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yandearest · 4 years

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May The Odds Be Ever in Your Favor (Hoseok x Reader Hunger Games AU) Chapter 1: The Reaping

Summary - Living in District 4 you never thought you would have to worry about being selected for the Hunger Games. With a training centre right near the dock of the houseboat you lived and fished from, your district was known for volunteers who trained their whole lives for a shot at glory and riches. But at age 18, your name is called and no girls volunteer to take your place. Your devastation is answered when Kim Namjoon volunteers for the males shortly after. Tall, muscular, highly intelligent and charming, the years of diligent preparation have bestowed Namjoon with the expectation of being the next District 4 champion after Finnick Odair last won 3 years ago.

Fishing for a living has granted you skills with a knife but, as your mentor Finnick is quick to describe, your beautiful face may well be your best asset.

Upon arrival in the Capitol you are quickly faced with the reality that Namjoon may not even be the biggest danger inside the Arena. Especially when you capture the obsessive attention of District 2′s own volunteer, and killing machine, Jung Hoseok. Hope soon fades from ‘survival’ to ‘the mercy of a painless death’ but Hoseok certainly has other plans.

Pairing - Hoseok x (fem)Reader

Genre - thriller, angst, yandere

Word Count 4.6K

Warnings - [in later chapters] major character death, graphic depictions of violence, swearing, obsession, dubcon-smut (smut will be marked so reading is optional), gore, unrealistically beautiful oc because I’m a sucker for that shitty trope and want to live vicariously through my writing (sue me)

The following is a dark fic featuring a yandere character, violence, obsession, and coercion. By no means does writing about this in a fictional setting condone any of those behaviours, much like Stephen King writing horror doesn’t mean he approves of psychotic killers in reality. Please avoid reading if any of these warnings makes you uncomfortable.

Cross posted on A03 so people can subscribe for updates/notifications

What little shred of hope for survival you may have had, after hearing your name announced from the reaping, was immediately squashed minutes later by two simple words. “I volunteer”.

Volunteers from District 4 were not uncommon. There was a not-so-secret training complex the capitol turned a blind eye to, in a warehouse near the docks. During your time in school you knew of several kids who trained before and after classes. At the age of twelve some of them dropped out all together, with the sole purpose of training every waking second of the day so they could volunteer at eighteen. There was no need for an education if your only purpose in life was to compete in a death match that offered a lifetime of rewards to the winner.

After the misfortune of having your name drawn you looked around, silently begging for one of the girls to come up and replace you, only for no takers. But when Kim Namjoon eagerly announced his intentions of volunteering (the reaped twelve-year-old boy on stage immediately bursting into grateful tears and rushing back to his mother in the square) it was easy to understand why no one had stepped up this year. Back when you had attended school, before dropping out to assist your father on his fishing boat after your mother died, Namjoon had been in some of your classes –although he very rarely showed up. He was immensely popular with everyone; in part because of his handsome physique and model like dimples, partially because of his superior intelligence, but mostly because it was well known he was by far the leader from all the kids in training.

You had never attended a training session (more fool you for thinking you would never be unlucky enough to have your name drawn, and banking on one of the girls who did train to take your place if you did) but the center near the wharf was close to where your family’s boat — that functioned as both a fishing ship and your house — was docked. During the many occasions you had walked past, you sometimes stopped to peer through a crack in the doorway and watch. A majority of the times you had seen Namjoon inside amongst the group of around twenty regulars; working out with weights, sparring with an array of weapons, or climbing the rope attached to the ceiling that was surely 30 feet high with nothing but cement to drop back down to. The years of work had turned the dimpled twelve-year-old you once shared a math class with into a lethal killing machine. And now you were going to be stuck in an arena with you as one of his targets.

You stood frozen as Namjoon strode up on stage, a grin on his face, waving to the camera before shaking the hand of the capitol’s representative — a pastel blue haired woman by the name of Periwinkle Eveweather. You could tell Periwinkle much preferred Namjoon to you from the twinkle in her eye at how well he was playing up to the camera. There would be no need for her to have to force him to act like being slaughtered like an animal was an honor, like she would for you. The next moments passed far too quickly in a blur, being lead off stage to bid farewell to your families. As you sobbed in your father’s arms, an only child saying your last goodbye, Namjoon was getting a pat on the back from his older sister, a previous volunteer and victor. Shortly after you were ushered on board to the train where you now sat, Namjoon at your side and your mentor sitting across the table.

A small part of your brain found it difficult to take Finnick Odair as a mentor seriously given he was younger than you. But your rational side was quick to silence that judgment with a reminder that exact dismissal of his age was a major contributing factor to his win three years ago. The feeling of despair ate away at your insides as Finnick took an immediate liking to Namjoon. You couldn’t blame him for it, Namjoon was by far the more likely of the two of you to survive, so it only made sense for him to put more attention on the candidate with the best chance, but it still made you feel awful none the less.

“And what about you YN?”

You jumped feeling Namjoon’s hand tapping your leg softly under the table, his head wordlessly nodding in Finnick’s direction without making any eye contact to you. You had become so distracted by the mug of tea in a decorative porcelain cup in your hands, you failed to recognize your mentor’s piercing sea green eyes were now focused on you.

“Sorry, what about my what?” you mumbled dumbly, feeling incredibly insecure at Finnick’s sigh.

“Your skills, what do you bring to the games?”

Well that explained why you had tuned out, there was no need for you to listen to Namjoon describing all the potential ways he was going to kill you within a week or so. And there were a hell of a lot of ways.

“I don’t know really, I’m not someone who’s trained like Namjoon,” you paused to think, pretending not to notice Namjoon’s smug smirk in the corner of your peripheral vision as Finnick frowned slightly.

“Neither was I, and that caused a lot of the careers to underestimate me,” Finnick replied, shooting Namjoon a pointed look which caused his smirk to disappear. You tried not to smile at that, settling instead for relaxing slightly into your seat.

“I can fish, so depending on the arena I can potentially find food, but more importantly I know my way around with a knife,” you declared, feeling a little more confident. The hopeless despair was still overwhelming but the least you could do for yourself, and your father, was to go out with honor.

“Very good,” Finnick nodded “don’t underestimate your face either.”

“My face?” You furrowed your eyebrows in confusion. “How am I supposed to kill anyone with that?”

Finnick sighed, leaning further back into the lounge he was occupying on his own, pinching the bridge of his nose on his handsome face in exasperation.

“Both of you listen, this is potentially more important than all of those little training sessions or fishing catches the both of you have ever made combined. You’re clearly genetically blessed to continue District 4’s reputation of having the most beautiful tributes, you in particular” He paused to lazily point in your direction. “If you actually want to win the games, you want the people of the capitol to adore you. And they’re a city of shallow cunts,” another pause to shoot a charming smile in Periwinkle’s direction “no offense”.

“Offense taken!” Periwinkle gasped indignantly but Finnick was already speaking over her without a care.

“And as shallow cunts what these people love, more than anything in their pathetic little vapid lives, is beauty. You,” a point to Namjoon, “have been training your whole life for this and will have a body to represent that. Show it off. They love flair, they love confidence, they love a show. Flex those biceps for them, they’ll go mad. Flash your abs and they’ll fall in love. And work those dimples, cause these suckers sure worked for me, got me a trident,” Finnick grinned to show off his smile and twin indents on each corner of his mouth, Namjoon mirrored the gesture and you felt your heart clench at how easily he seemed to turn on his charm. Tall, well built and handsome, he was just as gorgeous as Finnick. Too bad he was very likely about to be the literal death of you.

“And you,” Finnick turned his attention to your direction and you felt Namjoon’s eyes burning into you from the side “you’ll be the prettiest thing they’ve seen in years, possibly in the history of the games”

Your face flushed at the comment, even though you knew it wasn’t intended as a compliment. There was no point in sweet little lies to butter you up and the fact of the matter was you knew you had an aesthetically pleasing face. Your facial features were in perfect balance, skin clear, thick hair that fell to the middle of your back and eyes that you had been told sparkled like stars in the night.

“They’ll love that shit,” his finger lazily circled around pointing to your cheeks that were flushed in embarrassment at his candid assessment of your appearance.

“These people are so used to artificial, that something so beautiful and pure will be coveted like the fattest diamond they could possibly hang from their necks. You ever fucked a guy, sweetheart?”

“Excuse me?” you balked at the invasive question, earning a sharp laugh out of Namjoon, a scandalized shriek from Periwinkle, and an eye roll from Finnick.

“I’ll take that for a yes and don’t worry I’m not interested. The capitol thrives on corruption, greed, and a need to claim rare treasures for their own. Put an innocent little dove like you, with a face like yours, in front of them and they’ll go insane. Act right at the parade and in your interviews and you’ll have sponsors gifting you everything you could ever need in that arena”.

You sat wide eyed not even knowing how to respond. You didn’t bother with arguing over the status of your supposed virginity because whether it was true or not didn’t actually matter, it was all about the perception. If getting dolled up and fluttering your eyelashes could potentially result in a knife being dropped from the sky in the arena, you could suck it up and give these disgusting people what they wanted.

The train ride to the capitol took just under three days in total. During that time Finnick and Namjoon spent a lot of time together, which you weren’t surprised with in the least. It was only natural to favor the tribute with the better odds, as much as Finnick’s little speech on the first day tried to make you think you could have a chance. Finnick still made some time for you though, which was mostly spent on guiding you how to attract sponsors. You spent a majority of the time in your room, a lot of it crying, most of it sleeping, and some of it playing around with technologies you had never had access to before in your life. The only time you really saw Namjoon was during breakfast and dinner where you ate together with Finnick to discuss district strategy. You weren’t surprised at all by Namjoon’s plan to join the career pack, but you were slightly surprised when he spoke of you as a part of that plan. You were a little annoyed he didn’t even think to ask your opinion, but logically speaking it’s not like you had any option. It was either join them or make yourself an easy target. Plus, any alliance with Namjoon reduced your need to have kill any other tributes personally. The only thing now was to hope districts 1 and 2 were as receptive to the idea as you were.

When you arrived at the capitol you were immediately ushered into a clinic that was like a fusion between a spa and a hospital. You were stripped, examined, and assessed by a doctor before being dressed in a paper thin hospital gown. After a painful injection (“that’s your tracker dear, so the capitol can monitor you in the arena”) you were passed over to the beauty department who scrubbed, exfoliated, waxed, showered, moisturized, treated, conditioned and polished your entire body from head to toe. But at the end when you were standing before a mirror, you could see the results were worth it.

As Finnick had stated, you were already beautiful to start with, but it was like taking an uncut gem and polishing the stone to make it shine. Your hair was a couple of inches shorter with all the damage from years of saltwater being trimmed off. A treatment of conditioners you couldn’t care to remember had tamed your thick locks into smooth waves that had been layered to frame your face and flow prettily down your back. Whatever impurities that existed on your skin before had been entirely lasered away, and your whole complexion was now soft and glowing. Your eyebrows had been plucked into identical manicured arches and some sort of needled gun had permanently filled them in. A gel had been applied to your lips to boost their plumpness, without overly inflating them or drastically changing their shape, giving your mouth a cherubic quality. Staring at your reflection you raised a perfectly manicured finger to poke at your cheek, feeling the new silky smoothness beneath your fingertip, watching as your mirror image copied the action. It was surreal. You recognized the person in front of you as yourself, all of your features were still the same, but just somehow perfected?

You mostly ignored the gushing of your newly assigned stylist team — a set of triplets named Ruby, Garnet and Quartz — as they picked out garments, stretched measuring tape across and around your body and argued over what colors would bring out your eyes the best. They were sweet and well meaning with their compliments, but the growing nerves over being prepped for the chariot parade in a few hours made you unreceptive.

The concept they eventually decided on for your fishing district was ‘Rulers of the Sea’ and you were dressed in a Grecian inspired gown. The iridescent blue and green material, that sparkled like the sun reflecting off the ocean, was clasped at the top of your left shoulder with a silver broach in the shape of a starfish. Intricate embroidery was patterned around around the waist where the fabric was cinched tightly to create an overly enhanced hourglass silhouette. The bottom half flowed to your sandal clad feet and seemed to sway with the slightest of moments, a split on the right ran to the middle part of your thigh. Your eyes were a smoky combination of the colors from your dress, lashes coated in extensions and a layer of mascara to give you a seductive yet doe eyed appearance. There was a strange dichotomy in your styling where they were attempting to preserve your ‘natural’ and ‘innocent’ traits whilst simultaneously taking full advantage of the fact you were eighteen in order to market sex appeal.

Your favorite part (that you hated to admit even liking given the circumstance you were even in) was your hair. A section from each side had been pulled away and pinned at the back in a princess style, with numerous tiny clips of glowing sea shells and starfish holding it in place. Glittery extensions had been clipped in tastefully creating an appearance as if your hair was literally shining. This was then finished off by an ornate tiara placed on the top of your head.

By the time you were finished your stylists were practically in tears, fawning over you and calling you’re their greatest masterpiece. They mistook your eyes watering as pride in their work and not disgust at their pride in dressing a cow off before sending it to the slaughterhouse.

“No dear, you can’t cry and ruin all that make up we just spent so much time perfecting” Ruby chided, dabbing at your eyes with a tissue as Quartz and Garnet guided you out the door and into the small vehicle which was about to take you from the clinic to the parade. You didn’t dignify her with a response, merely grabbing the tissue from her hand as you were forced into the car. As soon as you were inside the car sped off, arriving at the destination very shortly after. From behind your tinted windows you could see horses being lead to empty chariots and your first sight of the other tributes, the people you were either going to have to kill or be killed by.

When the car stopped, Finnick was the one to open your door and offer you a hand to get out, which you accepted. As you stood up he appraisingly ran his eyes over all the details of your make-over, before nodding his approval.

“They did well,” he stated and you nodded your head in passive agreement as he dropped your hand to press his to the small of your back and guide you towards your chariot. Namjoon was already there, dressed in his own Grecian toga of the same fabric with a crown on the top of his newly styled hair. Sensing your arrival, he turned to look at you. Namjoon’s eyes widened comically before quickly composing his features almost as instantly as he had reacted. “Very well,” Finnick whispered, and you allowed an amused puff of air out.

“Your chariot awaits my dear,” Finnick said with a mock bow as he nudged you towards Namjoon, who extended his arm for you to hold on to. Not sure what else to do, you placed your hand delicately on his forearm, his other hand then coming to rest over the top. For a brief moment as Namjoon guided you both into the chariot, you could almost imagine you were a princess being taken to a ball by a handsome prince, but any such delusions were ruined by what Namjoon whispered next.

“It’s such a shame there can only be one winner, you really look good by my side.”

Your jaw clenched and you moved to rip your hand off his arm but his grip over yours instantly tightened with a laugh, as if expecting that exact reaction.

“Calm down princess, I don’t plan on killing your pretty little face for a while yet.”

You looked up at him like he was insane as the chariot began to move forward. He thought your reaction was from fear he was going to kill you now? And not that he perceived your life as only having value from being pretty enough for him? You were furious and about to rip into him before you heard the approaching roar of the crowd ahead at the end of the tunnel. Namjoon was oblivious to your rage, a perfectly poised smile, flexing his dimples that Finnick would be proud of, already painted on his face. You paused, for all you knew that could be an attempt to psych you out before facing the crowds, potentially losing you sponsor opportunities. Turning away from Namjoon, you took a deep breath to try and compose yourself. You plastered the docile soft-smiled wide eyed expression on your face that you had practiced with Finnick on the train, as your carriage emerged form the tunnel and onto the road lined with screaming spectators.

The entire parade was a blur of flashing lights, fireworks, thunderous cheering and echoes from the microphone that distorted whatever message the president greeted you with. By the time your chariot returned to the tunnel your mind was entirely blank but with the satisfied nod from Finnick as he waited to welcome you both back, you knew you had done well.

“If District 2 is anything to go by then you’ve won yourself a lot of admirers tonight” Finnick practically sang as he helped you down. Confused by his words you turned around looking for the other district to see the duo from two, the carriage over from yours. Dressed in gladiator styled garments, that was common from them every year, the girl was fiddling with a ruby dagger (you hoped was just a prop) whilst the boy was staring straight at you. ‘Boy’ was the wrong word to describe him, as he definitely had to have been the same age as you, if anything he looked slightly more mature than the legal age to even be here. He was tall, though not as tall as Namjoon, and lithe. Beneath a decorative breastplate you could see his sun kissed golden skin adorned with the toned definition of his pectoral and abdominal muscles. His face was incredibly handsome, by far the most handsome of any of the male tributes. Rich copper hair had been styled to frame his aristocratic features; a high bridged pointed nose, high cheekbones, sharp jawline and rich dark chocolate brown eyes that were intently focused on you.

“Speaking to other tributes before training is technically not allowed, but it’s enforced the same way as your training centers are, so not at all. You’ve got five minutes until those cars arrive to take you to the living quarters, go talk to the careers and work out an alliance,” You broke the eye contact to look at Finnick as he spoke, clearly having witnessed your little interaction.

Namjoon took the lead, confidently stepping off the carriage with a winning smile and striding towards the pair from two. With a sigh you hitched up the long material of your dress and followed behind him. You could still feel the male’s eyes burning into your skull as you looked across to notice the pair from District 1 also making their way over — their own mentor likely having given them the same advice as your own.

“I’m Namjoon and this is YN,” you weren’t particularly pleased by Namjoon deciding to speak on your behalf, but chose to roll your eyes behind him rather than interrupting. “We’re interested in continuing a long standing tradition of successful career pack alliances. I assume from you joining us over here, that you are as well.”

“I would typically say that to assume only makes an ‘ass’ out of ‘u’ and ‘me’, but in this instance you are correct,” the other male from District 1 spoke. You tried to stifle a laugh, but the warning glare Namjoon shot you from the corner of his eye told you that it wasn’t successful. You merely smiled back and blinked innocently with a shrug.

“My name’s Yoongi, and an alliance would be in all of our best interests.” He was shorter than Namjoon and District 2, only an inch or two taller than yourself, but somehow still just as intimidating. His pale skin was contrasted by pitch black hair and sharp coal like eyes that were openly assessing the group of you.

“Krystal,” his district mate offered by means of introduction, and you wondered if the two were siblings. She shared his light complexion, dark eyes and her sleek midnight hair was dead straight down past her waist. Both were dressed in black, their outfits embodying the luxury their district was known for; Yoongi in a tailored suit with subtle embroidery detail, Krystal in an elegant fitted gown made of the same fabric, both topped off with luxurious fur capes draped over their shoulders.

“I’m Athena and he’s Hoseok,” the girl from two spoke. She appeared to be the same height as Yoongi but you noticed a heel on her sandals giving her an extra few inches. You couldn’t bring yourself to look across to Hoseok, knowing his gaze still hadn’t broken since staring at you from the carriage.

“Is that real?” you asked, gesturing towards the dagger Athena had been playing with before that was now held limply in her right hand.

“Why don’t we find out,” she replied with a smirk, instantly flipping the dagger in her hands to point the tip between your eyes.

“Athena!” Hoseok hissed dangerously, slapping the dagger from her hands and cause it to fall onto the ground below. The lack of metallic ‘clang’ revealing it as fake.

“Calm down, it was a joke!” Athena snapped back, reaching down to pick it back up, whilst shaking her head in annoyance. Before you could assure her it was fine, Hoseok stepped forward to present you with his own version of the prop. Reaching out he grabbed your wrist to place the ‘dagger’ in your hand.

“See, the material is just a type of fiber that gives the illusion of metal, but is really not hard at all.” Gently he ran the blade along your palm, and true to his word there was no edge at all. But the image still looked real and seeing a blade dancing across your skin, knowing someone was going to try to kill you with a real one very soon, made you feel ill. Sensing your discomfort from the trembling hand, Hoseok immediately pocketed the knife, but still maintained his hold on your wrist.

“Don’t worry, I’m not going to hurt you, angel,” he spoke softly and you frantically looked to the others to see if they could hear him. Namjoon who was the closest merely looked amused, Athena was showing Yoongi the fake dagger, whilst Krystal had her eyebrow raised in your direction.

“I hope not,” you awkwardly tried to joke, pulling your wrist slightly to subtly try and break the hold, but he only tightened his grip forcing you to look up and back into his eyes again. His gaze from a distance had already been intense but up close it was heart stopping. There was a passion in his eyes you had never seen before in your life and it was solely focused entirely on you. It was frightening, you couldn’t imagine what you had possibly done to warrant being on the receiving end of something so intense. You tilted your head down and away from the others, humiliated over being so easily intimidated. If an attractive man holding your wrist and making eye contact with you was all it took to fluster you, you may as well just sign your own death certificate now.

“Hey, look at me,” he whispered, dropping your wrist to place his finger on your chin and raise your head back upwards, though you kept your eyes lowered, staring at his jawline to avoid direct eye contact again.

“I’m promise I won’t hurt you, love. Not now, not ever.”

You were about to ask him how he could possibly say something like that given you were about to become direct competitors in a battle to the death, when a sharp whistle stole your attention. Snapping your head to the side you saw Finnick jerk his head, indicating for you and Namjoon to return. You exhaled in relief, grateful for the reprieve.

“We’ll see you tomorrow,” Namjoon said to the group, moving next to you and causing Hoseok to pull his hand away. You nodded to show your agreement with Namjoon whilst making eye contact with the other three you barely had a chance to speak to. You hoped they didn’t think that you were somehow forming something just with Hoseok based on his actions. You were going to need all the help you possibly could get if you wanted a chance to survive.

“Tomorrow,” Krystal agreed, making proper eye contact with you for the first time. She was smaller in height than you, thinner too, but somehow carried a cold and intimidating aura. You offered her a polite smile in return and a nod, relieved when she nodded back, before you returned to Finnick with Namjoon.

“How did it go? Looked pretty good” Finnick asked just as the capitol vehicle pulled up to take you to the tribute quarters.

“It seems our little dove here won’t just have the capitol for an admirer,” Namjoon smirked, getting into the car.

“So I saw,” Finnick muttered as a reply to Namjoon’s back, then turned to face you.

“Don’t let him psych you out,” he said, stepping aside so you could follow Namjoon into the vehicle.

You glanced at Namjoon before turning back to see Hoseok standing by his car but staring directly at you again. His eyes were still radiating the same intense passion from moments ago, you had no idea what to make of it.

“Who?” you whispered back to Finnick, ducking your head as you stepped inside. Finnick moved to shut the door.

“Both of them”

This is basically an introductory chapter to gauge reception. Future updates should be longer. I have the whole fic plotted and the outline itself is 5.9K words and this chapter was only based on the first paragraph. The next update will focus on the training sessions/interview with Caesar and the update after should be the one where they actually enter the arena.

Feedback is much loved, but please avoid asking for updates. I don’t have a schedule but I do have crippling depression so I write when the motivation hits lol

#yandere hoseok #yandere bts #bts x reader #hoseok x reader #yandere bts fic #hunger games au #hoseok fic #hoseok au #hoseok x you #yandere jung hoseok #yandere #dark jhope #dark bts #dark bts au

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mayquita · 4 years

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Damn You For Making Me Love You (11/15) - I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing

Thank you so so much, for your likes, reblogs, kudos and comments. It means the world to me.

Beta-Reader: Thank you so much, @ultraluckycatnd I couldn’t have asked for a better beta. Thank you for all your effort, your suggestions, your advice and for always being there when I needed you.

Special mention to @saraswans and @onceuponaprincessworld, thank you so much for your perpetual support and for believing in me and in the story. Thank you again to the moderators of the event, @captainswanbigbang for giving us this opportunity and making this possible. You all are the best :)

Summary: Emma Swan and Killian Jones are close friends and co-workers. And both are in love with each other. The problem? They keep their feelings secret not only to the other but also to the rest of their friends. When Elsa, Emma’s best friend and Liam, Killian’s brother and Emma’s boss find out, they decide to form an alliance and work as a team with a clear goal, to get Emma and Killian to take the next step in their relationship and confess their love for each other.

Rating: M

Word count: ~ 7100 (98k total in 15 chapters)

Ao3 / FFnet

About this chapter: Welcome to Storybrooke... Last flashback of this story. In fact, almost the entire chapter is a huge flashback, which makes me a little nervous about your reaction. Still, I had a great time writing it and it felt like it was kind of a tribute to the show as I tried to include several significant elements from Storybrooke. I hope you like it :)

Chapter 10: I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing

Killian - December 2019

Killian couldn't believe what just happened. It was as if by the time Emma finally pressed her lips to his, his brain had stopped working properly, his mind plagued with pictures coming in flashes while he felt like his body might combust.

Although it had been a few minutes since Emma ran away, he hadn't yet been able to recover, not when he still had difficulty catching his breath. Not when his lips still tingled, craving for more; not when he could still feel a soft humming under his skin. But above all, he felt slightly dizzy, the memories that clustered in his head too powerful to be stopped, making him unable not only to process what had just happened but to react to Emma's sudden departure.

He would have gone after her if his legs had responded to him, or at least would have tried to stop her or talk to her, but he hadn't even been able to utter any sound. Instead, he remained paralyzed and in a state of astonishment that he had not yet recovered from.

After letting out a deep breath, he leaned on the door, letting his head rest against the smooth surface as he put a hand to his mouth and brushed his lower lip with his fingertips. He then closed his eyes, his tongue licking his lips in a desperate attempt to retain the vestiges of her taste while an unstoppable wave of memories took up residence in his mind. Unable to fight them, he simply gave up and allowed that incredible moment that he had treasured as the most precious of dreams to finally come true.

Storybrooke - Fifteen months ago

When Liam announced that they would take an unexpected trip over the weekend, Killian could barely contain his enthusiasm, especially when he learned that Emma would also accompany them.

Killian didn't even care that the absence of the three of them during the weekend would imply that they would be depositing the reins of The Kraken in the hands of Robin and Ruby. But if his brother, who was the business expert, considered it feasible, he wouldn't be the one to complain. Especially since, after all, as Liam had assured, it was a business trip.

Emma didn't think it was, apparently. Something that Killian found amusing in a way, since she seemed to care more about the success of the business than the owners themselves, or at least one of them.

"I don't quite get it. Wouldn't it be more appropriate for us to travel in the middle of the week?" Emma asked, her eyebrows knitting together in confusion as she crossed her arms over her chest.

Killian watched her reaction carefully, praying silently that she wouldn't want to stay behind and not travel.

"I'm afraid it's not possible, lass. I already have an appointment scheduled for Friday afternoon," Liam explained without giving further details. Killian internally thanked Liam that he hadn't suggested that Emma stay behind. "In addition, there's this place that we are going to visit that is only open on weekends. So, there is that," his brother added, giving his voice an enigmatic tone while raising an eyebrow.

That's how they ended up in Liam's car on Friday morning with Storybrooke, a small town in Maine, as a destination. The trip did not start well for Killian, since last night he hadn't been able to chain together more than two hours of sleep in a row. Probably because of the nerves generated by the prospect of spending three whole days with Emma in a different environment, for once.

Emma had spent the night in their apartment so they could leave earlier the next morning. So when he had risen sporting the obvious signs of lack of sleep, far from showing a little commiseration for him, Liam and Emma had found in him a target for their jokes. To make matters worse, his brother had decided to betray him, offering Emma the passenger seat, so he had to resign himself to occupy the back seat, all alone.

"It's too early to be in a grumpy mood, little brother," Liam addressed him through the rearview mirror. "Don't take it personally, but Emma is a better co-driver than you."

On that, he agreed with Liam. Emma was better than him, not only as a co-driver but practically in everything, except perhaps in singing, but he wasn't going to admit that out loud. "It's younger. Besides, you're using the bloody GPS, why do you need a co-driver?"

Killian heard giggles coming from Emma, but at least she kept silent. The last thing he needed was the two of them allying against him once more, taking advantage of his moment of weakness.

"You're right, I'll put it another way. Since Emma has already ingested her morning dose of caffeine, her company is much nicer than yours. Better?”

In response, he let out a huff of annoyance as he grabbed his phone and connected the earphones, ready to ignore the other two throughout the trip. Emma decided to join the party before he even had time to put the earbuds in his ears, though.

Even from his position, Killian could see her playful expression through the mirror in the sun visor. "Come on, Killian, you're such a drama queen. We did it thinking of you, so you can sleep all the way."

He was tempted to do just that, but the lack of sleep was wreaking havoc on him, pushing him to act like the immature person he was sometimes. So instead of sleeping, he dedicated himself for the rest of the trip to keep Emma busy in her co-driver job.

"I'm hot, turn on the air conditioner."

"It’s cold now, can you turn up the temperature?"

"The radio's volume is too low."

“I hate that station, can you switch to a different one?"

Killian wasn't sure what was driving him to act in such an impertinent way, but he seemed unable to stop, to the point that he soon managed to spread his bad mood to the other two occupants of the vehicle.

Only when the Welcome to Storybrooke sign came into view did he manage to relax and remain silent, focusing instead on observing the landscape through the window. His brother and Emma probably appreciated the break as they also remained silent, the music of his favorite station the only sound that resonated inside the car.

Even without getting out of the car, Killian detected a particular aura in the streets. It was as if the thick forest that bordered the town had functioned as a kind of time portal sending them back to the 80s. It was a quaint place, no doubt, so he was immediately attracted, his tiredness and his previous irritability gradually fading as they moved along the main street.

That improvement in their moods was fleeting, though. It lasted exactly five minutes, the time it took to park the car in front of the bed and breakfast where they would be staying and discover that there was a misunderstanding with the rooms booked by Liam.

"See? Here, Mr. Jones, a double room." The person behind the counter, an old woman with gray hair looking at them over her glasses, insisted, an exasperated expression on her face as she pointed to the hand-written reservation on a notebook, which seemed to be at least the same age as the woman. No sign of any technological device on the counter, unless we consider a phone that looked as old as everything else around.

"Excuse me, ma'am, I don't know if I explained myself correctly. I contacted by phone a week ago to reserve two rooms, one single and one double." Liam raised a hand with two fingers up, to emphasize his words and then waved the other hand to encompass the three of them. "Besides, as you can see, we are three people." Although Liam maintained a polite tone, Killian did not miss the hint of irritation in his voice.

"That won't be a problem, Mr. Jones." The woman waved her hand in a dismissive gesture. "There is enough space to place an additional bed."

"And what about if you get us an additional room instead?" It was almost fun to watch Liam struggling to stay polite but gradually losing his patience.

"I'm afraid it won't be possible, sir." The old woman affirmed, her tone not apologetic at all.

Killian exchanged a furtive glance with Emma, who kept her lips pressed together as if trying to hide an incipient grin. Liam instead seemed increasingly annoyed. He pinched the bridge of his nose before addressing the woman again. "And may I ask why?"

"We're celebrating a festival in the village during the weekend. It is quite popular in the surroundings, so we already have all the rooms reserved, I'm afraid." Just when Killian was about to intervene, suggesting Liam to let it pass, that they would find another accommodation, the woman continued as if she had read his mind. "I must also add that this is the only establishment of this kind in the town."

"Of course it is," Liam grumbled under his breath, though not low enough that Killian wouldn't hear it. Emma, on the other hand, let out a snort before speaking.

"Come on guys, it's not like it will be the first time we sleep under the same roof. It's not a big deal," Emma assured as she shrugged one of her shoulders.

"So a double room then?" the woman behind the counter asked as she held what looked like a heavy metal key in her hand. Liam simply nodded in silence. "Good. And now if you are so kind as to wait here for a few minutes, I will inform my assistant to install the additional bed."

"Uhm, thank you," Liam muttered as he grabbed the old key.

"I guess there will be at least two beds," Killian commented a few minutes later as they climbed the stairs after they were told that the room was available for them.

There was one king-size bed.

And a tiny cot.

After leaving their belongings in a corner, Killian and his brother began to inspect the room while discussing possible sleeping arrangements and tried to locate an alternative that could function as an improvised bed.

"At least the bathtub is an adequate size."

"Guys..."

"And that armchair seems quite comfortable."

"Guys..."

"Look, there are several blankets inside the closet."

"GUYS!" The two men snapped their heads in the direction of Emma, who remained in the middle of the room with her arms crossed over her chest, a scowling expression on her face. "Are you guys seriously discussing sleeping options when we already have full space for all three? What is this, a kind of old fashioned chivalry act or something?” She didn't even give them time to reply, since she immediately added, "I'm the one who will sleep in the damn cot."

They had managed to piss her off, if the tone of her voice and her sulky expression were an indication, but Killian felt a special predilection for the fire in her gaze that appeared on these occasions. He was tempted to continue teasing her, but he thought better and instead tried to offer an explanation.

"Swan..."

"Don’t Swan me," Emma cut him off abruptly. "You two can share the large bed. That's final." Killian and Liam exchanged one last look and then Killian looked back at her with an apologetic expression, scratching behind his ear, while his brother remained quietly beside him. They knew it was better not to argue with Emma in these situations. "And now, can we continue with our plans?"

"Just for the record, Swan. This wasn't about you. Rather, I wanted to avoid sharing a bed with him. Believe me, sleeping with Liam is probably more torture than sleeping in that awkward contraption."

His comment got a smile from Emma. Liam, on the contrary, let out a snort while rolling his eyes, although that wasn't enough to stop Killian. "Can you imagine hearing a constant snoring in your ear while he keeps stirring in bed while he sleeps? That's my brother." Killian kept teasing Liam, nudging him with his shoulder as he stifled a laugh, earning a glare from his brother.

"Of course I'm the one to blame here. Why doesn't that surprise me?" Liam shook his head, a heavy sigh escaping his mouth. "Now that the sleeping arrangements are made, can we get out of this room now? We have an appointment." Liam's voice revealed that he was upset, not only because of Killian's comment but because of the previous awkward situation with the old woman. "And I don't snore."

This time Killian couldn't suppress a chuckle bubbling in his throat while Emma also burst out laughing, approaching Liam and tapping him on the shoulder. "Sure, Liam."

This weekend was going to be definitely interesting, to say the least.

They went to have lunch at the diner adjacent to the B&B. The place had a retro air that seemed consistent with the rest of the town, but at least the food was delicious, so tasty and greasy. It turned out that the diner was also run by the same old woman who had attended them in the other establishment. Liam's face of disbelief when he saw the same woman behind the restaurant counter was hilarious. This time, she —Mrs. Lucas, they learned — was much kinder to them.

Still, she subjected them to visual scrutiny from behind the counter while they placed their orders. Whatever it was that she observed, she must have been satisfied because she didn't hesitate to serve the dishes herself while offering first a speech about the town and its inhabitants, and then go on to question them in a not so subtle way about the reason that had led them there, as well as to inquire about more personal issues.

Although it might seem odd, Killian didn't feel uncomfortable with the interrogation and, if the expressions on their faces were an indication, neither of his two companions seemed to be either. It might be the atmosphere around them, or the spirit of these small towns, where everyone knew each other and looked after the others. In addition, the interrogation allowed them to finally know the real reasons for their trip to Maine. Or at least one of them.

Liam planned to carry out some remodeling at the bar, including installing a new bar counter with an even more naval look. That's why they were meeting Marco and his son, August. Following the footsteps of Mrs. Lucas, these inhabitants of Storybrooke seemed equally welcoming, immediately engaging them in an animated conversation where the trio were told part of their story. Marco was a master carpenter who worked in a small workshop located on the ground floor of his house. Despite his age, he was still active, receiving sporadic help from his son August, who was also a writer.

Killian was not sure how Liam had known about their existence, but he only needed a simple look inside the workshop to know that his brother had made the right choice. Not only because of Marco's evident skill working the wood, but also because he seemed like a really kind and considerate person.

Once they finalized the details of their request, they found that they would have the rest of the day free, so they decided to integrate with the rest of the population and discover more aspects of the quaint town and its inhabitants. And what better way than to go to that popular festival that was being held there?

The festive environment was evident with a simple glance at the streets. Killian was surprised because he hadn't noticed those details when they first entered the town a few hours earlier, but now he could see how the facades of the shops were decorated with pennants and colored garlands. Following the crowd, they arrived at a square where they had installed numerous stalls offering handicrafts and food.

Everyone seemed friendly and, except for some suspicious looks, they were treated kindly and even were encouraged to participate in the numerous activities developed at the festival's heart. It was a pleasure to see both his brother and Emma enjoy themselves in such a carefree way, without worries, without pressures, just being carried away by the rest of the people around. Liam couldn't have been more correct in getting them out of their usual routine for once.

They were even introduced to the local sheriff, Graham Humbert, a guy who, like the rest of the people around, seemed kind and welcoming. There was something about him that Killian didn't like at all, though. He didn't particularly enjoy seeing how his eyes lingered on Emma more than necessary or how the smile on his face seemed to widen every time he addressed her. An unpleasant sensation settled in his stomach as his lips drew a tight smile. Killian had to resist the urge to place one of his arms on Emma's shoulders and draw her towards him in a possessive manner.

To his relief, the encounter with the bloody sheriff was quite short since he was on duty, working to ensure the safety of the event.

"If I didn't know you so well, I'd say you were jealous." Emma's words in his ear caught him off guard. He had remained so distracted watching the sheriff walking away that he hadn't even realized that she had approached him until she almost touched him.

"Good thing you know me so well then, don't you?" he managed to reply in a careless tone as he waggled his eyebrows and his lips curled into a grin.

In response, Emma gave him a skeptical glance before turning away again in search of his brother, who had stopped at one of the stalls. After letting out a sigh and shaking his head, Killian had no choice but to follow her.

Killian woke up early the next day when the sun had just begun to appear. He was not surprised to see Liam lying beside him sleeping soundly, soft snores escaping between his partially parted lips. At some point, he might have kicked the covers away, since he laid on the mattress with nothing wrapped around him.

His eyes then turned to his other side, seeing Emma lying asleep on the cot. Unlike his brother, she was wrapped up, only her head remained exposed. Although the contraption didn't look particularly comfortable, that didn't seem to have affected her, since her relaxed features denoted that she was having a restful sleep. Killian allowed himself these moments to delight in the serenity that radiated from her as a well-known song began to play in his head.

I could stay awake just to hear you breathing Watch you smile while you are sleeping While you're far away dreaming I could spend my life in this sweet surrender I could stay lost in this moment forever Every moment spent with you is a moment I treasure

It was as if the lyrics had been written to describe that precise moment. Of course, they weren't sharing the same bed, and they weren't even lovers, but the feeling was the same, nonetheless, at least on his part. He was grateful that he still had the music and the possibility of expressing his feelings through the lyrics. He made a mental note of including that song in his repertoire. Maybe there would come a time when he could dedicate it or another equally romantic one to her.

The need to reach out his hand to touch her, even if it was to remove a strand of hair that partially covered her face, was almost irresistible to the point that he needed all his willpower to look away and curb his creepy stalker behavior.

After one last look at her, he finally got up from the bed and walked stealthily toward the bathroom. Emma might not seem uncomfortable while she slept, but it was more than likely that she would wake up with her usual moodiness. So, taking advantage of having woken up so early, he thought that a visit to the diner was in order, at least to provide his sleeping beauty with her daily dose of caffeine.

Several hours later, the three of them were already walking through the streets of Storybrooke, this time with a new destination, the docks. The stroll was quite pleasant, not only for the good company, but for the warm temperatures and the sea breeze that caressed their faces. He definitely liked this little town, where time seemed to have stopped or at least seemed to pass more slowly, allowing them to enjoy the small pleasures of life.

Killian suspected that it wasn't a walk through a random place, but one that had a specific purpose. But Liam, showing off his usual stubbornness, had refused to reveal the mystery. "Be patient, little brother, all in due time."

Well, it seemed that the time had finally arrived. The first thing Killian's eyes fell on when they reached the docks was the magnificent vessel moored there, occupying a privileged place that made it stand out from the rest of the boats.

"Is that...?"

"Aye. An actual restored pirate ship." From his expression of ill-concealed pride, it seemed as if he owned the ship instead of being a simple tourist who had been fortunate to find out about its existence.

That didn't imply that he downplayed his merit. After all, they were here because of him. There was also no need to feed Liam's ego, though. Emma thought differently, of course.

"For real?" She looked surprised, her eyes traveling intermittently from Liam to the ship while her mouth hung open. "This is awesome."

"For real." Liam nodded his head vigorously to emphasize his words. "And what's better, they organize guided tours every weekend. That's the reason we couldn't travel here any other day."

"I wonder if they will allow us to take pictures of the interior, to get inspiration, you know." Killian couldn't help a smile of affection from spreading on his lips. Emma was so involved not only in their lives but in the business that she had ended up adopting their passion for the sea.

"There's only one way to find out. Shall we?" Liam asked as he offered Emma his arm in a gentlemanly manner.

The Jolly Roger. That was the name of the ship. It seemed obvious that this wasn't its original name but rather it was the one that its owners — or the people in charge in the town — had adopted to be in accordance with the place. Still, the name couldn't be more appropriate.

When they arrived at the pier there was already a group of five people waiting there. They didn't take long to be called and shuffled by way of the access ramp onto the main deck of the ship where they met with three other people. The smile Killian was sporting faltered a little when she saw that one of those people was none other than the bloody sheriff.

Killian clenched his jaw and resisted the temptation to take a look at Emma to check her reaction. Instead, he focused on the three guys in front of him.

"Hello everyone and welcome aboard the Jolly Roger!" Graham was the first to speak, addressing the group with an affable expression and a broad smile. "As a town representative, I would like to make a short introduction before the tour begins." Graham's eyes traveled through all attendees, probably to make sure he had their attention before continuing. Killian didn't miss that his gaze lingered a little longer on Emma than on the rest — Or maybe he was imagining things — Bloody hell! He needed to pull himself together and stop those thoughts.

"As you may have already learned thanks to my uniform, I'm not the captain of this ship, but a mere sheriff. Unfortunately our captain was indisposed." Killian heard a murmur of disappointment from the other members of the group, but Graham hastened to continue. "But that won't prevent you from enjoying this magnificent visit to a true pirate ship that is completely restored."

"Too bad. I was waiting for someone dressed as a pirate," Emma whispered at his side, ignoring Graham's explanations, a mischievous smile on her face, so Killian had no choice but to play along.

"At least the guy with the red beanie looks like a sailor. Doesn't he remind you of Mr. Smee, by the way? You know, the one from Peter Pan?" Killian muttered back, getting a quiet chuckle from Emma in response.

Then, she moved closer to him, resting a hand on his shoulder and standing on tiptoe to reach his ear. "The other guy, the charming one, looks even less like a pirate."

"The charming one?"

"Yeah, the guy with blond hair. He seems more like a prince, or something."

"So he would be Prince Charming?" This time Emma's laugh was loud, causing some faces to turn in her direction.

"Shhhhh," Liam hissed, addressing them with a scowl. "Are you going to behave like two adults for once?"

"Aye, aye Captain," Killian replied mockingly and then turned his head and winked at Emma, who had her lips pressed together as if she was making an effort not to burst out laughing again.

Killian's lips drew a triumphant smile when he turned his attention back to Graham. At that moment, he couldn't care less about acting like the immature person he was if he managed to get Emma's attention and make her laugh.

"I would like to introduce you to William, who is the one with more knowledge about this ship, and my deputy, David Nolan, who has quite the experience in these type of tours since he has attended several of them. They both will be in charge of guiding you on this tour. I trust it will be to your liking. And now without further delay, I leave you with them. Duty calls." After a small bow of his head, the sheriff went to the exit ramp but not before giving Emma a final smile — this time he wasn’t imagining things. To his delight, after offering a brief smile back, she turned back to Killian, the spark of mischief still present in her gaze.

"So no Prince Charming, then. A pity."

"Not to worry, Swan. With this town, you'd never know. Maybe there is some prince out there. Or a pirate." Killian winked at her, causing a new laugh to escape between her lips; a delicious sound that he would never tire of hearing, although this time it was also accompanied by a glare from Liam.

The guided tour to the pirate ship proved to be a pretty interesting experience. The two guys knew what they were talking about, although, according to Graham, they were nothing more than substitutes for the usual guide. William, the one who looked like a sailor, was in charge of introducing them to the history of piracy, narrating numerous anecdotes and curiosities. The other guy, David — the not prince — detailed instead the aspects related to the ship itself.

There was even a small stall on the deck that served as a kind of souvenir shop, where they were able to acquire some naval-style decoration items that would allow them to redecorate The Kraken.

The trio got along well with David to the point that, once the tour was over, they extended the visit a little more, chatting animatedly on the deck with the two improvised guides while all the other tourists left the ship.

"Are you sure you've never come here? I feel like I've seen you before." David turned to Killian, his eyes narrowed as if trying to figure out why he seemed familiar.

William came forward before Killian could respond. "He looks like our Captain, don't you think?"

David's eyes widened in recognition. "That! You do look like our captain, but a much softer version."

"So you're telling me there's a guy dressed as a pirate around here who looks like Killian?" Emma asked with a funny tone and a hint of interest in her eyes. "A pity he's sick, I would have liked to see it. And compare."

Killian tilted her head in Emma's direction as he raised an eyebrow. In response, her lips curved into a smirk. He was about to drop an innuendo, but he thought better of it and instead turned to David. "And what would be his name, Captain Hook?"

"Sure, who else could be the captain of this fine vessel?" David replied with a serious expression on his face although his voice revealed a playful tone. Both Emma and Liam snorted while Killian smirked at them. No doubt this town and its inhabitants were a continuous source of entertainment.

"Can you imagine Killian and an even more cocky twin together? If it's hard to tolerate one, imagine two of them," Liam joked as he tapped him on the shoulder. For once, Killian didn't mind Liam messing with him, not when his stupid jokes made Emma laugh so carefree. That sound was like music to his ears.

After chatting a little more with the guides, they said goodbye, taking with them the promise that they would visit the town again so that Killian could meet his twin and with the recommendation that they visit The Rabbit Hole, the most popular bar in town.

At this point, none of them were surprised by the name of the bar, although Killian was curious to know what they would find. One thing was clear, both he and Emma were willing to fully enjoy the experience. It was not usual for them to visit bars other than their workplace, so the prospect of being served for once and not worrying about drinking too much alcohol was too appealing to miss. Liam did not seem so convinced to go out that night, though, claiming that they would have to get up early the next day to make the journey back home. On this occasion, Emma decided to ally with Killian so Liam had no choice but to follow them.

The first thing Killian noticed when they entered the bar was that it was quite crowded even though the festival in the streets still had plenty of people gathered outside. The décor inside the establishment kept the common retro theme seen throughout the rest of the town.

"Look, there’s a dartboard," Liam pointed out, his previous reluctance giving way to an obvious interest.

"And there is also a pool table," Emma added, gesturing to a corner of the bar, a spark of challenge in her gaze. "What do you say, Jones, are you up for me to kick your ass?"

"I'm always up, Swan."

He was about to add another suggestive comment when his gaze caught something — or rather someone — that made him harden his features. Graham, the bloody sheriff, was also at the bar. Luckily, the guy was turning his back on them, so he probably hadn't realized their presence yet.

Taking advantage of the fact that the two of them had been left alone since Liam had approached the counter to order drinks, Killian's first impulse was to grab Emma and get her away from Graham with the excuse of playing pool. He was so tempted to do it, but he immediately changed his mind. He had no right to keep off Emma from speaking to whomever she wanted, among other things because he himself was a damn coward who didn't dare to express his feelings towards her. The guy seemed interested in her. Who was he to prevent any chance of happiness for her? After taking a deep breath, he nodded almost imperceptibly and approached Emma, whispering in her ear.

"I just spotted the sheriff, Graham, in case you want to go say hello."

Emma's reaction was not as expected; it was much better, to his utter relief. She looked at him first, frowning slightly in a confused expression, then her gaze drifted to the place where Graham was and finally her eyes fixed on him again. "Nah, I'd rather beat you." Without further ado, she began to walk in the direction of the pool table, swaying her hips in a very distracting way. "Are you coming or not?" she asked, turning her head and casting him a glance too tempting to be rejected.

From there the three of them dedicated themselves to enjoying the night to the fullest.

They played pool and Killian lost all the games to the delight of both his brother and Emma. Not that he was bad, but rather that there was something hypnotic in the way Emma handled the stick. Not to mention the portion of cleavage that was exposed every time she leaned on the table.

They also played darts, with more luck on his part, although he did not enjoy his victory as he would have liked, since that was the moment when Graham decided to approach them.

"I see you are making the most of your stay in our town. I'm glad about that." Although Graham addressed the three of them, both his posture and his gaze denoted that his words were intended only for Emma.

"Yeah. We're doing some kind of research since we run a bar. Well, rather they are the owners, I just work there." Emma replied, a soft smile on her face, her gaze pausing for a moment on Graham and then traveling back to Killian and Liam.

Emma's comment was all Graham needed to turn his torso further in her direction, focusing all his attention on her. "Ah! So you work in a bar. May I ask what's your task there?"

"She is our saving angel," Liam replied before Emma even had time to open her mouth, placing an arm around her shoulders in a gesture of affection. It seemed that his brother remained oblivious to Graham's attempts to flirt.

Graham seemed to take his brother's gesture in the wrong way because his expression changed subtly, his features marked with a hint of disappointment. After continuing to chat a little more, he politely excused himself, expressing his hope to see them before they traveled back home. And suddenly, they were three again.

They continued playing and drinking maybe too much, except for Liam, who once again proved to be the most mature of them, not only in age but in behavior. But Killian liked a challenge and given Emma's competitive side, she also found it difficult to refuse a competition, even if that meant there was alcohol involved.

He wasn't aware that perhaps there was too much alcohol in his system until Liam practically had to drag them out of the bar. Emma wasn't in a better state, although she didn't seem to care, her eyes sparkled, there was a permanent smile on her face, and her cheeks had a soft blush, making her irresistible to his eyes. Both ignored the expression of reproach on Liam's face as they walked towards the B&B singing and giggling while his brother followed them a few steps behind.

It had been a while since he felt that way, with a kind of liberating energy, very different from the effect that alcohol had had on him in his darkest moments. On this occasion, a kind of fog had settled in his brain preventing him from thinking clearly. But in return he felt that his inhibitions had disappeared, pushing him to act like a teenager.

Once in their room, they continued laughing and messing with Liam who acted once more as if he were a responsible father standing before his two mischievous children, forcing them to change clothes, put on pajamas and cool off before getting into bed, despite their protests.

"You'll thank me when you wake up tomorrow with a hangover."

"You're not funny, Liam," Emma complained, her arms crossed over her chest and an adorable pout on her lips. Still, she did what she had been told and locked herself in the bathroom after grabbing her pajamas and toiletries.

Once Liam made sure that Killian also changed clothes, he turned to him again. "We should have eaten something instead of drinking so much. I've seen a vending machine in the hallway near the reception. I guess I will only find junk food, but that's better than nothing. You two are going to behave in my absence, aren't you?" he asked in a not convincing tone.

"Yes, Dad," Killian responded, trying, and failing, to maintain a serious expression.

In response, Liam shook his head, giving him one last intimidating look before grabbing the key and leaving the room. That was also the moment that Emma chose to leave the bathroom, her hair in a loose bun, no traces of makeup, an adorable expression on her face. Her eyes then turned to the large bed while a naughty spark crossed her gaze.

Killian watched in amazement as she crossed the room and practically threw herself on the large bed. She then patted the empty space beside her. "Hurry up, before Liam arrives."

He hastened to obey, although his clouded mind prevented him from processing Emma's true intentions. Even so, the prospect of sharing a bed with Emma instead of Liam was too appealing to be rejected, consequences be damned.

"Do you think if we pretend to fall asleep like that Liam would wake us up?" Emma asked while snuggling under the covers.

"Nah. I don't think so." He also got under the covers, lying on his side facing her. "He's not gonna wake you up, at least. I'm not so sure about myself, though. Maybe he kicks my ass and sends me to sleep on the floor while he takes the cot."

Emma giggled beside him, but then her features twisted as she let out a groan. "Gods! This room won't stop moving. It's like we're on the deck of a fucking ship."

"We're a little drunk, love."

"Only a little?" She snorted while poking a finger into his chest. "You're a bad influence, Jones, and—" Whatever she was going to say, it was interrupted by a loud yawn, causing him to burst out laughing hysterically as she tried unsuccessfully to kick him out of bed. In the end, she gave up and instead began to laugh too.

Once the laughter subsided, she approached him, their bodies separated by only a few inches. "I think I'm gonna try to sleep." She mused in a slurred voice and then she brought her face close to his and pressed her lips to his. It was the briefest of kisses, her touch almost imperceptible, like a feather, but with the ability to shake him whole. "Good night, Killian," she whispered against his lips before turning her back to him.

Killian remained motionless for a few seconds, feeling a pleasant tingling in his lips, while his heart pounded frantically in his chest. There was a single thought in his cloudy mind. What had just happened? Had it been real, or just a product of his imagination driven by alcohol running in his veins?

He shook his head in a futile attempt to clear his mind. Giving up finally, he snuggled under the covers and closed his eyes. His last thoughts before succumbing to sleep were occupied by Emma and his attempt to commit to memory all the events that had happened on that wonderful day. None so glorious, though, as the kiss they had shared.

When Killian woke up a few hours later, he felt completely disoriented for a moment, having no idea where he was. The latent headache he started feeling did not help in the least to clear his mind, so he was tempted to close his eyes and try to sleep again.

It was then that he noticed a warm body beside him. When his eyes adjusted to the poor lighting in the room and observed a few strands of blond hair on the pillow, he gave such a start that he almost fell off the bed.

After releasing a quiet sigh, he dropped his head on the pillow again, trying to pull himself together. His mind gradually cleared up, the reminder of what happened last night coming in flashes, although he had the impression that there were still several gaps in his memory. He vaguely remembered the reason why the two of them had ended up sharing the bed, but everything else was so blurry that he felt unable to reach it.

The last image his brain registered before falling asleep again was the notion of a kiss. Killian supposed it was the memory of one of his usual dreams about Emma. The mere possibility that he might not remember the first kiss shared with Emma was so frustrating that he didn't even dare to consider it.

Present day

The muffled noises coming from the bar brought Killian back to reality. It was then that he realized that he had been locked in the office for longer than necessary. Still, he remained reluctant to get out of there and see Emma's reaction.

He felt a growing frustration taking hold of him. The recent kiss had somehow served as the trigger that had allowed him to recover the memory of a kiss that had been hidden in the form of a dream. Even so, he seemed unable to catch the details, the memory remaining more like a notion rather than a true experience, which only increased his frustration.

To make matters worse, he didn't even know what was going through Emma's mind. He wasn't sure if she had had the same feeling, if she had also completely forgotten that first kiss. By her reaction, he sensed that she had experienced something similar, which, joined with her reluctance to open her heart, had prompted her to run away.

A heavy sigh escaped between his lips as he ran his hand down his face and rubbed his chin in an attempt to control his fears and regain enough determination to face whatever it was that was about to come.

When Killian finally dared to get out of the office, his gaze inevitably traveled to Emma. She was chatting with Elsa so she didn't notice him at first. When their eyes met, he wasn't able to decipher her expression. Still, just before she looked back at Elsa, Killian detected the hint of a smile on her face. It was an almost imperceptible movement of her lips, but enough so that the flame of hope in Killian's heart began to burn strongly once more.

Thanks for reading. Let me know what you think :)

What to expect in the next chapter? Christmas is coming which means a perfect setting to see how they face the consequences of their first (second) kiss.

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#cs ff #csrt #captain swan #cs au #damn you for making me love you #cs au ff #captain swan rewrite a thon #mayquita writes #my cs writings

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merrit-greenside · 4 years

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The Reaping

Merrit was always up early to train, he had little much else to do and he felt training on his own always was a bit more pure, a bit more productive. He was a show-off, he knew that about himself, and when other people were around him he always put a bit of flair into things. What was the use in being good at something, if you couldn’t enjoy yourself?

Merrit placed the staff back on the rack in the training room, he could see the crimson sunlight starting peek through, the rays tracing their way through the frosted glass. He had a few hours left before the reaping. He packed the rest of his things, took a quick shower and started down the path towards Tansee’s place. Tansee was Merrit’s closest friend - he was popular and well liked but Tansee and him had always been closer than most. From the moment they had been matched up in training they had been almost inseparable, which some considered odd because in many ways they were very much the opposite of one another. Merrit was flashy, chaotic and a jester whereas Tansee was efficient, calculating and serious. Perhaps they were just two sides of the same coin

Merrit made the jog to Tansee’s in good time, the warmth of the dawn sun on his back as he ran. It wasn’t awfully far, a few miles, and Merrit barely broke much of a sweat. “Tansee! Get that mighty fine ass of yours out here, this year is my year y’know!” he called out to the house. He spotted Tansee’s younger sister Poppy looking down on him through the window and he gave her a wave and blew her a kiss in the most overt manner possible. Merrit had always had a soft spot for Poppy, perhaps even something deeper - though most would debate if Merrit was even capable of such emotion, himself included.

The front door opened and Tansee stepped out, her long brown hair blowing the gentle morning breeze. She had on a blue sundress, quite unlike her usual attire of training wear. “Wow, hello there,” he chuckled as he curtseyed, “You know you don’t need to dress to impress me right?”. Tansee strode towards him and clapped him on the side of the head playfully. “Shut up Merrit, you know it’s for Poppy. She’s always anxious on reaping day.” Merrit could tell that Tansee was worried, if the scowl across her face wasn’t enough. “Come on, let’s go for a walk.” he said as he put his arm round her. They walked for a few hours up the old training tracks that ran into the forest, ever since the new facility was built people didn’t use the woodland runs much more. They spoke for hours, about anything and everything before returning home. As they walked up towards the house Tansee pulled Merrit into a tight embrace, he held her there for a moment, feeling a wet splash on his shoulder. “You better remember that promise,” she said to him, as her sleeve wiped her cheek. He pulled her close and kissed her on the forehead. “As if you’d let me forget. I’ll see you at the Reaping”. He turned and began to walk back towards his place to get ready. It has been unexpected, but also welcome, to be able to open up to Tansee. She was a hardass, and Merrit was a joker. They really didn’t have anyone but each other when it came to.. feelings. Yuck, he jested with himself.

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The moment Merrit’s name was called the whole square erupted in applause, many peer’s patting him on his back, congratulating him. He wasn’t stunned, he wasn’t afraid. This was his moment, and he was going to milk every second of it. He spotted Poppy and Tansee in the crowd as he walked up the stage and flashed them a smile and a wink, Tansee rolled her eyes and smiled back in reply, Poppy’s head pointedly towards the ground.

As he made it on to the stage he sized up his opponents, there was no way anyone was getting sent but him, and they all knew it. He got settled and got comfortable, the girls had yet to be nominated. He’d have loved to face this together with Tansee, they’d be unstoppable. He let his thoughts drift off into scenes of victory, Tansee and him, together, winning it all. Until he heard the announcer. “Poppy Fitch” they boomed. His face turned white, all of his swagger and confidence evaporating. His legs felt like they could give up on him at any moment. Shit.

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The week next passed in what seemed like a blur. Merrit smashed all the interviews, his charisma and his attitude winning the hearts of the Capitol. When he was voted as the District 5 male tribute, nobody was surprised. Least of all him. However, when Poppy was voted in as the female tribute he had been surprised. He really hoped it wasn’t because of what he’d let slip in that interview. He let out a sigh and took a brief moment to gather himself before stepping out. He had a promise to keep.

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inventors-fair · 4 years

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Planar Combo commentary

With the end of this week and a new challenge ahead of us, let’s wrap things up by looking at all the submissions for planar combo. In case you missed them, press the links for the winners and the runner-ups

As I said in those posts I was very happy with the number and the quality of the entries, but here I will be a little bit more critical. One complaint I have is that some planes were over-represented (Ravnica) while others didn’t even get a card (Tarkir, Ixalan, Kaladesh). Also, while I gave permission to go nuts, some designs were a bit plain. That’s not an inherently bad thing but playing it safe can only get you so far.

On to the designs...

@aethernalstars Good balance and an inventive use of mechanics. Combining two situational mechanics was a bit risky but the resulting bonus might end games quickly in a dedicated deck.

@dabudder An incredible Timmy card that it would be an obligatory include in the 99 of all 3+colored commanders if printed! It almost made it the winning posts but as I said it was hard picking the winners!

@gus-goose I love it how you wanted to mess with escape when it’s not even out yet. Someone’s hyped :p Tribute cards were generally weak, so adding recursion will force the opponent to choose twice during the game. Scaling down the card a bit would make it more intimidating.

@khyrberos The epitomy of a toxic card, both in terms of flavor and power level. Players almost surely would play this for 3 and then burn decks would kill people faster than Thano’s Snap. The death trigger is frightening as well, though being an enchantment, it’s a bit harder to exploit (the first exploit that comes to mind is just play a new one cause it’s legendary). If this was 5 regular mana, it would be a lot safer for everyone.

@shakeszx Transform ain’t technically a mechanic, but I appreciate the effort you put into trying to twist Miracle, as this card has a miracle cost higher than its normal cost! I’d rather having the enchantment part of the card be a trigger that produces the “front” effect each turn than a “new card” altogether because the sum of what I see here is a pretty stuffy design.

@starch255 A selesnya megacard! It’s nice to see more convoke matters cards like Venerated Loxodon, so in theory it’s a neat card. However populate doesn’t work the way you want for this card’s purposes, and including the reminder text is like scoring a goal for the other team. A quick fix/power up would be ~ populate X times, where X is the number of tokens that convoked it.”

@reaperfromtheabyss I don’t usually care about whether entries have images or not but damn, this is a fitting image! A really solid and balanced card, though it lacked the wow factor (see below)

@partytimesdeluxe Nice mechanical combo and the name/ flavor text amplify the overall feel of the card. I kind of wish there was some hybrid white action in too because the UB color combo isn’t known for token making or cheap creatures in general. It would also give the feeling that Dimir’s reach into Selesnya is more “tangible” as it would spread into the gameplay itself.

@gollumni Great name and constellation ability, they create a really nice image . However there are tiny “flaws” on the card that drag it down. First as a general rule, graveyard effects appear later on the card, because they aren’t as relevant as the actual effect. Escape is new, and I understand you wanting to use it, but enchantments are generally hard to remove so I don’t know how important it is for the card. If this was an aura or if you introduced a second color in the main or the escape cost that encouraged self mill, this card would probably feel more “whole”.

@grornt The Simic were a favorite in this contest, and you did a great job combining it with bloodthirst. I also find it hilarious that you can give +1/+1 counters on your opponents creatures when they enter the battlefield so you can fight them. There’s a thin slice in the Green’s color pie for big weird creatures and you were spot on!

@i-am-the-one-who-wololoes There’s a fine line between risky and balanced and I think you might have crossed it with this one. Power level aside I would like to comment on your choice of mechanics. Storm creates copies of the spell, so if an opponent wants to somehow mess with your plans, they would have to interact with each copy, which is practically impossible save for specific storm hating cards, so regardless of the actual effect of the card, split second is kinda extra. An equally extra card would be an Eldrazi with Ingest and Annihilator 3.

@hypexion This is our only Kamigawa card, and it’s as bizarre as the artwork of its spirits! And you used the two weirdest mechanics from the plane too. It’s hard to grasp the power level but one thing I don’t like about the card is that it’s so overly specific it cannot exist by itself.

@vasnirada Graft 0 surely caught my attention but the shock value didn’t live up to the hype. It’s a great card for both early and late game, but it’s more complicated than it should be, and the Graft part of the card isn’t pulling its weight.

@top-hat-von-rattle-bones The combination was really unexpected and once you figure it out, it does put a smile on your face. However though the heroic trier nets you mana and gives you a stickier board, you accomplish it by weird gameplay and loss of cards, so the pros and cons kinda cancel out each other.

Let’s say you got Ajani’s pridemate and this on the battlefield and a giant growth in your hand. If you want to “cheat-attach” Najad to the pridemate you would have to sacrifice the giant growth, which would also fizzle because its target, Najad is no longer a creature. Maybe with some more work, a heroic bestow creature would better.

@coolflashyname If the recent standard format taught us anything, it’s that Undergrowth and Surveil go really well together. I like the spicy detail that Jerrav can shuffle itself in the library so you can repeat the etb (almost surely exile target creature). In a library with few remaining cards, it can be a real menace!

@greensunzenith Above we saw a tri colored card that combined two mechanics, and here we see the color shared by the two guilds being used! Simple and efficient design that requires some small setup. I wish there was a cycle of cross-guild oaths. You might as well consider this a side-challenge.

@snugz Isn’t it funny when you get similar designs from different people? @reaperfromtheabyss‘s design lacked the wow factor, this bad boy on the other hand lacks the brakes for the valuetrain. a 4 mana 4/4 (practically) undying is already good enough and the trigger is both draw and burn for the opponent. Maybe with a tweak in the mana cost or the trigger are required.

@nine-effing-hells Yet another Simic card. But who can blame you? I love them too! A+ card type (which is the main quality of Simic cards) A+ flavor text, starting stats and abilities. If the challenge was about uncommon cards this would be an absolute winner!

@koth-of-the-hammerpants I didn’t count Skulk as an ability, it belongs in the things that could be evergreen but we don’t use them. The design is a bit busy and the end result, is you being able to refresh Eszti. Undoubtedly, it’s a good card, especially in grindy games but I think you overestimated it. The white part of the card and the mythic rarity are a bit extra.

@juggernaut-is-a-metalhead The second card with addendum today. Turns out it’s more popular than I thought. I really like the card, choosing between surprise kill and an army of small creatures to sacrifice etc. The combination of Bloodthirst and Addendum is a win more situation though, especially when you compare one token with flash vs 5 sorcery speed ones. Maybe it should care about power and not toughness.

@teaxch I can’t decide if the flavor text is sad or funny, guess old habits like grave looting never go away :p On the actual card, though simple it’s a really good common card, you can build a 3/3 flyer on turn 3! I would pick it early!

@morbidly-queerious Simic and Selesnya, this time on a hybrid card. This could make a really nice Bant commander, combined with the various +1/+1 counter lords from across recent mtg sets.

@karkavicious-vantas Last card... wow lots of entries! So Imprint and Metalcraft! And self metal replication from small creatures you control! Really nice value design and aggressively costed! What I like most about the card though is that metalcraft exists as a way to limit the value production! Unorthodox (because usually we have X thing matters to reminded ourselves for bonuses) yet very smart! Also pairs great with the name!

#planar combo #commentary #group commentary #Inventor's Fair #custom magic card #mtg #magic the gathering

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moon-ruled-rising · 4 years

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as the rain hides the stars | x

Read the full story on ao3...

x: i wanted to leave him

The ties were black, the lies were white,

and shades of grey in candlelight.

I wanted to leave him,

I needed a reason

-Taylor Swift, “Getaway Car”

“It was announced this morning that Her Highness, Princess Daenerys, will embark on a month-long tour of the North. The Official Statement from the Red Palace states that the trip is meant to encourage friendly relations with our Northern neighbors despite our current estranged nature. Princess Daenerys will be accompanied by-”

Dany turned the TV off before the reporter could deliver the worst part of the news. She would get to leave King’s Landing but every place she went would be a publicity event, filled with flashing cameras and nosy reporters. And worst of all, she would spend it with people she hardly knew.

The pounding in her head hadn’t subsided all morning, even after she’d specially ordered eggs fried in bacon grease and a whole carafe of black coffee. She’d let her temperamental nature get the best of her last night. And then he’d gone and mentioned Daario.

No matter what she did, she still let Jon under her skin. Like the way he paused when she claimed he hated her. The memory was hazy but she knew she held her breath as she waited for his response.

Surprisingly, Rhaegar hadn’t ordered a press conference about Dany’s trip, leaving her free to do whatever she wanted until she and Elia had their movie night. They planned it last minute when they realized it would be their last one for a while.

There was one pressing matter she needed to take care of but she kept delaying it. She’d already wandered aimlessly through the palace and the gardens and found herself in the gallery, standing in front of the first official portrait of a Targaryen monarch.

King Aemon the Peaceful stared back at her with his oddly painted face. Before him, pictures of the monarchs were recorded in manuscripts by maesters and those were preserved at the Citadel. Commissioning an artist wasn’t popular until his reign because he was the first to rule without a war.

Across from him was an artist’s reimaging of Aegon the Conqueror and his sisters, Rhaenys and Visenya. The two sisters stood strong in their plate armor, staring off into the distance as Aegon held the ancient Valyrian steel broadsword “Dark Sister” in the air.

Dany felt for her phone in her back pocket. She wished she could be as strong as her ancestors, then again, she faced a very different kind of battle. Affairs of conquering could hardly be compared to affairs of the heart.

She wandered past more scenes of male rulers before stopping at her favorite. A gorgeous painting from the 1860’s of Queen Erina, her pale pink gown stretching to the spectacular golden frame. She was never meant to be queen but her family died after a nasty illness spread through the palace while she attended finishing school in the Reach.

When Dany was a first year in high school she auditioned for the school’s play The Dragon Queen: A Tribute to Her Majesty Queen Erina. Though the title was unimaginative, Dany was cast as her ancestor. Students whispered that it was only for her looks but Dany knew she was a good actress. Wearing the replica dress while delivering a monologue about choosing her country over the life she knew was one of Dany’s favorite memories.

Her theatre career was short lived, however. After the performances, the Drama Club advisor suggested Dany switch to the Volunteerism Group. She knew it was her father getting involved again. He always said actors were untrustworthy and the last thing their dynasty needed was to look like a bunch of liars.

Although it was years ago, Dany felt the words from her script in a whole new way. She couldn’t draw strength from Rhaenys and Visenya but she could find it with Erina.

“Oh, Dany, I’m glad I found you.”

Elia approached, dressed for a day of private audiences. Her jade green pantsuit pressed and tailored to perfection.

“If you’re here to talk to me about the marriage contract, I’m going to walk away,” she warned.

“No, dear, I wanted to check on you. Am I not allowed to do that?”

She wrapped an arm around her shoulders and gave a little squeeze.

“When you found out you were going to have an arranged marriage what did you do?

“What do you mean?”

“How did you choose between him and the crown?” Dany sighed, leaning her head on Elia’s shoulder.

She knew all about Elia’s relationship with a Dornish actor, even though Elia liked to pretend it never happened.

“The Crown doesn’t care that you have a personal life. When it picks you, it picks you, and you can’t say no. And before you ask, I don’t regret it and, no, it never really gets easier. But you’ve got me and Missy and Rheagar.”

Dany rolled her eyes.

“I know it doesn’t seem like it but, Dany, he wants what’s best for you. We all do.”

She didn’t want to fight back like usual. She was too tired and hung over.

“I know why you asked me about him.”

Elia put her hands on Dany’s shoulders and looked her in the eyes, “I know it’s tempting to hold onto the hope that maybe things will work out but you need to … tie up your loose ends. It will make the transition much easier once you’ve had time to move on.”

An assistant popped their head through the doorway and said, “Your Majesty? You have five minutes.”

She pressed a kiss to Dany’s forehead and retreated, leaving Dany with the weight of her decision. She took one last look at Queen Erina and her mind was made up.

She found an empty common room in the family guest suites on the east end of the castle. Surrounded by the subdued grey hues meant to invoke the Stormlands, Dany found herself in the same position as four days ago. Her phone sat on the marble-topped coffee table, black screen mocking her.

When Dany realized she couldn’t force the universe to do the work for her, she picked it up and dialed the number herself.

He didn’t pick up until the third ring.

“Dany?” he breathed, as if he didn’t believe it could be her.

“Yeah, it’s me.”

“It’s a relief to hear your voice. I- I’m so glad you called.”

“I know.”

“I tried knocking on your door but you didn’t answer so I figured you needed space. It sounded like you were dealing with a lot.”

So that was why he hadn’t called. Her chest tightened and she leaned back against the grey velvet of the settee.

“I am.”

“I take it things didn’t go well with Rhaegar.”

“He summoned me home. I’m not sure I’ll ever see my apartment again.”

“What do you mean?”

“Something came up but that’s not the reason why I called. It’s- well- Daario, it’s about us.”

“Dany, I told you. Let me come to King’s Landing and meet your brother. He’ll see that we make a perfect couple and-”

“Please, don’t say that.”

“Say what?”

“That we’re a perfect couple.”

“We are. We’re young, attractive, rich...”

Dany took a deep breath and prepared herself to begin the small speech she’d stitched together on her walk to the common room.

“I really wanted to do this in person but my current circumstances won’t allow for it.”

“What are you-”

“I’m breaking up with you,” she blurted.

The sound of his breathing on the other line unsettled her. She wanted to hang up right then and block his number but it was too immature and cowardly. I am the blood of the dragon and dragons fear nothing.

“Why?”

“For legal reasons, I can’t tell you.”

“You’re lying.”

Her grip on her phone tightened as she tried to stay polite but things were taking a messy turn, she could feel it.

“Everything will make sense soon, I promise.”

“Why are you doing this?”

She opened her mouth to respond but he cut her off.

“Is Rhaegar making you do this?”

“Daario-”

“You can make decisions for yourself Dany.”

“Not this time.”

“Stop being so goddamn cryptic and tell me what’s going on.”

“You’re not listening to me,” she argued.

“You’re not telling me anything worth listening to.”

She took a deep breath, “We have to end this.”

“Because this is honestly not working or because it’s what the crown wants?”

Unable to ignore the tension in her body, she stood up to pace the room. She clenched and unclenched her fist, trying to redirect the need to punch something.

“I don’t need this from you,” she said.

“You know, I heard the rumors they said about you but I ignored them. I thought you were different-”

“I am!” she defended.

“-but you’re just like they say. A cold hearted bitch who throws away men when she gets tired of them.”

Every instinct Dany knew failed her. Her mouth fell open and the tension in her limbs dissipated. It felt like every ounce of strength in her was focused on her throat, which grew tighter by the second.

He knew she hated that word, especially when it was directed at her.

“You don’t mean that.”

“Yes, Dany, I do.”

“But- but you wanted to make this official. You wanted to meet my family.”

“Well, I realized something. I realized that I have constantly made sacrifices for you. Leaving clubs separate and taking different cars and sneaking around and always waiting for you to call first. I made peace with the fact that I would always have to share you but I’m a fucking millionaire and that isn’t good enough for you?”

“Do you think it didn’t kill me either? You know why it had to be that way.”

“It doesn’t matter now because I’m just another destination on your long road of conquests.”

“You were never just a fling. You meant more to me than anyone else.”

Her eyes stung and she felt the familiar pinching in the bridge of her nose.

“I’m sure I did,” he scoffed, “Why don’t you tell that lie to your next victim when he inevitably falls in love with you.”

Dany opened her mouth to respond but the beep of the call ending stopped her. She wanted to hurl her phone across the room and break every precious item around her. Instead, she sank to her knees, the upper half of her body resting against the seat of the sofa.

She was upset about Daario and his harsh words but something else in her broke and the tears didn’t stop. They blazed down her cheeks as her chest heaved and her vision blurred.

She hadn’t even cried that way when her father died. She’d calloused her heart by then and grew angry instead of letting people see her weep. Tears are only for children and the weak, she told herself, and I am neither.

Repeating those words did little to stop the sobs, they just hurt her more. Dany wasn’t sure when she stopped crying over Daario but the tears still came, quieter now, as her mind moved through all of the events of the past week and beyond.

Her inevitable engagement, being ripped away from the life she desired and thrown back into the one she detested, the loss of what little freedom she had from the crown. Even her graduation, which was only a few weeks ago. It had just been Ser Jorah and Daario in the audience to cheer when her name was called. Rhaegar and Elia were too busy with preparations for the Charity Gala and planning to marry her off.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” a startled voice said from the doorway.

Dany looked up to see Princess Sansa standing there.

“I was looking for Elia, she offered to give me a tour of the palace.”

Dany hiccuped, “She’s in private audiences.”

Her throat was raw, the sensation alien, like her body wasn’t her own.

“Oh. Again, I’m really sorry for interrupting you.”

“Interrupting what?” Dany chuckled as she stood up.

“That seemed like a really private moment.”

She wasn’t sure how long Sansa had been at the door but she might have heard Dany’s outbursts.

“It’s fine,” Dany dismissed as she wiped under her eyes, her hand shaking.

She knew she looked a mess. Puffy eyes and red nose and there was no way her mascara wasn’t smudged.

“Did you still want a tour?”

“Are you sure? I could always wait for-”

“I could really use the distraction.”

Sansa pressed her lips together before offering a terse nod. Dany attempted a smile before leading her guest down the hallway.

Over the course of the tour, Sansa let her icy facade melt away. She became a physically warmer person. Dany got her talking about school and her choices of universities. She was set to graduate in the coming year and had her eyes on the University of Braavos, but she knew her dad would insist on Barrowton or White Harbor. Then music and pop culture, which led to a brief conversation about Dany’s coarse relationship with the tabloids.

“Was the photo really a fake?”

There wasn’t an ounce of timidness in her voice. Dany appreciated that.

“Yes. The whole thing was doctored. Just another display of how the press profits on the downfall of powerful women.”

“I know the North and the South aren’t close but I grew up with stories of the Targaryens. That they’re ambitious and powerful and scary and rode on the backs of dragons. I won’t lie, I thought you were like them. But you’re nothing like that.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” Dany warned.

They turned a corner and headed down the main staircase.

“Your governess forgot to tell you that we’re cunning and calculated as well. There are rumors that my ancestors poisoned their brothers and sisters, bribed high lords and priests and common folk alike to sit their arses on the throne. The monarchy survives by adapting to the world around it, that’s what my father would say. But Targaryens survive by changing the game.”

A pair of ladies passed them, gracefully bowing their heads in respect, whispered “Your Highnesses” echoing in the hall.

“Ladies Sara and Meire Merryweather of Longtable. They’ve been at court for as long as I can remember. Lady Sara is Elia’s biggest critic after the general public but she’s just jealous she’s not one of Elia’s ladies. Lady Meire is her daughter she treats like an object. She brought her here in hopes that she would befriend me and I would keep her in my circle. It’s a shame I don’t keep friends in court. Meire’s almost been married three times but her mother keeps breaking it up so she can’t leave.”

“I see why you went to a different continent for university.”

“Court seems beautiful and perfect from the outside because Elia works hard to make it that way. Without her, this place would look as ugly as it really is.”

A door in the hall opened and Elia strode through it, her public appearance smile still stretched across her face.

“Speak of the Stranger,” Dany called, waving to her sister-in-law.

“What are you two doing here?” she asked when she reached them.

“I bumped into Her Highness while looking for you. And since you were busy, she gave me a tour of the palace,” Sansa answered.

“I’m glad to see you two getting along so well,” Elia stated as she waved to another member of the court as they passed.

When the lord was gone and the hall was empty Elia’s face fell and she tore off her blazer. After tossing it to her assistant, she began massaging her cheeks.

“I can’t tell you how much that smile hurts,” she grumbled through her moving face, “Now, we have a movie night to get to.”

“Movie night?”

“Elia and I have a tradition of movie nights and we planned one last minute since I’m leaving. We just sit around, have popcorn and wine, and watch sappy romance movies until we cry.”

“That sounds fun,” Sansa commented.

Dany considered the red-headed girl beside her, “You’re more than welcome to join us.”

Sansa blinked, “Are you sure? You just said it was a tradition, I’d hate to impose.”

“I would be honored if you came along. We are going to be sisters soon.” Dany stated as she looped her arm through Sansa’s.

The comment slipped past her without a second thought and caught Dany off guard. She stopped dead in her tracks. The Northern Princess let out a snort and the three of them dissolved into giggles. Their laughter echoed through the halls as they journeyed to the in-palace movie theatre.

Movie nights were always a huge to-do and while informal, there was still a sense of showiness to them. Gourmet popcorn and the perfect wine pairings, cashmere blankets and themed decorations. The staff did an amazing job of turning their last minute plans into a gorgeous going away party, complete with swag bags.

“This is a little extra for me, don’t you think?” Dany asked from her seat between Elia and Missandei.

Elia, dressed in a designer pajama set and wrapped in her cashmere blanket, frowned with mock offense. “I’ll have you know that this isn’t just for you. It’s for Missy and Sansa, who I’m very grateful to have met and will miss very much.”

They were halfway through their second movie when Rhaenys propped her chin on the back of Dany’s seat and asked, “Auntie Dee, are you sure you have to leave?”

“I’m afraid I don’t have much of a choice,” she sighed, smiling sweetly at her niece.

The frown on her face was adorable but it hurt Dany’s heart.

“Where are you going?” Aegon demanded as he crawled onto his mother’s lap.

“On a great adventure to Princess Sansa’s homeland.”

“And if all goes well, you’ll get to go there too,” Elia encouraged, giving her son’s shoulders a squeeze.

“Dany, I forgot to tell you the news!” Missy blurted from her spot next to her, eyes shining.

“What?”

“I got the internship with Galazza Galare! I’m leaving tomorrow for Naath so I can spend some time at home before I transfer to Meereen.”

Dany’s stomach fell. She was going North alone.

“Missy, that’s fantastic!”

She wasn’t going to let her selfishness get in the way of her happiness for her best friend. No matter how much it hurt having to let her go.

“I’ll come back in time for your wedding, of course. Both of them.”

“I wouldn’t be upset if you missed them. Galazza is great and you’re going to have the best career a girl could wish for.”

Along with her sunken stomach, Dany felt her chest growing tight. She always knew that her best friend would move on and have a career while Dany was held back. But everything felt like it was moving so fast.

The end of the movie was upon them and when the lovers were saying goodbye, Dany couldn’t hold back her tears. Her heart was still raw and bleeding and the movie did nothing but stomp on it. Missy’s hand found her’s under their blankets and Elia secured her other one. Dany wasn’t ready for tomorrow, that much was clear.

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traincat · 5 years

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so i was talking to someone and they asked me how come i love a movie that everyone hates? and i just. can understand why people didn't like TASM2? like. I feel that, you'd have to dislike Spider-Man as a whole to actively hate it

Oh man, first off, I just want to say, “how can you love a piece of fiction that everyone hates” is like, one of the worst argument of all time, full offense to whoever you were speaking with. The inner Jewish grandmother in me hears that and says, “What, and if everyone suddenly loved jumping off a bridge, you’d do that too?” There are a lot of reasons for not liking a piece of fiction but “well everyone else hates it” really isn’t one of them, to anyone who feels pressured by popular opinion. It’s totally okay to like things other people don’t, be they fiction, food, or fashion, among others.

(I have a lot of TASM asks right now and I’m working through them in a weird order, apologies to the askers.)

Which brings me to your second point, and like, obviously I love The Amazing Spider-Man 2 a whole lot, but I do think there are valid reasons why someone might personally not like the movie even beyond just personal preferences like “I like this actor’s performance/face/whatever, I don’t like this other actor’s performance/face/whatever” etc. One big thing about both Amazing Spider-Man movies is that they’re an adaptation of The Night Gwen Stacy Died, and they know what they are – it’s all set up even in the first movie. The bridge models on the Parker mantel place. Gwen’s first outfit, along with her last, are tributes to her classic Amazing Spider-Man #121 outfit, involving a coat, purple skirt, and knee high boots, with the first also featuring her iconic black headband. There’s the “I’m going to throw you out a window now” scene, not to mention the death of George Stacy, a precursor to Gwen’s death. (I’ve talked about this before on Gwen’s death, but I do think it’s fascinating how TASM exists in a pop culture landscape where 616 Gwen’s death already happened, and how that drastically alters George’s last words to Peter, going from asking him to take care of Gwen to asking him promise to stay away from her.) The movies knew what they were doing from the start. The audience, on the other hand, didn’t. And I think the experience of watching TASM2 for the first time can be wildly different depending on if you went in knowing about/expecting Gwen’s (especially brutal) death scene, and depending on your personal feelings about the story TASM/2 chose to retell and about the death of Gwen Stacy. And that’s just one reason.

And I can talk about all the things I love in TASM. I can talk about how, in my own personal opinion, it is the film series that cares the most about being faithful to the source material. (Raimi’s Spider-Man, in my opinion, does a great job creating a very specific look, and drawing on classic elements, and creating its own now classic Spider-Man mythology like the upside down kiss, but it ultimately disappoints me with how it chose to interpret the characters. MCU’s Spider-Man, any other thoughts I have on it aside, is clearly more interested in impressing modern audiences and projecting FUN in letters sixteen feet high than it is in being a faithful Spider-Man adaptation.) And it can be debated whether or not it’s a GOOD thing for a film to try and be faithful rather than doing its own thing, but it is a thing I personally love about it, then I can look at the movies and pull things out of them and go “and they got this from here, and that from there” etc. I like that they did things differently while still leaning into the source material; the mystery of Peter’s parents being a big plot of the plot, for example, is something I’ve seen be criticized, but the fact is this is a plot from the comics and when you have a character who is built on these layers and layers of secrecy, it’s a worthy exploration to see where that comes from. I love that the movies focus so heavily on Peter’s relationship with May, and TASM2′s “you’re my boy”/”I’m your boy, you’re my everything” scene is a huge part of that. I love that they’re both crying in that scene. I love how genuine the emotion in TASM2 feels. I love that the first TASM movie took Flash’s limited screen time and didn’t make him one note – aside from Gwen, he’s the only person in the school scene to try and comfort Peter after Ben’s death, and his “it feels better, right?” line is a reference to Flash’s abusive home life from the comics. I love the amount of detail put into the look of these movies – I love the set design of Peter’s room, the posters, the photos of Gwen, how it’s realistically messy and not at all an Ikea-looking cookie cutter set. I love Gwen’s evolving style between the first and second movie, trading in her sleek straight hair and sweaters for waves and jewel toned pattern pieces. In a visual medium like a movie, all of this information is used to tell you things about the characters, and I think TASM uses its environments and its wardrobe to pack as much information in as it can. I love that TASM2 filmed 90% in New York state, which as far as I know is pretty unique in a superhero film. I love that both movies are a love letter in their own ways to New York, to the dazzling heights, to Spider-Man’s iconic connection to his home city. And yeah, I love the tragedy of the movie, I love The Night Gwen Stacy Died as a story that changed the landscape of Spider-Man, I love the raw emotion of the whole thing, and I love that a version of it was made where Gwen got to save New York not once but twice before she died, and how it’s not fair, but the point of it is that it’s not fair, and I love stories that sometimes don’t have happy endings, and I love the performances that were given in retelling this particular story. And yeah, I love that TASM and the people involved in making it, including Andrew Garfield, obviously really cares about Peter Parker as an individual character, and they let him be angry, and be sharp-tongued, and physical, and weird, and not a perfect person because what mattered was the responsibility in the character. TASM’s “That’s not your job”/”Maybe it is” exchange says it best.

But I think ultimately where a lot of the hate comes from is that there’s a pattern in fandom, and we saw it with Raimi > TASM, and with TASM > Homecoming, and even a little bit with Homecoming > Into the Spider-Verse, though I do think the last one is a little difference because of the circumstances. I’d like to think that all the recent criticism of Homecoming’s blatant theft of Miles’ character and story to build up the MCU’s version of Peter Parker is genuine (and I do think most of it is) but I see this patteen whenever a new version of something comes out. There’s a tendency – and I think some of this is studio-led; they want people to throw out the old in favor of the new because it’s simply much better for their business – to trash the one that came before it. Oh, actually, it was bad, it was boring, people only liked it because of this one actor, etc. The MCU in its entirety, with all the marketing power of Disney behind it, has become incredibly good at doing this not just with other Marvel movies under different studios, but with superhero movies on the altogether, whether it be through buying review or through the pressure exerted to acknowledge the MCU as The One True Superhero Movie Franchise. (For the record, there are MCU movies I like, and ones I don’t, and ones I don’t feel anything for, but I truly doubt that the evangelical nature of the truly hardcore MCU audience sprang up completely organically.) Sooner or later, they’ll reboot Spider-Man as a live action film again. I hope they pick Miles as their lead when they do, but it’ll probably be Peter again, and even if the next one does star Miles – eventually, there will be another Peter Parker movie, and as soon as the next actor is cast, we’re going to see this pattern again. I would be willing to put money down on it.

At the end of the day, like I wrote in my big Homecoming criticism post, I’m a little tired of the idea that there can only be One True Adaptation, which is where a lot of this argument comes from, when it comes to a body of works that spans decades and hundreds upon hundreds of issues. “Oh, we already had a bunch of Spider-Man movies” is like, so? We already had a bunch of Spider-Man comics, too. There’s so many stories to adapt and retell, and I love the one TASM/2 threw itself into adapting, but there’s so many more I want to see up on screen, too. (Here’s to Sony’s announced Kraven movie project! PLEASE be a Kraven’s Last Hunt movie!)

But yeah, ultimately, popularity isn’t exactly the best metric for how good a movie is, let alone how much you’re allowed to enjoy it, and what matters is that you liked it. I love it a lot, too.

#tasm #traincat talks comics #*replies #Anonymous

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aion-rsa · 3 years

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How Splitgate Became Gaming’s Latest Surprise Hit

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

Over the last month, Splitgate has climbed up the Steam charts and broken nearly all its concurrent player records en-route to becoming one of the most talked-about games of the year. Of course, most conversations about Splitgate currently start with the question “What is Splitgate?”

Well, Splitgate is a free-to-play competitive first-person shooter that combines elements of Halo and Portal. It’s developed by 1047 Games: a studio you’ve probably never heard of before simply because Splitgate is their first project. I’d say that the best way to find out what Splitgate is would be to play it for yourself, but given that the game’s servers have been taking a beating lately, you might be better off doing some outside research.

Why is Splitgate suddenly so popular, though? Well, that’s a much more complicated question, but here are a few reasons why the game has become one of the year’s most fascinating sensations:

Splitgate Has Been Generating a Ton of Twitch/YouTube Buzz

As is typically the case with seemingly sudden sensations in the modern era, much of Splitgate’s recent success can be attributed to its sudden rise in popularity among streamers and content creators.

There’s a bit of a chicken and egg effect happening here (which we’ll talk more about in a bit), but it certainly does seem that many people recently became aware of Splitgate because they somehow saw footage of a popular Twitch streamer or YouTuber playing it. The game has spread like wildfire throughout that scene, similar to what we recently saw in the cases of Valheim and Fall Guys. In this particular instance, it certainly doesn’t hurt that Splitgate’s gameplay leads to some incredible highlights that can easily be turned into equally impressive videos.

Again this part of the equation isn’t unusual (streamers latch on to trendy games all of the time), but the question now is whether or not Splitgate has the staying power of something like Final Fantasy 14 (another game that has grown this year) or whether or not it will ultimately fade away once that shine wears off and people find a new trend. While it’s certainly possible Splitgate will prove to be a flash in the pan, there are reasons to believe that Splitgate might actually retain a sizeable amount of its suddenly growing audience…

Splitgate is a Halo-like Shooter That Fills That Halo Infinite Void

While the “Portal” portion of Splitgate‘s formula tends to steal all of the attention (again, more on that in a bit), it’s actually the game’s Halo-like elements that are arguably the biggest reason why it has grown in popularity recently.

Splitgate is certainly not a 1:1 copy of Halo, but it’s pretty hard to play the game and not spot the similarities. Elements of Splitgate’s pacing, weapons, visuals, and general style are all clearly designed to tap into Halo’s iconic brand of multiplayer combat. Some of the game’s maps also feel like tributes to Halo’s best levels, which is honestly a great move considering that Halo had some of the best maps in multiplayer FPS history. Splitage even features an announcer who seems to be doing a loving tribute to/impression of Halo’s iconic announcer.

Splitgate’s Halo-like elements would have always found a crowd, but at a time when Halo Infinite’s multiplayer tests recently drew so much positive buzz (and when that game’s final release date remains something of a mystery), it’s easy to understand why there are so many people craving a Halo-like experience.

Splitgate Has Benefited From Years Worth of Improvements

Splitgate was actually first released in 2019 as Splitgate: Arena Warfare, but the fact of the matter is that the original version of the game was more than worthy of its “Early Access” status. While many of those who played it early on recognized its potential, it was more of a curiosity at that time than a fully realized experience.

A lot has changed since then, though. Splitgate’s developers have done an excellent job of not only responding to community feedback in the two years since the game’s debut but in finding ways to expand upon its potential and slowly turn it into the experience that its most passionate early fans felt it could eventually be.

That’s not to say Splitgate is currently where it needs to be (the game is almost always going to need to be rebalanced and its servers are going through a rough time at the moment), but it’s impressive to see how far this game has come in a relatively short amount of time.

Splitgate’s “Portal” Elements Are Genuinely Exciting and a Great Hook

It feels like people have been talking about a competitive shooter in the style of Portal ever since Valve’s classic puzzle game blew our minds in 2007, but few developers have come close to figuring out how such a complicated system would ever work. That makes it that much easier to assume that Splitgate’s use of a similar concept must be a gimmick.

That’s not really the case, though. Again, Splitgate’s use of portals as a traversal/combat mechanic isn’t perfect, but it’s honestly shocking how well this mechanic works at the moment despite the fact it could so easily break a competitive game. Splitgate’s maps are intelligently designed to eliminate some of the more obvious instances of teleportation exploitation, and the opportunities those portals create help ensure that most matches feel fresh and distinct.

More importantly, it’s hard to watch someone play Splitgate without becoming a little curious about what this game is and how it all works. Still, Splitgate‘s portals are more of a genuine hook than a mere gameplay gimmick.

Splitgate is Surprisingly Accessible

If you do happen to watch someone play a game of Splitgate, you might walk away thinking that the game is too complicated. In reality, though, Splitgate might just be one of the most accessible currently popular competitive shooters.

You can absolutely use Splitgate’s portals to pull off some incredible plays, but you can also choose to use Splitgate’s portals for nothing more elaborate than simple traversal and still have a great time with the game. Compared to titles like Apex Legends and Overwatch which pretty much require you to learn multiple characters with unique, situation-based skills, Splitgate really just asks you to consider one additional mechanic that honestly compliments its arena shooter-like gameplay rather well.

Splitgate is also currently a free-to-play title, which is certainly another one of those qualities that are fairly common among rising stars on the indie game scene.

Splitgate Has Grown in Poularity as 2021’s Slow Release Schedule Has Everyone Searching For Something New

I almost hesitate to mention this point given that it may make elements of Splitgate’s success seem like a coincidence, but the fact of the matter is that it’s not a coincidence we’re seeing so many smaller and existing games grow in popularity this year.

It should be very clear by now that 2021’s slow release schedule and numerous delays are a result of the Covid-19 pandemic and the many ways that pandemic protocols have slowed down game development. While nobody has been immune to the full effects of the pandemic, it’s also pretty clear at this point that larger studios have been hit especially hard while smaller studios (or lone developers) developing smaller projects who are used to working from home without an office full of resources have been better able to stick to their intended schedules.

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

Splitgate isn’t only popular due to a lack of options, but at a time when Triple-A gaming has pretty much been delayed until 2022, this is a great time to give smaller games a shot.

The post How Splitgate Became Gaming’s Latest Surprise Hit appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/3z8Upgo

#aion-rsa #Den of Geek

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ellanainthetardis · 6 years

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Let the 75th Hunger Games begin! I hope you enjoy them more than Haymitch does :p

|FF] or [ao3]

Chapter 27 : Slow And Steady Wins The Race

His own reflection was staring back at him a hundred times over.

There was nothing else.

Haymitch was trapped in a circle of mirrors and all he could see was his own face, his own body, distorted in a thousand of weird shapes…

He was so surprised and disoriented he almost stepped back, almost tripped… He steadied himself at the last second, before he could fall off the platform, before…

There was an explosion to his left.

A detonation coupled with the sound of shattered glass.

Someone had left the platform before Claudius Templesmith could give the signal. Haymitch’s ears were ringing – from the sound of the blast or from fear, he wasn’t quite sure – but he forced himself to focus.

The mirrors ran high to a white ceiling. That was unusual, he could only remember one Game that had taken place indoor. A castle-like arena that hadn’t been that popular.

There was no point trapping tributes in a circle of mirrors. They weren’t just mirrors, he deduced, they were walls, which meant there must have been a Cornucopia somewhere, probably at the center of what he suspected to be a maze.

“Ladies and Gentlemen…” Templesmith’s booming voice joyfully exclaimed. “Let the Seventy-Fifth Hunger Games begin. And may the odds be ever in your favor!”

The cannon boomed twice.

Once to launch the Games and once to mark the death of whoever had stepped off the platform too soon. His money was on Woof. Poor guy.

Sympathy wasn’t at the forefront of his mind when he stepped forward, hands outstretched, feeling around for a mirror that wasn’t a mirror. He needed to find Katniss or the Cornucopia before the Careers did. Preferably both.

If the arena was an indoor one, they would need water and food because there would be no hunting. Tributes had starved last time.

The glass was cool under his palms. He fought the feeling of claustrophobia, pushed it at the back of his mind.

There was a way out.

There had to be a way out.

Eventually, his hand found emptiness and he stepped forward. He tried to keep to the left, to where the explosion had come from, hoping he would be able to see more clearly in a field of shattered glass.

It was slow progress and it was frustrating.

He heard other people grunt in annoyance or hitting glass but he couldn’t tell if they were close or far. He caught glimpses of their distorted reflections sometimes. Enobaria, once. Mags too.

Eventually, he stumbled on another empty platform. Or maybe it was his he had circled back to. It was impossible to tell.

Someone screamed in rage somewhere. The sound was followed by broken glass. It was soon echoed in different directions and Haymitch cursed and kicked one of the mirrors to his left himself. It was a method like another, after all.

Shards flew everywhere, nicking his skin, clearly designed to hurt when shattered. And, more dangerous, the piece of mirror attached to the ceiling came down like a guillotine. He avoided it but barely.

Too dangerous.

Breaking glass wouldn’t work so he came back to his initial plan and felt around for a path.

Slow and steady wins the race.

What an idiotic saying.

After a while, something odd caught his eyes in the mirrors on his left side and he tried to follow that lead until he stumbled out in a sort of… It was like a clearing of shattered glass. A nice circle of broken mirrors. The smell of burned flesh made him gag and he tried not to look at the body parts scattered here and there. He crushed the glass under his boots as he took advantage of the absence of mirrors to wander deeper in the maze.

After five minutes, he saw a flash of gold.

Cornucopia.

The reflections were misleading but if you remained calm and thought… Ignoring the increasingly frustrated shouts from someone he suspected to be Brutus, Haymitch went on. Every time he lost sight of the gold, he retraced his own steps, searched for another path…

After what felt like hours but couldn’t have been more than twenty minutes, he found the center of the maze.

The Cornucopia wasn’t as big as usual and it was full of weapons, not food or water bottles – which told him there must be access to that somewhere else in that place.

It wasn’t what caught his eyes though.

A few people had beaten him there and there would probably be a bloodbath after all.

Tilly Johnson, Five’s female victor, lied on her back, open brown eyes staring into the emptiness, in a puddle of blood.

Two people were fighting on the other side of the Cornucopia. There were grunts and the unmistakable sounds of punches being thrown. It wasn’t until he heard Katniss’ sharp cry that he rushed forward though, rounding the golden thing in time to see Beetee dart back into the maze, dragging Wiress by the hand.

They weren’t Katniss’ problem though.

Finnick was.

He saw everything but barely registered any of it as he ran.

The boy had found a trident, his weapon of choice, the one that had made him famous… Finnick had a gash on the forehead and Katniss’ lip was split. Four’s victor was making the trident twirl in front of him in a threatening manner. Three blows were all it took. Her stomach, her knee, and her head. She fell on her back, exposed and defenseless.

Haymitch was too far.

Too far.

“I’m sorry.” Finnick said when he lifted his weapon over his head, clearly intending to stab her with it.

Haymitch tackled the boy hard. The trident flew away and clattered on the floor. They struggled for a moment but Haymitch was on top and he was heavier. It wasn’t that hard to pin the kid down…

“Don’t you fucking…” he warned, shaking the boy once. “Just go your own way and we…”

He heard the hissing sound and then Finnick grew limp.

Haymitch stared, shocked, at the arrow jutting out from the boy’s eye.

“Come on.” Katniss said, her tone flat. “Grab something. We need to get out of here.”

But he couldn’t move.

The air smelt of blood and death.

“Haymitch!” she insisted. She grabbed his arm, struggled to haul him to his feet. He kept staring at the body of Four’s victor. “Snap out of it! We don’t have time.”

“You didn’t have to do that.” he said at last. “He…”

“He was going to kill me and he would have killed you.” she cut him off. “You know that. It’s the Hunger Games. Come on.”

She was right. He knew she was right. But…

His hands were shaking so much, he could barely hold the knife she thrust his way. She kept looting everything useful she could find, keeping her bow at the ready. The quiver full of arrows hung from her back and he tried not to wince when she got her arrow back from Finnick’s body. She strapped two knives to her ankles and wedged a cutlass in her belt.

The sounds of shattering glass were coming closer and Haymitch did snap out of it then, realizing they only had minutes before a Career broke his way to them.

He grabbed a cutlass too and as many knives as he could carry. Some were light, ideal for tossing, but his fingers closed on a sturdy handle and it was that one he kept in his fist, trying to get as tight a grip on it as he could.

“No water, no food.” Katniss cursed, her eyes darting in the direction of the broken glass. “We’ll figure it out. Let’s go.”

There was no other way out but to dive back in the maze.

Katniss’ method was similar to the one he had used. She tried to catch sight of something that could be used as a landmark and pushed her way forward, going back when she lost it. It was a patience game. One that had them both on edge but that was necessary. They walked around in circles. Sounds of fighting floated to them now and then. Every time it got too loud, they switched directions – the louder it got, the nearer they were to the center, they figured.

They moved in silence, sticking close to each other so they wouldn’t lose the other in their ever changing reflections. Eventually, they caught a glimpse of something that looked like a door.

It took them fifteen minutes to find the right path that led to it.

They exchanged a look before Haymitch pushed it open, not quite sure what to expect.

“Well, shit.” he spat, once he caught sight of the room the door led to.

“What?” Katniss frowned, peeking over his shoulder. It was a big dining room. Framed paintings on the walls, a huge rectangular mahogany table in the middle with expensive chairs all around, big windows with heavy blue curtains, dressers full of delicate plates in the corner, sculptures and luxurious potted plants. There were two doors at the other side of the room. “Where the fuck are we?”

“The Presidential Mansion.” he offered without a single hesitation.

“What?” she asked again.

“Replica, I guess.” he frowned. He looked back at the maze thoughtfully. “Makes this the library.”

It made sense. It was big enough to welcome a maze. Well… The ballroom was too, he supposed, but the ballroom was on the ground floor and that would have been too easy.

“You know the layout?” she enquired, taking that in stride.

“Pretty much, yeah.” he shrugged. He was about to take a step in the dining room when he froze. He wasn’t sure what had alarmed him until he realized… The floor should have been gleaming floorboards, not… cobblestones. And the way some of them were jutting out a little… “Anything looks odd to you?”

She crouched to take a closer look and then made a face. “Mines?”

“The flat ones or the others?” There was no way to tell.

Katniss was more interested in the windows. “The arena can’t just be the mansion. It’s too small. There must be a way out. Something else outside.”

“Food and water.” he nodded.

“If it fails we can try the kitchens.” she suggested.

He snorted. He didn’t relax but he took a deep breath and considered the problem at hand. Someone would show up sooner or later. The maze was close range, Katniss’ bow wouldn’t be of much use and it would fall on him to protect them.

He really wanted to avoid that.

“We could try to find another room.” she sighed. “There must be several entrances to the library if it’s that huge.”

“Wanna bet the whole place’s booby-trapped?” he countered, shaking his head. “Okay. Let’s be smart.” He unstrapped one of his knives and took the time to calculate before tossing it on one of the stones that was jutting out. The explosion was small and localized, weak enough not to trigger a chain reaction but strong enough to take off a foot or a leg. “Better keep to the flat ones.”

Assuming the Gamemakers were playing fair and the mines weren’t randomly scattered around…

“Where do those doors lead to?” she asked, stepping around him to go first.

“If we’re aiming for the gardens, we want the left one.” he said, pointing it out. “Gives out on a corridor.”

“And then?” she insisted, jumping from one flat stone to the next.

It was a lot more difficult for him. He didn’t have her stealth and he was heavier. The stones were narrow.

“Then we go right until we find the stairs. One floor down, two doors on the left, through the other dining room to the patio.” he explained.

“How do you know this place so well?” she frowned. “The tour Effie gave us was short.”

“Yeah, well… I’ve been here a lot.” he retorted. He almost lost his balance and grabbed the huge table to steady himself. “Library’s a good place to hide. Or to bring a lady if you want some alone time with her.”

Katniss shot him a disgusted look that he answered with a wink.

It wasn’t difficult to imagine Effie huffing and stomping her foot in annoyance in front of her screen. Or was she still in the launch room? How much time had passed since the first cannon had boomed? He chased her away from his mind.

Still, it was lucky they had sneaked out of boring parties so often.

They made it out and into the corridor eventually. In one piece.

It was too quiet.

Where were Beetee and Wiress? Would they ambush them? Three’s victors’ fighting style were deadly traps and their surroundings were ideal for that. He wasn’t the only victor who knew the Mansion well enough to take advantage of it.

“Be careful.” he told her, even if it wasn’t unnecessary.

Katniss kept her bow ready and he clutched his knife.

He led the way to the stairs without them encountering any trouble. The staircase was polished as always, empty, and far from inviting.

“Too easy.” she commented.

He could only nod.

They went down the stairs carefully, one step at a time, attentive to everything.

When a piece of wood gave in under Katniss’ boot, they both ducked at the same time, narrowly avoiding the huge blade that swayed above them. It hung there for a second and then slowly went back in the ceiling in a clogging noise, ready for its next victim.

Haymitch let out a deep long breath.

“See, I’m not sure I didn’t like the classic setting better.” he muttered.

“On the bright side, Brutus is never getting out of here alive.” Katniss mocked.

“Depends if Enobaria finds him.” he objected. “She’s not stupid.”

They kept close to the wall without discussing it, avoiding the purple carpet that wasn’t wide enough for the whole corridor. They preferred to step on the narrow path they could see. Who knew what was hiding under the rug.

There was a loud thud upstairs followed by screams of agony. They abruptly stopped and a cannon boomed. It occurred to him, then, that it had been a while since the last one.

“Bloodbath must be over.” he commented. “We need to hurry.”

If there was a trap in the downstairs dining room, they managed to avoid triggering it. They found the door to the gardens and stepped outside…

Only to freeze.

“What the…” Katniss swore, letting her sentence trail off.

Haymitch shared the feeling wholeheartedly.

The Mansion was at the center of the arena, that much was clear. But the arena itself…

He had expected gardens, woods… something.

Instead, what was surrounding them was a clash of landscapes that didn’t match or blend together. It looked like the drawing of a small child, a weird distorted collage. It was as if someone had jammed together portions of different arenas. To the left, there were cotton fields that gave on wheat fields that abruptly ended on flat arid plains with reddish mountains looming in the distance and a few dark shapes that might or might not be cows or bulls or something like that…

They walked around the Mansion in silence, taking in their surroundings. The plains morphed into orchards that abruptly morphed into more familiar woods and mountain-like ground with dark openings that seemed to give into undergrounds caves. Or mines.

Haymitch shook his head when his brain finally caught up.

The next portion looked like a ant hill with holes leading down. He was ready to bet those caves were full of gems and diamonds. It gave on stone quarries where dust seemed to perpetually float in the air. The next part… He had no idea what it was. A factory? A lab? A huge round building with a glass ceiling that definitely belonged in District Three. Then a beach. Water as far as the eye could see, waves crashing on the shore… Then a dam that made the junction between the salty water and an abandoned railway full of rails, dust and shipping crates. More woods, towering trees that shot toward the sky, and they were back to the cotton fields.

“It’s huge.” Katniss commented eventually, eyes wide. “Have you ever seen an arena that huge?”

“It’s Panem.” he said in case she really hadn’t figured it out. “The arena’s Panem.”

#hayffie #effie trinket #haymitch abernathy #into that good night

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aspiestvmusings · 4 years

Text

TMS S3: GROUP B

THE MASKED SINGER SEASON 3

GROUP B/ GROUP 2: (contestants 7 - 12)

EP 3x04: CLUES & MORE: RECAP for remaining 5:

SPOILERS BELOW!!!

FROG

CLUES:

Location: Hollywood (CBS?) Lot: 1920s street/building

VISUAL CLUES:

His clues video is done in black & white (like a 1920s silent film)

B&W image: MIB sitting on a bench, on a street, as newpapers are being thrown at them (by a paperboy)

Newspaper: The Daily Ribbit (price: 5 cents)

Newspaper headline: Frogs are jumping! Frogs are jumping!

Newspaper headline: Tadpole plucked from large creek!

Newspaper article subtitle: Toad’s crazy ride begins!

Newspaper photo credit: Frog joins The Masked Singer

Newspaper article [this is a nod to the detectives among us, viewers]: TEXT HERE LATER “So there was this tadpole just swimming along, doing its tadpole thing, thinking “Hey, life is pretty good!” Who needs legs anyway?” Then one day it was swimming near a horseshoe and mustve felt lucky. It waived it’s little fishy tail and swam faster than ever and the metamorphosis began in the blink of a frog’s eye. Good bye tail, hello legs! “What arethese weird spongy things in my body? Oh, lungs! Cool!” The tadpole became a frog, but seriously are you actually reading all this? Did you pause on me? Are you hoping for more clues? Or should I say hopping for more clues? Well here’s a frog joke: Why are frogs so happy? Because they eat whatever bugs them! Hahaha. Sorry, that wasnt a clue, but hopefully there’s a kid in the roomto enjoy it. I’m impressed you’re still reading this small print. Back to the frog: it really did have a wild, wild ride. Though it did have some interesting eating habits and I'm not just talking about dining on flies. By the way, have you seen slo-mo videos of frogs using their tongues? Pretty fascinating. Okay, you’ve made it this far. I’ll just tell you the tadpole who became a frog is the celebrity we all know and love who goes by the name” [ARTICLE ENDS HERE]

Sign on the wall of the building “arrow pointing to the left”

Papar bags on the ground next to the bench with “Leftovers” written on it & “leftovers” from one nag have fallen out...to the ground.

The frog’s shadow behind the window/glass is seen using his tongue to catch/eat a fly on the glass

Poster on the (office) floor: 1996 Games: 1000-Meter Leap Frog

The frog & MIB doing dance moves on the street (as he comes out of the building)

Old school michrophone with the “LIKE” sign on it.

Dollar bills on the “counter”: 100 dollar bill + 5 dollar bill + 1 dollar bill (100 + 5 + 1 = 106 dollars)

AUDIO CLUES/VOICE OVER:

“News Flash: My metamorphosis has been anything but typical.”

“I leapt to stardom as fast as the lightning bolt.”

“Never had a chance to evolve my image, and do things my way.”

“I was slitherin with the big frogs from Jump-Jump. Just had to fit in and survive.”

“But now I can write my own masterpiece”

“Showing this new side (of me) gives me butterflies in my stomach.”

“But I'm ready to drop the hammer, and sing my face off.”

ON STAGE CLUES:

Song choice: “U Can’t Touch This” by MC Hammer

Look/Costume: Frog is wearing a purple suit & a yellow/purple checkered tie. He has a matching hat with a feather (1920s “gangster” style) & “Gatsby” style shoes.

Stage: Moves around & dances a lot, while rapping. Very energetic. Touches the brim of the hat during “questining”

Height: Short. Seems around 170 -173cm = 5 feet 6 inches

Build: He’s small, but athletic.

Mic hand: Right.

Talking: “I feel free, baby! I came here to win it all, baby, that’s what I came to do - win it all!” (when answering "How does it feel to dress up as The Frog?”)

GUESSES:

Shad Moss aka (Lil) Bow Wow (rapper/singer/musician) - for me the dance moves confirmed it’s him, cause I am not super familair with his voice alone. But last year when many suggested he could be "The Rottweiler”, I looked him up, and the dance routines he and his kid do in several of his posts leave me with no doubt that it’s him. I would not have gotten this one from the voice alone. 99% chance

POSSIBLE MEANING OF CLUES.

TBA LATER [SEE: LISTED CLUES & YOU’LL KNOW ANYWAY]

Paper bag “Leftovers” = Doggy Bag -- his artist nme was/is Bow Wow + it’s the title of one of his albums (Doggy bag)

Mic + Like sign = Like Mike

106 dollars = he hosted the”106 & Park” music vid show

KITTY

CLUES:

Location: many clips used from Georges Méliès silent film(s) - “Astronomers Dream” watch on YT

Silent film era style clips from a (movie) theatre

VISUAL CLUES:

Most of her clue package is in black & white, in “silent cinema” style. Lot of footage from the time films were first made & lots of references to the film of that time.

(Stage) Curtains opening

B&W: People watching the performance though binoculars.

B&W: Audience clapping (during the performance)

Kitty Mask appearing on each lens of the binoculars.

B&W image: a group of men coming to the stage, in one line...as we see it from the audiences POV. And Kitty Mask appearing in front on them...as the only in COLOUR image that has been added to it.

B&W: (Astronomical) Observatory with a telescope pointed at the Moon. There is a globe in the room. A stand with drawings and shapes (geometry) on one side & a blackboard with AB + CD = [more math...which I can’t type in here...for reasons] An old man/astronomer in a wizard hat is sitting on a chair, reading a book. Then gets up to write something on the blacboard. There is a coat of arms on the back of the chair. - a clip from Georges Méliès "The Astronomer's Dream" (old film from 1898)

In colour: Kitty walking to center stage - alone on the stage, in an ampty theatre

B&W: The Moon with a face being blown up - a clip from Georges Méliès "The Astronomer's Dream" (old film from 1898)

Blinking dressing room lights (a wall full of them) in the background of Kitty Mask

A glass jar/bottle of milk + a glass of milk...with Kitty mask sitting on top of he glass...as milk is poured into it.

B&W: Pirates sword-fighting on an old ship deck.

Kitty doing the CATwalk... with greenish-blueish lights in the background...

A (big) glass rose shattering to pieces as it falls to the ground... with rose petals fling everywhere...

AUDIO CLUES/VOICE OVER:

“In all my wildest dreams I’d never imagined I’d be here where I feel at home among the weird and the wonderful.”

“It’s almost like this show was made for me. -- A little bit of heaven where I can wipe the slate clean as the purest snow.”

“Sometimes it feels lonely, because people don’t think of me as the person I’ve become, but the person I once was.”

“But now under these light - among the cream of the crop - I get to start from scratch.”

“And just like a Kitty will always find a way to nuzzle into your heart, Tonight, for my big debut, I'm going for high drama...as I show you why I'm the pick of the litter”

ON STAGE CLUES:

Song choice: “Dangerous Woman” by Ariana Grande

Look/Costume: Burlesque/(Vegas) showgirl costume - sparkly dress with straps, and feathery skirt + feathers on top of the head (inside a small crown”, and added to that are sparly silver boots. Wearing a leotard under the dress (it seems to be a Red Silver Tabby cat). Kitty mask with different-coloured eyes (heterochromia) - one blue & one brown. The costume has a kind of Satine from “Moulin Rouge” feel/look to it.

Stage presence: Dancing sensual “Cabaret” chair dance while singing. Her backup dancers are dressed as “Chesire cats”

Height: Short, looks around 155-163cm = 5 feet 1 to 5 feet 4

Build: Petite. Very small & slender.

Mic hand: Alternates between left & right

Talking: “I am being somebody that noboby has ever seen before, and its always been inside of me, so... it’s great!” (when answering “Whats it like being The Kitty?”)

GUESSES:

Sarah Hyland (actress) -- the voice & the stage presence remind me of her...the most, though alost none of the clues fit her (rose for BF & drama for being on a popular mock series with lots of “drama”...are the main ones fitting her) 50% chance

Emma Watson (actress) - several clues fit her, but I am uncertain about the voice being a good match

Chloë Grace Moretz (actress) ...so many clues seem to reference to the movie “Hugo” she was in...that was a “tribute” to Georges Méliès...

Kate Bosworth (actress/model) - she has heterochromia + several clues fit

Mila Kunis (actress) - she has heterochromia

Lily Rose Depp - I am not that familiar with her voice to make a definite yes/no decision, but several clues match - pirates connection through her dad & French connection though her mom. She starred in a film titled “Planetarium”... and in the Vanity Fair’s “Secret Showcase/Talent” she did has a very similar oldie feel to it...like the clue package has

some/any “former” Disney actress, who is now in their late teens to late 20s

With this Mask I am more confused than I have ever been with any other mask...any season. Some fit the voice, some the stage prsence, some the clues. But none seem to fit (to me/to my knowledge) them all. And I still cannot decide on the voice..even after re-listening/watching. I really need that 2nd & 3rd song to make up my mind.

POSSIBLE MEANING OF CLUES.

TBA LATER [SEE: LISTED CLUES & YOU’LL KNOW ANYWAY]

TACO

CLUES

Location: (Restaurant) Kitchen

Location: Hollywood (CBS) Lot: streets/parking lot

VISUAL CLUES:

MIB dressed as chefs (in buffed up/sumo suits) preparing food - tacos

The taco lying on the plate as MIB chef adds some seasoning to it

VHS tapes...on the counter

Anchor (nautical.. ships anchor) on a plate

A (solved) Rubik’s Cube on top of a bowl filled with lemons/limes.

Fresh food in the fridge as the door is opened (salad, peppers) - a red trolley (tramcar/streetcar) is on top of the food

The MIC chefs adding more seasonings, and then ketchup to the taco. Writing TACO as a decoration on the plate, next to the taco, with ketchup.

The taco jumps off the plate, and onto the kitchen floor, adn starts running away..as the MIB chefs run after him (with ladles in hands)...He runs out of therestaurant...and onto the street

The MIB looking out between large TMS door and waving for Taco to come their way...and the Taco running into the studio...as the doors close just in front of the chasers

Sign next to the TMS mask logo doors: Studios 36 & 46 Main Entrance [arrow pointing to the left]

Sign on the wall inside the TMS studio doors: Stage 46 [arrow to the right]

AUDIO CLUES/VOICE OVER:

“Like the comfort food I am, I’ve been a confirting part of your lives for decades”

“I’ve got plenty of seasoning & I'm in a good place, but my routine can get a bit mild, so I'm here to bust out of the buffet...and spice things up.”

“To enchiladas and beyond!“

“Here I go...as fast as I can.”

“I want to be the last mask standing.”

“I just hope I don’t fall apart out there.”

“Time for Taco Wednesday.”

ON STAGE CLUES:

Song choice: “Fly Me to the Moon” by Frank Sinatra

Look/Costume: Dark green suit under a taco suit/costume. Cherry tomato for a head. Ketchup bottle for a mic. suits in the background.

Stage presence: Moon & stars theme: Big Band with starry suits. Swing music style..very 1960s Sinatra vibes.

Height: He’s around 170cm = 6 feet (about the same height as the host, Nick)

Build: Tall-ish & lean-ish.

Mic hand: Right

Talking: "This is how dress normally! No(w), the weirdest thing about this experience is being ignored by everyone, cause they don’t know who I am. For the first time (in my life) I feel invisible!” (when answering “How is his normal life different from being on TMS?”)

GUESSES

Tom Bergeron (TV show host & comedian) 99% chance

Tim Allen (actor/comedian) 0.5% chance

Tom Hanks (actor) 0,5% chance

Though the voice at times makes it seem as this could be the actor (and comedian, and writer, and artist) John Lithgow and/or the clues at times make it seem as this could be the actor Ted Danson...it cannot be either of them. They’re just too tall to be the person in that costume.

POSSIBLE MEANING OF CLUES

TBA LATER [SEE: LISTED CLUES & YOU’LL KNOW ANYWAY]

VHS tapes = America’s Funniest (Home) Video’s - he hosted the show..for years

The trolley = the exact trolley/model like in “Mr. Roger’s Neighbourhood” +the 2019 film about him - hesang a song on the 2019 films “soundtrack”

“...as fast as I can” = the title of his (autobiographical) book is “I'm hosting as dast as I can”

MOUSE

CLUES:

Location: Football field

VISUAL CLUES:

The Mouse holding a megaphone & gicing orders through it to others (shes the boss of them all)

MIB dressed in dark slacks & yellow jerseys + wearing helmets...ready to play some ��american football”

One MIB is dressed as a cheerleader - with pink tutu skirt & golden pom-poms...cheering them on...

There is a dark football helmet with the US flag on the bench next to the Mouse Mask

The Mouse standing on top of a car/trcuk tire...that’s on the foorball field

Whiteboard with game strategy on it. Title: Bang Bang Formation. Football field drawin under it...with each players moves indicated.

The four cardinal directions: N for north, S for souts, W for West & E for east (in a different colour!) on each side of the table.

The MIB athletes doing push-ups..with The MOuse standing on top of one of their helmets

The MIB yellow jerseys say “Wariors” & their numbers are “19″ & “79"

The MIB athletes tackle the trainign equpment the mouse is standing on, making her fly, and (crach) land of the grass

AUDIO CLUES/VOICEOVER:

“Just like a mouse I’m small and cute. But don’t let my size fool you, because my presence is larger than life. ”

“I’ve always been a leader in my field, really.”

“I wrote the Playbook.”

“But as much as I love calling the shots, and showing everyone who’s the boss, I also love having a walk-on role to play.”

“They say: “Don’t sweat the small stuff.” But now that I'm putting myself in, you should. Because I never accept anything less than gold.”

“So, to all my copetitors, you “cheddar” watch out”

ON STAGE CLUES:

Song choice: “Get here” by Oleta Adams

Look/Costume: Pink-ish mouse costume, wearing a long fairy skirt/dress (with flowers in front) & fairy wings on the back.

Stage presence: Static. Sitting during both the performance/singing AND the “panel guessing” part [indicating she’s older and/or has a health issue and/or it’s done just to fool the viewers about her height...and hence the line “don’t let my size fool you” in the clue package]

Height: Shorter than the host, Nick. Seems about 170- 175 cm = 5 feet 5 iches to 5 feet 7 inches tall.

Build: “Normal” ...to smallish

Mic hand: Right

Talking: “Not being able to talk. Yeah, you know, I’m a chatterbox. And I love talking and they always tell me...that I can’t say anything to anybody.”

(when answering the question “what makes this experience different from her day-to-day life?”

POSSIBLE MEANING OF CLUES:

TBA LATER [SEE: LISTED CLUES & YOU’LL KNOW ANYWAY]

Warriors 19 & 79 = 1979 [the year, the number] = This is the year, when her album “Dionne” was released.

Gold (pom-pons) in her clue package = many of her (her bands) albums/songs have gone Gold.

GUESSES:

Dionne Warwick (singer) 90% chance

I dont really have other guesses. I was conflicted for a bit during the original airing, cause it looked like she was wayshorter than the host, but thats cause I did not pay attention to the fact that she was sitting the whole time. So my confusion “that’s D.W.s voice, but the height excludes her... cause she is a bit taller than that” was over as soon as someone pointed it out to me, and I was able to re-watch & see that she sat not only during the Q&A, but also her performance.

BANANA

CLUES:

Location: Football field

Location: Party/Tour bus

VISUAL CLUES:

Four small fruit-shaped “hobbit houses” - one pear, one stwarberry & 2 watermelons...behind a white picket fence + theres a bicycle nxt to the fence

Banana sleeping & “yawning” outside, on a grass (football field)... on a blanket

A cowboy hat next to the sleeping banana

A tomato & a blowfish next to the sleeping banana

MIB texting “Banana! Where R U?” to him..on an orange-coloured phone

All kinds of veggies and salads + a banana peel..on the grass. The MIB “walking and texting”, and hence not seeing the banana peel & slipping on it & falling down next to the blanket

The Banana sleeping under the blanket...with two dressed in green “cowgirls” sleeping on either side of him. The Bananas clothes/costume is on the floor/grass next to them...so he’s “naked” under the blanket

All kinds of veggies lying around the blanket, on the grass õA

A blue (dog) collar on the grass next to the blanket

Banana partying on a tour bus with the two green creatures

Banana dancing on the table...

AUDIO CLUES/VOICE OVER:

[Banana sleeping on a football field & getting a text “Where R U” from MIB] “What? Where am I? Oh, no, I’m late for the stage! Aaahh”

[12 hrs earlier] “Ugh, I cant believe I overdid it last night. You’d think this was my first rodeo.”

“I’m the banana because I'm tough on the outside, but a total smoothie on the inside. And a hoot to have at parties. Am I right, ladies?”

[getting up from under the blanket] “Help me get dressed, dadgumit.”

"I cant wait to peel back my layers, and show I can use my voice in any environment.”

"I just wanna see you smile.”

ON STAGE CLUES:

Song choice: “A Little Less Conversation” by Elvis Presley

Look/Costume: Yellow costume suit & a banana head with banana peel for a collar

Stage presence: Very energetic, moving around & dancing a lot. Ends the song with an “Iron Man landing pose”

Height: He’s around 180cm = 6 fee (around the same height as the host, Nick)

Build: He’s tall & lean

Mic hand: Right

Talking: “[chuckles] Technically... No. My kid. -- I’m getting ready to work out -- she hands me a banana, and it’s a sign. So here I am - The Banana. And I’m peeling it. I’m peeling the music.” (when aswering the question “Did you always want to be the Banana?”

GUESSES:

Bret Michaels of “Poison” (singer/musician) - those denace moves! and stage presence just give him away.

POSSIBLE MEANING OF CLUES.

TBA LATER [SEE: LISTED CLUES & YOU’LL KNOW ANYWAY]

Cowbvoy hat = he wars one quite often (its kind of one of his trademarks)

Blowfish = they are poisonous & “POison” is the name of his band

The MIB slipping on a banana peel & falling = Bret famously fell once during Tony Awards in 2009

Blue Collar = he has a pet clothing line + his daughetrs name is Bleu

ELEPHANT

First mask to be voted out in ep 4!

I am sad, cause I really liked his performance. But I get it...they’re all really equal, so it just depends which voie/mask has most “fans” in the audience that day/moment.

The clue package video hinted at a sportsman (athlete: skateboard, acrobatics, parkour, snowboarding...or similar..based on the MIB choreography). An individual sport, not team sport. The blue birds hinted at his company name + kinda his last name, too.

What people shoul’dve picked up, too were: his “limping” as he entered the stage. His “sliding to his knees” on stage (a move in his sports...to protect from falls). And... even though it was most likely just about “he's moving to the beat of his own drum” with the drums/drumming, but Id like to think that is was a nod to his role in that “Guitar Hero” add, where he & 3 other famous athletes played band members...and he was the drummer.

<<<<< THIS IS WHAT GOES ON IN MY HEAD AFTER EVERY TMS SHOW/EPISODE. THIS IS HOW I CATEGORIZE THE INFO I HAVE INTO FOLDERS IN MY MIND. THIS IS HOW SPECIFIC I AM, AND HOW INTO DETAILS I GO. THIS IS HOW MUCH I PAY ATTENTION (while, most likely, missing a ton of more hints that I’ll only notice during re-watch) I JUST DECIDED TO WRITE IT DOWN…FOR ONCE.

As promised, I’ll be doing this for the first episode of each group (3x01 for group A, 3x04 for group B, and in a few weeks 3x07 for group C). But that’s all I’ll be doing. Those three. Cause I have no time or energy to write it all down each week.

#THE MASKED SINGER #TMS #SPOILER #TMS SPOILER #TMS US #the masked singer usa #THE MASKED SINGER SEASON 3 #TMS S3 #TMS SEASON 3 #THE MASKED SINGER S3 #MASKED SINGER

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gwdiscotech · 4 years

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Mascot Research - Japanese, Olympic and Other

Japanese Mascots:

Pop Culture in Modern Japan is all about the cute, unique and crazy. This interest is perfectly encapsulated by Japan's recent obsession of the last few years and that would be mascots. While in the West mascots would generally be reserved for sports or maybe brand promotion, the mascots known as Yuru-kyara in Japan have a much larger scope, to the point that most things have it's own mascot; Hospitals, Charities, religions and even different branches of the military have their own mascots.

Mascots in Japan are commonly very cute and simplistic, though there are some exceptions to this, there are a few that are extremely creepy and/or rather complex. A common theme amongst the mascots are food and plants that are related to Japan itself, many of them are also cutesy and stylised animals.

Notable Mascots:

Domo-kun: Domo-kun is the mascot of Japan's largest broadcasting organisation: NHK. He first appeared for the first time in 1998 in short stop-motion sketches on stations and on TV and has been popular ever since.

Kumamon: Kumamon is the primary mascot for the prefecture Kumamoto which is located in the south of Japan. Kumamon became a popular character in 2010 when promoting the Kyushu bullet train, the next year Kumamon won the yuru-grand prix and despite all of this, he is bizarrely creepy.

Fukka-chan: This is probably my favourite, they're adorable and shows one of the bizarre aspects of Japanese mascots. Fukka-chan is the symbol of Fukaya city in Saitama, representing the city's leek production.

Kanitori-kun: Kanitori-kun is a three-eyes hybrid of a bird and a king crab and a mascot of the Kaike Grand Hotel in Tottori prefecture.

2020 Olympics:

Given that the Olympics this year is taking place in Tokyo, it's fitting that the Olympics’ mascot for 2020 has a very cutesy, anime design. Thankfully the Tokyo 2020 website has a rather informative description of the mascots and their origins.

Miraitowa: The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games mascot is styled with the Ai (indigo blue) Ichimatsu pattern from the Tokyo 2020 Games emblem, a tribute to both the respected tradition and modern innovation of Japanese culture. Miraitowa has a personality inspired by the Japanese proverb, “learn from the past and develop new ideas”. Miraitowa is cheerful and remarkably athletic, and also has a very strong sense of integrity. It has a special power to instantly teleport anywhere it wants. The name MIRAITOWA is based on the Japanese words "mirai", meaning “future”, and "towa", meaning “eternity”, and represents the wish that through the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, a future of everlasting hope will carry on in the hearts of everyone around the world.

Someity: The Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games mascot, with its mighty powers and cherry blossom tactile sensors, is quite a cool character. Someity can use the sensors on the sides of its head for telepathic powers, fly using its Ichimatsu-pattern cape, and even move objects without touching them. Someity has a calm and quiet presence, guided by great inner strength, but can display superpowers that embody the toughness and determination of the Paralympic athletes. Someity loves being in nature, and can communicate with natural elements, such as stones and the wind. The name SOMEITY comes from "Someiyoshino", a popular type of cherry blossom, and the phrase "so mighty". Someity can show enormous mental and physical strength and represents Paralympic athletes who overcome obstacles and redefine the boundaries of possibility.

Previous Olympics:

Most of the mascots of previous Olympics follow general rules of a mascot, like being simple and memorable. Again, being cutesy seems to be a priority in the design, with a lot of animal centric designs with large eyes and morphed body proportions.

London 2012: This guy's name is Wenlock, created by Iris design agency and he takes his name from the town of Much Wenlock in Shropshire, which hosts the traditional Much Wenlock Games. Apparently, these games awere one of Pierre de Coubertin's sources of inspiration for the modern Olympic Games. According to the story by Michael Morpurgo, Wenlocks's metallic look is explained by the fact that he was made from the last drop of steel used to build London's Olympic Stadium.

Grenoble 1968: "Shuss" was the name given to this mascot by the agency commissioned by the Organising Committee to advertise these Games. Shush is apparently a little man on skis in the position to which his name suggests, the top of his large two-coloured head, which rests on a unique zig-zag flash shaped foot generally features the Olympic rings. This interesting character was created by Aline Lafargue.

PyeongChang 2018: Soohorang is the mascot of the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games and is a stylised white tiger, mostly likely chosen because the white tiger has long been considered Korea's guardian animal. “Sooho”, meaning protection in Korean, symbolises the protection offered to the athletes, spectators and other participants of the 2018 Games. “Rang” comes from the middle letter of “Ho-rang-i”, the Korean word for “tiger,” and is also the last letter of “Jeong-seon A-ri-rang”, a cherished traditional folk song of Gangwon Province, where the Games will be held.

Beijing 2008: Beijing in fact had five mascots, all of them corresponding with the natural elements and, apart from Huanhua, with four popular animals in China. Each mascot also represents the colour of one of the five Olympic rings. Each also bears a wish, it was traditional in ancient Chinese culture to transmit wishes through signs or symbols. Each name of the mascots rhymes by repeating the same syllable: a traditional Chinese way of showing affection to children. Linking the five names forms the sentence "Welcome to Beijing" (Bei Jing Huan Ying Ni). The mascots form the "Fuwa", which translates as "good-luck dolls". Their creator is Han Meilin.

Beibei the fish is a reference to the element of water. She is blue and her wish is prosperity. The waves on her head are based on a design in traditional Chinese painting.

Jingjing the panda represents the forest. He is black and his wish is happiness. Porcelain paintings from the Song dynasty (960-1279 AD) were the inspiration for the lotus flowers on his head.

Yingying, the Tibetan antelope, represents earth. He is yellow and his wish is good health. Decorative elements from Western China appear on his head.

Nini, the swallow, represents the sky. She is green and her wish is good luck. Her design is inspired by those on Chinese kites. Swallow is pronounced “Yan” in Chinese, and an ancient name for Beijing was “Yanjing”.

Huanhuan is a child of fire. He is red and transmits the passion of sport as well as symbolises the Olympic flame and spirit. Dunhuang grotto art inspired the decoration on his head, together with certain traditional good-luck designs.

Mascots From Other Countries:

Bill the Goat: Bill is the mascot for the United States Naval Academy. The mascot exists in two forms, a live goat and represented by a costumed midshipman. There is also a bronze statue of the goat in the north end of the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. In both iterations of the mascot wears the colours of the Naval Academy which are blue and yellow, also the costumed variant of the mascot is highly characterised and the designer clearly tried their best to make it cute which is odd given that Bill is a mascot of a branch of the American Military.

Kingsley: This is the mascot for the Scottish Football Club “Partick Thistle” and was designed by a Turner Prize-nominated artist (Somehow) artist named David Shrigley. Kingsley succeeded Jaggy MacBee, a bumble bee who had been the club’s mascot from 2011 to 2015 as part of the club’s sponsorship with MacB. The creator said that he was designed to represent “the angst of football fans” and I assume therefore the mascot’s design is rather crude and “scary”.

Michelin Man: Bibendum or otherwise known as The Michelin Man is the mascot of a French tyre company Michelin and has been around since the Lyon Exhibition of 1894 where the Michelin brothers had a stand and is one of the world’s oldest trademarks. The idea for the mascots came from when the Michelin brothers noticed a stack of tyres that appeared to them like a man without arms; a few years later they met a French cartoonist that eventually brought the mascot to life. The mascot concept hasn’t changed too much, it’s still a humanoid figure made out of tyre’s, but over the years the design has lost a lot of the creepy elements that it had in the original poster and has become much more approachable with proportions closer to an actual humans as well as other small details like a cartoon face. From 1912 onward, tyre became black when they added carbon as a preservative and a strengthener, in response to this the Michelin man had a short stint of being black instead of white, though his design was quickly turned back due to printing and aesthetic issues. Despite his more modern design.

Notes:

From what I can see

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capostrophe · 7 years

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Rec-your-own (fanfiction edition)

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favourite five fics that you’ve written, then pass on to at least five other writers.

Tagged by @slightlyintimidating yay!

Reconstruction (Starship, TUp)

This fic got a lot more love than I ever imagined. I wrote it in 2011-early 2012 during the height of Starship’s popularity as a Starkid musical. While there were a lot of TUp backstories I decided to go a little different and go forwards, exploring Taz and Up’s relationship after the events in the musical and I got carried away and had so much fun with it...when I’m in love with an OTP, I go all out and I definitely did with this fic. For a while I got a following from it and people recced it to Karri (LTD author) which astounded me because I didn’t think it was that great, but I had a lot of fun writing it so I’m glad people had so much fun reading it. I also made a lot of Starkid friends. It was a fun time for me, sharing my OTP with a load of people who also shipped it (I guess that was because it was my first real foray into a larger fandom). Looking back, there are a few things I’d change if I gave it a major edit, including some of my less-than-adequate Spanish translations (I since took a class in Spanish so my TUp fics after that were a lot more accurately translated)and a couple of continuity errors but I’m still proud of it. It was the first really long, serious multichap I finished, standing at 26 chapters, which taught me a lot about persevering with a fic.

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/7311966/1/Reconstruction

At the End of the Day (Bread, Joetina)

It has some things I’d change, but I look back on this as one of my best works. I’d been reading some fics and original works in new styles, and I was inspired to try out a new writing style, straying from the typical third person, past tense and linear narrative I usually stuck with. And I was very happy with the result. I had a lot of fun world-building for not just my favourite couple, but the wider world of Bread, fleshing out the characters and their lives beyond the show, and the more I wrote, the more I was filled with ideas to the point that I wrote several spin-offs in the same universe to continue building on the other characters. I loved writing a fix-it that undid the annoyance of Joey/Roxy’s marriage at the end of the show and put Joetina together, and it was a challenge doing so in a way that was realistic and in-character, but a lot of fun. I started writing it before I’d even finished Money Angel, which I was working on at the time, and completed several whole chapters really quickly. Something I liked about writing it a bit later, setting it in the 90s and early 2000s rather than the 80s of the show, was that, having grown up in the 90s/2000s I could put in references to products etc. much more easily. This fic also had some personal significance for me, as a few issues I explored, particularly with Joey, mirrored some of my own worries.

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9053772/1/At-the-end-of-the-day

A Very Umbridge Sequel (A Very Potter Musical/Sequel, Umbridge/Firenze but not pairing-centric) I was coming up to my trial HSC (mock A-levels/ finals? Idk what they call it outside Aus, but the Year 12 final exams to go to uni basically) and in my free time, wanted to write something light-hearted and fun. And I really, REALLY loved Starkid/AVPM, Joe Walker’s portrayal of Umbridge in particular. So I wrote a fic. All about that interpretation of Umbridge. Having centaur babies. Who were mini Umbridges. I posted little games at the start of each chapter and gave out imaginary prizes (name mentions really) for reviewers who won. It got a following. I disturbed a few people. I had the most fun writing this fic of any fic I have ever written, or any story I will ever write, because it was so stupid and hilarious. I think I was grinning/laughing to myself the whole way throughout writing it.

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/7068391/1/A-Very-Umbridge-Sequel

Partners in Crime (St Trinian’s, Kelly/Flash)

Though I never finished it (and probably won’t due to being busy), I enjoyed writing scenes from lots of different characters’ points of view, getting into their heads and their way of thinking/speaking as they all gave their perspective on the same narrative. It was a really ambitious fic, exploring dark themes, a weird mafia (who in a coincidental bit of foreshadowing for my eventual Bread love were called the Black Jaguar) and an elaborate plot involving a mysterious USB, on top of the Kel/Flash budding romance. But I thoroughly enjoyed writing it. I think I would have finished it, had my St Trinian’s obsession not slid very quickly into my Starkid obsession with little room for segue (this obsession then made way for my 4-year love of Bread. I changed fandoms very quickly that year, then ended up with a long-term one). No regrets, though. This was a different pairing for me, after 3 years of Gladys/Jeffrey, and writing for a fresh OTP with a very different dynamic was utterly enjoyable. Some great memories of early 2011 for me were sitting up til midnight typing up chapters of this fic (I handwrote nearly everything first) and hitting post.

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/6698640/1/Partners-in-Crime

Escape from the Fist of Iron (Starship, TUp)

Another fic I’ll likely never finish, but I regret lacking the time/motivation to do so at the time. It was a what-if fic, looking at how the starship rangers’ lives would have gone if they hadn’t won the Robot Wars, and it did quite well, review-wise. I was proud of the writing and the plot I had planned, although I got a bit bored of writing out times and dates, as I usually do when I try to write them into a fic. I feel bad I never finished it, given I had a fair few reviews asking me to do so, but I started it towards the end of my interest in TUp and near the peak of my interest in Bread, so it didn’t stand much of a chance. Still, it was interesting to write and I liked bringing in crossovers from Holy Musical B@man to spice things up a little.

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/8288062/1/Escape-from-the-Fist-of-Iron

Do You Still Believe in One Another? (Bread, Jack/Leonora, Joetina and others, not pairing-centric)

It was possibly a tie between this and There’s a World Outside Your Window for my favourite ATEOTD spinoff, but this one wins as I wrote it during a dark time in my life, put a lot of thought into it, and it was a challenge writing a Jack-centric fic when he’s not normally a character I think about a lot, so it brought me out of my Joey comfort zone hehe. I started writing it in 2014, left it for a while, came back to it in 2015 and then didn’t post it because a few future fics had just come out and I was worried it might be a bit too similar. It found its moment, though, when it could reflect the loss of Carla Lane and be a tribute to her, and I’m glad I could end up writing it to show my appreciation for her work. A bit hard for me to read now, given my granny died last year and it’s all about Grandad’s death. I liked the aspects of the ‘verse I introduced into this fic, though, a few more details about Joetina’s marriage, Jackonora’s relationship, Shifty and Joey’s friendship (something I wanted and still want to explore in some more fics) and some sprinklings of other issues in the ‘verse I was going to flesh out later. Of the ATEOTD fics, and my Bread fics in general, it’s one of the ones I’m proudest of.

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11979200/1/Do-You-Still-Believe-in-One-Another

I tag:

@emilyweepsforpilfrey : curious to see which of your fics are your fave!

@wufantastiic : I’d love to see which of your awesome works make it on here!

@goldengaynetto : can be your old or new fics!

#tagged #tag game #writing #my writing #fanfic #fanfiction #rec your own fics #slightlyintimidating #starship #tup #bread bbc #joetina #avpm #st trinian's #klash

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ramajmedia · 5 years

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Alita: Battle Angel: 12 Hidden Details Everyone Completely Missed

Earlier this year, Hollywood finally broke the curse of making terrible live-action adaptations of anime with Alita: Battle Angel – the American remake of Gunnm aka Battle Angel Alita. Directed by Robert Rodriguez and produced by James Cameron, Alita: Battle Angel followed Alita’s rise from a forsaken robot to the greatest cyborg warrior of Iron City.

Being an adaptation of both the manga and anime, Alita is overflowing with references and visual tributes to the beloved cult source material that many people would miss on their first viewing. Now that the movie is available on video and streaming, here are 12 things you may have missed while watching Alita: Battle Angel to look out for.

12 The Swamp Thing Is Alita’s First Opponent

Alita’s first opponent and kill is Romo, a cyborg with bladed hands who’s also the weakest of Grewishka’s gang. Romo is portrayed by stuntman Derek Mears, who is better known for some monstrous roles that cover his face.

Two of Mears’s most famous monster roles are the Swamp Thing in the canceled streaming show and Jason Voorhess from the Friday the 13threboot. As of now, he’s the ninth actor to portray the famous slasher killer. He was also the super-villain Dwarfstar in The Flash, where he framed Big Sir for murder.

11 Madam M Is The Robed Cyborg

Right after dispatching Romo, Alita faces Nyssiana, who previously lured Dr. Ido into the dark alley. The mantis-like assassin is portrayed by Eiza Gonzalez, who was recently seen in Hobbs & Shaw where she portrayed Shaw’s femme fatale associate Madam M.

Gonzalez is an actress and singer who’s best known for starring in popular Mexican soap operas. Previously, she took up the roles of Darling in Baby Driver and Santanico Pandemonium in the televised remake of From Dusk Till Dawn. She inherited the latter role from Salma Hayek.

10 Captain Boomerang Is A Motorball Champion

Alita: Battle Angel has a lot of high-profile cameos, including Jai Courtney who appears as one of the Motorball players being repaired on in the pitstop. Best known for being Captain Boomerang in Suicide Squad, Courtney’s character Jashugan may play a larger role in a hypothetical sequel.

Jashugan is a major character in the manga’s Motorball arc, most of which is being saved for a tentative sequel. Of Alita’s many Motorball opponents, Jashugan – who is hailed as the greatest Motorball champion of his time – is the only one she truly respects as a rival and equal.

9 Frank From Lost Is McTeague

When Alita drops by The Kansas Bar, she sees a host of Hunter-Warriors who all laugh at her call to war against Grewnishka. The only one to answer the call is McTeague, a hunter who uses a pack of cyborg dogs to do the killing.

RELATED: Lost: 10 Storylines That Were Never Resolved

McTeague – based on Murdock from the manga – is played by frequent Rodriguez collaborator Jeff Fahey, making this his third appearance in the director’s works. Previously, he managed a gas station/barbecue joint as J.T. in Planet Terror and the devious political advisor Booth in Machete.

8 Johnny Rico Killed Dr. Ido’s Daughter

Midway through Alita: Battle Angel, Dr. Ido reveals that his daughter was inadvertently killed when a rabid Amok – a cyborg junkie – ransacked his clinic for drugs and painkillers. Amok is also portrayed by Casper van Dien, who is best known for being the hero of Starship Troopers.

Casper van Dien portrayed Johnny Rico in most installments of the Starship Troopers franchise, with his time in the original movie recognized as the highlight of his career. He also took up the role of Johnny Cage in the web series Mortal Kombat: Legacy.

7 Letty Is Gelda

In a previous life, Alita was referred to as “99” and was a member one of the feared Berserkers – the United Republic of Mars’ (URM) deadly shock troopers from The Great War. Her commanding officer was Gerda, who is last seen fighting alongside Alita in a flashback.

Because Gelda is a CGI character, it’s easy to miss that she’s being portrayed by Michelle Rodriguez. Best known as Letty in the Fast & Furious movies, Rodriguez is one of the most recognized actresses in the action genre. She also took up the role of the revolutionary Shé in Rodriguez’s Machete films.

6 Edward Norton is Desty Nova

Alita: Battle Angel ends with a cryptic shot of a scientist living in Zalem, who’s shown to be watching and controlling the events of the movie. This man is none other than Dr. Desty Nova, the central antagonist of the Alita manga.

RELATED: 10 Ways That The Incredible Hulk Ties Into The Wider MCU

Portrayed by Edward Norton in a cameo, Nova is the mad scientist who created most of Alita’s cyborg enemies. Driven by his futile quest to define good and evil (aka Karmatron Dynamics) through science, Nova is willing to put people’s lives at stake just to get the next variable in his equation.

5 Iron City’s Location Is Geographically Correct

In the manga, Iron City was built in what remains of Kansas City. It also sits under the space elevator connecting the Scrapyard to the floating city of Zalem. Geographically speaking, this is inaccurate since a planetary elevator should ideally be built near the equator.

It’s for this exact reason that James Cameron moved the city Alita calls home to Latin America. This explains why the cinematic Iron City is defined by old Spanish colonial architecture and is found near a rainforest. The city’s original location is referenced through The Kansas Bar.

4 Grewishka Is A Combination Of Two Characters

Though he’s not the main villain, Grewishka is still a gigantic and intimidating force of nature who Alita takes a while to defeat. For curious viewers, Grewishka does exist in the manga and anime but as two separate entities.

The most obvious inspiration is his name, which is derived from the anime’s first main antagonist Grewcica. His appearance and initial purpose are based on Makaku from the manga, where he also threatened to turn Alita into a living pendant. A major change is his employment as Vector’s chief thug, since he originally answered to Desty Nova.

3 Alita’s New Body

Even Alita’s Berserker Body wasn’t impervious to all the punishment she took throughout the movie, which could be why she wears a new body by the movie’s end. In the manga, Alita has a separate body that’s exclusively used for Motorball while her Berserker Body is saved for combat purposes.

However, her third body also allows her to channel blue plasma fire into her Damascus Blade – something only hinted at with her Berserker Body. This is a feature that she constantly used in fights when wearing her Imaginos Body, which was crafted by Desty Nova.

2 The Movie Condensed A Lot Of The Anime And Manga

Given the number of chapters and spin-off materials, it’s simply impossible to adapt all of Battle Angel Alita or Gunnm into one film. This is why Alita: Battle Angel does its best to condense the manga’s characters, themes, and major events into a two-hour runtime.

For example, Alita originally spent entire arcs as a Hunter-Warrior and a Motorball champion. She does both in the movie, but her bounty hunting job was overshadowed by her athletic career. Whole subplots were also omitted to focus the story, losing the likes of McTeague’s/ Murdock’s hatred of Zapan and Desty Nova’s direct involvement.

1 The Mangaka Creator Loves The Movie

It would be an understatement to say that Hollywood doesn’t have the most glowing reputation when it comes to adapting manga and anime to live-action but Alita: Battle Angel is the exception.

RELATED: 10 Anime That Should Be Made into Live-Action Films (After Alita: Battle Angel)

Not only is it considered to be the best American anime remake, but series creator Yukito Kishiro – who disowned the anime – absolutely adores it. He’s seen the movie more than once, finding something new in each viewing of what he calls “the greatest movie in the world.” He even created new artwork for the movie’s release, depicting Rosa Salazar in his manga’s classic style.

NEXT: Alita: Battle Angel Star Rosa Salazar Wants To Return For Sequels

source https://screenrant.com/alita-battle-angel-hidden-details/

#screenrant

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5hfanfiction · 7 years

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This Isn't Our First Time Around (Prologue)

Reincarnation [ree-in-kahr-ney-shuhn]

The belief that the soul, upon death of the body, comes back to earth in another body or form.

—-

(As a disclaimer, it is not our intention to offend anyone with anything done or said in this book. Lauren and Camila’s names will remain the same throughout the stories but the main Camila and Lauren do not know that their names are the same.)

—-

Year 2127

Camila Cabello believed in a lot of things.

She believed in happiness the day her parents told her she would get a baby sister.

She believed in luck when she got accepted into the University of New Miami, a tribute to the original University of Miami which was now underwater along with the rest of the original city.

She believed in hard work as she pulled through the four years of undergrad.

She believed in disparity as her only hope of passing her last class, history, was a final paper.

She didn’t know it yet, but she believed it was destiny that drew her to the New Miami Museum of Ancient History.

Camila angrily trekked her way through the masses of people that congregated along the streets of New Miami. The last thing she wanted right now was to be outside of her apartment, surrounded by unknown faces and having to socialize, but unfortunately she had to write this history report in order to graduate.

If it wasn’t for her psychotic professor, who was absolutely obsessed with every little detail of history, she would be watching her favorite classic movies. She much prefered the outdated CGI of Harry Potter to any of the popular films of today. But apparently knowing about things that happened hundreds of years ago was more important than her sanity, so here she was.

Looking up at the large sign above the doors, Camila huffed as she climbed the steps to the New Miami Museum of Ancient History. The doors slid open upon her arrival and she quickly made her way inside, reveling in the warmth that was encased within the building. New Miami never truly got cold, but the natives thought that anything below 60 degrees was absolutely freezing, herself included. Shrugging off her jacket, she made her way through the hallways in search of finding a topic worth writing about.

Unfortunately, when given the assignment, her professor said they could write about anything history related - as long as it was factual and well written. Normally, that would be an amazing prospect, but Camila, ever the avid learner, slept in her class every day. ‘That’s what happens when you’re a senior,’ she rationalized. As a result, she knew nothing, and had not a single clue as to what to write about.

So that brought her here, wandering the halls of the museum as she desperately searched for any event that would catch her interest enough to write about. The Rise and Fall of America? Pass. The fight for human rights? Tempting, but Camila knew she would get too heated writing about it and would be bias in her opinions.

As she scoured through the museum, she came across a small mass of people listening to someone speak about the history of a piece they were standing in front of. She scoffed internally, wondering why anyone would come here to listen to someone talk about history when they could just Google it. Then again, what was Camila doing here instead of using google?

As Camila made her way around the crowd, she heard a rather husky voice coming from within the group of people.

“..to which the people stood up and fought against a vile dictator for authorizing a pipeline which would have destroyed the ecosystem as we once knew it,” said the voice, and Camila found herself craning her neck to find the source of the heavenly sound.

Following the voice as she circled the crowd, her eyes landed on the most beautiful woman she had ever seen in her entire life. Long, beautiful dark brown hair, perfect eyebrows, facial structure to die for, and the most stunning set of green eyes she had ever seen in her existence.

When said eyes made contact with her own, Camila felt her spine tingle, like there was a shift in the universe. Like everything was falling together. The green eyed beauty must have felt it too, since she faltered in her speech momentarily before continuing on, educating the crowd about the #DAPL controversy from over 100 years ago.

Camila stayed with the crowd, mesmerized by the beautiful woman and all of the knowledge she seemed to withhold about the past. Then it hit Camila; she could ask the beauty for help with her history paper and talk to her in the process. 'Two birds with one stone,’ she thought to herself.

The crowd began to disperse as the woman finished her tour, Camila lingering behind so that she could approach her without interruption. Mustering up every ounce of courage she had in her body, Camila made her way toward the green eyed girl.

“Um.. hi there,” Camila greeted her with an awkward wave, internally smacking herself for sounding so stupid. The woman turned towards Camila, as though to give her her full attention. “I couldn’t help but overhear the story you just told the crowd, and I was wondering if you could help me?”

The woman flashed Camila a bright smile, and the brunette felt that tingling in her spine again. “Yes of course, what can I help you with?” She asked in that husky voice that made Camila light headed.

“Well firstly, I’m Camila,” the brunette smiled, putting her hand out for the woman to shake. The green eyed beauty took her hand with another smile, “Lauren, nice to meet you.”

'Lauren,’ Camila thought. It suited her. She smiled at Lauren before continuing.

“So I have to write a history report, and I’m the worst student ever and I sleep in my professor’s class every day, so I have no clue what to write about,” Camila confessed, as Lauren threw her head back in laughter.

“Senior paper, I assume?” Lauren asked, laughter still bubbling from within her.

“Yeah,” Camila admitted, awkwardly rubbing the back of her neck.

Lauren just smiled and gestured for Camila to follow her. The walked through the rest of the America exhibit before entering a hallway. “I believe that someone who takes little interest in history will find this exhibit to be the most interesting to start in,” Lauren spoke as the entered.

“Why is that?” Camila asked, genuinely curious. Something about this woman made her want to actually care about history (or she just wanted to impress her, either one).

“Ancient battles, tales of legend, the kind of stuff from books and fairy tales. A lot of that stuff is here,” Lauren said with an excited glint in her eye. “It’s where I started my studies as a history major and it all just.. Clicked for me.”

“Could you tell me a story about it?” Camila asked, hoping to hear her speak so passionately about the past again.

“I’d lo-”

“Attention all museum visitors, we appreciate your patronage but the time is now 4:45pm and the museum will be closing in 15 minutes. Please make your final viewings and purchases, and thank you for visiting the New Miami Museum of Ancient History.”

“Well, I would love to, but unfortunately the museum is closing,” Lauren finished with a sad smile. Camila internally cursed herself for being upset, but put on a fake smile so that Lauren wouldn’t notice.

“Oh no it’s no problem, I underst-”

“But, tomorrow is my day off. If you’d like, I can give you a tour and tell you about all of my favorite moments in history?” Lauren offered, a hopeful look in her eyes.

“Are you really offering to spend your day off at your job, literally doing your job, just to help me?” Camila asked, stunned.

“History is my passion. Even when I’m not here I’m watching documentaries or googling new things to learn,” Lauren shrugged. As she paused, she stealthily gave Camila a once over before continuing, “plus for you, I wouldn’t mind at all.”

Camila blushed at the suggestive tone in her voice before giving Lauren a shy smile. “You’re absolutely amazing, thank you so much. When and where should I meet you?”

“Just come when the museum opens, I’ll be sitting on the steps waiting for you,” Lauren smirked.

“Sounds good,” Camila grinned. “See you tomorrow, Lauren.”

“Can’t wait, Camila.”

Camila definitely believed in destiny as she walked outside of the museum with a smile on her face.

AY WE’RE DOING A THING

We’re both so pumped to write this story it’s actually hilarious.

Make sure to pay attention to the time jumps throughout the story because you might get hella confused if you miss them.

See you guys soon!

-K&C

(You can find this story on wattpad here)

#UPDATE #series #AU #camren #submission #This Isnt Our First Time Around

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