#sure if you want to pursue a career in art you might have that pressure of having to improve but

[palalances]

how i’ve never said this before literally baffles me, but: your art style is so incredibly pretty! especially your klance art is always so pretty too look at :D

you’re an incredible artist!

also: do you perhaps have any general drawing tips for newbies like me? :’))

Hello, thank you so much!!!!! i appreciate it :)

hmmmm let me think, im not great at talking nor am i great at giving advice so im just going to say some things that worked for me:

I'd say the main thing is to draw things you enjoy, things that will make you happy. it’s really important to practice and draw a lot if you want to improve, so if you’re drawing things you enjoy you’ll want to draw more often. 

Try to understand anatomy. You can do this by looking up references for the poses you want to draw. Don’t trace them, rather try to understand them and use logic. The width of the shoulders, where the neck connects and how long it should be, how big the head should be in relation to the body... Pay attention to yourself in the mirror also. how much space is there between your eye and your ear, how it varies with the angle of your face, how much space between your mouth and chin and your mouth and nose, where your eyebrows begin and where they end, etc.

Very important especially at the beginning, even when you’re just doing screenshot redraws, is not to just draw what you see, first draw what’s underneath and then lightly erase it/use a different layer so you can add the clothes and hair on top. So basically draw them naked first lol.

Use guidelines for the face and the body. Maybe you don’t know how to use them at first, but you don’t have to follow them strictly. i mainly use them to make sure the eyes are leveled, the nose is in the middle of the face, the shoulders are the same width and the torso is centered. follow them in a way that’s useful to you.

Lastly, do not focus on developing an artstyle. i wish someone had told me this bc i was trying soo hard to find my artstyle, i thought i wouldn’t be a real artist until i had one, but the thing is it’ll come naturally. it just happens. so don’t focus on always trying to do things the same way bc you feel like that’s your style, and just do them in a way that feels fun. don’t be scared to try new things.

You can check out this tag. There are also great content creators on youtube that give art tips sometimes, like drawingwiffwaffles and samdoesarts, so i suggest you look them up if you haven’t already!

Hope these were somewhat useful :)

[heilos]

Hello! My name is Moriah and I am a junior in high school. I was wondering if I might be able to get your insight on a few questions I have?

I am in my final years of high school and am starting to think about college but I have no idea what I want to pursue. I know I love art, so for a long time I have been thinking about getting an art major or going to an art school.

I’m reaching out because I ABSOLUTELY LOVE YOUR ART and I think you are a very talented artist! I have been in love with your art for so long and I am curious and wondering how you are able to fit drawing into your life?

1.) If you went to college for art, what was it like? Do you think going to school for art or having an art major is worth it?

2.) how can I fit art into my everyday life? I’m sure you have work and other things to do in your life so how do you balance it out? (I just want to know how you can draw as much as you do!)

3.) do you do art as a full-time career or part-time career? is it an alright source of income? If it is a part-time career, how do you balance work, personal life, and art?

Thank you so much! And sorry if these questions might seem personal. I just want to know how other artist manage to draw and create their work and still have an adult life. Thanks again, and thank you for being a huge inspiration in my life to create the art I love! Your art means so much to me!❤️❤️ ❤️

Hi Moriah! Thank you so much for your patience since it took me a bit to answer this. I'll do my best to be as honest as possible. 1) I think going to college can be beneficial even if I wish i'd done things differently. In hindsight I would have definitely taken more time to really look through all available options instead of gunning straight for the most "prestigious" looking colleges since the idea of having a big name school on your resume was pretty prevalent when I was growing up. I went to Savannah College of Art and Design or SCAD for short and while I don't regret the friends I made there, I do regret not understanding just how much an institution like that ended up costing in loans compared to what I got out of it education wise. It always hurts my heart to see other kids get chained to huge amounts of student loan debt that could have been avoided. And even then you don't necessarily need a college degree for every type of art job. Your portfolio is what really matters more to prospective work places if you're looking at a career related to art. I would also keep in mind that the field is very competitive depending on what your goals are. Do you want to get into animation? game design? illustration? comics? prop design, character design or environment design? ect ect. Always try and give yourself the best advantage you can with researched knowledge of what you might be getting yourself into. Also there is no rush to go immediately into college even if you're dead set on wanting to attend one. Please give yourself as much time as you need to really make that decision and, if you have the option, don't feel pressured into thinking you HAVE to make that choice immediately out of high school. 2) I do get quite a bit of production art done on my days off mostly since I'm very experienced in working on group projects like Mystery Skulls Animated. When you're doing art and production work with other people, there's a different mindset in that others are relying on you to keep decently productive so that you're not holding up the pipeline if you're dedicated to seeing a project through to completion. Now when it comes to purely fun art on the side, I've actually only recently started balancing my time out better with work to sketch since the draw back of working on a group project like this for so long is a certain level of burn out. I had about a 2-3 year period where I couldn't get myself to draw much of anything even if I was excited about something like a new game or animated series and it's taken awhile to come to terms with the time lost since my body and head needed that time to recover and that's something i'm much more ok with now. I'm not the absolute best on advice for time management unfortunately, but seeking out projects that might interest you and lets you collaborate with other artists is definitely one way to keep yourself excited and engaged when wanting to make art. Just know and/or learn your limits and you'll be better about not getting too burned out when trying to find that decent balance of art time and other life activities. 3) I actually don't do art full time even if that was originally the plan back in college. I personally found out that I didn't want to turn it into a job the closer graduation came, but that varies completely from person to person and plenty of up and coming artists have found fulfillment in having art be their job too. I used to make prints for conventions so that was a partial income source for a little bit, but again for me it got tiring and I ended up getting a different more physical job to supplement my income while still being able to have enough time to stick around with my friend group on our music video projects. And again there's no shame in taking some time in trying to figure out if you want to make art your job and coming to a different conclusion. Sometimes the things we plan when we're younger take a wildly different turn out of left field and education or job aspirations are very much included in that.

[daxite]

important update regarding commissions

for the foreseeable future my commissions will be indefinitely closed, this is due to a number of reasons that i’ll go into more detail below the cut, but the TLDR version is that i’m going to be extremely busy this year (and beyond that), and on the art-side of things i’m basically going to be dedicating all of that focus on my comic

i’m extremely grateful for all of the support and clients that i’ve received over the years, and i might reopen commissions again in the future (though it will likely be very limited and sparse), but for now they’re on an indefinite hold

since the end of last year i've started focusing more on becoming a carer/rehabilitator for bats, it's something that i want to dedicate a lot of my time to and i’m planning on doing a lot of volunteer work for my local bat group in the coming year

i’ll also be returning to college in september so that i can focus on my career path of geology, which will likely have me going to university next year to pursue a masters degree in geology

as for art, i think i’ve fully accepted that it is just purely going to be a hobby of mine growing up i always thought that i had to pursue art as a career since it was what i was extremely passionate about and it was what i enjoyed doing the most as a kid, there was also a lot of pressure from my family that lead me into thinking it was all i could really do as a job, not only just because of the expectations that were put on me, but also because i wasn’t very good at some academic subjects like maths and such but i’ve long realised that i fucking hate doing art when it’s a professional setting and not my own work lol i was absolutely miserable in college whilst taking it as a subject, i hated taking art classes in school as well for the same reason, art isn’t something that -- and i think this holds true for most artists lmao -- i like being told what i should and shouldn’t be doing, what i should and shouldn’t draw

and truth be told, as grateful as i am for all of the support i received with freelancing, i didn’t really enjoy it that much and i think it shows. i’m not sure how noticeable it is to others, but to me when i compare my commission works to my own projects and my OC works, it feels much more stiff, lifeless, and generally looks much fucking worse to me, and i felt bad for that because i really do want to give people the best results possible when it comes to commission work i love art, but i hate it as a career, and because of that i’m going to be dedicating all of my time with art to do what i love about it; working on my own personal creations

this is mostly going to be focusing on my comic, which i’ve mentioned time and time again all over for years, trust me it is still something i’m working on, it’s a long project and it’s gone through a lot of rewrites, overhauls, among other things, but at the core of it, it’s something that i am genuinely so fucking passionate about and i can promise you that it absolutely is coming when it’s ready

with that i will say that there is now a hard deadline for the prologue; september of this year, not sure specifically when, but i’m giving myself that time to complete the prologue by then

beyond that we’ll see how long the rest takes lol

with this change i will be setting up my ko-fi properly in a month or two, but generally it’ll just be essentially a tip jar if you like seeing my work lmao

patreon is also something i’m considering, but i don’t think i’ll be doing anything with that until the comic is properly out and updating

anyway with all that aside, i really do want to say thank you again to everyone who has commissioned me and supported my work in the past, i really do appreciate it

[saltygoateetiger]

Academy Sports Opening a New Campus and Giving Kids the Tools to Be Successful

There are many steps involved in creating content for your blog post or website - planning out the topic you want to cover, doing research on related topics so that you have sources lined up in advance, and structuring your article so that it flows from point to point. While all these tasks might seem complicated, find out in this article how AI-powered software can actually make them much easier on you!

Have you ever thought about how you would like to have the chance to have a career at Academy Sports? Well, today, you can! The company is opening a new campus in Madison, WI and giving kids the tools they need to be successful - all in one place!

The Importance of Work

The Academy Sports Campus in White Plains, New York is the perfect place for kids to learn the importance of work. Not only do they get an education from the Academy, but they also get the tools they need to be successful.

Since opening its doors in 2009, Academy Sports Campus has educated more than 4,000 children in grades K-12. The campus offers a variety of programs that teach children how to have positive attitudes at work and succeed both on and off the field. Students can choose from a wide range of classes such as business and marketing, sports training, and fitness instruction.

The campus provides students with the skills they need to be successful not only in their careers but also in life. The Academy's focus on work ethic will give kids the tools they need to achieve their goals no matter what they pursue.

The Power of Attitude

If you're like most parents, you want your children to have everything they could possibly want in life. But what if success wasn't something that had to be earned? What if it was something that could be simply accessed through the proper education and tools? That's the idea behind Academy Sports, a new campus that is set to open up in the near future and give kids access to the tools they need to be successful.

The Academy Sports campus is designed with the goal of helping kids learn about teamwork and how to become successful individuals. The campus will offer a variety of courses, including sports training, fitness instruction, and more. The campus will also feature a state-of-the-art gymnasium and an Olympic-sized pool.

This is a groundbreaking concept and one that is sure to help many kids in need. Not only will this campus provide them with the necessary resources to succeed, Academy Sports Near Me, but it will also teach them how to work as a team and build their confidence. It's exciting to think about the possibilities this has for kids all over the country and we can't wait to see what comes next from Academy Sports!

The Importance of Teamwork

When it comes to being successful in any sport, teamwork is key. That's why Academy Sports, a new campus that recently opened in the Tampa area, is so important. The academy offers kids the opportunity to learn from some of the best coaches in the business, as well as receive guidance and training in order to become successful athletes.

Aside from providing top-notch coaching and training, Academy Sports also emphasizes teamwork. That's because success in sports often comes down to how well everyone on the team works together. At Academy Sports, kids will have the opportunity to develop skills such as communication, coordination, and timing. In addition, they'll learn how to work as part of a unit and how to handle pressure.

All of this helps prepare kids for success in sports. And with Academy Sports' help, they're likely to achieve it.

List of Success Skills

1. Build Good Habits

2. Stay Organized

3. Be Persistent

4. Stay Focused

5. Develop Self-Discipline

Conclusion

If you're a parent of a child who loves playing sports, then good news - Academy Sports and Outdoors has just opened their newest campus! This new location offers kids the opportunity to learn about nutrition, fitness and more, so that they can be successful athletes in the future. With everything from soccer to basketball to football classes on offer, there's something for everyone at Academy Sports. Check out their website today to see if this is the right fit for your family!

[fashionmastersprograms]

The Guide To Choosing a Fashion Design Program

A promising future in the fashion design industry depends on the right decision about which school you attend. Although fashion design isn't one of the most popular careers to pursue, if your talents lie in this field there is plenty of opportunity awaiting you. But the first obstacle to overcome is the selection of the school you attend. To discover more info about fashion design, you have to browse https://www.istitutomarangonimiami.com/masters-programs site.

When selecting a fashion-oriented school, consider the following aspects.

The Area of Attention

Check out the school's character. Does it only function as a fashion design school or do they provide other courses. Does this school have a reputation for its focus on fashion design?

Fashion-oriented design colleges are scarce and far between. It is difficult to find the best one for you. Find a school which is reliable and will assist you in your training.

Additionally, check if the school has participated in any fashion design contests or has made any achievements known in the business. This is a sure sign of their commitment to the art of fashion and education for students.

Different schools have strengths, find one that matches your strengths and has specificizations in the area you prefer.

For example, you might choose a very popular ma fashion only to find out that they specialize in children's' clothing, while the industry you're looking for is formal attire for adults. This can make your choice less pertinent and hinder your ability to specialize.

Be sure to know which field the school you are looking at is focused on. This will allow you to focus on the specific subject.

Alumni and Job Placements

Can the school help with job search? Are there alumni who have gone into the world of business after graduating from this school? Learn from the past experiences. A excellent school will demonstrate that students who attended the same school before you are educated and successful in their fields.

The majority of these institutions have a wide network of connections to the graphic arts field. A lot of them offer employment services. You may want to consider this when selecting schools.

It's recommended to look into the education of your preferred fashion designer. Looking up the schools they came from will give an idea of what kind of training the artists received. From here, you may make decisions as to whether you'd like to go to the same institution like they did.

Curriculum

It is important to assess the importance of the curriculum for the subject you are studying. You may want to compare the curriculum of various schools to determine which one offers the best form of education.

You must also verify the quality and qualifications of the instructors at the school. Being able to find established artists who teach at an fashion design masters programs is another indication of a good training program.

Ratio teacher to student

Before you decide, ask yourself how large the class is, and the number of teachers there. The effectiveness of the teacher is less effective if there are more students. If there are not enough students for each teacher, it could signal a problem with quality. If that occurs, it may be the case that the school isn't popular or has an apathetic academic performance.

Accreditation

Accreditation indicates that the institution is in compliance with certain standards of education. The U.S. Department of Education provides accreditation. Fashion design schools need to be accredited in order to demonstrate their level of competence.

Cost

Some people might claim that they will spare no money to pursue their education. However, it is also important to be pragmatic in your choice of master's degree in fashion. If the institution you select has a tuition rate that is in excess of your financial capacity, you might find yourself working but not able to complete your studies on a regular basis due to financial pressure which could lead you to look for part-time employment.

Scholarships

It's worth checking if there are scholarships available at the school of design you are considering. It is also worthwhile to understand the conditions of these scholarships. They are often granted based on academic performance. Others offer them based upon participating in fashion competitions.

Your choice of school is an investment that can last you a lifetime. It is essential to make a careful decision and research thoroughly. Once you feel confident in the institutions you choose, you can begin to plan your career.

[teacherintransition]

Let’s Face it…Life is too Short…

to Let Fear Make Decisions!

"What would life be if we had no courage to attempt anything?" Vincent Van Gogh

Blog writing 101: Write a title that grabs the readers attention. Hell, everyone wants more time. I suppose there’s a part of our populace that would look at the title and say, “well golly gee, I got time runnin outta the ears…I got so much time …I got no place to put it; move all that time outta here!” Surely, I jest …surely. The amount of time and the severe feeling of lacking it, is oh so relative and dependent on your time of life. Raising kids and doing career…I don’t even wanna know from that anymore….there’s was no time! I did it and I think it was done well. Here we are … in the gentle area of retirement; all we have is time….Don’t…you…believe…it!

From these enlightened pages, I’ve preached the glory of retirement being the time for you, time free from stress, time to do all the things you want. Well, it sounds good for an ad for retiring, but the truth of that is slightly askew. No judgement zone here, if retirement is you napping in the hammock or rocking the rocker…you go! You’ve earned the privilege of doing your thing. I’ll write from the perspective I know best …mine and that of the other members of the great triumvirate…Rudolpho and Radolpho.

We all approached this time of our lives as more of a beginning of life than a slowing down. There would finally be time to focus on me…what excites me…personal growth. The human condition is what it is, and the same insecurities that tormented you as a young human are still hanging around when you retire. Caleb Wojcik, a film and videography instructor I’ve run across in my reading analyzed comments on a video he put together on fear. He shares:

Based on hearing from readers of Pocket Changed, one of the biggest fears people have in their lives is failure.

* Afraid they won't succeed if they try something new

* Fear that they might never "make it" doing what they are passionate about

* Fear that keeps them from following their heart*

Now, one would think that these three states of mind would no longer be an issue, but au contraire my fellow sojourners of life…here they be! Almost verbatim. I suppose there is somewhat of a safety cushion knowing that you had a career that you gave your life to; you raised a family who you loved completely and you made a home that gave security. You have nothing to prove to anyone….except yourself. Ugh, dammit STILL!? If you have goals and dreams beyond the hammock….you’ll either achieve them or you won’t, there it is sports fans. Stress, performance anxiety, pressure…just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in

The dilemma I think I have come across is not just making a good show at my dreams, but focusing on them to the point that spontaneity in trying new experiences outside my goal parameters is suffering. When you’re raising your family, you often had to turn down out of the box adventures because of real, responsible reasons. “We can’t afford to do that” or “on weekends, the boys have baseball tournaments “ or “work takes up too much time;” all of these reasons are based in familial obligation and devotion. Now, you have time? You certainly have it to pursue the dreams, but a tunnel vision based on just those particular things can rob you of the spontaneous, unplanned experiences that keeps life exciting.

Am I writing? Yes. Am I selling my art? Yes. Are we traveling? Yes. Am I working out? Yes. Have I started playing golf again? No. Have I toured museums? No, not really. Have I just gone out to the middle of nowhere and just camped a couple of days? No. Volunteer work? A couple of times. Here’s the conundrum: staying focused on the particulars and not having time for serendipitous living. What are we saying “no” to in life? Why? Walking the edge of not turning retirement into a stressful race and a time of not trying anything different is a real problem.

All of this is subjective thinking, maybe I’m the only one feeling like I’m missing something…perhaps you have it all together….man! Perhaps this food for thought is just admonition not to close your mind to something new that comes across your path. I just want to know why I might be saying no to certain things. I was heavily involved with writing yesterday and knew it was my workout day. As a consequence, I turned down a rescue run for some dogs in Keller. Was it wrong? I dunno…I feel like my “schedule” denied me a chance to do some good and have some fun. What’s good for you at twenty is also good for you at fifty six. I guess you STILL have to learn you can’t do it all in one day. If something comes from left field…go with it. The restraints of life and obligation have been loosened (not ignored…oh hell that a whole other topic) don’t replace them with new restraints that remove the variety of new days!

*Wojcik, Caleb; “50 Inspiring Quotes to Help You Overcome the Fear of Failure;” https://www.calebwojcik.com; 30/01/2012; Caleb Wojcik Films L.L.C

[qierxing]

Comfortable

Yan!Ningguang x Reader

Word Count: 901

-

Your best friend, Ningguang, has always been ambitious.

“Is the tea to your liking, dearest?”

The Jade Chamber is opulent and grand, a testament to Ningguang's hard work and patience--a feat that no one thought possible, until now. The grand splendour still overwhelms your eyes today. Even her personal room is decorated with priceless antiques, from the porcelain vases, the ink paintings showcasing the Rite of Decension, to the mother in pearl embedded tea table that holds a ridiculous amount of snacks.

Ningguang is as attentive as ever to your needs, eyes meeting yours with a warm glow. You feel even more flustered at her focused gaze upon you, squirming under the undivided attention.

"Yeah, this tastes really good!" You reply hastily. And it really is good. The famous Golden Oolong tea is light on the tongue but the flavor is sweet, not dissimilar to the taste of qingxin flowers. You try not to think about the amount of mora that went into procuring it.

"I'm glad to hear it." She gives a rare genuine smile and you feel your heart practically soaring.

There's quiet for a moment as you both continue sipping tea until--

"How's your career going? Your art?" You stiffen and your heart drops into your stomach at the straightforward question she poses.

"I...I haven't made much progress." You confess sheepishly, looking down at your tea cup. Ningguang frowns as you refuse to look her in the eyes. "I'm...I...I might give up and just work at a restaurant."

"But you spent so much time practicing your art," Ningguang gently asserts, concern taking over her face. "Surely your talents will garner the respect it deserves?"

And you nearly start crying, because you don't want to tell her how a legendary master tore your paintings apart and sneered at the quality of your pieces, how your parents are muttering about when you'll get a real job, and the financial pressure of being unmarried and still a burden upon your family weighs on your shoulders. It's too much, too much for you, who is already so tired. You've never had the ambition and drive that Ningguang bared with her even in your childhood days, could not sacrifice a part of you without your whole soul cracking and collapsing in on itself, like an unstable rock foundation. Prayers to Morax would be lost on you.

But even as envy eats you alive as you look upon Ningguang's fortune, you cannot bring yourself to blame your closest friend. After all, who was there to ever ask after you? To talk to? The Tianquan's schedule is well known to be packed till the next year--and yet she still continues to make time for you. Deep down, you're afraid--that one day she'll realize how pathetic you are and abandon you in the dust for people who are more deserving of her friendship.

"I-It doesn't deserve that much respect," You try to wave it off, your lips quivering with trying to hold in the sudden torrent of emotion racing through your body. "Plus, I'll make more mora if I work at the Xinyue Pavillion than selling one measly painting."

Ningguang's eyes are burning into you now, and hot shame fills your being. For across you sits a woman who did not let anything stop her, much less discouragement.

"[First Name]-"

"Tian Niang." Ningguang's eyes widen, for it has been a long time since you have called her that. Lady of the Sky. A light hearted joke, made when you first met her in Yaoguang shoals. The sky was so blue that day, and her, a glowing amber star amongst the warm clouds. Now, the nickname is most befitting of her. "I appreciate your support but it's okay. I'm going to be okay."

You don't know whether you're telling her this, or trying to reassure yourself.

She surveys you for a moment before deciding to drop the subject. Before she can open her mouth though, the door opens and one of her secretaries(Baixiao, if you remember correctly) steps in.

"Lady Ningguang, we need you, there's a situation happening."

She sighs deeply, before nodding her acknowledgement. "Understood." Her duties did not stop for anyone, not even you.

As she gets up, she turns to give you one final look and farewell. "[First Name], no matter what happens, you can tell me anything. You can always rely on me, my dearly beloved."

She's gone before you can blink.

-

Ningguang is ambitious.

She knows this, because even though you try so hard to be independent, to be able to walk on your own two feet, she continues pursuing you relentlessly. For an intense desire within her whispers for her to take care of her dearest friend, to make them hers, to make sure that no one ever made them sad ever again. No longer will they have to strive to live.

And so she quietly sets up a bedroom. Buys numerous expensive painting supplies. Prepares even more delicious food and luxurious comforts. All for you to realize that she loves you and only wants the best for you. Even if your life is dictated by her power and the confines of the clouds.

When the Millelith arrive at your doors with the proclamation of the Tianquan's marriage proposal, there is no running.

Ningguang is ambitious, and she won't stop until she has you in her arms.

[helpistolethesecharacters]

Accidentally on Purpose

Gray Fullbuster x Male Reader

Word Count: 1417

-----------

Y/n sighed for the eighth time that morning. He was regretting ever deciding to take up magic. His family had pressured him into learning fire magic when he was younger. They had wanted him to be able to join a guild and make enough money to live comfortably, and while there was nothing wrong with the sentiment, it hadn't been what Y/n had wanted to do.

In fact, it had been nothing but trouble since then. As a fire wizard his body temperature was naturally higher than other peoples, which made it difficult to pursue his dreams.

Y/n had been to see a performance by figure skaters with a friend when he had been about to start his magic training, and from the first moment the performers had stepped out onto the ice he had been gone. It was just so beautiful. The movements of the skaters, the ambience of the arena and the awe of the crowd had taken hold of his heart and never let go.

So here he was, sitting on the stands at his local rink listening to his coach tell him for the umpteenth time that he had to either find a way to control his magic and body temperature or find another career.

"It just isn't sustainable. The harder you practice, the hotter your body gets. It's getting to the point that the ice isn't safe to be on. There has to be a way to keep your body temperature down. If there isn't, well, maybe think about joining a wizards guild and doing that instead."

His coach stood up with a sigh.

"Think on it over the weekend, okay?"

Y/n let out a heavy breath and sat back. He had no idea what he could do to fix this. He didn't want to work as a wizard. All he wanted to do was skate. He wanted to bring a little beauty and art to other people with his movement out on the ice.

Eventually the pitying looks from his friends at the rink got to be too much for Y/n and he gathered his things and left.

-------

The communication lacrima that the skaters each had in order to keep in contact lit up on Y/n's bedside table. He groaned as he was woken by the glow. Who would think it was a good idea to wake him up in the middle of the night?

He activated it with a glare and bit out a particularly terse response.

"What!"

"Wow, nice."

Y/n glared his bleary eyes at the lacrima. One of his friends came into view slowly as his vision cleared.

"Why are you calling me so late?"

"Nice. You should be nicer. I might not tell you the idea I had."

Y/n could tell that his friend wanted him to take the hint and ask him, but he was feeling tired and very sorry for himself after the talk with his coach that afternoon. He had come to the awful conclusion that he would have to give up on that particular dream, so to be woken up at stupid o'clock by one of his friends who wasn't going to have to give up skating, well, Y/n wasn't feeling very charitable just then.

"Good."

He closed down the connection and rolled back over to go back to sleep.

His friend was not giving up apparently, because the lacrima lit up once again.

Y/n rolled back toward it and activated it with a vicious swear.

"Just tell me what you want so I can wallow in my misery properly!"

He could see his friend shaking his head at him.

"I figured out how to solve your problem. We'll just hire an ice wizard."

Y/n stopped glaring.

"What?"

"We'll just hire an ice wizard to come in and keep the ice in tact while you're practicing. There have to be lots out there, and if you pay them enough they probably won't mind. Not to mention, there isn't any fighting or danger involved, so that's a plus!"

Y/n sat there, mind entirely blank. Why hadn't he thought of that?

His friend gave him the biggest smirk he had ever seen before.

"You're welcome!"

-----------

Gray was confused. When he had gotten to the guild that morning he had expected to have to sit around waiting for the rest of their team to show up before having to do anything. He and Natsu would fight, get yelled at by Erza, and then, finally, decide on a job and head out to wherever it was that they needed to go.

That had not happened. He had gotten to the guild and immediately been called over to the bar by their Master, Makarov.

"Gray my boy!"

"Hey Gramps, what's up?"

"There's a job that's been posted that would be perfect for you."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yes, it specifically needs an ice wizard to solve their problem. I think it's something you should look into."

"Uh, alright then."

And just like that, he had been heading out to a job that he hadn't even thought to read about first. Gramps had told him the location and he had just headed out, no questions asked.

He was regretting it now, however. He was standing in the building that had been on the piece of paper that Makarov had handed him, which was notably not the job request.

Gray was starting to wish he had asked for the original job request, because he had no idea what he was supposed to be doing at an ice rink. He had a sneaking suspicion that Gramps had been drunk, or maybe he was pulling a prank on him by sending an ice wizard to an ice rink.

"Hi! Can I help you with something?"

Gray turned toward the person talking to him and took in the uniform they were wearing.

'Huh, she must work here. Maybe she knows what's going on.'

"Uh, yeah. Did you happen to request an ice wizard for something? Or know who might have?"

Her eyes lit up with understanding, and, Gray was disconcerted to notice, a little mischief.

"No, I don't think it was anyone on the staff, but I might know who would have. Follow me."

They walked out of the reception area and into the stands looking out over the rink.

The girl Gray was following headed over to a couple of people sitting in the stands.

"Did someone order an ice wizard?"

Gray was sure nothing good could come from that tone.

The two people sitting down turned to them as one, and Gray was hit with the sudden realisation that he might be in trouble. One of them was gorgeous. He had y/c/h hair and the most amazing y/e/c eyes.

Gray swallowed.

'Well, that was unexpected.'

He had gotten through jobs with people who were attractive before and he knew he would have to do it again after this, so he shoved those thoughts to the back of his head.

Gray tore his eyes off the first guy and glanced at the other one. He was giving the first guy a particularly smug look before turning to meet Gray's gaze.

"Hi, I'm Sam, and this is Y/n. We asked for an ice wizard specifically because of him. He's a fire wizard, which is messing with his ability to practice his skating. So basically, what we need is to borrow your abilities for a few hours a day while he practices for the next week. We are working on a longer term fix, but in the mean time, we only have one more week until the qualifying events start."

Gray looked at the other guy. He could sense the heat coming off of him so it made sense that he was a fire wizard.

"Man, that must suck if it affects your skating so much."

Y/n snorted.

"Yeah, no kidding."

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

The first day had gone really well, Y/n reflected silently. Whatever it was that Gray had done to fix his ice-melting problem, it seemed to have held while Y/n was practicing.

He was sitting on one of the benches, working his skates off when he felt someones presence nearby. Y/n looked up briefly and met the curious eyes of his friend.

"What?"

"You where hotter today."

Y/n couldn't help it. He blushed.

His friend burst out laughing.

"Oh that poor guy! He's having to work harder than you already needed him to just because you have a crush on him!"

"Shut UP!"

[femininenachos]

Can I ask, if it isn't too personal, how hard it actually is to get a job (and what kind) after studying polisci and English? Because I think I want to do that but my parents are quite skeptical about job prospects, and they'd much rather I do something in stem. No pressure tho obviously! Thank you

The thing is, a lot of people end up in a career that’s totally unrelated to their major (probably more commonly those of us with liberal arts or social sciences degrees, although I know a guy who has a Masters in Physics and he worked as a movie theatre projectionist before becoming a manager there 🤷🏻‍♀️), so choice of major is not necessarily a great predictor for employability or what career path(s) you might ultimately take. Also, I feel like things are much more fluid now and it’s really not uncommon to see people retraining to switch careers after 5/10/15 years, because they want make lifestyle adjustments or for other reasons.

Personally, I think it’s better to pursue something academically that will sustain your interest and curiosity during your studies. I chose those particular subjects because they were the ones I enjoyed most and excelled at in high school. Rightly or wrongly, I wasn’t thinking too much about my future career prospects. Even when I graduated I didn’t really know what I wanted to do, beyond that I had no great desire to teach or work in government/civil service 🥴. Applying to a corporate graduate recruitment program didn’t appeal either. In the UK, they’re hugely, hugely competitive, and I just didn’t want to put myself through the ringer, plus I kind of lacked the cutthroat ambition to go that route anyway. For a while I temped in a series of entry-level office jobs until I figured out my next steps.

Around this time I was getting into web design and front-end coding - completely self-taught - and I eventually decided to go back to university for a postgraduate diploma in that area. The work I do now (UI/UX designer; I’m tangentially in STEM!) has absolutely nothing to do with my Bachelors degree, but what I would say is that there are transferable skills in terms of research, critical thinking, written and verbal communication, all of which are desirable to employers, regardless of industry. Plenty of practitioners in UX and Service Design come from other academic disciplines or different walks of life. In fact, it’s positively encouraged to bring in a more diverse set of perspectives and experiences. In the same design team, I once worked with someone who majored in Psychology and another who had a Masters degree in Ecology & Sustainable Land Management. It was only the two most junior designers who had any ‘formal’ design education. My point being, there isn’t only one route into a particular career. False starts, trial and error, or a complete change of direction can be formative and are not bad things by any means. Imo, there’s way too much pressure on teens and young adults to decide what they want to do in life, because unless someone had a burning ambition from an early age to become x, y, or z, how can anyone possibly know beyond a vague “I like art” or “I’m good at maths” or “chemistry is cool”?

I mean, I do understand your parents’ concerns. For many, higher education is a costly investment and they want you to have plentiful job opportunities and not to struggle financially. But, trust me, there’s no impediment to making a good living by choosing a non-STEM major - and it also largely comes down to what your own definition of “good” looks like and your criteria for personal/professional fulfilment.

Not sure if this is the case where you are, but over here university degree programs typically publish stats on what graduates went on to do, career-wise. That might be a good place to start to get an idea of what options are out there, see what appeals to you, and you can share that info with your parents too, to reassure them that you’ve done your research and are making an informed choice, whatever you decide. Also, if there’s a careers advisory/guidance service available to you then that would be an excellent source of information to tap into. Good luck!

[trueka]

Hi :)

I love your art, and I was wondering how do you balance wanting to pursue art and then also having a different major/career path? I am in the same boat. I also wanted to know if you have personal social media too or do you just have your art accounts?

hii thank u sm :) i kinda wrote a bit so i'll put it under the cut! not sure if it'll help but thank u for asking

i think it's different for me cause im not really looking at art as a potential career to pursue? like yea im passionate about it and it's smth i want to take up most of my time but i value it more as a hobby. having fun with it is what's most important to me. so i chose the career path i did because i wanted to be able to sustain myself enough to make time for art if that makes sense? and even then i chose marketing, which is different but doesn't completely stray away from what i want to do since it still has a bit to do with creative direction and graphic design

idk, i feel like pursuing art as my main career might put pressure on me to create because i'd feel like i gotta make money and that'll immediately make it not fun. i already don't draw that consistently

i say all this but i still get jealous of ppl who go to art school LMAO

as for social media, i don't have any personal ones! just my art accounts and a priv twitter account with 0 followers that i kinda use as a journal

[dontcallmecarrie]

No Hero [And Not Made Of Stone]

...I’ve got nothing. Not even sure where the idea came from, but as per usual, the moment my brain had an idea it immediately took it by both hands and ran with it so here you go. Name for this AU might change, but for now here have another song lyric [from Five Finger Death Punch’s “Wrong Side of Heaven”]

Fandom: Marvel Cinematic Universe

Warnings: mild profanity, dysfunctional families, a metric buttload of gender and identity issues, because the protagonist is a possibly agender character [their stance on gender can be summed up as “huh, those parts are new. Weird. Moving on”]. Not exactly Tony-friendly at times, but not for the reasons you’d think. 

To sum up: haven’t done a SI-OC fic before, let’s see how it goes. Under the cut, because RIP mobile users otherwise.

.

Justin Hammer’s name wasn’t always Justin Hammer.

He doesn’t really remember what it was anymore, but he knows that much.

.

Honestly? This ‘memories of another world’ thing was more a pain in the ass than anything else, at least at first.

It might’ve been cool if they remembered something useful— concrete dates, specific innovations, hell, even any tips of what stocks to invest in— but no, they had to get short end of the stick with weird dreams, identity crises, and a longing for a family they’d never had.

Oh, and another round of puberty, because of why the hell not. Like last time hadn’t been enough of a pain in the ass.

Ugh. They wanted a refund.

.

...okay, so it probably could’ve been worse. 

Justin has vague recollections of going to sleep hungry, of huddling with their younger sibling under blankets because their parents couldn’t pay the electrical bill— so really, in the great scheme of things, being born as part of the 1% this round was. Something.

Trippy as hell, is what it was, honestly.

This family was loaded, and under other circumstances, they might’ve even been able to enjoy it— if, y’know, they hadn’t had the incredibly shitty luck of being born two years before Tony Stark.

.

“Look at what he’s doing, that could be you” this, “study hard, he’s going to be your rival” that— geez, if any other kid had been in Justin’s shoes, he would not have envied them. 

If he didn’t already have a firmly established sense of self, it would have been a mindfuck of a childhood because for some reason, his father kept comparing them? And yeah, Justin could kinda see some of the parallels— they were about the same age, both firstborn sons and heirs to their parents’ respective companies— but that’s about where the similarities ended.

Look, Justin wasn’t a genius, okay? He was fairly bright for his age, but...he wasn’t a one-in-a-million prodigy. And, up until he was 6, that had been acceptable.

But then the press went wild because oh, look, Howard’s son built a circuit board at age four, and it all went downhill from there because suddenly, being normal wasn’t good enough. Not for his parents, anyway.

.

Sometimes, he wondered what would’ve happened if it had been another kid in his shoes— how they would’ve handled the small army of private tutors and the extra classes they kept being signed up for in the hopes of finding something they excelled in.

The pressure of constantly being compared to a once-in-a-generation prodigy, and always being found wanting.

Justin wasn’t afraid of hard work— but it was grating, even for him. 

Really, just about the only silver lining to this ‘second life’ thing was his adorable little sister, Stephanie.

She, at least, looked up to him: her gap-toothed smile didn’t hold any expectations for anything other than the piggyback rides he regularly offered, and this time he didn’t even have to worry about medical bills, or—

Anyway.

.

His family and the Starks run in the same social circles, because of course they do. 

Now that he’s getting older, Justin’s being dragged along to all of the fancy shindigs with his parents, and it’s only due to two lifetimes’ worth of self-control that keeps his polite smile from wavering when he’s introduced to the bane of his existence.

“Hi, my name’s Tony Stark.” The little brat said, and Justin bit back a sigh as he shook his hand.

.

...so, the Stark heir his father wanted to be his rival was a kid. Actually a kid, which just made this mess that much more pathetic because part of Justin had almost been starting to want to buy into this rivalry thing, but.

In this life, and the last one, they’d been an older sibling.

This time, despite everything, he could tell he was softer— he had never gone to bed hungry, never had to worry about the roof over his head, or being solely responsible for his younger sibling’s health and safety— but.

Old habits die hard. 

.

Of course Justin’s father hears “the Starks are sending their seven-year-old heir to boarding school” and thinks “good idea, why didn’t I think of that?” 

Of course.

Of fucking course.

Steph had cried when they’d packed their things, and for that alone, Justin would never forgive their parents.

.

The other brats at boarding school are more invested in the Hammer-Stark rivalry than they are.

...this was going to be a long 9 years, wasn’t it.

.

One of the perks to going to one of the most elite boarding schools in the world was the options. Certainly, Justin doubted other places offered skiing and fencing and over eleven languages in their electives. 

Not that he was complaining: it was definitely a way to keep busy, certainly much better than the constant attempts at one-upmanship that came part and parcel with cramming the richest heirs, heiresses, and honest-to-goodness royalty in one place. 

At the end of the day, though, they were all kids. Bratty, entitled little shits who were still at the stage where they constantly went “my father will hear about this!” and Justin had way better things to do with his time than engage in those petty little playground attempts at power plays. 

So he dove into everything the school had to offer, bouncing from elective to elective like a ping pong ball, and trying not to think too hard as to why Spanish had come so easily to him, though he’d never studied it before— or why he’d felt a pang when the instructor had congratulated him on his accent. 

.

Somewhere down the line, Justin...kinda made a name for himself? Apparently?

Ugh, they’d never understand these people. 

.

Okay, so apparently he’d kinda become an older brother figure of sorts to the brats around here? Somehow? Even though he hadn’t exactly been planning on doing anything of the sort when he saw an underclassman struggling during practice, or stopped fights before they could start in the common room because he’d just sat down and didn’t have the patience to move all his stuff somewhere else to study.

Didn’t make sense to him, but apparently it was enough for some of the professors to write ‘good leadership skills’ on his transcripts, so whatever.

As a bonus, it made his old man happy. Not that Justin gave a damn about what he thought about him personally, but the increase in his ‘allowance’ [it was in the triple digits, like hell he was calling it that] was nice.

.

Among the hobbies Justin bounced between, there were a few that raised more eyebrows than others.

Knitting, for instance, was something some of the more annoying brats liked to laugh about. They eased up when they found out he sent the scarves and hats he made to his little sister, but... eh, whatever. 

Sewing, too— apparently it was okay if it was framed as a Boy Scout-esque ‘know the basics so you can always be prepared!’ way, but the moment he did any sort of embroidery there went his respectability. 

Well, at least nobody gave him a hard time about cooking. But then, his chilaquiles had some of these guys’ eyes watering just from the smell of it, so. 

It still didn’t sit well with him sometimes— kinda like how puberty had Not Been Fun on a number on levels, but hey, if all else failed, he could just ignore it harder. 

It hadn’t failed him yet.

.

Stephanie insisted on going to boarding school with him when she got to the age he’d been shipped off at.

It was...nice, having his little sister around again. 

.

It was a good thing Justin had been okay with being designated the heir of Hammer Industries, because Steph was... exactly like he remembered her.

Cheerful, upbeat, startlingly devious and manipulative when she wanted to be, and just a tad bit spoiled.

...okay, so Justin had probably contributed a bit to that last one. In his defense, he’d been doing his best to shield his sister from the staggeringly high expectations he himself had to deal with, but look, he wanted at least one of them to have some semblance of a happy childhood, okay? 

Goodness knew he hadn’t [not this time, nor the last].

.

Stephanie wasn’t interested in the family business, was more interested in pursuing a career in the arts.

Justin, of course, encouraged her wholeheartedly.

Their parents weren’t entirely happy about it, but...wasn’t like they had much to complain about. Not when Justin was always in the top ten of his year, not when the professors practically gushed over his responsibility and work ethic. 

He was no Tony Stark, but he’d made a name for himself nonetheless.

.

“So, we’re supposed to be rivals?” The bane of his existence said once, at yet another gala. “Howard says so, anyway.”

“Seems that way,” Justin shrugged as they pilfered a flute from a nearby table, carefully not commenting on how he’d referred to his father by his first name. Talk about a strained relationship, right there.

“You’re not really acting like one.”

“Well,” Justin sipped at his flute before making a face when he discovered it was champagne and not apple cider like he’d hoped, “it’s nothing personal, just business. Healthy competition, y’know? Someone’s got to.”

Stark eyed him for a moment, before giving him a brilliant smile. “You know, I think I’d like that.” 

.

Justin would never, ever understand these people.

.

In the time Justin Hammer got his degree in business, Tony Stark got several Ph.Ds. 

Not that he envied him: the idea of being shoved into the limelight after losing his entire family? Hard pass.

.

For some reason, Tony Stark seemed to think they were friends.

Why.

Sure, Justin tried to be as cordial with him as he did with anyone else, but... how on Earth did that translate into being friends?

.

“You look at him like he’s a kid,” Steph says once, laughing, “you look at all of us that way, haven’t you noticed?”

“Well, to be fair—”

“You’re only a few years older than us, but you keep acting like you’re dad. More like a dad than our actual dad, sometimes,” her smile dropped for a moment, “don’t think I forgot that time he didn’t even call for your birthday.”

Justin made a face. “But what’s that got to do with anything?”

She sighed, then gave him a smile and a look he couldn’t decipher. “You’ll figure it out eventually.”

.

By the time Justin Hammer became the CEO of Hammer Industries, Tony Stark had held the same post in his company for over half a decade. 

Yet...well, something weird was going on.

Maybe it was because Justin’d had more time to prepare for the cutthroat world that was the defense industry, but— 

For some reason, he couldn’t help but think Tony was softer than he’d thought.

No-brainer contracts that would have been a cinch to broker, passed over simply because their distributors didn’t pass their incredibly high standards; buyers who wanted in, but whose past associations— very, very far in the past— meant SI didn’t even consider them. 

Justin couldn’t understand it. 

For someone in the industry, Stark’s morals were...unusual. Respectable, from one perspective, but remarkably naive from any self-respecting businessman who wanted to turn a profit. 

He was fairly certain the only reason Stark Industries was considered number one in the sector was because of the constant influx of new designs; they just were turning down too many contracts for him to consider otherwise. 

Sure, sometimes Hammer weapons found themselves in the wrong hands— much more often than Stark weapons, regrettably— but it was one of the hazards that came with the business. They’d both known it from the get-go; Stark weapons were considered the best for a reason, even though somewhere down the line, his company’d gotten a reputation for no-frills dependability and ruggedness to the point where unscrupulous individuals would do anything to get their hands on either. Wasn’t like there was anything they could do about it, not when money talked in ways laws didn’t.

Why Stark was so hung up over it, he just. Couldn’t wrap his head around.

.

Stark was proclaimed dead, and there was strong evidence to indicate the attackers had been using his guns.

...well, fuck.

.

“This is fine,” Justin muttered as his personal headache proceeded to come back from the dead only to say his company was going to stop doing the thing it was known for and making an ungodly mess in the stock market while at it, “it’s not like it affects me, anyway.”

.

Overnight, Hammer Industries became number one in the defense sector. 

Justin was not a happy camper about the spotlight.

Even more so, when he had to take additional measures so his sister could continue enjoy the privacy she’d had after pursuing her dreams as an artist because the press didn’t want to leave well enough alone.

.

“You know, you could’ve given me a warning.” Justin scowled when he saw Tony at the next gala.

“You handled it well enough, didn’t you?”

Ugh. 

His headache was back, and worst part was, the smile he got more than made up for it.

.

...and then I kinda ran out of steam.

tl;dr: MCU canon had Justin Hammer as a foil to Tony Stark, here their dynamic is more along the lines of Beethoven and Mozart [one really respecting the other’s genius, and working their butt off to get to that level of respectability and general acclaim].

in this AU, Stark Industries is kind of like Apple— very futuristic high-tech stuff, all the bells and whistles going on, etc, whereas Hammer Industries is the Nokia in this analogy: not fancy in the slightest but as close to indestructible as it gets. 

[epicspheal]

Heya! I hope your doing well!

Ever since swsh gave the rivals something to do after the fact( something that I believe only happened to Blue), I can't help but think of the rivals prior who haven't. What do you think they end up doing? I know that Blue ends up becoming a gym leader, but would still be interesting what you plan for him too! :3

Hi there @ihopethisendswell! So actually, it's the norm typically for the rivals to have something to do, even if it's just continuing being a roaming trainers. Being a roaming trainer is still just as valid of a career path as other routes given the way the Pokemon world works, it's just not as solid of a career path as say gym leader or research assistant. Pokemon Sword and Shield is one of the only main games that really puts emphasis on the rivals' alternate careers paths as part of the plot outside of the gen 5 games. So like you have Blue who becomes gym leader and also helps his grandpa with his research by still be a roaming trainer (much to the frustration of anyone trying to challenge his gym). By the time of Sun and Moon/USUM he has ditched the gym to become battle facility which ultimately given his status as a former champion ends up being a much more fitting role. Granted he needed that time as a gym leader as long standing humbling exercise so it wasn't a bad call at all. Then we have Silver, who remains a roaming trainer, though he kind of mainly sticks around the Dragon's Den because he really wants to avenge that loss to Lance and show how much he has changed. Then we have Brendan/May (when not the protagonist) who end up going back to being full time assistants professor Birch. Wally on the other hand, is much like Silver in that he continue to be a roaming trainer, with him staying around the Battle Resort in ORAS with him eventually going to the Battle Tree by the time the SM/USUM events occur.

Barry also follows the roaming trainer route with him staying Stark Mountain in Diamond/Pearl and with Platinum he hangs around the Survival area.

Gen 5 is where the rival's future goals get the most attention, and was the best well done (SwSh in my opinion failed hard on the rival's goals bar Klara and Avery's). Bianca is still my favorite "how to do a future career path" ending in the entirety of series which is she really doesn't know. She ends up taking up a position as Professor's Juniper's assistant. However it's this linefrom Bianca in Pokemon Black 2/White 2 that I really enjoyed:

"Actually, I'm not sure being a professor's assistant is really what I want to do... But when I do the work, I have lots and lots of fun!" I really appreciated that they allowed Bianca to have doubts that this is her final career path. She's still a child and I can remember when I was her age (God, I sound so old) how many career paths I thought about in that time frame...and only one of those comes even remotely close to what I'm attempting to go back to school for. I liked how she's just trying to things and aiming for experiences while not trying to commit herself to one specific path. Now obviously this could theoretically be true for any number of the rivals as with the exception of Blue (and Wally although for some odd reason they didn't give him an aged up model considering he'd be just as old as Red and Blue are) we don't see them as adults and their ambitions could very well have indeed changed over the years. Then you have Cheren who after that scolding from Alder really begins to question his pursuit of strength and what he really wants to do. Cue 2 years later in BW2 where we see him as the Aspertia City gym leader as well a lecturer at the trainer's school. Fitting as it shows his desire and capabilities as a trainer but also allowing a more concrete goal than just pursuing strength but actually overseeing the future generations. And Hugh, another one of my favorite characters, concludes his story arc on forgiveness (since he had absolutely none for Team Plasma at the beginning of the story) ends up a roaming trainer but also helping the good side Team Plasma in Driftveil City reunite Pokemon that were stolen during the events of Black/White to their original trainers. So he has a goal and really touching one I might add, one of the few that doesn't revolve around battling or researching.

Then there's the XY rivals who were admittedly the most shafted. They all pretty much end up as roaming trainers except for Trevor who already had the aim of completing the Pokedex for Professor Sycamore and he continues to do so.

The no specific aim works the best, in my opinion, for Shauna as she really didn't have much of a goal to begin with outside of travelling/making memories, and much like I said with Bianca, it's okay for characters to not have a specific end game (although I personally see Bianca's route as better as although she isn't quite sure what she wants to do, she does take initiative and actively pursue a goal to gain experience and see if it's for her).

Serena/Calem (again when not the protag) having no set aim also works because they were most competitive of the group and continuing to be a trainer makes sense, but since they get hardly any development it just feels hollow and not satisfying. At least with characters like Wally, Silver and Barry who are roaming they all went through some major development. Lack of major development plus no end game just makes Serena and Calem unfortunately just not stand out.

Then Tierno...poor Tierno. He's my favorite XY character and I hate that screwed over so poorly. He actually a goal but the game doesn't allow us to see how a dance team would work. Kalos really could've benefitted from a Pokemon Contest/Musical like sidequest where Tierno shines in. So him being a roaming trainer is just...meh.

Now moving on to Gen 7 and best boy Hau (Hau's up there with Blue and Leon as one of my favorite Pokemon characters PERIOD). In both Sun and Moon and USUM he's a roaming trainer but I argue that Sun and Moon actually wrapped up his character better, despite USUM giving him much more in the way of development. By that I mean he explicitly mentions to the player that he wants become strong enough to find his father who fled Alola because the pressure of being the Kahuna's son was too much. So yeah he is still just a regular trainer, but he does have an explicit goal that goes beyond just trying to continue to measure up to the player. He also helps to train the reforming Team Skull grunts in the art of Alolan SuMo. In USUM this is erased for a more generic roaming trainer scenario unfortunately. Gladion's fate also changes depending on what version of the Gen 7 games you play. With Sun and Moon he ends up taking over as Aether's president but also still trains on the side as he is one of the challengers that can come for your title in the post game. In Ultra Sun and Moon he actually takes the "I'm going to Kanto" route instead of Lillie although he actually back and is essentially a roaming trainer since Lusamine's villainy was nerfed and therefore allowed to stay as Aether's president

Then there's Trace who ends up champion then loses it, but keeps on going in this endless circle of trying to reclaim it from the player. And then finally the Gen 8 rivals where we have Bede, Marnie, Klara and Avery all become gym leaders and Hop is a professor. Despite this cast having the most focus on their future paths since the gen 5 rivals I don't think they were done that well. Like Klara and Avery's worked, really well and they're probably the only rivals bar Trace and Blue who actually their goals (with them actually maintaining there dream status because their goal didn't involve becoming champion).

I've talked about Hop's on this post before but the lack of genuine foreshadowing just made his sudden declaration of wanting to be a Pokemon Professor just come out of nowhere. And honestly considering the fact that he had just come out of a depressive stage and still hadn't quite addressed his idolization issues I think he would've been served better with the Bianca route where yes he becomes Sonia's assistant, but it's clear that he's still trying to find his new path and that he's just open to trying out research rather than making a rather bold claim that this was his new career path. Either that or do better in the foreshadowing where he shows he has a much clearer interest in academia but feels like he needs to be a champion like his brother.

Then there's Marnie who I've also stated was kind of screwed over. Because she made it rather clear to Piers she didn't want to be gym leader (which makes sense given that she saw how that position screwed over older brother that she admires). She's pretty much doing this because she still has the motivation to save her hometown which is extremely admirable and mature. But also it's sad, like if she didn't have to do this, would she honestly still be gym leader. I think not, at least not immediately. Considering that gym challengers can still compete on the big stage with the champion's cup rematches and some even can be invited to the Galarian Stars Tournament, I think if I had of written that I would've focused on how with Leon as the head of MC he's going to actually work with Spikemuth to revitalize without shouldering the responsibility on one single person, especially a minor. And let her be a roaming trainer and live for herself and not continue to be Spikemuth's martyr.

Then there's Bede who quite vocally states when crashing the Champion's Cup that he was ready to retire. Like poor boy goes from being used as Rose's wishing star collector and fall boy to Opal's reirement plan. Like yes it's great that Opal actually remembers his name and gives him a support system and teaches him some discipline. But still it's kind of sad as he was very much okay with retiring but more or less gets goaded into staying because of the stadium audience.

So this post got way longer than I what it was going to be but hey that happens. But yeah too long don't read, all of the rivals do have a goal, even if a lot of them end up as roaming trainers. If I'm honest in most cases (bar the gen 6 rivals because they lacked developent) the roaming trainer thing works. Because they're kids and they still have their whole lives ahead of them and they don't need to have concrete job just yet. Especially because in some cases the concrete plan just doesn't always fit the character. It works best when it feels like an organic part of the story and not just trying to wrap things up for the sake of wrapping things up.

Finally, to answer your question about how I deal with Blue. Well in my Pokeverse (dubbed cactusverse in case you see me refer to my AU as this), I tend to be fairly canon compliant to the games. So after he loses his champion title to Red he becomes Viridian gym leader, slightly patches things up with grandfather by helping with the research and eventuallya head of the Battle Tree as an adult once he gains the Battle Legend Status (which is an actual legitimate title in cactusverse held currently only by him, Red and Leaf, although one of my OCs gets this designation as well). So nothing that really deviates from canon except for some offscreen events. Basically the battle legend status is bestowed if a major event happens that is taken care of by an already established powerful trainer. So there's a rather major plot thing the Kanto Trio gets involved in that once they take care of gives them their status.

Also for cactusverse there's the whole issue of the Viridian City gym. So it eventually it gets passed down to Trace as Blue has shown that he's become a bit too powerful to be a gym leader. He was honestly when he first got it probably still a bit overkill for an 8th gym leader, but he also really needed an attitude adjustment. And with Lance being a far better father figure to him than Oak could ever dream of, with the help of Agatha tried to rein in his egotistical and self important ways by giving him the position. Which worked very well. Still in cactusverse there's rules on the win percentage a gym can have and that's determined by position. Win too many for your rank and you get moved, vice versa if you lose too many, and sometimes you might even lose your position. The first and last gym leaders are always the most at risk of losing their status. This actually happens to Wallace, Iris and eventually Raihan because they just end up exceeding the strength of most challengers who try to challenge them. Hence why all three of them end up champions at some point cactusverse (Raihan does not become Galar's champion, but Johto's champion since I really like the idea of him spreading his wings beyong Galar).

Blue between the time of BW2 and SM had ended up getting to a point that no one had gotten a gym badge off of him in a couple of years which is unacceptable by league standards and he would've gotten booted out sooner had Lance not personally asked my OC Terra to come kick his butt and get a badge off of him. And cue possibly the most iconic and brutal gym battles to have ever gone down in a region of outside of Galar because two heartbroken champion tier trainers, who broke each other's heart is a recipe for a frightening battle. Lance happened to referree that match and might be a little traumatized. Terra won and he was able to give out his last badge before Red came back from his latest global trip and said let's go to Alola.

[missdawnandherdusk]

A Death Eater and a Dancer

Ballerina!Reader X Draco

Summary: Request: @peachesandpink​ Ooooh draco malfoy with a professional ballerina or a figure/ice skater who gets pretty famous in the Wizarding world after the war?

A/N: Okay, so I am in no way a professional dancer (hi, writer here) but! I do know the basics of theatre (hello, theatre kid here) so, please enjoy this lovely Phantom of the Opera esque one shot of a very headstrong witch and a very distant trying Malfoy. Also! Say hello to a new form of magic user and some lore! It was fun to experiment with!! Let me know what you think!! Love you guys bunches!!

Five years wandless. That’s what Draco had to endure. He supposed it was better than Azkaban, but without a wand, it was almost as if he had no magic at all. He was never good at wandless magic, and he doubted that there was anyone who was willing to get near him to teach him.

That was four years ago.

Now, he had worked his way up in the performance industry, using his inheritance to fund the arts as a patron—something he had always enjoyed as a child. Maybe it was an unhealthy coping mechanism, clinging to something that made him feel safe and innocent again, but there wasn’t much of another choice that he had. Wandless and magicless, he was trying to keep his head above the water.

And there was something enchanting about his most recent investment: the Saltota. A group of wandless magic users that harnessed magic through dance. Their performances were renowned and revered. Draco remembered their routines from when he was a child as well, always attending the holiday recitals with his parents. Their elegance and majesty always struck a chord in his heart.

____________________________

“Did you hear!?” Rehearsal for tonight’s show had just ended and Meg was all but bursting with excitement. “Draco Malfoy has just invested in our Saltota Faction!”

I looked up from my bag, shock on my face.

“Malfoy?” A small smile lingered as I remembered a boy from my first year in Hogwarts, before I had transferred to a Parisian school to pursue the path of the Saltota like my mother before me.

“Only the most eligible bachelor in the Wizarding and Muggle world,” Meg sighed, leaning against the lockers. I rolled my eyes at her antics.

I knew the stories, and the papers, and the tabloids, and the rumors, but despite it all whenever I thought about Draco, I still saw the Slytherin protegee who I shared my classes and House with. Not the Ex-Death Eater who was apparently the most eligible bachelor in the Wizarding World.

“Do you think he’ll remember you?” Meg asked eagerly.

“It’s been years Meg,” I scoffed. “He probably doesn’t even remember my name,” It was a sobering thought. “He probably wouldn’t care even if he did.”

“He might care,” She pointed out.

“And you think what? I’m just going to go up to him, say ‘hey, remember me? We went to school for one year together and now you’re the most datable bloke in the world and I’m a dancer, want to go out with me and maybe convince me to give up my life’s work for love?’” I gave her a flat look.

“You sell yourself short, Y/n,” Meg sighed. “You know that you’re the best of this Faction. If he’s the most eligible bachelor, you’re the most sought bachelorette. And who said you would have to give up dance?”

“Men like Malfoy are all the same,” I scoffed. “All they care about is their own careers and can’t bear the thought of their lady outshining them, so I think I’ll pass.”

“I think you’re wrong,” Meg muttered, lacing up her pointe shoes.

I rolled my eyes again and shook my head. There were more important things to worry about. Like the recital tonight. Not some ridiculous fantasy of love. Fairytales didn’t exist and they didn’t happen in the real world. They were stories to dance to, that was it. Tonight, was no different as the production of The Tale of The Three Brothers was being held.

An air of stress and excitement rested on my shoulders as I had the role of representing Death throughout the show. It was considered one of the hardest characters to perfect in Saltota Magic. But it didn’t matter much when the music began to play. Then I could get lost in it and the stress and pressure faded around me as I fell into the melody. It was the only reason that I stayed with dancing through the years. I never cared about the status or the money or the schools. Instead, the melody and the way that for once my body knew what to do, lending itself completely to magic.

It was opening night and anxiety and adrenaline was coursing through my veins as I did the final touches on my hair and makeup, making sure that everything was in its correct place. Magic sparked along my skin as I went through a few final stretches and warm-ups.

The curtain parted like red waves, and the bright lights hit me as the audience applauded. With one deep breath, the music began, and I was Death, and this was my story.

___________________________

Draco had always loved the theater and he had always loved the production of the Three Brothers. Sitting alone in his reserved theater box, he was quickly enamored by the one who portrayed Death. The name on the playbill struck him familiar... but he couldn’t quite place the name.

With careful eyes, he watched you throughout the performance, enraptured by how the magic flowed from your fingertips, your skin. How it radiated in the very air around you, bending to your will as you flitted across the stage with grace and poise that had his heart stammering.

Asking around after the performance, he learned a lot about you. The Governess of this Saltota Faction—a strict woman who without a second glance could be mistaken for McGonagall— spoke highly of you. Though there was a teasing note in her tone as she suggested perhaps, he remembered you from the single year of schooling you shared with another before you attended her school in Paris. It left him wondering if she was kin to McGonagall after all.

Yet, a smile brushed his lips. That’s why your name stuck his memory. You had been a Slytherin with him in first year. Draco tended not to dwell on his memories of Hogwarts, but the small sliver of first year was not the most unbearable thing to reminisce upon.

“May I remind you, Mr. Malfoy, that my apprentices are not to be ogled at. Miss Y/n does not have time for... distractions.”

“Of course,” Draco remained composed. “I was merely curious,” Your Governess didn’t seem convinced.

Even still, Draco had flowers sent to your dressing room, with only his name attached to the bouquet—that was slightly ostentatious. He wondered if you remembered him. Then he wondered if you wanted to. The thought dampened his mood as his past came to haunt his mind, dragging him back down until his face was barely above the murky water that threatened to drag him under every waking moment.

______________________________

“I told you!” Meg screeched, taking the flowers from my hands. “I told you that he would remember you! Oh, my stars!” She acted as if Draco had sent her the flowers and not me.

My fingers brushed over the parchment that held his name. Sighing, I vanished it.

“Meg, I told you. I don’t have time for this! Some silly romance...” I huffed and spelled away my makeup with a flutter of my fingers.

Though the rest of my Faction was crowded around me, hemming and hawing at the note and the flowers and the idea of any one of us being courted by Draco Malfoy, my thoughts were far from their senseless gossip. A dark part of my mind toyed with the thought that he was doing it to use me. It was no secret that Malfoy was sentenced to be wandless and thus created his interest with the Arts. The way of the Saltota offered an alternative to that. I had a wand, yes. But it was rarely used anymore.

I didn’t need it to use magic. It was the true way of the Saltota. To offer and use my body as a vessel for the magic that existed all around. It was why the Saltota Ultas were so revered. They were one with magic, with nothing holding them back at all. And nothing, for me, meant no Draco Malfoy coming in to become something.

It didn’t stop the flowers, however. After a while, I expected them. And it was a waste to throw them away or watch them die. So maybe I used a simple Curator Spell and kept them alive in my flat. And maybe against my better judgement I let Meg convince me to meet him one night after the last performance of the season.

“Malfoy?” I called softly, making my way into the Opera House foyer, brushing by other suitors.

He turned, and I was caught at an impasse. He was strikingly beautiful, his features sharp and defined. Though they were reminiscent of his father, there was still the softness there of his mother... and something that was completely his own in the mystery of his grey eyes.

“Miss Y/n,” He dipped his head politely. “May I say you danced beautifully tonight, as always,”

“Thank you,” My voice was barely audible above the noise of the excitement around us, but it didn’t hide the slight blush on my cheeks.

Everything that I had planned to say to him, every accusation, and every question fell from my lips as we studied each other in some sort of silent standoff.

“Would you care to go somewhere quieter?” An amused smirk reached his lips as his eyes darted to the bustle around us. “Or... perhaps not. I wouldn’t want to be a distraction,” There was a malice note on his last worn as his eyes tightened, the smile disappearing.

“I suppose I do owe you for all of the flowers,” A smile toyed at my lips. “I believe I can afford an outing. With an old classmate,” I drawled the word.

“As you wish,” He offered his arm, and I took it.

We ended up at a small café in the quiet night of Paris, far from the thrill of the Opera House. Draco was nothing, if not a gentleman. And maybe I could see why he was considered the most suitable bachelor in the Wizarding World. If I wasn’t careful my nothing might be something. I had left the hope of love and romance a long time ago. I had to.

“How long did it take you to remember me?” He asked softly, drawing me from my thoughts.

“I could ask the same question,” Leaning my elbows on the table and resting my chin on my hands, I raised an eyebrow at him. “I never forgot you, Draco,” The words were soft.

“You didn’t?” He seemed genuinely surprised. “I would think since... and well,”

I gnawed on my lip, my thoughts following his. The war. And the Dark Lord. It was the one thing that had me so close to the edge of giving up being a Saltota. We weren’t allowed to interfere with the war at all. It wasn’t our place; I had been told time and time again.

“One hardly can ignore the most eligible bloke in the Wizarding World,” I teased softly. “Especially when he sends you the most ridiculous flowers every night. I must say, you have the other girls in my Faction enamored and jealous.”

The smile I had been trying for quirked on his thin lips.

“And what of you? What do you think?” Draco raised an eyebrow.

“I don’t know,” I answered truthfully. “I’ve never had a suitor that I entertained before, and I’m not quite sure with you either, no offense,”

“Your Governess mentioned something about that.” He leaned back in his chair, a calm expression on his face that I could see right through— he was defensive.

I gave a solemn nod. A silence lingered between us for a moment. I broke it.

“So, you’re obviously invested into the Arts, tell me what have you seen? Any of the Muggle greats?”

“Muggle?” He almost laughed. “Why would I go to see a muggle performance?” 

I gaped at him.

“Are you kidding me?” I was baffled. “What do mean you haven’t seen any of them? Theatre is theatre, Draco.”

“But it’s muggle,”

I rolled my eyes. “You know nothing, do you?” It was a soft accusation. “The Saltota use dance as a way to harness magic, you know that much I assume. But our traditions are not just for magic users. There are those born magicless who still pursue the art of our dance. It is not about who can use magic, but those willing to keep the tradition alive.”

“You mean to tell me that Muggles use Saltota dances?” He seemed almost enraged.

Sighing, I began again. “I recognize that it might be hard for you to understand, but the way I learned magic was not just how to use it, but to also appreciate all it has given. The secrets we carry are not ours to keep, rather for magic to choose.”

“You act like magic is a sentient being,”

“Well, isn’t it?” I smiled softly. “Tell me, when you first got your wand, you felt it. The hum that sparked on your fingertips. Or, forgive me, the burn of the mark on your arm. Magic is as much alive as you and I are,”

His grey eyes narrowed, his face falling into a scrutinizing gaze. I could see the flecks of anger in his eyes and the conflict that resided behind. It was another silent standoff, but I wasn’t backing down. Magic was sacred and not for man—not even the Draco Malfoy—to control.

“I see,” He was all but seething before me. “You obviously know more than I ever possibly could,” The words were sharp and biting, his fists clenched.

“Draco,” My stubborn flare faltered under his harsh tone. “I... I apologize, I never meant to imply—”

“I think your intentions were quite clear,” He hissed.

“It was still rude of me to...” My eyes dropped to the table as I took a sharp breath in. “Thank you for the tea. And the flowers. Goodnight,”

Wordlessly I stood and left. One glance back and my eyes met grey storms of emotions.

“I don’t have time for distractions,” I whispered to myself, hurrying down the lane. “...and I do not fancy Draco Malfoy.”

Only one of them was truth. 

___________________________

Draco watched you leave, regretting letting his pride get in the way of speaking to you like a rational human being. What did you know of his past anyways? You would never understand the weight on his shoulders of the Dark Mark that resided on his arm, or his dark past that shadowed him every waking moment. All of this because he couldn’t entertain the idea that muggles tread on your art form.

What did muggles know of magic anyway? They were ignorant.

But you had insisted otherwise. The theatre. Muggle theatre. Though his love for the Arts ran deep, he never considered looking into its muggle counterpart. A consequence of his parents, he supposed.

Staring at the ceiling late that night, you weaved into all of Draco’s thoughts, with or without permission. Draco groaned and dismayed that he was actually doing what he set out for. It took a few tries but eventually a familiar voice answered the other end of the line.

“Minister of Magic, Granger speaking,” 

“Hermione, I need a favor,”

As soon as Hermione graciously filled him in on Muggle theatre, Draco easily secured two tickets to the next performance occurring at an Opera House not unlike of his own patronage. Now he only hoped that you would still talk to him.

“Miss Y/l/n?”

Your eyes flash to his as you stand, the other girls from your Faction all observing you as he pulled you away from your practice.

“Malfoy,” You were cautious and reserved. “Is something the matter? Something that you find unsatisfactory with my dancers?” Your face remained collected, but there was a mischievous look in your eyes.

You were toying with him. Testing him. He shook his head solemnly and ushered you to a foyer away from the rest of your Faction. You eyed him, questioning.

“On the contrary,” He played along with a smile that would have any other girl—or bloke— swooning after him, but not you. The same curious look remained upon your face. “I was wondering if you would like to accompany me to the theatre this evening. The Palais Garnier is hosting The Phantom of the Opera and I thought maybe you would care to join me?”

Shock flitted across your features as your collected demeanor fell flat. Your eyes narrowed at him as you began to say something but paused in the midst. Regaining your composure, you began again.

“This wouldn’t happen to be a date, now would it Mr. Malfoy?” A smirk rose on your lips.

“Please, Mr. Malfoy is my father,” Draco stressed, not enjoying the formality on your lips. “And this is simply an outing between old classmates,” He chose your words from the night that seemed lifetimes away.

“I see,” You tilted your chin back slightly, “I’d be honored to accompany you, Malfoy,” You dipped into a graceful curtsy.

That night he arrived at the studio and chauffeured you to the Muggle Opera House. You were simply stunning in your muggle attire, not doubt looking as if you were an aristocrat in their society as well. There was an air of prowess about you as you held yourself high beside him.

Though it was difficult for him to be among so many muggles, you had no issue with it. And perhaps, if he wanted to admit it to himself these particular muggles weren’t awful and barbaric. It seemed as if even a few recognized you, asking for photos or a signature. You gave them gracefully, not fretting about the intrusion on privacy.

In his private box, near and above the stage, you two settled. There was excitement in your features as he could feel the buzz of magic dance across your skin. As the curtains raised and the orchestra started it’s overture, the smile on your face grew. He nudged your shoulder gently, nodding to your hands, where they had begun to summon a lighting charm he assumed. Your face went slightly pink as you pressed your hands firmly into your lap, quite sheepish.

He found it endearing, to a point, that theatre, even if it wasn’t your own, could elicit this response from you. Then, he understood why you were so elated by the show before you. It captured his attention, and though it held no inkling of true magic, it was far from being magicless. It was at the intermission that he found himself wanting the show to continue without pause.

“I believe I owe you an apology,” Draco murmured softly as he led you to the foyer where cocktails and hors d'oeuvres were served. “You were absolutely right,”

“Is that so?” You sipped on a tall glass of champagne, the rouge of your lips staining the crystal glass, a mischievous smile on your lips.

“You know, not everyone can get me to admit that I was wrong,” Draco drawled.

“Is that supposed to make me feel special?” Your teasing tone had strengthened. “That the great Draco Malfoy has admitted to me that he was wrong,”

“It should,”

A laugh fell from your lips, a beautiful sound.

The play ended all too quickly, and soon he was standing beside you, outside your flat building in the upper part of town.

“Thank you for tonight,” You smiled softly. “I had a wonderful time,” 

________________________________

I leaned against my closed and locked flat door, not able to rid my face of the smile that resided there. It was almost too easy to be with Draco and the company he offered. A perfect mix of elegance and mischief. Then came the sobering thought:

“I do not fancy Draco Malfoy,” I reminded myself. 

But don’t you? My psyche whispered back.

I didn’t want to answer her.

Rising with the sun, not much planned for the day now that it was my off season—meaning I had at least my early mornings to myself—I started a pot of tea and picked up the Daily Prophet that was nearly destroyed by my anger as I read the front page headline:

Ex-Death Eater Caught with Esteemed Saltota Dancer in The Muggle Theater: Moving on or Malicious Motive?

There was a photo of Draco and I together in the Opera House, last night, looking quite cozy with one another, laughing. The picture moved, as I expected it too, and I almost forget why I was so upset, because the photo held the golden feeling from last night as I gazed upon it. I didn’t linger long however because there was an incoming call from the front desk—Draco Malfoy was requesting to come up.

Quickly throwing on a house coat, I opened the door, seeing a very anxious looking Draco at my doorstep.

“Good morning,” I tested, letting him in.

“I am so sorry, you have to believe me,” He paced the floor, not giving me a second glance.

“Uh, alright,” I closed the door, locking it. “Sorry for what exactly?”

“The article. I’m having my people take care of it. I knew this was—” He didn’t finish the thought.

“Take care of it?” I asked with a careful step towards him.

“The photos. The newspapers.” He snapped as if it were obvious.

“No, I get that, but why?” My hand reached out, resting on his shoulder. He stiffened and jerked out of my grasp.

“Why?” Draco hissed. “Because you shouldn’t be with me! Because I could have just ruined your entire career! This was stupid and selfish and reckless of me,”

“Draco,” My eyebrows furrowed as I took another step toward him and placed my hand on his shoulder again. He didn’t shrug me off this time. “Are you ashamed of me? Of last night?” It was the one thought on my mind.

“No,” His answer came quickly. “No, of course not. We went out. We enjoyed each other’s company. It was a fine night,”

“Then why are you so upset?” My eyes met his unsteady grey ones. “Draco, it’s sweet that you’re worried about me. But I can handle some press. Drama tabloids and what not. It comes with the job,” I paused a moment, “And if it were to be anyone, I’m glad it was you,”

He went quiet, his hands balling into fists at his side. “Did you read the article?” His tone iced his words.

“Not yet, no. You called up before I had the chance,” Another moment, another thought. “And I really couldn’t care less about that it says. It’s gossip. And I won’t apologize or worry myself over a wonderful night spent with a friend,”

“Friend?”

“Well, I mean, unless you’d like to strictly stay as old classmates,” It was a teasing tone that seemed to alleviate some of his tension.

“No, I quite like friends,” There was a smile on his face for the first time that morning.

Draco stayed in my flat for a few hours, having breakfast and tea with me. Overlooking the city on my balcony it was almost too easy to be with him and that golden feeling was back in my chest. We talked about nothing and everything, avoiding heavier topics that didn’t seem to fit in with the rising sun.

And despite my dismissal of the gossip column in the paper, Draco and I both agreed that maybe it would be better if we laid low for a while, keeping out of the public eye. Which meant our morning teas in my flat became a sort of normal as we avoided the busy streets below. He would then leave, off to meetings and who knows what else as I kept up my dancing regime with my Faction.

There was something to be said of my Faction. Since the first article and the few that followed, they all seemed to eye me warily, knowing the contents that I didn’t bother myself with. Meg was begging me for details, but I simply shook my head, informed her and the rest of my dancers that we were merely friends, colleagues. None of what the papers said was true.

“But he is, was a Death Eater,” Kelsey insisted one night after practice. “Aren’t you the least bit worried that he might hurt you? Or try to use you? He is wandless after all. And I hear he’s pretty cozy with you,”

“I wasn’t aware that it was my secret to keep,” My eyes narrowed. “You know as well as I, that magic is not ours to withhold from those who ask,”

“But he’s using you!”

“And so, what if he is!” I shouted. “That would not change who I am nor what I strive for! Now I am to hear none of this talk any longer! It is not our place to withhold the magic of the stars and it is certainly not your place to tell me what to do with my life!”

All of the girls were staring at me as I breathed deeply, storming out of the studio and into the crisp air of the night. There was a certain edge to this night, however, and I could feel it as the Dark Magic grazed my skin. My eyes darted around the well-lit street and to a darkened alley: the source of my unease. A dementor. In the city.

“Can’t I have just one night!?” I huffed, rushing towards the alley, set to alleviate the Dark Magic and restore balance to the energy and magic around me.

Then my heart dropped.

The dementor had a target. Wandless and defenseless, Draco back against the alley wall, looking terrified and hopeless. Ditching my bag, I closed my eyes and focused on the Light Magic passing through my limbs as I threw my body into precise fouettés, feeling an equilibrium restore around me. Settling into first position, I opened my eyes to see that Draco’s had closed.

Dropping to his side, my shaking hands fluttered over his chest, brushing his hair from his face.

“Draco!? Draco can you hear me!?” Cradling his face, a new sort of anxiety grew in my chest. “Draco, please, please wake up.”

As if he heard me, his grey eyes opened barely, a sad cough escaping his lips. I aided him in sitting up as he continued to hack and cough, red spots splashing against the back of his hand.

“Okay, we need to get you to St. Mungo’s,” I decided, standing myself before helping him up. 

“I’m fine,” He rasped, waving me off.

“You’re coughing up blood, Draco,” My voice was surprisingly calm for the current conversation. “I’m taking you to a Healer,”

“No,” He protested, stumbling. “P-people will talk,”

“Let them!” I snapped, still frustrated from my spat with Kelsey. “I’m not going to let you die because some reporter might snap a stupid photo!” Slinging his arm over my shoulder, I calmed enough to Apparate with him into the lobby of the hospital, where Draco collapsed.

Healers rushed in around me, taking Draco off of my hands. They asked too many questions and I barely got out the words “dementor,” and “blood.” Another started to pull me in the opposite direction of him, but I refused.

“Ma’am only family is allowed back with him,” The receptionist stammered under my fierce glare.

“Hell with that! I am his family! Now let me back with him!”

The small girl squeaked and let me go as I rushed off after the Healers that carried Draco up to the fourth floor. The anxiety in my chest grew as this was a graver situation that I originally thought if he was being taken to the fourth floor.

“Ma’am?” An adjacent Healer caught my attention. “Can you please tell me the events of what happened?”

“He got attacked by a bloody dementor! What is with you people?! I thought your government was supposed to control those things!?”

“Uh, y-yes ma’am,” The Healer stammered. “But what happened to the dementor? Was a spell cast?”

“Oh, you wizards!” I cursed.

“Ma’am I understand that you’re upset, but please—”

“No, you listen here,” I grabbed the Healer’s robes and drew him close, snarling in his face. “A wandless, defenseless wizard under your government was just attacked by a dementor, who could have killed him, and you’re asking me about what spell I used? Me!? Do you know who I am!?”

“Miss Y/l/n,” A faintly known voice called from behind me. “If you’d please let go of Mr. Thomas,”

I released my hold on the Healer and turned, face to face with the Minister of Magic herself.

“You,” I spat. “You know, we really do make an effort to let you run magic the way you wish but this,” I gestured aggressively towards the room where Draco was being treated. “This draws a line Granger,”

“I understand that,” Deep brown eyes held caution. “And the dementor was not one under my jurisdiction,”

The air sparked around me, charged with dangerous magic.

“You mean to tell me that you have left him wandless, and alone, with Voldemort’s followers still out there!? Are you absolutely daft!?”

Granger held her composure as I spat the words at her. The Healer emerging from Draco’s room broke our tension as my anger morphed into fear and worry at the Healer’s verdict.

“He will be fine. We managed to assuage the Dark Magic in his lungs, and he’ll be clear for release tomorrow morning,” The Healer’s eyes flickered between Granger and I, no doubt aware of the standoff occurring between us. “He is asking for you Miss Y/n,”

I nodded and took a deep breath, not giving the Minister a second glance as I stormed into Draco’s room. His eyes were barely opened as a smile played at his lips.

“My stars, Draco,” I collapsed in the seat beside his hospital bed. “What were you thinking!?”

“I’m fine, thanks,” His teasing manor left a smile on my face as his hand covered my shaking ones that gripped the edge of the cot.

“What were you even doing out alone like that?” I asked weakly. “You scared me to death, Draco,”

“I... I wanted to come and see you. I thought maybe tonight was a good night to... stop laying low,” His cheeks tinged red as he stammered the confession.

A hopeless chuckle left my lips as I rested my forehead on our intertwined hands. 

“And did you really just call Hermione, the Minister of Magic, daft?”

“Yes?” I looked up meekly. “You could have died, Draco,”

“But I didn’t,”

“Oh, because that makes me feel so much better,” I scoffed.

“How... how did you even do that? I’ve never seen anyone actually kill a dementor before,” His voice held melancholy and regret.

“I didn’t kill it,” I defended. “Not really...” I paused, pursing my lips, debating how much I wanted to go into what I had done, and how conscious Draco would be to understand any of it. He waited expectantly. “I balanced the energy. Dementors consist of heavy Dark Magic, so by channeling pure Light Magic, an equilibrium is found. No more dementor,”

When he didn’t offer a response, my gaze followed up to his face. His eyes had closed again and steady breaths exhales from his parted lips. I found myself smiling and reaching out to brush the hair hanging in his face.

“You care for him,”

I jumped up, spinning, ready for a fight.

“It’s alright, I’m not going to hurt you,” Granger smiled. “It’s just nice to see that he has someone looking out for him,”

“Why would you care?” I asked softly, my fingers brushing against his hand.

“You know, when I became Minister, I offered to end his wandless sentence. But he refused. He wouldn’t tell me the reason.”

A smile played at my lips as a sigh soon escaped them.

“He has a habit of that,” My words were small and soft. “Always thinks the worst of himself... like he deserves all of the awful things that happen to him. No doubt he thinks he deserves this dementor attack,” My eyes found Granger’s again. “I’m sorry, for what I said. I...”

“You were scared. I understand that. No hard feelings,” She offered her hand. “Hermione Granger,”

“Y/n,” I shook her hand.

______________________________

Draco opened his eyes again, feeling like he was submerged under water, gasping for air. Even with his eyes open, there was a weight on him. Blinking to clear the fuzziness from his sight he realized that there actually was a weight on him.

Your hands were intertwined with his, as your head was tipped back. Soft snores left your lips as you slept in the chair beside his bed. He would have liked to be alone in the room with you, but instead, his eyes fell upon an exhausted Hermione.

“Didn’t know that a dementor attack warranted a visit from the Minister herself,” He mused softly, not to wake you.

“You act like I don’t feel awful about this,” She muttered, rubbing her face. “And I’m not here as the Minister, not anymore at least. I’m here as a friend,”

“Draco Malfoy doesn’t have friends,” His tone was flat.

“You seem to have at least one,” Hermione smirked nodding to you. “You should have seen her; she was absolutely livid. Reminded me a bit of you when you lose your temper actually. Terrified the poor receptionist and a few Healers,”

Draco chuckled at the thought, before his laugh turned into a coughing fit, drawing you from your slumber. Immediately you were on your feet, tensed and ready for a fight.

“I’ll just leave you two alone,” Hermione smiled at him kindly. “And make sure the papers have the right story,”

You both groaned at that thought as you slumped back into the chair, rubbing your sore neck. 

“Why can’t they just leave us alone?” You whined, a pout forming at your lips.

“It’s a part of the job,” Draco mused, joking lightly.

“This... this isn’t a part of the job,” You muttered. “Press, dating rumors, maybe something scandalous, but not this. This danger...” You shook your head, scrubbing your eyes. “When had it ever come to this?”

“It always comes to this,” Draco’s voice was tight. “It always has. Sometimes I wonder when enough will be enough...”

“Don’t... don’t talk like that,” You grimaced, taking his hand into yours, pressing it to your lips, a warm feeling that Draco marveled at. “You aren’t... you don’t deserve this. No one deserves this,”

“Y/n—”

“No,” You cut him off defiantly. “Don’t give me your Death Eater bullshit. I won’t hear it. You don’t want to believe in yourself? That you might be good? That you are good? Fine. But it won’t stop me.”

Draco didn’t know how to respond to your words. They contrasted everything inside of him. He wasn’t good. He could never be good. He could never be redeemed. Wasn’t that the point of him trying so hard? Because he knew he could never reach a pure status again. His name would never be cleared and now he was starting to drag you down with him.

“Shouldn’t you be at rehearsal?” The words fell from his lips with an air of melancholy.

Your face twisted into confusion, then shock, then anger. You stood abruptly, his hand falling back to his side.

“Do you even listen to me when I talk to you!?” You huffed, storming out of the small room. He thought he saw tears in your eyes.

About an hour later he was released from the hospital and told to stay home and take it easy for the next few days and to come straight back if something went wrong. Brushing off the worried nurses, be walked down the street, finally finding solace in his own flat. His own space.

What he couldn’t escape however was the sharpness and hurt behind your words nor the headlines that littered the papers the next day despite Hermione’s promise to sort them out.

Dementor attacks Ex-Death Eater: Ministry Slip-Up or Rising Fear?

Saltota Dancer Rescues Ex-Death Eater from His Earned Fate

Enraged Saltota Defends Ex-Death Eater: Love or Lunacy?

His eyes paused on that last headline. It didn’t seem as harsh as the rest, in fact, as he skimmed the article, it had a rather positive undertone:

“The Saltota, known for their captivating dance and bizarre magic nature, have never before interfered with the affairs of the Wizards under the Ministry of Magic. Staying out of the war against the Dark Lord, many Wizards believed the Saltota to have sympathies for The Dark Lord, yet a recent incident suggests differently. Y/n Y/l/n, a Saltota Maxima, was seen to have killed a dementor in favor of rescuing Ex-Death Eater, Draco Malfoy. Though her methods of killing the dementor have not been released, it is known that Y/l/n transported Malfoy to St. Mungo’s where she vividly demanded that he be taken care of. When speaking to the receptionist on shift at the time, they reveal that ‘She was terrifying. You could feel the magic like an aura around her as she fought for Malfoy... If she hadn’t been there, speaking on his behalf, I don’t believe that our Healers would have given Malfoy the attention he needed before his injuries became fatal.’ It is known that these two were caught in a Muggle Theatre looking quite cozy with another not a few months ago. It seems their relationship hasn’t stopped there. Is this Saltota Malfoy’s new lover? Or perhaps something more? More on the event on page 37.”

________________________________

“Lover,” I scoffed. “Yeah, sure.” 

I tossed the paper aside and stared up at the stars that spread out over the Parisian skyline before me. My limbs were still sore from rehearsal not hours before as Meg kept me company.

“You don’t want to talk to him?” She offered me a cup of tea. “I know we haven’t been the most supportive, but we’re worried about you Y/n,”

“There’s nothing to worry about.” I snapped then sighed. “I just don’t know what I did wrong...” Tears threatened to well in my eyes as I shoved my emotions down for what seemed like the hundredth time.

“You didn’t do anything wrong sweetheart,” Meg wrapped an arm around my shoulders. “Maybe he’ll come around... maybe he won’t. It doesn’t change who you are,”

I smiled and wiped my eyes.

“Thanks Meg,” Looking down I stared at the warm tea. “Maybe it was my fault. I let him become a distraction...”

“No, you let him to your heart. I know you Y/n. I’ve grown up with you. I knew it would always take someone special to get through to you, and well, I think Draco has.” Her comforting words were bordering patronizing.

“I think he has too,”

“Make no mistake, you’re not the only one whose heart has been captured,”

This wasn’t the voice of my best friend, instead a friend... an old classmate... a lover... maybe something more...

“Draco,” I stood, almost spilling my tea. “I... how... how did you get in?”

“Your receptionist let me up and Meg passed me on her way out.” The explanation was simple enough.

“Oh,” My gaze dropped as I set down my mug. Taking a deep breath, I looked up at him. “What are you doing here Draco?” It was a bit harsher than I meant it to be.

“I came to apologize. And to thank you.” 

I raised an eyebrow at him.

“You did save my life. I believe I should thank you for that.” A smile played at his lips before it dropped. “And I’m also sorry. I thought I was protecting you from everything that I go through... but it seems that still, my own self-doubt and loathing got in the way of seeing what was in front of me... that you were in front of me. I know I let you down and I am so sorry for that... but you’ve brought me closer to who I really am, more than anyone else ever has...” He took a hesitant step closer. “There was no excuse for what I did to you, and I hope you can forgive me,”

I nodded, closing the space between us, my hand reaching for his. They were warm in mine, nothing like the cold feeling they held when Draco was unconscious at the hospital.

“And I hope that maybe... I could be a bit more than a distraction?” His hand parted from mine as his lithe fingers tilted my chin back, calm grey eyes greeting mine. “And maybe I could show the world what you really mean to me?”

His lips pressed against mine. Careful and hesitant. And until my free hand curled around the back of his neck and pulled him closer, did he lose his nervousness. And under the stars, Draco Malfoy became not just my something... but my everything.

And we became the most coveted and prestige couple in the entire Wizarding and Muggle world.

A Death Eater and a Dancer.

.

Tags: @coffee-addicti @msmcsmutt @ravn-87 @artemismohr18 @whygz @crazywritingbug @fuzzy-panda @bitemebro522 @zombiesnips-blog @savingdraco@welcometomyworldwithoutrules @akari180 @slytherin-emerald@memalfoy-spidey @queenfeatherwings @fanficflaneuse @go-whovian-universe @spicyshenanigans @darling-im-not-okay-i-promise @dietkiwi @katsukink @takemetothekingdom @strangerr-things @tmnt-queen @hxneybgb @justsomerandomgur@belcvayelena @moviesbooksandfandoms @howdycharlie@xtrashmouthxtozierx @cocochanelthepupper @ninacotte@braelynn-j @jiggllyy @honeymarvel @darcypottah@atomicpunkrock @thiccheerioss @lottie289 @boredashaeck@beautiful-pegasus @tceedlmao @deadlynyghtshayde@iconjuresnapeingrandmaclothes @anonymous034 @bi-andready-tocry @lunna-does-real-doodle @dragonsandbread @okaydraco@the-queen-of-hell-things @cmxreader @alienmotel @oh-itsnothing  @sunflowerxsadnessw  @fattycooter@angelotakunerd08 @thisisahugemistake @fanficsigottaread@gweaslvy @strawberriesonsummer @gaysludge @cleopatera@ray-of-sunrise @artist-bby @shadowsingeraxolotl @peters-legos@quillsareforwriting @ghostlytoadalmondhairdo @wollymalfoy@lilpieceoftoast @paper-cats @floweryjh @sdicapriox @slothgirl22@peachesandpinks @monimillion @hufflautia @livize75 @annie-mcl@riathearora @live-like-luna @justathoughtfulangel @coconutdawn@skteaiy @wannabeskinny-thinspo @naughtygranger​ @queenofmankind​ @dragonsandbread​ @abundantxadorations​ @moony-artnstuff​ @myforeveryoungblog​ @and-then-a-girl-with-luv​ @1-800-luvsick​ @pandas-rice-field​ @strawberriesonsummer​ @jjustsomerandomgirl​ @mrvlfangirl3190​ @loverbbgirlsblog​ @in-slytherin-we-trust​ @emmaa-t​ @introvertedrae​ @infinity1o1​ @stoleurmomsvan​ @echpr​ @sunkissed-hufflepuff​

[jeongyunhoed]

Past-Present-Future Black Dahlia

Two major tragedies bring Lee Mirae closer to the edge as she goes through the stages of grief in a more violent manner that would affect not only her relationships with her boyfriend Jeong Yunho and her half-brother Choi San, but also has her becoming closer with the immortal mutant Kang Yeosang. Fueled by rage, grief, and pain, along with a very rude awakening that has Mirae spiraling out of control and questioning everything she holds dear.

Group: ATEEZ Member: Yunho Pairing: Jeong Yunho / OC Genre: Action, adventure, angst, fantasy

Watch Out! : Violence, blood, death, grief and loss, major character deaths, use of weapons, some jealousy (but no cheating ofc), implied smut (not sure if there is any but i’m putting it out there nonetheless), mental illness (probably?), gambling and alcohol

Anything else? : Mentions of other idols of course as well as other characters. SuperM, Dean, Chanyeol, Zelo, soloist Park Jihoon to name a few.

Author’s Note: First chapter is here! Compared to the previous stories from the AU, this might have very long chapters, like more than 10 pages in google docs long. But anyway, tag list is open, and yeah. Enjoy the first of a rollercoaster of emotions.

This whole first chapter also, is me giving brief backstories of what happened before/backstories of many characters here. Basic plot is mine, characters are not. This is all for fun/entertainment/emotional anguish. 

Masterlist

Chapter 1

When one is at their breaking point, everything begins to change.  The lines between right and wrong are blurred, and one’s moral compass begins to spin into oblivion. 

9:00 p.m. 

Laughter filled the almost empty space of Viva Polo, having closed for the night except for a table occupied by Lee Mirae, Park Chanyeol, and Kwon Hyuk. The rest of the tables had already been overturned, marking the end of another day at work, at least for Chanyeol. The three of them had a tradition of meeting up every week, something they started doing after the previous adventures they had. 

The three of them were mutants, and to their knowledge, they were the last surviving members of the group that saved the country, if not the world during the Seoul attack. A year after that, the three of them found each other again, reuniting to save the country once again from an evil cult bent on achieving utopia through taking control of its citizens. Two adventures that had major consequences on the three of them, and events that they will forever remember. 

Two of them, Mirae and Hyuk, were classified as omega-level or level 5 mutants, with powers that were impossible to surpass by any other mutant thus far. Mirae was not only gifted in a mastery of hand-to-hand combat, both armed and unarmed, but she had the gift of manipulating potential energy into kinetic energy. She could turn virtually any object into an explosive and if channeled to an extreme extent, was able to level a skyscraper. 

With her abilities came the secondary gift of a healing factor that made her almost immortal and slowed down her aging immensely. Because of her ability to manipulate energy, she was also able to generate static that resulted in a very strong psychic block that was only made stronger by another omega-level mutant, Jang Ino. From the adventures she had on her own and even after the Utopian cult, another ability manifested itself in her; taking souls and trapping them into objects, usually her deck of cards. 

Meanwhile, Kwon Hyuk, a well-known music producer and songwriter, was a level 5 telekinetic and could move anything with his mind. His psychic abilities also gave him the gift of producing shields that were almost impenetrable. 

 In their adventure into the Utopian cult, Hyuk developed his telepathic abilities, which he used to extract memories or read into memories of others. Hyuk was nearly captured by the goons from the Utopian cult when they met again, and has since tried to use his powers as discreetly as possible with some difficulty. 

Hyuk didn’t formally join Mirae and Chanyeol until the later days of the Seoul attack, having laid low, undiscovered by Ino who was at the time, serving his father Professor Inhwan Jang. Hyuk had openly used his powers in front of the group during a time when Mirae and one of her other colleagues, a telekinetic named Luhan, were affected by the goblin king’s inducement of traumatic memories that caused their powers to manifest for the first time. 

It was there that Hyuk realized that he could do so much more with his mutant gifts, rather than use them solely for trivial purposes.

Hyuk had a cousin, the singer Lee Midam, who was under his entertainment agency, in the 10-member group called Silver. Midam was, like him, a psychic, but of a different kind. Midam was a psychic that could make the worst fears or strongest desires of another person come to life before them. Midam also had the ability to sense when a person will die in the near future. 

Park Chanyeol was a level 4 pyrokinetic, also known as an alpha-level mutant. He created and manipulated fire in all its aspects, from turning into a fire being to being able to put out and set fire onto virtually anything. In his fire form, he was granted the ability to fly and heal and even out of his fire form, Chanyeol could withstand extreme heat. 

He worked with Mirae in the Center for Paranormal Research upon his discovery by Ino, leaving his work in his mother’s Italian restaurant behind to find purpose for his abilities. For some time after the Seoul attack, Chanyeol thought he was the only one left, until he was seen by another survivor, their tech guy Choi Junhong, looking over the remains of what used to be the Center, the epicenter of the entire attack. 

From the adventures they had, the three of them still managed to continue with their lives. Hyuk stayed in his agency to work on music, Chanyeol helped around his parents’ restaurant and live club, while Mirae ran the music store that she took ownership in after the passing of her adoptive parents. Hyuk and Chanyeol also helped other mutants like them, Mirae’s old colleagues from her days as an assassin under a sanitarium, practice controlling their powers. 

With the way the events of the past years shaped them, their lives would forever be intertwined and they knew it. Even with the disagreements that occurred in the final days of the Seoul attack, with the three of them being the only survivors from that group that acted, they were like family to each other. 

“One of these days, we’ll go on a mission, do something, just the three of us again,” Chanyeol said fondly, finishing the last slice of pizza from his place. 

“Even if we don’t go on something like that, we should still do something, just the three of us,” Mirae repeated with a grin. “It’s been a while, hasn’t it?” 

“Yeah, someone needs to watch your back this time, you nearly got your powers taken away,” Hyuk pointed out, taking a sip of his iced tea. 

The last adventure Mirae went on involved a demon and their followers, the one responsible for a long-running conspiracy that went behind the glitz and glamour of the country’s entertainment industry. Mirae was outmatched and captured, her powers being used to channel the summoning of the demon Ose. It left her boyfriend Yunho and her half-brother San, along with her old colleagues including immortal mutant billionaire Kang Yeosang, to be the ones to save her and the world. 

Mirae shook her head. “It was only one time. Just one. But I’m starting to think I’m losing my touch, to be honest,” She looked down at her now-empty plate. 

“I wouldn’t think of it that way if I were you,” Hyuk patted her shoulder. “You still have your powers, don’t you? Didn’t Junhong say your powers only got stronger after that? You’re practically invincible.” 

“Says the person who is also practically invincible,” Mirae grinned. 

“But I don’t heal like you do. Chanyeol doesn’t even heal like you unless he sets himself on fire.” 

“Can you stop talking about injuries now? I think we’ll be late for that training session both of you promised the guys,” Mirae nudged the telekinetic. 

Chanyeol got up at the mention of the training session. All of their plates floating in mid-air, the cutlery and glasses sorting themselves out, as Hyuk followed the taller male into the kitchen, making sure nothing dropped. Mirae smiled to herself as she removed the tablecloth and the napkins. 

The boys at the safehouse would be waiting for them, San and Yunho included. Choi San was her half-brother, and had almost the same abilities as her, including her healing factor and a mastery of martial arts. Unlike Mirae, who channeled her powers mainly through her extendable staff, San channeled his into a harpoon gun. 

San’s powers first manifested in his high school years, as a result of the constant pressure placed on him by their father, who wanted him to pursue a career he himself wanted. Upon learning how to control his abilities better, San ran away from home, eventually learning the skills he knew to become a paid hitman. San also witnessed Mirae getting taken away to be interned at the sanitarium, and he looked everywhere for her.

Jeong Yunho was Mirae’s boyfriend. Yunho was also like her, skilled in hand-to-hand combat, both unarmed and armed. Yunho was also a mutant, an immortal mutant who possessed the ability to teleport, but could only do so in dark places. 

Yunho’s powers manifested when he was killed in Morocco during what would be Mirae’s final mission before she was discharged. Her memories of him were seemingly erased in the final electroshock therapy session used to alter her recollection of missions. They only found each other again when Mirae was being targeted by the Kang crime family, descendants of Yeosang who held a disdain for mutants. 

Hyuk returned from the kitchen. “What’s that smile about?” He asked. 

“Nothing, nothing, I just realized how it’s been a while since we did something like this together,” Mirae replied. 

“Lee Mirae, you’re getting sappy.” 

“Did I lie?” She laughed. 

“No, but that’s weird of you,” Hyuk laughed as well. “I mean you are right. I’ve been busy practically managing the group, Chanyeol’s busy here, we’re just busy living our lives.” 

“My point stands that we’ve never done anything together in a while, unless those goblins come up again and try to kill us,” Mirae joked. 

“Hopefully not,” Said the psychic, the table in front of them turning itself over on top of another table. “Even with the way things ended back then, I’m glad the three of us found each other.” 

The kitchen doors opened and Chanyeol returned, wiping his hands, with his backpack in tow. “Whose car are we using?” He asked. 

Without another word, the three of them extended their fists. Both Mirae and Chanyeol had scissors, while Hyuk’s hand remained curled into a fist. “Guess it’s yours then, Mr. Psychic,” Mirae grinned. 

“Be glad I stopped for gas before coming here,” He gave them a look as they left the restaurant. 

~ 

The car pulled up in front of a brick-walled building that had a vending machine. It was the entrance to the safehouse that now became the headquarters of everything mutant-related. It was also where Mirae’s old colleagues were now staying, with the exception of two; Jung Wooyoung and Park Seonghwa. 

The three of them got out, sensing the slight change in the air as they approached the machine. They knew there was a sort of cloaking over the spot that shielded anyone from seeing that the vending machine moved to the side to reveal a secret passage. Chanyeol, Mirae, and Hyuk entered the dark passageway and stopped at the red door at the very end. 

The safehouse was similarly modeled to the recreation room in the Center for Paranormal Research, with a couch and beanbags surrounding a flat-screen television and several game consoles. There was a sleeping quarters and a shower area and a kitchen that was only stocked with instant food. Ino and Junhong’s labs and offices were in the two other doors in the kitchen area that had a small dining table where they would at least take turns in eating. 

This time, the safehouse had since expanded thanks to Ino’s ability to manipulate matter. Junhong’s lab was much bigger, more beds were added to the sleeping quarters, and there was a small training room that Junhong fortified. A shelf was behind the television, showing all the weapons carried by the group of men who now resided in the place; a rapier, a set of nunchaku, and a few axes and shurikens. Those belonged to three people: Kim Hongjoong, Choi Jongho, and Song Mingi. 

All of them were trained assassins, skilled in hand-to-hand combat both unarmed and armed. While Mirae and Yunho were no longer part of the group, the remaining members were turned into personal guards of the Kang crime family and underwent several experiments to turn them into super soldiers. All of them were impervious to pain and were a lot more agile in their movements. 

It was those experiments that triggered the mutant gene in each of them, their own mutant abilities manifesting around the same time. Hongjoong possessed superhuman speed and could be as fast as the speed of light that also enabled him to heal if wounded. Seonghwa was a telekinetic, whose powers also made itself known if his eyes and fingertips glowed green. Mingi, like Chanyeol, was also a pyrokinetic, but unlike Chanyeol, could only manipulate flames that already exist. 

Wooyoung on the other hand, possessed the ability to turn into a shadow being. His shadow form allowed him to be intangible, as well as give him superhuman strength and a healing factor. But along with his shadow form, Wooyoung developed a kind of extrasensory perception, where he could see past and future events from a person or an object, or even a name. 

Jongho had the painful ability to manipulate his bone structure, and his arms and legs would produce a sharp spike that could pierce anything. 

They immediately noticed that a few other weapons were shelved, as they were likely in the labs or in the training room; a set of sai, katanas, a bow and a quiver full of arrows, and the harpoon gun. Everyone was indeed present. 

“Hello?” Hyuk called out as they closed the door behind them. 

“We’re here!” Chanyeol called out as well. 

“Yunho? San?” Mirae spoke, looking around the empty living room. 

Suddenly materializing in front of them was Ino. “Good! You’re all here! The rest of them are in the training rooms, but can you wait a little bit? There’s something I’m finishing and I hope the three of you can test it out for me,” He said. 

Jang Ino was a prime example of a true omega-level mutant, with abilities so powerful he was almost like a god. Ino had the gift of manipulating matter, inter-dimensional teleportation, telekinesis, telepathy, duplication with sentient clones, intangibility, precognition as well as the ability to see everything as it happened. Ino’s abilities manifested much later than the rest of them despite not being much older than Chanyeol, Hyuk, and Mirae, and thus had more difficulty trying to control each of his abilities. 

“Really? What is it?” Mirae asked as Chanyeol put down his backpack while she put down her staff. 

Ino looked excited. “Another training room, or…?” 

“Another Danger Room,” Hyuk nodded. “Can it not turn into a vortex manipulator again?” 

“I can’t promise that, but it’s as safe as ever, right? Just like old times,” Ino was beaming. “Ah, well, you might as well see it for yourself. I’ll call the rest of them,” and he disappeared. 

“Are we supposed to wait for them here?” Chanyeol glanced at them, and they shrugged. 

A commotion erupted from the door that was Junhong’s lab, making them turn around. “For a telekinetic, you could’ve aimed better! You could’ve killed me!” Hongjoong appeared, shooting Seonghwa a look. 

“You sped away in time! You knew it wasn’t going to reach you anyway!” Seonghwa argued back. 

“Well I wasn’t able to, not when Mingi keeps playing with that lighter of his! It’s like having to pass by a dragon each time I’m next to him.” 

“So your situation is actually my fault, is that what you’re saying?” Mingi spoke, looking at them incredulously. “I was practicing my pyrokinesis the way Chanyeol hyung showed me, right, San?”

“Stop including me!” said the male who had a visible white streak in his hair similar to Mirae’s. 

“This was a department store-bought shirt and Jongho just had to ruin it!” Wooyoung shrieked, pointing to the tears in his sleeve. 

“Welcome to my world, Wooyoung! Live with it!” Jongho shot back.

“At least I don’t have spikes coming out of my sleeves and pants!”

Chanyeol and Mirae exchanged looks. Hyuk stifled a laugh. “Kind of reminds you how much we bickered back then, huh? I bet those guys would’ve loved to see a repeat of this,” He chuckled. 

“Nothing seems to have changed after all,” Mirae laughed, their reactions making the group stop in their tracks. “We just had dinner,” She explained. “I see training’s been going well?” 

“Not so much when the rest of them bicker more than San and I do,” out of the group came Yunho, who immediately swept her up in a hug then exchanged high fives with Hyuk and Chanyeol as he pulled away. 

The taller form of Junhong appeared from the crowd as well, with scorch marks on his lab coat and a hole in his clipboard. Ino had materialized again as well. “So, the Danger Room, Junhong?” Hyuk asked. 

“Yes, yes, the Danger Room,” Junhong led them to the pair of doors on the other side of the space. He pushed the button, the doors opening up to reveal a dark room covered in what looked like steel tiles. There was a panel of buttons near the doors from the inside and on one side of the room, was a booth. “Ta-da!” He announced, looking over at the three of them, while the rest looked amazed. 

“A little shift in elements here and there, I was able to expand this entire space of ours, make it a little more familiar, don’t you think?” Ino smiled. 

Mirae approached the panel of buttons near the side. “Ice fortress, dystopia, post-apocalypse, zombie invasion, alien invasion, gladiator arena,” She read out. Mirae turned to the next set of buttons and looked over at Junhong. “Why is my name at the top of this panel? Am I a level of difficulty?” She asked, looking puzzled. 

“The highest,” Ino spoke. “But that level’s reserved for the three of you, not that these guys can’t do it, but the three of you are more experienced.” 

“San and Yunho are just as experienced, if you ask me,” Mirae pointed out with a shrug, choosing not to argue any more. 

“Yes, but they’ve never been through the same missions as you and Chanyeol did back at the Center, remember?” Ino reminded her. “The creatures at the museum, the goblin warriors at the train station, and their throne room, and the jewelry store at night?” 

“I remember the jewelry store one,” Hyuk said, glancing at her. “We were coming from dinner when the store exploded. It was the time I found out Mirae was a mutant.” 

Mirae smiled at her friend’s recollection. “Yeah, you came from that singing competition too.” 

Chanyeol grinned. “The train station, I remember that well. Everyone hated us when they saw what was happening in broad daylight. Junmyeon got hot coffee thrown at him...” He looked down the more he remembered. 

Ino noticed Wooyoung squinting at him, the rest of them looking fascinated by their brief trip down memory lane. “Well, I thought I’d show the rest of them how the three of you would do things in these simulations. Hyuk, I know you joined us late at the time, but you still know a thing or two on how to handle non-human entities, right?” He said. 

“Oh yeah, I was with you all at the Esteholm,” Hyuk smiled. Sensing everyone else’s confused expressions, he chuckled. “It’s a hidden marketplace for non-humans, goblins, witches, warlocks, ogres…” 

“You mean those things were actually here all this time?! On this planet?!” Mingi gaped at him and they nodded. 

“Okay, okay, we’ll have a lot of time to talk about that later, but let’s have the three of you take this new Danger Room for a test run?” Ino suggested. “The rest of you follow Junhong into the booth, we’ll all watch from there.” 

“What are we taking on?” Mirae asked. 

Hyuk approached the panels. “What about…” He stopped when he read the mode at the bottom. “Evil villain mansion? What kind of mode is that?” He laughed. 

Chanyeol and Mirae laughed as well. Mirae glanced at the booth, giving a thumbs up to Yunho and San, who looked excited as did the rest of them. “It’s exactly what it is. The mansion of the bad guy,” Junhong said from the booth. 

“Alright then, put up the difficulty rate to my name, I guess,” Mirae said. 

“That’s what I had in mind. Initializing evil villain mansion, Lee Mirae difficulty,” Junhong announced. 

Hyuk backed away, until he was back to back with Chanyeol and Mirae. They heard tiles shifting and a swirling of colors all around them, bringing in a strong gust of wind. Mirae took out her staff from her jacket pocket and extended it. After a few moments, the swirling was disappearing, and they found themselves in what was the ballroom of a large, abandoned house that had some bits of modern technology on the locks of the doors and the windows. 

“Okay, so this is the evil villain mansion,” Chanyeol mumbled as they took in their surroundings. “Where’s the evil villain, then?” 

Mirae took a step forward, seeing two metal circles near the large fireplace. There was a seven-pointed star engraved on one circle, a hexagon that had the shape of a keyhole in the middle engraved on the other. The circles began to turn, until it slowly went up to reveal coffin-shaped tubes. 

“This is oddly specific,” She muttered. 

Hyuk and Chanyeol stared at the tubes as well. The closer they looked, they saw bodies, blackened and as if they had been mummified. “This is very specific,” Chanyeol nodded, feeling a chill down his spine as they approached the tubes. 

Back at the booth, the rest of them stared at what was happening. “Can they see us?” Jongho asked curiously. 

“I don’t think they can, can they?” Hongjoong glanced at Junhong, who was looking at the panels of controls. “But the surroundings look so real.” 

“I know I should be used to this, but this is something I’ve never seen before…” San was staring at the tubes that were opening up in front of the three. 

“Me neither, and I thought I’ve seen everything,” Yunho nodded. 

From the side of the room, Wooyoung could suddenly see flashes of scenes in his head. He looked back at what was happening, seeing Hyuk, Mirae, and Chanyeol nearly destroy the surroundings they were in as humanoid demons with large talons began to attack them. The flashes kept coming. He could see people he hadn’t seen before having been inside the very booth they were in. Yet, Wooyoung wasn’t sure if this had already happened or it was about to happen. He stayed watching the simulation that Mirae, Hyuk, and Chanyeol were in. 

~ 

“Kind of familiar, isn’t it? The train station,” Mirae’s eyes and fingertips were glowing as she sent shockwaves towards the two demons, but to no avail. Instead, the demons clapped their hands, sending similar shockwaves towards her. “They’re parrots.” 

“What do you mean parrots?” Chanyeol had transformed into his fire form, dodging the attacks that were coming towards him. 

“They’re copying everything we do,” Mirae spun her staff a few times before hitting the demon, only to be sent back by the other, who had turned into a fiery figure as well. 

“Can they copy this?” Hyuk waved his hand, sending the two demons in mid-air. His eyes widened when the figure also raised their claws at him, lifting him up and off the floor. “This is impossible-” He crashed into the wall, moving away when some of the decor fell down. 

“Looks like Junhong had his work cut out for him,” Chanyeol tried to burn down the doors of the room until the surroundings changed into what looked like a massive dock full of zeppelins and tables full of volatile chemicals in test tubes and beakers. “Yeah, now I can see why Mirae turned into a level of difficulty.” 

“Let’s try not to touch anything, or interact with anything on those tables,” Mirae looked around on alert. 

They heard a blast from all the way on the other side of the room. “Looks like they found us,” Hyuk said, trying to move the zeppelins as carefully as possible towards the source of the blasts. 

“Those might explode if you let them get blasted,” Chanyeol called out at the telekinetic. 

“Would you rather we get out of here with those? We don’t even know what to use these for” Hyuk pointed out, still trying to move the airships as the blasts grew louder, the impact exploding the tables closest to it. “At least they get blasted and we don’t-” 

Boom. 

There was a blast on their side of the dock, sending the three of them to the floor, as bits of shrapnel and the chemicals on the tables exploded. A large cloud of smoke enveloped them, soon revealing that they were no longer at the dock. They were back in the Danger Room, or at least what was left of the Danger Room.

Mirae opened her eyes, feeling considerably beaten as she looked around, surprised at what she was seeing. Her clothes were scorched, her staff was gone, and from the gust of wind that hit her, she realized what happened. 

The safehouse seemed to have exploded. 

Mirae looked around for a sign of Chanyeol and Hyuk. Was she still in the simulation? “Mirae! Mirae! Mirae! Are you alright?” She turned around, seeing Junhong, Yunho, and Hongjoong run up to her. “The machines overloaded when I was about to take you three out of there,” The tech guy explained. 

She nodded, a feeling of dread suddenly overcoming her as she looked around the area. “Chanyeol? Hyuk?” She called out, kicking away a few bits and pieces of the rubble that surrounded them. “Chanyeol-” She stopped, feeling her heart sink. 

Chanyeol was lying on the floor, a puddle of blood near his head, and bits of shrapnel having hit his sides. Mirae looked around for a sign of the telekinetic, only to realize that he was also lying on the floor, eyes glazed over. A piece of shrapnel hit his head.

“Chanyeol, Hyuk,” Mirae bent down, moving the rubble away from her best friends. She refused to believe it, refused to think that what happened really happened. “Chanyeol, Hyuk,” She took one of the sharp rocks and cut open her wrist, pouring some of the blood into where Chanyeol was hit. “Come on, both of you, this isn’t funny,” She saw that they weren’t moving while her wrist had already healed. 

Junhong bent down to check Hyuk’s pulse, only for his expression to fall when he realized there was none. “Mirae,” He tried to say. 

“No, I know what you’re going to say, and I don’t believe you,” Mirae shook her head profusely, crawling up to Hyuk. Tears were already falling from her eyes as the reality was hitting her bit by bit. “No, no, this can’t happen, not here, not now, no,” She patted his face, but no response. “No, Hyuk, no, don’t, please-” A sob escaped her as she held his body. “Hyuk, no, no, no, no, no,” She sobbed, reaching out to hold Chanyeol’s hand that was going cold. “No, please no, Chanyeol, Hyuk, you two can stop it now, please…” 

“Mirae,” Junhong said again. 

Hongjoong and Yunho exchanged looks, hearing the rest of their colleagues including San appear, all of them had traces of the smoke from the explosion on them. 

“No!” Mirae shook her head again, until she broke down. They were gone. Her best friends. Gone.

[chaerrie-on-top]

He Compliments Your Insecurity (7/7)

he (unknowingly or not) compliments your insecurity/insecurities 

JUNGKOOK:

insecurity: your adventurous personality.

being the youngest, jungkook often held the traits of seeking a thrill. he was often up to no good with another member in the group, whether it be taehyung or even hoseok, but when he met you everything seemed to change. you had often been told off by friends and family for being too curious or for exploring too much. you were called nosy or mocked for seeking too much excitement. daredevil had started to become a bad connotation to you. meeting jungkook reignited the burning fire inside you, and your fun side came back in no time. the two of you would often roam the streets of korea, or other countries you all would visit. these moments you shared with jungkook were often some of your favorites, and looking back on the good times made you thankful for meeting a person who knew how to bring out your fun, youthful side.

TAEHYUNG:

your love of arts.

for as long as you could remember you always loved art. whether it be music, drawing, writing, painting; anything. you adored it. being able to express yourself through your own creations amazed and intrigued you. but the people around you thought otherwise. through your teenage years, while you were growing up and expected to go to college, get a job, and eventually have a family one day, high expectations were set on you. your parents wanted you to pursue in a more 'realistic' career, for example a doctor or lawyer. they often looked down on your dream of attending art school and pursuing a career in your field, and this made you doubtful of your passions. until you met taehyung. taehyung was an artistic person himself, so he understood how you felt and knew how to support you regardless. he'd always encourage you to create artwork, and he'd be the first to support whatever you did. he might have known it, but his endless support was what kept you going, despite the contrasting views others had of your dreams.

JIMIN:

your shyness.

growing up you only had a small group of close friends, and you were never really one to socialize much. while everyone else stayed out partying, you'd prefer to stay in and read or hangout with a very close friend or two. your parents constantly nagged you for this trait, and you were often pressured into uncomfortable situations of meeting others, that resulted in low self esteem and anxiety. you knew your family only wanted what was best for you, but socializing was hard for you and a skill you lacked. you grew up hating yourself for this, and wishing to just be like everyone else. once you met jimin, who could be a bit shy himself, he taught you to be able to open up to other people, by thrusting the fame and the rest of the members into your life. meeting all of them allowed you to learn to maintain and make new friendships, yet still know your limits and be able to appreciate how you are. jimin made it known to you that being shy is perfectly okay, as long as you're happy and in some kind of healthy relationship with others.

NAMJOON:

your body.

like most girls, you often stressed over the smallest things; weight, legs, butt, arms, stomach. it seemed like their was a new insecurity of yours every day of the week, and you often found yourself staring into the mirror, criticizing any body part you could possibly think of to judge. namjoon could tell you struggled with self esteem, even if you weren't vocal about it. he'd secretly watch the way you looked into the mirror, eyes trained on a certain area, or the way you'd seem to overwork yourself in diets or exercise. he hated how low you thought of yourself and how negatively you tended to treat his body. namjoon fully understood what it was like to not love yourself, but he wasn't always sure how to approach your insecurities. eventually, he couldn't bear seeing you this way anymore and made it his duty to take better care of you. while you got ready for the day he'd complement you, if pictures paparazzis released of you he'd comment on how cute you looked going on about your day. literally any situation gave namjoon an excuse to slip in a comment or two.

"your thighs look really good in those jeans," he'd kiss your cheek, fingers looping in the belt loops of your favorite pair of jeans.

"your arms look amazing. you've been lifting weights, haven't you?"

namjoon's eyes would squint shut pulling your smaller body close to him as he hugged you, hands running over your belly. "your stomach is so cute. how are you so perfect?"

HOSEOK:

your energy.

all throughout your school career you were constantly labeled as 'class crown' or 'the loud friend'. at first, the labels made you feel almost unique and maybe even appreciated, until people began making them out to be a bad thing. you were a naturally bubbly and energetic people, the mood maker, and you found enjoyment in brightening people's lives. why did people think it was bad for you to be happy? why did others bring you down for bringing others up? none of this mattered to hoseok, though. heck, he was an energetic, loud person himself, so he found himself falling for your similar personality. being able to make other people smile with you was one of his favorite moments the two of you shared, and it only made him love and appreciate you more. hoseok had nicknamed the two of you the 'mood maker couple' and the name had stuck so that even the other boys called you both this. being constantly taught it's okay to have a dynamic personality by hoseok and the rest of the members really helped you to get over your insecurity and made you confident.

and in the end, it even strengthened your bond.

YOONGI:

your hair.

yoongi wasn't exactly the best with making compliments, so usually he stuck with complimenting the simple things about you. of course you know how he is and that he truly means it whenever he compliments you, so you don't get caught up in his compliments being meager. but the one thing he compliments the most is your hair. most days your hair is rebellious, and doesn't fall the way you want it to, or maybe will only cooperate in a certain style or two. either way, yoongi always thinks it looks effortlessly amazing, and he always catches himself playing with it. whether he's twirling random pieces around his fingers, attempting to braid parts of it, or just combing it through his fingers, he loves the way it looks and feels.

"ignore my hair," you'd say upon seeing him during breakfast. it hadn't cooperated that morning, and you had ultimately decided to just throw it up into a ponytail.

"it's cute," yoongi would fondly smiling, reaching a hand up and running his fingers along your hanging hair. "you know i love when your hair is up..."

SEOKJIN:

your smile.

you didn't really like the way your face looked when you smiled; on other people their smile looked just fine, but you always thought it made you look weird. your eyes would squint in the most unattractive way, your teeth would look bigger, maybe it drew more attention to your nose. whatever the reason was, you hated your smile. but seokjin loved it, causing the thought of seeing it becoming one of his motives when cracking jokes or trying to make you laugh. he loved the way your eyes shimmered and squinted in pure joy, or the way your perfect teeth would be on full display. he thought your smile was gorgeous, and a day never passed where he didn't make this known.

[merakisnotavailable]

DELPHINIUM

-By Raechel Hurtis 

(Written by Shivangi Singh)

Curtains flew as the warm sunlight and a cool gust of morning breeze came flooding in through the windows and swept across the classroom, it gave Rangana a pleasant brake from the loud hustle and bustle of the school that seems to get ten times louder and chaotic on the mornings when they have exams lying ahead of them, it had turned into a little morning ritual for her to walk into the class every morning making an ardent effort to spot and claim the desk as close to the windows as possible and sit in silence and peace. This was her safe place where she did not have to listen to anybody. She could sit in her own little shell and have long conversations with herself, she did have a lot of thinking to do considering the fact that she had to decide what she was going to do with her life -profession wise, in about four months before the board exams got over and she'd have to pick! 

She had had this conversation with her parents over and over again over the span of the  past few weeks each time ending up more confused than she was to begin with. Rangana was a perfectionist who feared walking the wrong path in life, she was calm, analytical and scored decent grades which left her with a pool of reasonable choices to make for a major in college and the fact that she was a budding artist with a talent in sculpture, the already large pool became uncomfortably packed with choices for her.

Rangana dealt with the shackles of inner conflict constricting her heart as she felt torn between her will and what was more of a practical career choice for her in her families' opinion. The stress for making the right choice combined with the pressure to do well in the finals eating up at her; Snapping her right off of the fated train of thought that every Indian high schooler gets on and off all the time is a girl who has very easily made it to the list of Rangana's closest and most irreplaceable friends, Ella. 

Ella is a person who comes off as someone cold, quiet, composed and almost tired when you look at her from afar but as you get to know her you gradually realize that she is actually very sympathetic and compassionate, she's sincere in her every word, she is mature for her age and there's a good reason why, she is a year older than Rangana which means she used to be a year ahead of her but she was still in school because she flunked eleventh standard. 

Ella was a phenomenal painter, she was gifted at acrylic painting, however, she was unfortunately not so gifted when it came to academics, and her having to repeat a class pushed her parents to snatch away the art supplies from her hands only for them to be replaced by books and pens. This was the right thing to do in the opinion of her elders but it was a devastating change for Ella who couldn't seem to focus on or memorize anything no matter what she did. She had every tell tale sign of a learning disorder but her parents decided to turn a blind eye to it rather than taking her for therapy, they instead took away the one thing she felt she was good at, she is a strong girl though, despite of all of her problems, she never fails to smile or crack jokes and lighten up the mood during classes and most importantly, she gives amazing advice.

The hint of a smile ghosted Rangana's lips as she thought back to the day she first saw Ella, and how they were as different from each other back then as they are today, it was the first day of school as an eleventh grader for Rangana and she along with all the rest of the students was filled with the "new year new class motivation", she was intently listening to the teachers coming into the class one after another only to talk about the same thing, how "they were not kids anymore" and how "they will need to focus on studies now if they want to become anything in the future", Rangana turned in her seat in order to stretch her back only to be met with a very tired looking Ella who seemed to be getting bored out of her wits as if she would roll her eyes at whatever the teacher was saying at any moment now. 

That was it! Rangana turned back and thought to herself how she would never get along with someone like that, little did she know they'd become the best of friends and end up sitting together for three and a half semesters straight. Despite of being each other's polar opposites; the girls bonded over the love that they shared for art, the desperation to be understood  and the longing for the right to make their own choices in life without having to fear the sight of the disappointed faces of their families. 

It's the thing with most of the aspiring Indian artists and the undying duality that they are constantly pressurized to put up with because they fear the loss of the creative aspect of their life if they fail to do a good job at the "practical things" that drives most of them to quit it altogether. While pressurizing them to have a backup plan in case if they fail, have we ever thought that it might not be healthy to presume the probability of their success based on their interests alone?

The likeliness of a student pursuing a career in engineering or medical based courses to excel is probably the same as that of a student studying a creative discipline. 

And as far as our female protagonists are concerned, they will carry on with their journeys on the more "practical" career paths for college feeling like outsiders in their disciplines but their talent will seem to catch up to them wherever they go no matter how fast they run, they will keep being misfits until they decide to either shut their inner calling off completely or embrace it, and after all the ups and downs they will find the place where they truly belong. 

Every aspiring youth in India is comparable to a WILD FLOWER; that gets trampled on and crushed, nobody waters it and no one seems to take care of it but it still blooms every single year without fail.

DELPHINIUM; a flower that symbolizes Strong Attachment.

Here it is!! My first short story! It gives me immense pleasure to be sharing this with all my readers, A big shoutout to my girl Raechel for helping me get started!

Please make sure to leave your suggestions and encouragement in the form of a comment, Share this post with your friends and family if you found it useful, hit follow and feel free to leave a prompt for my next short story!!

Check out my blog;

https://merakisnotavailable.blogspot.com/?m=1