#spurred on by thinking about one of my profs

[asyourshadowfalls]

suddenly getting real emotional about all the people that were(and still are) super important to me but who i'll never contact again

[nimuetheseawitch]

WIP Wednesday

Thanks @spurious for continuing to do this, even if it isn't every Wednesday. I always enjoy the prompts, and usually it helps spur me to writing.

Now, a bit of a warning: I hadn't written in almost 3 weeks before today, and then a new idea gripped me and I just wrote a ton, so I may not be able to work on anything besides that. We'll see. I'll try, I promise.

This week's WIP Wednesday Theme is...

(you better) Work, Bitch

You get two emoji prompts for this one: ✍ Work on your WIP. At least a little bit. Come on. You can do it. 😡 Don't work on it! Complain about it!!! You deserve it!!

State of the WIPs (in order of most recently worked on)

Western AU (TGM, Hangster) - 2700 words

Fungus Hanahaki AU (TGM, Hangster) - 1454 words of just notes. No actual writing yet.

If you give an Ice a cookie (TGM, Gen/pre-Hangster) - 1422 words (this is the Girl Scout cookie sequel)

An embarrassing number of TGM WIPs I haven't looked at in forever, including a spy AU, Jake is going to marry that man, the hate sex one, Love me back to life, The Cockpit, a soulmarks AU, and notes on an anti-military Bradley and more of the math prof AU.

Noir (SGA, McShep) - 3146 words

Hoping that you're happy now (MASH, Hunnihawk) - 2277 words (and a lot of thinking about how I'm going to need to include BJ's feelings about Peg since she cheated and he cheated, and they're still married and he doesn't know how to talk to Hawkeye)

BJ is the worst (MASH, Hunnihawk-ish) - 3665 words

An absurd number of other mostly abandoned ideas that I could totally dredge up and talk about because I still love them even if I don't work on them (including the Flagg/Burns fic, crow!John, Sam/Janet, 1989 McLorne, and more!)

I know it's a lot. And I did actually write (and post) something besides Top Gun fic recently, so I am capable of dragging myself away from this obsession briefly, but most of my brain capacity seems to have been converted to making pilots gay, so...

[folklauerate]

2023 Fic Year in Review

Thanks to @a-regular-jo for tagging me!

List of fics completed

take my hand, wreck my plans, that’s my man series

The Yellow Tulips of Texas

an affair, three ways series

inosculation

cause I’m a mastermind (the west wing au)

in our perfect park

leave the light on

Santa Kate series

fuck it, it’s fine series

I’m on Fire

Modern Omega

Number of words written

502,159 😳

Your most popular fic

The Set Up by a laughably large margin. Although as I checked stats now to answer this question, I see that Bridgerton, Actually (my Love, Actually AU) is now second and it wasn’t before, quite recently actually! It seems it got a lot of holiday readership :)

Your personal fav

This is like asking me to pick a fav child! It’s difficult but I’d have to go with the professor au (take my hand, wreck my plans, that’s my man series). It came at a time where I was feeling uninspired and sort of adrift fandom-wise. Following the completion of Bridgerton, Actually, which was a behemoth and draining to write (though I loved it!), I was in the midst of taking some downtime to just… be. To consume without worrying about creating and to just reconsider. During that time, I read plenty of other things, including fic from other fandoms. I noticed tropes and things I simply hadn’t been exposed to ever/in a while, and found myself really drawn to the idea of an age gap with Kathony. Their fics feature them being near/the same age so often, in an effort to illustrate just how well matched they are. I wanted to do a sort of character study and love story when they had a significant age gap. I wanted to explore the ways Anthony might have been different if he was older, the fears of dying young (perhaps) abated but with no Kate to spur them forward. The Anthony I created in this AU was someone who had lived a bit of a life, hadn’t settled for a marriage for the sake of it, and had grown up and developed his own tastes in between teaching lectures and devoting himself to his family. I feel as though it can be popular to show Anthony devoid of taste or personality in terms of home decor or outside pursuits pre-Kate, and that simply wasn’t an option with him here. I really enjoyed developing this man with cultivated and exacting tastes. I’m getting rambly here so I’ll stop, because I could talk about this oneshot for a while. The point being—this oneshot marked a time of sort of creative freedom for me. When I started writing it, it felt nearly insane. I just wrote and wrote with no real reader expectation because I was writing a daddy kink in a fandom that really didn’t seem to have one. I was writing and entirely possessed by the story and characters and premise itself. I wrote that and nothing else for a while. I wrote it across continents and flights and subways and in my room, alone. I would text Kara about it nonstop and I’d post excerpts and just wrote it and didn’t think about it… and then it came time to post. I genuinely didn’t know how it would be received. And I need to add that it is far from the most popular Kathony fic ever, and it’s not even my most popular Kathony fic ever, but the response was nonetheless astounding. I genuinely couldn’t have expected the way it would be received and I’m so grateful for anyone who spent time with those words and maybe found themselves inspired to push boundaries in their own fic and writing.

Your fav scene

I genuinely can’t pick one. I think I’ve written too much hahaha. I’ll state a few that come to mind now;

In the Texas!Anthony AU I loved writing Anthony meeting Kate’s extended family. I loved giving her an extended family, filled with doting grandparents, noisy cousins, and all the fun hallmarks of Indian American kid life.

The papercut scene in the Prof AU.

Nearly the entirety of the spanking oneshot follow-up to the prof au

And also the Lover inspired fic in the prof au lol

I loved the Balmoral chapter of The Set Up, especially the beginning vignette of three; Charlie/Harry, Hugo/Willie, Kate/ghosts/legacy/history. The moment she lights incense and says a prayer in this really storied, old, English castle is unbelievably significant, I think, in ways that will come to play in the fic now.

So much of the roommates fic is a real love letter to NYC. I did a reread recently and was almost surprised by it myself? I think I’ve had enough time away to be surprised by it and I was. I know those places, I feel those places. I hope the sense of self comes across as significantly for the reader as it does to me.

Writing the aftermath of the shooting scene in The West Wing AU and Kate winning the election as well were really poignant. I cried writing them and I cry rereading them. They’re almost a brilliantly rebellious ode to hope in the face of the perceived hopelessness of US politics. Regardless of whether or not a president like Kate Sharma plausible, I center my politics and general life philosophies around hope. That fic felt like hope and belief in a better world.

A fic or scene that challenged you

Plenty! The Balmoral chapter challenged me a lot until I saw Angels in America and something clicked. I actually can’t think of more right now in a really specific way but I will say anytime I felt challenged I either ignored it or wrote through it. Writing through it was always the answer and right way to tackle it.

A line of writing you’re proud of

There’s definitely a lot I’m a proud of but I am currently traveling and CBA to trawl through over 500k words to find the line I’m proud of. There’s a LOT of prose I’m really proud of though. The recent chapter of Babel where I describe Simon’s party is some of my best work, I think. Sweet Like Honey (stepfather au) has some prose I’m exceptionally proud of. As does the Obsession AU. Some descriptions of Texas in the Texas!Anthony AU are gorgeous. If you can think of anything that stood out to you, let me know.

A comment that touched you

I genuinely treasure every single comment I’ve received and I’m currently working through responding to many (if you get a months late response,,, I’m sorry). I will take this time to impress upon anyone who might be reading that leaving comments can be so encouraging and I do love hearing from readers. Fic really does feel like I’m writing directly for you guys. And so it’s great to get feedback or excited squealing because it makes it less lonely and helps me feel like I’m a part of it with you guys. I love when friends comment, I love when people who I only know through excited screeching on ao3 comment, I really love it all.

Recently, a longtime reader left a comment on my recent update of The Set Up just to thank me for writing this year and it was so moving and so lovely I teared up. It was unbelievably kind and thoughtful. That really snuck in at the end of the year for one that just took the cake for me.

Something that inspired your writing

Everything. Angels in America. Echoing Jo by saying Prince Harry’s memoir Spare. A lot of Haladriel and Darklina works and writers. Bruce Springsteen. Lysistrata. Babel by R.F. Kuang. Little Rabbit by Alyssa Songsiridej. Babylon the film. Singing in the Rain. The West Wing lol. Dachshunds (English cream) and Greyhounds. The British royals. Kafka. Religious trauma. Guts by Olivia Rodrigo (specifically bad idea, right?). Wet Dream and Chaise Lounge by Wet Leg. The people who broke my heart and the people who helped me stitch it back up. My fellow writers and friends, always.

Your proudest accomplishment

Getting over a bad depressive episode and writing slump and purposefully refocusing my attentions to: myself, why I felt compelled to write, and the people who did love me and read my writing and made that clear, as opposed to the people who didn’t.

Do you have any writing goals for next year?

To finish The Set Up. To finish some Perfect Park drabbles and revisit the west wing au for some good election year distraction. And, maybe, to take a little break as I work on original things. I am not leaving, don’t worry. I have set some professional and personal goals for myself that require more of my emotional and intellectual time/space/energy and I need to refocus some efforts there. But I’m not done and I will be back. I’m tentatively planning something quite exciting fic-wise. If it comes to fruition, I’ll tell you all in time.

Tagging @grantairesbottle @amalinwrites who is never on tumblr but I’ll annoy her to do it, @bad-surprise @inkbugfic @ladykettlechips and Rama whose tumblr @ I always forget to do this lol

[nickgerlich]

Order Up

The idea of fast food is a truly American concept, one expanded upon and translated into many cultures around the world. As much as it is typically lacking in healthiness, it struck a chord with the increasingly car-centric culture that emerged mid-century. Just as our cars allowed us to get places faster, they also became our dining room.

We are most accustomed to seeing the suburban version of fast food these days, with ever-evolving stand-alone stores featuring drive-thrus, curbside, and—gasp—even a declining emphasis on dine-in, to shared space inside truck stops and c-stores. They are ubiquitous, and continuing to grow in number.

But what about fast food in busy urban centers? It gets a little trickier, because drive-thrus are usually not attainable. In fact, cars in general are a liability the closer you reach the center of town, and traffic becomes those on foot. Clearly, smaller spaces are needed, even to the point of minimizing or eliminating interior dining.

In this digital age, it leaves room for experimentation, like what Chick-fila-A is testing with a new digital-only pickup restaurant in New York City. But it requires diners to revise their way of patronizing.

The concept store does not allow for walk-up ordering. In other words, there is no room for spur-of-the-moment “Hey, let’s go to Chick-fil-A!” Customers must be more volitional than this, and have planned it out to the extent that they place their order via the CFA app before they head to the restaurant. Once you pick up your order, it’s “Off you go” (in my best Frasier Crane voice) because you can’t eat anything there. It is strictly pick-up and get lost.

And, as an extension of last year’s test of geo-fencing to help determine when app-ordering customers are nearing a suburban store for pickup, this one will lean heavily on the technology. As long as users have location services enabled, the new store will be able to track your presence once you pop into a predetermined “bubble” nearby. This will help in having orders ready about the time you arrive, rather than sitting under a heat lamp.

If the concept works, I suspect this will allow CFA and competitors who follow suit to shoe-horn many more fast food shops into increasingly crowded—and expensive—urban centers. I also ponder how something like this could work on college campuses, like here at WT. Imagine students in class ordering their lunch from their phone while the prof drones on and on. As soon as class dismisses at 12:15, they could run downstairs to the food court and go to a pick-up window.

While I doubt a complete pick-up-only model would be conducive to campus, a hybrid version might just work for those not wanting to stand in the long line that forms nervy day at about 12:16.

I also realize there will be naysayers and some folks left out of the equation with stores like the NYC test version, primarily because they have yet to adopt the digital lifestyle. Ordering from an app is something they would rather not do, even if it means standing in lines and having to interface with people. You know…like they have always done.

Ah, but change as we know it is sometimes a huge pill to swallow, one that requires a big swig of adventure and willingness to embrace the new. I like what Chick-fil-A is thinking here, even if it necessarily means the continued depersonalization of dining out. In the market reality today of small labor forces and increasing minimum wages, this push makes sense on more levels than just one. Those cows on the billboards urging everyone to Eat Mor Chikin are on to something.

Dr “Takeaway Only” Gerlich

Audio Blog

[1tad0ri]

(u can say no if u no like but-) giving itadori yuuji a blowjob in the bathroom stall cuz he was feeling horny and was being handsy with reader (this is before being involved in jujutsu) thank you so much!!

warning: public sex, blowjob (even tho this is before the jujutsu stuff, they’re still 18+ so pretend the jjk school is a college or smth <3)

itadori yuuji x fem!reader

how can i NOT like this

“that was embarrassing.”

“seriously? i thought it was pretty hot.” yuuji was trailing wet, open mouthed kisses on your neck, one hand shoved up your shirt to squeeze your tits while his other hand kneaded your ass.

you rolled your eyes, arms looped comfortably over his shoulders. “yeah, it was hot, but you weren’t exactly subtle, babe.”

“no one even noticed!” he leaned back to look at you, indignant, and you took in his swollen lips and the shimmer of your lip gloss along his jaw. he was so cute. you leaned up to peck his lips, finding them soft, thinking about how he was so sweet (even in spite of him groping you like this).

“yeah, i’m sure the prof didn’t notice you trying to finger fuck me in the third row of the lecture hall.”

“yeah, he didn’t.” when yuuji grinned unironically, you resisted the urge to slap him, instead pushing him back and against the opposite wall of the bathroom stall. you sunk to your knees and set about unbuckling his jeans while he automatically rested a hand atop your head.

“you look hot like that.”

you rolled your eyes, freeing his cock from his boxers and pumping the length, smearing the leaking precum along the head. “you always say that.”

“and it’s always true.” his hand slipped down to brush against your cheek. “you’re always beautiful, babe.”

you rolled your eyes again, but still turned your head to kiss his fingers in thanks, letting your tongue loll out when he pressed against your bottom lip. yuuji slipped his fingers into your mouth and you sucked on them, tongue running all over as you stared up at him.

“holy fuck.” he shoved them further in and you greedily coated them in your saliva, maintaining eye contact with him. “babe, please let me fuck you right now.”

you let the fingers slip out of your mouth, spit dribbling down and you wiped the back of your hand across your mouth. “nope!” your chipper reply had his face falling and he pouted. it was so hard to resist that look. “you act like you don’t want your dick sucked, yuuji.” pumping the length, you landed a tentative lick to the head, making him shiver.

“i just want you to feel good too, baby.”

fuck. there was a reason he always left your legs shaking—yuuji was an unselfish lover, always eager to please, whether it be you wanting to sit on his face or his dick, he let you do whatever you wanted. there was something else you wanted to do right now though. instead of saying anything else, you leaned forward to wrap your mouth around his cock, pushing it in as far as it could go, hands wrapped around what couldn’t fit.

“fuuuck.” his grip on your head tightened as he threw his own back, the stall wall shaking as his head slammed against it.

you popped his dick out of your mouth, saliva coating the surface of it, shiny under the grainy bathroom lights. “yuuji, baby, you have to be quiet.” after class, he had pulled you into the closest bathroom to the lecture hall—not exactly subtle but it’d do. thankfully, the room had been empty, even with the mass of students milling around just outside in the hallway.

“right, right, sorry.” yuuji’s sheepish grin was a heavy contrast to the current situation and you once again wondered how he had so much duality. “feels good. i’ll be quiet—i promise. pinky promise.” he held out his hand—oh my god, he was actually serious—and you looped your pinky around his just to humor him—this bet would be over before it even started.

hand squeezing around the base of his cock, you raised an eyebrow at the strangled groan that bubbled out of him. “mmm, yes, very quiet, yuuji,” you mocked him, giggling, and set about pumping his length again. the slick coating it let your hand slide easily over the skin. “if we get caught i’m blaming you.”

“you can do whatever you want.” yuuji watched you with lust-darkened eyes, humming under your touch, and you felt a light push on the back of your head. “come on, baby girl, going to take me all, right? you’re torturing me here.”

“dramatic,” you mumbled under your breath, but still sucked the salty tip onto your tongue. you could tell he was trying his best to control his breathing and you decided to take pity on him, pulling it out of your mouth again. before he could complain, you began leaving soft kisses down the sides of the flushed skin, enjoying the way his thighs shook and how his eyes kept squeezing close in pleasure despite him fighting to keep them open and watch you—you’d work him up to his high, carefully, slowly, letting him keep his voice low.

“shit,” he whispered, back of his hand pressing against his mouth when you set back pushing his cock down your throat, stopping halfway to let him adjust to the warm heat. your hands worked on the lower half, messy and wet from your spit. “fuck, yes. just like that, baby girl. can i move?”

you gave a slight nod of your head—well, as much as you could with your mouth filled like this—and an affirmative bat of your lashes. you knew he liked when you looked pretty just for him. with that, you felt both of his hands on the back of your head now and you let him cant his hips forward, forcing you to swallow more and more of him. your hands fell away from his cock to grip his thighs, hollowing your cheeks and opening up your throat to let him slide in easily.

“you’re doing so good. just a little more for me, okay? shit... yes, keep going. you’re so good, babe.”

by the time your nose hit his pelvis, you were taking shallow breaths, trying to wipe off the drool that threatened to drip from your lips around his cock, and doing your best not to gag as he filled your mouth so wholly. yuuji was drawing circles on your cheek with his thumb, mumbling praises, and you could tell he was trying not to cum right then and there.

“that’s my baby. your mouth feels so warm. god and your fucking lips. so messy... i love you, you know that? mmm... bet your pussy feels even better.” everything he was saying was going straight to your core and you could feel the building arousal between your legs, cunt throbbing. you squeezed your thighs together to satiate it for now (he’d take care of you soon).

as soon as the weight holding you down released, you pulled off of his cock with a gasp, the back of one hand shooting up to wipe off the fluids that were dripping down your chin and your other hand setting a steady pace sliding up and down his dick once again. spurred on by his earlier words, you set back kissing and sucking along his dick, hands and mouth working in tandem. yuuji was cursing and moaning under his breath, biting at his fist to keep himself from yelling out. he set a steady rhythm where he would tilt his hips forward to meet your mouth when you would sink down—it made you gag but the feeling of him hitting the back of your throat was perfection.

his breathing grew labored the longer you worked, hand splayed against the stall wall behind him to keep himself steady. “fuck... gonna cum. swallow it for me, baby? don’t wanna get you messy—your little outfit looked so cute today.”

knowing he was close made you quicken the bob of your head, slurping and licking along the shaft. “mhm. yuuji, wanna taste you.” you kissed the tip. “on my tongue?”

“anything you want, princess.”

you let him push and pull your head along his cock as he reached his high, his face contorting into pleasure—you could see his muscles straining under his thin shirt, biceps flexing as he held onto you, and neck pulled tight as he tried to bite back his moans. it wasn’t long until yuuji was spilling into your throat and you dutifully waited until he was done, doing your best to swallow around his cock, and then lapping up any of the excess—you showed him your tongue full of white as a cheeky reward, biting your lip and grinning when he took in a sharp breath.

“that’s my baby girl.”

[anxioussweasley]

hii i love your writing so much and i saw you were taking requests, can you do the number 7 from your fluff prompt list with george weasley please?? thank u so much 🤍

Masterlist Promptlist

A/N: Hi love! Thank you so much! This is my first finished George fic! I’m so excited😁. I’m sorry it’s short, but I hope you like it! 💕

Prompt: “put me down!”

Word count: 780

Warnings: None (I think), Pure Fluff💕💕💕

“Hey, love!” George shouts across the courtyard to you, waving you over to him. He was standing in a group with Fred and Lee, the three laughing and tossing around what looked like a miniature firework. A huge smile breaks out across his face when you turn and walk towards the group.

“Hi, Georgie,” you greet your boyfriend, giving a small wave to Fred and Lee. Fred gives you a small wave before giving Lee a knowing look and mouthing something to him, holding up three fingers before he crosses his arms. Lee mumbled a small “you’re on” before both boys turn their attention back to you and George. You give them a curious look, before George is pulling your attention back to him.

“We were just about to head to hogsmeade, do you want to come? We can go get a butterbeer,” George suggests, giving you a big smile. In the background you hear Lee let out an annoyed groan mumbling a small dammit as Fred lets out a victorious laugh giving Lee a small shove and muttering a “pay up”. You witness as Lee grudgingly pulls three sickles out of his pocket, Fred snatching them away with pride. George turns his head to witness the scene as well, Lee mumbling curses at Fred as he boasts about his win.

“You see? I told you he would ask, can’t spend one second apart, those two!” Fred laughs.

George rolls his eyes at his brother, as you let out a chuckle at the older twins antics before turning back to George. “I would love to Georgie, but I have an essay to write and I was just on my way to the library actually,” you answer him. George gives an over dramatic pout at your response, making the puppy eyes he knew you couldn’t resist. “Oh, come on George, don’t look at me like that,” you whine. This only spurs George on.

“C’mon sweetheart please?” George whines, taking both of your hands in his and pulling you toward him.

“Georgie. I. Have. To. Study,” you say purposely punctuating the words to get your point across.

“You know what?” George mumbles, before quickly bending down picking you up by your waist and throwing you over his shoulder. You let out a surprised yelp at the action, gently kicking your legs in feigned displeasure. The loud laughs coming from your mouth prof enough that you were unbothered

“Looks like you’ll be coming with us after all,” Fred teased, laughing as you flipped him off.

“George Fabian Weasley! Put me down!” You tried to sound stern but the uncontrollable giggles falling from your mouth made it hard.

“No can do princess; at least not until you agree to go to hogsmeade with us,” George chuckled.

“Georgie,” you whine, “I told you I can’t go, I have to do my homework!” When your answer was less than what George wanted to hear, he used his grip on your legs to shift you quickly causing you to let out a squeal. Then spun around causing your hands to grip into the back of his shirt, squealing once more.

“C’mon, Y/N, sweetheart, it’ll be fun,” George encouraged.

“Georgie I can’t,” before you could finish your sentence George was moving towards the castle. You knew that if you could see his face he would have that mischievous glint in his eye. “George where are we going,” you questioned.

“Well I thought I would see if a dip in the portable swamp me and Fred installed in the hall would change your mind,” George laughed. At this you started thrashing more, slight panic setting in, nervous laughter spilling from your mouth.

“Georgie, no! You wouldn’t, Georgie please?”

“Nope! The only way out now, love, is if you agree to come to hogsmeade with me!” George replies to your pleads.

“Fine! Fine. I’ll go to hogsmeade with you!” You shout at the boy. “Just put me down!” You add.

George makes quick work of setting you back on your feet. Wrapping his arms around your waist and spinning you around.

“See, I knew you couldn’t resist my charm,” George laughs as he sets you down once more. Keeping his arms wrapped around your waist.

“You're such a git y’know that,” you laugh wrapping your arms around his neck.

“Yeah but you love me,” George responds, giving you a quick kiss. “Now c’mon, I have to go to zonkos with Fred and Lee, and then we can go to Honeydukes, just the two of us and then we can get some butterbeer!” George shouts excitedly pulling you towards the courtyard where Fred and Lee are waiting.

[mitchloveswriting]

hey! saw you were new-ish n wanted to request something! could you do Sirius with a badass reader? who absolutely does not put up with his shit? like plays quidditch and is notoriously the bad girl! if they get together or not is your choice, i just love me some pining boys

A/n: I most definitely can! Sorry this took so long hun xx Hope you enjoy and again, all feedback and/or constructive criticism is welcome, but please be polite 🧡

Servant-hood

The first round of quidditch tryouts in their fifth year was coming up and Y/n and James were to choose the new members.

While James was excited about this job, Y/n L/n was wracked with nerves; what if she didn't pick right and let the team down?

Nevertheless, they were nerves that she wouldn't let show.

She was a badass, she couldn't let weakness show, but keeping all her nerves bottled up was making her a lot shorter with people than she usually was.

Especially a certain Marauder that tended to put her on edge even when she wasn't filled with anxiety.

Y/n finished pulling on her boots and shrugged on her robes, heading down for breakfast with her friends.

"You just need something to take the edge of Y/n!" Axel told her as they entered the great hall.

"Don't tell me what I need Lucas." She snapped and he shook his head.

"Don't call me by my last name." He quipped back and Lola laughed.

"Besides, there's not much that helps that I could use three days before quidditch tryouts. I need my head about me." Y/n reasoned as the three of them took a seat at the Gryffindor table.

"Oh no Y/n, I can get us some Firewhisky for tonight. It'll help you relax for now and you'll be perfectly fine on Saturday." Lola told us and Y/n opened her mouth to agree when a voice came from behind them.

"I don't understand how you lot even got into Gryffindor. Listen to yourselves." A shrill voice rang out.

The trio turned around and glared at an auburn haired Marlene McKinnon.

"I don't remember asking McKinnon. Now move along before one of us kicks your arse again." Y/n growled.

"Yeah, because any of you could beat Marlene." Dorcas came to her defence and Axel rolled his eyes with an exasperated sigh.

"Do you need a little reminder of what happened last time?" He threatened and Y/n and Lola gave innocent smiles.

"Whatever, don't mess the team up for Gryffindor, L/n." Marlene rolled her eyes, but walked off a little sheepishly.

"That was oddly gentlemanly of you, Axel," Y/n rested a hand on his forehead as they turned back to their food, "you feeling okay?"

He grabbed her wrist and pushed her hand away.

"Shut up." He muttered, a blush tinting his cheeks.

Lola gave him a knowing look and he only shook his head.

"Ello Y/n." An obnoxious, deep voice sounded.

"Dear Merlin, it is impossible to have a peaceful breakfast around here." Y/n complained and pointedly ignored the call.

"C'mon Y/n, don't be like that. I'm beautiful, you're beautiful, it just works." Sirius Black wrapped his arms around her shoulders from behind as he spoke.

"Get your arms off me, Black, before I break them." She spoke stiffly through gritted teeth.

He retracted his arms so fast, you might think he was genuinely afraid of her pulling her wand on him.

"Let's not be hasty here. I only came to ask a favour." Sirius held his hands up in surrender.

"What makes you think we'd ever do you a favour Black?" Axel spat, venomously, shifting an inch or two closer to Y/n.

"No no, you've got it all wrong. I only want a favour from our dear N/n here." He patted her head and she slapped his hand away.

"Don't call me that. What do you want?" She hissed and he chuckled nervously.

"The quidditch trials are soon. I really want to get on the team. Please, please teach me?" He asked and Y/n shook her head.

"No way. Get your buddy Potter to do it."

"He's busy and I only have three days!" Sirius protested desparately.

"I'm busy!" She argued and he stared skeptically.

"With what?" He questioned.

"With a life." And with that she turned around and went back to her food.

Sirius turned on his heel and walked away defeatedly.

"How'd it go?" Remus asked as he joined Sirius on the walk out of the Great Hall.

"She's never gonna notice me Moony! It's hopeless." He rubbed his hand over his face as he spoke.

"It's not hopeless." Remus started only to be cut off.

"It is! She has no interest in me! All she cares about is those stupid friends of hers. What do I do Moony?" He stopped walking and shook his friends shoulders.

"Well let's start with not breaking my neck," Remus began, pushing Sirius' arms away, "and there's clearly only one option."

"There is?" Remus shrugged and nodded.

"Beg."

🔸️

Later the same day, Y/n sat by Axel in Transfiguration.

She was leant back in her seat with her feet on the table and her hands behind her head, Axel doing the same, but instead of supporting his head, he was doing his work.

Something hit the back of her head and she turned to see a balled up piece of parchment on the floor by her chair.

Looking around she saw Black pointing and gesturing to open the note.

She rolled her eyes and turned back to the front, only for another piece of parchment to hit her moments later.

She whipped her head around and brought her feet to the floor with a glare only to see Sirius with his hands clasped together, frantically mouthing 'Please!'

She reached down with an exasperated sigh and grabbed the ball.

She uncrumpled the note and read over it.

'Please L/n, I'll do anything. Name your price.'

She gave a smirk to Axel and scribbled something down on the parchment before balling it back up and throwing it back.

"Miss L/n, Mister Black, something you'd like to share with the class?" Professor McGonagall snapped.

"No, no not really." Y/n said simply, putting her feet back on the desk.

"L/n and Lucas would you please get your feet off my desks." Though as she spoke, she knew her mistake.

This was Y/n and Axel.

"No can do Prof." They declared in sync before snickering a little.

McGonagall opened her mouth to reply, but closed it again, knowing her attempts were going to be futile.

The class was nearly finished anyway.

As they walked out of the classroom Sirius yelled Y/n's name through the crowd.

"You go ahead Ax, I'll catch up with you later." She pushed him forward with her arm and turned to face Sirius.

She smiled in a fake-sweet manner, "Yes?"

"Your price! Servant life?" He exclaimed, demanding explanation, flailing his arms about dramatically.

"Yes. You do what I say for the rest of today and tomorrow, and I'll train you up on Friday in time for the tryouts on Saturday." She walked at a fast pace as she talked, not even looking at him.

"Really?" While it sounded awful in theory, it would give him an excuse to hang around the girl he's been harbouring a crush on for the past two years.

"Everything I say."

"You aren't gonna ask me to kill someone are you?" He joked and she glared at him.

"Come find me at lunch Black. Have some salad on my plate for me, and some pumpkin juice." She began to walk away and he grabbed her elbow.

"Is that all?" He asked when she faced him.

"Now that you mention it, I have Lola's spare skirt in my bag," she reached in her bag and passed it to him, "be wearing that, with no robe on top or tights underneath."

He gaped at her as she began to walk off again.

"We have the next class together!" He called out and she laughed.

"I won't be there, Servant."

🔸️

Y/n sat with her friends on the couches in the Gryffindor common room.

"Lola, I thought you said you'd get us Firewhisky?" Axel pointed out from his place at Y/n's side.

"Oh shit, I forgot." Lola brings her palm up to her head and flops onto the floor.

"Don't worry guys. All in good time." Y/n chimed in and they looked at her suspiciously.

Only moments later Sirius stalks through the Gryffindor common room holding a bottle that's had all the labeks ripped off.

He hands it to Y/n and she gives him a dismissive nod.

"One more order for tonight, Servant. Go up to Axel's dorm, make his bed and then bring down two of his hoodies." She pointed up the stairs to the boys dorms and he groaned.

🔸️

The next day Axel busts into the Marauders' dorm with an evil grin, at the crack of dawn.

"Sirius Black! Y/n's waiting downstairs and she demands your presence immeadiately!" He yells, spurring the boys to wake.

"Lucas, breakfast only just started!" Sirius protested and Axel only shrugged.

"Guess no quidditch training for you."

"Okay, okay!" Sirius leaps out of bed, wearing only sweatpants and sprints his way down the stairs.

Y/n was curled up in Axel's hoodie and a fluffy blanket that she must've brought from home.

For the school's bad-girl, she looked strangely sweet and innocent, half asleep in a fluffy blanket.

Sirius heart swelled and he felt a blush creep up his neck, seeing her so vulnerable.

"Go get me and my friends breakfast from the hall and bring it up here Black. Breakfast in front of the fire for us!" She ordered and he blinked.

Her strong, sharp voice was so at odds with the way she was laying on the couch, firelight sparkling in her eyes.

"And, since you couldn't be bothered putting a shirt on before you came down here, you can't put a shirt on when you go down there." She added and he pasted on a smirk.

"Like what you see L/n?"

"Don't test me Sirius Black or I'll break all your fingers with my eyes closed." She spat and Sirius turned away so she wouldn't see his frown.

"Right, well, I'll go and... get that for you."

🔸️

Friday afternoon, after classes, Y/n headed into the common room in search of Black to get to his training session.

She walked in and found him talking to Lupin on the other side of the room.

She began to shout his name, then silenced herself when she caught wind of his conversation.

"Moony I agreed because I thought it'd give me a reason to stick around with her, but she keeps sending me away on missions. If I didn't fancy her so much I would not be going through so much just to get a training session." Y/n gaped.

He fancied her?

She's never heard of anyone fancying her, except Axel, who is so painfully obvious about his feelings.

Sirius Black got on her nerves, he was annoying and loud and only thought he was funny.

So why did her heart flutter at the thought of his feelings?

"You fancy me, Black? That's the revelation of the century." Both boys jumped and faced her.

"Y/n I-"

"Come on Black, it's time for your training session." She cut him off with a small, but genuine smile for once.

His heart beat into his throat and his face felt like it was on fire.

They began to walk down to the pitch side by side and when the silence was almost unbearable, Y/n spoke up.

"So, you know the rules of quidditch right? You just want to get better?"

"Y-yeah. What... what were you thinking?" He curses himself for stuttering and Y/n smirks.

"I was gonna start with staying on a broom. Then catching and throwing a ball, then maybe hitting one with a bat. We don't need a new keeper or seeker, so we'll focusing on the chaser and beater positions." Y/n laid out the lesson plan and for a moment she didn't seem like, smoking, drinking, putting-her-feet-up-and-doing-no-work Y/n.

She was so passionate about quidditch and surprisingly committed to helping Sirius do well.

"Why do you hate me Y/n?" Sirius blurted out and covered his mouth.

"What? I don't hate you."

"Then why do you act the way you do?" He asks and she sighs.

"It isn't easy for me to make friends so I stick with the ones I have. And I have a temper, certain people tend to get on my nerves fairly easily. You with your group of Maroidies or whatever you call yourselves-"

"Marauders." Sirius corrected, but quieted at her warning look.

"You're really loud, your idea of mischief is annoying pranks and you flirt with anything that crosses your path." She finished and you could say his mood was significantly lowered.

They reached the quidditch pitch and Y/n glanced at her broom then Sirius' empty hands.

"But when you're by yourself, not showing off with those other arseholes, you aren't too bad Sirius." He looked at her to see a smile on her face and his heart stumbled.

She called him by his first name, with no add-ons, in a nice way.

"Now, last order of your servant-hood. Go in and get yourself a broom so we can get started before dark." She nodded towards the tent.

Sirius raced towards the school brooms with a bright, goofy grin covering his face.

[lorem-text]

Fantastic Cryptids and Where to Find Them

 Maria and John called earlier today, waking me up an hour before my alarm was set to go off, to let me know that today is officially Self-Indulgence Friday. And at Night Owl, what that means is today we each make a post -be it a recording, a video, or, in my case, an article- related to something we like.

If you go to Maria’s blog, you’ll see a beautifully edited montage of her hiking to the locations for her photoshoots. Likewise, John has uploaded a recording of himself reading Hard in Hightown in his best Varric impression, which is honestly on point.

For my part, I decided to indulge in one of my oldest and most persistent interests: Cryptids.

Now, I know that most cryptids are no more than embellished myth spread by word of mouth and the chances of ‘known’ cryptids existing are infinitesimal, but I’ve always been fascinated by the stories people come up with for them and the environments that inspired them.

So, based on years of recreational research and an evening spent meticulously rating every cryptid I could find based on story, context, appearance, realism, and a number of other factors, I give you my top favourite cryptids, in no particular order.

The Bloop

The Bloop is a powerful, ultra-low-frequency underwater sound of uncertain origin detected by the NOAA (National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration) in 1997 in the South Pacific. Earlier speculations attribute the sound to a very large, still undiscovered, marine mammal. It was later noted, however, that not all animals make sounds proportionate to their size, like the pistol shrimp which is only a few centimeters long but can make sounds as loud as a jet engine.

Regardless of its actual appearance, that creature has been named ‘Bloop’ after the sound.

I said before that the chances of any of these cryptids existing are infinitesimal, but the Bloop is an interesting case, because its existence has not been disqualified by the scientific community.

Since the sound was first detected, many have tried to make sense of it and various theories have risen in the scientific community.

In 2012, the NOAA determined that the sound is “consistent” with noises generated via non-tectonic cryoseisms originating from glacial movements such as ice calving, or an icequake; seabed gouging by ice. However, confirmation of this theory was not possible.

Another suggested scenario, first suggested in 2014, is that the sound was caused by an erupting underwater volcano, but many have argued that a volcano is unlikely to have produced such an odd frequency.

Still, regardless of whether the Bloop is a living creature or ice breaking off of the Antarctic ice shelf, it’s spurred the imagination of many people and will likely continue to do so for many years to come.

Camazotz

With its first modern sighting in 2004 and the latest in 2009 in Mexico, the Camazotz is another curious case as there’s evidence supporting its existence all the way up to the Mayan era, where the firth myths of it originate.

Let me explain.

The “snatch bat” or “death bat” of Mayan legend. It was supposedly a giant bat which attacked human beings and other large animals, drinking the blood. it was also known as the “sudden bloodletter”. Fossils of Desmodus draculae, the giant vampire bat, support these legends. There have also been skeletons of Desmodus draculae found which were sub-fossil, of very recent age. These suggest that the bat was still common when the Mayans were around, and some believe a few specimens may still exist today, explaining the sightings.

But that’s just a theory; a cryptid theory.

Mothman

No cryptid list is complete without the iconic Mothman, who swooped in near West Virginia one cold autumn night in 1966.

On November 12, 1966, near Clendenin West Virginia, five men were in a cemetery preparing a grave for a burial when they saw something they couldn’t explain. Lifting off from the nearby trees was a brown winged creature, cloaked in shadows. When questioned about their experience, the men held to the fact that what lifted off beyond the trees was no bird it was humanoid.

The state of West Virginia has had its fair share of strange and inexplicable events throughout the years, such as the visitation of the Flatwoods Monster and the mysterious case of Indrid Cold, but none have marked it quite as much as the Mothman.

The Jersey Devil

Another classic, the Jersey Devil has been a hit in cryptid circles for actual centuries.

With its first reported sightings all the way back in the 1700s and continuing on until the past decade, the Jersey Devil is deeply rooted in folklore and legend in the area of Pine Barrens in New Jersey, and is still found in various media, from sports teams to video games.

What makes the Jersey Devil interesting is the variation in its sightings; by putting the Jersey Devil on this list I could essentially use it as an umbrella term for a variety of cryptids.

But, let me explain what I mean by that.

Originally, the Jersey Devil was originally described as having hooves, a snake’s tail, bat wings, and a head vaguely resembling a horse. Essentially, it was a chimera. However, the Jersey Devil of modern sightings is a bunch of different things. The name has been applied to cryptids that somewhat resemble the original Jersey Devil, but throughout the years it has also been applied to nearly every New Jersey cryptid imaginable, from hairy humanoids that resemble Bigfoot, to mystery birds, and even Eastern cougars. One popular modern interpretation of the Jersey Devil often seen in movies and video games, such as The Wolf Among Us, describes the creature as a hairy humanoid with black dur, a deer’s head, and glowing red eyes.

Unfortunately for anyone hoping to discover the truth behind the illustrious cryptid, a number of well-publicized -but not very convincing- hoaxes have managed to complicate the matter even more, scaring researchers away from the topic.

Loch Ness Monster, aka Nessie

Okay, I know I said this list had no particular order, but I couldn’t resist leaving my favourite for last.

The Loch Ness monster, also known by the nickname Nessie, is probably the creature that most often leaps to mind when people think about cryptids or cryptozoology. Nessie is virtually a symbol of cryptozoology. This creature has probably been the object of more sustained media attention than any other individual type of cryptid, with the possible exception of the Sasquatch and some less traditional cryptids such as the infamous Grey Aliens.

First sighted somewhere around 565 AD (yes, you read that right) with the first serious wave of modern sightings coming in the 1930s, Nessie has been a part of Scotland’s folklore for as long as the mythical water dragons and kelpies said to reside in Loch Ness.

Although older legends were much more variable in regards to Nessie’s appearance, modern accounts describe a creature with sleek, rubbery black-ish gray skin, approximately twenty feet long and a serpentine body with humps along its length, and one or more sets of paddles. Nessie’s head is typically described as either roughly horse-shaped or smaller and rounded like a turtles, with some witnesses reporting small horns or a crest and a straggly mane running down the creature’s neck.

Now, onto the theories!

Starting with the most bizarre, some more untraditional theories suggest Nessie comes from some type of space-time anomaly, causing a plesiosaur, bassilosaurus, or some even say sauropod to be transported to the modern day. Taking second place in the ‘bizarre theory’ list, some self-proclaimed cryptozoologists suggest genetic experiments and mutations.

However, any theories suggesting that Nessie is -or is related to- a plesiosaur or some other type of dinosaur were officially discredited last year, in September 2019, when a group of scientists tried to catalogue all living species in the loch by extracting DN from water samples.

Following analysis, the scientists have ruled out the presence of large fish, such as a sturgeon, or prehistoric reptiles. Suggestions that catfish or a wandering Greenland shark may be behind the sightings were also discounted.

They did however discover another type of DNA in the loch that may solve the mystery behind Nessie; eel DNA. Eels are very plentiful in Loch Ness, with eel DNA found in pretty much in every location sampled. According to Prof Neil Gemmell, a geneticist from the University of Otago who was involved in the study, the sheer quantity of the material suggests that what people see and believe to be the Loch Ness Monster might actually be a giant eel.

Even so, the most prevailing theories at the moment are that any sightings of the Loch Ness Monster are actually surfacing trees, mountainous reflections, the results of seismic activity, or even swimming elephants form travelling circuses which were popular in the 1930s, when most of the Nessie sightings were recorded.

Still, there are countless less popular theories surrounding the sightings to add to the more widespread ones. In the end, we may never truly know what Nessie really is, but it’s certainly fun to speculate.

Eliot Wilde, journalist and writer for Night Owl and host of Night Owl FM

[tyto11]

slowly handling shit: part 67

preface: i know it’s almost 1 am so technically i am late but i’m not in bed yet so i’m counting this as on time. also, my mental health has been kinda trash. 

sleep: worse it’s been in a while, i’ve been staying up really late til 2 or 4 am for reasons that are hard to justify- mostly i just like having free time and idk. it’s nice to feel smth. i’ve been feeling kinda apathetic and numb lately, and being swaddled in my duvet late at night, binge reading fic from fandoms i read when i was twelve is comforting in a way. even if i sleep in til 11 am. 

ex and flex: i walked forty minutes today, getting supremely lost after “taking a shortcut” that ended up being way longer than the normal route. i live on a mountain with a lot of forest, and there’s loads of trails, and it was going in the right direction but not the right location. it was a cool walk though. not a happy one, but the feeling it gave me wasn’t bad either. haven’t been stretching, i might tonight if i feel up to it. i lifted weights sometime this week too- no, that was last week and i forgot completely about this. oof. 

flora & fauna: trimmed the seph again, have another burro’s tail (?) cutting to pot, if i can find a pot for it. squish could use a carrot. 

face care: i was doing alright the week before this but the whole staying up late and waking up later thing has thrown the face washing out of whack. teeth brushing has been much more consistent, though mornings have dropped off a tad. 

room cleaning: kinda came to a stand still. i think i didn’t mention this but i started university! and i’ve been kinda busy with five courses (why did i decide to do five courses. should i drop one? yes. am i going to? probably not since they’re all either for a requirement or something i’m really interested in, like my philosophy of science course which is really cool and the prof is real chill and he has a cat called mayo and there’s a discord! oh actually, last week i did do something: i cleared out a drawer. like a set of drawers. and moved it into the office/storage room. next big step is clearing enough floor space to horizontalize a bookshelf (it’s one of those ones with lots of squares? so i really can just turn it on its side and have a place to set out clean clothes for the next day that isn’t my spinny chair, AND also get rid of my big honkin set of drawers that i use for putting plants on and laundry storage. 

socializing + how i’ve been: i’ve been not great. the instances of suicidal ideation i experience has gone up, and that has not been fun. on the upside, i did reach out to some people, spurred by the desire to not suffer alone overriding social anxieties. however, i am still pretty lonely, and i don’t remember how to make friends. i did attend a social game night hosted by one of my university’s clubs via discord, and that was quite fun (if intensely nerve-wracking). i miss doing stuff with friends. i miss talking regularly with people. i miss not being tired even after i’ve slept nine hours. i’m really tired, all the time. i keep crying and when i start i can’t stop. i feel like i’ve lost a lot of social skills, and now reconnecting is incredibly difficult. i think i’m entering a depressive episode, and i’m pretty certain i’ll make it through, but it’s not fun. i’ll make it through though. maybe i’ll even make some friends. 

bonus things i’d like to mention: i have money to buy snacks now, so i got a bag of mixed nuts. even as my mental health goes to shit i still want to make sure i eat at least lunch and dinner, and if lunch ends up being a lot of bits and bobs from the fridge at least i’ll have some protein and healthy fats to fill in the gaps. fuck i have to cook dinner tomorrow. wish me luck, i think i’m making curry? we’ll see. i should make pasta for lunch. a big-ass pot of pasta so i can get carbs inside me for several days in a row. that sounds pretty good. might sleep in a bit. 

[nomnomsik]

To Catch a Dream - (10)

Word Count: 2.8K

A/N: Here we go again

Trigger warning: non-con kissing, possessiveness, yandere-themes, slight cheating. Please do not read if you are sensitive to these topics. 

“Ugh… Why do I have to stand next to you?” You groaned, rolling your eyes as you impatiently waited for both of your names to be called. “I thought they sorted us by grade average.” You muttered.

“Uhh, excuse me?” The offended voice replied.

“I said-” You started.

“Park Jimin and Y/n L/n!”

Jimin wrapped his arm around yours, dragging you up from your seat and onto the stage. The bright lights from the auditorium ceiling filled up the entire room as rows of graduates watched the ongoing ceremony.

The routine was simple. Each pair were based off an order that the college had sorted. You were to walk up together to receive your diplomas. It just so happened that you were paired up Jimin.

Jimin stood in front of you, bowing down as he held onto his diploma with both hands. He gave a bright smile, shaking the principal’s hand before exiting down the steps. You waited behind him, your graduation gown flowing behind you as you accepted your diploma. The tassel on your graduation cap swayed back and forth in the air with every step you took.

The whole room was quiet, with the only sounds coming from the shutter of cameras and the shuffling of feet. You returned back to your seat beside Jimin, ruffling out the polyester neatly. Jimin scoffed next to you as he watched your neat freak habit. It only earned him a light jab of your elbow. You smirked, whispering in the quiet auditorium.

“You deserved that.”

“I didn’t know you were a sadist, y/n.” Jimin quietly spit, holding onto his side even though he wanted to whisper curses out at you.

“Can you just shut up until the ceremony ends, you big mouth?” You snapped back, Jimin’s antics slowly flustering you.

“You know what else is big-”

“I said, shut up, Park Jimin.”

Your little quarrel was cut to an end as you were directed to stand up. For some unknown reason, the graduates were shuffled out of the auditorium and onto the outside turf.

As each row lined up with their partner beside them, the valedictorian stood at the podium. The valedictorian was decorated with a distinctive cord that stood out, unlike the rest. The outfit was somewhat altered from the rest. It showed off the prestige and prized student of the school, striking gold and white that stood out from the black and gold of all the other graduates.

You looked up at the valedictorian as he waited for all the students and parents to settle down in their new seats. Yoongi stood at that podium, his face expressionless but decorated from head to toe with an embroidered stole. The sleeves of his graduation robe fell past his hands as he stood upright. He held an authoritative stance as he stared over all the students. When his eyes met yours, he gave you a slight smirk before averting his gaze. You looked down embarrassed, earning Jimin’s gaze from the corner of his eye.

Since when did Yoongi have that sort of demeanor. I’ve never seen him so… confident and assertive before?

Yoongi’s voice broke you from your thoughts as he started a countdown, speaking directly into the mic that echoed throughout the field..

“On one, we all throw our caps. Ready?”

The crowd of students roared, bringing their hands up to their caps.

“5!”

The crowd repeated after him.

“4!”

Parents brought up their cameras and phone ready to take the most important shot.

“3!”

Your grip tightened.

“2!”

People’s faces looked as if they were going to explode in energy.

“1!”

The graduates exploded in a loud cry as hundreds upon hundreds of caps were thrown into the air. You joined in, watching as your cap joined and mixed with everyone else's. A joyous feeling filled up your whole body as you stared up at all the caps in the air.

To you, it was a beautiful moment of your life that reflected your accomplishments and freedom. How you wished you could freeze this moment in time. In a few seconds, this moment in your life will never happen again. Once it reached the end, then, that moment will cease to exist for you.

And the caps came crashing down. They dropped down, hundreds of black caps with golden tassels. You reached your arms up, hoping to at least catch one of them. The official ceremony was over and you cheered, ready for the celebration. Jimin gave you a bright smile as he still remained next to you, his eyes gleaming as the sun began to set, casting a beautiful orange and peach glow over the entire field.

You looked back at the podium as Yoongi looked sweetly at all the graduates, his head perched upon his hand. His cheeks stuck out as he closed his eyes. For once in his life, he enjoyed the screams that echoed throughout the spacious field and the light breeze that blew the strands of hair from his head. When he opened his eyes again, they immediately met yours, giving you a warm smile, a few of his gums and teeth sticking out.

“I’m so happy, y/n.” Yoongi had told you that day, brushing your hair behind your ear. You both stood in front of each other, a hand interlocked with each other.

Jimin looked over at the pair from off in the distance, his gaze solemn as he stared in envy. On the other hand, your parents waved their hands earning your attention as you ran up to them and gave them a big hug.

“Congratulations our little baby, y/n!” Your mother squealed, tightly hugging you back.

“We’re proud of you, y/n.” Your father smiled at you, before giving a small wave to Yoongi who sheepishly gave one back. As your mother released you, she looked over at Yoongi who was obviously standing out with his white and gold.

“Congratulations on being valedictorian. I bet your parents would be proud.” She patted his shoulder before giving him a thumbs-up.

“Ah... Thank you…” He mumbled before giving a small bow.

If they were really proud of me, why aren’t there here?

“Okay, okay, both of you huddle in for a picture.” She gestured the two of you to move closer together. Hundreds of other families were with their sons and daughters, all taking pictures of the celebration. You gave a bright smile, holding up a peace sign up in your right hand as your other arm wrapped around Yoongi’s back.

“C’mon, Yoongi. Smile! Smile wide!” Your mother urged. When she looked back at the picture, she gave a short shake of her head. “You’re not smiling, Yoongi.”

“It’s alright. I’m happy.” Yoongi replied, bunching up the polyester in his hand. “I’m smiling on the inside.” He forced a grin, looking down at the cut turf.

“Mom, I’m going to take pictures with my profs. I’ll be back!” You called, walking away from the trio and sprinting off. Yoongi nervously watched as you ran off, all alone by himself with your parents.

If only he had brought a surgical mask for this occasion. Just the idea of slapping one on felt relaxing. It would at least soothe some of the pressure and anxious feelings he felt in his stomach. The only physical barrier he relied on for protection was not there when he needed it.

“So Yoongi… Let’s chat, shall we?” Your mother smiled.

Yoongi furrowed his eyes as he stared at both your parents.

“What’s there to talk about?” He asked.

Your mother shook her head in disbelief.

“Yoongi, you’re the valedictorian. You aren’t dumb. I bet you know exactly what we’re about to talk about.” She took a pause before continuing. “Do you love her?”

“Would my answer matter?” He retorted. “If you were in my shoes and were forced to answer this question, what would you think? Like you said, it wouldn’t be wise of me to say that I didn’t to the family that practically forced my family. But hey, I’ll humor you since it’s obvious how I feel.”

“If it’s so obvious, then why don’t you tell us?” Your mother challenged. “Surely, you feel something. After all, I’ve, we’ve, watched you for years. That look in your eyes didn’t seem fake to us.”

“First of all, if something’s obvious, what’s the point of saying it at all?” He questioned. “Though, maybe this will help. It’s none of your business.”

With that, Yoongi turned away, stomping away in frustration as he went to look for you.

---

“Cheese!”

You walked around aimlessly in the crowds of people, searching from some peers and professors. The sun had set, and the orange sky had been replaced with a much darker blue. The illuminating field lights shone brightly, green and yellow hues reflecting off it. As you pushed past a huddle of students, you bumped into Jimin.

“Oh… It’s you.”

“Jeez, does everyone hate me or something?” Jimin muttered. “Did you at least finish taking pictures with everyone?”

“Not yet. No…” You looked back at Jimin, his stance stiff and awkward. “Are you going to leave now?”

“Ah… Yeah, I was thinking about it.” He mumbled, folding his arms in front of his chest.

“But why? Don’t you want to celebrate with everyone?”

“I don’t really have anyone though y/n.” He uttered softly, staring at the happy faces of graduates. “Isn’t it weird how this is supposed to be happy? Why don’t I feel the same way as them?”

Jimin stared at you. His heart ached as he looked into your eyes. Why did you have to look at him with such sadness and pity? He had watched you before as you busied yourself, conversing with others while he stood in the crowd of people, but without anyone.

Despite knowing so many people, the truth was he had no one. The pain of not having you for what he wanted and the misery of his own love, something he should never have felt the need to be ashamed of, choked him. It gripped him down like a vice, cutting off further advancements.

It was that spur of the moment that made him want to confess everything to you. To tell you about his struggles and the battles he had to face alone. He wanted to cry and hold onto you, spilling out how much he just wanted to feel free. Why did he have to be so unhappy? Depression and dysphoria. But he just stared and followed you around, watching as you looked for more people, your feet carrying you wherever you could.

As you reached the end of the field, the lights no longer shone as bright, not being able to reach far enough. The grass was much darker and it was much difficult to make out of the faces of the people around you. You looked from side to side, pouting.

“Y/n…”

You turned around when you heard Jimin, who only looked straight down at his feet.

“Hmm?”

Jimin walked closer to you, his face filled with desperation.

“What’s wrong, Jimin?” Are you not feeling well?”

“Please don’t hate me for this…”

Jimin brought his lips down, a soft connection built, so much different than all the kisses he had given out his entire life. It was not rough or needy, but it was delicate. Your skin was so delicate and soft, it would surely burn away in the harsh rays of the sun. There was something in his kiss that you could not explain. All that he could not say was placed in it. It yearned for hope, affection, and understanding.

Even though it was a split second with both of your lips connected, you felt moved. You would’ve broken away the millisecond you felt him on you, but it was like you let him. It was an indescribable emotion you felt. It was something telling you to listen to him because of the overwhelming compassion the kiss was filled with.

“W-what…” A voice came out from behind you.

Your eyes widened as you pushed Jimin off, wiping your wet lips with the back of your gown.

“Please forgive me, y/n.” Jimin sobbed silently. “I really tried not to fall in love with you.”

As you turned around, you were met with the face of Yoongi, who had just witnessed everything that had happened.

“D-did you just…” His voice quivered as he left his bangs cover his eyes.

“W-wait, Yoongi! I can explain. I didn’t kiss him. I didn’t! He kissed me!” You whimpered out.

“W-why didn't you break away from him then?” He interrogated. “There was a slight second... where you melted in it before pulling away.”

“Yoongi, are you blaming me for something that was initiated against me?!”

In a burst of anger, Yoongi pointed accusingly at the man behind you.

“I knew he was up to no good. He lied to me. I knew it all along! You were trying to steal her away from me! You promised me you were okay with whatever you had with her before, and once you weren’t! You thought it was okay to take her away from me?!”

“Y-yoongi, take deep breaths. You have to calm down. People are starting to look over here and stare.” You panicked, reaching out your hands.

“Then let them stare! Don’t tell me to calm down. I have every right to be angry right now!” He shouted, sending a hateful glare at Jimin.

Yoongi grabbed onto the Jimin, feeling a great urge to throw him onto the ground. But his actions faltered as he paused, his hand just tightly gripping onto the collar of his gown. He released him, turning away, his white robe fluttering behind him.

“Y/n, let’s go. We’re leaving.” He ordered.

“O-okay.”

Yoongi dragged you away, out of the turf and into your dormitory building. It was completely empty as you walked in, punching your security code and listening to the snap of the lock granting access in. As soon as the two of you made it in the room, Yoongi slammed the door shut, cornering you until your back hit the cold wood.

“I think you owe me something, y/n.”

“I-i’m sorry, Yoongi.”

“I am so ridiculously furious right now. I’m mad at him and disappointed in you.” His fingers caressed your bottom lip forcefully, his eyes boring straight into you. “These are mine, do you understand?”

“Yoongi… You’re scaring me right now…” You mumbled, chills running down your back.

Without another word, Yoongi crushed his lips onto yours, pushing your back onto the cold wood that you could barely stand up. It was so much different than any of the other kisses you had shared. You never felt so scared before.

It was intense and needy, desperation taking over as if he was going to lose you. Or as if he had already lost you.

They were right. Your parents were always right. He had always loved you. He loved and pinned after you for the longest time. Yet, when your family announced they had picked his family he felt somewhat betrayed. Now, many years of his buildup emotions no longer matter. He was supposed to love you. He had no choice but to love you. Those past emotions did not matter anymore in the eyes of the adults. All that matter was how he felt now and it destroyed him inside. Nobody would believe him if he had said he loved you since he was a child.

“Of course he's in love with her. He's a puppet.”

He was supposed to show you true love, build it up and continuously stack it until it was completed. He knew he would never lose even if they had picked someone else. After all, he would’ve done anything to his power to make sure you were his and his alone. You belonged to him.

As Yoongi continued to press his lips against yours, you whimpered out in fear. You had never seen this kind of behavior before. He released himself from your lips but pulled down the collar of your robe to expose your neck. You felt a sting of pain as Yoongi sucked and bit it.

“Ow!” You flinched, feeling a sharp pain as a small bit of blood escaped from your skin.

Inside, your mind felt dizzy. You had indeed betrayed him and yet, this didn’t feel right. This surely wasn’t right. Were you supposed to be treated like this?

Your feelings were disregarded and you had to make things up to him because of what had transpired. It seemed unfair to you that any of your complaints that you voiced out did not matter.

As he separated his lips from your skin, he stared into your eyes, his forehead resting on yours.

“I’m never letting you go. You will never leave me.”

Chapter 11

[lucy-roo]

So in our World literature class, we were assigned to make a flash fiction. Basically a short story ranging from 300 to 1000 words no more than that. And we were given the chance to pick among 7 titles, the said title shoyld be the last line of the story. I picked the "i warned you about loving me" and shit gets real i wrote a 576 word jesse mccree x gabriel reyes fanfic im fuccin cryin. I dunno if its good enough. Lmao my prof's gonna get rekt this tuesday when i read this infront of the class. Feel free to give your thoughts lmao

I warned you about loving me

Hunched over the hospital bed, he gently rubs his left arm where a visible patch of decaying skin is present. As he touched the skin, it deteriorated but then healed at a very fast rate. Gabe chuckled silently to himself; will this be his fate forever? Simultaneously decaying and regenerating, hiding himself from his friends, his loved ones? With nothing but pity and disgust thrown at him by his other coworkers.

Slowly, black smoke started to ooze out of his skin. It bothered him to the point where he would just overwork himself at his office, staying isolated inside his room, out of scrutinizing gazes. He snapped out of his trance as the door opened, revealing Jesse. His usual cliché cowboy get-up always manages to put a smile on Gabe’s lips, although those noisy spurs never fail to annoy him.

Jesse took off his hat, placing it down on a small table beside Gabe’s bed and took seat next to Gabe on the bed.

“You doin’ okay Gabe?” He drawls out with his thick accent. Gabe always loved that.

He raised his right hand, slowly caressing Gabe’s cheeks. It was warm, unlike the snowy weather outside, where harsh winds blew past, a dark gloomy day in Gibraltar, Switzerland.

Gabe leaned on the touch, it was warm and comforting, and reminded him of a hot sunny day in California. However, dark thoughts clouded his mind, and he almost recoiled from the touch because of it, thus slowly backing away from him. Jesse, visibly hurt from Gabe’s reaction, placed his hand back to his lap and looked away.

It was so quiet, Gabe hated it, and he despised it. “I was thinking..” He started.

“We shouldn’t continue this anymore”

Jesse looked back at Gabe, eyes wide and a pained look plastered on his face.

“I’ll just keep on hurting you, I don’t want that.” He continued.

Jesse just laughed half-heartedly although you could hear the sadness through it, “If you think this situation will keep me from lovin’ you then you’re dead wrong there”. Gabe just sighed; he tried warning him but to no avail. ‘He’ll surely regret his decisions’, he thought to himself.

Back to the present

Blood was pouring out of his side, as he struggles to press on his wound to stop the bleeding.

Jesse huffs in pain, but still manages to smirk at the person in front of him.

“So you’re a traitor now huh?.” He lets out.

The skull-masked man silently stares at him, twin shotguns pointed at Jesse, readying to finish him. His fingers clutching tightly at the guns, almost pulling the trigger.

“Go on, do it”, Jesse whispered. “Didn’t you want to end this, Gabe?” He continued, voice cracking from either the pain or the sadness he was feeling.

Grasping his mask, he dropped it on the ground revealing Gabe’s scarred face and hauntingly red eyes. Longing and sadness evident on his face. Why couldn’t he pull the trigger? After all these years, he still won’t admit the lingering feelings he held for the man. But he remembered all the things that happened before, those should just stay in the past, he can’t afford another distraction, he needed to finish his mission.

“I’m sorry Jesse-“, he whispered.

BANG

The smoke oozing out of his gun reminded him of himself. The smell of gunpowder and death. He was a monster, destroying everything he touches. He turns his back, turning himself into a black mist and disappearing in the wind but not before whispering aloud.

“But I warned you about loving me”

[mlpdestinyverse]

Destinyverse: Daring Do

A look at Destinyverse’s version of Daring and her backstory!

“My work always involves secrets. And since you never know who you can trust, it's best never to trust anypony."

(Very Long) Summary Under The Cut!

- Daring Do was born within the eastern village of Lokai, most popularly known for being the village the hero Mistmane originated from ((which was canonically inspired by asian culture)). She was born under the name “Astelia Kerria Yearling”. Lokai is a village of beauty and it’s not uncommon for foals to be named after flowers and other wonders of nature. Astelia in particular, however, had the last name of “Yearling” passed down by her mother, who had been an outsider from the west.

- Astelia never knew her parents and was never told what had happened to them. All she knows is that she was directly taken in by her strict grandparents. They didn’t seem particularly fond of her, as if she were a mere obligation compared to the rest of her extended family. Not even her high academic achievements seemed to impress them much. The filly eventually decided that it was partly due to her being the first pegasus in their magical unicorn family line. - Her grandparents were incredibly old-fashioned ponies who strongly believed in tradition. Because of this, they had a specific idea of how growing fillies should be; meek, well-mannered and tidy, writers of elegant poetry or painters of still-life, like many of the elderly mares. They held all of the fillies and mares in their family to this standard. But psssSSSHHH, screw that, right? Astelia had a headstrong, witty, and fearless personality. She was independent. Spontaneous. Daring. She loved blindly throwing herself head first into anything exciting or challenging (hello free-falling from a cloud to test her flight skills. Also hello to tracking down a wild boar), no matter how intimidating or dangerous it seemed to others. More often than not, her grandparents had to reign her in and scold her for her reckless and far too bold behavior. Irritatingly enough, she was even considered a “trouble child” within her family. Then again, no one in her family knew how to handle a speedy, spirited pegasus like herself. - Astelia loved flying off to explore the nearby forests and pretend she was adventuring. She was imaginative and was inspired by the adventure-themed books she would read in the town’s library, which was full of donated books gathered from all across Equestria. Eventually she began writing down a diary of her own adventures, throwing in her wild daydreams to make her stories way more exciting. She would have her younger cousins read her writings, and their interest only spurred her on to write more. She even thought that maybe she could earn her cutie mark this way. - Unfortunately, her grandparents disapproved of her overactive imagination, believing it fed her dangerous ideas and would encourage even more unrefined behavior. They tried monitoring what she read, keeping her from running off outside the village, and even forced her into taking flower-arranging classes while squeezing her into tight dress wear of their choice. But as long as she had paper, she could secretly write down all of her ideas. It wasn’t until her secret writings were discovered and torn up in front of her by her controlling guardians that Astelia had enough of being held back. The next chance she got, the adolescent silently packed up her things and ran off, deadset on freely forging her own path. Because she planned on leading a new adventurous life, Astelia decided to discard her fancy name in favor of one that actually fit her; “Daring Do”. Because she knew she was willing to tackle anything, no matter the challenge or odds. ...it might’ve taken her a week to come up with the name, but you know. - Fortunately for Daring, she had a pretty great sense of direction! Unfortunately for Daring, she knew diddly squat about survival skills. After weeks of trekking, attempts at foraging (and getting sick five too many times), and numerous close-calls with wild bears and coyotes, Daring began questioning if she was really capable of making it on her own. Even doing odd jobs in the towns she passed through didn’t really earn her much to get by. And then she met the professor. The middle aged pegasus mare was pretty annoyed when she found this skinny, fluffed up mess of a young mare clinging to the roof of her cottage. But she did feel slightly impressed to find out Daring had been surviving on her own and had just managed to escape the clutches of a jaguar. The professor never gave her name. All Daring really got to learn about her was that she was a recluse (grumpy) historian who owned a lot of books and liked writing papers. But what the prof did offer Daring was an opportunity to learn how to hone her survival skills; if she helped with all of the mare’s chores and errands that is (oh how the prof hated going into town. Socializing. Ugh…). The professor was a pretty pessimistic, indifferent pony, but over the course of a few months, the two managed to respect and grow on each other. Well, if you consider throwing sassy (yet somewhat fond) jabs at each other ‘respect’. - The professor offered Daring a slew of information; books on the safest berries to forage and their locations in the region, books on the local animals. Heck, the prof gave a few lessons on basic self defense (slimy thieves weren't uncommon. And you might have to bop a snake in the snoot every once in a while). But there was one book in particular that captured Daring’s interest. It was a historic book with a special combination lock, filled with pages upon pages of information on ancient relics, old ruins, and ancient prophecies. While the book faciated Daring, the prof shrugged it off, explaining that she had gotten the book at a market over a year ago. After cracking the code, she was disappointed to find it was simply filled with exaggerated myths and legends. After all, since when could chunks of metal have the power to create eternal night and sink a whole town? Pft. Well, even if was a work of fiction, it was definitely Daring’s favorite book in the prof’s collection. - Daring was still a young and trusting mare at the time. So when a trio of ponies politely approached her in hopes of locating a local historian, intent on gathering information on an item they were writing a paper for, Daring didn’t think too much about it. In fact, she recognized the drawing of the item! It was in the professor’s book! Maybe she wasn’t sure whether her loner of a mentor would like company or not, but who was she to turn away ponies that she could actually help? However, she came to regret her decision upon returning to the cottage. The ponies she guided abruptly tried (and failed) to knock her out and in moments were tearing up the house. In her daze she remembered hearing shouting. She remembered seeing the ponies dragging off a tied-up professor, the relic book in hoof, and running with reckless abandon. At first Daring froze, still processing the robbery and kidnapping. But upon realizing her mentor could be in danger, courage welled up within the young mare and Daring quickly trailed them. At first she tried to locate them from the sky, but after a moment of realization, she used the ground to follow their hoofprints and broken branches. - Trailing and eavesdropping led Daring to some old ruins, where she would for the first time meet Ahuizotl. Apparently the creature had hired pony-help to scout and capture the great Book of Relics that the professor was unlucky enough to get involved with. After threatening the mare, he was able to get the code needed to open the ancient book and gain access to all the information he’d ever need on every artifact. At that moment, Ahuizotl used the newfound information to unleash his latest artifact. Daring firsthand got to witness its great power as the sky was filled with dark, powerful storm clouds that could flood the whole land. Within seconds, the heavens unleashed heavy sheets of rain, drenching Daring to the bone. -While Ahuizotl was distracted with his villainous speech, Daring managed to sneak in and untie the professor. Too bad Ahuizotl’s big cats are never too far from him and Ahuizotl had no more use for the professor and some wannabe kid. Daring soon found herself surrounded Yet, as one of Ahuizotl’s cats lunged at her, a ferocity she never knew she had within emerged. Maybe it was adrenaline, or determination, but Daring bucked and stomped and sunk her teeth into fur and skin like never before. In all the chaos, not only did Daring find an opening for the professor to escape, but Ahuizotl’s smallest kitty managed to catapult right into his face. Daring took the chance to drop kick the giant blue ape-dog and snatch up both the amulet and the book before dashing off. As she and the professor flew through the flooding temple, Daring flipped through the book’s pages and was able to solve the riddle needed to deactivate the relic. And luckily for her, the rising water was able to slow down Ahuizotl and his water-deterred felines, allowing her and her mentor to escape. - Running as far away from the temple as possible, Daring was frazzled and panicked. The stories were real. The curses, the dungeons, the powers, all of it. And that giant mutt almost drowned out a whole nation and thousands of innocent ponies with just one of these relics. Daring didn’t think twice. Ahuizotl had scoured through numerous pages of the book before she had arrived and stepped in. He said it himself in his speech; he now knew the locations of a dozen more relics. And if she and prof didn’t get to them first, then well...she couldn’t even imagine what would happen to Equestria. The professor, however, had other ideas; just burn the cursed book and walk far, far away. She was just a historian after all. All she wanted was to study in peace. She had no business facing criminals who nearly tried to kill her just for having a single book. No, she wanted none of that nonsense. And if Daring knew what was best for her, she suggested the filly should think of herself. Daring was shocked. The professor had seen for herself the destruction a single artifact could cause, how could she leave this be without batting an eye? Daring tried arguing, pleading even for the professor to just work with her. But the professor had made up her mind. And if Daring wasn’t going to listen and wanted to risk her life being some hero, then she wasn’t going to stop her. Daring had already demonstrated that she had what it took. - The two parted without any farewells. Daring had never felt so frustrated and betrayed and bitter, being left to process her new knowledge and shoulder the sense of responsibility by herself. So on that day it was settled; she didn’t need help. Her naive mistake already proved to her that she couldn’t trust just anypony. She swore to herself that she could take care of things alone, for her protection and the protection of everypony. In that moment, her resolve to protect the land and secure the relics earned Daring her cutie mark. Daring matured over the years, becoming tougher and rougher with every quest. - Daring used the Book of Relics as a checklist and guide of sorts. Sure, it didn’t have all the fine details to help her locate her artifacts, but it gave enough information to push her in the right direction. From there, information from locals or the nearest libraries helped create a clearer path. Sightings and talk of wild cats or an unknown blue creature usually helped Daring know what relic to target first. - As if Ahuizotl wasn’t already a hoof-full, eventually Dr. Caballeron came into the picture. After Daring turned down his greedy offer to work as her partner so they could sell relics and share the profits, the stallion turned on her. Daring then found herself with a target on her back as Dr. Caballeron used her trail to help lead him to the priceless artifacts he so desired. It was then that Daring began disguising herself and decided to have a secluded base away from society. - During her down time, whenever she needed to rest and recuperate, Daring found herself writing again. Then the craziest idea went through her head; wouldn't it be cool if she published her stories and her adventures managed to inspire kids? Just like her when she was young...she couldn’t have anypony know all of it was real, though, cause who knew how many other grubby hooves wanted unspeakable power. So after finding a publisher and a cover artist, Daring published her first book. But that meant putting down a different name for the author. So why not just shorten a name she already knew? And thus, the author A.K. Yearling made a name for herself, completely changing the adventure genre as ponies knew it. ------------------ Afterstory:

- When she reflected on it, Daring actually felt pretty touched when Rainbow Dash had chosen to stick with her and help out during their first adventure together, despite how harsh and unwelcoming Daring had been. Without a doubt, the excitable goof grew on her. Through Rainbow's efforts, Daring learned to put down her walls and open herself up to other ponies again. Then came the quest that led her to a gruesome wing injury, forcing her to hole herself up in her cottage until she could recover. The results for her wing’s state looked grim, and as criminals ran freely, Daring found herself at her lowest. What would happen if Daring Do retired…? Who was she then? -Rainbow supported her through these dark days, and even offered to take over her work until Daring healed up and could get back into it. Daring acted as support during these days, doing all the necessary research and secret reconnaissance to give Rainbow the information she would need to act. The two found themselves working together as a great team. Daring decided to use these adventures for a new arc in her books, determined to tell the tale of Rainbow’s strength and loyalty (under an alias, of course; Spectrum Storm). - Whether working together to take down a criminal or simply lazing together after a long day, Daring and Rainbow Dash grew closer than ever before. Even when there was no mission, Rainbow would frequently visit Daring after Wonderbolts practice just to check up on her and make sure her spirits were still up. Daring greatly appreciated Rainbow’s attempts at being there for her during these dark, melancholy days. Although it was a little scary, she felt she could truly let her guard down and depend on her friend. Feelings and tension started to build within Daring, something she felt nervous and incredibly embarrassed over. It didn’t help how flippin OBLIVIOUS Rainbow was. Stupid dorky pegasus, being stupidly cute and stupidly attractive with her dumb, charming grin and- UGH. WELL, turned out Rainbow had feelings for Daring for a long while. It just took some time to realize “wait shit, I’m in love with her, O H”. - After months of recovery, it was finally concluded that Daring’s wing would never be able to fully heal and would permanently affect her flight. Thankfully, Daring was prepared and was able to come to peace with herself. She decided it was probably time to just retire as an adventurer, believing she’d only be endangering herself (and others) by forcing herself to go up against criminals and crumbling dungeons in her new state. At first she planned on finding somepony who’d be willing to take her place and continue where Rainbow left off, but Rainbow Dash immediately waved the very idea away by volunteering to take over permanently. Cause well, that meant she could keep working alongside Daring. And that’s where she wanted to be anyway.. Daring was a flustered (but touched) mess of feathers, to say the least. Eventually these two dummies got married and had two fluffy, hard-headed kiddos together. -------------------- Extra: -Daring still goes by A.K. Yearling in public, but since “Daring Do” was such a prominent part of her, she considers it her true name. Rainbow has come to call her Daring and Dare when they’re alone.

-For her interviews as A.K., Daring made up all the information about where she grew up and where she studied literature. However, there’s a possibility she eventually wrote a prequel to her Daring Do series, revealing ‘Daring Do’s’ backstory. Her backstory, of course. -Daring eventually did return to Lokai. Surprisingly her family was overjoyed to see her alive and healthy, but there was also the disappointment that well...she didn’t come back before her grandparents had passed away. Daring felt some guilt over this, but decided to make up the lost time by getting to know everyone again. Luckily not everypony was stuffy like her late grandparents, and many were genuinely interested in her adventures. Dare visits every once in a while and has brought along Monochrome and Venture Gale once or twice. -Thanks to Daring’s numerous near-death experiences, Daring tends to get nervous over every little thing that could possibly hurt her babies. It sure took a lOOOT of coaxing to convince her that Rainbow Dash could look out for their son on their quests together.

I was never into the idea that Rainbow and Daring were secret relatives. When I acknowledged that, I was like "...I could make a next gen with these two...". And that's how Monochrome came to be. Then when I drew Daring for the first time in 'Admirer', I really liked how she looked and it made me think about how cool it'd be if she were, in our world, asian or part asian. So then I developed this backstory for her. Just two more things; don’t think too hard about the professor and who she is. She just seemed detached enough as a concept that it made sense that a name would not be established. I don’t imagine the two meeting again. Secondly; I actually can’t settle on what happened to Daring’s parents. So that part is free for interpretation! Maybe they died, maybe they eloped and left baby Daring behind. Who knows.

[podcastsoutyourass]

Movie Recommendations?

So, recently I’ve been watching some (oldish?) flicks and I needed to make a list. Most of these are more comedy-centered, but they’re all just great films all around. (Note that the numerical order has no meaning as these are all my new favorite movies of all time. Also, some of these are fairly popular, others have super low or nonexistent ratings and they all deserve the world. My descriptions probably don’t do them justice, but if they sound interesting look them up on demand, at a library, or wherever you do movies? Most of them I found for under a buck, but they really are amazing.)

1. Clue (1985) Based of the board game (You know? Prof. Plum in the Study with the candlestick?) it’s really well thought out despite being a comedy based off a children’s board game? The jokes are said at just the right time with just the right context, the acting is gorgeous, and there are three (yes, three) convoluted whodunnit endings to the same exact mystery. I’m gonna say right now, this is my favorite movie. 14/10

2. See No Evil, Hear No Evil (1989) First of all, Gene Wilder. Second of all, Richard Pryor. The plot: A deaf man (Gene) who can only read lips and a blind man (Richard), have to team up and be each other’s eyes and ears (respectively) to untangle a web of secrets, lies, and wealth beyond measure. 12/10

3. Weekend at Bernie’s (1989) (Who hasn’t heard of this movie?) the plot: Two temps at a major insurance company get a lucky break (or so they think) while going over old documents. Their strike of genius strikes in exactly the wrong spot, uncovering a ploy that was sapping money out of the company for years. Oh, and the person responsible owns the company. Driven by greed, he’ll do anything, including murder, to keep up his facade. 13/10

4. Birdemic: Shock and Terror (2010) Is a horrible movie. Everything about it is terrifyingly bad. But that’s what makes it So. Fucking. Funny. I can’t even explain the plot except that it’s like if you told ten year old me the general plot of Birds, gave me a computer and a half dead Camcorder, and told me to replicate it. The films budget was almost nonexistent and it has a 19% on Rotten Tomatoes. If you ever have 1 hour and 45 minutes of your life you want to completely waste, this is the perfect film. I also kind of consider it a horror film because of how shitty it looks. And if you found it hilariously sucky like I did there’s a sequel!!! Birdemic 2: The Resurrection, which is equally bad if not worse. |-10|/10 (think back to junior high algebra for that rating)

5. Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989) This movie isn’t for everyone, but I think it’s a masterpiece. (This is another of the more popular ones, btw) It’s a Doctor Who-esque comedy about two highschoolers are failing their history class. They travel through time to get their final essay presentation straight from the horse’s mouth. The jokes are kind of cheesy and the graphics are shitty compared to what we have today but it’s a golden movie. It has that 80s kind of stoner humor that only an 80s movie can have. There’s a sequel that I haven’t seen but it has a sequel that I haven’t seen yet, it has a 90% audience rating though, so it’s probably okay. Bill and Ted I : 11/10

6. Dude, Where’s My Car? (2000) Another stoner movie, that I honestly can’t define the plot of. Don’t get me wrong, it’s an iconic movie but it’s like an ancient epic in a lost language that you can’t decipher. There’s aliens too? They try to find his car. A good movie. 9/10

7. Clerks (1994) One of the most popular on the list, ngl, it’s not for everyone though. I personally super enjoyed it, but there’s a shit ton of crude, macabre humor injected into this movie. There’s a lot of references to it on this website but I’m pretty sure no one says exactly where they got the source audio, or they just don’t know where it came from in the first place. It came from this scene. There’s also a 2nd and 3rd movie if it’s your thing, I haven’t seen them yet myself. 10/10

8. Breakfast At Tiffany’s (1961) Okay tbh I was more skeptical about this one bc it’s an old romance flick and normally they’re seeded with sexism and shit but the romance aspect actually felt genuine. The acting felt more spur of the moment decision than that old movie monotonous stage and stript feel. There were two reoccurring race sterotype charaters (which is gross) but they only have about a couple min of screen time in total. Overall one of my favorite romance-y films 9/10

More movies to come! I’ll update this the more movies I find that I feel fit the list. If you find one you think fits the list, feel free to add it in the comments!

[ukulelewrites]

All’s Fair In Love & War {1}

A/N: natty’s back at it again with the “i am trash for kim donghan” fics~~~ So yeah, a chaptered fic for the rudest yet cutest boy ik. Also tagging @smols-n-tols bc they heard this idea from me first!

Pairing: JBJ’s Kim Donghan x Reader

Genre: Angst, fratboy!donghan, more things to come~

Word Count: Roughly 2k

Parts: 1 / 2

An A on your paper. A stupid bet spurred by anger. And an especially annoying frat boy who goes by the name of Kim Donghan. Who knew such things would lead you to such a mess?

College was always something you had thought about growing up. Ever since your sophomore year of high school you knew you wanted to travel around the world while writing, so when you got the acceptance letter from Lawrence Sarah College in the mail, you were ecstatic. However, your parents were less than thrilled. “How can you go to an all girls’ college? How are you going to get a normal college experience surround by all girls?” your mom asked, concerned, over dinner one night.

“If I wish to graduate college with honors and a journalism major with a minor in linguistics, work for some of the top newspapers in the country, and then build up my resume to be able to go freelance by the age of 28, I can’t afford to have a ‘normal’ college experience,” you replied matter-of-factly, not even looking up from you dinner plate.

“College isn’t just about getting a degree, kiddo,” your dad asked, “It’s about finding who you are, what you want to be. Plus, can’t you just go to the State University? They have a strong journalism program, right?”

“Dad, I already know who I am and what I want to be, and going to Lawrence Sarah is going to help me with that. Plus, in the journalism world, a degree from Lawrence Sarah carries way much more weight than State.”

Your parents shared worried glances. “Whatever, you say, kiddo. We’ll trust you to make the decision that’s best for you.”

That was two years ago. You were now a sophomore at Lawrence Sarah, and you were thriving. The intensive coursework kept you on your toes and away from distractions such as socials and parties. You stayed within your dorm room or the library constantly studying and constantly writing; that’s how you were able to maintain your spotless GPA for the past two years.

“Prof, can I talk to you about our paper?” you asked one day after class.

“Of course, Y/N, go ahead,” he said, looking up from his desk.

“I just wanted to run a couple ideas by you for the article we’re expected to write, since it is 80% of our grade,” you said, eyeing your professor nervously. Once he motioned for you to continue, you began to speak. “I was thinking of doing more research into the negative effect of-”

“No,” your professor clipped, returning his attention back to the papers on his desk.

“Well, what about the systematic-”

“No.”

“And why not?”

He looked up at you through his glasses. “Y/N, you’re an extremely bright student, but as of now, all of your topics don’t pertain to you.”

“What do you mean? These are things I feel very strongly-”

“You can feel as strongly as you want, but through this paper, I want to learn something about you as a person too, Y/N. Be informative, be personable, be something different. Because, Y/N, I know you can write well about the negative effects of enforced gender roles and expectations on children. I know you can write well about the growing population of people identifying as queer and what that means to them. But I want this article to be something about you. You’re a college student after all. There has to be something you can think of.”

“Well what about,” you paused, pondering over your lackluster knowledge of college life. Suddenly you remembered your friend mentioning something about the State University’s frat. “Well, what about I write an exposé on fraternity mentality and their influence on college life?” you offered, “I can interview a couple of the fraternities at State, and I can even talk to their school’s director on the influences of the Greek system, maybe even pull up a couple statistics?” you looked at your professor expectantly.

“And how does this pertain to you?”

“We’re right next door to State. A lot of my classmates are affected by the fraternities there, so it’d be good for me to write something to inform them of exactly what they’re getting into when the boys of Epsilon Beta come over to our campus to invite impressionable freshmen to their parties.”

He leaned back in his seat, and a pensive look overcame his features. “Hm, your perspective on the whole thing would add a nice twist,” he paused, “I guess, you’ll just have to write it and convince me it’s worthy.”

“A fraternity? You’re doing an exposé on a fraternity?” Yebin asked, choking on her lowfat yogurt. You crinkled your nose at her sparse lunch and took another bite into your burger.

“I blanked okay! He shot down all my other idea, so I kinda just blurted that one out,” your words thinned out at the end of your sentence.

“And how exactly are you going to get someone from a frat to agree to this? You’re exposing them for the purpose of an A. I see no benefits here.”

You shrugged, “I’ll just say it’s an article highlighting the positive effects of fraternities within a college community. The actual dirt I pull will be through my own observations at frat events and statistics I find.” You finished your burger and leaned forward in your seat. “Anyways, Yebin, can you get me into a frat party?” She almost sprayed mineral water over you.

“You? A frat party? Jesus Christ, Y/N, you’re seriously dedicated to this aren’t you?”

“It’s 80% of my grade, of course I’m dedicated.”

She roller her eyes at your reply. “Well,” she leaned in also, dropping her voice to a whisper, “I’m seeing this guy from Epsilon Beta, so I think I can get us into their next party.”

“Of course, how could I expect anything less from you,” you said jokingly, knowing extremely well your best friend’s reputation. “So, when’s the party?”

“Tomorrow.”

You leaned back into your chair in shock. “Tomorrow? It’s a Tuesday night! I have classes Wednesday.”

Yebin shrugged. “That’s just how Epsilon Beta works. You asked me to get you into a party, and that’s the one I can get you in.”

You groaned. “Fine, what do I wear?”

“Well, have anything that goes above your knees?”

You tugged at your skirt and the hem of your crop top uncomfortably. “It’s the middle of October. Why the hell am I wearing a crop top?” you asked, teeth chattering.

“Because you look hot, and if you want to get any frat boy’s attention, that’s the way to do it,” Yebin replied nonchalantly as the two of you walked up to the house. The bass was already reverberating through you, and the stench of mischief filled the air. You eyed the boy standing at the door warily as Yebin threw an arm around his shoulders and placed a kiss on his cheek. “Sanggyun, it’s so good to see you!” she squealed. He grimaced.

“Save your flirting for Taehyun. It’s bad enough he put me on door duty, now I have to deal with kiss-ups like you trying to get in.”

She rolled her eyes playfully. “You know full well Taehyun hates it when I squeal. He says it ruins the mood,” she said this with a pout. “Anyways, what did you do to earn such a duty?”

Sanggyun smiled proudly, “Well, Donghan and I got onto Taehyun’s laptop and uploaded this code that opened your last tab on full volume the next time you turned on your laptop, and well, it’s his own fault the last tab he had opened was a really bad porno. Really, no tact at all, everyone knows to use incognito mode for that shit.”

“And how’d he know it was you?” you piped up from behind Yebin.

Sanggyun’s eyes widened when he realized you were there, but he continued on with his story, “We’re the only two CS majors in the entire frat, so through process of elimination, he figured it was us.”

“Riveting,” Yebin deadpanned, “anyways, can you be a kind soul and let us into the party?”

Sanggyun eyed you carefully, “I guess it wouldn’t hurt anyone if I let your friend in. She’s not like, going to break shit right? Last time we let someone’s friend in, they caught Hyunbin’s mattress on fire.”

“I promise I’m not a pyromaniac,” you swore.

He shrugged, “Good enough for me. Enjoy the party, ladies.”

Yebin had long ditched you at this point for her current fling, so you found yourself alone, back pressed against the wall as you scrolled through your phone. You honestly had no clue on how to conduct yourself here. You were never fond of dancing or alcohol, so you were at  a complete loss as to how to approach any of the boys.

“What’s a pretty girl like you doing all alone?” someone asked. You looked up to find a boy towering over you. His black hair was tousled slightly, and his fitted white tee and tight black pants gave room for little imagination. He wore a smirk as he looked down at you, obviously confident with the idea of you throwing yourself at him instantly.

“Trying to avoid people like you,” you said icily.

“Hm, usually not the response I get, but you’re pretty cute, so I’ll let it slide. Name’s Donghan by the way,” he said. His back was now pressed against the wall; the two of you standing there side by side, watching the crowd.

“Well, I’m Y/N,” you replied.

“Hm, Y/N, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you around.”

“I’m from Lawrence Sarah.” You scooted a bit to the left, trying to create some distance between you two.

“Lawrence Sarah? The home of lesbians and sluts?” he asked, also scooting to the left.

“I’d prefer it if you didn’t call it that. It’s completely degrading to the girls attending the university.”

“Doesn’t mean I’m wrong. Look, one of the only other girl from Lawrence Sarah here is currently in one of the upstairs’ bedroom blowing our president,” he replied crassly.

Your ears felt hot. “Well, it’s still rude to only widdle her down to the word ‘slut.’ She’s extremely bright, and she’s on her way to being a member of the national women’s soccer team,” you huffed out. You crossed your arms tightly across your chest.

“Let me guess, she’s your best friend?” You gave the answer away once you turned away from him. “Look, babe, didn’t mean to offend, but considering the only thing I know about her is that she’s blown almost every single guy on Greek row, it’s hard not calling her a slut.”

You narrowed your eyes at him. “And you’re just the spitting image of chastity, aren’t you?”

He broke out into a smirk when you said that. “Well, I don’t really do chastity.”

“Then you have no right to call her such a demeaning name if you do the exact same thing she does.”

He rose his hands up in defense. “Didn’t mean to offend, I swear.”

You rolled your eyes at him. “I’m assuming you think yourself as some kind of god for sleeping around so much.”

“Well, I wouldn’t say god, but,” his smirk grew, “girls just seem to flock to me.”

You scoffed at his statement. “How humble,” you said, sarcasm dripping off of your tongue. “What has happened to chivalry in the modern age?”

“Chivalry’s dead, babe. It’s been dead since knights stopped being a thing.”

“So you’ve never loved anyone?”

“Love’s overrated. Life’s all about living to the fullest. You can’t do that tied down.”

“How,” you paused to mull over your words, “fratboy-ish of you to say.”

“Of course,” he leered down at you, “if it’ll get you into my bed, I’m all for dating.”

You shook your head at his statement. “Of course, how could I expect anything less from someone like you.”

“Someone like me?” he asked. His eyebrow cocked up in amusement.

“Someone who masks their fragile masculinity and fear of falling in love by never staying with the same person too long because it’s so not cool to be in a loving, trusting relationship.”

It was his turn to scoff at you. “Babe, I don’t love, period, not because of whatever bullshit you’re spewing. Love’s just something made up by the Hallmark company to sell their overpriced cards.”

“Really now? Well, what about a wager.”

“And what’s the wager?”

“Whoever I choose, you have to woo them. If you get rejected, you automatically lose the bet.”

“I don’t get rejected,” he said cockily.

“Anyways, if you succeed in wooing them, you have to date them for 4 months. Kissing, hand holding, dates, all that jazz, but you can’t sleep with them. If you seriously don’t feel anything for them by the end of the month, you win. If you do feel something, I win.”

He looked interested now. “And what do I get if I win?”

“Whatever you want from me.”

He rose his eyebrow at you. “You sure about that, babe? I don’t think you know what you’re getting into.”

You straightened yourself up. “I think I know what I’m doing, babe.”

Donghan looked at you amused and stuck his hand out. “Then I guess it’s a deal.”

You begrudgingly took his hand and shook it. Quickly letting it go, you turned around to scan the party, looking for someone. “Well, you have to go after her,” you said, pointing to a girl sitting by herself. You knew her from your Women’s Studies class, knowing full well how kind-hearted and genuine she is. It’d be impossible not to fall for her.

Donghan squinted his eyes in your finger’s direction. “Can’t you pick me someone a bit more, I don’t know, hot?”

You smirked up at him. “A deal’s a deal, Donghan. I recommend you get to work now if you really want to win.”