#what is “your favorite yellow app” about sir?

[respectthepetty]

Meen and Ping had a fan meet in Cambodia, and 19-year-old Ping is stating that their new show, The Rebound, is airing on Viu, which he claims is "your favorite yellow app"

To which Meen quickly repeats the phrase, but laughs, a lot

Ping isn't sure why Meen is laughing and restates that the app is yellow

Which he is right . . .

But Meen laughing so hard makes me think (completely incorrectly),

How popular is Grindr in Thailand?

Cause now I got questions of why Meen was laughing so much.

[fiberslut]

Apparently the multiverse is real

Chapter 6: My centerfold

Masterlist

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Pairing: the avengers x reader

Disclaimer: English is not my first language so you may find some funny words/sentences or broken grammar in here. I'll say sorry in advance but I've tried my best.

Summary: You accidentally travel to Marvel universe(not earth-616), but luckily you've got your phone with you. You may ask what do you mean luckily, just read this fiction.

"Hey, where are you?"

"Tony. It's 8 am on Saturday. Let me sleep" I finally answer him through the telecom in my bedroom since this is the third call he tried to ruin my sleep.

"Come down by the lab. I have a surprise for you"

"But I hate surpri-" And Tony cuts me

Ughhh. He really acts like my real dad.

So I got up, took a quick shower, and washed my hair. Wait this is the day, oh my, I have to look my best. I put on some makeup, curl my hair, and put on my favorite perfume before I leave my bedroom.

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

"Why it took you so long? Wait. Did I smell perfume? Harley, do you smell anything too?" Tony scrunches his nose and turns to ask Harley

"Seriously Tony?, my perfume is not even half as strong as your axe body spray" I snap back

"So what is all this?" Tony draws his hands from my head to my toe

"I told you dad. Today I will go on a date"

"Oh, it's Saturday already? Anyway, before you go, you need to see this" Tony leads me to one of the lab tables

In front of me. It is an iron suit. But with the female physique. Instead of red and yellow, it is orange and black (like Mark 28 and Mark36 I think).

"What is it, dad?" I ask as I still look at the iron suit without blinking

"It's for you, Harley and I built it for 3 weeks, just for you"

"But why? I can heal myself anyway dad" I ask

"Y/N, there are many dangerous things outside in this world, I just want to make sure, you'll be safe" Tony says as I can see the concern in his eyes

"What do you mean Tony?" I whisper so Harley couldn't hear us "Is this about why you're out of town so often lately?"

"It's nothing. I mean you're my daughter and I have a lot of enemies, you know? Why don't you try it on now" Tony tries to change the subject, I know

"NO"

"What do you mean 'no'?" Tony asks

"I didn't spend almost an hour curling my hair just to get down here and shove my head in a helmet, it's gonna ruin my hair" I cross my arms and shake my head

"Okay, Harley. Plan B" Tony says

"What is plan B sir?" Harley seems to be a little bit confused

"YOU grab her" Tony signals him to grab me

Then Harley runs to me and grabs my wrists and crosses behind my back

"You know that I am much stronger than you and Harley right?" I ask Tony and release my wrists from Harley without even try

"Oh shi-, I forgot" Tony says

"I hope there's no plan C sir" Harley says

"Fine. I'll try it on Ok? And you will let me go to see my date"

"Like I can force you not to" Tony really gives up

I take my hair into a low ponytail and try on a helmet. Wow, it really smells like a new car.

"How is it?" Tony asks

"It's good. A perfect fit"

"Say 'Hi Betty'"

"Hi Betty" I say in my helmet then it starts to show a running screen and a woman's voice says 'Hi Y/N, I'm Betty, I'm your personal assistant' "Hey, it's good dad, she said hi back, can I go now?" I shout to ask Tony

"Ok good, you can take it off now"

I take a helmet off and hand it to Tony.

"Thank you Tony" I smile at him

"Don't forget to come back before 9 pm ok?" Tony warns me

"Sure dad"

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

I've been waiting for him for about 10 minutes now.

I know I said I'm not interested in dating before. But it happened one night, I was lying in my bed and felt so lonely, so I used a phone that Tony bought me and type in 'dating app'. Please don't judge me. I just wanted to know that in Marvel universe has a dating app or not. It's for research purposes only. Trust me. So that night, I ended up matching with this guy, he said his name is James, he is really cute, I would say he is my type. So we ended up agreeing on meeting and going for a date on Saturday which is today. I'm so excited and kinda nervous because I couldn't see his face clearly in his pics, he said he's got a shaky hand.

"Hey you must be Y/N" Some guy approaches me

So I turn to see him. And yes he's fine af. But you know what? He's got a metal arm.

"Hi I'm James Buchanan, but you can call me B-"

"Bucky" I end the sentence for him

"Wait, how did you know?"

"Oh, I just guess it. Is it really your name? Wow, I must be so good at guessing stuff" Phew, I almost couldn't think of any excuses. I hope he buys it.

"Wow, you really know me. I guess that is a good sign, right?"

"Yep. So what is your plan for today, Bucky?"

"What do you say if we're going to Coney Island?"

"I'm in!" Wow, who would've thought, in a place where there are magic, technologies, and space traveling, people still go to the amusement park.

After 1 hour drive. We finally arrived at Coney island. This is Saturday so there are a lot of people here.

"So why do you want to come here?" I ask Bucky. I could never imagine a winter soldier in an amusement park. Try reading that sentence again. Even the sound of it sounds illegal.

"This may sound like a red flag but my therapist said I should try doing more fun stuffs"

I guess in this universe, he has a shrink too.

"It's fine. I'll help you with that. Trust me." I smile at him

"Driving with you is fun enough for me" He smiles

Damn. That line and that smile? How am I gonna make it through the day?

"That thing is kinda interesting, should we try?" I point at the target shooting booth. I know it's his thing.

"Hell yeah"

He ended up winning me a giant Iron Man plush. And I ended up making a new record at the high striker.

"How did you do that?" Bucky asks after he scored less than me

"I just love eating protein" I smile

After that, we visited the aquarium, tried to survive the roller coaster, riding carousels, and lastly, we end the day on the Wonder Wheel. We sit there, look at the sunset and he kisses me, I feel like I'm melting, feel like the time has stopped. We finally broke apart and decided to catch a breath.

"That was amazing" I mean it

"I really like you Y/N"

"I like you too"

"We should do this more often"

"So, you're asking me for a second date huh?"

"You really know me Y/N"

Yeah, he has no idea.

Bucky drives me back to the tower just in time. 8.57 pm. He opens the car door for me and before I even have a chance to step out.

"Y/N STARK! WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?!"

Is that Tony? Is he waiting for me at the tower door? And yelling at me?

"What do you mean Tony? I made it on time" I cross my arms and look at him

"You went on a date with this guy?" Tony points at Bucky

"Yep" I answer

"You know what he did to my parents and you still going out with him?" "And you know how old is he right?"

"At first I didn't know it was him dad" Ok now I get why he got mad

"Dad? You're Tony Stark's daughter? And what do you mean you know how old I am?" Bucky confused

"Yes and I can explain. Please listen to m-"

"You know what I think will need some time off" Bucky says

Then he walks off, gets into his car, and drives away without listening to my explanation.

"I'm sorry Tony. I shouldn't bring him here" I know it's my fault. I can see the sorrow in Tony's eyes. I just didn't know Tony's gonna be down here. Waiting for me.

"It's ok. You're home safe. That's all matter. Let's just get inside" Tony tries to calm down

"See what he got for me?" I show him a giant Iron Man plush

"Your grandparents are crying in their coffin you know that right, Y/N Stark ?" He asks

"Tony, we're not related"

Taglist

@ayoelouise

@potatopfft

@welconme-notreally

@niccino-apino

@emily-roberts

@local-mr-frog

[lastbluetardis]

Sacred New Beginnings (1/?)

Summary: James Noble thought he traded away his chance at love and a happy-ever-after when he signed a contract with a record label that turned him into an international celebrity. But a chance meeting in a dive bar may prove him wrong.

Ten x Rose AU, @doctorroseprompts

This Chapter: Teen, ~5500 words

Note: Er... surprise? This idea has been in my head for months but my brain took it and ran with it this weekend. I plotted the whole thing and am gonna try to update every weekend. I don’t anticipate this being more than like... 7-10 chapter? I’d love to keep it under 5 chapters but that might be trimming things down too much for my liking. Anyways, I really hope you enjoy this little story!

AO3

Flashing lights and shrieks of his name greet James the moment the back door to his armored car is opened. His head of security ducks out first and James can only see a mass of feet and legs but it’s more than enough to let him know it’s a heavier than usual crowd. Not surprising, considering the news of his latest break-up just dropped while he’d been flying back from a visit to America.

He slides out of the car, helped by hands that pull him as much as guide him through the throng. He ignores the shouts of his name—telling him to look left or right or up or down or every combination therein—and the barrage of questions and jokes that aren’t funny.

Was it you or him that ended it?

Three weeks, is that a new personal record?

Another notch in the bedpost, eh James?

Got another beau lined up yet?

If you’re looking for candidates, what do we have to do to get our names in the running?

“Ignore them,” he mutters to himself, too quietly for anyone except his security team to hear.

In answer, one of them gives his shoulder a reassuring squeeze as they reach his front door. Someone has already unlocked it for him and the darkness within is a blessing he’s all too willing to be shoved into. The cacophony muffles once the door shuts, and finally he’s alone, a rarity for him. If it’s not his security, it’s personal assistants and writers and producers and photographers and the paparazzi.

Or his lover of the month, as the papers have taken to calling his partners.

But nope, his home is empty and quiet and bloody freezing. A shiver ripples up his spine as he treads to the thermostat controller. Summer finally released its hold on London, and the muggy heat has been replaced with a damp chill that burrows down into his bones.

Several button-presses later, James hears the familiar clank of the radiator and he can smell the heating kick on. It’ll take a while for his house to warm up, so James keeps his peacoat on for the time being as he putters around his home, checking the fridge and the cabinets. As always, they’re well-stocked. He hasn’t had to do anything as mundane as grocery shopping in the five years since his YouTube channel full of acoustic covers of popular songs went viral and landed him a lucrative deal with a prestigious record label. Only in his wildest dreams had he expected to find fame and fortune in the hobby he loved so much—for it to have actually happened still took him by surprise, as though any minute he’d be told “it was fun while it lasted, but it’s time for you to leave wonderland now.”

Shaking his head of those thoughts, he goes to the antique dining table that can easily seat ten people, which is great for holidays or in-home meetings, but just plain depressing every other day of the year. A stack of mail has piled up, and he spends the next five minutes attempting to sort it before giving up and telling himself he’ll look at it in the morning, once he’s not quite as groggy—transatlantic flights always take it out of him.

Instead, he rootles around his fridge until he comes up with the necessary items to make himself a ham and cheese sandwich. With the prospect of food in front of him, James realizes he is starving. He shoves a whole slice of ham in his mouth while he assembles his pitiful meal, heaping on lettuce and sliced tomatoes as though that’s enough to negate the pile processed protein and greasy chips he layers in for crunch.

It’s tastier than any sandwich as a right to be, and he nearly makes himself a second one before catches sight of his phone screen and the slew of incoming notifications. His work is never finished, is it?

There are several texts from his publicist, Donna, welcoming him home and congratulating him on not making an arse of himself just by trying to walk up the front drive of his home. (To be fair, he felt entitled to channel his inner crotchety old man and tell reporters to get off his damn lawn if they encroached on his personal property.)

“Though some photos are surfacing of your trip to New York… Anything you need me to get ahead of?”

He rubs his fingers into his eyes, knowing she’s probably referring to his last night out in the city, where he went bar hopping until the wee hours of the morning to try to forget the text his subsequently-ex-boyfriend had sent him.

Thanks for everything, but I need to focus on my career. Cheers mate.

The career that James had kickstarted for him by introducing his rising actor boyfriend to several of his friends in the film industry, because James had been so damn desperate for affection that he’d once again let the wool get pulled in front of his eyes.

And so James had reached out to mates who lived in New York and they’d all gone out and acted half their age and had a wonderful time once James forgot about why he’d gone out in the first place.

But none of that now. Nope. No sir.

“Not that I’m aware of,” he replies. “Let me know if you catch wind of anything.”

Despite the fact that he only just got home and he’s jetlagged and still feeling the effects of his night out in New York, James can’t stay in his house right now. It’s so quiet that his brain is creating its own white noise. He can’t stand being in his head on a good day, and today is not a good day.

He grabs his keys and wallet and makes for the back of the house. His property is landlocked with the back gardens of other houses; the paps have learned the hard way that James is dead serious about protecting his neighbors’ privacy and will not hesitate to phone the police to arrest and sue anyone caught trespassing on private property to snag a photo of him. James hosts dinner for his neighbors several times a year and buys them gifts any chance he can to show his appreciation for their patience and tolerance.

In the dead of night, he slips out into his back garden, the crisp October air burning his lungs in the best way as he ducks his way through the neighborhood, his feet taking him far away from the crowd of reporters that are still stationed in front of his own home. Hopefully they’ll all have dispersed by the time he gets back. Perhaps he should have turned on music or a movie or something, made them think he was settled in for a lazy night in.

He wanders aimlessly for a while, enjoying this taste of freedom and trying to remember the days when he could leave out the front door of his flat without any fanfare.

It’s dark, and thick clouds obscure whichever moon phase they’re in, but the street lamps glow yellow on the damp pavement, lighting his way forward. A crisp autumn breeze ruffles his hair and the leaves, sending them tumbling around him and skittering across the residential street that’s so much quieter than the bustle of New York. It’s good to be home, though.

He arrives at a bus stop and catches one headed into the city proper. It’s no secret that James lives in London, and therefore the general population has gotten used to glimpsing him on the tube or walking on the street or frequenting pubs. He knows people snap quick photos of him, and he’s always happy to stop and pose for a selfie with respectful fans, but mostly he’s left alone when he’s out by himself like this.

Nevertheless, he hears the excited undertones of people trying to inconspicuously point him out to their oblivious friends. He keeps his head down, mindlessly opening and closing apps on his phone for something to do as he pretends he doesn’t notice them. He won’t be on the bus much longer anyway.

Several people get off the bus with him, including a group of teenage girls who are whispering heatedly among themselves. It’s almost funny, watching them debate amongst themselves before one of them approaches him.

She’s red-faced but determined as she blurts, “Can we get a photo?”

“Sure thing,” he says good-naturedly, inclining his head for them to come closer. “Need me to take it?” He holds out a lanky arm and flops it around a bit. “Got a longer reach than any of you.”

He’s certain one of the girls is about to start crying with joy as they all nestle into his side and hand him a new-model iPhone. Damn, it’s fancier than his own. When he was their age, he had an old flip phone that lost reception if he breathed on it wrong. It was a tank though—he’d dropped that thing hundreds of times, and nary a scratch.

“Do me a favor,” he says, handing the phone back to its owner, “and don’t ping our location if you post to social media, yeah? I appreciate it.”

“You’re my favorite person ever,” one of the girls squeaks.

His face splits into a grin and he tucks his hands into his pockets. “Is that so?”

The girls spend the next five minutes chatting with him about music and how they’ve been following him ever since his YouTube days. He listens and chimes in every now and then when they ask him a direct question, but he prefers being passive in exchanges like this, content to hear peoples’ stories. It makes him feel normal, if only for a little while.

Finally, they take their leave, and James turns in the opposite direction even though the destination he had in mind is down the street the girls had just taken. But he’s been burned far too many times by encounters with seemingly innocent fans, only for them to begin following him around and showing up outside his house to talk to him again. He makes a point of not drawing out public encounters with his fans.

He wanders down a street he’s vaguely familiar with, figuring he can backtrack in a couple blocks. The night is too beautiful for him to be upset about needing to take a detour.

Everything looks different in the dark, the glow of neon signs bathing everything in hues of greens and blues and pinks and yellows. Shops and restaurants are mostly shut up for the night, their windows dark or blinds drawn. Dingey motels with pay-by-the-hour rates are in full swing, as are the pubs that have a revolving door of people in varying states of intoxication.

Deep bass that he can feel all the way in his chest catches his attention, and he gets turned around a few times, but he eventually finds the establishment: Bad Wolf Brews. At first, he doesn’t think it’s open, and that he must be mistaken about where the music is coming from, but the heavy front oak door opens, and he realizes the glass on the door is tempered so that the interior lights don’t shine through. The music is clear and heavy and vibrating in his bones. He doesn’t think twice before catching the door before it closes and slipping inside.

The air is humid and smells of sweat and stale beer. Bodies are writhing and gyrating to the rhythm blasting through invisible speakers. The acoustics are phenomenal; none of the layers are lost and the sound quality is nearly as good as if he were listening to the record at home on his own stereo system.

The lights are low, and he’s sure he trips into a few people in the minute it takes for his eyes to adjust to the dimness, but finally, he’s at the bar. There are three open stools, and he claims one between a blonde woman and a red-haired man as he wonders what the hell this dive bar serves. He can see beer taps, but he’s more of a cocktail guy. He must look as lost as he feels, because the bartender hands him a menu that looks like it was hand-written and then photo-copied. It jives with the overall vibe of the pub.

The bartender checks in with him a minute later. James opens a tab and orders a sidecar sans sugar, and is pleasantly surprised by the quality. Not to make assumptions, but he’d figured an establishment such as this would have cheap liquor. If the alcohol in his drink is cheap, it’s well masked.

When he’s drained the last drop and about to signal for another, a hand rests on his shoulder. “Can I buy your next round?”

James looks up into the face of a stranger. It’s a woman with striking green eyes and a disheveled pixie cut. Judging by her crimson cheeks and glazed eyes, she’s three sheets to the wind. There’s buzzed, then there’s drunk, and then there’s plastered. He prefers not to let himself get to that last category, and by extension, he doesn’t really like to associate much with people who won’t remember the night come morning.

“Thanks, but I’m good,” he says with his most charming grin. “G’night.”

He has no idea if the woman knows who he is, but the way she shrugs and saunters to the gentleman sitting beside James, he doubts it.

He gets clumsily propositioned a few more times and always politely declines with a smile. So far, nobody here seems to recognize him and he is going to ride out this anonymity for as long as it’ll last. It has been too long since he’s been able to sit in a pub and drink quietly. Well, quietly, insofar as crazed fans or paparazzi aren’t harassing him—the music is loud enough that he’s sure to have ringing in his ears for a few hours once he gets home.

But he’s not really in any rush to get home, and so he orders his fourth cocktail before making his way to the loo. Alcohol goes right through him, and it’s nearly gotten him in trouble on tour a time or two.

There’s no line, but the loo is crowded, and he tries to ignore the double-takes as he stands in front of a urinal to take care of business. If he wakes up tomorrow morning to find that someone snapped a photo of him having a piss, he’s going to lose his goddamn mind.

Bladder tended to, James keeps his head ducked and shoulders his way back into the bar. His stool is unoccupied, and when he steps forward, he realizes why. A purse sits on it, seemingly reserving the seat but he can’t figure out for whom. He’s about to take the cocktail the bartender hands him and stand against the shadowed wall when someone picks up the purse.

It’s his blonde-haired stool mate. She flashes him a broad grin that lights up her entire face and squeezes something deep in his stomach.

“Saved your seat for ya,” she says with the ease and confidence of someone who’s known him his whole life.

“Thanks,” he manages through a suddenly dry mouth.

Feeling like an idiot for standing and gaping, he slips into his seat and downs half his new sidecar in one go. It’s as though the ice has been broken now, and she turns to him, her elbow on the counter and her cheek propped on her fist.

“Pretty sure you could outdrink a fish, mate,” she drawls, smiling again in that easy way that does too many strange things to his insides. “You’ve been knockin’ ‘em back for over an hour now.”

Has it really been that long? James checks his watch, and yup, it’s half past ten. The paps should be gone from his house by now, but he feels no draw to leave this place. The alcohol has left him pleasantly tipsy and warm, but he’s more drunk on the fantasy that he’s just a normal bloke having a nice night out in a newly-discovered dive bar.

“Fish don’t really drink though, do they? They absorb water through their gills via osmosis,” he replies, and he wants to bite his tongue off because what the fuck was that??

This woman, whatever her name is, doesn’t seem to mind his answer though, because her face scrunches in a giggle. His body is hot and throbbing with more than drink now, and he wants to hear that sound again but his brain has stopped working.

“Is that so different from you absorbin’ alcohol through your bloodstream?” she muses, finishing off whatever is in her short tumbler.

“Can I buy your next round?” he blurts rather than responding to her question, which he’s almost certain was rhetorical.

Her smile melts into something softer, something private and a little shy. “If you’d like.”

“I do.” He flags down the bartender and glances at his new companion expectantly.

“Gin and tonic,” she says. She thanks the bartender, then James when she takes her first sip. “I’m Rose, by the way.”

“James,” he says, feeling stupid because his face is plastered all over London, which likes to boast that it’s the home of international celeb James Noble. But wouldn’t he seem more of an arse if he just assumed this gorgeous woman knew who he was?

Nevertheless, his stomach sinks a bit when she snorts into her drink and says, “I thought it was you.”

“Yup, it’s me,” he forces, his voice flat. He hides his frown with his glass, knocking back the rest of his sidecar like it’s a shot. The room sways slightly with the violent motion of his head, and maybe he’s slightly drunker than he’d thought.

If Rose catches on to his sudden sour mood, she doesn’t mention it. “What brings you here to Bad Wolf?”

He shrugs and blows out a noisy breath. “I dunno. Went for a walk, ended up here.”

“Those are the best sort of adventures.” She hums wistfully. “Sometimes you find what you didn’t know you needed when you let yourself get lost.”

That observation is far too astute for his current state of mind, so instead he says, “Would you like to dance with me?”

Her eyes flicker across his face for a brief moment before she says, “Okay.”

He hops down from his stool, but Rose hesitates, clutching her purse and coat awkwardly. The bartender helpfully tells her to keep them on her stool, and he’ll keep an eye on it. Rose flashes him a grin that James would rather she flash at him, but he realizes that is utterly absurd, so he simply rests his coat on top of her things to better hide them from view. He then holds out his hand for her. Her palm is soft and warm against his as he leads her to the crowded dance floor.

They find space towards the back of the pub, hidden in the shadows of a hallway that states it’s closed off to patrons. And of course, of fucking course, right when he rests his hands on her hips to find the rhythm of the song, a new one comes on, and his own voice belts from the speakers.

“Fucking hell,” he mutters. He loves his music—he made it, after all—but he can’t help but feel pretentious and more than a little silly to dance to it like this.

Rose, however, grins and says, “Oh, come on, this is one of my favorites.”

She catches his hands where he’d loosened them at her waist and forces him to grab hold of her. She’s wearing high-waisted trousers and a top that leaves a sliver of her belly exposed. His thumb grazes the skin of her bare side, and it’s enough to send tingles through his body. Rose, meanwhile, slings her arms around his shoulders and begins to rock her hips from side to side in sync with the bass, embellishing the motions until she looks absolutely ridiculous but so, so beautiful.

He can’t help but grin and laugh, and he mirrors her movements until they’re both dancing like idiots to his music.

“This is how my baby brother dances,” she explains, bouncing up and down while twisting her hips. “We have regular dance parties together.”

“How old’s your brother?” he asks.

“Just turned four.”

He blinks, and blood rushes from his face. “And… and how old are you?”

“A perfectly legal twenty-four,” she drawls, reaching up to flick his nose. “You can start breathing again.”

Thank fuck.

“That’s quite the age gap.”

“My mum got remarried when I was nineteen,” Rose says with a shrug. “She and my stepdad didn’t waste much time.”

“Clearly,” he mutters under his breath.

“It does feel a bit like they’ve started over,” Rose confesses with a too-stiff shrug. “New family, new life, and I’m the interloper.

There is no way this vivacious woman in front of him could ever be considered an interloper, but before he can tell her that, she continues, “Mum does her best to assure me otherwise, but still. It’s hard to watch all the things Mum and Dad are able to do for Tony—that’s my brother, Tony—when Mum struggled so much as a single mum with me.”

“Your dad’s not in the picture?”

A sad smile pinches her face, and he regrets asking.

“No, I never knew him. He died when I was a baby.”

“I… I’m so sorry.” Well, he’s totally buggered this all up, hasn’t he? He wracks his brain on how to salvage the easy banter they’d had at the bar, but draws a blank.

Rose seems to realize they’ve lost the mood, but she breaks out into a lazy grin and says, “Since you seemed so opposed to dancing to your own music, it’ll please you to know a new song’s on. C’mon, show me your moves.”

He’s not going to look a gift horse in the mouth, and so he follows her lead, watching her dance her heart out until her cheeks are pink and her hair is damp with sweat. He’s sure he doesn’t look much better, since he can feel the perspiration beading down his back and beneath his arms, but he can’t bring himself to care. Tonight has been the most fun he’s had in a very long time. Clubbing in New York had been a lark, but he’s been swarmed by his American fans half the night, and had been busy drowning his latest heartbreak to fully enjoy it. But here, now, with Rose, it’s like he’s any other bloke in a pub, chatting up a pretty girl he wants to get to know.

Their bodies are wrapped around each other with the ease and grace of partners who have known each other for years, and he forgets that he has known Rose for all of a few hours. He never wants this night to end. He wants to cling to this fairytale and pretend that the clock isn’t about to strike the proverbial midnight.

But time marches on as always. The clock really does strike midnight, and the bartender begins to clear people out of his establishment. James is as exhausted as he is exhilarated, no longer drunk on booze but rather the company of Rose and the magic they made together by simply dancing the night away.

They head back to the bar to retrieve their coats and her purse, and to close out their tabs. James slides his credit card to the bartender and asks him to charge everyone’s tab to his card. If the bartender is surprised, he hides it well. A few minutes later, James is signing off on the receipt of purchase of several thousand pounds-worth of alcohol. His personal assistant is sure to be confused as hell when she wakes up to see the charge. He fires off a quick warning text to her so she doesn’t open up a fraudulent charge claim.

James salutes the bartender, knowing he’ll come back to this pub as often as he can until he’s found out and this place once again becomes somewhere that’s overrun with his fans.

The night is refreshingly cold when he and Rose emerge into it, a nice change after the stifling, sweaty heat of the bar. However, she hunches her shoulders against the chill, prompting him to wrap his arm around her waist and tug her into his side, all too eager to lend her some of his body heat.

“Can I walk you somewhere?” he asks, glancing around the street that is now full of the drunken patrons who’d been in the pub with them. They all disperse in different directions, stumbling home or to a different bar that is still open. “Or wait with you ‘til you catch a cab?”

“Yeah, sure,” she says, pulling up her phone to order a ride. She taps on the screen for a few quiet moments then says, “Done. Should be here in a few minutes.”

They descend into a slightly awkward silence that James wants to break, but he can’t think of anything clever to say. So he says nothing, and finally headlights wash over them, momentarily blinding them before a taxi pulls up.

“D’you wanna share?” she asks, opening the door to the back seat.

Is she as reluctant to leave him as he is to leave her? Or is she being polite and eco-friendly by ride sharing? Nevertheless, he nods and slides into the back seat beside her.

There is something incredibly intimate about sitting with Rose in the dark interior of the taxi, and he feels like he’s fifteen and wondering how to hold his date’s hand after a cheap night out at the cinemas. He fists his hands together, knotting his fingers until his knuckles pop.

The driver goes to the address Rose provides first, and all too soon they’ve arrived.

“I’ll cover the fare,” he says when she makes to hand over some bank notes to the diver. “It’d be my pleasure.”

She hesitates, but nods, then opens the door to climb out of the car. His pulse quickens as he watches her walk away with nothing but a, “Goodnight.”

“Can you wait just a minute?” he asks the driver.

“Meter’s still runnin’,” he grunts.

“That’s fine.”

James scrambles out of the taxi. “Hey, Rose?”

She turns back to face him, frowning.

“I… er… I had a great time tonight,” he says lamely, but her frown relaxes into a smile. “It was fun. With you. I had fun.”

“Yeah, me too,” she answers.

He licks his lips; his mouth is bone dry and his pulse pounds in his ears, making his vision throb with each frenzied beat.

“Do you… do you maybe wanna do it again some time? Hang out together? I… I’d really like to see you again,” he says, cursing his clumsy, fumbling words.

She scrutinizes him for a long moment, her expression indecipherable. His stomach sinks. Maybe this was a one-off, a story for her to tell her mates.

You’ll never guess who I met at the pub last night. James Noble! He paid for all my drinks and we danced like idiots.

He stews in his misery of doubt, and just when he’s about to tell her to forget about it, she slowly nods.

“Yeah, okay. I’d like that.”

“Really?” he asks, a hopeful edge creeping into his voice.

She laughs. “Really.”

“Brilliant!” James fumbles in his pocket for his phone, and he thrusts it at her. “Give me your number? I’ll text you. Or call.”

He rocks back and forth on his toes and heels, waiting for her to finish up with his phone. He has a sudden, potent bolt of panic that she’s snooping through his private messages or photographs for something to use against him to make a quick profit, but before that panic can take root, she hands his mobile back to him. It’s open to a new texting conversation.

From: 🌹 Bad Wolf Girl 🌹

Now I’ve got your number too 😉

He beams at the name she’s given to herself in his contacts, then he pockets his phone.

“I’ll see you later,” he says.

“You better,” she replies with that knee-weakening smile he’s grown to love over the course of the night. “See ya.”

“Bye.”

He stands there like a moron until she’s safely inside, then he turns back to the taxi and climbs in. The deserted streets streak by as the driver takes him to his neighborhood. He never gives his address though; he always chooses a destination a few streets away, just in case.

James generously tips the driver and bids him goodnight before slipping into the night to his home. He was right: the paparazzi are gone. There is no fanfare as he slips his key into the lock and lets himself into his house. It’s warm and cozy, but still too quiet for his liking.

Between the plane ride and his night out, he feels greasy and disgusting, and indulges in a hot shower before bed. He washes Rose’s scent off of his body, an intoxicating blend of jasmine and vanilla that’s as sweet as it is musky.

He’s groggy by the time he crawls into his giant, king-sized bed and burrows deep into his mounds of pillows and duvets. One of his ex-girlfriends once teased that he turns into the marshmallow man when he sleeps.

His sleep is deep and dreamless, and when he awakes with the sun the following morning, he feels more refreshed and invigorated than he ever remembers being. He’s got a full day of meetings with his songwriting team to brainstorm his next album, and he is ready.

But first, he checks his phone. There’s nothing from Rose, which makes him a little sad, but also nothing from his publicist, which is always a good sign. If ever she messages or calls him first thing in the morning, it always means there’s some sort of dumpster fire to put out. Usually a dumpster fire full of compromising photos of him.

He makes a point of not Googling himself, but he does occasionally check his social media pages for new posts about him, wanting to know when, where, and how his fans came across him in the wild. He easily finds the photo that he took with the group of teenage girls, and makes a point to like the original post and type a quick, “Nice to meet you all. Thanks for chatting with me last night - J” in the comments section. He snorts to himself as his comment blows up within seconds.

But other than some grainy photos of him riding the bus, he can’t find any other photos of himself. Nothing of him wandering the streets or drinking in the pub or even having a wee in the mens’ room. And best of all, there’s nothing of him and Rose. No photos of them dancing together or sharing a cab. If Rose has a social media account, it didn’t post any sneaky photos or bragging stories about dancing all night with James Noble.

He can’t quite believe it; he managed to have a fun night out drinking without it all being thrown back in his face the next morning. Within seconds, he’s grinning to himself and pulling up Rose’s contact information. It’s still in his phone, further proof that his night with her wasn’t some sort of jetlagged fever dream. She was real.

“Good morning. I hope you slept well. Thanks for last night.”

She responds almost instantly. Good morning to you too. I should be thanking you for paying my drink tab and taxi fare 😉 And for being an excellent dance partner.

“The pleasure was all mine, on all counts.” He sends that message, then types out a new one, “I’m gonna be in meetings all day (yes, I know it’s Sunday), so please don’t be discouraged if I don’t reply. But I’d really like to see you again. Want to do dinner or drinks or coffee or something?”

He doesn’t wait for an answer, needing to make himself presentable for when his driver picks him up in an hour. Yet he can’t help but check his phone every three seconds, until finally there’s a message from Rose.

Yeah, I’d like that. I work ‘til five most nights, but I’m free after that. Or we can wait ‘til the weekend.

With spirits lighter than they’ve been in months, James steps out of his house with a broad, stupid grin that the ever-present crowd of paparazzi are all too happy to photograph.

[livthelazywriter]

Quirkless Hero

Bakugou x f!reader

Y/n is quirkless. Has been and always will be(well kinda of that is), but that's never stop her from getting strong to be a hero. Walls that seem to be unbreakable appear in her life, but that doesn't stop her. Until a wall greater than she's ever faced shows up. She begins to question if she should just give being a hero or continue to move forward and still try. As she thinks about giving up, a certain ash blonde decides to help her break down this wall alongside her.

Chapter 1: News

Words: 2908

Thud!

"Ha! I win!" Y/n looked down at the person under her. Putting her staff across their chest. She had a smirk across her face in victory.

The boy under her smirked. "Yeah well, not for long." He grabbed both ends of the metal pole and flipped Y/n to the ground. Hands still on the ends of the staff, he flipped with her, putting him on top of her. He pushed the staff to her chest to keep her from getting up.

"Owwwahaha, that hurt Kenji." Y/n let a laughing groan(is that what you call it? When you do the weird laugh when you get hurt? idk).

Kenji let out a chuckle. Looking down at his girlfriend, eyebrows furrowed together slightly with a small smile. "That's kinda the point."

Y/n rolled her eyes then looked up at Kenji. "Can you get off me now? Please?"

Kenji pondered for a moment. "Mmmmm, no." He smirked, "I like the view." He said looking down at his girlfriend, getting a little closer to her face. All Y/n did was give him a deadpanned look. She had gotten rather used to his flirtatious remarks since they started dating. She was about to give him a reply when she was quickly interrupted. It was a girl's voice.

"Ewwwww! Get a room you two!" The girl said with a chuckle. She was one of Y/n and Kenji's only friends. She was currently sparing with another classmate next to the couple.

Pov change-

You both looked at your friend with a small blush on your faces.

"Izumi!" You yelled at her from across the field. All she did was let out a giggle. Turning back to look up at your boyfriend you pulled your legs up to your chest and pushed him off. He fell onto his back groaning.

He looked up at you. "You couldn't have been a little nicer?" He held out his hand asking for help up. You grabbed his forearm.

"Well, I did ask you once to get off but you didn't listen." You replied as you pulled him up. Just as Kenji was about to answer you back he was interrupted.

"Alright class that enough for today. Go get changed and head back to class." Your teacher announced. The class stopped their sparing and headed towards the school from the field. Izumi came running over to you both.

"Hey gu-"

"Mr. Hara." Your teacher called from close behind. You three turned. "Please keep the flirting to a minimum or don't do it at all during my class." You snickered.

"Yes sensei!" Kenji answered bashfully with a small bow.

"You too Ms. L/n." Your teacher added with a straight face. You froze.

"Uh-I-um, uh y-yes sir!" You stuttered. This time it was Kenji's turn to laugh.

I wasn't even flirting this time!

"Yeah Mrs. L/n." Kenji mocked bumping your shoulder. You tried to kick him, but he quickly got away anticipating the move.

"Gotta try harder than that to get me Y/n!" He yelled as he started to run, obviously wanting you to try a catch him. A deadpanned looked came to your face once again. You turned to Izumi, who still walking next to you.

"He's such a pain." You rolled your eyes. The indigo haired girl next to you let out a giggle.

"Then why are you dating him again?" Izumi asked playfully.

"Oh shush!" You pushed her shoulder. Both of you let out a laugh.

-Time skip to the end of the school day-

"HAHAHA!!" Izumi let out a loud laugh.

"It's not funny! It was embarrassing!" Kenji replied defensively. A tint of pink dusted his cheeks.

"Then maybe you shouldn't fall asleep in class." You added a bit playfully looking to the boy at your right. Kenji groaned.

"It's not my fault Mrs. Nakamura's class is boring." All you could do was giggle at your boyfriend's distress. Silence fell over the three of you as you continued to walk to the school entrance gate. It wasn't awkward, it was a comfortable silence.

The three of you had been friends since school began in the spring. It's now fall. You and Kenji were the first to meet. You both met in the hall after your first bully incident. Not long after the two of you befriended Izumi after being assigned as a group during hero training. You were to 'rescue' another group that had been taken hostage by 'villains'(your teachers). You three passed.

After that, the three of you continued to do work together and hang out after school whenever you guys had time. Each of you helped each other grow. Since you don't have a quirk, you helped Kenji and Izumi grow with theirs. Pointing out different areas of their quirk to make them stronger. They on the other hand helped you grow in strength and combat.

"Welp," Izumi stretched her arms over her head once approaching the gate, "this were we part ways. See you guys tomorrow!" She gave a small wave and started to walk down the sidewalk home.

You Kenji responded at the same time. "See you tomorrow Izumi!" The two of you went the opposite way. You both lived in the same direction but Kenji was a little further from you, so he ends up walking home by himself.

POV change~

The couple was engaged in small talk as they walked down the street. Kenji's arm wrapped loosely around Y/n's waist as always. The leaves on the trees were turning colors, from vibrant greens, to warm yellows, oranges, and reds. A few leaves were scattered along the walkway. Every now and then, there would be a satisfying crunch under their feet.

While on the topic of homework, Y/n felt a buzz from her coat pocket. She reached in and pulled out her phone. A smile spread across her face.

-One New Message-

From: Favorite Cousin❤️🪨

"Who is it?" Kenji asked as he turned his head toward the phone in Y/n's hands.

Y/n gave him a short answer. "Ej." She tapped on the notification bringing her to her messaging app to see what her cousin sent her.

Favorite Cousin❤️🪨:

Hiiiii

Y/n chuckled at the text.

Quirkless wonder:

Hiiiiii👋

Favorite Cousin❤️🪨:

Whatcha doin?

Quirkless wonder:

Walking home with Kenji

Favorite Cousin❤️🪨:

Ooo romantic😙

Y/n snorted, she gave Kirishima an eye roll he obviously couldn't see. Kenji looked over to his girlfriend with a questioning look.

"What's so funny?"

"Ejirou asked what I was doing and I said walking home with you. He responded with, 'oooo romantic'." Y/n said the last bit with a hint of sarcasm. Kenji let out a chuckle and pulled the girl closer to his side.

"I can make it more romantic if you like." He got closer to her face. His eyebrows were raised and a smirk made way to his face. Y/n let out a small laugh and pushed the boy's side with hers. She stopped walking and pulled up the camera on her phone.

Kenji stopped with her confused. "What are you doing?"

Y/n held her phone in front of them. "Make a face."

"Why?"

"Just do it. I'm showing how 'romantic' our walk home is." Kenji leaned closer to her face taking a bit of hair to make a mustache on his face.

"How this?" He asked puckering his lips to keep the hair in place. The girl laughed.

"Perfect!" Y/n sucked in her cheeks make fish lips, then crossed her eyes. Keeping her finger where the button was she took the picture. The two then looked at the picture.

"Romantic," Kenji adds with a fake serious look on his face.

Y/n giggled, then nodded her head. "Very romantic indeed." She sent the picture.

Quirkless wonder:

How's this?

Not long after he responded.

Favorite Cousin❤️🪨:

Ahh yes, very romantic👍

Once again the (h/c) let out a chuckle.

Quirkless wonder:

What are you doing?🤔

Favorite Cousin❤️🪨:

Going to do some studying Bakubro

Quirkless wonder:

Didn't he hit you in the head with a newspaper last time???

Favorite Cousin❤️🪨:

Yeah😓

Quirkless wonder:

Then.....why are studying with him????🤨

Favorite Cousin❤️🪨:

It helped surprisingly😅

Y/n mentally face palmed.

Favorite Cousin❤️🪨:

Plus, the rest of the squad aren't much for studying and he ranked 3rd in midterms. So I don't have very many options.

As Y/n began to type back, she felt something soft press on her cheek. She looked over to the boy standing next to her, seeing that they arrived at their house.

Kenji pressed another kiss but this time her forehead. "I'll see you tomorrow at school." With that he walked towards home. Before he got to far, Y/n called out to him. Making the boy turn around

"Yeah! See you tomorrow!" She replied with a smile and slight wave. Kenji smiled and waved back. Turning back around, he continued home.

Phone still in hand, Y/n opened the gate to her yard and walked in. Quickly she turned around and closed it. Looking back down at her phone she continued to type her response.

Finishing, she quickly hit send.

Quirkless wonder:

Well then, I wish you the best of luck with your study session with the grumpy explosive boy. Don’t die

Favorite cousin ❤️🪨:

I won't lol

We just got to where we're going to study so I'll talk to you later

Love u

Quirkless wonder:

Love you too

Looking back up from her phone, she made her way up to the front door. Not knowing there was a surprise on the other side waiting for her. Barely making it into to the house, she ended up screaming. Why? Her annoying younger brother.

"RAAAAAAAAAA!"

"AHHHHH!" Y/n let out a short high pitch scream. She jumped what felt like a few feet in the air, nearly dropping her phone in the process. Hiro let out a hearty laugh dropping to the floor.

"BWHAHAHAHA! You should've seen the look on you face!"  Hiro held his stomach as he shook from his uncontrollable laughter. Tears began to swell in his eyes as he took to much joy from antagonizing his sister.

Y/n however did not fine this funny in the slightest. "Hiro! Your such a butt!" Walking over to the boy on the floor, she pushed him over using her foot. Not even phasing him or breaking him out of his trance of laughter.

Huffing, the girl turned taking off her shoes and placed them by the door. She hung her coat on the rack that hung on the wall. Picking up her backpack she took off to remove her coat, she headed to her room, completely ignoring the boy on the floor.

-Time Skip-

"So? How was school you two?"

Currently the L/n family was sat down for dinner. Once in a while, Ren and Hana would still be at work, working on last minute plans, attending meetings, or finishing last minute projects. Luckily tonight, they got to be home with their kids.

"Good."

"Boring."

Hiro had a pout on his face and poked his food with his chopsticks. Y/n chuckled as she picked up a bit of her rice and ate it. He said that almost every night at dinner. So she decided to poke the bear, knowing his answer was still going to be the same.

"Why was it boring?" All the boy did was grumble as he looked up from his food to his sister.

"I don't get to do anything fun. All we do is work." Hiro angrily stabbed a piece of his teriyaki chicken.

"That's kind of the point of school Hiro." His father added from the head of the table.

"I know. But I wish we got to do something more fun like sis does."

"Hiro, that's because I go to a hero school and your still in middle school(I don't know how the Japanese school system  age wise works so bare with me)." Y/n look looked up from her rice and to her very grumpy younger brother.

Hiro dropped his chopsticks on the table. "Yeah, I know bu-"

Hana interrupted him before he could continue. "Why don't we talk about something else before you two start arguing."

A silence fell among the family as they continued to eat. After a minute or so, Ren decided to speak up.

"We actually do have something that we need to talk to you both about." The teens looked up to their dad both mid chew. The h/c swallowed her food and looked to the right of the table.

"What is it?" A little bit of anxiety and stress set in thinking the answer might be bad.

"A new building location opened a few moths ago and has been getting some break ins," shock came to both of the teens faces. Ren continued. "The people working there are on edge and I need to address the situation in person."

"So," Hiro looked to his sister then his dad, "are you saying we're moving?" All his father did was nod. It was Y/n's turn to speak up.

"Wait new building location?" She started trying connect the dots where they were going to move to. Her heart started to race in anticipation. "You mean, you mean the one in Mustafu?" She looked to her mother in reassurance. She smiled crept onto her face as she nodded.

"No way!" Y/n stood up and put her hands on the table causing her chair to almost fall over. She had never been more excited in her life to move. She's going to get to see her cousin in person again after all these years. She was absolutely astatic. "I gotta tell Ei!"

Right before she went anywhere her mom stopped her. "No!"

Y/n whipped her head in her mother's direction in confusion. "Why not?" Her voices was slightly raised. This made her a little hurt.

"We told Akari about moving and thought that maybe you could surprise him by showing up at his house or something instead of telling him immediately." Explained Hana. Y/n nodded at the suggestion. Surprising him sounds a lot more fun.

"Alright. Yeah, I'll do that."

"Wait, when are we moving?" Hiro asked. He looked back and forth between his parents at both ends of the table.

"We are going to let you two finish the school year before we move. So we want to move into the house some time in February." Ren looked between his two kids. "And Y/n, sit down please."

"Oh right." Y/n sat back in her chair and scooted back up to the table.

"So you both don't need to worry about packing quite yet. We'll do that a bit after when we find out when we need to be out of the house." Hana added.

"So you guys found a house already?" Hiro questioned both his parents.

"Not yet," his father began, "we just got informed this morning not long after you guys left for school. So it'll be a few days till we find a house that's up for sale."

Y/n's heart was pounding. They were actually going to Mustafu. She gets to Ejirou. Her face fell. They're leaving. She has to to leave Kenji and Izumi. She has to leave her best friend. She's leaving her boyfriend. The first person outside of her family to believe in her. One of the first people to actually accept her as being quirkless. What if she ends up going to UA with Kirishima and the people there aren't nice? No no, he said they were nice. They wouldn't pick on her would they? The only person she could think that would a bit of a pain would be-

Y/n's mom interrupted her thoughts. "Y/n, you okay?" Her head snapped up to her direction.

"Yeah I'm fine." She sighed. "It's just- everything kinda hit me all at once. I'm excited to go back to Mustafu, but at the same time I have to leave Kenji and Izumi." She looked back down at her food. Picking up her chopsticks she poked at it.

Her dad spoke up. "You can always talk to them, you have their phone numbers. It's not like you'll be completely out of touch."

Y/n let out a heavy sigh. "I know but, what am I going to do about Kenji?"

"Long distance?" Hiro suggested shrugging his shoulders.

"I could but that would be hard. I like being able to interact with people beside video calls and text messages." Y/n rested her head in her palm as her elbow rested on the table. Hana reached her hand over to her daughters back and rubbed circles on it.

"You'll figure it out. We know you will." She gave her words over encouragement as she looked into her eyes with a soft smile.

Y/n will tell Izumi and Kenji tomorrow at school sometime. It will be hard but she'll do it. Maybe before heading home she'll go someplace so she can talk to her boyfriend about what they'll do when she moves. Will they end it or try long distance? If they do end it, at least they'll be on good terms and it wasn't anything bad. Going back to being just friends wouldn't be to bad.

Previous Next

[10millionyearsdungeon]

His Girl Friday

So! Shindou-mas was upon us! In honor of our favorite supporting character, we have a sordid tale of personal assistants and a week in the life of the notorious hero Grand. As part of a mini-collab with a few lovely writers from the BNHarem server!  ============================= “Your case files are on your desk, Grand. I took the liberty of filing them from oldest to new to help you catch up.” 

Shindou sat behind his heavy oak desk and flashed you his most dazzling smile. His nimble fingers unbuttoned the top two buttons of his pale yellow shirt and ran absently along the tanned skin of his throat. You had only started working for the hero as his personal assistant for little over six weeks now. Your temp agency had pre-assigned you to his agency but wouldn't disclose the reason why they pulled you from your prior assignment in Nagasaki. Your eyes lingered a half-second too long before you swore his perfect, sun-rivaling smile grew predatory. 

"Is there anything else I can get for you, sir?" Your thighs shifted together beneath your pencil black pencil skirt and you hoped he didn't notice your squirming. He took the files you tirelessly worked over and shook his head. 

"I think we're good, Y/n. Thank you."

You excused yourself from his office and beelined to the restroom. Splashing cool water on your face brought you back; you always suspected that your new boss was a flirt. Hell, he dictated his fan replies to you and his responses to the anonymous masses that elevated him up the Hero Billboards ranged from wholesome and sweet to downright lewd. 

"He is your boss and this is just a job! We do not lust over our boss like some ill-mannered slut!" you scolded yourself in the mirror. With a huff and slightly better control over yourself you strode back to your desk and started on the next mountain of paperwork to fill out and catalog for your boss. 

You felt like you had been working over reports and case data for backlogged cases for hours. A sharp buzz pulled you from your fastidious toil and the smooth, charming voice brought you back from data abstraction. 

"Y/n, could you cancel my dinner reservations tonight? I'm afraid it's going to be a late night for everyone." 

"Uh, yeah, sure thing." 

"Oh, and call Tuesday in, would ya? You're the best."

The line went dead and you sat confused by his request...or maybe it was the heat that bubbled under your skin at his praise? Numbly, you opened his planner and hovered your mouse over the events for the day. "It's Monday. Why am I calling Tuesday's staffer in?" In your grumbling, you noted a tall, thin woman with soft blonde hair falling past her shoulders in cascading waves of spun gold stride past your desk. Wrapped in a tan trench-coat, her heels clacked softly on the polished floor of the agency. She always came on Monday, but you never thought anything of it. She didn't even spare you a glance as she pushed through the double doors and into Shindou's vast office. He greeted her with a wide sweep of arms and that obnoxiously gorgeous smile of his. The blonde woman giggled in his arms and sat herself across from his plush throne. Shindou made his way to the doors and shut them, flashing you a glimpse of that same hungry grin you swore you caught earlier. 

With a raised brow, you shook your head and dialed the number affixed to the Tuesday staffer's sticky note on your planner app.  Naturally, the call went to voicemail. 

"Um...hey, this is Y/n from Grand Hero Agency. Grand is calling you in to work for the night. Thanks." Awkwardly, you hung up the phone and tuned the rest of the world out as you poured over your reports again. Your heart still hammered in your chest as you felt his eyes burning into you. Those harsh obsidian chips had a way of causing your brain to short circuit. Part of you wondered if that was a lesser known part of his famous quirk-- bringing women to the brink of stupidity with just his devastating grin? You sighed through your nose and pursed your lips at the report. Soft moans pulled you away from your work and you turned to the closed doors of his office. 

Maybe you were mistaken. Your lip caught in your teeth, you strained to hear the conversation inside the office but there weren't any words. Another moan, louder this time, rattled the heavy doors of Grand's professional sanctuary. Blood rushed to your head and heat settled in your core. Spluttering over your desk, you squirmed in your seat and tried to imagine what depraved acts your boss was doing to pull those moans from his blonde companion.

Another girl, short and with a mess of red curls piled high on her head rushed through the department and stopped herself at your desk. Her chest heaved as she fought to catch her breath, sweat glistened down her pale, freckled collar bones. Even a mess she was a vision in olive green, and her eyes were pale ice chips set in porcelain. If the first woman was poured gold and refinement, this one was that one wild night in the pub wrapped in a pert little package. 

"Don't tell me they started without me!" 

"Ah! He's expecting you," you whimpered out in an attempt to hide your shame. The sprite bounced to the double doors in a huff and threw them open. The image of Shindou Yo's head nested between the slender, golden thighs of his blonde Monday staffer would be forever burned into your retinas. Her elegant head threw back against the plush leather of his office chaise and her long willowy fingers pulled through his jet hair as he coaxed another high keening moan from her glossy lips. The red headed newcomer held her hands on her hips and stood in the doorway. You drank in the scene and found yourself unable to pull away. Every fiber of your being screamed for you to look away and continue about your day but you just couldn't. Slack jaw and burning cheeks, you swallowed down your shame and sunk deeper into your chair only to feel his sharp, hungry eyes on you again. A silvery string of slick hung between his mouth and her glistening folds and the sight sent white-hot heat straight to your abdomen. Sinful smirk stretched across his handsome features, he dragged his tongue slowly along his slick-coated lips and waved the redhead over while he rubbed his golden goddess's thighs to help her come down from her high. With a pout the newcomer closed the doors behind her, leaving you in a puddle of your own desire. 

You stepped away from your desk and began to make your way to the stairs. Air. I just need to get some air and then I can focus again. Heels in hand, you ran down the ten flights of stairs to the street level entrance. Your lungs burned with exertion, but the ten floors of steel and concrete between yourself and your boss only eased your unrest enough for you to think through the haze of your desire. His lascivious gaze stuck with you as you leaned against the cold glass lobby door. 

It was hardly fair, the strain he put you under. He knew he was gorgeous, a literal god among humble mortals, and with his quirk he could have anyone he wanted. The longer you mulled over the implications of catering to the hero, the more lost you became. He knew what he did to you the longer he kept you on payroll. You could feel it when his eyes lingered on you whenever you brought him his decaf oat milk latte with extra espresso shot, or how he would gently vibrate his fingers against yours when you took his dictation. Your breathing slowed only to hitch at the thought of his tongue lashing at the dewy pearl between those bronzed thighs. What you wouldn't give to take her place sprawled out on that leather sofa carding your fingers through his jet hair as he nipped and sucked bruises into your thighs. Heat rose to your cheeks and suddenly the chill of evening was gone. Ignoring the gnawing, wet ache in your core, you sighed heavily through your nose. It started as a rumble through the foundation of the building and ended in a cascade of shattered glass with Shindou Yo triumphantly groaning his release into the skyline.

+++++

Wednesday marked the beginning of a new day with a new set of struggles. Grand would be out of the office, saving you the embarrassment of facing your boss at least one day this week. As you stretched and went about your morning preparations, Shindou's predatory stare haunted you. The warm, bitter aroma of hot coffee sloshing in your mug kept you grounded. Tiny scratches along your arms from the shower of window shards stung with every pull of your limbs as you dressed for the day. It would be at least two days before the building contractors replaced the windows. Maybe this time they would replace them with something more durable to seismic-grade vibrations than rudimentary glass. You pulled out your phone and squinted at the screen.

Message: Shindou Yo - Y/n, I have a few errands for you to run after sending those finished reports off to the HPSC. My list is already uploaded to your planner. You're the best, doll! 

Your breath caught in your chest. It wouldn't take but a few hours to finish and courier over the reports, but Shindou's personal errand list? You cautiously opened your planner app and highlighted "Wednesday" with a trembling finger. This was a man quite capable of anything, and your career, your livelihood was in his large, devious hands. Much to your surprise (or was it disappointment?) his errand list was fairly innocent. Grocery lists, dry cleaning and package pick ups, it all seemed pretty self-explanatory. Every errand was detailed down to the minute, and for a moment you found yourself wondering why Grand even needed a personal assistant to keep his life in check. Dressed in your modest gray pencil skirt and white quarter-sleeve collared shirt, you took a quick look in the mirror. With a sigh, you steeled your nerve. This was your life now-- just another powerless pawn at the beck and call of a celebrated hero. You packed up your laptop bag, topped off your travel mug, and started your commute into the city. 

Your key turned effortlessly in the tumbler of the deadbolt on his penthouse door. It was a feat with how many bags and hangers you had hanging from your arms. You cursed your boss and his arrogance. It was borderline harassment what he was putting you through. As you pushed through the doorway with Grand's parcels and bags, huffing to yourself over his arrogance, you swore you could hear the softest grunts coming from inside the suite. Dutiful assistant you were, you hung the tasteful slate and navy suits and dry cleaning in the foyer. Silence continued to permeate the suite as you worked to replace the groceries in the fridge and tidy the kitchen. Internally, you thought about calling the maid service if only to keep the penthouse clean for the careless bachelor. 

"Hnnghnnn!!"

You froze and held your breath-- you knew that voice. A sickening crack resounded through the suite and was answered by another keening groan. A cool, low voice exchanged clipped, stern words. Your curiosity bubbled over and your skin burned scarlet at the vision swimming into view as you quietly emerged from the kitchen and into the open expanse of the playboy's living room. If the vision of his raven head buried between the bronzed and oiled thighs of a golden goddess left an impression, the sight before you would remain with you to the grave. 

Rich, wine ropes dug into limbs hardened and sculpted by years of hero field work and honing his multifunctional quirk. Sweat dripped from the tip of his nose and onto the polished hardwood as he hung suspended by a bolt from where you assumed a light fixture once hung. A heavy black blindfold velcroed tightly to his handsome face kept him blindly sweeping his head to find his playmate. Sinful mouth was left woefully unattended and you felt your panties grow damp at the thought of all the horribly lewd noises about to be coaxed from his saliva-coated lips. But the cherry of it all, red and angry, weeping onto the floor bounced proudly against his washboard abs with every twitch and sigh. He curled backward, spine arched deliciously and stretched his pecs with every heaving breath. The leather-clad woman in thigh-high boots and fishnet bodysuit didn't even register as you drank in his helplessness. 

"I want you to sit and think about what you've done, hero." Her voice was red wine and dark chocolate. It was night in the dungeon and her word was final. Her riding crop came down on the pale, toned flesh of his buttocks with another loud crack, earning another loud moan and a violent twitch of his neglected cock. Precum beaded and glistened at his swollen head, the light catching it in a way that made your mouth water from your hiding spot. As the imperious Amazon left the scene, your body moved on its own. Creeping through the dark, you sat on hands and knees beneath the quivering Adonis in his crimson silk harness. Wetting your lips, you raised up on your knees and dragged the tip of your tongue along the seam of his balls, up the thick vein running the length of his heavy shaft, and twirled around that leaking, hot head. He was all salt and heat on your tongue, a taste you could grow to appreciate under different circumstances. He let out a hiss under your tongue as you dragged the pad of your tongue against his head in soft kitten strokes. Your fingers drifted between your thighs and ran carelessly along your clothed silt, your slick rendering the cotton fabric useless. Grand was brought low by a Quirkless civilian, and all that remained was Shindou Yo, bound and moaning into the empty expanse of his penthouse. He keened above you and helplessly thrashed against his harness to seek more friction from your eager mouth. For a moment, you obliged taking his girthy length into the heat of your waiting mouth. He melted into his restraints and into the warm, wet cavern, helpless to your slow ministrations. His moans were low, needy notes littering their shared space. How frequently did you find your thoughts coming back to his penthouse? You moaned into his length and rubbed tight, sloppy circles on your clit over your drenched panties. The head of his cock pushed to the back of your throat. His poor, neglected cock twitched, and you felt yourself begin to come undone. His whimpering and frantic panting spurred you on until reason seeped back in through the cracks of your lust-hazed thoughts. 

"I know you're still there," he sighed, still struggling against his binding. "I can smell you. You're loving this, aren't you? C'mon, sweetheart...is that the best you've got?" 

His words, that sinful, husky voice doused whatever fire you had burning in your loins. He knew you were here. How could he not? Maybe he wasn't anticipating you finishing his list so soon? Or...more likely, in all his meticulous planning he wanted you to find him like this-- beaten and vulnerable, open to your advances. The door creaked open, signaling your chance to escape. Abruptly, you pulled his aching cock from your lips and wiped your mouth with the back of your hand. Scrambling gracelessly in your nylons against the hardwood, you dove back into the kitchen. Mistress Wednesday strode confidently into the frey, riding crop in hand. Harness slung across her hips in elegantly embossed black leather, her own proud length in dazzling ultraviolet was anchored to her crotch with a heavy steel ring. Eight inches and rivaling his own girth, your eyes rested on her gloved hands and how they worked to nimbly prepare his needy, puckered hole for the beating it was about to receive. 

It was too much to take in. The scene unfolded and elevated to a higher level of filth you were far from accustomed to, and you, despite every cell in your body screaming to stay and enjoy the show you silently stole away. The only sound signaling your departure from the suite was the gentle click of the deadbolt latching between Shindou Yo's hungry moans. You called in sick the next morning agonizing over whether or not it would be poor form to put in your notice. 

++++++

 You fidgeted at your desk when he crossed through the foyer to his office. It was a patrol morning, and naturally he had to grace his staff with the morale boosting sight of the boss hitting the streets just like the lowest-rung side-kicks in his employ. His bare chest glistened under the fluorescents. Sweat dripped from his pretty-boy brow and harkened back to that moment when he was curled back on himself, sweat dripping down his sinew and steel body for an entirely different reason. It was all you could do to avoid his sharp, onyx gaze and that heart-melting smile. 

"Y/n, I hope you're feeling better," he grinned. God, how you hated that grin! "We missed you yesterday."

"Ah, yeah. May I help you with something, sir?" 

He canted that gorgeous, raven head of his and narrowed his eyes at you. "Actually there is." You waited for him to finish, your heart leaping into your throat the longer he loomed over your desk, but he never did. Instead, he sauntered through the double doors of his office and gestured for you to follow. Numbly, your feet followed before the rest of you could catch up. 

Contractor tape still lined the window panes, a reminder of the last time you were caught in his crosshairs. You squirmed mulling over the implications of his quirk, your position, and how inexplicably tangled you had become in his daily life. As he pulled off his faceguard and set the sweat-stained support gear on the rich oak hardwood of his desk you felt him burn through you as if committing every exposed freckle to memory. He zeroed in on your lips and smirked, holding his arms open as if to invite you to take a moment and fully appreciate him for the god among men he was. 

"Like what you see, sweetheart?" 

You swallowed hard and nodded before you could stop yourself. It seemed to be the right answer because in seconds he was on you, pinning your back to the desk. He leaned over you, nose barely brushing yours and licked his lips slowly. His stare was downright predatory as he loomed over you, hands heavy and rough pawed at your poly-blend wrapped hips. He gripped at the dark fabric and eyed you hungrily. The breath you didn't realize you were holding slowly escaped through gently pursed lips, the preamble to what should have been your verbal notice. But something in his stare kept you silent, submissive. The possessive hold he had on your hips kept you grounded, but the scent of him after a patrol sent you reeling. Effortlessly he lifted your hips and slid your skirt down your legs, hoisting them over his shoulders once freed. It was his turn for his breath to hitch in his throat-- he drank in the sight of your damp, silk panties and dragged his tongue along his lips as if imagining how your fluttering walls would feel convulsing around his tongue. Pupils blown, he raked his eyes over your half-dressed frame. 

"Shy? I thought we'd be long past that, sweetheart." He lowered his head and dragged his lips across the soft skin of your inner thighs. "After all, I still have to return the favor," he purred, dragging his tongue in one broad stroke up along your soaked, clothed cunt. A shuddering gasp broke through your self-imposed silence and you all but melted into his mouth. He hadn't even used his quirk on you and he had you quivering into his mouth. You felt him grin that feral, wolfish grin into your heat and the lift of your lower back from the cool, hardwood of his oak desk. How many times did he seduce and lay waste to his catch of the day? It barely mattered as you carded your fingers through the tangle of black curls and opened yourself to his advances. Shame was an afterthought you could afford if it meant you could satisfy that carnal curiosity surrounding your boss. 

"Y/n, who knew you'd be such a lewd little slut." He pulled your panties to the side easily and teased your clit with the very top of his tongue. It started with a low, steady hum and graduated to a heavy buzz focused entirely on the head of your tender bundle. The sensation brought you to the edge almost too quickly. You fought against his hold, squirming and writhing with your legs squeezing helplessly around his head as he continued holding his tongue against you. Incensed by your sudden fight, he slipped a finger easily into your drooling hole and searched for that spongy spot that brought white stars to the edges of your vision. A moan, high and sharp ripped through you as he pulled his mouth from your now swollen pearl. Hungrily your cunt clenched around his finger, and soon he added a second. Your eyes clamped shut at the sudden addition and your body tensed around him. He planted soft kisses and gentle bites along your thighs as you slowly came back to a baseline he deemed appropriate. The moment he felt you relax, you felt it-- a hook of two calloused fingertips digging mercilessly up into your g-spot, vibrations resonating from deep within. You kicked and fought to writhe away and again he held you fast against the desk effortlessly. You tugged and pushed at his head, your end coming all too quickly. Your breathing grew frantic, moaning out half syllables and empty pleas for him to stop. 

"Yo!!"

Shuddering into his mouth, you rode his fingers to completion, legs trembling around his ears like his own personal earthquake. He withdrew his fingers and brought them to his lips, groaning at the taste. Shindou palmed his half-hard cock through his hero suit and lowed his head for a taste from your source. Satisfied, he pulled your ass lower down the desk and helped you find your feet back on the ground. Your heels long forgotten, the carpet felt foreign under your bare toes when he turned you around by the hips and bent you over the desk. His hands lovingly dug into the meat of your ass and spread your cheeks to peek at your holes from a different point of view. 

"So sweet, little miss secretary. So submissive. Who would have guessed you'd be such a dirty little voyeur, too…" he purred in your ear. The shuffling of fabric and the soft sound of skin sliding on skin punctuated his statement. "Bet you never thought you'd be part of the show, huh?" You whimpered under his caresses, slick dripping down your thighs as he ground his thick cock between your cheeks. 

"Please, sir…" you moaned, rubbing your thighs together for some semblance of friction to ease the growing ache. "I can't. I need you."

He ran his hand down your spine and rubbed soothing circles over your hips. "Use your words, sweetheart. Sir can't give you what he doesn't know you want," he teased. The head of his cock rubbed between your thighs, catching your swollen clit and earning a soft moan. "Say it."

"Please let me cum on your cock, sir!" 

As if that was all the permission he needed he sheathed himself into your needy core in one stroke. Spasming, you felt as if your joints would pull apart from the pleasure alone. He stilled inside you and gave you a moment to adjust, if only to revel in how tightly your velvet walls hugged around his girth. Satisfied, he gripped the back of your neck and rocked his hips into the plush muscles of your ass and thighs. You reached before you and dug your nails into the desk, moaning out like the only two adults left in the entire city were the two of you. Wanton and wanting you rocked back, earning a low groan in return. His hand wound around your hair and gave an experimental tug as he picked up the pace, the head of his cock curving into the soft sponge of your g-spot. White hot, pleasure surged through you from fingertips to toes and left you screaming his name as you came around him  

"Yo! Fuck me, please don't stop. Yo, don't fucking stop!" 

He grinned above you and pulled your back tight against him, spine arched beautifully by the hair you continued to whine and beg as he rutted his hips against you. "That's it, sweetheart. Let loose a little. Sir's got you. That's it. Cum on Sir’s cock again."

His words enough could have been enough to be your undoing, but it wouldn't be Grand if he didn't bring that little extra something to the scene. He sheathed fully, angling up and pulling hard on your hair to kiss his head to your tender cervix. Stars flooded your vision, and your legs threatened to give if it weren't for the strong hold he had on your hair and the solid desk beneath you. He didn't budge from your tight, fleshy ring. As he held you, he closed his eyes and focused his quirk into that spot he just knew few before him had touched. Deep, rumbling vibrations threatened to rend your soul from your still breathing body as you convulsed and clenched rhythmically on his cock, milking him. Words were lost. The longer he fed on your spasming body, the sensations and sounds he could pull from your pliant, willing little holes, he felt himself get lost. 

"Cum, I'm cumming again, Sir! Fuck, I can't fucking stop!!" With one last spasm, he let go of your hair and let your body slump over his desk as he took your ass in his hands. He spread your cheeks and watched as his cock disappeared into your tight pink sheath and sloppily gave a few more thrusts before digging back in and releasing with a low, gravely groan. Hot, thick ropes of white coated your abused hole as he continued his release. Your body trembled, cunt still clenching tightly around his softening member, and you whimpered softly into the desk. First emptiness set in, and then anxiety. Emotions crept back in where lust once sat, and all you could do was slowly piece together what just took place. 

As if sensing your growing distress, Shindou scooped you into his arms and peppered your cheeks and nose with chaste kisses. His tenderness seemed out of place given how savagely he had used you moments ago. The leather couch was cool against your after-glowing skin. He left you briefly, retreating to his private restroom, and returned with a washcloth. 

"You're okay, sweetheart. You did so good. Better than I ever expected." He crooned over you as he gently wiped the remnants of his spend from your leaking hole. "Looks like you passed. Congrats, we're hiring you on full-time, Friday," he grinned coyly. It took a moment for the gravity of his words to sink in and finally it hit at once. In your fucked-out haze, you barely registered what he meant. It was going to be a long rest of your career. 

[spctlights]

𝟕𝟑 𝐐𝐔𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒 — RONAN KELLY for VOGUE.

considering  ronan  shared  a  house  with  two  other  up  -  and  - coming  actors  ,  hosting  was  not  something  he  could  do. so  instead  ,  with  many  thanks  to  his  manager  ,  they  had agreed  to  not  do  the  house  -  tour  thing  and  instead  went for  a  regular  vogue  photoshoot.  this  was  still  a  massive  deal  and  he  had  no  clue  what  kind  of  strings  they'd  had  to  pull  to  get  him  this  ,  but  he  was  grateful.  the  shoot  was  at an  indoor  rainforest  venue  and  he  was  dressed  in  bright  pinks  and  yellows.

1. On a scale of 1-10, how excited are you about life right now?

" a solid 8 out of 10 and only going up! i’ve got lots of exciting projects on the horizon. ”

2. Describe yourself in a hashtag?

“ #blessed, ” ronan said sarcastically, with a shit-eating grin before shaking his head, “ honestly - no clue. ”

3. If you could do a love scene with anyone, who would it be?

“ if i could do... that’s a good one. sandra bullock, maybe? julia roberts? one of the classic leading ladies would be phenomenal. ”

4. If your life was a musical, what would the marquee say?

“ i think it’d be a play before it was a musical –– but probably something along the lines of ‘subtitles will be provided’. ”

5. What’s one thing people don’t know about you?

“ that i had a very brief stint as gavroche in les mis on broadway - but then the cruel voice cracks of puberty came and took that away from me. ”

6. What’s your wakeup ritual?

“ i will wake up, check my phone for news, get some of the breakfast i prepared in the evening and then usually go to the gym. pretty standard there. ”

7. What’s your go to bed ritual?

“ honestly? most nights i’m too tired for much of a bedtime ritual ! it’s more of a case of trying to make it to bed and not falling asleep on the couch. ”

8. What’s your favorite time of day?

“ that time just before sunrise, when it’s at its darkest and quietest. ”

9. What is one thing no one knows about you?

“ didn’t i already ... oh wait –– no one, ” ronan considers for a moment and then shrugs the idea away, “ i think i’m an open book. ” 

10. Dream country to visit?

“ australia. one of these days i will rent a camper and just drive around for a few months, exploring every inch. ” 

11. What’s the biggest surprise you’ve had?

“ i think that’s got to be when i got the call that i got dawn of the dark. the audition had been ages before and i’d completely given up hope that i’d get that. ”

12. Comfy shoes or dress shoes?

“ comfy but fashionable, if i can help it. ”

13. Vintage or new?

“ i will always pick a vintage aesthetic over a new one, hands down. ”

13. Who do you want to write your obituary?

“ probably kenneth branagh, that man is a genius. ”

14. Style icon?

“ i couldn’t possibly name one person, but i like anyone who’s not afraid to use some colour. ”

15. What are three things you can’t live without?

“ my phone, chilli halloumi and green pesto pasta and time outside in the fresh air. ”

16. What’s one ingredient you put in everything?

“ cayenne pepper. just gives it all a nice kick. ”

17. What 3 people living or dead would you like to make dinner for?

“ make dinner for? i am not the best chef! though i’d do my best for sir ian mckellen, kristen stewart and janelle monae. ”

18. What’s your biggest fear in life?

“ not leaving a mark – being forgotten, i guess. ”

19. Window or aisle seat?

“ window, every single time. ”

20. What’s your current TV obsession?

“ fargo. i’m rewatching and it holds up so well. ”

21. Favorite app?

“ bloom. helps me keep track of the few house plants i’ve managed to keep alive. ”

22. Secret talent?

“ i would say singing, but now that i’ve given away the gavroche information... ”

23. Most adventurous thing you’ve done in your life?

“ breaking contact with my parents, ” the words are out of his mouth before he realises and looks around waiting for the next question, knowing that it’s too late to change it now.

24. How would you define yourself in three words?

“ ambitious, empathetic – i cry at anything – and disciplined. ”

25. Favorite piece of clothing you own?

“ the jeans i came here in –– i have owned them for years and they have become like second skin. the day i have to throw those away, i think i might swear off jeans altogether. ”

26. Must have clothing item everyone should have?

“ great fitting jeans! i swear to god, i could talk about those forever... ”

27. Superpower you would want?

“ the power to master any skill instantly. i’d never have to lie about knowing how to ride horses again. ”

28. What’s inspiring you in life right now?

“ momentum. keeping going and moving on up. ”

29. Best piece of advice you’ve received?

“ the most scary things are often the most rewarding. ”

30. Best advice you’d give your teenage self?

“ you do not need to be like everyone else. in fact, it’s better if you’re not. ”

31. A book that everyone should read?

“ mythos, by stephen fry. just because it’s a really good time and you learn something. ”

32. What would you like to be remembered for?

“ my acting. ”

33. How do you define beauty?

ronan thinks for a minute. “ how genuine someone is. ”

34. What do you love most about your body?

he’s not liking this line of questioning, but tries his best to hide it. “ my eyes. ”

35. Best way to take a rest/decompress?

“ going out to a pub – or bar, i guess. ”

36. Favorite place to view art?

“ the tate modern, they always have great stuff on. ”

37. If your life were a song, what would the title be?

“ wear my hat, phil collins. look it up. ”

38. If you could master one instrument, what would it be?

“ see, if i could have that super power, i could learn all of them. but really – i’d love to be able to play the piano well. ”

39. If you had a tattoo, where would it be?

“ i have one, ” ronan rolls up his sleeve and shows the tattoo of an outline of a cat on his bicep. “ this is olga. first pet i ever had. ”

40. What is your favorite animal?

“ surprisingly, maybe, dogs. especially any dog that thinks it’s smaller than it actually is. ”

41. What’s your spirit animal?

“ um, i’ve never actually thought of that. maybe a peacock? i guess acting is pretty close to showing off. ”

42. Best gift you’ve ever received?

“ a gamecube. i was obsessed. ”

43. Best gift you’ve ever give?

“ a signed beyonce album. it was very tempting to keep for myself. ”

44. What’s your favorite board game?

“ i’m not a massive board game player, but i like betrayal at the house on the hill. ”

45. What’s your favorite color?

“ yellow. it makes me happy. ”

46. Least favorite color?

“ the kind of pukey green-brown you see sometimes. ”

47. Where do you feel most at peace?

“ in the hands of a very good barber. ”

48. What’s your favorite thing to do in your time off?

“ is hiking too cliche of an answer? ”

49. What’s your hair-care routine?

“ i’ve got an adapted version of the ‘curly girl method’ that works like a charm for me. ”

50. Pilates or yoga?

“ neither, i prefer using weights. ”

51. Coffee or tea?

“ coffee, but only if it’s good. ”

52. What’s the weirdest word in the English language?

“ it’s not weird, it’s just one i can’t pronounce, ” ronan jokes, turning on his american accent before saying: “ mirror. ”

53. Dark chocolate or milk chocolate?

“ a combination of the two. ”

54. Stairs or elevator?

“ stairs for anything under 4 floors, lift for anything above. ”

55. Summer or winter?

“ spring. ” he watches one of the photographers roll their eyes and he adjusts, “ just kidding. summer.  but to me, l.a. is always hot. ” 

56. You are stuck on an island, you can have only three things with you. What are those things?

“ my phone, solar powered power bank, water filter... i’d not want to be stuck for long. ”

57. What are your phobias?

“ i don’t think i have any massive phobias, but i do not like the deep ocean. we know far too little about it. ”

58. A skill you’re working on mastering?

“ random one, maybe, but excel. i’ve been making loads of spreadsheets this year just to track my own habits and such. ”

59. Best thing to happen to you this year?

“ moving back out here. ”

60. Worst thing to happen to you this year?

“ my grandfather died this year. that was awful. not unexpected, but no less hard. ”

61. Best compliment you’ve ever received?

“ that someone wants me to play the next james bond. that was pretty cool. ”

62. Favorite smell?

“ petrichor. ”

63. Hugs or kisses?

“ hugs. more intimate. ”

64. If you made a documentary, what would it be about?

“ child stars, and where they are now. especially those that are no longer in the industry. ”

65. Last piece of content you consumed that made you cry?

“ i rewatched an old audition tape recently... that was so bad it did make me cry. ”

66. Going out or staying in?

“ going out. i love exploring new places. ”

67. Sweet or savory?

“ savory. ”

68. Celebrity crush?

“ emma d’arcy. their confidence is... everything. ”

69. How you know you’re in love?

“ i don’t know if i’ve ever truly been in love. i guess i’ll have to see i finally meet the right–– girl. ” person. he’d nearly said person. he wasn’t ready for that whole reveal yet, but he thought he’d gotten away with it.

70. If you could switch lives with someone for a day who would it be?

“ someone like steven spielberg, like a really accomplished director. i’d love to spend a day in their shoes. ”

71. What are you most excited about at this time in your life?

“ all the new opportunities that are coming up everywhere and all the chances that i’m grasping with both hands. ”

72. Your go to for having a good laugh?

“ any old robin williams movie... which is also where i go when i need a good cry. ”

73. Your affirmation for today?

“ take every opportunity you get. ”

[ryderlynnhq-blog]

What would we find in your character’s bedside table? An old iPhone charger with the crappy plastic worn through, Burt’s Bees chapstick, last year’s school ID, an old iPod, spare Skullcandy headphones, his dad’s high school class ring, a pocket knife, a mini-Nerf gun, two Sharpies and three pens, and a stack of movie tickets.

Is your character left handed or right handed? Right handed. He can’t write with his left hand, but he can spin a drumstick. 

Name the top played songs or albums on your characters spotify/iPod. Foo Fighters - Everlong Tenacious D - Tribute Stevie Wonder - Sir Duke The Surfaris - Wipeout Gavin Degraw - Chariot Album Walk the Moon - Work This Body The Beatles - Revolution Across the Universe Soundtrack Vampire Weekend - All Albums Shawn Mendes - All Albums (Would not admit to this)

When did your character lose their first tooth? He doesn’t remember how he lost the tooth, just that his friends had told him about the Tooth Fairy being fake, which was a total bummer. Still when his mom told him to put his tooth under his pillow, Ryder did. A dollar is a dollar, and candy is candy. 

Does your character prefer pencil crayons or markers? Crayons because markers run out but don’t show it until its too late. Plus have you ever seen a yellow marker after it accidentally hits anything black? Ruined forever. 

What was the first movie your character saw in theaters? Meet the Robinsons on a class trip as his parents aren’t big movie goers. 

What is a food your character hates? Kale. Ryder cannot stand kale. Or mangos. But at least with mangos, they can be thrown in a smoothie. 

Does your character have any allergies? He’s allergic to shellfish. 

When was the last time your character stayed home from school sick? Back in April when he caught the common cold bug going through the school, and then he milked it for as long as he could get away with so he could stay home and watch TV. 

Does your character sleep with socks on or barefoot? He’ll only sleep with socks on during the winter when it’s really freaking cold. Otherwise, no socks. 

Does your character believe in supernatural beings? Ghosts? Aliens? Cryptids? While Ryder really likes watching Buzzfeed Unsolved Supernatural, he doesn’t think ghosts are real. But aliens, they could be real and just super smart. #Kal-ElIsOutThere And Ryder 100% believes the Loch Ness Monster really existed but is long gone by now. 

What was the last television series your character binge-watched? Brooklyn Nine-Nine

How does your character feel about politics? (Please refrain for discussing current political climates, but instead talk about their attitude towards politics. Do they care about it? Are they indifferent? Do they live in blissful ignorance?) He knows it’s something his parents talk about a lot, but he just zones out when it comes up. Hamilton was a cool musical though, does that count? Nah but he knows there’s a lot going on. If someone would just explain it to him while not making him feel dumb, that would be great. 

Describe your character’s daily morning routine. After turning off his second alarm (the one that lets him sleep an extra ten minutes), he rolls out of bed to the overly excited greeting of Cap, his dog. Cap won’t let Ryder do anything before talking him for a walk. Then when they’re back home, Ryder lets Cap free and goes back upstairs for a shower. There’s not much to shave on a day to day basis. Ryder washes his face, brushes his teeth and flosses. Once he’s dressed, he’ll go downstairs and make his own breakfast. Protein is key so eggs are always involved. If he’s feeling sluggish, he’ll pick up an energy drink on the drive to school. 

Who is your character’s favorite fictional character? Steve Rogers, for sure. But not the version in the comics where he was secretly a Hydra agent. The Chris Evans Captain America is his favorite. 

Is your character a punctual person? Or are they always running late? Ryder tends to overdick around, thus making him late. Things he is always on time for: school and his classes, practice so he doesn’t have to run extra, and movies because he loves seeing the previews. 

What is the most used app on your character’s phone? Instagram and Spotify are tied for first. Marvel Strike Force is his top game. 

What is your character’s favorite planet (not including earth)? Krypton. 

[erraticfairy]

Join Experts, Activists and Philanthropists in the Call for Mental Health: Time to Act

There is no happiness or health without mental health for all.

The International Foundation of Research and Education (iFred) and Founder Kathryn Goetzke, hosted ‘The Future of Health’ for the first ever World Happiness Virtual Agora. The event brought together leading scientists, educators, innovators, technologists, business leaders, entrepreneurs, and youth to share why and how mental health must be addressed today. The talks were compelling and full of action steps you, as someone who cares about mental health, can take now to create action and movement in your community.

Check out the latest statistics, trends, and evidence-based practices so you can go armed with information and insights to advocate for change in your workplace, government, schools, communities, and more. Learn about the positive return on investment, the need for precision medicine, how the future of technology is aiding the global efforts, and what online communities can do to connect us all. These talks are all free and available online, and we invite you to hear more from people at the World Bank, One Mind at Work, NYC Thrive, Cities Rise, and more.

Our favorite? What each of them gave as their Message of Hope for mental health, as there is so much progress being made and we must celebrate those wins to keep the positive momentum and move the global agenda forward. You can also learn about what not to do during live events via our Blooper video, if you need an extra laugh. Or just head straight to the Youtube Playlist to see them all.

Take a look below, to celebrate and learn from each and every one of these global changemakers and see how they are impacting the Future of Health. And remind all in your circles of influence that there simply is no health, without mental health. Please share, to help spread hope with all.

The Talks (with links to speaker bios):

Mental Health and Our Future 

Shekhar Saxena, MD, FRCPsych, DAB – Professor of the Practice of Global Mental Health at Harvard T H Chan School of Public Health

Making the Business Case for Mental Health

Sheila Dutta, PhD, MPH – Senior Health Specialist at World Bank

Health & The Women’s Brain

Dr. Antonella Santuccione Chadha – Co-founder & CEO of the Women’s Brain Project

Maria Teresa Ferrett, PhD – Chief Scientific Officer at Women’s Brain Project

Time to Change Direction

Barbara Van Dahlen, PhD – Founder and President of Give an Hour

Connecting with Community Online

John M. Grohol, PsyD – Founder and President, PsychCentral

Making Happiness a Habit

Elizabeth Lombardo, PhD – Clinical Psychologist and Happiness Expert

One Mind for Brain Health

Garen Staglin – Private equity investor and philanthropist and Founder, One Mind

How Do Cities Rise?

Moitreyee Sinha, PhD – Founder and CEO, Cities Rise

How to: Cities Thrive

Gary Belkin, MD, PhD, MPH – Executive Deputy Commissioner of Mental Hygiene at the NYC Health Department

Sharing Your Story

Bill Bernat – Founder, Stay Awesome

Operationalizing Hope

Myron Belfer, MD, MPA – Professor of Psychiatry at the Harvard Medical School and a Senior Associate in Psychiatry at Boston Children’s Hospital

Kristy Stark, EdM, MA, BCBA – Behavioral Scientist, licensed K-12 Administrator, Board Certified Behavior Analyst, Consultant, and Entrepreneur

Kathryn Goetzke, MBA – Lived Experience, Chief Mood Officer at The Mood Factory and Founder of iFred / Hopeful Minds

Mental Health and Sustainable Development (UN SDGs)

Professor Sir Graham Thornicroft – British Psychiatrist, Researcher and Professor of Community Psychiatry at the Centre for Global Mental Health and Centre for Implementation Science at King’s College London

Nicole Votruba – Researcher at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience at King’s College London

Bringing Dignity to Mental Health

Dr. Gabriel Ivbijaro, MD – Professor Ivbijaro is a champion for global mental health advocacy and Visiting Professor of Population Mental Health at NOVA University, Lisbon, Portugal

Leading Technologies for Treatment

Walter Greenleaf, PhD – Distinguished Visiting Scholar at Stanford University’s MediaX Program, a Visiting Scholar at Stanford University’s Virtual Human Interaction Lab, the Director of Technology Strategy at the University of Colorado National Mental Health Innovation Center, and a member of the Board of Directors for Brainstorm: The Stanford Laboratory for Brain Health Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Mind, Meet Body; Merging mental and physical healthcare

Rohan Dixit– Founder and CEO, Lief Therapeutics

Well. Being. Trust.

Tyler Norris, MDiv – Chief Executive Officer of Well Being Trust

Creating Our Future

Vikram Harshad Patel, MBBS, PhD – The Pershing Square Professor of Global Health in the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School

Launching a Movement with Peers

Charlene Sunkel – Founder of Global Mental Health Peer Network, and serves on a number of National Groups and Committees, including: Presidential Working Group on Disability; Ministerial Advisory Committee on Mental Health; Rural Mental Health Campaign; Editorial Advisory Board of the Lancet Psychiatry; Human Rights in Mental Health FGIP; Time To Change Global Governance Group; citiesRISE; WHO Civil Society Working Group on NCDs; Global Mental Health Blueprint Group; Countdown Mental Health, amongst others

The Future is Youth

Lian Zeitz– Young mental health advocate with lived experience working to make sure all people are supported with dignity, currently leading international youth activities with CitiesRISE

Brooks Kenny – Managing Director at High Lantern Group

What do YOU think is the Future of Health, as it relates to mental health? Do you believe mental health is improving? What brings YOU the most Hope about the world today as it relates to mental health?

Please comment, and share. Help spread the word to make this world happier and healthier for all.

About iFred: The mission of International Foundation for Research and Education on Depression (iFred) is to shine a positive light on depression and eliminate the stigma associated with the disease through prevention, research and education. Its goal is to ensure 100% of the 350 million people affected by depression seek and receive treatment. iFred is creating a shift in society’s negative perception of depression through positive imagery and branding—establishing the sunflower and color yellow as the international symbols of hope for depression. To further its mission, iFred engages with individuals and organizations to execute high-impact and effective campaigns that educate the public about support and treatment for depression and teaches Hope to young kids through Hopeful Minds. iFred also just launched Hope Training through 7 Cups, a Peer to Peer support app used around the world.

About World Happiness Agora: The World Happiness Agora is the world’s largest, most diverse, polycentric and comprehensive forum of happiness with well-being experts, thought leaders, activist, shapers, and game changers. We are connecting the world through our social media hub and using communications technology to maximize the impact of our social interactions to connect online and offline. 

from World of Psychology http://bit.ly/2I2nhxc via theshiningmind.com

[xoashdurham]

The Georgia house saga continues ... After we submitted our offer on the house for just about full asking price, the seller came back to us all huffy and puffy because we asked him to pay closing costs, too. So after waiting two entire days to respond back, the dude says “I’ll just raise the price of the house by $6k and then I’ll pay the closing costs.” What? No, no sir. Thank you, next! Since our offer on the house had expired because he took so long to get back to us, we decided not to accept his counter offer. Literally 5 seconds later, I opened up the @realtordotcom app and a new house magically appeared out of thin air. One that was still $50k under budget. One that is closer to the main interstate so Randy’s commute is half hour shorter. One that has a pool. One that has a bigger lot. One that has more bedrooms and square footage. It’s white and beautiful, with black shutters. It’s light blue and pale yellow on the inside - my two favorite interior colors. It’s got a rock fireplace and hardwood floors. It’s GORGEOUS and has so much charm to it. Y’all - we put an offer in on this house. SITE UNSEEN. 😲 We are either super crazy or super courageous - or maybe a glorious combination of both. Keep your fingers crossed we hear back from the sellers today, with good news. 🤞And pray it doesn’t smell like cats. 😂 #realtor #stmarys #camdencounty #kingsland #georgia #adventuresofbuyingahome #homebuying #movingsouth #southernliving #spanishmoss #oaktrees #weichertrealtors (at St. Marys, Georgia) https://www.instagram.com/p/BxckrNBD9Zr/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=zjcnayn0w1m

[hyperbolicgrinch]

Rules: Answer these 92 statements and tag 20 people

HOLY SHIT, okay. Let us gooooo! I am sorry in advance for how long and rambling this will be.

Tagged by the glorious @tapa-nyan~

THE LAST: 1. Drink: Water. 😉

2. Phone call: My beautiful dad on my sister’s phone cause she was driving.

3. Text message: My beautiful mum.

4. Song you listened to: Eye of the Tiger - Survivor. 🐯

5. Time you cried: On Friday night when the stupid game I was playing made me decide between some stupid, stupid, stupid choices!!! 🙈🙉🙊

HAVE YOU: 6. Dated someone twice: Nope!

7. Kissed someone and regretted it: Also nope.

8. Been cheated on: No, sir. 

9. Lost someone special: Is this like someone passing away or??

10. Been depressed: Buddy, pal, mate... you know it~

11. Gotten drunk and thrown up: No, I’m too busy making sure everyone’s hair is being held back while they do. 😌

LIST 3 FAVORITE COLORS: 12-14: Yellow, blue, 👀👀💛💙😉 and… Red?

IN THE LAST YEAR HAVE YOU: 15. Made new friends: Yes, I hope so. 😘

16. Fallen out of love: Hmmmm… If we mean with a person? No.

17. Laughed until you cried: Roger that. 😂😂😂

18. Found out someone was talking about you: Not that I can remember but they should be, I mean, I’m willing to join in that fantastic choice of conversation. 😎

19. Met someone who changed you: Possibly… (*ominous music plays* Just, uh just ignore that, it won’t turn off. 😂)

20. Found out who your friends are: If you mean the whole dramatic: “They were there for me when it mattered, unlike those other BASTARDS that never showed!!!”, ummm, maybe?? 😌

GENERAL: 22. How many of your Facebook friends do you know in real life: Uh… All of them??

23. Do you have any pets: Just three ponies and a snosague dog, at the moment. 

24. Do you want to change your name: Nah, I’m good. *Jaz hands* 👐

25. What did you do for your last Birthday: Hey, it was my 20th! 😂 I think some friends came over, we watched a bunch of different anime episodes, then I went and saw my mum and had some raw made cakes. Went back home and finished it off watching Big Windup! with my sister until we had to go pick my twin up from another party. Then we had Maccas and went home again. Bro was pretty smashed so I made him comfy on his couch and put Big Windup! back on and slept on his floor. 😂 Wild~, I know. 😅

26. What time did you wake up: About nine in the morningo. 

27. What were you doing at midnight last night: Trying to sleep! But the one before that, I was saving the next galaxy over! 💪 So… *Maui voice* ~you’re welcome~.

28. Name something you can’t wait for: To finish Mass Effect: Andromeda! (Small goals, small goals.)

29. When was the last time you saw your mom: I just went and saw her! On Saturday. 🤗

30. What is one thing you wish you could change in your life: Some of my choices. 

31. What are you listening to right now: Nothing currently but I just paused: ‘The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents’ (written by Terry Pratchett, narrated by Stephen Briggs). 🐈🐁🐀

32. Have you ever talked to a person named Tom: Tom? Tom… Tom… Yesss? YES! Actually! BWAHAHAHA! Feeling bad for forgetting, I’m sure there’s other toms I’ve communicated with using the sounds we call English but the one I remember is the guy I went to middle school with. Umm… Yeah, pretty sure he was a Tom… (Sorry, Tom! You were actually cool from what I can remember so I feel the guilt here).

33. Something that is getting on your nerves: The possible choices in a certain video game and certain crappy pre-made pancake mixes.

34. Most visited Website: Probably tumblr… Although cause I mostly use my phone for it that means I use the app which means that it technically isn’t my most viewed website, actually??? *sweats*

35. Mole/s: Check mate. No little earth digging creatures though. 😂

36. Mark/s: Are we taking like scars? Or stretch marks or just any marks in general? Why are these question things always so wide open? ...Probably so you can answer any of the ones I just asked… Wow, Jaz... keep up, darling. 

37. Childhood dream: Gonna be a horse. 🐴 

38. Haircolor: Please tell me! I don’t know! Probably like a dirty blond or mousey brown???

39. Long or short hair: Loooooonggg~

40. Do you have a crush on someone: 👀👀👀 Do you? 🙆

41. What do you like about yourself: Someone please answer this for me, all I’m coming up with is ERROR: UNKNOWN. 😌 Okay, ummm… Sometimes I’m kinda okay as a person… Maybe?

42. Piercings: None to speak of. 

43. Bloodtype: A? AB? Nana told me once but I forget. (Starts cackling about that post.)

44. Nickname: Anything fun you can do with a name like Jaz.

45. Relationship status: A what? Oh… Attempting to get an attractive turian to notice me (don’t judge me, play Mass Effect!!).

46. Zodiac: Aquarius~ *drinks water*.

47. Pronouns: She/her/that one over there no don’t run dammit come back

48. Favorite TV Show: Not a clue!! I dunnoooo.

49. Tattoos: 0, mate. 

50. Right or left hand: Right handed 👀👀👀 Am I right??? 😏

51. Surgery: To clean out a wound I got from broken firewood flying into my face. 😗

52. Hair dyed in different color: Nooooo~

53. Sport: When I was a youngest (LMFAO, I just said that… Or typed it, whatever! *says “youngest” out loud* There, I actually said it for real 😂😂😂) I played AFL (Aussie Rules) but I do horse riding now (when I actually do do it).

54. (question wasn’t here)

55. Vacation: I wanna take my dad to all the places that he hasn’t got to yet.

56. Pair of trainers: What is even happening with this question?? Have I missed some social cue again???

MORE GENERAL: 57. Eating: Yes, tis a thing I do… I enjoy it. Especially creating it!

58. Drinking: Water, and healthy juices that my fam avoid. 

59. I’m about to: Possibly make pancakes from scratch. 

62. Want: To finish Mass Effect: Andromeda and read the books waiting on my shelf. 

63. Get married: Is this an order? ✋

64. Career: Down the drain?… Wait, hold up, positiveness!… Ummm, just getting started… When… I… Actually start one.

WHICH IS BETTER 65. Hugs or kisses: Come over here and we’ll find out. 😂

66. Lips or eyes: Eye don’t know… 😅

67. Shorter or taller: Shortaller... pppffftt.

68. Older or younger: Am I creating a perfect creature that ticks all my preferences, like, what’s with the 👀👀👀 92 questions? 😂😂😂

70. Nice arms or nice stomach: Thighs. 😚

71. Sensitive or loud: Mix them together and throw some interesting stuff in, then we’ll talk.

72. Hook up or relationship: Is this where I request one?

73. Troublemaker or hesitant: Not diggin’ always having only two options… 😓 (giving me flashbacks to Friday night when my dumb arse game ONLY gave me TWO OPTIONS that were seriously DUMB, and why did we EVEN need to go there narratively???! Like, SERIOUSLY!!! I could’ve done BOTH! You don’t need to torture me LIKE THIS, I didn’t ASK for THIS pain!!!! You go and make it fun and then DESTROY it!!! How am I meant to FEEL ANY accomplishment for finishing another PLOT MISSION when I just feel HELLA DEPRESSED because YOUR writers had the DONKEY BALLS to trap MY CHOICES into ONLY TWO options that I would NEVER pick over the other???! I AM THE DAMN HUMAN PATHFINDER, YOU ARSEHOLES 👊👊STAND DOWN, AND WATCH ME DO BOTH!!! YOU DON’T EVEN KNOW ME!!!! 😳😳😳). *takes deep breath*

HAVE YOU EVER: 74. Kissed a stranger: That’s a negative. 

75. Drank hard liquor: How do we tell if it’s hard? *snigger* I am not up with any drink slang. 

76. Lost glasses/contact lenses: Would be incredibly impressive of me if I did cause I don’t own either. I got sunglasses though and, yeah, I’ve probably lost a few pairs of them but, wait, actually I don’t really use them so I don’t really have a pair either, so… 

77. Turned someone down: Like a stereo? Pfft, joking… Umm… No? Don’t think so??

78. Sex on the first date: You do realize the joke I could make here, right? Just leaving that right open on purpose or? Pffft, anyway, let’s just start with getting a date first, aye?

79. Broken someone’s heart: Oh no, I store them very safely… Bwahaha! Okay, ummm, seriously... no, I don’t believe so.

80. Had your heart broken: Pets dying does that.

81. Been arrested: No, officer. I wasn’t there and didn’t see anything.

82. Cried when someone died: I just shut down. But, yes, I’m sure I have a little.

83. Fallen for a friend: Hmmmm… No, never fallen.

DO YOU BELIEVE IN: 84. Yourself: Working on it, but I know I can do things if I commit so that’s a start.

85. Miracles: Miracles can be both good and bad so I suppose I don’t really.

86. Love at first sight: I’m gonna walk by again… 🚶

87. Santa Claus: In my heart.

88. Kiss on the first date: Oh, the first date business is back… 👋🏃 Bye.

OTHER: 90. Current best friend name: All my friends are the best so: 😉

91. Eyecolor: Some blue/grey/green bullshit. 

92. Favorite movie: Don’t do faves really, but I’m very fond of Mulan, Lilo & Stitch, and Spirit: Stallion of the Cimmaron.

Wow, okay, that’s done...!!!

Tagging: @ryujin-zanba, @dnarielle, @cass-act, @dahdah-rigeru, @ginkoko, @ttachibana & @abirdwholikesanime.

Only do this if you want, omfg.

[wonder-carolina]

Tag

🌻 Rules: Once you’ve been tagged, you are suppose to write 92 truths about yourself and tag 25 people.

🌻 I was tagged by the AMAZEBALLS @misshollander1

🌻 LAST…. ♦Drink: Water ♦Phone call: my mom so she could pick me up ♦Text Message: I have an obligation to driving school that day ♦Song you listened to: Hair by Little Mix ♦Time you cried: a week ago because I was so stressed

🌻 HAVE YOU EVER….

♦Dated someone twice: Noh

♦Been cheated on: Noh

♦Kissed someone and then regretted it?: no, no one has kissed me and I haven’t kissed anyone :)

♦Lost someone special: no not yet

♦Been Depressed: I try to stay as optimistic as possible

♦Gotten drunk and thrown up: i’m 16 :) so no

🌻 LIST 3 FAVORITE COLORS…(whyyy)

♦Blue

♦Green

♦Yellow

🌻 IN THE LAST YEAR HAVE YOU…

♦Made New Friends: Fo Sho

♦Fallen out of love: never

♦Laughed until you cried: defnitely

♦Found out someone was talking about you: I spend 80% of my time in la la land, so i never really know

♦Met someone who changed you: I guess so

♦Found out who your true friends are: oh yeah definitely

♦Kissed someone on your facebook list: facebook is for parents thanks

🌻 GENERAL…

♦How many Facebook friends do you have in real life: no tengo un facebook

♦Do you have any pets: no...sadly :(

♦Do you want to change your name: Nah I like my name it’s legit (although white people pronounce it wrong half the time)

♦What did you do for your last birthday: just spent it with my family

♦What time did you wake up: 8:00 am :/

♦What were you doing at midnight last night: watching TV with my parents

♦Name something you cannot wait for: to freaking graduate high school and go to college, AND all my fav movies coming out this year and more shit.

♦When was the last time you saw your mother: uh like 10 mins ago shes in the kitchen i think

♦What is one thing you could change in your life: where I live cuz i want in state tuition for college. Also my parents mind’s on being a musician (i’m like Archie right now I swear).

♦What are you listening to right now: Hair by Little Mix (again yes)

♦Have you ever talked to a person named Tom: I know a Tom I think. 

♦Something that is getting on your nerves: Donald “Stale Moldy Cheeto” Trumpet and middle schoolers. I freaking hate middle schoolers i swear.

♦Most visited website: Youtube/Tumblr I guess?

♦Elementary: it was...an experience

♦High School: nO

♦College: Kennesaw State is my reality school, but Georgia Tech and or CalTech are my dream schools

♦Hair colour: Dark DARK Brown (many ppl think its black)

♦Long or Short hair: short-ish

♦Do you have a crush on someone: uh not at school but Tom counts...right?

♦What do you like about yourself: My musicality because I guess I’ve always had a natural talent for reading music and playing instruments. I also like my music taste and I wouldn’t change it for anyone. And my eyebrows I guess, everyone always says I have nice eyebrows. I don’t really know what that means but okay. 

♦Piercings: Ears

♦Blood type: CONFIDENTIAL (its somewhere in my medical records idk)

♦Nickname: I have a. nickname only my family uses, and my pen name on here (Lina). My brother calls me Pato (spanish for Duck)

♦Relationship Status: I’m as single as single pringle

♦Zodiac Sign: virgo :)

♦Pronouns: she/her/it

♦Fave T.V Show: Shadowhunters, Riverdale, New Girl, Jane the Virgin, Teen Wolf and sooooo many more gosh.

♦Tattoos: nah man, i’m underage

♦Right​ or Left handed: Righty

🌻 FIRST…

♦Surgery: tonsils taken out when i was 5

♦Piercings: Ears

♦Best friend: I don’t even remember, but I know her name was Lucy

♦Sport: shit, uh, i can’t remember but probably soccer

♦Vacation: It’s probably Washington D.C. My second home is D.C.

♦Pair of Trainors: (i looked it up) uhm like baby keds called Osh Koshes (i think)

🌻 RIGHT NOW…

♦Eating: nothin

♦Drinking: nothin

♦I’m about to: make some cookies, i’ve got a cookie craving

♦Listening to: Umbrella/Singin’ In The Rain mashup

♦Waiting for: TO GET OUT OF HIGH SCHOOL 

♦Want: to meet my favs AND GO TO COLLEGE

♦Get Married: Fo Sho

♦Career: Mobile App Developer or Author or Astronaut

🌻 WHICH IS BETTER…

♦Hugs or Kisses: Hugs (apparently I give good hugs)

♦Lips or Eyes: Eyes

♦Short or Tall: Tall but not a Brachiosaurus

♦Older or younger: Not gonna lie, I like older guys but not like OLD. 4 years max, 5 depending on the guy. Not younger. I have my reasons. I wouldn’t mind same age if the guy isn’t immature

♦Romantic or Spontaneous: both are ok

♦Nice arms or nice stomach: bOTH ARE OKAY

♦Sensitive or loud: a good mix of both because I’m both

♦Hook up or Relationship: Relationship

♦Troublemaker or Hesitant: a mix, it’s always fun to get in a little trouble, but being careful is okay too

🌻 HAVE YOU EVER..

♦Kissed a stranger: No sir

♦Drank Hard Liquor: nO

♦Lost glasses or contact lenses: i have no glasses or contacts

♦Turned someone down: perhaps..Idk

♦Sex on the first date: what the hell no

♦Broken someone’s heart: I hope not

♦Had your own heart broken: maybe, it might have some foot prints on it

♦Been arrested: No, I’m what you call a “goody goofy” when it comes to the law

♦Cried when someone died: I cried when an anime character died, but no one close to me has died yet.

♦Fallen for a friend: wHAT No??PSH ha NO (yessss oh god)

🌻 DO YOU BELIEVE IN…

♦Yourself: for the most part

♦Miracles: yeah, believe me, been there done that

♦Love at First Sight: hmmm, it sounds like a stretch, but yeah I guess

♦Santa Claus: not anymore

♦Kiss on the first date: um, no

♦Angels: yeah, there’s probably like 3 watching me write this right now. I see you angels (no i dont :( )

🌻 OTHER

♦Current Best Friend’s names: Hailey, Pareesa, Nyla, JADE MY GIRL, etc.

♦Eye Colour: brown, straight up

♦Favorite Movie: bro, no I have too many. My fav OLD movie is The Breakfast Club tho. I highly recommend it.

TAGGING:

@jaderz-mega-yikes @nebulaeofpie @dah-knee-cuh @takemespidey @tomhollandlibrary @lghockey @lilaudrey23

Such a shame they didn’t ask favorite book, but oh well. YOU DON’T HAVE TO DO THIS IT IS REALLY LONG

[thedragonlover]

Oops I stepped into a wormhole - Chapter 1

hahahaha you bitches thought I was going to give up on this didn’t you NOT TODAY PAL

But siriusly, this has been fun. I’m just writing what I want. Without worrying over making it a gd masterpiece. It’s a bit liberating? I sometimes get wrapped up in the details, so just doing whatever I feel like is strange but nice.

Anyway, hope you enjoy the continuation of this nightmare MM fic! Again, thanks to @mystical-imagine and @freckled-yoosung for the encouragement! ^^

Warnings: SPOILERS TO SEVERAL ROUTES, COMMON AND DEEP; profanity, as usual; possible OOCness; a writer who didn’t want to write fifty chapters of a protag who wouldn’t believe what was happening and decided “fuck it”; also this monster is almost 6k words, dayum son.

Teaser/Introduction / 1

There were fingers on my shoulder, trying to roll me over.

"Ngh--"

One arm was trapped under me and my laptop bag, so I wriggled the other out to prop myself up. And immediately regretted that, once the headache kicked in.

"Agh, fuck, did I headbutt the sidewalk...?"

I continued to hiss my agony, resting my forehead against cool tile as I made a mental checklist. Head? Pounding. Rest of body? Pretty all right, and actually a little warm. I wasn't outside anymore. Those were my glasses pressing into the bridge of my nose, and a little feeling around with my freed hand conjured up my phone, intact despite the fall. I obviously had my laptop bag with me, which was heavy so it hopefully hadn't been rummaged through. Maybe I still had everything. I didn't think I was out long. Ha, not like I have experience with being knocked out.

"H-hey..."

Realizing someone was talking to me, I struggled to sit up properly. I shrugged off my bag and grimaced as it fell over with a thud. There was definitely too much shit in that thing. My perusal of my surroundings was thwarted by some hellishly bright lights. Ugh, I almost wish I was back outside... never mind, that shit is cold. I squinted, pulling my hat down until it hit my glasses. So much red, and black, and yellow. Huh. You know, this color scheme--

My gaze came upon who I assumed had spoken up, and I had already begun saying "oh, that's a person" before some facts registered in my brain. First there was the obvious: He had red hair, and were those golden eyes behind his glasses? He was wearing contacts around the house? Oh, speaking of, I was probably in his house. Welp. Hope this isn't a murder den. If it was, he was a very uncertain-looking serial killer. Once the pain and shock of this situation wore off I'd probably be freaking out, but for the time being I was unnervingly calm.

His staring was making me uncomfortable, so in typical me-fashion I broke the silence with an odd question: "Why do you look like Seven Zero Seven, the Defender of Justice?"

Because, come on. Gold eyes, red hair, bumblebee-colored glasses, orange headphones, black-yellow jacket... even the cross necklace. This was a really good Seven cosplay. A pro for passing out/being kidnapped: Meeting interesting people!

He glanced at the finger I had wagged in his direction.

"...b... because," he answered, in accented English, "I am Seven Zero Seven, Defender of Justice."

The finger dropped.

"...huh."

Speaking of that.

I glanced down, lifting my phone to examine the screen. A simple swipe was all it took; it strangely didn't ask for my pattern lock. Along with that, my background had been changed to a plain black with yellow stars, and a little spaceship in the corner. There was a distinct lack of organization; I never let my phone to get so cluttered. (Technology was one of the few areas I was always neat and orderly in.) And there was an app called "RFA" in the corner?

"What the hell," I muttered. I swiped through the home screens, finding nothing familiar, and repeated, "What the hell?"

My contacts. Right, I should probably call my roommate. Or the police. A click, and there was a distinct lack of roommates in my address book. And numbers. Dammit.

Messenger! Please please PLEASE let me be able to talk to someone I kno--ohhhh for the love of everything good in this world, what is this crap.

"Seven" tried to say something, but it was aborted, and I told him to wait. I'd get to him in a moment.

Palm to my forehead, I went back to tap on the RFA app, which finally brought up a welcome sight. "Thank the gods, something familiar." Tap, tap. It wanted me to enter a new name? Well, duh, use the usual. ...it wouldn't accept my first entry, saying it was already taken. Since when was that a thing? Okay, fine, I'll put in my real first name, jerk. Huh, the loading wasn't as god awful. Actually, wait, there wasn't a continue option, or after ending, or extras. I navigated through the familiar-yet-not menu, but the call history was empty.

Then I actually looked at the time--I was out for twelve hours?

Lifting my gaze, I finally returned my attention to the man. "Okay. So. What happened?"

"I..." Hand rising to his hair, he admitted awkwardly, "I-I don't know...?" He seemed rather shaken.

That wasn't a good sign. "...how'd I get here?"

"You... appeared?" I furrowed my brows at him. "I'm being serious! You appeared out of nowhere! No jokes!"

" "God Seven," not joking?" I snorted. "The horror!" If he dragged me here, he sounds very confused about it. So, maybe someone else did? I wasn't sure why someone would take me to a house instead of a hospital, but to be honest I was thankful I wasn't in one. I'm not all that fond of them, and I didn't seem to be horribly injured. "Okay, well. Cool cosplay... and apartment... though there are too many lights for my taste."

He seemed to get over what was bothering him. Or internalize it, I don't know. A goofy grin, more fitting for the character he was dressed as, came over his expression as he told me, "If I knew you'd want to see me in some cosplay, I would've put on my favorite dress."

I snorted, then covered the noise as he continued grinning. "You'd really rock a maid outfit," I snickered.

"Of course I do!"

I outright laughed at this, thinking of how bizarre this situation was. Well, keeping calm and waiting until I figure things out can't hurt. I've already been MIA for twelve hours, apparently. I moved to sit cross-legged, which he immediately copied.

"So, Sir Defender of Justice...?"

"Affirmative!" He gave a silly salute that drew another giggle-snort out of me. "Seven! Zero! Seven! That is I!"

"You're such a dork," I laughed, shaking my head. His acting was pretty much what I expected out of the guy. Pinching my phone between two fingers to spin it, I asked him, "So, I trust that this superhero didn't hack my things?"

"Negative! ...but the night's still young," he added. "Heheh." And wow, he stuck his tongue out and winked, yep, this was the most accurate Seven cosplayer in existence.

I wagged a finger. "Bad hacker. Down, boy."

"Ruff!"

Well, I was giggle-snorting as much as I would when listening to his character's antics. Mission accomplished, man. I tossed and caught my phone all cool-like--not really, I almost dropped the damn thing, but I was willing to ignore that--and went on, "And if I called "707" through this RFA app, it would definitely go to your phone?"

"Definitely maybe!" He hummed, gripped his chin and nodded. "Mm... possibly for certain!"

"Absolutely so-so?" I went ahead to the app, wondering if perhaps Mystic Messenger had updated and caused total chaos on my phone. With my current situation, that was probably the least of my worries, but it was the only lead I had so far.

"Ohh! Yes, that!"

"Pfffha, okay, sure, let's try it then." Click. "Don't leave me hanging, God Seven!"

He expertly flipped his phone around, putting my earlier attempt to shame. "I, Seven, would never let down such a loyal disciple!"

"I guess a necklace with the gemini symbol is the Seven-ist religion's equivalent of a cross necklace--"

An unfamiliar ringtone cut through my words. The man answered his phone. And my call was picked up.

"Hello," he sang into the reciever. I hung up. "Aww!"

Staring at the screen, I navigated through the numbers saved in the app, separate of the phone's main address book. Sure enough, there were all of the names of the RFA's members. "707... Jaehee... Zen... Jumin... Yoosung..." But of course, they were all in the game.

In that case, what was with the extra name on the list?

"...Dragon."

Yeah, that's the one.

My head snapped back up at the voice. "Seven" wasn't smiling anymore; his expression had dropped into something more serious. I was reminded that, even sitting down, he was a tall mofo. It was a little intimidating.

Swallowing, I exited out of the RFA address book and examined the chibi icons that would lead to the different profiles. There was an additional one there which, when clicked on, led to the profile of a cute young woman with long brown hair. Username "Dragon." It was the exact same username I'd used throughout the game. (I'm just predictable like that.) I backed out and clicked Yoosung's for another shock. I couldn't help the urge to cover my gasp as I saw someone who looked very much like the excitable college student smiling alongside "Dragon"... with only one good eye.

I turned off the screen, set the phone down, and returned the redhead's steady gaze.

"...okay." I took a deep breath, then let it out. "Okay. This... isn't a dream."

"Yeah?"

Another deep breath. "I don't lucid dream, so the fact that I know that this could be a dream means it isn't. And even if this was a lucid dream, I wouldn't be dreaming of a scenario where Yoosung..." I swallowed again. "I could change it. So. Not a dream."

"...All right." Compared to earlier, this tone of voice was frighteningly serious. If this was a cosplay... he was taking it too far. He needed to stop. "Then what is it?"

"Well..."

I clasped my knees, gaze sweeping carefully across the apartment I'd found myself in. Complicated computer set-up against the wall, front door, a few steps down to a living area, and a hallway that led elsewhere. It was a pretty sweet pad. Messy, too. A guy after my own heart.

"...since it's not a dream, this leaves two other options. One, I've been dragged into a crazy cosplayer's house who delights in going above and beyond for authenticity's sake."

...you know, it would be nice if you corrected me on that one, buddy.

"...or, this is actually Seven's place. Which is impossible so--"

"It's possible."

I searched his expression, but it was strangely neutral and entirely serious.

"You're... telling me that you're actually Seven. As in, Seven Zero Seven, secret agent and hacker extroardinaire. God Seven."

"Yes."

"That's..." He'd already told me it was possible, and with that face I was inclined to believe him. I wasn't getting bad vibes from him either, and I generally trusted my gut with that. Still. "...that's hard to believe. Because, despite how awesome that'd be, Seven is not real."

"Then who am I?"

I squinted. "...uh. A cool dude who dresses, acts and sounds like Seven?"

Resting his elbows on his knees, he leaned forward. "So, you're just a person who dresses, acts and sounds like someone Dragon and I know?"

Now I was definitely giving him a weird look. "Uh... yes? Because I've... never met anyone who speaks Korean, and looks like you? And also I only know about Seven and the others because of a phone game?"

"A phone app?"

"Y...es."

"...Sounds just like Dragon."

I glanced down at my phone, then raised my palms for a respite. "Okay, okay, hold on. Let's ignore the ramifications of fiction becoming reality for a moment..." Rubbing my head--because it still hurt--my eyes were drawn to something blinking on the ceiling. I peered past his head and couldn't help commenting, "Well, that's flashy."

That was an honest-to-god stoplight on the ceiling. It hung over the living area, which lined up with what I remembered from the game. So much for ignoring fiction-turned-reality.

My admiration of the bizarre decoration met an end when a computerized voice broke the awkward silence.

"Password accepted. Mary Vanderwood the 3rd entering."

Immediately, the guy was grabbing my arm and yanking me to my feet.

"Ow, what the--"

"You need to leave. No--" He swore. "You need to hide. Here."

"Ah--" I fought against his grip until I could snag my bag, which I tossed over my shoulder. It smacked painfully against my back, but I was already being ushered into the bathroom. Phone gripped in my other hand, I hissed, "Wait, hold on--"

"Be quiet, and lock the door. I'll get you when it's safe."

I shut my mouth, thinking that if this was truly Seven's place--and he, the secret agent himself--that I didn't want to tangle with "Mary Vanderwood the 3rd." That guy has a taser. And, that was that. Unless this was an incredibly detailed gag--of which I didn't have any friends who would bother going to such extremes--this was really the world I had glimpsed into using the Mystic Messenger app. It was crazy. Insane. But in the end, I was far more willing to accept this as reality then I was to take my chances and continue being difficult. Really, I've had dreams crazier than this. I can deal with this. ...Probably.

The bathroom was only marginally cleaner than the rest of the house had been. As in, only one empty chip bag per five-foot square instead of twelve. Sitting against the door, I set the phone on silent to fiddle with as I eavesdropped as best I could. Organizing the apps was calming.

There was already the sound of crinkling packages, cans being kicked across the floor, and loud complaints. It was a good thing I hadn't left any of my things out there, or Seven--it was probably better for him if I called him that--would've had some uncomfortable questions to answer. It was likely a visit about work--of course, Vanderwood was like his handler, there to keep him on track. It seemed he was still a part of the agency. That's not good...

The good thing was, it didn't sound like it was nearly as urgent as I remembered from the game. Important to finish, yes, but their talking didn't suggest a topic of dying or loved ones being injured.

The only English I heard was when Seven gave a loud, dramatic, "Ahh! Madam, be gentle!"

Snrk. I covered my mouth, hoping no one heard my low snort. Come on, you can't do things like that and not expect your audience to laugh.

It was agony, lying low. I managed to separate and alphabetize the apps in that time, putting the ones I'd likely use into appropriate folders and deleting the rest. There was the temptation to text Seven for Vanderwood's ETD, but I didn't want to risk it. He had said he'd come get me when the coast was clear, and I wanted to trust him.

Huh. I didn't think he had a warning system for guests. Maybe he was getting tired of being taken by surprise, since Vanderwood evidently carried an Arabic dictionary. And that taser. Hmm, I wonder what Mr. Taze A Lot is like in-person... That was a definite "curiosity killed the cat" situation, unfortunately. Shame.

There was a knock on the door, and I held my breath.

"...it's me. Coast's clear."

I got up with a grunt, kicking my bag aside for now. But there was something very important I had to do first, to regain what sanity I had left.

The door opened, and Seven began, "So back to your similarity to--"

"I'm disappointed in you, y'know."

He stopped, mouth working in silence for a moment. Finally, he managed a very baffled, "What...?"

"I thought that you would've..." I held up a bar of soap. "...cleaned up your act by now."

He stared at it.

"...get it? Clean... soap..." I wriggled it. "Was that too... suds-den?"

More staring.

"...I'm hilarious and you know it."

His face twitched. Air escaped his lips like a balloon. Then he leaned bodily against the doorframe, laughing wholeheartedly as he held his stomach. I laughed along with him, feeling rather triumphant. Bad pun: Success! I can never let a stupid joke go unsaid. In all honesty, he was probably laughing hysterically at the situation instead of my sense of humor, but I'll take what laughter I can get.

The soap was returned, and I was led to the living area where seating more comfortable than tile was located. He offered a bag of Honey Buddha Chips, and I pressed a dainty hand to my heart, affecting a Southern drawl. "Wha--for me? I'm flattered, Mistuh Seven, but I can't accept such an extravagant gift." Then I snatched that bag out of his freakin' hands because my stomach was trying to eat itself. He laughed at the enthusiasm. I chowed down (mm, not bad) as I asked in my normal voice, "Okay, so, I'll believe that you're Seven, aka Luciel, etcetera. So... what's this about recognizing me?"

He crunched loudly on his own chips. Is he making--yep, he's doing a duck face, what a goober. "It sounds crazy--"

"I'm crazy."

"--but I... saw you in my dreams."

"I know I'm dreamy, but--" I snickered, stopping myself there. "Okay, psychic dreams. Continue."

After finishing his own snickers, Seven scarfed the remainder of the bag in a hot second and crumpled up the wrapper. I saw him preparing to toss it on the floor and offered a hand... wriggled my fingers... then finally sighed and told him, "Please give me that so I can throw it away in a proper garbage receptacle."

"Yes, ma'am," he replied, giving a mock-salute.

I held onto it for the time being. "Anyway? Dreams?"

"Okay... so..."

Normally, when a person says that they had dreams about you, it's a bit weird and difficult to take seriously, and makes you want to find the closest exit. Who could really credit their slumbering mind with giving glimpses into anything credible? Not to mention the potential for more bad jokes. But I'd had my own dreams that connected to reality in the past, not that I ever thought much of them. So I listened intently to what Seven had to say, letting him explain with only a comment on how fluent he was in English. I'd forgotten that he knew seventeen languages. (Not gonna lie? Jealous. That's hella cool.)

According to him, after the party (where Yoosung came in, injured and totally prepared to smooch "Dragon") there started a period of strange dreams. It followed similar events at first--a "common route," if you will--but introduced some instances and information I knew to be from the "deep story" I was familiar with. The more Seven talked about it, the more I realized that was exactly what he was dreaming about. How else would he have been able to tell what was in the contents of that drawer in Rika's apartment? In this timeline of Yoosung falling in love with "Dragon," he wouldn't have set foot in there.

Of course, he didn't believe all of this at first. He chalked it up to Honey Buddha Chips and Doctor Pepper. They were only dreams, right? He laughingly told Dragon about one of them, expecting her to tease about him dreaming up a girlfriend.

Then she told him that she had the very same dreams.

So he decided to do some searching.

"And by that, you mean hacking."

"Correct!"

The thought of having someone hacking through the internet to locate me was more amusing than disturbing; they wouldn't get a lot out of it, because I didn't make much of an imprint on the world wide web. Maybe gratuitous amounts of fanfics, doodles and poetry, but that's about it. Along with that, it was really starting to feel like I was in a totally different universe than before, and I was pretty positive that you couldn't just Google search--sorry, Noogle search through the multiverse. (If the "Noogle search bar" on our phones wasn't definitive proof that I wasn't in the same realm, I didn't know what was.) I couldn't help telling him exactly that.

"It'd be too easy if I was able to just pop into other universes and steal their fanfiction. And what if someone from there read my fanfiction?"

"Uh..."

"...oh my god, no way." Thank every deity in existence I don't upload smut, holy shit that would be awkward. "Please tell me you didn't read anything before 2012."

"I, Seven, am too thorough to leave even the silliest fanfiction alone!"

"Oh, ye gods of yore. Why? You're the worst... I hate you...!"

"God Seven rejects your hate!"

"Okay, fine, no, I don't. ANYWAY, please continue."

He didn't have much luck at first, as I expected. But the dreams continued, and because he didn't think he and Dragon were going crazy the exact same way and time, he was certain there was some grain of truth in them. On top of that, they were scenes about someone he didn't recognize in peril. (I thought maybe he just mistook "Dragon" for me, but he mentioned the meowing and I just... couldn't deny it, that was definitely me. Plus, she didn't wear glasses.) It kind of consumed him for a while. And the threat of the hacker returning to finish the job hung over him like a bomb threat.

"I think he'd bide his time," I mumbled. "Saeren can be rash and has a temper, but he had patience for a bit."

The pained look on Seven's face made me regret speaking my mind, but he agreed quietly. It'd been several months since the party, however, and he wasn't going to take any chances. He nearly got into trouble with his agency for slacking off on their work, but since he finished the big scary job on time they'd given him a bit more leniency. (Remembering the deep story's threat of torture placed a stone in my gut.) Yet no public record lined up with the information he'd gleaned, and he was running out of options. The only other RFA member aware of his struggles was Dragon, who worried over his health.

"Well, someone has to," I muttered, mostly to myself. I approved. By this point, we were both reclined on the sofa like amoebas. I expected to leave imprints on the cushions.

So, there were dreams involving the deep story, starring me, that he shared with Dragon and couldn't find an explanation for. He still hadn't exactly explained how he had been able to read my fanfiction.

Rubbing his neck, Seven began that topic with a low, "I... got a weird email."

I really couldn't help it this time. Another snrk escaped as I jokingly sang, "Did you get mysterious messages?" It was too perfect.

There was a faint smile on his face. "Correct!"

...wait. "Weird, how?"

"It was... from someone who called themselves "Cheritz." "

I drew back.

"...wat."

"Yeah."

"That's... Cheritz? Really? ...what'd they say?"

"Said they knew what I was trying to do. They referred to me by name... my real name... and said that they could get me the information I was looking for."

Well, that was scary. Glancing at my phone, I was a little glad I had the RFA app now instead of the Cheritz game. "...so. You took their offer?"

Seven nodded, then cracked his neck. Ew. He noticed my wince. "Sorry."

Now, he said it was only after a lot of hacking and being unable to sneak any nefarious intentions out of them that he decided to play along. After all, he was good at biding his time, and making his escape. They had promised they'd contact him again soon. He stewed impatiently for a few days, trying and failing again to get any dirt on them, until they finally emailed a dossier with more information on his "dream girl." He provided these documents now; I could feel his gaze as I poured through my life on print.

"Holy shit, they know more about me than I remember about myself." Officially creeped out now. "Why?" Seven didn't know, which was frustrating because I kind of expected him to have all of the answers. Sighing, I let him continue.

"It was hard to believe at first. I am God Seven," he claimed in a deeper voice, "and if my heavenly hacking skills couldn't find anything on you, no one could!" The playfulness left as quickly as it had come. "...is what I would like to say, but it was clear that they had access to something I didn't. And it was protected so well I couldn't even find many mentions of it. When they sent audio clips and video that matched up with the person from our dreams, I knew Cheritz wasn't playing around."

Trying not to feel sick, I decided I didn't want to know what he had seen or heard. "...so, if this is a multi-universe-thing, Cheritz... has access to both of ours."

Seven nodded. "And since they were the only lead I had--"

"Hold on," I cut in, brows furrowing.

I sat up straight.

"Does that mean that they can go across spacetime as they please? Like the TARDIS or a Time-Turner or something? How? Why are they bothering with otome games if they can do that? I can imagine, like, five other get-rich-quick schemes using that sort of power, and that's just off the top of my head. And why this universe? If there are various possibilities out there for them to meddle in, it's weird that they settled on this one in particular. It's not a bad one, you guys are freakin' fantastic, but like, why this one? What attracted them to you guys? To this branch of the timeline? Or to me? Does everyone who plays their "games" have access to their own personal universe?"

I was spacing out a little at this point, looking off into the distance over his shoulder as if the answers were hovering out there past his fortress walls.

"A multitude of universes as numerous as the stars... or more so... Holy shit. Holy fuck, that's--cool and scary and kind of hard to wrap my head around, even knowing that time isn't linear, and the concept of the Many Worlds Theory. Like, how do you make a walkthrough for real life? How true is the game interaction to the universe's reality? Is that the same for mine? Am I playing matchmaker across universes? Holy shit. I shouldn't have that kind of responsibility, I barely remember to eat and function like a normal human being, so..."

...Oh. Seven was staring.

"Uh. Sorry. Go on." Clearing my throat, I tried to ignore the embarrassment as I glossed over the tangent I'd just gone on.

He blinked, a smile growing on his face like I had just offered to help him open up a toy factory. Way to go on not flipping out or anything. Then I was blessed with another great laugh that made me feel only a smidgen more mortified by my rambling. I guess it's not the worst thing in the world.

"I can get a little..." I trailed off. There wasn't a word for it. When he continued giggling, I couldn't help a sheepish smile. "I've devoted whiteboards, sketchbooks and notebooks to dissecting video game lore before."

"Seeing this in-person is so much better," he teased. Oh, yep, my face was definitely red now.

"Thaaaat's right, you've probably seen it all."

"I've read some messages." I saw him shoot little finger guns, before I rubbed my forehead to shield my eyes. "Your nerd rage burns with a fiery passion! Like the brightest star!"

"You're why it was a good idea to cover my laptop's webcam," I muttered, still grinning.

"Yeah, that wasn't very nice of you. You still had your phone, though."

Of course he can hack my phone too. I glanced up to see him wagging his eyebrows. "Ahem. Anyway." I gestured desperately. "You got info from this Cheritz person, and it somehow got you access to my entire life as recorded by modern technology."

"Like childhood photos."

"Cool." Sigh. Well, it was a good thing I thought I was adorable. Old pictures weren't embarrassing to me; the thought of people looking at my old writing was more appalling. "Okayyyy, no more tangents, back on-topic."

"Right." That detour seemed to have put him at ease. Of course he'd bounce back after doing some teasing. "Well, after they shared that information, they claimed they were working to get me direct access. They still hadn't explained why they were doing this, but at this point I was... kind of desperate for answers."

"Who is that mysterious, magical person," I joked, posing dramatically. He laughed again.

"Yes, Agent Seven Zero Seven was determined! He would find out who this mystery woman was!"

At this, I couldn't quite help expressing the lingering doubt. "...and you're absolutely certain it's me?"

He nodded. "Considering the information you know... you have to be. No one, besides me... and V... knows the identity of my brother. And Dragon," he added, "thanks to those dreams."

"Mm, true..."

"And along with that, and the fact that you look exactly like her..." He pointed, and I glanced at my necklace. "You mentioned the sign gemini. But no one outside of the RFA knows my birthday."

And with how much of his life had been erased, that wasn't surprising.

"...to be fair," I started slowly, "I don't know it off the top of my head--" But I definitely have it saved on my phone's calendar. "--but it's easy to remember that your sign is gemini, since... y'know." Wow, way to go, me, let's just keep reminding him about his brother, ahahaha I'm the worst.

"Hmm, excellent point!"

Thankfully, his spirits didn't seem to fall this time. It was equally likely that he just wasn't showing it, but I was going to be optimistic. He surprised me by poking my nose, which made me "eep," which made him laugh.

"And it's easy to remember your sign is cancer because you blush so red, like a cute crab!"

"Only because I'm living in a literal anime now," I joked back, trying not to let the "cute crab" blush creep back in. Rubbing my nose as if he'd injured it, I stuck my tongue out at his continued laughter. "So, what happened when you finally got direct access?"

"I did some research of my own, to make absolutely sure that you were the right person. Then..." He wiggled his cell phone. "I called you."

"...oh." I thought this over. "...twelve hours ago?"

"Uh... no, that was right before you... appeared in my apartment."

"What?" I glanced at my phone's clock, confused, before it dawned on me. "Oh. Timezones. Korea is literally on the other side of the world."

"Correct!"

"...only magic could have brought me here in minutes. I mean, it would take magic or crazy science to transport me to another universe too, so I guess that's kind of just expected." I adjusted the hat to rub my forehead, snorting. "Huh, I'm still calm. I'll probably have a mental breakdown later, but for the time being I'm feeling pretty chill."

"Chill? But you're wearing a jacket!" Seven poked one of the stars on its design.

Snrk. "Are you stealing my shtick of bad jokes? I'll fight you for that. Come at me, bro."

"Ohoho! God Seven versus Crab Cutie, this Saturday on the Space Station Network!" He cupped his mouth for fake applause.

"You bet your ass! Bring it on! Get ready for the fight of... your..." Wow, that was a large yawn. Oh, right, I had just come off of an eight-hour shift. I blinked a few times, squinting at the lights and pulling my hat down again. "Okay, we might have to postpone that showdown, 'cause... it'd be too embarrassing if you fought a sleepy me and still lost."

"Oh, right, it must still feel like nighttime to you. I know the feeling! My sleep is so irregular, I lose track of days, ahaha..."

His laugh almost trailed off nervously at the confession, as if realizing how candid that had been. Clearing his throat, he sounded concerned as he asked, "Did you... would you be all right crashing here...?"

"Oh, yeah," I reassured him with a wave, "the couch is fine. I was only eaten by a couch the one time."

"What? No, I meant here, my place--I'm not forcing you to sleep on the couch! There's a bed in the other room you can use." He almost sounded offended by my assumption.

"...you mean, your bed?"

"Yeah, I'm not going to be using... it..." Seven trailed off again.

"I don't want to steal your bed, though. I mean, you need sleep too--"

He suddenly leapt from his seat. "H-hold on," he interrupted, "I-I've got to clean that disaster zone--uhh, I mean, find clean sheets!" The coffee table managed a parting shot as he leapt over it in his haste, and he choked on Korean curses (oh, you best believe I looked those up) before disappearing around the corner. Surprised, I eventually burst out laughing.

"Dude," I shouted so he could hear me from the bedroom, "it can't be nearly as bad as my room. I literally couldn't see my floor for weeks!" What the hell was all of that thumping for? "You okay in there?"

"Just--hold on! Stay right there! Don't come in!"

"Pfffft. Yes, ma'am!"

That was the adorably considerate hacker awkwardly doing all he could for someone else that I expected. He is too pure for this world, I thought with another laugh. Shaking my head reminded me that a headache was still lurking, and the lights weren't doing me any favors in banishing it for good. Okay, if his room is dark, I'll gladly steal it. Just for a nap. I rubbed my forehead to try easing away the pain.

...I'm in Seven aka Luciel aka Saeyoung's apartment, which is in another universe's Korea, probably thanks to the meddling of a multiverse-traveling otome game company. Cradling my face in a palm, this laugh was quieter and a bit more hysterical. Yep. I guess this is my life right now. When I get back home, the only thing I can tell my roommate and family is, "Oops, I stepped into a wormhole, sorry!" They wouldn't believe it, of course. I hardly did, and I marveled once more at how being crazy tended to make life easier in the most bizarre ways.

When Seven returned, less panicked now, he found the area immediately around the sofa cleaner than he'd left it. "You didn't have to do that," he told me, switching to a more joking tone as he added, "I already have a maid! The wonderful but strict Mary Vanderwood the 3rd!"

I snorted. "Uh-huh. She deserves a raise."

We laughed as if we both didn't already know the truth. It was much better to be laughing than freaking out. I hopped onto my feet and saluted. "Permission to go pass out, Captain Seven?"

He mirrored me, barking, "Permission granted! Dismissed, soldier!"

"Aye, aye, sir!"

Collecting my things, in case his "maid" returned, I retreated to this sanctuary of darkness and crawled into a bed sans empty wrappers and crushed chips. I surprisingly wasn't too lost and anxious to find much needed sleep, but the confusion definitely followed into my dreams.

[TBC omg]

[ericsonclan]

Singing in The Rain

Summary: Prisha and Violet go to a musical and afterwards Prisha gets caught up in her love for musicals while its raining.

Word Count: 2110

Read on AO3:

“That was spectacular!” Prisha smiled brightly as she walked out of the theatre hand in hand with Violet. The blonde looked up at her fiance with a soft expression.

“I’m glad,” Violet felt her heart grow warm at the sight of Prisha’s happiness. She had worked to save up money and surprised Prisha with two tickets to a showing of Singing in The Rain. Prisha was beyond excited when Violet had revealed the tickets and her eyes shone with joy as she watched the musical.

Violet wasn’t exactly sure what the whole plot had been; she had ended up getting distracted by Prisha during the showing. How Prisha bounced lightly in her chair as the musical numbers happened, how the smile never left her lips, how she kept looking over at Violet and pressing kisses onto her hand. The date had turned out amazing.

Prisha gently swayed their joined hands back and forth before taking out the two small umbrellas she had grabbed before the musical. The weather app on her phone had warned of rainy weather and Violet was really glad Prisha had listened. As soon as they had stepped outside they could hear the heavy rainfall and feel the cool chill of the evening that came with it. Violet poked her head out from the shelter of the awning in front of the theater. Rain came pouring down in sheets.

“It really is raining cats and dogs,” Prisha commented as she passed over the black umbrella to Violet. Violet gave a small thanks then worked to open it.

“Yeah, kinda shitty that we parked a few blocks away,” Violet leaned the umbrella handle on her shoulder. Glancing over, she saw that Prisha was double checking that the keychain Violet had bought her during intermission was secure and safe in her pocket. Prisha quickly opened her yellow umbrella before immediately intertwining her fingers with Violet’s once more.

“Lucky for me, I have wonderful company for this walk,” Prisha’s words made Violet’s heart flutter.

“Not as lucky as me,” Violet took the first step out from the safety of the theater and felt the raindrops splattering on top of her umbrella. The two walked in peaceful silence as the raindrops kept falling down. Prisha took a deep breath, a warm smile pulling on her lips as she hummed a tune from the musical. After they were nearly halfway there, Prisha began to sing the song.

“I’m singing in the rain, just singin’ in the rain

What a glorious feeling, I’m happy again!

I’m laughing at clouds so dark up above.”

Prisha let go of Violet's hand and spun around to smile lovingly at her. “The sun’s in my heart and I’m ready for love!”

Violet’s face grew warm at those words as she watched her fiancee get more and more lost within the song. Prisha spun her umbrella, causing the raindrops to fly off as she continued to sing.

“Let the stormy clouds chase everyone from the place.”

Prisha saw a lamp post and ran toward it. With a hop she gripped onto it with her left hand and spun around as she let her right move the umbrella down to her side.

“Come on with the rain, I’ve a smile on my face!

I walk down the lane with a happy refrain,”

Prisha strolled forward towards Violet with a carefree smile.

“Just singin’, singin’ in the rain,” Prisha placed down her umbrella, the rain pitter pattering against her head as she grabbed Violet’s hand. Her eyes locked with Violet’s and it was clear what she wanted Violet to do. Prisha wanted Violet to join her.

“Dancing in the rain,’ Prisha spun Violet around with a joyful tune, causing the blonde’s umbrella to twirl and raindrops to fling off of it. “I’m happy again!”

Prisha continued to hum and dance happily and Violet couldn’t help but fall more in love with her. Soon Violet decided to let loose and join her. Placing down her umbrella, Violet took both of Prisha’s hands and they spun around together in a circle.

“I’m singin’ and dancing in the rain,'' Prisha guided them forward while her warm voice continued to hum the tune. The two of them spun on the nearby lamp posts together before they got distracted and began to splash around in the puddles together. After a few minutes of laughing together and getting lost in the moment, Prisha gently took Violet’s hand. Twirling her around, Prisha pulled Violet close to her.

“I’m dancing and singin’ in the rain….” Prisha held the final note, her soft, comforting voice lingering in the air before she leaned forward and kissed Violet tenderly. Violet deepened the kiss and became lost in it till she finally had to pull back for air. Her own eyes were lost in Prisha’s warm brown ones. Prisha seemed just as lost in Violet’s eyes. After a few moments though they both realized how soaking wet they both were.

“I suppose I got lost in the moment,” Prisha smiled over at Violet, somewhat guilty.

“It’s fine, I love it,” Violet’s words made Prisha’s eyes sparkle and she stole a quick kiss. Leaning over, Prisha grabbed the umbrellas for Violet before grabbing her own.

“Well, we definitely need to get home and get out of these sopping wet clothes,” Prisha smiled at Violet then began to lead the way forward. She quickly began to hum the tune again, completely happy as she swung their joined hands.

Violet quietly watched Prisha for a moment. She really did love Prisha, her dorky musical side and all. The two immediately became lost in the simple joy of walking together back to their car. Soon they were in the car and Prisha got the heat going right away. As Prisha started the car and began to drive home, the couple spoke about their favorite parts of the musical and date.

Time flew by whenever they were in each other’s company and that fact still held true on this drive home. They were home before they knew it and were immediately greeted by Sir Tubbs who gave a smokey meow as he strolled forward. He instantly flopped over by Violet’s leg, expecting pats and cuddles but instead was greeted by the surprise of water droplets on his fur. His eyes grew large and he shifted his tubby body up to run away and protect himself from any more horrible water pellets. Prisha and Violet shared a look and began to laugh as Sir Tubbs angrily looked at them from his perch on his cat tower. His gray tail whacked around as he hid in the small shelter in the middle of the tower.

“Well, I shall get started on some tea,” Prisha planted a kiss on Violet’s cheek. “I’m guessing you want chamomile, love?”

“Yeah, that’d be great,” Violet smiled lovingly over at her fiancee then looked down at the ground. She was starting to form a puddle. It would be best if she got a towel for that then took a quick shower. Jogging over to where the towels were kept, Violet grabbed three of them. The blonde placed one on the ground then made her way over to the bedroom to grab some clothes. She pondered her options for a moment before deciding to grab one of Prisha’s shirts to wear.

“I’m gonna take a shower. I’ll leave a towel for you so you don’t have to worry about that,” Violet called out to Prisha who was busy getting the tea ready.

“Sounds perfect,” Prisha responded as she got the cups down.

Violet scampered off and quickly took a shower to warm up. By the time she was done her tea was ready and on the kitchen counter. Prisha smiled over, her eyes flickering with surprise for a moment when she saw Violet was wearing one of her shirts. Her heart fluttered happily in her chest. Violet looked so cute it felt overwhelming.

“You look adorable,” Prisha’s words made Violet blush lightly. “I’ll be back soon,” Prisha reached out and squeezed Violet’s hands then wandered off to grab clothes and take a shower. A few minutes later she walked out with a towel draped over her shoulders so her damp hair didn’t make her shirt wet. As she walked over to join Violet on the couch, Prisha thought about how lucky she was to have found someone who truly loved her. Her heart warmed as she was reminded once more how much she loved Violet as well. Sitting down, the two curled under the blanket and quietly enjoyed their tea.

Once they had finished their warm drinks, Prisha spoke up. “How about I grab the hairdryer and brush and we can dry our hair so we don’t have to worry about catching a chill?”

“Okay, I’ll help,” Violet got up and the two worked together to grab the hairdryer, some hair ties and a brush. “I’ll dry your hair first,” Violet offered as she plugged in the hairdryer.

“Okay,” Prisha sat in front of the couch and Violet turned on the hairdryer. The steady thrum of hot air was the only sound in the apartment as Prisha sat on the ground and enjoyed the warmth of the hairdryer. Once Prisha’s hair was dry Violet began to brush it. Prisha hummed happily and the two quietly conversed.

“Alright, I’m done,” Violet paused for a moment after that statement and wondered about whether she should say something or not.

The sudden silence made Prisha glance back at Violet. “Everything alright? Are you feeling cold?” Prisha’s tone held concern as she looked up at her fiance.

“No, it's not that. I was just wondering. If you wanted I could braid your hair. I know it's kinda late but still,” Violet awkwardly scratched the back of neck.

“I’d love that! I can do a cute hairstyle for you after I dry your hair too!” Prisha’s enthusiasm made Violet’s grow.

“Alright,” Violet ran her fingers through Prisha’s long hair before beginning to braid it. She had definitely gotten better over her time when it came to braiding hair. Still, that didn't mean she was immune from making mistakes. Violet swore softly here and there when she messed up.

“Shit, shit, fucking shit,” Violet muttered angrily when she messed up a section.

“I’m sure it will look pretty,” Prisha tilted her head back to look at Violet.

“You should say shitty,” Violet’s response made Prisha frown slightly.

“I highly doubt that,” Prisha returned her gaze to the wall ahead so Violet could continue to work. After a few minutes Violet had finished up.

“Okay, I’m done,”

Prisha pulled the braid forward and examined it. “It looks great,” She reached back and pulled Violet’s hand forward so she could press a soft kiss to the top of it. The romantic gesture made Violet’s heartbeat quicken.

“Okay, my turn,” Prisha hopped onto the couch then patted the ground for Violet to sit down. Violet slid onto the floor and Prisha happily began to dry her fiance's hair. It wasn’t long before that step was finished. Prisha immediately worked to gently brush Violet’s hair. Once she was done Prisha gently stroked it. “Your hair is always so soft,”

“Thanks,” Violet fidgeted with the hem of the shirt she was wearing as Prisha began to debate on what hairstyle to try. After a minute Prisha decided on a simple one that she knew Violet would like. Her hands gathered up Violet’s hair and using a hair tie she put Violet’s hair up into a small ponytail.

“All done!” Prisha chimed and Violet moved her hand up to feel her hair to try and guess what style Prisha had gone with. It only took her  a second to figure out.

“A ponytail?” Violet crawled back onto the couch and slid under the blanket.

“I think it makes you look even cuter,” Prisha’s words made Violet grow red once more. Silently she scooted closer and wrapped her arms around Prisha’s waist. Shifting around, Violet soon got into a comfortable position as she continued to hug Prisha’s waist. Prisha stroked Violet’s hair and played with it for a minute before speaking up.

“Shall I continue the book? I think we were just getting to the interesting part.” Prisha’s hand wandered over to the coffee table where Howl’s Moving Castle lay.

“I’d like that,” Violet nuzzled her face against Prisha’s neck and let herself melt into her fiance’s warmth. Prisha leaned forward and kissed Violet’s head then focused on getting to the right section. Soon her calming voice filled the apartment as the two enjoyed the peaceful, perfect moment.

[aaronsniderus]

Tips to Secure Your Information Online

This is certainly up for debate, but an argument could be made that the internet is perhaps the greatest invention of mankind since electricity. We are able to connect to friends and family, find information at the touch of a button and order pizza with a click or even your fingerprint.

However, when you’re surfing the information superhighway, it’s important to be safe. Everything I’ve just described involves a certain amount of your personal information. You don’t want someone getting grandma’s top-secret cookie recipe, finding out what health conditions you have by looking at your Google searches or getting your credit card number when you order a large supreme.

While all of these things could happen if you’re not careful, it’s no reason to turn off your computer and smash it to bits before going to live in a homemade bunker under 6 feet of cement. The internet is too great a utility for that. What we can do is practice a few safe browsing habits.

For the last 15 years, October has been celebrated as National Cybersecurity Awareness Month. Let’s take a look at some ways to protect yourself online.

Keep Computers and Devices Up-To-Date

The biggest thing you can do to protect against flaws in operating systems for computers and mobile devices is to run the latest updates you can when they come out. Apple, Microsoft, Google and other device manufacturers put feature upgrades in these updates, but they also take the opportunity to push important security patches to you.

Criminal hackers then analyze these updates to figure out what the software engineers fixed and work to exploit the flaws in unpatched systems, so it’s crucial to install updates as soon as you get them, especially if they’re labeled as having a security focus.

If you have an older device that can’t be updated to the absolute latest version of the operating system, make sure you’re on the latest version your device can run. You should be able to check for updates within your device settings (often under the general, about or help menus.) If you’re unsure where to check for updates, Google your computer or device. If automatic updates are an option, it’s a good idea to turn them on.

Even if you’re on an older device, check for updates periodically. When features aren’t being updated, sometimes you’ll still get security patches for a period of time beyond when you would receive feature upgrades. Sometimes manufacturers will also release patches for unsupported, older devices if the flaw is considered very serious as well.

Account Security

There are three great ways to make sure your account is secure: biometrics, long and strong passwords and two-factor authentication. Let’s briefly go over these.

Biometrics

Whenever possible, if your device offers biometric authentication, take advantage of it. Biometric authentication relies on a person’s characteristics to verify who they are. Someone would generally have to go to great lengths to get a copy of your fingerprint and transfer it to a medium that will mimic skin enough in terms of heat and texture to fool your phone or computer. These scanners have come a long way. The same applies to facial or iris recognition systems.

It may have once been possible to form these things with a picture, but now device manufacturers like Apple and others are taking advantage of faster processors and a variety of sensor and light techniques in order to get an accurate map of your face in seconds.

Strong Passwords

Having a biometric option available to you will make it easier to have a long, strong password to get into your computer or phone if you only need to type it in every once in a while. Passwords that are 12 characters or higher are harder to crack because it takes longer for even supercomputers to brute force those. Also, you should try to use passwords that you’re going to remember, but that aren’t based on words in the dictionary. It’s pretty well established that “Monkey123” isn’t a great password, but “Chimpanzee123” isn’t much better.

You should also try to use passwords with numbers, symbols and a combination of upper and lowercase letters. If you’re in a work environment where you have to change passwords often, but you want to be able to remember them, it helps to come up with a strategy.

You’ll find one that works for you, but here’s an example that works for me. Just in case you were wondering, I won’t be using an actual password. But this will give you a flavor for something you might try. I happen to be a big Beatles fan.

So, a long but memorable passphrase might be something like:

Beatles+yellow-Strawberry

I used my favorite band and references to a couple of their big songs. If I wanted to get a numeral in there, I might replace the S with a 5.

Passwords should also be unique, so that if one is compromised, not all of your accounts are accessible.  Will all of these unique passwords, things could get obnoxious. I recommend using a password manager like LastPass or 1Password.

The way these password managers work is that you remember one strong password that serves as your master password to get into your password vault. From then on, every time you log into a site, it will save the passwords for you. Better yet, because you don’t have to remember the logins, you can have it generate a longer password (say between 16 – 64 characters depending on what the site allows) that is complete random gobbledygook. Then reset your password. This really protects you against brute force attacks.

This article has more information on creating strong passwords.

Two-Factor Authentication

Another excellent way to protect the security of your account is to use two-factor authentication to protect yourself in case your password gets out. When you do this, there’s a two-step process to get into your accounts. Let’s break it down.

The first factor is something you know (e.g. password) or something you are (biometric identification such as face or fingerprint scan). After you’ve given the first factor, there’s a second step that takes place.

The second factor is based on something you have, so typically a phone or tablet device. If you have a mobile app for that particular website, you often get a push notification asking you to confirm login through that app.

Alternatively, there are two-factor authenticator apps like Google Authenticator and Duo Mobile. When you go through the process of setting up two-factor on websites, there will be a QR code (those funny-looking things that look like new age barcodes). You open your two-factor app of choice and scan this with your phone or tablet camera. From then on, it will generate a new random numerical string every 30 to 60 seconds. When you log into websites, you’ll be asked to supply this code.

Another way to get codes on your phone is via text message or even phone call. This works if the website you’re logging into offers no other option, but you should always use apps to log in when it’s available. If someone were to call up and socially engineer the cell phone company to send your text messages or calls to a different SIM card, you would be in trouble.

If you don’t want to enter a code on your phone all the time, a physical device that you simply have in your possession can also work. Consider a YubiKey.

Look for HTTPS

When you provide your credit or debit card information to sites or even simply put in your password, make sure that your information is being passed through in a secure manner. How do you know that?

Different browsers may have slightly different icons, but there will be a green padlock on the left-hand side of the address bar with a green “https” as opposed to the regular “http.” The S stands for secure. You may also see the word secure in the address bar. If you click on this icon, you can get more info on the security certificate itself, who it was issued to and how long it’s good for.

Modern browsers are doing a really good job of clearly marking when sites are not secure and, in many cases, it won’t even let you go to a page with an expired security certificate unless you explicitly allow it, but you should still check for the “https” just in case.

Watch Out for Scams

There are things you can do to protect yourself from being compromised on the net. Here are a couple of tips to help you remain vigilant.

Don’t Fall for Phishing

Be really careful what you click in emails and on the web. A good rule is that if you didn’t ask for it and you don’t recognize it, it’s probably not real. Occasionally, a site will reach out to you and ask you to change your password if they’ve been breached. To check the veracity of these emails, follow these steps.

You’re looking for email addresses that are slightly mistyped in order to mislead (e.g. Mark@Faceboook.com).

Very generic terminology in the email (just talking about your account without giving any identifying details such as the last four digits or having “Dear Sir/Madam,” etc.).

Similarly, if you notice terminology that’s different from the way the business or brand normally talks, that’s a red flag. If the company normally says team members and you see employees, that would be worrisome.

Spelling mistakes are a problem.

If the email displays a sense of urgency and says to input your password or anything else in the next 24 hours, look up the company’s customer service line and call to see if there’s an actual problem with your account. People who phish for personal details are hoping you’ll act without thinking in a moment of worry.

If you are suspicious of any email asking you to log in, it’s best to call a customer service number and verify.

Check the links in an email by hovering over the link to see what pages it actually takes you to. Avoid destinations that don’t seem right.

If the email has an attachment, that can be a way to get viruses and other nasty things onto your computer. You shouldn’t download attachments you don’t expect.

If anything in the mail sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Be Careful What You Click On

Going along with what’s above, you should also be careful what you click or tap on web pages and in email. If it doesn’t make sense, or is too good to be true, don’t click.

Let’s run through a couple of common schemes.

If you get a pop-up on a website that says you have a virus that they can remove from your computer if you only pay $50, don’t click. You likely don’t have anything if you run even the built-in security software in Windows on its default setting. Android, Mac and iOS also have built-in security measures of their own.

You can also be pretty sure that you didn’t win a sweepstakes or contest that you don’t remember entering. Don’t fall for these ploys to get your personal information.

Protect Your Connection

In addition to vigilant browsing, there are actions you should take to protect your internet connection and browsing history from prying eyes.

Make Sure Your Wi-Fi Is Secure

If you’re on a wireless connection – and in this age of laptops and tablets, who isn’t? – you should make sure that your connection is secure.

The first thing you should do on your personal Wi-Fi is to change the default password for getting onto the Wi-Fi itself. That way no one can guess your password just by working on the side of the router or in the manual.

While you’re at it, you should absolutely change the default administrator password for your router so that no one can go in and mess with the settings to send your traffic through weird places. You should be able to change this in the same place you changed the password to get on the Wi-Fi itself. This is important because sometimes internet service providers (ISPs) value convenience over security to the point where someone could easily get in and mess with your settings. My ISP shall remain nameless, but I was horrified to discover that the username for the router was “admin” and the password was “password.” Yeah, not great.

Tips While Out and About

If you’re out in public, be careful logging into public Wi-Fi, especially if it’s unsecured. If there are no security measures in place, a skilled hacker can insert themselves between you and the website you’re visiting in order to snoop on what you’re doing.

In order to protect yourself, the easiest way is to use your cell phone data connection when you’re out in public. Many laptops and tablets now have the ability to connect to a data network as well. Cell phone providers often have agreements with certain services like Netflix or Spotify so that certain activities don’t count against any potential monthly data cap you may have, but most activity will count. That’s the downside. On the other hand, you’re secure.

In addition to Wi-Fi concerns, be careful using any public charging ports. Ideally, you can bring your own charger to plug into the wall. Don’t use someone else’s cable. Some cables and public charging ports can be compromised so that someone can see the data being transmitted to your phone and potentially send unwanted viruses and other malware back into your phone leaving it permanently compromised. This is called juice jacking.

Make Sure to Download Trusted Apps

You should only download apps and programs you trust because these can be used as vehicles to get viruses and programs that will spy on your activity (spyware) on your system.

On Windows or Mac, you should either download things from the Windows or Mac App Store or directly from the website of the software provider. Amazon is also a big retailer of both Windows and Mac digital downloads. If you’re looking for video games, Steam or Origin are big retailers of PC games.

On mobile, there’s the App Store on iOS and the Google Play Store or Amazon Appstore on Android. Things do occasionally slip through the cracks, but apps on these stores are somewhat vetted. If you have doubts about any particular app or program before downloading it, you should Google it and also check out the reviews.

Be Careful About Publishing Personal Information Online

If you’ve ever signed in to a website for the first time from a new computer or even called the bank about a problem with your account, they’ll do certain things to try to make sure that you’re you.

They’ll ask you security questions. Popular ones might include mother’s maiden name or father’s middle name, but it could also ask about your favorite book or your dream car.

Someone might be able to find records of your family and figure out the name questions, and if you’re like me, your obsession with Harry Potter is well-documented.

If you have accounts that you are concerned about people compromising, maybe you switch up the answers when you’re setting them up online. If you’re using a password manager like those recommended earlier, there is often a place to store secure notes. If you save the answers with the passwords, you’ll have them when you need to access the account, so maybe your mother’s maiden name is actually listed as Windows 95 or a completely random string of characters.

In addition, be careful about listing or giving out things like your phone number, address, Social Security number (SSN) and other sensitive information online. If someone needs to know, make sure you trust the person and message them directly.

Remove Data Before Donating Computers or Devices

If you have a computer or device you’re looking to donate, follow the manufacturer’s instructions to delete your data and reset it to factory settings.

The exact instructions for doing this will vary depending on your device, but you want to make sure this gets done. Manufacturers and makers of all the major operating systems will have documentation on what you need to do. If there’s anything you’re unsure about, you can always contact a friend who’s good with technology to help you out.

Our devices are lasting longer and longer, so it makes complete sense to give a device you’re no longer using to someone who will make good use of it, but you’ll just want to make sure that all of the data is cleared off to protect yourself and make sure it’s ready for the other person.

Hopefully this has helped you think about practical steps you can take to increase your level of cyber security. If you’re looking for more, it’s not a bad idea to also take a look at your backup strategy in order to make sure you have copies of that data you can’t afford to lose.

The post Tips to Secure Your Information Online appeared first on ZING Blog by Quicken Loans.

from Updates About Loans https://www.quickenloans.com/blog/tips-secure-information-online

[digitalmark18-blog]

Tips to Secure Your Information Online

New Post has been published on https://britishdigitalmarketingnews.com/tips-to-secure-your-information-online/

Tips to Secure Your Information Online

This is certainly up for debate, but an argument could be made that the internet is perhaps the greatest invention of mankind since electricity. We are able to connect to friends and family, find information at the touch of a button and order pizza with a click or even your fingerprint.

However, when you’re surfing the information superhighway, it’s important to be safe. Everything I’ve just described involves a certain amount of your personal information. You don’t want someone getting grandma’s top-secret cookie recipe, finding out what health conditions you have by looking at your Google searches or getting your credit card number when you order a large supreme.

While all of these things could happen if you’re not careful, it’s no reason to turn off your computer and smash it to bits before going to live in a homemade bunker under 6 feet of cement. The internet is too great a utility for that. What we can do is practice a few safe browsing habits.

For the last 15 years, October has been celebrated as National Cybersecurity Awareness Month. Let’s take a look at some ways to protect yourself online.

Keep Computers and Devices Up-To-Date

The biggest thing you can do to protect against flaws in operating systems for computers and mobile devices is to run the latest updates you can when they come out. Apple, Microsoft, Google and other device manufacturers put feature upgrades in these updates, but they also take the opportunity to push important security patches to you.

Criminal hackers then analyze these updates to figure out what the software engineers fixed and work to exploit the flaws in unpatched systems, so it’s crucial to install updates as soon as you get them, especially if they’re labeled as having a security focus.

If you have an older device that can’t be updated to the absolute latest version of the operating system, make sure you’re on the latest version your device can run. You should be able to check for updates within your device settings (often under the general, about or help menus.) If you’re unsure where to check for updates, Google your computer or device. If automatic updates are an option, it’s a good idea to turn them on.

Even if you’re on an older device, check for updates periodically. When features aren’t being updated, sometimes you’ll still get security patches for a period of time beyond when you would receive feature upgrades. Sometimes manufacturers will also release patches for unsupported, older devices if the flaw is considered very serious as well.

Account Security

There are three great ways to make sure your account is secure: biometrics, long and strong passwords and two-factor authentication. Let’s briefly go over these.

Biometrics

Whenever possible, if your device offers biometric authentication, take advantage of it. Biometric authentication relies on a person’s characteristics to verify who they are. Someone would generally have to go to great lengths to get a copy of your fingerprint and transfer it to a medium that will mimic skin enough in terms of heat and texture to fool your phone or computer. These scanners have come a long way. The same applies to facial or iris recognition systems.

It may have once been possible to form these things with a picture, but now device manufacturers like Apple and others are taking advantage of faster processors and a variety of sensor and light techniques in order to get an accurate map of your face in seconds.

Strong Passwords

Having a biometric option available to you will make it easier to have a long, strong password to get into your computer or phone if you only need to type it in every once in a while. Passwords that are 12 characters or higher are harder to crack because it takes longer for even supercomputers to brute force those. Also, you should try to use passwords that you’re going to remember, but that aren’t based on words in the dictionary. It’s pretty well established that “Monkey123” isn’t a great password, but “Chimpanzee123” isn’t much better.

You should also try to use passwords with numbers, symbols and a combination of upper and lowercase letters. If you’re in a work environment where you have to change passwords often, but you want to be able to remember them, it helps to come up with a strategy.

You’ll find one that works for you, but here’s an example that works for me. Just in case you were wondering, I won’t be using an actual password. But this will give you a flavor for something you might try. I happen to be a big Beatles fan.

So, a long but memorable passphrase might be something like:

Beatles+yellow-Strawberry

I used my favorite band and references to a couple of their big songs. If I wanted to get a numeral in there, I might replace the S with a 5.

Passwords should also be unique, so that if one is compromised, not all of your accounts are accessible.  Will all of these unique passwords, things could get obnoxious. I recommend using a password manager like LastPass or 1Password.

The way these password managers work is that you remember one strong password that serves as your master password to get into your password vault. From then on, every time you log into a site, it will save the passwords for you. Better yet, because you don’t have to remember the logins, you can have it generate a longer password (say between 16 – 64 characters depending on what the site allows) that is complete random gobbledygook. Then reset your password. This really protects you against brute force attacks.

This article has more information on creating strong passwords.

Two-Factor Authentication

Another excellent way to protect the security of your account is to use two-factor authentication to protect yourself in case your password gets out. When you do this, there’s a two-step process to get into your accounts. Let’s break it down.

The first factor is something you know (e.g. password) or something you are (biometric identification such as face or fingerprint scan). After you’ve given the first factor, there’s a second step that takes place.

The second factor is based on something you have, so typically a phone or tablet device. If you have a mobile app for that particular website, you often get a push notification asking you to confirm login through that app.

Alternatively, there are two-factor authenticator apps like Google Authenticator and Duo Mobile. When you go through the process of setting up two-factor on websites, there will be a QR code (those funny-looking things that look like new age barcodes). You open your two-factor app of choice and scan this with your phone or tablet camera. From then on, it will generate a new random numerical string every 30 to 60 seconds. When you log into websites, you’ll be asked to supply this code.

Another way to get codes on your phone is via text message or even phone call. This works if the website you’re logging into offers no other option, but you should always use apps to log in when it’s available. If someone were to call up and socially engineer the cell phone company to send your text messages or calls to a different SIM card, you would be in trouble.

If you don’t want to enter a code on your phone all the time, a physical device that you simply have in your possession can also work. Consider a YubiKey.

Look for HTTPS

When you provide your credit or debit card information to sites or even simply put in your password, make sure that your information is being passed through in a secure manner. How do you know that?

Different browsers may have slightly different icons, but there will be a green padlock on the left-hand side of the address bar with a green “https” as opposed to the regular “http.” The S stands for secure. You may also see the word secure in the address bar. If you click on this icon, you can get more info on the security certificate itself, who it was issued to and how long it’s good for.

Modern browsers are doing a really good job of clearly marking when sites are not secure and, in many cases, it won’t even let you go to a page with an expired security certificate unless you explicitly allow it, but you should still check for the “https” just in case.

Watch Out for Scams

There are things you can do to protect yourself from being compromised on the net. Here are a couple of tips to help you remain vigilant.

Don’t Fall for Phishing

Be really careful what you click in emails and on the web. A good rule is that if you didn’t ask for it and you don’t recognize it, it’s probably not real. Occasionally, a site will reach out to you and ask you to change your password if they’ve been breached. To check the veracity of these emails, follow these steps.

You’re looking for email addresses that are slightly mistyped in order to mislead (e.g. Mark@Faceboook.com).

Very generic terminology in the email (just talking about your account without giving any identifying details such as the last four digits or having “Dear Sir/Madam,” etc.).

Similarly, if you notice terminology that’s different from the way the business or brand normally talks, that’s a red flag. If the company normally says team members and you see employees, that would be worrisome.

Spelling mistakes are a problem.

If the email displays a sense of urgency and says to input your password or anything else in the next 24 hours, look up the company’s customer service line and call to see if there’s an actual problem with your account. People who phish for personal details are hoping you’ll act without thinking in a moment of worry.

If you are suspicious of any email asking you to log in, it’s best to call a customer service number and verify.

Check the links in an email by hovering over the link to see what pages it actually takes you to. Avoid destinations that don’t seem right.

If the email has an attachment, that can be a way to get viruses and other nasty things onto your computer. You shouldn’t download attachments you don’t expect.

If anything in the mail sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Be Careful What You Click On

Going along with what’s above, you should also be careful what you click or tap on web pages and in email. If it doesn’t make sense, or is too good to be true, don’t click.

Let’s run through a couple of common schemes.

If you get a pop-up on a website that says you have a virus that they can remove from your computer if you only pay $50, don’t click. You likely don’t have anything if you run even the built-in security software in Windows on its default setting. Android, Mac and iOS also have built-in security measures of their own.

You can also be pretty sure that you didn’t win a sweepstakes or contest that you don’t remember entering. Don’t fall for these ploys to get your personal information.

Protect Your Connection

In addition to vigilant browsing, there are actions you should take to protect your internet connection and browsing history from prying eyes.

Make Sure Your Wi-Fi Is Secure

If you’re on a wireless connection – and in this age of laptops and tablets, who isn’t? – you should make sure that your connection is secure.

The first thing you should do on your personal Wi-Fi is to change the default password for getting onto the Wi-Fi itself. That way no one can guess your password just by working on the side of the router or in the manual.

While you’re at it, you should absolutely change the default administrator password for your router so that no one can go in and mess with the settings to send your traffic through weird places. You should be able to change this in the same place you changed the password to get on the Wi-Fi itself. This is important because sometimes internet service providers (ISPs) value convenience over security to the point where someone could easily get in and mess with your settings. My ISP shall remain nameless, but I was horrified to discover that the username for the router was “admin” and the password was “password.” Yeah, not great.

Tips While Out and About

If you’re out in public, be careful logging into public Wi-Fi, especially if it’s unsecured. If there are no security measures in place, a skilled hacker can insert themselves between you and the website you’re visiting in order to snoop on what you’re doing.

In order to protect yourself, the easiest way is to use your cell phone data connection when you’re out in public. Many laptops and tablets now have the ability to connect to a data network as well. Cell phone providers often have agreements with certain services like Netflix or Spotify so that certain activities don’t count against any potential monthly data cap you may have, but most activity will count. That’s the downside. On the other hand, you’re secure.

In addition to Wi-Fi concerns, be careful using any public charging ports. Ideally, you can bring your own charger to plug into the wall. Don’t use someone else’s cable. Some cables and public charging ports can be compromised so that someone can see the data being transmitted to your phone and potentially send unwanted viruses and other malware back into your phone leaving it permanently compromised. This is called juice jacking.

Make Sure to Download Trusted Apps

You should only download apps and programs you trust because these can be used as vehicles to get viruses and programs that will spy on your activity (spyware) on your system.

On Windows or Mac, you should either download things from the Windows or Mac App Store or directly from the website of the software provider. Amazon is also a big retailer of both Windows and Mac digital downloads. If you’re looking for video games, Steam or Origin are big retailers of PC games.

On mobile, there’s the App Store on iOS and the Google Play Store or Amazon Appstore on Android. Things do occasionally slip through the cracks, but apps on these stores are somewhat vetted. If you have doubts about any particular app or program before downloading it, you should Google it and also check out the reviews.

Be Careful About Publishing Personal Information Online

If you’ve ever signed in to a website for the first time from a new computer or even called the bank about a problem with your account, they’ll do certain things to try to make sure that you’re you.

They’ll ask you security questions. Popular ones might include mother’s maiden name or father’s middle name, but it could also ask about your favorite book or your dream car.

Someone might be able to find records of your family and figure out the name questions, and if you’re like me, your obsession with Harry Potter is well-documented.

If you have accounts that you are concerned about people compromising, maybe you switch up the answers when you’re setting them up online. If you’re using a password manager like those recommended earlier, there is often a place to store secure notes. If you save the answers with the passwords, you’ll have them when you need to access the account, so maybe your mother’s maiden name is actually listed as Windows 95 or a completely random string of characters.

In addition, be careful about listing or giving out things like your phone number, address, Social Security number (SSN) and other sensitive information online. If someone needs to know, make sure you trust the person and message them directly.

Remove Data Before Donating Computers or Devices

If you have a computer or device you’re looking to donate, follow the manufacturer’s instructions to delete your data and reset it to factory settings.

The exact instructions for doing this will vary depending on your device, but you want to make sure this gets done. Manufacturers and makers of all the major operating systems will have documentation on what you need to do. If there’s anything you’re unsure about, you can always contact a friend who’s good with technology to help you out.

Our devices are lasting longer and longer, so it makes complete sense to give a device you’re no longer using to someone who will make good use of it, but you’ll just want to make sure that all of the data is cleared off to protect yourself and make sure it’s ready for the other person.

Hopefully this has helped you think about practical steps you can take to increase your level of cyber security. If you’re looking for more, it’s not a bad idea to also take a look at your backup strategy in order to make sure you have copies of that data you can’t afford to lose.

Source: https://www.quickenloans.com/blog/tips-secure-information-online

[onestoryonehour]

Prompt: A story involving a medicine cabinet.

In the wee hours of the night, a young man ran down the damp sidewalk glancing over his shoulder every couple hundred feet to make sure no one was behind him.  Once he reached a red bricked building with characteristic white shutters, he ran around the side and began climbing up the fire escape. He realized that was a mistake when he tripped a few times climbing up the wet industrial iron stairs. When he arrived on his floor, he opened up the window to an apartment and climbed in. After closing it, he put up a colorful poster flush to the glass panels and closed the blinds. Next, he ran for the door and locked all three of her deadbolts for added security. Once he was done, he frantically stuffed his hands in his seemingly endless pants pockets in a panic. He fished out an unlabeled prescription bottle with small purple pills. He got him a glass of water from the kitchen sink, retrieved one pill from the bottle and took it, downing the entire glass.  A minute later, he bent over in pain and bit his jacket sleeve to prevent him from crying out too loudly. He began transforming, shrinking in height and body structure to a more slender, feminine shape. He was now Ilisha Kubad, a black woman, her original identity. Illisha tore off the clothes that were now hanging off of her small frame and left them in a pile on the floor. She then ran to her bathroom and tapped hurriedly on her medicine cabinet mirror. Immediately, the mirror came alive, a pair of digital eyes blinking away its idleness.

“Good morning,” it started, then looked up at its displayed clock that read “3:00 AM”.  “Oh dear, it’s still night?”

“I don’t have time for jokes, LE. Let me in.”

“Okay. Right hand print, please.” LE’s screen changed to a hand print outline where Ilisha placed her palm so it could read her prints. After a few minutes, the outline turned green to signal that it was a match. “Retinal scan.” Ilisha brought her face closer to the mirror where a yellow horizontal beam ran up and down her eyes. It turned red. “No match.” Ugh, I’ve got to tweak the formulation to increase the rate of iris turnover.

“Give me a second, LE, I haven’t fully reverted yet.” After a beat, Ilisha brought her eyes close again to reattempt the scan. The beam turned green and she heard a click behind the mirror. 

“Welcome, Ilisha,” the mirror said. 

Ilisha opened the medicine cabinet and slid it over on the wall to reveal a hidden chamber. The lights came on, displaying rows of prescription bottles that were unlabeled like the one she had earlier but the space underneath was labeled with various names and ethnicities. She placed the one she held in the empty spot, next to a bottle with orange pills labeled “Trevor, white male”. 

“It was fun to have your privilege tonight, Trevor. However, you have a lot of debts to clear with a lot of bad men, my friend.” She slid the medicine cabinet back to its original position and closed the door.

“You have work in four hours, Ilisha,” the mirror announced

“I’m fully aware of that, thanks,” Ilisha muttered. She quickly brushed her teeth, feeling too lazy to put in the effort to wash her face. She’d wash it in four hours when she got up. Afterwards, she pulled on an old oversized tee, a pair of underwear and slipped on her satin-lined beanie.  She slid into bed and happily drifted off to sleep.

***

Four hours later turned into six hours as Ilisha kept snoozing her phone alarm. The next time, she finally managed to wake up. She looked at the time and immediately jumped out. She was late again. Somehow she didn’t care very much and knew that she could always rely on traffic to be her excuse.  They didn’t argue with her commute as someone was always getting into a wreck.

She dragged her feet into the bathroom and undressed, tapping the mirror.The mirror came alive again, this time displaying an array of information. The time and weather on the bottom right, emails in the center (a few passive aggressive ones from her boss) and a few video streaming apps on the bottom left. She selected Youtube and watched a few makeup guru videos while she performed her morning routine. When she finished, her stomach was growling and she groaned, annoyed that she wasn’t going to have time for breakfast.

“I took the liberty of ordering your breakfast and having it delivered for you the sixth time you snoozed me.” Ilisha could have cried at the thoughtfulness. She gave her gratitude as she walked into the bedroom to pull on a t-shirt, hoodie, jeans and Converses. She pulled off her satin lined beanie and quickly flat twisted her hair in two.

“Thank you, LE. What would I do without you?”

“Obviously starve since I order your breakfast almost every morning now. This isn’t the best for your budget, you know.” She stuck her tongue out at the smart mirror.

“I appreciate you for it.” Ilisha was grabbing her bag and keys when she noticed the mens’ clothes. Panicked, she picked them up and stuffed them in the very bottom of her laundry hamper. Once they were out of sight, she unlocked and opened her door, picked up her breakfast and headed off to work.

***

When Ilisha walked into work at Pharmaseussicals Corporation half an hour later, she sped quickly past her manager’s office to her desk in an attempt to avoid him, which was counterintuitive since it was fully transparent. He noticed her and ran out to catch up to her.

“Illisha!” She stopped in her tracks, silently cursing to herself and slowly turned around with a big smile on her face. 

“Morning, Gary.” He furrowed his eyebrows, frowning.

“It’s almost lunchtime.”

“I know, I got caught in pre-lunch traffic, you know how it is in the city.” Gary held up a hand.

“Spare me the excuses. You have to make a better effort to come in early. I understand that you’re young and you want to go out at night, but you have a responsibility to show up for work. You take time out of your coworker’s day when they have to fill you in on everything that you miss because you overslept.” She stayed silent at him seeing right through her. 

“Yes, sir. It won’t happen again, er, as frequently anymore.”

“I bet,” Gary responded, unconvinced. “Anyway, I’m sure you already saw, but as your manager, I’m inclined to remind you about the GC-MS showing a lot of noise again.” 

“The injection port probably just needs some attention. I’ll get right on that.” He left without another word. Ilisha kept a fake smile on her face as he walked away before turning and dropping it into a frown. Her job was so mundane and she was tired of it. She didn’t get a Master’s just to get talked down to, yet here she was. Living the corporate highlife at the mid-bottom of the totem pole. Ilisha reached her desk and tapped the surface to bring a keyboard and trackpad into view. Everyone’s desks were incredibly futuristic. No more wires or batteries. She set her breakfast down and opened it to see her favorite meal from Waffle House. The All-Star breakfast with a blueberry waffle, grits, sausage and scrambled eggs. They may be in the future, but Waffle House was timeless. One of her coworkers peered over the partition and tiptoed over to perch on her desk. Ilisha looked up, slightly annoyed but also amused.

“Hello, sleepyhead. Did you go out last night?” 

“Yes, I did.”

“Who’d you turn into?” Ilisha looked around to make sure no one heard that.

“Keep your voice down! Trevor. The rich executive with a ton of debt. A couple of gangsters chased me down last night. It’s okay though, I outran them.” Her coworker looked worried.

“Ilisha, you promised you were going to stop. I know you’re a brilliant chemist but this was supposed to be an idea you tried out to confirm that your invention works. What if you get hurt?”

“I won’t. It’s just a bit of fun. Chill.” 

“Whatever. Did you bring me breakfast?”

“Layla, you get here at 7 am.” Layla cocked her head in a “so-what?” fashion.

“Your point is…….? You know, being the fantastical phenomenon that it was, I thought that Lord of the Rings was really going to make second breakfast a thing.”

“Which is probably why it’s fantasy.” Layla smirked. “I need to adjust the formulation for the reversion pill. It took my eyes a little bit longer to revert after my body.”

“Hmm….perhaps retinol? To boost the cell turnover rate? It sounds trivial, but maybe it might work.” Ilisha pensively tapped her finger on her bottom lip. 

“I think you might be right.”

“So, co-author?” Ilisha looked over at her coworker.

“I don’t think so. I’m not publishing this.”

“Oh, so you just invented this incredible product only to be like your favorite X-Men character?”

“Haven’t you ever wondered what it’s like to be someone else? Another race? Another culture?”

“Nah, it sounds too much like identity theft.”

“Except I’m not stealing from them. I do it to experience how other people live. To literally walk in their shoes.”

“I don’t know, man. From what you’ve told me about this Trevor dude, he sounds like bad news. I don’t want anything to happen to you that is meant for him.”

“I’m not doing anything to incite violence.”

“You don’t have to do anything to get certain people to turn violent against you. You know this already. Your skin color is a trigger.” 

“I know.” Ilisha’s stomach growled. “Okay, I gotta eat before I pass out.”

“Sure. Enjoy your brunch.”

***

After doing the necessary repairs to the injection port, Ilisha ran a sample to test it but the spectra was still really noisy. She put the computer on standby and opened up the mass spectrometer to inspect the ion box and she noticed that it was a bit dirty. It took her a few hours to delicately dismantle it, clean it and put it back together. She ran a new sample and the spectra came out clear as day with distinguishable peaks. At least something was going right.

Ilisha spent the remainder of the day reading papers, running samples and answering emails from customers. Once all of her coworkers (and Gary) were gone, she clipped her badge to her jeans and walked up a floor to her secret lab where her experiment was set up in a hood. She weighed out the ingredients carefully into a round bottom flask, adding 1% of retinol to the formulation. Next, she attached it to a clamp and set it on a heating mantle. Finally, she set the correct temperature and turned on the condenser, watching it carefully over the next two hours. After the allotted time, the formulation had turned purple, which let her know that it was ready. She turned off the heat and condenser, pulled on insulated gloves and removed the round bottom flask from the setup.  Next, she went over to another hood and poured the product into the chamber, setting it to aliquot in a mold. She sealed the mold and set it on liquid nitrogen to freeze dry it. She reopened the mold and smiled at her finished product. Let’s change your life, Trevor.

Ilisha went home, ate a quick dinner and pulled out another set of nice mens’ clothes to change into. She went into the bathroom, took a shower, gained access into the medicine cabinet and took out a pill to turn into Trevor. She got a glass of water from the kitchen and took the pill. Like the reversal, she doubled over in pain as her body grew to transform her into the incredibly built, blue-eyed white male executive, Trevor. After putting the medicine cabinet back into place, she went into the bedroom to get dressed and pocketed the small bag of the reversion pills she made a few hours prior. She removed the colorful poster from the window and opened the blinds to provide quick access again and left through the front door into the night.

A few blocks down from the apartment, Ilisha/Trevor walked in the dark towards the nightclub she was at the night prior. On her way there, she was intercepted by the gangsters that had chased her last night.

“Well, well, look who’s back.” Ilisha/Trevor put her hands up in peace.

“Look gentlemen, I’m only here to collect my profits from my nightclub so that I can pay you and clear the debt. I’ll be right back.” One of the gangsters cocked his gun and aimed it at her. She stared down the barrel, suddenly very fearful.

“I don’t think so. We want our money right now.” Ilisha/Trevor began shaking.

“I don’t have it on me, I told you, it’s at the club.”

“Rich guy like you not carrying any money? That’s unheard of. Hand over your wallet.” Ilisha/Trevor reached slowly into her pocket. What do I do?! I don’t have a wallet! She laughed nervously as she pretended to be going past loose change and felt the baggie. The pills! They’re fine enough that I can crush them into a powder and make a diversion! She quickly opened the baggie and poured it into her hand, crushing it.

“Here, assholes.” In a sweeping maneuver, she flung the powder in their faces and ran in the opposite direction. The gangsters were distracted for a split second and the one wielding the gun shot in her direction. The bullet hit her shoulder. Ilisha/Trevor screamed and touched her shoulder, feeling the worst pain she’d ever had in her life. She heard them running behind her and she tried her best to continue sprinting. As she neared her building, she realized that she wasn’t going to be able to use the fire escape as she had to climb up two sets of ladders first. 

Luckily, Trevor’s physique allowed her to break open the front door and apply the deadbolt. It’d buy her a minute, but they were going to be able to get in. She started up the stairs and by the time she reached the second floor, they were through the door and gaining on her. Finally she reached her apartment door and applied the deadbolts, taking a second to rest on the door. The gangsters had already caught up to her as they began ramming the door. Her arm was getting a bit cold, she was losing too much blood. She reached in her pocket to revert to herself and realized that she used all of them as a diversion. She wasn’t going to be able to get back into the medicine cabinet. She was trapped. In this body and by the gangsters almost through her door. She had to try and gain access. She tapped the mirror and it came alive with the biometric scan. Placing her blood stained hand on the mirror, she waited for it to respond and it turned red. She tried again, and it was still red. 

Accepting her fate, she closed her eyes as the gangsters tore down her door and came inside. All of them cocked their guns, but only one shot theirs. 

Layla was right.

***

Time: About 2.5 hours.

Prompt adapted from: “Go Into the Story” by Scott Meyers 

Lemme tell y’all, I quite enjoyed THIS. Yes, it took longer than an hour, forgive me, but this was so worth it. It’s like polyjuice potion on another level. Proud of this one. -LM, author