#) ‘climbing class! was so popular with the fans. that’s a reaction we didn’t see coming. but it’s great—like we love that!’

[ziracona]

Me with my encyclopedic Until Dawn knowledge trying to help guide and aid my friend into beating it in the best possible way without spoiling anything or making decisions for him POV:

[thecaptainbriarrose]

Next Generation: Stronger Than Us

Read on Ao3

Summary:  Aiya Todoroki, daughter of Shoto and Momo Todoroki, and Hironori Bakugo, son of Katsuki and Eijirou Bakugo, are the top of their class. With their strong reputations, no one is surprised that they are going face-to-face in the UA Sports Festival final. With the known rivalry between their fathers, tension is high for everyone but things don't go... quite as they expected.

Chapter 1

This year is mine, Aiya thought. It was no surprise that the children of two of the most popular heroes were facing off in UA’s sports festival for the third year in a row. The final battle of the sports festival was less than ten minutes away. The number one spot was, once again, within reach for both of them. 

Hironori Bakugo, the son of pro heroes DynaMight and Red Riot. A strong headed young man who was blessed with the explosive quirk of his father. His spiked black hair matched his explosive personality.

Aiya Todoroki, daughter of Shoto and Momo Todoroki, both are also pro heroes. Aiya has a quirk similar to the one her father has. Half hot, half cold but fire comes from the top part of her body and ice from the bottom.

Both are strong students and amazing aspiring heroes. With plenty of experience behind them, they are a couple of heroes that many in this society like to keep their eye on.

This wasn’t the first time the two of them would face off. Their first year they were the top two. Aiya came out on top after a very close fight. Their second year they faced each other in the top four. Hironori came out on top in an even closer battle and went on to win the tournament.

And here they were again. Final two, one battle left, the whole world would be watching. Aiya took a deep breath and opened the door of the break room and stepped out into the hallway. She noticed a figure standing at the end of the corridor even though she had expected it to be empty.

“What are you doing here?“ Aiya said.

“Isn’t it obvious?” The young man said somewhat angrily. “I’m here to wish you good luck, hot head. Am I not able to do that?” He began to smile and suppress a small laugh. “I’ll be here to console you when you lose too.”

“Oh, so you think you’re gonna win huh.” At this point Aiya had made her way over to Hironori. “That’s cute.”

“ Don’t call me cute!” Hironori replied, trying to hide his smile.

“Oh come on cutie. You know you like it.”

At this point, the two were within inches of each other. Hironori grabbed Aiya’s hand as he smiled and looked into her piercingly blue eyes.

“I want to punch and kiss that ridiculously adorable grin off your face.”

“If I win I’ll let you.”

Hironori took a quick look around to make sure no one was watching and then laid a kiss on her forehead.

“You better go. We only have a few minutes before we need to go out there.”

“I’m gonna beat your a**!” Hironori yelled as he ran down the hall and around the corner.

Aiya leaned against the wall as she sighed.

“Well. I never would have guessed.”

Aiya froze as the words hit her. Her eyes became large as she hesitated to turn around. She recognized that voice, it had to be-

“You know,” Deku, aka Izuku Midoria, said as he walked calmly towards her, “I watch my students closely but that,” He paused, “that surprised me.”

Deku was a teacher at UA. He had taught one semester every year for the last three or four years or so. He specializes in combat training but often gives other small lessons here or there.

“Mr Midoria, um…” Aiya needed to say something, but the words weren’t coming.

Deku smiled. “Who knows?” He asked as a inquisitive grin spread over his face.

“No one. We’re…” Aiya hesitated. Should she even be telling him this? “We’re mostly worried about what his father would think.”

Deku’s smile faded a little. “I’ve known Kachan for a long time so I can understand why you may be hesitant.” Kachan? Aiya thought He must mean Katsuki Bakugo. She remembered Hironori telling her about how his father and Midoria had been childhood friends, well sort of. Kachan was what Midoria called Katsuki.

Deku took a deep breath and his smile grew back to where it usually was. He looked down the hallway to where Hironori had run. “However, he really cares about his kid. It might take some time but I think he would grow to understand. In the meantime,” Deku looked back at Aiya and put his hand on her shoulder, “Your secret is safe with me!”

Something about his smile reminded her of an old hero she’d seen videos of, All Might.

“Anyways,” he stood up straight and turned to walk away. “The real reason I’m here is to wish you luck.” He smiled, looked back at her and gave her a big thumbs up. ”I'm rooting for you!” After that he walked around the corner and out of sight.

Welp, Aiya thought, Hironori isn’t going to be happy about that. That was something she would have to worry about later. Right now she had a fight to win.

Aiya walked down the hall and up a flight of stairs where she waited to enter the arena. This is it, she thought, you can do this. The butterflies rose in her stomach as she thought about what was in front of her. No. I don’t have time for that. I have a good plan. I can win this. She gathered her long, bright red hair which faded to white at the ends and pulled it into a ponytail so it would be out of the way. She knew this fight wasn’t going to be easy but she was ready.

Aiya heard the crowd cheer as the announcer loudly yelled, “And now! The moment you’ve all been waiting for! Let's bring out our final competitors!” Aiya stepped into the arena to a bright spotlight and a deafening round of applause. 

It was dark outside. Some of the battles, and the clean up after, had lasted longer then expected but the crowd was still as loud and supportive as they had been all day.

The announcer continued, “She’s the daughter of the current number three hero! You know her! You love her! Aiya Todoroki!” The crowd cheered and Aiya snapped her fingers to show off a little flame in both hands. The crowd cheered even louder.

The announcer went on, “And he’s the son of the current number two hero with the same quirk! Hironori Bakugo!” Hironori kept his hand in his pockets and looked directly at Aiya, giving a small smirk. Aiya wanted to roll her eyes but she knew the cameras were on both of them and the less attention their relationship had the better so she held it back.

Aiya stepped up onto the stage. She stepped over the white chalk line and into the arena. This year the one-on-one tournament was a simple anything goes battle, get your opponent out of the ring or KO them. This was something that UA did frequently and so it was no surprise to any of the students that this was the one-on-one this year. The only difference this year was that the platform would become smaller every couple minutes by about a meter.

There was a lot running through Aiya’s mind but she knew one thing, she could win this.

“Ready to die?” Hironori yelled.

“You couldn’t kill me if you tried!” Aiya shouted back.

“And now!” The announcer began,and crowd began to cheer louder. “Are you ready?!?” Even though it was hard to see the crowd you could hear many fans begin to stand. “SET!” Hirinori grinned and moved to a ready position as Aiya did the same.

“G-”

The lights shut off. The monitors went black. Aiya stood up strait in the darkness.

A circle of light appeared under Aiya’s feet and she felt herself begin to fall. She immediately grabbed the stage and frantically tried to get a good grip on anything to catch herself. She had just enough time to see that the same thing was happening to Hironori. He had managed to climb mostly out of the circle and was just beginning to regain his balance when the glowing circle increased dramatically in size and he fell, what looked to be, straight down and then the hole closed. As this was happening, she could hear the crowds confused and frantic reactions followed by a couple of screams. This wasn’t right.

Aiya felt something, or someone grab her ankle. She immediately let out a burst of ice and froze whatever was around her ankle. Just as she was getting free, the circle grew larger, just like the one around Hironori had, and she fell.

She hit what felt like concrete and frantically looked around, finding that she could hardly see anything. Someone from behind her quickly wrapped a cloth around her face. Aiya let out a scream and began to exhale fire, quickly igniting the cloth and whatever foul smelling substance was on it.

“D**n it!” Aiya could hear Hironori but it wasn’t close. When he ignited his quirk she could see that they were in some kind of warehouse. Aiya was able to quickly get to her feet and created a wall of ice around herself, giving her a moment to think. What is going on, she thought, there has to be a way to get out of this.

Before she could do anything, the ice wall that Aiya had built disappeared. She quickly blasted fire directly behind her and she was able to see at least two figures behind her and one in front. The person in front of her reached for her neck. Are they trying to kill us? She was able to bairly dodge. Someone behind her grabbed her ponytail and she was pulled to the ground. With the wind having been knocked out of her, Aiya struggled to move but was able to release just enough fire to see the people around her. Six, no seven. Maybe eight. She was strong and could easily take eight people at once but she didn’t know who they were. Some of them looked slightly familiar but without a good look she had no idea. Without knowing what quirks each of them had it would be nearly impossible to win but she could try.

Aiya started to formulate a plan, the best she could between dodges, and jumped to her feet. She grabbed the arm of someone who attempted to grab her and threw them to the ground. Based on the sound they made it was probably a man.

She reached around just in time to grab a pipe that was being swung at the back of her head. She grabbed the pipe and threw it as far away as she could but before she had time to take another step she was hit from behind and dropped to the floor as everything went black.

***

Aiya’s eyelids felt like bricks. Lifting them was far too much work but as she remembered what had happened she forced them to open.

The first thing she saw was Hironori. He was attempting to make a shushing motion but his hands were chained in large, mitten-like, metal cuffs. It was at this point that she realized that she was also chained but, unlike Hironori, her feet were also being held together in large metal boots. The cuffs on her hands and feet were held together with a chain that couldn’t have been more than a foot and a half long. Aiya was curled up on the concrete floor in an extremely uncomfortable position with her hands and feet behind her back. She could feel her legs begin to cramp but there wasn’t much she could do about that at the moment.

“... and then we’ll be all set.”

Aiya’s ears began to adjust and she began to hear the conversation coming from the lighted part of the room. She wasn’t able to turn, because her chains would create too much noise, but she watched Hironori’s reactions as the conversation continued.

“Since we’re ready let’s do it now. I want to see blood hit the floor.” A younger, yet sinister sounding figure said. It sounded like a young man, probably in his early 20’s.

“Just killing the kids isn’t going to prove our point. They’ll just hunt us down for murder and a few pros will be down a couple of kids. We have to think about how to really hurt society.” This was a voice that was much older with a raspy tone. Also a man.

Aiya’s eyes grew wide as what was said began to set in. They’re going to kill us. She thought as she continued to stare at Hironori.

He didn’t look scared, he looked angry, but she knew him well enough to know that he was frightened. He was smart enough to know we had to work out the most logical plan with the highest chance of success so she also knew that he wouldn’t act recklessly.

The conversation began to die down and Aiya heard the group begin to walk away. They must’ve walked out of sight because Hironori turned to face her. 

He moved as quietly as he could to get closer to her and whispered, “The main door is on the other side of this wall.” He motioned backwards with his head. Aiya was just now realizing how beat up he looked. There were bruises all over his body and his clothing had been torn. There was a little bit of swelling on his left cheek as well but it looked like an older injury. “It seems to be one of those older, large, sliding metal doors. It must be really heavy because it sounds like they always have at least two people opening it. And it seems to be the only point of entry or exit. There may be windows somewhere but nothing nearby.”

It was obvious he was trying to hide it but Hironori was shaking. His jacket that he had been wearing during the sports festival was gone.

“It’s to cold for you in here isn’t it.”

He didn’t look at her. She knew he didn’t like admitting any kind of weakness.

“I can’t sweat, so there’s no way I can get these d**n cuffs off on my own.” He seemed frustrated.

“My hands aren’t going anywhere either. There’s no way I can create enough force or heat to remove them but these boots on my feet, they may be thin enough to freeze and shatter but it would involve an incredible amount of force and would likely break several bones in my feet making any kind of escape difficult.”

Hironori looked at their surroundings. He was likely thinking the same thing she was.

“We may have to wait for a rescue.”

Hironori was not the kind to admit defeat, so him saying this out loud was surprising to Aiya. They could possibly stand their ground if necessary but the quirks that these people possessed were a mystery to Aiya and though Hironori had likely seen many of their kidnappers, he probably didn’t know many of their quirks either.

“It’s odd they don’t have someone watching us. Some things about all of this seem well thought out but others seem amateur.” Aiya began to think about how strange the situation was.

“I’m only familiar with the quirks of a couple of the villains that I have seen. These people, they know what they’re doing, they likely just don’t have enough experience and probably underestimate us.”

“Maybe a little.” The booming voice startled both of them. “But I’m sure you’ve realized by now that there’s really no chance of escape.”

Aiya could hardly move as is but seeing this figure in front of her caused her whole body to freeze. She could hardly breathe as memories of a long-from-forgotten summer camp came flooding back. This man… this thing, had nearly killed both of them that day.

“It will all be over soon.” He continued. “We’re just simply waiting for the right time. The time when their hopes are high yet, little will they know, that their chances of success will be very little.”

They? Who is he talking about? Did they do all this just to get after-

The man's orange complexion darkened as he stepped out of the light and farther into their little enclosed corner.

“Now listen carefully.” He bent down so he was eye to eye with both of them. “You’re not going to survive this. No matter how desperate or frightened you are, you will not make it out alive.” He grabbed Aiya by the collar of her jacket. “So say your goodbyes before we have to put you back to sleep.”

He threw Aiya towards Hironori and Hironori did his best to catch her. The man gave a terrifying grin with his rotting deep blue teeth and left.

Aiya felt like crying as she rested her head on Hironori’s chest.

“He was talking about our parents, wasn’t he.” Hironori said this more like a statement than a question.

“Probably more than just them.” Our teachers, our friends who are also aspiring heroes, anyone who has ever admired our strength and courage. “You have to give them credit though. I’ve read the articles, I’m sure you have too. The two of us, we rival the top heroes. Our quirks are stronger than our parents even though they don’t want to admit it. Many people know and believe this which is likely why these villains have chosen to go after us. Taking us will destroy much of the hope that has been built up in this society since All Mights retirement.”

Hironori kissed the top of her head and then rested his chin on it. “That’s exactly why we have to win. The odds are stacked against us, I know that, but we have to wait for the right moment and show the world that we will pull through this,” he did his best to push her slightly away and tilt her head up so he could see her flaming blue eyes, “together.”

They sat there for several minutes without saying a word. It felt like hours but at the same time it felt like only a few moments. They were going to be okay, they had far to many people who cared for them, far to many who were counting on them. Yet, in that moment, their minds felt foggy and their abilities unfamiliar. The one thing they both knew for sure was what they would give to save the other. They would give everything.

“I hate to break up this adorable reunion but unfortunately I need you both unconscious for this next part in order for it to go smoothly.” This was not the same man as before but he was familiar to both of them, just in a different way.

“It’s you.” Hironori stated calmly. Aiya sat up.

“Whatever do you mean?” The man replied, tightening his bright yellow tie. The man was dressed very nicely just like he was in many of his pictures. His deep blue suit and nice shoes were obviously the best money could buy in this area and he obviously had no business getting his hands dirty.

“You’re the one their talking about,” Hironori continued, “whose victims were all found in back alleys. Their bodies seemed old and decayed as if they’d been laying there for twenty years yet they didn’t have any injuries. No stab wounds, no fractured bones. Keiichi Matsumura. ”

“Ah yes that, well there’s only so much you can hide from the media.” Matsumura took out an arousal can and held it towards their faces. “Now, just relax for me.”

Hironori jumped to his feet and kicked the can out of his hands. 

“I was really hoping you would allow this to be easy. You should have learned by now.” Matsumura continued. “Oh well.” He snapped his fingers and several people came around the corner, many of which looked familiar. They were likely thugs that had committed crimes here and there, just enough to get a little media coverage but not enough to have an impact.

Aiya quickly tried to stand but she had forgotten that her metal cuffs and boots had been chained together. Someone came and pushed her to the ground and stood on her chest. Her eyes started to water as a pain surged through her back. She instinctively looked at Hironori as if to ask for his help but he was struggling to hold his own against four of the thugs.

As the man standing over Aiya held up an aerosol canister, similar to the one before, Aiya turned to see Matsumura. All she could see was the smug grin on his face as the foul smelling substance from the canister entered her lungs and her eyelids fluttered shut.

[estamos-destinadas]

Snapshots

Here are 6 short fics based on items from this post.

I decided to write this for @randomregularmd, who’s a doctor, as a way to thank her for her service. 🙇‍♀️

(There’s more under the cut.)

. . .

37. Tender Kiss

Valentina glances up from her magazine to look at Juliana, whose eyes are focused on her laptop’s screen, her brows furrowing adorably.

It’s a typical weeknight for them. They’re sitting on the couch in one of the Carvajal mansion’s living rooms, both doing their respective homework. Juliana is leaning against the couch’s arm, her legs stretched out over Valentina’s lap.

Valentina, who will be graduating from university in a couple of months, has been going through one of her assigned readings. Juliana is browsing the internet, looking for ideas for one of her class projects, which requires her to design a full ensemble based on the works of female artists. Juliana has been spouting off facts about the likes of Frida Kahlo, María Izquierdo, and Leonora Carrington at random times for the past few days. Valentina thinks it’s the most adorkable thing.

Juliana looks up just then, meeting Valentina’s gaze. “Qué?” she asks, giving a lopsided smile.

“Qué de qué?” Valentina returns, smirking.

Juliana starts chuckling at the familiar rejoinder.

Valentina is overcome with a wave of affection. She leans forward, caressing Juliana’s face before capturing her lips in a leisurely kiss. She can feel Juliana’s smile against her mouth, so sweet she can almost taste it. When Valentina pulls back, Juliana is still smiling.

“What was that for?” Juliana asks, her voice as soft as the look in her eyes.

“Nothing,” Valentina says, shrugging slightly. “Es que te amo.”

If possible, Juliana’s expression gentles even further. “Te amo también, Val.”

⁂

47. True Love’s Kiss

Juliana approaches Valentina’s sleeping form as she buttons up her white shirt.

They’re in Valentina’s bedroom, Juliana having spent the night there. She has just taken a shower and is now getting dressed for school. Valentina, who only has afternoon classes that day, is having a well-deserved lie-in.

Not wanting to disturb her girlfriend’s slumber, Juliana bends down slowly to give Valentina a light kiss, but it quickly becomes clear that Valentina isn’t asleep as she reciprocates with little delay.

When she pulls back, Juliana giggles at Valentina’s bright smile, eyes disappearing and dimples showing. “I thought you were asleep.”

“I was asleep,” Valentina says, the gleam in her eyes telling Juliana that she’s about to say something really cheesy. “You woke me up with True Love’s Kiss.”

Juliana bursts out laughing. “True Love’s Kiss?” she repeats once she has recovered.

“Sí,” Valentina insists through a grin. “Eres mi Principe Azul, remember?”

Juliana can only shake her head and smile before Valentina draws her in a longer, deeper kiss. Her heart feels so full of love for this girl who has made a fairy tale out of her life.

⁂

2. Nose Kiss

“I mean, he does have a crush on you,” Erika declares casually.

Erika is one of Juliana’s old friends from fashion school and is now working as a costume designer for a popular telenovela. Juliana has visited her on the show’s set a couple of times. Presently, they’re talking about one of the actors who was apparently too chatty with her.

“No way!” Juliana denies vehemently.

At the same time, Valentina exclaims, “I knew it!”

Juliana has told her about the overly-chatty actor, of course, and she had some suspicions about his crush. Valentina didn’t say anything because she wasn’t really sure, but Erika has just confirmed it. Valentina already dislikes the actor on principle, but unlike when they were younger, she doesn’t get too irritated about his crush on her fianceé.

She used to get so jealous of anyone who would even dare to look Juliana’s way. It’s not that she didn’t trust Juliana, she just hated the thought of anyone else desiring her girlfriend. It took her a while, but she’s come to realise that she can’t stop people from having good taste. Besides, they can crush on her fianceé all they want, Valentina’s still the one who gets to go home to her every day. It also helps that Juliana never takes kindly to being told that some guy fancies her. She seems to take it as a personal insult that men would find her attractive.

“Ugh!” Juliana says, her nose wrinkling in distaste. “I’m never going back there again.”

Valentina lets out an involuntarily squeak at the adorable sight. Unable to help herself, she leans over and places a kiss on Juliana’s nose. “You are too cute, mi amor. No wonder Mexico’s most eligible bachelor fancies you.”

“No. Just… no.”

Valentina chuckles before putting an arm around Juliana’s shoulders and turning to Erika, who is sitting across the table from them, looking quite entertained. “Erika, you can tell that guy that this eligible bachelorette--” she points at herself, “--has already claimed Juliana Valdés’ heart.”

⁂

34. We Survived Kiss

The dirt road is unlit except for their little vehicle’s dim headlights. They’ve been on the road for what feels like hours. Their flight was delayed so they missed the car that was supposed to pick them up. They had to take a bus to the town centre, and now this motorised rickshaw to the private resort that they booked for their holiday.

“We’re going to die, we’re going to die, we’re going to die,” Valentina chants repeatedly, gripping Juliana’s hand tightly. “We survived the drug cartels and kidnappings just to die here, in a remote island in the Pacific.”

“Val--”

“What was that?” Valentina asked, letting go of Juliana’s hand only to throw her arms around her neck.

“What?”

“There’s something on the side of the road!”

“I don’t see anything, Val,” Juliana says. “Maybe it’s just the way the plants are moving in the wind?” she tries to reason.

Valentina falls quiet then. The only sound they can hear is the thrum of the rickshaw’s engine, sputtering whenever they drive over a particularly bumpy part of the road.

Just as Juliana begins to think that Valentina has calmed down, she starts talking again. “Juls,” she says seriously, “I want you to know, if this is our last day on this earth, that I won’t rest in our next life until I find you.”

Juliana’s heart stutters at Valentina’s declaration. Trust her girlfriend to say the most romantic thing during a moment of fear. She maneuvers them so she has her arms around Valentina instead, and she starts rubbing soothing circles on her back.

“Me too, Val,” she says. “But we won’t die here, mi amor,” she adds soothingly. Juliana knows Valentina will recognise that once she starts thinking rationally. It’s just that sometimes, Valentina, with her writer’s brain, can sometimes let her imagination get the best of her. “I promise.”

It’s not until their rickshaw stops almost a mile away from what looks like a big house and their driver tells them abruptly in broken English to get off, that some of Valentina’s fears start creeping into Juliana as well. After they’ve gotten out, the driver flatly tells them to “stand where they are,” and Juliana can’t help but think that he is going to attack them.

“Val,” Juliana starts quietly as they stand staring at their driver, gripping each other’s hands. “When I say the word,” she says, thankful that the man doesn’t speak Spanish, “run to that big house okay? I’ll hold him off.”

“What? Are you out of your mind? I’m not leaving you with this man. If anything, I should hold him off.”

Juliana is about to argue back when they’re interrupted by a car approaching from the direction of the house. It’s one of the resort’s staff, apologising profusely for not being able to meet them at the airport because they thought they cancelled their reservations. Serving as translator, the staff explains to them that their driver, who knows someone in the resort, texted ahead to inform the staff of their arrival. The resort is situated on a hill, and it’s too much of a climb for the little vehicle.

After thanking their driver -- and giving him a more generous than normal tip for thinking he was going to attack them -- Juliana and Valentina climb into the car. They get checked in quickly, then one of the staff leads them to their bedroom and politely wishes them a good night before closing the door behind him.

Finally alone, Valentina throws her arms around Juliana and kisses her soundly on the lips. “We survived,” she says, relief clear in her voice.

“Morrita,” Juliana says, laughing, “I don’t think we were in any danger to begin with.”

Valentina only responds with an embarrassed smile and a slight shake of her head. She steps away from Juliana only to grab her hand and pull her towards the bathroom. They’re due for a long, hot bath.

⁂

44. Public Kiss

The allure of #juliantina has drawn fans from all over the globe ever since Mexican heiress Valentina Carvajal went on national television to declare her love for one Juliana Valdés.

The aftermath of that declaration, coming on the heels of the Carvajals’ drug and money scandal, ran the gamut of possible reactions: from frenzied excitement, to reasonable scepticism, to toxic cynicism. Time can shed light upon truth, however, and in the months that followed, the cynics have fallen silent, the sceptics have been converted, and the fans have become even more excited.

The fans’ primary source of content is Valentina Carvajal’s Instagram. With permission, she talks a little more about her girlfriend in some of her stories: like how Juliana grew up in the USA but is still very much a Mexican; or how Juliana made Valentina beautiful blouses when they were still getting to know each other, and how she’s now studying fashion design. Valentina’s page, which went quiet after her father’s death, is now regularly updated with pictures, some of which are of herself and Juliana. The two women look so happy and in love that anyone seeing the pictures feels privileged to witness such beauty.

Despite Valentina’s occasional posts of the two of them, her relationship with Juliana remains private. The more dedicated fans have followed their family and friends -- and tried to follow a locked account that most definitely belongs to Juliana -- in the hopes of witnessing more of their moments, but they’re met with little success. They have seen Valentina and Juliana hug and throw their arms around each other, but they have never seen them kiss.

That changes almost a year after the famous declaration, thanks to one of the couple’s friends. The name of the friend is irrelevant, what’s important is that they’re posting stories of what appears to be a pool party in the Carvajal mansion.

Valentina seems to have gotten herself into a contest with a guy about who is the faster swimmer.

The first video clip shows people around the pool counting down; at zero, Valentina and her opponent dive into the deep end of the pool. The next video shows Valentina progressively gaining ground on her competition. In the next one, she’s won, climbing out of the pool and throwing her hands up in the air in victory. In the fourth one, she runs up to Juliana, who’s waiting for her with a towel ready.

It’s the next few video clips that send fans into a frenzy.

Juliana wraps the towel around Valentina, who, undeterred by having her arms trapped in the fluffy cloth, leans over and plants a triumphant kiss on Juliana’s lips. As if that wasn’t enough, Valentina takes the towel from Juliana’s grip and swings it around her shoulders, then she throws her arms around Juliana to give her a longer kiss.

Their friends cheer.

Less than an hour later, #juliantinabesos trends on social media.

⁂

20. Reunion Kiss

Adrenaline continues to course through Valentina’s body even half an hour after her interview with Victoria, making her more anxious with each passing minute that she’s still in the studio. Victoria and several of the crew wanted to congratulate her after the interview, and Valentina found that she couldn’t dismiss their kind words after enduring so many rude ones from her so-called friends and her own sister.

Finally, however, Valentina thanks the last of the crew who came up to talk to her. She checks her phone as she stands up, her stomach dropping when she sees that Juliana hasn’t replied to her text. She already tried to call her once, but the call cut off after more than a minute without being answered.

.

She’s met with more people as she leaves the studio, one particularly bold interviewer asking her to say a few words to the LGBT community. She glances down the corridor -- the exit -- before answering as safely as she knows how to. The reason for her coming out is a very personal one. She did it to be true to be herself. She did it to let everyone -- especially those who tried to tell her it was wrong -- that her love for Juliana is abiding and unshakable.

Valentina glances down the corridor again, and there, like an angel granting her wishes, Juliana is walking towards her.

For the past half hour since her interview, Valentina has felt like a weight has been lifted off her shoulders. Now, with Juliana smiling so sweetly as she approaches, Valentina feels her heart lift.

*

Juliana practically stumbles out of the taxi that she and Lupé took to get to the El Centro building. She looks back at her mother, who’s still paying the driver, only to be hurried off with frantic waving. Not needing further encouragement, Juliana turns back towards the building, takes a deep breath, and goes inside.

The whole place seems to be in a furore. The two men standing guard by the door are listening with great interest to a woman, whose tone suggests that she’s sharing some gossip, allowing Juliana to go by unnoticed. There’s a crowd gathering by the receptionist’s desk and another one by the elevators. All of them have Valentina’s name on their lips.

Eavesdropping on their conversations -- and blushing at hearing her own name -- Juliana manages to figure out where to find Valentina.

.

The noise of the press reaching Juliana’s ears tells her that she will find Valentina as soon as she takes the next turn in the corridor.

She pauses, hesitating, as the realisation sinks in that she will have to show her face to the reporters and their cameras if she wants to go up to Valentina right at that moment. Then she thinks of Valentina’s words from half an hour ago, reflecting everything she’s done since they confessed to each other that they were in love. Valentina has always believed in their relationship, and now she has braved the judgment of a nation just to stand by it.

Juliana isn’t about to let her face everything by herself.

With a deep bracing breath, she starts moving again, turning the corner to see Valentina talking graciously with a crowd of reporters.

And then Valentina is turning in her direction, catching sight of her, and the nervous smile she sends Juliana’s way has Juliana falling in love all over again.

*

Words are spoken.

Juliana asks if Valentina means everything she said, as though she doesn’t already know the answer to that. Valentina tells Juliana that she can’t imagine her life without her, just to convey the extent of her feelings. She tells the reporter that what she has with Juliana is the most beautiful relationship in her life, because the world needs to realise that there is nothing wrong with their love.

More is said by Juliana’s wide smile and the sparkle in her eyes, by their synchronised giggles, by the way Juliana reaches out for Valentina’s hand, by Valentina’s kiss on Juliana’s hand as they walk away from the reporters, by Juliana’s head on Valentina’s shoulder, by the way Valentina kisses the side of Juliana’s head.

And so the world knows.

But, like Juliana said what felt like a lifetime ago, their relationship and love for each other is for no one else to judge. It’s between them, it’s theirs and theirs alone.

*

They manage to evade the reporters as well as the groups of people discussing the now-famous interview. Valentina leads them up to the top floor of the building and to the chief executive’s office.

“This was my dad’s office,” Valentina says, closing the blinds as Juliana looks in awe around the bright and airy space. “Lucía moved here after he-- after we thought he died, and now she’s-- we should be left alone here…” she trails off, thinking of her stepmother, and thinking how, the last time she was in this room, she was crying to Lucía because Juliana was kidnapped.

Juliana turns to her. She closes the short distance between them and grabs both of Valentina’s hands in hers. They stand toe-to-toe as Juliana waits for her to continue.

Valentina takes heart at her presence, at the love and understanding shining in her eyes. “Juls…”

Juliana smiles at the way Valentina says her name, like it’s the most precious one in the world.

“I’m glad you came,” Valentina says. She was worried that Juliana didn’t see her interview, and then she was worried that Juliana did see it and wasn’t pleased with what she did.

“Me too,” Juliana says honestly. “I can’t believe you said all that,” she adds.

Before Valentina, she never thought that love is in the cards for her. And up until the moment Valentina said her name on national television, she never thought that someone would shout their love for her to the world. It feels surreal.

Valentina bites her lip. “Was it-- was it too much--?”

“No. No, Val,” Juliana is quick to correct her. “It’s just… you said you were worried about your family. No one has ever-- I’ve never-- I mean, I don’t--” Juliana huffs in frustration at her inability to express exactly what she feels.

Valentina thinks she knows what Juliana is trying to say. She leans closer, making sure that Juliana is meeting her gaze before speaking.

“Te quiero, Juliana,” she says clearly, squeezing Juliana’s hand. “Te quiero mucho, te quiero tanto. This, what we have, it’s ours, but I will shout it to the world over and over if it means that we get to keep each other. It’s what I should have done long ago. I love you, and I’m not afraid of who knows that. I want to be with you, if you’ll have me?”

“Val, of course,” Juliana replies immediately. “Yo también, te quiero tanto. I’m sorry I broke us up, but--”

“No, Juls,” says, shaking her head. “Please don’t apologise over that. Everyone was trying to separate us, and you were worried about so many things. You’re not to blame for that.”

“I still hurt you, Val, and I’m sorry for that,” Juliana insists. “But I promise,” she swallows, “I’ll never let anything or anyone make me stay away from you again. I want us to be together.”

Valentina leans forward to press their foreheads together. Juliana inches closer so their noses are touching, their lips millimetres apart, their breaths intermingling. And then they’re kissing, soft and sweet at first, then deep and all-consuming, lasting for minutes and minutes until the need for air draws them apart.

They smile as they gaze at each other, all bright eyes and flushed faces and swollen lips and mussed-up hair.

“Te amo, Juliana,” Valentina says, trying to convey the depth of her feelings in her voice as well as in her words.

Juliana sucks in a breath. No one has ever said those two words to her before, but she knows without a doubt that she feels the exact same way. “Te amo, Valentina.”

.

.

.

[thelazyhermits]

The tenth drabble covers prompt #7 -  a hug where one muse picks the other up. I hope y’all enjoy it! ^-^

A knock on the door has you looking away from the show you’re watching with Eri. Wondering who it could be, you leave the child on the couch to go see who the visitor is. 

Immediately after you open the door, a large smile appears on your face. “Taishiro-san!”

You quickly move to hug the older man who laughs. In a blink, you’re off your feet and being twirled around in the air. “Good to see ya too, Y/N!”

Eri, who hears the commotion at the door, immediately comes running once she realizes who the visitor is. “Fatgum-san!”

Fatgum wastes no time in scooping her up into a hug too. “Hiya, Eri-chan! How ya doin’?”

She giggles after she gets twirled. “I’m good! How are you?”

As he sets the two of you down, the pro hero replies, “I’m doin’ great now that I get to see you two! I’m glad I decided to pay a surprise visit. Your reactions were worth the trip!”

You tilt your head curiously. “So, I take it that this is a casual visit then? You don’t have any work obligations today?”

He grins, “Nope! I’m here strictly for fun! Unless you two are too busy for old Fatgum?”

Immediately, you and Eri start shaking your heads, making him laugh. “Great! Then, how about we go out to eat for lunch? My treat!”

A smile forms on your lips when you see Eri’s excited expression. “Sounds good to us. I’ll just need to send Shouta-san a text to let him know we’ll be leaving campus.”

As the three of you head out the door, with Eri getting to ride on the pro hero’s shoulder, you pull out your phone to send Aizawa a text. Seconds later, you receive a response, telling you that he’ll meet you at the front gate.

An amused huff passes your lips after you read his text. “Looks like Shouta-san will be joining us for lunch.”

Fatgum scowls, “So, he doesn’t think just havin’ me is good enough protection for y’all?”

You give him a consoling pat. “That’s not it, Taishiro-san. Shouta-san is just paranoid and overprotective--a deadly combination.”

The older man snorts, “Can’t argue with that. Can’t get more overprotective than Eraser.”

With a teasing smile, you poke him. “You say that like you’re not just as bad. If you were in his shoes, you’d do the same thing.”

His gaze immediately looks away from yours as his expression turns embarrassed. “Well ...I guess you may have a point there.”

Eri points ahead. “I see Aizawa-san!”

Looking ahead, you see the front gate which the underground hero is currently slouched against. You give him a grin when your group arrives at the gate. “Nice of you to join us today, Shouta-san. Did you miss our company that much, or are you running away from paperwork today?”

Aizawa rolls his eyes as he gently flicks your forehead. “Neither. I just felt like going out for a bit.”

With a pout, you cling to his arm after you all start walking through the gate. “Awww, does that mean you didn’t miss us, Shouta-san? I’m hurt.”

While Eri glumly hangs her head, Fatgum scowls at the older man. “You’re awful, Eraser! How can ya say such a thing to these sweet girls?! What kinda hero are ya?!”

The underground hero gives the taller man an annoyed look before bringing his gaze back to you. Seeing the sad expressions on your and Eri’s faces, Aizawa releases a deep sigh. “Fine. I did miss you a little. Happy?”

Beaming, you give the arm you’re still hugging a tight squeeze while Eri claps her hands in delight. “Very! We missed you too, Shouta-san! Right, Eri?”

When the silver haired girl quickly nods in agreement, Aizawa’s expression briefly softens. With a shake of his head, the dark haired man returns his gaze to the road ahead. “Let’s find somewhere close by for lunch since I have to get back in time for my afternoon classes.”

A grin quickly appears on your face. “In that case, how about the nearby cat cafe? Would the place we went for Kirishima’s birthday be fine with you, Taishiro-san?”

Fatgum gives you a thumbs-up. “Of course! Any place you and Eri-chan will enjoy is fine with me!”

Eri’s eyes sparkle excitedly. “I hope I’ll be able to pet all the cats this time!”

Her words make you laugh. “Well, considering how much the cats like Taishiro-san and Shouta-san, I think you’ll be able to accomplish that goal. We’ll be the most popular table for sure.”

Your words are soon proven true after your group arrives at the cat cafe. Once you’re all seated, it doesn’t take long for the cats to approach the table. 

Several start trying to climb Fatgum like the last time you came with him much to your amusement while others flock to Aizawa’s side. Eri stares at the two heroes with clear amazement in her eyes. “Y/N, do all cats like heroes as much as Deku-san does?”  

Snorting, you gently pick up a cat and set it in the silver haired girl’s lap. “While I don’t know how they feel about other heroes, these cats are definitely big fans of Fatgum and Eraserhead.” 

She smiles, “Like you!”

A matching smile appears on your face. “Yep. Just like me.”

You look up just in time to see an embarrassed Aizawa bury his face in his capture weapon while a happy blush colors Fatgum’s cheeks. Your smile grows in response to their reactions. “Of course, I have no plans of handing my position as their number one fan over even if my rivals are such cute kitties.”

When several of the cats meow after you say those words, you and Eri start giggling while the pro heroes both snort. Looks like you’ve just found yourself some rivals. 

[aliesteem]

An Immensely Through Fine Dining Experience from the Brokest College Student Ever.

I’ve recently broken into my old, student email and was reunited with the dozens and dozens of papers I’ve written about dining in Culinary school. These papers scored me A’s and made me realize I possibly do have a future in writing. I’m still proud nearly two years later so I thought I’d share. Enjoy!

Introduction

I am a college student and with that, it’s practically needless to say that I am also broke, very broke. I, however, through great resilence have maintained my champagne dreams enough to actually see a fine dining experience. This is NYC, there had to be one I could afford. In my heavy search the top, three included Tocqueville, Del Posto, and Le Bernardin. These three I took into consideration because of there more affordable price range, beautiful display, and interior design I’ve seen online and (or) its popularity online. It was  Tocqueville that caught my eye. Located 1 East 15th Street in Manhattan, NYC. Tocqueville was most affordable as if they were thinking of college students like me who dreamt of a mouthful of caviar. The others came with a hefty price tag, ones that honestly made very nervous. To me, a $10 burrito Chipotle sounds like a luxury so you can imagine my reaction in finding out Le Bernardin restaurant that costs over $87 for its pri-fixe menu. It doesn’t sound like a shocking expense to some but on this side of the fence, it is.  Del Posto was a little more affordable at $50 but it still wasn’t in my price range.  Luckily, Tocqueville provided the most inexpensive pri-fixe menu only costing $36 for a three-course menu. I felt relieved. I decided this restaurant is my final choice.

Tocqueville, named after the French political sociologist and theorist is owned by husband and wife Marco Moreira and Joann Makovitzky who also own new restaurants 15th East and The Fourth in the same city. With no trouble found I found that the Chef is Jason Lawless on StarChefs.com. He has managed the kitchen since August 2011. The restaurant itself has been opened since 2000 and in seventeen years it has built its reputation of being one of the most innovative French-American restaurants in New York City. You can see from how modern chic yet classic they truly are by their restaurant design. From the photographs provided on the official website, tocquevillerestaurant.com - the look of the restaurant is a cool but clean creamy white and black color scheme. I can tell it is a place that provides excellence a traditional fine dining restaurant would hold but pulls themselves away from being boring and ordinary. I adore the minimalistic and classic take. Their dishes and plating looked absolutely sparkling as well. The picture heading the page of their menu category was the Grilled Filet of Beef. A pearly white plate of succulent meat topped with small diced tomatoes, red onion and herbs were appetizing enough for me to set a reservation for a party of two with a close friend.  

`Making the reservation was fairly easy. Once I called a person who sounded to be a young woman answered sweetly. I asked to make a reservation and she was very quick and efficient. There wasn’t any of the run around that I had anticipated. The space I wanted was open. It didn’t take any more than say four minutes. I was surprised. I expected the restaurant to be packed with reservations especially on a Friday. We talked for a short while after about what will partake once I arrived. The phone call was my first experience with Tocqueville’s true hospitality. It made me all the more comfortable with coming in and dining.  

My expectations in visiting Tocqueville are sky-high. For one, it is a fine dining restaurant. I’ve never been to one. This is exciting, I want it to be fascinating. Above all, I am looking forward to the food. Since I’m a meat and a wine lover the Red Wine Braised Short Rib sounds appetizing. I cannot wait. There is a bit of nervousness about the way the employees will treat me, however. I am visibly very young and a person of color. I sometimes feel when I enter nice places that I’m not supposed to be there. I feel like the oddball. In past experiences the waiters did nothing to eliminate that feeling, making me more unsettled with long stares and awkward treatment. Other guests dining had body language that expressed that I was ruining the atmosphere for them.  I hope that doesn’t happen this time but as always I am remaining positive. From what I know now Tocqueville is a beautiful restaurant with a kind, warm friendliness. I’m counting down the days till the visit.  

The Visit

I woke up a Friday morning with a Ferris Buller-type charisma and energy. I was going to visit a beautiful fine dining restaurant in the city! I have never been to a French restaurant before much less one that was seemingly so elegant. I had the jitters. What should I wear? How should I do my hair? Which train should I take? Is my friend going to be on time? Did I give her the right directions? A million and one questions running through my head. I thought I ought to relax my nerves before I begin my day. I snugged my feet into my orange fluffy slippers and made my way to the kitchen. I picked a Lavender Jasmine mix tea from my collection to boil. Tea always soothes the soul. I brought my mug to the window and looked out for a moment. The day was chilly, sunny but very chilly. “How am I going to dress nicely and still be warm?” I asked myself then take a short sip. I was still nervous but pushed to let it go and know everything will go well.  

My reservation was at 12pm sharp for lunch. It was already about 8am and I know how slow I can be with getting ready in the morning so I start right away. I jump into the hot shower, brush my teeth and prep my skin with scrubs and cleansers for makeup. I hop out, dry off, put most of my day’s clothes on and begin to do my makeup. This takes the longest out of getting ready. I try to see if I can get it done within 30 minutes' time. Nope! It took me almost an hour because I kept messing up but luckily I started early so I was still in good time. I decide on a long, oversized, grey sweater that flows over my black leggings. I pair it jet black heels. Next, was my hair, I have natural, kinky curly hair that usually needs lots of attention but yesterday I braided it up. All l had to do now was unravel them so they can come out fluffy and defined. Once all my clothes were on, fully moisturized, fixed my hair and makeup done and feeling confident to step outside it is 10am. I get a text from my friend, who I invited to dine with me.  “I don’t know what to wear!” she texts. She thinks she’s going to be late. I knew it but I didn’t stress. I tell her don’t think too much in it, just wear something nice but no jeans or sneakers. She tells me she’ll figure it out. I just hope she makes it on time. I make sure everything around the apartment is tidy and in order before I head out the door. I text my mother that I am leaving to go to the restaurant since she’s already at work. She texts me “Good luck!” and I’m out the door.  

I live on a very popular, main street in Brooklyn. It’s loud and lively this time of day. People are heading to work and school in droves. Walking down the block to catch the A train I run into a family friend I haven’t spoken to in a long time. So long, in fact, I can’t even remember her name but her face is vivid in my memory. She asks how I am. I tell her about school and how much I love majoring in Hospitality Management since I’ve transferred from the old school. I keep in mind the time and explain to her I’m on my way to somewhere important and have to get going. She reminds me to say hello to my mother for her and I rush into the train station. Luckily the train arrives immediately. I’m not a train girl not in the least. I know it’s the New York way but I love traveling on an empty bus as oppose to a crowded train with performers yelling “It’s Showtime!” in my ear. It’s not my cup of tea. While I’m on the train I read a Pete Wells article I’ve pointed out. I need to know his review for a class. I’m really into it because I’m a fan of sushi. It’s one of my absolute favorites. The good read distracts me from the groups of people stuffing themselves into the cart along with the street entertainers swirling on poles above my head. I’m thankful.  

My stop is a Fulton Street which I switch over to a 4 or 5 train because it gets me to Union Square under ten minutes. Once I climb out of the train station I check my phone. There’s a text from my friend she says she needs more time but is about to get on the train now! It was 11:23am and we planned to meet at 11:30am. I guessed she lost track of time. I decided to find a way. I am kind of scared to walk in so I wait right outside the restaurant to wait for my friend meanwhile taking a few pictures of my own. It’s nearly 12pm but she is nowhere in sight. 

I go inside to introduce myself to a woman who I believe is the Maître d’ of the restaurant. I tell her my reservations and how I am a student doing a report. Her face suddenly gleams in a huge smile and asks if I talked to Roger. I express I don’t know who Roger is even though I feel I should know. She tells me to sit down which she gets him for me. In a few minutes, Roger is in front of me. A short, well-suited older man with blonde white hair. I don’t recognize him but he says he’s a professor at my school. He begins to ask me questions about wine. I was taken aback a little because I wasn’t expecting it. I tell him my Wine & Beverage professor that I’m taking now, Professor Aliah. I convey how much I’m enjoying her class and all the elements in detail there is to wine-making. It turns out Professor Roger is a Master Sommelier. I wished I said more about wine to him but I was so nervous I’m not used to settings like these.  My friend still wasn’t there after the talk with Roger. I told him I’d wait a bit longer she is supposed to come any second and he told me to take all the time I need. In the meantime, I took pictures and looked around the restaurants outside and the entryway. The name of the dining establishment is printed white on a black sight like a tent over the sidewalk.  The door where the guest enter is made up of all glass. It is chic, modern and simplistic. The Maitre D’s desk in the reception appeared tall, sleek, dark wood tabletop with a shiny, brown wooden, dimmed lamp. There are also award plaques and photos framed all along the wall. Their awards included the 2016 Forbes Magazine’s Restaurant with the highest rating. Best of Award of Excellence 2016 by Wine Spectacular and a 4.8 out of 5 from Zagat 2017. The restaurant is not just popular but highly respected and celebrated, making its way to more great success is that they’ve been recently recommended by the Michelin Guide in 2016.  

-

 I looked at the time on my phone and it said 12:30am. Since I was already checked in I figured I was safe from losing my reservation but I opted to seat in the dining room than to take up space in the front seating area any longer. To get to the dining room one needed to pass by the bar. The bar designed with a black and silver color scheme was the most modern section in the restaurant. On the bar top sat a huge marble vase filled with light blue, yellow and pastel green orchids that touched the ceiling. Soothing French jazz spilled gently out of the above speakers. The ambiance, graceful and contemporary. I was in awe. I actually hoped I could have my lunch there.   As soon as I sat down Roger offered me water and the front server – who name escapes me handed me a menu. I told him I wanted to wait for a friend. He was very kind and understood. Pouring the water I realize the glasses were short, open chalice glasses, still easy to hold by them small stem. It was fifteen minutes later when I heard my friend’s voice speaking to the Maitre D’ in the reception area. Seconds later she came walking in the dining area and sat down. She apologized for the lateness. I’ve been late to her events before so I could only be so upset. Seconds later the front server returned to hand us menus.

-

The menus were the longest menus I’ve seen. The outside a smooth olive green, the outside a yellow and cream menu with a folder style with all its printed dishes in bold and script. The front server in his black and white uniform finished with a sharp blue tie read over some of the meals that were listed. I appreciated his attentiveness. His body language was confident, alert to where I was impressed by his time and time again throughout the service. He was very efficient when scanning the room and our table. I took the opportunity to ask him the style of the napkin fold, neither did Professor Roger. “We simply make up the style,” he told me. The back server then came up to us from a side station behind the elongated gold curtains and offered bread. I was watching his Frenching style closely. He did it so quickly, it looked easy for him. When I attempt it in class I often lose the stability of the utensils in my hand. I chose the focaccia which was scrumptious. It was dense but not overbearing with flavor. The focaccia was filled with olives, spices, herbs and was beyond incredible with the home-made butter. I asked for another.  

-

My friend and I talked about our morning getting ready and caught up with each other’s lives since we haven’t talked in a month. In perfect timing, the front server came to take our orders. We picked two courses from the pri-fix menu. I ordered the Organic Potato and Baby Leeks Soup as an appetizer and a Red Wine Braised Short ribs entrée. As we waited for our meals and the back server pointed each of our tables I observed the dining area. The dining area was mildly lit from the light gold, sparkling crystal chandelier from above. The walls were a warm yellow with rich, gold curtains to match. The seats were made up of a comfortable cool silver, velvet. My attention was grabbed by the gigantic paintings on the wall that was created by an artist named Cheryl Roy Starer. The abstract art stood up on the walls so stunning with its blends of green, blue and white. It was a conversation piece definitely.  We were met with a unique hors d'oeuvres compliments of the Chef. It’s a fresh new take on the Southern-known treat. It’s a toasted golden brioche topped with the cooked yolk and whites of a quail eggs and finished with Alabama caviar.  The deviled eggs we centered on an all-white porcelain dish designed by Bernardaud Classic Silverware. This was my first time having caviar. The flavors delicate and salty reminded me of sardines in a way. The texture was cold creamy goodness. I wished I could have more. As we scrapped the crumbs from whatever was left of the exquisite deviled egg dish the back server approached us again to offer more bread. This reminded me of my Dining Room class where we service almost the same exact way, consistently offering our guest all the bread and quail eggs whites hard-boiled finished with Alabama caviar.  The deviled eggs centered on an all-white porcelain dish designed by Bernardaud Classic Silverware. This was my first time having caviar. The flavors delicate and salty, reminded me of sardines in a way. The texture was cold creamy goodness. I wished I could have more. As we scrapped the crumbs of whatever was left of the exquisite deviled egg dish the back server approached us again to offer more bread. I was waiting. 

-

This reminded me of my Dining Room class where we service almost the same exact way, consistently offering our guest all the bread they’d like. It was nice to be on the other side of the service. I chose the focaccia again. I could not get enough. This time however I was able to dip it into the Potato Leek soup which arrived moments later. When I first saw the bowl it was only filled with sautéed’ black mushroom and a miniature leek in the center of the bowl. I thought to myself there must be a mistake. Turns out the front server came prepared with a tiny creamer pitcher and poured the creamy soup into the bowl right in front of me. It was original and added a special touch. To be completely honest, I was expecting the soup to be bland. I’ve had potato soups so lackluster I pushed myself to finish a bowl. This wasn’t the case. The soup was luscious and silky, earthy with just enough seasoning. The soup was so harmonious with my pallet I was tempted to lick the bowl. I reminded myself I was in a very classy place but it was difficult not to, simply divine! When the entrée arrived I was the most enthusiastic. I am a huge meat lover. Anything meat I am a fan of. I’ll choose it over anything in the menu. I looked at the plate in front of me. The dish appeared kind of odd. My image of short-ribs wasn’t this. The dish came in a wide, circular plate. The meat of short rib formed in a rectangle, an island centered in the middle of potato puree. The short rib was glossed over with a deep brown red wine sauce that resembled chocolate. A lady sitting across from our table asked what dessert we ordered. We told her it was actually an entrée and she was surprised. On top of the short rib sat a roasted pearl onion and cylinder chunks of buttered carrots. The short rib melted on my fork as I cut through it. It was wonderfully tender, I didn’t need a knife. The flavor was robust, the sauce adding a vigorous taste of richness. Swirling a piece of the meat through the potato puree and putting it in my mouth it felt like I was eating butter. It has to be the most well-presented, heavenly dishes I’ve experienced in recent years.  Unfortunately, I was unable to order a dessert since I was on such a strict budget. Next time I’d make sure to experience the sweet parts of their cuisines. 

-

It took a while before the check came and I appreciate that. Usually, the front server passes the check to me as soon as the last fork bite leaves my mouth and I find it disrespectful. It hints that the server wants you to hurry up and leave completely killing the feeling of hospitality. My friend and I were fully ready to go when the bill came. It came up to $63.15 for both of us, not too pricey. We decided to tip 20% then we were on our way out but not before I could check out the bathrooms. There were three available bathrooms in the restaurant. One upstairs, one ground level and the other downstairs. I chose the downstairs bathroom. The staircase down was dark with small, glowing gold light to lead the way. The bathroom was covered in light and dark brown marble. The look gave a beach house theme added with the beige weaved baskets and dried plants spray painted gold. The vases were filled with white seashells. The walls were a sexy, dark gold against a shiny, wide mirror. The light was too dimmed, however. I couldn’t see myself as clearly as I would like. The bathroom was also extremely clean, immaculate even. I could tell the restaurant as a whole took tidiness and organization seriously.  I enjoyed myself thoroughly at this restaurant. The ambiance and décor gave me what I wanted, fully satisfying my eyes as well as mouth with every savory dish. I’m glad I decided to come here as opposed to other establishments. It was affordable yet delivered an essence of great fine dining. I plan on going with another friend for a celebration. I’ll try everything I had my eye on the second time around. The restaurant met all expectations and taught me an extra thing or two about quality service. It ensured a tranquil sense of hospitality and an intuitive and refreshing strategy in service. I’d recommend the restaurant to absolutely anyone.  

[lightsandlostbells]

Skam NL episodes 4 and 5 reaction

This is incredibly late but there was no way I was not going to write about Engel’s detour into waxing hell.

Episode 4

Clip 1 - Piesiepoepselaar

Isa and Kes are lying together in the morning and it’s very serene. He’s had the same nightmare as Jonas did in the original, though I think the context is different … russ is like a thing that Jonas objects to on principle, would Kes be against just taking a city trip?

He’s like, “You took off your shirt and made out with everyone, boys and girls.” Lmao, I don’t think Isa is going to get that wild in Tallinn.

Isa replies that she’ll only take off her shirt for Kes. So this isn’t really a hint of an actual problem or any condescension on his part, they’ve re-purposed this exchange into some purely flirty interaction.

This cute moment is interrupted by Isa’s mom unexpectedly popping in. She calls her daughter “pissing pooper”? Hands down the best/worst nickname I have heard a parent call their child. And of course Kes loves it.

Clip 2 - Orgy preparation

Isa gets a call from “Pap” soooo her dad is still kind of in the picture?

Engel bounds up to Isa, she looks very happy to see her. And when Janna and Imaan come up, she also looks happy to see them. Engel is so cute.

Except LMAO, GOD. She addresses Imaan with “Salaam-Alaikum,” and seems a little proud of herself, as if she Googled “how to speak Muslim” over the weekend. So I guess instead of being an outright exclusionary racist, she’s going to be like … a well-intentioned white ally who goes too far and ends up othering her Muslim friend by not treating her the same as the non-Muslims? That’s a pretty interesting take. It certainly puts Engel in a better light than Vilde, since she is trying to be inclusive rather than rejecting Imaan, but it also explores Imaan’s struggle with having to deal with people treating her differently than her peers, or changing their behavior toward her since she’s a Muslim.

Imaan is just like “.... Hi.” I feel like at some point she’s going be like, “Look, you can just treat me like you’d treat anyone else.”

Janna starts coughing, and at first I thought she was trying to salvage the awkward moment, but she’s actually gesturing for Engel to look over yonder because GUESS WHAT, a certain dude is climbing the stairs.

Dutch William has a very long coat and seems more like an artsy edgy hipster kid, maybe, than a regular king-of-the-school fuckboy. His head is down so we don’t get a full view of his face, it’s like he’s ~mysterious and gives no fucks.

That blond dude from the party, Gijs, is part of Dutch William’s (Noah’s) crew, of course, and nods in recognition to Isa. They’re like, HOLY SHIT, Isa, what happened there?

Apparently one of them (Gijs or Noah) the wildest parties, with orgies. And not some weak-ass orgies where people sit in the hot tub together. Full-on power orgies with naked bodies. Janna sure knows her orgy classifications.

Engel’s facial expressions when Janna mentions orgies, lmao. This little frown.

The girls are like, “There’s a party this Friday,” and Isa’s like “...OK?” Imaan has to explain that Janna and Engel want Isa to flirt with the guy so they can get in to the party. She takes Isa’s phone and does her thing. Well, that’s interesting because Imaan doesn’t seem so invested personally in going to the party? I mean, there’s no real benefit to their city trip. Is she doing it because Janna and Engel want to? Like she wants to be in with these girls and have friends?

Janna is amused and laughs at Imaan’s liking all of Gijs’ pics. Engel just seems stunned. A Muslim did that???? Maybe she had Imaan all wrong. Maybe she needs to consult Google again.

Clip 3 - BUY YOUR OWN GODDAMN FRIES

Isa, Kes, and Lucas go out for food. Isa is the only one to order fries, and when she asks if they want fries, they’re like nahhhh. IMMEDIATELY my bullshit detector went off. They’re going to steal her fucking fries, aren’t they?

At one point the word “EVEN” is visible through the window, heh.

Lucas has injured his left hand, which I am assuming is a thing the actor did IRL and they had to explain it into the story. Kes roasts Lucas about his injury (which happened while skateboarding) and Lucas is like, “At least I take risks.” Yeah, some of those risks will apparently involve fucking up your friends’ relationship?

Kes asks Isa if they’re going to hang out at her place, I am assuming just the two of them, while Lucas gives Kes a long look. Actually, those are some high-quality Looks that Lucas has been serving to Kes. Make sure this show gets to season 3, okay? So he can put his pining face to good use.

Kes says the whole thing about Isa’s mom not knowing about him, and that Isa is ashamed of him, and Lucas is like, well, she’s right!

But of course Gijs is now sending her messages about Isa’s IG stalking. Just as Kes is offering to cook for her and her mom. Isa, let him cook for you! That’s more proactive than any Jonas has offered yet, right?

Gijs is turned on by Isa stalking him. You know, I’ve never just how many kinks the P-Chrises have, like he’s into nerds, being stalked, pretending to be the Eva’s dad/mom/whatever ... he’s just up for anything.

Lucas mentions that Isa has too many new friends, maybe even a new boyfriend, and THAT is some snake-ass shit, planting that seed out there. Even if he’s just talking shit and kidding. He doesn’t know he’ll be kinda right, but man, will Kes remember that when shit hits the fan? Kes seemed so indifferent though, like he’s all “lady friends” and not taking it seriously. 

I WAS FUCKING RIGHT, THEY STEAL HER GODDAMN FRIES. Taking advantage of her distraction while messaging Gijs. 

This is the realest shit though, like nothing Jonas and Isak said about Eva’s involvement in russ compared to this disrespect. Teenage boys are the WORST.

But yeah, there’s not nearly as much putting down of Isa’s friends or activities (since who is gonna be like “it’s so CAPITALISTIC that you want to take a fun trip to a city”?) apart from some passive-aggressiveness about Kes not meeting Isa’s mom and Isa being too popular. Still, it feels less mean, and Isa didn’t seem as attacked. 

Clip 4 - The most important conversation I’ve ever heard

The title of this clip was “full bush baby” and I was like … is that really going to refer to what I think it is? Like either we are talking about a small primate, or someone’s private hedge maze.

I love Janna looking like a hot mess in every scene. Like she literally rolled out of her bed, which is an ostrich nest, and went to school. She’s telling a story about opening a beer in class while Engel looks bothered about something in the background.

OH MY GOD, Engel looks troubled not because of any angsty Noah pining or Imaan drama or any of what you’d expect, but because she shaved her pubic hair and it itches. WE STAN.

…. Is this taking the place of the birth control conversation??? Instead of Engel asking about birth control, she wants the girls to tell her how they remove their pubic hair? 

I am not remotely surprised that Janna is a full bush baby.

Imaan saying she dyes hers red, white, and blue = MY LOVE.

Engel takes that completely seriously judging by her confused little face. Engel’s life is 90% confusion.

Janna says if she waxes, she can wax a lightning bolt. Please be a Harry Potter reference. (You know, I’m sure wizards have hair removal spells and all, but I’m imagining someone being like ACCIO PUBES and ripping out everything at once.)

Engel is nervous about waxing. Oh my God, instead of the nurse, are they going to go for a bikini wax together?????

Isa gets a text. Turns out they’re going to the party! Engel gets excited and starts throwing out outfit possibilities.S he rambles a bit and then Imaan does the “shhh, you talk too much” moment. 

Now it feels a little out of place, because Engel, while not behaving perfectly, has been way less of an ass to Imaan? And I get that this is for Engel’s own preservation, sort of, but they’re not trying to gain social capital at the level that Vilde and Sana were. The OG girl squad wanted to attract cool people to their bus and hook up with popular boys; NL girl squad isn’t concerned with getting cool people on their trip, and while they want to go to parties, they don’t have this firm objective of hooking up with the popular dudes. So the moment seemed a bit out of nowhere. I mean, Engel rambling about her outfits is tedious, but harmless.

Imaan has some gorgeous lashes, by the way.

Clip 5 - This is a very serious show

Oh my God, they DID go for a bikini wax. So is the state of Engel’s pubic hair going to be a plot point? Does she want it to look groomed for him? 

Okay, I’m laughing that Norwegian-style bush is a heart (ALT ER LOVE), French pubes are a mustache, and Dutch hedges are … flames? A flower? A flower for the ladygarden.

THE GRAVE IMPORTANCE OF THIS SCENE. The music and the cherub mural really add to the atmosphere.

Janna talks about an ass wax because of course she does.

I love that you hear a scream from the other room. Perfect.

I laughed out loud that Engel just shakes her head and runs. And that Imaan puts her arms around the girls and eggs them on.

I like Skam to have a plot and all but I would thoroughly enjoy 10 episodes of just random calamities in pubic hair removal.

Clip 6 - Orgy time

OH DAMN, I LOVE

This is my favorite episode 4 (or equivalent) power walk other than the original. I LOVE it. The song choice! The girls look like they’re having a blast. Engel jumping on Liv’s back!!! Imaan yelling in sync with the rooster crying!!! 

ESPECIALLY with the juxtaposition of this badass power walk, the girls getting hyped and feeling cool on the way to the party - because yeahhhh!!!! Young and free, bitches!!!!! - with the pause where they’re actually standing in front of the door, debating over who has to ring the bell. That’s utterly beautiful, I love it. Expectations vs. reality right there. 

Liv being like “It’s open,” lol.

Engel knows Olivia and company, I don’t think they said how?? Because we knew how Vilde knew Ingrid. But I mean, they go to school together, soooo. (Or did Engel get kicked off a city trip group?)

Janna, you promised an orgy, and this is a bunch of teenagers drinking and dancing in a basement. The clothes are most definitely on.

I was spoiled for Janna’s making out with a girl, but I still got hella excited when she and this girl were sticking out their tongues at each other.

Lmao, is Engel rambling about her car malfunctions to Noah? Maybe Imaan was right to shush her.

Also, Engel’s dad is in the picture. Or was, at a certain point.

Okay I don’t know if maybe this is fashionable for Dutch kids, but I love that Noah is wearing this baggy old man shirt. 

And that his kiss with Engel is a little awkward.

Who is this kid. Why is he like this.

Lmao, Liv telling Isa to talk to Gijs about Tallinn so he’ll leave. Does not bode well for their city trip if that’s what she thinks?

WHOOPS, Isa forgot that dinner with Kes was supposed to happen.

Gijs does not know Tallinn is a city, so he’s like, “Who’s Tallinn?” lmao.

JANNA AND THAT GIRL GOING TO TOWN, YESSSSSSSS

So in terms of Skam remake wlw content, I believe we have:

Skam France: Alexia is bi. Of course I appreciate this but they haven’t really spotlighted it outside of like one or two comments, and they don’t really integrate her sexuality into the story or into the dialogue even when it would be relevant (which is a big problem with Skam France as a whole). It’s canon by the actress’ Word of God.

Druck: Mia is bi. In canon she “doesn’t like labels” and is shown to make out with Hanna, though that was for telling off Alexander. Bi by word of God.

Skam Austin: Shay takes Isak’s place in the story, having a crush on Megan which is her character’s motivation. This is the biggest wlw content, clearly, since Shay will hopefully get her own season. The character is a lesbian and her sexuality plays a role in the story, plus I’m pretty sure the actress is a lesbian herself (and is a black lesbian so we have intersectional diversity).

Skam NL: Janna makes out with a girl at a party. HOPEFULLY she isn’t straight and this isn’t just a drunken makeout because girls kissing at a party is hot. I hooooope.

Hmmm, you know what? I actually buy Imaan’s throwing water at Olivia a lot more, because Engel has at least tried to be nice to Imaan. Like I understand that Sana is fiercely loyal and once she’s on your team, she’s with you 110%, so once she’s with the girl squad, she’s ride or die. But assuming Imaan was throwing water at Olivia because Olivia called Engel a slut, I get why. Engel has been awkward and othered Imaan but she’s tried to be nice. (But for Engel, you know she’s going to be like WTF?)

I love this closing song as they run away into the night!

Is it wrong that I kind of like Noah so far? Because I get that he’s likely going to come with all of William’s bullshit, but ... he’s fucking weird, man. 

Episode 5

Clip 1 - Making a family party awkward

Kes’ sister is a cutie!

Oh, I love that we got a little glimpse of his family? His mom, and his grandparents.

This really changes the tone of this scene from the original, because Eva goes over and encounters Jonas when he’s just hanging out with his friends and being passive-aggressive, and it felt like having the boys there made Jonas ramp up his attitude. Kes appears to be relaxed, he’s having a good time with his family. I wonder if these are the actor’s real relatives? The boys look like they could be his brothers.

But Kes does get in a passive-aggressive comment about her friends, and he’s been ignoring her for a few days.

Also, Lucas isn’t part of this moment where they’re ganging up on Isa, when the Isak is typically snickering at what’s happening.

We cut inside where relatives are having a pleasant time while the Youths fight. We don’t hear their argument but I mean, we know what they’re talking about.

Kes is like, “I forgot about the dinner,” as if he’s not upset, which makes Isa storm out, and his family notices that she’s upset.

Isa is out on the street and she once again puts in her earbuds and listens to music to get out her feelings. I like that as a stress release/coping tactic/whatever you want to call it for her.

This is a Sigrid song, by the way! “Strangers,” a totally appropriate song for relationship dysfunction and dismantling the perfect movie romance. Really interesting with Isa’s somewhat romanticized view of love - sometimes you just know, that’s how it’s supposed to be, etc.

Is Kes going to run out after her?

Nope, he doesn’t run after her. Not like in the movies. Isa just does a walk down the street. She’s not happy but it seems like listening to music steadies her a bit and gives her an outlet for her emotions so that she’s not a total mess.

Clip 2 - Engel does not know how the pill works, sigh

The title of this clip was Het is Zover and there was a still of Liv so I was like … are we finally headed down this f/f romcom route? Het is Over? (I know, I know, it has an actual meaning in Dutch.) But it ended up referring to something heterosexual, lmao.

I like Isa’s little toucan key chain.

Isa is not in a good mood, Liv looks fondly at her girl and asks about Kes. Liv knows what’s up with 17-year-old boys.

Engel pops up and says it’s time for her and Noah to go to the bone zone. Isa is like, that was fast. So I guess they are going down this sex storyline; the wax was a fun bonus.

Engel being like “I know It’s Time because I DMed with Noah all weekend and he’s perfect” - God help us.

Engel asks for the pill like she’s asking for ibuprofen, and when she says eh, it’ll be nothing then, Liv is like nuh uh, you’re going to the doctor. Thank you, Liv.

Engel gets them to agree to go by offering a bottle of wine each. When Isa tells Liv that she (Liv) doesn’t even drink, Liv is like, two for you, right? WHOOOOOOA. True love right there.

I had the worst thought and wondered if Engel’s failure to get her pubes waxed is going to lead to Noah making a shit comment about them later, like when Engel confronts him. Because teenage boys think girls should be completely hairless, like porn stars or babies! 

Clip 3 - Isa can’t sleep

Isa is watching a video on her phone when she gets a notification about something her dad posted. It’s a little kid getting a swimming certificate, so I’m guessing that’s her dad’s new family.

Isa gets up to go sit on her mom’s bed. She asks for a foot rub, which her mom gives her, until her mom starts asking about Olivia and Tess. Then the feet come back up to Isa’s chest.

Her mom’s like, I’m just trying to show interest. Isa is probably thinking that’s more than her dad does. She extends a leg again.

Perhaps that’s why Isa opens up to her and tells her she has a boyfriend. When she tells her mom his name is Kes, her mom doesn’t comment on it being Olivia’s boyfriend’s name or anything, so maybe she didn’t know Kes and Olivia dated? 

Isa asks her mom whether she thought she and her dad would be together forever, and then when she change her mind. Isa’s mom says that sometimes things go differently from how you expected. I really like this scene. It goes in with Isa “just knowing” that you’re meant to be with someone, as mentioned in episode 2, and then this reality that crashes in on you. It’s awesome that they tied in these elements of Isa’s absent father and divorced/separated parents, Isa’s relationship with her mom who’s locked out of certain elements in her life, and Isa’s relationship with Kes to the overall idea of being with someone forever. I think Isa questioning the nature and longevity of love could end up being a really satisfying part of her arc. I can’t wait to see the final clip of the season; I hope they modify her speech to Kes so that it fits with all these moments and what she’s learned.

She gets back into bed and apologizes to Kes for being a bitch sometimes, because obviously she doesn’t want their relationship to end, and then stares at the ceiling with that one damn glow in the dark shooting star.

Clip 4 - Doctor visit

The girls go to the doctor with Engel. Liv and Imaan entertain themselves by playing with a model of a torso. Kes and Isa make up via text, he says he loves her even when she’s angry.

I love that Engel looks small in that big chair against the giant window, truly mimicking how overwhelmed she must be feeling.

Where’s Janna? I have to say that I look forward to her reactions on anything vagina-related. 

I guess she had to miss the fun because she had to make up for being late to German, but it’s really cool how Imaan volunteered to join them considering I think the Sanas usually sit this excursion out.

The doctor comes out and IT’S A MAN THIS TIME??? Oh fuck!

I mean I know plenty of women don’t have a problem with a male OB-GYN, but for a girl who’s perhaps afraid to get a bikini wax, I think she would be a little shy about talking about birth control with a dude.

This doc is handsome, not gonna lie. I can’t imagine if that would make it more or less awkward. I do think that it’s less awkward with your friends, so good call, Engel.

The doc is asking Engel some basic questions and Engel answers more confidently than I expected, so good for her. Imaan rats out Engel by saying she’s only known the guy for a week. Well, maybe it’s not the wisest choice, Imaan, but that means Engel should definitely be on birth control!

Liv also shares that Noah sleeps with the whole school, and the doc mentions that the pill only helps with pregnancy, not STDs. Bless him. I mean he’s just doing his job, but bless. This is a good message to include on the show.

OH MY GOD when that doc brought out the dildo for the condom demonstration. He was completely matter-of-fact and professional but geeeeez I would have found this to be the most embarrassing thing at 16.

Clip 5 - CONDOMS, ENGEL, CONDOMS CONDOMS CONDOMS

The girls evaluate condom choices. Strawberry, banana, glow-in-the-dark. Don’t get the banana ones. I love real bananas but artificial banana flavor on anything is a gamble. 

I can’t tell, who said that king-sized wasn’t for Noah? Janna? I want to give her an award.

This clip was so short but I loved it! Just sweet and funny, wonderful girl squad dynamic, adorable.

As an aside, please watch the first 30 seconds of this scene and imagine it with Engel as Rose, Janna as Blanche, and Imaan as Dorothy.

Clip 6 - Engel’s softcore fashion fantasy

Janna has the right idea by blowing up a condom into an elephant trunk.

Janna doesn’t remember anything from her first time. That bit never stops being alarming, tbh.

Janna is also adamant that Noah needs to do his best and make sure Engel has an orgasm. Good job, Janna! That’s something I’ve always wondered with the Williams of the show: do they actually try to make the experience pleasurable for the Vildes? Because Vilde is like, “It was great!” but she’s also speaking from inexperience, and she might just be overcompensating, who knows? I mean, I don’t think she would actually tell the girls if it sucked.

Engel doesn’t know what an orgasm feels like, she doesn’t know how to get wet, she doesn’t want to get horny. Look, everyone should learn at their own pace, but my professional opinion is that this poor girl should take some time on her own before sleeping with a random dude she has known for a week. 

Who hasn’t even arrived on time to get laid. Oh God, please just blow her off completely? Don’t make us and Engel go through this again. Lesser of two evils.

Janna eats a banana. I just wanted to write that.

Liv is there to administer horny-making fantasies to Engel. Lmao, Isa had to get up off her chair and go sit on the bed next to Liv while Liv is talking dirty. I wonder why….

Ohhhh my God. This fantasy of Engel’s? WOW. It is really not “allowed” within the Skam format but honestly, fuck it, this is too weird not to appreciate. This is some ’90s music video realness, I expected 98 Degrees to walk out. Except it mostly focuses on Engel’s attire and makeup and hair, so maybe it’s more like a perfume ad?

Lmao, Engel getting turned on by herself more than Noah really stands out when you see the visual.

Janna tells the anecdote about getting turned on by donkeys, but it was supposedly just a whole other village that had the donkey kink rather than her. Bless her.

The girls need to get out because Kes is supposed to arrive, but of course, when Isa opens the front door, it’s Noah, come for his booty call. Isa’s mom is really cute in how she’s excited to see “Kes.”

Engel is? “Not my girlfriend.” Noah, you dumb fuck. Why do you need to clarify that shit to someone’s mom who you’re only going to know for like two seconds?

I mean, it’s foreshadowing as to Noah’s fuckboy ways, and that Engel will get her heart broken, but duuuuude quell your ass down.

Isa is like, nah mom, those girls tripping on the stairs and babbling weren’t drunk! Lol, sure.

When Isa calls Kes, it absolutely sounds like he was at a party with the level of background chatter. You hear Olivia’s voice clearly but they’re definitely surrounded by people.

Of course Kes is not coming, and Isa’s mom overhears enough on the phone conversation to realize. She tells her that they can eat, just the two of them. I really like Isa’s mom, she’s cute.

Great sad closing song.

General Comments/Social Media

Engel stuck Liv’s own song on their Tallinn playlist and Liv’s like, time to delete that! 

I love Janna naming the group chat weird stuff, and everyone acknowledging that group chat names are never normal.

This remake makes my heart so warm! The girl squad is so lovely and fun. I adored the pubic hair side plot, lmao, and the twists on the doctor visit and the condom retrieval. Little moments like that with the girls have made the dynamic so entertaining.

As for the boys, I think Lucas is a fantastic Isak. Kes has his typical Jonas S1 dickhead moments, but he’s also got charm, and God help me but I am enjoying Noah’s whatever-the-fuck-ness. Like I’m aware he’s going to be a creep, but currently I like taking the piss out of him and his wardrobe and attitude. 

As I mentioned previously, I think they’re doing some great moments with Isa’s character arc and tying in her family issues to her relationship issues, and having her talk about love or question love in the abstract. 

I am not Dutch, so feel free to correct me if I missed anything.

If you got this far, thank you for reading!

[davyruiz]

Virtua Incubus - Pt.2

*con't from 'Virtua Incubus - Pt. 1', this is an adult horror story based off the Deadmeat 'Create A Killer' episode, The VR Incubus. i wrote this as a fan and hope you enjoy it like i enjoy the Deadmeat YT channel.*

When I arrived the Dan Lan Party was actually a mini detective ring. As Dan explained, some were playing Wigs and Warriors while most were trying to find out why places were being burned down. I told him my story about the library. He opened up about what they found.

Luckily or unfortunately, someone at the party had just had a monitor fixed at YourElecSpace. It all seemed to work fine until the night of the attack. The monitor flashed with a sort of virus before freezing up. A single image of a beautiful succubus stayed burned onto the screen.

The dudes knew the succubus as Elle Fira. She was a popular character from a line of adult video games going back to the late eighties. Brandon, the one with the monitor, knew the Elle Fira and the company Nomed Nomad were based in Seattle. Their newest VR game had just dropped seven days before the first fire.

I asked if Chet had worked on the monitor. He had. Feeling pulled in even deeper, I told them about Chet. Many faces turned from interest to fear. Those playing Wigs and Warriors were now focused on the current mess. I told them Chet may be behind everything. I don't know why I said it but I did.

Barry suddenly came down the stairs. We started to catch up when someone called my name. They started to expose some basic information on Chet but they said he didn't have much online. Mostly a blog ranting about celebrities and nude scandals. Others were suddenly on his page laughing at his various postings.

That was when the chaos erupted. One by one the screens flashed with the images of Elle Fira and porn. Not just any porn but photos of almost everyone in the room. Mixed in were regular images of homes and family members. Elle Fira could be heard laughing over static. The words 'I KNOW WHO YOU ARE' flashed on every screen before Dan pulled the plug.

Darkness. Only for a split second. Then the screens flickered back on. All the stereos and speakers were put on full blast. Sparks flew as wires once again came to life. Dan started smashing monitors but he was torn into pieces by all the collected cables.

Everyone near a computer was now being devoured or beaten by their own devices. Barry was trying to pull me up the stairs but cables began to wrap around my ankle. I looked up at Barry and he was suddenly gone. Ignoring the shocks from the cables, I tried my best to pull my leg free.

Brandon was having cables forced down his throat while another person was being hung by the rafters. Like a firework, Brandon came to life with a thousand volts and the place started on fire. I remember screaming when Barry was suddenly back. He had a meat cleaver in his hands.

With a swing and a spark, Barry cut the wire and I pulled myself up the stairs. I threw the cut cable on the floor like a poisonous snake. We ran outside before calling the cops. Neighbors were gathered outside. Lights had been flickering and people could hear the screaming from the street. The house was now engulfed in flames.

Something inside of me snapped. I wanted answers. Dan had just been ripped into pieces by his own equipment. Barry asked what I wanted to do and we agreed to leave the scene. Avoiding the police felt like the right thing to do. Would they believe a dead employee might have done all this?

I asked Barry if he knew where Chet lived. He did. They lived in the same apartment building. Meg would sometimes walk with him to work. We ran to the apartments. I don't know what was driving me but my instincts said to go to his place.

His place was easy to find, the only door with police tape all across it. I busted open the door and went in. The place still smelled of burned flesh and rott. Barry was hesitant to enter but I dragged him in. Together we looked over the bizarre scene.

There was a large burn spot in the middle of the living space. You could even see the layout of where the wires used to be. Bits of melted plastic were left and only a few things of equipment remained. I don't know what I expected to find. That is when we both heard it.

A loose floorboard. Barry was standing in a far corner by a fake plant. Under the floorboard was a memory stick. Just as we put the board back, there was a loud thump. It sounded like someone in the bedroom. We started to make our way to the door when it emerged.

A winged figure with scorched clothing and wires fused to decayed flesh began to stalk down the hall towards us. It wore a massive VR helmet and made a bizarre clicking noise. Barry pulled me out the door as it spread its wings made of electrical equipment. It charged forward as we left the apartment.

I remember hearing wood breaking and a haunting cry as we ran down the hall. The creature was coming for us and we needed to get out of the apartment complex. Nothing stopped the creature. I turned back as I saw a scared woman emerge from her home. The creature tore her head off as I made it outside.

We got to Barry's car when the creature took flight. It was chasing us even in the sun. Try as hard as we could, we could not shake the mangled mess. We missed stop lights and stop signs all while the beast destroyed anything in its path. Sparks even flew from street lamps and telephone wires above. Barry was in a panic and asked for directions.

I told him to head to the park. Something in my head was telling me to go there. To lure the creature away from town and destroy the memory stick. It was my only plan and I hoped it worked. The creature was a bit away from us when we got to the empty parking lot. There were no cars in the lot we picked but there were people enjoying the April day.

Just as we got out of the car and I stepped on the curb, the creature smashed down. Barry's car was crushed like a tin can and Barry was sent flying to the ground. I almost lost my footing but I watched as the bizarre demon turned to look at me. There was a buzzing in my ear and I remember feeling frozen.

The burned electrical monstrosity slowly climbed from the car as I moved backwards. I don't know how but I knew that thing was Chet. Then it was like a flash. I was suddenly throwing the tiny device towards the pond and the beast was getting ready to ponce.

Just as the memory stick smashed against a tree, the creature froze mid air. I remember the memory stick breaking into pieces as I fell to the ground. It was like something otherworldly. The wired covered thing began to scream and flicker away before suddenly bursting into nothing.

I thought that was the end of it. Barry and I grew closer. My roommate returned and so did my sister Sarah. I forgot about the essay and failed my class but things were slowly recovering. That was for a little while. Then my roommate got a strange message on their laptop. It was an invitation to be the first to try a new VR game called Elle Fira and the Virtual Incubus. The incubus looked just like the monster Chet had become.

After finding my roommate dead, it was just the beginning. Another chain reaction that I wish I could stop. First my roommate, then my sister's boyfriend, and then half the town. Now Barry, Sarah, and me head to Seattle. I don't know where it will end but it starts with the demon in the VR game.

[donghans-moved]

(INTERVIEW) 170612 - Produce 101’s Kim Donghan w/ Ilgan Sports

Efforts Did Not Betray.

Kim Donghan (OUI Entertainment), who appeared in Mnet ‘Produce 101′ Season 2, climbed to number 29 with his talent. First evaluations Kim Donghan, who showed a solid and powerful dance with EXO’s Call Me Baby as a center and surely catch the national producers heart. Dance trainer Kahi said that “Donghan as a center will look more pretty.” Since then, during the position evaluation, Donghan who has changed his hair to blonde joined the Shape Of You by Ed Sheeran team to complete the stage with Justin, Lee Jun Woo, Park Sung Woo, Noh Tae Hyun and Kim Tae Dong.

Then he transformed once more. During the concept evaluation, unlike his charismatic appearance and dance ability, he showed a cute and refreshing stage with ‘I Know You Know’. Unfortunately, the team with Kim Donghan placed at 5th. During the 3rd Elimination, he was ranked at 29th place. 20 people were eliminated from the show. Kim Donghan, who we met after he was eliminated, expressed that he is sad that he couldn’t meet the trainees again after 6 months. “It’s sad that I can not be with them anymore than I’ve eliminated.”

Q: You were eliminated at the rank of 29th. What are your thoughts?

Donghan: “Although there are things I’m sad about on being eliminated, I’m more sad about having to be separated from the 101 trainees that I’ve spent time with while practicing every day for the last 6 months. The amount of affection that has been built up during it is quite large. It feels like I’ve graduated from school. Although it’s really hard during it, I miss it once I’m out.”

Q: What was your goal rank when you first started?

Donghan: “I was determined to at least stay as part of the remaining ⅓ of 101 trainees. I predicted my rank to be 33rd, so I was satisfied in receiving 29th. To be honest, I wasn’t given that much time on TV compared to the other trainees. I’m very thankful towards fans who supported me through watching only my fancams.”

Q: You were called out for ‘having a short amount of screentime’. You were probably more upset than anyone else.

Donghan: “It doesn’t really matter to me personally, but I had a hard time seeing my parents or people from my company feel sad about it. Even if I try to be greedy for screentime like everyone else during the recordings, there were times where I was completely edited out when I saw the broadcast.”

Q: Then is it favorable to have more screentime?

Donghan: “I wondered whether my rank could have gone up if I had a bit more screentime. I was a bit sad to hear people say ‘Why did he go up’ during the 2nd rankings when I was ranked 35th.”

Q: How did you feel when you got 35th?

Donghan: “The 4-panel screen pops up largely. I felt even more anxious because the people on the screen were ones I was friends with and grew affection for. It felt like I was stepping on them to go up, so I started to tear up when I stood up and saw them.”

Q: Have you been able to experience your popularity?

Donghan: “Since I haven’t walked around yet, I haven’t been able to experience it. (Laughter) Just a few months ago, I was an ordinary person. But after someone like me came out on TV once, people started to cheer me on and even set up subway ads, so it feels like a dream. Although I’m thankful for this interest to a point where I can’t express it in words, I feel like it’ll all disappear once I wake up.”

Q: Other trainees from your company were eliminated first.

Donghan: “Since my company isn’t big, we came out with the thought of letting people know about our company, but I was able to last the longest. The trainees who came out with me felt envious.”

Q: How was the dorm life with 101 trainees?

Donghan: “Since there were only guys, it felt like an all-boys high school after gym class.”

Q: We could smell the scent even just by watching the broadcast.

Donghan: “Everyone packed deodorant as to not be of harm to each other. We all worked hard to get rid of the smell by taking out our deodorant. (Laughter)”

Q: I feel like there were probably power fights.

Donghan: “As a matter of fact, I was really worried prior to joining. I thought that since it’s all guys, there would be a lot of fighting, so I would have to be careful, but everyone’s really innocent. Even when picking the center, rather than say that they want to do it, there were more instances where people would give it up for each other, so it took awhile since we were all watching out for each other’s thoughts. Rather than be competitive, it was more a system of collaborating, so I was really sad when we had to separate.”

Q: The person you became the closest with?

Donghan: “Although I was friends with everyone throughout, I hung out with Maroo Entertainment’s Park Jihoon the most. Since we were both ranked B in the first ‘나야 나’ evaluations, our ties continued from there.”

Q: Was there a song you wanted to do during the concept evaluation?

Donghan: “To be honest, the song I liked the moment I heard it was ‘Open Up’. ‘I Know You Know’ wasn’t bad either. Since I wanted to show many sides of myself before getting eliminated, I think ‘I Know You Know’ was perfect for that.

Q: Your hair color constantly changed.

Donghan: “At first it was black, in the middle it was blonde, and now it’s close to being white. As long as there’s no specific problem, the staff didn’t have many objections against changing styles like that.”

Q: If you had to choose something you’ve gained from participating in ‘Produce 101’?

Donghan: “I’ve now gotten used to looking at the camera and have realized what I should do in order to do well during a performance. Although it was probably the same for everyone, my singing and dancing abilities improved rapidly. It was really a good opportunity for us. It’s now important to see how well we can use those abilities on each of our paths.”

Q: What was the hardest thing?

Donghan: “When the missions would come out, we would get lessons the day right after, so we would have to learn the lyrics and dance on that day. We would have to hold onto the sheet of lyrics and memorize it for the whole day, but that was really hard. Everyone stayed up on the night of our mission revealings. It was hard for me since I’m a bit slow on memorizing, but I was able to improve throughout the course of missions.”

Q: I heard you performed as part of a dance team in Daegu.

Donghan: “I was in a dance team for a little more than a year. It was a dance team created with students from another school. Since the reactions were pretty good, we went to a lot of various school festivals. While doing K-Pop cover dances, I was able to set my direction towards my dream as I heard the cheers from the audience.”

Q: When did you meet with your current company?

Donghan: “It was the fall of 2015. Although I auditioned for many companies, I didn’t make it. Then I went to a dance competition and caught the attention of my current company’s CEO.”

Q: There’s a lot of talks about your company on not being very affluent.

Donghan: “I didn’t know there were reactions like that. Since we can’t look at our cellphone during recordings, I heard about that later on, but I thought it was rather a good thing to have at least become a topic of conversation somehow. Because the reason why I came out in the first place was to have people know about our company.”

Q: A word to your fans.

Donghan: “The love you guys have given has given me strength to the point where it feels like a dream. I will work hard in order for that dream to continue on. Thank you so much.”

Q: Any plans for the year?

Donghan: “I’m back to being a trainee. Rather than have any specific plans, I’m looking forward to the day that I can debut.”

source: 일간스포츠   into trans cr:  kimdonghan101 Q&A trans cr: woojinprk

[gratitudejoyandsorrow]

Wanderlust

Prompt: “She was a nomad at heart. Unlike him, she didn’t need to have a place to call home.” Told in Lin’s POV.

Pairing: Lin x reader

A/N: I’m glad I got this out in time for V-day! Though I’m not as satisfied as I should be, I decided to share it with you guys. Hope you guys enjoy it!

 Lin was going to do it tonight.

 He had the support from his family, friends, and even some random old lady on the subway he told last week.

 He was partnered up with Y/N in an acting class during his Sophomore year of college. The second her eyes landed on him and she gave him her million-dollar smile, he should have known he was doomed.

 He and Y/N became fast friends and spent every single waking moment together. They would text each other at night, have breakfast and coffee in the morning, head to class, and then do whatever the hell they pleased until it was time to go home.

 Junior year they met each other’s parents. Y/N had her mother’s looks, but everything else about her was her father. Her personality, the way she carried herself, her love for travel and adventure… it all came from him. And of course, his parents loved her. They called her their daughter and fed her bottomless stomach with food whenever they would visit.

 Senior year, even though they were both stressed and drowning in exams and projects, they managed to find time for each other. It helped that she was practically living with him. She cleared space in his tiny closet for her clothes, left her toiletries in his bathroom, and slept in his bed. Somehow, she managed to book small affordable getaways, either in nearby states where she would drag him around and explore the city or a “staycation” in New York where she would show him things even he, a native, haven’t even heard of before.

 It was during a random night in the middle of the semester, where she was cramming for an exam that was in the morning, that he realized how much he really loved her. He sat in the kitchen across from her, papers sprawled on the table and his laptop in front of him, watching as she began to doze off. The pencil in her hand fell to the table with a thump and he chuckled when her head began to bob, drifting further into the calls of sleep.

 “Time for bed,” Lin whispers, getting up and going over to her side.

 As he pulled her up from her seat by her hand, she began to protest. “No,” she yawns, rubbing her eyes.

 “You need sleep,” Lin urged, pulling her towards his bedroom.

 “But I need to study,” she whined, but let him lead her to bed.

 “I’ll wake you up early in the morning so you can study,” Lin smiles, opening up the duvet and helping her inside.

 Just as he was about to turn and leave, she stops him by grabbing the sleeve of his hoodie.

 “Stay with me, please?”

 Her question tugged at his heartstrings.

 She scooted over to make room for him and kept the duvet open to let him in. Lin’s smile gets bigger, and with a defeated sigh, slips in beside her. She immediately attaches to him, tucking herself under his chin and swung her leg over him. She was asleep within seconds.

 Lin stared at the ceiling, heart hammering against his chest.

 He wanted this every day for the rest of his life.

 He wanted to come home to her, sleep next to her, be with her...

 Lin wanted it all and more.

 And today, after months and months of suppressing it, he was going to tell Y/N. Even if she didn’t feel the same, he had to do it. So what if the little hope he’s built after overanalyzing every conversation, every single touch, every unspoken word he’s had with her is crushed?

 At least he gave it a shot.

 “Lin! I have exciting news!” Y/N came rushing in the bar full of graduates, graduation cap still pinned to her head and heels clicking with every step.

 Lin spreads his arms open and she runs forward, squeezing him tightly.

 She draws back, eyes gleaming with excitement, and grabs his hands. She jumps up and down, not able to contain her excitement.

 “I got the job!” she squeals.

 Lin’s heart drops.

 “The job?” he echoes.

 “The job for The National Geographic, silly! How could you forget?”

 He didn’t forget.

 It was the freelance journalism job with The National Geographic.

 She was going to be whisked away from New York, away from her home, her family, him…

 “Oh my god, Lin! They left a voicemail earlier today and they said they want to fly me out to Australia tomorrow. Can you believe it? Australia!”

 “Australia…” Lin whispers, throat feeling tight.

 He felt as if the floor was going to slip from under him. She was finally going to travel the world and experience all the things she’s dreamed of, but he felt so devastated.

 She lunges forward, hugging him again.

 “I’m so happy!”

 Lin lifted his trembling hands to embrace her.

 “Me too.”

 The rest of the night passed by in a haze.

 It didn’t go away even after he said goodbye to her at the airport the next day.

  For the last five years, the only way he kept in touch with Y/N were through emails. She had a horrible habit of losing her cell phone and it was almost impossible to find signal in the middle of nowhere.

 She’s been to every single continent, every nook and cranny of the world. From the Great Pyramid of Giza to Seychelles, she was there, her smile brighter and bigger than he’s ever seen it.

 She was a nomad at heart. Unlike him, she didn’t need to have a place to call home. The whole world was her home. She didn’t want stability, she wanted excitement. She didn’t fear the unknown, she thrived in it and faced it head-on.

 She was the polar opposite who he was, but damn, every time he would scroll through her pictures, he felt a deep sorrow in his gut of what could have been.

 He knew that they would have been amazing together.

 He could just picture it... Y/N, in the front row of the Richard Rogers Theater on the opening night of In The Heights and then Hamilton, screaming her head off in some gaudy dress. Her getting annoyed with Karen and her sass, adoring Chris and his big-brother tendencies, and silently rooting for Jasmine and Anthony…

 But she wouldn’t have been truly happy.

 She would’ve felt trapped and miserable if she stayed in New York. That’s why he let her go, why he chose to smile and ignore every cell in his body that begged to speak up the day she left. It would have been unfair and selfish of him to say anything to her. He didn’t want to hold her back from experiencing the world.

 So instead, Lin sent her scanned Broadway pamphlets and newspaper clippings his mother saved, cast recordings of the musical, and pictures of people she would never meet.

 They emailed each other every day and he hung on to each and every word she sent. From three sentences to a full page of words, he saved it. It was pathetic that even after all these years, Y/N was all he could think about. Every girl he’s dated was nothing compared to her.

 Maybe it was time to stop pining for a girl that was always seemed to be out of his grasp.

 “Lin, are you ready?”

 His father’s voice pulled him out of his musings. He glanced around his surroundings, remembering that he was supposed to do a press conference for the record-breaking Tony nominations Hamilton set.  He cleared his throat and nodded, leaving the dressing room and heading towards the stage.

 After he was announced, he walked onstage, the bright lights of the cameras blinding him. One by one he was asked routine questions from reporters: his inspirations for the play, his reaction to the sudden popularity of the show, and how he felt about the nominees of each category.

 The final question came from the back and Lin squinted his eyes, barely making out a form of a man.

 “Andy from the New York Times,” he said, “back in your college years, I heard that you got banned from the girl’s dorms after being caught in bed with one of the students multiple times. Would you like to comment on that?”

 Lin reared his head back and laughed when the crowd let out a murmur. “You must have done a lot of digging to find that story,” he hums, tucking his hair behind his ear, “but, you’re correct.”

 There was another buzz from the crowd, but this time, it was accompanied with flashes from the cameras.

 “But, it’s not as wicked as you think it is,” Lin continued, smirking, “I spent a lot of time with a very dear friend in her dorm, studying. We had a lot of classes together and it was easier to stay at her place than to go back to my own dorm. The RA just happened to catch me sneaking into her dorm at night and assumed the worst.”

 The crowd seemed unconvinced, but Lin didn’t have a chance to elaborate because time was up. He was escorted off to the side to take pictures and he posed as best as he could as he walked through the row photographers.

 “Lin!”

 The familiar voice caught his attention, and with a grin, Lin walked towards Andy. “That was a tough question,” Lin says, shaking his outstretched hand, “I don’t think I’ve ever mentioned that story during any of my interviews.”

 Andy returns the grin and winks. “I have a great source.”

 “Oh? I’d like to meet them,” Lin responds, genuinely intrigued.

 Andy laughs. “You’ll have to wait for it.”

 Lin was left to ponder his cryptic answer as he was ushered to the fans that awaited him.

 Lin didn’t know why there were so many parties he had to attend.

 He was currently getting ready for a banquet to celebrate the Tony nominees. In all honesty, the question from Andy completely threw him off-guard and caused him to feel a mix of emotions, longing the being the strongest. He wanted to stay home and reminisce the precious memories he had with Y/N, but it would have caused him to spiral into the depression he fought so hard to climb out of.

 His phone buzzed, indicating that the escort was in front of his apartment, waiting. With a sigh, he pocketed his phone and wallet, mentally preparing himself for the event.

 He swung his door open, stunned to see a woman whose hand was poised to knock on his door. A woman who strangely looked like…

 “Y/N.” he whispers, eyes wide.

 She drops her arms, letting them fall limply against her side.

 “Hi,” she breathed, a sheepish smile on her face, “I… I got your address from your Father. He told me about your event tonight, but I couldn’t wait. I needed to see you.”

 Lin felt his eyes water and his heart felt like it was going to burst. His eyes took in Y/N, her skin tan from all the days she spent out in the sun, baby-face long gone, and body slimmer from all her travels.

 She’s still as beautiful as ever.

 “You’re here.” Lin couldn’t recognize his voice.

 “I’m here,” she repeats, “for good.”

 Lin couldn’t comprehend what Y/N was saying. “For good?”

 She swallows thickly, and wet her lips before she speaks. “My contract with National Geographic is over and I didn’t want to renew it. I’m done, Lin,” her voice wavers, “I got a job with New York Times a couple weeks ago –”

 Lin lets out a sharp laugh. “You’re Andy’s source.”

 She pauses. “Yes.”

 Lin runs a hand down his face, trying to make sense of the situation. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner that you were back, Y/N?”

 She frowns, her eyes searching his face as she explains herself. “I was scared, okay? It’s been five long years... Things change, Lin! Would we really be able to pick up where we left off? I’ve missed so many important events in your life. I should’ve been there,” she stops, voice quivering.

 Lin smiles sadly. “I wanted you to be there too.”

 “But I’m here now, and if I have to, I’ll spend the rest of my life making it up to you.”

 Lin stares at Y/N, her declaration causing the tears in his eyes to spill. His heart felt full and wordlessly, he opens up his arms for her.

 She runs into his embrace and it felt like he was young again.

 The nomad finally decided to stop wandering.

 “I’m home,” she whispers.

 “Welcome home.”

[idolizerp]

LOADING INFORMATION ON NITRO’S LEAD VOCAL, LEAD DANCE CHOI DAEIN...

IDOL DETAILS

STAGENAME: Dane CURRENT AGE: 26 DEBUT AGE: 19 TRAINEE SINCE AGE: 18 COMPANY: Koala.T Music SECONDARY SKILL: Nunchucks 

IDOL PROFILE

NICKNAME(S): Face Genius, 반대인 - because he’s always doing the opposite of what people expect INSPIRATION: he looked up to gemini and 4ce who inspired him to pursue becoming an idol. SPECIAL TALENTS:

“impossible” to scare ( will walk through a haunted house laughing, is still during jumpscares, etc.).

is a better-than-average artist.

can read palms ( he can’t actually, but when he’s asked to for shows he predicts outlandishly fake futures ).

NOTABLE FACTS:

is quite active on social media.

is a 3rd dan in hapkido

studied abroad briefly in japan, and can speak conversational japanese

owns a cat named dal

enjoys photography, often has a polaroid camera on him when he travels

IDOL GOALS

SHORT-TERM GOALS:

his current goals are much of the same. to keep propelling himself forward as much as he can. to try and keep pushing nitro up and toward more popularity. they’re not a projectile missile of a group, not like atlas or olympus. but they’re getting there. putting koala.t back on the map. making a name for themselves. and after all this time, daein does want to do that. make a name for himself. for his group. scrawl out some kind of a legacy to leave behind. an imprint of who he is. music and all.

LONG-TERM GOALS:

daein want to find his place in the world. sometimes wants to feel more firmly planted in a reality that he can create. he’s interested in ghosts, but he doesn’t necessarily want to be one himself. he knows he wants to create an imprint with music, with nitro and by himself. he wants to push forward and come to terms with his own interests intermixed with the trajectory that koala.t wants to send him on. he wants to try and be somewhat picky with the projects that they push onto him, because despite nitro’s length in the industry thus far, he hasn’t yet grown to despise it in the same way he’s seen some of his peers do. and he doesn’t want that to happen, either. wants to keep careful balance on the wire of what his company wants, and what he himself wants. and then build a legacy from it. something he’s content with. something he can lean on when he outgrown the career path he’s chosen. is it feasible, in the long run? well, nobody really knows the answer to that one. but daein hopes it is.

IDOL IMAGE

daein in image and in role is used as a collector. he’s essentially a tool in fan outreach, something that had been pre-planned, from his place of birth to how his personality is shaped and used to the company’s advantage on screen. koala.t has built and launched his entire brand based off of this. daein is sure that they didn’t decide to put him into their new flagship group just because he was talented. whatever amount of talent he had was seen as a bonus. the valuable piece that daein holds is his appeal is, materialistically enough, his face and opportunity for widespread appeal based off of this and the easy way he’s able to endear himself to people. daein’s real value is his following, with his knack for drawing fans into nitro as a whole. that initial gateway point that catches at people’s attention.

in nitro, he’s the member people might point to and declare a stan attractor. the one who pulls interest into the group, even if they end up hopscotching off to bias another member in the end of things. so step one was to sell this image, a split between hardworking and 4d in a toned down, palatable sort of way. the kind of guy who was quick to talk, the kind of guy who was personable, who made you want to keep talking. who had no reservations chatting away to show hosts or describing nitro’s latest comeback. he had the sort of face that made people look, it was just daein’s job to make it stick after.

he was given a stage name, something that they decided fit with his concept more and might appeal to an international fanbase. was told which parts of his personality he was allowed to play up ( not being afraid of ghosts? great, let the members cling while you laugh during the haunted house daein, that’s great ), and those he wasn’t ( cut the sarcasm and macabre humor, we need to appeal to the thirteen year olds ). a dose of humor, a loud effect to his voice that’s often lost later when the camera clicks off. he wasn’t a boy next door, but he was a boy you found yourself staring at. interested in. styled in a peter pan, never grow up fashion with a mischievous bite underneath that pixie-dust appeal.

there’s more behind the lens. behind the glamour. but daein’s been in the industry long enough to know that you’re only supposed to share certain parts of yourself with the public. because for all the fans shout and clamor and say they’ll love you forever. love you no matter what. it’s a lie. all it takes is one new fact that rubs them the wrong way, and you’re passed over. petitioned out. at least when it came to him, koala.t looked to see what parts they had cast him for and pulled them to the forefront. not everything about daein’s image is fake. but it’s overplayed, exaggerated. sometimes to the point where he gets sick of himself. overlaid with white lies that settle better with the fans. stains hidden. an illusion of perfection - but sometimes it’s a nice feeling.

IDOL HISTORY

하나 born in seoul to on the edge of upper to middle class parents, daein’s life should have been easy. it, perhaps, has been. but that all depends on who you ask. they weren’t fit with golden spoons, but his father was a well respected dentist, and daein was expected to follow those pre-trodden footsteps in some manner or another. if not in the field of orthodontics, then in some other highly regarded career. lawyer, maybe. something that would allow for him to continuously climb that ladder of success, provide opportunities for the next generation in the choi family. it is apparent now, looking back, that daein has failed all but miserably in their request. his story could perhaps be seen as predictable in some ways. but who longs for freedom more than a bird beating itself against what it thinks a cage? daein saw the world stretched before him from behind the glass window, kept knocking himself against it headfirst until he could break free. trod over the idea of pre-conceived destiny (dentistry? ha!). rip himself as far away from expectations as possible. for better or worse, daein has built this life for himself.

둘 the first dream that daein remembers having was summarily rejected. a secondary hobby for when he had time. it wasn’t connected to the idol life, and it wasn’t his bridge into the industry. it was hapkido. he had a talent for it, in the way that some kids do, where they’re the leader of their small after school hagwon class pack. he might not have had the makings for a real athletic star, but even if he had, daein thinks they wouldn’t have really cared. somewhere around this point, at twelve or thirteen, daein started to learn that he loved to harbor things that he shouldn’t. dreams, thoughts, interests. he reached toward the taboo simply because it was out of bounds. even now he’s not sure if he forced his way into some of the interests he likes, some of the eclectic music he prefers, or if it was all just a happy coincidence. he decided he liked horror movies. he decided ghosts were pretty neat. so were polaroid cameras, along with cutting up a good portion of those pictures to piece together strange mosaics. which led him to liking art. twisted up, inky designs of strange proportions. sometimes drawn on paper, and sometimes his own skin. frowny faces and  lopsided eyes decorating kneecaps or the back of his hands. he liked skateboarding next, along with the sting of skinned knees. singing came a little later when he was pushing sixteen, seventeen. it’s really luck that daein managed to find a way to lean into one of his strange proclivities. if not for koala.t, where he’d have ended up is a grand mystery. maybe forced into becoming his father’s successor. maybe staring at the clock from behind the cash register at a convenience mart. but nobody cares about those maybes except daein at three in the morning.

셋 daein started studying abroad if only to slip out from underneath his parents thumb. they weren’t possessively controlling, but they were the type that decided that they knew best. they were the type to push him toward some kind of productivity. to cluck at what they decided were poor decisions or to ream him out for coming how too late. even if that last one might’ve been a completely normal parental reaction, while they weren’t shoved to an extreme end of the spectrum, his father was still a disciplinarian. he wanted daein to get his act together. to find a path and drill down hard into it. work himself for the sake of work and follow along in what society deemed as an acceptable career path in the natural progression of things. but daein didn’t want to follow that. there was just something in him that kicked back against it. so he lied, just a bit. decided to start telling them in the later years of high school that he was interested in politics. that maybe becoming a diplomat could be his far reaching ambition. so he took language classes, applied to schools, and when it came tie for his last year of high school he was temporarily relocated into japan on a language learning transfer opportunity he’d found. not that his time spent there lasted all too long. a total of one year. that was the amount of time spent away from home where his father would still talk to him.

넷 his time spent in japan really only served to give daein the makings of a conversationalist in another language and a slew of new interests that would last for an obsessive few months. he didn’t really become invested in politics. he decided he’d prefer not to be a diplomat after all ( and truthfully, he wasn’t very well suited for the job ). so when his study abroad term reached the end he didn’t reapply, he instead chose to come back home and continue his education in korea. back to a happy mother and a mildly frustrated father, because why couldn’t daein get his life together? to pick a path and march steadily toward it, just like he had? but then daein did just that. only it was the wrong path. he’s always found that rather funny. the constant demand to do, do, do, except! not that one. anything but that one. maybe that’s why he picked it. why he saw that flyer hanging up near a noraebang he frequented with his friends for a defunct entertainment company and decided to go audition. just because it was the stark opposite of what they wanted from him. something he knew deep down in his gut. but he’s always been like that. they’ve always known he has been. going against the grain. so he auditioned., and he got in. accepted the offer and started marching down that path. a path that would take him away from his parents, or at least his father, in the end.

다섯 at the time, being in koala.t didn’t mean much of anything. there were no current idols in their roster, the whole company in a strange place. who could tell if their next attempt at a pop group would succeed? so it was a little funny, a little interesting. if his friends questioned him, daein would point out that he ‘probably wouldn’t end up debuting.’ or if he did, maybe it would be some huge disaster. it wasn’t like they didn’t have a company building though, didn’t have a handful of other male trainees he was expected to train with. and train like it was a job, even if daein was still in the mindset of half seeing the company as a joke. his grades suffered. an ultimatum kicked in from his father, continued financial support if he separated from the company and what was viewed as a below their level ambition, or else he’d cut off the money. it’s clear that daein opted to stay at the company. his father made good on his word. the money stopped, daein technically took ( and is still on ) an academic hiatus, and managed to get himself part time work during his off hours for training. if nitro didn’t end up coming together, didn’t end up succeeding ( even if they never were on a very explosive scale ) then daein isn’t sure how his life would’ve turned out. other thoughts that only daein thinks about, but this time at four in the morning.

여섯 eventually, nitro debuted. he hadn’t trained for an exceptionally long time. but it was long enough where he made for a passable dancer, where they’d equipped him with enough singing technique that they could slap the label of vocalist onto him. truthfully, it was hard. a fact that daein is slow to admit to. he’s on the older end of things, and has always preferred talking to others about their own problems than his own. he likes the idea of advice. he likes trying to solve problems like puzzles, the right solution that will click into place. but not usually for himself. he wanted to be away from his parents and the life that they’d wanted out of him. and he was. identity has always been a confusing thing to daein, despite the fact that he was always throwing himself after one. sometimes he feels like it’s evaporating even further now, when it feels like parts of his identity are being stripped away. replaced by something else, something more enjoyable for nitro’s fans. this strange, ephemeral peter pan of a boy. forever lost in neverland, the option and memories of returning home fading and fading. maybe he’ll feel less divided about it if they ever disappear entirely.

[idolizerp]

LOADING INFORMATION ON NITRO’S LEAD VOCAL AND LEAD DANCE LAI XIANG...

IDOL DETAILS

STAGENAME: Xin CURRENT AGE: 26 DEBUT AGE: 19 TRAINEE SINCE AGE: 18 COMPANY: Koala.t SECONDARY SKILL: Korean language and pronunciation (has phonetic skill and mastery in korean and a large vocabulary)

IDOL PROFILE

NICKNAME(S): xiaoxi INSPIRATION: he looked up to gemini and 4ce who inspired him to pursue becoming an idol SPECIAL TALENTS: 

“impossible” to scare ( will walk through a haunted house laughing, is still during jumpscares, etc.). 

is a better-than-average artist

can read palms ( he can’t actually, but when he’s asked to for shows he predicts outlandishly fake futures )

NOTABLE FACTS:

can speak mandarin and korean fluently, is conversational in english

has a large following and fanbase in china

a lot of his solo promotions are done to appease said fanbase ( such as chinese releases on his soundcloud for free )

is extremely active on social media

IDOL GOALS

SHORT-TERM GOALS:

his current goals are much of the same. to keep propelling himself forward as much as he can. to try and keep pushing nitro up and toward more popularity. they’re not a projectile missile of a group, not like atlas or olympus. but they’re getting there. putting koala.t back on the map. making a name for themselves. and after all this time, xiang does want to do that. make a name for himself. for his group. scrawl out some kind of a legacy to leave behind. an imprint of who he is. music and all.

LONG-TERM GOALS:

xiang wants to gain enough momentum that he can eventually carry that fame back over to china if need be. he’s been contacted a few times by chinese companies trying to pull him back to his home country, sign there and cut ties with koala.t. but he’s content where he’s at right now, it was the path he chose ( even if it hadn’t been the most well thought out of plans ). but he wants it there as a stable option for himself. with his family still out of the picture, he needs some way to keep his current skill set pushing him forward – and in all honesty, china is a much better bet for him than korea is as far as longevity is concerned.

IDOL IMAGE

xiang in image and in role is used as a collector. he’s essentially a tool in fan outreach, something that had been pre-planned, from his place of birth to how his personality is shaped and used to the company’s advantage on screen. koala.t has built and launched his entire brand based off of this. xiang is sure that they didn’t decide to put him into their new flagship group just because he was talented, because he had a knack for korean. whatever amount of talent he had was seen as a bonus. the valuable piece that xiang holds is his appeal in china. while nitro doesn’t branch out and promote in china, xiang is still given ample room to use social media and regularly creates or releases songs in mandarin on his soundcloud. despite his promotions almost entirely centering in korea, xiang has managed to amass quite an international following in china. and china has quite an expansive market if one is able to chisel into it. xiang’s real value is his following, and with the knowledge that they would let him try and reach out to his home country after debuting, his stage persona was crafted to meet and blend with that.

in nitro, he’s the member people might point to and declare a stan attractor. the one who pulls interest into the group, even if they end up hopscotching off to bias another member in the end of things. so step one was to sell this image, a split between hardworking and 4d in a toned down, palatable sort of way. the kind of guy who was quick to talk, the kind of guy who was personable, who made you want to keep talking. who had no reservations chatting away to show hosts or describing nitro’s latest comeback. a knack for languages paired with a language classes that focused specifically on phonology in tandem with grammar meant that they could use pronunciation as a talking point to draw in initial interest. it was just xiang’s job to make it stick after.

he was given a stage name, something that they decided fit with his concept more. was told which parts of his personality he was allowed to play up ( not being afraid of ghosts? great, let the members cling while you laugh during the haunted house xiang, that’s great ), and those he wasn’t ( cut the sarcasm and macabre humor, we need to appeal to the thirteen year olds ). a dose of humor, a loud effect to his voice that’s often lost later when the camera clicks off. he wasn’t a boy next door, but he was a boy you found yourself staring at. interested in. styled in a peter pan, never grow up fashion with a mischievous bite underneath that pixie-dust appeal and koala.t has put out a couple of ‘can you believe it?’ articles regarding his age.

there’s more behind the lens. behind the glamour. but xiang’s been in the industry long enough to know that you’re only supposed to share certain parts of yourself with the public. because for all the fans shout and clamor and say they’ll love you forever. love you no matter what. it’s a lie. all it takes is one new fact that rubs them the wrong way, and you’re passed over. petitioned out. at least when it came to him, koala.t looked to see what parts they had cast him for and pulled them to the forefront. not everything about xiang’s image is fake. but it’s overplayed, exaggerated. sometimes to the point where he gets sick of himself. overlaid with white lies that settle better with the fans. stains hidden. an illusion of perfection - but sometimes it’s a nice feeling.

IDOL HISTORY

一 born in tianshui to wealthy parents, xiang’s life should have been easy. it, perhaps, has been. but that all depends on who you ask. they weren’t fit with golden spoons, but his father was a well respected doctor with his own practice, and xiang was expected to follow those pre-trodden footsteps in some manner or another. if not in the field of medicine, then in some other highly regarded career. lawyer, maybe. something that would allow for him to continuously climb that ladder of success, provide opportunities for the next generation in the lai family. it is apparent now, looking back, that xiang has failed all but miserably in their request. his story could perhaps be seen as predictable in some ways. but who longs for freedom more than a bird beating itself against what it thinks a cage? xiang saw the world stretched before him from behind the glass window, kept knocking himself against it headfirst until he could break free. trod over the idea of pre-conceived destiny. rip himself as far away from expectations as possible. for better or worse, xiang has built this life for himself.

二 the first dream that xiang remembers having was summarily rejected. a secondary hobby for when he had time. it wasn’t connected to the idol life, and it wasn’t his bridge into the industry. it was soccer. he had a talent for it, in the way that some kids do, where they’re chosen first for pickup games. he might not have had the makings for a real athletic star, but even if he had, xiang thinks they wouldn’t have really cared. somewhere around this point, at twelve or thirteen, xiang started to learn that he loved to harbor things that he shouldn’t. dreams, thoughts, interests. he reached toward the taboo simply because it was out of bounds. even now he’s not sure if he forced his way into some of the interests he likes, some of the eclectic music he prefers, or if it was all just a happy coincidence. he decided he liked horror movies. he decided ghosts were pretty neat. so were polaroid cameras, along with cutting up a good portion of those pictures to piece together strange mosaics. which led him to liking art. twisted up, inky designs of strange proportions. sometimes drawn on paper, and sometimes his own skin. frowny faces and  lopsided eyes decorating kneecaps or the back of his hands. he liked skateboarding next, along with the sting of skinned knees. singing came a little later when he was pushing sixteen, seventeen. it’s really luck that xiang managed to find a way to lean into one of his strange proclivities. if not for koala.t, where he’d have ended up is a grand mystery. maybe forced into becoming his father’s successor. maybe staring at the clock from behind the cash register at a convenience mart. but nobody cares about those maybes except xiang at three in the morning.

三 xiang started studying abroad if only to slip out from underneath his parents thumb. they weren’t possessively controlling, but they were the type that decided that they knew best. they were the type to push him toward some kind of productivity. to cluck at what they decided were poor decisions or to ream him out for coming how too late. even if that last one might’ve been a completely normal parental reaction, while they weren’t shoved to an extreme end of the spectrum, his father was still a disciplinarian. he wanted xiang to get his act together. to find a path and drill down hard into it. work himself for the sake of work and follow along in what society deemed as an acceptable career path in the natural progression of things. but xiang didn’t want to follow that. there was just something in him that kicked back against it. so he lied, just a bit. decided to start telling them in the later years of high school that he was interested in politics. that maybe becoming a diplomat could be his far reaching ambition. so he took language classes, applied to schools, and when it came tie for university he was temporarily relocated into korea.politics major, korean language minor. not that his time spent there lasted all too long. a total of one year. that was the amount of time spent away from home where his father would still talk to him.

四 xiang didn’t move to korea with this hidden agenda idea that he would become an idol. he moved because he wanted to get away. even if it was for a few years. even if he didn’t care about any of the classes he sat through. he’d been bright enough to pull his weight, to keep his father filled in and happy about the grades he was pulling. he spent a lot of time in clubs too. making friends, sometimes making more than friends. frequenting karaoke bars after too many drinks. this was what gave him the push forward. he went with a couple of friends, and one of them had told him he might as well go to the open audition koala.t was holding near the campus. if only for kicks, because one of the girls bet him they’d let him in on his babyface alone. xiang had never been the type to turn away from the prospect of adventure and so he went. he didn’t expect to get picked up. he was out of high school, figured he was too old. his korean not yet good enough, and he didn’t really have an expansive background in dance. but maybe his baby face was good for something after all. because they did sign him on as a trainee.

五 at the time, being in koala.t didn’t mean much of anything. there were no current idols in their roster, the whole company in a strange place. who could tell if their next attempt at a pop group would succeed? so it was a little funny, a little interesting. if his friends questioned him, xiang would point out that he ‘probably wouldn’t end up debuting.’ or if he did, maybe it would be some huge disaster. it wasn’t like they didn’t have a company building though, didn’t have a handful of other male trainees he was expected to train with. and train like it was a job, even if xiang was still in the mindset of half seeing the company as a joke. his grades suffered. the truth came out. an ultimatum kicked in from his father, continued financial support if he separated from the country and what was viewed as a below their level ambition, or else he’d cut off the money. it’s clear that xiang opted to stay at the company. his father made good on his word. the money stopped, xiang technically took ( and is still on ) an academic hiatus, and managed to get himself part time under the table work tutoring college students in mandarin during his off hours for training. if nitro didn’t end up coming together, didn’t end up succeeding ( even if they never were ona very explosive scale ) then xiang isn’t sure how his life would’ve turned out. other thoughts that only xiang thinks about, but this time at four in the morning.

六 eventually, nitro debuted. he hadn’t trained for an exceptionally long time. but it was long enough where he made for a passable dancer, where they equip him with enough singing technique that they could slap the label of main vocal onto him. truthfully, it was hard. a fact that xiang is slow to admit to. he’s on the older end of things, and has always preferred talking to others about their own problems than his own. he likes the idea of advice. he likes trying to solve problems like puzzles, the right solution that will click into place. but not usually for himself. he wanted to be away from his parents and the life that they’d wanted out of him. and he was. but he was also removed from what he still considers to be his home. a language he’s used to speaking taking a backseat, revisited only in moments where koala.t says it’s acceptable, plays into his brand. songs on soundcloud? fine. tiny instagram stories in mandarin? also okay. but make sure you phase back to korean, so that the domestic fans don’t get angry. identity has always been a confusing thing to xiang, despite the fact that he was always throwing himself after one. sometimes he feels like it’s evaporating even further now, when it feels like parts of his identity are being stripped away. replaced by something else, something more enjoyable for nitro’s fans. this strange, ephemeral peter pan of a boy. forever lost in neverland, the option and memories of returning home fading and fading. maybe he’ll feel less divided about it if they ever disappear entirely.