#so that it would read on a low res blurry screen | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

space-helen · 4 years ago

Text

Back to Vegas - Chapter 6

Words: 2330

Pairing: Nick Stokes x Reader

A/N: Warning for Suicide and Violence. Low key inspired by the ending of Prisoners (2012)

CH1 CH2 CH3 CH4 CH5 CH6 CH7 CH8

_______________________________

Your lungs heaved as you made it into the breakout room. Standing by the door you gave Greg a smile as Nick came in behind you. The two of you had run slightly late and it was a miracle that you’d come in in time.

“Now that everyone’s here.” Greg clapped his hands together “We should get a move on. We have a Warrant for Hannah’s property and Sara and I went in there yesterday. We found some stuff that definitely connects her to the case. Grissom and Catherine started to make stronger connections with what we found and Nick and Y/N really helped look at the evidence all again objectively.” he paused “We’re pretty confident Hannah did this, we have a lead which says she’s been hiring a warehouse just outside of Vegas so we’ll be going there. Nick, Catherine and Sara you come with me to the warehouse. Grissom and Y/N hold down the fort here and start processing some more of the stuff we pulled from Hannah’s house.”

“This isn’t very like Hannah. We all should be extra careful.” Sara spoke up “She’s usually very clever in what she does but it looks like she’s gotten lazy. There has to be a reason for that.”

Greg agreed “Keep your eyes peeled. Alright, those coming with me lets go.” He was soon leaving the room and everyone on his team for the outing soon followed. Nick wrapped his arm around you for a very brief embrace as he left the room and pecked you on the forehead.

“I’d offer you a coffee but if the others are starting right now we should too.”

You smiled at Grissom “That’s fine by me. Lead the way.”

The man smirked and led you to the room he and Catherine had been working in.

The two of you began to work and it didn’t take long for Grissom to get a call. Excusing himself from the room you continued to fingerprint the case of vials found at Hannah’s place as you waited for his return.

“How do you fancy getting away from the lab for a little bit?”

“Sure.” you smiled as you stood up.

“Greg and Sara want you to do another quick sweep of the property to look for anything else, they also want you to pick up Sara’s kit because she left it there. One of them will come over to help you after the warehouse. I’ll stay here and continue processing this” he gestured at the items in front of him

You nodded and took down the address from Grissom. “I’ve printed the vials. They just need to be run through the system now.”

“Have fun.”

“I will.” you smiled as you made your way out to one of the work vehicles.

The drive wasn’t bad and actually went by quickly. You’d never been to this part of Vegas yet and it didn’t look half bad. The neighbourhood looked friendly yet sparse. Hopping out of your vehicle nothing seemed out of the ordinary, it was quiet and no one was around. The door was locked and had tape over to show that no one had entered.

You brought out your knife and cut down the tape to let yourself in. Spotting Sara’s kit you picked it up and left the door open as you returned it to the trunk of your vehicle.

Entering the house again you slowly took steps inside and felt the eeriness around you. It was deadly silent yet you felt like you could hear static and like you weren’t alone. “Hello?” you called out into the space.

You felt your phone vibrate in your pocket so you slipped it out to read the text, you smiled when you saw it was from Nick. ‘She wasn’t at the warehouse. Greg, Sara and Cath are going to process here and I’ll be over with you soon x’

‘How can Sara process without a kit?’ you replied quickly.

‘Sharing is caring… we had a backup one in the trunk.’

You laughed ‘See you soon. Love you x’

You put your phone away and continued to walk around the house. Placing your kit down in the living room doorway you walked through to the next room which was an open plan kitchen and dining room. It was sparse but a camera on a tripod connected to a laptop caught your eye. There were items strewn across the table including a kit similar to the one you’d just processed for fingerprints back at the lab.

Moving in front of the camera to look at the laptop screen you noticed an exact reflection of what was in front of the camera, a live feed. You turned and looked away from the laptop screen around the room. That’s when the alarm bells rung, this stuff must not have been here when Greg and Sara processed the scene otherwise it would be at the lab. Slowly reaching for your gun you felt a stabbing sensation in your neck.

The gun was knocked from your grasp across the room and you struggled against the person who’d come behind you.

“Just give in to it. Give in. You won’t be able to stand much longer. Do yourself a favour.” a woman’s voice came

You continued to struggle and managed to break yourself away briefly to see the woman’s face but it was blurry and your vision was swimming. Whatever she’d injected into you was already taking effect.

“Hannah? What did you?” you brought your hand up to your neck “Potassium?” you were feeling tired and like your tongue was heavy,

“Yes I am and no. It’s a nice little drug cocktail I mustered up when I heard you open the front door.”

You looked at your gun on the floor and tried to dive for it but that was a big mistake, your vision was spotting and Hannah kicked the gun away from your hand and stood on it, before giving you a kick to the stomach which rolled you over. “You really had to ruin my afternoon arrangements huh?”

She walked over to the table “It was supposed to be a nice little recording session to explain everything and finally end it all and be re-united with my brother. But no.” she turned around with another syringe. “You had to ruin it and take the peace away.”

You tried to crawl away on the floor and sit up to get away but she was soon back over at your side pushing you down and moving your hair out of the way. “But what’s one more casualty?” She forcefully pushed your head down to the ground, pain emitted there instantly. “Unfortunately I have nothing here that’ll kill you quickly besides the gun and that’s well that’s really not my style.”

Nick’s voice calling your name made her stop for a second. You tried your best to scream his but you had no clue what ever came out, the first dose of whatever she’d injected in your system already wreaking havoc on you.

You tried to struggle against her and push her away but it was too later, the needle had broken your skin and you could feel her injecting the concoction. She leaned down close to your ear and continued to inject the solutions as she whispered “Pitty I didn’t get to do this to anyone that actually worked on my cases before, that would have been more satisfying.”

Nick had entered the room to see her over you and saw her pulling the needle out of you and your body going limp. “Put your hands up.” he drew his gun and sent an alert out on his walkie subtly.

“I said put your hands up.”

Hannah eventually moved away from you and stood. “You don’t have long. The clock’s ticking for her already.”

“What did you inject!” he shouted.

She gestured to the table “Your guess is as good as mine, a little bit of everything.”

Nick peered at you to see your eyes fluttering open and closed as your head rolled on the ground.

“Step away.” he called to Hannah.

“I don’t think I will.” she approached the table and picked up another vial. “You know I was saving this for me but I don’t think that’d do the trick quick enough. You wouldn’t let me have the satisfaction of dying that way.”

She turned away from Nick as he took a step forward towards you as Hannah was slowly creeping away from you. Before he could really react he saw Hannah dive for something on the floor and stand upright again.

She held your gun to her head “Tell her I said thanks for the gun, but then again I might get the chance before you if she doesn’t make it.”

“No!” Nick shouted as he began to move towards Hannah for the gun. A bang had Nick freezing freezing, she’d shot herself.

Nick turned away in shock and shouted down his walkie talkie before coming to you with tears in his eyes. “Y/N.” he shook you “Y/N. Wake up please.”

He could see your eyes rolling in your head and you tried to open them. “Nicky.” you mumbled.

“Yeah Honey?”

“I love you.” it came out thickly “Remember that.” your voice sounded tired.

“I know Baby I know.” tears were threatening now “I love you too. Just stay with me ok?” We’re going to get you to the hospital.” he brought his fingers to your neck to try and feel your pulse.

He knew he’s asked for medical assistance and an emergency team but he couldn’t wait around. He knew it would be quicker to drive you. Picking you up he moved as fast as he could with you out to the car he’d arrived in, placing you across the back seats he hopped in the driver's seat and drove as fast as he could towards the nearest hospital.

“Y/N. Talk to me Sweetheart.” he begged as he drove.

“Please” he looked in the rearview mirror to try and see you but he could only see you lying still with limp arms. “Please speak to me. Please” he pleaded, tears very much collecting in his eyes. “We’re nearly there Honey. Nearly there, stay with me now. You’re going to be ok.”

He pulled up right outside the emergency room of the hospital and called for help as loud as he could while he moved you out of the back. Carrying you inside he was met by a team of people rushing towards him with a bed. He lay you down gently and kept brushing your hair out of your face and taking in your features as he rolled off what had happened to the staff.

“Please just save her.” he sobbed, the tears finally falling.

“We’ll try our best Mr Stokes but you’re going to have to wait here.” A tall nurse spoke

“You don’t understand. She means everything to me.”

“We understand. Please just sit down and call someone.” the Nurse tried to push him back from the moving bed.

Nick took your hand and placed a kiss on it as the tears streamed down his face and the team around you started prodding your skin with different needles to draw blood and inject other solutions into your system.

He entirely froze in place when he let go of your hand and it felt like his world came crashing down around him as you turned the corner and were out of his sight.

Flopping in a chair he opened his phone to see missed calls from Greg and Grissom. Pressing some buttons with no real aim he realised he was dialling Greg, bringing his cellphone to his ear he heard the man calling his name.

“Greg?”

“Nick, what the hell is going on? It does not look good over here.”

“I’m at the hospital with Y/N.”

“I guessed as much. Is everything ok? The EMT’s arrived at the same time Sara, Catherine and I did.”

“She might not make it.” Nick tried to hold back his tears but the hurt and sadness was very much still in his voice. “Hannah-” he was cut off by some tears falling and he tried to compose himself to continue to Greg “Hannah attacked Y/N and injected her with God only knows what. I couldn’t wait.”

“Alright. Alright.” Greg’s tone had softened now and was less urgent. “You keep your mind on Y/N we’ll sort this out. I think Grissom was on his way to you. Look after her ok?”

“Yeah” his voice was wobbly and he brought his hand up to his eyes “I’ll keep you updated.”

Hanging up he leant all the way forward, crossed his arms over his lap and rested his head there and let out some more sobs. The uncertainty was killing him. He couldn’t bear to lose you.

He looked up when he heard someone walking down the corridor to him. He was only now realising that he’d picked a really quiet spot to sit down.

Nick was immediately on his feet as soon as he saw who it was, his phone fell on the floor but he didn’t care. He took a couple of steps forward and opened his arms to embrace the older man who had been a father figure to him for many years.

“Pancho.” Grissom spoke sadly as he cradled Nick’s head and allowed him to cry.

“I can’t lose her.” Nick choked out.

“I know Nick, I know.” the man gently pulled away to see Nicks red eyes and tear tracks down his face. “Let's get you some water.”

Nick picked up his phone from the floor and allowed Grissom to lead the way. Grissom knew how much you meant to him and all he could do right now was be a shoulder to cry on because no one knew what the future held.

Next Chapter

Tag List: (open)

Nick Stokes: @wanniiieeee @pumpkinfriend

CSI:

#csi x reader #nick stokes x reader #csi vegas x reader #back to vegas #csi fic #csi imagine

96 notes · View notes

pi-cat000 · 4 years ago

Text

BNHA: Kakashi dimension hops crossover (5)

Summary: Kakashi gets dumbed into the My Hero Academia universe through random plot devise.

Characters: Kakashi Hatake

Fandoms: My Hero Academia and Naruto

WARNINGS: Mentions of violence/injury

START / RREV / NEXT

Ms Iroi always tries to engage him in conversation whenever she comes in, asking questions and chatting to herself in a fruitless attempt at helping him recover his 'lost' memories. Most of the time, Kakashi is indifferent to her presence and always has a magazine handy as an excuse not to talk.

Today, Iroi is in a particularly good mood, humming to herself, greeting him with an energetic, “How are you doing today!”

Kakashi grunts a noncommittal response which doesn’t do much to discourage the woman’s good mood as she runs through a check-up routine.

“You should try watching U.A’s sports festival tomorrow. I hear it’s going to be particularly spectacular this year,” she says as she pulls the blinds on Kakashi's window, blocking out the distant city lights.

U.A? he recognises the name. Kakashi glances up over the pages of HERO!! MONTHLY BREAKDOWN. It is the third time he has read this issue.

“You know, since you like reading those hero magazines, I figured you would be interested in watching the ‘next generation of heroes’ debut,” she continues, noting his attention, “U.A always puts on a good show.”

Kakashi frowns. The problem with his amnesia cover story is that he is still trying to figure out what he can get away with not remembering. So far the doctor’s seem content to chalk up the disappearance of his long term memories to a ‘quirk’ accident but were always more concerned when he failed to recall basic factual information. Something to do with different parts of the brain being responsible for different types of information.

“Watch how?” He settles on asking. U.A. was supposed to be a hero-training academy so whatever this ‘sports festival’ was was worth checking out.

“Oh,” Iori pauses to think, “I, ah, think channel 2 with be covering it?” she hesitates, “You know what. I’ll look it up and let you know later. Sorry, I can’t carry my phone around with me while on shift.”

“Thank you.” He smiles and makes a show of returning to his magazine to dissuade further conversation.

Later the same evening, just before the end of the evening shift, Iori pokes her head into his room again. She is out of uniform, long hair untired, waving to catch his attention.

“The coverage is on channel 2 and starts at 11am,” She holds up her portable communication devise like it means something. It probably did mean something. The frequency by which people checked them suggested it had a function beyond basic communication. He has held off attempting to steal one because, unlike pens, people would notice and care if one went missing.

“Have fun watching! Oh… also, I forgot to ask…”

Kakashi raises a brow.

“I have a bunch of old gossip magazines. Mum used to read them all the time and there are a few hero-themed ones in the mix. I can bring them in if you want more stuff to read.”

“If you want.” Iori must have noticed him re-reading the magazines.

"I'll bring them on Friday!"

Iori had been unsubtly hinting that Kakashi might have had a history in heroics. It definitely wasn’t because reading information on a page just made sense when compared to the barrage of conflicting reports the television gave him. A few weeks with only the television as his information source has him writing off most of its information as useless or propaganda.

…

...

“HEELLLOOOOO, LISTENERS!”

Kakashi stares dully as the video footage, which had been giving him a bird’s eye view of a positively massive stadium, changes to a sweeping shot of what must be thousands of people crammed into seats. It almost makes him claustrophobic just watching it.

“WELLCOME TO OUR ANNUAL U.A. SPORTS FESTIVAL! THE HIGH SCHOOL ADOLESCENT RODEO YOU ALL LOVE TO WATCH. CAN A GET A ‘OH YEAH!’”

As if of one mind, thousands of people leap to their feet screaming. The camera angle changes again to show a grinning blond-haired man, seated at a desk and pointing enthusiastically at the camera. All these shot changes are going to give him a headache. Kakashi is already having reservations watching this and its only10 minutes.

“Thank you! You’re an AMAZING audience!”

It almost reminds him of the final Chunin Exam stages -if the Chunin exams had had three times the audience - which always involved some sort of combat display. There hadn’t been any public Chunin Exams recently for reasons such as a large portion of Konoha being flattened by Pein.

“FIRST UP ARE OUR FIRST-YEAR EVENTS! And what an exciting round of events they are, perfect for debuting our newest students! Give us a shout so they can feel your support!”

Another loud shot as thousands of people yelled in unison.

“Come on! Louder than that! These are your future Heroes I’m talking about! SHOW THEM SOME LOVE!”

More yelling. Kakashi turns down the volume.

“But! Wait just a minute!! We're not only here for our Hero students! As I'm sure you all know, behind every great hero is a hardworking support team! GIVE IT UP FOR our Support, Management and General departments who are also competing for a chance to face off in the finals!”

Kakashi sighs. He is getting the sense that this might be more for entertainment than utility purposes, conforming to the general trend of Hero-related stuff being flashy. Different from the Chunin exam which had deadly consequences if not taken seriously.

“Hey. Hey! HERE THEY COME NOW! OUR STUDENTS PARTICIPATING IN THE FIRST YEAR STAGE!”

What follows is an overly dramatized race where the only thing of interest to him are the obstacle types, including robots, - mobile mechanical weapons of some sort that produced a lot of environmental damage but were taken down fairly easily- and explosive devices that acted a lot like explosive tags. Then there was a team elimination round and one-on-one tournament fights after which the coverage shifts to the second year and third year stages.

He uncovers the sharingun only to discover that, while its memorisation function worked fine, the part that translated the movements into muscle memory felt off. Perhaps, the replication and copying component of the eye didn’t work when viewing a technique through a screen rather than in person. Interesting. As there wasn't anything particularly impressive technique-wise during the events he counts the new information as a net gain.

The student-heroes – he is not sure if there is an official term for a hero in training – barely match Konoha’s academy standard in their taijutsu and physical conditioning though there was marked improvement between first, second and third-year groups. These students were what...between 14-18 years old...and yet most had the skill level of an academy students and fresh genuin with only a few notable exceptions?

Sure, there were - honestly ridiculous- versatile and powerful bloodline abilities being thrown around like nothing, but ninjutsu techniques only took a shinobi so far without a strong base to work from. He shakes his head, reminding himself that these kids - because what else did you call combatants who hadn’t graduated yet- weren’t shinobi in training and would be policing civilians and engaging ‘Villains’ of similar skill levels. It was obvious that the students favoured non-lethal takedown methods and put little to no thought into stealth and misdirection during fights.

Different words…different priorities.

As Kakashi has yet to see any evidence that the country, Japan, was at war with another he thinks the skill level displayed might be serviceable. There were also no major conflicts between the country’s large cities over farmland, water sources and the like. Obviously, this place had sorted out the resource and distribution issues usually encountered when supporting such large populations. Or, who knows, maybe everything on the television was a carefully constructed lie to lull people into complacency.

Now he has seen an example of hero-students, he better understands the low combat ability demonstrated by the police. It also gives incite into the blurry recordings of Hero/Villain confrontations which played on repeat across the various ‘news’ reports. They all tended to hover around Chunin or maybe Special Jounin in terms of skill. He knows generalisations are dangerous so, until he saw the combat in person, he would exercise his usual level of caution. There were bound to be outliers after all-the impressive brute strength of the number one hero comes to mind- and there was no telling what advantages a bloodline ability might provide. Absently, he makes testing the susceptibly of people without chakra to genjustu as something to figure out sooner rather than later.

He sighs. This is why he hated the television. Whenever he watched it, he came away increasingly confused, with more questions than he had answers. Not to mention anything useful being constantly interrupted with information detailing one of the many products that he could apparently buy here. It irritated him to no end.

...

The chakra collecting seal is ready before the week is out. Mostly ready...it was ready enough.

Kakashi returns to the roof. Sitting cross-legged, back against the stairway entrance, he works his way through the 100 or so pens, cracking them open and tapping out ink into a large bowl, stolen -like the pens -from hospital staff.

The mix of black, blue and red ink is gluggy, forcing him to add water to thin the solution out. Once satisfied he pulls out an appropriated scalpel – one of a growing collection hidden alongside his pens because having a stash of weapons is never a bad thing- pricking his middle finger, watching the blood drip and curdle with the mixture. The blood would be absorbed into the ink, allowing it to conduct chakra. He mixes everything with pair of disposable chopsticks, taking care not to spill it on the ground or stain his hands.

The whole process reminds him of other insistences where he had improvised fuinjutsu ink in the field. The last time being during his final Anbu missions where he had created a body storage scroll from scratch after unexpectedly losing a squad mate on what should have been a simple intel retrieval mission. Not a particularly fond memory but a memory he was stuck with.

Since his demotion to Jonin-sensei there had been fewer of those sorts of missions. Not that being a Jonin-sensei had been easy – considering all his students had gone off to find other teachers he didn't even think he had been particularly good at it - bringing with it its own special brand of stress, culminating in a stint as Hokage, a fourth war and him stuck here. He is pretty sure his experiences aren't universal. Team 7 was just cursed to fail in increasingly spectacular ways.

He lets out a heavy sigh, leaving his airways open to a sudden gust of cold wind which carries the scent of cleaning chemicals from the hospital and oil from the road straight up his nose. He exhales forcefully and mentally bumps finding a face mask up his list of priorities. It would be good for hiding his features and dulling the artificial smells of a city housing over a million people.

The sound of wind whistling around the building almost blocks out the echo of feet in the stairway, approaching his location. In one smooth motion, Kakashi stands pushing the remaining broken pen back into the vent, nudging the cover back in place with his foot. Carefully he holds the bowl of ink in his injured arm and a scalpel in the other. Kakashi steps back against the entrance so the outward opening door would hide him from whoever came out.

A crying kid comes barrelling through the door.

Well, not completely crying, more like sniffing loudly, eyes all shiny. He even recognises the kid from the U.A combat demonstration, as improbable as that was. It is the first year hero student with the speed-enhancing ability which, seeing him up close, probably had something to do with the strange growths coming out of his caff muscles. High speed movement put enormous strain on the body so he could reasonably conclude that the kid was physically resilient to acceleration stress and similar forces. Not resilient to stabbing though....

Kakashi forces himself to relax, his scalpel lowering ever so slightly. Lucky he had heard the kid coming or he might have accidentally hurt him. A few weeks of reduced sleep coupled with a lot of time to ruminate on past missions and failures has put him on edge. This was exactly why he disliked taking extended breaks.

Maybe, Kakashi should start relocking the stairway if he was planning to make regular trips up here because the young male probably hadn’t had the roof in mind as a destination. Kakashi knows from experience that, unless you were injured or a member of staff, there were few good reasons to wander around a hospital at odd hours.

With the hero-student distracted sniffling into his arm, Kakashi slips around the door and back down the stairs. He hadn’t planned on applying the seal on the roof anyway. Too exposed to the elements and the concrete was too rough for the delicate line work.

He continues mixing while he walks, having mentally mapped the hospital well enough to know which hallways to use and which to avoid. There is a surgeon with some sort of heat-sensing vision who works late most nights that he must be careful around and a nurse with a weak proximity based empathic ability working in paediatrics. Both obstacles force him to take a meandering detour on his way to the ground floor and the larger shower blocks which housed cubicles the size of small rooms. Enough smooth floorspace for the expanded seal design and easy to clean afterwards. He supposes he is lucky, some complicated fuinjutsu required several meters worth of floor space. The containment on Saskue’s cursed seal comes to mind and he is glad that this seal is infinity smaller.

Not one to waste time knowing that nurses and patients regularly used the space even this late in the evening, he immediately slips into a cubicle upon arrival. Flopping onto the floor he pulls out the paintbrush he had had scour the hospital for and eventually to steal from the children’s ward. Carefully, he begins the slow process of application.

…

The final seal design is circular, about the size of his splayed hand, positioned on his uninjured shoulder just above where his Anbu seal had previously sat. The sleepwear provided by the hospital had sleeves that extend just past his bicep. It hid the design, for the most part. The final visible seal is a bit bigger than he had predicted or planned for. If this were a proper infiltration mission, where blowing his cover came at the price of death, he would be in big trouble. If this were a proper mission, he would have waited before applying this. An unnecessary risk. He itches the back of his head, turning from where he is craning his neck to see the seal, gathering up his supplies to be thrown in one of the hospital’s many rubbish bins. Kakashi lets out a breath. Maybe, this whole ‘trapped in a different world’ thing is affecting him more than he was willing to admit and making him sloppy.

He pulls down the sleeve so it mostly hides the design. Not like the doctors here would recognise the significance of fuinjutsu, he reminds himself, even if their questions would be annoying to deflect.

He pumps chakra into the seal and a jolt akin to lightning runs down his limb. It activates without issue and Kakashi grimaces as his chakra is slowly drained and collected. The rate of the drain is pathetically slow. Three years too slow. But, between this and his sharingan - which was always active and draining chakra- he can’t risk making it quicker. Despite the relatively low-level threats around him, Kakashi is, first and foremost, a Jonin in an unknown territory who is already taking risks simply making and applying the seal. He can’t afford to impair himself with poor chakra management on top of everything else.

Kakashi pops his head out of the cubical, scanning the shower block. Nothing of note has changed and he darts out, intent on returning to his room. He is tired and it would be a long, tiresome week as his body adjusted to the strain as well.

#bnha #bnha fanfic #naruto #CrossOver #dimension travel AU #hatake kakashi #kakashi headcanons #cultural shock #Iida makes a breif cameo #fanfiction #my hero academia #plot continues to move at a glacial pace

44 notes · View notes

vegetasleftsock · 4 years ago

Text

A Devil’s Smile (Vegeta x OC) Part 4

Authors note: I’ve been using writing as an escape for the past couple of days and it’s really brought me some true happiness. I hope you enjoy reading this story- I promise it’ll get juicer soon.

Find past parts here -> Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

Read all at once on AO3 -> A Devil’s Smile

Vegeta had never driven a car before, but he figured that it couldn’t be that hard.

To him, earthlings were so simple and so was their technology. The only inventions he had been impressed with was technology that came from the doors of Capsule Corp.

He thumbed over the keychain Milla handed him. There must be at least 10 keys on this tiny loop- he rolled his eyes at the concept.

“Why can’t they just make one key for their specific needs instead of 10 individual keys that can so easily be replicated,” Vegeta thought.

Vegeta looked ahead and saw the VW logo on the steering wheel and recognized it from one of the keys.

“They must connect somehow-“ Vegeta said to himself with a furrowed brow.

He leaned to look around each side of the steering wheel.

Vegeta spotted the keyhole and a slight smirk grew over his face. He placed the key with the VW logo into the car and turned it like a lock. The car engine hummed, ready to go.

Milla shifted and awoke to the sound of the engine starting.

She blinked a few times to focus her vision and saw Vegeta looking at the controls, figuring out what each one was supposed to do.

He had driven many ships before, but not one that operated in the same way as a car. Vegeta would always make sure that he had control over the situation and the machinery before he would take off in most cases. The control is what was important to him.

“Vegeta-,” Milla spoke with her eyes still closed, breaking the silence.

Vegeta froze for a brief moment. There was something about the quiet uttering of his name coming from her lips that caught him. Almost as quickly as he had frozen from her voice, he brushed it off as though it didn’t affect him. He didn’t want her to see him stop, not that Milla would in her current state.

“Hm?” Vegeta looked turned to Milla for a brief moment, waiting for her to speak.

Milla fluttered her eyes open and turned her head to face Vegeta.

“Have you never driven a Volkswagen before? The brakes are a little sensitive but that’s all you should worry about,” Milla said as she squinted her eyes a little to try to make out the emotions on Vegeta’s face. Her vision was too blurry to tell exactly what he was doing.

“Quiet,” Vegeta said. “It would be smart for you to rest before you worsen your current state.”

Milla gave a lazy thumbs up and closed her eyes again.

Vegeta reversed the car and slowly pulled out of the parking space, attempting to straighten the car from the crooked position it was parked in.

“Could you have parked this car any more sideways?” Vegeta said, not expecting a reply.

“I’m not good at it. I usually park far away, but this was the only space,” Milla said, keeping her eyes closed this time.

“Pft. Pathetic.”

“You better be glad that I’m out of commission or I’d-,” Milla started.

“Or you would do what, exactly?” Vegeta said, “Burn me with your words? Oh, I’m so afraid,” Vegeta chuckled, amused at Milla’s attempt at a threat.

“I’d still put you in your place,” Milla shrugged.

“You’ve said plenty. I told you to stop straining what little energy you have left. Where is your phone?” Vegeta said, stopping at an intersection and placing his hand out.

“Dude, I’m not going to give you my phone. If you need to know where you’re going use your own and I’ll give you the address.”

“Ugh,” Vegeta rolled his eyes. “You must enjoy making things difficult.”

Vegeta reached into his pocket and tossed his phone into Milla’s lap.

“Type it in.” Vegeta stated. “Quickly.”

Milla pressed the button on the side of Vegeta’s phone and the screen came to life. Of course he would be the kind of guy to leave the screensaver on default.

“Password?” Milla asked.

“123456.” Vegeta replied.

“Creative.” Milla responded.

“I didn’t ask for your input,” Vegeta stated. “I said quickly so that I know where I’m going.”

Milla found the GPS app on the front page of the apps and typed in her address. She handed the phone back to Vegeta by placing it in his lap.

“Hmmm... I wonder,” Milla giggled.

“Silence, woman!” Vegeta snapped.

“I wonder,” Milla persisted, slurring a little as she talked. “Why can Goku just zap us there and you can’t?”

Milla remembered Bulma telling her about Vegeta’s constant competition with Goku. She said this specifically to agitate him.

“I suggest you stop talking and tend to things that are actually relevant to you,” Vegeta growled, clearly frustrated.

Milla ignored Vegeta and traced her finger around the lines that his tricep and bicep muscles made through his long sleeved thermal shirt. He tensed slightly under her touch and wondered how she could be so casual despite his lack of reception.

“Is this not it?” Vegeta asked, placing the car into park, trying to avoid looking directly at Milla who was still entranced by his arm.

Milla perked up and looked around.

“Yea this is it. Thank you.” Milla rubbed her eyes with the front of her wrists sleepily. Her eyeliner and mascara smeared slightly around her dark eyes.

“I will walk you to your apartment.” Vegeta stated, taking the keys out of the car and promptly stepping out.

He walked around to the passengers side and opened the door once again and offered his hand to Milla with no words.

“Hey, I’m really thankful you got me here, but really- I’m good now,” Milla said, turning her legs so her feet sat on the pavement.

“Tch,” Vegeta said, not moving his hand. “You can waste my time as we sit here or I can take you inside. There is no third option.”

Milla allowed her eyes to roam her surroundings. It was completely black out, minus the street lights and the fluorescent lights leading to each apartment. Her legs felt like jelly and her stomach was turning.

She pushed each long sleeve up onto her elbows, revealing the tattoos that sprinkled across her forearms.

Milla reluctantly placed her hand in his, wondering if she was making the right decision. She wasn’t the kind of person to let strange men in her house when she wasn’t completely sober. Goku was a stretch- but he was so innocent and kind. Milla could only hope Vegeta would offer her his own version of that same kindness.

Vegeta squeezed her hand and hoisted her out of the Jetta.

He was thankful that she gave in. Despite not wanting to waste his own time, it was important to him that he was the one to guard her in a vulnerable state; not Kakarot.

Vegeta questioned why he had suddenly developed this desire to be near Milla; to ensure her safety in a time like this. The sexual attraction was clear to him. If wanted to have intercourse with her he would have already. This was a more intimate need growing within him- one he was not comfortable with.

He had only met her a handful of times at this point, mostly short interactions. Each time they interacted Vegeta saw Milla’s fire and quick wit. She was so small, not any taller than Krillin, but she had the attitude of someone triple her size. This both infuriated Vegeta and intrigued him. The intrigue coupled with the fact that he was, in fact, attracted to her gave him enough motivation to pursue her. At least for the time being.

Milla stumbled a little bit as she took her first couple of steps after sitting in the car for a half an hour. She landed directly into Vegeta’s chest and relaxed into him for a second. When she realized what she was doing, she parted herself and allowed them both some space.

“How cliche,” she laughed.

Vegeta looked up and exhaled sharply. “Where is your apartment?”

“Over to the left. 134,” Milla said while pointing towards her first floor home.

Vegeta took Milla’s hand and slung her arm over his shoulder to stabilize her. They walked in silence until they arrived at her door.

“Oof,” Milla said as Vegeta dug her keys out of his pocket.

“What?” Vegeta asked while unlocking her door.

“Second night in a row I’ve had to have a man I barely know take me home. Responsible, huh” Milla laughed.

He ignored her comments and flicked the light switch in the entrance of her apartment. He walked into the apartment, leaving Milla at the doorstep.

“Uh, hello? Welcome in, I guess?” Milla said

“You shouldn’t be so nonchalant about your safety,” Vegeta said.

He walked across her kitchen, opening cabinets and drawers.

Milla plopped into a seat at her kitchen table.

“Says the guy I’ve only met three times who invited himself into my home. So sweet of you to worry about my safety as you invade my kitchen,” Milla said, untying her shirt so that it went from revealing her midriff to swallowing her small frame.

“What are you doing anyways?”

“You barely ate,” Vegeta said, grabbing a pan from a low cabinet. “That’s half of the reason the alcohol had such an effect on you. You’re too puny to consume like that and expect it to present no challenges.”

His voice showed irritation, but Milla could see it as a facade for his concern.

Vegeta lit the gas stove underneath the pot of water and grabbed a glass. He filled it with water and sat it in front of her.

“Drink.” Vegeta said.

“Okay, can I at least go put something more comfortable on first?”

“Can you even walk on your own?” Vegeta said with an eyebrow raised.

“Doesn’t matter, I’ll figure it out,” Milla said, lifting herself out of the wooden chair. “Last thing I need is you in the room creeping on me while I get undressed.”

“I-I wouldn’t-,” Vegeta started, struggling for a response.

“It’s okay bud, don’t have to get all flustered,” Milla chuckled, patting Vegeta on the shoulder. She staggered past him and down the hallway to her room.

Vegeta took a moment to re-establish his ego and walked over to the stove. He turned towards the pantry to pull out the box of pasta shells he had seen. Vegeta stood with his arms crossed, trying to figure out where the shells were hiding.

“Ah, next to the diabetes cereal,” he snarked. “How could I have missed it.”

He moved back towards the stove, but stopped in his tracks. On the counter next to the pot of a boiling water was a large tuxedo cat, staring directly at him.

“Can I help you?” Vegeta stared back at the cat, waiting for it to leave.

The cat sat, unwavering, refusing to break eye contact with the stubborn man in front of him. It was almost as if they were in a battle of willpower; but who would break first?

“Ugh, stupid cat! Stop looking at me!” Vegeta snapped.

The cat failed to break eye contact with the Saiyan, seemingly unphased.

“Hmpf,” Vegeta chuckled. “Lacking a few brain cells are we?”

Vegeta approached the cat and snapped his fingers around his face, trying to produce a reaction.

“Hello?” Vegeta placed his face in front of the cat, who continued to follow Vegeta with his eyes, “ANYONE HOME?”

The cat finally broke eye contact with Vegeta and hopped down from the counter, landing with a large thump.

Vegeta turned his nose up, enjoying his win against the fat feline.

“FUCK!” Vegeta responded to the pain coursing through this left ankle. He looked down to see the cat with his fangs gripping into his lower leg. Before Vegeta could blast the cat, he ran and disappeared as quickly as he had appeared.

“You ok?” Milla said, shuffling down the hallway in slippers and an oversized pink t shirt with the words, ‘there goes my last fuck’ printed across the front.

“That blasted obese animal bit into my leg,” Vegeta growled. His rage quelled slightly when he looked down at her with her hair disheveled and makeup smeared. She was smiling at him, almost laughing.

“So I’m guessing you met Chomps.” Milla said, holding back her laughter.

“I don’t know what you find so hilarious, but I see now why you were bleeding that day. Maybe you should find another one that’s not defective.” He said as he turned to dump the entire box of pasta into the water.

“He’s not defective, he’s just hungry,” Milla said. She pulled the cat's cup out of the food cabinet and portioned the right amount before pouring it into a bowl. Chomps scurried at the speed of light to the bowl.

Milla shuffled from the cat’s bowl to behind Vegeta. She pressed her palms on top of his shoulders and tried to peer around him.

“How much pasta are you making?” Milla said, smirking.

Vegeta tensed up, surprised by her lack of boundaries.

“Enough.” He turned to look at her. “God, do you not even have the decency to wear pants?”

Milla shrugged and walked to her couch. “It’s not any different than a dress.” She pulled the throw blanket that she was tucked into the night before back over her.

“Wake me up when the food is ready.” Milla said before curling up against the couch cushions and closing her eyes.

Vegeta waited until the pasta appeared soft and drained the extra fluid into the sink. He wasn’t really accustomed to making a proper meal for anyone, so he didn’t even think about sauce. He added a pad of butter and some salt, but didn’t worry about anything else.

Vegeta picked the first bowl he could find and pushed half of the shells into it. He left the rest in the pot and walked to the couch to hand the bowl and the glass of water he had poured earlier to Milla.

He saw her, completely asleep and curled up against the couch. Her small feet peeked out of the blanket with her slippers still on. Brown, thick hair covered most of her face and her mouth hung slightly open as she breathed quick, shallow breaths. Her tattooed arms hugged the blanket close to her chest.

Vegeta knew Milla had told him to wake her up, but he couldn’t bring himself to it. She was quieter this way and it was more beneficial for her to rest at this point.

He sat the bowl and the glass down on the coffee table in front of the couch and crouched down to the level of where Milla was laying. Her back was facing him but he allowed himself to watch her breathing for a moment. Vegeta tried talking himself into the idea that he was watching her to make sure she was still alive, but deep down he knew it was because he wanted to be close to her.

Vegeta stood up and took the bowl with him back to the kitchen. He placed the rest of the pasta in a bowl, wrapped it with Saran Wrap, and wrote ‘Milla’ on the wrap in black sharpie.

After placing the bowl in the fridge, he piled the dishes into the sink and walked to the couch to check on Milla one last time.

He crossed his arms across his chest and walked to the front door, turned the padlock, and closed the door quietly.

End note- thanks to @darklymelanatedstories for the awesome idea of the interaction between Chomps and ‘Geta and for supporting my writing! :)

#dragon ball #dragon ball z #prince vegeta #vegeta #vegeta fanfic #vegeta x oc #dragon ball z fanfic #dbz vegeta #vegeta x original character #original character

5 notes · View notes

craftloading57 · 4 years ago

Text

Camtasia Loop Video

I’m in the process of creating DVD videos from Camtasia Videos. I ran into a pretty hefty obstacle, though. My converted DVD’s looked blurry and low-quality. Using the software and settings below, I was able to create a sharp and well-focused DVD that played perfectly in my DVD player and allowed me to read rather fine text on my LCD TV.

The Software I Used

Zoom your video Select Animations in the tools panel and switch to the Animations tab. Click and drag the Scale Up animation to the clip you want to zoom. This adds an animation to the clip, with a default zoom already applied. To preview the animation, click and drag the playhead. I have a Camtasia project named aaa.camrec and want to capture an image in the middle of the video. How can I do it with highest possible original recording resolution? In Camtasia 2020, there is a new icon that looks like a camera in the timeline tools. The Loop: Our Community & Public Platform Roadmap for Q2 2021.

The video cutter in Camtasia allows you to trim the video and audio files separately. Cropping, zooming, and splitting are great techniques to have in your video editing tool belt! What is scaling? Scaling an image will change the overall size of that image. It is always best to display media at 100% scale in Camtasia.

Camtasia Studio 6 (for capturing the video and creating easy pan and zooms)

Sony Vegas Pro 8.0c (critical for getting a crisp AVI file)

Sony DVD Architect 4.5 (critical for creating the crisp, DVD ready folder structure)

Believe it or not, I’m using all the above on Windows 7 (64 bit) successfully.

Export Settings for Camtasia Studio

In my case, I’m using an AVI video that was already created. It’s 640×480 in size. If you’re recording your own Camtasia videos, shoot the originals in 1280 x 720 for 16:9 video according to John’s instructions. This will allow you the maximum potential for leveraging your video in various mediums (YouTube, DVD, BluRay, etc).

Go ahead and edit your video in Camtasia to your liking. You’ll need to use Pan ‘n Zoom quite a bit to show detail on the DVD. Once you’re done editing and saving your project, it’s time to export the video.

In Camtasia Studio, go to File > Produce Video As…

Select DVD Ready, then click the drop-down again and select Add/Edit Preset.

Make sure DVD-Ready is selected on the top drop-down and click Edit right below it.

Give the Preset a New Name. I used DVD-Ready AVI (NTSC). In hindsight, I should have named it “Sony DVD Architect Ready“.

Below are the settings I used.

Go ahead and export the file. This could take a while depending on the size of your video. Once it’s done, it’s time to load up Sony Vegas Pro.

How to Create a Crisp, DVD-Ready Video File in Sony Vegas Pro

Ok, we have the AVI file exported out of Camtasia Studio. You’re probably asking, “why don’t I just burn that file”? Firstly, we need to convert the AVI file into a DVD compliant structure.Secondly, most software the converts AVI’s to DVD structures compress the video into blurry, unreadable messes. AVS4You Video Editor, for example, did a terrible job rendering sharp files.

I got the best results using Sony Vegas Pro 8.0c and Sony DVD Architect 4.5. Basically, I’m using Sony Vegas Pro to create a crisp, new AVI file with minor tweaks that will make a huge difference on a DVD. Then I’m creating the DVD folder with Sony DVD Architect.

Here are the steps to Export the Detailed DVD AVI from Sony Vegas Pro:

Open Sony Vegas Pro. Go to File > Import > Media… and locate the AVI that Camtasia exported.

Right click the video in the Project Media window and select Properties.

Change the Pixel Aspect Ratio to 0.9091 (NTSC DV). Click OK.

Drag it into the Main timeline on the bottom.

Go to File > Render As… and use the settings below:

Then click “Custom…”

You’ll notice there are Tabs on the bottom of this window. Use the following settings on the tabs indicated below:

On the Project Tab, select “Best”.

On the Audio Tab, check “Include Audio Stream”.

Optionally, type in a new name for the template and press the “Save” icon. This makes it easy to select later.

Click OK.

Click Save to Render the MP2 (.mpg) file.

How to Create the DVD File in Sony Architect 4.5

Now you have a DVD Architect Compliant MP2 file that’s ready for DVD folder creation. If you didn’t do the step above, DVD Architect would insist on re-compressing the video file again to make it DVD compliant. By using the settings above, DVD architect will simply create the necessary DVD folders and “package everything up” for a Burning program like Nero, AVS Disc Creator, etc.

Camtasia Loop Video Editor

Open Sony DVD Architect.

On the bottom left panel there’s a tab called Explorer. Click it and find the previously created AVI file.

Once you find the file, it will appear in the right window. Right click it and select Insert Media.

It will be added to your DVD Menu.

Now go to File > Make DVD.

Click Prepare and in the next window, find a folder to save the DVD folder to. Click Next.

You should only see 1 Warning message about Audio being compressed. If you see a warning about video being compressed, you messed up somewhere.

Click Next. There should be “No Messages to Display” again.

Click Finish to create the DVD Folder. Warning: this will create an UGLY DVD disc menu. Creating pretty menus is outside the scope of this article.

Burn Your DVD

For the last step, you simply need to burn your DVD folder to a DVD. You can use Nero, AVS4You Disc Creator, CDBurnerXP or whatever else you wish. However, make sure you burn it as slow as possible to be sure it will play on all DVD players. Car DVD’s are especially sensitive and need to be burned at a max of 4x.

That’s it, enjoy your new, crisp DVD on your TV.

P.S. There’s also a really good course on converting Camtasia to DVD by John Rofrano. It goes into much greater detail.

Need to change the focus of your video clip but you don’t want to re-shoot your footage? The crop tool can help!

Cropping is the process of moving or adjusting the edges of an image or video clip.

Often used for photo editing, it is also helpful when editing video. With cropping, you can remove unnecessary or distracting portions of a video clip or change its dimensions to fit within a certain area.

Whether you’re working with footage from a camera or screen video, you will likely run into times when you need to crop these clips. Camera footage is often cropped to change the emphasis of a shot or remove unwanted and distracting portions.

Camtasia Video Editor

How to crop a video

Here are step-by-step instructions to crop a video using Camtasia.

Start cropping your own videos with Camtasia!

Download a free trial and get started today!

Step 1:

With a video clip or image selected on the canvas, you can select the crop tool button.

Step 2:

With the crop button selected, select the video clip or image that you want to crop.

Step 3:

A thin blue line and handles will appear on your media, signifying that crop mode is enabled.

Click and hold the handles to drag the edges of the clip or image until the desired shot is achieved.

Step 4:

When you’re finished, toggle back to the cursor by clicking the pointer option above the canvas.

After a clip is cropped, you can move it wherever you need on the canvas.

How to un-crop a clip

Using Camtasia to crop a clip is particularly convenient because it’s “non-destructive.” This means that when a clip is cropped, the original clip remains intact.

Camtasia Free Download Windows 10

So, if you’re working later on and realize you need to change how the clip has been cropped, you can!

Simply use the steps earlier in this post to toggle crop mode and make the necessary changes by adjusting the edges.

How is cropping different from zooming and trimming?

As we discussed above, cropping is the process of moving or adjusting the edges of an image. Of course, there are other ways to edit your video that don’t involve cropping images or parts of your video. Splitting and trimming are two common techniques.

Zooming is perfect for software tutorials and demonstrations when you need to display a detailed view of a user interface. Camtasia lets you zoom in or out in your videos by changing the size or scale of clips and images.

Trimming usually refers to removing part of the beginning or end of a video clip. Sometimes, this is referred to as trimming the top or tail (beginning or end). Trimming is critical to making sure that your video starts quickly and you don’t lose your audience’s attention. The video cutter in Camtasia allows you to trim the video and audio files separately.

Cropping, zooming, and splitting are great techniques to have in your video editing tool belt!

What is scaling?

Scaling an image will change the overall size of that image. It is always best to display media at 100% scale in Camtasia. Camera footage can sometimes be scaled down without losing as much clarity.

In either case, stretching a video or image larger than its natural size can cause pixelation. The scale of a clip or image in Camtasia can be viewed and edited in the Properties panel.

When you should crop a video

Here are a few ways that cropping can be a helpful technique to have in your toolbox:

Fitting footage in a specific space or frame – like a device frame

Patching a mistake or irregularity in a screen recording

Removing black bars from mobile video

Showing simultaneous actions happening in separate areas of your screen

Displaying multiple clips on screen simultaneously

Isolating part of a user interface

Camtasia Video Editor Download Free

Now that you have learned how to crop a video in Camtasia, get out there and work some video magic!

1 note · View note

slash-em-up · 6 years ago

Text

Priceless pt. 1: The Collector x Reader

Oh hey... so if this seems familiar it’s probably because you were one of the five people who read this last year when the reader was an attempt at an OC... firstly, re-reading made me go ‘yikes’, so Charlie has to go. Secondly, we’ve had so much growth in the Collector fandom I figured I might actually be able to make a series out of this maybe... anywho, here we go!

————————————————————

If Asa didn’t insist on stocking up on canned goods like the fucking apocalypse was about to occur, you would not be having nearly as hard a time carrying the groceries into the house as you were.

Theoretically, you understood your mans tendencies towards paranoia. In his line of work, it was only appropriate to plan for the absolute worst.

After all, a serial-killer wasn’t exactly a career you chose for the retirement plan.

None of this solved the current dilemma of how to carry the worlds heaviest paper bag into the modest, two-story, suburban home you shared with Asa, Burkhard, and Hellstrom.

Opening the screen-door with a well-placed high-kick, you blew a strand of hair from your eyes as you bumped the inner hardwood portal open with your hip.

Success.

A small hum and wiggle of satisfaction was all that you were allowed before you were pulled roughly against a hard chest.

You gasped noiselessly as cold steel touched your throat, pressing tightly against the thumping pulse of your jugular.

A loud ‘CLANG’ sounded as the bag of groceries dropped to the ground.

Cans and bottles rolling noisily across the hardwood floor, seemingly silent to both occupants of the house as you stood stock-still in assessment of each other.

“Please, please, don’t hurt me. I-I don’t have anything valuable, I don’t have any cash. I –“

A soft, male, baritone responded to your plea with a terse tone.

“Shut the fuck up. Shut up right now. I don’t want to hurt you. Stay calm and answer my questions; this doesn’t have to get messy. “

Whimpering slightly, you nodded as shallowly as you dared with the unforgiving metal sitting on your vulnerable flesh.

“First off, who are you?”

“I… I’m... please, I’m not gonna call the cops if you just leave now… I don’t…”

“You live alone?”

“What?…”

“Do you live here alone?”

“… I.. uh? No… no, I don’t. I live with my boyfriend. He’s gonna be home any minute and he’ll –“

“What does your boyfriend do?”

“… Um, I…”

“What does he FUCKING DO?!”

“HE WORKS AT THE UNIVERSITY, OH GOD, PLEASE DON’T KILL ME!”

A low chuckle met your quiet sobs.

“He’s a fucking teacher now. God damn, bastard; hiding in plain sight…”

You were too wired to correct him, and figured it probably wouldn’t matter anyway.

The pieces slowly began to assemble in your head, and the picture they showed was disheartening at best.

“Listen… I was lying. I’ve got about $300 in my purse right now - take it and go - I promise I won’t tell the police.”

Another chuckle

“Heh – sweetheart, you met me on the wrong day. Any other time and I might take you up on that…”

“Arkin, please…”

You paused as soon as the damning phrase left your mouth.

Arkin O’Brian tightened his unforgiving grip around your body; growling lowly into your ear.

“First Abby, now you, what the fuck does he do to make you bitches so loyal?”

At the sound of Abby’s name your whole body tensed.

“You know about Abby? Please, Arkin, it’s not like that at all; it’s totally different. I’m not a part of his work. I swear, it’s nothing like it was with Abby. Just let me explain and I’ll…”

One hard push was all it took to send your trembling form sprawling to the floor, hitting your head on the table sitting innocently in the entryway on the way down.

Through blurry eyes, you watched as Arkin stepped slowly towards your prone form.

‘I wonder if this is how all of Asa’s victims feel when they see him coming…’

Arkin leaned down next to your head;

“You’ve been letting the fucking devil do his work for years without saying a god damn word. If there’s any justice in the world, you’ll burn like he will.”

Standing, Arkin grabbed at your arms, dragging you further into the house towards a painfully familiar red trunk.

“I didn’t plan on taking two today, so I guess you’ll just have to relax in the closet until your boy toy and I have our little talk…”

You moaned in pain as you were unceremoniously pushed into the small hall closet.

“I’ll be back soon, sweetheart.”

The sliver of light from the entryway began to fade as did your vision.

Soon, the world was completely black.

———————————————————————

Pt. 2 Here

#jessica writes #the collector #slasher fiction #horror movies #asa emory #the collector x reader #the collector (2009)#the collection (2012)#arkin o’brian

80 notes · View notes

cilldaracailin · 5 years ago

Text

A Kind Of Magic

Here is some more of the story. Thanks again for all the love :)

“The four most beautiful words in our common language: I told you so.”

“So, this is where I am pulling my ‘I am older than you card and you need to listen to your elders’. I will not take no for an answer.”

“Robyn seriously…”

“No Taron. I have seen you cringe more times than I am comfortable with and though you have tried to hide it you failed. I see everything. I have eyes on the back of my head. Even with the pain killers, you are still really sore. This will help you.”

The two stood in Robyn’s bathroom, Robyn with her arms folded across her chest as she insisted that Taron took a bath in her tub but he was having none of it.

Their afternoon had been perfect. The music had changed to musical and Broadway classics and both had enjoyed sharing stories of Westend and Broadway shows they had seen, Robyn explaining to Taron that Dublin had its own Westend style theatre now and she was able to go and see more shows. Taron loved hearing that Robyn was actively involved in the local musical society and had even been in a few shows over the years, taking on roles such as Scaramouche from We Will Rock You and Cinderella from Into the Woods.

After sitting for the whole afternoon, Taron decided it was time to re-hydrate but really struggled to get off the sun lounder without a groan and Robyn had to help him up, Taron leaning on her for a moment until he could catch his breathe.

“Taron, you ok?”

“Just feeling a little extra tender today. I slept on my right-side last night and I am feeling it.”

“Yeah I can see that. Been watching you struggle all day.”

“I think I get so relaxed that I forget and my body can’t keep up with my head.” He stood up straight, wincing again. “I think I just need to move a little.”

“That is the opposite of what you need. Your body needs to rest. The pain is its way of telling you that you have been through the runner and you need to do nothing but rest. Yes, sleeping on those bruises has not helped but I know something that will help.”

She had walked with him, her arm around his waist into the bathroom and Taron had flat out refused when she suggested he took a bath.

“Let me make the deal a little sweeter.” She said as she uncrossed her arms. “You love my rainfall shower, right? You told me yourself, it gave you a wonderful back massage.” Taron slighted nodded. “The bath does the same thing. It has those little massage jets you get in hydrotherapy baths. You are so pent up with tension. Anything that you had let go has come back tenfold since you woke but not because you mentally feel shit, but because your body feels shit. We need to do something that is going to loosen you up before you lay back down again to sleep. Otherwise when you get up tomorrow, you are going to be so stiff, it will hurt ten times more and you physically won’t be able to move at all.”

“I hate you; you know that?” Said Taron as he leant against the sink, his eyes avoiding hers because he couldn’t bear to see the kindness in her eyes, compassion that was purely for him and his well-being and health.

“I love you too.”

“You are too skilled at using your words for persuasion.”

“Why thank you Taron. So, I will take that as a yes then? You can play Bowie again?” Robyn moved to stand in front of him at the sink. “The heat from the water will just ease your muscles, like a giant heating pad and the water jets will help to knead out those kinks you feel. I will wrap your arm up so it’s waterproof and you can fully sink into the water. I will even add bubbles and I have these amazing Epson salt crystals that work like a dream.”

Because Taron could not say no to Robyn, he found himself submerged in the most superb bath he had ever had been in before. He wasn’t a bath person, preferring to shower but Robyn was quickly converting him. He had watched as she turned on the taps, letting the water flow into the bath, steam filling the bathroom quickly. She dug out a white bag from the cabinet under the sink and poured two cups of the muscle relaxer salts evenly through the bath, her own hand swirling through the water to make sure they dissolved properly, then adding some bubbles.

“Scent free,” She confirmed when she saw his nose squish up in protest.

She had shown him how to turn on the jets of water, pushing the buttons to increase or decrease the pressure and speed of the bubbles.

“I mostly sit in a chair all day, staring at a computer screen and my back, especially my lower back, aches after a week. I told you I wanted a deep bath and the shop was doing this deal on these special baths so for the same price I could get one and I did. Trust me, it works wonders on tender muscles.”

Taron was so thankful for Robyn in so many ways and he just added a new one to his list. She had carefully wrapped his arm in some plastic bags, making sure it was air tight so he could take full advantage of dunking his whole body under the water and it was heaven. It hurt to actually get into the bath and lowering his wounded body into the warm water stung until he got used to it. He accidently put the jets on full blast at first and that made him hiss in protest but once he found a setting that worked on every part of his body, his groans of pain turned to moans of delight. It was so much more than Robyn’s shower and he sunk further into the water so his chin was covered in bubbles, closed his eyes and all he needed now was two hands on his head, slowly massaging his scalp to be fully emerged in complete and utter relaxation. He was willing to this every day even if Robyn didn’t ask him too and moving his body a little so the water wasn’t so hard on the bruises on the back, he sighed happily. He could already feel the tension leaving him and he lowered himself as far as was possible into the bubbles.

While Taron soaked in the bath, Robyn had started on making some dinner for them, a simple salad with some chicken and sweet potato wedges. She was thrilled that Taron had given into her and accepted that he was struggling with the pain, willing to give her idea a go. A warm bubble bath would work wonders for his broken body. She had very much enjoyed their day of getting to know each other and sharing stories between them, once again adoring how his easy laugh filled his lungs, his hands going to his eyes as he giggled almost relentlessly but she hated how he felt the need to hide the real pain he was in. He did the same in the 7/11 and it wasn’t until he was almost unconscious lying on her lap, that he showed the extent of the hurt he felt. Robyn didn’t want Taron to get to that stage again. When she had left him sleeping, he was still on his back but he must have shifted to his right side himself so she could completely understand why he was feeling more tender but Robyn didn’t want Taron to be quietly suffering. She knew the warm bath would give him much needed relief and help to ease his developing ache.

After prepping the chicken and sweet potato and putting them in the oven on a low heat, she chopped up lots of different salads, putting them in a large bowl and back into the fridge for when they were ready to eat. Robyn then decided that she really needed to sort out the washing she had just left in the basket earlier that morning too so she pulled her case out onto the kitchen floor and took all the dirty laundry out, sorted it and then put the first load of colours on. She left everything else unpacked in the case. She still wasn’t ready to sort through it all but was happy to be finally dealing with the washing that was overdue.

As their dinner baked in the oven, Robyn resumed her place on the couch in her corner with her laptop typing away, finishing off the polices for work she had started yesterday while Taron was still asleep. When he was finished taking the all the time he needed to laze in the soothing bath, she was going to take a shower to wash off the suncream and dust from sitting outside all afternoon but while she waited, she was going to use her time to get some work done. Once she had opened the document she wanted to concentrate on, she found the words on the screen blurry so she walked to her room and routed out her glasses from the drawer of the bedside locker. She didn’t need them all the time, but when her eyes were tired it helped the sharpen the words she needed to read.

Settling back on her couch, Robyn began to type, completely lost in her work with only a vague idea of how much time had passed until she felt the couch sink beside her, Taron carefully resting his chin on her bare shoulder, throwing his legs up onto the poof as before, watching her.

“I don’t hate you anymore.” He said sleepily, giving her shoulder a little kiss before laying his chin back down on her warm skin, which smelt like coconuts from the suncream they had used. “I very much love you and your house and your garden and your fucking wonderfully cosy couch, your incredible bath and you in glasses!”

Robyn smiled as she pulled the black frames from her face looking down at him. “You feeling any better?” He had changed into another pair of navy shorts and a dark blue short sleeved shirt which he hadn’t bothered to button up, his hair was still damp and he didn’t cringe as much when he sat down on the couch beside her.

“A lot. Still hurts but I can move much easier.” He took her glasses from her hand. “Not in our twenty questions, the subject of glasses.”

“I only need them in the evenings, if I feel tired or the words are hard to read.”

“I have a pair too. Pretty much the same reason.” He gave them back to her. “Thank you Robyn. You always know what I need even if I don’t realise that I need it. That bath was exactly what I needed. I can feel a difference already.”

“You are very welcome and it is there for whenever you need it. You don’t have to ask. Feeling hungry?” She felt him nod. “Dinners on. Shouldn’t be too long. You want to do my work for me while I shower?”

Grinning Taron took her glasses back and carefully put them on. “Tell me what I need to do.” He moved so she could get up and took her seat in the corner, letting her place her computer on his lap.

“Finish writing that policy for me on why we should have used a stronger suncream factor on you. Your nose is sunburnt.”

Taron looked up to her over the frames of her glasses. “Really?”

“Just a little bit.” She gently touched his nose. “You got some nice colour on your face.”

He took her glasses of and left them on the couch beside him. “Do I see some new freckles on yours?”

“Probably. I don’t have that typical pale Irish skin though I do get my share of freckles in the sun.”

“They’re cute. I like them.”

“I don’t mind them. I’m not one of those who feels the need to cover their freckles.”

“It adds character.” Replied Taron. “Do you mind if I check my email while I sit here.”

“No of course not. Work away. I won’t be too long.” She went to walk away but stopped. “Can you pull this dressing off for me?” She sat down beside him with her back facing him and Taron carefully pulled the tape and the dressing off her shoulder. “Thank you.” She took the dressing from him and walked around the island to drop it in the bin, checking the oven before heading to the bathroom through the closet, grabbing two clean towels along the way. Taron had left it clean and tidy after his bath, once again putting the towels his used back on the towel warmer. The mirror was still fogged over with condensation and she noticed the addition of his wash bag to her bathroom counter tops, his razor sitting on top. The little touches of seeing his things in her apartment made her smile.

She pulled the plastic bobbins from the end of her plaits and shook her hair out, her now dry hair settled in a crazy wave. “Ugh no.” She stripped and threw her clothes and Taron’s used towels into the second wicker laundry basket she had in the bathroom and waited for the shower to heat up before she stepped in. She adored the water pressure that fell from her shower and it worked just as good as her bath after a stressful day at work and although she was not stressed, she just stood for a little while, the water beating down the back of neck, which still was a tiny bit tender from the candle that fell in the 7/11 but not too the point where she couldn’t enjoy the manipulation of the water. She then washed her hair quickly and turned the water off, grabbing the towel she brought in with her, wrapped it around her tightly, her hair going into the smaller one.

She stepped into her closet and routed out a pair of sky-blue shorts and a white t-shirt, glad she had put a wash on because she was running out of summer clothes to wear. Towel drying her hair first, she blasted it with the hairdryer. Robyn could dry her hair straight in less than five minutes and after doing so, she got dressed and headed back out to the kitchen. Taron was on his phone, her laptop still on his knee, so she checked on their food, both the chicken and sweet potatoes done. She pulled out the bowl of salad she had made earlier and grabbed the two plates from the press. She dished out the chicken which she had flavoured with garlic and chilli flakes and then the crispy sweet potatoes. Turning back to the fridge she selected the bottle of iced tea, not knowing if Taron liked iced tea but she was definitely going to have a glass.

“What smells so good?” Asked Taron as he came to stand at the island, closing the middle button on his shirt as he walked over.

“Chicken. Iced tea?” She showed him the peach flavour she had.

“Yes please. Thanks for letting me use your computer.”

“Any time.” Robyn poured the iced tea into two glasses. “Everything ok?”

“Yeah it was just Matthew.”

“The director from the film you were working on?”

“Yeah Kingsman. He had already tried to call me but I missed the call and my brain is still a bit mush and I haven’t called him back so he just called me again to make sure I was ok and to give me the revised schedule for filming.”

“Shit this whole mess fucks that up for you.”

“Nah not really. Matthew has sorted it. I mean under the circumstances there isn’t much they can do. I’m not going to be running around with a gun doing forward rolls over a car any time soon. We’re just going to pick up where we left off in two months, round the start of November.”

“Doesn’t that clash with whatever else you may have been planning to work on next?”

“Actually no. I was planning on taking a little bit of time off after I finished filming Kingsman at the end of October to spend at home before Christmas so it actually has worked out ok for me.”

“Sucks for your time off though.”

“Well I mean I am getting my time off now and I will get a break during filming for Christmas and New Year’s too so it won’t be too bad. Matthew has insisted. He wants to make sure I am fully fit before getting back into it and he also wanted to talk to you but I explained you were currently indecent, unavailable and in the nudey nudes.” Taron’s eyes sparkled as he winked at Robyn. “He really wanted to speak to you, has done since he came to see me in the hospital. Just to say thanks for what you did for me. I have a feeling I am going to be getting a lot of these phone calls.”

Robyn took some knives and forks from the drawer behind her. “It’s a lot of information for your friends and family to hear and understand so it’s natural they would want to talk to both of us and learn what happened.”

“I have already had to explain what happened to my mam and Matthew and I am tired of it already.”

“People just care about you Taron and they want to make sure you are ok.”

“Yeah I know but it’s hard to talk it constantly. I honestly hate being reminded about it.”

Robyn reached over and took his hand. “Me too but unfortunately, it is something that we are going to have talk about a lot and more so you, especially when you are back working and promoting your films. Unless your publicist can stop that from happening, it will be following you but it will get easier as time goes on. It’s hard because it is will very raw for us. It was only a week ago Taron. Give it some time. It’s why you and me need this time together too. We have to figure it out before we can really help others to understand it.” Taron nodded. “We are doing good so, far aren’t we? We haven’t killed each other; we get on really well and we have each other’s back.”

Taron smiled. “Yeah we do.”

“Time is our friend and food. Ready for dinner?”

“Always.”

Robyn laughed. “Do you want to eat outside again?”

“Yes please. I like it out in the garden.”

Together they carried their dinner out, Taron bringing his pain killers with him to take with his food and took their usual seats, another peaceful meal between them.

“How did you get here?” Asked Robyn as she took up her familiar position of legs tucked under her, glass in her hand.

“Airplane?” Answered Taron slowly.

“No no!” Laughed Robyn. “Sorry I didn’t explain myself well. I mean here, to Kilcreen.”

“Oh right. Bus. Two buses. I went to the bus station in Dublin, bus something or other.”

“Busáras.” Said Robyn.

“Yeah there and then got a bus here. The one one five.”

“Yep that sounds about right.”

“The lady at the tourist information said I could get a train but she explained the bus first and it sounded easier.”

“Definitely easier. The train station is a little bit of a walk from the bus station in Dublin.”

“I called into the hairdressers opposite the bus stop and the ladies in there told me how to get to you. Wrote down the instructions and drew me a map.”

“Ok so it wasn’t too hard for you.”

“No, it was actually easy enough. The heat killed me when I arrived and I think I was just so tired too that it seemed somewhat of a chore.”

“Just your typical Irish heat wave.” Smiled Robyn. “Definitely not what you expected when you arrived here. Kilcreen is in a good location for public transport though. We have a bus and train line and are right beside the motorway so have many travel options and it’s handy being so close to Dublin too. Not that I go in very often.”

“But you work here, so no travel for you.”

“Thank goodness. I would hate to be stuck in traffic for hours in the morning. I can just get up and go.”

Taron drained the last of his drink. “I think it’s my turn to cook tomorrow. You have been so good at me keeping me fed.”

“Like I said this morning, I make for one, it’s just as easy to make for two.”

“Maybe but I want too.”

“Well I won’t say no.”

“Good.”

Once again, they worked together to clean up, Robyn closing all the glass doors when they were finished as the sun began to set on the day. Knowing that her washing was finished too, she quickly hung it out on the clothes line to the side of her house, firmly telling Taron he wasn’t helping her. He had just spent the time relaxing his muscles, he didn’t need to strain them again to hang out her clothes. She also tidied away her laptop and made sure her glasses were back in their case. When she came back from her room, Taron had already made himself comfortable in the corner of the couch, giving her a smirk. “Sharing is caring.” He said simply but held up one of the dressings for his arm. “You mind?”

“Not at all.”

After Robyn had wrapped Taron’s arm, he returned the favour for her. “What are you in the mood for?” Asked Robyn getting up from the couch and walking over to the DVD’s beside the television. They had decided on a movie night after dinner, using the couch as their base for the next few hours. Taron joined her and looked sideways at the titles. “They are in alphabetically order, if that helps.”

“The Wedding Singer. I haven’t watched this one in years. This one.” Taron pulled the DVD out.

“Great choice. One of my favourites.” Robyn took it from him and loaded it into the side of the television. She pulled the curtains closed, made sure the air conditioning was also on, keeping the room cool. Taron closed the blinds in the kitchen and met Robyn at the couch, Robyn letting him take the corner, sitting right beside him. She started the movie and as the opening song began, Taron automatically put his arm around her shoulder. It was comfort he enjoyed and as Robyn leant into him, he knew she craved the cosiness too. It came down to the fact that it was a security both needed from each other, Taron knew he wouldn’t be sitting where he was if it wasn’t for Robyn and Robyn was relieved that her actions had returned nothing but positive outcomes.

#Taron Egerton #Taron Egerton Fanfiction #Taron Egerton Fanfic #Taron Fanfic #Bubble Bath #Love #Friendship #Kindness #Loyalty #Conversation #Trust

6 notes · View notes

galysh · 5 years ago

Text

Hello, yes, I’m back on my Bullshit Part III

Spoiler warning for volumes 7 and 8 of Vanitas no Carte.

First things first. Have any of y’all read Irisbluefic’s story Trilogy ? It is absolutely amazing. 10/10 would recommend it. I’ve found myself re-reading the first 3 chapters several times over the last few days, and low-key memorizing the dialogue lines. It’s that good. But anyway, here are some thoughts.

I was thinking about @bemused-writer’s Paladin Eye Color Change AU (referred to as PECC for short) and the different effects that the Chasseur drug might have on them. When Astolfo overdosed, it caused him to bleed from the eyes and was partially responsible for his loss of consciousness.

This could be explained as; “he’s of a small stature and he took 3-4 doses of the tonic” or it could have been his body trying to reject the drugs as his organs were forced to raise their performance level.

S/N: If Astolfo did have vampiric eyes either as a result of so many bite marks, or from experiments conducted by the church then the tonic could be an even stronger booster. Say, a normal chasseur gains a 20% speed/power/resilience increase but a Paladin gains a 50% speed/power/resilience increase.

S/N: Specific to PECC, what if the tonic wasn’t just a mechanism to improve performances? What if it was more something created to keep the vampire eyes under control, so the regular chasseurs - who possess no enhancements - receive the standard tonic but the Paladins - who possess enhancements - receive the standard tonic + something else.

On to Bias Wrecker Number 2, affectionately dubbed Olivier. There is a high likelihood that he’s Olivier of Obsidian - though I will bust a gut laughing if Vanitas got that wrong - but fun fact, canon has yet to show him injecting himself with the drug. Admittedly, it probably happened off screen as a chainsaw-sword wielding figure was seen leaping out of an aircraft with no parachute. However, I’d like to believe that he simply hasn’t needed to take the tonic yet. XD

In the Song of Roland (SoR), Olivier goes blind - as a side effect of getting skewered - moments before his death. “Look now: Roland has fainted on his horse and Oliver has been dealt a mortal wound and has lost so much blood that his sight has become confused. He can no longer see anything clearly, whether it is far away or near” (W.S. Merwin, 61.) So… What if the ill-effects of the tonic for Olivier were a loss of vision?

Since the tonic creates a temporary boost, logically that should lead to increased exhaustion during the fall. In Astolfo, it’s a tendency to pass out anywhere and everywhere. For Olivier, his vision gets blurry and/or he gets double-vision.

Not to get side tracked but S/N: Filing the double-vision idea under the ‘Some of the paladins can see the world revision formulas theory’.

Anyway, Olivier already has eye bags

which I am interpreting as a lack of sleep, and is permanently cranky. I would provide a textual image but that’s every appearance so far, except for that time he looked hurt. So, migraines, trouble sleeping, and excessive squinting isn’t out of order. Back to PECC, we know that Olivier’s eyes are an eerie shade of yellow-green. They are in fact, beautiful in my humble opinion, but not very human looking. Considering both his appearance (black), his hair color (black) and his stone title (black when pure), one could make the case that it’s odd for his eyes to not be black. So, when he overdoses (several back to back hunts and little recovery time), his eyes go black and he loses 100% of his vision for an extended period of time. Anywhere from several hours to three days.

Scrolls up. Scrolls down.

Y’all, I might have a favorite character…

On to Bias Wrecker number 1 aka Roland Fortis. If you’re wondering who my bias is, it’s the kid with the cat. Yanno the one. Tanned skin? Purple eyes? Hella tall? Yeah, that one. Thanks to chapter 44, we know that Roland has had several romantic entanglements. Which for a member of the Church, seems a little odd. Considering that this is the late 1800s, I’m inclined to think that the Church frowned on it’s clergy members having a sex life. Then again, the Chasseurs might not fall under that category. Additionally, we know that Roland doesn’t get attached to people. It remains to be seen if Olivier meant “at all” or just “not that quickly.”

So, when considering the potential after-effects on the drug on Roland I went with a heightened libido and jitteriness. He’s not after the emotional attachment in romance but more the energy expenditures and the relief of tension. Which might explain why women swiftly lose interest, he’s perceptive and sweet but he’s not after their hearts.

Anyway, the short summary is that the Chasseur Drugs are suspicious as well.

Bonus:

Previous/Next

#galysh writes #vnc #vanitas no carte #the case study of vanitas #hello yes I'm back on my bullshit #Roland Fortis #Olivier #astolfo granatum #Vampire Eye AU #PECC AU

18 notes · View notes

smileyjaeminies · 6 years ago

Text

Prologue

Synopsis: Mad and broken hearted, you hastily write your name, joining a club you know nothing about. Meeting the boys who run it, your whole life seems to change.

Word Count: 4k

Genre: slow burn, angst, fluff

Warnings: none

Member: 00z, ft. Yangyang

A/N: This work has been a long time coming... I am so excited to finally be sharing it with you. This is going to be a rollercoaster, I can promise you that. I hope you can stick with me through it! Let’s goo and enjoy~

You can find the link to the series masterlist here

You were on your way back home from your dancing lesson, on a cloudy Thursday afternoon. As you walked the all too familiar neighborhood, your mind drifted away and you were daydreaming. Your thoughts run fast and you didn’t want them to stop.

Aloof as you were, the buzzing of your phone in your back pocket snapped you back from your reverie. The bright screen of your phone stared back at you as the familiar nickname shone against your lockscreen. You didn’t give the message a second thought, placing your phone back in your pocket and opting to read and reply to his message later.

Your boyfriend however seemed to have other plans, spamming your phone. You were only a few blocks away from your house so you paused to shoot him a quick text to call him in a bit.

You opened the messaging app and your heart stopped when you read his messages.

Kyle

Hey

We need to talk

I don’t think this is working out, we should stop seeing each other.

Sorry

It’s not you, it’s me.

Really.

You stood on the sidewalk staring back at your phone feeling like a complete idiot. Of course Kyle wanted to end things. He was way out of your league anyway. What made you even think that he would even have true feelings for you?

Then again, a text, A TEXT. Fuck Kyle. Fuck him and fuck you too for thinking you or your relationship would be anything more than a joke to him.

You would not cry. You would not go on crying for a boy that just showed you how stupid he was. You would be the bigger person.

YOU

I don’t get it. I don’t. But fine. Have it your way. I hope you find someone who makes you happy.

You sent the text without a second thought. Realizing you were still standing on the sidewalk in front of a stranger’s house, your body sparked into action before your mind did. Your feet found the way down the familiar path while your mind felt too numb to work.

After arriving safely in the confines of your home, everything became blurry. It took a few seconds for you to register that you were crying silently. The steps to your bedroom seemed endless. You found yourself lying on your bed, staring at the clear white ceiling as if it held the answers to your questions.

Your mind was still; your heart numb. The quiet buzzing of your phone next to you on the bed wasn’t enough to snap you back into reality.

Your mom made an attempt to lure you downstairs for dinner but you declined, keeping your voice low. It seemed that the quiet helped keep your sanity.

The sky burst with colour, saying goodbye to the sun for a few hours. The moon took its leading place in the sky racing to chase it around, never fast enough to catch him.

You were thirsty. Making your way downstairs you welcomed the stillness of your house, your parents off to bed. The clock on the oven announced the ungodly hour of 2:38am. You went back to your room, lying inside the covers, not even bothering to change.

You opened your phone, opening the messaging app and writing only a few words that would prove to be enough.

YOU

He ended things. It was a rough afternoon. Meet me before school tomorrow.

---------------------------------------------------------------

You woke up the next morning feeling like absolute shit. Your head throbbed like a hundred smiths were hammering on it ruthlessly. Your throat ached, your eyes were puffy.

You tried to avoid your mom’s eye during your quick breakfast. She only half-knew about Kyle and you weren’t ready to explain yet. You dressed sloppily, getting ready for school. On your way there, you blasted music on your headphones, in an attempt to silence your thoughts.

Before the school gates stood your best friend. She looked ready to slit some throats, you could feel frustration radiating off of her. Carefully folding your headphones, you turned to put them in your backpack.

“Y/N”! She screamed upon seeing you.

She rushed to you and the smile that spread on your face was a genuine one. Wrapped up in her arms you felt safe. You were not alone anymore. She was here and you were going to be together for most of the day.

You were going to be okay.

“You don’t have to say anything. The text was enough.” she whispered in your ear.

She understood. It was going to be okay.

“Elena” you started, breaking the hug and looking your best friend in the eyes. “Thank you”.

She beamed at you. Grabbing your hand, she went on rambling about how her favorite band were probably preparing their next album and how she was STRESSED. You welcomed the distraction, nodding at her words to show you were listening.

You stood next to her as she grabbed some things from her locker. Your eyes skimmed the notice board on the opposite wall. All the clubs were written there, the school teams and news.

A plain piece of paper stood out to you. It was white, with bright red letters. You left Elena’s side and walked closer.

“Don’t need your love club”

Five slots, all scribbled with hasty handwriting followed, and a small PS at the end.

“Fuck your ex. Fuck your love life. Meeting Mondays 5pm”.

“Don’t need your love club? I don’t think I’ve ever heard that before”, Elena said, now by your side.

Fuck your ex indeed. Without much thought you turn to Elena.

“I need a pen”

“You’re joining? Why?’” she asked.

It was true that besides dancing, you never showed much interest in clubs. You didn’t even know if you were going to follow up with it. But writing your name on that paper amidst your frustration felt good.

You wrote your name and turned to face your best friend. You found her looking away from you, in an almost panicked state.

“Y/N. Don’t look. Don’t look, but he is coming over” Elena whispered.

“A small victory, followed by a large defeat” you thought.

You stare at the wall, trying to find something interesting to look at. You couldn’t help but feel betrayed by the way your heart raced, fighting to break through your ribcage and into his hands.

“Y/N…” he started and you felt a sob shake your body.

“What do you want?” Elena asked for you.

“Can I talk to Y/N alone for a second?” he asked, turning to her.

“What would you have to say? You said plenty yesterday.” Elena answered.

“I just want to explain. If you just let me…” he said reaching for your shoulder.

You flinched away from his touch, finally turning to face him. He looked fine. It bothered you so much that he looked at you with those innocent eyes of his, looking at you the way he would look at you before. As if he hadn’t just broken up with you through text.

He was startled by your reaction. Quickly composing himself, he tried again.

“Y/N…”

“No. Stop. I have nothing to say to you.” You told him proud of your steady voice.

“I can explain. Please.” He said.

What was he pleading about? He started all this. He should reap what he sowed.

You moved your backpack further up on your shoulder.

“I. Have. Nothing. To. Say. To. You.” You said emphasizing each word. “Now, I have to go to class”.

You pushed his shoulder in your attempt to get away from him. You feared he would try to grab you, turn you to face him again, try to explain. He didn’t.

You couldn’t decide whether you preferred it that way or not. Trying to breathe, you walked towards your classroom. Elena was next to you in no time. She was talking to you, but you couldn’t hear.

Blocking everything out, you let the day pass past you without paying it any mind. Your mind couldn’t focus for more than a few seconds at a time and it left you disoriented and dizzy. You vaguely remembered Elena being there for most of your classes as you sat in your chair wondering what your teachers were talking about.

Returning home that night, you turned off your phone, leaving it to lie upon your desk, next to your laptop. You needed some time off the grid. Snuggled deep inside your covers, watching re-runs of FRIENDS and reading, your heart finally began to feel a bit lighter.

Your mind was calm and your heart (mostly) in peace by the time you picked up your phone again. Opening it, messages started pouring in, from Elena, other friends and even your dance instructor.

You smiled seeing all those people reaching out and trying to help. You felt bad about blocking them out, but you also knew you needed it. You went through your messages, replying to everyone before setting your alarm for the next day and falling asleep.

------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------

Mondays were always the worst. You started your day content, getting from class to class and keeping notes. As your lunch hour approached with you and Elena barely making it through a Physics quiz, you couldn’t wait for the day to be over and done with.

Sitting down next to your friends, you felt a tiny bit better. You were still tired and you couldn’t wait for the day to be over. You were taking small bites at your chicken sandwich, when you felt a slight tap on your shoulder and a voice calling your name. Turning around you were met with Renjun.

“Renjun, oh my God hi!” you said, getting up and giving him a hug.

You couldn’t really say you and Renjun went way back. He was one of those people you could just be casual friends with. You shared a couple of classes, you talked on and off but that was about it.

“I’m sorry for bothering you while you’re eating, I couldn’t find you the rest of the day” he apologized.

“It’s no problem, come sit down. Hey Iz, scoot over a bit” you said as you both sat down. “So, what’s up?”

“It’s nothing big, I just wanted to ask you something” he said.

You thought it was super weird that Renjun had something to ask you. He was almost a genius, getting the best grades in almost every class. What help could you be to him? You didn’t voice any of this however, seeing that his expression was serious.

“Shoot away. I hope I can help!” you answered.

“You signed up for the Don’t Need Your Love Club? Why?” he asked.

You were taken aback by his question to say the least. So it wasn’t about classes or homework. That’s why he came to you. Trying to compose yourself, you replied.

“I- I did, but how would you know?”

“I’m a member too. See it’s kind of a running joke between me and my friends… Not really a club. We just wanted an excuse to stay at school and see each other so that’s all we came up with.” He said.

“Oh, am I ruining your party? I don’t want to be a burden or anything-” you were saying but he cut you off.

“No, no, nothing like that. I just thought you and Kyle-” he started, but looking at your expression, he cut his sentence short.

“I’m sorry for bringing it up, I didn’t know…” he trailed off.

“It’s okay. I mean, it’s not right now, but I’m going to be fine. To be totally honest with you, I don’t really know why I signed up to the club. I was kind of pissed at Kyle for breaking off things with me. It felt good writing my name on that piece of paper. Sorry, I don’t even know why I’m telling you all this.” You told him, smiling apologetically.

“It’s fine, I get it. Maybe you should come after all. It’ll do you good. Kind of like an AA meeting” he said, giving a laugh.

You shot him an incredulous look “We’re underage!” you screeched.

“I said almost!” he replied, both of you laughing it off.

He gave you a small hug, before getting up.

“5pm. Meet me outside the computer room on the second floor.” He told you walking away.

“I’ll be there!” you answered.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Time seemed to slow in an unforgiving pace after your meeting with Renjun in the cafeteria. The clock on the wall of your classrooms mocked you as you watched the minute clock chase the hour hand around.

You didn’t really know Renjun’s group of friends. You were almost certain Jeno, one of the basketball team’s stars, was his friend. You had also seen him hang around with Donghyuck, a semi familiar classmate of yours. Renjun wasn’t popular, but he was extremely kind and friendly, so seeing him walking around with someone wouldn’t really be a clue… Would it?

What got you feeling anxious was a group photo Renjun had uploaded on his Instagram. It showed five boys, all people you recognized from around school, without really knowing them. The photo showed the boys in different poses and you could tell they were having a blast.

What if these were the friends Renjun talked about? What if they were mean or rude to you? What if they just didn’t like you and forced you out of the club?

You knew you were reading too much into it, but you really couldn’t help being nervous. You tried to calm down and focus back to what your teacher was saying in front of you but you seemed unable to bring your mind to rest. Finally, with a promise to meet next week with a new topic, your teacher let you go just as the bell rang.

You took your time as you gathered your things. Walking in the hallways, there was the usual hustle and bustle of students dropping things off or picking things up from their lockers, looking for their friends or speaking with one another.

Unlocking your locker, you left most of your things inside, almost emptying your bag. You hated carrying stuff around when you didn’t have to so you just made a mental note to come by before leaving.

“So, ready to go?” Elena said behind you, making you jump.

“Jesus girl you almost gave me a heart attack!” you scolded her, giving her a playful shove.

“Can’t help it if you’re always on edge! Relaaaax!” she dragged out.

“I am walking in unknown territory here you know” you stated matter-of-factly.

“How so?” she asked.

You turned to her, giving her a pointed look. She realized she had forgotten something, so she got to thinking. Elena tended to be forgetful about things in the most adorable way possible, making you unable to get mad at her. You gave her some time until she got it.

“You have the thing with Renjun!” she said, proud of herself.

“Ding ding ding!” you told her sarcastically.

“Oh, I’m pretty sure that cute guy is gonna be there too!” she said.

“What cute guy?” you asked.

“Oh, you know which one, the guy who just transferred here! You don’t? Oh he is CUTE I’m telling you. He has a weird name though, can’t remember” She said.

“I’ll take your word for it!” you replied.

After bidding Elena a quick goodbye, you walked up to the second floor looking for the computer room Renjun had mentioned. After finding it you looked around for him, but he was nowhere to be seen.

Checking the time, you realized you were still a few minutes early so you did your best to keep yourself entertained until Renjun showed up.

You were just about to beat your high score to the game you were playing when you heard the sound of footsteps rushing towards you. Renjun threw you a huge smile upon seeing you and you returned it.

“I almost forgot I had to pick you up! C’mon, the others are already there!” Renjun said, excited.

Renjun clasped your hand in his and dragged you through the hallways. You were running, feet echoing on the empty halls, but your laughter was even louder. You begged Renjun to slow down but he just laughed and urged you on even more.

Renjun finally managed to slow down before the auditorium doors.

“We have the whole auditorium for ourselves? How many people are there?” you asked, trying to catch your breath before walking in.

“Five, now six I guess. We wanted to bid you a warm welcome so Yangyang and I skipped class to prepare something for you.” Renjun announced.

“Renjun, you shouldn’t have! I hate being in the spotlight, what am I going to do?” you told him.

“It’s a silly thing, I’m just being dramatic. Don’t worry! I’ll be next to you the whole time, I promise. Besides, we’re all friends here, and the guys are waiting to meet you!” he said.

With the mention of “the guys” your heart dropped. You really didn’t know what you should expect to find behind those doors. You tried your best to calm your heart and silence your mind.

“The second you leave me alone, you’re dead Huang Renjun” you told him, attempting to give him a scary look.

Renjun reacted immediately, saluting to you and then bursting in laughter. He grabbed your hand again and you couldn’t help thinking how soft his hands were, while yours were sweaty and almost shaking.

You walked through the doors together, and you were met with a huge banner, painted in red and black reading ‘KYLE YOU SUCK’. Three boys were standing in front of you, smiling wildly, party poppers at hand. You tried to cover your ears but Renjun’s hold on your hand was firm, so you just turned and buried your face in his arms.

“WELCOME TO THE CLUB” the boys shouted behind you.

“You okay?” Renjun asked in a low voice.

“I’m going to kill you” you whispered back at him.

Renjun only beamed back at you and lead you to his friends. Introductions were in order so you quickly found out that the transfer student’s name that Elena talked to you about was Yangyang. Of course, Jeno was there, offering you his signature eye smile. Lastly, there was Jaemin, your school’s official heartthrob.

You recognized them all from Renjun’s Instagram, but you didn’t mention it, politely smiling at all of them, even hugging Jaemin. You were just about to note that someone was missing when Yangyang spoke up.

“Hey, have any of you talked to Hyuck today? He wasn’t in any of the classes we share.” He asked the other boys.

“He said he would show up eventually… Don’t worry about it, he’s going to be here.” Jeno responded.

“Why don’t we sit down? There’s no reason for us to be standing.” Jaemin offered.

You all went to fetch chairs and placed them wherever you wanted, but keeping close to each other. Renjun waited for you to place your chair somewhere and came to sit right next to you.

As it was expected from good friends, the conversation quickly shifted to trivial matters. You found out that you and Yangyang shared the same passion for dancing, although you had to admit that his burned a little brighter. Jeno, Renjun and Jaemin talked about classes and projects you had no idea about. It didn’t feel awkward, it didn’t feel forced and you found yourself enjoying the company of the boys more than you thought you would.

You and Yangyang were watching a video of one of his competitions when the auditorium door burst open and someone walked in. Donghyuck walked in and the reaction from the boys was instant. Renjun left your side to greet his friend. He led him towards you and tried introducing you.

“Y/N, this is-” he started, but he was cut off by Donghyuck.

“We’ve met” Donghyuck flatly stated.

“Oh” Renjun said. ��Well finally, another familiar face for you, Y/N!”

You wanted to shake your head, to tell Renjun that what he said was so far from the truth. You forced a smile to your face and looked at Donghyuck.

Donghyuck disliked you since the first day he met you. You had shared classes in the past and in every single one he avoided you as much as he could. When he felt especially feisty, he would make sure to comment on anything you did or said that day. He had found a brilliant way to push your buttons and he seemed to enjoy it like nothing else.

The group’s dynamic changed with the arrival of Donghyuck, all turning to hear where he had been all day. You couldn’t help but feel like you were intruding, but as Renjun took his seat next to you again, you knew you couldn’t slip way.

Donghyuck leisurely took his seat opposite from you, shooting you a pointed look. How could you describe it? It was an intense stare, like he was staring right through you and into your mind, reading your every thought. He looked away first, turning to Jeno and recounted the events of the day.

You dropped your head, opting to look down at your phone and try to block out the conversation. You scrolled mindlessly through Instagram when you heard Renjun’s voice quietly whisper in your ear.

“You want to get out? I can walk you home.”

“I do actually… There’s this assignment I have to turn in tomorrow.” You whispered back.

Renjun only nodded back at you. When Donghyuck finished telling his day’s adventures, he immediately spoke up.

“Okay you guys go on if you want, Y/N and I are going to head home.”

“So soon?” Yangyang turned to you.

“Yeah, sorry everyone, there’s this assignment I have to work on” you said.

“Well if it’s about school work there’s not much we can do” Jeno said, hugging you good-bye.

“Oh yes, God forbid goody-two-shoes Y/N turns in something late, the world is going to fall apart” Donghyuck said.

Taking a deep breath you decided to brush him off. Having said your good-byes, you and Renjun left the auditorium. You stopped by at your locker, taking the things you needed and started the short walk home.

This would be the time you would take out your headphones, play some music and allow it to wash over you. You loved listening to music while you walked, feeling the steady rhythm of your feet on the pavement and the bass of the music leading you on and on.

However, you had to admit that walking back with Renjun was just as enjoyable. You talked effortlessly as you walked close together, your hands brushing at your every move. Somehow, without you noticing, Renjun was holding your hand again. You smiled looking down at your entwined hands.

Arriving at your house you turned and hugged Renjun.

“Thank you for today. You were right, I did need this. Thank you for the banner too it was… Rewarding?” you said, unsure at your choice of words.

You felt the giggle rush through him in the hug. As you both broke away, he graced you while a wide smile.

“I’m glad it helped. Really.” He said.

“I know you are.” You said.

He was about to say something, you could see it in his eyes. He chose not to though, only turning you around and softly pushing you towards the door.

“The assignment isn’t going to write itself! Off you go ‘goody-two-shoes’”

There was a tone of endearment in the way Renjun used the nickname, a tone that made your heart feel a certain sort of way. You didn’t let him see it though, only walked to your house. When you got to your front door, you turned around and weren’t surprised to see him standing in the same spot. You stuck your tongue out at him and he laughed, head falling back and eyes closing.

It was a beautiful sight, you decided. As an artist yourself, you loved beautiful things and so you’d have to put Renjun’s heartfelt laugh on that list.

And that wasn’t a bad thing at all.

26 notes · View notes

amplesalty · 5 years ago

Text

A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge (1985) & Scream, Queen! My Nightmare on Elm Street (2019)

One, two, Freddy’s coming for you...

I feel like I’ve mentioned Nightmare 2 a few times on here but it never had it’s own dedicated entry so I’ve had a rewatch of it on my mind for a while now. That was only hastened when I recently learned of ‘Scream, Queen!’, a documentary cantered around Mark Patton who plays the lead character Jesse in 2.

Amongst the less than favourable reviews Nightmare 2 has, it also has the reputation of the ‘gayest horror movie ever’ which lead to the typecasting of Patton and him walking away from his acting career. It’s not something I was immediately aware of on my initial viewing of it, certainly there are a lot of moments that with that in mind stand out upon rewatching and a few that are less than subtle, such as Jesse going to a gay bar in the middle of the night only to run into his gym teacher. Some of it seems a little too much like people trying to read into things that aren’t there, like it seems people point out an early scene where Jesse gets into a tussle with one of his classmates Grady during a softball game. Grady rips Jesse’s trousers and they have a bit of a roll around on the grass before being separated. There are doubtless hundreds of examples of kids getting into fights like that across TV and cinematic history that people wouldn’t point out as examples of homoeroticism. But when you couple that with moments like a later scene where Jesse runs away from his girlfriend as they’re about to have sex, only to seek solitude with Grady and they have this exchange:

“There’s something inside of me. And last night it made me go into my sister’s room. And tonight with Lisa in the cabana, it started happening again.” “I think you are seriously losing it, bro.” “I’m scared, Grady. Something is trying to get inside my body.” “Yeah, and she’s female, and she’s waiting for you in the cabana. And you wanna sleep with me.”

You can perhaps see why people might start drawing conclusions from other scenes.

That ‘something’ is Freddy who is seemingly manifesting himself through Jesse into the real world. Up until that point though, the lines have been very blurry as to whether or not Freddy is actually back or whether Jesse is just going crazy, caught up in the wild stories of this vengeful killer from beyond the grave and becoming some sort of copycat.

It’s that part of the movie that I really like, this gray area where you’re not sure exactly what’s happening. It’s something the Nightmare series is able to explore with its switching between the normal and dream worlds but it’s taken to another level here, rather than just use that to build suspense as to whether a character is in danger due to Freddy being present in the dream world, you can see Jesse descending into this madness and are left to wonder whether or not he’s the one actually the one committing these murders.

Things can be a little disorientating at times due to the editing which I’m not sure is intentional or due to them making cuts. I think there’s a couple of occasions where things will pick up in the morning with Jesse wearing one set of clothes, then jumping to lunch time at school or in the evening back home where he’s wearing different clothes, inplying a day or more has passed. I suppose it does add to the atmosphere in a way but it also comes off a bit weird to me.

The movie is pretty much entirely in the real world so it lacks the creative and unique kills that often arise when people slip into slumber and into Freddy’s realm. But it does feature a scene where Freddy finally emerges into the real world and terrorises a high school party. You don’t really get that widespread sense of panic elsewhere in the series, there’s often that sort of low level of ongoing dread once the group of kids realise what’s happening and fear the next time they fall asleep but Freddy often kills people when they’re alone so it’s a change to see dozens of kids trying to escape, trampiling each other as they try and break through a gate or climb a wall. Apparently Wes Craven didn’t like this scene as it made Freddy look silly by having him surrounded by a bunch of muscular jocks. I find that a little strange though since, yeah Freddy might not be the most imposing figure size wise but his body is pretty much one giant, oozing sore complete with knives for fingers so I’m pretty sure he’s going to come out on top in terms of intimidation. Not to mention all the supernatural shit he’s seemingly conjuring like turning the pool into a boiling pot and summoning up pillars of fire.

I feel like this is where things take a sharp downturn, having the manifestation of Freddy emerge kinda removes all doubt and also takes Jesse out of the movie until the very end. It just feels a little anti climatic to have this big final battle suddenly fought by Jesse’s girlfriend who falls back on the trope of ‘I know you’re still in there, I love you!’ as she implores Jesse to fight back and finally overcome Freddy. So much for that gay subtext if it’s hetro love that finally saves the day.

Going into this rewatch, I had this built up very highly in my head which I don’t think it was able to live up to. Possibly because this years Invisible Man has surpassed it in my head as the really good example of that ambigious horror I like so much. Like Elisabeth Moss in that film, Patton has a real good look to him here in getting across the anxiety that Jesse is going through.

And to draw comparison to another Universal horror, there’s something of a Jekyll and Hyde or Wolfman to Jesse, the way he worries about this transformation that he’s going through and about the thing inside him coming out. During that scene at Grady’s place, Freddy emerges from Jesse’s body almost like a butterfly breaking free of it’s cacoon. Maybe that’s what everyone is talking about when it comes to the gay themes, that sense of discovery taking place amongst young adults and the angst surrounding whether or not they really want to reveal their true selves to a world that, as we’re unfortunately discovering more and more these days, still isn’t ready to accept everyone even nearly 40 years after this movie came out.

So for the documentary – Scream, Queen is an appropriate name for more than just the play on the ‘scream queen’ moniker given to notable horror movie actresses like Jamie Lee Curtis, and the obvious double meaning with it being focused around Patton’s sexuality. There’s quite a few instances of him delivering screams during Nightmare 2 which is a little unusual for a male character in a horror movie, not least a lead like he was. Plus it’s a little unusual for a male to be the lead at all, ‘last girl’ and all that, especially in the Nightmare franchise, all the other ones I’ve seen so far are female led.

They talk about the negative reputation the movie has and highlight a lot of internet comments about the sexual themes, a lot of slurs in there and comments like ‘Jesse screams like a girl’. Well wouldn’t you if some burn victim grabbed you in your house, ran knived fingers across your face and then ripped the top of his head off to expose his brain? I don’t doubt for a second that there are scores of people out there who would write this off due to this, I would hope that those are just a minority and if people don’t like it that they have legitimate reasons for that.

It’s a very eye opening story because even after learning about all this ‘gay subtext’ surrounding the movie and Patton’s departure from acting, I hadn’t really thought about the wider reasons behind that. Like, you hear about him being typecast and you just think that he doesn’t want to be pigeon holed into just playing one type of character or that it was hard to find work in those roles because not many of them existed. But it’s much deeper and more disturbing than that, delving into the emergence of the disease into the wider public knowledge during the 1980’s and the panic surrounding that. They show archived headlines and TV clips, with one member of the public being interviewed on the news saying “what they’re doing is abnormal...they’re not fit, they’re not human beings”. It’s painted as a bit of a witchhunt, with tabloids trying to out any closeted Hollywood stars and Patton tells a story of being duped into divulging information on his own boyfriends illness. With blood tests implemented for any prospective actors and him being advised to look and act a certain way to be more palatable to casters, he’s being asked to deny who he truly is.

For as much as the movie looks at the darker period of his formative years and him walking away from Hollywood, it’s encouraging to see his re-emergence into the public eye and embracing the fandom surrounding the movie, taking part in conventions and screenings that shun the negativity and instead see the role as empowering, encouraging people going through similar situations and being something of a role model.

The film culminates in a sit down talk between Patton and Nightmare 2’s writer David Chaskin who he feels has thrown him under the bus whenever talk of the ‘gay subtext’ has come up, having long denied any such thing before slowly changing his story and claiming that it was the casting that ruined the movie. Just before this there is footage of Patton and Jack Sholder at a convention where Sholder comes across as a little condescending. He’s basically telling Patton that directing his ire at Chaskin is misplaced and that he should drop the whole thing given it’s been 30 years. There’s an element of truth to that but I think it’s understandable that Patton would feel that way, especially when he points out that it’s only recently that Chaskin has taken ownership of the subtext now that we’re living in a more understanding time where it’s perhaps viewed as a brave move to introduce this kind of element. It’s going to be hard to look past someone enabling more vitriol by pinning problems on you.

The talk between Chaskin and Patton is a little awkward and it comes across like they’re there for different purposes, Chaskin trying to lighten the mood periodically where Patton keeps a serious tone, challenging Chaskin on some of the comments he’s made.

There’s one in particular where Chaskin suggests that the movie could be played at conversion camps....yikes.

Patton openly saying beforehand that he’s looking for an apology but I don’t know if he exactly got that. Chaskin says he hopes Patton can forgive him and that there are previous comments he made that he regrets but it comes across a little laboured. Maybe there was more said whilst the cameras weren’t rolling or maybe Patton is just accepting what little he can get from the experience in order to bring some closure to the whole thing.

#A Nightmare on Elm Street #A Nightmare on Elm Street 2 #Freddy's Revenge #Scream Queen #My Nightmare on Elm Street

3 notes · View notes

clothingbrand2 · 5 years ago

Text

Strategies for Everyone Who wants to Get started a Outfits Model

youtube

how to start a clothing brand

In this article are some recommendations to any person ready to or contemplating about launching their own clothing line.

Tip # 1. Will not Hurry

What I suggest by this really is just take your time and effort when it comes to the start of the line. There may be a lot of competitors around today, creating some social websites webpages having a t-shirt coming soon is not about to slice it. Have you at any time obtained excited about a Fb site with 12 likes and "a contemporary new clothes model coming soon"in the about me area? Me neither.

Idea # 2. If you cannot design and style, then shell out someone who can.

A lot of road wear start-ups launch their brand with just their identify in the script font, display screen printed on the black t-shirt. Now I am all for supporting a brand name, but you have to have to not less than put some imagined and creative imagination into your outfits, normally men and women will see you are the same as the rest of the garments models that have began and unsuccessful. If you cannot draw or design and style, pay a person who can. You're likely to want sound types if you need to stand out and it doesn't have to be high-priced. An excellent web-site for structure operate is named Designcrowd. This page makes it possible for you to submit your design and style temporary, established your finances, then wait for designers from all around the planet to submit their entry so you can pick the ideal just one.

Tip # 3 Never rip-off other people!

Just about every model really wants to be as prosperous as Obey, Stussy and Hype, but blatantly copying their suggestions, design and ripping off their types will not be planning to get you there. Actually, It can be much more likely to have a terrible impact due to the fact these models are well known, highly regarded and their thousands of fans will know that your clothing models usually are not authentic.

Idea # 4 Assume exterior the box.

You've got in all probability read this indicating ahead of and although it is much less difficult mentioned then finished, a fantastic way to start out would be to do a good little bit of investigation to gather your personal ideas. Inquire your self what sort of apparel do I would like to generate? What are my favorite makes? What do I appreciate in everyday life? After you know the solutions to these issues you then can begin to study models, jot down strategies, take images and doodle to actually construct a picture of the sort of avenue wear merchandise you wish your manufacturer being making. But make sure you do not disregard suggestion variety a few though carrying out your exploration!

Tip # 5 Study your solution.

Since you might have a couple of layouts or suggestions that you would like to see printed on a t-shirt, it truly is the perfect time to take a look at what company you are going to use to provide your blanks. There are numerous organizations which make blank garments all set for printing so this part might be a bit too much to handle, but selecting your spending plan and who your goal current market is will really assistance to slender down the selection.

Gildan and Fruit from the loom are on the cheapest conclude of your scale however they are likely to have a boxier in shape and you are not most likely to seek out quite a few respected apparel brand names printing on them.

Tultex and Anvil print a great good quality tee for the fair rate if you need a high-quality feel but your finances will not likely extend to highly-priced blanks.

And in the larger stop are American Apparel and Choice Apparel. Even though these is going to be high-priced, the standard is outstanding and so they also carry a variety of colors and products that can make your brand name stick out from the rest.

Suggestion # 6 Will not lower corners.

If you would like being taken very seriously being a brand name, creation is the a single location you are doing not desire to rush or lower corners. To begin with, select a great printing corporation. It's going to cost you a lot much more time, income and energy within the prolonged run should you elect to print using a person in his bed room who prints your styles wonky and receives chocolate stains on your own t-shirts although he's printing them.

You could find many trustworthy firms by typing in "Screen printers" in Google, and do not ignore to buy all over. Octomuffin and Woven Inc are rated highly during the Uk.

Next, take into consideration your manufacturer picture. Are you interested in to generally be thought of as a qualified brand? When you do, then your intending to want tailor made neck labels, swing tags and some neat packaging. This doesn't ought to be pricey, but small touches like that may possess a long lasting impression over a buyer.

And lastly, will not print a lot of. Once you very first launch a style and design, you'll have no clue how it will market, so it truly is ideal to purchase a lesser quantity to start with to check the h2o. Never get worried about selling out swiftly, it's going to make your model look well-liked in case you do and you simply can generally just re-order a lot more.

Suggestion # seven Web site, and pics.

You don't need a large finances to help make an excellent wanting and practical internet site, there are numerous e-commerce platforms readily available now which provide great searching web-sites for the low month to month price. Major cartel, keep envy, volusion and shopify are just the tip of your iceberg with regards to these.

As soon as you have selected your web system, invest in a site. Domains are so affordable nowadays apparel makes have no justification never to obtain one, and it makes you glimpse a great deal of extra experienced any time you come to launch.

Now you're ready to upload your goods and images. It is important to create guaranteed you obtain some experienced seeking photographs taken of your merchandise and never types which appear like they may have been taken on a three mega pixel mobile phone digital camera. Your shots would be the only way your buyers can interact with your merchandise about the internet, in the event the photos are modest, blurry or usually do not show enough of your merchandise element, you're probable to not have a sale.

Suggestion # eight And now we wait around.

Once you first start, the thrill may be just a little much too considerably and you happen to be very likely to get expecting big factors in inside of a quick duration of time. Try out to remain grounded, matters choose time, lots of time, so don't get disheartened for those who have not bought out within your first thirty day period and just keep likely. It is really also a great idea to try and get suggestions from friends and family to determine should the products and solutions are actually nearly as good when you consider they are.

And that is it, I actually hope your uncovered this short article interesting and hopefully just a little beneficial, as I mentioned before I am not an expert while in the street put on market, but all those are only a few of the things I have learnt alongside just how.

References Clothing https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clothing

1 note · View note

thedyingmoon · 6 years ago

Text

🖤 I See My Future Before Me 🖤

~ A V X Reader set in an Alternate Universe wherein you get to swim with V (?!) 🤔

~ This is dedicated to all my new followers. Thank you so much! 🖤

~ Now tagging my sweet friends, @heaven-on-a-landslide , @gxthghoulfriend , @acieoj , @ehrzeth , @simmy-ships , and @lessy86 . 🖤

~ Sorry, this is a bit late. I made sure this is screened and re - screened, just for you! 🖤

~ Shall I put a NSFW warning? Nah. Let's do this! 🖤

***

You inhaled deeply as you faced the wooden door of the infamous establishment.

Ten years of searching, of wandering to unknown places away from home, and it had led you to this very moment.

At long last, you will finally see the man in your visions.

You opened your (E/C) eyes as you exhaled. Yes, there was no turning back.

You lifted a hand and opened the door,...

"Can't you read?" The man, who sat behind the desk, lazily drawled. "I'm closed!"

You raised an eyebrow, wondering whether you misread the sign. You took a step backwards and took a glance at the aforementioned sign outside.

Satisfied that you were right, all along, you warily went back inside, trying to ignore the heat and utter darkness of the building. You took a step forward, your eyes getting accustomed to the limited light, and took a good long look at the supposed owner of the Agency, whose feet were on top of the desk.

"I'm,..." you began uneasily as the man comfortably shifted on his seat. "... looking for someone."

"Sorry, hon." The man answered uninterestedly, his voice muffled by the magazine covering his face. "Don't run a lost and found here. If you're looking for a lost pup, then - "

"I'm not looking for a dog."

The man didn't answer. Instead, he slowly removed the obscene reading material off his face, put his feet back down on the ground, and faced you.

Upon seeing his face, your eyes widened in surprise, then went back to normal in utter disappointment. Yes, his hair's white, he looked tall,...

... but, you were positive he wasn't the man you were looking for all those years.

"Oh, I'm,..." you stuttered as the man raised an eyebrow.

"What is a beautiful lady doing here at my place?" The man's lips slowly went up in a lazy, yet charming, smile as he subtly looked at you from your eyes to your feet, then back again. "Are you lost?"

You took a step backwards as the man finally stood up, towering above your vertically - challenged form.

"I,... "

"Yes, hon?" He asked you, his broad chest already a mere inches away from your face.

"I'm sorry." You managed to say before your senses got knocked out. Now, as he looked down at you with amusement, you realized he looked exactly like the man in your visions. But, what you couldn't understand was the fact that he wasn't the one you were looking for. "It seems that I went to the wrong place."

The man's eyebrows furrowed. "Are you sure?"

"Yes." You told him as you swiftly drew back and retreated to the door before he could even reach you. "I'm sorry for bothering you."

And with that, you went out as rapidly as you could.

You sighed, feeling your shoulders slouch for the first time in months. You thought it was hopeless. You just couldn't find him no matter how much you look.

But, as you took a single step away from the building, your vision suddenly turned blurry along with your mind. You felt a familiar numbness take over your whole body.

Right then and there, the entity took over as it showed you a vision so vivid, you thought it was real.

A few moments after the unexpected trance, you stared into space, mouth wide open, unable to believe that you were actually in the right place.

You need this man in order for you to get to the man you were actually looking for. You were so damned sure of it.

The man was about to go back to sleep on his chair when you suddenly burst open the door.

"On second thought," you began. "I'm looking for a job,..."

***

"(Y/N)? Honey? Hey!"

You were instantly brought back to reality upon feeling Nico's hand on top of your shoulder. Somehow, you've been staring at the spot where Dante have been for a few minutes that the others thought you were shocked, or something.

But, how could you be shocked? You're free. He finally set you free, and that's what you truly wanted.

So, why would you feel this way towards him?

"Guess we're going our separate ways." Nero exclaimed, wiping the Red Rose with a table cloth to rid it of the Demons' blood. He looked up and saw you looking at him. "Hey, you must be (Y/N), right?"

"Yes." You said, then nodded, pushing away the thoughts of Dante off your mind. "I' am. And you must be Kyrie's lover."

The young man smiled, went towards you and held out his hand. "Nero, Devil May Cry Fortuna branch."

As you took his hand, electricity surged from the skin that made contact with his to your every nerve, instantly putting you in an unexpected trance. You knew from that moment that the entity inside you would show you another set of visions.

And you were not wrong, for there, in the deepest recesses of your mind, was the sight of the youth, all bloody and torn, holding out his right hand to you. You saw yourself reach out, then all of a sudden, you're eyes went wide at the sight of,...

"(Y/N)!" Nico said, waking you up from your trance. You instantly jolted back to the present and found yourself staring at both Nero and Nico.

For a few seconds, you couldn't utter a word, until Nico pulled you away from Nero.

"Okay, what did you see?" Nico whispered to you, knowing full well where you just have been.

"What?"

"Oh, ya know what I'm talkin' 'bout!"

"Oh," you muttered, putting your hand against your forehead. "Nothing special."

"Really?" The Artisan was understandably skeptical.

"Really." And you knew you were lying.

From where he sat, V watched the interaction between you three, of Nero holding out his hand to you for a handshake, of you suddenly blanking out, and Nico taking you away, whispering things to you.

Clearly, from the moment he met you in the park, V had every right to become suspicious and curious of you. From the moment you almost sliced him in two to the time you protected him from Dante. He knew you meant every word about you protecting him but,...

... why him?

And, what do you and Dante mean regarding the time?

And, now, it looked as though Nico knew something, as well. And Nero? Oh, well,...

Really, the Yamato was not wrong for bringing him back here. It was clearly because of you. So, what choice did he have but to unravel everything about you, physically, spiritually, and emotionally?

"You can't come in here!"

V snapped back from his thoughts to reality when he heard Nico's obnoxious voice. This time, the woman was not letting you inside the van.

"And why is that?" You shot back at the woman who blocked the entrance to the vehicle.

"Just look at you! You're still dripping!"

Nico was right. You were dripping with the blood of the Demon you skewered.

"That's why I want to come inside and take a shower!" You argued.

"Not a chance, honey. Can't let the place be dirtied by Demon shit."

"Hey, it's not shit!"

"What are they arguing about?" Nero asked V.

V just raised his eyebrows. "Sensibilites."

"You go take a shower somewhere else, not here!" Nico continuously argued.

"What the hell, Nico?!" You screamed, trying to get past your friend, but to no avail. "Come on! There are Demons loose out there! Do you expect me to strip with all those things waiting to murder me?!"

"T-that's why you're not going alone!" Nico's voice stammered at what she suggested.

However, you knew her for years. You knew what she's cooking up for you, the bitch.

The Artisan disappeared into the vehicle for a while, and when she reappeared, she tossed what she's carrying to V, who caught it just in time before it landed on the ground. He looked at the thing he just got from the woman, and instantly groaned in his mind.

It was a small, white dress seemingly made completely out of lace. Nothing else.

You saw how V eyed the article of clothing and suddenly felt your heartbeat triple. You turned to look back at Nico, whose eyes looked clearly dancing in delight and mischief.

"You have got to be kidding me,..."

"Oh, do I look like I'm joking, huh, hon?"

"Okay, I'll go, too. I'll guard the place, just to make sure." Nero offered, clearly clueless of what's going on, the poor boy.

Nico raised her eyebrows at him and gritted her teeth.

"Don't you have something else to do, huh?" Nico asked the boy.

"Like what?"

Oh, the dense, little - ! "Like calling Kyrie! Dude, a nationwide evacuation has just been announced! Aren't ya gonna talk to her?!"

"Oh, shit!" Nero exclaimed, brushing Nico aside to enter the van, clearly forgetting about the situation.

Which left you and -

"Okay, get a move now, you two. And give me the bow, I need readjustments with that." Nico requested.

You removed the thing that was strapped to your right thigh and gave it to the Artisan. After that, she slid the door of the van closed. You were sure you saw her wink at you before doing so.

Oh, that - woman!

"We must move,..." V said in a low and raspy voice behind you. "... before any of those creatures return."

You glanced behind you and saw the man looking at you with an unreadable expression, one hand leaning on his metal cane, and the other firmly holding onto the white dress.

You sighed. You knew V was only trying to help, and you also knew that he was only a victim of Nico's ingenious scheming. There was no reason for you, whatsoever, to get mad at the poor man. You'll only take a quick shower, he'll guard the front door, end of story. What could go wrong with that?

And so, about an hour later, you found yourself already regretting your decision to go along with Nico's suggestion. The residents of the mansion have already evacuated along with the rest of the citizens of Red Grave, so, the two of you naturally assumed that you're free to use the private bathrooms.

It seemed you were wrong.

V could hear your muffled screams through the door and thought you were in trouble, so he took the initiative of knocking on it to check if you were fine. When you gave him permission, he opened the door and found you still on your filthy gown and staring at the shower head with your arms crossed and your delicate eyebrows furrowed.

To be perfectly honest, V found this frustrated side of you very adorable, especially with that pout of your lips.

But, he could never ignore your dilemma.

"Again?" V asked you. After you nodded, he said, "So, the electricity has really been cut off."

"It seems like it. Ten private bathrooms, no running water." you said, then turned to look at him with furious eyes. "I can't go back there! Nico would never let me in!"

V sighed. He actually already thought of an alternative idea after your fifth bathroom, he just didn't want to suggest it to you. Or rather, he was shy of suggesting it to you.

But, seeing that you two were left with no other choice, he had no other reason left to hold back his thoughts from you.

"Actually,..." V began, then cleared his throat, finding it so difficult to say the thing to you. "... there is,... another way."

Your eyes lit up in hope. You went towards him with a bright smile. "Okay. What is it, V?"

"There is,..." V nervously said, suddenly feeling the air leave his lungs.

"Yes?" And you looked so eager.

V sighed, unable to go on. "Just,... follow me." he said, helpless and defeated by his own cowardice in front of you.

And so, after a few more minutes, you found yourselves looking at the most wonderful swimming pool in the middle of the garden just at the back of the mansion. The black marbled pool was surrounded by life - sized statues of Greek Goddesses and there was a small table with a pair of chairs nearby.

Despite the picturesque scenery, you couldn't help but sink in embarrassment.

V noticed your uneasiness and spoke. "We could not afford to wander outside to look for an actual bathhouse under the current circumstances. But, if you wish to go out and - "

"This will do." you said with utter determination. You knew V was a gentleman. There was no way in the world that he'd take a peek at you while you washed. So, you decided to trust his judgment.

"Then, I'll just put this here." he said as he put the dress in a table near the pool.

You nodded and started to undress. V noticed this, hastily looked away, and went somewhere far where he would not be tempted to look at you. He decided to take a seat on the stairs that led to the garden pool and took out his book to keep himself busy. At least your problem would be solved.

But, V's torment was already beginning as he heard the soft sound of clothes being removed and placed on the ground. Heck, he could practically hear the garment as it slid off your smooth skin!

After that, he heard the splash of water, and he made one wrong move to turn around and see,...

... only to find you completely submerged in the water.

He sighed, disappointed and frustrated with himself for being the opposite of what you must have thought of him. He was about to go back to his reading when he saw you surface the water. His eyes widened as your hair splashed in long, silky waves of (H/C). Your back was turned against him, so he only saw your long hair and your bare shoulders, down to your -

V practically gasped as he snapped his attention back to his book. He was looking at William Blake's illustrations but, he was fully aware in his mind that he wanted to look at you.

And, as if by cue, some of the black ink that adorned his skin vanished as Griffon materialized.

"So, Shakespeare!" the Demonic bird began, his voice all too mischievous to ignore. "I'm pretty sure you're filthy after that battle.."

"Your point is?" V asked, but he knew what the bird meant.

"Aww, come on! Join the lady."

V gave him a smirk. "Not a chance."

"My, my, V! You are the only man I know who would not bend to his own needs. This situation is basically made just for you!"

"I'm sure the lady would not appreciate that,... suggestion,... of yours."

"Pfft!"

Knowing that V would not listen to him, Griffon flew and perched himself on top of a statue of Cassandra, the prophet. He may have failed for convincing V to join you, but he had other plans up his wing.

"Oh, look V!" the bird began. "I didn't know that girl could swim that good."

V just smirked, not taking his eyes off the book. But, Griffon knew his master was not reading, at all.

"And how the moonlight shine upon her wet milky, white skin. Truly a sight to behold!"

The poet began laughing in a low voice.

Griffon was not done.

"And those exquisite locks that went down her head like a cape,..."

"What you are doing right now is,... futile." V answered, but Griffon believed that his master would give in sooner or later.

"Oh, oh! Look, V!" The bird went on. "The girl was getting out of the water! Such graceful features! Such elegant form! Such beauty! Such - "

"You know that taunt of yours would never work on me."

" - generous chest. Look at that!"

V shook his head, unable to believe what Griffon was doing to his already aroused senses. He was waiting for the bird to say another word but, he was silent.

"Ran out of taunts?"

"V."

"Ran out of things to say, perhaps?"

"V!"

"Or, maybe the cat got your tongue?"

"V! SOMETHING JUST CAME OUT OF THE WATER!"

V chuckled. "And what kind of strategy are you using now?"

"I'M FREAKING SERIOUS HERE, V! THE LADY NEEDS HELP!"

"What in the - ?!"

V looked just in time as a sentient body of water rose up from the pool, imprisoning you in a huge, translucent vortex. He jolted to his feet and instinctively summoned Shadow.

"(Y/N)!" V screamed as he saw a porcelain mask with a pair of sapphires for eyes surface the sentient form of water. The gems lit up and the vortex of water morphed into a monstrous form of about fifteen feet with multiple claws of clear liquid that started going after him and his familiars, destroying everything in its path in the process, including the table and chairs, your dress, and the statues.

But, it didn't matter to him. He could dodge and deflect those things as easily as eating pie. What he was worried about was you. You were already drowning within the watery grave and you would surely die if he didn't do anything.

And, most of all, he felt guilty for even suggesting the goddamn pool in the garden in the first place.

"Slice them!" V commanded, making Shadow transform into multiple, sharp, dark whips that, indeed, sliced through the water.

But, it was useless. The monster easily regenarated its limbs with another flash of its sapphires. And what's more, it became even more hostile as it attacked them. Two of its claws made their way towards V, breaking the black marble floor beneath them. The man barely made it in time as he commanded the feline to slash the claws, temporarily stopping the attack. However, another claw that came out of nowhere landed a direct hit on his stomach, flinging him towards the other side of the garden.

He struggled to get up, glancing at the monster with dangerously narrowed eyes as it regenarated its claws. And through the vortex, he caught a glimpse of you, slowly drowning to death.

"We must get to its weakness." He whispered savagely, getting to his feet as he leaned on his cane. "And we must be,... swift!"

"How do we do that, V?" Griffon asked as Shadow provided a shield for them. "I can't do anything! I'll hurt the girl if I use my power!"

"Yes, you can." V simply answered.

"Are you going mad?!"

"I,... " V heaved, determined to end this trauma. "... might be."

A few seconds later, Griffon dashed towards the monster as Shadow lowered her shield.

"Hey, loser!" The bird spat at the mask. "That all ya got?! Hate to break it to ya, but a mosquito's bite hurt more than your pathetic claws!"

The sapphires on the porcelain mask lit up once more, sending some claws on Griffon's way, which he avoided easily.

"Ha! Ya can't catch me!" Taunted Griffon, leading the claws as far away from the vortex as possible.

And, as Griffon did his job, Shadow ran towards the monster, morphing into spikes along the way and slashing its lower part to reduce its height.

"Easy now, easy now!" Griffon chanted as he flew and twirled in midair, trying to confuse the monster. It did not even get the chance to retaliate as Shadow turned into a huge wheel of spikes that ultimately reduced the half of its height.

The monster was about to use its watery power once more when a cane suddenly materialized right before its gem eyes. Then, all of a sudden, a man materialized in midair, as well. He grabbed the cane and stabbed the center of the mask with its pointy end.

For a moment, it seemed that the monster was going berserk, but when the mask finally split in two with V's strength, it rapidly disintegrated, leaving you in midair, unconscious.

V managed to catch you before you fell on the ground and quickly took you away as he finally summoned the golem with a snap of his fingers. The dark, monstrous being called Nightmare came down on the ground like a meteor, annihilating everything on its way. As the huge being took form, the monster was still trying to regenarate, but thanks to V, it only formed a pathetic blob on the ground. And before the monster could even take a decent form, Nightmare fired its laser attack at it, causing its watery form to finally disintegrate and die.

A few moments passed. Upon realizing that the monster could no longer return, V called Nightmare back, instantly making his hair revert to black.

"Is she still alive?" Griffon asked, flying above you.

V placed you carefully on the ground, cupped your face, and,...

You were pulled back towards the light of consciousness as you coughed the water out of your system. You felt a strong hand as it gently rubbed your back.

Then, it finally hit you: you were getting out of the water when you were suddenly enclosed in a watery prison that almost killed you. But, here you were, safe and sound!

Which means,...

"(Y/N)?" You heard his voice. And he sounded awfully afraid.

"She's alive! She's ALIVE!" came in the sound of the Demonic bird. "Hey, V, where did you learn CPR?"

You rolled on the ground, opened your eyes, and saw him. It took time for your sight to adjust, and when it finally did, you noticed that he looked really worried, but at the same time he was grateful that you were safe.

"V-v,..." Your throat hurt like hell and you only managed to whisper. "What h-happened?"

"Forget about it." The man answered, his hands still supporting you. "Forgive me."

"For what?"

You felt V's hands tense on your bare skin. You also noticed how the man's green eyes were trying to focus only on your (E/C) ones.

And, suddenly, you realized,...

***

"I think I should go after them, after all." Nero said as he took a few steps forward, only to be stopped by the freckled woman.

"No need for that!" Nico said to him, her hands still on his shoulders. "I'm sure they'll be fine."

"But, it's almost two hours now! We - "

Nero stopped talking all of a sudden. Nico noticed him looking intensely at something behind her, and her eyes followed. It was then that she saw you and V, both dripping wet. But, what's more interesting was the fact that you were wearing V's coat and you were pulling at it like you don't want to be exposed.

And you looked furiously embarrassed.

"Honey, what ha - ?!" Nico asked.

You glared at the woman, feeling your cheeks heat up. "Don't ask."

***

🖤🖤🖤

#devil may cry 5 #v #i see my future before me #v x reader #v x you #devil may cry dante #devil may cry nero #devil may cry nico #chapter 11

35 notes · View notes