#but most people seem to use the internet on their phones - coupled with the darker palette and color of his fur

[cozylittleartblog]

random note about king on that animation, i got really lucky with how simple his animation was and how clean my sketches were to begin with that i was able to do very minimal cleanup on what i had sketched (and add back. his horn. it's supposed to take place just after echoes of the past, Oops) and call it done that way instead of having to redraw the entire thing like i had to on his dad

first sketch > line cleanup > nearly final animation (i'd added slight eye movements last-second but otherwise that's the final)

[chocoshrooms]

:: BEN Drowned GENERAL HEADCANONS ::

• i do not own the above image •

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:; he has piercings on both sides of his lips (snake bites) and usually keeps hoop like jewelry in. his ears are also pierced almost all the way down them, he has a lot of free cartilage from his elf ears. i could also see him having eyebrow piercings or his nose pierced

:; fluffy blonde hair but not a yellowish blonde, it is more platinum blonde but darker in the roots. his hair is long enough for a shorter ponytail or a small bun, and he does style his hair both ways to keep it out of his eyes sometimes. (sally will also put a little bow on his man bun if they are playing together)

:; does not wear the link costume. he is usually in casual clothes like jeans, ripped or not, hoodies, t-shirts, or sweatpants. does not get dressed up for any occasion

:; shares his clothes with everyone. he is probably one of the most comforting creeps to be around, and yes everyone steals his anime t-shirts but he also steals things he likes from others as well

:; but very sneaky!!

:; will paint his fingernails or let sally doodle on them. his nails grow at a faster rate than humans do so he tries to keep them trimmed

:; as said before, he is very comforting to be around. he is very welcoming to new people but also does not speak very much when he meets someone new. i like to think he has social anxiety most of the time but once he gets to know you he will open up a lot more.

:; very comfortable around most creeps though so it does not seem like he would have anxiety. he has just been around them for a long time so has came out of his shell lots more

:; ben can manipulate time to a certain extent, he can only slow time down not speed it up. but this takes a lot of energy for him to do this and also a huge electrical charge (when he has attempted this before he made the mansion go without power for a couple days) but, he doesn’t really know how to use this power, he’s still learning

:; ben also has the ability to use fire. and electricity (obviously) he can create fire by using enough electricity! the fire comes from his hands. sometimes he will do little “fire shows” to entertain other creeps or himself.

:; ben is usually cold to the touch but when he uses a lot of electricity or uses his fire powers, his hands and feet heat up to high temperatures

:; ben is pretty tall but lanky and stronger than most think!

:; ben can also manipulate music, even while someone’s playing live music in front of him. he can reverse music and words to a song (this is almost like he can “possess” someone like a ghost would but he’s not really good at it and still needs tons of practice)

:; ben comes from another world entirely so it’s very hard for him to get practice or help with his powers and how to use them efficiently! (he does try to pick up books in the other world or get help from someone there but he’s a slow learner)

:; sometimes codes float around ben or random internet searches and they appear glitchy, he can usually swat them away but they just reappear. his body also vibrates softly because of the electricity surging through him

:; ben is very very smart, he just acts like he’s not 99% of the time! no one can fool him. and yes, he goes through everyone’s search histories and peeps through everyone’s phones which is also why he knows so much about other creeps! he just can’t help it, he’s very curious but not judgmental to what others have going on. sometimes this helps him get closer to others by bringing up topics they’re interested in

:; ben does play video games but not to a crazy extent. he’s very good at them and occasionally will play when he has free time or bored. he loves to play with other creeps and will either play a game with them or let them watch him play! he also obsesses over certain games or tv shows/movies and dedicates a couple months of his life to them

:; ben has a very chill personality but that doesn’t mean he can’t be mean! he’s not really disliked by any of the creeps but if you do get on his bad side he will be sure to let you know he doesn’t like you (ignoring you when you talk to him, looking past you when you’re in his presence, pranking you in the most hardcore manner, deleting important things from your phone, and so much more!)

:; ben can float but also chooses to walk, (he floats around like peter pan would)

:; if it is dark in a room you can see bens red eyes like little dots, he also glows green a little but if codes are surrounding him they will light up the room! they are pretty bright

:; ben can zap the radio & play anything he likes from the internet, this is good for when you’re in one of the old dinky cars from the mansion that doesn’t even allow bluetooth. he’s your own personal bluetooth! he can also pick up on other radios nearby & hear conversations if people are close enough to the radios

:; can faze into objects if he really tries, just not as good as sally since sally is 100% poltergeist, sometimes he gets stuck halfway!

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this is all i can think of for now! feel free to request something <3

!! ALSO sorry for the late update! this is gonna sound funny but i actually got pregnant & had my baby! so i was gone for a while haha. i look forwards to updating on here more & taking requests now :)

[spidey-stark]

Peter Parker x Reader

Summary - Peter and the reader keep getting interrupted during all their intimate moments because of his responsibilities as Spider-Man and so he decides to let Spidey make it up to her. 

Warnings - 18+, Smut, Blowjob, Light Slapping?, just all ur NSFW goodness

Word Count - 2,483

Authors Note - I am honestly just a slut for Andrew Garfield. I’m not even gonna try to hide it. It gets into it pretty quick, so yeah. This is only my second time trying to write smut so any advice is more than welcome but hopefully its not too bad! Hope you enjoy ya filthy whores! 

Dry spells were a very common thing in relationships. 

Or that is at least what several articles on the Internet had told me. I had thought that doing some research and seeing that it was a perfectly normal thing for most couples would make me feel just a little bit better about it or at least make dealing with it easier; boy... I couldn’t have been more wrong. 

To Peter’s credit it certainly wasn’t due to lack of trying, but time was very rarely on our side and that meant that I had spent a lot of late nights lately taking care of myself after Peter got called away to go be a hero again, a fact that made neither of us very happy. 

So tonight we decided something that seemed simple in theory: No interruptions. 

No talk of school deadlines, no stressing over what happened at work, and most importantly? No jumping out of the bedroom window clad in spandex off to save the city. New York was just going to have to do without Spider-Man for a night, and taking one night off from being a superhero didn’t seem like such a bad idea. 

That is until Peter’s phone began incessantly chiming as soon as his face disappeared between my thighs, that stupid app he had on his phone alerting him of the cities desperate need for Spider-Man. So there went Spider-Man’s day off, ending just as quickly as it began, leaving me all alone for what felt like the millionth night in a row. 

“I am so sorry.” Were the first words out of his mouth as he climbed through the window, mask in hand. 

“It’s fine.” 

Of course it wasn’t fine. But it also wasn’t his fault, so there was no need to make him feel any worse about his responsibilities than he already did. 

“There’s always next time, right?” I hoped the comment might make him feel at least a little bit better or at least reassure him that I wasn’t upset with him, but I could tell from the defeated look on his face that he was still beating himself up over the fact that yet another romantic night had gotten messed up because of Spider-Man. 

“This sucks.” Peter sighed, holding his mask up slightly and pointing at it, “This guy? Is constantly ruining things lately.” 

I couldn’t help but laugh at his statement. “At least it’s for a good cause.” 

“Well, sure-” He frowned at my words, “but it sucks. Because every time we start to... ya know-something happens and I have to leave. And I never get the chance to make it up to you because he is always busy.” Peter walked to the foot of the bed, roughly plopping down on it beside my feet. “He is the one that should have to make it up to you anyways since he’s the one ruining things all the time.” 

As soon as the words left his mouth I could see his entire face change as he looked over his shoulder at me, the gears inside his brain slowly turning as a new thought entered his brain. After a moment his expression quickly changed, an expression that was much darker than the one he was previously wearing. 

“What?” I hesitantly asked, unsure as to where this was about to go. 

“I keep trying to make all of our lost time up to you when it’s not my fault that we keep getting interrupted.” Peter began to speak, an adorable smirk tugging at his lips. 

“Pete I know it’s not your fault! People need you and I completely understa-” He quickly crawled further up on the bed, placing a gloved finger against my lips to hush me. 

“Stop talking.” Pete spoke in a demanding tone, one that he very seldom used with me. I watched him as his finger fell from my mouth, slowly sliding his mask back over his face until I was no longer staring into his beautiful brown eyes, now looking directly at the white patches on his mask. “I think it’s about time that Spider-Man gave you a little apology, don’t you think?” 

I didn’t respond to his question, simply raising a brow at him and trying to figure out what the hell he was on about. 

He tugged on the hem of my shirt--or, rather, his shirt. “Take it off.” 

I was hesitant to comply, still unsure of the entire situation that was now slowly unfolding in front of me. Sex with Peter was never quite vanilla by any means, but seeing him in front of me, all sense of familiarity being lost behind the red and blue suit clinging to his skin made the situation feel so different than any other time. 

I began to remove the fabric from my body, deciding it was best to see where this little idea of his was going to take us, and then suddenly I felt his finger hook around the elastic waistband of my pajama shorts. “Don’t think you’re gonna need these either.” He muttered, pulling them down my legs in a swift motion before I had even gotten my shirt over my head. 

The cool New York air was blowing in from the window that he had carelessly left open, causing me to shiver slightly as it brushed against my now mostly bare body. Peter hummed at the sight of my nipples hardening from the cold, wasting no time as he began to lightly pinch them beneath his fingers. 

His fingers only toyed with my breasts for a moment before he stopped touching me, and I knew he loved the whine that escaped my lips at the loss of contact. He carefully went to lift his mask, revealing just the lower portion of his face before bringing his hand up to his mouth and biting down on the glove to pull it off. 

“So pretty.” He mused, his now bare hand going right back to massaging my tits, the warmth of his skin feeling amazing against my body. “You’re so cold.” he leaned forward, hovering over my chest, “Need me to warm you up?” 

I could only muster up a noise in response, nodding my head at him. A part of me was embarrassed for already being this worked up when he had barely even touched me yet, but it had been weeks since I had really been able to enjoy the feeling of his body pressed against mine, so I had every intention on soaking up each second of this. 

Peter began pressing light kisses across my chest, one hand still touching my breast as the other lightly gripped at my waist, helping him balance himself. The sensation of his tongue running across my skin sent shivers up my spine, and once he reached my nipple he bit down on it, knowing that he would get another moan to escape my lips by doing so. 

“Fuck Pete-” I breathed out as his tongue circled the sensitive area. 

“No.” he spoke after giving my nipple one last bite, removing his hands from my body altogether now. “I don’t wanna hear that name coming from your lips again, ok sweetheart? It’s my turn with you tonight.” he tugged the mask back down over his lips and I realized just how far he was going to take this. “And I know exactly what I wanna do with you.” 

I noticed now just how worked up he was--realizing that the past several weeks without sex had obviously impacted him just as much--as his dick was now bulging through the tight constraints of his suit. “Whatdya say princess?” Pete-Spider-Man asked, grabbing my hand and guiding it to the lower half of his suit, urging me to take it off of him. “Wanna help out a local hero?” 

He didn’t wait for an answer, not even a reaction, his hand still ghosting over the top of mine and helping me pull the bottoms of his suit down. His dick sprung free from its confines, and even though I had seen him naked dozens of times now I still found myself biting down on my lip, taking him in. His size had never failed to leave me drooling over him, but it was clear that the weeks of being neglected had also taken their toll on him, pre-cum already leaking out of the tip before I had even touched him. 

I didn’t need to wait for any more of his demands--I didn’t want to wait, desperate to feel him throbbing against my tongue. 

His head lolled back as I placed my hand on the base of his dick, just as touch-deprived as I was. I traced the underside of his dick with my tongue, slowly making my way to the tip. He had always been a sucker for blowjobs, always saying that my lips were one of his favorite features. And so I knew the moment that I reached his swollen tip that his eyes were going to be back on me, watching as I slowly wrapped my lips around it.

The mask had clearly given him a sudden surge of confidence, the added appeal of him fucking my mouth under the guise’ of his secret identity had revealed a dominance that he had never shown me before. His hand suddenly found its home on the back of my head as his fingers tangled themselves in my hair, impatience getting the best of him as he thrusted forward hard. A deep groan came from above me as he hit the back of my throat, not loosening his grip on my hair even as I gagged around his length. 

He continued to guide me up and down his length at his own pace, just barely letting me stop for air as he ruthlessly fucked my throat. 

“Fuck baby-” his voice was shaky, the words being followed by a series of moans as he tried to push himself further into my mouth, “I needed this so fucking bad.” he tightened his grip on my hair, ignoring my muffled yelp at the feeling. 

I could tell that he was close as moans continued to pour from his mouth, his movements becoming sloppy as he used me, but suddenly he jerked my head away from his dick, leaving me gasping for air with saliva trailing down my chin. “Not ready to cum yet.” He told me, his hands pressed firmly against my chest as he shoved me back onto the bed, “I’ve been dreaming about being inside your pussy for weeks.” he was leaning over me once again now, and I could feel his breath through the thin material of his mask as he spoke. 

He moved back, his hands running along my thighs and giving them a rough squeeze. “So,” he ran a finger along the waistband of my panties, just barely sliding himself underneath it, “you gonna show that pretty little pussy to your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man?” 

I would have never imagined that the thought of being fucked by Spider-Man would be so hot--I mean, fuck hadn’t I already been fucking Spider-Man?--yet looking at the masked man in front of me and hearing the filthy words coming from his mouth... It was enough to have me absolutely soaked. 

Nodding desperately I tried to reach down and shimmy myself out of my panties, earning a small slap on the hand. 

“Nuh-uh-” Spider-Man corrected me, “Good girls are patient. And you wanna be a good girl, don’t you baby?” I whined, nodding once more and getting yet another firm slap, this time over the fabric of my panties, making me hiss at the sudden contact with the part of me that needed him the most. “Good girls use their words.” he chided, lightly rubbing the area he had just slapped, soothing the stinging sensation that still lingered. “Tell me what you want.” 

“You.” I struggled to get the words out, desperate to finally feel him, but that answer clearly wasn’t good enough as I heard him tsk. “Fuck me, Spider-Man.”

Satisfied with the response he was given he quickly removed my panties and tossed them off to the side, once again lifting his mask to reveal his perfectly plump lips, his tongue darting across them as he admired my bare pussy. He traced his finger along my slit, admiring how wet he had made me, stopping at my clit and rubbing small circles against it. 

“Someone’s excited.” He teased with a small laugh, a hint of his typical Peter Parker personality shining through in the midst of his new dominant persona. 

“Please,” I begged him, my gaze locked on the sight of his hand wrapped around his dick, watching as he stroked himself while continuing to rub my clit with the other. “I need Spider-Man.” 

Peter smirked at the words as they left my mouth, continuing to take the utmost amount of pleasure from listening to me beg for the man he was every time he slid the mask over his head. He replaced his fingers with his dick now, dragging it along my wetness tantalizingly slow, savoring the moment. 

“That’s all you had to say.” 

The tip of his dick was pressed firmly at my entrance, his hand still wrapped around himself as he started to slowly push himself inside of me, his mouth falling open and profanities slipping out as he felt my walls tightening around him. I had missed this--missed him--so much more than I had even thought; my eyes squeezing shut as he slowly stretched me out. 

My mind began to race, knowing that neither of us were going to last long but desperate to feel him fuck me with the same assertive attitude that had ruled over him throughout the rest of this experience. 

But--before he even had the chance to sink the rest of his length inside of me--his stupid fucking phone started to go off. 

Peter was the first one to complain, letting out a very loud and frustrated groan. 

“Did we seriously just get cock-blocked by New York?” I questioned as his phone continued to go off in the background. 

“Yeah.” He pulled himself away from me, trying to find a way to adjust himself in the rather tight spandex pants, his erection still very evident. “I think we did.” 

Peter grabbed his phone, quickly glancing at the alert before putting it away, pulling his mask back down over the rest of his face. “Promise to make it up to you later?” 

“I don’t know,” I contemplated, shooting him my best cheeky grin as he made his way back over to the window.

“I think maybe we should just let Spidey handle it from now on.” 

[fnf-amateur-writing]

Hello! Can I request a scenario where l Updike with an s/o who got kidnapped and now he has to go save them- if u feel uncomfortable with that you can just do general relationship headcanons for him!

Hey there, Anon. I'm cool with your prompt, no worries!

TW: Kidnapping and violence.

Updike finding out S/O was kidnapped

Everything was rather dull at work. Sure, dealing with anomalies can be cool, but it wears on Updike after a while. Everyday was starting to become nothing more than paperwork, keeping tabs on the freely roaming safer anomalies, and trying and failing to kill Whitmore. Fortunately, his lunch break finally started after a long and boring morning.

Once he readjusted his tie and tucked away his trusty gun in his pocket, he went on a near daily walk to a local cafe. To be honest, it wasn't all that boring, since he now got to be with you during his lunch breaks. About a month ago, you two found out that you took your breaks at the same time. The cafe was also conveniently in between your workplaces, allowing you to walk an equal distance.

Without any incidents or that pestering metal head, Updike made his last turn, with the cafe now being just two buildings down. Strangely, the police were also two buildings down, talking to an employee that Updike recognised in front of the prematurely closed cafe. Avoiding involvement, Updike quickly turned around, waiting until he out of sight of them before checking his phone. You were always there first, so you probably texted him a heads up, but his phone showed no new messages.

It was pretty annoying, but no big deal. He'll just go somewhere else, and maybe you'll be there too if he's lucky.

~~~

The phone next to him rings, whilst Updike sat alone in his office, showing the front desk receptionist's name. That was rather unusual; that number almost never calls him directly, so it was probably important enough to be an exception. "Updike speaking," he spoke in his monotone voice, which was in a tone that easily showed how he says that a dozen times a day.

"Mr. Updike, the police are requesting your presence outside."

Okay, now that was very unusual. Not that the police are here, they show up all the time whenever a case involves an anomaly. But for them to make him go outside, when they usually go up to see him or a collegue, was odd. And he had a clean record too, so it's not like they were going to arrest him.

"I'll be right there," he said. He felt somewhat stressed from the sudden request, so he went a faster pace to the lift--to which he almost pressed the wrong button. He and a cop quickly made eye contact the moment the lift opened, and he followed the man as he beckoned him outside.

"Now, I know you're busy, so I'll get right to the point," the officer says, pulling a phone from his pocket. "Do you recognise this phone and the owner of it?" Updike wish he could say no, but he couldn't; it was clearly your phone, except it now has a large crack on the screen. "Yes, it belongs to my partner. Their name is (Y/N) (L/N)." As clear as he made those sentences, his throat was sore from the dread.

"Sir, are you aware that they've been kidnapped."

... No.

~~~

Looking back at it, he wasn't sure how he kept calm the whole time as the police explained what had happened. Some man had taken you right in front of the cafe. It happened so quickly, that the witnesses didn't seem to notice anything wrong until it was too late. They contacted him when told by employees that he always sat at the same table as you.

As he rushed home, he didn't quite know what he felt. It was a mixture of sadness, anger, stress, and whatever the hell else that couldn't be named that made his hair grey. But he wasn't going home just to wait in misery until the police did something; he was going to look for some clues, as recommended by the authorities. He wasn't aware of any troubles you may have wih your family and friends, but he was informed that most kidnappings are done by people the victim knows, so he had to snoop around your stuff to see if he could find anything to report.

However, he almost slammed himself into his own front door when something else caught his attention: a plain white envelope taped to the door. There was no markings or writing on the outside, Updike noted as he took it for inspection, but he could tell it had a letter in it. Surely, it couldn't be a coincidence this showed up the same day you were taken.

As he went inside, closing the door behind him, he didn't take another step away from the door before tearing the letter open. Within the envelope was a typed letter, which had a clear message despite never mentioning you or Updike by name. Also made clear was that this was nobody you knew, nor was it an anomaly trying to spite him, but rather a particularly greedy criminal who took notice of who you were with.

The letter demanded an absurd amount of cash to be hand delivered, an amount that clearly overestimated even his own wealth. And if he brought anyone with him or brought a weapon, then you would be shot on the spot. Finally, he had until midnight to do so, too, adding onto the stress.

The stress started to become a bit much as his hair grew darker. He had no way of knowing whether the bastard was bluffing, but it wasn't worth trying to find out. But still, there didn't seem to be a good way out anyways. It felt like he was about to snap, feeling some sparks from his head and... a spark of an idea.

He went up a flight of stairs to a closet within the hallway. There wasn't anything remarkable about it's contents, but he took interest on one side, where some suitcases of his were stored. Only one of these was useful right now: a sleek metal suitcase he can't remember even using, but he remembered it being there. After grabbing the case, he ran back downstairs while neglecting to close the closet door.

Now, he wasn't going to place any money in it. No, nothing would be in it. But he had an idea, because maybe the guy didn't quite know who they decided to mess with.

~~~

Updike parked his car on the side of the road, getting out in the abandoned yet familiar area. It was a small part of the outskirts of the city that eventually lost it's population and was left to rot, which amazed him that it hasn't been torn down yet. The only people who regularly come here are the homeless and obnoxious teenagers with cameras who pretend that one of the buildings are haunted for internet clout. However, he does remember coming here too a long time ago to hunt down Whitmore a couple times.

The meeting place was a short walk away, having used to be a local library. The evening sky was getting darker by the minute, and the sun was near set behind Updike as he looked into the old library. As dark as it was, a light was barely visible from the entrance, partially blocked by empty bookshelves. With the case in hand, he walked through the shattered glass double doors and in between two of the shelves.

"I'm here."

The light across the library shifted and footsteps approached. The man looked as dodgy as he expected, except with a bit of a 1950's greaser look to him, and the gun the man held never pointed to anything but Updike. He placed the lantern onto the shelve and approached, saying "hand it over." Definitely not a negotiating type.

Time passed too slow, yet also too fast. Though he normally used his head, Updike had to channel what was within him elsewhere or else the man would shoot him seeing the thunder from his head. Hard, sure, but dong it for you was a pretty good motivator.

In three, two...

As soon as both hands were on the case's handle, Updike managed to give a hard zap through his hand. The case's material made it guaranteed it would shock him, and shock him very badly. He shouted at the sensation comparable to that of a taser, unable to pull the trigger before collapsing. Updike wasn't sure if he was conscious, but it didn't matter since he was already slamming the case into his face. Giving a man a free nose bleed such as this one was usually seen as too barbaric for Updike's taste, but damn it was satisfying.

He took the man's gun and briefly searched his pockets for anything else he might use as a weapon. He pocketed the lighter for the box of cigarettes he carried, since he might wake up and pull a fast one by burning the place down. And then there was a key, and not a usual key one would think of. In fact, Updike knew from the shape that it was meant to unlock a pair of handcuffs. It may be best if he took that as well.

"(Y/N)!" he called out, "are you there?" He made his way to the back, peeking into some rooms as he passed. He heard some sounds coming from nearby, causing him to peek through the old bathroom door. There you were, gagged with a cloth and both hands cuffed to a pipe beneath a sink. You were trying to say something, so he quickly worked the cloth off your mouth and let it fall under your chin. Upon closer inspection he now saw how disheveled you looked and that one of your eyes was black and swollen.

"G-GABRIEL!" you finally managed to scream before coughing from finally having your mouth to breathe through. "I thought you- I thought..." He hushed you before using the key he found on your cuffs, allowing you give him a much needed embrace. "Shhh, it's okay," he said as you cried, "I've dealt with him."

"Now," he picks you off the ground and carries you away from the dreaded building, "let's go. I have an interesting story for the cops."

Now for a surprise bonus ;)

Aftermath headcanons:

Unsurprisingly, you both took off work for a while.

Regardless of how well you can handle trauma, Updike WILL take you to a therapist. He's already got one booked, so you don't have a choice really.

For the first time in the relationship, Updike has been the one to initiate cuddles. He's also just as paranoid as you are, and has become somewhat clingy as a result.

When it was nearing the day you two would return to work, you discussed plans on preventing another incident. Though it may seem a bit far, you agreed on wearing a small tracking device clipped to your clothes until the fear wore off.

The forced therapy sessions did come with benefits for the future. When you eventually had to testify against your kidnapper in court, you felt more confident in your words and managed to tell them everything without a breakdown.

The man didn't stand a chance and earned himself several years in prison.

Finally, once you felt everything was behind you, you walked together to the cafe again. It was a nice cafe and it would be a shame if they stopped visiting.

Some of the regulars and employees recognised you two, and welcomed you back. And as you two sat in your usual spots with drinks on the house, you could finally say it was a pretty nice day with nothing to worry about.

[omgsomeonesomewhereonearth]

I'll Write This Scene a Thousand Times - Ch1

AO3 Link || Next Chapter

Ship: Moceit (Janus/Patton)

Warnings: Alcohol, Implied sex, one-night stand, rumours and scandal, swearing, I would recommend a 16+ readership, but since this isn't actually explicit I guess use your discretion?

Summary: For all accounts and purposes, Patton Hart should have been able to make it through his twenties in the music industry without coming face to face with a scandal. The perfect package of talented and adorable, with family connections to boot, all he'd had to do was keep out of trouble, and he was good at that.

He hadn't counted on running into Janus Lyre. The beautiful, frustrating, devil-may-care actor evidently has some sort of effect on Patton, driving him to make the sort of mistake that never would have crossed his mind previously. Now, with their faces plastered across the internet and fledgling careers on the line, the two of them need to keep the lie of their fleeting relationship sustained.

‘The sweetheart and the snake’ - has Janus Lyre found a new ‘Hart’ to break?

Less than an hour after being photographed at the premiere for his own movie, the young star was seen at a swanky downtown nightclub - guess that’s one flick we won’t be catching!

But, dear readers, that’s not the most interesting part. With Lyre’s turbulent record over his few years of fame, one might say playing hooky is just a minor infraction for the beloved bad boy, but the same can’t be said for the cutie hanging off his arms in those photos! Some of you might have already recognised those cute brown curls and sunshine grin, and as hard as it may be to believe that is indeed Patton Hart.

The youngest son of now retired singer Ophelia Hart has made quite a name for himself recently, with his sugary sweet lyrics and impossibly innocent persona - impossibly being the operative word. Is the golden boy finally rebelling? Or had there always been a darker side to Hart, hidden behind the saccharine pastel branding?

---

Logan Wright: Just saw the news. Need to talk immediately. Send me your location, I can arrange for you to be picked up safely.

Logan Wright: Patton please pick up my calls

Logan Wright: I’m sure I don’t have to tell you how urgent this is??

---

Patton groaned around the headache coursing through his skull as he paced the wooden floors of the darkened bedroom, willing the phone in his hand to be still long enough for him to figure out what to do.

This had to be a bad dream.

Patton Hart was not the kind of guy to wake up in another man’s bed with a bad hangover, barely any memories of the previous night, a hundred missed calls from his manager, and compromising pictures of himself spread all over the internet.

Maybe if he just crossed his fingers real hard and opened up twitter again, it would all just be gone and he would wake up in his own home, sans migraine, and everything would be just fine.

Nope. Patton’s own besotted face was the very first thing that greeted him as he opened the app, gazing up at Janus Lyre of all people. He felt like he was looking at a stranger as he flicked through the images despite his own surmounting dread. He watched this weirdly confident version of himself, practically draping himself over a man he barely knew, grinning as Janus leaned in to whisper in his ear, kissing him in the street outside the nightclub, his own unfamiliar hands running through long dark locks, wandering down to lithe waist and hips, pulling their bodies even closer.

Patton felt sick. He had to call Logan, he knew that. Logan knew how to fix things, he would handle this.

Then again, Patton had never given him something like this to fix before.

The tweets underneath the photos ranged between a variety of reactions, from confused, to shocked, to disgusted to “always knew Patton Hart had a dirty side”, to “Can’t wait to see how long Janus keeps this one around.”

To be perfectly honest, all of them made the sea of dread and nausea in Patton’s gut rise and lurch.

“This is so bad,” he muttered to the figure that had just appeared in the doorway, glass of water in hand.

“Oh is it? Is it really? Oh, thank you so much for telling me, I would definitely have forgotten just how ‘bad’ this was if you weren't here to remind me.”

Janus Lyre was infuriatingly cool, in a way that no one really had a right to be in the mornings - let alone on this morning. Somehow, even in sweatpants, with his tousled hair tied back in a low ponytail, he managed to make Patton feel awkwardly underdressed for having put his own clothes back on. His smudged eyeliner, a relic of the night, only added to the effect of his condescending eyeroll.

Regardless, Patton was grateful to accept the water, and the aspirin that was dropped into his palm with it. At least he was a gracious host, all things considered.

He sat gingerly on the edge of the bed, sipping slowly as he picked at a rip in his rumpled jeans. He could feel the weight of Janus’ eyes on him, but he didn’t want to look up. It felt like he’d be doing something wrong, shameful even, to be looking at the other man right now, despite all that had already transpired between them.

He didn’t know Janus, not really, but he had known of him. At least, he’d known he was bad news. He was an incredible actor, from what Patton had heard, and had managed to flourish in the past couple of years despite his young age and apparent lack of industry connections.

…Unfortunately, his incredible acting wasn’t all that he was known for. Janus’ name frequently popped up with regards to his sardonic responses to the press, disregard for convention, insulting important names in the industry, and generally being considered trouble.

Patton had often wondered how the man hadn’t been blacklisted yet. He never thought he’d end up tangled up with him in any way, much less this literally.

“Well, I’m sorry, but I don’t think you’re getting how serious this is,” he protested, “I - I just don’t understand how - there are pictures, Janus, everywhere, I have so many calls-”

Janus looked almost amused, as he leaned casually against the curtained windows, quirking an eyebrow at Patton.

“Oh dear, not pictures !” he mocked, “I take it this is your first time getting caught ‘ in flagrante’?”

“Wha- yes,  of course!” Patton flushed.

“Well, don’t worry then, the first time is always the hardest,” Janus responded lightly, seeming as though he was getting quite bored with the conversation, and by extension, with Patton.

“I don’t exactly intend there to be a second time, just so you know,” Patton snapped,” I didn’t even intend for there to be a first time, quite frankly-”

Janus did look amused at this, grinning smugly as he replied, “Oh, is that right? You and I appear to remember last night very differently.”

“I’d really rather not talk about last night, thanks.”

“I’d happily talk about anything else. You are the one that keeps bringing it up,” Janus shrugged, before turning on his heel to face the window, tugging the curtain open by the corner, just enough to invite in a thin stream of light.

Patton might struggle with nuance sometimes, but even he understood that - Janus had got the last word in, and now he was done talking.

He huffed in annoyance, but it didn’t stop his traitorous eyes from following the graceful movement, tracing the dark lines of the tattoo that marked Janus’ light brown skin, a massive serpent that coiled and looped all over one side of his slender frame, seeming almost to writhe, hypnotically, with the slightest movement.

Patton tore his eyes away quickly, tugging self consciously at his own sweater sleeves. The cool water had helped slightly, but he could feel the dread settling in his stomach again. He didn’t belong in this situation, having wild midnight trysts with ridiculously pretty men, and whatever confidence the alcohol had apparently given him last night had evaporated, leaving him utterly unprepared for light, flirtatious morning-after banter.

“Um, well,” he cleared his throat and stood up, “I should probably go now, and call my manager to fix all this. Thank you for, er - the water, and last night, I guess, and I wish you all the best, of course.”

Janus didn’t even turn around to respond, “Oh, and I don’t suppose you’ll need transportation arranged?”

“No thank you,  I can find my way-”

“And give the press an opportunity to catch you leaving the den of the snake? In the same clothes you entered in, no less?”

“I-”

Luckily, Patton didn’t have to come up with a clever response, because Logan - his dear, wonderful, manager Logan - decided to call him at that very moment.

“...I have to take this.” he muttered triumphantly, turning around to lift the phone to his ear, “Hi, Logan, I am so, so, sorry - I meant to call you, I just-”

“No time,” Logan’s phone voice was as always, clipped and professional, and he got straight to the point, “I need to see you. Immediately. There is much to discuss. I trust you’ve had enough foresight to remain at Lyre’s residence and not step outside?”

“I - I’m still here, yep.” Patton blushed.

“Good. I’m sending a car, don’t leave the building until it arrives. And bring Lyre with you, please.”

“You want to meet Janus?”

“The subject I need to discuss with you also concerns him, so yes.”

“Oh- um, okay, I’ll bring him. Um, do you need an address?”

“No need, I have it.”

“Already? How?”

“That is my job, Patton.”

“Right, right, fair enough. Okay, I’ll see you.”

---

Patton had a flashback to middle school - the one time he was sent to see the principal for bad behaviour - as he knocked nervously on the door to Logan’s office.

“Come in.”

He heard a scoff from behind him as he took a deep breath, preparing to open the door - it had been a struggle to get Janus to come along.

Just as he’d expected - and feared - Logan was wearing his “I am a professional and thus I am not going to get upset” face. What he hadn’t expected, was that this look didn’t seem directed at him.

Leaning back in the chair next to Logan’s, high heeled boots on the desk, was a man that Patton had never seen before - and between the half-black, half-silver mullet, curled moustache, and bright green glitter, he was pretty sure he’d remember if he had.

His eyes skipped over Patton entirely before settling on Janus and lighting up.

“J-Anus!” he cackled, “Thanks for not picking up any of my calls from last night, asshole!”

“Remus, good to see you,” Janus sighed, “Looks like your mummy called my mummy,” he whispered loudly to Patton.

To Remus, he said, “I do apologise, Remus, I turned my phone off because I was busy not watching the movie I was in. I’m sure you understand.”

“Ahem,” Logan interrupted, “Mr Lyre, thank you for coming in, Patton, this is Remus Rey, Mr Lyre's manager. Please take a seat, Remus and I have much to discuss with you.”

Patton waved politely at Remus, who winked back.

“Well first things first, I’d like to say congratulations to you both-”

“Remus.”

“-But that was nasty fucking trick you pulled there, Jay! You promised me you’d stop disappearing from important events! You know how much work I have to do to clear that shit up?”

Janus shrugged like a petulant teenager. “Got bored.”

“I really am sorry for putting this on you, Logan.” Patton could see Logan’s knuckles tightening, a familiar tenseness in his jaw, that telegraphed that he was Not Having a Good Time.

“That’s - not to worry, Patton,” a twitch had started to develop in his right eye, “technically speaking, this is - my job.”

“And he’s pretty damn good at it if he’s managed to keep you out of trouble this long eh, Patty?” Remus cracked in, “I mean, for what it’s worth, I always knew there was more to you, but the two of you really had the rest of those idiots fooled, huh?”

“Um…”

“ Anyways,” Logan interrupted through gritted teeth, “Whilst the two of you were missing in action, so to speak…”

Patton sunk a little deeper in his seat. He wasn’t looking at him, but he was pretty sure he could feel Janus roll his eyes from beside him.

“...Remus and I had a chance to sit down and decide how to deal with this in a way that will benefit both parties.”

“ Oh, how fascinating, do tell .”

Logan, apparently much better equipped at dealing with smart-ass comments than Patton, ignored Janus entirely.

“Now, the two of you may have your reservations, but I request that you please hear us out before rejecting the matter entirely.”

“Now, the two of you may have your reservations, but I request that you please hear us out before rejecting the matter entirely.”

“Of Course we’ll hear you out!”

“ ...Yes, because that request didn’t raise any suspicions at all.”

“Remus and I think the best way to spin this current...situation to our advantage, would be with a relationship contract.”

There was a silence in the room for a minute as the full meaning of Logan’s words settled in. Well, a silence accompanied by Remus tapping out a rhythm on the edge of Logan’s desk with his - admittedly fabulous - acrylic nails. After what felt like a full minute he grinned at them.

“Pretty good, huh? It was my idea.”

”Yes, well, I cannot exactly deny that Remus was the one to suggest that,” Logan grumbled, “However, I do support it entirely, and am happy to proceed with your consent.”

“You want us to...date?”

“They want us to pretend to date,” Janus interjected, “A few staged photos, attend events on my arm, everyone thinks this was a sweet little lover’s outing and not a drunken fling.”

“See, I told you mine was smart!” Remus grinned proudly at Logan.

“...Indeed,” Logan nodded at Janus, “I understand you might have your compunctions, but this is the best way for us to spin this into something... close to brand-appropriate, for Patton. And as for you, Mr Lyre-”

“We’re hoping we can make it look like you’re finally setting down, starting to behave yourself, or some horseshit like that,” Remus cut in, “I gotta keep you booked somehow, Jan-Jan.”

Another long silence filled the room - and even Remus stayed quiet for this one. Patton stared at his lap. He didn’t exactly feel great about this sort of thing, but Logan had said it was the only way. And heck, this sort of stuff happened all the time in this line of work, he knew that. Right?

Janus spoke up first.

“How long would this contract be, exactly?”

“We were thinking one year,” came Logan’s reply.

A whole year?

"I assume there are rules?"

"Behave as though you're in a relationship, perform for the camera when necessary, and if you intend to have outside relations, do try to keep them private - or better yet, don't."

“...I’m amenable,” Janus said finally.

And then, Patton could feel three sets of eyes on him, waiting for a response. Logan, calm and expectant, as ever hiding his impatience behind professionalism. Remus, toothy-grinned, leaning forward as if he was watching a sports match.

And Janus. For the first time with sober eyes, Patton levelled his own gaze with Janus’. His face was as inscrutable as ever, but Patton could feel the unspoken challenge behind his mismatched eyes. Asking him whether Patton Hart could handle something like this. Or worse, outright stating that he couldn’t.

…Or maybe Janus wasn’t thinking any of that and it was just Patton’s own loopy consciousness egging him on. Either way, the words slipped out of his mouth before he even thought them.

“I’ll do it.”

[schmergo]

Weird obscure little rant here: There's this one particular conspiracy theory I've seen floating around the internet a lot lately that's a minor pet peeve of mine. There are a lot of more famous, major, and dangerous conspiracy theories going around right now, ones that are clearly anti-Semitic, anti-science, and doing genuine measurable danger to families and communities across the countries. But those have been extensively covered and analyzed by way more knowledgeable people than me (those articles are very much worth reading), and I don't think there's anything new I can bring up there.

The one I'm talking about is just skirting mainstream discourse and starting to become more widely known. It's the Missing411 'conspiracy.' The reason I put 'conspiracy' in quotes is that this isn't a traditional conspiracy theory with a clear bogeyman or scapegoat like some of the others. A traditional conspiracy theory usually goes something like, "[Group of people] are secretly [doing bad thing] so that they can [accomplish sinister goal]. but they control the [powerful organization], so nobody knows about it!" 

By contrast, Missing411 is super vague. It basically boils down to, "Mysterious disappearances are taking place throughout America's national parks and protected wilderness lands, and they fit a pattern!" There are hints among fans of this theory that the National Park Service knows more than they're letting on, but the extent of their 'involvement' doesn't seem really central here. The 'theory' doesn't come right out and explain any root cause for this pattern of events, just drawing attention to the pattern itself, though, once again, there are hints as to a deeper meaning. 

Here's the thing: "Missing411" is the brainchild of one guy named David Paulides who wrote a bunch of expensive self-published books compiling these cases. He's an ex-police officer (either retired or fired, depending on who you ask) who also happened to be super invested in Bigfoot hunting before he started with "Missing411," and, indeed, a lot of Missing411 stories do seem to point toward something... sasquatchy without ever coming right out and saying it. The other thing is that Paulides is the only one who can officially label a case a Missing411 case. A lot of people on the internet will say, "Oh, this sounds like Missing411," but Paulides is the one authority on which cases count and which don't.

Turns out a lot of 'missing person' cases in the national parks don't fit these criteria, and others that Paulides claim do are stretches. The criteria themselves are loose, and a missing person doesn't need to fit all or even most of them to be considered a Missing411 case. Missing411 cases include people who were never found, people who were found dead, and people who were recovered safely. Common factors in these 'patterns' include such vague terms as berries or berry bushes playing a role, being found near or in bodies of water, bad weather shortly after the disappearance, someone who is sick or disabled going missing, and someone being with a group at first but becoming separated from them after a surprisingly short period of time. And, of course, the fact that these disappearances take place in National parks and protected wildernesses.

Humans naturally seek and recognize patterns and make connections, but are categorizing cases in a way like this really helpful? I've seen people on the internet gleefully jump to this explanation whenever someone goes missing in a national park. Comments of "Google Missing411!" are common on news articles about this topic. I honestly think it's insensitive to the family members of the missing people who are looking for answers-- and misleading to those participating in the investigations. Currently, there's an incident going on in which a young couple was traveling cross-country in a van and visiting many National Parks. The man returned home with the van but without the woman, who hasn't been heard from in a few weeks, and isn't talking about what happened. Believe it or not, I've seen internet posters comment, "MISSING411!!!!" in response to this tragic story. A few months ago, a young man disappeared in Shenandoah National Park and his body was later recovered. I followed the case closely and the posts by Shenandoah National Park were full of "MISSING411!!!!" comments, despite the fact that it was very clear what led up to the disappearance: according to family members, a new medication caused psychosis and led to him driving in his pajamas from his home to Shenandoah (his family followed him there), crashing his car, and running into the woods, unprepared to deal with wilderness and not in good mental health. 

Like I said, I think this gleeful pattern-recognition is a little distasteful, but more than that, I think Missing411's eagerness to spot sinister causes behind disappearances in the wild is problematic for another reason: I think the average American has a difficult time grasping the concept of 'wilderness' and its dangers. We're used to everything being safe and convenient for us in our towns and, because national parks are popular tourist destinations, it's easy to forget that there are many dangers that exist in wild public lands. 

Inexperienced hikers often misjudge their skills and set off on trails too challenging for them and with inadequate water and supplies. Even experienced hikers can easily get lost or turned around-- and cell phone signals are usually nonexistent in national parks. Falls from cliffs, ledges, and waterfalls (mossy rocks near waterfalls are often lethally slippery) can mean injured people end up in inaccessible areas where they're not visible from the trail. A sudden health emergency like a heart attack, stroke, or even a broken leg can occur during vigorous physical activity. Abrupt changes in weather can change a pleasant stroll into deadly freezing temperatures in the blink of an eye. Dangerous wild animals like bears do live in the national parks. Although national parks are popular tourist destinations, these dangers are very, very real and can happen to anyone, and the parks themselves emphasize the importance of being prepared when entering wild areas.

On a darker note, remote hikes and camping trips in national parks are often a convenient way for people to cover up foul play (a few of the high profile Missing411 cases seem to fit this narrative). And, like the young man who disappeared in Shenandoah, many people who disappear in the wilderness alone are mentally unwell and, in many cases, disappearing on purpose. (National parks are sadly a popular place for people to take their own lives.) 

Some of the common Missing411 traits, like people being found without clothes on, could be explained by foul play but, more likely, it's a phenomenon called 'paradoxical undressing' that happens when you have hypothermia to the degree that you actually feel warm. Family members will talk about how a missing person is an experienced outdoorsman and unlikely to go missing, but 60 years of experience in the woods also comes with the health limitations of advanced age-- the 'mysterious' disappearance of a partially-sighted man with notable mobility issues might not be a huge mystery. Others, like the presence of berry bushes and bodies of water, points to basic survival instincts. Why so many disappearances in national parks? Well, it's a lot harder to be found in dense wilderness than in, say, an Arby's parking lot.

I've watched two Missing411 documentaries, which are easy to find on mainstream streaming services, and, while many of the cases covered are truly strange, some seem easily explainable by Occam's razor, and the selection of why some cases are included and others aren't seems bizarre to me. Some don't even involve a disappearance at all but hearing or seeing strange things in the woods. Some don't involve national parks or public lands. There are very vague hints throughout that 'Bigfoot type creatures seem to exist in the woods and use outer space or interdimensional technology to hide themselves from people or spirit people away, and the government might know about it' but nothing more than vague hints.

 Like I mentioned, some of the cases they profiled point toward foul play. The most prominent case featured in the original Missing411 documentary was about a little boy named Deorr Kunz Jr. who disappeared on a camping trip with his family... but there's also no proof that he actually was on that camping trip with his family... and the family's stories have some discrepancies... and even if it really was a disappearance from the campsite, the stories are that the grandfather thought he was with the parents and the parents thought he was with the grandfather.

 Life is often boring and repetitive and it's totally normal to use stories to make ordinary life more interesting and exciting, but the almost... gamified way that I've seen internet dwellers react to real-life stories of heartbreaking disappearances and deaths in dangerous and remote locations is kind of disturbing, and similar to the over-the-top fanciful theorizing I've seen from other, more insidious conspiracy theories. The idea that there's a secret 'other world' being hidden from us behind the curtain of society is enticing, but it can lead down paths as confusing and dangerous as the ones that real travelers get lost on in the wilderness.

[cblgblog]

Imagine Mildolyn, "Illicit Affair", Modern AU. Where Gwen's campaigning for Congress and all the meet and greets, showing up for charities for publicity, her 'cause'. At one for special needs children and their foundation she meets a very young CNA named Mildred and sort of falls head over heels in the dumbest of ways, both just love struck. Except she's campaigning to be in Congress, she's a politician, she cannot be queer and chasing after 19 year old ex-foster kids whos brothers are set to be the youngest executed on Death Row in California in decades for appalling crimes. But there she is, in hotel rooms her supporters pay for, with someone she shouldn't be with, trying to find ways to overturn cases that turned stomachs with their brutality, because a pretty girl smiled at her and called her 'ma'am' while showing her around the foundation/care home she worked at with children no one else had the time/patience to care for. Of course it goes terribly with 'dirty little secret' vibes, the breast cancer diagnosis announced on twitter before she tells Mildred in person, even if it's such a minor case ('so they say') and caught so early that it'll barely leave a scar, radiation won't be much of a deal at all. She doesn't get to tell Mildred that, she just gets to hear on Fox news about how the democrat's gonna die a horrible death and panic.

Mildred who has no patience for politicians and their fake concern, using patients as photo ops. It’s manipulative, it’s distracting to the staff, it’s awful, okay, she hates it. She is, in fact, a tad bit rude to Gwen when they meet. Gets her a death glare from Betsy Bucket, gets Gwen intrigued.

“Republican?” only half-joking.

“No.”

“Is it the suit? Should I have worn a different suit? I wanted to, but I’ve been told this one tested better.”

“The suit is fine.” It’s more than that, actually, but Mildred will not be saying that aloud, nope, uh-uh. “I don’t much care for politicians.”

“Ah, we have that in common then.”

“I doubt we have much of anything in common. Ma’am.”

And look, Gwen doesn’t usually go in for the chasing, the hard to get. She’s got enough trouble chasing votes. But this woman is so good with the kids on her ward, so patient. She’s got Disney scrubs on and as much as she’s got no time at all for Gwen, she seems to have infinite amounts for those kids. She stays with them individually, longer than any of the other staff Gwen sees, but she still manages to get a dozen things done in half as many minutes. And she’s also gorgeous, there’s that.

And Gwen has no good reason to ask her out for lunch. Honestly, none. Nothing good can come from this. Mildred asks if the citizens of California will be paying for this meal and Gwen swears that isn’t the case, no, absolutely not. Even still, Gwen doesn’t expect Mildred to say yes. She doesn’t think Mildred expected Mildred to say yes.

But she does. Tells herself it’s for Edmund, maybe this’ll be the one politician who listens, who’s willing to look past the surface facts, willing to help. Except she gets there and they don’t talk about Edmund. It’s not because Mildred doesn’t know how to bring it up, she’s made her case dozens of times. She just…they don’t talk about him, and that feels like a betrayal, but Gwen’s kind and funny and fascinating (much to Mildred’s annoyance), and she just…doesn’t feel like getting into it.

Meanwhile Trevor, Gwen’s campaign manager/law school buddy/best friend/lavender marriage soulmate, if they were in a different time, is like bitch, what’re you doing? Yes, everyone knows you’re gay as hell, but you can’t be chasing girls right now, you can’t afford to be distracted. You especially can’t afford to look distracted. And you can’t be robbing the cradle while looking distracted.

“She’s not that young.”

“Uh-huh. She wears Winnie the Pooh clothes.”

“Scrubs, those are scrubs. Scrubs aren’t clothes.”

“Uh-huh.”

“She works in a children’s ward, Trevor.”

“Uh-huh. I really wish you wouldn’t do this, but since you care nothing about me and my mental state and all the hours and hours of hard work I’ve put in for you—”

“After badgering me into hiring you over someone more qualified.”

“Hey! More qualified. I resent that. Anyway, if you insist on ruining my day, at least wear that face cream I gave you. Should make you look less like you’re robbing the cradle.”

“Go to hell.”

“And don’t do the oyster thing. Not on a first date, in the middle of the campaign.”

“It’s not a date, it’s just lunch.”

“Uh-huh.”

Gwen doesn’t do the oyster thing. Not on the first date, which neither of them acknowledge as a date, for entirely different reasons. But then there’s a second and a third, and sex, lots of sex, and it’s harder to pass off as just friendly.

And yeah, the sneaking around that Gwen hates. That Mildred says she doesn’t mind, and she actually doesn’t seem to all that much, which Gwen finds slightly concerning. Mildred’s good with secrets though, she’s good with being kept a secret. Mostly. Which again, Gwen finds concerning.

There’s pillow talk and Mildred admitting more about herself than she has to anyone, ever. Which still isn’t nearly as much as what Gwen admits, but it’s a relative thing. And still, Mildred doesn’t talk about Edmund. Gwen finds that one out on her own, stumbles across some old photos, a scrapbook of Edmund’s crimes. Gwen’s briefly concerned that Mildred is one of those people who’re deeply attracted to serial killers, but the truth is…something else.

Mildred tells her things. Some of the deeper, darker stuff, but not much, not yet. Tells her how she’s written to everyone she can think of because he’s a boy, okay? He was in an impossible situation, they both were, no one ever helped them, so Edmund decided he had to die. No one helped them before, no one helps them now. There’s anger and tears and Gwen holding her and she can’t help asking why Mildred didn’t talk to her sooner, if she’s had no problem asking for help from strangers.

“Because you aren’t,” Mildred says in a way that makes it clear she’s figuring this stuff out as she says it. “A stranger, you aren’t. You never were and I couldn’t…I didn’t want to become one to you. I didn’t want you to look at me like that.”

“Oh Mildred…”

Mildred doesn’t actually ask her to help. She doesn’t want Gwen to think that’s what it’s all been about. It was supposed to be, but it isn’t. She doesn’t ask. Gwen digs into things herself, digs into this kid who was barely double-digits when he did these things. Made all the headlines at the time, but that was over a decade ago, he’s been locked up ever since. Most of Mildred’s money goes to him, one way or another.

Gwen hides it from Trevor—the murderer, not the sex, he knew about the sex before she ever said anything—for as log as she can. But he’s always been nosy, and now he has a paid excuse to be nosy, and he nearly has an aneurysm when he hears why it is that Gwen’s suddenly digging into this case instead of kissing the babies of gay couples, like she should be.

Gwen cannot do this. Nope, absolute no. She cannot be sneaking around with the younger sister of the kid they’ve made all the documentaries about. Doesn’t matter that she’s running on a platform of prison reform, especially as it pertains to juveniles, this is not the case to start with, especially when she hasn’t won yet.

And Gwen knows. She knows. She argues with Trevor about it until he decides they both need to stop because Gwen has a speaking engagement tomorrow and she can’t sound hoarse. There are many further arguments, arguments about principles over politics, but Gwen knows he’s right. She cannot, should not, be doing any of this, at least not yet. It’s dangerous, it’s selfish, Mildred deserves better than being someone’s secret again. Gwen should break it off, at least until the election. She’s not being fair to either of them like this. They should stop, at least for a few months.

Except it’s Mildred and she’s totally hijacked Gwen’s everything, and the thought of stopping makes her ill, and everything about this is terrifying, the most terrifying thing ever.

And then there’s the checkup and the routine mammogram. Gwen started those earlier than most because somebody’s aunt on somebody’s side of the family got sick, somebody’s cousin on the other side did too.

Scratch that, there’s a new winner for most terrifying thing ever.

It’s good, they say. She started early, they caught it early, this is good, they have treatments for this. Good, they say, while Gwen damn near passes out. She’s got a campaign to finish, she can see the Too Sick to Serve headlines already. A bald look would not test well, she’s sure it wouldn’t. She talks to Trevor about that, about the campaign, until he tells her to shut the fuck up, yanks her into a crushing hug. He cries, damn him, and that makes her cry.

She’s glad he’s there.

She wishes Mildred was.

She is also relieved as hell that Mildred isn’t, that they’re on opposite sides of the state right now. No point having Mildred see her like this, having her worry. She’s got enough to worry about, enough to hurt about.

Not that Gwen isn’t planning to tell her. She is. It’s only been a few whirlwind months, but Gwen knows enough to realize that a lie of omission would be a bad, bad, bad idea where Mildred’s concerned, regardless of intention. Gwen doesn’t think of hiding it anyway, not really. Mildred deserves better then that. When and how to tell the public…that’s a completely different clusterfuck of a situation, but Mildred, Gwen just wants to tell her in person. That way Mildred can see her face when she promises it’s no big deal (hopefully without seeing how terrified she actually is), and Gwen will have all the paperwork and things she knows Mildred will want to see, and they can hold each other, and it’s just, it’s not phone call news.

Except then it’s headline news, because somehow it’s leaked. Fox News is having a field day, certain corners of the Internet are already gleefully writing her obituary, and she’s missed literally hundreds of calls by the time she gets a look at her phone. At least half of those are from Mildred. Mildred who actually sounds hysterical for the first time since Gwen’s known her, that bastard on the news with the hair, he says you’re dying, why aren’t you answering, how long have you known, please, please pick up the phone, just pick up the phone god dammit.

She’s managed to keep Mildred a secret for months. This? This doesn’t last three days before it’s everywhere. Gwen does get an I love you for the first time ever, but seeing as Mildred’s sobbing over her voicemail when it happens, the joy is somewhat muted.

[jaysworlds]

T4TMA Day Three - AU

Gerry has a lot of tattoos, he knows that. He gets looks from old women on the tube if he’s wearing short sleeves and looks from children in the street, and he’s running out of empty space on his torso, but he likes tattoos. Every time he spends a little more of his late mother’s money on a new design it feels like a fuck you to her, and he revels in it.

(So, he may have one or two issues still to work out. He’s fine!)

Unfortunately his last artist (a rather difficult old woman named Gertrude, who gave the impression of someone who would crochet doilies, not give tattoos) just moved to the states, and now he has to find a new one, and he doesn’t like change. Or people.

It’s proving kind of difficult. Most of the artists just aren’t what he’s looking for, and maybe he’s picky but they will be sticking needles in his body, so he feels like he’s allowed.

A couple of months after his artist moved he walks past a new tattoo shop on his commute home from work. He knows it’s new, because he’s been to pretty much every shop in London by now and he’s never even heard of this one.

It’s called The Archive, and he doesn’t have time to stop by now, but when he gets home he pulls it up on the internet.

The website looks like a myspace page from 2002, but the examples look pretty good, and it’s close enough that he might as well check it out.

The site doesn’t say whether you have to make an appointment or not, and it’s new enough that Gerry guesses probably not.

He has time at the weekend, so he makes a note to drop in and then pushes it to the back of his mind and gets on with his life.

He’s forgotten about it until his phone dings with the reminder and he realises that he might as well go now. If it doesn’t work out it’s just another thing to cross off the list.

The shop doesn’t look like much from the outside, but there are some designs stuck up in the windows that weren’t there before, and the sign says open, so he pushes the door open and goes inside.

The person behind the counter is hot. Like off the wall hot. Button up shirt rolled up to the elbows and hair that somehow manages to look soft hot, and Gerry nearly turns around and walks right back out, because he’s definitely going to make a fool of himself if he stays, but the person has already noticed him.

“Hello,” they say, standing up a little straighter. They’ve got vines twisting up their forearms. “What can I do for you?”

“Hey,” Gerry says, and takes a few cautious steps further into the shop. “This is a new place, right?”

“Yes,” the person says. “We’ve, uh, just opened. Already had a few complaints from nearby old women.”

Gerry huffs a laugh. “I’m not surprised.”

The person nods. “Yes, it’s … it’s fine. Sasha usually deals with it; she’s very good at speaking to old ladies.”

“Sasha?” The name is familiar, and Gerry wonders vaguely if it’s the same Sasha who used to work for Gertrude. He kind of hopes so, because it would be nice to have a familiar face around. They hadn’t exactly been friends, and he hadn’t yet figured out where she’d gone when the old shop had closed down.

“Yes,” the person says. “She’s … one of the other employees. I’m Jon, by the way. My pronouns are he and they, and if you have a problem with that this isn’t the place for you.”

It sounds almost rehearsed, like he’s anticipating people who do have a problem, and Gerry kind of gets it.

“Great,” he says, perhaps a little too eagerly. He hasn’t met a trans artist before, but he has met several who have been weird about his top surgery scars, and honestly it’s a relief to know this place is trans-friendly. “I mean … that’s nice. To know. I…” He is making a real hash of this. It’s Jon’s fault for being so goddamn hot. “I’m trans too,” he manages, running a hand through his hair.

“Ah,” Jon says, and they’re smiling a little. “In that case, what can I do for you?”

Gerry shrugs. “Are you free now?”

Jon nods. “Yes. As long as what you’re hoping for won’t take longer than a few hours.”

“I don’t really have anything in mind,” Gerry admits. “Maybe you could come up with something for me?”

“Alright,” Jon says. “You can come into the back with me. I’ll get one of the others to watch the desk.”

“Sounds good to me.”

“Tim!” Jon calls, and a moment later a tall man in a frankly hideous shirt pokes his head out of the door behind the counter.

“Yes, boss?”

“Could you watch the desk for me.”

“Sure thing. Who’s this?”

“A customer,” Jon says, giving Tim a withering look.

“I’m Gerry,” Gerry says, walking over to the door Jon is beckoning him towards.

“Right,” Tim says, waggling his eyebrows. “Enjoy yourselves.”

Jon glares at him again and ushers Gerry through the door.

“I’m so sorry,” he says, sighing deeply. “Tim can be … a bit much sometimes.”

“He seems great,” Gerry says, smiling a little. “Horrible sense of fashion, though.”

“I’ll tell him you said that,” Jon says, lips twitching upwards. “He won’t believe any of us.”

“You do that,” Gerry says.

Jon nods quickly. “Anyway. Do you want to sit down?”

“I can do,” he says, wandering over to sit on the bed. “You wanna see the stuff I’ve got already?”

“That would probably be best,” Jon says, stepping a little closer.

Gerry shrugs his jacket off and pulls his shirt over his head, showing off the patterns over his chest and arms.

“Wow,” Jon says, and he sounds honestly impressed. “I hate to think how much all that cost you.”

Gerry laughs, leaning back on the bed. “A lot,” he says carelessly. “My mother’s money, though. I imagine she’s rolling in her grave.”

“Ah,” Jon says. “My condolences, I suppose, though you don’t sound as though you miss her.”

“I don’t. I was thinking here, for the tattoo?”

Jon wisely doesn’t ask any further questions about his mother, just comes over to see the patch of skin he’s referring to, over his left ribs. They ghost their fingers very gently over his skin, and he can’t help but shiver a little.

“Alright,” they say, finally. “That seems reasonable. I doubt I need to warn you that it will hurt?”

“Nope,” Gerry says. “I don’t think I’m capable of feeling pain anymore.”

Jon laughs quickly. “Great,” he says. “I’m sure I can come up with something for you.”

He moves away from Gerry (to his disappointment, though he’d never admit it) and over to a desk, getting a pencil and a sheet of paper and scribbling away for a while.

Gerry is content to sit quietly and look around the room. It’s almost empty, just some basic equipment and one or two designs. He supposes that the shop hasn’t been open long enough to collect stuff.

“How many customers have you had?” he asks, after a while, and Jon looks up.

“Two, including you.”

“Huh,” Gerry says thoughtfully. “How long have you been open?”

“Two weeks.”

“Not bad.”

Jon smiles. “No, it’s not. Would you like to see what I’m working on?”

“Alright,” Gerry says, and gets up, walking over to Jon’s desk.

“Here,” they say, offering him the paper they’ve been working on. “I thought it went well with your whole … aesthetic.”

Gerry takes it to look over, and they’re right, it does fit his aesthetic. A book, flames curling over the pages. His mother, with her immaculate libraries, would hate it.

“It’s perfect,” he says, and Jon smiles.

“Thank you.”

“You can do it now?”

Jon nods, waving him back towards the bed. “Yes.”

“Awesome,” Gerry says, and goes to sit down, pleased with himself. This was definitely worth it, and he thinks he’s going to be coming back.

Jon takes a moment to pull gloves on and gather up his equipment. He’s humming to himself, Gerry thinks, and it’s … kind of adorable. Not that he would actually say that; Jon strikes him as the kind of person who might take it as an insult, and that’s the last thing he wants.

“Alright,” Jon says, finally, and comes back over. “Could you lie down for me?”

Gerry complies, biting back the joke that immediately springs to his lips. He doesn’t know anything about them, really, and he doesn’t want to get kicked out for making an off-colour joke.

He’s more than used to getting tattoos by now, and honestly it’s pretty relaxing. Especially since Jon’s hands are stroking gently across his ribs, and every time he hisses involuntarily they say shh, shh, and he really likes that.

It takes just over an hour and half for the tattoo to be finished, and it’s rather sensitive by the end, but Gerry expected that. He has tattoos on all his joints, and those hurt way worse than down his ribs.

“Right,” Jon says, finally. “I’m finished.”

Gerry opens one eye and looks up at him, pulling his gloves off. “Great.”

“You were very good to work on.”

Gerry raises an eyebrow. “Is that a compliment?”

“Yes,” Jon says, their cheeks going a little red. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine,” Gerry says, sitting up and waving a hand. “It was nice to have you working on me.”

“Will you be coming back?”

Gerry grins. “You want to see me again?”

The colour in Jon’s cheeks gets a little darker. “I … well … I suppose so, yes.”

“You could have just asked me out.”

Jon exhales, a little shakily, and Gerry prays he hasn’t misstepped. It will really suck if he scares him away by being too forward.

“I…” Jon stutters, seemingly trying to compose themself. “I didn’t want to assume anything.”

“You can assume if you want,” Gerry says, smiling a little. “So, are you going to ask me out?”

“If … you would like that. Then yes.”

“I would like that,” Gerry says. “Do you want my number?”

Jon nods quickly, pulling his phone out of his pocket and offering it to Gerry. Gerry types saves himself as cute goth <3 and hands it back. If Jon wants to change it they can, and he thinks it’s funny.

“Right,” Jon says, and he’s smiling as he puts his phone away again. “Thank you. I … will message you.”

“Cheers,” Gerry says. “I look forward to it.”

He gets up and stretches, wincing as it pulls on his sensitive skin.

“Hold on,” Jon says, putting a hand on his shoulder. “Let me cover that for you.”

“Alright,” Gerry says, pleased, and stays still as they care for the very fresh tattoo with careful hands. He’s definitely not going to complain.

“Right,” they say, once they’re finished. “That’s all, then. I’ll message you.”

“Thank you,” Gerry says, leaning in to kiss them on the cheek, almost without thinking about it. He pulls away very quickly, realising he hadn’t exactly asked if he’s allowed to do that. “Shit, I’m sorry. Is that okay?”

“It’s okay,” Jon says, looking almost as though he’s trying to hide behind the waves of his hair. “I don’t … it’s okay. Thank you.”

Gerry smiles, relieved, and does it again. “Alright. Good.”

He really does have to leave now, but he really doesn’t mind. Got a new tattoo, and gave the very cute artist his number.

Not bad going. Maybe he’ll even forgive Gertrude for moving away.

[millepara]

DCD Aikatsu Planet talk: avatars

instead of one massive post like I’ve done in the past, I’m splitting my aipura impressions up into parts to make it a little more manageable. this one’s about making your mychara avatar/account! or making my avatar, specifically.

it’s not a guide so much as it is a... diary entry? opposite of a ted talk? as mentioned, few photos thanks to dead phone (with a couple exceptions from the fanbook). sorry. with that in mind...

mirror in! ☆

making your idol

I feel like the process for making a mychara/avatar in Planet is more complicated than in past incarnations of Aikatsu. this is entirely because the game no longer prints IDs! to get a physical idol license, you either have to buy merch that comes with one or get one from an intermittent giveaway event, like the Gold Gemini one.

this seems like a scam to force you to buy aikatsu merch. it likely is, but actually you don’t need a physical idol license to make an avatar! you can make a digital one instead by signing up for a My Page online. then you just scan the qr code from your phone to make/use your avatar. this is what I did--I still don’t have a physical ID, but you can add one at any time by entering the code from one into your My Page. I’ll do this someday, because it seems useful when hmm oh say your phone’s battery is about to die. but I’m holding off for now because the standard idol license is worryingly flimsy and I’m hoping something nicer will come along!

so to start, first you have to scan an ID you’ve obtained in advance from one of these sources. that means you have to come prepared and not just be a kid wandering through the arcade who randomly decides to try it. that means either you or your parent/guardian has to have read the website or something in advance... a pretty high bar to clear to start a game for little kids! (or for people visiting from another country who want to try the game without having to hunt down merch first...) the impression I’ve gotten from the internet is that actual children do in fact seem to be pretty confused about the game, so that tracks... (ofc you can play without making an avatar, but... why. lmao but more importantly the kids who are happy to play as anime characters only probably won’t play until the show starts!)

...after that, the process of making your character is almost the same as before. decide your look (and all of the many new options that involves), name your idol, decide their age and bday. I was eager to see how old you can be now that there’s no preset numbers, but two digits is the limit ( ˘̩╭╮˘̩) no ancient immortal beings in aipura.

your avatar’s look

the fanbook showcases some starter avatar parts, so take a look! first, the 8 face styles:

though there’s no cute-type etc anymore, most are a close match to the previous faces. as before, your idol’s voice is determined by the face you choose, with 4 voices total. unlike before, you can change your face type at any time!

...you can change your face type at any time!!

no longer do you have to wait a year for the start of a new aikatsu series if you get tired of it or decide you picked the wrong one, you can just change it whenever!! awesome!!

I was lucky because Milk’s face (Ottori) was pretty much a 1:1 recreation. less so with Biscuit--Odayaka is closest, but it doesn’t have the Drama of those long eyelashes. I’m a fan of how silly the bottom eyelashes look, though, so it balances out.

the five skin colors. the one that comes preloaded on your idol is Beige (also the color of the face previews and anime characters and that hand in the image there). as you can see, the actual in-game colors are noticeably lighter than the swatches... most of the avatars people have made also use Beige, but it’s not uncommon to come across an idol with one of the darker skin tones. (Milk is Natural, though the photo up there is lighter due to editing out screen distortion.)

I’m not going to post hair styles and so on because the fanbook only shows a tiny fraction of what you start with. especially for hair and eye colors--there’s so many! I can’t say for sure, but it feels like more than in past games. I was able to get a great pastel pink eye color for Milk right away (Glittering Pink), and there were two different pinks to choose from in the hair colors! though I went with Ash Blue instead, because I’ve always wanted her to have white hair with pastel blue accents (it’s uh, milklike?) so it’s sort of a preview of that. (it does absolutely make her look like a cross between lunawings’ aikatsu character and pripara character, though.)

there are also a ton of avatar parts in the game, ready to be unlocked... somehow!! there’s zero mention on the website or fanbook, but while playing I would occasionally get surprised with new parts. the Crown Music accessory Milk’s using is one of these, which was from my first full combo or something. I also got new parts after my 10th, 30th, and 50th (haha...) games. I’ve seen avatars with anime character hairstyles already, and a variety of makeup (blue lipstick!!) or earrings or eye colors... luckily it’s easy to find the ways to get them online, because there’s a lot I would never have unlocked just by playing normally. (more on this in later posts.)

Planet also has an equivalent to mychara make tickets called special tickets, but these don’t exist yet. (there’s certainly none in the fanbook anymore.) you scan them/other qr codes in right after scanning your idol license. it’s a lot simpler than before, when you had to navigate through a couple choices hidden in the corner of the screen. it’s a good change!

though there’s no special tickets yet, there is a code in the Gold Gemini giveaway set for the Planet Start Dress (modeled by Milk above), and by scanning in an old aikatsu card you get Ichigo-themed avatar parts.

mirroring in ☆

this is its own section because it’s the entire concept of Aikatsu Planet. but aside from the part where you high-five your character, it’s not really reflected in the game at all! I don’t have an opinion on this one way or another, I was just kind of surprised to see nothing of Aikatsu Planet (the in-universe place) in the game, with all the backgrounds being this virtual white abstract nothing. I guess I was expecting something more like pripara or prichan or aikatsu friends, where the navigation screen looked like a town or school. but it’s not!

the one place you do see a little bit of an actual location is when you first create your character and mirror in for the first time. Hana shows up to guide you to I think a stage (unsure because I was overwhelmed with the newness of it all at the time), and in doing so she flies around I think a planet. (I should probably double-check this.) it’s very brief and you never see it again, so it didn’t stay in my memory at all.

so the only constant reference to this is mirroring in! it was cute in the PVs and I am here to tell you it’s just as cute in real life. while it still totally works if you poke the screen with a single fingertip, it’s way more fun to slap the screen with your whole hand. (the person who sat down at the game next to me yesterday like, lovingly held their palm against the screen for several seconds so I guess this is an option too. but I have not tried it so I can’t speak to how it feels emotionally)

you mirror in after you choose the character you’re going to play as, so you can also high-five Hana or whoever too. once the show starts and I know what’s going on, I anticipate being burdened with having to consider theoretical in-universe consequences of wearing someone else’s idol oc whenever I feel like it. for now, though... it’s cute!

your profile + My Page

this is your profile, which you see at the beginning and end of every game.

there’s technically more info on it than in aionpa, but it looks way more empty. on the left are your Dressia type levels (with room for more!), on the top right are how many games and wins you have, and on the bottom right is your rank in all the various ongoing rankings.

the rank is not live, but is determined by the previous day’s data. this is Milk’s profile on Day 1 of aipura, so with no previous data for the Happy Christmas Cup it showed her in 1st place (*‿* ) hehehhehhehe (in reality, she was something like 920th.)

there’s also a button on the bottom right for image change tickets. when you wanted to change your mychara’s look before, you had to go into the previously mentioned hard-to-find qr code scanner and scan in a mychara make ticket to access it. now, you just press this button! you are limited by the number of tickets you have, but you get more every time you earn an avatar part or every few times you do image change, so it’s not actually limiting at all. I was pretty fast and loose using them yesterday, and I ended up with more than I started with. so, another good change!

the My Page aka your online account page shows you all of this stuff in slightly more detail. you can keep track of how many times you’ve played which level of songs, and which Dressias you have and haven’t collected as well. that’s all the same as in past Aikatsus, but one interesting change is that you can now see who’s near you in the rankings, like so:

just being able to see these idols’ names, idol phrases, and scores doesn’t really mean anything--it’s not like I can go check out their profile and see what they look like or their prefecture, like you could in the old game. but what it does do is emphasize Planet’s focus on other idols being your rivals. (implied: and definitely not your friends!) how about that!

final thoughts

when we got our first look at the Aikatsu Planet game, my first reaction was yuck!! what is this!! it was like they sliced off all the detail and soft edges of the old graphics and all that was left were vectors sharp enough to cut yourself on.

I’ve had a lot of time to get used to it since then--and I have! the expressions your avatar makes are super cute and are swiftly doing the remaining work of winning me over that watching the PVs and stuff didn’t quite do. still, I think I’ll always prefer the sort of heavenly glow that everything in the previous game had... that, the realistic detail that was put into rendering the coords, the use of shading and shadows: these were all things I really appreciated about the previous game literally every time I played it. it was the reason I always preferred the look of it over pripara and especially prichan.

what I’m talking about is exactly the difference between these two Hanas:

Hana 1 is what the game actually looks like (mayonnaise spread perfectly flat on a slice of white bread), and Hana 2 is a promo image that got a DCD Aikatsu on Parade makeover for the occasion (lovely, pre-Raphaelite, angelic). so as much as I do like how avatar Milk looks... I wish I could see her looking like that!

maybe it’s way too early to commit to that, though. and maybe a future update will bring shadows to Aikatsu Planet. (...is an unrealistic daydream I keep entertaining.)

[parkjess]

Hi! I’m back! Sorry if I’m getting annoying but you are kinda the only person I know of who does Astro reactions😅! But anyways I was wondering if you can do one with all the members when their s/o is also an idol and their relationship gets outed by the media? Thanks🤗!

Thank you for requesting!🥰

Don’t ever feel annoying for requesting🥺 I love it.

Myungjun:

You sat in front of you laptop at your place, staring at whatever site it was, becoming pale within seconds as your eyes flow over the words of the article you just clicked on with the speed of light.

The topic was your boyfriend, Myungjun, and the name that was attached to his, as only you and him used to see together, was yours.

Without leaving your eye sight from the bright screen, you dialed Myungjun’s number on the phone you didn’t even take a look at.

“Baby... did you see what they posted?” Your words come out as if you just saw a ghost. Your relationship wasn’t supposed to be published and both you and him always wear a mask and hat when you’re outside. Your voice became shaky as tears approached, yet your heart somehow felt a bit relieved that you don’t need to hide anymore from cameras.

-“Calm down baby, tell me what’s wrong? I’m coming over.” You heard him grabbing his car keys and heading to his car while listening to you on the other side of the phone.

“Myungjun, they saw us yesterday at the restaurant!” You freak out and try to relax at the same time, what doesn’t seem to be working. -“Oh...” was all he said, driving away the parking lot, luckily you lived only couple of minutes away. “What do you mean-“ the tone of your voice got higher and you nearly yell at him, don’t get how he can be this calm.

-“I’ll be there in 2 minutes, okay baby?” He says and hangs up because he was still driving.

Finally arriving at your place, he welcomed you with a hug. Neither one of you want this relationship to be publicly known, because you know how toxic people can be and make this end, no matter how powerful the love is.

-“Baby... you know that no matter what the internet people will say, or do, I won’t ever leave you. Okay?” He cups your face while looking straight into your eyes, you just nod at his words. -“Now, lets go get some fresh air at the park, you’ll like it, and don’t worry, paparazzi don’t go out this late at night.” He smiles at you and takes your hand.

Jinwoo:

It was a regular December evening you spent with Jinwoo at fantagio building, teaching him English because he was asking for help. Although you tried to focus on helping him, the news you got from your best friend a few days ago, couldn’t leave your mind.

The korean kpop sites collapsed in a while after they announced Park Jinwoo has been seen lately with a girl, which was you.

No matter how much time he spend on trying to get you out of the bubble these news created in your head, he couldn’t, but that’s not what he thinks.

“Baby? What are you staring at?” He finished marking all the words he didn’t understand in the book you bought him as a gift and lifted his head only to meet your focused stare. He snaps his fingers in your face to wake you up from the daydream, and you apologize quietly.

-“Ah sorry, what were you saying?” You ask and pull the book closer to you. “Oh come on, I know that face, you’re thinking about it again aren’t you?”

-“I’m sorry, it doesn’t leave my mind...”

“You don’t need to worry as long as I’m here with you, the fans won’t hurt you, nobody will.” He placed his hand on yours and caressed the back of it, while only staring in your eyes.

It was comforting.

Dongmin:

You told your manager you want to take a break from having schedule in the next two weeks, your mental health wasn’t the best you knew since you started getting hate comments on social media because you’re dating Cha eunwoo.

Your manager totally accepted it and luckily understood your condition, but he also told that to your boyfriend, which you didn’t want to happen.

This afternoon you got a phone call from Dongmin, “Baby is that true? I’m coming over right after I’m done here.” He decides, not even listening to your answer. He was busy filming his new drama and you barely saw him lately. -“Uhm... yeah you can come over.” You replied, not even in the mood to talk, but you guess it can’t be bad if he comes, you needed any kind of help right now. He hangs up without saying anything more.

“Babe it’s me.” He knocks at the door after half an hour since you last talked.

-“Hey...” you open the door to see your boyfriend standing there with your favorite box of chocolate. He pulls you immediately for a hug before you say anything else, his bear hug felt like you haven’t seen each other for years.

Pushing the door behind him with one hand and then caressing your head softly and gently, kissing the top of your forehead.

“I missed you hon’.” He confesses, you only mumble, -“Me too...” as a reply against his chest and tears fill your eyes.

“I’m not leaving you, okay? I’m here. We’ll take care of everything baby.” He pulls away and cups your face, then placing a peck on your nose.

Moonbin:

Bin won’t look at the exposure of your relationship as an issue, he even thinks it’s even better now that you don’t need to hide in public, and doesn’t care what other people think about it.

As much as he loves his fans and yours, you always come first so he asked his fans to stop spreading hate and toxic at both of you. The high confidence he had about the news, because he knows how powerful the love you two share, made you feel less scared about how people will react or what they will do when you two go outside together.

He hired a van to stay in for the weekend in the woods, since you love camping together but hate sleeping on the ground.

It’s your second anniversary as a couple, and he decided to cook your fave meal which was also the first meal you ate together back then. “Binnie...” you call him with soft voice, while your eyes are reading what’s on your phone screen- the article about him dating, it’s now trending all over the internet.

-“Yes, dear (jagiya😉)?” He takes a quick look at you and back on the oven, watching the food that was almost ready.

“Take a look at this please.” You hand him over the phone, and he sighs. -“Ah, this. I talked to my manager already.” He says, feeling too comfortable with the topic you find as an issue.

“And... you didn’t mean to tell me everyone know about us?” You ask him, slightly pissed off. -“Hey~ and bother you with things you don’t need to worry about?” He holds both your shoulders, looking into the stars in your eyes.

Minhyuk:

Minhyuk was busy with his schedule in the studio, working on a new song, while you were scrolling down Instagram, suddenly your eyes meeting his name on the top of one article, attached to ‘dating’. It was one of the things you were scared to be known by your fans, since you didn’t want to disappoint them, but also was scared of their reaction.

You thought about this a lot and had a short anxiety attack every time it passed through your mind, but he was there always to calm you down, but now.

Knowing he was working and probably recording his new song, you decided to not call him but go physically to his studio as your heart started to beat faster and your blood felt like it was boiling.

-“Minhyuk? It’s me...” you knock 3 quick knocks on the studio’s door, leaning in to try and hear if he was singing.

“Oh? Baby, why didn’t you call me? Did something happen?” He opens the door and you don’t even hug or kiss him as you usually do when you meet him after hours you haven’t seen him. Walking straight into the darker room, as he closes the door and slow downs his voice at you strange behavior, you are playing with the charms of your bracelet.

“Baby, chill, are you okay? Are you hurt?” He asks worriedly, trying to hug you but you push him away slightly, ready to almost burst into tears. -“Did you see this?” You quickly show him the articles that were added to the social media since you first saw that one.

“Oh... oh my god.” He takes your phone and his other hand is holding yours. -“What are we gonna do?” The warm tears slowly stream down your face, as he pulls you into a hug, comforting you with little taps on your back.

“Please don’t worry, we are gonna go through this together, okay?” He cups your face and kisses your lips slowly, you try to pull away but there was pure comfort in the taste of his lips, so you tried to enjoy it as much as you could.

-“You promise?” You ask and pull your pinky up, waiting for his to intertwine his pinky, “Only if you let me kiss you again.”

Aish~

Sanha:

In this case I see him freaking out more than you.

You were both eating lunch at fantagio building since he just made a comeback, this is the place where you could hang out most of the time nowadays.

He took a mouthful of hot, spicy ramen, then back to scrolling down Instagram.

“Oh-mygahd...” he murmured unclear words you tried to understand, when he just turns his phone to you. Your eyes widen at the title that includes both your names.

-“Who the hell publish-“ you grabbed his phone and yours in your other hand, calling your manager as fast as you could, but it was too late since you saw the amount of comments the article already has. “Y/n what are we gonna do?” Sanha asks, trying to calm his senses which doesn’t seem to be working.

After talking with your manager, it looks like she knew they were going to announce it this week, and the company didn’t want neither of you to be hurt because it might affect your performance.

-“I’m even more pissed now because she didn’t tell me earlier...” you said, furrowing your brows after pushing the food plate away from you and leaning back on the chair.

At this point he couldn’t show you how angry and nervous he felt, so he tried his best cheering you up. “Ya~ you know they love us, right?” He leans forward, reaching out his arm for you, mentioning the fans. You nod your head slightly at your boyfriend but barely look at him. “C’mon, what can I do to cheer you?” He thinks out loud and sticks two fries up his teeth, making that cute monster voice he does that makes you laugh usually.

-“Ugh, shut up.” You burst out laughing and hit his arm playfully. “That’s the y/n I want for the rest of the day. And life.” His warm words approach your heart and make you smile eventually.

[noboo98]

http://www.madamepickwickartblog.com/2011/08/smile-happy-days-were-once-again/

THIS logo was used on a very popular little (3/4″) button that was a very trendy item worn in the punk scene in seattle. it gradually was lifted and used on a tshirt for the band nirvana, around the time of the release of their record ‘bleach’. i remember watching lisa orth paste it together in the production room at the rocket, where she had just quit as the art director. i’m not sure who picked the image – the band or lisa. i’m not even sure whether they altered the image or not. but, it was classic ‘sub pop’ marketing move of the time – appropriate an interesting piece of local weirdness and then exploit the hell out of it. that image became synonymous with nirvana and was a huge hit . they probably sold a million of those tshirts alone. who knows what else it was used on. AC:...haven't really looked at that nirvana logo in over a decade or more. i remember discussion about using the logo straight across and the risk of lawsuit. so, lisa may have altered it to avoid that. but the lusty lady logo was the idea. that's undeniably the case. i was there. the result is that most people around the world think of this blissed-out happy face as the ‘nirvana’ logo. go figger. in reality it was a promotional branding icon thingie used to promote the notorious ‘lusty lady’ strip club on seattle’s first avenue. every cool punky hipster in seattle wore one of these things as a sort of ironic joke. the popular story of the lusty lady is as peculiar as their logo’s morph into pop celebrity. as the story goes, the place existed as an act of defiance by the owner of the building (situated directly across the street from the glamorous new robert venturi-designed seattle art museum main entrance). in an attempt to expand the area into a yuppie upscale fern bar sort of neighborhood the city supposedly attempted to use “emminent domian” laws to acquire the building (condmnation) for development. the owner fought them hand and foot and eventually won. so the story goes, the landlord, in an act of apparent retaliation, began to rent out the space in the building to the sleaziest worst tenants he could find. the basement was rented to the First Avenue Service Center – that charity who tended the needs of the street homeless with food, medical, counceling and even shelter. the main first avenue street level was leased to the lusty lady ‘exotic private dance’ club (aka – strip joint front for everything imaginable). the top stories were apparently left vacant and were notorious ‘shooting galleries.” so, the building was a huge festering eyesore int he middle of the seattle power structure’s attempt to railroad the downtown into microyuppiedom. the lusty lady maintained this attitude for years by boldly placing clever off-color slogans and jokes on their reader boards poking their filthy finger into the eye of the seattle art/downtown/political power structure. (i wish i could remember some of them, but they were so wink wink naughty naughty that they often get displayed in the local news. anybody out there remember any of the slogans?) this button (later nirvana logo) was just one of their many many PR campaigns to stay as public and visible as possible in the battle against the city. everybody loved it! in fact, when the lusty lady announced they were finally closing down (after a couple of decades of this) the entire city seemed to mourn the loss. but, the lusty lady also has another rather sordid chapter to add in the unwritten history of seattle underground culture. for one thing, the lusty lady seemed to maintain a lot of goodwill among the hipster bohemian community because it was ‘women owned’. all that means in my book is that there was a female face on the front of the power structure – a “front” for much darker ownership. but, the hipsters thought that it meant it was some feminist defiant re-interpretation of ‘the oldest profession’. so, it became a badge of honor to actually dance there (believe it or not). many women in the scene proudly let i be known that’s where they worked. everybody was usually dully impressed. one seattle documentarian photographer even did a well-received book about the club that resulted in an exhibit inside the seattle art museum itself (the across the street enemy of the club). many of the ‘girls’ working there behind the scenes and the ‘art of erotic dancing’ became synonymous with ‘outsider’ art (or something.) at any rate, the result was a sort of “acceptance’ of the lusty lady as a sort of ‘outsider art palace.” pretty strange. but it was thought of as as ‘cool’, where every other dance club in town was ‘sleazy.’ the truth was, that the place (like most of these places) was a front for extensive prostitution and drug-abuse lifestyles. it was as bad (or maybe even worse) than any strip club. turning tricks was the unspoken part of the duties there. ‘wom wned’ and ‘art museumed’ or not, it was the same old shit. so it goes. the other little dirty secret of the seattle rock scene is that many of the bands (some of whom went on to stardom) were supported by girlfriends who “danced” there. it was so common to have a girlfriend dancing at the lusty lady associated with a band and financially helping to support them that it was almost a standard accessory. hooker money helped feed and house and clothe man many ‘grunge rockers’ over the years. without the girlfriends’ selling their bodies, the rock stars boyfriends would have had to get jobs and sacrifice their futures (as they hopefully imagined them). so, the loving gal pals hit the streets to support the rock star redemption fantasies that kept them going in the form of their personal rock god boyfriend. it’s a sad dirty little ignored fact that never seems to make it into the pop history books. most of those rock stars never were, they never made it. most of those girl friends became professional sex workers for their entire short lives. most of those dreams of salvation never materialized. the bottom line is that every time time i see that nirvana tshirt with that blissed-out happy face logo, i think about those pathetic little girls turning tricks to keep their rock star boy friends in cigarettes and beer. i think of the amazing amount of damage the rocknroll fantasy has done to everybody. sometimes i think poor little curt did, too. ADDENDUM: AC:i remember back in the mid-80’s, interviewing a guy while i was working on that old “instant litter ‘ book i did about seattle punk posters. this guy was a fixture as a manager of several dozen rock bands over the years. the whole time i interviewed him, there were rock stars hanging out around his house and these beautiful scantily clad young women cruising about. he kept interrupting the interview – which consisted primarily of me holding a poster and asking, “who did this?” and him answering, oh, i dod that. turns out, he never designed a poster in his life. – to answer this portable phone (it was a briefcase phone, no less! just like maxwell smart.) he’d mumble into the phone and he’d point at a girl and give her a slip of paper and she’d leave. he was running an ‘escort’ service to support all the bands. i guess the ‘guys’ got ‘bennies’, too. apparently, eh was also the first local pimp to utilize early computer online services to run hi biz, too. he’d get busted and the cops would take his portable phone and his computer and then try to find names. they couldn’t because they had no idea how the internet worked. the pimp would just get a new phone, contact his server and be back in biz. it took the cops a few years to figure out his game. i guess he went tot the big house,eventually. all those bands collapsed in flames. so, this was not a new phenom in the scene. it may be a part of every rock scene that ever existed. there would be a greta book about this stuff you could write…. Related Posts in the name of love… some kind of wonderful? history is written by the whiners This entry was posted in Feature Article, Ideas/Opinion, Marketing/Advertising/Media, Modern Arts/Craft and tagged art chantry, Courtney Love, Curt Cobain, lisa orth, lusty lady, lusty lady seattle, Nirvana, nirvana bleach. Bookmark the permalink.

[kutemouse]

Caught (Part One)

Disclaimers: All “Save Me” webtoon and BTS MV/highlight reel/film references and plots belong to BTS and BigHit. All pictures of Kim Taehyung belong to BTS and BigHit, I just edited them for my header. The picture of BTS came from Vogue Japan, I just edited it for my header.

A Note from Kutemouse: I know, I know, this has been a long time coming, and I’m so sorry it took so long for me to post this!! I’ve actually had it written for a while, but today was the first day I was able to get up and do some stuff. Pregnancy is rough! Oh, that’s right, if you haven’t seen it yet, I made a Big Announcement earlier today that explains why I’ve been so inactive lately, and also explains my plans for the future.

Age Recommendation: 21+ (this is NOT one for youngsters, kuties, and is MOST DEFINITELY NSFW)

Genre: Mafia!AU w/ BTS, Jailbird!AU w/ Taehyung, Yandere!BTS

Warnings: Not many warnings for this part, kuties. Swears, I guess. Unsupportive SO? Kidnapping. Use of chloroform.

Word Count: About 3k

Summary: Kim Taehyung was the absolute love of your life… until he became a murderer. With him serving a life sentence in prison, you were finally free to live out the rest of your life however you wanted. Just when you thought you were at the top of your game, ready to take on the world, Taehyung reappears like a monster not even your worst nightmares could dream up. He gives you a year to fall in love with him, but now the question is, can monsters even be loved?

Master List

Tag List: @chocolatewolfuniversitytrash​ @btssmutheaven​ @taemaknae​ @rebeccawoodrow​ @sassysaxsolo​ @iconicgguk​

If you want to be added, just lmk!

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

Caught (Taehyung Series, Yandere, Smut, Angst) Part One

We were skipping class in the school greenhouse, enjoying the humid warmth and the earthy smell wafting from the plants. We were talking, I forget about what. What I remember most is fiddling with his large, rough hands, intertwining my fingers between his over and over again. I remember his deep laugh that seemed to rumble through the recesses of my soul. I remember glee blooming in my chest whenever he grinned at me. 

His tone was teasing, mine was indignant yet flirtatious. Again, I forget what we said to each other, but I clearly remember those two words. “Kiss me.”

I gaped at him. “What?”

“Kiss me,” he repeated.

I hesitated. “Here? Now?”

Taehyung leaned down, tilting his head, until his lips hovered over mine. I felt each of his exhales on my skin, practically heard my heartbeat speed up.

“Kiss. Me.” It was barely a whisper, yet it resonated through my body, down my spine and throughout my limbs.

Without another word, I pressed my lips to his, melding them to fit his, a thrill running through me at his appreciative groan.

He pulled back, his inky eyes somehow growing darker. “I love you, baby girl.”

I sat up, gasping. Blood rushed to my head, making me see stars. With a groan, I covered my face with my hands.

“Sweetie?”

My fiancé, Lee Chanwook, rolled over and peered at me. “You okay?” he asked, his voice husky from lack of use.

“Yeah. Fine. Just had a dream, go back to sleep.”

“You sure?”

I nodded. He rolled over, his breath growing deep and even as he fell back into the reaches of slumber. If I could be so lucky. I hadn’t thought about Kim Taehyung in… well, it had to be almost a year now. Or two. I wasn’t sure.

Either way, my life moved on without him after shit completely hit the fan. My aunt and I agreed I shouldn’t transfer schools, since I only had a month or so left til graduation. I graduated alongside Chaeyoung, who seemed to be my only friend after Taehyung got arrested. She held my hand tightly the entire ceremony, only letting go when I was called to accept my diploma.

As soon as I graduated, Aunt Sunhee and I moved into her place in Busan. It was a tidal wave of change. Compared to my mom’s cramped, two-bedroom apartment, my aunt’s large house was a mansion. She recently obtained a position as COO of a large company and applied for custody of me immediately after.

Before we moved, I found my aunt’s letters my mom had hidden from me. My aunt had tried to call me multiple times but was never able to reach me. She even flew out to see me a couple of times, but all it took was my mother calling me at school and telling me I needed to stay at a friend’s house for me to stay away. I guess my mom was scared she would lose me.

Yet that’s exactly what happened in the end. My aunt paid for my mom to go to a rehabilitation center, but after only a few weeks, the center called my aunt letting her know my mother had disappeared. Aunt Sunhee called the police and even hired a private investigator, but my mom was nowhere to be found. I succumbed to the realization that she was probably dead. I didn’t get out of bed for weeks afterward.

A year and a massive amount of therapy sessions later, I decided I wanted to do something with my life. I was already attending university to obtain a business degree, but I hungered for more. My aunt got me an internship within her company, and I learned a lot just by working under her. Four years later, with a bachelor’s degree in hand, my aunt hired me as her executive assistant, and I took a year off before going to graduate school to both work and plan my wedding.

I was introduced to Chanwook at a company get-together. He was the son of one of my aunt’s business associates, and he caught my eye almost immediately. Mostly it was the way he was the exact opposite of the boy I hadn’t been able to get my mind off of. He was a stickler for the rules, had a great relationship with his parents, and never, ever did anything that would cross the line or damage his flawless reputation. He was kind and funny, but there was no wild or daring side to him. At the time, he was exactly what I needed.

He helped me forget about Taehyung. In the years before then, whenever I had a spare moment for my mind to drift, Taehyung’s wide, boxy grin and deep voice would float into my thoughts. I spent days wondering what went wrong. When had he become a murderer? At what point did he crack? Why hadn’t I noticed sooner?

Chaeyoung and I kept in touch, and I heard some details of Taehyung’s trial from her. I heard he was sentenced to life in prison without parole, due to the one count of murder against him. It would have been two, but Taehyung’s dad’s body was never found. No one was even sure he was dead.

I spent many nights staring at the ceiling, thinking back to the night when Namjoon got that frantic phone call from Taehyung. When Jungkook wouldn’t let me see him. When he completely disappeared for that entire week.

I had no doubt he killed his father. I don’t think he did it maliciously or intentionally. I think he found the strength inside of himself to fight back, and it ended in a death. It didn’t make the murderous act any less horrifying, but it did make me wonder just how deep the darkness inside Taehyung ran. Was he really the monster the media made him out to be?

Aunt Sunhee caught me one night poring over article after article covering Taehyung’s trial. “Y/n, you can’t keep doing this,” she said, placing a gentle hand on my shoulder. “You need to move on with your life.”

It took a long time, but eventually, I stopped surfing the internet for mentions of Taehyung’s story. My conversations with Chaeyoung grew few and far between until they stopped completely. Memories of Tae’s smile, his voice, his laugh, his lips, faded away. I even changed my last name to “Park” both so I’d be recognized as my aunt’s relative, and so no one from my past could find me. Four long years later, I was finally free of Kim Taehyung.

Or so I thought.

Apparently, my damn subconscious didn’t want to let him go. I rubbed at my eyes, trying to wipe away the image of his smiling face. I never imagined that, years later, he would still be haunting me.

I got out of bed, wrapping a robe around my body before stepping out onto our apartment’s deck. The cool, four-in-the-morning air roused my senses even further awake. I stayed like that until the sun began to peek over the edge of the horizon, thinking of Kim Taehyung and our shared past.

“Hey,” Chanwook said, coming up from behind to wrap his arms around me. “Have you been out here all night?”

“Not all night,” I replied. “Just since I woke up from that dream.”

“Mmmm,” he hummed sleepily in response. “Was it a good dream?”

I bit my lip, mulling his question over. “No,” I finally said. “It was more like a nightmare.”

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

That afternoon, I yawned as I re-read the same sentence for the umpteenth time, willing my brain to focus. “You look like you need a cup of coffee,” my coworker, Lisa, said.

“That would be nice,” I murmured in response, still trying to focus.

She stood and grabbed her purse. “I’ll get yours with an extra shot of espresso,” she said.

“Just so you know, I absolutely adore you.”

She blew me a kiss accompanied by a cheeky wink. “I know. Be back in fifteen.”

With the promise of caffeine on the way, I sat back in my chair and rubbed my temples, telling myself I’d get back to that report later. My cell phone began to buzz, and I picked it up, frowning at the unknown number.

“Hello?”

“Miss Park?”

“Yes, that’s me.”

“Hello, my name is Choi Yeonjun. I’m a representative of the company Bangtan Enterprises.”

“Never heard of it.”

A chuckle came through from the other end. “That’s because we’re a small start-up just breaking into Seoul’s business world.”

“And what does that have to do with me?”

“Miss Park, we’ve been made aware of your extraordinary skills and experience. Your aunt is COO of her company, correct? And you’ve been working under her for how long?”

“Well, if you’re including my internship, about five years now.”

“Excellent.”

“Mr. Choi, what is this about?” I asked as politely as I could.

“As a start-up company, we’re in need of experienced people to help run it,” he explained. “We’re prepared to offer you the COO position here at Bangtan, which comes with your own office, and we’ll double your salary.”

My mouth dropped open. “Double?”

“Double.”

I shook my head in an attempt to pull myself together. This opportunity was huge. I’d been accused of exploiting nepotism in order to get where I was today, but this could be my chance to prove all my naysayers wrong. I could show them I was entirely capable of forging my own path.

Still, I wasn’t going to just jump at this. I pulled my keyboard towards me and searched Bangtan Enterprises. Only a few results came up, but they confirmed my hopes into reality. Bangtan Enterprises was indeed a start-up, but it was based on a very profitable idea and, from the looks of it, had already lined up some high-end clients.

“And you said you’re based in Seoul?” I asked.

“That’s correct.”

So I’d either have to move there or split my time between Busan and there. I chewed my lip, wondering what Chanwook would think. “Your offer is very generous, Mr. Choi. May I have some time to think about it?”

He chuckled once more. “Unfortunately for you, you are not our only candidate. You’re our first choice, but there are others who are willing to start as soon as tomorrow.”

I clenched my phone. “No! I mean, that’s fine. I’ll take it.”

I knew I might regret it later, but this was a hell of an opportunity. Besides, it wasn’t like I signed a contract. I still had time to back out.

“Excellent. We’ll send you an official offer via email. When is the earliest you can start?”

“Don’t tease me, Mr. Choi,” I said playfully. “I thought you said my competition could start tomorrow.”

“That may be true, but—”

“Well, anything they can do, I can do better. I’ll send you my plane’s arrival time.”

“We’ll have a car waiting.”

I swiped off the call, anticipation flooding through me, causing a burst of excited energy to run through my veins.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

“You what?” Chanwook gaped at me.

“I said yes,” I replied nervously. I just told my fiancé about the new job, and he seemed to think it was great up until I said I accepted.

“Sweetie,” he groaned, placing his hands on my shoulders. “Are you serious?”

I frowned. “Yes, of course I am. I wouldn’t joke about something like this, Chan.”

“Well, you’ll just have to tell them you can’t take it anymore.”

I scoffed. “And why not?”

“Because we have a great life here. You make plenty, I make more than plenty. Why do you need another job?”

“Maybe I don’t need it,” I retorted. “Maybe I want it.”

“Want to move away from here? Miles away from your friends, your family?”

I scowled at him in response.

He sighed. “Y/n… answer me honestly. Is this about your mom?”

I snorted in disgust. “Seriously, Chan?!”

“It’s a valid question! Are you sure you don’t only want to go to Seoul to see if you could find her?”

“No, that’s not the reason I want to go to Seoul!”

“Then why?”

“Because! This is something that I earned, that I did on my fucking own. In fact, this will be the first and only thing that’s mine alone.”

“That’s not true.”

“Isn’t it? My job? Came from my aunt. My business degree? My aunt’s money. This apartment?” I said, gesturing around the room. “Your money.”

“So what?”

“So I want something for myself. We don’t have to move to Seoul, you know. I know your job is here, and I’d be willing to make the commute. You know, stay four days there, three days here, or something.”

Chanwook scoffed. “Do you even hear yourself?!” he shouted. “We are getting married! Planning on starting a life, here, in Busan! If you want a job based on your own merit and not because your aunt took pity on you, then find one here.”

I was rendered entirely speechless for a good few moments before I was able to gather myself back together. “I cannot believe how unsupportive you’re being,” I said through gritted teeth. “I’m taking that job. It’s your choice whether you’ll let that affect our relationship or not.”

“Fine!”

“Fine.”

I turned and grabbed my suitcase before stomping out the door, intent on going straight to my aunt’s. If Chanwook was going to be a total ass, I didn’t want to be around him. Thankfully, Aunt Sunhee wasn’t there to ask prying questions when I entered the house with my spare key. I walked up to my old room and hopped on my computer to search for flights from Busan to Seoul. This was my dream. And nothing, nothing at all, was going to stop me from achieving it.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

I walked briskly toward my destination, my heels clicking on the airport floor. As promised, a car was waiting for me, along with another passenger in the backseat. “Miss Park,” he said, extending his hand towards me as soon as I buckled up.

His voice sounded familiar. “Mr. Choi?”

“You can call me Yeonjun,” he said, his blonde hair falling over his left eye.

“And you can continue calling me Miss Park.”

He tossed me a smirk. “So, the boss would like to speak with you,” he said easily. “Nothing to be nervous for, he just wants to get to know you. However, he has an important meeting to attend over on the other side of town for which he’s requested your presence.”

“So this car is going straight there?”

“No, you’ll switch to his car once we get to the office. That way, you’ll have time to get reacquainted.”

I frowned. “Reacquainted?”

Yeonjun chuckled. “I meant acquainted. Slip of the tongue.”

“If you say so.”

We spent the rest of the ride in silence, something I was surprised over. I thought he would want to go over my contract or something, but I supposed that would all come later. The driver pulled the car into a parking structure, causing the interior to instantly darken.

“There it is,” Yeonjun said, pointing. A sleek, black SUV sat in the middle of the road, effectively blocking our way. “Go on. Mr. Kim is waiting for you.”

A shiver ran down my spine at the mention of my new boss’s name. Thoughts of Taehyung rushed through my mind, but I shoved them away. Kim was a common enough last name. I stepped out of the car, pulling my suitcase from the trunk before walking towards the SUV. Yeonjun did not follow. After stowing my luggage in the trunk, I opened the side door and hopped in.

A figure sat on the bench across from me, his face covered in shadow. “Mr. Kim? Hi, I’m Park Y/n,” I said, extending my hand. He did not take it.

“I know who you are,” he said, his voice an eerily familiar deep tone.

“Oh, of course you do. Yeonjun said you wanted to get to know me… What would you like to know?”

“I know everything about you already, baby girl.”

I narrowed my eyes, trying to see through the darkness that covered his face. “S-Sorry?”

“I said,” he replied, leaning forward. The light caught onto his inky eyes, causing me to gasp. “I know everything about you already, Y/n.”

I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Kim Taehyung was leaning towards me, a smirk dancing around the corners of his mouth. Sure, he looked slightly different. Older. More mature. He had definitely filled out, and his hair was now a complimentary jet-black falling attractively into his dark eyes.

“Hey baby girl,” he said, his smirk widening. “You lost?”

My body suddenly jumped into full-blown panic, and I grabbed at the car door’s handle, shrieking once I realized it wouldn’t open. Taehyung forcefully wrapped his arms around me, pinning me hard to his chest, clamping a hand tightly over my mouth. “None of that now,” he hissed.

I bit him, causing him to yelp, and continued trying to escape, fumbling at the lock that stood between him and my freedom. Taehyung pulled a handkerchief and a bottle from his jacket pocket, putting a dab of whatever liquid was inside on the cloth before clamping it over my mouth. His chuckle came out as more of a wheeze as he held me to his chest. “Damn, baby girl,” he said. “I hoped I wouldn’t have to resort to this, but here we are.”

With each one of his words, my field of vision grew smaller and smaller until my eyes rolled into the back of my head, and I felt myself falling into a state of unconsciousness not even the fear of death itself could fight off.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

Part Two is Here! 😉

[ari-shipping-stuff]

Monochrome Week 2020

Day Seven - [Fake Dating] AU

@monochromeweek

———

you people seem to be enjoying this au lmao

so i extended the storyline a bit for y'all. hope you enjoy

———

Weiss was in Blake's dreams. She wanted to panic. But how could she, honestly? She couldn't possibly feel distressed when the mere thought of Weiss made her feel so relaxed.

Blake picked a fuzzy dandelion from her front yard. It was dark already. Actually, rather early in the morning. But she couldn't sleep.

She didn't want to be faced with Weiss rejecting her. She didn't want to panic. She'd been on cloud 9 since that night at the restaurant. Even more so when they finally stood up to Henry. Weiss had been so much more carefree around her.

She could almost pretend they were dating for real.

Blake embraced her legs to her chest, pursing her lips. She stared forward at the white picket fence, contemplating the past few weeks. The last few perfect weeks.

Her phone buzzed next to her. Blake picked it up with her free hand, stretching her legs out on the dewy grass.

She clicked through the phone, checking the inbox.

The dark jabs of red in the contact's picture made her pause. Her finger hovered over the message as she read through the little preview.

I'm getting desperate, B...

Blake stared at it blankly, feeling her Cloud 9 evaporate. Replacing it, a dark, familiar feeling. She wanted to throw her phone across the yard. Hear it shatter. Feel the fact of him being unable to contact her anymore. An irrational fear mixed in with anger.

She clicked the message.

As she read through it, that feeling grew on her like toxic vines. Creeping around her chest. Squeezing tightly.

Blake turned off her phone, leaving him on seen. The vines seemed to pull back, but lingered near. Laying her phone back down beside her, she pulled her legs back to her chest, staring at the picket fence.

As she sighed, her dandelion blew away, little spring snowflakes flying into the night.

Blake just wished this would stop.

•

Saturday night. Weiss never imagined being in another rampant dance club so soon. But it was Yang's birthday, so she had to relent.

And Blake would be there. Of course, Weiss was coming.

But even if Weiss wasn't so infatuated with the mere thought of Blake, she still had to come. If not for Yang, then for her and Blake's apparent relationship (which she was enjoying very much, to her surprise).

The news had been absolutely buzzing for weeks. Internet or in person, there would be people eyeing them together. Or even just Weiss when she passed through the hall, a smug expression painted on her face like, 'Hah. I got her first.'

With the amount of attention they were getting, Weiss was somewhat surprised they hadn't heard from Adam yet. Especially with Blake's belief of him keeping tabs on her.

But regarding Blake, Weiss sensed something was off.

She looked distracted. Tired, even. She'd already downed two cosmopolitans within the hour and was already ordering another. Weiss couldn't possibly think of any other reason for her to be pushing her alcohol tolerance this much. Blake barely even took alcohol.

Weiss bit her lip, hesitating. Then she placed a soft hands on Blake's wrist.

"Uh.. Blake?"

Blake turned to Weiss attentively, and suddenly, Weiss felt absolutely ridiculous. Blake was perfectly sober anyway. Of course, she was. She clearly knew how much she was drinking. What was there to worry about?

Weiss shook her head, raising her own drink to her lips.

"Nothing," she said. "Just checking if you were still sober."

Blake snorted, licking her lips. Weiss could see the faint red stains on them, clear as day. She gulped down more of her Blue Lagoon.

"Actually, Weiss.." Blake winced. "There's been.. Something I wanted to talk to you about."

The pink on Blake's cheeks must've been coming from the neon lights from the ceiling.

"Oh?"

"Yep." Blake replied. But just as she began to speak, something caught Weiss's eye in the distance. She craned her neck, trying to see.

".. You know, it's been on my mind.. A-A while, and.. I wanted to..—" Blake looked up at Weiss nervously. Her face fell as she realized her attention was somewhere else. Though she had to admit, it was a bit annoying that this thing could steal her attention so easily.

"Um.. Weiss?"

Blake turned, searching the club for whatever (or god forbid, whoever) Weiss was supposed to be looking at.

"Weiss? I can't see it."

Her only reply was the background music raging through the speakers.

"Weis—?"

"Did you know that he would be here?"

Blake frowned, squinting at the crowd. But there was nothing to see. Everyone was on the move, shifting positions, dancing. No one could be identified.

"Who are you talking about?"

But she was looking in the wrong place. Weiss held the sides of Blake's face, steering it in the right direction.

Weiss's gaze wasn't in the crowd, after all. Rather, beyond it. In a darker, remote corner, Blake's very own nightmare stood there, unnoticed by her as his red was bathed neon green in the light.

And he appeared to be looking for something.

"Fuck," Blake muttered, earning a questioning look from Weiss. She began to stammer incoherently, stumbling off her chair.

"Blake, what are you—"

Blake grabbed Weiss's wrists, eyes wide with panic.

"We need to get out of here." she hissed, turning slightly so her back was turned towards him.

Weiss's eyebrows raised in surprise.

"Blake, it'll be fine." she whispered, breaking a hand free from her grip. She tucked a strand of hair behind Blake's ear, lightly stroking the dark hair pulled up in her bun. "I'm here. We don't have to pursue him."

"He's already looking for me." Blake mumbled.

"And he'll find us." Weiss reassured, holding Blake's hands in her own. "He'll find us together, being the most amazing couple to ever exist and he'll have to back off since we're in public. Has he ever made a scene in public before?"

Blake shook her head like a sad child.

"Good." Weiss smiled. "He definitely won't now."

She let go of one hand, but held on tight to the other, leading Blake through the dance floor.

"Wh-Where— What're you doing?"

Weiss smiled at her. "Let's just go dance."

•

Blake was still wary of Adam. She couldn't see him anymore now that she was in the crowd. Heck, she didn't even know where she was.

He could've come into the crowd. What if he was going to find her? What if he was behind her right now?

Blake looked behind her, before sighing in relief.

Okay, nevermind.

She needed to relax. She was with Weiss. Ruby and Yang weren't far, of course. Since Weiss made them promise to stay near (Blake could almost gush about the fact that Weiss felt the need to clarify, 'It's for Blake').

What if he always knew you were there?

Blake wanted to stop panicking. Maybe it was the alcohol making her emotions rage. She wasn't used to more than a glass, usually.

He's waiting for you to let down your guard.

Blake stumbled, almost crash-landing on Weiss.

"Blake, are you alright?" Weiss asked. She held Blake by the shoulders, sliding a hand to her cheek. Blake held that hand gently, nuzzling into her touch.

"Still bothered?"

Blake nodded, looking away.

Weiss sighed, raising her other hand to Blake's face.

"I'm here. It'll be alright." she smiled. "I'll always be here."

Blake raised her eyebrows at the way Weiss phrased it. It was probably nothing. They were close again. Far more affectionate, but with their line of work, that was to be expected. It was probably nothing.

But Blake felt something. An electricity. Not a giddy excitement like she had with Adam and her other past crushes.

It was more of a connection. An intimacy. Just like that night at the restaurant. Where the heavens danced in Weiss's eyes. And everything was nothing except the two of them. A whole lightning bolt striking.

All Blake could hear was her own heartbeat, thumping violently in her ears.

Weiss's lips read her name.

And suddenly Blake's lips were on hers.

And nothing else mattered.

She could taste the bittersweet citrus from Weiss's cocktail and the pure ecstasy when Weiss started to kiss back. The petrichor and vanilla never hit Blake as strongly as it did then. And her eyes only half-lidded, yet was blinded.

It was the strongest feeling in the universe. So strong, it would linger on Blake's tongue for who knows how long. She was so blinded by it, she couldn't gain her bearings when she realized she was being pulled away.

———

don't kill me 👉👉

please.

— ari

———

part one | part two | part three | part four

[brisfanfictions]

Chapter Two [Andy Biersack]

"I'm almost certain at one point or another every friend I've ever had has asked me how I'm not three hundred pounds." he laughed softly. "I can pretty much eat all day, everyday and not gain any weight, it's crazy" he said tracing a finger over one of the many tattooed lines on his wrist slowly. "But you do have a point. Everyone always talks about that sort of thing, which I've never actually noticed before." he said chuckling softly.

He shook his head slightly with a smile on his face. "But I am absolutely positive it's not like the Justin Bieber scenario." he said seriously. "The only reason I know for sure is because at that time I was in a very committed relationship, well at least for me it was" he said as he rolled his eyes slightly at the memories. "Anyways, bottom line was the person I was with was the only one getting anything from me. So it was practically impossible for it to be my child. Besides, the paternity also came back negative for mine too" he said with a shrug.

She smiled when she heard him talking about this sort of thing. It was nice to just talk to somebody and not really have to worry if she was being too cynical or hateful towards the opposite gender. "High metabolisms for the win!" She cried out in a joking manner. Then she noticed him tracing one of his many tattoos. She looked very curious at each of his tattoos. Of course, she won't ask because she felt it would be rude so she looked back into his eyes. "Sadly, I never pay attention either. I just remember people saying it at baby showers and stuff. Baby showers seems like its so fun."

She continued to smile when he did, listening to what he said. Her smile drifted off into a frown. "What happened to Juliet?" She politely asked. She remembered her friend talking about that he was with a girl by the name of Juliet and that she never heard anything after. So she thinks they broke up. She smirked when she heard him say that she was the only one getting anything. "So she was the only one getting your Andy Biersack sack? And I'm glad to hear it came back negative. I hate people who lie just to get something from their favorite artist or band or whatever. Unlike them, I wouldn't lie about that sort of thing. If I do accidentally get pregnant by my favorite band member or artist, I wouldn't tell them because I wouldn't feel like they would believe me. I would keep the child, abortion is just wrong in my eyes but I understand that some women have their circumstances." She shrugged as she avoided a bit of eye contact with him afterwards. Her face a bright pink color in embarrassment.

He laughed, shaking his head slightly. "Trust me, its all about who's throwing the baby shower as to whether or not its fun" he said half jokingly. "I remember being invited to a baby shower once where we literally sat around doing nothing while the mother-to-be talked about how her life was going to be after having the baby, needless to say I didn't stay at that one long" he said, chuckling. "Most of the time you play games, and it's actually enjoyable." he shrugged slightly, only knowing from experience.

He sighed softly, running a hand through his hair slowly. "Juliet and I, we just had our differences like any other couple and after awhile we decided that we should go our separate ways." he said, "We figured if it was really meant to be we'd find our way back to each other in the future." he looked at her, rolling his eyes at her comment. "I'm going to pretend you did not just say that" he laughed, "But I hate that people try and do that to what is supposed to be their favorite artist or band, I mean it just ruins a lot of things for that person or people, and it kind of ruins the experience of doing what we do." he said softly. "Not everyone is going to do it, but those that do really could be the reason that bands don't do meet and greets or things like that anymore, and it would really suck for both the band and the fans if that happened." he shook his head slightly, looking over at her and chuckling softly noticing she was avoiding eye contact with him.

"All the ones I've been to were fun," she admitted, laughing. "Then again, my family seems to be a big party family... Which explains why I am not that much of a party person. Parties are just boring to me... Lily dragged me to this one when I would have rather stayed inside, reading or drawing..." She shrugged afterwards.

Then her smile disappeared when she heard that about Juliet. Sympathizing with him a lot. "I got out of a relationship a few weeks ago," she admitted to him. She remembered hanging around an upcoming band's drummer, Brandon, and he just didn't really care much. He would rather have flirted with the girls around him than spending time with her. She tells Andy this and explaining that is pretty much the reason why she doesn't want to date bands or singers again. She laughed when she heard his response to her "Andy Biersack sack" comment. It made her smile and relax around him. "Yep. Those kinds of people really annoy me. One person ruins it for the rest of the people. I'm lucky that I'm a girl and not a guy because not all girls get that kind of spotlight shined on them. If the female singer is pregnant, everybody would know it by month five or six because she would be showing." She finally glanced over to him when she saw him chuckling, blushing a little darker as she shyly smiled.

"My family never really ventured into the party side of life" he chuckled softly, "Guess that might be part of the reason I enjoy coming to parties, though don't get me wrong I don't do this often and most of the time it's more like I'm being told to do it rather than making the decision myself." he said with a small sigh. "It's just one of those things though, you're either into it or you're not" he shrugged.

He nodded along to her story, completely understanding where she was coming from. "Well coming from a guy in a band, trust me when I say we're not all like that." he said truthfully. "I'm really sorry about how he treated you though love, it was a real dick move for him to do that" he said shaking his head. "You deserve so much better than that. You deserve to be treated like a queen, and eventually you'll find the right guy who will treat you the way you're supposed to be treated." he smiled at her, hoping she knew that it wasn't her fault and that she deserved better. "You're exactly right though. It's a lot easier for female fans to try and say that a male band member 'fathered' their child, but for a male fan to do that to a female band member is a lot more complicated"

"I guess it is," she agreed with him, smiling warmly at him. She had slowly warmed up to him and it was a good thing. Because it means that she is trusting him with stuff about herself. Something that only Lily really knows a lot about since they had grown up together. "Either parties are your favorite or you despise them. Personally, some parties can be fun. I prefer other people's birthday parties above all else. Mostly because I'm not the center of attention. I like to be in the limelight and off to the side." She waved her hands around her surroundings as proof. Since she is in the corner and avoiding almost everybody.

She listened to what he had to said, smiling with a bit of a blush to her cheeks as he called her "love." Usually she would get on somebody's case about it. She didn't like to be called that very much if it is by somebody other than her best friend, family or boyfriend. Yet, she didn't mind hearing it from him. "I agree that he was being a complete and utter dick about it," she said, nodding in agreement. "After talking to you for about five to six minutes, I realize that you're nothing like him. Despite you having been in a scream-o band." She was joking with him. She knew it wasn't her fault and she appreciated him trying to comfort her. It made her heart skip a beat in a bit of joy from it. Her smile grew, laughing as she heard him. "Of course it's easier. I could easily go to my phone, use the internet and look up a child that would probably have some genetics from us and say that he or she is mine. And that you're the father. We'd both know it was a lie because I didn't meet you until today. Sadly, that is the life that we live in today."

"Exactly, like, I enjoy going to parties, but just for the simple fact that I enjoy being with my friends" he smiled, "And of course sometimes meeting new people that make me question every decision I've ever made in life" he joked, laughing softly. He was honestly happy that he had met her, what began as a quest to gain her adoration turned into him wanting to be friends and find out more about the mysterious girl that sat in front of him. "I don't mind being the center of attention actually, I just don't want to be the center of attention all of the time, if that makes any sense at all"

He smiled at her. He really did feel sorry for how that Brandon guy had treated her. Not only did he believe that no guy should treat a girl that way, but he really did feel like she deserved the best. "Well, I'm glad that I'm nothing like him except for the band aspect of things." he said with a small smile on his lips. "That's exactly right though! Anyone could go and google an image or even style their own child to resemble the band member they're going to try and say is the father. I mean, people are just that crazy these days" he rolled his eyes slightly at the thought of how many people have tried to pull that trick on other artists.

She laughed alongside with him. Glad to make have think a bit about his life and his choices that led him up to this point in his career and life. However, she was glad that she stopped with her cynical self and just let him in a small bit. She did like him and it made her want to listen to his music, which she will do later. "And that makes complete sense," she said, laughing a small bit again. "You being a musician and artist, you like to be the center of attention. However, you have to have a break at some point so you don't always want to be the center of attention."

She didn't feel like she deserved the best, but she did feel like she deserved to have some of their undivided attention. Which was what Brandon didn't do very well. Andy is the one that is currently making her feel special. Especially since he had came over to talk to her. "At least you know how to properly treat a lady," she commented with a warm smile. "Since you've been with Juliet for a long time. Even if you guys did break up." She nodded to what he said, agreeing with him. "Or the woman getting lucky with genetics and saying that stuff. Sometimes genetics isn't very kind to the lady. But, sadly, this is the day and age where people lie, cheat and be a complete douchebag." She shrugged, believing that its rare to find such an honest, loyal and sweet guy these days. Same goes for being a girl.

"Exactly! It's one of those things that people just don't get. I mean, I'm human too and I need alone time just as much as anyone else does" he said. "Just because I'm famous doesn't mean I don't need time to myself" he chuckled softly as he went over the thought a couple of times more in his head. It truly did baffle him that no one seemed to get that celebrities needed time to them self, or that celebrities had anxiety or things of the sort.

He nodded his head along with her words, "Yeah, It shocks a lot of people that I actually know how to properly treat women." he laughed softly. "Juliet taught me all about how to treat a girl while I was with her." he said, his finger tracing over the tattoo on his hand again absentmindedly as he looked at her as he tried to decipher what she thought about him. "Trust me though, I totally understand" he said watching her carefully. "The amount of people that lie and cheat in their relationships is ridiculous. Honestly, its probably a majority of the reason that most relationships don't work these days" he said

"Unlike those people, I know that everybody needs time to themselves," she said, shrugging. "Even if you're in a relationship with somebody, you're gonna want some time to yourselves eventually. You can't always be doing things together all the time. Save that kind of stuff for marriage, honeymoon, random trips around the globe and pregnancy."

She was just quietly listening to what he said. Completely understanding his words. "It definitely did shock me to hear that you treat women better than my ex did," she teased him, laughing a bit to herself. "And he's not even in a scream-o band. Its more of a pop boy band-ish type of band, too. Which makes it seem less surreal that he treated me horribly." She grabbed a piece of her hair and moved it behind her ears. Just as she shyly glanced up at him. She thought that he was a decent guy. Despite him being in a scream-o band. "Its hard to find people who understand the way you think or act a certain way..." Her face scrunched up a little in pain at remembering her ex. However, she forced the emotion off of her face as she glanced over at him. Mostly to flash him a small smile. "I truly want an honest relationship... Almost everybody thinks I'm stupid because of my blonde hair... Which is prejudice, by the way. I'm not stupid. I read books every day. Even if said books are romance books. So, it kind of sucks that the people like me, who want an honest relationship, isn't going to get one because of the cheating bastards in the world..."

"I think the world definitely needs more people like you then." he said truthfully, watching her carefully as she spoke. "I feel like in order to actually have a successful relationship nowadays, or at any time each person has to give the other some time alone or else things will never work out but most couples don't understand that." 

He chuckled softly, "Believe it or not it shocks a lot of people when they find out how I really treat women, and in a way I kind of think I should take offense to it but then again, well, I don't" he shrugged slightly. "Though I totally get where you're coming from, especially in special circumstances." he started, "Most people looking for a relationship now only consider themselves and only consider their own feelings and not the other persons. Which causes a lot of the issues that most couples go through. You have to take the time to get to know who you're with and learn why they do what they do and why they say what they say, and if you don't then things will always be complicated." he finished, running his fingers through his hair once more, it was a nervous habit that even he didn't know he had. "I never once doubted your intelligence, though I know the stigma attached to having blonde hair.. would you believe I was once blonde myself?" he laughed softly, "That was an interesting feat." he said with a smile. "But in a way I think everyone wants an honest relationship, some people just aren't mature enough to appreciate it when they first have it."

"Because its mostly the girls that have this fantasy that if you're in a relationship, then you need to spend time with them all the time," she explained. "I don't have that view point. Mostly because I use books to release my fantasies into. Even fan-fictions are a great place to do such a thing with."

She giggled with him as she listened to what he has to say. "You really like to play with your hair when you're nervous," she stated to him. Not poking fun, but just letting him know of his habit. "I do that with my own hair, but I twirl it. Its really soft and I always keep it well kept. And it did surprise me when I heard you treat women better than most guys, but your brain is fully matured at the age of twenty-five for men. Women's brains are fully developed at age 21 and 22. Anyways, I do believe that people should become friends first before beginning a relationship with the other person. Since you know them well and have developed feelings for the other. However, not all relationships are like that because the other person could like another and keep you in the friend-zone." She nodded in agreement with what he said about the stigma against blondes. "I do believe that you were blonde once." She pulls out her phone, going to Google Images and scrolling until she found a photo of him with blonde hair. "Lily showed it to me when you got it done. She's a huge fan of yours. Followed you from Black Veil Brides to your solo career." She giggled quietly afterwards. "I agree that Brandon wasn't mature enough to be in an honest relationship with me. He'll regret later in life when I'm successful and he's on drugs and alcohol."

He nodded slightly. "I've read a few fan-fictions, quite an interesting thing they are" he laughed, "But seriously, some of them are actually quite good and others, well others really should have been left in the drafts for the rest of humanity and should never have been published." he joked

"I do not" he said slightly defensively, his hand going up to his hair again before he forced his hand back down to his lap. He shook his head, a smile on his face as he realized she was right. "That's what they tried teaching me in one of those sociology classes anyways" he said, referring to when men's and when women's brains fully develop. He did remember hearing it in one of those classes he took years ago, but he couldn't for the life of him remember which one or anything else regarding the matter. "Your friend sure seems to be a huge fan" he agreed as he laughed softly, looking at the photo on her phone. "Though it wasn't the best decision I've ever made, it certainly wasn't the worst.. and to be honest, some days I actually think about going back to it" he shrugged. "Brandon didn't know what he had when he was with you obviously. I've barely known you that long and I can already tell you're a catch that shouldn't be taken advantage of."

She laughed at what he said about the fan-fictions. "The dirty ones or the clean ones?" She joked with him. Her face a light pink as she admitted that she read the slightly mature ones. The ones that shouldn't be viewed by children. "If I find a story has a lot of mistakes and errors, then I don't really read them. I like the ones that are like a book to me."

She laughed again as she saw him going to play with his hair, but stopped since she pointed it out. "I told you," she pointed out jokingly. "Anyways, I don't even take psychology. I just know because I was curious one day and looked it up on Google. Don't ask me why that popped into my head." She was referring to the men and women's brains maturing at different stages in their lives. "She is a huge fan. That is for sure. She's been trying to get me to listen to your music for weeks now since your The Shadow Side album came out. And she wanted me to go to one of your concerts. I said no because of Brandon, as you know." She giggled as she put her phone away to continue talking to him. "I think you looked better as a blonde than a black-haired punk-ish guy." Her face turned a bright red at his compliment about her being a catch. "I-I don't think I'm a c-catch at all... Most guys t-think I put out because o-of my hair color since the s-saying is 'Blondes have more fun' and all t-that..." She was stuttering because she was embarrassed.

"Oh god, I've been asked to read just about every version of fanfiction there is, and the worst part is, I'm always the main character. Like I would rather not know that half of the database is full of writers who write out these elaborate ways to have sex with, well, my character. No thank you." he laughed, shaking his head slightly at the memory one of the stories had left in his mind. "I agree though, the ones that are well written, grammatically correct, and lack error are far more intriguing and likely for me to read than anything else. I don't know why, but that's just how it is." he said with a shrug.

He let out a small laugh, sending her a playful glare, "Oh shut up" he joked, "Leave me and my hair habits alone" he smiled. "I think you should listen to your friend. Check out the album, come to a show; I could even get you two the best seats if that's what it would take to convince you to give me a shot" he smiled softly. "You never know, I could become your next favorite artist" he winked playfully at her. He smiled over at her, arching his eyebrow slightly at her comment. "You think I look better blonde?" he asked curiously. "Oh and trust me, you are a catch, and that whole 'blondes have more fun' thing, yeah, its not always true" he laughed, a fond smile on his face as he heard her stutter, which he in a way found kind of cute.

"The fanfics I read have nothing to do with you," she said, laughing. "Since you know that I hated you before I even spoke to you and got to know you as a person. Anyways, so the ones that I'll recommend you are the ones that definitely have nothing to do with you." She nodded her head in agreement. Her eyes widening as she nodded to him. "I agree whole-heartedly. However, I know why I like the novel-like stories is because of it reminding me of books. I love to read books."

She faked a gasp, pulling off a hurt look when he gave her a glare. She knew it was half-hearted and she was trying so hard not to laugh. "I will not leave you and your hair habits alone!" She teased him some more. Then she quietly listened to what he was saying, giggling a bit. "Why don't you sing a sample song for me? I'd really be interested in listening to your album if I heard a song." Her face was a light pink at his suggestion about a concert. "My friend would kill me if I passed up the opportunity. I will definitely take you up on your offer to getting the best seats for your concert." She didn't want to be on the stage for him to serenade her in front of his thousands of fans. It wouldn't bode well for her since many girls, who are die hard Andy Black fans, would be sending her hate mail and telling her to kill herself and everything. She's definitely heard those stories before. "It all depends on if you can 'wow' me with your performance at the concert." Her face was now a scarlet color. "Yes I do... I don't see a problem with people dying their hair for fun. As long as you yourself like the color put on you. I wouldn't die my hair since I like to keep mine nice and soft. And its easier to take care of." She didn't know if her face had gotten hotter at his compliment about her being a catch. She didn't really believe it since it was just a self-confidence thing that she lacks. "Well, most guys' definition of 'fun' is inside a bedroom... That is where I draw the line..." Yes, she stuttered when she was very embarrassed. It was something that she hated about herself.

=======

Previously

Next

[safflowerseason]

veep rewatch - 3.04

Season Three, Episode Four 

aka - The One in Silicon Valley

Amy: That's right. That's 5,000 a ticket, and 10,000 to be at the Veep's table. 20,000 and Selina sits on your lap. Selina: What did you just say? Amy: No, not really. 

Selina seems very comfortable just taking children out of their mothers’ arms on the rope line? Is this actually a thing that happens on the campaign trail? Is it because as a woman she feels the need to highlight her maternal qualities in a subtle manner? I understand kissing babies or patting their heads…

Amy: We need to make that woman go away. And I don’t mean kill her. Mike: Kill her. 

Selina: The children are our future, Cassie. And they deserve an energy policy that protects the world, okay? The world in which there's a country called the United States of America.

I think this is our first glimpse of Selina this season in an outfit that is not red or black! 

I love cranky Dan left behind in DC.

Amy to Dan: You know, they say all babies are cute, but whoever "they" are should be stuck in a stroller and pushed into traffic. 

Ben: Dan, we need to break this Cassie bitch, the British dick who invented the Internet, and anybody in between.  Dan: Yeah, yeah. What about Jonah?  Ben: Jonah? Here. *Dan hands Ben the phone* Hey, fucking pencil neck. *Jonah throws his phone across the room* This bit is hysterical and I won’t hear otherwise 

Look at Dan pouring out his angsty campaign manager related feelings to Ben! He literally says “I know I can do it!” in the most sincere sounding tone of voice we ever hear from him! Iannucci-Dan basically wants to be Ben, after all…a flashier, sexier version who is on tv a lot more, but at the end of the day he’s trying to attain Ben’s level of influence and control in Washington. Ugh. I love the Ben-Kent-Dan dynamic so much. 

Of course, Ben is purposefully manipulating him, which just makes it all the more twistedly Machiavellian and perfectly DC. 

Dan: Hey, could we get two more? Ben: Yeah, and a couple of whiskey chasers? It's still Tuesday for another six minutes.

Amy in the best shade of green we’ve seen her in all season—this time a darker forest green.  Kathleen Felix Hager putting Anna Chlumsky in colors is the best costume decision to happen on this show. 

I also love Selina’s dress, with the yellow, grey, and brown color blocking.

Selina: You shouldn't make your first million until you're in your 30s. That's what Andrew and I did. It kept us completely grounded. 

Oh my god I totally forgot about Kent and the Legos. That’s going in a future BMTL chapter. 

Dan: Will someone please either kill the sound or kill that idiot? Whoa... what are you doing? Back on. Now. Idiot. Oh, God. My brain feels like it's being fucking circumcised. You know what? You... every day, I want you to remind me never to go drinking with Ben, all right? And you, get me a cheeseburger made of aspirin. Sue: Where are you going, Dan?  Dan: I am going to get some air, and then throw up in it.  Hungover!Dan in this episode was the inspiration for Dan’s behavior in the most recent chapter of BMTL. He’s so bitchy and cranky and whiny, I love it so much. 

I am also deeply obsessed with the fact that Dan has a regular poker game he attends for networking/gossip purposes and I absolutely cannot believe the show did not do more with this. All these funny and complex bits of his personality that Mandel just did away with. I am just going to put them all in BMTL.

Also Reid Scott’s poker face is incredibly sexy. Is other stuff happening in this episode? 

Melissa: This is our "Black Sky" ideas room. Selina: Uh-huh.  Melissa: Google has Blue Skies, but Craig doesn't stop at the atmosphere.  The parody tech babble is very funny.

Craig: You know, this is good. If things work all the time, it means we can't make them better.  Melissa: We have a saying here at Clovis - “Dare to Fail.” 

Craig: If it’s any consolation, a porn parody is a sure sign you’ve officially made it. Amy: Well technically, becoming vice president could count as making it.

Melissa: We see ourselves as very much post-tax.  Kent: I do have one fiscal question. Right now, you are showcasing other people's content for free. Once the content providers start charging you, do you have a plan for that? Craig: I think there's a misunderstanding. People want to work with us more than they want to be paid. That's a given. This whole conversation between Craig and Selina over the question of online platforms and politics hits really differently in 2020. 

The horror on everyone’s faces at the idea of Jonah becoming a millionaire. 

Jonah: You know what? Everybody who said that I would never make it... where the fuck are you now, huh?  His friend: Some of them are still in senior positions.  Jonah: Fuck you, Kent Davison! Fuck you, Mrs. Gravestock from the third grade! Fuck you, stepdad one and stepdad three!

Mike: Jonah asked me to come in with him. I’d be rich right now. I’d be handcuffed to a prick, but I’d be rich.  Selina: You would not. Absolutely not. So they buy it for four, so that gives you, what, one? After taxes, it's like 500,000. It's nothing. What are you gonna do with that?

Melissa: Would you work here and share an open plan environment with me? Amy: I’m flattered, but the sheer positivity of this place would break me. 

[crowdedimagines]

Poison Ivy - David Dobrik

summary// the reader and david have sex outside and they both get poison ivy lol

~

“C’mon, one more mile.” I shout over my shoulder. I’m trying to encourage David to keep on going, he’s trailed behind me the entire hike so far.

“I can’t believe - I let you - convince me to come on this hike.” He takes several pauses to catch his breath.

“I’m pretty sure this was your idea.” I say with a laugh.

It was his idea. After sitting on the couch all day, he suggested that we should go on a hike. I gladly accepted. Now, he seems to be regretting that idea. He’s been grumbling complaints ever since we left the car.

“C’mon, baby.” I turn around and start walking backwards. I grin watching him drag his body forward, sweat coating his forehead. “We make it the rest of the way in less than five and I’ll even give you a reward.”

I smirk when David instantly perks up.

“What kind of reward?” His steps pick up as he gets closer.

“I think you know what I’m talking about.” I bite my bottom lip to fight my smile from growing wider.

With him picking up speed and me walking backwards, we finally meet.

“Why are we going so slow then?” He presses his lips to mine quickly and passes me.

“Wow.” I laugh, “Who would’ve thought that that was the only motivation you needed.”

It hardly takes any time to make it back to where we started.

“Nice job, Dave.”

“I know.” He pulls his cheesy grin which turns dark in a second, “I would like to collect my reward. Now.”

“David, there are other people here.” I nod my head to the other cars parked all around us to go to the trails.

“I have an idea.”

He tugs on my hand before I can finish my thought. David is dragging us into the woods.

“David, what are you doing?”

“There’s no one around now.” My back presses up against a tree, his lips finding home all over my neck.

“I swear, you’re hornier than a high schooler.” I roll my eyes, but smile nonetheless.

The next day I wake up in David’s bed and I can feel a slight itch. An itch everywhere. I look over and David is still asleep. We had a long night yesterday after we got back from our hike. Everyone had come over to hang out, they stayed until late this morning.

I lift up the blanket so I can get up for the day. As soon as I do, I’m met with red bumps scattered all over my legs. I throw off the hoodie I had been wearing as I walk into the bathroom. The pattern continues all over my arms and chest.

“David!” I yell, it’s successful in waking him up. He shuffles in, still half asleep.

I look over and his legs are covered in the marks too.

“What the hell is this?” I ask as I turn around looking at them in the mirror.

He bends down to get a closer look.

“It’s poison ivy.” He states, as if it’s nothing. “I had it one time in middle school, it looks the same.”

“What? How did we even-” All of the sudden it hits me. “David!”

I smack his shoulder.

“What?”

“This is your fault. We had sex in the woods yesterday.”

He laughs to himself thinking back on it.

“It’s not funny.” I smack his shoulder lighter this time, I can’t fight off my smile.

“It’s kinda funny.”

We move on through the rest of the day. Trying to avoid scratching as much as possible which is almost impossible. We had to tell Natalie what happened. We couldn’t keep it from her for very long with the constant complaining. We got a lotion that is supposed to help with it.

The guys ended up coming over because David needs to post, but he needs nearly a minute of content still.

“Y/n, what’s all over your legs?” Jeff asks as he sits down on the couch.

“Hey, David has it too.” Zane points out.

“Y/n and I got poison ivy.” David explains, he cuts me a knowing smirk which makes me roll my eyes.

“How did you both get poison ivy?” Jason questions.

“We went on a hike yesterday.” I say, trying to end the story there.

“It’s all over! You had to have been rolling around in it-” Jeff’s eyes suddenly light up and a grin appears on his face, “YOU GUYS HAD SEX ON THE HIKE!”

I can feel my cheeks heat up, I try to shake my head no but there’s no use at this point.

“It was David’s fault.” I laugh and try to defend myself.

“Hey!” He tickles my side, “I wasn’t the one offering sex to finish the hike!”

My jaw hits the ground and I scoff.

“Please, if it wasn’t for that you would probably still be on that last hill.”

“Wow, maybe I need to start hiking with Y/n.” Jeff jokes.

“Shut up.” David cuts him off.

We argue about it back and forth for a while. We still laugh while lightheartedly debating over who is to blame. We end up settling on it being his fault for the idea of the woods and the fact he needed a reward in the first place.

“Well, David looks like you got that minute you needed.” Jason laughs and hand David his camera back.

“What?” He turns and finally sees the camera. “Ohh, I don’t know.”

“What?” I ask.

“Should I be putting that out on the internet?” He raises a brow unsure, “We were like talking about us having sex.”

“You think the fans don’t think we have sex?” I ask with a laugh.

“Well, are you okay with it?”

“I don’t care, babe.” I reach out to run a hand through his hair, “I’m fine with it out there.”

It really isn’t that big of a deal. It’s kind of funny, I can see how the fans are going to think it’s hilarious. Everyone has been cracking jokes the rest of the night about it.

It doesn’t take long for David to add that little part to the end of the vlog. I’m in the kitchen talking with Carly and Erin when he comes over to tell me that he’s posted it.

“Okay, I’ll watch it later.” I press a kiss to his cheek and go back to talking.

Everyone hangs out until it gets late again and they head home. I finally climb back into bed, after a long day of being uncomfortable. The redness it already going down compared to earlier. David gets in the shower and I pull up the vlog while I wait for him to come to bed.

The whole vlog is funny, with bits with Jason, another with Carly and Erin, finally at the end is David and I.

It’s funny watching the clip back of an argument that happened a couple of hours ago. I hide my blushing cheeks when everyone figures out it was from sex. I scroll down to read some of the comments, which can be a bad thing to do.

“Honestly, I’m surprised their sex life is that crazy #goY/S/N” “well at least it wasn’t a std” “I didn’t think I could love them more than I already do” “YOU GOT FUCKING POISON IVY BECAUSE YOU COULDN’T WAIT TIL YOU GOT HOME? ARE Y’ALL HIGH SCHOOLERS?”

The rest of the comments make me laugh too, most of them being lighthearted. David gets out of the bathroom and flops down next to me in bed.

“What do they think?”

“They’re proud.” I giggle, “

“They what?” He shakes his head and leans over so he can read them off my phone too.

I set my phone down on the nightstand and turn to face David. His hair is still wet from the shower. I can’t help but reach out to run a hand through it. He closes his eyes and leans into the touch, releasing a slow moan.

I sit up and crawl onto his lap. I lean forward and press a kiss at the base of his neck. His eyes open and a smirk shows up on his face. I press a second one a little higher this time. And again. And again. And finally David pulls back to look at me.

“You know, this is what got us into this mess in the first place.”

“Ohh, I’m sorry, I didn’t know. I’ll just go back to my side of the bed.” I swing my leg over off his lap. I can’t fight off the teasing grin from my face.

He rolls over so now he’s on top of me.

“You knew exactly what you were doing.” His voice is practically a growl now. His eyes have grown darker in a matter of seconds.

“Now, you’re mine.”