#although those after hours set painting sessions did include some making out

[freebooter4ever]

holy shit for the first time in ten years i forgot nicks birthday

[sorryimanon]

Character: Katsuki Bakugou

Parings: Bakugou x fem!reader

Warnings: 18+, characters are in their third year.

Word Count: 5.4K

The two honor students of UA so happen to be childhood enemies. During the succession that is exams, Y/N is determined to beat Bakugou.

-

Exam season has commenced on the campus of U.A. Students woke up in a frenzied state, slightly nervous to the late night studying they’ll endure for the weeks to come. Not enough caffeine can energize them to be in complete motivation mode. A couple of students have taken the leisure of paying those to exchange notes, considering most of the questions will be going over every little detail in each subject. The exams don’t begin till next week, but a few of the honor students have already hit the books, not once indulging in a break or two till the sun sets. One of those students just so happen to be you, an inspiring young hero with the hunger for being on top of everything. Ever since middle school, teachers would constantly praise you on your performance during tests. It was no surprise to anyone when you aced the entrance exam to U.A, a remarkable score leading you closer to reaching your dream. Although your scores on every test was superb, someone else would occasionally steal the spotlight with by topping your score. That person in particular has been tailing behind you ever since middle school, another honor student who also attends U.A as well. Did you mention he also is in the same hero course as you?

Katsuki Bakugou is his name. A name that burns the tip of your tongue whenever you gave roll call alongside Iida. The man is a ball of pure fury. He exuded nothing but anger and hostility whenever he’s in a room. Despite his aggressive exterior, Katsuki is an avid academic student who manages to score excellent grades in each of his classes. For the past 3 years of attending U.A, you two are considered the star studded scholars, never once failing a test, midterm, pop quiz , you name it! Now with your hero course almost coming to an end, you were determined to at least score the highest result this exam season, leaving Bakugou in the dust with his inadequate score. Maybe have him crying in the corner would suffice the drawn out rivalry you two established. No one verbally said it was an all out war between you two, but everytime those test results are posted on the board, everyone steered clear for the both of you to silently react. Everyone awaits for the day when one of you finally snaps and start clawing at each other. But alas, only the mere exchange of a side eye and a curt nod. Deep down you do want to slap the smirk that always resides on his face during those moments, showing him you weren’t just going to let him win by smarts.

That’s why now you sit alone on the cushioned couch in the commons area, books sprawled around you like a protective barrier. You had your eyes glued to a textbook about the history of quirks and their physiology, a class in which you needed to spend studying the most for. It’s been a a few hours into your little study session, and you were beginning to feel the drag of how much you needed to actually work on. All this including your current homework and your mandatory internship studies at an agency. It was all too much to handle. So, maybe you do deserve a break.

Pushing the book aside, you stretched out your cramped up arms and sigh in relief. In the corner of your eye you spot a familiar head of ashy blonde walking into the commons room, books and notebooks crammed into his armpit while holding what seems to be an energy drink. Your eye twitched watching him plop down onto the couch across from you, never once paying attention to your presence. Katsuki then rests his bare feet on the wooden coffee table, opening one of his textbooks with the swipe of his thump. For some odd reason, this really riled you up. And it was clear Katsuki noticed too.

“Am I bothering you? Hm?” He smugly asked, eyes not wavering from the text before him.

You scoffed.

“No. Just, don’t speak while I’m trying to study okay?”

He clicked his tongue at you.

“Doesn’t seem like you’re studying to me. Looks like you’ve given up already. What gives?”

His comment made you even angrier.

“Given up? Kacchan, you’ve barely started.”

Looking up, you can see a faint vein forming against the temple of his forehead. His fists clenched tightly, crumpling the sides of the textbook. His eyes now were averted to yours. The crimson death glare, you’d call it.

“I was training with Kirishima, dumbass. So of course I couldn’t hop onto my studies earlier,” he started. Katsuki opens his energy drink with one finger, the pop of the air leaving the can satisfying to your ears, and took a swing of it. “Also, don’t ever fucking call me that. If I hear it from your mouth again I won’t hesitate to use my quirk on you.”

An intriguing idea. Usually you’d be the one to threaten your enemy, but Katsuki like always beat you to the punch.

“No thanks, I’d rather be harassed by grape juice than be blasted from the likes of you,” the taunt in your voice triggered something within Katsuki, causing him to tense up in pure anger. “Besides, I’m planning on studying all day till my eyes fall out. So don’t expect me to leave this spot.”

His smirk was soon on full display, uncrossing his legs to lean forward so he can rest his elbow on his knee.

“Oh really? Just so you know we have an early training tomorrow in preparation for our final exam. Wouldn’t want ya to, cha know, fail?” He didn’t even sound slightly concern for yourself and your future study habits, you can tell he wishes for you to fuck up your sleeping schedule to miss the important training in the morning.

“I have an alarm set on my phone so I don’t miss my beauty rest. Wouldn’t want to pass up the opportunity of kicking your ass tomorrow,” you held your mobile device triumphantly, waving it back and forth to mock him.

With the roll of his eyes, Katsuki returned back to his studies, leaving you to sadly resume as well. Before he entered the commons area, you were about to head into your dorm room to take a nap, but now you were obligated to stay put without letting him think you’re already burnt out.

Silently, you both continued on with the unspoken competition.

-

Evening struck quicker than you expected, cascading the soft glow of the painted sky through the windows, illuminating both you Katsuki in a pink hue. Thankfully, Katsuki took your words into consideration and never spoke to you during the session, giving you an easy feeling of relaxation without him making it another competition.

Already you finished your notes for advance foreign language, quirk physiology, and mathematics. So far, you were ahead of everyone else, with the exception of Katsuki. Occasionally, you’d catch yourself glancing over at him working intensively in his small corner, highlighting and jotting down every minuscule detail in his notebook. This was your first time witnessing how Katsuki studies. To your disappointment, his regime was nothing out of the ordinary. Then how the fuck does he manage to score high grades? It simply baffled you.

A stampede of footsteps was to be heard coming from the hallway leading to the commons area. After what seems to be years, you cranked your head away from your notebook to see Kirishima and the rest of the gang marching towards the direction of both you and Katsuki, who was currently shooting daggers at the group of friends. The red head was the first to speak out of the four of them.

“Aye Bakubro! Wanna skip the studying for a little and eat with us at NoodleShop?” His smile gleamed brightly, showcasing his shark incisors.

“Y/N you too! Come join us. I’ll pay!” Mina chimed in.

Noodles sounded pretty appetizing right about now. You skipped out on lunch, too engrossed on the idea of getting a head start for the exams. Now you regret the decision of leaving your stomach on empty.

But you still had so much left to do. And knowing Katsuki’s competitive nature, he wasn’t going to move an inch from his spot.

“It’s okay Mina, I uh- already ate a big meal awhile ago,” you dismissed her, patting your belly to show you were indeed, full.

As if on cue, a loud growl erupted from the depths of your stomach, the noise reverberating across the soundless space. Denki and Sero both snickered.

To your amazement, Katsuki got up from the couch and trailed over to the group, slipping on his red hoodie that was draped on the arm rest. He took a quick glimpse at you and smirked over his shoulder.

“Watch my things for me will ya, extra?” And with that they all left the area as a group.

You huffed in defeat and stared back at your jumbled pile of notes, the writing transcending from neat to sloppy text. At least you don’t have an explosive blonde sharing the same air as you for now. You reached into your bag and grabbed another textbook, this one being more heftier than the others.

“Oh well, more time for studying...” you said to yourself as you skimmed through the pages of Hero First Aid: Volume 6.

-

The beautiful spring sky soon was replaced by the expanse of darkness, the twinkle of the bright stars catching your eyes. The moon alone helped cast a sheen of light, allowing you to work in the dimly lit up space. Bakugou didn’t return to retrieve his stuff, all of which were sat untouched in a hasty mess. You figure him and the rest of the gang would have been back on campus by now, but everyone in class 1-A have locked themselves in their dorms since lights out will commence in a few. Aizawa has yet to prohibit you from staying past the curfew. As long as you don’t go running among the halls like a lunatic and stay strictly to studying, he’s all game. And that’s exactly what you did.

A couple of students murmured as they passed by you, saying things like “Does she ever have a life” or “All she does is study...no wonder no one has asked her out yet”. As much as the comments sting, you knew they weren’t true to your heart. Last year, someone in class 2-B formally asked you to the dance. To their dismay, you rejected them on the spot. Only because you didn’t have time to date or talk romantically with anyone. It’s a distraction to both your education and future career.

Okay, so maybe they were partially correct. At least you had your first kiss before entering U.A? But the person who stole your kiss was obligated to do so, after being dared by their fellow acquaintances. Nothing more beyond that have you explored with another person.

Submerged in your own thoughts, you didn’t notice the presence of the angry blonde, hands stuffed in the pockets of his hoodie as he strolled to the couch that had all his materials. He began to gather his things when suddenly he freezes, remembering what you said about not moving an inch from your spot. He’s astonished to see you cemented on the same couch, in the same position, notes blanketing your thighs along with the pile books pooling at the edge.

You really are determined to beat him, he thought. Bakugou can’t deny he’s impressed with your ambition and drive to be the best among your peers, even if that means sacrificing basic human needs. Like food and sleep.

Although, looking at you right now in this state, with your eyes threatening to close shut, mouth slightly agape, and hair bunched up in a tight knot, it’s clear you were exhausted. He spoke without realizing it.

“Hey dumbass! The fuck you still doing here, huh? It’s almost lights out.”

His brooding voice startled you awake, causing the papers on your lap to spill on the carpeted floor. Bakugou coughed out a low chuckle, amused by how the mere sound of his voice scares you.

“Oh it’s just you,” you said, disregarding how that could easily irritate him.

“Yeah, it’s me. Anyway you should be getting rest. You’re smart enough to know that, idiot.”

Even though it was a subtle backhanded compliment, you couldn’t help but to appreciate him acknowledging your intellect.

“I can’t. I have to go over my flash cards for mathematics and then finish this week’s homework for tomorrow—.”

“Holy fucking shit shut up. Don’t you realize what you’re doing to yourself right now?” When you didn’t answer, Bakugou slapped his forehead. “You’re gonna burn yourself out dumbass! Then you won’t have any motivation left to study for when the exams are actually starting.”

Stunned, you watch as Bakugou stomps over to where you’re sitting at, crimson eyes never leaving yours. He then props his leg on the cushion next to your trembling thighs, out stretching his arm to grab ahold of something. Too focused on the proximity between you two, it didn’t register that he swiped your flash cards from your hands. What is wrong with him? Does he want to sabotage you this badly before exams?

“Bakugou! Give those back! I need them for my exam on Monday!” you ignored how whiny you sounded, not wanting to give Katsuki the satisfaction he thinks he deserves.

“You really think whining like a bitch will make me hand these over? Think again, dumb-.”

You cut him off with a surprise attack, shoving his entire body to the ground with the force of yours. Bakugou’s arms were pinned above him as you tried to pry the flash cards from his death grip on them. Stubbornly, he wiggles his body to keep you from reaching his arms, almost knocking you off his torso like a bull. Looking down, both of you were in a compromising position. Straddling his hips while he laid lifelessly underneath you, panting like a feral dog. You tried to keep the heat from spreading throughout your body as you felt his groin rub against your sex, but failed tremendously when he can obviously see the prominent blush creeping on your cheeks.

“What the fuck was that all about?! Why are you so adamant about beating me so much!” He yelled directly in your face.

A question that neither of you knew the answer to. Why were you so determined to destroy Bakugou? Shouldn’t a fellow honor student be happy that another is also making their education a main priority? Or maybe there is another underlying reason, something deeper under the dermis of your skin that you couldn’t quite reach.

You further the distance away from his face by leaning backwards, eventually hitting the front of his thighs and kneecaps.

“You don’t understand. I have to be good at everything. I need this in order to be the hero I’ve been wanting to be. Even if that means neglecting my own needs...” you paused, unsure if Bakugou was even listening anymore. “That is, until you came along and ruined everything.”

“Hah?!” His reaction was incredulous.

“Don’t “Hah” me! It’s been your plan all along since middle school to top me at everything. So why me?!”

“Well maybe it’s because I’ve always looked up to you dumbass! Have you ever considered that!”

The words tumbled out of his throat as if he’s been holding off on the sentiment. Bakugou Katsuki, the abrasive yet studious boy, just so happens to admire you? Never it occurred to you that maybe, just maybe, you also strived to be the absolute best solely because of him. The way he strides into a battle with confidence, not an ounce of doubt that he’ll lose. His diabolical strategies that somehow works out in the end. Or the way how underneath that rough exterior, he believes he’ll be the one left climbing to the top, along with his peers. It’s his sticky pride that kept the rivalry between you two so alive. But was it really a rivalry after all this time?

Eyes widen at the confession, you stay frozen on his lap, fingers bunching up the top half of his hoodie. The silence broke Katsuki. For once, he wanted you to at least admit it, that you were also in the same boat as he is right now. So, he hesitantly reaches out and rests his palm against your flushed face, basking in at your sudden reaction to him touching you.

“Why does everything have to be a competition between us?” His soft spoken voice was uncharacteristic for him, you were so used to his gravelly tone after years of being the victim to it.

You felt the traces of his warm finger tips tickling lines on your outer cheek, as if he’s done this before.

“Isn’t that our dynamic? Competitive enemies?” The comment made him quirk an eyebrow at you.

“Enemies? You were never one in my eyes in the first place...” He trailed off, getting distracted by how close you’ve gotten to his face. To his lips.

“Then, what am I to you?” you leaned in closer, hoping to catch a glimpse of something in his eyes. You took notice that his pupils were dilated, making his eyes darker than usual. The hand rubbing lines on your cheek snaked around behind your head, taking full comfort on the base of your neck. The feeling was quite foreign to you. How long you yearned till days on end for someone to touch you tenderly like this. Especially from someone like Katsuki Bakugou.

“Does this answer your question.” Was all he said before smashing his lips to mount yours, the sudden contact making you shiver in his arms.

You felt him breathe out in surprise against your mouth when you took the initiative by swiping your tongue on his bottom lip. The kiss was exquisitely slow and intense. So intense that Bakugou forgot where he even was at the moment, too engulfed at the texture of your tongue asking for entrance. The fingers digging into the back of your neck started to hurt, but you didn’t mind the pain, the pleasure overwhelming all your senses. You can hear the harsh undertones of his breathing every time you slightly moved the lower half of your body.

“Stop moving, idiot,” he said breathlessly.

He knew he was fucked by seeing the smirk forming on your lips.

“Oh, you mean like this?” You then grind your hips in a harsh motion, relishing in the bashful look on Katsuki’s face.

He let his hands go freely, attaching themselves on both sides of your hips, grounding you to stop altogether. He sat in an upright position, encasing you between his legs and hard chest, your legs wrapping around his torso. Any other time it’d be comforting, but right now you felt like a bird trapped in a cage.

“Who knew the good girl would be so disobedient? Kind of hot not gonna lie.” He bent his head to where it was directly hovering over the sensitive spot on your collarbone. “Even when we’re just making out, you have to make everything a goddamn competition huh?”

A gasp left your throat once his tongue licked a clean strip on the surface. He chuckled, loving the feeling of you squirming in his muscular arms and continued the attack on your skin. His feather-like kisses switched to full on feverish sucking and biting. He proceeded to suck on the area, letting go with a definite ‘pop’, then returned back by making out on the bruised skin.

The combination of his tongue, the death grip on your hip, and the bulge protruding from his loose sweatpants was too much stimulation already. Before you knew it, Katsuki abruptly stood up from the floor, along with you, and placed you back on the plush couch. Your legs were wide open, giving him a good view of your white panties beneath the school skirt. You clamped your legs together after seeing the blonde lick his lips at the sight.

“D-Don’t be such a pervert,” you squeaked out.

That didn’t stop him from slipping his hand in between the crack of your legs, spreading them wider than before.

“Stop lying to yourself. You’ve imagined me between these thighs haven’t you?” The silence following his question was enough to suffice him. “Such a naughty girl.” Those crimson eyes stared straight ahead as he tugged your panties down a notch.

Here?! Right now? Why couldn’t he reside both of you in his dorm? It was literally at the end of the hallway. Plus, the thought of your teacher, Aizawa, catching you would be mortifying.

Your hand quickly latched itself around Katsuki’s forearm, halting him from proceeding his lustrous actions.

“What are you doing?! We could get caught you idiot!”

Katsuki grins and says, “You’re right. We need to find a way to shut you up.” Without preamble, he practically ripped the thin panties with sheer ferocity, causing you to yelp. You were about to scold him for ruining your favorite pair when said panties got shoved into your open mouth. “Remember, don’t want to get us caught right? Now be the good girl like you are and stay quiet for me.” Obediently you nodded at his order and prayed that whatever he’s going to do to you won’t be too much.

Katsuki hummed, obviously pleased at how well you’re going along with this. He wonders how far you’ll go till you break. With the swipe of his tongue, Katsuki dragged it up and down on the opening of your drenched sex. You mewled at the new sensation, legs already trembling as he his own salvia covered your folds. He bit and nibbled on the sweet spot, the clit, and lapped a few lazy strokes with his pointer finger in circular motions. Before you could stop him, he inserted the lubricant finger into your hole slowly, pumping it a couple of times to get you loosened up. Muffled moans perked up the ears of Katsuki. Looking up, he saw the beautiful sight of your eyes rolled behind your head along with the familiar tint of red on your cheeks. Just like the secretive slut you truly are, you swayed your hips to create more friction. Katsuki acknowledged your needy movements and dipped his head between your legs again, returning back to kissing your sex open mouthed. The lewd noises of him sucking on your wetness elicited a long drawn out moan from you, making Katsuki’s own cock twitch at the glorious sound.

“You’re so fucking cute like this. Almost coming from just my tongue and fingers. Fucking slut,” he said between suctions. “God, what were we thinking...we could’ve just resolved our issues like this every time.”

You grabbed a handful of his spiked up hair and raised his head away from your lower region. While doing so, you spit out the soaked clothed panty from your mouth, letting it drift off to the floor.

“Just s-shut up and do something about m-me,” you manage to croak out. You flicked your eyes on Katsuki and to the hand buried inside your skirt.

“Ah, want more than just my fingers? Could’ve just said so. Why are you being so quiet with your needy demands, babe?”

This newfound nickname plucked a heart sting within you. You shook off his snarky comment and stood up from the couch. If it’s a competition he wants, then it’s a competition he’ll get.

“Take off your pants and sit on the couch.”

Craning his head back, his own roar of a laughter bounced across the quiet room. Laughter dying down, his expression changed seeing how serious you actually were.

“Tch. Whatever you say dumbass. Don’t want you to explode on me now.”

He did as you said and removed the article of clothing, leaving him in nothing but his red boxer briefs. The bulge grew bigger the longer you stared at it. He laid back on the plush cushion and rested his arms behind his head.

“Alright, I’m waiting Y/N,” he taunted you.

One by one, you unbutton your school uniform and let it fall off your shoulders, along with your plaid skirt pooling at your ankles. Arms crossed on your chest you tower over Katsuki, who was surprisingly not staring at your goods, but your eyes. Beckoning you forward with his glare, you straddle him immediately, hands resting on his broad shoulders.

My, all these years of being in the same class and never once did you take advantage of appreciating how chiseled he looked in his hero costume. Sometimes you’d glance his way or pretend to be busy, but really, you wanted to see him in action. The way how his muscles would contract with each swing or punch. It was enough to make a girl swoon. Now you were swooning for sure. On his lap to be precise.

“Oi, you gonna do something nerd? My cock isn’t going to finish off itself.” His voice snapped you back to reality.

It took a few minutes, but you were finally hovering over the tip of his throbbing member, the glistening of his pre-cum coating your fingers. You teased him by rubbing just the tip against your entrance, lubricating the member even more. He tried to muffle his whines, but failed tremendously after feeling his tip graze your sex. Both of you were heavily now, anticipation radiating off of your sweaty bodies. Tenderly, you kissed him open mouth while sheathing yourself on his cock.

“Holy shit, holy fuck fuck fuck,” the vulgar words spilled from his mouth against yours as you bottomed out. You stayed in that position. Still unsure what to do and what you got yourself into. Pretty sure you’re torturing Katsuki by the minute.

“F-Fucking move," He growled in your ear.

Leaning in closer you whisper, “You have to beg for it then.” You nibbled the loose skin on the bottom of his ear and tugged it gently.

“Hell no! God-fucking-damnit don’t make this a competition right now Y/N.” The palm of his abnormally large hand pushed your face away from his. You giggled.

“C’mon Bakugou, there’s no harm in it. Just say please?”

“Fuck you shitty woman...”

“That’s not begging,” you pouted.

He pursed his lips. Bakugou admittedly is getting more turned on by the minute, and not just because you were practically inside him.

“P-Please fucking move. I w-want you to fuck me so bad you have no idea. Please Y/N...”

Smiling, you raised your hips to where the veins on the side of his member scraped the walls within you. It made your cunt twitch in pure ecstasy. Slowly, you lowered yourself back down, only this time you weren’t stagnant. You repeated the same vertical movements, clashing your hips with his. Bakugou titled his head back on the couch, degrading sentiments leaving his mouth as his hands grasped the sweaty flesh of your ass, squeezing it harshly every time you bounced on his dick. The tip of his member taking your breath away as it prodded the spongy walls.

“Yes- oh fuck yes. Ngh, keep doing that. Yeah like that. Hah-fuck, don’t stop,” he said between the constant panting.

Due to your rapid bouncing, your boobs were flailing in the air, occasionally hitting Bakugou in the face. Katsuki took matters into his own hands and latched his mouth around one of your perked nipples. You squealed at the sudden sensation.

“B-Bakugou...don’t do that...it’ll make me come faster,” you moaned as he grazed his teeth on your taut nipple.

For revenge, he tugged back the areola till it reached a few centimeters from your chest. Painful yes, but you couldn’t deny it felt amazing. He quickly let go and returned to sucking on the tit, lathering it up with his own spit. All the while you were riding him till the muscles and tendons in your legs gave out. Steadying your hands on his shoulders, you grounded on your knees to give yourself a better leverage. Feeling touch starved, Bakugou shoved your hands from his shoulders and laced his fingers between them. Like a missing puzzle piece, you fit in perfectly with him. Everything about you was perfection. You defined it. Sitting here watching as you take him well, physically or not, he was completely enamored by the mere sight of you. He craned his head to brush just the tip of your nose. A nose he unmistakably mentally captured because he loved the feature so much.

Although, he couldn’t think straight after that once you bottomed out again and rolled your hips in tune to his panting. You made a mess out of the aggressive blonde. Each time you swayed your body to the side he’d grunt out a low moan, trying to contain his usual loud profanities from waking up your classmates. Bakugou reached down and teasingly rubbed the sensitive bud, getting revenge for all the times you’ve pissed him off. Under your breath, you moaned out his last name.

“Say my name,” he grunted, hands continuing to expertly work on you from below.

Confused, you obeyed and moaned, “Bakugou!”

Suddenly, a painful sting sparked throughout your lower back. Eyes glued shut due to the searing pain, you whimper feeling a calloused hand smooth over the spot on your ass.

Katsuki spanked you. And you liked it.

“My actual name, dumbass. I wanna hear it coming from your mouth.”

With a thrust, you continue moving up and down on his cock, never once missing a beat.

“K-...Katsuki. Katsuki-Katsuki...” his name sounded ethereal, as if he was a higher being.

Katsuki returned the favor and fisted your hair in a tight knot, your scalp screaming at how harsh he was pulling.

“That’s a good girl.”

With a playful slap to your behind, Katsuki roughly shoves you to mount his lips again. Lips parted, both of your tongues twisted against each other, sharing a decent amount of saliva. He slipped out and pecked your lips a few times before biting down on your bottom lip. It didn’t hurt like all the times he inflicted pain on you previously. But this time you swore you felt the trickle of blood trailing down to your chin. The coppery taste infiltrating your taste buds only increased your arousal. What a masochist.

Bakugou noticed the pacing of your movements decreasing, indicating you are already feeling worn out, and steadied his hands onto your hips.

“Just let me do the work here, dumbass,” he said as he thrusted sharply into your womb, causing you to whimper into his neck. “I’ll take good care of you. You deserve a break from studying after all.”

-

You woke up feeling dizzy and fatigued, body aching from your toes to your head. From what you can remember, you were in the middle of studying when...

Katsuki happened.

Then you realized you weren’t in the commons area anymore. Somehow, you were laying in a medium sized bed, covers strewn over your naked body, along with a muscular arm draped across your torso. To your side you can see a passed out Katsuki snoring quietly into his pillow. Even when he’s asleep, he still looks angry.

Jolting upright, you carefully pry his arm from your body. No prevail. He’s got a strong hold on you.

He shuffled in his sleep and tightened his grip around you.

“Mmm...not leaving...stay a little longer,” he mumbled.

You rolled your eyes. “We both can’t walk out of your dorm in the morning. People will get suspicious of us. Not to mention Aizawa,” you retorted back.

“Oh? Don’t like the idea of ‘us’ huh? That’s not what you said last night.”

You didn’t need to look to know he was wearing his infamous shit eating smirk.

“Shut up.”

For the first time you heard Katsuki genuinely laugh without forcing it. You looked over and saw his eyes wide open now, staring at nothing but you.

“Whatever, you love me Y/N.”

“I DO NOT!”

Grabbing your face with his rough hands, he pressed a tender kiss to your lips.

“Go to fucking sleep nerd, we have a pre-exam in a few hours.”

-

(You can obviously tell I got lazy at the end LMFAO. This has been in my drafts for a LONG time. Also, this isn’t edited so please excuse the horrendous text that is this post. Xoxo)

[monster-bait]

Holt the Witch’s Familiar; M Cat Familiar x F Human, NSFW Monster Match

Monster Match for @moonlightreetops​: What I usually look for in a partner is someone that is the equivalent to bedrock personality wise. I need stability and understanding in some sort of way to make me feel secure in a relationship...I collect macabre trinkets and spend most of my time doing little creative projects. I watch scifi flix, anime and play DND so big geek vibes here

I was *determined* to give him the name of an actual, historical familiar, and I didn’t name him Vinegar Tom, so YOU’RE WELCOME. Also, I left a TON of Holt on the cutting room floor, so there will likely be a sequel to this down the road!

The doll had a particularly creepy face.

“Miss Claudette is from the mid-eighteen hundreds,” the female auctioneer read, “once belonging to a privileged little girl of the era, she is a magnificent model of the expectations of a typical Victorian lady.”

You bit your lip in anticipation as hands reached into the frame, turning the doll on her pedestal to show off the detailing on the dress; the creepy, painted bisque face forgotten. 

You had no idea who he was—he never spoke, never stepped into the frame, never did anything other than manipulate the items at the behest of the sultry voiced woman in charge, but you’d be lying if you pretended he wasn’t the reason you kept tuning in week after week to their oddity auction, his lovely hands and the banter afterwards. 

Long and white and sculpted, veins and tendons standing out in relief, his hands were their own work of art, like a living sculpture. The endlessly long fingers were tipped in equally lengthy nails, painted matte black and ending in lethal-looking points, you supposed calling them claws would likely be more accurate.

You wondered, not for the first time, if he were a werewolf, or some similar creature. 

He wouldn’t have the nails all the time, you reminded yourself, thinking of what Kenzie had said. The chipper werewolf had been in your gaming group for several months, a welcome addition, for geeky clubs tended to be overrun with guys, and you’d become friendly with her almost immediately, bonding over a shared love of anime and crafting. You’d casually wondered aloud if werecreatures retained elements of their bestial side, like sharp claws, perhaps, but the freckle-faced young woman had quashed your supposition.

“Nope,” she’d announced cheerfully, seating herself at the gaming table. “Unless it’s like, the day of the change, maybe.”

You had no idea who or what he was, but conversing with him after the auction each week had become a bright spot in your weekend calendar. 

It had started when you discovered the wonderful, weird world of oddities auctions run weekly on Instagram. You’d always had a penchant for the macabre and had amassed a nice little collection over the years, but now small businesses were hurting and you could enjoy oddity shopping from the comfort of your phone. You’d heard of the Cat & Crow but had never made the drive to the neighboring city to visit the shop in person, and were excited to see what they had to offer.

“Welcome everyone to the Cat & Crow, thanks for joining us today.” 

The woman before the camera wore the uniform of every other social media witch you followed—trendy, artfully tattered black clothes, her raven-colored hair done up in a crown of braids and dreadlocks; her eyeliner expertly winged, tattoos that appeared to be tree branches reaching across her clavicle, with half a dozen rings on each hand.

“Winners, Holt will be contacting you directly at the auction’s end, please be ready with your method of payment. We’ve got a lot of unique items to get through today, so let's get started!”

It wasn’t until the third week you’d tuned in that you’d chatted with the mysterious Holt. You’d been outbid on several of the items you liked, but managed to snag two others, including a victorian poison ring, and he’d recognized your screen name.

Hello again! What were you the big winner of this week? Lot 23 and 47...the onyx and gold poison ring and the pocket-sized surgical tool set. Hmm! Big weekend plans?

You’d laughed aloud at your laptop, cheeks coloring despite the fact you were alone. Nothing nefarious as all that, I swear! Although my table game group had better stay on their toes tonight…

Oh fun! I used to belong to one of those before I moved. So what are you guys playing right now?

After that week, he asked after your game group at the end of every auction. You told him of the hours-long game of Catan, the entire month of Call of Cthulhu, the bickering session that had broken out over a game of Azule.

That sounds great actually. I need to start doing fun things again, since we’ve started the auctions I feel like I’m working 24/7.

You bit your lip now, thinking of his words from the previous week. 

After the creepy doll had been some Templar altar piece, a hand of glory with only one candle remaining, and a terrifying victorian wind-up toy, and the only thing to which you’d paid attention was his hands and his sharp claws, shifting things around as the witchy-looking woman spoke. 

You’d realized your shopping habit had become more expensive than you’d initially counted on, and that for the last several weeks you were truly only bidding on items as a way to talk to him after the auction’s close. Just ask him. You don’t need to buy anything today, you don’t even like the stuff! Just take a deep breath and do it. Deciding the voice in your head was right, you did as it advised, sucking in a breath and leaning over your keyboard before you changed your mind.

Hi! Not a winner this week, nothing really caught my eye. You swallowed hard, pushing on. I wanted to invite you to join our group sometime! We meet every Saturday at the Melted Meeple, so tonight, lol! You grimaced at yourself, but persevered. We’re just playing CAH right now, but there’s talk of a D&D campaign starting up. The more the merrier!

You waited a minute, then two, before pushing yourself up from the desk. If he didn’t respond, it wasn’t a big deal, you told yourself. He was working, after all, and you really did need to get ready to go meet your friends that evening. Hair fluffed, clothes changed, the handful of dishes you’d left in the sink washed and put away...you went back to your laptop just before you needed to get going, holding your breath as you looked at the screen.

That sounds great! I have to finish things up here, but hopefully I won’t be too late. This will be fun, I feel like we’re old friends at this point!

You told yourself the bounce in your step as you left was simply because it was a nice evening, that you were happy to spend time with your friends and nothing more. That’s it. Just another normal night.

.

.

“So what are you going to do?” you asked him for the dozenth time that evening, before biting into a crust of melty cheese, your eyes rolling back in bliss. The Melted Meeple specialized in gaming and grilled cheese, and they excelled at both.

Holt shrugged, spearing a sweet potato fry. He was a finicky eater, carefully cutting things with a knife and fork, scrutinizing the menu every week as though it were the first time he’d seen it, before ordering the exact same thing. He took his time with things and could not be rushed—spearing his fries one at a time, swirling the straw in his drink until the ice had all but melted into the alcohol—and as a result, the two of you spent more time tucked away at your own little table than you did playing the group’s game, but you wouldn’t have it any other way.

You were smitten.

You’d been a nervous wreck that first night, raising your head anxiously every time the Meeple’s great doors were pulled open, but you did your best to hide it from your friends. You were used to being the steady one, after all, the one who gave advice and provided a ready shoulder for the whole group...you didn’t begrudge your friends their drama and woes, but it made it hard when you had your own anxieties and nowhere to turn.

Kenzie had dropped into the seat next to you, had been going on about the latest disaster with her boyfriend when her head had snapped up, nose wrinkled.

“Ugh, cat. It’s too close to the moon to deal with smelling that.”

You hadn’t noticed the door pulling open, and weren’t entirely sure how he’d managed to do it silently, but a man who’d not been standing before the entrance a moment earlier had stood there then, his citron-green cat eyes scanning the room hesitantly. You’d known it was him instantly.

Thick raven-colored hair and bone-white skin, slim black jeans and a black leather jacket atop a blood red shirt, he was a fitting counterpart to the witch who ran the oddity auction. One of his thick, arched black brows had cocked hopefully when they landed on you staring at him, and you raised a hesitant hand in greeting, smiling when his lips split, revealing a row of blinding white teeth. You took note of the long, hooked incisors in his smile.

“Is he a werecat?” you’d hissed to Kenzie as he made his way across the huge room.

She’d sniffed the air, wrinkling her nose again. “No. Just...just a cat. I don’t get it. I’m going to grab a drink before the next game starts, you want anything?”

He was a familiar, you’d learned. A witch’s familiar, a sleek black cat when he wasn’t the handsome, slightly goth-looking man sitting across from you. His witch, the auctioneer, Arabeth the mistress of Crows—“Bethany,” he’d corrected flatly, rolling his eyes—was his business partner and co-owner of the Cat & Crow, a naturally gifted witch with no direction or commitment to the craft, according to him.

“Let me tell you, working in retail was not a career ambition for me,” he’d laughed that first night, as the two of you sat at your own small table away from the group, sharing a basket of fries before joining the game. “But the shop is successful and it keeps me busy, since she’s all but abandoned her path.” 

By the end of the night, your stomach had been a riot of butterflies. He was stable and confident, a sharp departure from the majority of your friend group, you’d realized. Stable and confident, and ridiculously good looking. You’d thought he was of a middling height when you’d been seated, but he towered over you, engulfing you in a hug at the evening’s end.

“This was a lot of fun, thanks for inviting me!”

“Every Saturday,” you replied breathlessly, trying to restrain yourself from burying your face against his solid chest. You didn’t know what Kenzie was talking about, he didn’t smell like a cat at all—he smelled like black musk and pine, making you think of a dark forest on an autumn night, masculine and sexual…“I hope you’ll join us again!”

“If you’ll be here, I definitely will,” he’d said, giving you another one of those sharp-edged smiles, his eyes glowing on the dark street.

That had been over a month ago, and you were head-over heels in your crush. 

He’d joined you every Saturday, and it had become your custom to eat together, away from the group before joining in whatever game was starting. When both Kenzie and another friend had flaked on going furniture shopping with you, he’d taken their place, doing the heavy lifting, putting together a bookcase, and paying for dinner afterwards, despite your insistence to the contrary. It was a revelation, having someone there to hear your problems, and you were happy to do the same, whenever he came in grumbling about his deteriorating relationship with his witch.

When your gaming group began planning its Dungeons and Dragons campaign at last, you discovered Holt had never played and wasn’t familiar with any of the rules.

“First we have to decide your character,” you explained, pushing a character sheet across the table. “Race, attributions, what you’d like your strengths to be…”

“Tell me again why I can’t be a bard who’s also a sorcerer.”

“You can cast spells as a bard! We’ve been through this!”

“I want to be sneaky and magical and have everyone love me.”

You’d come to the Cat & Crow once, popping in unannounced, and had seen him in his cat form. Sleek and sinuous, jet black with bright green eyes, the black cat had rubbed up against your ankles as you’d stood there, after being greeted by the friendly-seeming witch, mewling determinedly before darting off into the back room. Holt had come breezing out a moment later, announcing to Bethany that you were going out for sushi and would be back in an hour.

“So basically you just want to play yourself,” you laughed, receiving a not-at-all angelic smile in return.

It was the first grownup relationship you’d ever had, you’d realized with a start that evening. You loved your friends and wouldn’t change a thing about them, but it was nice not playing therapist, having a solid give-and-take of support. Your first real adult relationship, and it’s completely one sided. Brava.

Still, you thought, when he slinked through the Melted Meeple’s doors that night, dropping into a chair gracefully and announcing he was officially a free agent familiar, you were glad for the opportunity to listen, knowing he’d be just as present and solid for you.

He shrugged at your repeated question. “Go to the agency on Monday, file for a new witch, I guess.”

“Does...does that mean you’ll have to move? What if they pair you with a witch on the other side of the world? What about the shop?”

His laugh was a dark curl, full of mirth. “Nothing archaic like that. This is where I live, the shop is my day job. We’re still business partners, but she’s quitting the craft entirely and I don’t have that luxury. The magic world is ninety percent bureaucracy and paperwork, it’ll probably be at least a year before they even get to my file.”

“Oh, that’s-that’s good,” you sighed in relief, not wanting to contemplate what would happen if he had to move away. “Good! You’ll have more free time now!”

Holt’s smile was wide, the light overhead winking off his fangs as leaned across the table. “And I know just who I’m going to spend it with,” he purred, before catching your lips with his own.

.

.

You hadn’t really known what to expect from the home of a familiar—a part of you was expecting some gothic lair with dripping candles and some ancient book of dark spellwork on a pedestal—but a completely average garden-level apartment on a tight lane of historic brownstones had not been it. The neighborhood was trendy: full of crowded little bistros with packed, street-side patios and bars boasting craft cocktails on swirling chalk signs outside their doors. You didn’t mind an occasional foray into adventure, but you couldn’t imagine living somewhere so noisy and bustling.

“Here we are,” Holt announced, tugging your hand and carefully leading you down the short stairwell in front of the dark-bricked building. “The neighborhood is great, but I love my little dungeon.”

You understood his meaning the moment the door closed behind you. The apartment was small but tidy, with plush-looking furniture and towering bookshelves, each crammed with curios, macabre trinkets and gimcrack. The street-level windows did little to illuminate the space, giving it a dim, cloistered feeling, amplified by the red-shaded lamps on either side of the sofa. 

Long-fingered hands encircled your waist, claws dragging lightly over your stomach, sending a shiver up your spine and reminding you remembered why you were here. You were terribly aware of your own heartbeat when warm lips pressed to the back of your neck, hot breath and the glance of fangs moving over your delicate skin, and your head tilted on its own accord, giving him better access. 

“It looks like a bordello in this place,” you mused, laughing when you felt his outraged gasp against your shoulder.

“Slander!” he exclaimed, the press of his hot tongue making your back arch, “calumny and lies. I demand restitution.” 

It had been two weeks since he’d kissed you over your grilled cheese sandwich, two weeks of making out like teenagers and groping each other on the street corner every Saturday, two weeks of thinking about him every night, waking heated and flushed in your bed with an ache between your thighs and slick coating your fingers, and tonight you’d decided enough was enough. 

He was steady and confident and reliable, but you’d noticed that he deferred to you in almost every matter. If you asked his opinion, he gave it; if you told him he was in charge of the evening’s plans, he already had one, but he let you control the direction of things rather than steamrolling you, and you wondered if it was something he was compelled to do as a familiar. You’ve got to be the one who makes the first move, you realized. Then he’ll take over and you can stop panicking.

“I think,” you murmured into his ear that night, as you sat on the edge of the gaming table, waiting to join in on the next round, “you should show me your apartment tonight, and we can work on your rolls.” The D&D campaign had started, and two sessions in the entire campaign had been entirely waylaid by a troublesome tiefling character who refused to follow the group’s initiative, and Holt had been smug that he’d not been the new player to cause problems.

“Hmmm,” he hummed, green eyes flashing, “we can do other things while we’re there.”

The apartment was dark, but somehow you were led to the bedroom without tripping over anything, the bedding beneath you cool and thick as Holt pressed you to your back. His eyes were glowing green orbs, rapidly growing closer until your lips were captured by his own, the kiss breaking off abruptly when he leaned over your body to turn on the bedside lamp.

“What do I need to roll for seduction?” 

The bed rocked as he reached back from where he straddled your body, pulling off your sandals and sending them sailing across the room. “I’m serious!” he insisted when you laughed again. “This is a serious game, remember? I don’t want to be the one who gets the whole party kicked out of a tavern.”

“Well, if you’re serious,” you began, breath hitching as your top was pushed up your body, claws dragging over the newly-exposed skin, “then you should know you can’t actually roll seduction, it’s not a skill.” 

“Oh, I beg to differ.”

You couldn't find fault in his words as your bra was deftly unhooked and pulled away, the heat of his mouth closing over the tip of your breast before you had a chance to be chilled. The tips of his clawed hand continued to move in soft patterns over your side as his tongue worked, teasing your nipple before sucking, biting ever-so-gently before releasing it with a wet pop. 

“Are you sure I can’t roll seduction? I am a magical bard, after all.”

“Nope,” you corrected on a gasp. His mouth had moved to your other breast, giving it the same treatment until both nipples were pebbled and aching. “Seduction isn’t a skill. You can roll for deception, if you have ulterior motives.”

“Absolutely not. There you go again with the slander. What about...persuasion? Can I roll persuasion as a means of seduction?”

You unbuttoned the dark shirt he wore as he spoke, pushing apart the fabric to reveal the long, lithe shape of him above you. Broad shouldered but slender, Holt possessed none of the bulk the werewolf you’d gone out with a few times last year had. Tightly muscled and well-defined, your own clawless fingers moved down his chest, following the trail of dark hair down the hard plane of his stomach until you reached the thick bulge at the front of his jeans. The noise that emitted from his throat as you stroked the hard shape of him was very nearly a purr, and you smiled hugely, deciding to let him do his best.

“Sure, why not,” you smiled, pulling open his belt. “But I might want a perception check. Gotta check out your staff of persuasion first, make sure its on the up and up.”

You let out an undignified squeak when your skirt and knickers were pulled down as he rose, shucking his jeans before climbing over your body slowly, and you were clearly able to picture him as the giant, stalking cat you knew he occasionally was. 

The soft drag of his claws over your thighs made you gasp, legs falling open, and the knuckle that pressed into your folds found you slick and eager. 

“I’m glad you invited me to join the group,” he purred against your lips, sharp teeth catching them gently in a kiss. “Even if I don’t know any of the rules.” 

The hard press of his erection was a molten heat against your hip and you shuddered out a breath, wanting to take him in hand but enjoying the press of his body against yours too much to force him to move. “I-I am too.”

Between your legs, his hand was buried against your sex. His sharp claws were tucked back, a finger on either side of your clit, knuckles kneading into the sensitive flesh until your hips were bucking upward to meet his hand, kneading and rolling, over and over until you were seeing stars. Pressure built behind your navel with every roll over the exposed bud of flesh, and you keened.

“I’m still having fun,” Holt went on, mouth stretching into a wide Cheshire cat-like smile, “and isn’t that the point of a game?”

The band of pressure snapped and you arched against him as throb after throb of pleasure pulsed through you. Your thighs tightened around his wrist, trapping his hand in place, and he hummed in amusement, fingers still moving as you gasped and shook, his lips pressing to yours lightly when you trembled with the aftershocks of your orgasm.

“I’d like to seduce you, please,” he purred, waggling his dark eyebrows. “I’m being as persuasive as possible.”

His cock was still hot when you wrapped a hand around it, giving his shaft a firm pump, dragging upwards until your fingers reached his swollen head. “You really are a big cat,” you observed when the repeated motion drew a vibrating rumble from his chest, before edging closer to the foot of the bed. His smart-assed reply was lost to another rumble when you licked a broad stripe over his exposed head, laving your tongue over the bead of moisture there. 

There were several rings of nodules at the base of his head, you realized, mimicking the sharp barbs he might possess in his cat form, and you wondered how they would feel inside of you. The sharp points of his nails dragged through your hair as you sucked him into your mouth, swirling your tongue before lowering your head down his shaft, bobbing your head several times before his clawed hands were tugging you upwards.

You were reminded of his speed on the day the black cat in the shop had gone darting off to the back room in a blink of an eye when he flipped you, you cheek pressed to the mattress as he kissed up your spine, raising your hips. You felt the leaking tip of his cockhead press to your slick folds, sliding up and down before finally pushing into you, hilting himself in one thrust.

You hadn’t intended on finding a relationship, only some fun new additions to your curio shelf, you thought as has pumped into you, those textured nodules dragging deliciously over your inner walls. Claws dragged over your skin as you clenched around him, unable to stop the moan which broke from your mouth. You hadn’t been looking for a relationship, but one had found you anyway.

When his hand found its way back between your thighs, you were lost. Already gasping with every thrust of his textured cock, as soon as the rough pads of his fingers began circling your clit, you felt your tentative control slip, your core clenching and spasming around him before you were filled with heat, his rumbling purr vibrating against you as he came.

The comforter was thick and soft when he pulled it over you, once he’d withdrawn and quickly cleaned you up. Thick and soft and incredibly warm, snuggled against his chest. 

“I have a confession to make.” You craned your neck up to find Holt peering down, one of his thick, dark brows cocked curiously. “You can’t actually play persuasion or deception against another player’s character. Everyone has their own freewill and agency, it doesn’t matter how silver-tongued the party’s bard is.”

“Do you mean to tell me I wasted a perfectly good persuasion play?”

“It was unnecessary but not without merit!” you yelped as he flipped you to your back, giving you his best glower as he straddled your hips. “You’ve convinced me!”

“Oh, just you wait. I am going to cast so many spells on you once once we finally get out of the bloody tavern.”

The bed, you realized, had begun to levitate, and now hung suspended in the air as you squealed. He really was a magical, sneaky bard.

“You can’t do that either,” you laughed after the bed dropped, shaking the walls. “No spells on teammates.”

“There are too many rules to this game,” he griped, pressing his cheek to your breast. You wrapped your arms around him, pushing your fingers through his thick hair. Give and take. Solid for each other.

“You have plenty of time to learn.”

His purr vibrated against you before he wriggled free from your arms to fix the blanket, pulling you against him as he resettled. “It’s a good thing I have an excellent teacher.”

[loadet851]

Pc Games With Character Creation Offline

Games With Character Customization Pc

Steam Games With Character Creation

One of the things I love most in a RPG (Role-Playing Game) is the possibility of creating my own character with tons of different options and add-ons. I made a research yesterday and found some interesting PC Games I already knew about, adding them to the titles I have or plan to get with the best Character Customization. I’m going to list them here for you guys also attaching a few videos so that you can see directly how they work and what kind of possibilities they offer.

It’s the main reason I enjoy games like Skyrim and Fallout. But there seem to be so few good (single player) games with decent character creation - and not just picking from a few presets. The character creation in Dragon Age: inquisition was amazing (although I struggled to enjoy the game) as well as Saints Row (which I really enjoyed). Addicting Offline Co-op Games For PC You’ll Want To Play. Dennis Patrick / Features / Best Co-op PC Games, Co-op, Cooperative. Sonic the Hedgehog is a staple video game character. Best MMORPG with Character Creation. Final Fantasy 14 has one of the most complex and sophisticated character editors. In this game, you can change the smallest details using different sliders, pick a unique voice, or add unique tattoos, accessories and facial paint. What Are Best RPGs With Character Creation? Role-playing games let us live out some of our greatest fantasies like slaying dragons, saving the world and owning a house. Whether your main character is dead, alive, or somewhere in between, these games will let you adjust your appearance and abilities to however you see fit. I've always loved games that give you the option to create your character before you start in the world. I enjoy the game even more when it has role playing or social aspects added to it, allowing you interact with NPCs, or other players if the game has a multiplayer feature. Just character creation would interest me enough to check any game out.

Follow me under the cut if you’re curious!

I’ve been introduced to this type of creation with a game I still keep in my heart and consider one of the best of all times; The Sims 2. Seriously, I’ve created so many 3D characters that if I could win an award I’d have 200 on my shelf by now.

With that said, here you are my personal list of PC games with their awesome customization in no particular order:

I tried this game myself (the free beta that is) a few times in the past and I swear the CC included in it is currently one of my favorite. Without the complete pack I probably didn’t have a lot of additional options available in terms of clothes, makeup and hair, but what truly mesmerized me at the time was the shaping tool, not yet common in games when they released EVE. You can grab and drag different parts of the head and body, modeling unique characters every time.

2. Black Desert Online

This game has been released recently with two different packages and it seems to be quite a popular MMORPG (Massive(ly) Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game) in Russia and Korea. I’m not surprised considering the quality this game seems to have and its customization is clearly no less. Just like EVE Online, Black Desert offers a good sculpt instrument to shape faces and bodies as much as you like, plus a beautiful variety of colors and combinations.

UPDATE: The game is also available on Steam!

This patch lets you play Legend of Zelda Spirit Tracks with mostly non-touch based controls. The new control bindings are Control Bindings: D-Pad=Run Y+Dpad=Walk B=Wide slash B+Dpad=Long slash Y+B=Spin Attack A=Interact A+Dpad=Roll. Legend of Zelda Spirit Tracks D-Pad Patch This patch implements non-touchscreen controls for essential actions in Legend of Zelda Spirit Tracks. Legend of zelda spirit tracks xenophobia patched rom.

3. Blade&Soul

This is another Asian MMORPG with the classical ‘Anime’ style, you cannot freely reshape the character’s structure, only pick one of the available presets and play around with the sliders to modify the whole body. Andy mckinney molly hatchet. Still, I honestly like the bright colors, the races/classes and the fact that you can actually recreate other existing characters using additional content (just like this guy did with Cloud from Final Fantasy VII).

4. BLESS Online

Yes, another Asian online title. Hey, it’s not my fault if they look so pretty! Bless is quite recent and not yet released in its final stage, but judging by how the CC works you have as much freedom as in EVE or Black Desert and the same unmistakable Fantasy touch.

5. The Sims 4

Didn’t I mention The Sims 2? Well, looks like the latest title in the series has improved quite a lot in this area. The shaping/sculpting method is here as well, considering that we finally have more possibilities I certainly won’t complain!

Note: In this video I can see the woman has a few mods installed. If you decide to get this game (or even the previous chapters) I definitely suggest you to do the same if you don’t like the default character design.

6. Fallout 4

Another recent (and quite famous) game. Apparently you can only work on the face here, but once again we see the sculpt tool in action. Even if the hair options are a bit limited you can still customize your character and create unique features playing around with your cursor.

7. Dragon Age: Inquisition

Who knows me is well aware of the fact that I am completely OBSESSED with this game, thus I couldn’t really leave it out. The hair options are definitely questionable and just like in Fallout 4 you do not have any body morph nor slider to alter, but as you can see from this video example you are still able to personalize your Inquisitor in a good way, also using real people or other characters as reference. To be honest I like some of the default presets too, if you don’t like spending two hours working on a face (I do that all the time, but I am a basket case so please ignore my madness :P), you can pick those and get a good result nonetheless.

And don’t forget about mods! 😉

8. Skyrim (The Elder Scrolls V)

This one has been around for a very long time and it remains probably the top 1 Fantasy game out there. If you’re not into mods at all and want to keep your game vanilla be sure that the overall quality is not as improved as the current generation, you can see that from the low-res hair and general textures. The reason why I’m including this CC in the list anyway is because even if old, Skyrim looks quite good compared to other games where you only get 3/4 slider options.

9. APB Reloaded

The last game I’d like to mention (and I literally just discovered it) is this not so new title which has a kick-ass Character Creator. Not only it shows some quality graphics there, but the level of customization is unbelievable! You can make hair shorter, beards longer, create beautiful tattoos (and place or rotate them wherever you want!), add patterns to clothes and even get your personal car! 😀

Chose one serial + PILIH Salah satu WORKING 99% per 13 Januari 2013 1330-1971-4830-1762 1330-1912-2628-0850-0232-4869 1330-1148-0472-2735-6555-0617 1330-1544-4195-8131-3034-5634 1330-1886-0283-4688-9152-2034 1330-1118-3174-6558-8260-5378 OR 1330-1971-4830-5668-6067-1762 1330-1912-2628-0850-0 232-4869 1330-1148-0472-2735-6555-0617 1330-1544-4195-8131. The serial number for Adobe is available. This release was created for you, eager to use Adobe Cs6 master collection full and without limitations. Our intentions are not to harm Adobe software company but to give the possibility to those who can not pay for any piece of software out there. Adobe cs6 master collection activation key wondershare.

There are of course many other games with a Character Creator, but they all seem pretty similar or not good enough to be mentioned in my list.

What do you think about these? Let me know with a comment if you like!

Those late-night multiplayer sessions can be really fun sometimes. Surely, everything is better with friends, they say and you’ll agree with that at some point. However, after a long day of work and studying, I like to relax with offline games. Sometimes, it’s satisfying to let yourself indulge in a great single-player story and forget about any problems bothering you. So, if you are like me, then welcome to the club! Below is my list of 20 best offline games for PC and I hope you’ll enjoy them.

1. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

W2k16 pc download. Well, you’ve guessed it! The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt takes first place on the list with its epic setting, characters, gameplay, and those breathtaking visuals! It’s a compelling game that will offer you more than a hundred hours of non-filler gameplay, and there’s always something to explore. The game looks amazing, and the combat system is great. This open-world title is everything you need on your free days! Combine that with the great RPG elements and fun dialogues with NPCs, and you got yourself a pretty good offline game! Go and play it now, it’s a must-play.

2. Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus

Wolfenstein series has been once again revived with Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus. The positive reviews flashed all around the globe, and this game quickly became one of the best shooting games of 2017. B.J Blazkowicz is such a badass protagonist and the characters surrounding the game are interesting. You’ll quickly start to care about each and every one of them, making this game a worthy offline title. Bethesda said that they won’t be focusing on multiplayer, so they can bring an immersive single-player experience. Well, you nailed it, Bethesda; great job!

3. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Bethesda is one of my favorite companies when it comes to gaming, at least they were a few years back. A few years back, this masterpiece called The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim was released and it took the Earth by storm! This offline open-world title offers hundreds of hours of exploration and you’ll probably never get bored of it! The combat system might be dated, but it’s damn fun to play and explore every corner of the game. After six years since its release, I’m still eager to give Skyrim another go. It’s that great!

4. Fallout 4

Games With Character Customization Pc

Fallout 4 is one of those top offline games that you either like or dislike. It’s a great single-player experience, as you explore a huge world of fictional city Commonwealth. I mean, the story here is scattered here and there, and our protagonist is in search of his abducted son. However, the game often steers away from that and let you have some freedom and exploration. It’s a fantastic reboot of the series, and it’s surely the best game in the franchise. If you are up for that Stalker-ish feeling, then give this a try!

5. Hitman (2016)

Hitman isn’t a strictly offline game, but I included it because it has a great single-player campaign. While the previous entry in the series Hitman: Absolution relied more on linear, claustrophobic, and confined experience, Hitman (2016) went in a different direction. Here, you’ll experience a vast, open-world with lots of stuff to do. The levels are not that numerous, but they are as big as hell! You can complete your missions in various ways and earn certain rewards and points for doing so. Hitman is a challenging stealth experience, but once Agent 47crawls under your skin, there’s no going back!

Steam Games With Character Creation

6. Nioh

Nioh is a less-known offline game released this year, and I feel like this game is very underrated. It’s a child of Dark Souls and Bloodborne series, which can tell you much about this game. It has a single, crushing, and unforgiving difficulty that will leave you begging for mercy. It’s hard, and you’ll need some blazing fast reflexes and huge gaming skills to finish it. There are more than twenty bosses in the game, and every single boss will kick your ass! Don’t expect to finish this game in a few days; you’ll need weeks to finish it and it will be painfully slow as the bosses shame you every little time… you helpless gamer!

7. Nier: Automata

Another underrated game – Nier: Automata. How could the gaming community overlook this game? Are you blind, or what? This game offers thirty hours of a pure, refined, and amazing experience! It’s a hack-and-slash title that mergers several genres with it. The open world in this game is huge, and the post-apocalyptic environment looks depressing and feels like a void. Nier also introduces RPG elements so you can now level yourself up, upgrade weapons, buy stuff, etc. On top of that, there are some 2D sections that feel like a great platformer, and that’ very unique! Nier: Automata is better than most AAA titles and costs double the less of that price, which is one more reason to get it.

8. Dark Souls 3

Dark Souls series got a fantastic reboot with Dark Souls 3. Just if it wasn’t enough for the previous games in the series, and now we got this punishing game. What can I say? Prepare to die a LOT in this game, as it’s created to kill you. I’m not joking, the whole game is against you, and you can’t do anything about that except fight like a lunatic. Even when you die, the enemies around you respawn and you must fight again and again, which is really frustrating. However, if you have the balls to play it, and manage to finish it, then you deserve a medal, Sir!

9. Bioshock Infinite

Bioshock Infinite is the newest installment in the Bioshock series. This cheap game can give you a huge value for your buck, especially when the Holidays come. I mean, for just a couple of bucks, you can get a fantastic FPS game, which campaign isn’t short and definitely isn’t boring! Bioshock Infinite continues its tradition with great shooting mechanics, various powerups, and that fast-paced shooting in a beautiful environment of the game. Get ready to cause mayhem!

10. Alien: Isolation

Alien: Isolation is that PC offline game that will haunt your dreams every time you try to sleep. It’s a horror game in which you try to stay in one piece and escape that damn space station called Sevastopol. Sounds similar? Well, that’s because the game is based on Alien (1979) movie, which was a very disturbing experience at the time. It’s an intense game that makes your palms sweat and your heart beating so fast that you’ll think it’s gonna come out of your chest! Try this horror if you dare, and watch yourself getting swallowed by the Alien, in a single bite!

11. Far Cry Primal

Elephants are cool, but mammoths are so badass! In Far Cry Primal, you can hunt mammoths and even ride them when you get to higher levels! How cool are you from zero to riding a mammoth? This beautiful-looking game is set 10,000 years BC and no, you aren’t going to shoot guns, but bash the hell out of your enemies. The arsenal of weapons might not be that huge, but the combat is great and requires more thinking, as the enemies are sometimes overwhelming and can easily kill you. If you have the luck to tame a sabertooth tiger, you may survive in this harsh world!

12. Resident Evil 7: Biohazard

There is something special about that claustrophobic feeling, especially when it comes to horror games that you can play without internet. That sense of dread and despair when you don’t have much space to move is priceless. Don’t think of me as a psycho, but I LOVE the horror genre! RE7: Biohazard is a game that caught my attention as soon as it was released. This bad boy will provide you with a horrific experience that will leave you scared to death! As the game plays from the first-person perspective, it’s much easier to get yourself immersed, but also scared.

13. Outlast 2

Outlast 2 is yet another offline horror experience, where the developers decided to leave your powerless. There aren’t weapons for you to use, and surely no means to defend yourself. So, what are you left with? Well, a camera and a journal should do the trick! The game does a damn fine job of melding the horror and the dread with stealth and great storytelling. In the end, you may feel a little let down by the ending, but I know you’ll enjoy it until the very end.

14. Dead Space 3

Cat et 2015a factory password generator. While the past games in the series focused more on that horror experience, Dead Space 3 is more of an action-horror game. Sure, there are Necromorphs and they are vicious and all, but the action part is more prominent. Needless to say that Dead Space 3 is an amazing game and I’m very sad that Visceral Games is closed by EA in October. This survival horror game is hugely underrated, but it’s awesome and I recommend you to play it. It’s just a couple of bucks for this experience, don’t be a niggard!

15. Portal 2

There’s something awesome when it comes to Source Engine. The games made with this engine looks amazing, yet they run smoothly. How did Valve manage to do that? Well, as I am not a game developer, don’t ask me! But ask me about Portal 2, which is Valve’s magnum opus, and a compelling puzzle game. The whole point of the game is to use a Portal gun in order to create portals and pass through them. However, the game isn’t that simple and requires some brain skill to finish it. Grab your Portal Gun, and let’s go on a venture!

16. Limbo

This 2D game is straight-up terrifying, dark, and misanthropic from the start to finish! In Limbo, you are a little boy that needs to survive this colorless world of the game as he overcomes various obstacles and escape scary monsters. I like the game’s artwork and the atmosphere is simply top-notch here if you like the dark ambient in the games. It’s a must-play for every offline Indie games lover!

17. S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat

Speaking of the atmosphere, very few great offline games can replicate the atmosphere as it is in S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat. That post-apocalyptic atmosphere of Pripyat looks great, and the game isn’t colorful, which is the whole point. Everything has that grey-ish tint, as this town suffered greatly when the Nuclear Powerplant in that area exploded. It’s based on a real-life event that occurred around 1989, which gives the game a certain weight and meaning.

18. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain

With MGSV: The Phantom Pain, Hideo Kojima proved that he still has what it takes to create such immersive PC games without internet. This stealth game is challenging and full of stuff to do, due to its open-world nature. The characters are badass and the game feels somewhat dark, with a very serious tone. Oh, and not to forget that plot twist at the end that’s worth those thirty hours I’ve spent on this game!

19. SOMA

Horror fans will be pleased that I mentioned another horror title here. SOMA is an absolutely spooky and nerve-wracking experience! It creates that atmosphere that’s very unique, and with the story being told in the shape of various documents scattered through the game, it’s even more badass! You are all alone here and you’ll fight for your life, only to find out that you aren’t actually alive! A truly wonderful offline game for Windows.

20. Superhot

Superhot is a cartoonish-looking offline game that revolves around time. To make it simple, the time in the game moves when you move, so if you are standing still, nothing will happen. Vice Versa, if you are moving and shooting, then the enemies will do the same. It’s a lot of fun, but a lot of challenges too. I played it with some of my favorite death metal albums, just to ensure that I’m hardcore enough to beat it!

As we are approaching near the end of our journey through the offline PC games, I’m here to ask you a question. What is your favorite offline game for PC? I tried my best to count some of my favorite offline games, and although I’m maybe going to start a war for not including some of the games, I stand behind my words. Oh, and why don’t you tell me what game did I miss? Do you have any favorites besides these 20 games? Please, let me know, and don’t forget to do some gaming today!

[animeraider]

My Kevin Gilbert Story, and my latest single.

As some of you know I’ve had a few brushes with the “big break” that many in my line of work crave. I was signed to a major label in the early 1990s, and the record I turned in was shelved. The label wanted me to be the “next Michael Penn” and by that point not even Mr. Penn was interested in that, let alone me. I had three songs picked up for a movie, which was never released. I got out of my record contract and signed with another label, releasing an album that included 5 songs from the one that was shelved. The label put no money behind it. I had a big hit in 2009 and signed a European distribution deal, which fell apart when the married couple who ran the business fell into a messy divorce. I sold thousands and thousands of records in Eastern Europe – which were being sold by pirates. It took several years to get that fixed.

I had an audition that everyone felt I was a lock for to play keyboards for a Japanese band that had a huge following. My flight to the audition was supposed to be September 12, 2001. I actually watched the plane I was supposed to board land as it was the last flight grounded. I’ve done some engineering and performing I don’t get to tell anyone about – the NDA’s are pretty strong. One of my songs became the theme to a German Television show.

But let me tell you the story of a relationship I almost had with a multi-Grammy-winning star who soared high and made it further than I have, whose song I have made a cover of and released as a single today.

So where to begin. First of all, yes, I knew Kevin Gilbert. No, we weren’t friends, but we were colleagues and classmates. We performed together a few times – all of if school related. That’s it. Oh, and he invited me to a jam session he was going to have once and I turned him down. I’ll get to that.

Believe it or not, I have to tell this story starting in the middle. There was once a band called Toy Matinee. I loved that band. Clever songs, well written melodies, a sense of darkness and a sense of fun. It was a band that me and my roommate Max could agree on and we cranked that album loud and often. We went and saw them live at the Troubadour in Los Angeles, and were about 10 feet from the stage. This is NOT the live album released in 1999, but I can tell you they rocked the place that night. Played almost every song from the album, and did an encore of Elton John’s “Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding” that smoked.

A great night.

Now I jump into the past, to tell the tale of the UCLA Synthesizer Ensemble. It was the brainchild of Professor Roger Bourland, who at the time was only in his 2nd year as a professor at the school and would later become dean of the department. He searched out the most rock and roll musicians in what was mostly a stuffy classical music department. Me. Dave Koz. Joel Harnel. And this kid named Kevin. The five of us took another student’s source material and arranged up a musical. Straight musical theater and full of schlock, and all performed on synthesizers. We eventually put on four shows, with the five of us in the orchestra pit. I wrote the show-stopper ballad and a Latin inspired piece. I hate to say it, but I no longer remember what everyone else did, although I remember Dave mostly for his EWI playing and Joel for multiple reasons – including the fact that he wrote and arranged all of the drum parts.

I knew Joel fairly well – we had played together a few times and he was even more rock and roll than me, with more experience. Dave Koz was, even then, Dave Koz. The only saxophonist I had met up to that point in my life who was better than me. We had played in jazz bands together but he was already a rising star. When he beat me for the gig with Richard Marx’s touring band his career just took off – but all this was before then. I was one of Roger Bourland’s students – in fact, I had been in the “test” classroom when he had auditioned for his job.

I barely knew this Kevin kid. I was constantly getting his name wrong – for whatever reason my brain had him wired as Kevin Anderson.

My only real interaction with him outside of this 12-week experiment was down in the practice rooms. Many of these rooms had pianos in them and on any given day you could hear Mozart, Brahms, Chopin and all of the other usual suspects. I would go and write my own material and be pounding out rock and roll. Kevin did that too. Once while in the middle of the writing process for the musical he came into my practice room while I was working on a song in the style of Elton John. He invited me to a jam session the next Tuesday he was going to, and I declined. Tuesday was when MY band practiced, and as their lead guitarist I needed the practice.

That was the end of it. After the musical was over we all drifted our separate ways and for the most part didn’t run into each other again. I ran into Dave once at a music festival in San Francisco and he introduced me to Clarence Clemmons, which was pretty damned cool.

By now you’ve figured out that Kevin was Kevin Gilbert. Congratulations. I hadn’t. For many years to follow I would remember him as Kevin Anderson.

Now I’ve told you all of this so that you understand that this is long BEFORE Max and I went to see Toy Matinee in concert. I became a fan of the band without knowing that Kevin was its leader. I was ten feet away from him, performing for an hour. I had performed with him myself.

I didn’t recognize him. Nothing clicked in my brain that this was the same guy. I didn’t put two and two together. I rolled for my intelligence check and got a one.

Kevin Gilbert would go on to a solo career, win seven Grammys for his work with Madonna, be part of the driving musical force behind Sheryl Crow’s first album, become one of the founders of the Tuesday Night Music Club, and become one of my songwriting heroes. The man could paint a picture with very few words and his musical ability was enviable.

And then he died; a victim of his own vices. I’m not going to go into that here – I know nothing at all and can shed no light on the subject.

Several years later I relocated to San Francisco with my family. I discovered the band Giraffe once I was on their home turf, and of course discovered the fact that Kevin Gilbert had been their leader when he was a teenager. BEFORE I knew him. Giraffe was a pretty damned good band that had come so startlingly close to making it big – their albums are worth hunting down and they did a fantastic live rendition of Genesis’ “Lamb Lies Down on Broadway” (the full album mind you) that is lots of fun.

I was looking for a recording studio for my second album when I ran across a man named Steve Smith who owned a recording studio down the peninsula from where I was living. In his bio, he briefly mentioned that he was the drummer for Giraffe. Awesome. On his web site of the time if you dug in a little bit there was a bio of Kevin Gilbert, and he talked about the brief time he spent at UCLA.

Parts of the story looked and felt awfully familiar to me. Smith talked about the musical without mentioning the name, and again, it felt familiar. Me being slightly brave, I wrote an e-mail to him to ask what was the title of that musical and that I might have been involved in it. He confirmed it for me.

Holy crap.

All of the pieces started falling into place then. The rehearsals, our discussions about piano playing, that I went to one of his shows and failed to recognize him? The fact that I think he invited me to come join the FUCKING TUESDAY NIGHT MUSIC CLUB and I didn’t even fucking notice!?!!?!!?!!?

I’m an idiot.

Actually, in looking back at the timeline I don’t think he invited me to join TNMC. That came a couple of years later – I think. I’m never going to know for certain. If he had told any of the other members I don’t know about it. I’ve exchanged about a dozen words with one of the other members over social media but we certainly don’t know one another.

I wonder if he saw me in the audience that night and laughed. I will never know. I can tell you there is an album version of that night you can listen to and/or buy. A then-unknown Sheryl Crow played keyboards in the band, dressed up like a dominatrix biker chick. When I found out about that later I was amazed – I didn’t recognize her either.

I’m an idiot.

Nick D’Virgilio of Spock’s Beard played drums. I don’t remember the name of the bass player but what I remember is this man with the thickest eyebrows I have ever seen in my life. Marc Bonilla played lead guitar. Oh, the people I could have met.

I never did work in Steve Smith’s studio. I no longer remember why.

When I was working on my third album in my newly built home studio I recorded a number of covers and one of those was Kevin Gilbert’s “Tea For One”. It’s a fantastic song of unrequited love and missed chances told from start to finish in only a few dozen words. I have no idea if he would have liked what I did to his song – he had a wicked sense of humor that I can recall now but I never got to know him on a personal level as a songwriter, which was my mistake. I could have but I was so focused on myself in those days that even if the overtures were made I probably didn’t even notice.

I recorded the song in what I called "Garage Pop" during those days. A bit uneven, imperfect vocals - what you might get from a band practicing in their garage instead of a polished studio version. If you want that, I recommend hunting down his version.

But I recorded “Tea for One” just the same – it’s a great song and I’d like to think I gave it some justice – even if it doesn’t come close his version. It was on the original version of my third album "The Long Goodbye", which I released myself, but was cut when the album was moved to digital streaming services (In all fairness, I cut 21 songs from the original release – which was a 2 CD set).

My music career has been dark for several years, but it got jump started in 2020 in the middle of the pandemic and I’ve been revisiting a lot of my unreleased work since, and of all the covers I did this is still my favorite. I am releasing it now, in tribute to a musician I admire and could have called friend if I had just paid a bit of attention.

The guy holding the roses was me, as it turns out. I had no idea.

+++++++++++++++++

For those of you with very long memories you should listen to the full single on Spotify, because I’ve thrown in a little bonus for people who remember the 1980’s band ASK. Just a little piece of a little ditty written by me, Kevin Donville and Ed Lee.

[kagehinataboke]

only time will tell - chapter 4

“You’re fucking late. Again.” As usual, Katsuki is waiting in the classroom when Todoroki arrives, fifteen minutes late and in a cold sweat. Katsuki is wearing a basketball jersey—he’s on the school team, apparently—red track pants, and sneakers. His ever-present scowl seems especially sour today.

Todoroki takes off his backpack and clips his sunglasses to the collar of his shirt. “Sorry. I had to run here from a shoot.” He turns to the remedial students scattered around the room, plastering on a smile. “Did everyone wait long?”

All the girls immediately shake their heads, and even some of the boys, albeit reluctantly. Todoroki flashes Katsuki a smug look, and he clicks his tongue in annoyance. Over the past week, Todoroki has been late to nearly every remedial session—and Katsuki isn’t happy, to say the least.

It’s not like Todoroki can help it: his agent basically ignored him when he asked her for an easier schedule. He has photoshoots or interviews nearly every day after school, so he has to run back to make it to the remedial lessons at six. He didn’t even have time to change today, so he’s still in the ripped jeans, collared blue shirt, and brown cardigan they put him in for the shoot. He even still has makeup on, although it’s probably been ruined by sweat.

“Now that you’ve deigned to join us, your majesty, let’s start.” Katsuki picks up a stack of papers on Aizawa’s vacant podium and passes them around. “These are practice tests. You morons are going to use what we went over during the last session and get over eighty percent on these, or we’ll do proofs for an hour straight. Got it?”

Silence.

Todoroki looks up after stripping off his cardigan and rolling up his shirt sleeves to find them all looking at him, including Katsuki.

Todoroki clears his throat, and everyone looks away instantly. “Sorry. Ah… You were saying, Bakugou?”

Katsuki, seeming significantly more annoyed than before, restarts his speech. Todoroki lingers in the background, only half-listening. He isn’t sure if he’s actually much help at these remedial lessons. His goal was to work closely with Katsuki, but there haven’t been any chances. On top of Todoroki always being late, Katsuki actually treats this like a job. He’s surprisingly dedicated to helping their classmates, to the point where Todoroki feels like dead weight.

“The hell’s up with you?” Katsuki demands after the remedial students leave—all having finished their tests with scores over 80, much to Katsuki’s pleasant surprise. His tone is more confrontational than conversational.

“I already apologized for being late,” Todoroki sighs. He already knows where this is headed: they’ve had the same exact talk every day this week. He doesn’t want to have it today. All of his energy is gone.

Perhaps Katsuki can tell—they did used to be close, after all—because instead of the inevitable scolding Todoroki was expecting, he receives a quiet, “Don’t be late again.”

It’s strange. More than strange, because Katsuki is being soft again. First it was back at the shed, and now this. Todoroki can’t deal with the way his look changes sometimes; the way his eyes seem to shift, becoming questioning, becoming different; with the way they eventually return to normal again, and the moment is gone.

Katsuki is just… so different. His hair, for one, and his piercings—and his attitude, most noticeably of all. Well, maybe second most noticeably. He’s also, to put it in simple terms, attractive now. Incredibly so. Todoroki obviously never saw him as anything more than a friend when they were kids, but now? Now it’s like the wool’s been pulled from his eyes. He sees all the things he couldn’t see before—like the curve of muscles under Katsuki’s jersey, and the way the veins in his arms flex as he picks up papers, or the way his black hair makes his eyes look a shade even deeper than red.

“What are you staring at?” Katsuki’s gaze settles on his face, and Todoroki thinks about not looking away. He thinks about staring back until he can find something recognizable in these eyes that he used to know so well.

But then he gives in; averts his gaze; clears his throat. “Nothing. I was just lost in thought.”

Todoroki does look up again, only briefly, to see that Katsuki has gone back to collecting papers. The ebony of his hair against the tan skin of his neck as he bends over the desks is strange and foreign.

“Your hair,” Todoroki finds himself saying. “I miss it being blond.”

“What?” Katsuki looks at him as if he’s lost his mind. Todoroki doesn’t fail to notice the way his hand flits to his scalp, then quickly back to his side. “Why the fuck are you saying that all of a sudden?” He snatches the last paper and roughly elbows Todoroki aside. “I’m going to put these away. Get lost already—and don’t be late tomorrow.”

Todoroki stares at the door for longer than he should. He isn’t sure if it was his imagination, but he thinks he saw faint red dusting the back of Katsuki’s neck. The black of his hair only made it stand out even more.

It probably was his imagination. And he should probably leave, because Katsuki will most certainly yell at him if he sticks around. ‘Damn Half n’ Half dumbass bastard, what the fuck are you still doing here? ’ or something along those lines. Half n’ Half is Katsuki’s new favorite insult. It’s because of Todoroki’s hair, which he started dying for his modeling career and never bothered to change.

Before Katsuki really does come back and scold him, Todoroki gathers his things and heads outside. It’s dark already—it’s nearing eight thirty—and the sky is a dark blue quickly encroaching on black. The night breeze is chilly enough that Todoroki stops by the front gate to put his cardigan back on. He’s got one arm in the sleeve when he spots someone vaguely familiar lingering just outside the gate.

It’s the guy Katsuki was talking to on the first day of school. What was his name, again? Shigaraki? It’s strange that he’s here so late, but if he and Katsuki are friends, maybe he can tell Todoroki a bit about him. Even if the guy is creepy, it’s worth a shot.

“Hey.” Todoroki approaches cautiously, waiting until he has Shigaraki’s attention to continue. “Are you looking for Bakugou? He probably won’t be out for awhile.”

Shigaraki’s expression is hard to read, but he’s smiling, at least. Even if it’s a strange, not-all-there smile. “Is that so?” He shrugs away from the wall, sticking his hands in the pockets of his gray sweatshirt. “He was supposed to go to a café with me. Why don’t you come instead?”

Todoroki frowns, fingers tracing along the edge of his backpack straps nervously. Why would they be meeting up? He remembers enough of their conversation to guess that Katsuki doesn’t like Shigaraki very much. But this is such a good opportunity… Ugh.

“Okay,” Todoroki agrees, pushing away every ounce of doubt. “What café?” He can’t pass up a chance to learn more about Katsuki—at least, not when he still refuses to talk about anything other than school.

“Just follow me.” Shigaraki is still smiling.

Todoroki tries very hard to convince himself that it's a reassuring smile and that he isn’t being lured into an alleyway or abandoned building to be murdered. Fuyumi would kill him twice over for being stupid enough to follow a stranger—even if that stranger knows one of his friends. Ex-friends? Whatever.

Ah, he was psyching himself out for nothing… The place Shigaraki brings him is a plain old coffee shop, with a pastel interior and comfy booths and the heavy bitter-sweet smell of espresso. They take a seat in the corner, surrounded by plush cushions and decorative paintings. Not sinister in the least. In fact, the place puts him at ease enough to get down to business.

“Sorry to do this right when we sit down, but…” Todoroki leans forward in the booth, glancing around to make sure that Katsuki isn’t somehow here to eavesdrop. He isn’t, obviously, but he still keeps his voice low anyway. “I was wondering… exactly how much do you know about Bakugou?”

* * * * * *

“Shouto, you’re home late.” Fuyumi glances up from her spot at the kitchen table with a raised brow. She’s got a laptop in front of her and several open files, as well as a half-empty cup of coffee. It looks like she’s expecting a long night.

Todoroki kicks off his shoes at the door. “Sorry. I went to visit a café with… a friend from school.” Better to lie than to have her asking questions.

“Oh, you made a friend? That’s good.” Fuyumi has already turned back to her work: crisis averted. Todoroki breathes a sigh of relief, but he isn’t in the clear yet. She snags his wrist when he tries to pass her to reach the stairs. “Hold on. Did you eat?”

“Fuyumi— “

“Don’t ‘Fuyumi’ me, you brat. I made you rice balls. They’re in the fridge, and if you don’t eat them all, I swear I’ll set your favorite sweater on fire—“

“Okay, okay.” Todoroki grimaces and switches directions to head into the kitchen. “I’m taking them. Geez.” He grabs the rice balls from the second shelf and retreats upstairs, sitting cross-legged on the floor to eat.

He’s exhausted after running from the shoot straight to the remedial lesson, then spending two hours at the café talking to Shigaraki—who isn’t actually a bad guy. He’s a bit awkward, and there’s definitely something strange about him, but he seems nice enough. He told Todoroki a lot about Katsuki. Apparently, they used to hang out in middle school.

Todoroki didn’t end up finding out what caused Katsuki to change so much, but he does know a few things about how to deal with him—courtesy of Shigaraki, whose number is now saved on his phone. The thing that stuck out the most was that he said to be ‘cute,’ whatever that means. Todoroki figures he’ll have to try out some different things.

It’s weird. For once, he’s feeling so hopeful that he can’t stop smiling. After he finishes the rice balls, he composes an email to his agent—and then deletes it and starts another one. He still isn’t quite sure how to quit. Can he just come out and say it? That somehow doesn’t seem like it’ll work. He’s never actually quit anything before, so he doesn’t know what one is supposed to say.

Ah, he’s getting a message. He'll worry about it tomorrow. Todoroki gets up from the floor and sits on his mattress before checking it.

from: Touya  at: 10:36 PM.

>> Hey, I’m coming back to town this weekend. I tried to ask Fuyumi if she wants to meet up but she’s ignoring me. I think she’s pissed.

Touya, huh? It’s been a while. Todoroki last heard from him right after their dad died. Of course he’d only come to him when Fuyumi is mad.

to: Touya  at: 10:38 PM.

>> She has a right to be mad. Did you apologize?

The answer is obvious, even before the response comes. Touya might be the most irresponsible person in the world.

from: Touya  at: 10:40 PM.

>> No. She’s the one who’s overreacting. Why should I have to apologize?

Todoroki rolls his eyes. He’s not even going to bother responding to that. His brother probably won’t listen, anyway. Why is everyone so immature? Touya refuses to apologize, Katsuki keeps giving Todoroki the cold shoulder… The world is full of imbeciles.

Todoroki gets up to grab his bag with a sigh, pausing when he knocks something off his bed. His and Katsuki’s smiling faces beam up at him from the carpet, their arms wrapped around each other like they never want to let go. Todoroki forgot he had the picture on his bed. He’s been looking at it a lot recently, getting caught up in nostalgia. (He isn’t a very productive person.)

Katsuki really did look much better with blond hair. The black makes him blend in too much. Todoroki always thought he was the kind of person born to stand out, with his crimson eyes and hair the color of winter sunlight. In fact, the whole reason Todoroki chose his current look to trademark in the modeling industry was because of Katsuki. He was going for blond on the right side, but it turned out more white—and by then it was too late to change it.

Todoroki probably shouldn’t be obsessing over his hair so much. It’s pointless, especially when he’s been over about a million fantasy scenarios in his head—scenarios where things turned out differently. But Katsuki is a different person now: Todoroki knows that. He’s crass and unfriendly and completely impossible to figure out. He doesn’t want anything to do with him, but there are times when it seems as if there’s something between them. To put it simply, Katsuki’s hair is the absolute last of Todoroki’s problems.

But still, if even one thing were to return to how it used to be, then…

Ah, never mind. He shouldn’t get his hopes up.

previous | next

[ayakashiramblings]

Koga the Phantom Thief

Oooh, interesting! I hope I can do your idea justice! I’m so sorry for the later reply but I got a little caught up with activities and honestly, I actually wasn’t so familiar with the term phantom thief. You can PM me if the writing isn’t good or not accurate! Also, since this Sunday is Tanabata, I decided to weave in some aspects of the Star Festival.

Koga The Phantom Thief (AKA: The Time the Red Oni becomes a Blue Oni)

The Tengu also becomes fried chicken, the seer becomes blind and the instruments are very out-of-tune like a screeching Nekomata

I’m Sorry

“Heh. Sir Aoi, thy talents in the scullery are without match.”

“Yeah? Well, I wished SOMEBODY… or even better, TWO SOMEBODIES wouldn’t light a match here in front of all of us in the summer.”

In the same heated air, the intoxicating waft of fried onions, sizzling steak and coal-fired peppers drifted towards flaring nostrils. The dining table in the parlour groaned under the weight of the plethora of dishes all ready to be devoured by the famished team. Yet, even as Aoi was setting down a wooden bowl of freshly cooked rice right smack dab in the middle of the plates, a certain pair was oblivious to it all. The sheer irony of it all was that Koga had been the one to suggest going out for dinner that night while his inamorato offered up her home.

To be fair, it hadn’t escalated to anything scandalous. Mere, fleeting glances at first just subtly transforming to adorable gestures on the pretext of offering food to one another. It was only the uncomfortable whistling and marked eye avoidance from her friends that made MC rethink her stance and break eye-contact. 

All she could do was hide her face in her sleeves with a mortified groan. "Oh no," she mumbled, her words muffled against thin yukata fabric. "Why didn't you say something sooner, Koga?"

"Uh…because I liked it," came his blunt reply, trying to poke MC from her clothed haven while ignoring the censorious glare he received from Aoi for that bit of honesty. As a Satori seer, even if he tried not to peer into anyone’s hearts, it was near impossible to avoid emotions running sky high. Then again, no one could really ignore them, including a certain Nekomata.

“Is it just me or has our house gotten crowded? I don’t even know if there’s enough paper now.”

“Oh! Tanzaku!”

Smirking at her squeal, Nachi started handing out the slips of the long, narrow paper for writing wishes on and small sticks of bamboo grasses. Well, at least to those conscious. He was sure Kuya wouldn’t swallow the currently fluttering paper going up and down with each snore taken.

“Lemme see something from Koga!” “Haha, no little kitty, the wish would be broken.”

“Or I could steal the wish.”

“I’d steal it back.” “Then, prove it.”

“What, no? What’s there to prove?”

“... Chicken....”

It was then tension was almost tangible within the walls of the tiny house. Thick, like a shroud, confining and oppressive and distinctly uncomfortable to the point Kuya woke up. MC would have whipped out her Kagura wand but she had a feeling no purification could stop the damage inflicted. 

“... What…”

“The bird I’d eat for breakfast if there really wasn’t any dried fish?”

“... Oh, it’s on.”

As the sheer chaos unfolded, MC thought to recruit the rest of the comrades… only to find them all on the side of Nachi. 

“... Has he been talking to a certain fox by any chance?” The question mark that appeared visibly atop of Kuya’s head was quickly knocked by Gaku’s snarky retort,

“I dunno, Toichiro is pretty possessive of his title of being Koga’s Headache.”

“It is almost time for a midnight patrol…” Ginnojo conceded with what could have passed off as indifference… were it not for him suddenly drawing up several maps and marking out several positions.

“This is going to beest most wondrous!” came the most mature reply from Yura.

Her last hope came in the form of Aoi but of course, he stomped all over her dreams of having a normal Star Festival.

“I’m not saying I’m doing this for what happened earlier… I’m doing this for EVERY time he did those things in my face.”

And now we can start on what could have been MC’s torture session as she found herself sighing like Aoi usually did.

By the time she had returned home from school the next day, she was in no mood to discover the chaos that had been left behind in their wake. She'd had a rough start to her day and it wasn't getting any better. MC had been late for her first class and had missed several portions of her second class due to the demanding need to banish wraiths every ten minutes for the Afternoon Patrol. To cap all of that off, her feet had begun to swell in her shoes after all that running back and forth, with, of course, a detention slip for sneaking out of classes too many times. In short, her day had been hell and, by the time she returned home, all MC wanted was to kick off her shoes and enjoy a cold glass of milk.

So she let herself into the house with a weary grunt, dropped her backpack on the floor and made an immediate beeline for her room to change because, wow, dashing around like a headless chicken was NOT a good look.  As a result, she didn't immediately register anything amiss in the place. It was only after she exited the bedroom, that she realized.

She had not tripped over any mess… the entire day. Not even Nachi’s weird lizard offerings.

Her tension fairly soared off the charts as she was brought up short by stumbling upon the ghastly state of her living room. For once, she was glad her father was far away in another precinct as she swam about the chaotic mess, her mouth hanging open in shock. 

"What the hell happened in here...?" 

It looked as if a clothing-dessert-random-knick-knacks-and-everything bomb had detonated right in the centre. Shirts, shoes and pants were scattered all across the floor with a concentration of biss-cuts, jelly, dried fish and other treats the only things being plated delicately on the tiny tea table but surrounded with barbed wire. Upon opening various dresser drawers, she found paint supplies, several decorative fans and even toolboxes spilling out of them. 

“I have finished… Mission #1.”

Of course, MC did the most natural thing in the world.

“IMMA GONNA CLOBBER YOU!!!”

Her swift strike had only been preemptively blocked by the gentlest grip an intruder could have and she whirled around to confirm her suspicions,

“Ko...ga?”

The dashing gentleman definitely had the confident gait of her boyfriend. But she had never seen such a getup in his closet before. A trim and cut tuxedo, fit with sleek fabric and a smooth collar. The shirt underneath, as pure and white as Shizuki’s snow, was crisp with excellent care. The vest was adorned with designs of complicated swirls, coloured a crimson red, nearly indistinguishable from the eyes barely hidden by a golden mask. A neatly folded tie was the same red, tucked underneath protectively. The entire arrangement was picture perfect, from the flawlessness of the suit's cloth to the shine of spotless dress shoes. 

“... Were we supposed to have a date because I thought you have just finished the patrol around the Asakusa park?”

At his usual hearty chuckle, she found herself considerably relaxing as he casually explained,

“Nope, this was part of their challenge. So while patrolling with Ginnojo, I just first took… whatever Kuya surrounds himself while sleeping since he usually doesn’t care about a particular object and decided it matched the room,”

Koga only paused to hand her an actual calling card of The Phantom ‘Theif’… that was probably created by Masanobu. As if the glitter, scratchy handwriting, bad spelling and random car stickers pasted all over wasn’t evident enough, her beau continued,

“, Then I met Masanobu who was kind enough to make cards with Aoi’s art supplies which I took while I used a lady disguise to distract Oji to distract Aoi who was busy squabbling with Oji.”

“, Then, of course, as we went to Ginnojo’s place after that 5 minute separation period, I swiped out his books with Kuya’s empty ones.”

“Wait, you did all of that in 5 minutes?”

“Yup, and finally, your house, when I knew there was an ice-cream truck outside to distract Yura and Gaku. Except that ice-cream truck was my carriage and that whole line was Masanobu’s friends that helped me out after I won a game of tag while I took their things. The only reason why they’re last is that I wanted to see you after school.” 

Before his smirk and MC’s blush could fully burn her entire face, an infuriated feline stomped into their space, practically spitting out a scroll at Koga’s feet and longingly eying the dried fish before hissing out,

“Well done, Phantom Theif. You have finished your first task, BUT there is one more before you are deemed worthy.” 

“... Nachi… he has seen you as a cat. Also, you’re talking in that voice you use to intimidate a butterfly.”

“AHEM! You… will need to steal… yours and MC’s wishes.”

“Alright, Kuya’s first.” Koga announced with a sweep of his cape. That grand flourish and declaration earned little more than an eyebrow raised by the Onmyoji.

“Kuya? As in the one who just woke up apparently according to Nachi grumbling earlier?”

All he did was wave her concern away as they continued their pursuit, barely making a sound. 

“He’s probably the one hiding to nap and give orders. And where better than here?”

The place he had taken her turned out to be the Twelve Stories Tower. While the streets were normally crowded, only a scattered few passers-by wandered now and then - perhaps due to the ridiculously late hour. She gazed around the interior column of the brick tower. She certainly didn’t remember the viewing platform being this high up… or maybe it was the fact Koga was somehow strolling along, even skipping. Thank goodness he had reached a hand to help her up the last steps. When the climb was finished, Koga’s theory had proven to be true upon spotting a familiar pair of black wings. 

What was unfamiliar was the detective coat he sported, although MC wondered if he was properly wearing or it had been shoved down his head by a certain seer.

“Geh, this sucks. Whatever, here…” was all Kuya said… before he gave them the biggest smirk MC had ever seen on his usually tired face.

With a flick of his wrist and a snap of a fan, a large twister descended upon the three, carrying the two slips of paper expertly into nimble hands that snatched them away. In a dizzying swirl of water, Ginnojo rode on his tsunami far away from them.

“Great, it’s in the most dangerous detective’s hands…” was all she heard from Koga before he, ever-the-fool, launched himself straight towards the Mizuchi Dragon.  

Somehow, they remained suspended in the air long enough to exchange a few blows so furious that MC would have remained gawking were it not for her senses returning to her, dashing down the stairs… but not before grabbing Kuya’s coat… and covering the tengu who had decided to fall asleep in the middle of it all.

Of course, just as Koga had tugged off the detective’s coat from Ginnojo, the silent warrior had to toss them to the unexpected pair... or was it more accurate to say duet? Either way, Gaku's resounding strike of his drums had enabled his brother to snatch away the papers.

“Prepareth to square! I needeth to avenge mine own fallen dess'rts!”

To MC's surprise, she had caught up with the duelling ayakashi, but only because they stopped to have some exaggerated battle moves she had only witnessed on kabuki nights with Toichiro and Shizuki. It was becoming a tad ridiculous and MC really didn't want to waste her energy chasing them so she took her time. Eventually, Nachi, the very instigator, and Aoi came strolling along, her pet stating the obvious,

"OK... This... Is somehow embarrassing." 

"Yeah? Wonder who suggested this?"  was both Aoi and MC’s reply.

As the time limit was... still not approaching fast enough, somewhere in the midst of the struggle, the papers landed on the road... just as a carriage trotted by. 

It was as if a sudden nuke stopped the war. 

"Um..." 

"Koga, may I suggest thou prostate with a sincere apology at hand?"

"W-what? But I'm not the only one to blame!" 

"W-we'll apologise.. just, after you." 

And then, she snapped.

“All. Of. You. Inside. NOW!”

So there they were, sitting formally with their backs ramrod straight. MC was honestly just using a cat teaser but to them, it was the whip of discipline as they all waited, as falling into formation. Gently but with the fire still burning in her pink eyes, she prodded each one of them on the shoulders until she reached the twins,

“Now, can anyone tell me why I’m mad? Yura?”

“Is't because I am the oldest h're?”

“Er, technically, I’m just as old as you are, brother.”

“As the oldest, you two should have known better!” “You, Kuya!” “... I should have slept more?”

“Exactly!”

“Aoi! Ginnojo!”

“... We made use of our powers.”

“I mean if you hadn’t lost your wish as well… oops…”

“Why, Nachi, why? It’s all your fault anyway!”

“I just wanted to enjoy my afternoon, dusk and midnight nap.”

Once again, the blame game was being played and MC slammed her bell wand against the table.

“SHUT IT! It’s all of your faults and everyone has to take responsibility! Didn’t anyone teach you not to mess with dreams, of all things?”

And then the lecture continued, with her even bringing over a chalkboard and placing the dunce cap on the stoic Ginnojo. By the time she had gotten to her 23rd point, there was a still lot more she wanted to say but allowed Koga to signal to the others,

“We all know what to do, men.”

Together, they all bowed,

“FORGIVE US!”

Rolling her eyes but finally smiling, she nodded… before abruptly producing two very, very familiar tanzaku.

“So… here are our wishes, Koga.”

As she gently patted them into a starstruck oni’s shaking hands and was leaving the others to gape like fishes, her last words were,

“Please boys, you could be the Phantom Theif or detectives with some cool cloaks but I’m a refined lady who wisely wished to win. Y’all were doomed from the start when the only thing really stolen was her heart.”

It was at that moment Koga knew: He had to steal a wedding ring.

Epilogue

He didn’t. But he did buy one.

[journeyanddream]

Day 1, Hour 0

It was a restless night, I rolled around back and forth without being able to fall asleep and as the night pressed on, i felt more “energized”. And at the end, two hours of sleep was all I had before embarking on my big day. 

After getting lost a couple of time, I finally found the auditorium where our first briefing will be held. I was calm, I was excited. I was directed into a waiting area with numerous students hovering near the entrance of the auditorium, studded with a couple student mentors. “What’s your last name”, the mentor queried. “Xu”, I replied in a quiet but steady voice. “Okay, what course are you doing” the mentor pressed on. 

“Doctor of Medicine.” 

For that very moment, I could feel the attentions from the surrounding students slowly zooming onto me, like a concentrated beam of sunlight. The students were mostly undergraduate science students, all aspiring for a career in medicine. And at that moment, I became the embodiment of their dream. I fully understands the feeling, as I was in the same situation couple of years ago, where I envied “I wish I could be like him/her”. 

After this short encounter, I moved my way into the auditorium. It was not a big lecture hall...its capacity no more than 250 students. Contrary to my expectation, the room is not exclusive to medicine, but included a good mixture of master of public heath and bachelor of clinical science. We then spent three hours going over seemingly boring topics like “how to access your email”, “what is academic integrity”, “Where to get your lecture slides” etc; all which MAY be useful for first years but redundant at best for us veterans who have went through hell. We then went through course specific introductions, and naturally medicine was placed at the last. 

The master of public health and bachelor of clinical science academic gave extensive talks about their expectations and what the courses are like, which bored me to death as I was dying to know more about MY OWN course. A few yawns later, it was finally our time. Academics here have the tendency to request “raise your hands if you are from X course”, and without surprise, out of the 250 or so students, only a handful were MDs. 

Just as I was daydreaming, a man of big stature dressed in navy shirt and black pants walked onto the stage in big strides. What normally took female academic 10 steps, he did it in 4. His voice was projecting and clear, and you could feel the confidence radiating outwards.

“I am an endocrinologist and co-director of the MD program...”, my heart lightened up and my pupil dilated, “without name shaming, put your hands up if you are doing medicine...” He took a sudden pause and said with a smirk, “c’mon, medical students, hands up”. Just as he finished, my hand and arm jolted up in a continuous motion, shooting straight into the air with so much pride...as if answering “YES!”. 

After the faculty welcome concluded, It was time for lunch. All the students were ushered to a large ‘balcony’ and ‘roof top’ like place with an array of different snacks and food. Just as the morning talk, this session was also bombarded with kids from different streams and courses. I walked in wondering “Where are my homies at?” However, I was determined to know as much of the cohort as possible and set a solid footing into this new soil. I first started with two people whom I had brief exchanges earlier, who were both first year med students. 

I made the effort to speak clearly, loudly and confidently with a smile. “Hey! My name is X, nice too meet you.” The conversations initially hovered around the excitement of being in med school, the feeling of being in a new uni, or even a new country for those who came from interstate or internationally. I continued to maneuver around the event venue, finding more and more “homies”, I was not scared of introducing myself to a group, in fact I was introducing different groups to each other as an effort to “round up” the 1st years scattered among students from other courses.

In a matter of thirty minutes, a small 3 people group soon became 10, then 20. Everyone was so bright and friendly, each with their unique personalities and quirks. But all of them had left me with a memorable impression. Some were shy and timid, others were talkative and cracked jokes and banters. The next thing you know, we had already started planning where we would be hanging out and drinking together.

People here are so different to undergraduates, they are all so open to chat and keen to make friends. There is such a diverse background and personality, It seemed like different blobs of paint sloshed onto the canvas like a huge mess. But examining closely, this diversity and variety is the very strength of medical education and it is what makes medicine different from ANY other courses.  

These are the people that will learn, study and work with you for the next four years, accompanying you in different stages of medicine; these are the people you will laugh with, cry with, struggle with and succeed with...they are all part of an extended family. I feel empowered because I am part of this community.

So if you are gonna achieve this someday, might as well start now!

As of today, we are officially members of Australian Medical Student Association (AMSA) and the university medical society. That’s awesome isn’t it! It is the real deal! (We also got some freebies from AMSA)

Around 1pm, the number of people had started to thin out. Just as I was about to wrap it up and go home, they suggested “Why don’t we head down to the food place (UBar) to grab a drink and chill?” I believe, this is the beginning of a strong bond in the making, this is the type of things that connect people and bring them closer. Of course I could not turn down such offer. 

Later that day, we bumped into another group of medical students who went to library tours, and a simple “Hey!” turned out to be another 3 hours long conversation filled with laughter, just like that our extended family has grown even further and tighter. Although it was first time meeting eachother, and we still had trouble remembering so many new names and faces, it honestly felt like we knew each other for a long time. 

“Let’s eat at this place next time, I heard it’s very good!”

“Do you guys want to go target later, I need to get socks and soap”

“HAHAHAH socks! Why not, let go!”

“Since we are all in the University village, let’s move to the same place!”

“Have you signed this form? I can send you a copy if you don’t have it”

We then talked about medicine, specialty, hobbies, our own lives, families and many more topics that I could not even remember. But I do remember the feeling, I had so much fun. 

I felt a strong sense of belonging. I felt loved and understood...by strangers whom I’ve known less than 24 hours, who are now families. 

We will continue the conference week tomorrow with some MD overview and key stuff introductions; followed by a talk on person centered care and intermediate care facilities. After lunch we would continue with international clinical placements info in Apollo, all wrapped up with a Q&A with clinicians about medical career pathways. Exciting!

- To be continued

[berrytaetae]

college!taehyung ♡

a/n: i was inspired by my favourite - @warmau - to start writing; if you want to read some beautiful imagines, please read her work if you haven’t alreadyㅠㅠ i love this boy very much so i hope i did him justice... since this is my first imagine, constructive criticism is much appreciated! also, please feel free to message me - i have no friends :) -🍓

being the fashion major that he was, taehyung was always around campus looking like a greek god

even if what he was wearing included a kilt and a pair of sandals, he was always turning heads wherever he went 

of course... his hair was no exception

it was basically his canvas, painting whatever new colour he wanted onto it

people would always ask whether he was worried about his hair falling out but taehyung just smiled his wide, rectangular smile and said that it was fine! he always wanted to try shaving his head anyway

and although the fashion majors were known for keeping to themselves, there was not one student who could say that they had never heard of taehyung

he was quite the social butterfly, always at college parties with his best friends, dance major jimin and film major jungkook

he wasn’t one of those people who went out to forget about their problems and wake up in some stranger’s bed in the morning

no, taehyung was always found dancing and laughing with some new friend he had just made

don’t get me wrong, taehyung enjoyed a shot of soju every now and then... he just knew how to control himself  

of course, you knew of taehyung as well - he was infamous for his good looks after all - but you had never crossed paths 

that was until one day, a friend from your study group had urgently called you because they had left their graphic design portfolio behind in the library and you, being the amazing friend that you were, had promised to pick it up and drop it off at the art building after class

after a long, emotional exchange of “you just saved my life” and “i owe you big time”, you had decided to wander around a bit... you had finished all your classes for the day anyway and you had never been to this part of the school before

so as you were walking around, listening to some music and admiring all the pretty paintings and sculptures, you hadn’t even noticed that someone else had joined you

it wasn’t until you had stopped in front of a particularly stunning watercolour painting that you had realised a boy was talking directly to you

taking your earphones out and apologising for your ignorance, you looked up to notice that this was not just some boy... no... this man standing next to you was the one and only kim taehyung... and wow he was even more attractive than you had imagined

stopping yourself from staring for too long, you stuttered, “i-i’m sorry... i didn’t quite catch what you were saying”

with a glistening smile, he repeated, “that’s okay! i was just asking what you found most beautiful about this painting?”

and before you could tell him that no, you weren’t an art major, taehyung started describing all the small details about what he believed the student was trying to convey through this form of expression

and you didn’t know what it was, but something about the way that he had captured the beauty of the painting in his words had prompted you to do the same

so you carefully explained everything from the colour, texture and composition to what you had interpreted differently about the symbolism of the painting to taehyung who was listening intently on what you had to say

and when you were done, he moved onto the next piece, doing exactly the same

you lost track of how long you guys had been talking for, but as you came to the last few displays, you noticed that the sun had already set and the cleaners were telling you guys to leave because they had to lock up the building

so taehyung and you went your separate ways and...

that was it

you hadn’t talked about anything else let alone exchange numbers... heck, if he wasn’t already known as the boy who caused way too many heart palpitations, you didn’t think you would have even caught his name

so you didn’t think much of your small encounter with taehyung until a few days later when you were grabbing lunch at the cafeteria

you were chatting with a friend, talking about the stress of exams and assignments, when you had reached out for the last bottle of banana milk

but instead of the cool plastic of the bottle, you were met with a soft, squishy object...?

and looking to your left, you had once again come face-to-face with kim taehyung for the second time that week

with a smirk, he snickered, “i see you can’t get enough of me”

“you’re the one who keeps following me around”

“and you’re the one who’s about to steal my banana milk”

and that’s when you began to rant about the shitty mess of a morning you had just experienced with someone spilling coffee all over your new white top and how your professor got angry at you for something you hadn’t even done when taehyung stopped you with a wink and said “don’t worry - i’ll strike you a deal. you get the milk if you help me with my next project”

and maybe it was the thought of not getting your banana milk that day or the way that taehyung had winked at you, but without a second thought, you had agreed to his proposal

so after handing you a napkin that he had quickly scribbled his number on, taehyung was gone as fast as he had appeared leaving both you and your friend dumbstruck in the middle of the cafeteria

“what was tha-”

“i don’t even know.”

that night, you had received a text from taehyung properly introducing himself and asking when you were free

and in a couple of minutes, you two had decided to meet at the cute cafe near campus the following tuesday

you couldn’t tell if something out there had decided to play tricks on you, but you swore that time moved infinitely slower in the days leading up to your date(?) with taehyung

but you planned out a super cute outfit for the day anyway

and when you got there, sitting down with your beverage of choice, you nearly choked when taehyung revealed what his exact plans for his next project actually were

“the fashion majors are holding a fashion show and i need you to be my model”

your first instinct was to immediately decline - you couldn’t walk down an entire hall without tripping let alone an entire runwary

but the excited look on his face stopped the words from slipping out and you were forced to nod your head with a sigh of resignation

so your next few weeks were filled with countless sessions of sketching, measuring and sewing

the hours would include taehyung groaning as he stained yet another one of his drawings with coffee as he worked on his project while you studied next to him until he needed to take his next measurement

but you guys got along well too well

taehyung would always make you laugh until you had tears wellling in your eyes and the people around you were annoyed from the amount of noise

and there was the small smiles and touches and the pink tint of blushing cheeks

and the moments of eye contact that lasted a little too long to be accidental

it didn’t help that taehyung was also a gentleman - he always offered to pay for your drink, brought you your favourite snacks from the convenience store and walked you to your dorm

but as much as you pleaded, he never showed you what he was working on, keeping everything as secret as possible

all you got were glimpses of fabrics and thread - nothing more and nothing less

and before the two of you knew it, it was the day of the fashion show

you, of course, were nervous

you had never done anything like this before and you didn’t even know what you were wearing for goodness sake

taehyung could have made you a clown costume for all you knew

but when you saw his bright smile greeting you and asking you to close your eyes, you suddenly felt the butterflies in your stomach become something more than just the thought of walking down a runway

with taehyung’s hands covering your eyes, making sure you wouldn’t peak, and a countdown from three, you were soon confronted by the most beautiful outfit you had ever seen

the white silk, adorned with the most intricate, fine details, caught the lights around it in the most beautiful ways

and the thought of taehyung working tireless hours to perfect this dress to fit every curve of your body made all your insides feel giddy

so in the spur of the moment, you threw yourself into taehyung’s arms, overwhelmed with the spectacular masterpiece that stood before you

but to your surprise, taehyung’s soft lips pressed against yours and you could feel him smile into the kiss

and in a soft whisper, taehyung asked, “before you try it on, i need to ask you something...”

and with a small nod of approval from you, he continued, “will you go out with me?”

“only if you let me keep the dress”

“i was going to let you keep it anyways”

“in that case, i’ll be happy to go out with you”

and that’s how you and taehyung became the most iconic couple on campus

like you guys constantly look like aesthetic couple pictures come to life with the matching outfits and everything

and you quickly come to learn that wow, this boy loves to cuddle

tbh he probably loves being the little spoon just as much as he loves being the big spoon uwu

when you guys are together, he always comes up from behind and wraps his arms around you, resting his chin on your head and shoulders

taehyung’s favourite place to take you out is the movies

he loves the feeling of the dark, open space

like he isn’t one of those people who gets bored halfway through a movie and starts making out with their significant other

no... taehyung is the type of person who will put all the armrests up and cuddle you through the whole movie AND the credits (”because what if there’s a post-credits scene that just makes everything perfect” he says)

once, taehyung had dyed his hair bright red and you refused to call him anything but ‘berry boy’ for an entire week

he eventually convinced you to dye your hair as well so it was a win-win situation in the end

his favourite place to kiss you is your neck and collarbones

“they’re made perfectly for my face” he says

and taehyung is honestly just boyfriend material™... like he would treat you riGHT

he would always buy you a bottle of banana milk and put it in your bag where you would find it with a cute note stuck onto it

and sometimes he would take you to fancy dinners where y’all would hold hands and enjoy a plate of spaghetti ‘lady and the tramp’-style with some glasses of wine

while on other days, he would take you on a picnic on the roof of some building so you could go stargazing

and sooner or later he would end up lying on your lap while you played with his hair, asking each other deep and personal questions about life

and taehyung would genuinely listen to all your answers because he thinks that your mind is just as beautiful as your face

and with closed eyes and a goofy grin on his face, he would tell you how much he loves you

and while you’re at it, give yourself a pat on the back because wow, you managed to score yourself a kim taehyung

[avhphoto]

Northern Nights

There was a period of time where I didn't go home often. In ten years I had made two trips north. Over the last few years, I've been heading back to Yellowknife in September for some photography work. A family friend owns a salon, and she brings me up every year to shoot her staff headshots and her annual sale. The north in September is pretty awesome. There aren't that many bugs flying around and the weather can be relatively mild compared to the dead of winter. And then there are the lights. Having been in Yellowknife the last couple years in September, I've noticed one commonality: the Aurora is back and I don't have to wear a parka to shoot them. I started thinking of all the times I've been asked about the Northern Lights. I saw them when I was going to school. I saw them driving home from work. Gassing up my car. Eating a donair on Range Street. They were always just there and I definitely took them for granted. I had been to Blachford Lake when I was younger, probably 20 years ago. It was a summer camp with two friends, and although all our stories are different on what our time there was like, there was one common denominator: it was awesome. I started thinking that this would be a perfect place to host a photography workshop. The thrill of the float plane ride to the remote lodge. The sounds of a crackling fire which warms the cabins and lodge. The sauna and hot tub which can be accessed 24/7. The food, which is prepared using local ingredients whenever possible, including greens fresh out of the lodge's garden. The abundance of activities that you can participate in such as hiking, kayaking, canoeing, fishing etc all added to the allure of hosting a workshop here. Then, of course, is the pièce de résistance, the nightly Aurora Borealis shows. DAY ONE The float plane out of Yellowknife left shortly after noon. When we arrived at the lodge we were greeted by the staff and volunteers who keep the place going. After a short introduction and quick lunch, we continued on our tour of the resort grounds and were given a safety orientation. We checked into our cabins and planned to meet up in a few hours at the lodge for a presentation on night photography to get primed for shooting over the next three nights. While I set up and prepped for the presentation, Lys and Fern headed out and did some stand-up paddling while other guests sat in the lodge and made dream catchers.

                                      My cabin.

Before heading out for shooting, I made sure I came home to a hot cabin. After dinner, we headed back to our cabins to put on warmer clothes and we headed out down by the dock where we arrived earlier that day. There weren't too many clouds in the sky at this point, and we were just practicing some light painting and long exposures when I looked at the back of the LCD on one of the participant's cameras and saw the faint glow of Aurora. We stopped what we were shooting and focused more on compositions that were better suited for shooting the aurora. The lights were off in the distance, not the greatest show and it only lasted for about 30-45 minutes before the thick cloud cover rolled in, but we managed to get some shots and stayed out until about 2am playing in the dark.

DAY TWO The next day saw us meeting after breakfast for a little hike of the area to scout out some potential shooting locations for that evening. It was much colder this day than the previous, and the clouds overhead were thick with little sign of reprieve. I crossed my fingers and hoped that the alleged "clear" forecast would actually hold up. We headed back to the lodge for lunch and a couple hours of downtime before meeting up later in the afternoon for an editing session. We looked over the images we had taken the night before and how to process them and bring out the colours that can often be hidden amongst the darker parts in images of the Aurora.

After dinner, we suited up once again, this time with a little more clothing as it was COLD. The cloud cover hadn't dissipated at all, so we decided to stay closer to the lodge so we could have a fire while we practiced some light painting and multiple exposures. As we were shooting, the thick cloud cover overhead started to crack. We could see the Aurora through the clouds, and they were moving and dancing so fast and so bright. Little by little, the clouds went away and the sky opened right up. There wasn't a dull spot in the sky as the Aurora danced overhead, filling the darkness with beautiful movement and colours. We were joined by some other guests staying at the lodge as we all shared in the wonderment that was being gifted to us after what seemed like a no-show. After taking photos of the lights for a while, we decided to set up our cameras to take some star trails. This gave us a chance to sit around the fire and watch the lights whilst our cameras stayed working. I'm a firm believer in "the moment" and having photographs of this amazing event wouldn't mean anything if we didn't have our own memories and feelings to associate with the pictures.

Photo by participant Lys Olson DAY THREE Having finished shooting mere hours ago (around 3am), we opted to have a slow morning and meet up around lunch. I headed to the hot tub to soak and read while Lys and Fern went for a little walk and took some photos of the area. It was a perfect start to the day after two late nights. This day was much warmer than the day before, but again, a thick layer of clouds had rolled in and wasn't looking too promising. We had lunch and headed out on a little boat tour of Blachford Lake before heading back to the lodge for more editing, showcasing how to blend multiple exposures to create a single image. We all got such great photos from the night before, and my excitement was rampant. I so wanted to skies to clear up for our final night, although two of three was a blessing already.

After dinner, we headed to the tipi which had since had its cover put back on. We watched and listened as Randy, a Dene man and Blachford regular, performed songs in his language on his drum for us. It reminded me of a lot of cultural activities I took part in growing up in the north, and a feeling of nostalgia washed over me. It put me in a trance. I don't know what was being said, but I know that I felt it. When the drum circle ended, Lys, Fern, and I headed to our cabins once more to gear up for our final night.

We found ourselves by the tipi again, wanting to shoot it with the cover on while the red fire burned inside. This didn't last very long. The wind picked up and the rain started. The wind was so strong that it started to blow the fire throughout the tipi and really shaking the structure. A wind-turbine was howling, and I won't deny that it was a terrifying sound. A shrieking that masked any other sound and made it impossible to hear. As the rain continued to fall, we decided to head back into the lodge to practice more light painting and multiple exposures. It didn't look like the lights would come out to play that night.

Around 1130pm, Jacob, one of the lodge staff, came to inform us that the clouds had actually lifted and the stars were out. Oh goodie. I popped my head out and sure enough, the sky was darker than it had been the previous nights, and the stars were brighter than most skies I've seen. We were finishing our shooting inside before heading out, and not five minutes after the announcement of clear skies, Jacob came back to tell us that the Aurora was out and going crazy. We stopped what we were doing and headed outdoors right away. I could go into detail about the scenes that were unfolding in front of our eyes, but I won't. There are far too many adjectives to describe the skies that night. The abundance of stars, the Milky Way (which I had never seen before in the NWT and was SO happy to have), and of course, the dancing Aurora Borealis. Out of all three nights, the night that looked the least promising was by far the best night for shooting. The lights made arcs in the sky. The water a mirror, reflecting the lights on the lake. There was almost too much going on that it was overwhelming. You couldn't look around and not find something to shoot. I was absolutely ecstatic for my workshop participants. They had travelled so long and far to come north and got to experience these lights all three nights, but also for myself, who had spent so many years taking the lights for granted. I got to sit and watch and truly enjoy them, and the memories I have from those nights are far better than any of the pictures I took.

Day 4 I woke up this day having not slept well at all. It's not that I didn't sleep well. I should say that I didn't sleep much. I went to bed with a lot of adrenaline still pumping as I was quite excited about the shots we got and I had a hard time winding down. When I did wake up, I packed up my cabin, albeit quite reluctantly. I wasn't ready to go. I headed up to the lodge for a final breakfast before having to say goodbye to Lys. She was on the first float plane out of camp so she'd be able to make her flight out of Yellowknife on time. Fern and I lounged around the lodge waiting for our ride, as new guests were arriving. I was very envious of the experience I hoped they would have. When it was time for us to leave, the flight seemed surreal at first. Taxiing out on the lake, flying over the lodge, heading back to civilization. I didn't want to do any of it. I wanted to stay right where I was. I was happy there.

I really want people to come north. I really want people to understand and experience what a small town and a remote lifestyle is all about. An area where bush planes are the norm. Where snowmobiles make up for the lack of motorcycles. Most importantly, no matter how much a small town can feel overcrowded, there are so many opportunities to be alone. I realize our time in Yellowknife as a group was very limited, but I always love hearing of people going there for the first time and what their impressions are. Take that, and fly someone out to a remote place like Blachford, and it's even more exciting to have people be thrilled about things you might otherwise have overlooked. That is why I created this workshop, and want to continue to do it annually. You might night get to experience -40 Celsius and ice roads, but there are certain aspects of living in the north I don't miss. Ok, well, I do miss the ice roads. Those were always fun. Instead, you get to experience the north in its very short season of transition from summer to winter. We say fall is about two weeks long if you're lucky. In those two weeks, the temperatures are mild, the bugs are few, and the lights can be absolutely incredible. The "Northern Nights 2019" workshop launches Sunday, September 16th at 6pm PST. If you're interested in joining me next year on this excellent adventure, please sign up for my mailing list and you'll be informed of when registration begins, or to stay up to date with any other workshops or events. You can email me if you have any questions! IMAGES AND TESTIMONTIAL FROM PARTICIPANT LYS OLSON

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[charlieharry1]

What’s generally blanketed and no longer protected in a internet site build

So you’ve bitten the bullet and signed off on a new website or website refresh venture with us or the following business enterprise. Notable! Question is – did you take a look at all the inclusions on the quote or idea whilst signing off? Do you understand precisely what's Digital Marketing Agency in Sheffield protected and what isn't always and consequently what you may count on from the enterprise you will be operating with as part of the undertaking and what you may have to pull together yourself? It’s important you do. I’ve visible pretty some social media posts through the years from people asking on corporations about what is usually blanketed and not included in a website construct. In some cases they're reviewing rates (so correct they're asking) and in different instances they've already signed off, and are even at crowning glory degree and doubtlessly disgruntled if things they thought might be getting they're in reality no longer. In addition we've had incidences of customers signing off on a quote or proposal (which we've got constantly taken fantastic satisfaction in making quite precise list all inclusions as very well as we can) and then watching for matters to be blanketed which had been never discussed, and in reality now not covered in the quote at later degrees of the project. Glaringly nobody likes warfare, so allow’s communicate about what's usually included in a internet site construct and what is typically now not, although we do want to acknowledge that the variety of inclusions in step with website build and consistent with company can vary pretty plenty. But in quick, we strongly inspire you to examine no longer best the inclusions of the quote or notion you sign off on, but the terms and situations at the settlement you'll possibly additionally be agreeing to whilst giving the pass beforehand. Like all shape of carrier engagement, those will shape the foundations of your agreement / the premise of your engagement, whichever employer or character you select to paintings with. What typically is blanketed in a website development

Read Also:-  Best Free SEO Extensions For Chrome For The Beginners

1/ placing your internet site up on the chosen platform

special organizations use extraordinary systems, but it’s essential you're privy to which platform your internet site is supposed to be constructed on earlier than you log off, and which you test it’s suitability for your needs. We generally tend to construct websites on wordpress, shopify and every now and then wix. Com. 2/ web design

problem to the sort of website you log out on with us, we are able to either assist you select a applicable topic if you are going for a easy look and feel to your website on the price range give up of the dimensions, or, if you have greater of a price range and would love to obtain a custom appearance and experience in line with your emblem fashion and this is mentioned in the briefing level, we are able to commonly component in layout mock united statesand potentially even a cord frame (a wireframe is a format of an internet page that demonstrates what interface elements will exist on key pages), have you approve it, after which combine that look and sense with the website device. If your quote does not point out a design mock up or wireframes, suffice to mention it does not probable encompass them and your internet clothier will most in all likelihood be the usage of a topic after which editing it to a degree to fit your brand colorings and fonts, but now not an entire lot extra. Three/ add of content & photos

a huge determining component of your internet site is typically how many pages it is and therefore how plenty content and what number of pictures will need to be uploaded to flesh it out. The more pages and images that need to be created and populated, the greater high priced your web page may be. At our agency we are able to always specify how many pages of content your website improvement consists of on our charges, and this can typically be scoped out at the briefing level that means we can help you make a decision on what pages you'll want, what pages you may consolidate if you have an existing site and what pages you may probably even reduce. The precise words we specify in our quotes are:

“upload up to x pages of provided content or from existing web page as soon as (no amends, simple content material simplest)”

 on some uncommon occasions, we can set up a hard and fast number of middle pages for customers, and permit clients who need to shop on budget to keep to populate the internet site with in addition pages or merchandise. However our desire is constantly to provide a full and entire internet site to a patron in which viable. As regardless of the high-quality of intentions, customers often don’t realistically have the time nor competencies to finish a website, and the earlier they may be stay, the earlier they could acquire the advantages of having a brand new, well put together internet site. 4/ center seo elements

we recognize a large figuring out element of whether your website will deliver you any business or no longer is inside the search engine optimization done on it. As such we won’t permit any internet site go out the door of our enterprise without installing core search engine optimization components together with:

 – installing an industry general search engine optimization plugin

 – set up/switch google webmaster equipment, verify web site, submit web page map – to help google offer feedback on the health of your website online and get to know your web site and to allow google to know whilst you upload new content/amend content material

 – installation/switch google analytics – to degree the performance of your internet site

 In some instances we are able to also carry out some on page optimisation to kick begin the internet site performing on google, however that is typically at a further fee. This will include:

 – key-word research of phrases we may want to appearance to optimise for which have excessive searches however low opposition or which are incredibly applicable

 – carry out on page seo (search engine optimization) on up to a hard and fast variety of key web pages. Includes figuring out relevant keyword/s in line with web page, optimising of web page name, description and adding keywords into center text primarily based on keyword studies executed earlier. Thereafter we can commonly advise our clients pass into a monthly seo program as it can take four-6 months to virtually get your website ranking on google difficulty to how aggressive your industry is, and what point you’re starting from. We offer that carrier publish your website construct as it's far a chunk of work requiring separate capabilities to an internet development group, and requiring us to apply expert software which we pay over $1000usd /month for, to conduct substantial keyword research and successfully expand you a seo strategy, after which set about optimising your website. See under for more. Our advice to you with regards to seo? Take a look at the quote or first-class print of a quote from other businesses however. In our enjoy they will or won't know about this and consequently may or might not do it or encompass it. If in doubt, ask, and get their warranty in writing. Be aware however that except distinctive our prices do not normally encompass on page optimisation. Five/ training & handover

this component may additionally or might not be covered with other agencies so again, check the pleasant print. We’re all about empowering our clients with the capabilities they need to self manipulate their websites after they cross live, so we include a 1-2 hour education and handover session problem to the scale of their internet site and their technical ability. We’d as an alternative invest the time in them at this factor to make certain they are confident then have them calling us on a regular basis with small questions and queries of the way to do things. 6/ taking the website online stay

nicely of course we will take the internet site stay! This can suggest one in every of a few matters – placing it live in your desire of hosting or ours. In case you’re going live on a hosted cms (like squarespace, shopify or wix) this will suggest taking it stay on that platform (which force you to use their website hosting). 7/ web site guarantee

once more this element may also or may not be covered with different businesses, and our wager is in maximum cases it isn’t. But being an moral corporation, we offer a 30 day assurance on our websites. The precise words we specify in our charges are:

 “30 day assurance on the website online – this covers any bugs or machine system faults that get up that are not due to human error. Thereafter we have aid applications as. Au/guide-upkeep”

 what’s commonly not included in a internet site

1/ logo / logo development or refresh

if you acquire a vehicle or had your car serviced, you wouldn’t dare expect them to additionally create you some signage and stick it on now could you? In addition, if you require a logo or brand, we’d bear in mind this sort of paintings photograph design paintings and as such, whilst we have sturdy abilties to put together a brand or logo, or refresh your modern-day one, until this object is noted on your internet site quote, it won’t generally be protected. So don’t assume it. In case you do need a emblem/logo, ask for it, and we’d be happy to cite it. Further if you make a decision to get a internet site with some other company, don’t assume a brand within the package deal, unless it's miles explicitly discussed and blanketed within the quote. Discover about our logo/brand development services here. 2/ copywriting

curiously this might be one of the most not unusual gadgets human beings assume us to consist of in a internet site build, however it’s industry general for it not to be blanketed except asked and quoted for. Why? Copywriting is a exclusive skillset to developing a website. Internet builders are technicians. Copywriters and writers. And they need to be paid for his or her time as a consequence. If you’re now not a writer, that’s comprehensible. We’re all proper at various things. But to put together the reproduction for your internet site, we might need to go through a separate method to making ready the internet site structure and design. Which will do your copywriting justice, we’d want to recognize how many pages you require copy for, choose the right copywriter for the challenge based totally on the enterprise you're in, the style of reproduction you are in search of and the time frames you require it in (i. E. Who is available) then arrange an interview to obtain the content we need, and put together drafts. We usually fee at one hour at our hourly charge according to web page of replica required. So copywriting can add up subject to the quantity of pages you want, however it could truly be worth the funding too. Discover approximately our copywriting offerings right here. 3/ sourcing & enhancing pictures and videos

similar to copywriting, a few clients also assume us to supply and edit their pix which include a internet site construct quote, but it’s additionally enterprise standard for it no longer to be included unless requested and quoted for. Why? The quality pix and films are real pix and motion pictures i. E. Shot on web site at your premises/of your products/of your group/of your clients etc. So both you need to arrange a image shoot or video shoot and send us these in the direction of your website, otherwise you need to book us to shoot those for you. Yes that is a further cost, but it is able to also lift the output of not handiest your website in a large manner, however your standard advertising. Find out about our photography/videography offerings here. In case you virtually can’t stretch the finances to a photo or video shoot, sure you can supply or edit royalty loose inventory imagery or video, but once more, as that is time consuming, both you could try this, or pay us additional charges to behavior this studies for you and offer you with a quick listing to test thru to make certain they replicate the fashion and image you want to get across to the arena and that it is a true and accurate mirrored image of your commercial enterprise/industry. Four/ ssl certificates

 In case you hadn’t heard, if you don’t have a ssl certificate, your website might also bomb out on search engines like google and with customers. Why? Have you ever ever noticed how sometimes web sites start with “http://” after which on occasion they begin with “https://” and feature a green padlock close by? If you have, you’ve visible the quit result of an ssl certificate. Ssl stands for secure sockets layer. Basically, ssl establishes an encrypted hyperlink among your web server and your website tourist’s browser which guarantees that every one facts that passes at some stage in their visit on your website remains non-public and secure. Your customers anticipate and deserve that once completing bureaucracy or transactions in your website, so that you want to give it to them with an ssl certificate. If you pick to host with us, we will encompass an ssl certificate. In case you select to host some other place, you’ll want to make sure you get one. Study extra about ssl certificate and buy one from us here. Five/ area

For a person to get right of entry to your website they need to type in your domain call or website deal with. Your domain acts as an easy to don't forget manner for your traffic to get admission to your internet site. You need to a/ purchase a site in order for us to attach your internet site to it (and we sell them right here) and you also want to resume possession of your area every yr or  years to make sure human beings continue to get right of entry to your website (and once in a while your emails too) through this area call address. Test if your domain is loose and buy it right here

 6/ website hosting

our internet site i. E. The words, photographs and all the features programmed into it wishes to be stored on a server someplace to be seen. Procuring hosting is just like renting out area for your business, besides as opposed to being in the bodily world it is your enterprise within the digital or on-line world. It’s not commonly covered in a internet site development quote. With us you may choose to host with us, or set up it independently. Find out approximately our web hosting services right here. 7/ emails

How you installation your emails will depend on how you bought your domain and web hosting choice you select. If you host with us, we won’t arrange emails for you. However we can introduce you to our e-mail companions – it genius who can help set you up at jut $five in line with inbox on g suite which we especially propose. We take into account emails to be extra in the realm of it services, which is why we don’t offer this provider. We’re a creative corporation and construct websites among different matters. We don’t configure or assist with e-mail troubles. Eight/ unlimited rounds of changes

While reviewing your internet site it’s a terrific idea to be as thorough as feasible within the very first round. As you’ll word in our inclusions of what is included in a internet site above, our terms clearly country “add as much as x pages of furnished content material or from present web site as soon as (no amends, simple content only)”. The moment you want greater rounds of adjustments, either we can offer you education and handover to manage this yourself, or we are able to probably want to charge you for added time difficulty to the extent of modifications and reason for modifications as our quotes are based on the upload of content once. Nine/ something else that wasn’t cited within the quote inside the first vicinity! If there's some thing else you’re now not sure is covered on your website build or some other creative assignment for that be counted (video or photo shoots, graphic layout and so on.) if it doesn’t say it is covered for your quote or settlement, you can presume it’s no longer. So read your quote carefully, and question it before you have interaction to store on any confusion later inside the piece! Extra matters to test for in your quote from us or the following person

Test if the quote summarises total hours for the task as this can help you examine apples to apples. Test in case you have become a theme alternative, or custom design. Custom layout is typically greater pricey however may be a hundred% precise to your commercial enterprise

If you are becoming a customized Digital Marketing Company Sheffield internet site, how many ‘rounds’ of amends of design paintings are allocated to finalise the design? If there are not any rounds for amends, then you may discover yourself incurring greater costs. As fashionable, the creative collective includes x2 rounds of amends to polish the design. Do you have got a demand for any integrations of custom functionality? In that case, check if any paid plugins are required and if this is a value blanketed for your quote or separate. For shopify sites, a whole lot of capability comes with an add-on subscription fee every month so make sure to ask those questions

we hope you’ve found this weblog post beneficial. Feel unfastened to share it if you know a person who's looking to settlement a corporation for a internet site construct – whether or not it’s us or the subsequent individual.

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[rinnysega]

“Try Again”

I feel like I might have rushed this one, but considering all of these are technically warm ups and nothing too serious, I guess it’s okay. This is the one about Pennywise teaching a young Ha’Penny how to stalk/scare their prey, as anon requested. Enjoy!

It was well past five in the morning in Derry, and all was quiet. The only sounds every half hour were the low rumble of semi-trucks on the highways that passed north and south, passing over the small town as it slept.

In the woods to the west of I-95, in a clearing not too far from the Derry farmlands, a small clown sat on a rock, arms crossed with a playful pout upon her painted lips as a tall figure loomed over her. The man before her was well-suited, clean shaven, but had unnerving blue eyes that stared the child down with an air of authority. Only moments before, this man was a shriveled old woman with a bad knee, and before that, a rugged teen with an attitude problem. Over half a dozen forms were taken by this creature in the past few hours of the night in order to teach the younger a very important lesson—that all prey was different. That everyone was scared of something. And Ha’Penny had to learn this before she was ready to go out on her own.

He crouched down to eye level and lifted her chin, so she’d look him in the eye.

“Try again,” the man said. “What…am I…afraid of?”

Ha’Penny lifted her gaze to his and narrowed her brow again that night as she stared right into them, trying to read, trying to see through him. A few grunts escaped her as she tried hard to concentrate, and small beads of sweat formed on her forehead. Each one her parent made her do was worse than the last. They were getting harder, or she was getting more tired. The stress was taking its toll on her for sure.

“Well?” he asked.

At his remark, the body of a clown she’d come to inhabit had morphed into a small wolf pup.

The man took a small step back and stared down at her, judging every action she took, as she shook her fur and looked up at him, first with doe-eyes of a puppy, then fangs bared. Ha’Penny snarled, and stepped closer to him in an effort to terrorize him, but the man didn’t flinch. Instead, he walked in circles around the rock, looking at her form, and judging the quality of the new cast she’d molded. The small pup followed him in circles, keeping a sharp yellow eye on him, but his unwavering stiff upper lip was throwing her off, and she was becoming distressed. A pink pom pom morphed out of a patch of fur on her chest.

The man sneered.

“You’re afraid.”

A whine escaped Ha’Penny’s throat in retaliation of his accusation—no doubt trying to be a howl of protest—but soon, another pink frill formed on her chest. One even began to take shape on her forehead.

“You’re afraid!”

The man cast off his navy suit in favor of one of silver—orange pom poms twisting into place on the chest as ruby red paint snaked its way up his face from the corner of his mouth. At the sight, the wolf stepped back and slipped from the rock, falling back into a patch of weeds where she took shook off her shell and reformed as a small circus clown.

A white-gloved hand picked her up by the nape of her neck and pulled her from the entanglement, setting her back down on the rock. She looked up at Pennywise who kept her chin lifted so she couldn’t look away from his scolding.

“You had it,” he said. “What happened?”

She didn’t answer. She tried to turn her head and look away, but Pennywise gripped her jaw to keep her staring straight ahead. She had no choice but to speak.

“You’re not afraid…” her voice was small, soft, and a rarity for anyone to hear, including Pennywise.

“Your job is to make me afraid! If you don’t scare your prey, they will turn on you and hurt you—like that!” He snapped his fingers of his free hand in front of her eyes and she flinched. “You have to use every trick you have. Manipulate your surroundings—manipulate your target. Just you wait until you’ve felt pain like that…” He went on. “The moment you waver, it’s over. The moment you run, it’s over. Understand, I’m trying to keep you from experiencing that.”

She whined again, and he released his grip on her, allowing her to look away where she sat pouting for several moments.

“You’re right,” he said in a calmer tone. “I’m not afraid of wolves, but the human I was pretending to be was. I need to see how you change, how you taunt, how you experiment to strike fear into a human. Get a grip and focus! I’m not one of them, but you have me talking down to you like one.”

She glared up at him, annoyed by his comments.

“I will give you five minutes,” he said. “You hide. I’ll come back as someone new, and we will try it again.”

She didn’t speak but only nodded in obedience. As he disappeared into the woods again to change, Penny kept her gaze on the back of his head…

xxx

The sun would be rising soon; they didn’t have much time to finish their session before the roads became more congested and he needed to go on the prowl to find food for both of them. This would most likely be the last one of the day, but oh did he have notes for next time...

Pennywise emerged through the thickets as a tall woman whose high heels dug slightly into the dirt of the earth, although it didn’t waver her pace at all. She stepped forward into the clearing, tugging at her pencil skirt to fix up her design when she saw Ha’Penny was still sitting on the rock.

“I told you to hide.” Her voice was high and shrill as she fixed her long blonde hair up into a bun. “What have we been over about taunting and then striking at the right moment, Sunflower?”

The child looked up at her parent and didn’t say anything as she slipped off the rock and started walking away toward the highway. The woman rolled her eyes and followed her.

“Come back here, darling.”

At her voice, Ha’Penny glanced back only a moment before she broke out into a run, leaving the faux human behind. Pennywise wasn’t too concerned about this and followed her at a reasonable pace—strides wide to catch up with its offspring.

“Darling…”

The child continued to run.

As he followed close behind, Pennywise wondered if he had been hard on her. It didn’t matter though. After this he would have to be even harder on her. He remembered the pain he felt once before when a human harmed him and he wavered. He was afraid. He would never wish such a thing on himself again, much less his Ha’Penny, who was a sensitive thing. He wouldn’t be able to bear such an ordeal.

“Darling...”

Still disguised as the woman, Pennywise came up to the edge of the forest where he finally saw the child had stopped.

Ha’Penny was out standing on the highway, in the middle of the lane where she finally turned to face him, to face the wrath that might be coming her way.

Pennywise did nothing more than lift a finger and motion for her to get back.

He was still far away in some of the brush when florescent beams illuminated Ha’Penny until she was as white as a spirit, and a horn of a semi-truck blared as a blur sped past them both.

The sensation of falling filled his being when the blur cleared and he saw his Ha’Penny down low on the ground. His disguise melted back into his silver suit, blonde hair ignited into orange fire, as he ran toward the road, now empty again as the red tail lights disappeared over the ridge.

Ha’Penny was spread flat on the asphalt. Her small foot twitched several feet away from the rest of her body. Large chunks of herself were spread in a six foot area, only connected by red smears of blood, tissue, and organs that painted the tar a darker color than dry black.

Her upper body, or what was left of it, convulsed and she looked up at Pennywise with pleading, painful eyes as she shook—blood spurting from her mouth onto the road.

Pennywise knelt down to her and cradled her head in his palm. His tone was calm, serene. “Relax, Sunflower….Relax and focus…like we practiced…on regen…”

But she wasn’t healing herself. This was more than a cut or a broken arm which she could fix in a matter of hours if she’d tried hard enough. She was still so young. That kind voice of hers grew sharp as a needle, and her wails cried out into the night—the pain too severe for such a young one. She was succumbing to her wounds and fading. It was if her body was dimming. One by one even her limbs were silenced by death.

“Darling…? Sunflower…?” He was still calm as he brushed the small tufts of her hair by her ear that too began to disintegrate in his palm.

But when the wails stopped, it wasn’t because she was healed, or because she knew that with him, everything would be okay. The silence was thick, her stillness numb.

He couldn’t sense her deadlights.

Pennywise stayed on his knees by her body, and he softly placed the remains of her back down on the ground, silent, trying to think…

Everything was a blur. He tried to be rational and think, but something was…happening to him.

He was uncomfortable; he was in pain.

He scratched at his collar, feeling a swarm in his chest he wanted to claw out. Beads of sweat poured down his temple as he found himself standing and somehow back in the woods, away from the shell of his only child.

He couldn’t breathe.

There was a pain inside him he’d felt before when being attacked by those he tried to ensnare, but this? This was worse somehow. There was no wound to regenerate. It all felt like screaming inside his chest. His deadlights were burning…

But a twig snapped somewhere nearby, and he snarled in the direction of whatever creature dared to come across him at this moment.

A small, timid creature revealed itself from around a tree, and in the light of early morning he saw his Ha’Penny, coming to him from around the trunk. She was well and fine in her small polka-dot suit and hat, and she looked at him curiously, as if to see for herself what she’d done to her parent.

Pennywise had immediately calmed upon the sight of her and looked back once to the road to see the remains of a dead rabbit in place of where she was only moments before.

He stood there in shock as his child approached him and took his hand. At her touch, he looked down at her and saw a crooked smile on her face, one of triumph that she’d outsmarted even him.

“I scared you...” she said in her oh-so delicate tone.

Pennywise knelt beside her and without a word took her into his person and embraced her, his long arms wrapping tight around her like a snake to a mouse.

As much as he hated whenever he felt pain, in that moment he could forgive it. He could forgive and forget that terrible hurt.

He’d never been so proud.

[sabansbabes]

Power Rangers + Summer Camp AU

~The rangers are hanging out at Billy's house when he gets the call about Mission Creek. He signed up to be a counselor there the summer before his Junior year. Of course he wasn't allowed to be one at the time but Mr. Martin, the head of the camp, let senior campers sign up before they left and once their old enough he calls them up and ask if they still want the gig. Most kids say no, but Billy jumped at the chance. He'd had some of the best times of his life there and he wanted to relive those memories for as long as possible.

~ The rest of the rangers have no freaking idea what he's talking about when he starts babbling about how excited he is once he comes back from the call. He's mentioned it to them before, but that was during battle and they weren't very focused on what Billy was saying.

~"I'm finally going to be camp counselor. I've missed Mission Creek so much. I can't believe I'm going to be gone for the whole summer-"

~That's when the protests begin, the louder ones mainly coming from Jason.

~"You can't leave! I nee-I mean the team needs you for battles and stuff."

~Billy watches in confusion as Jason's face turns red at the statement while the rest of the rangers just smirk knowingly.

~"I won't be far, the camp is in the mountains and Kim's house is about thirty two miles from the grounds. I'll be there when there's an impending threat. Don't worry Jason, I still be able to defend world."

~"But still what if it comes at night and you're sleeping and-"

~"You think I'd sleep through a monster attack?"

~"Maybe and who knows how long it'll take you to reach us from cam-"

~"Two minutes and fourteen seconds. I did the run a few days ago."

~"Oh." Followed by complete amusing silence as Jason tries to come up with more excuses as to why Billy shouldn't go.

~"I'm sure Billy will be just fine  Jason." Kim tries to reason with Jason but he's not having it.

~"You don't know that. You don't know that." He mutters and it's then that Billy and the others see just how worried Jason really is.

~"I can ask if you guys can come with me. We're usually short a few counselors, I'm sure Mr. Martin will appreciate it."

~Everyone agrees and Jason can breathe easy again.

<>

~ They leave a week after school ends, which happened to be a week before camp starts and the majority of the gang is ecstatic. Except for Tommie and Zack.

~Tommie hates kids, they've never liked them and they're dreading this trip altogether. And Zack doesn't like the idea of leaving his mother alone for so long, sure she's gotten better, thanks to the rangers and their families pitching in for her medical expenses,  but she's not at perfect health yet and he's not sure he wants to take that risk.

~Ms. Taylor has to literally shove him out of the house for him to go.

~They take Billy's van, after the crash his mom's van was replaced. After she got a significant raise at work, she gave it to her son and brought herself a Toyota Camry.

~Trini, Zack and Tommie won't stop calling it the mystery machine.

~ Jason gets the Aux Cord taken away from him after he put on Nickelback.

~"It soothes me."

~"You're a disgrace y'know that." (Trini's Remark)

~They listen to Kim's playlist and when Mayores comes on she brings up the fact that Becky G. looks exactly like Trini.

~The rest of the rangers, including her girlfriend,  just don't see it.

<>

~The drive isn't long and when they get there Mr. Martin runs through everything they need to know within the hour. They have the camp to themselves for a whole week.

~The first thing they do, after Jason makes sure everyone is packed, is hit the lake. It's fun, until Zack loses his trunks in the water.

~"It's not my fault, the current's strong in here!"

~"There's is no current dip thong." (Tommie's Remark)

~They spend the majority of the week hanging out together, when they're all not in a group they split off into two. Kim and Trini disappear to do god knows what. At least that's what Zack says but they mainly just hang out in the kitchen eating all the cheese balls, talking and joking around with the occasional make out session taking place. Zack and Tommie usually go do some dumb shit, like hike up the mountain and see if they can jump off into the lake without breaking anything. And Billy and Jason  hang out in the media room, playing ping pong and pool.

<>

~Billy loves kids but its easy for him to get uncomfortable around them. Kids are touchy feely, Billy's not. By the second day, Jason and the others make sure the kids know to ask Camp Counselor Billy to touch him before doing so.

~Tommie spends a lot of their time explaining what it means to be non-binary person. Some of the kids are little shits about it, but the majority are pretty accepting.

~Zack has these two little girls who follow him everywhere. Bria and Mimi. At first they thought he was cute but once Bria caught him staring at Tommie she realized that he likes them. After that they mainly stick around to give him advice. Sure there like eight years old but Zack takes a lot of what they say to heart. They even set up a tea party date for Zack and Tommie. They made sure to paint Zack's fingernails and to put his hair into little ponytails so that he can look 'pretty for Tommie'.

~Billy and the others get to name their designated cabins, they chose the dinosaurs of their zords.

~After a particularly bad nightmare, Billy sneaks into Jason cabin. He can't sleep and Jason always puts him at ease. Shelby, another counselor, is in his cabin too and he makes sure to let her know where he's going before he leaves.

~A weird conversation takes place with Mikey, a seven year old, in the morning when he wakes the two up.

~Jason struggles to explain what it means to be gay until Trini walks by and sighs. "Hey Mikey, boy can like boys and girls can like girls. Love isn't always shared between a man and a woman." She holds Kim's hand in her own for emphasis.

~"Otay"

~And that was that.

<>

~Tommie discovers a secret love they have for kids when they, Bria, Mimi and Zack are hanging out by the fire. "Kids don't suck, they're alright I guess." She tells Zack as she watched the two run off for smores. Zack nods in agreement, turning away from the little girls to meet Tommie's eyes.

~ Their gaze intensifies before they close the gap between them and BAM!!! Fireworks!

~"I told you they were gonna kiss, I told ya." (Bria)

~They pull away laughing and the rest of the gang cheers. It took forever but they finally got together.

<>

~ Kim and Trini escape to the mountain the day before the last day of camp. They're joking around., laughing, kissing and then Trini just kind of blurts it out without realizing.

~"I love you"

~Kim takes a moment to take in what she had just heard before smiling and pulling the shorter girl into another kiss.

~"I love you too."

~They spend the rest of the night up there, wrapped up in a pillow and blanket. Kissing, watching the stars and just reveling in the feeling of being together.

<>

~"What are we Jason?"

~ It was an unexpected question, a question that Jason didn't really know how to answer. They had been closer, closer than friends but not yet together. It was a weird predicament that Jason was unaware of how he got into or how to get out of it. He wanted to take the leap but he didn't really know how to.

~"I don't know."

~He didn't meet Billy eyes, just stay focused on picking up trash and cleaning up around the camp fire. Everyone else was gone, back to the cabin and now they were the only two left.

~"I like you Jason. More than a friend should like their other friend."

~"I like you to Billy but-"

~Just as he looked up to face the brown boy who was incredibly close to him now.

~"I'm going to kiss you now, is that okay?"  Jason didn't know what to say, so he nodded. Overwhelmed by how forward Billy was being.

~Billy's hands came in contact with Jason's cheeks and his lips crash against his. For a second Jason froze, he didn't know how to react. It felt good, it felt better than good. He moved in sync with Billy, melting into the kiss.

~He forced himself not to whine when the brown boy pulled away.

~"We should date. Do you want to date me Jason?" He nods, still recovering from the kiss.

~"Can we uhh, can we do that again Billy?"

<>

~When camp is over, the rangers are reluctant to leave. College starts in the fall and although their all attending Angel Grove community college, they know their summers will be to filled with jobs and internships to even think about doing this again.

~Tommie and Zack share a teary goodbye with Bria and Mimi as they leave. Zack's is the main one shedding tears.

~The next day, Billy says goodbye to Shelby and thanks her for filling in for him for all those nights he spent in the T-Rex cabin. She says it was no problem before hugging him and Jason goodbye. Her fiancé Tyler is waiting for her in the car.

~The car ride back was bitter sweet.

~"At least we'll always have the memories." (Jason's comment)

~They nod in agreement as they leave the grounds.

~"Hey can I see the aux cord?"

~"NOO!"

<>

The End.

Sorry this is so long, I got carried away.

Summer's is almost over and I was just wondering why no one had done this yet, lol. And also if you caught that Dino Charge reference I love you. I really hope this doesn't suck, please enjoy.  

[auskultu]

Rolling Stones Starting to Melow

Keith Altham, New Musical Express, 16 September 1967

HE TIMES THEY have a-changed, as Bob Dylan predicted—and with them—the Rolling Stones. There was a time when one approached a Mick Jagger-Keith Richard interview with fear and trepidation, as they lashed the backs of the establishment. Today they are older, perhaps wiser and certainly kinder to the world around them.

Now, instead of the old “Fab gear whack,” routine and solicitous enquiries after Ken Dodd’s health, as I enter their recording studios I am met with smiles and an orange juice is pressed upon me by the ever courteous Jones, while Keith remarks that he has not seen me in a long time.

“Please help yourself to a drink at any time,” smiles Mick, indicating the cardboard carton stacked with juices and cokes.

Bill smiles a slightly sadder smile and only Charlie remains immortal, eyes wide open as he drums but seeing nothing and talking still of Coltrane and Gillespie. He knows what’s “Watts!”

Outside the studio are parked the Mercedes and the Rolls and the Aston Martin—the material results of five long, gone years hard work.

“Stu” is still there—their big hearted road manager, still leading with his chin (a formidable weapon) shirt ever agape revealing the hairy chest and blue jeans displaying something new in psychedelic white patterns.

Brian moves softly about the studio in painted shoes, red and black striped trousers and huge brown sheepskin waistcoat which makes him appear like some bizarre troglodyte.

Keith is clad in one of those unbelievable blue creations with many other colours that billow from his arms and fall in fringes almost to the floor. He sits tuning his guitar and appeals desperately to the ceiling “Someone give me an ‘E’!”

Jagger sits perched upon a high stool in the control room surveying the music makers with an indulgent air, his leg twisted about the lower struts of the seat and leaning forward so that his spine sticks out through the thin purple shirt. Marianne Faithfull sits cool and detached behind him reading a copy of A Treatise On White Magic from which she takes time out to talk a little with me.

Love Supremes “I love the Supremes new record, ‘Reflections’, and Traffic’s single,” she enthuses. “Mick is producing some tracks for a new album for me—you heard one track as you came in written by the Incredible String Band.”

I expressed an interest in the small book in her shopping bag written by poet-philosopher Omar Kayyam and she gave it to me.

The whole atmosphere in the studio was one of a friendly, unhurried meeting between five old friends who were not going to rush into anything that was not their best.

No discord There was hardly one discordant quote to ruffle the serenity except when I deigned to mention the Monkees and the Beatles in the same breath and Keith’s lip curled in the old familiar manner.

Mick explained a little of the new direction in which the Stones are moving along with many other top groups.

“It really began with the Beatles Revolver album,” said Mick. It was the beginning of an appeal to the intellect.

“Once you could tell how well a group was doing by the reaction to their sex appeal but the days of the hysteria are fading and for that reason there will never be a new Stones or a new Beatles. We are moving after ‘minds’ and so are most of the new groups.”

He played me one of their new compositions, ‘She Comes In Colours’ which is augmented by strings, for inclusion on the next album and a 15-minute backing track where guitars, piano, tambourine, tom-toms, baas and drums are thrown together to provide what Brian calls, “India with a touch of the Arabian Nights!” Brian was planning an excursion to Libya and indicated the glossy brochure he had bought on that country.

“Look at these fantastic Roman remains,” he enthused, “I’m going to find somewhere in the middle of the Sahara where there an no photographers.” As Brian left the control room sound engineer Glyn Johns extolled the Stones musicianship.

Picked it up “Brian’s incredible,” he said, “did you hear that harp on the last track—he played that—just picked it up in the studio.

“He came in last night and there was this little child’s plastic ukelele lying around. It’s almost impossible to get a tune out of those things but he did. He seems to be able to play anything he picks up—from saxophone to dulcimer!” A backing track was laid down and the Stones set about making music with Brian isolated in one portion of the studio playing tom-toms.

Jagger and Johns talked about “fixed and round sounds” and there was a brief hitch while some distortion was removed from Bill’s bass-guitar, namely Bill. He was apparently working too close to the bridge of his bass.

A Stones’ recording session nowadays begins about 7 pm and rolls on until the early hours of the morning. “Stu” sends out for supper about midnight and quantities of pork chops and chicken are consumed along with pie and ice-cream.

A great deal of their music is produced spontaneously in the studio as they improvise on a theme or idea that one or the other has created.

A strange assortment of people drift in and out of the studio including policemen who lamely excuse their presence by “I’ve never been in a recording studio before” or “your door was open!”

The Stones accept this in stone silence and anyone who is not as Jagger described it—“a terrific nuisance”—is allowed to stay.

At this session a well-known agent who they had not seen for nearly three years turned up in suit and tie—looking as comfortable as a penguin in the Gobi amongst the present company.

He explained rather embarrassedly that there was this girl with him who wanted to “just see you—y’know?”

Jagger collapsed, “You don’t see us for over three years and then you turn up with the same old reasons—using us to impress your girl.” But he smiled and the girl was brought in and the Stones treated her kindly.

Just what is going to turn up on this next Stones LP is still somewhat confusing but there are likely to be quite a few surprises.

Marianne, for example, revealed that Mick has a book on nursery rhymes—“the ‘I was going to St. Ives and met a man with seven wives’ variety” and he was considering working some of them into the album.

Brian Jones had a thing about some 1930’s discs owned by his father on which there was an organist called Harry Foorte. One particular title he mentioned was ‘Plum Blossom’.

In between-times Charlie talked to Mick of Mick’s meeting with Maharishi Yoga, and wanted to know what Mick asked him.

“Oh about the Church and religion,” said Mick vaguely. Charlie was sceptical about the little portrait that Maharishi carried of his guru (Maharishi teacher). “It’s only something to help him remember he is carrying the thoughts on from another,” said Mick.

There was a heated discussion in the control room between Glyn Johns, who abhors bullfights although he has never been to one, and Brian Jones interceded on my behalf for the defence.

“It is not a sport—that is an English misconception.” said Brian “it is a spectacle in the same way a Greek tragedy is a spectacle—it is life as it Is death and sad as it is happy.”

Glyn was not to be convinced that the spectacle of any animal in pain was a desirable one and Marianne finally made a profound remark about “Nature at the mercy of mankind” and we all forgot the subject.

Headgear Keith had acquired a cap during the evening’s recording with three badges resplendent on the peak.

“The badge with the two white strokes stands for equal rights,” he explained. “The photograph in the other badge is of the Russian astronaut who was burned to death on re-entering the Earth’s atmosphere.”

The last badge depicted a latter day Hollywood blonde in surrealistic backgrounds—“and that,” said Keith, “is lovely Rita!”

Charlie entered the control room to conduct a bewildering conversation about a session musician with “perfect pitch” whom Glyn knew.

Mick revealed that Glyn was shortly to be married. Glyn revealed that Mick had learnt all his production techniques at his knee.

About 2 a.m. I made to go while everyone was still being so nice. Just as I left through the door the idea of asking Keith to insult someone, just once for old times sake occurred, but I fear it would have been futile.

This is the year of “the Nice” and saving Omar Khayyam’s memory—“the Rolling Stones having rolled—roll on!”

[angewrites]

Interference

Title: Interference 

Title Definition:  (n) The ability of two waves passing through each other to mingle, reinforcing each other where crests coincide and cancelling each other out where crests and troughs coincide.

Anime: Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s

Words: 5844

Summary:  With Yusei and Jack gone to Nazca lines, Aki struggles to understand her physics homework. With a test coming up the next day, she calls Crow to ask for help and, to her surprise, he agrees to help her. But, as it turns out, physics isn’t the only thing she’s confused about. Also, it happens to be her birthday. Aki’s POV, Firebirdshipping (Izayoi Aki x Crow Hogan-sama)

Notes: It’s August 16th in Japan, which means it’s Aki’s birthday!! I’ve been working on, reworking, and editing at least ten times this fic for 8 days (I even used my high school physics notes for this lmao). And honestly, I’m in love with how this turned out. I was even thinking about it in my sleep lmao.

Anyway, this is the first time in a long loooong time I’ve written romance of this caliber, so if y’all got suggestions, I’m all eyes. But, even if you don’t, please let me know what you think of this b/c I’ve been dying to publish this since yesterday haha.

Happy reading!!

[FFN] [AO3]

Izayoi Residence

If I had to choose between fighting a worldwide threat and a physics test, I’d opt for the worldwide threat. Getting a diploma didn’t depend on how well I fought it. Better yet, I’d rather be in a cheesy, poorly-written high school romance (my least favorite type of romance movie) and pretend to take a physics test rather than actually take one. It’s ridiculous. Why was Duel Academy still holding classes? The rest of the city’s in shambles from Yusei’s fight with that Yliaster guy. It didn’t make any sense.

I opened my purple physics notebook as slowly as I possibly could. The test’s still happening, no matter how much I complained, hoping it would go away. We’d been studying a unit that had flown over my head since day one. I’ve tried talking with Mr. Kimura about my frustrations, but back-to-back staff meetings conveniently interrupted the explanation sessions, so I was at a total loss. Yusei had been helping me as much as he could before the World Riding Grand Prix. Eventually, preparations took over. I still didn’t understand.

And the test’s tomorrow.

And the test’s worth half our grade.

And it’s my worst class.

And I couldn’t exactly sing a musical number and hoped everything would turn out fine by the end.

How I envisioned spending the night of my 17th birthday? Not even close.  

I exhaled and glanced out my window. The sun was setting over the horizon, painting the sky with a light bluish orange. Maybe he’s not too busy and he could help.

Wait a sec. He visited the kids after his job, didn’t he? I doubted he would want to waste his free time helping me with physics.

But, I didn’t have many options. My parents were away on a trip for the next two days and I couldn’t possibly bother them. It’s unlikely they’d understand the material enough to help me, even if I did. I couldn’t ask my other school friends either because none of them understood the stuff.

And I didn’t even have Bruno’s number.

I was desperate for help. Nothing was making sense.

I called Crow before I could change my mind.

 When the heavy diiiiiiiing-dong sound of the doorbell reached my ears during my futile attempts to understand wave motion and interference, I glanced at my rose-shaped clock. 20:00. Exactly. If it was Crow, hmph. Some nerve he had to show up an hour late. Who did he think he was, the sloppy sidekick friend always showing up with coffee? I went down the carpeted stairs and opened the door.

There he was, standing there scratching the back of his head, which he always did when he did something he shouldn’t have done, his spiky orange hair as disheveled as ever. The words slipped out like venom before I had a chance to think.

“You sure took your sweet time, Crow.”

He stopped scratching his head. I bit down on my bottom lip, tasting the remainder of my cherry-flavored chapstick, wishing to take back those words. The tension was thick enough to be suffocating, so I opened my mouth to offer a quick “Sorry,” but Crow laughed before I could even get a breath in.

“Yeah, I did. It’s for a good reason, trust me,” he said. He placed a calming hand on my shoulder, a familiar gesture yet so unusual at that moment. “Before that, though, you need help in physics, right?”

I nodded, noting Crow had placed a hand protectively over one of his jacket pockets – the left one. He was wearing his bright yellow Blackbird Delivery jacket. He must’ve come straight from work.

He shrugged his shoulders, smiling. “I guess I know a thing or two about that. I’ll do my best.”

 We made our way up the stairs to my room, Crow taking longer than I was. That’s right. It’s the first time he’s ever been to my house. Not only that, but he’s also the first friend to come over. He was shocked by how fancy everything was, from the vases to the floral wallpaper to the Renaissance paintings my father collected, bought, was given to on his business trips.

Things Crow normally didn’t see on his side of town.  

Although I lived here, at that moment, I felt a tinge of embarrassment. I swallowed hard, managing to say, “My room’s this way.”

Crow made one last look at one of the paintings before shrugging his shoulders and trekking up the stairs. I took a seat, the unfamiliar and confusing wave motion and interference notes and formulas glaring at me from on top of my desk. He took his place next to me, glancing at my notes.

“Ya gotta understand this by tomorrow?” He grabbed the purple spiral notebook from on top of my writing desk to have a better look, I guessed.

“Yeah. A huge test. A nice chunk of my final grade, no less,” I replied, crossing my legs and arms. “But, I don’t get any of it and neither do any of my friends at school.”

“Mhmmmm,” Crow replied, looking intently at my notes, trying to decipher them. I didn’t exactly have the best handwriting, so I didn’t blame him for struggling. Still, if he had that much trouble figuring it out, he could’ve asked me, for goodness’ sake.

“If you can’t read my handwriting, just tell me,” I spoke up, leaning back in my cushioned chair.

“No, it’s not that,” he corrected. “It’s just . . . this is so easy. Even Jack could figure this out.”

“Really, Crow? That’s not very helpful,” I scoffed, holding myself tighter.

Crow must’ve realized why I was suddenly so rattled.

“Woah, my bad. I can help you with this, though. It’s not hard. You just need to take it one piece at a time.”

“One piece at a time, huh?” I muttered, taking the notes from his hands.

“Yeah, let me show you,” he said, moving to behind my chair and extending an arm towards my notes. He pointed at various formulas and terms in a sequence. While that was my learning style, I was unable to focus. His covered-by-his-work-jacket arm was just centimeters away from my bare arm. My heartrate accelerated, a wave of nervousness overwhelming me. The hairs in the back of my neck stood up and I broke out in a cold sweat.

All because of an arm.

Whenever that happened to other characters in a romantic comedy, I’d always cheer for the one feeling overwhelmed to get with the guy or girl already . . . which was then followed by an hour and a half of them trying to get together, misunderstandings and all. It was annoying when I thought back on the movie, but I fell for it as it was happening. Every. Time. They got together at the end, so what did it matter?

I didn’t think that would ever happen to me. But, it didn’t make sense for it to happen either since Crow’s only a friend. He definitely thought of me as just a friend too.

I was sure of it . . . I guess.

Crow was trying his best to explain interference and wave motion and all to me, but my mind and heart were making it hard to focus. They’d rather help me fully and irrevocably concentrate on another problem.

Him.

I didn’t understand at first where the attraction came from, whatever kind of attraction it was. Sure, he did drop everything he had planned, which probably included visiting the kids at Martha’s, just to help me with something he thought was simple. Before that, he even supported me after that poor performance against Team Unicorn, taking time out of the chaos to make sure I was alright. He did all of that even though he went through a lot to train me in a number of early mornings for the tournament, even though he should’ve been focusing on his arm recovering.

And, okay, okay, he wasn’t half-bad looking either – even with all the markers on his face. He was actually kinda cute.

But, that didn’t mean I liked him like. Like that. That was ridiculous. Crow was just a super good friend I could laugh with. I could improve my skills as a D-Wheeler with. I could practice my dueling skills against.

That’s all he was. A friend.

“So, you got that?”

Crow’s voice forces me back to the original problem – the interference problem. I turned against my will to face him.

A sensation overwhelmed me.

It was a strange sensation. It wasn’t like when I first met Divine, when I had felt acceptance – it was a false one, but it made me feel I had belonged. I wasn’t an outcast or a monster to the people in the Arcadia Movement. I was powerful, I was strong, I was feared. There were people who looked up to me. They accepted me for who I was because of him. Divine - a typhoon engulfing me, violently lashing out at anyone who dared to come close under the guise of protecting me.

It wasn’t like when I had first met Yusei either. Even though I was afraid when I met him – something about his demeanor had given me chills and he had been so bold in his convictions – those feelings gave way to warmth. Light shrouded in darkness, but it persistently shone through till the darkness dispelled. Its warmth gave me courage to change, face my problems head on, to think for myself. And I gravitated towards it, fell head over heels for it. For him.

This sensation with Crow was . . . different. Vastly different.

I found myself staring at Crow’s lips in typical romantic comedy movie fashion. “M-Mhm.”

“Uh, Aki, my eyes’re up here,” he said, half-concern, half-“what the hell are you doing?”

I felt my cheeks flush a little and prayed they didn’t appear red as my frilly sleeveless blouse. I held myself tighter in my arms and legs crossed position. Ugh, how embarrassing.

“I got that!” I retorted.

Crow only laughed, clearly comfortable at that point with the harsh way I would accidentally tell him things, and he said, “No big deal. Let’s just go over it again to make sure you really do understand it, though, ‘kay?”

It wasn’t dramatic in the slightest, but the sensation was still something extraordinary. It was a longing, yearning. Yearning to just be myself and to be myself with him. And stay with him, long after this tutoring session was over.

What in the world was this feeling?

“Okay,” I responded, silently praying I pay attention this time to physics. I needed to pass the test, after all. That ear-to-ear smile he gave wasn’t helping with that, though. Nor were my heart and nerves. I swallowed hard and sat with my back aligned with my chair, as if doing so would return my feelings to normal.

They didn’t.

I was, however more alert and willing to finally knock down the physics wall as Crow re-explained the connection between wave motion and interference. The passion with how he was explaining something that was simple to him captivated me. He somehow related wave motion and interference to D-Wheels and Riding Duels, two things I felt vastly inexperienced in but certainly knew more about.

“So, kinda like how a Riding Duel tournament is just a bunch of duelists with D-Wheels coming together, periodic waves are basically multiple pulse waves. The periodic waves are the tournament, the pulse waves are the people,” he mentioned as we neared the last problem. “Might be a stretch, but that’s how I’m seeing it.” Crow scratched his head.

“No, this makes perfect sense,” I replied, writing down the comparison so I could remember it. “I wish my teacher had explained it like this in class.”

“Heh. There’s only so much those teachers can do, huh? Might be worth it to just go to a class and see how much I know.”

I sighed, but then I laughed at the possibility. It was hard enough to imagine Crow in any school setting, real or fabricated, much less a high school, or, even worse yet, a university.

“You’d get kicked out, for sure,” I said, finishing up my writing.

Crow harrumphed. “This is payback for the Jack comment, isn’t it?”

I gave a small smile. “Maybe.”

By the time I felt I fully understood the concepts for the test the next day, it was already 21:30. I stretched my arms, relieving the tension physics placed on me. While it felt fantastic to have finally figured out my physics problems, there’s still one problem left I needed to solve. Well, two problems, but they involved the same person. And I had hoped to solve them by the end of tonight.

“That’s all I can do for now,” The Problem himself announced. “Hopefully, that helped.”

“It did. Thanks a million, Crow,” I replied. “By the way, you were going to tell me why you were late today. That’s what you said earlier, right?”

Crow nervously laughed, which I thought was odd. “Okay, yeah, ya got me. Like I said, though, it’s for a good reason. I had to do something for your birthday and all.” He reached into one of his pockets – the pocket he had been protectively placing his hand over the entire time – and pulled out a small black plastic bag.

“I know it’s not much, but it’s all I could manage, given finances and all. ‘scuse the wrapping,” he said, handing it to me.

It took all I had to not let my mouth drop completely to the floor. I hastily took the black bag and pulled out a small rose keychain. It wasn’t one of those flat keychains either; it was one of those three-dimensional ones that had figurine-like quality to it.

“All those schoolbags look alike to me, even though the kids like to argue with me that they don’t, so this is to just make sure no one takes yours,” Crow said, his voice sounding triumphant.

All he could manage? Just how much did he spend on this?

“Crow . . . these aren’t cheap,” I replied. “How much money did you spend on this?”

“Happy birthday!”

“I’m serious!”

Crow waved a hand. “Don’t worry about it, Aki. Really. It didn’t cost an arm and a leg, I promise.”

“Crow . . .” I persisted.

“Okay, okay, fine. I spent a day’s work at my job on this,” he gave up, shrugging his shoulders. It was adorable – wait. “Really, don’t worry. It’s for you and that’s why I was okay with getting it.”

Just when I had him and how I felt about him figured out, he added even more problems.  

Truth be told, the concern with money was just a coverup for how I felt. It’s not that I didn’t get presents for my birthday, but it’s the first time I’ve ever gotten anything on my birthday from a friend.

If that’s what Crow was.

If this had been part of a friends-to-lovers movie, it would’ve been the part that started the whole “and suddenly, the friends realized they had romantic feelings for each other” portion of the movie. But, obviously, that didn’t apply then.

. . . Yeah, it didn’t apply. Not even close. My heart kept screaming “Liar!!” at me. I ignored it.

To think that’s why he was late. It’s frustrating. I couldn’t help but smile though as I tied the present onto my black school bag. It was a nice one, but, unfortunately, all I was going to think of whenever I saw it was him.

Who was I kidding? I meant fortunately.

“I . . . I just. Thank you, Crow,” I managed to get out, trying to quell my rapid heart beating. My heart didn’t even act as unsettled as I felt then when I was around Yusei. But, why would it ever act this way around Crow?

Crow gave a thumbs up. “Don’t sweat it. But, I’ve got to go now. Got an early delivery shift tomorrow morning and a bird needs his rest.”

My heart pounded in my chest, as if the feelings it had been holding were to burst at any moment, all my emotions laid out bare for Crow to see.

“If you got any last-minute questions tomorrow, well, you know how to reach me.”

He was a friend! Nothing more. Besides, the one I liked that way was Yusei, right?

“I’ll see you later, Aki.”

. . . right?

“Yeah, see you,” I blurted out on instinct. My reason and my brain fought with my emotion and my heart on how important the problem was. Score one for emotion and heart.

Wrong. So, so wrong.

I was frozen in my chair, watching Crow walk slowly towards the stairway. He’s probably walking at a normal pace, but I wouldn’t have known. Everything with my body was hyperaware and time had slowed down. My body gave it its all trying to solve this one problem. My heart screamed, cried, pleaded for Crow to stay and reason decided to take a back seat.

I . . . I liked Yusei. I did. I thought. I didn’t know. Everything was so confusing.

I grabbed my chair by the armrests and got up, Crow getting ready to go down the stairs. I couldn’t help but stare at his lips again. Maybe. Maybe that’s the key. Maybe doing this will solve the problem and clear everything up once and for all.

I swallowed my bottom lip, the taste of the cherry-flavored chapstick long gone. It’s better I didn’t think too much about it. I needed to go with my gut feeling. That’s what those romance movies always said, anyway, if the brain and the heart wouldn’t cooperate. My gut feeling wasn’t confusing and it’s always right. My gut feeling was . . .

“Wait!”

Crow came back up the stairs, reentering my room. I sauntered in his direction as he asked, “Yeah? What’s up?”

I made sure there was some space between us. And then, when I closed my eyes, there wasn’t. Not even between our lips this time.

He wasn’t just a friend. I finally made up my mind. He was more than that.

I had intended to only for the kiss to last a half a second, if that long, because I had felt so awkward. Aaaand I might have accidentally crashed my teeth into his? Whoops. Grade for first kiss: 0. It was enough to make even a five-year-old girl cringe.

But, that sensation I had felt from him . . . it invited me in and I crashed into it headfirst . . . or lips first? Whatever. The point is I didn’t let the awkwardness get to me for longer than I thought.

Despite that, I pulled away quickly, that sense of calm giving way to worry. Like someone who trips in front of their crush near the climax of the movie, I felt a wave of nausea and anxiety. Way to go, Aki. He probably just saw you as a friend like you thought he was and you made so many presumptions. You get a failing grade in dealing with your emotions, no matter how well you did on the Physics test tomorrow. And, ugh. That first kiss was pitiful.

I stepped back, still catching my breath, my cheeks incredibly flushed. I couldn’t hide the redness and felt trapped, my emotions holding me hostage. Crow’s face was one of complete shock, his face also flushed. I didn’t blame him. I had just invaded his personal space, after all (although that arm of his clearly invaded mine, so we’re even there). I had asked him for help on physics. That moment just then, our lips touching, the kiss? Clearly more than he bargained for.

It’d be a miracle if he still wanted to talk to me. No way he, someone who’s incredibly selfless, wanted to be with someone who’s so selfish.

“A-Aki?” Crow stammered, clearly unhinged.

I turned towards the window so he wouldn’t see my face.

“I. I overstepped some boundaries there,” I responded, voice cracking. “I’m sorry.”

I expected all kinds of reactions. “Aki, what the hell?”, “Yeah, you should be sorry!”, “Don’t speak to me ever again,” followed by a door slam. It wouldn’t have been the first time Crow reacted dramatically (and rightfully) to my rash decisions. That and that’s usually what happened in the movies. So, I braced myself.

Instead, what I got was an “Aki, it’s okay.”

I dug my fingernails into my palm to keep from breaking down right then and there. “W-What does that mean? You don’t even like me like that.”

I heard his footsteps, muffled by the carpet. A soothing hand rested on my shoulder. I still couldn’t bring myself to look at him.

“It means that I’m fine. You didn’t do anything wrong,” he said, his composure having returned. “And . . . I don’t like you like that? That’s news to me.”

I stared ahead, but my defenses weakened a little bit.

“If that’s true, then - then why didn’t you tell me?” I asked. “Instead of leaving me in the dark?” I managed to hold it in, but my voice cracked a little and my eyes watered at the corners.  

“Because I thought – the whole team thought the one you liked was . . . well, you know. I didn’t want to complicate things,” he admitted. “I was surprised you even called me to help you with physics. You never ask for anyone’s help other than his.”

So that’s it. The problem solver was also a problem the entire time.

“I guess . . . You’re right. I came across like that, didn’t I?” I let a few tears fall, but a smile broke out on my face. “I’m. I’m sorry, I’m just. I. I don’t know. I’m so confused. I don’t know what to do”

Crow only pulled me closer to him, his hand moving from my shoulder to my arm.

“I . . . thought I liked Yusei, but I don’t know. I just can’t understand him,” my voice became louder, “can’t get close to him. I was – I was just hoping he’d notice.”

It’s true I did like Yusei, but at that moment, I wondered. Was I attracted to him because of him or because of what he did for me?

“So, what do you want to do?”

I looked at Crow, not even bothering to hide my tears anymore.

“I mean, you did kiss me, but don’t let that hold you back. If you still plan on pursuing Yusei, I won’t stop you,” he said as he looked to his left as he said that and frowned.

Crow’s not one to lie. I knew that. But, I could easily tell when he’s undermining his true emotions. He didn’t want to hurt me, be insensitive. He knew I had liked Yusei for a while. I got that.

He really needed to be selfish for once, though. It’d be easier for me as well as for him. Especially since Yusei had yet to confess any sort of feelings for me.

Romance movies normally didn’t take this turn that I struggled with then. Sure, there were those love triangles that got on my nerves, but this wasn’t a love triangle. It was a love tug-of-war. I couldn’t rely on movies to tell me the answers to my feelings this time. I had to go with my instincts and my own feelings.

I always hated that part in the movies where the guy or girl claimed to have fallen in love with someone else, but it turned out they only fell in love with the idea of the person they wanted to be with, not the actual person. Especially in those cheeky high school dramas. Yet, it was that type of idolization that got celebrated in the movies.

I would turn off the movie as soon as I realized that’s happening because who the heck wanted to live like that? They’re just a person.

Was my longing for Yusei any different? Did I want to be with him or did I want to be with an idea of him?

In all honesty, my longing probably fell into the “falling in love with an idea” trope. He saved me from blindly accepting everything around me. He helped me understand how a D-Wheel maneuvered. But, there was something about him I couldn’t reach. Instead of trying harder or instead of doing something more productive like not doing that, I settled, hoping he would willingly open up.

Pathetic.

“No,” I said, voice trembling. “No, I’m not going to do that.”

I could hear Crow’s breathing become more ragged.

He didn’t even turn my life around like Yusei did. But, he was there for me. He was always encouraging me to become better but never asking me to change when I wasn’t ready to take that step. What really was the clincher was that I felt the need to change with Yusei just so I could measure up and get him to talk to me, somehow. Crow made me feel comfortable with myself.

Changing as a person’s important, but constantly changing without a break just for one person’s exhausting.  

“Aki, you sure?” he asked, his voice a whisper. “Is it really what you want?”

“As sure as I am about at least passing my Physics test tomorrow,” I joked, turning to face him, not even caring that he saw my tears anymore. “And I’m pretty confident about that now.”

“Aki . . .”

“Also, would it hurt you to be selfish for once in your life?” I asked with a “I can’t believe you” light-hearted tone. “If you hadn’t been so selfless, not wanting to complicate things for me and all, we wouldn’t have had this problem.”

Crow laughed, his cheeks a light shade of pink.

God, he’s cute.

“Okay, okay, my bad, my bad,” he said, wiping tears from his eyes. “I guess you got me there. I’m sorry.”

After all he did for me that night, on my birthday, no less, he’s the one apologizing? He’s a mess. But, I was a mess too. At least we could both be messes together.

“Crow, it’s fine,” I murmured. I wrapped my arms around his neck, his around my waist. The two of us smiled.

“Don’t pull away this time, Aki,” he whispered.

“I won’t,” I whispered back, softly laughing.

“And try not to smash into my teeth. They’re the only ones I got.”

“Just shut up and kiss me.”

And he did. All of the romance movies I’d seen couldn’t even come close to preparing me for it because did he ever. Didn’t even give me a chance to catch my breath first.

It’s a good thing he had his arms around me.

 After we let go, everything was out of focus.  My room was like one of those surrealist paintings and everything’s hazy and dreamlike. My head felt incredibly light and I struggled to keep my balance, so I didn’t let go of Crow right away. He didn’t seem to mind. He was still holding me, fortunately, his arms wrapped firmly yet gently around my lower back.

“You alright?” he whispered, his voice husky. It made my heart flutter.

“Yeah, but no sudden moves, okay?” I whispered, my face pressed against his shirt.

No verbal response, but I felt a quick kiss on the top of my forehead. And another. And one that lingered a while longer. I pressed my body firmer against his, a giggle escaping my lips.

I didn’t want the moment to end.

It was true I didn’t realize Crow was the one I liked – like that – until that evening, but it was that night that made me understand how much I’d fallen for him.

How much I wanted to do annoyingly cute couple things with him like go to the movies, watch the sunset, or just hold hands.

How much I wanted to just be with him, laugh with him, be with him every step of the way.

How much I just wanted to kiss him. Over and over and over again.

How much I wanted him.

I’d thought maybe it’s just a random feeling trying to complicate how I felt about Yusei. I was wrong.

The raw, fiery, yet tender romantic feelings.

They were all for Crow.

Life outside of this room still existed, the logical and reasonable side of my brain reminded me rudely, however. I still had that test tomorrow, Crow had that early shift in the morning, and Yliaster’s still very much a threat. I let go of him and took one step back.

“It’s getting late. You should probably go,” I said.

Crow closed his eyes and sighed, a smile on his face. “Well, I did say I had that early shift, so I guess I should.” The smile was exchanged for a frown however and he opened his eyes. “You gonna be alright? Your parents’re away on a trip, you told me.”

Always the worrier. I said, “Don’t worry. The security system’s pretty good on the house. They wouldn��t want to mess with me, anyway. I’ll be fine. I’ll see you off, if you want.”

Crow looked at me for a moment as if he wanted to say – or do, maybe? – something else. He shook his head and he and I, after grabbing the housekeys, made our way towards the front door. We stepped outside, the humid and muggy air overwhelming us, where his D-Wheel, Blackbird, was waiting.

“Well, I’m off,” he announced.

“Have a safe trip back,” I said. “I’ll let you know how the test goes tomorrow. Let me know when you get back to your place.”

“I will.”

“And . . . thanks for tonight, Crow. For everything,” I said, putting the key in my back pocket.

Crow threw out a “heh” under his breath and placed his thumb under my chin and his pointer finger on it, lifting it slightly.

“C-Crow?” I stammered, fire burning in my cheeks.

“What, can’t a guy give his girlfriend a goodnight kiss?” he asked innocently.

“You taking my kissing virginity in my own room wasn’t it?” I asked innocently right back.

“That was Part One. Or Part Two, if you count the one you nearly knocked out my teeth as Part One.”

“I said I was sorry.” I pouted.

“You did, so I’m counting it. So . . .  think of this as Part Three.” He moved his thumb lightly over my lips, his other hand finding its way to where band of my white shorts was and pushing me forward until the only space between us was between our lips. My heart raced, butterflies fluttering about wildly in my stomach, not out of nervousness. No, not even close.

It was excitement and passion.

It was.

It was love.

No other words needed to be said between us. The last kiss, the last tender . . . slightly noisier moment we shared that night said everything else.

It was a good thing the Izayoi family didn’t have neighbors.

It was even a better thing I put the housekey in my back pocket.

Because I would’ve dropped it.

 I watch as Crow drove to the main street, his D-Wheel disappearing from view. I unlock the door to the house, making my way towards my room again. It feels weird being here by myself after having been held, but . . . it’s a good kind of weird.  

I glance at my physics notebook. What had looked like confusing terms and formulas actually makes sense to me now. If I just went over it before the test the next day, I’ll be good to go. My friends are certainly going to appreciate it, since no doubt they’ll ask me for advice. To think just looking at it used to give me a headache. To think those were the only problems I thought needed solving. How quickly things can change, huh?

I stretch and start getting ready for bed. I put on my loose-fitting pink pajamas – a long sleeved shirt and shorts – and brush my teeth. I let my hair hang completely loose when my phone wildly buzzed. Three text messages: one from Papa, one from Yusei, and one from Crow.

Papa wants to make sure I was okay with being home alone for one more night and he and Mama are sorry they couldn’t be there for my birthday this year. On other years, I would’ve been incredibly bothered, but I don’t mind this time around. I tell him that. I didn’t tell him why, of course and for obvious reasons relating to why I was glad we didn’t have neighbors.

But, naturally, he’s curious as to why, since it’s the first time I’ve ever said that about them being gone. I’m hesitant to answer since Papa and Mama are both convinced somehow Yusei’s my future husband. But, I have to tell them sometime – just not over text. So, I reply, “It’s a lot for just a text. I’ll just tell you when you two get back.”  

Yusei texted saying he and Jack would be back in Japan momentarily. I stare at the text for a good moment, processing that this was the guy I used to be head over heels for. I respond back with a “see you soon!”, being grateful I’ve finally figured out how I feel about him. A load had been swiftly lifted from my shoulders.

Crow actually remembered somehow in that kissing-obsessed brain of his and let me know that he got home safe, but Bruno kept asking a lot of questions and that took some time. I laugh at that one. But, the second part of the text made me tear up a little. Okay, maybe slightly more than a little. Okay, actually a lot.  

“Make sure you get plenty of sleep, Aki. And good luck tomorrow! I love you!”

I wipe the tears from my eyes. As a child, I always wanted my life to be like a romance genre movie, if only I’d be happy for a day or two. I wanted someone to tell me they love me, to hold me close and say everything will be fine. That was it.

But, what just happened on my seventeenth birthday, awkward moments and breakdowns and all, was so much better than any romance movie. It’s the best present ever. And the best part was I’d be with him for more than two days. Replaying the evening’s events in my mind, I gently trace over my lips with my finger. They’ve been through a lot, especially without chapstick. In a good way.  

I’d still take fighting a worldwide threat over a physics test, but if I had to take the test instead, I wouldn’t mind it.

“I love you too, Crow.”

[blog575738202]

WASHINGTON ― As President Donald Trump entered his second 100 days in office, he described an example of his common-sense leadership: New U.S. Navy aircraft carriers, he decreed, would not use high-tech electromagnetic catapults that only “Albert Einstein” could understand, but would go back to old-fashioned steam power.

“You’re going to goddamned steam,” he told Time magazine.

So what did the Navy do with this plain-spoken directive from the commander-in-chief?

When Trump visited Norfolk, Virginia, some weeks later to commission the new supercarrier Gerald Ford, she was outfitted with high-tech electromagnetic catapults to launch planes off the deck. So will every other new carrier in that class. In fact, the Navy didn’t even bother asking for a study to explore the costs of retrofitting the Gerald Ford to use steam.

It seemed less an act of defiance than an assumption that Trump couldn’t possibly be serious about ordering an expensive and time-consuming redesign of a major weapons system with very little background knowledge ― and in the context of a media interview.

“They ignored it,” Douglas Brinkley, a presidential historian at Rice University, said with a laugh. “The United States federal government is now just shrugging at and ignoring some of his statements.”

It’s a shrug that is becoming more common in the Trump presidency. Agency heads and lower-level bureaucrats appear to have concluded that the combination of Trump’s impulsive nature and short attention span means that the president’s sometimes random commands can – and should – be safely ignored.

“His attention span is so short that what he said one hour, he doesn’t even remember the next hour,” Brinkley said.

That “ignore-what-he-says” attitude may become particularly important as the U.S. deals with a nuclear-armed North Korea. Just hours after Trump’s ad-libbed “fire and fury” statement on Tuesday appeared to escalate the conflict, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson gave far more measured remarks to reporters traveling with him.

“We have a very active, ongoing diplomatic effort, most of which is behind the scenes because that’s where diplomacy is most effective, Tillerson said Wednesday as his Air Force jet flew homeward high over the Indonesian island of Borneo. “I think what the president was just reaffirming is the United States has the capability to fully defend itself with any attack, will defend our allies, and we will do so. So the American people should sleep well at night.”

About That Transgender Military Ban...

Just six months into his term, Trump is finding resistance to his ideas not only from a Republican Congress ― which is ignoring his insistence that it return immediately to a health care bill before doing anything else ― but from some of his own executive agencies.

“I’m not talking about so-called ‘deep state’ bureaucrats,” wrote Jack Goldsmith, a former Justice Department and Defense Department lawyer in the George W. Bush administration. “I’m talking about senior officials in the Justice Department and the military and intelligence and foreign affairs agencies. And they are not just ignoring or contradicting him in private. They are doing so in public for all the world to see.”

Trump’s White House did not respond to queries about the aircraft catapult, or more generally about administration officials ignoring his directives.

But examples are rapidly accumulating.

Trump frequently calls the idea of Russian interference on his behalf in last year’s election a “hoax” invented by Democrats. Leaders of the U.S. intelligence agencies, including those appointed by Trump, like Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats and CIA Director Mike Pompeo, say the intelligence community’s analysis that Russia tried to help Trump win is correct.

Trump’s attorney general, Jeff Sessions, angered the president by recusing himself from the FBI’s investigation of possible collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign. More recently, Sessions has resisted Trump’s public ridicule and shaming, and has refused to resign his post – and in so doing has protected the special counsel now running that investigation, as Trump cannot independently fire that person.

Sessions’ deputy, Rod Rosenstein, rejected Trump’s recent call for a renewed investigation into Trump’s Democratic opponent last year, Hillary Clinton. “The president has not directed us to investigate particular people. That wouldn’t be right. That’s not the way we operate,” Rosenstein told Fox News.

Vice President Mike Pence, United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley and Defense Secretary James Mattis frequently deliver foreign policy statements at odds with Trump’s comments. Pence and Mattis guaranteed NATO allies of the United States’ commitment to the treaty obligations, even while Trump was projecting ambivalence. Haley reaffirmed U.S. commitment to a two-state solution in Israel and Palestine right after Trump said he didn’t really care how it sorted out.

Mattis’ Defense Department, meanwhile, seems to have taken the lead in flouting Trump. Mattis personally said torture doesn’t work, although Trump insisted it does. He stated that the United States would not be seizing oil from Iraq, even after Trump suggested it was still an option.

More recently, apart from disregarding the presidential command for steam, Mattis’ Pentagon has ignored Trump’s tweets last month banning transgender people from the military. “What you saw in the form of a tweet was representative of an announcement. That doesn’t result in any immediate policy changes for us. We will await formal direction,” said Pentagon spokesman and Navy Capt. Jeff Davis.

Coast Guard Commandant Paul Zukunft went one step further, saying recently he would not carry out the directive, period. “Very small numbers, but all of them are doing meaningful Coast Guard work today,” he said.

Norm Ornstein, with the conservative-leaning American Enterprise Institute, said experts in the various agencies are left with no choice when presented with unreasonable demands. “We’ve never had a president like this. We’ve never had a president with no knowledge base. Who’s not interested in developing a knowledge base. With no impulse control,” Ornstein said.

In the case of the aircraft carrier catapult, the electromagnetic version has been under development for years. It can launch everything from lightweight drones to heavy fighters while adjusting the acceleration force applied, easing stress on the airframes. It will require far less maintenance than steam, which the Navy has relied on for more than a half-century.

Trump did not appear to understand these benefits when he spoke to Time’s reporters. “Digital. They have digital,” he said, apparently describing how the electromagnetic catapult is computer-controlled. “What is digital? And it’s very complicated. You have to be Albert Einstein to figure it out.”

Angry Presidents, ‘Crazy Orders’ 

Trump, of course, is not the first president to deal with an executive branch that does not bend to his every whim.

Harry Truman reportedly laughed that successor Dwight Eisenhower, who during World War II had commanded all Allied forces in northwest Europe, was used to people following his orders, but that’s not how it worked with the presidency.

More recently, and perhaps more on point, Richard Nixon would routinely order his top White House aides to carry out bizarre and sometimes illegal orders, including at one point the bombing of the Brookings Institution to create a diversion allowing the theft of damaging documents. The aides, including some who history painted as villains following the Watergate investigation, protected the country by ignoring those orders, Ornstein said.

“It’s not the first time we’ve seen crazy orders given by a president angry that things didn’t work the way the president wanted them to,” Ornstein said.

Brinkley, the presidential historian, said Nixon’s top aides and Cabinet members actually took things a step further in his final year, as the Watergate probe and impeachment drew closer. Worried about his mental stability and his alcohol consumption, they essentially set up a system that required sign-off by the chief of staff and the defense secretary for the authorization of military strikes, he said.

“It was sort of extralegal,” Brinkley said, but operated on the premise that the United States was too important to let Nixon destroy it. “The whole issue became containing Nixon.”

Brinkley said Trump’s presidency has close parallels with the Nixon era. Now, like then, career public servants and military leaders appear to be siding with the law and the Constitution against Trump’s impulses.

“His tweets are just being seen as a weird aberration of popular culture, not to be taken as directives,” Brinkley said. “It’s unfortunate when a president behaves that way, but anyone in the military and the CIA have to understand what’s rational and what’s not rational. They’ve got to keep the world’s largest economy and the only real superpower safe.”