#they’re not real??????? they’re totally fictitious??????

[inkykeiji]

genuine ask— is ur bf bothered by ur writing? or does he know abt it? my bf doesn’t like when i write and it’s a little :/ ,, which is why i ask!!

not at all!!! he’s not bothered by it in the slightest. he does know about it and actually checks my blog regularly just to see what i’m up to! a decent chunk of my smut is inspired by our sex life anyway, but irregardless of the piece, this isn’t an issue with him. personally, i think anyone who feels any sort of jealousy etc over you writing about an actual drawing, like a series of lines on a page that don’t exist in real life, is extremely insecure and needs to do some soul searching, but that’s just my opinion!!

my boyfriend doesn’t feel threatened by these men because they aren’t real. my boyfriend understands that this is simply a creative outlet (in addition to a whole bunch of other things for me!) and that what i write doesn’t always/necessarily translate to what i want (i love the absolute fuck out of dabi but he would be a horrible, horrible romantic partner).

[harrison-abbott]

I binge watched the first few series of Mad Men a long while back, about ten years ago. As I’m sure lots of people did/do.

It always baffled me why Don Draper had all the ladies in the show. Because he never really says anything, or does anything. He’s also a total bastard. He is such an insensitive, nasty man.

In fact, all of the characters in the show are mean bastards. It’s the same with the shows Succession, and The Last of Us. Is that why we watch such shows? I’m not saying that I’m against any of these shows: I just wonder why in fiction that we tend to follow these cruel characters?

Don Draper could be compared to Tony Soprano in many ways. If you agree? Because Tony is also a horrible man. But we keep watching him anyway. And he also gets all the girls.

But perhaps we must also remember that both of these characters are fictitious. They’re not real. So maybe it was the writers who made them up, who were flirting with these ideas of dark, immoral men being these magnetic people. When these things don’t really happen in real life – and so that’s what stories are for. Something like that?

[biglisbonnews]

How the Enchanting, Elusive Pink Fairy Armadillo Became One Scientist's Obsession In the arid desert of Argentina’s Mendoza Province, Mariella Superina waits patiently for a fantastic creature to emerge from its lair beneath the sands. Her quarry, the pink fairy armadillo (Chlamyphorus truncatus), looks like it could have scurried straight out of the illuminated pages of a medieval bestiary. The animal's shell, paws, and tail are a vibrant bubblegum pink that contrasts with its silky, milk-white fur and black eyes. About the size of a hamster—a mere six inches from head to tail and weighing just a quarter of a pound—it's the smallest of all armadillo species. It’s found only in Argentina, in a broad swathe of sunbaked scrubland that stretches from the foothills of the Andes to the coastal province of Buenos Aires. And that is about all we know of these wondrous animals. “They are a total enigma… We don’t even know if they are common or rare,” says Superina. In fact, some people doubt whether they’re even real. “The first question that hits on Google is, ‘Do pink fairy armadillos exist?’” says evolutionary biologist Simon Watts, author of We Can’t All Be Pandas (Ugly Animal Preservation Society). “‘Pink fairy armadillo’ does frankly sound fictitious.” Watts, whose podcasts and tv shows champion the less charismatic members of the animal world, doesn’t count the pink fairy armadillo as one of his unsung uglies—between its cotton candy colors and curious name, he says, “people tend to be fascinated when they hear of them.” Instant fascination was certainly Superina’s reaction the first time she saw one of the tiny mammals. “I was speechless,” she says. “At that moment I knew I wanted to learn everything I could about it. It became an obsession.” Originally from Switzerland, Superina began studying armadillos in western Argentina 25 years ago. Today, she leads an international team that monitors global populations of anteaters, sloths, and armadillos but, thanks to her pink fairy armadillo obsession, she has also become the leading expert on the diminutive and enigmatic animal. She even hosted a live pink fairy armadillo—which turned out to be a real diva—in her living room in the name of science. Studying the animal in its natural habitat, however, has eluded her—and everyone else. For centuries the armadillo has evaded the most determined scientists; even Charles Darwin failed to collect a specimen during his visit to Argentina. The pink fairy remains as mysterious as its name suggests because of its subterranean lifestyle, the result of adaptation to a changing environment millions of years ago. That’s when global climate patterns shifted, transforming the Andean foothills from grasslands into semi-arid deserts. As its habitat became less hospitable, the pink fairy’s ancestor retreated from the surface, evolving into a burrowing, or fossorial, animal. “Burrowing habits tend to appear when habitats become open, going from tree cover to grasslands or deserts, or when they get really hot,” said the University of Oregon’s Samantha Hopkins, who studies small mammal evolution, in an email. Underground, in the absence of predators, most of the pink fairy’s shell softened, losing its defensive function. It serves instead as an air conditioning system: In hot weather, the armadillo flushes its shell with blood, radiating heat and cooling down its core body temperature. Using its brawny foreclaws, the armadillo burrows through the sandy soil hunting for worms and insects. As it digs, it uses its armored butt plate to compact the loose soil in its wake, shoring up tunnels to prevent collapses. The elusive armadillo does appear above ground, when excessive rainfall—unusual in this desert region—floods its burrows. But the sight of a pink fairy is so rare that, “Octogenarians who have lived all of their lives in these rural areas (may have) seen this animal only once or twice,” says Guillermo Ferraris, a provincial ranger who works primarily in wildfire management. “But they never forget it.” When the pink fairy armadillo does leave its subterranean sanctuary, it encounters a bewildering and perilous world. Towns and vineyards are gradually replacing what was once vast scrubland. Herds of feral goats overgraze vegetation and compact the soil under their hoofs, hindering the armadillo's ability to dig its burrows. Oil fields and asphalt roads busy with trucks and cars bisect the desert landscape, isolating armadillos from one another. Out of their element, pink fairy armadillos are highly vulnerable to speeding cars and predators, including dogs and cats. Sometimes, however, Superina gets a call: A live armadillo has turned up. She rushes to the scene to collect data vital to understanding the species. “It's always a magical experience to see a pink fairy armadillo in the flesh, up close, but I put my awe to one side because we have to work fast to avoid causing any unnecessary stress, so we can immediately release the animal,” she says. On one occasion several years ago, however, she did take one of the rescued animals home. The provincial department of natural resources had requested her help: The idea was that, by studying the basic needs of an animal under her care, Superina could improve the chances of successfully rehabilitating injured armadillos, so they could be released back into the wild. Despite being obsessed with the armadillo, it was not an easy sell for Superina. “At first, I refused because these animals are very sensitive and usually die within a few days,” she says. “But then I realized that, for their conservation, we need to understand if it's possible to keep them alive in captivity.” Even now, as she recalls the event, she stresses that it’s not only illegal but also unethical to keep the animals as pets. Undertaking her role as armadillo caregiver required a special permit—and some serious home renovation. Ferraris, Superina’s partner, built a huge, sand-filled terrarium for the armadillo in their living room, creating natural hiding places and setting up infrared cameras to record its behavior. “It was quite an experience,” says Superina, laughing. “Our lives revolved around this pink fairy armadillo. We couldn’t go anywhere because we had to be in the house every night to care for it, and study its behavior.” “The armadillo would scurry around making this eerie, high-pitched scream.” The unusual houseguest was rather demanding. Superina brought it a variety of insects and worms, but the pink fairy turned up its pale nose at everything offered. Undeterred, the scientist tried one idea after the next. Finally, 36 meticulously-prepared recipes later, the armadillo tucked into a meal that apparently satisfied its gourmet tastes: a premium brand of cat food mixed with finely mashed banana, and sprinkled liberally with insectivore pellets. The finicky fairy would leave its burrow to eat the food at exactly 9 p.m. each night. “If only the slightest thing was moved in the terrarium, the armadillo would start scurrying around making this eerie, high-pitched scream until everything was put back exactly in the same place,” says Superina. Her fussy subject, alas, lived only eight months, but the experiment provided valuable information about how to care for injured individuals during rehabilitation. Learning about the animal in the wild, however, remains difficult. The pink fairy is particularly problematic because standard field observation techniques are of limited use. Radio transmitters used for tracking mammals, for example, are usually attached by placing collars around the neck; the armadillo’s body shape makes this nearly impossible. So Superina decided to use special glue to fasten a tiny radio transmitter to the pink fairy armadillo’s armored rear. When a farmer found one of the animals out and about, “We went and attached a transmitter and released it back into the desert,” Superina says. “And off it went, looking like a little bumper car with the antennae trailing behind.” The next morning they found the tracks in the sand and began following the signal to look for the animal—only to discover that the transmitter had fallen off while it was digging itself back underground. She’s now exploring other options to track the armadillos, including one that relies on an animal that is usually more foe than friend to the pink fairy: the dog. Superina is working with an organization that has successfully trained scent detection dogs in Africa to track down another secretive, armored insectivore: the pangolin. Superina hopes that a dog could be trained to locate pink fairy armadillos so researchers can fit them with improved radio transmitters. For Superina, the search for the pink fairy has taken on an added sense of urgency. So little is known about the species that scientists can’t say whether it’s endangered—or how climate change is affecting it. “We just don't know how these animals are going to cope,” Superina says. For now, she waits, with a tiny transmitter at the ready, for the next appearance of her obsession. Tracking the animal underground will be a scientific milestone, but, perhaps more importantly, says Superina, it will be “a small step to better understanding this species, its needs, and what it needs from us for its conservation.” https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/pink-fairy-armadillo

[seoenthusiast]

Safe High-quality Leads With Our Digital Marketing Solution

As with any premier service, there is a fee to improve from the standard model to the complete suite and thus, many enterprises in... Lead magnets are useful resources that you present to your audience at no digital marketing strategy cost. Well, they’re not utterly free – they require your prospects to offer you their e-mail address in trade. But that’s a small value for them to pay for your wonderful insights.

With digital marketing, you attain folks excited about your small business. You can particularly goal shoppers with interest in your organization, providers, or merchandise. Perhaps the more pertinent query here is, “Can you afford not to?

The method folks shop is altering because of the interventions of digital technologies and social media. Consumer determination making has turn into more advanced as consumers are confronted with new digital media corresponding to social mentions and comparison sites. When folks think about on-line strategies, many often imagine that creating a website is enough, however that is now not the case.

You need to be ready to interact with customers across any channel and in real time and keep up with them if they go from channel to channel. For example, the same product may be offered throughout totally different industries or verticals, and every account could have different stakeholders who often have interaction on a quantity of channels. The quantity of coordination needed what is a digital marketing strategy among strains of companies is excessive. Digital marketing is about having a digital dialog along with your customers. You want to make the best impression possible so that they may keep talking to you. Content can be utilized across channels, but your whole content material should have a constant voice and message.

He has also had a keen interest in the behind the scenes occupations of writing and directing. At college level he was awarded Best Script two years operating as well as Most Versatile Actor and total Drama Honours. The psychology behind performance and the way that applies both to stage and interpersonal interaction is focus for Andrew and shaped key elements of his research. Mastering visible storytelling is all about delivering effective digital marketing strategies communication to your viewers and shaping the narrative of your model, here’s the means to do it proper. You could have problem measuring the effectiveness of your marketing messages. Our companies are built to assist each other, and work in path of attaining a standard aim for your business.

You must formulate all kinds of questions that enable you to narrow your target audience down so far as attainable. You need to reach a point the place you'll be able to design fictitious personas that might type a part of your viewers. Give them names, locations and the rest that humanises them in your thoughts. When you consider a brand, you’re thinking of the outward look that the enterprise tasks to the general public. As a outcome, it's extremely essential that you just develop a model that represents your business precisely and is attractive and relatable to your viewers. Documenting this strategy, with a focus on processes and targets, will improve your results.

[imaginationfanstar]

Philip’s Juxtaposition

You know what’s ironic to me? Philip says that the Boiling Isles and the inhabitants of the Demon realm have “warped [Luz’s] sense of reality.” Ha! that couldn’t be any further from the truth.

Living in the demon realm and interacting with everyone on it has actually helped Luz embrace reality for what it is. For better or worse. She wanted to be a hero, well had to face all the dangers, sacrifices, and heartbreak that come with it. She wanted to learn magic, well that certainly wasn’t as easy as she thought it’d be.

Her magic along with everyone else’s doesn’t just come from thin air by chanting a spell or waving a wand around. In place of a magic bile sac she had to work extremely hard and practice patience to discover and learn how to use every one of her glyphs.

She wanted to make friends well she had to try and acknowledge the difference between an actual person and a fictional character along with the scenarios that come with them. In the second episode she whole heartedly embraced the trio of yes men who sang her praises as she embarked on a fake quest for a wizard, but her real friends aren’t like that. They’re weirdos just like her with real personalities, opinions, and interest. They themselves had their own problems and made their own mistakes. Sometimes Luz’s enthusiasm to follow a fictitious narrative put her friends in danger or hurt them in some way and she had to own up to that.

In the end what she told her mom is true. She’s learned so much from the Boiling Isles and it’s helped her grow into a strong, mature, and dependable young woman. In return she’s helped to improve the lives of everyone she meets.

Philip on the other hand is a different story. This man’s time in the Demon Realm has all but driven him to insane because he has chosen to relentlessly pursue a complete and total fantasy of his own. He has decided it’s his destiny to destroy all of witch kind, return home triumphant and to be appointed Witch Hunter General. In reality he’s wasted 400 years in a world he hates only to return to one he doesn’t recognize all while he himself is unrecognizable.

It’s like Luz said he’s barely human anymore. Philip has been alive a lot longer than he should be. To sustain himself he consumes palisiman souls which give him the ability to transform into a monstrous entity. Then proceeds to convince Hunter and many others that this is because he was cursed by “wild magic.”

He killed his brother because he literally couldn’t accept the fact that his brother had changed and come to embraced the Boiling Isles. Instead, he proceeds to create Grimwalkers. Clones of his deceased brother in the hope that he’ll mold them into what he believes to be the perfect witch hunter. Only to murder them over and over again. Never fully acknowledging his guilt or that he may derive some sick sort of pleasure from doing so. Instead calling it Justice for a repeated betrayal.

Dude doesn’t even go by his original name. He had to change it after he got run out of every town on the Boiling Isles. Most likely due to some crime or misdeed he committed. Then proceeds to force a connection with Luz by psychologically torturing her into addressing him by his given name.

Even Hollow Mind shows us just how warped his mind really is. There’s a grand looking hall of memories that hides and embellishes the reality. But hidden under the veil we see just how eerie and dilapidated his mind truly is. Even his inner self is a juxtaposition. A child playing pretend. Philip has not (read: will not) accept reality for what it is and disregards anyone who tells him different. I’m interested to see what consequences come of this debilitating mindset.

[koorminii]

HYUNEATER’S ARCHIVE!

a collection of all my fics and drabbles!

KEY:

❦ smut | ✿ fluff | ↯ angst | ✤ personal fav

disclaimer (!) none of this content is intended to promote unprotected sexual practices or the security of not getting pregnant/not contracting STD. please don’t take this as your comprehensive sex education. all facts and events are fictitious. the written scenes do not represent any real person nor do they plan to steal/falsify their identity. any coincidence with names and places is pure artistic creation by and for entertainment.

SERIES | OT8 FICS

COLLEGESLUTS.COM | ❦✿↯ | total wc: 17.1k

A crude name for an even cruder site, and the self-proclaimed bane of your existence. Made by thirsty sophomores when you were in freshman year, it’s something that’s stuck like glue in the minds of the student body. No one can resist a quick click, seeing your peers showing off their sexual fantasies for others to enjoy, posting their sexual escapades for others to see— except for you who’s hated the site since you first knew about it. Still, a year later, you’re vying for it to get shut down. Well they can’t have that, can they? They’re just gonna have to convince you the site isn’t all that bad.

WUS GOOD/CURIOUS | ❦✿ | 2.8k

It’s sloppy, messy as ever as spit slicks your chin and you huff into his mouth, stepping backwards and tripping over the edge of the couch. You hate fucking on leather but Chan loves it. His hand trails down past the hem of your skirt and along your bare skin, feather light touches that leave goosebumps in their wake and send a shiver up your spine.

driving with chan (drabble) | ❦ | 0.7k

GOLD RUSH | ❦✿↯ | 10.6k ✤

“I don’t like that anyone would die to feel your touch, everybody wants you, everybody wonders what it would be like to love you.” Or, a lot of people love chan but he only loves you. He just wishes you could see that.

— nothing yet!

— nothing yet!

RELAX WITH ME ❦✿ | 3.4k ✤

It’s your turn to make noises now, it seems, because Hyunjin drags a moan out of you so loud that you’re worried the neighbours have heard. Your cheeks are red for a whole new reason now, and the fact that Hyunjin is yanking at the collar of your dress doesn’t help. You let him, you don’t care, you want to give Hyunjin everything, anything.

TEAR YOU APART ❦ | 1.7k

Hyunjin is wild. Unpredictable in the way he can’t help himself when it comes to you. He can’t help how ragingly desperate he is for your touch, for your presence.

IDEA 686 | CSC installment | ❦↯ | 17k

There are three things you hate more than anything: 1. Your english Lit. professor, 2. Frat parties, and last but most definitely not least, 3. CollegeSluts.com and their founders. There are three things Hyunjin hates more than anything: 1. College, 2. Back alley blowjobs, and 3. The frustrating desire to fuck you silly.

INHALE, (EXHALE) ❦✿↯ | 8.6k

tired of hearing your whining day after day, early-morning Saturday chores become Jisung’s new norm. however, when reprieve comes in the form of one ridiculously lacy pair of panties and things get risqué, Jisung finds himself enjoying his chores more than ever, and when you find out what exactly he’s doing every Saturday morning do you accept it? or rather— what are you gonna do about it?

— nothing yet!

— nothing yet!

— nothing yet!

— est. 190722

[yaboylevi]

Shingeki no Kyojin's Ending Interview (May 2021)

Translation commissioned by @goldsword07​, DO NOT REPOST in full, always include credits and a link to this post if you use or share any parts of it.

Question: Congratulations on completing Shingeki no Kyojin’s serialization! How do you feel now that you have finished writing the final chapter?

Isayama: There’s still some work left to do when it comes to putting together the final manga volume*, so I don’t actually know how a “life without deadlines" feels like yet (laughs), but by publishing the final chapter, I feel like I can finally breathe again. However, there are still several things that need to be done.

(*Translator’s note: usually, putting together a volume includes: fixing drawing mistakes, sometimes even redrawing certain scenes if the author wasn’t satisfied with how they looked/their composition, fixing text (both wording or simply changing the Japanese characters used), drawing omake/extra pages, like the High School Caste fake previews, which usually take up 2 pages, and so on. So, of the 8 extra pages he mentions below, probably only 6 at max will be used to add new original story content.)

Q: What?! What else is there to be done?

Isayama: At first, the draft for the last page of the chapter was neatly divided into 5 panels, but I was feeling quite indecisive about it. At the time, that last page was a scene of 3 people running towards a tree on a hill. After having a meeting about that with Bakku-san and my other editors, I decided on a last-minute change, and I turned it into the one that is now published in Bessatsu Shonen Magazine. The limit for each printed chapter in Bessatsu Magazine was 51 pages, but since up to 8 extra pages can be added in manga volumes, I want to finish up everything that I couldn’t draw in the printed magazine and add it in the final manga volume.

Q: As for the serialization, which spanned 11 years and a half, have there been any changes about the way you think about mangas?

Isayama: Up until recently, I had drawn as if sexism wasn’t a thing, but when drawing the Marleyan military, which was comparatively more modern, if I had added, with no explanation whatsoever, female soldiers like I did for Paradis Island, it could’ve given the impression that Marley was quite a developed nation. It would’ve felt out of place. That’s why, as long as I was drawing a story set in an era of the past, I couldn’t draw female characters as part of the top brass of the military, because it would’ve meant acting as if there was no actual history of gender discrimination at the time.

It might be a story set in a fictitious world, but if you don’t connect it in some ways to the real world, it could end up becoming a story people cannot relate to.

Q: The unraveling of events that led to the final chapter has been quite shocking. Especially when it comes to Eren…

Isayama: I have been frenetically checking any and all reactions to that. There are as many honest opinions as there are people, and they’re all correct. With how I portrayed that part, it’s not so strange that it was interpreted as if Armin accepted the massacre. My portrayal was lacking. Armin didn’t approve of the despicable measures taken by Eren, but he ended up benefiting from the mass slaughter, regardless of his intentions. Armin, who couldn’t possibly understand Eren, faced their last farewell with a firm “Thank you for becoming a mass murderer for us”, essentially conveying how he himself was also an accomplice. He wanted to feel closer to Eren, even if just a little. I realized the final stage in particular had too difficult themes, and my portrayal was inadequate. I deeply regret that I wasn’t able to fully express them in the manga proper.

I’ve been drawing this manga for 11 years and a half, and when I completed the manuscript I truly believed that “everyone will be happy with this”. I was conceited. I apologize to those who have supported me until the end but have felt let down by the ending.

Q: During these 11 years and a half of serialization, have there been any memorable events?

Isayama: I’m happy that I could deepen the relationship with my assistants, as “manga friends”. When the serialization started, everyone was in their twenties, but now some of them are married and have even become parents, and we have become close family friends.

Q: Was the manga becoming an anime a memorable moment, too?

Isayama: The anime adaptation can certainly be considered another part of Shingeki no Kyojin. Lots of people got to know this story through watching the anime. Personally, it was refreshing for me too, as I could experience the story anew. In addition to that, the characters were taken out of my hands - in a good way - by the directors and voice actors, they began moving as independent “existences”. It was a first and interesting experience.

Q: Do you have a favorite scene?

Isayama: As far as drawings go, the scene I like the most is the one in chapter 104, “Victors”, when the Jaw Titan claws at the Attack Titan. Besides the fact that I feel like I can’t draw anything better than that, there also haven’t been that many action scenes with titans after chapter 104.

Q: Well then, what about your best chapter?

Isayama: One of them is chapter 71, “Bystander”. I feel like that chapter exceeded my abilities at the time. I like the way it doesn’t feel like “Shingeki no Kyojin”, as the spotlight was on the life of a single character who isn’t involved with the original story.

Q: Chapter 69, “Friends”, also depicts some characters’ personal life.

Isayama: I like that chapter, too! At the time of drawing its draft, I flattered myself with words such as “Uh? Aren’t I so mature?!”. Normally, I would draw the main story’s continuation, but in chapters 69 and 71’s case, it felt like I was drawing stories that were complete on their own.

Q: With the start of the Marley arc in chapter 91, “The other side of the ocean”, both titans and modern times’ weapons made an appearance in battle.

Isayama: That battle scene was the time I had the most fun while drawing mangas, I was in a state of total concentration and full energy.

Q: How has Shingeki no Kyojin been for you?

Isayama: It’s as if youth has come a bit late, a third of my life has been packed into this work. …Of course, there have been hard times, too, but it’s been a chapter of my life that normally you wouldn’t be able to experience and even now I struggle to think it was real. Although I’ve been spoiled by my readers, I had planned to draw all the while accepting even harsh opinions.

Q: Finally, a message to the readers, please!

Isayama: Through Shingeki no Kyojin, I could connect with an unfathomable number of people. I’ve been happy to share this time of my life with my readers, which is something that, if I had had a normal life, I would have never experienced.

Also, now that the serialization is over, I have been freed, so I want to stroll around a small city with a can of One Cup sake in one hand. That’s what I would call freedom.

[dragonageconfessions]

CONFESSION:

I noticed people a while back criticizing the writers for including a Dalish elf who said his people should forgive humans, saying it’s offensive. Honestly? I love that. Not because I necessarily agree with it, but because it’s different. We’ve seen city elves who believe the Dalish are enlightened and city elves who think they’re fictitious savages. We’ve heard mages say the Circle is evil and other mages living in the very same tower say they love it there and that it’s important. We’ve seen Andrastians who love the Chantry and Andrastians who hate it. Hell, there are entirely different sects of Andrastianism because people disagreed on what to believe. We’ve seen slaves who suffered and hate slavery and slaves who said they lived happy lives as slaves and want to go back. Mages who find blood magic evil and mages who view it as a tool. And that’s life! Life is different views, some of which you hear and think, “I’m sorry, WHAT?” and others you totally agree with.

The world is a big place filled with different types of people. I don’t want everyone in Thedas agreeing. Even the Dalish. (I’d actually love to see a Dalish who doesn’t believe in the gods and only goes along with tradition to fit in and avoid scorn; something I went through myself) So what other people think is offensive? I say keep it coming! I WANT to hear Thedosian views I’m offended by, because in reality, there are going to be people who believe controversial or downright awful things. We see so many reflections of real life issues in the series, so why not this one?

[dwtisgay]

be fucking fr anon, you may not believe they’re in love or something but saying they have zero chemistry is clearly that you’re blind

they are being fictitious, anyone can come in and say "dnf isnt real" because its easy to just dispel evidence you aren't aware of nor want to be aware of, plus it makes for easy and cheap laughs as you watch someone try to defend their point of view. hence why I decided to just place a mirror in front of their face on how THEY sound. I am sorry to say we have entered an era where DNF'rs aren't the actual "delusional" ones anymore, anyone trying to argue that...whatever the fuck dream and george are doing... is actually totally normal behavior, makes me want to stop whatever I am doing to examine THEIR mental state, because they either lack knowledge in which case sure, most people talk out of their ass, or there is something completely wrong with them if they think those actions are normal and our reactions are overblown I am willing to entertain that I could possibly be wrong in that Dream and George aren't dating or have plans to, but the blame falls on them now for having enough mental issues to act like that, and will dedicate a good portion of my time to try and figure out what leads a person to a path of that much mental damage, so I can categorize it and avoid it if I see it

[willwriteforhugs]

how stray kids asks you out <3

skz scenario - all members (individually) x reader

genre: fluff, dating au, angst if you close your left eye

word count: 1.6k (total)

warnings: some cursing, but nothing else :)

a/n: hello, lovelies!! this is my very first (posted) stray kids fic- i hope you all enjoy. it’s nothing major, but i really had fun writing it. if you’ve found me on the explore page, hello! i’m a hot mess. pls validate me by reading what i write.

just kidding.

maybe.

ANYWAYS- please keep in mind that this is written in a totally lighthearted way, and this is 100% fictitious. this is for entertainment purposes only. thank you for reading!

chan: 

he is actually so shy about it :’(

but he knows he’s gonna go through with it

cause that’s the kind of person he is

he just wants his emotions to be out in the open

whether the feeling is mutual or not

so he just improvises 

he approaches you with completely no context? like he just walks up and starts a convo but you can’t tell why

you think he’s just. being chan

but no

he’s pretty chill, actually

his face is so tho red but he doesn’t know that so don’t say anything

a few minutes in he kinda just snaps because he just couldn’t wait

“y/n-ah, do you wanna- i don’t know, get together sometime? are you free?”

this takes you off guard completely

he misunderstands your reaction *screams*

and he immediately regrets saying anything

but you scramble to reassure him 

when you say you’d like to get together, he loses all humility

becomes a total flirt

this flusters you but the two of you have such CHEMISTRY 

“so it’s a date?”

“it’s a date.”

minho:

is the type to completely deny his own feelings until the very last minute

plus, tbh

he probably thinks you hate him

so he has a hard time convincing himself to finally ask you out

but when he does...

he just bites the bullet (lmao pray for him)

walks RIGHT THE FUCK UP TO YOU

“y/n.”

when you respond he just kinda:

“will you go out with me?”

you also probably thinks he hates you too (go communication!!)

so you’re just like *surprised pikachu face*

but he just stands there and waits for your response

he’s sweating on the DL

but you kinda just go with it and say yes

he’s hella surprised but doesn’t wanna show his excitement

so he just smirks and is like

“okay. what would you like to do, and when?”

(just because he’s a cocky lil shit doesn’t mean he’s not a gentleman)

but he’s also secretly planning the whole first date in his head

will i hold y/n’s hand? what will they wanna do? should i-

- minho’s brain

(aw)

changbin:

is on the bolder side

(be careful with this one)

(he’s feisty)

he probably let his feelings fester for a long time

so this is overdue

but he spends the whole day shamelessly flirting with you

he finally just asks if you want to grab some food

you don’t even really realize it’s a date until he insists on paying for everything

this makes you all clumsy and embarrassed

but he thinks it’s the cutest shit ever

well now he’s clumsy and embarrassed (sobs)

TECHNICALLY he doesn’t officially ask you out until after this

he pretty much just straight up confesses

the audacity i can’t

“y/n-ah... i really like you- will you let me take you out? on a real date?”

* gesturing to the take out *

he isn’t embarrassed at all

you CANNOT stop looking at his eyes

they’re so genuine and loving that you almost forget to answer

once he gets confirmation he promises to both plan and pay for the whole thing, even as you protest

how are you already in love with this man 

hyunjin:

poor hyunjinnie probably spent the last four months trying to decide how to ask you out

he’s been head over heels for you for a while now

and he knows he needs to make his move

(cause, let’s be honest- you’re a catch, and he’s protective. could i make it any more obvious?)

he ends up thinking that just being straightforward is the way to do it

so he spends the whole day just trying to get you alone

this is harder than he anticipated

so finally he just grabs you while you’re in conversation

and goes

“y/n, i’m sorry-it’s important, can i just talk to you a sec?”

you go with him, if not out of pure curiosity 

literally the SECOND you’re alone he just swivels around says

“did you know that you are really hard to catch alone?”

and you’re kinda just like: 

huh

but he continues

“anyways, i just had a question for you?”

“oh, okay. what is it?”

this is when the nerves hit him 

“oh, uh- i guess i was just wondering- if you would go out with me sometime? nothing big, i just-”

you interrupt him without thinking

“yes.”

* cue one completely flustered and w h i p p e d hyunjin *

jisung:

is not shy at ALL

but he wants to make sure you’re comfortable

so he doesn’t make a big deal out of it

he spent a lot of time debating how to do it

but he decides to write a note (so cute)

he waits until you leave the room for a sec

he slips a note into your bag that just says

“date? -jisungie”

with a lil heart next to it

then he panics and just books it

when you find it a bit later you’re initially confused

but then it kinda hits you

you FREAK out and track him down-

only to realize you have no idea what you want to say to him

but he knows you too well

and he just laughs when he sees your face

this makes you laugh too, even though you’re nervous

when the two of you finally recover he’s just

“but really- please? let me take you out.”

you know your face is on fire

so you just nod

but that’s all the confirmation he needs

felix:

king of overthinking 

we all know felix has EVERYTHING planned in his head

like, to a T

he’s been very stressed about asking you out, but he also doesn’t want to miss his chance

so he just thinks and thinks and thinks

he just wants it to be perfect for you

he decides to just hang out in the comfort of your home to do it

the two of you are just chilling (y’know. FRIEND THINGS.)

but he is completely in his own head

and you can tell

you get to be a little worried for him, so you just ask:

“hey- are you alright? you seem a little off tonight.”

he turns super pink and tries to play it off

but since you’re a stubborn piece of work, you pry a lil

and he cracks under pressure (I FEEL BAD OMG)

he finally just looks up and snaps:

“y/n- i’m really sorry. i wanted to to this well, and make it cute and romantic and have you fall in love with me in an instant. but you- god, you’re so nerve-wracking!”

you just sit there

completely flabbergasted

he bursts into awkward laughter, and between coughs he’s just like

“y/n, i was gonna ask you out. i’ve loved you for a while now.”

he continues: “but i guess i fucked up, didn’t i...”

you jump and interrupt him

and insist that he was being crazy- what was he doing letting his mind run free with that?

finally, to shut him up, you just lean over and place your lips over his.

seungmin:

is surprisingly confident

but also low-key has no idea what he’s doing

he decides to send you a text

he asks if you want to grab coffee, which you absolutely do

he doesn’t realize until later...

that he didn’t actually specify it was supposed to be a date.

oops.

but he kinda just goes with it, and the two of you maintain good conversation

finally he interrupts you mid-sentence and is like

“y/n, will you answer a question for me?”

you nod, and he continues:

“what is- uh- this- exactly? to you?”

* nodding down at your long empty coffee cups *

you don’t really understand the question (valid)

he kinda just sighs and starts laughing

“well. it was supposed to be a date. i’m just really bad at this.”

you just. cannot believe your ears

he just laughs harder and says

“so. can we try again?”

you start laughing too

and you know that even if it wasn’t the best first date,

you’d felt right at home. 

jeongin:

poor baby is SO NERVOUS 

he’s spent like,,,,

the last 6 days trying to plan how to finally do this 

but he decides to approach you and let it try to come up naturally

you two carry a conversation for a few minutes and then he asks

“so...do you- you know- like anyone?”

your face turns bright red

you can’t stop thinking

does he know oh my god am i that obvious i-

but you end up just looking away and being like

“i mean- i guess?”

he can’t decide how to respond

because on one hand- that person could be him

but on the other hand, it’s more likely that it’s not, and then it would be awkward as hell for him to ask you out

he kinda panics

then against his own will he just goes for it

“y/n-ah. i don’t really know how to say this- but will you let me take you out? i really like you...”

his ears are RED OH BOY

his voice kinda just trails off and you can tell he feels insecure

but when you tell him yes...

he was literally born for this

he gets so excited and doesn’t hide it at all

thank you so much for reading!! p.s. my asks are now open, feel free to send in your requests !

[darlingpetao3]

House of W (Multiple!Wells x Reader, Chapter 2)

Rating: T

Summary: After having to deal with the deaths of an infinite number of Harrison Wells in the Multiverse, you, a magic-wielding meta, have a breakdown and unwittingly create a happy, fictitious sitcom life with some of your favourite men. In a world of comedy and cameos, can Team Flash and an out-of-town magician break through your powers to save you? And what if you don’t want to be saved...?

Tag List: @fandomdancer @bluesclues-1234 @pinkdiamond1016 @crissymadlock @ensign-tilly @disneyoncerlover815 @marvel-lady10 @thecaptainsgingersnap @noctvrnalmoth @alexxlynn @dontbedumb3 @heyl0lwhatsup @ryou-cosmos​

PROLOGUE | CHAPTER 1

Birds tweeting, sun shining…

Big strong arms around you.

“Well, well, Wells,” you say with a scratchy morning voice and twist your body around in bed to see who’s got you in his grasp. Ah. “Good morning, Harry.”

“Good morning, (Y/L/N),” the scientist replies. You just love how strands of his hair stick up in place. Harry arguably has the best bedhead.

“You know dear, since we are married after all, don’t you think it would be more acceptable to call me by my first name?”

Harry chuckles and pulls you closer against him.

“You do raise a fair point. (Y/N).”

“That’s more like it.”

He kisses your nose. Shortly after he does, it starts to feel itchy. You feel like you’re about to sneeze. It wiggles and wiggles until—

“Achoo!”

Suddenly, Harry, who had been clad in his silky pyjamas is now- oh my.

“(Y/N), did you just sneeze my clothes away?”

You can hardly answer the Wells in your bed because you’re so enthralled by his lack of clothing under the sheets.

“Happy accident?” you offer innocently. Harry shakes his head and smiles as if to signify that you’re up to your old antics again.

“Come here, you,” he says and pulls the covers over you both.

* * * *

The scene is really quite comical.

Harry walks briskly with his long legs into work at S.T.A.R. Toys Manufacturing Inc. as you try to keep up with quick little steps and a clipboard… while H.R. trails behind you like a maniac with a tray of coffee.

“(Y/N), I believe you have some explaining to do,” Harry speaks to you over his shoulder. “Can you remind me why you’re at work with me? And why the numbskull, too?”

“Handsome numbskull!” H.R. jokingly clarifies. Harry rolls his eyes.

“I told you, honey,” you begin, “I decided it would be best for me to get a job instead of sitting around the house. Plus, an assistant here was the only position available. I thought that was terribly convenient. We can spend more time together now, isn’t that wonderful? As for H.R., I hired him as my assistant!”

“My assistant has an assistant?”

“Don’t question it, honey,” you tell him and pat him on the cheek. Just then, two young employees walk up to you. They look rather familiar, but you can’t place why at the moment.

“Good morning, Mr. Wells,” the pair greet Harry. “And Mrs. Wells. ...And Mr. Wells.”

“Ah, good morning Garcia. Runk,” Harry answers. “I trust your projects are coming along?”

“That they are, Sir,” the young man called Runk replies.

“We should have them finished and ready by end of day,” Garcia, the young woman, adds.

“I’m glad to hear it-”

“-Well done, chaps!” H.R. interrupts. “You’re all doing such magnificent work. All for the children.”

“All for the children,” Garcia and Runk agree.

Harry clears his throat and whispers to you, “I think assistants to the assistants should be seen and not heard.”

“I’ll have a little chat with him,” you tell your handsome boss husband. “Now, let’s build some toys!”

* * * *

After a long day at the factory, you, Harry, and H.R. all return home. The delicious scent of dinner greets you as you walk in the door.

“Mmm, I wonder what Sherloque and Nash are cooking up!” you think out loud.

“I hope it’s nothing French,” Harry says semi-bitterly.

“H.R., can you go see what they’re up to in there, sweetie?”

“I most certainly can, dearest!” he responds then disappears into the kitchen. You are sure to take this opportunity to have some more one-on-one time with Harry on the couch. As you sit, he sets his briefcase down on the coffee table and removes from it a small rocket ship. After turning it around in his hands, Harry hands it to you.

“I’d been working on this today,” he says.

“Oh Harry, it is so groovy. You do such fine work.”

“The idea came to me in a dream.”

“You make dreams come true for children every day.”

Harry turns to you. “I think I’ve always wanted kids. But I guess it’s never happened for me.” He looks into your eyes. “I think I’d like to have one with you someday, (Y/N). How do you feel about that?”

“I feel… I feel…” Your nose starts to wiggle again. “Achoo!”

“(Y/N), are you sure you’re feeling okay?”

“Oh, yes, I’m completely and totally, whoaaaa!” You stand up to get a better look at yourself, finding that your tummy has a noticeable roundness to it.

“Are you…?” Harry asks. The rest of the Wells men come rushing into the living room.

“Qu’est-ce qui se passe?”

“I heard another sneeze!”

“Jumping juniper, (Y/N)’s pregnant!”

They all group around you in a half-circle to admire your belly and to declare their delight at the very abrupt surprise.

“Is this really happening?” you ask all of them, falling deeper and deeper into your happiness.

“I couldn’t imagine a better life with you,” Harry says and punctuates his final word with a kiss. Everything about this moment just seems… so much more colourful and vibrant.

And perfect.

~ ~ ~ ~

Barry had urgently messaged Cisco and Caitlin to meet him back at the Grand Central City Auditorium, where they had just seen Zatanna’s magic act. The plan—what very little of a plan he had—was to race to find Zatanna, the Mistress of Magic, and ask for her help.

Word on the street was that Miss Zatara’s act wasn’t mere illusions. People have said that she really does possess a special magical power. And if this was the case, she was their only hope to retrieve you from whatever world you’ve gotten yourself into.

They say sometimes you have to fight fire with fire.

Well, now Team Flash is going to fight magic with magic.

It took a bit of making a scene inside the venue with the security guards for Zatanna to finally come out of her dressing room to see who was causing the commotion.

“Hi, excuse me, what’s going on here?”

“Zatanna? My name is Barry Allen,” your brother introduces himself. “I was at your show tonight.”

“Flawless,” Cisco can’t help but add.

“Sure,” she says, probably very much wanting him to get to the point. “How can I help you, Barry Allen?”

“We have a bit of a magical issue. My sister has gotten herself into a situation. We need your help.”

Zatanna’s big round eyes squint slightly, but whatever she sees in these three strangers surely isn’t threatening.

“Your sister, you say?” The Mistress of Magic always did have a soft spot for family. “Where is she?”

“You better come with us and see for yourself.”

~ ~ ~ ~

“Wow, this is quite the setup,” Zatanna says, taking in the Cortex upon her arrival. “Now, you said that your sister is broadcasting her own sitcom?”

“That’s right,” Barry confirms. “I switched on the TV earlier, and there she was in black and white. But the weird thing is that her set looked almost identical to her home, except not because her real home exploded-”

“Yeah, that’s the weird bit,” Cisco pipes up sarcastically. “Definitely not that she’s married to four different versions of the same man.”

“What?” Zatanna looks entirely confused. “Okay, you guys are going to have to catch me up.”

“No problem. The episode is streaming online. On repeat.”

“Cisco, pull up the show on the monitors,” Barry orders. The engineer does so, and the crew proceeds to analyze the sitcom episode.

“This man... or these men, rather—you said they died?” Zatanna asks the room. The rundown the gang gave her on the way to S.T.A.R Labs was quite rushed, so naturally it would only generate more questions.

“That’s right. I saw them disappear before my eyes,” Barry confirms. “They sacrificed themselves for us.”

Zatanna hums in thought. “Whether they’re truly dead or not, she must be using an incredible amount of magic to create this world and broadcast this across the airwaves.”

“Guys!” Caitlin raises her voice. “We have an incoming broadcast!”

The monitors change after a bit of static. Now, instead of the episode Team Flash was watching, a brand new jingle comes through the speakers.

“Is this…?” Barry starts.

“She released Episode Two!” Cisco cheers. Everyone in the room shoots him a look. “What? I’m invested.” As they watch the new episode, they take frantic notes, searching for any kind of clues.

“Look!” Barry points at the screen to the familiar faces.

“How did Allegra and Chester get in there?” Caitlin wonders.

“They have a guest-starring role…” Cisco notes, possibly with a hint of jealousy.

“And who are they?” Zatanna inquires.

“They’re our friends,” Barry clarifies. “At least, I think they are. They can't be illusions, can they? Created by (Y/N)?”

“I’ll call them and see if we can hear their phones ringing in the show,” Caitlin suggests. As she attempts the call, the rest of the team stands and stares at the screens hoping for some form of ringing sound. This episode seemed to be styled more in the Sixties, so it was unlikely that they’d actually see Chester and Allegra pull out a cell phone.

Nothing. No sound.

They must not have their phones on them…

A little while longer passes, with even more analyses by Team Flash and Zatanna studying your power on screen. Once in a while, she’ll ask Barry for background information about you. Which brings her to ask the all important question:

“How did (Y/N) get her powers?”

Barry goes on to explain your origin story, which coincides with his own. It was that one fateful night where Barry was in his CSI lab at CCPD, and so were you. You had stopped by to see how he was doing after the whole debacle of Iris getting her laptop stolen and Eddie saving the day instead. (To Barry’s credit, he tried really hard to catch the criminal, he just wasn’t fast enough). But you were checking up on him when the Particle Accelerator exploded and sent a wave of extraordinary, uncontained power across the city. You saw the lightning in the sky and tried to get Barry away from holding that metal chain, but in doing so, you also got caught in the crosshairs of the accident. Your brother fell into the shelf of chemicals as the lightning struck at the same time you knocked over a box of evidence—stolen ancient crystals from the Central City Museum.

Zatanna takes in the story silently, nodding in the right places. She’s deep in thought when a voice comes from the entrance to the Cortex: “Hey guys, what’s going on in here?”

Barry rushes to the two younger members of Team Flash, Allegra and Chester. “How did you two get in there? How did you get out?”

“Get in where?” Allegra wonders.

“Come on! In (Y/N)’s sitcom,” Cisco says. “Did she send out a casting call or did she just tell you that you got the parts?”

Chester and Allegra glance at each other with identical furrowed brows.

“You really don’t know what happened, do you?” Caitlin asks them.

“What happened?” they reply in unison.

Cisco stands up immediately. “I’ll get the popcorn.”

As he replays the footage, both of the ‘guest stars’ shake their heads in disbelief.

“Wow, nope, don’t remember any of that,” Chester says.

“No,” Allegra agrees. “One minute I’ve got my feet up in the Lounge, and the next I’m here walking into the Cortex.”

“Interesting,” Caitlin muses. “Interesting, but beyond strange. It’s like they’ve been mind wiped of the experience. We need more answers.” The rest of the episode plays out to reveal the big cliffhanger at the end.

“(Y/N)’s going to have a baby?!” Cisco shouts. “Oh man, things just got real. I wonder who’s the father... You don’t think (Y/N) would turn her show into a Maury episode, do you?”

“Zatanna, is there anything you can do?” Barry asks desperately. “This is getting out of hand.”

“I can cast a locating spell. All I have to do is say the words of what I wish backward for it to take hold.” Zatanna readies herself. “(N/Y) etacol,” the magician utters with her eyes closed. Everyone in the room stands silent in case making any kind of noise would ruin whatever spell she has cast.

They hold their breaths.

“I’m getting something…” Zatanna says eventually. “It’s like a signal of sorts. I can see it in my mind. And it’s coming from… here.”

“What do you mean, ‘here’?” Barry presses.

“Here. As in S.T.A.R. Labs.”

[mldrgrl]

Broken Things 14/24

by: mldrgrl Rating: varies by chapter, rated R overall See Chapter 1 for summary and notes

Sleep eludes him.  He’s up most of the night punching his pillows as though they’re to blame for his insomnia or he’s pacing around his room.  Several times he opens his door and stares at Katherine’s room, wondering if he should knock and apologize or burst in unannounced and demand an explanation.

It’s not quite dawn when he finally gets dressed and hitches a couple horses to the wagon, grabs an axe, and drives over to the wooded area along the creek.  He’s chopping away as the sun rises, already dripping sweat when he hears the faint cry of the rooster in the distance.  He can smell the smoke from the cookstove from where he is.

After two trees have fallen, he needs to take a break to drink some water and have a bit of the jerky and biscuits he’s brought with him for breakfast.  When he sees Melvin riding out towards him a bit later, he takes a final dipper of water from the bucket he filled before he left and picks up the axe again.

“Them trees aggravatin’ you this morning, or what?” Melvin asks, dismounting from Faithful Jenny and leading her over beside the wagon.

“We’ll need them for the new corral,” he answers, never taking a break in his swings.  “Thought I’d get a head start.”

“You want some help on it?”

“Nope.”

“You know I’m not aimin’ to get in the middle of things-”

“Then, don’t,” Mulder interrupts.  He stops chopping at the tree he’s on and gives it a firm kick.  The bottom tilts and cracks at a sharp angle, but doesn’t quite break.  He kicks it again, but it doesn’t budge this time.  So, he kicks it again.  And again.  And once more.

Mulder stops and drops the axe.  He bends over with his hands on his knees, breathing hard.  He takes one glove off and pulls out a handkerchief from his pocket which he uses to wipe his brow.  It’s one that Katherine has monogrammed for him with her pretty little stitches.  She gave it to him only a few days after settling in, telling him it wasn’t much, but it was something she could do to express her gratitude.

“What’d she tell you?” Mulder asks.

“Katherine?  She didn’t tell me nothin’, though it’s not hard to tell she’s upset by something.  And with you here hackin’ away at them trees, it don’t make it less obvious.”

“I’ve seen to it that she doesn’t want for anything, you know.  I...I took her away from that godforesaken sod house, I gave her clothes and a room and a job to do and...and I’ve been kind, haven’t I?”

“Sure you have.”

“We were having a perfectly pleasant conversation on the porch last night and suddenly it just went all sideways and then she’s throwing around accusations like I think our marriage is a farce.”

“She said that?”

“Amongst other things, yes she did.”

“Well, I guess that is reason enough to come out here and take your frustrations out on them trees.”

“What else should I be doing?  Talking in circles with my fictitious bride so she can hurl more baseless accusations at me?”

“If they’re baseless, why are you in such a tizzy?”

“Because they’re obviously not baseless to her, otherwise why else would she say that?”

“Hm.”  Melvin strokes his beard into a point at his chin.  “Womenfolk sure are complicated, that’s for sure.”

“You can say that again.”

“Did you ask her how she come by that notion about the marriage, or did you forget how to articulate?”

“Of course I asked her and all I got was some vague implication that I was somehow disrespecting her by hiring a surveyor to come out and make plans on the expansion.  It’s not like she wasn’t aware that was the plan all along.  You’d have thought it was a total surprise, the way she reacted.”

“When I was gettin’ hitched to Eliza, my Mama told me that the best advice she could give anyone startin’ out was not to let the sun go down on your anger.”

Mulder picks up his axe again and shakes his head.  “Little late for that,” he says, choosing his next tree to fell.  “The sun was already down anyhow.”

“You know you can be a real horse’s behind sometimes.”

“I am aware.”  Mulder starts chopping again, swinging the axe at a cedar sapling.

“Alright, I’ll leave you be then.”  Melvin hoists himself up into the saddle on Faithful Jenny’s back and turns the horse to home.  He stops and turns back, passing the wagon so he’s closer to where Mulder is chopping, but still at a safe distance.  “If’n you aim to prove her wrong about your marriage, it may be best not to let her stay in her misery for too long.”

“She has nothing to be miserable about.  I didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Well, apologies don’t have to mean you were wrong, they could just mean you’re sorry for the hurtin’.  You’re forgettin’ already what she’s been through.”

“I have not forgotten.”  Mulder shoulders his axe and glares at Melvin.  “Should I expect you’ll be taking her side of things from now on?”

“I’m not takin’ any sides.  Just remindin’ you that you’re the one brung her here.”

“And that means I need to shoulder the blame for every argument we have from here to kingdom come?”

“Tarnation you must have about the thickest skull in the entire state of Texas.  No, it doesn’t mean you’re to blame for everything, it just means that you’re the one that’s plum fool enough to marry a lady you don’t hardly know from Adam except she’s been dealt a sorry hand and then you want to go get all high and mighty about what you done like you deserve a dadgum medal of honor.  Either you wanted to help her because of the goodness in your heart or you wanted a nice pat on the back.  Which is it?”

“I wasn’t looking for any commendations.”

“Well, good, ‘cause folks might get an idea then of your marriage bein’ a farce or somethin’ like it.”

Melvin turns Faithful Jenny away from Mulder and clicks at her to ride away.  Mulder scowls at his back.  He doesn’t know why he’s being treated so harshly and unfairly all of a sudden.  He’s turned his conversation with Katherine over and over again in his mind and he can’t find the logic in her being so upset.  The only thing he knows is that he will clear this whole damned creek of trees before he apologizes for something when he doesn’t even know what he’s done wrong.

↭

When Mulder doesn’t come to breakfast, Katherine feels almost sick about it.  She doesn’t eat, just serves the boys their meal and pretends she has too much to do to sit down that morning.  She’s sure they won’t notice anyhow, they’re always distracted with planning for the day most of the time.  They don’t even seem to be concerned that Mulder isn’t there.  Melvin is the only one that looks at her like he knows something isn’t quite right.

When Mulder doesn’t come to noon dinner, Katherine feels a bit exasperated.  She knows by then that he’s been by the creek all morning taking down trees.  While she once preferred her late husband’s habit of disappearing for long lengths of time after an argument, she can’t say it feels the same to have Mulder do the same.

She’s so lost in her own thoughts that it takes her some time to realize that Melvin is washing up the dinner dishes.  She jumps up from the table, mortified to have let that happen.  Melvin waves her away.

“Go on, finish your dinner,” he says.  “You didn’t hardly eat your breakfast, if at all.  Let me do this.  You can dry if’n you want.”

“I guess I’m just not very hungry today,” she answers.

“Well, I suppose I don’t got much of an appetite either when I got things weighin’ on my mind.”

She worries the wedding ring on her finger.  It hasn’t escaped her that this has already become a nervous habit so quickly.  To make better use of her hands, she grabs a dishrag and starts drying what Melvin has washed.

“We argued last night,” she says.  “I suppose Mulder told you that?”

“He mentioned there was a disagreement of some kind.  You may have already figured this out for yourself, but he can be as stubborn as an old goat sometimes.”

“Does he always do this?  Avoid problems this way?”

“I haven’t known him to, but then again horse problems and lady problems aren’t really the same.”

“Should I bring dinner down to him, do you think?”

“I think he might appreciate that.  If’n you think he’s stewed long enough with his thoughts.”

“I don’t know about him, but I think I’ve stewed long enough with mine.”

“Then you go ahead and do what you think is right.”

“I’ll pack something up right now.”

“Leave that dishrag with me so’s I can finish up here.”

Katherine drapes the dishrag over Melvin’s shoulder and starts to pack up some dinner to take to Mulder.  She’s wrapping biscuits when there’s whistling and hollering outside.  Melvin looks up and peers out of the small, square window above the wash basin.

“What is it?” she asks.

“Lord almighty,” he mutters, flinging water and soap suds from his hands as he turns and rushes to the door.

“Another panther?” she asks, following at his heels.  “Should I get the gun?”

“Looks like there’s been an accident.”

“An accident?”

Katherine is out the door faster than Melvin, lifting her skirts as she runs across the ranch to where the men are shouting and the horses and wagon that Mulder had taken down to the creek are standing.

“What is it!?” she shouts.  “What happened!?”

“He come rolling up just now and keeled over,” Jimmy says.  “Felled right off the wagon.”

Katherine drops to her knees in the dirt where Mulder lays and immediately begins assessing his condition.  His face is sunburnt, his skin is dry, his pulse is racing.  She runs her hands over his head and finds a bit of a lump at the left side, but he’s not bleeding.  His left shoulder is twisted under him at an unnatural angle.  She looks up at the men standing over them.

“Should I run and fetch the doc?” Jimmy asks.

“His shoulder looks to be dislocated,” she says.  “Which I can set back into place.  And I believe he is suffering sunstroke.”  She makes some quick determinations in her head about who can help best in what areas.  “Melvin, go and fetch the doctor.  Trevor, I’d like you to go in and start pumping water into the washtub.  No need to light the furnace, we need it to be cool.”

“Yes, Ma’am,” Trevor answers and runs off.

“Richard, can you find me some clean rags?  Tear up some of the bedding I just washed if you have to.”

The other men leave quickly and it’s just Jesse, squatting low at Mulder’s feet and Jimmy hovering over her.

“I need you two to help me turn him onto his back,” she says, getting to her feet and kneeling again at Mulder’s left side.  “Gently.”

Katherine holds onto Mulder’s shoulder and elbow to keep his arm in place as the men slowly roll Mulder onto his back.  He groans softly and coughs once.

“Jimmy, you go down by his feet and just hold his ankles steady.  I think he may already be in shock, but this still may hurt a bit and he might fight against the pain, but it’s best he be still.”

“What’re you gonna do to him?” Jesse asks.

“I’m going to be pulling the shoulder back into place, as gently as I can.  Will you please hold him steady with a hand on his chest and right shoulder?”

When Jesse and Jimmy have their hold on Mulder, Katherine takes a deep breath and then starts to slowly draw Mulder’s arm up in an arc away from his side.  As she pulls it up, she also pumps it softly until she’s reached a straight angle and she stops and looks from one brother to the other.

“Keep hold now,” she says.  They nod their reply.

Katherine raises Mulder’s arm up, making small circles as she lifts from his wrist.  Mulder groans again and he tries to kick his feet, but Jimmy holds steady.  

“You’re alright,” Katherine says to Mulder, still drawing his arm up.  “You’ll feel better in just a bit.”

Only moments later, Katherine feels the shoulder slide back into place and she lowers Mulder’s arm while cupping his elbow, bringing his forearm to rest across his belly.  She feels his pulse again at his neck and shakes her head.  It’s way too fast.  His lips are chapped and white.

“Will you two be able to carry him in if we get him on a sheet?”

“I reckon we sure could,” Jesse says.

“Don’t move him until I come back.”

Katherine races to the house.  She finds Richard at the linen cabinet in the dogtrot, ripping up pillow cases.  She grabs one of the sheets and runs back to Mulder.  When they have the sheet laid out the two men, under Katherine’s instruction, move Mulder onto it with as little jostling as possible.  They lift from the sides per her direction and move swiftly to the house.

The wash room is not a large room, certainly not large enough to hold five people comfortably, especially when one of them is incapacited.  She sends Trevor off to fetch her a glass of water with some salt in it and has Jesse and Jimmy lay out Mulder on the floor and then step away.

Quickly, and with nimble fingers, Katherine first unbuttons the suspenders on Mulder’s trousers.  She then opens up all the buttons on his trousers and moves down to pull his boots and socks off.  She pulls his trousers off and then calls out to Trevor to bring her the scissors from her sewing kit.  When she has the scissors, she cuts Mulder’s shirt in half up from belly to chest so she can pull his right arm free and not have to move the left too much.  With the remains of the shirt, she fashions a sling to hold his left arm.

She leaves his undershirt and drawers in place and then has Jesse and Jimmy lift him, sheet and all, into the washtub. The water doesn’t quite cover him so she pumps a bit more into the tub.  Richard brings her the rags and Trevor brings her the cup of water and the salt tin.

“I just put a pinch of salt in,” Trevor says.  “I don’t know if that was enough.”

“Thank you, that’s just fine.  Will you do me one more favor and get me a spoon and one of the ash buckets?  Just be sure it’s empty.”

“Yes, Ma’am!”  Trevor races out of the room.

Katherine kneels beside the tub and begins to dip the rags into the water and place them behind Mulder’s neck and on his forehead.  She dabs his cheeks and jaw.  Trevor returns with the spoon and the bucket.  Jesse brings her a stool to sit on so she doesn’t have to kneel.

“Is there anything else I can do?” he asks.

“Not at the moment.  I’ll call for you when it’s time to get him out.”

“Alright, we’ll stay close by.”

“Thank you.”

Jesse closes the door behind him and she sits with Mulder, alternating soaking rags and patting his neck and face and spooning him salted water.  His eyes slide open after a bit and roll around.  His pupils are two different sizes, which worries her, and his gaze is a little disoriented.

“Mulder?”

“Where’m I?” he mumbles.

“You’re in the bathing tub.  I think you may have had sunstroke and you fell from the wagon.  Can you tell me how many fingers I’m holding up?”  She holds up three fingers and he blinks and stares at her hand.

“Three?”

“That’s good.  How do you feel?”

“Dizzy.  Cold.  My arm aches.”  He reaches up with his right hand to try to touch his shoulder, but she catches his hand and holds it.

“You dislocated your shoulder, but it’s fine now.  It’ll probably be sore for a few days.”

“I did?”

“I need you to drink a little water, can you do that?”

“Okay.”

Katherine lets go of Mulder’s hand and brings the cup to Mulder’s mouth.  She holds the back of his neck to help him sip, but won’t let him take much yet.

“I’m so thirsty,” he says, trying to bring his lips back to the cup.

“I know, you just need to drink slowly otherwise it might make you sick.”

He finishes the cup of water, slowly, with her help.  She puts the back of her hand to his cheek and then dabs at his face again with a soaked rag.  He lays passively for some time, almost like he’s dreaming, but then he starts to shift and seems to gain more awareness bit by bit.

“You know, if you wanted me in my underthings, all you had to do was ask,” he says suddenly, smiling a little and turning his head towards her.

“I think we can get you out of the tub now.”

[alliluyevas]

because im feeling down and also pissed off, it’s time to resort to my time honored stategy of “venting about things that are unrelated to my current issues but also bother me”. anyway i truly hate the trend in neurodiversity activism/community spaces esp online ones and esp autism-related that assumes that all autistic/neurodivergent people just get each other naturally and accept each other because we all have so much in common and are on the same wavelength and rah rah happy perfect blissful community where everyone gets along and understands each other. even typing this i sound like THE dustiest curmudgeon and i promise you i am actually a very cheery and sweet person in real life BUT i don’t think that’s true!

i think it can feel true esp if you’re new to a diagnosis or new to any form of neurodivergent community and you feel like you’ve found your tribe but i think it’s ultimately sort of fictitious and ignores that you DO still have to work to understand each other and can end up super alienating, like i’ve met plenty of autistic people who i find anywhere from mildly irritating and not my cup of tea to people i actively dislike and find very hard to deal with. which is totally normal and natural because people are people and not everyone jives with each other!

but i feel like it’s downright irresponsible to tell a bunch of people who struggle with social norms and may have more difficulty making friends or getting along with people that they’ve now entered a community where everyone understands and accepts each other and gets along perfectly because ~neurotypical people were the problem all along~. because then if that person has interpersonal conflict with anyone in that community OR just doesn’t get or particularly like someone they’re like god there really has been something deeply socially wrong with me this entire time hasn’t there? idk i just think it’s stupid and potentially harmful.

[agentark88]

Think: Chapter Seventy-Five: A Hero’s Recipe for Disaster

My Hero Academia Fan Fiction by Agent ARK 88

Disclaimer: The following is a work of fan fiction using characters and settings from My Hero Academia/Boku no Hero Academia created by Kohei Horikoshi. I do not claim any ownership of characters present in this piece that are owned and created by Kohei Horikoshi. I do not own My Hero Academia/Boku no Hero Academia.

Any references to historical events, real people, or real locales are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead is entirely coincidental.

Warnings: This work contains mild language.

Please be aware this piece is in second person perspective, following my original character, Think, Anna Kokoro, who is a transfer student from America. Thank you for reading.

Chapter Seventy-Five: A Hero’s Recipe for Disaster

You stared down at your recipe notes with intense focus. You couldn’t believe how hard it was for you to decide what to make for the School Festival performance. It had been a couple of days of preparations already, and you were on the testing phase of cookie creation. Eri had visited the grounds too, and the pressure to make something she would love was weighing on you. You were thankful that she had recovered to the point that she could leave the hospital and come to U.A.. You jumped when you heard Shoto clear his throat behind you.

“You scared me,” you said, chuckling. “I guess I was too focused on trying to get this right.” You turned back toward your notebook and pouted when you saw that you’d accidently drawn a line across the page.

“My apologies,” Shoto said. “I wanted to check in on you.”

“Ah,” you mumbled. “You really don’t have to. I’m used to working alone.”

Shoto hummed in thought, gazing at you in silence for a moment. “Kirishima and I will be working on our special effects part of the School Festival performance, so I can’t lend a hand for some time; however, Sero has already expressed that he’s bored to tears. I will retrieve him.”

“Huh?” you asked, looking back up at him, but Shoto had already left the room. You let out a heavy sigh. You told him that you’d be fine working alone, and you had meant it. You really didn’t mind. You were used to it.

You shifted some of your test ingredients around, considering different cookie combinations. You’d never been so stuck in your life. Were you nervous because you wanted to make sure that Eri liked them, or was it that you wanted to make sure they were perfect to not embarrass your classmates? You were pretty much on your own for the entire week leading up to the performance because Sato needed to practice his choreography, which proved more daunting than he expected. You were probably nervous making so many baked goods on your own.

“Did someone request the company of a charismatic side character?” Sero asked jokingly as he sauntered into the common area kitchen.

You blinked at him in surprise. “Shoto said that he was going to bring you here, but I already told him that I was fine. I’ve worked independently very often in the past and…” you trailed off, realizing what exactly you were saying. Since coming to U.A., you were rarely alone. You’d gotten so used to working by yourself in the past that it hadn’t used to bother you. Maybe, you were struggling to come up with ideas because that had changed. It felt nice having someone, anyone, around to talk to.

“Girls always say that they’re fine when they’re the exact opposite,” Sero said, giving you a toothy grin. He tied back his straight black hair into a ponytail. “Show me how I can help. I haven’t been doing much of anything for the Special Effects Crew yet, so it’s been a total drag. We’ve pretty much settled on who is needed where. There are only some logistics and props to construct. My quirk is more useful on the day of the performance anyway. Plus, if I hang out with you, I get to test out some sweets.” He settled beside you, scanning over your notes.

You hesitated to push the recipe closer to him. He towered over you, much like his other friends, but he was much more slender. You pushed your notes out in front of him, tugging at your braid. You didn’t know Sero very well. All you knew was that he was part of the self-proclaimed Bakusquad. He seemed nice enough, less serious than Bakugo but definitely more grounded than Denki.

“You seem nervous,” Sero stated. “You don’t have to be. I know we don’t know each other very well, but I’m not a bad guy. Promise I won’t hit on you either.” He kept his eyes moving across your curvy handwriting, seemingly unperturbed by bringing something up like that so bluntly.

“H-hit on me?” you asked, blushing. “Why would I think you would do that?”

Sero shrugged. “The other boys in the Bakusquad do. I even think Mina has a little crush on you too. I just wasn’t sure if that’s why you seemed so nervous around me. It’s not that you’re not my type or anything so don’t get offended. It just feels like I would be breaking the bro code if I made a move on you. I’m more of a gentlemen than that. Besides, I’d rather you be a good friend of mine, considering you’re so close to the rest of the Bakusquad.” He turned the page of your notebook.

“I-I wasn’t thinking that, but I’m glad to hear you want to be friends.” You gulped. Sero was a lot more forward than you expected. It seemed like he often said what was on his mind. “I was kind of nervous because I didn’t really know you that well.” You rubbed the back of your neck bashfully. “It seems kind of silly to be nervous about that now that I say it out loud.”

Sero chuckled. “It’s not silly at all. The Bakusquad is all over the place with their personalities. Now that I know you were just trying to figure me out, I get it.” He grinned at you. “I’m pretty relaxed, so don’t worry about being so uptight around me.”

“I, um, don’t think I do the uptight part on purpose.”

He snorted out another genuine laugh. “Really? Well, I’ll have to help you with that. Mellowing out is like my specialty. Stress isn’t good for the skin either.”

“You do seem rather chill. Maybe if we hang out more, it will rub off on me.”

“Undoubtedly,” Sero said. His eyes widened when he focused back on your notebook. Sero pointed out a line in your recipe. “Are you really going to cut that many apples?” he asked.

“Ah, I was thinking about how I could cut down the time but have been pretty stuck just bouncing ideas around in my own head.”

“You could use applesauce,” Sero suggested.

Your eyes widened. Why hadn’t you thought of that? It would be a much more efficient alternative. Plus, you could add some real apples for texture. “That’s actually a really good idea. Thank you.”

“Hey, there’s not just tape up in this noggin of mine. I have some great ideas, it’s just that Bakugo is always yelling so loud that no one hears them.”

“You should speak up more if you feel that way. Bakugo will listen. He doesn’t yell all of the time.”

“Not around you,” Sero corrected. “It’s only when you’re around that he’s nice.”

“Why does everyone say that?” you asked, opening a bag of flour.

“Because it’s true,” Sero said, giving you another cheeky smile. “Don’t tell him I said that, or he’ll blast me.” Sero continued flipping through the notebook of recipes. He would reach the end soon.

“There should be an extra apron hanging by the door,” you said, trying to change the subject from Bakugo. Your cheeks were flushed just thinking about him. It wasn’t like you didn’t like talking about Bakugo, but it would be nice to avoid discussing any of your romantic interests while you were hard at work baking. It would just be distracting.

Sero glanced near the door. “Thanks. I’ll get it in a minute.”

You slowly nodded, trying to account for the items you would need. You still hadn’t taken out the bowls or the measuring cups. Those were in the higher cabinets. You should be able to reach the bowls without your quirk, even with how short you were. Sero found the last page filled with recipes, and then he turned toward the door to grab the apron. You opened the cabinet behind you, staring up at the stack of bowls overhead. On tiptoe, you reached your hand out, nudging the biggest bowl with your fingertip.

“Do I grab the black one or the blue?” Sero asked from across the room.

“Either is—” You had turned your attention away for just a moment, and you cut yourself short as you heard the containers overhead shift. You covered your head on instinct, a mixture of plastic and metal bowls falling down on you. The raucous clatter of dishes against the floor filled the space. But, nothing actually hit you. You peeked one eye open.

Two strips of tape suspended the remaining bowls that would have struck you in the air. You let out a sigh of relief, looking toward Sero.

“Thank you,” you said, laughing nervously.

The normally chill Sero looked like he was sweating. His eyes were trained on the bowls over your head. “Could you step out from under the danger?” he asked.

You flushed. “Ah, yeah. Sorry about that.” You took a step back, using your quirk to unstick the remaining bowls and stack them properly again. You gently floated them toward the counter.

Sero retrieved the remnants of tape, finishing tying his apron and helping clean up the rest of the bowls. After a few moments, he chuckled. “I honestly thought Bakugo was exaggerating when he said you were clumsy.”

You froze, puffing out your cheeks. “I am not,” you said. You were. You knew that you were. You should have been able to catch those dishes too, but your knee-jerk reaction had been to cover your head. Your reflexes should have kicked in, and your quirk should have reacted. You were embarrassed to admit you were clumsy, and you were upset that Bakugo would mention it to his friends.

Sero shrugged, smiling lightheartedly again. “You nearly gave me a heart attack.” He put a hand to his chest. “But, it’s cool. Glad I came to help at least, so it wasn’t worse.”

“Sorry to mess with your mellow,” you said sincerely. “I can be a little uncoordinated,” you finally admitted. You rubbed your arm, frowning. “Sorry.”

“Hey, I wasn’t trying to get an apology out of you. I told you it’s cool.”

“I always seem to mess the simplest things up. To think that I’m even worrying Bakugo when I’m not around…” you trailed off. You looked at your reflection in a metal bowl. This was the place that you were the most comfortable, and, yet, you were still making mistakes.

“Woah, woah, woah,” Sero said. He put a hand on your shoulder. “No sad faces now. You don’t mess things up. Being clumsy isn’t the end of the world. If you think that I’ve never missed a place I meant for my tape, you’re wrong. I’ve taken a spill or two before too.”

“Thanks for trying to make me feel better, but it might be best if I do this on my own. At least if no one’s looking, I can’t embarrass myself.” You just haven’t been focused lately. After the raid, things had changed. Your mind was other places. You were hesitant with your quirk.

Sero blinked, his eyebrows furrowing. “Something tells me that this isn’t just about dropping a couple of bowls. Do you need to talk about it?” Sero leaned on the nearby island.

“N-no,” you stuttered out. You organized the clean bowls next to the ingredients.

Sero pushed himself up and off of the counter. “Okay,” he said. “But, I’m not leaving. Like I said before, I’ve got nothing better to do at the moment, and I’m looking forward to the leftover chocolate chips.”

You thought about his words carefully. “I guess I can’t deny you chocolate,” you muttered under your breath.

Sero slid next to you. “Nor can you deny me giving help to my friend,” he added. He nudged you with his elbow playfully. “Now, tell me how I can help.”

You and Sero had baked nearly ten different types of cookies by the time you were all done. Two of the recipes ended up being too soft and two others were too hard. The prototype recipes appeared to come down to a simple sugar cookie with royal icing, a dark chocolate cookie, and a caramel apple cookie. All three tasted amazing, but they would definitely take a little bit of prep time that you would need to shave down.

Sero had helped where he could. He was actually very capable in the kitchen. He implied that it was because of his mother’s culinary talents rubbing off on him. By now, he had two different half-used bags of chocolate chips he was snacking on. At some point, he’d turned his music on. Every once in a while, he’d move to the music, shutting his eyes and mouthing the lyrics. He must have listened to his playlist a lot because he knew every word to every song that came on.

You were just content to have Sero as company, despite what you’d said before. Nothing else embarrassing happened while he was there, and he had a lot of great ideas.

Kirishima poked his head into the kitchen, smiling brightly when he saw the two of you. “I knew I smelled something delicious!”

Sero protectively clutched the chocolate to his chest. “Sweets are for baking helpers only,” he said. “Careful Think, this guy’s a ravenous goblin when it comes to dessert.”

Kirishima pouted. “Bro, there are so many cookies in here. I can’t have one?” He gave you his signature-red-puppy-dog eyes, staring directly at you.

You took one of the chocolate cookies off of the drying rack. You couldn’t say no to Kirishima. There were definitely too many cookies to eat by yourselves too. Sero was more interested in his chocolate chips than the baked goods anyway. You crossed the room and handed him a cookie. Kirishima didn’t hesitate to chomp it down.

“We were just talking about more of our positions during the performance. We were considering using you to help Aoyama with being a disco ball,” Kirishima said with bits of cookie still in his mouth. “It would be kind of boring if he just stayed there in the air the whole time.”

You rubbed the back of your neck in worry. “I-I won’t actually be able to move anyone or anything while the lights are down. My quirk works a lot better when I can see. Actually, I’d prefer to be backstage during the performance.” You paused, mouth going dry. “I went through some stuff on the stage as a kid, and I don’t want to cause any issues.”

Kirishima gulped down the remainder of his cookie, exchanging a look with Sero. “Do you have stage fright?” he asked.

“Of sorts.” You turned away, starting to clean up again. That nightmarish memory started coming back like it had before. Your hands began trembling, and you tried your best to hide it by busying yourself with more tidying.

Sero put down one of the bags of chocolate chips. He removed his apron, nudging Kirishima with his elbow and handing it to him. “I think I should go catch up with the Special Effects Crew to see if I can be added into the plans. Thank you for the chocolate, Think. Let me know if I can help again.”

“Thank you, Sero,” you said. “I will.” You kept your head down, despite feeling guilty for not thanking him properly. You’d hoped baking was going to be enough of a distraction for you not to think of your past.

Kirishima walked up to you. He placed his hand atop yours. “You’ve been moving the same bowl for a couple of minutes, Princess. Are you okay?”

“Fine,” you squeaked out, cringing at the shrillness of your voice. “I-I just want to make sure I don’t ruin the performance.”

“Ruin the performance?”

“I…” you trailed off, biting into your lip. “I’ve just had bad experiences on the stage. It’s part of the reason I get anxious in large crowds. I wouldn’t want my quirk to go off without warning.”

“Don’t you think you can trust yourself more than that, Princess? You’ve been doing such a good job. You’ve gained so much control since being here.”

“I don’t want to take any chances, especially when Eri will be in the crowd. It will be a spectacular day for her. She hasn’t really gotten a chance to be a kid yet, and this festival will be like a crash course for a normal life for her. It would crush me if it were my fault things weren’t perfect.”

“Things will be perfect.”

You cracked a smile. “Thank you, Kirishima. But, I can still help with the live performance and stay out of sight of the crowd at the same time. It’s for the best.”

Kirishima gently squeezed your hand. “I’ll make sure the team puts you where you’re most comfortable. If you ever change your mind, you can tell me, and I’ll work it out with the crew, okay? I believe in you, Princess. Whether you’re in front of the curtains or behind them, you’ll do great.”

“Oh, pardon me for interrupting an intimate moment,” Yaoyorozu said at the kitchen entryway.

You blushed furiously. “Ah, it’s not—”

“I was just helping Think with the cleanup. You’re not interrupting,” Kirishima said cheerfully.

“Oh, good. If you don’t mind, I was going to make tea for everyone. We’ve all been working so hard, I thought it would be a nice treat.”

“By all means, the kitchen is all yours. Once I’m done with cleaning, I’ll get out of your hair.”

“I assure you that the company won’t bother me. Actually, would either of you like some? I was trying to get a head count. It’s Gold Tips Imperial black tea. It’s quite a rare and delicate find.”

The tea Yaoyorozu was making was most likely worth more than any car you could afford in the future. As tempting as it sounded, you’d hate for such a fancy tea to be wasted on your commoner’s pallet. Tea was fine, but hot chocolate was more your speed.

“No, thank you,” you said. “I appreciate the offer though.” You glanced at the remaining cookies. “Do you suppose that our classmates would like cookies with their tea? I’d hate to throw these away.”

“You can’t throw them away!” Kirishima pouted, already scooping up several cookies.

“Not those ones. They didn’t turn out as good as the rest.”

Kirishima stacked more of the sweets into his hands. “More for me then. All of your baked goods taste delicious.”

“Kiri,” you pleaded, attempting to swipe the imperfect cookies from him.

He blushed in response to you calling him by his nickname, but he avoided your attempt to get the cookies. You used your quirk to grab a few off of the top, and Kirishima comically snatched them out of the air while balancing the remaining in his arms.

“You’re making a rather large mess,” Yaoyorozu said, not amused.

Kirishima sprang free from the kitchen, before you could catch him with the inferior baked goods.

“I’m sure some tea and cookies would be lovely by the way. A shame that Kirishima had to make more of a mess of things,” Yaoyorozu said.

“He can get overly excited about my baking, but he was just trying to help.” You shrugged, frowning when you saw the dusting of crumbs over the floor.

Yaoyorozu set the teapot on a burner, starting the water. You grabbed a dustpan and broom from the corner. As you were sweeping, Yaoyorozu cleared her throat. You glanced up at her.

“I hope you aren’t overworking yourself. I know Sato was supposed to aid you, but I can already see how much work this will be for you before the festival,” she said, rubbing her arm nervously. “If I need to procure you another partner while he’s wrapped up with learning the dance routine, I can speak to Iida.”

“It’s quite a lot to take on by myself, but you don’t need to worry. I can do it.”

“I wasn’t worried that you could not. I am worried that you will overexert yourself.”

So many people were concerned over your health. You would need to do a better job of hiding your troubles. You didn’t mean to bother anyone. The whole point of you baking was so that you weren’t the problem. “Please don’t worry. I can handle it. It’s not too much for me, and it’s the best thing that I can do for the performance itself.”

“Well, alright. You’re looking a bit pale, and your cheeks look a little too flush. Once you’re done in here, I ask that you please go take a break with the others. I believe Midoriya and Uraraka are already seated in the common area. Perhaps, you can take out a plate of your cookies to them.”

You put a hand to your forehead. You were a bit warm, but it was probably from being in a room with the oven on for so long. You tidied up the last of your equipment and stacked the edible cookies on a platter. Yaoyorozu waved you on, seeing that you were going to offer to help her. The concern in her expression let you know that she wouldn’t accept your aid.

You carried the heavy tray of cookies out into the common area. Midoriya was on his phone, and Uraraka was hovering over him. The two of them were focused on watching a video. Kirishima was shoving the remainder of the cookies he’d taken into his mouth. You had no idea where he was putting it all. No one could eat that many cookies in one sitting without getting sick, not even Fat Gum.

“Don’t you think that it’s strange that a villain would be so interested in tea?” Ochaco asked Midoriya.

“Villains and heroes alike have some kind of gimmick. N-not that that’s a bad thing. As he’s focused on being a gentlemen and has a more proper aesthetic. Gentle Criminal is most likely adhering to his brand. Still, it’s strange for a villain to boast about never missing a tea ritual before performing villainy,” Midoriya said.

“What are you two discussing?”

Midoriya jolted back a bit at hearing your voice. He smiled apologetically. “We’re talking about a Gentle Criminal video that I accidently clicked on. He’s talking about tea. I hate to say it, but it’s almost like villains are more prevalent on social media than heroes these days.”

You frowned. “That doesn’t sound good.”

“It’s not,” Ochaco admitted. “But, heroes will eventually stop them, right? That’s what we’re training for anyway, to stop villainy.”

“Of course!” Midoriya announced in determination.

You became momentarily distracted. Gentle Criminal? Why did that name sound so familiar? Wasn’t that one of the villains that Emoticon had mentioned in one of her videos? You were pretty sure she even mocked him.

“Did you bring us treats?” Ochaco asked in excitement.

“Leftovers,” you said. “They’re not perfect, but I didn’t want them to go to waste. I thought they would go well with the tea.”

“Don’t let her fool you,” Kirishima said through another mouthful of crumbs. “Even the ones she said were not perfect are delicious.”

“Give me. Give me.” Ochaco made grabby hands toward the tray and swept them away from you.

You sat down next to Kirishima. Midoriya grabbed two cookies from the tray, focusing back on the video and muttering to himself. Concern was etched into his furrowed brows. You wondered what had been shown in that video to get him all worked up. Of course, you were all worried. With villains on the rise in media, it was hard to focus on the School Festival. Aizawa had already warned the class should another villain attack happen during the festivities it would all be shut down. Maybe, Midoriya was worried that Gentle Criminal would try to infiltrate U.A..

“If you keep making that face, you’re going to get worry wrinkles, Midoriya,” you said.

“W-what? I’m not making that bad of a face, am I?” he asked.

“Too late. I see a crease,” Ochaco teased, pointing to the upper part of his face.

“You do?” Midoriya asked in worry. He covered his forehead.

“You’ve got to chill out, bro. You of all people should understand how capable the Pro Heroes are. There’s nothing to worry about. They’ll catch all of those villains making a commotion. And, if by some tiny chance they don’t, we’ve got their backs.” Kirishima pointed a thumb at his chest.

Midoriya flushed red, finally turning his phone off. “Y-you’re right. I’ve just been on edge. I want to make sure the School Festival is great for Eri.”

“Dude, we’re going to be great!” Kirishima reassured.

Midoriya stared down at his darkened phone. You didn’t have to read his mind to know that he had some doubts about the festival going on without a hitch. You couldn’t blame him. Class 1-A had been through enough to know villains could appear anywhere at any time. It was a miracle that U.A. even agreed to continue with the School Festival, but they wanted to move on from the fear. U.A. wanted to prove to the public that it was a safe place for their students.

Midoriya tapped his red shoes together, his lips curved in a nervous line. “It’s just kind of bothering me that villains like Gentle Criminal have been posting videos of their crimes and still haven’t been caught yet.” Midoriya gripped his pants tightly. He quaked a bit and gulped. “Even if a false alarm goes off at the festival, they’ll shut it down. Can we really be sure with how bold villains have been acting that one won’t try to infiltrate campus?”

“No one can be absolutely certain of that,” you answered, snapping a cookie in half to check its density. “But, I trust Mr. Aizawa and the other teachers. I don’t think they would let them even get the chance.”

Midoriya bowed his head to hide his expression. “I’m sorry to sound so pessimistic—”

“Dude, we totally get it. You want things to run smoothly for our peers,” Kirishima cut him short.

“And, for Eri,” you added. “It’s okay to express your concerns, Midoriya. We know as well as everyone else how important that this festival is.”

“Thank you,” Deku muttered out. “I’m glad that I can talk to all of you about it.”

Ochaco ruffled his messy green locks, and he blushed furiously. She handed him another cookie. “No more worrying, Deku. You worked hard today, so you should relax a bit,” Uraraka said.

Midoriya took a small bite of the cookie, avoiding her gaze in embarrassment. You teasingly wiggled your eyebrows at Ochaco, and she puffed out her cheeks in annoyance. She fanned her newly reddening cheeks, making you laugh. She’d gotten a bit bolder around Midoriya, and you wondered if their relationship was growing. You’d have to interrogate her about it later and get her to spill the verbal tea.

You relaxed for a bit in the common area. A few other students came by, like Bakugo and Kaminari. But, they all eventually filtered out. Kirishima let you know that the Special Effects Crew was packing it in for the day, so you stayed on the common area couch.

You aimlessly flipped through your FlikFlok app, saving all of the cookie recipes to research later. You froze when you saw Kobura, your finger paused over the video. He looked terrified, absolutely afraid. He was stumbling back into chairs, cornered. You could barely recognize him, but there was no mistaking those eyes, that face, or his hair. Emiyo Miya appeared on the screen next.

“As you can see, this is a Class A commitment-phobe. But, no worries my Little Emojis, you know I don’t back down from a challenge.” Emiyo winked at the camera. “Some people just need help to see what’s right in front of them. I’ll be glad to get rid of all of his meaningless distractions if it means we can be in a happy relationship.” She giggled cutely, but you could hear the underlining threat in her voice. “After all, no one said that getting a villain happily ever after was easy.”

Glitches flitted across the screen of your phone. The video was promptly deleted, and the app was closed out.

A message pinged across the top of your screen. “I’m sorry,” it read. Your phone rang and vibrated in your hands. “Let me explain,” scrolled across the caller identification.

You leapt from the couch, racing in the direction of your bedroom. You nearly tackled Bakugo off of his feet when you ran around the corner. He growled at you, and you pulled back.

“What the hell, Big Brain? You’re going to get hurt racing around like that,” he snapped.

“S-sorry,” you stuttered out.

Bakugo scanned over your expression. “Why do you look like you saw a ghost?”

“Uh, I’m just t-tired.”

“Bullshit.”

Your phone rang again. If you didn’t answer, you might never get to. You wanted to know what that video was about. You had no idea how that could have happened to Kobura. He never looked like that, his expression was never so helpless looking. “I-I have to answer this!” You ran past Bakugo, barely evading his arm trying to keep you from going.

“Big Brain!” he shouted back at you.

You kept going, ignoring Bakugo’s angry yells. You couldn’t lie any more than you had to him. If he stopped you, you’d spill everything. That would only make things worse for you and Kobura. You knew what you had been doing was wrong, but you couldn’t help yourself. Something told you that Kobura wasn’t completely bad. Bakugo would be able to see right through you if he got the chance. He wouldn’t understand what was going through your head to be talking to a villain.

You fumbled with your keys to open your dorm-room door. The phone continued to ring. You finally got your key into the lock and flung the door open widely. You slammed the door behind you and answered the phone, breathing heavily.

There was a beat or two of silence, before a disheartened voice came over the line. “I’m sorry,” Kobura said solemnly. He paused. “I don’t even remember what happened.” He sounded worried? Doku Kobura sounded uncertain?

Your fingers tightened around your phone. You needed stability. You were worried, but Kobura had been so assured of himself. Nothing ever got to him like that, like you’re hearing now.

“Why are you apologizing?” your voice came out barely above a whisper. “W-why does everyone keep apologizing?”

“Sweet Anna, I…” Kobura sighed. “I messed up. I promise you that I will do everything to ensure that you’re safe, but I made a mistake.”

“What happened?” you asked, holding your breath.

“Emiyo Miya happened.” Kobura let out a groan of irritation. “She stalked me, cornered me in the new café I frequent, and then she professed her love to me. It was as absurd as it sounds.” You heard Kobura slam something in the background. “Sweet Anna, you have to understand the only person I’ve ever loved is you!” Kobura’s breathing had slowly began to quicken. “For her to question me about that, to tell me that you’re not worthy… I lost all sense!” Something else clattered in the room. “I said your name, and I put you in danger by doing that.”

“In danger?” At this point you were just repeating what he said in utter shock.

“I promise you I will protect you. I won’t let anything happen to you Anna. I’m actively watching her activity to ensure she’s nowhere near you. The safest place you can be is on campus. As much as it pains me to be away from you, to trust the heroes to protect you, I don’t want you anywhere she can get to you easily.” Kobura waited for you to respond, to say anything. “You have to believe me, Sweet Anna. Please forgive me. I would have never purposefully done something to make you a target. All I can do now is fix it, make sure you’re safe. I’m taking down the videos as fast as I can. You shouldn’t ever have to see me like that.”

“How did she do it? How could she affect you?” you asked, lips trembling.

“It was her quirk. I’m not like you, Sweet Anna. I don’t have immunity to certain quirks like you. From what I could infer from the video and information over the web, she can control emotions. Like I said, I don’t remember it even happening…” he continued to talk, but his voice faded out in the background.

Your quirk buzzed in your skull. You didn’t understand what he was saying. A villain could do something like that to him? Could make him look so helpless, and he couldn’t remember it? A villain like that was after you? Fear had your body quaking. Your legs buckled, but you caught yourself on the edge of your bed. Something was knocked loose from the counter and clattered to the ground.

“Anna? What was that? Are you okay?” Kobura asked.

Abruptly, someone started to pound on your door. You yelped, dropping your phone.

“Let me in, Big Brain! I need to know you’re okay!” Bakugo yelled.

Your voice caught in your throat. Your worried gaze shifted between the door and your phone. You felt like a weight was sitting heavily on your chest. You covered your ears, curling up into a ball. Not again, you can’t feel unsafe again.

“Anna!” Bakugo shouted. “If you don’t answer me, I’m going to blast the door down!”

“Anna? What’s going on?” you could barely hear Kobura from the other end of the phone.

“Bakugo, don’t…” you said in a small voice. “I’m…”

 “Anna,” Bakugo’s voice had softened. “I hear you in there. Let me in.” He jiggled the handle, but he stopped hitting the door. “Tell me what’s really wrong.”

“I c-can’t move,” you said a little louder. Your quirk had sparked to life, your hair rose in your panic.

Bakugo’s shadow loomed beneath the door. Judging by the sound, he must have slid down the other side, sitting in place. “Breathe, Anna. Focus on your breath. I’m right here. I won’t go anywhere.”

You focused on your breathing to slow the vibrations thrumming in your head. The release of tension was almost immediate. You held the side of your head, crawling toward the door in hopes you’d stay conscious, still gasping for air through distant sobs. You lifted your hand up to the handle with trembling fingers. As soon as you managed to open the door, Bakugo carefully slipped inside, kneeling in front of your half-crumpled form. His rough hands moved toward your face, wiping your cheeks free of tears.

“Breathe. Just breathe, Anna. You’re safe. I’m here. I won’t let anyone hurt you. Just breathe,” Bakugo said softly.

Your sobs dissipated. Bakugo clutched your head to his chest, carefully untangling your disheveled hair with his fingers. Without warning, he’d stopped smoothing down your hair. He slowly released you, grabbing your phone from the ground, but it had gone completely black.

“What happened?” Bakugo asked.

You didn’t speak, staring at the far wall. “I can’t tell you,” you said, covering your face in your hands. “Please don’t ask again. I can’t tell you,” you repeated. You’d already dug yourself far enough down in this hole you made. Sympathizing with a villain had its consequences. You couldn’t drag Bakugo into it. Kobura promised he would keep you safe, but it didn’t make things less terrifying. He’d been the one that had frightened you so long ago. No, this was your mess, your burden to carry. You wouldn’t tell Bakugo any of it. It could put him in danger. He might hate you for it.

Bakugo shifted, setting your phone on your desk before he fell back to his knees in front of you. His crimson eyes were filled with thought. Still, he returned to holding you.

“Okay. It’s okay,” he said.

[sanstropfremir]

hi ik this is sorta different from what you usually post about here but im wondering what you think of k/da's 'villain' mv!!

hi!! at first i was like "....wait when did i ever give any indication that i know anything about league....????" but then i remembered that k/da is technically kpop because it has (g)idle members in it and then everything made sense. you're actually very lucky because i literally phoned a friend for help with answering this, since one of my best friends of 15 years is an animator that works in the (semi) big leagues doing mostly 3d animation! i could have probably answered this without him but i wanted an excuse to talk to him (we did literally have a phone call) since i hadn't heard his voice in a while and i really like talking about art with him. we both have slightly differing opinions on the villain mv and on k/da in general, which isn't that surprising if you know us, but i also think it speaks to the success of the ideas behind k/da, i suppose.

first, an intro for anyone who doesn't know what k/da is (because there will definitely be some of you). k/da is a fictitious animated girl group made from four characters from league of legends, that are voiced by two kpop idols (miyeon and soyeon from (g)idle) and two american singers (madison beer and jaira burns). the project was conceived by riot games after having success with a similar project pentakill (basically the same thing but using metal instead of pop/kpop). k/da has handful of songs and three music videos: pop/stars, more, and villain, all of which are completely divorced from any of the lore of the game. honestly you don't even need to know anything about the characters either if you can get past the fact that they yanno, look like video game characters. pop/stars and more are the whole group (there's another champion feature in more) and villain is a concept video/solo song for one member, evelynn.

personally i don't have a lot of opinions on k/da as a whole; i remember when pop/stars dropped and all my friends when bananas (i don't play league and i don't play multiplayer games at all), but i don't really get the appeal of them because i don't think they're doing anything with k/da visually that's intrinsic to being animated (other than the concept itself, but i'm going to come back to this). my friend however, likes the concept a lot and thinks that the animation has more appeal on a broad approach than a traditional kpop mv. i will fault him for this logic because that last girl group he followed was snsd when we were 13, but he does kind of have a point. the animated nature does temper some of the more surrealistic elements of kpop mvs and makes it more 'palatable' to a non-kpop viewing audience, but personally i don't agree with this reasoning and people are just boring. we do both agree that pop/stars is the best of the three mvs, though. it's the most fun and has a few really interesting moments that do utilize the animated medium (mostly akali's parts with the blacklight), and the stylization of the animation itself is fun. more and villain lean more into realism and i don't find that as interesting even if it is more of a technical achievement. the thing about both more and pop/stars though is that despite the concept needing to be animated (because the characters aren't real), a lot of the shots and content within the frame is pretty similar to shots you would see in real life kpop mvs. there is absolutely an extra heightened nature to it because of the medium but honestly? they could be doing a lot crazier shit instead of trying to emulate something that already exists with some extra flair.

i like villain i think the most conceptually because it does make a fuller use of the medium (regardless of the fact that it's not a lot of actual animation and is mostly just really really good texture sims. this is a pendantic point that my friend decided he had to correct me on). a good chunk of the shots hinge on the fact that it is animated, and this kind of atmospheric mv is less common for kpop; they pointedly don't show evelynn's full face at all, which they can do because she has a very recognizable and totally designed silhouette, which is something that you can't achieve in quite the same way with an actual human being. villain's ability to capture the mood of the song is successful because of its lack of emphasis on the main character; something that i find kpop mvs sometimes struggle more with because of the industry emphasis on face (and subsequently the fact that a lot of idols can't act). riot does also get it mostly right with giants, which is from another fictional champion group, which is mostly 2d animated.

[thorin-is-a-cuddler]

Careless laughter

A/N: I was inspired to write this fanfiction when I read about the story of Andrew getting waisted a lot during the time that Wham! was recording their album Make it big at Chateau Minerval in France. It is 100% a work of fiction and the way I write Andrew and George here is very personal and has nothing to do with the real people. Writing fanfic about real people is very strange business, but to anyone who enjoys reading this: thank you very much and I hope you like the Wham! in my fictitious little world. This is in parts a tickle fanfic, so I literally just project a lot onto poor Andrew and George and I hope you Wham! fans who read this can forgive me and maybe even like it. Alright, that’s it! Have fun :)

“George, please... George! George, won’t you at least look at me?” 

Andrew groaned when George stood up and walked past him, tense like a brick and with an expression of unfiltered anger. He grabbed something off a shelf in the recording room - which was actually more of a hall - and was about to go back to the mixing desk when Andrew strongly gripped for his wrist and held him back. Andrew’s head felt like it was stuck in a helmet. He was seriously too hungover for a fight with his best friend. 

George whirled around and tried furiously to free his arm from Andrew’s iron grip, but he couldn’t get away. Despite his headache Andrew kept the blank expression of someone who knows that they’re stronger and after a few more futile, angry attempts to get free George stopped, breathing heavily with his blond hair fluffed up like a cloud on his heated head. 

“Will you talk to me now?” Andrew waited for a reaction, but didn’t get one which led to him gripping his best friend’s wrist a little tighter. George hissed and was forced to look Andrew in the eyes. They stayed like this for a moment, George steaming with anger, Andrew determined and stubborn. George’s anger seemed to vanish in parts as Andrew’s solid glare kept imploring unshakenly. “Well?” 

With a tired expression mixing into George’s angry mask he gritted his teeth and nodded once, harsh and short. Andrew let go off his arm and pointed to the wide entrance behind them that led to an incredible garden, flooded with sunlight and covered in flowers and nice shadowy spaces from some huge trees. “Come on, you can get it all off your chest, yes?” 

They’d spent very little time in that paradise together until now. Andrew had been out and about with two of his oldest friends ever since they’d arrived in South France. He was still overwhelmed by the beauty of this place as he stepped out onto the red terrace with George. 

They sat down of a white bench placed in front of the wall of the recording “hall”. For a while they merely listened to the birds and insects and the very low mumble of the wind. It was afternoon and the sun was already yawning, less strong and bright than during midday. It could have been a wonderful moment, sitting there, holding their faces in the gentle caresses of the sun, maybe sipping a coke together. Then Andrew noticed George’s body started humming with tension again. It didn’t seem capable to hold all the mixed emotions together inside. He prepared for a storm. 

“I’m so sick of your fucking antics!” George got out between gritted teeth, turning his head away from Andrew, the sunlight meeting his hair, making it look like a golden shield between them. 

Andrew looked down at the terracotta tiles, the gentle breeze ruffling his black hair. He nodded merely noticeably and tried not to sigh. “I know.”

“You know,” George swallowed, a lump as big as their overwhelming success in his throat and seemed to choke on it in the most painful way. “You gave me a near heart attack yesterday. Seeing you in the bathtub like this, your friends trying to make you look like a person again, minutes before we had to do the special for The Tube... I was so angry at you. I was so worried, but I am constantly worried at the moment, because I’m trying to produce a fucking album here. And then I see you like this. You are not helping with that. You make me worry about you as well. I thought we were going to have a good time here. I thought you’d be here with me. I thought-” 

The lump made it so hard for George to talk that he had to stop. His shoulders were shaking ever so slightly. Andrew felt the entire array of fears, anger and wishes of his best friend and a big wave of dread rushed through him. His lips turned into a thin line and his fists clenched in his lap. He avoided looking directly at George’s shaking form, keeping his gaze directed at the warm tiles underneath his shoes. The wind was just a huff around them, but it managed to make Andrew shiver now.

“I thought we were going to do this together.” George said in a more stern voice now, but the sadness in this line nevertheless dripped out of it like water from a sponge. You couldn’t see it at first. But he was full of it.

Andrew did sigh now and dared to sneak a glance at his friend’s face. George looked disappointed, lonely and sad and it hurt Andrew as much as it managed to give him something back that he’d talked himself out of previously: that he was important for Wham!, that he was important to George, that he was needed for the band. He could barely stand George’s disappointment and he felt overwhelmed by the strong emotion of George’s unbroken affection despite Andrew’s behaviour of late. With a sniff he nodded to himself and carefully leaned in closer to his friend, looking for some kind of contact, for the usual warmth between them. 

George didn’t look at him, bent over to pluck out some grass to pick at, but settled back down on the bench with their shoulders touching again, the way Andrew had initiated before. Andrew tried not too smile too widely at that. He knew George couldn’t stay resentful. They just weren’t like that. They both had a strong desire to be taken seriously and they could argue a lot. But they couldn’t stay mad at each other beyond a certain point. They were too close for that. 

“George, I’m sorry.” Andrew pushed him gently with his shoulder, but George remained in his half-adverse posture - not pushing Andrew away, but neither initating any form of contact himself. “I’m truly sorry. I don’t want you to worry about me. I think I was trying to distract myself a bit too much there, wasn’t I? You know that I am not jealous of you, that I’m happy for you, right? I think your work is breath-taking. But I guess sometimes I feel a little... overwhelmed. And I worry. I know people talk about me, I know what they think about me and my position in the band. I just... sometimes I want to get away from all the thoughts that come, that just come then. I don’t really want to think them.” 

Now George directed his gaze directly at Andrew and it was Andrew’s turn to look away. He tried to avoid the hurt expression on his face, the furrowed brows and the helpless glare. But it didn’t work. 

“Andrew, you know that I don’t see it that way. I need you here. Wham! is not me, it’s us. I need you in this. Obviously. I can’t do this alone. We’ve always done this together. Even if I’m writing the songs, it doesn’t mean that there isn’t a lot more to do than just that.” 

Andrew shrugged and changed the position of his feet. He couldn’t hide that the bad opinions and the malice he was receiving from outside were messing with his head and his self-esteem. George tried to catch his sight. 

“You don’t have to act according to the fucking press. They don’t tell you who you are, Andy.” 

George now searched for contact as well, squeezing his shoulder against Andrew’s and tilting his head closer. “Please, help me, Andy. Stay here for a while. Please.”

Andrew huffed at that, a smile pulling at his features. He met George’s imploring gaze, his chest still heavy, but his head a little lighter. “I will only be in the way. All I will do is sit there and repeat to you how good it all is. All that comes from here.” 

George made a grimace when Andrew used his left hand to knock on his forehead. He smiled reluctantly and turned his head to really look at him. “When you’re around I know that you’e not getting in trouble. You being here, enthusiastic about the music and the fact the we are making our second album together gives me the confidence in our music that I lack when you’re gone. Your are the spirit of Wham!’s music, don’t you know that?” 

Andrew looked back at George and saw that his friend’s anger was gone now. His eyes were shimmering slightly and his expression seemed to say “Yes, believe it or not, you fool, that is the truth” forcing Andrew to smile at him. 

“Yep. Well, George, Wham! is all about fun. So, of course, I am its spirit.”

George groaned and rolled his eyes, taking his head away from its position close to Andrew’s shoulder and bringing some distance between them again. His smile remained. “Yes, I am real buzzkill.” 

“You are. Totally. You’re so lucky to have me.” 

“Mhm.” 

A huge grin appeared on Andrew’s features as he noticed the two of them were back to their bickering selfs. “Without me you just mope, like you do right now.” 

“It’s with or without you, Andy!” 

“No, no, I’m taking the blues away.” 

“You make me sick. Especially with your colored white strands. You look like a bird shat on your head.” 

“Excuse me?!” 

“It literally looks like shit, Andrew!” George repeated teasingly, eyes widening when he saw Andrew narrow his own. He knew that look and it didn’t exactly promise peace and harmony. 

“You know what’s really sickening, though? I will give you something sickening!” 

George opened his mouth to fire something back at Andrew, but his friend was suddenly grabbing for him, trying to pull him off the bench. George took this a his cue to rip free and run for his life, but Andrew had other plans for him. Before he could so much as reach the middle of the garden Andrew had his arms around George’s middle and wrestled him to the ground as if he was a mere flower on a field. George couldn’t do anything about his hysterical sounding laughter as Andrew pushed him into the grass. His blond hair glowed in the sunlight like an open treasure chest, which was nothing in comparison to his shining smile that took over his entire face as Andrew kept him on his back while breaking through his hectic defenses and squeezing his sides viciously. 

George kicked and wiggled and squealed for his life, laughing so much that Andrew couldn’t help but laugh along. They hadn’t played around like that for what seemed like two years now. Ever since they’d gotten famous. For the first time in a long time now Andrew felt like he was on the same level as his best friend again. It felt like they were just two boys who had been friends since childhood and therefore knew each other like brothers. Laughing this outgoingly together set something free in Andrew again and he realized he hadn’t been himself for longer than he’d liked to admit. The sight of George choking on his giggles, his eyes squeezed shut from the sensations of the ticklish torture as he twisted his head around in the grass - for once not caring that it would get messed up in the process - shot a bang of love through Andrew’s chest and he didn’t feel like stopping any time soon. 

“What did you say about my hair, George?” He asked teasingly, as he wrestled George’s arms to the ground, basking in his terrified squeaks as he managed to pin them down with a single hand. 

“NO ANDY!” George kept kicking and laughing and tearing at his pinned wrists as Andrew evilly wiggled the fingers of his free hand around in front of George’s face. “PLEASE DON’T!!” 

“I just asked you a simple question, my cherished friend.” Andrew grinned as George squealed in fear when he lowered his hand in the direction of his ribs. He hadn’t had that much fun when he got wasted out of his mind the nights before. This was a whole different level and he only realized now how much he’d missed the fun he’d always had with George. 

“Now, what do you have to say for yourself?” Andrew poked George’s exposed ribs and chuckled when it caused a breathless fit of high-pitched giggles. George’s eyes were squeezed together tightly as a sort of defense against the unbearable feeling of getting tickled that way. 

“PLEHEHEHEASE STOP!!” 

“I’m barely touching you.” Andrew smirked, loving the way George’s laughter showed off his singing talent. “You know this is great training for your next Careless Whisper, don’t you agree? Some Careless Laughter maybe?” 

Andrew enjoyed George’s strong reaction to having his ribs and sides poked relentlessly, the way he tried to keep his giggles at bay and failed miserably. He shook his head wildly, his bond locks flying as he could barely form any coherent words through his laughter. “ANDY! I CAN’T TAHAKE IT! PLEASE STOHOHOP!!” 

“No, you know it looks like you’re having an awful lot of fun.” Andrew said matter of factly and started wiggling his fingers into George’s ribs, chuckling at the immediate booming laughter the touch evoked. 

“I’M DIHIHIYNG!” George got out dramatically after taking a deep breath to fuel even more laughter. “PLEHEHEASE, ANDY, YOU’RE KILLING MEHEHE!” 

George changed pitch when Andrew’s tickling fingers reached his armpit, making George reach the full capacity of his voice. 

“Oh, right, this is a killer spot. I totally forgot. I’m so glad we talked, George. This is really important information.” 

George could only shake his head and laugh on as Andrew exploited the ticklish spot a while longer, before deciding that maybe he could show a bit of mercy. He smirked and kept on tickling, as he asked: “Now, are you taking back what you said about my hair?” 

“Yes!! YES!! I TAKE IT BAHACK!! STOP PLEHEHEASE!” 

Andrew chuckled and let go off George’s arms, leaving him more of a chance of self-defence as he sneakily took his chance to attack both of his sides at the same time, leading to George continuing his laughter with a very accusing sound to it. He twisted around on the grass and tried to tear Andrew’s hands away from his sides. “NO STOHOP STOP!! I TOOK IT BACK!!” 

Andrew laughed when George managed to roll out from underneath him and held his hands up in defense, panting with red cheeks and glaring despite the huge smile on his face. 

“I know you didn’t really take it back. You only wanted me to stop tickling you.” 

“OBVIOUSLY!” 

With a wave of his hand Andrew gave George a sign that he wouldn’t attack again, as he put his hands up on his knees, bent over, slightly out of breath himself. George sat up and immediately tried to tame his wild hair, groaning and panting and trying to seem somewhat fed up with Andrew. It didn’t work at all. There was no way George could have managed to stop grinning. 

“You had fun!” Andrew stated, laughing and pointing at George’s face.

“I did not!” 

“Yes, you did!” 

“Ugh.” With a groan George lay back down in the grass and huffed some strands of hair out of his forehead. He twitched away, when Andrew threw himself down beside him, making Andrew laugh again as he innocently held up his hands. 

“Don’t worry, I’ve had my revenge. Seriously an outrageous insult though!” Andrew pulled at his colored strands of hair and held them in the sunlight, his shoulder touching George’s again as they stared at the cloudless sky and tried to regain a normal breathing pattern.

“You sound like a little girl when you giggle like that.” 

“Shut up, Andrew!” George said without any real vigor behind it as he crossed his hands over his stomach and listened to Andrew rambling out a few more insults, thoughts and ideas for the album. He was glad to have him back. 

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So I’m tagging @heysucker1963​ and @captainkrakenandtheaquanauts​ because you guys kindly showed some interest in this fanfiction and if you want to let me know if you want more / if you liked it, I would gladly oblige. ;) Absolutely no pressure though if you don’t want to read it after all!! Also if you want to listen to George laughing really carelessly, check this out, I tend to melt when it comes to 5:47. Cuuuute.