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writeforfandoms · 10 months ago

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A Lonely Place - 2

Find my Soap masterlist

Our adventure for the SoapItUp challenge continues! Many thanks to @glitterypirateduck for hosting

We get a better look at life six months after the end of the world, and get closer to Soap.

I couldn't make it fit into the story, but reader was on a knitting retreat, staying a sheep farm and learning the entire process from shearing to yarn.

Warnings: Swearing, zombie au, mention of violence, post apocalyptic setting.

Word count: 1.6k

You learned their names on the walk back to their car. Soap, Gaz, Price, and Ghost. You definitely side-eyed Ghost, but decided not to ask.

Soap and Gaz were easily the friendliest of the group, walking beside you and chatting. Which is how you learned that they stayed in the area and protected the locals.

How, you weren't exactly sure. But maybe there just weren't as many infected up here. They did seem to be drawn to cities, from what you'd seen and heard.

You wouldn't admit how weird it felt to slide into the back seat of the SUV after months spent walking. Soap sat next to you for the drive, making your hands clench - one around the hilt of the knife, the other around your pack. But he kept to his space, not infringing on yours.

The easy banter between him and Gaz helped, admittedly.

“So, where exactly are we going?” you finally asked, glancing between Soap and Gaz.

“Does it matter?” Ghost half-turned to look back at you, the skull mask freaky even with all the infected you’d come across.

You shrugged. “I'm curious,” you answered, in lieu of an actual answer.

He turned away again, and Soap answered you. “We're in Scotland. Name of the town dinnae matter much, anymore.”

“Suppose not,” you murmured, gaze dropping to your pack. You'd walked… a lot of miles. You'd be curious to map out how many you really had walked. Maybe when you got to wherever you were going, you'd be able to sit down with your map and figure it out.

The car stopped, and you immediately looked out the window. But you were facing the wrong way - all you could see was a yard and trees. You wasted no time in scrambling out of the car, ignoring the others for a moment.

They'd brought you to a house. Well kept, sturdy looking. All the windows intact. Gaz went ahead of the others, heading straight inside and shutting the door after himself.

“Right.” Price planted himself in front of you, between you and the house. “We're going inside. You'll eat and tell us how you got here.”

You eyed him warily, but he didn't move towards you. So you nodded, following him in. Soap walked next to you, relaxed and easy.

Inside the house smelled heavenly - like baking bread and spices and home-cooked food. Your mouth watered, and you had to swallow.

But you minded your manners, washing up where Price indicated, and waiting patiently as Soap brought you a bowl and then plopped down next to you.

The food was delicious, and gone too soon. But you just licked your lips and sat back, looking at Price.

“How did you get here?” He sat down across from you finally, expression impassive as he waited for you to speak.

You huffed out a soft breath. “I really was here on vacation,” you said slowly, glancing at Soap. He nodded encouragingly, expression more open than Price's. “I was at a farm. We heard about things happening in the cities. The owners offered that I could stay there until things calmed down, and a couple other international visitors.” You swallowed, fingers tapping against the table top. “Well, I stayed there as long as I could, until it was clear this wasn't going to just clear up.”

You paused there, gathering your thoughts. You hadn't told anyone the story before. There hadn't been anyone to tell, for a long time.

“Packed up my stuff and left, after they asked me to. After the first couple run-ins with infected, I avoided cities. Thought I'd found a safe place to stay for a while, with some others, but…” You cleared your throat and looked down at the table, shrugging. “Didn't work out.”

“You walked here.” Price's voice was flat. Not quite incredulous. But not fully accepting.

“I mean, it took months, but… yeah.” You shrugged again.

Price huffed softly and stood, though he didn't go far. Just set a glass of water on the table between the two of you.

“You're welcome to stay here,” he offered, holding your gaze across the table again. “A few days here, and then we'll find you a permanent place to stay. We all work, we all share. Got it?”

You nodded quietly. You certainly weren't going to object to food and relative safety.

To that end, you washed your dishes, and then dutifully followed Soap around on a quick tour of the house. The downstairs bedroom was shut and off limits to you. In fact, you'd be sleeping on the couch for a few days.

But you were still grateful - it was warm inside, they gave you pillows and blankets, and they let you keep the knife. Really, this was better than you'd had since you left the sheep farm.

“What are ye workin’ on?” Soap dropped down to sit in a chair near you, curious gaze on your hands.

“My sweater.” You glanced at him, meeting those brilliant blue eyes for a moment, before you looked back down at your knitting. “I can't tell you how nice it is to work on this and not worry about the amount of sunlight left.”

“Aye? What else can ye make?” He leaned forward a little.

Somehow, you ended up showing him the scarf you'd made. And the fingerless gloves. And, of course, the sweater you had started.

The others came and went as the light faded outside, switching on solar powered lamps. Gaz gathered up two plates of food and disappeared again.

Soap didn't leave, sitting next to you again for dinner and just… hanging out. Honestly, you were half-convinced he was making sure you weren't going to run.

But you weren't. Not unless one of them did something to prompt you running.

The next few days passed in much the same manner. Soap didn't leave your side for longer than a few minutes, guiding the conversations even as the two of you worked. The men were building a greenhouse, and you helped. Mostly by holding things or bringing them things.

It was… weird. To be in one place for very long. To have hot food. To have someone to talk to. Not that you talked a lot that first day, mostly kept your mouth shut and observed.

But, gradually, Soap wore you down, until you were laughing at his jokes, relaxing around him.

On your third day there, Price sat down across from you after dinner. You froze, looking at him.

“Relax,” he huffed, leaning back in his seat and pulling a cigar from somewhere. “Found a place for you to stay long term.”

“Oh. That's good.” Your shoulders relaxed from your defensive hunch, and you sat up a little straighter. “Where?”

“The MacTavishes.” Price took a slow puff of his cigar. “They've got space, and you can help them out. We'll go tomorrow.”

You nodded. Not like it would take you long to pack up, since you'd never unpacked in the first place.

Which is how you ended up walking between Price and Soap, pack on your back, Soap carrying a bag of extra supplies. The walk was quiet, dew clinging to the plants around you even after sunrise. Cold air nipped at your exposed skin.

“Must not be very far if we're walking,” you ventured, glancing at the two men.

“Not far,” Soap agreed. “Not exactly next door, but close enough.” He flashed you a bright grin. He seemed extra energetic this morning, something you hadn't realized was possible.

You nodded, hands tightening around the straps of your pack at a crack in the woods. Soap stepped closer to you while Price moved closer to the noise.

“Donnae worry,” Soap murmured to you, one hand hovering in the scent space between the two of you. “I won't let anything happen to you.”

Your gaze flicked to him, the way he angled himself carefully in front of you without blocking you in, those bright eyes scanning for threats.

And you believed him. You hadn't believed anyone, hadn't trusted anyone, for months. But you trusted him. To keep you safe, at the very least.

How far exactly did you trust him?

“Clear,” Price called, stepping back onto the road. “Just a deer.”

Soap nodded, posture relaxing, though he didn't move away from you. “Could be dinner.”

Price snorted but didn't say anything, just continued on the road. You and Soap were quick to catch up.

It wasn't a long walk, but long enough that you were glad to see the building. Soap didn't wait, bounding up to the front door and opening it.

“Ma! Ah brought a guest!”

“Ma?” You blinked, hanging back a bit.

Price chuckled at your confusion. “Didn't we mention?” He asked with a wicked little smirk. “The MacTavishes are his parents.”

Unreasonably anxious now, you stepped forward and into the house after Soap. The interior of the house was warm and homey - you could hear a fire somewhere, and the blankets on the back of the couch made the place feel like nothing had happened.

But you knew better.

Soap's parents were warm people, welcoming you in easily. Price and Soap stayed to share a meal with them, although you half suspected it was to make sure you behaved.

Soap left with one last little shake to your shoulder. “See ye soon,” he murmured, like a little promise between the two of you.

You believed him. Even more to your surprise, you wanted to see more of him. You'd gotten used to his constant chatter in your ear.

“Ah’ll show ye to yer room,” Ma MacTavish offered, ushering you along expertly.

For the first time in months, you went to bed warm, full, and not so afraid of the dark.

#soapitup #johnny soap mactavish x reader #johnny soap mactavish x you #f!reader #zombie au

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runningfrom2am · 1 year ago

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the sea around us; chapter twenty-six

In which Rafe Cameron has to choose between his dad and a pogue who's changing his outlook on life more and more every day.

(rafe cameron x f!oc)

(eventual!jj maybank x f!oc)

warnings/tags: violence, drug/alcohol use, smoking, sexual content (if you squint), slowburn, older brother’s best friend, (these tags are obv not exhaustive but regardless it’s pretty PG13)

wc: 2.5k

my masterlist

series masterlist

requests

TW: violence

*:･ﾟ✧*:･

In the morning, it's obvious we all hardly got any sleep. Funnily enough, my ankle is starting to feel slightly better, so maybe it's not actually broken. I hope.

Pope leaves to go get gas for the boat, and JJ and Kie go to find the keys for The Phantom. I hide in a cupboard in the back of the restaurant, just in case anyone comes by.

I didn't realize I fell asleep back there until someone is opening the cupboard.

"Snowy? Are you asleep?" It's Kie.

"No, I'm up." I lie, crawling out and standing against the counter.

"We got the keys, it's like two so we have to hurry to get the boat and meet John B. Pope will meet us at the boat." She explains and I nod, limping after her. We grab a bunch of food, enough for the three of us to survive for two weeks, and head out to the car. As we walk out the door, we see Kie's parents getting out of their truck.

"Kiara, oh my god Kiara, where have you been?" Her mom says, quickly approaching us.

"Oh shit..." JJ says, helping me into the car on the other side.

"Mom, mom I'm fine, okay? We slept here." Kie tells her mom, still getting into the car.

"We were out all night looking for you- we thought you were dead!"

Kie sighs. "I know, but I'm okay. We're fine, but I have to go." She explains as her mom talks over her, begging her not to go.

"Mom, I'm sorry, I have to help my friends, I love you, I'm sorry." Kie says, almost in tears as she closes the door and starts the car, her mom banging on the window for her to open it as we drive off.

We all sit in silence for most of the drive.

When we arrive, Kie climbs in the back seat with me as the boys get out. "Here, I got some stuff to wrap up your foot. It should help.." Kie said, gesturing for me to lift my leg up onto the seat.

Eventually we get my shoe off and Kie wraps my foot tightly with a tensor bandage. By the time it's wrapped up, JJ has hitched the boat to the car.

"I just hope it runs." Kie says, hopping out and walking over to JJ.

"Oh, she'll start. This is the fastest thing that Kildare has ever seen, faster than any of the cutters that the boys in blue have got. The first boat to make the run to Bermuda in under sixteen hours." JJ says proudly, placing his hands on his hips as I sit with my legs hanging out of the car watching.

"If you say so." I agree, smiling over at him.

"It's kind of a junker." Kie says, arms crossed.

"Let me put it this way- you ladies would not be smoking weed if she never existed." JJ says, smiling over at me.

Just then, we hear a motorcycle engine and a door open on the other side of the boat.

"Pope, finally." Kie says, getting up to walk over to where he was with a smile on her face, when Rafe walks around the corner.

"Oh no- oh shit." I mumble to myself, scrambling to get out of the car as Rafe walks out instead of our friend. No way he's just here to wave us off.

"Hey there, what's goin' on?" Rafe says, a fake smile on his face. "JJ, nice to see you again." He says as Kie turns back, walking towards us again quickly, panic drawn across her features.

We turn back when we hear a whistle from behind us now, and I instantly recognize Barry- the man who held a gun to my head not too long ago. Surprise surprise, he's got one now.

"Well, well.." He says, cocking the gun and pointing it right at JJ who raises his hands. "See, don't think I forgot about you and me on the side of the road." He says, getting closer.

"I'm here, because I want my motherfuckin' money!" Barry says angrily, hitting JJ across the face.

I gasp and jump a little, covering my mouth.

"JJ? JJ!" Kie is yelling at him now as Rafe walks up to me quickly.

"Rafe, no, don't..." I say, trying to back away.

He wraps his arms around me and holds me tight as I try to wiggle out of his grip. "Tell me where John B is." He says and I shake my head. "Tell me where he is and I can fix this. You don't have to be so impulsive and fucking run off with no plan. Just let me help."

"I don't know- I swear we don't know."

"Snowy..." He chuckles a little. "Do you actually think I'm stupid?"

"Get off her!" Kie says, walking up and trying to pull me out of his grasp, but it's hardly making a difference.

"Tell me where John B is and she's all yours." Rafe insists, but I know that's not true.

"We don't fucking know! How many times do we have to say it!" Kie insists and he sighs, dropping his head back.

"You guys actually expect me to believe that? Seriously?"

"We know what your father did." Kie says, fully angry now. Rafe lets me go and I stumble out of the way, trying not to hurt my foot anymore. I look over and see Barry beating on JJ, who's now laying on the ground. I feel a pang in my chest- I hate seeing him hurt, but I know there is nothing I can do.

Rafe steps closer to Kie, not saying anything. "He murdered Sheriff Peterkin!" Kie shouts, suddenly slapping him across the face. I stand there and watch in disbelief as he quickly grabs her throat, lifting her head and pushing her back.

"I wish you hadn't said that..." Rafe says, and I can see that Kie can hardly breathe.

"Rafe! Let her go! Are you kidding me?" I say, stepping closer and trying to push him back, but it's like he can't see me. Or hear me. He's so deep in his own head I truly believe he doesn't know I'm here.

"Don't you ever say those fucking words again." Rafe says, looking briefly over at me and shoving Kie backward, letting her go.

"We're getting out of here." He grumbles, grabbing me again now.

"No, no. Rafe let me go..." I say, just noticing now that I'm crying.

"Snowy, I'm not letting you go. I can't do it." Rafe says, a low growl in his tone. "Tell me where John B is and I will fix this."

I shake my head as I watch JJ get thrown back on the floor as Barry yells at him. "Fine- we'll talk about this at home." Rafe is lifting me off the ground now, dragging me back towards the door. Just then, he drops me as I feel his legs give out and he screams out in pain. I turn and look, and see Pope standing there with a crowbar.

"Don't touch her!" Pope yells, hitting him again.

"Pope! Pope stop!" I shout, reaching out as Kie helps me up and Rafe knocks the crowbar out of his hands.

They begin fighting, and I watch as Barry hits JJ again before noticing that Rafe was getting into it with Pope now.

"Hey!" He yells, getting up and JJ grabs his leg, pulling him down and making him drop the gun.

"Kie! Kick it! Kick it!" JJ yells at her and she runs over, kicking it out of the way.

I look back at my boyfriend as Pope is absolutely beating the crap out of him.

"Pope- stop!" I try and grab him but he shakes me off.

"Pope? Hey, Pope? That's enough!" Kie tries to get his attention now. We watch as he lays punch after punch on my boyfriend.

"Hey, man, Pope, he's had enough, stop!" JJ says, finally free from Barry to come and intervene, seeing that Rafe is in such bad shape he's no longer a threat.

"JJ do something!" I say, totally panicked now. I feel myself hyperventilating as I look at Rafe laying on the ground, and Pope proceeds to grab a rope and pull it back around his neck. I feel like I could throw up.

I turn away as my friends try to stop him- I feel like I can't move. Eventually, it gets quiet, and I see Kie and JJ pulling Pope away. I feel myself crawling quickly to Rafe's side, where he's laying on the floor, coughing and gasping for air.

"Rafe? Rafe? Hey, can you hear me?" I ask, kneeling over him and placing one hand on his cheek as he coughs. He's clearly been spitting out blood- it's covering his face. "You're gonna be okay- you're gonna be fine." I tell him as he looks up at me- I'm sure right now he can't talk.

He pulls me down on top of him into a hug, his hand in my hair as it falls down over both of us. I shake as I cry in his arms- how am I the one who's crying right now? My best friend just tried to kill him- he should hate me.

"Snowy- we've got to go right now." JJ says, and I feel his hand on my back. "I'm sorry- we have to go."

I feel Rafe hold me tighter in a desperate attempt to keep me from leaving, despite him being unable to speak.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..." I cry, trying to pull away. After taking so many hits from Pope, and with a crowbar too, he's weak enough for me to get up.

JJ pulls me into a hug and quickly guides me away, and I look back over my shoulder pretty much the whole way to the car. Just as we're driving out of the garage with the Phantom, I see Rafe sitting up and wiping his eyes. It hurts me to see him cry. to know that I'm the one who made him cry. I feel sick.

*:･ﾟ✧*:･

We make it to the meeting spot, and my eyes are still burning from tears and my throat stinging as I sit silently on the dock. If i had a dollar for every time this summer I vomited from anxiety after seeing someone I love almost die at the hands of one of my best friends- I'd have two dollars. Not a huge amount by any means, but still way too much in my opinion. We had to stop for about five minutes on the drive over here, otherwise, I would have puked in Kie's car.

I run over our plan over and over again in my head while we're waiting for John B and the boys are readying the boats. Last night, I convinced Kegs to take a boat from the Camerons for JJ and I to take; our plan right now is to take it somewhere where it will be spotted, and we can take the cops off John B's tail so he can escape, and then he'll meet us in Mexico.

I'm turning over the note Kegs left for me on the boat, having read it about a hundred times.

Snowy,

Stay safe. We love you.

Until we see you again (in this life or the next),

Kegs

My heart shatters every time I read it, but it never changes.

I look up when I hear sirens approaching, and quickly stand up.

"Shit, they've got him." JJ says, and we all assume the 'act natural' pose- as we don't have time to run. Not that it will work, since we're in the presence of a stolen boat. As the police truck pulls up, we all look at each other with panic in our eyes, that is until John B steps out. I sigh a breath of relief as he turns off the vehicle.

"Wait- no way." JJ says in disbelief.

"No way!" Pope laughs a little.

"I'm sorry, uh.." Kie chuckles.

"Shoupe let me take it for a spin." The brunette explains, pulling his backpack over his shoulder.

"Okay, that's believable." I smile, holding my arms out for a hug. "I'm so glad you're okay..." I say as John B pulls me into a hug.

"It wasn't easy bro, but we got The Phantom for you." JJ says, patting him on the back. "She runs like she was made yesterday." He adds and tosses him the keys.

"Where's Sarah?" He asks us, and we all look at each other.

"She's not with you?"

"No, no. We got separated in the swamp. She said she was going to meet me here." John B insists.

"We haven't seen her..." I shake my head.

"Yeah, we haven't seen her man." Pope says.

"Okay, well I'm not leaving without her."

"John B, look at me." JJ says, "I know you feel bad for leaving, but there's no time, man. You've got plenty of gas, plenty of food. Once you get around that point, it's a straight shot to Dismal Swamp, okay?" He starts firing off the plan. "Once you get there, lay low, alright? Hang out for a couple of weeks, then go overland. Snowy and I will take a long way and meet you after you cross the border at Brownsville. You got that?"

John B has a vacant look in his eyes. When he doesn't respond, JJ grabs his face. "You got that? Brownsville."

"Yeah, yeah. Brownsville." John B nods as thunder rumbles across the sky.

"All right, saddle her up, saltwater cowboy. Let's do this." JJ says and I hold out my arms to hug my friends goodbye.

Kie instantly pulls me into her chest. "I love you, I'll see you soon, okay?" She says and I nod slightly, feeling tears come back to my eyes.

"I love you so much, Kie." I respond, hugging her tight. I pull away after a moment and look her in the eyes as we both start to cry. I laugh a little as I let her go, moving on to Pope.

I press my head into his chest and hold him tight. "I'm sorry I couldn't stop." He mumbles into my hair, rubbing my back.

"You scared me." I admit. "Don't go all tough on me now." I laugh slightly, I know if he can apologize, he's okay.

"Take care of Anna for me, yeah?" I joke, trying to change the subject and he laughs. "Do me a favor- if you don't have her blocked, will you teach them how to surf? That's all they wanted this summer."

Pope nods as he lets me go. "Of course." He smiles sadly. "Good luck, Snowy. We'll see you on the other side." He says and I nod, wiping my tears.

I turn and grab John B's arm right before he gets into The Phantom after hugging everyone. I go to say something, but I don't get the chance before he's hugging me again. "We're gonna get through this." He says, his lips pressed to my head.

"We've got this." I agree. "I'll see you soon. Stay safe." I say, pulling away and looking up at the boy who has grown to be my best friend. If you told me on the day I met him that one day he would be wanted for murder, I definitely wouldn't believe it. I honestly don't believe it now.

"You too." He replies, getting into the boat as I turn and see JJ holding out his hand to me from the other.

"Your carriage, Snow White." He jokes, but I can see his eyes are red too after hugging our friends goodbye.

"I think that's Cinderella." I laugh slightly as I take his hand, stepping into the boat and he starts it up.

"I'm gonna go say bye to Sarah, plan is still on, though!" John B shouts over the boat motors as we start to pull away from the dock.

"Brownsville!" JJ shouts back and John B gives him a thumbs up, going the opposite direction as us.

We drive away without a word shared between us, and I rest my head on JJ's shoulder after I pull on his spare hoodie and tuck all my hair into the hood.

We hear sirens behind us as we head just out of sight of the dock, where Pope and Kie are standing.

*:･ﾟ✧*:･

only one chapter left in part one! I'm so excited for y'all to read it I'm proud of that one lol

taglist: @boo22sstuff @madelynie @username5786451 (message me or reply if you want to be added!!)

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whatthequizquack · 19 days ago

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Inspiration (klance soundcloud au) Ch. 2:

The News

-In Lance's POV-

I said goodnight to Hunk as I turned over in my bed and was doom scrolling through my phone. That song kept playing in my head, Cheif Keith's new single. It was oddly catchy, and that fact annoyed me. He was that kind of industry plant mumble rapper, and it kind of felt like he was trying to cling to relevancy by switching it up this drastically. But the stupid song was stuck in my head, and I remember watching a five-minute craft video that said that listening to the song that's stuck in your head all the way to the end helps get rid of it. Ugh. I gave in and opened YouTube, typed in the song title, and clicked the video. Since it was new, there was only an audio version, with an album cover of Chief Keith sitting in an old convertible, with gigantic lettering spelling "Past Pressures". Oh, interesting, there’s gonna be a whole album?

I woke up to probably the 87th time the song replayed, since I fell asleep after the 4th loop. It was really pleasant. Really soothing. So so melodic. Who would’ve thought, right? I slowly open my eyes with a small grin plastered on my face. What a pleasant way to wake up.

Wait. Wake up? It's morning? What time is--

9:25 am?! #$@#!!!

"Hunk! Wake up! We've only got five minutes to make it to class!" I shrieked as I jumped out of bed with only pajama pants on, grabbed a hoodie draped on my chair, and threw it on. I scrambled and hopped as I tried to put my shoes on as fast as I could.

Hunk shot up and threw on his clothes as well, also struggling and hobbling a bit due to the urgency. We both then grabbed our backpacks and jumped out of the door.

"Looks like we're taking the car to class!" I said as I jumped in the driver seat and put the keys in the ignition.

"Jump in!" I screamed out the window, as Hunk was desperately running towards the car a bit behind me, trying to tie his hair back. He jumped in and I gassed it.

I considered myself a great driver, but for some very odd reason, most people didn't agree. But the important thing is that I get to places in one piece I guess. By the time I sped up to our building and parked, we had about 30 seconds left until 9:30. We both ran into the building, ran through the halls and admittedly, we loudly entered the door into the classroom, and discovered that class was already in session. Sure, we had a pretty loud entrance, but we were there, and technically on time. I felt everyone's eyes on me, but I really didn't care. I just confidently walked to my seat, while Hunk apologetically waved to the professor as he sheepishly followed me.

"Sorry for the interruption professor. Please go on." Said Hunk, but of course he did. He's just that type of student to not want to be on bad terms with his professor. I just can't wait until I get out of this hell hole and get some coffee. I'm dead tired.

----

FINALLY, that bell rang. You already know I ran out of there as fast as I could. Calling the driver's seat, I got the keys, sat down, and got ready to drive. Hunk strapped himself into the passenger seat, and stared me down. Of course, he wants me to give my phone to him. He's all about that safety-first stuff.

"Just plug it into the aux. Turn on some bangers." He hated it when I said that, but I said it anyway. He plugged it in, turned on my Spotify, and we drove to the nearest Dutch Bros.

After getting my beloved cup of coffee, my songs were interrupted by my ringtone. Who can be calling me this early? Motioning Hunk to pick it up and let it play through the car speakers, he did just so.

"Yellow?" I glanced over to the screen and saw it wasn't a number I recognized, and followed my greeting with a confused "Who's this?".

"Hello, is this 'The Tailor' from SoundCloud?"

Ohhhh boy. How’d they get this number? Am I finally being recognized or hunted down?

"This is he," I replied, still confused.

"This is Katie Gunderson from Kaltenecker Records, I'm Cheif Keith's agent. You have been requested by Keith himself for you to visit the studio. Would you be interested in that offer?"

I just stared at the road ahead in shock.

"I-uh-yeah, but why does Chief Keith want me at the studio?"

I've never been more confused, shocked, and happy in my entire life.

"That’s not important. I’ll be keeping in touch with more details as things play out."

I looked at Hunk as he put his hands up defensively towards that tone. Kinda rude to speak to me like that but I guess that's how the show bizz is.

"Uhhh okay, I understand. When will this happen and where? Do I book a flight right now--"

"That won't be necessary. Whenever you have free time, just give me a call, and we'll provide transportation and housing during your visit."

Smiling slightly, I look over once again at Hunk and realize I’ll need him there.

"Uh, ma'am? I have a producer that creates my beats and stuff, I need him to come along with me."

"That'll be no problem, sir. Just say the word, and we'll get you here and settled for a bit. Any other questions?"

"No, but I'll call you if I have any! Thank you so much!"

“You as well. Good day.”

I ended the call and kept driving in a trance. After a bit, I looked over at Hunk, who still had his mouth open in disbelief.

"Woah dude. I don't even know how to react. Like is this it?"

Hunk gave an I-dunno look, and I turned to face the road as I continued to drive in shock. Is this my big break?

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

-In Keith's POV-

"Did you call him yet?"

Katie was looking out the window then turned around to face me.

"Yeah, he's going to come soon, it’s all up to when he’s free. He's also bringing a guest, his producer? I hope that's alright."

"Yeah, yeah, it's fine. So when is he coming?"

Katie was looking through her phone now, so she looked up and parted her mouth to reply.

"He's a college student, Keith. He needs to make time or find some on his own, not just us grabbing him from his classes."

I never went to college, unless one year of University before getting expelled counts. This guy must have some talent to balance music and school, since I can barely handle music alone. Maybe I can visit him...?

I stood up, nodded slightly, and headed out the door. Remembering where I was going, I peeked my head in the office once more to ask if Katie wanted anything for lunch, to which she gestured to her McDonald's bag. I nodded once more and headed out of the office building.

As I walked out of the office building, I scrolled through my texts, and saw I had a new one. From Katie? She sent me a number, and being curious, I clicked it and plugged in my earbuds to listen to the other end. I almost jumped when I heard a familiar voice on the other end.

"Yellow?" The guy on the other end said, in a rather obnoxious.

"Yeah, hello? This is Keith Kogane, is this 'The Tailor'?"

"Woah super formal" I heard him say under his breath. “Yeah, this is he, I think I just got off the phone with your agent…? Is this for real?”

I was shocked at this guy's bluntness, but I understand being confused by how sudden this all is.

"Yeah, definitely for real, I’m sorry for how out of the blue this all is, but I have a question for you. Since I know you have a busy life at the moment, I was wondering if I could possibly visit until you could come to California for the studio session?"

I could've sworn I heard whispering on the other end, but it quickly cut back to him talking normally.

"Woah, yeah, sure, dude! Come anytime. Me and Hunk-- ah-- Hunk and I, would be honored to have you here. I’m a bit confused about why, but hell, why not?

"Great, because I'm visiting tomorrow. What's your address?"

Fantastic. I sound like a desperate stalker.

"This is your number, right?”

“...Yeah…?”

I almost jumped when I heard the FaceTime ringing and looked down at my phone to see my own face, and a prompt to accept the call.

“Uhhhh…” I stammered.

“C'mon man, I wanna see if this is for real or not. This is a lot and gotta make sure it’s not a scam or whatever.”

I froze. I’ll be seeing the guy who inspired me. My muse. I’m scared.

I snap out of my confusion and sigh. “Fine.”

I accept the FaceTime request to see a couple of pairs of eyes hovering over the camera phone. One is a bigger tan guy, with big brown eyes and dark brown hair, sporting a neat manbun. The other is another tan guy, smaller in size, with the most stunning blue eyes I have ever seen. His wavy brown hair complemented his skin tone so well, and I hadn't even seen his full face. Who is this guy? The bigger guy quickly whipped out of frame, which snapped me out of whatever spell I was under.

“Woah, it's actually you! Love your music man, good stuff.”

I stare down at the phone, also only showing my eyes and hair.

“Right back at you, and you are…?”

“I’m Lance, or The Tailor as you might know me. The other guy is Hunk, he's the producer I mentioned to your agent.”

Woah. It’s him.

“Ah, right. Well, how is the visit gonna work? Do I have your permission, or…?”

“Right! Just let me know when you're in the area and I’ll send the address. Sound good?”

“Yeah, yeah! Sounds great, thank you for being so flexible, I just can't wait to work with you.”

“Of course! It’s an honor. See you when I see you!

"You too, thank you for the cooperation."

"Yeah, no problem, man. See you then!"

I heard a click on the other end, and felt a flutter in my chest. Woah. That was him. I can't wait.

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

-In Hunk's POV-

I have never seen someone so excited to see someone they hated only two days ago. Man, Lance is crazy. I mean, I'm a bit excited too, but this is just downright a dream. Why would a random rich rapper want to visit a lowly SoundCloud rapper and his producer? Well, whatever the reason, I hope he isn't staying here. Don't like rich people get expensive hotels? He's real thoughtful for visiting instead of us visiting him. It's almost midterms anyway. Hopefully, he won't distract us too much.

"Yo, Hunk! We gotta tidy this dump up! Keith is visiting like, tomorrow!" Lance said with a goofy grin and flailing arms. This dude needs to chill.

Wait, Keith? Who-- Oh! Chief Keith. Yeah, gotta leave a good impression.

I helped Lance set up the dorm in an orderly fashion, and prepped to go to the store to pick up groceries at the supermarket for the visit. Lance pitched in some of his savings so we could get a decent amount of food instead of just some Pop-Tarts and Cup Noodles. Plus, Shay works there as a cashier. She's so nice.

I picked up all the groceries for a good cheap college dinner, and headed to the registers. Ah, register 2. Shay's working there.

"Hey, Shay!" I was grinning like a fool when I walked up to the conveyor belt.

We talked a bit about my career, my major, and her future goals. She's so breathtakingly intelligent. I said my goodbyes, grabbed the groceries, and headed for our old Honda. Keith better be prepared for the delicious meal I'll prepare for him. Although I am studying to be an engineer, I love cooking, and was hoping to minor in it when I get the funds. I'm super excited that Lance and I might be able to get some recognition from people other than online or on campus because of Keith's visit, I'm hoping it'll go well.

_______________________________

Thanks for reading yall. Leave feedback in the comments, ill be continuing my revision and hopefully with the rest of the story soon.

#voltron #keith #voltron legendary defender #lance #klance #cartoon #fanfic #archive of our own

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thevoidstaredback · 4 months ago

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I'mma vent for a second.

So, me, my sister, and some friends are going camping from Aug. 5-10. We went last year, decided to go again this year, and we want to make it a yearly trip. I've been planning it since January, trying to iron out all the background stuff and getting head counts and shit.

I sent out the invites last year with the message "...so you can schedule the time and plan now, so that no one is scrambling last minute."

We might have to cut the trip short because the one who took all food prep from me might not be able to stay the whole time. He's buying the food, with $100 from everyone, and we're using his dad's coolers. My sister is bringing him and one other up, while I'll be in the other car with the other driver and his dog.

I was told not to worry about the food prep (though, I took over deserts) and to not buy any coolers (I was gonna get two really big ones before I was told this). Now we're a few weeks out from the trip with destination, final headcount, and drivers and we might not get to stay the whole time because the one who recommended the place and took over food prep didn't plan accordingly.

Look, before anyone get upset, I know I shouldn't be upset about money problems, but I am. I sent the invites out last year to avoid something like this. I know life happens and I know getting angry isn't gonna do shit to help, but I'm- not pissed, or even angry, really. I feel something akin to disappointed, but that's not quite right.

I sent the invites out to people I knew thought wouldn't flake like this because it just adds more stress onto my shoulders.

If he has to leave early, then we all have to because he's our food prep. I don't have the money to pick up any of the slack from him because I was told not to worry about it. My sister isn't gonna want to drive a four (I think) hour round trip just to take him home and come back up.

I just- I don't know.

I can assure that I won't be making this mistake again next time. Contingencies and all that; take a page from B-man's book ad plan for everything

Update:

It's twin and her roommate that might not be able to go. They're both shit at budgeting (and that's coming from me, but at least I know how to set money aside- I'm upset) and their rent is coming up, plus the ER bill that kept getting sent to my place because twin didn't ever pick it up whenever she came by until three days ago.

It's nothing that I should reasonably be upset about, but it's nothing I can really help out with, either.

I've asked them to send me their for sure "Yes, we can go" or "No, we can't go" as soon as they can. Once they do, I'll talk to the other two guys to see what they wanna do.

If twin and roommate can't go, then we're down a driver and a truck. Me and C can't drive and S's car is big enough for his and his dog's stuff.

It's a mess but, again, this is why I've been trying to plan this since last year so that shit like this doesn't happen.

I'mma be upset about this for a while.

Time to take a step back, Void.

#vent #rant #i'm just complaining

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theeyeofthetigger · 4 months ago

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Y'all work yesterday was a fucking mess

My shift leads car got broken into in broad daylight in the main mall parking lot (just a few hundred feet from our stores front door), they tried to hotwire it and then just left it broken and stole some of his very important renfaire costumes (unreplaceable)

Security has his plates on file

They knew

They didn't even come by to tell him

And when he tried to call our manager and asst. manager, neither of them were available (we were closing in two hours, this was around 6ish)

So i stayed an hour late to help keep things running while he was scrambling to get a report filed so there was essentially just three non-managers (we're general employees) running the store with no external help from our boss, who offered literally no support

Would not at all be surprised if my lead took this to hr and then quit tbh

He's out several hundred dollars worth of personal items and has a dead car because of negligence from mall security (they don't let us park close to the building because it's 'not employee parking', so this could have been /entirely/ prevented)

And he was parked right in front of my car, too

He had to get a ride home last night and he's closing tonight so I have no idea how that's going to go. He's got a bunch of really shitty irl stuff going on in addition to this too, my heart aches for him

I think this is a pretty good indicator to be looking for a new job rn, especially with the lack of care and support our managers showed last night. I was disgusted.

#rant #vent #shitty work practices

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popculturebuffet · 2 years ago

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Transformers More Than Meets The Eye Retrospective: Issue 5 "How Ratchet Togt His Hands Back" (Comissioned by Brotoman.Exe)

Hello all you happy autobots! We're kicking off 2022 with some energon for ya'll. See last month Brotoman unexpectly comissoined some EXTRA transformers. As a result your not only getting the conclusion of the Delphi arc early, but remember how I said I wasn't sure when i'd cover last stand of the wreckers?

Yeah turns out that day is this week as after my best animated episodes of 2022 (which sadly won't include earth spark as I didn't get to it in time), you can tuck in for a review of the whole damn mini series. It's not necessary entirley to follow these reviews but it does give Fort Max and Overlord's full backstories, so it does make the experince better. It's the same reason i'll be covering Chaos Theory eventually.

At any rate we still have a story in progress to finish so settle in for a cold winter's story arc as we find out just whose behind the plauge of delphi and what our heroes will do about it?

We open with Fort Max delivering on his boast from last issue.. but instead of a triumphant heroic save.. it's a brutal slaughter as he TEARS one of them in half and as the other is fleeing for his life as you would after seeing that, grabs him and somehow smashes the con into Max himself.

FIrst time I think i've used that for mental wellness… and Ratchet agrees. I like this a lot as it not only shows the two have a history.. but that Ratchet, as hard to phase as he is, has a limit. Max needs help, not to be back in the universe with a gun to his head. And as we'll see sometimes even seeking help.. won't work if the preson dosen't take to it.

But enough ominous foreshadowing it's time for a rousing round of everyone pointing guns at each other. When Ambulon tries to you know, take the pieces of dead decepticon off fort max, Pharma pulls a gun and plans to shoot him, citing him as a traitor and a former decepticon. Ambulon admits the latter, but poitns out that was 10 years later.

This lasts all of three panels, which had to be about a minute of accusations.. before First Aid untangles his entire scheme. It works well for me as it's clear Pharma likelyt hought little of our hero, and thus starts to loose.. because he's just that good a doctor: he finds the t-cogs Pharma claimed were absent in the decepticons, then points out his story of being attacked dosen't add up as their all laser scapel wounds… from PHARMA'S own scapel. While ratchet finishes the summation, First Aid still gets points for starting to unravel things.

He simply asks that Pharma show his alt mode.. and when he dosen't explains he figured out the virus: the doctors haven't entered the fatal stage not because of high resitsance.. but because they havne't transformed. Ambulon has the embarassing one of a leg as a former combiner, and First Aid, as Ratchet's own key surgeon's eye notes, can't. What I like is while some of the reasons WHY are things the reader only works out, there were still plenty of clues the reader could suss out like none of the doctors transforming while pipes and drift did, as well as the suspcious timing of Pharma being in a box and away from everything, as well as happening to be injured. IT's still a lot , but it dosne't treat the reader as stupid by leaving no clues to the mystery, just enough to solve and go "aha" if you didn't from the trail of breadcrumbs, but not enough that it's painfully obvious.

Pharma applauds them for their work.. but then shoots the life support. First Aid continues to make his badassery known, and make himsel fa faviorite of mine on this re-read, by quickly scrambling everyone into position, with Ratchet sacrificing himself by transforming so he can use the spark jump more effectively in car form.

We get some cutaway bits to Tailgate studying to be an autobot under Ultra Magnus, which is as hilaroius as it sounds. Almost fun , though danged if Magnus can say it. Yes he's literally so tight assed he can't say the word fun and I love everything about that. It's great stuff and helps break up the tension for a moment, there's just not a lot to comment on either so on we go.

We also get a bit between that's more plot relevant: Red Alert, the paranoid head of security, is having a session with Rung. Red Alert is hearing a voice only he can here.. which isn't automatically exactly what it sounds like as he points out his audio receptors are the best on the ship: he can hear what everyone's up to right now: Rewind begging Chromedome to help him find some data discs, Whirl aruging with himself. Usual lost light stuff, the former being yet another piece of foreshadowing for later I hadn't picked up on before.

ApparentlY Red Alert was worried about it being an auditory hallucination, somenthing Rung's warned him about in the past and Red Alert recorded it… though the problem is the crack , where the spark eater was quatum jumped into the engine, supposedly leads to nothing. Naturally though this isn't a delusion or hallucination… Rung recongizes the sound as a scream and when slowed down… it says "KILL ME KILL ME KILL ME"

We'll get back to that hook at a later date, as we're back with Ratchet who's.. not doing so hot

Pharma naturally needs to monologue about his evil plan though; As it turns out Delphi only made it this long because Pharma cut a deal with the Decepticon Justice Devision: Since hteir leader is hooked on transforming and thus wears out his cogs rapidly, and has no intention of kicking the habit, he offered Pharma saftey in exchange for a steady suply. Pharma at first just used paitents they lost.. a grim horrible thing to do.. but also understandable given we've seen what the DJD do to their own former comrades and haven't even begun to plum the depths of how terrifying they are. With likely no easy way to call backup without buying himself some time and no other option, I can see how giving what's esentially an organ donation to keep everyone alive, and only on patients you hadn't actively tried to loose but generally coudlnt' help, was the only option.

The issue, and what makes Pharma the monster he is.. is that he KEPT GOING. He had time to call for help, to do SOMETHING about this despite the ods.. but rather than risk himself he started killing patients instead, both ones who were apparently on the edge of far gone..a nd then one swho "held on". It's again one thing to do what you have to to sav elives.. but Pharma implicitly admits that he coudln't face high command without admitting what he'd done, thus cooked up this scheme, killing thousands more with the help of the two cons, Sonic and Boom

Using their ablities he had them engeneer an audio virus that upon transformatoin caused the various fluids in a transformer to mingle and cause the subject ot shut down.

On reread Pharma is a thourughly facsenating villian… he has all of Ratchet's skill and prowess.. but none of his morals. Ratchet may be tired and grumpy, but he holds himself to a high standard, fights to uphold it. He won't hestitate to fight dirty as we're about to see, but he also is eaisly one of the most moral members of the crew. Pharma.. gave up his the second it was easy and blames everything else instead of the common factor: himself. he could've tried to get help or owned up to his crimes to get an evac earlier.. but valued his career on delphi and not being jailed for his crimes more than other peoples lives.

That very long explination later… Ratchet thanks Pharma for babbling on as he can now fight back

God I love Ratchet. All Ratchet's everywhere.. but this one in paticular. Pharma looses it at this and a fight insues, though turns out Ratchet is far less immobile than he seems… though he still fails to shoot Pharma.. not because of some heroic code, his fingers just aren't working. God I love that gag.. and that it's a nice character bit. It shows Ratchet won't go easy.. just because he's the good guy. He's a dedicated physician, capable of mercy and will help and part of why he's so morose about his hands stopping is he can't help people. He's simply not showing it here because his opponent is an unrepentant mass murderer whose only slightly better than the people he sold out to and only slightly because as has been hinted at and as we'll see outright eventually the DJD are some of the most sadistic, horrifying monsters in existance and it's VERY hard to sink to their level.

Ratchet however.. continues to be badass: He summons his holo avatar to distract Pharma.

Okay so this is from every early in this continuity, and a neat touch Simon Furman added: the transformers could project a driver, allowing them to talk to any authorities, blend in that sorta thing. So I give Roberts credit for remembering it and using it cleverly. The two struggle.. and the cure falls with him. Ratchet however is calm, willing to die.. simply because with his hands not working he has nothing left to loose..a nd while he looses an arm, Pharma is left hanging… and in a warrnted sadistic choice: turn into a jet and trigger the virus or hold on. he tries to take ratchet with him.. but Drift bursts in striaght outta nowhere, chops off his hands, and leaves Pharma seemingly dead, while Ratchet is revealed after to have grabbed the cure.

We get a quick wrap up: The cure was used…

So Pharma will likely be back despite everyone treating him as dead, and Red Alert is shocked as Ratchet makes him chief medical officer: he was impressed by his work and him , having figured out something was wrong contacted him.. and his empathy over fistiron, having wanted to save him, cements it and Ratchet shows he's awesome one last time.. by feeling bad at the waste of Pharma. He was a great doctor.. and now he's gone. He could've done so much good but instead did so much evil. The only good thing besides first aid and co to come out of this… is a little reminder ratchet took with him

Soundtrack:

Get Me Away From Here I"m Dying by Belle and Sebastian: A decent song that also nicely contrasts with the violent tone of the first few pages. Nicely done. Carries On by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes: Okay this may be one of th ebest band names i've ever heard. I'll also admit I really didn't like this song for the first minute or so.. and then the band kicks in and it fucking slaps. I'm not sure it fits the issue, but man is this song great. City Sickness by Tindersticks: Now this is more like it. This one entirely fits the story and fucking slaps, and whoever the singer for tindersticks is he fucking kills it. It nicely fits the tone of the last panel. One of the best songs so far. Next Time: I did mention a last stand of some wreckers didn't I? Then after that later this month it's therapy time! Thanks for reading

#transformers #more than meets the eye #ratchet #first aid #pharma #drift #nich roche #james roberts

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sins-of-the-sea · 1 year ago

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It seems Shylow's cousins have come for a visit!

The shadows all giggle and wiggle as they form a line of children lead by a very large humanoid bat. "Pardon the intrusion, Captain," the bat greets "my class today is learning about different sailing ships and Servac mentioned you wouldn't mind if we dropped in? He said you'd be happy to answer their questions."

The children are all practically scrambling over one another, their hands raised and begging to be called on first. Though that doesn't stop some from just calling out their questions before they can be picked.

"Why're there so many sales?"

"What's that big stick on the front for?"

"How's the wheel connected to the turny thingy under the water?"

"Where do you go to the bathroom?"

"Have you ever met a mermaid?"

"Have you ever punched Poseidon?"

"How do you pronounce anemimey- an- aninimy- amemory-"

@thegcblinfather

Use anon to send some children to ask my muse questions.

Abena couldn't help but tear up as she watches her husband beam joyously as he is being surrounded by so many children.

"Settle down! Settle down! We'll answer your questions! We're more than happy to!" He takes a moment to recompose himself. "We'll answer one at a time. Why don't we start with you, love? Why does a ship have many sails?"

"Oh, sweetie, it's because as much as boats can float, it's still very heavy and at the mercy of the waves! The bigger the boat, the more sails we'll need! Winds can only blow so hard with one sail, and depending on the weight of the vessel and its shape, it may not go very fast either! So a big boat with lots and lots of sails not only can make it go where it needs to go, but it can go really fast too! And you'll need those many sails to go the direction you'll need to go too! Now, Ruixiong, what is the big stick in the front for?"

"Ohhh, I got this! That big stick is called the bowsprit! Not every vessel has one, but when it does, it's intended to support the forestay--the rigging (rope) that supports the forwardmost sail. If it stick out far and strong enough, it can be used to support the figurehead as well--the lady that is carved or stuck onto the front of the ship's hull! It's a dangerous place to go unless you're an experienced sailor who can balance well, so don't try to walk the bowsprit on your own, children--you could fall off and hit the ship's hull along the way! And it'll hurt! As for the wheel connected to the 'turny thingy'… Rashid can do that one better!"

Rashid couldn't help but chuckle at the children's enthusiasm. "The wheel is called the 'helm', and usually the one tasked to handle it is called the 'helmsman'. The turny-thing in the water is called the 'rudder'. The helm is connected to the rudder by a series of beams, spindles, and other wheels within the back of the ship that directs the rudders a certain way when you turn the helm a certain way. It's not as easy as it looks--it's very heavy, the movement will not pick up subtle turns like it would for a car or bicycle, and the results of your movement may feel delayed. You'll also need to take account of the sails' direction to go where you need to go. That's why a ship needs more than just someone at the wheel--it needs a whole Crew. Now why don't you answer the one with the bathroom, Guy?"

"Why me?" The man chuckles nonetheless. "Back in the old days, we just use chamberpots-- ceramic pots where you do your business in them and collect the waste before you dump it overboard at later time. Eventually, though, ships may have a bathroom installed in them simply called the head--because it's located in the front-most part of the ship's hull below deck, just above the waterline. It simply uses gravity to get the gross stuff down, then we wash up with seawater if there is a pump or bucket for that. Our ship thankfully has a head, though if it gets stuffed up we know precisely who to blame."

Rashid glares as the rest of the Crew laugh.

"I'm afraid we have yet to meet a mermaid, children, though sometimes we like to think we do! No, we never punched Poseidon, I'm pretty sure that's rude. And-"

"…..What?"

"I think they mean 'anemone'. As in the sea anemone!"

"Of course! It's tricky in English, but we call it by other names in other languages, heh. Don't touch one if you see it, however! It can sting!"

#BOAT TRIVIA!#sadly no Phoebus here still ;-;#[Captain Josep Frascona]#[Abena Frascona]#[Rashid al-Qadar]#[Wang Ruixiong]#[Guy Duchamp]#[Giovanni Vespucci]#toilet humor #unsanitary tw

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potatoes83 · 8 months ago

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Random...

So last night was the Matthew West concert featuring Cochren and Company in Clarkston. What a great show. Now understand, especially the more time has gone on, I am not one to sit and obsessively idolize singers, actors, entertainers, and yes, I tend to look negatively upon those who do. Like several of my coworkers who are so wildly obsessed with Taylors Wift, spending small fortunes to attend her concert, spending hours refreshing refreshing refreshing their browser pages on their phone, desperately scrambling for a charging cord less they lose their precious place in line to get tickets to her last tour. I'm not all about that, and what the hell is wrong with you people. So my point there is that while I have heard the music of both these groups, it's not like I know the full discography, hell, I couldn't have even told you what they looked like.

We've had the radio pretty much exclusively set to K-LOVE now since not this past Christmas, but the Christmas before. I have it on classical in my office at work, in the car while I'm driving it can vary, but at home, it's basically the background music of our life. And in my work truck, and quite often in the vehicle too. And I heard on a commercial on the radio that Matthew West was doing a tour and coming to Clarkston. And I knew of several of his songs, and I liked them, so I got tickets. I had heard of Cochren and company, at least heard of a few of their songs, and I liked them too. I mean, it's contemporary Christian. It's very doubtful, very doubtful that I'm going to be standing there and be like no, I can't get into this.

I had attended that concert before in November downtown at Little Caesars arena. That was, oh let me think now... TobyMac, MercyMe, and Zach Williams. It was my first experience with a contemporary Christian concert. And wow. If you've never been, and there's a singer you happen to like, and they happen to be in a venue somewhere near you, I would highly recommend it. Because everyone was there for just one thing, to praise the power and glory of the Lord. To pray, together, thousands of people with their arms outstretched, oh, and certainly not to marginalize, excellent music too. Just really good solid music. Positive, uplifting, encouraging, but above all else, really good singers and songwriters. Really good harmonies and melodies. In such a variety of different genres of music, but just GOOD music! And you are invariably going to hear something that you needed to hear, whatever that may be.

This concert was the same but different, a smaller more intimate venue, and I say smaller with a grain of salt, this is one of those big non-denominational churches that seats like 3500. But I mean, the LCA seats 22,000, so definitely more intimate. But we're not talking like a school play or something here. It was just a fantastic concert. And it's the energy of the crowd, an entire room of people all there for that singular purpose, in some ways, it's like being at church. But different. But so good. It's the sort of thing you walk away from and you just feel uplifted, inspired, oh sure, all the stuff you got going on in your life, it's going to be there the next day when you wake up, but you're just sort of recharged, you just feel like you're going to be able to get through this, whatever this may be.

He said something last night, and damned if I can remember exactly how he phrased it, but it was something to the effect of these days, in America, it seems like we have the freedom to talk about anything we want, to share any opinion we have... as long as it's not about our faith. And boy, did that hit. Because yes, in this world where I'm reminded every time an email is sent that someone at work is allegedly a they/she/he, or last night at IHOP, where there was a group of high schoolers at the table next to us, one of which was clearly a boy wearing a 1950s polka dot dress, or where we were at the B-52's concert a couple summers back at Meadowbrook, and a commercial for Planned Parenthood comes on the big screen on the stage during the intermission, and everyone's cheering and clapping like seals, to stand and testify my faith, to stand there and say yes, I'm a Catholic, that's a hard row to hoe. Or just a Christian in general. To stand there and say that I believe in a higher power, and His name is Jesus Christ, you talk about a room going silent...

With that, it is incredibly affirming, the good kind, not pretending to be a gender that you're not, to be in a place with thousands of other people who believe the same things you do. Who go through those same awkward conversations. To know that you're not alone. Humans are social creatures, and we need that.

In the words of Matthew West: don't stop praying! 🥔

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aspiring-artist-em · 1 year ago

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the picnic is hot. i'm hot in my jeans i wore because she said she's wearing jeans. there's chocolate on my lips from the strawberries she coated in the stuff because she remembered i loved them and her dr pepper is growing hot and flat but i got it because i remembered she loves the drink and well, im nothing but enabling. were talking and laughing in the park for hours and telling each other our lives and how she doesn't have an artistic bone in her body and how we both hate people named ashlyn and staring at a dried out lake but it's beautiful because she's there and we're now in the car, i present a ring because she said she keeps giving away her rings and i bought one while we were thriving after the picnic where we sat and talked and stared at each other and we keep doing that on the way to chick fil a after she smiles so prettily as she holds the silver. we get homophobic chicken and talk homophobia and politics and we are as aligned as our stars in the sky and oh, something had to happen in the universe for me to meet her. we go and see cats and they curl up in her lap and i learn about her three cats and how she hopes to travel and we sit next to each other until our time is up and now we're in the car again because yes, i showed her my room but we couldn't stay because of my roomate so now we're back in the car, talking once more and i'm telling her how much i really like her and see a relationship and want to watch it grow and talk more and she says the same and now we're making out in the back of her car because there's more room and fuck her hands are everywhere and she's kissing like a woman starved as i scramble to stay seated on her lap as she pulls me in and turns me into a breathy mess as she asks for consent and i can't help but say yes and we're so close i swear we've merged into one being and my legs ache and hers are going numb but it just feels so good that we don't want to stop until two hours later when we have to and her bra is off and i haven't felt that good in so long and i swear she hangs the moon because good fucking lord she's insanely good at this and she's so pretty and now im so optimistic for what's to come and i feel so comfortable about her and we eventually leave but we're still talking and in contact and texting all the time and i really really think something beautiful will come from this because yes we were rough and dirty but it was so gentle at the same time and oh, there's something so beautiful about the dichotomy that she wears on her sleeve, her sharp angles and soft hair, her sharp teeth oh my neck and soft breasts in my hand and we have another date confirmed and maybe, maybe if i'm lucky, i found someone who loves without strings attached.

she has little moon earrings- i have star clips in my hair. she goes to the local community college and plans on transferring to the major university- im in a sorority and my life is intertwined in the large school's greek life. she's a local- im seven hours away. she grew up on vast expanses of land, caring for life and surrounded by her family's love- i grew up in a cluttered house that sucked the soul out of anyone who dares to enter and every time I go home i lose a little part of myself. she listens- i talk. she calls be pretty and for once, i believe it. she smiles and i laugh in her tiny car and we stare at each other in the lamp light of a small parking lot after missing our desert reservations. she walks me to my car and we both ask if we could kiss each other, our laughter ringing in the air next to the papa john's we had to bathroom break in because we asked at the same time. she hesitates so i pull her in and it isn't rushed or desperate, it's just gentle and full of potential for something beautiful and she cradles my face and my hands are on her hips and we're next to my beat up car. she tastes like the chocolate milkshake from earlier that night and i can only assume i taste of the cigarette i smoked earlier on that she called "hot". she is a middle child and im the eldest and we still talk and she didn't ghost me and oh, I think something beautiful can come out of this.

#reposing bc there's an update #we had another date and it lasted twelve hours this time #and we had sex #FUCK WE HAD SEX OH MY GOD #i can't get her out of my head #what if i just run away and elope with her omg

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couldnt-think-of-a-funny-name · 2 years ago

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the dream I just woke up from oh my God. I was in high school for some reason (I actually have recurring stress dreams about hs and it's always the same building I've never seen in real life and filled with the same people, I was there in this dream too). I had an IV in my arm for some reason?? it hurt a lot and kept pulling and I didn't have a pole for it, I was just kinda holding the bag I guess. anyway the dream started normally- I was trying to remember my schedule and getting distracted, stuff like that, and then. there was this MASSIVE dog? like, big as a car, black and Grey fluffy fur, crazy fangs and angry eyes. it was killing people left and right and it was a mad scramble for safety. blood all over the place and constant screaming. we couldn't get outside for some reason? and the staircases were suddenly decrepit, twisted metal and huge amounts of steps missing but I manged to get up to the top floor (and dream me was mentally yelling at myself for running upstairs lol). everything is eerily quiet now. calm before the storm vibes.there's some more people upstairs trying to make a plan. we're like breaking off pieces of lockers and windows to try and make weapons and discover it's really low quality metal and for some reason? that tells us this was a planned thing and someone let the dog in on purpose? we look outside the window and can see it stalking the grounds, looking for it's next victim. there was a tree in front of the window but it had no leaves and some of the branches were twisted into shapes, which one girl in the group recognized and? that was a clue or something? we end up splitting up to hide. I'm alone in a classroom that has a huge thick curtain on one side of it and I'm trying to hide behind it but it's blowing in the air conditioning like crazy. I'm laying down on my back propped up on my elbows holding like a stick we made out of the cheap metal as a sad little weapon. I can hear the dog in the hallway, growling and slamming into doors. I'm trying so hard to stay quiet and finally it gets into the room I'm in. somehow it doesn't see me immediately but it's slowly prowling around the room suspiciously. there was sunlight coming in one side of the room but the side I was on was darker bc of the curtain and I guess that's why it didn't spot me immediately? it got like right I'm front of me at some point and I wasn't breathing. all the sudden it finally spots me and opens it's mouth wide to kill me, and in a split second I remembered that in percy jackson (lol) they kill the nemean lion by hitting inside it's mouth so I just ram that metal stick I've got right down it's throat. I stab it over and over till it's way passed dead. the rest of the group finds me and we start dismembering the body, someone's gonna bury parts of it on both the east and west coast and someone else is booking a flight so they could dispose parts of it in england, and I think the rest was gonna be thrown in the ocean? we kinda start piecing together that there were missed signs that this was going to happen, something about black moths? I ended up deciding to drop out of school and we all went our separate ways to dispose of the dog's remains. also. this was not crucial to the plot but kept getting brought up throughout the dream- elmo from seasme street was following me on twitter?

#dreams #nightmares #anyone uh. wanna take a crack at that one #if there's any dream analysis queens following me I guess? lol #molly mumbles

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slashingdisneypasta · 3 years ago

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Slashers Toy Story!AU

Or, *cough* a way for me to write out a buncha funny Incorrect Quotes and smoosh two things I love together.

Woody: Jason Voorhees

Buzz Lightyear: Michael Myers

Jessie: Ghostface

Prospector/Stinky Pete: Roman Bridger

Bo Peep and Ham: Freddy Krueger

Mr Potato Head: Chucky / Charles Lee Ray

Mrs Potato Head: Tiffany Valentine

Slinky: Carrie White

Rex: Bubba Sawyer

Barbie: Jennifer Check

Ken: Patrick Bateman

Lotso-'O'-Huggin' Bear: Sheriff Hoyt / Charlie Hewitt. Was gonna be Bo, but Hoyt just fits way better. Plus he has Thomas.

Chuckles: Monty

Big Baby: Thomas hewitt

The Chatter Telephone: Luda Mae Hewitt

Also, Sunnydale Daycare: Ambrose. Because why not.

*I'm thing the kids in Toy Story are the fanbase and creators of the Slashers in this AU. Like, Andy and Bonnie are the original creators that make up the canon stuff and created them to be the infamous characters we all know- and Sid is us fan-people that twist and distort the characters for our own pleasure, haha XD *

An abundance of Incorrect Quotes bellow the cut!

Chucky: *With all the features on his face mismatched*

Chucky: Hey Freddy, look! I'm Picasso!

Freddy: ... yeah, I don't get it. *Leaves*

Chucky: *what... * You uncultured swine!! *Shakes his fist at Freddy's retreating back. That was a good fucking joke, goddamn.*

Michael: *Writing down on whiteboard:* Excuse me... I think the word you're searching for is

THE SHAPE.

Jason: *Already so done with this edgy boy's bullshit*

Jason: *Moves attention to his own whiteboard, starts writing*

Jason: *Shows board*

NO. The word I'm 'searching for', I cant say, because there are preschool toys present.

*Gestures ferociously to Carrie and Bubba.*

Jason: *Ughhhh. Shows board that he frantically wrote on:* Its not a KNIFE! Its a little stick of plastic!!

Freddy: What's wrong with him??

Chucky: Knife envy~

Freddy: Ah been there

Jason and Michael: *Watching Dr Loomis give psychology advice*

Jason and Michael: *Slowly tilting their heads sceptically, in unison*

Michael: *Holds up board for Jason to read:* ... I don't think that man has ever been to medical school.

Jason: *Trying to get Michael to help him. Writes passive aggressively on board and shoves the thing in Michael's view:* Would you give me a hand!???

Michael: *Fucking slices his own arm off and chucks it at Jason*

Look, he's having a bad day...

Freddy: *Sneaks up on Jason and digs his fingers into the giants sides*

Jason: *Whips around and cracks Freddy in the face from shock*

Jason: *Realises its just Freddy as the other groans and holds his nose, and looks a little guilty. Oh, Freddy. Writes on board and shows him:* There's gotta be a less painful way to get my attention.

Freddy: Agh- Fucking- Merry Christmas, hockey puck!

Jason: *Catches sight of something above them, tilts his head. Writes and shows board:* Isn't that mistletoe?

Freddy: *A slow, creepy grin rips across his face* Yep.

~ Toy Stoy 2~

Jason: *Frantically holding up a board:* Michael! I was a yo-yo!

Freddy and Chucky: *Look at each other*

Chucky: 'Was'?

*Michael and the others watching a dude try to buy Jason and failing.*

Michael: *Thinking: Mm, now just walk away.*

Man: *Follows after where Jason went.*

Michael: *Thinking: ... the other way.*

*After Jason has been stolen- everyone is panicking*

Michael: *Stomping his foot, trying to gather these psychopaths' attentions. Wait a minute! Wait, hold on! When he semi has their attention, he shows a piece of paper with writing on it:* This is not time to be hysterical.

Freddy: Its the perfect time to be hysterical.

Bubba: *Gasp. Should we be hysterical!?*

Carrie: *Tries to calm Bubba down, a hand on his arm and voice gentle* No-

Chucky: Yes.

Michael: *Thinking: ... well, maybe*

Freddy: Give this to Jason when you find him

Freddy: *SMACKS MICHAEL UPSIDE THE HEAD*

Michael: ... *Holds up board* Alright. But I don't think it'll mean the same thing coming from me.

Freddy: *Up ahead* Hey guys! Why did the toys cross the road!?

Michael: *But rolls his eyes. Not now bacon bits.*

Bubba: *Perks up and waives. Oh! He loves riddles. Why?*

Freddy: To get to the chicken... on the other side!

*They all look out and celebrate, seeing where Jason was being kept hostage... but then realise how dangerous getting across will be as a giant fricken truck careens by and crushes a can the same size as them*

Bubba: ... *Promptly turns around and starts walking back the way they came. Oh well. We tried-*

Michael: *Grabs Bubba back*

Jennifer: I can help! I'm Tour Guide Jen!

Jennifer: Please keep your hands, arms and accessories inside the car, and no flash photography! Thanks.

Chucky: -I'm a married man, I'm married man, I'm married man-

Freddy: *Shoves Chucky out of the way* Then make room for the single fellas.

Michael: *Ugh. Writes on board:* They're on level 23.

Carrie: How are we gonna get up there?

Bubba: *Gestures to balloons, then up to the sky. Meaning: Maybe if we find some balloons, we could float to the top!*

Chucky: Are you kidding? I say we stack ourselves up, push the intercom, and pretend we're delivering a pizza.

Freddy: How bout a roast? *Grins*

Freddy: *Assesses Chucky and Carrie in turn* With tenderised pig and a slaughtered lamb as sides.

Chucky: Hold the fuck up did you just call me a pig- and a side-

Carrie: What?

Bubba: Oh! Oh! *Pats his chest excitedly. Do him! What about me??*

Freddy: ... Eh, you can be the toy that comes with the meal.

*Michael does something to get them all hurt and doesn't to care at all, of course. Just moves on.*

Chucky: Remind me to glue his mask on his head when we get back.

Freddy: *Nods, yep*

Chucky:*Embracing Tiffany after having been away saving Jason*

Glen and Glenda: You saved our lives! We're eternally grateful!

Chucky: Oh, fuck...

Tiffany: You saved their lives, Chucky?? Oh, my hero.

Tiffany: *Immediately drops Chucky in favour of picking up the babies* And they're adorable! Lets adopt them!

Chucky: *Thinking: What? No- Absolutely not- Don't say tha-*

Glen and Glenda: Daaaaddy!

Chucky: Fuck.

~Toy Story 3~

Jason: *Holds up a sign as he stands there menacingly with his machete:* You got a date with justice, Charles.

Chucky: Heh, too bad, 'sheriff'. I'm a married man.

Tiffany: *Comes out screaming, wielding goddamn nun chucks*

Michael: *Eyes narrow behind mask, slowly holds up sign he prepared earlier:* Bastard son of a hundred maniacs.

Freddy: Hah. That's Mr Bastard son of a hundred maniacs, to you!

*The toys/Slashers watch some toys, including Jennifer and her car get thrown in the donation bin*

Ghostface: Oh, man, poor Jen.

Freddy: ... I get the corvette.

Tiffany: Its alright, Jen, it'll be okay.

Jennifer: Well... Needy and I have been growing apart for a while...

Jennifer: Its just... I cant believe she would kill me!

Chucky: *Who's 'best friend till the end'/victim also killed him* Yeah. Welcome to the club, toots.

Hoyt: They just love new toys, don't they?

Chucky: Love!? We've been chewed, kicked, drooled on-

Tiffany: Just look at my nails!

Hoyt: ... Hm. Well, here's the thing, sweetheart. You aint leavin' Ambrose.

Tiffany: *Thinking: Oh fuck no he did not just- * Sweetheart!? Who do you think you're talking to!? I have over 10 kills, and I deserve more respec-

Hoyt: *Covers Tiffany's mouth with his hand* Ah, that's better.

Chucky: *Thinking: I'm going to fuck this douche up- * Hey, no one takes my wife's mouth. *Shoves Hoyt back off her by the chest* 'Cept me.

*Hoyt and Thomas bring Chucky back from 'The Box'. He's more fucked up looking then usual, sand all through his hair and stuck to his plastic features. He shakes it out of his pockets.*

Tiffany: *Gasp* Sweetheart!

Chucky: Eugh... it was cold. And dark. Nothin' but sand and a couple of Lincoln logs.

Freddy: Ehhh... I don't think those were Lincoln logs.

Ghostface: I was wrong...

Chucky:

Chucky: Ghostface is right. He was wrong.

Jennifer: *Fake cries*

Chucky: *Slaps a Pidgeon*

*Trying to reset Michael back to his former settings/self (The one that knows them and therefore will maybe-perhaps-possibly not kill them*

Freddy: Oh- oh- oh, here we go. there should be a little hole under the switch.

Jason: *Little hole little hold little hole- Nods. Got it!*

Freddy: To reset your Michael Myers action figure, insert paper clip-

Jason: *Sharply turns to Bubba, urging him to put his finger in the hole quickly*

Freddy: Caution; Do not hold button for more then five seconds...

Michael: *Suddenly stops thrashing and goes slack*

Everyone: ...

Bubba: *Jumps off him, holding up his hands. Its not my fault!!*

Michael, on Spanish Mode: *Gives Jason two sweet kisses on either cheek*

Jason: *Awkwardly, slowly holds up sign:* We gotta switch him back.

Ghostface: Oh! Mikey!!

Michael, still on Spanish Mode: *Sees Ghostface*

Michael: *Drops to his knees, gathers up Ghostface's hand*

Michael: *Looks up at Ghostface in utter awe and admiration*

Ghostface: *Freaken freaked out. Shouldn't he be the creepy one in this outfit? Leans away* Uhh... did you fix Michael?

Freddy: Uh, sorta. I mean I for one think this is a huge improvement.

Michael, STILL on Spanish Mode: *Does a dance of feelings around Ghostface, wanting to express himself*

Ghostface: What- why- please stop I'm gonna pee myself- Of laughter or fear I have no idea but I WILL PEE

Michael: *Grabs and dips Ghostface, and holds up a sign* We will be the most famous killers in history, together.

Ghostface: *Thinking: Oh I can get behind that, hell yeah- *

Jason: *Arrives*

Ghostface: Oh- *Scrambles out of Michaels hold* JASE!

Michael: *Watches them move on together* *Throws down the sign*

Freddy: I suddenly feel disgusting, like... I somehow ended up in some kinda... love-square, of some kind...

Jason: *Nicely gestures for Michael to give him some help*

Michael, stillllllll on Spanish mode: *Sniffs his nose at Jason's hand, shoving him out of the way with one arm like no thank you.*

Jennifer: Authority should derive from the consent of the governed. Not from the threat of force! // Or, alternatively which I think fits a whole lot better- // I am not going to stand back here and let another fucking old white guy tell me what the fuck to do!

Chucky and Freddy, two old white guys: *Look at each other*

Chucky:

Freddy:

Chucky and Freddy: *Shrug*

And that's it seeing as I don't really wanna see Toy Story 4. I hope you enjoyed this silly thing with me at least a little XD

Okay so I got a little attached in the end.

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btssk · 3 years ago

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Ms. Dokkaebi - Part One

Series Summary: You are the nanny for J-Hope’s older sister Jung Ji Wo. And while you’re great with her kids, best friends with J-Hope, and considered apart of his family, you seem very rude and stand-offish when it comes to the rest of BTS. There’s a tense relationship between you and the other members but when shit hits the fan, they'll realize just how wrong they were about you. But will it be in time.?

Notes: I’m new ARMY who doesn’t know everything there is to know about BTS as individuals so I may not accurately depict them in my writings, but as a FanFic writer who’s found her new muse, i’m just jumping right into it! This was originally going to be a one shot but then I started having too many ideas and points to touch on so I’m turning it into a series. And heads up, i write longgg posts regardless. I’ll probably comb through this a few times after I post to tweak some things. Also, this is obviously written in english but imagine that they're speaking Korean. This is my first BTS fanfic,

Hope you enjoy!

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Pairing: (Platonic) J-Hope x Reader

Summary: You've come to visit your very own personal ray of sunshine Jung Hoseok while on vacation. Despite his unbridled joy at your arrival, the other members of BTS struggle to understand how such terrifying opposites could be attracted to each other.

Warning: swearing, violence

"Here, place these on the table, Canola flowers are her favorite." Hoseok wipes the remnants of soil off his hands and smiles proudly at his personal efforts. "Their train should be arriving shortly, if you still plan to meet them at the station sir." "Right, i'll leave first then. Thank you ladies." The maids bow as he gives his final nod of approval before rushing to the waiting car. "Step on it Dae-Hyun, we can't be late." "Of course sir." "Dae-Hyun," "Yes sir?" "How do I look?" The driver smiled at the multimillionaire international superstar, sweating and squirming in the backseat. "She's going to be thrilled to see you sir."

…

"Does that mean I don't look good?"

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"We're here! Everyone come welcome our special guests!" Two little kids fly into the house faster than Hoseok could finish announcing their arrival. Next came their frantic mother scrambling to collect them and scold the poor manners they were presenting.

Jin gets up from sitting in the living room with both arms open wide, inviting the kids to jump into them. "It's okay Ji Wo, i've missed my little feathers." "We're not little feathers!" "Of course you are! See, I can do this!" He starts spinning around as fast as he can. Hoseok stands besides his sister smiling at his niece and nephew flying in circles. "Too fast!" "No more Ahjussi!" Jin stops spinning, "Ah-Ahjussi? Ahjussi?! Who are you calling Ahjussi? You think i'm so old that I deserve to hear such things?! Ya! You think you'll be young forever?" Jin begins tickling and shaking the two until they're begging him to stop. "You'll be my age soon and let’s see how you like being called Ahjussi! I'm not even that old!"

Jin's signature 'eldest-rant' calls the rest of the members into the living room. "I don't know Jin, i'm starting to see some grey hairs." Jungkook joins in on Yoongi's joke, "Oh, there on the sides right?" "Mm, yeah." "Stob it!"

By the time you entered the room, everyone had already shared their hello's with Ji Wo. Her kids were outside running around with Taehyung, Jungkook, and Jimin. Jin was still fuming over being called Ahjussi despite Namjoon's best efforts to calm him down, while Yoongi stood by doing his best to turn Jin into a talking tomato.

Busy helping his sister move the luggage to the guest house, Hoseok left your welcome party in the hands of dumb and dumber, plus one. The three kept at their bickering until Namjoon finally noticed you. You dropped two large duffel bags at your feet and wore all black, head to toe. No makeup, hair in a half-assed updo, and shoes still on after entering the home? You weren’t here to impress and currently, were not impressed either.

Namjoon straightened up his appearance before nudging Jin and Yoongi to follow suit. Yoongi hid his smile and offered a very sweet and shy apology. And while Jin was obviously embarrassed to have been caught acting so childish in front of a stranger, this fact presented a dilemma. Why was there a strange woman in his living room? An American woman, with a very unpleasant look of irritation and disapproval on her face? 'Does she not see how handsome I am?' Remembering that he was in his own home and the eldest person present, he chose an informal tone. "Ya. Who are you. How’d you get in here?" No response. The only change being your eyes now solely locked onto Jin. A slight relief to Namjoon and Yoongi. "Did you hear me? Who are you, what do you want?"

"...."

"What you don't speak Korean?"

Silence.

"Aishh," Jin put his hands on his hips, "So, You American came to Korea just to step into a Korean household and not only refuse to address your senior, to state your business, or atone for these things, but can't even speak Korean to begin with? Unbelievable." After another chance to explain yourself, yet remaining silent, Jin rolls his eyes and grabs his phone. "Fine. I'm calling security." Now you looked pleased, almost amused. Did you understand what he had said? Clearly not since you were smiling, but, did you? The three members wait with you in the deafening silence.

A couple minutes and guards storm into the room scanning for the intruder. Jin immediately starts yelling and pointing for them to take you away. Yet you don't move an inch as the guards surround you. Instead, you smile sweetly in return for their low bows. The member's are stunned as the head of security addresses you and you only. "Our apologizes for this mishap Ms. Y/n, it won't happen again." You nod, accepting his notion, and Jin couldn’t take it anymore, "What! what is this?! Who is she that she can enter my home uninvited with more authority than me?!" The guard's explanation is interrupted by Hoseok's return. "Oh good, you've met y/n!" He smiles at his friends indifferent towards the scene he interrupted. "Y/n hand me your bag i'll carry it," he gives you his other arm to escort you outside, "Ji Wo and the kids are already unpacked. I'll help you with your stuff. I made sure your room had those pillows and comforter set you really liked from last time-oh! And I have a surprise for you! I went and picked them myself, your favorite! Then we can talk about what you want for dinner tonight..." The three ‘men’, who were correctly feeling as less than such, watched you step into the guest house as if you owned that too.

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"Explain."

"Oh good, I needed a second opinion! I like the yellow shirt but it's a bit much for dinner at home right? Then there's the blue but it doesn't compliment my eyes very well. Maybe the white one then? You can't go wrong-"

Jin slaps the shirts out of Hoseok's hands.

"No! Explain the woman who just walked into my home with zero etiquette, highjacked my home, security team, and is now downstairs with her bare feet on my coffee table!"

"So you're thinking the blue one."

"Hobi!"

"Jin can you keep it down, i'm trying to take my pre-dinner evening nap," Yoongi throws himself on the bed, "But to his point; Who is she?"

Hoseok picks up the blue shirt and pulls it on. "Uh, well that's a loaded question. I know that she can be very, well, i'm sure you've noticed,"

"Yes, continue."

"But, I guess, she's my best friend." Every remaining member bursts through the door, silently threatening him to say it again. Even Yoongi twisted his head, "The hell did this bitch say." Jin takes the lead scolding Hoseok's blasphemous comment, with the others suddenly becoming faithful followers of their beloved Ahjussi. Once finished fiddling with his shirt, Hoseok addressed the room full of crybabies. "Maybe 'best friend' wasn't the most appropriate label, but she IS someone very special to me. So please, all of you go get dressed and be ready to eat dinner in an hour. I need this to be perfect. It's important, please." He hurries out of the room to find you, leaving his very much so established and unquestionably best friends unsatisfied with his explanation.

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"Tell me to hurry up...look nice...feet on my table!...she's the mean one...I don't even like spicy food...Will you come help me already you see me struggling!" Namjoon was certain his hands were going to fuse with his face if he listened to this for another second. He gladly stood up to help Jin with his tie, "If it'll end your ranting about y/n-"

"Stupid name"

"You met her once for five minutes; you don't even know her." "Ah, five minutes was ten minutes too long." "That still doesn't make any sense," Namjoon grumbles for the billionth time since meeting his friend, "There, done."

"And why are we wearing ties anyways? We're at home! Ji Wo's family! I'm expected to look Grammy's ready for that…that Dokkaebi!?" Yoongi sits up from Jin's bed laughing, "That what?" "When did you get there?" "Did you just call y/n a Dokkaebi? I haven't heard name calling like that since primary school." Jin charges at Yoongi shaking his finger, "You know it! You were there, both of you! You saw her smiling at us; like a blind person winking. Just, empty." A chill runs up Jin's spine that Namjoon and Yoongi have to admit they also felt. "Hear me, that goblin will only cause us problems." "You're overreacting-"

"Her.bare.feet! On.my.coffee table!"

"Look she's special to Hobi, that means she can't actually be that bad right? And again, we only met her for five minutes-" "That was ten minutes-" "DO NOT say it again it makes NO sense! We didn't make a very good first impression either, so let's consider dinner a fresh start." Namjoon and Yoongi guide a still disgruntled Jin down to dinner. They can hear the kitchen is already crowded with conversation, children laughing, and food on the stove. Namjoon takes a deep breath, "Fresh start boys. Be nice." They round the corner to see your eyes already baring deep into their souls. Jin leans into his friend’s tiger grips on him and whispers, "See, see! Some of her goblin tricks already. Evil little mi-chin nyeon-" "You sure you want to finish that sentence." Your comment draws Hoseok’s attention to his friends, "Hey guys! Come have a beer, we're almost done cooking." The trembling mice men find a safe distance from you on the other side of the island and Hoseok hands them each a drink. But Jin’s eyes never leave yours, except to make sure that the knife in your hand is still chopping vegetables and not plunging into his chest. "So, you can speak Korean." "Of course, what kind of American would I be to come all the way to Korea, enter a Korean household, and not be able to address my senior. The honor is mine, Ahjussi." You throw in a lopsided bow at the end but Jin is far from impressed. Namjoon grabs another beer, "Here we go..." Before he has the chance, Jin's attention is on his legs. "Do the funny walk!" "Yeah, the funny walk!" "Oh, I think i'm too old, now that i'm 'Ahjussi Jin'." The twins plead with him until they're disappearing down the hallway, holding on for dear life as he flails his legs as much as possible. You finish cutting the vegetables and hand them to Ji Wo at the stove. Before you have a chance, Hoseok takes the dishes from your hands, "I can clean these too y/n, you go grab a drink and hang out while Ji Wo and I finish up. Your seat is right there next to mine!" If he could walk for you he would, even if he didn't have legs himself. Annoying and embarrassing at times, like now, but at the end of the day you loved that about him; so unashamedly sweet to you like no one else would dare to be.

You go slip into your Hoseok-assigned seat at the table next to Yoongi and count how long it’ll take him to grow a pair and say what's on his mind.

"So y/n,"

27 seconds,

"how do you know Hobi?" "I work for Ji Wo." "Oh, like a secretary?" 'The fuck?,' "Or not. Then, some security guard? No! Not that i'm saying you’re manly or anything, you're very attractive-not that i'm attracted to you-NOT that there's a reason I shouldn't be!" Yoongi chokes on his words long enough for you to respond. "I'm her nanny." You see the first unpetrified emotion cross Yoongi's face since meeting, "Really? You…like, kids?" "Of course. They're adorable." He'd have an easier time believing you if you didn't look like you were recounting the hells of war. Lost on how to continue the conversation, Yoongi tries a new approach.

He moves a tray of assorted fruit towards you, "Here. Do you like fruit? We bought all of this fresh from the local market." "I already had some." "Oh. Okay, good.. Um, I love the tangerines. I bought a whole bundle...where'd they go?” Yoongi notices that his dozen of tiny orange babies are the only fruits missing from the tray. Once again your eyes were waiting for his to catch up. "Did you-" Without breaking eye contact, possibly without breathing since Yoongi’s doubting you even have a heart right now, you peel the last tangerine. You do it slow enough that if you listened closely, you could hear it crying for 'papa Yoongi' to save it. "My...you ate...all of them." The poor boy looked like he went bankrupt with a wife and kids to feed back home. Ironic maybe? He tried his best to swallow his emotions, "That's okay. You're our guest; I'm happy to share anything with-" You pop Yoongi's last little baby into your mouth and he snaps, "That's it. Who hurt you. I demand to know." A slightly sweaty Jin joins the stand-off over his friend’s shoulder with the same scowl on his face, "See...Dokkaebi." Yoongi swears his loyalty with a single word. "Dokkaebi.."

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

"Y/n i'm going to the restroom, can you-" "Got it." "Thanks!" Ji Wo runs around the corner leaving you in charge of the children. All, of the children.

Most are taking their seats, Hoseok is practically in your lap talking your ear off, and Jin is trying to shake off the two urchins still stuck to his legs. "Please!? Where is your mother it's been hours, days even!" The twins laugh at his joke and Namjoon again tries to convince Jin that he doesn't make any sense.

"No, more more!"

"Yeah more!"

"More!"

"More! MORE!"

Hoseok eventually nudges you, "Come on y/n, enough fun, the foods going to get cold." 'We never do what I want.' You snap your fingers and point to the chairs across from you. The two tumble over each other trying to see who could be the fastest. So competitive. You were proud. "Whoa, could you train Yeontan to be that obedient?" "You calling my kids dogs." There's a slight breeze behind you that could only be from Hoseok's frantic motions for Taehyung to stop talking. "I, no...nevermind."

Ji Wo comes back and sits next to her son, "Okay, let's eat!" Everyone starts to fill their plates and converse amongst themselves. Hoseok is making your plate while you're busy making the kids'. Sitting on the other side of the twins is Jungkook. He gives himself a pep-talk until he's confident that he's about to do the right thing. Yet, across from him, Yoongi and Namjoon shoot him every desperate facial expression that they know. Whatever Jungkook is about to do, they're sure it's a bad idea. 'What are they mouthing? "Dok...Dokkaebi?" What? That doesn't make any sense.' He gives them a curt 'I got this' smile so the two give up.

'Poor bastard.'

'It's always the innocent.'

Jungkook grabs the bowl in front of him and holds it out towards you. "Y/n, I made this dish specially for you. It takes a few hours to prep and another two for cooking, but Hoseok spoke so fondly of you I knew it was worth the time." You feel the pride radiating from Hoseok when he places his hand over yours. The whole thing's silly, but you let your little sunshine have his moment. "The sauce is my grandmother's secret recipe and I made the noodles from scratch. It's always a crowd favorite when I make it. I'd love it if you had some! Let me put some on your plate." "No thanks." Jungkook stops mid-reach across the table and his doe-eyed smile falters. "I, uh, promise you'll love it. It's the best dish on the table! Please, just try it-" "You trying to kill me (?) I said no" "But-" "And I won't say it again."

A pained silence falls over the group, but nothing compares to the hurt on Jungkook's face. Defeated and humiliated, he slides back down into his chair too embarrassed to lift his head. Then, "I want some!" the little girl next to him slaps a smile back on his face. "Of course sweetie, here!" This time Hoseok and Ji Wo are the ones quick to speak up in a panic. "No hun, you can't." "Jungkook don't-"

*CLINK!*

Your eyes snap to the spoon still spilling pasta on the plate. The sound rings out and fades away without a single interference. Jungkook's frozen in fear, everyone is, as they should be. You can feel Hoseok desperately squeezing your hand, silently begging you not to cut off his friends'. Ji Wo's face is pleading the same case. You listen to Jungkook's heart beat out of his chest for a few more seconds, watch his life flash before his eyes to truly remember this moment by. Removing your hand from Hoseok's, then placing it over his, is reassurance that he and Ji Wo can stop shaking. As for everyone else, they're nothing more than deer caught in headlights. "There's shrimp in that. She, and I, are both allergic to shellfish. If you feed her that, she'll die in minutes, and then you would die in seconds. Am.I.clear." There was another silence while Jungkook struggled to keep his soul from leaving his body. He couldn't believe what he had almost done and begged forgiveness from Ji Wo, "I-I'm so sorry! I had no idea, honest I wouldn't have-" "It's okay Kook, I know that you didn't know. It was an accident," her eyes drift towards you, "right y/n."

She's weary. She can tell that you haven't calmed down, not enough at least. You take your job very seriously; you love her kids as if they were your own. And if you ever did have kids of your own, then god save us all. You really were like a second parent to the twins. The kids once asked if the two of you were going to get married some day. You and Ji Wo were both laughing your asses off until you realized that Eun had fallen out of her chair. Her face was turning purple and her throat had nearly swollen shut. She laid motionless on the floor with her eyes digging into y/n's, begging for help. But no one saw what happened and didn't know what to do. Y/n took a gamble since it was their first time having lobster and gave her her epi-pen. As relieved as Ji Wo was to hear her daughter start breathing again, it would be a few weeks for her, and you, to completely move past what happened. That was the first and only time Ji Wo had seen you so unnerved; truly afraid. And right now she saw that same memory flash over your eyes in a blinding loop. She tries again, "Y/n, it was an accident…It's okay now."

"Y/n," Hoseok's gripping your fist with both of his hands, "She didn't eat any, she's okay. Jungkook knows now, they all do. Right." Every head at the table shook furiously, but you saw none of it. Your eyes locked onto Jungkook and debated which fingers to break first.

Then you felt Hoseok's grip on you change. It loosened, and his fingers gently ran over the back of your hand, something that always forced you to relax. "Angel," One of your biggest weaknesses, "please, for me." was hearing him beg. 'And that dang pet name.' You let out all of your pent-up energy into one labored sigh, finally releasing the dinner guests as hostages. Yoongi jumps from his chair as you abruptly stand. "What did you learn Jungkook." "She's-you both!-are allergic to shellfish," poor thing had been on the brink of crying this entire time, "I swear that I will never forget it-" "No. You don't question me. Ever again."

While you're turned to grab a clean plate for Eun, "Chin-hae don't stand on your chair-!" you hear the sweetest voice back you up. "Yeah! You don't ask y/n questions!" He's all but using his sister's head as a prop while sticking his sticky finger in Jungkook's face, “giving him the business” about not asking anymore questions or trying to kill his sister again. You motion for him to sit down once you're back and shoot a wink. 'That's my boy.'

——————————————————————

"Again, Ji Wo, I am so sorry for earlier at dinner. I still feel absolutely awful about it."

"It's okay Jungkook, honestly. Y/n always carries an epi-pen for both of them. Even if Eun had eaten some, she would've been okay."

"So then, that whole "she'll die in minutes, you'll die in seconds" thing was y/n just messing with me, right?"

"Of course, no chance she'd let Eun get even close to dying."

Jungkook relaxes just enough sipping his coffee to choke on it when Ji Wo continued, “But she might still kill you, that wasn't a joke." Jimin smacks his friend's back until he settles.

After dinner, you took the twins to the guest house to get ready for bed. Everyone else stayed behind and congregated towards the living room to properly catch up with Ji Wo. Before getting married, the boys saw her around all the time. Since then, they only see her on the rarest occasions. It sucks, but that's the way it has to be.

"Anyways, thank you all for letting us stay here. I know it's not everyday you guys get the chance to go on vacation."

All of you were staying at BTS's vacation home out on Daecheong Island. Technically it was Jin's vacation home, but since he always said yes when the member's wanted to use it, no one bothered listening to his empty protests anymore.

The island is located in northern South Korea; just west of Seoul. The home was well secluded, on the coastline with plenty of space and privacy, about an hour or so from the nearest town. It was a favorite place for the boys to get away since they had true privacy while there, but could still feel like they were at home. And rarely if ever would they draw attention while in town. The locals knew who they were but lived their own lives on the island and didn't care to bother them.

Namjoon pats Ji Wo's back, "Don't worry about it. We're happy to have you." "Yeah. No filming, practices, recording schedules," Jin stretches back in his chair, "no responsibilities what so ever. Plus now, you and the little ones are here? Talk about a good time." He turns towards Ji Wo though, momentarily becoming serious, "And no one knows where we are. Promise." The rest of the group offers reassurance to Ji Wo.

Hoseok leans in close to his sister, "You didn't tell anyone where you were going right? Didn't have any issues?" She shakes her head no. Anyone else would think that the boys were worried about people finding out where they were. But Ji Wo knew the truth. They wanted to make sure no one knew where she was. Especially her children.

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

Flashback

You remembered the first and only time that you had met Ji Wo's ex-husband. It was the twins' third birthday party and the first of many without their father. Ji Wo pulled out all the stops to try and make it as special as possible. There ended up being just enough commotion for him to sneak in through the side gate.

You'd heard plenty about how he lost custody of the twins due to his alcoholism, and how more than once it led him to put his hands on the them. Not to mention the few screws he had loose in the head. He'd never do anything less than swear he loved his children more than anything and just wanted to be a family. But after putting Ji Wo and the twins in the hospital, twice, he didn't stand a chance in court. At the final hearing he reeked of alcohol and rambled on about making Ji Wo pay for stealing his children from him. He was detained for disorderly conduct and Ji Wo won sole custody.

There wasn't a word from him after that so no one expected him to show up that day.

You didn't know what he looked like, but the new stench of alcohol in the air and screams from Chin-hae was more than enough information. "Oh come on son, I brought you a present...I think?" The drunk stumbled around trying to feel for the nonexistent gift. Every child ran to their parents as you ushered them all inside the house. Ji Wo didn't have security then, and this was the moment to change that.

Chin-hae and Eun clung to Ji Wo's legs, remembering enough of their father to be afraid. "Seo-Jun. What are you doing here." He acted genuinely offended by her comment, "Is it not my children's birthdays? Their father should be here." He staggered closer and Ji Wo struggled not to shake more than she already was. "N-No. You, should leave. The restraining order-" "TO HELL WITH THAT PIECE OF PAPER!" His outburst even made you jump. You needed to hurry and make sure everyone was safe inside before going to help Ji Wo. Only a few more people and then you would be free to kick his pasty ass.

"Seo-Jun please, you're drunk; you're scaring the kids." "Oh, well then," his posture straightens and eyes go dark, "i'm suddenly feeling very sober. No need to be scared now. Come on kids, give your dear old dad a big hug." Only a sour breath away from them and both kids were soaked in their tears. They cried "Mom no! Don't make us!" "We'll be good! PLEASE!!" "MOM!?" Ji Wo clung onto them as hard as she could without hurting them. She took two steps back for every one Seo-Jun made. "Come on guys, you're not being very nice. You can't still be mad about last time right? I said sorry. And hey! I have some new friends for you to meet." Three men entered the backyard with eyes glued to the kids. "Seo-Jun please! Don't do this!?" "Ji Wo. Honey, you know I won't ask again," he holds out his arms, "Hand them over." When the men start advancing Ji Wo drops down to her knees to shield her children as best she could. But she was crying just as hard as they were, just as terrified.

One man had his hand on Eun's flailing leg for less than a second before being drop kicked by you running at full speed. He didn't get up until the ambulance arrived. Without hesitating you go after the next one, throwing hit after hit until he falls and doesn't get up. The third pulls out a knife and you see red. Knives, real knives like these, sent you into an unstoppable rage. You had plenty of reasons to hate them, and even more to hate Seo-Jun. The man took a few swipes at you before taking a misstep and gives you the opening you need. A single move and you get ahold of the knife, toss it, and start breaking as many of his bones as possible. This wasn't just about stopping a kidnapping anymore, it was making sure they suffered as much as time allowed you.

This would be the first time Ji Wo and the kids see you fight; see you turn into a monster, "Y/n?" and Hoseok. The look on your face must have terrified him because he stumbles back before being able to focus on the situation. Hoseok runs to help Ji Wo, taking Chin-hae so the four can make a faster break for the house.

Seeing his plan go to shit, Seo-Jun makes a last ditch effort to grab at least one of the kids. He takes after Ji Wo and Eun but luckily he's a lot slower than you are. You drop the near lifeless body you'd been breaking and sprint after him. He sees you coming and his desperation overtakes logic. Seo-Jun reaches into his jacket, "You're not taking them away again bitch! Let's see how you like it!!"

*CLICK*

"Y/N!!"

*BANG!*

A silent cry forces its way out. You're hands radiating fire from the new hole in the side of it. Your panicked reflex led to sloppy technique in redirecting the barrel of the gun from Eun. you can't let it slow you down. A left hook and solid kick to the side of his knee and Seo-Jun crumbles. Working through the pain, you knock the gun out of his hand and jump on top of him, hitting him with everything you've got; every punch you know with all the strength you have left. You couldn't feel anything from your right hand up to your elbow, 'guess I'll just have to keep going until it comes back.'

You don't know how long it's been, could be minutes maybe only seconds, but Seo-Jun had stopped moving. You know that you should probably quit now, but hearing Eun scream for you a moment ago was far too close to home. You knew that sound; you're brother made that sound. And the more you remembered it, the more it seemed this high you were on would never end. You didn't want it to. You hated Seo-Jun for everything he's done and for everything he reminded you of. The life you fought through Hell to escape from. If he lived through this, you swore you'd finish him off for good one day.

Your ears were still ringing from the gunshot but a voice fought it's way through. "y/n...Y/N! You have to stop! It's okay now! You need to calm down! Please!" If Hoseok would be honest with himself, he was too afraid of you to do more than scream from a safe distance, let alone try and touch you. The way you weren't letting up on Seo-Jun's body even for a moment. He looked over at the man you had been beating up when he arrived. His body was crumpled and folded over like a distorted carcass. It was inhumane; indigestible. He knew parts of your past but seeing it manifest in front of him? he didn't imagine being this afraid of you. Would you ever hurt him? How thin was this line you toed? Did he know you at all- "AHH-!"

*BANG!*

Hoseok doesn't move when blood splatters across his face. He can't even will his tears the courage to fall. He had been too lost in thought to realize the second man you attacked had gotten up. How he had only been step or two away from him, gripping his partners knife. He didn't notice how swiftly you turned and shot him with Seo-Jun's gun. Square between the eyes without blinking your own. You killed a man without hesitation, totally relaxed with zero remorse.

The only thing strong enough to pull you out of your rampage was someone you loved being in harms way. No amount of rage could trump the urge to protect them, and only once they were safe would you feel yourself come back to earth. You stood up, back in reality, but Hoseok was still lost in the clouds. Only a few moments ago he was debating the origins of your soul, now he knew you were his guardian angel. If not for you he would be a pile of sliced meat right now, or Ji Wo, or even the twins. They could have been taken like Seo-Jun wanted or worse, also like Seo-Jun wanted. Ji Wo was helpless to stop it and he arrived too late regardless. You knew all of this already, that's why you fought for them. With all of your heart you protected Hoseok's family; his whole world, and now him too. He'd never be able to repay you.

"D.I.P.D.! Drop the gun! Hands up both of you!"

"Backyard is secure."

"Roger that. Civilians are all accounted for and inside of the home is secure."

"We've got four bodies; call for another ambulance." "Yes sir."

"Check for pulses and take those two into custody already!" "Sir!"

The next month was nothing but back to back court hearings, being shuffled to and from your holding cell, and meeting with lawyers before and afterwards. Everyone who was at the birthday party had to testify in court, then they were free to go. But almost every one stayed throughout the entire trial. Your motives weren't lost on them; they knew what a monster Seo-Jun was and it was obvious what he was there to do. Each testimony painted you as the selfless hero who saved the day. Mounted against Seo-Jun was a multitude of eye witness testimonies, means and motive, forensic evidence, the crime scene report, and the irrefutable security camera footage. Seo-Jun's remaining accomplices got 18 months by accepting a plea deal while Seo-Jun himself received 3 years, eligible for early release after 2 on good behavior.

Normally with the amount of evidence against Seo-Jun, this case would have been open and shut in a matter of days. But in private you were being psychologically evaluated and cross examined by both teams and the judge personally, to determine your own fate. Your personal file, although sealed from the public and PI Investigations, had to be taken into consideration. In the end you were cleared of all charges and free to go. If anyone asked, the delay in your release was due to some "administrative issue with the paperwork or whatever" and so you spent that time just sitting in your cell counting sheep.

During your release, "We know who Seo-Jun is y/n. Be careful," the judge leans in close as you walk past her and whispers, "stay close to those kids." That decided your fate, whatever that may come to be. This wasn't over; Seo-Jun would be back, so not a day would go by that you weren't by their sides.

You were prepared for the worst when you saw the Jung's again. You thought they'd call you a monster and tell you to stay away. But tears poured from your eyes when Chin-hae and Eun crashed into your legs and refused to let you leave them again. Ji Wo's hug surprised you most, you two had never hugged before. She immediately hired you as the kids' personal bodyguard but if anyone asked you were their nanny. (A secondary role you fell into). She moved you into one of the spare bedrooms of her new undisclosed address and location home, just down the hall from the kids' rooms. She told you to do what you want with the room; paint it, rearrange it, knock out a wall, you name it. Then gave you a personal black card to use how you like. You told her it was all too much, trying to remain humble and modest, but it just made her cry. She couldn’t comprehend how else she could repay you for what you did for her and the kids, not that she felt this even amounted to enough.

Next you hand picked her new security detail. Each candidate had to fight you in hand-to-hand combat as the final test, and whoever didn't go down in 30 seconds made the cut. One of them managed to land a hit and became head of security, also your fill in whenever you weren't around.

Hoseok hadn't come around the first few days after your release. 'Why would he, he saw what I can really do. What i'm really like.' Ji Wo would tell you not to worry or think too much, that he probably just needed a bit more time to process some things.

You woke up on morning and were instantly suspicious, "What?" Ji Wo just kept smiling ang giggling to herself on the couch, "Oh, nothing. Just a funny book." "You're not reading a book-" "Oh the door! I wonder who that could be." You turn to the guard stationed in the main hallway, "She hasn't been drinking has she?" "No ma'am."

Ji Wo prances back into the room, "It's for you!" then off into the kitchen. "Ji Wo I know you're pretending; you haven't cleaned a single dish in 6 years." "Just go to the door?!" You shuffle down the hall, "I hope your mystery guest doesn't mind me looking like hell!"

"They don't,"

you stop.

"They think you always look pretty great actually."

"Hoseok..."

He stood at the door holding your favorite flowers and dressed to the nines, "What is this, what are you doing?" He stepped through the threshold, "Can I come in? I don't want to end up like the last guy who didn't ask you." His joke was stupid and inappropriate but he laughed like a goofball all the same. You tried to smile but couldn't stop the frown from forming. You look down at your feet suddenly feeling ashamed and embarrassed in front of Hoseok. He closes the door and puts down the flowers. He holds your hands in his, "What's wrong?" "Nothing I," 'I was afraid you hated me,' "I just missed you. You haven't been around since..." The words were stuck in your throat and you were at a loss at how to get them out. "I thought..." He understood, "Hey no, no. I'll admit I did need some time to process what happened but, I could never..." 'I'm not afraid of you,' He cupped your face and lifted it to make sure you heard this next part, "I owe you my life y/n. You saved all of us, and that's not something that a bad person would do. I could never be afraid of you; I love you." You wiped a stray tear and playfully punched Hoseok in the shoulder, "Hobi don't," "What? I don't mean like that!" You both laughed. It was a relief to feel like things were back to normal between the two of you.

"You know what I mean." "Yeah I do. I love you too Hoseok. Now seriously, what is all of this; what's with the get up?" "Oh, well I was worried that you might be feeling a little down so I wanted to treat you to a day out! Starting with breakfast at that fancy restaurant you like." "The one with the giant fish tank? And we get to pick out which fish we want to eat?!" "Yes now hurry up and go get dressed, our reservation's in 45 minutes." Your sprint towards your room looked the exact same as the twins. Passing the kitchen you hear Ji Wo, "He's feeding you isn't he." "YUP! My favorite!" “Bring me back some-" "Absolutely not!"

20 minutes later and you're speeding back down the stairs dressed and ready to go. "There's no need to pull me out the door like this! We have a reservation; we won't have to wait to eat-"

"But all the good fish could already be gone! I want one so fat and juicy it has rolls!"

"Fish don't have rolls-y/n you're drooling on my sleeve-Ew it's on my hand! Let go already!"

You shove his body into the car and jump in after him, "Let's go Dae-Hyun! Get us there in 10 minutes and i'll get you whatever you want to eat." "Deal."

"Don't you mean i'll get him-?"

"Not now Hoseok I have to focus. Momma's going fishing."

Hoseok rolls his eyes at your theatrical evil grin, "For someone with a shellfish allergy you're too excited to eat fish."

"What can I say, I go wherever the spirits lead me."

"You're not spiritual."

"I am when they lead me to fish."

End of Flashback

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"Good night honey. Sweet dreams." You had already finished tucking Chin-hae into bed and now it was his sisters turn. "Sweet dreams y/n. You'll be here when I wake up right?" "Always." You kiss her forehead and turn off the lights when you leave. You went down the hall to your room to change into something more comfortable before heading back out to the main house. Security had already been stationed around the guest house, so you felt okay leaving the twins here alone for a while. On your way out, you passed by the kid's room once more, 'Eun must have been really tired. How has her snoring never woken up Chin-hae before.’

You smile thinking about those rascals on your walk back to the main house.

Jung Chin-hae and Jung Eun.

Your favorite people in the whole world. A fact that hurt Hoseok's feelings even though he felt the same way. He never knew if because of his lifestyle, he would ever actually find true love, get married, and have children of his own. So his niece and nephew were the closest that he was going to get, and he loved them with all of his heart.

Ji Wo chose Chin-hae's name because it means 'depth of the ocean.' Going to the beach and being on the water was something that she craved constantly while she was pregnant with them. It was her escape and sense of peace while she faced struggles in her personal life. She had recurring dreams about sailing off with her children, away from their problems, and starting new lives as mermaids living happily in the sea. When they were born Chin-hae came out first, technically making him older, and it's how he acted. He was a textbook caring and protective big brother to his sister. His emotions could sometimes get the better of him (as demonstrated at dinner) but he had the biggest heart and was so thoughtful. Especially when it came to Eun.

Eun's name was chosen without a second thought. As soon as she opened her eyes, she looked up at Ji Wo with shining silver eyes. As beautiful as they were, there was concern. The doctors did some tests and found out that Eun was colorblind. They explained, in laymen's terms, that the parts of the eye that perceived color hadn't developed and therefor lacked pigment. That's why her eyes looked silver, and how Ji Wo chose her name.

When the two got older, Ji Wo tried explaining that Eun was colorblind, but Chin-hae didn't understand and thought that she meant Eun was completely blind. This misunderstanding created many memories that you'll never forget. You laugh to yourself thinking about one of your favorites. Chin-hae was constantly by his sister's side since learning that she was 'blind'. He was always holding her hand, trying to do everything for her, even tried brushing her teeth every now and then. One time you had called them to dinner but heard the two yelling at each other in the other room.

"Careful Eun! You have hold my hand, there's a step, you'll fall!"

"No I won't! I do it myself!"

"You can't! You're blind!"

"Nu uh! I see you!"

"No! You not see anything!"

Eun gasped, "I not see you?"

"No!"

She immediately started bawling her eyes out, "No oppa, I not see you!"

Chin-hae did his best to comfort her and grabbed her hand, "Hush Eun, it's okay. You always just hold me, like this."

He walked her over to the table and sat like nothing had happened but you couldn't wait to relay it all to Ji Wo. It was the sweetest thing watching him make her plate and then try to feed her. Ji Wo had to explain things a few more times before they finally understood what she meant. Even so, he still describes every color that he sees to her whenever she asks. You often daydream that that's how things could have been with you and your brother.

You let the bitter-sweet memory fade away when you enter the living room and take a seat next to Hoseok. ‘Of course he was saving me a seat next to him.’ He nuzzles himself into your side and carries on talking about the upcoming festival on the island. No one listens to a word he says because how could they? Did he just willingly throw himself into the lions den? What were you going to do they thought,

‘is she going to gouge out his eyes?’

‘Stab him for invading her space?’

‘Pull out his hair?’

‘Use his bones to make her bread-? Oh wait no that’s Shrek.’

Your only reaction though is to put your arm around him and listen to his rambling about this festival. You never bored of your ray of sunshine. You could always count on him to lift you up or calm you down. Of everyone you knew, no one was able to explain how the two of you could be so close. With seemingly nothing in common, you were total opposites and not in a cute Christmas romcom type of way. But maybe that was why you loved him so much.

The expectation is that the people who’d like you would look just as scary, be just as off putting, just as much a monster as you knew you really were. Yet it was someone like Hoseok to welcome you into his life. He saw the sliver of a good heart that you still had and spoke life into it.

“You’ll never leave us again.”

“We owe you our lives.”

“You’re not a bad person.”

“I love you y/n.”

Even though you weren’t into holding hands, snuggling on the couch, or going to whatever festival Hoseok was talking about, you’d do it for him. For all of them. So you let him snuggle into your side while you run your fingers through his hair like he liked, and Hoseok plays with your free hand. “-that sound good to you y/n?”

‘God knows what he’s talking about’

“Yeah sounds good Hobi.”

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boop-le-snoot · 4 years ago

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masterpost ☀️ main masterlist ☀️ taglist

previously on...

Chapter 5. We have stucky, we have stevesambucky friendship, we have a new place to live and strange being a good guy because tony definitely ranted at him. Also, we're beginning the creepy part of the plot. I have decided that sam will be one of the main platonic characters in this story because I love sam.

fun fact: I used to be a creepypasta writer! Going back to my roots here, hehe.

Things had stated changing, for better or worse, much sooner than I had been prepared for - but was anyone, ever, really ready for the next big step? Certainly not me - the view that greeted me after I'd finished my shift at Jeremy's was peculiar and unexpected, so I froze, eyebrows high at the two super-soldiers parked, once again, illegally, right in front of the entrance door.

"Hi, doll," Bucky was reclined against his boyfriend comfortably, his bike standing a pace behind Steve's, who nodded companionably, a sheepish grin on his face.

"G'day," I nodded, eyeing them warily. "I think I know where this is going..."

"No, no, nothing like that," both men frantically waved their hands around, Steve coming up close to approach me slowly. "You're not in trouble. I came out here to say thanks," giving a sappy look to the grouch that was his boyfriend, Steve reached into his pocket and handed me a slip of paper. "Just, uh..."

"Those are our phone numbers. Don't hesitate to give either one of us a call if someone bothers you," Bucky took over the stammering blonde, shaking his head at the soft blush that blossomed on the good captain's face. The brunette wrapped an arm around Steve's shoulders with a shy smile of his own. "Or if you, I don't know, need someone to carry your groceries or something," he snorted. "The punk wouldn't leave it alone until we came out personally to thank you, the sap."

The laughter bubbled up from my chest as I grabbed and pocketed the paper, throughly amused and at the endearing gesture. "Sure, thanks."

"And, uh," Bucky's eyes briefly looked to the side. "We'd appreciate if you keep the status of our relationship to yourself for now. We're not, like, officially out yet."

I froze in place, mouth falling open. Surely they were aware that anybody with a functional pair of eyes could see that they were much more than 'good, lifelong friends'. "No problem, guys. Lemme know if anyone gives you shit about it though, this place," I gestured to the café behind me, "is strictly paparazzi and homophobe-free."

Steve's grin grew even more genuine. "Yeah, we heard all about it from Tony and Stephen. Said 'twas the only place they go these days."

I wasn't aware of that. "It's the paps, isn't it?" I remembered Tony's remarks.

Bucky shook his head, the metals of his prosthetic arm whirring as it recalibrated. "Not only. The public hasn't had the best reaction to a man goin' out with a man," the brunette looked away to the side, where Steve's face had fallen considerably. "And Tony's an eccentric rich man. We're jus' two soldiers. The US Army won't be too happy if we... Came out," both men were crestfallen yet determined.

I had a hunch nothing would be able to separate the two - seeing as not even seventy-odd years and brainwashing and ice couldn't keep the captain and his sarge apart, I doubted that a few government weasels could successfully do the job. Even so, it was unpleasant, to say the least, to see them deny themselves something that technically was perfectly fine in the 21st century.

I chewed on my lip, gathering my wits. "I've clocked out, I can tell you this as a friend- as a person. You don't owe the army jack shit. They do not own you, you are your own person that they experimented their German knockoff steroids on. Respectfully, fuck that shit." I firmly stated my opinion, figuring that there should have been at least someone that told Steve that he is more than his star-spangled uniform and giant metal frisbee.

The blonde scrunched his eyebrows together, fingers gripping onto his belt until the knuckles went white, the hard line of his jaw set firm.

Bucky laugh took me by surprise. "Agreed, doll. I'm too old to be hiding in back alleys and shit," he clapped on his boyfriend's shoulder. "Although I'm happy enough with just not going to prison for bein' in love with this idiot."

"Jerk," Steve's responding pout was downright adorable now that I knew the circumstances surrounding their relationship.

Which wasn't exactly surprising. As a barista, I knew my fair share about my regulars' love lives, their jobs, their kids. The tea was almost always piping hot. "Bye, boys," I smiled at them warmly, throwing a glance at the time, adjusting the strap of my bag for comfort. "Stay outta trouble!"

Steve scrambled for his bike, having noticed my pointed gesture. "Sorry, didn't mean to hold you back. There, I have a spare helmet," he gestured behind him. "I'll give you a ride."

"There's no way in Hell I'm getting on that death trap!" I shouted cheerfully, walking briskly towards my second job, hiding a laugh in the warmth of my scarf as two very offended motorcycle-loving gay fossils sped past me, making truly incredible amounts of noise. Good for them.

Odette was content to let me rummage around the bodega without showing herself more than necessary, taking her appointments and doing- well, witch stuff, I guess, only coming out to poke at the various jars for ingredients.

"Star, I have a proposition for you," right before closing time, Odette's voice filled out the store with its low drawl. "A good friend of mine owns an apartment building, not far from here actually, and one tenant recently moved out. It's a safe space for those who are different," she enunciated the last word, fixing it with a pointed stare. "She's not overly fond of total strangers coming to live there. The rent is reduced and the apartment itself is slightly bigger and more fashionable than yours..."

"Where's the catch?" I found myself interrupting her. I wouldn't lie: the reduced rent and increased size of the apartment did interest me, as well as the probability of a kinder, more involved landlord. My current one was - not the best, but such was life in the NYC.

"There are a few rules to follow, rules that might seem strange at first but they'll make sense in time. And your neighbors might be also a little... Unusual," Odette carefully studied my face for any signs of displeasure.

I sighed.

And then I sighed some more as I was signing my new lease in a few days' time, having spoken with Porter, my new landlord, and his boyfriend who had claws and fangs- after so much time spent around Odette's, I didn't even blink. The couple liked me enough to extend a secure but flexible offer and some furniture to choose from the attic where they kept the spares.

I quite liked the large, vintage couch I placed next to the wide bow windows in the living room. The floors were hardboard and well-kept, the walls a nice, homely shade of green and Porter didn't mind any new holes in them that might arise from hanging up decorations. I scheduled a thrift crawl at the next possible opportunity, happy with the "good employee" bonus Odette had given me after I sealed the deal.

My stuff was boxed up, a sleepless night and a call to a begrudging Jeremy to have a couple of days off to move; I was, thankfully, not late on my schedule and all that I had left was to rent a car to move the boxes of my things and the few pieces of furniture I had decided to keep - my haul in Porter's attic had been incredibly rewarding and my new apartment had all the basics to make it look like a warm, inviting bohemian home in a while.

My phone rang suddenly, startling interruption to the romcom I was watching as I ate my last lunch in my old apartment. "Hello?" I answered the number without looking.

"Hi, doll," Bucky's voice rang out cheerful. "A little witch told me you were moving. I thought you might need a hand?"

I blanked momentarily, the thought of enlisting two very busy super-soldiers to haul ten boxes and two endtables worth of stuff not having crossed my mind at all. "Is this the moment when you stop by my house just to unattach and put your prosthetic arm somewhere and leave?" I asked, hearing distinctive snickering - several more people were with him.

The cheer in his voice blossomed into a full belly laugh. "You're funny," he teased me. "And thanks for the idea. But no, I have a room full of men that have nothing better to do but get on my nerves. Might as well make 'em useful," his accented drawl thickened the more we spoke. Muted cheers rang out in the background.

"Uh, sure," who was I to look a gift horse in the mouth? I rattled off my address and warned them I didn't have a car, after which Bucky assured me it will be taken care of. The last remaining knick-knacks packed away, I went down to take out the trash, and returned to four people standing in front of my apartment building, all except one unrecognisable in their civilian clothes. "Hello," I waved at them, side-eyeing the tallest, grumpiest man of the bunch.

Stephen Strange was there, looking around curiously, hands in the pockets of his plain grey hoodie. I had already forgotten how normal he looked without his robes, and, frankly speaking, I preferred him like that. His title and the attire that came with it were quite intimidating.

"Hey there," a dark-skinned man who I recognised to be the Falcon, raised his hand. I had not met him yet. "I'm Sam, Sam Wilson. You must be the Star we're helping?" His quick once-over and the tilt to his lips; the ease with which he flirted had me brandishing smirks of my own. I led them all upstairs, Stephen's silence being just so loud. Sam, however, had no such reservations. "So, you're a witch, right?" Wow, subtlety was his middle name.

"Yes, I'll show you my broomstick," I deadpanned, wiggling my eyebrows at him with a grim look.

"Woah woah," Sam raised his hands as the three men behind us snickered loudly. "What happened to 'how are you? let's have dinner sometime'?"

I did my best imitation of an evil cackle as I let them through my front door. The four newcomers looked around my nearly empty apartment with muted interest before zeroing in on the pile of things in the corner: a few pieces of furniture and nearly taped boxes. Should be a walk in the park for four men.

A hand on my arm pulled me from the stupor of observing Sam, Bucky and Steve act like a well-oiled trio, bantering and teasing each other as they discussed how to best move the things.

"Look," Stephen Strange had all the appearance of a chastised puppy. "I wanted to apologize for my behaviour that day. I was out of line," the low notes in his voice made the appearance of the apology being somewhat reluctant. Tony probably put him to it after our little burger run.

Irregardless, I wasn't looking to make any enemies. "Me too, I was under stress - not that I'm using it as an excuse," to give where it's due, I nodded at the sorcerer, immediately awestruck by the easy, boyish smile that stretched on his lips.

"You are strong," he added. "If you would like to learn our ways, we would welcome you." There was a spark in his eyes, something belonging to man that respected and collected knowledge. My own respect for him grew immensely just from that one thing.

"I'll think about it," I offered amicably, however, I still leaned heavily towards a negative answer to that particular proposition. I liked my current way of life.

Strange's grin made a momentary second appearance, until Sam's voice rang loudly: "Fire in the hole, Wizard-man," causing the former to groan loudly and look at me.

"Think about your new place for a second," he spoke, briefly touching out fingertips. As soon as that was over, a golden circle with my new living room on the other side of it appeared quietly, Strange's hands immediately going back into his pockets after that. I sighed and pointed the men into it, stepping in a second after. The sorcerer wasn't far behind. "You could learn that, too, you know," he added wryly, having seen my look of mild envy directed at him.

"I think I'll be good with having the 'pissed off the sorcerer Supreme and lived' pass for now," I retorted with an eyeroll, turning around to stare him down.

He had the decency to look somewhat sheepish, at least. "I'm not like my predecessor," his words were chosen carefully. "And, to be honest, I have no clue as to why your... Boss is so hostile towards me- us," Strange looked around the room before unceremoniously beelining for the couch and plopping down on it.

"Not to be a gossip," I started, slightly intrigued. "But Odette and some lady she called ancient had mad beef," I slipped into casual language easily, trying to recall the details of Odette's, quite often jumbled, stories. "Sounded almost like territorial disputes," I shrugged. "And the apprentices Odette took on before me found themselves in all kinds of compromising situations," I chewed on my lip. "Like the Arctic."

Strange rubbed his face with a noisy groan, large hands doing nothing to mask the resignation and slight embarrassment.

I focused on the thin, red scars on his hands - they had to have been something serious, the way slight tremors betrayed the deteriorating state of the nerves in his fingers. I frowned, quickly averting my gaze before he could catch me ogling him. The fact thag Stephen kept his hands in his pockets or covered by gloves at all times didn't go over my head.

He muttered something to himself, something that sounded like he was often forced to clean up his predecessor's mess. "I see," was the only thing he'd offered me, looking slightly pitiful and apologetic.

"Well," I started, noting the last of my stuff was about to be in its rightful place, "as long as you don't toss me into the ocean, I think we can coexist peacefully."

"Tony would kill me if I'd tried," Stephen groused.

"Probably," I agreed. "Considering the fact he hit on me, for you, it would make one hell of a lover's quarrel," my hand pointed towards the kitchen as Steve and Sam carried in the boxes aptly labeled "kitchen", looking around a place to put them down.

"Tony did what now?" Stephen's tone dropped, a wry smirk decorating his lips as he eyed me through his lashes.

"Don't ask me," I raised my palms, feeling my eyes widen. "He's chaos personified and Satan only knows what he's got on his mind."

That squeezed a laugh out of the tall man, followed by a fond, sappy smile as he looked out of my large, panoramic window, probably thinking of Tony himself. There was no doubt, Stephen Strange was utterly and throughly head over heels in love with Tony Stark. Good for them, good for them.

"A-and that's it," Bucky walked in, wiping his hands on a kitchen towel I'd provided them earlier. "I took some liberties and assembled the furniture, Steve is stacking the dishes as we speak," the brunette noisily plopped down next to me, arm carelessly thrown behind me on the back of the couch.

"Oh, um," I stammered, unused to such random gestures of kindness. "Thanks a lot, you saved me a day's worth of time and a backache," I smiled, scooting over to make some room for Sam.

"No problem, not like we had anything better to do than argue which part of the Lord of the Rings is the best," Wilson rolled his eyes, elbowing Bucky none-too-gently.

Bucky elbowed back, thus starting a horsing war between the two, causing me to scoot closer to Stephen as I attempted to avoid any flailing limbs; the sorcerer and I shared an identical, perplexed sigh as to how two grown men could easily bait each other into such juvenile behaviour.

Whatever. It was kind of endearing.

Steve emerged from the kitchen dusty but smiling, having heard the commotion, and quickly herded his guys into a semblance of decent behaviour before all of three of them left, leaving me and Stephen to go back to my old apartment and give the keys to it to the guard. That was done, too, and a portal from an alley behind my old building straight into my living room had me and Strange awkwardly hovering, saying out goodbyes and waving to each other as the golden circle rapidly shrunk in size and disappeared, golden sparks scattering across my living room carpet for a short second before they fizzled out, too.

I used the brief moment of respite to find the small piece of paper containing the rules Porter had insisted I read and take seriously; figuring it might be a good idea to give them a read before beginning to unpack, I popped open a bottle of soda, holding the itemized list written in neat cursive to my face.

The further I read, the further my eyebrows rose:

"1. Keep your door locked at all times.

2. If a person knocks on your door claiming to be the mail man, do not open the door under any circumstances. You are free to ignore the knocking - it only lasts a minute or so. After the person has left, you may open the door and check for any packages.

3. If Samantha from 3B visits you and asks you to babysit, you may do so at your personal discretion. Her twins are a handful and their daily habits are not for the ones with a weak stomach, however, they mean nothin ill and will not harm you in any way.

4. Do not use the elevator between the hours of 1 and 4 AM.

5. There are no apartments under number "7". If someone claiming to be from those apartments knocks on your door and requests entry, come up with a polite excuse to decline and send me a text message. I will take care of it.

6. There is no garden on the premises of this building. If a man approaches you, claiming to be a gardener, don't interact with him and simply walk away. He will leave you alone.

7. You may meet a girl in a polka-dot dress playing in the hallways or in the stairwell. This is Lucy. Always be polite to Lucy - you won't like what will happen if you're rude to her. She does not talk but she knows limited ASL and may request to visit you. Allow her in ONLY if you have fresh meat in your fridge (beef or mutton, preferably bloody). You might want to avoid seeing her eat, however, it might be very beneficial to make friends with Lucy. She knows a lot of things.

8. If, when taking the stairs, you encounter inconsistent numeration of the floors, such as floor 2 followed by floor 5 and etc, simply walk a flight back. It will sort itself out. The building is old and sometimes it gets confused.

Important notice: these rules apply to your guests as well. Please make sure to introduce and educate them on these matters. We will help as much as we can should a situation arise but ultimately, there are fates far worse than an untimely, however swift, death.

- Porter and Lance."

A slow, creeping dread began to gnaw at my nape, curling on like a cold snake deep in chest. As if laughing at me, the warm, welcoming embrace of the green walls and the toothy, wide smiles my landlords had given me encouraged my recently found sense of adventure, all of it mixing into a cacophony of exhilaration and unease, equally steadily driving my running brain insane.

I sighed again, immediately going to the box containing my altar and the rest of the protective items. So much for peace.

Taglist: @couldntbedamned @mikariell95 @letsby @sleep-i-ness @toomanyrobins @mostly-marvel-musings @persephonehemingway @schemefrenzy @lillsxd @bluecrazedandbeautiful @slothspaghettiwrites @xoxabs88xox

#practical alchemy #bun writes #tony stark x reader x stephen strange #stephen strange x reader x tony stark #ironstrange x reader #stephen strange x reader #tony stark x reader #stephen strange x y/n #tony stark x y/n #Stephen Strange x you #tony stark x you

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scrambled-writings-of-an-amateur · 3 years ago

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I had always wanted a sibling, but now I'm glad I never got one.

Not that I didn't really really want a sibling. But hear me out.

I was 9 years old when my mom started using hard drugs. 9 years old when my grandma, the only thing I had close to a mother, had passed away. I truly had nobody. My mom isolated me from my dad and kept me from him using threats and blackmail. My whole family moved to a different state to be closer to my grandma's grave. I have no idea why my mom even wanted me with her so badly if she wasn't going to take care of me. Her biggest concern was always her next fix. She worked at a small gas station down the street from where we lived. She would work while I was at school. Eventually, she quit her job to use drugs full-time. I started missing school, fearing that one day, I'd walk in and find her dead. There were people I didn't know constantly coming and going from our house. I had to grow up and learn to take care of not only myself, but a grown woman, too. I learned how to cook with what we had, which was never much at all. I learned you can actually make scrambled eggs in a cup using a microwave. Sounds disgusting, but it's actually not that bad. I lived off of microwaved eggs for a week. Only eating once a day. When we ran out, we no longer had food. My mom no longer had money for food. Only money for drugs. We went weeks without food before a neighbor was kind enough to bring us a food box from a local charity. I would steal small things from the corner store to hold me off. I really learned to ignore my hunger, which still impacts me today. My mom's boyfriend and his younger son would stay with us often. I hated when he did. He was never very nice to me. Not like her last boyfriend was. When he was there, I'd leave the house. Wander around with my friend, whose mom was also on drugs. We would ride our scooters all around town all night. My mom never really cared that I was gone so late. She eventually got an eviction notice from spending rent money on meth. She never told me about anything. I started staying with a girl I went to school with. Her mom had no idea what was going on. I stayed there for about 2 and a half weeks before her mom was like, "okay, you need to go home."

I no longer had a home to go back to. I can't remember how I survived being homeless. For good reason, I'm sure, my brain blocked that memory from me. All I remember is that I was homeless for about 2 weeks before my mom found me again. She drove up in an old car I'd never seen before and said, "I have your stuff packed in the trunk. Get in, we're going to Texas. Just you and me." She smiled at me. The state my grandma was buried in. Where my whole family lived. Without a second thought, I climbed into the backseat. It was only then that I noticed she had her boyfriend with her in the passenger seat. The door was child locked. I was stuck. Needless to say, she did not drive us to Texas. She drove me to my grandmother's, where my dad was staying. She took me out of the car along with a big black trash bag full of clothes that didn't even fit me anymore and dragged me to the front door. She rang the doorbell and as soon as my dad opened the door, she ran. I chased after her but it was already too late. She had jumped back into the car and drove off. My dad was very visibly upset. He was never the best at containing his anger. He got in my face and screamed that I would never see my mom again. All I could do was cry. I never understood why I had to go through all of this. I never understood why God wanted me to hurt so badly.

Now I know, that I would never want someone else to have gone through that with me. For all of this and more, I'm glad I'm an only child.

#rough childhood #only child #drug abuse #neglect #child abuse #trauma #childhood trauma #mental illness #survivor

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mysticdragon3md3 · 3 years ago

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I too was excited to see why Ryuji is trending and... ;_;

People are comparing him to a sexual abuser, like Kamoshida? I mean, yeah he shouldn't have looked down Ann's shirt. That wasn't cool. And some of his comments about Ann's Panther costume when she first got it, were not in good taste. But is Twitter seriously saying that puts him on the same level as Kamoshida? KAMOSHIDA???????????? omfg... I just can't anymore, you guys...I just can't anymore... x_x

Just this past week, I watched an Anituber video essayist mention the ubiquitous female objectification in anime as "because you know anime is going to anime", and I felt so validated about sensing that the amount of female objectification in Japanese media has become pretty much expected, normalized, even in the most unnecessary, tiniest ways. I'm so tired of being gaslit about this. Yes, Japanese media in general has a problem with making sure to have close ups of girls' bodies being ogled and women being reduced to (romantic) prizes to be coveted. That beach scene in Persona 5 did panning close-up shots of the girls' swimsuits; not the guys'. All the dating options in Persona 5 are from the pool of female Confidants; not the guys. Because "guys as romantic prizes to be won? Feh, what a *riDIcUlOuS* concept!" I understand that sex sells, that traditionally female sexualization sells to a traditionally cishet male audience which is still presumed to be the largest demographic, and that the anime industry (and presumably other Japanese pop culture creation) is actually financially high risk with low financial rewards for most studios, so they have to desperately scrape for any advantage. (Though recently, the Japanese pop culture industries, like anime and videogames, have begun to realize that there is a cishet female market, large enough to cater to as well, by mainstreaming series like Touken Ranbu. And they've also even recently begun to recognize that catering to fujoshi is worth investing into mainstreaming the BL genre, even a little bit. Thus, we're starting to get more mainstream BL fanservice, through series like Free Iwatobi Swim Club, Yuri on Ice, and Classmates.) So it's kind of our fault, for incentivizing studios to mandate and ensure each thing they make contains female objectification. The audience's spending habits and the industries' presumptions of our wants/demographics, have made cheesecake fanservice and waifu bait the most reliable bet for most studios. We spend the most money on collecting waifu bait merch and gacha cards of waifu. We argue the most about who is the "best waifu" and show our allegiances by buying their merch. We have turned waifu and cheesecake fanservice of such waifu, into the most reliable financial returns on investment for studios. And with studios so constantly, precariously on the precipice of bankruptcy, we the audience, have incentivized the mandate of cheesecake fanservice (of women/girls), even at the cost of cohesive storytelling/characterization. I understand all that. Studios are desperate, and they need to stay afloat. They need to cling and scrape towards any advantage they can get. That's why I'm so tired of people saying we're just imagining things. Anime and videogames are mandating to insert female cheesecake fanservice for cishet males, even at the cost of cohesive characterization, story themes, and good writing.

This includes Persona 5 shoehorning Ryuji into being the horny audience surrogate, no matter how awkward, nonsensible, and misaligned it would skew his characterization and previous writing. This is why fans of Ryuji often say his more "perverted" actions in canon, simply feel like a case of bad writing. Those actions don't feel like him. They feel more like fulfilling the Japanese pop media "obligation" to objectify women, than aligned with his character, as set up so far. Because anime/games just *have* to provide a POV audience surrogate character for everyone to ogle the girls through. Or at least reinforce the types of reactions they want from their audience, after showing us all these T&A shots. It felt more like fulfilling anime tropes than further building upon Ryu's established character of defending people, including women, against perverts like Kamoshida. I mean, this is the guy who was chasing down Kamoshida's car because he knew that pervert might do something. This is the guy who ran straight to the faculty office to punch out Kamoshida for torturing Shiho to her tipping point. The guy who jumped in front of a moving cab to rescue Makoto. The guy who survived watching himself and his mom get abused by his dad. And you want us to believe he wouldn't think twice about looking down Ann's shirt on the way to Futaba's Palace? Or up Ann's skirt, when she laid down from a food coma, after they Yusuke's welcome-to-the-Phantom-Thieves meal? Or so eagerly coerce Ann into posing nude? o_O? Atlus wanted us to believe this was consistent characterization??? To the Atlus writers' credit, they did write Ryuji feeling too guilty about going through Project Maid-Watch and they wrote him ditching it at the last minute. But they also wrote AkiRen to look down Ann's shirt without any hesitations and they wrote morgana to also look up Ann's skirt when she laid down from food coma. The Atlus writers---and most Japanese pop culture---just seem to have an unwavering determination towards these female objectification scenes, and they just saddled Ryuji with it, because he's the "silly, rambunctious, comedy relief" character "that you won't have to feel bad when he inevitably gets hit with *slapstick* retribution". Nevermind, it's counter to the story's theme and his characterization, that they've driven pretty hard as being something to take seriously. So some Ryuji fans will just call-out his inconsistent characterization into being creepy towards girls, as "bad writing".

On the other hand, it's wholly possible and realistic for a guy to exist who is against all the sexual abuse, that scum like Kamoshida do, while still being a dumb horny teenager who will do dumb horny teenage boy stuff. (I'm sorry for all the toxic heteronormative presumptions. But that's kind of the archetype that Atlus has been trying to slot Ryuji into...unfortunately.) They grow out of it. Gradually learning to curb dumb horny inclinations, is _not_ the same level as a sexual abuser! Why are people conflating that today?! o~O????????

And from what I've seen of Ryuji in Persona 5 Scramble/Strikers so far, he has been growing out of it. There's a whole lot less creepy ogling coming from him (AKA the writers), even during scenes which any other anime would have. He didn't get creepy about the girls' yukata, he didn't strain to listen to the girls on the other side of the Sapporo onsen, he didn't make grabby hands at the girls' swimsuits again, etc. Any other anime---hell, even in the previous chronological episode of their story, in the original Persona 5---Ryuji and the camera would have been creepy about the girls' yukata, he would have shut up the other guys so he could listen to the girls compare boobs in the onsen, he would have tried to sneak a peek at the girls' onsen, and there would have been a repeat of that close up scene of the girls swimsuits, with Ryuji providing the expected lecherous audience reaction. But none of that happened in P5S. Heck, even if you choose the option to say onsen are great, as if to imply that overhearing the girls talk about their boobs is great, Ryuji gets embarrassed about the topic and immediately tries to change the subject. Watch any anime from the 2000s or earlier, and the goofy, masculine archetype, like Ryuji, would have not only agreed, but would have suggested sneaking a peek at the girls' onsen. I'm actually really surprised that the Kyoto onsen scene didn't result in fanservice, because that's usually what happens. Even in anime where the boys know to escape fast instead of sneaking a peep, there's usually a screw up where they'll Rube-Goldberg-trip into girls' boobs or trip into full-view of the girls without their towels. Any other anime or Japanese media would have done that. It's typical, expected. "Anime is gonna anime." And yet, none of that normalized perversion happened in that scene. Persona 5 Scramble/Strikers, including Ryuji, did a whole lot less "dumb horny teenage boy stuff", suggesting Ryuji was growing out of that with time. Because even if Ryuji can be a little bit of a "dumb horny teen", he still knows better than that, is curbing such inclinations, and is a much better person than to increasingly act on or nurture such inclinations.

Ryuji is a good boy. Please don't conflate him with Kamoshitty.

9:53 AM 9/17/2021 Ok. I found the original Tweet that started this shitstorm. https://twitter.com/HerielP48/status/1438677678400409607

But this Tweet isn't actually saying that Ryuji is the same as Kamoshida. I thought this Tweet was saying that the overall writing, using Ryuji as a mechanic for "pervert comedy" was a bad decision from Atlus's writers, especially since it contradicted the themes of the Kamoshida Palace story arc. I actually agree with that.

9:56 AM 9/17/2021 Oh, wait. There's a previous Tweet to that one: https://twitter.com/HerielP48/status/1438677262145101824

I see that you tried to save the first sentence, with your second sentence---which I agree with: I agree that the writing made an awful decision in having Ryuji or any character sexualize their female friends, after the sexual abuse they suffered. But your first sentence was still very strongly implying that Ryuji as a character is a problem, more than the writing injecting out-of-characterization into the character that they had already established with Ryuji thus far. That wording was just kindling waiting to start a firestorm. ~_~;

10:29 AM 9/17/2021

Well, the one good thing I'll say about Ryuji trending because of dumb, offensive reasons, is seeing the sheer avalanche of people jump to defend him. This wasn't something Ryuji got, early in the fandom! ;o; Remember when he was the most hated character in the fandom??? And now, everyone is overwhelmingly loving on Ryuji today! ;u;!!! Thank you guys. ;u; He is a good boy. ;U;

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