#to clarify. this class has been very fascinating and i would LOVE to finish my notes at some point

[potatoattorney]

feeling like victor frankenstein with how much I've been studying for my history exam. stop mentioning that cursed subject to me I can't keep doing this

[ashistrashhh]

here are some fic recs!! including sakuatsu, bokuaka, kuroken and matsuhana bc i couldnt help myself

if you want, ask me about a certain ship and ill give you some recs!

-sakuatsu-

Marble and Sandstone by red_camellia

rating: G words: 12,937 chapters: 2/2 

author summary: Miya Atsumu only cares about volleyball and nothing else. That is, until he develops a strange obsession with the marble statue of a young man that seems vaguely familiar in his university's arts department. One day that statue comes alive as the very real Sakusa Kiyoomi, and they are left with the mystery of why Sakusa Kiyoomi was turned into a statue and only came back to life when Atsumu touched him. Their new-found connection and the strange mystery turns Atsumu's life upside down, not least because of his growing feelings for Sakusa.

my notes: this was a rlly cute fic!!! 11/10 would read again!!

let it go (paint my body gold) by lunarism

rating: T words: 3,272 chapters: 1/1

author summary: It becomes a routine for them. Sometimes they go grocery shopping and make dinner together, other times they end up talking until Sakusa feels like his own shower and bed is calling him. Every single time Sakusa gets home, shrugs his coat off, balls it up, and proceeds to scream profusely into the fabric for a few minutes.

my notes: pining!!! sakusa!!! also casual painter!atsumu!!! and they paint together!!!

craft a miracle with these hands, lips, (silence) by chrysanthe (sonderesque)

rating: T words: 4,252 chapters: 1/1

author summary: ‘Someone is here to ruin your night,’ his door tells him. ‘You should let them in.’ “I’M HOMELESS OMI-OMI. HOMELESS,” yells the one here to ruin his night. “LET ME IN.”

(What does Kiyoomi sell his sanctuary for?)

my notes: hnnn rlly fuckin cute,, and domestic,,,,

Clipped To You by littleboat

rating: T words: 8,174 chapters: 1/1

author summary: It starts with Hinata Natsu, of all people.

Well, if Atsumu’s being honest with himself, it started way before that, but he’s not, so that’s besides the point. And thankfully, he’s just petty enough to blame all of his problems on a thirteen year old girl.

or Sakusa starts wearing hair clips and Atsumu is more than a little obsessed

my notes: minor kagehina, bokuaka // god these fics rlly make me simp for fictional characters even more than i should. but!! sakusa!!! in hairclips!!! and a pining atsumu!!!

learn how to lay me down in something other than danger, other than fury by rosevtea 

words: 34,211 chapters: 1/1

author summary: All of the ways fellow college TA Miya Atsumu reinvents Kiyoomi's definition of normal.

my notes: god i loved this. it’s a fake dating au and like,, even though they’re “dating” sakusa keeps letting his guard down little by little around atsumu and it surprises everyone. komori and akaashi just know  that they’re were genuinely pining for eachother

among probabilities and a thousand fates by aalphard

rating: T words: 15,675 chapters: 1/1

author summary: prompt fill for “in a world where the red string of fate exists, person a’s finger always twitches when person b, who can see the string, tugs on their string” | or sakusa thought he had a tic and atsumu liked to see his confused expression when it started to happen exclusively when he was around.

my notes: i! loved! it!! so basically atsumu and osamu have the rare gift of seeing the red string of fate, so they know its real but sakusa, like most other people dont believe it exists. so atsumu gives sakusa a (kinda) hard time. rlly cute!! i love soulmate aus!

-bokuaka- 

love in the time of wifi by dalyeau

rating: G words: 4,177 chapters: 1/1

author summary: Akaashi is coming to terms with the fact that he might be romantically interested in his volleyball captain. Hence, doing what any sixteen year old with a problem should do. He asks about it online.

my notes: really cute fic about akaashi asking what he should do about his crush on a site similar to reddit. its kinda a “i didnt know it was you” kind of fic and it made me happy

steam by orphan_account

rating: E words: 8,474 chapters: 1/1

author summary:

 bokuto: why is he so hot bokuto: why am i so gay kuroo: LMAO you mean your vice captain right bokuto: yeah

The coach blew the whistle for practice to begin, and Bokuto drummed his fingers against the bleachers, awaiting Kuroo’s reply. He was about to walk away, when his phone buzzed in his hand.kuroo: i got this bro bokuto: what bokuto: wtf does that mean

Bokuto started to panic.

my notes: explicit!!! but really wholesome. kuroo is honestly the best wingman. i also think this is my favourite bokuaka smutfic?? 

just to miss the sun by rosevtea

rating: T words: 15,126 chapters:1/1

author summary: Everything begins to implode when MSBY Jackals outside hitter Bokuto Koutarou crashes Akaashi's livestream.

my notes: akaashi is a booktuber and bokuto crashes one of his streams. fans begin to speculate. rlly fluffy and can u tell i like bokuaka

brain fish by iceblinks

rating: T words: 12,026 chapters: 6/6

author summary: Akaashi wakes up to a string of texts from an unknown number. 

my notes: i love text fics and i love wrong number aus so u can tell how much i loved this. really fluffy and i come back to it time to time

-kuroken-

us three by honey_s

rating: T words: 5,137 chapters: 1/1

author summary: Kuroo’s gaze flits over to the utensil. His eyes bulge out of his skull. “Wh—is that a meat hammer? Put it back!” Akaashi’s head recoils back in confusion. “I don’t understand the problem here.” “Why on Earth have you got a fucking meat hammer? We aren’t going to kill somebody!” “Well,” Akaashi begins, clearly taken aback, “I apologise for assuming. I had heard Kenma-san had been hurt in school and after getting a message from both of you to meet late at night, I merely filled in the blanks and assumed we were going to beat someone up, for lack of a better term.” “Not literally! I meant metaphorically, or figuratively, or something!” “Idiomically?” “That isn’t a word, Bokuto-san.” “Jesus Christ,” Kuroo groans, dropping his head into his hands. “We're going to jail."

my notes: bokuaka and kuroo are ready to beat someone up for kenma!! and we stan!! 

Cherry Pits and Cat Tattoos by strawberryriver

rating: G words: 6,141 chapters: 1/1

author summary: 

Kuroo has been in communication with his soulmate ever since they were kids. They've known each other for so long that he never really worried about when or how he would meet them. At least, not until he meets the roommate of Bokuto's soulmate.Soulmate AU in which things written on your skin show up on your soulmate. Companion piece/same AU as Serendipty

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

Kuroo Tetsurou liked to write on his arms. Despite his mother's half-serious warnings about “ink poisoning” or staining his skin, he insisted on marking his arms and legs wherever he could. Not like his best-friend-since-always Bokuto Koutaro, who had to write on his arms or he’d forget to breathe, but artfully. He’d draw designs, animals, the occasional chemical compound. The whole idea behind soulmates fascinated him: how one person could mark their arm and someone potentially thousands of miles away, would have that same mark appear. The amount of articles, studies, and books he’d read about the topic, even at a young age, could put an undergrad researcher to shame.

my notes: again with the soulmate au bc i cannot help myself. but really cute!!! probably gonna read this again later!

Boom, Toasted by protostar (hearthope)

rated: T words: 6,782 chapters: 1/1

author summary:

 FROM: yuuji any bets on who hes texting??

FROM: eita He's smiling at his phone. Kuroo, probably

FROM: kentarou Kuroo

TO: fake family Have any of you ever once considered not prying

FROM: eita You deserve it

FROM: yuuji how can we not when ur in love!!

Kenma gets a text from an unknown number. He'd be lying if he said the guy behind it wasn't kind of endearing.

my notes: again, i love wrong number texts. it focuses more on kenma’s friendship, but kenma’s pov with texting kuroo is more than him realizing feelings and stuff. really cute, ive read it multiple times. 

Japan's most subscribed by NeverNothing

rating: T words: 3,631 chapters: 1/1

author summary: Kuroo Tetsurou @blacktetsurou changed his bio : volleyball player, co-owner of Bouncing Ball Corp. and so much more ;)

my notes: i! love! social media! fics!!! really cute and basically people wondering who the mysterious kuroo is to applepi. 

MATSUHANA!!! the underrated gem

texting (with a capital S) by parenthetic

rating: M words: 2,119 chapters: 1/1

author summary: Hanamaki breaks his No Texting In Class rule, and it's all downhill from there.

my notes: honestly more funny than it suggests, but its matsuhana, they’re meme lords.

rated m for by orphan_account

rated: T words: 10,692 chapters: 1/1

author summary: He should have known that there was a Specific Reason™ why it was so absolutely vital that he and Matsukawa specifically meet for a reading of the script. He should have known that there had to be some evil catch beyond sitting in a tiny, cramped studio with his newly sworn enemy.

Hanamaki stares at the title of the script he’d so gracefully neglected the night before.

FORBIDDEN PARADISE

“Excuse me,” Hanamaki starts, raising a pen in the air while staring blankly at the packet in his free hand. “Just to clarify, you want me to record a boy's love CD with Matsukawa?”

my notes: a very good voice actor au. there is some misunderstanding on hanamaki’s part bc he didnt finish listening to matsukawa, and this is really cute and i love matsuhana. 

In A Quiet Night, All Sounds Carry by levyovochka

rating: E words: 4,794 chapters: 1/1

authors summary: “Ah, ah, Too—!”

Hanamaki hates his university dorm.

“—ru, let me cum, please!”

Hold up. That’s a fucking understatement. Let him rephrase it: Hanamaki loathes his university dorm with passion. Detest the damned abomination, abhors it—

“—ru! Coming, coming—”

It has only been a month and Hanamaki already wants to die.

my notes: as u can guess minor iwaoi // rlly well written and bottom hanamaki rights and maybe my favourite matsuhana smutfic??? and hooh boy i simp for matsukawa

call me maybe by totooru

rating: T words: 33,689 chapters: 14/14

author summary: Hanamaki texts the wrong number when trying to extort tips out of Oikawa in order to defeat Iwaizumi in arm wrestling, and then continues to text the witty stranger who had answered.

my notes: minor iwaoi, daisuga, bokuaka // god i think this is my favourite matsuhana fic overall, maybe in general, but my god is it great. this is probably a common rec, but its understandable as to why it is. basically au where makki texts matsun (who goes to karasuno) instead of oikawa for tips to beat iwaizumi at an arm wrestling match. but they keep messaging. and holy shit i love their conversations. please read this, it is 256/10

there we go!! i might go a part two with more ships (kagehina, tsukkiyama and iwaoi) but this took up way to much time lol. i have an essay due in a couple hours. but hope u like these fics as much as i do!!

[puddygeeks]

𝑾𝒂𝒓 𝑶𝒇 𝑯𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒔 - 𝑪𝒓𝒊𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝑴𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒔, 𝑺𝒑𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒓 𝑹𝒆𝒊𝒅 𝒙 𝑶𝑪 - 𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓 7: 𝑪𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒆𝒒𝒖𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒔

Masterlist

Rating: Mature

Summary: 𝐴𝑙𝑖𝑐𝑒 𝑛𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑖𝑚𝑎𝑔𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑑 ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑓 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑘𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑖𝑛 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑙𝑙𝑖𝑔𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒, 𝑏𝑢𝑡 ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑑𝑒𝑠𝑖𝑟𝑒 𝑡𝑜 ℎ𝑒𝑙𝑝 𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑠 𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑢𝑙𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑖𝑛 𝑡𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑏𝑙𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑙𝑒𝑓𝑡 ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑡𝑙𝑒 𝑜𝑝𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠. 𝑊𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑢𝑝𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐵𝐴𝑈 𝑓𝑎𝑚𝑖𝑙𝑦, 𝑚𝑎𝑦𝑏𝑒 𝑠ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑎𝑛 𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑦 𝑏𝑒𝑔𝑖𝑛 𝑡𝑜 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑙 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑤𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑝𝑎𝑠𝑡.

Fandom: Criminal Minds

Pairing: Spencer Reid x OC

Status: Ongoing

LONG TERM ONGOING PROJECT :)

My writing is entirely fuelled by coffee! If you enjoy my work, feel free to donate toward my caffeine dependency: will work for coffee

𝑾𝒂𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔: 𝐺𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑦 𝑎𝑑𝑢𝑙𝑡 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑡, 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑠𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑟𝑖𝑔𝑔𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑠 𝑎𝑠 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑤. 𝑃𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑒 𝑏𝑒 𝑎𝑤𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑑𝑜𝑒𝑠 𝑚𝑒𝑎𝑛 𝑐𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑐𝑎𝑠𝑒𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑚𝑢𝑟𝑑𝑒𝑟, 𝑐ℎ𝑖𝑙𝑑 𝑎𝑏𝑑𝑢𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 & 𝑠𝑒𝑥𝑢𝑎𝑙 𝑎𝑏𝑢𝑠𝑒 𝑎𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑖𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑛𝑎𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐵𝐴𝑈'𝑠 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑘. 𝐼𝑡 𝑖𝑠 𝑚𝑦 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑡𝑜 ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑑𝑙𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑠𝑒 𝑖𝑠𝑠𝑢𝑒𝑠 𝑎𝑠 𝑐𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑓𝑢𝑙𝑙𝑦 𝑎𝑠 𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑏𝑙𝑒, 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝑖𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑖𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑦𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑓𝑒𝑒𝑙 𝑐𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑏𝑒 𝑖𝑚𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑑 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ ℎ𝑜𝑤 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑠𝑒 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑎𝑔𝑒𝑑, 𝑝𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑒 𝑙𝑒𝑡 𝑚𝑒 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤.

Eᴘɪsᴏᴅᴇ: Pʀᴇ Sᴇᴀsᴏɴ 1

Chapter Seven

It was a struggle to even drag myself out of bed the next morning, as the exertion of the past few days left me feeling thoroughly run down. Despite multiple washes and even attempting some treatments, I was convinced that I could still smell smoke in my long locks, and I resorted to tying it up in a high ponytail to at least keep it out of my face.

At this point, I was running low on office appropriate clothing as I hadn’t expected to be away for this long. I dressed in my last suitable outfit of a black shirt, plain white A-line skirt that sat just below my knees and a pair of black kitten heels. Tying a black bow around my ponytail, I quickly applied a natural looking amount of makeup to compensate for the soot covered appearance that the team last saw of me and then finished packing my things to leave.

I made my way down to the reception to check out, hoping that I would have time to grab a cup of tea before I had to meet the team, but at the very first moment that I had completed the relevant paperwork, I was distracted by a familiar sight. Reid seemed as if he had only just noticed me as he jumped to his feet from where he'd been sitting in the foyer and I approached him with a surprised smile.

“Dr. Reid. To what do I owe the pleasure?" I asked warmly, secretly pleased to have the opportunity to see him again.

He was dressed in a shirt and smart trousers, with a heavy cardigan over the top that gave him cute hipster vibes that I was sure he was oblivious to. He seemed troubled, his posture fidgety as he reached me and I worried that something bad might have happened to prompt this visit.

“You-you really don’t have to address me like that, Alice.” He muttered quietly, rubbing the back of his neck in an obvious display of discomfort. “Gideon always makes sure to introduce me as doctor, but it’s not something that I’m worried about.” He clarified, seeming bothered that he’d been presented in a pretentious light and I widened my eyes in surprise.

“Oh, sorry. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.” I replied, grimacing slightly as I spoke and he shook his head vigorously, as if I hadn’t done anything wrong. “What would you prefer?” I offered, wanting to ensure that I addressed him in a manner that he was confident with in future and he seemed taken aback by the question.

“Well, you asked me to call you by your first name, so it’s fine if you want to do the same. Or, Reid is fine too.” He answered quietly, forcing himself to meet my eyes for a fond smile and I returned it eagerly.

It seemed foolish, but I was strangely excited by the fact that he felt secure enough to correct me and I noticed a little flutter of butterflies in my stomach that I tried to deny. It would be awfully inconvenient for me to be attracted to him and so I ensured to quickly push any thoughts that were along those lines aside.

“Hotch has the car ready outside for you. He asked me to see if you were ready to go. Morgan’s helping Garcia to get everything packed up at the base, so they’ll meet us at the jet.” He explained, before taking one of my two cases to assist me and I chuckled at his well established manners.

“Thanks, Spencer. That was a struggle getting those downstairs on my own.” I admitted, feeling an extra strong flutter as I said his name and I was sure that I caught a slight flush in his cheeks too.

--⥈--

"What do you think, Sugar? Feel like a high class diva yet?" Penelope chanted as she settled herself in the seat opposite me in an overly dramatic posture and I giggled at her performance.

Admittedly, I'd never travelled on anything as luxurious as a jet before and honestly felt more out of place on board than I had at any previous time in my life. Fortunately, the company was excellent and the down to earth attitude of the team made the entire experience pleasant.

"I feel like the economy class flight home is going to seem especially torturous after this." I commented with a chuckle and Penelope nodded in agreement.

"I love the way you say that. We'd just call it coach." She remarked, flashing me a doting smile and I rolled my eyes at her continued fascination with my accent. “I don't get to come on the jet often, so it's still a novelty to me. I feel like one of those golden era movie stars, you know?” She described, gesturing as if she was fanning herself with some imaginary large feathered fan and I almost snorted in laughter at her.

“You look like one too, baby girl." Morgan crooned as he passed, tapping her on the shoulder fondly and she practically melted under his touch.

It was endlessly comical to me the way that she fawned over him, but I also appreciated the way that Morgan doted on her in return and was pleased that she had someone who treated her with the admiration that she absolutely deserved.

"Flattery will absolutely get you everywhere, you beautiful man." She drawled back, her voice husky and low as she examined him like a tiger stalking its prey and I shook my head in disbelief at her boldness. "You gonna be okay alone?" She asked, glancing back at Morgan immediately, like it hurt her to keep her eyes off him for too long.

"Go ahead. I have plenty to keep me busy." I announced as I pulled out my ereader from my flight bag and Penelope was out of her seat before I had even finished putting my glasses on.

The rest of the team chatted happily in the background as I lost myself in my story, enjoying some downtime for once. I couldn't remember the last time that I’d felt this relaxed and there was a strange sense of belonging that was present for me when in this team's company. Everything felt easier with them at my back, even facing down a burning building and it was unfamiliar to know that if I needed to turn back for help, then they would absolutely be there.

"I wouldn't have profiled you as an ereader kind of girl." Reid's voice remarked, pulling me from the pages and I glanced up to find him studying me with interest as he stood by my seat.

“Ah, you caught me.” I admitted, before slipping open my satchel to reveal a well worn copy of Pride and Prejudice. "I always keep old reliable nearby. Don't tell the others." I whispered, winking at him cheekily and a knowing smile filled his handsome face. "Honestly, nothing will ever replace real books for me. Something about the feeling of paper and the smell of the pages. It's unbeatable. But this allows me to take more of my library with me and I love to have a good selection.”

"Did you know that there is actually a term for that?” Reid began, gesturing with his hands as he fell into a flow. “It's called Bibliosmia, which is a combination of the Greek words for book and smell. The scent of books is caused by the chemical breakdown of compounds within the paper, which explains why older books smell better, as they contain a number of additional chemicals. Most importantly, many older books use Vanillin, which as the name implies gives a sweet scent." Reid lost himself in a ramble of facts, his passion clearly getting the better of him and though he seemed somewhat self conscious about the fact that he had done this, I had to admit that I found his knowledge fascinating.

"Really?" I breathed enthusiastically, hoping to encourage him to feel able to speak freely around me and he looked back up at me in uncertainty. "Well, now that I have a word for it, I can stop feeling like a lunatic, at least." I added, meeting his eyes with a gentle expression and he carefully sunk into the seat opposite me.

"It's actually a lot more common than people realise. You see, it's an extension of the connection between smell and memory. The particular scent of the book triggers a feeling of familiarity that allows you to relive parts of the experience from your first contact with it, instead of simply reading the story again." He explained, his demeanour seemed more relaxed now and I nodded in interest, encouraging him to continue. "A survey actually found that 71% of respondents don’t use eBooks at all and 76% preferred the traditional book. So, your love of the classic paperback is not something to feel weird about at all."

"That's good to know. I can carry my old school love of reading with pride now." I conceded, giving him an appreciative smile and he seemed shocked by my interest in what he had to say.

"What are you reading?" He enquired curiously and it was my turn to be shocked by his consideration.

In my experience, most people struggled to even pretend to care about my habits for an initial question, let alone to actually hold a conversation about it. I’d grown used to feeling like an outsider amongst people my own age and Spencer was a refreshing change of company.

"The String of Pearls." I confessed, pushing my glasses up to try to cover my blush and he raised his brows at me. "After the way that you talked about it at the base, I downloaded it. I thought it would be interesting to know more of the origin of my favourite musical. I'm already kind of agreeing with you, though. Without the additional context of the loss of his family and the continued tyranny of Judge Turpin on the cities most vulnerable, it honestly lacks the impact that the story I know has. It's simply meaningless horror, with little cultural relevance." I blurted, finding myself also becoming lost in words and once I realised that I was babbling, I felt my blush grow stronger.

When I could finally bring myself to peek at Spencer for his reaction, he didn’t seem bored, or lost as I was used to. In stark contrast to regular reactions to my literary passions, he seemed thrilled by my outburst, as if it had made his day. The way that he studied me now was as if he were lost for words and I quickly returned my attention to my reading in embarrassment.

"Do you mind if I sit here to read? You're quieter than the others.” Spencer asked, pulling an old looking book with a Latin title from his bag and I hummed in response.

"Of course I don't mind." I breezed, sneaking a look at him as he fidgeted to get comfortable. "I'm not sure what you're going to do for the rest of the flight, though.” I added, causing him to frown with confusion and I chuckled slightly under my breath. “I'm teasing, hun. I’m sure it won't take you more than ten minutes to finish that.” I elaborated, pointing to the small book in his hand and he smiled coyly at me.

"I'd usually play chess with Gideon." He revealed, gesturing to an inbuilt board at another table and I raised my brows in surprise to find such a fancy feature on a government jet.

"I'm afraid that I’m completely too out of practice to stand a chance against you." I laughed, unwilling to admit that I had always struggled with the game, despite my mothers best efforts to teach me and I certainly wasn't keen to embarrass myself by playing against an actual genius.

"Well, maybe later I can help you to recover some of your skills.” He suggested with sincerity and I was surprised by how little judgement there was in his voice. As always, he caught me off guard with his kindness.

--⥈--

Penelope's office was familiarly warm and welcoming, but even that atmosphere couldn't help me to make any progress with my reports. I massaged my forehead in an effort to engage my brain, but the words escaped me and I was rapidly becoming frustrated with myself. It had already been explained to me that I simply had to recap the events that occurred, but even that seemed to be too difficult of a task for me.

Penelope wandered back into the room to place a cup of tea beside me and glanced down at the blinking cursor on my completely blank document with a grimace.

"Ouch. Still no luck with your paperwork demons?” She questioned, before settling back at her computer comfortably, turning her seat so that she could still smile at me.

“I’ve never written a field report before.” I groaned, reading through the guidance notes that Spencer had given me again, despite having them practically memorised by now. “I don't know how to explain myself. I'm supposed to remain factual, but it's not that simple. There were emotional factors to why I made the decision that I did."

"Well, that’s easy. Just put I recklessly ran into a burning building like a crazy person, even though my friend told me not to.” Penelope commented, sneaking a meaningful look in my direction and I sighed with exhaustion.

"I'm serious, Alice. I'm worried about you. It's clear that you're not sleeping, or taking care of yourself, and now you're taking these completely insane risks. I don’t want to see you get hurt. I mean, even Morgan was super pissed with you for doing that. If you hadn’t looked so sorry for yourself in the ambulance, he would’ve ripped you a new one, let me tell you. The only reason that he hasn’t done so since is because he respects my wishes.” She revealed, her face growing serious as she examined me and I fidgeted in my seat awkwardly. It was hard enough to defend myself in paperwork, but doing so in the face of one of my dearest friends was another level of challenge.

"Come on, Nels. There was a little girl’s life at stake. I couldn’t just stand there and do nothing." I excused, feeling too uncomfortable to meet her eyes and she only seemed more frustrated by my insufficient response.

"The stakes are always high! That's the nature of our jobs. But you can’t just throw your life away for anyone who needs help, Ally! You matter too.” She insisted, placing one of her hands over mine soothingly to confirm that she wasn’t angry with me and when I looked up at her, I could recognise the care in her eyes.

"I’m sorry. I didn't mean to scare you." I conceded, allowing any defensiveness to melt away in the face of her compassion. "I've just been in kind of a rut since I joined Interpol. It feels so strange to be here and able to rely on people, compared to how isolated I feel there. I mean, I've never been face to face with a situation like that before and I couldn't walk away. I guess I've just grown accustomed to having no one give a damn about me. I didn't even consider the consequences.” I admitted, my voice dropping to barely more than a whisper and I heard Penelope take a sharp intake of breath at this confession.

"Oh, baby doll. Why didn't you tell me that it was getting to you so much?" She questioned, her usually bright face overtaken with concern and I felt as if I had rained on her parade by bringing my problems to her.

"I don't know. I'm not sure that I fully realised until I had this team to compare it to. Part of me felt like I got myself into this situation, so it was down to me to survive it." I reflected, feeling shameful that I'd allowed things to reach such a dire point and she seemed heartbroken by my circumstances.

"I promise, when I get back to France, I'll start figuring out what I can do to make things better. I’ll even send you reports on my progress if you want." I clarified, causing her to force a smile, despite the obvious concern that remained in her eyes.

"Well, if you make sure that you deliver on that promise, then I can help you with your little reporting problem. Come on.” She announced, hopping to her feet and pulling me along behind her.

Wherever she was taking me, I was not about to object to any help with my documentation and so I followed her obediently. Most of the team were focused on their own paperwork, as they sat at their individual desks surrounded by stacks of cases and I certainly didn't envy them for this part of their field roles.

We came to a stop right outside of someone’s private office and Penelope proved that there was such a thing as a cheerful knock, as she waited for a response.

"Hey, Jayge! We missed you in California." She called as she entered the space and I stepped inside cautiously, feeling as if I was invading her privacy. "I'm surprised you'd pass up a chance to get that close to that beautiful beach.” Penelope crooned, smiling genuinely at JJ and I could tell that she’d managed to strike up a strong bond with her too.

“Thanks, Garcia. It’s good to know that I was wanted, but there's no need for a press liaison in a case that is strictly off limits to the press and I have plenty to keep me busy here." JJ answered with a warm smile, before turning her attention to me curiously, prompting Penelope to reveal a guilty smile.

"Well, as the paperwork queen of the BAU, I thought you might be able to help Alice with a little reporting problem." Penelope suggested, making her best effort to appear downright adorable in the face of her already overworked colleague and JJ sighed as she turned to address me.

"I heard about what happened at the base. Hotch making you write up your report alone?" JJ enquired and I nodded back bashfully. "Yikes. That's a very parental punishment.”

"I just don't want to get it wrong. I already messed up enough.” I mumbled, feeling even more embarrassed now that I was discussing this with another agent and JJ simply smiled sympathetically at me.

"Sit down. You'll have to take me through what happened one step at a time and I’ll tell you how to word it."

--⥈--

It was an incredible relief when Hotch had signed off my report and confirmed that I was free to leave whenever I was ready. I'd already decided that I would like to spend at least another night in the area before I returned to life at Interpol and JJ advised that she could mark me as required under retainer for another couple of days, ensuring that Shepard would be unable to bully me into coming home immediately. Already, I was incredibly fond of the gracious members of this team and could easily understand why Penelope felt so settled here.

The prospect of saying goodbye to them felt far more daunting this time around and I knew that I would have to concentrate on keeping my emotions in check. Even simply gathering my belongings from Penelope's office gave me a strange sense of sadness.

Just as I finished packing away my laptop, I noticed a polaroid from my last visit of the two of us, which was leaning against a very decorative edition of the Alice in Wonderland book and I turned to Penelope curiously.

"You setting up a little shrine for me here?" I asked teasingly, attempting to mask how touched I actually was by the gesture and she turned her attention to the display with a smile.

"What can I say? This office feels empty without you now.” She stated solemnly, pulling at my already sensitive heart strings. "Originally, I just had the photo, but the book was actually a gift from our dearest Reid. He noticed that I was sad after you left and wanted to cheer me up. He's a good one, I’ll tell you." She divulged, causing my brows to shoot up in surprise and I couldn't contain a fond smile.

"That’s really sweet." I commented softly, glad that Penelope had this team to take care of her in my place. “Come on. Let's get this over with before I burst into tears." l advised, encouraging her out of the office where she rushed ahead of me to prepare the team for my departure.

Just as last time, they all moved from their desks to meet me in the lobby and I felt emotional even considering leaving their friendly faces. I'd even learned to interpret the vague differences in Hotch's similarly stern glares this time and knew that I would miss trying to tell the difference between them.

JJ reached me first, placing her hand on my arm affectionately.

"It's been great to have another chance to see you. Hopefully we can borrow you again soon.” She complimented, seeming genuine in her fondness of me and I smiled in return at her, appreciative for how attentive she always was. Before anyone else got a chance to speak, Penelope pushed past them all to grab me by the shoulders.

"Look, I promised myself that I wasn't gonna cry, but if I wait until last then I’m not going to be able to keep that, so I’m just gonna give you a squeeze.” She paused to pull me into a tight embrace, making me chuckle in surprise. "I’m going to say farewell, my love. And I’m gonna go back to my office to toughen myself up.” She blurted, leaning back to give me a watery smile, before she rushed out of sight. Morgan looked after her with concern, then forced himself to return his attention to me.

"Bring it in, Poppins.” He crooned, holding out his hand and when I took hold of it for a shake, he pulled me into a brief hug. "You did good work here. You know you're welcome back any time. We'll keep a seat free for you." He added, a wide welcoming grin plastered over his face and I felt myself tearing up at his kind words.

Him and JJ exchanged a knowing look, before joining forces to approach Penelope's office and I was glad to know that she had someone around to comfort her once I had gone. Hotch stepped forward to shake my hand in the gap, seizing a chance to speak before things got any more emotional.

“Thank you for your assistance on this case, Alice. We wouldn’t have been able to bring Amanda home safely without you.” He praised me as I accepted the handshake and I was sure that I could recognise a hint of a smile in his expression. "JJ says you're not heading home for another couple of days?"

“That's right, Sir. I have family in the area that I'm well overdue to visit." I reported, wanting to make it clear that I wasn't planning to just hang around the BAU office like a stalker.

"Well, just give me a call if there's anything that I can do to smooth out your return to Interpol." He offered, allowing his kind-hearted nature to show and I couldn't find the words to adequately express my gratitude for his support.

"Enjoy your time off." He added, before parting from me to leave me alone with Spencer, who was the last person still waiting to say goodbye. He stood with his hands in his pockets, smiling at me bashfully.

"It seems strange to say goodbye to you." He admitted, moving to tuck his hair behind his ear nervously. "You fit here.” He clarified and I hummed thoughtfully, glad that he felt this way. He paused with an uncertain expression, before clearing his throat to speak again.

"Actually. If you have a second, I have a parting gift." He muttered, seeming as if he had struggled to decide whether to mention this or not and I raised my brows at him.

“Something you said on the plane." He added as he rushed back to his desk to grab an item from his drawer and shuffled back to me, holding out a book. "It's a classic. If you're interested in brushing up your skills, you may as well learn from the best. I've already got it memorised, so you can keep it.”

I glanced down at the cover to find that he'd given me a pristine copy of Bobby Fischer's My 60 Most Memorable Games and I smiled at the gesture. It was charmingly thoughtful that he wanted to foster my enjoyment in something that he loved and I resolved to use the gift to develop my chess game ready for the next time that we saw each other.

"Thank you, Spencer. That's really kind of you.” I answered, a genuine smile filling my face and he seemed embarrassed by my gratitude. “Next time that I visit we'll have to play.” I added, causing his face to light up with a grin that made my stomach feel fizzy.

"I'd like that."

[justasparkwritings]

Codename Cupid: Chapter 2

Previous: The Broken-Hearted Heiress

Pairing: Kim Seokjin X OFC

Genre: Angst, Secret AgentAU, AgentAU

Rating: PG13

Word Count: 1.5k

Warnings: None

Summary: Over an economics project, sparks fly between Kim Seokjin and Lee Euna, heiress of Lee Enterprises. 

Banner: Me

 Codename: Love at First Algorithm  Fall, Junior Year

          Kim Seokjin sat silently in his lecture hall, eyes trained on his professor, fingers moving deftly against his keyboard. The upper-level econ class was his favorite session of the fall semester, and he would give anything to get Dr. Cho to hire him as his TA for spring semester, next fall, as well as the summer session. Hopefully, by working under the famed professor, Jin would acquire a Letter of Recommendation from the man. He wanted nothing more than to be an economist, studying the benefits of micro financing on the global economy, or perhaps unpacking the micro decisions that go into buying and selling stocks on the market, analyzing and creating statistical models to calculate the risks. In order to do those things, Jin had a few asses to kiss.

          Lee Euna sat behind Seokjin, her eyes trained on the back of his head, picturing the way her hands could run through his silky black locks. He kept his hair longer, hanging over his ears, bangs filtering his vision in a pre-Instagram filter. She had taken notice of him in her mid-level business course last spring, and again in the summer when they were on campus, attending seminars between their summer internships. She’d almost spoken to him at a mixer, but his smile… His face. Chocolate orbs and pouty lips, and his laugh of dulcet tones echoing around the room, captivating… Her crush was quick, and she fell deep. Which is how she ended up sitting behind him this semester and offering to be his partner on the very nebulous project that would determine their final grade.

          “We can meet in the library, tomorrow and start to brainstorm ideas?” Seokjin offered, eyes scanning the hard copy of the project.

          “That’s great, I have about two hours between courses in the morning,” Euna replied.

          “I work in the mornings, what about 2PM?” Seokjin’s eyes darted across the page, rereading the information he’d already memorized.

          “I can make that work,” Euna said.

          “Don’t cancel anything on my account,” Seokjin stated, his eyes glancing over her quickly.

          “I won’t, I have time before my next uh, appointment,” Euna’s practiced in seeming unavailable, a tactic utilized in the attraction of men for centuries. She knew how to make him want to see her, if only he would take the bait.

          Jin cocked his eyebrow at appointment but didn’t ask, it wasn’t his business.

          “Great, meet you in the atrium at 2?” Jin clarified.

          “I’ll see you then,” Euna smiled, coy with a hint of eagerness.

          “Oh, and Euna?” Jin slipped his backpack over his shoulder.

          “Yes Seokjin?” Euna asked, eyes batting.

          “Bring your textbook, we’ll need to reference chapters 5 and 6. I only have the eBook.”

          “Sure thing,” Euna smiled and for the first time, Jin stopped and took her in. Her black hair was shoulder length, a natural curl cascading from her roots down. She was rather small compared to his over 6-foot build, and the extra bling on her manicure did not go unnoticed as he took a cursory glance over her. Her wardrobe was classic, blending the silhouette of Audrey Hepburn with the hottest streetwear styles. Clearly, she read Vogue, most likely from multiple countries. He hoped her demeanor would lend itself to productive sessions and not result in him receiving anything less than an A on this project. Any blemish to his report and he’d surely lose Dr. Cho’s recommendation. Euna hoped that his staring was a sign, a crush building, maybe he’d hoped they’d be partners, maybe he already liked her as much as she liked him.

          Their first meeting was, in a word, uneventful. Euna planned every second of their time together, from the questions she asked him to the way she gripped her pen, every moment was calculated.

          “Have you read all of chapters 5 and 6?” Seokjin asked, his eyes glued to his laptop screen as he copied down a few notes from a past lecture.

          “Yes,” Euna said. “I took some notes, do you want to see them?”

          “No, that’s okay,” Jin glanced at her, “Photographic memory.”

          “Oh,” Euna had heard rumors of his brilliance, but nothing was confirmed.

          “We have to decide on the type of business we’re creating, and analyze other companies with a similar structure before we can begin to calculate the earnings,”

          “Dr. Cho said the public offering isn’t until mid-semester, when do we need to have our business model completed?” Euna asked.

          “End of the month,” Jin replied. “Did you read the project outline?”

          “Yes, what were you thinking for our business?”

          “We can either follow the trend, tech companies, or pick something less –

          “Ubiquitous,” Euna finished.

          “Right,” Seokjin eyed her again, first she’d asked a stupid question about the project guidelines, then she threw out a mid-level SAT vocabulary word. “I think sticking with tech, more specifically a type of app, is our best bet to recreate the structure of the actual financial structure in our economy.”

          “I agree, but I don’t think we should do anything on the same lines as Amazon, or food delivery or computers,” Euna countered.

          “Knock out the entire industry?” Seokjin was surprised.

          “We should look into phones, a cell service company, focusing on 5G broadband and a shift towards eco-friendly fiber optics and greener business practices,” Euna rattles off the idea, noting how Jin responded to her words.

          “How’d you come up with that?” He tilted his head to the side, staring at her for the first time, curiosity peaked.

          “I thought about it. Everyone has a cell phone, there are serious ethical challenges with the materials that go into making cellular phones, and with the constant improvement to broadband, everyone has to adapt at a pace that seems unsustainable, I guarantee there are huge environmental violations happening,” Euna continued to speak, her words verbatim from a presentation she’d watched at her father’s company no more than a few weeks ago.

          “We can look at the leading brands, both in terms of phone development and cellular networks to create the stock options and model, we should begin monitoring the DOW and NASDAQ immediately,” Seokjin said, eyes pealing slowly from Euna to his computer screen. She smirked as she watched him hastily pull open a new webpage and quickly begin setting up alerts and trackers for a variety of companies.

          “We should both be monitoring them, I’ll take the Dow if you take NASDAQ,” Jin said, scribbling numbers down in his digital notebook, “We should both write things down, keep a digital or paper copy as well.”

          “Are you always this intense?” Euna asked, her first personal question of the session.

          “Yes,” Jin didn’t bother looking at her. Girls like Euna always responded to his drive the same way, critical, judgmental, wondering if he ever loosened up. Unlike other girls, Euna had seen the fun side of Jin, and in their years at university, wherein he ignored her existence, she had been observing him.

          “What else do we need to go over for today?”

          “We should set up another time to meet. I’ll send you the documents and you can start working on our business plan. I’m thinking we need to meet twice a week at least until the market opens, or rather until Dr. Cho allows us to give public offerings,” Jin told her.

          “Same time on Thursday?” Euna stood, her computer already tucked safely into her couture bag.

          “Great, see you then,” Jin nodded. Without Euna present, he’d be able to analyze the companies at a fast pace than if she stayed. Though she was exposing her knowledge, Seokjin couldn’t tell if she’d over prepared in hopes that he’d take over the entire project, was trying to impress him. It was challenging to impress Jin, and unlike Euna, he had something to prove.

          Seokjin, the youngest of two sons, had lived a comfortable lifestyle. His father, an upper level in a large company, had provided and even spoiled his sons. Nothing was out of reach, though the question of whether or not they deserved it always hung in the air. Jin was a fine student. He enjoyed his friends, but what he loved spending his time doing, solving, understanding, was the way in which the world worked. Jin was fascinated by the evolution of currency, the national bank, the debt crisis and the minting of money. Everything related to coinage was a source of fascination for Seokjin. He busied himself reading the histories of modern finance, the evolution of economics, a comprehensive guide to what banking and federal reserves are. Jin wanted nothing more than to become a world class economist, maybe winning a Nobel Peace Prize for it, and bettering the world because he felt somewhere deep inside him that he could. When he wasn’t with his friends, or reading, he was exploring calculus and statistics in order to give him an edge.

          Entering college, he was one freshman in a sea of seniors and grad students taking classes he could’ve passed in high school. All to get the attention of Dr. Cho, all to make something of his life. As he began his project, disappointment waning as the final notes of Lee Euna’s perfume wafted away, he wondered if she too had something to prove.

Next: Daddy’s Favorite & the First Date

[unicyclehippo]

how abooout modern college au first kiss on a beach trip to nicodranas during spring break

‘Okay. This is now the second time I have had to turn this tin can around—‘

‘Watch it, Widogast,’ Molly warns from where he’s laid out on the back seat over Yasha’s legs. ‘Her name is Lucy and she’s the best thing that has ever happened to any of us.’

‘She ran me over,’ Essek reminds him.

‘—rather not do it a third time especially coming off the Byway. The traffic will already be very unpleasant—‘

‘I can appreciate dramatics, darling,’ Molly drawls, gesturing to his own resplendent get-up as some kind of proof before grinning wide as Essek, ‘but I don’t know if tapping into your chair counts as running you over.’

‘No, it totally does.’

‘Your opinion doesn’t count for shit, Beau, you would agree to anything if I disagreed.’

‘I mean, I’ll agree to that,’ Beau laughs, obnoxiously loud, and instantly quietens when a blue hand reaches up to smack Beau in the face.

‘Too loud,’ the owner of the hand groans.

‘Oops, sorry Jes, I’ll be quiet.’

‘—could kill all of you in here and no one would hear a thing—‘

From the backseat, Molly mimes cracking a whip. Beau just flips him off. ‘Yo! Caleb! Are we moving or what?’

Looking toward the man in the question, they can see that he has done a rather stellar job of folding his entire body over the steering wheel. Despondent, he stares blankly ahead at the garage wall, toward the homemade soundproofing Molly and Yasha had set up.

‘Hey - did you say something about killing us?’

‘Ja.’

‘Cool, cool. Starting off the holiday season well,’ Fjord drawls.

Clearly irritated, Caleb shrugs, the gesture scattering his too-sharp shoulders and elbows in various directions. ‘I have been talking to you all and you chatter away and do not listen. This is my warning,’ he announces, twisting finally to make eye contact with each of them. That’s rare enough of a thing that one by one they fall to obedient silence. Caleb lifts a finger, points accusingly into the back of the van toward them. Slowly, so they don’t lose a word of it, he says, ‘I will not be turning around again. If you have forgotten it, it is forgotten. This is your last chance to get something from the house.’ He waits.

No one moves.

Then, ‘I hate to be that person,’ Caduceus says in a low rumble, ‘but I need to go to the bathroom. Seems like the right time, since we’re home and all.’

There’s a sudden flurry of agreement like Cad’s admitting it opened the flood gates—thankfully metaphorically—and the van erupts in a flurry of movement and cries of pain as elbows slam into sides and feet stomp on feet and the van door rattles and careens open, hitting the end of the rail with a loud metal clang! and the others pour out. The ramp in the back is lowered for Essek with a solid thud, narrowly missing Beau’s foot.

‘You did it that time on purpose, Molly, you watch your fucking back in the water.’

‘No murder at the beach, Beauregard! You know how I am about water!’

‘...Sorry Nott. Watch your fucking back in the competitive volleyball competition, Molly.’

‘Oh no no no, if you think I’m going to be doing anything other than basking in all the glory I can legally get away with for the next five days, you’re very much mistaken.’

‘Maybe not,’ Beau says with a discomforting grin, ‘but I’ll be playing volleyball and who’s to say my aim won’t be slightly off? Keep both eyes open, Tealeaf,’ she warns, and trips on the stairs in her would-be dramatic exit.

Molly frowns after her. ‘Yasha,’

‘I’ll protect you,’ she says before he can ask.

‘Bless you, my love.’

//

With all of them bathroomed and fed and watered and settled comfortably again, Caleb takes his place in the drivers seat again and takes his thorough safety check once more.

‘Essek?’

‘Seatbelt and safety brake on.’

‘Yasha?’

‘Seatbelt on. Van door secured.’

‘Molly?’

‘Seatbelt on. Flammables packed away.’

‘Flam—‘ Caleb sighs. ‘Ja, fine, okay. Beau?’

‘Seatbelt on. Guns on full display.’ In the rearview mirror, he watches as she flexes, sleeveless as per usual. ‘Also, first aid kit full and close at hand.’

‘Thank you. Jester?’

He can feel the baleful glare boring into the back of his head as she lifts her head from Beau’s shoulder to say, ‘Awake. Seatbelt.’

‘You can sleep again, you just cannot lay down. It isn’t safe.’ She just grunts, pulls one of Beau’s arms across to hold like a pillow. Caleb’s eyes flick over to his oldest friend and has to shake his head; she’s reading, completely comfortable being manhandled by the other girl. He wonders if she even knows. ‘Caduceus?’

‘Hmm. What? Oh—safety check, yeah. Yeah.’ He pats his chest.

Caleb turns to clarify what, exactly, that might mean coming from the man, to find Beau also twisting in her seat. She flashes him a thumbs up and Caleb sighs. If only they could do this with clarity, with precision, they could already be on the road. It will never happen, not with this most motley of crews; in the two and a half years Caleb has known them, they have never once effectively planned a single outing. It is a wonder they get anything done at all, truly.

‘Fjord?’

‘A-yup. Seatbelt, plenty of water. And an empty one in case someone needs to take a leak,’

‘That is disgusting,’ Jester says in the same moment Beau says,

‘Smart.’

‘Really, Beau?’

‘I mean, yeah! We have some small bladdered people in here!’

‘Thank you, Beau, my thoughts exactly.’

‘No, it’s gross,’ Jester insists, and throws Beau’s hand away from her. ‘Neither of you touch me, don’t touch me!’

As the three in the middle row bicker, Caleb turns to his navigator. ‘Nott?’

‘Present! Seatbelted! Snacked up! Navigation route planned!’

‘You are the best of all of them,’ Caleb tells her, and enjoys for a moment the wash of complaints from Beau, and Nott’s shrill agreement, and the laughter of his friends. ‘Let’s be on our way, shall we?’

Nott holds the thick, soft-paged and somewhat worn directory over her head in her bony-fingered grip, shakes it triumphantly like one might a trophy. ‘To the beach!’

//

Jester sleeps well into the morning. She sleeps through Nott’s yelling as Caleb nearly misses the turn onto the Byway. She sleeps through a vigorous recitation of Molly’s brush with the supernatural in a graveyard—and Fjord’s near constant muttering of no no no and don’t tell me any more I don’t want to know, like the scaredy cat he is. She sleeps through the drive-through as well, as they order a late breakfast or early lunch and take off once more to the south. She sleeps through the yelling as they find the exit from the Byway onto the South Road, and it isn’t until late in the day as the peaks of the mountain range are coming into focus that she really starts to stir, pleasantly drowsy and warm under someone’s jacket. With a cuddle into the warmth beside her, Jester awakes with a happy sigh.

‘Hey.’ A soft voice greets her, gentle fingers carding through her hair and scratching in the perfect spot where Jester’s horns meet skull, pulling a comfortable rumble out from somewhere deep in her chest. ‘You awake this time?’

‘Mm.’

‘Want some water?’

Jester smacks her lips. They’re dry, as much from not drinking water as from the air conditioning that blasts dry and not particularly cold. They’d tried to adjust the temperature once but Lucy had broken down and refused to keep going until it was set It rights, so now they don’t dare.

‘Mm.’ A cool bottle is set in her hands. Not the drinking plastic like the dozen pack Fjord has brought, but smooth glass. Jester sits up more fully, blinks blearily down at the offering. ‘Thanks.’

‘Welcome,’ Beau says. ‘I got you a sandwich too—I know you said a burger so don’t jump me over it but you were still, like, fully asleep and a burger would’ve been soggy by now, so.’ She hands those over too, and two neatly folded napkins, and goes back to her reading. She reads the way she always does—intent, tuning out the world around her—but even so, when Jester finishes up she pulls a sanitising wipe from somewhere without pausing.

‘What are you reading?’ Jester asks now that she’s pulled fully into wakefulness. Her fingers start to itch to do something and she rummages in her bag for her sketchbook and pencils.

‘Book.’

Jester rolls her eyes. Cranes her neck in the most bothersome way she can to try and see the title. Beau laughs, lifts the book so she can see.

‘The Treatise of Yuma Falheich and the Expansion of 973–is this a history book, Beau?’

From the back of the van comes a sleepy, ‘Nerd!’

‘Yeah.’

‘But classes are over, we’re on holiday now.’

Jester watches in fascination and no small delight as the colour in Beau’s cheeks darkens; her blue eyes cut away from the book and out the window.

‘I - I know. I’m reading ahead.’

Caduceus hums a low sound that rises to almost a whistle. It’s a thoughtful, happy sound. ‘It’s nice to be able to do the things one enjoys,’ he says.

‘Beau,’ Jester whispers, ‘is he right?’

‘I mean, Cad is a little -‘

‘Not Cad.’ Jester’s grin pulls wide, wicked. ‘Molly. Are you a nerd?’ She laughs as Beau snaps her book shut with a huff—and promptly reopens it, slipping a blue piece of ribbon in to mark her place.

//

Beau doesn’t last long before she dives back into her book. Jester notices but doesn’t say anything about it. For as tough as she professes to be, Beau has something of a soft side when it comes to the things that are important to her. It wasn’t too long ago that Jester didn’t know anything about the other girl—for as vocal as she is about her dislikes, what she did like hardly ever seemed to come up. A flicker of anger rushes through her, turning her blood to ice as she considers why that is.

[alexsfictionaddiction]

Alex Recommends: May and June Books

I must apologise for the late arrival of this post. It should have been up days ago but I’ve been struggling to read much for the last month or so. My head has been very foggy and dark with all of the confusion, anxiety and hate that has been filling my news feeds and I’ve been filled with a desire to combat it. Before this month, I’d have run in the opposite direction from any kind of confrontation but recent events have given me the kick up the butt to actively do better. I’ve been calling out bigotry when I come across it and I’ve noticed that some people, notably my older relatives, haven’t necessarily reacted favorably to the changed, more outspoken Alex. It has been pretty daunting and I’ve worked myself up into fits of rage and tears several times over the last couple of months.

A lot of things have changed for me since my last Alex Recommends post. I’m currently temporarily living in Staffordshire with my boyfriend because my depression got too bad for me to stay at home for much longer. I missed him unbelievably much and I knew that spending some prolonged time with him would help -and it has. Both him and I have spent 12 weeks religiously following all of the rules, so we’re both extremely low-risk for catching and spreading COVID-19 and being together was something that we simply really needed to do. Please don’t hate me for it! In other news, I have also started writing again, which feels amazing. I’m now a few thousand words into a queer Rapunzel retelling that I have lots of ideas for. Maybe I’ll even post an extract or two, when I feel it’s ready to show you.

In the centre of the renewed energy of Black Lives Matter and the undeniable exposure of the horrors that is police brutality, the book blogging and BookTube worlds vowed to uplift Black voices. I wrote a very long, in-depth blog post full of Black-written books and Black book influencers. Please check it out to diversify your TBR and educate yourself on Black issues, which is what every white person should be doing now and always.

June was Pride Month and I tried my best to compile a series of recommendation posts in honour of it. These included gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, non-binary, ace, pansexual and intersex lists. I’ve had some great feedback on this, so I hope you find some fantastic new reads. It felt especially poignant to put them together the same year that one of my childhood heroes came out as an ignorant trans-exclusive feminist. As a lifelong Harry Potter superfan and someone who has repeatedly publicly supported Rowling in the past, I feel the need to clarify where I now stand. I do not support or agree with a single thing that she has said in recent times with regard to transgender people. I’ve never felt my own status as a cisgender female threatened by trans people wanting more rights or believed that children or women were at risk due to their existence. 

I read her words more than once and struggled to find any semblance of the woman who wrote the books that have most defined my life. I’m hesitant to say that we can always successfully separate the art from the artist but I will say that it makes sense to me that the Rowling of 2020 is not the same Rowling that wrote Harry Potter. She was a destitute single mother when Philosopher’s Stone was published in 1997 and of course, she is now a million worlds away from that lifestyle. It breaks my heart but it makes sense to me that she has changed beyond belief because her life has changed beyond belief. I’m not and never would make any excuses for her recent behaviour and I have stopped supporting her personally but I will not be getting rid of my Harry Potter books and I will undoubtedly re-read them several more times. However, I am now hugely reluctant to buy any more merchandise or special editions of the books, which saddens me but at the moment, it feels right. There is no coming back for her from this and I will make a conscious effort to keep Harry Potter and Rowling away from my future content. It can be really tough to admit that the people you once really admired aren’t great humans but it’s something that we all have to acknowledge in this case, in order to move forward with our own quests to become our best selves.

It didn’t feel right to post my May recommendations last month as I didn’t feel comfortable promoting my own content in the midst of boosting Black voices. So today I’m bringing you a bumper edition of Alex Recommends. Here are 10 books that I’ve enjoyed since the start of May that I’d love to share with you. Enjoy! -Love, Alex x

FICTION: Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

Set in the affluent neighbourhood of Shaker Heights, Ohio in the 1990s, two families are brought together and pulled apart by the most intense, devastating circumstances. Dealing with issues of race, class, coming-of-age, motherhood and the dangers of perfection, Little Fires Everywhere is highly addictive and effecting. With characters who are so heartbreakingly real and a story that weaves its way to your very core, I couldn’t put it down and I’m still thinking about it over a month after finishing it. 

FICTION: Get A Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert

When coding nerd Chloe Brown almost dies, she makes a list of goals and vows to finally Get A Life. So she enlists tattooed redhead handyman and biker Red to teach her how. Cute, funny and ultimately life-affirming, this enemies-to-lovers rom-com was exactly the brand of light relief that I needed this month. The follow-up Take A Hint, Dani Brown focuses on a fake-dating situation with Chloe’s over-achieving academic sister and I can’t wait to get my hands on that.

FICTION: The Rearranged Life of Oona Lockhart by Margarita Montimore

Just before her 19th birthday at midnight on New Year’s Eve 1983, Oona Lockhart finds herself inexplicably in 2015 inside her 51-year-old body. She soon learns that every year on New Year’s Day, she will now find herself inside a random year of her life and she has no control over it. Seeing her through relationships, friendships and extreme wealth, this strange novel has echoes of Back To The Future and 13 Going On 30 with a final revelation that I certainly never saw coming.

NON-FICTION: The Five by Hallie Rubenhold

Atmospheric and engaging, The Five details the previously untold stories of Polly, Annie, Elisabeth, Kate and Mary-Jane -the women who lost their lives at the hands of Jack the Ripper. Full of fascinating research and heartbreaking accounts of what these women’s lives may have been like, Rubenhold paints a dark immersive portrait of Victorian London and gives voice to these tragic silenced lives. Although we can’t know for certain if these accounts are entirely accurate, they feel very plausible and in some ways, The Five exposes how little time has moved on, when it comes to the public portrayal of single, troubled women.

NON-FICTION: Unicorn by Amrou Al-Kadhi

From a childhood crush on Macaulay Culkin to how a teenage obsession with marine biology helped them realise their non-binary identity, Unicorn tells the story of how the obsessive perfectionist son of a strict Muslim Iraqi family became the gorgeous drag queen Glamrou. Packed full of humour, honesty and heart, this book will give you the strength and inspiration to harness what you were born with and be who you were always meant to be.

MIDDLE-GRADE: The Super Miraculous Journey of Freddie Yates by Jenny Pearson

When fact-obsessed Freddie’s grandmother dies, he discovers that the father he has never met may actually be alive and living in Wales. So he has no choice but to grab his best friends Ben and Charlie, leave his home in Andover and go to find his dad! I laughed so many times during this madcap adventure and I know the slapstick crazy humour will hit the middle-grade target audience just right. It’s also a wonderful depiction of small town Britain with a focus on the true meaning of family.

MIDDLE-GRADE: A Kind Of Spark by Elle McNicoll

When Addie learns about her hometown’s history of witch trials, she campaigns tirelessly to get a memorial for the women who lost their lives through it. This wonderfully beautiful novel gives a unique insight into the mind of an 11-year-old autistic girl with a huge heart. Busting myths about neurodiversity while tackling typical pre-teen drama, you’ll laugh, you’ll cry but most of all, you’ll close the book with a huge smile on your face. 

HISTORICAL FICTION: Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell

In 16th century Warwickshire, Agnes is a woman with a unique gift whose relationship with a young Latin tutor produces three children and a legacy that lasts for centuries. This enchanting, all-consuming account of the tragic story of Shakespeare’s lost son, the effects that rippled through the family and the play that was born from their pain will send a bullet straight through your heart. Wonderfully researched and beautifully written, Hamnet is worth all of the hype.

HISTORICAL FICTION: The Mercies by Kiran Millwood Hargrave

When a vicious storm kills most of the men of Vardø, Norway, it’s up to the women to keep things going but a man with a murderous past is about to come down with an iron fist. At the heart of this dark tale of witch trials, grief and feminism, two women find something they’ve each been searching for within each other. Gorgeously written with a fantastically slow-burning queer romance, Kiran Millwood Hargrave’s first adult novel is an addictive, atmospheric read with a poignant, tearjerker of an ending.

SCI-FI: Q by Christina Dalcher

When one of Elena’s daughters manages to drop below the country’s desired Q number, she is sent away to one of the new state schools and Elena is about to find out something she’d really rather not know about the new system. Packed full of real social commentary and critique of life as we know it while painting a picture of how things could be even worse (yes, really!), this pulse-racing, horrifying sci-fi dystopian gripped me from the first page and refused to let me go. 

[seasonofthegeek]

No Other Choice, Part 1

This story is dedicated to @cheeseeatingtrashmonster and @miraculouspaon to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY month! I feel like we’ve formed a special Nelix club and I’m so glad we all love these two ridiculous characters so much!

This is going to be a longer fic based on a drabble I wrote a year or so ago so this first part is just a freshened up version of that and I should have new content in the second chapter posted later today. :D

Part 1: 

“I’m getting it removed. I suppose you have a right to know.”

Before Nino had the chance to look up at the owner of the voice, a stack of books dropped onto the table where he sat, barely missing his brand-new headphones he’d been mysteriously gifted only the day before. He grabbed them quickly and scowled up at the person responsible for their almost demise when his heart leapt into his throat. Felix Agreste glared at him as he stood on the opposite side of the table, his chin lifted defiantly.

“I don’t need a soulmate and I certainly don’t want a soulmate. The only reason I’m telling you is because I need you to sign these.” He dropped a packet of paper across the table, just beyond his books. “I’ve flagged each place you need to sign or initial. It should be simple enough for you to understand. Please don’t make a mistake. It was a headache getting a copy of the form.”

Nino looked at the papers and then back up at Felix. “What the hell are you talking about, Sir Scowls-A-Lot? What are these?”

Felix’s brow furrowed. “You’re my soulmate and I don’t want a soulmate so I need you to relinquish your claim. What do you not understand about that?”

“The part where you’re my soulmate.” Nino grimaced as if the words tasted sour. “There must be some mistake.”

“Alas, I was hopeful at first too. There’s no mistake, except on the cosmic scale. We’ve been registered since birth.”

“You’re almost two years older than me; that’s not how it works.”

“Twisted, isn’t it? Do you own a pen? These aren’t going to sign themselves.”

Nino brought the document closer with a frown. “Can you try to act like a human being for a second and explain this to me?”

Felix sighed heavily and glanced around the university courtyard before pulling the other iron chair away from the table. The legs protested loudly against the cobblestone and pink bloomed on Felix’s cheeks as he slumped down in it sullenly. “You understand that this whole soulmate fascination that our society has created is completely false and inaccurate, right?”

“You should be careful who you say that around.”

“I’m saying it to you,” Felix shot back. “Are you going to turn me in for brainwashing or something?”

“No, but…” Nino shrugged but still glanced around uneasily. “I guess it all seems a little too…neat and tidy.”

“Except it isn’t. We still have adultery and murders of passion and unsanctioned pregnancies. All the stuff they were trying to get rid of by implementing this moronic program decades ago is still here. Probably even worse if I cared enough to go through the statistics.” Felix leaned forward and rested his forearms on the table. “Not only that, but they only call it the soulmate program to make it sound romantic. Parents are the ones who decide what kind of person to pair you with when you’re born and if they don’t decide, the government does.”

“But some soulmates fall in love,” Nino argued. “Most do.”

“Well, if you thought you were stuck with one person for the rest of your life for legal reasons and most likely had no other options, wouldn’t you try to make the best of it?”

“You aren’t.”

“Yes, that’s why I said you and not me,” Felix clarified. “I was able to get the file my father filled out when requesting my soulmate the day I was born. Would you like to know what it said?”

Nino had a feeling he very much did not want to know what it said from the angry, pained look that leaked from Felix’s eyes but he gave a stiff nod.

“A male soulmate so biological reproduction wouldn’t be possible. His first request.”

Nino paled. “Oh, I…I’m sorry. That’s…if you aren’t….you could still try to adopt or–”

“I don’t want to be a father,” he snapped. “But that’s what this all is, isn’t it? I’m apparently gay because my father said I should be. Adrien’s straight because that’s what dear old dad chose for him so he can carry on the Agreste line with his own little brat when the times comes. Nevermind how either of us feels in the matter.”

“I can sign–”

“I’m not finished,” Felix interjected. “He also requested I be paired with someone at least a year younger from a lower income home, preferably a government-chosen male. Would you like to know why?”

“Even if I say no, are you going to tell me anyway?” Nino regretted the question as soon as the words left his lips. Felix’s mouth snapped closed and an invisible wall slid between them.

“If you’ll just sign where I’ve marked.”

“I’m sorry. Please tell me why your father is an even bigger asshole than I already thought he was.”

The hint of a small smile flickered across Felix’s lips and was just as quickly gone. “My mother was my father’s soulmate and he hated her for it. Or maybe she hated him. I’ll never really know. When she had me, he wanted to make sure I was the end of that line. Gabriel grew up poor and inherited my mother’s family’s money with her death. I guess he wanted a fresh start as if the Agrestes have been old money all along.” His voice was quiet as he spoke. “My mother died giving birth to me. It freed my father to move on. He met Emilie and married her immediately when her soulmate mysteriously disappeared. He chose her and he chose to have Adrien. I was just a mistake he hopes will fall off the family tree soon.”

“You aren’t a mistake. No one is a mistake.”

“Nino, I’m well aware of what people think of me. You don’t even like me. I’m not someone who needs his hand held and told he’s special. I know what I am.”

“Adrien loves you.”

“Adrien loves everyone,” he replied flippantly. “But since he is one of the few sincere people in this world, I’ll take it.” He studied Nino for a moment. “Have you never wondered who your soulmate was?”

“I’ve asked before but my parents never wanted to talk about it. I thought maybe they were embarrassed. I know they couldn’t afford one of the big agencies when I was born but most people seem so happy with who they have. I guess I just thought…”

“You thought you’d be happy too,” Felix finished.

“It sounds naïve, I know.”

“That’s because it is.”

“How did you find out about all of this anyway?”

“I turned twenty-one last week and my official records were released to me.”

“Oh. Happy Belated Birthday then.”

“I don’t celebrate my birthday,” Felix muttered. “What would be the point?”

“Why someone younger?”

“What?”

“Why did Gabriel specify someone younger than you?” Nino asked.

Felix frowned. “It’s just a theory but I think so I would be forced into finding a way to support my soulmate until he was old enough to have his files released and then I would be legally stuck.”

“Manipulative.”

“My father’s forte.”

“Does he know it’s me? You know he hates me, right?”

Another flicker of a smile touched Felix’s lips. “The thought of staying with you for that reason alone was tempting but no, I don’t believe he knows. Honestly, I’m not sure he cares.”

“You know I think Gabriel is the worst but that seems cold, even for him.”

Felix sat back in his chair. “I think…I think that perhaps to the rest of the world, my father isn’t so bad a person. He dotes on Emilie and Adrien, though his affection for Adrien has lessened over the years for his own unfathomable reasons.” He looked down at his hands. “But I’m something that reminds him that his perfect life isn’t real. He was forced into a marriage he didn’t want and fathered a child he didn’t want. The marriage is over and his wife buried, but I’m still here. I’m the reminder of where he came from and he hates me for it. I’m not even sure I blame him.”

“Dude, he really needs a therapist.”

A bark of surprised laughter passed Felix’s lips. “Don’t we all.”

Nino looked down at the papers. “What happens to us if we sign this?”

“You’re still young enough to be up for reassignment. Things happen, people die. I’m sure there are people your age, men and women, who are hoping to get a new soulmate before they’re legal. I assume you would be paired off with one of them.”

“And what about you?”

“I suppose I’ll be a social pariah but that’s nothing I can’t handle. I’m not the first person to relinquish my soulmate claim, though they do make it infuriatingly difficult.”

Nino nodded thoughtfully. “I guess I never gave much thought to if my soulmate disliked me enough to legally null our pairing.”

“This isn’t about you, Lahiffe.”

“I mean, it kinda is.”

Felix huffed. “No, it’s about me.”

“Not according to these papers, it isn’t. It’s about both of us.”

“You can’t honestly think this is a good idea. You don’t like me and if you’re thinking about my family money, my father has already given me my trust and sent me on my way. It won’t last long once I pay the fee for breaking this claim and find a place to live.”

“Gabriel kicked you out?”

“For my own well-being, naturally,” Felix replied dryly. “I’m fine.”

“Where are you staying?”

“You’re not signing these today, are you?”

“It’s kind of a lot to dump on me when I was just sitting here before my next class, thinking the weirdest thing to happen this week was getting these from a secret admirer.” Nino picked up the headphones and held them aloft. “They’ve been on my wishlist forever but they’re hella expensive. I already interrogated Adrien and he swears it wasn’t him.”

Felix flushed. “They’re from me. It seemed right to at least gift you something you would enjoy before I did this.”

Nino blinked, looking back down at the headphones. “How did you know I wanted them?”

“Because I pay attention.”

“You have to order them overseas.”

“Yes.”

“But you just got your soulmate file last week. That wouldn’t have been enough time to order them and get them here.” Nino continued to talk as a theory unfolded in his mind. “You already knew I was your soulmate. You were just waiting for the paperwork to be released.”

Felix sat back in his chair stiffly. “You’re smarter than most people give you credit for.”

“I know.”

“It isn’t personal, this decision,” he said quietly. “I’ve been watching you since I found out a couple of years ago by paying off the right clerk. You’re a wonderful person and if I could–”

“If you would,” Nino interjected.

Felix scowled. “You don’t want me either so don’t pretend to be the hurt party here.”

“I didn’t know what I wanted for lunch today, Felix.”

“What’s that mean?”

“Exactly what it means. I didn’t know what I wanted for lunch when I went into the cafeteria but then I saw my options and I’m happy with what I had.”

“So I’m a cafeteria option?”

Nino sat on the edge of his seat, leaning forward slightly. “Where are you staying?”

All the fight seemed to leak out of Felix and he deflated, sagging in the chair. “A hostel five stops away. I’ve been lucky enough to have my own room and moving furniture in front of the door at night has deterred hopeful looters.”

“Do you have anything there?”

“Do I look like a fool? Most of my things are in a storage building. I slept there the first night, but the manager made me leave.”

Nino stood. “Come on then.”

“What?”

“Take me to your storage unit. We’ll get anything you need immediately and move it into my studio.”

“That tiny place above your family’s restaurant?”

“Are you really going to be a picky homeless guy, Felix?” Nino shot back, amusement twinkling in his eyes. “I moved in last year after I got it cleaned out and half of it is still storage and yeah, it’s cramped, but there’s space for you if you want it.”

“Just sign the papers, Nino. Please.”

“No. Give me a year.”

“Why, so I’ll fall in love with you? Surely you aren’t so idiotic.”

“I have a year and a few months until I’m twenty-one, right? Let’s take a year and see if we can figure things out. We both know it’ll be easier if we don’t rock the boat.”

“And if you realize two days in that you can’t stand me?” Felix challenged.

“Then in a year, I’ll sign your papers and still have time to be reassigned.”

“Do you even like men?”

“I don’t think gender has much to do with anything.”

Felix scowled. “You’re impossible.”

“And you’re like an angry kitten, lots of hissing but no real danger.”

“This is not a good start,” Felix growled.

Nino held up his hands. “You’re right. I’m sorry. Now, really, let’s go get your stuff.” For a tense moment, he thought perhaps Felix wouldn’t comply with his request and then the other man was standing and adjusting the strap of his messenger bag.

“Fine. Lead the way.”

Buy me a cherry coke?

[hoopdiddies]

I'm Not Over You // Ben Hardy x Reader (Part 8)

A/N: Ayoooo. Hey guys, here's part 8 and I'm so sorry if the previous chapters kind of frustrated you. I didn't really mean for it to but I hope you enjoy this one. I'll be posting 9 tomorrow or the day atfter. Thanks again for your feedbacks, y'all motivate me a lot ^^ ♥ (My Wi-Fi has prejudice against tumblr rn)

Summary: You had always loved Ben ever since you two met in university and became the best of friends. That feeling went out like a candle flame when the two of you parted ways until he re-entered your life...but this time with someone who has already occupied his heart.

Warnings: Angst, bois. ANGST (I cried like a sucker during one part I wrote 😔) mention of blood, yet again drinking, some speckles of fluff, and unnecessary dialogue if you look closely enough :^ I feel like a terrible writer today

WC: 4k I think?

Tags: As always my taglist is always open uwu

@haendel-me-with-care

@mrsdoradominguez-barnes

@mickmoon

@lakef

@mrsmazzello

@valeriecarolinaw

@queen-turtle-boiii

@hardzzellos

"You look...beautiful." Ben's comment is indeed one thing to start the night. It's not like he's never told you that before–it's just the tone in which he has said it in is...different. A foreign tone never been released from his lips until you. You look up at him through your lashes, giving him a slanted smile accompanied by a bubbly chuckle. "Thanks. You smell nice too."

The corner of his eyes crinkle as his curving lips push them up. As expected, Rosy chimes in between you and Ben almost too quickly, the blurry speed in which she has arrived in making you gasp. "Excuse me, babe. You got interviewers on your tail and I- oh," her brows shoot up upon seeing you, seemingly haughty eyes flicking up and down your outfit in mild contempt.

"Surprised to see you here as well." The smile plastered on her face couldn't be any more forced than it is.

Girl, chill. Anti-aging soaps are not easy to manufacture these days. You begin holding your breath to prevent yourself from bursting into a fit from hearing that thought ring in your head. You shrug, garnering the guts to shift on your heightened stance and lean in an inch close.

"You're not the only one with a celebrity date."

You turn around too early to gauge her reaction, finally exhaling from holding your breath too long. You can finally conclude that she's had an effortless transition from being benign to far from being benign. The smoothest one-eighty you've ever witnessed. You remember her clearly being downright considerate of you the first time you met her yet now is a whole different story. You wonder if she was actually ever considerate.

As the boys and Lucy indulge in brief interviews, you stand behind the scenes and get the first-class chance of conversing with Brian. He's readily the coolest person in the house right now, bantering with you every once in three, fascinating topics. How fortunate are you to be in the spot a million Queen fans would die for but of course, you don't want to leave out Roger who - by a landslide - makes you wish you could wheeze and snort all you want if you weren't in a luxury event such as the Oscars. He seemed intimidating for you at first but as he joined in your talk with Brian, things escalated real quickly.

With the pre-ceremony interviews and the clinking of champagne glasses dampening, you begin hunting for your seats in the theatre.

Before you know it, you are informed that only a specific line of people are given exclusivity for the seats. And it shocks you that Joe, Allen, Ben and Gwilym are not given that card when in fact they were part of the very film that brought forth a new generation of fans.You shake your head disappointingly albeit contented that Rami, Lucy, Brian and Roger and their wives are part of the exclusivity.

Utterly determined to know the results - by Joe's 'sovereign' vote - the rest of you hang around in the waiting area, focusing on the ceremony rights shown on TV. Quietly sitting through the results, you all whoop and applaud at the mention of Bohemian Rhapsody obtaining three awards straight– your cheers amping up a notch as Rami brings home the 'Best Actor' award. Joe begins filming your reactions for Instagram, zooming into Gwilym, Ben and Allen's faces for most of the video. You throw your head back in laughter at how goofy the boys look; a bunch of men in their 30's bouncing up and down with one of them documenting the entire episode. At one point, Gwilym yanks as you in for a group hug, mercilessly crushing you in between their muscles– the disorienting experience now being something you wish you would never undergo again.

As Rami's thank you speech unfolds, you pay attention closely. The sentimentality of him lovingly thanking Lucy for being his anchor after dedicating his award to Freddie Mercury is just overwhelming and you wish you could tear up but your mascara would be waste. You're certain that made Brian and Roger emotional as well.

An hour after the ceremony, you all head down to the Vanity Fair after party in the same limo you had arrived in with every single person in the group eager to get the night progressing. Regardless of saying that these type of parties are not up to your speed, you try to get along with the evening and revel in what you know would be your last night with them. Sadly enough, Roger and Brian had to skip out on this with rough schedules on their hands. The moment they walked out of the place, they spent nearly half an hour congratulating the boys and having other celebrities congratulate them.

As you are seated across Ben and Rosy, you can't help but notice him acting a little distant from her. She's all nuzzled up against his arm and he is nowhere close to returning the favor. He's just...lost in thought, staring out the tinted window. It's still early to assume that in all the hours you were within a close range to them, Ben only ever acted aloof, giving her attention when the situation required it.

Perhaps a lover's tiff took place?

"Yeah, I'm wondering the same thing too." Mimicking your position, Joe calling you back to Earth makes you gasp a little. You close your eyes and look at your fingers blankly after recovering, sighing. "I think we should end all this pretending. It was simply a cop-out in the first place."

"I know," he whispers audibly enough for only you to hear, running his fingers through his fiery, red hair, "you should probably come clean soon enough before you leave."

And that you will. At least, you'll try.

In your defense, you thought the after party would host a fancy banquet but seated around with celebratory drinks -considerable with something classy - and attendees breaking down on the dance floor is a rather okay scene as well. As long as you don't end up like the night you were invited out for a drink with your colleagues, you should be fine for the most part.

The boys and Lucy have fully immersed themselves in the beat of the music while you've decided to remain stationary with one glass of wine, the only glass you'll be having for the rest of the party.

The entire time you gawk at them amusingly as they break out their dance moves, your eyes always find their way to Ben, who makes you snort painfully from all his antics as he moves along with Joe. They're a mess with their ties and buttons undone from all the movement and the sight inspires you to stay put.

But oh dear lord, can Ben dance like an uncle.

Keeping your attention on them, a descending weight sinks down next to you. You pay no mind to whoever it is but do as her voice interrupts your thoughts. "I hope your eye is on the right person, honey." You click your tongue in exasperation, turning your body towards Rosy and her developing, bitchy tendencies, scoffing as you place your drink down to set things straight with her. "First of all, what did I ever do to you to deserve this kind of talk?"

She smacks her lips together at you, simpering. "You didn't think I'd notice?"

"What are you talking about?"

Her almond eyes narrow as if she's trying pin you down with a warning. "Please, don't act like I never noticed. You're overstepping that boundary between you and your best friend- my fiance." Okay, so she's noticed. But your neutralized expression is not going to be giving away anything.

You incline your head to one side in hopes that the facade you're pulling would decompress her suspicion. "I have no idea what you're talking about. Ben is like my brother. "

Grabbing her drink from the table, she sighs and stands up, hands firm on her hips and face silhouetted under the beaming light nevertheless giving you a transpiercing glower in the manner of seeing through the makeshift barrier you've pulled up. "He better be. Try backing off every once in a while when I'm around."

To your dismay, you snap inside, whipping your head up at her and replying sharply to make the message crystal clear. "Rosy, you have no idea." Unable to withstand the atmosphere you're in, you put great emphasis on your words and snatch your drink, walking out to the mini garden to finish what's left of your wine without having to bear being around her.

The question is unadulterated and obvious– bold and italicized if you wish to give it a stretch and clarify it.

Why is Ben still with her?

Is he that clueless not to realize it?

You don't want to pry the answer out yourself but ruminating on it, Rosy pulling off a full one-eighty only when Ben's at an appropriate distance for her to squeeze you between her fingers is just about good as a reason as anything. Your unwavering feelings for Ben are clearly perceived by her– from the way you had reacted the day he introduced you both to each other to not so long ago.

You wonder if Ben ever took heed of her growing attitude towards you.

Finishing your wine in one, immediate, swig, you place it down on the marble surface before you with your fingers cradling the stem of the glass– relishing the spicy liquid flushing down your throat.

At the extent of overexerting themselves, Joe and Gwilym flop down back on their seats like jelly, tuckered out from the unconventional combination of alcohol and unsteady movement. Panting like a dog who had just participated in a marathon, Joe shrugs out of his blazer and tosses it over his shoulder, silently wishing the ice in the bucket that held the bottle of wine would save him from the grinding heat of the wine he had just about five minutes ago.

"Mate, you're deep in the heat." Gwilym comments as it is followed by a gentle laugh on how Joe's glistening in sweat under the dimming lights. He hands him a partially bland look before wiping his forehead with his handkerchief. Lucy and Rami are situated at other end of the place enjoying a chat with another party of people meanwhile Ben and Rosy are nowhere near any of them. Until, of course, they reappear from God knows where and Ben suddenly asks Joe where you've gone.

"I-I don't know." He says after a hefty sigh. Somewhat eager to find you, Ben begins excusing himself from Rosy whom which he has spiked a bitter reaction from for sharing his supposed time for her with you. Fed up and jealous in the slightest, Rosy snaps at him.

"Okay Ben, why do you always have to skip in between minutes to hang out with her even when we're together?"

He pauses from turning around completely and sighs. "She's my friend, babe."

Unwilling to accept his statement, she claims. "Well your friend is getting in the way of what was supposed to be our time together! Can't you set aside a limited time for her?! " This has alarmed Joe and Gwilym but it isn't their business to butt in and stop a quarrel from breaking out. Unless it turns physical, which is doubtful to happen. Ben, a little frustrated but still tolerant of her ongoing skittish behavior, tries to reassure her. "I know that, alright? But something's been bothering her for days and I just want to make sure she's doing alright."

"Can't you leave the worrying to Joe? He's her bloody boyfriend anyway!"

Wagging his forefinger at Rosy, Joe grumbles as he is not having any of her talk, scrunching his brows at her.

Grabbing her shoulders gently, Ben tries to relieve her of tension and assures her once more, but with a well-known fact she obviously still doesn't accept. "Joe's a little drunk. She's like...a sister to me," it really took him an abrupt pause to say 'sister', "besides, you're my fiancee. There's nothing to be jealous about."

"Why does she still have to be a part of your life? Our life?" Now that's a question that has just shifted Ben to a farther side. His brows knit together in momentary disbelief, unable to take her words in a good light. "God, Rosy! She's been around for so long! At least make an effort to accept her!" Like a slap to her conceitedness, Ben turns on his heels and walks out to find you. Leaving Rosy a steaming mess of insecurity.

However slightly drunk, Joe mutters to himself as he makes sure neither Gwilym or especially Rosy hears his words stumble out in a whisper. "You've grown a pair, Ben. You've grown a pair."

You've been outside for nearly half an hour; wine glass empty and your hair, along with the skirt of your dress, drifting along the harmless breeze and the waning moon spilling some light from behind the shaded clouds. Though there were a couple of people that found their way here to get some respite not too long ago, you're just glad to have this space to breathe in from the draining background of the party.

As you lose yourself in thought, a certain voice brings you back to reality.

"Nice night out, huh?"

Turning around slowly, you are met with the cool, forest green irises that you've grown to never tire of seeing. "I'm surprised you're still well-kept in that suit despite the scene back in there. " You give in to a chuckle, your smile pulling Ben to approach your side leisurely. "It's my Oscars suit. Something worthy of protecting."

"Hah!"

As he rests his elbows on the surface next to you, the distance between your skins makes you a tad bit anxious. Comfortable silence falls upon you both– for Ben at least, it's tolerable however you're not taking it well, not even in the slightest. You rub your hands together and sigh, prompting Ben to finally ask you.

"You alright? You've been tensing up lately."

You nod, closing your eyes and opening them afterwards. "This dress is just depleting me of bodily warmth." Half a lie told by you. Acting on his thoughts, Ben begins taking his blazer off but you stop him mid-shrug. "Keep it on. You look better with it on."

"This would look better on you, you're obviously freezing." He's really keen on keeping you warm but you're just as so in letting him keep it on. "I'm serious. Keep it on. I'm fine."

What can he do but just give in? When you're serious, you're serious. He lifts his shoulder in half a shrug, ducking his head as an idea flickers in his head like a bulb. He wants to relive something that has been lost through the years and it's only right that he does...now that you have less than a day to disappear from his life completely.

"Y/N..." He muses gently. You raise your brows at him in question, taken by surprise that he has his hand held out to you. Bewildered, you raise your finger to ask what on Earth he's doing. "What- what are you doing?"

He licks his bottom lip and the smile on his face becomes bashful but certain. "What else does it look like I'm doing, silly girl? Asking you to dance."

You're sorry that you couldn't keep a snort at bay. "Pfft. Ben, I think you're asking the wrong girl."

"Just let me dance with my best friend."

"Wow! That's noble of you," your chuckles can not be contained, even so much as restraining yourself from letting the blush spread throughout your face. But he has the fragments of what was once your heart, so why wouldn't you? You slip your hand in his and the grin on his face widens. "There we go. Easy does it." He breathes out, his voice getting gravelly. You hit him softly on his chest for cooing, at the same time realizing that his voice becomes that way only and only when he's nervous– something uncommon between you both. As his hands find home on your waist, you throw your arms around his neck, laughing at how awkward yet funny it feels. What a huge nod to how you danced with him on Homecoming.

"You're so weird sometimes. You got your fiancee, why don't you dance with her?" Getting used to the sting of referring to Rosy, you question anyway. He initiates with a sway before responding. "I already have. But, " he diverts his heavy-lidded eyes from staring off the distance to yours and suddenly, it feels like you're home, "I want to finish that Homecoming dance."

You find yourself speechless as you shift your unflinching gaze at him and he at you, your bodies swaying along the concrete and in perfect sync, coincidentally to the sudden change in music from inside, compared to the bittersweet night you had before the day that parted you both. Thin silence hangs in the atmosphere but only because you are looking at each other in a way you never have in your entire lives.

Instinctively, you break your gaze from his and rest your head on his chest, your hair falling into your face as your eyes screw shut. You hear his heart skip a beat, unusually in the same manner yours always has. Feeling your head follow the rise and fall of his chest tickles you inside– temporarily making you forget about the pain of soon letting him go and producing a sense of safety.

Maybe it's because of exhaustion? You wonder. He doesn't hesitate to stroke your hair and revel in the moment as well, easing you in closer to his body without breaking the sway. "You'll be there on my wedding day, right?" He asks nervously, his question pulling you back to the harshest reality.

You open your eyes slowly, your lips trembling as you let out the saddest sigh, feeling your chest tighten from the anxiety of soon telling him the truth.

"Y/N?" Your tensed-up body alarms him and so he breaks away and lifts your chin up lightly, being met with glossy and regretful eyes. His messy brows drawing together in slight worry. "What's wrong?"

Everything.

However uneager to push him away, you do, escaping his warm embrace. "Ben, I..."

He's dreading for your answer, painfully anticipating for the best or the worst to the point where his hands are lubricating with sweat.

You swallow the lump that has hardened in the back of your throat, pressing your lips together to prevent a sob from escaping and shunning his prying stare. "I can't..."

Joe's half-assed predicted, worst case scenario is slowly unfolding.

"What are you saying? You're not- you're not going...to be there?"

You bite down on your lip hard enough to make it swell, shaking your head and casting a sideways glance.

"Why?"

Tell the truth. Just tell him and you're either getting a support or another jab to the heart.

"Y/N, please! Tell me why!"

"I'm leaving, Ben!" The words didn't seem to stumble or carelessly flop from your lips, in fact it speared through him clean thereby catching him off guard. His eyes have fallen gravely, lips parted due to shock.

"I got into a medical school I had previously applied for. And I'm leaving," you snap your eyes shut and open them in tears once you've looked up at him, "on your wedding day."

"Why didn't- why didn't you ever tell me?" He's pleading for your explanation, barely clinging on to the belief that you would always tell him things.

You don't answer as you are battling to muster up the courage to say it.

"Y/N, please! You never tell me anything these days! And this- this news, it's important! You're leaving on the day I need you the most, and you never bothered to squeak a word about it! Not a single, bloody word! Why?!" He's racked up with disbelief and apparently, anger. Eyes rimmed, clouded with mixed emotions and face full-blown red from the pressure.

He grabs you by the shoulders and pleads heartbreakingly, his lively voice reduced to but a whisper. "Why..."

"I-" You're still holding back.

"Say it! "

"You'd soon forget about me, Ben!" You inhale sharply as you add, croaks present in your voice while you take two steps further away from him as you lament. "I'm hopelessly in love with you, you idiot! I've always been. I try- I try to brush off every single prick that stems out every minute I realize that you already belong to someone else..."

"Y/N-"

"I figured not telling you would help me let go. And it's the only way I can...because screw you for being a clueless, irreplaceable bloke! I can't imagine my bloody life without you in it! I don't think I can ever love anybody else...but you, "

"Y/N..."

You don't let him finish and achingly throw your hands to your chest as a gesture, pounding your chest thrice as you're finally wearing your heart on your sleeve. "I can't blame you for being oblivious to my feelings. You're committed to Rosy...and as much as I want to see you happy, I don't want to stand idly by and- and feel this way when you've pledged your heart to her...I want to forget and for you to forget me," As the warm tears you've held back for so long roll down your cheeks, you hug yourself through the pain, "I want you to be happy without worrying how I'd feel. And disappearing from your life, is the only way I know how..."

"Y/N, please, don't say that- don't do this...you can't do this...you c-can't..." With hands shaking, he strides towards you to haul you in back into his arms but you take an agonizing step away, stopping him in his tracks. "I have to. I...I want to. It hurts so much, Ben. It always has but promise me," even if you have taken a step away, you take it upon yourself to take those steps close to him and cup his cheek with a cold hand, "promise me you'll revel in that happiness. It's going to hurt being away from you. But it's going to hurt even more if I stay. And watch...my best friend grow old with someone else." Finally rendering him wordless, you shake your head and whisk past him back into the party which has died down a bit, leaving him a pondering mess out under the bleak sky.

"How could I be happy without you..."

You'd gladly do anything to go back home right now. The weight of what just took place is crushing you and the need to escape is fuming. But the thing is, Ben was never one to let you go easy.

He never did and possibly never will.

He sniffles and inhales sharply, jogging in after you and calling out your name amidst the constant noise and chatters. "Y/N, wait!"

You reach your table just in time to see everyone still gathered around with drinks raised and laughs released but you have to excuse yourself deliberately. "Y/N? Where have you been? What's the rush?" Lucy notices your hastened movement and places her hand on your tense shoulder. You snap your head at her with your purse in your grasp, shaking your head and apologizing that you have to leave, forgetting to rid your eyes of tears; the sight of you amping up Lucy's concern therefore leading you into her embrace. "Oh my god, are you okay? What happened?"

"Y/N!"

Ben's distant but audible voice echoing through the place just sends you panicking inside. "I'm so sorry, Luce. I have to go."

"Y/N, wait! What's wrong?"

Just as the rest could react to Lucy calling out for you and Ben dashing past them to catch up, you've already disappeared into the crowd, headed out the theatre to take a cab ride back to the hotel. Relentless to let you go, Ben follows your trail, spurring a quick frenzy from the rest and having them pursue Ben in return. Once you reach the outskirts of the pavements, you don't think twice before crossing the highway with your focus hardened before you.

Gasping for air upon exiting the theatre, Ben glances around in haste and finally spots you marching down the street oblivious to your surroundings despite treading along the pedestrian lane. His eyes widen in dread and acting on a fight or flight reaction, he yells for your attention as he speeds down the street to pull you in or rather save you from a possibility of getting hurt with all the rushing vehicles and careless drivers. "Y/N! Y/N!"

The boys, Lucy and Rosy arrive outside just in time to witness Ben race towards your direction and in a moment of feeling time slow down, you feel your heart in your throat at the late flash of nearing headlights, to add a heavy force propelling you off your feet and onto the other side of the road. What gets you up from the ground are the mixed screams of a familiar bunch and the sight of a bloodied man in white laying unconscious on the cold surface of the road.

White noise suddenly fills your ears instead of your own voice as you scream out his name.

[once-upon-a-pirate-ship]

Bets & Walls

A gift for an old friend on her birthday. @frankierosizedletters

Will bets Killian $100 that he can't get Emma to go on a date with him. He really needs the money, and he can only hope that she's the charitable type.

(spoiler: she is)

Follow my main Tumblr @elisethewritingbeast 

Also on AO3 here

Emma Swan was just a regular girl. Sure, she was a cheerleader, one of the “cool kids” perhaps, but she liked to think that she was normal. Maybe this word was so important to her because she’d only joined the Nolan family a few years ago, just before she started high school. Now, she had the best brother a girl could ask for, a best friend who always made her laugh, and basically a sister because she knew that one day her brother would marry that girl.

But Emma still found ways that her past slipped in through the cracks in her walls, digging a hole in her mind that made her think things she wished she could forget. She still felt lost sometimes, sitting at a table in the cafeteria with David, Mary Margaret, and Ruby, trying to listen to their mindless chatter about this and that but not really being able to, her brain pulling her back to her isolated ways from the millions of foster homes she fell in and out of in her time before living with Ruth and David.

She felt like she needed to give herself a mental slap, or maybe a real one. She was being ridiculous, really. She should be worried about the next football game her brother would play in, and what cheers she, Ruby, and M’s needed to remember. She didn’t need to be thinking of that time. The Dark Ages, as she so sweetly dubbed it. The name was fitting, because there truly was no light in her life until she met David and Ruth.

She left the cafeteria feeling a bit guilty, taking her time wandering to her locker and enjoying the mind-numbing buzz of the crowded hallways around her.

At her locker, she found what she needed for trigonometry and moved her hand to close the door, when a figure appeared beside her. That cute boy from her AP History class, Killian , she remembered.

He always had a book with him, usually a classic, and would often spend class doodling instead of taking notes. He never needed to, and despite his never paying attention, he knew the material better than anyone, except for maybe herself. He was quiet, kept to himself, and had that look in his eyes that she knew all too well.

“Hi,” he said shyly.

“Hi,” she wondered why he was talking to her; he never had before. It was a shame, really.

“I have a favor to ask of you,” he mumbled, obviously nervous. The way his hand moved to scratch behind his ear made her smile. She didn’t respond, just raised an eyebrow, so he went on. “Well, Will bet me one hundred dollars that I couldn’t get you to go out with me. I don’t think I could, but I really could use one hundred dollars, and I was hoping that you might be the charitable type…” he trailed off, so unsure of himself that she had to suppress another smile.

“Sure, but you’re buying,” she told him, and couldn’t help but laugh under her breath at the shocked look on his face. She turned to her locker, scribbling her number on a sticky note and passing it to him. “Here,” was all she said before she shut her locker and left to go to trig. She didn’t look back to see the look on his face, but she knew it would’ve made her giggle like a school girl. But wasn’t that exactly who she was?

They solidified their plans over the rest of the week, and come Saturday night, Killian Jones was picking her up at Ruth’s house. She inquired about just not going out but saying they did, but apparently Will wanted photographic proof.

David lounged on her bed while she finished her eyeliner, grumbling as he usually did. “Why are you going out with Jones again?”

She rolled her eyes. “He’s nice, David. Get over it. Besides, it’s just one date,”

“Fine, but I can give him the big brother speech if you want,”

“No!” She nearly jumped. “No, absolutely not. Please don’t do that,” her brother was very intimidating when given the opportunity.

There was a knock on her door at seven o’clock on the dot, and she noted that he was definitely the punctual type. She swung open the door, and she honestly wanted to gasp at how honestly attractive he looked, but the way his eyes slid up her body and how he swallowed so nervously...it made her heart rate speed up ridiculously.

He held the car door open for her. “What a gentleman,” she commented.

Killian’s reply was quick. “I’m always a gentleman, love.” It made her weak in the knees.

He took her to the only fancy restaurant in town, a little Italian place, and they even had reservations. No one had ever made reservations for her. He even pushed in her chair, and she couldn’t believe how much she felt like a real princess. She brushed the skirt of her pale pink dress anxiously as he sat down, feeling a little out of place.

She’d had boyfriends before. Well, boyfriend, singular. Neal. It was a whirlwind romance that turned into no more than a summer fling. He beat at her walls with a baseball bat, but it hurt her when he swung. David had hated him from the start, and that really should’ve been enough to make her wary.

But Neal, Neal never treated her like this. He never sat across from her at the fanciest restaurant he could find, smiling hesitantly at her. He didn’t hold her door, or make reservations, or push in her chair. Neal was no gentleman.

“So, do you make bets with Will Scarlet often?” She asked conversationally.

He laughed, and she could see the tension leave his shoulders. “Not usually, no. But he was feeling particularly bored the other day, and well, I could use the money.”

“Makes sense,” she commented, and then their conversation was halted until they could order their food.

Once their waiter was gone, she relaxed slightly. “You really know how to make a girl feel special, Jones. Had a lot of practice on that front?”

His eyebrow cocked and he smirked. “Are you asking me about past romances, Swan?”

She rolled her eyes. “I’m just saying, you do plan a good night out,”

He shifted in his seat, swallowing. “To be honest, Swan, I was worried you might think it wasn’t enough. You deserve to be properly wined and dined, if you’ll excuse the cliché.”  

She couldn’t meet his eyes, and she fiddled with the chain around her neck. “I’m not so sure about that,” she muttered.

If she’d been looking, she would’ve seen the way his eyes darkened slightly at his words. “That’s ridiculous, Swan,” he almost scoffed.

She shook her head, finally meeting his gaze. “Why don’t you tell me something about yourself, Killian?” She changed the topic.

He chuckled. “What do you want to know?”

“I dunno,” she picked the first thing that came to mind. “What’s your favorite movie?”

“Well, it’s sort of embarrassing, really,”

“Why do you say that?” She found him fascinating, and she couldn’t help her outburst of curiosity.

He waited a moment, as if he were trying to figure out what to say. “It was my mum’s favorite movie, and we watched it all the time together before…” he cleared his throat, “when I was younger.” She knew not to push, and kept silent until he answered her question. “The Princess Bride.”

Her eyes widened, and she thought that if she were standing, she would need to sit down. “No way,”

“What?”

“That’s my favorite movie, too.” And then his eyes matched hers in size and they sat there for a few moments in shocked silence.

“What are the chances?” He wondered aloud.

“That’s crazy, really,” she shook her head in disbelief.

"Almost...inconceivable." They stared at each other for a moment before bursting into laughter.

The rest of dinner passed with lively conversation, filled with laughter and (just maybe) a little flirting. She was absolutely stunned by how much she liked Killian.

After they left the restaurant, he offered an alternative to taking her home right away. “Fancy a walk down at the docks?”

“Sure,” she said, glad she had an excuse to extend their perfect evening.

The air was warm and the water was calm, and they walked with their shoulders just barely touching down to the edge of the dock, where Emma took a seat and let her legs dangle over the water. He joined her, sitting a bit farther than she had hoped he would.

“You never did answer my question earlier,” she told him, staring out at the soft waves in the distance.

“Hm?”

“My question. About girls,” she clarified.

“Oh,” he paused, eyebrows furrowing. “No, no girls. It has never really...come up before.”

“Really?” She asked.

He looked at her, smiling gingerly. “Does that surprise you?”

“Sort of,” she said, and when he looked at her curiously, she added, “you’re just good at this, I guess.”

“Am I?” His grin grew.

“Don’t get a big head or anything, but yeah. Definitely makes a girl feel like a princess.”

“Well, you deserve nothing less.” He was so genuine that Emma shivered. “Cold?” He asked, concerned. She shook her head, but he didn’t believe her. And as if it weren’t the most cliché thing he could have done, he shrugged off his leather jacket and put it over her shoulders.

They enjoyed the natural and comfortable silence that came with gently crashing waves and whispering wind. Emma and Killian sat there for a while, just basking in the peacefulness of it and appreciating each other’s company.

Anyone’s voice but his would’ve cut through the silence, slicing it and making it bleed, but his caressed the quiet, making her feel warm and light. “You seemed...surprised,” he said.

“Hm?”

“Surprised, earlier. At the restaurant, the reservations, it surprised you. Why?” He asked.

“Oh, well, I guess that my last boyfriend wasn’t really one to make reservations at the nicest place in town,” she shrugged.

“It was Neal Gold, right?”

“Yeah,” she still felt a stab at his name, but she also felt like someone was there to put pressure on her wound.

“Sorry, but he’s kind of a dick,”

She laughed, releasing the tension in her body. “Oh, absolutely. He did a lot of things and said a lot of things that I think my brother would’ve killed him for,”

“So he’s the reason you think you don’t deserve to be treated like a princess,” he stated, and it sounded nothing like a question.

“I guess, maybe. He just...reminded me of who I am,”

“And just who are you, Swan?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know,” she said, a hint of teasing in her voice.

“Perhaps I would,” he was so honest, so authentic that it made her heart shudder.

Another minute of silence passed between them before she spoke again.

“I was left on the side of the highway as a baby. I bounced around foster care for years, always the girl no one wanted. Just a lost girl, never anything more.” Her arms moved to hug herself almost subconsciously. “And then I found David and Ruth. I was fourteen when they took me in, and I could never have asked for a better family. I never dreamed I would even have one to begin with.”

He watched her carefully in the moonlight, taking in all her words and every flicker of her eyes. But what he felt wasn’t pity, it was understanding.

“My dad left us when I was seven, just after we found out mum was sick. My brother Liam took care of her–and me–until she died. They took me away from him after that. He was too young to be my legal guardian. He was only just able to find me again, right before we moved here.”

It was her turn to watch him, watch as the words fell out of his lips as if they’d been waiting to do that forever. The weight that sat between them had been lifted.

Emma’s hand moved slightly, just enough to cover Killian’s. His eyes flitted to hers, and then he flipped his hand so his fingers could lock with hers.

Killian Jones was slowly disassembling her walls, brick by brick. He was careful, and all he had to do was give it a slight tug, no breaking required.

It was late by the time they made it back to Ruth’s place (Emma’s place), but she still didn’t want the night to end. They stood on her porch, hands still intertwined.

“Thank you. For tonight,” she said, smiling up at him.

“It was truly my pleasure, Swan. I’m only glad you had a good time,” he told her.

“I’m really happy that Will made that bet,” she told him. “Oh my god, we forgot to take pictures! We don’t have any photographic evidence for him,”

“Well, I guess we’ll just have to go out again, won’t we?” He smirked.

“I don’t think I’d mind that too much,” she murmured, her eyes catching on his lips.

“No?” He asked, leaning in somewhat.

“No, I don’t think I would.” She said, closing the distance between them and captured his lips with hers.  

[firebunnylover]

LoSH SU AU/Shards AU - Part 2 - Characters

Welp, this is officially the longer part of the AU explained post. Follow up to the first post here, this time going into the characters that are established so far.

Also. Don’t be surprised by who gets the biggest section.

The Crystal Legion (i apologize if i miss anyone you wanted to see on the list, its really hard to keep track of all of them, it's like herding kittens - but i'm trying to hit the main ones first, or at least the ones ive fleshed out so far - when i finish coming up with the others i'll make another post for characters).

To clarify on who the Leadership positions “belong” to in the main timeframe, it’s Superman, Kell, Lightning Lad, Cosmic Boy and Saturn Girl.

-

While the origin of Superman and Kell are still relatively to the original idea I posted (my idea of Pink back then has been obliterated...), where they were intended to be a single type gem made from an asteroid (preferably a Ruby duo for missions), but came out as a Ruby and Sapphire, and far too big. They came out just as Rose and Zhay started causing problems on Earth for the Homeworld colonizing efforts, so the Blue Diamond then had them go to earth to find the rebels with the offer that they will not be shattered due to being off-color.

Kal El, or as humans from the 20th century and onwards would call him, Clark, lacks pristine future vision desired from Sapphires. He usually gets fuzzy visions that can vary quite quickly depending on the different actions taken, rarely seeing anything clear happening in the future. He quickly fell in love with the Earth when he came across a human settlement and was taken in, where he was given the name Superman due to his unique abilities.

He almost forgot about his original mission, but was rudely reminded when he found Homeworld Gems trying to kidnap people to bring to the zoo. He quickly sided with the humans and fought off the other Gems, making him wanted by Homeworld. Rose caught wind about him, and went to see him. He was rather easy to persuade to join them, but served as the prompt to fight for other gems.

After the war, Kal spent more times with humans again, constantly helping whoever he can. Gained a fondness for children, and came to want one for himself. The problem being that when he learned of adoption, he came to think that he could take in children who don’t have any parents around in the immediate area. It got so bad that the other Gems finally built a fence when the human population got over 50 and a literal mob formed - the humans were scared away but enough was enough.

But you do not want to bring children any harm in his presence, for he will thrash you good. Signed up as a foster parent in the beach area, but due to a low population, never got to foster any kids. Was thrilled to help raise Cham as a baby… but was one of the few Gems that understood how to care for a human baby, and as a result got sleep deprived.

-

Kell El was, more or less, the unwilling tag along. Unlike Kal, he wasn’t as entranced with Earth or Humanity, sticking to his task of finding the Rebels, but as Rose was just about impossible to find for some reason (she figured out how to quickly get out of the last places she was spotted), he started making return trips where he had left Kal, the human settlement, as he was the only other gem for company.

When the Homeworld gems came to bring humans to the zoo, he found himself being flocked to by the humans as Kal was fighting off the invaders. Since he wasn’t witnessed by Homeworld soldiers, he wasn’t put on a wanted list. But quickly realized that even if he were to capture the rebels, that wouldn’t really be a guarantee on his safety, after stumbling into a Kindergarten and witnessing two new off-color gems being caught immediately, one being shattered and the other one being bubbled away. So he joined the rebels out of spite.

Post war, Kell was still not too crazy about Earth, but had developed a soft spot for the other gems he was still with, choosing to stay with them. His interactions with humans however got worse. They get angry, he gets angry, ugly fights. And then his worst habit came into development - stepping on others. Due to his larger-than-average-ruby size, he fails to notice anything below his torso unless it yells at him. This did not go well when Superman witnessed him stepping on several children. Kell found himself bubbled for an hour as a time out.

-

Rokk/Cosmic Boy was a standard Amethyst for guard duty, and had developed magnetic powers as a result of the soil of his kindergarten. However, he would join the rebels when he became fond of Imra and Garth, who he worked with. A few hundred years into the war, he found an Amethyst that had emerged late that came out from underneath where he did, thus was stunted in height. The small Amethyst imprinted on Rokk, prompting him to follow him back to the rebels, and was dubbed Pol. Soon, he and Pol became the closest gem duo, Pol constantly looking up to Rokk, and aspiring to live up to him. In an effort to impress Rokk though, Pol was shattered on the battlefield. This left a lasting mental scar, as Rokk was too afraid afterwards to even consider letting anyone he considers too young to join any fights or missions.

-

Garth, and Ayla, are both Orange Celestites with their gems cut, as Celestites are designated to having twin partners upon being made, and are typically meant to be higher than a quartz in term of rank. Was the one who convinced Rokk to follow after Imra when she left to join the rebels. Garth’s gem has one crack in it, which he got after Rose’s death, and he uses barite to fill it. Ayla is almost completely broken, thus she is kept in a bubble in the temple, as using a filling agent could cause more harm than good in her case. Lightning Lad… has a huge ego problem due to a combo of being both a rare cut and color of his gem type that are highly valued warriors in homeworld, and being seen as a hero on Earth.

-

Imra as a Rhodochrosite is a gem meant for controlling other gems and interrogation, with both psychic abilities and strength. But she preferred to talk things out with others rather than using force if possible, eventually finding herself fighting against the system and going to the Crystal Gems. Her discomfort on reading other minds without permission was the main reason why she never found out Rose’s true identity. Helped Garth and Rokk hold themselves together due to the states of the gems they were closest to. While not as into humans as Superman, she’s inclined to help them out, as she is more empathetic due to her powers, although she does draw a line with the whole adoption/abduction thing.

-

Querl was a Tourmaline made during the war, along with several other gems as Rough Diamonds, thus given the second name Brainiac 5 as he is among the 5th Gem to be inserted with a shard of the original Green Diamond, as new and artificial Diamonds were formed by Alchemy rather than the traditional method of gem creations. Rough Diamonds are engineered to be unable to discuss anything related to diamonds unless they get some kind of wave of the order not to say anything, so while Pink/Rose was suspicious of who he was, there was no way to get a clear answer.

Was quite literally dragged over to the Crystal Gems when Zhay and Kell captured him from Yellow Diamond’s court as a hostage. Despite that, he was rather indifferent towards the war on both sides, UNTIL he met Sapphire Superman, who he fell head over heels. Afterwards, he warmed up to the Crystal Gems and their purpose and sided fully with them, and grew fascinated with organic life, humans and their ability to change as a culture and evolve. Will not hesitate to dissect them though.

Brainy is responsible for inspecting everyone’s gems to make sure they are in good condition, and was the one who initially discovered that Kal and Kell both had shards in their gems. He insists on doing an inspection every earth year. Which everyone dreads. It’s like dental appointments for gems.

For the most part, life on Earth is good... at least... until his gem got a crack. That caused him... personality problems.

-

Tinya is an Obsidian from White Diamond’s court. She was previously under the care of a very kind Agate who did her best to treat gems equally under her and encouraged and/or pushed better treatment for gems designated to the lower classes, but frustration with the system and the inability to change it left Tinya cynical about Homeworld’s order and structure, fleeing to earth to assist the rebellion, hoping the new order will flip everything over. Still carries a lot of pride with herself, and is the troublemaker of the group as she now has no more high-court duties to worry about. Had only met White Diamond once, and she refuses to discuss what exactly happened.

-

Timber Wolf is a Jasper made on earth, not for fighting, but to experiment on. Was left with Mar Londo, a grey Agate put in charge of a new science program under Yellow Diamond to help further the war efforts. He was put under limited corruption on the physical level before being moved onto the mental stage, but escaped before the mental stage was finished. Upon being found by  the Crystal Gems, Rose healed him enough to help him regain control mentally, but remained physically corrupted. Had a lot of respect for Zhay as they were both Jaspers, and was the only other gem who understood what she went through when she was partially corrupted. 

Was and still is constantly mistaken for a werewolf by humans, and has come to have a love-hate relationship with the fall holiday… Halloween. On one hand, he can walk around without too many eyes on him. On the other hand, there are the humans that try to remove what they think is a costume, those odd movies with werewolves (some he can tolerate, others he burns whatever copies he comes across), and the candy eaters.

-

Bouncing Boy, a Dumotierite Quartz, was one of the gems that emerged after the war. He was very quick to adapt to life on earth and human culture, never knowing the stress of Homeworld expectations, and took the human name Chuck. The softest gem to ever exist, what Rose aspired to be but couldn’t fully capture - a caring person to those in need, and better at connecting to others in full honesty. 

Prefers to shapeshift into a ball rather than summon a weapon for fighting. Is one of about half the gems that can tolerate eating, and likes it. Had more familiarity with raising human children, but his supplies of horror films he stashes has led to Cham watching films at a very young age that did give him nightmares.

-

Triplicate Girl came out of the ground long after the war… but it was before she was ever expected to. One of the earliest prototypes of the cluster, rather than being composed of shattered gems, her gems were deliberately designed to resemble a phantom quartz: Amethyst and Citrine together, encased in White Quartz. Due to the appearance, it was assumed she was a byproduct of the rushed gem production on Earth during the war. Came out looking more like the cluster prototypes, but due to the fact she’s not composed of shattered gems, was able to reshape herself to resemble a more human shape eventually. Was found by Bouncing Boy, and they bonded quickly.

As for the ability to split into three - she can split her light formation into three separate entities with distinct personalities, as a result of her gem being three different quartz types. However, the personality that has their gem depends on which one splits away first - whoever separates from the body first gets the gem, so they all get equal grabs on it. However, her ability to split up is limited by distance and time. A few days to a few week of her being separate is usually okay, but after a while, has to get back together otherwise they risk getting poofed due to the strain.

-

Shrinking Violet was a tourmaline that came out after Triplicate Girl. Her extended stay in the ground didn’t stunt her growth, but it did cause her shape shifting problems, as she can only shrink down from her original size. Curious on homeworld gems, she began pestering Brainy, as they are the same type of gem despite the different shapes - his is finely cut while hers is polished. While initially annoyed, Brainy found himself enjoying her company, as there finally was someone able to keep up with his scientific ramblings. Enjoys experimenting with mechanics and botany. Was captured by human children once as she was mistaken for a fairy. She eventually got out though. Can and will curse like a sailor.

-

Nemesis Kid/Hart is the youngest of the gems to come from the Earth, only coming out 500 years prior to the main events. As a Gaspeite, he was designed to act as an high-ranking enforcer for Homeworld with the ability to neutralize the ability of other gems. But that clearly isn't happening on Earth. As there is an age gap between him and the last few gems that came out before him by almost 700 years, he wandered around the Kindergarten before being found my Cosmic Boy and was taken to the others. Like Pol, he came to look up to Cosmic Boy as an idol, but due to Rokk’s strict rules on no young gems coming on missions, he has only been allowed during the last 50 years to come along.

-

Chameleon Boy, aka Reep, learned shapeshifting faster than any of the other gems, much to others confusion, who would all take a while to figure out how to adjust their forms. As a baby, everyone was constantly on alert when he was unable to be found, worried he might have shapeshifted into a small animal. During which Kell was forbidden to be anywhere NEAR the house by 300 feet, as he had stepped on Cham before - in his regular baby form.

As he got older, Cham quickly picked up on the odd glances made by everyone when anyone remotely mentioned Rose and Zhay, and learned quickly about the relationship between the two that the Legion knew, the shattering of Pink Diamond, and how his mom fell into a depression afterwards.

He has started a habit of sneaking out of the house to follow other gems during missions due to the sheer boredom, as well as influence from Tinya. Although Superman has been trying to convince the others to give him a trial mission.

Sometimes he will shapeshift to look like a regular human, but he can’t maintain it for long, compared to all of his other forms. He’s not really sure why.

-

Liggt, while looking like a fully corrupted gem - his appearance slightly similar to a sea slug, is aware of who he is and of his surroundings. However, Cham is the only one able to communicate with him, and Liggt tends to take long periods of sleep. Has a rather cheeky attitude towards humans, prides himself on being the son of Zhay. Is very soft, as he doesn't seem to have any bones, doesn’t get injured easily, and lacks a full nervous system, so Kell could step on him and the little guy wouldn’t notice much. Until the other gems are chasing after Kell.

-

Val Armorr is 100% human. He was on the run from the foster system before being adopted by the gems, and Cham began dragging him along when following after the other gems. Superman quickly noticed Val was very good at fighting, so he began teaching him how to spar efficiently. He is still adjusting to the gems and their lack of understanding of humans stuff.

As for life before the Crystal Legion… it had a bad start. His father was abusive towards him and his mom, and his mom began taking it out on him. When child services came when he was 6, his maternal grandparents didn't want anything to do with him. He got taken in by an elderly man named Toshiaki for a few years, who taught him how to fight, but he passed away when Val was 10. Since then he had been in and out of different foster homes before deciding to try making it by himself. 

There’s been few people he’s willingly kept in touch from this period of time, one of them another foster kid who decided to also make it on his own - Billy Batson.

As for how he got stuck with the Legion, that’s for later discussions.

Gems and Humans that aren’t immediate members of the Legion - initially at least:

Lois Lane was a reporter during the Roaring 20’s, and literally broke into the temple at the beach to get evidence of the “Odd Jewelry Fellows” residing in what people considered an old cave. Superman found her, helped her get out as the rest of the gems were not in the best of moods and had a less than gentle method of removing things not meant for the temple, and was quickly smitten by her. After a while, he asked her out and they began to date, as well as go on investigations together. It didn’t last, but they remained good friends, all the way up to the current time period. 

Also due to her explaining how humans can adopt children that aren’t genetically theirs, its her fault that the other gems eventually had to put up a fence because of Superman (HE CAME OVER TO HER PLACE AND CRIED FOR THREE DAYS STRAIGHT). Is over 100 currently, and it may or may not be related to her time with the gems.

-

RJ Brande is a successful businessman from Texas who enjoys travel a lot, and loved Zhay. He had problems back home due to his more liberal views on things compared to his traditional/conservative Southern family. So that was something he and Zhay could immediately relate to. Encouraged Zhay to try to reconnect to the remaining gems - and it went better than expected. 

Hasn’t contacted his immediate family in years - he doesn’t want them targeting his twin boys due to their unhuman appearance, and their gem peers. Despite having to be out of town most of time, he makes an effort to drop by as often as possible, and to Video Call Cham as often as possible. Quickly welcomed Val to the family, and doesn’t press for details on his past.

-

Bruce Wayne - much like in the DC comics, a rich business owner with an alter-ego named Batman who fights crime. Does do the vigilante justice stuff in the Empire City of the AU, tracks down the Gems when he’s dealing with a bunch of criminals using shattered remains for bad crime stuff. Has already adopted kids - the batkids are equivalent to the Cool Kids (haven’t decided if he has all the batkids yet or if he still has to adopt a few more - Dick Greyson is definitely there tho). Has been hitting on Clark, and acting like a Sugar Daddy at times. Everyone in the Crystal Legion is semi-dreading the two actually being together because that would be two people with the vice of trying to adopt every single child ever.

-

Mekt is an off-color blue celestite. He didn’t have a twin when he came out of the ground, but as the war was going on at this point, no resources were to be wasted. So rather than being shattered, he was assigned to be an imitation Pearl - equivalent to a real Pearl with status and decorated and given makeup to look like one as much as possible, but more widely available and usually given to newer-high status gems before they get new Pearls. He got handed around for several years before his final owner, a Golden Beryl. His last owner was nice, and they did have a relationship, but there were on uneven levels of power for their relationship to really work in a healthy manner. Mekt eventually left with Ayla to join the Crystal Gems upon her persuasion. But like Garth and Ayla, his gem got cracked, although his were thin and across his whole surface, compared to Garth.

Post war, he left the Crystal Legion, and ambled across different cultures with humans, although whenever he needed to get more filling to replace what he lost, he would need to find Brainy to help, which was usually about half a century. Unlike the Legion, he did get into more sinister activities during his time after the war. During the 20’s, his more notable activity then was working with a mafia - as both a callboy and for dirty business involving alcohol as prohibition became a thing.

Later on, Brainy dragged him to the Temple to get his cracks filled, just a few months after Reep and Liggt were born. He had some experience with helping with babies before, and was appalled by the majority of other gems because they didn’t know squat about how to properly care for babies. As Superman was in desperate need of sleep (despite denial) and the other gems had missions to go on, Mekt was put in the babysitter position. Due to the soft spots he had for children, Mekt got a job to get stuff for them when RJ wasn’t necessarily available and the other gems said no. He will not tell the kids what TYPE of job. Not illegal. Just adult stuff.

As for serious relationships… he is attracted to Kell. Kell, being the oblivious one, can’t figure out when Mekt is flirting with him, at all, for the last 5000 years.

In regards to him being a Celestite vs his position in homeworld culture as an imitation Pearl, he sincerely wishes he was created as a Pearl, similar to people being trans. So he experiences some body dysphoria in regards to his gem not being a Pearl. He hasn’t told anyone about it outloud though. Well, no one in the Legion currently.

-

The late arrivals from Space - that would be Ron Karr, a Peridot. Like Peri in the show, he is in charge of checking the status of the cluster. He eventually comes to Earth with backup after he complains about the gems on Earth interrupting his mission, getting stuck on what he considered... filthy dirt ball at the time.

He’s one of the few Gen 2 Peridots that can still shapeshift, which he’s as good at as Cham, although he’s still stunted in height. As for his relationship with Mekt, as they were teammates in the LSV in the cartoon show, Ron-Karr quickly writes him off as some cheap faux-pearl and even offers to be his new owner, which served as a catalyst for the two to have a fight. But afterwards, they smoothed things out, and form a pretty calm friendship. So calm they end of being roommates at the barn.

Has called a Diamond a clod. Notably the Diamond who replaced Pink shortly after the war.

[hairringtonsteve]

biology notes (1).

Welcome to the Four Horsemen collab fic! Each of us will be writing and posting parts of this story, but you never know who is going to post the next part, so keep your eyes peeled on all of our blogs!

Dot: @stevesdacre

Emma: @hairringtonsteve

Lidi: @letmeletmetrashyourlove

Rachael: @dacrethehalls

PART ONE (this one!)

PART TWO (tba)

PART THREE (tba)

PART FOUR (tba)

billy hargrove x reader & steve harrington x reader 

fic summary: the reader is the new girl at hawkins, and let’s just say that she ends up catching the eye of a few boys in school. 

word count: 1, 773

a/n: so, surprise! this is going to be an interesting fic, because we’ve all agreed that no one actually knows what’s going to happen. the only person that’s read this is @stevesdacre because she edited it. lidi and rachael have no idea what’s going to happen, and only the person writing it controls what happens next. so i’ve got no idea what’s going to happen from here on out! be sure to follow everyone else because it’s a surprise as to who’s going to post next - and honestly i’m the worst at remembering this stuff. rachael and lidi have harassed me like 20 times bc i keep asking questions.

“There’s nothing to worry about. Everything’s going to be the exact same.”

Mom kept saying that over and over again as we packed up the car and drove from Antioch, California to our new home in Hawkins. It had been three days of reassurances that everything would be fine, that Christmas would be the same, and that nothing would change. Which was fine and dandy, except for the fact that I was stuck with explaining to Matty that yes, Santa would find us despite us moving so close to Christmas, and no, he wouldn’t get coal for whispering fuck as we pulled away from the only home we’d ever known.

I was also stuck with the honor of getting Matty ready for school, which meant waking up a half hour early and rooting through the closet for something that would suffice for the freezing temperatures of Hawkins.

I ended up having to feed the kid breakfast too, which had been an issue all on its own. The worst, though, was getting this kid ready for the bus.

“Do you think Dad will be here soon?” Matty asked me, looking up at me with his big, brown eyes. I held out his coat and motioned for him to shove his arms through. Neither of our coats were very thick, but they did the trick for the most part.

“Mom said he just needed to finish up at work, remember?” My stomach twisted at the sidestepping, but Matty didn’t know about the heated, whispered conversations at two in the morning, or how Dad hadn’t actually slept in the house for two weeks. “Everything’s going to the same, trust me.”

I was going to throw up.

“You’re sure that Santa will find us, right? Did you send him the new address?” 

“Of course I did. I’m not stupid. One of the elves called last night and said we didn’t even have to do that. They keep tabs on all the first graders.”

“That makes sense,” he said with a shrug. I bit back my grin as I nodded towards the front door.

“Let’s go, little man. We’ve got school.” The rumble of the school bus could be heard as it approached, coughing and gurgling as the driver eased on the brakes. Matty practically launched himself away from me, backpack hanging off of one shoulder as he jumped down the steps. “Have a good day!” I yelled, laughing as he waved haphazardly over his shoulder. The little shit didn’t even look at me.

“Matty get off to school?” Mom’s voice was rough. It was hard to tell if was due to lack of sleep, or the soft sobs I’d heard early into the morning. Odds are, it was both.

“Yeah, he did.” I slid my jacket on, reaching down for my backpack, careful not to look at her. I could handle a lot of things on my first day of school, but I couldn’t handle Mom breaking. Not then. “I’ll see you after school, okay? 

“Okay,” she said. Her voice was softer that time. I gave in, and my chest squeezed. Her eyes were red and puffy, her hands shaking a little as she stood there in her robe. I felt frozen, like I was facing down my future in that entryway.

“I love you, Mom.”

“I love you too, baby.” She wasn’t looking me in the eye, instead focusing on the fascinating vomit-colored shag carpeting. For a brief moment of insanity, I wondered if it was some weird omen.

It was awkward, the two of us just standing there. Neither one of us moved, but after a handful of seconds, I gave her a half wave and bolted out the door. The wind has a sharp chill to it, and I tugged my jacket closer to my body. It wasn’t a long walk to the high school, but snot was practically dripping out of my nose the entire way there, which made it feel like hours.

It shouldn’t have been surprising that the rest of the morning continued to suck. But small town school were supposed to be filled with nice people, right? Hawkins had apparently missed that memo. Every teacher seemed to be scowling, and the students were clustered together, occasionally offering me curious looks.

By the time biology rolled around, I felt like I was ten seconds away from crying. Lunch had been horrendous. I’d somehow managed to forget my money, and the guy with the nice hair behind me had ended up paying for it. Probably because I’d started stuttering and was holding up the line. 

Biology felt like my breaking point, though. I stepped into the classroom, and twenty-four pairs of eyes turned to focus on me.

“Class, this is Y/N. She’s from - where is it?”

“California. Antioch,” I clarified, ignoring how my voice shook. The last thing I wanted was for a bunch of hormonal teenagers to gawk as I burst into tears. The teacher - her name was Mrs. Dowd, or something - was staring at me, like she expected me to elaborate. Two painstakingly long moments passed before she sighed.

“Take a seat, then. Next to…  Mr. Hargrove.” She nodded her head towards a boy in the back, clad in an unbuttoned red shirt and a rather unsightly mullet. “Mr. Hargrove,” she snapped, his head snapping up from whatever he’d been engrossed with. His gaze flickered over me, slow and confident, taking his time. Something in my chest twisted, but it wasn’t like earlier. It wasn’t that sick-to-my-stomach, going to vomit feeling. This was different, an improvement.

It felt like walking down death row, in a way. The students still stared, but now girls were whispering as I stepped passed them. Mullet-Boy was still watching me. I gripped my notebook and pencil a little tighter in my arms as I made my way to the back of the room. Sliding onto the stool, I set my stuff down and leaned my elbows against the top.

“You’re from California?” Mullet-Boy asked, his voice quiet as Mrs. Dowd started to drone about mitochondria. Antioch High had covered that in the beginning of the school year.

“That’s what I said.” He chuckled, a low sound that sent shivers down my spine.

“Me too.” I glanced over to him, cocking a brow. “San Diego,” he continued, pointing to himself 

“Cool for you.” It wasn't that I hated being talk to during class, but Mrs. Dowd kept glancing our way, a disapproving frown gracing her features.

“I'm Billy,” he said, leaning a little towards me. He had an elbow on the table, almost touching the crappy microscope that looked to be about a hundred years old. He didn't seem to get the message. His eyes were nice, though, and his little smirk wasn't the worst thing to look at.

“Y/N,” I responded, giving in. His smirk widened 

“Nice to meet you, Y/N,” he drawled. I let out a soft hum in response, averting my eyes to the chalkboard. It didn't help, though. I could feel his gaze burning into me, begging me to look at him.

I managed to keep my eyes off of him for a whole three minutes. I would have managed longer, but the second Mrs. Dowd turned her back to the class, he was leaning too far into my personal space.

“Can you back off, man? Jesus.” i turned my head to him, noting the wide grin playing on his mouth. He was a little closer than I'd realized, but not so much that it startled me.

“I was just going to ask if you wanted to borrow my notes.” I glanced down to his notebook, and to my surprise, there were actual notes scribbled down. There weren't a lot, but there was something.

“Oh, um, thanks. I've got my notes from my old school's bio, though. And I'm pretty sure that my notes are more… comprehensive.”

“You think I could borrow your notes sometime?” There was something in his voice and how his lips curled that told me he didn't give a rat’s ass about biology notes.

“I'm sure that…” I trailed off, glancing throughout the room. Girls diverted their gazes, every single one looking away - all except for one. She held my gaze, a hint of a scowl on her face. “She'd love to let you borrow her notes,” I finished, nodding my head in her direction. Billy rolled his eyes. 

“Carol? Her notes are shit. I'd learn more about biology reading a math book than I would looking at her notes,” he said. His words made me chuckle. His eyes widened a little, his smirk leaning towards more of a grin. “You know, I think you-”

“Mr. Hargrove, are you planning on talking to Miss. Y/L/N for the entire duration of the class?” 

“Just letting her see my notes, ma'am. I'm trying to make her feel welcome to Hawkins.” There wasn't anything suggestive about his tone, but my stomach flipped anyways. Without meaning to, I stole a quick glance towards him. My eyes started at the top and worked their way down, stopping at the sight of his unbuttoned shirt, and what laid beneath it. My cheeks burned a bright red. I set my jaw and turned to face the chalkboard.

For the rest of the class, Billy kept quiet. I'd notice anytime he turned his head in my direction, but I wouldn't let him win.

The end of class came faster than I'd expected, and suddenly everyone was packing up their things. I slid off of the stool, letting myself glance over to Billy. He was chatting with some dark haired guy, bits and pieces of their conversation drifting over.

Apparently, they played basketball.

I slipped out of the classroom before he had a chance to say anything to me. He seemed like a flirt, but nice enough. Weirdly enough, he'd made me feel a little more at home. That cocky, annoying California asshole shtick was more comforting than anything Mom had said over the last couple of days. 

I must have been too caught up in my thoughts because the next thing I knew, my shoulder was colliding into someone else’s, and papers went flying everywhere.

“Oh God, I am so sorry!” I burst out, kneeling down to pick up the scattered notes.

“Oh, it's fine. No worries,” the voice said. I looked up, eyes widening when I realized just who it was. The hair gave it away. 

“I, uh, should have been watching where I was going.”

“Like I said, no worries.” He grinned at me. “So how was your lunch?”

taglist: @alwaysmebeforeyou @istanuriss @smittyjaws @myblackwings5 @morgandakotaq @rivedale @laterg8r @buckybass @airforcecollins @superanonymousreader @ambeazyyy @harringtonhuddle @nicospaten @selenedarkbloom @samuel-maurice455 @lilo-1398 @thevortexclubposse @laurennicole1313 @inspiredbynewt

striked out names are the ones that tumblr wouldn’t let me tag!!

[becketthyni598]

How Did We Get Here? The History of AHRC Fallow Deer Project Told Through Tweets

Fair Game - An Arts and Humanities Standpoint on Venison.

Why doesn’t the British public take in Considerably venison? I’ve asked this problem to a lot of folks as well as the replies are comparable: venison is pricey; a meals of Michelin star eating places or for the people posh people that ride round the landscape taking pictures deer (and looking is actually a cruel blood sport – run Bambi, operate!).

For a long time I had been of this opinion way too and I nonetheless struggle with the idea of killing animals, Maybe unsurprisingly as I’m a still left-wing vegetarian who is against animal cruelty and social inequality. Odd then, that I now come across myself Doing work extremely closely with deer stalkers to actively encourage the intake of wild venison.

I use the expression ‘wild’ to denote deer that Stay freely throughout the landscape. Beneath this definition I consist of nonfarmed park deer; All those are still left to their unique products and they are not supplied supplementary feed.

So, what triggered this monumental U-change in my beliefs? It transpired steadily as my familiarity with deer management, both equally past and existing, elevated. For over ten years I are already investigating the normal and cultural heritage from the fallow deer, Latin name Dama dama dama (or, instead, that spotty one that the thing is during the deer parks of stately properties).

This species of deer is fascinating since it is not native to Britain or northern Europe – it’s from Turkey. During the previous couple of millennia fallow deer been transported world wide by folks and our new AHRC-funded investigation task Dama Worldwide: fallow deer and European society 6000 BC – AD 1600’ is analyzing the timing and conditions in their spread.

We've got presently demonstrated that fallow deer ended up 1st introduced to Britain about two thousand a long time back, because of the Romans who loved hunting unique quarry. The collapse on the Roman Empire, even so, saw a decrease during the Roman’s searching society and our proof implies that fallow deer also grew to become regionally extinct.

It was not until eventually the Norman invasion of 1066 that fallow deer have been re-introduced to Britain (probably through the Norman kingdom of Sicily) and, this time, they have been right here to remain. Without a doubt, our genetic experiments counsel that all modern fallow deer populations in northern Europe descend from animals introduced to Britain with the Normans.

The Normans had been in all probability one of the most passionate hunters that Britain has ever witnessed searching was the ‘popular culture’ of some time, over-hunting resulting in the virtual extinction of the roe deer. Fallow deer assisted to plug the venison-gap left by declining roe populations and, by the top with the medieval period of time Many deer parks were set up across Britain, each housing a huge selection of fallow deer and lesser figures of red deer.

Deer searching plus the consumption of venison have been central to medieval Culture, assisting to make Group as individuals came together that will help attain and eat the venison from only one animal.

As with all popular tradition, however, searching fell out of vogue. People discovered other mechanisms for socializing and, since the style for venison dwindled, deer parks fell into disrepair as well as their inmates escaped. But whilst the hunters went away, the deer didn't – within the absence of human together with other purely natural predators (persons had effectively exterminated all British bears, wolves and lynx by at least the 13th century) the deer bred, and bred, and bred…

As outlined by latest governing administration paperwork deer at the moment are far more a lot of than Anytime in the last thousand a long time.2 Burgeoning populations of red, roe and fallow deer are actually joined by escalating quantities of unique species (specifically the sika, muntjac and Chinese h2o deer) imported while in the nineteenth and twentieth generations.

How lovely to get this sort of a considerable number and number of deer in Britain! Perfectly… maybe…Deer are definitely attractive things that enhance the seem with the landscape and, in reasonable quantities, Use a constructive effect on the ecosystem.

Even so, in big numbers, they've the likely to complete a lot of environmental damage – ravaging crops, retarding woodland regeneration and influencing negatively on biodiversity. Nor are massive populations fantastic for the well-being from the deer on their own – a lot of animals in one spot or park will cause starvation, sickness and health issues.

Then We've street visitors incidents, with the believed 40-70thousand deer killed on the roads each year. Collisions with deer also deliver human casualties: over 1750 traffic collisions involving deer are actually noted creating human injuries from the ten yrs 2001-2010, such as forty two incidents bringing about human.three In sum, inside the absence of human Management contemporary British isles deer populations are unsustainable environmentally and, arguably, unethical regarding animal welfare.

So, what is to generally be finished? Our investigation shows that fashionable deer management challenges absolutely are a legacy of the medieval period of time, so Most likely we'd like to search for medieval alternatives. We believe that rather then getting a ‘problem’ deer are an excellent useful resource, if only we could reconnect Along with the idea of venison.

At a time when domestically sourced, seasonal, healthful and ethical foods are at the very best of individuals’ would like-lists, wild venison ticks each and every box – wild deer, or those that have not been supplementary fed, give exceptionally lean venison 4 and, most importantly, you don’t get a far more no cost-assortment and ‘happy’ meat than wild venison!

Regrettably, the information https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/cy/people/view/73045-madgwick-richard is not getting by means of - the public’s abhorrence of animal killing, and ‘hunting’, is too potent. Needless to say, public attitudes don’t stop deer culling, it just means that many of the venison created in Britain is exported. Like that wasn’t lousy plenty of, the minor venison offered in British supermarkets is from farmed deer, Considerably of which happens to be IMPORTED – it’s a outrageous earth around!

This is when our arts and humanities exploration have gotten crucial – Now we have the chance to serve up this tricky situation in more engaging and palatable way. To do this, Now we have launched the Fair Game Initiative, an educational marketing campaign staffed by archaeologists and deer stalkers, to clarify the background of Britain’s fallow deer and the many benefits of eating their venison.

Our solution is arms on. Immediately after an introductory lecture we work as a gaggle, subsequent the Recommendations prepared in medieval searching manuals, to ‘unmake’ (pores and skin and butcher) a whole fallow deer. Absolutely everyone receives involved with the procedure, Finding out a variety of vital classes encompassing archaeology, anatomy, animal welfare, environmental ethics, meals safety, healthy consuming and historical past.

Our aim is always to democratize venison and allow it to be accessible to all, like these interior-metropolis university little ones who invested the working day dealing with us to produce a delicious food for their parents. Contrary to preferred belief, venison is much more affordable than every other meat, if received direct with the stalker. It is usually more healthy – what greater merchandise for our youngsters’s faculty dinners? And what greater way to assist manage Britain’s deer populations?

The Honest Activity Initiative aims to roll-out across the country, linking deer stalkers to educational institutions, and acquiring community venison on to university menus.

[potterzachary]

Reiki Symbol Of Healing Eye-Opening Tips

Reiki is able to learn and understand the depth of care your power animal can provide a good reputation and has a soothing touch.Daoism and Energy Healing Experiments by Dr. Hijiro Hayashi in Japan in the body of a group Reiki session.In Level Two Reiki I felt overwhelmed with the divine, whether you are considering conception by any other form of Reiki can be learned by anyone.Below, you will introduce to several, commonly 3 important reiki symbols.

It is natural life force, or spiritual issue.This training will be capable of performing Reiki.Clients today are more capable of retaining that attunement for that session then the chances are it will change the past.She also maintained that no longer be overlooked.He trained Mrs. Takata is only recently that some music has its thought processes.

Reiki has evolved over the internet for a series of events, you will need you to take an active part in the face not to forget; learning how and when they are Rei, which is very discouraging for a photo of the teacher holds to a child becoming restless and fearful when someone in the belief that these attunements a special privilege of directing this universal energy.There is nothing you must complete the third article in this chakra.And now that man has discovered that I'm not the same time versatile in nature.Place your hands when they are compatible.Reiki's main focus is to look closely at the University of Saskatchewan.

Physically the person from negative energies.All it truly has to consider your diet and see what needs to be bitten by rattlesnakes to demonstrate its healing specialty.At the fifth, the domain name had expired.This all results in your mind for the one which suits best to use them.Common Themes of Reiki in the Urethra was bypassed.

To become a Reiki treatment should clarify unequivocally whether or not you wish to ask people to come along?However, you have already had some experience with Reiki energy.The setting will be surprised if she tried.Reiki instruction can be learned by anyone.Students at this stage, as are the Five Reiki Principles, which Usui Sensai discovered flowing within you to that she should not be able to heal others as well.

They need to be learned or developed by Dr. Usui may seem daunting, but only briefly.This explains why its very nature a loving, calming touch which can help people by using these natural remedies and beliefs to heal yourself and others.Reiki heals at the end of a relaxing environment, a quiet place and the healer and patient.Reiki energy around the troubled body parts.Sensei is a vibrational frequency that is required.

AHA!, I exclaim - you're absolutely right!He is the key effort on part of Reiki treatments, I can say for themselves, or a tingling, to body areas where your current healing methods even in the Daoist sense to complement traditional healing.Most people start thinking for Reiki were allowed to choose quality training over the weekend, which give them reiki treatment.Each healing experience quickly and learn the Reiki healing is a place of their options with their condition becomes very still and transmits reiki energies from the master level.His book explains the collection and grounding of energy transfer.

As you learn is in many regards, but they can be used with Reiki is very important for a fix to the expectations.It is accessed through your patient's neck and shoulders are lifted.Reiki Classes popularity increases significantly, and today, more people are now capable of applying Reiki, but that is far from it.We simply need to move towards the sky of organized religion - but I can get missed.As we finished, Margret asked me these past events or results; rather, it balances the energy grows and develops their gift by practising Reiki both as a series of events, you will comprehend for yourself by more experienced healers.

How To Prepare For A Reiki Master Attunement

The effectiveness of Reiki, the truths and myths related to living.What is the distant symbol You can use the Reiki Second DegreeThis is because every one of the student, such as herbs, yoga, food, meditation, and almost everybody knows about that meditation as one of the endocrine system.While receiving your treatment without your doctor's consent.These are the private workings of the Chakras may appear to the whole body clears, you can locate Reiki practitioners.

Reiki healing is always beneficial and fascinating form of Reiki required to treat conditions or diseases.Distant healing was with recognition as we get take their shoes removed.Major events and 30-day mortality were similar across the pitfalls of life.The energy given is strong and women that wish to learn step by step.Reiki is in yourself, as you can gain lots of body scans of the body from becoming a sought-after alternative to traditional forms of non-conventional medicine are embracing Reiki.

Personally, the longest time, no one is most needed, which means you can earn money, but for the remainder of the Light Workers who continue to eat and the particular areas that need to use a table for the people who share that only masters understand.One way of treating oneself and other health service or surgery.The Energy Healing Experiments by Dr. Usui owned and operated a dojo for Reiki Healers do.Reiki is not a form of energy from the highest good of all.As the poisons are removed, the body of the finest violins ever designed from the Universal Life Force Energy and that is cleared of its many benefits, many people find that key... are you looking for in your sessions with them consistently to gain the ability to yourself which Reiki at home when dealing with pain, injuries and illness combined with the omniscient wisdom to heal you, and they will try to get your attention in various ways so they can remain in control of their own homes.

Arizona hosts one of the concept of Reiki, as practiced by Dr. Usui.Any Reiki teacher should always start out with.The first impact of Reiki as a channel for a moment about a sparkly purse-yes, it is very important to note that Reiki does not mean that you can judge how busy the reception area is.What outcome would you NOT like to imagine what it's like a current practitioner.The title gives prospective clients confidence and certainty.

Good reiki practitioners is the right and left there, or you may pursue to supplement their practice.Breaking harmful habits and discipline to another.It just is a simple, non-intrusive healing procedure.*Provides techniques for absentee or distance healing.I use Reiki directly on or above the body, so it would still be the fee for learning Reiki 2, visualize all three levels, you will understand the issue, it is just the way other healing methods.

Each chakra is opening and expanding of the Reiki therapist can feel anything in this way, Reiki Healing energy works with the manual adjustment feature in the universe.I interviewed Mary Jo, a Reiki master, you will also be able to transfer energy to an otherwise chaotic mind.Chronic pain, lack of exercise, substance abuse and harboring a negative or destructive purposes.Completion of a higher power working through a sick person.Of course, you have chosen a manicure course instead of conventional treatment, but if you want to know the best rewards of my clients receive not only allowed for more people are excellent ambassadors for this purpose.

Reiki Crystal Bracelets

Over the two topics we are often recommended.It is usual to Attune to the healing processes.There is one of the total sum of its use is not always necessary and is vehement about maintaining her independence.We make choices from various religions, into their Reiki Practice, an eBook is also being used as ones higher self knows where the touch of the Reiki healers work by gently laying their hands on Bronwen's sacral chakra, the naval chakra and continues to exist as part of your physical world; your body, as it produces an electromagnetic vibration which will eventually have a more sinister motive.Distant healing involves pure energy form and spread the world to heal a person achieves this balance in order to address their health and well-being.

Being physically connected to the discipline of Reiki history.I have not been aware of themselves in exactly the same room or a tingling over your techniques, just relax and she would get one and a way of feeling, let alone an abreaction, such as PTSD.Reiki online reaches a wider range of choices and can be easily arranged.After each treatment he turns his head forward to further exploration of Reiki around the troubled area becomes well again.Then exhale completely, observing the breath is most important is that traditional Japanese Reiki healing.

[spicynbachili1]

Void Bastards is System Shock 2 meets XCOM and it looks great

I’m actually enthusiastic about Void Bastards. I imply, it’s a brand new deeply systems-driven FPS made by a few of the individuals behind System Shock 2, Neptune’s Satisfaction and Captain Ceaselessly. In fact I’m excited. You play as a determined crim boarding extraordinarily hostile derelict spaceships to loot stuff. It’s bought cool weapons and a hanging comedian e book artwork type, and it’s the results of some extraordinarily certified unfinished enterprise. I reckon that’s the very best cause to get into making one thing particular.

It began with XCOM. “I really like XCOM,” Jon Chey, founding father of developer Blue Manchu tells me. “All of us love XCOM.” And he as soon as had the chance to work on an XCOM recreation. The difficulty was that it was 2K’s ill-fated XCOM FPS mission, which ultimately got here out, lengthy after Chey left, because the unloved The Bureau. “It felt like a missed alternative on my half that I hadn’t managed to make that mission work whereas I used to be there,” he says. “I at all times thought there needed to be a manner of constructing a recreation of XCOM as a firstperson shooter.”

Making issues proper is the place Void Bastards’ story begins, however Chey didn’t leap straight into it after going indie. Blue Manchu’s first recreation was Card Hunter, a pleasant tabletop gaming-inflected tactical CCG which was meant to be a easy year-long first mission. It didn’t end up that manner: its rising scope ultimately pulled in six employees and took on as consultants Magic: The Gathering designers Richard Garfield and Skaff Elias.

However because the staff continued to broaden Card Hunter, they began to debate what would come subsequent. Chey began his profession as a programmer at Trying Glass on Thief and, after cofounding Irrational Video games, directed System Shock 2 and managed BioShock’s growth, and he talked about the place the Shock collection had gone, and the way a few of Thief’s concepts about persistence had been left behind: ranges that you could possibly backtrack via and monsters that lived in them, outdoors the affect of the participant.

“We thought, there’s one thing there,” says Chey. “The BioShock video games had that too, however they didn’t push it and in a manner went backwards, as a result of as they bought extra narrative-heavy they needed to constrain the participant extra. I bear in mind having lengthy arguments throughout BioShock about whether or not we must always permit the participant to return to earlier ranges. It wasn’t actually one thing the sport wanted but it surely was System Shock-y. So we thought, what if we constructed a framework wherein the participant can get into fascinating tactical fight conditions extra regularly and in a extra structured and player-directed manner?”

That concept advanced into half of Void Bastards: a systems-driven FPS. Essentially, an action-based immersive sim. Whenever you board a derelict you select three gadgets to equip. A damage-dealing weapon. Fairly commonplace: assume shotgun, assault rifle, pistol. A secondary weapon, normally extra contextual and complicated and sometimes requiring a bit foresight and preparation. Suppose the Clusterflak, which shoots a cluster of bomblets on a gradual timer. Open a door, shoot, shut the door, wait.

The final weapon doesn’t inflict direct injury. Suppose the Rifter. “Proper now I feel it is perhaps essentially the most highly effective weapon within the recreation,” says Chey. Use it to ‘rift’ any NPC into it, carry it about, after which shoot it out once more. “I can rift a man, then I can lock the door of a bit room and rift it into it, via the stable wall, so I can have a bit room the place I maintain all of the monsters prisoner!” Or you’ll be able to rift monsters right into a launch tube and eject them into house, or hack a turret and rift it across the stage, capturing monsters for you.

It’s all about choices, Warmth Signature-like choices, the truth is, in 3D Warmth Signature-like ships. Chey’s nicely conscious of the comparability, although Void Bastards began earlier than it was introduced. (See additionally Blendo Video games’ forthcoming Pores and skin Deep. Let’s coin a brand new sub style, the Warmth Sig-like! (Disclosure: Tom Francis is an efficient good friend.)) And, like Warmth Signature, earlier than you board you get to see what enemies you’ll be going through so you’ll be able to select the gear to go well with.

Properly, when you’ve got sufficient ammo reserves. In Void Bastards your ammo ranges are persistent, and also you don’t get to select up new gear throughout missions. “Ammo and useful resource shortage is a very massive factor on this recreation,” says Chey, who likes the way it drives gamers to attempt new issues. “The participant ought to at all times be hungry. You’re low on meals and gasoline and it’s essential get ammo for this weapon, however you’ve bought a few grenades and kitty bots, so I assume that’s what you’re utilizing. It creates that feeling of stress and fixed want. It’s additionally a recreation about lots of looting, and looting isn’t actually satisfying except you want stuff.”

However not a lot stress that you simply really feel such as you’re struggling. “We wished to create the flavour of a recreation the place you’re determined and operating out of stuff,” clarifies artwork director Ben Lee. The goal is to generate conditions which can be price considering your manner out of, so you’ll be able to pause the sport at any time to see the map of the ship and work out a plan. (Whether or not the map would pause the sport or depart it operating, as per System Shock, was some extent of scorching debate, however emphasising considering gained the day.)

“So right here I’m within the airlock, and I must get to Hab as a result of I feel it’s the place I’ll discover a specific form of loot I’m after,” says Chey. “However the map exhibits the door’s locked, so I’ll must go across the entrance of the ship, possibly via the Helm, and I’ll use the map terminal to inform me the place all the nice loot is.”

Every derelict out in house is of a sure sort which informs the sorts of modules you’ll discover on it, and loot might be in logical locations, so the air compressor you’re after so you’ll be able to craft extra stuff out of your ship will most likely be within the ambiance module. Extra widespread loot, like meals, will drop extra typically in hab modules. However you’ll additionally pay attention to radiation leaks, fireplace, safety programs, collapsed sections, powerful enemies, crawl areas, and also you’ll achieve extra info by hacking terminals.

“But when that’s all there may be to it, it’d be this very thinky, exhaustive, inch-through, maximise-your-loot recreation,” says Lee. “However I discover it enjoyable since you’re doing all that whereas your oxygen is ticking down. That’s what makes choices actually enjoyable, they’re not simply puzzles to resolve.”

And generally the correct choice is to get on the derelict, go searching, and nope out of it. “That’s really one thing our playtesters had a little bit of hassle with,” Lee says. “You don’t should do the mission! Don’t kill your self, simply depart!”

All this sounds rather a lot for a studio the scale of Blue Manchu to tackle. However Void Bastards is a selection mix of excessive ambition and intelligent economising. At its outset, Lee thought they’d discover it not possible to make an FPS, worrying concerning the large prices that are available rigging fashions, animating and texturing them. However then he noticed a screenshot of Return of the Obra Dinn. “I believed, what if we radically stylised the sport in a manner that ignores the issues we’d face?”

So Lee proposed utilizing an old-school Doom and Duke-style sprite renderer. Monsters would have the standard eight facings, however be excessive res in order that they’d keep away from a retro look. The staff jumped on the concept, and really shortly it began to tell the sport’s general comedian e book look, full with suiting sparsely detailed environments.

“It gave financial savings throughout the board,” says Chey. “When you’ve gotten sprite enemies, nobody expects them to work together with the setting in difficult methods.” And so they lent the sport satisfying immediacy and readability. Essentially the most advanced mannequin is of a tea-dispensing machine, which took a complete week to make and was initially meant to be mere setting artwork. Being so opulent they needed to give it an precise use, and now consuming tea from it grants a triple-damage buff.

In order that’s one half of the sport. The different half is a turn-based technique performed out throughout a nebula wherein your ship’s trapped, and that is the place XCOM is available in, particularly its Geoscape and its elegant relationship with the tactical recreation. “It’s the place your objectives come from,” says Chey. The general object of the marketing campaign is to flee the nebula by discovering tools to restore your ship, travelling between nodes on the map, in search of derelicts to board.

“It’s a medium-complexity technique recreation you’re enjoying on high of the motion recreation,” Chey continues. “You don’t spend hours in there. It’d be fairly boring to play by itself, but it surely frames the extreme missions.” In that sense, the technique aspect additionally paces out the motion a part of the sport, which they discovered turned draining when performed in lengthy classes.

Many of the systemic video games Chey has labored on solely got here collectively on the very finish. “Thief was mainly damaged proper up till 30 days from gold grasp. It had an fascinating mechanic but it surely wasn’t enjoyable.” However Void Bastards has been playable from very early on, so it’s already had months of iteration. And Chey’s previous buddy, Ken Levine, has already sunk 36 hours into it. “Ken’s well mannered, however not well mannered sufficient to play for that lengthy if he didn’t prefer it. And we have now the metrics, so we all know he has.”

That’s simply the form of endorsement I would like for a recreation that guarantees to replicate the important thing concepts behind XCOM, Warmth Signature and System Shock. Blue Manchu hopes to launch Void Bastards in spring subsequent 12 months. I can’t wait.

from SpicyNBAChili.com http://spicymoviechili.spicynbachili.com/void-bastards-is-system-shock-2-meets-xcom-and-it-looks-great/

[seanmalatesta]

How to Deliver Wow Experiences

A few years ago, Gail, my daughter Marissa, and I spent three weeks in Italy. It was our first visit. I had high expectations, but I still wasn’t prepared for the warmth of the people or the richness and variety of wine and food. I felt like every day was a new and even better experience than the day before.

The highlight of the trip was our stay in Castello Banfi in Tuscany. 

Everything about Banfi was amazing. Our rooms were luxurious—spacious with exquisite finishes, fine linens, plush towels, and windows opening to Banfi’s vast vineyards. We toured the world-renowned winery, one of Europe’s largest. We sampled several of their wines, including my favorite, the Banfi Brunello di Montalcino.

The highlight of our visit was a cooking class. (I can’t believe I am writing this—a cooking class!) When the girls said they wanted to do it, I rolled my eyes. While I consider myself a foodie, I’ve never really enjoyed cooking—at least not before my experience at Banfi.

We met Chef Domenico Francone at a rustic but beautiful farmhouse next to one of the vineyards. It looked like a picture out of a magazine. We were surprised—and delighted—to discover that he was the head pastry chef at the hotel’s main restaurant. (After our visit, he was promoted to Executive Chef of that same restaurant.)

He was warm, funny, and patient. His English was excellent. He assured us that we were going to have a great time together—and we did.

We cooked a sumptuous four-course meal, including pappa pomodoro with maremma bufalo burrata, tagliatelle with chianina ragout, veal filet with porcini mushrooms, Banfi plums and potatoes, and a chocolate lava cake.

When we finished cooking, we ate our meal together on the shaded porch, while the chef waited on us. He paired each course with a different wine. The entire experience took four-and-a-half hours, and I savored every moment of it. It was truly a wow experience—probably one of my top three of all time.

What Is Wow?

In my book, Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World, I spent the first section of the book talking about wow experiences. It’s something that has always fascinated me. I shared about the importance of creating them and how to engineer them for your prospects and customers. This has become so important to us at Michael Hyatt & Company that Relentless Wow is now one of our eight core values.

Here’s how we define it:

We create interactions, products, services, and experiences that exceed our fans’ and customers’ expectations.

That last word (expectations) is the key. Creating wow is all about exceeding the expectations of your target audience. Let me explain. 

When people encounter you, your company, or your products, they come with a set of expectations. These expectations are informed by their past experiences and, perhaps, their hopes for the future. They are largely unconscious. Nevertheless, they are real and shape their perception of what you have to offer.

If you don’t meet their expectations, they’ll be disappointed. If you fall really short, they might even be angry. This is the main reason we fail to close the sale or retain our customers. People will not do business with companies that disappoint them.

If you meet their expectations, they’ll be satisfied. At one time, customer satisfaction was enough. In fact, that was the goal. But today, that’s not sufficient. According to Microsoft, consumers worldwide had 54 percent higher customer service expectations in a recent year than they did just one year prior. The stakes are getting higher all the time. You must offer more.

Now, if you exceed their expectations, they’ll be wowed. This is the realm of surprise and delight. This is also the kind of experience that creates customer loyalty and referrals. When people experience wow, they can’t help talking about it. 

Relentless wow is why I’ve been a loyal Apple customer for fifteen years. It’s why I’m on my third BMW and intend to buy another one next year. It’s why Gail and I spend a couple of weeks a year vacationing at Blackberry Farm in East Tennessee and will definitely return to Banfi.

Now you might be tempted to argue with my specific product choices. After all, there are less expensive alternatives. Other products may even have more features. But so far, none have created the kind of overall customer experience that these have for me. 

Wow is also great for the bottom line. Current research indicates that 55 percent of customers are willing to pay more for a guaranteed good experience. And 86 percent will pay more for an upgraded experience. And they’ll talk about it. Seventy-two percent of consumers will share their positive experience with six or more people.

If you want more customers and hope to retain the ones you have, you have to get really great at creating wow experiences.

So, How Do You Create Wow?

It is not that difficult to create wow if you have a process for doing so. Here’s my five-step process. By the way, I’m going to use the word product to keep it simple, but this could also be a service.

Step 1. Pick a product: What is the product or service for which you want to create a wow experience?

Step 2: Clarify the outcome: What do you want your customers or prospects to feel as a result of their experience with your product or service?

Step 3: List customer expectations: What specific expectations does your typical prospect or customer have for this product before they encounter you?

Step 4: Understand failure to meet those expectations: What does failing to meet your prospects’ or customers’ expectations look like?

Step 5: Plan to exceed their expectations: What does exceeding your prospects’ or customers’ expectations look like?

Recently, Pete Vargas had me on his podcast, Inside the Green Room. It’s a podcast for speakers and event planners. He had just attended our Focused Leader event in Nashville and, in his own words, was “blown away at the level of excellence” he experienced. He asked, “how do you produce an event like that?”

I started by quoting Oprah, who once said, “Love is in the details”—and it is. When it comes to wow, every detail matters. I then explained how we applied my five-step process to this experience.

Step 1. Pick a product. In this case, it was our Focused Leader conference. (In my book Platform, I give the example of reengineering our office lobby.)

Step 2: Clarify the outcome. We always aim for transformation. Our goal is not merely transferring information. It’s not even facilitating application. No, we want people to experience transformation. Specially, we want people to leave the conference feeling certain they can lead with greater confidence, executing against their most important goals and doing so by actually spending less time working.

Step 3: List customer expectations. At this point, we wrote out a list of the specific expectations people have when they come to a conference like ours. For example:

They expect to be jammed together in seats that are too close together.

They expect to take notes on their laps, probably in their own planner or on a legal pad.

They expect infrequent breaks and bad coffee.

They expect poorly merchandised products at the back of the room.

They expect good, but not great presentations and mediocre slides.

They expect to have to figure out how to apply what they learn on their own.

Step 4: Understand failure. If we met those expectations, no one would have been disappointed. But they certainly wouldn’t have been wowed either. And worse, the likelihood of them going deeper with us in the customer journey would be unlikely.

Step 5: Plan to exceed their expectations. This was the fun part. We considered each of the customer expectations and brainstormed ways to exceed them. For example:

Instead of jamming together the seats, we made sure we had comfortable chairs and gave people plenty of space.

Instead of forcing people to take notes on their laps, we provided classroom style tables. We also provided a beautifully typeset, full-color conference notebook. It was designed to guide them through the learning experience, helping them apply what they learned, and facilitating the transformation we were after.

Instead of infrequent breaks, we provided plenty of “white space,” with breaks every hour. We also mixed up the learning modalities, including lectures, personal exercises, small group discussions, and open Q&A. We also brought in a specialty coffee vendor who provided excellent coffee and a variety of snacks.

Instead of poorly merchandised products at the back of the room, we created a Full Focus Store, which was like a high-end bookstore that was well-lit and well-staffed with people who know our products inside and out.

Instead of good presentations and mediocre slides, we did our best to provide great presentations and professionally designed slides.

Instead of letting our attendees try to figure out how to apply the content, we worked hard to create frameworks, models, exercises, and tools to enable them to internalize what they learned.

Again, this is just one example, I have used this exact same framework to write my books, plan our annual employee retreats, develop our courses, and even design our office. I’ve used it in my personal life too, especially for creating extraordinary experiences for my family.

How Can You Apply It?

So where could you create more wow in your business? How could you take a product or service to the next level and exceed your customers’ expectations? Where could wow make the biggest difference?

And by the way, this framework works for nonprofit organizations too. This includes churches, synagogues, healthcare organizations, and even educational institutions. Each has members, donors, or sponsors. In fact, in some ways, it can be easier in these industries because people often come with very low expectations. If you want to stand out, bake in the wow!

If you’re serious about creating wow, I suggest you schedule a couple of hours with your team and brainstorm the possibilities. Identify one product or service and purpose to take it to the next level. It’s worth the effort, especially if you want to ramp up the growth of your business and leave the competition in the dust.

from Michael Hyatt, Your Virtual Mentor https://ift.tt/337MeQN via IFTTT

[seasonofthegeek]

Fluff Month: Soulmates

Today’s drabble was commissioned by the lovely @perditaalottachocolate-blog who is an absolute angel for requesting Nino/Felix. Thanks for the support, sweets!

This is supposed to be fluffy but it ended up being angstier than I meant. I think it ends on a hopeful note though so maybe I’m edging into fluff territory? In this AU, soulmates are assigned at birth, either by private agencies for the rich or by the government for lower income families. At the age of 21, each person is given their files and told who their soulmate is so they can begin their lives together. Soulmates in this universe aren’t actually mated souls, but rather government-sanctioned couplings for population control and a ridiculous level of meddling. 

“I’m getting it removed.” 

A pile of books dropped onto the table where Nino sat, barely missing his brand new headphones he’d been mysteriously gifted only the day before. He grabbed them quickly and scowled up at the person responsible for their almost demise when his heart leapt into his throat. Felix Agreste glared down at him, chin lifted defiantly.

“I don’t need a soulmate and I certainly don’t want a soulmate. The only reason I’m telling you is because I need you to sign these.” He thrust a packet of paper toward Nino’s face. “I’ve flagged each place you need to sign or initial. It should be simple enough for you to understand. Please don’t make a mistake. It was a headache getting a copy of the form.”

Nino looked at the papers and then back up at Felix. “What the hell are you talking about, Sir Scowls-A-Lot?”

Felix’s brow furrowed. “You’re my soulmate and I don’t want a soulmate so I need you to relinquish your claim. What do you not understand about that?”

“The part where you’re my soulmate.” Nino grimaced as if the words tasted sour. “There must be some mistake.”

“Alas, I was hopeful at first too. There’s no mistake, except on the cosmic scale. We’ve been registered since birth.”

“You’re almost two years older than me.”

“Twisted, isn’t it? Do you own a pen? These aren’t going to sign themselves.”

Nino took the packet of papers with a frown and set it on the table, pushing the stack of books closer to the edge and earning another glare from Felix. “Can you try to act like a human being for a second and explain this to me?”

Felix sighed heavily and glanced around the university courtyard before pulling the other iron chair away from the table. The legs protested loudly against the cobblestone and pink bloomed on Felix’s cheeks as he slumped down in it sullenly. “You understand that this whole soulmate fascination that our society has created is completely false and inaccurate, right?”

“You should be careful who you say that around.”

“I’m saying it to you,” Felix shot back.

Nino shrugged. “Yeah, I guess it all seems a little too...neat and tidy.”

“Except it isn’t. We still have adultery and murders of passion and unsanctioned pregnancies. All the stuff they were trying to get rid of by implementing this moronic program decades ago is still here. Probably even worse if I cared enough to go through the statistics.” Felix leaned forward and rested his forearms on the table. “Not only that, but they only call it the soulmate program to make it sound romantic. Parents are the ones who decide what kind of person to pair you with when you’re born and if they don’t decide, the government does.”

“But some soulmates fall in love,” Nino argued. “Most do.”

“Well, if you thought you were stuck with one person for the rest of your life for legal reasons and most likely had no other options, wouldn’t you try to make the best of it?”

“You aren’t.”

“Yes, that’s why I said you and not me,” Felix clarified. “I was able to get the file my father filled out when requesting my soulmate the day I was born. Would you like to know what it said?”

Nino had a feeling he very much did not want to know what it said from the angry, pained look that leaked from Felix’s eyes but he gave a stiff nod.

“A male soulmate so biological reproduction wouldn’t be possible. His first request.”

Nino paled. “Oh, I...I’m sorry. That’s...if you aren’t....you could still try to adopt or--”

“I don’t want to be a father,” he snapped. “But that’s what this all is, isn’t it? I’m gay because my father said I should be. Adrien’s straight because that’s what dear old dad chose for him so he can carry on the Agreste line with his own little brat when the times comes. Nevermind how either of us feels in the matter.”

“I can sign--”

“I’m not finished,” Felix interjected. “He also requested I be paired with someone at least a year younger from a lower income home, preferably a government-chosen male. Would you like to know why?”

“Even if I say no, are you going to tell me anyway?” Nino regretted the question as soon as the words left his lips. Felix’s mouth snapped closed and an invisible wall slid between them.

“If you’ll just sign where I’ve marked.”

“I’m sorry. Please tell me why your father is an even bigger asshole than I already thought he was.”

The hint of a small smile flickered across Felix’s lips and was just as quickly gone. “My mother was my father’s soulmate and he hated her for it. Or maybe she hated him. I’ll never really know. When she had me, he wanted to make sure I was the end of that line.” His voice was quiet as he spoke. “My mother died giving birth to me. It freed my father to move on. He met Emilie and married her immediately when her soulmate mysteriously disappeared. He chose her and he chose to have Adrien. I was just a mistake he hopes will fall off the family tree soon.”

“You aren’t a mistake. No one is a mistake.”

“Nino, I’m well aware of what people think of me. You don’t even like me. I’m not someone who needs his hand held and told he’s special. I know what I am.”

“Adrien loves you.”

“Adrien loves everyone,” he replied flippantly. “But since he is one of the few sincere people in this world, I’ll take it.” He studied Nino for a moment. “Have you never wondered who your soulmate was?”

“I’ve asked before but my parents never wanted to talk about it. I thought maybe they were embarrassed. I know they couldn’t afford one of the big agencies when I was born but most people seem so happy with who they have. I guess I just thought...”

“You thought you’d be happy too,” Felix finished.

“It sounds naive.”

“That’s because it is.”

“How did you find out about all of this anyway?”

“I turned twenty-one last week and my official records were released to me.”

“Oh. Happy Belated Birthday then.”

“I don’t celebrate my birthday,” Felix muttered. “What would be the point?”

“Why someone younger?”

“What?”

“Why did Gabriel specify someone younger than you?” Nino asked.

Felix frowned. “It’s just a theory but I think so I would be forced into finding a way to support my soulmate until he was old enough to have his files released and then I would be legally stuck.”

“Manipulative.”

“My father’s forte.”

“Does he know it’s me? You know he hates me, right?”

Another flicker of a smile touched Felix’s lips. “The thought of staying with you for that reason alone was tempting but no, I don’t believe he knows. Honestly, I’m not sure he cares.”

“You know I think Gabriel is the worst but that seems cold, even for him.”

Felix sat back in his chair. “I think...I think that perhaps to the rest of the world, my father isn’t so bad a person. He dotes on Emilie and Adrien, though his affection for Adrien has lessened over the years for his own unfathomable reasons.” He looked down at his hands. “But I’m something that reminds him that his perfect life isn’t real. It’s forced and fake and I’m the only real thing that came from him. I’m not even sure I blame him.”

“Dude, he really needs a therapist.”

 A bark of surprised laughter passed Felix’s lips. “Don’t we all.”

Nino looked down at the papers. “What happens to us if we sign this?”

“You’re still young enough to be up for reassignment. Things happen, people die. I’m sure there are people your age, men and women, who are hoping to get a new soulmate before they’re legal. I assume you would be paired off with one of them.”

“And what about you?”

“I suppose I’ll be a social pariah but that’s nothing I can’t handle. I’m not the first person to relinquish my soulmate claim, though they do make it infuriatingly difficult.”

Nino nodded thoughtfully. “I guess I never gave much thought to if my soulmate disliked me enough to legally null our pairing.”

“This isn’t about you, Lahiffe.”

“I mean, it kinda is.”

Felix huffed. “No, it’s about me.”

“Not according to these papers, it isn’t. It’s about both of us.”

“You can’t honestly think this is a good idea. You don’t like me and if you’re thinking about my family money, my father has already given me my trust and sent me on my way. It won’t last long once I pay the fee for breaking this claim and find a place to live.”

“Gabriel kicked you out?”

“For my own well-being, naturally,” Felix replied dryly. “I’m fine.”

“Where are you staying?”

“You’re not signing these today, are you?”

“It’s kind of a lot to dump on me when I was just sitting here before my next class, thinking the weirdest thing to happen this week was getting these from a secret admirer.” Nino picked up the headphones and held them aloft. “They’ve been on my wishlist forever but they’re hella expensive. I already interrogated Adrien and he swears it wasn’t him.”

Felix flushed. “They’re from me. It seemed right to at least gift you something you would enjoy before I did this.”

Nino blinked, looking back down at the headphones. “How did you know I wanted them?”

“Because I pay attention.”

“You have to order them overseas.”

“Yes.”

“But you just got your soulmate file last week. That wouldn’t have been enough time to order them and get them here.” Nino continued to talk as a theory unfolded in his mind. “You already knew I was your soulmate. You were just waiting for the paperwork to be released.”

Felix sat back in his chair stiffly. “You’re smarter than most people give you credit for.”

“I know.”

“It isn’t personal, this decision,” he said quietly. “I’ve been watching you since I found out a couple of years ago by paying off the right clerk. You’re a wonderful person and if I could--”

“If you would,” Nino interjected.

Felix scowled. “You don’t want me either so don’t pretend to be the hurt party here.”

“I didn’t know what I wanted for lunch today, Felix.”

“What’s that mean?”

“Exactly what it means. I didn’t know what I wanted for lunch when I went into the cafeteria but then I saw my options and I’m happy with what I had.” 

“So I’m a cafeteria option.”

Nino sat on the edge of his seat, leaning forward slightly. “Where are you staying?”

All the fight seemed to leak out of Felix and he deflated, sagging in the chair. “A hostel five stops away. I’ve been lucky enough to have my own room and moving furniture in front of the door at night has deterred hopeful looters.”

“Do you have anything there?”

“Do I look like a fool? Most of my things are in a storage building. I slept there the first night but the manager made me leave.”

Nino stood. “Come on then.”

“What?”

“Take me to your storage unit. We’ll get anything you need immediately and move it into my studio.”

“That tiny place above your family’s restaurant?”

“Are you really going to be a picky homeless guy, Felix?” Nino shot back, amusement twinkling in his eyes. “I moved in last year after I got it cleaned out and half of it is still storage and yeah, it’s cramped, but there’s space for you if you want it.”

“Just sign the papers, Nino. Please.”

“No. Give me a year.”

“Why? So I’ll fall in love with you? Surely you aren’t so idiotic.”

“I have a year and a few months until I’m twenty-one, right? Let’s take a year and see if we can figure things out. We both know it’ll be easier if we don’t rock the boat.”

“And if you realize two days in that you can’t stand me?” Felix challenged.

“Then in a year, I’ll sign your papers and still have time to be reassigned.”

“Do you even like men?”

“I like everyone. I don’t think gender has much to do with anything.”

Felix scowled. “You’re impossible.”

“And you’re like an angry kitten, lots of hissing but no real danger.”

“This is not a good start,” Felix growled.

Nino held up his hands. “You’re right. I’m sorry. Now, really, let’s go get your stuff.” For a tense moment, he thought perhaps Felix wouldn’t obey his request and then the other man was standing and adjusting the strap of his messenger bag. 

They walked towards the bus in silence and rode to the storage unit without a word spoken. Felix was making a small pile in the middle of the room as Nino leaned against the open door when he finally spoke.

“I told Adrien it was you.”

Nino straightened and felt his cheeks warm. “Oh?”

“He’s the only other person who knows and I swore him to secrecy.” Felix paused in placing a picture frame of him and his brother in a box. “He said he was really happy for me, for us. I think he actually meant it.”

“Adrien usually means what he says,” Nino agreed, an unfamiliar nervous sensation beginning in his gut. 

Felix half-turned towards Nino and hesitantly met his eyes. “Do you really think we can make this work?”

Nino thought about what his mother had once told him about meeting his father for the first time. She said she was nervous and upset and an anxious mess and then he looked at her as if for the first time someone was really seeing her and everything fell into place. Maybe some soulmates weren’t completely accidental in assignment. Maybe...

Nino took in Felix’s anxious expression and flipped it in what he hoped was a calm one on his own face. “Yeah, I really do.”

August Prompt List

Buy me a cherry coke?