a whisper back to her before she rested her forehead against her forehead. Nami moved her own hands, resting them on Vivi’s shoulders. "I wish you had said that earlier; now I feel like such a bitch for no reason." Nami mumbled under her breath,It-s-" was as far as Vivi got out, only to hear Luffy’s voice: : "He you two have to kiss; that’s the rule. Sanji and Robin both said so! ” 

The girls jolted.H-huh?!” they exclaimed, looking over at the boy in utter confusion. "Why are you looking at me like that???” He said, tilting his head,

"What are you talking about, Luffy??!!” Nami said, blinking slowly, trying to piece together whatever puzzle this was. 

“ You're under the mistletoe, duh, you're supposed to kiss, right?!, right, Sanji!” 

"He's right, it's tradition that if you're caught under the mistletoe, you have to kiss. Oh, how I envy them." He said with hearts in his eyes, only to be elbowed right in the gut by Robin. Franky leaned over Robin’s shoulder. "Hey, that mistletoe, wasn't there a few minutes ago?” He whispered into her ear. 

Robin took a sip out of her glass of wine as she looked up at him. "That's because it wasn't; what they don’t know won't hurt them." 

"Ah, that’s my girl,” Franky said, leaning down and giving Robin a kiss on the check while he watched the showdown continue. 

Nami and Vivi both stared at everyone. Nami moved her hand, covering her face, while with her other hand, she was shooing everyone away. "Luffy, there's a bunch of meat I think I saw across the room!" she said. Which worked like a charm before the sentence had even left her mouth. All the way, he was sprinting full force to the party platter table. The others took the hit, thankfully, and started to walk away. Franky and Robin went back to watch the party. Sanji went back to help usopp keep the food stocked and mostly to keep Luffy from eating all of the food again. Nami, after a moment, turned to Vivi, "So, uhm... I mean, are we okay now?” She stammered out, "Well, that depends. Do you accept my apology, Nami?” 

"Yeah, I do, but does this mean you accept my confession?” Nami asked in a timid tone, which really wasn't like the orange-haired girl, but Vivi always made this shy side of her come out in more ways than one. Vivi leaned down so their noses were brushing against each other. "Can I kiss you, Nami?" 

Nami jolted. What happened to what they were talking about???? "Yeah, you can kiss me, but you'll have to pay me if it’s bad." She teased the blue-haired girl in front of her. 

Vivi lifted her hand, cupping her cheek back up. She had moved her hands when they had been so rudely interrupted. Her pink glossy lips brushed over Nami’s red-stained ones. She could taste the sweet strawberry gloss Nami had put over her red lips; it tasted sweet just like her. She would have thought Nami would try to find something orange-scented for her lips, but she liked it either way. 

Kissing Nami just felt so right; in that very moment, no one was around them; it was only them. Vivi couldn't hear the loud laughter and yelling of the party. She could not feel the music through the air or in her veins. All she felt at this very moment was secure, as she felt Nami’s arms wrap around her waist as Vivi put her own arms around her neck, pulling her close against her body in a tight embrace, just holding each other like they were the only two people in the entire world. The two of them finally pulled from the kiss after what felt like hours and lifetimes but was merely a matter of seconds. “ well do I need to pay you for that kiss, Nami?” “ I haven't decided Maybe you should kiss me again so I know for sure” Vivi burst out laughing “ Your such a tease aren't you “ Nami rolled her eyes “ so I have been so told but.. You know you never answered my question still , Will you go out with me vivi? W-we can take it as slow as we want or go as fast as you want” Nami couldn't help but to start rambling again as she was looking right back at her again in those eyes full of stars that Nami could get lost in. "Earth to Nami?” Vivi said, waving her hand in front of her face, trying to convey her attention. "Huh?Nami asked, looking around confused, "You were spacing off; was I boring you? You didn't even get to hear my answer, you know? After you ignored me for a few weeks, at least let me tell you my answer,” she said gently. 

Nami nodded her head eagerly. "I would love to go out with you. I've always wanted to go ice skating; we don’t have that in my home. I think it would be fun, and maybe I could take you to my home and show you some of the museums." 

Nami wanted to snort, "You're such a history nerd, you know that, right? Even on a date, you want to be in a palace of  history." 

"Of course I do. I think you're forgetting history class is where we met in the first place, so you're just as big of a history nerd as I am." She teased her back. Nami couldn't help but feel delighted; everything was falling into place. Vivi liked her back and had agreed to go on a date with her. She even told her she wanted to go out with her. But she couldn't help but feel so stupid for creating such a big issue when there didn't need to be one. 

"I'm really sorry, Vivi, for how I treated you; that wasn't right of me. Are you sure you still want to go out with someone like me?” 

"Of course I do. There’s nothing you could possibly do that would ever change that, Nami. I love you; I have since the day I met you. Now what do you say we stop being antisocial and join the party?” Nami felt a small smile creep it’s way on her lips “ This is one of the things I like about you , you always make me feel so much calmer when talking to you, I really missed this you know but your right we should join the party besides someone has to stop Luffy from trying to fight His brothers right now”

[mooum]

In the Shadows of Our Disoriented Love - Chapter One

A Sebastian x Ominis x Reader story originally published on my AO3 under the same pseudonym. If found elsewhere, it’s not posted by me. This work will only be found on my Tumblr and AO3. Do not repost, but reblogging is welcomed.

“Most people are lucky to have even one great love in their life. You have found two.” -Clockwork Princess

one || two

What a very peculiar situation you’ve gotten yourself into. First and foremost, you were attacked by a dragon that caused your delay to Hogwarts. Thus, you made a bit of an entrance to the sorting ceremony (being the last student, and possibly the oldest, to get sorted).

The other students bombarded you with questions about your whereabouts once the Head Wizard and Witch settled everyone down to the common room. You kept the explanation veg as Professor Fig – the man that brought you to Hogwarts and the one who taught you the basics to prepare you for starting the school term so late – had requested.

It was a simple story; you were immediately knocked out upon impact from the dragon biting the carriage in half, so you don’t remember much. Although, you did recall catching a quick glimpse of the Thestrals – your permanent reminder that you have witnessed the death of the Ministry wizard and the poor, innocent driver. Professor Fig had rescued you and safely brought you to the castle grounds. Most were satisfied with that story whilst the rest had expected something along the lines of fighting off spiders and poachers.

Now, your current situation; you are to sneak into the Restricted Section of the school’s library along with your fellow Slytherin classmate, Sebastian Sallow.

You first met Sebastian during your Defense Against the Dark Arts class. You both dueled each other and to everyone’s surprise, you had the upper hand. He was rather impressed with how you easily took him down and you admitted that it wasn’t your first duel. It’s sort of true if you count fighting off those armored guards at that strange place you and Professor Fig somehow stumbled upon. There, you discover you possess the sight to see some sort of “Ancient Magic”.

You invited Sebastian to accompany you to Hogsmeade to replace your lost school supplies – sadly, your books and robes could not be saved, but you're happy your owl found its way back to you.

“You’re the only one who’s ever bested me in a duel. The way I see it, I’d be wise to keep an eye on you.”

True to his Slytherin nature, he would want to keep his competition nearby. It was the perfect opportunity to discover your secrets whilst being an excuse to get out of detention.

Of course, your trip wouldn’t end on a good note and you both had a run in with a troll and Victor Rickwood. You later explained your story, not the made up one, and asked him to sneak you into the Restricted Section.

“See there? That’s the door we need to reach”.

Sebastian didn’t need to point to which door since it was obvious to tell by the two prefects in front, standing guard.

“And those annoying prefects would love nothing more than to rat on us to Scribner”, he informs with slight annoyance in his voice. “So don’t let them see us – understood?”

“I can be sneaky. Let’s go.” You say a bit too eagerly as you immediately head for the last flight of stairs.

“Hold on now,” Sebastian pulls your sleeve a bit to stop you before you could go anywhere. “There’s a spell you should know – The Disillusionment Charm. Good for getting you’re not supposed to be.”

He quickly goes over the incantation and you successfully cast it on your first try. Thankfully, it’s a simple charm. To your disappointment, it doesn’t turn you fully invisible, only camouflage with your surroundings.

Sebastian leads you down the stairs and around the Gryffindor prefect that was standing guard at the bottom. Luckily, it was easier to get through the library entrance since the prefects were distracted with chatting about their weekend plans.

“Blast, the librarian is still here.” Sebastian says and grabs your arm to pull you behind a bookcase.

“You told me the librarian would be gone by now.” You whisper to him.

“I said “usually”,” he whispers back. “Alright, new plan; I’ll distract her and you grab the key from her desk. We’ll meet at the Restricted Section.”

“Wait, why do we need a key? Isn’t there a spell for it?”

“Alohomora? That’s how I always used to get in, but the librarian twigged that I knew the spell and cast an Anti-Alohomora charm on the lock.”

“And now we would need the key, right?”

“Right, but don’t worry. I said I’d get you in, and I always keep my word. Trust me.” He winks before swiftly making his way towards a stack of books to knock them over. Taking advantage of the librarian investigating the source of the sound, you crawl to the desk and fish in the drawer for the key.

You notice that Sebastian was already at the Restricted Section – which wasn’t too far from the front desk. You hold up the key and he nods, indicating that it was the right one.

As the librarian approaches her desk, you practically sprint to Sebastian and hand him the gold key to finally open the lock.

“Don’t get too comfortable, we have ghosts.” He mentions as you were ready to remove the Disillusionment Charm.

“You’re kidding.”

“I wish I was – now, silent as a grave.”

Maybe this was a bad idea after all. Maybe you should’ve waited until Professor Fig and Headmaster Black were finished with their business, so Fig could easily let you in and you wouldn’t need to do all this sneaking around. But alas, you need that book as soon as possible and you don’t have time to wait.

Sebastian was an expert at this type of situation and you were both able to make it safely around the ghosts. He then gives the signal to remove the charm once you’re out of sight.

“So, what is it you’ve been looking for?” You ask. You take notice that Sebastian is already digging through a stack of books, hidden on the lower shelf. You wonder if he left it there to continue searching for whatever he was looking for. You took this as a sign to explore the room a bit while keeping an eye out for the book.

“I’ve been looking for a cure to help my sister, Anne – so she can return to Hogwarts.” He answers while flipping through the pages of the book he has laying on his lap.

“Why do you think you’ll find a cure in the Restricted Section? Does the Hogwarts matron have nothing that can help Anne?” You didn’t mean to pry, but curiosity got the better of you and you couldn’t help but ask questions.

“No! We’ve tried everyone from Nurse Blainey to St. Mungo’s.” He sounds frustrated and fed up, but it wasn’t directed towards you. It was the memory of going through countless nurses and all were unsuccessful. “But, I can research on my own. Let’s focus on what you’re after – which is what, precisely?”

“I’ll know it when I see it.”

“You’re being awfully cryptic.”

------

After nearly an hour of searching, and going through every nook and cranny of the Restricted Section, you weren’t even close to finding that damn book. Eventually, you reached the attic – which was mainly used to supply outdated textbooks and storage.

You wonder if you missed it somewhere while you and Sebastian were laughing at some of the ridiculous titles of the muggle novels or you simply weren’t looking hard enough.

An all too familiar, annoying voice announces; “Who have we here?”

Damnit. Not now, it can’t be–

“Damnit, Peeves.” You utter under your breath as the poltergeist ghost appears above you and Sebastian. It was obvious Sebastian is annoyed by his furred brows and him groaning, “Fucking Peeves.”

“Sebastian Sallows and his new little friend, out exploring where they shouldn’t be!” Peeves the Poltergeist laughs as he starts chanting, “I’m going to tell. I’m going to tell. I’m going to tell.”

“I’ve got to stop him or at least have a good excuse for all of this.” Sebastian says as he starts to chase after Peeves.

“Wait!” You stop him before he could get too far. “I don’t want you getting into trouble for me.”

“I have a way with the faculty when it comes to disciplinary matters. Besides –” He grins. You don’t like that look; that mischievous grin that all Slytherins seem to possess when they appear to be scheming something. “I like having friends who are in my debt.”

You were going to question what he meant, but he already applied his Disillusionment Charm and darts towards Peeve’s direction.

------

It felt like you had been in that strange Antechamber for hours. You did not expect to be led to a hidden room and you also did not anticipate to fight off more of those enchanted armored guards. But it was good practice for the new Incendio spell you recently learned from Professor Hecat.

When you returned back to Hogwarts, it seemed as if time didn’t even move – like it picked up right where you left off.

You hurry to the front desk and you hope you can catch up to Sebastian, but it appears Peeves got to him first. You scurry under a table when you see the librarian approach Sebastian.

“Sneaking in the Restricted Section – again!” Scribner scolds and there’s no indication she is going to stop any time soon. “That being said, Peeves informs me that you didn’t come alone tonight.”

Her expression softens and she leans to whisper, “If someone has coerced you, I would have you tell me. You’re a bright boy, don’t waste this.”

Sebastian looks in your direction and instantly makes eye contact with you. You cower back a bit, ready for him to point at you and rat you out.

He looks back at Scribner. “There was nobody else. I came alone.”

“Oh, Sebastian. What will your uncle say?” Scribner shakes her head and walks to her desk to write an Owl to Headmaster Black and Sebastian another detention slip.

You crawl out from under the desk and quickly leave the library. You are ready to retire to your dormitory for tonight. You don’t remember the last time you got proper sleep due to the stress of discovering your new capability while balancing school work on top of it.

As you walk to your common, the lingering question of “Why?” played in your head. Why would he jump in and easily take the blame for you even though he barely knew you? He knew you were hiding under the desk and he could’ve easily ratted you.

Perhaps in true Slytherin fashion, he saw some sort of potential in you, thus needing a reason to keep you around.

End Note: i just finished reading The Atlas Six and my brain is fried but i feel so studious :))

[spade-of-hearts]

Not so sneaky kisses under the mistoetoe

If there was one thing Nami hated, The parties were too loud. There are too many sloppy drunks. The only thing she liked about them, however, was that it was so easy to steal wallets from drunk men and women alike. And no one would even bat an eye, but this party was different; she had been forced to go by Luffy. She originally told him no every day leading up to the party, but alas, he of course just had to use the puppy dog trick on her. 

So here she was stuck in the crossing, her arms crossed, nursing a holiday cocktail that Sanji insisted on making to help her lighten up. Nami just wanted it to end, but she just knew she would be stuck here in the early hours of the morning. After all, all of Luffy’s parties lasted for hours,  sometimes days. 

Her brown eyes caught a flicker of something blue in the corner of her eye. Her face grew flushed. What was Luffy thinking about inviting her crush Vivi here? Was he trying to kill her out of sheer embarrassment? They had met over two years ago in college. Both Nami and her were in the same history class about alabasta history. And they very quickly became friends. After all, they were always together. If one went looking for Nami, they would find her and Vivi, usually in the library or across campus at the diner owned by one of the professors and run by the students. Well, they had been close friends up until the Halloween party Luffy had invited them to. Everyone had been telling Nami to just confess to Vivi that she wasn't going to wait forever for her, or even worse, she could get tired of waiting on Nami and give up. 

So Nami had done just that when they were playing seven minutes of heaven. Nami was so nervous to go with her, but not only did she confess to her. Vivi did not respond to it, so Nami left the party and hasn't spoken to her since. It made classes and projects really awkward between them. Vivi, of course, had kept trying to talk to her, but Nami just wasn't having it. 

Nami nearly groaned when she spotted the blue-haired vixen start walking toward her. Nami had nowhere to run, mostly because she was so fast. Nami jolted when Vivi grabbed her hand. "Just hear me out if you still don't like what I say. I won’t push the issue anymore, okay?” She said her voice was as sweet as honey. 

Nami let out a heavy sigh once upon a time, feeling that her touch would have sent little sparks down her spine; it would have just felt so right. "Fine, I'll listen. What do you want to say to me, Vivi?” Nami decided to play along with what she was playing at. 

"First, I am sorry about Halloween, and second, you misunderstood what happened, Nami." 

"Misunderstood what? You led me on all this time only to reject me when I poured my heart out for you to not say a single thing????” Nami couldn't help but snap back, fighting back the tears again. 

"That's not what happened at all; I didn't lead you on, Nami." 

"Yes, you did; you were always going on dates with me. If you didn't feel that way toward me, why do that to me? Why did you toy with me? Was it fun for you?” 

"Do you really think so low of me? Nami, I would never do that to you, but you didn't give me enough time to respond before you ran out of that closet. Nami stiffened up; her shoulders could not stop trembling. Had she been too quick to misjudge her?. At the time when Vivi didn't answer her, all she could feel was betrayed and hurt. Much too hurt to even what she said. Vivi wasn't like her; she was the light itself in her life. Sure, she had her friends and family, but no one made her feel like Vivi made her feel. 

Vivi moved her hands, grabbing Nami by the face, her thumb brushing the tears pooling at the edge of her eyes and staring at her brown iris.

"For someone so smart, you're so stupid; you know that, right?” Vivi said it in a whisper. They were surrounded by people, but all she could see was Nami and how upset she had made her; it was killing her on the inside. She had to make this right for her.

"Explain then,” Nami said, biting her lower lip. 

"I froze because I didn't actually think you would like me back; I wasn't even sure if you liked girls—well,  girls like me at least,” she admitted to her with a bashful flush of her cheeks. 

Nami felt her eyes widen in surprise, and wait, did she hear her correctly? Vivi liked her back. She was worried about her reaction???. Nami could only gawk and stare at her in absolute and utter shock. Well, she at the very least had her undivided attention, that was for sure. Nami could feel the words die at the tip of her tongue before she forced them out. "Are you serious, Vivi? Please don't mess with me right now." Nami whispered out, "Of course I'm serious. I have wanted to ask you out for months. I was actually going to ask you out after the Halloween party, but due to everything, it didn't happen,” Vivi said in a whisper back to her before she rested her forehead against her forehead. Nami moved her own hands, resting them on Vivi’s shoulders. "I wish you had said that earlier; now I feel like such a bitch for no reason." Nami mumbled under her breath,It-s-" was as far as Vivi got out, only to hear Luffy’s voice: : "He you two have to kiss; that’s the rule. Sanji and Robin both said so! ” 

The girls jolted.H-huh?!” they exclaimed, looking over at the boy in utter confusion. "Why are you looking at me like that???” He said, tilting his head,

"What are you talking about, Luffy??!!” Nami said, blinking slowly, trying to piece together whatever puzzle this was. 

“ You're under the mistletoe, duh, you're supposed to kiss, right?!, right, Sanji!” 

"He's right, it's tradition that if you're caught under the mistletoe, you have to kiss. Oh, how I envy them." He said with hearts in his eyes, only to be elbowed right in the gut by Robin. Franky leaned over Robin’s shoulder. "Hey, that mistletoe, wasn't there a few minutes ago?” He whispered into her ear. 

Robin took a sip out of her glass of wine as she looked up at him. "That's because it wasn't; what they don’t know won't hurt them." 

"Ah, that’s my girl,” Franky said, leaning down and giving Robin a kiss on the check while he watched the showdown continue. 

Nami and Vivi both stared at everyone. Nami moved her hand, covering her face, while with her other hand, she was shooing everyone away. "Luffy, there's a bunch of meat I think I saw across the room!" she said. Which worked like a charm before the sentence had even left her mouth. All the way, he was sprinting full force to the party platter table. The others took the hit, thankfully, and started to walk away. Franky and Robin went back to watch the party. Sanji went back to help usopp keep the food stocked and mostly to keep Luffy from eating all of the food again. Nami, after a moment, turned to Vivi, "So, uhm... I mean, are we okay now?” She stammered out, "Well, that depends. Do you accept my apology, Nami?” 

"Yeah, I do, but does this mean you accept my confession?” Nami asked in a timid tone, which really wasn't like the orange-haired girl, but Vivi always made this shy side of her come out in more ways than one. Vivi leaned down so their noses were brushing against each other. "Can I kiss you, Nami?" 

Nami jolted. What happened to what they were talking about???? "Yeah, you can kiss me, but you'll have to pay me if it’s bad." She teased the blue-haired girl in front of her. 

Vivi lifted her hand, cupping her cheek back up. She had moved her hands when they had been so rudely interrupted. Her pink glossy lips brushed over Nami’s red-stained ones. She could taste the sweet strawberry gloss Nami had put over her red lips; it tasted sweet just like her. She would have thought Nami would try to find something orange-scented for her lips, but she liked it either way. 

Kissing Nami just felt so right; in that very moment, no one was around them; it was only them. Vivi couldn't hear the loud laughter and yelling of the party. She could not feel the music through the air or in her veins. All she felt at this very moment was secure, as she felt Nami’s arms wrap around her waist as Vivi put her own arms around her neck, pulling her close against her body in a tight embrace, just holding each other like they were the only two people in the entire world. The two of them finally pulled from the kiss after what felt like hours and lifetimes but was merely a matter of seconds. “ well do I need to pay you for that kiss, Nami?” “ I haven't decided Maybe you should kiss me again so I know for sure” Vivi burst out laughing “ Your such a tease aren't you “ Nami rolled her eyes “ so I have been so told but.. You know you never answered my question still , Will you go out with me vivi? W-we can take it as slow as we want or go as fast as you want” Nami couldn't help but to start rambling again as she was looking right back at her again in those eyes full of stars that Nami could get lost in. "Earth to Nami?” Vivi said, waving her hand in front of her face, trying to convey her attention. "Huh?Nami asked, looking around confused, "You were spacing off; was I boring you? You didn't even get to hear my answer, you know? After you ignored me for a few weeks, at least let me tell you my answer,” she said gently. 

Nami nodded her head eagerly. "I would love to go out with you. I've always wanted to go ice skating; we don’t have that in my home. I think it would be fun, and maybe I could take you to my home and show you some of the museums." 

Nami wanted to snort, "You're such a history nerd, you know that, right? Even on a date, you want to be in a palace of  history." 

"Of course I do. I think you're forgetting history class is where we met in the first place, so you're just as big of a history nerd as I am." She teased her back. Nami couldn't help but feel delighted; everything was falling into place. Vivi liked her back and had agreed to go on a date with her. She even told her she wanted to go out with her. But she couldn't help but feel so stupid for creating such a big issue when there didn't need to be one. 

"I'm really sorry, Vivi, for how I treated you; that wasn't right of me. Are you sure you still want to go out with someone like me?” 

"Of course I do. There’s nothing you could possibly do that would ever change that, Nami. I love you; I have since the day I met you. Now what do you say we stop being antisocial and join the party?” Nami felt a small smile creep it’s way on her lips “ This is one of the things I like about you , you always make me feel so much calmer when talking to you, I really missed this you know but your right we should join the party besides someone has to stop Luffy from trying to fight His brothers right now”

[solo-returned]

V; Main - Kylo/Ben is in the custody of the Resistance and trying to decide whether to betray them or the First Order, while also mourning his father. He is extremely conflicted and volatile.

V; Spy - Kylo Ren has decided to remain loyal to Snoke and act as his man on the inside, working covertly to undermine the Resistance.

V; Redemption - Ben Solo has decided to honor his late father and return to the light, aiding Rey and the Resistance despite their mistrust. He has a tough road ahead of him, but he’s more than willing to put in the work. Redemption is worth it. He’s taking steps to try and keep Snoke out of his head, and seeking help from both his mother and Rey.

V; Modern - After joining the marines right out of high school and serving for nearly a decade, Ben returned to the States a changed man. Quieter. Angrier. Closed off. He’s slowly learning to open himself back up, working at his alma mater as a sophomore World History teacher, going to therapy, and taking out his aggression at the gym, but it’s far from easy. His relationship with his parents is strained at best. All of his friends from school either moved or passed on. He’s lonely and doesn’t want to think about it. Rather focus on work instead; those kids are relying on him, after all.

V; Wizard - HP verse! (I know, I know, JKR is a shitheel, but I grew up with these stories!) Essentially, Ben Solo is a halfblood wizard. His mother was Leia Skywalker, a pureblood witch (Gryffindor) and an employee of the Ministry of Magic, whose twin brother, Luke (Gryffindor), ran off to join the Royal Air Force not long after graduating from Hogwarts. While on a pub crawl with his mates from basic training, Luke met Han Solo, a dashing American (muggle) pilot who happened to be stationed at Upper Heyford, and they hit it off. Han and Leia met at Luke’s BT graduation ceremony, and one thing led to another…A year later, Han and Leia were married, and little Ben was born. His childhood was…complicated. By the time Ben was eleven, he was relieved to get his Hogwarts letter.

He was sorted into Gryffindor, though the Sorting Hat nearly sorted him into Slytherin because of the potential he already had as a dark wizard. Being a natural rebel, he denied such a grim prognosis; he wished to be a proud Gryffindor, like his mother, uncle, and grandfather before him. He was a better student than most people expected him to be. Diligent. Quiet. Until Professor Snape started picking on his classmates, mainly Harry, Neville, and Hermione. It didn’t take long for his protective streak to lead to outbursts, which would land him in detention every other week or so, but aside from that, he kept his head down. He had a family legacy to live up to, after all. Of course, going to school in the same year as the Boy Who Lived made that infinitely harder than it would have been otherwise. By fourth year, Ben was already tired of all the new threats to student safety, and the Tri-Wizard Tournament just aggravated him even more, especially with Harry being the miraculous fourth contestant. He dedicated the rest of his student career to becoming stronger and more highly skilled than the so-called Chosen One, taking every opportunity to show him up. The end of the tournament changed everything and nothing; Ben couldn’t stand the thought of losing another Cedric Diggory to some overdramatic ghost with the mother of all grudges. He kept training harder and harder between classes throughout his fifth year, jumping at the chance to join Dumbledore’s Army. By sixth year, he’d gotten the hang of wandless casting, and by the beginning of his seventh year, he could cast several spells without wand or incantation.

Unfortunately, the words of the Sorting Hat had stuck with him, despite his best efforts. He was skilled in Defense Against the Dark Arts, and had done extensive research into dark magic in his free time. Why not learn to use it? He was certainly strong enough and talented enough, right? And with Death Eaters taking over the school, and his nightmares reflecting the destruction happening all around him, and the bloody Golden Trio nowhere to be found…drastic times called for drastic measures. He opened himself to the darkness, learning from it without realizing that it was consuming him.

(More to come later!)

[metamatar]

Until about four years ago, I thought it was a reversible situation—that those who profess the humanities hadn’t been good enough at selling them to students,” James Shapiro, an English professor at Columbia, told me in his office one day. He had worried his graying blond hair to a choppy peak. Photographs of Shakespeare productions he has worked on were perched among the books on his shelves, which were close-packed. “I no longer believe that, for two reasons.”

One reason was the way of the world. Shapiro picked up an abused-looking iPhone from his desk. “You’re talking to someone who has only owned a smartphone for a year—I resisted,” he said. Then he saw that it was futile. “Technology in the last twenty years has changed all of us,” he went on. “How has it changed me? I probably read five novels a month until the two-thousands. If I read one a month now, it’s a lot. That’s not because I’ve lost interest in fiction. It’s because I’m reading a hundred Web sites. I’m listening to podcasts.” He waggled the iPhone disdainfully. “Go to a play now, and watch the flashing screens an hour in, as people who like to think of themselves as cultured cannot! Stop! Themselves!” Assigning “Middlemarch” in that climate was like trying to land a 747 on a small rural airstrip.

The other reason was money. Shapiro put down the phone and glowered at it. “You get what you pay for!” he said, and grabbed a departmental memo that lay on his desk. With a blunt pencil, he scribbled on the back a graph with two axes and an upside-down parabola. “I’m talking about the big fire hose.”

As I watched, he labelled the start of the graph “1958”—the year after the Soviets launched Sputnik, when the National Defense Education Act appropriated more than a billion dollars for education.

“We’re not talking about élite universities—we’re talking about money flowing into fifty states, all the way down. That was the beginning of the glory days of the humanities,” he continued. Near the plummeting end of the parabola, he scribbled “2007,” the beginning of the economic crisis. “That funding goes down,” he explained. “The financial support for the humanities is gone on a national level, on a state level, at the university level.”

Shapiro smoothed out his graph, regarded it for a moment, and ran the tip of his pencil back and forth across the curve.

“This is also the decline-of-democracy chart,” he said. He looked up and met my gaze. “You can overlay it on the money chart like a kind of palimpsest—it’s the same.”

the leading lights in the field of english literature apparently can only come up with – phones eating our attention span and the rise of fascism is due to decreased funding for the humanities. if my professors were this out of touch i would not be majoring in this field either. its kind of telling that one of the english majors in the article at an ivy is there because she was sick of students in the political science / philosophy and economics tracks saying the same anti capitalist things

My parents, who were low-income and immigrants, instilled in me the very great importance of finding a concentration that would get me a job—‘You don’t go to Harvard for basket weaving’ was one of the things they would say,” she told me. She was a member of the first generation in her family to attend college—the sort of student that élite schools are at pains to enroll. “So, when I came, I took a course that was, like, the hardest course you could take your freshman year. It integrated computer science, physics, math, chemistry, and biology. That course fulfilled a lot of the requirements to be able to do molecular and cellular biology, so I finished that, for my parents. I can get a job. I’m educated.”

She paused, then added, “I took courses in Chinese film and literature. I took classes in the science of cooking. My issue as a first-gen student is I always view humanities as a passion project. You have to be affluent in order to be able to take that on and state, ‘Oh, I can pursue this, because I have the money to do whatever I want.’ ” Nice work if you can get it. “I view the humanities as very hobby-based,” she said.

this is the buried lede halfway down, which is unsurprising. i made similar calculations when i was a 16 yr old who liked books and computers.