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prettywordsyouleft · 3 years

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The Cowboy - Part 4

Summary: Leaving the city for a rural area called Blayne seemed simple enough. Your task was to convince the people to agree with selling their land for a resort redevelopment. But once there, you soon realise that your city ways are entirely different to theirs. Winning their trust was going to take some effort, and when you start to fall for a local cowboy, you wonder if you really needed Blayne more than the city life after all.

Pairing: Jung Jaehyun x female reader

Genre: cowboy au / drama / romance / if you squint there’s some enemies to lovers up in here.

Warnings: Jung Jaehyun is a cowboy, need I say more? (a bit of angst and drama, and it sometimes might feel like you’re reading a Nicolas Sparks book, so I’m told lol) --- there’s a bit of angst in this part

Word count: 2078

This series will be updated every Thursday and Friday.

Preview | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

“That was delicious, thank you!”

“I hope you have room in your stomach for apple crumble,” Mr Jung said, leaning across the table towards you. “June is a mighty fine cook but an even greater baker.”

“The reason he married me, so he says.”

You smiled warmly, enjoying the banter between the pair. Their love for one another was evident. You hadn’t seen such a genuine display of affection in years. The city had jaded your parents and kept them looking for the next big project instead of cosy nights curled up together.

They’re professionals, you reminded yourself when you felt a sense of sadness for your parents. They don’t have time like they do out here.

“Were the heifers put into the bottom field?”

You had almost forgotten Jaehyun was sitting at your side until he cleared his throat then, wiping his mouth with a napkin. “Yeah, I moved them this morning.”

“By yourself?”

“You had Caleb up in the high fields with you and Avery was otherwise preoccupied with someone,” he continued, and you felt eyes boring into the side of your head on the latter half of the conversation.

You smiled brightly. “It must take a lot of people to run such a big ranch like yours, Mr Jung.”

“We make do with the help we have.”

“We could do with three more men,” Jaehyun muttered, and you looked at him, pausing in saying anything in response when you noticed the dark look within the elder’s eyes.

Blayne was under-populated. You already knew this from the basic land per capita estimates online and in the business proposal for Blayne’s development. If more jobs were created here, then the farms that were struggling would be able to hire more help.

But Blayne also lacked housing. It would need to supply appropriate accommodation for new workers. You stewed over the thought of how many changes would be needed to not only make Blayne easily accessible but also improve the existing community until a dessert plate was placed in front of you.

Blinking out of your reverie, you beamed up at June. “I cannot wait to try it!”

After dinner, you thanked both your hosts generously. “I’ve not had a home-cooked meal quite as tasty as that before.”

“Your mother?” June enquired.

“She’s a professor at the School of Commerce.”

“Ah, she would have been too busy to make meals a priority.”

“It’s okay! I admire her for her work ethic. She’s taught me a lot. Both my parents have always been busy, but that’s how it is in the city.”

“Busy people don’t often see the bigger picture. I can tell by how eager you were to take up the position out here,” Mr Jung mentioned gruffly and you nodded despite his expression. “A woman of marrying age coming up here all alone is usually unheard of.”

“Perhaps Blayne will leave an impression on Y/N, honey.” June offered, patting her husband’s lower arm fondly. She then smiled at you. “You seem quite confident.”

“I’m hopeful I can make a positive change here,” you stated, your own smile fading when you heard a scoff, and then feet moving across the gravel behind you. Darting your focus to the disappearing man that had been waiting nearby, you looked back at his parents. “Thank you again!”

“We’ll have you over anytime, sugar!”

Turning on your heel, you took the pathway that Jaehyun had just departed down, finding him strapping up the horse that had brought you here earlier in the evening. You stopped near his side, frowning at his efforts. “Should you be asking the horse to work again?”

Jaehyun looked in your direction before returning his gaze back to his efforts, not answering your question.

“Your mother said it was too dark to ride last night. Shouldn’t we take the truck since the moon is now up in the sky?” you prompted, shifting your eyes to the heavens. You gasped in awe. “Wow, I’ve never seen such a clear night sky before!”

“Pollution inhibits that,” Jaehyun explained curtly, yanking on a strap and tightening it into place.

“It’s so beautiful out here, though. It’s a shame not many people have experienced it outside of a postcard.”

“Why don’t you save the speech for someone who is interested?”

“Excuse me?” Staring back at the man beside you, you tilted your head to the side. “You’re awfully moody tonight, Mr Cowboy.”

“Back to that name, huh?”

“Well, since you’re feeling a little cold towards me, I don’t know if it’s my place to call you by your first name,” you explained. Jaehyun didn’t respond again, and you sighed. “What did I do wrong?”

“Are you always this self-centred? Can’t you see the bigger picture than the goal inside your head?” Jaehyun questioned, sliding his hands onto his hips and finally facing you. He looked you over again, much as he had earlier when he first saw you as he jumped down from the wagon. Instead of the kindness you had experienced then, it was laced with scrutiny this time. You lowered your gaze to your outfit and stepped back.

“Hey…” you started, and then squared your jaw.

Just who was this guy to act so blunt with you? You should have stuck with believing he was the rude and full of assumptions jerk just as you had thought of him earlier in the day. Perhaps it was the fresh air and gentleness of the wagon ride that had softened your heart to him somehow. You should have known better to trust in your instincts.

Turning on your heel, you started walking down the drive towards the field you had travelled across from your place to the main homestead on this land. You didn’t get far before a hand reached out and yanked on your forearm roughly. “What are you doing?!”

“Going home!”

“Oh, is that so? Through a darkened field? See, this is why you belong in the city, Y/N. You have no idea about the dangers of a working farm. You’re used to living in tiny apartments and navigating mazes of streets and buildings and-”

“I didn’t come here to have you tell me what you think about me, Jaehyun.”

“No, I’m sure you didn’t. But you did come out here all alone with zero understanding of how the country works. You’re here to change how we are? What a joke. You have no concept of what Blayne is about. You’ve not even stopped to take the time to listen to those around you. Instead, you’re dreaming up something big that none of us wants. Can’t you tell that? We might be showing you some country hospitality right now, but don’t go thinking people want you here.”

“That’s incredibly evident, don’t you worry,” you bit back, shaking his grip off your arm.

Jaehyun ran an agitated hand through his hair before looking at you again. “I’ll take you home. Come on.”

“I’m good with directions. I’ll take myself back.”

“What you see during the day changes at night around here. Hate me all you like, but I’ll take you home so I don’t have to worry about you falling in an open drain pipe.”

You opened your mouth to refute the offer, but the image he had painted was enough for you to silently march back over to the wagon. Jaehyun checked everything over again and jumped up into the seat, his hand reaching down to help you up.

Stubbornly, you ignored it and heaved yourself into the seat.

The ride back home was silent, and you preferred it that way. After the outburst in the field, you had little to say to the man. You were grateful he seemed compliant of such silence and didn’t offer any conversation from his behalf either. All the same, you were somewhat holding out for an apology.

You gained none, however.

Leaping down from the wagon, you merely tipped your head as Jaehyun did in farewell and then headed inside without a single word. You watched as the wagon disappeared thereafter, and finally, let out a string of incoherent cursing and annoyance.

You blew a strand of hair away from your face and glowered out the window. “God, I hate him.”

When the morning rose, you got up with a new plan in place. The night before, you had spent the first part of it packing your belongings and then unpacking several times over. You were done with Blayne. If the people didn’t want you here, then you would take heed of their warning and leave.

However, you had been too confident when your boss assigned you with this project.

“They will resist change, you know.”

You nodded. “Of course, but I’m equipped to handle it.”

“Are you?”

“You wouldn’t have pitched the proposal to me if you didn’t think I was the best to acquire the deal, Pierce.”

That, along with the fact that everyone seemingly had bets on when you’d depart played into your new resolve. You would show them just how capable you truly were.

First, however, you needed more information. “Is there a local library or archives here, May?”

“Library?”

You nodded. “Or a town hall? Surely the public can access the information there?”

“Our town hall was burned down ten years ago,” another person at the diner counter mentioned, despite May’s obvious hand swatting him off. He smiled at you. “You’ll have to go to the town over for anything like that.”

“Thank you, you’ve been a great help. Thanks for the coffee, May!”

Once in your car again, you headed back down the country highway and took the forty-five minute drive to the closet township. You cried with comforting relief when you heard the usual bleeps of your phone notification ring in succession.

“Ah, I’m back in a place of proper civilisation!”

Although this township had most amenities, you still were surprised by how small the town hall was. Having no luck there, you went next door to the equally quaint library and piled up all the documents and texts you could find on Blayne.

With a pen in hand ready to take down notes, you picked up the first journal and began to read.

You weren’t aware of how long you spent perusing the history of the area or familiarising yourself with the generations of family lines that were born and bred in Blayne. Stopping on an interesting line in the Jung family, you let out a low whistle. “June and May aren’t originally from Blayne?”

“Perhaps Blayne will leave an impression on Y/N, honey.”

June’s comment from last night pulled a smile onto your lips. At least there seemed to be one person rooting for your stay in Blayne.

It was then when you saw how late into the afternoon it was and you collected up your belongings, asking a clerk if you could take a couple of the history logs with you. After registering with the library and checking them out, you stepped into the warm air, smiling triumphantly at your discovery.

You then pulled out your phone, browsing through the messages you had received. Natalia had contacted you the most, and you pressed call instead of replying, waiting for the call to connect.

“You didn’t let me know if you got there safely!”

“I couldn’t really, the signal out in that place is something else,” you admitted with a grin as you headed to your car. You climbed inside it and then sighed. “I miss you, Natty.”

“Not enough to assure me that you’re alive!”

“Come on, it’s only been a few days, and I’m talking to you now. Isn’t that enough?” you humoured, watching a family cross the intersection up ahead. The little girl skipping across the road seemed so carefree compared to what you had been at that age.

You wondered if the city environment had made you cynical or if that was just who you naturally were.

Natalia cleared her throat and gained your attention again. “Yeah, yeah. So, any hot cowboys out there?”

The image of Jaehyun immediately appeared in your mind, and it ruined your mood entirely. “No. Not a single one.”

“Aw man, here I had you pegged for having a hot summer romance with some farm boy out there.”

“I’m here to work, Natty,” you reminded, both for hers and your sakes. “Even if there was someone handsome, he’s not going to do anything for me.”

_________________

Part 5

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professormembranexreader · 3 years

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REWRITING MY FIRST ONESHOT

Membrane x Doubtful! Assistant! Reader

(Hurt & Comfort)

"God I hate them." I mumbled. My coworkers set me up. With him. The astounding Professor Miguel Membrane. They'd all gone home early so I'd have to work with him. Besides, it was NOT a good time to be stuck in an office with Professor Membrane.

I'd always had a huge crush on him. Why? It's simple. He was perfect. The perfect scientist, the perfect celebrity, the perfect everything. But there was one fault I found in him.

He wasn't looking for a partner.

I was head over heels for Membrane, but his only love was for science and his kids. No one else. He was my weakness. And that weakness was one-sided. Like everyone said, the only things burning were his passion for science and his cooking.

I shook my head and cleared my mind. Just survive tonight. You can cry and eat ice cream later. Just accept that his rich baritone voice would never say the three words that you wanted to hear most.

I sighed again and tried to focus on my work. We were simply trying to upgrade the pipelines. Nothing too big, except he intended to replace it with a system that would purify the water as it went. He'd somehow managed to create a film-like membrane that would catch particles that were not water. There would be several of these film-like walls throughout the pipes.

The fucking genius.

And I was alone with him.

Fuck me.

Why was I so nervous about that? Oh yeah, because he makes my heart skip an abnormal amount of beats whenever I do much as think about him touching me (even in a non-sexual way).

"(Y/N)? I need some help." Fuck. My mind went to the worst places as I ushered myself towards his desk. Just get yourself through today.

"Yes, sir?" I asked. As he instructed me to take notes, my mind couldn't help but drift slightly. What was under that lab coat? Was it a soft dad-bod or was it a chiseled sculpture? FOCUS. I managed to get most of the details down before my mind went somewhere else.

"Could you copy all of that down in my memos and bring me my notebook?" He asked.

"Which notebook?" I asked.

He shot me a glare that could implode the sun into a black hole. If looks could kill, I'd be stabbed. Five times.

"Right. That one." I gulped and hoped I knew which notebook he was actually referring to.

Membrane's office was not how you'd expect it to be. Instead of the pristine, organized study... how do I say this? No use sugarcoating it. It's a fucking mess. How am I supposed to find anything in this? I rolled my eyes and started looking. It wasn't going to find itself.

"Where is it?" I mumbled. Amongst all the notebooks, paper balls, and pens, it was impossible to tell what was and wasn't important.

There was no way I could find this notebook standing up. I got down on my hands and knees and started to dig through the overwhelming heap of paper. Not noticing, I started to speak out loud.

"Ugh, why am I even here? My dumb coworkers... the nerve of them. Making me stay alone with him for 7 hours. I fucking hate them. Jerks." I grumbled under my breath.

"Why did they even hire me?" I said. "I'm just a loser fresh out of college who drives a Chevy." I sighed. "I'm not even that smart... I had a 2.8 GPA. I'm dumber than a rock."

"Fuck's sake, I can't even use the coffee machine!" I whispered yelled. "It has so many unlabeled buttons on it, and it makes it impossible to just get a black fucking coffee!"

"I'm not good for anything. Am I? I can't even find the one notebook he asked me for." My eyes narrowed as I felt hot tears begin to prick my vision. "It's just a fucking notebook!

"To be fair though, how could he manage to find anything when his office is like this?! It's so cluttered!"

"Me gustaría limpiarlo, pero no puedo. No tiempo," mumbled a familiar baritone voice.

Oh fuck.

I heard footsteps getting closer to me. Each step making my face slightly paler. By the time he was behind me, ghosts looked alive.

"How much did you hear?" I asked with a shaking voice. Membrane said nothing. Instead, he pulled me into his chest for a warm embrace. I stood in shock, before openly sobbing into his chest.

"You are so much better than you realize." I couldn't see his eyes, but I could only imagine they were studying me. "You aren't dumb. You aren't a loser. You're you."

I tried to hold back my sobs, but I failed miserably. He rubbed circles onto my back. After a few seconds, he pulled away ever so slightly to hold my face.

"Do you know why we hired you, (Y/N)?" He asked.

Tears streaming down my face, I shook my head "no".

"We hired you because you are hardworking, intuitive, courageous, and most of all, you're brave." His gloved hand ran through my hair.

"How... how am I brave?" I sniffled.

"Oh, (Y/N)." He sighed. "Like you said, you are fresh out of college. This is your first real job. And you're with me!" He chuckled. "I'm well aware that several of my employees are intimidated by me, (Y/N). And it's those I try to reach out to the most."

Membrane tilted my chin closer to his face. "And I've had my eyes on you for a while. And I'm very impressed with your work. I've been harder on you because I want you to be better."

I blinked away tears as he told me this. "Thank you, sir." I tried to pull away, but he didn't let me go.

"That's not all, (L/N)." He said. "I listen to the rumors that float around the workplace, ¿sabes?" I did not like where this is going. "I do like to know all I can about my employees. Do you know what I heard, (Y/N)?"

I gulped. This was it. He was going to fire me for liking him. It was going to happen. It just had to.

"I'm sorry, sir." I said, tearing up. His expression changed to one of shock.

"¿Que dices, cariño?" He said quietly.

I looked up at him with watery eyes. "I understand if you want to let me go. It's not professional behavior. I'm sorry."

"¿Qué? Oh, (Y/N), I would never do that. You're an incredible asset to our team. And..." he trailed off, looking away from me.

"What is it?" I asked nervously.

"I know you have feelings for me..." The entirety of our relationship would depend on his next few words. My breath hitches in my throat.

"And... they are acknowledged." My heart dropped, and my soul shattered. It's over. I began to sob once more.

A quiet "Ay, ¡soy cómo un pendejo!" could be heard from under his breath.

"I meant... uh... It's... ¡Chingado! ¿Qué es la palabra?" He paused for a bit, eyes darting back and forth behind his goggles. "¡Mutuos, pero en inglés!" He exclaimed. It was almost sad.

I sniffled and kept my head buried in his chest. I couldn't understand what he was saying. As far as I know he was freaking out that I was crying again. If only I could understand Spanish.

He sighed and opted for a different word. "(Y/N)... I feel the same."

"Wait wha-"

"I feel the same as you do."

"Seriously?"

"Sí." He said. I ambushed him in a hug around his neck. He made a sound and fell backwards, taking me with him. Laughing and crying tears of joy, I held him like there was no tomorrow.

"¡Ay, mi amor! ¡Cálmate! It's okay!" But I was feeling much more than okay. And right when I thought it couldn't get any better, I felt something press against my lips.

My eyes popped open in surprise, but upon realizing it was just him, they fluttered closed. It was bliss.

As he pulled away from the kiss, he simply said, "Do you think you can hand me that notebook now?

#writing #membrane #professor membrane #professor membrane x reader

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ficswithluv · 4 years

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Tatsu’s Choices: 2019 Awards

Ficswithluv launched in September of 2019, and we could not have possibly imagined that we would grow as quickly and wonderfully as we have!! You all send us such phenomenal recs every week, you've helped to spread love, positivity, and feedback to so many authors on this site, and we cannot wait to see how that continues in 2020!!!

Because you've all been so absolutely wonderful about sending in your favourite fics and telling us a bit about why you liked them, we thought we would continue the trend! Additionally, in order to celebrate our lovely affiliated authors, we’ve also decided to pick one fic from each of them to showcase their talents too!

And so we present ‘The Best of FWL’, where Tatsumaki* selects a handful of fics from each masterlist we've had so far, as well as from masterlists from every author associated with ficswithluv, and we highlight them in one large masterpost!

*Tatsumaki is the Discord Bot that the Admins use to choose bookclub fics. She randomly generates the fics using numbers. Hence: Tatsu’s Choices!

💌 ⇥ Affiliated Author

Best Seokjin Fics

⟶ all i want for christmas ➵ @sunkoos 💌

↳ Slice of Life AU ღ nsfw oneshot

« Seokjin, your ever eccentric love of your life, proposes an unconventional idea you cannot deny taking him up on. »

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⟶ blood and mercy ➵ @sugasgrowl

↳ Mafia AU ღ sfw series

« There is a rat in Bangtan, but you’re going to fight for mercy. »

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⟶ bobsy die ➵ @jincherie

↳ Werewolf AU ღ nsfw oneshot

« Fed up after a week of being ignored by your friend and crush, you march on over there to rip him a new one with hell on your heels and find yourself in a situation with more than you bargained for. »

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⟶ date night ➵ @bang-tan-fan 💌

↳ Idol AU ღ sfw oneshot

« you and your husband relax with a date night. »

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⟶ erasers ➵ @bloodpotato 💌

↳ Soulmate AU ღ sfw oneshot

« You never thought to contact your soulmate through the erasers you always lose until you lose something extremely important and irreplaceable. »

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⟶ ghost night out ➵ @spookitokki 💌

↳ Supernatural AU ღ sfw oneshot

« After bearing the sting of a rough rejection, you call Jin to come to the usual hangout in the middle of the night in hopes that he can cheer you up. It seems to work until you both are met with a dark presence and an unusual chill. »

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⟶ i thought i was alone ➵ @aroseforyoongi

↳ Roommate AU ღ nsfw oneshot

« On the day your boyfriend cheats on you, Seokjin is there to provide comfort and some greatly needed affection. He is the perfect roommate and friend. Always patient and willing to lend an ear. It is then, when you’re with him, that you realize that maybe you want more. »

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⟶ just say goodnight and go ➵ @vanaera

↳ Roommate AU ღ sfw oneshot

« The spirit of Christmas is yet to be felt as a blackout on a chilly December night becomes the icing on the cake of your horribly shitty day. You just really want to sleep tonight but your neighbor seems to have lost his mind again when he comes knocking on your door to demand for an uncalled sleepover. Said neighbor is Kim Seokjin, the famed crush of the university, and no, he’s not your friend. He’s most definitely not your crush and he’s absolutely not the reason why warmth fills your entire being when it’s not even summer. »

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⟶ not enough ➵ @jingabitch 💌

↳ Idol AU ღ nsfw series

« When Jin cheats on his girlfriend while on tour, it’s the last straw for their already strained relationship. »

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⟶ off script ➵ @baojinnie

↳ Friends to Lovers AU ღ nsfw oneshot

« You’re my best friend, please don’t forget about me.The script says, you hug him, and promise him never, and assure him that he will always be part of your life, will he be a groomsman, or something?But then before you can do that, he stops laughing. He looks you in the eyes, closes the distance between you, and you have never seen him look so serious. Warms arms tighten around your waist and his lips brush the tears off your face before you realize they ever even fell. »

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⟶ olive me (loves olive you) ➵ @joopiterjoon 💌

↳ Friends to Lovers AU ღ nsfw series

« A series of drabbles about you and your boyfriend, Kim Seokjin »

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⟶ peach parfait ➵ @jamaisjoons

↳ Enemies to Lovers AU ღ nsfw twoshot

« you and seokjin have always been at odds as the top two chefs at big hit academy of culinary arts. »

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⟶ pink panther ➵ @gimmesumsuga

↳ Hybrid AU ღ nsfw oneshot

« The one where your boss, Kim Seokjin, tries to show you how beautiful you are. »

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⟶ sempiternal ➵ @softlyjiminie 💌

↳ Hogwarts AU ღ sfw oneshot

« seokjin helps you get over your ex.»

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⟶ strawberry roses ➵ @peekaboongi 💌

↳ Cupid AU ღ nsfw oneshot

« When a chaotic man who claims to be a Cupid appears, your dull life is suddenly filled with laughter and strawberry roses. You’re just forgetting one important thing—magic never lasts past midnight. ; or, chaotic but domestic Jin trying to teach you how to make strawberries resemble roses »

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⟶ strings ➵ @holyfluffly 💌

↳ Idol AU ღ nsfw oneshot

« You audition to be a BigHit backup dancer. .»

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⟶ the bough that broke ➵ @readbeneaththelines 💌

↳ Idol AU ღ nsfw series

« Jin is injured from an avoidable accident, leaving him partially paralyzed from the waist down. Reader is the nurse that is hired to take care of him once he gets back to the dorms and begins the physically and emotionally painful road to recovery. Will she have what it takes to spark determination in him to get back on the stage? »

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⟶ waterboy ➵ @dimpled-gukkie 💌

↳ Roommates AU ღ sfw oneshot

« Craigslist is very hit or miss for you, so maybe you shouldn’t have chosen to find a roommate that way. At least he’s cute though. »

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Best Yoongi Fics

⟶ all the room in the world ➵ @inkofyoongi 💌

↳ Friends to Lovers AU ღ sfw twoshot

« After four years, you go back to Daegu for Taehyung’s wedding. However, things aren’t as you left them… and Min Yoongi either. »

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⟶ baby’s first christmas ➵ @hobisgorgeousass 💌

↳ Parents AU ღ sfw oneshot

« 3 months after you give birth to your first child, you and your husband start putting together the perfect first Christmas for your new family of three. »

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⟶ black magic ➵ @preternatural-fools

↳ Witch AU ღ sfw oneshot

« Yoongi is a witch who always has the sniffles because he’s allergic to the herbs/plants he’s surrounded by. »

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⟶ boseong breakfast ➵ @honeymoonjin 💌

↳ Strangers to Lovers AU ღ nsfw oneshot

« it may be misfortune that brings you to min yoongi’s door looking for a place to stay, but luckily holly lodge has a vacancy. »

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⟶ catharsis ➵ @dovechim

↳ Roommate AU ღ nsfw oneshot

« Where do you draw the line between fantasy and reality? Yoongi knows he has a kink that isn’t socially acceptable as kinks go. He’s already had several failed relationships in the past tucked under his belt as a result, so when you offer him a chance to live out his fantasy in a guiltless, no strings attached kinda way, what could go wrong? »

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⟶ fear and dumplings ➵ @softyoongiionly 💌

↳ College AU ღ nsfw series

« You’re in your final semester at University when your Abnormal Psychology professor assigns you a partnered project surrounding your greatest fears.Lucky for you, your partner just so happens to be a cute boy named Min Yoongi. »

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⟶ friend request ➵ @spoopysoph 💌

↳ College AU ღ sfw oneshot

« You get a friend request from someone you don’t know. »

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⟶ iron world ➵ @gimmeyoon 💌

↳ Cyberpunk AU ღ nsfw series

« Welcome to Iron World, the latest virtual reality online game. Choose your class, join a guild, and explore the depths of this planet. As one of the first 20,000 people to explore this brave frontier, how you enjoy this immersive experience is up to you. There is so much to do and see, you’ll never want to leave. »

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⟶ maybe i’m a little dangerous ➵ @hollyhomburg

↳ Mafia/Soulmate AU ღ sfw series

« Rare soulmate marks don’t guarantee that you find your soulmate easily, and when your soulmate is the head of a mafia, being together will never be easy either… »

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⟶ pure instinct ➵ @maptoyoongi 💌

↳ Hybrid AU ღ sfw series

« The instinct to protect someone we love is a powerful force. When Yoongi is given the chance to protect you, how far will he go? »

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⟶ silly kitty ➵ @badbhye 💌

↳ Hybrid AU ღ sfw oneshot

« You and Yoongi visit your grandmother, and you have a realization. »

• ────── ღ ────── •

⟶ sugar, yes please ➵ @btsfiles

↳ Sugar Daddy AU ღ nsfw oneshot

« You’re a college student with an aspiration for journalism, but the traumatic experience of being broke and lonely gives you an opportunity to try out something new: become a Sugar Baby. »

• ────── ღ ────── •

⟶ support ➵ @saikokirakira

↳ Established Relationship AU ღ nsfw oneshot

« n/a »

• ────── ღ ────── •

⟶ the touch of silk ➵ @floralseokjin

↳ Supernatural AU ღ nsfw series

« In a world where vampires coexist with the living, there are many humans looking for a cheap thrill…you’re ashamed to admit you’re curious too, putting to good use a dating app you find…but Min Yoongi is nothing like you imagined a vampire to be… »

• ────── ღ ────── •

⟶ the way to your heart ➵ @joonary 💌

↳ Office AU ღ sfw oneshot

« when your office christmas party’s secret santa gives you absolutely no context on what kind of gift he wants, you have no choice but to get to know him better. »

• ────── ღ ────── •

⟶ true disaster ➵ @rmddaeng 💌

↳ Supernatural AU ღ nsfw oneshot

« You’re a simple angel, the lowest of the Three Seraphic Spheres. On a hot, muggy day when you’ve nothing to do, a demon stumbles upon you. But who is he? And perhaps more importantly, what does he want? »

• ────── ღ ────── •

⟶ wrapped ➵ @btsunniemoonie 💌

↳ Boyfriend AU ღ nsfw oneshot

« In which your world crushes because you didn’t pay too much attention in biology class »

• ────── ღ ────── •

Yoonji

⟶ calming seas ➵ @barbyisafangirl 💌

↳ Pirate AU ღ nsfw oneshot

« the sea is rough and wild most of the time but eventually, it has to calm down. »

• ────── ღ ────── •

Best Hoseok Fics

⟶ babysitters ➵ @httphopewrld 💌

↳ Boyfriend AU ღ sfw oneshot

« It’s your first time babysitting your sister’s son, Ryan. Not only are you nervous because you’ve never done it before, but because of your boyfriend decides to tag along. Surprisingly, your nephew and boyfriend get along well. »

• ────── ღ ────── •

⟶ bloom ➵ @guksheart 💌

↳ Soulmate AU ღ sfw oneshot

« your soulmate’s first words to you will be burned into the skin of your wrist upon first meeting them. no one anticipated that yours would turn out to be a world famous rapper by the name of jung hoseok. »

• ────── ღ ────── •

⟶ blue ➵ @littlemeowmeowschimmy 💌

↳ Husband AU ღ sfw oneshot

« You're pregnant…and the only thing that your boyfriend cares about is his job. His job…it frightens you everyday. »

• ────── ღ ────── •

⟶ by its cover ➵ @crystaljins

↳ E2L/Supernatural AU ღ sfw series

« Your annoying little brother Jimin accepts a dare and summons a demon into your living room. There are multiple problems with this. 1) Demons are the most hated species on earth.2) That demon happens to be Jung Hoseok, the most popular guy on campus 3) The fact that Jung Hoseok is a demon is his biggest secret and 4) Jung Hoseok hates your guts. You’re in for a wild ride. »

• ────── ღ ────── •

⟶ get wet ➵ @prolixitae 💌

↳ Dancer AU ღ nsfw oneshot

« sitting in on your boyfriend’s dance practice is probably your biggest kink. it’s also the reason you asked to be so shamelessly fucked in the locker rooms of his dance studio, in spite of the pending consequences. note: this is not an idol-verse fic »

• ────── ღ ────── •

⟶ letters to you ➵ @jiminsmagicshop 💌

↳ Soulmate AU ღ sfw series

« When you read the first Email you felt intrigued and without any hesitation you send one back, not knowing that those emails would lead you to a new life or a soulmate. »

• ────── ღ ────── •

⟶ of hentai and gay panic ➵ @enchantedyoon

↳ College AU ღ sfw oneshot

« The story of how Namjoon and Hoseok meet and fall in love over hentai. »

• ────── ღ ────── •

⟶ peppermint ➵ @readyplayerhobi

↳ Office AU ღ sfw series

« Achieving your dream job is something that very people manage to do, which is why you’re all the more happier when you land a job on the film team at Poppin’ Culture; the biggest pop culture website, blog and YouTube channel around. What you don’t expect however, is to fall for the exceptionally shy and awkward colleague who is not even remotely your type. Or is he? »

• ────── ღ ────── •

⟶ perfidy ➵ @yminie

↳ Halloween AU ღ sfw oneshot

« Why do so many people in scary movies die? They trust the wrong people. »

• ────── ღ ────── •

⟶ ramen & company ➵ @sweetheartjeongguk 💌

↳ Ponyo AU ღ sfw oneshot

« in which hoseok has a plan of revenge, but it doesn’t work out in the way he hoped it would. »

• ────── ღ ────── •

⟶ say no to this ➵ @hobibliophile

↳ Best Friend AU ღ nsfw oneshot

« It’s been a while since you and Hoseok have spent time with each other, but he hasn’t forgotten how hard it is to say no to you. »

• ────── ღ ────── •

⟶ sweetest crush ➵ @minjoonalist 💌

↳ Friends to Lovers AU ღ nsfw oneshot

« What would you do if your friend’s younger sibling suddenly asks you for sex? »

• ────── ღ ────── •

⟶ synchronized ➵ @bangtans-salty-sac-snacc 💌

↳ Soulmate AU ღ sfw oneshot

« Everyone is born with a timer on their wrist, counting down to the moment they learn who their soulmate is. Your timer is a few seconds behind Hoseok’s, the love of your life. And it’s those few seconds that keep you from ever being with him. »

• ────── ღ ────── •

⟶ the keeper of the light and keeper of the night ➵ @spicykoreantatertots 💌

↳ Fantasy AU ღ sfw drabble

« yoongi is the keeper of the night. hoseok is the keeper of the light. sometimes they meet. »

• ────── ღ ────── •

⟶ the most wonderful time of the year ➵ @lamourche

↳ E2L/Office AU ღ nsfw oneshot

« n/a. »

• ────── ღ ────── •

⟶ you’re my light ➵ @bts-poetry 💌

↳ Established Relationship AU ღ nsfw oneshot

« A call from your best friend inviting you to the yearly Diwali celebration has you and your boyfriend really excited but what would happen when you stumble across your troublesome ex on such a good day? »

• ────── ღ ────── •

Best Namjoon Fics

⟶ baby, please! ➵ @jungkook-me-down 💌

↳ Established Relationship AU ღ nsfw oneshot

« You can’t seem to help yourself these days. Lately you’ve been getting more and more into children. When your cousin asks you to babysit her daughter Hae, you never imagined the situation you’d be thrown into and the outcome of her visit. »

• ────── ღ ────── •

⟶ be my palentine ➵ @bangtanstanst 💌

↳ College AU ღ sfw oneshot

« Being single on Valentine’s Day isn’t so bad, as long as you have an equally single friend to spend your night with. »

• ────── ღ ────── •

⟶ details in the fabric ➵ @jinitude 💌

↳ Widow AU ღ sfw oneshot

« Missing someone means noticing the little things, and those little things tend to hurt the worst »

• ────── ღ ────── •

⟶ foreign heart ➵ @dejun-ge

↳ Idol AU ღ sfw series

« Namjoon was an ordinary person - as ordinary as you could get for an idol. But there was silly foreign girl who made him feel normal, like he wasn’t stuck behind a wall. »

• ────── ღ ────── •

⟶ home ➵ @hobidreams 💌

↳ Married AU ღ nsfw oneshot

« Turns out, Namjoon can’t keep his hands off his wife after all. »

• ────── ღ ────── •

⟶ late nights ➵ @taeintedlove 💌

↳ Established Relationship AU ღ nsfw oneshot

« n/a. »

• ────── ღ ────── •

⟶ love bytes ➵ @stutterfly 💌

↳ Friends to Lovers AU ღ nsfw series

« It’s been a year since you first met Kim Namjoon, the passionate, talented English professor at the local campus. He’s always been clumsy and aloof, but he’s on a whole new level in terms of “technologically incapable.” One call to IT was all it took to pull you into his life, and with it a whole string of friendships full of flirtatious banter and undying support.

Your dating situation has been drier than the Sahara for years now, and you’ve wasted too many lonely nights drinking alone, so you try your hand at Tinder. But you’re not getting any bites. When the group finds out, they are more than willing to help–even Namjoon, though he finds it increasingly difficult to deny that he’s hopelessly smitten. You consider their opinions on potential Tinder dates while fighting off feelings you never knew were brewing for the caring soul who becomes the home you never had. »

• ────── ღ ────── •

⟶ more than words ➵ @ironicarmy 💌

↳ Friends to Lovers AU ღ nsfw oneshot

« You and Namjoon have been painfully -and blindingly- pining for each other since your teenage years, much to your friends’ chagrin. So, unbeknownst to both of you, Seokjin and the rest plan to finally make you confess during a ski trip. »

• ────── ღ ────── •

⟶ obligated ➵ @underthejoon

↳ Arranged Marriage AU ღ nsfw oneshot

« Married by obligation, weighed down by circumstance. Except for those nights when you’re both drunk, falling into bed with one another and realizing you’re human. Occasionally this happens, occasionally you fuck. Until your life changes and you realize Namjoon, the very man you’re obligated to, might just be the very man that you crave. »

• ────── ღ ────── •

⟶ oh, death ➵ @loveejoon 💌

↳ Death AU ღ nsfw oneshot

« There’s no leniency with Death. you die when your time comes, without remorse. But why does Death look at you, and suddenly things change? »

• ────── ღ ────── •

⟶ the rich man’s crochet club ➵ @kpopfanfictrash

↳ College AU ღ nsfw oneshot

« When they were freshmen in college, Namjoon began a club with his six closest friends. The one thing they all had in common? V i r g i n s as fuck. Obviously, they couldn’t call the club the Virgins Club though and so, the Rich Man’s Crochet Club was born. Until time passes and Namjoon is the only one left. Now, the Club has one, final mission: to get Namjoon laid. »

• ────── ღ ────── •

⟶ the transfiguration tutor ➵ @purpletigertaetae 💌

↳ Hogwarts AU ღ sfw oneshot

« n/a. »

• ────── ღ ────── •

⟶ time management ➵ @feralbangtan 💌

↳ Married AU ღ nsfw oneshot

« “No, no, no. I know where this is gonna lead. We do not have the time for sex. »

• ────── ღ ────── •

⟶ try me ➵ @jjkfire

↳ College AU ღ sfw oneshot

« You wanted nothing more than to leave behind your old self when you graduated from high school and moved on to college to play rugby but when you see your high school classmate, resident fuckboy and captain, Kim Namjoon, at the rugby department orientation, you feel like everything might fall apart. »

• ────── ღ ────── •

Best Jimin Fics

⟶ busan mental asylum ➵ @lovehrs 💌

↳ Doctor AU ღ sfw oneshot

« n/a. »

• ────── ღ ────── •

⟶ but this isn’t love ➵ @daze-six 💌

↳ Friends to Lovers AU ღ sfw oneshot

« n/a. »

• ────── ღ ────── •

⟶ don’t move ➵ @jeonsweetpea 💌

↳ Idol/Stylist AU ღ nsfw oneshot

« You had a solo debut coming up and it was nerve wracking. What’s even worse is that the stylist in charge of your photoshoot was none other than Park Jimin. What’s wrong with Jimin? Oh. Nothing. He just hates you. »

• ────── ღ ────── •

⟶ fairytail ➵ @gukyi

↳ Fantasy AU ღ sfw oneshot

« You have a particular disdain for the beach. Jimin is here to change that. Oh! And he’s also a merman. So there’s that, too. »

• ────── ღ ────── •

⟶ fan-cam ➵ @cottonhxney 💌

↳ Idol AU ღ sfw oneshot

« Y/N watches how Jimin reacts, as recorded by fans, and can’t figure out how to feel about it. »

• ────── ღ ────── •

⟶ mon cœur t’appartient ➵ @jiminspjm 💌

↳ Werewolf AU ღ nsfw oneshot

« Just let me love, you »

• ────── ღ ────── •

⟶ peaches and piercings ➵ @matchakoo 💌

↳ E2L/College AU ღ nsfw oneshot

« Jimin, dipped in hair-dye and pierced in so many places that you just couldn’t keep track, doesn’t think you’re his “type”. You call bullshit. »

• ────── ღ ────── •

⟶ ring lover ➵ @flowerwrites06 💌

↳ Boxer/Ballerina AU ღ nsfw oneshot

« Jimin could fight every battle in his life until he started courting a delicate ballerina who can’t stand violence. »

• ────── ღ ────── •

⟶ spellbound ➵ @minflix

↳ E2L/Witch AU ღ nsfw oneshot

« The only reason you agreed to do this magical ritual with Park Jimin’s Circle was for the sake of your own Circle - to strengthen your individual magic. Yes, that means you’ll have to fuck him, but no, you weren’t happy about it because you hate Park Jimin. »

• ────── ღ ────── •

⟶ syndicate ➵ @jungkookiebus 💌

↳ Mafia AU ღ nsfw oneshot

« n/a. »

• ────── ღ ────── •

⟶ the other half ➵ @silverlightqueen 💌

↳ Badboy AU ღ nsfw series

« In Winchester, y/n has it all. Gorgeous and glamorous. A friendship group just as gorgeous and glamorous. Fantastic grades. A handsome boyfriend with a family just as successful as hers. A doting dad and a brother just as beautiful as she is. An amazing school, and an even more amazing house. As many cars and clothes and bags and shoes, and as much makeup and money she could ever ask for. But when Winchester Academy puts on an exchange programme with Burnley Tech School, a high school in an underprivileged area, two completely different worlds collide, and y/n has her hands full, practically overflowing, dealing with her exchange partner, bad boy Jimin with a whole lot of baggage… »

• ────── ღ ────── •

⟶ the rules of heaven ➵ @seokoloqy 💌

↳ Angel AU ღ sfw oneshot

« Jimin is in love and Heaven doesn’t allow for it. »

• ────── ღ ────── •

⟶ what do you desire? ➵ @prisczero 💌

↳ Devil/CEO AU ღ nsfw oneshot

« n/a. »

• ────── ღ ────── •

⟶ what you deserve ➵ @jiminniethemarshmallow

↳ Friends to Lovers AU ღ nsfw oneshot

« n/a. »

• ────── ღ ────── •

Best Taehyung Fics

⟶ across cyber space ➵ @goldenjulychild 💌

↳ Camgirl AU ღ nsfw oneshot

« It’s normal to have lots of admirers in your line of work, but the user strawberrylover312 is not simply one of them. As your relationship builds so does your doubt about him being too perfect to be true. After all, it’s impossible to find true love across cyber space, right? »

• ────── ღ ────── •

⟶ black irises in the sunshine ➵ @ddaenggtan 💌

↳ Greek God AU ღ nsfw oneshot

« anger is everything. other gods tease you for the short fuse, but it comes with the territory. people have called you stupid, have called you dumb, oafish, useless, incompetent, insolent, rude, arrogant. all of it. insults and mockery flung at you, but even your skin isn’t thick enough to deal with constant abuse. it’s the exact reason you keep going to the underground, knuckles bloody and bruised, fighting anyone that dared enter the cage. it’s the reason you go to the clubs, surround yourself with mortals and their writhing bodies. it’s there that you see him the first time, voice husky as it rolls through the room. it’s there you find someone who treats you differently than the rest. you just never expected him to be one of the muses. »

• ────── ღ ────── •

⟶ carnal cupidity ➵ @kittae

↳ Werewolf AU ღ nsfw oneshot

« Things are a little tense in your relationship with your boyfriend, an alpha wolf and leader of his own pack. After another fight, you’ve had just about enough and decide to take matters into your own hands when his heat approaches. Your methods, however, prove to be more effective than intended… »

• ────── ღ ────── •

⟶ catching a case of the doctor blues ➵ @justimajin

↳ Enemies to Lovers AU ღ sfw series

« When asked about Dr. Kim, a string of beautifully aligned words are ready spew from your lips. You could possibly go on and on about how his wonderful stubbornness wasn’t similar to talking to a brick wall, or how his observation skills were especially great in preparing your blood vessels for a drastic rupture or even how one gracious stare of his nearly had you on the verge of ripping your essential documents in half. But it seems that, perhaps, there was a lot more to Dr. Kim then what meets the eye… »

• ────── ღ ────── •

⟶ cheap skate ➵ @taehyungforreal 💌

↳ Domestic AU ღ nsfw oneshot

« Granny Park’s Gossip: Who doesn’t know Taehyung and his lady? Cutest couple in town, I’d say, and have been since they started dating in their college days. Oh, that was a while ago, though. And still, they’re happy as can be in that place they have together. Almost hate seeing one without the other, y’know, it’s like seeing just one testi- oh, right, I’m not supposed to talk like that. Anyhoo, I only say that because I saw Taehyung at a jewelry store the other day while I was buying my sweet Jiminie his presents. Maybe that boy’s finally gonna pop the question, but I do hope he’s got a good plan for it. Something sweet and romantic. Maybe I’ll find out after Jiminie gets back from that cabin he’s visiting. »

• ────── ღ ────── •

⟶ christmas cookies ➵ @mistysuga 💌

↳ Established Relationship AU ღ sfw oneshot

« You are in charge of making the cookies for your family’s Christmas party, so you and Taehyung have a blast while doing so. »

• ────── ღ ────── •

⟶ don’t blame me ➵ @diortae 💌

↳ Cheating AU ღ nsfw oneshot

« Kim Taehyung has always been there to soothe the sting of your failing relationship. But matters of the heart are never that simple. »

• ────── ღ ────── •

⟶ every word ➵ @jessikahathaway 💌

↳ Friends to Lovers AU ღ nsfw oneshot

« n/a. »

• ────── ღ ────── •

⟶ fever ➵ @yoonia

↳ Werewolf AU ღ nsfw series

« I wish I could hate you. »

• ────── ღ ────── •

⟶ frisky ➵ @uwugalore 💌

↳ Established Relationship AU ღ nsfw oneshot

« Sometimes, your fiancé was just… frisky. And boy did you enjoy it to the fullest. »

• ────── ღ ────── •

⟶ get you the moon ➵ @bymoonchild 💌

↳ E2L/College AU ღ nsfw oneshot

« Life has its ways of fucking with you, but you know you’ve hit 50 feet below rock bottom after being tasked to do a profile feature on Kim Taehyung, the varsity football captain, for your school newspaper. Pure torment awaits you, but this is alongside glassy eyes, pink cheeks and conflicted feelings that you’ve never dared to imagine with the likes of the devil incarnate. »

• ────── ღ ────── •

⟶ glacier’s view ➵ @rosaetae 💌

↳ E2L/Dystopia AU ღ sfw oneshot

« Everyone knows when they were born— the date of when they enter the world. Everyone in this world not only knows their birth date, but also when they die, when they kick the bucket— the date of when they leave the world. »

• ────── ღ ────── •

⟶ not your typical flower shop story ➵ @jungtaeyoongles 💌

↳ Flower Shop/College AU ღ sfw oneshot

« You always goes to the cute boy next door’s flower shop across the street because hi yes he’s the cutest damn person you’ve ever seen, until one day a guy with tattoos and a severe obsession with the color black shows up in the shop asking for the ‘usual’ and you find out that your cute innocent little flower boy has a dirty little secret. »

• ────── ღ ────── •

⟶ sorrow ➵ @jiminsfault 💌

↳ Pianist AU ღ nsfw oneshot

« The man had you tight in his grip without knowing it, knowing you. For him, you were just a mere pair of eyes watching him, paying to listen to his work. »

• ────── ღ ────── •

⟶ suite 114 ➵ @haylokitteh 💌

↳ Idol AU ღ nsfw series

« An innocent staring contest leads to a not so innocent relationship. »

• ────── ღ ────── •

Best Jungkook Fics

• ────── ღ ────── •

⟶ blue raspberry ➵ @strawbxxymilk 💌

↳ College AU ღ sfw drabble

« Jungkook asks you to live life on the wild side »

• ────── ღ ────── •

⟶ date in a box ➵ @jimlingss

↳ Dating Service AU ღ sfw oneshot

« If you’re in a hurry then we’re here to help you! Everything you need in a box. Delivery less than five minutes. Upgrade and we can personalize your date even more! Guaranteed 100%! Don’t fret, we’re here. »

• ────── ღ ────── •

⟶ dive ➵ @guktwt 💌

↳ Swimmer/Photographer AU ღ nsfw series

« This is a bad idea, you think, but there’s something so satisfying about seeing Jungkook so pliant and desperate under your touch. You’ve seen him in all his glory, a boy who’s made for the water and loved by all, but you think he looks prettiest like this; up close, pressed against your body, and under the warm summer light. »

• ────── ღ ────── •

⟶ drug wars ➵ @plumblackjeon

↳ Mafia AU ღ nsfw series

« She’s a babygirl Yoongi, and I think I’m in love with her. »

• ────── ღ ────── •

⟶ duvet days and vanilla ice cream ➵ @jhspetitegf 💌

↳ Sperm Donor AU ღ nsfw series

« Sick of waiting to fulfill your dream of becoming a mother, you stumble across an interesting site called bundlesofjoy. Here, you find not only the key to your future happiness, but further down the line, it turns out that site could have brought you more than you’d bargained for. »

• ────── ღ ────── •

⟶ enraptured and enthralled ➵ @smartkookiee 💌

↳ College AU ღ nsfw smau

« It’s your third year of college and you are finally into the spring and summer trimester. You never imagined you would be where you are now. Living the dream as a poor theater student. You get to be the big roles on stage and have hundreds maybe even thousands cheering for you. Finally being the one people looked up to in awe and want to see more of, to see succeed. It’s the dream… isn’t it? Though you adored it… something was missing from it… of course you weren’t going to quit but your passion and drive seemed to be fading. Do you really want to be an actor? Would you let your best friends down? Do you leave? These question swirled as you began to wonder if this is the right path anymore. Fortunately, who would have thought that a night of cabaret and the biggest competition of your life could change all of that? Or could… someone? »

• ────── ღ ────── •

⟶ heavy machinery ➵ @solarjeon 💌

↳ Construction Worker AU ღ nsfw oneshot

« Jungkook works across the street, doing construction on a new apartment complex being put in your area. You’d rather not wake up to the beeping of heavy machinery every morning, so you decide to go over and give that brawny construction worker a piece of your mind. »

• ────── ღ ────── •

⟶ love letters ➵ @jjkwithluv 💌

↳ Poet AU ღ sfw oneshot

« You get a crush on a certain poet named Jungkook, while secret messages start appearing in your locker… you’d think that poetry and romance and mystery would go well together, think again… »

• ────── ღ ────── •

⟶ mutual ➵ @seokjxnnie 💌

↳ Office AU ღ nsfw oneshot

« Your boss was always talking about how her son would be perfect for you, promising that he was going to the staff holiday party. He turned out to be the hook up that happened a couple months ago, who you kept around for some good dick. »

• ────── ღ ────── •

⟶ picture perfect ➵ @moononthejoon 💌

↳ Historical AU ღ nsfw oneshot

« The king is dead. New portraits need to be done. But what happens when the painter is not who you expected? »

• ────── ღ ────── •

⟶ pretty birthday boy ➵ @yoonminos 💌

↳ Established Relationship AU ღ nsfw oneshot

« It’s Jungkook’s birthday and you throw him a surprise party with the help of your friends. The thing that surprised you, though, was Jungkook buying himself a gift and asking you to use it on him. »

• ────── ღ ────── •

⟶ rebound ➵ @ropeseok

↳ Enemies to Lovers ღ nsfw oneshot

« Jungkook relieves you from an awkward time at a party - in more ways than one. »

• ────── ღ ────── •

⟶ waves of fate ➵ @ttaekimm

↳ Mamma Mia AU ღ nsfw oneshot

« Jungkook is a lifeguard who unfortunately loses his memory and got drifted by the sea ,but the waves brought him to the door of an exquisite hotel where he stays there and work with the manager until his memory come back. »

• ────── ღ ────── •

⟶ what are friends for? ➵ @dusktilldawnstuff 💌

↳ Friends AU ღ sfw oneshot

« You (kinda) explore an abandoned building with you best friend Jungkook. »

• ────── ღ ────── •

Best Poly & MxM Fics

⟶ breathless ➵ @personawife 💌

↳ Hanahaki AU ღ sfw oneshot • namkook • mxm

« n/a. »

• ────── ღ ────── •

⟶ bts and their creampie kinks ➵ @jiminsoxyjeon 💌

↳ PWP ღ nsfw headcanons

« n/a. »

• ────── ღ ────── •

⟶ euphoria ➵ @kimlinebiased 💌

↳ First Time AU ღ nsfw oneshot • namkook • mxm

« Jungkook has had a crush on the leader of BTS since forever. Now that Namjoon is helping write his solo for the upcoming album, this could be his perfect chance. »

• ────── ღ ────── •

⟶ from summer to winter i’ll be yours ➵ @hungline

↳ Supernatural AU ღ sfw oneshot • jinkook • mxm

« Seokjin had learned long ago that he and Jeongguk could never really be together, but his time as summer is almost over and he’ll wait as long as he has to before winter comes to pass. »

• ────── ღ ────── •

⟶ hypnagogia ➵ @joonsrack 💌

↳ College AU ღ sfw oneshot • taekook • mxm

« ‘‘So you’re telling me a creep has been following you around the University, waiting until you fall asleep and then jumping on you to kiss you in your sleep?’’

“Well, if you put it that way…’’

‘‘Are you joking right now? Is this a joke? Why aren’t you telling this to the goddam campus security? Better yet, does Kookie know? I bet with those muscles he works so hard for he could reduce whoever it is to pulps.’’ »

• ────── ღ ────── •

⟶ in the dark ➵ @matchakoo

↳ Halloween AU ღ nsfw oneshot • jikook • poly

« Jungkook and Jimin have a very short attention span, and when you three are lost in the middle of nowhere with a truck that won’t drive, they busy themselves with you. »

• ────── ღ ────── •

⟶ miss managed ➵ @misscheesecakeee 💌

↳ Idol AU ღ sfw series • namgi/ot7 • poly

« In a desperate attempt to debut BTS on time, BigHit hires you as their manager. »

• ────── ღ ────── •

⟶ samhain’s blessing ➵ @softjeon 💌

↳ Vampire/Witch AU ღ nsfw oneshot • taegi • mxm

« How little vampire Tae found his way to Yoongi. »

• ────── ღ ────── •

⟶ what i never knew i always wanted ➵ @rms-tulip 💌

↳ Hybrid AU ღ nsfw series • namseok • poly

« Who knew that one of the most magical yet devastating nights of your life brought someone into your life that just ended up completing the missing puzzle piece in your heart you hadn’t thought was missing until he showed you that it was. »

• ────── ღ ────── •

687 notes · View notes

revchainsaw · 3 years

Text

You're Next (2011)

Greetings Flock! Reverend Chainsaw here with another film review to feed your souls. Parishioners of the Cult of Cult should be familiar with todays offering, and that is good news for you shall find your hearts strangely warmed. Please join me as we dive into the Book of You're Next and renew our devotion to the Trinity that is The Tiger, the Lamb, and the Holy Wolf.

The Message

You're Next is definitely a tough film to review. For a movie as young as it is to have had such a strong and committed following speaks volumes and I believe you would be hard pressed to find a review by anyone who loves horror that is down on the film. While it can sometimes bring me great joy to review the awful films of the world, occasionally it is a pleasure to give honor to those films which deserve it.

You're Next is a film which fits neatly into both the Slasher and Home Invasion genres. The story centers around a vicious assault on a wealthy family by 3 masked men, all on the evening when our heroin, Erin, is meeting them for the first time. Avoiding the Slasher genre trope of generic murder lambs we are yet again faced with an excellent cast where not even the early victims are forgettable.

The movie opens with the grizzly murder of the Davison's nearest neighbors by our animal masked assassins, insuring that should anyone attempt to flee they will not be finding help any time soon. Then we get one hell of a title card before we find Paul and Aubrey Davison preparing to have their children and their respective partners over to their home to celebrate their anniversary. Aubrey is played by Re-Animators own Barbara Crampton. Foremost among the children visiting are their son Crispian, a college professor, and his Australian girlfriend Erin, who was once his T.A. This is a source of contention for Crispian when his siblings judge the professional nature of this relationship.

Two by Two the Children arrive. It is off handedly mentioned that the Davisons money comes from defense contracts, and that the family dynamic is particularly strained. An arrow from a cross bow pierces the window during a particularly tense dinner, and then the film enters full force into unyielding action. There are characters murdered by arrows, a gruesome slice to the jugular by some sinisterly placed piano wire (during what was ramping up to be a daring escape from the home), and of course axe murders.

Crispian manages to escape into the night abandoning Erin and his remaining family. At this point, Erin, who is revealed to have been raised on a survivalist compound begins to fight back. Erin goes full Home Alone on the invaders, and the hunters soon become the hunted. After Erin kills one of the villains It is revealed through the course of the night that the murder of the Davison family is an inside job. These men are paid assassins and they were hired by Felix and his gothy girlfriend Zee, whose macabre tastes include being sexually aroused by dead bodies. Once Erin discovers this fact she dispatches the rest of the animal masked crew as well as Felix and Zee with some very creative uses of kitchenware.

Just as we are about to declare Erin the final girl of this film Felix's phone rings, it's Crispian. When Erin answers Crispian reveals that he was the ringleader, but his weak constitution had caused him to flee the scene. Impatient when he doesn't here Felix on the other end Felix reenters the home to find a bloody Erin. He begs and makes excuses, promising Erin that she was intended to be a witness to the slaughter and was safe the whole time. Erin is having none of it, and ends the relationship once and for all with a stab to the neck.

The film ends with the arrival of the police who upon discovering Erin murdering Crispian set off one of her Home Alone traps and she is set up to be held responsible for the whole affair. Here's hoping we get the court room drama sequel that this movie deserves.

The Benediction

Best Kill: Erin, In the Kitchen, With the Vitamix It's not often in a horror flick that the best kill can be said not to have come from the hands of the monster, but from the heroin. Toward the climax of the film Erin has had enough and she expresses her self in glorious gory satisfaction with a blender to the skull of her lovers brother Felix.

Best Character : T.A. Taking Action Suprise! It's Erin. The best character is Erin. I really wanted to try and say that it was some more obscure character like snarky big bro Drake, but No. It's Erin, it was always Erin. She is the stand out feature of the film. The Lamb, the Tiger, and the Wolf masks were instantly iconic and sold in Hot Topic from the minute the movie made a wide release, but no one comes out of You're Next thinking about the mercenary assassins. We come out thinking about how the lass from the land down under turned the tide against the terribe trio. The audience wants more Erin.

Best Actor: We Came, We Got You, Barbara!

It's just so good to see Barbara Crampton whenever we can. It says something for a person to still be doing the Scream Queen thing for this long. She is not the most likeable character in You're Next but she is selling the fear, the tension and the goals of her character. I think it would be safe to say that the first act would not be nearly as effective without Barbara Cramptons performance.

Best Villain: Zee Nation

Zee was just something else. The Masked Trio of Home Invaders were sort of plug and play. The masks and tactical gear definitely sold the menace, but they were not really characters. They are given some slivers of back story and I don't think that it's really a problem that way. I've been happy with less before. It just sort of means that no one killer stands out in particular. Though the Lamb Mask is my personal favorite. For all the brutish merciless killing these three dole out to the Davison family it's really Zee who makes a splash in my memory. She's absolutely as gleeful as a deadite about all this bloodshed going on around her. She isn't just dark and edgy cuz it's a look, it seems like she really took that aesthetic to heart. The fact that you couldn't tell she'd happily tear your throat out by looking at her certainly makes her a bigger threat than she gets credit for.

Worst Character: Poor Little Rich Kid

All of the characters in You're Next work. Some move from grating to sympathetic, others from charming to pitiful, but at some point every character has a presence and a personality that the viewer can recognize. No Character in this film will receive worst character because they are poorly written, unneccessary, or just obnoxious. However, one character is consistently self-indulgent, cocky, sniveling, and has all the undeserved sense of superiority of a Kevin Smith protagonist, and that's Crispian. Fuck Crispian. He's a bad boyfriend, a bad brother, a bad son, and a bad teacher. He has so much that he doesn't deserve, and earnestly feels he's entitled to more.

Most WTF Moment: Crossing the Line

Was it Crispian's heel turn? Was it Felix stabbing drake? The realization that the family extermination was an inside job? Was it the twist that Erin was a bad ass? What single moment made everyone who's seen this movie go "WHOAH!!!" all at once? When Crispian was attempting to make his exit the first time he proposed he go and get help claiming he's the fastest, to which his overestimation of himself is comedically undercut by the fact that he is in fact out of shape and his sister Aimee used to run track. The family unanimously agrees they would put their lives in the hands of poor Aimee and her athletic past, but they also propose she back up and bolt out the front door the minute they open it up. The music swells, and Aimee makes a run for it. She is stopped short by a piano wire trap set by the mercenaries, as her momentum allows the wire to cut deep and clean into the meat of her neck. She is not decapitated but bleeds out on the floor of the house. It really catches the viewer off guard and is a very impressive effect. Not only is Aimee's kill the most WTF moment, but it is runner up for best kill.

Summary You're Next is hands down my favorite home invasion movie. It's wide appeal is undeniable. As of 2015, You're Next was predicted to be considered the best horror movie of the 2010s. Unfortunately for You're Next but how wonderful for us, the later half of the decade really ramped up the great horror films releases. I wouldn't call You're Next the best horror film of it's time, but it definitely deserves to be remembered. People's enthusiasm for the film does seem to be slowing and I think it would do our congregation a great service for us to continue singing it's praises.

Overall Grade: A

#You're Next #slasher #horror #home invasion #2011 #2010s #masked killer #wolf #fox #tiger #lamb #Final Girl #A #Grade A #(A)

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dracimalfoy1988292 · 3 years

Text

(ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ 33: ɪɴ ᴍʏ ʙᴇᴅ)

The next Hogsmeade trip was hastily approaching, and both Valentine and James couldn't be more excited. Due to their lack of dates, they'd lacked to establish what exactly they were, but they'd explained the situation to their friends, all of which were so incredibly happy for the bunch. Now Valentine just had to wait for Lily and Remus to make up, and for Celia to stop cowering away from Macey.

The remnants of September flew by, and Halloween was quickly approaching. The Marauders had spent tons of time planning what they explained as 'the coolest party ever', which at this point they called all their parties.4

During weekdays Valentine found she didn't have as many classes with her friends as she had previous years, especially not with the boys, although she would admit she was excited to share Defense Against the Dark Arts, especially since they were planning on covering an exciting topic today; patronouses.

"A patronous is a kind of positive force, a projection of the very things that the Dementor feeds upon – hope, happiness, the desire to survive – but it cannot feel despair, as real humans can, so the Dementors can't hurt it.3

Your Patronus has two forms, non-corporeal and corporeal. A non-corporeal Patronus can appear as a thin wisp of silver that hovers like mist. Whereas a corporeal Patronus has a form that is clearly defined and is more than vapour or smoke."

Our Professor took a deep breath, checking that her class was playing close attention.

"The ability to cast a corporeal or non-corporeal Patronus is down to the skill of the witch or wizard. Each Patronus is unique to the witch or wizard who conjures it, and it's possible, in some cases, for a Patronus to change. All that is required is that you chant the spell as you think of a happy memory."

Valentine was stumped. She had so many happy memories she wasn't sure it was possible to single out just a single one.9

All around the room people began muttering 'expecto patronum' on repeat, some fizzy shapes casting from wands, but no full pantronouses.

Until someone finally did, and of course it was Sirius Black. Valentine was initially surprised he of all people had gotten it his first try, knowing how hard his childhood was, but Valentine figured he had chosen one here at Hogwarts.

Sirius' corporeal patronus leapt around the room in the form of a large black dog, the animals tongue sticking out the side of its mouth.

Sirius smirked when some girls 'awed', taking a bow. Valentine shot him an exasperated look.

And all around the class over a couple of minutes some patronuses formed, and others didn't.

At some point Remus' had created his, and a large, beautifully colored wolf had popped out. Remus' smile had dropped and he had paled at the sight of it, seeming he couldn't quite escape reality, and Valentine could tell his patronus was not what he had wanted it to be.

Even James had casted the spell correctly, and a elegant stag had formed. It was beautiful, without a doubt, with long, sharp antlers and a white spots dotting its back.

Many in the class had turned to watch the creature while James had been congratulated, but Valentine stared right into the animals eyes until it disappeared.

Shaking herself from her thoughts, she scurried deeper into her mind, thinking of happy memories.

Valentine thought of sitting on the couch on Christmas Day with hot chocolate while watching Frosty the Snowman. She thought of quidditch matches and karaoke parties. She imagined cold ice skating rinks and baking cookies with Polly the house elf and her friends.

Someone a bucket of red paint got caught in her mind, and before she could even think any farther, she felt a pulling on her brain, as if her self conscious was telling her this is the one.

"Expecto patronum!"

Valentine's patronus erupted, silvery blue mist flowing from her wand like a river of pixie dust and mist. Valentine grinned wildly once it took its form, a large black stallion galloping around the room before slowly approaching its owner, letting out a soft neigh and nuzzling its head into the girls shoulder, snorting, causing Valentine to giggle.3

While others watched the large animal, James watched Valentine, a huge and gorgeous smile on her face.

The stallion did one more lap around the girl before whisping away, the sound of hooves lessening as it disintegrated amongst the wind.

"Oh, she was beautiful!" Valentine exclaimed, turning to Macey with a proud expression. "Did you see it? Did you see it?"

"Yes! Kind of hard to miss a horse running around the room, isn't it?" Macey sarcastically asked, growing increasingly annoyed as she couldn't cast the spell.

Valentine laid a hand on her best friends arm. "Hey, don't stress about it, it'll come to you eventually."

Macey lowered her wand, sighing. "Yeah, I guess you're right. I'm just not the happiest lately. Maybe I would be if a certain someone could just talk to me!"

Valentine frowned, understanding her. "Do you want me to talk to her?"

"No!"

"Okay!" Valentine threw her hands up, backing away as Macey had practically yelled her answer.

"Your patronus makes sense," James said, waltzing over to Valentine. "A black stallion represents free spirited and adventurous personalities. You're passionate and dominating, but also mysterious."

Valentine looked impressed by the fact he'd known that.

"And you're stag because you have horns, symbolizing how you're always so horn-,"18

"Padfoot!" Peter exclaimed, pulling Sirius back by his shirt. "You're ruining their moment."

____________________

CELIA AND VALENTINE HAD RUN into each other before lunch in the bathroom, and the two do them decided to walk to the Great Hall together, and Celia found it the perfect opportunity to question Valentine on her love life.

"So," Celia began, brow quirked. "You forgave him because he kissed you?"

"No!" Valentine scowled. "I'm not desperate. But he apologized and he acknowledged that what he did was wrong. I may have forgiven him, but I'm still upset with his actions. I'm ready to move on from that, though. He said what I wanted to hear and there is no point dwelling on it."

"Spoken like a true Hufflepuff."4

Valentine desperately wished to say something about her and Macey, but Valentine didn't know how Celia would react to Macey having told her. She didn't want Celia to get upset at her or Macey, so she shut her mouth and hoped they could resolve it themself.

"What is it you wanted me to do? Curse him?"

"Well, yeah," Celia trailed off, eyes turning hard. Valentine looked to where the Slytherin was looking, catching sight of Macey and Leilani, a gorgeous Ravenclaw girl, talking.

Celia diverted her eyes as if trying to pretend the sight didn't bother her.

"Hey, Celia, you don't-,"

Celia stormed off to the Slytherin table before Valentine had the chance to say anything more. The Hufflepuff pursed her lips, glancing between her two friends and sighing, moving to the Gryffindor table.

"What's up with that? Girl drama?" Sirius asked as Valentine sat down besides James.

"Something like that," Valentine muttered. "I honestly don't know how I've made it this far with you guys as my friends."

"Agreed," Peter commented through a chicken leg.

Valentine watched Remus, the boy constantly looking out the corner of his eye to Lily Evans.

If they want to get back together they should hire McGonagall as a therapist. She's good.5

"Anyway, Hogsmeade trips in a couple days. Thinking of making a pit stop by Zonko's, you guys coming?"

James quickly shook his head, grinning at Sirius.

"We have special plans," he announced.

"Gross," Remus uttered.

"Not like that!" James corrected him. "Yet."

Valentine shoved James to the side, her cheeks heating up.

"Well, can we all meet up at The Three Broomsticks for a butterbeer? Or maybe Hogshead. Apparently they serve Firewhiskey to under agers," Sirius said with a wink.

"I'll see if we can fit it into our schedule," James stiffly retorted, earning a snort from Valentine.

"What've you got planned."

"I guess you'll see," James lamented with raised eyebrows, earning a grin from Valentine.

"Can you two please refrain from doing," Sirius gestured between Valentine and James wildly. "This. At least while at the table?"

"Says the one that literally fricked on my bed," Valentine shot back in disgust.

"You did what on her bed?"

Sirius shrugged off James. "Marlene and I were having fun."

"Yeah, on my bed," Valentine grumbled.

"We don't discriminate," Marlene shrugged with a lazy grin, leaning into Sirius as he threw an arm over her shoulder.

"Don't feel special," Peter spoke up. "They've done it on mine too."7

"That is true," Sirius admitted.

"You're like bunnies," James muttered under his breath.

"Yeah we are," Sirius smirked. James and Valentine shared a wince, but when they looked to see the same expression on both their faces, they laughed at each other.

"James, are you still doing that Easter thing this year that you told us about over summer break? My parents want to know before they plan something," Peter asked.

James nodded. "Yeah, still happening."

Valentine gave James a questioning stare.

"Oh! I didn't tell you. Well, my parents decided they wanted to meet you and-,"

"Awee," Valentine cooed, teasingly pinching James cheek. "You told to your parents about me."

"No," Sirius cut in. "He told his parents your whole life story. He never shut up-,"10

"Stop exposing me like that, Padfoot!" James shouted, pouting like a child before turning to the blonde. "And yes, I told my parents about you. Obviously."

Valentine's cheeks tinged pink.

"Anyways, it's just some party thing my parents are doing. They're inviting some of their friends and said I could bring some of mine, so that's all," James told her, not finding it a big deal.

Valentine, however, was already stressing out over the fact that she possibly would have to meet James' parents.

"Don't worry, Mia and Monty are the coolest people ever," Sirius spoke to Valentine. "Plus, I'm pretty sure they'll like you automatically because you're practically James' only chance of being in a legitimate relationship."3

"Shut up," James managed through a laugh, reaching across the table to flick Sirius' forehead.

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askaceattorney · 4 years

Text

(Song in Letter)

Dear iamnotthensa,

Co-Mod: I’m inclined to agree with you, but it also has a bit of a Professor Layton vibe to it. Maybe it’d be a good fit for the next Professor Layton vs. Ace Attorney, if we ever get one?

Mod Paups: I really enjoy it! it gives me detective vibes, kinda reminds me to Hotel Dusk... but I hear more as an AA Investigations soundtrack more than anything.

Dear mungeondaster,

Co-Mod: Not a problem, and thanks!

I don’t know how it got started, but I’m sure glad it did. The word “essay” used to turn me off before I started reading and enjoying the Mod’s character essays. They provide a nice in-depth look at a character’s story, personality, development in the game (if there is any), and things the casual player might not have noticed about them.

I’m equally glad that I got into them myself, since it gives me a chance to review the best (and worst) things about a character, and what makes them stand out from the others. I just wish I could post them a little more often, but in the words of Ace Writer Snoopy,

Thanks to everyone requesting them for your patience, by the way.

I’ve seen a few different Ace Attorney-related videos -- playthroughs, song covers, reviews, *twitch* Phoenix Wrong videos, etc. I recommend checking out iKiwed’s videos if you enjoy creative things made from Ace Attorney resources, and the Random Encounters musical is a pretty fun experience. Oh, and let’s not forget CMSPyrowolf’s Boot to the Head video. That one’s a classic.

Best wishes to you, too!

Dear Anonymous,

Co-Mod: *blink blink* Really. I wasn’t aware he had any of those.

My guess is that he spent the rest of his life in prison (or most of it, at least), and gradually came to appreciate the so-called “third-rate” people and realize they’re not all that different from himself. That’s just a best-case scenario, though. If he doesn’t kill that attitude of his soon, someone else might do it, and take him along with it.

Mod Paups: I used to be a big fan of Wellington when I first played Ace Attorney! But yeah, what Mod said... it’s probably that. *shrugs*

(Referenced Post)

Dear Anon,

Co-Mod: That’s correct. Sorry if my previous response was misleading. Thanks for clarifying that for everyone.

Dear Anon,

Co-Mod: *does some quick research to see who that is* Yep, that’s pretty sad, all right. It’s hard to imagine where our favorite ace characters and their story might go without him on the team, but miracles do happen, so I’m not prepared to accept this as the series’ end just yet.

I also just learned that Buddy Faith’s appearance reportedly modeled after him. I think I speak for a lot of fans when I say we’re sorry to see you go, Buddy.

Mod Paups: Oh no... I actually had no idea about this, that’s quite sad. I really do hope someone else will take over to keep AA going as long as it can, I still want to see more...

Dear mungeondaster again,

Co-Mod: I hadn’t really thought much about it, but I could be convinced either way. Whether Edgeworth was elected by his peers or hired by the Bar Association, his record speaks for itself, so who wouldn’t want him for that position? Besides the criminals, I mean.

Dear mungeondaster again (again),

Mod Paups: Well, while I do understand your point, I would by no means call Godot a villain. Godot was a good man whose’s life began to get worse and worse by the seconds, and his antagonism was a byproduct of his situation and suffering. By what you’re saying, Blackquill could definitely be considered a villain as well.

Now, to the last part of the question, I think maybe it’s time for a little change, to have like an actual villain prosecutor maybe? or maybe even an evil judge, that’d be a cool plot-twist in my opinion. I also wanna say, I do find characters like Blackquill or Nahyuta more appealing than Klavier, so I wouldn’t be mad if we got another one like them.

Co-Mod: I’ve always enjoyed seeing bad guys undergo a change of heart and eventually become good guys (or at least better guys), so if I had to choose, I’d go with a sympathetic prosecutor. I also enjoy seeing a corrupt one get their just desserts as much as anyone, but if there’s any chance of them joining the side of justice, that's an even bigger win in my book.

And you’re welcome!

(Referenced Letter)

Dear skibot99,

Co-Mod: She only mentions “Bullets the Magic Cat” once in AJ:AA, if you examine the barrel of the revolver in Turnabout Serenade. I couldn’t find any pictures of it, but you can find it in this game script on GameFAQS.com. I’m surprised someone remembered that, to be honest. Mod Paups: I... I actually cannot remember it myself... You really have to check every nook and cranny huh.

(Previous Letter)

Dear Anonymous,

Co-Mod: No need to apologize for being human. I still make mistakes on this blog fairly often, even after being here for roughly three years. I’ve made my share of dumb moves too, for that matter.

Your modified letter should be posted by now (since I didn’t know of a way to change it and leave it in the inbox), so no worries.

Dear Starry,

Co-Mod: I’ve seen the drawings, and I have to say, they’re pretty amazing. I always love anything artistically creative, especially in the form of fan art, so thank you for sharing it! That kind of support goes both ways, so thanks for that, too.

-The Mods

#iamnotthensa #mungeondaster #Anonymous #skibot99 #doveofthedawn #Mod Post #Co Mod #Mod Paups

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waritawrites · 3 years

Text

Tales from the Hood: Rhodie (black elitists) or Duke Metger (Biden) - Who was the Bigger Threat to Black People?

https://followerofthewayforever.wordpress.com/2021/05/05/tales-from-the-hood-rhodie-black-elitists-or-duke-metger-biden-who-was-the-bigger-threat-to-black-people/

#Prolife #LABlackAdvocatesforLife #LouisianaBlackAdvocatesforLife #BlackGenocide #AbortionIsEugenics #PlannedParenthoodIsElitist #Elitism

#ElitismIsHomicidal #LouisianaRightToLife #PlannedParenthoodPredators #PlannedParenthoodOwesReparations #Reparations

In Rusty Condieff's 1995 horror movie Tales from the Hood, there is a story called KKK Comeuppance which starred Corbin Bersen as senator and former KKK member Duke Metger and Roger Guenver Smith as his Public Relations consultant Rhodie (a black elitist) who are working to get Duke elected as governor. Duke faces great opposition because of his past membership with the Ku Klux Klan and AND his choice of the location of his campaign headquarters - his grandfather's old plantation. His grandfather murdered his slaves were upon finding out slavery in the south had been legally ended. There is an old legend that says that a former slave woman used witchcraft to capture their souls and place them in the bodies of dolls. The dolls would periodically come to life and their leader was the woman's husband who had been killed. A mural of the woman and her dolls was located Duke's office.

Alone, Duke was an unlikeable, arrogant, person. Yet, with the help of Rhodie, his appeal grew which made him a serious contender in the governor's race. When looking at today's political scene, one would easily say that Trump was like Duke Metger - when looking from a superficial perspective. A SUPERFICIAL PERSPECTIVE. He wasn't the most tactful. He was blunt. Some, DEFINITELY NOT ALL, of Trump's were white supremacists (some were also white "liberals" pretending to be stereotypical white conservative Trump supporters) and those who weren't white were anti-black, some of which were black. Yes, there are anti-black black people. One such character in Tales from The Hood was Rhodie. Rhodie seemed to represent a stereotypical black republican. He seems like the type of anti-black, self-hating black person who would pretend to "help" the black people improve their community by getting rid of as many Black people as possible using:

- Forget GOD and uphold multicultural, pagan ideals instead

- Abortion

- Euthanasia (gotta maintain that quality of life)

- Normalization of promiscuity

- Normalization of destructive alternative lifestyles

- The stigmatizing of traditional marriage and family

-The normalization of addiction and substance abuse, such as recreationally smoking heroin

Columbia professor: I do heroin regularly for ‘work-life balance’

https://nypost.com/2021/02/19/columbia-prof-i-snort-heroin-regularly-for-work-life-balance/

https://twitter.com/Joy_Villa/status/1363557914351403016?s=20

People who promote such self-destructive behaviors as normal or even inherently black are an enemy! They are an enemy of mankind, no matter how progressive that they think such behaviors are. Indeed, progressivism, like evolution, is an oxymoron because you don't gain anything biologically nor socially. Things regress to its most basic form. Though, a progressive such as a eugenicist might would tell you, "progressive for the purpose of efficiency - less means more." More for them, more resources for them in their quest to reign supreme in the survival of the fittest, or their horrible misinterpretation of term. Yet, we don't see the promotion of such self-destructive behavior coming from Black Republicans, Conservatives, and Independents. We see the encouragement of black self-destruction coming from Black Democrats

Most Democrat Legislators Champion Margaret Sanger’s Racist Genocide Mission – Are They Counter-representing You?

https://followerofthewayforever.wordpress.com/2019/05/16/most-democrat-legislators-champion-margaret-sangers-racist-genocide-mission-are-they-counter-representing-you/

Liberals, and some (especially paid) Social Justice activists as well as your various dose-of-distraction-from-news-and-entertainment-attractions.

Black Agents of White Supremacy in the Media endorse racist Joe Biden

https://followerofthewayforever.wordpress.com/2020/03/04/black-agents-of-white-supremacy-in-the-media-endorse-racist-joe-biden/

Support of the Super Predators: White Supremacists in Liberal Disguise and the Mainstream Media that promotes them

https://followerofthewayforever.wordpress.com/2020/02/17/support-of-the-super-predators-white-supremacists-in-liberal-disguise-and-the-mainstream-media-that-promotes-them/

Joe Biden & his supporters on Joe's racist association with the klansmen sound a lot like Duke Metger & Rhodie in Tales from the

Hood @ 0:56:22 mins

"We all have a past, now don't we?"

"We all, have a past. Its a better man who can learn from his failures. I know that I have learned from mine and I'm better for it."

Duke Metger & Rhodie in Tales from the Hood, https://youtu.be/5vxHfr3DLKg

Margaret Sanger also used black elitists to carry out her plan for eugenics by way of birth control.

Planned Parenthood has stalked and misinformed Black people, particularly Black people experiencing poverty as well as uneducated Black people about the personhood of an unborn child. However, Black Democrats, Liberals, and some (especially paid) Social Justice activists such as Black Lives Matter:

BLM to Biden & Harris: We want something for our vote

https://www.theblaze.com/news/black-lives-matter-leader-to-biden-and-harris-we-want-something-for-our-vote

- BLM got in the way with their grifting and clout-seeking.

Michael Brown’s father, Ferguson activists demand $20M from BLM

By Kenneth Garger

https://nypost.com/2021/03/03/michael-browns-father-ferguson-activists-demand-20m-from-blm/amp/?__twitter_impression=true

Where is the $90 million dollars collected by BLM? Michael Brown’s father, Ferguson activists demand $20M from BLM

https://twitter.com/TheFabulousRee/status/1371965130578268160?s=20

Shaun King attempted to discredit Samaria Rice when she spoke against the political exploitation of racism and police brutality done by pseudo-social activists, celebrities, and politicians. Shaun King stated that she was not thinking the way that liberal white "woke" supremacy wants her to think. She isn't sticking with their destructive narrative and agenda for Black people. They're redlining us into feeling that we can't be self-reliant! Meanwhile, Closet Capitalist Anarchists ease into the neighbohoods they help to destroy to start businesses, buy real estate for commercial and residential purposes;etc. #UnfollowShaunKing

"I read Shaun King’s piece about Samaria Rice’s critical social media comments and this is some of the most patronizing ugly sh-t I’ve ever seen"

https://twitter.com/ztsamudzi/status/1371882450763329536?s=20

BLM destroyed a beautiful,civilized movement as well as communities. It could have been a beautiful,civilized movement yet they ruined it w/buffoonery such as twerking for Martin Luther King, Jr Day and WAP stupidity

Joe Biden's non-response reminds me of this scene from Tales from The Hood:

Duke Metger in Tales from the Hood, "No Reparations!" https://youtu.be/7vjwA1IkIRk

and Black ministers

Apostate False Preachers for Feticide and Infanticide: Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton

https://followerofthewayforever.wordpress.com/2020/03/11/apostate-false-preachers-for-feticide-and-infanticide-jesse-jackson-and-al-sharpton/

have been its main proponents and propagandists since the early 1900's when it was known as the American Birth Control League. To appeal to Black people, Sanger said:

The Use of Ministers for The Negro Project in a 1939 letter to Dr. C.J. Gamble:

"The ministers work is also important and he should be trained, perhaps by the Federation as to our ideals and the goal that we hope to reach. We do not want word to go out that we want to exterminate the Negro population and the minister is the man who can straighten out that idea if it ever occurs to any of their more rebellious members."

In Birth Control and the Negro, Sanger talked about the value of the influence of black ministers:

“The project would hire three or four ‘colored Ministers, preferably with social-service backgrounds, and with engaging personalities’ to travel throughout the South and propagandize for birth control, since ‘the most successful educational approach to the Negro is through religious appeal” (as cited in Gordon, 2007, p. 235).

Dr. Albert Lasker, Sanger (1939) stated, "If we could get the Negro Universities and the Negro medical groups behind this project it will go over really big I think, especially if there is a little money to give to those for time spent and for supplies in their clinics."(para. 3)

One of her biggest propagandists was W.E.B. DuBois (See: Negroes and Birth Control, https://libex.smith.edu/omeka/files/original/16e5b6a56c2c4aedb3274e7124f3006e.jpg)

W.E.B. DuBois (1939) stated:

“Among the more intelligent class, was a postponement of marriage, which greatly decreased the number of children. Today, among this class of Negroes few men marry before thirty, and numbers of them after forty. The marriage of women of this class has similarly been postponed.

In addition to this, the low incomes which Negroes receive make bachelorhood and spinsterhood widespread, with the naturally resultant lowering, in some cases, of sex standards. On the other hand, the mass of ignorant Negroes still breed carelessly and disastrously, so that the increase among Negroes, even more than whites, is from that part of the population least intelligent and fit, and least able to rear their children properly.” (para. 4 and para.5).

Joe Biden has more in common with Duke over the course of his career than does Trump. Here are the facts listed in my article, Joe Biden has built his career by FIGHTING AGAINST EQUITY and EQUALITY, https://followerofthewayforever.wordpress.com/2021/01/22/joe-biden-has-built-his-career-by-fighting-against-equity-and-equality/ :

"Joe used the drug epidemic to target Blacks and poor people to serve longer sentences for trafficking by promoting proganda that crack is more lethal than cocaine. Blacks and poor people could afford crack for distribution and sell because it was less expensive than cocaine which Biden gave lesser sentencing. This occurred during the time the number privatized prisons began to increase. These were for-profit prisons. This first company to take over a prison was Core Civic in 1984. Civic Core took over a Shelby County, Tennessee prison.

Vox.com's German Lopez https://www.vox.com/2015/8/26/9208983/joe-biden-black-lives-matter shares Jamelle Bouie's list at Slate.com https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2015/08/joe-biden-presidential-run-why-its-a-bad-idea.html:

"Comprehensive Control Act: This 1984 law, spearheaded by Biden and Sen. Strom Thurmond (R-SC), expanded drug trafficking penalties and federal "civil asset forfeiture," which allows police to seize and absorb someone's property — whether cash, cars, guns, or something else — without proving the person is guilty of a crime. Under the federal Equitable Sharing program, local and state police get up to 80 percent of the value of what they seize as funds for their departments, which critics say creates a for-profit incentive to take people's stuff.

Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986: This law, sponsored and partly written by Biden, ratcheted up penalties for drug crimes. It also created a big sentencing disparity between crack and powder cocaine — even though both drugs are pharmacologically similar, the law made it so someone would need to possess 100 times the amount of powder cocaine to be eligible for the same mandatory minimum sentence for crack. Since crack is more commonly used by black Americans, this sentencing disparity helped fuel the disproportionate rates of imprisonment among black communities.

Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988: This law, co-sponsored by Biden, strengthened prison sentences for drug possession, enhanced penalties for transporting drugs, and established the Office of National Drug Control Policy, which coordinates and leads federal anti-drug efforts.

Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act: This 1994 law, partly written by Biden and signed by President Bill Clinton, imposed tougher sentences (including some mandatory minimums) and increased funding for prisons, fostering the explosive growth of the US prison population from the 1990s through the 2000s — a trend that's only begun to reverse in the past few years. Since black Americans are disproportionately likely to be incarcerated, the law helped contribute to the mass incarceration of black Americans in particular. But the law also included all sorts of other measures, including the Violence Against Women Act that helped crack down on domestic violence and rape, a 10-year ban on assault weapons, funding for firearm background checks, and grant programs for local and state police.

The RAVE Act: This 2003 law built on the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986 to impose civil penalties on businesses that knowingly lease, rent, use, or profit from a space where illicit drugs are being stored, manufactured, distributed, or used. The idea was to go after raves in which drugs are widely used. But the law has been widely criticized for making rave organizers so paranoid about anti-drug crackdowns that they stopped doing anything that would implicate them in drug use, including providing medical or educational services for drug users."

Interesting that Joe and Strom Thurmond partnered to write the 1984 Comprehensive Control Act during the same time period that Core Civic took over a facility in Tennessee. The increase in the number of privatized coincided with Biden's focus on creating crime bill's. To sell his 1994 Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act #1994CrimeBill, Biden's rhetoric was "Lock the S.O.B.'s Up" to further vilify the poor and other disenfranchised people to justify mass incarceration.

-'Lock the S.O.B.s Up’: Joe Biden and the Era of Mass Incarceration

He now plays down his role overhauling crime laws with segregationist senators in the ’80s and ’90s. That portrayal today is at odds with his actions and rhetoric back then.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/25/us/joe-biden-crime-laws.html#click=https://t.co/7ck1J9966W

His magnum opus was his 1993 Predators Beyond the Pale Speech

-Joe Biden Warns Of "Predators On Our Streets" Who Were "Beyond The Pale" In 1993 Crime Speech

https://youtu.be/7oDHSt-CKtc

- Joe Biden wrote the Clinton approved Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act:

Bill Clinton's crime bill destroyed lives, and there's no point denying it

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/apr/15/bill-clinton-crime-bill-hillary-black-lives-thomas-frank "

In addition to creating legislation that racially profiles minorities into a system of for-profit mass incarceration, he has also been a loyal supporter of planned parenthood.

Current Planned Parenthood CEO Alexis McGill Johnson says:

"Margaret Sanger’s beliefs caused irreparable damage to the lives and health of generations of Black people, Latino people, Indigenous people, immigrants, people with disabilities, people with low incomes, and many others." Read more from

@alexismcgill

: https://p.ppfa.org/3x3N29f

https://twitter.com/PPFA/status/1383827872628953094?s=20

I’m the Head of Planned Parenthood. We’re Done Making Excuses for Our Founder

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/17/opinion/planned-parenthood-margaret-sanger.html?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=tweet&utm_campaign=healthtwitter&utm_content=nyt2-april21

Despite McGill-Johnson's statement of the racist activities of planned parenthood as well as Kamala Harris' expression of fear of Joe Biden's praise of the known white supremacists of whom he has shown reverence:

What bothered Kamala about Joe? Interview with Kamala Harris on the campaign trail - Face the Nation

11:35 mins: “Praising and coddling individuals who made it their life work and built their reputation off of segregation of the races in the United States........I would not be a member of the United States senate if those men he praised had their way."

What bothered Kamala about Joe?

https://youtu.be/xMqp7A-O0HE?t=695

Let's talk about Joe Biden - 10:53 mins

https://youtu.be/xMqp7A-O0HE?t=653

this year he has still allowed the government to give over 400 million dollars to continue to decimate the Black community.

Joe Biden Gives Abortion Industry $467.8 Billion, 19 Times More Tax Money Than Obama

https://www.lifenews.com/2021/04/29/joe-biden-gives-abortion-industry-467-8-billion-19-times-more-money-than-obama/

https://twitter.com/StevenErtelt/status/1388694739512348674?s=20

Black people make up 13% of the population and Black women only represent 6% of the total population yet account for 36.9% of the nation’s abortions whereas white women account for 36% of the nation’s abortions however white people are 76% of the nation’s population. (Jatlaoui TC, Boutot ME, Mandel MG, et al, 2015).

Jatlaoui TC, Boutot ME, Mandel MG, et al. Abortion Surveillance — United States, 2015. MMWR Surveill Summ 2018;67(No. SS-13):1–45. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.ss6713a1

Regarding the near extinction of the Black population in America due to abortion, Nyhiem Way El stated to reparations group American Descendants of Slaves,

https://www.facebook.com/groups/ados101/permalink/296772141208488/?sfnsn=mo,:

"- Based on the January 2018 estimate that there have been 60 million abortions in the United States since 1973,20 we can deduce that well over 18 million of them were performed on black babies.

- As of July 2017, the black population in the U.S. stood somewhere around 40 million, which means that abortion has reduced the size of the black community by more than 30%—and that doesn't include the children and grandchildren that would have been born to those aborted more than a generation ago.'

Abort73.(n.d.). Abortion and Race. Retrieved from https://abort73.com/abortion/abortion_and_race/

Essentially, this is a 50% halt in population growth if you look at the children and grandchildren who would've been born since 1973 of the aborted. (Way El, 2019)

**As of July 2017, the black population in the U.S. stood somewhere around 40 million, meaning abortion has reduced the size of the black community over 30% and doesn't including potential children and grandchildren born to those aborted a generation ago

https://abort73.com/abortion/abortion_and_race/"

Planned Parenthood owes reparations to Black people, Hispanics, those living in poverty, women, AND fathers who wanted their children that were aborted.

GOD hates the Oppression of the Disenfranchised: Proverbs 30:14 & Jeremiah 34:8 - 22

https://followerofthewayforever.wordpress.com/2021/04/17/god-hates-the-oppression-of-the-disenfranchised-proverbs-3014-jeremiah-348-22/

Proverbs 30:14

“There is a generation, whose teeth are as swords, and their jaw teeth as knives, to devour the poor from off the earth, and the needy from among men.”

Hypocrisy of Joe Biden: A Legacy of Self-Entitlement and Oppression against the Disenfranchised

https://followerofthewayforever.wordpress.com/2020/01/08/hypocrisy-of-joe-biden-a-legacy-of-self-entitlement-and-oppression-against-the-disenfranchised/

Biden's overall opinion of Black people continues to be low,especially of those who would vote for him. In August 2020, Biden stated at a meeting with Latino voters:

"By the way, what you all know, but most people don’t, unlike the African American community, with notable exceptions, the Latino community is an incredibly diverse community with incredibly different attitudes about different things.”

—#JoeBiden 8/6/2020 https://youtu.be/f4lXYR0su-8

I'm glad that I'm a notable exception - I didn't vote for him.

I will never support the removal of GOD being THE GUIDE of America, abortion

Scriptures Against Abortion and Child Abuse

https://followerofthewayforever.wordpress.com/2020/03/12/scriptures-against-abortion-and-child-abuse/

HURTING CHILDREN BRINGS ON THE WRATH OF GOD

Matthew 18:5-6,10

5 And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me.

6 But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea

10 Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven

the destruction of traditional marriage and family, the destruction of traditional gender roles,eugenics, population control,euthanasia, and government and corporate hoarding rationing for totalitarian purposes disguised as environmentalism and sustainability.

Reference

Way El, N.(2019,May 16).Predatory Abortion Industry causes 50% halt in black population growth

https://www.facebook.com/groups/ados101/permalink/296772141208488/?sfnsn=mo

Du Bois, W.E.B.(1939, April). Negroes and Birth Control. Smith

https://libex.smith.edu/omeka/files/original/16e5b6a56c2c4aedb3274e7124f3006e.jpg

Sanger,M.(1939).Letter from Margaret Sanger to Dr. C.J. Gamble December 10,1939. Smith Libraries Exhibit, Accessed January 10, 2019, Retrieved from https://libex.smith.edu/omeka/files/original/d6358bc3053c93183295bf2df1c0c931.pdf

Gordon,L.(2007). Birth Control and the Negro. In The Moral Property of Women, p.235. Urbana; Chicago: University of Illiniois Press.

Sanger,M.(1939).Letter from Margaret Sanger to Dr. Albert Lasker November 12,1939. Smith Libraries Exhibit, Accessed January 11, 2019, Retrieved from https://libex.smith.edu/omeka/files/original/087da25e33426c0e81b01eebcdcc079d.jpg

#population control #eugenics #joe biden #racial profiling #prolife #alexis mcgill johnson #abortion #GOD #Jesus #Holy Spirit #Planned Parenthood #Planned Parenthood Owes Reparations #Reparations

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fire-the-headcanons · 4 years

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Follow the Beacon Raven—Strictly Girl Time

[Link to Masterpost]

[Get in loser we’re going shopping (jk I love you all)]

"This one’s nice, but the red’s a little bright," Summer said, waving a sleeve in Raven’s face.

She backed away on reflex and swatted at it. "What are you doing?"

"Checking the color against your eyes. Ooh, this one’s not bad," Summer said, lifting one in a darker shade from the rack—though it had some ugly green ruffles along the cuffs and hem. "The lace wouldn’t be too difficult to pick off, and then we could put on some black trim instead. Unless you’d rather have black for the main color and use red for accents? There’s always lots of options in black."

"Um… I think I’d prefer long sleeves," she said, eyeing the dress’s thin straps. Gauntlets covered her brand most of the time, or the long-sleeved Beacon uniform, but either of those would be out of place at a party.

"Let’s look at black, then," Summer said, replacing the dress on the rack and rifling through the others. "I don’t see anything over here."

"...Why did you learn to sew?" Raven asked, following her down the aisle. From what she’d gathered, most students shared Tai’s attitude toward the skill—and then there was Summer, who could rival a lot of small towns’ tailors. She almost hated to admit it, but Summer was probably a little better with making new things, even if Raven was far more experienced with repair.

"The first year after we moved to Vale was hard. Dad had just died, and I couldn’t talk to any of my old friends…" she went quiet for a moment, hands hesitating on the fabric. "And we were living at Signal with our uncles while we looked for a house. Mom’s family made armor, so she grew up sewing. We made my Halloween costume together that year—she was trying to make me feel better, and help me get used to Vale since it was so different, and it just… we got a lot closer." Summer looked back up, beaming. "Halloween’s been my favorite holiday ever since!"

"That’s nice," Raven said, inspecting one dress that had good sleeves, but the gold applique on the waist looked too difficult to remove so she put it back. "We only learned so we could fix things. But it’s probably more fun when you’re not doing everything by hand."

"Ooh, what about this one?!" Summer demanded, holding up a long, flowing gown. It was fairly plain but the fabric was good quality. "It's practically a blank canvas!"

"I'll try it on and make sure it's big enough."

"I'll see if there's any curtains or skirts in your red we can take apart," Summer cackled, speeding out of the row.

Raven let her face slide back to neutral as the Huntress vanished. She still hadn't said anything about that night—but she would, there was no question. Raven had never seen her so angry.

The fitting room door creaked as she pulled it closed and slid the flimsy latch into place.

What did Summer expect from her? Qrow would know what to do—this all came so naturally to him. Talking to the teachers. Joining in Summer and Tai's jokes. Raven only felt lost.

If they got caught it would be her fault.

If they died it would be her fault.

The dress slid easily over her head, hanging loose on her shoulders as she tugged the skirt down over her pants. It was a little too big—perfect for altering—and the sleeves were form-fitting enough to hide her wrist. It would have to be enough.

"Raven?"

"Here." She didn't give herself time to think about it and headed back out into the store.

Summer beamed. Red spilled from her arms—she'd found the curtains she hoped for. "Do you like it?"

"Um—" Raven glanced down at her arms. The thought hadn't even crossed her mind. But the style was simple and elegant, and the silky fabric draped in a way that was…well, dramatic, fluttering around her ankles when she moved. "Yes. I do."

Summer squeaked happily, clapping awkwardly but excitedly around the bundle. "Perfect! That was easy. Change back and let's grab something to eat, I'm starving."

Raven nodded, retreating back into the little stall. It was a nice dress… and it would be good to have something in her own colors. The armor that Beacon let her commission was the best clothing she had ever owned. And probably worth more than everything she'd ever stolen.

Most Branwens wore raided farmers' clothing, and that went double for the children. No point in making something better for someone who would grow out of it in a year.

She pulled her hair out from under her collar and finished tugging her shirt into place, staring at the dress hanging from the back of the door. Someone in Vale had thrown it away, basically. Something richer than Raven ever had before entering the Academy. She'd never thought of the tribe as poor, but now the idea sat as out of place in her mind as a parrot in a snowstorm.

"Come on," Summer said eagerly, grabbing her hand and pulling her toward the line for the cashier. "Any ideas how you want to spruce it up?"

Raven stared at the dark silk in her hands. The Huntress had to be doing this for a reason, and she couldn't stand the waiting anymore. "Is this about Qrow?"

"Nah, I wouldn't ask him to wear a skirt again."

"...You know what I mean." Her fury that night, shoving Raven away from her brother. Sitting with him until they both fell asleep in each other's arms. She didn't really think either of them had done anything, but it still… felt like it meant… something.

What if it meant he wouldn't need her anymore?

Summer's brightness dimmed slightly, to a more manageable level. "…No, it's not about Qrow. It's about you."

Finally. They could get it over with.

"Yeah, see? That's what I mean. You hate me." She frowned, reconsidering for a moment. "...Or you hate everyone and I'm just next to you. I don't think I've ever seen you talk to someone who's not on our team…"

"I—I don't—"

"Raven, you don't have to like me," Summer said. That was… unexpected. "But we need to be able to work together and we can't do that if we're always at each other's throats. ...I'm the team leader, I'm responsible for making sure the three of you are okay. I just… I need to understand you better. What… what do you really think about me?"

About Summer? She was a Huntress. Completely at home in battle and fearless of flying in ways that made Raven feel ill just to think about. There was fire inside her—the same roaring blaze Bones had, and that Raven and Vanta could only ever hope to imitate. She was flawless strength. A forceful leader. Everything Raven wished she could be.

And yet, she coddled a man while he cowered and cried because of a dream.

"I don't…" Raven scowled at the dirty white flooring, trying to find words for the frustration. "I can't understand you. So many people in our class have never even left the cities—they have no idea what the world is like, but… you do. You've lost people. Lost your home. You've lived at the edge of the wild and at least have the sense to understand that there are things you don't know, things you haven't seen. And yet you still… you still hold onto childish things. Like the comics." She looked back at the Huntress's face. "I don't get it. What good is that fantasy?"

"I know the world is dark and horrible." Summer stared her square in the eye. "I'm going to make it better."

Raven snorted, without thinking. "What makes you think you can fix the world?"

"I didn't say fix." The words were as unyielding as her stance. "As long as we have Choice, some people are going to make bad ones—but I'm not going to stand on the sidelines and watch it happen. I'm going to make things better."

"...and the comics?"

"Gotta know what I'm aiming for. And, y'know, it's fun."

"But you'll never win."

"Well, all the best goals are unattainable."

Raven blinked. "…Huh?"

"I'll never be the best Huntress on Remnant, but I'll be better for trying. We can't eradicate the Grimm but we can't stop fighting. Nothing will ever be perfect—but that's not an excuse to give up. It's the reason that we can't."

Raven's hands tightened on the fabric as her gaze slid back to the floor. "...I don't think things can get better."

"But they have!" Summer said, surprised. "Look at what humanity has done in the past sixty years! The four Kingdoms are working together, fighting the Grimm instead of each other. You know two years ago had the lowest number of Grimm fatalities in recorded history? People are living longer. There's less hunger. Things are slowly improving between humans and the faunus. Child mortality is the lowest it's ever been. We're eradicating diseases—everything has gotten better."

The cashier beckoned them forward, and Raven set the dress on the counter while Summer handed over a few Lien. "...You didn't... really want to become a huntress, did you," she murmured. "You came here because of Qrow."

There wasn't a reason to lie. "...Yes."

"Well… what would you do? If you could do anything you wanted, what would you be?"

Anything? She'd get out of this den of lions and go back where she belonged, with Qrow and Vanta and Bones, where she was free and powerful, with the promise that one day they would lead their people.

But Bones was dead. Their only way forward was to kill Vanta. And Qrow…

"I can't do whatever I want," Raven said. "That's not how the world works."

Summer snorted. "And that's not how the game works. Come on—you're both safe no matter what you choose. You can go anywhere in the world and do anything you want. Even if it sounds silly." She scanned around the store, looking for something, and her eyes fell on a poster. "You could be a, a movie star! Or a Councilwoman!"

A Councilwoman. Raven nearly laughed—wouldn't that be rich.

"Okay, okay, I get it," Summer said, accepting their bag and thanking the cashier. "What about a teacher, like Professor Mesánychta—you like working with her, right? Or—oh, or a sailor! You could work on boats and see the world. And they're always hiring Huntsmen for protection, Qrow could go with you." beat "Being a Huntress or a farmer aren't your only choices."

...It had been nice. The salt smell of the ocean. Wind strong enough to make her feel like she was flying, without the sick twist in her stomach. Nothing on the horizon to hide attackers and some kind of Dust machinery scanning for Grimm below.

But no. The tribe—her family—needed her. She'd go home.

Wouldn't she?

"I don't know," Raven said, praying it was a lie. "...What about you?"

"Me? I—I've always wanted to be a Huntress. I…" her voice trailed off, brow furrowing. "...I'd go back to Anima and visit my dad."

"The… one that died?"

Summer snorted, but somehow in a way that didn't make Raven feel stupid. "No, the one that can fly and shoot lasers from his eyes."

How did she always do that? No matter what she said it never felt like an accusation. "I… I meant… why haven't you?"

"Mom always said it wasn't safe." She glared at her knees, hands tightening on the bag. "I guess… I guess I always knew someone killed him. I just didn't want to believe it."

Gods, what was she supposed to say? People weren't supposed to talk about the dead. "...I'm sorry."

"You two don't talk about family besides each other. ...Did you ever… get to meet your parents?"

"We knew our father." Raven answered, but the Huntress seemed to expect more. "He… started our training. Before the Huntsman. ...He was good to us."

"Let's write them letters."

Raven was startled enough to meet her eye. "Huh?"

"Since Mom and I can't visit him we both write him letters instead, and burn them so they'll reach the afterlife." Summer dug the receipt out of the bag and tore it in half, leaving two hand's length pieces. "I promise it helps. Here—" she grabbed a couple pens from the basket next to the register and passed one to Raven along with half the paper.

"But—"

Summer grabbed her hand and dragged her over to the furniture section near the front window, plopping down on a little couch and dragging Raven with her.

But it was stupid to talk to someone who couldn't talk back, and weakness that she still wanted to. "...I wouldn't know what to say."

"Just tell him you miss him," she said, spreading out her scrap on the short table placed between the rows of seats and beginning to write.

Raven stared down at the pen. This was objectively pointless.

Hello— she hesitated for half a moment, but no. It was too strange. —Bones. The words were tiny, too small for Summer to read over her shoulder. I miss you. I know it makes me weak. I don't want to stay in this place. Her eyes stung. They're going to kill Qrow and it's going to be my fault because I can't pretend to be one of them. I don't understand them. I don't understand him anymore either. He wants to die. It hurt when you died. It hurt so much I can still feel it burning sometimes. I wanted to learn from you and not Huntresses. If I tell Qrow how to control the tribe then he won't need me anymore. If I stay here they'll kill me. Did it hurt when yo

Raven gritted her teeth, resisting the urge to throw the pen aside and leave. This was stupid—she sounded like a frightened child.

Something brushed her shoulder and she recoiled, but the Huntress pulled her into an embrace anyway.

Next Chapter: Taiyang—A Glass of Punch

#rwby #strq #team strq #raven branwen #summer rose #qrow branwen #taiyang xiao long #bones branwen #sterling rose #vanta branwen #claret rose #rwby fanfiction #rwby rosebird #follow the beacon

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eiirisworkshop · 4 years

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Avengers as Teachers AU Fic

For Good Intentions WIP Fest, details of which can be found @goodintentionswipfest

I have a lot of scraps of Avengers fics that, if I’m being honest, I’m never gonna finish. This is one of them--probably the one that has the most actually written.

***

Start of term is Monday, August 18th. Student move in is August 15th through 17th. All faculty are expected on campus to assist with move in. Any faculty who will be living in staff campus housing must move into their apartments during the week of August 4th through 10th.

Clint Barton set a cardboard box down on what was going to be his coffee table for the next nine months. His staff apartment was a bedroom, bathroom, and livingroom with kitchenet, all of it decked out in what seemed like Ikea's slightly classier cousin, though Clint had no idea where someone was supposed to get classier Ikea. He reached in his pocket, pulled out the note he'd found taped to the front door, and unfolded it. Neat, looping handwriting read, “Welcome, new guy, to the psychological crucible known as boarding school. Brace yourself, the Europeans are almost as crazy as the teenagers, have fun!”

“Heh,” Clint mused to himself, “that's not ominous at all.”

He shook his head, chuckled, and set to work unpacking. Shortly, he was interrupted by a knock at the door. He went to answer it and was met with the sight of a slim, redheaded woman leaning casually on the doorjamb. She grinned. “Hello neighbor.” She straightened up. “Everyone is talking about the newhire who's waited until the last minute to move in, but no one wants to be the first to snoop. I volunteered.” She held out a hand. “Barton, right?”

“Uh, yeah.” He shook the proffered hand. “Clint Barton.”

“Natasha Romanoff. I'm in the flat next door.” She nodded her head to indicate the apartment down the hall to her left, making her auburn curls bounce.

“I think you might be one of the crazy Europeans I've been warned about.”

The woman, Natasha, laughed, eyes glinting dangerously. “I think I might be. Did someone leave you a new guy note?”

“Yeah.” Clint snorted, fished the note back out of his pocket, and handed it to her.

She unfolded it and snorted. “Oh, Maria.”

“Maria?”

“Maria Hill. She's the school counselor. Does her best to keep us all sane.” Natasha handed the note back. “Tomorrow is the first teacher workday.”

“I know. Uh,” Clint stepped back, “d'you wanna come in?”

Natasha held up a hand. “No, that's okay. I have to finish up my own unpacking. See you tomorrow. Staff meeting starts at eight, don't sit next to the big blond if you value your hearing.”

“I'll keep that in mind.”

She sauntered the few steps down the hall to her door and he closed his.

The next morning, Clint took the stairs down from his apartment on the second floor and found himself in the middle of a group of three young women in the lobby of the staff housing building. The women stopped talking and eyed him. He cleared his throat awkwardly and grinned. “Is all the faculty but me and the headmaster beautiful women?”

One of the women, a fairly petite but curvy thing with curly dark hair and plastic-framed glasses, crossed her arms and studied him. “I think I like replacement Sitwell.”

“Darcy,” said one of the other two women, a dirty blond with an English accent, “you cannot call him 'replacement Sitwell.'” She sighed and shot a dark look at the third woman, who looked like she was probably some kind of mixed and was stifling a giggle. “I'm sorry. We're glad you've joined the crew. Now, we ought to all go or we're going to be late.”

The three women and Clint left the housing building and started across the green that lay between it, the main school building, and the student dormitory. The curly haired woman, Darcy, looped an arm through Clint's. “So, replacement Sitwell, since Jemma here doesn't think I should call you what you are, what should I call you?”

“My name's—”

“Clinton Barton.” The third woman shrugged. “I backed up all our digital files over the summer, I saw the hiring paperwork. I mean it's no secret or anything, I think most of the staff just didn't bother to look up when we heard Fury'd found a new lit teacher.”

“Skye does most of the school's IT support for the school and teaches two classes,” Jemma explained as she pulled open the door to the main building. “I teach biology and Latin, and Darcy—”

“Political science. And I'm the history department's bitch.”

The four of them filed down the hall and into the half full conference room across from the headmaster's office. There was a clump of people—two redheaded women that weren't Natasha, two dark haired men who both looked like they had some Latin blood in their pedigrees, two black men, and a woman with a long black ponytail—clustered around a decanter of coffee near the far corner, and three men were leaning on the edge of the conference table—a tall, muscular blond who Clint figured was the loud one Natasha had warned him of, a brunet with his hair pulled back into a spiky little tuft of a ponytail, and a slightly wiry man in a suit. The one with the ponytail glanced up, nudged the one in the suit, and nodded toward Clint, who was standing a bit awkwardly in the doorway, having been abandoned by his escort in favor of coffee. The man in the suit looked at him, stood, smiled, and held out a hand. “You must be Clint Barton.” The man clasped Clint's hand firmly. “I'm Phil Coulson, the other English teacher.”

Before either Phil could continue or Clint could respond, a voice from the other end of the room interrupted, “Excuse me, your first name is 'Professor.'”

It was one of the two vaguely Latin looking men from the group in the corner. He had dark, wavy hair dusted lightly with silver and a goatee that made him look like somebody's evil twin. Phil sighed and said conspiratorially to Clint. “Ignore him.”

“Whoa, hey, no, no, no. Don't ignore me.” The goateed man made his way around the table, cup of coffee in hand. Several other members of staff exchanged looks of amusement or concern. The other Latin looking man hung his head and pinched the bridge of his nose. The one with the goatee slung the arm that wasn't occupied with coffee around Clint's shoulders. “Hello there, new guy. Barton? Yeah. This your first teaching gig?”

“Uh, yes.” Clint glanced around for someone to rescue him but no volunteers stepped forward. Everyone was either watching or had returned to their own conversations.

“Well, you see, it doesn't matter what you think your name is, the kids decide what your name is. For instance, Bruce over there—Bruce, say hi.”

The other Latin looking man raised a hand in greeting.

“Thank you, big guy. Bruce is Dr. Banner. I, on the other hand, am Mr. Stark despite holding several doctorates.” Mr. Stark shrugged. “Your department mate is Professor Coulson and always Professor Coulson and the only teacher in the whole damn school who's consistently professor-anything. I think it's something to do with a suit.”

“Tony, don't traumatize the new guy.” Natasha had just walked into the conference room, flanked by a brunet woman, both of them in slacks and blouses.

“I'm not traumatizing him, Natasha. I'm educating him.”

The brunet woman removed Tony's arm from Clint's shoulders. “As your students will and do attest, your brand of education is often mildly traumatizing. Shoo.”

Tony made a sound of mock hurt and swept back to the corner with coffee. “I will finish educating you later.”

Clint turned to his rescuer. “Maria?”

She smiled thinly. “At your service. Can we please all start sitting.”

Everyone found their way into seats as another clump—three men, one blond with a goatee, one who Clint at a guess would have said was Mongolian, and one huge, redheaded, and bearded—filed into the room. The new group sat around the woman with the long black ponytail, who let out the long suffering sigh of a much harassed elder sister. Clint sat next to Natasha at the end of the table opposite the tall blond who had been talking with Phil. She leaned to whisper to him, “You're avoiding the wrong blond.”

“Huh?”

“Hello friends!” a voice boomed from the doorway, making Clint jump and fumble in his pocket for a remote he repeatedly hit the volume down button on. A muscular mountain of a man with long blond hair was standing just inside the threshold with a waif of a woman at his side. He beamed at the group at the table. “I hope you've all had a wonderful summer.”

The small woman tugged on the big man's arm. “Let's sit down, dear.”

Clint glanced at Natasha. “You meant that one.”

She smirked and nodded. Over the next few minutes, six other people came in: a woman with long titian hair back in a french braid; a tall, slender man with black hair; and older woman with blond curls who put a hand on the shoulders of the tall, thin man and the loud blond one before taking a seat next to the woman with the braid; a severe looking Asian woman; a young man with tight, flaxen curls who Jemma pulled the chair next to her out for; and a slightly heavy man with short, dark hair. That left only one chair empty at the head of the table. Soft chattered fluttered around the table. The small woman who'd come in with the loud blond was sitting next to Clint on the side that Natasha wasn't on. She smiled up at Clint. “Hi, I'm Jane Foster.”

“Clint Barton.” Clint smiled back, hand returning to his pocket to hit the volume up button a couple times. “Nice to meet you.”

Jane tilted her head curiously. “Are you wearing headphones?”

“Uh, no.” Clint unlooped the little grey plastic gadget from behind one ear and held it up. “Hearing aids.”

“Oh.” Jane blinked. “I am so—”

“It's fine.” He put the aid back on. “I'm not weird about it.”

“Oh. That's good.”

To Clint's other side, Natasha's eyebrows were raised in amusement with the realization of how ironic her earlier warning about avoiding the loud blond for the sake of his hearing was. Clint elected to ignore the other raised eyebrows around the table.

A tall man with an eyepatch dressed in a black suit strode into the room, flicking through a folder, and kicked the door closed behind him. “Good morning, ladies and gentlemen.” Headmaster Fury dropped his folder at the head of the table in front of the empty chair. “Hope you all took damn nice vacation's 'cause in one week we're gonna be overrun with adolescents and all their special brand of crazy. Before then, we have to get shit done. First order of business, everybody say hi to Clint Barton. He's filling the position in the English department left open by Sitwell's—” he cleared his throat “—resignation. Try not to scare him off. Stark, that means you.” Most of the room chuckled while Tony put a hand to his heart and declared he was wounded. Fury kept talking right over him, diving straight into an hour of bureaucratic housekeeping and discussion of curriculum. The headmaster flipped a page in his folder. “Now that that's done, about extra curriculars. The chess club Sitwell ran is out unless someone wants to take over sponsorship.”

“I could do it.” Fitz, the young man with tight, curly hair said, his accent distinctly Scottish.

“Great. Other than that, all the extra curriculars from last year will remain the same. Stark's damn robotics club—which had better not blow anything up this term—drama club, and writer's club, Rhodes has his co-ed boy scouts thing, Hogan's still doing the test prep thing, and there's our one sorry excuse for a sport other than track and field, cheer leading. Now, Barton has volunteered to coach an archery team. Any objections?” There was silence, a few shrugs, and some head shaking. “Congatulations, Coach Barton, you now get to be one of this school's crazy blond coaches of random sports.”

After the meeting, the staff were released to prepare for the arrival of the students in a week. Up on a chair, taping a poster to the wall of his new classroom, Clint asked over his shoulder, “So, there's twenty-eight members of staff, including me?”

“Right.” Phil was sitting on a student desk, eating Chinese delivery. “Are you going to eat anything?”

“Not hungry.” Clint stepped down from the chair. “Not right now at least. I'll get pizza or something later.”

“Since we're both teaching freshman and junior classes, we might want to compare syllabi at some point.”

“Yeah, sure.” Clint sat on another desk. “But so you, me, Fury, Stark, Natasha, Maria, uh, Banner. That's seven I can name.”

“Relax, you've got all week.” Phil held out a box of fried rice.

Clint took to box and a plastic fork. “I've got a week to learn the names and faces of more than two dozen people, settle into a new apartment, and prep for my first ever first day of class as the teacher.”

“You've done student teaching, and assistant teaching, right? You'll be fine.”

“Somehow I doubt it's the same.” Clint shoveled a few bites of rice into his mouth. “I'm also a little scared Stark's gonna make good on saying he'd finish 'educating' me and then whatever he says is gonna be the only way I think of everybody.”

Phil laughed. “You just met Tony today and you've already figured him out.”

“So, he teaches...math?”

“Yup. He and Fitz make up the math department.”

“Fitz?”

“Scottish kid.”

“Oh, right. Lots of Europeans on the staff.”

“Twelve.”

“Wow.” Clint chuckled. “You know, Maria left a note on my apartment door. She warned me the Europeans are almost as crazy as the students.”

“She's not wrong. The Brits aren't bad, the Norwegians are, well, they're interesting. And then there's Natasha.”

“Am I right to be scared of her?”

“Oh yeah.”

Later that afternoon, Clint was sitting behind his desk, hoping the damn thing would feel less awkward by the end of the year and going through lesson plans when there was a knock on the doorframe. He looked up. Tony Stark was leaning in the doorframe. In his band T-shirt and jeans he would have looked more like a high school student than a teacher if it weren't for the grey hairs and the bottle of Jack Daniels in his hand. He raised the bottle in a kind of salute. “I come to edjumacate you!”

“Are you drinking in the school?” Clint dropped his pen, busy gaping at the math teacher.

“No way, Fury would have me skinned alive.” He shoved off from the wall, took a few steps into the room, and swished the amber liquid in his bottle. “This is tea. I have plenty of booze bottles and it's fun to watch people's faces.” He took a swig and perched on one of the desks. “As I was saying this morning, the kids decide your name.”

“I'm trying to lesson plan right now.”

Tony waved a hand dismissively. “You've got all week.”

“As I keep getting told.” Clint sighed, picked up his pen, and capped it. “So the kids name us.”

“Right. So I'm Mr. Stark, Bruciekins is Dr. Banner—I guess he just looks like a Dr. somebody, probably the glasses—Coulson's Professor Coulson. I told you those this morning. Everybody calls the Scott Fitz, students and staff, except when they're talking directly to him, the kids call him Mr. Fitz, which I think sounds like it ought to be the name of a cartoon dog. Simmons is just Simmons unless she's just professor; she's never Professor Simmons—”

“Sorry, who's Simmons?”

“British chick, light brown hair, bio teacher.”

“Jemma?”

“Right. Skye is Skye—have you met Skye?” Tony held up a hand as though to tell himself to stop talking so Clint could answer.

“Yeah, I met her this morning. She does the school's I.T, right?”

“And teaches computer science. She's pretty cool. Thor—big loud blond one with the tiny wife—is Coach Thor to his face, otherwise just Thor. He's super formal and weird but really friendly at the same time so you almost have to be on first name basis with the man. On that note, hearing aids, do they have volume control?”

Clint smirked. “Yes.” He pulled the little remote out of his pocket. “Remote volume control.”

“Okay, I'm officially a little jealous. Everybody needs volume control when Thor's around. Anyway, his wife, Jane—I know you met Jane—she's Dr. Foster or Absent Minded Professor Foster when she's being particularly spacey. Sif is the only one who's managed to name herself, she tells the kids they have to pronounce her last name correctly or they have to call her Lady Sif. Nobody can pronounce her last name—it's some crazy jumble of consonants and vowels with extra lines—and the punishment for saying it wrong is extra vocab homework so all the kids call her Lady Sif.”

“Okay, that's hilarious.”

“It is. But I've got a better one. Steve, other big blond, he's the art teacher, kids call him Captain. He's got no military background or anything,—he was scrawny as hell in high school, I think I remember him telling me they wouldn't even let him join ROTC—never been with the police, doesn't do sports. No, they call him Captain 'cause he's got this dinky little boat that he's ridiculously proud of. Seriously, do not diss the man's boat.”

“I'll remember that.”

“You should.” Tony took another drink of his tea. “Oh, before I forget, and I will forget because I never have to remind people of this, every year after the first week of classes, I throw a faculty pool party. You're invited. There will be alcohol and barbecue.”

“Cool, thanks.” Clint laughed a little. “You don't live on campus, do you?”

“Naw.” Tony shrugged. “I've got a place in town.”

“Rich jackass has a mansion in town.” Bruce had appeared in the doorway, a plastic bin of batteries, light bulbs, and wires in his arms.

“It is not a mansion,” Tony said defensively.

Bruce looked scathingly at him over his glasses. “It's a six bedroom, three story house—four stories, counting the basement—with a pool and home theatre.”

“Okay, maybe it is a mansion,” Tony conceded. “So, yeah, pool party at my mansion for everybody who survives the next two weeks.”

*** Chapter 2

Sunday night, Clint found himself crammed onto Natasha's classier-than-Ikea couch along with Maria, Phil, Bruce, Skye, and the Russian herself, all of them eating fried chicken out of a cardboard bucket—except for Bruce, who had tofu tacos. Clint sighed. “No one told me 'student move in' meant 'ninth circle of hell.'”

“I think, by now,” Skye said through a full mouth, her long straight hair pulled up into a very messy bun, “the move in/hell association is so automatic we don't think to say it.”

“Preach.” Natasha sucked a trace of chicken off her thumb with a dignity that should not have been possible.

Clint snorted. “On the bright side, I think I've finally learned everybody's names.”

“One day before you have to learn two hundred more,” Bruce pointed out dryly.

“Uhg, don't remind me.” Clint leaned against the back of the couch.

Phil chuckled. “Seating charts and class rosters are good crutches.”

“That they are.” Natasha poked Clint in the shin with the tip of her pointy shoe. “But if you know everybody's names, let's hear it.”

Clint rolled his eyes. “Natasha, Maria, Skye, Phil, and Bruce—obviously.”

Maria grinned over a sporkfull of mac'n'cheese. “Obviously. Go on.”

“Headmaster Fury. Tony. Thor, Jane, Loki, Frigga, Sif, uh, Sygin, Hogan, Fandral, Volstagg. Other Hogan.”

“Happy.” Bruce tossed one of his taco wrappers into the trash across the room. “Other Hogan's first name is Happy.”

“Right.” Clint took a breath. “Pepper, Peggy, Steve, uh, James Barnes who's Bucky, and James Rhodes who's Rhodey. Jemma and Fitz. Sam. Darcy.” Clint was quiet for a minute. “I'm missing someone.”

“May,” Phil provided. “Malinda May.”

Clint rubbed a hand over his face. “I'm going to die this week. If I don't drown in teenagers I'm gonna get murdered by one seriously intimidating female veteran or another.” He glanced at Natasha. “There's what, three of you? Four?”

Natasha lightly smacked the back of his head. “I'm not military. But I will absolutely kill you.”

“I think that's my cue to go to bed.” Clint stood. “Thanks for dinner.”

As he let himself out of the small apartment, Maria called after him, “My office is room number seven if you start to go nuts.”

Coffee in hand the next morning, Clint was almost to his classroom when Natasha cut him off in the hallway. “I actually have an excuse to kill you now.”

Clint blinked at her. “Hm?”

“You got up at five thirty and I can hear your alarm clock through the wall.”

“I went for a run and I'm nearly deaf.”

“Don't they make vibrating clocks?”

“Yeah, I have one. It makes noise too. I'm not completely deaf.” He stepped around her, continued on to his room, and set his bag on the desk at the front of the room—the desk he had determined not to sit behind. It was early enough still that there were almost no students around, Clint's classroom was completely empty, but as the clock ticked closer to seven-twenty, four hundred odd fourteen to eighteen year olds descended upon the school building, uniforms neatly pressed. Clint had never gone to a school that required uniforms but—watching the first few sophomores of his first-hour class trickle into the room, their charcoal slacks or skirts, white shirts, and cobalt ties or ribbons all tidy—he highly doubted the movie like perfection lasted more than a couple days.

One dark haired girl who had the sleeves of her white buttondown rolled up past her elbows had plopped herself into a desk at the front of the room with her bag propped against the leg of her chair, and was studying Clint over a piece of toast she'd apparently filched from the dormitory dining room. After a long moment of contemplation she said, “You're new.”

Clint resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He was supposed to be the adult here. “Yeah.”

“What're you doing here?”

“Fury bought me from the circus.”

The girl snorted. “Right.”

“Okay, so I ran away from the circus.” Clint shrugged. “One way or another I get to make you read Shakespeare now.”

The girl frowned. Behind her, two boys who must have been twins snickered. The bell rang and the rest of the class flooded in, filling all thirty desks. Clint took a deep breath and stepped to the front of the room. “Good morning and welcome to tenth-grade English. I'm Clint Barton, Mr. Barton will do just fine, but I've heard from your other teachers that you're all likely to rename me.” He paused, relieved to see at least a dozen grins among the class. “I haven't got a clue who any of you are, so I'm going to take role. If you go by a nickname or if I butcher the pronunciation, tell me. Okay?” He snagged his first-hour roster off his desk. “Katherine Bishop.”

The dark haired girl with the rolled up sleeves waved her half-eaten toast. “It's Kate.”

By lunch time, Clint had made it through two hours worth of sophomores and one hour of juniors. Phil, in whose classroom he was eating, had survived three hours of seniors.

“It wouldn't be so bad,” Phil said, punctuating his statement by stabbing a meatball with a fork, “if it weren't for this one kid, Peter. Two girls like him, he's been going back and forth not quite dating both of them since they were freshmen, and there's another guy who, I don't know if he actually likes Peter or if he's trying to be funny but he flirts shamelessly and tactlessly with the poor kid. All four of them are in my first hour.”

Clint cringed sympathetically. “Sounds exhausting.”

“It is.”

“I have a question.”

“Shoot.”

“Couple of boys in my first class, last name Maximoff. That's really not the most common name on earth so I've gotta ask: Any relation to the politician?”

“She's their mother.”

Clint nearly choked on a mouth full of pasta. “Okay, I knew this was a high end school, but I wasn't expecting that.”

Phil shrugged. “We're close enough to D.C. that we're a convenient place for better off government types, diplomats, and other luminaries to send their kids, get them away from the city. And we're a safe place for them too. I know you've noticed how much of the staff is ex military.”

“I assumed there was some magnet force under the school that attracts badasses.”

Phil laughed. “It's called Nick Fury and he's in the office, not under it.”

After lunch, Clint had another class of juniors, which went almost exactly like the one before lunch. At the end of that class, while two of the more interesting juniors filed out, sharing some not entirely typical teenaged chatter—“Still think it's funny they've got the blind kid in the deaf guy's class.” “He's not Deaf, David. I know you know that.”—the one class of the day Clint had been really dreading began filing in: freshmen. As the class filtered in, Clint noticed that the freshmen were even more perfectly pressed than the older students. They stared at him with a wary scrutiny. A sturdy Latina girl dropped into a desk and crossed her arms defiantly. Clint raised his eyebrows. “You okay?”

“Class I just had is full of dicks.”

“It wasn't that bad.” A boy with headphones around his neck dumped his bag on the desk next to her.

“You're the worst out of all of them, chico.” The girl sounded ready to punch someone out and looked like she could do it and make it hurt.

“Okay, okay,” Clint intervened, “you, how old are you?”

“Me?” The boy pointed to himself dumbly.

“Yeah you.”

“Fourteen.”

“What's your name?”

“Peter.”

Clint looked at the girl. “Your name?”

“America.”

“Okay.” Clint shrugged. “Peter here is a fourteen year old boy. As a former fourteen year old boy myself, let me say that they are more or less all dicks.”

America blinked. “I have never heard a teacher call anybody a dick before.”

“Welcome to high school.” Clint winked. She grinned.

The boy, Peter, leaned forward. “Are you wearing headphones?”

Clint sighed. “They're hearing aids.”

“Dude, are you deaf?” Peter sounded excited.

“No, I'm Hard of Hearing. If I were completely deaf, hearing aids wouldn't do me any good.”

America and Peter shared a look then both shrugged.

The freshmen didn't turn out to be as bad as Clint had feared. The next hour of sophomores, though, was the last class of the day, and Clint had to fight to be listened to. After that it was curriculum talk with Phil, Skye making him look like an idiot while showing him how to use the gradebook software, dinner in the dining hall, old cartoons, then bed. The rest of the week went about the same.

Friday, as soon as the final bell rang, the kids all rushed out. Clint called after them. “Archery club first meeting is a week from today!”

The last of the kids left and Clint turned to his desk and the stack of persuasive essays he'd had his students write him about their favorite movies with the promise that each class would get to watch the movie that got pitched the best within their class. There was a quiet whirring behind him and he turned to see something like a streamlined, somewhat scaled-down assembly line robot trundle up to him, a slip of paper held in its three fingered “hand.” It extended its arm with a soft hum of servos that Clint would have described as curious if he didn't know better.

“Uh.” Clint took the slip of paper. A note was scrawled on it in a messy angular handwriting:

This is Dum-E. He's not very smart but he tries. New guy, this is your reminder to grab your trunks and get your butt to my not-a-mansion @ 4

-A. Stark

Tony's address was on the back of the note. Clint hesitated then awkwardly patted the robot's “head.” “Thanks, uh, Dum-E.”

The bot whirred with what might have been pride and turned to leave—presumably headed back to Tony's classroom. It bumped into a desk on its way out. Clint frowned.

A couple hours later, he was walking with Natasha to her car to head to Tony's party—she had volunteered to, or rather insisted that she drive. Clint stepped into the sleek, black sedan. “So, Tony has a robot?”

“Yeah.” Natasha started the car and pulled out of her space. “He's got two.”

“He has two robots?”

“He's disgustingly over qualified to be teaching high school.” She gunned it down the winding drive to the main road.

Once they stopped, Clint clambered out of Natasha's car. “I am riding back with somebody else, did you used to race? Holy crap that's a big house.”

Natasha snorted, leading the way along a path from the driveway around to an extremely expensive looking fence over which the sounds of revelry and smells of barbecue floated. Her beaded flipflops smacked quietly against the flagstones. “Four stories and a basement.”

Clint followed. “Is he married?”

“Are you joking? Stark, married? Ha. No. He lives here alone.” She unlatched the gate and pushed it open.

Stark's back yard looked like something out of a magazine, fire pit, koi pond, perfectly green grass, question mark shaped pool with hot tub waterfall, and trapezoidal deck with outdoor kitchen. The hot tub—accessed from the deck, spilling into the main pool—was full of beautiful bikini clad women, namely the school counselor, IT expert, biology teacher, and the history department's bitch. The last of whom, Darcy, stood and waved at Natasha and Clint. “Hey! The Cyrillic Cyclone and the new guy are here!”

Everyone—Stark, Banner, and the guy with the spiky ponytail at the grill; the Scottish guy, Pepper, and the big blond art teacher in the pool; and redhead who wasn't Pepper or Natasha and the two ex-military black guys leaning on the deck rail—all looked around. Natasha waved back and hissed to Clint, “Stop staring at Darcy's boobs,” before striding across the yard, dropping her purse and coverup on a lawn chair, and settling in as beautiful woman number five in the hot tub.

Clint quickly averted his gaze, shook his head, then went to drop his own things on a lawn chair, then stepped into the pool. Pepper floated by, hugging an inflatable orca. She nodded to him. “Hey, can you swim with those things?”

“Huh?” Clint hopped down the last step up to his waist in water. “My hearing aids?”

“Yeah.”

“Are you kidding?” He snorted. “Ever since I was a kid I've refused to have hearing aids I can't get wet.”

“Great!” Grinning, Pepper released the orca and splashed him.

He flinched, laughed, and splashed her back. Some of the splash went past her and caught Steve on the shoulder. He turned to glare at Clint.

“Hey!” Clint laughed. “Pepper started it.”

“Did she now?”

“Steve, Steve! Wait!” Pepper spluttered laughter through a face full of water.

“Steve, play nice.” The guy with the spiky ponytail walked to the edge of the pool, munching a fresh made cheeseburger.

“I am playing nice, Buck.” Steve waded over to the edge of the pool. “Can I have some of that?”

The guy with the ponytail rolled his eyes, “Sure,” knelt, fed Steve a bite of his burger, then kissed him.

Clint felt his eyebrows arch. “I think I missed a memo.”

Fitz chuckled behind him. “This is the first time you've been around them outside of work hours, isn't it?”

“We behave when the kids are around.” Bucky set his burger and paper plate down.

“If you can call giving each other bedroom eyes across the lunchroom 'behaving,'” redhead who wasn't Pepper or Natasha came up behind Bucky and pushed him into the pool.

He came up spluttering, long bangs in his face, dripping. “Peggy!”

“Man, I love this school,” Clint laughed.

Peggy jumped in the water. “I went to university with Steve, I've been pushing both of them around for years.”

*** Bonus Scene

“Sonnet one forty one.” Clint waved his book dramatically. “Now before anyone starts going on about 'oh what I sweet love poem' I want you to think about what he's actually saying here. Billy, would you read the first two lines for us?”

The darker haired of the Maximoff twins flattened out the page of his own book. “In faith, I do not love thee with mine eyes,/For they in thee a thousand errors note.”

“And what does that mean?” Clint shoved off from his desk and paced down the center aisle between his student's desks. “He's saying to his girlfriend that his eyes don't love her 'cause he can see, visually, a thousand things wrong with her.”

The lighter twin frowned. “Are we sure he's talking to a girl?”

“This time, yes. It does say 'she' in the last line. Shakespeare does have some sonnets that we know were addressed to a young man, we can argue about the nature of that relationship later. Anyway, so he doesn't like what he sees. Couple lines later he tells us, basically, that if I met this woman I'd want to turn my hearing aids off her voice is so bad.”

The class chuckled.

#fanfic #Avengers #marvel #clint barton #good intentions wip fest

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prhyst · 3 years

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interview~

He was getting cold feet.

Cold hands too.

If he wasn’t mistaken, even the tip of his nose was chilled despite the temperate light breeze rustling through the monastery town. Rhys shook his head at himself, hands clasped within the sleeves of his flowing white robes. Things were different now, he was different; yet his steps were haunted by the weighted memories of rejection and failure, the sympathetic looks on laborers and guardsmens’ faces as they gently sent him off, and his parents’ assurances that he was a good lad, they were still proud, yet he couldn’t help but wish he could contribute.

Things were different with the Greil Mercenaries, but what of now, on his own?

The light tapping of his staff against his back in time with his stride helped ground him as he entered the monastery proper. He was a mercenary. If he earned his keep once, he could do it again. He was no child. His gifts had developed. He forcefully reminded himself of his own credentials as he hiked up a couple flights of stairs to his interview. For all the forts, fortresses, and castles he’d stormed into, the monastery was still a mix of stimulating and intimidating that swirled together into awe. His eyes darted around, trying to take it all in. He’d been inside once before to inquire after the position, but could still foresee himself getting lost.

The tinted glass of the greenhouse was a welcome sight. At least the tedious harvesting of herbs could be done more efficiently than foraging around plants that were left to the whims of wildlife. He was so preoccupied he found his destination before realizing it.

Out of nerves or a need for circulation, he was unsure, Rhys rubbed his hands together and took a deep breath, reaching out to rap his knuckles lightly on an office door.

“Come in!”

Rhys steadied himself and entered with what he hoped was a hale a hearty complexion, a smile coaxed onto his face. “Hello. I’m Rhys, I’ve been staying in the town just south of the gates. This is where my interview is, right?”

“Yes. Sit down, please.”

Rhys settled himself in the chair across from the interviewer.

“You said you’re interested in a teaching position?”

“Yes. My specialty is white magic.” Rhys kept his tone light. “It’s my only strength on paper, actually. I was a member of a mercenary group as their medic.”

“You would be willing to go into combat?” The interviewer asked smoothly with only a slight pitch up in surprise.

Rhys nodded eagerly, nerves giving way to enthusiasm. “Yes, absolutely! I’ve been fond of the idea of teaching for years, but I feel best when I’m where the action is. Better to heal someone right away than have them suffer complications on the way to the infirmary. I’ve had years of practice.”

“Experience is a definite benefit, but just to be clear, you only use magic?”

It was bound to come up. “Yes. I have difficulty even lifting an axe.”

“So you can’t use armor either?”

No, he’d had Gatrie and Titania to hide behind. Rhys winced. “No. Not heavy armor. Just use of terrain and keeping everyone safe saw me through. Every team member is important.” Even me. “Someone has to watch out for them.” Running around in groves and thickets like a squirrel wasn’t glorious by any means, but he was alive.

Rhys had saved his comrades from enemies, and even from themselves. Tried to, anyway. He didn’t mean to be a mother hen, but some people had needed it.

Sometimes he still wondered what someone like Kieran was doing unsupervised.

“We’ll have someone evaluate your healing abilities, but I think we’ll be hiring you. The monastery can always use more healers and professors with battle experience. It’s a military academy after all.”

Rhys smiled, genuinely this time as his heart leapt. “You are? That’s wonderful! I can’t wait to meet everyone!” His excitement was difficult to curb, bounding out of him with more youthfulness than expected from a priest. “Really, thank you! I’ll work hard for my students! And also for the knights! You can count on me!” He spoke too fast for the interviewer to get a word in. Realizing this, he settled on one question he did need answered. “How big are classes? Do the clergy have other duties here too?” Two questions. “Are there a lot of others from around the world here too? Maybe from the Tellius continent?” Three questions.

His interviewer waved gently. “We thank you for wanting to help out. As best as I can tell, class sizes could be as small as a handful of students, or around twenty. Our clergy act as general healers and as aides to our students and communities, much like you already do. For the last question, yes. We are proud to welcome foreign students and faculty from many places. No doubt some people from your home too.” They looked down at their desk. “One last question for you, as a bit of an icebreaker. If a play were made about your life, what role would you play?”

It was so out of left field that Rhys had to pause. “Uh. I’m in the audience, honestly.” He didn’t correct himself in realizing they were talking about theoreticals.

“But what I really want? I’d be the main heroic figure! We’re all the star of our own small lives. No matter what we are in our work, how poor we are, or what we can or cannot do, doesn’t everyone dream about that? It’s a core part of humanity to dream of something, and then to strive for it. It isn’t necessarily greed or ambition, but just to wonder what it’s like in shoes bigger than yours, even if you’ll never reach it. That’s how we grow." He couldn't imagine living without a sense of wonder and curiosity for everything outside of himself.

“I’ll be me for the rest of my life.” Rhys had made peace with it, as every human has to. “I spent a lot of time dreaming, but it doesn't compare to actually doing things. So I’ll do all I can."

Even if I don’t think it’s much.

#interview #application #about the muse

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nazariolahela · 5 years

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Something Domestic: Chapter 9

A/N: Hey y’all! This story is told in first-person narrative, from Riley’s (MC) POV. There will likely be smidges of canon in this, but not too much. Thanks for reading, and please leave feedback, and/or if you would like to be tagged.

This chapter ended up being longer than anticipated, so it will essentially be split into two. Whoops!

Catch up here

Series Tags: @burnsoslow @aworldoffandoms @dcbbw @ladyangel70 @texaskitten30 @sunandlemons @jlynn12273 @indiacater @jared2612 @rainbowsinthestorm @drakesensworld @badchoicesposts @msjr0119 @katurrade @blackcoffee85 @cynicalworlds-blog @hopefulmoonobject @beardedoafdonutwagon @cmestrella @sugarandspice-milkandhoney @superharrietsuper

Synopsis: When Riley Brooks takes a new job as a nanny for the affluent Rhys family in New York’s Upper East Side, she assumes she’s just going to care for the children of the couple who hired her. But instead of just school pick-ups and afternoon snacks, she also finds herself spending time with Liam, the handsome divorced dad. Can Riley control her feelings for Liam while still performing the job she was hired for?

All characters are the property of Pixelberry Studios. Thanks for allowing me to borrow them.

Chapter Summary: Manhattan puts on its best-dressed for an annual fundraiser, and all eyes are on Riley.

The next week had come and with little drama. Charlotte started her first day of school on Monday, which she was surprisingly unhappy about. I wonder if she had overheard Liam and Madeleine’s fight Friday evening. I showed up early that day to make sure she had everything she needed. Liam stayed mostly out of sight as I got her ready for school. No doubt he was having second thoughts about our steamy makeout session. Or maybe he was embarrassed. Nevertheless, he was gone before the kids and I left. After I dropped Charlotte off at school, Philip and I spent the day doing fun stuff. Museums, painting classes, even a stop for some dairy-free ice cream. Madeleine actually showed up on time from work to relieve me of my duties, and I was gone before Liam got home. Tuesday through Thursday were much of the same. Arrive early, get Charlotte off to school, spend time with Philip, pick up Charlotte from school, spend time with them until their mother arrived, then head for home.

Now, it’s Thursday evening, and Hana and I are sitting in our apartment eating takeout. She’s sitting in the recliner, cell phone in hand, texting Meghan. I hold the remote and flip through Netflix, trying to find a movie for us to watch. I find one that might be interesting to me and turn to her. “Wanna watch this one?”

She looks up from her phone to the TV and frowns. “Watched it with Meghan last night. What else is there?”

I flip through to find another one then turn back to her, “How about this one?” She shakes her head no. I sigh and toss the remote on the couch next to me. “I got nothing then.”

“How about we go shopping for the banquet on Saturday?’ she pipes up. I give her a grin, and we both slip on our shoes, grab our purses and head outside to hail a cab. Hana and I scored invitations to the Enrique M. Vasquez Memorial Scholarship Banquet. It’s the largest fundraiser for New York Private Schools in the state. Every year, the richest and most powerful in New York society show up, rub elbows with each other, and donate a shit ton of money for scholarships to some of the most prestigious private elementary, middle, and high schools. Last year, more than $500,000 in scholarships were handed out.

Hana and I arrive at Carmina — an upscale dress shop in Manhattan — 30 minutes later. We browse through the racks, picking out a selection of gowns to try on. Most of these dresses cost at least a month’s salary, but they’re so pretty, I have to force myself to overlook the price tag. Gowns in hand, we retreat to the dressing rooms. After a few minutes, Hana steps out in a stunning shimmery gold number, with a sweetheart neckline. My jaw drops as she does a little twirl. Damn, my best friend is hot.

“I don’t know what other dresses you have in there, but don’t bother trying them on. That’s the one.”

Hana laughs. “Take a picture of me. I wanna send it to Meghan and get her opinion on it.” I snap the picture with her phone and hand it back to her. A few moments later, her phone buzzes, and I peek over her shoulder to see Meghan’s reply.

That dress is beautiful. I can’t wait to see what it looks like on my bedroom floor.

“Ooooh!” I say, reading the message. Hana tucks the phone into her chest, her cheeks turning crimson.

“Get out of here, nosy and go try on your own dresses.”

I snicker and return to my dressing room. “So how are things going with you and Meghan?” I ask her.

“Pretty good. I know it’s only been a week, but I really like her.”

“That’s wonderful, Hana. You two seem to be getting along well. She’s certainly smitten. Have you two… ya know…”

“RILEY!” she shrieks. She pauses for a few beats, then replies. “Not that it’s any of your business, but yes. Yes, we have.”

Half dressed, I rip the door open to my dressing room and find her sitting on one of the elaborate couches. “What?! Really?! That’s great!” I rush over to her and grab her hands. “You have to tell me all about it. Well, not all about it, but you know.”

Hana giggles, pushing me away from her. “Go get dressed, you perv. We don’t have all night.” I stick my tongue out at her and move back into the dressing room. I try on the three dresses I chose. The first one is a purple halter dress with a slit up the leg that damn near shows everything. The second one is a black cap sleeve number that would look better for a funeral than a benefit dinner. The third dress is a beautiful glittery blue gown with a plunging neckline. I emerge from the dressing room and hear Hana audibly gasp.

“Oh, my gods. That’s it. That’s the one.”

I smile. “You think so?”

“I know so! You look breathtaking!”

I clap my hands together. “Awesome! Let’s pay for these and get out of here. I have to find a pair of shoes to go with this baby!” We pay for our gowns and my credit card weeps. As we are leaving the dress shop, Hana’s phone chimes with a text.

“It’s from Meghan. She wants to go get a drink.” She frowns. “But I don’t want to ditch you.”

I turn to her, shaking my head. “Don’t worry about it. Go see your woman. One of us deserves to get laid.”

She laughs and pulls me into a hug. “I’ll see you at the apartment later, ‘kay?” I nod as she gets into a cab and takes off. I hail my own cab and make my way back to the apartment, clutching the dress in my arms. I think about how I’m going to style my hair, and what accessories I’m going to pair with it. I’m going to look so hot, no man there will be able to take his eyes off me. My mind wanders to the only man who’s eyes I want on me. I know he’s going to be there on Saturday. His company is an annual sponsor and of course, he donates a lot of money to the scholarship fund. I remember that he’s also been avoiding me all week. Maybe if I can get a few minutes alone with him, we can at least talk about what happened.

***

Saturday rolls around and Hana and I are at our apartment getting ready for the evening. The two of us are crowded in our tiny bathroom, doing each other’s hair and makeup. When we’ve finished primping and priming, we head to our bedrooms to get dressed. After I’m dressed, I assess myself in the full-length mirror behind my door. Looking good, Riley. I shout at Hana from the other side of the wall. “What time is the car picking us up?”

“6:30. There’s a cocktail hour at 7, and dinner starts at 8.”

I check my phone. It’s already 6:25. “You about ready?”

She giggles. “Yep. You?”

I open my door at the same time she opens hers. We step out into the hall and dramatically present ourselves. “Ta-da!” she sing-songs.

“Gahddamn, we look good! Ready to go break some hearts and raise some money?”

“You know it!” she replies. We grab our things and head downstairs to meet the car. On the ride there, Hana and I chat about who we might run into tonight. She mentions that her college advisor is expected to make an appearance, and she hopes they can get together and visit. I think about running into Liam and what I’m going to say to him. The car stops in front of The Celestial Hotel & Resort, and a valet rushes to open our door for us. We climb out and make our way inside, walking the “red carpet.” I roll my eyes as the paparazzi snap pictures of Manhattan’s biggest names. All this for a scholarship benefit?!

We enter the Grand Ballroom and are taken aback by how elaborate the setup is. Roughly 50 tables are set up with white tablecloths and ornate centerpieces. Each table has eight chairs, and place cards on bright white cardstock with gold accents. There’s a bar set up to the left of the room, and a stage at the back. The right side of the room features several floor-to-ceiling windows, showcasing the New York skyline.

My eyes scan the room, looking for someone I might know. I see Dr. Ethan Ramsey chatting with famous author Marianne D'Arneaux. Near the bar, fashion designer Lancelin St. Claire and actor Ryan Summers laugh at something comedian Josh Morello said. Across the room, singers Raleigh Carrera and Cady Dorian are locked in a heated embrace. Talk about little fish in a big pond. I read about all these people in my favorite tabloid magazines, and now I’m in the same room as they are. It’s not all celebrities though. I see several New York educators, school administrators, and faculty members. I even spot one of my professors from Steinhardt. I remind myself to say hello to him later.

“I found our table,” Hana says, grabbing my arm and guiding me to where we’ll be sitting for the evening. I look at the placeholders and notice a few big names seated with us. Matt Rodriguez and his wife Jessica Clark; and Avery Wilshire. The Manhattan School District superintendent; the dean of Barnard College; and the principal of Hana’s school, Vera Thompson are also seated at our table. We take our seats and wait for the other occupants to arrive.

“I feel so out of place here. Maybe we should go,” I say, fidgeting with my napkin.

“What? No! This event is the biggest fundraiser of the year. Think of the connections we could make. Plus, Dr. Ramsey is the guest speaker tonight. Don’t you want to stick around for that?” I can tell this event is important to her, so I decide to just suck it up and stay. We make our way to the bar and order a couple of whiskey sours. Thank gods this event has an open bar. I take a sip of my drink and frown. These don’t taste nearly as good as the ones Drake makes. Speak of the devil. I spot Drake and Maxwell making their way toward the bar. Maxwell is wearing the most amazing suit I’ve ever seen. It’s light blue with tentacles stretching the length of the jacket. His bowtie is an orange squid. Drake is a tad more casual in black slacks and a blue button-up with a tie.

“Ladies! What are you doing here this fine evening? This doesn’t seem like the type of party you like to crash,” Maxwell says, winking at us.

Drake rolls his eyes. “Hey girls. Fancy party, huh? This is not what I was expecting when I signed up to be a sponsor.”

“You’re a sponsor?” Hana questions. Drake cocks an eyebrow at her as if to ask, “What does that mean?”

“We both are,” Maxwell replies. “Been giving money to this program for years.”

Drake nods. “This state has a lot of really good private schools, and it’s only fair that every kid has the opportunity to attend them. I like that kids of all economic status can get scholarships for them. I wouldn’t give money to the program otherwise.”

Hana smiles, satisfied, and sips her drink. Maxwell orders two glasses of champagne and hands one to Drake. Drake takes the glass, frowning. “What am I supposed to do with this?

“Drink it. What else would you do?” Drake brings the glass to his lips and takes a small sip. He makes a face before knocking it back and setting the glass back on the bar.

“So where’s the third member of your Motley Crew?” I ask. Just then, the crowd parts and Olivia herself appears. She saunters toward us — her trademark smirk plastered across her face — in a red sequined gown. A man with dark hair and an all-black suit trails behind her, holding two glasses of champagne.

“Well, well, well. If it isn’t the hot nanny. You clean up nicely. I’ll give you that. That’s quite the gown. Liam’s going to shit himself.” She turns to the man behind her and plucks one of the champagne glasses from his hand, downing it in two gulps, then sets it on the bar. “What is a nanny doing at a scholarship benefit? Shouldn’t you be watching the kids?”

“I don’t have them on weekends. I actually don't know where they are. I haven’t spoken to Liam or Madeleine tonight,” I state matter-of-factly.

She chuckles. “I’m glad the she-witch lets you have some free time. It’s not like she watches her own kids. Why else would she have hired you?”

“Olivia,” Drake snaps.

She turns to him and smirks. “Hello, Drake. I see you couldn’t be bothered to find a suit for this little soirée? I doubt it would have killed you to put on a damn jacket. At least the babysitter wore a nice dress.” She laughs and turns to the man behind her, snapping her fingers. “Come, Ray.” The two of them disappear into the crowd and all four of us breathe a sigh of relief.

Hana scowls. “Oh my gods, she’s so brash? How do you put up with her?”

“Lots and lots of alcohol,” Drake answers.

Maxwell snorts and takes a drink of his champagne. “Don’t mind her. It’s a defense mechanism. Once you get to know her, she’s actually a ray of sunshine. Except to Drake. Pretty sure she still hates you for junior year, man.”

Hana and I exchange a look. I turn to Maxwell. “So, who are most of these people? I recognize the celebrities and some of the educators, but I have no idea who everyone else is.” He slings an arm around my shoulder and turns my body toward the crowd. He points toward the podium near the stage where two older men and a woman about my age are holding a conversation. and I recognize one of the men as Maxwell’s brother.

“You remember Bertrand. Well, the woman on his arm is his wife, Savannah. The blonde guy next to him is Liam’s older brother Leo.” I squint and immediately see the resemblance. Maxwell moves his hand over to two women giggling. “The woman in the purple dress with the narwhal necklace is Penelope, and the one next to her in the black dress with feathers on the shoulders is Kiara. They’re Madeleine’s best friends from college. And if they’re here, that means she’s not too far away. Those three are attached at the hip.”

“So I’ve heard.”

He chuckles. Sure enough, a woman with a blonde bob and a stunning cold-shoulder emerald green dress struts up to the two women. Yep, that’s her alright. If she’s here, then that means… I scan the ballroom for any sign of him. From the corner of my eye, I see Hana ducking behind Maxwell.

“Oh my gods, he’s here. Hide me!”

“Who?” I ask her, confused. She points toward the center of the room where a man with slicked-back hair and a permanent scowl stands. He’s wearing a brown blazer over a blue pullover, and brown slacks.

“It’s Neville,” she whispers as if he can hear us from across the room. After scanning my face for signs of recognition, she continues. “The trust-fund douche my parents have been trying to set me up with. He’s been texting me for a few weeks now, even after I told him I’m dating someone. I didn’t know he’d be here, but I guess it’s not surprising. His father owns Cormery Isle vacation rentals, so I’m sure he donates a lot of money to this program.” She groans, taking my hand. “Will you please be my buffer this evening? I don’t want to be anywhere near him.”

“I got you, boo!” I reply, patting her arm. I turn back to Maxwell. “Dinner is starting soon, so we’re going to go take our seats. We’ll catch up to you later.” He smiles and gives us a wave before taking off towards his table. Hana and I link arms and make our way to ours, where most of our tablemates have already been seated. As Hana strikes up a conversation with them, I look around the ballroom for any sighting of Liam.

I give up after a few minutes, and excuse myself to hit the ladies room. After getting directions from a member of the waitstaff, I leave the ballroom and walk down a long hallway to the restrooms at the end. Thankfully, I’m alone. I do my business and check my reflection in the mirror. At least I still look good. Too bad there’s no one here to appreciate it. As I exit the bathroom and make my way back toward the banquet, a pair of strong arms wraps around my waist and pulls me into a dark conference room. He pins me against the closed door. The weight of his masculine body feels like heaven.

“I was hoping to run into you tonight,” Liam’s voice whispers in my ear, setting my skin on fire. His hot breath on the back of my neck makes my knees go weak.

“Where have you been all night?” I ask, turning to face him. He rubs his nose along the base of my throat.

“Waiting for my opportunity to get you alone. And can I say? That dress…” he says, tugging the collar down so he can kiss my shoulder. “If it weren’t for all these people, I would have taken you right there in the middle of that ballroom.” My breath hitches and I run my hands down his broad chest, feeling every muscle beneath his dress shirt. My fingers slip beneath the waistband of his pants and I tug the hem loose, grazing his bare stomach. His body quivers beneath my touch.

“Riley…”

I glide my hand back up to his neck to his hair, where I weave my fingers through the short strands. I pull his head down to mine and brush my lips against his. “You’ve been avoiding me all week. What’s up with that, Mr. Rhys?”

He groans and presses his lips to mine. His tongue slips in and caresses mine as he grips my ass in his hands and lifts me up. I wrap my legs around his waist. His erection presses hard against my core as he nibbles on my collarbone. “It’s all I could do to keep myself from ravishing you. My lawyers called me last week. We finally have a date for the hearing. If we ensure that there are no unresolved matters and the judge approves our agreement, the divorce becomes final on Wednesday. After that, you’re mine.” His lips travel down my neck and his teeth graze my pulse and I feel sparks shoot throughout my body. He moves one of his hands up to my breast, making me arch into his touch. “I don’t know how much longer I can hold out.” He pauses, then looks around the room. “Think we can be quiet?” he whispers.

“I can’t make any promises,” I reply. He smirks and moves from the door to the conference table and places me on top of it. I lay back and watch him in the dark as he slowly undoes his belt. I hitch up the skirt of my dress around my waist. I rest on my elbows as he unzips his pants painfully slow as if to tease me. I sit up to reach for him when the sound of a cell phone ringing from his pocket interrupts us. “Ignore it,” I say.

He nods and rubs his hands up the inside of my thighs. His thumbs graze the outside of my underwear, and I inhale sharply. He rubs his thumb over my clit in slow, agonizing circles. I gasp and drop my head back, feeling my body hum. The phone rings again and he sighs. “...One second.” He pulls it out and answers it. After spitting out a series of short answers, he hangs up and slips the phone back in his jacket pocket, frowning. “I’m sorry. I have to go. We’ll continue this later?”

I nod and swallow, sliding down off the table and fixing my dress. “I’ll go first. Come find me later.” I lean in and kiss him before opening the door and peeking out to make sure no one is around. I slip out of the conference room and hustle back into the ballroom to my seat. Hana eyes me suspiciously. “Sorry about that. The line for the bathroom was long. What did I miss?”

She opens her mouth to reply when the squealing of a microphone cuts through the room. The emcee announces that dinner will be served in a few short minutes. I notice out of the corner of my eye, Liam slipping back into the ballroom and taking his place next to Madeleine at their table. She smiles at him, the fakest smile I’ve ever seen. He leans in to whisper something in her ear, then rests his arm on the back of her chair and plants a kiss her on the cheek. I’m suddenly seeing red. Not five minutes ago, his tongue was down my throat and his hands were all over my body. Now, he’s cozying up to his ex-wife.

#something domestic #trr au #trr fanfic #playchoices fanfic #riley brooks #liam rhys #nanny au #nazariolahela fanfic

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greenhanded-redthumbed · 4 years

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I Have A Hero Whenever I Need One

Bruce watched his parents die when he was twelve. People said it was a tragedy - and it was. But that doesn’t mean his life was. He had Alfred, a man who cared for him more than any amount of money could compel someone to. Alfred drops him off at school, talks with him over meals and helps out with school projects last minute. Many blood parents of his school-mates do far less.

It’s under his tutelage Bruce thrives. He teaches him languages, business skills, fighting styles. Everything Alfred learned in the secret service, and anything they can figure out together, they learn.

Bruce grows up loved and happy and successful.

It’s then, after delving deep into his parent’s company he learns of the limits they met - the ones that probably got them killed. A business - even one as large as Wayne Enterprises - can only do so much. They’re bound by laws and codes - ones put there for good reason, but still hindering any efforts to reform the city and take criminals off the streets.

At this point, Bruce only gets the first inklings of what he has to do - that he will need to move out of the public eye and fight Gotham’s crime in an arena outside of his company. He starts to get a reputation, not with the law, but with the papers. He needs Bruce Wayne to be completely open, his life spotlighted so that no one would ever believe he could be planning something more serious. And the best way to get the paper’s attention is a scandal.

Sex is the easiest avenue, and while its pretty clear to Bruce that its not as enjoyable for him as it is for others - he feels no particular compulsion to seek it out beyond making the gossip pages. He has other things to keep his mind on. (Bruce makes sure none of the girls ever think he’ll love them. It’s just a basic courtesy, but also helps nourish the growth of his bad reputation.)

Wayne Enterprises makes the leap from successful to infallible due to what is arguably the biggest break in Bruce’s business career. He manages to hire the highly sought-after Lucius Fox - colloquially known in the upper-business circles as having the Midas Touch - who can make any business, no matter how small or how deep in remission, a resounding financial success.

Bruce greets Mr. Fox in his office, eager to see the commerce wizard in person and glean his thoughts. Mr. Fox himself is rather humble looking, a small black man with silver wire-rimmed glasses and short-cropped black hair. He wears a tweed suit and red bow-tie: the kind of outfit one can only picture older British men and professors in.

Bruce decided it must be the latter as the man said in a strong New Jersey accent, “Good to meet you, Mr Wayne.”

“Good to meet you too, Mr Fox,” Bruce replies as the man settles into the seat on the other side of Bruce’s desk.

“Now, Mr. Wayne,” Lucius starts, “I’m sure you’re aware I’ve got a few job offers at the moment. Why should I pick Wayne Enterprises?”

Bruce cracks a smile, “More than a few probably. And you should pick Wayne Enterprises because we’re doing a lot of good for this city-”

“How?” Lucius interrupts him, and at Bruce’s briefly startled face expands, “I apologise for my abruptness, but if I did detailed research into everyone contacting me at the moment I wouldn’t ever get to the actual interviews. I’ll look at the more intriguing offers in more detail after I’ve heard them out.”

“Seems efficient,” Bruce answers. And he supposes it is the only practical for someone that sought after. He’s reminded exactly how large a juggernaut he has in his office.

“Well, for the city we have the Wayne scholarships, our homeless hiring initiative and consistent proposals for Gotham’s development to work with the mayor’s office to make the city more prosperous. And of course we offer fair pay and decent hours to all our employees. For you, I have a branch planned where you can head the development and testing of technological products. I’d be loosely supervising, but it would be you leading the team. It comes with a board membership and the salary of one. Any other questions?”

Mr. Fox smiles at his efficiency, “No, I think that’s enough for me to consider. If I need anything, I’ll be in touch.”

Two weeks later, Lucius Fox calls back to accept the offer. The board toasts champagne at the news.

Mr. Fox and carefully selected staff members move into complex in the warehouse district filled with all the specialist equipment Mr. Fox can think of. It’s at this time Bruce makes a few purchases of his own - its out of his own pocket of course, but it’s a good excuse if anyone asks why a playboy billionaire needs kevlar body armour and workable leather. (Bruce decides not to simply order specialised pieces, but to learn how to make them. He wants to be untraceable.)

Alfred knows everything of course, and while he doesn’t fully understand why Bruce wants to dress up in a suit and fight criminals in person, he does everything he can to support him. (Except allow him to pull more than one-all nighter or skip one too many meals. “It’ll still be there in the morning, Master Bruce. And you’ll work faster if you’re not completely exhausted.”)

Bruce never really finishes the suit, he keeps finding different ways to upgrade it, to make this more pliable or that more sturdy, but he gets the first chance to use it when he hears that a partner in a rival company, Mr. Theodore Lambert, has been stabbed to death.

It’s the secretaries that know first - it almost always is. There’s about a dozen of them in the Wayne’s main building and each knows at least three others from their many attempts to get their bosses talking at a convenient time. So when Lisa from Apex Chemical Corporation calls Rob from marketing to tell him about Lambert’s death it doesn’t take long for the whole building to know.

Bruce leaves work early (one of the perks of being his own boss) and stops by the commissioner's office. Gordon’s an old friend, met when he failed to find the man who killed Bruce’s parents. (Bruce has long ago decided not to track him down himself. If he’s a criminal, he’ll come up against him eventually and put him behind bars. Bruce is a man of obsessions, and he doesn’t want to test how thick the line between justice and vengeance really is.) Tragic circumstances, good friend.

“You can’t tell the papers any of this yet,” Gordon says seated behind his desk, “Or god forbid use the information for a business deal. Not only will I stop telling you stuff, I’ll have you in a cell so fast…”

Bruce had ignored the other chairs in the office to sit on the edge of the desk itself. Relaxed, rascally, child-like bordering on disrespectful. It fit his image to any number of outsiders. And Gordon himself simply acted as if he was a slightly adventurous nephew.

The commissioner was an older man, with white hair streaking from his hairline back across his scalp. He wore a scratchy, budget suit and dull green tie, both pressed and clean, as perfectly in order as everything else Gordon did.

“When have I ever?” Bruce asks innocently, “But in all seriousness, should I be worried about a serial killer targeting big company members?”

He says this with a smile that tells Gordon he’s anything but serious.

“No, you’re safe to live another day,” Gordon acquiesces, “The officers think its Lambert’s son - fingerprints on the knife. He claims different, so I’m having them check out the partners-”

“Crane, Stryker and Rogers,” Bruce remembers aloud.

“Those are the ones.” There’s an edge to Gordon’s eyes now that Bruce believes are there to warn him against interfering. But the suit in the back of his car out front pushes him in another direction.

Bruce gets back into the car out front and drives a few blocks away before he turns on his radio. He’s set it up to pick up police transmissions, which was one of the first skills Alfred had taught him. He sits and listens, not knowing if he’ll step in yet. It’ll be his first appearance as the Batman, he needs to keep it as clean-cut and efficient as he can. There’s some general chatter, dispatchers sending cops out for noise complaints and possible robberies. A nice reminder of Gotham’s crime. He doesn’t need to wait long.

“Dispatch, we have a possible homicide. Send Alvarez out, pretty sure it’s Steven Crane. Looks like it’s part of the Lambert case.”

Bruce is driving before they finish the report. He knows where each of their offices are, and Rogers is the closest. He parks a block away and considers whether or not to wear the costume. He could simply walk in as Bruce Wayne and inquire about Rogers. It’d cause the least suspicion. But if he walked in on a fight or a crime scene, he wouldn’t be able to step in without giving himself away. And of course, if word got back to Gordon he was here, he could lose the trust of one of his oldest friends and accidental informant.

It’s that that decides it for him, more than anything. He pulls the suit on in the back of the car, fumbling with the confined space. Bruce supposes he’ll just have to get better at it.

Rogers has an office in a new office building - glass walls stretching up with nowhere to hide. He could still climb it, but the windows would be sealed all the way up. The easiest way in would be the roof, which meant fourteen storeys would have watched him crawl past, belly bared to all inside. Ground floor, then. But at least he can take a back door.

Bruce finds it slightly embarrassing, he imagines this must be what it feels like to be a teenager sneaking in drunk hoping not to be caught in a parent’s disapproving stare. He has no personal experience doing this, for a number of reasons. (Apart from the obvious, he tends to avoid drinking to get drunk and Alfred would rather he just uses the front door so he can ensure Bruce is safe. Even as a fully grown adult.)

He makes it up to Rogers’ floor unchallenged, although he does note a security he makes an appearance on. It doesn’t matter to him then, he’s in a mask, and there’s nothing he can do about it. Bruce makes a note to figure something out for next time. (He optimistically assumes there will be a next time.)

The door to Roger’s office is open, and Bruce can see its empty even from the shadowy corner by the door. Roger’s secretary, a tall brown-haired woman with thick black glasses and a stylish crimson shirt, is sitting at her desk in front of the empty office absorbed in her computer. The best source of information - secretaries hear about everything.

He’s standing right in front of her desk before she acknowledges his presence.

“Can I help you?” She asks, eyes raking over his suit with silent judgement.

“I’m looking for Paul Rogers,” Bruce growls out. It’s harsh and grating where his normal voice is warm and playful. Ideally unrecognisable.

“Ok,” she says, now ignoring the screen in front of her, “And you are..?”

Batman. He wants to say it. He’s been planning it since he was fourteen years old and bats were the scariest thing to him. It feels kind of childish, but still scarier than something like institutionalised-prejudice-man or dying-alone-and-being-eaten-by-cats-man. Still, maybe it would be a good idea if he actually solved a case before spreading the name.

“Who I am doesn’t matter,” Bruce continues, “I just need to find Paul Rogers.”

“‘Kay,” she says in bewilderment, “He’s not here. He went to visit a business partner: Alfred Stryker.”

“Thank you,” he says, still growling. Not intimidating, he tells himself immediately. He’ll get the hang of it.

“‘Kay,” the secretary says again, turning back to her screen. He knows by the time he leaves the building secretaries all across the city are getting of the alerts of the strange costumed man looking for Paul Rogers.

He drives to Stryker’s office, cowl down and suit covered by a long coat. His cape is tied around his waist - a part of him thinks its childish, another, smarter part knows it masks some of his body type, movements and hides any special gadgets. If anyone stopped him now, it’d be extremely suspicious. He needs a vehicle, he realises, something that won’t link back to Bruce Wayne so he won’t have to change back and forth.

Bruce pulls into an alley near Stryker’s office - this one is in a sprawling old building, with cut stone walls and only three storeys, so he doesn’t need to repeat the back stairwell routine. He remembers from his corporate briefings that this is because Stryker likes to keep a personal eye on the manufacturing of Apex’s heavy-duty industrial strength chemicals, primarily used as extreme sterilization or to be watered down to at-home cleaning solutions.

Cowl on, he climbs to the third storey window roughly where he remembers Stryker’s office being. As he jimmies open the lock, he hears voices yelling from the next room.

“What the hell? What are you doing!” comes the first voice, and despite its panic, Bruce recognises it as Rogers.

“Just shut up,” hisses the second voice. Not Stryker, Bruce notes.

He (gracefully) crawls over the window into the deserted room beyond, staggering to his feet and darting into the building’s main corridor. He moves quickly and quietly along it, with all the grace of someone well-practiced in sneaking midnight snacks around an ex-MI6 agent, until he finds the right doorway. He pauses on the threshold and takes in the scene - not panicking, he’s learned, is far more important to remember than most of his learned skills. A second of recon can make or break his success.

Inside the room, Rogers is taped to a chair, with another burlier man looming over him with more tape and a plastic bag attached to an air hose. Next to them is a canister of helium.

“It won’t even hurt,” the larger man says, “Way more humane than being stabbed.”

This does not seem to reassure Rogers, who continues to struggle to keep the bag from being placed over his head. Bruce decides this is a good time to step in.

“Get away from Mr Rogers,” he says, crossing the threshold. The big man whirls to face him, abandoning Rogers.

He looks Bruce’s costume up and down, brow furrowing. “You’re that guy,” he says, and Bruce tenses, “The weirdo who was looking for Rogers.”

An assistant then, if he’d already heard about that.

“I’m here!” Rogers helpfully yells from behind the assistant.

Bruce pulls a pair of handcuffs from his belt, “Surrender yourself to the police.”

The assistant looks unconvinced, “I’m not going to hand myself in because some goth vampire dude-”

“Batman,” Bruce interrupts, purely because he would rather not have people call him Goth-vampire-man.

“Whatever,” the man says exasperated and then lunges forwards. Bruce sidesteps, bringing his elbow down hard against the assistant’s back and sending him crashing to the floor. Before he can get his bearings, Bruce has him pinned and is cuffing his hands behind his back. He drags the assistant to a radiator and uses a second pair of cuffs to lock him in place.

Rogers looks on in shock. “Batman,” he says testing it out, “Cool name. I like it. The whole thing: great-”

He’s interrupted by a voice from down the hallway, “Jennings? Is it done?”

Rogers looks over panicked at Bruce. “That’s Stryker,” he whispers frantically, “And it’s not done. I’m not done. Completely not done.”

Bruce raises a hand to quiet him, then slips behind the door. He’s not giving up the element of surprise.

“Jennings?” Stryker’s voice is closer this time, almost right outside. “What’s-”

Bruce can tell the moment Stryker reaches the doorway because he breaks off mid sentence. It’s then that Bruce launches himself at the place he knows Stryker will be standing. Bruce catches a glimpse of him before he makes impact, built more slender than Jennings and eyes wide with surprise. But where Jennings had confidence, Alfred Stryker has wit and wariness and speed. He launches himself down the hall, leaving Bruce clutching at the coat ripped from his shoulders. Bruce curses under his breath, abandoning the coat and racing after Stryker.

The man in question has reached a heavy looking door emblazoned with warning signs with phrases such as ‘Extreme Caution’ and ‘Chemical Storage’. Stryker’s frantically pushing his passcode into a security matrix beside the door and Bruce knows if Stryker gets the door closed behind him he’ll probably get away.

The door opens and Stryker hurries inside. Bruce slams into the closing door, bracing himself on the carpeted hallway to keep it open. He knows he’s stronger than Stryker, and sure enough the door starts to inch further and further open.

Stryker must know it too, because he abandons the door, using the Bruce’s stumble as the door unexpectedly gives way to get a headstart along the narrow metal catwalks that hang across this section. Beneath them, Bruce can see large open vats full of steaming liquids that slowly eddy and bubble as they continue mixing.

The catwalk shakes as the two sprint across it, and a flash of fear runs through Bruce at the thought of it breaking. Who knows what raw chemicals would do to a man?

Stryker seems to be tiring, slowing slightly and failing to pick up speed again after a sudden ninety-degree turn. Bruce runs farther than this on a daily basis and shows absolutely no signs of fatigue. He gains quickly on Stryker until he’s within arms reach. Bruce launches forward grabbing firmly onto Stryker’s shoulder. Still desperate to escape, Stryker jerks violently to the right, hitting the narrow metal railing hard.

For a moment he flails wildly. Arms in the air. His feet leave the catwalk. The swirling pale green vat beneath them bubbles invitingly.

Then Bruce’s instincts kick in. He grabs Stryker by the arm and pulls him back from the edge. By the time Stryker’s panicked breathing returns to normal, Bruce has already handcuffed both of hands to the railing.

“The police will be here shortly,” Bruce informs him, then heads back the way he came to release Rogers.

Later that night, Bruce sits beside Alfred on a plush leather couch at Wayne Manor and watches a news report of the mysterious black-clad figure dubbed ‘The Batman’ who foiled a murder attempt. Paul Rogers raves praises for his actions to a reporter. It’s a good first step.

Strangely enough, Bruce isn’t the first person go sneaking through the city in black leather. As he continues his crime-fighting escapades he runs into a kindred spirit - albeit one that’s a little less into the law upholding aspect.

He first sees the woman scaling up the side of an expensive apartment block. Gotham’s latest luxury living project for millionaires looking to downsize their older relatives. Bruce would usually be inclined to think this is another run-of-the-mill thief with a leather fetish, but the suit’s very similar to his. Ears on the cowl, utility belt - all its missing is a cape. He watches from a neighbouring building as she disables an alarm system and slips in a window - and yes, maybe he could report her, but he’s never seen anyone work with this level of efficiency and he’s new to patrolling rooftops so he’s pretty sure she’d easily outmaneuver him. She sees him as she’s slipping out the window again, probably a few thousand dollars better off than when she entered, and for a moment they both freeze.

Bruce points to a neighbouring rooftop adjacent to both of them in what he hopes is a nonthreatening manner. I just want to talk, he tries to convey. Whatever he does with his arms somehow communicates enough to convince the woman to move towards the rooftop. Either because she’s curious too or to tell him to leave her the hell alone.

She’s a better climber than he is, he notes. Far more practiced.

He can see her more clearly when she’s on the rooftop, her cowl covers all her main features and hair like his, and her suit’s clearly hand-stitched. It’s tight too, and Bruce realises that and the lack of cape probably allows her to better squeeze through tiny windows and openings to steal. She’s quite short, with a small build like that of an acrobat and scowling slightly.

“I suppose you’re this new Batman person,” she says by way of introduction.

“And you are?” Bruce asks.

“People call me Catwoman,” she answers, “But you don’t really need to call me anything. Just stay out of my way.”

“I just watched you steal from that apartment right there-”

“Yeah, steal,” she breaks in, “I’m not hurting anyone. The ultra-rich can live without a few pieces of jewellery Surely you’ve got better things to do. I don’t like getting into moral fights, go stop the people from raping and murdering in back-alleys. Then I’ll be able to focus on stealing rather than dropping into fights all the time.”

Bruce really can’t fault her logic too much. She does need to stop stealing stuff eventually, but he can’t stop every crime in the city. He doesn’t get the chance to tell her this though, as she darts off the side of the building and onto a fire-escape Bruce didn’t even know was there.

An ally, Bruce thinks, albeit a reluctant one. If he ever gets out of his depth, he’s pretty sure this Catwoman would help him against someone truly evil.

Two weeks later, Bruce hosts a Wayne Enterprises gala at his manor and among the guests he notices a small woman with curly brown hair he doesn’t remember inviting. He watches her as she slips through the crowd in a long purple dress and while he never sees her take anything, when he runs into her conversation partners they’re missing cuff-links and earrings and watches that they’re yet to notice have vanished.

Bruce waits until she’s alone beside a table stacked with champagne before approaching.

“Hey,” he says wearing the smile he reserves specifically for these events - it’s not quite the playboy on the front of magazines but also not an expression he’d ever use when it was just him and Alfred.

The woman looks over at him and smiles. It doesn’t show her teeth. Bruce notices her lips are painted the same shade of purple as her dress.

“So,” he continues, “Taking a break from theft?”

She laughs, light and short as if he’s just said something extraordinarily funny, “Theft? Let me guess; I’m stealing hearts.” She’s incredibly charming and for a moment Bruce thinks he might be wrong, and maybe this really isn’t the same woman he met on the roof at night.

“Perhaps.” He offers her his hand to shake. “I’d stay out of your way,” a flicker of recognition flashes through her eyes, (they’re brown. He didn’t notice that in the dark.) “but I’m the host so I kind of have to greet everyone.”

“So you’re the Batman,” she says, “Mr Wayne?”

He nods, “And you’re the Catwoman, Ms..?

“Kyle,” she answers, “Selina Kyle. I should probably give this back.”

Selina hands him his own watch. (He’s suitably impressed.)

They spend the next thirty minutes gossiping about the other guests, with Bruce steering her clear of certain people - the Cobbs, who’ve just had their son die and should really be allowed to grieve, others like him who wear their dead father’s watch on their wrists like a catholic wears a cross - and which people just got found not-guilty of embezzlement on technicalities.

“This has been very educational Mr. Wayne,” she says.

“Bruce,” he corrects immediately.

“Bruce,” she amends, “But I have to get back to meeting those guests you pointed out.”

She slips away into the crowd and Bruce thinks that maybe Gotham’s new vigilante now has a friend. (He finds Alfred later and tells him to invite one Selina Kyle to all Wayne events henceforth. She may be a thief, but Alfred’s just thrilled he has a friend.)

As Bruce keeps patrolling the city at night, his list of needed gadgets keeps growing. Some of them he and Alfred can figure out together in the old cavern beneath the manor where Bruce stores all of his Batman-related possessions. (Alfred’s setting up a computer system to combine the hacked files of different police departments and emergency services. A sort of overhaul database with all the information stored in one place.) Other things are beyond even them, but Bruce knows exactly where to turn. (At least after extensive background checks and many pros versus cons discussions with Alfred.)

Lucius Fox (graduated MIT, top of his class, wife: Tanya, four children in various stages of schooling) seems to have enjoyed his transition to Wayne Enterprises. The sprawling laboratory is filled with various gadgets and engineers of all kinds flitting from table to table talking of different ideas.

“Mr Fox,” Bruce greets him, taking a seat opposite the man in his office, “I have another proposition for you.”

Lucius looks at Bruce over his glasses and says, “Go on.”

After a lengthy discussion ends in an optimistic, “I’ll consider it”, Alfred convinces Bruce to take the night off.

“You’ve made excellent headway, Bruce,” Alfred says. They’ve long forgone the master, “Why not a night to celebrate?”

Bruce gives in, because it’s not just a night off for him, it’s one for Alfred too. And in between late nights preparing the new computer system for the cave and insisting Bruce get more sleep, Alfred’s read raving reviews about one Haly’s Circus that’s travelling around America. Alfred’s always harboured a soft spot for carnivals since his childhood novel heroes all talked about running away to join one.

Bruce goes with him, with slightly less excitement but a willingness to relax. For the first half it’s as entertaining as Alfred promised, with aerial silks, a strongman, clowns. Then the trapezists are brought on. ‘The Flying Graysons’ the ringleader announces gesturing to a family of three. There’s a man and a woman and a young boy who sports the woman’s dark hair and the man’s bright blue eyes.

They perform without a net, to raise the stakes. The audience holds its breath and wait to see if they’ll slip up, be off by a few centimetres and be sent plummeting to the floor far below. They don’t miss, they fly from one trapeze to the other with perfect flips that make them look as if they’re flying.

Then something above them snaps and they fall anyway. The man and the woman are both lying on the floor of the ring, limbs at wrong angles while the boy swings above, looking down on them in disbelief.

It’s a while before someone remembers to convince him to come down.

Bruce leaves with the rest of the crowd, but he doesn’t sleep at all that night. He keeps picturing the kid hanging onto the trapeze and looking down at the floor. At 3am, he can’t take it anymore and calls Gordon.

“Is it an emergency?” Gordon answers sleepily.

“No,” Bruce says, “It’s about the Haly’s Circus accident.”

“A 3am worthy question?”

Bruce sighs, “I was there, Jim.”

“Oh,” there’s a moment of rustling as Gordon presumably moves to a better location for a serious dead of night phone call, “Are you okay?”

“Fine,” Bruce answers him, “Just...what’s going to happen to the kid?”

“The circus can’t provide the right education, financial security or stability to officially adopt him, so he’s being sent to Gotham foster care so they can find him a home.”

Bruce remembers the feeling of not-knowing. But at least he’d had Alfred. This boy has no one. (Bruce asks himself who the greatest hero he knows is. The answer isn’t Batman, or Silena or Fox or Gordon. His biggest hero is Alfred, and he knows right now that the boy from the circus is in exactly the same position he was in. And he needs a hero.)

“I’ll take him.”

#Batman #Bruce wayne #alfred pennyworth #lucius fox #selina kyle #dc #justice league #dick grayson #jim gordon #fanfic #the case of the criminal syndicate #alfred stryker #haly's circus #gotham

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svtmatokis · 5 years

Text

Jihoon Office AUP1

Hello friends~ So as promised, I will be re-posting the Jihoon Office AU! today as well as two other fics which was listed in earlier posts. I hope you guys enjoy it!!! (I’m not going to blab much as I repost this since they are what they are...reposts...)

Genre: Romance/Fluff/Angst

Plot: You and Seungcheol have been best friends forever and as a favor, you agree to be temporary assistant of the one Lee Jihoon.

Words: 3427

Part 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 -

“Thank you, thank you, thank you!!” your best friend Seungcheol said as you walked into his office building. “I owe you lunch, dinner anything!”

“Why are you making such a big deaI out of this?” you asked as he took you to your floor. “It’s not like you’re having me work with the devil or anything..”

Seungcheol only grinned nervously at you, “You’re doing me and my dad a huge favor so I can’t thank you enough.”

You and Seungcheol were best friends since high school until you decided to go overseas for university while he stayed and went to a local university. Though the two of you kept in contact over the last few years over the phone and email, you realistically haven’t seen each other since the end of summer graduating year.

During your breaks, you never returned home to Korea and opted to travel the world instead but after graduation you had worked abroad as a business executive for three years till you felt like home was calling you so you decided to move back to Korea and that was where you reconnected with Seungcheol.

A few weeks ago, he had asked you for a favor since he knew your major had something to do with business and without knowing what it was outside of just knowing that it was a temporary assistant job, you agreed.

Now as he got more and more nervous, you couldn’t help but wonder why? He hadn’t told you much about the job except it was to be an administrator which was fine for now. You had sent in your application to various companies hoping to hear back from at least one, but a temporary assistant job would do in the meantime.

As the two of you exited the elevator, Seungcheol lead you to the door of one of the managers. He knocked on the door but was met with a bark.

“What did I say about not bothering me when I’m in the middle of something?!” a loud voice boomed from behind the door.

The voice made you jump a little as Seungcheol hesitantly opened the door and peeked his head in.

“Morning” Seungcheol said with a grin on his face.

Jihoon looked up from the paperwork he was doing and the cold demeanour in the room diminished, “Oh, Seungcheol. Sorry, I thought it was one of the interns again, they’ve been coming to my office with questions all morning.”

Seungcheol shook his head, “It’s good, I wanted to introduce you to the person who’s going to be filling your assistants spot while she’s out sick for the next three weeks.” He said, “More like stress leave because of how hard you are to please” he muttered himself though you heard him and giggled before he opened the door wider allowing you to walk in.

“Jihoon, this is Y/N, my best friend from high school, Y/N, this is Jihoon, he’s one of the managers and board members.” Seungcheol introduced as you bowed.

“It’s nice to meet you, I’ll do my best.” you said smiling at him.

A slight flush appeared on Jihoons cheeks as he saw you walk in the door and couldn’t help but stare and think how pretty you were before shaking himself out of his daze.

Straightening himself up, he nodded his head, “Hello, I have a really busy schedule so you better be able to keep up. I don’t know what Seungcheol has told you, but this job isn’t easy.”

You inwardly smirked, so he was one of those kinds of people. You nodded your head, “I wouldn’t expect anything less.”

Seungcheol smiled at you before turning to Jihoon, “I’ll leave her to you then.” he turned to you, “I’ll see you at lunch?”

You nodded your head, “I’ll see you at lunch.”

Seungcheol nodded and walked out of the office leaving you and Jihoon in an awkward silence.

Jihoon cleared his throat as you looked at him. “I’ll introduce you to some of the people on our floor and the managers first then I’ll show you your desk.” he got up and opened the door as you followed him out.

He introduced you to various people like interns and associates before he turned to walk to another set of offices.

“Oh perfect, they’re all in here.” he said knocking on the door.

Four sets of eyes turned to look at you and you smiled nervously, only recognizing Seungcheol.

“Guy’s minus Seungcheol, this is Y/N, she’s going to be filling the spot of my assistant till she gets back. If you need anything from me, it goes through her.” Jihoon said introducing you as you bowed before Jihoon continued.

“Y/N, these are a few of the other managers here, of course you know Seungcheol, the one with the ponytail is Jeonghan, the one who looks like a sloth-”

“Hey!”

“Is Wonwoo and the one next to him is Joshua.” Jihoon finished.

Each of the managers greeted you with a smile as Seungcheol explained that the two of you were high school friends and that you had recently returned from abroad.

Once introductions were finished, Jihoon said that he was going to show you where your desk was and what kind of work to expect. As the door closed, Joshua couldn’t help but speak up.

“I think I went to university with her.”

Three set eyes were on him as Seungcheol nodded his head.

“Ah...that’s right...you went to UCLA right?” he asked as Joshua nodded a look of realization dawning on his face.

“That’s right, she was actually in a few of my classes and she graduated top of our year. She’s smart, like really smart. She could almost give Jihoon a run for his money.” Joshua said and looked at Seungcheol, “Why did you hire her as Jihoon’s assistant?”

Seungcheol shrugged, “His last one took stress leave because of how hard he ran her to the ground. Y/N’s been an executive for a few big companies world wide and is known to be well respected in her field. She works just as hard as Jihoon but when it comes to personalities they’re completely different. I figured that if she survives three weeks with him, we can look into having her fill that manager position we have open.”

The three other men looked at each other in contemplation. Seungcheol did have a point. Jihoon was one of the toughest managers of the company, holding everyone under him to a high standard. He himself was a workaholic, almost never leaving the office till late. While everyone else would go out after work, he would stay until he was actually done everything for the day.

“He has a point, she’s been working abroad ever since graduation. She has a lot of experience that we could use.” Joshua said backing Seungcheol up.

Jeonghan and Wonwoo shared a look before nodding their heads.

“If she can last the next three weeks with Jihoon, we’ll look into having her on board with us permanently.” Wonwoo said as the three nodded in agreement.

Meanwhile, Jihoon had just shown you to your desk which had been left in a complete mess by his previous assistant. He showed you the whole email system and what software you would be working with, thanking the heavens that you were familiar with all of them.

“If you have any questions, I’ll be in my office. I have three meetings back to back today, I expect you to have all the paperwork ready by 1pm. That’s an hour before my first meeting.” he said before going back to his office and slamming the door shut.

You looked at the door and looked back at your new desk before letting out a sigh. Seungcheol owed you. You looked at the clock and noticed that it was already 10am, meaning you had three hours to get all the paperwork Jihoon needed for his meetings. You looked at the calendar and saw the name of the three meetings listed and you got to work.

It was 12:45 when Jihoon stepped out of his office. He had expected you to come into his office multiple times like his previous assistants had done but was shocked when he saw you working on the computer, desk neatly organized and three stacks of papers labeled 2pm, 4pm and 5pm.

Before Jihoon could make a comment, Joshua and Seungcheol turned the corner and made his way to your desk.

“Hey Y/N” Joshua said waving as you looked up from your computer though you continued typing making Seungcheol chuckle.

“What’s up?” you asked the two boys though you noticed Jihoon from the corner of your eye.

“We were just about to grab lunch, want to come with?” Seungcheol asked.

Before you could respond Jihoon cut in, “Y/N, how are my notes for my meetings coming along?” he asked making you turn to look at him.

“Lunch sounds great actually.” you said nodding before taking the stacks of papers and handing them to Jihoon, “And here are the notes for your meeting, I’ve reviewed and highlighted a few key points. I hope you don’t mind.” you said grabbing your purse, “I’ll be going for lunch now” you bowed at him before following Seungcheol and Joshua out leaving Jihoon standing there, amazed that you actually got the notes done on time, well slightly early to be exact.

“Did you go to UCLA?” Joshua asked once the three of you were seated.

You nodded your head, “Why?”

“You took Professor Birk’s class right? Economics?” Joshua asked and you realized why Joshua had looked slightly familiar.

“We were in the same study group weren’t we?” you asked as he nodded, a smile making its way to his face. “Wow, small world. How did you end up in Korea?”

Joshua shrugged his shoulders, “Seungcheol and I have been friends for quite sometime and after graduation, I came to visit and he offered me a position at his fathers company. Three years later, here I am.” he explained, “What about you? I recall you were the only one in our class who had internship offers from Europe.”

“And I took them” you said smiling, “But after three years abroad, I got home sick and thought it was time to come home.”

“Plus she missed me” Seungcheol said grinning as you rolled your eyes.

“In your dreams Cheol.” you said rolling your eyes at your best friend. “So what’s the deal with Jihoon? You guys asked me out for lunch but didn’t extend the invite to him though he was standing right there.”

Seungcheol and Joshua looked at each other before Seungcheol replied, “We ask him all the time to go out for lunch but he normally has meetings and doesn’t have the time. I guess we just got to a point where we stopped asking because he always kept saying no. We’re not sure if he even eats or not, he’s not really close with anyone on the management team except Joshua.”

Joshua nodded his head, “I normally remind him to eat and to go home early or what not but he never listens. Always in his office till late at night. He’s going to run himself dry one day, I swear.”

You nodded your head silently, thinking about all the points that both boys made. In a way, Jihoon reminded you of yourself, always working never ending. You remembered the times where you would skip lunch because you would have to go for meetings or how many of your co workers thought you were cold because you never went out with them to eat though in reality, you were just focused on the goal.

Then you had met Mingyu who had been your mentor and good friend at your old firm. He had learned right away that you were the type to not eat when you were busy and because you were dedicated to your career, there would often be times where you would go a full day without eating which didn’t go unnoticed by Mingyu.

(Flashback)

One day, you had back to back to back meetings and didn’t have time to sit down. You were running completely on fumes and if you didn’t stop soon, you would collapse. Mingyu picked up on this fast and had been observing you throughout that day. He knew that you hadn’t eaten nor were you planning on eating at all until your meetings were done and what kind of friend would he be if he didn’t step in and help you?

In between your second and third meeting, you had about a thirty minute break which you were going to use to review the notes for your third meeting when you saw a box of your favorite sushi and milk tea on your desk with a note on it.

Just because you’re busy doesn’t mean you can’t make time to have a quick meal. The work can wait, your health can’t! - M

(End of Flashback)

You smiled at the memory and thought of your old friend. He had saved you that day and after that, you had remembered to at least snack between meetings, keeping various power bars in your desk just in case.

As the three of you continued lunch, you couldn’t help but let your mind drift to Jihoon who was probably reviewing the notes for his first meeting, he had a break between his first and second meeting where he would probably review the notes for his second and third meetings at once. This was how you assumed his mind worked.

An idea came to your mind as you finished your lunch and soon you were making your way back to the office with an extra bag in his hand.

Jihoon was walking back to his office after his first meeting which had been a success. The highlighted notes you had made really helped him get his point across and he had to admit, he was slightly impressed.

He saw you sitting at your desk, organizing some paperwork he had set aside for you to do when you had time which made him see that you were efficient with your work. He stepped into his office and was greeted with the smell of something delicious.

He looked at his desk and saw a bowl of jajangmyeon next to his notes. He looked around the office to see who could’ve left it for him though he caught that knowing smile on your face as a small blush made a way to his. He closed his door as he opened the container, getting hit with the smell of the noodles, before proceeding to eat while reviewing his notes for his second meeting.

After your first week, you and Jihoon had managed to come up with a system that worked for the two of you. After your first day, Jihoon had learned that you were completely different than what he had assumed and after talking with the other managers, it was safe to say that you were meeting all of his expectations. As the week went on, you continued to buy lunch for him and left it on his desk for him to eat in between meetings. Though he knew that the lunches were from you, it was as if you had a silent agreement not to verbally acknowledge it.

It was Friday and Jeonghan had invited you out for dinner and drinks with Joshua, Seungcheol, Wonwoo and to your surprise, Jihoon.

The group ended up at a lounge where everyone looked much more relaxed and you were finally able to see how everyone was.

You noted that Wonwoo and Jihoon were more of the quiet ones, whilst Jeonghan and Seungcheol had a tendency to lead the conversation, Joshua would give his two cents here and there but overall would just listen and smile.

As the night, everyone had a good time and for the first time since you started, you were able to have a conversation with Jihoon without the awkwardness, though it was probably due to the alcohol running through both your systems.

You learned that he had once been passionate about music producing before real life had taken a toll and he had to focus on the business though if he had the time, he would definitely go back to producing again. It was the first time he had thanked you for the meals you had secretly bought him so he would eat, in which you completely denied though it was obvious it had been you.

The group had learned that you and Seungcheol had been best friends since freshman year of high school and that the two of you had a big sibling complex with one another since you two were only children which is why there were times Seungcheol came off as protective.

Jihoon watched you that night, all he could watch was you. When you talked to Wonwoo about the endless library you had and your love for books, or when you spoke with Jeonghan about this cafe you had once gone to in Paris and would like to go to again. There were also times where Joshua would bring up a college story of something he remembered from class which in the end would end up either embarrassing you or you embarrassing him.

He watched you and Seungcheol closely to see if there was anything more than friendship was going on but cancelled that out when he saw you help him get the cute hostess’s number.

At the end of the night, everyone went their separate ways after you ensured them that you were okay walking back to your apartment alone, with each of them, including Jihoon making you promise that you text them when you arrive home.

As Jihoon watched you walk in the direction of your apartment, he couldn’t help but feel this unsettling feeling in his gut. Quickly shaking it off and telling himself it was because he had quite a bit to drink, he started his walk to his apartment which was seemingly on the same path as yours.

As he was walking to his apartment he heard a scream which sounded almost like your voice which caused his senses to awaken.

A second scream had him running to the direction where he heard it coming from, him taking his phone out just in case he had to call 911.

Your scream lead him to an alleyway where he saw you pinned against the wall with a man holding your shoulder while you had a few scratches on your legs probably from falling. Jihoon looked around him for something he could use as a weapon, a bat or a stick of some sort.

You struggled against your captors grip as you let out another scream in which this time he covered your mouth with his hand.

The man chuckled deeply as he watched you struggle. “I told you that you shouldn’t have come back. Now you’re going to have to pay” he said his face getting close to yours, “Seungcheol isn’t here to protect you anymore.” he slapped you hard causing you to fall on the ground.

Before anything else could happen, the man was quickly knocked away. You struggled to look up but saw someone kicking the man who was now on the floor. You struggled to see how it was but you felt too dizzy to do so. The next thing you knew, there was someone else joining that person and more punches were thrown before your world went black.

(Five minutes earlier)

The moment Jihoon saw the man’s hand touch you, he was already running towards you with a plank in his hands, hitting the guy behind the legs so he would fall.

He continued to kick the man who was struggling to get up but found it impossible when another flurry of punches were thrown from a different direction.

Jihoon looked up to see Wonwoo glaring at the guy on the floor who was now knocked out. Both men clearly out of breath.

“Wonwoo” Jihoon said as man looked at him with a nod..

“I was walking by when I heard a scream and then I saw you running from the other side. When I realized it was Y/N-” Wonwoo started to explain before he turned to look at your limp figure.

“Y/N!” Wonwoo and Jihoon both yelled at the same time both running to your side.

#Woozi imagine #kpop imagine #seventeen imagine #seventeen fiction #woozi fiction #kpop fiction #sevente #woozi #lee jihoon #jihoon

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harris-coopers · 5 years

Text

‘Riverdale’ heartthrob Cole Sprouse goes for leading man status in ‘Five Feet Apart’

When Cole Sprouse left Hollywood, he didn’t think he’d ever come back. He was 18, and he’d been acting alongside his identical twin brother since they were in diapers. The choice to work as a kid had not been his own: His single mother wanted to be around for the boys and have a steady career, and putting her twins in the entertainment industry seemed like a “lucrative alternative,” he says now.

But then Sprouse and his brother, Dylan, landed their own Disney Channel show, “The Suite Life of Zack & Cody.” By 13 they’d signed a licensing agreement with Dualstar Entertainment Group, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen’s company, to develop their own quarterly lifestyle magazine, ringtones and cologne. They were full-blown teen heartthrobs.

And yet when it came time to apply for college, the twins decided — unlike fellow Disney stars Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez or the Jonas Brothers — that they wanted to pursue higher education and enrolled at NYU.

“My brother and I were getting recognized a lot. It became one of those things that we realized we had just sort of taken as gospel since we were little kids, and that there was another path through life,” Sprouse, now 26, recalls. “I was completely content, at the time, to let the Disney shows exist within this little nostalgic bubble and I was ready to move on.”

But somehow here he is now, sitting on the balcony of a ritzy hotel smoking Marlboros, promoting his first leading role in a movie, “Five Feet Apart.” And the film, a romantic drama about two young lovers with cystic fibrosis, is not the only project he’s taken on since graduating with honors from NYU in 2015. For the past two years he’s starred as Jughead on the CW series “Riverdale,” a teen drama based on the Archie comics.

The program, which has already been renewed for a fourth season, has reignited Sprouse’s popularity. On Instagram, he has nearly 24 million followers, many of whom are obsessed with tracking his real-life relationship with his on-screen love interest, Lili Reinhart.

“Riverdale” also rekindled Sprouse’s love for acting. During college he did none of it, opting to study something completely different: archaeology, geographic information systems and satellite imaging. He became interested in the field because his grandfather was a geologist and “it seemed like an academic discipline that was really competitive and challenging. I fancied testing if I could do something like that.”

He traveled to Germany, France and Bulgaria for excavations, and on one dig, after spending six weeks hunched over a 1-by-1-foot trench of dirt with a toothpick, he pulled a 35,000-year-old Aurignacian stone blade out of the ground. Following graduation, he began working in cultural resource management as an archaeological assistant in a Brooklyn artifact laboratory. He was thinking about going into academia: studying at graduate school, researching a specific time period or peoples and becoming a professor.

But then he heard from his acting manager, who, per Sprouse’s request, had left him alone during his four years at NYU.

“He asked me to come back for a single pilot season. I was on this path, but I said ‘OK, if I don’t book anything, I don’t think I want to do acting anymore,’” he says. He did book something — “Riverdale” — and soon began to realize it wasn’t acting itself he had an issue with.

“From a very young age, the industry had been defined as a business,” he continues, “and it took me going away to school for a while and redefining that to find [performing] as a passion again.”

On “Riverdale,” Sprouse’s Jughead is a something of an outsider — an artsy writer with a signature beanie and leather jacket. Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, the show’s creator, initially thought the actor might be a better fit for Archie, the lovable jock. But after reading the pilot script, Sprouse expressed interest in Jughead — even though the character only had one scene in the episode.

“It was already kind of a sign that he viewed himself differently,” says the showrunner. “I think Cole is an old soul. He’s done a lot, and he’s seen a lot, and I think that gives him a little bit of wisdom that other actors his age might not have. When he smiles, he looks like a true 15-year-old kid. But when he furrows his brow, he looks like he has the weight of the world on his shoulders.”

When it came to tackling his first adult movie part — he and his brother were in Adam Sandler’s “Big Daddy” as boys — Sprouse didn’t want to stray too far outside of his comfort zone. Recognizing the persona he’d established on “Riverdale,” he chose to play a similar archetype in “Five Feet Apart”: Will, a brooding teenager whose rebellious spirit attracts his romantic interest, played by Haley Lu Richardson of “Split” and “Support the Girls.”

“This role was interesting in a larger business sense, because a return to film also meant a question of how much of [the ‘Riverdale’] audience would turn out,” says Sprouse. “I didn’t want it to feel so incredibly distinct.”

The CBS Films production, out Friday, follows two CF patients as they fall in love but are unable to physically touch due to risk of cross infection. Cystic fibrosis is a genetic, progressive disease that affects lung function, making it difficult to breathe; the average life expectancy for the 30,000 afflicted in the U.S. is 37.5 years.

Justin Baldoni, who makes his directorial debut on “Five Feet Apart,” is also an actor on a CW series: “Jane the Virgin.” But he and Sprouse never crossed paths at network affairs. Instead, Baldoni began thinking of him for the role after catching some of his interviews on morning talk shows.

“Cole’s a great actor, but I was actually more interested in who he was off-screen,” explains Baldoni. “Cole had to grow up a lot faster than the normal kid. He was surrounded by adults: directors and producers and writers and people that were basically employing him. … When you grow up with cystic fibrosis, you grow up with doctors and nurses. Those are your friends. You learn medical terminology. You have to understand regimens and taking care of yourself in a way that regular kids don’t. You’re forced to grow up a lot faster. So there was an interesting parallel between Cole’s life and Will’s life.”

Baldoni came to “Five Feet Apart” having steeped himself in the world of CF. He had the idea for the film while working on a web series about those with terminal illnesses, “My Last Days.” One of the episodes focused on an 18-year-old girl named Claire Wineland, a CF patient whom Baldoni became so close to that he ultimately hired her to serve as a consultant on “Five Feet Apart.”

Sprouse spent a lot of time with Wineland, who died last September three months after filming was completed, talking about how CF affects both the mind and the body, including how the disease makes it difficult to gain or maintain weight. Together, he says, they came to the conclusion that it would be “a really powerful choice to embody that physicality,” and so with the aid of a nutritionist, Sprouse lost 25 pounds over the course of five weeks.

Sprouse initially told Baldoni he was somewhat hesitant to sign onto “Five Feet Apart” because he knows the scrutiny that films in this genre — “The Fault in Our Stars,” “A Walk to Remember,” “Me Before You” — can face for romanticizing illness.

“But I’m a believer that even if it might feel like the volume is a little bit too high within that genre, it still serves as an amazing platform to discuss something like cystic fibrosis,” says Sprouse. “And the star-crossed lover narrative — this is something that has existed before Shakespeare to Ovid and Pyramus and Thisbe. It’s part of our cultural memory bank. It’s one of those motifs that we just understand so well.”

Sprouse, who has the kind of poster-boy mane that’s perfect for brushing out of his eyes, frequently peppers his speech with these kind of literary references. He and his brother were the first ones on their father’s side of the family to go to college, which is “positive upward momentum” he’s proud of. Someday he hopes to spark a larger conversation about the California High School Proficiency Examination, a test that many young actors take at 16 so they can receive the legal equivalent of a high school diploma and no longer be considered minors.

“It basically cripples young academics who are working children from feeling capable to take the SAT and the ACT,” Sprouse says. “So many of us don’t go to college because our skill sets are not defined enough to be able to take those tests that would eventually allow us to apply. And kids are encouraged to do it because if you’re 18, you can work more hours and hypothetically make more money — and also because as a kid, you always want to sit back in your high chair and go ‘Yeah, I’m an adult.’”

On set, his collaborators have come to value his intelligence. Aguirre-Sacasa says that Sprouse “does a ton of work” on the “Riverdale” scripts, asking questions about the scenes and offering different points of view.

“A lot of times our episodes are homages to different films,” the executive says. “So Cole asked: ‘Can you send me a list of the movies you’re referencing in any given episode?’ And I’m that exact same way.”

While Sprouse no longer dreams of leading excavations in far-off lands, he’s found another non-acting passion that fulfills the “desire for learning and otherness” that archaeology did: photography. A few years ago, he walked into One World Trade Center in New York wearing a button-up T-shirt and asked the receptionist at Conde Nast Traveler magazine, “Hey, can anyone give me a job?”

He was pointed in the direction of former creative director Yolanda Edwards, who was willing to toss him a few unpaid assignments. Since then he’s landed a handful of high-profile gigs for Elle, W Magazine, Adidas and J Brand. He’s planning to spend the majority of his upcoming hiatus from “Riverdale” working as a fashion photographer.

Sprouse showcases some of his work on his Instagram account, which he admits is “very curated.” He’ll often delete old photos of himself, and he’s careful not to post too many photos of his girlfriend, Reinhart.

“I’ve girded my private life very intentionally,” he says. “It’s one of those things that I still sort of grapple with, and Lili and I grapple with.”

Asked if he thought about how much attention dating his costar might garner, he says he had no choice in the matter: “We legitimately could not stay away from one another.”

Beyond Reinhart, he and his cast mates — who film in Vancouver — are exceptionally close, especially of late, as they grapple with the loss of “Riverdale” costar Luke Perry.

“It’s been very, very hard this week,” he acknowledges, referring to juggling his film press responsibilities with his grief. “But the family has asked us all to keep it as private as possible, and I respect them tremendously through this time, so I continue to do so. We go back tomorrow, and it’ll be nice to be together. We all got together and talked it out a couple days ago, and then they gave us a couple of days off of production to acclimate, which was really wonderful.”

As for his future as an actor, Sprouse says he doesn’t expect to leave Hollywood again any time soon.

“It’s easy to forget, because this industry has so many different sides to it, that the act of acting is an incredibly enjoyable thing,” he says. “It’s a really empowering thing to do and it’s all the stuff on the outside of it — the publicity and the celebrity — which I actually had a problem with.”

Source: LA Times

#FUCK ME UP #SH #cs

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shuttershocky · 5 years

Text

Gudako gets a teaching job

After her victories over all threats to space and time, Gudako attempted to return to normal life and resume high school. Unable to pay her tuition however (anyone who could pay her for services rendered to Chaldea was pretty dead), she had offered to teach part-time at the Clocktower to make ends meet. Her subject? The art of making friends.

Nobody thought it was a good idea, most especially Mash. The Clocktower Magi were simply too violent, too power-hungry, too antisocial. Holmes had even told her to bring Mash for security purposes. But no, Gudako had insisted on coming alone. The whole point of the class was to pave the way for a friendlier, sociable Clocktower, and a new professor waltzing into class flanked by powerful familiars would only serve to intimidate the students.

“Now.” Gudako addressed the lecture hall crammed with magi young and old. “The first thing you want to do is put your best foot forward. Your goal is to get this person to like you, so starting with a polite but effective introduction is key.”

The air buzzed as the students traded harsh whispers and scribbled furiously on their notepads. Some were asking their seatmates for a clearer explanation, others were already muttering rebuttals on how the faculty had hired a hack.

A burly man sitting at the front who looked to be in his mid 40′s raised a large hand.

“Nobody in this class understands anything you just said, Professor.” He rumbled, his gruff voice emphasizing the last word with all the subtlety of rolling thunder. “Perhaps you ought to show us an example of this ‘putting your best foot forward.’ that you seem to think is so effective.“

Snickers and jeers rippled through the class as the magi refocused on Gudako, daring her to work her “magic”.

Gudako gulped behind the lectern. They clearly weren’t going to make this easy. The burly man hadn’t even given her a name to work with, and didn’t look like he planned on giving it anytime soon. Oh well. She was used to working in suboptimal conditions anyway.

She strode up to the big man, slapping a hand into his and shaking it firmly. “Hi! My name is Gudako, and I am a magus from the Chaldea Security Organization.” She said with a smile. “I’m very pleased to meet you. I hope we will be able to work well together this upcoming semester.”

The burly man stared at her blankly.

Gudako let go of his hand, but held her smile.

The man continued to stare, as if struck by a bolt of pure disbelief. The class burst into a whirlwind of whispers as they traded bets on exactly how their new professor was gonna be killed on her first day (and usually it took at least three.) The seconds passed. The air thinned. The man seized Gudako in the blink of an eye, and pulled her into a bear hug.

His voice was a poorly made sand castle in high tide, ugly and crumbling way too quickly. “N-Nobody’s s-s-said they were p-p-pleased to s-see me in fifty three y-y-years.”

“Oh.” Gudako choked out, patting his back. “W-well. I’m sure they were all just thinking it.”

The man put her down, placing his hands on her shoulders. Tears welled at the corner of his eyes, as he smiled for the first time in decades. The class’ jeers were swept away, drowned under the raucous applause that followed. Gudako grinned back at her student. It looked like this was another mission succe-

“Professor.” The man said, his expression darkening. “The fools in this room do not deserve your wisdom.”

“Wait... What?”

“You are returning back with me. The Yggdmillenia will welcome you with open arms.”

“Wait that’s not-”

A fissure of rock erupted between them, hurling the man into the far wall. A blonde woman stood on top of her desk, her outstretched arm crackling with power.

“You motherfucker!” The woman screeched. “The Edelfelts will not be robbed! We claim the little girl as our own!”

A thin, spindly old man drew twin daggers from his sleeves. “Neither of your claims will matter if I kill you both first.”

“And hand her over to the senior stick-man?!” cried a young girl at the back, already rolling up her sleeves.

“As if any of you could kill an Archibald!”

“YOU WILL ALL SURRENDER YOUR SPOILS TO THE ISTARI.”

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA”

“RWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-”

Gudako dived behind the lectern as fire balls and lightning bolts filled the air. Any attempt by a magi to leave their chair and approach the front of the class was stopped by a crushing wave of magical energy. At least one of her students had turned out to be a necromancer, and was currently in the process of summoning five more skeleton warriors to repel the man with the daggers.

Glass shattered as Mash Kyrielight dived in through a window, deftly rolling next to her senpai and deploying her shield to absorb the battle axe tossed her way.

“With all due respect senpai.” She said, smacking away two magi that attempted to get too close. “We did tell you so.”

“In my defense, it was going really well. Until it suddenly wasn’t.”

“So it’s business as usual?”

“Time for a tactical retreat, yeah.”

At those words, Mash hoisted Gudako up over her shoulder, put her shield on her back, and bolted.

All at once, the magi froze where they were.

“She’s taken the Chaldea master!”

“GET HER.”

An icicle shard whizzed overhead as the magi piled out of the lecture hall and chased Mash down the Clocktower’s winding corridors.

Holding her master firmly, Mash raised a hand to her ear. “This is Mash Kyrielight, requesting extraction!”

They barreled past the faculty rooms, with Mash grabbing any shiny objects or potions she could find and tossing them behind her, hoping to slow down the fast approaching mob.

“Mash.” Gudako said. “Mash we’re headed to a dead end! There’s nothing after the stained glass window!”

Mash picked up speed as a raven familiar dived for her and missed, right into a passing professor’s face. “Hold on tight, Master.”

“Mash... Mash no. Mash we’re on the thirteenth floor. Mash wait. Mash! Wait! Waitwaitwaitwaitwait-”

Too late. They left poor glass Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg in pieces as they plummeted to the ground. Servant Shielder sucked in her breath, spun around, and channeled power to the shield at her back.

“Wall of chalk.”

Protective golden light enveloped her armor as they slammed into the ground, leaving a medium sized crater with a leak where a fountain used to be.

“Are you alright senpai?”

“Heart attack notwithstanding, I think I’m fine.”

“Good. Our ride is here.”

Right on cue, a modified version of Da Vinci’s wooden car pulled up next to the crater. It looked like Da Vinci decided she wanted to make her own limo. Astolfo’s awestruck face peeked out the driver’s seat window.

“And they call me crazy! Stairs exist you know!”

Mash heaved Gudako into the passenger’s seat, and clambered up the roof of the car.

“Astolfo!” She cried, “Where’s your hippogriff?!”

“Have you all gone mad? I can’t bring my hippogriff into London! Some Barry Trotter fanatic will get a picture and he’ll be all over the internet!”

“Fine, fine! Just drive!”

“Ok ok! What’s the rush anywa-YOWCH!”

Astolfo rubbed his shoulder as the gandr shot’s effect dissipated quickly. The angry mob had reached the ground floor.

“Woah, woah. What’s with the entourage?”

“I am rather popular.” Gudako said.

“Just drive Astolfo!” said Mash’s muffled voice from on top of the car.

“Driving!” He replied, and slammed on the gas pedal.

Gudako’s students continued to hurl curses at the strange wooden limo.

“Stop them before they leave the school grounds!”

“The wyverns! I got the wyverns from the biology department!”

Soon the air was filled with the screeches of flying lizards, as the wyverns and their riders attempted to crash Da Vinci’s speeding car and dislodge the shield knight surfing on it. Cracks were beginning to inch along the windows shielding Gudako, growing with every contact with a wyvern’s claw.

“Where did they even learn to ride wyverns?” Gudako said. “Where was that lesson in Chaldea training?!”

The car shook as Mash fended off another wyvern tackle.

“Astolfo!” Mash said, tapping the roof to grab his attention. “Get master out of here! I’ll hold them off! They can’t attack you outside the Clocktower’s grounds or people would see!”

Astolfo opened the front compartment and pulled out a pair of shades. “Got it! We’ll pick you up later Mash! Hold on Master. We’re gonna see how fast this thing can go!”

The car leapt forward as Astolfo shifted the engine into maximum overdrive. Mash was sent flying by the inertia, into the nearest wyvern. Cleanly dislodging its rider with a single punch, Mash heard her senpai calling for her.

“NONLETHAL FORCE MASH!” Gudako yelled, voice swiftly growing fainter as the car sped away. “NONLETHAL FORCE! THEY’VE STILL GOT A PAPER DUE ON TUESDAaaaaaaaayyyyy.....”

#fgo #fate #fate grand order #fic #crack fic #i had this idea and i'm too embarrassed to put it in my ao3 #but i had to put it somewhere #if these kinds of posts are annoying i'll stop and move them back to ao3 #i promise

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