#from one psych graduate to assisting another ^^

[oval3000]

Chapter 3

Yandere Psych Patient König x Nurse Reader

Warning: Possesive, Obsession, Death, Gore, Blood, Smut, Toxic behavior, age gap.

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

(This might suck idk. I don't know German so it's all Google translate)

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He hasn't left his room for a month. They kept him in their with the straitjacket on. His meals are just vitamins that he has to swallow. You would go in to check up on him, but new orders from the administrator's to not go near at all, so you pass by his room. You would peak through the little window and see him laying on his back with little no to motion on his arms or body entirely. His psychiatrist, Dr. Smith is the only that goes in there. They have sessions in his room instead of the usual spot they have it in.

She was pissed at everyone, specifically you. You are her punching bag, even though it was Ben's fault. "Why hasn't he been given his meds!" She yelled at you.

"We are not allowed to go i-" you tried to explain your her, but she could care less.

"You are his nurse right! Your job is to give him his meds! How did you graduate when you can't even do that!" She yelled at you.

You plead for her to listen to you "I'm sorry, Dr. Smith. I can't it's Mr. Millers orders. No one can go in except you because you are his psychiatrist."

So she strolled her way to the administrator's office.

Ignoring his assistant from telling her that she can't go in. Slaming the door open to see him sitting on his chair, writing whatever cral he writes on paper.

"Sarah calm down!"

"Do you have any idea how dangerous he is, and you want me to deal with him alone! On top of that the lack of guards is making my job harder!" Dr. Smith argued with a hand on her hips and her finger pointing towards Ben.

"Do you remeber when you wanted a nurse to look after him." She rolled her eyes. Yes, you, the nurse. "Do you have any idea how much money is going towards her. Triple the pay for looking after him."

Her hands swing in motion, showing her frustration. "She can't even do her fucking job Ben!"

"If she's alive, then she's doing her job well. What's making this hard, is you barging into my office and telling me what to do when you are the one demanding this." He stood up from his chair, fixing his navy tie. "We're loosing staff. People don't want to go near him. Gabriel is threatening to sue the company. Gaurds are quiting left and right so sorry that there aren't enough staff attending your needs."

She crossed her arms with an annoying sigh leaving her lips tinted with red lipstick. "Then hire more people, I don't see the problem?"

"Did you not hear what I said" he walked towards her, standing toe to toe to her. "Majority of our budget is going towards (Y/n). She's been here for two months now, lasting longer than any other nurses. We can't afford another hire with the same pay to deal with König. Besides he hasn't actually killed anyone in those two months, I'll take that than dealing with someone who has a broken jaw from a simple punch."

"Then ask for more money." She scuffed like if it was a joke she said.

He laughed at her face, "Do you think the government cares to fund more for this place, I already have the staff on my ass for new medical supplies, do you think they are gonna hand me the budget to hire someone with triple pay just because you are scared."

"Then fire (y/n) and hire a new guard, maybe someone with military experience."

"Why would I do that. You came into my office, spreaded your legs cause you were so desperate for a nurse and now you want me to fire her. She hasn't done anything in particularly wrong."

"She doesn't follow orders!"

"She does, you just make it difficult." He came in defense.

"Wasn't she trying to stop you from putting him into a straitjacket?" She smirked while her arms crossed at her chest.

"Yes, and she was right. Putting him in a straitjacket does nothing. He was fine it's just that..." he closed his eyes taking deep breath.

"Just what?" She came closer to him, placing her hand on his shoulder, gently caressing it.

He turned his head to her, he used to lovy dovey with her seduction, but now it's more annoyance. "Eli, the other guard, came to my office the other day and told me that Gabriel was provoking König."

She rolled her eyes, looking around his office. Paying attention to the paintings hanged up on the wall and the light objects he has on his desk. "Like what? Making fun of him? We all make fun the people here what else is new?"

"I don't know the full details, but that's what he told me." He sat a bit on his desk.

"Why does that matter?" She shook her head without a single thought in her brain.

"Gabriel is threatening to sue us. If we fight the legal action, we'll have to defend König. König, just like any other patient represent us, our care. If they find out that Gabriel was the one that caused this, making König the victim it doesn't look good after we placed him in the straitjacket. Like we silencing him out. It will ruin our reputation, we'll all loose our jobs and you fucked your way up here for nothing."

"But he harmed a worker, beside murdered multiple people." She let out a little chuckle, placing her hand on his chest.

He didn't give in, instead, he gave her a stare. "He's ex- military and as for you being his psychiatrist, you'll have to speak on behalf of him. Meaning that people will find out about you, how you never studied to become a doctor you fucked every professor you had to get your degree."

"What are you saying, Ben." Her smile dropped.

"I won't fire (Y/n). She stood up for König, making us look like we care about our patients. As for Gabriel, all he's asking is for some 20,000 thousand dollars, which we can easily give him worth than standing infront of the judge. Which means that we can't afford new guards for you. Besides they're taking off his straitjacket today, so stop being so scared and do your dam job."

"I still think you should fire, (Y/n) atleast." She hummed, wrapping her arms around his waist.

"I'm not doing that. Beside she's the only staff that doesn't barge in here demanding stuff. She nice and sweet...." he looked down to the side, " and...young and beautiful. "

She let go of his waist, clenching her jaw. Yes, you being so beautiful. "So what? You want to fuck her? Is that it. Never head young pussy before?"

"You should leave, I have work to do and so do you. This discussion is over." He walked to his desk, sitting down on his chair, unbutton his last few buttons from his dark, navy, blazer.

She stormed off his office, angrly stomping on the white tile floors with her heels creating a louder noise.

You heard the word going around that their taking of his straitjacket, so you quickly gathered what you need to check him up. You saw as the guards took off. He let out a big stretched, flexing more of his muscles. It caused a scare to the guards like a lion letting out a roar.

You walked up to and saw more of his face. He stared at you.

He missed you. He never thought he would miss you. During that month of not seeing you was a time he contemplated about you. Are you made for him or not. He will shut his eyes and images of you will pop up. You smiling at him. Taking good care of him. Watching you squirm under him as you take his full length cock inside your pussy. He'll treat you with respect as long as you do what he says that's all. Seeing your belly swell up with his baby. Can't wait to fuck your tits filled with milk. Can't wait to impregnate you with multiple of his children, making one big happy family. How protective he'll be for his kids, for you. To stand up to the bullies, to show them not to be scared of anything. To hold them if they cry.

He should kill you for making him react this way. He should just kill you. You are just another nurse thinking they have control over him. He use to give orders to people, being the colonel and all, he got the respect he fought for, why does he feel weak around you. You are so sweet and joyful to him. If he was back in the field and saw you, would he kill you. Or maybe fuck you. Maybe that's it. He hasn't done it in so long, so long he hasn't touch a women. He should've just fucked one of the other nurses. Yes, maybe he should do that. Fuck a nurse, just to see. I mean what's the harm in that.

"Aah...yes. right there ngh.... yes...oh fuck that feels good."

The sound of König's footsteps were low that they couldn't hear over the sound of skin slapping against eachother. Watching a men fucking his girlfriend on his bed.

"Does your boyfriend fuck you like this?" Slaming her ass back and forth on his cock.

"Ah....a-aah....he-..he could barley...make me- fuck!..mmgh....wet." She grip the bedsheets hard while he kept pounding her.

No. No. He can't. Not you. He can't. He can't betray you like they did. He can't imagine the face you'll make if you know he fucked another girl. No he should be pure to you. You should be the only one he touches.

He needs you. Okay, it's done. He'll make you his and you'll love him. You'll love him and care for him. Rather you like him or not it's done.

You wrapped the cuff around his bicep and squeeze the bulb reading the numbers on the circle, writing it down. Doing the usual things you have studied for. As you were checking his heartbeat, he reached up which caused you to flinch a bit. His index finger, gently, caressing your cheek. Your back was turned to the guards, making it hard them to see what's going. You stared at him as he touched you with such charisma. His thumb reaching to your chin, hovering over your lips. He placed the tip of his thumb on your bottom lip, gently pulling it out a bit.

You shouldn't have this feeling at the pit of your stomach. You couldn't tell of you didn't smack his hand away because you are scared or because you enjoy it. You never had this much attention, not like this.

"I don't have time to argue with you (Y/n)! Go to your room!" The little girl tuged at her moms shirt.

"Where's daddy?" She felt tears running down her face as her mother poured more wine into her glass, already finishing up the fresh new bottle.

"(Y/n)! Seriously go to room! You are such a headache! Why couldn't your father take you with him! Nauseating!" She dranked the entire glass, slamming the cup on the table.

"Where's daddy?" She said one last time not letting go of her blanket. The same blanket her father got her when she told him she was cold.

"HE LEFT! HE LEFT US (Y/N)! LEFT US FOR THAT BITCH! AND NOW I'M STUCK HERE WITH YOU. HE RUINED MY LIFE. I COULD'VE DONE SOOOO MANY THINGS! But no! I'm stuck to take care of a brat!"

He palmed your cheek, feeling your warmth. He went in closer to you. You could feel his hot breath, quicken as he got closer to your lips.

You pulled back, "I shouldn't- we shouldn't. I mean." You whispered to him.

"Mein liebling (my darling)." He whispered to you. The first time he spoke to you. You couldn't understand him, but he spoke to you. "Du bist mein (you are mine)." He pulled you closer to him, he didn't care if the guards were staring, if anything, he enjoys it. To show everyone that he is yours to touch. "Mein schatz (my sweetheart)," his lips were hovering yours, you felt a little tingle at how close he was.

You know this shouldn't happen. You turned your away from his. You walked back, feeling his grasp letting go. He stared at you witch a smile on his face. You saw the smile he gave you.

When your shift ended and went back to your apartment, the thoughts of what happened lingered into your mind.

That night, you couldn't sleep. He was in your dreams. What if you never pulled way. Were you really going to kiss him. You glazed over the parts where he touched you.

You searched the words he said to you to translate it. Sweetheart, darling, mine.

You felt the butterflies in your stomach again. You never felt so complicated before.

Having a crush on a patient.

You have a crush on König.

[cheriemariii]

see if i had been the one to write romantica and terrorist i definitely would have definitely aged up shinobu and misaki. And its not just that i find it icky to have grown ass men dating these barely legal boys (i mean yeah it kinda is the main reason,,) but because i genuinely feel it would add more to both their characters???

(whatever my take is under the cut 👍)

Just like the original, lets say Misaki makes it out of high school at 18, as any normal teenager would. Takahiro offers to get him a tutor for his college entrance exams, but he refuses: he wants to do it on his own (bc when doesnt he🙄).

So he tries to make it into college and fails; but thats ok, not everyone makes it on their first try, he can always try again. A year later he is 19, he tries again, and he fails again,, but he did a little better than the last time! He just has to keep trying, maybe third time will be the charm? So another year passes, he is 20 now, he tries again,, and fails again.

At this point Misaki is starting to lose it. To be entirely honest, he doesn’t even care that much about college. He is not passionate about anything in particular, so he would have no issue just finding a job in whatever and figuring it out from there. Thats what his brother did after all, and he turned out great!

His brother… wasnt Takahiro why Misaki wanted to make it into Mitsuhashi in the first place? He has done so much for him these past years, he owes him this much. But no matter how hard he tries to memorize or what study technique he attempts, he just cant do it. And this process isnt so easy for Takahiro either: he hates nothing more in this world than to see his little brother so helpless.

At some point after the third failed attempt, Takahiro brings up again the possibility of getting a tutor. So far, Misaki had been denying it because it’s his nature to not want to be a burden to anyone else, and he wanted to prove that he was capable of doing this on his own. But the fact that not only he is not making his brother proud (or so he thinks), but that he is actively burdening Takahiro by letting him see him so distressed, is finally enough to shatter Misaki’s pride.

Now, given the urgency of the situation, Takahiro cant afford having Misaki test the waters with any stranger, so he decides to put his trust on the smartest person he knows. And that is how Misaki Takahashi, age 20, accepts the help of prolific writer Usami Akihiko out of desperation and makes it into college :)

From here on the story runs its course normally (a couple other changes here and there, but thatd be another day’s yap). I also like the effect it would have on Misaki’s psyche to feel so behind his classmates. He made it into college at 21, an age where other people are starting to think about graduation; and there is nothing wrong with this, but Misaki is not gonna see it this way; he is definitely gonna think this makes him not enough (and comparing himself with everything Takahiro had to achieve at 18 in order for them to survive, and maybe also having Fuyuhiko throw this to his face at any given opportunity bc ofc he would definitely wouldn’t help :/).

Now Shinobu. In this scenario he would be making it out of high school (18) when he first interacts with Miyagi and finds out he is gonna marry his sister and it breaks his heart and all that jazz. And so out of spite he moves to Australia to study college there.

A few years pass by and he has just turned 21. He is about to enter his fifth semester of uni, has had amazing grades and even got himself a nice job in the Japanese embassy in Australia (iirc he studies law???); so far it's just to assist on minor administrative matters, but by the look of it he might actually escalate to a more important spot sooner or later! So life is very much smiling at Shinobu until,, oh! Guess who just got divorced!!!

Now, any normal rational adult would've not given this too much mind; but if the canon supports me on anything it's on the fact that Shinobu is not a normal rational adult. He never really made it past his crush on Miyagi, but at the time he let it go, aside from the obvious, bc he knew he wasn't fit for Miyagi just yet. But now he is an adult by any stance of the law, and he had done so much with his life, and Miyagi is available now so,, what exactly would be stopping them?

And so he does the last thing a normal rational adult would've done: he makes it back to Japan, makes his attack on Miyagi, and the plot goes on as it would (you can even keep a reinterpreted version of Shinobu's college entrance exams from the original!!! He is gonna have to find a way to continue with his studies after all,,). I like to think, in a way, this shows just how much was Shinobu willing to sacrifice in order to follow this so called destiny; he practically had his life figured out in Australia, and yet that silly little feeling turned out to be stronger.

I also feel maturity would become a really major theme in this version of terrorist. Like Shinobu thinks he is apt for Miyagi now bc he is legally an adult, so he SHOULD have the maturity it takes to be with him (which could also translate to Shinobu trying to rush himself into ~certain~ things in order to prove himself worthy to Miyagi). But maturity doesn't work that way; it's not about how old you are but how much have you lived, and at the end it will turn out not even Miyagi is mature enough to have a relationship like this. But that's ok, because now they can grow together into being apt for each other :)

And ALSO!!!!! this doent even have to cancel the whole reincarnation theory (Miyagi's teacher reincarnating into Shinobu as her death and his birth would happen very closely to each other), or the fact that Shinobu mirrors young Miyagi. My issue with terrorist was never the age gap in itself (that's kinda what makes the story interesting xdxd), so what the fuck. Make Miyagi have his crush on his teacher at 21,, keep him twice Shinobu's age,, make Miyagi (42) truly deserve the old man title (not really but y'know) !!!!!!

.

.

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(also this is all bull this whole thing is part of my yuri au where they are all women, and I myself am 20, so in a way having misaki and shinobu so close in age to me allows me to use usamisa and miyanobu (and also yukisa) as scapegoats for my own fixation for older women 😋)

[5aaliyah5]

Textbooks couldn’t prepare me for this

Chapter 1: Starting over

Holy shit, a NEW Y/N x Hange fanfic from me in the year of 2025? on top of that it isn’t a one shot? The gods blessed me with this idea (aka Tumblr) and I felt it was my duty to see it through. Its been since 2022 since ive posted a new AOT fic- so I hope you guys like it. To not get discouraged/ to keep it exciting, I’m keeping it under 10 chapters, but yeah, I felt it was long overdue considering I’m a college student and literally have first experience what it’s kinda like. Also- I hope ya’lll appreciate me going back to my psych notes to actually insert factual psych info/ experiments. Ik Hange would most likely be a chem teacher, but I genuinely don’t know anything about chemistry and I wasn’t about to try 😭

If you have any suggestions or comments please feel free to add any or reach out to me through DM. Thank you so much for reading!

Pairing: Professor Hange x Student Reader / Roommates AU

Rating: Mature

Warnings: None

Spotify playlist:

It was an irrefutable truth that large crowds of people always relied on those around them to determine what was a socially acceptable way to behave. Y/N had always hated large crowds for this reason, as the human mind perceived and recognize patterns in behavior as the “status quo” and to conform to those to avoid being a target. Fortunately for Y/N though, the bus was not crowded, with very few scattered through the rows of seats, also leaving Y/N to have her own row. The drive had been peaceful, and had allowed Y/N some time to clear her mind as the bus turned a sharp corner. Large buildings loomed overhead, and when Y/N glanced outside her window, she couldn't see where they ended and the sky started.

When her stop approached, which had taken Y/N looking at her phone for at least 10 minutes before hand to determine that that was in fact her stop, Y/N stood from her seat and grabbed her luggages that had been in an compartment above her head, and walked to the front of the bus. The drive had only been 4 hours, but it had felt like 24 hours, as the stale air in the bus had been all that Y/N could breath in for those 4 hours.

She stepped off the bus, and as soon as the bus had left she breathed in a deep breath, instantly being hit with the smell of foods from multiple restaurants nearby. This is what freedom smelt like, this was what her freedom smelt like, and it was glorious. For the first time in her life, she was finally away from her family and it felt like an anchor had been lifted off her chest, one that had kept her down for so long. While Y/N loved her family, there was also a part pf her that was willing to admit that they were also constricting. Coming from a small hometown that only had one Elementary school One middle school, and One highschool, the nearest hospital being 20 minutes and everyone knowing one another, there were no secrets, and so it was no secret to herself and her whole home town that her father believed that she shouldn't even attend college and simply get married and start a family.

When Y/N watched as her older sister succumbed to this fate, having her first child at 19 years old, Y/N watched in horror as her once vibrant sister became a shell of herself. Y/N knew it wasn't from having her child, as her sister loved her daughter, but from simply never being able to leave, to explore, and to be forced to be content to live in their small town for the rest of her life.

Right after Graduating Highschool, Y/N was able to get a job as a teachers assistant, all the while attending the community college that was just a few minutes from her home. Her father believed that this job would allow Y/N to become more accustomed to the idea of being a mother, and to finally settle down, but this job instead offered Y/N the opportunity to save for her true future: to afford community college and then leave this town and move to the city of Shiganshina.

She had watched as 2 years earlier, her friend Sasha move to the big city, being able to live in some apartment buildings her father owned that had been passed down to him from his father. They had called and talked every week about the new experiences that Sasha was able to make and the new friends she was able to meet. And now it was Y/N’s turn. She had been accepted into Shiganshina University, and had saved enough money to pay for the first few months rent and first semester tuition.

Her father had tried to threaten her, to cut her off completely from the rest of the family, as she packed her few belongings that she had into two suitcases. But no matter how much he raged and threatened, she didn't need him. She never had. And so sure enough, as soon as she walked out that door, that would be the last time she spoke to him.

“Y/N!” She recognized the voice from the hours of phone calls the both of them had made to one another over the span of the 2 years, as well as the voice belonging to someone who had been a lifelong friend for Y/N.

“Sasha!” Y/N quickly turned around, immediately spotting Sasha on the side walk across from her. Y/N looked both ways and made sure to check for cars before crossing the street with both luggages being towed behind her. As soon as her feet hit the sidewalk pavement, she reached out her arms to hug Sasha, who returned the gesture. “Its so good to see you! I missed you so much-”

“Oh gosh Y/N, its been so long since we’ve seen one another, look at you! You look good!”

“You too Sash. Its great to finally be here, in person. We wont have to have long Phone calls now, and can just see one another-”

“Especially since you'll be in the apartment underneath me” Sasha smiled, and reached for one of Y/N’s luggages to help pull it. The apartment was only a block down from the bus stop, so the both of them made quick work of walking towards the apartment. “Oh, with that, my dad told me to tell you that your roommate is late and had some problems while moving, so they wont be getting in to the city until later tonight.”

“Aw really? Thats a bummer- I really wanted to meet them.” Y/N says with a sigh “At Least ill have time to make the apartment more presentable before they move in. Maybe go search for some furniture so it at least looks cozy and more livable.”

“Actually about that- I knew you would need to do all of that so, over the past few weeks I found some items on Marketplace for cheap and put them in the apartment already!”

“Really? Are you serious sasha?” Y/N asked excitedly and Sasha nodded. Y/N felt her heart beat faster and a large smile reach her face “Thank you so much! Thats such a big help, you don't know how much I appreciate it-”

“Of course, think of it as your homecoming gift. Besides, it wasn't that hard, my dad helped me go pick up some of the pieces in his truck that I couldn't carry alone, and we had the renovation men help bring it in. All I really did was find the things online.” She explains “If you don't like anything though-”

“Stop there- im sure ill love everything. You know me better than anyone else, and you know im not picky about things like that. I just want to thank both you and your dad so much for this- for this chance to actually live here and for caring so much for me.”

“I've got you Y/N. Im just glad ill finally get my best friend back.” Just as Sasha had said that, they both arrived at the Apartments. Sasha dug into her jacket for the keys, and slid them into the lock- Apartment 5- and smoothly, the door knob twisted and opened. The inside of the apartment was nicer than Y/N could have ever imagined. The building was older- with there still being frame molding along the edges of the walls, reminding her of something from a 50’s home. The white frame molds contrasted against the fresh grey paint of the walls. Y/N then looked to the living room. The dark green couches and glass coffee table all had a very classy feeling to it, which led her eyes to roam the walls again, with there being matching paintings of various scenes. One looked like the beach, with three figures roaming it and looking towards the sun on the horizon, another painting looked like a hillside with a tree on it, the background looked unclear but some parts of a wall behind it could be identified. “Wow- you really went all out Sasha, its so pretty in here!” Y/N traced her fingers on the coffee table and then walked into the kitchen.

The kitchen was simple, and actually very small compared to the living room and hallways leading to the rooms. Two people would be able to fit in here comfortably, but no more than that. With the sink, oven, refrigerator and microwave all being pushed along one wall, and half of the other side wall having a small counter for things like a coffee pot or toaster. A small two seat table fit in the small area along the last open space of the wall.

It was perfect.

—-

Y/N unpacked her things as sasha layed on her bed, talking about how her classes have been in the past, about the city in general and the nightlife of it: “There isn't many parties surprisingly, considering its a college city, but the few that there are during the semester go really hard. In terms of clubbing and things like that, we cant really go yet cause we are only 20, so our only options are either drinking inside our apartments and dorms or going to the few social activities and parties during the semester.”

“That might be for the best honestly. We are here after all to focus on College, and not partying.” Y/N remarked which earned her a laugh. YN reached into her suitcase to pull out more clothes. She really only had either clothes or sentimental items, as while she was packing, her father had taken it upon himself to smash some of the few items Y/N had in regards to makeup and hygiene essentials. She would need to go to the store…

“And I agree with that, but its also nice to get out once in a while… for establishing social connections, don't you agree psych major?” Y/N smiled a little as she put away the last of her clothes.

“I agree to a certain extent. Cant you also do that in a coffee shop? Or perhaps in class?” Somewhere less crowded, Y/N thought in her head, “Im just thinking of the peer pressure at parties like that, and how such a small thing such as someones approval can get someone into a lot of trouble…”

“And when has that ever been proven?” Sasha asked and Y/N was quick with her response.

“Many experiments, including but not limited to Asch’s Studies of group pressure” She raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms. “The experiment asked a group of people questions in which most of the group were confederates and said the wrong answer on purpose, and even though the one participant knew the answer was wrong would select it just to fit in with the rest of the group.” Sasha rolled her eyes and Y/N added There is also Normative Influence which is when People conform because they fear the consequences of appearing deviant.”

“Okay okay, I get it- The human mind is a crazy thing.” She says and Y/N hums in agreement. “So- now that you are unpacked… let’s go over to my place and crack open a new bottle of champagne that I’ve been storing”

“Champagne? I’ve only been here for two hours and your already trying to get drunk?” y/n asks and then answers “cause if so, it took you long enough- let’s do this. I’ve never drank before, but it can’t be that bad right?”

“No- it’s totally fine Y/N, besides we will have each other to keep each other in check and make sure neither of us drink too much.” Sasha assured her, and Y/N nodded along.

That was the last thing Y/N remembered before they cracked open that bottle…

—-

Y/N awoke sometime later, unable to understand where she was or what was going on. That was until she turned her face from the pillow to look at the alarm clock that sat on Sasha’s messy nightstand.

8:54 AM

Y/N shot out of bed, immediately almost tripping over a shirt that was on the ground.

“Sasha!” Y/N tried to shake Sasha awake but it was a failure, as the brown haired girl slept through the shaking and yelling coming from Y/N. Y/N even tried to take the blankets off of sasha to wake her, but it was a failure as sasha clumsily reached back for her covers and draped them over herself again.

“‘We’ll have each other to keep eachother from getting too drunk’ I guess that plan fell apart…” y/n muttered under her breath as she gave up trying to awaken Sasha and rushed to straighten up her appearance, borrowing some of Sasha’s makeup to make herself appear less hungover. The circles under her eyes unfortunately couldn’t be erased with concealer, still leaving a noticeable outline but it looked better than the discolored mess it had been a few minutes ago.

–

Y/N had ran to her class, weaving and dodging the many doors and crowds of students entering different buildings. She would once again restate in her mind: she hated crowds.

Y/N entered the classroom, her hair blowing in her face and sticking to the chapstick she had applied that morning, causing her to need to awkwardly brush it out of her face. She was greeted by a voice, which caused her to jump, a little startled. “Good morning”

“Im so sorry im late-” She rushed to say, as the figure that stood at the front of the room looked towards her. She assumed it was the professor, with their dark brown hair placed up in a high ponytail. They wore a white button up with simple black slacks. Y/N could notice their brown coat hanging off their chair as well.

“Its fine, you're not the only one. Its the first day of class and there are plenty of new students struggling to find the building or find parking. Nothing has started yet, and we are just reviewing the syllabus, please find a seat.” Y/N sighed, and turned around before hearing the Professors voice again “Im sorry, I just finished attendance, could you please let me know your name so I could mark you present?”

“Hm? Oh, im Y/N L/N.” The professor looked down at their attendance sheet and traced a finger over it before finding her name.

“Thank you, and nice to meet you Y/N. You can call me Professor Zoë.” They smiled to her, their glasses hitting the reflection of one of the lights in the room, which blocked their eyes from being seen, but their smile seemed genuine and Y/N felt good about this class already.

“Nice to meet you as well.” Y/N smiled and then turned around once more to find a seat in the middle of the class. She pulled out her computer to look up the class on Canvas and open the page to view the Syllabus just as Professor Zoë had said they were doing. Biological Psychology- Y/N read as they went over some of Professor Zoë’s background. They moved to the area very recently, and their background was in Biological science, that was until the college hired them because of the lack of professors available to teach Biological Psychology.

Y/N found the class go by very quickly as some other few students walked in late after her, and they continued to just cover the standards for what the Professor expected of the class.

—

After class, Y/N had received a text to meet Sasha at a small diner that was around the corner from the university and a few blocks down from their apartment. Y/N saw the bright yellow and red painted building from down the street, with the distinctive name Carla’s Diner written on the front of the building. The diner looked like any other diner Y/N had been in before, nothing special about it, but Sasha continued to rave about the food and how the diner was a beloved spot for the students of the university. Y/N did enjoy the classic feeling of the diner, and how it would make for a nice study spot.

Carla was also personally there and serving food, bring them their plates with a smile “here you are girls” she said, and Y/N thought she looked rather maternal weirdly enough. It reminded her of home.

“Thank you-” was all they both said as they ate their food. Sasha got one thing right: the food was amazing. She would definitely be coming back here for more than just a cup of coffee or pastry. The walk back to their apartment was very calming, with the both of them basking in the last sun of summer, as the season started to change into fall. When they both arrived to the complex, they went their separate ways, with Y/N pulling her keys out of her bag.

Y/N walked into the apartment, and sighed, happy to finally be home and now, with a full belly and now having the chance to relax within her own space. A space she wouldn't have to share with anyone else- aside from her roommate. But that would be fine-

“Hello?” A voice rung from the hallway, and Y/N froe for a second before putting a smile on her face. Her roommate was home it seemed. The voice sounded… Familiar, but she couldn't put her finger on it…

“Hey-” Y/N called put, as she took off her shoes by the front door and hang up her bag on a hook along with her keys. “Sorry im barely getting back. I was here yesterday but then went and crashed at a friends apartment after drinking a bit too much…” She walked into the apartment more, towards the back area where the rooms were, including her own “Its nice to meet yo- P-Professor Zoë?” Y/N stopped, her mouth falling open and her eyes widening. Professor Zoë stood in her door frame, equally as shocked.

“Y/N, right? What are you doing here?” She asked, trying to appear calm but Y/N could also she was internally freaking out.

“I live here now- I just moved in yesterday… What are you doing here?” Y/N asked, though she could feel in the answer in her heart. This couldn't be happening…

“I- I also live here…” Professor Zoë confirmed her worst fear, and Y/N felt the blood drain from her and goosebumps raise on her arms. How could this happen? Why did this happen? Why did it have to be her? Y/N had a million questions running through her brain but felt frozen in shock, like she had been caught committing a crime.

There was a tense silence between the two, both unsure what to do or say. This was a line that wasn't allowed to be crossed when it came to university, a Professor was supposed to remain a distant character, an unattainable person, who a student would never truly know aside from professionally, not… your roommate?! Y/N was glad she had hardly met Professor Zoë this morning, otherwise seeing them in a large T-shirt and sweats, with their hair messily down and surrounding their face, after taking a few weeks of their class would have messed with her head. They looked… good. NO SHE COULDN'T THINK THAT WAY. The only thing Y/N found she had the strength to do was turn around quickly, rush to her room and shut the door, embarrassed.

This would be a long semester.

[sarcasmandships]

hey, I saw from one of your ask that you have a master in clinical psych, i’m applying to masters next year and wanted to ask you if you think it getting a master in clinical psych has great career prospects, and how long did that take you?

also, I absolutely love social-lights! It is just such a wonderful story!

Hey!! First of all—thank you so much for reading and enjoying the story, seriously, it means the world to me that you’re here (and that you’re reaching out with such a thoughtful question too!).

So yes! I do have a master’s in clinical, neuro, and health psychology. I went straight into my psych honours degree after high school—started when I was 17, graduated at 21—and then jumped straight into my master’s, which was a one-year program, so I finished that at 22. Honestly, I’m really glad I did it. I learned so much, especially when it came to research methods, clinical frameworks, and neuropsychology.

That said, I want to be super honest about the career side of things, because it really depends on where you live—and in a lot of places, it’s not exactly a smooth path.

Where I am, you can’t become a practising psychologist with just a master’s—you need to do a professional doctorate in psychology. And those programs are incredibly competitive. There are only two clinical doctorate programs in the entire country, so I’ve always viewed my master’s as more of a stepping stone toward eventually applying to one of them.

The best thing I got out of my master’s was the research experience. I had a great supervisor, which led to research assistant work, and through that I’ve published a paper and I’m currently co-authoring another one we’re about to submit for peer review. That research background is super important for getting into doctorate programs here, so I’m really grateful for it—even if it hasn’t translated into stable, full-time work yet.

In terms of employment, I’m still kind of in that in-between space. I’ve bounced between research gigs and my restaurant job that I’ve had since I was 18. So no, the master’s alone hasn’t gotten me a steady job in the field—but it’s been hugely valuable for my knowledge, confidence, and networking.

That said, I’ve recently started looking into a different path. I’m doing a course in counselling skills now (a prerequisite for a master’s in counselling and psychotherapy), and I’m thinking of pursuing that next. It’s not the dream (the doctorate is still the dream!), but counselling is something I know I’m good at, and the employment opportunities are more stable in the short-term, especially with the current job market being what it is.

I’m hoping to apply to that master’s program soon, so if that all works out, I’ll definitely have more insight into how different kinds of postgrad routes play out in terms of jobs, flexibility, and sustainability.

Anyway—thank you again for reaching out! Whatever path you choose, I’m wishing you so much luck with your applications and your future. It’s a really tough field to break into sometimes, but it’s also so full of meaning and connection and growth. You’ve got this!!

[theriverpointace]

short ramble responding to your tags lol: I started off as a educational psychology major, creative writing minor and then did one show with my uni's drama club and then changed my entire degree and did so many cool shows and wrote cool things (lavender menace and red rabbit my beloveds) If I was able to, I would have majored in theatre too (but they have now completely cut theatre from my campus 🥲)

ooh educational psych sounds interesting! i have a friend who's an education major/theatre minor and her passion for it is so so epic

like i said i changed my major after like. a week or two lol. part of it was also the way i just got super quickly absorbed into the theatre group (clique, we're a clique, my school is pretty clique-ish 😅), plus! there's another girl there who's three years older than me but is otherwise very nearly my carbon copy (if i were from the opposite coast) and SHE also started out as a creative writing major/theatre minor before switching to a musical theatre major and double majoring! so naturally i had to do the same, we wouldn't be matching otherwise 😂

theatre's just. intoxicating. like you said, all it takes is one show. i was hooked as soon as i saw other people audition. when callbacks were posted and i was called back for antigone. when our director and her husband piled a dozen people into their little apartment downtown just to hang out for fun. when people scooted their chairs in the caf to make room for a girl whose name they could just barely remember, i was so new. when the set got built, piece by piece over two months. when i built my character secret. when our creon would yell at us, only to laugh and crack jokes as soon as rehearsal was over. when i got tears in my eyes from ismene's sheer overwhelming emotion. when i heard people clap for the first time at something i had performed in, actually really performed in—no more shitty high school shakespeare! and i've been assistant costume manager for the last three months, and it's been exhausting and stressful and why the hell did they put two freshmen in charge of all the costumes for a show with as many quick changes as "the glass menagerie"!!!!! i've never done a quick change in my life!!! but i love these people to death and though i'd rather be on the stage again i'd never trade this for the world.

they're also making our theatre department smaller so i feel your pain :( they're graduating this year and next year's seniors, but this year's sophomores and freshmen are being advised to simply switch to the new course catalogue since they're dropping about half a dozen essential classes for the old catalogue. which means i won't take smth like stage makeup, or dramatic lit and crit, which SUCKS, but i'm still so, SO excited for the shows i'll get to be a part of here, and the friends i'll make with the group that's here now, the group that'll come in next fall, the group that'll be here when i'm a senior. it's so so sick and i love it so much!!!

[mr-jaybird]

actually, reblogging that post about not looking down on community college makes me want to talk about my experiences and career to show like look. you don't have to do what your high school guidance counselor said was best

at 19 (august birthday), i went straight from high school to a four year college. i did really well academically but my mental health was BAD and after two years admin insisted i leave to receive treatment. straight up would not let me be at school anymore (undiagnosed bipolar is a bitch)

at 21 i dropped out and worked for $7.25/hr at starbucks and also got mental health treatment (and meds!!!). at 22 i went back to school at community college part time and knocked out some gen eds (and also a couple classes just for fun, like theater)

at 24 i went to a different 4 year school. i changed my major (to psych), did three years there and graduated with an excellent gpa and extensive research experience (i busted my ass there, and since i took time off to get healthy, it went a lot better!). since i'd knocked out most of my gen eds, i got to concentrate on classes i cared about. my last year i was a part time student and worked as a paid research assistant more extensively, and did a honors thesis. i also taught myself the basics of programming my last year

i graduated at 26 and got my first programming and data science job (in fintech, blegh). it was terrible. my degree was largely unrelated and they didn't give me any training. they also expected constant unpaid overtime. i was just trying to hang in there and make enough to pay my rent. i actually was struggling so much i almost got fired. i had something of a nervous breakdown but stayed there long enough (18 months) to get a better job in the same field

at 28 i went back to the tech side of public mental health health (yay! and my degree is sorta relevant again). i worked for government. their tech stack was...less than corporate, and i was pretty bored. but i did really well there since i was overqualified! but they wouldn't promote me because i had the "wrong" degree :(

i was planning to leave that job because of no upward mobility when i was invited to apply for my current job, which is the head of data science for a public mental health lab at a public ivy university. they had heard of me from my boss's boss at my government job (networking!). i got that job just before i turned 30. my first year there was really stressful because of the neglect of my predecessor. i had another nervous breakdown. but this job was cool about my mental health and gave me a paid leave and i was able to fully recover and come back and thrive. i love what i do now and at 31, i'm getting a significant promotion from where i was when i started here!

the point of all of this is, i did a lot of things people think are "wrong". i took gap years, i dropped out, i changed my major, i went to community college, i had the "wrong" major, i had to take mental health leaves, etc etc. but i'm still successful and happy with my career! when i was working at starbucks and sleeping on a friend's air mattress i thought i'd be there forever. you never know what might happen in the future (good or bad).

if you can avoid having 3(!) nervous breakdowns in a decade that's better than i've done. but listen: i've failed. i've fucked up. i've been kicked out of school and almost fired and i've come back from it! i had to go on a mental health leave from my current job and they are still really happy with everything i've done there (now i'm just working on doing it in a way that's more sustainable). you don't have to be a perfect person to do well.

and seriously, community college saves a ton of $$$ and no one has ever cared i knocked out my gen eds there. you don't have to follow the "traditional" path, you just need to find something that works for you!

[narrativeobsession]

@niratias // continued

"i'm on the edge of something alright." Blair mutters, his gaze flicking over from the computer screen to Serene, not bothering to hide his annoyance. If Serene came here looking for someone to be nice, he should have gone to talk to Cove.

"i'm already involved in a research program," Blair says, pursing his lips momentarily and then crossing his arms and leaning back in his desk chair. "we're not supposed to talk about it, but it trumps everything."

Blair had the feeling that this man might know already a thing or two about the Portal Project, even if it was supposed to be top secret. All those rich, snooty, investor-inventors could keep their mouths shut... Unless they were trying to one up one another. Even if Serene didn't know the specifics of the Portal Project, he probably at least knew something, right? Was that why he was here? Trying to steal the Project's research assistants, or get info out of them? Blair wasn't sure. Mind games weren't his thing, that was for the psych students.

"look, there are plenty of other qualified graduate students begging to be working on whatever... whatever it is you're trying to do. go ask one of them."

[otter-pop]

Big post about Victor!!

First of all, changes are taking place in Victor's biography. I also redid what is written under the full-fledged story posts. As a child, Vitya was a healthy, curious and sociable boy. Of course, not everyone wanted to communicate with him because of his strangeness, but he managed to find companions. The traumatic train accident occurred when the boy was 10 years old. His friends called the boys to go for a walk on the railway. When they were playing, the company ran across the street, bragging about their bravery, including Victor. Only the kid and his friends did not notice how his foot got stuck between the sleepers. As a result, he fell, and they helped him only when a train passed and cut off Vitya's leg. This case affected the whole family. His parents divorced, and Vitya stayed with his father. He grew up in love and care, graduated from school and university with honors and became an abdominal surgeon, just as he dreamed. After the traumatic incident with the train, a deviation appeared in his psyche, which turned into a disease – bipolar affective disorder. Gradually, it developed and it became more difficult for Victor to control himself. His father noticed his strange behavior, but Vitenka waved away his advice about going to a psychiatrist. It ended with the surgeon having a fight at a corporate party with the head of another department and being fired. This affected the emotional state of the man and he went to a psychiatrist, where he was prescribed treatment. He was in the psychiatric hospital itself for 3 months and was under the active supervision of doctors for 3 years. After treatment, Victor went to the hospital himself and at that time Grigory (a volunteer) was attached to him, who was supposed to monitor the ward's visits. It lasted two years. At first, Grisha treated the former surgeon indifferently, but as they talked, they became good acquaintances or even friends. Two years went by, and Vita needed a job. He worked as a handyman, but he didn't like it. At that moment, Grisha got a job at the morgue as an assistant. When he saw that his friend could not find his place in life, he helped his friend find a job as a pathologist. A year later, Victor loses his pills, but is in no hurry to buy new ones, as he was sure that he no longer needed treatment. Also, one of the reasons is the lack of time due to work. But Victor forgot that the disease returns if you do not take medication. Therefore, he gradually lost stability. Morgue workers began to notice his strange behavior, but Vitya didn't care. Gradually, crazy ideas about reviving a corpse appeared in his head, like in the movie Frankenstein. In two weeks, he had planned the perfect plan and even experimented on frogs. Nevertheless, he needed helpers and turned to Grigory. Upon learning his friend's crazy plan, Grisha thought it was just a big joke and nothing more. It turns out that Victor was not joking, and for three weeks they were making equipment for the experiment. When it came to the corpse, Grigory realized that the case smelled fried and tried to convince Vitya that this experiment would not work. The mad scientist did not believe him and there was a strong quarrel between them, and then a conversation. Vitenka calmed down and on the morning of the storm they brought him to a psychiatrist for treatment and scheduled sessions with a psychotherapist. Now Vitya is being treated and learning to accept himself as he is.

[unbindingkerberos]

Operator Henry "Babel" Adler

Template by: @poisonedtruth

Tw: Child abuse, suicide and cannibalism

BACKGROUND

Henry was born in an abusive household with an alcoholic small-time lawyer father and a resentful mother. He and his older sister Casey-- Cassandra-- fled their home in the middle of the night. Henry was just six and Casey sixteen. 

Growing up and living in the slums and streets of Brooklyn wasn't easy. At first, they resorted to begging but soon realised it wasn't enough. His sister realised that she had to do unsavory things to keep her and her brother alive. Despite the hardships they still made happy memories with one another. One of them being Casey helping Henry make "traps" out of scrap and worn metal sheets. She knows they won't work but does it anyway for the sake of her brother's happiness.

Eventually and inevitably, the two siblings were left starving with Casey weak from the recent hard beating from a grocer who caught her stealing a few days ago making her unable to get food for her and her brother. She knows she can't bear to see her brother starve so she devised a plan. Casey slits her own wrists and softly requests a wailing Henry to "not make waste of her body."  

Police arrived at the scene (thanks to a tip by a samaritan who noticed a foul odor in an alleyway) just in time to see the horrifying discovery. As Henry sat silently at the back of the police car, he realised he liked the coppery tang of blood. 

He was sent back to his parents' home as an empty shell of what he was once. This did not stop his father though from whipping him and his mother damaging his emotional psyche blaming his sister's death on him. Each passing day, Henry's hate grew for his parents and realised that they were undeserving of mercy and better off dead.

His new neighbors overheard the abuse and called the authorities. Eventually police arrived and took his parents into custody. This didn't make him feel any better however and fueled his hatred even further. Why did the police arrest his parents just now? Why not back when his sister was still alive or when she tried calling for help all those years ago only to be dismissed as a "prank call?"

Life after that wasn't easy. Henry had to switch from foster home to foster home due to his "unpleasant nature." He then landed on the doorstep of one fifty-two year old Amarice Locke— a retired colonel of the Army. Despite his behavior, Amarice was patient and caring towards the young Henry. For she was reminded of her dead son Nate-- once part of a humanitarian group in Central Asia. She understands his frustrations and becomes a key figure to his immorality for she tells him that peace can only be attained by terror and violence since it leaves a scar that will remind everyone of the consequences-- an ideal that Henry abides to this very day.

As a car enthusiast, Amarice once offered Henry to assist her. Recognising his talent for complex machinery and robotics, Amarice encouraged Henry to enroll in an robotics engineering school. Henry accepted and graduated with flying colors.

He joined the Marines a few years later. His peers and instructors were uncomfortable with him and avoided him. Due to his uncanny nature, he was called "The Nut Job." After his first and last mission in the field he was discharged from the service due to a warped and apathetic morality, inhumane acts against the opposing side, consuming the blood of the deceased and other acts such as using locals and teammates as bait for the oppressive forces. How he wasn't incarcerated in a military prison is unknown; however Henry suspects Amarice had something to do with it. 

He was offered a position in NIGHTHAVEN by Jamini Kalimohan "Kali" Shah after discovering his unique talents in robotics which he thoughtfully accepted. During his time in NIGHTHAVEN, Henry created the Leech(es)-- an explosive drone-unit that can be controlled and detonated at will through a modified digital watch. However Henry lost interest in NIGHTHAVEN and felt like the PMC's motives do not align with his.

After the death of Masayuki Yahata, Henry defected to RAINBOW where he was met with distrust from the other operators. Despite the many warnings from Eliza "Ash'' Cohen and Sam "Zero" Fisher, Harishva "Harry" Pandey welcomes Henry to RAINBOW insisting that he might contain knowledgeable information regarding NIGHTHAVEN's involvement of Yahata's death and other details. During his stay, Henry begins to sow seeds of distrust and chaos amongst the operators for his own personal intentions. Zero discovers this and confronts Henry in the locker room which ends in a physical fight which was prevented with the help of operators Shuhrat "Fuze'' Kessikbayev and Julien "Rook'' Nizan. Unfazed and amused by the whole ordeal, Henry taunts Zero and threatens him that he could be the Tower of Babel to RAINBOW's Shinar but chooses not to, remarking that they're lucky he hasn't come to that option yet. 

Since then, Henry started adopting the moniker "Babel" as his codename.

PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILE

Henry's callousness towards others is a shared sentiment across the other operators. Almost everyone is unwilling and reluctant should Henry be paired or added to their squad as he is known to let his Leeches cling to the backs of teammates or bait them for enemy troops to focus on. He is also unafraid for civilian blood to be shed as he purposefully stuck Leeches on multiple civilian dummies during a challenging simulation and set them off much to the outrage of Ash, Thermite and Blitz-- his teammates during the exercise. That and his literal taste for human blood has landed him in a stir with Doc who once caught him licking off dried blood from worn bandages and discarded cotton. This and his perspective on violence might be connected to an incident regarding his early childhood and death of his sister. It is rather interesting that Henry doesn't share his past with anyone implying he might show some level of trauma though it is currently unknown as he denies any form of psychological evaluation. 

Henry is aware of his immorality and completely embraces it. He claims he does these horrific deeds in order to get the job done and that "violence and sacrifice is the only way for peace to be attainable." His conversations towards recruits have to be closely monitored due to his manipulative behavior and in fears of passing his beliefs unto them. He isn't bothered that half the entirety of the RAINBOW operators actively despise him. Henry made no further attempts to form a bond with other operators and preferred the company of himself.

Henry is always seen making adjustments to his Leeches in the workshop alone late at night.

PSYCHOLOGICAL REPORT

Specialist Henry "Babel" Adler truly has a dark presence. Despite the politeness he had throughout the rest of the conversation there was a playful maliceness hidden nearly well in his tone. Adler had all but a perfect childhood and the tragedy and suffering he had to endure was just terrible. No child had to go through what he experienced. 

And his military career was not a pretty sight to read either. I brought the topic up regarding the causes for his discharge and the way he addressed it was unbelievable. He explained it in a very casual manner showing no sense of remorse whatsoever. It was indeed offputting and it deeply infuriated me. Though I do not tolerate this kind of apathetic behaviour from any operator, his intel made me have no choice but to bear with his coldness. His defection to RAINBOW was all but sudden and his ulterior motives are unclear, however Adler might be the key to uncovering NIGHTHAVEN.

His intel though was anything but helpful. It was obvious he was withholding a large portion of information the moment he gave me these small cryptic messages. Despite my best efforts he refused to further elaborate. I tried bringing up his past relationships with any of the NIGHTHAVEN operators but to no surprise he stated that he didn't have any personal relationship with any of the operators. "Just business associates," was all he said though he mentioned that he and NIGHTHAVEN operator Håvard "Ace" Haughland once had a brief one night stand.

I brought up his Leeches and Adler was eager to explain. He gave me a detailed description about his Leeches and its functions. And to my shock he brought one out of sleeve and began showing me the drone. That's when he gestured to his watch and told me in a very calm manner that should he press the screen the Leech will explode. My heart nearly stopped upon realising what he was implying. He assured me he would do no such thing but the fact it was a possibility to him and knowing his nature disturbs me.

I then made the decision to bring up Adler's past. To my surprise, he sat there in silence as if he were deep in thought. I began to grow concerned when a full minute had passed and not one word came out from him. Eventually he started talking only for Adler to deflect and move on to another unrelated topic regarding his Leeches' functions. I made no move to return to the topic and listened.

It's clear that deep down, Adler is hiding more than he lets on. And it's up to him whether he's willing to speak. I do hope that Adler eventually reveals more information about NIGHTHAVEN and the circumstances of Masayuki Yahata's death. But in the meantime, Adler has to be closely monitored considering the recent incident regarding the locker room.  

— Dr. Harishva "Harry" Pandey, Director of RAINBOW

DEVICE DESCRIPTION

A fist-sized explosive drone unit that weighs 0.188kg (188g). The drone has a cylindrical body and retractable four rows of pointed metal with a curved end serving as the drone's "feet."  On top of the cylindrical body is a large surveillance camera with a 360° targeting area allowing for precise targeting. Despite its intended purpose as an explosive the "Leech'' can be used as an infiltration unit. The "Leech" has a unique and unexpected ability to latch onto chosen targets with the bite force of 743 psi despite its seemingly frail appearance. 

Underneath all of the schematics and wiring however, exists a miniature version of the plastic explosive Composition 4, well known by its abbreviated term C-4.

[scuttle-buttle]

Chapter 9

WC: 1196

Rated: E

Chapter Tags: fluff?, mentions of physical disability & self consciousness, mentions of substance use

A/N: Wavy Gravy is the raddest man. I love him.

🧠

The room was beyond crowded as you stood next to Dr. Kreizler. Bitsy really wasn’t joking when she told you how chaotic these conferences get. You had already sat through one reading with him that morning. It was interesting enough.

“And you must be the famous TA Laszlo has told us all about!” came a rich bellow from behind you. You whipped around to face the man, a good head taller than you. He wore a bright smile which was so in contrast to the face of the doctor.

“Oh…?” you go to shake his proffered hand.

“John Schuyler Moore, photojournalism professor and friend of our dear alienist.”

“Oh! Yes, Dr. Moore,” nodding your head a little, you notice a much shorter blonde woman stroll up beside him. “Please, just John is fine,” he insists.

“Don’t give the poor girl a heart attack, John. Sara Howard, it’s nice to finally meet you.” You shake hands as well. She is petite, but right away you can sense a strength and poise about her. “Laszlo has told us a great deal about you.”

You glance at the man from the corner of your eye. He is giving Sara a stern look. “I see. I wasn’t aware he spoke of me.”

“He sings your praises on the regular,” she laughs.

An awkward grunt makes its way up your throat at her comment. He’s told you that your work was ‘satisfactory’ but there was no way he would go so far as to talk about you with his friends and colleagues. You figure the two are just being friendly.

“Laszlo, if I may,” John signals to another part of the room for the doctor to follow. With a nod the two men go off, leaving you with Dr. Howard.

She moves in to stand closer to your side. “I hope he’s been treating you well, Laszlo is not the easiest to deal with at times. He pays no mind to what is considered polite conversation etiquette.” At your blanching she adds “you can speak freely with me about it. He can be an ass, I’m the first to admit and call him out on it.” She smiles at you.

“Dr. Howard I’m-”

“Oh no please, call me Sara. We aren’t so far apart in age and you’re a graduate student. There is no need for formal titles.” The two of you chat for almost half an hour, mostly on the topic of the doctor before the men rejoin you. You don't speak as you would with Bitsy, but you find it very easy to trust and confide in Sara. John looks rather pleased with himself upon his return. You do catch the slight wink he gives Sara. Dr. Kreizler, on the other hand, appears as though he’s been told he needs a root canal.

The four of you spend the next couple hours perusing the new selections and attending a few of the reading demonstrations. John is almost like a dog, you think, overly friendly and does his best to include you in the conversations the trio have. Sara communicates with you through her facial expressions and eye rolls at the men. You are certain you even hear the doctor crack a joke or two. You carry the tote bag of books that Kreizler has purchased, despite John repeatedly attempting to assist. It’s good that the doctor has people like them, you think.

Sara and John eventually excused themselves for the night. Around 8pm the doctor turns to you. “There is a reading on a new monograph about Woodstock that starts in fifteen minutes. I have put our names on the list.”

You blink at him. “Woodstock. Like sex, drugs, and rock & roll, Woodstock '69, Woodstock?”

“Is there another?” He lifts his brows in exasperation as he considers you.

“No? Doesn’t sound like something you’d be into, though,” you argue lightly.

“Not particularly. But I thought you would find it useful towards your own studies. I know you are fond of it.”

A faint flutter broke out in your gut at his words. Never in your life had you thought this man would care enough to think of you and your own interests, especially not when this trip was for his own benefit. You had assumed you would need to beg to be let off for a few hours to seek out the history and sociology seminars. Time had frozen as you stared at him.

Maybe he did care?

“Are you alright?” he finally asked, concerned.

“Hm? Oh yeah, I’m fine. That sounds really great, thank you.”

Dr. Kreizler guides you to the proper hall and you find your seats. The space was more cramped than you were overall comfortable with. Or rather, you were uncomfortable due to the proximity in which you and the professor sat. At least that is what you told yourself.

The room was packed, chairs placed tightly together. You sat to his right side. It was close enough that you could smell the cologne he wore; something spicy and citrusy and intoxicating. Barely a hair's breadth separated you from each other. He was warm against you. Often your thighs would touch, or even his weaker arm along your own. You could just feel the boney limb through your sleeves, which often hid how skinny it truly was compared to his left side. If it bothered him he gave no indication.

Midway through you lean close to his ear. “You know, the whole concept shouldn’t have worked. It was fucked from the get go. They literally had everything working against them, the rain, the traffic, the lack of sanitation, food. Wavy Gravy and his posse really made all the difference. When things got rough he was able to use psychoanalysis techniques to encourage the new social ideals of free love and the 'cooperative', reminding everyone why they were there in the first place. He appealed to the collective psyche of the counterculture movement. The whole thing is insane!”

You don’t notice how close you had gotten to him as you spoke, your chest was nearly pressed against his shoulder. At first you touching along his bad arm made him want to instinctually pull away. As you spoke you were still facing the stage, paying no mind to the feel of it. It quelled his anxiety that you didn't seem to care. So Laszlo had tilted his head closer towards you as you whispered. He found that your eyes were lit up similar to when you would argue with him. But this time it wasn’t because you were annoyed at him - this time it was because you were passionate and excited - and it was breathtaking.

You face him when he doesn't respond; only a few inches separate you. His eyes lock with your own. A beat passes and he doesn't look away. "What?" you ask. Maybe you had offended him by speaking during the lecture?

Laszlo gathers himself. "It seems you have been paying attention during my lectures.” He smirks.

You face back forward in hopes that he doesn’t see the heat in your cheeks. “Don’t flatter yourself too much, professor.” You can feel his silent chuckle.

Tag list

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[dredsina]

So one of the harvard essay prompts is to describe a time when you had to overcome a challenge and here's my rough draft it sounds kooky but it's my first go, please criticize:

I was forced to drop out of school because of my religious convictions. I was early on in my general studies at BYU, hoping to major in animation. But something unexpected happened that ruined my plans: I lost my faith. I stopped believing because, no matter what anyone might say, you can't be a gay Mormon. And it turns out you can't leave The Church and still attend BYU.

There was only one sensible option for me: drop out before they kick me out. I spent time in the local psych ward, broken from the stress of choosing to leave The Church. I was sure I would lose my family and everyone and everything I had ever known.

As it turned out, my parents still loved me, but they didn't trust the new me. I moved back to a tense home, anxious to escape. I was quickly accepted to another school, and I planned to pay with the partial tuition refund I had first earned cleaning houses and answering phones. These jobs had funded BYU. I quickly found out they wouldn't fund Western. And I didn’t qualify for financial assistance from the government, the bank, or my parents.

I gave up at first. There was no way I could afford my degree. I started a low-income job and moved into a low-income apartment. Determined to get through the rocky start to my new life, I learned how to live cheap. Eventually, I figured out how to get my degree for cheap, too.

I set my sights on a local school, Bellevue College. BC had previously been a school that offered only transfer degrees, but by then it had a degree I was interested in. I knew what I had to do to make it happen. I cashiered full-time, earning promotions that didn't show up in my pay. I rode the bus between 5 cities--from home, to work, to school, to my eventual internship, to, at one point, the hospital where my wife was staying. I whittled my food budget down to a dollar a day. I ate beans and potatoes and leaves off of trees. I sold drawings, worked two jobs, and never bought a car. And I did what everyone else in my class had to do: learn interior design.

I worked to be at the top of the class. My classmates asked me to tutor. I volunteered in our student association, designing all the logos, posters, and media.

I know that people have sacrificed more, accomplished greater, and worked even harder, but I am proud when I get to say I earned my bachelor’s degree, paid from my own pocket, Magna Cum Laude.

My instructors noticed my hard work. Teachers in other programs tried to poach me—my calculus professor insisted I should be a math major; my drawing professor begged me to switch to fine arts. My skills and determination stood out, and my design professors secured me an architecture job before I graduated.

[x0401x]

Jeweler Richard Fanbook Short Story #12

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Suit Story

If you went through Ginza’s Main Street from 7-chome to 1-chome, the change in the city’s atmosphere would shock you. Bulgari, Cartier, Louis Vuitton, Chanel. Felt like you could play shiritori with these high-class brand names. It was a fun neighborhood to stroll around during Christmas season, as all the stores would come up with elaborate plans for the decorative lights, but it was currently autumn. The store most closely related to me in these vicinities was the long-established stationery store where I went to buy stationery. It was, however...

“Please raise your arms a little more.”

“All right.”

“Pull your chin back a bit. Yeah, that’s great.”

“Haah. Is this really right?”

“Of course. Might be hard, but please do relax.”

For whatever reason, I was across the street from the stationery store, practically in front of it, on the second floor of a branded men’s fashion store originally from England. On the walls of this mysterious-gentleman-themed space, which housed a bar counter and even a huge aquarium, there were clusters of business suits, pants and waistcoats with basting threads attached to them in conspicuous spots.

It was a place for taking measurements for custom-made stuff.

I couldn’t get over the feeling that this was some kind of mistake. Wasn’t this the stationery store? The place where you could buy vanilla-colored envelopes for 30 yen each? Or illustrated writing paper with seasonal vibes, or pens.

“Seigi, you are too nervous.”

“Nakata-san is such an imp, but so are you.”

Leaning against the bar counter, Richard shrugged his shoulders, indicating possibility.

Today was Thursday. Having been called by Richard, who said he wanted to ask me to do some odd job, I went over to the front of Etranger, and then we came to this store in the green jaguar. Just when I thought he was gonna make me hang with him for shopping, the man on the driver seat hastily took out his phone, showing me a video letter from my dad, Nakata-san.

“Seigi, congrats on your graduation. I wanted to go suit shopping with you, but I’m in Jakarta, so I’ll be borrowing Richard-san’s assistance for that. Seems like people are getting them custom-made lately. Make sure to buy a good one. Well, see ya.”

Richard had watched over me in the passenger seat as my eyes got wet, but the tears drew back in when we stepped into the store.

While talking lightheartedly about the difference between English and Italian suits, the young clerk, who wasn’t all too apart from me in age, smoothly took my body measurements with a measuring tape and showed me countless textures.

“You can also choose the lining. What should we do about the pockets?”

When I started getting dizzy, said man, who was like a page of suits, began giving me suggestions from behind. I had nowhere to run. I was really going to have my suit made here. As I picked a charcoal-gray suit with blue lining, Richard quickly told me that tanzanite cuffs would look very nice in it. Of course, I was thinking the exact same thing.

By the moment that the Onii-san finished the measuring and disappeared into the back of the store to take notes, I heaved a deep sigh. “This kinda stuff’s been happening a lot lately. All I ever do is receive.”

When I said that, Richard laughed, giggles ringing up his throat.

Richard had two types of smiles, and whenever he raised his voice while laughing, if I refused to back down, he’d often give me a word of advice of some sort. When it was a silent smile, I’d feel like he was telling me in some way to “reflect about myself”, which would make me a bit anxious, but I liked both.

Walking up next to me as I stood in front of the mirror, Richard grinned. “It is no longer guaranteed that your body will grow out of your clothes. Isn’t it fun to sometimes purchase slightly larger clothes and try to wait for your body’s growth?”

“Feeling like this talk doesn’t have the ‘sleep well and drink milk’ kinda nuance to it.”

The reply was a smile. How strange. Richard’s face was right at my left side, but the smile in the mirror was looking directly at me. Clad in a double-button slender silhouette suit, his figure was perfect no matter from what angle I looked at it, like an extraordinarily fine jewel, so my own figure as I tensed up beside him appeared even weirder.

“Hey, Richard, I kinda have the feeling that suits are like the base metals of jewelry.”

“Are you referring to the foundation parts of rings, earrings and such?”

I nodded. The base metal was the metal part that formed the foundation for attaching gemstones to jewelry. In stores, people would often memorize the materials and call them by their names, such as gold base metal or platinum base metal.

It was a part that never played the leading role in Etranger, which handled accessories with gemstones on them. But it’d be hard to wear jewelry on the body without it, and it was also a part that allowed people to express their particularities regarding the materials, durability and design. Whether they would be prominent or not depended on the basis. Erm, this was probably what a jeweler from Kyoto that I was acquainted with would say. The contrary was also possible.

“Gotta psyche myself up. If I don’t become someone that won’t lose to this suit, I’d feel bad.”

“This is my personal opinion, but there is nothing more tiring to look at than a jewelry in which the gem and base metal are at rivalry with one another. What you should emphasize is the harmony. Just because you use the finest high-grade eggs and milk as ingredients, it does not mean you will create the best pudding – is that not the same thing?”

“Ah...”

When I replied that, indeed, high-end ingredients were often strongly in demand, the beautiful man nodded with an “exactly as you say”. By the looks of it, those were the sweets that he was into lately. I hadn’t been able to take time some for it at all due to being busy, but I decided to make pudding again one of these days and offer to him. Despite having a wallet that enabled him to eat as many high-grade desserts as he wanted, Richard would always be delighted anew no matter how many of them I made, which made me believe that, as one would expect, he had a talent for pleasing people. I was grateful for his existence.

“Both suits and jewelry are goods that exist for the sake of their owners. The initiative is clear from the start. You must handling it skillful and comfortably, not fight against it. That is why it is custom-made.”

“So you’re also ‘skillfully handling’ the clothes you’re wearing right now?”

“Evidently. Enough that I do not know anymore at what point it ends and I begin.” With that said, Richard sleekly patted his suit. I wanted to try saying that too someday.

We exchanged glances not through the mirror but directly.

When the clerk Onii-san came back, the measuring recommenced. I got kind of embarrassed as he praised me, saying I was well-relaxed.

   “Seigi-kun, good work! Wow, that suit looks really great on you.”

“Thanks, Tanimoto-san. Uh, this print on your furisode, could it be—”

“I was told it’s a modern type of print, but yep, it’s kinda like...”

“It looks like a bismuth crystal!”

With a face that said, “I know, right”, a dandy crease formed under her eyes, which were just a bit more on-the-mark than usual. Her bob-cut hair was the same as always, her cream-colored hakama paired with a yellow-green and dark blue furisode, which bore a mysterious geometric pattern print. On top of being cute, it was unique. She said it was rented, but I got emotional upon finding out there was a furisode that was so much like her.

As for me, I was wearing a double-button English suit that fit my body extremely well. It was a little embarrassing, but the creatures called college boys were more or less the same kind of individuals as myself, so they weren’t too mindful of their male friends’ clothes. Only one of them, who had found employment in the apparel industry, said that “the suit Nakata’s wearing is so nice”.

It was the graduation ceremony of Kasaba University. We gathered in the excessively large auditorium for all but an instant, and once we had our diplomas in hand, it was the beginning of a rapid shooting party, where we took pictures with our preferred friends in spaces near the auditorium. Tanimoto-san came running over to the spot near the central library, where we had decided to meet up.

“Seigi-kun, really, congrats. Things might get hard from now on, but if it’s you, everything will definitely be okay.”

“Thank you. I’ll do my best. I don’t think I’m that big of a deal, though...”

“That’s not true. I know very well how awesome you are.”

I played around a little and bowed my head, also congratulating Tanimoto-san for her graduation, she laughed with a “huhuhu”, looking happy.

She had passed in teaching and she would officially be a middle school science teacher starting this April. She fulfilled the dream that she had told me about when we were in our second year of undergrad. So cool. She had laughed when I said I wanted to take her classes if it were ever possible, but now I knew her video communication address, so it might be that I could actually get to attend her lectures at least once. Even if I were no longer living in Japan.

“Tanimoto-san, the school you’re assigned to is...”

“In Okayama Prefecture. It’s famous for the Katsuta Group of vicarya fossils. Compared to you, it’s next-door.”

In a few days, my address would change from Japan to Sri Lanka. I was going to be a jeweler apprentice. I had been told that I would often have to move around in rough dress, so sure enough, I was going to dedicate myself to wearing formal stuff for the time being. It was a bit of a waste, but Nakata-san and Richard had probably given me a chance to wear this kind of thing because they knew about that.

I could hear a voice in the distance calling, “Shouko~”. It was apparently a friend of Tanimoto-san’s. She waved at them in response.

“Seigi-kun, y’know... I think I was very lucky to meet you in this university. Literally thank you. Thanks to you, university was always fun.”

“Those are all my lines. But Tanimoto-san, I only ever gave you trouble.”

“If you’re gonna say that, same goes for me. I feel like you’ve granted me many opportunities. Seriously, thank you.”

When she smiled, saying she was going to do her best, she looked really cute. Neither of us had any familiarity with Okayama, but surely, she would actively pave the way with her own strength no matter where she was. And on her days off, she would go out to the Katsuta Group to dig up fossils.

“From now on too, if there’s anything I can help you with, I want you to tell me. I’ll do anything. If you run into any weirdo, I’ll get on a plane and come give them a beating.”

“Me too; if anyone ever messes up with you, Seigi-kun, I’ll take my crack hammer and go finish them off. Look forward to it. Ah, Aki told me that a sniper rifle suits me better, apparently?”

“I-I wonder.”

After that, we talked for a while, seated on an inconspicuous bench, and when it was finally time, she told me to at least take care of my body, offering me her hand. I nodded and squeezed it back. Her hand was small but very strong.

“Take care of your body, at the very least. May the blessings of the stones fall upon you.”

“Thank you. You too.”

We bowed deeply, taking pictures with each other while we were at it, and once we were done with the commemorative photoshoot, in which the two of us kept a moderate distance from one another, we parted ways. Students here and there were hugging intensely and wailing, but neither she nor I were that type, and I didn’t think this would be farewell for a lifetime. We would definitely get to see each other from now on too.

However, this was our last time seeing each other while we were students. After the handshake, my angel waved her hand with a “see you”, even more brightly than an actual angel.

Later on, having finished looking around for the friends that I could call friends and going on a tour to tell them “thank you for everything until now”, lastly, I sent a brief text. Not to Richard. To Nakata-san and Hiromi.

“I was able to graduate from university without problems. Thank you very much, truly. I will be in your care from now on too.”

Rather than a greeting, it turned into a notice to announce my renewed determination. The stylish suit indeed gave off an extraordinary feeling of fittingness, but I couldn’t think I was fully used to it. Obviously. It finished being made just a while ago. It would start from here. If it would take on my shape the more I wore it, then I would make sure to wear it steadily to my own liking.

What mattered was the harmony, he had said.

While smoothly stroking the suit, which I still couldn’t deem as anything other than formal wear, as if I were stroking my favorite gemstone, I seared the contrast of cherry blossom petals against the blue sky into my eyes.

[ilikemesometaetaes]

Don’t Hold Your Breath ~ jjk

Chapter Five (M)

•••> Author: @ilikemesometaetaes​

•••> Summary: As the CEO of an international government security company, you have the world at your fingertips. Living life lavishly and extravagantly has become the norm. Behind closed doors, however, you host a past that renders you lonely and, quite frankly, miserable. It’s only a matter of time before your past comes back to bite you right in the ass.

•••> Pairing(s): Jungkook/Reader, Taehyung/Reader (slight)

•••> Inspo: This fic is inspired by the song “SAVAGE ANTHEM” by PARTYNEXTDOOR. Thank you to @dariangarcia​, @btssmutgalore​, and @junghoseokit​ for supporting my work. To my mamas, Kaitlin, Adora, Lauren, Lanie, Lu, and Sher.

•••> Word Count: 6.54k

•••> Rating: 18+

•••> Tags: angst | smut | ceo!au | rockstar!au | CEO!Reader | Rockstar!Jungkook | AU!BTS | Exes to Lovers

•••> Warnings: angst, infidelity, oral (m receiving), heartbreak, cursing, pining, depression, breakup, mention(s) of therapy/counseling, arguing, drug use, alcohol use | Warnings are written specifically to chapter.

Copyright © 2020 ilikemesometaetaes. All Rights Reserved.

Taglist: @dariangarcia​​ @apurpledheart​​ @itsgottabeyoo-ngs​​ @hytibm​ @namjinsbaby​ @ggukkieland​

If you’d like to be added to the taglist, say so in a comment to this chapter or the DHYB Main Page, or send me an ask!

NAVIGATION: Chapter Four (M) <- | -> Chapter Six (M) -> Mini-Masterlist -> Series Masterlist

•••> Official Playlist

~#~

“Is it something we discussed now? The truth got you in disgust now, ‘cause I’d rather we just fuck now.”

THEN.

Sitting at your desk at work never felt so somber as you remembered how it all changed. The chain of events that led up to your fight with him the previous night were too hard to ignore anymore.

You remember fighting for him- for the both of you.

The tears flooded your eyes and, thankfully, blurred your vision from the scene before you.

Jungkook sat on a couch placed in the corner of the club, completely inebriated and high out of his mind. But that’s not what hurt you.

What completely ripped your heart from your chest was the woman draped across his exposed lap with her hair held in one hand while she used the other to wrap around the part of his dick that she couldn’t reach whilst she closed her lips over it.

Blinking your tears from your eyes on instinct allowed you to see that another set of eyes was looking at you. And they weren’t Jungkook’s.

Taehyung’s scowl, paired with furrowed eyebrows and sad eyes, was another image from that night you couldn’t get out of your head. There was no shock nor surprise on his face- he was expecting you. Taehyung knew that you would see. He didn’t try to deter you from coming to the club and he didn’t send any warning texts. He was the one who invited you in the first place.

The scene was an unforgettable one.

You should have taken Taehyung’s word for it from the start. He had given you hints that you simply couldn’t bother yourself to pay attention to.

While you possessed the knowledge and evidence that Jungkook cheated on you that night, you couldn’t bring yourself to properly address it. Each time you got around to speaking with him about it, you ended up brushing it off for another time.

Finding an excuse for yourself to defend him was easy.

The drugs and alcohol were the problem. You saw it yourself that night. He was in a completely different world when you saw him doing the deed. His eyes were glazed out with beautiful lips agape in complete, drug-induced ecstasy, unknowing of what he was doing. There was no way he was aware of what was actually happening or even what day it was.

But then came the day that it got so bad that you asked him to go get help. You were willing to forgive his negligence if he was willing to get it fixed.

It was the cause of your final fight.

“I’m not going to fucking rehab, Y/N.” He laughed spitefully. “There is nothing wrong with me. I’m a fucking rockstar. This is what rockstars do.”

“They also cheat on their girlfriends?” You sarcastically asked.

Jungkook chuckled darkly while looking at the floor. After a moment, he met your eyes in a cold gaze before he opened his mouth.

“Rockstars don’t have girlfriends.”

The weight of the statement pressured heavily on you in realization of what he was implying, pushing all of the air from your lungs. You were struck silent with an invisible smack offered by his words. No sound could escape your mouth as you stared back at him in a silent question: did it mean what you thought it meant?

“Yeah.” Was all he said in the deafening silence to answer your unspoken query, looking at the ground awkwardly. He was quick to add another few words to finally hit the nail on the coffin. “But if you still want to fuck, I’m down.”

“But- but I…” Your voice trembled weakly, feeling your eyes ache with incoming tears, but you fought them with every ounce of will that you had as your abhorrence was built up by his last words. The ground was swallowing you up and you were trying to claw your way free. “I waited for you to get better. You told me things would get better once you took off.”

“Don’t hold your breath, Y/N.” He laughed heartily.

Your heart was no longer beating. Not in your mind, anyway.

You felt as the life was torn from your lungs with the most simple and practical words; your world taken from you and all air seeming too thick to inhale. 

Awfully, you couldn’t seem to listen to his words this time. You didn’t want to. Breathing seemed much too difficult as you felt him snatch the light from your life with one swipe.

There was no chance that you would let him watch you cry- no way he was going to watch the pain he delivered onto you take physical effect. You were disappointed and neglected- a pawn in the game he played. You were sick of playing now.

Instead, you turned around, grabbed your purse off of the kitchen table-

And left.

Sitting at your desk with all of the sadness that Jeon Jungkook brought into your life, you decided that it was finally time to leave. You needed to leave Korea. You needed to move on to bigger and better things.

Your hand was reaching for your phone before you could stop yourself from doubling back. It’s about time.

Googling for a moving company- any moving company- only took you a few seconds and you pressed the call button with a new sense of conviction.

“Good afternoon! Thank you for calling Team Wang’s Moving Company! What can I assist you with today?”

Making sure your voice was level and controlled, you spoke, “I’d like to schedule a move of items from a storage unit here in Korea to another country. Am I able to do that?”

“Of course, ma’am! We can get started on preparations for that right away! What was the location that you were referencing? We are limited on the countries we can ship to due to certain regulations.”

Without any further hesitation or pondering over the past, you settled on it.

“Italy.”

Jungkook

He sat in his room for a while with an empty lyric journal, letting the high slowly fade from his body as regret began pumping through his veins. Jungkook had put up the act for Taehyung, but after he saw his brother angrily storm out the door and he was left alone to the ever familiar havoc in his mind, the fight to maintain his mask was easily lost.

What the fuck did he do?

Seeing you cry was common for him; Jungkook had made you cry too many times to count, but that didn’t take away from the way it ripped apart the sinew in his chest every time he saw that look in your eyes as tears streamed down your cheeks.

He managed to convince himself of the belief that it was impossible for you to care that much anymore. You just couldn’t. Not when he had fucked up the first time. He had broken your trust and he didn’t trust himself enough to try and earn yours back, fearing that he would just fuck you up past recovery- like himself.

Jungkook was beyond rejuvenation and beyond any form of succor. Nothing could help him silence his demons except the cold and dark embrace of death. Even now, sitting in silence in his bedroom to let the remorse for you distract him from the torment of the empty organ beating in his chest, he felt them begin to criticize him.

Jungkook’s parents and brother died young, victims of a drunken asshole who decided that it was a good idea to get behind the wheel to try and get home to his girlfriend. What a fucking prick.

For some reason, Jungkook decided that it would be a good idea to stay home and worry about the girl that he liked at school, making little sketches to slip into her lunchbox once lunch came around. 

Of all days he could have stayed home, it just had to be that one. He should have gone to the grocery store with them. He should have been in that car with them.

The voices in his head began three weeks after the funeral- when Jungkook reached the ripe age of twelve. Constantly battering him down, twisting his heart, and suffocating his head, he recognized that it was his own voice and his own psyche attacking the sanctity of his soul after he watched the three coffins sink into the cold ground. 

It just had to rain that day, water filling the nice dress shoes his father bought for him a few months prior as mud covered the black leather.

He reached adulthood much too fast. Even under the care of his parents’ friends, he was forced by his own will to become independent. They tried to shower him with the same love and support that his family had, but it was no use- Jungkook was alone. No one could fill that gap in his heart once it was made empty.

He’ll admit, he was a bit more dramatic back then.

He was approaching his seventeenth birthday when he smoked for the first time, turning it into a habit by the time he graduated high school. He had been dragged out to an end-of-the-year school gathering by Taehyung, a senior who was much too silent like himself- who understood that Jungkook preferred the quiet due to the mayhem in his mind. They had formed a tranquil and mostly unspoken bond over the months that they studied together.

“Is it safe?” Jungkook muttered while looking at his older companion of the silence curiously.

“I’ve done it a few times and I was fine. Just take it slow at first. Try two hits and then wait like twenty or thirty minutes.” Taehyung’s contralto voice was somehow comforting to Jungkook, a beacon in the chaos that was the kickback they were currently separating themselves from. “If you don’t want to, that’s cool. You don’t have to.”

“Nah,” Jungkook’s desire to break out of his shell was a little spurred by Taehyung who seemed to aid him in the most odd yet unobtrusive way. “I’ll try it. Might be cool.”

The only two at the campfire while the rest of their year mates drank and danced to music in the house, Jungkook and Taehyung shared their first high together.

Then, the voices stopped.

Jungkook was shaken to his core, gripping the arms of the camping chair he sat in until his fingers ached and his knuckles turned white. For the first time in six years, his head was blanketed in silence.

Slightly panicked at the new sensation, he turned to Taehyung for help, only to find that his friend was sitting back with his head craned up, gazing intently at the stars. Jungkook followed his stare and struggled to see them past the glow of the flames in front of him, only to grow enraptured by the gorgeous twinkling of each small dot in the midnight sky once his eyes adjusted. Strangely, he was hit by a sudden burst of inspiration.

“I could write a song right now.” Jungkook told the sky confidently.

“You write?” He saw Taehyung turn to look at him out of the corner of his eye. Meeting his friend’s observance, he let a smile lazily grace his face for once as he replied.

“I do occasionally. I always wanted to be a singer when I was younger.”

“Me too.” Taehyung chuckled with a sense of wistfulness, fixing his stare on the small inferno in the fire pit. “Well, I wanted to be a bassist really bad. Maybe sing a little.”

Overcome with the emotions of maybe not being totally alone, Jungkook’s inner sageness spewed from his mouth without falter, wholly due to the graceful and relaxed feeling that he received from the high.

“We’re still young.” He reasoned. “We can still do it.”

“I’ll be studying music in university after my military service is over. My most realistic dream now is to become a studio bassist for some record company.” Taehyung laid his head back again, closing his eyes.

“Hey,” Jungkook called for his friends attention and the older boy looked at him with slightly bloodshot eyes. “We can do something with this if we really want to. I’ll follow you to university. Never really had a solid plan for where I wanted to go to anyway.” Jungkook stuck his hand out in a silent offer, hoping that his proposition wouldn’t be crushed.

Taehyung smiled mellowly, taking his younger friend’s hand with his in a handshake. “Sounds like a plan, my friend.”

After Taehyung graduated and enlisted, Jungkook completed his senior year with a new hobby- well, two new hobbies: writing and smoking.

With the impending date of his enlistment, he knew that he had to give it up as he was going to get drug tested. For two years, he kept up with himself without the help of the self-administered psychoactive drug therapy.

Service was a good distraction from the voices. Having things to do to keep him busy and writing in any free time he had, he was kept delightfully aloof from the dark corners of his mind. It also helped that he enlisted into the same garrison that Taehyung was assigned to.

Taehyung welcomed Jungkook into university with open arms. Now, at the age of twenty, Jungkook was a seasoned and trained man. The voices still loomed over him, but they were pushed to the back of his mind as he learned to deal with the emptiness.

He had highs to suppress his demons, he had his songs to communicate himself to others, and he had Taehyung.

Although it wasn’t nearly enough to fill his empty glass, it was empty no longer.

Jungkook lay in his bed as he watched the violet sky turn midnight blue, the already-set sun pulling the rest of its light away from his side of the earth. 

Naked and vulnerable under the scrutiny of the world, he lay in the sheets with his head turned toward the window, presenting the sorrow brimming in his eyes right back to the invisible gaze of the universe. With no form of judgement in response to him, he was left to ponder over the things he had done.

Because even now, with a slight high from the drugs, he realized that he could still hear them- the whispers, murmurs, and dronings of impugnment continued to poison his mind. He found it funny that he was always pressing the voices away, yet whenever confronted by the menace that was his emotions, they were his safety blanket. 

Pulling the sheets to his body while he curled into himself, Jungkook realized that he felt completely bare and exposed without the voices.

He’d keep them back to the point of a whisper so that he could call on them to protect him with a roaring intensity during bad times. There was never a time that he wasn’t manually suppressing them if he wasn’t high anymore.

With a shaken mind, he realized the only true way they were silent without true effort now. The drugs had stopped suppressing them a long time ago. There was no way he was able to have silence unless he was actually enforcing the lack of sound onto himself.

Not unless he was with you.

You provided light and hope and everything good to him, You gave him the things that were snatched away from him all those years ago- the things that he forced himself to live without. Unlike Taehyung, who gave him the sense of having a brother again, you gave him the love of everyone he lost. You acted like a sibling, gave him the comfort like a mother, and gave him the stern challenge and teachings of a father- if that made any sense.

Without you, he felt like his family; Jungkook felt lost and alone. Even as an up-and-coming rockstar with thousands of fans scrambling to get to know him, he felt like he was the last man on the planet who kept himself back while everyone else moved on to a better world.

The night at the club still haunted him, the truth of what happened chilling him to the bone- even if he didn’t exactly remember any of it.

Shit. Maybe he needed help after all.

NOW.

Sitting with his back to the door, staring at the night of New York City, Jungkook did not hear Namjoon enter the room with both of his bodyguards in tow.

“We’re staying another few days.” His older brother informed him, breaking him from his trance-like gaze.

“Goody.” Jungkook sighed, setting his empty glass down on the table in front of him. With a huff, he stood and stretched. Namjoon uttered a quick ‘give us a second’ to his men before the shuffling of feet and the door closing behind him signaled the beginning of a serious conversation.

“You know she’s still here, right? It’s not too late to go and talk to her.” Jungkook could feel the man’s eyes on his back, pity dousing the information that Jungkook was already aware of.

But Jungkook didn’t need Namjoon’s pity. It was enough that Namjoon saw his feelings on paper. Nothing more needed to be shared.

Still, he respected his brother’s wisdom and he remembered the words of his counselor. ‘Accept the silence. Then, do the talking from the inside. The only one truly speaking, inside and out loud, is you.’

“I know. I already spoke to her. Some things…” Jungkook’s volume died down for a moment, unsure of how to put it, as he turned his head to look at his brother in a silent plea for assistance. “…happened the other night. She came and saw me again today,”

“-I didn’t know what to do and I acted like a dickhead.” He looked back down and chuckled spitefully to himself, wisps of a shadow materializing back into the depths of his mind once he stopped speaking.

Namjoon exhaled after not realizing that he was holding his breath following his own comment. Carefully, he approached Jungkook so as to not trigger him into closing himself off. Despite having received professional assistance and counseling for two years, Jungkook was still as fragile as fine china.

The older man placed a comforting hand on his friend’s shoulder before slightly forcing Jungkook to face him.

“Tell me, Jungkook,” Namjoon looked into his eyes, prying into the windows of his soul, to capture a glimpse of the storm clouds brewing in his brother’s brown orbs. “Do you still love her?”

Jungkook didn’t know how to answer at first.

The voices began permeating Jungkook’s mind ever so slowly as an automatic reaction to being emotionally jabbed. He didn’t like addressing his feelings; the voices were all he could fall back on when he felt threatened, deafening volume drowning out the possibility for anything to reach into him too deep. They gave him the things- the bad things- he needed to say in order to protect himself.

As he sifted through the past two years, however, looking back on the help he had received and the exercises he went through that allowed him to no longer fear the natural silence- to embrace it without the drugs- he knew that no one was threatening him and no one was going to hurt him. Jungkook was asked if he still loved you and he couldn’t have the negativity surrounding him if he was going to answer that question, so he moved his trepidation out of the way to see what was left for you.

Behind it all- the fear, meaningless women, music, loss- lay a withering yet ever-present being, its wings tattered and flayed at the edges. With its first glances of light, with no smog to block it, it beat its tiny appendages with potential and came to life upon Jungkook’s realization of what it was.

His arrant and perennial love for you.

Jungkook briefly remembered the meadow- your meadow- and all of the tiny butterflies that were living out their lives in the beauty of the world that day. A butterfly adorned with blue and black splotches of color on its wings had managed to land on your head for a split second when he adjusted your hair. The particular memory and the events that followed on that day relocated as the tiny butterfly inside his mind fluttered upwards.

Jungkook’s heart soared with newfound beginnings- a second chance.

“I do, hyung. I do.” He whispered, voice wavering under the force of the emotions that came bubbling up from his chest. Tears filled his eyes, prompting his older brother to pull him into an embrace.

Jungkook’s body racked with cries at the feeling of comfort and warmth, unable to stop himself from feeling the raw emotions he had delayed for too long. Instead of needing to push the darkness out of the way, it came pouring out of him in radiating waves much too intense for him to handle alone.

“Hyung! I love her! I love her!” He chanted into his brother’s shoulder. “I hurt her! She was all mine and I tossed her away!”

Namjoon, although shocked by the psychological state and emotional outburst of his usually stoic bandmate, held him with care and waited until his brother’s breathing calmed before suggesting his next move. “Then go and get her, Kook.”

“She’s-” Jungkook had to swallow to wet his dry throat. “She’s with Taehyung right now.”

“Then wait until morning. From what Jin-hyung said, she’ll be here until the end of the week.”

So, wait is what Jungkook did.

He woke up at eight the next morning and called your personal assistant, finding his number easily on your company’s preliminary email to everyone in his organization for the whole UN ordeal. After two rings, the man answered.

“Halo! This is Brian Morena, representative and PA to Ms. Y/N Y/L/N. Who do I have the pleasure of speaking with?”

“Jeon Jungkook.” Jungkook stated his name lowly and unsurely, cautious as to how to approach asking him about your schedule.

“Ah, Mr. Jeon! It is a pleasure to speak with you! I’ll just verify your phone number really quick. It will only take a moment.” The line went silent for a few seconds and Jungkook waited on the edge of his bed with a bouncing knee and a fingernail between his teeth. After a few more seconds, the man was back on the phone. “You’re good! What can I do for you today?”

“I was just wondering if I could possibly get my hands on Ms. Y/N’s schedule for the day.” Jungkook heard how weird the request sounded the moment it flew from his lips. Quickly, he came up with a lie to soothe the request with reasoning. “She left her jacket in the elevator and I wish to return it to her- personally.”

Jungkook added the last part, knowing that the man would just tell him to give it to an employee of your own building, and Jungkook couldn’t have that. He wanted- no, needed- to see you.

“I see.” Brian responded thoughtfully. “Well, in that case, I’m unable to disclose her whereabouts due to security reasons.” Jungkook’s heart dropped a little at the notion of being unable to speak with you while his heart was still flying open. Then, Brian spoke again.

“But if she is in her hotel during her free time, she will be in her penthouse and I will assign you a temporary elevator key so that you can get to her door. It won’t unlock the door, but it will get you in front of it. Does that sound alright, Mr. Jeon?”

Jungkook smiled triumphantly. “Yes, that sounds lovely. Thank you, Brian.”

“It’s no problem, sir! Though, I do suggest you move quickly because she only has the next two and a half hours before she has her first scheduled event of the day. Your key will be ready for you in the next ten minutes. Have to wait until your status change goes through properly.” Brian was busy clacking away at his keyboard while he spoke, but Jungkook couldn’t be more overjoyed that he had succeeded in his plan thus far.

Things will work out. I’ll get her back. However much and however long it takes.

He dressed casually and indiscriminately with a mask over his face so as to not draw attention. After searching for it on google and exiting the hotel onto the street, he hailed a cab to take him to the first flower shop he could find to order you a bouquet of white tulips- obviously, he had to google that too. Jungkook had no idea what the best flower for apologies and hopes of new beginnings was. He was no botanical genius and that was a fact.

Once he had the flowers in his hand after a grueling wait, he stopped by the closest coffee shop to buy your favorite coffee- with two creams and three sugars if he remembered correctly. Despite the amount of time the florist had wasted, he made his way back to the hotel on foot so that he could properly practice what he was going to say to you. If he was going to make it right, he needed all the practice he could get.

Take off the mask. Don’t be a dick. Take off the mask. Don’t be a dick.

Jungkook let the incantations fill his head so that the haze of negativity didn’t have a chance to snap back into place over his single, delicate emotion. He was vulnerable and fighting the mental pressure with everything he had so that he could bare himself long enough to at least get back on good terms with you.

By the time he was back in front of your hotel building, it was a quarter to ten and he was left cursing the florist for taking so long. He stood awkwardly on the pavement, allowing himself a few breaths before he decided to enter the glass doors. Jungkook knew that he would be attracting attention by standing in front for so long, yet he couldn’t help but need a moment to send a prayer to whichever god was watching over him.

Closing his eyes, he craned his head up and took one last inhale whilst sending a silent plea for things to work out. To see you smiling and happy again. To hold you in his arms and hear you silence every one of his demons once and for all.

What he didn’t expect was one of his prayers to be promptly answered.

As he opened his eyes to look at the late morning sky, he caught sight of you immediately, sitting on the restaurant balcony- laughing and smiling. But you weren’t laughing and smiling to yourself.

You were giving your joy and happiness to Taehyung whose hand was covering yours above the table, grinning endearingly and adoringly back at you.

Jungkook’s hands grew numb, warranting the flowers and coffee to slip from his grasp onto the sidewalk, as he drowned in smog once again.

NOW.

You

“He never wanted you to leave.”

You sat, dumbfounded for a moment, as Taehyung said the words. You didn’t let the shock last for long, knowing that what he said must have been a lie.

“There’s no way.” You chuckled scornfully. “He told me himself, Taehyung. He didn’t want me anymore.”

“Y/N, take it from me. I loved you. I wanted to see you happy.” He grimaced briefly, most likely from the personal statement, while turning his eyes down to place his gaze on his empty plate in front of him. “But I knew that he made you happy even though he made you sad. He made you happy in a way that I never could. And he wanted to see you that way- happy.”

“I’m sorry, Tae. I- I should’ve-” Your heart ached for a moment as you tried to find the words to say, wishing for the first time that you had been in love with him instead.

“Don’t apologize, Y/N. You can’t force feelings like that and I sure as hell was not going to force you into anything that you didn’t want.”

A question burned behind your eyes, tugging your heart to remember the past.

“Then why did you let me see?” Your eyes turned cold. The drop in your tone nor the change of your mood were directed at him, but they were caused by him nonetheless.

“Because I was young and thought you had a chance to find that happiness elsewhere.” He sighed, taking the opportunity to place his hand over yours on the table while his words distracted you. “And for that, I’m sincerely sorry. I know that friends are supposed to help each other out, but that was a situation that was out of my hands and not mine to handle or get involved in.”

“I’m not blaming you for my relationship issues. I never did and I never will. So don’t apologize.” You looked down at the way his hand covered yours. “I just wanted to know.”

Taehyung pat your hand in an attempt for you to look at him again. When you did, he continued his sentiment.

“Jungkook didn’t want you to leave at all. He has this… thing. It’s not really my place to say anything, but I’ve been friends with him for years and he’s had it a bit rough. I know that he’s a dick- believe me, I know-“ You quirked an eyebrow at his expression. “But he’s got something he keeps hidden behind that thick skull of his that you should probably know about.”

“Why can’t you just tell me?” You asked, curious as to what he could be alluding to.

“Because you guys still need to talk. He was never good at talking to you about things.”

“I’m never fucking talking to him ever again.” You deadpanned.

“Please do it for me, Y/N.” His eyes begged with his plea, pulling you in.

“Oh? And why should I do it for you, hm?” You joked with him to steer the conversation away from the heavy subject, a small smile playing upon your lips. “I think you were the one apologizing to me.”

“Well, all I can say is that I’m sorry. I was supposed to be there for you- when you needed a shoulder to cry on and when you needed someone to binge watch TV shows with.” He smiled with his attempted joke that you couldn’t help but laugh at.

“You’re the best TV show buddy.” You giggled and looked down at your joined hands again, rotating your own so that you could hold his. To be friends with him after all this time… is it possible?

“Oh, I know I am!” He laughed loudly again, prompting you to quickly look around the restaurant area and the street below you, mild panic setting in once more. You tilted your head in confusion and pity at the sight of a few white flowers lying on the pavement next to a splattered drink.

“Poor flowers.” You muttered to yourself. “They’re so pretty.”

You watched Taehyung turn to look where you were staring from the corner of your eye. “Oh yeah. Would you look at that? Such a waste.”

Instead of taking any more time, you stood and straightened your blazer to remove the wrinkles. “We should probably get out of here. I have a security meeting in a little while.”

“How long is a little while?” Taehyung asked as he stood and pressed his hands to his own coat. You made eye contact with Jay who was already stood and ready to go, nodding to him as you answered Taehyung’s question.

“About an hour and a half. Why?”

“Damn. That’s not enough time. Maybe tonight then?” He tapped his chin thoughtfully, lips forming into a thin line.

“Enough time for what? What’s happening?” You grabbed his elbow when he began walking away without answering your question.

“What time are you going to be done for the day?” He asked.

“Taehyung,” You warned lowly. “What’s going on? I won’t tell you unless you give me something to work with here.”

“Oh, nothing.” He smiled and removed your grasp from his arm. “I’ll just ask Brian again. I’m sure he’ll be upset if you dodge your schedule.”

“Brian?” You watched as he walked away through the tables while hooking his mask back onto his ears. You wanted to get to the bottom of the situation fast- so you quickly followed him. “You’ve been speaking with him?”

“Of course I have! Isn’t that right, Jay?” Taehyung turned to the man in question.

“Of course, Mr. Kim. You’ve been very in touch with the staff.” Your bodyguard, once he joined you and Taehyung walking together, let a small, smug grin pull at the corners of his mouth. What a traitor. A slight sense of mock-betrayal filled you.

“What?” You asked. “Why?”

“For research purposes.” Taehyung deadpanned, grabbing your hand in the process. “Now come on. Let’s get out of here.”

“I have to go back to my room and get ready for my meetings.” You said quickly. Taehyung only chuckled lowly.

“Alright. Then let’s go!” He tugged you towards the exit. “I’ll take you to your door.”

You had no option but to stumble behind him while you stressfully surveyed the area, careful of onlookers.

~∞~

“YOU ALMOST LOST IT?” Kate’s voice was shrill and slightly distorted as it burst through the speakers of your phone at an ear-splitting volume.

“I’m sorry!” You briskly apologized. “It wasn’t my fault, I swear!”

“I spent weeks- weeks!- planning and making that jacket for you! I-” She bleated weakly before her tone leveled to nonchalance. “Wow. So this is what being chopped liver feels like.”

“Kate! You are not chopped liver, I swear.” You rushed the statement as you sat back in your office chair, glad to have a conversation that wasn’t work-related after a long and grueling day.

Your friend only grumbled in response. “It sure feels like it.”

“Well, you aren’t. I swear on my job.” You said.

“Oh wow. Holy shit. Okay, yeah that means a lot.” She stuttered playfully. “But something tells me you didn’t call me just to tell me you almost lost one of my most prized works of art- which, by the way, is my best seller. So, what is it?”

“I- uh…” You didn’t know how to word it. You had spent the entire work day using security updates and board meetings as a distraction from the open debate in your head, so now that your day was over and you had nothing left to do, the thoughts came back. It’s why you called Kate; you needed a third opinion.

If what Taehyung said about Jungkook was actually true, then maybe you should talk to him so that you could hear his side of the story. The bad bitch part of you told you to fuck off and forget about him, but you couldn’t help the softer and more curious side of yourself that begged to hear him out.

Realizing you had gone silent for a moment too long, you blurted out something random. “I’d like for you to design a hat for me.” A hat? Really? That was the best you could come up with? At least ask for some pants or something.

“Bullshit,” She chuckled in response. “But I’ll take that until you’re ready to tell me what’s actually going on.”

You heard her rustling some paper in preparation to take down design ideas, triggering panic to rise within you. You didn’t want her to put in work for an imaginary hat that you really had no desire of having.

“Hypothetically!” You shouted before she could get into it.

“Okay…” You heard the hesitation in her voice, clearly weirded out by your outburst. “Hypothetically what?”

“Let’s say, hypothetically, that you had an old flame who broke your heart and acted like a dick years ago, but you just recently learned that there were, maybe- I don’t know- some other things going on that made him act that way. Would you want to talk to him about it?”

“Hell no.” Kate laughed. “Just because you’re going through some stuff doesn’t mean you can act like a dick to other people. There’s no excuse for being a shitty person.”

“That’s what I thought.” You replied strongly. In your head, however, the war within you was brewing, weakening your composure.

“You’re not one to usually think about things like this.” Kate added. “What’s going on with you?”

“Just dealing with some stuff from the past. Nothing huge.” You didn’t want to overshare and Kate understood, knowing that she could never ask you to tell her about your past. She would wait until you were the one sharing it with her.

“Just let me know if you want me to come over there. I could definitely use some quality time with a quiet person for once. These idiots are so loud.”

You laughed in response. “I will. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you. We can watch movies or something and eat pizza and drink wine.”

“Oh my. That sounds like the perfect date!” She squealed. Her giddiness was infectious, spreading a soft smile across your lips.

“Won’t Brian get jealous?” You jab at her playfully.

“Not at all. He’ll probably end up attached to his video games anyway.” Kate snorted. “Shit! Speaking of! I need to call him! I’ll talk to you later?”

“Of course. Talk to you later.” You sat up in your chair.

“Bye!” She chirped.

As you sat alone in your office, building lights dark and the lights from the city the only form of illumination in the room through the window, you let your friends’ words rifle through your head.

On one hand, Kate catered to your stone-cold side, encouraging you to forget all about Jungkook and move on. Despite not knowing the situation and understanding all of its facets, her opinion was unbiased.

Taehyung, on the other hand, encouraged you to speak with Jungkook. He was aware of both sides of the story and understood what you and Jungkook- whatever the hell it was- were going through. He supported the side of you that was eager to understand and desperate to love again.

The decision was, ultimately, yours to make. What were you going to do?

The thoughts in your mind weighed heavy on your heart while you prepared to leave. You stood, packed your brief case, and made your way out of your office and onto the sidewalk to hail your driver so that you could go back to your hotel.

You couldn’t worry about it for long, though, because your phone vibrated three separate times as three notifications lit up your screen on your way back. Taehyung texted you.

Kim Taehyung (BTS)

Wear thick socks.

And a coat.

With gloves.

You stared at your phone in confusion, trying to figure out what he was getting at. Just what in the world was this boy planning?

~#~

Sorry this took so long, everyone! Please remember to like/reblog and comment if you want. I’d like to know what you guys think!

Don’t forget to check out the Series Masterlist if you want to read the oneshots that I have published.

[cyrah-is-cool101]

Characters in Ace Attorney #4

A brand new story has opened up with Aro Attorney: Dual Destinies! 

This is another story with the first protagonist of this Ace Attorney AU series, Marie Mendoza, alongside 2 new protagonists in the scene, Elmo Sputterspark (Megavolt) (Darkwing Duck) is one of the rookie attorneys who is a man of science, a lover of spirit channeling, a fan of the paranormal/mysteries and defender of justice and Daphne Blake (Scooby Doo), another rookie attorney who uses Elmo’s new Emotion Matrix (Mood Matrix). 

These 3 defense attorneys are ready for new cases, new rivals and new challenges 

In this new story, is has the same storyline as Ace Attorney Dual Destinies but this takes place after Aro Attorney: Investigations 2, when Marie and Weiss came back home from Norway and hired 2 new additions in Mendoza & Co. Law Offices, Elmo Sputterspark (Megavolt) (Darkwing Duck) (Kate’s boyfriend), who had became lawyer after passing the lawyer courses in New York Law School and Daphne Blake (Scooby Doo) who also became lawyer after graduating Monterey College of Law in California and was requested by her friends/fellow mystery solvers, Mystery Inc. 

(Note: If you want to learn about the entire Aro Attorney series, click here, here and here) 

And now, let me re-introduce some of our original cast, as well as introduce the new ones: 

Marie Mendoza (Friend’s OC) (Role: Phoenix Wright) (New Info) 

- Marie is our current defense attorney who will do anything to bring justice to the law. Her magatama (a gift from her assistant Weiss Schnee) allows her to see Psyche-Locks around people, showing that they are hiding something from her. Her famous “Eagle Eye” is one trait you don’t want to mock about. 

Elmo Sputterspark (Megavolt) (Darkwing Duck) (Role: Apollo Justice) 

- Elmo is Kate’s boyfriend turn lawyer after passing lawyer courses in New York Law School. He is smart, clumsy and warm hearted, kinda like Phoenix Wright, he is a talented inventor, a paranormal investigator, a fan of spirit channeling and now a lawyer, it’s his dream to become a lawyer, calling himself a ‘defender of justice’. He has the ability to detect subtle, subconscious movements that witnesses make, with said ability being aided by his high-tech bracelet he made. He was hired in Mendoza & Co. Law Offices upon the request by his detective girlfriend, not to mention, Marie sees potential in the guy, even if he is clumsy, he is also a fan of spirit channeling and Weiss, being a psychic herself, taught him a few lessons on spirit channeling so that he too can use it to help solve cases. 

Daphne Blake (Scooby Doo) (Role: Athena Cykes) 

- Daphne is another newest addition to the Mendoza’s & Co. Law Offices’ defense team. She can examine witnesses' emotions using Elmo’s Emotion Matrix (Mood Matrix), which is operated via Widget, a small computer on her necklace that occasionally blurts out what Daphne is really thinking. Daphne graduated from Monterey College of Law in California and was hired upon the request by her friends/fellow mystery solvers, Mystery Inc., she is a specialist in analytical psychology, which she studied in Europe before moving back to the US for law school. Daphne has strong emotions, sweet personality, ladylike mannerism and a powerful drive to win, which can sometimes cause her to be reckless. Widget occasionally picks up on her emotions and blurts out what she's really thinking, much to her chagrin. She likes orange juice after a good workout and gratuitously peppers her speech with French, German, Spanish, Italian and other languages that she apparently picked up while studying in Europe. Daphne also seems to have the habits of getting things lost easily and babbling nonsenses just about anywhere. In court, she uses Widget's holographic capabilities extensively; whereas her co-workers bring hard copies of notes and evidence to read and reference, Daphne prefers to store and retrieve information digitally via Widget. 

Ryūnosuke Akutagawa (Bungo Stray Dog) (Role: Simon Blackquill) 

- The story's main rival prosecutor. A pale, black haired man with sharp  somewhat baggy, and a dark empty grey eyes, he is hired by Prosecutor Waluigi Pompeii to prosecute various cases, despite the fact that he is serving a murder sentence and is on death row and to Marie’s dismay of Waluigi’s decision on hiring him. Akutagawa (as people call him) is tenuously restrained by a large pair of shackles connected by a chain on his wrists, which he seems easily able to break if he wishes. He also wears a long, black coat, and often coughs, using his right hand. He uses a mixture of persuasion and outright threats to manipulate people into doing what he wants. He used to work for the Port Mafia before until he was convicted on murdering his leader Ōgai Mori. He has a black and white "survival of the fittest" view of the world, claiming that stronger people should die and give way to the weak ones. He is not afraid of pain and defeat, if only to hear a word from certain people he meets. His ruthless, vicious nature makes him one of the Port Mafia's most dangerous members, feared by both ally and foe. Much of the obedience he receives from subordinates of the Black Lizard (his former branch) largely stems from fear of his short temper and general intolerance of incompetence. This allows him to instill fear and uneasiness in others, including his prior primary target, The Phantom. Seven years after the Port Mafia Incident (as the media now calls it), Prosecutor Waluigi Pompeii hired Akutagawa and gave him a law license in order to get back at society and the law, he began prosecuting in hopes of luring out the phantom, with Detective Shinya Kogami (Psycho-Pass) (Role: Bobby Fulbright) being assigned to assist and keep an eye on him. His first trial back pitted him against Elmo, who was defending Kale Robinson (Role: Damian Tenma), mayor of Robinson Town, for the murder of Fred Cape (Role: Rex Kyubi), alderman of Nine-Tails Vale. Assisting him was Daphne, who had become an attorney to try to save Akutagawa. Although Akutagawa put the full force of his psychological tactics on display, Elmo managed to pull off a spirited defense of his client, defeating Akutagawa and proving Robinson's innocence. Akutagawa would continue to encounter the members of the Mendoza & Co. as his opponents. When Marie returned from her trip to Norway, she arranged a trial for an orca named Ora "Orla" Shipley, who had allegedly killed her owner, Jack Shipley. She convinced Akutagawa to take the case by finding evidence of a human killer, though Akutagawa was still reluctant to participate in such a bizarre trial. Although Marie was successful in acquitting Orla, his arguments led Simon to indict her trainer, Captain Syrup (Real Name: Mabel Syrup [in this AU]) (Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3) (Role: Sasha Buckler), instead. When Marie took Syrup's case, Akutagawa was confused as to why she would go so far to try to get both Orla and Buckler acquitted. He suggested that Marie was simply offering her services as an act to benefit from the publicity that the trial brought. To his surprise, Marie not only succeeded in his defense, but also fought for the true culprit, revealing that Jack Shipley's death had actually been an accident. This act proved to Akutagawa that Marie actually cared about others, and was not just taking on cases to win like other attorneys were.  

Shinya Kogami (Psycho Pass) (Role: Bobby Fulbright) 

-  Shinya is a serious detective with the catchphrase "In justice we trust." He has worked with Akutagawa many times and is paired up with him in court. The detective hopes to help the former mafia member redeem himself, becoming a prosecutor and he seems completely oblivious to Akutagawa's attempts to manipulate him. Shinya has a strong, yet simplistic, sense of justice, which compels him to help those in trouble, but often conflicts with itself when he has to choose between withholding information from our main character (thus helping the prosecution) and leaking it to them (thus helping the defense). 

Pinocchio Geppetto Tremaine (Disney Pinocchio) (Role: Pearl Fey) (New Info)

-  A member of the Tremaine clan branch family and the younger cousin of Marie's old client Samantha Simpson (Totally Spies). 

Next: Aro Attorney: Spirit of Justice 

(Note: Sorry if this is short)

[random-snippets]

You mentioned you know a lot of background on your new (amazing!!) au. Can we ask questions about it? Like, you said Logan is Patton's brother, but who are Roman and Remus in this verse?

Absolutely!!! 

Remus is Roman’s twin, and actually he is this universe’s matchmaker! He talked Roman into joining a twin study their campus’s psychology department was doing, and it was there they actually met Logan and Patton (who were also doing the study), AND where he was able to introduce everyone to Janus. 

He’d seen Janus around the psych building and of course, being Remus, had zero qualms about bouncing right up to him and starting a conversation. Janus was still somewhat reserved back then, still dealing with a lot of stuff after having been in teh system and now being on his own. But Remus adopted him immediately. It was Janus who told Remus about the twin study (he was assisting as part of a graduate work study program he’d gotten into), and Remus brought Roman. 

Roman and Logan IMMEDIATELY started bickering, and were dating by the end of the week. Patton and Remus hit it off pretty fast too, but their interest in one another was never romantic (even though everyone thought it was at first). They were just kindred spirits of a kind, and became really good friends. And since they were friends, and Remus and Janus were good friends too, well, Patton and Janus ended up spending a lot of time together. They became a group on campus: two sets of twins and Janus. 

Of course, Janus felt like the odd man out at first--I mean, the polar opposite of having zero family is having an identical twin, right?--but the rest of them basically didn’t let him get away with trying to duck out of stuff or pull away from them. And after Patton and Remus finally convinced everyone that NO, they weren’t dating or interested in dating, they were just really good friends, Remus was able to convince Janus to stop freaking pining already and ask Patton out. 

Which he did. Nervously. But Patton was like “Oh thank God I thought you didn’t like me and here I’ve had the biggest crush on you for ages, yes of COURSE!” 

The rest is history! 

Logan and Roman are also long-since married. Patton and Janus are engaged, and Remus is still single, but happy to be, because he’s ace and aro. He’s a welcomed Uncle-figure in all households involved.

[gin-rummy]

Yoooo explain the gin rummy love story please

I would love to, year in all fairness it isn't a happy story, but here we go

we met in first year, right away we didn’t get along, gin was so caught up with her little crush on Potter and well I was a right ass, my whole life I had been told I was a worthless squib and now here I was at one of the best magic schools in the country, I was maybe a little stuck up, (MAybe?!?!?! you refused to talk to any of the other first-years and acted like you knew more than Hermione, I was 11 and my brother was best friends with my celebrate crush!) what finally got us talking was how we were made to be potions partners, oh how I was pissed at snevalus for partnering me with a gryph.

by fourth year we had become good friends and I would spend holidays with Gin’s family, in fact, part of how we became friends was because Draco and Harry started fucking.... I mean dating, back in our 3rd year, and well by then Siri and Moony were already trying to adopt me. so for several years we would have holidays at hers and study together and it was so much time we spent together somewhere along the line we started to like one another, by the time we realized it it was the start of the war almost, Tim was back, so we didn’t really have the time to figure ourselves out.

during our 6th year as soon as we had both turned 17 we got married, as I said before my family wasn’t in the country didn’t understand how big of a deal this was and well if I were to die I wanted my chosen name on the headstone, so we got married, it meant that no one would question us staying in the others dorm it meant we had someone to be with during the hell of that war. 

although our marriage wasn’t one of love yet nissesaty after the war we stayed together, it was finally calm enough for us to confess, yet it wasn’t the time to start a romance, Gin had lost a brother, and I had lost everything because of the part I played in the war, I mean we were still kids, so we stayed together because our love and support of each other was what got us through the war and what had gotten us through Hogwarts we refused to give it up, yet we also refused to give up on our own personal dreams. 

it was the lack of compromise which was our downfall back then, yet even after graduation when Gin went off to be a Quittech star and I left for muggle Univerity to get a nursing degree, we didn’t have the heart to end the marriage, and in those next four years, we didn’t have the time.

It was during those years apparent that I realized how much I loved Gin, how much I wanted her to be my Wife, in every sense of the word, yet almost everytime I picked up a newspaper she was in the gossip collum with someone else (like you were any better I dated those people because you never returned my letters, you never even gave me an address I only ever saw you at Christmas because the Blacks came to our house) eventually I tried to move on as well, I was living fully in the muggle world at the time, I didn’t even have a wand, so I tried to forget the wizarding world, I loved muggle science and I soon after graduation started to get my masters in psychology, it was around this time that Draco found me, I didn’t want to go back to the wizarding world, yet he convinced me to volunteer at st mungos with him each Wednesday.

it was at st mungos that I realized how much the wizarding worlds health care lacked, so after I got the psych masters I wrote to Magonigal, to see if I could work at Hogwarts, she said yes and I became the nursing assistant, it was there that I remembered my skill for divination, and soon took over the class.

being at Hogwarts reminded me of Ginny so much, painfully much, so I decided to write her a letter, I kept it casual Harry was also working at Hogwarts to I suggested that the 3 of us get drinks some time.

it took a long time but eventually, we started dating, we didn’t talk about our feelings, yet we would get dinner every Friday and each weekend she would spend with me in my little room at Hogwarts I had as a professor, and during summer vacation we would spend it at her lovely home, we lived like that for several years before Eva came along.

I met Eva during a summer vacation when for a little extra cash I was working at st mongos, My gran was dying and her hospital bills were causinging me more than I really had. yet working at st mungos I met eva, she was probably about 2 whaen I first saw her, and I knew that I had to adopt her, give her the life she deserved, I won’t talk on her live before she came to live with gin and I.

a couple months after I first met Eva my gran died, and a couple weeks after that I got an owl from my mother saying that my dad had passed away. I could never have gotten through that without ginny. It was after my father’s funeral that we finally sat down and had the talk, we decided to try the whole couple thing again, well maybe not again but for real.

originally we were never going to redo our wedding, we both saw it as what caused all our problems, yet it also kept us together, even when we weren't speaking and when we were seeing other people, we were married, we had certain responsibility, I’ll never forge the first time I got the call that gin was in the hospital.

yet after we officially adopted Eva we realized that for her we should really do the marriage right, Molly was so so happy to throw us a wedding, other than Charly Gin was the last to marry.

and it still takes work our marriage but I wouldn't change a thing about it, even the hard parts, even when Gin learned about my Mother. (I wouldn’t change a thing, it may not be perfect yet it is ours)

- Bay (And Gin)