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mingispelvis · 7 months

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Chilli Pepper Vibe

Genre: mingi x afab!reader, smut w a little fluff but a LOT of plot

Length: 5.5k

Summary: You go abroad with your friends and are blessed to run into Ateez at your hotel.

NSFW warnings under cut

Warnings: oral sex female receiving, oral sex male receiving, fingering, alcohol consumption, unprotected sex (WRAP IT UP), not pulling out, use of slut, use of baby girl, there's a LOT of plot sorry this is kinda fluffy also at the end

Idk how NDAs work and idk how to end it sorry!!!!!

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Girls trips hit different when you’re all gainfully employed. Seulgi had just made partner at Bae & Kang law firm. Joy was recently promoted to Zone Manager of her company, with a hefty bonus to boot. And you? You finally finished residency and were officially able to practice medicine on your own. Despite the three of you being in your mid 20s, you had all continued to push each other and you all achieved great things.

Thusly, girls trip.

Seulgi, being type A, organized the entire trip from start to finish. To her, vacation starts the moment you step out of your front door. She arranged an Uber Black to take the three of you to the airport, got you all first class tickets, and arranged a very expensive penthouse for the three of you to stay in. She wouldn’t even tell you where exactly you’d be going, just to “bring your sexiest party clothes, a few swimsuits, and your passports”.

“Our final plane before we land at our destination will be at gate, ummm,” Seulgi paused to check her airline app to see where the three of you would be waiting for the next hour. “Ah, gate A57”. You and Joy eyed the terminal signs as you walked towards A57, passing “Los Angeles, California”, “Seattle, Washington” “Atlanta, Georgia” and then “Moscow, Russia”, “Beijing, China”, and “Seoul, South Korea.” A57 came into view and underneath, in bright orange pixels, read “Tokyo, Japan”. Your jaw dropped open and Joy began to squeal. “No way, no way, no way. Seulgi. You did NOT get us tickets to Waterbomb.” Joy jumped up and down, neck pillow flopping against her back. Seulgi shrugged her shoulders and attempted to fight a smile, but Joy squealed again and grabbed her into a huge bear hug, causing a grin to explode onto Seulgi’s face. “I LOVE YOU SO MUCH RIGHT NOW YOU DON’T EVEN KNOW!” Joy’s scream was muffled as her tight hug squashed her mouth into Seulgi’s shoulder.

“Umm..hold on…what’s Waterbomb?” You asked, giggling slightly at your friend’s antics. At this, Joy and Seulgi stopped hugging to stare at you like you’d grown an extra head out of your shoulders. “Ew I forgot she’s only a casual KPOP girl.” Joy rolled her eyes as she plopped down in one of the chairs at the gate and kicked her feet up onto her suitcase. Seulgi took the time to explain the massive festival, the amazing kpop acts, and the water guns to you and by the time your boarding zone was called, you were stoked about getting to go.

The flight to Tokyo was long and uneventful, the ride to the hotel was short and sweet, and the check in process was smooth. The three of you were staying at a 5 star hotel famous for waiting on their guests hand and foot. The elevator up to the penthouse was smooth and when you stepped into the hall, you were shocked to find only two massive open areas on either side of the elevator. “The other side is the other penthouse. We have this entire half of the floor to ourselves. That’s how big this place is.” Seulgi explained. As if your jaws couldn’t drop enough, Seulgi scanned her thumb print and the door to your vacation palace unlocked with a quiet click. “They don’t have my thumb print, right? I didn’t authorize them to have that information!” Joy joked. You couldn’t even think of the logistics as you stepped into what could only be described as luxury beyond your wildest dreams. Marble floors, brilliant chandeliers, gold plated silverware (goldware?) 200 inch large screen TV with surround sound speakers, full bar, and floor to ceiling windows overlooking the city of Tokyo. The balcony was a walk around that you could access from the living area or any of the bedrooms and had a hot tub, a small infinity pool, and another outdoor bar. Each of the three bedrooms had a king sized bed that you actually had to walk up two steps to get into and a full bathroom attached. The bathrooms had clawfoot tubs made of more gold, massive showers, and a towel warmer. Despite having handed over your credit cards to Seulgi so she could split the price of everything equally between the three of you, you had no idea the measly 4 digit price you paid could amount to such elegance.

The long travels and time change hit the three of you hard, so after gawking at the amenities the penthouse provided a little longer, the three of you washed up and hit the sack, hard. So hard, you didn’t wake up until almost 3pm the next day. Luckily, traveling queen Seulgi had accounted for this and had allotted two rest days into the rigorous itinerary, delivering every meal up to the room by room service to be had on the balcony or on the edge of the pool.

“I wonder who’s on the opposite side of the hall from us in the other penthouse” Joy questioned between massive bites of her meal. She was standing in the pool with her upper half lounging on the poolside.

“Probably some big shot oil tycoon and his 3 wives,” you joked, nursing an afternoon mimosa. Joy giggled and downed another bite of her meal. For being so thin, she had one hell of an appetite.

“Actually,” Seulgi started with a smile. “I booked this hotel because it’s usually one of the ones idols stay at since it’s super close to the festival area and the hotel is known for its discretion. I bet it's a kpop group.” Joy dropped a grape into the pool, mouth agape, body frozen as she stared at Seulgi. You watched the grape bob away towards the other side of the pool. Joy still hadn’t moved or spoken when you turned back.

“Joy? Babe? You alright?” You gave her shoulder a light shake.

Joy took a deep breath before shouting, “A KPOP GROUP!? YOU’RE TELLING ME STRAY KIDS COULD BE RIGHT NEXT DOOR? OR EXO? OR-” Joy jumped out of the pool at this point. “We gotta go over there and find out who it is!”

“No! What are we gonna do just knock on the door and see who answers? It could be a girl group too, you know.” Seulgi stated.

Joy jumped again, “TWICE!?” Joy feigned fainting, “catch me Nayeon!” You all three laughed and Joy jumped back into the pool. “We should get some drinks and just have a party tonight. A light party, so we can go explore tomorrow, but a party nonetheless.” Joy suggested.

“Hell yeah we’ve relaxed enough. It’s time to get fucked up.” You agreed.

“I know a place we can get some good stuff for cheap. We spent an arm and a leg on this trip. I'm not paying the big bucks for alcohol.” Seulgi stated, cleaning up the plates (as is her duty as the resident mom of the trip). “Let’s head there now so we can be back before dinner and get some food in our system before we get trashed.”

You and Joy did as you were told and obediently threw on a swim suit cover-up to travel to the store. 2 bottles of champagne and a box of soju later, the three of you returned and got dressed for dinner. After your bellies were full, the three of you put on your “party pajamas" (short shorts, crop tops, and fuzzy socks) and got the snacks and drinks ready on the living room table.

“Shit we need ice for the champagne don’t we. I’ll go grab some from the ice machine down the hall. We’re gonna need more than the refrigerator has at the moment.” You grabbed the empty champagne bucket and headed to the room where the ice machine was located. Well, where you thought it was located. The ice machine room was empty and you pouted while thinking about where you could get ice. You walked back to the room, but before you went back in and admitted defeat to your friends, you saw the doors to the staircase and thought you might as well try one floor down. Entering onto the floor below you headed back to the area where the ice machine could be, but stopped when you saw two figures standing in the open area after the penthouse suite door. Though the lighting was dim (a 5 star hotel can’t light their hallways?) you could see a third figure gesturing, and then backing up and pointing their phone towards the first two as if they were recording. You slowly walked closer when you heard “Ok, shi-jak* [A/N: begin].” T-Pain’s “Booty Wurk played and the two figures started dancing. The moves were executed flawlessly until one of the figures in a black cap made an imperceptible (to you) mistake. Groans from the other two were heard and the taller male in the front, in a gray cap, turned to playfully shake at the other. You took this as your chance to pass through. “You guys are really good at dancing,” you started as all three boys jumped, startled at your sudden appearance. You passed by them, but not before taking in just how beautiful they all three were. “Oh, thank you.” The one in the gray cap nodded to you. You headed to the ice machine, but subconsciously felt like someone was watching, so you took a quick peek over your shoulder to see all three men watching you. Dipping quickly into the ice room, you put your hand over your heart and felt it flutter.

Woah. Were they checking me out? You thought to yourself as you pressed the bucket under the ice machine. The clanking and crunching of the machine and the ice hitting the metal bucket was a mere whisper compared to the thumping of your heart and whooshing of blood in your ears.

Fuck it. It’s vacation. You convinced yourself as the ice toppled over the lip of the bucket and landed with a clack on the floor. When you came out, the boys were dancing again. You walked just close enough to let them know you were watching, and then leaned against the wall. The boys finished up their attempt of the dance and you stepped forward.

“Wow! You guys are really so good!” you fluttered your lashes even though you weren’t sure if they could see in the dim light. “You should be professionals. I wish you could teach me to dance!” You stepped a little closer to the three boys.

The boy holding his phone chuckled while the one in the gray cap thanked you again. You fluttered your lashes again and flashed a sweet smile. “I’m Y/N. And you are?” You turned to the shorter boy in black. “Oh, uh, I’m Wooyoung”. He smiled lightly.

“I’m Yunho.” The boy in the gray cap waved and then shoved his hands back in the pockets of his white cargo pants.

You turned to the final boy and your eyes widened and pulse quickened. You hadn’t gotten a good look at him when you first passed by, but even in the dim light you could see he was a ten out of ten. You strained your eyes and pleaded with your pupils to let you see this man in all his glory.

“I’m Mingi. Nice to meet you, Y/N. And, for the record, we are professionals.” He smiled.

“Oh? Are you in a dance group?” You questioned, never breaking eye contact with Mingi.

“Something like that”, Wooyoung answered. “More like a KPOP group.” He barely finished his sentence before he was lightly slapped in the chest by Yunho.

“Oh that’s really cool. Which group? Maybe I’ve heard of you.” You played it cool even though your heart was threatening to beat itself out of your rib cage.

“Ateez.” Mingi said proudly.

You did your best not to fangirl hard. You’d been listening to Bouncy continuously since Joy sent it in the group chat. Due to your rigorous doctor schedule, stanning wasn’t something you had time to do- thus, Joy’s “Ew, casual KPOP girl” comment in the airport.

“I think I’ve heard of you guys before.” you nodded and flashed another cute smile. “Well, I have to get this bucket of ice back to a few bottles of champagne,” you emphasized your sentence by holding up the bucket and patting it a few times. “But if you guys ever want a break from idol life, my friends and I are one floor up with drinks and snacks.” You passed through the three boys once again, turned around, and started walking backwards so you could express your final sentence to them, “and we’ll sign NDAs, no problem.” You whipped back around before the three boys had a chance to watch you sink deep into embarrassment, fear, and confusion.

Did I really just tell three international superstars I’d sign an NDA to party with them? I haven’t even started drinking and I’m already doing stupid shit. You chastised yourself as you quickly made your way back up the stairs and into your penthouse.

“Finally! We were gonna start without you!” Joy shouted, her back to you as she sat on the couch fiddling with something you couldn’t see.

“We did start without you.” Seulgi corrected, clicking something on her computer and watching the big screen TV at the same time. She seemed to be setting up her computer to cast to the TV to play music.

“You guys will never guess what happened to me and who I met.” You started, setting the bucket on the kitchen counter and tucking the two champagne bottles snuggly within the ice. When you turned back to your friends, they were both staring at you excitedly.

“WHO!?” they yelled in unison.

You went to go sit on the couch. You started off your story of the disappearing ice machine much to Joy and Seulgi’s dismay, and even kept an air of mystery by not revealing the names of the boys until the proper point in the story, after you’d gotten the ice.

“So I’m like, my name is Y/N what’s yours? And he goes ‘Wooyoung’ and the next dude goes ‘Yunho’ and the last dude goes ‘Mingi’.” you recount. At each name, Seulgi gasps and Joy squeals. You continued before they could interrupt you.

“Then Mingi’s like ‘Yeah we are professionals’ and I’m like ‘yeah are you in a dance group?’ and Wooyoung goes ‘We’re in ATEEZ’ and I lowkey pretended like I’m not obsessed with Bouncy so I can stay chill.” You were speeding through the story to make it to the most important part before Joy exploded with questions.

“So,” you continue “I say ‘yeah I’ve heard of you guys. Well if you wanna come up and party with us we’ll sign the NDA!” You bury your head in your hands and pull your knees to your chest while Joy and Seulgi, essentially, freak out.

“Are you telling me Ateez could come up here and party with us!?” Joy stands up on the couch in excitement. Seulgi quickly brings her down a peg to reality and says “They probably won’t but at least Y/N got to flirt with hot famous guys.” Seulgi pauses for a moment before a squeal escapes her mouth and she taps her feet on the floor in glee. “WE COULD PARTY WITH ATEEZ THOUGH!” Seulgi grins. With that, Joy jumps lightly off the couch and pops open a soju bottle. She grabs three shot glasses and pours the bottle evenly across all three. “Well,” she starts “we should be ready when they get here!”

You three take the shots like champs, open the snacks, and turn up the music. After some light mixed drinks and a few good songs, the three of you had almost forgotten about your supposed super star visitors. A knock at the door stops the three of you in your tipsy rendition of Kai’s Rover. You look at each other in confusion, and then turn towards the door. You head over and peek through the peephole. A young Asian woman, probably the same age as you, with an ipad is standing outside the door. You open the door just wide enough to be polite.

“Hi.” You say tentatively, confusion clearly showing on your face.

‘Hi! I’m one of the managers working for KQ and I think I have something you’ll want to sign.” The lady turns her iPad around and you see NON DISCLOSURE AGREEMENT in big bold letters across the top of a document. You feel hands on your shoulder and the door swings wider.

“YES. WE’LL SIGN. WHATEVER IT IS WE’LL SIGN!” Joy practically screams in the woman’s face.

The manager laughs and begins to quickly scroll through the massive document, highlighting the major points (basically, keep it quiet or we’ll sue you for your entire life and the life of your future children) and then hands you a stylus.

“If you agree to the terms and conditions, sign, print, and date here. If you have any questions let me know and I’ll be happy to answer them before you sign. If you’re no longer interested-” before the manager can finish her sentence, Joy snatches the stylus out of your hand and signs off on the document. She hands the stylus to Seulgi and she does the same with speed.

“So, they’re coming up here? They’re all actually coming?” You ask, raising an eyebrow and begging the answer to be yes.

The manager chuckles and says “this non-disclosure agreement covers any potential meetings with the idols mentioned within it on the dates mentioned within it.” She punctuates her sentence with a smile and moves the iPad towards you. Joy nudges you in a manner that lets you know that you will not be ruining this for her. You sign with shaky hands.

“Perfect!” The manager turns the iPad back around and taps on it a bit. “And if you could all input your emails here, you’ll receive a copy of this for your own records.” You put in your emails, and the manager hits send. “Thank you! Have a good night!” The manager bows, and heads down the hall. You slowly close the door and turn to look at your friends. You stand staring at each other, excitement buzzing between the three of you as not one of your brains can form words. Seulgi was the first to break the silence.

“Well…this is happening.” She said as if she was trying to convince herself to keep calm. Joy walked off like a zombie in a trance to sit back on the couch and stare out into the distance. “This is happening.” She repeated in the same tone as Seulgi.

“This is happening!” Joy rocketed up from the couch. “I gotta go put on some makeup!” Joy rushed into her bedroom, and you heard a distinct zip of a makeup bag followed by the continuous clacking of makeup containers hitting each other while being dumped out. You and Seulgi finally had the wherewithal to leave the foyer and head back to the couch. You took a generous swig of strawberry soju when you heard another knock at the door. This time, all three of you ran to the door to answer it. You were closer, and, therefore, faster, and opened the door with a grin.

“(Y/N)!” Mingi raised his hands above his head as if he was greeting an old friend. “I brought drinks and friends.” You moved to the side to welcome Mingi in, Yunho, Wooyoung, and San following behind him.

“These are my friends Seulgi and Joy.” You introduced your friends but before you could give them the eyes that meant “please be cool”, they began to fangirl.

“Oh my gosh Wooyoung you’re my bias! It’s so cool to meet you guys!” Joy giggled and jumped Wooyoung with a hug. “Oh I’m so sorry!” Joy jumped back as quickly as she had hugged Wooyoung. “I should have asked first- can I hug you?”

Wooyoung laughed and nodded, coming in for another hug. Yunho, Mingi, and San greeted you all and you all headed to the couch.

Joy, the official party girl of the three of you, immediately began to pour shots while Seulgi turned the music back up. The party had commenced full swing, with all of you jumping, dancing, and shouting lyrics as loud as you could. After an hour and a few drinks, you were just buzzed enough to let your inhibitions out the window, so when Bouncy came on, you lost it.

“EVERYONE SHUT UP I LOVE THIS SONG” you yelled, arms out as wide as possible to clear the makeshift dance floor (aka the area where the coffee table used to be). The song got as far as Yunho’s “one, two..” before it stopped. You whipped your head around to Seulgi with a look on your face that clearly said what the fuck!? But before you could verbally protest, Seulgi pointed to the TV. She’d pulled up the music video.

“Since you’ve never seen it.” She stuck her tongue out, but you didn’t see her. Your eyes were glued to the screen. By the time the video ended, you had made a dangerous decision. Watching Mingi clear out a bar with a fake gun, belly roll, and dance had you trembling. You knew you had to have him. You devised a devious plan in the blink of an eye. “Play it again!” you whined. “I wanna dance AND,” you stood up to emphasize the second request “I want you all to sing your parts!”

The boys laughed and agreed as Seulgi re-started the music video. You began dancing as Mingi rapped “What you wanna do?”. Your plan was in motion and so were your hips. You spun around and swung your hand in the air like you were swinging a lasso. You slowly approached Mingi, who had sat down on the couch. When the chorus hit, you straddled him. Your heart was beating faster than it ever had before, but your mind was determined. You kept lightly moving your hips and swinging your imaginary lasso. Mingi looked at you with eyes wide and mouth slightly open, corners of his mouth turned up in disbelief. You pushed a little further- putting your hands on his shoulders and singing along:

“Slow it down, make it bouncy

지금부터 fly

좀 다른 spicy 청양고추 vibe”

You looked Mingi in the eyes when you felt his hands on your hips. “Don’t forget to rap your part.” You leaned close with a small smile and mouthed “fix on” in time with the song. Mingi began rapping, and you began the next part of your plan. You wrapped your arms around his neck and began to kiss at his neck. You heard his breath catch slightly, but he didn’t miss a beat of his rap. You moved up to his ear, bit lightly, and moaned “mmmm”. You applied a little more pressure in your grind and you moved to snake your fingers up the hair on the nape of his neck. You kept kissing his neck and, when his rap had completed, Mingi slowly slid his hands down to cup your ass. You could hear San and Wooyoung confidently slurring their way through Seonghwa’s lines. You’re surprised you’re not embarrassed about slutting yourself out in front of your friends, but the growing bulge pressing into your crotch is making it a little easier. Pulling back and placing your forehead on Mingi’s, you stare in each other’s eyes and reach a silent understanding. You slide off of Mingi and grab his hand, leading him to your bedroom.

You shut the door, but can’t turn around because Mingi has pressed his body against you. He wraps his arms around you and kisses your neck. He spins you around and crashes his mouth into you, tongues wrestling and arms wandering. You push him towards the massive bed and pull away from the intoxicating kiss just long enough to warn him to watch his step. You pull off your shorts and shirt and Mingi does the same. Mingi sits up against the headboard and drags you back into his lap. You both moan and grind into each other- Mingi clearly not able to choose between massaging your breasts or squeezing your ass, so he settles for one for each hand. You’ve had enough of the humping and pull away. You trail kisses down Mingi’s body, clearly heading to give him the best head of his life, but he leans forward and grabs you before you can make it to your prize. Mingi flips you over and tears your panties off like he’s unwrapping a christmas present.

“Shit.” Mingi mumbles as he pushes your legs out and back for a clear view of his meal. He looks up at you as he lightly runs his middle finger through your slick covered folds. Your breathing is heavy and your heart is pounding.

“You want it, baby girl?” Mingi raises an eyebrow at you. You nod fervently, but that’s clearly not enough. “Lemme hear you baby. What do you want?” Mingi teases in the sweetest, sultriest voice you’ve ever heard.

“I want you to eat me like it’s your last meal, Mingi.” You respond, grabbing a fistful of his hair. At this Mingi’s eyes flutter shut and he gasps.

“Don’t let go,” Mingi growls, then he dives in. He wraps his lips around your clit and sucks, and makes quick work of his tongue. He slowly pushes his middle finger inside you and hooks it right into your g-spot.

The speed at which the pleasure overcomes you has you grabbing Mingi’s hair with your other hand and releasing a deep moan. Mingi slurps and moans as he fingers you deep. You pull him off of you and he looks up at you with confusion. You begin to crawl down towards his crotch, bulge straining painfully through his boxer briefs. Mingi gets it immediately and flips over onto his back to continue his work on your clit while you unearth his throbbing cock. Watching the thick, long member spring out of its cage has you clenching around Mingi’s finger. He moans and adds a second as you squeeze the base of his cock. He’s already leaking, so you squeeze a little more out to lubricate his dick. You lick a stripe from the base to the tip, and then take Mingi in his entirety. Mingi’s head falls back and he moans deeply.

“(Y/N), fuck, just like that.” Mingi pants and speeds up his fingers within you. You feel your orgasm approaching but you’re determined to make Mingi remember you. You move off of Mingi, which removes his fingers from you, and turn to face him. He looks down at you and you stare in his eyes as you deepthroat him. You hollow your cheeks and work your tongue up and down, cupping his balls with one hand and running the other up and down his thighs. Mingi lightly places his hands on your head and you can feel him throbbing in your mouth. You can tell he’s getting close and remove him from your mouth with a pop. The heat of the moment over takes you and you go to straddle him, line him up, and sink down on his cock. Mingi’s eyes fluttered shut and he shuddered out a moan. You began a slow pace, up and down, while simultaneously circling your hips. You threw your head back and dug your nails into Mingi’s toned abs. He gripped your hip with one hand and began mercilessly rubbing your clit with the other. Your legs went weak as your orgasm built up again, and you sat down on Mingi, fully taking his entire length. Mingi pulled you forward so you were laying on his chest. He hooked both of his arms around your waist, lifted his hips, and began fucking you senseless.

You came within seconds, gripping Mingi’s cock tight- he could feel your walls fluttering and your orgasm dripping down onto his thighs.

“Fuck Mingi, yes! Make me cum!” You moaned into his ear. Between your pussy death gripping his cock and you dirty talking in his ear, Mingi couldn’t handle it. His hips stuttered, his breath became ragged, and his moans became louder and louder. He pounded into you harder and harder until he finally stilled deep within you. You felt him throbbing and spilling his release as you were coming down from your own high.

Mingi rode out his orgasm still holding your body tightly to his. You pushed your torso up so you could see Mingi’s face clearly- hair sticking to his forehead by beads of sweat, eyelids low in bliss. Mingi took a deep breath and finally came to. His eyes got wide and he swore in korean.

“Oh God. I just…fuck…I didn’t pull out…I’m…are you…” Mingi’s mind was clearly racing and you put your pointer finger to his lips to shush him.

“Shh. It’s okay. I’m on birth control, I’m clean, and I’d never do that to you. I promise.” you comforted him.

Mingi’s eyebrows creased together and raised in a face that relayed “you promise?” then he nodded and released the breath he’d been holding. He then rolled over, still holding you tight to his body, so you could be flat on your back when he pulled out. “Stay there!” he requested as he ran off to the bathroom to get you a warm towel. He came back smiling, ready to provide you with excellent aftercare. He found your clothes that had been scattered over the floor, and handed them to you as he put on his own clothes. A pang of sadness hit your heart as you realized your night with Mingi was over, and you went into the bathroom to collect yourself (and to pee. You always pee after sex!). You looked in the mirror and saw how rosy your cheeks were, hair all over your head, and all you could do was smile. You were thankful that you had this experience. After quickly brushing your teeth and washing your face, you opened the bathroom door and peeked back in the bedroom. Mingi was nowhere to be found. You realized simultaneously that it was silent in the penthouse. You assumed the girls went to bed and Mingi left with the rest of his members. You crawled into bed, fluffed your pillows, and turned off the lights. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You woke up hot. Really hot. And paralyzed. Not sleep paralyzed, paralyzed like you were in a straitjacket. You slowly realized someone was in the bed with you. You could hear a soft snore from behind you. You twisted around to try and see if Joy had had another nightmare and wanted to cuddle with you for “safety”. The figure behind you aroused and you strained your eyes in the darkness to see who the hell caused you to be drenched in sweat.

“Hey, did my snoring wake you?” A soft, deep voice asked. Your eyes adjusted to the darkness and you saw Mingi’s sleepy face, eyes still shut tight. You were glad his eyes were closed because you were grinning like an idiot. “No, I just had a funny dream.” You lied as you cuddled up, face first into his chest. Mingi held you tight, kissed your forehead, and immediately fell back asleep.

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The smell of bacon wafted into your dreams and knocked on your brain until you regained consciousness. The sun was beaming into your room and you gave yourself a nice, full body stretch. While stretching, you realized how roomy your bed was. You turned over and noticed your empty bed. You sighed in content, happy for the night you had. A piece of cloth under the unused pillow caught your eye. You lifted the pillow and noticed Mingi’s shirt, and a note.

“Had a great time last night. See you at Waterbomb. Have you and your friends meet us backstage ;) -SMG”

You grabbed his shirt, stuffed it into your face, and took a big sniff. You didn’t care that it was creepy and delusional. You’re happy he left you a memento of the night you shared. The door to your room creaked slowly open, and you popped your head up as soon as you noticed it.

“SEULGI SHE’S UP OH MY GOD.” Joy screamed and sprinted full speed towards your bed. She flopped down next to you as Seulgi ran in behind her.

“TELL. US. EVERYTHING.” Joy enunciated her words by shaking your shoulders.

You relayed the night to your best friends. You concluded by showing them the note. Joy and Seulgi shrieked and their voices overlapped in excitement- fantasizing about how the day was going to go. You tuned them out and looked wistfully out the window as the sun continued to shine into your bedroom. You began to grin as you thought about all you were going to do with Mingi again.

#ateez #ateez smut #mingi smut #reader x mingi #song mingi smut #mingi x yn #yn x mingi #mingi x reader #wonderlandnet

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melancholicheart · 10 months

Text

All This Time- Chapter 2

cw: trans male pregnancy (past, mentioned), angst, miscommunication, fluff and happy ending

Simon pales and looks up at Johnny who is groaning a little and bending down to pick the small girl up who wriggles out of his grasp and runs to Simon.

“Uh, I’m not your-“ Johnny speaks to Simon for the first time, shouting his name and shaking his head, so Simon manages a smile to the small girl, “So, you’re Elizabeth, huh?”

Johnny manages to grab his daughter and he crouches to her level, talking to her quietly, “Now darling, I know you’re excited and Daddy being here is very exciting but I need you to listen to me now sweetie. Tonight, we’re going to see if you can sleep with Sarah whilst Papa talks with Daddy-

“- I promise first thing that me and Daddy will come and get you and we will spend the day together, I just need to do some grown up talk with Daddy tonight, okay Lizzie?”

She looks like she wants to argue, looking back up at Simon who is still white as a sheet and gawping at the child in shock.

“Daddy will still be here?” She whispers to Johnny.

He places a kiss on her forehead and holds her tightly, hiding his own shocked face in her tiny shoulder, “Of course, love.”

Though when Johnny looks back at Simon, he appears like he might just run away that second.

It takes a lot out of all of them, barely thirty minutes pass from the door knocking to Elizabeth being dropped at their neighbours, but Simon hasn’t spoken since and neither had Johnny.

Johnny kisses Elizabeth’s forehead, pressing her stuffed dinosaur into her arms and leaves her with Sarah, a promise of an explanation in his wake.

Simon is sat on the couch when Johnny returns, staring off at the photo album on the table. The blasted thing is still open on the picture of them both.

Johnny groans and heads into the kitchen, quickly making a cup of tea for Simon in the hopes to ease his anxiety.

He sits on the other side of the chair, after placing the tea on the table, and he mulls everything over in his head.

Johnny isn’t sure if he is angry at Simon or if his heart is aching in pity for him. Sure the base stopped Johnny from ringing but surely they couldn’t stop Simon from calling? Still, finding out you have a daughter like this makes for a difficult conversation.

“I’m sorry.” They both say in unison, surprising one another after their extended silence.

“You’re sorry?” They both say, incredulously before Johnny sighs, chuckles a little, and gestures for Simon to speak.

“I’m sorry I never came sooner. Or got in touch. I see now that you were busy. Very busy by the looks of things.” He chuckles weakly.

“I tried to get in touch. I rang every week to talk like we were doing but I was blocked from calling the base. Was told that I needed to lose the number since I no longer work there.”

Simon looks incredulous, “You what? By who?”

“The receptionist and the General. I even pretended to be someone else so I could get through to you or Price but they threatened me with legal action.” Johnny explains.

“What the fuck? Y-you were trying to reach us? I thought you’d moved on, gotten fed up of me or whatever and didn’t want to hear from me anymore.” Simon pales even further. Johnny thinks he’s almost transparent.

“I sent letters too,” Johnny says, reaching for the box and fishing out the letters still in their envelopes with the offending ‘Return to Sender’ sign printed on the front.

“They really didn’t want me talking to you, I guess.”

Simon gestures to the handful of letters, “May I?”

Johnny hands them over, letting Simon pour through the words quickly as he sees the man’s face shatter as he absorbs the words.

“Fuck me.” Simon grumbles, “Fuck! If I’d have just- shit!”

“Simon,” Johnny sighs, “It all seems like a big misunderstanding. An awful lot of miscommunication on both parts, ay?”

“How can you be so calm about this? Y-you did all of this on your own!”

Johnny looks down at the book on the table, a few loose pictures from the box littering the glass surface. His daughters beaming face, barely six months old, smiles back at him and he instinctively smiles back.

“Jesus Johnny you- I let you do all that alone. You fuckin’ had a kid.”

“You didn’t let me do anything, Simon. Like I say, it’s just miscommunication.”

“It’s more than miscommunication when it causes shit like this! I swear to fuck I’m going to rip that General a new one when I next see him.” Simon fumes, squeezing a letter in his hands.

“Si, calm down,” Johnny shuffles closer, “I know it’s a lot to take in and you’re probably angry and upset but it’s okay. I’m not angry with you. Elizabeth isn’t angry with you either.”

“Elizabeth,” Simon mumbles, eyes meeting Johnny’s, “Her name- is it?”

Johnny nods, “After your mum. And a little bit for Beth too, I suppose.”

Simon nods and feels his heart clenching in his chest, “She called me.. she said I’m her-”

“You are.” Johnny mumbles, “There’s been no one since you, Simon.”

He nods again and looks to the book on the table, the picture of him and Johnny right there. He picks it up and looks at it intently.

“So you’ve told her all about me?”

Johnny nods, “She looks at the picture every day. Always asking about you. I told her the truth, that you’re busy at war and fighting to protect her from bad guys.”

Simon turns the page to the front, the picture of baby Elizabeth there with her birth date and time beneath it in the arms of Johnny in a hospital bed.

“October,” Simon chuckles, thumb running over the silky photo, “Near mine.”

Simon’s birthday is November the 6th, very close to Elizabeth’s, whereas Johnny’s is May the 17th, much further away.

“She looks a lot like you,” Johnny says, “Sometimes when I- when I miss you I grab ahold of her and hold her tight. Won’t let her go.”

“She’s beautiful,” Simon muses, “And you are incredible, Johnny. Fuckin’ ‘ell you gave birth.”

Johnny chuckles, “Well, I was cut open. She was an emergency C-Section. She was stuck and the chord was wrapped around her throat. They thought she might choke herself so they whipped her out the top.”

Johnny lifts his shirt, a faded pale pink scar runs along the base of his stomach, “Didn’t get her out before making me sit there in pain for sixteen hours. They tried to move her around too, with their hands up me, but she was a stubborn one.”

“Like me?”

Johnny laughs, “Yeah, just like you.”

“If it’s okay with you then,” Simon whispers, “After we’ve talked some more, of course, I would like to properly meet her.”

Johnny beams wide, nodding, “Of course, Si. I’ll tell you all about her.”

Johnny sits there for the next three hours. He pours through the photo album with Simon, making comment and talking about their daughter.

Their daughter. Johnny was losing hope on that front, often dreaming of the day that Elizabeth could be introduced as ‘our daughter’ rather than just his own.

Maybe the time is now.

#call of duty #ghostsoap #mw2 #mw2 2022 #soapghost #family #ghost #john soap mactavish #simon ghost riley #soap #trans man #trans mpreg

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theretirementstory · 1 year

Text

Greetings from a grey, cloudy Bar-sur-Aube where the temperature is 4c and, if the forecast is to be believed, we are due rain, very soon.

It is the first Sunday of December and as yet no Xmas cake, or sweet delights have been prepared in this house. Is it going to be a “bah humbug” sort of Christmas for me? I haven’t even been invited to the refugees Xmas party 😳.

So what has been taking place since I last “spoke” to you?

Shock horror 😱 the back of the tooth, that the dentist had worked on, only came off! I thought I felt it wobble and then just nibbling a morsel of cheese scone, off it came! I rang to see if they needed me to go in urgently, no, just keep the appointment on 13 December.

Laëtitia came for lunch and I made rather a tasty salad, with chicken pasta bake and garlic bread, followed by strawberry cheesecake. She loved the garlic baguette and really enjoyed the dressing (which has become my signature thing) I must admit it is rather tasty.

I am hoping that I will get the taxi fare to the hospital in Nancy, paid for, as I received my copy of the bon de transport from the office in Troyes and when I called into the Sécurité Sociale office in town, the lady printed off the form to take to the taxi firm. As you can guess I was round at the taxi office in the blink of an eye. The lady there said she would send it off but she was sure they wouldn’t pay it! She said give it 10 days. If I don’t ring you, you know it has been paid. The bill was 374,28€…… I have got everything crossed I can tell you.

I had had to have a letter officially translated into French for the CPAM. The translated documents arrived quickly so I took them straight up to the Sécurité Social. Think I should volunteer in there as I am becoming a regular! I didn’t even know it existed until the end of September.

It was a concert at the Conservatoire on Wednesday evening, I couldn’t decide whether to go or not and rang Anie to say I wasn’t t going. She persuaded me to attend and we agreed to meet at 6.30pm. I arrived and thought that the door was locked so hung about in the drizzle, Anie appeared and she was saying “where are my two friends”. We got to the desk, where people were giving their names, unusual I thought, anyway I followed Anie and one of her friends, suddenly the lady on the door asked, had I reserved a seat? No I hadn’t so I was sent to stand in the “naughty corner” (along with two other ladies). Upshot was that when everyone who had reserved a place was seated we were allowed into the remaining seats. These were up in “the Gods” and my fear of steps was quickly beginning to show…. I managed a seat a few rows down from the top but for the entire concert I was concerned about walking back down the steps!

My Christmas cards have all been posted, and while I was in town I photographed the display in front of the town hall. It was just being prepared, I think I should visit again as the lights were switched on, on Friday evening.

I have been to the bar a couple of times this week, I enjoy popping in for a coffee and to read the newspaper. The lady who was helping out in the bar, doesn’t seem to be there at the moment, perhaps she was just employed over the summer.

Although there are still lots of leaves on my cherry tree I decided to clear the lawn yesterday. I have a big bag which stands about a metre high and it was full to overflowing by the time I had finished. I couldn’t decide whether to go to the déchèterie, but in the end I loaded up the car and went. I was pleased I had, as I managed to get rid of a couple of other things which were taking up space. The garden looks good with the little Christmas roses flowering and the cyclamen in the pot looking amazing, the white one, I thought I had lost, has burst forth and I noticed lots more buds waiting to open. In the front garden I have lots of pansies/violas flowering as well as the beautiful alstroemeria. The lovely hibiscus I rescued still has some buds but I don’t think that they will open up. Keeping my fingers crossed that it will bloom again next year. The peony that I bought (full price) has produced a couple of leaves but the two which I rescued are hopefully storing their energy for a wonderful show next year. I really must get some supports for those peonies

My gorgeous granddaughter has been writing her Christmas letter to Santa. She told him she had been very good, she has said that she would like a trumpet not to mention the ukulele that she asked for earlier! I just hope my handsome grandson can get rid of his runny nose for Christmas, poor little man always seems to have one. Nevertheless he is still a little cutie.

Not much more has progressed with “The Paralegals” house, he is still waiting for men to come and do work. Doesn’t look as if he will be in this side of Christmas but what do I know!

So here is this week’s excerpt from the poem, December by Adeline Treadwell (Parsons) Lunt

“Nor yet the brooks have ceased to run,

The rivers freely flow,

And over flowerless fields the sun,

Still wreathes a roseate glow.”

There is a concert in the church in town tonight at 6.30 but I will be giving it a miss, as 1) The seats are so uncomfortable 2) I have the mammoth video call with my friends in Bristol this afternoon and 3) I am preparing a rather tasty dinner for this evening and I would like to enjoy it without having to clock watch! Oh yes , 4) it said to reserve a place, which I haven’t done! So there you are, I will just be cosy and warm in my house with a nice full tummy.

Oh yes, most important of all, my old dvd/video player gave up the ghost this week, the dvd drawer just would not open! So I purchased a new DVD player and I have to admit to sitting watching series 1 of Engrenages in it’s entirety and I started to watch series 2……… well there was nothing else on tv. I had been watching some of the World Cup matches and may watch a few more BUT I do have rather a lot of DVD series which I could watch again 😉.

Now I must go and prepare my lunch, peel vegetables for this evening and get myself all ready for the video call.

Bon dimanche!

#nature #photography #barsuraube #xmas #poetry #trees #crafts #baking #champagne

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sukiglycerin · 3 years

Text

starless fairy tales || keigo takami, katsuki bakugou.

* pairing: keigo takami (hawks) x reader x katsuki bakugou (gender neutral!)

* genre: it’s a sandwich: angst on the top, fluff in the middle, and angst at the end :) not fantasy DLKFSF IM SORRY

* words: 5.2k, somehow

* warnings: angsty, reader is wary of hawks at first, tokyo skytree!! so don’t read if you’re terribly afraid of heights, a reference to blood for a small metaphor, a reference to the league of villains ;P, cliffhanger ending that i’m not sure i’ll resolve

* original request from @bien-sur: hey, saw you wanted requests and I read through some of your work, really loved the Hawks one shot!! i’m a sucker for enemies who make out. i’m feeling angsty so uh maybe, if you want, a bakugo one-shot where he kind of uh cheats on the reader...? or maybe just hurts her feelings very badly? maybe the reader feels numb for a while but is comforted by Keigo, and the reader realizes they deserve better? so sorry if this is out of your comfort zone or it’s dark content(?) anyways I like your writing so i’ll read a few more of your works before going to bed :)) thank you, i appreciate u taking the time to do requests regardless of whether you do mine :)

* a/n: ENEMIES TO LOVERS IS SUPERIOR!! i was so excited to write an enemies piece with hawks. this showcases the soft, kind side of hawks so i hope you enjoy it !! thank you sooo much for being so kind in your request! this request is completely fine. i added much more plot than i’d expected, and learned sooo much about tokyo skytree. i couldn’t do infidelity because it hurts me too much and i love bakugou too much. i tried to keep the angst.,., but happy birb..,., this might become a multi-chap fic, as i do have a plot jumbled in my head because of the cliffhanger, and i’d like to develop more aspects of your request! for now, it’s up to your interpretation! biggest thing i got out of this: i now really, really want to go to tokyo skytree.

* synopsis: you had a fairy tale love with bakugou until your prince became the villain for vague reasons. in a moment of serendipity, you find a new prince, hawks, who just might take you high enough to reach the stars you’d so longed for. sometimes your dreams are only a train ride and a couple elevator trips away.

love was like a fairy tale. at least, that’s what you’d believed. love, with its ornate leather cover and soft golden embellishments. the pages would be worn but so cherished; the black ink printed in a pretty font, telling of charming words and whispered promises under the shining moonlight and twinkling stars. it was supposed to be your security, a castle hidden in the lush forest away from the horrors of the world. your castle would hold you and bakugou for an eternity, kept away in the pages of a pretty love story.

alas, even the strongest of castles fall, and the most beautiful of forests mangle. yours just happened to be a bit quicker. contrary to the illusion bakugou had painted in your fairy tale, your castle was not of stone nor brick nor iron. it was not of anything but sand, waiting for its turn to be washed away by the sea. your castle slipped through your fingers; the once elaborate stronghold now swept into the depths of the cerulean sea. what had once been painted seashells of wondrous hues and crystals that illuminated the night were now pebbles and corroded versions of things that had once been. it had slipped through your fingers so easily without a passing thought; now here you were, in your deserted kingdom, playing the fool.

like the sand past your fingers, love had once come easy for you and bakugou. it was always there, drifting in the air as you walked or swirling above your heads while you bickered. love was supposed to be easy, like how your hand just fit in bakugou's as if sculpted after many lives with him. love was supposed to be easy, like how bakugou aced his tests in school and nonchalantly taught you math so you wouldn't have to attend cram school. love was supposed to be easy, like how it had been for forever with bakugou. but your fairy tale was now coming to a close, velvet curtains falling and pages turning to dust.

you wondered if there were any fairy tales on the shelves of books bakugou had. contrary to popular belief at ua, bakugou was an avid reader. it was clear by the shelves that lined the wall in his dorm and the stacks of unread books on his nightstand. you never touched them, though bakugou had said you were free to pick them up whenever you wanted. the only time you’d touched a book from his bookshelf was when he pushed a book of yosano akiko’s to you.

the colored spines of the books on his shelf in your shared apartment all blurred like paint on a palette as you stared at them, bakugou’s voice becoming a fading afterthought.

“y/n? y/n, please…” the voice which had so held you in its tight warmth went cold and unfamiliar. a light flickered out in your castle, and so started the crumbling.

“say…” you started, your throat clogged with disbelief, “it again.”

“please, don’t make me…” his voice trailed off. you could feel his deep scarlet eyes trained on you. “i just…. i’m not in love with you anymore, y/n.” his voice cracked. “you’ve got to understand. please.”

your hand trembled in your lap, your vision shifting out of focus like a faulty camera.

“i tried to feel something, i really did. but…. i can’t.”

“how- how long?” your voice shook.

he paused. “a month… or two, by now?” he reached out to take your hand in his, but it no longer felt right. it was as if his hand was no longer yours to hold. you tensed, moving your hand away.

a light went out in his eyes as he understood and receded his hand. a tower fell in your castle.

“okay,” you said, turning away from him. tears dripped down your face silently and you quickly wiped them away with your sleeve. you stood up from the couch. “i’ll get my things,” you hollowly said, walking toward your shared room with him.

“you don’t need to,” bakugou said. the voice emitted from his throat was no longer his, but the shadow of a stranger’s. “not this fast, at least. don’t force yourself.”

“what makes you say that?” you snapped a bit too harshly. “sorry,” you added quietly.

packing your things was a numbing process. you left the photos of him and you on his nightstand, on top of his pile of unread books. you shoved it all in a backpack you had lying around; your clothes, your phone, your books. you took one last glance around the room and left. bakugou was still sitting on the couch wordlessly, not bothering to say farewell to you as you opened the door and walked out. not that you would’ve responded anyway.

you realized you may have made a miscalculation as you stood cluelessly in the lobby of the apartment building. you had nowhere to go. you fumbled with your phone in your backpack and pulled up your contacts. you knew of no one in your contacts who’d let you stay; they were either on vacation or far away. in truth, bakugou was your closest friend since childhood. he was your map, your guide, your destination; where were you without him?

the wind brushed your cheek as you stood outside the entrance, watching cars pass. the world felt so big compared to the mere side character of you, who buildings loomed over like menacing shadows. it was a somewhat comforting moment, being an alone speck in the grand scheme of things. like this, it was for only a moment you’d forgotten why you were out here in the first place. you’d forgotten the warm feeling that once nestled itself in your heart, instead enraptured by the freeing breeze that rustled in it.

red. then a breeze. that’s all you saw, eyes widening and stepping back. a man no older than you stood in front of you, hands in his pockets. vermillion wings protruded from somewhere on his back, arcing slightly over the man.

“heyyy….” he said lazily, shadows falling on his face. you started walking backward, hands discreetly feeling for the door behind you. “wait! i’m a pro-hero, i swear! i’m hawks, look it up!” he lifted his hands up in surrender, backing away from you.

“who…. what do you want?” you asked cautiously, hand on the doorknob behind you.

he sheepishly scratched the back of his head, laughing nervously. “i, uh…. got lost…. tokyo’s such a big place, y’know?”

“where are you from?” you couldn’t really discern anything of an accent on him, other than a slightly rougher tone of speaking.

“kyushu, fukuoka…” he gestured vaguely. that explained the slight accent. “i’m in tokyo for a bit of work. business trip, y’know how it goes. haven’t visited tokyo in a while, honestly. what’s a good place for a bite? a bird is starving.”

“uh… there’s a place down the street to the right…” off the top of your head, you pointed out a cafe you and bakugou had frequented.

“it doesn’t have chicken wings, does it?” hawks asked.

“chicken…?” you looked from him to his wings. “no, sorry.”

“don’t sweat it! ‘s fine. hey, i might as well treat you for wasting your time. where’re you heading off to? i could pay for a cab, if you gotta go.”

“ah, thank you....” you said bashfully. “i’m not really in a rush anywhere.”

“really?” he looked excited, innocently so, almost like a puppy. “can i treat you to something?”

“uh… sure,” you replied, strengthening your grip on your backpack. “sure.”

“great! off we go, m’liege!” he pointed toward the cafe and started marching. he was a sight to behold on the street, red wings standing out a mile away. you followed somewhat reluctantly, grabbing your phone to google exactly who the pro-hero “hawks” was. the name sounded vaguely familiar, but you weren’t one who knew their heroes. yeah, it was definitely him; what was your luck, meeting such a famous pro-hero on the street after being dumped by the love of your life?

he hummed a tuneless melody, turning to the cafe. he held the doorknob waiting for you, opening the door for you first. the homey cafe was decently packed for lunchtime, the quiet chatter of people filling the atmosphere. the scene reminded you of so many other times you'd gone here with bakugou; it gave you chills as you stood next to hawks.

"hey," hawks said quietly. "you okay? you seem tense."

you gulped and shook your head. "nah, i'm fine. just thinking about what to eat," you lied.

he nodded, seeming to buy into the lie. stepping toward the menu, he said, "the toasted sandwiches look good."

"uh huh," you agreed absentmindedly. your attention was on the bout of people who'd turned to look at hawks, some snapping pictures on their phones. he did stand out pretty well with his wings.

"'scuse me-!" a little girl, no more than 6 or 7, approached the hero. she had a distinctive accent; it was slightly hard to understand her. "can i 'ave a photo with ya?" her eyes got all round. "yer my big brother's favorite hero!"

"'course, darlin'," hawks smiled. his voice somewhat mimicked hers, his dialect becoming apparent.

once he'd taken a photo with her, more and more people started following suit, crowding him. you stood awkwardly to the side. some people didn't even know who he was, from what you could tell. you debated ordering a latte and leaving, but decided it'd be unfair to hawks. he was kind to everyone he interacted with, unlike most celebrities who just wanted fame and disregarded others.

after some time, the crowd finally dispersed, leaving you and hawks together.

he glanced at his watch. “ah, sorry, that took a while…” he apologized. “do you have somewhere to be? i must’ve held you up…”

“nah, don’t worry about it.” you waved him off. “i, uh, actually… was just dumped by my boyfriend…” you nervously shuffled your feet. “i don’t really have a place to stay at the moment… so i’m free the entire day, i guess.” you laughed nervously.

he blinked at you, bird-like eyes wide. “you must be starving.”

you felt your face warm and you laughed - this time, a real, genuine laugh that was a missed sensation against your tongue. “yeah. yeah, i am.”

“hey, dove.” his voice suddenly got close to you, gentler. “you’re crying.”

“oh…?” you felt your cheek with the pad of your thumb. “sorry. i have tissues in my backpack, hang on…” you unzipped the front pocket and started to rummage blindly through your belongings, groping for something vaguely feeling like a packet of tissues.

“here,” he said, handing you a tissue. you turned to him gratefully, accepting the tissue and wiping your face.

“it’s just… weird,” you said after a pause. “he’s been there all my life - my ex, i mean.” ex. such a strange name for the man you so adored; ex, crossing off the relationship you thought you’d built with him.

hawks nodded, guiding you to a booth in the cafe.

you continued, “sorry. you probably didn’t want to hear this today… you’re busy with your hero duties and whatnot.”

“don’t worry ‘bout it, feather,” he reassured you. “he didn’t kick you out, did he?”

“oh, no,” you clarified quickly. “i… left,” you said, abashed. “i shouldn’t’ve been so sudden, but… it was an instinct thing.”

“why’d he do it so suddenly?” hawks asked. “you didn’t see it coming, right?”

“no, i didn’t… but maybe i should’ve…” you think about the part couple months with bakugou. nothing seemed different - you’d gone on dates like normal and spent time together like a couple that loved each other. his interest in you never faltered and nor did the sparkle in his eyes dull; what had happened? what had gone so wrong?

you realize the silence that’s fallen between you and hawks. the hero was looking at the menu behind you intently.

“ham and cheese…” he muttered to himself. “no, teriyaki… so yummy… with coffee…” he suddenly seemed aware of your eyes staring at him. “oh, what did you want to eat?”

“i’ll probably have the teriyaki,” you said. it was your go-to sandwich choice at the cafe. you reached for your backpack to retrieve your wallet, but hawks stopped you.

“let me,” he said. “i already caused you so much inconvenience.”

“ah, okay…” you said meekly. “thank you.”

he shrugged. “what wouldja like to drink?”

“uh… orange juice,” you said.

“alright!” he saluted you. “your wish is my command.” he got up to order, pulling out his wallet from his pocket. the cashier was particularly animated talking to him, initiating a conversation about aerodynamics with the pro-hero from what you could hear.

he returned with the sandwiches (made at the fastest time you swore you’d seen them prepare food) and set yours in front of you.

“let’s dig in!” hawks said, biting into his sandwich. you agreed, taking a bite of yours as well.

“what’s your name, by the way?” he said in between bites. “i don’t think i ever asked.”

“y/n,” you said.

“pretty,” he commented. “i’m hawks.”

“i know,” you blurted. “i googled it.”

“you did?” his pupils widened. “what’d it say??”

“uhh…” you pulled out your phone, finding the tab you used to google hawks. you turned your screen to him.

he studied the screen. “not fond of that angle,” he mused to himself. “so, why’d your boyfriend dump you?”

you were taken aback by his candor. “he… said he didn’t love me anymore,” you admitted.

“all of a sudden? out of the blue?”

you shook your head. “he said he’d tried to endure it for a while.”

“how long?”

“a month or two,” you sighed, thinking about the sight of him sitting dejectedly on the couch this morning.

“he didn’t say anything before that?” hawks gasped. “the nerve. how long have you been together?”

“four… or five years now?” you’d been dating him since your days at ua, even when most high school romances - between childhood friends, no less - were especially rocky. he was your promised forever.

“and he gives up after two months?” hawks set his sandwich down. “wow. some boyfriend.”

“i think there was something more to it,” you said thoughtfully. “we’ve known each other for a long…”

“you still love him, don’t you?”

“i mean… yeah….” you hadn’t given it much thought; bakugou was a habit your heart couldn’t stop thinking about. it was like depriving your heart of oxygen: foreign and wrong. “i do.”

“i’m sorry, dove,” he said.

“your sandwich will get cold,” you said in an attempt to divert the conversation topic.

“you’re right.” he picked up his sandwich and started eating again, eyes still on you. “this place has good food.”

you hummed in agreement, distracted by the cars going by outside the window.

“where will you stay?” he asked, halfway done with his sandwich.

hawks voiced the concern plaguing your subconscious from the moment you stepped out of bakugou’s apartment building. it was definitely not the most thoroughly well-thought out plan, and you didn’t want to come back knocking on his door in the night. besides, you weren’t sure if you could stand being there again, in the presence of a liar and someone who felt so foreign to you. you wondered how much you truly didn’t know about bakugou; were there any other lies he’d blossomed behind your back?

you knew you might be able to stay at a hotel for a couple nights, but not for long. going back to bakugou’s place… as much as you so dreaded the mere thought, you knew it might be your absolute last resort.

“i’m not sure,” you finally replied truthfully. hawks appeared to have come to a conclusion of sorts.

“tell ya what,” he said, leaning forward slightly. “explore tokyo with me.” he took a bite of his sandwich. continuing, he said, “‘s not often the commission puts me in the big city. i’m off today, so…”

the offer was somewhat bizarre, but what did you have to lose? you agreed, under the terms you wouldn’t be out too late. as you walked out the door, you greeted the cool outside breeze with the hope this would help you put the past behind you.

walking through tokyo with a pro-hero proved harder than it sounded. for one, people kept approaching hawks; after all, he was like a walking light-up sign that said “LOOK AT ME!” with the size and color of his wings. after every time a fan asked hawks for an autograph, he sheepishly apologized to you, and offered two autographs to you. you always laughed and declined; the trip was a reward in itself, you supposed. each acquaintance made you appreciate all the responsibilities of a pro-hero. he was charming, though. he really was, so you didn’t mind.

“skytree! let’s go there!” was the first thing hawks had said walking out of the cafe. you’d been to the skytree a couple of times in your childhood, and it was a nice memory; the tall building stretching, touching the tip of the sky. your parents had told you that stardust flecked the very top of the skytree, for it was so tall. you’d never actually reached the highest floor; it felt like a distant fantasy, as you’d always get tired before reaching the top or circumstance would interfere.

it was a five minute walk to the nearest station, and it’d be another forty or so to skytree. hawks didn’t seem to mind, though, happily promenading down the street like a kid in a candy shop. he pointed excitedly to random buildings that you hadn’t given a second thought about and rambled about the facts he knew about skytree with an accent tingeing his words more than usual. he reminded you very much so of a child going on a field trip, and his giddiness only boosted yours.

“we’re here!” his eyes glistened with anticipation when you reached the station. you’d visited the station dozens of times, but looked at it with a new light when you realized how excited hawks was. “i’ll pay; i dragged you here,” he said immediately when you started to pay for tickets.

“really, i can’t-” you started, but he cut you off.

“let me. it’s my off day! please.” he took the two tickets he paid for. “here.”

“i don’t really have a choice, do i?”

“nope!” he was already walking away, smiling back at you and waving his ticket.

“hey- wait!” you started running after him. “wrong way!”

forty minutes later, two transfers, and one circle around the station in pursuit of skytree, you stood at the entrance of the tokyo skytree. hawks’ mouth watered at the sight of the line of restaurants in the breezeway you’d passed prior, and you had to stop him from ordering the seasonal special from mcdonald’s before turning to skytree.

“but you just ate!” you exclaimed as he stared longingly at the ice cream being advertised on a poster.

he pouted. “but i’m hungry…”

you took his hand (which momentarily shocked him) and guided him to the entrance. it was a bit crowded, but not overtly so. hawks was looking everywhere once you’d entered; darting from here to there, sometimes carrying small souvenirs or drinks when returning to you. you were out of energy by the time you’d reached floor 340, though hawks told you there were only 29 floors total and the name was referencing the height. it certainly didn’t feel like an exaggeration, your feet dragging on the ground as you stepped out of the oddly fast elevator.

you begged hawks to let you rest at the cafe you saw. the cafe felt like a little oasis of tranquility, uncrowded on contrary to the other floors. it was relaxing as you stared outside the window and up at the sky. it brought you to your parents words of stars and magic, though something as modern as the skytree must be strange to intermingle with magic. in the moment you were suspended; the still sky surrounding you and the ever-moving cars below. you swore you could just reach the clouds in front of you and float, so serenely in an eternal bubble of quietude to yourself. everything else was forgotten in that moment; things were the way they always were. it was always you, in the end.

after leaving the cafe, you watched people stand on glass flooring overlooking everything below. some jumped on the glass, while some frightenedly stuck a foot on the glass and jumped back.

“quite the view, huh?” hawks mumbled with a mouth stuffed full with chocolate cake. “i usually have to fly so far to get this view.”

you nodded. “it’s amazing...”

“so… where d’you wanna go after this?” he asked you.

“actually…” your thoughts went back to the stories your parents told you. “can we go up to floor 455?”

he showed a hint of surprise on his face. “really? i know we bought the tickets to do it, but if you’re tired, we can just go down.”

“no…” you cleared your throat. “it’s been something i really wanted to do.”

he took this answer and smiled, grasping your hand. “let’s walk into the sky!”

the train ride back did not go as smoothly as you hoped. the adrenaline of being 450 meters in the air had worn itself out, and the pitting realization that bakugou was no longer yours dawned on you. the sapphire sky in your fairy tale story seemed so far now, stars shattering and crumbling. you reached for a piece of a star, but each piece dissolved above your head, light that would never reach you.

“feather,” hawks said quietly. the intense look in his eyes looked like he was building up to something important.

“yeah?” you asked. you fixated on him.

“do you want… a badtz-maru eraser?”

you stared at the spiky-haired penguin in the palm of hawks’ hand.

“sure…?” you said. hawks happily plopped the eraser into your hand.

“feather,” he said again in the same tone. “you should visit bakugou, you know. tonight, to make things straight with him.”

that was what he was building up to. bakugou. you hadn’t dwelled much on the thought of the man; the skytree filling most of your thoughts for the day. but it was still light out.

“i know,” you replied softly, looking down at your fingers. these were the hands that held your heart as you gave it to bakugou, the hands that bakugou held tenderly for so many days and nights. they were the same hands that held your heart now, returned by bakugou shattered and clinking to the ground. the rest of the train ride was silent.

you could now hear your thoughts echoing around the train compartment, deflecting off walls and still making their way to your heart. you wondered what words were left unsaid by bakugou, painful truths untold hidden in the recesses of his heart. you wondered if he remembered how he’d first nervously asked you on a date in high school, words rough but fingers softly fidgeting with each other. it was in may, near the end of the day. he shoved a small box of chocolates towards you, muttering something about “weird hair” making him do it. he’d aggressively stuttered his way through a confession, barely making eye contact with you. the memory brought a fluttering to your heart, but with it came a sore pain for the first time. you wondered if he felt the same or if he was just numb, like how he now felt about you. what did it feel like to fall out of love?

you wondered if he remembered the many times he’d walked you home (only for your sake, of course, not anything else). you wondered if he remembered how fondly he looked at you then. his heart was on his sleeve during those times, the perpetual blush on his cheeks disclosing his very vulnerable feelings towards you.

even on the most draining of days, bakugou would always be there for you. even if his eyelids were closing upon their own accord and legs were sore from a day’s work, he made it a point to be there for you. while children might’ve had their security blankets, you had bakugou. your heart dropped realizing those days of coming home to bakugou were gone.

what had happened? now, you were alone on a train that felt so cold and without the love that had so warmed your heart. why had things ended up like this? why did you numb bakugou’s feelings so? the wave was slow at first, but once it had reached the shore, your tears fell hot and unyielding as you toppled off the edge of being okay.

hawks was by your side wordlessly, a wing around you and leaning you close to him. the feathers were soft. you cried unabashedly in his embrace, sniffling as he soothed you. you tried to say thank you, but all that came out was another sob.

your feet, on instinct, took you to bakugou's apartment without any problem. it could’ve been any other day; you, coming back to the apartment after running errands. it was your hand that hesitated as it hovered an inch away from the wood of the door, the only sign that something had changed. you liked to pretend it hadn’t. you wished that when you’d open the door, you’d hear a light chatter from the tv and a familiar voice saying, “welcome home, idiot.” you wished that the air that enveloped you as soon as you opened the door was that of liveliness and comfort, of warm orange and yellow hues. you wished that the atmosphere didn’t feel so dead, dull, and musty; you wish it hadn’t drowned in shades of blue and gray. you wished you didn’t have the key to the apartment still.

you wished that bakugou would say something, anything, rather than sit on the couch with his head bowed. you wished that you didn’t miss him so much and that you had him, all at the same time. you wished you turned back as soon as you heard the knob click and pushed open the door; you wished not to see all that you had in what was once your apartment.

you wished you didn’t revel in his presence next to you on the couch. you wished you didn’t almost lean into his touch because he was your home, and you wished your eyes didn’t well up the way they had. you wished to have sat in that silence for a while then up and gone; you wished he hadn’t said anything at all.

“hey, idiot,” was a cracky and raspy thing coming out of his mouth, words familiar but so foreign at the same time.

“hey,” was what you whispered back, quiet enough for only you to hear.

“where’d you go?” but it wasn’t a question, just a fragile plea devoid of hope.

“skytree,” and you felt you’d break the mood.

“did you reach the top?” his response surprised and killed you at the same time.

“yeah,” you said quietly. “i did.”

“alone?”

“i could never alone.”

“who…?”

“met a pro-hero by chance.”

“your true hero, huh?” it was a bitter tone, venom biting you.

“no,” and your heart sunk because it was the truth.

he scoffed. getting up from the couch, he said, “you forgot something.”

your eyes followed him as he disappeared into your once shared room. he returned quite fast, as if you’d left it on the dresser, carrying a decorated shoebox. you’d almost forgotten about it entirely, eyes wide as nostalgia hit you.

it was a memory box you’d made the last year of high school. it was supposed to be for school memories, but it really just became a box of mementos of bakugou. you could barely see the contents inside, too busy trying to hold back the tears in your eyes. you thumbed through photos and polaroids of you and him, some with his friends and some with yours. oh, what you’d give to have those times back. though it was all blurred, you could feel the moments so vividly: feel the cool summer breeze and hear the sound of people conversing with each other at a festival; hear mina’s excited ramblings and bakugou’s grumbling at the supermarket; smell caramel and vanilla at a movie night, pressed against bakugou’s body warmth. you dropped the photos back into the box and picked up a scorched pencil. a pressed rose. a neatly folded sheet of notes you’d sent back and forth with bakugou during class.

and then it was all gone, shutting the box.

“keep it.” you regretted the words as soon as they left your lips, but you wouldn’t take them back. you handed him the box, staring at the floor and wiping your wet eyes. the memories were no longer yours to keep.

bakugou was silent, taking the box and leaving to his room to put it away.

“is that all?” you tried to make your voice sound strong, impatient. like you had better places to be without him. you hoped he couldn’t tell how it was more of a beg to stay.

“yeah.” cold. emotionless.

you stood for another second, looking around. everything seemed different, as if the glass which surrounded your universe had shattered. “bye, katsuki.”

“bye.”

your footsteps were light, but each step felt weighed by metal weights. you wished he stopped you from leaving. you wished you looked back at him. you wished you weren’t crying.

you shut the door quietly, weakly, behind you. it all came out in the hallway, tears and desperate sobs. you prayed he couldn’t hear you; but you knew, even if he did, he wouldn’t care anymore. he was numbed, no longer the firework you’d known.

“hawks,” it came as a quiet plea as you felt for your phone and dialed his number. he gave it to you right before you walked into bakugou’s apartment.

“please pick up, please pick up,” you muttered, trying to wipe the tears from your cheeks as quickly as they came.

“hey, birdie? are you okay?”

“hawks,” you sobbed. “hawks, no, i’m not.”

“hey, are you still at the apartment building? i’ll be right there, chickadee, alright?”

you nodded, sniffed, then said meekly, “yeah.”

“stay on the line. talk to me, birdie.” his voice was soothing.

“hawks, it hurts, everything.” you felt as though you were pouring out your heart, spilling scarlet on the carpet. “hawks.” tears dropped onto the carpet. “hawks.” your knees almost gave in.

“what floor are you on, dove?”

“third,” you hiccupped.

“i’m right there, feather.” you saw hawks emerge from the stairwell. his hair looked windblown. he looked relieved to see you at first, then his face fell to that of sympathy. “oh, birdie,” he said softly, running up to you. “i’m here now.’

you weren’t aware bakugou was listening to you cry on the other side of the door as you sobbed into someone else’s shoulder, not his. with dark eyes and trembling hands he couldn’t calm, he dialed a number on his phone.

“well, tomura? i did it.”

#hawks x reader #keigo takami x reader #bakugou x reader #bnha x reader #bakugou angst #bnha angst #hawks fluff #bnha fluff #hawks imagines #hawks scenarios #keigo takami fluff #keigo takami imagines #keigo takami scenarios #katsuki bakugou #keigo takami #luna's writing

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whatiwillsay · 4 years

Text

submission:

Reputation is about more than one relationship; a thesis by anon

Hello! I am that anon who thinks Rep is about more than one relationship and this is a hill I am very much willing to die on. I believe there are (at least) two relationship stories told in detail on this album.

One is the relationship between two very famous women (*cough*Kaylor*cough), who are struggling to make it work because of the public pressures. The other is between Taylor and someone who is out of the public eye, or at least someone she is able to keep the relationship completely private. I’m not going to speculate on whether that’s Lily or Joe (lol so full disclosure I don’t think it’s Joe but someone else might) or maybe someone else we don’t know much about. All I know is that there is more than one relationship being discussed. Let’s dive into this analysis, shall we?

The first explicit mention of the public relationship - let’s actually just refer to it as Kaylor from here on out - is on End Game.

Big reputation, big reputation Ooh, you and me, we got big reputations Ah, and you heard about me Ooh, I got some big enemies (yeah) Big reputation, big reputation Ooh, you and me would be a big conversation Ah, and I heard about you (yeah) Ooh, you like the bad ones, too

Tay’s lover on here is someone with a big reputation, and being with the person would be a big conversation. Endless Kaylor analyses have discussed this as ‘proof’ that it’s not about Joe. Which, yes, obviously. But equally obviously, any woman in a relationship with Tay would be a big conversation so once we exclude Joe as a possibility, as we rightfully should, we wind up with plenty of other options.

Later in the song we do hear more explicit Karlie lines like “it’s like your body is gold”. We all suspect Karlie is gold (I tend to agree), so let’s call it a Kaylor anthem. Cool. Then, what can we learn about their relationship from this song?

I don’t wanna touch you, I don’t wanna be Just another ex that you don’t wanna see I don’t wanna miss you (I don’t wanna miss you) Like the other girls do I don’t wanna hurt you, I just wanna be Drinking on a beach with you all over me I know what they all say (I know what they all say) But I ain’t tryna play I wanna be your end game (End game) I wanna be your first string (First string) I wanna be your A-Team (A-Team) I wanna be your end game, end game

The lyrics explicitly suggest Tay’s begging the lover to make it work. It’s “I wanna be” not “I am”. She’s craving affirmation, she’s wanting to be chosen; we can pick that up from the repetitive nature of the song. First string, A-team, end game… She just wants for her to be the one. Some might say that would be fun. She’d love for them to wind up together - but there is no clear sign in the lyrics that it’s an actual possibility. It’s what she wants. She’s trying to convince her lover that she is committed, but they never resolve that commitment in the song. It’s never fully requited. No matter how many times she offers what she ‘wants’, there is no response.

Later, she sings:

I hit you like bang We tried to forget it, but we just couldn’t And I bury hatchets, but I keep maps of where I put ‘em Reputation precedes me, they told you I’m crazy I swear I don’t love the drama, it loves me And I can’t let you go, your hand prints on my soul It’s like your eyes are liquor, it’s like your body is gold You’ve been calling my bluff on all my usual tricks So here’s the truth from my red lips I wanna be your end game (End game) I wanna be your first string (Me and you) I wanna be your A-Team (Be your A-Team now) I wanna be your end game, end game I wanna be your end game (oh, I do) I wanna be your first string (first string) I wanna be your A-Team (A-Team) I wanna be your end game, end game

I’ve referenced part of this above, because it’s where the Kaylor-ness of it all gets more explicit (drinking/liquor/intoxication, gold, handprints/footprints). But again, this isn’t a happy ‘in love’ song. It’s Taylor actively trying to convince Karlie that her feelings are real. “Here’s the truth” she says - that doesn’t sound romantic, it sounds like they’re fighting and wanting to make things work but it’s all proving to be incredibly challenging.

When we add Taylor’s tone of voice in - and the almost forlorn “I wanna be your end game” at the start - my reading makes a lot of sense. It’s definitely a Kaylor song; Kaylor songs are always steeped in anxiety.

Our next clear Kaylor song is ‘Don’t Blame Me’ which (importantly) Taylor didn’t write, but which clearly picks up on themes she finds relatable. Apparently it’s similar to Hozier’s Take Me To Church (I don’t know much about Hozier, but from a quick glance at those lyrics that’s not a wildly happy song either).

Something happened for the first time In the darkest little paradise. Shaking, pacing, I just need you. For you, I would cross the line, I would waste my time, I would lose my mind. They say, “She’s gone too far this time.” Don’t blame me. Love made me crazy. If it doesn’t, you ain’t doing it right. Lord, save me. My drug is my baby I’ll be using for the rest of my life.

We’re going back to that same theme from End Game - Tay is begging her lover to make it work. “For you” she says, “I” would do just about anything. Cross the line, waste time (a biggie when you’re Taylor fucking Swift), even lose her mind. Love has made her crazy, unstable - it’s almost a play on the satire of Blank Space. True love seems to have actually made her into that mad woman she laughed at on the previous album. She’s shaking and pacing, craving the physical release of her drug of choice. (The shaking and pacing in a darkened room comes up later on the album again, by the way - it’s clear that Tay is super into Karlie and I do get it, she’s so gorgeous it’s nuts).

Then comes this gayness:

My name is whatever you decide, And I’m just gonna call you mine.

I’m gonna pause here because these call me by your name vibes are just. So. Damn. Gay. But that’s neither here nor there. Tay continues:

I’m insane, but I’m your baby (your baby). Echoes (echoes) of your name inside my mind. Halo, hiding my obsession. I once was poison ivy, but now I’m your daisy. And, baby, for you, I would fall from grace Just to touch your face. If you walk away, I’d beg you on my knees to stay.

Again, we’re picking up those same recurrent themes: she’s asking her to stay, she is willing to risk it all for love. The daisy is a Kaylor inside joke, we all know about Big Sur, so I’m not going to dwell on that.

The name thing is more interesting, as is the ‘halo, hiding my obsession’. To me, both gesture towards the public nature of the relationship that first started in End Game and picks up steam in later songs. “My name is whatever you decide” she says, but the other woman’s name keeps echoing in her mind, possibly because of her lover’s big reputation? I don’t know for sure, but I think it’s fascinating. I think Tay’s got a thing about names - lol Betty and James but also later in this album; bear with me - so I think this whole name bit is of interest. I think Tay likes the idea of the symbolism of names and the concept often comes up in her lyrics…

Then we get the line which suggests one or both of them have a (public) halo, that they use to hide the desperate love Tay feels for her lover. To be honest, that screams glass closeting phase to me. We go straight from ‘hiding my obsession’ to the daisy references. “Glass closeting with me is fun!” cries Tay, “Please stay with me, please please please.”

But once again, there’s no answer.

And then we switch gears and go into Delicate. What we’ve established in the two songs above is Tay is very invested and wants to make it work, and that she’s dealing with someone who is also famous, and that there are complications. One of those complications is that she’s insecure in the relationship.

Delicate opens with:

This ain’t for the best My reputation’s never been worse, so You must like me for me…

It sets a different tone and attitude to the last two songs. For the first time, we’re hearing an analysis of her lover’s feelings. She’s not begging, she’s not urging. She’s shocked that this person wants her for her. The big reputations and the shaking, quaking and pining are suddenly gone.

We can’t make Any promises now, can we, babe? But you can make me a drink…

Here the lover is more involved than she was previously. Taylor has gone from asking for something to saying that this is what’s happening. This is chilled, low key. This isn’t an obsession. This isn’t her ‘hitting like bang’. It’s two people starting something very… delicate. It’s not love at first sight, it’s an exploration of possibilities. They’re going to a dive bar, they’re hanging out. It’s calm and peaceful. Her anxiety here is a gentle, delicate, romantic one. It’s not dramatic like on the Kaylor songs.

Come here, you can meet me in the back Dark jeans and your Nikes, look at you

The theme of secrecy comes in strong on the lines above. They’re hiding, and they’re private. This is not “I would fall from grace just to touch your face” - the stakes are markedly lower. It’s the start of something new, something beautiful. She’s starting over again. And she’s doing so with someone who is willing to hide with her.

This is in sharp contrast to our Kaylor anthems, as we’ve already seen above. Ready for another Kaylor song? So It Goes (again, not by Tay but thematically linked) is peak Kaylor.

See you in the dark All eyes on you, my magician All eyes on us You make everyone disappear, and Cut me into pieces Gold cage, hostage to my feelings Back against the wall Trippin’, trip, trippin’ when you’re gone

Okay, here we have a gold cage imprisoning Tay and a ‘lightning strikes every time she moves’ woman stealing the attention of everyone who sees her. She’s got Tay backed up with nowhere to go and tripping when she’s gone. That’s the same insecurity from before.

'Cause we break down a little But when you get me alone, it’s so simple

She’s explicitly acknowledging their problems, but the problems fall away when they’re in bed or having a romantic interaction.

'Cause baby, I know what you know We can feel it… And all the pieces fall Right into place Getting caught up in a moment Lipstick on your face So it goes… I’m yours to keep And I’m yours to lose You know I’m not a bad girl, but I Do bad things with you So it goes…

The above doesn’t need much additional analysis, there are Kaylors who’ve done it and I recommend going to read those (or just looking up times Tay ended up with smudged lippy around Karlie).

Here’s the really relevant bit:

Met you in a bar All eyes on me, your illusionist All eyes on us I make all your grey days clear and Wear you like a necklace I’m so chill, but you make me jealous But I got your heart Skippin’, skip, skippin’ when I’m gone

Does that sound the same as the ‘dive bar on the East Side where you at?’ Because to me, while describing similar situations - dates in bars - they are explicitly different in mood, tone and atmosphere. In Delicate, Tay and her lover were hiding out in the back, having a heart to heart. Here, the bar has ‘all eyes’ on them. Kaylor both have big reputations and Karlie makes Tay anxious and jealous. She’s not ever sure where she stands with her. The best she can come up with (and you must listen for the high-pitched, uncertain tone with which this line is sung) is that Karlie’s heart skips when Tay’s gone. That’s hardly explicit confirmation of deep, requited feelings.

You did a number on me But, honestly, baby, who’s counting? I did a number on you But, honestly, baby, who’s counting? You did a number on me But, honestly, baby, who’s counting? Who’s counting? 1, 2, 3

This once again acknowledges the difficulties in the relationship. It is not ‘Delicate’. It is not always happy. It’s a proper fucking mess.

Cool now let’s take a look at another Kaylor anthem:

I, I loved you in secret First sight, yeah, we love without reason

I hear the naysayers point to the ‘in secret’ as paralleling Delicate (which so far has been the only one that’s not about Karlie). The thing, though, is that this is about love at first sight/physical attraction/lust - not about the meaningful emotional connection we glimpsed in Delicate. Delicate is explicitly not about love ar first sight or love without reason. It’s about embarking on something new and beautiful but having trepidation along the way. It’s about careful connection.

My, my love had been frozen Deep blue, but you painted me golden

I’m including this as further evidence this is about Kaylor. As I said Karlie = gold. We’ve heard this image in every Kaylor song. You know what didn’t feature in Delicate? Gold. Spoiler: it won’t feature in CIWYW and KOMH either.

I could’ve spent forever with your hands in my pockets Picture of your face in an invisible locket You said there was nothing in the world that could stop it I had a bad feeling And darling, you had turned my bed into a sacred oasis People started talking, putting us through our paces I knew there was no one in the world who could take it I had a bad feeling

In this verse we have people talking and noticing this couple. She’s describing a well-known, public relationship. It isn’t a secret, not really, despite the actual love being kept somewhat secret. Their locket may be invisible but despite that, this relationship is something well known. Furthermore, we already know she has had a bad feeling. That’s kind of the premise of many of her other Karlie anthems - she’s begging Karlie to stay and trying to convince her that they have something real and serious. She is constantly trying to convince Karlie of the seriousness of her feelings. And, well, the song ends with her saying she’d like to dance with Karlie again but there’s no real way forward, seeing as their hands are tied. The whole thing is quite sad.

Let’s look at the other very very Kaylor song (like there’s literally no other way to read it):

Our secret moments In a crowded room They got no idea About me and you There is an indentation In the shape of you Made your mark on me A golden tattoo All of this silence and patience, pining and anticipation My hands are shaking from holding back from you (ah, ah, ah) All of this silence and patience, pining and desperately waiting My hands are shaking from all this (ha, ha, ha, ha)

We have the familiar desperation, the shaking, the gold, and the secret moments in plain view. And again, they’re both very famous:

Everyone thinks that they know us But they know nothing about All of this silence and patience, pining and anticipation

We also get this bit:

Say my name and everything just stops I don’t want you like a best friend

There’s the name thing again and after that the gayest, most glass closety line I’ve ever witnessed. “I don’t want you like a best friend”, she says. I want your body. I want your love. I want us. I want this relationship to be real.

You know what that clarification is in sharp contrast to:

(Call it what you want, call it what you want, call it) So call it what you want, yeah Call it what you want to

Tay didn’t want to call it what you want with Karlie. She wanted to call it end game, first string, A team. She didn’t want to be friends. People talking about them caused her anxiety and lead to the breakup described in DWOHT. CIWYW has that renewed joyful tone that she had in Delicate. It’s hopeful and optimistic. It’s all about about connection and meaningful interactions:

I want to wear his initial on a chain round my neck Chain round my neck Not because he owns me But 'cause he really knows me

This is not an invisible locket, this is not about sex and getting clothes off in bathtubs, this is about a really deep emotional connection which we first heard on Delicate. Notably, it’s the third time she speaks of necklaces on the album, but it’s the first that it’s not sexual. It’s also - importantly - not invisible. It’s not comparing the lover to a necklace (like before, which makes it a physical connection) or saying their relationship can be entirely symbolized by one. She’s saying she’d actually love to actually have tangible physical proof of the relationship. She wouldn’t have said that about Karlie because she wasn’t expressly convinced the feelings were fully mutual. Also, this song is missing that desperate pining and longing that she experiences for Karlie in the Kaylor songs.

I know people hear “Karlie” instead of “Call It” but honestly it makes more sense as one of the non-Kaylor songs. I think maybe the rhyme is her trolling Karlie - call it what you want, which is certainly not what she had with Karlie. This would also kind of explain the laugh in Miss Americana. If someone sang me a song about how things are good between us, and added in a dig at her ex, I’d laugh too. And let’s be honest discussing exes - especially exes in the same social circle (Tay, Lily and Karlie) - is peak lesbian culture.

One more thing:

Cause… My baby’s fit like a daydream Walking with his head down I’m the one he’s walking to

Karlie has never had her head down. She is super active on socials, as a model, and as a philanthropist. Karlie has never been quietly walking “to” Tay. She’s been stunting and traveling and being extraordinarily visible. And all the Kaylor songs deal with that very public nature - with rumors and discussions and everyone’s eyes being on Karlie and the anxiety that causes Tay. I know some Kaylors think they just went underground after being caught making out but that’s just not what’s being described in CIWYW. It’s a different person.

My baby’s fly like a jet stream High above the whole scene Loves me like I’m brand new So call it what you want, yeah

She’s explicitly saying her baby doesn’t form part of “the scene” but rather floats above it. How does that fit Karlie going on vacation with Scooter? Or anything about Karlie, actually? This is obviously about someone very private or not particularly famous. Or both.

Bonus lyric from a non love song that points to an actively private relationship is “and here’s to my baby, he ain’t reading what they call me lately” - why would Karlie not read stuff? She is calling the paps on herself and Josh regularly but she’s not following Tay’s PR game? Make it make sense?

Anyhow back to CIWYW. In that song, her baby loves her - a source of anxiety that never gets stated explicitly resolved in the Kaylor songs. Those songs have her begging for love, not stating it’s existence matter of factly. The difference is palpable.

And I know I make the same mistakes every time Bridges burn, I never learn At least I did one thing right I did one thing right I’m laughing with my lover Making forts under covers Trust him like a brother Yeah, you know I did one thing right

I’m including this because of the chilled out atmosphere, the “brother” simile (which to me is kind of the opposite of “not wanting you like a best friend”) and the insistence that this is “right” which is absent in the Kaylor songs.

KOMH keeps with that same quiet, calm, positive energy.

I’m perfectly fine, I live on my own I made up my mind, I’m better off being alone We met a few weeks ago Now you try on calling me, baby, like trying on clothes Salute to me I’m your American Queen And you move to me like I’m a Motown beat And we rule the kingdom inside my room 'Cause all the boys and their expensive cars With their Range Rovers and their Jaguars Never took me quite where you do

“Try on calling me” like “trying on clothes” is that same idea from Delicate. Things are early, and uncertain. They’re exploring this and seeing where it goes.

This is not a public relationship, it’s entirely “inside her room”. And it doesn’t feature expensive cars and the visibility her - or Karlie’s - stunts had. (Kinda interesting that she drove Lily in the Toyota, don’t you think? And also drives her/someone in Miss Americana?)

This relationship is super secret:

Late in the night, the city’s asleep Your love is a secret I’m hoping, dreaming, dying to keep Change my priorities The taste of your lips is my idea of luxury

But what’s secret? Not Tay’s love of this person like before. “Your love” is the secret. As I’ve pointed out that affirmation of requitedness never happens in the Kaylor anthems and hiding out in the dark. Additionally “idea of luxury” is very different to her drug imagery from the Kaylor songs, by the way. This is not addictive, this is just nice.

And all at once, you are the one I have been waiting for King of my heart, body and soul, ooh whoa And all at once, you are all I want, I’ll never let you go

I believe the “all at once” contrasts the love/lust at first sight feelings she expressed for Karlie. This didn’t “hit her like bang” - it surprised her after a few weeks. And it’s not just a physical connection. This person rules her heart, body and soul.

And what do they do together? Well it’s less ripping off clothes and more chilled hangouts with someone who makes her happy:

Is this the end of all the endings? My broken bones are mending With all these nights we’re spending Up on the roof with a school girl crush Drinking beer out of plastic cups Say you fancy me, not fancy stuff Baby, all at once, this is enough

This is very cute. It’s very much lacking anxiety. She’s happy with her new person; it is finally “enough”. That’s not true for her relationship with Karlie. “School girl crush” is a very cutesy image - and is in stark contrast to the craving, shaking, pining, and bedpost carving that came with “not wanting you like a best friend”. Notice how the second relationship uses constant friendship/platonic imagery and how that type of imagery is not expressly disavowed in the Kaylor songs.

I also think it’s worth contrasting the “beer out of plastic cups” on the roof with “I’m spilling wine in the bathtub” and “eyes like liquor”. All three references are about drinking - but only one is peppy, cute and upbeat and the others are full of lustful desperation.

Now the other possible reading - implicitly favored by the Kaylor community - is that KOMH, CIWYW, and Delicate are set at a different point in the relationship to the sex songs. Unfortunately that doesn’t really hold water because, as I’ve pointed out, the origin story described is different. Kaylor “hit like bang” and fell in love at first sight. The other relationship started out slow and cautious, but quickly settled into something quietly special. These other songs are about a connection that’s chilled out and very emotional and cerebral. The Kaylor songs are about how much she wants to sex up Karlie and leave scratches down her back (which, I mean, fair). The other songs are about tentative emotions and cutesy intersections.

Also KOMH, CIWYW and Delicate are the three songs that feature British/foreign imagery. (This is why I think they’re about Lily or maaaaaybe Joe but again I doubt that and the scene in MA where a woman laughs during CIWYW contradicts it and I also have further lyrical evidence it’s not him which I’ll address below). In KOMH she says “you fancy me” and describes herself as “an American queen”, in CIWYW her baby’s “fit like a daydream” and in Delicate she asks about the “girls back home”. Also East side and West side in Delicate make more sense as being about London. Dive bars in the East End are a vibe. But that’s neither here nor there.

Why is this analysis important? To me it shows that contrary to the rosy Kaylor depictions, the Kaylor lyrics consistently show they always had massive issues (not dissimilar to her issues with Di actually).

Very quickly on why Joe’s not the muse: he’s referenced in Dress in a verse makes no sense lyrically or musically or thematically in the song and I think is only there to make it slightly less gay because otherwise the song is making Kaylor Facebook official. But the “wake up by your side” doesn’t fit in with the pining and anticipation and drunken bath time fun. It’s just thrown in there as deflection. It doesn’t actually fit the other relationship on the album - it’s very romantic but “my one and only, my lifeline” is not the cutesy tone of the other songs. This verse is just made up and slapped in to feed the hets. The musical accompaniment is so markedly different that it is clear it literally doesn’t belong in the song. The other song that makes reference to him, I believe, is “Ready for it”. I think “I keep him forever, like a vendetta” is very much about her plans for him. But it’s a very different thought to “is this the end of all the endings?” because that’s a far less certain emotion. She’s only 100% sure about Joe because it’s… not real.

And final note: Getaway Car is obviously a satirical piece about Hiddlestunt obviously. And I think New Year’s Day is a general love song about the type of relationship she wants, similar to some of her early songs, not about Karlie or Di or Lily/whoever else. It’s missing any of the imagery associated with either relationship except “don’t ever become a stranger” but it might be written from diary entries (which she has shown us she does). Final final note: I don’t know for sure who Gorgeous is about. It could just be a song about hot girls more generally.

If anyone is interested in further thoughts, I’m happy to do this for Lover and folklore too. I think we need to challenge the myth of Kaylor being perfect. And I think we should listen closely and let the lyrics speak for themselves.

*********************************************

thanks for taking the time to write all this up! let’s discuss!!!

#submission #reputation #reputation analysis

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cherryyharryy · 4 years

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I’ll Be Okay

WC:1k

Warnings: Smut

The interpretations of Dreams, Sigmund Freud. Big Sur and the Oranges of Hieronymus Bosch, Henry Miller. The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck.

It looks like the books are moving. The bed is creaking, an awful, rusted squeaking sound that I’ll remember for years. Sweat is building up in the same places as when I wake in the middle of the night in August. But I can’t get up to stumble across the room to turn the fan on. It looks like the books are moving, but it’s just me.

When I look down I can hardly see my body; he’s covering up so much. I wonder if my sweat bothers him. I guess not, because then he might get off.

Moby Dick, Herman Melville. The Order of Time, Carlo Revelli. A Journal of the Plague Year, Daniel Defoe.

It’s like the books are shaking now. And he’s grunting now. When he stops and pulls out, I realize how dehydrated I am, because it takes too long for relief to register in my brain. And then once it does, it’s too late. I’m flipped over like a doll.

It’s almost two AM. I watch the second hand for an entire revolution. What time was it when I got here? How did I get here?

He said, “I’ve been watching you all night.”

I said, “I just got here.”

I remember the drink he gave me. I poured it out. I pretended to take a sip and then poured it out. And you might think I was being too nice to a guy who thought complimenting my eyes was enough, but it was done out of habit. He couldn’t even see my eyes.

The Persecution and Assassination of Jean-Paul Marat as Performed by the Inmates of the Asylum of Charenton Under the Direction of the Marquis de Sade, Peter Weiss. The Hound of the Baskervilles, Arthur Conan Doyle. The Holy Bible.

He’s good at what he does. He’s patient. He starts with sweet names. Then it’s a hand on your knee. And you think, it’s just my knee, I’m okay. Then a hand on your back, rubbing your neck, thumb on your cheek. I’m okay, I’m okay, I’m okay.

He brought up his apartment like it was a new idea. Like people didn’t visit other people and he’s the first one to think of it. He tugged me off my stool, and I forgot how to say no.

The wallpaper is torn by the door. It’s some God awful print from the 70’s. I smell alcohol. His mouth is by my ear. No, I don’t like that you bastard. I’m okay. I’ll be okay.

And the Hippos Were Boiled in Their Tanks, Jack Kerouac and William S. Burroughs. History of the Rain, Niall Williams. Eleven Poems, Seamus Heaney

The lights are off and there’s a lava lamp on his desk. All my clothes are on the floor. His are still on. My arms are weak, and I fall onto his bed. My face is pushed into the sheets. Not even the pillow. I don’t even get a pillow.

More sweat, accumulating on my skin, like swarms of mosquitoes landing and sticking to me. More and more. I can’t breathe. It hurts. I hate him. I want to die.

He studies English. He wants to travel. He went to Japan three years ago and he’s never been the same. He’s thinking about going vegan. It’s amazing how many facts a man will tell you about themselves when they can’t take their eyes off your breasts. And apparently, I feel so fuckin’ good. I wouldn’t know

I like to read too. Why did I tell him that? Why did I offer anything up? Checkmate. He had me. I opened the door for him. He plowed through before I could step out of the way. You should come over and see my collection. I think you’ll like it.

The Hobbit, J.R.R Tolkien. War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy. Lolita, Vladimir Nabokov.

A very boring city sits outside the window; I have a view now. I’ve been placed ever so delicately on the edge of his bed. The squeaking is worse now. And the headboard bangs against the wall. It’s an old, chipped gold railing type. I’ve hit my head three times so far. I said shit each time and he said nothing.

It’s so dark out I can pretend I’m anywhere. Just a skyline of buildings. New York, London, Paris. I’ll be okay. Paris. I’m in Paris. If I squint, the water tower can be the Eiffel Tower. The power plant...the Leaning Tower of Pisa. I’m in Italy now. Maybe—

“I’m so close.”

Nevermind.

The sounds he makes when he’s finally finishing, are, without exaggeration, revolting. And then as he’s zipping his jeans he’s humming. Rocket Man. I’ll have to remember to delete it off my playlist. I’m surprised—dumbfounded—when he tosses the condom in the trash. I hate that I can’t remember him ever putting it on.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Mark Haddon. A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens. Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business, Neil Postman and Andrew Postman.

I pick up my clothes piece by piece. They burn when I slide them on.

Television: Seeing by Wire or Wireless, Alfred Dinsdale. Watership Down, Richard Adams. The Midnight Watch: A Novel of the Titanic and the Californian, David Dyer.

“You weren’t lying,” I say, scanning the bookshelf now that they’ve stopped moving.

“‘Course not.”

The Stories of Anton Chekhov, Anton Chekhov. The Sun Also Rises, Ernest Hemingway. A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, James Joyce.

He moves past me, the bathroom door shutting a moment after. I step back to see the top shelves.

The Odyssey, Homer. The Brothers Karamazov, Fyodor Dostoyevsky. The Divine Comedy, Dante Alighieri.

I said yes. To everything. I can’t really blame him for hating myself. I reach up and slip Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad, off and fan the pages under my nose. The bathroom door starts opening, and I shove the book into the waistband of my pants.

“You wanna stay? Smoke a little?”

“No, I’m just gonna go.”

The Sound and the Fury, by William Faulkner. To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee. The Trial, Frank Kafka.

He says something else, but I’m already passing by his couch. “Thanks for the book,” I whisper. “I’ll add it to my own collection.” You should come see it sometime.

#i forgot all about this #from 2017 #that feels so long ago #cherryyharryy #cherryyharryy writing #my poetry

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sellyoursoulforagoodfic · 5 years

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Family Secret or, more accurately, Secret FROM the Family

Diego Hargreeves x reader

Summary: So I’ve fiddled with things because I wanted to write this fic. Short version, Luther is back from the moon because someone broke into the Academy and kinda ransacked the place. Like that bit in the show, he blames Diego and goes to snoop around Diego’s place. Unlike the show, Diego has a girlfriend (reader) that the family doesn’t know about.

Word Count: 1609

They worked nights; it’s part of the reason they worked so well together. Well, more like she worked nights and he periodically worked during the day and spent some night patrolling the streets like an alley cat. Semantics aside, they slept for their eight hours day-side, and spent whatever time was left over together whenever possible. That being said, sometimes he didn’t come home fast enough for her to see him before she went to bed. In those instances, being raised the way he was actually had a perk: he could usually sneak into bed with her without her waking up.

Making this instance all the more suspicious.

Y/N jerked awake when she heard the door to their little backroom jerk open with absolutely none of the care her boyfriend usually had. Blearily, she used her ability to wrap the shadows around her, keeping her concealed from whoever had decided to break into their home. It was a handy little ability that no one but her boyfriend knew about.

The children of the Umbrella may have been the most famous of the 43 that were born with no warning, but there were still 36 others out and about in the world. Many of which had abilities. The remaining without likely just never discovered what theirs was. All that being explained, Y/N was one of the ones that’d figured out what hers was and mastered it: controlling other people’s fears. For example, many people were afraid of the dark, so she could manipulate the shadows. How many people within a radius around her--the one aspect of her power that she’d never tested extensively was exactly what that radius was--determined how strong that particular fear could be manifested.

In this case, she used that control of shadows to completely mask her presence in the already dark room--it was lit only by a lamp not far from the door--from the large man that’d just entered her home. If all went right and she stayed quiet, he wouldn’t notice her until Diego got home. Combat was rarely her thing if she could avoid it, and it was likely that he’d be home from prowling soon. After all, not many people truly feared things that she could use proactively in a fight.

Sure enough, Diego returned about twenty minutes later from what Y/N could judge based on what the clock on the nightstand read. This allowed the strange man time to investigate the tiny apartment.

Little did Y/N know, but the intruder was none other than Diego’s brother, Luther. During his little investigation, he noticed a poster from his brother’s latest fight resting on the desk. Upon reading the date printed, he sighed to himself and made himself at home in the lone chair the apartment had to offer. That poster was all the proof he needed to prove Diego’s innocence, so he felt no further need to investigate the apartment. It was just a waiting game until his brother came home so they could talk.

Diego announced his presence by cracking the door open ever-so-slightly and tossing a knife into the room so that it landed embedded into the wooden post next to Luther’s head.

“What the--” the giant man cut himself off as Diego stepped into view. “You could have killed me!”

Number Two scoffed. “If I wanted to kill you, you’d be dead.” Hs harness thumped against the wall as he hung it up. “Besides, if my girlfriend wanted you dead, you would’ve had a heart attack long before I even got home.

“Girl--” Again, he abruptly stopped talking, this time because he suddenly became aware of the woman lying on the bed that was across the room. “What?”

“Didn’t even notice her, huh?” Diego chuckled. “Getting rusty, Number One.”

“Who are you?”

“None of your business, big boy,” Y/N taunted. “You broke into our place. Why the fuck are you here?” If she started pressing an aura of generalized fear on the large man, that was her own business. She was pretty sur Diego knew that she was doing it, too, based off the smirk he tossed her way.

Luther fidgeted, though he was unsure why he was suddenly feeling a creeping feeling of dread twinging at the back of his mind. “Why didn’t you tell me you had a fight that night?” he questioned, leaving the matter of the mysterious woman alone for the moment.

“That’s what this is about?” Diego’s voice carried only pure indignance. “I don’t have to prove my innocence to you.”

Y/N didn’t bother to hide the look of confusion that crossed her face as she looked over at Diego.

Thankfully, he caught the hint and explained. “Number One, here, is convinced that I’m the one that broke into the Academy and vandalized the old man’s office.”

“If you would have just told me--”

“I shouldn’t have to!”

Y/N could see the way Diego clenched his jaw, an indication that he was so upset that his stutter was trying to make an appearance. Her response was to increase the pressure of the aura on Luther. “Get out,” she ordered.

Luther could have sworn that the strange woman’s voice had more than one pitch to it as she gave that command. “Come by the house tomorrow. Mom is making a family dinner.” He ducked his head like a dog that’d just been put in its place as he started to head for the door. “I’ll tell her to set an extra place for your friend.” With that, he left, closing the door behind him with a surprising amount of care.

As soon as he was gone, Diego jogged up the small flight of steps to flick the lock closed. He then smacked the door with the side of his fist in irritation as he sagged forward to rest his head against its wooden surface. The tightness etched into the line of his shoulders prompted her to slink out of bed and approach him. Carefully, she rested her cheek on his back while her arms wrapped around his middle.

One of his hands came up to rest on hers. “Are you okay?” he muttered.

“I feel like I should be asking you that,” she replied in a casual attempt at humor.

He turned around in her grip so he could look at her face. “A gorilla pretending to be a human just broke into the house while you were trying to sleep. Pretend all you want that you’re okay, but I’ve seen enough women in that situation to know better than to think you’re okay.”

“But I’m not like all those women,” she pointed out. “I knew you were going to be home soon. I’ve got my own personal superhero.”

That managed to pry a chuckle out of him. “You are your own superhero.”

“That too. Seriously,” her hand came up to rest on his cheek, “you okay?”

“Just another example of the Hargreeves Parenting Style in action. It can never be ‘just a crime.’ My money’s on it was just a crazy stalker that knew no one was home. It’s a fucking mansion, of course it was gonna get broken into at some point.”

“So the usual problems, got it.”

He hummed his confirmation, resting his chin on her head for a second. “I’m fucking tired.” The ‘of being the punching bag for my dumbass family’ went unsaid, but Y/N knew him well enough to know that it was an underlying thought.

“Then get changed, big guy,” Y/N laughed as she pulled away, trying to keep the mood lighter than his host of family problems were trying to allow. “It might be our day off tomorrow, but I still want to sleep so I can enjoy it.”

Within a matter of minutes, Diego had stripped down to his boxers and was cuddled up with Y/N under the covers. Of course, there were a few minutes before either of them could fall asleep when they could just enjoy being with the other person.

“Are we going to that dinner?” Y/N asked, tracing the bird diego had tattooed on his ribs.

“Mom wants all of us to be there, so I’ll probably go. You don’t have to, but I doubt Luther will keep his mouth shut about you being here tonight.”

“Mmm, is Vanya going?”

“Probably? She’ll go because of Mom, too, if she does.”

“Then I’ll be there,” Y/N decided.

She and Vanya were vague acquaintances from times they’d randomly met at Griddy’s. Late nights in an otherwise empty diner would do that to people: create unusual friendships. Y/N tended to take her lunches as coffee breaks at the donut shop, and Vanya just suffered from insomnia. Of course Y/N knew her from her book--Diego had been pissed when it came out, after all--, but Vanya didn’t know that they were connected outside of their late-night talks. That secrecy was all part of Diego wanting to keep Y/N away from the drama that was his family. All that being said, it’d be good to know someone else there, even if the violinist had no idea beforehand.

“Might as well get everything out in the before your brother starts spreading rumors about the hooker you had stashed away in the backroom of a gym,” she announced.

She expected an indignant ‘I’d never let him talk about you like that’, but a little snore above her alerted her to the fact that he’d nodded off while she was sleeping.

“Night, D,” she chuckled to herself, kissing his chest sweetly before she too nodded off.

A/N: This is all I’ve got for this for now, but I might write that dinner scene in the future when I get back into the Umbrella Academy mood.

#diego hargreeves x reader #diego hargreeves imagine #reader insert #umbrella academy imagine

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bisuu-studies-blog · 5 years

Text

How to get the grade you want in GCSE French

I decided to make this post because a lot of people struggled with languages in my year - they were getting 7/8/9s across all their subjects, and 4s in their chosen language (not bad for this point in the year but it’s a stark contrast to grades in all the other subjects, and there’s ALWAYS room for improvement). Now languages don’t come naturally to many people, but hard work can get you very far. SO here are just some tips that might help you since mocks are coming up as well - if you need any more info/help pop me an ask/message and I’d be happy to help.

1) TAKE IT SERIOUSLY

Might be common sense, but people around you may place emphasis on Maths and Science, and you may shrug it off and say it’s just French; it’s not that important; you’ll learn all the vocab last minute, - but that won’t work, unless you’ve got a REALLY good memory but even then, the test won’t ask you what “chaleureux” or “pampelmousse” mean, it’ll ask you why Anais likes the town of Nice so much or where Claude, who lives in Paris, goes to buy grapefruit, and how he gets there.

Also, LANGUAGES ARE IMPRESSIVE AND WILL HELP YOU THROUGHOUT LIFE! Start to pay attention in class now, ask questions for things you don’t get, attend help sessions if you need them, write down new words, print off the spec or have it at your disposal - you don’t have to come home and bang out notes for hours, and repeat French words to yourself over and over again to get it in your head (hell, don’t do that for anything, please!). Just don’t brush it off as irrelevant, or not try because even a little bit of work can get you SO far. I have a friend who got a 2 in their Year 10 EoY and then a 5 in their mocks, and ended up with an 8 in their final exam. It’s all possible!

2) KNOW WHAT YOU’RE GOING TO BE TESTED ON

Know the types of questions that will come up, and what you’ll have to do for them.

SPEAKING: You got to choose a topic (at least for AQA, tell me if this isn’t the case for the other exam boards?), so PREPARE THE HECK OUT OF THAT TOPIC! If you guys want the sheet I made to try and predict what questions I’d get asked, message me, and I’ll post it online - it saved my life! Have a few questions planned out that you can just spout the answers off by heart while you think of ways to extend. I can still remember the sentences I replied with. ALSO! Prepare for the question you’ll have to ask your teacher during the general conversation beforehand - you have to do it, and it can be as simple as you want it to. Try and ask this question before prompted, that way the conversation seems more natural, and you can just focus on getting out a good answer without that hanging around the back of your mind.

What I did, that surprisingly helped me, was nearer to the speaking exam, I just replied to everything my family said in French, and tried to work on it from there. Spontaneity is needed, because you can’t always predict the questions that will come up. Ask friends to test you, record yourself and listen to it on the train/bus/car/walk to school. ALSO, if you get people to ask you predicted questions, you’ll know how you’ll automatically want to react in English - rather than learning something unnatural that you won’t remember, just translate what you’d say in English to French - more likely to remember it that way.

Some questions in the writing exam only require you to write 90 words, while others want 150, and then there’s always those positive/negative/not mentioned in the reading one - careful with those - always read the question carefully.

3) THE SPEC IS YOUR NEW HOLY BOOK

This is the case for most subjects! The exam board won’t give you any words that aren’t on the specification - it’s a pre-made cheat sheet! This will help especially for your reading and listening exams (and the other two as well). I don’t know about the other boards, but AQA especially has a good spec, with all the vocab organised by topic. If you know these words, you’ll be set.

This helps particularly with Step 2. Also for translation, it is literally just matching the vocab from the spec to English, so knowing the words helps considerably.

4) WATCH FRENCH FILMS/YOUTUBERS/TV SHOWS

If you can’t go to France, bring France to you! Immerse yourself in the fillers they use (the bah, in the place of um) and the intonation of their sentences. I don’t know how to describe this, but I always see French as very up-down like this dash: ⁓. You know the whole thing about French being a cursive language? Integrate some of these expressions into your speaking, when the teacher asks you spontaneously during your speaking exam: Tu t’endends bien avec ta famille? Say: BIEN SUR.... (and the rest of your sentence) - SAY IT WITH THE PASSION OF A FRENCH PERSON WHO LOVES THEIR FAMILY!!!

Knowing how French people speak will help you greatly for listening and writing, and you’ll reach a point where it becomes kinda natural to understand what they’re saying? ALSO, for the Listening exam (for AQA at least), the people on the recording speak a lot slower than the youtubers and actors in the videos you watch - so if you do this early on - you’re set!

Some youtubers I’d reccommend: Norman fait des videos, Cyprien, Dirty Biology

TV SHOWS: I watched the Santa Clarita diet dubbed in French (because I’m a lazy lass who couldn’t resist the pull of Netflix, but used it for GOOD!), Versailles, The Returned, and HERE is a great post about how to sound more French by @frenchaise (this isn’t a must, but it helps with fluency points).

5) LEARN A FEW COMPLEX PHRASES

SO many people in my class tried to memorise the entire paragraphs they’d write in their writing exam - this doesn’t work!! Considering the number of topics and combinations of questions that could come up, that’s more than 20 paragraphs you’d have to memorise on top of the 10+ other subjects you’d have to revise for - don’t do that. Just have a select few phrases that are considered to be “complex” or A* and personalise them for your topic. They could be something as simple as: Dans le salon, il y a toujours des gens en train de regarder la tele. Bitesize has loads of these phrases, as well as the Zut website.

6) KNOW YOUR TENSES

Using a variety of tenses gets you very far. Present, Near Future, Future, Imperfect, Conditional etc. You have to know the 5 basic ones for present, past and future, as well as conditional, it helps if you have a few phrases in the subjunctive tense. Even one line can make the difference between the 8 and the 9 - for writing especially a range of tenses is very important - use them ALL, somehow - be creative - this only gets you more marks from an examiner sick of reading about how Mark played football in the park.

The one phrase I used for subjunctive when asked about my town was: Bien que ma ville soit jolie... - very easy to do - slip it in to your speaking as well.

7) EXTEND, EXTEND, EXTEND!

My teacher had this 10 finger rule for ways to extend. So you did something - that’s the ‘what’ done. Now for the: who did you do it with? Where did you do it? Why did you do it? When did you do it? Have you done it in the past/will you do it again in the future? Did you enjoy it? Did the person you were with enjoy it? How would you improve it? What was the weather like?

Only thing is, make sure you stay relevant with the extensions you use. Don’t go off on a tangent about your family, when the question asked was about your town.

ALSO - answer all the bullet points in the writing that you get given, if you skip one, even if your answer is on par with the works of Proust, you could go down a whole grade.

8) ACCURACY IS A BIG DEAL

Check over your spellings, your grammar and all those sneaky little phrases you may have forgotten to conjugate - a few mistakes won’t do too much harm, but too many and you could drop a whole grade. If you can’t remember how to spell it, try to substitute another synonym in for it.

9) STAY CALM - YOU CAN DO IT

Don’t panic. Remember what you’ve revised. All the work you’ve put in. Take a deep breath, sit down, clear your mind, and just do the exam - because in the end, that’s all it is. An exam. And if you think you didn’t do well, it isn’t the end of the world - you’re more than that. But also, you probably did fine, we just all have a tendency to think we’re worse than we actually are. Grades aren’t the be all and end all, and sometimes, they aren’t even a good measure of the work you put in. But if you put the work in, then be proud, because this is about getting the grade that YOU want! Je suis fier de toi!

In the end, just enjoy the subject - it might be the last time you get to learn a language formally for free! Hehe. Bon courage mes amis!

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icantchangethings · 6 years

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Best fics (in my opinion)

Here is a list of fics I’ve read and loved (like tears-streaming-down-my-face type of fics yes). Enjoy ! :

210 Days by @cherrystreet : Harry is in the army and Louis is back in New York. Together, they get through Harry's six month leave by sending a series of letters back and forth. They've done it before, and they can do it again.

318 Case by Nando_sGirl : (in french) Voltaire a dit un jour que chaque profession a un vice et un danger qui lui sont attachés. Ce que l’on nous a appris à l’école de police, c’est que le vice des forces de l’ordre était l’alcool ; le danger, se faire tuer. On a tous cru et appris bêtement ces deux certitudes comme si elles allaient dicter notre carrière et notre vie pendant les prochaines années. Seulement ils avaient tord ; tous ceux qui nous l’ont chuchoté, tous ceux qui nous l’ont crié, tous ceux qui l’ont hurlé sur les toits de la caserne, bourrés, pour nous prouver qu’ils avaient raison. Ils avaient tord. Le vice des forces de l’ordre, c’est le mensonge ; le danger, tomber amoureux.

*NEW* A Life That We Share (I Owe It All to You) by Rearviewdreamer : When Harry's son came home from school crying he didn't think things could get any worse. Lucky for them, things were just about to change for the best.

A Thousand Miles From Comfort by @littlelouishiccups : It wasn’t like Louis was Lindsay Lohan or Justin Beiber. He’d had one fucking meltdown and a handful of public drunken accidents. And now he could never screw up ever again. He hit the STOP button on the treadmill and matched his pace as it slowed to a stop.“It’s not break time yet!” Harry told Louis, tapping his watch with a stern expression. “Come on, you were doing so well! Don’t quit now! Ten more minutes and then you can have a break!”“I don’t want to be here anymore,” Louis spat. “It’s not anything you did, okay? I just… I don’t know. I can’t do this. I hate playing the stupid media game. That’s what all of this is! There’s no point.”

After Hours by Velvetoscar : Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson are the bane of each other's existences. Unfortunately, they're already in love--even if they aren't completely aware of this minor detail.

All I Want by @lhstylinson9193 : When Harry and Louis got together it wasn’t under the best circumstances. Louis was taken by another. But go figure that the way they ended up together is the very same way it ended. And Harry left Louis. He left him with a lot more than he thought. A story about how people’s misconceptions almost destroyed a love that went beyond measure.

And Then a Bit by @infinitelymint : “We’d like to give the fans what they want.” Magee states, placing his hand on the table in front of him and leaning forward. “We want to give them Larry Stylinson.”

As You Are by zarah5 : Five years after The X Factor launched his career as a radio host and songwriter, Louis Tomlinson returns as a judge. Falling for a contestant is the last thing he needs. It's also against his contract.The only reason Harry auditions for The X Factor is because his best mate signed the two of them up as some kind of joke. Harry doesn't get the big deal—not until he's faced with this season's judges and realises that one of them used to be his desperate, impossible teenage crush.

Baby Heaven’s in your Eyes by @theboyfriendstagram : They couldn’t be more different if they tried. Louis Tomlinson is 17 years old and in his last year of the most prestigious private school in Doncaster. Everyone who attends his school knows him thanks to his incredibly rich family, sassy attitude and gorgeous girlfriend, Eleanor Calder. If there’s one thing that completely annoys him, it’s that there is a poor community college right across the street.Harry Styles is 19 years old, and (once again) in his last year of college. He goes to community college in Doncaster. He never shows up to classes and if he actually bothers to, he’s either high or drunk; sometimes both. His skin is littered with tattoos and if there’s one thing he absolutely hates, it’s the snobby students attending the private school right across from his.

Be My Little Good Luck Charm by @100percentsassy : In which Harry is a promising amateur golfer making his debut at the PGA Championship, and Louis is a Sky Sports anchor who would really rather be commentating on footie.The other boys are around too: caddy!Niall provides victory pints, Liam is Louis's Very Serious co-anchor, and poor Zayn just gets his face drawn on.

*NEW* Dirty laundry looks good on you by @suspendrs : “So um, Niall mentioned you haven’t lived here long. What brings you to London?”“What is this, an interview?” Louis smirks, stealing Harry’s drink and taking a sip. “Wanted a change of scenery. Dunno.”Harry hums and takes his drink back, narrowing his eyes playfully at Louis as he takes a long sip. “Can I buy you a drink, or would you rather keep sharing mine?”“You most certainly can buy me a drink,” Louis grins, grabbing the bottle back out of Harry’s hand, “but I’m still going to be stealing yours.”Or, Harry is jaded and sad and resigned to be forever alone, until Niall sets him up with a friend of his whose broken pieces may just fit pretty well with Harry's.

Escapade. by dolce_piccante : In the grand scheme of things, finding a date for a wedding should be no problem for Louis Tomlinson. He's rich. He's handsome. He's reasonably well behaved. But when the wedding is for his lifelong best friend (and former boyfriend), and is happening in under a month, finding a date for the ceremony and accompanying festivities becomes more of an adventure than he ever could have planned for.

Fading by tothemoonmydear : Louis knows about beauty; the combination of qualities that pleases the aesthetic senses. He creates that combination every day in the garments he designs while studying fashion at uni. The cut of the design, the color of the fabric, the intricacy of the stitching; it all comes together to create something beautiful. When the science student with the long legs and dimpled smile agrees to model for him, Louis decides he’s found beauty personified. Harry just thinks Louis needs someone to show him how beautiful he is.

I Need Home ( Our Tangled bones) by togetherwecouldbealright : Louis runs a record label and Harry is his daughter's new nanny. Over the course of a year, Harry helps Louis learn what it really is to be a father and somehow they find an unexpected home in each other.

if my heart was a compass, you’d be north by @cheekiestcheeky, @heartsoftlouis : All Louis really cares about is his skateboard, tattoos, football, and his family. He has a job that he (mostly) loves and a (small) handful of good friends, and at 24 he is pretty content with his life... until he nearly crashes into a boy with wild curls and cratered dimples, he begins to think maybe he's been missing something he never knew was missing. That missing piece is apparently big enough for two.

In Vogue by otpwhatever. : 'Is that why David Beckham has been featured multiple times on the pages of your life's work? Does your criteria seriously consist of one thing – a man's ass?'

'Well the ass is a man's best asset,' Harry smirks, holding the Martini glass high up his face. 'And don't call the magazine my life's work. There are far more important things in life, Louis Tomlinson, than what's printed on the pages of a magazine.'

In The Lonely Hour by @areyoutherelarry : Louis and Harry have been divorced for almost a year and apart for nearly three. On the paperwork, it says the grounds for their divorce were living apart for more than two years, but there’s more, that’s only what they’ll admit out loud.Louis didn’t want to agree and sign the paperwork. He wanted to fight but he couldn’t confront the real reason for their divorce and a Harry who seemed so apathetic. Yet now that one of their children is sick, they’ll have to put their insecurities aside.

Into the Blue by zarah5 : In which Louis is Harry's scuba instructor and quite happy to provide the requested special treatment, pun fully intended. It can't be all that difficult to convince Harry that they're on the same page, right? Also, Niall and Liam may or may not be dating, and Zayn is surrounded by emotionally stunted idiots. He bears it with dignity.

It Started With A Whisper by jaded25 : Louis doesn't do relationships. He's been there, done it, got the scars to prove it. Never letting anyone too close, Louis can be head over heels for someone for one night but when morning comes, he will be out of the door, no feelings and no regrets.Harry always gives too much, trusts too easily, falls too quickly. Even when he gets nothing in return. Forced to attend University, Harry bumps into his sister's roommate and another time, another day Harry would have been a goner the very second he’d laid eyes on Louis. But he's already got the perfect boyfriend and Louis is the complete opposite of perfect.Louis isn't someone who Harry thought he could ever be with, and Louis never thought he'd break his rules for anyone.Sometimes being wrong isn't so bad after all.

Louis Lucas by @theteapirate : Louis is a pornstar with more issues than he can drink away. Harry is a bisexual singer/songwriter who is desperate to be signed to a major label. Zayn and Liam are Louis's long-suffering best friends (who also happen to be pornstars, and also happen to be dating each other). Niall just wants to play his guitar.

Love Is A Rebellious Bird by @100percentsassy, @gloriaandrews : Louis is the concertmaster of the London Symphony Orchestra, Harry is the New! and Exciting! interim conductor/ex-cello prodigy who "has made Mozart cool again" according to Esquire Magazine (Louis hates him immediately, which is definitely why he internet stalked him in his dark bedroom late at night that one time), and Niall is the best. Zayn and Liam are around too.

My English Love Affair by @isthatyoularry : The thing about sleeping with a member of a famous indie band is that the inevitability of having a song written about you is most likely a hundred percent. The second thing is that in the end, nobody's supposed to find out it's about you.

Never Gonna Dance Again by togetherwecouldbealright : Harry is quiet for a moment and his fingers feel like they’re burning past the fabric of Louis’ jumper, branding his skin. “Can I kiss you?"This is where Louis should walk away and leave Harry to pirouette and cambré by himself in the faint moonlight shining through the windows. He is a spy and Harry is a dancer. There are lines that should not be crossed.Louis surges forward.

Off The Record by tomlinsontoes : Louis is an out of control teen heartthrob, Harry is hired to get him back on track and they both hate each other while they secretly don't.“I'm not your personal assistant you know,” Harry says once he gets there and Louis lets him in and he shoves the bag into his hands. “I'm your publicist.”“I know that,” Louis smiles a devilish grin patting Harry in the middle of his chest as he takes the bag, “but look at you personally assisting me,” he says looking in the bag and pulling out the Cheetos. I also know that my PA turns his phone on silent at night, and clearly, you don't. Waiting for a booty call or something?” Louis says turning on his heels and scurrying over to his sofa and plopping down. Harry swears he sees a puff of orange dust soar into the air when Louis opens the bag. He's amazed that couch is as clean as it looks.

Pinkies Never Lie by emma1234 : “I just think if we’re both into it and neither of us is looking for something serious, why not?” Harry asks, eyes soft and voice sweet. He pauses and gives Louis a moment or two to answer.There are countless reasons why Louis shouldn’t agree to this, but in the end, none of them really matter. This will end with Louis in pieces, but he’s been in love with Harry for four years. There was only ever one answer.“Yeah,” Louis answers finally, hoping his voice sounds normal. “Why not?”

Pull Me Under by zarah5 : As the first British footballer to come out at the prime of his career, it helps that Louis Tomlinson is in a long-term, committed relationship. Even if that relationship is fake.

Put It All On Me by @loaded-gunn : "Yeah, yeah, give it to me, that's it, spread your legs a bit, there you go."The camera follows Louis as he does. Maybe if the modelling thing doesn't work out, he could try the porn industry. Then again, he's a bit too stocky to be twinky and a bit too twinky to be anything else. He likes that about himself, though. Well, directors and photographers like that about him. He could pull off pretty and edgy, could do GQ in the morning and a perfume commercial in the afternoon. Right now he thinks he could pull off anything, because it's Harry fucking Styles directing him.

So Much We Didn’t Say by whyidontknow1 : Harry’s near fatal accident exposed the cracks in his and Louis’ eleven year marriage. A serious error in judgement by Louis shattered it completely.

Soft Hands, Fast Feet, Can’t Lose by dolce_piccante : Harry Styles is a frat boy football star from the wealthy Styles Family athletic dynasty. A celebrity among football fans, he knows how to play, he knows how to party, and he knows how to fuck (all of which is well known among his legion of admirers).Louis Tomlinson is a student and an athlete, but his similarities to Harry end there. Intelligent, focused, independent, and completely uninterested in Harry’s charms, Louis is an anomaly in a world ruled by football.A bet about the pair, who might be more similar than they originally thought, brings them together. Shakespeare, ballet, Disney, football, library chats, running, accidental spooning, Daredevil and Domino’s Pizza all blend into one big friendship Frappucino, but who will win in the end?

Standing on the Edge of Forever by EllaO : “So let me get this straight. You took Mr. Squiggles from the classroom habitat, took him with you on your fieldtrip to the zoo, and released him in the aviary?”Harry Styles is a single father, just trying to keep his life organized after losing his husband four years earlier. Between his daughter, Liam's hellion twins, and Sophia throwing him into any romantic tangle she can think of, life gets a little crazy. Of course, everything changes the moment Lo and the twins get interested in their school musical, The Wizard of Oz. Because the new director, Louis Tomlinson, is just about the most attractive man that Harry has ever seen.

The Brightest Lights by Rearviewdreamer : After watching yet another actor walk away with his Oscar, Louis is on the lookout for the role of a lifetime that might finally get him the one thing he has always wanted. He didn't think coming out of his self-proclaimed break to do another film would be all that difficult, but that was before he met his new co-star.

The Dead Of July by @whimsicule : Being an Avenger means continuing to be Captain America and smiling and being honorable for the public and Harry does his best. But it doesn’t give him time to figure out who he is supposed to be once he takes off his uniform and puts the shield to the side. Just being Harry had always involved Louis, and Harry fears he doesn’t know how to exist without him. (OMG I didn’t know there was a second part !!!)

The Perfect Sky is Torn by Nando_sGirl : (in french) L'histoire commence à l'envers. Ici, on ne racontera pas le début, on ne racontera pas la rencontre et les temps de l'idylle ; on racontera la fin. La fin stupide d'une histoire pourtant belle, la fin ratée d'une histoire imposteur aux allures d'utopie. Parce que tout a un début et une fin, et que cette fin-là, a malheureusement été précipitée.

Wear It Like A Crown by zarah5. : As part of a team of fixers hired to handle a gay scandal in Buckingham Palace, Louis expects Prince Harry to be a lot of things—most notably a royally spoilt brat. Never mind that the very same Prince Harry used to star in quite a number of Louis' teenage fantasies.

Wild And Unruly by @100percentsassy, @gloriaandrews : Harry is a cowboy sitting on the biggest oil reservoir in Wyoming, and Louis is the paralegal assigned to pressure him into selling his land.

wings to break your fall by @karamelised : “I’m glad you like my clothes,” Harry whispers, sliding his arms further along the couch until he’s speaking directly into Louis’ ear. “Would you like me to take them off?”or strip club AU. Harry’s work and family are keeping him busy. He really isn’t looking for a relationship, doesn’t want one. He just wants Louis. Problem is, Louis has other plans.

You’re An Asshole (But I Love You) by @theboyfriendstagram : Harry studies law and psychology. Louis is a philophobic frat boy who’s majoring in acting, plays footie and needs tutoring in psychology. Of course they hate each other but that doesn’t stop them from having a ridiculous amount of sexual tension.orLouis is a frat boy with a drinking problem who doesn't know what he wants to do with his life, and Harry is a psychology student who always takes care of him and might just be exactly what Louis doesn't want, but really needs.

You Got Time by bandshirtedboybanders : The thing is, Louis wasn’t meant to exist without Aaron. They’d grown up together and into each other. Forged together by pain and trials they were too young to deal with. Forged by love too of course, an absolute fuckton of the stuff. Melded together until they were two halves of a whole. Now, Louis just feels like half a person.

Young & Beautiful by Velvetoscar : Louis, to his horror, attends an elitist university in which the name Zayn Malik means something, Niall Horan doesn't stop talking, there are pianos everywhere, and Harry Styles, only son of a drug-addled, clinically insane ex-rocker, has a perfect smile and empty eyes.

This list is not over ! I will add other masterpieces from time to time. And of course if you want to recommend me some fics, feel free to comment !

#fic rec

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mondofunnybooks · 6 years

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'THANOS'S GRANDAUGHTER: GO SUCK EGGS GRANDPA!' DEPT.

'The title means exactly what the words say: NAKED Lunch - a frozen moment where everyone sees exactly what is on the end of every fork.'

-William Burroughs, from the foreword notes for the novel 'Naked Lunch'.

THE GATEKEEPERS!

As may not possibly surprise you lot, we've run afoul of some of the more humourless elements of fandom in our time. This is probably down to the fact that we don't take superhero comics very seriously but are utterly enamoured of some of the more sillier elements of history. True story. We were once told off by a man in Green Lantern fangroup (We were bored.) because we thought that the origin of Kyle Rayner is so nakedly Freudian and 'Will this do?' to be hilarious.

To recap:

On a planet called Oa exists a race of short, bald humanoids with large heads called The Guardians. The Guardians believe in enforcing Order in the universe and go about this by way of selecting the most suitable candidate (called a Green Lantern.) of each sector of the universe to be given a power ring that does whatever the wearer can imagine. This ring had no effect on anything yellow due to a necessary flaw in the design to stop the wearer from having absolute power. Also, it has to be recharged every 24 hours.

Our sector of the universe is 2814, and of the 7200 Lanterns patrolling the universe at any given time, ours was a chap called Hal Jordan. Very strong-willed, very daring. Hal got the ring off an alien called Abin Sur who was on his way to give either him or a ginger bloke with a Moe haircut called Guy. Hal happened to be closer than Guy, so got the ring.

Hal Jordan went onto be a successful Green Lantern for several years but things went terribly wrong when a big yellow space tyrant called Mongul, teaming with a cyborg pretending to be Superman destroyed Hal's home of Coast City, murdering tens of thousands of people and left Hal shattered, feeling he'd failed in his duty as Earth's protector.

The loss of everything Hal cared about sent him insane, and he attempted to resurrect his destroyed home using the power ring, but he could only achieve a replica of what he'd lost and the ring wasn't designed to create that much matter for a presumably infinite period of time. His perceived second failure cemented his full breakdown, and he went on a murderous rampage in order to gather as many Green Lantern rings as possible on the way to returning to Oa is seize the original Green Lantern ring. Things go quite wrong as Hal murders the entire Lantern Corp and all but one of the Guardians: Ganthet.

Ganthet, a wee blue fella cosplaying as Orko off the He-Man cartoons pegs it back to Earth. Once there, he floats to L.A., sees a drunk bloke taking a piss against a wall and gives him the final power ring before sodding off, exclaiming 'The Ring will sort you, mate. No worries.'

A BLUE SPACE MIDGET IN A RED DRESS GIVES A DRUNK LAD ONE OF THE MOST POWERFUL WEAPONS IN THE UNIVERSE AND THEN FUCKS OFF IS THE ORIGIN OF KYLE RAYNER, GREEN LANTERN OF EARTH.*

This would be weird as a 1960's comic but at least the DC Editors of the '60s had no idea any of this stuff would be reprinted and pored (Hi, Donald.) over by future generations. Supergirl is having a relationship with a fella who turns into her horse but she doesn't know about it? Fine. There's a space creature from the fifth dimension who has a real thing for winding up Superman every ninety days and can only be stopped by tricking him into saying his name backwards? Gotcha. Batman owns a dog who fights crime but wears a mask on patrol so no one will link Ace The Bat-Hound with Bruce Wayne. Of COURSE. Beppo The Super-Monkey? PRINT IT! Who will care in five years? Who will even remember, right?

Green Lantern 50 (2nd series, 1994) was published post Watchmen, post Dark Knight Returns, post Brat Pack and all of the other silly 'Corporate Superheroes Can Be For Adults' malarkey. We were now aware of subtext, metaphor, aspirational text and either this is a daft attempt at being a mature comic (which given it features a nervous breakdown, genocide, the total psychological breakdown of one of the icons of the DCU and the first example of 'Fridging' quite soon after, it ought to be.) or it's a very bad attempt at pitching a superhero comic at the kids.

The real answer was of course that DC were trying to get attention back they'd lost to the Marvel Superstar period and subsequent formation of Image. Superman grew a mullet, Batman needed a wheelchair and was replaced with a religious nutter wearing Vatican levels of gold, Wonder Woman was replaced with a giant legged redhead, The Flash broke his leg. It was all kicking off.

But we always found the whole Kyle thing hilarious, and when making our usual jokes about it ('Good thing Ganthet didn't run into Richard Pryor!', etc.) we were scolded. It turns out the story had been rewritten a bit as part of something called Green Lantern: Rebirth so it made a bit more sense. Lord knows some of our best friends are comic fans, but when they start quoting the continuity of a DC comic with capitals like they WERE reciting THE Bible and Geoff Johns DID make it GOOD, we get a bit scared.

All that was a recap of 5 comics. (Green Lantern 47-50 and Superman 80) and was almost impossible to recap straight. When we tried to give a factual, chronological accounting of these comics, we weren't capable of throwing in a few puns. And circa 1989-1993, nor were the staff of Marvel Year In Review.

When people try to contemplate the early 90's and Marvel, they think of Spider-Man 1, X-Force 1, X-Men 1. If you narrow the field down to Marvel Magazines, probably the movie adaptations, poster specials and most likely the BEAUTIFUL Marvel Illustrated Swimsuit Editions. Few will remember the spectacular Marvel Year In Review annuals. That's a shame, because with one notable exception* it was the last time they displayed an ability to take the mick out of themselves beside the better issues of John Byrne's run on She-Hulk or the comedy title 'What The--?!' (also canceled, sadly in 1993.).

Marvel Year In Review, in theory, was probably originally designed to be exactly that: A chronological overview of every comic published by Marvel over the previous 12 months. That sounds simple enough but can you imagine being the poor saps who not only have to read all those comics but attempt to sum them up as a factual synopsis. The work and time we just put into four issues of Green Lantern was murder and at least interesting things happened in those books. 'Hey, Dwight here's all of Acts Of Vengeance to work out, and see if you can explain what a Captain Universe is and why Spidey might become possessed by his powers, there's a pie in it for you. Barry, you got Atlantis Attacks.' Interns were probably diving out of the window at the sight of editor Bobbie Chase approaching them with a stack of Alpha Flight.

So rather than put out another dry, just the facts ma'am comic to sit along Marvel Age, The Offical Handbook Of The Marvel Universe or Marvel Preview, they changed gears. Marvel opted for a magazine format with covers emulating the likes of Time and later National Lampoon and sadly unnoticed New York-centric mag Spy. The early issues provided something of a review of the year but in journalistic form for some of the bigger events juxtaposed with pieces on 'Best and Worst Dressed' and ads for products like Damage Control, who would sort out your house if it'd been trashed in a fight between The Hulk and The Wrecker, a tourist ad for Latveria, posters for the new Simon Williams film or a flyer for the next Dazzler disco compilation. Long before Alex Ross painted every last rock on Ben Grimm's back, Marvel TYIR gave you an insight into what it would be like to be a resident of the Marvel Universe reading a 616 style issue of National Lampoon.

MYIR also ran interviews with various superheroes, (Including Rick Jones recounting the time he met Elvis, by far the best thing to come out of Infinity Gauntlet/War/Crusade.) a review of Nightcat's debut album, an appetite suppressant for Galactus, the 'Who Died This Year, Who Came Back From The Dead and Who Managed To Stay Dead' update, an expose of Genosha's tourist, a create your own 90's superhero name and origin generator (which turned out to be surprisingly accurate.) an account of two disenfranchised rival employees's visit to the Marvel Offices and ooh, loads more.

This is speculation on our part, but the knife gets a lot sharper around the 1992-1993 editions. The full chronology is written with a weary black humour of someone's who just seen too much and is getting bitter. The full-on assault on the 1993 annuals, certain top-tier artists 'showing their influences too clearly' and inadvertently predicting the future of more brutal and uncaring superhero comics in the article 'Bring On The Bad Guys' from MYIR 1993.

There's a huge shift in attitude and editorial policy in the next 12 months. Several publishers have gone bust, Tom Defalco is gone as Editor In Chief and replaced with 5 people in charge of various parts of the publishing line, turning Marvel into a series of little fiefdoms with varying degrees of co-operation between each other. We've just met Peter Parker's robot parents. Aunt May is about to die. Reed Richards is dead. Jim Wilson is dead. Legion resolves to kill Magneto. Dr Strange has an idea for something called 'The Secret Defenders'. Everything is about to get very serious and therefore far more ripe for parody.

And with no word, no goodbye from the editors, nothing in the fan press nor explanation, Marvel Year In Review 1994 was solicited thusly:

'Marvel Year In Review 1994 - Just the facts, ma'am. Gone is the tongue-in-cheek humor of the past; the Marvel Year in Review offers a factual recap of the major Marvel Universe events of 1994. It's short on lengthy text and long on splashy art and fact-filled sidebars. Included are all the happenings from the pages of X-Men, Spider-Man, Fantastic Four and Ghost Rider, plus art by Andy Kubert, Chris Bachalo, Tom Lyle and many others! $2:95. $4.00 CAN'

And it was. Normal comic size. No chatty opener from the editor with puns and gags. No angry letters from readers just wanting to know what happened in X-Force and wanting to be rid of the MODAM jokes. No ads. Not even, truth be told, much in the way of recaps so much as trade dress-less cover repros with dialogue quotes and a paragraph or two to cover the essential plot elements, finished with the most perfunctory 'Er, will this do?' appeal to the readers on the last page. Turns out that no, it wouldn't do at all, as there was no Marvel Year In Review 1995 or any other edition either.

Marvel has put out a few self-parody books since, such as Marvel RIOT!, House Of Hem, Marvel WHAT Now?, Who Won't Wear The Shield, Wha HUH? and obviously Deadpool crosses the lines frequently, but there's not been something that clever nor ambitious since. Perhaps the line between reader, writer and editor aren't as clear as they used to be or simply today's audience wouldn't be as immediately familiar with the formats being parodied and as the recent attempts to parody Marvel fanfiction have shown, sometimes an idea just belongs to its time. As a magazine that featured fun work by the likes of Todd McFarlane, Dan Slott, Sam Kieth, Peter David, Kevin Maguire and a different angle on a world that takes itself a little bit seriously at times, Marvel Year In Review was a fun little ride while it lasted.

(Note to self. Never, ever look up Marvel fanfiction again. Ever.)

*This may be different now but was certainly the case in 1994. Origins, histories and such might have changed due to 52, Convergence and Rebirth. We were told that Flashpoint was the end of the DC Universe as we knew it, and we took that as a good place to stop reading. Except Section Eight and Batman/Elmer Fudd obviously.

Dedicated to the memory of Steve Ditko.(1927-2018)

#Marvel #DC #Spider-Man #Green Lantern #Year In Review #Todd Mcfarlane #Jim Lee #kevin maguire #Sam Kieth #X-Men #Punisher #Deadpool #Sabretooth

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miarttx · 3 years

Text

Researching the Creative Industries

The different sectors within the creative industries

Within the creative industries there are 16 sectors.

These involve:

Advertising, architecture, visual art, fashion/textiles, design, performing arts, music, photography, film/video, computer games, radio/tv, writing/publishing, heritage, cultural education and software/electronic publishing.

Skills I have learnt throughout the course that can help to get a job

There has been a wide range of new skills, techniques and processes that have been very useful to be and great skills that can be used towards a job.

Some examples of these skills are, being able to use photoshop. This term I have been manipulating my own hand based work, taken from my sketchbook and scanning them onto my computer. This allowed me to create new designs with added digital features too. Being confident with using photoshop with art is great for going into the graphics industry.

Another skill I have learnt this term is the process of screen printing. Screen printing can be used on fabric for example on T-shirts or bags, which are part of the fashion industry. Designs are drawn, then made into a stencil and swiped through the screen.

Jobs and vocational roles within the creative industries that interest me

Throughout this term I have learnt a range of new skills that have given me more ideas on job roles.

Tattoo Artist:

To become a Tattoo Artist a degree isn’t necessarily needed, generally a apprenticeship or tattoo course is required. Going to collage or university for fine art or illustration is helpful to develop a style and learning lots of drawing techniques.

Being a Tattoo Artist involves designing and applying tattoos, using specialised needles and ink to leave a lasting image on the client’s body. The tattoos can be completely original designs that are done by scratch if the artist feels confident enough or pre-designed templates can be used too.

The basics of this job:

Consulting with clients to see what design they would like.

Creating original artwork that is based on what the client wants, with options.

Tracing the design on the clients skin using a transfer or by freehand.

Using a tattoo machine/gun to apply the tattoo to the clients skin.

Sterilising all equipment to stop infection.

Independent Artist:

To be an Independent Artist you can simply create your own work and sell it. You could make a website or instagram to show off and sell work there. It’s mainly about being able to promote your art.

Having qualifications in Art and Design can help towards learning different processes and techniques or you can even be a self taught artist. You could create a business to officially advertise and promote your own original artwork.

Promoting yourself to become a successful artist (creating a business):

Create a website/ social media platform for your artwork.

Design a logo.

Make business cards.

Develop information and designs for your website and social media, make it interesting for customers.

Illustrator:

To become an Illustrator a degree in illustration, fine art or graphic design is needed.

An illustrators job is to produce drawing, paintings or diagrams which make products look more attractive and more easier to understand.

These products include- books, cards, packaging, advertisements and diagrams.

The basics of this job:

Discussing requirements with authors, editors or designers.

Concluding prices and timescales.

Choosing the right style for illustrations.

Creating illustrations by hand drawing, painting or digitally.

Speaking to clients and changing designs if needed.

Finishing work within a set deadline.

Screen Printing (designing T-shirts):

To become a screen printer qualifications in art and design are needed, previous work experience as a screen printer and a high level of creative and artist skills.

A screen printer involves creating the printing design pattern, mixing correct ink colours, loading the screen onto the printer, printing the final design and cleaning the machine after every batch is complete.

The basics of this job:

Examining work order to plan printing times, ink and material quantities needed.

Selecting screen size, emulation coatings and degreasing agents.

Loading the screen into the printer.

Installing and repositioning the printer before the batch is printed.

Running prints and making quality checks during the printing process.

Solving problems as they occur.

Drying, folding and packaging completed products.

Virtual tour of a gallery:

The gallery I chose to do a virtual tour of is, Musée d’Orsay in Paris, France.

Musée d’Orsay is a national museum of fine and applied arts, the museum features work mainly from France produced between 1848-1914. There are a range of paintings, sculptures, photography and decorative arts displayed.

Musée d’Orsay is located in the previous Gare d’Orsay, which was a railway station and hotel located to the left of the Seine river. The interior involves a boasted metal construction, passenger elevators and electric rails, however this got outdated due to changes in railway technology.

The building was remodelled and restored in the early 1980s to become the museum. The new interior was designed by Gaetana Aulenti. The ground floor that used to be the buildings train platform and stone structures broke up vase space. These structures created central posts for paintings, sculptures and decorative arts.

Art that has interested me during the virtual tour:

^ The Church in Auvers-sur-Oise (view from the Chenet)

- By Vincent Van Gogh, 1890

I like the use of straight and curvy lines across this design to create a lot of texture. Van Gogh’s work always give me a unknown feeling and the colours are built up to create these textured surreal pieces. I like main focus of the church in the centre and the textured sky and grass goes nicely.

^ The Ballet Class

- By Edgar Degas, 1871-1874

This piece captured my imagination, it brings emotions of preparing and getting ready to perform. I like the use of the composition of the closely scattered ballet dancers at the back of the room and the more sparse dancers are the front to create perspective.

^ The Evening Air

- Henri-Edmond Cross, 1893

This really appealed to me because the bit rant and clashing colours. The colours are dotted and blend in with each other, creating a tone and texture.

Wider World research

For my wider world research I have chosen to investigate environmental issues. Thought out this project I have been recycling materials such as images and text from old magazines and newspapers that have been read, to Crete new designs.

One very big environmental issue in this point of time is too much waste and pollution because of the rapid growth of the world’s population that increases every year. Due to this increase more supplies are needed, resulting in more waste.

Using old materials for art purposes is a great way of recycling materials your own way instead of disposing them.

Non-internet based research

The Steel Flea, Penguin Classic book by Nikolay Leskov:

This term I’ve related all my work toward The Steel Flea. Quotes and words from this book have given me a lot of imagery idea I can create.

^ Here’s an example of a design I created based on the word ‘fear’ from a quote in the book. I found a red and black cloak figure in a magazine and reminded me of The Grim Reaper, which makes a connection of the fear of death.

Photography research:

^ Here is a picture I took in Hunstanton, the two sections I have circled in green can be traced together to make a new design.

^ Here’s an example of some structure I have traced and layered together.

^ I took this picture in the summertime. Thought out this project I have used images and text that connect together a lot. For example the pink branch could be photocopied and have words connected to the image around it.

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idk-yet-when-i-feel-like-it · 5 years

Text

Unexpected, to say the least. Chapter 2

Warnings: shitty writing, swearing, idk

Italics are your thoughts

School Uniform:

Pants: Solid colored pants, no sweats, no leggings, no jeans, no holes.

Shirts: Crew neck shirts or higher. Flannels, button ups, sweatshirts, sweaters are allowed but no logo, writing, or brand can be bigger than a post-it note

Other: No hats, can’t wear hoods up, no sunglasses.

December 11, 2018

You woke up to the sound of your alarm going off and the groans of the two boys you slept between.

“Shit, when did we fall asleep?” you asked groggily.

“You and E passed out at like 1, I finished the movie.” Grayson responded.

You looked over at Ethan and wondered how the fuck he fell back asleep so quickly. You sat up with Ethan still leaning on you and Grayson got up and went to the bathroom. Your sleepiness wore off as you remember what happened after school yesterday. Shit, what the fuck. School’s gonna be hell, at least they won’t be ther-. FUCK, he’s shadowing me. Hopefully, he sleeps through my getting ready.

You shove, the still sleeping, Ethan off of you and go up to your room to get ready. You grab an outfit that followed your school’s dress code which includes your favorite green jeggings and a cute black sweatshirt. Technically, these pants aren’t allowed at school but I love them too much to care.

You took a quick shower and had plenty of time left but rushed to leave before Ethan woke up. Fuck it, I’ll just throw my wet hair in a bun. After putting on your make-up you stepped out of the bathroom and ran right into Ethan.

“Shit, sorry.” You said. Fuck, he’s awake. And ready? How the he-

“Are you ready to go?” Ethan asked cutting off your thoughts.

“You still wanna do this?”

“Hell yeah, I want to meet all your friends and ma-”

“Make my life hell” You finished for him.

“Exactly,” he laughed.

“You can’t wear that though” you say looking him up and down. He looks really good, too bad my school has a dress code.

“Why? Does it look bad?” He asked. Ethan was wearing grey joggers and a semi-tight black v-neck.

“No, we have a dress code. And you know full well grey sweats equals dick print. I don’t need you bringing anymore attention than you already have. You know you’re gonna have to explain why the fuck you did that yesterday, right?”

“What did he do?” Grayson asked coming up the stairs.

“It’s nothing bro, I’m shadowing her today.” Ethan responded quickly.

You looked at him confused, you guys never kept secrets before.

“E, we were supposed to film today!” Grayson exclaimed clearly annoyed.

“Gray, I can just film my day with y/n/n. And then we can do some more filming here or in town after. Anddd then we can save that video idea for the next one.” Ethan reasoned.

“Ok, as fun as this argument is, we’re gonna be late if we don’t leave now.” You lied, walking downstairs. You weren’t late but you really wanted to get coffee.

“Bye, Gray, everything is all good. Y/n/n, wait up I gotta grab the camera and change” Ethan said as he ran downstairs

“What do I wear?” He asked.

You walked up to his suitcase and picked up a olive hoodie and black pants.

“We can be opposites,” you laughed.

“Bet. I’m wearing it.” He replied.

“I feel like I just played myself,” you responded shaking your head.

“You did.”

You and Ethan stopped at a local coffee shop. Ethan had pulled out the camera and got some shots of the drive as well as the coffee shop.

Pointing the camera at you Ethan said, “Hey guys, I know we haven’t seen her in a few years but this is y/n. She grew up with Gray and I and I’m gonna shadow her at her school today.”

“Eth, I’m trying to order.” You turn to the barista and order “I’ll have a medium Kenya, please.”

“Awh, guys y/n is so polite. Also what is a ‘Kenya’?” He asked.

“It’s like wear the coffee bean came from, basically a black coffee.” You answered.

“You drink straight black coffee?” He said surprised

“Yea,” you laugh. “I like my coffee like I like my men, a little bitter.”

He kept that footage in the video. As well as, the rest of the drive. He’s probably filming to avoid talking about yesterday. That headass.

Getting to school was insane. All those girls were looking for you, not even expecting Ethan or Grayson to be there. When they found out Ethan was there, all hell broke loose. The principle had to make an announcement saying that if anyone bothered him or made a big scene they would be suspended and their permanent record would be stained. After that, everything calmed down.

“Okay, Eth, I’ve got four classes today. We do a block schedule so each class is an hour and a half.”

“Damn, those are so long. I do not miss going to school.”

“Yea, well shadowing is for perspective students so don’t say that in front of the wrong people.” You say hushing him.

Your first class of the day was World Religions. Since you went to a private school this class was allowed. Mr. Blink was the teacher. His first name was Sean and everyone called him sweaty Sean behind his back. The man sweat more than anyone you’ve ever met. Mr. Blink kept the students desks in a semi circle with two rows and the desks were never evenly spread out.

“Miss y/l/n, care to introduce your friend here?” Mr Blink asked.

“Uh, yea, this is Ethan. He’s kind of slow so b- ow!” You laughed as you were interrupted by Ethan hitting your leg.

“I am that not slow.” He said laughing with you and your classmates.

“Okay, that’s enough everyone” Sweaty Sean announced and started teaching.

“Y/n/n, I’m gonna get you back for that.” He whispered into you ear and sending shivers down your spine. You noticed how close his desk was to yours and your arms barely touched as he leaned to one side of the desk. You did not pay attention for the rest of class. This was half because of how boring to class was but also because Ethan kept poking you and annoying you.

The finally rang.

“Where to now, Miss y/l/n?” Ethan asked mimicking Mr. Blink’s voice.

“We have a 20 minute break, dickhead.” You answered laughing.

“Come on, I guess you can meet my friends.”

You brought Ethan up to four of you friends, Mason, Nick, Ben, and Emily.

“Hey guys, this is Ethan.”

“Yo, I’m Mason”

“I’m Ben”

“Hi, I’m Emily.” She turned to you and said “I thought you were bluffing when you said you knew the Dolan Twins.”

Ethan laughed.

“And, Eth, this is Nick.” You tell him.

They nod at one another and Ethan starts talking with Emily, Mason, and Ben. You walk over to Nick.

“Hey, y/n/n.” You can see Ethan tense at your nickname behind Nick.

“Hey, did you do the English homework for next block?”

“Shit, no. What’d we have to do?”

“Nickkkk,” you laughed, “We had to read Act III Scene i of the Tempest.”

You noticed Ethan paying attention to your coversation again. Is he jealous? No way, he just met your friends he’s probably uncomfortable. Yea, that’s it. If you’re honest though, you definitely had a crush on Nick.

The warning bell rings, seven minutes until class starts.

“Y/n/n,” Ethan tenses again at Nick using that name “wanna give me a quick summary while we walk?”

“Yea, of course.” You answer. “Eth, we gotta go to class.”

“Coming babes,” he winks at you.

What the fuck? This shit again. He’s trying to fuck up my shot with Nick. Dickhead.

“Ok,” you say walking closer to Nick than you are to Ethan, “basically the act is Ferdinand professing his love to Miranda even though they just met.”

“Shit, that’s insane.” Nick comments.

“I believe it is all just your willing suspension of disbelief since the play only occurs in one day. Anyway, then Miranda is like I love you too. Even if you cheated on my I’d still love you and all this crazy shit. And then Prospero is like creeping on them and watching this happen. He’s happy though because it’s part of his plan but also he has to disprove of it to Miranda so that she wants to do it more...” you explain to whole scene and finish as the three of you walk into Ms. VanHout’s class.

“Thanks y/n/n,” Ethan tenses up again. “You’re the best.” Nick finishes as he hugs you.

“Anytime.” And then you wink at Ethan.

Ms. VanHout is a forty something divorcee and she is pretty chill. Her classroom is set up in rows. You sit in the middle row three desks from the front. Ethan sits behind you since the kid who usually sits there is sick and Nick sits next to you. The whole class you sit facing Nick, in order to talk to both him and Ethan.

“Y/n, wanna tell the class your friends name?” Ms. VanHout asked.

“Sur-“ you were interrupted by Ethan saying

“I can introduce myself. Last block didn’t go so well.” A few kids that were in your second block chuckled and Ethan continued

“I’m Ethan and I’m from LA. I am a YouTuber and i have a channel with my twin brother. Ms. VanHout, would you mind if I filmed some of your class?”

“Oh, wow. Sure Ethan. Today we are going to have people act out the scene we read for homework.” Ms. VanHout answered excitedly.

“Y/n would you mind being Miranda?” Ms. VanHout always called on you. This probably had to do with the fact that even though you had so much anxiety you could never say no. To anything. The amount of times that you fell into a relationship with someone you weren’t even into was wayyy too high.

“Sure.” You responded.

“Ms. VanHout, would you mind if I played Ferdinand? I read the material late last night with y/n/n.” Ethan volunteers, winking at you.

That fucker is literally gonna get me killed. All these girls are still obsessed with him. All he does is focus on me. I have a chance with Nick not with him can’t he just let me shoot my shot.

“That’s wonderful, of course Ethan.” Ms. VanHout says.

The other parts are given away to people you don’t talk to and Ethan sets up the camera to film you the scene and everyone goes to the front.

“...And now farewell Till half hour hence” you recite

“A thousand thousand” Ethan replies leaning in and putting his hand under your jaw. “Ready for another dose of hell” he whispers as he kisses you and then turns to exeunt.

“Ethan, was it? That was not a part of the scene and frankly not very appropriate.” Ms. VanHout states.

“Oh, oh it’s totally okay Ms. VanHout. I’ve known Ethan forever and frankly he is a mediocre kisser.” You reply in an attempt to get under Ethan’s skin.

The bell rings just before Ethan has a chance to retort.

“Come on Eth, it’s time for lunch.” You smirk saying “Nick, Ethan and I were going to go out to get lunch, care to join?”

“Oh, I totally want to, y/n/n, but I don’t have an off block so I don’t have time.” Nick replies and again you notice Ethan is no longer amused in the slightest.

“Okay, see you later”

Ethan doesn’t say a word on the way to the car or on the way to the downtown restaurant you both were meeting Grayson at. It was almost scary.

When you arrived, you and Ethan got out of the car and were walking through an alley to get to the restaurant. You got a text from Grayson saying he’d be ten minutes late and finally breaking the silence you started telling Ethan “Hey, Gray is going to be late, he just tex-“ you were cut off as Ethan pushed your back against the wall and placed one hand on the wall beside your head and the other on your hipbone. “Ethan, are you good?” You barely whisper.

“I just wish you wouldn’t have talked to Nick so much and the way he called you y/n/n pissed me off. All this time I was so excited to come to your school and tease you and hang out with you but he was all over you. It just made me so angry and I didn’t know could be this angry about a -“

It was your turn to cut him off you leaned in and cut him off with a deep kiss. His hand moved to you jaw and the other gripped harder on your hip. Your kiss lasted at least three minutes only to end with:

“Y/n! Ethan!”

You both turn to see Grayson standing at the alley’s entrance, mouth wide open.

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lolainblue · 7 years

Text

Thunderbirds -- Chapter 2

TW: Language

Roger was already out of the apartment by the time I got off shift at the print shop and I was so tired from staying up the night before that I`ended up crashing immediately. I was back out the door at five the next morning for a shift at my second job, and by the time I got home from that he was gone again. We barely saw each other until we were able to sit down for a dinner together three days later.

“Who's Shannon?” Roger asked as he handed me a bowl of pasta.

I looked at him in confusion. I knew I hadn't had a chance to mention anything about the brothers from the diner yet. “Why? How do you know about Shannon?”

“He called and left a message for you.” Roger sat down and passed me some garlic bread. “Said something about a party with live music?” He was eyeing me intently now, waiting for more information. Roger could not stand not being in the know about anything. We had been best friends since we were ten and in all the time I had known him he always had to be the center of attention. I enjoy having one up on him occasionally though, so I thought I'd string him along.

“Oh, that's nice.” I put some salad on my plate and picked at it with my fork, not even looking up at Roger. “So did you get more dish soap while you were out today? We were running pretty low.”

“Don't be a twat, Jane,” Roger said as he pulled my plate away. “Who's Shannon?”

“Apparently he's a guy who knows where a party is.” I said evasively.

“Since when do you go to parties with strange guys?” Roger said, already sounding irritated. I swallowed the smile that was trying to sneak out and tried to sound as bored as possible.

“I didn't say I was going to a party. Sounds like maybe this Shannon is though.” I grabbed for my plate and Roger raised it over his head.

“So you don't know who he is?”

“I didn't say that.” I picked up my wine glass and leaned back, enjoying the moment. “You're the one who said he was a strange guy.”

Roger glared at me. “I've known you for eleven years and you have never, not once, not ever, mentioned a guy named Shannon.”

“Well maybe he's my married 45-year-old boyfriend and we were too ashamed of our love to let anyone else know. “

“Jane....”

I was on a roll now, I could feel the writer in me spinning herself up. “I mean, it's always been difficult for us, what with society's disapproval, and then after he deflowered me when I was fourteen, the legal ramifications, but now that I'm going to be having his baby....”

Roger let the plate fall back to the table with a thud. “Fine, don't tell me. Hateful bitch.”

I laughed. Roger had no patience. “Okay okay. Sunday night while you were back here making sweet tender love to your long term committed lady friend ….”

“You mean banging that chick against the wall while I tried to remember what her name was?”

I sighed. “It was Brooke. I heard her tell you twice while you two were stumbling back to your bedroom.”

Roger shrugged. “Not the point and not relevant as she's long gone. Continue.”

“The point is you guys were knocking stuff over and being so loud people in San Diego were calling in noise complaints. So I went for a walk and ended up at this diner.” We went back to eating our pasta as I gave him a quick run down of the meeting at the diner.

“So are you going to the party?” Roger asked in conclusion.

“When did he say it was?”

“Saturday. And I know you're not working so you can't use that as an excuse.”

I was torn really. I had never been much of a party girl, but I really wanted to see these two again. Jared especially. I know Shannon was the one doing most of the flirting but there was an intensity to Jared that I found really appealing. Plus, I had promised to go see them.

“Did he leave a number or....”

Roger pointed to a piece of paper tacked to the front of the fridge. “Just an address. He said that things get going around 11.”

“Come with me?” Parties were out of my comfort zone but I thought maybe if Roger was there...

“Can't. Going up to Big Sur for a long weekend with Pete and Jefferson.” He patted me on the back. “You can do it all by yourself. You're a big girl now. I believe in you.”

“Roger the last time I went out was for my 21st birthday. Remember that? I got so drunk on sloe gin I lost one of my shoes and ended up eating two bacon cheeseburgers.”

“Oh it wasn't so bad...”

“I've been a vegetarian since I was ten. I ended up puking in the bathroom the rest of the night.”

“Like I don't know this. It was a great night out. You're just a pussy.” He started gathering up the dinner plates. “Besides, who was it that was there next to you holding your hair back the entire time?”

“Who was it that bought me the drinks and the cheeseburgers in the first place?” I laughed. “If the point you were trying to make was that you are a shit chaperone, I would say mission accomplished.”

“See?” Roger beamed brightly. “You don't need me. Go party it up all by yourself.”

I laughed again as Roger flicked the dishtowel at me, shooing me out of the kitchen. “I've got the cleanup, you go figure out what you're going to wear.” He watched me walk back to my room, offering a parting shot as I closed the door. “Go find your inner slut, be free! Spread your wings. Or legs. Before you get cobwebs! Go!”

#jared leto fanfiction #shannon leto fanfiction #bandom rpf #thunderbirds

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lesstakendestination · 5 years

Photo

Destination: Patagonia: Chile & Argentina

The final instillation of my South American blogging ends with Patagonia. Adventuring to Patagonia is certainly a trek and while there are many ways to get there & do it, I’ll share with you my path. From Santiago, Chile, I hopped on a 3.5 hour flight way south to Punta Arenas, also known as the gateway to Antarctica. I spent one night in quiet Punta Arenas and hopped on a bus to Puerto Natales to plan some serious hiking. Patagonia is refreshingly rustic but with that booking travel and (camping) accommodations online before you get there can be challenging. I suggest getting to Puerto Natales quickly to book your things in person if you have trouble booking online like I did. I planned to spend 2 weeks in Patagonia, so I got to Puerto Natales and hustled to book refugios for the W circuit in Torres del Paine. I then had a week to kill before hiking TDP so I booked buses to Argentina to explore El Calafate and El Chalten. Bus, refugio and other helpful info will be listed later on in this post. Long story short I spent 2 nights in El Calafate to see Perito Moreno then headed to El Chalten for 4 days. The vibe in El Chalten is so unique and laid back I wish I could have stayed longer. After my time in El Chalten I bused back thru El Calafate and back to Puerto Natales and embarked on 4 days/3 nights in Torres del Paine. I then headed back to Punta Arenas and flew to Santiago where I spent a couple nights before flying 26 hours back to Seattle.

Highlights: - Torres Del Paine: Hiking the “W” - Perito Moreno - Hiking in El Chalten: my favorite hike was Laguna Torre followed by the grueling but insanely beautiful Laguna de los Tres. The epic Fitz Roy can be seen from both hikes along with numerous other waterfalls, birds, berries and glaciers. - La Walferia in El Chalten just about took my breath away. You definitely deserve these waffles before and after your hiking! - La Tapera hosted my favorite dinner in my entire 2 months in South America. The Steak and Malbec were exceptional. The atmosphere was so warm and service friendly, do not skip this place!

Where to stay: Punta Arenas: Hospedaje Costanera is a cozy house shared with other coming from and going to adventures in Patagonia. Expect shared bathrooms and simple free breakfast. They have wifi and a printer which is handy to print off any tickets or reservations you may need for your adventures in Patagonia as Wifi is VERY hard to come by.

Puerto Natales: El Patagonico Hostal WOW simply the best hostel experience. Most comfortable beds in South America and perfect location in the heart of town. Solid communal kitchen and incredible knowledgeable staff that helped me plan my last minute Torres Del Paine trek AND helped me figure out some of my plans for Argentina. They also rented me all my gear for my trek; sleeping bag, camp stove, butane, utensils, sleeping pad even waterproof pants. I stayed here on two separate occasions actually and could not recommend this place more.

El Calafate: I stayed in an Airbnb here, it was ok but not worth a mention. I was scrambling last minute to book things and hostels were full and $90/night, so plan accordingly..

El Chalten: Condor de los Andes was a lovely stay. We had a big room with a hot shower, close to the bus station, cheap beers, not sure what more you could ask for. It was fun to chill in the communal spaces with beers and maps talking with other hikers and plotting tomorrows hike.

How to book:

Refugios in TDP: there are 3 companies that you can book your stay in Torres del Paine through:

-Fantastico Sur -Vertice -Conaf (free camping, books out months in advance)

There is no one right way to hike the W or to explore the park in any way for that manner. (The O hike must be done counter clockwise). Due to the new strict reservation requirements staying flexible and being creative will help you get the most out of the park.

⁃ My ‘W’ trek: Paine Grande> Refugio Gray> Chilano

Here’s some helpful insight on buses in Patagonia.. I’ll also post the company names linked to their sites.

-Bus Sur -Bus Zaajh -Cootra

⁃ Expect some bus and camping websites to be broken and/or non existent. you must visit their offices in person to book with them (nope, you can’t call them either).

⁃ Bus schedules and frequencies depend on the time of year. In low season buses do not run everyday so check when buses run before booking accommodation.

⁃ In high season buses fill up 2 or 3 days in advance so book as soon as possible to make the most of your time.

Tips:

⁃ January & February is considered high season. The rustic Patagonian infrastructure can hardly handle the hoards of tourist coming to this increasingly popular destination. Book busses and accommodation as early as possible. While I did get away with some bookings made 3 days before for some bus and hostel reservations due to luck, I also missed out on ideal busses and had to be flexible with our plans.

⁃ Chile is expensive, whoa! Grabbing a burger and a beer will easily set you back $20. Not to mention all the busses and catamaran tickets. Take advantage of your hostels kitchen or camping stove an cook some meals for yourself. I’m also sad to report I didn’t find much street food so cheap your way out of this problem either.

⁃ Since the reservation system is a new requirement for Torres del Paine this year, Fantastico Sur and Vertice struggle to fix broken websites. Hopefully as they get use to this new system their technology will advance and customer satisfaction improve. Again, calling them was also impossible, but showing up to their office in person I was met with very accommodating customer service and hey helped me throw together a special time in Patagonia.

Cheers! Happy adventuring :)

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bentchcreates · 7 years

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Promdi Heart by #romanceclass Goddesses (heehee)

This came in a wonderful time as I had been having bad bouts of homesickness and what better way to travel the Philippines on a budget than to read stories set in them!

While I consider all six authors to be #romanceclass superstars, two of them I’ve had the chance to read only for the first time in this anthology collection. Because the stories are short (I want them all to be longerrrr!), I’ll be reviewing the stories on their own first, and then the whole collection after. Here we go!

1. Only the Beginning – C.P. Santi

I love the use of Visayan words in the narration and dialogue. (probably because this this the only Filipino dialect I can understand aside from the national language! XD)

As with other CPSanti books, the inclusion of architectural details/jargon is wonderfully done, it doesn’t take away from the romance.

Alon is my spirit animal! Especially that part where he tells Andi, “Dai, don’t you think it’s a sign?”

Scooter-riding MC + Dimpled LI = <3

Text/Chat parts (plus THAT joke! XD). I was a bit wary when a chapter started doing this because it’s too “youth-speak” for me (not that I’m that old!), and past experiences with this type of story-telling tended to get too corny and cringe-y for me. This, however, was okay for me, especially when Martin started the knock-knock joke (to which, I imagined Andi rolling her eyes as she replied) and ended with Andi’s own joke! It made both of them more endearing to me.

This quote: “Happiness is a choice. Happiness is something that doesn’t just happen. It’s something that you grab on to with both hands.” I forget this sometimes, and this is probably why I need to read romance often, so I’m reminded that I have a choice.

2. Letters to a Boy – Ines Bautista-Yao

90’s old-school snail mail got me so bad! It inspired me to send mail to friends I still knew addresses of.

This story perfectly reflected how relationships could work despite the constraints of space and time. And I’m talking about both Tin-tin and Annette’s friendship and Tin-tin and Nicolas’ romance. ;)

Horseback riding is <3!

Parents! I will forever love characters that take care of their parents!

Biggest turn-on for me is this story’s depiction of MC’s affection’s unrequited beginnings but when the tide turns, Tin-tin doesn’t foolishly fall head-on to the man he’d been pining for. She makes him work for it, and work for it he does!

Tin-tin and Nicolas’ years-long slow-burn love story set the solid foundation for the HEA towards the end!

P.S. the mention of Carrie, the white girl, inadvertently reminded me of that totally unrelated other girl who burned her entire school gym and killed hundreds of people when she was bathed in pig’s blood. Ehe.

3. Drummer Boy – Chris Mariano

Tall, muscly musicians are my weakness. Argh

The brother’s bestfriend trope is not that unfamiliar to me, but this took me on a wild ride especially at that part where the big brother actually landed a deserving punch to his best friend somewhere along the way.

I love that Reina is a woman of agency, not just in what she wants her guy to be/to do, but in all aspects of her life, as well. She acknowledges how uncomfortable her relationship with Ben might be for her Kuya, but she doesn’t let that get in the way of what her heart is telling her.

I live for the grand gesture in this one!

Chris’ descriptions of all the festivities cemented Ati-Atihan on my list of “Things to Experience Before I turn 40”!

4. One Certain Day – Jay E. Tria

Very relatable and nostalgic for me because our family’s big on All Saints’/All Souls’ Day celebrations. It never turned as romantic as this, though. Sayang. Heehee.

I also relate to finding old classmates recently and noting how everyone looks different, yet not-so-different, at the same time.

I love that bit about naming children ‘as if with a purpose’

‘Kiligs’ everytime Son comes back to Hagonoy, especially that part where he hands Alice an unfinished song! Eeeeee!

I also love that Alice took charge of her destiny at some point. No more waiting for the guy who’s taking forever to make a move, my god.

There is heartbreak somewhere in here, but it’s done in a mature and realistic way, and it doesn’t ruin anything for me. It makes it even more special, tbh.

5. Once Upon A Bully – Georgette S. Gonzales

Homecoming stories are near and dear my heart, especially since I’ve been away from home for too long!

Hunky-dunky LI! <3

The Vigan experience here is special because the characters reminisce the Vigan they grew up in and the Vigan now. It perfectly captured one’s love for home that many of us take for granted.

Bridgette’s “the more you hate…” trope is on point!

Bagnettttttttttt!!!!!

6. Back to the Stars – Agay Llanera

Another homecoming story! YASS!

The scene where Wency’s mother mentions “biskwit” tugged several heartstrings for me. I always feel for remembering the places you grew up in, but I feel MOAR for the people you grew up with!

Wency is sweet AF! His full name is funny to me, but the meaning behind it, and his sisters’ names, makes it extra special.

Leah’s changed attitude after being a City Girl for so long is dealt with realistically. It’s not a bad thing for me, it’s normal. But a sort of redemption in the end made me super happt for her. :)

I ship Leah + Wency so harddd! I mean, Leah Gurl, andami mong choices! Haha!

So there, my review for the individual stories. Hehe. For the whole anthology, my only request is for the authors to expand these stories! I’m very invested in all the characters at this point and I don’t want to part with them just yet! Haha!

Congrats, ladies! And thank you for doing this. My love for the Philippines had been reinforced with these stories and I hope other readers would find our wonderful side of the world as romantic as it is. :)

5 of 5 Stars.

Blurb:

Take a quick tour of the Philippines with six hometown love stories. Visit Jimenez, Misamis Occidental where a priest might just set you up with a man whose dimples are to die for. Visit Silay, Negros Occidental and get on a horse alongside hunky, hazel-eyed Negrense royalty. Visit Kalibo, Aklan and find yourself in the arms of a cute drummer boy who just happens to be your kuya's BFF. Visit Hagonoy, Bulacan and spend All Saint's Day next to a distracting boy who promises to write you a song. Visit Vigan, Ilocos Sur and meet the hot man you used to bully when he was a shy, scrawny boy. Visit Pundaquit, Zambales and find love in a bronzed fisherman whose eyes hold depths you'll want to explore.

Buy Links:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Promdi-Heart-Hometown-Love-Stories-ebook/dp/B06XY73Q4T/

Print Book Order Form (PH Only): http://bit.ly/promdiheartbook

About the Authors:

C. P. Santi is a Filipina author based in Tokyo, Japan. She is a wife to an engineer / indie songwriter and a full-time mom to two energetic boys. She loves cooking and baking, and enjoys feeding people, gorging on chocolate, watching J-doramas, belting it out in the karaoke box, and running around the house playing tickle tag. She also loves dreaming up stories about the people she meets.

In another life, she is also an architect and academic.

Ines Bautista-Yao is the former editor-in-chief of Candy and K-Zone magazines and a former high school and college English and Literature teacher. She is also a wife and mom and blogs about the many challenges and joys of motherhood at theeverydayprojectblog.com. She also posts story spirals on her author blog: http://theeverydayprojectblog.com/inesbautistayao-author/ You can find her on Instagram and Twitter: @inesbyao, through email: [email protected], her website: inesbautistayao.com, or Facebook: www.facebook.com/inesbautistayao

Cover (Story) Girl is Chris Mariano's first published romance work, but her speculative fiction and poetry have appeared in Fully Booked's Philippine Graphic/Fiction Awards Prose Anthology, Philippine Speculative Fiction Volume 7, TAYO Literary Magazine, and Ideomancer. When she's not writing, she supports Eskritoryo Pilipinas, an organization that encourages kids to appreciate Filipino literature and culture. She divides her time between Manila and Aklan.

Jay E. Tria is inspired by daydreams, celebrity crushes, a childhood fascination of Japanese drama and manga, and an incessant itch to travel. She writes contemporary young adult and new adult romance. Sometimes, paranormal fantasy too. Visit her website www.jayetria.com. Email: [email protected] Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Wattpad: jayetria

Georgette S. Gonzales began writing novels as romance author Edith Joaquin of My Special Valentine Tagalog (Filipino) Romance pocketbooks, published by Bookware Publishing Corp. She started writing in English and self-pubbing works in the middle of 2015. Gette works best at night, is also an editor, a public/media relations consultant, loves to cook pasta dishes and to eat caramel cake.

Agay Llanera is a freelance writer for television and video, and a published writer of children's books based in Manila, Philippines. Get in touch with her through the following: http://agayisagirl.blogspot.com https://www.facebook.com/AgayLlanera https://twitter.com/agayskee

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