#yeah. anyway . hi guys hows it going. my job is awesome and i love my life rn

[tallykale]

booster's showing him the tinder profile he made for batman

[mbappeslover]

écoute chérie // kylian mbappé | part one.

kylian mbappé x f! reader.

saw this edit on tiktok, they edited mbappé to écoute chérie by vendredi sur mer and… i fell in love. the song is sooo mbappé.

y/n got the job as kylian’s personal assistant. his previous assistant fired for unknown reasons. y/n had heard about kylian mbappé and his terrible attitude. she wasn’t excited to work with him. but, turns out.. he’s actually not that bad.

read part 2 here.

read the finale here.

credits to the editor: strkvoid on tiktok, they did such an amazing job <3, my favorite mbappé edit.

“y/n y/l/n, you’ve been accepted!” the notification pinged and appeared at the top of your screen. you clicked on it so fast.

one week ago.

“y/n, have you seen this? kylian mbappé’s management is looking for a new personal assistant.” your friend tells you during a phone call.

“oh really?” you ask.

“yes… and, you qualify for it! like a 100 percent. wait, i’m gonna send you the link.”

you received the message and clicked on the link, it was indeed an exclusive offer/application to becoming the footballer’s new personal assistant.

“y/n, you should really go for it. the pay is amazing and i’m sure it’ll be an awesome experience.”

you skim through the countless pages and listing of requirements and benefits the job offered. plus, you were indeed qualified for the job.

“mmm… i don’t know. everyone talks about how much of an asshole kylian mbappé is. how he’s a jackass with a shitty attitude and an unbearable ego, bigger than the universe.” you explain, iffy about this whole thing.

“oh please, it’s not like you’re gonna be all lovey dovey with the guy. imagine how much money you’ll be making. you want to quit your current job right now anyway.” your friend says, trying her hardest to convince you.

you laugh. “okay, you’re right. i’ll call you back, i’m gonna read through all the paper work, submit my résumé and update you on it.”

you weren’t too serious about it, you doubted that you’d actually get the job.

everything just got real. definitely serious.

you got the job, you were on call with the footballer’s management, and you were now getting familiarized with his schedule.

“alright, ms. y/l/n, we’ve spoken through all the things you’ll be needing to do for kylian. i’ve sent you an email of a file that lists all the things you must do for him. now, all we need is for you to sign a few things. it’ll take you about ten minutes. it wasn’t much before but… some things went down. so, we had to make a few arrangements.” kylian’s manager stated.

you just nod taking everything in and trying to process it at once.

you heard the ping from your phone, signaling you got the email.

“okay, perfect. today, i’ll show you around psg and tomorrow you’ll be meeting kylian.”

a tour guide took you around the stadium, briefly explaining different areas and rooms in the building to you.

it was a long day. you were now in bed, aimlessly scrolling on instagram because you couldn’t sleep.

you’re nervous. why?

the athlete you’ll be attending to is possibly the biggest asshole in paris, france and you’re gonna have to deal with it.

you decide to go on his instagram.

“k. mbappé, 94.1m Followers, 389 Following, 1204 posts.”

you click on the first photo presented and begin scrolling down.

in almost all photos he’s smiling, with a caption full of emojis and empowering words.

he looks so… sweet?

is this the same guy with the so-called “bad attitude?”

you fell asleep.

after scrolling through all one thousand, two hundred and four posts by kylian mbappé.

your alarm rang, loudly.

you groaned, getting up to prepare yourself for the day.

after getting dressed, you received a call from kylian’s manager.

“good mornin-“ you tried greeting politely, before cut off.

“good morning dear, i need you here in ten minutes.”

“it’s only 9:00, i was told to be there at 9:30. did something happen?” you ask, exasperated.

“yeah, well, kylian decided to come earlier than we thought and right now, he wants an organic green juice from le juice. it has to be from juicerie.” the manager explains.

“le juice is like fifteen minutes from where i am right now, how will i be able to make it in ten?” you say, slightly panicking.

“well, find a way. mbappé cares about his health, a lot. all that stuff about nutrition and good food is the key to health. if you didn’t know, now you do. be here in ten, please darling!” the managers says in a cheery voice before hanging up.

first day on the job and they were already trying to make the impossible, possible.

you quickly go on the website for le juice and order and paid online for a medium organic green juice for pick-up.

you catch a taxi and head over to le juice. it was a five minute drive because it was still a bit early and the streets hadn’t start to fill yet, luckily.

you ask the taxi driver if they could wait for a quick second while you grab the order from inside.

the taxi driver fussed a bit yet ultimately decided to wait.

again, you were able to swipe up the juice since the shop just opened and customer didn’t pile up in the juice bar.

you hop back in the taxi and make your way to the stadium.

“tsk, your first day on the job and you’re seven minutes late. you better hurry up and get in there.” the manager scolds you once you arrive, outside the office room of psg.

“well, you should’ve told me i would have to be here earlier, you cunt.”

you didn’t actually say that, you thought it, but, you didn’t say it.

you quickly enter the room, with a little a stumble, almost tripping on your own feet. you quickly laugh at how much of a mess you are.

the room is packed, there’s people everywhere, most likely other staff members. you see at the corner of the room, there’s a small crowd of people surrounding something.

you squeeze in between people, trying to find a way through.

“excuse me. yea, sorry. my apologies. let me just squeeze in. i’m sorry.” you murmur out while gliding through the people in the packed room.

that’s when you were faced with him.

he’s exactly like those photos on the internet, a vibrant face, smiling while the people around him asks him questions like how’s his morning, would he like anything to drink, trivial things to simply make conversation. 

the infamous kylian mbappé.

you cleared your throat, put on your most brightest smile and polite voice.

“mr. mbappé, this is your organic green juice.” you say, putting your hand out to give the drink.

the area becomes quiet as the attention shifts on you.

you briefly look around confused.

and the smile that was once on kylian’s face had disappeared.

it was replaced with a hard stoned, cold glare.

“the fuck?” you thought.

he grabs the drink from your hand, not even thanking you before continuing the small talk with staff around him.

you try your hardest not to make a face at his rude behavior.

you brush it off.

literally.

brushing yourself off, taking a deep breath. putting on a polite voice again, you introduce yourself.

“hello, my name is y/n. i’m sure your manager already told you about me, i am your new personal assistant. if you ever need me, for anything, feel free to let me know. that’s my job, of course.” adding in a little humor to lighten the atmosphere, reaching your hand out.

once again, the area of the room goes silent. his smile falls once again and he slowly turns to look at you.

“d'accord. où est ma paille?” (okay. where is my straw?)

the crowd laughs.

you reach out your bag, handing him the straw before walking away.

“the rumors are true. he’s insufferable. literally an asshole. a two-faced scum? who even treats someone like that? no wonder his old assistant left. who’d want to deal with that.” you were now on the phone with your friend who encouraged you to apply.

“y/n, calm down. i know it was frustrating, but, it’s just your first day. at least quit after you get your first check.” your friend said, trying to comfort you.

yea, that’s right. y/n cried. cried very hard. today was extremely difficult.

you followed kylian everywhere, attempting to tend to his needs, but, all he did was be rude or downright ignore you.

“sir, how are you feeling? would you like for me to schedule a massage for you, in case you are feeling tense?” you ask.

“do i look tense to you?”

“mr. mbappé, your manager has informed me that you have a meeting on friday at 3pm.”

“who makes meetings on friday? i’m not going, you’re going. i have to relax.”

“mr. mbappé-“

“please stop bothering me. aren’t you my assistant? why must you keep calling out my name, you’re here to handle my business.”

“i don’t even know what i did to him? why should i get treated like this? it makes no sense.” you complain to your friend.

“i’m sure it’ll get better eventually… hopefully.”

“yea, hopefully.”

it’s been two weeks, working as kylian mbappé’s personal assistant.

to say y/n felt drained would be an understatement.

fourteen endless days of talking to a brick, solid wall.

a brick, solid wall with snarky remarks and a stinky attitude.

“mr. mbappé, your driver is outside waiting for you. he has the specific refreshments you asked for.” y/n says.

“alright, walk me to the car.” he says.

y/n’s concerned because he usually just nods and walks to the car himself.

as the two makes their way to the car, kylian starts conversation.

“your name, y/n, right?”

this is weird.

so weird.

“yes, sir. y/n y/l/n.”

“alright y/n, can you cook?”

“yes, i can cook, why?” y/n questions.

“génial. je veux que tu cuisines pour moi. (great. i want you to cook for me).” kylian says nonchalantly.

y/n stops dead in her tracks as kylian continues to walk.

“so, now i have to cook for this man? really?

well, it is your job…

oh, shut up. i know that!

just saying…” you internally battle with yourself.

he turns around, “well are you coming? i don’t have all day and i’m starving.”

you snap out of it, speed-walking to catch up.

“why are you standing by the door?”

you were in your bosses house. well, it’s not out of the ordinary because you are his personal assistant.

however, this is a drastic jump from a few days ago, when he didn’t even want you near him.

“are you okay, mr. mbappé? it looks pretty bad. i can go get you some soothing gel!”

he hurt himself pretty badly while trying to perform a trick during practice.

“no! i’m fine. don’t touch me, move!”

he spat out, stumbling to get up by himself.

you back up in utter shock.

other staff runs up to offer him support as he limps away.

mbappé’s pov:

his new personal assistant stood at the door, looking like a lost puppy that was left for dead on a rainy night.

kylian knew he was being hard on her, harsh to her. but, he couldn’t let his guard down.

he refused to let history repeat itself.

“why are you standing by the door?” he asks.

y/n seemed to be lost in her thoughts when he said that because she snapped up and made her way into the house after taking off her tory burch sandals.

kylian observed the woman as she subtly looked around the place before making her way to the kitchen.

he couldn’t lie. she was beautiful. she could be on the cover of a makeup magazine because of how natural and pretty her features were.

he wishes he could see her smile. most of the time she wears a frown on her face, sometimes a pout that kylian finds endearing. he wouldn’t show that though. or.. say it, ever.

her hair looked so soft, her voice was so nice on the ear. she had a nice figure, ones of a dancer, delicate, light on the feet.

“mr. mbappé? did you hear what i said? i asked, what exactly would you like for me to cook?” she said. he loved her voice, utterly. like a bee, wanting to drown in honey. he wanted to drown in her voice, listen to it forever.

“call me kylian.”

for some reason, he finds himself wanting to get to know her. get closer to her.

y/n’s pov:

‘oh God, he’s staring.’ you think to yourself.

y/n has made her way to the kitchen after taking in the penthouse. it was so nice and luxurious. she wondered how much or how long she’d have to work before ever living in a place like this.

she began looking in the cabinets, taking out a few pots and pans before realizing her boss didn’t even tell her what he wanted to eat.

“mr. mbappé, what exactly would you like for me to cook.” y/n says, an attempt to ease the tension.

‘he’s still staring. what the hell is wrong with him?’

“mr. mbappé? did you hear what i said? i asked, what exactly would you like for me to cook?” she repeats.

he looks you straight in the eye.

“call me kylian.”

you two continue making eye contact, you thought you’d feel uncomfortable, but, it’s rather… nice? it feels nice. it’s the first he’s ever actually acknowledged you.

you break the eye contact, clearing your throat.

“alright, if you don’t have anything set in mind, i’ll just cook and try to make do with whatever you have here.” you say.

it’s been about 50 minutes and you’re finally done cooking. you made steak & farfalle pasta with creamy tomato sauce.

kylian went into his bedroom since you began cooking and hadn’t come out. but, you did hear faint music coming from his room.

you begin to plate his food nicely, setting it on the kitchen island with a glass cup of ice water.

luckily, you clean along the way while cooking so there wasn’t a mess. you were tired, you wanted to get home and unwind.

you walk up to his bedroom door, about to knock, when the door swings open.

“oh! i was just about to knock. the food is ready.” you say slightly surprised.

he doesn’t say anything.

but, you could care less. your attention shifts to the song being played in the background.

“is that écoute chérie by vendredi sur mer? i love that song so much.” you say excitingly, completely forgetting that you’re at work. technically.

“yeah, it is. i love that song too.” he replies with a small chuckle.

‘did he just chuckle? with me? did kylian mbappé, my rude ass boss. chuckle… with me?’

you smile, looking at the small smile that adorned his face as he chuckled.

you won. you’re winning mbappé over.

mbappé’s pov:

he was in his room, sipping on some expensive red wine from a brewery that gifted him some.

he felt at peace, moments like these to himself. drinking something, listening to music, letting loose.

not only that, but, most likely, he could smell the aroma from the food his personal assistant, y/n was making for him.

its been a little while, he was gonna go check on the food.

his favorite song comes on.

“partir, venir, mourir, courir.”

what a lovely song. he sings to himself, along the chant before making his way to the door.

opening it, there she was.

“oh! i was just about to knock. the food is ready.” she says, obviously a little spooked.

he doesn’t care about that, though. the more he looked at her, the more time he spent around her, the harder it got to suppress his obvious attraction to the woman.

he visibly sees something click in her head as she moves from his sight to get a better hearing of what was being played.

“is that écoute chérie by vendredi sur mer? i love that song so much.” she says.

‘God, she’s so cute.’ he thinks to himself.

“yeah, it is. i love that song too.” he says, trying to hold back the ‘awe’ he wants to say so bad.

she smiles.

kylian felt like his heart could explode.

without absolutely zero exaggeration, she has got to have an award for having the most beautiful smile in the universe.

that smile right there—convinced kylian that he would make it his mission to always see that smile as long as y/n’s around him.

y/n turns around, leading him to his meal.

his stomach grumbles as he lay eyes on the food. it looks delicious. better than any five star michelin restaurant he’s been to. would probably taste better as well.

he’s confused, though. there’s only one plate of food.

he turns to y/n.

“where’s your food?”

“oh, i only made food for you, sir-“

“kylian, call me kylian.”

“yes, i’m sorry, kylian.”

“i’m gonna wait here for you to finish your food so i can wash your plate, then i’ll be out your hair, if that’s fine with you, kylian.”

he knows he can’t just let her leave like that.

he doesn’t know what he’s doing, but he thinks he knows what he wants.

“that’s fine. come sit down.” he says, pulling out the chair next to him.

y/n hesitantly makes her way and gets seated. kylian slides over the glass of ice water to her.

“no, it’s for you.” y/n explains.

“i know, but, just drink it. i have some wine in my room.”

“okay, do you want me to go get it and pour some out for you?” y/n says, about to make her way there when kylian gently pulls her down.

“no, no, it’s fine. relax.” he says.

kylian begins eating, almost scarfing the food down.

y/n takes a sip of the water while looking at him eat.

“is it good?” y/n asks.

he stops for a second, chewing and swallowing what’s in his mouth.

“very. best meal i’ve had in a long time, y/n. thank you.” he says with a genuine smile on his face.

y/n smiles back before bringing the glass cup up to her lips and drinking some more water.

“so, y/n, how old are you?” he says, finishing up his food.

“i turned 24 a few months ago.” y/n says.

“really? i turned 24 a few months ago as well.”

“i know that, you’re the star of france.” y/n says with a small smile on her face.

he smiles at her again.

y/n couldn’t take it.

‘this is awfully weird. why is he being so… nice. it was concerning.’ she thinks to herself.

silence takes over the room and the only sound being the fork hitting against the glass plate as kylian takes a bite of the pasta.

“kylian, why are you so mean to me?”

“y/n, i know i haven’t been the nicest to you…”

they say at the same time. they both laugh.

“you go first.” kylian offers to y/n.

“alright, i was asking. why are you so mean to me? did i do.. something.”

kylian sighs deeply, “no y/n, you did nothing wrong, but, a lot happened before that’s making me like that towards you. just know i don’t mean it.” he explain.

“well, what happened?”

“i’ll tell you later.” kylian says finishing the food.

y/n took the plate and glass cup, made her way to the sink and began washing the dishes.

y/n wondered, what was on his mind. what was he thinking about.

too deep in thought to not see her boss, kylian. staking right next to her, leaning on the countertop.

she finishes cleaning the plate and cup.

she turned to her left, her soul jumping out her chest.

“kylian! why are you always sneaking up on people.” y/n said, laughing off the remaining shock with a hand over her heart.

“sorry, sorry, i just like looking at you.” he laughs.

y/n laughs too.

“oh really?”

“OH? REALLY?” she says backtracking because it registered to y/n what he said.

“yes. you’re beautiful.” he says, stepping a teeny closer to the beautiful woman in front of him.

y/n blushes.

“the food was really good as well. i really wish you would’ve ate with me.” he says.

“i’m just your assistant. i don’t want to break any of your boundaries. i respect you.” y/n says.

“i respect you.” kylian replays it in his head.

he already had a slight crush on y/n, but, this was different.

he has a crush on y/n.

“wow, you’re making me feel like shit for treating you the way i did. i respect you, too. say, come over again tomorrow. if you make me something to eat again, i’ll tell you what happened.” he says with a smile on his face.

y/n remains silent. she was thinking.

‘is kylian mbappé flirting with me?’

there’s no way.

yes there is! look at the way he’s looking at you. he wants you!’ you weigh out to yourself.

kylian think it’s adorable. the way y/n constantly looks like a lost puppy.

he bends down a bit, leveling himself to y/n’s height to get her attention.

“everything alright in there?” kylian says.

y/n seems to still be in deep thought when kylian giggles.

he takes his index finger, placing it underneath y/n’s chin, lifting it up.

he looks her in the eye.

he wants to kiss her, her lips look so soft. he’s 100% sure if their lips were to simply graze across one another, he’d still love it. be addicted to it.

y/n looks back into his eyes, feeling her heart beat and her stomach start to flutter.

“deal or no deal?” kylian says as he tilts his head to the side.

y/n eyes drops to kylian’s lips. they were the perfect size and naturally protruded out.

she imagined how it’d feel. probably like a pillow, or, maybe a marshmallow.

y/n eyes make its way back to kylian’s.

she made up her mind.

“deal.” she says before gently removing his finger from her chin. she gathered her bags and made her way to the door, kylian following right behind.

she slipped on her sandals as kylian unlocked & opened the door.

y/n walks out, before turning to kylian who stood by the door.

“goodnight.”

“goodnight.”

they say together.

the two laugh.

“till next time then, goodnight mr. mbappé.” y/n says.

“it’s kylian and i’ll call you tomorrow. make sure you answer. goodnight, y/n.” he says, smiling.

a/n (author’s note):

i am confident in this at all.. i feel like it could be way better but i wanted to hurry and publish something to whoever’s waiting. i’ve been so busy and tired with school :,(. it was supposed to only have one part but i didn’t wanna rush the plot too much.

i tried something new with the whole “pov” thing. and, i hope it’s not too confusing because i switch from 2nd point of view to 3rd a lot.

i guarantee part 2 will be more exciting than this. thanks for reading!

[moonchild-in-blue]

Hey, remember that time II kissed Vessel's arm? Okay byyeeeee :D

Well HELLO GOOD MORNING TO YOU TOO

(yes i did see this before i went to bed but i was wayyy too eepie to reply)

I hope you know this has just set the mood for my entire day so. I'm gonna be extra yearning and soft and whiny 👍 Sorry about that guys, I'm a pathetic wet cat of a person 😞

He could've hugged him. He could've high fived. He could've done that guy thing where they slap each other's butts and it's totally platonic and wholesome and hilarious.

AND YET. Mr. Daddy Twofoot (cmon guys, catch up on the name) KISSED??? HIS ARM??? On the sensitive soft part too?????

Like. Okay. Yeah yeah, the boyfriends, etc etc. But let me be actually serious for a second here.

(hello this turned out to be way longer and sappy than i intended so)

Do you see how effortless that was? He didn't hesitate for a second. How often do you see two guys (who I'm assuming are straight) be this affectionate with each other? A kiss on the inner arm is *such* a tender, intimate gesture, regardless of gender/sexuality - a type of action that is not usually expected between straight men.

And I don't know, I find it incredibly endearing and important to see that, as much as they do all that funny sexy stuff for the fans (and for themselves too - they seem to have so so much fun), these type of actions seem to be a part of their regular off-stage interactions. You can feel how genuinely good friends they all are.

And in the case of Vessel and ii, the founders of Sleep Token and the major force behind it all - how surreal and incredible it must be for them to get to experience all of this together. To see their hard work paying off. To stand proudly in front of literal thousands of people side by side with your best friend??? HELLO???

It's such a small thing, but I carries so much weight ya know? Like yeah dude, I love you and I'm proud of you, and you did a wonderful job. Isn't it SO touching???

I just LOVE to see it. Men who are vulnerable and affectionate around each other, who are comfortable in it, who shows us that yes, platonic friendships and pda are beautiful and important and in no way make you any less of a men. Which is something a LOT of dudebros in the metal scene would benefit in knowing.

I just. I don't know bro. Vessel x ii interactions mean the whole word to me. I was just talking with someone a few days ago of just how far Vessel has come in his music journey, and even within Sleep Token, the difference between One days and now is. Nothing short of astronomical. It feels almost miraculous, yet it is anything bUT, because we know how much effort V and ii put into making the music we so love. And of course iii, although not part of the creation process, has been with them from the beginning as well.

Can you imagine how overwhelmingly awesome and scary it must be for them?? And what are the odds of after a few years of changes, they somehow found the perfect person to complete them? SO MUCH SO, that you can see just how close iii and iv are BY THEIR MIRRORING ATTIRES?? HELLOOOOO ???? SOULMATES FR FR

Aaaa I feel like I'm going off on a huge tangent, and I am stopping now before I bring up the German Rituals and Wembley. December was a wild month omg I have not recovered yet.

I just!!! My heart!!! I love them. Vessel PLEASE I have been begging on my hands and knees, PLEASE PLEASE give your drummer a smooch omg he deserves it poor guy has the twinkliest prettiest eyes ever how can you NOT 🥺✨💙

Anyways. Yes, I do remember. Good gif 🙂👍

[ips-northstar-official]

So... It's the person from the hypothetical thing about the Balor. Here's the whole thing, as it is.

See, I'd just got done with a job along with my Lance: Things were great, I wound up seeing what happens when a Balor literally pulls itself back together from a front-row seat (spoiler alert: It was fucking awesome), and I wound up getting enough cash to do some... Acquisitions.

So! I decided to stop by a black-market scrapyard I knew about: Odd spot ran by an unshackled NHP everyone calls "Mamaw": She heard the term on an out-of-the-way planet, liked it, and decided to use it as an alias. Lotta people dump mechs that are too junked-out, expensive, or time-consuming to repair there: Wear-and-tear from a death-world, too much damage from a job gone horribly wrong, used for something horrible by a rich ass-hat... You name it, Mamaw's got it lying around there for resale and trade.

It's like a Flea Market for mech parts!

... And also maybe ship parts butlet'snottalkabouthat-

ANYWAYS. Stopped by to say "Hi!", ask around about any good deals, and she'd told me that she had pretty much just gotten in a Blackbeard from some salvage crews. I was interested, so she guided me to it.

When I tell you this mech was fucked, I mean it was Capital-F FUCKED. Missing a leg and both arms, any armor was molten slag, wiring was shredded, the works. According to Mamaw, somebody had let their Sekhmet-Class off the hook, ejected, and just ran away. Left 'em behind to fight while they fled for the hills.

The mech got damaged enough that the Sekhmet-Class couldn't move an inch more, and after the battle the Salvage teams moved in to do their job. So, imagine their surprise when the wreck they go to grab starts swearing the air blue at them. Just... Absolutely laying into them. Insults that I could not repeat in polite company, according to Mamaw. They tossed the whole mech off to her, she got the Sekhmet outta there with some conversation and offers of therapy, and everybody turned out pretty alright. She's apparently a very good underground fighter now.

Where was I? Ah, right! The Balor eating the Blackbeard.

So! I'm sitting there haggling the price with Mamaw, and she's making sure to get a good list of what I want off of the BB. Mid-conversation, she trails off while looking over my shoulder after we've finally got the price figured up and paid. I turn around, and my Balor's just... Eating the Blackbeard.

Greywash fully in effect, swarming the wreckage: It was like watching a swarm of locusts pull apart a 3-D puzzle. They'd find the weld-seams and bolts, pull 'em apart like a damn surgeon, pulled the whole chunks into the swarm, and then go back for seconds and thirds.

Weirdest part was, the Balor seemed almost... Gentle, as it worked. Held the parts it was pulling in almost reverently, and when the Blackbeard was down to just the framework and wiring, it picked it up and... hugged it. Held it, like a close friend instead of a meal.

And as it ate, it just got... Bigger. Went from standing with plenty of room in the warehouse we were sifting through to scraping the ceiling. And then...

VRRP. No more Blackbeard.

I turned back around to Mamaw, and she seemed pensive about the whole thing for a moment or two before she started smiling.

"A good eating young-'un, there. You take good care of them, you hear me?"

Well. I couldn't help but agree.

So, yeah: That's how my Balor hypothetically ate a Blackbeard. Now if you'll excuse me, I gotta go see somebody with a hypothetical Goblin to work on some hypothetical VPN-work. TTFN!

Ok so I’ve got corporate distracted for a bit so I can post this because letting this be my sole spoils of war here would be unfair to everyone on the Omninet

Also I’m gonna kick this down the road back to @horus-unofficial to please explain to me what’s going on with that Balor

That kinda sounds like it’s alive

Anyways back to standard corpro-posting love you guys

—the intern

[xoxomoonlightxoxo]

P&C | Ch. 3: Nursing Buddies

➪ Playlist (Spotify) l Series Masterlist

"I think I like your space buns more," a whisper lingers as Tae bends his neck, lowering his gaze as our eyes meet.

"Trust me, so do I. But first impressions are important," I say, already anticipating his quick remark regarding his first impression of me.

"You know I thought you would just keep your hand on my hoodie the whole ride down. You didn't seem in much of a rush," he chuckles, teasing my flushed face.

"Yeah well, it's not my fault you had to stand there," I quickly glance at him with a smirk.

He gives me a boxy smile, "Oh it was my fault? My bad, sorry, next time you decide to tumble into the elevator let me know so I can get out of your way," he says with the same teasing smirk.

It's goofy obviously, but I'm glad he wasn't awkward about it. I've embarrassed myself enough for one day. I'm surprised he hasn't said anything about my unfortunate outfit though but, I'll take it. Don't need him knowing about my Barbie obsession too. Flip-flops is enough.

Tae offered me a drink as we talked about our majors and how the first day of school went.

"Shut up! Nursing? No way, me too," I scream with genuine excitement.

"Stop, are you serious?" Tae exclaims. Leaning in forward, making sure he heard me correctly. But yes, turns out we are both majoring in Nursing.

"I'm dead serious. Wait, then how come I didn't see you in today's classes?" I ask, still smiling about the news.

"I didn't go, slept through them and then helped out with the party," he explained.

"Well, you didn't miss much. We just went over the syllabus, but the courses are fast-paced and content heavy so try not to miss too much," I say.

"Oh no trust me, my mom would whoop me if I did. Today was the only exception. She loves Jungkook and Jimin, so I told her it was a party for their arrival from Busan." he smiles pointing to the two guys standing by the food table.

"Is Jungkook alright?" I didn't mean to change the subject but my curiosity couldn't resist anymore. He hasn't left Jimin's side since we walked in and barely said a word aside from that short introduction.

"Yeah, he is fine, don't worry. If he doesn't sleep well, it shows on his face. Becomes all grumpy and quiet. Give him a day." Tae explains with a reassuring smile. I nod. Anyway, he knows better, they've been friends for a long time. By now they know each other's characters better than they know their own.

After talking to Tae for a while, I found my way to Jiah who was naturally with Jimin.

"Hey Mira, are you enjoying the party?" Jimin offers me water, as they scoot closer making room on the sofa.

"It's awesome! I met so many people already. Tae and I are in the same major, how funny is that?" I laugh.

"Tae is in Nursing? Since when? What happened to Graphic Design?" Jiah asks, turning to Jimin while simultaneously trying to spot Tae in the crowd.

"Yeah, that was before his parents found out. They said he needed a real job, one that would make him stable money. Capitalism, what can I say," Jimin sighs, leaning his head back.

"That's unfortunate, he looked so happy when talking about his projects. But, now he has Mira to pull him through Nursing." Jiah exclaims with a bright smile, eyes locked on mine.

"We'll see if I'll be able to pull myself through at least a semester," I say chuckling, but the concern in my voice is genuine. However, I'm glad that I at least have Tae in this with me. What if we end up in this same cohort?

--

1:00 a.m.

It's the next day, yet the party seems to have only begun. I'm not sure what these people are drinking but I'm ready to call it a night and sink into my warm bed. So, I go to find Jiah and Jimin and thank them for the invitation, before waving Tae goodbye. We promised to meet each other tomorrow before classes, to prepare for the battle that is Nursing.

As I left the studio room, I was relieved by the breeze of fresh air coming from the opened emergency exit door. Weird, but I need that air, I've been suffocating in there for God knows how long.

"Hello? Is anyone in there?" my voice is quiet, trying not to disturb the sane people who are fast asleep. I walked out of the building and onto the bench area by the dormitory. The moonlight is reflecting onto the pond as the sound of crickets fills the night ambience. Everything was at peace. That is until I saw a dark figure sitting on one of the benches farther back.

"Hello??" I screeched, stumbling back on my feet. Boom. There I was on the ground, one heel off my foot completely while the other was stuck in one of the cracks. Phenomenal.

"Oh my god, are you okay?" a familiar voice exclaims as the dark figure rushes towards me. Black hoodie, black hair. Jungkook. Why was he here all alone? Was he sleeping?

"Yeah, I'm oka..." my words were abrupted by his sudden action. In one swoop he was able to lift me while taking care of my broken heels. My arms just awkwardly dangling off of his broad shoulders, as I try to not make eye contact with his face, which was in very close proximity. After reaching the bench, he put me down, taking off his hoodie to put it on my bare legs. Everything is happening so quickly, mentally I am still on the ground, too embarrassed to look up.

"What were you doing out here, it's cold?" he asks, eyes focused on my face.

"What were you doing out here? I only came up to check why the door was left open," I exclaimed, stuttering the second half of my sentence. He lets out a small chuckle and sits on the bench beside me.

"It was too loud in there, I already had a migraine so this wasn't helping. So, I decided to get some fresh air. Mystery solved." he looks back at me with a smirk. I give him a shy smile.

"Anyways, I wanted to introduce myself again, since I looked completely rough back there. I swear I'm much hotter in real life," he explains, holding out his hand.

"This is real life ..." I point out with a smirk, shaking his hand.

"You know what I mean. Anyways, I'm Jungkook, nice to meet you, Mira, right?" I nod.

"So, how was the party?" he asks. I explained that I'm not much of a party girl and came as Jiah's plus one. But it turned out to play in my favour as I met my study buddy. He was so tired he almost forgot about Tae's change in major and had to do a quick double-take when I mentioned Nursing.

"What about you? What's your major?" I ask.

"Well, right now, it's Kinesiology, but we'll see. Maybe I'll double major in something else," he explains. Well, he definitely looks like the type to major in Kinesiology, a lean physique with buff muscles. Everything about him screams gym rat, I know because I'm quite literally the opposite. I don't remember the last time I stepped foot into a gym, it's too intimidating and also I'm lazy. I hyperventilate going up 3 flights of stairs, so I think that should tell you all you need about my level of fitness.

We talk for a little while longer until silence consumes the surroundings. It's peaceful again. His hoodie is still on my legs, while he is left sitting with just a white T-shirt on. I try to move but my body is restricted by the sudden weight on my right shoulder.

"Ouch," I yelp quietly, as I notice Jungkook's fluffy hair right by my face. He fell asleep. On my shoulder. The one that suddenly won't stop hurting. That's it. I remembered why Jungkook seemed so familiar. He was the guy that bumped into me at the entrance door.  

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[escapism-from-the-real-world]

Power Rangers Ninja Storm HCs and Character Analysis (kind of)

The first of a series of long posts examining the characters of PR Ninja Storm

Shane Clarke

Background/story

Dad is very come and go. Absent for most of his life before leaving for good after the birth of his little sister

His mom is awesome, but had to pick up multiple jobs after his dad left

She works at a diner that the rangers frequent often

Shane picked up a job at Storm Chargers to help out and that’s where he met Dustin

Has an older brother (2-3 years older) who he does not get along with

Brother ignores background (Read: Family)

Says Shane needs to try harder to ‘get out of their city’ in order to ‘make something of himself’

Dad put a lot of expectations on them whenever he was around

Brother wants to make him proud

Shane is pissed that he expected so much of them while doing the bare minimum for them himself

Needless to say they have very different opinions on their dad

They both love their family though and help their mom out wherever they can (brother is going to become a lawyer and Shane works at Storm Chargers)

Has a little sister (5) who Shane adores with his whole heart

Babysits when he can

Is teaching her how to skateboard and some martial arts

She adores Dustin (as most kids do) and thinks Tori is very pretty

Is cautious of Hunter and Blake at first (Shane complained about ‘the new kids at work’ a lot)

Eventually starts to like them (Hunter sweeps her off her feet like Dustin, but Blake is a fun playmate too)

She is very cute

Met Dustin at Storm Chargers when he had to get a new skateboard (he broke it doing a guard rail slide)

Became best buddies when Shane stopped a group of bullies from picking on Dustin at school 

Dustin started working at Storm Chargers first and Shane hung out there so much that Kelly just offered to pay him to be there (Dustin double bodies with Shane to get work done) (It’s a 50/50 on whether they get work done or not)

Have the brotherly relationship Shane wanted with his brother (they tease and tussle a lot but they want the best for each other and are very supportive/protective)

Met Tori when she came into Storm Chargers lost (Before they worked there)

Dustin and Shane recognized her from school and go to say hi

They startle her and she sprays them with water to which she freaks out about because her parents freak out about it but Dustin and Shane show her their abilities with earth and air (in secret) and she chills about it

Shane asked how a girl could do sports and both Dustin and Tori are like ‘Girls can do sports!’ ‘Yeah, my older sister is really good at soccer and basketball!’ ‘Oh. Sorry. Do you do any sports?’ ‘I surf’ ‘Awesome!!’

They slowly become friends (Tori is a little more anxious than Shane and Dustin at this point in time)

Eventually become family and are very close (also protective, mainly of Dustin since he is prone to getting bullied) (Dustin is oblivious to it but he appreciates his friends for sticking up for him anyways) (People basically stopped when he shot up, got buff, and hella pretty) 

Shane keeps a lot of guys off Tori when they’re at the beach because the vibes are wrong 

Also aromantic and doesn’t understand why Tori may want to have random strangers come and flirt with her

Shane and Tori fight like siblings do and Dustin is either mediator or off to the side with popcorn

Side tangent of their entering of the Ninja Academy for timeline reasons

Started at the beginning of high school so they could have something to do together since they have different sporting hobbies

Ended up being a bit of an elaborate plan to get them into the academy (since it’s a secret academy)

Officially known as the Academy of Elemental Ninjutsu

Dustin is all for it and is excited to be a ninja but Shane and Tori are a little more skeptical (secretly also very excited)

They are the most powerful students, but don’t have much experience with their powers so they get their butts kicked a lot

They are pretty good for the amount of time they’ve put in

Can use smoke bombs, can ninja vanish, streak, and have shurikens

Tori would always be on time of not for the boys

Ok, back to their relationships with people

Didn’t know Cam until they started at the academy and even then it was only through very, very brief interactions (Cam doesn’t like talking to people… or people in general)

After the academy is destroyed, they start talking to him more and dubbed him their ‘guy in the chair’ (affectionate)

Become fiercely protective of him (he’s the littlest brother) (he is older than both Tori and Dustin) (he says as much)

Shane is very impressed with fighting skills even before he became a ranger

Appreciates him, but shows it in his usual manner of teasing and back slaps (Cam thinks he’s being made fun of) (he is not)

Does not like Hunter or Blake the first time they meet 

Susses them out immediately as bad news and argues over them a little with Dustin and Tori

Is very vindicated when they do turn out to be bad but doesn’t rub it in because Dustin and Tori are pretty upset over it

Sympathizes with them for having lost a parent (in a different way for him but still)

Is still suspicious and cautious by the time the leave, but takes a neutral stance for the most part

And then when they come back brainwashed he fucking loses it

Hates them, hates them so much, he doesn’t care what happened to their parents they are hurting his friends (badly)

Finds out they were brainwashed and takes all the anger he had for them and takes it out on Choobo (Who dies and stays dead, thank you)

Pretty chill with Blake but has a very intense rivalry with Hunter since they are both reds/head of their group

Calms down after they realize they have a lot in common, including older brother overprotectiveness, and it becomes a friendly rivalry

Personality/Headcanons/Arcs

Headstrong and follows his guts on most things

Also very stubborn and likes to do things his way

But is caring and protective too and looks out for his own

Strategically smart and is the most experienced with weaponry

Specialized in crossbows, bows and arrows, and (for some ungodly reason) guns

Is also handy with a fan and throwing knives

Powers allow him to walk on air, has a longer hang time in general (very helpful with skateboard practice)

Can hold is breath for the longest (Tori is a close second)

Powers also make him silent on his feet (can and has scared his fellow rangers) (Must announce his presence when walking into a room)

Hated the fact that his friends were going to be put in the line of fire when they become rangers

Thus why he pushes them so hard and tries to take the brunt of the punches

Learns to trust his team and to work as a unit

Has a lot of self-esteem issues and constantly feels like he has to prove himself

Dustin and Tori try to help with this, and later Sensei because this is something that an adult should be helping with

Has to learn that he is enough on his own and he doesn’t need his brother’s approval for anything he does

Shane thought the thing with Skylar was a dream 

He had that dream a lot as a kid and then it stopped

He was confused when they started up again and they gave him a weird feeling

Skylar was basically his platonic soulmate and he was so happy to finally meet her and then she dies and it’s ANGSTY

LET SHANE CRY OVER HER AFTER SHE DIES

Dustin and Tori are there for comfort

On a happier note, Shane can sing

Like really well

“It is your birthday~”

Becomes a sensei at the end of the show and eventually takes over as headmaster when sensei retires

Tori Hanson : Dustin Brooks : Hunter Bradley : Blake Bradley : Cam Watanabe

[scienceoftheidiot]

I've grown way too unhinged with these "asks", but I've been meaning to send you this one for a while, so please indulge me!

From what I've noticed, a lot of the Royai fan artists I follow tend to prefer drawing Riza, when they're not portraying her with Roy. But I've noticed that a number of your pieces focused on Roy only, which I find very interesting! Would you say that his character inspires you more than Riza, artistically/creatively speaking? If so, in what ways?

Please tell us more! And thank you, as always <3

Lol not unhinged at all I love to receive asks, I just always forget to reply 🥲🥲 sorry 🥲 so, first, thank you very much for asking ! 🥰❤️

And lol yeah, sometimes I feel like I stick out like a sore thumb among the Royai people. But eh, healthy ecosystems need biodiversity 🤣

I hope my answer isn't too long.

I do have a preference for Roy in drawing, for a number of reasons.

I precise in drawing, because I do love writing Riza, not more than I do writing Roy, but they're relatively even for me - even if, yes, I tend to favour Roy because he's easier for me, there, too.

I like to draw him, because I like his face, expressions and postures, and I like to explore them. He's a fun little guy to draw, when I think Riza is cool AF (and I have a lot to say about her character, too!) but she's not as fun to draw for me (once again I love her and she's in fact the female character I have drawn the most I think, because I have a hard time drawing women, but still, if I'm looking for a quick doodle, I'll go towards Roy).

But yes, they're more or less indissociable for me, and for proof my first fan art for FMA was indeed Royai (here!).

Anyway. While Royai is my favourite ship and I love Riza to bits, my favourite character in FMA is Roy. Roy first. (And my husband has understood that well, he's calling me when we do a rewatch and Roy appears on screen and I'm not watching. Like HURRY ROY IS THERE).

Now, if anyone who knows me from earlier than my FMA obsession reads this, and I describe the utter mess that is Roy, they'll understand that it couldn't have gone any other way. Here's a man in a position of power, who hides everything behind a façade, who's a nerd and highly intelligent (I admit I'm often irked by some posts in the royai fandom. This guy is smart. He's goofy, he's a dork, but he's smart. Book smart, he's a fine tactician, and he can command. Erasing that is erasing part of his identity, and I'm sure part of why Riza loves him, too), has a weird sense of humour even though he can also be intense af, is crushed by unbelievable guilt from his past actions (I admit Roy and Roza both beat all of my previous fixations in that, good job being war criminals, guys 🙃) and intends to repair what he's done as much as he can, one way or another, whose sole goal is to make things better for others/his place/his country, whatever he has to give up for it to work, who inspires others doing that, and who gets badly injured/disabled during the story and keeps going and fighting teeth and nails through it and beyond?

WELL. There is no question I will fall for this dude instantly. This is like. Checking all the boxes for me to be instantly in love with this guy. Like. I think he's actually the only one who checks ALL of my boxes.

I do think however that Roy isn't complete without Riza, and that it's the same on her side (like. I've only tagged my current fic with "codependency" but that's how I write them whatever I write). I'm just fixating on him first, but I still find Riza an awesome character, there's no debate there 😊

Here you go! I've written a novel again lol but I hope I've replied to all your questions. I can talk more about how I see Roy and Riza, I always have more to tell, but really that would just make this even more unpalatable 😅 thank you again for asking 😊

[barbwalken]

For Cyrus Pokemon 👀

1. Why do you like or dislike this character?

8. What's something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you despise?

24. What other character from another fandom of yours that reminds you of them?

And I need to ask you this about Ganondorf:

25. What was your first impression of this character? How about now?

1. Why do you like or dislike this character?

I don't know haha. Cyrus is very different from the type of characters that I like (Giovanni is more like my archetype of fave XD) but with Cyrus a big part of why I like him so much as a character has to do with Pokespe and his interactions with Diamond and how he developed in the story (that part where he throws fists with the fucking champion and then the gym leaders is awesome). Also, because in games there is not a lot of info about him (only enough to understand his context) there are many ways to interpret him and I think other games (USUMO and pokemas) did a great job with his character. I love him, he is my boy 💙

8. What's something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you despise?

Hmmm I don't like it when he is represented as a victim 🤔. Like yeah it sucks his parents neglect him, but it also sucks to have the emotions of people erased because the dude can't deal with his emotions. I could also say I don't like how sometimes people underestimate how far he is willing to go just to do what he wants, he is not a good person. But that also depends on which version of Cyrus we are talking about

24. What other character from another fandom of yours that reminds you of them?

I was going to say I don't know, but then I remembered Hajime Saito from Rurouni Kenshin, they are so similar in the way they act so cold and indifferent towards their enemies-made friends by certain circumstances, and they say they won't help them, but help them anyway (at least pokemas cyrus). He also reminds me of Piccolo in that way too

And I need to ask you this about Ganondorf:

25. What was your first impression of this character? How about now?

Oh I was like 11 or 12 yo when I first played OoT, and that was my first Zelda game. I remember the scene where he is riding the black horse through the fucking flames and I was like "Wow how extra. Who's that guy". He is been my favorite Zelda character since then. Also, the scene were he get out from all the castle hubris and transforms into ganon is so damn cool. Also, his voice in oot was so cool too, is my fave ganondorf voice, even if he doesn't have lines haha.

[circulars-reasoning]

Hi! We're a minor bodied system, and at our point in time we're still far from deciding what we want to do with our lives, but one life path a lot of us are considering us becoming a teacher. We worry though, because we're a very overt system. We have alters who just cannot, even if they try, mask their heavy accents, or the big differences in their movements - we worry about how this would work out if we were a teacher, as I doubt we'd be able to just be like "hey class here's the complex trauma disorder I have", if we choose to be open about the disorder at work at ALL. I know you won't have every answer, since we're different people of course. I just wanna have some insight into how much of a problem it would be, any solutions you think would be available, or if you've experienced any similar worries. Hope you're having a good day 😊

Hey, I wish you the best of luck if that’s the path you go down! I love teaching.

We’re lucky enough that we can mask fairly well, but certain parts of ours definitely are more overt. Numb speaks with an accent that slips out often. Thankfully, it’s never once been an issue. Here’s some of my favorite excuses:

I didn’t sleep much last night

I’ve been doing a lot of voice acting and it’s hard to break out of it

I’ve been watching X and now I’ve got that character rotating in my mind

As for the big movement changes, that’s alright too!! Deb for instance hates walking around the room and struggles with walking sometimes, so she just says “Okay guys my feet hurt. If you have any questions while you work, come see me at my desk with your Chromebook.”

By and large, you won’t have problems; people’s default thought of “hmm, that person is acting strangely” is not “I bet they secretly have a complex childhood-trauma disorder causing them to change identities!!” Typically it’s “huh. Anyways. Not my business.”

If you need accommodations, you can do what I’ve done and simply state you have a disorder that causes X problems. Note that I’ve only done this because my work is p awesome and chill and I’m also, like. The best English teacher they’ve got (#humblebrag but the bar is also fucking LOW) so I’ve got job security.

I needed accommodations for my amnesia, because I STRUGGLE to remember all the damn meetings. So I just said to my boss, in private, “Yeah, I have a disorder that leads to gaps in my memory. It’s been something I’ve always had, and it makes the meeting aspect of my job harder. If you could send me a reminder sometimes, that would be so appreciated — and if not, just some understanding if I forget something would be great. I’m doing my best.”

[be-with-me-so-happily]

Summary: Y/N applies to be a styling intern for the One Direction crew during the Where We Are tour. As she gets better at her job and closer to the band and crew (especially Harry Styles), some of her dreams seem to be coming true, but so are some of her fears.

A/N: Here we go!! It's gonna get juicy! This is my first time writing this kind of stuff, and I just hope I did it justice.

Warnings: Some language, alcohol consumption, recounting sexual assault, mention of loss of loved one, intercourse

~~~~~

CHAPTER 7 -

I CANNOT HIDE THIS EVEN THOUGH I TRY

Oct 1st, 2014

You flew to Atlanta last night after the music video shoot, to get enough sleep for the show today. As much as you like to push yourself in your job, Amelia is still insisting that you take it easy, and you actually follow the advice because you don't want to have to take more time off later.

Amelia puts you in charge of Harry's and Niall's dressing stations again, and you notice that Harry's outfit choices have been very… neutral. Not that he doesn't look good, it's just not as bold and different as you thought he had liked.

[He can make anything look good. No, no… stop]

When he comes into the dressing room, he has a playful expression on his face. He's been in a good mood lately.

"The usual for you Mr. Styles- black top and black jeans?" You laugh.

"Yes, with a side of boots, please." He jokes back.

You hand him his outfit and he starts taking his shirt off.

"Hold on rockstar, behind the curtain." But he just responds with a big laugh.

He immediately pulls his shirt back down. "I'm so sorry love. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

"No, I'm not uncomfortable. I'm just trying to be professional."

He smiles. "Well, you are a stylist, so I'd say it's part of your job… and you have seen me shirtless twice now already anyway." He meets your eyes to gauge your reaction. "But only if you're comfortable."

[It's insane how quickly he can make you feel so flustered and yet so at ease at the same time]

He's dressed and now a mischievous smile appears.

"Hey, umm… so, since it's almost the end of the tour and stuff, I asked Amelia if you could… you and Natalie… could be in the crowd tonight. Would you wanna do that?"

You don't realize that your eyes light up and once you feel it you compose yourself.

"That sounds fun! Yeah!"

"Neat. Umm… what is your favorite song?" He asks. [This punk is mocking me with the 'neat' thing isn't he?]

You're not sure why, but you get nervous to answer his question. You can tell he is waiting.

"I think 'Right Now' is probably my favorite," you admit. "And Natalie's is 'Alive' I'm pretty sure."

"Oh, right." He clears his throat, "awesome, I'll have someone on security take you to a good spot. You and Natalie. Look for me, yeah? I'll be the one in the black shirt and jeans." He winks.

[Oh god. You may get another concussion again, because your knees are getting weak and could buckle any moment]

"Game on rockstar." You squint your nose and he chuckles once more before dressing behind the curtain and leaving the room.

~~~~~

You have actually never been to a One Direction concert, and since becoming an intern, you've only ever watched them on the screen with all the other crew. So tonight is something else.

A security guard ushers you and Natalie to the front of the crowd on the left side, (looking at the stage). You have your 'crew' shirts on, so you get to stand in the crew walkway.

As soon as the show intro starts, the crowd roars! It seems like it somehow gets louder with each new song. Once 'C'mon C'mon' ends, the guys walk to the center of the stage.

You point at him, smile, and mouth 'found you' as he sets his mic stand in place.

Goosebumps form on your arms as soon as the song starts. Your stomach is twisting and turning. You start rubbing your forehead and when you look up you see Harry look at you.

He mouths "what's wrong with you?" but you shake your head. He mouths again, "what's wrong?" and you just point to your stomach.

He puts his hand on his, "feel sick?" But you just shrug. You're not sick, and you know it.

He looks at you a couple of times throughout the song and you swear he tries to sneak some other glances too.

When 'Moments' ends, he and Liam run to the bathroom. A few seconds later you feel your phone vibrate in your back pocket. You check it, thinking it might be Amelia, but you see Harry's name pop up.

[What the hell is he doing?]

:harry: having fun?

:you: yes, get back to work!

[Really, what the hell is he doing?]

~~~~~

The rest of the concert is phenomenal! You and Natalie leave just before the finale to get back to the room.

You are both floating. You're so glad that you could experience it at least once.

The concert ends and the boys go rushing by, and you see Harry tries to look in as he is whizzing by.

As Sarah and Jade join you to pack up, and a few minutes later you hear that *ping* and check your phone.

:harry: you had fun?

:you: so much, thank you!

:harry: i wanna hear all about it! would you maybe wanna meet up when you get back?

[These feelings rising up are familiar, but a lot stronger this time, and harder to avoid]

You subtly get Natalie's attention to show her the texts and get her advice. You feel like this is the type of bold thing you stay away from… and you feel like the last time you let you opened that gate, you ended up actually messing it all up. She looks at you like you're an idiot and whispers back, "I'm demanding that you go!"

:you: sounds good. where?

There's no immediate response and now you're nervous.

:harry: is it too weird to come to my room? just less people.

:harry: like, paparazzi

:you: no, that's fine

:harry: can't wait! i'll have someone come get you from you're room in an hour?

:you: okay!

As soon as you get to your hotel room, you are stumped. You don't know if you should change… or what you should wear.

"Leggings, and a cotton tank top, with that burnt orange off-the-shoulder sweater. It's the 'cute because she's comfy' look." Natalie helps, with a wink.

"What is even happening Natalie?" You stress.

"Good things sweetie, right?"

"Yeah, but why? I hurt him. Twice! At least that's how it seemed. And then he took care of me! I didn't deserve that."

"I think he cares about you way more than you think." She expresses.

You want to argue with her, you don't feel like it's true…. but you want to be ready to go to Harry's room.

[Hanging out in Harry Styles' room. You've hung out with him, and even kisses him, but for some reason that one thought is so unbelievable… like you're living every fan's dream]

~~~~~

He ushers you into his suite and orders some dessert from room service. You sat down on the couch together to wait.

"Okay, so tell me, what'd you think?" He asks.

"I've never experienced anything like that. It was unbelievable!" You exclaim. There's no exaggerating on that part.

He grins so wide. "Did we do 'Right Now' justice?"

"I don't think you guys could ever disappoint."

"I don't know about that." He laughs. "But the song was good?"

"Beautiful, as always. It's such a good song."

The dessert arrives and you start eating some delicious chocolate chip cookies.

You enter into another amazing conversation, like you always do with Harry. It's so easy to be comfortable and open with him. So damn easy.

He talks about his favorite songs to perform, the funniest signs he's seen, and the wildest things thrown on stage. He lights up when he talks about it all, and you can't help but adore it.

[You should stop adoring him, but that feels impossible. Try to hide your feelings so no one gets hurt again]

"You think you'd want to come out again next show?" Harry suddenly asks.

"Umm… yeah. I don't know if Amelia would let me since things are wrapping up with the tour though."

"What if it's just for 'Right Now' then?"

There must be a permanent red pigment to your face now. "That's probably fine. I'll ask her tomorrow."

After a few more cookies and some more tour talk, you acknowledge that you should be getting back to your room.

He offers to have someone take you back to your room but you decline. No one needs to go through any more trouble for you.

As you open the door, he starts to say something.

"Hey, Y/N?" He pauses, but then adds, "I liked hanging out."

"Me too. Thanks for the cookies!"

"Come by anytime you have a cookie craving." He smiles.

You laugh. "Okay rockstar." And you head back to your room.

[You should've hugged him. Wait, should you have hugged him? Maybe not the best idea]

~~~~~

Oct 3rd, 2014

You were questioned a bit yesterday by Sarah, asking where you'd been and implying you were off with some guy. There's no way you were going to tell her what you were really doing. So you just tell her you were winding down in the hotel cafe.

It's the second to last show of the tour and there's an energy in the air that is indescribable. You weren't pulling many outfit choices now so that packing up and storing could be completed faster. It meant your job was a lot easier in that sense.

You visit Dana at the merch tables. They had a lot more inventory out now. While things are getting easier for you, they are getting more stressful for her. You offer to help, which gives you an opportunity to catch up.

She asks how you have been since Vegas. Seems word spread a bit somehow, though that's not surprising in this environment.

She switches the subject for you, focusing the conversation on the guy she's been sort of seeing now. She seems really happy, and you're happy for her. But you're almost a little jealous that she gets to be with and talk about the guy she likes.

~~~~~

A couple hours before the outfit changes, Liam comes in to check on you. You haven't really had a chance to chat with each other and you're glad you're able to talk. You apologize for his broken arm, but he dismisses it, saying he looks tough. He asks about your recovery and you mention everything Harry did for you.

He chuckles, "yeah, not surprised." And then immediately meets your gaze. "I'm glad you're okay darling."

He excuses himself and says he'll be back later to change.

You put your headphones in. You've liked making it a habit as you work, to relieve your stress. You are embarrassingly listening to 'Happily' and singing along when you turn around and see that damn curly-haired boy standing in the doorway.

You take the headphones out. "You really need to stop sneaking in here when I've got music on."

"And miss you bopping around to 'Happily' by One Direction? I don't think so!" He laughs.

You roll your eyes and then you finally notice that his hair is french braided on the side with a bun at the back.

"What's going on up there?" You point.

"It's hot as hell out there." He shrugs, and then he looks at you like he's wanting your approval. "Is it too weird?"

"No! It's fun! And functional!" He starts to smile and you add, "rockstars can pretty much do whatever they want anyway." And he laughs.

"You're coming out for 'Right Now' right?"

"Yeah, approved by Amelia."

"M'kay. Stand on the same side." He winks and walks out.

Natalie walks in. "Harry Styles has a new hairstyle!" and you immediately come up with a fun plan. "Let's braid our hair too! It'll throw him off, and keep us from being drenched in sweat."

~~~~~

You both finish some tear down duties and head to the crew entrance to the show. You decide to sneak in right after the song starts. You see him looking for you two. [You're winning at this round of hide and seek]

You realize he isn't finding you so you and Natalie make up some silly dance moves and he notices it right away, copying them on stage. You belt out the words and head backstage once the song is over.

"That was hilarious" you laugh as you get back to the dressing room.

"What's going on with you two?" Nat immediately asks.

"Huh?"

"Come on Y/N/N, you can't be that naive and I'm not stupid." She sighs, "he asked you to watch the last concert, has you stand out there to sing your favorite song to you, invites you to his room to hang out, then wants you to at least watch them perform your favorite song again tonight… looking at you every chance he gets…"

She continues, "are you going to go after what you want now?"

"We are friends now. It's nice and fun."

"Is that all you want?"

"I just want things to be good between us. And I'm not going to mess that up again."

As if on cue, you get a text from Harry.

:harry: craving cookies?

You smile but instantly try to hide it and Natalie catches on quickly. "Honey, just go for it. Whatever it is, have fun and be happy. You're allowed to be happy."

:you: no

:harry: oh okay

:you: but cheesecake sounds good :)

:harry: done. see you in an hour?

:you: deal

~~~~~

The cheesecake actually arrives at the same time you do. Harry has the biggest grin on his face when he opens the door. "Best thing to open my door to!"

As you're devouring your dessert, he comments, "you surprised me with your hairdo tonight."

"I was trying to throw you off but it didn't work." You joke.

"It almost did. Major distraction, not professional Ms. Y/N Y/L/N!" He jokes back.

You feel a bit of a sting. Professionalism is what you strive for, but also the reason you ended up curled up in bed at the rental house, trying desperately not to cry.

He can see your expression has changed. "Thankfully your crazy dancing was the right way to get me focused again, so job well done."

You look down at your plate and nod your head. "That's what I'm here for…" and let out a sigh.

"Hey… I didn't mean anything bad by it." He scoots just a tiny bit closer. "It's good seeing you having fun at the show." He admits.

You don't want to make things awkward, so you stick out your tongue. "Who said I had fun?"

He laughs. "Not invited to the last show then."

You joking sigh of relief. "Thank god, it's hard work pretending to enjoy it. They're so boring."

There's a moment of silence and then he asks, "wait, but do you not want to?"

"I'll check my schedule." You joke.

You both laugh and go back to eating cheesecake. There's a comfortable silence while you finish your dessert.

He hesitantly breaks the silence. "Hey, have you been okay lately? Umm… since Vegas… and since you stayed at my house and stuff?"

"Yeah, I'm okay. It's not a big de-"

He interrupts, "please don't say that! What happened was not okay."

"I'm really fine."

"You didn't deserve that. You deserve to feel safe, all the time." He asserts.

You start to feel something building up inside.

"I should've been there. I could've done something. That asshole wouldn't have come close to you, and definitely wouldn't have touched you."

You break. You haven't thought about it much at all, and you thought you were handling it. Moving on. But you realize it actually was kind of a big deal. A stranger touched you, grabbed you, tried forcing himself on you… and you couldn't do anything. You felt helpless. Unsafe. Out of control.

Tears start welling up and pouring out. Harry looks a little panicked and scoots right up next to you. He blurts out, "oh god, please don't cry… Can I hug you?" And you nod.

He wraps his arms around you. His safe and strong arms. It actually makes you cry harder, knowing it's the exact opposite of how you felt that night in Vegas.

"I'm so sorry Sunshine. I'm so sorry you went through that and I'm so sorry I wasn't there."

You curl into his chest even more. You can't form words at the moment.

He continues, "I hate that I wasn't there. You deserve so much better." His heart is beating so fast. "You deserve to always feel safe. I always want you to feel safe."

[You do. You do feel safe now, and you don't want to leave this moment]

You've never felt so emotional, and you've definitely never felt so at ease while so emotional. Words are finally starting to form, and your heart is overriding any thoughts that could stop you right now. "Harry… Can… Can I stay here tonight?"

"Of course love. You can take the bed."

"No- umm… can we just lay here?"

"Anything you need."

He scoots the two of you so that you are laying down next to each other, still holding you while you're nuzzled into his chest.

You instantly relax and you feel yourself drifting to sleep.

~~~~~

Oct 4th, 2014

You wake up but don't open your eyes right away. You are enjoying the warmth next to you and the aroma surrounding you. [Shit, he feels and smells so good]

Harry starts to stir and you finally open your eyes. He gives you a big squeeze and pulls back to say, "good morning love. Feel alright?" He sits up and adds, "would you like some breakfast?"

You nod. "Yes please."

He calls for room service and checks with you that it's okay for him to take a shower while you wait. While he's in the bathroom, you check your phone.

:natalie: girl… are you coming back?

:natalie: i get it, you're busy ;) text me later

:natalie: ps. if you don't want people knowing, we might need a cover story to tell sarah and jade

:natalie: but i will need all the details

You shake your head and chuckle.

:you: just talked & slept here, love you, & shut up

You send it and Harry walks out of the bathroom. This punk is wearing a pair of skinny jeans. Just skinny jeans. [That's just rude, being so hot]

"You wanna take one now?"

"I would but I don't have clean clothes. I'll take one in my room." You respond.

"Fair enough." He smiles.

Breakfast arrives and you share everything he ordered. You eat, drink coffee, and talk about what tomorrow will be like, since it's the last show. It feels so normal. Not like he is Harry Styles rockstar and you are the intern who picks the celebrity's outfits. No, it's you and Harry.

[You would do this forever if you could]

You meet his glance while you eat some toast, and butterflies rage in your stomach when you see that he looks down and smirks, shaking his head.

"What?" You ask.

"It's just nice doing normal things." He smirks again.

"I'm glad I can make you feel normal." You roll your eyes.

He gives you a gentle but serious look. "I really like this." And you smirk back.

Once breakfast is done you figure you should get back to your room to take a shower and get to the venue. He pouts a little.

He walks you to the door but you stop before you open it.

"Harry, I can't even thank you enough for… well, for letting me bawl like a baby in front of you, and letting me sleep here. I hadn't talked to anyone about it before last night. Thank you for being there for me."

He wraps his arms around you, and then kisses the top of your head. "Always. Never a question Sunshine."

You pull back and look at his beautiful, gentle face with those deep green eyes. You can't help it and lean in for a quick kiss.

You pull back quickly and wipe your lips. "I'm sorry."

"I'm not." He winks as he bites his lower lip. He gives you a quick kiss back, but leave it at that, because you know you wouldn't get to work on time.

[Professionalism may officially be out the window now, but you can at least get to the venue early]

~~~~~

Oct 5th, 2014

Since tonight is the last show, you doll yourself up more. You put on your white and rust orange horizontal stripe flared jeans paired with a black crop t-shirt and some white hoop earrings.

Amelia comes in when you all get to the venue, thanking you all for everything you've done on this tour, and surprising you all by letting you watch the entire show, "at the boys' request". You can't wait to get out there again.

You stand in your usual spot. The show starts and the entire venue erupts in screams. Sarah and Jade are overwhelmed.

'Right Now' starts playing. Natalie pinches your side, knowing full well what happened and how good you are feeling. You can't tear your eyes away from him. You can't stop smiling when he looks your way. When he sings his second solo part and grins widely when he glances over, you can't feel your legs. [Best show you've ever been too]

The entire concert is spectacular. It was a great end to a great tour, but you are excited for what's coming next. There's a huge after party and, to be honest, you are more excited for that than anything.

~~~~~

You get ready so quickly and you feel sexy. A black lace plunge v-neck top with black skinny jeans, paired with silver heels and silver earrings. Thankfully the party is in a banquet room of the hotel, so you grab the girls and basically run down there.

The music is playing, and people are mingling. Sarah and Jade make their way to the bar and you scan the room.

"Hey Sunshine" you hear from behind you. You twist around with the biggest smile on your face, to meet the eyes of the guy with the biggest smile on his own face.

Natalie quickly interrupts the staring, "I'll be over… somewhere else."

"You look… wow. You look incredible." Harry professes, handing you a margarita.

You look him up and down, admiring his black button up with white paisley print. Again, maybe like two buttons are actually being used, but you definitely don't mind that style choice tonight.

"Not too shabby yourself there rockstar." You reply.

He puts his hand on your lower back as you walk past everyone to a table in the corner.

"So, last show, what'dya think?"

"Insanely good. I still have goosebumps." You reply.

"The shows are the best part of the job honestly."

You happen to look up, past Harry, and notice someone looking your way. You chuckle.

Harry looks up, "what's funny?"

"I- uhh… I think Sarah is giving me the death stare because I'm talking to you."

"She's… an interesting one." He smiles. "But I think she might not like this either…" He suddenly guides you out to an outside patio, laughing the entire way.

"Ahh" he jokingly sighs, "safety."

You take a couple more sips of margarita. "This feels familiar…" you boldly state.

"Hmmm… yeah… think tonight will end the same as that one?" He asks with a wink.

You giggle but then get quiet.

"Hey Sunshine, what's up? Why're ya quiet?" He questions.

"I…" you need to just say this to get it over with. "I can't get past the fact that you were so kind to me after Vegas, and ever since then actually, after what I did." You pause for a breath. "It doesn't make sense and I don't deserve it."

"What are you talking about, love?"

"We had such an amazing kiss at that rooftop par-"

He interrupts, "amazing, huh?"

"Shush you!" You smile. "But then I put a stop to it the next day." You shake your head. "Then I visited you before you went to London, and we had such an amazing talk, and another amazing kiss… don't say anything, Harry… and I pulled away. And then walked away."

You look at him and realize he is just taking it all in.

You continue. "You said you thought I wanted it too. And I did. I really did. I just thought that it would be a bad idea and jeopardize a lot for each of us."

He's still listening.

"I hurt you, or assumed I did, and hurt myself in the process. I'm not good with feelings. It's hard for me to have them, let alone acknowledge them. So when I hadn't heard from you, I went to Vegas to distract myself and that… well, anyway, you came to me and took me in and treated me so well. I didn't deserve that." You finish with, "and ever since then you've been so… wonderful."

You didn't mean to kill the fun mood, but it actually felt good letting that all out.

"Y/N, I had wanted to kiss you for a while, and it didn't end how I wanted it to, but I don't regret doing it. And I never stopped caring about you after that."

Your head snaps up as he continues, "I probably did back off a bit. It was hard not to want to kiss you again at first." He blushes. "After Vegas I realized I wanted to be there for you no matter what. And if that means just being friends then that's what I'll do. You deserve to be treated right. Please don't say you don't deserve it."

He pauses, looking at you with that tender expression he showed on the rooftop. "What about now? You said you had wanted it too. But what about now?"

He drops his head, waiting for your answer.

Your stomach feels like it is doing somersaults, and your heart is pounding out of your chest. You aren't going to hold back this time. You're going for what you want.

You turn towards him and grab his chin to look at you. "Even more now."

He stands up straight and pulls your waist towards him. Wrapping one hand around your lower back, and one of the back of your neck, he pulls you in as close as he can. Your knees are weak and you are very aware of the yearning accumulating between your legs.

"Hey you two!" Niall yells, bursting through the doors. Harry growls.

"Oh shit, sorry there. I'll just…" he points to the door and walks back inside, laughing loudly.

Harry lets out a frustrated sigh. "Would you maybe want to go to my suite?"

"Yes!" You answer enthusiastically.

He laughs and leads you out of the party.

[Sarah would combust if she knew what was happening]

~~~~~

As soon as Harry shuts the suite door, he pulls you in again, just like before. But this time he doesn't take a moment for anything and plants his lips right onto yours.

You wrap your arms around his neck and he starts walking you backwards towards the bed. Once the back of your legs hit it, he breaks away. "Is this okay with you?" You nod and pull him back to your lips.

He can't keep his hands still, running them up and down your back, your waist, and then your ass. He grabs it firmly and you let out a subtle moan. That gets him excited and he pulls you closer into him.

You place your hands on his chest for a moment, and when more bravery kicks in, you undo the two buttons on his shirt, pull it back over his shoulders and down his arms. He tucks his hands under the back of your jeans to grab your ass again, but pulls away from your kiss. "Do you feel safe?" You nod again. "Please say it, love, so I know for sure."

"I feel safe Harry."

He returns his lips to yours and pulls you back in towards him. You can feel how hard he is under his jeans. You remove one hand from his neck and grab him over his jeans. He moans against your kiss. You reach for the button of his jeans but pull away to look at him. You want him to be comfortable too. "It's alright" he whispers.

He kicks off his boots as you undo the button and zipper. You pull them down over his hips and he shimmies them down the rest of the way.

"You're a little overdressed now" he jokes. You raise your arms up and he smirks while he pulls your shirt over your head. He lets out a breath as he takes you in, seeing that you weren't wearing a bra. You giggle.

You sit down on the bed to take off your heels, and slide your jeans off as well. Before you can stand up again, he bends down to kiss you, one arm on each side of the bed, and you scoot back so that he is hovering over you.

"Do you still feel safe?"

"I feel safe." You reassure him, so he grabs your hip with one hand and he lowers himself down to rest on you, the opposite forearm by your head. You grab his biceps and run your hands all over them.

He moves the hand that is on your hip to your panties, running his finger along the hemline. He exhales excitedly, as do you. His fingers slip into them and run down your center. You moan and open your eyes to see him smirk, as you bite your lip.

He slowly pushes them into you and you moan again, louder this time. "Fuck, you're so wet!" With that he moves them in and out, hitting that perfect spot each time. You squeeze his biceps tighter as he picks up his pace. You move your hands to his shoulder blades and run your fingernails across them. He pulls away from your lips and moans loudly.

He goes back down to kiss you but you put one finger up to his lips to stop him. "Do you still feel safe, love?"

"Yes, I do. But I want you inside of me." You confess.

"I just want to make you feel good, Sunshine."

"I do, and it will. That's what I want. Please." You plead.

"Anything you want." He gets up and quickly makes his way to his suitcase, grabbing a square packet and walking back over. "Thank god I just bought these."

"Presumptuous." You giggle.

"Just hopeful." He winks. He takes his underwear off and strokes the condom down himself, then hovers back over you.

You're squirming. You want him so badly. You need him so badly at this point.

He places his tip at your entrance then meets your eyes. "Safe? Ready?"

"Yes, yes! Please!" You plead.

He chuckles. "Okay, okay Sunshine. I'll give you what you want." With that, he slowly pushes himself inside of you.

You throw your head back and gasp as you feel him sliding in. You could see how big he was, but actually feeling it fill you is still a surprise.

"You good?" He asks.

"S- so good." You stutter.

He hums and starts pumping faster. "Fuck Y/N! You feel so good!"

You can't keep yourself from moaning over and over. "Oh god, Harry!" You cry out. "I think I'm about to cum!"

"Let it go baby, I want you to!" He pumps faster.

You quickly reach your peak and come undone. He pumps a few more times and matches your moans as you orgasm together. He stays there as you both come down.

Panting, he manages to mutter, "definitely ended better than the rooftop party," and you both laugh, still trying to fully catch your breath.

He finally pulls out, and grabs some towels from the bathroom to clean up.

He looks at you once he's done. "You're so beautiful, Sunshine." He bends down for another kiss. "I so desperately want to just stay here and just look at you all night… but I think we should go back to the party."

You agree, without question. You understand. You both get redressed and you make sure you don't look like you just had your world rocked by Harry Styles.

Before you grab the doorknob, he gently grabs your arm and swings you back around, bringing you in for one more passionate kiss.

"I'm a big fan of that internship now" he laughs, and you head back down to the party.

~~~~~

To avoid suspicion, you divert to the hotel lobby bathroom to double check your hair and makeup while Harry goes back to the party.

:harry: i came in through the side door. i think you're good to come back now through the front

:harry: i'll be the one talking to some of the crew, looking massively happy

:you: game on

You walk in and find Natalie. She instantly grabs your arm and pulls you aside.

"Where the fuck did you go?"

You basically grin from ear to ear. "I went after what I wanted."

"And???" She grills.

"I got it." You find Harry's gaze, seeing him wink as you subtly bite your lip. "And I'm happy."

~~~~~

Series Masterlist || Chapter 6 || Chapter 8

Taglist: @watermelonsugacry @tw1nflamebruis3 @slut4lilyrose @pinktakeaway @janine-sophie @iknowtonystark01 @hopefulwastelandcreation

[epithet-beloved]

Hi, I came across your blog and I thought it would be prudent to say you're all doing awesome work! Especially the platonic ones like Mentor Naven.

I would like to request a platonic regarding Mera meeting a museum specialist/worker/manager and eventually befriending and convincing the latter into giving her a job at the museum. And later on, letting her try to deal with her epithet problem via the new Arsene Amulet artifact.

Some angst is possible, especially when the museum fellow finds out about what happened to Mera (they might not even know that she wanted to steal and use it for self centered, awful reasons in the first place).

OPTIMIST

synopsis… Mera finds your dedication to preserving Sweet Jazz Museum’s artefacts quite worthwhile.

ft. Mera Salamin, Indus Tarbella (mentioned), Percival “Percy” King (mentioned)

tags… platonic relationships, betrayal, mera is kinda not a great friend, but it’s okay because she’s pretty, and also she feels guilt, hints of mera being touch starved, guys i’m in love with her

word count… 1245

a/n… i think she should do whatever she wants 😍 OBVI had to take the req for my wife even if it was platonic … live laugh love mera salamin <3333 ✧ 🦝

“Shit—!”

You’d lift your head hearing your new colleague curse.  You watch her squint at her finger, biting her lip in a hiss.  Ah, she must have hurt herself.  You calmly stand up and approach the short woman, who’s grimacing and looking around – probably for your other new coworker.  They came as a complete package, you were told, one couldn’t be without the other.

Kind of sweet, you think.  Mera must be softer under all that edge.  You hold your hands out, hovering over her’s.  She eyes you warily.  Your expression is gentle, conveying all you need without words.

With some hesitation, Mera lets you examine her injury.  “Ah,” you breathe once you turn her pale, cold hand under yours.  She shivers under it.  “A splinter?”

Mera furrows her brow when you question her.  “Yeah.  What of it?”

“I have some pliers in the first aid kit.  I’ll go get it.”

The tiny lady would scoff at your efficiency.  Christ, she’ll live.  Just another block of pain to the tower.  Still, she doesn’t complain (much) as you pick the wood splinter out anyway.

You laugh slightly at how Mera yanks her hand away from you as soon as you are done.  “It’s a pity – your epithet must make life pretty difficult.”  Mera narrows her eyes.  How do you know about that?!  You answer just as easily, “it was included in medical history for your job application.”

“Thought no one reads that sorta crap these days.”

You smile.  “I’m just a special sort of boss, I suppose.  Take a break for a sec, right?  You look like you’re about to pass out.”

Mera’s stomach churns with something unfamiliar when you express your care.  It’s not like the nausea that comes with standing up too fast, or the nerves when she’s dancing with Indus…  She pushes it down and follows you through the sea of wooden crates despite your wishes, out of spite.

You just happen to be the manager of the Sweet Jazz Museum, and you also just happen to meet Mera at a conference about the Arsene Amulet.  She seems intelligent, though prickly, and upon mentioning the Amulet being shipped to your part of the Museum, the woman practically lit up.  She told you that she and her colleague were particularly interested in learning about the Amulet up close.  It’s with some convincing that she received a job offer from you, but the light in her stare that’s normally as cold ice is something that made you believe good could come from this.

You were so kind to Mera.  So easy to trick.

The churning in her stomach gets worse.

“You said the Arsene Amulet was being shipped with this collection?”  Mera asks in an attempt to ignore what she’s feeling, which is a regular occurrence for her.  She stopped at one box, tempted to open it, before you put your arm between her and the box.  She shoots you a glance, trying not to grimace.

You catch her glare anyway, and giggle.  “The Amulet, I don’t know which box it’s in, but… we shouldn’t be so touchy!  It can steal your epithet away, just like that!  Isn’t that just fascinating?”

“Losing your epithet.  Wouldn’t that be just the worst?”  Mera dryly replies.

You didn’t catch her sarcasm as you nod.  “Exactly!”

Listen, you weren’t an idiot.  You have a feeling as to why Mera is so insistent on seeing the Amulet.  It made all too much sense – her bodyguard, her condition, the way she literally begged you for a job.

But, you also were an optimist.  Feeling yourself go soft, you think, why not?  She can get a taste.  It’s the least you can do to ease her of this pain.

You open the crate, to Mera’s surprise.  She steps aside as you dig through the contents, before taking out the thing she’s been hunting for what seemed like her whole life.

“I…”  She gulps.  “I didn’t think I’d see it up close like this!  Haha…”

You glance at her, amused by her attempt to not seem so excited.  You can see her hands twitching, as if close to grabbing the Amulet out of your hands and running off.  You handle the Arsene Amulet gently as you put it over your neck.  The weight of it hanging from your neck is a lot of responsibility, and you take a breath as you move in front of Mera.

“...What’re you doing?”  She stiffens.  “You better not attack me or something!”

You fake a mope.  “Aw, do you have that little trust in me?”

“No!  N-Not that, just…”

“Then just let it happen.”  You hold out the actual Amulet out towards Mera.  She watches as it glows, and then becomes blue as it drains something from her body, watching what looks like a blue sparkly substance seep through the edges of the jewel in the centre of the artefact.

Then, Mera felt nothing.

“The Amulet is a powerful thing,” you explain calmly as Mera processes the numbness.  “If it takes an epithet, then it’s contained within the jewel in the centre, but the outside design sort of makes sure it doesn’t escape!  Neat design, hm?”

“Y-Yeah…”

You were really doing something that’s probably (most definitely) illegal.  And for what?  For her?  Don’t make her laugh.

…But then, what else could it be?

A sob catches in Mera’s throat.  You wonder if you’ve done something wrong, and approach Mera carefully.  You don’t even take a step before she does something entirely unexpected– throwing her arms over your shoulders and just crying.

“...I know,” you say, attempting to ease the woman by carding some fingers through her hair.  “The lack of pain must be a real breather, huh?  Too bad this can’t last forever.”

She holds you tighter.  That isn’t why she’s crying at all.  In fact, your words make the churning in her stomach worse.

✧ ✧

The next morning hangs a banner of dread over your beliefs.

The critical incident house call you received when you woke up was the stuff of nightmares.  You hold the mug tightly in both of your hands as the policewoman across from you asks questions.

“I see,” she responds to your recent answer, writing into her notebook.  “I think that will be all.  Thank you for your cooperation, and I apologise for the paperwork this brings.”

“It isn’t the paperwork I’m worried about,” you sigh.  You decide to be honest.  “How’s Miss Salamin?”

The policewoman furrows her bushy brows, before flipping a few pages back in her notebook.  “Well, the little girl from the incident used her epithet to relieve her of her chronic pain for a while.  I suppose it’s something.”

“What’s her sentence?”

“Nothing confirmed yet,” the policewoman assures you, and approaches to squeeze your shoulder.  “Though it’ll probably be a long while – and some public service work thrown in.”

You sigh in relief, but it’s still heavy in the air.  “Right.”

How could you be so stupid?  Really, the signs were right there, and you let Mera just walk all over you.  Some manager you make.  You should have been more responsible.  And actually read the job applications you get.

Oh, and if you only realised, the woman would be sitting in the back of a cell, the churning in her stomach becoming a typhoon.  She should have seen this coming.  The guilt of it all.

Stupid girl.  Her emotions are as laughably fragile as her body.

[whumpy-wyrms]

this MAY be spoiler-y but i’m gonna shoot my shot and ask anyway since the “invasive question” post

what’s dews relationship w his parents??? how does he feel about them? how do they feel about him?

same question applies to anton since i’m curious abt that guy

OKAY sorry this took LITERALLY FOREVER to answer lols i forgor my bad. anyway

so like. Dew’s parents are dead

i think i mentioned it in chapter 9 or somewhere around there i forgot. but yeah 👍 they’re dead basically. i answered an ask a long time ago about it and it’ll be talked about way more in the story at some point but basically Dew’s parents got in a car crash and died when he was 18 soooo that sucks

but before that, they had a really good relationship :D Dew loved his parents and they were awesome too, super supportive about the trans stuff and accommodating with the autism stuff and generally really nice people. but like. i know nothing else about them cuz i don’t really think about Dew’s childhood that much? cuz it wasn’t really that interesting? and not that important to the plot? idk :P after they died is when Dew moved in with his roomate besties, Layla and Hayden.

Dew obviously misses his parents a lot. his life changed after they died, and it affected his mental health quite a bit. Dew and his roommates lived in a shady part of town, they all worked minimum wage jobs and needed an apartment with cheap rent. and Dew didn’t go out much, he didn’t have much friends or that much of a social life. he was kinda lonely, even before he was taken by Anton. and… at the beginning of the story, that’s why Anton thought he’d be the perfect test subject.

who knows, if Dew’s parents never died and he never lived in that house, or if he was seen as someone with lots of friends and family, with lots of people who would miss him, maybe Anton never would have chosen him as his test subject in the first place.

(also because i feel like Dew having alive parents would complicate things and it’d just be kinda sad? but not in the fun way? it wouldn’t really be fun for me to write their reactions to the stuff Dew’s going through i think, so i’d rather just avoid it all together)

anyway

I AM ALSO CURIOUS ABOUT THAT GUY (ANTON) TOO!

so yeah Anton was also an orphan and.. hmmmm yeah so i feel bad for like not actually like figuring out ANY of the details yet. but basically he was an orphan and did not know his birth parents. then Pierce found him when he was like 10 and was like “you seem smart enough do you wanna witness and commit the man made horrors with me” and Anton was like “YEAH!” idk man. like i actually don’t knowww

maybe Anton just showed up on Pierce’s doorstep one day and was like. “hi. i have no family.” and Pierce just raised him and taught him science because what was he supposed to do? he was torturing and experimenting on people in his secret basement lab i’m pretty sure Pierce wouldn’t have gone to court and gotten official legal adoption papers signed. plus, Pierce needed a lab assistant and someone to teach his science stuff to. they’re both just silly gooses man. Anton had no family he was like a sopping wet stray cat looking for a home!! i know this is like extremely unrealistic and probably sounds really stupid but like i just don’t know, i don’t think about this part of the story since it really doesn’t matter much to the overall plot lols

i’m not gonna talk that much about Pierce because it’s kinda spoilery but he was genuinely nice to Anton and kept him safe. Anton would have turned out very differently under different circumstances of course, Pierce just raised him with science in mind. That’s really all Anton ever knew.

HAHA i did not expect this to get so long but yeah lol thanks for the ask!! i don’t think about this aspect of the story much so it was fun answering!!

[magnumdays]

Magnum PI 4.05 - "Welcome to Paradise, Now Die!" review

I'd like to thank someone important at CBS who clearly loooovess the show. Like a lot. Because we're getting some amazing things. Like Roberto the mouse still being around, touchy Higgy, the lads suddenly liking Magnum and Rick in a pillow fort + 'Game Changer'.

(Still, waiting for a comment about Higgy's tattoo though! The one Magnum was never going to see but now most def. has! That tattoo!!!)

Also I think we're meant to have forgotten they have a 'when are Magnum and Higgins going to get together' group chat and that Thomas talked to Rick about his feels for Higgy. But I'm okay with it. Because Rick and TC being clueless was just so fun and I'm expecting more shenanigans next week now that they know!

Anyways, that was me just having some random thoughts to start with!

This week we got three things going on:

Serious Mob Case (I was not impressed with the guy. Like come on, if you manged to escape the mob, you should be a little smarter than just walking in there and giving yourself up!)

Silly-ish Dog Case (Yeah, as always, if you're a woman your husband or ex-husband is always going to be the one who tried/killed you. Good to be reminded.)

Very Silly Rick and TC mouse 'Case' (The mini pancakes were sooo cute)

Based on the promo I thought I'd care a lot about the whole dog thing, but really, I enjoyed Rick being wacky + Gordy-Magnum team-up the most.

We got some Miggy touching being supportive partners there at the start. I think they're doing a good job of showing 'Juliet Higgins is really freaked out and worried another person she loves and wants to spend her life with, is being in danger and might be killed but trying to not show it' because she's touching a lot. Like to make sure he's still there. I do hope we get some moment where they both deal more with the fact that he's in danger and how hard that must be for her after Richard.

Enjoyed the bit with the lads at the end and even though we didn't get a Magnum/Higgins case (or kiss) so I'm happy. Also, Juliet outing them with the whole necklace thing... I kind of love that. And I do hope the guys, once they've confirmed their suspicions mess around a little with Magnum and Higgins just because... fun?

Case wise I don't know if I have a lot to say, I found the mob case kind of medium though Magnum + kid is always a good combo. The real fun was Gordy and Thomas being themselves and awesome. Dog case I was mildly amused and mostly just enjoying Higgy and Kumu hanging out.

Over all I'm enjoying it all and don't really have much more than that to say. Not feeling the need to write 1000+ words to fix things or anything, even if my shipper heart always is craving more, it's been so solid I'm kind of just trusting that we're going somewhere good with it all!

So yeah, little short but my brain is a little slow today and I those are most of my thoughts on this week's episode. As always, excited for next week, we'll get Gordy drama and Miggy/Rick/TC drama and it looking to be one heck of a good time!

[shadesofawe]

Here's how I kept stumbling over Neil Gaiman until it brought me to the madness that is this fandom:

It all starts with Terry Pratchett. I read and enjoyed a number of discworld books as a teenager in the late 90s. Fast forward to March 2015 when I read about Sir Terry's death. I decided to honor him by reading another of his books and checked what was available on my kindle (that I had just gotten for christmas). The first novel that I didn't already know was Good Omens. I was sceptical because it was co-written by (my thoughts then:) "Neil Gaiman? Who's that random guy? Never heard of him..." but I gave it a try. I laughed. I laughed harder. It made me think. Then laugh again. We had a good time, me and the book.

I was a parent to two smallish kids. I started a new job. I broke up with the spouse. I didn't get to read much anymore. But a few years on, I read an article mentioning Coraline (the movie) in a parenting magazine. My kids were the right age and we watched it. It was the right kind of scary. I didn't connect it with Neil Gaiman at the time.

I still didn't have much time to read and slowly started getting into podcasts and audiobooks. I listened to Neverwhere while cleaning house and loved it. I decided to remember the author's name. (I did not remember it being the second name on the Good Omens title page.)

On a flea market I bought a copy of The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide. I knew and loved Douglas Adams from my teenage years but hadn’t read him in English. I read the foreword and found it to be written by - Neil Gaiman.

In early 2019, a friend convinced me to buy tickets for an Amanda Palmer concert later that year. (She wasn't even familiar with her music but loved her for The Art of Asking.) In preparation, I started not only listening to her music, but reading all kinds of stuff about and from her on social media. Apparently she was married to apparently famous author Neil Gaiman. Hey, I knew that guy! My friend, with a degree in American literature, said "Oh yeah, he wrote American Gods." I read American Gods. I loved it. I listened to Anansi Boys. I loved it. (This needs to be said: The concert was gut wrenchingly fabulous. I cried. I cheered. I fell in love with Amanda Palmer.)

Mind you, despite Neil Gaiman already on my radar, in autumn 2019 I had managed to not know about Good Omens (the show). I was randomly looking for something to watch on Amazon Prime to distract me from, you know, „the horrors“. (Somehow I hadn't used it much for streaming before.) There was a show that looked bright and colourful and quirky. And wasn't that the Doctor Who guy? I casually started watching and the story seemed familiar... wait, I read that book! By Terry Pratchett and - oh shit, that's the same Neil Gaiman!

There was no casual watching. I binge watched. I rewatched. I made my kids watch. I made my mother watch two episodes when she came for a visit and then gifted her the DVD for Christmas. She loves it, she loves season 2 even more.

Anyway. It was only with the show that I really started 1) connecting the dots ("the one who wrote Coraline") and 2) digging into it, looking for more stuff. (Not only Neil's though. You all know the drill.) I have been obsessed before, but I haven't been in a fandom before. I like it. The Brainrot is still going strong.

What's the point of all this? The point is: Dolphins. Tha‘ s ma point. It’s  great to discover new stuff to like (books, music, movies, but also skills, crafts, arts,…). It’s awesome to discover stuff you might have liked much earlier in your life but somehow missed out on. It’s so much fun to obsess over something to the point it leads you to discover entirely different, new things. The point is: Share your excitement, be excited around people you like. At ~40y I found myself bonding more with my Mother over Good Omens. My kid became an avid Discworld reader. In return, I got introduced to Percy Jackson. Spread the joy, be excited together.

Whoever managed to read that far: If you like, please share an unexpected joy your Good Omens or Neil Gaiman obsession has led you to. I know, there are many examples. Just pick one. I´ll start: without following Neil Gaiman on tumblr, I wouldn´t have bought a ticket for the Magnetic Fields, and I would never have discovered the music of Darren Hanlon (who was support act).

[stargazer-sims]

Charlie’s Big Break

Charlie: Username... password... and done. And there's an email from Sugar Valentine's manager. This literally gets harder every time. Like, every time I log in and see another rejection email from another actor or band or whatever... But, I can't think about it. This one's gotta be the one, right? Okay, Seong, you got this. Just read it already.

Charlie: *reads* "Dear Mr. Seong, thank you for participating in the video interview with me and the head of our stylist team, Ms. Sheridan, last week. We were very impressed by your maturity and professionalism and how you conducted yourself during the interview. After reviewing your CV and your portfolio with Ms. Sheridan, I am pleased to be able to invite you to spend a day with us, to work with our stylists and meet the members of the band. Our offer of employment is conditional on your success during this in-person component, but based on what we have observed so far, I anticipate being able to welcome you as a member of our tour team."

Charlie: Wait... is this real?

Charlie: It's gotta be real. These people are too serious for some stupid joke. Yes!

Charlie: Eden! Come here! I gotta tell you something important!

Eden: What's up?

Charlie: So, remember that video interview I did last week? You know, the one with Sugar Valentine?

Eden: Only our favourite band ever. How could I forget that?

Charlie: Remember how I said it was probaby a long shot, and it was a miracle that they even interviewed me at all?

Eden: Yeah.

Charlie: Well, maybe we should get a lottery ticket or something, because it's apparently my lucky day. That long shot turned out to be a winner. I just got an email from Sarah Fujikawa, inviting me to spend a day working with their stylist team, and she said that if I do well and they like me, I'll have a job travelling with the band on tour.

Eden: Yes! That's awesome! I knew it wouldn't be long before somebody noticed your talent.

Charlie: I have to impress them during the in-person day. This still might not work out.

Eden: It will. Everybody likes you, and you've totally got stylist skills. They'll be so impressed, they'll be asking themselves where you've been all their lives.

Charlie: *laughing* You are the literal entire cheering section, aren't you?

Eden: Hey, can I help it if I love you and want you to have everything you ever dreamed about? Anyway, I'm not the whole cheering section. Mommy and Dad and Sadie are gonna be thrilled when they find out.

Charlie: Let's not tell them until after I actually have a signed contract, okay?

Eden: Okay, but can I tell Nikolai?

Charlie: Sure. He won't tell anybody.

Eden: I think he'll be happy for you, too.

Charlie: Imagine me travelling on tour with Sugar Valentine.

Eden: I'm really proud of you.

Charlie: Thanks.

Eden: I just thought of something, though.

Charlie: Yeah?

Eden: If you're gonna be jetting all around the world with the band, that means I'll be here alone.

Charlie: Oh... yeah. I didn't think about that. But, Nikolai's coming, right? He’ll be with you.

Eden: I don't know. He says he's still thinking about it. He thinks I should come home, but I don't want to. I like it here, and you won't be on tour forever, and... I don't know. I just miss him so bad, and I don't know if my new coach and I are that great a fit. Mr. Nishijima doesn't get me. His last protégé was this big, powerful guy, and he doesn’t really seem to know how to work with somebody like me. Plus, I'm a little scared of him, if I'm being honest.

Charlie: that doesn't sound like a recipe for gold at the World Championship

Eden: And not a way to get to the Olympics, either.

Charlie: Does Nikolai know you're having problems with your new coach?

Eden: Sort of? I didn't tell him a lot, because I don't want to upset him or make him feel guilty. If he's coming here, it has to be because he really wants to, and not because I manipulated him into it.

Charlie: If you want my opinion, I don't see it as manipulation. He loves you, and he's obviously gonna feel bad about you struggling and being scared, but like, we all deserve honestly from each other. It's not like you'd be twisting his arm if you just tell him how you're feeling. We're all adults. We make our own choices, but we need enough information to do that, right?

Eden: You're right.

Charlie: So, tell him, and try not to stress too much. I have a feeling he'll come. I mean, if I had to guess, I'd say it was just as hard for him to say goodbye when we left as it was for you. He probably misses you just as bad as you miss him.

Eden: Do you really think he'll come?

Charlie: Have a little faith. I mean, we just found out that long shots happen, didn't we? This is way less of a risky bet, so don't worry. Everything's gonna be fine.

[svartalfhild]

Svar Watches BBC Robin Hood for the First Time - Season 1

So I recently decided to finally get around to seeing a show I've been meaning to watch for like nearly 10 years. I am so far past missing the boat on this one, but since I've been doing a bit of a "catching up on shows from the 2000's I didn't really get to see at the time" run lately, I thought I'd record my thoughts for y'all's amusement.

So here we go, Season 1 thoughts:

Every single one of these Merry Men, including Robin, suffers from Just Some Guy disease, fucking RIP

Except Djaq. Djaq is cool.

We can all agree that Much is clearly a little gay for Robin, right?

Guy of Gisborne is such an asshole, but unfortunately Richard Armitage is too good at his job, so Guy is also hot.

The Sheriff is cartoonishly evil and I hate him, but I'm kind of loving how just like a lot his personality is. Like this bitch belongs in a cracktastic Crusader Kings playthrough, holy shit.

Damn, Marian really is the only fully competent motherfucker in the whole place, huh?

Make that two competent motherfuckers, adding Djaq.

Man, this writing is super shabby in places, but when they hit, they fucking hit.

This show really bills itself as a fun adventure show but boy does it have shit to say at times, shit that was kinda ballsy of them to be saying in 2006. Like positively portraying Muslim characters and condemning pointless wars in the Middle East (the messaging on this gets muddled in a few places, but the fact that it's in there at all is impressive). Like you expect to see class struggle and sexism talked about in Robin Hood, but I wasn't expecting them to do so much with the "oh yeah, we just got back from Palestine and we have PTSD and maybe the Crusade is really bad actually". Bravo.

Ah, but this is a BBC show, so we can't have anti-monarchism. King Richard is totally awesome and is definitely going to make everything better when he gets back. Like I know that's baked into the Robin Hood tales, but they could lean into it less in places, I feel.

I think part of what makes Guy so captivating is that he's complicated and clearly suffers from a lot of inner conflict. I love knowing why villains are Like That, and we get so much about him from seeing his initial reactions to things vs. his behaviour after the Sheriff talks to him. Even just watching Richard Armitage's facial expressions is so rewarding. He gives us so much information about Guy just with his body language. Fucking brilliant.

Holy shit the more of this I watch, the more I'm like oh yeah Guy is an abuse victim and the Sheriff is his abuser. Like obviously that's not an excuse for any of the multitudes of evil things he does, but damn that boy is caught in a cycle. It has all the classic abuse features. Having his impressionable nature/eagerness to please taken advantage of. Being constantly inflicted with physical and emotional violence. Being manipulated into making choices against his judgement and editing himself to better fit what his abuser wants him to be. Being isolated from positive influences and being told to reject other sources of validation and support. Having his toxic masculinity heavily reinforced. Being consistently ignored and undervalued. The list goes on.

Anyway, I think I have a new blorbo now. I don't have many evil blorbos these days, but he's earned his place. I hope he gets good character development. Or at least gets to stab the Sheriff.

Much annoyed me a bit in the beginning, but he's starting to grow on me after he stood up to Robin and went through that business of the noble title.

God, I just want to shake Guy by the shoulders like you have everything you need to be more interesting to Marian than Robin, but you're fucking blowing it so hard, my dude. Ah, but alas, it must be this way.

I want to shake Robin by the shoulders like you would have this in the bag dude if you would just actually listen to Marian and support her instead of telling her what you think she should do all the time. Goddamn he and Guy ultimately have the same fucking problem.

#TeamFuckAllYallLetMarianRunEverythingActually

BRUH IF I HAD A DOLLAR FOR EVERY TIME GUY WANTED TO MAKE A GOOD DECISION FOR ONCE IN HIS LIFE AND THEN FUCKING SWERVED AT THE LAST SECOND BECAUSE OF SOME SHIT THE SHERIFF SAID I'D BE RICH BY NOW SWEET JESUS.

I can't believe they ended this season on the most Good Job, Lads moment oh my god it's so cheesy but so on brand.

To see my Season 2 thoughts, go here.