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an-enigmatic-mind · 4 days

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some friends and I were going to go do shrooms. Though neither of us had ever done it, they seemed to know exactly what to do. Eating one was a micro dose. Eating two would make you hallucinate. The mushrooms were not prepackaged; they were all around the ground; not abundant, but not sparse. About the height of baseballs; one or two at a time. They looked something like a blood cap, but the flesh was pinker, and it had a glow. On the way to the park, we plucked a mushroom from the ground; this is where I learned the 1, 2 rule. Once we arrived at the park and I sat down I wanted to sit in the state of one mushroom for a little. Everything seemed to glow, and I felt a peace. It was lovely. At some point my glasses came off. I don't remember taking them off just that my vision was blurry which meant they were off. And it don't remember if I took a second one but suddenly there was an announcement of war and everyone should immediately - redacted, I guess - next thing I remember I'm heading to a location with my brothers in a car. I'm still blind without glasses. We arrive at a place that looks much like three tsa at an airport. Multiple lines snaking next to each other. But this is self guided. That I recall, I didn't see a single official directive us. We walk the line till we get to a module, where we input out information and choose a letter. I not only enlisted myself, but for some reason I was in the company of this beautiful golden I know named Brinkley. I gave him the letter O, I took P. Brinkley and I are gave passed the gate and at this point there's no line anymore. Everyone is walking around with familiarity, like we had all been here before. Like we knew exactly what to do. The place looks cavernous, but also maintained the feel of a very large bunker. It was as if we had walked right into the maw of a mountain, but there were different chambers for different purposes. At this point I don't remember seeing the glow from the mushroom, but also I was somehow blind and not, because I had no glasses. I was not bothered by this. So I'm walking with Brinkley by my side and I find my brothers and all their friends. Guys they've lived their whole life with. Guys they've grown old with. They're all teasing in uniform and I'm told "hurry up, get dressed we gotta go" so I head over to the area where you prepare yourself, loaded in build up shelves and hanger racks. Brinkley climbs up to a top shelf, causing a clamor. He's left some water bags punctured and leaking and he's lickings at the water draining away. I go to him to get him to come down and I feel another dog with its teeth wrapped around my leg, right at the knee. It doesn't immediately hurt so I paid it no mind as I was dealing with Brinkley. I didn't even look down. But once he's down, I feel that the grip is getting getting tighter, little by little; like when a dog is getting carried away with play. I look down and it's a corgie the size of Brinkley. White and fawn. I try to pry the mouth off of me, and in excitement the corgi tightens more. I'm now feeling the teeth a little more. Can damn near see the topography of them without using my eyes; only with the pressure against my knee. A lady is coming this way, and I say "hey, Ma'am l. Can you ahet your dog" to which she laughs and apologizes. The dog releases and he looks small; normal corgi size; as he walks away with her.

At some point very soon after I was attacked by a very large bug. Something that flew, was large and had claws that was buried into my shirt I don't remember it hurting. Only that I was in the floor trying to rip it off me, it was the blinders I felt in the dream, because I saw the blurry shape of the bug, but I couldn't seem to find perch in grabbing it to get it off. I hear the guys laughing at ny struggle. Eventually it was off. I stood up told the guys "I need to run home and get my glasses. I can't see shit and it's making me fight like I'm in a dream" they laugh knowing the feeling. I see a piece of glass on the floor and think "if I step on this, I won't have to go to war because of the injury" then write off the thought because I couldn't abandon my brothers.

Next I remember, I'm in a car - passenger's side - supposed to be heading home for the glasses. I realized 2 things:

1. All 3 sons are going to war. One of us should be staying home with Mom. I pondered it for a moment; it should be the oldest. He's got a wife, a kid [though a whole adult in 7 days], a dog, and he's mom's first. He should go home.

2. Home is very far away from me. I don't even remember how long it took to get out here. If I go get my glasses I'm going to miss departure and effectively be abandoning my brothers accidentally. I should go to a nearby optometrist for a new pair. [I know. Fuckin dream logic] I tell the driver; one of the friends; and he says he needs to swing by a store right quick and that's where I wake up.

I strongly remember a part of the dream where I went to bed with a beer o had only drink about a fifth of. Woke up went over to a bar.

A woman asked "is that the same beer from last night?!"

I said "yea"

she asked "you want a fresh one?"

And I said "is alright. I'll finish this one"

I don't remember where this part fits in the entirety of the dream. I'm confident it wasn't a separate dream. And I don't think I have the brain power to run two concurrent dreams. But there that is.

#dream logs.#what the fuck brain?#its been a while since i had a dream this vivid.#frankly i dont remember having dreamed for a while now.

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sapphicwhxre · 3 years

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you

♥︎ pairing: ginny weasley x fem!houseneutral!reader

♥︎ summary: ginny distances herself from you because she thinks you love someone else.

♥︎ requested: yes | no

♥︎ warnings: angst, heartbreak, self hate/comparison, total inconsistency since if you're in the trio’s year you wouldn’t have class with ginny + astoria isn’t in ginny’s year but shush its a fic

pumpkin pasties, chocolate frogs, and all your other favourite treats jumped around in ginny’s bag. the gryffindor girl had gone to help ron woo some mystery girl who he’d taken a liking to and stumbled upon his stash of candies. ginny had called it a fee for her services and decided she’d share her earnings with the girl she loved most, both as a friend and more ─ that girl was you and as far as ginny knew, you were completely oblivious to her feelings.

it was a wednesday afternoon so she could only assume you were having your weekly study session with the gryffindor golden girl herself, hermione granger.

the pep in her step made her red hair bounce on her shoulders, her excitement to see you growing with each one she took. ginny turned the corner, finally at your study spot and she paused. you looked emotional, to put it simply, and you clutched what appeared to be a crumpled piece of parchment that someone had changed their mind about tossing.

there was a nervous gloss to your eyes and ginny thought she should leave, letting you and hermione talk alone. but her curiosity and just the way she cared for you got the best of her.

taking a deep breath and not noticing ginny behind the pillar ─ where she wasn’t so much as hiding, but quietly observing ─ you started to read off of the parchment. “there’s no easy way to say this,” you read clearly, but your shy, quivering smile gave away how you felt about reading what was written. was it a letter? had you written it? “but i love you.”

ginny’s heart stopped. she swallowed thickly, uncertain of how to process the sinking feeling in her chest. you exhaled shakily and smiled, biting your lip and staring down at the words you'd written.

“i love your hair,” you laughed, running your hand over your own nervously. “i love your eyes when you’re happy and the sound of your voice. did you know your nose scrunches when you laugh? it’s adorable. i’ve never met someone who brights up my life like you do. i love how you always know what to say and i love that i can be myself with you. i love your heart, you’re everything i adore. i love when i can look into your eyes because mine fill with the love i’ve only ever felt for you. the only thing more beautiful to me is you. it’s that same look that i’ve never been able to tell if you’ve given me back. my thoughts go cloudy when i’m with you. i love you so much. you’re... you. how could i not have fallen in love with you?"

as she looked at hermione’s angel-like face, ginny felt hot drops of some form of sadness more intense than she even knew possible well up in her eyes. hermione’s lips were parted in awe and she was smiling.

hermione granger, brightest, most beautiful witch of her age. beside you, in ginny’s opinion, but you were right. how could you not have fallen in love with hermione?

you folded up the letter and sighed, no longer reading but still going. “even if you don't love me, it was worth every word. i’ve never regretted anything when it comes to loving you. yours, y/n l/n.”

hermione grinned at you, “that was beautiful, y/n. truly... gods, i didn’t know you had that in you.” ginny fled, not wanting to watch what came next or hear what hermione had to say about how she felt for you. she’d break like the porcelain her skin resembled if hermione said she loved you back... if hermione kissed you, like ginny had only dreamed of.

wiping away the tears that stained her cheeks, she hated herself. y/n loves hermione. she just wished she hadn’t listened. she shouldn’t have fallen for you in the first place or let herself have foolish hope. even more foolish to think she could ever win you over when you could have hermione. older, brighter, and beautiful. she was fool, and now ginny believed had paid the price for it.

but had she stayed only a second longer, she’d have heard hermione’s stunned words. “ginny’s going to love every word, y/n, i know it.” bubbling with nerves, you threw yourself to hug her and squeezed tightly, just as ginny turned to steal one last glance at you. “thank you ‘mione, you’re the best.”

you were inaudible from the distance but there you were in hermione’s arms, giggling and chattering. despite the fact that you were joking about her own crush, ron, the sight only made ginny sick. ginny lost her appetite and made her way to her dorm, instead of the great hall where dinner would be starting in just a few minutes.

the heartbroken girl probably would have thrown up right then and there, had she seen you and hermione walk into the great hall. arm in arm, you were practically shaking with anticipation. of course, she’d incorrectly imagined that you’d be parading in with intertwined fingers and smeared lipstick but through a made up mind, it’d look like all the same.

“where’s gin?” you found a seat next to ron and harry, scanning the table for her red ponytail. through a mouthful of food, ron shrugged and answered, “must have gotten held up.” hermione rolled her eyes with disgust, silently scolding him for his ill manners.

you took the opportunity to tease the two. “never invite me to dinner at your home, save the fighting for your kids.” they both blushed heavily and stammered out how they’d never fancy the other, then immediately spewing out offense at the implication. ron huffed and harry spoke over them, rolling his eyes heavily.

“what about you, y/n? i thought you and ginny would be an item by now,” harry didn't really care either way, but it did seem ridiculous for the two of you to dance around dating for so long, especially since he somewhat saw her as a little sister. and truth be told, everyone was curious about you two.

even ron perked up and hermione smirked knowingly. “leave her alone, it’s none of your business,” she announced.

ron narrowed his eyes and started, “hermione, do you know something?” hurrying to stop them from bickering again, you cleared your throat. “i wrote ginny a letter, laying out exactly how i feel for her. now if you’ll excuse me, i’m going to go find her because i don’t think she’s coming.”

you hopped out of your seat, taking some food for her, and left poor harry alone with the arguing lovebirds to go confess your feelings.

you hummed to yourself, going to knock on ginny’s dorm door. her dorm mate opened the door and looked you up and down, glaring angrily. “what do you want?” she crossed her arms and scoffed. taken aback, you blinked and searched the room for ginny, who was curled up in her bed crying.

“excuse me? get out of my way, i need to see ginny. is she alright?” the girl eyed you, as if scanning you for a lie, and she supposed you were sincere in your concern. “she’ll be fine, just give her some space.”

without another word, the gryffindor slammed the door in front of you and you were left staring at the shut dorm, filled with confusion and a harrowing worry. your hand fell and defeated, you shoved your love letter into your pocket.

you didn’t see ginny the next day in class. or the day after that. she wasn’t talking to any of her brothers, you, or harry and had even turned the other way when you waved her down. it was like she was avoiding you and after a week of it, you came to the conclusion that she must be. ginny’s schedule resided in your mind so you set to confront her after potions. a girl with a mission was a force that should never be reckoned with ─ ginny taught you that.

“it shouldn't be too hard if we get some studying in,” ginny was discussing an upcoming exam with astoria greengrass, a slytherin girl in her year. you rather awkwardly stopped in front of the two and watched them part ways, ginny sending you a scarily pissed off glare. the tension could be cut with a knife and you and ginny blurted at the same time.

“you’re avoiding me!”

“i heard you and hermione!”

anger slipping, ginny avoided your eyes. “well that’s why i’ve been avoiding you. i’m sorry, i know i should be happy for you,” she started to ramble and you stared at her, baffled. happy for you and hermione? “i thought i didn’t care, that i could just push my feelings for you aside. it’s just that when you read that letter to hermione, there was so much... love in your voice. it hurt. i want to be the one you love.”

dumbfounded, you realised that she’d thought the letter was for hermione. “oh fuck, ginny no,” you stumbled, making her step back, assuming you were rejecting her. this wasn’t how you wanted to tell her that you loved her, it was supposed to go better than this. “wait! what i mean is─”

“you made it pretty damn clear what you mean, y/n,” ginny sniffled. “i think it's best if i just─” you cut her off with a kiss. you grabbed her face, kissing her like you’d never tasted something so sweet and you just couldn't get enough. she pulled back, breath heavy on your lips. “but... but hermione,” she whispered and you laughed, eyes fluttering shut and head shaking.

“i was reading it to her to practice on you. it was always for you ginny, it’s always been you.” the smile that you missed all week finally enraptured the lips you’d be kissing as much as you possibly can now that you knew you could. “and besides, she fancies your brother.” ginny thought for a moment and then sighed in embarrassment. but she said nothing as she knew you’d only reassure her and she knew this was how things ought to be.

ginny wrapped her arms around you and melted into your embrace, burying herself in your warmth and tugging you closer ─ though with no distance between you two, the gesture wasn’t very efficient. “so you love me?” she just wanted to hear you say it.

“i love you, ginny.”

“i love you, y/n.”

──────♥︎

#ginny weasley #ginny weasley x reader #ginny weasley imagine #ginny weasley angst #ginny weasley fluff #ginny weasley x y/n #ginny weasley fanfiction #ginny fic #ginny fluff #ginny angst #ginny imagine #ginny x reader #harry potter series #harry potter x reader #hogwarts x reader

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andypantsx3 · 4 years

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war paint | 2 | rumors

pairing: Bakugou Katsuki / Reader

length: 27,765 words / 10 chapters

summary: Desperate times force you to disguise yourself and join the kingsguard. When a suspicious string of crimes strike the palace, however, Captain Katsuki Bakugou starts paying extra close attention. (spin off of in cinders)

tags: mulan AU, secret identity, romance, reader-insert

warnings: aged up characters, some violence, eventual smut

The city was nothing like you’d expected it to be.

You’d known of course, that it would be filled with people. You’d grown up only a day’s journey south of the capital - you had seen the caravans of merchants that passed close to your family farm almost weekly, the stream of soldiers that poured endlessly out from the city walls to spread out across the countryside.

But still none of that prepared you. It was loud, louder than almost anything you’d ever heard. Thousands upon thousands of people clamored almost on top of one another, running this way and that, chatting and yelling and selling everything under the sun.

You followed the main road through the city gates, carrying you deeper into the city. The castle stood on a high ledge overlooking the city, and the main road eventually wound into looping switchbacks leading up the steep climb.

It was hell after your long walk all the way to the city, made even more so by the tight fabric you’d eventually thought to wind around your chest under your shirt, but you endured it, eager to be done. The sooner you reached the top, the sooner you could speak to a castle guard about enlistment.

At the top, you found a small troop of soldiers guarding a portcullis signaling the entrance to castle grounds.

“Excuse me,” you greeted a guard, “where would I find the enlistment offices?”

He stared down at you. “A little small to be joining the kingsguard, aren’t you?”

You bristled. “I wasn’t aware that the army turned away able men.”

An eyebrow went up. “Able men, no. Able boys, though, are another thing. Are you sure you’re old enough?”

You stared at him in question, then realized what you must look like to him. Though nearly a spinster as a woman, as a man you must look almost like a child, short and fresh-faced and soft-voiced.

“I’ve had sixteen summers, though I may not look it,” you said, pressing up on your heels. You doubted he would believe you any older, considering how quickly boys grew after that age.

“You certainly don’t look it, no,” he chuckled. He gestured to his left, indicating a small building tucked into the outcropping of castle walls. “Office is over there, we’ll see if they believe you.”

You thanked him, pushing down your annoyance, and followed his direction to the building. The door was already open, and just inside sat what must have been the kingdom’s most harried looking clerk, scribbling away over scrolls of parchment, his shirt and hair rumpled as if he’d had no rest for days.

“Excuse me, sir,” you started, but he cut you off with a long, gusty sigh.

“No, he does not have two heads, nor is he in possession of claws or fangs. He is human by all accounts, was born here in the capital, and as far as I’m aware no winds from hell have ever blown through the city.”

You stared at him. “What?”

The clerk heaved another put upon sigh and looked up at you. “You’re here about Captain Bakugou, are you not? You boys always want the same thing.”

You felt your eyebrows go up. “Captain...who?”

The clerk blinked. “You haven’t heard of Captain Bakugou?”

You looked at him blankly. “Should I know who that is?”

He shuffled his papers meaningfully. “Why are you here then, boy, if not to ask about our Lord Captain?”

You leaned forward eagerly. “I’m here to join the kingsguard, sir.”

He looked you up and down skeptically. “You must be of age to join the kingsguard.”

“I am!” you said feelingly. You hadn’t anticipated this much trouble about your age when you’d planned this. You couldn’t let him stop you from joining the guard; you needed that initial fee to send back to your family quickly. “How can I prove it, sir?”

He tapped his chin thoughtfully. “Have you any papers?”

You shook your head. “I’m from the country, sir. A farm. We don’t have any papers there.”

His mouth twisted. “What’s your name?”

“L/N,” you said. “My family name, sir.”

“And how old are you, L/N?” he asked.

“Just sixteen last summer,” you said.

He sighed. “I suppose you could be. And you mean to join the kingsguard, do you?”

You nodded.

He rustled around on his desk, digging through his papers before thrusting a half hand of parchment at you. It was covered with cramped lines in a dark ink, with a small space left open towards the bottom.

“This is your contract,” he said, “can you read or do you need me to read it to you?”

You took it from him. “I can read, sir.”

You scanned the paper quickly, eyes darting over the terms outlining your pay, your meals, and your housing. You picked out phrases like one year and a day, the length of your contract, and the concerning phrase in the service of Katsuki Bakugou, Captain of the Guard and Lord of Musutafu.

“You said this, um, Captain Bakugou...people think he has two heads?” you asked hesitantly.

The clerk waved a hand. “A rumor, nothing more.”

You wondered at that, why a man -- a nobleman at that, if the title of lord was any indication -- would stand accused of possessing an extra head, and from the sound of it, a set of fangs and claws. Was he horrifically ugly? You supposed it mattered not, if he were a good captain.

“Um, I sign here?” you asked, indicating the blank space at the bottom.

The clerk nodded and handed you his quill. You copied out your name in a messy hand, obscuring your first name in a riot of loose loops, and handed the parchment back to him. He looked it over and nodded, handing over a small seal in its place.

“This will get you inside castle grounds. You’re to head straight for the barracks to the east of the palace proper.”

You nodded, and stepped back out into the waning sunlight, following his direction back to the castle entrance. The dark haired guard who you’d spoken to smiled at your approach.

“Looks like we’ll be serving with each other after all, then?” he asked.

You nodded.

He held out a hand, “I’m Hanta Sero.”

“L/N,” you said, taking his hand and shaking it.

Sero gestured you inside the palace grounds, and you set off towards the east, following a wide cobblestone path towards a series of buildings set into the long shadow the castle cast at sunset. Your bindings itched now more than ever, and you looked forward to finding somewhere to sit, eager to get off your feet after a full day’s journey.

As you arrived at the front of the barracks, you were greeted by another soldier. He looked about your age, with large unruly spikes of yellow-blonde hair and friendly features, and he seemed to perk up considerably as you approached.

“I was wondering if we’d get anyone new today!” he said, smiling. “Welcome to the kingsguard!”

You raised a hand. “Nice to meet you. I’m L/N.”

“Denki Kaminari,” he replied, gesturing for you to follow him. “You’re lucky you got here when you did! They just rang the bell for dinner.”

He led you into one of the buildings, down a long corridor that emerged into an enormous mess hall set with high ceilings and studded with dozens of tables and low benches. The din of many voices crashed over you, and you gaped at the hundreds of soldiers spread out across the room, chattering in clusters of brilliant red uniforms. A line snaked around the corner of the room, men of every stature tapping their feet impatiently as the queued up to receive their rations.

You were suddenly struck by what it meant to be here. These hundreds of men, you would be living among them, dining with them, sleeping beside them, training and fighting with them. You would need to remain in disguise for a year and a day, need to hide while you bathed, while you changed, while you bled. The thought was incredibly overwhelming.

“So where you from?” Kaminari said conversationally as you joined the line behind a pair of men chatting in low tones.

“Only about a day south of here,” you said, waving a hand. “It’s a small farm village, I doubt you’d know it. You?”

Kaminari grinned. “Born and raised in the capital! I’m a city boy through and through.”

You laughed. “Have you ever been outside of it?”

He shook his blonde head. “Only for the rare training and once on exchange with the city watch -- Captain Bakugou sometimes loans us out to Commander Iida. Last time, Iida made my troop do a perimeter walk around the city.”

“Commander Iida?” you asked.

Kaminari nodded. “Another of the nobles who took a military position, like Captain Bakugou. He’s much nicer, though. Strict, but he hardly breathes fire like our dear captain.”

You could feel your eyebrows lift. “Breathes fire?”

Kaminari laughed. “Well, he doesn’t breathe it. He mostly just yells his head off. Oh, but he can make stuff explode if he gets really into it. He’s got some amount of magic, like Prince Shouto.”

You nodded. Magic was rare, but not unheard of. One girl in your home village had been born with the ability to turn anything smaller than a cat into dust. The other kids had kept their distance from her, until she’d grown up quite beautiful. Last you’d heard, she was married to the village headman’s son and had a little girl of her own.

“The registration clerk seemed to have much to say about the captain,” you said. “Why are there so many rumors about him?”

The line moved forward as you spoke, and you followed. Your ankle rolled underneath you and you stumbled, colliding hard with the back of one of the men in front of you.

“Oh,” you said, backing up a step. “My apologies.”

The two men turned to you, the one you’d run into eyeing you angrily. “Watch it, pipsqueak.”

You frowned up at him, eyebrows drawing together. “Hey, I said I’m sorry. No need for that.”

Kaminari made a concerned noise beside you, but you paid him no mind as the man drew himself up in front of you. He was dark haired and blue-eyed, with the kind of manner that might have suggested he’d never seen a hard day in his life had the sudden spark of violence in his eye not told a different story.

“What’d you say, you little baby bitch?” he ground out.

Your hand balled into a fist, but Kaminari put a placating hand out in front of you. “Nishimura, it was an accident. No need to fight!”

Nishimura growled. “This little fuck thinks he can tell me what to do. I’ll teach him his place.”

What the hell was this man’s problem? Suddenly, it felt like all your emotions were welling up inside of you. Your exhaustion from walking all day, your frustration with your father, your anxiety at being trapped with these men for more than a year, all of it roiled inside you like the churning waves of an angry sea. The words bubbled up before you could stop them.

“Try it, asshole.”

Nishimura lunged, and he was on you before you could blink. The next thing you registered, the two of you were rolling across the floor, scrabbling at each other like starving animals. His fist caught you in your side and you grunted, hooking a foot into his stomach and forcing him off of you. You scrambled to your feet and backed away, knocking roughly into one of the low tables.

You’d never fought with anyone before, and if this is what it was like, you never wanted to again. Your heart beat frantically in your throat, every fiber in your body snapped to attention. You felt scared, threatened, and so apprehensive you might be sick.

Nishimura, however, did not seem to have the same reservations. He rolled to his feet and lunged for you again, catching you around the waist and bringing you to the floor. His fist drove into your stomach, knocking the wind from you. Frantic, and struggling to breathe, you curled your own fist, catching him in the side of the jaw.

He’d just managed to hit you in the stomach again when there was a blinding flash and a deafening crack like thunder split the mess hall. Nishimura’s eyes widened and he swore, pushing himself off of you as fast as he’d dove for you.

You coughed, curling an arm around your stomach, desperately attempting to take in air.

“What the fuck is going on?” a rough voice growled from behind you. Nishimura stepped back from you, stumbling.

“He attacked me, sir,” Nishimura said, his pupils dilating in something that looked like fear. Behind him, the friend he’d been talking with nodded, though his eyes remained fixed, unblinking, on someone behind you.

“Bullshit,” you gasped out, “you tackled me.”

Nishmura’s eyes darted back to you, but only for a second. You rolled to your knees, turning to look up at whoever he’d been addressing, only to freeze under a blood-red gaze.

Suddenly, all the talk of rumors finally became clear.

Though he had no fangs or claws or an extra head, there was no question who the man in front of you was. Captain Katsuki Bakugou was tall, powerfully built, with ash blonde hair, and a handsome face that could have been carved from stone. He stood at the entrance of the mess hall, looking as though he’d just returned from somewhere, dressed in a dark traveling cloak that mostly obscured the red uniform shirt of the palace guard. Power seemed to pour from him in angry waves, and the hard expression that twisted his features was enough to quicken your heartbeat.

“I don’t give a shit who started it,” Bakugou snarled. “I don’t need soldiers who roll around on the floor like squabbling fucking toddlers.”

Indignation washed through you and you opened your mouth to retort, but Bakugou rounded on you.

“You gonna talk back to me, pretty boy?” he demanded. “Say one damn word and I’ll fucking cook you in your skin.”

A volley of sparks lit off from his palm, and your mouth clicked shut.

He sneered at you before his crimson gaze flicked back to Nishimura. “And you, acting like you weren’t the one winning the damn fight.” He growled. “Both of you, one month of extra training. And if I see you so much as breathe in each other’s direction again, I’ll kill you.”

Your blood pounded in your ears as you nodded. Nishimura was similarly cowed, staring at his feet.

Bakugou’s eyes searched over every face in the room. “That goes for the rest of you. Now dinner’s over. Back to your rooms.”

There was a rustle of indignant shuffling behind you, but no one dared disagree with him. Looking satisfied, Bakugou turned on his heel, pinning you with one last hard look, before sweeping from the room. His boots echoed in the hall, easily audible over the stunned silence of the men around you.

You closed your eyes, the pain from your bruises and the gnaw of your empty stomach finally washing over you.

Fuck. This was not how you’d wanted to start your enlistment.

#bakugou x reader #fanfic #bakugou katsuki x reader #bnha #bnha x reader #boku no hero academia #bakugou katsuki

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raven-at-the-writing-desk · 4 years

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Diary of the Writing Raven; Birds of a Feather

For the 1100+ follower milestone, here is the next part of the cursed raven’s story!

This time, we revisit entries in Miss Raven’s diary. A familiar face assumes prominence on the stage--what role will he play in this story of ours?

Part 1 l Part 2 l Part 3 l Part 4

Day 47

I feel like I am being watched.

Uncle says I am just nervous and excited from the ceremony yesterday.

I am not so sure.

Day 48

I ran into that weirdo again today.

The weirdo is named Rook Hunt. He also calls himself the Hunter of Love...? I do not understand what that means.

He said that he will not be fooled again by Mon-sure Mastermind’s tricks again. He said he knows I am a bird, and he will chase me to the ends of Twisted Wonderland to see me in flight.

...Scary.

He shouts many strange words and chases me around. I managed to narrowly miss him by diving into the bushes. He was distracted by some students with animal ears--and I was able to run all the way home safely.

I suppose it is good to be curious, but...Mister Rook is too curious...!!

Why couldn’t I have run into Mister Jade instead?

Day 51

Uwaaah, I saw a very pretty upperclassman today! He had golden hair, violet at the ends.

The pretty upperclassman snapped at Mister Rook and told him to stop scaring me.

I am thankful, but...it seems like that upperclassman was scanning me all over. Judging me silently. I wanted to disappear into my clothes.

Before we part, he tells me that my ponytails are not symmetrical. He adjusts it for me and sends me off.

Mister Rook’s friends are strange people, too.

Day 56

Another run-in with Mister Rook. They seem to happen every day now, though they are not always...eventful.

He says I am too formal, and that I can just call him “Rook”.

He would not stop pestering me until I agreed.

He gave me a toothy grin when I, at last, relented.

What a troublesome man.

Day 57

Ever since I tried Flounder’s Blue, I have been sampling new foods and drinks.

Today, I got a cup of caw-fee.

Silly me, though...I tripped and spilled it all over a Savanaclaw student. He was so angry. He threatened to gobble me up.

I was trembling and sobbing when the Savanaclaw student yelped. Rook had a tight grip on his trail and kept tugging it, saying weird things until he scurried off.

I thank him.

Day 60

It feels like I see Rook around every corner. He does not always approach--sometimes, he is just content with watching from a distance, or he gives a small wave.

Jade has noticed too.

He asks if Rook makes me feel unsafe..

Rather than feel unsafe, I am a little curious as to why Rook is...well, Rook. He is certainly an odd fellow, but when I think back to a few days ago, I can’t help but think he has a good heart.

I do not think he means any harm.

So I tell Jade I am fine.

Day 66

Rook smelled funny today.

He says there was an accident in the Science Club, so he will reek of tomato and basil for a few days. That hunting trip he was planning is cancelled; the smell will alert too many animals of his presence.

I tell him that he reminds me of the pasta served at the Mostro Lounge, and he laughs.

How he is able to stay so cheery is a wonder to me--but it is not a bad thing, I suppose.

Day 72

Rook tells me of a carny-vale in the nearby town, and says I must experience it for myself. I was curious, so I followed.

There are so many bright sounds and sights. It smells like something fried and sweet.

We ride the spinning tea cups and the carousel. They make me feel like I’m flying once more.

I’m no good at any of the game booths, but Rook is. He has impeccable aim and strength. The game booth runners cry and beg him to not run them out of business.

Rook just smiles and asks them for their best prizes. He has no use for most of them, so he dumps his prizes onto me with a part on the head.

My arms are too full to hold any food, so Rook helps feed me. He stuffs funnel cake, cotton candy, and candied apple into my mouth.

The last thing we do for the day is the ferris wheel. We go up and up against the sunset.

In the dying light of day, I realize something.

Rook has very pretty eyes, too.

Day 80

The pretty upperclassman came up and introduced himself.

Vil Schoenheit, Pomefiore’s dorm leader.

The queen.

He remarks that my pigtails are not asymmetrical today, and that I am a fast learner.

“You must be, little Shetland potato,” Vil comments, “if you are to deal with my huntsman.”

Day 84

...Rook was carrying a Pomefiore boy over his shoulder, like a sack of potatoes.

He says that it’s his job to capture runaways, in service of his queen.

...I wonder how much he gets paid to do this?

Day 85

I told Rook about my hiking trip with Jade!

He seemed very interested, listening intently and nodding while I spoke.

Rook says that he, too, is a fan of the great outdoors, and that we should go on a camping trip together sometime.

I look forward to it.

Day 90

Today is the promised camping trip with Rook.

The weather is getting chillier, so he reminds me to dress warm. He will take care of the rest of the preparations. After all, he has had much more experience with these sorts of things.

I’m still cold, even when I show up in three layers. Rook tuts and throws his jacket over me, despite my protests.

He guides me through the forest, pointing out tiny things I would not have noticed on my own. That bunny’s burrow, those squirrels storing nuts for the upcoming winter, the rustle of the leaves, the trickle of water, how the sunlight filters through the trees...

Rook has such a poetic way of speaking.

He reminds me of a prince in a fairy tale.

Day 94

Rook told me that he has noticed that my speech has improved. He is proud, puffing up like a proud father. He spouts some nonsense about how “mon petit oiseau” (he helped me with the spelling) is becoming such a refined young lady.

I told him that his own manner of speech is far prettier than mine.

Rook just laughed and offered to help me improve more and more, if I wish.

I should pay a visit to Pomefiore, he said, and the queen will welcome me with open arms.

Day 95

Pomefiore is...beautiful. Violet tapestries, crimson curtains, and gold decorations dripping from every available crevice. And everyone is just as beautiful as their surroundings, skin like glass and eyes set in jewel-colored shadows.

I expected nothing less of the oldest dormitory at Night Raven College. The castle is steeped in years of history.

I was offered tea and a three tiered stand of snacks. Vil introduced me to a boy named Epel, who squirmed in his seat with discomfort.

He made us hold our tea cups all funny and barked at us to exchange words. Rook stands at his queen’s side and just...smiles at us as we suffer.

After that, Vil shepherded us to a large table, where two sets of cutlery were laid out.

I’m drilled for hours on end, until I can differentiate the several different variants of spoons, forks, and knives. Epel, too.

I am told to return every few days, to join Epel for his lessons. “It would do him some good to have someone to go through the motions with,” Vil insists. “It gives him some much needed...’encouragement’.”

More lessons for me.

...Somehow, I feel like Rook has me caught in a snare.

Day 100

Vil quips that we are learning ballroom dancing today.

I do not see the practical use of such a skill, but he will not take no for an answer.

Epel and I mutter apologies as we link hands and step on each other’s feet. Then the queen has us take turns spinning around with Rook.

He is very graceful on his feet--far more than myself or Epel. I’m nervous when my turn comes up, but Rook reassures me that it will be fine.

His arms form a cage to keep me from stumbling.

He clicks his tongue and says I need more practice.

Day 102

We focused on the arts today. Vil was busy with modeling (?) and told us that Rook would be our instructor. He says that the arts are his best subject, so please leave everything to him.

Rook shows us fruit bowls and pictures of scenery (he says he took the photographs himself)! Then he sets out canvases and paint sets and tells us to follow his lead.

His voice is a soft murmur as he beats his paintbrush against a blank canvas, breathing color into an otherwise lifeless world.

I do my best to do as he says.

Rook glances over--and he tells me, through a blinding smile, that my painting needs some work.

I have to agree.

Day 110

Epel is with friends today.

Rook takes this opportunity to grant me a language and writing lesson. He knows that I like writing, so now is as good of a time as any.

Rook hovers over me at a desk and suggests ways to make my writing sound...fancier.

I practice writing sentences like...

You are the light of my life, the lark’s birdsong in the still morning.

You are as lovely as the petals of a rose, lush and delicate and breathtakingly beautiful.

You are the moon and the starlight, twinkling in the depths of the darkness and guiding me to salvation.

I ask him what the point of these phrases were--and Rook answers, “For when you wish to woo whomever has captured your heart!” He makes it sound so easy.

He teaches me a few basic phrases of his flowery language, too.

I tell him merci.

Day 117

The queen puts books on my head and tells me to walk without dropping any of them.

Rook holds my hand and helps me keep balance.

It is warm, and comforting and supportive, just like Jade’s.

Then Vil whips out a pair of odd shoes, with stick-like things instead of a flat sole. He calls them heels and urges me to put them on.

I fall on my face, and Rook has to help me up.

On my second attempt, he catches me. He tells me I have the grace of a newborn fawn--that is to say, none at all.

Still, I feel safe in his arms.

Day 133

It is cold, and snowy.

Rook drags me outside anyway. He says exercise will do my frail little body some good.

But...no matter what I activity I do, I am miserable at it. Snowshoeing, ice skating, sledding. I am horrible at all of them, and more.

We settle for building a snowman.

I try to make it look cute.

Day 140

The cruise ship is boring. The beach is boring. It’s mostly older folks like Uncle sipping on tropical drinks and sunbathing.

I wish I had someone to talk to.

Of course, Jade would be nice and set my heart at ease...but Rook would be able to make even something as mundane as this fun.

I can already hear him shouting in my head about the clear blue waters, and the amber sunlight, and the snow white sand.

Look at me, I’m beginning to speak nonsense.

Well, nonsense it may be, but it is interesting nevertheless.

Rook is...interesting.

Day 149

There are lots of seagulls here.

...They remind me of Rook.

I am not quite sure why.

Maybe it is the incessant cawing.

Though...that is charming, in its own unique way.

Day 155

Rook brought back a souvenir from his home land--a bright blue feather on a beaded necklace. He says it is similar to the one the young prince of his country wears.

It turns out, he is from the Afterglow Savannah! What a surprise; I thought he would be from the Land of Pyroxene.

He regales me with stories of his adventures, of the many hunts he embarked on and his trophies.

His eyes are like emeralds, shining with excitement.

Day 167

I saw a play with Rook.

It told the story of two lovers whose families detested one another. The actors all speak quite frivolously, just like Rook. I can see why he would like this kind of thing.

My favorite part...it was the balcony scene.

The male lead cannot stand to be apart from the female lead, and so he sneaks into her garden at night. He summons her to the balcony and makes a vow that he will, no matter what, find a way to be with her.

...The play ends with death.

I cried a little, and Rook let me lean against his shoulder until I stopped.

Day 170

I penned a little story based on the play.

This one has a happy ending.

I want to put some hope into the world.

Day 185 (Continued)

I asked Rook if he was excited for Valentine’s Day, if he was expecting any gifts.

He gave me a mysterious smile in response and said, “Ah, that is for me to know and for you to find out, mon petit oiseau.”

I wonder what he means by that.

Day 186 (Continued)

I will give Rook some chocolate, too!

As thanks for being my friend.

Day 197 (Continued)

I made little heart-shaped bon-bons for Rook.

Perfect for the Hunter of Love.

Day 198 (Continued)

I want to curl up and die, diary.

Rook saw me crying today, under the shade of the great apple tree that towers in the school courtyard.

He asked me what was wrong, a concerned look on his face.

I snapped at him, told him to leave me be.

...But rather than bombard me with questions or annoy me with overly embellished words...

...Rook sat next to me silently. He held my hand until I stopped crying.

Then I spilled everything. I don’t know why I did. I...I guess I wanted someone to know of my story.

Starting with my arrival at Night Raven College. Ending with Jade’s betrayal.

I told Rook the tale through my tears and disgusting sobbing. It was absolutely pathetic, but...he listened patiently.

When I finished, he told me something.

“Mon petit oiseau, I would never lie to you.”

And I believe him.

Day 200

I cried again.

Stupid Leeches.

Day 202

I am scared of Jade.

I say as much to Rook.

He makes a joke about sharpening a harpoon and going eel hunting.

...At least, I think it is a joke.

Day 215

Rook now greets me as soon as my classes let out. His smile and laugh are reassuring to see.

He makes sure I get home safely, and without being accosted.

I cannot say merci enough.

Day 227

...It is ironic.

The man I once ran from is now the one I willingly go to for shelter, and the man I once went to for shelter is now the one I run from.

What a strange reversal of fortune.

Day 228

I feel eyes on me again.

...Leeches, most likely.

Day 230

Tomorrow is another day.

I will stay at Rook’s side.

It is the only place I feel safe beyond Uncle’s attic.

Day 231

I can trust him.

I can trust Rook.

He will tell an ugly truth right off the bat.

He values honesty, integrity--like me.

And birds of a feather must flock together.

#Rook Hunt #Jade Leech #Dire Crowley #Epel Felmier #Vil Schoenheit #twst #disney twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland #angst #PLEASE STOP READING A PERSON'S DIARY #Tale of the Cursed Raven #Raven Crowley #twst oc #twisted wonderland oc

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atlafan · 4 years

Note

happy belated mother's day!!! I was thinking, perhaps harry is an insurance agent and y/n calls to complain about her policy. perhaps y/n needs to bundle her home and auto policies. anyways, y/n likes talking to harry so much she keeps finding different things to call him about. and perhaps he likes talking to her too so he keeps calling her to follow up on her feedback for his services. just thoughts. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE, MOM

a/n: MY SWEET ANGEL BABY YET AGAIN YOUVE GIVEN BE A BRILLIANT IDEA! THANK YOU!

Safety First

“What the fuck?! This can’t be right.” You groaned as you looked at your new auto policy that came in the mail.

It was about $200 higher than it was last year, which made absolutely no sense to you. You hadn’t gotten into accidents, and you hadn’t bought a new car. There simply had to be a mistake. Usually your dad helped you with these kinds of things, but since he had passed away a year ago, he couldn’t exactly call the insurance agent

You dial the number and wait for someone to answer.

“Safety Auto Insurance, this is Harry.”

“Hi Harry, this is Y/F/N Y/L/N, I got mailed my new auto policy for this year and it’s wrong.”

“Oh hi. Y/N!” Harry knew exactly who you were. His mother owned the insurance company, and he remembers your dad quite well.

Harry never thought he’d end up working the family business, but he actually liked selling insurance and helping people with their claims.

“How are you?”

“Um...not good Harry, my policy went up $200! That can’t be correct!”

“Okay, let me just look everything up for you so I can see what happened.”

You hear typing and a few clicks. You can hear him reading to himself. You sigh heavily as you continue to wait.

“Ah! I see what happened, my sister added in the Rental Car option for you. It’s so if you end up needing another car-”

“I know what it’s for, and I’ve refused the service before. I’d still have to pay a fee if I rented a car, I’m two years away from being twenty-six. Please remove it.”

“Certainly.”

“I don’t appreciated you guys just sneakily adding things in.” You huff.

“I don’t think that was Gem’s intention, Y/N.”

“And what was she doing renewing my policy? You’re my insurance agent, Harry, not her.”

“I see, so you only want me taking care of you?” He clears his throat. “Taking care of things for you, I mean.”

“Yes. You’re the one that used to take care of things with my father, not her. You know my family better.”

“Technically my mum knows your family better...”

“Yeah, well, you took over for her didn’t you?”

“Yes.”

“Alright then.” You hear a few more clicks and typing sounds.

“Okay, I took the rental option out. I’ll mail you a new paper copy, and email it to you as well.”

“Thank you. I usually just pay for half up front, can I do that on the phone with you now?”

“Sure!”

Harry always liked when you’d come in with your dad. Your dad would often tell his mum about how you were doing in high school, and then in college. You would always blush and tell him to stop. You would always just ask to get your car back on the road already. You loved driving. Harry rarely got to speak with you, but he got to speak with you dad a lot. He was a nice guy, but much like you, he didn’t take any bullshit.

Harry noticed that your address had changed. It seems as though you had moved out of your house and into an apartment, and didn’t have renters insurance yet. You could save a lot of money by bundling, so Harry took the excuse to call you.

“Hello?”

“Hi, Y/N, it’s Harry from Safety Insurance. Is now a good time?”

“That depends, are you trying to sell me something?” You hear him chuckle softly.

“Sort of, but just hear me out before you hang up, yeah?”

“Alright.”

“Did you move recently? I noticed on your last statement that your address changed.”

“Yeah, I was finally able to get an apartment in the city.”

“That’s great! Congratulations.”

“Thanks.”

“Have you looked into renters insurance yet?”

“Not really...isn’t that just a scam?”

“Not exactly, it can be really helpful if someone broke in, or if your place flooded or caught on fire. Or like if a tree branch broke your window, stuff like that. You can actually save a lot of money by bundling.”

“Do you call all your clients like this?”

“You told me you wanted me taking care of your things, so here I am doing that before other agencies try to swindle you. Your dad bundled with us too, if that makes any difference.”

“I’ll have to come in so you can walk me through everything, this is too much over the phone, you know?” You couldn’t see it, but Harry had a huge smile on his face at the thought of you coming in.

“That works for me. Let’s set up a time for you to come in.”

You weren’t thrilled to be using your Friday afternoon to go hang out with your insurance guy, but the more you thought about it, the more you figured renters insurance was a good idea. When you walked in, you had wished you dressed a little nicer. You had a messy bun on the top of your head, some jeans a t-shirt on. No makeup, no nothing really. You saw Harry laughing over something with is his sister. It had been a long time since you had stepped foot in here. You hadn’t realized how handsome Harry had gotten.

“Y/N!” He beams when he turns to see who it was that came through the door. “It’s great to see you.” He extends his hand to shake yours.

“Um, it’s great to see you too.”

“Let’s go use the office in the back. Gemma’s got some clients comin’ in and I fear it’ll get too loud out here in the open area.”

“Okay.”

You wave to Gemma and follow Harry in the back. He gestures for you to sit, and he goes around the desk to sit in his chair. He grabs some papers and puts them in front of you.

“Right, so, we’re talkin’ about bundling home and auto today?”

“That’s what you called me about...” He hums his response and flips to a page to show you some figures and what adding renters insurance would mean.

After an hour or so of him explaining things, and you trying to understand, he convinced you to bundle your home an auto.

“Your payments won’t change much since you already paid for so much in advance. I hope this gives you some peace of mind, and you don’t feel like I was trying to just get more money out of you.”

“I did at first, but everything you said made sense.” You shrug. “I’m sure my dad would be at peace knowing I’m being extra careful.”

“He used to talk about you all the time whenever he’d come in here. I think he liked doing everything face to face.”

“God, it was always so embarrassing whenever I’d come in with him to put my car back on the road.” You groan.

“No, it was sweet. We’re a family business, so it was nice to see another close family.”

“How’s your mum been?”

“She’s loving the retired life that’s for sure. Gem and I like runnin’ the place. Of course sometimes we have that needy clients that don’t like it when she and I switch places from time time.” He smirks.

“Needy, huh? As I recall, you called me for this specific thing.”

“Only after you insisted on me being the one to handle any and all things that had to do with you.”

“Not just me, my mom too.”

“How’s she been...?”

“She’s started to go out on dates again which has been nice for her. Nothing serious of course, I think she just likes the company. I felt bad for moving out, but it was time. It was too depressing being reminded that he wasn’t gonna be walking through the door after work.” Your voice crack and he hands you a tissue. “Thanks.”

“Sorry...I shouldn’t have pressed. I know things are still really fresh.”

“It’s okay. Some days are just easier than others that’s all.” You look at your watch. “Well, I’ve taken up a lot of your time. I’m sure you have plans or something tonight.” You stand up and shake his hand. He follows you you.

“Actually, I, uh, don’t have plans...”

“Oh, well, I’m sure you’d like to get home at any rate.”

Gemma makes a gesture to Harry to just go for it.

“Y/N?” He grabs your wrist and you look at him a little surprised.

“Yes?”

“Do you have plans tonight?”

“Um.” You look down at your schlubby appearance. “No.”

“Well, if you wouldn’t mind waiting, I just need like thirty minutes to wrap some things up for the weekend...”

“And what would I be waiting for exactly?”

“I was sort of wondering if you’d like to grab a bite to eat...”

“You wanna take me to dinner to dinner?”

“Well...yeah.”

“Oh.” You think to yourself for a second. You needed to change. There was no way you were gonna go out looking like this. You still had some things at your mom’s house. That would be faster than going all the way to your apartment. “Okay, but I need to go change...I could meet you back here in an hour if that works.”

“Sounds great.”

You smile at him and leave. Harry turns to Gemma, and she gives him a thumbs up as he goes to sit down at his desk.

“Hi honey!” You mom says to you as you come flying into the house.

“Can’t talk, I think I have a date!” You run up the stairs and she follows you.

“With?!”

“Harry Styles.” You mumble as you enter your old bedroom.

“Oh, that nice boy from the insurance company.”

“He’s not a boy anymore mom, he’s like, a man now. And super cute. I went into bundle my policy, looking like this, and he asked me out. I couldn’t believe it.”

“Oh, I can. His face would always go bright red any time we’d bring you in with us.” She laughs. “Him and his sister have taken over the business now right?”

“Mhm.” You find a nice sun dress hanging in your closet and right now you’re thankful you left it there. “I need to borrow some makeup, there’s no helping my hair.”

“Honey, I’m sure he doesn’t care how you look.”

“I know, but if we’re going to dinner I’d like to look somewhat put together.”

“Your father always liked Harry, I’m sure he’d be thrilled you’re going out with him.”

You smile at your mom and get ready. You had back to Safety Insurance and go inside. Harry and Gemma turn to look at you.

“Well, look who got all dolled up for my little brother.” Gemma jokes. “You two kids have fun.” She waves you and Harry off as you leave the building.

“Wanna take my car?” He asks. “I can drop you off here after.”

“Sure, that sounds nice.”

You get into his car. It’s a bit awkward at first, so he tries talking.

“What are you in the mood for?” He asks.

“Oh, anything’s fine, I’m not picky.”

“How about Joe’s Grill?”

“Sounds great! I haven’t been there in forever.”

He drives you there, and you both go inside. Things are still a little awkward when you get sat at your table. A waitress comes over to give you some water, and leaves.

“Harry...”

“Yeah?”

“Why’d you ask me to dinner?”

“Um, well, to be honest I’ve wanted to ask you out for a while, but I just figured you had a boyfriend or something. I also didn’t know if it would just be weird in general...”

“It’s a little weird.” You giggle. “I feel like I’ve known you for years, but at the same time I have no idea who you are.”

“Yeah, it’s like, we’ve been acquaintances for years, but you and I never really spoke.”

“Exactly.”

You each order a burger and a drink, and keep chatting. You get to know him a little better, and you tell him what you do for work.

“Wow, it must be nice having an entire summer off.”

“It is! It’s definitely a perk to being a teacher.”

Harry was a really nice guy, and he had a great sense of humor. He drops you off back at your car, and you thank him for a nice evening.

A few days had gone by and he hadn’t heard from you. He wasn’t sure if he should be the one to reach out or not.

“Hello?”

“Hi, Y/N...it’s Harry, uh, from Safety Insurance...”

“Ah, so this is a business call?” You joke, and he laughs.

“Well, I wanted to see how your renters insurance was treating you.”

“Haven’t had a disaster yet, so that’s good.”

“That is good!” He takes a deep breath. “Did you, um, have a nice time the other night?”

“I did.”

“Oh, good, so did I.”

“I’m happy to hear that.” He can feel his face heating up.

“Could I...see you again sometime?”

“Well, that depends.”

“On?”

“Would it be for an insurance thing, or to actually take me out?”

“To actually take you out of course. I think I’ve gotten you down for just about everything you need on the business end.”

“I won’t be free until Saturday.”

“Saturday works! Would you want to meet up in the afternoon and take a walk on the beach?”

“I’d love to.”

“Great, uh, this is your cell phone number, right?”

“No, this is a land line.”

“It is?!”

“I’m joking!”

“Oh!” You both laugh.

“Of course it’s a cell phone, why?”

“Well, I was just wondering if it would be alright if I called sometime you from my own phone, and not my work phone.”

“Yeah, of course it would.”

“Alright then...well...I’m sure we’ll speak before then, but I’ll see you Saturday!”

“See you Saturday, Harry.”

#harry styles #harry styles imagine #harry styles blurb #insuranceagent!Harry #harry styles x reader #harry styles y/n #harry styles x y/n #harry styles fluff #harry styles fluff fic

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doc-pickles · 4 years

Text

i won’t hesitate (for you) ch. 9

Jo is happy, at least she feels like she is. When someone from her past shows up, will her and her daughter’s world ever go back to normal? Or will things change for good?

Me? Updating? It's more likely than you think apparently. I struggled, s t r u g g l e d. through this chapter but I think the rest will come a bit easier. S/O to Ren for proofing the first half of this and to Nat for demanding the second half hahaha. Also I know that the plot for this whole child support thing is totally out of left field, but I'm going with the Grey's motto of "enough logic to be believable but probably not real world" so there's that. Anyways enjoy! PS: In the interest of me not sending myself to an early grave, there's no flashback in the beginning of this chapter!

“Can’t believe we have to go to court, this is a waste of my time and my good suit,” Alex grumbled as he tightened this tie. “I had to pull it out of the boxes and then get it dry cleaned, I should freaking bill her for this.”

“This’ll be over with in a few days and we can go back to our normal lives, well as normal as living in a loft overrun with cardboard boxes is,” Jo exited the bathroom and navigated around a stack of boxes before finally making it over to Alex, moving his hands and helping with his tie. “You look so handsome, if we didn’t have somewhere to be I would drag you back to bed.”

“Well our bed isn’t even here for you to drag me to,” Alex moved his lips to kiss along Jo’s neck, a soft giggle coming from her as he did so. “Movers are coming in 45 minutes and we have to be out the door in 15.”

“That’s enough time for a quickie in the bathroom,” Jo’s proposition caused Alex to pull back and look her up and down with an amused expression. “What? I’m seriously horny all the time and you look good in a suit. I can’t help all the hormones running through my body. In fact! It’s your fault for getting me pregnant!”

Alex rolled his eyes, pressing one last kiss to Jo’s lips before pulling back from her.

“If I remember correctly, there were two of us in that elevator,” grabbing his keys and coat, Alex held his hand out for Jo to grab. “And I wasn’t the one gasping and moaning and practically begging the whole time.”

“If you keep using verbs like that you’re gonna make us late,” Jo swatted at Alex’s ass before grabbing his outstretched hand, following him out of the loft.

As they locked the doors and headed downstairs, Alex let his hands fall to Jo’s growing bump, showcased by her form fitting black dress. At almost 18 weeks pregnant now, Jo couldn’t attempt to hide her bump anymore. She’d been nervous that her pregnancy would impact the court case one way or another, but Alex had reassured her that he just wanted her there with him, consequence be damned. Things had moved quickly though, and in the end, Jo had been called to testify as a character witness so her protests didn’t matter.

The speed of the case making it to court probably had something to do with the fact that Izzie hadn’t bothered to fly back home to file a claim, instead calling the first paternity lawyer she could find on google and starting up the legal process in Washington. While it was a minor relief that Alex wouldn’t have to split time between Seattle and Kansas, both he and Jo were worried about how seriously Izzie had taken things.

Getting into the car and pulling on her seatbelt, Jo begins to ramble nervously. “How’s this going to work? I mean… they’re not yours, right? How is Izzie even allowed to do this?”

A loud groan left Alex as he settled into the driver's seat of his car. He’d wondered the same thing, but he knew that him signing all those papers when he moved to Kansas three years ago had definitely helped Izzie’s case. Even back then, he’d thought in the back of his mind that he should have asked more questions, demanded a paternity test, but he hadn’t. All he could focus on were these two perfect children standing in front of him, children that he now knew weren’t even his. Alex’s blood began to boil with anger at the thought of Izzie lying to him for so long, but he let out a deep breath and began to drive towards the courthouse instead.

“I don’t know, but I saw those blood test results myself and there’s no damn way those kids are mine,” Jo’s fingers rubbed against Alex’s arm, calming him slightly. He looked to her briefly before speaking again. “I’m sorry you had to get dragged into this, I wish I could protect you from it all.”

He could feel Jo’s gaze on him as his eyes stayed on the road. Alex could almost hear her thinking of how much she wanted to make Izzie pay for what she’d done to him. He was almost certain that pregnant or not, she’d fight Izzie if she came at her again. As if reading his mind Jo let out a chuckle and squeezed his arm reassuringly.

“I’m a big girl, I can stand up to bullies on the playground,” Jo squeezed Alex’s arm once more before bringing her hand to rest on her growing bump. “Let’s just get through today, this isn’t going to go longer than a day once they figure out you’re not those kids dad.”

But it did end up lasting longer… Once they got to the courthouse, Alex realized with a sense of horror that Izzie wasn’t messing around. She had two lawyers and was wearing a dress that looked like it cost more than his paycheck. And she wasn’t holding back anything, her lawyers showed that loud and clear.

“My client went through multiple rounds of chemotherapy, there’s no possible way that she could conceive without the help of artificial insemination and the sample that Doctor Karev provided,” Izzie’s lawyer was a short, pudgy man whose voice echoed through the courtroom unforgivingly. “We’re asking for Doctor Karev to back pay child support for the three years he knew about and took parental responsibility for both children as well as therapy for the children in the wake of his sudden departure.”

“Your Honor, these claims are absurd! Doctors Karev and Stevens performed a blood test that showed that one of the children has a genetic disorder that neither of them have, meaning that if Doctor Stevens did indeed give birth to both children, that Doctor Karev could not be their biological father,” Alex’s lawyer fought back, eyeing Izzie and her lawyers as she spoke. “All we’re asking for is Doctor Karev to be released of all parental responsibility for both children and for Doctor Stevens to repay him the legal fees for these proceedings, as well as cover any other expenses he’s incurred while being involved in this trial.”

A quick and calculated silence followed the statement, Alex’s eyes flitting nervously from Izzie to her lawyer to Jo, who sat behind him with her hands nervously running over her bump. He’d seen Izzie watching her with a venomous expression earlier, Alex’s grip around her waist tightening as they’d shuffled into the courtroom.

“Your Honor, we’d like to call Doctor Josephine Brooke Karev to the stand before we proceed,” Izzie’s other lawyer, a tall woman named Eleanor Krause, stood and gestured towards the witness stand. She wore an almost permanent scowl on her thin face, her dark eyes staring menacingly around the courtroom. “I have a few questions for the other Doctor Karev.”

Jo rose and quietly made her way towards the stand, eyes meeting Alex’s briefly before swearing in and turning to face Miss Krause.

“Doctor Karev, are you and Doctor Alexander Michael Karev still married?”

“No we are currently divorced,” Jo’s voice was clear and stoic as she answered, staring directly at the lawyer questioning her. “We’ve been divorced for almost three years now.”

“And the dissolution of your marriage occurred when separated he moved to Kansas to be with Doctor Stevens?”

“Correct…,” then quickly adding, “after learning of their existence, Alex determined he needed to sever all ties with Seattle to be there completely for his children. At least who he thought were his children.”

Krause’s eyes lit up suddenly, a wicked smile appearing on her face as she stared down Jo. Alex could feel his stomach drop, knowing that whatever the woman was going to say next would not be friendly or civil.

“And you also have a child fathered by Doctor Alexander Michael Karev, is that right?”

“Yes, my daughter Harper Josephine Karev, who is two, and the child I’m carrying now are both Alex’s,” Jo’s brow furrowed, hand settling onto her abdomen as she watched the woman take a step closer to her. “I don’t see what that has to do with the case at hand though.”

“I just want to know if the other Doctor Karev paid you child support during your first pregnancy and the two years of your daughter’s life that he wasn’t present,” Krause’s voice was practically dripping with malice as she stared Jo down. “I mean, we are here to make sure that he’s doing his duty as a father, whether he’s in the same state as his children or not, right? So, has he been paying child support to you, Doctor Karev?”

Jo’s eyes flitted to Alex nervously, his own telling her that it was okay to tell the truth. To be honest, he was scared what Jo’s answer would affect in the case, but he knew that at the end of the day he wouldn’t have to pay a dime to Izzie because her kids were not his.

“No he hasn’t, but he didn’t know he had a daughter until four months ago,” Jo argued, turning momentarily to the judge. “He’s been a present and wonderful father since he’s known about Harper.”

“Doctor Karev, are you sure beyond a reasonable doubt that both of your children are indeed Alex’s children? Did you not have your daughter shortly after your now ex husband left you?”

“What’s the relevance here,” Alex’s lawyer finally stood and challenged the woman accosting Jo. “Doctor Josephine Karev’s children shouldn’t have any effect on her ex husband's child support case! It’s cruel and malicious to be questioning her like this on the stand.”

Alex turned to glare at Izzie, angered that she wore the same expression as her shifty lawyer. She knew about what Krause was plotting, he would put money on the fact that she’d planted the seed of whatever cruel idea it was in her head.

“I’m just questioning Doctor Alexander Karev’s intentions when it comes to his children, however many that may be,” Krause shrugged, eyes narrowing in Jo’s direction. “You’ve filed papers to move forward with adding Alexander to your daughter’s legal paperwork, is that correct?”

That all too familiar feeling of horror flooded Alex’s senses again, overtaking everything as he watched Jo answer affirmatively, her eyes moving to him again. There were tears welling up in them now, the fear he felt in the room spreading to her as well. His breathing hitched as he listened to Izzie’s lawyer prattle on once more, her biting voice breaking through his mental fog.

“I’d like to request a hold on any formal paternity proclamations concerning Doctor Alexander Michael Karev’s alleged children until their paternity can be confirmed via DNA testing,” Krause moved her line of sight to Jo once more, a sharp note ringing through the courtroom as she delivered her final, jarring blow. “I’d like to request that all four of Doctor Karev’s alleged children are tested, I believe that Josephine here is still well within the window to have an amniocentesis performed.”

“No, hell no!” Alex stood from his chair, eyes blazing as he stared down Krause. “I am not letting you poke and prod my wife just for a damn child support case, especially one she’s not directly involved in.”

Both Alex and his lawyer turned pleadingly towards the judge, who was eyeing both Izzie and Alex warily. He was never one to feel anxious, but he couldn’t help the worry mounting in his chest. Finally, the judge spoke, his words directed towards Izzie’s lawyers.

“How long would this process take?”

“If we proceeded with the amniocentesis, we’d have results in as soon as three weeks,” Krause’s eyes moved to Alex, a sick look of delight glowing in them. “If you’re uncomfortable with that though, we can draw this case out until the baby is born.”

“I’ll do it,” Jo’s voice rang out before anyone else could answer, making all eyes in the courtroom turn to her. Alex felt his heart constrict as he watched her speak. “I’ll do the amnio, I don’t mind.”

“With Doctor Josephine Karev’s confirmation, I’m adjourning this case until the DNA results for Alexis Isobel Stevens, Eli George Stevens, Harper Josephine Karev, and Doctor Josephine Karev’s unborn child come back. Court adjourned, you may leave now,” the judge rose and left the courtroom quickly, not bothering to witness the pure mayhem that descended upon the room.

“You did this on purpose,” Alex was up and out of his seat before anyone could stop him, feet heading towards Izzie who wore a smug expression as she looked him over. “You disgust me, you’ve weaponized your own children against me and now you’re trying to jeopardize the health of my unborn child and wife?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about Alex,” Izzie batted her eyelashes in Alex’s direction, her self satisfied smirk growing as she watched him become more angry. “Looking forward to seeing you again!”

Before he could respond to Izzie, a gentle hand pressed into Alex’s back and ushered him towards the exit. Jo’s presence, even if he hadn’t looked into her eyes yet, was an instant calming effect over him.

As soon as they stepped into the hallway, Jo and Alex were in each other’s embrace, steadying breaths matching the others as they tried to come to terms with what had just happened. Her face pressed against his chest, Alex could feel the slow shuddering breaths that left Jo as he held her. He knew the questions Izzie's lawyer had posed were ones that were a sore spot for Jo, ones she’d begged him not to believe as she’d cried into his arms just a few weeks earlier.

“Just one punch,” Jo mumbled the words against Alex’s chest, looking up to make sure he heard her. “Please? I just wanna punch her one time.”

Alex chuckled, looking down at Jo with a glint in his eye, “You know I can’t let you do that, even though it would make me happier than I care to admit.”

“You kept calling me your wife in there,” Jo pressed her hands against the lapels of Alex’s suit, avoiding his stare as she fixed her gaze on her hands. “I don’t hate hearing you say that again.”

The words made Alex’s heart stutter under Jo’s gentle touch, his mind racing as he took in fully what she was saying. Did she really want to be his wife again? After years of him being away, of her raising their daughter on her own? After he had all but abandoned her and told her via letter?

Watching Jo for another moment, Alex brought his fingers under her chin and met her eyes, “You wanna marry me again? After all the shit we’ve been through?”

“For some reason I do, you make me better,” Jo finally lifted her gaze back to Alex’s face, eyes welling with tears as she spoke. “You’ve given me the best things in my life, you’ve made me a better person. And if we can get through some of the things that have been thrown at us, then I truly think we can get through everything. I love you Alex, more than I can ever say to you. I know you think you’ve fucked up, but through the past few months you’ve shown me how much you’ve grown.”

Not knowing what to say, Alex leaned down and captured Jo’s lips with his own. If there was one thing that was almost always blaringly clear for him, it was that he didn’t deserve the woman in his arms. He couldn’t begin to fathom how much it had taken to forgive him, to even trust him again after what he’d done. But just as she’d always done, Jo saw him for who he really was underneath all of his layers of bullshit.

“We can go right now, we are in the courthouse,” Alex joked, prompting Jo to roll her eyes and gently slap his chest before walking towards the exit. “What? Not a funny joke? We had fun last time and the SUV has a bigger backseat than the Audi did.” “Mmm yeah, you know we made a baby that night, right?,” Jo raised her eyebrows, a mischievous grin lighting up her face as she took in Alex’s shocked expression. “You have really good luck, you know? You made one baby in the backseat of a car and another on the floor of an elevator.”

A peel of laughter escaped Jo as she tried to unsuccessfully move away from Alex’s grip on her hips, instead falling back into his arms as his lips grazed her neck.

“You’re gonna be the death of me, woman,” Alex whispered the words as he turned Jo around in his arms. “Weren’t you just trying to jump me in the bathroom a few hours ago? Is the car not up to your standards?”

“No, I’m just thinking that Link is keeping Harper overnight and our bed probably got to the new house already,” Jo smirked in satisfaction at the dark look that fell over Alex’s eyes at her suggestion. “Now's as good a time as any to start christening the place. Unless you can’t keep up with a younger woman?”

“Josephine Karev, you know I can keep up with you any day of the week,” Alex’s lips ghosted Jo’s ear as he lowered his voice, pressing her closer to him and making his aroused state perfectly clear for her. “Let’s go, before we have no choice but to finish things up in the car.”

Twenty four hours after leaving the courthouse, Alex and Jo find themselves in an exam room on the OB floor. With the amniocentesis being court ordered and both of them wanting to get things over as quickly as possible, they’d booked the first appointment that was available.

“How are you not nervous,” Alex sat beside Jo, her hand in his as Carina ran an ultrasound wand over Jo’s stomach. “I mean I’m not trying to make you nervous, but you know what happens here!”

“Can’t be any worse than a 15 hour unmedicated labor that ended with a 9 pound baby making its way out of your vagina,” Jo shrugged, Carina chuckling quietly next to her. “I came up with some very interesting curse words that day.”

Alex and Jo both watched the ultrasound screen intently, their baby reaching one leg up to kick at the probe. Carina furrowed her brow, watching the baby move languidly on the screen, “You’re going to have to get them to calm down, I cannot go in while they’re kicking all around like that.”

“Talk to them, they always calm down when you talk to them,” Jo turned to Alex and raised her eyebrows. “Go on! I don’t have all day to lay here Alex.” Alex looked between Jo and Carina before leaning down and speaking in the same mellow tone that Jo had become so used to hearing while they laid in bed at night, “Hey kiddo, you gotta slow down in there. Your mom and I are tangled up in this stupid ass thing-”

“Alex!”

“And we’d really appreciate it if you cooperated so we could get this done,” Alex glanced to the ultrasound screen, noticing that the erratic movements had lessened and the baby had calmed. “See, that’s more like it. You know your sister is very excited to meet you, she keeps running around talking about how she’s gonna be a ‘big shitser’ which is super adorable if not the most inappropriate thing to come out of a two year olds mouth.

“She wants to name you Elsa or Hei Hei, those are the options I was presented with a few nights ago anyways. I don’t think she really gets it, but she’s gonna be great,” Jo’s eyes closed quickly as Carina pulled out the needle, her hand squeezing Alex’s. “Okay you gotta be super still now, mom’s got a big needle in her-”

“You are not helping me, Alex.” “And she’s all done! Look at that, easy peasy,” Alex pressed a kiss to Jo’s forehead, following the once again active baby on the screen. “Hey look at that, baby’s flashing us!”

Jo sat up quickly, eyes scanning the screen as well with a laugh, “Well that’s one way to do a gender reveal.”

Alex leaned up to kiss Jo, laughter bubbling from both of them as they let the realization sink in. They had a house, they had two healthy kids, they had the promise of a great big future ahead of them. Court case be damned, they were happy and things were going right between them for once.

#jolex #alex karev #jo wilson #jo karev #greys anatomy #jo x alex #jolex fanfic #greys anatomy fanfic #nina writes #hesitate

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kiru-da-ho-beeeech · 4 years

Text

In which DIO's vampire blood manifests, driving Giorno into becoming absolutely FERAL

Also, I hc everyone in the gang to be a lil bit of a yandere so forgive me if this turned out dark

Sugar Daddy AU - Don Giorno Giovanna

Warning: NSFW, wild Giorno, consensual physical abuse, aged-up characters, all characters are of legal age, this is an AU

At age 32, Giorno was still young enough to hold the title of a bachelor. Yet, there was a part of him that had begun yearning for someone to love and nurture. Starting a family or a romantic relationship weren't options that he considered because he believed his position in the Mafia would endanger the ones he loved. So instead, he donated large amounts to charities and orphanages in an attempt to quell his strange urges. However, watching the smiling children he had helped from afar did nothing but exacerbate his need to take care of another person. He wanted someone who would smile the same way just for him.

In addition to this, Giorno had also developed a taste for sleeping around. His libido was at an all-time high, and no amount of sex had so far been enough to satiate it for longer than a few days. It was extremely frustrating, especially since he was busy most of the time and had to stave off his needs in the most unsatisfactory of ways-- by relieving himself.

His discontent with things eventually escalated so much that it began to disrupt his daily life. He'd acquired a sudden moroseness and was often irritable. His own trusted colleagues began avoiding him at great lengths, and even Mista won't talk to him on days when his temper was especially bad. His cruelty towards his enemies had spiked through the roof, which made him even more of a fearsome figure in the Mafia. He was more ruthless in his pursuit of drug dealers and human traffickers in Italy. Like a bloodthirsty murderer, he destroyed everything that got in his way and did not give a shit about it.

It was at this time that Bucciarati sat him down for a man to man talk. Head buried in his hands, he spilled his unusual desire to the dark-haired man, to which the latter only nodded in understanding.

"Don't be alarmed, Giorno. This is normal. At one point, a man would want to settle down to establish and make sure that his lineage will continue. It just surprised me that you would start wanting to do it this early on in your life, and with such intensity too."

cough cough DIO Brando genes cough cough

Giorno expressed his aversion in forming any sort of romantic commitment with anyone and the reasons for it. Bucciarati hummed, looking deep in thought, before he looked back at Giorno, "Have you considered adopting a child?"

Giorno shook his head, "I don't think I have the capability to be a good parent to a child, Bucciarati."

"What about being a parent figure to an adult, then?" Giorno was only confused for a moment before Bucciarati followed his suggestion with, "Become someone's… benefactor."

Giorno blinked, the words slowly sinking in his mind. He knew that what the older man meant by saying benefactor was to essentially be a Sugar Daddy, and he had to admit that the idea wasn't so bad. A commitment where romance didn't need to be involved, and one that he could end anytime. He could pamper and sleep with someone as much as he wanted without having to invest his emotions on them.

And so the search began...

You were as broke as a sewer rat and was about to be kicked-out from your apartment when an acquaintance from one of your classes called you, asking if you would be interested in a part time job. Your classmate was offered a job by a relative but could not accept it due to their stuffed schedule. You've already agreed before they'd finished the explanation, though. Of course, this was just what you needed! You were so desperate to survive that you would take whatever opportunity the universe would spare you. Your classmate eagerly gave you an address and a time and date. As you jotted down the details, you thought of the strange way your classmate all but pleaded for you to accept, but shrugged it off as their relative probably urgently needing the position filled ASAP.

When the day of the interview arrived, you finally understood why.

If the expensive company car hadn't clued you in, then the armed men who had picked you up and blindfolded you on the way to the venue certainly did. They escorted you inside a place with the blindfold still on, and only removed it upon arriving in front of a pair of large Mahogany doors.

'What have you gotten yourself into?' You ask yourself. This was no ordinary company, this was the Mafia. You trembled with anxiety as one of the men knocked to announce your arrival and you heard a faint "enter". You were roughly ushered in when the door was opened.

Your eyes were then promptly met by the sight of one of (if not the most) handsome man you had ever seen in your life. Standing by the floor to ceiling window with his long golden locks plaited neatly and swept over his shoulder was a man. His resplendent emerald eyes shone in the dark as he regarded you with a blank face from the other side of the unlit room.

"Leave us." His tone was soft yet steady, laced with the unmistakable timbre of authority. The men wordlessly followed and closed the door on their way out, leaving you with who might possibly be the big boss. "Sit." He gestured to the large chair. Your body moved with the command as he also sat himself across from you, a huge desk separating you from him.

He introduced himself as Don Giorno Giovanna. The next few minutes were filled with extreme tension on your part as he began asking you questions. Your name, age, address, the college you attend, your major, whether you have another job, etc… It honestly felt more like an interrogation than a job interview. Finally, he asked: "Do you know what you're here for?"

"Err… I thought this was a job interview?"

Giorno tilted his head, "I guess you can say that. You're here because I want to be your benefactor."

There was complete silence afterwards as he watched you process his words. Finally, you spoke "L-Like… a sugar baby?"

He slowly nodded, never taking his eyes off of you. His belly stirred with the familiar signs of arousal and his eyes held a glint as he watched you bite your lip in thought. Oh, how cute you looked while you sat there uncomfortably shifting.

You seemed to consider it for a while before nodding your head in return. Giorno finally let himself smile as he stood. He walked around and placed his hands on your shoulders, "Don't worry. I'll take very good care of you, cara."

And true to his words, he did. He spared no expenses in making sure that you were well-cared for. He paid for your tuition fees, gave you a ridiculous amount of allowance, drowned you in gifts, took you to the priciest places for meals, and even got you a Ferrari. Of course, these were all not for free. In return, he sometimes asked you for your help around the office in addition to your scheduled date nights spent sprawled across his bed.

Since you came, he had been so much calmer. He was back to his old self. His friends thanked you and treated you with a respect that a sugar baby is not commonly given. It made you wonder why, but it was unbeknownst to you that you have somehow managed to tame a beast.

You quickly discovered that Giorno was a very hypersexual man. He turned to sex for relief from almost any emotion that overwhelmed him. Although he was by no means heartless, his temperamental bedroom personality was something to both fear and look forward to.

He never told you to call him "Daddy" during sex, yet the first time the name accidentally slipped from your mouth, he rammed into you with such raw power that his headboard got dislodged from the bed shaking too harshly.

He was a delicious cocktail of dominance, attentiveness, and generosity. He would put you in your place when you're being too bratty and make sure you got as much pleasure as he did. You were certain he's had his mattress replaced a couple of times because the springs might have gotten ruined with the force he had fucked you into it.

He had bent you over his desk and fucked you there more times than you cared to count.

On days when he's extremely stressed, he calls for a physician to be on standby because you were always so sore to the point of not being able to walk in the morning. He would profusely apologize, but you continued to assure him that it was fine and that this was all part of your arrangement. Besides, it's not like you didn't thoroughly enjoy yourself as well.

Giorno on the other hand, always felt so guilty. Whenever he saw the bruises on your body and how helpless you looked, he would think that maybe it was time to stop. He was abusing your kindness in exchange for material things that really held no value. However, the thought of never being able to touch you again never failed to convince him otherwise. He needed you to keep him sane, someone to pour his senseless affections to and someone who would respond in kind. A cure to the venom that slowly consumed his soul.

He had never felt so incredibly evil and dirty but for now, he would exploit the fact that you had to keep your end of the bargain up. Even if it meant dragging you down the same hell that he was in.

#vento aureo #giorno giovanna #don giorno giovanna #but he's WILD #physical abuse #not sfw

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may8344 · 4 years

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The Journey of a Forgotten Soldier (Levi x OC)

This is a story I’m in the process of posting on both AO3 and Wattpad, though I decided to add it to Tumblr as well. However, since I’ll be behind on Tumblr comparing to AO3 and Wattpad, this may remain behind or I might bulk post.

Relationships:

Alana Frey (OC)Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin)/Original Female Character(s)Levi Ackerman/Alana FreyFurlan Church/Original Character(s)Furlan Church/Alana Frey

Characters:

Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin)Furlan ChurchIsabel MagnoliaAlana Frey (OC) - CharacterErwin SmithHange ZoëPetra RalGunther SchultzEld JinnOluo BozadoKeith ShadisSpecial Operations Squad | Squad Levi

Additional Tags:

Graphic Description of CorpsesBlood and InjuryViolenceMurder

Summary:

Alana Frey, a girl born in the Underground City, longed to see the true sunlight every morning that she would wake up. Alongside her comrades: Furlan Church, Isabel Magnolia, and Levi, Alana’s life as a thug continued with no way around it; until the sudden day she and her companions were offered the deal of a lifetime.

“Once you complete this job, not only will you be generously compensated for your work,

but you will also earn the right to live above ground.”

Word Count: 2.7k

---

Chapter 1: The Underground City

Underneath the sturdy inner wall—Wall Sina—, a failed and unfinished repopulation project existed full of starving, violent human beings consumed by their wish to leave for the surface. Dilapidated, brick buildings dotted the entire area with only dull torches scattered scantily throughout the city for light. In some areas, there would stand a large, stone pillar to hold the top of the Underground City from collapsing. No light was visible in the sky—at least, not to the average citizen. No sun, no stars, no moon. No rain, snow, or wind. The only sound filling the air would be chatter or a citizen playing the guitar; sometimes even screaming from a few, random fights.

For those who lived in the shadow of the capital city encased by Wall Sina, it was expected they were to die before ever seeing the light above ground.

In one of the back alleyway houses, with an L-shaped staircase leading up to the front door, the noise of paper and voices broke the silence. Inside, four men waited silently as they watched their money being counted by their dealer. Faded green dollars slid against each other as strong, calloused hands pulled them apart. Each little piece of paper held an amount of currency that was wanted by everyone here.

“Here. Sorry I kept you waiting.” A tall man with messy blond hair, called to his four friends sitting on the torn couch in the house. He wore a blue colored vest on top of a white baggy shirt and greenish brown pants held up by a simple belt. After counting the pieces of paper carefully with his sharp baby-blue eyes, he hastily passed it out. “This is for the last job, and the one before.”

One of the younger men took the money with a toothy grin. It was unsurprising that he would take it with pride on his face. Two others, who had also sat on the couch, were no less excited to be paid. After all, they had done their business. The only one not smiling was a brunette on the cushioned chair, seated away from the excited trio. However, he was not exempt from his payment.

“Here.” The man handing out the money gave the unsure brunette his earnings, taking him off guard.

“Oh, thank-” he paused. In his grip, behind the cash he knew he had earned, was more money tied together discreetly. It was easy to tell that this was planned out by the soft-smiling blond. Looking up, the brunette opened his mouth to question the man, but was once again cut off.

“Now, don’t go spending it all at once, you hear? People will get suspicious.” With a hand on his hip, the dealer grinned. He seemed to ignore the fact that he had secretly given more to one than the others.

“We know! Let’s go.”

“Sure.”

As the four recipients began to walk out of the building, the brunette paused for a moment, debating on whether to turn around and question the blond man. However, he decided against it and kept walking forward, closing the wooden door behind him.

The blond, despite knowing his friend’s hesitation, sighed as he turned to the two other occupants of the house.

In the far corner of the room, where the kitchen table had sat, a raven haired man was seated, silently cleaning off his pocket knife. His black bangs, that hung over a recently shaved undercut, covered most of his silver eyes, but it didn’t seem to bother him. He wore similar clothing to the blond, though his vest was more of a brown color.

To the right was a recently cleaned kitchen counter with an integrated sink. Sitting on top of the counter top was a female with her side braid laying on her chest. Her legs were crossed, and in her hand was an apple that she was happily chewing on. Unlike her male roommates, she wore a simple, blue, long sleeved shirt with laces pulling the top near her chest together. Her pants were loose, and brown, and were just shy of her ankle. The girl’s diamond blue eyes watched the men around her with amusement.

“Work’s been a helluva lot easier since we got our hands on these ODM Gears. Now we can pay our guys more.” The talkative blond sat on the couch, relieved that the guests had finally left. As long as his roommates were his only company, he was fine.

The ravenette, who was scanning his blade for any dirt, without glancing the blond’s way, in a low, rough, ever-displeased voice asked. “Seems to me one of them got a little too much. Any reason why?” Although he wasn’t witnessing the quartet receiving money, the action had not been unexcused by the observant man.

The blond with blue eyes had a soft smile on his face, as he averted his eyes to the ground. In a quiet tone, he responded. “His…,” he paused, “You’ve probably noticed that Jan’s leg has been getting worse. Meds are pretty expensive. They’ve gone up recently too.” Suddenly, his voice laced with malice, “Those scumbag shysters…”

That’s when the female spoke up, mouth full of her apple, and her black hair bouncing from the movement of her chest. Her muffled voice filled the room. “Did you hear the toll on the stairways went up? At this rate, paupers like us will never see daylight.”

Along the walls of the Underground, there were multiple staircases leading to the surface. However, the pay to climb these stairs were more than any average person would have. Some of the stuck up men decided to claim the stairways for themselves, setting the fees as they see fit. Even if the money was paid in full, if one didn’t have the correct papers allowing them through, the higher-ups would have no issue sending paupers back down. None of them knew the horrors of living in the cramped, dark city full of malnourished humans fighting to survive.

“Yeah,” the ravenette hummed before turning to his female companion. “Didn’t I tell you to get your filthy ass off of the counter?”

“Yeah, yeah,” she mumbled and hopped off of the stone counter, though she still leaned against it. “Whatever you say, captain.”

He scoffed in response and focused his attention back to annihilating the specks of dirt on his trusted blade.

The tall blond continued her train of thought, “Apparently, the lack of sunlight is the reason all those guys got messed-up legs. It’s not like you can do anything about it.”

“Your mother was like that too. I guess that’s why.” The clean-freak decided that his knife was not to his liking, and began scrubbing harder on it as he spoke. Though his words were gentle, his face told another story. It was as if his eyebrows were forever furrowed and his gray eyes slanted. “Nevertheless, you still gave him too much.”

“It was his severance pay.”

That caught the attention of the two raven haired roommates.

Continuing, the blond spoke with dejection, “He’s done for. At the very least, he can find himself a good hospital.”

“Is that so?” The harsh, silver-eyed glare had not gone unnoticed by either of the people in the room, but they chose to ignore it.

“How much more would we need… to live up there?”

Sadness had engulfed the trio as their gazes fell upon the wooden floor. It didn’t take a genius to see how crude their living environment was, even if it was cleaned well. No matter what they did, it was clear that nothing would change.

Suddenly, a loud crash was heard on the other side of the wooden front door. Jolting up, the three readied themselves with blades. It was nothing new for strangers to ram into their home and try to rob them of everything they had. As the trio made their way to the door, they were interrupted by another loud crash. It was as if their assailant was trying to break their door in.

With only a nod, each person readied themselves to see their surprise guest. The blond took his spot at the door, knife in hand, ready to throw it open. The shorter, dark haired boy stood directly in front of the door, not even bothering to hide his handheld weapon by his side. The girl had positioned herself between the boys, diagonal to the entryway. While she was strong enough to hold her own, she knew the dangers of having a man take control of her in this society. After another silent look and nod, the blond yanked open the wooden door.

As he did so, a redhead girl with short, twin ponytails crashed onto the floor. Her hands were drawn to her chest as if she cradled something in them, even as she was propped up on her knees and shoulders. Her hair was ruffled and she wore an older shirt and loose pants.

Wincing with pain, a mumbled ‘ow’ left the newfound girl’s lips. She coughed as if she ran a grand distance after getting bruised up.

“Oh, it’s just a kid.” The shaggy, blond haired man eased up and put his hand on his side. “You gave us a real fright.”

Grumbling, the redhead on the floor disagreed, “I’m not a kid.” With more pride and anger in her voice, she glared up towards the shorter, raven haired male. Repeating her words, she was on the verge of yelling, “I’m not… a kid!”

“Is that so? So that means I can kick you out and it won’t leave a bad taste in my mouth, right?” The shorter replied, obviously annoyed. “I’ll forgive you for dirtying the floor. Now piss off.”

“What’s the matter? Can’t move?” The blond commented as he watched the girl with caution.

“I can! Don’t underestimate me!” Slowly lifting one arm away from her abdomen, she tried prying herself off of the floor.

The ravenette made her way to the fallen girl and tried to move her into a sitting position. Seeing the injured girl up close struck a memory to the blue eyed roommate. "Hold on, you're-." Suddenly, she paused and seemed to be listening closely for something. Quickly, the quiet girl turned to the shorter male. He seemed to be the leader of the group. Hissing under her breath, she muttered, “Levi, there are more people.”

And she was correct. Further away, past the door, angry voices filled the air. They quickened their stomping pace towards the building that the four were sitting in.

“Over here!”Recognizing the angry voices, the twin tailed girl hurried her way into a sitting position, but fell over against the door. Though she sat up straight, it was plain to see that the girl was in pain. The ravenette stayed kneeled at her right side.

The raven-haired man, Levi, clicked his tongue in anger. “Damn. You were being chased, weren’t you?”

“What should we do?”

As the pursuers made their way through the small alleyways built in between the houses, they grumbled trying to find the girl. Turning the corner, they saw the stairs leading towards the front door of the trio’s home. Outside of the open door, Levi and the blond stood protectively, seeming to observe.

“That little brat…” One of the men spoke up, annoyance evident. He was larger with shortly shaved, brown hair. Two of his companions followed behind. “Can’t believe she bit me that hard.” Glancing at the bite marks on the skin below his thumb, more and more anger flowed in him. “Once we catch her, lemme have a little fun with her.”

“What fun can you have with a brat like that?” His ally questioned.

With only a deep chuckle in return, the brunette gazed up towards the two men standing at the door above the stairway. “Huh? Hey! A dirty little urchin came this way, right?”

“They’re ten a penny here, pal,” the blond laughed, content to anger the larger man even more. The way he crossed his arms had shown that he was obviously looking down at their attackers.

“Huh?” Just as the blond wanted, anger flooded through his veins as he started menacingly climbing the staircase with the two following behind. “You shitheads from around here?” Once he reached the middle ground between the two sets of stairs, his eyebrows lifted up at the sight of the girl leaning against the door between the men. “Hey. Found her. Thought so. You friends with her?”

“Nope.”

“Hand her over, then. Try protecting her and you’re in for a world of hurt.”

One of his allies, with a bowl cut, spoke up next, “After all, she tried to go up the 11th Stairway without paying.”

Those words had startled the three protecting the wounded girl. The blue eyed girl’s head whipped around as she stared daggers at the red head as she hissed. “You what!?”

“You know the one, right? The 11th is in Government Minister Lobov’s jurisdiction. We can’t let that slide, not even for a kid. Of course, you will be charged for harboring her too.”

Only silence filled the air until an angered companion yelled out, “If you understand, then hand her over!”

The four remained quiet, but the black haired girl had slowly moved in a protective stance of the red-head.

“Fine. Move aside!” The large man made his way up the stairs, his goal right in sight. While walking up between the standing men, he placed his large hand on the shoulder of Levi.

That was his mistake.

“Wait-” the worried ravenette was cut off by the sudden slice of a blade cutting through the air. In less than three seconds, the large man held his bleeding hand close to his chest in pain. Levi held his recently clean pocket knife—now painted with blood from the slice—up in the air. Without uttering a word, a punch was launched on the already wounded man.

The raven haired girl closed her eyes and tilted her head away from the sight. The blond stared at the ground, but showed no compassion for the beaten man. The redhead, however, could only stare in disbelief.

Punch after punch was thrown. Once he felt he had done enough, Levi yanked up the pursuer by the collar of his shirt and glared directly in the shaking man’s eyes. With a low, growling voice, he threatened, “Don’t touch me with your filthy hands. You’ll make my clothes dirty.” With one more punch to the nose, Levi shoved the brute back to his companions, who barely caught the bloodied man.“

Oh my… You can’t just stroll in here. We take hygiene very seriously here. Come back after you’ve washed your hands.” The tall blond remarked boldy, signature hand on his side.

Levi was quick to begin wiping down his bloodied knife, as if he hadn't just cut a man. Now, it was if he had no care in the world for them.

“These guys mean business. Let’s get outta here!” And with that, they quickly staggered away from the staircase and from their small corner of the Underground city.

“Hey, how long are you going to cling on to that for? It’s going to die.” Levi stated bluntly, looking at what the redhead had brought in and held to her stomach.

Surprised that she was being acknowledged, the emerald eyed girl quickly looked down at her lap. “Oh! I thought that’d warm it up.” Slowly, she revealed a small bird that was nested. It glanced around confused, seemingly unable to fly away.

The ravenette girl next to her asked, “Where’d you get that bird?”

“It was flying about. Probably came in via the sewers.” she innocently smiled, “So I thought I’d let it free above ground.”

It was the blond’s turn to be shocked. “You tried to go up the stairway for that?”

Slowly stroking the bird with a soft smile, she responded. “This little guy probably prefers soaring the skies instead of wandering the Underground City.”

“That’s fine and dandy, but this bird’s wing is hurt.” The taller blond crouched down to the other side and looked at the girl with almost sadness.

“Huh!? For real?”

---

(A/N) Hello, readers! This is one of my first times creating a work such as this. While my writing may be a little rough and nondescript, I’m hoping to grow as a writer as I continue. I hope you enjoy the story and progress alongside me.

Thank you to Brianna for helping me edit.

Part 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13

#shingeki no kyojin #attack on titan #levi #levi ackerman #fanfic #levi x oc #oc #attack on titan fanfiction #levi ackerman x oc #furlan church #isabel magnolia #alana frey

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financenfreelance · 3 years

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6 Tough Lessons Learned From Freelancing For 6 Years 💸💜

Here is a list of 6 tough lessons learned from freelancing for 6 years. These are some of the lessons that I had to learn the hard way. Don’t be dumb like I was! Learn from my freelancing mistakes.

💜 6 Lessons Learned from Freelancing

So… I have to let you in on a little secret.

This is probably a shock to no one, but I didn’t exactly hit the ground running when I first started freelancing. When I first started, I had to take several L’s in my beginning stages, and it was tough. Unfortunately, I had to learn it the hard way – through trial by fire.

I sucked at freelancing for a WHILE. There were so many mistakes made that I’m surprised that I stuck with it.. or made any money at all. I got serious about freelancing when I was too broke to move out from a toxic relationship… (story on how I went from broke to $1000 a week here) but for a good while, my freelance side hustle was a flop at BEST.

If you’re a beginner, learn from my mistakes.

Learn from my lessons learned from freelancing. Don’t be stupid like I was! You don’t have to learn the hard way to become a success. Here are 6 tough lessons I’ve learned from 6 years of freelancing.

“A smart man makes a mistake, learns from it, and never makes that mistake again. But a wise man finds a smart man and learns from him how to avoid the mistake altogether.”

Roy H. Williams

Related Article: Advice For Freelance Beginners

💜Lesson #1 – As a freelancer, you are now your own business, NOT an employee

And don’t let anyone treat you as such.

The first lessons learned from freelancing is this. Hear me loud and clear: You’re the boss who is running things now.

Of course, you will have clients to please, and you should go above and beyond on your services for them.

Also, make sure you are open-minded about the categories that require collaboration. Sometimes clients will have specific restrictions, times, and other requests or suggestions. But this my dear, is a business transaction first and foremost.

Be Your Own Boss

You are the one who dictates your schedule, your pay, and your limitations (more on that later.) The on who decides your working conditions is YOU. They are not hiring you as an employee and you are not at their beg and call.

“At the end of the day, I’m the biggest boss. I’m self-made.”

– Rick Ross

Last but not least, as a business, make sure you set yourself up for success. Be sure to check out: How to Set Goals for Your Freelancing Business as well.

💜Freelance Lesson #2 – Some work isn’t worth the money

The next tough lesson learned from freelancing is this:

Do not work with problematic people.

The word “NO” will become your biggest ally when your freelance career gets going. Trust me, some work is not worth the money.

Sometimes, this will take some trial and error before you get the hang of it, but I realized that the clients that I REFUSED define me just as much as the clients I took on.

Freelance Client Red Flags

If you see any of these red flags, consider turning down this client:

Client is nit-picking constantly and unreasonably

Your client is trying to lower your rate

They are unprofessional, dismissive

Client goes long periods of time without responding to you or paying you

The client is overly critical, hot headed, or just plain mean

Client and you just don’t mesh well

They withhold payment from you or they are a hassle to collect payment from

You feel uncomfortable IN ANY WAY talking to this client.

Avoid Stressful Clients Like the Plague

If you feel like this client is going to be trouble in any way… DON’T DO IT.

I have gained so much peace of of mind by firing and rejecting problematic customers. Time is money, so don’t spend valuable time on stress.

Choose to work with people who you have a good rapport, who are polite, and who has mutual respect with you. Having “no client” is actually 100 times better than having a bad one.

“When two people talk with mutual respect and listen with a real interest in understanding another point of view, when they try to put themselves in the place of another, to get inside their skin, they change the world, even if it is only by a minute amount, because they are establishing equality between two human beings.”

– Theodore Zeldin

💜Lesson #3 -SERIOUSLY- The ability to say no is a BLESSING

Another serious lesson learned from freelancing was this: I am not going to be able to be everything to everybody.

This is why you have a unique specialty and skillset. Both you and your client will have a better experience if you are able to set boundaries from the beginning.

Back Away From The Money!

I know it sounds crazy to turn down the money, but like I’ve said before, some money just isn’t worth it. Some jobs will cost you more in the long run than they are worth. Let me give you an example.

When I first was starting out as a graphic designer, even though I had narrowed a specialty, people asked me for all kinds of things. These requests ranged from 3D modeling, video editing, and logo designs, even though I was more of a print designer.

One of my biggest mistakes

One of my biggest mistakes was taking on a video editing project. I had very little experience with video, but I had built a relationship with a client and I didn’t want to turn down an opportunity when I desperately needed the money. My lack of experience should have been my first clue not to take it. The second clue should have been that this was a rush project, and I would be burning myself out to get this thing done. I needed a miracle, but all I had was elbow grease and a stubborn will.

I sleeplessly worked on the project for 12 hours, and it looked like crap. Stupid decisions were made- I was an idiot because had only billed the client for 4 hours. I ended up wasting time, money, and effort on a project that was not meant for me. Not to mention… with such a terrible video, I never heard from that client again—not even for graphic work.

Make sure you draw lines in the sand when possible. If a project isn’t right for you, send your client elsewhere. Manage your client’s expectations as well as your own. Don’t take on any work that you are not qualified for. Trust me.

💜 Freelance Lesson #4 – “That’ll cost you extra.”

I highly recommend that you become acquainted with “That’ll cost you extra.”

From the creators of “No”.

This phrase should be within an arm’s reach for when your client requests anything “beyond”.

Anything that is an emergency will cost you extra. Rush? That’ll cost you extra. Can we just add another… EXTRA. Make sure you have the proper upcharges in mind for any additions that may happen. Don’t be afraid to speak up for yourself and your business.

If you have a client that respects your time and you as a business, they will have no problems paying a fee if it is truly necessary. If not.. not to be rude, but it’s not your problem.

Tough Lesson Learned From Freelancing: Don’t Let It Slide

Trust me, do not think you are being nice by letting something slide once or twice for free. You will be hurting yourself in the long run, because that client will take advantage of your kindness. This will add extra stress to your job and could cause you to resent your clients.

I would also recommend that newbies check out this article for more tips: Freelancing Tips For Beginners: What I Learned My First Year

💜Lesson #5 – A good third of your time will be spent outside of your craft

Like we’ve discussed earlier, as a freelancer you are now the holder of your very own business.

This leads us to the next lesson learned from freelancing.

You will need to make sure that you stay on top of your day to day tasks. These tasks will include keeping track of your income and expenses, planning out your taxes, dealing with your client’s Human Resources Department or Payroll company, and countless other things.

Client communication will also take quite a bit of your time. You will need to make sure you are landing clients, communicating on project status, and keeping up work quotes and invoices. You will also have to stay on top of who has paid you and who hasn’t.

Lesson Learned From Freelancing: Bill for Admin Work

Make sure that you pad this business minutia into your pricing structure, so that you are still getting paid for this time.

Although this sounds stressful, it’s still worth it. The financial freedom that freelancing has allowed me has been invaluable. In addition, getting to make money doing a job that I love really overruled the minutia of business.

Adulting will sneak in through the cracks in all forms, so just make sure to stay on top of it.

💜Freelance Lesson #6 – Be Honest and Own Up to Problems

The final lesson is an important one, and it ties into some things that we’ve already discussed. Make sure you are honest with yourself and your clients.

This goes along with setting boundaries, being able to say no, refusing work that are outside of your scope, and knowing your worth. Be truthful, upfront, and forthcoming, and you will be successful at freelancing.

Not only will you manage realistic expectations for you clients, but you are prioritizing your own wellbeing. Never, ever over-promise and under-deliver.

When Problems Arise

Sometimes, the issue is a miscommunication, or sometimes it’s more serious. Bring things to your client’s attention as soon as it’s a roadblock for you.

The worst time to tell them is when a project is due tomorrow. Work together on these issues to make sure both you and your client is happy. Hey, customers are human too who f up just like the rest of us.

The good ones tend to be understanding as long as you are reasonable!

“I’m not perfect; I make mistakes all the time. All I can do is to try my best to learn from my mistakes, take responsibility for them, and do a better job tomorrow.”

– Lana

💜What It All Boils Down To:

When I first started freelancing, I was kind of a pushover. I let things slide, let people try to control me, and let them walk all over me.

Not anymore.

Throughout my career, I’ve learned to create boundaries and draw lines in the sand like I never have before in my life.

I learned how to speak up for myself and be an advocate for myself and my business, all while gaining respect from my clients and looking stunning in the process.

That is what being a boss is all about.

“Really, every day is the perfect day to boss up. Every day that you wake up is a perfect day to boss up. It’s all about continuing to put one foot in front of the next. That’s what it’s about. Whatever you think you’re going through, just put one foot in front of the next.”

– Rick Ross

Are you a newbie at freelancing? Check out The Ultimate Freelance Guide for Beginners

#freelance #freelancing #online business #make money 2021 #make money online #make money from home

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lilfellasblog · 5 years

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Lights Out

Summary: Logan's job consisted of many important things critical to Thomas' life. There was no room for error. He cannot make mistakes.

Until he makes a big one.

A/N: If you liked this, please reblog. It is the only way to help this fic reach a wider audience. This is a Tumblr ask! Thank you to the anonymous asker who waited patiently for me to write this, and then continued to be patient because I was trying out the queuing thing on Tumblr and accidentally made it so this posted here the next day. WHOOPS!! Sorry anon! You’re amazing and so kind and I REALLY hope you enjoy this fic!! I decided that since Virgil is usually the one getting hurt and needing comfort in these fics (esp in mine LOL), I wanted to switch it up for you so you could have something unique! And I figured that the central conflict in this story would also make it a little more unique for you! I hope you enjoy!

TW: crying, insecurity, self-doubt, negative self-talk, power going out and being left in the dark, mention of panic attacks, very vague allusion to a probably unsympathetic Deceit. If I missed any let me know!

Word count: 1864

AO3 here!

Fic Masterlist here!

Logan was hunched over his desk, in a posture admittedly not the healthiest but he could hardly be bothered. Thomas had three projects with outside channels and he had to update his Sanders Sides web series soon, even with the deal with Marvel. That, on top of meetings with his company, planning a video schedule for the second channel, and managing household necessities and bills, and one might find Logan rather frazzled.

(Thankfully, Patton had helped take over grocery shopping, meal planning, and cooking, only corresponding with Logan on the budget. It was one less thing Logan had to worry about.)

His forehead and back were tense, his eyes were terribly dry, and his mind was racing. His hands were shaking as he jumped from one task to the other, adrenaline flooding his system. Normally, he wouldn’t get to this point. However, with how scheduling with his company and outside individuals and companies for meeting and filming had gone, he’d been on high alert for almost two weeks now. Logan desperately hoped that the schedule would come together and Thomas would get a small break from filming and meetings; he’s seen the strain it’s taken on his Host and on the other core Sides, and they were running ragged as well.

Logan checked over the schedule Adri had sent them and compared that against the rest of the crew’s schedule.

Yes! Finally! This can work, I just need to mark this down and-

Suddenly, panic sweeps through the mindscape along with shock. Logan quickly rose up into Thomas’ realm to see… nothing. It was completely dark. As his eyes slowly adjusted, he heard Virgil rattling off possibilities that would inevitably end in their demise, Roman declaring he’ll slay any intruder that dares threaten them while offering to serenade everyone, Thomas trying to calm him and Roman down while he looked on his phone to see what was going on, and Patton tripping over things in the dark while he tried to comfort Virgil.

Logan was frozen stock still, realizing instantly what had happened.

I forgot to have Thomas pay his electric bill. The website was taking too long to load, so we were going to work on it another time when the website wasn’t so slow. This is my fault. They are upset and panicking because I have failed in organizing Thomas.

His heart shattered as he listened to Patton lead Virgil through breathing exercises.

I have caused my boyfriend unnecessary distress due to my incompetence. Such a simple oversight on my part. A foolish oversight. One that would not have happened were it another Side.

Roman was checking the perimeter of the apartment for intruders, hand on his sword while he sang Make a Man Out of You under his breath. Normally, he’d be belting out songs at the top of his lungs, which only went to show his level of distress. Thomas was realizing what had happened and looked at Logan, with only the light from his cell phone screen to see.

Thomas, Virgil, Patton, and Roman deserve a better Logic. I am clearly incapable of managing the simplest things, and now we have had our power turned off. Food will begin to rot, and we just went grocery shopping. This has impacted the budget. The increased stress of not having electronics will be incredible, and the lack of air conditioning in the Florida summer may cause health concerns. This is my fault, and my fault alone. I am incompetent.

Logan sank out to his room to figure out how to survive until the power came back on. He didn’t hear Virgil calling his name.

/////

Logan had been staring at his desk morosely for a half hour, shoulders hitching and silent tears dripping down his stoic face as he observed the chaos his desk had become.

I cannot manage Thomas’ schedule. I cannot manage his bills. I cannot manage his household needs. I cannot focus to even begin to help Thomas manage while the power is out. What good am I? I am no good. I am useless. A useless, dysfunctional Side who only makes Thomas’ life more difficult. I make him unhappy. I make the others unhappy.

Logan’s felt his chest tighten and a painful lump form in his throat. His face began to crumple despite his best efforts. Just then, several tentative knocks sounded at his door.

“Come in Virgil,” he called, managing to keep his voice mostly calm.

Virgil opened the door and walked in slowly, assessing the situation. He knew Logan rarely got this upset over something, and to tread carefully.

“How’d you know it was me?” he asked lightly.

“Your knocks are tentative, compelled by your concern to make sure you’re not interrupting someone. Regardless of how upset you may be or your level of need, your first concern is always the convenience of others. It is admirable to a point, though foolish after that point.”

Virgil huffed out a laugh. “Thanks L.”

“You are welcome.”

Virgil’s face softened at Logan’s factual response and his complete overlook of sarcasm. That was always one thing that could calm Virgil; Logan wouldn’t keep anything from Virgil or misunderstand something he said. Logan took what Virgil said at face value and spoke to him in a direct manner. There was no guessing his intent or the “true” meaning of his words, no chance to get it wrong, no chance to accidentally upset him because he didn’t read between the lines correctly…

Virgil shook his head to clear those thoughts from his mind. There was no use dwelling on the past, and it wouldn’t help Logan now.

He cautiously walked closer to Logan. “I saw how fast you got out of there. Couldn’t see your face too well though. How are you holding up?”

“My spinal column is intact.”

“That’s not exactly what I meant.”

“I know, I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. Talk to me babe.”

Virgil patiently stood next to Logan in silence for several minutes, letting Logan gather himself and his thoughts, breath still hitching with the occasional sniffle. Emotions did not come easily to Logan, so processing them and figuring out how to express them were two challenges that required his full attention without interruption. And as much as Virgil wanted to comfort his boyfriend already, if Logan felt he didn’t express his feelings properly or felt that something was unresolved, there would be no making him feel better.

Finally, just as Virgil’s anxiety began to grow, Logan spoke.

“My job encompasses many things. I am the language center of Thomas’ brain, I manage his work schedules, and I assist in the management of household chores. Notably, this includes ensuring bills are paid on time.”

Logan paused, and Virgil didn’t dare say a thing.

“If Thomas had a more functional Logic, he would not have forgotten to pay his electricity bill. We were in the process of paying it, but I decided that the website was taking too long, and therefore we would return to the task at another time. Not only did I fail to notate that in our budget, I also failed to set a reminder to check the website at a later date, and I did not remember to ensure we paid our bill.”

Logan’s voice began to wobble as he stiffened his back, attempting to control his expression. “As a result, Thomas’ health may be at risk, we may have to throw out food, which will impact our budget, there will be a late payment and reconnection fee which will also impact our budget, there is increased stress on all of you, you nearly had a panic attack, Thomas will have to work exclusively at the office, and his sleep will be disrupted.”

Logan choked back a sob, his voice coming out thick. Virgil felt his face growing hot and pressure building behind his eyes, threatening to make him cry. “I am an incompetent, useless, harmful Side. I do not perform my job adequately, and as a result you all now must suffer for it and attempt to successfully think of how to survive until power can be restored.”

Virgil waited a moment to see if Logan would continue, audible sobs choking off in Logan’s throat. When Logan didn’t continue, Virgil put a hand on the back of Logan’s chair.

“Can I give you a hug Lo?”

Logan sniffled and nodded as a sob finally escaped him. Virgil pulled Logan up out of his chair and had to catch his intellectual boyfriend as he collapsed into Virgil’s chest. Logan was letting out heart-wrenching sobs, self-hatred and grief echoing around the minimalist room. Virgil held onto Logan tightly, rubbing his back and swaying them, his own tears flowing down his face at hearing his boyfriend so anguished. They stood there for 10 minutes, until Logan’s sobs began to peter off.

The genius pulled back slightly. “M-my apologies, I did not mean-”

“If you apologize for needing to cry, I am going to physically fight you!”

Logan let out a watery laugh, which mended some of the cracks in Virgil’s heart. Virgil wiped away his own tear tracks, then reached up and gently swiped his thumb over his lover’s sharp features before returning his hands to Logan’s shoulders.

“Babe, how many times have you helped me come down from a panic attack?” Virgil asked rhetorically.

“Since I’ve known you, 867 times.”

Virgil was stunned into silence for a moment. “...holy shit. Okay, and how many times have you helped redirect the three of us so we could actually be useful for Thomas?”

Logan smiled wryly. “I believe that number is beyond my reach.”

“Smartass. How many times have you helped Roman refine a script?”

Logan frowned and tilted his head. “I’ve done so for every script, you know this.”

“I know. And how many times have you helped Patton work through and accept his feelings?”

Logan hummed in thought. “309 times.”

“Logan, we’ve all fucked up on our jobs and needed your help. You’ve managed to carry that, plus your own responsibilities, really fucking well. You’re allowed to fuck up every now and then. Let us help you for once. Please.”

Logan sighed in defeat, unable to resist the pleading look in Virgil’s eyes. “Very well.”

“Hey, L.”

“Yes, darling?”

Virgil stepped closer to Logan, their chests nearly touching. “You do so much for us. One mistake doesn’t make you a failure. It makes you human. And no one's mad at you. Not Thomas, not Roman, not Patton, not me.”

“Technically, I am a metaphysical human.”

“It makes you a metaphysical human. Come on, you’ve been working yourself to death lately. Let me take care of you for once. How does a back massage, some tea, and some cuddles sound?”

Logan smiled softly at Virgil, the smile meant only for his boyfriend. “I would love nothing more than to spend this evening with you.”

Virgil smiled back and kissed Logan, slow and sweet. He didn’t stop until he felt some of the tension melt from his boyfriend’s shoulders. And he didn’t stop taking care of Logan that night until he was asleep, fully relaxed, on Virgil’s chest.

#sanders sides #analogical #logan sanders #virgil sanders #fanfic #thomas sanders #roman sanders #patton sanders #deceit sanders #unsympathetic deceit #tw deceit #crying #kissing #fic #fanfiction

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messybunny369 · 4 years

Note

If you write good eprocto.. please, I'm begging you to write a TaeKook scenario in a fucking library! Like.. if Jungkook has an upset stomach from eating bad noodles or some shit, and he has a big fat crush on Taehyung.. like.. holy fucking shit would I appreciate that. I am in the mood for some spicy eprocto if that makes sense?? Like.. hot eprocto if you wouldn't mind 🐰

The hall was large, bookshelves occupying every inch of wall space as the soft hum of the air conditioning was the only sound to grace the area. Students had spilled into the silent library since the opening of its doors, ready to cram for the oncoming exam. It was always at times like these that Jeongguk found himself stressing the most. He'd been visiting the library pretty often, lately; the young boy that had volunteered to keep the books sorted was practically Jeongguk's very reason to even study at all. The boy was in Jeongguk's year, and was around his height. His hair was soft and dyed a gentle blonde; complimentary to his glistening eyes and bright, boxy smile. Jeongguk loved seeing him.. loved how his heart fluttered every time they spoke.. but today really wasn't his day. He'd initially rushed over; only having time to grab a coffee and wolf down a noodle pot. His coffee was placed on the table besides him, but the noodles seemed to be disagreeing with him already; his stomach was feeling particularly uneasy, and it was getting harder and harder to concentrate as time went on. His foot was tapping against the carpeted flooring as he read over his notes, occasionally sipping at his coffee. Absent-mindedly, he'd found himself chewing upon his lower lip; a nervous habit. The boy ㅡ Taehyung ㅡ was ordering the books into the alphabetical order of which they were supposed to go in by name of the author. Currently, as he had only just started for the day, he was on the A Section, and was glancing around as he did so, just placing Adré Aciman's Call Me By Your Name up on the shelf. Upon feeling someone's gaze along his back, Jeongguk flicked his line of sight behind himself, just to see who it was. His face flushed when he caught sight of the boy, but he made sure to flash him a polite grin before resuming his work. Smiling softly, the older boy continued to sort the books, brushing his hair from his eyes when needed. Usually, the quiet nature of the library would bring Jeongguk peace of mind, but right now it only brought him a crippling sense of anxiety that brought him to down the rest of his coffee as though it wasn't still hot. His stomach was beginning to cramp, but he figured that if he didn't think about it, then maybe his digestive system would be nice to him. He couldn't be any more wrong. Around half an hour had gone by in the time it took him to write down the information of which he'd be needing for the first area of biology; what amniotic fluid is and what it is used for ㅡ the benefits of regular childbirth, and the cons of a dry birth. He looked down at his few large paragraphs, resting his chin against his palm. His breathing had evened out a little, but he near jumped out of his skin when the deafening silence had been torn apart by the loud churning that decided to bubble throughout his intestines. Immediately panicking, he clamped a hand to his swollen gut and resumed his work, cheeks flushing a pretty crimson. Inevitably, a few surrounding students had glanced around at the sudden loud noise; there was no way that they didn't hear, Taehyung included. Said man was down to the D Section and had flicked his gaze towards a certain boy, assuming he must've been hungry. He exhaled in a sympathetic manner before placing another book up on the shelf. By now, Jeongguk's knee was bouncing restlessly; stomach tightening and relaxing.. tightening and relaxing over and over. Sharp cramps were taking hold of his body, and he'd broken into a light sweat. He hoped to God that Taehyung didn't come over right now; he was sat near the F Section, and the boy seemed so, so close. Often times, the two stopped for a quiet chat whilst Taehyung worked. Just when Jeongguk thought that the worst of his issues were over, his bowels clenched in the form of a loud, airy groan. He froze in place as this continued on in waves of watery gurgles; gas welling up inside of him. His face was beet-red as he kept his head down, trying to act nonchalantly as he scribbled down his work with trembling hands. Brow creased, Taehyung glanced over once more. Spotting that Jeongguk's disposable cup was empty, he took it upon himself to wander over and pick it up for him, whispering as he'd taken the opportunity "Do you need me to go get you another coffee? Or are you okay?" The younger of the two jolted in his place, heart pounding as he nearly fell off of his chair. He looked up, wiping his palms against his thighs before whispering his response "I-I'm okay.. b-but thank you." "You sure?" Taehyung stooped by the table "Cuz I'm about to stop by the café upstairs, anyway.. it wouldn't be a problem, and if you need me to, I could pick up a snack or something; I assume you'll be here a while?" Seeing how the blonde had gestured towards his work, Jeongguk let out a silent chuckle "I, um... yeah, probably.. b-but it's okay; I'm r-really not too hungry, either, so.." "How come?" What was he supposed to say to that? Jeongguk was bunged up with gas, and why wasn't he hungry? As if on cue, his sore belly growled roughly. Politely, the boy shook his head "I-I, uhh.. had something on the way." Cocking his brow at that, Taehyung didn't acknowledge the bodily function, for he was starting to gather some sort of understanding upon the situation, but rather commented "What happened to your handwriting, there? It was all neat, but then it went all over the place." Jeongguk only shrugged, feeling as though he was about to combust. "Funny," The older grinned, standing before taking the other boy's cardboard cup "well, see you." "S-See you." Nodding in acknowledgement, Taehyung began to quietly make his way out of the library and up the facility's stairs. On the way, he chucked Jeongguk's cup into the recycling and made way to fetch himself a bottle of water. Once he did so and paid the small fee, he returned to the library, only to find Jeongguk clutching his churning stomach beneath the table. A wave of anxiety flooded his senses; was Jeongguk okay? Did he need assistance? What had happened for him to be like this? He figured the boy would want a spot of privacy, and so swiftly approached, gently putting his hands to the younger's shoulders "Jeongguk.. Jeongguk, look at me.." But Jeongguk didn't want to.. didn't want to face Taehyung like this; it was humiliating. He needed to let this out; the gas was inflating him like a balloon and he felt as though he was about to pop. He leant over, head against the desk as he clenched his jaw against the pain; bowels gurgling in ominous warning. Insides tingling in anticipation, Taehyung could feel everyone looking to them. He stood and brought Jeongguk with him, dragging the boy out and to the bathrooms. Once the door had shut, no one would be able to hear what went on inside; it was a library after all, so the walls had been soundproofed. The younger of the two squealed as he hunched over one of the sinks. He could hardly move, clenching with all of his strength as his insides protested angrily. "Jeongguk..." "L-Leave!" He couldn't bear the humiliation as he scrunched his eyes shut, lashes dampening. He couldn't hold back for much longer, entrance fluttering in preparation. With gritted teeth, he groaned with the agony that came with holding everything in. "I can help you if you'd let me.." Taehyung meant well as he approached "would you..?"

Jeongguk didn't say anything as the older wrapped his arms around his waist, large hands tentatively running along his lower stomach. "Will you let me..?" Hesitating, a whine had been caught within Jeongguk's throat. He nodded slowly, stomach gurgling lowly. "Must really hurt..." Taehyung spoke softly as he pressed against the hard swell, bringing obnoxious wails and rough growls to reverberate against his palm. As the younger's breath had hitched within his throat, standing frigid, Taehyung pressed a little harder, bringing the boy to cry out. His back had arched upon impact, jaw falling lax as he failed to prevent the hot, bubbling bout of gas that was torn from his insides. He wanted to apologise; the odour was heavy and reeking, but his stomach was tingling with something other than those noodles from earlier. "That's it.." The older encouraged as he continued his ministrations "let it out.. let it all out..." "T-Taehyungie!ㅡ" Jeongguk squealed, gut wrenching and twisting in pain before yet another rippling fart ejected by his entrance "Fuck!ㅡ" "You're okay.." Taehyung assured him. The man had a kink, but he would never tell that to someone like Jeongguk.. someone so special to him. The boy didn't even know of the feelings he held for him, and Taehyung felt that if he was to know, he'd ruin any chances of getting with him. But Jeongguk was shamefully hard. With a feeble whimper, he hoped to God that Taehyung wouldn't notice. His bowels groaned roughly as he tried to lean over once more. Carefully holding the younger by the waist, Taehyung panicked as Jeongguk had done so; his plump ass pressing up and against his crotch. He urged himself to breathe, but the scent that penetrated his olfactory system only served as a constant reminder of the situation he was in. "S-Sorryㅡ ah!ㅡ" The younger moaned out, clutching at the sinks as his breathing became heavier. "Don't be," Taehyung cooed, softly pulling him closer so that he could smooth his palm over the boy's aggressively curdling stomach "you're okay.." "N-Ngh!ㅡ" Jeongguk gasped as a loud, brash projection of gas practically erupted from his clenching hole "S-Sorry, hyung!ㅡ" As a flourish of heat washed over his body, Taehyung swallowed thickly. He could feel his blood running south, but tried to fight against it in a futile attempt. He softly hushed the younger, reassuringly running his hand along his bloated belly. Sucking in a harsh breath, Jeongguk wrenched his eyes shut once more. Trying to keep his groin from coming into contact with the younger boy, Taehyung was careful when keeping him from leaning against one of the taps. His member was straining against the restrictive material of his trousers as his crotch was warmed by yet another hot and wet, bubbling fart. His cock twitched at that, and he had to bite back a groan as he inhaled the thick, thick scent. Jeongguk had began to mutter obscenities beneath his breath. His mind hazy, he couldn't tell whether it was the arousal that made him act the way he did, or simply the fact that he wasn't thinking straight. As his bowels clenched once more, he pressed himself up and against the older man, surprised to find him so hard. "J-Jeongguk..." Taehyung started, face flushing as a numbing wave of adrenaline deepwashed his senses; it felt as though he'd been plunged into a tank of cold water "I-I can explainㅡ" "You think you're sick?" Jeongguk groaned against his churning belly "You wanna see sick?" Arousal began to fog Taehyung's mind as he paused, only to abruptly pull Jeongguk closer; one hand keeping to the swollen dome of his stomach, and the other held firmly over his mouth. The man's voice lowered an octave; deep baritone rumbling within the back of his throat "Show me just how sick you can be.." With a feeble whimper, the boy let loose upon a wet, airy fart that left his asshole burning. It reeked, but he only pressed himself further against the man behind him. A series of shorter, more brash bouts of gas followed. With the deep groans of the older man, Jeongguk had discreetly come to unbutton his own trousers and pull the zipper down before allowing his hardened cock to finally spring free; he really couldn't help himself what with the way he grasped it tightly, feeling the weight of it within his palm as it throbbed and throbbed. "I can help with that.." Taehyung spoke lowly as he slowly moved the hand from over the younger's mouth and down towards his groin. He began to press into the flesh of Jeongguk's taut stomach, and replaced Jeongguk's hand with his own. The younger tensed, mewling as his gut roared aloud. He could feel the gas inside of him welling up against his puckering asshole, and his hips had involuntarily bucked upwards against the anticipation. Squeezing at the shaft, Taehyung began to drag his hand along the younger's girth. He trailed many succulent veins and dragged the foreskin back with each fall, making sure to flick his wrist with each rise. Occasionally, he'd thumb at the boy's slit, cooing as it was already drenched in precum "Do you always get so wet, baby? Or is this just for me, hm?" "A-Ah!ㅡ" Jeongguk's body convulsed as a sharp heat jabbed at his crotch, cracking down his spine. He was so, so hot for Taehyung. "Answer me, baby.."

"I-Iㅡ oh god!ㅡ" The younger didn't even need to push as the loudest, heaviest fart pushed by his entrance. Not only did it ripple or bubble, but it was practically torn from the boy as the sound echoed against the walls, bringing with it the lingering scent of a bad diet. Jeongguk could've came from that alone, for he had to squeeze against himself so as not to. "Fuck.." Taehyung cursed as he sped up his movements, resting his face within the crook of the younger's neck. He couldn't help himself, and decided to grind up and against Jeongguk's hot ass. The thick odour was surrounding them both, and Taehyung had found himself suckling at the tender skin of the boy's exposed neck. At that, Jeongguk squealed. Sparks of excitement were shooting throughout his body, and the only thing he could feel was warmth ㅡ warmth and pleasure. An obnoxious gurgle seemed to twist itself around his bowels, wet and squelching as he found himself clenching once more. This followed on with a strained groan before Jeongguk found himself gasping aloud. The hot gas slipped by his entrance in short, wet bursts. Allowing his jaw to go lax, the boy shamelessly moaned aloud, tipping his head back as he allowed his eyes to briefly flutter shut. The relief felt so, so good, and his senses were flooded with an overwhelming sense of felicity. "So fucking dirty.." Taehyung whispered lowly as he kept at the movement of his wrist "do you like being dirty for your hyung? Like being dirty for me?" "Y-Yes, hyung!" Jeongguk squeaked, body tensing "L-Like being dirty for my hyungㅡ" "So fucking dirty for your hyung.." Taehyung growled, deep baritone rumbling within the back of his throat as he pumped at Jeongguk's cock with swift fervour. "Nghㅡ hah!" The younger squealed; at this rate, he was going to cum embarrassingly fast. In being held so close to the older, the boy was unable to move himself as his body began to convulse. Sharp breaths were tumbling by his parted lips as his stomach tightened into a knot "H-Hyung!ㅡ" "Gonna cum?" Taehyung mocked, swiftening his pace once more "But the fun's only just started.." "I-I can'tㅡ" The boy yelped "c-can't hold it!ㅡ" "Cum for me.. cum for me, baby." With a guttural cry, Jeongguk's back arched back like a bow. With sweet, sultry sounds escaping his rosy lips, the boy was seeing stars as he climaxed, ultimately spilling atop the older's hand. "Fuck.." Taehyung grunted, pumping him slowly in order to allow him to ride out his high, gaining sharp whimpers in response. The boy was breathing heavily, leaning against the sinks once more as he caught his breath. His mind was hazy, and his vision unfocused, but that didn't stop him from turning around to glance down and towards the straining bulge within the older's trousers. With a coy grin, he spoke "Your turn."

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noreachspeak · 6 years

Video

youtube

If you haven’t read emisonme’s blog concerning “camatthew” or whatever that PR rubber blow-up raft’s name it is, go check out that out first. I posted this “how to stage kiss” for people, just to understand “staging” in general. Thankfully, C and M didn’t serve us any lips, so most likely those lips never touched. Now, I’m an artist, writer, transpersonal psychologist (soon to graduate), and a filmmaker. This video is not mine, but it is one example of the many different ways to stage a kiss. I already talked about Camila’s pic with Michael Hussey, one beard for one beard, meaning they both need beards. I also noticed the angle of M’s sunglasses which do not match the position of his mouth on hers. Michael who is now 30 and is not with anybody...well, that’s just bad for business, right? I mean, you wouldn’t seek out financial help from someone who is broke. I actually wonder if there fees cancel each other out. Taylor paid for her first beard, until she got smart and got paid to be a beard for men who needed to appear straight or simply to not look single. In the Philippines, if you’re 30 and single, three things usually happen: 1) everyone just assumes you are gay. For a country that does not have equality in human rights, it’s the most gay friendly country in the far east. (I’ll post a piece I did on that later) 2) people speculate that perhaps something is wrong with you, and they may give you advice or send you to a great hairstylist they know...but this speculation usually ends up back to number one or goes to the next option: 3) everybody begins to suggest people for you to meet or invites another single person...basically, everybody plays cupid...and yes, they’ll do it even if you are gay! Now, while I think this PR move was a bit too soon, I think the people who are out there burning her album, are doing so, not so much out of hate, but out of frustration and disappointment. Plus, like I’ve said in previous places like on YT and here, the whole thing is laughable, but we also ought to understand that the society we live in, is perhaps not the same for other people in other places/countries. What I’m trying to say is that in some places in America even though we have marriage equality, we still have a lot of homophobia, so it is not easy even here...you may live in a blue state, but maybe you live in a very strict Catholic household, or another religion. emisonme says for us to, ‘get over [ourselves] and stop being selfish’---and yeah, I can stand by that, but I do think it is sad. Sad because she told us about the freedom of being in control...and that gave many people a lot of hope. When she used the pink triangle in the form of a “glass closet” and how she says she is very detail oriented, that the look of everything has to be just so, we know that with all of the restrictions put on her, she still manages to “come out” with her music, with her performances, with her merch, with her cover art, with her music video, with nearly every interview....plus every camren vid out there, we already know. In case you don’t know about the “glass closet” this article is great: https://www.out.com/entertainment/2008/09/22/glass-closet Not every gay person in this world can openly express their queerness. In some countries, it is criminal and punishable. This is where I think it gets complicated. Here’s the thing, many celebrities have lived in this “glass closet”. C hasn’t yet to act straight in the last 6 years...exceptions include when she lied about “the boy who took her to watch a scary movie” and when both C & L pretended to be straight and just ended up overacting with C exclaiming, “there were so many hot boys today!” to which Captain Dinah looks strangely up at her as if to say, “wtf...bruh” then Lauren chimes in with, “oh my gurd” in an exaggerated yet boredom filled way in agreement with Camila...so funny...I know you guys have seen it! But it is what it is and now we know she only has control of certain things like her music, her indirects. Please remember that not too long ago, on the anniversary of the day C and L met, everyone across the globe said Happy Anniversary, not to be confused with the day 5H were formed as a group, mind you--she posts a pic of herself, most likely in Jamaica with Lauren with the caption “the loving” and that speaks volumes. To put things in perspective, would Camila ever risk disrespecting the Pink Triangle? ....the one half of two triangles that form the Star of David? wherein the color designated their crime (pink=homosexual)? and those with that symbol remained in prison, even after the war was over? No. She would NEVER. Perhaps because despite every limitation, she was able to maneuver inside this “blender” aka the cutthroat music industry, living her “telenova” life while behind the scenes, most likely Camren is very real in private. Let’s respect that for now, let’s stay calm, let’s ONLY observe and enjoy the music. Let’s promote the music. Anyone sending death threats to M is a shipper who does not deserve C’s attention nor is welcome within the majority of the CSs who quietly observe and respect her and LAND, so if you are reading this, leave him alone. Please know that at least he was chosen to show the general public her “professional” persona while simultaneously saving his counseling business. Please hope for the best for CC and all of the members of Fifth Harmony. Peace and love to you all. Salamat!

#lgbtq #chely wright #camren #nermac #gaylor swift #PR #ot5

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kpop-ruined-my-social-life · 7 years

Text

White Satin Sheets | Chapter 1

Pairing: JB/Jaebum X Reader

WC: 2,063

POV: 1st Person

Rating: M? maybe just R?

Contains: A bit of smut at the end that has light scratching, light hair pulling, its at the end and only a paragraph.

Other Chapters:

Preview

AU: Play boy!Jaebum, Spoiled rich boy!Jaebum, Student!Reader, Heir!Jaebum, and arranged marriage AU.

Summary: Jaebum, a spoiled play boy supported by daddy’s money who is supposed to be the soul heir to the fortune, but the only way he can get it is if he gets married before a certain age AND he makes it last more than a year with someone that fits his families qualifications, so naturally, he pays for someone to marry him.

“Ms. Y/L, you do understand that if you sign this you are subject to public relations with my client as well as PDA in front of his parents and marriage.” He said before pushing the papers to me, “You will also have to act the part that is in the contract as well as the part of a loving wife once you are married.” He says and I nod slowly as I stare at the papers.

“You won’t be able to back out once you sign them, if you decide to you must decide by the date printed on the 8th page second sentence, if you try to after you will have to pay a compensation fee of $500,000 per month you are together.” He says and I nod again as he takes out the pen. “You will be provided with housing, clothing, food, etc. while under the contract, you are also subject to him picking how you act and what you wear if you go to his parent’s estate.” He said as he looked at the pen.

“However, you can not make any public statements about being involved with Mr. Im unless he looks over and confirms what you wish to say.” He stressed the word however and glanced up at me. “Signing this means you will have to agree to all of these things, but remember what you are truly getting from this okay Ms. Y/L?” He says and he took off the pen cap and twirled it in his fingers before handing it to me.

“And what exactly is that Mr. Song?” I asked quietly and I glanced at him, he smirked a bit as he looked down and scoffed. “All of the years of university you wish will be paid for, housing, clothing, food, etc. it even says if you would like to get an allowance to send to your parents you may.” He states bit annoyed and I nod slowly and I look at the pen as I flip to the first signature page.

“Ms. Y/L-” He started before getting cut off. “Just sign the damn papers.” Jaebum scoffed from the seat next to his lawyer. I looked at him before rolling my eyes slightly before I tested the pen on the notepad next to the official papers and I quickly signed the first page before going through all of the pages and signing them one by one. After the lawyer grabbed the stack of papers and quickly put them into an envelope and into his suitcase.

“Well Ms. Y/- ah sorry,” He cleared his throat and smiled at me, “Mrs. Im. I suggest you pack your things by Monday because the movers will be by to take your things and your self to Mr. Im’s estate.” He smiles before looking at Jaebum.

“Oh, Mr. Im,” He said as he began to leave the meeting room that was far too big for just three people, Jaebum looked at him with half-lidded eyes “Hm?” He hummed as he looked up more and began to stand, “I suggest you begin acting nicer to your wife. Your parents would never believe you were married if you act as childish as you always have.” He smirks before leaving. Jaebum scoffed and laughed as he shook his head and started walking out.

I slowly stood and put the copy of the contract into my bag and put it over my shoulder. I opened the door and my first step out almost caused me to fall as I was pushed back inside. I fell back a bit and I slowly opened my eyes and looked up at whomever had pushed me back inside.

“Shit.” Jaebum said as he shut the door quickly but quietly. I looked up at him with wide eyes, confused. “W-whats going on?” I asked him softly as I stood quickly and fixed my bag as I knelled down just a bit to pick up my phone. “Stay quiet,” He said harshly “move to the other side of the room, we need to leave through that door.” He pointed at the door that was at the other end of the room.

“Why?” I asked him as I looked at him again after making sure my phone wasn’t cracked. “Some of the lawyers under my father and the family lawyers are here. I’m not sure why, but if they see us we’ll both be screwed.” He said as he grabbed my hand and pulled me to the door he had pointed at before.

“The car picking me up is about to leave so I sort of need to go now.” I stressed as I looked at him. He opened the door just enough to see down the hall and he shut it almost right after and sighed as he set down his things and ran his fingers through his hair as he bit his lip. “We can’t leave just yet they’re talking in the middle of the hall.” He sighed as he rubbed the back of his neck.

A few minutes later the car that was picking me up was gone and Jaebum was dragged me around quickly down the stairwell. I winced a bit as he was actually dragging me because of how quickly he was walking. We got into the parking garage and he sighed instantly as he let me go and I looked down as I swallowed and grabbed my wrist.

I followed him to his car and he opened his door and set down his things before getting into the front and turning on the car. I walked to the other side and attempted to open the door and it didn’t open. I looked at it confused before bending to look at him through the car window. He rolled down the window just a bit so he could hear me.

“What?” He stated coldly, “I told you that my car left.” I said and he just stared at me before checking his phone and looking around a bit before clicking his tongue and unlocking the door. I moved into the car and pulled on the seat belt.

“Type in your address.” He said as he pulled up the GPS. I typed it in quickly and he began driving, “Your room at my estate will be ready the day after tomorrow, so make sure your there then.” He says as he turns onto a main street. “Mr. Song said Monday...” I say softly as I furrow my eyebrows. “Well I’m saying the day after tomorrow.” He states coldly again.

I looked down and I grabbed my phone as I texted my room mate to get the cardboard boxes that she said she would get me. I looked at me phone and went through some random apps before looking up things about Mr. Im Jaebum, wondering things that were deeper than the headlines.

Im Jaebum

Date of birth: January 6th, 1994

Im Jaebum, son of the CEO of The Im Company [company branches anywhere from food to dance to chemical engineering] as well as Prosecutor Im. He was first known as an extremely bright child who exceeded at anything he was challenged with, receiving his first degree at 16 (Accounting). The degrees he has received are various and diverse, Accounting, Business, Computer Science, Law, Marketing, Advertisement, and Journalism.

Though he was obviously the star among his siblings, two older brothers, his reputation went down hill at the age of 20. On February 8th, 2014 Im was involved in a cheating scandal with the daughter of the CEO of The S.LO Organization who was at the time arranged to get married just weeks after the articles surfaced. Since Im has had a reputation of a spoiled play boy, and his mother made clear publicly that he would never go near the family business or the family money if he does not get married by a date that only the family was disclosed.

I sighed as I scrolled to the next paragraph but the jerk of the car as it stopped brought my attention back to the area we were in. I looked out of the window and he was parked outside of my apartment building. I slowly put my phone away and opened my door before getting ready to step out. I let one foot hit the ground before looking at him, he was looking straight at the street and tapping his fingers on the wheel.

“Go,” He said a bit annoyed as he gave a motion with his hand, “and remember its the day after tomorrow not Monday.” he sighed as if reminding me was a burden. “Of course.” I said as I turned my head to face out side so I was able to roll my eyes.

The next day and a half was filled with my two roommates helping pack my things and eating instant ramen while sitting on top of card board boxes and laughing with them. I sighed as I walked to the door to answer the knock at the door, two tired to even check who it was. I opened the door and in stepped four men instantly and then one significantly smaller man walking to the door a few seconds later.

“Mrs. Im, we’re here to grab your things. If you don’t mind signing off to confirm we have done so, I would greatly appreciate it.” The smaller man stated and I just nodded as I covered a yawn and I signed quickly. “Mr. Im also sent me to pick you up and wanted me to inform you he will not be at the estate until tomorrow morning, he has some business to attend.”

I nodded and I grabbed my bag as I followed the man out and to the extremely nice car that contrasted terribly with the neighborhood. The man opened the door for me and I stepped into the car, falling asleep almost instantly as he drove to the estate.

I stepped out of the car and stared at the door, a very tall light gray with white detail and a golden I on the knob, before looking at the entire home. I knocked on the door and opened a man in a stereotypical butler’s uniform, him stepping back and bowing almost immediately before I stepped into the house and looked around with wide eyes.

“Hello Mrs. Im, I am Mr. Choi, I am the head butler at Mr. Im’s estate. I will be showing you around today and assigning your maintenance crew and schedule.” He stated and smiled, “Oh, Mr. Choi, please just call me Y/N, it feels a bit uncomfortable to have someone who is older than my self call me Mrs.” I said and he smiled the same way, but his eyes seeming brighter.

I was shown around the giant estate that consisted of three wings with the basement being dedicated to staff headquarters. I sighed as I sat on the edge of my bed before I leaned back, sinking into the pillows and feeling the sheets that were obviously so expensive I would’ve never even seen them in person if I hadn’t taken this opportunity.

I smiled as I looked up at the ceiling before falling asleep.

I grabbed his hair lightly as he kissed my neck and thrust quickly. I moaned loudly and I closed my eyes as I arched my back. I panted as I tried to catch my breath and I pulled him closer before wrapping my legs around his waist. He pulled away and grabbed my waist as he moved to sit up and he started to thrust deeper as he lifted me slightly. I grabbed the sheets and I moaned loudly as I looked down so I could see him before shutting my eyes quickly as I whimpered. I moaned louder as I released and he moved back to nuzzle into my neck as he continued thrusting. I scratched down his back as I moaned his name.

I opened my eyes and looked up at the ceiling confused, why would I dream of him, I don’t actually like him. I shook my head a bit and I sat up and I instantly widened my eyes as someone stood in the door on his phone with a smirk before looking at me.

“We just met and you’re already dreaming of me?” He smirked.

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sportsgeekonomics · 3 years

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A Summary of the 6 Amicus Briefs filed on behalf of the Alston Defendants

Previously, I laid out a summary of the pro-athlete amicus briefs in Alston. At the request of several folks, I reluctantly agreed to summarize the other side’s amici as well. At first it was my goal to be very factual in my presentation of heir argument, but I simply could not do it without a moderate amount of commentary and, at times, snark.

With that trigger warning out of the way, let’s dive in and see what we can learn about why the NCAA (purportedly) should win

Brief of Former Student-Athletes as Amici Curiae In Support Of Petitioners

This amicus brief is more important for who signed it (though not that even this is less clear than at first glance) than what it says. The fact that the NCAA was able to find a dozen or so former athletes including a notable professional football player (Darren McFadden) to sign on to this paean to “the revered tradition of amateurism” made it instantly newsworthy. Only later did it come out that the signatories were maybe not quite so reverent vis-à-vis “amateurism.”

The amici are Melsahn Basabe (Iowa Basketball), Walter Bond (Minnesota Basketball), Morgan Chall (Cornell Gymnastics), Catherine DeSilvester (Augusta Volleyball), Kelly Dopke (Idaho Soccer), María Fassi (Arkansas Golf), Jake R. Gibbons (Texas A&M Swimming) Kate Hall (Georgia Track and Field), Sarana Hyatt (Sacred Heart Track and Field), Alfrie “Tre” Kelley III (South Carolina Basketball), Olivia Lubarsky (Towson Gymnastics), Cody J. McDavis (Northern Colorado Basketball), Darren McFadden (Arkansas Football), Christopher Monroe (George Washington Basketball), Jamie Redman (Yale Rowing), Wallace Spearmon Jr.(Arkansas Track and Field), Kendall Spencer (New Mexico Track and Field), and Kara Winger (Purdue Track and Field).

The content is essentially fearmongering. It’s not that they are explicitly in favor of mandatory pro bono efforts, but rather they fear that “If schools are permitted to offer virtually limitless benefits to recruit and retain top student-athletes, amici fear that future generations of student-athletes may no longer have access to the same opportunities they had—including access to higher education.” That is, they fear schools will ONLY fund non-revenue sports scholarships if they can do it with money that, in a free market, would go to revenue sport athletes. Whether these amici realize it or not, they are essentially admitting the system extracts wealth from elite (mostly black) athletes and hands it out to lots of other folks (often from more privileged backgrounds, though not always) and they think schools won’t use their own money for this if they have to stop taking it from the revenue sport athletes.

The brief pulls a common switcheroo. They start with the premise that “participation in intercollegiate athletics and integration into the university community, student-athletes learn invaluable lessons of self-discipline, leadership, and time management, while gaining access to the school’s network and academic and social opportunities. Unsurprisingly, then, most student-athletes report having a positive academic and social experience and have higher graduation rates than comparable non-athletes” but look carefully and you’ll see none of this hinges on the amateur status of athletes. It’s basically “college sports is good for college athletes” but then they pull the misdirect and conclude that hence the “principle of amateurism is tremendously beneficial to student-athletes.” This conflation, where college sports = good and hence amateurism also good, is essentially the primary theme of the brief.

Another interesting admission of this brief is that these amici firmly believe that if schools were allowed to pay athletes, they would all race each other to pay them more and more – they say that a “a compensation arms race … will inevitably ensue.” As I have written (with co-author Ricky Volante, my boss at the PCL), and as Judge Wilken begrudgingly conceded,[1] as a matter of economics, if schools feel their correct economic move, given the chance, is to pay athletes more, then they must think their fans prefer them to pay their athletes, meaning consumers aren’t turned off by pay above COA. It’s an odd stance to take from amici who also argue that “Fans’ interest may wane. Surveys have consistently found that “[t]he appeal of college athletics is driven by” perceptions that athletes are ‘playing for the love of the sport, teamwork and [not] for pay.’” and who filing in support of an organization that claims to know that consumers do not want to watch fully compensated athletes.

The final argument is essentially a very old one – that money is bad. As they explain “Student-athletes’ educational experiences will also suffer” if they have access to more money. It’s a sort of “these are mere children who cannot make good choices of how to spend their time between sports and school, so let’s deny them one of the incentives to focus on sports”

Brief of Georgia, Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, Montana, North Dakota, South Carolina, and South Dakota As Amici Curiae Supporting Petitioners

I like to refer to this as the brief of five former confederate states and their sparsely populated mountain west allies (none of which were states in 1861 so they did not have to pick sides). Of all the briefs, even compared to the illogical former athletes one, this might be the worst (from my non-lawyerly perspective), though the High School Sports Federations (at the end of this post) may give it a run for its money. Their argument is essentially that because Congress (as well as individual states) are in the process of passing new laws to better define the rights of athletes vis-à-vis the NCAA, the Court should overrule this case because... and then the logic sort of just fails, since Congress would have the final say anyway, and until SCOTUS took this case, Congress was working on the assumption the Alston case would stand.

The other argument they make is because the NCAA rules are harming college athletes (i.e., they are working in their role of preventing schools from paying athletes more than they do now, but if the rules went away, schools (including those from the southern and mountain west states filing this amicus brief) would totally want to pay lots more than they do now, that allowing these schools to do what they want that “injunction here threatens serious harm to collegiate sports in the amici states” by fording them to make the difficult economic choice of whether to have their cake or eat it, or as they put it: “The injunction will force schools to choose between either spending more on their athletic department— which for most schools is already funded by student fees and university support—or cutting sports and becoming less competitive on the field.” In other words, please don’t make us have to pay market-price for our sports teams, oh gracious SCOTUS.

Brief of Amici Curiae Antitrust Economists in Support of Petitioners

These amici are, in theory, my peers (though I suspect they would deny it vehemently): economists who work in and think about the antitrust laws from an economic perspective. They are Rosa Abrantes-Metz (NYU), Michael Cragg (Brattle Group), Daniel L. McFadden (UC-Berkeley… and for the record, one of my profs in grad school), and Janusz A. Ordover (NYU), and Richard L. Schmalensee (MIT). The last two are interesting choices. Schmalensee is one of the economists most associated with multi-sided market theory, which is related to the final point of this brief, and discussed below. Ordover was an actual paid expert witness in the case on behalf of the NCAA, and I never knew you could be a paid witness and an amicus in the same case, but you learn something new every day, I guess.

Their primary argument is that we face a slippery slope: if the Court interferes with the NCAA’s right to define its product as college sports made without fair-market compensation, then other firms will be denied the right to define their products as well and pretty soon our economy will suffer from lack of innovation. I’m not really exaggerating, as here are their own words:

“For those activities in which the joint venture or limited collaboration is the only viable organizational structure—intercollegiate athletics is but one example—the risk that product design decisions will be condemned may well cause entrepreneurs to forego experimentation with product design that would otherwise benefit consumers or bypass creation of otherwise procompetitive ventures altogether.”

That is, if a joint venture like the NCAA is not allowed to define their product as including a maximum level of compensation allowed (i.e., price-fixing), then other JVs won’t be able to design, I don’t know, cool technologies and cures for cancer and such.

By the way, there’s a bit of a technical dispute in this case whether the NCAA is a joint venture at all, and if so whether it is a joint venture with respect to setting pay caps. I have no legal opinion, but I would say as a matter of economics, the NCAA is a joint venture but so too is OPEC. Economically, the question is not whether joint actions by independent firms can be labelled a joint venture or not – it always is – but whether that joint action is pro- or anticompetitive. When every cartel is a joint venture, simply proving your cartel is a joint venture doesn’t move you into the procompetitive column by itself.

These economists then take a bit of a diversion into pretending to be lawyers (not that I can claim to be blameless in this regard!) arguing that the “The Lower Court Should Never Have Reached the ‘Full’ Rule of Reason” (as if economists have any say in that) because, as they explain the court misread the anticompetitive effects of amateurism to begin with (even though the NCAA didn’t appeal this part of the case). Essentially, these economists are arguing that the restraint in question (which clearly did lower pay to athletes) did not competition at all (rather than claiming the benefits outweigh the harms, as the NCAA argues). Instead they argue, once you see such “enormous demand for amateur athletes” (um, where was this proven?), you should just stop the whole inquiry.

The final argument is that if we’re going to let courts mess around with JVs at all (and these guys say, please, no!), then we at least need to “assess the effect on both product quality and marketwide consumer welfare.” This is essentially a “wrong market definition” argument in disguise. In the case, Kenneth Elzinga had argued that the market included everyone who works at a university, attends a university, or is a fan of the university, and unless you assessed whether the harm to athletes was transferred to those other stakeholders or not, you couldn’t even prove the first step in the process of the rule of reason, i.e., was there harm in the relevant market. This relates to the really interesting scholarship on two-sided markets (which one of the amici, Richard Schmalensee, has written on extensively) , and is a direct appeal to the Amex case that said that in a true two- or multi-sided markets where transactions occur between the platform in the middle (like a credit card processor) and two distinct customers (a store and a customer) simultaneously, the market should include both sides of the transaction. Leaving aside my view of that decision, Judge Wilken dispatched that argument with great and vicious precision (“Any testimony Dr. Elzinga gives regarding procompetitive benefits in his hypothetical multi-sided market is not relevant to procompetitive effects in the relevant market. Daubert, 509 U.S. at 591.”, and the NCAA did not appeal that part of the decision. But these antitrust professors are giving it the old college try at reviving it.

Brief of Amici Curiae Antitrust Law and Business School Professors in Support of Petitioners

The scholars are: Thomas Arthur (Emory), Amitai Aviram (Illinois), Jodi Balsam, (Brooklyn Law), Jorge Contreras (Utah), Anthony Dukes (USC), Vivek Ghosal (RPI), Michael Jacobs (DePaul), Jordan Kobritz (SUNY-Cortland), and Alexander Volokh (Emory). They make an entirely technical antitrust argument (one also seen often, but from the other perspective, in the pro-athletes’ amici’s briefs), which is on how the Rule of Reason should be implemented with respect to when harm and benefit are balanced. These scholars argue “The Rule of Reason Places the Ultimate Burden of Proof on the Plaintiff” and say the Court failed to do that (though I think that’s contrary to the findings of fact in the case), and that the Court also erred in how in formulated the less restrictive alternative test, arguing that “the Ninth Circuit erred at step three because it ultimately required the defendants to show that their conduct was the least restrictive approach available.”

Not much room for snark or economics here, so we can move on.

Brief of Professor Thomas B. Nachbar as Amicus Curiae in Support of Petitioners

This amicus brief was filed by a single professor, Thomas Nachbar of UVA. There’s a little linguistic irony in the fact that he was unwilling to join with the other professors arguing mostly the same points, since Nachbar is German for Neighbor. As the jingle doesn’t go, “like a good neighbor, Nachbar ain’t there,” I guess.[2]

Anyway, in terms of substance, Professor Nachbar argues similar to the other law professors, that the courts in Alston misapplied the Rule of Reason with respect to less restrictive alternatives. One interesting point is that Nachbar points to dicta in the Amex case, for the point that the Court can ignore things in prior cases if they were not part of the primary holding, but rather just commentary (i.e., dicta, from the Latin for “things said”). This is probably true but it cuts against the NCAA’s argument that the dicta in Board of Regents[3]) should be read as law, to have own of their amici argue that dicta ain’t law seems problematic to me.

In short, Nachbar’s argument is that the search for less restrictive alternative is not a distinct step (though in every case I’ve worked on, it has been treated as such). Nachbar explains that even though lower courts have used the test, and even though the recent Amex case mentioned it as a distinct step (in dicta, as discussed above), nevertheless “the test has never been applied by this Court, even though it would have been applicable in many antitrust cases, and this Court has affirmatively rejected it in cases involving vertical restraints.” Nachbar thus concludes that as a result “The Ninth Circuit’s less restrictive alternatives test results in misapplication of both the rule of reason and the ancillary restraints doctrine.”

Brief for Amicus Curiae National Federation of State High School Associations in Support of Petitioner

And as our final entry in the amicus briefapalooza, I present the High School Sports Amici. Even if I were not trying not be snarky (which from above you can tell was not a restraint I imposed), I would have to break that rule for this one. The argument here is essentially, well golly, amateurism is just great! In the amici’s words: “Amateurism—the principle that the dedicated pursuit of excellence in sports for non-monetary reasons develops well-rounded young men and women— benefits students, schools, and the community.” Worst still, warn these amici, “Allowing compensation of college athletes threatens to undermine amateurism in high school athletics.”

What can I say except that this is one of those briefs that has zero evidence? “Amateurism is Good” is an axiom, not a proof. It’s merely an assertion of a philosophy that money-for-services is bad. I suspect the lawyers who filed the amicus brief (not the amici themselves) did not take that approach when deciding on what to charge for their legal services in filing this brief, nor did the amici themselves when performing their roles as high school sports administrators. But as they don’t say, “hypocrisy makes the world go around” and so on that note of hypocrisy, I think we can end our amicus brief excursion.

[1] “Plaintiffs and their experts strenuously argue and opine, perhaps correctly , that if this alternative were adopted, conference officials , as rational economic actors , would not act contrary to their members ' aggregate economic interests, and would not choose to pay amount s of cash compensation unrelated to education that would be demand- r educing f or Division I sports. … Be that as it may, the inevitable trial - and- error phase could result in miscalculations by one or more conferences as to level s of cash pay that would not reduce demand for the product…” (Case 4:14-md-02541-CW Document 1162, pp. 54-55, emphasis added.)

[2] Apologies to the professor for the name games but as a guy whose last name was used in a movie as a euphemism for penis (“I see your Schwarz is as big as mine”), I feel like I have earned enough karmic justice to dish out some of what I’ve taken over the years.

[3] “The identification of this "product" with an academic tradition differentiates college football from and makes it more popular than professional sports to which it might otherwise be comparable, such as, for example, minor league baseball. In order to preserve the character and quality of the "product," athletes must not be paid, must be required to attend class, and the like.”

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