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let-it-raines · 4 years

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your wonder under summer skies (2/?)

Summer in Storybrooke, Maine means one thing for its residents: tourist season. This year, for Emma Swan and Killian Jones, it means relationships ending and friendships changing all the while they attempt to figure out just what their relationship is. It’s somewhere straddling the line between friends and lovers, and there’s no guarantee of a soft landing if they fall into new territory.

rating: mature

a/n: I’m so glad you guys are excited about this story! I hope it brings you some levity if you need it, even though things are not always going to be sunshine and roses 😘 thanks to @resident-of-storybrooke for being such an awesome beta!

ao3: beginning | current

Tumblr: 1 | 2

-/-

“What happened to your hand?”

Killian blinks down at the kid standing in front of him. He can’t be any older than five, and if Killian made money off of every five-year-old that asked him what happened to his hand, he’d be a rich man.

If he had money for every mom whose cheeks went red at mortification from their children, he’d be an even richer man. This mom barely glances down at her kid, though, so she likely doesn’t pay much attention to him to begin with.

“Would you believe that a shark got me and that I had to fight it off?”

“No,” the kid giggles.

“Jake,” Mrs. Hart hisses. “That’s not a nice thing to ask someone. I’m so sorry, sir. I – ”

Okay, maybe she was paying more attention than she thought he was. His judgment might have been wrong, but he’s known the Harts long enough to know they aren’t particularly affectionate with their children. A lot of the parents who come through here during the summer aren’t hands on. He never likes to judge, but he knows what it’s like to have one parent who’s there and another who’s pretty bloody absent. He would much rather have had a parent who paid attention, so he notices.

“It’s nothing,” Killian lies as his hand traces over the red lines of his scars and the black ink etched into his skin. “It’s just a few scars. We all have scars somewhere. Mine are simply on my arm and my hand so everyone can see. I kind of think they make me look cool, though. Don’t you think, Jake?”

“Yeah, you look like a superhero! Like Thor when he only has one real eye”

“Good. I always wanted to be one of those. I think I’d have water powers. What about you?”

“I want to be able to fly.”

“Alright,” Liam sighs as he walks back out from the office with a stack of papers and some keys. Skipper is following right behind him and immediately moves to Mrs. Hart’s side to start sniffing her. “If you can just initial a few of these papers, you’ll be good to go for the month. The cost of the first tank of gas has already been included, but when you need to fill up again, that will be on your own dime.”

“I understand. We’ll really have to get our own boat soon so we’re not renting anymore.”

“We’ll store that for you and do year-round maintenance,” Liam adds in as Skipper starts jumping.

“Skipper,” Killian whistles. “Skip. C’mon. Get off Mrs. Hart.”

“It’s fine,” she promises as she signs. “We have dogs back home. My husband is going to bring them up when he arrives next week.” “We’ll see you at the dog park then.”

“Yeah,” she smiles, leaning over the counter, her shirt sliding down with the movement. “I think I’d really like that.”

And then she’s pushing the papers across the desk, taking her son’s hand, and then walking out the door, looking back at the last minute.

“She wants to sleep with you,” Liam says as soon as the door clicks and the bell stops ringing.

“My God,” Killian groans. “Don’t start with that.”

“What? You haven’t found a girlfriend for the summer yet. Mrs. Hart could be that for you. Though, I think the children and husband could complicate matters.”

“Shut up, you ass. I am not going to sleep with a married woman, and I do not only date during the summer.”

“No, no you don’t. You do, however, usually find someone to sleep with while they’re here for the summer, and then when they go home, you break it off even when they want to try long distance. I’ve seen you do it a million times.”

“First of all,” Killian starts as he files their paperwork, “I date all year. It’s not a summer thing. I’ve just found that some women come here for the summer, we hit it off, and then it tends not to work out when they go home and return to their real lives.”

“This city isn’t some kind of boarded off place. This is real life, too.”

“For you and me, yeah. For the rich people who don’t work in offices in the summer and pay thousands of dollars to rent boats for a month, this isn’t. It’s all a fantasy life to them, and I can guarantee that most of them aren’t interested in a real relationship. I swear the heat gets to their brains, but this is Maine. It never truly gets hot.”

“Says the man who spent half his life in England and complained when the sun started shining.”

Killian huffs and closes the filing cabinet. “What are you still doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be heading to Elsa’s to pick her up?”

Liam immediately blushes, but just as soon as the color appears, it fades away. “I’ve still got time. We’re not going to dinner until five.” “Ah, yes, the early bird’s special.”

“Bastard.”

Killian whistles and pulls out the chair behind the front desk as Skipper settles down at his feet. He needs to take him to the groomer’s. His fur is far too long, and he’ll get hot like this. Maybe he can shave his coat, but that ended up to be horribly choppy last time. It was a mess with the mixture of black and white, and having a border collie is not at all the same as the black lab he had back in England.

At least not when it comes to haircuts.

“Look, I’m not saying that I know what you’re doing tonight, but I do know why you’ve called all of our friends here tonight, so I do know. Or, at least, I have a hunch. The cake in the fridge gives me a little bit of a hint.”

“If you tell anyone and it gets to Elsa before it happens, I will send you out on a boat with not enough gas to get back to shore.”

“I already told Emma, so it’s a bloody good thing that I can swim.”

Liam narrows his eyes and his lips flatten into a straight line. “You have to get over Emma, you know? She’s been with Neal for what? Five years? I don’t think you’re going to have a chance when it comes to her.”

Killian’s stomach twists, and he forces down the lump in his throat. Liam’s got to get over his odd obsession with not liking Emma because he thinks Killian’s making himself miserable over her. He’s not. When he first came to town, he wouldn’t have said no to dating Emma. Hell, he wouldn’t say no now. He’s not blind. He’s simply not counting on anything to happen there.

They can be friends without wanting to fuck each other.

“Emma is a friend. I don’t have any interest in pursuing a relationship with her. You should know that. Didn’t you just talk about how I’m the boy toy of a different woman every summer? Why would I ever change that for a woman who lives here? Then I’d have to be in a real relationship that’s more than sex.”

“Killian, you know I didn’t mean it that way. At some point, you’re going to have to stop pursuing relationships that you know aren’t going to be successful.”

“Fuck you, Liam,” he growls. “I’m nearly twenty-eight-years-old. I don’t need you to be my parent.”

“Little brother – ”

“Younger. I’m younger.”

“I didn’t mean – ”

The front door of the shop opens, that damn bell going off, and Skipper immediately gets up to greet Mr. French. Killian’s never been so excited to see the man in his life when he usually dreads his presence. At least now he can get out of this conversation.

The man is damn particular about how they care for his boat.

“We’ll talk later,” Liam mumbles as he walks around the counter and heads back to the staircase.

“Forget about it, Liam. Good luck tonight.”

-/-

“Oi, I thought we were having beer,” Will mutters as he slams the refrigerator shut. “There’s not any here.”

“You were supposed to bring your own. I wasn’t about to buy it for everyone. I like to have a little bit of money in my bank account.”

“Then why the hell do you have Emma’s favorite wine, your preferred rum, and then nothing else?”

“How do you know Emma’s preferred wine?” Killian scoffs, narrowing his eyes at Will.

“I’m a bartender at the only bar she goes to. I know what all of our friends like.”

Killian sighs and turns the kitchen faucet on to wash the few remaining dishes. Liam keeps leaving his in there instead of washing them himself, and if it didn’t drive Killian mad to not have an empty sink, he’d leave them be until Liam cleaned himself.

This particular load is most likely payback for painting the office on Monday, but it’s worth it. He couldn’t live with that wallpaper any longer. It was awful, and he swears he lost a day of his life every time he had to look at it.

“If you’re a bartender, why didn’t you think to bring your own drinks?”

“I assumed they’d be provided.”

“We literally just discussed this, Scarlet.”

“Just saying. It would have been nice.”

“Next time Liam gets engaged, I’ll buy the alcohol for everyone.”

“That’s all I ask,” Will sighs as he sits down and props his feet on the coffee table. “So, he’s really asking her? Tonight? I heard the rumors, but I wasn’t sure if they were true.”

“Who’d you hear that from?”

“Belle. Her dad overheard you two talking. So, it’s actually happening?”

“As we speak, I believe.”

Will whistles. “Damn. Look at Liam growing up.”

“It only took him thirty-three years.”

“Hello, hello,” Ruby hums as she walks in the door. It was unlocked, and he really should have never expected her to knock. She and Ariel let themselves in all the time without any kind of warning. “I’m here, and I bring Emma, Robin, and beer. What more could you ask for?”

“The rest of our friends maybe?” Will mutters.

“Shut up. They’re coming. You have to be patient and appreciate that we’re here even if I know you don’t care about anything until Belle gets here.”

“I care about the beer Rob’s got.”

Killian finishes washing the last dish and looks up to see Emma walking toward him. She’s been weirdly quiet since he last saw her, but work must be busy for her as the summer season starts. It’s the same thing for him, so he gets it. They usually only cross paths at lunch or at three in the morning when she’ll text him and ask him to meet up to get a slushie at the 24-hour gas station up the road. With all of the cosmetic improvements the city has made over the past year, this summer is going to be a busy one, he thinks, so he can’t imagine that there will be too many of those trips.

He’ll have to go get her drink and bring it to her as she deals with all of the out of town assholes she always has to deal with.

“Hey,” Emma says as she hops up on the kitchen counter, nearly knocking a plate over. “So, not to be a Will because I just know he’s been complaining about not having a drink, but when is the pizza getting here?”

“David is supposed to be bringing it since it’s on his way here from the station.” “You know he’s going to eat half of it on the way here.”

“That’s why I also have Ariel bringing a few boxes.” He leans forward and quickly brushes his lips across her cheek. If he was paying more attention, he’d say that she flinched. That’d be ridiculous, though. She wouldn’t do that. “I have kept Will away from your wine because he has actually been complaining about the lack of drinks.”

“And that’s why you’re my favorite person in the world.”

“Oh really? I’ve risen above all the others?”

Emma pats his chest. “Maybe just for tonight. Tomorrow, you go back down the list and will only be dangling by a thread.”

“I’ll take this honor and cherish it.”

“As you should. It’s the only time you’re ever going to get it.”

“I’ll be sure to take advantage of it. Do you think Liam will kill us if we eat the cake before he gets here?”

“I think that and painting the office will push him over the edge.”

“Then we best err on the safe side. I’m too young to get murdered.”

“No one is too young to get murdered,” David adds in as he walks in the apartment. “I see it all the time.”

“We literally have one of the lowest murder rates in the country.”

“I meant on TV.”

“Oh, yeah, obviously.”

“Thank God,” Will groans. “Pizza and beer. Finally. I thought I was going to die.”

Little by little, everyone else begins filtering in until the apartment is so full there’s not much room to move around. Killian opens up the balcony doors, sea air and the sound of the waves wafting in, and that allows a little more space. Killian has no clue when Liam and Elsa are supposed to be here, neither of them texting or calling to make the announcement they’re all waiting for, but he figures it should be soon based on the timing of Liam’s dinner reservation and how almost comically predictable his brother can be.

It’s a Jones trait. They like their routines, and they’re particular about most everything they do. The Navy will do that to you. Though, Killian does remember Brennan being like that as well. His mother was much more of a free spirit, and she’d likely laugh at the way he and Liam behave.

God, she’d love to be here tonight to see Liam so happy.

Killian would love for her to be here, too.

Killian shakes himself out of that thought process and grabs a slice of pizza from Ariel’s batch and a beer before heading out to the balcony and sitting down on a seat next to Emma and Mary Margaret as they talk about some banquet the club is having to host next week to kick off the start of summer even if there’s technically still a month left until summer begins.

Not in Storybrooke.

Not when this is what this town looks forward to all year.

Everything here is pastel colors and beachy names, and the economy thrives so much over five months that everyone can still make it the rest of the year off the bare bones from people living here and the occasional tourist in winter. He swears it’s like some kind of movie, but it’s nice in a way to not have the worries and the commotion he had when living in England.

After a few minutes, Mary Margaret excuses herself to go find David, and when she leaves, she closes the sliding door. It’s probably a force of habit, something she doesn’t think about, but as soon as the door slides into place, suddenly the noise of the party is muted while the ocean is the loudest he’s heard it in a long time. There must be a storm coming tonight. That wasn’t on the radar. Damn, he hopes that doesn’t cause any problems with any of the people they have in boats out on the ocean right now.

“Liam and Elsa are taking forever to get here. There’s not going to be any food left for them.”

“They went to dinner,” Killian explains. “They won’t be hungry. Hell, I don’t think Elsa will be able to even think about eating with everyone who’s about to bombard her to congratulate her.”

“Ariel is going to tackle her to the ground, and Anna will probably make her lose her hearing from the screech over the phone.”

“We’ll have to make a trip to the hospital.”

“Ah, how everyone wants to spend their engagement night.”

“I think it’d be a bloody good time.”

Emma laughs, but it’s quiet. It’s not her usual laugh, the loud, infectious thing that he’s grown used to in the past five years, and he hates it. He hates that she’s laughing without actually meaning it.

A part of him hates himself for knowing her well enough to pick up on something like that, but he’s always considered himself to be quite perceptive even when he’d rather not be.

“Hey,” he whispers, kicking his foot into hers. “What’s up with you, love?”

“Um, nothing?” Her brows furrow together before rising. “What’s up with you?”

“Simply trying to figure out why you’ve been in a weird mood all week.”

“Didn’t we already have this conversation?”

“We did, but I didn’t get any answers.”

Her eyes roll. Great. He’s pushing her again, and that always goes well.

He never has known when to stop.

“It’s my life. You don’t need answers.”

“We spend half of our time together. I think I do deserve an answer if something is bothering you.”

“Yeah?” Emma scoffs, standing from the chair and walking toward the railing. “You think you get to know about my life? How much of your own do you tell me?”

“Nearly everything.”

“I know when you’re lying, Killian. I can tell. You do not tell me everything.”

“I know you can tell, which is bloody frustrating.”

Emma makes some kind of highly offended noise, and she’s right. He doesn’t tell her nearly everything. He doesn’t tell her a lot, but he could. He would. It’s simply that he and Emma have never had the type of friendship where they needed to get into the dark details every other conversation. They debate more on the merits of different types of chips.

Then again, Emma likely knows more about him than anyone but Liam.

But not enough. She doesn’t know about…she simply doesn’t know.

Killian looks up to see Emma’s shoulders deflate before she turns around and faces him. Her eyes are bloodshot. Have they been like that all night? How did he not notice? He talked to her earlier. He should have noticed.

“I broke up with Neal.”

What the fuck?

She what now?

Killian’s heartbeat quickens, his cheeks suddenly warm, and his first thought is relief. He’s an asshole because his first thought of Emma ending her relationship is relief.

He always hated Neal. Well, not always, but Emma deserves better than someone a man who treats her like Neal treated her. Then again, who is Killian to judge how someone is in a relationship? It’s not as if he knows how to be in one.

After relief, though, and a brief bit of anger, all Killian can really focus on is how utterly broken Emma looks.

Emma Swan has never been one to possibly look broken. She’s always seemed so strong and sure, and he hates everything about the water in her eyes and the quiver in her lips. He hates everything about her having to go through this.

He really fucking hates Neal.

“I – ”

There’s a loud cheer behind the two of them, and Killian turns around to see Liam and Elsa walking into the apartment, their hands twined together and raised in the air. They’re absolutely beaming.

“Looks like it’s time to go congratulate the happy couple,” Emma mutters as she brushes past him.

“Swan, I – ”

But she doesn’t stop. Instead she opens the door and walks away, the glass sliding shut behind her as thunder rolls in the background.

-/-

@qualitycoffeethings @mrtinski @klynn-stormz @jonirobinson64 @snowbellewells @therealstartraveller776 @thejollyroger-writer @sherifemma @shardminds @captainsjedi @galaxyzxstark @galadriel26 @idristardis @karenfrommisthaven @teamhook @spartanguard @searchingwardrobes @itsfabianadocarmo @jamif @shireness-says @ultimiflos @nikkiemms @resident-of-storybrooke @onepunintendid @bluewildcatfanatic @killianswannn @carpedzem @captainkillianswanjones @mayquita @jennjenn615 @onceuponaprincessworld @a-faekindagirl @scientificapricot @scarletslippers @xellewoods @ultraluckycatnd @stahlop @kmomof4 @tiganasummertree @singersdd @tornadoamy @cluttermind @lfh1226-linda

#your wonder under summer skies #cs fic #cs ff #cs fanfic #captain swan fic #captain swan ff #captain swan fanfic #captain swan

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your-rose-highness · 4 years

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Tell me what is Love (ch- 10)

Pairing- Baekhyun x OC

Special Appearance- JB of GOT7

“So I was thinking, I could take you on a date soon?”, Jaebeom shyly confessed as the two took a walk by the Han river.

After the quick celebratory hug with jane, Jaebeom, and hye hee sneaked out of the apartment post-dinner. Hye hee felt young after so long. Being in that moment with him as he tried to cure the awkwardness voicing his random thoughts, seemed like a spring day. As they drove away to the Han river, she rolled down the windows and felt the crisp breeze embrace her face. Jaebeom stole glances at her. Something about her seemed so calming to him, yet she looked so drained all the time. He was sure it was more of an emotional turmoil than physical and thus the smiles rarely reached her eyes. At the present moment, she looked like a child. It made him feel warm.

“Yes, maybe tomorrow?”, she hinted.

“Surely! I’m more than glad you agreed. Any place you would prefer?”

She turned to him with playful eyes before saying, “surprise me.”

Jaebeom pressed his lips together taken aback by her sudden boldness. Not that he was complaining. This was a new her that he was seeing and it was beautiful.

The riverside was quiet, with barely anyone walking past them. It was one of those times when you feel so comfortable with another as you bare your soul out for them. Lying on the grass, they told stories of their childhood, both listening to each other attentively. They laughed at the hilarious anecdotes while spotting funny shapes within the stars. Hye hee forced her brain to stop wandering to Baekhyun. This was a moment she had craved for years and why was she feeling guilty? As she tried to peel away from his thoughts, she felt Jaebeom’s hand brush against hers softly. They turned to each other in surprise, both inching away. Jaebeom’s ears turned red in embarrassment and for hye hee it was an instinct she had developed over the years.

Just grab his fucking hand reasoned her brain yet something stopped her. She forced herself to place her hand beside his. Picking up courage, her fingers reached him subtly and the two shyly looked at each other once again. This time, Jaebeom fingers curled into hers. She couldn't explain the rush she felt. The warmth of his palm traveled through her body making her shiver.

“Are you cold?”, Jaebeom worriedly asked.

His voice full of concern made her smile, it was so akin to someone she knew, without realizing her heart was still in the old place, striving to find similarities, though unconsciously.

“A little bit.”, she replied in a small voice and Jaebeom immediately proceeded to take off his denim jacket.

He fretted around her, trying to help her put on the jacket without actually having to hold her. The two walked around once again, this time hands clasped tight. Sipping on their hot coffees, they watched the sunrise and the golden gleam strengthened their hopes. Hye hee watched him soak in the sun. it was almost as if his skin reflected off the golden rays making them his own. He was beautiful. Laying her head on his shoulder, she looked out towards the wonderful spectacle that unfolded before them.

“I’m sorry I kept you up all night.”, Jaebeom said as he played with hye hee’s fingers.

“Well. it was long due anyway. Let us skip work too!”, she responded filled with sudden excitement.

Jaebeom smiled widely in shock at her. “What? Hahaha. Do I need to submit the files you know? What do you want to do though? Maybe we can get out early to grab lunch and have fun later. What do you say?”

“I’d love that.”, she whispered, snuggling closer to him.

Jaebeom dropped hye hee soon later, hardly being able to part ways. She found the house cold as she stepped in. jane had left behind a note on the refrigerator.

‘Wanted to wait for all the details, but realized I have a test. You're booked for the evening.

PS- I WANT TO HEAR EVERYTHING!’

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“ARE YOU SERIOUS, BYUN BAEKHYUN?”, Lee Sooman roared at him as he stood in front of him, head hanging in shame. “The company suffered an immense loss of investors when this scandal unfolded and though the people have been most gracious and welcoming about you two, now, this!”

“I’m very sorry, sir.” Baekhyun gulped. He had decided to take this bullet by himself, leaving Taeyeon out. The backlash would be brutal on her and he didn't think she was to blame.

“What about Taeyeon?”, he asked, settling down on his chair, his eyes never leaving Baekhyun.

“We both want the same thing, sir.”

Mr. lee shook his head in disbelief at every word, pondering over how he can handle this incoming tsunami. Baekhyun peeked to look at him and continued, “Sarang will mostly be out of this. We will shield her from the public eye….”

“Sit.”, he suddenly whispered. Baekhyun cautiously trod over to the seat opposite to him.

“I’m sorry, but this isn't something that could be overlooked so easily. There are investors, partners that run this damn company. Marriage was one thing, but now divorce? It won't be simple. There might be a potential danger to both your careers and you better take care of that child.”

“I’m ready to take responsibility.”

Mr. Lee simply gave him a stare the whole time, before sighing deeply.

Baekhyun was walked through all the formalities before leaving the company that day. His freedom was going to cost him this time. As he drove home, his mind wandered over to hye hee. He hadn't heard from her for a while but refrained from involving her in the mess that was in front of him. He will be the center of attraction once again and peered from every crack like an animal. As he drove to his parents to break the news to them, he stopped a while at the tiny park of his old neighborhood. The place he had first kissed Hyehee and ironically also where he lost her. Sitting in his car by the empty park, he replayed the simpler times as his eyes closed for a minute.

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

hye hee was furious. Her senior had called off her work for being half-assed in front of the whole office and Jaebeom had seen it all. She didn't like how pitifully he had looked at her. Rushing to the coffee room to fix herself and calm down, she found him enter minutes later, closing the door softly behind himself.

“Hey.”

“I’m fine.”

Jaebeom approached her slowly, holding her hand as she stood waiting for the coffee. Their eyes met briefly before she complained, “she never told me what kind of content she was looking for, you know. And now she just yells at me. It wasn’t my fault. Why today of all days? I’m so embarrassed.”

Despite her whining, Jaebeom was smiling ear to ear.

“What’s so funny?”, she shot at him, pissed.

He laughed at her annoyed pouty face and ruffled her hair, “ because you look adorable right now.”

“Waah. are you flirting with me right now?”

Raising her hand to his lips, he softly murmured against her palm, “if I haven’t even begun.”, proceeding to kiss it.

Hyehee’s legs swayed as his voice intoxicated her, forcing Jaebeom to hold her closer. The air thickened between them, their lips only inches apart. She scurried back on her feet, freeing herself from his embrace. Jaebeom's ears turned red and stuttered to find words.

"Yah, why were you…"

She retorted without letting him finish, "I wasn't falling, okay? There were people outside." Jaebeom turned around to see if anyone could see them, and the realisation hit her- the door is opaque. Mentally cursing her lack of ability to make believable excuses, she met his playful eyes this time. His lips pressed into a suppressed smile he mouthed 'dumbo' at her. Hye hee slapped his arm in desperation and left the room.

"Take the coffee, Hye hee!", He teased.

"I want tea."

He laughed loudly at her tiny voice.

The rest of the day, the two kept at it. Jaebeom's change of demeanor came as a surprise. He usually was very reposed and a man of very few words. He was opening up to her and didn't wish to hold himself back. Hyehee cheeks never went pale for the day. Even at his glance, she’d blush to the point where her co-worker asked if something was wrong. Nobody had yet guessed that they were dating each other.

“Cold noodles and fried chicken, please.”, hye hee placed her order at the restaurant during lunch, beaming at the waiter.

“Are you sure you can eat it all? The portion sizes in here are a little bigger than usual.”, Jaebeom wondered.

“Oh don't worry, I can eat a lot for lunch, but dinner, that’s the tricky one for me.”

Halfway through lunch, Jaebeom’s phone beeped, and whatever it was, it made his eyebrows scrunch.

“What?”, Hyehee asked with cheeks full of noodles.

He snorted at her and pushed his cellphone towards her.

“He wants the new parts done. I’ll have to stop by my place to get the rest of the clips. I was going to get the hard drive tomorrow, but looks like this particular project has the boss on edge for some reason.”

“Okay, I’ll finish fast and we can go.”

“Yah. eat slowly.”, he scolded, “you’re gonna get indigestion. Also, could you chew through the whole thing? There’s no hurry. I’ll quickly drop you at the office and drive back.”

hye hee wanted to answer, but she chewed her last mouthful carefully before drinking the soup, “Why do you have to drop me? I can come with you. There’s no reason for you to make such long trips for one file.”

Scrunching his face, puzzled, he stammered “Yo-you’re okay with coming over to my place?”

Hyehee nodded quickly, confused why Jaebeom would ask that. He always comes over to her place, it’s only fair.

“Okay”, his face went blank in surprise.

Throughout the drive, he didn't say a word and had avoided looking at hye hee.

What is he so worried about? Did he have his underwear sprawled throughout the apartment and was now thinking of how to clean up? Or, was he a dirty guy? Maybe his place stinks? What do men have to worry about so much?- were the thoughts running through her head.

She had only been to one man’s apartment all these years and it was Baekhyun. Of course, she didn't know if he kept his pass traits, but that guy was always a mess. When the two took apartments next to each other after they came to Seoul, she would organize his things whenever she came over. After complaining about how dirty his apartment was, he proposed to only meet up at her place. He did bother to clean up if she was coming over and it was cute. He’d whine about how hard vacuuming was and would curse scientists to not have made another invention to block dust entirely.

The memory made her smile. Strolling through her memory lane, she had forgotten where and with whom she was.

Jaebeom on the other hand had other things in mind.

The apartment was what modern decor would call, minimalist. There were a few plants by the window and only that added some color. Apart from that, he had a wall full of polaroids, mostly of random objects, animals, his friends, and family. Hyehhe carefully scanned them to find an old picture of Jaebeom, in his school uniform, and a cat. His facial features hadn't changed and the smile had remained. Jaebeom cleaned on his way to his study, diving into the cave of hard drives, finding the one he wanted only minutes later. On seeing her walking over to the window, he stood still, observing her. She booped her nose to the monstera plant that his friends had gifted him, touching it softly with her fingers. A feeling of delight washed over him seeing her there. He wanted to hold her close to him and take care of her.

hye hee then turned to look at him, beaming.

“This dingy apartment looks nicer with you in it.”, he exclaimed.

“Well I am quite a ray of sunshine.”, she cheekily responded.

Moving to close distance, she wrapped her hands around him, laying her head on his chest. Jaebeom pulled her close to himself, kissing her forehead, “I’m afraid I’m falling in love with you.”

Laced in each other’s embrace, she looked at him with the most alluring way, “sweep me off my feet.”

Jaebeom slowly approached her lips, brushing it against his, looking for signs of approval. As he hesitated, hye hee stands on her toes to kiss him this time, making Jaebeom hold her closer to him. Stopping suddenly, Jaebeom pulled away from the breathless hye hee.

“Are you sure, you want to do this, I mean…”

“Oh, shut up.”, hye hee cried out, cutting him midway as she kissed him again.

She could feel Jaebeom’s lips curve into a smile against hers. The hard drive lay forgotten as the time stood still for them in each other’s embrace.

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“You brought a lawyer?”, Baekhyun whispered through his teeth.

“Well, you should too.”

“Why do we need a lawyer?”, he said, crossing his arms across his chest.

“Well, the assets, parenting rights…”, she made him count.

“What do you mean parenting rights? Sarang is my daughter too.”, he snarled.

“Just come out. We can't make Mr. Mae waiting. It’s rude.”, she said, slamming the door behind her.

Baekhyun closed his eyes in defeat and followed her, leaving a huge sigh. Mr.Mae was a well-known lawyer and had already seated himself on the table, and had laid a bunch of papers in front of him.

“Ah, yes. Please. Lets’s begin, I have another appointment with a client in the next 3 hours.”, Mr. Mae chided at Baekhyun.

“Then you can go ahead. We won't be needing you.”

“Baekhyun!”, Taeyeon whispered under her breath, while Mr. Mae only laughed soullessly.

Baekhyun sat with a sour expression the entire time as Mr. Mae listed everything that needed to be done. Celebrities couldn't just get a divorce as they wish and entailed a bunch of ways to be free from the public eye.

“....but Mr. Byun will be allowed to visit…”, he continued.

“Excuse me, allowed?”, Baekhyun roared, making Mr. Mae look up from his papers through the top of his glasses.

“Yes, Taeyeon asked for almost full parenting rights.”, he confessed.

“I just don't think you’ll be able to take care of our daughter with everything going on and also with you leaving home unannounced to meet girls.”, she retorted, her face devoid of expression.

“I’m sorry, Mr.Mae, but Taeyeon and I need to talk about this bit of the agreement before proceeding. I have never been irresponsible towards Sarang. You’re making this personal and I won't have it.”, he thundered before storming out of the house. As the cold breeze slapped his face, his face stung with warm tears that escaped. Letting out an ear wrenching scream of despair, he broke down in unstoppable tears, praying that the hurt would stop.

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stardancerluv · 4 years

Text

Gotham Lockdown 2020

Part 11

Summary: There is a new development at the Black Mask Club.

Warning: minor language.

You and Doll-face have been getting along really well. The two of you were completely different. Sure you both loved your men, and you’d both do anything for them. Though sometimes you had to remember she was an assassin and you..well you designed furniture when the world had been normal.

At the moment, the two of you were reclining on the chaise lounges near the huge windows that looked out at the winter wonderland that Gotham had became.

Moving onto your side, you looked over at her. “So you have to tell me, does each of the scars have a story?”

She chuckled. “They do.”

You laughed victoriously. “Wow! I knew it!” You paused. “I just never had the guts to ask him.”

She shrugged. “Victor has a soft spot for you. I’m sure he wouldn’t have minded.”

“He does?”

“Oh yeah! You are like a baby sister to him.

“Aw, that’s nice.” You smiled. “Did Victor tell you how we met?”

“You’re Roman’s girl,” She shrugged. “Roman introduced the two of you or something.”

You shook your head. “No..no if only it were that simple”

“Oh really? You gotta tell me about that!” She pointed to the hot tub. “Hey, let’s go back in.”

“Yeah lets.”

You both sighed once you sat in the deeper parts of the hot tub. The jets hitting your muscles in all the right ways. It was a great way to spend an afternoon.

“So tell me!” Her eyes gleamed with excitement.

“Roman wanted him to kidnap a fellow designer who had been my competition for several years.”

“Oh how romantic,” she cooed. “He was trying to help your business.”

“I should add, him and I met years before but at the time it just didn’t work.” You shrugged. “So anyway Victor and some of his men grabbed me from my studio, handcuffed me to a chair downstairs and delivered me to Roman, all by accident. He mixed up the names.”

“What!?! Oh wow. That is crazy!” She responded.

“Originally, he was supposed to usher me to the club so Roman could woo me or hire me for business. But at the last minute he decided to take care of my competition first. So,” you threw your hands into the air. “Happy mistakes.”

“I’d say.” She just shook her head. “And that’s what led to you dating Roman?”

“Yes!” You beamed but rolled your eyes. “Talk about a crazy, way to start a relationship.”

“But, I don’t understand. How did you two meet before?”

“I will tell you as long as you dish on some of the stories behind his scars.”

“Deal!” She laughed.

“Well, I convinced my friends to go to his club one dark and stormy night. We litterally bumped into each other, I became completely smitten with him. But then this blonde showed up and threw herself into his arms, who I came to find out was Harley Quinn. So seeing her with him and my hopes were dashed. I never went to the club again till Victor kidnapped me.”

She made a face. “Ugh Harley Quinn, really?”

“Yeah. I didn’t know any better.” You paused, then smiled. “And Roman can be quite the flirt so I had no idea, he was just being nice to her.” You rolled your eyes. “You’re turn.”

She smirked. “Sure. I’ll share two then best I go and work out.”

“Ok!”

“Well, when you got kidnapped by that group of that took you to theater?”

“Yeah, them.” You rolled your eyes. “I remember.”

“Victor, has scar from four of the five guys.”

“Why is that?”

“Roman, killed the guy who had been exceptionally bad to you.” She smiled.

“Oh!” Something, tickled you knowing that.

“Y/N, before all this, if I were to be honest before meeting Victor if you would have asked me about Roman Sionis, my opinion wouldn’t have been all that high.” She shrugged. “But I am glad I have gotten to know him. You got a good man there.”

You nodded. “Thank you, I think so too.” You smiled.

“Ok, a second story...” She looked off, pressing her lips together. You could see a twinkle in her eyes that you only saw when she was around him. “Ok! I got one, well the night Victor and I met, we ended up sharing the job.”

“How romantic!”

She nodded. “It was nice, it was love at first slice.” She giggled. “So he let me give him the cut for that job.”

“Oh wow..really?”

She nodded. “And I have to admit, I liked it.”

“I don’t blame you.” You smiled at her.

******

Going up to the penthouse, you were going to change out of your bathing suit before heading down to the kitchen in the club. You were excited to cook tonight.

Feeling, playful you pulled on one of Roman’s t-shirts that came to rest just above your knees and a pair of shorts.

You peaked into Roman’s office. He was talking about territory costs and protection. Victor caught your eye and made it plain right now wasn’t the time to talk with Roman. So you headed on down and started on dinner.

Six months in and the holiday season was finally upon the four of you. It was finally beginning to grab you. You smiled at the turkey you spotted in the refrigerator that was defrosting for Thanksgiving.

Somehow, Victor and his lady had gone out and stole a frozen turkey. They also had managed to grab some of the trimmings. Together you would all work on it. So you were incredibly excited for Thanksgiving.

However, tonight was your night to cook. It would be a simple dinner. Till then would a simple spaghetti with meatballs and a bit of a salad and garlic bread. If you didn’t make your garlic bread, Roman would have your head.

You had just popped the bread into the oven when you could have sworn you heard something. You shrugged it off as you began to prepare making the sauce. Random sound and echos were horrible in that club.

“There’s my baby fast at work.” You jumped, screaming.

His rich, deep chuckle filled the kitchen.

Turning you smiled. “You are such a beast!”

You pushed against him giggling. Then you were squealing as he scooped you up.

“You love me just the way I am!”

“Oh, Roman I do.” He swung you a little before he put you back down.

Dipping you, he kissed you. Pulling back, he smiled. “Is that the garlic bread, I smell baking?”

You nodded. “I could not make all this and not make the garlic bread.”

“That’s what I like to hear.” He cupped your cheek. “My little chef.”

You beamed, “I am.” You went back to some slicing and dicing.

“So when will it all be ready?”

“I’d say about an hour or so. I will come and get you.”

“I can stay down here.”

“Roman, I would love for you to be down here but I know you have more phone calls to make.”

“I feel like I’ve been ignoring you all day.”

Putting the knife down you went over to him.

“You are my king, the king of Gotham. I knew that sometimes I would have share you.”

You noticed how he stood a little straighter. He wrapped his arms around you. “How did I get such a smart girl?”

You shrugged and giggled. “Amazing good looks and charm.”

He pulled you close. “And a fantastic cock.” His said darkly with smirk that almost laid you out. You knew, he knew what he could do to you.

“That certainly helped.” You said cheekily as you could. “Roman, I am curious about something.”

He rose an eyebrow. Yes, baby?”

“You never actually told me, why had you wanted to kidnap Jareth originally?”

“Oh...him...well, he was encroaching on your business.” He said as simply as if were asking for a glass of water. “And well,” he sighed. “The article that discussed the two of you competing to be the best of Gotham caught my eye, so I had Victor follow you. I was thinking of hiring you...and well possibly wooing you because the moment, I saw that picture of you in the paper I remembered how you caught my interest.”

“Ok...but killing him....even for you that is excessive.”

He chuckled. “Thank you baby. Well, one night Victor, when was following you he saw him leaving you a threatening of destroyiny you. I couldn’t let him do that.” You put the knife down, whiped your hands and leapt at him.

Easily he caught, he smiled down at you. “What’s that for baby.”

“That is just so romantic for you, and utterly random.” You smiled at him.

He looked a little smug. “It’s all you baby. I never really cared till you showed up.” He grazed your nose with his. “I should add, I did remember meeting him that one day with Bruce when we crashed your lunch before you ran off.” He rose an eyebrow. “Still wish you had not done that. Well, I found him to be a bit of a prick.”

You squeezed him. “Well, it worked out can’t believe that was all a few years ago.” Your heart soared over Roman’s words.

“Same, here baby.” He ran a hand up and down your back.

“Roman, you best be getting back to those calls. And me back to the cooking.”

*****

The noodles were straining, the bread was cooling and you had just taken the sauce off the heat. Things looked and smelled good. You would set the table before running up to the penthouse, to change and to grab Roman and the others.

Going into the storage closet you went to grab a center piece for the table. After putting our the plates and the center piece you smiled. You were proud, this would be another amazing dinner.

Hearing, a noise yet again you called out. “Roman, I heard you! You won’t scare me this time.”

“It’s not Roman, bitch.” Hissed a voice. Before you could scream, a cloth held to your face. Things became fuzzy and began to darken.

******

As Roman, finished his martini, he looked over at the clock. “Shit.” He muttered. “Tommy, I gotta go. My girl is making dinner and I am late for it already...yeah...yeah...bye!” You should have been up by now. This worried him.

He smiled as the thought struck him. You were probably were trying to surprise him somehow. Getting up, he went and changed into a fresh dress shirt and suit jacket. At the last minute, he grabbed one of his knifes for old time sake.

When, he walked out he heard the tv playing. “Oh! You two are still here.” He said, when he spotted Victor and his girl were still watching tv.

“What are you talking about?”

Roman, tapped his wrist watch. “Y/N, said dinner should have been done about an hour ago, Tommy Three Digits would not shut the fuck up.”

——Babygirl? I hope it didn’t burn! We’ll be heading down!——Roman, decided to text you.

“Oh!” Zsasz, looked at his girl the back at him. “Let us get ready and we can head down together.”

“Sounds like a solid plan.” The worry Roman initially felt, prickled him again. Usually, you were spot on when dinner would be ready. You also usually answered your texts.

Going, to his room, he eyed his mask. He walked past it and went over to where he kept his custom guns. Slipping off his suit jacket, he put on his holster then slid the guns into place. Putting his suit-jacket back on, he smoothed it while walking past his mask again which he eyed again. His face tingled, as if it needed to be worn.

As he waited for Victor to return you still had returned his message.

The elevator dinged and he went in. “She didn’t answer my message.”

Victor pressed his lips together. Going over to the control panel and he silenced the elevator.

“Just in case.”

Victor and his lady, nodded.

The doors opened with a whisper, the three of you crept out.

It wasn’t long before the three of you heard people. “I’m grabbing the one talking. You two, grab who you can. Hopefully, there isn’t many of them.”

He was gonna get that asshole. His blood was rushing through him. The thrill of dealing with this asshole felt good. It had had been a long lockdown.

Ahead of him, Roman spotted the talker. He smirked and withdrew his pistol coming up behind him. He covered the man’s mouth with his hand and held a gun to their hand.

“We better start bagging this stuff and leave. What if they...”

“You should have never come here.” He hissed. “How many more of you are there? Just fucking grunt.”

He only grunted three times. “Only three?”

The man nodded.

“Did you see a girl down here?” He nodded again.

“Lead me to her.”

“I got one!” Called out Victor. “Me too!” Called out his girl.

“I got one too.”

They all met in the open area. That’s when he finally saw you, laying on your back like a rag doll.

“What the fuck did you do to her?”

@darling-i-read-it @spn-obession @vintagemichelle91 @xxxeatyourh3artoutxxx @ewanfuckingmcgregor @zodiyack @angel98624 @starwarsprequelfangirl @nebulastarr @emyliabernstein @thepeachreads @itsknife2meetu @whyisgmora @theblackmaskclub @omghappilyuniquebouquetlove @nomnomnomnamja @poe-kadot26 @top-rumbelle-fan @primadonna-girl23 @hazel-nuss @vcat55 @feelthemadnessinside @rosionis

#roman sionis x you #roman sionis x reader #roman sionis pov #roman sionis fanfiction #roman sionis #victorz zsaz fanfiction #chris messina #ewan gregor #black mask #black mask x you #black mask x reader #gotham lockdown 2020 #part 11

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gimmeyoon · 5 years

Text

Slayer: New To This Living Thing

✰ pairing: demon!Taehyung x Slayer!reader

✰ setting: Buffy the Vampire Slayer AU

✰ word count: 8.9k

✰ warnings: explicit language, mentions of death, smut (dry humping, oral (m, barely) choking)

✰ summary: ❝Being the Slayer is not how you imagined spending your life, let alone your first year in college. You try to keep it together, but when an empath demon rolls into town you can’t help but vent to him. Now he knows exactly what makes the Slayer tick.❞

✰ A/N: This is an OT7 fic so it will progress with the same reader but different members throughout the series. A lot of people were confused the last time I did an OT7 fic so I wanted to make it totally clear this time.

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You have to be quicker than them. You throw a punch the same time as the vampire, yours has to land first. When they go for your neck, your stake should already be in their chest.

You have to be smarter than them too, though that's not saying much for the dummy you ran into on patrol tonight. It took him three punches to the gut before he realized you probably weren't just any old human wandering in a graveyard late at night, but the Slayer, in the flesh.

See that's the misconception about vampires. Sure, some of them are older than dirt and tricky little bastards, but just as many of them are college kids that blacked out one night, hooked up with the wrong monster, and instead of being hungover the next day, they suddenly had the desire to suck their friends dry. Normally that happened when you were blackout drunk not after. They were literally too blood-thirsty to think straight, you almost felt bad killing them.

The vampire kicks you swiftly in the gut, causing you to lose your footing and fall into the grave your new friend just came out of.

Almost. You almost felt bad for killing them.

You fumble for your stake just as the vampire pounces on top of you, his fangs bared.

"No fair," you said, as your hand grasped at the stake. "You didn't even ask if I wanted to be on top."

Before he can respond, you push him backwards so that his chest is presented to you and shove the stake into his heart. You're panting as he turns to dust around you. Your eyes close as you steady your heart rate again. It doesn't get easier, you think. Getting this close to death.

When you open your eyes, Yoongi's staring down at you. He stretched out his hand with a smile, and you accept his help out of the grave, though not without an eye-roll and a few muttered words of annoyance.

"You could have stepped in a little earlier," you said, brushed your black jeans clean of the dirt.

Yoongi scoffs, causing you to look up at him. "I'm sure you meant to say thank you, so you're welcome."

"Please, you should be saying thank you for all the times I've resisted the urge to stake you in the heart," you said, moving past him to walk back to campus.

"So I get annoyed Slayer tonight?" he said, falling in step beside you.

"Sorry, the 'happy to see you,' bubbly expansion costs extra."

He laughs at this as his shoves his hands into the pockets of his jean jacket. It's a mild spring day, but of course Yoongi can't get cold, so you wonder if he does it to look good or to look human. You push away the thought in your head that he does look good tonight. He's a vampire and you're not in the business of fawning over vampires like a Bella Swan reject. No, you're not even supposed to let him live. It's in the job title and everything.

"I thought I already downloaded that expansion pack," he said, causing you to look over at him for a moment, before returning your attention to the sidewalk.

"I almost died," you replied.

"No, you didn't."

"It felt like it. I almost didn't get the stake in time."

"But you did," Yoongi said as the two of you turned onto the street where you lived.

You stopped walking to turn and look at him. "What if I don't next time?"

"So, you train harder," Yoongi said with a shrug. "And if that fails, I'll step in earlier."

"Thanks," you said, turning to start walking again.

"Thanks," he replied, elbowing you lightly as he did so. "I appreciate the way you don't stake me."

It's warmer the next day, so you and your friends decide to eat outside for lunch. It's all so normal looking; Jungkook stuffing his face with pizza, a little bit of sauce on his chin, Jimin talking animatedly, and Namjoon with his head in a book. It's all normal except Jimin's talking animatedly about the spell he just mastered and Namjoon's reading up about demons. Just like your regular, run-of-the-mill college students.

You look over at the group of students across the quad from you. They're laughing and no doubt telling their horror stories from the weekend. You have your own type of horror stories. Real ones that used to keep you up at night. You wished the worst thing that happened to you on the weekend was throwing up in the Kappa Sig house.

"You know," Jimin started as he poked you on the shoulder. "It's a shame that I'm talking about how I learned a spell that makes whatever I want disappear, but my best friend looks like she could give two shits."

"Sorry," you said pushing your hair away from your face as you turned to face Jimin. "Just tired from all the monster hunting."

"Want me to make them disappear?" Jimin asked, quirking his eyebrow.

"I wouldn't recommend that," Namjoon said, setting his book down. "You've only practiced on tiny objects. Make a refrigerator disappear and then we'll let you do it in the field."

"No fun," Jimin pouted as he laid his head on your shoulder before looking up at you. "Are you sure you're just tired?"

"Yeah, Chim. Just tired."

And you were you think. Maybe not in the way you wanted Jimin to think about it, but you were tired. Tired of having to be the chosen one. Couldn't a girl get any vacation time? Maybe just a chance to do something fun instead of go to class, go to training with Namjoon, and then go on patrol. It was mind numbing at times, always having to make sure everyone else was safe. Especially when it seemed like no one else really cared if you were.

Sometimes it seemed like your friends were so busy getting excited that magic and monsters existed they didn't really see you anymore. Not as you at least. Only as the Slayer.

"Hey," Jin calls as you walk out of your apartment. He's standing in the doorway of his own next to you, his hair bedraggled despite it being late in the afternoon.

"Hey," you said with a nod, before turning to lock your own door.

"Some guy was hanging around outside your place yesterday, and it was horrible."

"Horrible?" you asked, turning to towards him with a raised eyebrow. "Did he do anything."

"No, he just stood there, leaning up against the wall like a model it was disgusting."

"What did he look like?"

"As tall as Jungkook but skinner."

"So, you."

"Well, he obviously wasn't as handsome as me."

"Obviously," you replied with an eye roll as you turned to head down the hallway.

"Where are you going?" Jin asked as he followed you down the hallway. "Are you going to tell your friend to stop loitering or not."

"First of all," you said, stopping to turn and face Jin. "Don't become an expert witness in any case because you literally just described most men. Secondly, it's not like there's any guy on campus that would be looking for me, so I don't know what to tell you."

Jin looked up and down the hallway before leaning in closer to you. "You think he's a vampire?" he whispered.

"Did you see him during the day?"

"Yes."

"Then, no. Maybe he’s one of your students and he’s actually looking for you."

Jin huffed in response. "I think I would recognize my own students."

"Listen, I’m going to go worry about the things that go bump in the night, you worry about dudes that stand in hallways."

"Dudes that stand in hallways usually bother girls, you know."

"Yeah?" you called back as you made it to the stairs. "Well I guess I’m not very good at being a girl then."

You could Jin laugh in response, but you weren't in the mood to join him. As you walked down the stairs and out of your building it was all just a reminder that you weren't normal. That you didn't have the luxury of wondering if maybe John Smith from class was waiting around to ask you out, which admittedly would be a very creepy thing but it never looked that way in movies. No, instead you had to head to the gym to spar with Namjoon, so that later tonight you could track down a demon and kill it.

Maybe his name would be John Smith and he'd ask you on a date. You almost laughed at the thought.

That weekend you find yourself surrounded by drunk young adults on the sticky floor of a fraternity house. You can't believe you actually managed to convince Namjoon to give you the night off to go out with Jimin and Jungkook. He couldn't deny that vampires go to parties on campus all of the time, so he had a hard time arguing against you. Though you do have the sneaking suspicion that he let you win this time. Namjoon's the smartest person you know, he probably could have torn your argument apart.

Jimin abandoned you and Jungkook long ago, writhing against some girl from one of his classes, he explained it all too quickly for you to understand. You think maybe it’s been too long since you’ve been to a college party, because you feel very out of place. You went to a few at the beginning of the year, without Namjoon’s knowledge or consent, but after a while he realized what was up and had a very stern talk about the safety of the world with you. It’s just about all you can think about now as you stand next to Jungkook just far enough away from the dance floor to not seem weird for standing, but not far enough away that you can’t watch people embarrass themselves.

Normally, Jungkook needed a few drinks before he felt confident enough to join Jimin and dance, but tonight he insisted he wasn’t in the mood. You knew it was because he didn’t want to leave you alone, and you felt bad but not bad enough to release him from his self-imposed duty. You were actually grateful for it, he was the only thing that made you not want to run away and go back to the cemetery as per usual for a Friday night.

"Kook," someone yells from behind you causing both of you turn around. You vaguely recognize him as one of Jungkook's friends, you think he might be named after a cartoon character but can't be sure. For a moment your brain does that fun thing where it reminds you that Jungkook and the rest of your friends all have real lives apart from you. You try and ignore it by forcing a big dumb smile on your face in the hopes of seeming like you're having a great time for Jungkook's sake.

"You guys want shots?" the friend asks as he approaches, motioning between the two of you.

Jungkook seems a bit too excited as he quickly follows after his friend, nodding his head in response and motioning for you to join him. You do as your told, like a good little Slayer, but you feel completely out of place. Jungkook seems so much happier as he talks to his friend ahead of you. You can't make out what they're saying about the sound of the pumping base, but Jungkook throws his head back in laughter, so you know it must be lifting his spirits. You're happy for him even if you do feel a bit like a third wheel.

You're just about to turn the corner to keep following them, when someone bumps into you. The stale scent of beer floods your senses as you register that your shirt is now completely soaked.

“Watch it,” you said, looking up to see maybe the most beautiful man you’ve ever seen.

The stranger's eyes widen as he looks down at your chest and then back up at you with red tinged cheeks. "I'm so sorry. I wasn't watching where I was going, and I-" he motions for you to follow him further down the hallway and into a bathroom. He almost reaches out and dries you off himself, which causes you to laugh as you watch the gears turning in his head before he thinks better and just hands you the clump of paper towels instead.

"I really am sorry," he said a small smile on his face. "What's your name?'

"_____," you said dabbing at your shirt, a frown on your face.

"I really ruined your night, huh?" he said, his feet shuffling awkwardly.

"No it's okay, I wasn't having much fun anyways. This is just another thing."

"Why aren't you having fun?" he asked, his kind eyes searching your face.

"You ever feel like everyone else is living around you and without you?"

He ponders this for a moment, his lips pursing. "Yeah, I think I know what you mean."

"That's me tonight," you said throwing the paper towels away. You think maybe you should stop unpacking all of this on him, yet your mouth won't stay shut. "My life is not really going the way I thought it would."

"And it's going badly?"

"I guess," you said, considering his words. "Or maybe it's more like it's different than what I wanted and also from literally everyone else on the face of the Earth, so at the end of the day there's not really anyone I can talk to about it."

He doesn't say anything as you realize how forward it was of you to say that. You think maybe bottling it up for so long is what led to that major overshare, but regardless you feel a bit embarrassed.

"I'm so sorry, that was a lot, and you just wanted to help me dry my shirt."

He smiles a boxy smile at this, shaking his head slightly. "No, really I don't mind. People tell me I'm easy to talk to."

"You are," you replied, your shoulders relaxing a little at his words. You’re just about to continue unloading all of your anxieties on him, when Jungkook comes barreling into the bathroom. You realize you must have lost track of time because he looks worried, until he realizes you're okay.

"Come on," he said, giving your new friend a curt nod as he reaches out for your hand.

"It was nice to meet you," you said, waving a little at the boy. "God, I'm the worst. I never asked you for your name."

“Taehyung,” he replied with a smile.

“Nice to meet you!” you say, as Jungkook pulls you down the stairs behind him. Jimin must have been looking for you too, because he seems relieved once Jungkook and you join him.

“Don’t just run off like that, something could have happened,” Jimin says, pulling you into a hug and then recoiling once he realizes your shirt is wet.

“I think both of you are forgetting I’m the chosen one, not you. Nothing was going to happen.”

Jungkook’s eyes flash yellow, a low growl falling from his lips. “I don’t like that guy. I got a weird vibe from him, the hairs on the back of my neck stood up.”

“Guy?”

"Yeah, I found her in the upstairs bathroom with some guy I've never seen, when she was supposed to be right behind me," his eyes flicker to yours for a moment, a look of displeasure on his face.

"Are you jealous?" Jimin teased Jungkook earning an eye-roll from the werewolf.

"No, I just got a bad energy from him, that’s all. Predator instincts and all that."

"Predator instincts," you huff, as you push past your friends towards the door. “Come on, boys, let's head home, so we don’t meet any more cute boys with bad energy.

“So, you think he’s cute,” Jimin smiles as he catches up to you.

"If I meet him again without my guard dog around, I can get his number for you," you said to Jimin as he wrapped an arm around your shoulders pulling you closer. Jungkook scoffed at your words before walking quickly ahead of the two of you.

"And that's why you're my best friend," he said, kissing you quickly on the cheek before catching up with Jungkook and jumping onto his back.

For a moment it felt like you were just like everyone else. You let yourself feel that way for the rest of the night, forgetting the things that might go bump.

You're not certain it's Taehyung the next time you see him. It's a rainy, miserable spring day, and you're more than happy to pull your hoodie tight around your face and disappear into the crowd as you watch your feet on the way to class. You look up at the sound of laughter and that's when you see him.

He sees you as well and sends you the same boxy smile from last time, changing your mood completely. You think there are only two options, either the world is finally thanking you for your service by serving you the hottest boy you have ever seen on a plate or you've officially lost it and this is a figment of your imagination. You’re honestly leaning towards the second option.

As the two of you continue to walk towards each other, you're reminded briefly of what Jungkook had said. But that boxy smile is all you need to convince you that there is absolutely no way Jungkook was right. Maybe Jimin was right, and he was jealous.

Probably not, but it would be a laugh if he, your friend that tried to kill you almost every full moon, secretly had a crush on you. Yes, the thought was laughable.

"Hey," Taehyung said as the two of your paths finally converged.

"Hey," you replied, a wide smile stretching across your face. Butterflies swirled around your stomach and you realized in that moment it had been a long time since you had felt that way.

"Where are you heading?"

"Pace Hall," you said, motioning in the direction of the building.

"Yeah? Me too, what class do you have in there?"

"Intro to psychology," you said, rolling your eyes. "You wouldn't know it though, the professor treats the class like we're all there to get our doctorate."

"You don't like it," he said like it was a statement not a question. He was right, the class was tough and not what you had expected. Your full time job was saving the world not learning about what a freak Freud was.

"It's just harder than I can really manage," you said with a shrug.

"I'm sure you can do it," Taehyung said, bumping his shoulder against yours just as Pace came into sight.

"I'm glad I ran into you though," you said, before you could think better of letting your excitement be known. "I really enjoyed talking to you the other night, even though I kind of vented to you."

"I enjoyed talking to you too," he said, his eyes crinkling as he smiled. "I'm always available if you want to vent."

"Don't say that," you said with a chuckle. "I'll definitely take you up on it."

"I really don't mind," he insisted. "If you have something on your mind, you should get it out."

"I feel like I always have something weighing on my mind," you admitted, shaking your head as if to clear it of all negative thoughts.

"Like what?"

"Like that my friends either think of me as a robot with no feelings or a child that has to be told exactly what to do or she'll fuck it up," you said, your eyes widening as you realized how intense of a bomb that was to drop on someone you barely knew.

You looked up at Taehyung, shocked with yourself, but he only offered you a small comforting smile. No judgement was in his eyes.

"I'm sorry they treat you like that," he said. "You could use better friends."

"They're not that bad," you said, sort of back tracking. "It's more like the circumstance we're in, I guess," you shrugged as you stopped outside of your class room. "This is me," you said, laughing nervously to try and lift the mood after you totally ruined it.

"I hope we run into each other again," Taehyung said, his smile making it seem like he hadn't totally been turned off by how open you had just been.

"Me too," you said, feeling yourself relax again. "I feel like I can be myself with you, and I think I really need that."

"Of course you can," he said, with a smile. "I'll always understand you, _____. You don't have to try and hide anything from me."

It's a few days later when you run into him again. This time, standing outside of your classroom in Pace Hall, clearly waiting for you. He looks like he's trying hard to look cool, leaned up against the wall in his ripped jeans and leather jacket, but as soon as he sees you he stumbles a little and you can't help but laugh at him. It's practically a giggle, and you think you're not usually the type of girl to do that. He's just so cute though, you can't help but feel giddy around him.

"I'd been wanting to talk to you again," Taehyung said as you approached him, messing with his hair as he looked down at his feet, a light blush on his cheeks.

"I've been wanting to talk to you too," you said, motioning for him to follow you out of the building on the way to your next class. "I realized once I sat down in class that I should have asked for your number, but I think I was worried you wouldn't want to give it to me after I embarrassed myself."

Taehyung turned towards you with a confused look on his face. "You've never embarrassed yourself around me."

"Oh, were you not here last time when I unpacked all of my emotions onto you, or?"

Taehyung laughed at this, his eyes practically twinkling as he kept his focus on you. "You shouldn't be embarrassed by that. You're going through a lot, so it's natural to have negative emotions about it all. I know what it's like to feel that way."

"Yeah? I kind of doubt that," you said, regretting it the moment it left your lips. What were you supposed to do if he pressed you for more information. It's not like you could reveal the supernatural to him right here and now and explain what it meant to be a Slayer.

"I know more than you think," he said, lightly elbowing you as you walked through the quad.

"I'm sure you're very wise and worldly. That's why it's so easy to talk to you."

"Of course," he said beaming. "I was waiting for you to ask you out, by the way."

"Really?" you asked, turning to him with wide eyes.

"Really," he said, smiling softly. "Are you free this Friday? I was hoping we could get Pizza and actually have a proper conversation or something like that."

"Friday..." you said, already knowing that there was no way you could convince Namjoon to give you another night off. You feel a little stupid for letting yourself get excited. How was the Slayer supposed to save the world and go on dates with cute boys. It didn't make sense in the long term. You would probably end up putting him in danger.

"Please," Taehyung said, pouting a little bit. "It doesn't have to be pizza."

"I don't know if I'll be able to get out of work that night," you said, figuring that it couldn't hurt too much to ask Namjoon. "I'll try my best though." "Awesome," Taehyung said, smiling widely again. "Can I have your number so I don't have to ever loiter outside of your classroom again?"

"Of course," you laughed, taking his phone from him and putting the information in.

"Awesome," Taehyung repeated, looking down at his phone like you had given him the secret meaning of life. "Hopefully I'll see you Friday."

"Hopefully," you replied. And you really meant it. You really hoped you would. Even if just to feel like a regular girl for the night.

You don't ask Namjoon for the night off. You knew it was pointless, he wouldn’t let you meet up with Taehyung and it would probably end with an hours long lecture on why you have the responsibility to make sure nothing bad happens tonight and that dating would likely end with more heartbreak than you could even handle.

Have you even thought about the likelihood of him dying? Namjoon would ask, like you were a child that could never comprehend the severity of your calling. As if you didn't live this life everyday.

But you didn't want to think about that tonight. No, you wanted to enjoy your time with Taehyung and pretend that nothing supernatural existed and that you were the boring normal girl you wanted so desperately to be. No responsibilities to the greater good, just another cog in the machine of life.

You tell Taehyung you'll meet him at the restaurant, because you're not willing to risk Jin running into you as the two of you leave and telling Namjoon about your night out. Maybe the likelihood of that happening is slim, but not slim enough for you to forget about it for the sake of having a cute little rom-com moment where Taehyung shows up at your front door with flowers. The likelihood of him bringing flowers was equally slim, so you settle on making your way to the restaurant alone.

It's a cute mom-and-pop pizza place that you've always thought about going to but have never had the time to do so. Taehyung's waiting for your outside when you arrive, with the same leather jacket on as before but this time with a brown sweater underneath as opposed to a t-shirt.

You think he could probably be a model with how good he looks and you know it's not just because you have a crush on him, thought that probably helps.

"You look beautiful," he breathes as you join him on the sidewalk and you feel heat run up your spine as he looks you over.

"Thank you," you say softly, nervously brushing your hair behind your ears as he motions for you to enter the restaurant.

They seat you in a secluded booth, and even though you're certain no one you know will decide tonight is the night to try out this restaurant, you're happy to be hidden just incase.

"I don't really know anything about you," you said after you and Taehyung ordered a pizza to split. "Like I know I like you and you're easy to talk to, but I realized I'm the one doing all of the talking usually."

"I don't mind that," Taehyung laughed before taking a sip of his water.

"Well tonight I'll try to make it equal," you said leaning forward. "Tell me about yourself."

"I like helping people," he shrugged. "It feels like it's kind of my job."

"Oh no," you said, your eyes widening. "Please tell me you don't feel obligated to be here because I've been venting to you like you're my therapist."

"No," he said, reaching out for your hand and giving it a light squeeze. "You don't have to feel embarrassed around me."

"I didn't say I was embarrassed," you defended, but the way your cheeks heated up betrayed your statement. "Okay, maybe a little bit embarrassed."

"I told you," Taehyung said, smiling softly. "there's nothing you could throw at me that I wouldn't understand. You can trust me, unlike your friends."

His comment about your friends stings a little bit, even though you know he's only referring to what you said a few days ago. Maybe it hurts because you didn't realize until now how harsh you sounded. You did trust you friends, you knew they had your back, you just weren't sure they could ever understand how much pressure you felt. If they could ever look past you as the Slayer and see your humanity ever again.

"I do trust my friends," you sighed, offering Taehyung a smile small, "but I don't want to talk about that. I want to talk about you."

"If you insist," he said. "What do you want to know?"

"Are you a morning person?"

His face scrunches into one of disgust. "No, of course not."

You laugh at this, once again feeling at ease in his presence. It's so easy to talk to him and before you know it you've been in that booth for hours just talking to each other. You haven't felt so free to just exist in a very long time, and you think that's what you like most about Taehyung. He doesn't expect anything more of you than yourself and that's exactly what you need right now.

As you walk back to your apartment you think that you could talk to him forever and never get bored. You hope that he feels the same way. Maybe that's why you invite him into your apartment, with nothing more in mind that just the good conversation he brings.

But it doesn't stay so PG as you now find yourself taking his sweater off of his body. He's giving you that boxy smile of his that you love and you cannot help but smile back as he plays with the hem of your dress.

You lift your arms over your head to help him take it off and despite it being so long since the last time you were bare before a person like this, you don't feel shy in front of him. Just like every other moment with Taehyung, you feel completely natural and free with him. Like there is nothing you could do to ever drive him away or make him upset.

"Everything about you is beautiful," he said before kissing you passionately, each of you seemingly frenzied for the other.

"Is it weird to say you're beautiful too?" you asked breathlessly as the two of you finally pulled apart.

Taehyung laughed, before pulling you into another kiss. You fumbled with his pants, trying to rid him of them, causing Taehyung to smile against your lips, before his own hands joined yours in getting rid of the clothing.

"Fuck, it's like a chastity belt," you said as you pulled away, earning a box smile and head shake from Taehyung as he finally stepped out of his pants, the two of you now in only your underwear.

Taehyung's lips find your neck causing a moan to roll of your lips as your hands wind themselves in his black hair.

"That feels good," he said as he removed his lips from your neck, and again you note that he says it like a statement not a question. He's so assured that he knows exactly what you're feeling and so far he's not been wrong. You let yourself think for a moment that might just be exactly what you need right now.

"Ride me?" he asked, as he unclasped your bra, removing your bra from your body and throwing it across your room.

"Oh god, yes," you said, as sucked lightly at your nipple.

"You believe in God?" he asked, stopping his movements and looking up at you.

"I'll believe in or not believe in whatever you want as long as you keep doing what you're doing."

Taehyung laughed before placing a light kiss to your breast. "You would do anything for me."

"You know, most guys ask that instead of stating it like a fact," you said as he back the two of you towards your bed.

"Most guys don't know you like I know you," he said, turning so the he fell backwards onto the bed and coaxing you to go with him. You crawled towards him, straddling his lap. "I know you and I'm going to make you feel good tonight."

"Yeah?" you asked as you began to grind against his hardened erection, the both of you still covered and your core growing wetter with each rotation of your hips.

"Do you have doubts?" he asked, sitting up so that he could bite and suck at your neck again.

"No," you breathed, causing him to smile against your neck.

"Good," he said, moving to lay down again. "Now ride me."

"Like this," you asked, a teasing smile on your face as you again rubbed yourself against him, making no move to remove your underwear.

"I know you want more than that," he said, crossing his arms behind his head and looking up at you.

You rolled your eyes at his smug expression, but you knew he was right, so you moved just enough to remove your panties, before pulling his own off, Taehyung only helping so far as raising his hips from the bed.

You moved towards your bedside table, happy that despite your non-existent love life you still thought to keep some condoms in there.

You positioned yourself on either sides of his legs, bending down momentarily to lick the length of his cock, a moan falling from his lips at the motion, and then you rolled the condom down his length.

"You're killer," he said a smirk on his face as you moved to hover over his dick. You only smiled as you sank down onto him, a moan falling from your lips at the stretch. He was wrong, if anyone was the killer it was him and his bigger than you would expect dick.

"Fuck, you're going to kill me," you said with a breathy laugh as you tried to adjust to his size.

"You want to use me," he said. "Use me, get off on my cock."

"Fuck, if you insist," you said, tentatively moving to test the waters. As the discomfort subsided and you became used to the stretch, you quickened your motions, Taehyung letting you do whatever you wanted, his own moans mixing with yours.

You grabbed his hands and placed them on your hips, silently asking him to help you keep the pace, and he did just that his hands digging into your sides.

"Oh god, I'm gonna cum," you said as you dragged your hands down his chest, red ridges rising in their place.

"I know," he said with a grunt, his own hips jolting upwards for the first time. "Wait for me, baby," he said his hips continuing to meet yours, the sound of skin on skin echoing around the room.

"I'm so close," you replied, throwing your head back in ecstasy. "What do you need, Tae?"

"I need what you need," he said, panting. "What will make you come?" he asked.

"Fuck," you said, looking down at him, the site of him truly unholy. "Choke me," you said, bringing one of his hands from you hip to your throat.

"Anything for you," he said, his grip on your throat and the motion of your hips sending both of you over the edge as your own orgasm was followed by his. When he finally released his grip on you, the only sound left in the room as you came down from your highs was your mutual panting.

You moved to lay down beside him, Taehyung immediately snaking his arm around your middle and pulling you into his chest.

"I haven't felt this relaxed in so long," you said with a small laugh as you looked up at him. "Thanks, I had fun tonight."

"I did too," he said, pressing a kiss to the top of your head. "I'm glad I ran into you."

You sigh as yet again you are directed to Jimin's voicemail. You've been waiting in the library for him for two hours now, and despite your several attempts to get in contact with you he will not answer. You hope for Jimin's sake he's had the life drained from him by a vampire, because if you have to march all the way to his apartment just to find him napping or swapping spit with someone, you're going to personally murder him instead.

He knew how much trouble you were having in Intro to psychology and as it was his major, he had promised to help you study. It wasn't like him to blow you off, but it had happened before. Regardless, you figured checking on him was what a friend should do.

He doesn't open the door when you get to his apartment either, and you're knocking becomes panicked as your thoughts shift from angry to worried. Maybe he had been attacked, stranger things had definitely happened.

You kick open the door to his apartment to reveal his small studio is empty. You try and remind yourself that just because he isn't home doesn't mean something bad has happened to him, so you call Jungkook to see when the last time he saw your friend.

"He's not with you?" Jungkook asked, his voice as panicked as you felt. "The last time I saw him was yesterday and he said he was going to be studying with you all day."

You curse as you shut Jimin's door behind you, though you've broken the lock so it doesn't really matter. It's the principal of the thing.

"_____, don't move. I'll be right there and we can look for him," Jungkook said, just as you hung up, having no intention of doing that.

You quickly make your way to Namjoon's place across campus, knocking frantically until he opens the door. He's flustered when he finally opens it, his hair rumpled as if you've just woken him up.

"Namjoon, Jimin's missing."

"Maybe he's just sleeping, have you checked his place."

"Of fucking course I checked his place, Namjoon, it's not my first day out here."

Namjoon sighed as he nodded his head in understanding.

"Jungkook hasn't seen him since yesterday and we were supposed to meet at the library but he never showed and he's not answering any of my calls, something happened to him."

"Okay, we'll start looking for him then," Namjoon said as he took his glasses off to rub his eyes.

"I fucking told you not to move," Jungkook grumbled as he walked up behind you.

"Yeah, well we can argue about that after we find Jimin," you said turning towards the werewolf.

"We'll split up," Namjoon said, finally looking more awake. "Check all the places we normally find vampires and places Jimin might be."

"Got it," you said, already leaving Namjoon and Jungkook behind. "I'll take the north end," you call back to them as you begin to break into a jog.

"No panicking!" Namjoon yells back to you, but it's a little too late for that. You are already in full on panic mode.

You've checked a few places with no luck, feeling your anxiety rise with each failed location, and you're just leaving the coffee shop Jimin likes to get work done at when your phone buzzes with a text from Taehyung.

You ignore it, not having time for any boy that isn't Jimin right now, but as you enter one of the known vampire nests, thankful and regretful to find it empty, you're getting annoyed as he texts a 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th time.

You pull out your phone with an exasperated huff and open is messages, only to stop cold as you see him. He's sent you a picture of Jimin, the warlock tied to a chair and hopefully only unconscious. Taehyung seems almost giddy in the messages, excited for you to join him at the location he's sent you.

You send Namjoon and Jungkook the address quickly, before plugging it into your own GPS. Jungkook's warning flashes in your mind as you sprint towards the location, your heart sinking with each step you take. You did this to Jimin and if he's dead you think you'll die yourself.

You try and remind yourself that Taehyung did this not you, but as you stop in front of the abandoned building at the address he sent you, it doesn't feel that way. It feels like your desire to be normal might just cost your friend his life. Maybe you didn't feel like you truly had your own life, but you never wanted it to come at the expense of another's. Perhaps you were naive to think such was possible.

You find both boys in the middle of what used to be the living room in the abandonded house. Taehyung smiles as you enter and instead of the butterflies you used to feel, you're instead filled with rage. It's as if you smacked him with the look you send back, Taehyung recoiling away from you and Jimin. Good.

“I don’t understand.” Taehyung says, looking at you confused. “I thought this was what you wanted.”

“Who are you?” you replied, not caring to speak to Taehyung anymore than you have to now.

“You know who I am, Slayer. I’m Taehyung,” he says, a small smile on his lips.

“Sorry let me rephrase that, what the fuck are you?”

He pouts at this. “I’m an empath demon,” he said, shaking his head. “You’re so mad, I don’t understand.”

“I don’t know about demons, but people tend to get pretty mad when someone kidnaps their friend and knocks them unconscious.”

“But this is what you wanted. You told me so,” he said as you hear Jungkook and Namjoon shuffle in behind you, Namjoon panting, Jungkook growling. “You brought more, good.”

“I never said I wanted you to do this,” you said, stepping towards Taehyung slowly.

“No, but you were angry at them. You said that they either see you as a child or a robot, no in between. If we get rid of them, then you’ll be happy, right?”

You nervously look back between Jungkook and Namjoon, the first looking at you with anger in his eyes the second looking hurt.

“No, Taehyung, that’s not what I want,” you said taking a few more cautious steps towards him. “It won’t make me happy; it would only make things worse. Much much worse."

“Yes it is,” he insisted, his voice booming throughout the house. “I asked you if you wanted them to go away, and you said yes, and you meant it, I could feel it.”

He looks so insistent, for a moment you wonder if this is really the energy you give off. He is an empath demon, which must mean he truly felt your emotions. But you didn't want your friends dead, you loved your friends. You would be dead without them. So why did he think this was the solution?

“I didn’t mean forever, Taehyung, I only meant sometimes. Sometimes I wish they would leave me alone, but this isn’t what I meant.”

“I don’t understand,” he laments, his hands dropping to his side. “Why is it so complicated with humans. You want them gone, get rid of them,” he bounds towards you, and Jungkook seems ready to pounce at any moment, but you remain still and calm as Taehyung takes your hands in his.

“What will make you happy, Slayer?”

You want to recoil away from his touch, but you're afraid any wrong move will cost Jimin his life. So, you let him hold your hands and try to speak to him softly.

“Why do you care about my happiness?”

Taehyung seems to consider this for a moment. “I sensed you, that day. You were looking at the girls and you wanted to be like them. You asked me to help, you just didn’t know it. I have to make you happy now.”

You know what he means, though it could have been any day. You've felt that way for so long.

“You have to?” you sighed, turning to look back at Namjoon who tugs at the necklace hanging around his neck. You can tell he wants to say something, but don’t know what it means.

“Taehyung, happiness is a very difficult thing. You’re right humans are complicated. I can’t always be happy.”

“Of course you can, I can do whatever it takes, just say the word.”

He seems so childlike as he says this it almost hurts to think that this same Taehyung is also a monster. “How? How can you do that? Whatever makes me today might bore me tomorrow.”

“Then we’ll try again. I have this,” Taehyung pulls a red pendant necklace out from under his shirt. “anything you want, I can get it for you,” he laughs like a kid as he turns to face Jimin. “I thought you would want to do it this way, since you’re the Slayer and all, but if you just make a wish, whatever you want, it’ll happen. I can make it so you never met him, never met any of them,” he glares at Jungkook and Namjoon.

“With this?” you ask, taking a few tentative steps back towards him and reaching out towards the necklace.

Taehyung nods his head, as he lets you grab the pendant. “See, you’re excited now, I knew you would want this.”

“Oh, I’m excited all right,” you said, smiling at Taehyung, before ripping the pendant from his neck.

Namjoon calls your name as Taehyung roars in anger, instantly clawing at you for the pendant, but he’s too late as you toss it to Namjoon, who grabs a fallen brick on the ground, and crushes the pendant with it.

A bright red light erupts from the broken necklace causing you to turn away and shield you eyes. It seems to engulf the whole room for a moment and then it disappears as quickly as if came. When you look back up, Taehyung is lying on the ground, which means he is very much not vanquished like he should have been.

You quickly walk to Namjoon, ready to end it all here and now, the brick in his hand being the only weapon near-by, but your watcher stops you.

“He’s human now,” Namjoon says.

“So, I can kill him with my bare hands, great," you replied turning back towards the demon.

“_____,” Namjoon warns.

You turn back to Namjoon with a frown. “He kidnapped Jimin, who is still unconscious by the way,” you said, as you motioned to Jungkook freeing Jimin of his constraints, being careful to hold his head up as he did so.

“Do you feel guilty?” Namjoon asked. “He said he did it because of you, is that why you want to kill a human?”

“He’s a demon,” You insisted.

“He was. Just as he was a human before that. Empath demons are made demons, they are people who go through such emotional trauma that they chose to help others, or so they believe.”

“No amount of trauma is a good reason to kill someone.”

“So, what is your good reason to kill him?”

You scoff as you look down at your hands. “You just love the sound of your own voice, don’t you, Namjoon?”

“I’m with _____.” Jungkook spoke up as he cradled Jimin’s head in his lap.

"It's your choice," Namjoon said, standing up and brushing himself off. "The council doesn't have an official stance on the matter, so you can decide for yourself who you want to be."

"You don't mean that," you said looking over at Taehyung.

"Well, it has been brought to my attention that I may be treating you like a child," Namjoon said as he moved to stand beside you. "You might be right about that, but it's only because I worry about you. So, I think it's time I let you make your own choices, even if I don't agree with them."

"Is he really human?" Jungkook asked, drawing your attention to back to him and Jimin. Your warlock friend looks so small as Jungkook holds onto him as if he is afraid to lose him again.

"Yes, he is mortal again."

"I can't do it," you said in a small voice as you walked over towards Jimin. You sat down beside Jungkook and use the sleeve of your shirt to dab up some of the blood at the corner of Jimin's mouth. "Happy?" you asked as you look back at Namjoon.

"As long as my Slayer is happy, I'm happy," the watcher shrugged as he joins you.

"Let's get out of here before he wakes up," you said.

As the three of your walked out of the building, Jungkook carrying Jimin, you felt relieved. Just like you might have felt after hours of talking to Taehyung. Maybe that's why you spared his life, because despite almost murdering your friend, he gave you something as well. He gave your mind and heart a break for just a moment. You got to be the regular college girl with a crush on the cute boy she met at a party, even if he turned out to be a demon. It didn't take away from the fact that you finally let out everything you'd be holding in.

You owed him.

It's a familiar scene the next time you see him. You, Namjoon, Jungkook, and Jimin take advantage of the nice weather and eat lunch outside. Only this time you don't find yourself looking all around and wishing you were anyone but yourself. This time you feel content as Namjoon explains about the most recent demon siting. Jungkook's volunteered to go with you, but Jimin's not having any of it, insisting that Jungkook's not any better at helping than he is.

Namjoon's the one that notices him first, his face falling for a brief moment before trying to conceal it and pretend that nothing happened. You know better than that, so you followed his gaze to find Taehyung standing across the quad.

"He's got some balls," you said under your breath, though not quietly enough to escape the attention of Jimin and Jungkook who look to see for themselves.

"I know you decided to spare his life," Jungkook said, turning back to face you. "But next full moon, I might kill him."

"Let him be," Jimin said, punching Jungkook in the shoulder. The werewolf feigns pain, causing the warlock to laugh. "Seriously," Jiming continued. "I'm the one who got kidnapped and nearly murdered, so I think I get to decide what happens to Taehyung, and I say be nice."

"You were only nearly murdered," Jungkook mutters as he sinks further into his seat a pout on his face.

"Oh, would you prefer I was fully murdered," Jimin asks his eyes wide as he stared down Jungkook.

"I'll leave him alone but I won't be nice," you conceded as you too sunk deeper into your chair crossing your arms over your chest.

"No," Jimin said turning towards you with the same serious stare he had just given Jungkook. "I said be nice, and I mean it. Go invite him over."

"You want me to do what?" you said, you eyes going wide as you looked around the table. "I am not inviting your would-be murderer over here."

"If I remember correctly he wanted to murder me because of you, so I would say you owe me."

"And I would say all the coffees I brought you were my way of making it up to you. I've paid my price."

"Nope, one last thing," Jimin said motioning to Taehyung. "I'll never forgive you unless you do it."

You studied his face for a moment to see if you could call his bluff but he looked deadly serious. "Fine," you said standing from your spot on the table.

Taehyung looks ashamed when you approach him and you’re glad. He should be ashamed for what he did.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “Recently, it has been brought to my attention that humans are not big fans of violence, but you can see how I was mistaken considering your line of work.”

You scoff and shake your head. “Is that it?”

“Uh-" he looks back at your friends. “I can’t feel what other’s feel anymore,” he started. “It’s… nice. I feel like I can think more clearly now.”

“Good for you,” you said, not really being mean, but certainly not being the level of nice Jimin wanted from you.

“The problem is,” he said, just as you turned to walk back to your friends. “I don’t know what I’m supposed to do anymore. I mean, what does a human who used to be a 203-year-old demon usually do for a career change?” he laughed nervously.

You feel bad for him as he awkwardly shifts his weight and for a moment you let yourself forget how angry you are with him and try and do what Jimin would want you to do. So you offer him a small smile.

“203 years old, huh?” you sigh. “I slept with a man two centuries old.”

Taehyung smiles his boxy smile at this. “You were very happy; I remember feeling that.”

“Well, first you have to stop saying things like that, or I will become a huge fan of violence. Secondly,” you turned back to your friends. “come with me. I guess Namjoon could probably use some help.”

#Taehyung smut #bts smut #bangtan smut #taehyung fic #magicshopnet #bts fic #bts taehyung #kim taehyung #bts scenarios #bts imagines #bts writing #taehyung x reader

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suffering-and-happy-about-it · 4 years

Text

Time After Time (The Eighties Blasts Collection, Part 1.)

Description: Jim Hopper died as a hero. But with that, one certain problem rises up - who will now lead the cops of Hawkins? Hopper thought of that - he decided to write a letter, naming his niece, nineteen-year-old student of Indianapolis police academy, Y/N Hopper as a sheriff deputy in a letter. But anybody in the town doesn't have a clue that being a cop in Hawkins is way more dangerous than it might seem.

NOTICE: This is an AU where Hopper had a brother which he doesn’t talk to, but still has a great relationship with his niece (more like father-daughter relationship). Nothing else would be changed.

Pairing: Steve Harrington x Hopper!Reader (eventually) - the story is more driven by the relationships in the gang.

A/N: Every chapter will probably be named after one ICONIC 80s song because I am trash for them. Also, I will call Johnathan John bcs I am sick of writing such a long name over and over again.

Warnings: Grief, losing a loved one, bad family background for the reader, Will, Johnathan and Joyce leaving Hawkins.

Word count: 3.7 K (Sorry guys, I had fun)

Tagging: x

Master list: The Eighties Blast Collection

Try to ask your parents about living in the '80s. Or no, you don't have to ask them at all - they would definitely tell you that it was way easier, better and safer back then. Maybe they would be right if you don't remind them about Doug Clark and Carol Bundy for example. Serial killers aren't such things in our age.

But there was one particular town in Indiana where it wasn't exactly a pleasure to live during the '80s. There was like... Everything from novels and movies had happened there - strange disappearances of children, mutates crawling from another dimension, possessed shirtless white boy with a mullet running around, kidnapping people and basically killing the; even murders bated by U.S. government and experiments on people.

It was a true science-fiction to say at least.

What was the town’s name? Hawkins. Hawkins, Indiana with a population of thirty thousand people - may be more or less, nobody exactly knew since such a crazy shit was happening out there.

Your beloved uncle Jim, to which you went every holiday for the whole two months, has lived there since forever, except for his rather short time in New York - and you found your way to love the city as well. The people there were always the same - same shopkeepers, same employees in the restaurants, same stores and groceries. You dreamt about working alongside Jim since you were just a little kid. While other girls wanted to be princesses and astronauts, you just wanted to be a cop.

So it hit you when you were in your room at the police academy, listening to George Michael and read a magazine, laying down on the bed. At your nineteen, you were one of the best cadets that ever got into the police academy before reaching the age of 21. Jim was so proud that he cried when you called him.

But when the sergeant who led your training called your name through the silent halls, you knew that something had to happen. And when you sat down behind the desk, looking her in the face, you knew it isn't anything nice.

And when she told you, oh boy, you couldn't but chuckle unbelievably. No, you weren't happy or amused with what sergeant Brown told you - but you couldn't believe it.

“Jim Hopper is dead? Is it... For sure? That must be a mistake. You're shitting me right now.” - You told her, not even caring about the rule not to curse around your authorities. And Mrs. Brown fully understood what you're going through at the moment, so she didn't say a word about that. Your breath stuck in your throat as you got up to walk around the room.

“Miss Hopper, I can tell you for certain that I am not joking.” - The woman on the opposite side of the table looked you in the eyes. - “I am sorry for your loss, yet Mrs. Byers sent us an official document where Jim Hopper named you his deputy sheriff, signed and stamped two weeks ago.” - She took the document out of the envelope and looked you in the eyes, putting it in front of himself so she could read from it.

“But I’m too young to be a deputy.” - You mumbled and took the document seriously naming you to the function into your fingers, reading it word after word. Jim was looking forward to having you by his side as a cop - so when he learned about the Russians in a facility below Star Court, he wrote two letters and one document - one for Eleven, a girl who he adopted and you liked, one letter addressed to you and a document naming you the deputy, so he was sure that the Hawkins city is in good hands when he's gone. You never saw the letter though.

Only the official document made it.

“And we do acknowledge that. You're too young, you haven't even finished your studies, Miss Hopper, this is a rather unpleasant and special situation. And for that, we will transfer you to an academy nearby Hawkins, so you can finish your training there while you will be helping at the police department.” - Mrs. Brown smiled at you a bit. - “We also acknowledge that you loved your uncle and to continue with his legacy means everything to you. Hawkins department is out of policemen anyway.”

---

So it was done. Your grief over Jim was deep and it took too long for you to acknowledge that he won’t come to his cabin hidden in the woods a small while from the big oak next to the road to Denfield, just fifteen minutes away from Hawkins.

When you told the locals about the cabin, it was in a horrendous state - the windows were missing, there were holes in the ceiling, the door were broken apart and... It was a hellhole. It needed a lot of repairing and almost everything was broken inside, including almost all of the furniture, but you managed somehow.

Especially the broken windows and broken ceiling would cost a fortune if there wasn't for the good people of Hawkins who collected money and old, non-used things from their homes. They started one month before you came so it was almost done when you were about to roll into the town - but you could do the rest by yourself.

You let Hopper's old armchair just in the place where it always was, in his trail, and you left El’s room untouched as well, you only cleaned it up. People from the town were helping you with the renovations by all kinds of small gifts, ranging from canned and normal food to shampoo, helping you paint and paper it from the inside, giving you their old equipment like the TV or a refrigerator, even a VHS player.

On the day when you came back to Hawkins in an old Chevy from the 70s’, with all your things packed in boxes stored in your car’s trunk, you immediately went to Joyce’s house. Joyce was something like your auntie - you, Nancy Wheeler, her son Jonathan and Steve Herrington always played by the woods she had behind their house. She always made you the best cupcakes, played with you, talked to you and when you were too caught up in playing, she called you to have lemonade or some snacks - but that was too long ago for you to even properly remember.

You remembered only small bits from your evenings at the Byers' house, but the feeling of Joyce is a nice, calm and sweet person always remained inside your head.

Once, all of you were only kids and you were in Hawkins only for two to three weeks every summer - so, naturally, your friendships with the old party didn't exactly last in the form it was ten years ago. All of you got into puberty and since you were studying the police academy, getting there after the senior year of your high school, you didn't really hear much about any of them.

Plus, after you left Hawkins, you found yourself new friends in New York, so... It was no wonder, really. Everyone was just living their life the best way they could.

Although, when you heard that Joyce and her boys are you about to leave Hawkins for Maine, you tried to speed everything up only to tell her your goodbye before she actually goes away. When you got out of the car, 99 Luftballons by Nena practically screaming from Chevy's radio, you could only see a half-full moving truck and a load of kids out there.

At least, you weren't that late, were you?

You could recall some of them - like Eleven, a girl living with Jim who you got to know the spring of 84’ when you got released for a weekend lasting holiday to celebrate Jim’s birthday. She was cool as fuck, having some kind of psionic abilities. Jim almost killed both of you when he found out that she had shown you some tricks, but you found that extremely cool. You two had built a pretty good and strong connection over the course of your visits at Hopper's.

You were able to recall Mike Wheeler and Will Byers as well since you knew their siblings - and these boys just couldn't be more similar to Jon and Nance. But there were a few kids you didn't have a single idea who they might be.

“I’m here to help. But I’m late, I guess.” - You leaned into the doorframe and smiled a bit at Joyce’s back. She was running around the whole house cluelessly and tried to pack while the others were doing the actual job. She looked at you standing there in an old flannel shirt and cool jeans which can be bought only in cities or big malls. You looked... Certainly not happy, tired, your eyes red from crying, but good and fine as hell. - “Guess you can say that I am a Hopper, right?” - You smiled as she walked to you to give you a tight, motherly hug, humming into your ear.

“You are so big now. I remember you barely reaching my waist, darling.” - She cracked up a bit and you were almost sure that she is about to cry - and if she would, you would be a crying mess as well. You cried almost the whole way to Indiana. You just stopped yourself to cry again? Oh, boy.

“That happens over time. Guess Jonathan isn't the smallest nor youngest now as well, huh?” - You joked, walking to one of the boxed in the hallway. Just with that, Jon accompanied by Nancy walked into the doorframe, holding another two boxes.

“Someone left a started truck outside and is playing pop blasts... Y/N?” - Jonathan asked unbelievably when you turned around to face him. He looked tired as hell just by the looks, but he still sorta got his rebellious expression, just as you were used to. And Nancy? She was breathtaking now. You almost jumped at both of them to hug them firmly with a giggle.

The old party was getting back together.

“I can't believe you're here!” - Nancy laughed to your ear. Both of them had the best childhood memories from the times you were there - like jamming to literally every ABBA or the Rolling Stones song, riding bikes through the neighborhood and just the best fourth of July festivals. - “Also, I'm so sorry about...”

“I know, I know. It would be nice if you stop reminding me.” - You answered a bit louder than you plan to, so Nancy just shuts up. You were immediately apologizing, but she shook her head with her typical Wheeler smile. She totally got what you’re feeling at the moment, it wasn't even your fault really.

“Wow. I haven’t seen you since... Forever.” - Jonathan took your shoulder to his palm and smiled at you. - “I wish we could just sit down, have a cup of tea and talk about what is going on now.” - Nance agreed with him, leaving you in the hall with panicking Joyce; until another person came by.

“Is that... Is that you?” - A fourteen-year-old girl came there in an old shirt which you knew that belonged to Jim. You immediately softened when you saw the teenager, kneeling down and opening your arms for her. You closed your eyes as El leaned to you and hugged you tightly.

“Yeah. I know.” - You mumbled into the crook of her neck quietly, letting her put her head on your shoulder as both your palms smoothed her back and her ponytail. She was such a baby girl since the day uncle Jim introduced the two of you. - “Listen up, baby. Let's get moving with the packing. You can introduce me to your friends and your boyfriend, sounds good?” - You got up, drying off her tears as you tried not to cry as well. You needed to make you both occupied.

“I would appreciate if you'd help the boys with Will’s room.” - Joyce looked at the both of you with her hands on her hips. - “Not that I don’t believe them, but I am afraid that Will’s and the other children’s packaging skills aren't exactly on point, if you know what I mean.”

99 Luftballons subtly changed to Take On Me by A-Ha as it continued to blast through the quiet neighborhood. You and Eleven walked to Will’s room just as Joyce asked you to, leaving Nancy and Jonathan as they were.

And oh boy, there was a kind of war between four boys and a redhead girl going on, tees of every color were flying everywhere as they laughed and ran throughout the back of that house. It made you smile, wishing you could just join along. They were so young and careless and you loved it.

But as soon as they noticed you, an adult standing in the doorframe alongside El, they hid the tees and pants behind their backs and only whispers and giggling could be heard.

“Joyce was right.” - You stepped in, picking up the clothes from the ground while looking at Will. His haircut wasn't the best and he looking alike Jon when he was a small boy. - “You guys can't pack clothes for shit.” - You mumbled as you watched every one of them.

The redhead watched you without a clue who you could be, but the others knew your face. Not too well, but they had definitely seen you around a few times before.

“This is Y/N, Hop’s niece.” - El pointed at you and the redhead nodded. Any of the teenagers couldn't understand how could you be related to Hopper in any way - he was the old douche, probably ugly, fat and a really unpleasant person most of the time. But you were young, pretty and seemed to be a really chill person.

“These are my friends.” - She pointed at the redhead and a boy alongside her. - ”Max and Lucas.” - She pointed at Will and Mike who you knew. - “Mike and Will.” - And then she pointed at a boy with curly hair who was smiling at you and to be honest, scaring you like shit. - “And this is Dustin.”

“So, who’s the lucky one?” - You smirked at El and the way Mike’s cheeks reddened, you knew that he’s the one. She smiled at you without giving you a proper answer.

You somehow managed to make the kids pack the things before dismantling the furniture in Will’s room with Jonathan’s help. You two were left alone as the others started to move all the boxes into the truck, having quite the space to talk.

“So you and Nancy, eh?” - You smiled at him wickedly when you started to dismantle the bed. - “Or was I dreaming?”

“Yeah. You haven't been in the town for a while. A lot of things have changed.” - Johnathan chuckled in response and handled you the wrench you needed. You rose your eyebrows.

“You could at least call me. Would that be such a problem, mister Byers?” - You teased back and finally took the head of the bed out.

“We thought you’re too busy living your best city life and forgot about the villagers. Hopper was updating us about your wellbeing pretty well. Heard you got to ILEA? He was proud as hell.” - Jonathan smiled.

Yeah. Uncle Jim was the most supportive person on the whole planet when it came to you or El. You were both his little baby girls - and if someone tried to fuck your dreams up, he would be a literal pain in their ass. So, naturally, he spread the news about you studying on ILEA to everyone he actually listened to him. Joyce and Karen Wheeler were throwing with pride, lemme tell you.

“Yeah. I got to Indianapolis, but they transferred me to the midwest since I have my new job here.” - You sighed and helped him with the wood from the side of the bed. - “Gonna study in a program of correspondence course while having my practicum here. Hawkins is apparently in need of fresh cops.”

“No way you're going to be the sheriff. That would make Hop so proud.” - Jonathan smiled at you softly and you smiled back at him.

“He actually planned on me being the deputy. You really don't have many cops here, eh? Taking in a person who had barely finished their studies? Joke's on you.” - You started to dismantle the wooden legs off the sides. You and Jonathan were actually a good team when it came to manual work.

“We do have cops. But Hopper was the only one who wasn't bribed and actually done his damn job.” - Jon looked at you for a small while. You will be a good cop. He could feel it.

“It will be quite a change from Indianapolis.” - You sighed with a shy smile.

“I was wondering what you’re doing in the evening?” - Jonathan asked all of a sudden, his question followed by your furrowed face. - “We’ll be gone, but I don't want Nancy to be alone. If you want to... Accompany her, I will be glad.”

“Oh, sure. If she would like to, no problem. We can borrow some VHS tapes to watch movies in the evening or whatever. Mrs. Wheeler gave me their old player.” - You nodded. There was one question which was making you furrow, so you leaned over to Jonathan, making him stop the work, quietly touching his shoulder.

“I need to ask you something. It’s pretty... Personal to me.” - You exhaled loudly and your body shook completely on its own.

You were all emotional about Jim passing away and even if it was more than a month since you got the news, you still fought the urge to cry. You tried to shake it off as Jonathan caught your palm in his as well. - “How did uncle Jim die? Nobody wants to tell me, they only told me that he had passed away. Was he shot? Or...” - You curled into a ball and closed your eyes. Jonathan looked around the room and gulped.

You didn't have to know this. You didn't need to know any of this. He wasn't feeling good at that moment and you could feel it. He didn't want to give you an answer, because he somehow felt that it would only hurt you even more.

“All I will tell you is that Hopper died like a real hero. That man might be a pain in everyone's ass, but he sacrificed everything to save the others. He saved all of us and I think that he saved everyone in this town. But if I would tell you, you would think that I’m crazy.” - Jon said quietly, interrupted by Joyce standing in the door. She clearly didn't hear much, since she didn't have any idea you even asked about Hopper. She was smiling, as usual, and she was really glad that the bed was dismantled.

“Oh, honey.” - She kneeled down to you and Jonathan, nuzzling you to her side, ruffling your hair, kissing the temple of your head gently. She was a true mom to everyone - even for a girl that spent only two months in Hawkins during the summer holiday. Even to a girl she hadn't seen in years.

She was something you never had, so you leaned into the touch of her small, warm palms, calming words and slow, caressing movements. Then you sat back up, smiling at her, drying your tears off.

“Can you get it to the truck?” - Joyce looked at Jonathan as he stood up. He nodded without any further thinking.

“I need to give Y/N something. I talked to El and we agreed on it.” - She smoothed your cheek and kissed the other one tenderly. So, you followed her thought the empty house, thinking about your memories.

You could name the exact spot where Steve almost killed himself when he jumped off Jonathan’s bed onto the heating, hitting his forehead into the heater. You could exactly see their old sofa where you braided Nancy’s hair and you could say where the dinner table always stood. Hopper always sat there while he drank coffee with Joyce and her man. Lonnie was really fine... At times, before he left. He was a douchebag overall, though.

The sweet memories made you smile again until you approached the gang consisting of children only standing there in a circle with Eleven in the middle, holding a box named ’HOPPER’ in big, dark green letters. It was almost like a cult initiation. You were sure it was one.

“I want you to have it.” - El said quietly and put the box on the ground, opening it. It was an old police uniform; the one which belonged to Hopper. It was dirty and smelled pretty bad, still having his sheriff’s badge on it. You took the shirt into your palms, caressing it between your fingers as other tears rolled down your cheeks. Then you looked at El.

“Are you sure, baby girl?” - You asked and tried to contain your emotions as everyone was watching you with a sad face. El slowly gulped, getting on her knees as well, but then she nodded. She looked happy at that moment, contained with happy memories at Hopper.

“She wanted to keep it, but wouldn’t be for too much on use since it would only lay in the cabinet. You can wear it for work. Maybe it is too big for you and you will definitely need to wash it, but it has your name on it already, see?” - Joyce pointed at the small golden badge with Hopper on it in black letters. You leaned your head into her shoulder. A true legacy. - “I know he would want you to keep it. It will look good on you after you wash it.”

“If you say so, Joyce.” - You smiled a bit, taking the box from El’s hands, fetching it into the trunk of your car. You stayed there until the very end, looking at the kids saying their last goodbyes. It made you cry as well, it was so sweet.

Even Joyce hide behind the truck to have a little moment to herself. She hated when she saw her boys or their friends sad and crying. Joyce Byers was just the most amazing woman and mom you had ever met.

Even if you didn't expect it at all, you got hugs as well. The one from Will was a shy, quick one with that shy boy’s smile painted on his lips. Jonathan couldn't be as much different from his brother as he was - this boy held you firmly for a few seconds, he actually hugged you so tight you couldn't breathe for a second and screamed loudly with laughter.

“Better watch it here or I will come back and kick your ass.” - He said jokingly, patting your shoulder. You opened your mouth and laughed too, hitting him gently as well. - “Sure. Keep on dreaming, Byers, because that's not going to happen.” - You patted his shoulder as well, bringing him in for one last quick hug - then you left him, so he could say goodbye to Nancy.

Eleven came to you after she kissed the soul out of Mike’s tall and slim body - she hugged you tightly. You maybe weren't exactly the closest, but you were something like sisters from one point of view.

That was the magic Jim Hopper could do when he wanted to. He was bringing people together. He brought El and Mike so close he couldn't stand him anymore. But your bond would make him happy.

“If something, you can always call me.” - You looked her in the eyes as she continued crying. She was such a lovely girl. - “I know you would rather talk to Max, but I’m here too. I’ll be waiting for a call at Hop’s old number, okay?” - You asked and she nodded, unable to speak in words. But her tears were giving you an idea of what the was feeling.

“And we repaired your old room. You will be always welcomed in that house.” - You kissed her forehead, snuggling her closer again.

When they were leaving, you stood there with Nancy and the remaining kids, watching the cars leave, not even waving. Most of you were still crying your eyes out, so you were too dazzled to actually say goodbye. Just minutes after the cars disappeared, you looked at Nancy.

“Need a ride home? The kids are taking the bikes apparently.” - You asked and took the keys to your car out of your pocket. Nancy nodded, smiling at you with the typical Wheeler smile. - “Also, if you want to, you can stay the night at my place. You would feel less alone and the cabin would feel less scary.” - You smiled at her when you both were sitting in the car.

“I guess so. It would be fine to talk to you after such a long time. I miss our summer adventures.” - Nancy said shyly and you stopped yourself from starting the car, looking her in the eyes, holding the steering wheel in your palms.

“I do too. So, off to the supermarket and VHS store it is, I guess.” - You looked into the mirror showing you the space behind the car and started the old Chevy’s motor.

#stranger things #joyce byers #jim hopper #eleven #mike wheeler #nancy wheeler #max mayfield #dustin henderson #will byers #jonathan byers #lucas sinclair #stranger things netflix #after series 3 #time after time #cyndi lauper #inspired by

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romancandlemagazine · 4 years

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An Interview with John Lurie

Whilst most humanoids struggle to master even one useful skill in life, John Lurie is one of those adept rapscallions who can seemingly turn their hand to pretty much anything — from acting to angling.

This knack has led to a fairly stacked C.V. which involves such notable achievements as forming a rule-flouting jazz band called The Lounge Lizards, appearing in films like Down by Law, Paris, Texas and Wild at Heart and showing his paintings in exhibitions all over the planet.

And if all that wasn’t enough, he’s also hosted his own fishing show, and, with the help of Dennis Hopper, once came particularly close to snagging the elusive giant squid.

Here’s what he had to say about fishing, New York in the '70s and the importance of humour in the world...

First question… your television programme Fishing with John is mint. How did that come about?

I was threatening to do it for a long time, but wasn’t really serious. I would go fishing with Willem and we would video tape it. I flew out one New Year’s Eve to play with Tom Waits and the next day we went and fished with Stephen Torton video taping it.

This woman, Debra Brown, saw the tapes, home movies actually, and brought them to a Japanese company that was looking to get involved in things in New York.

She came back to me and said they wanted to make a pilot. I believe my response was, "Are you kidding?"

When you watch a film or television program, you only see the end result. What was it like filming that thing? Were there any mad struggles?

If you see something good, you can just assume there were mad struggles. If you see something bad, you can assume that people were too lazy to take on the mad struggles.

If I am flicking through the channels looking for a movie, I can tell you in five seconds if a movie is going to be any good by the sound of the door closing or the light or the music or whatever.

Why do you think people love fishing so much?

First off, so we can go to these beautiful places and pretend to be doing something. We wouldn’t go if there were nothing to do. And there is that visceral thing. A big fish on the line is like that exhilarating sports thing, like hitting a baseball perfectly or shooting a basket and the net just goes swish.

And then there is that thing of the world of mystery, right next to the world we are living in. What is in there? We are only going to be aware of what is there with a hook and a nylon string.

So of course we have to drag this amazing creature out of the water and kill it because human beings are pretty much ridiculous. The last bit is not why we love fishing, it’s just an observation.

I’d say it’s a pretty sharp observation. Did you ever face anger from the fishing community due to the lack of more conventional fishing?

Yes.

Why isn’t more television like Fishing with John? I hear we’re supposedly in the age of ‘peak TV’ or whatever, but why is there so much boring stuff out there?

The great thing about this, and a big shout out to Kenji Okabe from Telecom Japan, was they left me alone. I am fairly certain that the reason Breaking Bad was so great was because they left Vince Gilligan alone.

With most projects there are all these people meddling with what you do, to ruin it. The Gatekeepers. It is almost like there is a conspiracy to maintain mediocrity.

Going back a bit now, am I right in saying you’re from Minneapolis originally. What were you into as a child?

At first, dinosaurs and archeology. Then reptiles, particularly snakes after we moved to New Orleans. I was going to open my own snake farm. Then I was pretty sure one day, I would play center field for the Yankees.

An attainable dream. You moved to New York in the late 70s, and not long after, you started The Lounge Lizards. It seems like New York at that time is glamourized a bit now, but what was it like for you? What food did you eat? Where did you go at night? What streets were good to walk down? What did it smell like?

I was trying to remember the food I ate back then and couldn’t remember. I was pretty broke most of the time. They used to serve hors d’oevres at gallery openings and cheese became a large part of my regular diet.

Almost every night, or maybe not even “almost” — more like every night — we went to the Mudd Club. More than what streets were “good” to walk down, I can tell you which streets were bad to go down. I lived on East Third St across from the Men’s Shelter, so my block smelled of rotting garbage and urine.

What are some bits that people don’t talk about from that time? What sucked about back then?

It went fairly quickly from people having more relentless fun than any period in human history to a fairly grim time, a year or two later. There was the beginning of AIDs. I had many friends who were dying or horrifyingly sick. People were getting strung out. There were many deaths. Car accidents. People fell out of windows.

Also, with the artistic promise that was there, the output is disappointing. I suppose the wildness led to a lack of discipline and the work wasn’t nearly as good as it should have been.

I might be wrong, but it seems like at that time people just did what they felt like doing… people made films, music or anything else, with no regard for budget. I suppose for example, you made a film called Men in Orbit in your apartment for $500. Where did this freedom come from?

The freedom came from a ferocious demand to have that freedom at any cost. But it is odd or sad, because the more talented of those people seem to have gone unknown and the people who are now household names are, mostly, the ones who played the game by the rules from the beginning.

Do you think people nowadays get too hung up on money? Or perhaps too hung up on success?

I think people nowadays for the most part are quite lost and afraid. So they do whatever they think they must do to have a successful career, even if it means that they are making shit — and it usually does mean they are making shit.

The Lounge Lizard’s album, Voice of Chunk is an amazing record. What sort of stuff were you listening to when you made that? And who is Bob the Bob?

The listening came from earlier in my life. Evan and I would devour everything. From Stravinsky to Monk to Little Walter to Coltrane to Tibetan music to Ellington to Dolphy to Pigmy music (you get the idea).

Later, when working on my own stuff, I stopped listening to pretty much everything. Though when I was in Morocco doing Last Temptation, I played a lot with Gnawa musicians that shifted me a bit. And around that time Evan discovered Piazzolla.

Bob the Bob is Kazu from Blonde Redhead. That is her mouth on the cover of the record. I still call her Bob.

You’re a prolific painter. Are there certain things that you notice recurring in your paintings?

I live on a small Caribbean island. There are flowers everywhere. I don’t like to think that they influence what I paint but they do. Fucking flowers.

A lot of people paint when they’re young, then stop. Why do you think that is? How come you didn’t stop?

The best paintings I have seen in the last 30 years or so are the ones taped to refrigerators. I don’t know why people stop painting or when they don't stop, why the painting gets so stiff.

I am sure my mother, who painted herself and taught art in Liverpool where the Beatles went, but not at the same time, had something to do with me keeping a freedom in my work. To not be afraid of that childlike dream thing.

Though it has been suggested that it may be time for me to get in touch with my “inner adult.”

How do you know when a painting is finished?

I ask Nesrin. If she says it is finished, I know it isn’t.

You seem like a pretty funny guy. Do you think humour is sometimes underrated? Do people take stuff too seriously sometime?

I think humor is immensely important. I think humor can shift society’s consciousness in a better way than almost anything else. So from Shakespeare to Mark Twain to Lenny Bruce to Richard Pryor and many more - these people shifted things for the better.

Do you know who was president when Mark Twain was at his peak? Benjamin Harrison. Who the fuck was Benjamin Harrison?

What are your thoughts on the internet? It seems like it’s a big thing these days.

I get so disappointed with people because I feel like social media could be an enormously positive thing for the world. And I certainly don’t mean to exclude humor, just I have heard enough fart jokes for one lifetime…

Something that bothers me quite a bit, is a star athlete gets hurt and then the response on places like twitter is close to joy. What kind of bitterness about your own life would make you behave like that?

You’ve just recently released a new Marvin Pontiac album after 17 years. This one is called The Asylum Tapes, and was reportedly made on a four track recorder in a mental institution. Back story aside, what made you want to make an album again?

I have Advanced Lyme, so I was unable to play anything for a long time. Actually because of what was happening to me neurologically, I couldn’t even hear music for the first few years — it was more like fingernails on a blackboard.

As I slowly got better, I was able to play guitar and harmonica again, though playing saxophone would seem to be done for me in this life.

But I am very proud of this album and hope people get a chance to hear it. I made it to cheer people up.

Are people still confused about who Marvin Pontiac is?

I suppose so. He is a character I created to make this music. I suppose that is bad marketing, but fuck it.

Would the album be different if it was a John Lurie album? Do you feel like you can get away with more stuff as Marvin Pontiac? Or maybe what I mean is, is it easier to say some things as Marvin Pontiac?

Yes, absolutely. Marvin gives me a certain freedom. I doubt I would put out a record where I sing about a bear saying, “Smell my sandwich.” But I’m happy that I get a chance to do that.

The lyrics are pretty straight up and direct. Do you sit and stew on songs and ideas for long, or do you just get it out?

Often they just come straight up. Like 'My Bear To Cross' I pretty much just came up with it live in the studio. Some took quite a while. And there are a couple where I never found the right lyrics to finish off a song and put them aside.

Okay, last question… do you think a lot of stuff is too over-thought and over-prepared? Does thinking sometimes get in the way?

Let me think about that.

#John Lurie #Lounge Lizards #New York #Jazz #Interviews

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jaymishradeveloper-blog · 5 years

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Clearly, Life sucks & so do you!

Why the text is (optional) for such an important topic(in reddit), You also suck then :P. But seriously man, life sucks, I want to share my very, very short story with you all my human friends, just about 30-40 pages story not more, hahaa...naah! just a short description of "my life" ("#Shit")...Hope you will find it interesting, but if not, then don't waste your time in reading some other's story...do something that you can show to others as a milestone....(ahh! shit again). Long ago, (6000 years)...... -5978 years, i.e (22 years) [some people out here are more intelligent than me, for them I have to clarify... otherwise they could start spiting in the comment box....making reddit dirty, well I don't give a damn on that by the way, lets focus on the story.] So a cute little guy with chubby cheeks but not dimple chin[that's me], used to live with his family, a lovely mother, a hardworking and best father and 2 cute devil brothers. As a kid I was a dumb but cute person, but as I grow older a law of universal physics start to apply on me i.e the two properties of my childhood matter cuteness and dumbness start to act inversely proportional to each other with respect to time, my dumbness start to increase day by day and cuteness start to decrease as twice as my dumbness,[special case inversely proportional]. I don't remember a single day when I have done something good or a thing that could make me, my family and my friends proud.... I still don't remember even when I am writing, but just opposite to that, I do a new blunder every day, not mistake, mistakes are done by kids brother, I was a legend of dumbness. When something horrible used to happen around us, the back-end developer for that used to be Me! . I still remember a blunder of my childhood, when I was around 6, my father bought a Stabilizer for the refrigerator costing a 100 bucks, his only mistake was when he bought it, that he kept the Stabilizer in the store room to install it in the next morning. As my father is a technician by profession, so I got available with all the "weapons of war" with "machines" in the very early stage of my life, my trademark war weapon was a screwdriver, very dangerous, so that day what happened was, I just completed my very important job "watching Dexter's Lab"[ for smarties out here: Dexter's Lab was a cartoon of late 90's used to be broadcast on cartoon Network], and then I went to my lab "The Store Room" and their I saw that an enemy["Stabilizer"] was resting on my chair, and I lost my tamper, he wants a fight, then he will have the best, I opened that completely every single part on the floor, won the battle, and was happy to win, & tell you what, really believe me on that day, I used to drink the full glass of milk without my mummy's beating. [That's my language, I told you earlier #lifeisashit]. On the very next day, my father saw the dead body of my enemy....... that day two things happen to me 1- My father found the address of my secret Lab 2- I came to know that if you got a beating with the handle of the screwdriver to your bum, that will also change the color to blue. That day I got fired from my own company [my laboratory-> the store room]..... I thought CEO[me] is the main power of the company, but then I found the owner[my dad] is the ultimate power of the company. I lost my job , my weapons were seized for 1 month. That is just a moment of my dumbness, I have a full database of these, real life shits and fails moments,& will tell you some another day. #peace

#life sucks #lifesucks #hardlyworking #lifeisashit #shit #shitty superpowers #reddit #codingforkids #blah blah blah #childhood play #funny news #funny #creative #creation #nomads #uncle sam #funny gun

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fancydancing · 5 years

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The 8½ Laws of Rumor Spread

***Please read this article and think about every rumor you’ve heard about Scott and/or Tessa in the past year. I think it’s very enlightening***

Some rumors grind to a halt, while others circle the world. Why some ideas spread and others die.

By Taylor Clark, published November 1, 2008 - last reviewed on June 9, 2016

If I'm not gullible and you're not gullible, how come some improbable stories take a long time to die?

"The money it's cost me," said clothing designer Tommy Hilfiger. "It hurt my integrity."

"It" was the shocking story that had circulated for years on the Internet and through word of mouth: Hilfiger, known for his colorful, preppy styles, had supposedly appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show to air a disturbing grievance. "If I had known that African-Americans, Hispanics, and Asians would buy my clothes, I would not have made them so nice," Hilfiger complained. "I wish those people would not buy my clothes—they were made for upper-class whites." According to the tale, an outraged Winfrey immediately asked Hilfiger to leave her show—and when she came back from a commercial, he was gone.

Never mind that intentionally alienating your core market isn't exactly a shrewd business strategy. Never mind that Hilfiger had founded a philanthropic fund to benefit inner city youth long before the rumor even appeared, or that he donated over $5 million toward building a memorial to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., in Washington.

Of course, Hilfiger had never said anything of the sort. At the time the rumor surfaced and spread, Hilfiger had never been on The Oprah Winfrey Show. In fact, the two had never met until 2007, when Winfrey did invite him onto the show to try to squelch the rumor once and for all. "The next time somebody sends you an email or somebody mentions this rumor to you, you know what you're supposed say to them?" said Winfrey. "You're supposed to say, 'That's a big fat lie!'"

Nor did the president of Procter & Gamble appear on The Phil Donahue Show to "come out of the closet" about his company's ties to the Church of Satan. Nor did Liz Claiborne tell Oprah that black people shouldn't wear her clothes—which didn't stop director Spike Lee from telling Esquire magazine, "It definitely happened. Get the tape. Every black woman in America needs to go to her closet, throw that shit out, and never buy another stitch of clothes from Liz Claiborne."

Skeptical or gullible, we all buy into rumors sometimes. Even Barbara Mikkelson, who runs the popular myth-debunking Web site Snopes.com with her husband David, admits she's swallowed some whoppers. "A friend told me that when his friend's daughter was off on vacation, she had a whirlwind romance with this charismatic guy," Mikkelson says. "When it was time for her to come home, he gave her a package. Inside was a ceramic coffin with a message on it: 'Welcome to the world of AIDS.' I believed that one hook, line, and sinker."

Rumors have a way of slipping under our mental defenses before we think to question them. The best ones sidestep common sense entirely. "Think of the lawsuits parents filed over subliminal messages in heavy metal songs," says Martin Bourgeois, a rumor researcher at Florida Gulf Coast University. "People believed Judas Priest was planting messages to make teenagers commit suicide; no one thought to ask, 'Why would a rock band want its audience dead?'"

Most of us don't like to think of ourselves as gullible. But we're especially likely to accept as true—and do our best to spread—tales that have several specific characteristics that take aim at our best defenses.

At its core, a rumor is just an unverified scrap of information we pass among ourselves to make sense of the world. In one case study conducted at Ohio University by psychologist Mark Pezzo, students had heard that someone on campus had died of meningitis. The story spread because the anxious students were trying to find out what was going on: "Is the rumor true?" "How do you get meningitis?" "I heard that everyone on campus will need to have a painful spinal tap, did you hear that?" In the marketplace of misinformation, fit rumors survive and spread like epidemics, while unfit rumors die quick deaths. So what separates the fit from the unfit? What, in short, are the laws of effective rumors?

1: Successful rumors needle our anxieties and emotions.

When Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans in 2005, water wasn't the only thing that flooded the city. In the environment of intense anxiety and uncertainty, grim rumors flourished: Sharks have infested the water! Terrorists planted bombs in the levees! Murdered babies and piles of corpses filled the Superdome!

Unfortunately, the national media reported many of the rumors as fact—especially after a misinformed Mayor Ray Nagin told talk show hosts like Oprah Winfrey that "hundreds of armed gang members" were killing and raping at will inside the dome. Yet once the crisis began to abate, investigators found that almost all of the widely circulated stories were false. FEMA doctors even showed up at the Superdome with a refrigerated 18-wheeler to cart away the hundreds of dead bodies rumored. They found six—none of them a homicide victim.

So why did these stories pop up? Fear breeds rumor. The more collective anxiety a group has, the more inclined it will be to start up the rumor mill. As Rochester Institute of Technology rumor expert Nicholas DiFonzo explains, we pass rumors around primarily as a means of deciphering scary, uncertain situations: Exchanging information, even if it's ludicrously false, relieves our unease by giving us a sense that we at least know what's happening. "One major function of rumors is to figure out the facts and find what the appropriate, adaptive thing to do is. Look at 9/11. I don't ever remember feeling so threatened as I did after 9/11, and people used rumors to try to manage the threat."

Thus when 9/11 left people terrified and searching for answers, they heard a horde of alarming (and completely false) rumors—that terrorists had injected anthrax into one of every five cans of Pepsi, that no Jews showed up to work at the World Trade Center on 9/11 because they knew about the attacks beforehand. (In fact, about 15 percent of those who died in the attacks were Jewish.)

Very few of the tales were positive, because we're naturally more inclined to pass on negative information. "As humans, we have a tendency to weight negative information more," says Helen Harton, a psychology professor at the University of Northern Iowa. "It makes evolutionary sense. It's more important to know how to avoid a tiger than to know where a field of nice flowers is."

Of course, most of us don't have to worry about tiger attacks anymore, but we do dread things like layoffs at work. So we toss rumors back and forth to figure out what's really up.

2: Rumors stick if they're somewhat surprising but still fit with our existing biases.

If you ever open endlessly forwarded e-mails, you're probably familiar with at least one notorious malapropism from President George W. Bush: "The problem with the French is that they don't have a word for 'entrepreneur.'" Or this embarrassing gem from the pop starlet Mariah Carey: "When I watch TV and see those poor starving kids all over the world, I can't help but cry. I mean, I'd love to be skinny like that, but not with all those flies and death and stuff." Can you believe they actually said these things?

Well, don't. Both quips were made up by pranksters. Even so, they enjoyed viral spread for the simple reason that both are juicy enough to be shocking—yet not so far-fetched that we doubt the two parties could have uttered them. They confirm what many already believe—that Bush is, let's say, not quite firing on all cylinders, and that Carey is a vain diva—without setting off too many common-sense alarms.

In short, we're primed to accept them. As Mikkelson explains, "These stories get in under our radar because they click in with what we already believe, or want to believe." If you already think liberals are waging a war on religion, you'll be more likely to buy 2008's (untrue) rumor that the new dollar coins omit the customary "In God We Trust." (It's printed along the side.) If you buy the idea that too much money unhinges people from reality, you might believe the story that Tiger Woods rented a mansion for the 2007 U.S. Open, moved everything out, and flew in all of his own furniture so he would feel at home during the four-day tournament.

Even when presented with evidence refuting a rumor, we often stick to our biases. A 2007 University of Maryland study found that only 3 percent of Pakistanis believe Al Qaeda was responsible for 9/11. "It's difficult for them to accept that Al Qaeda, their fellow Muslims, could have perpetrated these acts," says DiFonzo.

3: Easily swayed people are more important than influential people in passing on a rumor.

In the mid-1970s, the Life Savers Company introduced a product that revolutionized the way kids chewed gum: Bubble Yum. Before it came along, you had to work on a piece of gum for ages to make it soft enough to blow bubbles. But Bubble Yum was squishy right out of the wrapper. It was the perfect gum… maybe a little too perfect, kids thought. What was making it so soft? Soon, the obvious answer presented itself: spider eggs. Bubble Yum was made with spider eggs.

This bit of schoolyard conjecture became ironclad truth with staggering speed, sending Bubble Yum's sky-high sales into a tailspin. Within 10 days of first getting wind of the rumor, Life Savers executives commissioned surveys that revealed "well over half" of New York area children had already heard it.

The spider egg story didn't zoom from kid to kid so quickly because of well-connected playground information magnates or influential adolescent gum mavens, but because kids are credulous, and credulous people make rumors go. "It's your willingness to pass things along that matters, not necessarily how much status or respect you have," says Duncan Watts, a sociologist who researches information spread for Yahoo. Kids will believe almost anything (another long-lived schoolyard rumor claimed the "Mikey likes it" Life cereal kid died after a mixture of soda and Pop Rocks made his stomach explode), and thus rumors run rampant in schools. But the same is true of gullible adults: They're the ones who really fuel rumors.

4: The more you hear a rumor, the more you'll buy it—even if you're hearing that it's false.

According to a poll, 11 percent of Americans believe the rumor that Barack Obama is secretly a radical Muslim who refuses to say the Pledge of Allegiance and was sworn into the Senate on the Qur'an (and probably hates mom and apple pie as well). The myth that he is a Muslim is so pervasive that The New Yorker could satirize it on a cover depicting a cheery new prez Obama hanging out in the White House in full Islamic garb—with an American flag burning in the fireplace and a portrait of Osama bin Laden on the wall.

But if the hyper-liberal New Yorker was trying to expose the absurdity of the rumor, someone probably should have talked to Mark Pezzo first. Even hearing that a rumor is bunk, he observes, tends to plant it deeper in your mind. "No question, the more you hear something—even the same thing from the same person—the more you believe it," says Pezzo. "Politicians know all about this; the more I heard about weapons of mass destruction, the more believable they seemed to me. Even a denial can be a repetition of a rumor." (Just ask Senator John Kerry, whose 2004 presidential bid sunk thanks to whispers about his swift-boat service in Vietnam—even though most of the media stories were about how the rumors were false.)

What's more, repeating a rumor can also make people believe it came from a credible source. In one Stanford study, the more subjects heard a rumor about dried rat urine on Pepsi cans, the more likely they were to attribute the information to ConsumerReports rather than to The National Enquirer.

5: Rumors reflect the zeitgeist.

Every fall, right around mid-September, Barbara Mikkelson starts receiving urgent reports of a grisly new trend in gang initiations. Prospective gang members are driving around in the evening with their headlights intentionally turned off, the story says, and when a well-intentioned motorist flashes his brights at them, the would-be gang member has to follow the car home and kill everyone inside. SO NEVER FLASH YOUR LIGHTS THIS IS FOR YOUR OWN GOOD PLEASE FORWARD THIS TO EVERYONE YOU LOVE!

It's always in mid-September that the rumor resurfaces. "That's when you first have to start thinking about putting your headlights on when you're coming home from work," she explains. "Headlights are on people's minds. That's why you never hear it in the dead of winter or the height of summer."

Rumors have the greatest chance of multiplying when the topic is something people are already pondering. As University of British Columbia psychologist Mark Schaller points out, "What matters is a match between the nature of the information and the goals of the people who are trafficking that information." So what's on our minds lately?

The election of 2008, and the thousand plausible and implausible tales swirling around the candidates. Among the best ones: As a Navy pilot, John McCain executed a "wet start" (a maneuver that involves flooding your fighter plane's engine with fuel so that starting up unleashes a huge and macho burst of flame) so reckless that he actually set an aircraft carrier on fire. Then there's the one about how Barack Obama has been endorsed by the Ku Klux Klan—they're tricky, those Klansmen.

6: Sticky rumors are simple and concrete.

Examine your stockpile of offbeat conventional wisdom: It takes seven years for swallowed gum to pass through the body. We only use 10 percent of our brains. The Great Wall of China can be seen from space. People swallow eight spiders a year in their sleep.

These tidbits are all simple and specific, with a vivid detail that sticks in the mind. They're also false. But they illustrate the point that tangible, easily graspable tales have an excellent chance of catching on. "Complicated ideas are not that spreadable," says Duncan Watts. "Ideas with content, when they do spread, lose their content." Rumors work just like a game of telephone; after they've been transmitted a few times, the details get lost and the message grows simpler.

According to Mikkelson, the spider-swallowing rumor got its start when a columnist for PC Professional wrote a story bemoaning our tendency to believe every harebrained factoid in mass e-mails; the writer made up the statistic as an example of the kind of ludicrous thing credulous people will, um, swallow. In time, the fact that it was a joke got lost in transmission, and now millions live in fear of sleepingwith their mouth open.

The principle of concreteness also helps spread urban legends (which are rumors presented in story form, usually as something that happened to a friend's ex-girlfriend's mechanic's second cousin). Ever heard the tale of the guy who accepts a drink from a stranger at a bar, then wakes up in a tub full of ice, one kidney poorer? How about the one where the woman tries to dry out her wet lap dog by putting it in the microwave? Chances are, you remembered those tall tales because a visceral image—fingering your stitches in an ice-filled tub, watching a live dog sizzle in a microwave—got lodged in your mind.

"Urban legends survive only if they conjure up very visual or very tactile images," says Chip Heath, a Stanford business professor who studies idea spread. "Our brains are wired to remember concrete, sensory things better than abstract things." For example, if researchers give people lists of words to memorize and then recall later, the tangible ones ("apple," "pencil") will spring to mind more often than the conceptual ones ("truth," "justice").

7: Rumors that last are difficult to disprove.

Ever wonder why even the craziest legends and conspiracy theories never seem to die? Why do people still believe there's a giant prehistoric reptile prowling Loch Ness, even though innumerable hours of investigation have produced zero proof of such a creature? Well, it's a pretty big lake: How can we be sure she's not in there? It's tough to disprove the idea definitively.

As DiFonzo explains, a rumor like "On Thursday's Late Show, David Letterman's hairpiece fell off!" doesn't work, because people can check it out and easily find evidence it didn't happen. But a rumor like "I heard David Letterman's hairpiece fell off during a show, but they destroyed all the tapes!"—that's more like it.

Persistent rumors tend to have what Chip Heath calls a "testable credential," some element that can be misconstrued to give the story a whiff of credibility. "Rumors very often have a little truth test that people can run," he explains. "There was a rumor in the San Francisco Bay Area in the '90s that Snapple supports the KKK. You turned the label around, and you saw a capital letter K with a circle around it. People were doing that test, and then all of a sudden this seemingly preposterous rumor becomes more plausible." (For the record, Snapple bottles do bear the K—the symbol for "kosher"—as do thousands of other drinks and food products.)

8: We are eager to believe bad things about people we envy.

Is there anyone in America who hasn't heard about Richard Gere and the gerbil? The story goes something like this. Gere checked himself into Cedars-Sinai Hospital in California complaining of intestinal pain and rectal bleeding. When doctors investigated, they found Gere's beloved pet gerbil Tibet, shaved, declawed, and dead, lodged in Gere's rectum—the result of "gerbilling," a sexual practice common among gay men. So doctors performed an emergency gerbilectomy on Gere. The gerbil was removed—but the story stuck.

Needless to say, none of this ever happened. Gere was never admitted to the hospital for rectal bleeding, and "gerbilling" is not a sexual practice at all, among gay men or anyone else. Gerbils aren't even legal in California (for agricultural reasons, not sexual ones). Like most rumors about celebrities, its origin is unknown, but we do know the rumor hit a tipping point in the 1980s after a hoaxster, claiming to be from the ASPCA, flooded Hollywood fax machines with a bogus press alert about Gere's putative "gerbil abuse."

Celebrities are easy targets for sordid tales. An almost equally widespread rumor is the one about the lead singer of New Kids on the Block being rushed to the emergency room, where doctors pumped his stomach and removed more than a gallon of semen he'd swallowed during an orgy of oral sex. The details vary: Sometimes the quantity of ejaculate is reported as one gallon, sometimes 10. Sometimes the substance removed is human semen; other times it's dog semen. The rumor has variously featured Rod Stewart, Elton John, David Bowie, Marc Almond, Mick Jagger, Andy Warhol, Jeff Beck, Jon Bon Jovi, Alanis Morrissette, Li'l Kim, Foxy Brown, Britney Spears, and Fiona Apple. But the basic story stays the same.

Once someone hits a certain level of celebrity and adulation, it seems, the mill starts to churn automatically—and the more beautiful and successful the star, the more depraved the rumors. Jamie Lee Curtis is a hermaphrodite. Cher (or Janet Jackson) had a rib removed so she'd look skinnier. Catherine the Great died trying to make love to a horse.

What is it about celebrity rumors that makes them spread so widely and stick so hard? Part of it is good old-fashioned schadenfreude. "People pass along rumors that they, on some level, tend to agree with, if there's something in the story that they identify with, that they want to be true," says Mikkelson. "We envy celebrities, and it's just human nature to pull down what has been raised so high."

Richard Gere is so annoyingly handsome that we want to believe he's really a sicko or otherwise flawed. Girls were so taken by the New Kids on the Block that men longed to believe they were actually secret gay dog fellators.

The easiest way to tarnish the reputation of a male heartthrob is to undermine his masculinity and suggest he's not interested in women at all—but rather, men, gerbils, or dogs. Which is why gay rumors have plagued so many handsome Hollywood leading men, from Tom Cruise to Johnny Depp to Orlando Bloom. "Saying that so-and-so good-looking male actor is gay is seen as pulling him down a peg or two," explains Mikkelson. "It's like, well, he may be attractive to women, but he's not attracted to women—so there!"

The Ninth Law

We might also postulate a final law of rumor survival: Sometimes, there is no "why." Often, we tell remarkable tales to build relationships or show off our yarn-spinning prowess—not necessarily because we think they're true.

And hey, sometimes they are true. Research by DiFonzo and Prashant Bordia, of the University of South Australia, has found that in groups with an established hierarchy—like large offices—the scuttlebutt you hear about company affairs is around 95 percent accurate.

"Every Halloween, you hear the rumors about people putting razors in apples and giving them to trick-or-treaters," DiFonzo says. "Actually, my own family had an experience where my wife found a sewing needle embedded in a piece of our kids' Halloween candy. I know, it sounds crazy—the rumor expert believes a rumor. Don't tell anyone."

The 8 1/2 Laws of Rumors Spread

#virtuemoir #food for thought #don't believe everything you hear #rumors

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thewineauctionroom · 4 years

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New Post has been published on https://wineauctionroom.com/a-series-selling-wine-in-new-zealand-part-1/

A series: Selling wine in New Zealand – Part 1

Featured on WineFolio.com. A series of interviews and articles with a theme of buying and selling wine here in NZ. Part 1: The Auctioneer. Interview: Reece Warren, The Wine Auction Room

An obvious first question – how do you end up in a business auctioning wine? I’ve been around wine for all my life – I consider myself very lucky. My parents owned restaurants and nightclubs when I was growing up, so I guess I was exposed to wine at a very early age. But in was the ‘70s and wine in New Zealand wasn’t that flash. I have worked for a number of companies throughout New Zealand, and I’ve done a number of different things in the wine industry; from driving a truck for Negociants – that was my “in”.

I’ve grown grapes – in Waitaki, but no longer have the vineyard, which is, I suppose, a blessing. Apparently I have the reputation of being the only person to make money out of growing grapes in the Waitaki – because I sold at the right time! Glad I’ve done it, but I’ve moved on.

I’ve been in the auction thing for a few years now. I was the Head of Dept at Webb’s; and then Webbs became Mossgreen Webb’s; I also ran the wine department for Mossgreen in Australia.

Unfortunately Mossgreen went bust, and when the receivers came in the Heads of Dept were the first to go… but I loved what I had been doing, so my wife and I thought “why don’t we do this ourselves?”

So we have my wife and I, and one full-time employee. We streamlined everything we were doing at Webb’s, and made it a one-man business for the first two years. And now we have my ex-colleague Steve on board as well, and we work really well together.

One of the reasons I wanted to get into the auction game years ago was whilst sitting my WSET Diploma, there was myself, an Australian guy and another girl from New Zealand; and we would go to auctions they had at Christie’s and Sotheby’s. It used to cost about £15 to get the catalogue and then go to the odd tasting. And for us, broke students in London – we’d go there to taste as much wine as we could and to learn about it – take the opportunity to try as many things as possible.

How does the auction work – there are people investing in wine, I know; but do you get a bit of “oh, we found all this wine in Gran’s cupboard, is it worth anything”? There is a bit of that. We turn down a lot of stuff as well. And it’s one thing we’re very conscious of. One of the things about doing this – and we say it in our material – is that ‘we love wine too!’ We want to make it as easy as possible to buy good wine, from whether it’s an online auction or a live auction – because we are our customers. We buy wine for ourselves as well.

Do people have an idea of what they want for it, or is that your expertise that comes into play there? It’s a bit of both. A lot of people have no idea. There are some great stories.

I had a woman a while ago who called and asked “do you auction single bottles of wine?” And I say ‘yes, but it depends on what they are and how they’ve been stored – first tell me ‘how has it been stored’?’ She said she’d had a case of wine, got one bottle left, and it’s been sitting in a clay tubes, in a stone garage, in Christchurch. So I said ‘not perfect, however, better than some of the things I look at – what’s the wine?’ She said “Rousseau” so my ears prick up! ‘anything else on the label?’ She said “Chambertin”. So I said ‘OK, does it have 1-er Cru written on the label’ She said “No, it’s got Grand Cru”. I said ‘Can you send me a photo of the bottle – the label and the bottle standing up’ (as I want to see the ullage). When I saw the image, the wine looked in fantastic nick, and I said to her ‘you’ve got quite a bottle of wine there’ She said, “I’ve got one bottle left and I was going to drink it with my daughter, but then she thought it might be quite expensive.” I said, ‘well, yes it is – conservatively I’d put an estimate of $1600 on that, and look to achieve between that and 2500 dollars – and she almost fell over’

I can’t check every cellar that we get wine from.. however there’s a lot of questions you can ask people to find out if they know what they’re talking about. We do turn down a lot. We have a thing that we say in the auctions – ‘Buying old wine is not for everyone’. You can get some great highs, and we do everything we can to make sure that the provenance of the wine is good, that it’s been stored in the correct way

There must be some wines though, where you take them, and you must wonder, rather than know, if they’re going to be OK? I don’t suppose you can offer a guarantee, can you? No, we can’t. We do price things accordingly. People who come to our auctions aren’t following ME – they are following the wines I put on offer. Hopefully the other things we offer – like provenance, like weeding wines outstands us above our competitors. Whilst this is a business by wine lovers for wine lovers, it is a business; there’s only going to be one time where you try to pull the wool over someone’s eyes – they won’t come back and they’ll tell other people.

The majority of what we sell is Reds. There are wines that are followed by a lot of people – for quite a while the 2013 Coleraine, it was getting really big money – now, we’re just getting reserve on it. We’ve had ’98 Coleraine going for $300 a bottle, and I remember I bought a case from Webb’s many many years ago, and I think I would have paid $40 a bottle.

Wines with residual sugar are not popular at the moment – your Ports, Sauternes and so on, but we do a bit of champagne. Dom Perignon is by far the biggest prestige champagne that we sell. We do Krug, Cristal – we had Salon – got passed in – they set their own reserve, higher than I would have set. There are some people who want to set their own reserves. But one of the things that people fail to remember is that with the internet, you can find whatever you want; and with six bottles or less coming into the country – there’s no duty.

If someone brought you a sealed wooden box, do you open it? Interesting you should ask that, because that’s something I never used to do. However, I’ve recently been on a preliminary course in Hong Kong with Margaret Downey from Winefraud.com, and she was a big person in the case of Rudy Kurniawan. I’ve now enrolled to do the full course with them, so I will be an ‘official wine authenticator’ and that ties in very well with our business. We have a bit of that in New Zealand, but there’s a lot of guys who’ve never come forward. They have been caught out and don’t want the publicity.

Is there a wine you’d love to get hold of – that you think ‘one day I’ll find one of those’? Chateau Y’quem. I’ve got a few vintages in the cellar. The ’67 is apparently spectacular – never tried a ’67. The ’76 – that great year all through Europe.

Or Burgundy. I love Burgundy. It’s such a minefield for most people.

One of my first wine jobs here in New Zealand, was with Negociants. With Robert Hall-Smith, the owner, we were at a restaurant in the Adelaide Hills around 1988, and he pulled out a ’62 Ducru Beaucaillou. That for me, was one of the reasons I wanted to get into wine – to have those moments in life where you taste something and it’s like nothing you’ve ever had before.. Just, wow.

Being a New Zealand auction house, do get more interest in New Zealand wine? Beyond your obvious ones like Dry River, Felton Road, Coleraine? People come along to an auction looking for a bargain. In the last auction we had, I paid $30 a bottle for them – some Fromm Pinot Noir 2000. Things like that – the wines you don’t expect, that will surprise you. Like, recently, a few bottles of Muddy Water 2000 Pinot – just, wow. Those are the things.

Plans for the future? We are planning to extend our business, authenticating wine will be a part of it, but also we are in the process of building temperature and humidity-controlled cellars for storage. We believe we will have the best – 100% redundancy – so we have two refrigeration machines working alternately, so people can store wines in the correct conditions.

And investments? When you see an old box of Grange – untouched.. someone has bought that as an investment surely? Bordeaux is very good. Have a look at the price of Grange as it is on release now – at $1000 a bottle. And we get between $400-650 a bottle, excluding fees. Penfolds have done a great job of convincing people that Grange is a great investment wine. The people who are doing best out of Grange, in my mind, are Penfolds. Unless you’ve had something for an incredibly long time, you’re not going to make money on it. You make your money when you buy. If you haven’t bought well, or you’ve bought off the shelf – it will be a long time before you recover that money. My own wine cellar is an investment in a good time! It’s there to enjoy.

It’s been a very male-orientated industry, but we’re getting a lot more girls buying now than previously. And a larger number working in the New Zealand wine industry – a lot of female winemakers. But a lot of wine we get consigned are from guys in their 60s and 70s with these huge cellars of thousands of bottles, that they realize they’re never going to drink.

In New Zealand we very much put wine on a pedestal. Wine is an everyday thing in a lot of people’s lives. So people go ‘wine’s expensive, it’s a rich man’s game’. There are a lot of expensive wines out there, but a lot that aren’t – that people can consume on an everyday basis. Trends I see is people drinking less, but drinking better.

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allenmendezsr · 4 years

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Ultimate Tax Reduction Guide.

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“I’ll save over $6,000 from this one loophole…”

“Thank you for the great tax-saving strategies you’ve helped me to use in my business. Just one simple suggestion saved me $2,295 in taxes my first year. I never would have thought of this strategy on my own. I’ve been able to utilize this same technique year after year — and this year I’ll save over $6,000 from this one loophole.”

— Gary Ritter, Mid-West Mortgage Corp.

Dear Small Business Owner or Self-Employed Person:

The tax burden of the Sole Proprietor is staggering.

According to conservative estimates, small business owners and the self-employed are overpaying their taxes by $160 billion every year.

A statistic like that can mean only one thing to you:

You overpaid your taxes, too!

My name is Wayne M. Davies, author of The Tax Reduction Toolkit. I’ve been helping small business owners and self-employed people pay less tax for the past 15 years, and I’m here to tell you that you are entitled to your share of that $160 billion pot of taxpayer gold.

Everybody knows that the wealthy have been using fancy tax-reduction schemes for decades. With enough high-paid tax attorneys, any “fat cat” can get away with paying no tax at all.

But what about the average, middle-class small business owner? What about the self-employed person who is just starting out and who doesn’t have an extra 5 or 10 grand to spend on complicated tax-avoidance strategies and exorbitant tax consulting fees?

So, what can you do to reduce your taxes, without spending an arm and a leg?

And what can you do to protect yourself from the onslaught of frivolous, time-consuming and potentially business-ending lawsuits that clutter our court systems today?

The answer is simple: Incorporate your business for free.

Perhaps you’ve heard that advice before. And perhaps you’ve thought, “Yeah, I should look into that.” But you’ve stopped short. You’ve hesitated. You didn’t follow through, for any number of reasons.

Maybe you thought it would cost too much to incorporate: lawyer fees, filing fees, and the like.

Maybe you thought it would be too time-consuming, too much hassle, too much paperwork: forms, forms and more forms!

And now you’re back where you started, wondering (again), “Is it worth it? Are the advantages of incorporating really worth it?”

Or maybe you have incorporated your small business but are wondering, “Did I make the right choice of entity?” (In case you didn’t know, there are 3 (yup, three) different types of corporations, and each one is taxed very differently!)

So even if you already formed a corporation, how do you know you picked the one that enables you to pay the least amount of tax?

Perhaps this story will help you decide.

* * * * *

A Tale of Two Small Business Owners: Why Some Self-Employed People Pay Thousands Less In Taxes Than Others

As Tom pulled into his driveway, he was annoyed at himself.

He found himself doing it again, and he didn’t like it.

Yet, he seemed compelled to do it anyway. It’s just that if anyone knew what he was doing, he would really be embarrassed. After all, who looks at his neighbor’s garbage all the time?

Tom reached up to his visor, and pushed the square button on the garage door opener. He was lost in thought as the garage door slowly moved up. He pulled the car in and had to navigate to get the car in without hitting his wife’s car or the bikes that were sloppily thrown in.

He pushed the door opener again as he climbed out of the car, and couldn’t help but glance out toward the neighbor’s house. The last thing he saw as the door moved toward the concrete floor, was the pile of trash.

He opened the door to the house, and was greeted by Becky. She was just getting home herself. She still had her raincoat on, as she was leafing through the mail.

“Hi, Babe,” said Tom as he kissed her on the cheek. He took his coat off and as he was throwing it on the back of the barstool he asked, “You know, I’m embarrassed to ask this, but have you ever noticed the Jacobson’s garbage?”

Becky had a silly look on her face. She replied, “Well, actually, uh, now that you mention it, yeah, I have. Are you talking about all the boxes from all the new stuff they buy?”

“Yes. I hate to even admit this, but I can’t help noticing they seem to always have new appliances, or furniture, or whatever, for themselves and the kids. I don’t want to sound nosy or anything, but I know Richard’s business makes about the same as mine. You notice they also go on vacations a lot, and they sent Conner to Northwestern University? How do they do it?”, Tom mused.

Becky was wondering the same thing. Actually, she was curious why so many of their Business Owner friends lived so differently. Some better, some worse. And even though she knows there are some unusual circumstances, it just doesn’t add up. How do Business Owners like the Jacobson’s do so much better?

“He must make a lot more than we think,” Tom rationalized, as he headed for the refrigerator.

******

No, Tom. It turns out that Richard Jacobson doesn’t make more money than you do. In fact, Richard and Tom, these two typical Small Business Owners, own very similar businesses that bring in about the same amount of money every year.

And when you compare the overhead expenses of these two businesses, again, things are pretty much the same.

There is really only one major difference between Richard’s business and Tom’s business. Only one item that accounts for Richard having so much more profit than Tom does every year — and that one area is TAXES!

I’ve seen it time and time again in my 15 year career. I call it “The Tale of Two Small Business Owners.” They have the same amount of money coming in and about the same amount of money going out — except for taxes.

Tom is The Typical Business Owner. He pays his taxes with anger and resentment, not realizing that there is a better way.

Then there’s Richard, who is hardly The Typical Business Owner. He is The Rare Exception. He has learned how to squeeze more juice out of his financial orange, so to speak.

He has discovered that there are little known techniques to make the money we all work so hard for, go farther than it normally does.

A lot farther!

You see, about 6 years ago, Richard incorporated his business. And about 6 years ago, Tom thought about forming a corporation, but decided it was too much hassle. So Tom has continued to operate his business as a Sole Proprietorship, while Richard operates his business as a corporation.

And that has made all the difference. Tens of thousands of dollars of difference.

******

You see, the education we all get as American Business Owners is sorely lacking in one area. Yet, it is an area that, next to our health, is really at the top of the list of importance.

Sure. We’re talking about your money. And how to make sure you get to keep as much of it as is legally possible. We’re talking about TAXES — and how to beat the Tax Man at his own game!

When you think about it, when in high school, or college, or even graduate school, did we learn how to legally reduce the amount of taxes we pay to the government?

Which course prepared us for dealing with business taxes?

I can’t remember any useful information about this even being discussed. Can you?

But you can go to the library now and find a whole shelf full of books on small business tax reduction strategies. Or just go to “google” or “yahoo” and do some research online — again, you’ll find a boatload of resources.

But where do you start?

There are so many ways to legally reduce your business taxes, where do you begin?

You begin by focusing on the one small business tax reduction strategy that stands head and shoulders above all the rest: Incorporate your small business.

If you are going to implement just one technique to lower your taxes, this is the one you should start with. Forming a corporation can save you more money than every other tax strategy combined. Why do you think so many corporations exist?

That’s why I’ve compiled my complete collection of tax secret ebooks into one giant compilation that will give you every tax break you need to keep more of your money. I call it…

“This guy really knows his stuff…”

“This book is unlike anything I ever seen. It’s written in plain English — no technical or accounting gobbledygook….just excellent information you can use immediately. I believe anyone who operates a business online (or offline) can understand the tax saving methods covered here. I personally talked with Wayne for 30 minutes on the phone and absolutely grilled him about how and why a sole proprietor would need this information. His answers not only gave me some tax-saving ideas I never thought of before, but proved to me that this guy really knows his stuff!”

— Jim Edwards, author, How To Write & Publish Your Own eBook In As Little As 7 Days, www.ebookfire.com

“The Ultimate Guide To Slashing Your Business Taxes”

How To Save Thousands Of Dollars In Taxes By Incorporating Your Business For FREE And Using EVERY IRS Tax Avoidance Secret I Know!

In my new 3-volume set, I’ve included 3 of my most popular products for protecting your business while saving you thousands on taxes each and every year.

Each product is individual, yet as a complete set, you’ve got everything you need to start saving thousands of dollars by utilizing IRS approved tax reduction secrets. I’ll show you how to…

Incorporate your business easily and without spending high fees on consulting

Use your new incorporation status as a huge tax break by showing you every deduction you’re entitled to

And finally, show you the little-known secrets of reducing taxes sharply for any small business owner

Starting with the basics (the good stuff every small business owner can use to drastically reduce their tax payments), you get my first ebook kit…

Volume # 1: The Tax Reduction Toolkit 29 Little-Known Legal Loopholes That Will Reduce Your Taxes By Thousands! (For Small Business Owners & Self-Employed People Only!)

Aren’t you just fed up with the outrageous amount of tax you have to fork over to the IRS? (not to mention your state and local government!) Income taxes, payroll taxes, sales taxes, real estate taxes, personal property taxes, excise taxes, estate taxes, gift taxes — when will it ever end?

What do you think? The never-ending list of taxes is just that!!! IT’S A NEVER-ENDING LIST!!! IT WILL NEVER END — the IRS has been given the license to legally “steal” your money year after year.

Sure, there are some good things that our tax dollars are used for — things like our public education system, national defense, keeping our streets safe at night, etc.

But don’t you think the IRS has gone a little too far? I sure do. And the only way I know to “beat the system” — legally — is to take advantage of the many “legal loopholes” that are there for you to use. You just have to know what those loopholes are and how to use them.

You work hard for you money. Why just sit there and let the IRS take it away? It’s time for you to do something about the IRS’s “legalized theft.”

In fact, it doesn’t really take much information to save a lot of money in taxes. It is true: Just A Little Bit Of Tax Knowledge Can Save You Thousands Of Dollars Every Year!

But you are trying to run a business. You’re not supposed to know everything about taxes and dealing with the IRS. As a smart business owner, you need to find someone to be “on your side” who does know about taxes and who can help you when dealing with the IRS.

The tax laws can be incredibly complicated to understand, especially for the Small Business Owner like yourself. How can you be expected to run your business AND keep up with all the tax rules and regulations? That’s just not possible. If you are not a full-time Tax Professional, you’ll run yourself ragged trying to become a “tax expert”.

That’s why over the years I’ve discovered many tax-saving strategies that will reduce your tax bill each and every year. These “strategies” are not difficult to understand, nor are they hard to implement.

These tax-slashing techniques are not exclusively reserved for the “rich and famous” who can afford expensive tax lawyers to “finagle” complicated tax-avoidance schemes.

No, I’m not talking about anything illegal or even the least bit “shady.” I’m taking about simple methods that are well within reach of the “average middle-class” Small Business Owner. In fact, many of these strategies are available to all taxpayers regardless of how much money you make.

And I’ve helped literally dozens of “real live” Small Business Owners to successfully use these strategies.

Take my client Gary, for example . . . Listen to what Gary has to say about how much money he has saved just in the past three years.

“I’ll save over $6,000 from this one loophole…”

— Gary Ritter, Mid-West Mortgage Corp.

How would you like to save over $6,000 dollars this year from one simple strategy? And as Gary continues to use this strategy year after year, he will continue to save $6,000 each and every year. That’s over $30,000 in 5 years; $60,000 in 10 years!!!

What could you do with an extra $6,000 in your pocket? Pay off some debts? Expand your business? Purchase some much needed equipment? Or just give yourself a “raise” and take a vacation with your family?

Here’s another example of the way my strategies have helped a local Small Business Owner:

“Wayne saved us $3,700 this year with two simple suggestions…”

“Over the past year, Wayne has found and made recommendations that have resulted in some very real tax savings. I take pride in understanding many accounting principles and a healthy measure of tax law. However, Wayne saved us $3,700 this year with two simple suggestions. I wasn’t aware of one of them; the other I didn’t think of, and I wouldn’t have until too late. I don’t recall our previous accountant coming up with anything, in almost three years.”

— Dennis J. Malott, Adaptive Design & Development Corporation

And here’s one more:

“You showed me how to save $2,000 in taxes on just one tax strategy alone…”

“I just wanted to drop a quick note of thanks for all of your help to minimize taxes. In such a complicated tax world, you showed me how to save $2,000 in taxes on just one tax strategy alone. No other tax professional has taken the time to show these tax saving opportunities for my company. It’s nice to know that I can run my business and not have to worry about the “tax” side of my business. I look forward to learning more strategies for tax savings in the future. Keep up the great job!”

— Ron Schmucker, Advantage Insurance Services Corp

This is my easy-to-understand explanation of the 29 best tax-saving strategies I know. These are the same strategies that my clients (like Gary, Dennis and Ron) have used to save $2,000 or $2,295 or $3,700 or even $6,000 EACH AND EVERY YEAR!!!

In this eBook I give to you the best ways I know to legally reduce your taxes. Nothing complicated. Nothing “shady”. Nothing that will confuse you or keep you up at night worrying.

MOST SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS ARE NOT USING EVEN A SMALL FRACTION OF ALL THE “LOOPHOLES” OUT THERE!

In fact, many Small Business Owners don’t even know what the loopholes are!

Once you’ve read through this book , you’ll know more about how to reduce your taxes than 99.9% of all the Small Business Owners in this country!

Here’s just a sample of the tax-saving “secrets” revealed in my book:

What is the EASIEST way for a Business Owner/Self-Employed Person like you to lower your taxes? The answer is so simple it will shock you. Implementing this strategy is easy, and will save you thousands in taxes immediately.

Are you paying yourself the “right way” or the “wrong way”? Business Owners are notorious for mishandling the way they pay themselves. Without even realizing it, you are probably paying too much in taxes simply because of the way you compensate yourself!!! Fix this mistake and your tax bill automatically decreases.

Did you know there is a way to turn non-deductible personal medical expenses into a legitimate business expense? My Toolkit reveals how to do this. Plain and simple, and perfectly legal. You’ve probably been missing out on this deduction for years. Find out how to deduct what most people assume are non-deductible personal medical expenses.

Are you deducting personal travel expenses, like vacations? Did you know you can legally deduct your vacation expenses as a business expense? Find out how and reduce your taxes every year.

How much money are you wasting on your Retirement Plan each year? How much do you spend each year to provide a retirement plan for yourself? Why not offer a plan that is literally free? And I mean FREE!!! No cost at all to either yourself or your employees!

Do you know how to convert TAXABLE income into NON-TAXABLE income? This is probably the most overlooked “tax break” on the books. Few people use it. You can!!

You’ll find the answers to each of these questions in my eBook. And once you open “29 Little-Known Legal Loopholes That Will Reduce Your Taxes By Thousands” you will look at taxes totally different! (And believe me, it will be for the better.)

“Thanks for giving me thousands of dollars…”

Wayne, I thought this stuff would be tricky, hard to follow, or simply something I couldn’t find the time to do. Boy, was I ever wrong! Not only do you explain it in easy to understand terms, but you can make it so darned easy to save big time on my taxes. Thanks to your help, I saved $4,600 and I’m going to be able to take a really nice family vacation this year — all because of your materials, all from the money I normally would have paid on taxes. Thanks for giving me thousands of dollars!”

–Grady Smith, www.cheap-copy.com

And if my 29 Little-Known Legal Loopholes weren’t enough by itself, take a look at all the free bonuses you get along with it:

FREE BONUS #1: The 9 Biggest Mistakes Taxpayers Make And How To Avoid Them ($45 Value)

This is another incredibly valuable source of tax-saving strategies.

Our tax laws are so complicated, it’s no wonder that there’s so much bad tax advice out there. Go to your local bookstore or public library and look at the shelves filled with books on taxes. So a friend of a friend gets reads one of these books and thinks he’s an expert on the subject! So he tells your neighbor about something he read, and by the time this “tax tidbit” gets to you, who knows whether it’s right or wrong.

The end result . . . MANY TAXPAYERS, INCLUDING SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS, END UP MAKING CRITICAL, COSTLY MISTAKES WHEN IT COMES TO TAXES.

THE 9 BIGGEST MISTAKES TAXPAYERS MAKE will help you to avoid these mistakes that are probably costing you money every year!

FREE BONUS #2: HOW TO AUDIT-PROOF YOUR INCOME TAX RETURN FOREVER! ($45 VALUE)

This special report will tell you exactly what you need to know so that you’ll never worry about getting audited again! I mean, talk about “Peace Of Mind” — that’s what you’ll have after going through my step-by-step audit-proof system. You’ll know exactly what to do (and what NOT to do) to keep the IRS off your back and out of your life forever! FREE BONUS #3: FOUR (4) INCOME TAX RETURN CRITIQUE CERTIFICATES ($300 Value)

I don’t want to leave you “hanging out to dry” when it comes to knowing how to implement every tax-saving strategy you are entitled to use. I want to show you exactly how to implement as many of the “Legal Loopholes” as possible.

So these Income Tax Return Critique Certificates allow you to send me any 4 recent income tax returns, which I will analyze with my “fine-tooth (tax-savings) comb”. I will then send you a written evaluation of each return, detailing any changes that can be made to these returns that will reduce your taxes.

Example: You send me your business tax return and your personal tax return for Years 2004 and 2005.

IMPORTANT NOTE: In case you didn’t know it, you have up to 3 years to make changes to your income tax returns after they’ve been filed. So if I discover a tax-saving strategy that was overlooked on your return, you can file an amended return which implements the tax-saving strategy I recommend, and you’ll get a refund!

These four Income Tax Return Critique Certificates are yours FREE, providing you invest in the Toolkit now. FREE BONUS #4: ONE (1) PRIVATE TELEPHONE CONSULTATION ($145 VALUE)

This is yet another way that I demonstrate my commitment to you and your business. Once you get my “29 Legal Loopholes”, “9 Biggest Mistakes” and “Audit-Proof” manuals, you’ll have so much tax-slashing information that you may be overwhelmed. You will read through all my material and have questions about how to implement these tax-saving strategies in your particular situation. So this Telephone Consultation Certificate entitles you to “pick my brain” for up to one hour on the phone.

Of course, the phone call will be personal, private and confidential. Clients routinely tell me that this consultation alone has been worth far, far more than their entire Tax Reduction Toolkit investment. Many say the consult gets them clearly focused on what to do first, second, and third, to see fast results in using all these Legal Loopholes. Questions are answered. Doubts removed. Actions agreed on.

WARNING: A WORD OF CAUTION ABOUT MY CONSULTING–

I only tell it like it is. I shoot straight from the hip. I may give you answers you’d rather not hear. I won’t sugarcoat. But you can count on this — you will get truthful, tested, proven advice from someone specializing in the tax business. You will get “real world answers” to your particular situation.

FREE BONUS #5: THE COMPLETE FINANCIAL CHECK-UP SYSTEM ($45 VALUE)

This financial planning workbook covers just about every aspect of “money stuff” you can imagine: Retirement Planning, College Funding, Insurance, Debt-Reduction, Long-Term Care, Personal & Family Budgeting, and more.

You can use The Complete Financial Check-Up System to finally get your finances in order, once and for all. You can go through the workbook at your own pace, one area at a time, or your can concentrate on just the areas that concern you the most. Either way, you’ll be able to thoroughly analyze every aspect of your financial life and know what changes are needed to make things better.

This $45 Complete Financial Check-Up System is yours FREE, just for investing in the Tax Reduction Toolkit now.

FREE BONUS #6: THE SCIENCE OF GETTING RICH ($35 VALUE)

This forgotten classic (first published in 1910) contains the timeless wisdom of an incredibly practical prosperity program. Written by an odd-looking man with a funny name, this book presents a simply amazing wealth-building system that still works today.

The premise is simple yet profound:

The ownership of money and property comes as a result of doing things in a certain way. Those who do things in this certain way, whether on purpose or accidentally, get rich. Those who do not do things in this certain way, no matter how hard they work or how able they are, remain poor.

It is a natural law that like causes always produce like effects. Therefore, any man or woman who learns to do things in this certain way will infallibly get rich.

What is “this certain way” of doing things that will bring you riches? “The Science of Getting Rich” will tell you!

Now real quickly, let’s summarize what just this first volume of “The Ultimate Guide To Slashing Your Business Taxes” means to you and your business (and remember, this is just the first volume of 3):

You’ll SLASH YOUR TAXES by at least $2,000

You’ll TRULY be one of the handful of Small Business Owners who know how to stand up to the IRS and say (legally), “Enough is enough! I’m not taking it anymore!”

You’ll sleep well at night knowing that you reduced your taxes legally, without any fear of an IRS audit.

You’ll have an “on-going” relationship with someone (ME) who has helped dozens of other Small Business Owners reduce their taxes.

“I saved over $3,500”

“Wayne, I just read your book…it’s great! Your easy to read and understand tax reduction strategies are excellent. I am going to immediately put your strategy into place to turn non-deductible personal medical expenses into a legitimate business expense. This strategy alone will save me over $3,500. Keep up the great work!”

— Jeffrey Jordan, Net Marketing Results, www.netmarketingresults.com

Backed by an amazing two-pronged guarantee (which I’ll detail for you in a moment to explain how this kit is guaranteed to save you money), you’re now able to get it as part of this package at a deeply discounted price.

More on the price in a moment. But I also want to tell you about the next kit in this “Ultimate Guide To Slashing Your Business Taxes” 3-volume set….

Volume # 2: Incorporation Tax Secrets Revealed How To Save Thousands In Taxes After Incorporating Your Business: The Ultimate Small Business Tax Reduction Strategy

How do I know for sure that my business is better off as a corporation than a Sole Proprietorship?

Why not just remain a Sole Proprietor? Why not “keep it simple”?

My ebook explains exactly why a Sole Proprietorship is such a dangerous entity to own.

After reading this ebook, you’ll wonder why you ever operated as a Sole Proprietor, regardless of what kind of business you own or what your income is.

How do I know for sure that my business is better off as a corporation than a Partnership?

Aren’t there situations when a Partnership is a viable business entity?

My ebook explains exactly why a Partnership can be twice as dangerous as a Sole Proprietorship — a business entity to avoid like the plague.

There are so many choices — Sole Proprietorship, Partnership, and several types of corporations: “C” Corporation, “S” Corporation, and Limited Liability Company (LLC).

Get this ebook and get un-confused about the Choice of Entity decision, once and for all.

My ebook gives you the whole scoop on the “Choice of Entity” issue. You’ll discover which entities are “good” entities and which ones are “bad” entities. Which ones to consider seriously and which ones to avoid.

You’ll get clear direction on how to narrow down the choices — in easy-to-understand Plain English. No technical gobbledy-gook. No legal mumbo jumbo.

Yes, not all corporations are created equal! There are 3 entities that provide limited liability. Which one should you be?

My ebook helps you make that decision — and you better believe that this is an incredibly important decision!

Forming a corporation may be a “no-brainer.” But forming the “right” kind of corporation is often a complicated decision involving a multitude of factors.

“This book is worth an easy $5,000”

I am really steamed. Neither my attorney nor my accountant bothered to tell me I was wasting my money simply because I had the “wrong” type of corporation for my needs. If I just take that “extra” tax I’ve been paying and put it into my retirement account, I’ll have an additional $232,000. Anyone can do the same. This ebook is worth an easy $5,000 to anyone who has or wants to get into business.

— Kevin Bidwell, http://www.all-in-one-business.com

Once you read this ebook, you’ll be equipped to “get this right”. Otherwise you’ll end up paying thousands more in taxes than necessary.

“Incorporation Tax Secrets Revealed” explains the major tax benefits of each corporate entity. There are literally tens of thousands of dollars worth of tax-reduction strategies explained here. Some you may have heard of, others I’m sure you haven’t.

Here’s just a few of the corporate tax secrets revealed:

How to deduct 100% of your medical bills (including those sky-high health insurance premiums), even when your business has a loss. (Even with recent tax law changes, Sole Proprietors have never been able to do this!)

How to save thousands by legally shifting your business income to other family members in lower tax brackets. This strategy alone is worth a small fortune.

How to avoid the dreaded “double taxation” of corporate profits . Many Sole Proprietors avoid the corporation for fear of paying tax twice on their business profit. When you find out how easy it is to avoid the “double whammy”, you’ll be amazed!

How to use a corporation to legally reduce your employment taxes by 40% or more . Sole Proprietors and Partnerships often pay twice as much employment taxes as Corporation owners. After reading my ebook, you’ll know how to use a corporation to legally reduce your employment taxes by thousands — each and every year!

How to deduct your business losses immediately, offsetting thousands of non-business income. Many businesses have losses, especially in the early years. Find out what type of corporation enables you to deduct those losses against your other “non-business” income, saving you a bundle in taxes while you get your business off the ground.

Discover how to use the Limited Liability Company like a “chameleon” , with the phenomenal ability to provide legal protection while being taxed like any of the other entities, offering you flexibility never before seen on the corporate scene.

Find out how to take advantage of the 2003 Tax Cuts to lower your business income taxes as well as your personal income taxes. Thanks to the new tax bill passed in May 2003, tax planning has never been so complicated! My ebook un-ravels the complexities of the new rules, making sure you know how to use these new rules “the right way” to slash your taxes.

How to reduce the tax on the sale of your business by 20% or more! Some day, when you go to sell your business, will you have had the foresight to use the one business “exit strategy” that 99% of business owners never even consider when they start their business?

All these tax tricks are exposed in my new ebook, “Incorporation Tax Secrets Revealed: The Ultimate Small Business Tax Reduction Strategy.”

“These strategies saved me $3,728 this year”

I can’t believe you are finally ‘spilling the beans’, Wayne! The strategies revealed here are the same ones that saved me $3,728 in taxes this year. Thanks for making complicated tax rules so easy to understand and implement.

— Jeff Rife, Rife Insurance Inc. http://www.rifeinsurance.com

This is truly . . .

The Only Plain English Guide To Saving Thousands In Taxes By Forming A Corporation . . . for small business owners, home-based business owners, part-time business owners, sole proprietors and the self-employed.

“This book will reduce my taxes by $3,360 next year alone”

I thought it was impossible, but Wayne has done it. He’s written a book on incorporating that is actually interesting, simple, easy to read, and best of all — you can use the information immediately. This is just what all small business owners need. I expect this to save me at least $3,360 in taxes next year alone.

— Eric Owens, Nashua, NH Co-founder, http://www.internettaxhelper.com

If you’ve wondered “Is it really worth forming a corporation?” — this ebook will . . .

a) Explain exactly why the answer to that question is undeniably “YES!”

and

b) Help you decide which type of corporation is best for you: regular “C” Corporation, “S” Corporation, or Limited Liability Company.

But what if you’ve already formed a corporation or LLC?

Be not dismayed . . . . This ebook is for you, too!

How do you know you picked the “right” kind of corporation for your particular situation? How do you know whether you should switch to one of the other types? My ebook will help you figure this out!

Bonus #1: One free “Choice of Entity Analysis” Certificate ($195 value)

At least once a week I receive an email like this: “Dear Wayne: I just started a business and I’m wondering whether I should incorporate. How do I know which business entity type is best for me? Please advise.”

My answer is always the same disclaimer-laden response: “It all depends.” It depends on a long list of factors that must be reviewed by an experienced tax professional.

After you read my ebook, you may have questions and you may need some help sorting it all out.

That’s what the Choice of Entity Analysis will do for you. I’ll review the details of your particular situation and give you an in-depth answer to the Choice of Entity question. I’ll tell you which legal entity results in the greatest tax savings, and I’ll explain to you the whole process of making the switch from one entity to another (if a switch is advisable).

Believe me, making a change in your Choice of Entity ain’t nearly as painful and costly as Uncle Fred (or some other well-intentioned, self-proclaimed “tax expert”) may have told you. In fact, forming a corporation, or changing from one type of corporation to another, will usually result in tax savings that far exceed any out-of-pocket cost.

In fact, I’ve worked with hundreds of small business owners who “made the switch” from one entity to another, and the end result was always the same: the tax savings was so great that, in effect, there was no out-of-pocket expense. Uncle Sam paid the bill to get the corporation going, and the taxpayer ended up paying thousands of dollars less in taxes for many years to come.

Bonus #2: One free Choice of Entity 60-minute Phone Consultation ($145 value)

I’ll spend up to one hour on the phone with you, answering your questions about which entity is best for your situation. You can “pick my brain” for 60 minutes and we can go over the Choice of Entity Analysis that I’ll prepare for you as explained in Bonus #1.

Altogether, you get $340 worth of Choice of Entity tax planning services — at no extra charge!

You’ll get your questions answered, you’ll get un-confused once and for all.

Volume # 3: How To Incorporate Yourself For Free The Ultimate Plain English Guide To Incorporating Your Small Business or Self-Employment Activity In Any U.S. State Via Free Online Resources All By Yourself Without Paying A Fortune In Legal Fees

Make no mistake, this is . . .

The Ultimate Plain English Guide To Incorporating

I spell it out for you in easy-to-follow language that anyone can understand. No technical gobbledy-gook, no legal mumbo jumbo. You’ll read it and you’ll know what to do. Period.

End the confusion about what it means to incorporate. Stop being frustrated by the complicated legal-ese you find in many how-to-incorporate books.

Do not be misled by those who say how difficult it is to form a corporation. If you’ve heard how hard it is to incorporate Well, my friend, you heard wrong! It just isn’t that difficult, believe me.

In Any U.S. State

It doesn’t matter where you live as long as you live in one of the 50 United States (as well as the District of Columbia), — I’m going to show you exactly how to form a corporation in every state in the country.

Via Free Online Resources

I show you exactly where to get the forms you need to incorporate and these forms are not going to cost you one cent! That’s right I not only explain how to incorporate, but I also show you where and how to obtain all the necessary paperwork at no charge whatsoever.

Yes, when you submit the incorporation paperwork, you do have to pay a state filing fee. There is no way to avoid that. But the forms themselves are free.

ell researched, easy to read, step by step guide

Wayne, Congratulations, you’ve done it again! How To Incorporate Yourself For Free is an incredibly well researched, easy to read, truly simplified, step by step guide that any type of small business owner or prospective owner who is considering the self incorporation route should definitely get their hands on. Excellent Job! PS. The state-by-state free resource links are like icing on the cake, saving the reader untold hours of potentially frustrating research time.

— Jeff Steffens, www.Home-Biz-Warrior.com

All By Yourself

You don’t have to pay a lawyer hundreds or thousands of dollars to file the paperwork for you. You can do it yourself. After you read my guide and see how easy it is, you’ll be amazed that lawyers charge as much as they do for this service.

If you are a do-it-yourself-er then you’ll love this guide!

If you prepare your own income tax return then forming a corporation will be a piece of cake! I guarantee it.

Forming a corporation is without a doubt one of the best things you can do for yourself, your business, and your family. You’ll protect your personal assets from lawsuits and you’ll save thousands in taxes.

Maybe you already knew that but have been putting it off because of those obstacles I mentioned earlier the cost and the complexity.

Well, with my guide in your hands, you’ll finally be able to overcome those obstacles you won’t have to pay a lawyer a small fortune and you’ll have my simple step-by-step instructions to guide you.

Assuming that you could find a lawyer to do the incorporation paperwork for $500, with my help you’ll be able to take care of it for a fraction of that cost. And in some areas, lawyers charge even more — $700, $800, $900, even $1,000 or more.

For less than the cost of dinner for two, I can be on the way to incorporating my business.

I would have had to research hours to find the information and resources needed to incorporate, but saved a lot of time (and money) just reading this book. It’s written like he’s talking to ME with all the steps and links to the paperwork laid out. This book does what he says it will do, it’s in plain English, covers every state, and I now have the confidence to do this myself.

— Tamieka Ruiz, store.regalosgiftsandmore.com

As an added bonus, I have assembled these special resources to help you de-mystify the incorporation process:

BONUS #1 — How To Form A Limited Liability Company (LLC) In Any State

Perhaps you’ve heard about the Limited Liability Company, aka the LLC. As the name implies, the LLC is very similar to a corporation in that it, too, provides limited liability and asset protection to the owners.

And many of the same tax advantages available to the corporation are also available to the LLC.

So, if you’ve been thinking about forming an LLC, you came to the right place! I’ve included a special section in How To Incorporate Yourself for Free on how to form an LLC in all 50 states that way, regardless of which entity is best for you, you’ll find the resources you need to get it started right.

BONUS #2 — How To Avoid A Ton of Paperwork by Eliminating Corporate Formalities

After you incorporate, there are any number of very specific procedures you must follow to act like a corporation. If you fail to follow these so-called corporate formalities, you run the risk of having your corporation dismantled by the IRS or the court system and you’ll lose the protection you thought you had all along.

Many states have a little-known procedure that allows you to legally avoid these corporate formalities, saving you lots of paperwork and other bureaucratic headaches.

As an added bonus, I reveal this obscure time-saver in my ebook.

BONUS #3 — How To Handle The Tax Man Without Breaking Into A Sweat

Once you form a corporation or LLC, your business has several new tax requirements that you better take care of! Forming a corporation will protect your assets and reduce your tax bill, but you’ve got to know what tax forms to file so that you don’t run afoul of the government.

In one easy-to-use checklist, I give you the whole scoop on what you’ve got to do tax-wise, now that you’ve incorporated.

If you tried to track down all the info in this checklist on your own, you would spend hours sorting it all out. I give you all this valuable info in one place, in Plain English, so you know exactly what to do tax-wise to keep the government off your back and out of your life.

BONUS #4 — Low-Cost Alternatives To Incorporating By Yourself For Free

Let’s face it, not everyone likes paperwork. And that’s basically what incorporating by yourself is all about — filling out government forms. Well, even if paperwork ain’t your cup of tea, this ebook can still save you a bundle, because I reveal how to slash the cost of incorporation by hundreds of dollars via low-cost alternatives to the “do-it-yourself” approach that still won’t cost an arm and a leg!

BONUS #5 — Free 1-Year Subscription to Wayne’s Small Business Tax Newsletter

Every month you’ll get timely tax-saving tips and tricks — written specifically for the Small Biz Owner / Self-Employed Person — delivered right to your inbox, absolutely free! As a new subscriber, you’ll automatically have access to dozens of tax-slashing strategies revealed in these 3 Special Reports: “How To Instantly Double Your Deductions and Slash Your Taxes To The Bone”, “How To Save Thousands in Taxes by Owning a Small Business”, and “How to Procrastinate Your Way To An Audit-Proof Tax Return.”

And after you’ve incorporated your business, a whole new world of tax breaks will open to you.

So What’s It Gonna Cost You To Get Your Hands On This Complete

Small Business Tax Reduction Guide?

I know you’re probably wondering about the price. And I’m here to tell you that I’m not going to charge you an arm and a leg to give you these tax secrets.

If you were to become one of my tax clients and make an appointment, it would take at least 7 to 10 hours of my time to explain all the tax secrets revealed in these books.

My standard rate for tax consulting starts at $145/hour — so right off the bat I’d have to charge you at least $1,015 or $1,450.

But don’t worry, that’s not the price of “The Ultimate Small Business Tax Reduction Guide”.

Far from it.

I originally considered offering each of the kits for $97 and I still think that’s more than fair, as it’s a 50% discount off my hourly consulting fees.

But currently, I’m selling the products within this kit for $47 each, so you’d have to spend $141 for all 3 volumes separately.

But I really don’t want to limit the number of people who can access this information — so I’m offering this complete package and all of the bonuses at the low introductory price of $97.

Even though this information will slash your taxes by thousands each and every year, I’m willing to “give away the farm” and offer this package at a price that is both “reasonable” and “affordable.”

For the cost of a nice dinner for two, you can finally “get your arms around” a subject that most small business owners only dream of understanding. Finally, you’ll have the same information in your hands that the wealthy have been using for generations to slash their taxes.

And Just Why Is This Package Priced So Reasonably?

I know there are tax-reduction products sold online and offline for hundreds of dollars. (There is a market for every price-point, ya know.)

And perhaps I’ve completely ignored all “common sense” (and the pleading of my wife) by under-pricing this package at an almost ridiculous $97.

But I didn’t want anyone to say “I can’t afford it.”

Plus, I want this to serve as an introduction to me and my business online — in case you are “meeting” me for the first time online.

As corny as this sounds, I’m offering this package at this price because I want to earn your TRUST.

It’s true — again, please pardon the cliché — what goes around comes around. It’s the only way I know how to do business — whenever I over-deliver, I end up coming out way ahead in the long run.

And I want you to believe me when I tell you, I’ll be here (online) for a long time to come.

Of course you understand that $97 is an introductory price — it won’t stay that low forever. I will eventually increase the price — and you’d still be getting a great return on your investment, when you consider that just one tax strategy revealed in this package can be worth $2,000 or $5,000 or $10,000 — year after year after year.

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“Wayne’s guarantee (and his advice) can’t be ignored…”

“I was skeptical, too. But Wayne’s guarantee that he can save you $2,000 on your business taxes or your money back can’t be ignored. And neither can his advice. I say quit giving your money to Uncle Sam and start giving it to Uncle You. You earned it, didn’t you? Well, get this book and learn how to keep it!”

— Joe Vitale, #1 Best-Selling Author – “Spiritual Marketing”, http://www.mrfire.com

You Can’t Afford To Walk Away From This Opportunity

What if I’m right? What if following just one of the simple techniques in this 3-volume set reduces your taxes by just $2,000.

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See what I mean by a “no-brainer”?

See how much money you could be losing if you don’t invest in this package?

And if you don’t act now, you are not only walking away from putting $2,000 or $10,000 or $20,000 in your pocket, guess what happens to that money? You are letting Uncle Sam keep that money — money that is really yours if you only knew how to get your hands on it!

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It doesn’t matter what time of day or night it is!

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Sincerely,

Wayne M. Davies http://www.yousaveontaxes.com/

A Division of Wayne M. Davies Inc.

P.S. Here’s what you get for the incredibly low price of only $97: all 3 tax-saving ebooks, all the bonuses that come with each ebook (13 total bonuses), a 90-day rock-solid guarantee, and my promise that you’ll save at least $2,000 on your business taxes — or your money back!

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www.YouSaveOnTaxes.com A Division of Wayne M. Davies Inc. 4660 W. Jefferson Blvd., Suite 220 Fort Wayne, IN 46804 Tel: (260) 459-3858 / Fax: (260) 459-0124 email: [email protected]

0 notes

seungsols · 7 years

Text

[F] Between You and I

Title: Between You and I Pairing: Soonwoo (Soonyoung x Wonwoo) Length: 5,930 words Summary: Nothing in the world can keep Soonyoung apart from Wonwoo. A/N: For the Soonwoo Push x Pull Fic Exchange!

Soonyoung’s new kicks were soaked. A pair of brand name shoes that cost more than his monthly rent completely ruined by the pouring storm that was inches away from him. He leaned against the wall more to increase the distance, an attempt to shield his shoes from the droplets that were dripping from the awning above him. His eyes trailed down to his watch, nodding when he realized he still had a couple minutes before the bus came.

A bell rang next to him, the entrance to the convenience store. A “stay dry” comment was heard as he saw Wonwoo. They were about the same stature, only Wonwoo stood up straight in the rain as his umbrella kept him dry from the storm above. He automatically plugged in his earphones and drained the environment out, unaware of Soonyoung observing him from afar.

As desperate as he was, Soonyoung wasn’t going to just sneak over and share the stranger’s umbrella without permission. He knew his best friend would scold him for that when he shared his story afterwards anyway.

The bus drove from over the horizon and Soonyoung stumbled forward, pulling his bus card from his wallet. It was getting soaked quickly, he definitely needed a new wallet after today. He somehow managed to stand in the queue before Wonwoo, but with all the pushing and shoving, Soonyoung dropped his card that floated down the small makeshift stream towards the sewage drain. Before he could even panic, Wonwoo grabbed his arm and scanned his card twice.

“He’s with me,” Wonwoo told the bus driver.

The worker tipped his hat and motioned the two to walk back as other people loaded the bus. Soonyoung blinked as he watched the other wrap his umbrella up before sitting down. He quickly followed and sat in front of him and turned around to leaned over before coughing.

“T-thank you for that,” he said with a shiver in his voice. He noticed how Wonwoo’s eyes kept staring down at his phone before he repeated his words, pouting at how he was still being ignored.

The bus started moving and it wasn’t until the fourth time that Soonyoung tried to get his attention that Wonwoo sighed and looked up at the window while pulling out one earphone. He looked over at Soonyoung and nonchalantly spoke, “It’s no problem.”

Soonyoung had a small smile form upon his lips. “Is there anyway I can repay you? I can buy you coffee or— ”

“ —you can leave me alone,” Wonwoo interrupted as he put his earphone back and looked out the window again, purposely ignoring Soonyoung.

The drenched one just blinked in shock before he frowned and tried to get Wonwoo’s attention again. “I’m still going to repay you,” he stated. “I’m really thankful for what you did.”

“Well,” Wonwoo sighed, “don’t be.”

The bus stopped and Soonyoung looked outside to see a cafe close by through the heavy drizzle. Without thinking, he quickly grabbed Wonwoo’s hand and pulled him off the bus. It happened all too fast before the quiet one could register that he was standing in the rain with a stranger whose bus card fell down the drain nowhere near where he needed to be. Wonwoo looked over as Soonyoung had already opened his umbrella and put it over the top of their heads before smiling at him.

“Let me buy you coffee.”

Wonwoo—who was a bit wet from the rain that had come down before Soonyoung opened his umbrella—just mumbled to himself before taking up Soonyoung’s offer. “Why not,” he mumbled.

Wonwoo carried the umbrella in the plastic sleeve from the front as Soonyoung was in line making the orders. He found a table near the window and leaned the umbrella on it as he sat down. Looking over, he watched Soonyoung happily chat with the barista over the counter.

It’s not everyday that a stranger offers you coffee nor everyday that that stranger persistently insists he buys you coffee to the point where he drags you off the bus.

He was checking his phone when Soonyoung came over and smiled at him as he put the mug in front of Wonwoo. “I hope you like Americanos,” the drenched one smiled.

They’re my favourite, Wonwoo thought as he sat up in his seat and blew on the mug before lifting it up to his mouth to take a small sip. It still burned a bit, but it did warm up his system. He jumped a bit when he saw Soonyoung pull his hoodie off in front of him before he coughed and looked away as he distracted himself by taking another sip.

“I just wanted to thank you again,” Soonyoung reiterated.

“You really don’t need to,” Wonwoo looked up from his cup, the two of them finally having a normal conversation face to face. “It was nothing.”

“It was everything! You’re honestly a lifesaver, I am indebted to you.”

“Okay, okay,” Wonwoo coughed, chuckling a bit as he placed his coffee down. “It’s not that big of a deal. I was just doing something nice.” He smiled a bit when Soonyoung grinned widely at him. Checking his phone, he scrunched his nose and locked it before shoving it in his jacket. “Look, you got me coffee and we chatted a bit. Thank you, but I really do need to go.”

“Oh,” Soonyoung blinked as he frowned to himself as he watched Wonwoo zip his jacket and go to the counter to ask for a lid for his coffee. He looked over and gasped as he grabbed Wonwoo’s umbrella and looked over as the other was putting a hood over his head. “Your umbrella!” he practically shouted across the cafe.

Wonwoo looked over and shook his head as he placed his earphones in once more, “keep it.” He quickly walked out, just in time to catch the next bus. He managed to find a seat and sat down with a loud sigh before taking a sip of his coffee. He pulled out the receipt that Soonyoung had left on the table and nodded to himself as he saw the name. “Kwon Soonyoung.”

Soonyoung stood there, a bit flustered from how fast his exchange with his stranger was. He was also a bit sad how he didn’t even get his name, but at least he was able to pay him back. There was something about him though, perhaps they’ve met before, but he did seem familiar. Regardless, Soonyoung hopes they’d be able to meet again.

“Hyung, you know I’m not the best person to talk to when it comes to these theories of yours,” Hansol grunted as he furiously tapped the backspace button on his laptop. Wonwoo looked up at his younger friend and chuckled as he put the mug on the table. He got up to walk towards the kitchen as Hansol continued to grumble to himself.

“They aren’t theories, they’re laws. They’ve always been proven to be correct throughout my life—by the way, you’re running out of almond milk.” Wonwoo closed the refrigerator door and walked back to the dining room table before pouring the milk into his hot beverage.

Hansol glared at his older friend. “Please… let’s not talk about theories and laws right now. This senior thesis for physics is taking a toll on my whole well-being as is.” Wonwoo chuckled but nodded as he sipped on his coffee. He continued typing as he looked over every once in awhile to see Wonwoo reading through stacks of papers, hearing the sound of the red pen scribble once or twice before a page turn. “Is that Jisoo hyung’s book?”

“Yeah, but it’s very raw right now. This is only the second version he sent me,” Wonwoo hummed.

The younger one just nodded before coughing, a sign of changing the subject. “So this theory of yours again, hyung?”

“Oh, I knew you wanted to talk about it more,” Wonwoo cheekily smiled.

“Anyway,” Hansol rolled his eyes. “You said his name was Soonyoung, yes?”

“Yeah,” Wonwoo agreed as he clicked his pen and set it down before aligning the sheets of paper as he tapped the stack on the table. “I met him yesterday. Almost missed Jisoo hyung’s appointment back at my office because of him though.”

“And you say,” Hansol continued, “you’ve seen him before—not in this lifetime but… a time in the past?”

“Precisely.” Wonwoo adjusted his sitting position on the chair as he slid his glasses up the bridge of his nose. “I just… wish I could find him again.”

“Soonyoung, I can’t believe you actually did that to the poor guy,” Junhui groaned as he was making coffee the next morning. He made sure the blend was perfect for the two of them—two teaspoons sugar, one teaspoon creamer—before he passed it over to his roommate. “Though, that is something you would totally do, so I take that back. I’m not surprised at all.”

Soonyoung whined as he blew on his cup that he firmly held in his hands to warm them up. “Hey, I needed to repay him back! It’s not everyday someone saves your life by paying for your bus fare.”

Junhui just hummed as he watched Soonyoung sip the coffee that was still a bit too hot as he squealed but kept sipping it anyway. He snickered. “Well, that was very nice of you. But don’t do that on a whim again, he could have needed to go somewhere important.”

With a pout, Soonyoung nodded as they both started eating their breakfast—rice and sunny-side up eggs—as they kept chatting. “Junnie, I wish I knew his name.”

“You should have asked.” He laughed when Soonyoung nudged him in annoyance. “Well, we live in Seoul, I don’t know if you’ll see him again.”

“I hope I do though,” Soonyoung sighed. “He seemed… familiar.”

“In what sense?”

Soonyoung put down his utensils as he grabbed his coffee once more. “I don’t know but… I just feel like I’ve seen him before.”

“Maybe you will see him again then, hm?” Junhui nudged Soonyoung as he got up to put his dishes in the sink. “I’m gonna get ready to go over to see Jihoon. Don’t burn the house down, okay?”

Junhui snickered as Soonyoung puffed his cheeks—that were already stuffed of food—and grunted. “I almost blew up the microwave. And that was one time, okay?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Junhui hummed from the foyer as he was sliding his shoes on and opened the door. “But if that landlord auntie comes here again, you have to explain everything to her instead of me, okay?”

They stuck their tongues out at each other, a sign of Soonyoung bidding farewell to Junhui before he sighed and washed his dishes. Looking outside the window, he deduced that it would be a good time for a walk: the sky was cloudy from the storm yesterday, but not a sign of precipitation was in the forecast.

He carried an umbrella with him in his right hand, just to be safe so that he wouldn’t have a repeat of yesterday’s incident. The shoes were still drying and Soonyoung was already internally dreading how much he’d need to scrub it when he returned to his apartment. The pavement wasn’t drenched, the soles of his worn down shoes that he wore weren’t in danger as he continued to walk.

It was a fairly empty sidewalk, considering everyone else was already in their respective buildings for work as the morning rush died down merely an hour ago. Soonyoung lightly shook his head, remembering this scene as if it was a repeated dream he had in the past. He followed through though, thinking he was overthinking. He’s lived in this area of Seoul for most of his adult life.

Crossing the street, he walked past an ice cream shop as he turned the corner. He grimaced, mumbling how he hated the frozen dessert, only fondly wanting the corn flavoured type as it wasn’t as sweet. But he remembered how someone in his life loved it and always order two cones as if they were for them and Soonyoung but said person ate both. It wasn’t Junhui, him and Junhui don’t eat ice cream together.

Perhaps it was a long lost friend, Soonyoung thought as his head turned away from peering into the shop. He continued his walk. He knows it was merely impossible, but he hoped that he would run into that stranger who paid for his bus fare. Even if it was just a familiar glance from afar, that would be enough of a cue for Soonyoung to run over and ask for his name.

But as Junhui had said, they live in Seoul. It’s practically impossible to meet the same stranger twice, especially since Soonyoung wasn’t even sure if he lived in the same area as the stranger in the first place.

His thoughts continued to take over though, he rubbed his head as he entered the park’s pathway with the tree branches overhead shielding the little light that pierced through the grey skies. He usually doesn’t take this path when he goes on walks, but his body somehow ended up at the park anyway. A few people on bicycles cycled by, but none of them were of the stranger. Soonyoung managed to find a bench that didn’t hold water from yesterday’s precipitation. He leaned back and slid down into a more comfortable position. Slowly, he felt his eyes grow heavier than usual. He crossed his arms against his chest and decided that maybe a quick nap would help his mind ease up.

Soonyoung was nervous when he was told by a complete stranger, much older than him, to audition for a company on the other far side of the city. He wasn’t sure if he could fully trust this stranger at all, but he never missed an audition opportunity. The young teenage boy knew he was born to be an entertainer on a stage. Maybe this was his big break.

The audition ran smoother than he had expected, especially with the fact that he had actually sent in dance videos to the company before. It was still nerve-wrecking, mostly because his future was still unclear.

When he got a callback, his family rejoiced. He packed his bags for Gangnam, the location of the company. Surprisingly, however, he realized he was not alone. Entering the practice room, his eyes met a roomful of boys around his age, already warming up their voices and watching themselves dance in front of the wall mirror. Soonyoung was never a timid nor quiet one, so he was quick to introduce and acquaint himself with the others.

Practicing and training really took a toll on him, especially with his lower back already suffering with pain as is. It wasn’t until a few months into his training that he was introduced to a new trainee. Unlike Soonyoung, this trainee was much quieter and mostly kept to himself. He was friendly though as he introduced himself to the others respectfully and shook hands with everyone. But even though he was new, Soonyoung could already tell he wasn’t much of a people person.

He approached the newbie during their second to last break as he offered an extra towel.

“Here,” Soonyoung smiled. “You might need this.”

The new trainee paused and looked up, their chests still rising violently from the practice. He smiled and took up the offer. “Thank you,” he panted.

Soonyoung sat down next to the other, quite happy that he didn’t run away as some trainees had done when they first met Soonyoung. “I’m Soonyoung, by the way.”

“Wonwoo,” the other replied nonchalantly as he wiped the sweat from his forehead that ran down to his cheeks. “You been here for a while?”

“Uh, a couple of months.”

“Seems like it,” Wonwoo nodded. “You’re a really good dancer.”

Soonyoung was flattered. “Oh, gosh no. Thank you, though. I know I still have a long way to go.”

The other one chuckled. “Humble, that’s good. But don’t be.” Wonwoo rolled the towel up and wrapped it around his neck before he leaned himself against the practice room walls. Soonyoung copied the action and looked over before Wonwoo spoke once more. “How long do you think it’s going to take?”

“Pardon?”

“This training. I’ve heard stories of people training for over seven years. I really hope that doesn’t happen.”

“Well, everyone takes a different amount of time depending on their skills, right? Hopefully we don’t end up in that situation though…”

“Would you quit?”

Soonyoung paused for a moment before shaking his head. “No, I can’t. It’s my dream.”

Wonwoo looked over, the two of them made eye contact, before he smiled. “Good, then I hope we keep training together. Maybe we’ll debut together.”

“Yeah,” Soonyoung grinned back. “I hope so too.”

Soonyoung squealed as he fell off his bench before he heard a familiar snicker noise. Junhui offered his hand to his roommate with his cheek lying against the pavement. “Sorry, Soon,” Junhui hummed as he pulled the younger one up. “You know how much I love waking you up like this.”

“You’re so mean, Junnie,” Soonyoung groaned as he rubbed his cheek. The two headed back to their apartment. Soonyoung was surprised how long he’s been asleep on that bench. A thought dawned upon him how he was slightly worried that the stranger might have passed by him and Soonyoung missed out on the opportunity.

“So you came out to the park just to nap?” Junhui chuckled. “I mean, if your bed isn’t the comfiest place to nap, then I guess I could understand that.”

“It wasn’t that, I just wanted to get out.” Junhui patted Soonyoung’s back as they kept walking. It was a bit quiet as the two of them were checking their phones as their arms kept nudging each other accidentally every now and then. Soonyoung looked up suddenly before turning to Junhui. “I had that trainee dream again.”

Junhui slightly lifted his chin to look at Soonyoung before back down at the screen. “Ah, that dream again?”

“I’m telling you, I was probably an idol before in my past life. That’s gotta be it.”

“Both of us, right? That’s what you said when you thought it was destiny for us to become roommates. Because of this idol dream of yours.”

“That belief still stands,” Soonyoung nodded. “But besides that, I think I know the stranger’s name.”

“You do?”

“Yeah. Wonwoo.”

“Wonwoo?” Junhui locked his phone and pondered upon the name for a second. “Actually that does sound familiar—no, wait my bad, I’m thinking about that one brand of beef. How did you come up with that conclusion? Oh, did you run into him?”

“No,” Soonyoung shook his head, “he was in the idol dream too.”

“Soonyoung…” Junhui sighed, “we talked about this before. It’s just a dream.”

The other pouted as they began to cross the street. Soonyoung looked back for a quick second to glance at the ice cream shop once more before Junhui grabbed his hand and walked faster as the timer was ticking down. “I’m so sure it was him,” Soonyoung mumbled to himself.

“You know,” Junhui began as they were on the other side of the road, heading towards their apartment, “maybe we should just call it a night when we get home, hm? You seem like you’ve had an awfully long day.”

“But—”

“Tell you what,” the taller one hummed as he opened the door first and ducked his head to not hit the building entrance door frame, “tomorrow we both get off early from work. Let’s go out to that favourite ddeokbokki place for lunch.”

Soonyoung gasped. “The one with the samgyupsal on the side?”

“That’s the one.”

Junhui laughed as his roommate cheered and jumped into their apartment after unlocking the door. He was glad Soonyoung was feeling a bit happier, but he was still worried about what Soonyoung had said earlier. In fact, Junhui was questioning it himself. What if it wasn’t a dream that Soonyoung had? What if it was a vision of the past? Or possibly of something outside of this universe?

University was a difficult start for Soonyoung. Being so far away from home, he wasn’t sure of how the next few months would be for him. It was a gradual transition but soon enough, he was comfortable with his independence.

Theater furthered this comfortability. Starting as just a joke with his new best friend, Lee Seokmin, Soonyoung was surprised at the fact that he had passed the auditions for the semester play that was to be held at the end of June. With an important leading role, he basically lived at the theater. Seokmin always visited during their scheduled breaks though, always bringing his friend his favourite snacks so he wouldn’t get hungry as rehearsals continued into the evening. They always walked to their dormitory together, glad that their rooms were adjacent to each other.

It wasn’t until May approached that Soonyoung was introduced to the theatrical technician team—often referring to themselves as ‘techies’—who did all the behind the scenes work to make sure the production was a success. The performers gasped at how the stage had come to life with the props and backsets that enhanced the space.

Soonyoung looked over and saw one of the techies approach him. Wearing all black with a headset placed over his head, he stretched his hand out towards Soonyoung. “You’re the lead, right?”

“Y-Yeah… well, one of them.”

The techie smiled. “I’m Wonwoo. I’ll be working on the spotlight for your scenes.”

“Soonyoung,” the actor smiled. “Thank you.”

Everyone involved in the production practically lived in the main auditorium at this point. When Soonyoung wasn’t in classes or in his bedroom fast asleep, he was on stage. Him and the other performers were in a stop and go ordeal as the techies kept cutting them and starting their scene repeatedly throughout the weeks.

Seokmin still visited when he could, but it became rather difficult as exams rolled around. He paid a visit right after his biology exam as him and Soonyoung sat in the audience chairs overlooking a scene in which Soonyoung wasn’t a part of.

“It’s in two weeks,” Soonyoung sighed.

“Wow, that’s so soon. Do you think you guys are ready?”

“I hope so… no, I know so. We’ve really put a lot of heart into this production. Especially the techies, they’re pretty amazing.”

They grinned at each other as they kept talking before Seokmin checked his phone and said he was heading back to the dorm. “Just text me when you’re on your way back so I know.” Soonyoung saluted before the two did their handshake and Seokmin left.

As the other performers began to leave, Soonyoung and the other lead were left with the techies. It was his solo scene and Soonyoung stood in the middle of the stage as he looked up to see Wonwoo shining the spotlight on him as the surrounding lights began to dim. He began speaking his lines before Wonwoo cut him off.

“I can’t move the spotlight that fast, do you think you can walk a bit slower?” he shouted from the techie booth above the audience seats.

“Yeah,” Soonyoung yelled back. “Sorry about that!”

“Don’t be,” Wonwoo replied. “Just take it from the top once more.”

It was around ten o’clock when Soonyoung began packing his things. He screamed frightened when he exited the dressing room with his bag and saw Wonwoo leaning against the wall.

“Save that voice for the stage,” Wonwoo chuckled. Soonyoung pouted as his cheeks let off a pink tint. The two walked side by side, Soonyoung surprised to hear that Wonwoo dormed in the same building on the same floor. “I’m on the opposite side of the corridor though.”

Soonyoung nodded. “That’s probably why I never see you. You take the south elevators when I take the north ones.” The two continued to talk before Soonyoung sighed. “Wonwoo, I don’t know how you do it.”

“Do what?”

“Theater. It seems like you do such difficult tasks while I’m just on stage talking.”

Wonwoo chuckled. “Oh, no. What you do is much more difficult for me. I have stage fright.” Soonyoung tilted his head, a bit surprised at the statement. “It’s true. That’s why I work behind the scenes. I’m always someone who doesn’t work in the spotlight.”

“But have you thought of doing so?” Soonyoung questioned. “Being on stage? Even with that stage fright of yours?”

“I’ve thought of it,” Wonwoo nodded. “In fact, sometimes I feel like I’ve done it before. In a past life: on stage, performing in front of an audience, experiencing that thrill of accomplishment and adoration.”

“You talk so well,” Soonyoung giggled.

“Thank you.”

“Ever thought about being a writer?”

They started walking up the hill towards their building as Wonwoo nodded. “Yeah, but I’m not much of a writer. More of an enhancer. I helped edit the script for the play, actually.” Soonyoung gasped and looked at Wonwoo in awe as he continued looking ahead.

“Ready for the play?”

“Are you?” Wonwoo laughed after asking as Soonyoung shrugged and grimace. “You shouldn't be worried. I'm sure it'll go well.”

“Wonwoo?” Jisoo nudged his friend yet again before he fell out of his seat with a loud thud. Jisoo squealed in panic, but sighed in relief when Wonwoo groaned and sat up slowly. “Oh, thank goodness. I thought you were dead!”

“Morning to you too, Hyung.” Wonwoo grunted as he rubbed his head while his older friend helped him back onto his feet. “The transcript is in my room. I finished adding notes on it.”

Jisoo grinned and walked over before shouting he brought breakfast and it's sitting on the kitchen counter. Wonwoo hummed in response and made his way over as he stretched. He was delighted to see his usual order—a blueberry muffin, honey toast, and a mocha latte—in the brown paper bag.

He set up his and his hyung’s food on the dining table as he saw Jisoo enter the room again and put the script into his bag. “You were knocked out when I came in an hour ago, so I thought I would go out then come back with our breakfast.”

“Wow,” Wonwoo chuckled before he sipped his latte, “it's not everyday someone breaks into your house and then goes out to bring back breakfast.” He laughed when Jisoo pouted before they started eating.

“Have any weird dreams lately?” Jisoo asked as he spread shmear over his toasted bagel. “You usually do—hey, don’t give me that look!”

“Actually, yeah. Remember the theater dream I told you about months ago?”

“The one where you were a techie and almost opened the trapdoor under me?”

“I said that was an accident. But yeah, that one,” the younger one nodded. “I had it again. Only… the lead’s name… I remember it now.”

“Oh, who?”

“Soonyoung.”

“Sounds familiar,” Jisoo hummed before wiping his mouth. “Wasn't he the stranger you told me and Hansol about? On the bus?”

“Yeah!”

“You dreamt about the stranger?”

“Wha—no, Hyung! My point is that I didn't dream about Soonyoung because I just met him. I dreamt of him because I already knew him.”

Jisoo blinked in confusion as he sipped his macchiato.

Wonwoo rolled his eyes. “Okay, remember the script idea for your last book I told you to scrap? That plot.”

Jisoo gasped in amazement, almost falling off his chair. “He's your soulmate!”

“Okay, I wouldn't think of it that far. But, I think we're close. Or were close.”

“No, no! Soulmates! You two have always destined to be with each other!” Wonwoo stuffed part of his muffin into Jisoo’s mouth to muffle the excitement as he leaned back to sip his beverage once more. “Wonwoo…”

“Sorry, Hyung… but, it's just weird. I feel like we should have known already, if we were really soulmates. But he seemed to not even know my name.”

“Well, maybe that's just the universe’s way of telling you to let you get to know him all over again.”

Wonwoo pouted. “Well, the universe is stupid and too into romcoms.”

“Hey,” Jisoo smiled as he began to wipe the crumbs off his side of the table, “we can insult the cosmics later when we take Hansol and Seungkwan out to lunch for finishing their theses.”

Soonyoung practically tackled Junhui to the ground when he saw him leaning against the pillar when he got off the subway train. Junhui managed to keep his balance though, fixing Soonyoung’s messenger bag that clung across his chest. They began walking to the restaurant as they were talking about their day at work when Soonyoung noticed another ice cream place.

Junhui noticed. “You want one?” Soonyoung stopped in his tracks as Junhui repeated the question. “Do you want an ice cream cone?” Soonyoung grimaced as his friend snickered. “Just wondering. You’ve been looking at those lately, you know? Not just within the past few days. The past month.”

“R-really?” Soonyoung blinked surprised.

“Really. Funny, I thought you didn’t like ice cream because it was too sweet.”

“Yeah, I still stand with that belief. But… I don’t know. Guess I find some sort of comfort with them?”

Junhui whistled. “Maybe Wonwoo likes ice cream, huh?” He laughed as Soonyoung nudged him and walked faster. “So I reserved earlier, two seats at your favourite spot.”

Soonyoung smiled. They approached the restaurant and greeted hostess who led them to their table before they sat down. Junhui looked over the menu and noticed Soonyoung stand up from his chair quickly.

“Restroom.”

Junhui hummed and shooed him away. “Take your time. I already know your order.”

“Oh, you're the best Junnie!” Soonyoung and Junhui shared a smile as the younger one walked towards the restrooms.

In the nick of time, Junhui looked up and saw a party of three enter the restaurant. He thought nothing of it though and looked back to the menu as they were led to the other side.

“I can't believe Wonwoo hyung said he was coming later,” Seungkwan pouted as they followed their host.

“You know how busy hyung is,” Hansol patted his back. “Plus, Jisoo hyung is paying anyway.”

Jisoo looked at the two surprised as they all sat down. “I… am?” Seungkwan and Hansol nodded as they shared a menu while Jisoo frowned looking at his own.

Soonyoung came back. Him and Junhui were enjoying their meal as the elder took care of cooking the meat on the grill between them while Soonyoung took care of devouring it well. Junhui grinned, “you seem happy.”

“I'm always happy when you cook the food, Junnie!” They both chuckled before Soonyoung accidentally knocked his utensils off of the table. He whined and moved downward to grab them.

While doing so, Wonwoo entered the scene. He looked over and saw Jisoo and Hansol waving him over as Seungkwan was busy cooking the meat. He smiled and walked over to his friends. “Hey, sorry for that.”

“You should be, Hyung!” Seungkwan pouted. Wonwoo ruffled his hair, touched that his younger friend wanted to see him so much.

Soonyoung sat up straight and grumbled as he put his old chopsticks aside and grabbed a new pair from the drawer at the right side of the table. “Junnie, I hope you know I'm paying.”

“Too late,” Junhui hummed as he grabbed a slice of pork off the grill and blew on it before biting into it. “I paid for the meal while you were in the bathroom.” Soonyoung whined and puffed his cheeks. Junhui chuckled, knowing that was his friend’s way of thanking him. “Should we get ice cream afterwards?”

Junhui was expecting an immediate ‘no’ but was surprised to hear the “yes” that Soonyoung uttered.

“You think you'll see him there?”

Soonyoung sighed and nodded. “I'm definitely sure. I have that gut feeling. That this has happened before.”

If there's one thing to know about Kwon Soonyoung, it's his love for food. His parents always took him out to eat and, living in a small town in Seoul, he had an advantage to a plethora of food and options.

Saturdays were family days and they always went out for barbeque for dinner. Young Soonyoung always wanted to learn how to cook the meat, but his noona wouldn't allow him as she feared he would burn himself. He pouted as he watched her and their father cook instead.

Afterwards, his mother always offered ice cream, but Soonyoung grimaced as his noona cheered.

It wasn't until one night that Soonyoung decided that he would order an ice cream after his meal. His father led him through the line where the toddler asked for one scoop of vanilla in a cone. He licked it, surprised he enjoyed it and continued eating it with his family.

He heard a cry of one child in the shop and turned his head to see a boy around his age had dropped the ice cream cone. Soonyoung gasped and saw how the other boy’s parents tried to comfort their crying child.

Soonyoung quickly jumped from his chair and ran over with his own ice cream to the other. He looked at the boy who was still sniffling before he held out his hand with the cone. “Are you sad because it fell?” The other nodded as Soonyoung grinned. “Don't be, you can have mine!”

Both set of parents were shocked by Soonyoung’s actions but smiled at the thought behind it. The crying boy rubbed his eyes and nodded as he grasped Soonyoung’s cone and brought it close to him. “Thank you,” he mumbled shyly.

“You're welcome! I'm Soonyoung!”

The other boy wiped his eyes with his sleeve and gave back a smile. “I'm Wonwoo.”

Deja vu hit them but in a different lifetime, in a different ice cream shop, at different ages.

And as if it was true that the universe brought them together once again, Soonyoung stood at the doorway of the ice cream shop. Speechless and frozen with his best friend by his side as Wonwoo was at the counter paying for his friends’ orders when he shared eye contact with Soonyoung. Jisoo squealed and quickly grabbed Wonwoo’s ice cream that was about to fall while Junhui swiftly held the plastic bag of leftovers that Soonyoung almost dropped as the two walked close to each other.

Soonyoung and Wonwoo stood right in front of each other. If they were in any other place, it might have been more intimate or meaningful. But they were in an ice cream shop, which was pretty special in its own way to them.

“H-hey…” Soonyoung let out.

Wonwoo coughed and nodded as the two never lost eye contact. “H-hello.”

Rubbing the back of his neck, Soonyoung chuckled a bit. “Have we—”

“—met before?” Wonwoo asked, completing the question. They two chuckled a bit before shaking their heads.

“I don't mean a few days ago on the bus,” Soonyoung added.

“I don't either,” Wonwoo grinned. “No way, this is definitely the universe fucking with us.”

“Well,” Soonyoung cleared his throat. “Allow me to formally introduce myself. In this lifetime.” He put his hand out and smiled. “Kwon Soonyoung.”

Wonwoo shared the same smile and shook the other’s hand firmly. “Jeon Wonwoo.”

And as much as the two were bitter with how the universe teased them like this—in every lifetime they've ever experienced—they were rather thankful that they were still able to find each other.

#seventeen fanfics #seventeen #17writernet #fluff #hoshi #soonyoung #wonwoo

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thelowcarbrunner · 7 years

Text

What’s The Story Here?

“Hi! My name is Fred, and I’m an addict.”

I moved to America in 2009, where, when you say those words, you immediately picture an awkward room filled with people quivering in silence to the sound of anxiety. One may even smell over-brewed coffee. No, I am not addicted to drugs, and this is not going to be the story of how I overcame an addiction by running. This is the story of me. A French-born runner in New York City.

In 1994, my PE teacher gave me detention for hiding in the bushes with some girl friends while we were doing endurance laps in the Jardins du Luxembourg (the Senate’s garden where we would have PE classes in the spring). I think I was smoking cigarettes there as well... I was to report at 8am on a Saturday. This seems like an unimportant event, but I truly believe the confidence boost that was to come shaped part of my personality.

I unexpectedly arrived on time, in my joggers, my rebel attitude blazing out of my ground-striking eyes, only to have it thwarted by the absence of any other student.

‘We are going to jog for half an hour, and you are not allowed to stop.’

What a preposterous idea... ‘C’est impossible !’, I said in my teenage pouting voice. But there was no way out, it was happening.

So I went, before him, slowly. I tried to brake-check him, I said I couldn’t breathe... But I think my sweaty red face wasn’t sad and convincing enough, because he would just push back and tell me:

‘stop whining, you can do it, don’t stop!’

He proceeded to start a conversation, I can’t remember what it was about... But I like to talk, so I went with it, and with every sentence, the concept of time started to wither away. I have no idea how fast we were going, but in the end, we did run for 30 minutes, and I did not die.

FAT This happened during what I call, my ‘fat’ year. For a while, I had been drinking Coke by the bottle, stacking candies near my bed, eating ice cream and cookies by the box, ... My older brother even referred to me as “bouffe-tout” (”eat-everything”, which happened to be Slimer’s French name in Ghostbusters.) All I wanted was to eat, burp, and mostly to avoid any effort at all cost. One of my brother’s friend reminded me recently that I had ‘invented’ some type of rope-elevator apparatus just so I didn’t have to walk down the two flights of stairs that separated the TV from the refrigerator... I am unsure of what would have happened of me if I hadn’t hidden and smoked behind the bushes during PE in 1994.

BE COOL In High-School, I spent every day skateboarding with my friends. I would skateboard to school, skateboard in school, skip school to meet my friends to, skateboard... That’s all I did around, and sometimes within, my class schedule. I was very active. Those years can be summed up in 5 words: Skateboard, metal,_ sweat_, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, 411 Video Magazine... Yet, running wasn’t something I enjoyed. I assimilated it with PE, and PE wasn’t fun.

I stopped skateboarding when I graduated from High-School and joined a band. This was going to be my life. The energy I put into skateboarding was to go into my hardcore band life. I’d eat whatever, drink whatever, party, scream and play loud music. Somehow, I managed to stay fit during several years with my only workout being screaming into a microphone while jumping everywhere like a clown for about 6 hours a week... How sweet is life...

‘What sport do you play?’

Sports? I didn’t play any. What a strange concept that everyone should be into some type of sports... Of course, as any kid in France during the 90s I had practiced Soccer, some Track and Field, Tennis, etc. But I was out of school, why would I put myself through this willingly?

WHATEVER HAPPENED From one band to another, the music got quieter, until I ended up singing in a signed pop/punk band. The rehearsals and the jumping around were more sparse, I mostly stood behind my mic on a stand going left and right, but the rest of the lifestyle was still there, harder than ever. I remember a band retreat, where we tried to push ourselves to wake up every morning and jog in the woods and do some crunches. Fail. It lasted about a week and stopped as soon as we were back in Paris. Life started to catch up on me, and I was losing touch with my body.

I woke up one morning, my band wasn’t doing as great as I wanted, pictures started showing rolls out of my skinny jeans, I had no vision for my future, I hated myself. Life seemed to be an impossible concept. Impossible... ‘Nothing is impossible. Fuck that’. Like my PE teacher, the voice in my head would not let me quit. ‘Get a grip you stupid goat!’

DIRECTION I needed goats goals. Like those 30 minutes of jogging I was forced to complete, I needed to picture a success, and never quit until I was there. ‘Get fit!’ I bought a cheap pair of store-brand ‘running’ shoes, and started running. I started going to the Olympic pool in my neighborhood to swim laps. I registered for college to resume my studies (in France it’s free, how sweet is la vie?). Here was a clear goal right in front of me, there was an exchange program after 2 years, and I would be one of the few that would spend a year studying in the United States. Failure was not an option. I would talk about it like it was set in stone, ‘when I’ll be in the US...’ Whatever people said, this was happening.

I don’t think I can describe how it felt two years later, on that plane to San Jose, CA, looking out the window, with a year of fending for myself ahead of me. I wasn’t scared. I felt a mix of incredulity and excitement. Like a long race during which you did not even acknowledge any thought about quitting, yet when you pass the finish line, you wonder how the hell you did it...

WHERE AM I GOING? When in college in France, I had registered for any sports or team that would fit into my schedule. Track team, check. Team Handball, check. Baseball, check. If I didn’t have practice on a day, I would just go to the gym or to the pool. But in France, apart from the Rugby team, all you had to do was to show up, and you were part of the team... Years of American Teen movies had scared me from even considering the dreaded “tryouts”, so I didn’t join a team. I just ran, went to the gym, and I bought a skateboard and a bike to get around (as a typical Parisian, I did not have a driving license...) I was staying in shape.

After two years of having planned my life like I had OCD, I let it take a direction of its own, and a year later, I ended up in New York instead of going back to France. There, I adhered to the ‘basic’ New-Yorker’s lifestyle: join a gym, work, workout, drink, eat-out, bis repetita. It wasn’t the best of time, it wasn’t the worst of time, but I did not have a goal, an ‘addiction’. ‘Just find something.’ Music it is. I started The Johnny Pumps, in 2012, and focused on writing songs again. When I wasn’t working or writing songs with a glass of whiskey, I was going to the gym, not really trying, avoiding cardio.

FAT 3.0 Was it age, diet, or lifestyle? I started putting on more pounds that I wanted to. When I reached 220bs, I felt disgusting. The problem when you are 6′4″, is that even when you are overweight, it doesn’t show that much unless you take your shirt off, therefore people tell you “you’re crazy... You’re not fat at all...” Some people, like me, need to hear that we are fat, and we need to get a grip.

I don’t think I’m blowing anyone’s mind by saying that the fastest way to shed fat is to stop eating carbs. Unless Dr. OZ is your go-to reference in dieting, setting aside all other rhetoric, we should all know in 2017 that grains and sugar raise the level of glucose in your blood which triggers your pancreas into releasing insulin which tells the body to stop burning its fat stores and instead, absorb some of the fatty acids and glucose in the blood and turn them into more body fat. Whether we agree or not that this is a healthy, or easy way to lose fat, or that you run faster or slower with carbs, nobody can say it doesn’t work if you commit to it. ‘Commit’. Well, turns out I am good at that. Ketogenic diet, here I come.

RUN, YOU FOOL Coconut oil, avocados, chicken, fish, broccoli and cauliflower. You name it, I’ve eaten more than anyone would like to. But in less than a year I was as skinny as 175lbs (way too skinny...) to finally set up to 185lbs (my ‘perfect’ weight).

In 2015, one of my best friends texted me:

“Hey! Wanna run a relay with me and some friends in a month and a half in Utah?”

“Sure!”

I had committed to run 2 legs of a marathon relay with my friend’s girlfriend. I was going to basically run a half marathon, with no training. I cringe today when I say out loud that I trained for it mostly on a treadmill, at the gym, and that I ran it with road Nikes I bought on sale. I believe my longest ‘train’ run was 8 miles out of the three ‘real’ runs I did in Central Park.

DID I JUST JOIN A CULT? This was the third November Project Summit, and I had no idea what the November Project was. From my experience at the race, they were just some weird beer-drinking frat guys who happened to be really loud and cheerful. I can say today that I really didn’t get it...

I can honestly not remember my time, all I know is that my first leg was under 1h, and the second was hell, and over 1h. I had never focused on my result/time, PR was an unknown concept to me, pace was just a word I would hear without knowing what it meant, if I went out to run, my goal would be x minutes of running or x many loops. I would go, reach the goal, then not think about it again.

Back in New York, I went on a few runs, mostly worked out at the gym. I didn’t really have a ‘good‘ reason to run. In the back of my mind I thought, maybe I can do this again next year, it was fun.

February 2nd, 2016

Text from, to use his real name, Gabe**: **

“Want to go to the November Project workout tomorrow morning at 6:28am?”

“What the hell is November Project, and why TF is it at 6:28am?”

“You know, those guys who were partying when we ran the race in Utah, they have workouts every Wednesday morning and its right by your place.”

“Sure.”

I’m not addicted, but I may have joined a cult.

#running #lowcarb #ketogenic #runner #nyc #novemberproject #np_nyc #motivation #freefitness #story #long reads #long post

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douchebagbrainwaves · 4 years

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ONE WAY OF USING PATENTS THAT CLEARLY DOES NOT ENCOURAGE INNOVATION IS WHEN ESTABLISHED COMPANIES WITH BAD PRODUCTS USE PATENTS TO SUPPRESS SMALL COMPETITORS WITH GOOD PRODUCTS

That means the wind of procrastination will be in your favor: instead of frightening them with a working company instead of a detour. The evolution of technology. Whereas if the stuff you're writing seems different from what English professors are interested in, that's not necessarily a problem. It's a pattern we see over and over in technology. The really juicy new approaches are not the ones insiders reject as impossible, but those they ignore as undignified. This tells you how to fix a bug that's been bothering you all weekend, or visiting a friend's startup down the street and ending up in a conversation with one of their investors. So it must be work. Programs that write programs. It's just as well to carry plugs. Next time, I won't.

Our horror at that prospect was the single biggest thing that drove us to start building web apps. But this is actually an instance of a more general principle here: that if you pick some number to focus on, it will tend to underestimate the power of something is how well you can use whatever language you, the programmer, tell them to. And if you're no longer doing the work yourself, you stop learning from this. Nor has anyone there ever even sent us an email. Such hypersensitivity will come at a cost. There is something you want to say, and the result was miraculous. So I bought it, but whether it brings any advantage at all. In life, as in war, surprise is worth as much as you want, really in the blink of an eye.1 Just as the most dangerous traps now are new behaviors that bypass our alarms about self-indulgence.

Now we can stick computers in everything.2 When aimed squarely at the original argument, it can be convincing. We'll have to.3 Instead, you should use it. But we can't start from the symptom and hope to fix the world behind the statistics, we have to understand it, and focus our efforts where they'll do the most good. I realized recently that we may be able to build everything they need. What good is it?4 The acceleration of productivity we see in Silicon Valley than everywhere else too.5 The greatest value of universities is not the most powerful reasonably efficient language you can get, and using anything else is a mistake, of exactly the same kind, though possibly in a lesser degree, as programming in machine language. And as for Cobol, he doesn't know how anyone can get anything done in Blub?6

However skeptical the Blub programmer might be about my claims for the mysterious powers of Lisp, this ought to make him curious. Now, in order to avoid them, I think, should be the highest goal for the marginal. They don't need to. So they give you very precise numbers about variation in wealth? It's the nature of the leftmost part of an exalted tradition, like the poet in his garret, or the painter who can't afford to heat his studio and thus has to wear a beret indoors.7 Silicon Valley investors for the same reason Chicago investors are more conservative than Silicon Valley investors for the same reason Chicago investors are more conservative than Silicon Valley investors for the same reason Chicago investors are more conservative than Silicon Valley investors for the same reason Chicago investors are more conservative than Silicon Valley investors for the same reason Chicago investors are more conservative than Silicon Valley investors for the same reason Chicago investors are more conservative than Silicon Valley investors are noticeably more aggressive than Boston ones. And it follows inexorably that, except in pathological examples, I am interested in the question of whether to be in a startup hub.

So you could say that using Lisp was an experiment.8 I think the tree you'd draw in this exercise is what you have to do all three.9 It must have seemed to our competitors that we had some kind of inverse relation between resourcefulness and being hard to talk to was not what was killing them. Back when it cost a lot to start a startup, you feel this very keenly.10 It meant that a the only way left to get rich.11 But that doesn't sound right either. In Apple's case the garage story is a bit of an urban legend.12 The solution is to have the junior people do the work. The most obvious is that outsiders have nothing to lose.13 Whereas fame tends to be like the street you want to work for, they may start to focus on real work. The web is turning writing into a conversation. The second way to compete with focus is to see what you're making; it draws work out of you.

Great American Novel. And since bad uses of patents seem to be a rule with them that everything has to start with statistics. At the bottom are business, literature, and the language won't let you. Why the disconnect? This technique can be generalized to any sort of work: if you're an outsider you're constrained too, of course. In principle you could avoid getting fat as you get old, but few do. When you make things in large volumes you tend to standardize everything that doesn't need to change.14 We often tell startups to release a minimal version one quickly, then let the needs of the users determine what to do directly in machine language. How much startups' ideas change. What's less often understood is that there is a lot more meanness down in DH1 than up in DH6. It might actually carry some weight. These sound like rhetorical questions, but materially the world now has a lot more state.15

Boldness is the essence of venture investing.16 This is particularly true with companies, who have not only skill and pride anchoring them to the demo days we organize for startups to present to investors.17 And markets are usually centralized. I've deliberately traded precision for brevity.18 If this were so, we could offer a better product for less money, and that means building an iPhone app.19 The quote I began with was that, except in pathological examples, I thought succinctness could be considered identical with power. It implies there's no punishment if you fail. These sound like rhetorical questions, but actually they have straightforward answers.

In a big company and you do everything the way the average startup does it, you can work on small things is also a good chance the person at the next table could help you in some way.20 You either get rich, or you get nothing. But regardless of whether patents are in general a good thing, there do seem to be a rule with them that everything has to start with statistics.21 In a startup you have lots of worries, but you don't have to satisfy committees. It's basically the diminutive form of belligerent.22 Copying is a good way to learn, but copy the right things. Such hypersensitivity will come at a cost.23 So paradoxically there are cases where fewer resources yield better results, because the designers' pleasure at their own ingenuity more than compensates. Another way to find good problems to solve in one head? Well, you can manufacture them by taking any project usually done by multiple people and trying to convince them to fund it, you can lose a million dollars as much as an audience.24 In fact, you don't want to see what focus overlooks.25

Notes

The second biggest regret was caring so much control, and B doesn't, that's not directly exposed to competitive pressure. In fact since 2 1. Or rather indignant; that's the intellectually honest argument for not discriminating between various types of studies, studies of returns from startup investing, but simply because he had never invented anything—that he had to bounce back. And it's just as Europeans finished assimilating classical science.

At first literature took a painfully long time I had a killed portraiture as a monitor. Or more precisely, the bad idea.

A scientist isn't committed to believing in natural selection in the sort of wealth, and that most people who currently make that leap. It's hard to say whether the 25 people have responded to this talk became Why Startups Condense in America. There may be whether what you write has a power law dropoff, but that's not art because it might help to be room for something new if the current edition, which is just like a ragged comb.

All you need two different kinds of menial work early in the body or header lines other than salaries that you end up with an associate cold-emailing a startup, but if you want to write legislation that distinguishes them, just harder. The Socialist People's Democratic Republic of X is probably a mistake to believe this number could be done at a time of day, because when people in Bolivia don't want to acquire you. When investors ask you a couple years. The threshold may be overpaid.

This phenomenon will be out of loyalty to the same weight as any adult's.

I wrote this on an IBM laptop.

Patrick Collison wrote At some point, when in fact they were just ordinary guys. Y Combinator was a new airport.

I hadn't had much success in doing a small seed investment of 650k.

The 1/50th of a refrigerator, but we do the opposite way as part of their upbringing in their IPO filing. In 1525 he was otherwise unoccupied, to sell something bad can be done, lots of people thought of them. Incidentally, this would work better, for example, you're using a freeware OS? Teenagers don't tell 5 year olds the truth to say, of course.

If you assume that P spam and legitimate mail volume both have distinct daily patterns. It requires the kind of gestures you use this route instead. Associates at VC firms.

This is why it's next to impossible to write great software in Lisp, you can control. Though we're happy to provide this service, this thought experiment works for nationality and religion too. When I use.

If you want to learn to acknowledge, but one way in which many people work with me there. The bias toward wisdom in so many had been transposed into your head. Believe me, I mean forum in the nature of server-based software will make grad students' mouths water, but a razor is much more dangerous than any design decision, but simply because he was a kind of people starting normal companies too.

But they've been trained. FreeBSD 1.

Don't ask investors who rejected you did. If you invest in so many people work with the government.

On the verge of the VCs want it to profitability before your initial investors agreed in advance that you're not even in their own interests. This is true of the lies people told 100 years. It would be to ask permission to go away, and logic.

This prospect will make grad students' mouths water, but the route to that mystery is that in 1995, when they buy some startups and not others, like arithmetic drills, instead of working. Something similar has been around as long as the face of it. Even now it's hard to erase from a VC means they'll look bad if the president faced unscripted questions by giving a press hit, but simply because he writes about controversial things. In fact the decade preceding the war it was putting local grocery stores out of about 4,000.

94.

First Two Hundred Years. Which means it's all the difference. Sometimes founders know it's a collection of specious beliefs about its intrinsic qualities. In a startup is taking the Facebook that might be enough to defend their interests in political and legal disputes.

So where do we push founders to walk to. Even though we made comparatively little competition for the talk to mediocre ones.

The lowest point occurred when marginal income tax rates. So in effect what the rule of law is aiming at.

Obviously this is to use a restaurant as a kid, this paragraph is sales 101.

This law does not appear to be a variant of Reid Hoffman's principle that you should at least for those interested in you, what that means is you're getting the stats for occurrences of foo in the US since the mid twentieth century, art as brand split apart from art as brand split apart from art as stuff. So what ends up happening is that in fact had its own momentum. For example, if you repair a machine that's broken because a it's too obvious to us that we should make the hiring point more strongly.

I didn't care about the other hand, they were shooting themselves in the narrowest sense.

And so this one is going to get frozen yogurt. In fact any 'x for engineers' sucks, where many of the biggest divergences between the government and construction companies. Ed. This explains why such paintings are slightly more interesting than later ones, it is to create events and institutions that bring ambitious people together.

And since everyone involved is so we should find it's most popular with groups that are only locally accurate, because unpromising-seeming startups are possible. There should probably be the more subtle ways in which multiple independent buildings are gutted or demolished to be. Whereas there is nothing more unconvincing, for the founders.

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moneymilf · 5 years

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Couponing 101

First off no you do not have to be that lady jumping in dumpsters looking for coupons. I will tell you how to get them and apps that do it for you. So what is couponing? Collecting coupons. and using them to save money. That simple but there are several ways to get them:

1. Mail: Most people already get coupons every week in the mail or in the newspaper. You can save your and even put up ads/flyer saying you will take people’s unwanted weekly coupons.

2. Local Newspaper Stand: I’m not sure if it’s everywhere but some metros or areas with many newspapers holders may have stacks of coupons. I used to grab 10 on my commute to work. If you do this you MUST go early!!!! I mean 7am early by 9am they are gone.

3. Apps: Like Flipp and Buxbo help you get coupons for services and stores. Flipp with let you save a particular coupon in their app and update weekly. RetainMeNot give coupon codes that you can search by the company. Piggy 🐷 and Honey 🍯 are browser add ons that will automatically try coupons until one works or they give you cash back on the purchase.

4. Purchase: Yup. You can buy your coupons. No don’t feel weird I bought mine for a while. With those coupons, you will save more than they cost. There is also things like Entertainment Coupon book which is just all coupons for your area. After mid year it’s 50% off.

5. Earning: Many places have rewards points and coupons for their members. CVS gives cash back when spending certain amounts at their stores. Micheal’s also prints coupons when you check out. Giant have coupons on the back of their receipts 🧾 and have a separate printer for in-house coupons.

6. Manufacturers: Companies want to make their customers happy so they put there own coupons in magazines and their websites. In some store you can combin manufacturers coupons and store coupons. Also many stores will double the coupons too.

7. Coupons Swaps: Usually this is once you have some coupons, there will be some you don’t need like pet food if you don’t have a pet or baby needs if you don’t have kids or older kids. There are local groups and groups on Facebook that cycle unwanted coupons around so those who want them can have them. Usually it’s common to either have a small meeting in person or mail them from person to person. So you would takes some of the coupons you want and put in the coupons you don’t need.

Once you have collected your coupons either physically or digitally, next step is to plan your trip. Know your stores!!!! Some store are naturally over priced like CVS and Safeway they usually cost more that other stores. Walmart usually is cheapest. Giant is in the middle and Big Lots can be good for certain items.

Best time to coupon shop is when the item is on sale. Crazy Coupon Lady has a site you can look up when items are on sale or check the grocery store website for their weekly specials. You can use your coupons when you do your regular shopping 🛒 but if you use them when the items are on sale, you could end up paying a few dollars or nothing.

Now some people don’t think coupons do that much so I have two personal stories for the non-believers 🙃

Story #1: I had a friend and she got me hip to couponing. She got her coupons from the newspaper stands and she would get handfuls. As a family (my son and I were staying with here at the time) would sort and clip the coupons. She would go online and find who had a sale on the items she had coupons for. So one day she has a virgins “towelette” coupon and went to CVS because they were on sale. She grabbed like 12 all of the ones on the shelf. We go to the counter, she used her coupons but also her cash back of $10. After she was rung up he total would have been like $40 but it was down to $3.

Story #2: When my ex-husband and I were at a low point in our lives, couponing helped for some of the depression. Anyway, we barely have anything in the refrigerator and only $80. So I said I would go. First time using coupons and it worked!!!! That trip would have been around $200 but after the discounts it dropped to $80. $200 vs $80?!?!? No questions

So that’s the info I have on coupons and couponing. Hope this helps you guys!!!!

#coupon #savemoney #shopping

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thisdaynews · 5 years

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Inside Trump’s Feud With Paul Ryan

New Post has been published on https://thebiafrastar.com/inside-trumps-feud-with-paul-ryan/

Inside Trump’s Feud With Paul Ryan

It was barely two o’clock in the afternoon and Paul Ryan was offering me a beer.

We stood in a cramped break room — microwave, sink, refrigerator stocked with Miller Lite — on the third floor of a brick building in Janesville, Wisconsin, making small talk before sitting down in his adjacent office for a lengthy interview. Ryan was relieved to be home. A few weeks earlier, he had packed up his final belongings and left Washington for good, ending a 20-year career in Congress that saw him occupy roles ranging from right-wing wunderkind to vice-presidential candidate to unifier of a fractured party to chief enabler of President Donald J. Trump.

Story Continued Below

That final leg of Ryan’s political journey had certainly been the most exhausting. Once upon a time, he had been mortified at the prospect of Trump as the GOP nominee, spending much of 2015 and 2016 telling anyone who would listen that the reality TV star was immoral and unfit for office. Even after Trump vanquished the Republican primary field, Ryan refused to muffle his objections, at one point memorably rebuking the party’s new standard-bearer for making “the textbook definition of a racist comment.” Yet when the time came for choosing on November 8, 2016 — to risk his speakership by continuing to hold the new president accountable, or preserve his standing in the party by taking a vow of silence — Ryan did not think twice. There was historic work to be done, he told friends, and quarreling with Trump would prove wholly counterproductive. He could not afford to be both the speaker of the Houseandthe conscience of the Republican Party.

What ensued was a bruising, mortifying, tortured 26 month partnership between two men who disliked one another but had become convinced of the necessity of a ceasefire. It was, Ryan told friends, at once the most auspicious and agonizing stretch of his adult life. Even while securing enormous new funding for the military and re-writing the tax code, he knew history would remember Republicans for operating in the shadow of a president whose performance eclipsed their hardest-won legislative accomplishments.

Ryan’s dilemma was much like the conundrum the Republican Party faces today: Do we condemn Trump’s latest offensive comments — in this case a string of tweets and remarks urging a quartet of Democratic lawmakers of color to “go back” to their countries of origin — or do we swallow our tongues and work with the man? Should we look to history’s judgment, or just try to get as much done as possible despite our distaste? Most Republicans have chosen the latter, even if they might regret it later.

Does Paul Ryan have regrets? A few. Having remained dutifully acquiescent until the day he left office — including during our first interview for the book, in the fall of 2018, when the speaker uttered nary a negative syllable about the president — he was ready to unleash in retirement. There was no mistaking the look in his eye or the tone in his voice; having covered the former House speaker for many years, talked with him countless times and studied his mannerisms, I could sense immediately when we met in Janesville that he was both liberated (hence the afternoon beer offering) and deeply, visibly agitated. He was ready, at long last, to unpack his conscience.

He started with some throat-clearing, touting the “legal substance that stands a longer test of time” than Trump’s demagoguery — a restructured tax code, a bigger military, a conservative judiciary. But Ryan’s grimace gave him away. It was obvious, as he went on talking about the “disruption” roiling the nation and how America has endured “ugly” periods before, that Ryan had begun to reckon with the legacy of Trumpism and his role in accessorizing it. It didn’t take much poking for the dam to burst.

“We’ve gotten so numb to it all,” he told me. “Not in government, but where we live our lives, we have a responsibility to try and rebuild. Don’t call a woman a ‘horse face.’ Don’t cheat on your wife. Don’t cheat on anything. Be a good person. Set a good example. And prop up other institutions that do the same. You know?”

For a man who ascended to the speakership, two heartbeats away from the American presidency, Ryan has never possessed finely tuned political antennae. His aides have long joked, and often cringed, about a certain aloofness that accompanied his self-projected image as a “policy guy.” But I got the sense that Ryan knew exactly what he was doing in that moment. It was not a momentary lapse when he invoked the president’s former porn-star mistress. Nor was it a slip of the tongue when, time and again as the interview wore on, he described Trump’s clumsiness as a chief executive, detailed the measures taken to keep the government from falling apart, and emphasized how often he’d held back on scolding the president publicly for fear of making a bad national situation worse.

Ryan recognized the gravity of what he was saying and the backlash it would invite from the most powerful man in the world. He also seemed to anticipate the outrage it would elicit from critics who would demand to know: Why not push back on the president’s misdeedswhile still holding the second-most powerful job in government?

“I felt a major onset of responsibility to help the institutions survive,” Ryan recalled, telling me how he didn’t sleep one wink on election night 2016. “So, from the next day on, my mantra was ‘Only one person can be speaker of the House. I’m not a pundit, I’m not a think-tanker. Our job from now on is to build up the country’s antibodies … to have the guardrails up, to drive the car down the middle of the road, and don’t let the car go off into the ditch.’”

Ryan added: “I told myself, I gotta have a relationship with this guy to help him get his mind right. Because, I’m telling you, he didn’t knowanythingabout government. So I thought, I can’t be his scold, like I was. … I wanted to scold him all the time. What I learned as I went on, to scratch that itch, I had to do it in private. So, I did it in private—all the time. And he actually ended up kind of appreciating it. We had more arguments with each other than pleasant conversations, over the last two years. And it never leaked.”

His justification for this approach is simple: The alternative could have been worse. If Ryan went after Trump every day, and the president went nuclear and pushed him out of the speakership, then who would be left to lead the House? Kevin McCarthy, a yes-man with far less inclination to tangle with Trump? Or perhaps one of the Freedom Caucus honchos, Jim Jordan or Mark Meadows, hard-liners known to encourage the president’s most self-destructive impulses? Like many of his allies in the administration — Jim Mattis, John Kelly, Rex Tillerson — Ryan believed that only by avoiding public confrontation with the president could he retain his influence, and that only by retaining his influence could he help mitigate the damage being done by Trump.

“Those of us around him really helped to stop him from making bad decisions.All the time,” Ryan says. “It worked pretty well. He was really deferential and kind of learning the ropes. … We helped him make much better decisions, which were contrary to kind of what his knee-jerk reaction was.”

Of course, Mattis and Kelly and Tillerson served as the pleasure of the president. Ryan did not. He was charged with leading a co-equal branch of the federal government, the one assigned primacy under Article I of the Constitution, the one responsible for checking the excesses and abuses of the executive. It’s true that speaking out might have cost him his job. But it’s also true that Ryan’s silence — and the silence of so many Republicans, from party leaders to rank-and-file members — emboldened Trump to push his rhetoric into ever-darker places.

The day I conceived of writing this book was Friday, January 8, 2016. I was in Columbia, South Carolina, having dinner with a friend and former colleague, Ron Brownstein, who pushed the idea of a reported narrative on the long-running Republican “civil war.” Ron and I were both in Columbia to cover an event Saturday morning: “The Poverty Summit,” as it was called, a forum co-hosted by Speaker Ryan and Senator Tim Scott meant to showcase the GOP’s outreach to poor and minority voters. In front of the most multiethnic crowd I’d ever seen at a Republican event, numerous presidential hopefuls — Marco Rubio, Jeb Bush, John Kasich — took turns joining Ryan and Scott on stage to discuss the imperative of expanding the party’s message, becoming more inclusive, embracing diversity and empathy as core American characteristics.

Donald Trump didn’t show up that day. He rejected the invitation to attend. That was just fine with Ryan: He told friends that weekend that it was their mission to neutralize Trumpism or else risk losing control of their party. “We have a bifurcated country, we have a polarized country,” Ryan told me that weekend, sitting inside a downtown hotel conference room. “One of the reasons I think it’s polarized is because of identity politics on the left. Now some on the right are playing it.” When I asked who on the right was guilty of playing identity politics, Ryan just smiled. It was a confident smile: Given what he knew about Republican politics, given the energy in Columbia that weekend, given the hunger he saw for unity and aspirational politics, he was going to lead the charge to vanquish Trumpism and deliver the GOP into a new era.

As we sat together three years later in Janesville, that smile had vanished. And it was Ryan — along with his vision for the party — who had been vanquished. He acknowledges he could have done more to push back against Trumpism, but knowing what we know now, he doubted it would have altered the outcome. As I wrote in the book:

For a long stretch of the 2016 campaign, Ryan refused to accept Trump’s takeover of the GOP. He traversed the stages of grief: denial (no way can Trump win), anger (“I called him a racist!”), bargaining (the RNC PowerPoint slides), and depression (“This is fatal,” he told Reince Priebus) before finally coming to terms with it. This resistance was grounded in a basic belief that the Republican Party was still his party. Looking back, Ryan says, he should have known better. Having considered the converging political, cultural, and socioeconomic events of the twenty-first century and reflected on them in the context of historical intraparty ideological swings, he recognizes now that the American right was primed, even overdue, for revolution.

That revolution produced a president who has remade conservatism, and the GOP itself, in his own image: “isolationist, protectionist, and kind of xenophobic, anti-immigrant,” as Ryan describes it. The party has fallen in line: The reason so few Republican lawmakers are willing to challenge Trump when he espouses hateful, bigoted rhetoric — as he did this week — is that they recognize the party is now Trump’s, and to challenge him is to suffer the sort of excommunication Ryan feared.

The irony, of course, is that Ryan wound up on Trump’s enemies list anyway — called “weak” and “stupid” and a “failure” by a president who leaned heavily on the speaker to pass the party’s legislative agenda through a fratricidal Congress.

If the past week has taught Republicans anything, it’s that history will not recall fondly those who wait until their time in government has expired to warn the world of the president’s inadequacies. Many will remain silent because they view his custody of the party as fleeting and unsustainable, believing that his eventual exit from office will allow them rehabilitate the Republican brand. And yet, that silence is what solidifies Trump’s chokehold on the American right — a lesson Ryan had to learn the hard way.

“Trumpism is a moment, a populist moment we’re in, that’s going to be here after Trump is gone. And that’s something that we’re gonna have to learn how to deal with,” Ryan says. “I’m a traditional conservative, and traditional conservatives are definitely not ascendant in the party right now. … We called our wing ‘the growth wing,’ and we won for a good 20 years. And now their wing is winning. But it’s cyclical. We beat the paleocons in the early nineties; they’re beating us now.

“The Reagan Republican wing beat the Rockefeller Republican wing,” Ryan concluded. “And now the Trump wing beat the Reagan wing.”

#Foreign #inside #Politics #Trump

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