#use your boxed mixes you beautiful newbies
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Some of my favorite comments I've gotten on Ao3
"Oh great Abby, possessor of The Braincell.I am in love with your fic, that is with" The Abigail Agreste AU
"Oh things are getting more emotionalEvery chapter you write outdoes your last. I can't tell you how excited I get when I get a notification that you posted" The Abigail Agreste AU
"BYE MIDDLE SCHOOL ME WOULD BE SO HAPPY TO KNOW THIS EXISTS" One Year Later
"anyway— this is so???? good???? like sjdjsjdj this almost made me cry???? the angst was *chef’s kiss* and legit what I imagine Eli to feel like after the factAND TULIP STOP <3<3<3 PLS I’M IN LOVE" One Year Later
"OMYGOODGODS ITS UP- amazing, fantastic, wonderful, show stopping, breathe taking, never the same-
ALSO, I'm very happy my ideas helped so much to build this story :,) I'd love to help more (lemme go see how on earth to turn on co-creation) (EDIT: OKEY I AM NOW CO-CREATEABLE)
ANYWAYS SO AMAZINGLY FANTASTIC THAT IT HAS BEEN POSTED DJLHBFVDBVJ" The Arrangement (from @whatsitzface)
"Im begging please release a full story this was my dream!!! You read my mind. I never read a fic this perfect!" The Future, Not a Wish
"Tendría que ser Bow quien descubriera todo de esta forma, solo espero que no esté cerca cuando esas dos tengan un momento más íntimo <3" Melog's Heart (this was my first comment in another language)
"I know absolutely nothing about the show or the characters, but great writing as always Darcy" For a Genius, You Can Be Pretty Stupid (from @whatsitzface)
"The dinner she makes is perfect and I love how you turned the "worrying" trope on it's head. So lovely" Really, Really (from @bacchicly)
"Lovely and sweet. Beautiful work! Merci merci!" At Sunset (from @bacchicly because she is the only one who actually commented on this one and I am grateful)
"BUDDY. This is so sugar." When Paths Cross (from @snailsandpuppy-dogtails)
"Ok, I came back to say, this is a super cute premise and i'm so excited to see what the other two parts are :DI love that in this world profilers who know them both extremely well couldn't figure it tf out because they didn't change how they act around each other." Unintentional Secret (from @snailsandpuppy-dogtails)
"QUEEN OF TOOTH ACHES 👑 "pulled out a little statue of a cat holding a gift box." <--- fucking LOVE it. NOOOOO open the box! "I was expecting her to open the little gift box so she would find the ring box inside" <--- me tooo "She pointed at the little gift box the cat was holding. "Does this open? Did he put anything in it?"" <--- THANKS, JENNA. "Yeah, you were supposed to open it at home." 😂 😂 "No, I'm not proposing to you if you're gonna call me Newbie. Absolutely not." <--Good on you, Luke, stand that sea-saw of a ground. 😆 "I love you," he whispered into her lips." <- Mush. absolute MUSH. Whisper kisses, my weakness. "see you again when I inevitably find the irresistible urge to write Garvez again!" <--- Tomorrow? 😌 😉 Full disclosure I mixed up this and Las Vegas Surprise Wedding and was really confused for a minute." Unintentional Secret (my first essay comment from @snailsandpuppy-dogtails 😌)
"OMFG I JUST LOVE THESE FANFICS OF YOURS!! THAT PART WHERE HE SAID HIS FAV COLOR IS BROWN BC IF GARCIAS EYESSSSSS😭😭😭🤌AND THE PART HE TEXTED DEREJ WAS JUST CHIEF KISSES!!! ISTFG HE'D DO THAAAAT!!" Many Tear-Stained Cheeks
"This is both really sweet and devastating. I loved that he was initially reluctant to call her but knew he needed her and the way she comforted him was perfect 💖 the ending was so lovely and hopefully next time she says it Luke will be awake" Many Tear-Stained Cheeks (from @whitecrossgirl)
"took her hand, placing it back on his heart. "This beating heart? It beats only for you."IM SCREAAAAAMING AND CRYIIIING AT THE SAME TIME!! I NEED TO SEE THIS SCENE LIVE ON TV! THE WRITERS DID US DIRTYYYYY😭😭😭😭" Heartbeat
"SHUT THE FRONT DOOR YOU"LL BE IN MY HEART IS FUCKING PERFECT FOR THEM!!!!! That whole plus one bonus section gutted me like a fish lmao I am literally ill with how much I love this, thank you for writing this!!!!!!!" To Sir, With Love (really all of @dungeons-are-too-cold's comments on this fic)
"Mate it is too early in the morning for this amount of feels 😭😭😭 they are such a fantastic duo and Rossi’s transformation from “The fuck is a team” to “These are all my kids” is my favourite thing about his character" To Sir, With Love (from @whitecrossgirl)
"sobbing. crying. shaking. sliding down a wall and poinding my fist on it. THIS IS SO STUNNING. I LOVE IT SO MUCH AND YOUR WRITING IS ABSOLUTELY PERFECT. THANK YOU FOR THIS MAJESTIC FIC." To Sir, With Love
"This was great, loved every minute of it, would snort this." Secrets Exposed (from @snailsandpuppy-dogtails)
"Why are you just the beeeeeest?! You angel you." Secrets Exposed (from @snailsandpuppy-dogtails)
"When you go to hit that kudos button and the red bar pops up. RUDE." Secrets Exposed (from, guess who, @snailsandpuppy-dogtails)
"I know this was a time consuming task and took a lot of work. So thank you for this, it's unique and fun. :)" Secrets Exposed (from @snailsandpuppy-dogtails)
"i'mdonei'mdonei'mdone i'm done i'm done i'm done i'm done. I'm done. I'm done. I'm DONE. wow. just wow. yeah so anyways this is canon now and explains A LOT about jj's faces in the show" Secrets Exposed
"You literally always know what I need in a fic before I even think about it, this is everything!!!!" Partner's Brunch (from @dungeons-are-too-cold)
"U really need to be the main writer of the revival for garvez ✨ my heart is flipping I was lit blushing the whole damn time!!!🥺😍🥰🤭" Two Can Play at This Game
"I really enjoyed this! I can completely see them trying to one up each other like this! (I swear, if the revival does them dirty…)" Two Can Play at This Game (Helsinkibaby on Ao3 left this comment… and they used to post so much amazing stuff, so I totally fangirled upon seeing this. Ao3 Garvezers, I guarantee you've read their stuff.)
"Ok, look, i'm one of those who will not read a pregnancy story, but this: "Well, it's comforting to hear you say that. Because Luke is the father." <---- perfect ending, perfect pacing my friend. And Krystall's voice *chef kiss*" Oh Baby, Oh Baby (from @snailsandpuppy-dogtails)
"Seeing a new story from you makes me happy! Loved the conversation between Penelope and krystal. Looking forward to reading more the last exchange with the was perfect." Oh Baby, Oh Baby
"i almost made a fool of myself while reading this in a mcdonalds" Welcome Home
"#It was a spite request your honor
#because they were never friends your honor
#certainly not best friends, Adam" (Not) Just a Friend (from @snailsandpuppy-dogtails)
"I am so honored. 😂 I love you I love you I love you. This was excellent. Platonic Morvez! Thank you for playing along with my asinine requests. 💗 💗 💗" Open Ears (from @snailsandpuppy-dogtails)
"I'm sorry I'm writing not having read the fic yet though I've been loving the works you did so far for this pairing but the "sorry it took me more than 24h hours"????? Mate, you've written so many pieces for this otp ate the speed of light what are u talking about??? Take your time, sweetie, do your thing don't feel pressured to do/write/create more than you feel comfortable with, we've been loving it so far just keep doing your thing! Thanks so much for writing for us! Xx" Girls' Night Out (this person thought snails was pressuring me to write and came RUNNING to my defense 😂)
"Oh my days, Luke calling her "Chica" as a term of endearment/pet name was something i wished so much that the writers kept in the show *deep sigh* guess that's one more thing left for the fans/shippers to take over. But i love it tho! 😫❤️" Girls' Night Out
"Luke Alvez's tool kit for keeping Penelope Garcia happy:1. Roxy 2. Allowing her to call him Newbie 3. Ice cream 4. Kevin Lynch's head on a spike (if requested)" Ice Cream and I Love Yous (from @whitecrossgirl)
"omg I'm literally DYING ALREADY!!!!!!!!!!! I'm obsessed with the way you write them, it's so like heartstopper, literally obsessed with the drama" We Fell in Love in October (from @dungeons-are-too-cold)
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I’ve been baking/cooking/etc. as a hobby for about 15 years now (omg it’s been 15 wtf - ahem sorry, I’m going to be 30 this year and I’m in a weird place about it) and I’ve made creme brulee, tiramisu, different breads, butter, crepes, and the grooms cake at my mom’s wedding, so not a paid professional or anything, but not a newbie. And let me tell you something.
I have no tolerance for bakers who talk shit about boxed cake recipes.
None.
Bakers like to say “omg is it SOOO hard to measure out flour and sugar” and you know what
Yes. Yes it is. If you’ve never done it before.
People so easily take it for granted that correctly measuring ingredients is a skill. A skill we all had to learn, some of us younger than others. Would you know to level off flour if no one told you? No. No is the answer. The only answer. Don’t tell me otherwise. If you’re a baker, you only know to level off your measuring cups because someone told you to. (Don’t even get me started on weighing ingredients.) Would you know that there’s a massive difference between baking powder and baking soda? Very possibly not.
I got started baking by using boxed recipes. Then one day I was craving white cake then thought, hey I could probably do this myself, and I whipped one up from scratch no problem. But that was after familiarizing myself with my kitchen by making dozens of boxed cakes.
No one else in my family bakes. My parents both cooked, but neither of them were bakers. I knew my way around the kitchen by the time I was in high school, but I’d never made cakes before, certainly not from scratch. Boxed mixes were a good way for 14 year old me to get comfortable with making cakes and ease into it. It also gave me experience with playing with flavors, seeing what icings go best with what flavors.
Trust me, cakes can be intimidating if you’ve never made them before. If you disagree, it’’s probably because you’ve been baking a while and again, are taking it for granted that your experience gives you ease with the process.
Also, some people don’t have a lot of supplies in their kitchens, some people don’t have a lot of time, or energy, or space, or give-a-damn. They get a craving, they stir an egg and some oil and some powder in a bowl, pour it into a pan, throw it in the oven, slather the results in icing, and eat it and they have experienced joy. They’ve made something and feel accomplished. Don’t take that away because you want to feel snide and superior.
And those posts on how to dress up boxed mixes and make them better, like using melted butter instead of oil and milk instead of water, etc are wonderful because they make you think about the chemistry of baking if you’re a beginner with baking. So stop being a shit about it.
Tl;dr, everyone starts somewhere, so don’t be a butthead.
#baking#recipes#cakes#i hate baking snobs so much#i'm in a mood#use your boxed mixes you beautiful newbies#you're fine#and boxed mixes are great to experiment with#I'll probably use them when I start playing with decorating#also put like a tablespoon of mix#with ice cream and milk#in a blender#voila#cake batter milkshake#you're welcome
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28 & 42 with matty please 🥺
28. “how drunk was i?” + 42. “stop being so cute” w/ matty tkachuk
“Could you please drive slower,” you groaned, pressing your head against the cold window. “Or at least try and not hit curbs. It’s a miracle the state of Missouri granted you a drivers license.”
“It’s not my fault you decided to do a shots contest with Sam,” Matt laughed, reaching out the bottle of pedialyte to you and nudging you with the end of it.
“I was defending your honor,” you mumbled, grabbing the bottle from him and opening it, closing your eyes as you took a sip.
“My honor didn’t need defending, thank you. Besides, that’s his big party trick.” Matt took the bottle back from you and put it down in the cup holder. “Go after the newbie, challenge whoever they came with to a shots contest, add in a wager and boom, hook line and sinker. Newbie gets wasted and Sam gets richer.”
“You could’ve warned me,” you sighed, shutting your eyes tight to hopefully relieve the slight headache.
“I did and totally got shit for it by the way because it’s a huge party foul,” he laughed. “But you were already buzzed from pre-gaming and brushed me off. ‘Don’t worry, Matty. I’ve got this,’ I believe is what you said.”
“Well now I don’t want to go to this team barbecue,” you said, sitting up and turning towards him with a pout on your face. “I probably made a fool of myself and they all think that I’m stupid or easy or something.”
“Nah,” he replied, shaking his head as he came to a stop outside of a beautiful two-story craftsman style home. “It’s his thing, think of it as an initiation of sorts. Besides, no one else takes it up because they know he holds his alcohol like a camel holds water. Everyone’s been in your shoes before.”
“Whatever you say,” you sighed, taking off your seatbelt and getting out of the car. “At least I didn’t make a fool of myself then.”
“Well,” he sang, nodding his head from side to side. “I wouldn’t say that you didn’t necessarily...do that.”
You stared at him, holding onto the plate of cookies the two of you made earlier this morning as he walked beside you. “What do you mean, necessarily?”
“Come on, we’re running late.” He said, nudging your lower back as the two of you walked towards the front door of the Giordano’s home.
“You tell me right now Matthew Tkachuk,” you demanded, standing on the front porch as he rang the doorbell. “Tell me right now or I’ll call–”
“Matt, Y/N,” Gio smiled, looking relaxed in board shorts and a tank top. “Come on in, everyone’s out back.”
“Thanks, man.” Matt smiled, greeting Gio with a broshake before leading you through the house, raising an eyebrow at you as he smirked, knowing damn well he got out of your threat.
You’d known Matt and his family since forever, really. They moved across the street when Keith had gotten traded to the St. Louis Blues and your Mom was thrilled that there were two kids your age moving right across the street, practically giving you instant friends. Matt was a year older than you, Brady a year younger which was perfect. And an instant friendship is what it was. You grew close with the two Tkachuk brothers and Taryn too once she came along.
Family summer barbecues, invites to the Tkachuk’s lake house, carpooling throughout elementary school, movie nights on the weekends when there weren’t hockey games, watching Keith play from the family box, teaming up with Brady against Matt in any pick-up game and when Matt went to Charminade instead of the public middle school like you did, he was at the receiving end of the chirping lessons and notes you’d picked up from Brady and Keith.
It sucked when he decided to go off and join the USHL sophomore year of high school, ending up all the way in Michigan at the USNTDP for the remainder of your high school careers, but that just made the summers all that better. The two of you would spend the three months catching up on the others’ lives– friendships, drama, hockey, relationships– and then he’d go off again for another nine months and come back and you’d do it all again. And that never changed once he went off to the OHL. Besides his family, you were the first person he told about choosing to go for the draft and were even invited alongside the Tkachuk clan, sitting beside Brady when you heard his name called as the sixth overall pick. And sitting next to Matthew two years later when Brady got drafted fourth overall.
He went off to Calgary and you went to Mizzou, the two of you staying in touch over text messages, facetime calls, an occasional email when he felt like being a pest cause you didn’t respond to his text right away. And when the summer rolled around, you both returned back to your hometown and picked up right where you left off, like nothing had changed and nothing skipped a beat.
Until this past summer, when something did change.
••••
A late night in the Tkachuk’s driveway on Matt and Brady’s last night before they’d go back off to their respective training camps. Your two roommates from college had decided to fly in early from their respective states so the three of you could all arrive at school together that weekend. Matt and Brady had invited some of their high school friends over too, the group just sitting around a portable fire pit as you all mingled and laughed, sipping on the mixed drinks you guys had been making all night.
Which is exactly what led the group of twenty somethings to play what started out as a game of never have I ever but eventually turned into most likely to. By the time you all were in at least a couple of rounds, the mood was light and everyone was laughing.
“Most likely to…” Callie, your roommate, smiled as she looked around the circle. “Get a ‘special’ piercing.”
“Special piercing?” Brady asked, furrowing his eyebrows. “What is that supposed to mean?”
“Like on your dick, dude,” Max, one of Matt’s friends chimed in, looking at Callie. “Or for girls, nipple piercings or…” his eyes dwindled down, the sexual tension between them had been high all night and no one could stand it.
“God, please just get a room and thump it out already,” Tori, your other roommate replied, rolling her eyes as she pointed at Callie. “My votes for her.”
“Same,” you smiled, pointing at Callie.
“You guys are cheaters! You were there with me!” She groaned, shaking her head as the four boys followed suit and pointed at her, making her the one who had to drink.
“Shouldn’t have asked such a dumb question then.” You smiled, shrugging your shoulders.
“Fine, Tori?” She leaned over to tori and whispered, the two of them looking at you with smiles.
“Okay, most likely to..” Tori’s gaze settled on you as she raised her cup. “Fall in love with their best friend?”
Immediately, you felt your cheats get hot as you watched the two of them point at you. It only got worse when you saw both Max and Trevor pointing at Matt, who looked just as embarrassed.
Brady laughed, resting his cup between his legs as he used both hands to point at the two of you. “I love this game.”
“Oh fuck off, all of you,” You said, flipping them off as you and Matt both took sips of your drinks, not even daring to look at the other.
“No, no, I think I’d love to explore this one,” Trevor smiled, nodding at Matt. “Clearly since both friend groups and Brady voted for the both of you, there’s gotta be something there.”
“Or you’re all just a bunch of drunk assholes,” Matt replied, shaking his head. “Just because I’m a guy and she’s a girl, doesn’t mean we can’t be platonic best friends.”
“There’s nothing platonic about the sex eyes you guys give each other when the other isn’t looking, Matt.” Max laughed, patting his shoulder.
“I suggest a new game,” Tori smiled, raising her hand. “Seven minutes in heaven and the first two to go are Matt,” she pointed at Matt and then turned to you. “And Y/N. All in favor?”
Everyone raised their hands and you wanted to sink into your chair and disappear. “Maybe it’ll eas the sexual tension that’s been building since 9th grade.” Brady laughed, shoving Matt out of his chair.
“This is stupid,” you said, shaking your head as Trevor got up behind you and nudged you out of your chair, Tori grabbing both yours and Matt’s hands and dragging you over to the garage. “Come on–”
“Inside, seven minutes,” She smiled, nodding at Matt to enter the garage code.
He rolled his eyes and did as she said, the door slowly opening to reveal Matt’s old dodge sedan he got for his 16th birthday. “Let me guess, lights on so you guys can creep in through the windows and get off?”
“Oh no, lights off,” Tori smiled, nudging you both into the garage. “It’s not our business what the two of you get up to. But trust me, I’ve seen Y/N come back from plenty of make-out sessions and shes easy to read, so I’ll know if the two of you are lying.”
She pressed the code Matt had done and waved as the door closed between you, leaving you and Matt in the dark. He sighed and pulled out his phone, turning of the flashlight as you stood there. “We don’t have to do this, Y/N.”
“She wasn’t lying when she said she’ll know, Matt.” You sighed, shaking your head. “She’s like a freaking psychic or something I don’t know.”
He laughed, nudging you to the car. “Well, we can at least sit in the car instead of standing by the door. Cobwebs, you know?”
You agreed and the two of you walked towards his car, Matt opening the door and getting inside. “The fact that you don’t lock your car in the garage is concerning,” you laughed, closing the door behind you as he did the same.
“It’s a safe neighborhood.” He replied, shrugging. “So...that was interesting...the game.”
“Or our friends are assholes,” you laughed.
“That too.”
It’s not like you’d never wanted to kiss him before, because you had. For the entirety of junior high, you’d dreamt of Matt being your first kiss, but that went to Trevor during a game of truth or dare at his own 13th birthday party. Besides that crushing defeat, Matt never showed any interest in you like that. You never caught his gaze lingering on yours or him taking a double look at you when you were even in your hottest bathing suit at the lake. As much as you hated it, to him it was like you were one of the guys. Which is why it was even more embarrassing that Trevor and Max had claimed Matt was most likely to fall in love with his best friend.
Because that was you and you were more than sure he still pictured you in your tomboy phase.
“I’m never going to hear the end of this,” you sighed, resting your head back. “They’ll bring it up at every party, watch.”
“Why? Because we didn’t wildly make out in the garage?” He laughed, looking over at you only to see that you weren’t laughing. “Oh shit, you’re serious.”
“Dead serious.” You replied, shrugging your shoulders. “Oh well it’s senior year, I can take it.”
“What if you don’t have to?” He asked, shrugging. “I’ll kiss you if it means you won’t get tormented.”
“Wow, maybe don’t act like kissing me is such an inconvenience, Matty,” you laughed, rolling your eyes.
“You’re dramatic.”
“You’re mean.”
“How am I mean?” He laughed, leaning onto the center console.
“Because you made it sound like kissing me was a chore!” You huffed, rolling your eyes again. “Which, by the way it isn’t because I am a great–”
His mouth was on yours before you could finish your sentence. The moment you melted into the kiss, his hand came up and cupped the side of your face as you parted your lips slightly, allowing his tongue to brush against yours. And before you could even get your body to move over the center console, there was a knock on the garage door.
••••
You’d kissed quite a few people in your time at college and even before. Boys, girls, the few short term boyfriends you had– but nothing ever made your stomach twist into the knots that kissing Matt did. And since then, you hadn’t been able to get it out of your head...but your friendship stayed the same.
Spring Break, Matt asked if you wanted to come up and stay with him since Calgary weren’t on the road for the week you’d be there and you took him up on it. Finally excited to meet his teammates and friends he’d spent so much time telling you about and talking about. Part of you came under false pretenses, though. Sure, you wanted to spend time with Matt, but you also wanted to talk to him and ask him about that kiss...something you could never manage to do over the phone. But four days here and you hadn’t mustered up the courage to do so.
Which meant you only had three days left to do it or else you’d have to wait until the summer when he came home– which was pure torture.
“Well if it isn’t my girlfriend!” Sam smiled, standing at the edge of the pool with Jacob next to him.
“I’m sorry, what?” You laughed, placing the cookies down onto the food table as Matt walked beside you. “Please tell me he’s kidding.”
“I told you that you didn’t not totally act a fool,” Matt replied, rolling his eyes.
You looked at Sam and stomped over, poking his chest. “I want my $10 back. I know your party trick.”
“Sorry, babe.” Sam smiled, shrugging his shoulders. “A bets a bet. Which speaking of,” he looked over your shoulder where Matt was standing and then back at you. “We need to talk about last night.”
You looked towards Jacob, frowning. “Are you sure I’m not dating you instead?”
Jacob laughed. “Unfortunately, not.”
Sam rolled his eyes and held your hand, walking you away towards the Giordano’s back deck. “Okay, in all seriousness...are we playing it up today or not?”
Your eyebrows furrowed as you shook your head. “Playing what up?”
He exhaled, shaking his head. “We were going to fake it today, being into each other to make Matt jealous so he’ll make a move.”
“I’m sorry, what?” You blinked at him in shock before laughing. “How drunk was I?”
“Drunk enough to where you told me how you’ve been in love with Matt since junior high and that the two of you kissed this summer and it was,” he cleared his throat, smiling at you. “The best damn kiss of my entire life, I swear it made me we–’”
You gasped, smacking his shoulder. “Stop, no I didn’t.”
“But you did, babe. So, I agreed to make Matt jealous, which shouldn’t be too hard because he doesn’t seem all that pleased that we’re standing over here talking.”
Sure enough, you looked over your shoulder to see Matt frowning as he talked to Jacob, his eyes moving away from you and Sam. You looked back at Sam, crossing your arms. “You don’t think I’m overthinking it?”
“Please, do you know how excited we all were when he told us you were spending the week with him?” Sam laughed, taking a sip from his cup. “Everyone knows he’s practically in love with you and we’ve all been waiting for him to make a move. So if this is what does it, I’m game.”
“Okay, let’s do it.” You smiled, shaking his hand.
You and Sam spent the better half of the day together, laughing and getting to know each other. He was a pretty nice guy and you could understand why him and Matt were close. Matt stayed nearby the entire time and sometimes it was like he was eavesdropping on your conversations. Sam made sure to throw in some flirty banter during a fun game of volleyball in the pool and kanjam with Jacob and Elias.
But it wasn’t until you were playing with Gio’s daughter at one of the kids table where she was drawing you a picture. You were helping her pick out what glitter pens and markers to use when Matt came over, tapping you on the shoulder. “Can we talk?” He asked, looking at the pool.
You looked over to see Sam with Jacob, a smirk on his face as he sent you a knowing wink. You looked back at Matt and nodded. “Sure,” before turning back to Gio’s daughter and telling her you’d be back.
Matt walked ahead of you the entire time as he lead you towards where you and Sam had met up earlier, only this time he stopped around the side of the porch, leaning against it as he took a sip of his drink. “You can’t do that.”
“Do what?” You laughed, crossing your arms. “Sit with a little girl and help her draw a picture.”
“No, yes...ugh,” he groaned, leaning his head back. “Just...don’t do it, okay?”
You furrowed your brows, shaking your head. “I don’t understand, Matt.”
“You with kids!” He huffed, motioning back to the pool. “It’s cute and you’re cute and damn it, Y/N, stop being so cute! It’s giving me thoughts of you with kids and you having kids and you can’t have kids with Sam, okay?”
“Is this about me and Sam?” You laughed, pointing towards the pool. “Because it was all a show, Matt. Sam and I aren’t dating and we’re not anything, it was just a joke.”
“Oh,” he paused, his cheeks turning red. “Okay, that’s good.”
“It is?”
“Yeah,” he placed his cup on the edge of the porch behind him and reached out, grabbing your waist and pulling you into him. “Cause then he won’t be mad if I do this.”
His hands moved up to cup your face before he pressed his mouth to yours, the scruff scratching against your chin as you pushed yourself further into him, wrapping your arms around his waist and letting your hands travel up his back. Before you could deepen the kiss, he pulled back and sighed. “I’ve been wanting to do that again ever since–”
“This summer,” you sighed, nodding your head. “Yeah, me too.”
You kissed him again, feeling him smile against your lips as his hands moved back and tangled themselves in your hair. Matt pulled back again, looking down beside you and raising his eyebrows. You looked down to see Gio’s daughter standing there, a smile on her face. “Sam told me to give this to you.”
She held up the piece of paper and once Matt took it, she ran off giggling. He looked at it and laughed, rolling his eyes before turning it around to face you. The glitter additions belonged to her, but the two kissing figures sitting in a tree...did not. Especially since Sam’s sloppy handwriting was tucked in the corner. The two of you looked back over at the pool to see Sam smiling at the art table, waving.
Matt rolled his eyes and looked back at you, brushing his thumb against your cheek. “Any way I can convince you to go on a date with me before you leave?”
“I think I can fit that into my schedule.”
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All The Clouds Ch. 2 | Niall Horan x Reader
Warnings: mild swearing
Chapter 1
Chapter 2: BLACK AND WHITE
“There’ll never be another,”
As soon as you met Niall, you knew you wanted to be a part of his life.
Of course, he had no idea who you were. You were a budding sound engineer hired onto a gigantic tour production and he was… well, he was a rockstar.
All of the boys were charismatic and extremely talented, so it was no surprise that they had risen to fame so quickly. The tour manager, Tom, had pointed them out to you when he was giving you a tour of the production before your first sound check, but you never crossed paths until much later.
“You’ll be working with Annika Wilson and bunking with her as well. She’ll show you exactly what your responsibilities are. If you have any problems, report back to me. Any questions?” Tom asked as he led you to the side of the stage you’d be working from.
“Um, no,” you shrugged, feeling slightly overwhelmed. You weren’t exactly sure how you landed this job, but you also weren’t going to question it.
“Great,” he led you over to a sound station where a blonde woman was organizing cords and microphones, “Annika, this is the newbie I told you about.”
Annika was in her late twenties, tall, and intimidatingly cool. She looked up at you from what she was working on, dropping the cords and tightening her ponytail before reaching out to shake your hand, “welcome to the shit-show.”
You returned her handshake, immediately liking her. Tom shot her a glare but didn’t say anything before walking away. Annika must have had some seriously good job security to be making quips like that in front of the tour manager, you reasoned.
“He didn’t make this show seem like sunshine and rainbows did he?” Annika asked once he was gone, turning back to what she was working on.
“Kinda,” you rocked back awkwardly on your heels, unsure of what you could do.
“It’s not. This whole show is such a mess I’m surprised we manage to hold it together every time we run it. My job is to manage all of the microphones, for the boys and their band. Tom said you have experience sound mixing?”
“Yeah,” you stepped up to the sound board she was standing next to, “I was stage crew at the local concert venue in my hometown.”
“Perfect. We can tag team mixing until you get the hang of it for the show, then we’ll split it up. These,” she pointed to a box on her left, “are the boys microphones. Louis is blue, Harry is green, Liam is red, Zayn is yellow, and Niall is Ireland. Niall also has a headset mic, for when he’s playing the guitar. Since you’re just getting started, you’ll just be responsible for Niall. I can keep tabs on the other boys until you have your feet under you. Sound good?”
It took you a minute to realize she was serious. It was your first day, and she had already assigned you to the most technically complicated band member.
“Are you sure that’s a good idea? I don’t trust myself not to mess something up and I don’t want to get fired on my first day.”
Annika laughed brightly, shaking her head, “the best way to learn this stuff is to just do it, two feet first into the deep end. Don’t let the boys scare you. Working with them is the easiest part of the job, they’re really sweet underneath all of the chaos,” she smirked. You weren’t sure how much you believed her, the quick glimpse of them you had seen earlier involved a Segway and being chased by their security guard, Paul. You didn’t get to ask her any further questions before she started introducing you to the rest of the equipment.
The sound board you’d be working with was much like the one you were used to using at your job back home. The difference would be setting it up correctly and breaking it down quickly between shows. Annika kept reassuring you that it would seem less overwhelming the more times you did it, and with the list of upcoming tour dates you’d get lots of practice.
“Here comes trouble,” Annika mumbled to you shortly after sound check officially started. You looked up to the stage and saw all five boys heading your direction. “Boys,” she greeted them when they made it to the sound station, “this is (y/n). Be nice.”
“We’re always nice,” Liam smirked, though the way he winked at you said otherwise.
“Always,” Harry emphasized, taking his microphone from Annika. She rolled her eyes, handing Liam, Louis, and Zayn their mics as well. Instead of giving Niall his microphone, she gave it to you instead, nodding in his direction before going back to chatting with the other boys.
You walked up to him hesitantly, “um, Annika put me in charge of your mics.”
“Did she?” Niall glanced over at your coworker quickly with a lopsided smile.
“Mhmm,” you hummed.
“Well ya know what that means, don’t ya?”
“I don’t think I do.”
“Means we’re friends now.”
“Does it?”
“Absolutely. And you have to promise we’ll stay friends forever.”
“Why would I do that?” you couldn’t be too careful, you had to ask before you accidentally sold your soul. Niall looked a little taken aback by your question, eyes narrowing as he thought out an answer. Finally, he held out his free hand towards you. You cocked your head, but reached out and let him pull you onto the stage.
Normally standing in the middle of a stage made you feel small and insecure. You much rather preferred to be behind the sound booth, away from prying eyes and left to your own devices. Standing there with Niall though, you didn’t feel as small. There were rows upon rows of empty seats, and it was easy to imagine thousands of screaming fans filling the arena. It felt like a rush of electricity running through your veins. Standing up here, you felt like you could do anything.
“This is why,” he said smugly when you finally looked over at him, “this changes your life.”
“I still don’t see why that means I have to promise to stay friends with you though. I’ve know you for all of two minutes.”
“So what?”
“So I’m not promising anything until I know you better.”
Niall considered your offer slowly, dropping your hand to cross his arms, “fine. I’ll convince you, you’ll get it eventually.”
“Good luck with that,” as soon as there was space between you, the stage fright started to catch up to you, “I, um, I should get back to Annika.”
You turned on your heel and practically ran back to the sound board where Annika was waiting.
“He’s great, right?” she asked smugly.
“He’s alright,” you shrugged.
“Wait until you hear him sing,” she moved a slider on the sound board, then gave the boys a thumbs up.
You had to admit, she was right. The boys were amazing. Of course, you had heard some of their music before joining the tour, practically the whole world had at that point, but their live performances were something else. Each one had their own style and sound that melded together in a stylistic way. Their personalities shined through their music and their antics. It was impossible to watch them without a smile on your face.
It would be generous to say you fumbled through your first soundcheck and show, but Annika knew what she was talking about when she said you had to jump feet first into the deep end. Niall was more than forgiving when you dropped his mic while handing it to him during your first show, and completely forgot to bring his handheld when he switched back later that night. With every mishap, he laughed it off and told you that you’d get it next time.
Like Annika, he was also right, and by your third show you had it all figured out. Once you were more confident in your abilities as an employee, you started to enjoy the show as a whole and could spend more time appreciating the work that the boys were doing. Though at first it seemed larger than life, as the tour picked up speed you started noticing things that outsiders wouldn’t have even blinked over.
You finally asked Annika about it when you were leaving your hotel room in a new city to walk to the venue for sound check, “does the band ever get to go out when we go places like this?” It was a beautiful, sunny day and Annika had suggested going out to experience the night life after the show.
She shook her head, “they can’t. They’d be mobbed, fans and paps everywhere. Nobody knows who we are so we can get away with it, but the boys are stuck inside most places. Management doesn’t want them out causing trouble anyways.”
“Why would management care? Plenty of celebrities go out, and if they do get into trouble, isn’t it their management’s job to fix it? Why have management at all otherwise?”
“Not all celebrities are young attractive men that the whole world is obsessed with. You’re right, management is supposed to protect the talent, but here they’re just controlling.The boys are basically prisoners to their management. They can’t leave the hotel, they can’t say or do anything that could be considered scandalous, and they’re extremely overworked. Management has even asked me to turn down Niall’s mic during a show before. Honestly, the boys are great to work with, but the rest of this place is toxic.”
“You didn’t…” you felt a twinge of responsibility for the Irishman who had quickly become your favorite member of One Direction (though you’d never admit that to anyone).
“Of course not, I’d never betray the boys like that. My reputation with them is more important than my reputation with management, and I don’t hide the fact that I like them better than I like their management. That’s how it’s always been and how it always will be. If management decides they have a problem with it, they can fire me,” she shrugged.
Her words stayed with you all through soundcheck, but once the show started you pushed them as far back into your mind as possible. You had to focus on the task at hand.
You were more comfortable around Niall than you had been three weeks ago when you first started. There was an intimacy that you got to have with him every night while passing off microphones and guitars between you that easily fueled a good working relationship. At first it was mostly small talk, a comment here and there about the energy in the room or the water fight Louis and Liam had onstage. Small talk turned into tiny dance parties or riddles, but you didn’t think your relationship was any more complex than that until Niall posed you a question as you traded microphones.
“What’s been goin’ on in your head all night?”
“Just show things,” you brushed him off, not really wanting to talk about it in that moment.
“I can hear the whirring of your gears turning from the other side of the stage, and that’s with my in-ears. Harry’s got the crowd captivated for a minute, what’s wrong?”
“Have you always wanted to be a singer?”
Niall smiled softly, “I wanted t’ be a footballer for a little bit, but yeah, this has always been my dream.”
“What happens when you’re old, then?”
Niall laughed loudly, “old? I’ll still be able to sing when I’m old.”
“Right, but when you’re done touring and performing for millions of people around the world.”
“Well, I’ll just be able to enjoy my life at that point I guess. Maybe I’ll play golf more, have some consistency. I haven’t thought much about it but I’ll get back to you,” he flashed you a bright smile before bouncing back on stage to rejoin the band, leaving you holding his microphone.
Niall didn’t know the weight of your words because of how you phrased your question, but his answer told you everything you needed to know. He wanted consistency, because his life currently didn’t have much of it. He wanted control, and to ‘enjoy his life’. Those were his words. “I’ll just be able to enjoy my life at that point”. You went back to the sound station where Annika was perched on a stool watching the boys, oblivious to the conversation you had just had. You sat next to her, eyes landing on one blonde Irishman who was bouncing all over the stage. His smile said it all, he was living his dream. He was living his dream and having fun while doing it, but at what cost to him and his sanity?
You thought back to a few weeks ago, when you stood in the middle of the stage with him and he asked you to promise you’d stay friends. It meant something to him, and you chose not to do it. Knowing what you knew now, though, it made sense. Management controlled his every move. He was living his dream under somebody else’s thumb, and to fight it he was picking up friends at every turn.
It was the most Niall Horan thing you had ever heard.
If he was going to spend the rest of his career like this, though you really hoped he didn’t, you knew you had to be there to support him through it all. Nobody should have to go through what he was dealing with, and if he was asking for friendship you were going to be the best friend he had ever had.
You waited until the show was over to say anything else to him. As soon as he was in front of you handing you his mic, you plucked up the courage.
“Do you have a minute?”
“Yeah, do you have a minute?” he was still buzzing from the show, skin gleaming in sweat.
“I wouldn’t be asking if I didn’t,” you stuck your tongue out at him, earning a laugh. You walked to the wings of the stage, peeking out from behind a wall to see if there were still fans in the audience. You waited until you were sure the coast was clear, then you waved for him to follow.
The stage crew was already breaking down the set, but you were still able to lead Niall to the center of the stage. You stood looking out at the now empty seats, not making eye contact before you spoke.
“You asked me to promise to be your friend.”
“I did.”
“You said I’d get it eventually. It took me a while to figure it out, but you were right, this changes your life. I get it now,” you finally turned to look at him and you were met with a cheeky grin.
“Is this going where I think it’s going?”
You rolled your eyes, “I promise we’ll stay friends.”
Niall whooped loudly, lifting you off your feet in a hug and spinning you around.
“Ew, you’re all sweaty,” you squirmed out of his grasp. He only grinned harder.
“It doesn’t matter. You still have t’ like me, we’re friends for life now.”
“If we’re going to be friends you have to put in effort too, you know. This isn’t a one way street.”
“I know.”
You thought it would be simple, being friends with Niall Horan. You were wrong.
“I promise that I’ll love you for the rest of my life.”
Chapter 3: DEAR PATIENCE Coming April 20th, 2021
#niall horan#niall x reader#niall horan x reader#niall horan imagine#niall imagine#nonplatonic#one direction#all the clouds
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Sassy Girl’s Obsession
Genre: Taeil x fem!reader, university, humour, fluff, angst
Warnings: mentions of stereotype and violence, police scene
Word count: 3.7k
Plot: You were a courageous, energetic, and resolute girl that had boys falling for you. You fell in love at first sight with a particular music student who was also a relative of your friend, Doyoung. Your curiosity grew when he ignored you, making you go through great lengths to win his heart. Taeil was cautious of you and your reputation around campus, but every time he tried to get away from you, you’d always run after him… and secretly he liked it too.
A/N: This obsession is harmless and pretty humourful. Reader’s personality is supposed to be a mix of Hwang Yongsik from ‘When the Camellia Blooms’ and Ko Moonyoung from ‘It’s Okay to Not Be Okay.’ If you see that, then YAY! If not, then just ignore I said that :) There’s a Cardcaptor Sakura reference included if you know that anime.
- ❀ -
《 Picky Picky – Weki Meki 》
You inwardly groaned when Felix nervously stood beside your seat.
“Y/N, I got you this.” He handed you a box wrapped in silver gift wrap with a red envelope taped to the top.
You flashed him a smile, more fake than genuine. “Thanks.”
He beamed at you, not leaving from his spot and waited for your next move.
You quirked an eyebrow. “You want me to open this now?”
He frantically nodded, excited to see your reaction.
You sighed and ripped the envelop off before tearing the gift wrap apart. The box was a set of three perfumes of the most luxurious brands that you had ever heard of. You weren’t interested in two of the scents, but the third one piqued your interest. Japanese cherry blossom.
You chuckled. “Wow,” you breathed out. “And what’s this for?” You didn’t have to ask because every time a guy did this to you, there was only one thing they wanted.
Felix bit his lips nervously and said, “Um, it’s in the card.”
You pulled the card out from the red envelope and flipped it open.
- I really like you. Will you go on a date with me please?
Okay so you did have a soft heart for people who had manners, especially when they used the word please. He was only asking for a date, unlike previous boys who’d straight up ask you to be their girlfriend. However, you simply weren’t into going on a date with someone who liked you. There were guys who had piqued your interest and you went on some dates with them. But they’d all end up boring the hell out of you, flexing about their physique or their love for luxurious cars. Your taste in men had gone from being open to being super selective and picky.
“I’m sorry Felix. I’ll have to turn you down. You can take this back,” you said trying to hand the gift back but he shook his head.
“No please don’t be sorry. I understand you get asked out a lot so I was only taking a chance at it. I really do like you and I wish you keep the gift. Please?”
Oh. “Okay... thanks.”
He smiled and left your side, a little dejected.
Doyoung elbowed your side hard. “Ow! What the hell Dons!”
“Are you crazy? You shouldn’t give a gift back to the same person.”
“Yeah but it was hella expensive.”
“So? Don’t you sell the other ones off?”
“Yeah because they come from assholes. Felix was at least being polite.”
“Then you should have agreed on a date with him.”
“I don’t want to hurt him after by saying that I just did it for the gift so I won’t feel bad about selling it off for tuition.”
He scoffed. “You’re so nice.”
“And you’re mean.” You stuck your tongue out at him.
- ❀ -
《 Heart Attack – AOA 》
You walked your friend to his music class before you went for your coffee break. You spotted a boy that you didn’t recognize standing right outside the music class.
“Oh Taeil!” Doyoung called.
The boy looked at him and the smile that followed after had your heart skipping a beat.
When you and Doyoung stopped right in front of him, your friend did the introductions. “Y/N, this is Taeil. He’s actually my second cousin and he recently transferred here. Taeil, this is Y/N, my friend.”
Taeil smiled warmly at you. “Nice to meet you, Y/N.”
Thump thump.
Thump thump.
You could hear your heartbeat loudly at the sound of his melodic voice and the sweet smile complimented with it.
- ❀ -
In the library, you fell asleep with your forehead planted flat on the table while Doyoung worked on his assignment beside you.
He rolled his eyes at you and shook your shoulder, but no response was received.
“Y/N?”
Still no response.
He huffed and flicked his finger at the top of your head.
You jolted up and yelled “Taeil!”
All eyes landed on you in the library. You apologized to the students and shrunk in your seat, feeling embarrassed.
Doyoung looked at you with suspicious eyes. “Why on earth did his name come out of your mouth?”
You felt heat rise up to your cheeks and laughed it off nervously. “Haha oops.”
He narrowed his eyes on you. “Don’t oops me. What is it?”
You weighed your options. If you told Doyoung, then he could possibly support you. But then, at the same time he wouldn’t because this was about his cousin. Yet above everything, he was your friend.
“I like Taeil.”
“Like? What kind of like?”
“Like I mean like like.”
He exhaled. “You know I’ll be on your side for anything. But this is my cousin we’re talking about. If you mess things up, I don’t think I’ll be able to look at you because my cousin comes first.”
You nodded. “I know, but I think I’m serious about him, Dons.”
He watched your face carefully, trying to discern whether this was fleeting or something deeper. He couldn’t find any hints on the former and slumped his shoulders.
- ❀ -
《 Signal – Twice 》
You were delighted at the fact that Taeil was in one of your classes with Doyoung. It was unfortunate that he opted to sit more in the middle of the room when you sat at the back. You didn’t like paying attention to the particular professor as his teaching method didn’t work for you. But the newbie being his cousin, Doyoung chose to sit with him.
You didn’t mind that because you were preoccupied by the task at hand. Thankful that you were an ace with your throwing skills, your paper airplane flew across the class.
The couple sitting in front of you threw a look at you, silently asking ‘are you crazy?’ and a few snickers were heard as the plane flew past them.
It hit the back of Taeil’s head and his hand went up to rub the spot. He ignored it shortly and resumed his attention on the lecture at the front.
Your jaw dropped. Did he just ignore it? But you were resolute. You prepared another airplane and flung it to him. This time he noticed something was up and found the airplanes on the floor. He unfolded the flaps and read the message, both of them identical.
- I like you, from your secret admirer, Y/N
Taeil blinked at your handwriting. First, he was surprised that a girl even liked him. He was boring and a nerd. And second, it was you that liked him. He heard about you around campus and he wasn’t sure whether you were serious about him or it was merely an infatuation that you’d get bored of later on.
He whipped his head around to find you sending a flying kiss in his way.
Taeil turned back around to focus on the board, his heart beating erratically. He couldn’t let himself fall for you, only for you to grow tired of and leave him.
You on the other hand were puzzled by his lack of response. No guy had ever overlooked you when sending them a signal and the thought of Taeil being the first one to do it added onto to the fun of you trying to win his heart.
- ❀ -
《 Not That Type – gugudan 》
Doyoung dragged you to the library after you refused to work on your assignments. All you wanted to do was sleep and you were ready to bolt out the doors until the studious boy that had your heart beating hard caught your sight.
You left your friend’s hold and ran to sit down at the empty seat across him. Taeil was stumped when you sat with your arms crossed on the table, your eyes intently fixed on his face and a smile adorning your beautiful face. “Hi Taeil,” you sweetly greeted.
Doyoung caught up and sat down beside his cousin. “Hey, Taeil. What’s up?”
Taeil ignored you and responded back to him.
You blankly stared at him, perplexed that he once again ignored you. You got his attention once you blurted out, “I like you.”
Taeil stilled and took a deep breath before facing you. “Look Y/N, I really don’t know if you seriously mean that-”
“I’m not lying,” you deadpanned.
“I’m not saying that you are. You could really just be into me for the moment. But I know you’ll get bored of me. So it’s best if you leave me alone.”
Doyoung stayed silent, anxiously observing the conversation between you and his cousin.
You quirked an eyebrow at him. “You really don’t know how I feel about you and I’m going to show it.”
- ❀ -
《 Fancy – Twice 》
You still kept receiving expensive gifts from your admirers and so you decided to sell them off to buy some special things for the one you admired.
When you made your way to your usual seat in the back, you handed Taeil a box wrapped in pink gift wrap. Every time you saw him around campus, you’d handover the gifts to him. They’d range from chocolates, plaid shirts, denim and leather jackets, packs of Coca-Cola as Doyoung had mentioned one time that Taeil loved to drink those.
Next time, you found him sitting on one of the outdoor benches, basking under the sunlight. He noticed your form approaching him and slightly groaned inwardly. Even though he found you super annoying, he couldn’t stop his heart beating unsteadily. He secretly found it thrilling to have you run after him when it’d be vice versa with the other boys, especially when you’d send him numerous gifts of things that he loved. He could tell that you put thought into the presents and weren’t just sending him expensive things. For that, he had to give you plus points.
“Hi Taeil,” you beamed at him, clutching onto his next gift behind your back.
He sighed. “Hi Y/N. What is it now?”
You pulled out a handmade teddy bear with a red ribbon tied into a perfect bow around its neck. “I made this for you.”
He held the plushie carefully, inspecting its customized design. “You made this by yourself?”
You nodded, chuckling quietly. “Yup.”
His heart skipped a beat at the thought of you spending time to build the teddy bear yourself and it was then that he noticed a few bandages wrapped around the tips of your fingers.
Oh Y/N, what are you doing to my heart, he thought.
- ❀ -
《 I Don’t Like Your Girlfriend – Weki Meki 》
Taeil wanted to test your liking for him and asked his female friend from his music class for help.
You walked with Doyoung into the cafeteria and your heart stopped at the sight of Taeil.
Sitting across a girl.
You didn’t want to feel like the jealous type but you couldn’t stop the green feeling from erupting when you noticed the girl leaning in to give Taeil a peck on his cheek.
You gritted your teeth and clenched your hands tightly into a fist. “Oh that girl is so dead.”
Right before you stormed off, Doyoung grabbed your arm. “What the hell are you going to do?”
You yanked your arm free. “Watch me.”
With fume coming out of your ears, you stomped over to the two being lovey dovey with one another. When Taeil saw your figure from the corner of his eyes, he tried his best to stop the smile from spilling onto his face.
You found a Coca-Cola drink resting beside the girl’s plate and grabbed it, pouring the drink on top of her head.
It took a few seconds for the girl to register what had just happened and when it did, she screamed. “Are you psycho?” She got up and ran out of the cafeteria.
Taeil looked at you in pure disgust and disappointment. “Seriously Y/N? Are you really that desperate for me? Can’t you see that I’m trying to get you to leave me alone?” He wasn’t going to admit just yet of his true feelings for you.
Your lips formed an ‘oh.’ “So was this all an act? To get me to leave you alone?”
He was tugging hard at his hair. “For God’s sake, yes Y/N. You really should go and apologize to my friend. I asked her to do that,” he yelled, his face turning a bit red. “Can you just leave me alone?”
You pursed your lips and nodded. “Okay.”
Your response took him by surprise, his heart dropping a little. “What?”
“I’ll leave you alone.”
He went speechless. He didn’t think you were actually going to leave him alone after all this time of you being after him.
You sighed, looking at the floor, acting in defeat. “You thought I was going to say that, huh?”
He blinked, looking very lost.
You lifted your gaze to his and calmly repeated. “You really thought I’ll leave you alone. I’m never giving up.”
- ❀ -
《 Why – Taeyeon 》
You sat down in your seat waiting for your professor to arrive. You didn’t have either your friend or your crush in that evening lecture, so it was going to be a pain sitting still and not snore off until class was dismissed.
A guy came up to you with his group of friends behind him. Why did they walk up to you, you didn’t know. But you recognized its leader to be one of the guys that you had rejected.
Based on his facial expression, you didn’t like where this could possibly go.
- ❀ -
“Taeil? Have you see Y/N?” Doyoung asked his cousin frantically.
“What? No. Why?”
“I usually meet her at a bubble tea shop after her class ends, but she wasn’t there.” Doyoung’s voice was laced with anxiety. Your phone was switched off, which you’d never do in class as you’d usually be scrolling on your phone.
It was getting dark as the night fell. Even though he was mad at you for the act you pulled in the cafeteria on his friend, he couldn’t stop himself from worrying about you.
A phone rang and Doyoung picked it up. “Hello? Yes I am. WHAT?! Oh my God… Okay I will be there soon.” Doyoung hung up, with a registered shock on his face.
“What happened?” Taeil asked, hoping it had something to do with your whereabouts and you weren’t in danger.
“Do you want to come with me? I need to go to the police station.”
Taeil’s forehead lined with confusion. “Yes but why?”
“Y/N’s been charged with physical assault.”
- ❀ -
You sat on the chair, waiting for your friend to arrive and bail you out. Your arms were crossed as you huffed in anger at the boy sitting beside you. He held his broken nose while his head was slightly cracked open from the glass water bottle that you had smashed on it. He whimpered in pain, making you laugh bitterly in your head.
He deserved it, you thought.
Doyoung arrived, followed by the boy that you didn’t expect to come for you as well. Taeil looked around for you and when he found you, he sighed in relief to see you not hurt. The mere reaction from him made your heart soar, making you think that he was concerned for you. But when your brain reminded you of the thing that you promised yourself to do later, your heart fell.
“Y/N, what happened?” Doyoung asked, almost like he was scolding you.
Before you could reply, the police officer spoke up. “This young lady used physical violence on this man out of the blue.”
You gaped at him and slammed your hands on the officer’s desk, standing up. “It was not out of the blue! He started it!”
“No, she started it, officer,” the injured boy said weakly.
You turned to the boy. “You asked for it! That’s not my fault!” you yelled.
“Miss, please lower your tone,” the officer said sternly.
“Y/N, what exactly happened?” Doyoung asked.
You took a deep breath in, calming yourself down for a few seconds, and narrated the evening. “I was waiting for the lecture to begin, and this guy comes up to me with his friends. He starts talking shit about Taeil, how much of a nerd he is and how he doesn’t deserve someone like me. I got so mad that I broke his nose and I broke my water bottle on his head out of anger. You cannot tell me that this was my fault.”
While Taeil didn’t like that you used violence and risked yourself into getting in trouble, his heart pounded against his chest at the thought of you standing up for him.
The boy only asked for his injuries to be paid for, in which Doyoung agreed to as much as you hated it. After Doyoung bailed you out, you stepped into the night, breathing in the crisp air.
Taeil silently took hold of you hand, startling you, and observed out of concern the small bruise that formed from breaking the person’s nose.
You pulled out of his grasp, confusing him. You met his shining eyes, having something to tell him.
“Taeil, I really like you. Actually… I really love you. I always have and always will. If someone badmouths you, I’m not going to hold back and do nothing. I’m not scared of anyone or anything.” You paused briefly, sighing in defeat. “I know I can’t force you to like me back. I thought I could but I guess I can’t. And I don’t want you to hate me if I continue this ‘obsession’ so while this might seem like I’m ending my desire to win your heart, I’ll still always love you, Taeil.”
You gave him one last sincere smile before turning on your heels and walking away. You hugged yourself as your eyes stung with tears threatening to fall out. You willed yourself to not make a vocal sound of your heart breaking for the boys to hear from the distance.
Doyoung felt his heart become heavy, seeing his friend like that for the first time in his life. He knew he couldn’t do anything as everything was up to his cousin to decide what to do with the confession.
Taeil felt the honesty behind your words, and that made his heart shatter. He always disregarded your true feelings for him and told you off, trying to get you off his back for annoying him. He too liked you but was only being super cautious in case your feelings were short-lived. He made up his mind. He wanted to confess back to you. And for that, he had to do something in order to make it up to you.
- ❀ -
《 Cover Up – Taeyeon 》
“Here,” Doyoung handed you a gift bag and you groaned.
“Don’t tell me this is you breaking our friendship promise to ask my hand in marriage.”
He laughed. “No, but you like the person that this is coming from.”
“What?” You couldn’t believe your ears. Was it really from him? Your heart banged in your chest as you opened up the bag, gasping to see a teddy bear that looked similar to your handmade one except it was in a different shade of brown, lighter to his, and the colour of the ribbon tied around its neck being a light shade of pink.
“There’s a note in the bag too,” he grinned.
“Huh?” You rummaged your hand around in the bag, feeling the card and pulling it out. The card was handmade as well, with a large red heart in the middle of the white space. ‘I LOVE YOU’ was written on the heart in big letters. You flipped the card to check the backside for more writing and your heart stopped.
- I’m sorry Y/N to hurt you like the way I did. But I really like you too. I was scared to be someone who you’d ditch once you’d find someone better than me or get bored of me. That’s why I always tried to avoid you or do things to get you to stop being after me. But your confession outside the police station made me believe in your feelings and I was bad to let you walk away. I wanted to properly apologize before confessing my true feelings for you. This teddy bear is the same diy kit you got to make mine so Y/N… I’m sorry and I love you. From your secret but not so secret admirer, Taeil
You felt your eyes sting hard as you tried to keep your tears at bay. “Doyoung, he…” your voice failed as your emotions were ready to explode.
Your friend smiled. “Yes, Taeil.”
“Where is he?”
“He’s outside our music class, the first place you met him.”
You sprinted down the hallway and turned around the corner. At the distance you found the boy that had all of your heart.
“Taeil!” you yelled and ran up to him.
He turned his head, happy to see you and held his arms open. You crashed into him, wrapping your arms around his waist, and clutched tightly onto the gift bag.
“I can’t believe you like me back!” you cried.
He laughed at your dramatic self and patted the back of your head gently. He pulled back slightly and wiped your tears away, pressing a haste kiss on your forehead. “You’re really cute. How can I not like you?”
#nct#nct 127#moon taeil#taeil x reader#taeil fanfic#nct fanfic#taeil fluff#taeil au#taeil imagines#taeil scenarios#nct x reader#charm
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Newbie (s.s)
Summary: Starting a new school with the ability to see that someone is supernatural takes a crazy turn
Word count:4069
Warning: talk of people dying, typical teen wolf stuff
A/N: I was going to put this all in one part but I think it’s going to be too long. So here’s part one. I might make it a series? There’s not too much romance in this but I definitely plan to make it happen soon. Let me know what you think. Also I’ve been watching Buffy which was why it was included in this.
Part Two
Masterlist
Starting a new school always sucked. But, starting a new school with the knowledge of the supernatural you had seemed to make it worse. Plus, your ability to see when someone was supernatural made things a bit awkward. Each supernatural gave off their own color, like an aura, and that’s what you could see. There was a good amount of supernaturals in your old town, but as you walked the streets of Beacon Hills you realized there were so many more.
“Have a good day sweetie.” Your mom said as you shut the car door. “Don’t let your sight get in your way. Make some friends.”
“I’ll try. Love you.”
“Love you! I’ll be at the shop if you need me.” Then she was gone, leaving you to watch everyone running around to get to friends or to class.
After checking in at the front office, the secretary, Mrs. Elle, took you to your first class. “Mrs. Hopkins is a wonderful English teacher. If you need any help throughout the day come see me.” She knocked on the door, then opened it to a room full of people, the teacher was at the board. A beautiful purple glow surrounded her.
Fairy.
“Mrs. Hopkins, this is Y/N Y/L/N. She just transferred here.”
Mrs. Hopkins gave a bright smile, walking over to shake your hand. “Lovely to meet you. We are just starting on The Great Gatsby. There’s only a few seats left but you can pick wherever you want.” She handed you a copy of the book, then spoke to Mrs. Elle.
When you looked up at the room, only a handful of people were looking at you, others were texting or reading. Your eyes scanned the seats, spotting one before the color around the boy beside it caught your eye.
Your brows furrowed. Since coming here you’d seen many colors you hadn’t categorized yet. But this one was different. It was deep purple, with black and red, and even some blues and greens. Normally there was one color, just different shades. Never this many.
The boy cocked his head to the side and you jumped a bit, realizing you’d been staring. With your head low, you made your way to the seat, feeling his eyes on you the entire time. To distract yourself, you plotted your classes on the little map, and when the bell rang you booked it out of the room.
The rest of the day was as good as any first day. Lots of stuff to catch up on, lots of new colors to try and match with a supernatural. But the boy from English took up most of your mind. Why did he have so many colors?
Your mind was racing as the school day drew to a close. The sun on your face felt so nice, and the calm breeze helped slow everything down. It gave you a moment of peace as you scanned the lot for your moms car. Then you saw him. He was at a table with two baby blues, a teal, and a scarlet. They looked like they were in deep conversation.
There was this weird pull in your gut, and before you could stop yourself you were walking toward them.
“It’s only taking their skin. Why?” The older looking baby blue said, he looked stressed. They all did.
The scarlet was running her fingers down a book, biting her lip.
The teal shrugged. “Maybe it just likes to eat the skin?”
Little baby blue just stared at her like she was nuts before big baby blue spoke up. “If it did we wouldn’t be finding discarded skin near the freshly skinned bodies.”
Your heart stopped. No. There’s no way.
“None of them look eaten, and the skin only has a line down their back. It doesn’t make sense. Stiles, has your dad said anything?”
The boy from English, Stiles, spoke up. “Not really. He said they seemed to have some type of film on them. Like they had been preserved in something.”
“Skincrawler.” You whispered, your heart pounding in your ears.
“Y/N?” Stiles asked. They were all looking at you as your eyes widened.
“I..uh.” You cleared your throat and tried to steady your breath. “Do they have a stab mark at the base of their neck.” They nodded and you were suddenly light headed.
“Shit,” Stiles jumped up, gently pushing you into his seat. “Guys this is Y/N. She’s in my English class.”
“What did you call this thing?” Scarlet asked. They were all still looking at you like you were crazy.
“A skincrawler.” You rubbed your face. “They kill someone and wear their skin.”
“Fuck.” Little baby blue whispered.
You shook your head. “You’re all safe. They don’t go after other supernaturals.” That earned you an even weirder set of looks. “You two are werewolves.” You nodded at the baby blues. “You’re part werewolf, part something else.” You nodded to teal. “And I’m not sure what you two are.” You said to scarlet and Stiles.
None of them spoke for a minute. Then big baby blue extended his hand. “I’m Scott McCall.” His eyes were red, such a contrast to his coloring.
“You’re an alpha.” You shook his hand and he cocked a brow. “I can see your true eyes.”
His hand slipped from yours, replaced with little baby blue, Liam, then teal, Malia. Scarlets name was Lydia. Then Stiles shook your hand, his grip was firm, and he held it while he spoke. “How did you know what they are?”
“Each supernatural has its own aura, my family is what they call True Seers. I can see the auras around you, and your true eyes. I’m the first in almost a decade so I’m pretty much learning on my own. Which is why I’m not able to identify yours.” You glanced at Stiles, Lydia, and Malia.
“I’m a Banshee.” Lydia gave you a soft smile then looked back to the book.
“Werecoyote.” Malia supplied with a shrug. “Both my parents tried to kill me so don’t ask.”
You looked up at Stiles but he shook his head. “Just your average human here. Which doesn’t seem like a good thing with these skin guys walking around.”
It didn’t make sense that he wasn’t a supernatural, but there were more pressing things to address.
“Are these like the skinwalkers? Because I’ve seen them and I don’t think they would do this.” Scott questioned, turning to look at you.
You shook your head. “No. Walkers are non threatening. The crawlers, as you can tell, aren’t. And they are hard to locate. When they stab the person, not only does it kill them, but it seems to transfer all their memories. So even though it’s still the monster inside. It looks and has the same mannerisms as the person it killed.”
“How do we stop it?” Malia asked, she looked ready for a fight.
A shudder ran down your body at the memory of when you last saw this creature. “It’s not easy. First you have to know how many there are. They are stronger packs. Then you have to find out where they are staying. But even harder you have to find out who they are wearing.”
Scott rubbed his face, everyone was looking at him, waiting for his directions. “We need Derick and Argent. Maybe Parish too.”
“I’ll go to the library and see if I can find anything out.” Lydia said, having no luck with the current book. “Where are we meeting?”
“The loft, at seven.” Scott turned to you. “Would you come? You seem to know more about them than we do. We could use your help.”
You glanced around at them. A group of friends who were closer than close. Had clearly been through a lot. “Yeah. Yeah. Just give me the address.”
“I can pick you up.” Stiles said quickly, stumbling over his words when everyone turned to him. “I mean. It’s kinda hard to get to that first time. It would be easier for someone to give you a ride.” His ears turned pink as Lydia and Malia shared a look. Scott was trying to hold his grin. But Liam was flat out laughing at him.
Before you could respond a horn honked, followed by your mom calling your name. “Here.” You tore a piece of paper and quickly wrote your address and number down. “Just let me know when you get there.”
As you walked away you could hear the low voices talking at once followed by Stiles. “You guys suck I’m going home.”
—
You shared everything with your mom on the way home. Even though she wasn’t a true seer, everyone in her family got trained in case it appeared later in life.
“So this true alpha has a mixed pack?” She asked, dropping the box of books on the table.
“Yes. There’s definitely a lot of stuff they have been through. I could feel how strong their connection was.” You started thumbing through the first book, your mom following suit with her own.
“And this Stiles boy, he said he wasn’t supernatural?”
“Yeah. I can’t even begin to explain the way the colors were around him. It was like someone spilled a bunch of paint. Very chaotic.” You closed the book, having no luck. “I don’t think the book is in here. I think it’s with Buffy.”
Your mother examined the books, then nodded. “I think so. I’ll give her a call. But you should probably go get it tonight if she has it.”
“Can I take the car?” You asked, slightly excited about getting to go see someone who was pretty much your Aunt but you get to drive.
Your mom nodded. But before you could say anything your phone vibrated
Maybe Stiles: Y/N? It’s Stiles. I’m outside. I think.
You: Okay, I'll be out in a sec.
"Stiles is here." You told your mom as you slipped into your jacket. "Just have Buffy text me if she has the box." You gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. "Love you."
She opened another book. "I will. I'll also keep looking and see if I can find anything. I know there was something in one of the books last time, I just have to remember which one. And I love you too. Be safe."
You slipped your bad over your shoulder and headed out where a blue jeep was waiting. Stiles was in the front seat tapping his fingers and singing to whatever was playing. He was wearing a maroon lacrosse hoodie and his hair looked more disheveled than it did at school. His tapping stopped when you opened the door and Should I Stay or Should I Go was playing. His voice died off as he looked at you standing in the door.
"The Clash? Good choice." You said as the song came to an end, and a new one began. "Oh, and Fleetwood Mac?"
Stiles shrugged, taking your bag for you as you climbed in. "Can never go wrong with some classic rock."
"That is very true. I think I might like you a bit now Stiles." His colors were dimmer than they had been at school, which was normal, the sun always made them brighter. They were much less distracting this way too. "So, is there anything I should know before we get to this mystery loft?"
"There's a lot you should know. But the drive isn't long enough for everything, so I'll give you the rundown." He pulled the jeep from the curb and started talking.
He told you who Derek, Argent, and Parrish were and how Scott and Liam turned. But that was about as much as he could get in before pulling into the parking lot of what looked like an abandoned warehouse. So many questions were running through your mind as you looked up at the building. "Funny, a werewolf living in a warehouse."
Stiles laughed, then nodded to the door. "I swear the loft is so much better inside."
He was right. When he pulled open the huge metal door it revealed a beautiful open space full of natural light and people. Four you had already met, three you had names for but not faces.
Scott was quick to introduce you to the other three. Derek was obviously a werewolf with his baby blue coloring that matched his eyes. Jordan Parrish was the first human hellhound you've met, and his color was exactly like fire.
Argent was the only one without a color. "A True Seer?" He asked, shaking your hand. "I've only met one other person with that ability. Welcome to Beacon. Scott said you knew something about these things?"
"We fought a group of them when I lived in Sunnydale. I know we had some literature on them, my mom is looking through our books, but I think I think they might have gotten left at my Aunt's house. Once I know though I’m heading there to get them.”
Argent nodded, then pointed to the map. “We have a rough pattern. And based on the bodies I think we might be dealing with just one.”
“What do you know about the people who have been killed?” You asked, noting the four red circles on the map that seemed to form a shape.
“Not a lot.” Parrish spoke up, opening a file. “All different ages. Different builds. There doesn’t seem to be a pattern here. But we are still searching through their backgrounds. So far the only possibility is they knew each other or went to the local church.”
You nodded. “They liked to go after people who knew each other. How often are bodies turning up?”
“Every two weeks or so. The last one was the day before yesterday.” Stiles answered, your phone buzzed.
Buffy: The books are here. Fill me in on what’s happening.
You: I’m coming to you. Be there soon.
“My Aunt has the books. Is it okay if I take a picture of this? I think I can get some extra help.” You asked nodding to the map.
"Yeah. The more help we can get the better." Argent said, stepping back as you angled your phone for a picture.
"Is there anyone missing from the school?" Derek asked, looking at the others.
Lydia shrugged. "Not sure yet. There were a few people out today, but they could have just been normal reasons. I'm keeping an eye on everything."
"We couldn't get a scent from the body." Malia added, giving a shudder. "I think I might have nightmares for weeks."
“I didn’t see anyone there with the color for them. It’s kind of a deep grey color. Even when they switch skins the color is still there.” You looked at Stiles, his brows were pinched and he was working his thumb with his teeth as he looked at the map. "Hey," you whispered as the others discussed the body. "Could you drive me home. Buffy has the books so I need to get to Sunnydale."
His brown eyes met yours, the concentration making him look adorable. "Huh? Oh, yeah." He looked up at the others. "Guys, I'm going to take Y/N home so she can go get the books."
After some quick goodbyes the two of you made your way back to the jeep.
"If you want, I can take you there?" Stiles said, his hand was rubbing at the back of his neck.
You stopped and looked at him. "To Sunnydale?"
"Yeah. It's late, and well, I'd feel safer away from here." He shrugged. "Plus it's late."
"You said that." You laughed. "If you want to drive me that's alright."
"Awesome." He jumped in the jeep, waited for you to get in and buckled, then looked over at you. "So, how do I get to Sunnydale?"
------
"Okay, wait. Like, a full, legit deadpool?" The two of you were almost there, and Stiles had started filling you in on everything they had experienced.
"Yes. That's how we found out that Parrish was supernatural. He was on the list. Peter, is the one who put the list out. He used another banshee to set it all up."
"So, if I ever meet Peter can I punch him?" Even though you'd just met this group you felt oddly protective of them.
"He is kinda neutral right now, but honestly, go for it." He winked at you. "So is there anything I should know before we get there?"
"Well, yes. Buffy isn't really my aunt, but she feels like one. She's the slayer. Spike might be there, he's a vampire. Willow, she's like my other aunt, she's a witch." Excitement started building as you saw the sign for the exit.
He was silent for a moment, then he said slowly. "Vampire?"
"He won't try anything. He knows I can take him, but also he's fairly harmless."
Stiles rubbed his lips. "Vampire."
"Yes. Turn left up here." You said. He followed your directions, eventually pulling in front of the house you spent much of your childhood. "You okay?"
"Uh. Yeah. I'm still processing I think."
You placed your hand on his arm. "I promise you it'll be fine. But if you want, you can stay in the car."
He shook his head, removing the keys. "Lets go."
All the lights were on as you made your way to the house, Spike was standing in the open door.
"Hello, Little Bit." His British accent was familiar and a sudden wave of homesickness hit you.
You ignored it though, rolling our eyes. "Shut it you loof. The skin crawlers are back, we don't have time for your shit."
He placed a hand on his chest. "Your words wound, missy." His eyes traveled behind you. "Who's the bloke?"
"Spike, Stiles. Stiles, Spike.” You pointed at Spike. "Be nice." You grabbed Stiles' hand and led him into the house, avoiding Spike's attempt to ruffle your hair. The others were already waiting in the dining room.
You quickly introduced Stiles to everyone. Then jumped right into what you knew.
“I went by the crypt.” Spike said after you’d told them the last of the information. “It didn’t look like anything escaped. Place is still rubble.”
“Wait.” Stiles leaned his elbows on the table. “How exactly did you guys kill these things last time?”
“Blew them up.” Willow shrugged, flipping through a book.
Stiles fell back into his chair and looked at you. “Blew them up?”
“Buf has army connections so we were able to… acquire some top grade stuff.” You told him. You could tell he was trying to process all of this, he was really cute.
“Argent might have some connections.” He nodded as if he was coming up with a plan.
You let him be and flipped open a book, your heart immediately stopping. Before saying anything you looked back at one of the pictures you had taken.
“Shit. Shit shit shit.” You dragged your finger down the page as you read. “This is bad.” Everyone was looking at you as you pointed to the diagram in the book. “A resurrection ritual.”
“Bloody hell.” Spike said, jumping from his chair, heading straight to the little bar table.
Willow paled, pulling the book to her and muttered something under her breath.
“Uh. That doesn’t seem like a good thing.” Stiles said.
You turned to him, your heart was pounding. “The skincrawler is doing a resurrection ritual. Basically it’s trying to bring something back from the dead. Probably the ones we killed.”
“Okay that sounds really bad.”
“It says here it has to make five sacrifices around a power source.” Willow said. “But it’s not doing it over the Hellmouth so what’s in Beacon Hills?” She looked over at Stiles. You opened the picture of the map, examining it closer, trying to find the pattern.
“The Nemeton.” He whispered, struggling to get his phone out of his pocket. After pressing around there was the trill of a call.
“Stiles? It’s late.” Argents' gruff voice filled the room.
“I know I know. Listen. I need you to go to that map. I need you to go to it and tell me what’s in the middle of those points.”
“A star!” You shouted. “They need five points. There are four on here. If you trace a star you can find the next dump site and the middle.”
There was rustling on the phone, then, “Shit.”
“It’s The Nemeton isn’t it?”
“Yeah. It’s The Nemeton.” There was some more noise from the other side of the phone. “I’ve got a rough guess where the next dump site will be. I’ll tell the others.”
“So The Nemeton is a real thing?” Willow asked, amazement all over her face.
You raised your hand. “Excuse me, what is that?”
“Short version? A supernatural ritual site created by Druids. It’s what makes Beacon Hills a beacon for the supernatural.”
“I thought they were a myth.” Willows eyes were dazed as she zoned out.
“So you’re telling me I moved from the demon hotspot Hellmouth to the literal beacon for the supernatural? Unbelievable.”
"It's very real. Sometime I'll tell you the story of how it awoke and got so much power. But right now we need to get back." He looked incredibly worried.
"It's late." Buffy said, she and Spike had been talking in the corner quietly. "You guys should stay here and sleep for a few hours before driving back."
Spike nodded. "I agree, Little Bit. There's still a few days till you should really worry. Sleep a bit and head out at sunrise."
As he spoke, you could feel the exhaustion suddenly weighing on your body. "He's right. Let the others scope out some stuff while we catch some shut eye."
"Your room is still made up. Go sleep and I'll make you guys breakfast in the morning."
You nodded, and silently led Stiles up the steps. He’d been quiet, worry was all over his face. He sat down in the desk chair, lip between his teeth.
“They will be okay.” You said softly, moving the pillows off the bed.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. We defeated them once, we can do it again. Really Argent is the only one to worry about there, he’s not a supernatural. Plus they are very time oriented. They stick to the same schedule when it comes to changing.”
After a moment he spoke again. “Uh. Do you want me to sleep on the floor?”
There wasn’t much space in the small room so you shook your head. “You can sleep in the bed. You’re driving so better rest is safer.”
The two of you were quiet as you took turns in the bathroom, then getting situated in the bed.
“Ya know,” you said after a few minutes in the dark. “If you had told me that on my first day of another new school I’d meet more supernaturals, find out the skincrawlers are back, and share a bed with a guy I just met that morning. I’d think you were crazy.”
“I’ve learned to just ride out the crazy. Trust me, it’s easier to do that than to try and fight it.” His head turned toward you, voice just above a whisper. “Why did you seem so freaked about the skincrawlers?”
You were suddenly very thankful for the dark. “They got one of my best friends. It was how we found out about them actually. She went missing for a day or so and when she came back she had this Grey color around her that hadn’t been there before. And her eyes seemed empty. Like everything about her was still her. But her eyes.” A shudder ran through you. “It used the knowledge from her to taunt us, me. Things got ugly. The boom.” You wiped the tear off your cheek, turning to see his silhouette in the dark. “If it’s just one, and we get it before it completes the ritual, it’ll be fine.”
“I’m...I’m so sorry, Y/N.”
“It’s fine. I have faith in us. With the information we take back, it’ll help. Let’s get some sleep though.” Even though you said it, you stayed awake long after Stiles' breath evened out. Images of your last run in with these nasty things running through your mind. There was no peaceful sleep.
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Scenes that stood out as a wtFock newbie
The use of music in the scene where Robbe is trying to get very intimate with Noor just blew me away. It shocked me, it made me sit up, and it made my jaw drop with the utter geniusness of it. I’m talking about using a David Bowie song in a love scene between Robbe and Noor.
Wow wtFock, you really went there.
6. LIFE ON MARS
Backing up one step, what happens in this scene is so hard to watch in general. Robbe hoping to make love to Noor was his choice but it is so hard to watch the attempt unfold while knowing the greater outcome of Robbe’s story and the inevitability of his experimenting. It’s hard to see him having to learn all this the hard way; to see him trying so hard to be someone he thinks he has to be (and after using that slur against Sander…). WtFock seemed to really want to confront us with the physical side of Robbe’s struggle and I think they did it really well.
But then these eikels just had to pull out the David Bowie card.
They actually used a David Bowie song in a love scene between Noor and Robbe. In fact, they did more than just that -- they actually had Robbe choose to play a Bowie song while trying to make love to Noor. Like, it seems like he really was playing it because the song started so muffled when they were outside his bedroom and then became clear as soon as he opened the door to reveal the romantic ambience he had set up for Noor. Bowie seemed to be part of that ambience. (And it still works if it was just in his head.)
Guys, this is a Pandora’s box of layering and I am here for it!
Layer 1: The incongruity
Obviously we (and Robbe) associate all things Bowie with Sander. As such, it is very jarring to hear a Sander reference in a scene that very much shouldn’t involve Sander -- when Robbe is trying to be intimate with his girlfriend for the first time.
It is such a personal moment for Robbe and Noor as a couple; something that is just between the two of them. But what Life On Mars does is force Sander into the room with them (and into our minds). And my goodness, what an effect that has.
I just love that feeling of disorientation it creates. It makes the moment feels so wrong, so incongruous, like the world is upside down. It screams ‘It should be Sander here with Robbe right now.’ And of course that sense of wrongness is probably what Robbe is fighting through/pushing through/struggling with in this moment as well. And we get to feel that struggle from one piece of music. Not just from its melody or the lyrics, but the actual artist is used against us too. How genius is that!
Layer 2: Bowie is comfort and courage
How curious for Robbe to have cut Sander so thoroughly out of his life and yet consciously set up a Bowie song to croon in the background amongst the candles. (And again, it works if it’s just in his head too.)
I think one of the reasons why he did this is because he himself was wooed by Bowie. It’s what he is familiar with; a page out of Sander’s romance playbook. He can now use those moves on Noor (because he has no idea what else to do).
And I think another possible reason for his choosing to play Bowie is for courage. Robbe is obviously really nervous right now and it seems possible that he is trying to get courage from Bowie’s music because Bowie is Sander and Sander is bold and brave and cool and unflappable. I think Robbe looks up to Sander and those qualities he possesses, and Bowie’s music is how he can channel them. (But that thought just makes me want to cry a little bit so I’ll stop right there.)
But I think there is a much bigger reason behind Robbe’s choice to woo Noor with Bowie…
Layer 3: The cycle of substitution
Music is a powerful thing; it connects to memories and emotions. For Robbe, Bowie’s music is so tangled up in Sander -- it would be so hard to separate the two at this point. Listening to Bowie would bring up all the echoes of the happiness and excitement and tingles that he felt with Sander. So why on earth would Robbe listen to Bowie if he was trying to forget about Sander and focus on Noor?
Well, for one thing, listening to Bowie might help Robbe get in the mood; it might help him channel those electric Sander Tingles so that he can then transfer them to Noor. After all, if he could feel those types of things with Sander, surely he can also feel them for his girlfriend with a bit of inspiration and coaxing. Then Robbe will be back to being ‘normal’ again. (Because liking Sander is wrong but liking Noor is right.)
In other words, Robbe may be using his Sander Tingles as a placeholder or a starting point for the ones he is trying to grow for Noor. But that is just a form of substitution wrapped up in ‘good’ intentions.
What the undercurrent of this scene really feels like is a continuation of Call Your Girlfriend/the zombie party, where Robbe used Noor as a substitute to kiss Sander by proxy. Everything in this new scene just screams of Robbe missing Sander and wanting him there instead. The Bowie ambience feels like a gift Robbe has prepared for Sander, not for Noor. But Sander isn’t there…
What everything comes down to -- and what is painfully evident -- is that if Robbe was really determined to cut Sander from his life, he would have cut out Bowie’s music too. He’d have to. Listening to it would be like wearing Sander’s sweater.
If Robbe was serious about getting over Sander, he certainly wouldn’t try and make love to his girlfriend while listening to Sander’s favourite music -- that is just going to make him think of Sander while he kisses Noor. It’s the opposite of trying to erase Sander. It just screams that Robbe doesn’t actually want to get over Sander; that he’s fighting his own decision; that he can’t let go; that he really wants to be doing this with Sander. It’s just such a messy cycle of substitution and so very sad.
And it really makes my head hurt.
But anyway. There is one last thing I loved about the use of music in this scene, and for once it has nothing to do with Bowie:
The music distortion
I just have to acknowledge the fantastic use of music distortion at the end of this scene. You know, the moment Robbe reaches Noor’s lower region and the smooth playback of Life On Mars starts distorting and echoing in Robbe’s ears like he’s slipping underwater.
It was such a clever and effective use of sound effects to replicate the effects of Robbe’s anxiety on his senses and concentration. It works too well though -- it always sets my heart racing and triggers my own anxiety like I am about to freefall without warning. Oh and it BREAKS MY GODDAMN HEART. Willem gets the bloody Oscar because I can’t watch his face in that moment. I just can’t. It’s like he is losing a part of himself to do what he is doing that he will never get back. I can’t describe it, it’s just so awful.
And that brings me to a subpoint that made my list:
6.5: THE FRAMING OF ROBBE AND NOOR IN THE AFTERMATH
The aftermath scene blew me away as well (though I suppose it wasn’t hard to do considering I was already in tiny pieces!)
The framing of Noor holding Robbe from behind to comfort him is so visceral. The contrast of Noor’s warm love with Robbe’s cold fear and resignation is such a mix of beautiful and heartbreaking.
Noor is the embodiment of love as she holds Robbe. Her explanation is so gentle; her tone so soft and soothing. Noor is so empathetic, so patient, so kind, so mature… And that is exactly what amplifies the sense of tragedy. It’s tragic that ordinarily her gentleness and patience might have been enough to help; it might have given a devastated boy an incredibly important lifeline after being unable to perform in the pressure of the moment. But in this situation, it isn’t enough -- it won’t ever be enough. And it’s so hard watching Noor’s exemplary handling of the situation while knowing that.
Robbe seemed to register that particular tragedy too, even though he seems primarily devastated over the finality of what his inability to perform means for him.
His face is just so awful. That resignation and fear as his worst fears are confirmed -- that even after being reassured by his best friend, the advice wasn’t enough to help the situation. What is instinctual for Robbe’s friends isn’t so for him. He tried to do all he could and it still wasn’t enough. There is very little left that he can do.
The close up framing of Robbe’s face in this moment makes it all the more confronting for the viewers because there is no where else to look but at his face. You have no other choice but to feel that fear and devastation; to be trapped in it with Robbe. It’s a set of brutally effective framing.
So well done to wtFock for using so many of my goddamn senses to ruin me in these two scenes -- from the sound of Bowie, to the visuals of distress, to touch (because damn right I felt tightness in my chest and an erratic heart beat!). Thank you but I hate it… :)
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Best image creator tools online (On web, no need to install programs)
We live in an era when visual contents get more attraction than the normal ones. You can apply your creativity to attract your audience’s attention towards your contents.
It’s very important nowadays to create attractive and well designed images to enrich your written contents. Patent issues and piracy also need to be taken care of, to avoid legalisation issues.
Just like me, most newbie digital marketers start with MS paint and rely on it only for most of their image content needs. But once you come across beautiful tools available online, your life becomes much easier.
You don’t need to hire a designer for making good designs. There are few image creating tools available in the market. Some of them are free, some are partly free and some are paid tools.
Don’t confuse these tools with “Image Editing Tools”. Image editor tools require altogether different features. Please visit our article on “Best image editing tools”.
Remember, these tools will be used online only and you don’t need to download and install applications (programs) to use them. Just to make the designing simpler for newbies, this is the most important.
Let’s look at them one by one.
1. Canva
It’s easy to use drag-and-drop software. Create, mix, match, try whatever you want. Even if you haven’t created any image in your lifetime, just no need to worry. Canva is there for you.
From high-end design to logo to visiting card to letter head; you can create anything very easily. Almost all your design related needs can be fulfilled by Canva.
There are preset sizes for every purpose of images like Facebook Post, Instagram post, etc. Canva’s giant library with lots of images, icons, layouts, text styles and shapes will help you create your ideal images. You can upload your own graphics also.
Their premium plans offer even more of the resources to enable you to create professionals like images.
Price:- Free for 8,000+ templates, 1GB storage, and up to 10 team members; from $9.95/mo per user for Canva for work, which offers unlimited storage, access to 300,000 assets and templates, custom fonts, transparent backgrounds, and more
2. Stencil
Another easy-to-use graphic design tool for you. Stencil provides with you 650+ pre-designed templates, over a million images and few lacs icons and graphic elements to choose from. Free and simple image creating tool for beginners, social media marketers, bloggers and small business. With a free plan you can create upto 10 images per month.
3. Snappa
Snappa is another quick and easy graphic design software similar to Canva. It offers a free plan which includes 40,000+ free photos and upto 5 downloads per month. The free plan contains limited design templates to choose from and integration with 2 social accounts. You can upload your own graphics too in Snappa editor as well as import your custom fonts. Connecting your social media account allows you to share the graphic on the social platform right from the app.
Snappa goes all-in for this design, building its app around making vibrant, polished share images as quickly and easily as possible. While Snappa, like many similar apps, includes a thorough template library, they put more emphasis than other apps on getting the background image just right. With a library of free (and royalty-free) images, choosing the perfect background image is just a few clicks away, whether you’re using one of Snappa’s images or uploading your own. From there, Snappa offers an effects sidebar that helps you create the perfect image effects for your post–whether that means darkening or coloring the background image to make white text pop, or brightening the image to highlight dark text. (It’s important to note, however, that while Snappa has a library of additional graphics and shapes, these features are more limited compared to other apps.)
Snappa is similarly thorough when it comes to text. Easily edit your text from the sidebar, adjusting font, size, alignment, line spacing, opacity, and—my personal favorite–an optional drop shadow effect. It’s not an overload of features, but it’s more than enough to make your text, and therefore your message, really stand out.
Unfortunately, Snappa’s free plan is more limited than similar apps, allowing only 5 shares or downloads per month, which won’t be enough for many brands. You also cannot save designs in Snappa’s free plan. However, the free plan is a good way to test the app and see if it’s right for you.
4. Desynger
One of the easiest application especially for your phone, be it iOS or Android. Desynger can create graphics as smooth as Canva. Starting with a template or from a scratch, create a smooth design. Desygner’s library of free images and design elements will leave you speechless.
Even in its mobile app, Desygner doesn’t skimp on features. Multiple menus allow you to hyper-customize image and text settings, while never becoming cumbersome to use on a small screen. You can even pull up a list of all layers, making it even easier to select, deselect, and rearrange image elements with a few taps.
Desynger’s web app works almost identically, with sidebar menus to help you select the design assets and effects you need. The tool is simpler than Canva and provides fewer templates, images, and assets with its free plan, but combined with the mobile app, Desygner becomes a very versatile tool for quickly creating unique, professional social media images.
Desygner Price: Free; from $6.95 for more templates and assets, as well as features like versioning.
5. Pablo by Buffer
Pablo Created by the social media scheduling tool, Buffer, Pablo is as minimalistic as they come, making it drop-dead easy to add a nice-looking, customized graphic to your social posts.
Pablo has only a few features and really only one workflow. Choose a template or just an image for your blank template—all free and royalty-free, provided by sites like Unsplash and Pixabay. Pablo’s keyword search is fast and precise, so you can pick the perfect image for your post. From there, choose from one of three sizes, each fitted specifically for Pinterest, Instagram, or Facebook/Twitter.
Image customization is limited—choose from a few preset filters, designed to provide the right level of contrast between your image and your text. You can also add up to three text boxes. Pablo displays them as “Header,” “Body,” and “Caption,” but you can adjust size and font to redesign the text as you see fit. Add one adjustable logo or graphic, and you’re good to go!
When you’ve finished your image, you can either download it, put it into your Buffer queue, or share directly to Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, or Instagram.
Pablo Pricing: Free—Buffer subscription not required (but certainly recommended!)
6. Crello
Crello is an alternative of Canva and offers similar features and functionality. This free online graphic design software allows creation of design using pre-created formats such as social media covers, ads, posters etc. Crello offers over 5000 free designs and collection of over 60 million images.
7. Gravit Designer
Gravit Designer includes many of the classic graphic design functions of tools like Photoshop, Sketch, and GIMP—such as layers, drawing tools, grouping, shapes, text, effects, and more—with a much more simplified, easy-to-learn interface.
As a self-described intermediate (on my best days) designer, Gravit Designer suited me perfectly. All the controls and effects I needed were easily available, so I could really make the design my own without spending a lot of time starting from scratch with Photoshop and its overabundance of tools. A tutorials tab in Gravit Designer’s main view also gives you ready access to all the knowledge you need to get started.
While Gravit Designer is ideal for building your own designs from scratch, it does come with a small library of templates pre-sized for uses like blog posts and social media images. Start with one of these preset canvases, or define your own. The app also offers a small library of shapes, illustrations, and icons. While not comprehensive as the asset libraries included with some other apps, it’s nonetheless a handy addition to a tool that already does so much.
Want to backup your design files or make them easily shareable with your team once you’re done? Gravit Designer is built to sync with the Gravit Cloud, which is also free. Simply create a Gravit account, enable the sync, and you’ll be set!
Gravit Designer Price: Free
Read full article on here
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Everything You Could Possibly Need To Know About Auckland
It’s no easy feat making a move to a new city. But never fear, we’ve rounded up a local’s guide of the best things to try, buy and eat around town so you can live your best life here in Auckland!
Food
We’re happy to report the foodie scene here in the city of sails (it’s a nickname, just go with it) is thriving. Whether you’re looking to get dumped by gyoza or the best fried chicken in town, check out the below for tried and tested local gems.
The Coup, Takapuna – Dare we say it, The Coup puts the colonel’s 11 secret herbs and spices to shame. Don’t pass up a chance to give one of their game-changing Po’ boys a try.
The Blue Breeze Inn, Ponsonby – Any Aucklander will tell you The Blue Breeze Inn is one of the best in town. Featuring a pan-Asian inspired cuisine, head here for a legendary Mai Tai (or two). While you’re at it, order a round of dumplings, pork belly bao and XO noodles. We warn you this spot is addictive!
Eden Noodle House, Mt. Eden – Speaking of dumplings, Eden Noodle House is legendary among locals for a cheap bite. Often with lines out the door, you can’t go wrong with anything on the menu – they’re that good.
Rude Boy, Freemans Bay – Offering classics done right, head here for ultra gram-worthy dishes and sprawling cabinet food that’ll make your mouth water. We recommend the mixed creamy mushrooms or if you’re on the go, a sourdough doughnut from the cabinet.
Sugar, Northcote Point – Take a day and head out to the Chelsea Sugar Factory to Sugar. Their high tea is a must for special occasions and is complimented with some of the best views in town.
Winona Forever, Parnell – Another café doing good things, the Eton Rifle French toast is not to be missed. The big breakfast plate also hits the spot.
Oh Calcutta, Parnell – Serving the best Indian in town, once you try their butter chicken and tandoori salmon, no other will compare.
De Setti Soldi, Epsom – A small but mighty family-run Italian spot offering fresh classic pasta and pizza. You’ll fall in love at first bite.
Prego, Ponsonby – Another fabulous Italian spot offering excellent Italian cuisine. Their spaghetti agioli is a must-try.
Wu & Yu, Mt. Eden – A whacky and wonderful blend of East and West, Wu and You’s menu boasts dumplings, soft shell crab tacos and a dessert menu to die for.
Garden Shed, Mt. Eden – The closest a café will come to a garden picnic, The Garden shed keeps things classic and focusing on flavour and presentation. Their burger is one of the best and not for the faint-hearted.
Giapo, CBD – You’ve never seen ice cream like this before. Prepare for your mind to be blown.
Dr. Rudis, Viaduct – To finish off those big work weeks look no further than Dr. Rudis. Featuring an in-house bowling alley, micro-brewery on-site and live music, see out the week from their rooftop.
Headquarters, CBD – Another after-work favourite, head here for a cold beer, lounge in the sun and boogie to Dad music.
Miann, Morningside – For handmade chocolate creations. BYO stretchy pants.
Lowbrow, Queens Rise CBD – Southern American foods at its finest.
Bars
Deadshot, Ponsonby – Tucked away on Ponsonby Rd, Deadshot is a table service bar where bartenders come to you and whip up a concoction based on your preferences.
Caretaker, CBD – Same as above but in Britomart underground.
The Churchill, CBD – A rooftop gin bar in the Four Seasons on Queen Street. At an international standard, head here when you’re wanting to impress.
Talulah, CBD – A tiki bar with strong neon hues and even stronger cocktails. Our advice, tell the bartender to surprise you, you won’t be disappointed.
Chapel, Ponsonby – Not a destination but a stop along the way on any big night out.
AV Club + Saturdays, CBD – A one-stop spot for when you’re in the mood for a quiet one and a boogie. Saturdays keep things mellow while AV blasts house music at its finest.
Family Bar, K Rd – A hub for the local LGBTQ+ community, head here for non-stop Britney and Beyonce all night long.
Beauty/Hair
We’ve already made the questionable choices, so you don’t have to!
Spring Spa, Ponsonby – From facials to pedicures they do it all! Pro Tip: Ask for Kushbu when booking, she’s a threading genius.
Dry & Tea, Newmarket – For when you want a little more sparkle for a night out.
Rose Quartz Hair Studio, Parnell – One of Auckland’s best kept secrets, owner Michaela’s hands are magic when it comes to hair. And her chat is great too!
Blaze, Newmarket – Masters of their craft when it comes to hair colour.
Health
Sweat up a storm at these spots.
Box Fitness Studio, Newmarket – A boxing class like you’ve never seen before!
Westward Cycle, Newmarket – A spin class by candlelight. Think of it as a dance party on your bike.
KCore Pilates, Victoria Park – Feel the burn at one of the best reformer Pilates classes in town.
Body Tech – Offer curated fitness programmes backed by research, not claims.
Morning People – Pre-work rave? Keep an eye out for weekly pre-work raves at local bar Cassette.
Shopping
Key malls to check out are Sylvia Park Shopping Centre and Westfield Newmarket. Expect to find classics including H&M, Zara, Kookai, David Jones and Decjuba.
K Rd, CBD – Head here for thrift shopping. Check out Stalgic Society, St Kevins Arcade and The Army Shop.
Ponsonby – A hub for local designers including Ruby, Lonely and Deadly Ponies. Head to Tatty’s for pre-loved designer treasures.
Things To Do
Waiheke – A hop, skip and ferry trip away, Waiheke is a wine-lovers paradise. Vineyards to checkout include Cable Bay, Casita Miro and Mudbrick.
Beaches – Classics include Mission Bay, Kohimarama, Takapuna, Piha and Red Beach.
Staycation - For when you want to get away without getting out, head to The Hotel Grand Windsor. You’ll find yourself immersed in olfactory hospitality with lush rooms, a spa on hand and flowing cocktails from Cooke’s Restaurant & Bar. Dreamy!
Day Trips – Just over an hour and a half away, locals escape to Matakana and Omaha at every chance they get. Matakana’s weekly farmers market is legendary as is Omaha’s expansive range and surf.
Night Markets – On the hunt for local up and coming foodie trends? Look no further than the Auckland Night Markets, where many of Auckland’s hotspots have started.
Rangitoto – Another short ferry trip away, you aren’t an Aucklander until you’ve done the trek up Rangitoto at least once.
Auckland War Memorial Museum – Learn all about basically anything with a stroll around the Auckland Museum.
Cornwall Park – Our answer to a central park, Cornwall makes for the perfect running route and picnic spot.
The Capitol – Level up your dating game and book a movie at The Capitol, a hidden boutique cinema that’s equal parts intimate and magical. And within walking distance of your house!
Stream – While we’re sure you’re missing Stan, we have a killer slate of streaming options. Check out Neon for the latest and greatest movies and HBO drops, Lightbox is only good for The Handmaids Tale, and TVNZ OnDemand, home to The Bachelorette, Grey’s Anatomy and is 100% free!
Creative Mornings – A free series of morning talks from local creatives and industry leaders; topics vary but you’ll only leave having learnt something new. Tickets are limited so be sure to register on creativemornings.com to be in the know!
A Guide To Speaking Kiwi
Guilty of merging and switching vowels and ending every sentence like we’re asking a question; us Kiwis sure do make it hard for newbies to fathom exactly what we’re saying.
Instead of nodding, smiling and acting like you completely understand this unique accent, find an empty room, say the following words out loud and soon enough, you’ll be convincing everyone (and yourself!) that you are a true-blue Kiwi!
Dick: A wooden platform outside a house. Usually enjoyed in the summertime.
Tin: One more than nine.
Iggs: Laid by chickens and often enjoyed with evercardo on toast.
Chups: Chips.
Fush: Found in the sea and enjoyed with chups.
Why-poo: Small seaside town.
Tiddy Beer: Your cuds favourite stuffed toy.
Cud: A young person or goat.
Beer: Large mammal often found in forests.
Beer: Not clothed or covered.
Beer: A cold beverage enjoyed in the summer.
Rung: A piece of jewellery worn on a finger.
Bug: Large/ considerable size.
Bugger That: Not going to happen
She’ll be right: That’ll do.
Bloody Nora: WTF.
Beard: Where you go to sleep.
Hid: Rests on top of your neck.
Ear: What we breathe.
Stuck: A thin piece of wood found on a tree.
Pig: Used to hang up wet washing.
Silly-brities: A famous person.
Really: Something that hardly ever happens.
Cheer: Something to sit on, often round a table.
Sucks: Comes before sivven
Have any questions? Concerns? Need a pal? Don’t be scared to reach out! 😊
You can catch me on [email protected] or 02102837039
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Hey I was wondering if you could write a prompt based on the song "Perfect" by Topic & Ally Brooke is a great song and kinda Bechloe in a way... Love all your work and thanks for taking the time to write and share it with us... 😉
Thanks for the request :D Keep them coming.
Song: Perfect by Topic & Ally Brooke
Heavy rain poured down onto the streets of New York City as Beca hurried home as best she could. It was late - much later than Beca anticipated but she lost track of time.
Probably by the time she threw back her sixth shot of the night.
The evening blurred together in her mind as she balanced herself on the railings climbing the stairs. Only for one sentence.
“You’re fired.”
She grinned her teeth at the annoying voice inside her head, repeating the same saying over and over again. She tried to dull the voice with alcohol and some cigarettes she kept hidden from Chloe but they haunted her whenever she stopped for a second. So, she decided to never stop.
Fortunately, the bartender at the bar recognized Beca was at her last wits end so he stopped the drink from coming her way. That was when Beca angrily reached for her phone to do something - she didn’t know what - but the flashing lights of nine missed calls and six text messages made her paused.
Shit. Chloe.
Her beautiful, loyal, working girlfriend of nine months was probably at their shitty apartment, watching the shitty TV and worrying about her. Beca roughly rubbed her face to sober up a bit and said goodbye to the bar, for once thanking heavens their home was just a few blocks away.
As steadily as possible, she placed the key in the keyhole and pried the door open. Did she mention their apartment was actual trash? Even their combined salary - now just only one - wasn’t enough to afford anything big or with a separate bedroom. Their king size bed was a pull-out couch in the middle of the living room.
But Beca didn’t mind it at the beginning. It was small, yes but Chloe adored it. Saying it was romantic and cute, saying things like.
“It’s going to be the best adventure of our lives.”
Beca was happy because Chloe was happy. She never wanted more than to make the redhead happy and content but it looks like Beca didn’t need much time to fuck it up.
Just like with everything else.
The room was pitch dark - it was 4 am after all - Beca tried to be as quiet as possible in her drunken state but it proved to be difficult. She fumbled around with locking the door and walked into the kitchen table’s edge.
“Fuck.” She murmured as she pressed her hands to her waist and groaned. She screwed her eyes shut and stood frozen. She didn’t want to wake up Chloe, who was sleeping literally five feet away but she knew she would if she kept tumbling around.
Carefully she walked to the kitchen, the only source of light coming from the window and reached up, grabbing a mug to fill it up with water. She knew she would need it later on today when she would wake up to a raging hangover.
She opened up the tap and placed the mug underneath the flow but when it started to fill up, it was heavier than Beca thought. The cup slipped from her hand and Beca tried to save it. She reached for it as it shattered, the broken glass slicing a deep cut into her palm.
Beca hissed at the pain and automatically pulled her hand to her chest, clinching the wound.
“Beca?”
The soft tone infused with sleep made Beca close her eyes.
Chloe sat up in the bed and flicked the nightstand lamp on. She squinted for a second before her eyes adjusted to the light and she turned to Beca. The girl was leaning against the counter completely soaked, grimacing down at her hands as a few droplets of blood stained her shirt.
Chloe rushed to her side immediately. “Oh my God, what did you do? Are you okay?”
She cradled Beca’s hands between hers before gently pried them apart, investigating the wound as best as she could. She cupped Beca’s cheeks and forced her head up, eyes searching for any other injuries as the brunette avoided eye-contact.
Chloe sighed and carefully guided Beca to the table and sat her down. She crouched down underneath the sink and pulled out the first-aid ki, placing it before Beca. The brunette sat silently, her bleeding hand resting on the surface, palm up as Chloe sat down in front of her.
The redhead pulled the injured hand closer and opened up the box, getting to work to clean up the wound.
She managed to stay silent for a few minutes before she couldn’t take it anymore.
“What happened?” She asked with a weird mixture of stern and concerned tone.
Beca bit her bottom lip as the alcohol burned her skin. It was ironic how she went out drinking just to dull the pain and now it was the only thing that caused it.
“I - I broke a mug.” She explained slowly. Although, the accident sobered her up slightly, she still felt the alcohol cruising through her veins.
“No, I wasn’t talking about this.” Chloe looked up at her. “I meant earlier. What happened that made you go out and get drunk? I was worried sick, you know?”
“I’m sorry.” Beca whispered. “I had a rough day.”
Chloe’s eyes softened at the tone. She had a hard time being mad at her when Beca was clearly struggling with something. It just made Chloe want to hug her and do anything to make the pain go away.
“Tell me.” She requested gently, covering the wound with a bandage and pressing a kiss on her knuckles.
Beca buried her head into her hand and sighed. “I just fucked up. Like with everything good in my life.”
Chloe’s heart broke at the pitiful voice and swiped her thumb back and forth over Beca’s hand, trying to show support without words.
“I got a new client today.” Beca started to explain slowly, eyes daring toward the window as she watched the rain slid down the glass. “He was a bratty teenager, swearing to be the next best thing. He kept bouncing around the studio, his crew just as stupid as he was.” Beca puffed. “He showed me a crappy demo and I tried to fix it to be half-decent but he didn’t like it. He didn’t want to change anything, saying it was perfect the way it was. And of course, I couldn’t keep my mouth shut.”
Chloe frowned sympathetically.
“So I said what he gave me was a steaming pile of shit.” Beca’s humorless chuckle made Chloe sigh. “And he told my boss. He fired me.”
“What?” Chloe was outrageous and Beca shook her head. “Just like that?”
“I mean, I gave him enough reason to. I couldn’t make the demo better and I insulted his client. I’m a newbie there, Chloe. I don’t have a lot of experience.”
“You’ve been making mixes for years, Beca.” Chloe couldn’t understand why Beca wasn’t more upset. It was her dream job she worked hard for her entire life.
The brunette suddenly stood up, the screeching of the seat made Chloe pause.
“Those doesn’t matter. They were not good enough. Everybody with good ears and a laptop can do that nowadays. I’m nothing special, Chlo!” She raised her voice, her old boss’ words wired into her head.
The hateful spite Beca displayed reddened Chloe speechless.
Beca smirked. “I wasn’t surprised. It’s a miracle that I hadn’t screwed up the only good thing in my life yet. You.” Beca ran her fingers through her hair with her good hand. “You could have anybody you wanted.”
Chloe couldn’t believe her ears. “What are you - “
Beca interrupted her. “Somebody who’s better. Smarter. Prettier. Who works harder because apparently I can’t.” She laughed as she felt tears building behind her eyes. “Look at me, I’m a mess.” She raised up her bandaged hand and looked down at herself. Her clothes were soaked through, her make-up was probably none existed and she was drunk.
She was a catch, wasn’t she?
Chloe waited a couple of seconds to see if she would say more. But when she stayed silent, Chloe quietly got up from her seat and walked closer until she was toe to toe with the brunette.
Her ocean blue eyes bore intensely into Beca’s.
“I’m in love with you. You, nobody else. It hurts me so much that you don’t think you’re good enough.” She gently wiped the tears from under her eyes lovingly and Beca couldn’t help herself but lean into the touch. “I don’t want anybody else, you are more than enough.” Her smile trembled at the edges but she wouldn’t let it stop her. She cupped Beca’s face and pulled the brunette into a soft kiss that lasted long.
She pulled back slightly and whispered the words Beca will never forget.
“You’re perfect.”
#bechloe#Pitch Perfect#pitch perfect 2#pitch perfect 3#Anna Kendrick#brittany snow#beca mitchell#chloe beale#angst#request#prompt
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Her Interest, His Infatuation: Part 1
Y/N is the new girl in town, and what comes with a newbie? Talk. Lots of it, in fact. But once all those words reach Patrick Hockstetter's ears, it's hard for him to ignore the temptation building in his veins to search for this girl, and once he finds her, it's a surprisingly spectacular twist of fate.
Tags cause I thought you guys would enjoy this series: @fangirlinganditswonders @owenteaguer @patrick-hockstutter @patrickhockstetterimagines @bowersgangbaby @bowers-gang-imagines
"I knew you were the it girl, Y/N. Ever since we first met, I knew. I knew you were absolutely perfect for me."
This is now. Patrick Hockstetter is sitting in front of you, holding your hands in his, while the sun sets behind the two of you, on a castle top overlooking a flower filled valley. His green eyes bright with hope and pure love for the woman staring at him with adoration and pure faith in her own. A rose sits in a vase between the two of you, while various foods sit on a red checkered blanket, most of them touched, but not all. A life changing moment is yet to be made, and it only takes one word.
That is now. However, let's go back. Way back. Back to when things like these were yet to be thought. Back when things like these didn't even exist yet. Back when Patrick Hockstetter was still a prick, and Y/N Y/L/N was still the new girl.
I kick the truck door shut, a pile of boxes nearly reaching the sky in my hands. I have to bob and weave to even see where I'm going, and I worry my feet will fail me. Suddenly, two boxes are removed from my pile by my mother, and I can finally take a look at the new place I'll call home. The house is a two story farm house, with a big, beautiful maple tree to the right where my bedroom will be. There's a window laced between it's branches, which is utterly perfect for one of those movie type sneak ins.
Ha, if only any guy would take an infatuation.
Wishes are for stars, and boy did I use more than were really up there, in the sparkling ball of gases and rock. Though, one of my many wishes did come true: to get the hell out of the bum town I formerly came from. Sure, Derry has a population of two thousand and four, the four added by my family, but it's already so much better than loserville. My house is on the corner of Wise street, surrounded by lush grass and six sunflowers growing around my mailbox. I walk down the concrete separating green blade from green blade and incline on the stacked stone steps. The door is already open, due to my parents coming in and out and my younger sister following them like a lost puppy. Speaking of the sweet natured youngster, Ruby bounces on the balls of her feet, excitement obvious in her eyes.
"Whatever you want to show me Ru," I start before she can, "I can't right now. I'm helping mom and dad move, and you should be too." She pouts at me, but it really isn't like I care. She's eight years old, and still gets treated as if she's a newborn.
"Here, this box I'm carrying isn't that heavy, I'm sure you could haul it to your room." She heaves a loud sigh, and drags herself up the stairs while I move outside again to remove the last three boxes from the backseat of my father's truck. The sweltering heat of early august in Derry was starting to get to me quickly, even if I did have short shorts on and a yellow Tom & Jerry t-shirt. My hair is up in milkmaid braids, as I figured it'd be cuter than a regular old bun, and the only source of makeup to be found is a round of mascara. Other than that, I'm as fresh faced as Cindy Crawford. The sun beating down on me felt quite strange, as I heard that Maine wasn't supposed to be hot. But I guess today was just one of those days. As I stop for a minute and take a break, I notice my surroundings. There's a pretty white house next to ours, and I start to wonder who lives there, before seeing a boy with raven black hair and a matching Tom & Jerry t shirt that looks just like mine. He's staring at me out of what looks to be curiosity mixed with something I can't identify, mostly because I've never seen that look on a boy's face before. Especially not for me. He's adorable from what I can see though, and tall too. I wave at him, but he doesn't wave back. So I shrug my shoulders and head back inside, finished with all of the boxes, and head upstairs to my room. My dad has just finished putting together my bed frame, and stands as I come in.
"Hey hon, can you help me move your mattress and box springs?''
"Why sure dad."
My father is a younger man, in his early forties, with already peppering hair. He's on the taller side, six foot at least, while my mother is a tiny five three. I'm in the middle, five-five, while my sister keeps getting taller every day.
I'll bet that boy is taller than dad.
I'll bet that boy is dad.
I let out a loud cough at the thoughts running through my mind, and my father looks at me to make sure I'm alright. I just continue to move my box springs until it's on the bed, then move to the mattress.
"Y'know hun, your first day at Derry High is tomorrow, are you excited?'' Dad asks through pushing it on the bed. I give him a glare, letting him know we don't speak of such things.
"Right. Not until dinner. Got it."
I dip my slice of pizza into the puddle of ranch on my plate and sit next to my sister on the couch. The sun has gone down, and besides the silver wear, dishes, and tv that needs to be hooked up, we've got almost everything moved.
"So what're you going to wear to school tomorrow Y/N?" My mom asks, ever the fashionista. I finish chewing and swallow before delivering an answer.
"I have no clue yet. I was thinking a good pair of denim shorts, a white tucked in tank top with a rolled up red flannel over it, and my high tops."
She nods, thinking it over for a bit. "Good idea, I think everybody will like it, and you."
I roll my eyes at her, having to go over this topic every single time we move. "Mom how many times do I have to say I don't care what people think of me?"
"Right, sorry. I just want you to make some friends, maybe meet someone who can be more than a friend." She replies softly and apologetically, but when she says things like that, it can really get to me.
I finish off my slice of pizza and throw my plate in the trash. "Yeah, me too." I scoff, and head upstairs to bed. I toss myself onto the pillows, and feel the world slowly go black.
Green eyes stare into my own as we sit so close I can make out every freckle on his skin. He cups my face lightly in his hands, and tilts his head closer to mine for a better kiss. Our lips meet finally, and sparks fly. I feel myself melt into his arms, and I wrap my own around his neck for support. The kiss is so passionate, and so real, I moan out of pure love for the boy locking lips with me. He smiles into it, and I can't help but do the same. His lips never leave mine as he slowly removes my panties from my skin and-
The annoyingly loud beeping stirs me from my slumber, and I wake to see the sun rising through my window. I shake my head from the dream I just had and wonder: what was that about?
#patrick hockstetter#patrick hockstetter imagine#it movie 2017#it movie imagine#rumors#derry girls#derry maine#The Bowers Gang#bowers gang#losers club#the barrens#pennywise#neighbors#owen teague#owen teague imagines#owen teague imagine#Henry Bowers#victor criss#belch huggins
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any thoughts/comments on hair dye? i'm a newbie and all my knowledge comes from youtube LOL. i know arctic fox is bad?? ngl i only like good dye young because of hayley williams but yeah i'd love to hear your thoughts on hair dye!
I'll be honest, the most research I ever did for my hair was before the first time I bleached it . Most of the time I just kind of... go for it
So *warning!* I am not a professional and please also know that I give very little fucks about what I look like and am not afraid of trying whatever I want with my hair.
Also, cause it does make a difference in hair care, I am white. This means that I have only ever done things to white people hair and have *absolutely* no knowledge of any other kind of hair except my own, which is semi curly/wavy, thin stranded but a decent amount of it, and fairly healthy to begin with (though I've been dying it since I was 15). Also, I am naturally a dirty blonde so my hair is somewhat light to begin with.
Below the cut for completely non-professional hair dye advice!
SEMI-PERMANENT/PASTEL DYES:
I'm not sure what you mean by Arctic Fox is bad - I've actually used them and so far they're one of the best, so I'm guessing it has something to do with the company itself that I haven't heard about? I really like their colors, it smells good, and it's not crazy overpriced. The other brand I like is One n Only Argan Oil - that's what I first started using when doing pastels. A popular brand (at least here in the US and specifically at Sally's where I shop) is Ion. I'm not a fan, I found the color weak and faded really quick. I just bought this unicorn color today because it looked pretty, so we'll see how that goes.
These are just the non-permanents that I use for pastels/non traditional colors. They don't hurt your hair so honestly, pick one up and slap it on and the worst it'll do is nothing!
You can also leave this stuff on your hair forever. Usually the longer you go, the brighter it will be. You can also cut the brightness by adding plain, white conditioner (don’t fall for the hair dye company tricks! You don’t need their “diluter”. Just use conditioner!)
PERMANENT DYE:
Permanent dye is a whole other thing, so if you want that, make sure you read the box and get the appropriate developer! Or, you could use a box dye from the grocery store. I may be a pretentious little shit about my hair dyes now, but I used box dye for YEARS when I was dying it red. If you want a straight, traditional color that you don’t have to think about, box is your way to go. A beauty store will have colors that you need to measure and add developer to. It’s more intense, but you can also mix and match!
BLEACH:
If you're going to bleach, be careful! If your hair is very dark and you're trying to go pastel, I wouldn't recommend doing it at home. Also, if you have pre-box dyed hair, bleach might react weird (hello me trying to bleach box red dye out of my hair...). I would specifically not recommend trying to bleach over dyed black hair.
If your hair is lighter, or has already been bleached and you wanna go even lighter, I would recommend starting with a bleach bath, which is the bleach, developer, and shampoo. It's a lot less harsh. (Google for the ratios!)
For example, I did a bleach wash today! I don't have examples of my before color this time, but I've used them in the past to do this:
(this is taking out pink dye from my hair a while ago, though it had already faded a lot, you can sort of see where my roots are, they’re more yellow. You can see the pink isn't completely gone, but my hair also isn't fried.)
Also, if you’re leaving your hair bleached and not dying over it, don’t forget toner! And even if you are dying over it and your bleached hair is very yellow, you may want to tone anyway just to get some of the brassiness out, so it doesn’t come through your dye.
SUPPLIES:
I can't recommend a measured mixing bowl enough, though you can always use a food scale if you have it. Gloves, too. I've recently decided to use them (for a few years I just walked around with pink or blue or purple hands for a few days after...). I know professionals use those brushes to put dye on your hair but... honestly I just use my hands
And then, of course, make sure you repair some of the damage you've done! You can't get real olaplex at home, but I do these Aphogee two step treatments. They're honestly a pain in the ass to use, but they work.
OTHER RANDOM ADVICE?:
- it’s always easier to section your hair! Put it up and do your under layers first, then work your way to your crown
-nail polish remover is great at getting out dye stains. From countertops, sinks, the floor, cabinets, the wall behind you somehow, your own skin...
-you always need more dye than you think you do. Always overshoot, the last thing you need is to run out halfway through, especially with permanents.
-taking out color: you can do this with semi-permanents with a cleansing shampoo (I use Redken) mixed with either crushed up vitamin c or baking soda. Less harsh than bleach or color stripper
-speaking of taking out color, blues are always harder to remove than reds. As I am currently dealing with. I knew better, and yet I chose to dye it blue, then purple anyway...
.
SORRY THIS IS SO LONG AND AGAIN, I AM NOT A PROFESSIONAL. I have just been fucking up my hair for years at this point and this is the little I’ve learned along the way.
Honestly, if you have a specific question of something you’d like to do, you can message me and I’ll try to give advice! But without knowing what you’re looking for, this is all generic. And if you were just looking at brands, well... I’m sorry if you read through the rest of this for nothing! Your answer is in the first paragraph lmao
#hair dye#ask#anon#please#i cannot stress the warning enough#i am not a professional#and use hair dye as a way to feel in control of my life#i rambled too long about the nonsense i do to my hair#and i'm sorry
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