#he keeps finding incredible new ways to somehow be the coolest guy while also being a sopping wet cat of a man with zero braincells

[threecowsusingthisforreblogging]

ARTHUR BENNETT

[makeste]

BnHA Chapter 318: On Your Left

Previously on BnHA: The Hawksquad+Lurkers were all “well this sucks” and sat around a bit talking about how maybe they should actually come up with a new plan that is actually good, but then in the end they were like “nah.” Deku was all, “THERE’S SOMETHING INSIDE ME THAT PULLS BENEATH THE SURFACE!! CONSUMING, CONFUSING!! THIS LACK OF SELF CONTROL I FEAR IS NEVERENDING. IT’S HAUNTING HOW I CANT SEEM TO FIND MYSELF AGAIN. MY WALLS ARE CLOSING IN.” Just, literally that whole entire song. All Might was all “Deku you should take care of yourself, try eating a thing,” and Deku was all “BYE, ALL MIGHT,” and just LEFT. He left!!! What the fuck!!!

Today on BnHA: Endeavor is all, “maybe if Deku didn’t listen to All Might he’ll listen to me instead.” Deku is all, “[doesn’t listen to Endeavor]” because, well, yeah. The Vestiges are all, “surprisingly, even we are a little concerned -- maybe you should get some rest, kid.” Deku is all, “((Ò ‸ Ó)).” The Vestiges are all, “holy shit.” Deku is all, “[wanders the ruined city streets terrifying the populace on account of him looking like Shelob had a baby with one of the Nazgul].” Some shriveled-up puppeteer villain asshole is all, “HORIKOSHI SAID IT’S MY TURN TO ATTACK DEKU TODAY SO I AM GOING TO SUMMON MY FRIGHTENED HELPLESS ATTACK MOB!!” Kacchan is all “WHADDYA MEAN THEY FOUND THE NERD!!! -- oh wait, that’s me, I found him. I found the nerd, you guys.” And just in time, too. I was about to owe a whole lot of people a whole lot of dollars.

so I have been super good about spoilers this week as always, but let me tell you guys, for the past 36 hours my dash filters have basically been nonstop “manga spoilers” this and “bnha 318” that, and so I’m coming in with a fair amount of hype here. your move, Horikoshi

oh, good! they got Endeavor to call Deku to try to talk him out of it. what a great and wonderful plan

“listen up kid, you haven’t slept since March and you are basically a walking biohazard right now, I’m just telling it like it is. didn’t you get shot like three times?? and there was a whole thing about how you urgently needed medical attention?? and supposedly we gave it to you, but I mean you haven’t even changed your clothes and don’t seem to have any fresh bandages or anything, so did we?? did we, really?? and also we all got blown up yesterday, so yeah.” hmm he’s making some reasonable points here you guys, but you sure do go on and on, Endeavor

oh he says foreign aid is finally on its way! I’m sure they’ll be very helpful. I mean in fairness they can hardly be worse than the home-grown heroes at this point

hey Enji, could you maybe try appealing to Deku the sixteen-year-old human boy, as opposed to Deku The World’s Last Hope? he does have value beyond his quirk. I know that’s always been an incredibly difficult concept for you to grasp, but could you maybe TRY, jesus

and also we’re worried about you as a person?? you’re just a kid and you’re pushing yourself way too hard?? you were going to say that part next, right. why the hell didn’t Hawks make this call instead

“don’t worry about me... I’m completely fine” Deku you do understand that saying it over and over again doesn’t actually make it true

and again with the rush!! all the rush rush rush!! we’re running out of time, we can’t let AFO and Tomura keep getting stronger, I have to end this now, there’s no time to rest, etc. etc. etc. just the constant pressure of this whole big countdown on top of everything else

holy shit, you KNOW it’s bad when even the Vestiges are telling him to chill

these guys are basically the walking talking embodiments of self-sacrifice; if even they’re telling him he needs to take five, then he must seriously be like half a step away from death’s door

OH SHIT LMAO

DIDN’T EVEN LET HIM FINISH HIS SENTENCE BEFORE HE SENT HIM INTO THE FUCKING SHADOW REALM WITH THAT FUCKING LOOK. HOLY FUCK. DIDN’T EVEN KNOW IT WAS POSSIBLE TO DIE TWICE. SHIT

(ETA: so I’m pretty sure this was just Danger Sense activating and so he cut them off to go do more hero stuff, but I’m gonna go ahead and stick to my original interpretation anyway lol.)

anyway so how’s everybody doing. we all good? En, you good? Banjou? Shino? I’m imagining you guys all curled up in a little ball on the floor right now lol. can’t say I blame you though, no shame

lmaoooooooooooo

“SHEESH.” sheesh indeed, lmao. “what in the FUCK was that”

see, this is why y’all need Kacchan. you need someone who’s not going to back down from him no matter what. if it’s a matter of out-stubborning Midoriya fucking Izuku, then there’s only one other person on the planet capable of that, and we all know it. don’t pretend like you don’t. I am not going to shut up about this! we’ve had our hurt so now what about SOME COMFORT, DAMMIT

“I’m afraid that he’s becoming influenced by my conscience” nah are you kidding Nana this is all 100% made-in-Japan pure original Deku right here

see, Banjou gets it. “that kid, he’s totally going on his own.” exactly. this was so inevitable it was basically scientific law

“well I for one don’t see the problem with Deku being so obsessed with saving everyone else that he pushes himself until his body and soul literally fall apart” okay, whose speech bubbles are these?? we’re about to have words

lol of course

well you always did prefer the direct route didn’t you. but even you can’t possibly think this is okay lol

dark AU!Kacchan please tell us more about your badass doomed timeline in which everything went to shit and you apparently had the same character arc that Deku is having right now except it somehow made you sexier instead of turning you into a rabid t-rex. I have so many questions

oh so now you want to help??? well -- good, actually. sorry if that sounded offended just now lol

(ETA: so at first when I got to the end of this chapter I was wondering if Katsuki B. had somehow summoned his alternate-universe counterpart through trippy OFA space telepathy lol. but in the original Japanese there’s no reference to “we”, so this appears to be a mistranslation. this line should probably read more like “if there’s something/someone out there that would be able to complement/complete the current Midoriya Izuku [it would be]…” which, oh hello, is that Horikoshi once again reaffirming that Deku and Bakugou complete each other lol. “guess what guys, the Vestiges ship it too" heck yeah. they know what’s up!)

look how admiring his boyfriends are. HORIKOSHI GIVE US THE REST OF THIS BACKSTORY ALREADY GODDAMMIT

“meanwhile somewhere in the depths of the ruined city, Deku was having a dance-off with the villains”

I like how the villains all have this “AHH WHAT THE FUCK” kind of body language to them lol. I mean if it were me, and an eldritch horror suddenly clawed its way from the shadows with its writhing glowy tentacles and pants-shitting nuclear death stare, I would probably just die on the spot. no need to stick around. only pain awaits

lol for a minute I thought this was Can’t Ya See-kun and I was like “WHAT A FASCINATING CROSSING OF PATHS” but it’s just some random girl

he seems genuinely confused lol

Deku it’s because you look like something that crawled out of a sewer drain, sweetheart

lol they just took his word for it?

so trusting. even though they’re immediately hauling ass anyway just to be safe lmao

“my appearance is frightening to others” no shit Deku it’s because you look like a fucking alien exorcism. you look like a Lich that got caught up in an oil spill my dude

NO NOT THE CHOSEN ONE ANGST AGAIN

I RAN OUT OF ESSAY JUICE FOR THIS ALREADY HORIKOSHI!! I’VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT IT FOR MONTHS NOW WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG!! BUT ANYWAYS, GOOD!! I MEAN, BAD, THOUGH, OBVIOUSLY. BUT YES

“ENJOY THIS MONTAGE OF DEKU BATTLING A RANDOM KAIJU AND WANDERING THE WOODS LIKE A DERANGED GREEN BABA YAGA” okay yes but sir, exactly how much longer is this going to go on. if it’s a matter of you wanting to make sure we get it, let me assure you that aside from a few stray chuunis who think that Deku embracing the Darkness is the coolest thing he’s ever done, all of us here in fandom fully comprehend that this is Not Good

-- OH SO IT’S LIKE THAT

really. with the flashbacks to his loved ones’ smiling faces and everything. not even gonna try to aim above the belt, huh

AND NO KACCHAN??! NO CLASSMATES?!?! IS HE PURPOSELY NOT THINKING OF THEM??? OR ARE THEY BEING SAVED FOR THE NEXT PAGE??? SO HELP ME, IF THE NEXT PART OF THIS SENTENCE IS “CAN PROTECT THEM”, OR EVEN WORSE, “CAN SEE THEIR SMILING FACES AGAIN”, I...

WHAT DID I JUST SAY

(ETA: my man did Sero and Kaminari fucking dirty lmao. I miss their smiling faces too omg.)

the sheer, unparalleled irony of him saying this while he stands there looking like the gargoyle demon from Fantasia got crossed with an umbrella that got struck by lightning. Deku :(

oi who the fuck is this clown

is he controlling this mob with his evil hair. “what if I made an exhausted, running-on-fumes Deku battle a brainwashed mob at Ground Zero.” Horikoshi do you just have like a checklist of horrible things you want to do to your protagonist

easy there Sasori

well joke’s on you buddy because he’s apparently “completely fine”, so

“here’s to hoping that you know more about AFO’s location than the others” jesus christ Deku you really have hung your mercy out to dry huh

now he’s forcing his mob of terrified prisoners to attack Deku ahhhh. sucks to be them. at least they’re not being controlled by bees

so Deku is saying that Sasori’s control can be broken with “physical trauma.” similar to Shinsou’s quirk I guess. but so does that mean he’s gonna have to hurt them? ( •﹏•)

NO NOT MORE SAD EYES

“DEATH BY EMPATHY!!!” HORIKOSHI NO

fuck. he looks like he’s on the verge of passing out

this is what happens when you nerf a character’s self-preservation stats in favor of spamming their bone-breaking stats instead. NOW ACCEPTING BRAIN CELL DONATIONS FOR A BOY IN NEED!! with your loving generosity we can hopefully help him live to the ripe old age of seventeen

OMGFGGG

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

[grabs your hands] ლ(*꒪ヮ꒪*)ლ [swings you in a circle] へ(ﾟ◇ﾟへ)

THASSSSSSSS WHATSSSSSSS UPPPPPPPPPP

HORIKOSHI REALLY SAID FUCK THAT MASK (ノ°ο°)ノ YOU FINALLY LEARNED!! IT’S CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT!!!!

JUST FOR YOU KACCHAN, HORIKOSHI LEFT THIS ONE BAD GUY WHO’S STILL WEAK TO FIRE. GOD BLESS

IT’S YOUR COUNTERPART, KATSUKI B!!!! HOW WE DOIN OVER THERE IN THE TRIPPY COSMIC OFA SPACE REALM LOL. DO WE BELIEVE YET, FANDOM???

LIGHTS!!!!

INSTANT RESULTS!!! IT’S SUPER EFFECTIVE!!!

(ETA: imagine what this must look like to Deku though. he’s been caught up in this dark cloud of despair and exhaustion that’s been building up over... I’m gonna go ahead and say “weeks”, because yeah. and now he finds himself here, in the place where All Might’s legacy ended and the torch was passed to him. and the world is in ruins, and he’s surrounded by frightened people who are all trying to hurt him -- because who isn’t trying to hurt him, these days -- and he’s scrambling to figure this all out, but meanwhile the weariness is finally starting to catch up to him, and so he’s basically just standing there in a fog of complete and utter misery.

and then all of a sudden through that haze, he hears the one voice that’s more familiar than any other that he knows. like, I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if he thought he was just imagining it at first. Kacchan showing up to save him right when he’s at his most desperate and feeling the most alone. Kacchan, showing up to save him.

this is the person he always looked up to as a child (to be fair he was quite a strange child lmao). the person who was even closer to him than All Might. the person he always thought was amazing. and bam, here he is now. appearing in the sky out of nowhere to one-shot the bad guy with a single blast (which, btw, that was his armor-piercing attack too lmao dslkjlk take it easy there kiddo). like, that must have felt absolutely surreal to him, especially coming at a time when he’s already half-delirious and barely hanging on to reality. he must have really thought that he was losing it there for a second.

but he’s really there. it really is him. and for this brief moment -- before the rest of the situation catches up to him, and he remembers about all of the fucked-up AFO stuff, and remembers why he was so afraid and why he was pushing everyone away -- for just this one brief moment, he’s too exhausted and stunned to do anything except to just react. just stands there, looking up at him in awe.

and you know, it almost reminds me of...

just. you guys. the character development. the freaking character development. someone who brings reassurance. someone who shows up and makes you think, “oh, it’s all going to be okay now, because [person] is here.” the role reversals. the growth. the payoff!! because who is the one person who always had faith that Kacchan would one day grow up to become an amazing hero like that. WHO IS IT. YOU ALREADY KNOW.

omg. anyways, bless you Horikoshi, my feels which have been on backorder since fucking September have finally arrived lmao. yes, good, thank you. worth the wait. it is always, always worth the wait. fuck yeah.)

“LOWFRIES” SO YOU’RE TELLING ME THE WHOLE GANG IS HERE, AHHHHHHHH (º̩̩́⌣º̩̩̀ )

BEAUTIFUL. WONDERFUL. SENSATIONAL. I DON’T EVEN CARE THAT JUMP IS ON BREAK NEXT WEEK. THIS RIGHT HERE WILL SUSTAIN ME

[im-gay-and-mentally-unstable]

Video game AU

-The School is an online game that had existed for years and is now long after its times of glory, only the most determined players remain and not many newbies show up

-they still host competitions with small sums of money as the first prize

-there's plenty of smaller guilds, but they are slowly getting absorbed by the two largest- Forever and Never

-Forever, its members simply Evers, was the first gathering of some of the strongest players in the game, most of them already connected by friendships, and they slowly took over a lot of resources, earning a huge in-game advantage

-however, a lot of strong players didn't get past the member limit and felt disgusted by the advantage guild players received and in reaction, they made a guild of their own, even the title solely to spite the Forever- they named it Never

-the two guilds are in never-ending competition with each other for years, no one ever being able to grow significantly stronger, stuck in a cycle, almost no one joining in or leaving until Agatha and Sophie come along

-they have both grown up in the same household with Stefan and Vanessa, except Vanessa is dead and Sophie hadn't quite recovered before Stefan remarried again, straining their relationship permanently

-in attempts to earn her affection again, he buys her various gifts, this time, he bought the game to try and give her a new hobby

-she'd normally just abandon it, it's so out of fashion and she isn't interested in things like that in the slightest, but the most popular guy of their school, Tedros Pendragon, who also happens to be the interest of Sophie's undying love, or climbing for popularity, however you want to call it, is the head of Forever

-she makes a master plan, where she intends to join the game, become a legendary player and help him on his journey, making him fall in love with her in the process

-the thing is, she doesn't want to do it on her own (and absolutely doesn't want to go through pages of guidebooks and class descriptions), so she begs Agatha until she agrees to go through with it with her

-they start going through the early stages of the game and level up quickly

-Sophie spends most of her time trying to search for Tedros and save him while Agatha builds their collective inventory

-she very much hates to admit it but she got really into the game

-they become really good fast, mainly because of how much time they spend there (for very different reasons) and the talent for the game they both have

-while Sophie is off hunting for Tedros, Agatha joins a new guest that has just appeared and manages to complete it before the members of Forever, who just walk into the scene and are impressed

-Tedros invites her to fill the last available place in their guild and she tries to refuse and recommends Sophie instead, but they insist and she caves in

-Sophie finds out and is furious, in her frustration, she joins the Never guild in an upcoming tournament, motivated even more to prove herself

Character classes:

Tedros -> fighter

-> honestly the obvious choice

-> strong attack power, almost no health

-> fights in the first line of attack all the time

-> pretty dependent on other players' support

-> at his best as a team player, but incredible on his own too

-> thought the armour looked cool

Agatha -> paladin

-> she just liked the idea of protecting everyone but also doing damage and not being codependent

-> she made the smart choice for balanced gameplay

-> her saviour complex also came into play

-> never plays the first line unless forced to, but if she does she absolutely destroys everyone

Sophie -> sorceress

-> didn't read any of the guides, but liked the idea of throwing fireballs and destroying shit

-> somehow gets all the overpowered spells

-> again, she has huge attack power and very poor defense

-> she doesn't even need defense though, just kills everything and everyone before it gets to her

-> spent an ungodly amount of game money to buy pretty outfits

Hester -> sorceress

-> spent hours trying to figure out the best character for her playing style

->somehow has mastered all the spells involving explosions

-> always in the first line of attack

-> extremely powerful but very prone to getting killed in the first seconds of the match

-> doesn't like to say she depends on backup but the rest of the coven somehow needs to save her often

Anadil -> assassin

-> mostly plays from the shadows without getting discovered

-> usually prefers playing in team as support but also really powerful on her own

-> spends a lot of time making her skills as balanced as possible

-> somehow always plans the strategy

-> the person that spends hours on choosing the best possible armour and weapons

Dot -> cleric

-> just wanted to spend some time with her friends at first, ends up enjoying the game a lot

-> likes playing support even though it's extremely underrated

-> doesn't really do attack stuff unless forced to, usually just healing and defense

-> usually a team player

Nicola -> paladin

-> unlike most others, she prefers playing alone to playing in team

-> her whole character was built around the fact she planned to play on her own

-> and she's way too good

-> she switches between guilds as an exchange player to help out and is very widely respected

Kiko -> druid

-> usually just wanders around with cute animals and smiles

-> then she absolutely destroys you in combat

-> she always says she does it for the joy of playing with her friends

-> she very much just wants to win

Hort -> assassin

-> just chose the character that sounded the coolest and edgiest

-> soon regretted it since his playing style is to rush towards the enemy and try to not die in the process, which is not very compatible with the low defense his class has

-> Dot feels bad for him so she keeps him alive during matches

-> Hester and Anadil often use him as the necessary sacrifice in battles

Beatrix -> fighter

-> she shocked everyone with her character choice but her whole team supports her

-> usually rushes into combat side-by-side with Tedros

-> would be first one to sacrifice herself heroically if Reena wasn't obviously biased in her favour and didn't let her

Reena -> cleric

-> never really plays in the front line

-> supports her friends from behind

-> doesn't mind playing the underrated role, it makes it even more fun to her

-> really powerful even though she barely shows it

Millicent -> druid

-> not really a lot of reasoning for this one, I just have her associated with nature

Chaddick -> archer

-> he prefers bow in the series too so that's it, that's all my reasoning

Ravan -> fighter

[munsonboy]

Marvel G/t Oneshot: A Place to Call Home

Loki x borrower!Peter Parker x female!borrower Y/n

I wrote this in 5 days😅😂...enjoy!

———————————————-

It was an incredibly stormy night at the Avengers Tower. Everyone was cooped up in their bedrooms, keeping themselves busy to take their minds off of the storm that was brewing outside. Loki sat in his room with his back against the head board of his bed. He had his legs bent so that his knees were sticking up from underneath the blanket. That’s where his little friend Peter was currently sitting. Peter was perched up on the giant Asgardian’s knee, throwing questions at Loki left and right about the storm. “Are you sure that the Tower isn’t going to get knocked over? It’s raining pretty hard out there and I really don’t think the building could withstand-..”, Peter stopped talking when Loki held his hand up as a gesture to not continue anymore with the conversation. “Peter, if you ask me one more question about the rain, I think I might just throw you out in it.” Peter’s eyes went as wide as buttons and his face paled. This caused Loki to feel guilt rush quickly into his chest. “I’m just joking, little one. You must know by now that I would never do that to you. I’m not even sure that someone your size would have a mere chance of survival out there”, said Loki as he turned his head to look out the window. Peter laughed nervously. “Yeah, I hope there aren’t any borrowers out in this.”

The raindrops falling from the sky were hitting the windows as if they were bullets, trees in Central Park looked as if they were going to be torn out of the ground, and a 3-inch tall girl named Y/n was currently having the worst night of her life. Y/n had been out and about in the big city and hadn’t even thought to look up towards the grey clouds that were hovering above the tall buildings. She was on a mission to find a new place to call home since she was caught in the recent one she’s been borrowering from for a while now, but instead she found herself running around huge puddles, dogding the massive raindrops that were almost as big as her head, and most importantly, she was trying to find something that would shelter her from the tsunami of rain coming down.

It was almost like someone heard her prayers, because Y/n soon stumbled upon the biggest building she had ever seen. “There has to be at least one good hiding spot in this building”, said Y/n. Her eyes scanned where the building met the sidewalk, seeing if there was anyway possible for her to get inside. “Please let there be a hole, please-....bingo!” Y/n had spotted a small hole on the outside of the building’s wall that she would be able to shimmy her way through. “I’ll be out of this rain in no time and I’ll finally be able to dry off somehow”, said Y/n as she looked down at her soaked clothes. If only she knew what, or who, was waiting for her on the inside.

Once she was inside and out of the rain, Y/n had found the vent system and started her journey from there. Every now and then she would peak out from the safety of the vents to see if there were any humans around and luckily for her, not one was insight. Y/n couldn’t wrap her mind around it, but who was she to complain? No humans meant all the more she could borrower and not have to worry about being spotted. However, Y/n’s curiosity got the better of her, so she decided to continue walking until she found at least one human being.

The more she walked through the vents, the more floors she went up and before she knew it, the voices of multiple different people were soon echoing throughout the vents where Y/n was. “Great, looks like I’m not alone.” After snooping around and taking a good look at the humans who lived in the tower and who she would have to stay hidden from, Y/n soon discovered that it housed multiple super heroes. She took note of who she had spied on so far. A blonde man with muscles who had a red, white, and blue flag up on the wall, a woman that could move things by using some kind of red orb in her hands, a guy that was playing with a bow and a few arrows, two scientists who were definitely going to be avoided at all costs, a woman with short red hair, and another blonde man who was playing with some funky looking hammer. “Of all the places I’ve lived, this definitely has to be the coolest and most strangest place I’ve come across”, said Y/n to herself.

She continued walking through the vents to find some place quiet when she stumbled upon a room that looked practically empty. The vent led her out onto a desk and without checking to see if any humans were around, she exited the vents and stepped foot out in the open. Y/n’s eyes trailed around the room for not even one second before they landed on the giant that occupied the room. He was sitting on the bed directly across from the desk she was on. She yelped, hoping that the human didn’t hear, and jumped behind the tissue box that was looming beside her.

She slowly peaked around the side of it and studied the human. He had raven black hair that barely passed his shoulders and was very pale looking, even from far away. It looked as if he was just at a costume party because he had this green, gold, and black armor on. He was also talking to someone, but there were no other humans in sight. Y/n looked around the room, confused as ever, to see if there was another human besides the one she was looking at. As Y/n continued staring at the human, her eyes went wide. There was a borrower sitting on the human’s knee, conversing with the giant. “Is that borrower crazy?”, Y/n asked herself. “That’s like asking to be killed.” Y/n decided to not stick around anymore, not wanting to get caught, so she decided to walk towards the edge of the desk to find an escape route.

Loki and Peter had ended their conversation about the rain and began to talk about their plans for tomorrow. “Okay, so I was thinking you could hide me in your pocket and we go down to Central Park for a nice morning walk!”, said Peter excitedly. Loki stared at him for a moment and said, “If you think I’m going to risk your safety just so you can look at a few trees while I have to deal with receiving unpleasant glares from strangers, you are mistaken, young Peter.” Loki tapped Peter on the head and laughed as he tried to push Loki’s finger away. “The rain will most likely continue throughout the morning. So I say we explore the library the Avengers Tower has to offer. I do not recall you telling me that you have been there before”, said Loki.

“I forgot about the library! I never went there though because Mr. Stark was always walking around. I didn’t want to risk being caught by a scientist”, said Peter. Loki smiled at the borrower sitting on top of his knee. “Yes, well, instead of a scientist, you ended up getting caught by the God of Mischief”, said Loki, which got a laugh out of Peter. Making his little friend laugh was probably one of the few things that warmed Loki’s heart. However, nothing beats earning the trust of such a small being. Loki still couldn’t believe that borrowers actually exist. He yearned to have another opportunity to become friends with another borrower. Peter would have someone to hang out with that was actually his size. As Loki looked at Peter laughing, his eyes wandered behind Peter and over to his desk. They fell upon a sight that made his heart want to leap out of his throat. A tiny girl, no bigger than Peter, was standing at the edge of his desk, looking down towards the floor. ‘If she were to fall, she would-...’, Loki couldn’t even finish the thought. He gently picked Peter up and set him down on the bed. “I’ll be one moment, Peter.” He didn’t give Peter a chance to question where he was going and made his way over towards the borrower on the desk.

“Okay..now what?”, asked Y/n to herself as she stared at the floor that seemed miles away from her. She really didn’t think this all the way through. Come to think of it, she didn’t even come to realize what her plan would be if the giant ended up seeing her. Just as Y/n was about to turn back around to get away from the edge, a shadow encased her in darkness. She slowly turned around to be met with the giant, who had been sitting on the bed, looming over her. It was then that she saw the giant’s hand that was coming closer. It was making its way towards her and she couldn’t do anything about it.

If she were to run, the hand would just snatch her right up, so what would be the point? As the giant’s fingers snaked themselves around Y/n’s waist, she closed her eyes. She felt herself being gently squeezed and before she was able to process what was happening, Y/n felt herself being raised higher and higher. Suddenly, she felt a squishy surface beneath her feet. Y/n’s legs were shaking like crazy and they weren’t able to hold her up, so she landed on her bum, and involuntary backpedaled until her back hit the fingers overhead that were more than twice her size. “This is it...I’m done for..”, said Y/n quietly to herself as she ducked her head down.

Loki studied the small girl in his palm. She had blonde hair that was neatly tied up in a ponytail, she wore a patchwork shirt with black pants and a pair of little, slip on shoes. Her clothes actually looked like she had gotten them off of a doll, but they looked as if they had been dumped in a bucket of water. “Were you caught out in the rain, little one?”, asked Loki. He saw the tiny girl flinch at the sound of his voice, but he received no response.

After observing her appearance and not getting an answer to his question, Loki almost forgot to think of how much he was scaring the girl. Her arms were covering her face, hands on her head, which seemed to be giving her some sense of protection, and even though she was smaller than his thumb, Loki could visibly see her quivering. ‘Poor thing. She must be terrified’, thought Loki to himself. His heart ached when his ears picked up on the inaudible, short breathes the tiny was taking in and out.

Y/n didn’t like the predicament she had gotten herself into. Her vision was blurred due to the tears in her eyes and she couldn’t even sit still. She wouldn’t let this giant see her break down. Y/n refused to let that happen again. Suddenly, an immense pressure was on her back, gently rubbing around in small circles. Y/n quickly realized that it was the giant’s finger, but she failed to notice how gentle he was being and instantly took it that she was being pet like an animal. That was the last straw. Y/n’s tears escaped the brims of her eyes and streamed down her rosey cheeks, getting her somewhat dry shirt wet again.

Loki, on the other hand, froze completely and removed his finger from her back. He didn’t expect her to break down this much. Peter was very frightened of Loki when they first encountered each other, but he didn’t react this badly. Without thinking, Loki walked over towards Peter, who was sitting on the bed the entire time. If anyone could calm the tiny girl down, it would definitely be Peter. Loki knelt down in front of Peter, holding the girl close to his chest. “Loki what happened? Why do I hear someone crying-..?”, as Peter finished asking his question, Loki had brought the girl down towards the bed and rested his hand on the mattress. He unfurled his fingers so Peter could see the new addition to the family. He couldn’t believe his eyes. “A-Another borrower?!”, he exclaimed. “Yes, and do make sure to be quiet, young Peter. She is petrified. I was wondering if you could somehow get her to a calmer state so we can all talk”, said Loki.

Peter clambered right on top of Loki’s hand without saying a word and walked over to the girl. Peter had never seen another borrower before, so this was a whole new experience for him. As Peter got closer to her, he noticed that she was much shorter than him. ‘Finally, I wouldn’t be the shortest person in the Tower anymore’, thought Peter to himself. He knelt down beside the girl, looking at her.

“H-Hey there, are you o-okay?” Peter mentally slapped himself for stuttering, but brushed that aside when he got a response out of her. She had looked up from her crouched position and was staring into Peter’s eyes. The only thing he saw was fear. Peter instinctively wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a hug. He felt the girl tense up, but she welcomed his embrace in a matter of seconds. “You really don’t have to be scared. Loki isn’t going to hurt you. He’s actually super nice!”, said Peter happily. His happiness grew by the dozens when the girl started talking to him. “H-He is?”, she asked. “Yeah! He acts tough on the outside, but he’s a real softie once you get to know him!”, exclaimed Peter, who was poked by Loki’s finger. He looked up to see Loki smirking at him. “I’m Peter by the way! What’s your name?” Peter broke the hug, but kept an arm around her to reassure that she was fine.

Y/n contemplated whether or not she should tell him what her name was, but she felt so relaxed after Peter had hugged her, that she now found it rude not to tell him. “U-Um I-..I-I’m Y-Y/n.”

“That’s a nice name! Do you want to tell Loki what your name is?”, asked Peter. He felt Y/n tense up again, so he said, “You really have nothing to be scared of. He’s not gonna hurt you. Trust me.” And with that, Y/n looked up at the giant who was holding her and Peter. The huge, green eyes staring at Y/n made her nervousness slightly go up again, but she tried to hold onto the confidence that she was feeling when he softly smiled at her. “My n-name is Y/n, s-sir.” Loki couldn’t believe his ears. She had told him her name. “Y/n..”, repeated Loki under his breath. He wanted to see how her name sounded when he said it. “You have the most elegant name I have ever heard of, little one. I am Loki, Prince of Asgard. It is lovely to meet your acquaintance my dear and please do not call me sir. It makes me feel old.” Loki chuckled softly.

“Wow, he’s really polite”, whispered Y/n to Peter. He laughed as he looked at Y/n. Peter suddenly got an idea. “Loki! Can we watch a movie to celebrate Y/n’s first night here at the Tower?” “Now, young one, we are still unsure if Y/n even wants to stay here with us. We did not even ask her yet”, said Loki. He didn’t want to force it upon Y/n to stay here with him and Peter. It was bad enough that he had scooped her up off of his desk without her consent. He didn’t want to mess things up and scare her all over again.

“You..you both wouldn’t m-mind if I stayed here?”, asked Y/n. “Oh by Odin! Of course we do not mind, little one!”, responded Loki. Y/n thought for a moment. Was she really going to do this? Stay in a tower full of super heroes? She didn’t really have anywhere else to go, so how could she pass up a chance to finally have a home? “I-I would love to stay here with you and Peter!”, exclaimed Y/n.

Peter hugged Y/n again and started listing off the different movies that they could watch. She looked up at Loki to see him laughing away at Peter’s actions. That’s when Y/n suddenly got an idea. When Peter released her from his bone crushing hug, Y/n stood up, catching her balance, and walked over to Loki’s thumb. She wrapped her arms around the long digit and just hugged it. “Th-Thank you. Thank you so much for giving me a new home, Loki”, she said as she continued to hug his finger.

Loki’s heart practically melted because of the sweet gesture. He used his pointer finger on his other hand to rub her back gently. “No need to thank me, my little dove. Everyone deserves a place to call home.” Loki ruffled Y/n’s hair a little, getting a sweet laugh out of her.

The days that followed Y/n’s first meeting with Loki and Peter were the best days she had ever lived through. Loki had made her a makeshift bed that was placed on his bedside table, but she hardly ever used it. She slept on his chest every night, with Peter next to her. A hand was always cupped over the two borrowers, sheltering them from the outside world. Loki would always read to them to help them sleep, and it always worked like a charm.

Y/n had finally done it. She had made new friends who she was proud to call her family.

————————————————

Let me know if you liked it! Also, let me know if I should do more oneshots like this! It was super fun writing this story :D

[oddlyhale]

For the RWBY character ask: how about Qrow? :)

My top three ships for the character? IronQrow! TaiQrow QrowCinder

My three least favourite ships for the character? Hummingbird FairGame SnowBird

My biggest criticism for the character. OH, where do I begin with Qrow? At first, Qrow never stuck out to me as someone that needed criticism. He seemed to just be a vanishing mentor that would show up whenever he was needed. But then… V4 happened, and that was the beginning of Qrow’s crushing character arc and development.

Truthfully there was absolutely no reason for him to be on an adventure with the kids. He began to look embarrassing as he was stuck alongside these kids on their trek to Atlas, as if they should be there on their own and he should be somewhere else. Qrow took a massive nose-dive during his run from Mistral to Atlas, worsening his character and stunting his growth greatly. All he really was, was just some annoying adult that the kids had to babysit, and that’s not OK.

I had made a giant post before about this, but to give a TL;DR summary to it: Qrow should’ve left the group after V3. It’s proven that he incredibly useless as a teammate with Ruby and co., so let this guy leave to handle his shit in Atlas. I am pretty sure that James needed him the most, and Qrow really needed to mend their hard feelings in order to get things back in order without Ozpin around. Qrow could also take the time to deal with his alcoholism as he should.

But as he kept staying with the kids, the more his character suffered. We lost that charismatic scythe-wielding demon that made us all love him from V3. It proves that Team RWBYJNPR only stunts the growth of those around them, and thus they should seriously cut them loose to let them develop properly.

My favourite thing about the character. Sadly I begin to forget many things, but what I do like about Qrow is that he still somehow remains to be the coolest teammate of the bunch. Sure his semblance is so fucken lame, but it’s really himself that is the coolest part about himself. He taught Ruby how to build and use “one of the most dangerous weapons ever designed,” and was once a teacher. I would bet he was probably the best teacher, given how much Ruby looks up to him. And Qrow still takes responsibility for them, despite stumbling so much on being a good role model. I think Qrow has a big heart that he wants to show, but he’s too hurt right now to be opened about it.

A headcanon I have about them. I imagined that Qrow grew up in a tribe, yet he somehow turned out to be the least feral one. I always headcannoned that Qrow would distance himself from the tribe often to be more civil, learn how to not act like an obvious barbarian and simply study on how to be part of society’s norm.

What I would change about them if I was making a re-write. Make him take the chances that really cause the trauma.

Sometimes I wished it were Qrow who was the one that killed someone. Not by accident, but out of his own conclusion that he HAD to make that painful decision on murdering someone to stop them from getting in his way. And it’d have to be someone that he really didn’t want to kill - Lionheart, Raven, Clover, etc., Qrow’s pain would make so much more sense. Because honestly the way they clunkily went about his depression after finding out Ozpin lied to him was so stupid. I’m sure a seasoned Huntsman would get over the fact that someone lied to coverup something dire.

But to actually contemplate on killing someone to get through a plan would be more twisted.

OH, and keep his charming attitude from V3. I am tired of daydreaming about an old Qrow still existing in our year - we should’ve kept him as he was from V3. It would’ve lightened up the dark situations greatly and at least still make us care about him.

What I think of their character allusion and what (if anything) I would change about it. I think it’s cute that he can change into a crow, but overall his allusion is pretty yawn.

I would’ve chosen a much more character-changing story that still had his crow allusion. Such as the fairytale The Juniper Tree, how it tells a dark story of a boy who was murdered by his mother, and became a bird to sing his tragic tale of what she did to him. He got his revenge, but it is indeed a dark tale of abuse. I think something this dark could benefit Qrow himself into development, while still able to be that charming and brave Uncle that his nieces need.

It creates a character of someone who came from a family that hates him, yet he doesn’t let it get to him. He does what he can to protect his new family, and perhaps have his own motivation to exact revenge on those who had hurt him in the past. (Like his evil mother is still alive, or how he wants the truth from his father on why he didn’t save him.) And now the story makes Raven look better because she was the only one that loved Qrow, but was too young to do anything. (Because rn her being this morally-grey deadbeat is such a stupid thing RT has done.)

That’s all, thanks!

[gildedmuse]

SWORD: A Kenshi To English Phrasebook

By this point, I've watched more than enough One Piece - with an emphasis on certain characters' scenes in particular - that I consider myself a bit of an expert in the language of swordsmen. And since it's such a beautiful, though often misunderstood language, I thought I could offer my services by translating a few scenes in which our swordsmen appear, starting with some beginner level expressions and working up through the more advanced phrases.

The first thing keep in mind, when translating from Kenshi, context is incredibly important. For instance, in the particular example, this has just happened:

So, yeah, kind of a big deal here seeing as it is the driving goal behind their journey. You would expect everyone to be openly celebrating and full of excitement.

And since this is the Strawhats were talking about, you'd be dead ass right.

A couple of quick observations:

How in the world did Brook miss this opportunity to declare the prospect of finding Raftel to be so exciting that he could die. Except that he's already dead.

Yohohoho

Chopper is just so fucking exciting to be hanging out with the older kids, you guys. I mean, his big dream is to be a doctor who can cure any illness and seeing as the One Piece (probably) isn't a magical wish granting genie or the ope-ope no mi, going to Raftel isn't actually all that helpful for him. But look at his little face! Look how excited he is that they might have a chance to track down the One Piece! This little deer is overjoyed to be going on yet more adventures with the coolest people he knows, it's that simple.

Chopper is just too cute

Franky, if someone had asked me to predict how you'd react to this news that is exactly what I would have guessed. Seriously, here is to Franky for always being himself and for loving his life out loud and proud. You're doing ⭐SUPER⭐ babe, but then you already knew that.

A Sword By Sword Comparison:

Holy shit, you guys? Did you see that?

In case you somehow failed to catch it, Zoro's default expression of generalapathy and/or vague annoyance lifted for just a second there and turned into a slight smile. Not just a smile, but like then cutest little smile just about ever.

In swordsman terms, the boy night as well have victory punched the air before grabbing Luffy without a seconds thought, swinging him around before pulling his captain into a hug because he's unable to contain his excitement.

What I'm saying is: that smile is basically everything.

Look, after getting some proper lessons in how to be a badass swordman for THE badass swordsman, Zoro has really cut down on things like childish fun, physical signs of affection and, you know, facial expressions that aren't either based in annoyance or bloodlust. And like Chopper, Zoro's end goal isn't tied to Raftel. Travelling there helps him, bit only in that it means they're continuously pissing off stronger and stronger opponents. But that doesn't really matter because we all know that about one week into his journey with Luffy, Zoro went from "get in my way and I'll kill you myself" to "I will gladly die in a pool of my own blood if it means protecting you and sparing you any pain."

That smile there? That is entirely for his captain. Oh, and because he absolutely knows getting those poneglyphs is going to bring them a massive amount of trouble, and Zoro is the sort of boy who is into that.

Law, on the other hand, is absolutely aware that getting those poneglyphs is going to bring them a massive amount of trouble and is keenly aware that, unfortunately, there are those among the Strawhat crew that are into that.

Though it's important to note that there is a lot more there than simple annoyance. You can tell because while he appears to be glaring, he's not actively glaring AT anyone. One difficulty many people experience when first learning the Kenshi language is just how many phrases sound like ~*glare*~

[While they may appear the same to many beginner speakers, our swordsmen are actually saying three very different things here. Although, yes, they also just so happen to all be very angry.]

So it's not that he isn't excited ta the prospect that Raftel could possibly be in his reach and the One Piece more than just a myth, but he also knows that it's going to take a lot of careful planning and tactical actions to find/retrieve the other three poneglyphs. Well, that or you could take the much shorter, much stupider route or just kicking down every door and running in with your only plan being "kick everyone's ass" (back up plan, "cut it up!!!"). The problem is that, logically, Law knows his way should be superior in that it shouldn't end in immediate death. But he's seen the way the Strawhats operate and he knows how this is going to play out, it just doesn't seem fair.

[This has nothing to do with speaking swordsman, I just adore Robin with her Robin Giggle™ and her smile that says she, too, knows they are about to bring themselves a whole mess of trouble. The kind of trouble that leaves everyone dead. And yet, despite the fact that much of it could potentially be avoidable she were on a crew with anyone except these people, she honestly can't wait.]

[fallinnflower]

love lessons

lou x reader (fluff, college!au, tiny tiny bit of angst)

a/n: this was requested and got way out of hand. thanks to @dearbeommie for keeping me sane. uwu. 

You’re not a bad student. On the contrary, you’ve always done very well in your classes — unless it comes to learning new languages. 

You’ve tried it all. Journals, YouTube tutorials, hardcore studying. You just can’t seem to grasp a new language well enough to actually speak it to anyone, and that’s what’s starting to become an issue. Enough of an issue that you’re now sitting awkwardly across from your Korean professor in their office, with her regarding you with just enough pity to make you squirm. You don’t want her to pity you, you want her to like you and be impressed by you, because she’s one of your coolest professors on campus. 

“So, Y/N,” she starts, and you attempt to straighten your posture as you look up to meet her gaze. “Have you ever considered a tutor?” Your throat suddenly feels dry. Tutoring? Tutors might be helpful, but that means money you can’t really afford to spend—

“We have a Korean student who’s studying here for the semester. I’m his advisor for that time, and he’s also working with me as an assistant as part of a work award with his university. I think he’d be a good resource for you.” 

There’s a pause, and your professor leans back in her seat and chuckles,

“It’s free, since he works through the school. Would you like his email address?” You feel some of the tension leave your body, like helium from a week-old balloon. 

“Yes, please,” you respond, smiling. 

That evening, before you settle heavily into studying, you send an email to the address you’d been given with a little explanation and your usual schedule. 

You have a response by the time your head hits the pillow: Saturday, 11am, in the library. You’re oddly nervous. 

Two days later, on Saturday, you realize why you’re so nervous: first, you have no idea what this guy looks like; second, you’re about to embarrass yourself in front of someone your age. You glance around the library, looking for anyone sitting alone with a familiar textbook—

“Y/N L/N?” A deep voice says from behind you, sending a slight shiver down your spine. You turn, nose almost brushing against the chest of this person; hastily, you tilt your chin up and clear your throat. 

“Kim Hosung?” The boy’s lip twitches into a smile for a moment, and you can’t help but find him both extremely attractive and horribly intimidating — lucky for you, the slight roundness of his cheeks and somewhat large ears help to soften his features, although you’re still extremely nervous when he opens his mouth to speak. 

“Just call me Lou,” he replies, not unkindly, “Should we find a place to sit?” You nod curtly, following him to a booth. Despite the length of his stride, he seems to be conscientious of your own walking pace. You take a moment to catch your breath and take him in while he’s unable to see your face. 

First and foremost, he’s tall — tall and slender, except for his broad shoulders, with a slightly long but round face. His ears, like you noticed before, are a little big but covered partly by his dark, fluffily styled hair, but now you also notice the small black studs in them. 

To put it simply, he’s gorgeous and cute somehow, which is totally unfair. You suddenly wish you’d put more effort into your appearance. Lou chooses a booth in the back corner, and you take a seat across from him and immediately start digging all your materials out of your backpack. 

“So, Y/N,” Lou says, and you hate how much you like the sound of your name in his voice. “What is it you need help with, exactly?” You sigh, resting your chin in your palm and looking at him pitifully. 

“Everything,” you reply, and Lou chuckles and raises an eyebrow. “I can read Hangul pretty well, but I’m terrible when it comes to speaking or constructing more complex sentences. I just get choked up and forget everything.” You pick up and pen and fiddle with it, avoiding his gaze. 

“That would explain why Professor Lee mentioned your comprehension being good,” he muses, and you nod. 

“I just want to be able to communicate without looking like an idiot.” You glance up at him through your lashes and find him smiling at you, one side of his mouth lifted higher than the other. 

“Well, Y/N,” he starts, and you look up. Lou is full-on smiling now, “You’ve come to the right person.” You return his smile, albeit more shyly, as he begins to take out his own study materials. 

You have a feeling this might just work. 

Lou is an incredible tutor. 

Not only is his Korean understandably good, but his English is impeccable. You’ve been tempted on more than one occasion to ask about it, but after only a couple study sessions you aren’t sure you qualify as anything more than an acquaintance he smiles at in passing. It startles you how your curiosity keeps growing the longer you know him — every time you have a session, you clam up about anything but your class and assignments. 

One day, after Professor Lee had handed back your first ‘A’ assignment in her class, you drop by the cafe before your study session and make the decision to order two iced americanos. You have no clue how Lou likes his coffee, so you stuff a couple sugar packets in your backpack and make your way to the library. 

One advantage to Lou: he’s tall and extremely easy to spot in a crowd, even sitting down. There’s a smile growing on your face as you approach him, and with his earbuds in he noticed the coffee you slide into his line of sight before he notices you. 

Lou smiles crookedly, an eyebrow raised, and you take a sip of your coffee. 

“What?” You ask, feigning innocence. He chuckles. 

“What’s this for?” You can feel yourself beaming. 

“Just think of it as a token of my gratitude,” you reply, shrugging and fiddling with your straw. “I got an A on Lee’s assignment.”

“Ah,” he says, leaning back. He crosses his arms and seems almost smug, “So that’s why you’re in a good mood.”

“I’m always in a good mood!” You huff, although you know that’s most definitely not true — really, you just like being playful around Lou. It almost makes it feel like you’re friends, and you definitely wouldn’t be opposed to that. Or more. 

“Sure,” he chuckles, and you roll your eyes. Lou starts to take out his materials, and you falter for a moment as you do the same. Maybe it’s because you’re in a good mood, or maybe you’re riding the high of this banger you two have, but you’re just itching to ask him—

“Hey, Lou,” you start. “Can I ask you something?” He glances up, looking confused, but nods at you. 

“How'd you get so good at English?” You ask, and then, immediately, begin backpedaling. You cover your face with your hands. “Sorry, that sounds kind of offensive, doesn’t it? I just — your grammar might be even better than mine and I know English is a hard language— that doesn’t sound any better— just, just forget—“ 

You’re interrupted by Lou’s good-natured chuckling once again, and peek out from between your fingers to assess the situation. 

“I’ll take the compliment,” he says. “My family and I lived in Atlanta when I was little, if that helps clear it up.”

“Oh,” is all you can manage to say, still embarrassed by your question and subsequent overreaction. Lou just smirks at you and takes a sip of his americano before getting down to business. 

“So, looks like you’ll be working with chapter 5 this week...”

You let your eyes linger on him for a moment too long before flipping to the correct page in your book. You decide you’re going to make Lou your friend by the end of this semester. 

Making Lou your friend is actually not as hard as you thought it would be, especially considering he’s as relaxed as he is. He’s also easy to spot on campus, so all it takes on your part is to walk a little faster across the quad between classes and soon you’re seeing him on almost a daily basis. Although you don’t have classes together, your path converges more with Lou’s, your schedules beginning to sync. He’ll sometimes wait around for you when he knows you two can walk together, and the two of you take turns paying for coffee when you go to the cafe together. 

The only downside to making Lou your friend is that he becomes significantly more charming once you get past his somewhat aloof, intimidating exterior. Not that he had ever seemed particularly cold to you, more that he just seemed unapproachably cool for someone like you. 

Which isn’t true. He’s a dork, in probably the purest possible sense. He just happens to be a handsome dork. 

The next week at tutoring, you can feel yourself getting nervous. It’s the last session you have before your midterm, which is going to seriously affect your grade; Lou knows this, and he doesn’t seem the least bit concerned, meanwhile you can’t stop chewing on you straw just to have something to do. Your distress must be extremely palpable however, because Lou sighs and pokes your forehead so that your face moves away from your straw. He keeps the pad of his index finger pressed gently against your skin as his dark eyes meet yours. 

“Alright, Y/N, you’re clearly having trouble focusing,” he starts, and you blush. “So I’m going to strike a deal with you. If you get above a B- on this midterm, I’ll take you out for Korean barbecue, okay?” 

Well, you think, who are you to say no to free Korean barbecue with your very attractive tutor-turned-friend? You find yourself grinning at his offer. 

“Deal!” You chirp, and Lou chuckles as he lets his hand fall away from your face. 

“Time to get studying then, Y/N.” 

And, well, who are you to say no to that, either? 

You waltz into your next study session with Lou feeling as though you’re walking on air. He smiles at the bright look on your face, gazing up at you expectantly as you approach the table where he’s seated. 

“Guess who got an A,” you sing, plopping leaning over the table. Lou laughs and, surprisingly, stands up. 

“Well done.” You give him a questioning look as he slips his backpack on his back, and for the first time you realize he’s had no study materials out all this time. 

“What?” He asks, laughing. “It’s time to eat.” You cock your head to the side as you slowly follow him out. 

“But... but what about our session?” You ask, and he turns back to look at you with an almost devilish smile. 

“Consider today a real-world test, Y/N. You’re gonna order our food.” You pout and let out a huff, which leads him to ruffle your hair as you pass by him through the doorway. 

“Fine.”

The two of you spend the bus ride in relative silence, except for when you nervously ask Lou questions about ordering food and proper etiquette. He answers all your questions good-naturedly, patting your shoulder to reassure you you’ll be fine. He leaves his arm around you, but you hardly even notice because you’re too busy rehearsing the basics of how to order food politely. It feels like grade school all over again, like you’re rereading your assigned passage before your turn comes up so you don’t stutter. 

When you get off the bus, it’s colder than you thought it would be. The sun has already begun setting and you hadn’t expected an outing tonight, though you feel a little foolish for not thinking of it. You’re interrupted in the midst of scolding yourself by Lou tapping your shoulder, and when you turn you nearly get hit in the face with the hoodie he’s been wearing over an unbuttoned flannel and a t-shirt. 

“Thanks,” you murmur, feeling a little embarrassed as you let him help you into his hoodie. He chuckles at the way the sleeves fall past your fingers, and you swing your arms back and forth slightly to showcase it even more, joining him in laughing. Eventually, Lou takes the initiative to head to the restaurant, and the nervousness you had all but forgotten comes back with a vengeance as the establishment comes into sight. Probably sensing your nerves, Lou greets the hostess for both of you; you hear him say his own name, and once you’re both seated you look curiously at him. 

“Did you make a reservation?” You swear you see the tips of his ears turn red, even as he shrugs nonchalantly. 

“I knew you’d do well. Besides, once I mentioned barbecue I decided I had to get some either way.” As always, he acts cool, but you feel yourself grinning at his little act of kindness. You have no doubt he would have brought you regardless of how you did, but it’s nice to know he had faith in you. 

After a few minutes of perusing the menu, you test your pronunciation on Lou. 

“Bul-go-gi,” he says, slowly, and you repeat it after him in the same manner. “Bulgogi.”

“Bulgogi,” you say, confidently. He smiles at your improved pronunciation. 

“And tteok-bokki,” he continues, slowly once again. You repeat carefully, and then take a slow breath in and out to prepare for the waitress coming over. Evidently, you do well enough ordering that the waitress doesn’t look confused or disgusted by your pronunciation, and so you take a much-needed sip of water with a smile on your face. You’re interrupted by Lou’s gentle laughter, and you fix him with a glare. 

“What?” You ask, barely pulling away from your drink. His eyes seem to sparkle when he looks at you and shrugs. 

“You’re cute when you’re nervous,” he says, like he’s talking about the weather, and you feel your heart skip a beat in your chest. How can he say that so casually? 

“Thanks,” you mutter, taking another sip of your water in an attempt to cool yourself down. 

Dinner passes without a hitch after that, except for the few times Lou steals food from your plate and it becomes something of a competition as to who can more stealthily snag a bite. 

By the time the two of you leave, hours have passed and you feel fit to burst — and you just might, if Lou keeps telling you stories about the guys he lives with back in South Korea. On the bus, he shows you one video of his roommate, Ayno, walking on all fours in a crowded airport with slides on his hands. You attempt to stifle your laughter in the sleeves of Lou’s oversized sweater, but end up snorting instead. You bury your face in his shoulder as you continue to laugh, attempting to hide your embarrassment. 

The bus hits a bump in the road, and Lou’s arm slips around you so you don’t bounce off the seat. You’re too busy laughing to really notice. 

Lou walks you back to your dorm’s entrance, where you turn and flash him a playful grin. 

“So, how’d I do on my test?” You ask, and Lou laughs, his hands shoved deep in his pockets. 

“Good.” You bite down on your lower lip, but can’t keep yourself from beaming. 

“Thanks, Lou,” you say, looking up at him earnestly. The stars frame him beautifully, and you wonder if he even has a bad angle with the way you have to look up at him. “For everything. The tutoring, the food... all of it. I’m glad Lee sent me to you.” You nudge him playfully with your elbow as you say it, and he lets out a laugh that sounds more breathy than usual. 

“You’re welcome, Y/N.” 

The way he smiles down at you makes you feel flustered, and so you look down at the ground for a moment before wishing him a goodnight. Lou steps away as you reach into your bag for your ID, but he calls to you just as you get the door open. You turn to find him smiling broadly at you, just a little ways down the sidewalk. 

“Goodnight!” You feel a goofy grin break across your face and can’t help but laugh. 

“Goodnight, Lou!” You call back, and with one last beaming grin and wave he turns away and starts walking back to his dorm. 

It isn’t until you get inside and go to hide your burning cheeks that you realize you’re still wearing his hoodie. And you couldn’t be happier. 

Monday rolls around, and you’re shocked to find Lou outside your dorm before your first class, a coffee carrier with two americanos in one hand and his phone in the other. He has his earbuds in, and you hear him rapping under his breath as you approach. The sound of his voice, the perfect rhythm, brings a smile to your face as you quietly make your way towards him. You tap him on the shoulder, biting your lip. He looks up, his eyes widening before his expression becomes a grin. 

“Hey,” he says. 

“Hey,” you reply, giving him a cheeky grin. “I didn’t know you could rap.” He laughs and promptly puts his earbuds away, passing you a coffee. 

“Just a hobby,” he replies, tossing the coffee carrier away. “Ready for your quiz today?” You raise an eyebrow. 

“How do you know about my quiz?”

“Professor Lee keeps me up to date,” he says. 

“Oh.” You feel slightly embarrassed by that, but shrug it off as you take a sip of your coffee. “Well, I feel as ready as I’ll ever be.” Lou laughs at your response tossing an arm around your shoulders as the both of you approach the building your Korean class is held in. He tugs you towards him, pulling you into a gentle hug by the doors. 

“Don’t worry,” he murmurs, his low voice rumbling close to your ear. “You’ll do well. You have me as your tutor, after all.” You scoff and push him away, reaching up to mess up his hair. 

“So humble,” you say waving him off. Before he strays too far, you raise your voice, “Thanks for the coffee!” He gives you a thumbs up in response before disappearing into the crowd of students heading to class, and you can’t help but smile as you clutch the coffee a little closer to your chest. 

You refuse to say it, but you know that the espresso isn’t the reason your heart is pounding as you enter the building. 

When you receive yet another ‘A’ on your Korean assignment, you feel like you’re walking on air. And it’s with that confidence boost that you find yourself suggesting to Lou that the two of you go ‘study’ at a bubble tea shop a short bus ride from campus. Lou, for as serious as he seemed when you first met him, has absolutely no problem with your idea and follows you gladly to the bus stop. 

The bus ride itself is filled with relatively mindless chatter from the both of you, but neither of you seem to mind. Your eyes keep drifting out the window, to the clear blue sky and the sunlight winking through the trees. 

“I can’t believe it’s almost summer,” you remark, and Lou hums in agreement. 

“Yeah. The semester’s almost over.” You turn back to him.

“Are you excited to go back to Korea?” His expression clouds for a moment, but soon he’s back to his normal, half-smiling self. He lets out a short laugh and shrugs his shoulders.

“Excited is one word for it.” You think back to what he’s told you about his group of friends and their overly-dramatic send-off for him, and snicker, nudging him with your elbow. 

“Come on, this is our stop.” You think nothing of it as you grab his wrist to get him out of his seat, and you miss the redness of his ears when you do so. 

Once inside the shop, the two of you bicker about the superior bubble tea flavor and you rush to pay before he can. As you wait for your drinks, your phone lights up on the table with a new message from one of your group chats.

party Saturday night @ Kina’s house. plus ones encouraged ;)

When Lou returns to the table, two cups in his hands, you glance up at him thoughtfully.

“Hey, Lou,” you start, and he raises an eyebrow as he takes a sip of his drink. “What do you say to going to a party with me on Saturday?” He leans back in his seat with a smile.

“I’m in.” Your heart stutters in your chest for a beat, but you push the thought of it away, returning his grin as you sip on your own drink.

You’re starting to think inviting Lou along was a bad idea, because it’s been over an hour and you’re still nursing your first drink. Every spare second you’ve had, you’ve been swarmed by people wanting to be introduced to the tall boy at your side. While he doesn’t seem to notice all the attempts to flirt with him, all the obvious heart eyes people are flashing in his direction, you definitely do, and you’re getting more annoyed by the minute. As the most recent group of people wanders away, their eyes lingering on Lou, you can’t help but sigh.

“I think you’re the most popular guy here now,” you joke, taking a long sip of your drink. Lou laughs at that and casually slings an arm around your shoulders.

“Jealous?” He teases, and you shrug him off with a roll of your eyes. You open your mouth to make some witty retort, but are interrupted by someone calling out both of your names.

“Come play Truth or Dare with us!” Kina exclaims, waving you over. You glance at Lou to gauge his reaction, but he only shrugs with that mysterious half-grin on his face, tugging you towards the living room. Kina has pushed most of the furniture to the edges of the room, and the circle of players sitting on the floor expands slightly to make room for you and Lou to sit down. You watch as Kina chugs down half a bottle of beer before setting the bottle down in the center of the circle and giving it a spin.

The game is, for the most part, uneventful. Kina dares a guy to take his shirt off, said guy obliges (quite happily, you might note, which seems counterintuitive for the game) and then gets one of his buddies to reveal their most embarrassing drunken escapade. Said story actually gets you to set your own drink aside, suddenly not in the mood for alcohol any longer. The spin lands on a girl you think you had some class with freshman year, and after she completes her dare (do a keg stand, which she nails and is actually pretty impressive and terrifying) the bottle suddenly lands on Lou. There’s a glimmer in the girl’s eyes as she stares him down, and you realize that she’s one of many people you introduced Lou to tonight.

“Truth or dare,” she asks, smirking. You feel as though your stomach is twisting into knots, and you don’t know why. Lou, cool as ever, quickly responds:

“Dare.” Her grin stretches wider and you feel extremely uncomfortable, wondering if this night is going to have to end with you apologizing to Lou for ruining his semester abroad because of some weird, drunk girl.

“Okay, Lou,” she says, almost purring, “I dare you to kiss the most attractive person in this room. Right now.” You glance at him for a moment before looking back around the circle. Most people seem to be eagerly awaiting his next move, but the tightness you felt in your stomach has now spread to your chest. You’re curious yourself, to be honest, but you also can’t help but feel uncomfortable on his behalf. While you’re sitting, debating whether you should stop this game for the sake of the boy beside you or just let it run its course, Lou has already made his decision. You hear his jeans scuff against the carpet and you turn your head to face him, brows furrowed in concern.

And yet, Lou doesn’t look even a fraction as upset as you had worried he would be, although he does look nervous. You open your mouth to ask him if he’s sure he’s okay with this, but then you realize something truly startling.

Lou isn’t standing up, not even trying to. Instead, he’s turned his body to face yours and is slowly leaning closer. You tense up, confused, your heart skidding to a stop for a moment as his dark eyes lock with yours. With a strange rush of blood to your head you realize he’s being completely serious as he closes the distance between the two of you—

He presses a kiss to your forehead, then leans back and resumes his former position, reaching out to spin the bottle. You can feel your face burning, and can’t hear anything but your runaway heartbeat in your ears. You swallow thickly, unable to take your eyes off him, and yet all he offers you after he gives someone a very simple dare is a glance and another enigmatic smile, placing his hand over yours as the game continues to unfold.

The rest of the night passes in a bit of a blur, but you’re suddenly very aware of Lou’s hands on you; his arm around your shoulders, the back of his hand brushing your own, even just his broad chest behind your back. It’s more like you’re hyper-aware of him and the fact that he’s taking every possible opportunity to touch you, even if it’s just for a moment. By the time you’re about to leave the party, the house feels far too hot and crowded, and you think you’ve got your cardio in for the month; the second your feet hit the pavement, you let out a breath you didn’t realize you’d been holding. Lou lets out a gentle laugh from beside you and, unbidden, drapes his hoodie across your shoulders. You glance up at him, biting the inside of your cheek as you regard him; under the yellow streetlights his skin and hair look unbelievably soft, and his eyes seem to sparkle just for you.

“Thanks,” you murmur, unable to raise your voice above a whisper. He doesn’t say a word in response, but the back of his hand brushes yours again and you feel your heart rate spike once more. You come to a halt in the middle of the quiet sidewalk, and Lou stops just a few steps ahead of you, looking back curiously. You pull his jacket tighter around you even though you don’t feel cold and clear your throat, which suddenly feels inexplicably dry.

“About earlier,” you start, lamely. “Did you mean it?” Lou blinks at you, his expression unreadable.

“Why do you ask?” You feel your face heating up again even as you shrug, attempting to be nonchalant.

“Well, I mean— it was a forehead kiss— and you didn’t really know anyone else, so I wasn’t sure…” At some point during your poorly constructed sentence, your gaze had drifted down to the pavement in some attempt to hide your embarrassment. You hear Lou move, and suddenly you can see his shoes almost toe-to-toe with yours. Your breath catches when he gently tilts your chin up to look at him, his eyes bright and mirthful.

“I wasn’t just going to kiss you without permission in a room full of people,” he says, a grin playing at the corners of his mouth. “Why? Did you want me to?” Although his tone is playful, you see that same earnestness in his gaze that you had during the game, and it feels as though the world falls still. Without meaning to, your gaze flicks down to his lips for a moment, and you have a sudden, strange burst of confidence when you look back into his eyes.

“I wouldn’t be opposed,” you reply. Lou laughs at that and then leans in, closing the gap between the two of you once more and pressing his lips to yours.

And the world starts to turn again.

Lou doesn’t really ask you to be his girlfriend because he doesn’t have to; the two of you just kind of slip into a romantic relationship, which really just means adding more physical contact to your usual conversations and maybe some heart emojis here and there. Being Lou’s girlfriend means constantly getting treated to coffee and being given the best hugs — means being allowed to listen to songs off is mixtape before they get officially posted — means getting to play with his hair when he takes a nap with his head on your lap, or you watch a drama together in what Lou claims is an attempt to better your Korean.

It means your heart fluttering at even the smallest gestures, and it means feeling heartbroken when Professor Lee reminds all of you that your final is in one week.

You haven’t really talked to Lou about his going back to Korea since you asked him about it on the bus that day, and it’s partly because you don’t know what you want him to do about it. On the one hand, you’ve never been in a long distance relationship that’s that long distance, but on the other you’ve never had a relationship that feels as seamless and right as the one you have with Lou. You keep telling yourself you both need to focus on finals, that you can’t put the pressure on him right now, but you know the truth of the matter is that you’re too scared to face the reality of the situation just then.

Your tutoring sessions have moved out of the library and into Lou’s dorm room, because his roommate is almost never around. According to Lou, he spends most of his time with his girlfriend in her apartment, so Lou has only seen him a few times. It’s reading day for your school, and you’ve decided to take over Lou’s room as he helps you prep for your Korean final the next day.

“When’s your last final again?” He asks, nonchalantly, shuffling your index cards.

“Thursday,” you reply, without thinking for a moment of what this conversation could turn into, too focused on the task at hand. 

“I leave Wednesday,” Lou says, and you feel your heart sink into your stomach, weighing you down. “I’m taking an Uber from the school at 2. We should have lunch together.” Your throat feels inexplicably dry, but you manage to nod your head. Lou smiles at you, then hold up the first flashcard. You try not to think about it.

If someone were to ask you which superpower you wish you had, it would be to freeze time, because you really don’t want Lou to leave. You close your eyes, leaning your head against his shoulder. A light breeze passes over both of you as you sit on the bench waiting for his Uber, and Lou gently runs his fingers through your hair. 

He doesn’t seem upset, but you think maybe it’s for your sake. You didn’t expect to feel so emotional about all of this, considering you haven’t even been together that long, but the bond you have with Lou feels inexplicably strong. He had told you at lunch he wanted to continue this if you did, and you burst into tears in the middle of taking a bite of your pizza — needless to say, it’s been a long day. 

“Hey,” he says, softly. You open your eyes to look up at him. “Don’t be too sad, okay? I promise we won’t be apart for long.” You don’t know how he can promise that, but you’re left with no choice but to trust him as his Uber pulls up to the curb. 

The driver is blessedly patient with the both of you as you cry into Lou’s arms for the last time, apologizing for all your blubbering while he presses a soothing kiss to your forehead. Eventually, you calm down enough to kiss him properly, then press your forehead to his.

“Lou?” You prod, gently. He hums. “I love you.” For the first time, you think you hear his voice crack,

“I love you, too.”

As the Uber pulls away, you receive an AirDrop request to an unlisted YouTube video on Lou’s channel. The title of the track makes you cry even more.

사랑해.

After listening to Lou’s unreleased song for you for days on end, you make a decision. You would call it rash if it hadn’t taken you so long to translate the message to send over Facebook, but it certainly feels crazy fast approaching when you buy your plane tickets after receiving a one-word response from Mrs. Kim: “드디어!” 

You fall asleep on the plane listening to Lou’s voice through your earbuds, and wake up more excited than ever to land. Mrs.Kim has been active on Facebook since you woke up, and has been excitedly messaging you updates about Lou. You can’t help but laugh when she tells you he’s been moping about having to go pick up her mystery friend from the airport — apparently your boyfriend thinks he’s being treated more like a pack mule than a son. After some light banter, she tells you where they’ll be waiting for you as your plane begins its initial descent.

Deplaning takes forever and the airport is a nightmare to navigate but it’s all so worth it when you see the look on your boyfriend’s face when he spots you.

“Y/N?” Lou asks, shocked, as you make your way towards him. You feel yourself tearing up, but in the best possible way.

“Surprise!” You reply, trying to keep your voice from cracking. Lou pulls you into his arms, and he laughs gently as he holds you close; you swear you hear a tremble in it and wonder if he’s feeling as emotional as you are. His heart seems to be beating just as fast, anyways. 

“How? My mom told me we were picking up her friend…”  

“Well, you taught me enough Korean that I managed to get an A in class and send a passable message to your mom on Facebook…” You pull back to look into his eyes, your arms still looped around his neck. “So, here I am! All yours for a month.” Lou smiles and his eyes turn to crescents. He shakes his head in disbelief before leaning down to press a kiss against your lips, chuckling softly when he pulls away to press his forehead to yours. 

“What?” You ask, running a thumb along his cheekbone. He gently shakes his head. 

“I didn’t think I’d get to see you again for at least a year… I’ve been thinking about you nonstop, and now here you are.” You open your mouth to reply, but a sudden call of your name interrupts you. You peer around Lou to see his mother approaching, a wide smile split across her face and a carrier of iced coffees in her hands. She shoves said drinks into Lou’s hands in order to greet you, her Korean spoken so fast you can barely understand it all — but her eyes and the smile on her face tell you enough. She holds both your hands in hers, and shoots a wink at her son that makes his ears turn red, and warmth explodes in your chest as you all leave the airport. 

You can feel somewhere deep inside, this is going to be the best two weeks of your life.

[nataliesewell]

monster prom pop quiz results

I was bored, so I decided to try and record all the questions and answers in Monster Prom’s Stupidest Pop Quiz Ever(tm). It’s really likely I haven’t found them all, so I’ll come back and add to this from time to time.

The pop quiz consists of three questions; the first two go towards determining your highest stats at the beginning of the game, while the third chooses your possible prom date (this isn’t set in stone; you can still try to pursue a different character in the actual game). The order of the questions is randomized.

Other links: Vera Walkthrough

You can find the questions and their results under the cut!

stat questions

What is your spirit emoji?

a. Caucasian guy with a turban because fuck stereotypes. +CREATIVITY

b. Octopus emoji. Best animal on Earth. I know 5 mixed drinks, 3 drug cocktails, and 17 sex positions that involve one or several octupi. +FUN

c. Snowman, because that motherfucker is in the middle of a blizzard and he’s fuckin’ smiling. He doesn’t give a fuck about blizzards. And he has a kickass hat. +BOLD

It’s your chance to fix global warming. Go ahead!

a. Global warming isn’t real. I invented it, and now science is claiming authorship because science is a lame copycat with no original ideas. +CREATIVITY

b. Nah, the world is doomed. But I’ll start investing in ships and start a profitable business for the “soon to be covered by water” world. +WEALTH

c. It’s time to be a real hero: I’ll lead a mission to the sun in order to... invite the sun to the party of its life! We’ll have so many hilarious misadventures that the sun will eventually become... cooler. ;) +FUN

Be a visionary: what will the next big social media craze be?

a. Bull$hit: it’s Facebook, but each time someone shares news that isn’t supported by real facts, they’re taxed, and the money goes to the people exposed to that bullshit. +WEALTH

b. Greek Agoras: like literal Greek agoras re-instated in our cities. Places where philosophy and arts are discussed by the greater minds. That’s the social media I want to log into! +SMARTS

c. Rbert: from now on, a socially awkward guy named Robert will do everything he’s commanded to do through the app by its users! +CHARM

You wish you were raised by...

a. A mysterious old man who saved me from the streets in order to raise me as his disciple in the ancient ways of rad DJing! +FUN

b. A pack of wild wolves... who also happens to be tech moguls who own some of the most profitable companies of Silicon Valley. They would be kick-ass role models AND wild wolves! Sick! +WEALTH

c. A really progressive marriage between a kick-ass venomous snake and... actual fire. I love fire and I see no issue with being raised by it. +BOLD

You build a 100ft statue commemorating an event so that in 1000 years archaeologists can learn something about the people of our time. What does the statue represent?

a. That glorious instant when your friend stopped you from texting embarrassing stuff to your ex while hella drunk. +FUN

b. That mind-blowing twist in your favourite TV show that clearly changed the life of everyone forever, unlike all that boring stuff they show on the news. +CREATIVITY

c. Your least favourite political figure... being devoured by rabid rhinoceri... which are also covered in badass tattoos. +BOLD

Which is the coolest mythological creature?

a. The invisible hand of the free market. +WEALTH

b. A sphinx... who’s super turnt up and ready to party! And she raps all her riddles (she still kills you if you don’t answer them correctly... but she raps the riddles)! +FUN

c. This weird creature I drew when I was six and which is clearly super derivative from other mythological creatures... but it’s super cool and it’s my OC and my spirit animal, okay? +CREATIVITY

You’re elected president for a day. What’s the first law you pass?

a. You can deduct taxes by writing sonnets instead. Amount of taxes deducted are calculated based on the beauty of the sonnets. +CREATIVITY

b. Trivia fact: presidents don’t pass laws... so is this a trick question or are you just being an idiot? +SMARTS

c. One dollar bills will now include a picture of me and the inscription “Beware: Too Much Awesomeness.” My presidency might last a day, but my fame will last forever! +CHARM

A radioactive possum just bit you... what superpowers did you get?

a. The superpower of always choosing the right combination of emojis to get the desired reaction from all people: seducing my loved ones, burning my enemies, settling an argument, and even conveying complex emotional thoughts. +CHARM

b. Uh, probably rabies? I’d go to a hospital immediately. +SMARTS

c. The incredible power of writing fanfiction so compelling that the actual creators of the TV shows decide to go with my ideas and crazy ships. +CREATIVITY

School is outdated and lame. We need a new school subject asap!

a. Critical thought. I mean... damn, this country could really use a subject like that in schools. +SMARTS

b. Turning people into your puppets through emotional warfare and deception 101. +CHARM

c. How to correctly punch a crocodile without terrible consequences. +BOLD

If you had to have sex with animal... which animal would it be?

(You don’t get six answers; the three answers you get are randomized.)

a. A great white shark. I have to fuck an animal, let’s at least make it a story worth telling! +CHARM

b. A swan. They’re classy. Plus it reminds me of that myth of Leda and the Swan, so at least by bestiality standards it has a certain chic appeal. +CREATIVITY

c. A human being, because I’m the kind of douchebag who loves to find loopholes in stupid questions like this one. +SMARTS

d. A purebred horse. At least I can keep his semen and sell it. It’s worth a lot! Who said there was no silver lining to bestiality? +WEALTH

e. A dolphin. They’re the only other animal that fucks just for pleasure, so at least we can both do our best to have a good time, right? +FUN

f. No on can make me fuck an animal. If I fucked an animal, it’d be of my own free will. As a matter of fact, I already have fucked an animal, so the joke’s on you, pal. +BOLD

The coolest reality show would be...

a. Twelve experts on the various arts of seduction live in a house where they must face a common challenge: seducing a potato into marriage... somehow. +CHARM

b. Eight rich people fight in weekly challenges to see who’s the best at giving money to you. +WEALTH

c. People in various positions of power must face all sorts of questions relevant to their field, and if they fail, they lose their jobs... and society wins. +SMARTS

You get the chance to produce a movie. It’s based on...

a. The most influential Russian novelists of the XIX century... have gone nuts! They don’t remember anything about last night and now they can’t find the manuscript of The Brothers Karamazov; and Dostoyevsky has to deliver it TODAY! +FUN

b. Two cool guys walking away from rad explosions. And they don’t look at the explosions. THEY DON’T GIVE A FUCK ABOUT THE EXPLOSIONS! They reflect on life and love... AND IT IS SUPER DOPE AND KICK-ASS BECAUSE THEY DO SO WALKING AWAY FROM NEVER-ENDING EXPLOSIONS! +BOLD

c. Something about superheroes, but with a love triangle between a beauty yet somehow relatable girl (maybe she’s always stating she’s a mess?) and two of the super hot superheroes, which are also like vampires or pirates or both. Instant hit! +WEALTH

Democracy is just broken. What would be the best way of choosing the leaders of modern society?

a. Whoever can play the most heartbreaking violin solo wins. +CREATIVITY

b. You put all the candidates in an empty room... with a wild grizzly bear. Whoever kills the bear should be our president. If everyone dies, then it’s obvious: the bear should be our president. +BOLD

c. We create a reality show called “America’s Next Top President” where the candidates compete in all kinds of physical and mental challenges. Voter turnout would increase and we would turn a profit on it! +FUN

If you could put a curse on your worst enemy, what would it do?

a. I’d curse them to fall in love with a wonderful person and be happily married before they realize that all this time... their partner was a wild panther in disguise! Then the panther viciously devours my enemy. Classic! +BOLD

b. The curse of always meeting obnoxious people at parties who are super into new fad diets that feel the need to explain them in detail. +CHARM

c. You can’t rely on the effectiveness of a curse. I prefer to take care of my enemies the old-fashioned way: by exposing them to unsafe doses of radiation over the course of several years. +SMARTS

What would be the coolest prize you could find in your box of cereal?

a. A tiny piece of sharp metal, so every scoop will be full of thrill and danger! +BOLD

b. The phone number of the sexy tiger on the front of the box. He’s so passionate about breakfast and health that he’s surely also a grrreat lover. +CHARM

c. A sample of a more nutritious breakfast option, so people are encouraged to stop eating that colorful crap. +SMARTS

What inanimate object do you think would make the best girlfriend or boyfriend, provided you went criminally insane?

a. A human-size pillow depicting a character created by myself. As a matter of fact, I have all the needed paperwork and I’m only waiting for the conservative narrow-minded laws of our country to finally step forward into waifu and husbando territory, as was clearly intended by God. +CREATIVITY

b. A dildo, duh. +FUN

c. An ATM. Sugar baby life, here I come! +WEALTH

Which god do you pray to each night before sleeping?

a. Praying is kind of lame. I have a group text set up with some deities: Dionysus, Bastet, Loki... coolest cats in town. +CHARM

b. Praying is for fools. I took some compromising pics of a god molesting a tree, and now I blackmail him for whatever I want. A lot more effective. +SMARTS

c. Oh, I pray to all kinds of gods. I have this business where people pay me to deliver their prayers every night. I’ve even started to look for a Chinese factory to outsource the prayers. +WEALTH

prom date questions

What is the sexiest type of knowledge a lover can have?

a. How to set stuff on fire. ❤️DAMIEN

b. All the principles to build a financial empire. ❤️VERA

c. Lyrics to all Disney songs. ❤️MIRANDA

d. Obscure 80s movie trivia. ❤️LIAM

e. Sports things. ❤️SCOTT

f. How to make a killer cocktail out of anything. ❤️POLLY

Your partner just gave you a cool gift for your anniversary but you totally forgot! Quick, come up with an idea for a great gift!

a. The head of their fiercest enemy. ❤️VERA

b. A silly toy that makes silly noises. ❤️SCOTT

c. The abstract concept of gratefulness. ❤️LIAM

d. A pony. Always a pony. ❤️MIRANDA

e. Anything on fire. Or a weapon. No, no: a weapon on fire. ❤️DAMIEN

f. Anything capable of leading them to an overdose of some sorts. ❤️POLLY

What would be a deal-breaker for a potential lover?

a. The person lacks taste. ❤️LIAM

b. The person is mediocre. ❤️VERA

c. The person is a coward. ❤️DAMIEN

d. The person is boring. ❤️POLLY

e. The person hates the outdoors. ❤️SCOTT 

f. The person lacks manners. ❤️MIRANDA

What would be a killer accessory?

a. Sunglasses... at night. ❤️POLLY

b. A fabulous purse made from the skin of your worst enemy. ❤️VERA

c. Coolness itself. ❤️LIAM

d. Fancy brass knuckles. ❤️DAMIEN

e. A necklace with your own name... in case you forget! ❤️SCOTT

f. Shiny armor. ❤️MIRANDA

The world will end tomorrow... What will you do today?

a. Nobody ends the world but me! I’ll end the world today. ❤️DAMIEN

b. It’s okay! We invented the apocalypse to take care of the overpopulation of commoners. ❤️MIRANDA

c. I’ll finish my novel... whoever comes after the end should know my legacy! ❤️LIAM

d. 100 push-ups... no, no 200 push-ups! ❤️SCOTT

e. They always tell you the world is ending... I’ll profit on other people’s hysteria. ❤️VERA

f. I always party as if there were no tomorrow... so who cares? ❤️POLLY

Which criteria would you use to name your children?

a. Meh... no name? It’s just too much work! ❤️POLLY

b. I will research for a name that is pun-proof and joke-proof. No one will pick on them. ❤️VERA

c. A non-heteronormative name to give them freedom to define themselves on their own terms. ❤️LIAM

d. Just a swear word. ❤️DAMIEN

e. My name + “II” (the Second). ❤️MIRANDA

f. Something simple and friendly, like Bobby or Mary. ❤️SCOTT

If you were an ice cream... which flavour would you be?

a. Double creme de la Gruyere and meringues. ❤️LIAM

b. Spicy chocolate. No... chocolate on FIRE! ❤️DAMIEN

c. Success. ❤️VERA

d. Tequila and coke. ;) ❤️POLLY

e. Rainbows and gummy bears. ❤️MIRANDA

f. Meat! ❤️SCOTT

What would be your dream first date?

a. An art exhibition experimental enough to give you a seizure. ❤️LIAM

b. A sweaty and manly wrestling match. ❤️SCOTT

c. A professional meeting where you charm your date with some astonishing business advice! ❤️VERA

d. A wild party in international waters. ❤️POLLY

e. A lovely walk in the forest... after rescuing your date from a dragon! ❤️MIRANDA

f. Crimes. ❤️DAMIEN

You find a genie in a bottle. You can ask for whatever you want. What do you ask for?

a. A rainbow that you can eat! ❤️MIRANDA

b. I don’t ask for anything. I drink the genie from the bottle. I can grant my own wishes! ❤️DAMIEN

c. Before asking for anything, you try to negotiate up to the three standard wishes. ❤️VERA

d. Infinite confetti! ❤️POLLY

e. ...His friendship! ❤️SCOTT

f. Him to not be so cliched. Genies and wishes... so mainstream! ❤️LIAM

What would be the most appealing in a love partner?

a. A big... horn. ❤️DAMIEN

b. Sharp wits. ❤️LIAM

c. Kawaii eyes. ❤️MIRANDA

d. A very tsundere personality. ❤️VERA

e. Soft fur. ❤️SCOTT

f. A taste for party. ❤️POLLY

[zankivich]

Teacher’s Pet: A College AU Chapter 8

This chapter is super long, but I couldn't find a better place to end it so like.... hope you enjoy long shit? If you’re enjoying the story so far let me know. If it sucks also let me know. If you wanna be added to the tag list let me know. Basically just let me know. :) 

And there’s smut if that’s a thing you need to be warned of....

Also TW: homophobia/slur 

Chapter 8

*Shawn’s point of view*

When he woke up she was already awake, quietly scrolling through her phone while he slept. He stretched and cracked his bones with a yawn before shuffling over to her side of the bed and squishing himself into her space. She simply moved to accommodate his large body, allowing him to lay his head upon her chest, which happened to be the softest thing he’d ever laid his head on in his whole life. He had grown so used to sleeping beside her that their three or so days of “fighting” had been sleepless and angsty. It was awful.

“What are you doin’?” He mumbled watching her instagram feed one picture at a time.

She smirked. “Not watching you sleep like some creeper, unlike others I know.”

“Very funny.” He grinned peering over at her. “Anyone ever tell you you’re really beautiful in the morning.”

She snorted and it was so cute, he wanted to die.

“Eye boogers and all huh? You’ll be happy to know you look like a rolling stone cover regardless. And yes it is as frustrating as you might think.”

He chuckled watching her for a few minutes. He knew he could have watched her forever, but there were definitely better ways to utilize their time.

“So are you attached to the whole instagram scrolling thing, or could I persuade you to do something else?”

She raised an eyebrow at him already throwing her phone onto the nightstand.

“What did you have in mind, sir?”

He rolled over on top of her pulling her body close to his through the sheets. They quickly got to kissing and biting at each other working themselves into a frenzy. This time everything in his being was telling him to take it slow, to give himself fully and entirely to her. When she wrapped her legs around his back and breathed his name in his ear like a prayer, he found himself getting lost in her body, in her voice, in her soul. He delved deep into her and liked everything that he saw. It was beautiful to be with her, to exist in-between her thighs where it felt like he belonged. It was more than just sex, it felt like completion, like an evolution was taking place. He grabbed onto her hips driving himself home over and over again, not with the goal of just an orgasm, but with the goal of letting her know that he was fully and entirely her’s in every way.

It was a completely different experience in a culture that told men to dominate women and make them theirs. How could he not want every part of himself to belong to her, when she made him feel this way? She had given him something so entirely precious and important. He didn’t want anything but for her to see his love and his heart on a silver platter if she needed. Not out of competition, or masculinity, or anything other than that he loved her terribly.

He had gotten completely lost in the moment when it came. She was pulling him deeper into her, sucking at his neck, and moaning the most incredible things in his ear. He’d been building to something really special for the both of them, when his phone began to ring and their bubble was miraculously popped.

“Don’t you dare answer that.” She gasped legs tightening around him.

“Wait, wait,” He mumbled breathlessly, digging through the messy sheets. “Just let me see who it is.”

“I hate you so fucking much right now.”

He shuffled around causing tiny moans and groans form each of them as they were still connected. When he finally got to the phone his whole world sank, because she most definitely was not going to be happy.

“You’re gonna hate me even more, but it’s my mom and I have to take it. She gets pissed when I don’t answer.”

His girlfriend was incredulous. “You are literally impaling me right now! I am sure Mama Mendes would understand.”

“I mean I would’ve called it something much more romantic like making love, or literally anything else other than something synonymous with stabbing you!”

She chuckled, but was otherwise unmoved.

“I’m sorry I’m not poetic enough for you, Shawn.”

“It’s not about being poetic, but I’d like to think we’re doing something kinda beautiful over here! At least more beautiful than ‘impaling’. Impaling you? I’m trying to create a moment over here, and that’s the best you could come up with?” He huffed.

“Look, what do you say we give each other a couple of orgasms, and then I’ll go cook breakfast while you call your mom back and tell her you were studying or whatever you good Christian boys do.”

He sighed. “I’m not Christian...Not practicing anyway.”

“Shawn...I love you but please fuck me before my vagina shrivels up from this conversation.”

Ultimately, his mom would always be there, but his girlfriend might very well kill him. So, he let the phone ring and dove back under the covers, his girlfriend already grabbing at his ass and moving him back to the position that was sure to get her where she needed to go. It was wonderful to watch her when it happened. Her nose got really red and her chest would grow flush. She always tried to cover her mouth to keep the sound in, and he would just as quickly move her hand and intertwine their fingers because he loved the way that she sounded. She would pull incessantly at his hair until it was just the right side of painful and shove her face into his neck to try to mask the loudest of the sounds when her orgasm would hit. Sometimes she would scream into his skin and he could actually feel the vibrations of her passion. If he wasn’t already on the edge, that was sure to get him there. His fingers dug into her ass, holding her against him as he emptied into the condom. They could both barely breathe after, collapsing in a sweaty, tangled heap as if they’d destroyed each other.  

“At what point do we win an award for that?” He huffed ten minutes later, kissing her cheek as he shuffled out of bed to dispose of the condom.

She laughed following him into the bathroom to shower

“I think somewhere between orgasm three and four.” She suggested. “I’ll make sure to get you a trophy asap.”

She had tied her hair in a bun and moved past him to step into the shower after stopping to use the bathroom. He could see her through the door and there really wasn’t ever a moment when she wasn’t the most beautiful creature he’d ever seen. She caught him staring as she was soaping herself up and smiled at him through the glass.

“I thought you needed to call your mother?” She asked innocently.

He, however was already stepping into the shower behind her.

“My mom would want me to be clean, first.”

It was another hour before he even made it to his phone, and that was only because she finally left to go cook breakfast giving his hormones some time to calm down. He opted for a facetime thinking it would make up for the missed call.  His mom picked up on the first ring, which really wasn’t a good sign if you knew his mom.

“Shawn, how nice of you to pick up!”

He winced. “Yea… Sorry Mom, I was in the shower when you called.”

“I called you over an hour ago, Shawn. What kind of showers are you taking in California? Aren’t you all supposed to be in the middle of a drought.”

He couldn’t help but chuckle. His mom was the coolest in the world, but she worried endlessly about him being in a different country from her for undergrad. She was insistent on him living him in Pickering again as soon as he was finished, and he’d yet to have the heart to tell her his plan was to hopefully move to Toronto instead. There was also a potential plan to stay in Cali for another year to do the music thing, which had been seeming a lot stronger given his current relationship.

“I’m sorry, okay? I’m calling now. How are things? Aaliyah and Dad okay?”

“Everything’s fine here. Your sister is taking three AP classes, and she’s doing wonderful in all of them. Your father is fine. He’s working overtime to make sure he can get the time off for your performance. We’re all doing great, sweetie.”

“That’s great. I miss you guys, so much.” He grinned. “Can’t wait for you to hear the new music.”

“Yea? You’re inspired out there, aye?”

He smiled a smile that had only started appearing on his face that semester, and for a very specific reason.

“I am. I think I’m creating the best stuff I’ve ever made.”

“Hmmm.”

That was a sound his mom made only in times when he was about to get chewed out. He only recognized it because the look on her face wasn’t much better to boot. There wasn’t even a chance to do damage control before she was confronting him.

“That’s not your bedroom. I should I know, I bought your sheets after all.”

He peered back at the still messy sheets he’d destroyed with his girlfriend just hours prior, and his tongue began to dry in his throat.

“Y--Yea. You know, about that--”

“Oh save it, Shawn. Your father already told me, what you refused to call and tell me yourself, sir. You’re in love. You’ve fallen in love, and weren’t going to tell me of all people?”

He rolled his eyes playfully. “Mom I was going to tell you. I would never keep something like that from you. I’ve just been a little preoccupied with classes, and performing, and you know I booked a gig at an even bigger venue for the same week you guys here. I thought you and dad could come and see it.”

“I will not be distracted from the issue at hand, Shawn! I want to meet her.”

His mom never yelled and that somehow only made it worse, because her voice just sounded disappointed instead.

“I’d love for you to meet her!”

“Wonderful, go get her.”

His life flashed before his eyes of him as a vision of him introducing his mother to his girlfriend while she was dressed in nothing but one of his hoodies played out. Not likely.

“Mom. I’m not introducing you guys through facetime. You can meet her when you come to town. And please don’t… you know, scare her? She’s important.”

His mom huffed at him. “What am I, a monster? I’m not gonna scare the girl, I just wanna meet her.”

“Woman.”

“Excuse me?”

“She’s a woman. Not a girl. You probably wouldn’t say you wanna meet the boy, you’d say man. Girl is like… it just shapes the way we view women in comparison with men, so it’s cooler if we say women ya know?” He smiled sheepishly. “Feminism class, remember?”

“Well good for you. Maybe that class can teach you to call your mother every now and again.”

He laughed knowing that all was forgiven. His mom could never stay mad at him for long. By the time he got off the phone, not before promising to call again sometime that week, everything was okay again. In two weeks his family would be in town, and they knew him better than anyone. He had known that this relationship had made him happier than he’d been in years, maybe since he’d discovered music could actually help his mental state. But, now the people who had seen him before, would get to see him after. There wasn’t a doubt in his mind that they would adore her, but his fear was that they would see just how hopelessly gone he was. No one had ever had that kind of power over him, and he figured it was better that she know before his mother, who very much would, brought it up.

In the kitchen, she was listening to music on the speaker and bobbing her head while she was frying bacon in a pan. He wormed his arms around her waist from behind dropping a kiss on her shoulder and on her neck as she cooked.

“Sorry, I don’t have any Canadian bacon. Hope this is good enough.” She grinned.

He smirked. “I think I’ll manage. Can we talk for a minute?”

“Sure. Everything okay?”

“Yea, everything’s great.” He released her body sliding up onto the counter space instead. “Just never got to talk about last night, with the ‘I love you’ thing.”

“Oh...Well you don’t have to say anything more. You didn’t even have to say it back really.” She shrugged awkwardly.

He peered over at her as she tried to pretend her bacon was super interesting.

“I get that you’re not super comfortable with the whole feelings talk, but I am. And if you give me a chance I think I could make you comfortable with it too.”

She looked up at him with a smile. “Alright, give it your best shot, superstar.”

He smiled back at her, his whole heart feeling big and warm when she was in his line of vision. The words came tumbling out of him without fail, because how could he not want this woman to know how he felt?

“Well what I wanted to say last night was . . . I don’t think I’ve ever been in love before. Which means I’ve never had my heart broken, but I’ve also never given myself fully to someone. And what I would’ve told you whether we had the fight or not, or whether you said you loved me first is that...I don’t know how to give you anything less than all that I am. It’s not conscious, it’s not an effort at all. I just want you in every way and I want to satisfy every need and want you could ever have. I guess I just--I’m really into you. I’m in love with you, and I don’t think I could stand for that not to be on the table, just in case you don’t feel the same.”

She seemed to stare through him again, leaving him feeling naked and exposed before her eyes. His heart was truly in his hand, gaping wound and all. She could either take it and nurture it, or stomp on it. And that was the scariest thing he’d ever experienced in his whole life. But he’d rather die than not let her know how he felt.

She moved the bacon off of the burner, turning the stove off and stepping in between his legs. Hers hands trailed up his bare arms and up to his neck holding his face in her hands. When she kissed him, it was sweet and soft, soulful like she was feeding him with her lips. She placed her hand upon her chest as if to heal the nonexistent wound.

“I’m not gonna hurt you, Shawn.” She murmured. “And if I was poetic at all, I would tell you I’ve been with a lot of shitty people in my life. And maybe I loved some of them, and maybe I didn’t, but I’ve never had this with anyone else. I love that you like the gym even if I have never wanted to go somewhere less in my life.”

He chuckled far aware of her aversion to exercise outside of the bedroom, but found himself softening at her words as he slid his hands lovingly along her waist..

“ And I love that you hum in your sleep, and this one fucking curl that always falls in your face, and I love that you take care of me. No one ever has. Maybe I’ve never let anyone. But, I’m in okay? All in. And you never have to wonder if you’re in deeper because I’m right here with you. Always.”

He smiled, his arms and legs coming to wrap around her. He held her in his arms and kissed the living daylights out of her, his tongue feeling like heaven in her mouth. There weren’t words to thank her, so they just stood there instead, food growing cold as they got lost in one another. It was kind of perfect.

* * *

“Alright guys can anyone tell me anything about the difference between second wave and third wave feminism?”

He raised his hand, only because for once he actually knew the answer. The good thing about dating the TA was you got lots of practice outside of class….although what you were practicing differed greatly.

“Shawn.” She said professionally, because they were professional in the classroom dammit.

“Well second wave started in the sixties right? So it was during the civil rights movement and lot of it was about getting women out of the home and expanding their roles in society. That’s where the fight for equal pay in the workforce comes from. And then third wave is kind of like broader isn’t it? It was less focused on any one specific thing and more on just getting people to talk about feminism.”

“Yea, that’s a really great start. Thank you, Shawn.” She smiled only slightly cheeky. “Third wave gets kind of hard for people to define because it was such a broad way of looking at feminism. It really began to question our notions of gender and the roles we take on because of it. So this is where we get a very liberative movement of reclaiming whether that be with high heels and lipstick and very ultra-feminine things, as well as women who were saying that they wanted to remain in the home with their children and that that wasn’t inherently anti-feminist at all. But the reason why third-wave is slightly more progressive, though I would argue not nearly progressive enough in the most mainstream of circles is because we’ve started to focus on feminism for everyone. Whereas feminism began as something white, wealthy women typically only got to partake in, now trans women get to be part of that conversation. Black women and other women of color, and poor women, and women who are differently abled, are all slowly getting their seat at the table. You no longer can have a conversation about the wage gap without noticing, that white women are going to make ten, fifteen cents on the dollar of women of color. If your feminism doesn’t include women of all shapes and colors and socioeconomic statuses, you’re not doing it correctly.”

Listening to her talk was like a symphony sometimes. He’d never been a huge fan of lectures, his mind always tending to wander. But, she forced you to be engaged in a way that no one ever had. She was so easy to understand, and she made it feel like you weren’t a fucking idiot if you didn’t know something. She was passionate about everything that she taught, and therefore he couldn’t not want to learn every single thing she had to give. It was his favorite class of the entire semester, not because it was her, but because of who she was as a person.

Class eventually dismissed and as he was gathering his things together one of the guys who barely ever showed up to class felt it was his time to come up and be an asshole.

“Hey Mendes, do you find that being a bitch makes your period last longer, or does it kind of even out what with you just being a bitch all the time?” He asked.

Shawn sighed, knowing there was nothing he could say to make this dickhead actually understand how fucking lame he was. Guys like him just wanted to feel heard.

“Does that work for you, bro? Being a complete jackass? Is that really getting you where you wanna go in life?”

Frat boy scoffed. “This class is bullshit and you’re a pussy for being into it.”

“Yes because there’s nothing women find less attractive than respecting them.” Shawn grinned. “Totally makes me a pussy.”

Frat boy got angry taking a step closer. “Look here faggot if you--”

“Hey!”

They both turned to see his girlfriend with the most pissed off expression he’d ever seen on her face. She was wearing a band t-shirt they’d bought together thrift shopping with these long wide legged pants that made her look all edgy but teachery. She was so fucking cute. Jesus.

“Day one in this class we read through a non-discrimination policy that says we will respect and be kind to everyone. And that does not include fucking slurs that are the antithesis of everything this course is based on. Get the fuck out of my classroom before I have you kicked out of this course.”

It was maybe the hottest thing he’d ever seen in his whole life. And he’d seen her naked. Frat boy stormed out of the classroom leaving only them behind, and he couldn’t just not put his hands on her when she was all brimstone and sex.

“The fucking nerve of that asshole.” She muttered as he wrapped his arms around her immediately kissing at her neck.

“You’re so fucking sexy when you’re angry at someone that isn’t me.” He whimpered.

“I hate that word. That word is fucking disgusting, and people shouldn’t feel comfortable enough to use it in any setting.”

He nodded rubbing her arms soothingly. “You’re right. Better it be me who isn’t affected by it, than someone who could’ve been. Right?”

She sighed peering up at him until she released all of the anger from her system.

“Right. You’re right. Doesn’t make it fucking okay, though.”

He wrapped her up in his arms kissing at her forehead and cheeks until she smiled.

“Don’t let it ruin your day though. Are we still having lunch in your office?”

“Yes, but it needs to actually be lunch this time Shawn! I have meetings all day after this, I can’t be starving because you can’t keep it in your pants.”

He held up his hands in surrender. “Hey, I’ll be good! I promise!”

*Twenty minutes later*

“Don’t fucking pull my hair, Shawn!” She gasped in between moans. “I’ve got to look presentable.”

“I’m trying babe. Shit, you feel amazing.”

He had her bent over her desk, hands on her hips as she threw her ass back at him with every thrust of his hips. It was doing wonders for how deep he could get inside of her and thus was reflecting well on her general comments on the act.

“Oh my god.” She mumbled her arms collapsing so that she was leaning on her arms against the desk thus pushing her hips further into the air. “Baby, fuck me please.”

Her voice was innocent and sickeningly sweet and it made his spine straighten as he leaned up onto his toes and rammed into her from behind. They were trying desperately to be quiet, and her moans turned silent as he began to hit the perfect spot. There was a mirror against the opposite wall that let them make eye contact, and her eyes rolled back in her head when he wrapped one hand around the back of her neck and pulled her deeper against him desperate and needy. This was quickly becoming his second favorite position in the world, and when she tightened up around him, he might have just seen stars.

“Fuck don’t do that you’ll make me cum.” He huffed hiding his face in her neck.

She reached back behind their bodies and grabbed his hip pulling him against her body.

“I want it. Give it to me.” She whimpered. “Please, Shawn?”

There is only so much a man can take.

She pulled orgasms out of him like Dumbledore pulled memories out of his own fucking head. And he never had the time to feel embarassed about coming too quick because it seemed to be her goal, the little vixen, always trying to kill him with every tightening of her muscles. When he came he held her whole entire body from behind in an attempt to not explode across the whole entire room. Her chest was heaving, face red and sated, as she collapsed against the desk once again. He quickly joined her after pitching the condom, barely having the strength to collapse in the chair and pull her onto his lap.

“Did you cum?” He asked skimming his nose along the side of her face as their bodies cooled.

Her eyes widened. “No, I’m not gonna start shooting all over my office like a sprinkler, thank you very much. I work here.”

“What? Babe you can’t just not cum! What the fuck am I even here for, if you’re not orgasming?”

“Women all over the world are fucking mediocre men and not having orgasms. I can take one for the team.” She shrugged.

He shook his head quickly dislodging her from his lap as he stood up.

“Shawn this is not that big of a deal.”

“Yes it is! Babe I have to make you cum.” He explained. “An eye for an eye. Reciprocation. All of that. How could you let me cum, and not expect the same back.”

“Sweetie, I hear you, and I really love this feminist approach you’re taking to our love making, and if it wouldn’t get me fired I’d probably give you extra credit. However, I am choosing not to orgasm for fear of soaking the entire place down. I still very much enjoy your penis inside of me and I’ve had a great time. It’s not you, it’s me.”

“Funny. She’s being funny.” He muttered pulling his jeans back up his hips.

She giggled reaching for her pants.

“You gotta admit it’s a little funny.”

He rolled his eyes at her and went about grabbing his things.

“Are you really upset with me right now?” She asked as he prepared to leave.

He threw his backpack over his shoulder nearing the door.

“I’m not upset I just don’t understand why you won’t let me make you cum!” He huffed. “I’m kind of good at it. It’s one of my favorite pastimes.”

They stood there in a tense silence only for a knock to arrive on the door and suck all off the air out of the room.

“Shit.” She gasped pulling her pants with a fierceness.

Shawn remained stuck as his girlfriend quickly materialized a bottle of febreeze out of nowhere and began viciously spraying the room down with it. He could only unfreeze when he noticed the magnitude of the spray.

“So you can squirt febreeze everywhere, but god forbid I make you cum.” He mumbled.

She moved past him socking him in the chest enough to really fucking hurt.

“Get your shit together and try to look like we didn’t just have sex!” She whispered. “We will talk about this at home.”

“Whatever.” He muttered arms crossed like an aggravated child.

There was another knock on the door, and she smoothed quickly at her outfit tugging at her curls before yanking open the door in the least suspicious manner they could manage. On the other side of the door was none other than Frat Boy himself. Maybe the worst person in the world to be on the other side of the door.

“Roger. How can I help you?” She asked quickly trying to keep her voice under control.

He looked over at Shawn with an unimpressed look in his eyes refusing to talk like the fucking baby he was.

“Don’t mind me, I was just leaving. Thanks for the help, teach.” He mumbled sliding his hand protectively against the small of her back as he passed.

She’d have hit him again  if she could.

* * *

“Are Mom and Dad driving you crazy?” He asked moving through the kitchen to locate a snack.

His sister Aaliyah was on facetime and they had been catching up on loads for the past hour after he’d finished his paper for abnormal psych.

“They’re not so bad. Mom is over planning for the trip to visit you. She’s already packed and repacked three times.” She chuckled.

“She’ll be fine once she sees I’m not dead. I’ve been in school for four years, you’d think she’d get used to it by now.”

“Not exactly. She wants me to go to go school in Ontario so I can commute and stay home. Especially now that you’ve hidden your girlfriend from her, I think she thinks you’re gonna elope and run away.”

He laughed. “She tell you about that? I’m gonna need you to be on my side this weekend. The recital is stressful enough, I don’t need mom scaring off the girl I’m in love with.”

“Ooooooooo, in love huh?!” She teased. “Are you sitting in a tree, and k-i-s-s-i-n-g-ing?!”

“Hilarious.” He answered dryly. “You’ll love her when you meet her. She’s getting her masters in human sexuality. She’s like the smartest, most woke person ever. Don’t tell her I said it though, she hates that word.”

“I’ll try to keep it to myself… Is it serious, or whatever?”

He peered over at the facetime for the first time in a while having been preparing himself a sandwich.

“Yea, I think so. It’s more serious than anything I’ve ever done before.” He shrugged, cheeks warming.

“So when you graduate...would you like, not come back to Canada?”

Only his sister could ask questions that would leave him floundering and and flustered. She would of course ask him questions that he didn’t have answers to.

“I don’t know, yet. We haven’t really talked about it. She gets a little spooked by talking about feelings.”

“Mom would shit her pants if you stayed in California.” She hinted.

He sighed. “Yes, Aaliyah; I’m aware.”

“On the bright side, if you mess up this massively, I will only further my reign as the golden child!”

Best little sister ever.

“Alright punk. Text me when you guys get to the airport, aye? I’m gonna be there to pick you  up.”

He heard the front door open and smiled knowing that she was home and was coming to him, and no one else.

“Yea, yea, we’ll keep you posted.”

“Love you.”

“Love you too.”

He closed the phone after his sister had faded away and turned as the light of his life twirled into the room. Or walked. Whatever.

“Who do you love?” She asked in loo of greeting.

He wrapped his arms around her waist pulling her in for a kiss.

“Hey. How was Fratboy dickbag?” He smirked.

She rolled her eyes. “We’re lucky he didn’t fucking hear anything. No more quickies in the office. That’s a line we never should have crossed. The guy’s weird though, he kept looking at me like a predator. I’m almost positive he doesn’t understand the line of consent.”

“Did he do something to you?” He asked standing up straighter automatically.

She smiled. “No. I’m okay. Which reminds me, who was it that you love again?”

“Besides you? My sister. She was catching me up on the Canadian drama, and my mom’s never ending packing.”

“Ahh.Yes. Parents. Family... Fun.”

He grinned. “Your enthusiasm is genuinely astounding.”

“I don’t have a good history of first impressions. I’m a generally awkward human with the mouth of a truck driver. I don’t want you to be surprised when your Canadian mother hates me.” She mumbled.

“Why does the Canadian matter?”

“Because you guys could get hit by a car and you would apologize to the driver, and take them out to lunch. I’m American, Shawn. We blame the world for our problems and take it out on everyone else. We’re kind of the worst.” She explained.

He chuckled kissing her nose in reassurance.

“They’re gonna love you. Because I love you. They’re the least judgemental people in the world, and when my mom sees the way you take care of me, she’ll want to be your best friend.”

She pouted up at him and it was so cute he wanted to die.

“I’m not exactly doing your laundry and cleaning your room. I wouldn’t call myself housewife material.”

“Exactly. But when I’m anxious you get me to focus on just one thing. And you breathe with me until I’m better. And when I’ve played the same chord for the thousandth time and finally get it right you smile at me like I’ve cured cancer. And when you’re with me, I’m the happiest I’ve ever been. You take care of me in all of the ways that matter.”

She rolled her eyes sticking her chin out him like a child before a smile eventually broke through.

“Besides. I’ve done more laundry since we’ve been together than I have in my whole life. She’ll probably think you’re magic.”

“You musicians and your poetic words.” She huffed. “You’ll be the death of me.”

“But I’ll make it worth your while.” He promised kissing her chastly.

“Yea?”

“Yea...beginning with finishing what we started earlier.”

He dropped to his knees smoothly, hooking his fingers into her pants and taking them with him to the floor.

“Here?! In the kitchen?!” She gasped.

“What like we haven’t before?” He asked peering up at her with innocent eyes. “C’mon. Please?”

She huffed as he tugged at her underwear, quickly pulling them down to her ankles before settling her fingers possessively in his hair the way that he liked.

“Fuckin’ boy scout. Continue.”

He chuckled, hands grabbing at her hips as he absolutely dug in.

***

“Babe you’re sweating.” He smirked her hands slick in his own.

She groaned beating her head into his chest.

“Maybe I’ll die before they get here. Maybe that God person everyone’s always talking about will do me a solid and just take me out.”

“Even God gets to be gender neutral, aye?” He grinned kissing her hair.

She beamed up at him. “I have taught you so well. How could anyone fire me for sleeping with you, you’re practically a scholar.”

“I appreciate the sentiment. Just a heads up I didn’t tell my parents about that.”

“Well thank fuck for that. I can imagine how many strikes that would be against me.”

They waited at LAX armed with  Canadian flags and everything to welcome Shawn’s family. Despite how nervous she was, Shawn couldn’t have been more excited for his family and girlfriend to meet. His family meant the world to him. She meant the world to him. It only made sense for those two worlds to collide.

When the time finally came, and he spotted his mom with her too many suitcases, his dad and little sister slowly trailing behind, there was an excitement within him that he couldn’t explain. He loved his family endlessly and any time he got to see them was truly something special. His mom spotted him and flew into his arms squeezing him tightly, like he’d been off at war. His father clapped him on the back following it up with a bear hug, while his sister hugged him around the waist. He kissed and greeted them all, only noticing that his girlfriend was nowhere to be seen when they were all standing in front of him. She was still very much in the spot where he’d left her.

“Hey, come here.” He murmured softly reaching for her hand and pulling her into the fray.

He didn’t let go of her hand, just in case she needed that, and by the way she intertwined their fingers he had a feeling that she did.

“Family this is y/n.” He smiled staring at her with all of the adoration that he felt inside. “Y/n, this is family.”

She had wore a black dress that day with a white collar and a wide, skater skirt that went down to her knees--something about being presentable for his mom--and she messed with the skirt of it anxiously as she smiled.

“Hi. We’re very excited to have you here. It’s really wonderful to meet you all. Shawn talks a lot about you.”

He quickly took over wanting to give her the opportunity to lay low and take it all in.

“We figured we could go to lunch before you guys go to the hotel.”

“Yes please. Airplane food is horrible.” His sister sighed.

“Perfect. Let’s go!”

He grabbed for his mom’s bags, sliding one over his shoulder and pulling her suitcases. He watched as his girlfriend politely asked his father and little sister if she could carry their bags. His dad looked at her like she wasn’t speaking english and his sister seemed more than amused with the situation. When she insisted on carrying his bag, he was sure his father was going to say something ignorant and the whole world would come crashing down before they ever made it to the restaurant. But he instead gave her the bag and  linked hands with his mom as they walked instead. Crisis averted.

His parents had rented a car for the week and it was an SUV, big enough to carry the luggage that his mother thought was necessary. They drove to the asian bistro he’d taken her to for their first lunch date, and got a big table outside for everyone to sit at. His father pulled the chair out for his mother, something he’d always done, and he gave him a strange look when he didn’t do the same. His parents were wonderfully accepting people, but there seemed to be a generational gap in terms of what the expectations were in relationships. He had a feeling his dad would talk to him about it later.

His mother was kind enough to wait until they’d placed their orders before turning her stare to the two of them. He’d been whispering a joke in her ear about something that happened in class the week before, and when she finally smiled for him he’d tried to contain himself but ended up kissing her cheek anyway. Her cheeks reddened and it felt good to not be the only red faced person at the table.

“So, y/n, we’ve heard so little about you. Tell us about yourself.”

He sent his mom a look that begged her not to embarrass him, but she couldn’t have cared less.

“Well uh I’m getting my master’s in human sexuality. I’m originally from a small town in Indiana, but I moved here specifically for my program. My research is on how mental health affects Trans Women differently, more drastically actually. I’m specifically looking at trans women of color and trying to see how the intersections of race and gender negatively impact mental health due to societal forces and not personal ones? So, I’m not really all that interesting because that’s really all that I do, besides being a TA.” She shrugged.

“She’s completely underselling right now. She’s working with some of the top people in her field. She’s definitely going to get published when she’s done with her research. Everything she’s doing is incredible, and our master’s program only accepts like five people anyway. She was asked to come before she even finished undergrad.” He boasted.

She rolled her eyes at him, hating nothing more in the world than when he talked about all of the things he loved about her, which was frequent. He was just happy he could finally tell the people that mattered most about the woman that mattered most.

“You must be doing really good work then.” His mom smiled reassuringly.

“Yea, well, I just really have to do my part in elevating the voices that we purposely don’t listen to. And that’s a responsibility I don’t take lightly. It’s what matters most to me in the world, so I--I try.”

He could tell that she was getting worked up talking about it, and knowing how uncomfortable feelings made her, he threaded their fingers together under the table in reassurance.

His sister, bless her, began to talk about her AP english course, and how the class had rallied to get a more diverse offering of books than the ones from dead, white guys with too many extensive metaphors. His girlfriend didn’t take this lightly and smiled warmly at every word that she offered. Just as he expected, they immediately began talk back and forth about the things that they knew and the experiences they’d had. His mom seemed to be more than satisfied with everything she heard and they were left to have a wonderful lunch.

By the end of the meal, you couldn't even tell it was their first meeting. Whether she knew so or not, his girlfriend was kind and sweet and funny as all hell fitting in perfectly with his goofy wondrous family. When they were walking back to the car he pulled her close to him, a few steps behind his family, his arm around her shoulder.

“Okay?” He asked simply.

She smiled up at him and nodded.

“Okay.”

tag list: 

@nevermindmisha

@alltoowhalee13 @glader-groupa-sub8

[jancys-blue-bayou]

prompt for “we’ll figure it out”: emily always falling asleep on top of jonathan (since she was a baby)

A/N: Thanks for the great prompt! This spun into short little vignettes of them through the years.

Also on Ao3 and FFNet!

Four days old…

Emily is a clingy but sleepy baby. They come to that conclusion quickly. Both their mothers tell them how lucky they are she’s a sleepy baby as opposed to a cryer for example. According to her mom, Nancy was the latter, and she herself recalls Holly wailing in the night too. Joyce says Jonathan and Will both were similar to Emily. ”Sweet babies, but God you were so cuddly! As long as I held you you wouldn’t cry but there was a period where you’d cry soon as I put you down!”. That’s sort of how it is with Emily at this early stage. She doesn’t cry when she’s held, but try and set her down once she’s fallen asleep and she’ll instantly wake up crying, craving bodily contact. They hope Joyce is right that it’s just a phase that will pass, because though Emily is the most amazing, snuggly, cuddly, precious, awesomest thing ever, she’s not sure she’ll be able to deal with having to hold her all the time.

Because it’s still early, only their second day home from the hospital. She’s still drained from the ordeal of giving birth, she mostly sits or lies with Emily while Jonathan is running around waiting on her hand and foot. She swears it’s like he’s in multiple places at once sometimes, like when he’s somehow cooking her food, giving her a back rub, doing laundry and changing Emily’s diaper seemingly all at the same time. She felt kind of bad about just sitting on her butt while he’s darting around at light speed fixing stuff, but when she told him this he stopped in his tracks, looked at her and then pointed to Emily.

”You gave birth to her and you keep her alive, you’ve done more than I will ever even come close to doing, ever.”

Hard to argue with that when he sounds so sure.

She holds Emily most of the day. Emily eats and sleeps. That’s basically it. Well, that and tiny life-changing moments like her eyes peering open and them for a second locking gazes before Emily nuzzles in closer and falls back asleep. At night they try again to place a sleeping Emily in the bassinet by their bed, but they soon give up on it as it makes the girl bawl her eyes out. Emily stops crying soon as she picks her up again.

”You know, this is definitely your cuddle bug genes doing this,” she notes.

”Oh yeah, because you’re so cold and aloof,” Jonathan josses her.

”Fair,” she admits. Kind of has to admit considering she’s pressed into his side as usual right now, it’s second nature to her to be that close.

”I can take her,” he then offers.

She nods and carefully hands Emily over. The baby whimpers a little at first but soon as she’s resting against Jonathan’s broad chest she stops. She then lets out a big cute yawn before nuzzling in close and soon falling back asleep.

”Mm, she’s got the right idea,” she notes and adjusts herself, laying down her head in the crook of Jonathan’s neck. ”Comfiest pillow in the world.”

”Glad to be at your service,” he chuckles.

”Don’t roll over,” she mumbles into his chest before following Emily into dreamland.

Six months…

”Seriously it was awesome, their sound is amazing and he sings about like… like everything, you know? Like it just hits you so hard,” Will is beaming with excitement telling him all about a concert he went to with some friends from college last night. Some new band Jonathan’s not sure he’s heard of before, he’s been kind of out of the loop music wise recently. Other stuff kind of took the forefront.

”Yeah, totally. That’s awesome. What was their album called, again?” He asks while glancing at Emily who’s on the playmat between him and Will, currently content to just lie on her tummy clutching her dear Hopper the Bunny, that Will gave her as a newborn, in one fist while simply pounding the floor with the other while making incoherent baby noises, peering up at him. He smiles down at her.

”Nevermind,” Will tells him.

”What? No come on, I’m listening,” he insists. He really is, Will shouldn’t think he’s not interested or blowing him off just because he’s looking after the baby at the same time.

”No,” Will snorts with laughter. ”That’s the album. It’s called Nevermind. By Nirvana,” he explains.

”Oh! Gotcha. Cool, I’ll check that out.”

”I have a tape with a few of theirs on it, here,” Will fishes a mix tape out of his pocket and hands it over. ”You gotta hear Come As You Are. It’s incredible.”

”Cool,” he nods. Emily, intrigued by the new item in her line of sight reaches out for the tape in his hand.

”Awesome, she’s already into grunge. I knew you’d make a cool kid,” Will grins.

”She’s the coolest yeah,” he agrees.

”She actually almost looks like their album cover, kind of. But all babies look the same so. Well, except she doesn’t have the little wee-wee of course.”

”Er, what?”

”Oh, on the album cover there’s a baby boy swimming after a dollar bill.”

”Huh. ’Wee-wee’?” He smirks.

”Well I don’t know, felt weird to say d-i-c-k or p-e-n-i-s about a baby’s you-know-what, especially in front of a baby,” Will blushes.

”Right,” he chuckles.

Emily’s attention has turned to Will. She started crawling recently and excited with her newfound ability that she’s rapidly getting better at, she hurriedly turns around and crawls over to her uncle and tries to climb into his lap. That proves to big of a challenge though, but Emily happily babbles when Will instead picks her up and plays with her. He’s happy to watch the two of them. That Will would be the best uncle in the world was as obvious to him as the fact that Nancy would be the best mom ever.

”Hey watch her for a minute will you, I’ll get the milk,” he excuses himself and gets up to go to the kitchen.

”So how’s Nancy doing?” Will asks him while he feeds Emily.

”Good, she’s good. She’s happy to be back at work but still misses Emily for those hours. But you know, that’s how it is. She’d miss work otherwise.”

”Right, yeah. Plus work is just so many hours out of the day, she can still be with her, right?”

”Right. And she can work from home on Fridays, mostly, which is good for her. But I think she’s still adjusting, you know after being home with her for six months. You get really used to it and she’s always on your mind.”

”Sure. You guys are really nailing this whole thing, by the way. I mean, we all knew you would but it’s still cool to see.”

”Thanks. It’s pretty easy though, with Nancy on my team. She can do anything so I just try to do all I can.”

”Well, you’re not too bad either.”

”I guess. But to be fair Emily doesn’t really do much so it’s easy.”

”Mainly eating, it seems like?” Will smirks.

The girl in question just at that moment decides she’s done eating, turning her head and pushing the bottle away.

”Yeah,” he smiles as he holds Emily up to his shoulder and pats her back. ”And burping,” he continues and soon is granted with Emily doing just that.

Emily next lets out a comically large yawn, then nuzzles into his shirt and instantly falls asleep.

”And sleeping,” Will chuckles at the speed of which she went between the two modes.

”Yes. And pooping, don’t forget about pooping,” he adds and carefully adjusts Emily so he can take a quick sniff. ”Not yet, so there’s something to look forward to.”

”Exciting times,” Will rolls his eyes and smiles.

Four years old…

Okay. Dishes — done. Cleanup in the kitchen — done. Cleanup in the living room — done. Cleanup in the hall — done. Cleanup in their bedroom — not tonight. Cleanup in Emily’s room — await status report. Now entering prone position.

Emily turned four years old today. A monumental occasion of course, just like when she turned one, two and three. As per usual they invited Emily’s aunts and uncles and grandparents, and her best friend Luis, who all showed up of course, El in advance with the cake she insisted on making just like previous birthdays. But this year the guest list expanded outside the usual suspects. The big happening in Emily’s life between her third and fourth birthday was her starting preschool. She’s loved it from the start, being a bit apprehensive at first but once Nancy convinced her it was the start of a big exciting adventure she’d go on with Luis at her side, she was game. Headstrong, creative and energetic she soon discovered the perks of going to a place which had fun new toys she didn’t have at home and a bunch of new playmates. Emily invited them all to her party. Twenty kids who received nice handmade invitation cards Emily made with Nancy’s help. It’s all gone well, Emily’s had a big smile on her face all day playing with her friends and family. But dear God, somehow hosting twenty sugar-high kids at their place and the cleanup has been almost more exhausting than all their run-ins with another dimension. The aftermath of the party slightly reminded him of the states of destruction his old home in Hawkins was put in through the years.

He and Nancy cleaned the living room and hall together after saying goodbye to their last guests — his mother, stepfather and brother, whose offer to stay and help clean up they politely declined — while Emily played with the new toys she was gifted today. While he took care of the kitchen Nancy went to get Emily ready for bed.

And having finished up in there he’s now allowed himself to fall back on the living room couch, lying from end to end stretching out and grabbing some rest. He smiles to himself as he can hear Emily and Nancy talking in about the day while brushing their teeth. Then their soft footsteps pattering out from the bathroom and towards the living room.

”Turning four is exhausting! I’m all tuckered out.”

”Aw, you’ll sleep well then Peanut, we’ll just say goodnight to- well well looks like it tuckered daddy out too!”

He opens his eyes to find his wife smirking at him and his daughter with a smile on her lips and tired eyes. She clutches Hopper the bunny in her hand.

”Mm, well I certainly am all tuckered out. You and your friends really know how to party, Emi.”

”Did you have fun daddy?”

”I did, did you?”

”Super fun!”

”That’s good. Sometimes you have so much fun you get so tired. So we should go to sleep so we can wake up and have more fun tomorrow.”

”Good idea!”

He gives Emily a goodnight kiss and hug. But then the girl doesn’t turn away to go into her bedroom with Nancy like he expected, instead she climbs up the couch, plopping herself down on top of him, laying down with her head on his chest. His arms immediately go around her to keep her steady of course. Nancy snickers.

”Sweetie, what are you doing?” He asks.

Emily’s answer comes in the form of a large yawn. Says it all, really.

”Okay sweetie but we should sleep in beds not on top of daddy,” Nancy tries, barely containing the chuckle in her voice.

Emily’s already fallen asleep though.

”Wow she really goes lights out when she’s comfy on you doesn’t she,” Nancy continues to snicker.

”Yeah,” he whispers. It’s not the first time she’s fallen asleep on him or snuggled into him.

Sleeping on the couch the whole night doesn’t sound appealing though so with Nancy’s help he manages to get up without disturbing Emily and they head into their bedroom, all three of them. Nancy’s as beat as he is and they end end up in a big tangled heap, him sleeping on his back with  Emily on his chest and Nancy on his arm.

Six years old…

”I’m going to stay up until midnight!”

”Well, you’re welcome to try, Peanut.”

”I will! Just you watch!”

There’s five hours left of 1997 and their six year old is determined to stay awake for the fireworks going off at midnight. He has no problem with Emily taking on that challenge. She’ll never make it. She’s never made it past nine the previous years. He exchanges a knowing glance with Nancy who smirks at him. They’re celebrating in the new year at home with his mom, Hopper, El and Mike, and Will and his boyfriend Adam. It’s become a tradition for them all, since they first moved to New York really. In time for the clock to strike twelve they’ll go up to the roof of their apartment building from where they’ll have a good view of the fireworks. Until then they’re happy to be inside with each other’s company, food and the moderate amount of booze they’re comfortable having at a party with a six year old as well as El and Mike’s baby girl Anne.

Emily makes it until almost 10 PM before she slumps against Nancy on the couch and starts snoozing away. Nancy smiles and presses a kiss to their daughter’s hair before carefully adjusting her so she’s laying down under a blanket.

”We’ll wake her up for the fireworks,” she tells him as they together with the others subtly moves the party into the kitchen and keeping it going at a lower volume.

1997, the year Emily started first grade. And the year he and Nancy both turned 30 and ”officially got old” as Mike put it. He doesn’t really feel old though, it’s hard to feel that way when he’s with Nancy and they’re having just as much fun as they did a decade ago. It feels crazy how the years have passed. It feels like just yesterday they were skittering around each other until they finally just said fuck it and shared the damn bed in Murray’s bunker. But it also feels like just yesterday they moved to New York, just yesterday Emily was born, just yesterday a lot of things. Time is weird in that way.

”Honey, wake up.”

”Huh… what…” Emily mumbles in response as he rouses her from her sleep.

”It’s almost midnight. 1998 is just around the corner.”

”Nooo did I fall asleep?!”

”You did, honey.”

”Rats.”

”But you lasted longer than last year!”

”I’m tired…” Emily rubs her eyes.

”Come on, I’ll carry you.”

”Next year I’m going to be awake the whole time,” Emily says with conviction as they’re on the rooftop.

”I believe in you sweetie,” Nancy smiles.

”I’m gonna stay up all night now at least!”

”I’m sure you will…”

”Ten!” Mike calls out, and they all join in counting down the last ten seconds of the year, none more loud than Emily.

”Happy new year!”

He’s still holding Emily and on the stroke of midnight he and Nancy kisses either of their daughter’s cheeks. She squeals with laughter while fireworks erupt above their heads. Emily is transfixed by them while he shares a quick kiss with Nancy.

By the time the last fireworks ebb out, Emily’s already fallen back asleep against his chest.

Fifteen years old…

”America’s Most Wanted?”

”Next.”

”Law & Order SVU?”

”I’ve seen this one three times already.”

”News?”

”I write the news, next.”

”Some Disney cartoon… oh it’s Lady and the Tramp.”

”Hold it!”

”You want to watch Lady and the Tramp?”

”Hell yeah, considering the options.”

”Fair.”

Jonathan puts down the remote. She picks up both their wine glasses and hands his to him before nestling into his side, getting comfortable right in the spot that’s been her favorite one to be in on earth for decades now. It’s Saturday night and Emily is out, giving them privacy and time to cuddle up on the couch. Jonathan remembered to pick up wine but forgot to pick up a movie and having gone through all their dvd’s they opted to flick through channels until finding something suitable enough. Which they found in ABC’s Saturday Night Movie.

”Remember first time we watched this together?”

”Yes, there was a snowstorm so we couldn’t go to the movies so we had to make due with what me and Will and mom had on tape.”

”And we found this and you got inspired to make spaghetti later.”

”Right.”

”One of my favorite dates ever I think.”

”I’m sure-”

He’s interrupted by the front door suddenly swinging open and Emily coming in, alone.

”You’re home early?” She calls out to the hall. Emily really is, it’s not even 9:30, way too early for a teenager to return home from a date.

Emily doesn’t answer at first but they can hear her breathing heavily.

”Emi? Are you okay?” She asks as they both stand up. They’re on their way to the hall when Emily steps into the living room, wiping at her cheeks where tears fall freely.

”Brian broke up with me.”

Oh. The first boyfriend. Since about a month back. And now the first heartbreak. It pains her so to see her daughter like this, all she wants to do is wrap her up in a big hug and shield her from everything bad in the world. So that’s what she does. And Jonathan the same.

”Oh sweetheart, come here. I’m so sorry.”

Emily just cries in their arms for awhile and they simply let her. Eventually she feels it appropriate to ask.

”What happened?”

”I-I d-don’t know he just said he wasn’t ’feeling it’ anymore… w-what am I supposed to make out of that?”

”Ugh, I don’t know sweetie that’s such a shitty explanation… it’s not even an explanation.”

”I-I j-just don’t get what… what changed? I d-didn’t feel like anything changed I thought it was like before, I liked that… m-maybe I’m too slow… too boring…”

”Honey, no,” Jonathan immediately protests.

”But it must be me… I d-don’t know what to do with… stuff like this… what’s expected… I thought we were having fun I didn’t want to do… more. Than we were doing…” Emily mumbles, then hastily adds. ”Just kissing! Is what I meant. Just kissing I don’t want…”

”Peanut, relax. You didn’t do anything wrong. Come here, let’s sit down.”

They lead Emily to the couch and sit down with Emily in the middle. They let Emily collect herself, anticipating that she has more to get off her chest first. As much as it pains her to see her daughter hurting, she’s happy Emily feels comfortable coming to them to talk about it. Like they’ve told her all her life, she should always come to them with whatever problem she has and they will listen to her and try to help her. She thinks back to her own upbringing. It wasn’t quite like that. She loves her mom but they were never… that close, or at least not as close as she feels to Emily. Growing up she didn’t always feel like she could go to her mom. She vividly remembers the last time she did, go to her with a big problem. Confiding in her about Barb’s disappearance and all her worries about that. Her mom had tried to be supportive in her own way at first but then… the betrayal she felt when, after she told her mom all about her worries for Barb and what could’ve happened to her, her mom instead focused on the fact that she had gone to a party and hooked up with a guy, that that was what was important to her, that her princess had slept with some guy not that Barb was missing. She’s never really gotten over that betrayal, after that it felt useless to go to her mom with her troubles. She’d handle it herself instead. With a lot of help from the guy who’s right now got his arm protectively around both her and their daughter on the couch. And she promised herself she’d never do to Emily what her own mom did to her.

”I’m just… I don’t know what people, what he… expects. Or wants. I thought we were just having fun going to the movies and hanging out and stuff and just uh… kissing. I didn’t… don’t… want to do more than that… kissing. Right now. But I know that… I mean Cindy told us in the locker room that she let Greg Morris feel her up like uh… a lot and people talk about going to second base or third or whatever and like some have been having sex since like 8th grade, ew, but I’m just… not ready… for that stuff… I thought Brian got that but I mean I know he wanted more because I kind of had to slow him down last week what if that’s what… I mean everyone else is up for it I don’t know why I’m such a-”

”Hey hey hey. You shouldn’t do stuff you don’t want to do. Never. Don’t ever do stuff just because other people are doing them if you don’t really want to. That’s never the solution. We’re so proud of you. You’re so strong.”

”No…”

”Yes you are, you have the strength to say something when you’re uncomfortable and don’t let people just have their way with you. That’s really strong. You know… a lot of that stuff you mentioned it’s just… okay all that stuff can for sure be fun, but only if both are ready for it and really want to do it. Sadly I think a lot of times people start doing stuff like that when they’re too young because… well because boys… a lot of… most, boys take stuff for granted and maybe are pushy in a way that it’s hard to say no. When someone is being pushy, to say no like you did that takes strength and not everyone has that strength always, which no one can be blamed for, it’s just bad that people are pushy… I’m not gonna be the type of mother who tells you to not do… stuff but I am glad you haven’t done that stuff yet if you’re not comfortable with it. Because it really is only fun if you really want to do it not when you just give in because someone nags you about it.”

”And if he couldn’t handle you saying you didn’t want to do that stuff then he’s an idiot.”

”Dad…”

”He is. If he can’t wait and doesn’t like it when a girl says what she wants, he sucks.”

”It’s true Peanut, he really sucks if that’s the reason.”

”Okay but still it’s… I don’t know if it was that I just think maybe that was… but also just like… compared to other girls I mean I… if I don’t put out like other girls… and then I look like this and I’m not cool I don’t get how… what would people see in me… what did he even see-”

”People see a super cute beautiful girl! With a cute face and great hair and piercingly blue eyes-”

”Mom, you’re my mom of course you’re gonna say-”

”That you’re the most beautiful girl in the world, because you are. Okay remember, family rule: No bullshit.”

”But ugh I’m too short and I’m flat as a plank and my acne is…”

”Isn’t noticeable. And you’re not flat as a plank, nor too short. You’re perfect.”

”Yes. And what do you mean you’re not cool? You’re easily the coolest girl in your school.”

”Dad, you don’t know cool. Pretty sure my dad saying I’m the coolest just made me even less cool…”

”Hey now I know cool! Your mom was the coolest girl in town no doubt and you’re so much like her!”

”Yeah right… I just… feel so stupid.”

”You’re not stupid. He’s stupid. Boys are stupid.”

”Well I’m just… I thought he liked me… I liked him… I think I liked him… it’s… I hate this. I was so nervous I’d screw it up and I wasn’t sure how I felt but then I started feeling better about it and then he just goes ’not feeling it’… I don’t… I don’t know…”

”Sweetie, were you having fun? With him.”

”Yes… mostly, I mean. When I wasn’t nervous or unsure of… stuff, it was fun.”

”Well then… I know it hurts, it ending like this. Without him giving a good reason even. That really sucks. And I’m not gonna lie, it’s gonna continue to suck for a bit… I wish I could say something that would just make it all better but I don’t have those magic words sweetie. But I do know it’s going to be okay.”

”Right…”

”And I don’t think you should have any regrets. Seriously, it’s his loss not yours. It’s not you who did anything wrong. You did what you wanted to do and didn’t do what you didn’t want to do. Hold onto that attitude sweetie, please, I’m begging you. Don’t do stuff you don’t want to do. If he can’t handle that it’s his loss.”

”Yeah he’ll be kicking himself soon enough. He’ll go ’oh my god how could I let Emily Byers go? I’m such an idiot’,” Jonathan fills in.

”Yeah right dad,” Emily scoffs with the slightest hint of laughter in her tone. ”And thanks mom I know I’m just… trying to be strong like you but-”

”You’re already way stronger than me.”

”No I’m not-”

”Yes you are. God you should’ve seen me at your age. So desperate to fit in, so unsure of who I was, what I wanted to do…”

”I don’t know what I want to do or who I am or anything either!”

”Yeah but who does? My point is, you at least don’t change who you are to fit in. You’re just unapologetically you, which makes you the coolest. You got that from your dad, by the way. I love that about you and that’s why your friends like you and that’s why even the dork I married is right when he says you’re the coolest girl in school.”

Emily releases a soft chuckle at her calling Jonathan a dork.

”Why are you drinking wine and watching Lady and the Tramp?” Emily then asks as she readjusts herself further back into the cushions and for the first time really glancing up at the TV.

”Because adulthood is fun. And because your father forgot to go to Blockbuster.”

”And because your mom got nostalgic.”

”We watched this in the winter of ’84 when we got snowed in and then he got inspired to make me spaghetti,” she explains to Emily’s questioning look. ”It was sweet.”

”Ugh, you’re both dorks,” Emily shakes her head.

”Thanks, you’ve said that before.”

The classic scene where Lady and the Tramp share a string of spaghetti comes on.

”Please tell me you guys didn’t do that,” Emily sighs.

”Well…”

”It was your mother’s idea.”

”God please tell me I’m adopted.”

”Sorry honey.”

Her daughter’s usual dry sarcasm is like music to her ears. Emily will be okay. They remain cuddled up together all three on the couch for the rest of the evening, lazily watching the rest of the movie and then other late-night programming. Eventually Emily falls asleep against Jonathan just like she always did when she was little. She gently brushes a hand through Emily’s hair and thinks that through it all they somehow must’ve managed to do something right because they’ve raised this girl who’s turned into the best person in the history of the world as far as she’s concerned.

[dong-hyucks]

dating heejun. | knk

⇴  admin. jade ⇴  masterlists. ⇴  dating series masterlist.

highkey dedicated to @woojiniee and @longquos u guys are rude abt my bias wreckers >:( but ily anyway

so you met way back when he was still in kokoma band

you had been a helper, setting up the equipment for this performance since your friend -- who worked for the company -- brought you along

anyway

your friend told you who your were setting up for, and to be honest you had no idea who any of them were

no heejun?

quack dongyeon?

lee whochan?

who dongseong?

whomst??

they were a trainee band and didn’t have much information out there

but your friend showed you a video of them goofing around with their instruments/voices and?? they sounded p good??

you weren’t going to be around for the actual mini performance, as there were other guests coming

you were a bit bummed, but oh well

while you were setting up the main mic, someone came in looking very lost

“heejun,” your friend greeted politely, even bowing her head

you did the same, assuming this heejun was the same heejun in the band

he mumbled an absent hello, his eyes trailing all over the floor

“did you lose something?”

heejun looked up, smiling at you briefly before nodding

“yeah... have you seen my ring?”

a lightbulb went off above your head, a look of recognition flashing over your expression

heejun and your friend watched as you headed over to a little side table, retrieving his very ring from it

“i found it over there,” you pointed to the speakers, “you must’ve dropped it before.”

heejun thanked you gratefully, slipping the ring on his finger

he smiled at you before halting

his eyes went to your friend before going back on you, lingering a moment longer than you expected

“are you a new worker?”

you shook your head, “i’m just helping”

you didn’t miss the disappointed look he dawned before covering it with a neutral expression

you chuckled, “what was that?”

heejun shrugged, “nothing. just a little disappointing -- it’s not every day i meet a cute employee here”

you nearly choked

he grinned innocently, as though he hadn’t said that, and turned on his heel to leave

once he was safely out the door, your friend burst out into laughter

“[Y/N]! he was totally flirting with you!”

you just rolled your eyes, “sure.”

you didn’t see heejun again for a week or two

until you randomly got a text from some unknown number claiming they were heejun

you were quite skeptical at first until your friend confessed that she may or may not have given him your number

anywho

heejun didn’t text you like everyday

he was busy, as were you

but you texted every other day or once a week

you had this kind of relationship that was borderline friends / acquaintances

but then

heejunie: “hey, do you want to hang out today? i’m going to the bowling alley today”

at first you were going to say no

but, hey, you hadn’t gone bowling in a while so why not? plus heejun was a cool dude

so that’s how you found yourself, two hours later, laughing your heads off outside with heejun

to explain

when you first arrived at the bowling alley, heejun was already there

he was with a little kid, one with a tearful expression

at first you were like “??? heejun what did you dO ???” but then you realized he was trying to comfort the child

he’d lost his mom -- with the bowling alley being relatively dark and a big space

the sight of heejun wiping away the child’s tears with a gentle smile on his face, his voice soft as he told the child he’d find his mom for him

it did something to you

luckily, you had spotted a frantic looking woman on the way to finding heejun

lmao what a coincidence

you assumed that the woman was the kid’s mom

without even greeting heejun, you ventured off to find the woman, and when you did she confirmed your thoughts

sO after bringing the two together, you and heejun high-fived

“i comforted the lil’ guy and you found the mom, what a team”

“barely”

“shh, [Y/N], let me have this moment”

you just chuckled at how incredibly dorky he was

after getting your shoes and a lane, you and heejun just bowled normally

at first

then, it got a little competitive

it’s not what you think -- you weren’t competing to see who could get the most points

you were competing to see who could hit the pins in the coolest way

people in nearby lanes and those who walked passed gave you weird looks when you were laying down on the floor to push the ball

but you didn’t care, you were having fun

until

heejun decided to attempt a cartwheel

y i k e s

bad idea

especially when he had an 18lb bowling ball in his hands

needless to say, when he ‘landed’ his arm slipped

and the bowling ball basically flew from his fingers (luckily, not injuring him)

and there was a loud crash

this idiot somehow managed to throw his bowling ball at the ceiling

needless to say, his manager found out via text and wasn’t happy

heejun also used his company card for the repairs cough

you were kicked out very quickly

and now you’re just outside, leaning against the wall to catch yourself from falling

your stomach hurt from laughing so much, both at heejun’s misfortune and the expression he had made the moment the ball collided with the tiles

at first, he felt so bad but after hearing you laugh, he couldn’t help but follow

“that was hilarious,” you mumbled, wiping away fake tears, “but never do that again”

“noted”

while you recovered from laughing so hard, heejun took the time to just admire you

he thought you were very attractive, and the sound of your laugh was like wedding bells to his ears

“go out with me.”

“jeEZ HEEJUN YOU CAN’T JUST SAY THAT RANDOMLY--”

you thought he was joking but he had a sincere smile on his face and you suddenly felt really nervous

“you don’t have to be my s/o,” he cut in, mumbling ‘yet’ under his breath, “but if you want, go on a date with me.”

you were gaping like a fish

sure, heejun was a pretty nice guy, he was funny, he was smart (most of the time,,), and he made you smile without even trying but did you like him?

it took you a second, but the sound of your rapid heart answered for you

“okay”

not even a second after the word left your lips, he had your hand in his and he was pulling you down the street

“where are we going--”

“it’s a surprise!”

heejun was suddenly really giggly

like he had planned the whole thing

you were lowkey suspicious, but he was cute so you let it slide

okay so

he didn’t tell you a thing for like ten whole minutes

but he looked like the epitome of happiness

like he just won the lottery

“here we are!”

you looked around, a brow raised

he brought you to a big park in town, but he’d lead you far into it, where a lone tree stood tall

“what’re we doing here?” you asked, looking up at the pretty petals that hung on the branches

heejun coughed, backing up into the tree

“i come here sometimes,” he admitted, “it’s like me go to place whenever i need inspiration”

you looked over at him, “inspiration?”

he merely nodded, holding out his hand

“let’s go up.”

seconds later, heejun was pulling you up the tree

at first you were like “hey man what’re you doing” but then he pulled you up onto a sturdy branch

“look,” he mumbled, gesturing outward

you did, amazed at the sight

the branch gave you a perfect view of the city

“we can see everything here,” heejun said, “but no one can see us”

you were gobsmacked, “how did you even find this?”

he shrugged, “when i was a kid, i got separated from my dad, and i ended up here”

you blinked, keeping your gaze on him

when he looked back, you realized how handsome he was

even though his expression was neutral, you could see a hint of amusement shimmering in his eyes

wow, you thought, you’re handsome

he chuckled, his lips splitting into a grin

“thanks”

“shit did i say that outloud”

he rolled his eyes playfully, nudging you with his shoulder

“don’t worry. you aren’t too bad looking either”

“i know, you told me the first time we met”

he smiled again, looking at you almost longingly

“you’re cute”

“heejun, kindly let me breathe, please and thanks”

he didn’t respond, his gaze making you slightly —very— nervous

“i know i said you didn’t have to be my s/o, but…” he rubbed the back of his neck, “i really like you.”

you rolled your eyes, kissing his cheek (which made it turn pink) “i like you too, heejun.”

woo ur dating now dope relationship congratz

im sorry (no i’m not)

so let’s go dating oh heejun

let’s start of with something cute

kissing :))

your first kiss with heejun didn’t take long to happen

in fact, it happened the same day you started dating

after you hung out at the tree for a bit, he took you out for dinner

the restaurant wasn’t really fancy but it wasn’t a fast food joint either

heejun actually knew the owner, so you got to sit in the “special” seating

it was secluded from the rest of the restaurant, on the second floor

there were french doors leading out to a balcony, where a single table stood

the dinner was great, as was the service

after you ate, you and heejun looked out over the railing

you talked for a while, enjoying the slight breeze

you didn’t notice heejun getting closer and closer until his arm was literally brushing against yours

“i’ve never met someone like you,” he mumbled, “you’re different”

“is that a good thing?”

“it’s a great thing.”

you bore into one another’s eyes for a moment

slowly, you got closer and closer until he was a hair length away

“can i…?” his eyes darted down to your lips

when you nodded, he didn’t hesitate to move forward

the kiss was slow, his lips moving gently against yours

somehow, you ended up with your back against the railing, with your hands clasping around his waist at the small of his back

his hands cupped your cheeks, his thumb gently moving back and forth as he leaned into you

when air was necessary, you pulled away

“that was,” he chuckled, “wow for a first kiss.”

generally, kisses with heejun are either dorky or sweet

or both

half the time he’s grinning, so the kiss isn’t even a proper one, but neither of you care too much

—let’s also not talk about the cough night time cough kisses—

anyway moving on

let’s add a new thing

hugs

cuddling

you know, the fluffy shit

i’ve already made a cuddling with knk —and astro— post here but

let’s come back to this anyway

heejun hugs you so often

if you aren’t a hug person, he respect that, but sometimes he can’t help it

he’s a cuddly person

whenever you cuddle, he likes to hold your hand

it makes him feel connected to you

and his voice just lowers and becomes super soft and gentle

and he just looks at you like you’re the most amazing person in the entire world

and to him, you are

cuddling also comes with soft talks

he talks about his day, about his career, then asks you about yours

and while you’re talking he’s just heart eyes for you because he thinks he’s so lucky to be able to be with you

alright moving on

your first i love you also came soon after you started dating

he wanted to wait until you were completely comfortable but it kinda just

slipped out

he had to leave to practice and he was maybe late

really late

he was rushing out the door, falling over himself as he pulled his shoes on

“have fun,” you mumbled absentmindedly as you opened the fridge for food

“yeah,” he huffed, pulling his jacket over his shoulders, “thanks babe. i love you, see you later—“

you didn’t have time to react before the door shut

you kind of just stood there, the cold air from the fridge hitting your bare skin

“wHaT”

an hour later, heejun got a call from you during a little break

“hello? [Y/N]?

“i love you too, heejun. mind waiting next time so i could actually say it back?”

needless to say, heejun was a smiley mess for the rest of the day

alright

fights with heejun

rare, he tries his hardest to keep away from fights

other than the little ones, over who gets the remote, over who gets the last slice, etc

but when they do happen, heejun tries to bring it back

but sometimes, that doesn’t work

he’d give you some space, and you’d give him space

but he never lets you go to bed angry or upset

especially with him

he takes on the cuddling tone, low and gentle, as he talks out his feelings and you talk about yours

fights don’t last more than a few hours with heejun

so in all

dating heejun means you’re ina relationship with a dorky, funny, loveable guy

that also means, your life gets a little dorky

every day is a new adventure

when he debuted with KNK, you were introduced to four other dorks

and they all loved you (not nearly as much as heejun does)

basically

dating heejun is an amazing thing

he treasures you, makes you laugh and feel loved

:)

[din-skywalker]

Anti Gravity

Ok here’s another fusion fic that I didn’t expect to write this soon without a request for it. But, I’m pretty happy with it and I love my new son. Here we go:

It is a thing that they do once every few weeks or so. Anti doesn't necessarily hate everything about it, but he also doesn’t necessarily like everything about it, either. It is the “Ego Game Night” that Chase had suggested they do every now and then and Anti has to admit, some of the things they do for fun is actually that: fun. Currently the egos are sitting in circle- well, all of them aside for Flynn, who’s asleep on the floor nearby- playing the childish game truth or dare. It is Henrik’s turn and he is humming softly, eyes scanning for their next victim. Henrik and Anti are the worst when it comes to dares, both having the worst ideas for the people they chose.

Anti frowns when Henrik’s eyes lock on him and a cruel smirk twists on his face. Well, so much for living. The kind of game they’re playing is where there are truth rounds and dare rounds- meaning whoever is chosen during a truth round has to do truth and vice versa. And, of course, it is a dare round when it became Henrik’s turn. That’s just Anti’s luck.

“Anti,” the doctor began, sealing the demon’s fate. Anti sighs heavily, rubbing at his with his fingertips as he nods, waiting for the end. “I dare you to fuse with Jackieboy.”

There’s a surprised gasp from all of the egos- well, all of them except for the slumbering Flynn and the dumb Robbie, anyway. They hadn’t yet incorporated fusing to this game so this would be the first time. “Is that allowed?” Jackieboy demanded, obviously not much liking the idea of fusing with a “villain”. Anti throws a dark glare at the hero because he doesn’t like the idea, either. He’s already annoying as hell when he runs around the house throwing different kinds of LGBT flags at everyone, yelling about equality even though everyone there already equally support LGBT rights. Hell, all of them are somehow in the group(Anti is gay shut up).

“We never said it wasn’t,” Henrik said mischievously, tapping his fingertips in front of his face like the evil genius he is. They all look to Chase because, well, he is the rule setter. The ego looks surprised himself as he hums in thought, rubbing at his scruffy chin.

“I’ll allow it,” Chase declared and Anti wants to strangle him so badly. “Besides, I would like to see what kind of monstrosity we get when Jackie and Anti fuse.”

“Chase,” Jackieboy began, talking before Anti could. “If I weren’t a hero that does everything good, you would already be dead.”

“I was expecting a threat from Anti,” Chase stated with a chuckle, leaning back on one of his hands to watch.

Anti grumbles to himself, silently cursing the stupid hat wearer as he stands. “Let’s just get this over with,” he hissed, holding a hand out in offering to Jackieboy. The hero frowns, eyebrows scrunching and he looks like he is about to deny the offer but then Anti reminds: “Or would you rather the punishment?”

That gets Jackieboy moving. He grabs onto Anti’s hand, letting the demon pull him to his feet. Masked eyes meet green pupils and the demon already knows that Anti is recording this with his stupid camera. Marvin is moving quickly, yanking his phone from Robbie’s hands(the zombie watches kid shows to keep his attention) and a sort of French song comes on. Anti throws him a look. “Seriously?”

“It will help with the mood,” Marvin said with a playful wink, setting his phone down in the center of the floor.

Anti rolls his eyes before once more locking gazes with his current dance partner. Jackieboy returns the look with a glare as Anti begins to lead, remembering a kind of dance he’d seen to this kind of music(he likes to watch dancing shows leave him alone). He believes it is called the Queer Tango- yes, that’s it. Random facts about the routine fill his mind and he recalls that it is a current dance movement for the LGBT movement, having started back in the mid 1900’s. He believes it fits him.

He moves his feet in the appropriate fashion and his eyes widen as he watches recognition flash in Jackieboy’s eyes and the hero picks up on the routine, following his lead perfectly. He must know of the Queer Tango as well. Anti spins Jackieboy and dips him appropriately, drawing him back, placing a hand on the side of his chest. His fingertips brush over what he knows to be the hero’s binder but he takes no notice of it and the hero looks relieved by this fact.

At first, Anti doesn’t believe they’re going to do the correct posture of pressing their foreheads together. He wasn’t going to engage it, he believed that Jackieboy would not like that in the slightest. But then Jackieboy leans forward, pressing his forehead against the demon’s and lightly shuts his masked eyes(the hero insists on wearing the stupid mask even when he’s not in full costume). Anti’s eyes widen before he relaxes and leans his head forward as well, shutting his eyes as the dance becomes slower, more relaxed. He hadn’t been expecting to enjoy this dance. Yet, here he is, feeling the most relaxed that he has for a few days. He even forgets about the other egos watching.

There’s the warmth, starting at his forehead, slowly spreading through his entire body. He opens his eyes a little when he hears a gasp from Jackieboy, finding panic in the hero’s eyes. The warmth has stopped spreading, pausing in Anti’s chest. This is when Anti remembers: this is Jackieboy’s first time fusing. He squeezes Jackieboy’s hand lightly in reassurance, whispering: “This is normal.”

What a lozy first time partner Anti must be. Ah well.

Jackieboy relaxes when he hears this and the warmth continues spreading, ending with the familiar explosion once it fills Anti’s toes.

When they finish fusing, they are surprised to actually feel stable. Not very stable, but more so than they had thought originally. The two who make up this new fusion are very different, after all.

They stand up straight, finding themselves to be taller than the two original people. They smirk at this finding, flexing their arms and clenching their fists as they try to get comfortable in their new form. The mask is now pushed back over their hair, pressing down a few of the dark green strands. A red aura surrounds their black and blue eyes, the whites being black while the pupils are a light blue, almost turquoise color. And then they feel an unfamiliar weight on both of their shoulders and they twist and turn trying to see what it is . They gasp when they see a pair of bony wings, red and misty clouds connecting each arch. They lift the bone wings with some effort, this being the first time they’ve ever tried this. The wings move with some resistance, changing to a soft pink color. They lift a clawed hand, poking at part of a bone wing with a black talon curiously while they “ruffle” their wings.

“Holy shit!” they jump, having forgotten that other people are currently watching. They look at Marvin and grin, wriggling their eyebrows as they punch the air in triumph. “Ya’ll look fucking awesome!” They nod in agreement, pulling at the red black t shirt they have on.

“Why do they get wings?” Chase asked, crossing his arms to pout. Their ears twitch in amusement at his words.

“Because we- I’m awesome!” they exclaimed, both Anti and Jackieboy’s energetic personalities mixing to make his fusion hella loud. Robbie grunts, clasping his hands over his ears at how loud the fusion is.

“So, what’s your name?” Henrik asked curiously, watching the glowing wings flutter up and down. “And can you actually fly?”

The fusion hums, looking curiously at their wings as they flap them a little before grinning. They point a finger upwards. “Only one way to find out!” they boom, rushing past everyone with incredible speed. Marvin hurries after, quickly following behind the magician. They end up on the roof of the building, the fusion standing on the edge. They saluted and before anyone could stop they then leap off.

“Oh my god they’re dead,” Henrik said in a hushed voice. “I always said I wanted them to die but… I didn’t mean it.”

“Yeah…” Marvin said in agreement, scratching at the skin beneath his mask. “This sucks.”

“Blows man,” Chase nodded. “Jackieboy was the coolest out of all of you.”

“Thanks Chase,” Marvin said, throwing him a glare. Chase merely shrugs. The magician is stepping forward to look over the edge when a red and black blur shoots over their heads.

“I can fly!” It’s the fusion. Their wings are spread wide open but they seem to be hovering because the wings aren’t even flapping. They do a flip and spread out like a starfish, grinning down at the other egos(minus Flynn he’s still sleeping). “Isn’t this awesome?! Of course it is! I can stab everyone from up here!” They frown a moment and add: “Stab all of the bad guys.”

They then go back to laughing, darting never which way.

“My god,” Henrik said, sounding impressed. “They can actually fly.”

“I wanna fly!” Chase is pouting once more, stomping his foot on the ground like a five year old.

“I mean, I can so whatever,” Marvin said with a shrug, gaining a glare from Chase now. “They just need to come up with a name. Hey!” He cups his hands around his mouth to call up to the excited fusion. “Get your ass down here! You need a name!”

The fusion pauses and then leisurely sinks down to the ground, landing lightly on their feet. They grin at the egos minus Flynn, wriggling their eyebrows with crosses arms. “I was thinking something like…” they hum, pulling a large and crooked knife from one of their pockets. Henrik’s eyes widen and he takes a step back, having a fear of knives. “I was thinking Anti Hero or something. Maybe Anti Man?” They laugh at their own joke, slapping a knee. Then they snap, grinning. “I know! Anti Gravity!”

Marvin nods, humming in thought as well. “That does sound pretty cool,” the magician stated, once more itching at the skin under his mask.

“That’s rad, dudes,” Chase stated, nodding with his whole body. “Totally fits ya, too!”

Robbie grunts as Henrik shrugs. “It works,” the doctor said.

The fusion, now Anti Gravity, chuckles as they pocket their knife once more. “Anyway, I’m off to kill some people-!” They pause and shake themself. “Off to kill some villains. Yeah, villains! Bye!”

“Wait-!” Henrik is shouting but the fusion leaps back into the air, already disappearing in the horizon. “Dammit.”

“Eh, let them have their fun,” Marvin said dismissively, walking back into the house, dragging Robbie after him. “Come on, Rob, we’ll fuse too now.” The zombie grunts in excitement.

“Well, there goes Game night,” Chase said glumly before looking at Henrik. “Henry!”

“No.”

“Let’s fuse too!”

“No.”

“Ah, come on!”

“No.”

Chase doesn’t stop pestering Henrik after that. Anti Gravity, farther off, flies above the city, scanning the ground for targets.

Criminal targets, of course. They are a hero still, after all.

____

I hope ya’ll enjoy ;)

[mermaidinstereo]

LIST: 10 of My Favorite Dark Music Videos

What you probably couldn't tell from my ongoing Christina Aguilera project is that I love dark shit. No, you probably won't find me at the local goth club nights (in suburban Florida, we don't have those), or crying to Sisters of Mercy, or blowing an entire week's paycheck at M.A.C. just for eyeliner (because ya girl is broke). Still, I enjoy a good vampire flick (and a lot of bad ones), prefer to rock a good dark lip, and one time blew $50 at Hot Topic on a coat that makes me feel like a tragic Edgar Allan Poe heroine. I guess you could say I'm barely a low-budget goth, but that's okay. That's just my vibe, I guess.

So today, I thought I'd count down 10 of my favorite music videos, that are all at once super totally goth and not at all. In no particular order, of course. (Because of Tumblr’s rules, I can’t embed more than five videos at once. So I’ll link to the bottom five, and embed the top five.)

10. "Mine" - Kim Jae Joong If the former TVXQ member was looking to make a name for himself, other than being just a K-pop prettyboy, well, he did it right. He was already a bankable actor, racking up views on both the big and small screens. And even after departing from TVXQ, with fellow ex-members Park Yoochun and Kim Junsu, formed the group JYJ, also successful in their own right. However, Jaejoong was not content with staying the course of K-pop typicality. In response, Jaejoong tapped into his inner rocker, unleashing "Mine," off his first solo mini album I. In this video, he runs through dark forests, plays with snakes, and struggles to break free from a wall, before appearing at the end of the video as a vampire that looks straight out of a J-rock band. One can only argue that this is Jaejoong's final form. Or is it?

9. "Hyde" - VIXX While VIXX started playing with darkness in "On and On," it was "Hyde" where they really hit their stride. Telling the story of a man struggling with a Jekyll-and-Hyde-esque duality in a relationship, images of the band's six members are juxtaposed--wearing white as cute, loving, boyfriend material, and black as horrifying, nightmarish, even abusive monsters. I gotta give an award to Leo for looking a little too into it when he strangles his lovely lady, shortly before black angel wings burst from his back. Dude is scary. And so is the setting of this video! It appears to be a vaguely decrepit mansion crawling with macabre decor...and some classic creepy crawlies. It's no wonder VIXX are pegged for K-pop's go-to goths. (For more creepy craziness from VIXX, there are a lot of videos to choose from, but perhaps nothing is more terrifying than “Voodoo Doll,” a video so gory it was banned from TV! Don’t worry, though--there is a clean version.)

8. "Election Day" - Arcadia When Duran Duran temporarily split in 1985, they birthed two side projects. On one side, the pop-friendly Power Station, led by powerhouse vocalist Robert Palmer, along with drummer Tony Thompson of Chic, and Duran's own John and Andy Taylor. Then there was Arcadia, the artsier goth-influenced group, comprised of Nick Rhodes, Simon Le Bon, and for a short period, Roger Taylor. In this video, Le Bon just looks like he got a nice dark dye job, but it's Nick Rhodes who got the full goth makeover, because of course Nick Rhodes did. I'm not exactly sure what's even happening in this video--leave that to anything Simon Le Bon did in the 80s--but the image of Nick Rhodes dancing around with a candelabra is pretty goth, if I do say so myself. Also, it's just a damn good song. And album.

7. "Married to the Music" - SHINee As K-pop acts go, SHINee have not always been the group that goes with the flow. Instead of ripping off T-shirts in music videos, they play with unusual concepts, sometimes freaky ones. Among those was 2015's "Married to the Music." While not exactly elegant, "Married" boasted a quirky, camp-horror concept, inspired equally by Rocky Horror Picture Show, and Michael Jackson's "Thriller." In the video, the five members visit a wacky house party in which, throughout the night, they find themselves having various body parts removed in bizarre methods. Key gets his head hacked off while spinning on a giant roulette wheel. Taemin's eyes pop out when he gets smacked in the back of the head by a baseball bat. A phantom hand in the sink rips off Onew's nose. Jonghyun's mouth comes off after some kind of kiss of death. Then, Minho's entire body is sacrificed in a birthday cake incident gone wrong. All this culminates at the end, where our mystery woman uses the discarded parts to build the perfect FrankenSHINee. Like Mary Shelley, but with more BB cream and an Off the Wall beat.

6. "Beast and the Harlot" - Avenged Sevenfold Unlike SHINee, A7X have always toyed with the darkness, but in a similar manner, do it their own way. This cut from 2005's City of Evil is actually a track describing the fall of Babylon, in incredible detail. The video, however, tells of a Faustian tale, through a lens of rock 'n roll excess. A visually striking video, and I'm not just talking about Zacky Vengeance's eyeshadow. Careful what y'all are getting into when signing contracts, guys.

5. "Call Me When You're Sober" - Evanescence I could list nearly any Evanescence video, really. In fact, I kind of owe a lot to Evanescence, since they kind of helped me discover my artistic identity a bit. That said, I picked this cut from 2006's The Open Door. In it, Amy plays Red Riding Hood, on a pretty bad date with the Big Bad Wolf, played by dashing British actor Oliver Goodwill. He cuddles up to the plaid-clad Amy, who is clearly uncomfortable with his advances. Somewhere there is an awesome scene with Amy surrounded by black-clad dancers as they float above the ground, and this is honestly the coolest thing I've seen in an Evanescence video (though, truthfully, "Good Enough" was pretty cool, too). But nothing tops Amy walking toward her douchey wolf--across the table, as dining utensils go flying off the table. Very Once Upon a Time. Regina would be proud.

4. "Out of My Mind" - Duran Duran

This is an obscure cut from their 1997 album Medazzaland, a period in which the beloved New Romantics got suuuuuper experimental. It's hard to find this video in HD on YouTube, so you kinda take what you get. The then-trio of Rhodes/Le Bon/Warren Cuccurullo traipse around a creepy house, are sometimes ghosts haunting a library, or sometimes--in the case of Rhodes--are Rococo gothic drag queens. Also, Simon rocks a choker at some point. Totes 90s. Also, the setting and cinematography recall Marilyn Manson's "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)." Hey, wasn't that by an 80s band, too?

3. "Frozen" - Madonna

I was maybe around seven or eight when Ray of Light was released. Maybe. But I vividly remember seeing this video on VH1 when my mom left it on. I was freaked out by it at the time, but of course, I was a child, of course I would be. A solitary, black-clad Madge dances around a barren wasteland, cuddling nothing but her flowing gown as ravens surround her. I think she was playing with Indian motifs at the time, considering her hand gestures and tattoos (also, Ray of Light boasted "Shanti/Ashtangi," never forget). This was probably the beginning of the Kabbalah thing, too, but it wasn't quite as big a story as it would become years later.

2. "Within Me" - Lacuna Coil

I'd be betraying myself if I didn't include a Lacuna Coil video in all this, another group that, with Evanescence, led me down an aesthetically dark path. A mellower cut from 2006's Karmacode has vocalists Andrea Ferro and Cristina Scabbia at odds, with Andrea sitting lonely in some kind of elaborate chair or throne, as Cristina crawls the desert, producing these creepy black tendrils for some reason. It's just a pretty video and song.

1. "Sayonara Hitori" - Taemin

For his first Japanese solo single, SHINee's Taemin pulled out all the stops. None of the cutesy image that was cultivated during SHINee's early period, instead, Taemin fully embraced his darkness, portraying several different characters. The first looks like he walked out of Inuyasha, dancing around a piano (no, I don't know why either) as blue flowers grow around him. The next scene finds him clad in the edgiest black garb possible as samurai spar behind him. Perhaps the most goth thing, however, is Taemin laying in a black coffin as very fabulous mourners lay blue flowers down. Not bad for a kid who somehow loses nearly everything he touches. Gotta keep it relatable. Of course, I subscribe to the belief that Taemin couldn’t have gothed it up without Jaejoong paving the way. 

Now, a few honorable mentions. Okay, a lot of honorable mentions:

Stone Temple Pilots, "Sour Girl"

Sunmi, "Full Moon"

4Minute, "Volume Up"

XIA, "Tarantallegra"

Rihanna, "Disturbia"

Taeyang, "I'll Be There"

Depeche Mode, "Walk in My Shoes"

30 Seconds to Mars, "The Kill"

Christina Aguilera, "Fighter" (I wanted to save this for the Xtina project, whenever I manage to get to this video)

Keane, "Disconnected"

FT Island, “Pray”

INFINITE, “Bad”

2NE1, “It Hurts (Slow)”

[calliecat93]

RWBY V5, CH9 Review: A Perfect Storm

(Repost Form My Now Defunct Review Blog)

Volume 5 has had a common criticism so far, and that it’s heavy focus on exposition. I’m not gonna lie, this is a very heavy exposition volume, even moreso than Volume 4. Now personally I don’t mind because it moves things along and allows for character development and moments. But I’m also incredibly easy to please. For others. especially those who started RWBY due to the fast-paced fight sequences, these moments can feel like the pacing is being slowed down and like all that’s happening is a lot of standing and talking. I can’t blame anyone who gets frustrated and annoyed at this. But this chapter seems to be where these complaints came to a head. This is easily the most disliked chapter so far in Volume 5. Even reactors I watch seemed underwhelmed by it. But… is it really that bad? Well lets give it a closer look, shall we?

Overview

We begin with the Branwen Tribe where Raven, in her tent, is sharpening her sword. But she is interrupted by Vernal, who informs her that Salem has found them. While Raven is surprised, it’s only for a second. She seems… almost resigned as Vernal explains that Cinder and the others are waiting to talk to her. It’s clear that Raven new that this was coming sooner or later. She even says that they had planned for this as she asks Vernal to get her helmet. Despite what Raven said before about keeping out of the conflict, she knew that it was coming to her sooner or later. Whether it be stubbornness or pride that kept her form worrying about it before, I cannot say. But the time has come, lets see how she handles it.

Raven, helmet on, walks outside where Cinder, Watts, Emerald, And Mercury await her. The bandit leader isn’t happy, berating her men. But Cinder tells her not to be too hard on them, it’s kind of hard to face down a Maiden and all. Which props to the effects team, the flames that Cinder produces this chapter looks badass. Cinder wants to speak with Raven, but Raven is having none of it, ordering her forces to start packing up so that they can relocate. As we all know though, it’s not going to be that simple.

I’ll give Raven this, she doesn’t take any shit. She says she has no reason to fear any of them when Mercury tries to intimidate her, which nearly causes Mercury to say something. I guess maybe about Yang, but whether they know the relation between the two or even care IDK. May have also been his father. But at the moment, that’s unimportant. The baddies introduce themselves… and Raven’s still unimpressed, calling Em and Merc kids that Cinder intimidated into following her, Watts a disgraced Atlas scientist (and doctor, as he points out), and how Cinder’s name is so coincidentally appropriate it’s lieks he picked it herself. That’s an interesting though. Did Cinder chose her last name? We don’t know anything about her history so it’s possible, especially since Cinderella’s (the fairy tale character that Cinder’s based on) name was one forced onto her. Ravens burn game is strong though.

We all know why the baddies are there though, and Cinder makes that clear. Raven therefore brings out Vernal, confirming to ANYONE still in doubt that yes, Vernal is the Spring Maiden. To further prove this, Cinder wants proof. So Vernal causes the sky to get cloudy and start a wind storm. All with some awesome Latin chanting int he background, I LOVE it when shows/movies implement that! So anyone still in doubt? No? Good! Vernal has had at least over a decade worth of training to mastering her powers, something that Raven low-key points out. Which I now that a lot really wanted a Maiden showdown. I did as well… but yeah Vernal is MUCH more experienced and trained with her power than Cinder is. Cinder, as she herself points out, sin’t stupid and knows that she’d be at a disadvantage. hence why we’re going with negotiation rather than an outright fight. Sorry to those who want more action, but logically that makes far more sense. But hey, we still have time for a showdown later on!

Anyways, Cinder goes on to point out that if Raven knows as much as she claims, then she knows that there’s no way that she can truly escape Salem. But the Fall Maiden has a proposition. An olive branch, if you will. You see, the only real need that Salem has for the Maidens is to access the chambers that house the Relics… I doubt that’s the only reason, but that’s the one of concern. The baddies only need Raven and Vernal’s assistance in order to open the chamber within Haven so that they can acquire the Relic of Knowledge. If Raven agrees and goes through with the plan, then once it’s over then not only can she keep Vernal, but Salem will ‘forgive’ her previous actions and allow the Branwen tribe to be left alone. With Lionheart now aligned with Salem, the White Fang’s planned attack, and with Haven still out of session, all they have to do is walk in, open the chamber, and walk out. Simple.

Raven, unsurprisingly, refuses at first. She once again claims to want no part in Ozpin and Salem’s war… but Cinder points out that housing a Maiden kind of killed that plan. Cinder makes it clear that Raven’s really not being given a choice and Watts isn’t giving her any time to think it over. Raven has been backed into a corner, and as tough as she may be trying to be, she knows that she’s not getting out of it. Raven removes her helmet, telling the group that she doesn’t trust nay of them, so to get it they’re going to have to bargain with her. What does Raven want? Oh. not much really… just to kill Qrow… wait, WHAT? Yeah, ugh… Raven wants to kill Qrow. Why? There’s any number of reasons, but the one she claims is that her brother knows that she has the Spring Maiden and she doesn’t want that info spread any further than it already has. Ugh… okay… but you still want to kill your own brother… alright then.

Raven wants them to have Lionheart lure Qrow into an ambush so that he can be taken out. If they do so, then she’ll have Vernal get the Relic and all of them can walk out of there scratch free. Cinder likes this plan, but Watts isn’t so sure of it. It’s not that simple after all, and he knows it. As he points out, the objective is to get the Relic with as little conflict as possible. Qrow isn’t going to go down without a fight, and since he’ll absolutely fight back, that’s going to cause a conflict. One that can screw over the entire plan and complicate getting the Relic away from Haven. But Raven seems confident that with the numbers advantage, which would include two Maidens, they’ll be able to beat Qrow regardless of his skill.

But Emerald points out another snag. Qrow has the students with him, including Ruby. You know, the girl who both crippled Cinder and mutilated Tyrian’s tail. Chances are, they’d end up involved somehow and if that happens, there’s an even bigger chance of a massacre occurring. Something that Watts realizes and he’s growing increasingly frustrated with the plan getting more complicated than it needs to be. But this doesn’t discourage either Cinder or Raven. The new plan is to wait for the full moon, then have Lionheart call over Qrow and the students at the same time that Hazel, Adam, and the White Fang arrive to Mistral. They take out the good guys and allow the White Fang’s attack to proceed with zero opposition. Therefore, the attack will destroy any evidence left behind and the bad guys still get the Relic away with no one knowing of their involvement.

Cinder moves in to seal the deal, but Watts stops her. Not just because of how risky the plan is, but he knows the real reason why Cinder wants this. The Fall Maiden wants revenge on Ruby. This gives her the chance to have the young Huntress right where she wants her and to enact that revenge. In the grand scheme of things, this is a VERY bad time to make that move. Ther’es too many risks, and Watts doesn’t want the entire plan screwed up all because Cinder wants payback on a 16 year old girl. But Cinder isn’t taking Watts’ backtalk anymore, daring him to oppose her as she sets his hand on fire. Ouch. With that, the deal is sealed.

So… lets check in on Menagerie! How much worst can it be over… oh right, assassination plot in progress. Forgot. Anyways, Ghira is thrashing the White Fang mooks with the Albane’s being the only real threat. Corsic is able to hit him with a fireball, breaking Ghira’s aura, but Corsic gets pinned by a naginata int he process. Though taking off his hood solves that problem. The Albane’s daggers allow them to attack with fire and wind Dust. Not the coolest weapons int he series, but not bad. Blake and Sun soon arrive, Sun taking out a mook and holding off a wind-fire tornado as Blake conjures up an ice clone to trap the brother’s weapon-wielding hands. Ghira tells Blake to go find Kali, saying that he and Sun will handle the Albane’s. Blake goes just as the brother’s break free. I’ll admit to being kind of annoyed that they didn’t just… knock them out while they were stuck when they were visibly melting the ice, but then again the conflict would be over very quickly if they did. Plus I’ve seen too many shows where they don’t take that kind of easy step, so meh.

Back at the Branwen tribe, Vernal reports to Raven. The Spring Maiden had followed the baddies after they left discovering their location at a nearby ship. Thankfully, Raven is NOT being completely stupid. She knows that Salem and her forces aren’t just going to leave them alone when all is said and done. Once Salem has no use for them anymore, Salem will finish them off. Raven wants a guarantee on being left alone for good, so what does she intend to do? Why take the Relic for herself, of course! Sure, housing a Maiden caused the conflict to come to you, adding the Relic to it will absolutely guarantee the bad guys never messing with you! Genius! Yeah, this… this is not a good plan. At all. But yeah the plan is to steal the Relic while row, the students, and the bad guys are fighting, allowing them the perfect distraction to get away seamlessly. Note that she doesn’t at all take back wanting her brother dead, but Vernal does point out that this means that Raven may very well have to face Yang. Raven however says that Yang made her choice,but it’s clear that there is some hesitance there. But it’s right for the tribe, something that she makes sure that Vernal understands before leaving to fly to Mistral. We see Qrow look out the window as a bird passes by before Oscar calls him away to speak to Ozpin. Don’t see the point in that bit, but whatever.

To wrap the chapter up, we cut back to Blake, making her way through the house as she searches for her mother. In one of the rooms, about the only one where nothing is happening, we see Ilia. She’s on the second floor of the room, away from all the conflict as she hears someone coming. Blake enters the room, spotting Ilia and the chapter ends with the two girls staring each other down. A fight between them now guaranteed.

Review

As I said in the beginning, this is probably the most disliked chapter of the volume, and I can see why. The Menagerie plot made no real progress, it was more heavy exposition, there’s some logic break with not taking out the Albane’s, and while the Qrow scene was brief it was tackled on. Some may not have liked the villain focus either. This has been a very heavy exposition volume and I completely understand why people are sick of it The last fight was in Chapter 4, and it was a very minor one that lasted around a minute. It feels dragged out and like nothing is really happening aside form a bunch of talking about what’s coming. It’s frustrating after five or so straight chapters of this. For anyone who sues these reasons to critique the chapter, or even the volume, I can’t blame them.

But… I can’t say I hated the chapter. I have very minor issues with it, like the logic break and Qrow’s pointless scene. But again I’ve seen worse in regards to the logic break and Qrows scene was brief enough that it’s just head-tilting to me.But if I said that I hated the chapter or found it to be the worst in the volume, I would be lying. I found Chapters 5 and 7 to be much weaker since 5 had repeated information and 7 was for all intents and purposes, a filler episode. I still find them good chapters, but nothing interesting. This one? It interested me because it had the bad guys.

Look, I want the bad guys to lose. I also don’t like Raven, so you;d think I’d hate this episode since it focused on her. But she’s also interesting and a key player in this arc, so I want them to do something with her also. And I liked what we saw. Raven has been backed against the wall, and she knows it. But she’s not stupid or going to submit either. She’s taking matters into her own hands and making her own plans. Will they succeed? Not sure, but I’m glad to see her not being stupid and having a character taking a third option instead of defaulting to the good or bad side. Shes a wild card that will cause conflict for both sides of the war, and its interesting at the very least.

That said… this is an incredibly stupid deal. I get she had no choice, but again taking the Relic is going to make her position worst. The villains will still go after her, this time to kill. She wants no part of the conflict, but she’s putting herself right into the middle of it. Maybe she’s too concerned about the tribe;s safety to realize that, but this is a short term solution to a long term problem. Also, as I said, she does NOT take back wanting Qrow dead. Heck, she plan to let the attack on him be the distraction to enact her plan. Wow lady… wow. She does hesitate regarding Yang, so there’s some humanity there. But still, she knows that she’s setting her daughter up to get hurt. Maybe she’ll interfere if she realizes that Yang is in life- threatening danger, but it doesn’t change the fact that she’s allowing people to get hurt for her one purposes. Woman, you need to sort out your priorities. Just saying.

As far as the other bad guys go, it’s good to see conflict within the ranks. First, I’m glad to see Cinder back to the overly confident, in control person she was before Volume 3. Maybe I just love Jessica Nigri’s performance, but I like not seeing the villainess mope around. While I want Cinder to pay for all hat she’s done, as a villain I love her character. So it’s good to see her back on her feet and talking back against Watts after not being able to do so in Volume 4. But seeing her and Watts; conflicting ideas is good and shows that the villains aren’t in as perfect of a place as they were in Beacon. Cinder had no one talking back to her and pulled all the strings, also having a clear mind and objective. Here? Revenge is clouding her judgement and caused her to adjust what was a simple, but effective plan, Something that Watts is against, knowing the risks and that Cinder’s grudge is going to screw them over. He’s given no choice but to follow cause Maiden, but I’m glad to see someone pointing out the flaws. But it shows that the villains don’t hold all the cards. They are setting themselves up for a possible defeat and the blame will be on Cinder if it goes downhill. Will it? I cant say. But if it means that the good guys have a chance at winning this time, I’ll take it.

Vernal doesn’t have a lot going for her. Other than confirming that she’s the Spring Maiden, she’s talked about as though she’s an object. She’s key to this whole plan and both Raven and the bad guys want her for their intentions. One thing I wish we had was more focus on Vernal’s feelings about this. We do see that she’s not comfortable with the plan or the danger to the tribe, but how doe she feel about being used? We can tell that her priority is the tribe, wanting to do what is best for it and it’s survival. I just want more on how she feels about her role in it and if it’s the right thing to do. Will this happen in later chapters? Maybe. I hope so cause Vernal is an interesting character and I’d like to see more of her.

On Menagerie… there’s not a lot to say. All the scene really did was set up the confrontation between Blake and Ilia. Which I’m fine with. I liked the bit of action we got, even if it’s not much. Ghira is a badass and while I didn’t like him calling Sun a waste of space (though I’m glad that Blake has stood up for him), I still love Papa Belladonna. But yeah, we only got some minimal progression that doesn’t amount o much, so not much mroe to say. But hey, it set sup plenty for Chapter 10! Haha, boy is that review gonna be fun.

Conclusion

Is this chapter perfect? No, absolutely not. There’s plenty of issues that I can understand others holding against it. But do I consider it a bad chapter. No. I wouldn’t call it either the worst chapter in the volume or even in the show. We got progression with the villains at the very least, something I fell was long overdue for the volume. The interactions between Raven and Cinder were interesting and tense and it set sup conflict not just between the bad guys and the third party, but for our heroes as well. And while the Menagerie plot had no true progress, again we have plenty set up for the next chapter and the long awaited fight between Blake and Ilia. I left the chapter feeling satisfied and ready for what came next. But again, I am super easy to please. But yeah, everyone has an opinion and are free to express that opinion. My own? I liked the chapter and I eagerly await what’s coming next!