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marauderundercover · 3 years

Text

Taking Chances Chapter 4: Unexpected (Bonding)

AO3

Bruce Wayne felt lost. This wasn’t an unusual feeling for him, but he wasn’t particularly fond of the events that led to him feeling lost. First, he found out he had a daughter. Yet another child that he hadn’t known of their existence. Then, he acted as Batman. He researched the girl and found that her school situation was...less than ideal. As was the supervillain situation in Paris. The girl- his daughter- had been targeted several times. Sometimes the Akuma went after her from the start. Other times, she was unfortunate enough to be in its line of sight when it was on a rampage. Any way you looked at it, she was in danger. No, the biggest mistake in researching her came with the phone number for the bakery run by her parents. Two lovely people who had raised her and taught her right from wrong. Something he hadn’t done. Their phone call was what left him feeling lost. They hadn’t demanded that he stay away from his daughter- from Marinette. No, on the contrary, they thought it was a great idea for the two to bond. Especially once Bruce had mentioned his other children.

“Marinette was distraught when the only information we could give her about her birth father was his name.” Sabine had said, adding to Bruce’s confusion.

“You had my name but didn’t reach out?” Bruce asked, trying (and failing) to figure out the situation.

“We didn’t have much to go on. Just your name and that you were American and worked in business. Bridgette didn’t give any specifics, and back then it didn’t really matter. I assumed Bruce Wayne was a common enough name, especially in the US.” Sabine replied simply. The rest of their conversation had gone similarly, with Bruce growing more and more lost until the end. They hadn’t even suggested a DNA test (though he was planning on asking Marinette, just so that they could be completely certain). They just wanted Marinette happy. Even if it meant meeting and bonding with the man who hadn’t known about her existence.

---

Marinette Dupain Cheng was not having an easy week. No, her week was sucky. In fact it was beyond sucky, it was shitty. So many things were happening at the same time, and she was just grateful that she wasn’t currently in Paris, since she was certain she’d be akumatized. From being attacked by the Joker for simply looking like a Wayne, to meeting Batman who was just as angry in person, and then figuring out Bruce Wayne really was her dad and accidentally calling him Batman, to fighting an Akuma by herself (one that she could barely handle) and then to top it all off, Adrien is Chat Noir. And Adrien has a crush on her, as Marinette. And apparently has for at least a month. Oh and now he knows that she’s Ladybug and so last night was filled with her Chat Blanc nightmares all over again. The cherry on the top of this mess was the fact that the class was practically ignoring her. She was sure they weren’t doing it intentionally and that they were just kinda distracted by Lila’s tall tales of Gotham. Tales that include her dating one of Bruce Wayne’s sons. She wouldn’t clarify which one, which was probably for the best. They two closest to their age were 12 and 19. Neither a great option for the 15 year old Italian. A shrill ringing tugs Marinette out of her thoughts. Glancing down at the unknown number attempting to call her, Marinette silently prayed that this would turn her shitty week around.

“Hello?” She answers, wincing slightly at the way her voice sounds after a night filled with screaming and crying from nightmares.

“Is this Marinette Dupain Cheng?” A deep voice asks. Marinette frowns.

“Um, yes?”

“Good. This is Bruce Wayne and well, I’m not sure how to-”

“You’re my dad.” She blurts out, face instantly heating up. “Oh crap, I mean, um-”

“Well yes. I do believe I may be your father. I was in contact with your parents earlier, to ask about boundaries and such. Your mother says that you had shown interest in meeting me and seeing how we’re similar?” He says, the question clear in his voice. Marinette opens her mouth to respond, then frowns.

“Just like that? We’re gonna meet, just like that?” She asks, hoping that her distrustful tone doesn’t push the man away.

“I’ll admit that I was going to ask if you would mind a paternity test. After speaking with your mother, I have no doubts, but I thought it might make you feel better. And of course, if you would prefer to just act as though I didn’t speak to your parents and go on with your trip, we can do that as well. I just- I was caught off guard, if I’m being honest.” Bruce Wayne- her father- says.

“I’ll do it. I- I would like to get to know you. I can’t have a relationship with Bridgette, but if my parents are okay with it, I do want a relationship with you.” Marinette admits, holding her breath as she waits for an answer. There’s silence on the other end for a long moment, but just as Marinette’s about to apologize and tell him he can go and pretend she doesn’t exist, he answers. His voice a little softer this time.

“I would like that.”

---

The paternity test came out positive, to no one’s surprise. Bruce had given Marinette the option of meeting somewhere more public (like a restaurant or museum) to bond, or coming over to the manor. Not quite ready to deal with the possibility of paparazzi and the rumors (no matter how true they may be) that would stem from a public visit, Marinette agreed to going to the manor for dinner. Which is how she ended up sitting in silence in a town car with a man who seemed like he knew more than he was letting on.

“So, you’re the one who raised Mr. Wayne?” Marinette asks, not quite ready to call the man “Dad” or any variation of the word. The man nods and she meets his eyes in the rearview mirror.

“Indeed, Miss. I am Alfred Pennyworth.” The man, Monsieur Pennyworth, says calmly. She tries not to let the frustration that she feels building show on her face. She feels like she should know this man, like there’s something important that she’s just barely missing.

“Have we met before?” Marinette finally asks, racking her brain as she tries to figure out why this man is so familiar to her.

“I don’t believe so, Miss Dupain Cheng.” He says, and for the first time since meeting him, it doesn’t feel like he’s all knowing. Instead, it feels like he’s just as confused as she is. Drat. She opens her mouth to question him more, when the huge manor becomes visible in the distance. Eyes widening, Marinette forgets everything else and turns her attention to the beautiful architecture. The giant fence and metal gates do little to hide the massive house. Sections of the house rise above others, almost as if there are towers. Dozens of windows are visible, as is the giant fountain at the front of the house. Ripping her sketchbook out of her bag, Marinette immediately starts sketching out the ideas that attack her mind. Dresses and suits and skirts, all using the architecture in front of her for the basic shapes of the outfits. As the car goes past the gate and the gardens come into view, Marinette can’t hold back her shocked gasp. Shaped hedges and flowers, hundreds of different colored flowers, and trees and- it was beautiful. Almost too perfect. Like something that belonged in a movie. She jumps slightly as the car door is opened, Alfred standing on the other side with an eyebrow quirked up. Right. She was actually getting out of the car. And going into this massive house. And spending time with her biological- nope. She can’t do this. She can’t-

“Miss Dupain Cheng, if it makes you feel any better, Master Bruce seems to have run into some traffic on his way back from the office. You’ll have a few minutes to gather your bearings inside before he arrives.” Alfred says softly. Relief washes over her and she nods, finally moving to get out of the car.

“Thank you, Alfred.” She says, smiling at the man. He nods back at her before leading her up the steps to the door. He opens it and then steps back, allowing her to take a tentative step into the house. Her previous panic is pushed aside as she realizes the inside is just as gorgeous as the outside. Immediately turning back to her sketchbook, she tunes out the world around her and just stands in the foyer, scribbling furiously into her sketchbook.

“Um, hi?” A voice says, making Marinette yelp and jump, eyes scanning her surroundings until they fall on a guy. A pretty tall guy.

“Hi.” She says softly, also confused as to who this guy was. Not her- dad-biological father-other part of her DNA-father-Mr. Wayne- not anyone she had ever met, that’s for sure.

“I’m sorry, I don’t think we’ve met. I’m Dick Grayson.” The man says, extending his hand, a smile on his face. Anyone else probably would have thought the smile was sincere, but Marinette had always been good at reading emotions. And she could tell that he was wary of her. Why would he- oh. Grayson. As in, Richard Grayson, as in this man was her brother. Or, well, maybe he wouldn’t want to be. Maybe he would think that she’s ridiculous or that she’s just here to get money or here to try and pull apart Mr. Wayne’s family or maybe he would think that she was trying to take his place and she would never but maybe he would hate her and- She takes in a deep breath, trying desperately to ground herself and wishing she’d taken up Adrien’s earlier offer of him coming with.

“I’m Marinette. Marinette Dupain Cheng.” She finally says, reaching out and shaking his hand. He nods, obviously still confused. So Mr. Wayne hadn’t mentioned her. Did he hate her? Did he ask her here to have her sign a NDA? Did he not want anything to do with her? Of course he wouldn’t, he obviously already had a family. A family that he chose, not one that he had by accident. His name was on her birth certificate, surely he would have found her sooner if he actually wanted anything to do with her? He chose Dick Grayson to be his son. He wanted him. He didn’t want Marinette. He-

“Ah, Marinette. I see you’ve met Dick.” The last voice she needed to hear says calmly as he walks through the door. Marinette swallows back the thickness in her throat, the one that tells her the tears will be starting soon.

“Uh, yes. Mr. Wayne. Um, hi.” She says, flinching slightly when he winces. What did she do wrong this time? Was he really going to tell her to take a hike? If he didn’t hate her before, he surely did now.

“Bruce, what’s going-” Dick starts to ask but is cut off by screaming voices getting closer to them.

“What the hell is wrong with you, Demon Spawn?”

“Not my fault your blocking skills are subpar, Todd.”

“Sub- you almost stabbed me, you little shit!”

“Almost, yes. But I didn’t. I’m sure Father will be pleased with my restraint.”

“You little fu-” “Boys!” Mr. Wayne finally yells as the two screaming walk into view. Both freeze and the younger one’s eyes instantly fall on Marinette, narrowing as he takes a defensive position.

“Another one, Bruce, really?” The older one asks, making Marinette flinch back. Of course. Two more of his sons-her brothers- who he chose. Another two that he wanted. Not like her, someone he was going to be forced to know. Unless he told her tonight that he never wanted to speak to her again and made her sign a paper saying that she would never contact him again and then they would never have to worry about seeing her again and- oh this is a lot.

“What were you two doing?” Mr. Wayne finally asks, and that’s when Marinette sees the weapons in their hands. And the blood on the older man’s shirt. The man turns slightly so that that part of his shirt is hidden when he notices her staring.

“Uh, bonding?” He says, not at all convincing.

“Who is that, Father?” The younger boy asks, the utter distaste clear on both his face and in his tone. And this is it. This is where he’s going to say that she’s no one, she’s nothing, and then he’s going to make her sign that stupid piece of paper and the last chance she has at knowing one of her biological parents is going to fly out the window. Poof. And then she’ll be so embarrassed, she won’t be able to go back on the trip and then she’ll have to change her name but she can’t completely run away yet because of stupid Hawkmoth and-

“This is Marinette, my daughter.” Well that was unexpected.

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sjw-publishings · 4 years

Text

Counselling through the Snow

“Ugh, Caleb Benedict where are you?”

Leonard brisk walked impatiently, side by side on the pavement looking for his boyfriend who sent a message saying he would be an hour late due to some last minute coding assignment his teacher asked him to submit.

Its been way over an hour.

He had been patient for a year now, ever since his boyfriend got into that university, they exchanged fewer and fewer messages each month, with most of them being about his school.

And from the most recent messages they shared, it seemed like the university is having a deficit of staff as of late and there are rumours that the new Principal is in favour of shaping more... conservative staff starting next semester after the break.

Whatever that means, who knows. Because truthfully all Leonard cares about is being with his boyfriend who he has barely seen in person all year, despite living in the same town.

If anything, he hoped for a miracle for them to never be separated again. But he figured the thought of it would barely be able to counsel him unless it had happened.

“Ah! Leonard Morgan is that you?”

At the mention of his name, he turned around, expecting his boyfriend, but the baritone rumble that allured him sure spoke otherwise.

And lo and behold was a sight to feast on.

A tall man, clearly over 6ft, strode down towards him. Dressed in a completely dapper blue suit, which framed his broad...yet conservative sized shoulders excellently, like he was sculpted with delicate procedures.

Of course, the unbuttoned top row of buttons from the dress shirt tucked behind his vest definitely drew the eyes of Leonard, who could see the neatly brushed hair follicles over his tanned pecs.

And with the way they are displayed, its almost inviting him to wanna grab them if the man allows it. Not even his lean boyfriend could compare to how handsome this man was.

Yet the man remained plastered with a faint, yet confident smile. Like a confident man whose reassured of himself and his life,

Holding a medium sized turquoise laptop to the side, with a clearly distinguishable high-end watch brand watch which showed he is well-off. A far cry from the casual attire his boyfriend and himself would wear.

Coming nearer, he got a closer look at his facial features.

Squared jaw which framed his well-kempt beard over those luscious lips. Gelled dark brown locks over at the top, stylishly parting to the side with the rest of his hair being short and manageable, unlike Caleb’s messy long mop.

Finally, framing his lenses were dark blue square medium sized spectacles, the Metrosexual look only enhancing those manly brows and entrancing eyes which made Leonard just want to...stare at them forever. At this handsome hunk in his late forties .

“Professor Francis Beaumont, a pleasure to meet you.”

The Professor extended out his left hand from his pocket, snapping Leonard out of his trance as he quickly shook his hand, flushing at his earlier thoughts.

He had a boyfriend, and while he found other guys attractive, he was never this flustered with anyone until this guy, whose faint Parisian roots and aristocratic scent just kept sending rumbles to his core...and his attraction meter to the roof.

Leonard had to check at least.

Glancing down, still in the firm, warm grip of the handshake,a silver glint stuck out from the man’s thick digit, the kind of hands that were warm and fatherly.

Which made sense, as a silver ring was encased over on his left.

It was...almost disappointing to the young college student, but he-had a boyfriend anyway...he shouldn’t be looking at another man like that.

Even if he is incredibly hot.

“My sincere apologies, my wife and I had... important duties to attend to back in campus.”

Although despite the stoic expression he tried to keep on his face, a sheepish grin rose to the professor as well as the rosy tints on his cheeks.

But before Leonard could notice that, the professor released his grip, opting to place his right arm over the young man’s shoulder as he guided him down the path into the park.

“I know I know, the open public isn’t the best place for counselling, but I assure you we won’t be bothered here.”

As they walked down the path, all Leonard heard was that of his voice. Smooth like honey, an American citizen...but with the unique flair of the french.

A warm and caring father, guiding him to a place just the two of them. He never knew how much...how much he wanted this, almost like his frustrations from earlier were nothing compared to being next to this man.

“Who...Who exactly are you?”

“Well you specifically requested me for counselling, so how could I refuse?”

Obviously, he knew it was Professor Francis. He had just told the young man his name...right? No, not just that, he heard of the

Computer science professor for quite a while.

A charismatic hunk that charmed his students from all across the modules he taught, and others from across campus. He was not a part of the University, but from the rumours of this man, he wanted to be a part of it because of this professor.

Was his boyfriend the one who told him about the Professor? It made sense if he was, they always crushed on other guys despite sticking by the others side.

“Yes...I really require counselling...”

The man was always open to help others due to his fatherly instincts. Having young adults at home, he somehow knew exactly what to say to help the students as a counsellor on the side.

That being said, there are rumours that he was a major conservative. Maybe Leonard could have recognised it with the slight and subtle glances he kept giving on the blushing youth, but most students completely brushed over that part anyway with how kind and understanding he was to their problems.

“Indeed...our session will certainly be life changing.”

They eventually came to a stop at an open bench, with no one else in sight other than the two of them. Sitting down, side by side, the fatherly grip held tight onto Leonard’s shoulder.

“Tell me about...your relationship with your boyfriend.”

Cutting to the chase, it kinda startled Leonard that the Professor could tell about his attraction to him, asking him to talk about it as their first session above all things-?

...No, that did not make sense right?

There were numerous text messages exchanged back and forth if he could remember. Talking about his problems freely as the professor guided him understandingly without charge. It had just been over a month too...yet it felt like forever.

Staring at the male, and his warm smile was enough for Leonard to fess up.

“He keeps...refusing to see me.”

Sighing to himself, yet again...his university boyfriend ditched him in favour of his ‘coding projects’ which he suspected to be seeing other men, not outright but from the way they chatted...it gave the impression.

GRIP!

Yet the fatherly assurance from the professor reassured him that everything will be alright. Not necessarily with his intimate relationship with his boyfriend, but to be fair, he had been pretty busy lately. Even if they lived close by, they were busy, but they made the effort to communicate with one another.

“He’s a part of your university and I’m not.”

Leonard spoke, mainly because he wished he had the grades to make it with his boyfriend to the Uni, maybe even campus mates, but growingly...he wished to have an easier way to meet with the Professor, it was difficult for outsiders to get a session with-

GRIP!

Of course sometimes Leonard did not feel like a part of the University, but his counsellor reassured him otherwise. His University boyfriend barely spent time with him due to being of different majors, but he liked what he studied.

“What are you studying again?”

The professor spoke, directing his attention to him once again.

What was he studying? The freshmen definitely preferred something artsy...but as he stared at the warm, fatherly gaze of the other male, he felt it sort of unpractical to pursuit that kind of path.

Like it was not him.

GRIP!

“Computer Science of course!”

“Indeed, you are one of my best students.”

Smirking to himself, sitting up straighter as he gained a few centimetres in height. Puffing out his chest as his ideals shifted almost instantly due to his professor’s praise.

He was a teacher’s Pet after all.

Which is why the professor even spent the time during the holidays to meet him. Exchanging texts to see if everything was alright, like a true father figure indeed.

Not to mention, his professor is quite the looker. Blushing to himself as the soft brushes from hand to hand, yet the confidence from the professor stuck by him as he sat up straighter. He was not a conservative, but it was a lie to say the professor did not influence his outlook in life for quite a bit.

“May I know more about the crush towards your friend?”

Friend? Did he meant...uh, Rancale? His buddy? Yeah he was cute, nothing compared to the professor but cute.

“He always talks about others like he’s so interested in them?”

They only get together for the past few months, and yet, his boy...friend kept talking about others over and over, and not in a ‘I want to be friends’ kind of way. The kind of thing you see from guys who are not together with another-

GRIP!

“Well I mean you aren’t together and it makes sense with your hormones on the loose.”

It made sense, with the way his best friend kept talking about other guys...and girls across campus, he clearly was not interested in him...

Though strangely enough, he felt content.

Honestly, the more he thought about his best friend like that, he felt genuinely uncomfortable despite being...gay, sort of? But when they chatted about potential mates...damn, where those hot.

“May I know more about what you think would impress another guy?”

Aleonar thought briefly, thinking about what his friend would like...before his eyes focused on the Professor once again.

If anything, he was far closer to the professor than that other guy, and he knew what the Professor liked.

“Well certainly a stronger physique...the kind of man who could jog for ages.”

As he spoke, he felt his thighs solidified beneath the skinny jeans he wore. Toning heavily as they struggled to show off their muscular depth below.

Next up were his feet, as they expanded beyond those soles at a powerful stomping size 12s. He definitely aced the tracks since when he was a youth, a star athlete with brains, a fitting combination as anyone would agree.

“Who also kept his upper body in shape...you know, like a real man!”

With that exclamation, his pectorals strained against the tee he wore, jutting out nicely as a lean yet obscure six pack could be seen below if someone took a closer look. He looked good, but felt like the goods were only reserved for bed.

And the rest up to imagination. With his biceps doubling in size, yet straining against his long sleeved shirt, guys and gals could only dream of seeing this teacher’s Pet unclothed, but too bad! Alongside those wide shoulder blades that rivalled his Teacher’s.

If anything, he could’ve sworn they were-

“Matured, around their late forties, but still looking good!”

Of course! His fellow colleague and him hung out a lot. Professor Bene..., Professor Beaumont and him were like two peas in a pod, ever since they were roommates back in college.

With that realisation, Professor Morganez felt proud of towering his over 6ft worth of experience, swinging his stronger arms over to his colleague as best friends through thick and thin.

As such, thick strains of fur layered over his chest, arms, and down below. Testosterone groomed in the older male, the way it ought to as a real man.

And both him and Beaumont were real men for all he knew.

“Mix-race, just like your good ol pal!”

With that remark, his skin darkened two shades into a healthy dark brown. Stretching all over as Professor Martinez smirked at his hispanic heritage, and even though he-like his buddy Beaumont, knew only traces of it as they were raised in American households, their mixed ethnicity definitely helped them stand out!

Especially towards their potential spouses!

“The kind of man who would wingmen the other any day!”

Yes his buddy Beaumont was dashing...but it felt better if they stayed as friends you know. The kind of men that would stay by the others side.

Professor’s a charmer, but it was laughable to think they were an item when they were such good ‘brothers’ after all, not in a literal sense...but very similar in terms of personality.

Though Professor Beaumont must be the most clueless dad next door boomer to think he was 100% straight by only setting him up with only women throughout the years, or he’s doing it intentionally.

But how could Galeonar Martinez refuse offers from his bud?

“That and he ought to dress well always, in and out of work.”

With that remark, Professor Martinez stretched his arms widely, as the fabric went along with his movements.

First off was his top, as it simplified to a plain, but a somewhat high quality navy blue dress shirt. Nothing too fancy like his metrosexual bud, but it hugged his frame quite well. It kept his students’ attention during lessons, but not too much that it became a distraction.

Next up where the remaining traces of fabric over on his chest, as they slid down over to wrists, the left forming a similar branded watch to his bud, and a couple of beads and bands on the right to show his generally relaxed and chill outlook in life.

Down below, his skinny jeans loosened up to large beige dress pants, as they tightened up with cinching on a patterned belt, one that is not made of leather post transformation.

Holding his feet below are neat and polished brown dress shoes with winged tips. As his larger feet settled in typical white socks, ones that rested his aged feet in the ‘casual professionalism’ look he liked to maintain.

“So how are the kids?”

Kids? The Professor stared back at his colleague bud and best friend, who remained silent earlier as he discussed about...something?

It was not about children though...hence the conversation. Did Beaumont still insist he was straight after all this time?

Though for some reason...he kinda wanted to play along.

“They were...great?”

As soon as he said those words, a large goofy grin stretched across his lips as he clutched his head, feeling a massive shift in algorithm as euphoria surged within the computer science professor’s head.

His buttocks clenched hard, as his body jolted up STRAIGHT. Debugging the errors as the exit door narrowed to that of a ‘natural passage’, tightening his shoulders as they became designed to take care of offspring...rather than being dependent on a fellow father.

“How is your fatherhood?”

Lips licking below, his natural hair follicles brushed around his chin and upper lip, forming a tasty chestnut beard for the older male. The kind that was fertilised by a bunch of...juices from the opposite sex.

“Great as a payday raise!”

Dad jokes here, as his hair shortened and styled to a professional quiff. It felt...so good thinking about being a father, wait-he was a father! With offspring as a matter of fact.

He remembered when he used to...find guys hot? But damn, were women hotter. His conservative background certainly supported so, and certainly he was-

“How is...your wife?”

His pouch expanded in size, a powerful size 12 inches as thick wads of testosterone swirled in his powerful sacks. They were experienced in the art of pounding, not liberal arts, but rather ‘the art of masculinity’.

Pumping! Of course, his wife! His chasing days were over years ago, and now fully dedicated to ‘dear ol wifey’. Just thinking about her..., and the steamy sessions in bed, it made him wanna-

GRIP!

“She’s great as always!”

Professor Gale Martinez creamed in his briefs, letting loose any notion of being with another male as his cream trailed upwards, and around his ring finger. Solidifying the married professor that he always was.

Eyes blinking into a dark brown, neat strips of brows wiggling in a satisfied afterglow, as he continued with his casual conversation with his ex college roommate.

“From counsellor to counsellor, the students have been really gay lately.”

“Huh, shame they can’t be gay with their wives.”

“Haha!”

The two of them laughed, still having their boomer sense of humour even after all these years.

Professor Martinez had to be reassigned to a different university after moving into a new town with his wife years ago, it wasn’t easy leaving behind the campus that he taught for over 10 years, even if it became more liberal than to his liking.

But after he stepped foot on the campus grounds, to his surprise, guess who greeted him?

His old colleague Francis!

They haven’t seen each other for years since they parted ways since graduation. They kept in touch, but family time and being across different states made it difficult to spend time with one another as pals.

But now that they’re back together, they’re sure to stick to the other like glue. And hey! Maybe if they did a counselling session together, they could probably set the campus youths straight!

“Remember the O’slogan we used to say when we were younger Gale?”

The married man stepped up, and placed both hands in his pockets.

Of course he remembered, and proudly exclaimed it in the middle of the park.

“Nothing beats making out with your wife!”

#gay to straight #g2s #mental change #personality change #gay #to #straight #lib to cons #racial change #hispanic #teacher #age progression #prep #dads #zoomer to boomer #through #the #metrosexual

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illegal-spiegel · 5 years

Text

Firsts with Kyoya

Pairing: Kyoya Ootori x f!reader Genre: Fluff, vv light smut Warnings: smut at the end. CHARACTERS ARE AGED UP

First Meeting:

surprisingly enough, the way you two met was through his father

you just moved from America and your dad had business with Kyoya’s

after meeting you, Kyoya’s dad, Yoshio Ootori, was determined to have you meet his son

you made arrangements to come back when his son was there, wanting to please your father

it’s hard to do such a thing

you are an only child and a female

in America, it would’ve been easier to take over his company

but in Japan?

it’s near impossible now

either way, you do all you can to make the man happy

and if making an arranged marriage with this boy would do that, then you’d do it in a heartbeat

even if you’d rather marry someone you love

you came back the next day for lunch, sitting at a big table with the Ootori family and your mother and father

Kyoya was nowhere to be found

suddenly, you hear a boisterous voice come from outside of the large dining room

“But, Kyoya! I need help with my Japanese! I also want to use one of those Kotatsu things!” you hear someone shout in Japanese, but with an accent

you don’t hear a response

instead, you hear a maid softly tell the gentlemen that Kyoya’s family and the guests are waiting in the dining room

there are then quick footsteps to the dining room

two maids open the door and in strolls a blond and a raven-haired male

they both stare at Mr. Ootori before looking around the table

both of their eyes eventually stop on you

“Son, you’re late, and you brought a guest,” Mr. Ootori says with a hidden emotion

they are both silent for a moment before the blond speaks up

“Sorry, Mr. Ootori. I can leave. I held Kyoya up an-”

“It’s alright. Why don’t you both take a seat?” he says in a sugary sweet tone, motioning for a maid to set another place down for the blond

Kyoya was sat right across from you

his gaze makes you feel insecure all of a sudden

“Sorry about being so late. I’ll make it up to you somehow,” Kyoya apologizes to your family

your father speaks up first, smiling at him as he did so

“No worries, young man.”

you could hear his American accent when he spoke

he then glances at you, expecting you to say something

your eyes widen at this realization as you clear your throat

“Oh, uh, yes. It’s quite alright. We were quite early, anyway,” you reassure

Kyoya gives you both a smile, it seeming a bit fake to you but you weren’t about to call him out on it

“Let’s eat,” his father announces

from there, you ate in silence and only spoke when spoken to, just like your father taught you

about halfway through lunch, the blond started speaking to you

he introduced himself and you both started a conversation from there

you couldn’t help to let the serious facade fade and to smile at the boy

he was very sweet and funny, even if he was kind of loud

you discovered he’s quite goofy

after dinner, Mr. Ootori offered to show your dad to his office to talk further about business plans

he instructed his son to ‘entertain’ you

you, Kyoya, and Tamaki made your way out

“What would you like to do, Miss (L/n)?” Kyoya asks in a formal tone

you hold back a frown at his tone

is he always so serious?

“Let’s go to the garden! I’m sure (Y/n) would like it!” Tamaki basically shouts

Tamaki offers you his arm, which you happily take

he then leads you to the garden which you did, in fact, fall in love with

Kyoya was relieved that Tamaki was easily able to entertain you but knew his father would be mad at him if he found out it wasn’t his son who was the one entertaining you

so with that thought, he comes over to you and starts informing you on the different flowers, their meaning, etc.

you spend some time with the two boys in the garden before hearing your dad’s booming voice

you turn and see your father waiting on you, nodding your head to let him know you heard him

you turn back to the boys and flash them a smile, bowing to them since you read that’s what you’re supposed to do when thanking someone

“Thank you for showing me the garden. See ya later,” you thank before walking away to go over to your father

Kyoya’s eyes follow your figure as you leave, the gears in his mind churning

First Time Hanging Out:

Kyoya’s father never told him why exactly he had to interact with you so much

“Text Y/n.” “Invite Y/n over for dinner.” “Give Y/n a call.”

and now, he wants him to take you out

his father made reservations for you two at one of the most expensive restaurants in the area, then making plans to go see a musical

when you saw a limo outside of your house, you grew very nervous

this felt like a date

but like not a date?

Kyoya was taking you to places that couples go on dates but Kyoya just didn’t really seem interested in you?

you get into the limo with a smile slapped onto your face, kindly greeting the handsome male

he greets you before going quiet

he then remembers that he’s supposed to get you to like him or whatever his father said

so, he strikes up a conversation with you

you quietly respond as he speaks to you, feeling a little uncomfortable

about halfway to wherever you’re going, he seems to give up on talking to you

you feel a bit guilty for not really participating in the conversation but how could you?

he was acting like someone is holding a gun to his head and forcing him to talk to you

you sigh as you stare out the window, your eyes lighting up at the sight

the sun was setting, making reds and oranges paint the sky

Kyoya notices the look in your eyes, a weird feeling coming up in his chest

he helps you out of the car once you reach the restaurant, not seeing the expression on your face

the said expression on your face is one of shock

sure, your dad is a CEO of a company but that doesn’t mean you are insanely rich and get to blow your money on whatever

your dad gave you money when you asked for it

which is close to never

as you both take your seats, your entire body is stiff

you felt like if you breathed too much, you’d knock the expensive vase full of flowers off the table somehow

Kyoya notices your tense state but doesn’t comment on it

when you’re brought your menus, you try to find the cheapest thing available, which is not cheap at all in your book

you didn’t even have an appetite anymore

finally, Kyoya can’t take it anymore

“Would you like to go somewhere else?” he offers

you let out a breath of relief, nodding your head with a small smile

“Yes, please,” you whisper

he offers a hand to assist you to stand up, you lightly taking it

once outside, he turns to face you

“Where would you like to go?”

you look around before spotting a McDonald’s, smiling as you point it out

“I want to go there,” you say with a bright smile

Kyoya internally groans at the sight of the greasy place, wondering why you’d want to go there out of all places

“Alright. Let’s go,” he says in an almost monotone voice

you happily lead the way, your stomach growling a bit

you didn’t really care for McDonald’s all that much but it reminds you of home

of America

you order for the both of you and pay before he can even blink

you lead him to a table once you get your food, giggling at his expression

“You don’t have to eat it if you don’t want to.”

he studies the food as you eat a fry, acting as if it’ll start moving

“It’s fine. Besides, you paid for it,” he says softly, picking up a fry and slowly eating it

he wouldn’t admit it out loud but it didn’t taste that bad

you both eat and, surprisingly, have a proper conversation

you seemed much more relaxed and happy as you ate the fatty food

Kyoya just didn’t understand you

after you both finished eating, he told you about the musical

you agreed to go to that since you changed the food plans

you go together and you both actually enjoyed it. It was entertaining in different ways

once he takes you home, you were kind of sad to leave

he and Tamaki are the only things you have close to friends

First Dance:

okay yeah, so, normally people don’t dance unless they go to a school dance or their significant other is just that romantic

but the Ootori’s are far from normal

they hold some sort of ball every year for some reason or another (you weren’t really listening)

your father made you dress up like a princess

makeup and all (you look kinda like a clown in your opinion. Your face feels ten times heavier)

after knowing Kyoya and Tamaki for a while now, you were all kind of friends now

if you can call it that

you and Tamaki are for sure

you hang out all the time

Kyoya though?

you weren’t sure if you could call him a friend

Tamaki told you that they associate with each other because of a club

Kyoya would have no interest in him if there wasn’t something for him to gain

it broke your heart to hear that

Tamaki is such a caring person who deserves the world, in your opinion

he’s been through so much, he deserves to have a best friend

I suppose he sees you as his best friend

anyway, you eventually reach the Ootori estate after a boring drive with your father (he kept telling you how to act, eat, walk, speak, blah blah blah)

you head up the steps as soon as the door is open for you, taking in the fresh air with a smile

as soon as you get inside, you feel suffocated again

you wanted to run to the garden, which is where you normally go when visiting the Ootori’s

your father is right behind you though, leading you to the long table piled with food

you realize it’s because that’s where Kyoya is

he ‘drops you off’ there before walking away to speak to important people

Kyoya gives you a nod in acknowledgment before taking a sip of whatever he’s drinking in that fancy glass of his

you face the table and can’t help but to feel your mouth water

you’re starving

your dad is forcing you on this stupid diet to have you be thinner

‘men like their women thin,’ he said

it made you want to puke

back in America, he was a pretty chill dad

ever since we got here though, it’s like there’s a devil on his shoulder whispering all this nonsense to him

maybe it’s that Mr. Ootori...

you didn’t even realize you’re stuffing your face, literally shoving as much as you can into it, before you feel a tap on your shoulder

you’re still chewing when you turn around, seeing a slightly older gentleman offering his hand to you

“May I have this dance, Miss L/n?”

you quickly gulp down the food and take his hand with a polite smile

dad says that you should always accept offers to dance

you didn’t want to dance with this guy though

he’s not that much older than you but he’s clearly not in high school anymore

he also has too much cologne on

and you just want to stuff your face with those delicious looking Mushi Pan

but alas, you're forced to dance

it seems that a slow song starts just as you step out onto the dance floor

you’re are about a minute into the song before someone taps on his shoulder, making him pause and turn around

“May I cut in?”

the guy huffs a bit but nods his head, bowing to you a bit before stalking off

you bite back a smile as Kyoya takes ahold of your hand and waist

“Didn’t take you as a dancer,” you tease, letting your hand fall onto his shoulder

he hums as he looks anywhere but you as he replies

“I’m talented in many subjects, including dancing.”

you roll your eyes at his bragging, sighing as you look away from him

“That man was a terrible dancer,” he continues when you don’t reply

you frown at his words, refusing to look at him

“Reminds me of you trying to cook pancakes,” he teases.

you gasp in mock offense, taking your hand off of his shoulder to hit his chest

“I am great at making pancakes!” you argue, trying not to smile

a small smile graces his face as he disagrees with you, playful banter being shot between you both

neither of you realized how long you’d been dancing until his father starts making a speech (apparently he does it every year towards the end of the ball)

Kyoya leads you off the dance floor and back to the food

“I heard your stomach grumble as soon as you saw the Mushi Pan,” he teases

it’s kinda weird to hear him be so playful

you lightly shove him before grabbing one of the spongey desserts, taking a bite of half of it and moaning

“These are literally so good,” you mumble around all the food in your mouth

you were too busy falling in love with the soft yumminess in your hand to realize that Kyoya was giving you the softest look

okay, maybe he did have a soft spot for you

First Time Giving a Compliment:

you both are at that phase where accidental touches aren’t so accidental anymore and you’re a lot shyer around him now

he seems just as confident in himself as always

so, when he walks up to you while you’re talking to Haruhi and asks you to go to the mall with him

you’re shocked

you, of course, agree, trying not to blush

you both head to the mall after the club is done for the day

you both walk around, going into a few stores

neither of you really buy anything

eventually, Kyoya’s need to shower you in gifts kicks in

he leads you into a store that he thinks you like and asks what size stuff you wear

you’re embarrassed to tell him things like your pants’ size

what if he thinks you’re fat?

he doesn’t react in any sort of way really when you tell him

he then starts walking around the store, picking out things that catch his eye and things he thinks you’ll like

he then comes back to where you’re standing, admiring a necklace

he hands you a bunch of clothes and tells you to go try it on

you walk into the dressing room, trying on a pair of jeans and a shirt he picked out

he’s sitting on a plush chair and looking around when you come back out

his eyes instantly snap to yours before roaming your body

he smirks and gives a nod

“You look good.”

a blush instantly slaps onto your face, biting your lip to hide your smile

“Thank you,” you whisper

you then scurry back into the dressing room, staring at your reflection

did that just happen?

did Kyoya Ootori really just give you a compliment?

you silently squeal and jump around happily

Kyoya watches in amusement as your feet go up to hide behind the door before coming back down to meet the floor

he can clearly see you fangirling but doesn’t call you out on it

after trying on everything and picking out what you like, you both make your way to the register

as soon as the cash register says the price, Kyoya is handing over his card before you can even reach for your wallet

you gape at his card before gaping up at him

“Why would you do th—”

“Oh, I want to purchase that necklace too,” Kyoya says cooly as he points out the necklace you were eyeing earlier

“No! We don’t need anything more. Thank you,” you say before the cashier can move

they look between the two of you, trying to decide who to listen to

“Don’t waste more of your money on me, Kyoya,” you plead, already feeling bad

he sighs before waving his hand at the cashier, nodding his head

“Alright, that’ll be all.”

you relax at his words, picking up your bag once the cashier hands back your receipt and his card

you then quickly head for the exit

Kyoya whispers something to cashier before following after you

you then quickly lead the way out of the mall, feeling embarrassed and guilty for having him pay for you

Kyoya didn’t mind one bit though

he’d buy you the world if he could

First Time Giving You a Gift:

you guessed it

he went back for the necklace

and gave it to you for your birthday

your heart didn’t know what to do with itself

you ended up throwing your arms around him for a hug

he kissed your forehead and held onto you tightly

this was your first hug

and man, neither of you wanted to let go

but alas

you can’t stay in each other’s arms forever

you tried for a while though before the gang started gagging at the two of you

you pull away and smile bashfully up at him as you thank him again

he then asks if he can put it on you

you hand it over to him and turn around, pulling your hair up

he slips it between your arms and then pins it behind your neck, his hands coming to rest on your shoulders afterward

you then turn back around with one of the brightest smiles he’s ever seen

“It looks good on you,” he whispers

he gets like this now

all sweet and mushy, even in public

he liked to keep it as private as possible though, hence the whispering

you try to contain your blush, but it’s impossible at this point

“Thank you,” you say again

First Kiss:

okay so

I’m sure you guessed this as well

he initiated it

it kinda surprised and didn’t surprise you both at the same time

you both had your suspicions that you liked each other (it helped that literally everyone constantly told you both that you are head’s over heels for each other)

he took you on a date

and no, it wasn’t at some fancy schmancy place

it was at night when he texted you and asked to hangout

you had to sneak out of your house

and there was Kyoya waiting for you outside your house

you both were driven around for what felt like ever before finally reaching your destination

the middle of nowhere

you made a joke asking if he’s actually a serial killer and this is where he takes his victims to kill them

he, of course, joked back and said yes, but you are his favorite victim

you playfully gushed as he went to the trunk (you made another joke saying he’s getting his ax)

he pulled out a picnic basket and a couple blankets

you raised a brow as you helped him hold some of the stuff, letting him lead the way

he led you into a field, the grass going up to your thighs

then, Kyoya steps into a clearing

you actually gushed this time when you noticed it’s in the shape of a heart

“How romantic,” you teased as you set the big blanket down

it’s getting dark outside but you swore you could see a blush dusted over his cheeks

you set everything up before getting comfortable

he then pulled all the food out of the basket, making your heart melt (and your stomach growl)

he made all of your favorites

no, not the chef

he did

you gave him a kiss on the cheek before starting to dig in

you both talked to each other quietly despite the fact that you two were the only ones out there

you both admired the sun as it sets

more so you since he was too busy looking at you

you both stayed out there for hours. Cuddling, holding hands, sharing secrets, all the goods

at one point, you both had stopped talking and were just staring up at the stars

you felt eyes on you, making you turn your head to find a pair of brown-grey eyes focused on you

you blushed as you studied his eyes

he’s the only one you know with eyes like that

you couldn’t see his eyes at one point cause he closed them and leaned in, connecting your lips

your heart lurched into your throat, deciding it belonged there instead of your chest

you both kissed for a moment before pulling away

you smiled bashfully at him, feeling a blush coming back to your face

“That was my first kiss,” you admitted softly

his eyes widened before he relaxed, smiling back at you

“Me too. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did,” he whispered

you giggled like a schoolgirl at his words, nodding your head

you then leaned back in and gave him another kiss

that happened throughout the night

after he had asked you to be his girlfriend

First Time Having Sex:

(you remember that episode where Kyoya tugs Haruhi onto the bed and like get on top of her?)

(YEAH BRO)

(that shii hit different)

there you two were

casually hanging out with everyone on your little vacation AFTER HIGH SCHOOL AS ADULTS

Tamaki absolutely refused to let you two share a room

he said you’d be safer staying in ‘daddy’s’ room

Kyoya straight up told him, “Over my dead body.”

the twins thought it was hilarious

you ended up getting rooms right across from each other

you and Haruhi were sharing a room cause “You two can bond!”

Tamaki and his ideas, you swear

you didn’t mind though

it was fun having girly time with Haruhi

but you wanted to see your boyfriend

so, once Haruhi fell asleep, you snuck across the hall to see Kyoya

and there he sat

looking tall, dark, and handsome

he had just got out of the shower, a towel wrapped around his torso

and shirtless

cleanup in the doorway cause there’s drool everywhere

it was then you realized you never really get to see him without his glasses

he stood up silently, walking over to you

you flashed him a smile, extending your arms a bit as you waited for a hug which is normally how you greet each other

that clearly wasn’t what he had in mind

your eyes widened as he tugged on your arm and forced you onto the bed

you’re pretty sure your heart flew out of your chest and is now somewhere on the floor

he quickly crawled onto the bed and hovered over you, staring down at you with clouded eyes

“Oya?” you whispered your nickname for him, your eyes wide as he just silently took you in

you hadn’t changed out of your swimsuit yet from being on the beach all day

you had one of his button-up t-shirts on though, which was enough to cover you up

he didn’t reply as he leaned down to connect your lips

normally, your kisses don’t last long and are super sweet

or are passionate and include some groping

this kiss though? It felt fiery and new and exciting

you instantly returned it, humming softly

his hands started to roam, starting at your thighs and ending up on your stomach

he then lifted his hands to start to undo the buttons of his shirt

once the buttons were all undone, his hands go back to wandering

he stopped below your chest and pulled back to look down at you, silently asking for permission

you let out a shaky sigh and nod of your head

after experimenting with your chest, he started to get serious

foreplay lasted for a good bit, seeing as how this is both of your first time doing it together

when it came time to do the actual deed, he pulled away to go to the table he was sitting at previously

you watched him with furrowed brows, your naked body going cold without his touch

he picked up his wallet and pulled out a condom, turning to you with a smirk

you snorted with a raise of your brow, leaning back on your elbows

“You brought a condom? Confident are we?” you teased

he smirked darkly as he walked back over to you, standing by the side of the bed as he slipped it on

“I didn’t bring just one,” he said in a deeper tone than normal

your face instantly got hot

he then took his time with you

letting you adjust and making love to you

he wanted it to be perfect for you

for the both of you

you felt like you were in heaven

though, god was probably frowning at you

you snorted in the middle of Kyoya pulling out to thrust back in

“Are you laughing at me?” he questioned with a brow going up to hide in his loose hair

he didn’t even bother giving you a chance to reply and explain

he just started going faster, making you forget anything you were going to say

once you both climaxed, he cleaned you both up before holding you in his arms

you didn’t mean to fall asleep in his arms

but you did

the next morning, Tamaki came to Kyoya’s room to wake him up, seeing as how everyone else was already at breakfast except for you and him

Haruhi said you weren’t in the room and she figured you went to the beach as soon as the sun started to rise since you talked about wanting to go shell hunting while enjoying the sunrise

he didn’t bother knocking and just walked in

he yelped in surprise and turned around, getting that famously dark blush of his

Kyoya had his famous murder gaze as you held him back

“I swear I didn’t see anything!” Tamaki yells as he takes off down the hallway

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catching-bananas · 3 years

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Hi! Congrats on 929 followers!!🎉🎊

can you write an Asheiji angst fic where Ash and Eiji are in Japan and Ash is kinda jealous of Eiji’s “normal” friends/lifestyle but Eiji makes him feel better?

sry if thats a little much 😅

Thank you so much! Anon I like the way you think 😝

"Then Ibe and Max went to save him, only to get caught themselves and he had to go back for them." Eiji told his family excitedly. "He was very pissed."

"Eiji! Language!" His mother scolded as his sister and father laughed. "All these Americans taught you is profanity."

You have no idea mom, Eiji thought.

"Ash, how old are you anyways?" Eiji's father asked.

The blond froze as everyone looked at him. He looked at every individual before resting panicked eyes on Eiji. Help, they cried.

"Uh... he's eighteen years old." Eiji answered. "Sorry, his japanese is very limited."

"It's alright," Eiji mother assured Ash, resting a hand on his. He smiled at her, before returning to his soba.

"I will see you all tomorrow," Eiji hugged his mother and sister, before shaking hands with his father and hugging him as well.

"Later big brother, bye Ash," his sister whispered before walking upstairs.

Ash waved awkwardly. "Goodbye."

They walked to their car, Eiji taking the driver's side for legal reasons. As they buckled up, Ash placed his head in his hands.

"That was terrible," he whispered.

Eiji rolled his eyes at the dramatics. "It wasn't that bad."

"It was horrible."

"They loved you."

"Your old man asked my what my age was and I sat there like a statue."

Eiji rubbed his back in assurance. "Hey, it could have been worse."

The blond looked up. "How could that get worse?"

"Huh...maybe you could have gotten a call about Jessica divorcing Max again." Eiji began backing out of the driveway. "Imagine the screaming."

Ash snorted slightly.

"There we go."

"Why are you not coming?", Eiji pouted.

Ugh. The puppy eyes. Ash will not fall weak to the eyes. "I don't have to go."

"But I want you to. Are you tired? Or sick?"

Ash scratched at the back of his neck. "No no, it's not that." Silence. "Okay fine." You gave into the eyes idiot.

"Yay," Eiji smiled. Ash would take a bullet for that smile.

Ash knew he would regret going. If he felt lost in a puddle of Japanese, jumping in a sea was suicide.

Still, he was weak to the eyes.

But when he stood in the middle of the room, Eiji nowhere to be found, Ash vision swam. His throat caught and air was refusing to enter his lungs. After half an hour at the party he found himself throwing up in the toilet.

"Ash?" Eiji shouted. "Ash? Where'd you go?"

He ducked past someone, waving at them before slipping in the bathroom. "Ash?"

He found him in the last stall, face pressed against the seat of the toilet. "Ash?!"

The blond looked at him. "Oh...hi there..."

"What's wrong?" He bent down next to him and felt his neck. "Is it something you ate?"

Ash nodded pitifully.

"Okay, we can head home now. Okay?"

He nodded again.

"Ash, why didn't you tell me before that you weren't feeling well?"

They were cuddled up on the couch, Ash wrapped up in a ungodly amount of blankets. "It wasn't that serious."

"You threw up, I beg to differ." Eiji played with a strand of his hair. "Is that the only reason you vomited?"

Getting something past Eiji was like picking a fight with a bird: they seem so innocent until their coming at you head first.

"Um..."

"You don't have to tell me right now, it'll be okay."

No it won't. You have such a happy life here and I'm just this burden you're carrying around and there is know way I could even be normal here and eventually you'll get sick of me-

"I know that because you're here with me, and I am so happy that you're here. You are not a burden Ash."

Ash cried at that.

#so when i originally post this it was unfinished #because my phone was doing garbage #but here you go anon #asheiji #ash x eiji #banana fish #ash lynx #banana fish anime #eiji okumura

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estamos-destinadas · 4 years

Text

So, I recently--and by that I mean this past week--started working on a new story idea for Juliantina.

I’ve had a bad case of writer’s block these past couple of months--the ideas are there, I just couldn’t seem to put them into words. It was such a relief to me when, after I thought of this idea, the words just started flowing.

Since this story has me really excited, I thought I’d share the first half of the first chapter of the story. As always, I won’t post it on Ao3 until it’s done. And please, if you can, refrain from reblogging 😅-- I kinda feel guilty when I see my story ideas going around and they’re unfinished.

Anyway, story under the cut (please work because this is long.)

On Earth Year 3010, the year Juliana turned ten, she and her mother, Lupé, left the slums of Santonio for the Palacio del Progreso.

The Progreso was in fact a sprawling estate, the “Palacio” in its name taken from the grand mansion at the heart of it. It was the residence of the Carvajals, whose patriarch, León Carvajal, was one of the Administrators of the Nor-Am Oligarchy. The thirteen Administrator families were descended from the billionaires of hundreds of years ago, their riches accumulating with each new generation, wealth unchecked becoming power unopposed until North America stopped pretending to be a democracy and became a nation ruled by its thirteen richest families.

Juliana did not know that particular history. In the slums, education was a fever dream, and there was no time to dream. She did know—she could observe—that the Progreso was as different from Santonio as it was possible to be.

Where Santonio had murky canals, the Progreso had crystal clear pools; where Santonio was blanketed with smog, the air within the Progreso’s perimeter was cleaned by powerful purifiers; where Santonio was all filthy and derelict buildings, the Progreso was true to its palatial name; where the ground of Santonio could barely grow weeds, the Progreso’s greenhouses and gardens boasted plants and flowers and trees that no longer occurred naturally in Earth’s poisoned soil.

Lupé had taken a job as one of the caretakers of the Progreso’s gardens. Lucía, an old friend, and now León Carvajal’s new wife, had gotten it for her. She and Lucía had used to work at one of the factories owned by the Carvajals, where they’d worked 12 hours a day, 6 days a week, all through the year for little pay. But then León had seen Lucía and had fallen in love, taking her to the Progreso. Lucía, who would not forget the life she’d led until then, had found jobs for her old friends within the estate’s walls.

In the Nor-Am Oligarchy, connection mattered.

That connection gave Lupé a job with gentler hours and better pay. The connection meant that she and her daughter could live in the staff’s compound within the Progreso, in an apartment that was much bigger than their old matchbox of a room in Santonio. It meant that Juliana could stop taking odd jobs to supplement their income, could stop worrying about her next meal. It meant that, finally, she could start getting her education.

⁂

Education was a completely new experience for Juliana and, at first, it felt like butting her head against a wall, or maybe trying to breathe underwater in one of Santonio’s canals.

It did help, however, that León Carvajal provided air-conditioned vehicles for his residential staff’s children, which daily took them outside of the Progreso, through affluent but smog-filled streets, and to a nearby school with air-conditioned buildings. It also helped that the Progreso’s main library was open to its residents, from the Carvajal family, to their guests, and even to the estate’s numerous staff and servants.

Every day, after school, when the other kids went to play in the rec area of the staff’s compound, Juliana went to the library, trying to catch up to classmates who had been going to school their whole lives.

That was where she met Valentina, almost a month after she and her mother arrived at the Palacio del Progreso.

Juliana, having taken a break from reviewing her lessons, was flipping through a book about 21st-century art—an actual paper book, that was how rich the Carvajals were—when she heard the sound of poorly-suppressed sobs. It was coming from a nearby row of kiosks, where one could download books and magazines and all sorts of digital media to their own personal devices.

Juliana decided to investigate. She passed by the kiosks, looking through the gaps between them, until she saw a girl sitting at a table near the windows. The girl, who was gazing downwards with her shoulders hunched, seemed to be her age. Juliana hesitated for a moment before approaching the girl.

“Estás bien?” Juliana asked.

The girl’s shoulders stiffened, her soft sobs cutting off, but she made no reply.

“Necesitas algo?”

“Estar sola, necesito… estar sola.”

“I’m sorry, it’s just that I heard you crying and I thought—” Juliana cut herself off. What was she thinking, bothering someone who clearly wanted to be alone. “You’re right,” she awkwardly scuffed the sole of her shoe against the marble floor. “I’ll let you be.”

With that, Juliana turned on her heel, but she had only taken one step away before the girl called out to her with a, “Hey, sorry, wait.” When Juliana turned back to her, the girl added, “I think—I think I’m fine, thank you.”

If the tears in her eyes did not tell Juliana that the girl was lying, the way her voice shook did. Her heart went out to the sad girl, who had the prettiest face Juliana had ever seen, though her brain filed that information away for later.

Juliana sat on the chair across from the girl. “So, what is it?” she asked, frank as any ten-year old. She didn’t know why, but she wanted to help solve the girl’s problem, even though she’d just met her, even if she didn’t know who she was.

The girl wiped her tears before launching into it. “My dad wants me to go to school! I don’t want to go to school. I want to stay here and read what I want to read, not what schools think I should read. And I want to go with him or my sister when they take trips to other nations, or to the moon, or to the other planets. If I go to school, I can only go with them during the holidays.”

Juliana had never met another kid who talked about travelling to other nations or other planets so casually, but she focused on what they did have in common. It seemed that the girl had also never been to school before.

“Oh, well, school’s not so bad, you know,” Juliana told the girl. “I started it for the first time last month too. Reading’s really hard—” Lupé had taught Juliana how to read when she was younger, but the slums of Santonio was not conducive to such an activity, “—but I’m learning a lot of really cool things. Like, did you know that North and South America used to be connected by land? I didn’t even know there was a South America!”

The girl gaped wordlessly at Juliana, her blue eyes wide and curious. When she found her voice, she began delicately, “I… I know. I’m learning with my tutors, but I don’t want to go to school. I want to do things at my own pace.”

“You can do that? Learn with tutors, I mean?” Juliana asked, borrowing the girl’s phrasing. It would be nice to learn at her own pace. It just seemed to Juliana that all her classmates were far ahead of her.

“Yes?” The girl cleared her throat. “I mean, yes.”

“Oh,” Juliana said, feeling like she was missing something. It began to dawn on her that the clothes the girl was wearing looked very expensive. On a hunch, she asked, “Do you live at the compound?”

“Huh?” the girl started, though she quickly added, “Oh, the staff’s compound! Uhm, no. I live here.”

“Like the guest houses?” Juliana almost begged. The guest houses were near the library after all.

The girl’s lips turned at the corners. “No, at the mansion.”

Which meant, Juliana realised, that the girl was a member of the Carvajal family, and that the dad she’d been talking about was León Carvajal himself. Juliana blushed, but before she could really process how embarrassing it was to tell the daughter of an Administrator of the North American Oligarchy that she had not known there was a South America, the girl’s smile broke out.

It was a kind smile. The girl’s gentle gaze told Juliana that she wasn’t being judged for her ignorance.

“You know,” the girl began, “I’m a really good reader. I got almost a hundred percent in my speed reading and reading comprehension tests.”

It was Juliana’s turn to gape at the girl. “Okay?”

“I could teach you!” the girl said excitedly, her previous complaints about school seemingly forgotten. “You said you found reading hard, I could help you get better at it. Only if you want to, of course,” she added quickly.

“I—really?” Juliana asked, not quite believing that the daughter of León Carvajal would want to help her get better at reading.

“Yes, really,” the girl said fervently. “Oh, but I don’t even know your name.” Before Juliana could reply, the girl extended her hand across the table. “I’m Valentina.”

As Juliana took the offered hand, she began to mirror the girl’s wide grin. “Juliana.”

⁂

A friendship was quickly formed.

True to her word, Valentina helped Juliana get better at reading, and even helped her with her lessons. School became easier for Juliana, and Valentina became more amenable to school, as long as she went to the same one as Juliana. Valentina was a year older than Juliana so they would not be in the same class, but at least they would be in the same place.

It spun another argument between Valentina and her father; the school Juliana and the other children of the residential staff went to did not have the prestige befitting a daughter of the Administrator. But Valentina was stubborn and used to getting her way, so Administrator León Carvajal had to compromise. Valentina was allowed to go to the same school as Juliana, as long as she continued to study with her tutors. Valentina was perfectly content with the arrangement.

Outside of school, where Valentina wanted to go, Juliana happily followed. Not that Valentina went where Juliana did not want to go, or could not follow. They spent all their time together, whether it was at the library, the gardens to visit Juliana’s mom, the sports and rec areas around the Progreso, particularly the poolhouse to go swimming, even the mansion itself. The last one took some getting used to for Juliana, but she eventually became comfortable enough to not feel like an intruder in the Carvajal family mansion.

They were inseparable.

One could say that Juliana and Valentina took to each other as a fish takes to the sea, or as a bird takes to the sky, but most birds had gone extinct, and what fish there was left lived in the depths of the ocean, or were cultivated in tanks or artificial bodies of water.

The older people had a different metaphor for it: linked by the guts.

One time, Lupé burst out in fond exasperation, “Why do you always have to go with the Administrator’s daughter everywhere? Are your guts linked together?”

Another time, León asked, “Are you really not going with me and Lucía to Venus because Juliana can’t come?” When Valentina answered in the affirmative, he observed in amusement, “You two are linked by the guts.” A few days after that, Juliana was preparing for her first interplanetary trip.

Guille, Valentina’s older brother, remarked that they were like the entangled particles of paired Qubes.

Qubes—or Quantumly-Entangled Communication Boxes—always came in pairs. The subatomic particles inside one Qube were quantumly-entangled with the particles of one other Qube. Whatever configuration the particles of one Qube were in, that was always reflected in its paired Qube.

Nothing can travel faster than light. The speed of light itself was a constant, limited, and as a communication medium light was prone to interference.

It meant that, in the past, off-world communication was slow and unreliable. When physicists and engineers unlocked the secrets of quantum entanglement almost a millennium ago, the exchange of messages became instantaneous with paired Qubes.

Nothing can travel faster than light, but there was a way to work around it.

Of course, Qubes were of the most use in interplanetary or interstellar communications. Within a planet’s atmosphere, radio waves and cables were still the more efficient form of communication, if only because they were much cheaper and faster to make.

So Valentina balked at her brother’s analogy. “That makes no sense, Guille,” she told him in no uncertain terms. “Entangled particles—paired Qubes—are useful when they are very far apart from each other, like light years apart. I don’t want to be light years apart from Juliana.”

They were at the mansion’s kitchen, watching Chivis, one the family’s personal servants, prepare an afternoon snack for Valentina and Juliana when Guille joined them and made his observation.

Glancing at her best friend, Valentina caught Juliana’s shy smile at her declaration. Valentina couldn’t help but mirror her smile. They’d known each other for a little over a year by then; Valentina understood the irrefutable truth of her statement. She did not want to be apart from Juliana. In fact, she wanted to be as close to her as possible, often longing to brush Juliana’s hair, to rub her cheeks against Juliana’s cheeks. With the kitchen counter between them, Valentina settled for grabbing Juliana’s hand. Juliana met her gaze; Valentina’s smile widened.

Guille waved a hand at the two of them, as if to demonstrate his point, but Valentina and Juliana were still gazing at each other and Chivis ignored him. “Well,” he said, clearing his throat to get their attention, “if you two lived light years apart, you two would still be—” he linked his hands through interlaced fingers, “—entangled.”

Juliana felt her face heat up, pleased and flattered. She thought it was nice, to hear Valentina’s brother make such remarks about their closeness.

Valentina thought differently. “Don’t even joke about that,” she said, slapping her brother’s arm, not appreciating the idea of living far away from Juliana.

Guille laughed as he moved away from Valentina, pretending to be hurt. Valentina laughed at his reaction. Juliana laughed at Valentina’s laughter, the way her eyes crinkled and her cheeks dimpled.

Chivis, much older and with much more experience of life, did not laugh at their banter.

⁂

Nothing can travel faster than light. The speed of light itself was a constant, a hard physical limit of the universe: 299,792.5 kilometres per second. In one Earth Year, light traveled a distance of 9.46 trillion kilometres: 1 light year.

The fastest interstellar ships were powered by warp drives, first built by physicists and engineers from over half a millennium ago. The warp ships were named after a fictional technology from millennia-old stories, but whereas the warp ships from the stories could overtake the speed of light by ever-increasing magnitudes, the real warp ships could not. Warp ships could travel nearly as fast as light, but not as fast as, and never faster.

Apart from an obscure reference to old fictional stories, warp ships were so called because of how it warped time for the ship’s passengers. At or near the speed of light, time dilated. To anyone and anything within a warp ship, trips take only a few hours, even a few minutes. To everyone and everything outside it, a ship that traveled a distance of a hundred light years would have taken a hundred Earth Years to get from its origin to its destination.

At the advent of warp ships, a group of astronauts travelled to Proxima Centauri—4 light years from Earth—then after a week at the system returned to Earth for a total distance travelled of 8 light years. To the astronauts, the round trip had taken a few minutes each way; to everyone outside the ship, the trip had taken over 8 years. One of the astronauts had been a mother. When she’d come back, her daughter—left on Earth—had aged 8 years in the absence that to the mother felt much less than that.

Because of the time dilation—the warp—it was impossible to interact with anyone and anything within a ship while it was traveling nearly as fast as light. Not even through Qubes, which were invented a couple of centuries before the warp ships. Even entangled particles could not sync when a second for one meant a lifetime for the other.

To travel in a warp ship at a distance of light years—5, 10, 100—meant to jump in time 5, 10, or 100 years to the future, putting not just space but also time between yourself and your loved ones.

Chivis, older and wiser, knew this. Interstellar travel was a special kind of heartbreak, it was no laughing matter.

Almost a year after that joking banter between the siblings, Valentina and Guille began to understand that heartbreak.

After warp ships were perfected, humanity began the Hundred Year Exodus. For a hundred years—and more—warp ships carrying thousands of people set off for far flung planets, hoping for a cleaner world, for better societies. Now, centuries later, the human diaspora was spread out over 500 light years from Earth in different directions, linked only by the paired Qubes the emigrants brought with them. But to travel to those colonies, hundreds of light years away, meant leaving the Earth as one knew it for good.

Chivis, who was retiring, had announced just that: she was going away to a colonised planet more than 200 light years’ distance from Earth.

“By the time she gets there, I’d be dead,” Valentina said lowly to Juliana.

They were lying side by side on Valentina’s bed, on the evening after Chivis’ departure. Valentina and Juliana often had sleepovers at the Carvajal family mansion. Usually they would be giggling over some vid or book or something that happened during the day, but when Juliana joined Valentina that evening, the latter had been crying into her pillows for most of the afternoon.

Valentina continued talking. “I know that she chose that planet because her children decided to move there, but she is—was—is,” Valentina huffed, even the tenses got confusing, “she’s like family to me too.” Valentina knew that she could not have hoped to compare against Chivis’ children and grandchildren when the woman had still been weighing her decision, but it had still hurt when Chivis had told her that she was leaving. “I’m going to miss her. I already miss her.”

“Val,” Juliana said gently, taking her best friend’s hand in hers and interlocking their fingers, “she’s going to miss you too. And it wasn’t an easy decision for her to make. She said so, right?”

“Yeah,” Valentina agreed in a whisper.

“She loved—she loves you Val, that doesn’t change.”

“It still sucks.”

“I know,” Juliana said gently, squeezing Valentina’s hand.

Valentina squeezed back before moving sideways and closing the distance between them so that her head was against Juliana’s shoulder, her hand wrapped around Juliana’s arms, her leg draped over Juliana’s legs.

“It helps that you’re here,” Valentina said. Suddenly overtaken with a certain fear, she gripped Juliana’s arm tightly, but it went away just as quickly and she loosened her hold. “I’m glad you’re here.”

⁂

That was not Valentina’s first experience with loss.

She had only been eight years old when her mother had passed away, and Valentina’s longing for her never quite went out.

“I still look around for her sometimes,” she’d once confessed to Juliana in a whisper, a few months after they’d met.

Even then, Valentina had found it easy to talk to Juliana about anything. She’d been the only person Valentina could really talk to about how it had felt to lose her mother at such a young age. It was the way Juliana had listened to her every word, and had seemed to understand exactly what Valentina had meant.

Valentina had tried to return the favour, tried to ask Juliana about her father, but Juliana had always clammed up when the subject was brought up.

It wasn’t until the day Juliana turned thirteen that she opened up about her father. He had not come to celebrate with her and Lupé, but he’d sent her some presents.

“I’m not really cut up that he didn’t come,” Juliana told Valentina matter-of-factly after her party, where she’d invited a few of her classmates. “I’m used to it,” she added with a shrug.

Macario Valdés had rarely ever been around back in Santonio; he had never come to visit once Lupé and Juliana moved to the Progreso.

“It was probably for the best anyway. He would have scared everyone off.”

He was a harsh man, not given to gentleness or affection.

“I’m surprised he even gave me anything.”

He was cold and distant.

“But maybe these actually came from Lupé, and she only pretended that it was from him.”

There was no doubt in Juliana’s mind that Lupé loved him dearly, that Lupé thought he was the most amazing man in the entire world. She could see it from the way Lupé talked about him, from the way Lupé preened on the rare occasion that he called.

To Juliana, he was just her mother’s absent husband. At least that was what she told herself.

Valentina did not understand how anyone could ever choose to be absent from Juliana’s life, but she did not say that out loud. Instead, she asked, “What did he get you?”

“Some books?” Juliana said doubtfully. Lupé had said that she’d downloaded them onto Juliana’s personal tablet, but Juliana hadn’t looked at it yet. “Which, I don’t know why, because there’s a library here.” She did not know what her father could have sent her that was not available in the Progreso’s huge library. “But I guess that means they really were from him.” Lupé would not have gotten her books.

Juliana huffed, waving away thoughts of absent fathers and thoughtless gifts. She looked at Valentina. “Thank you for your presents, by the way. Me encantan mucho.”

She’d already thanked her, but she felt like she could not express her gratitude enough. Valentina had gotten her a painting set, an actual physical painting set, with paper sketchbooks, a few canvases, and pencils and brushes and water colours. Juliana had done normal art—digital art—from the time she’d gotten her first tablet, but she’d always wanted to do art on paper and canvases.

“Of course,” Valentina said, “anything for you, Juls.”

Juliana smiled shyly, meeting Valentina’s eyes until, feeling overwhelmed by the depths of emotion in them, she gazed down at their joined hands and burrowed closer to Valentina, who tightened her hold around Juliana.

They were in Juliana’s bed, about to turn in for the night. Juliana’s other guests had left after the birthday party but Valentina had stayed for the rare sleepover at the Valdéses’ apartment. Juliana’s single bed was much smaller than Valentina’s so it was a tight squeeze, but Juliana didn’t mind. In fact, she liked it a lot.

Juliana liked being pressed close to Valentina. She liked holding Valentina’s hand. She liked it when Valentina hugged her tightly; she would always hug back and never want to let go. She liked it when Valentina kissed her cheeks; that was a new thing that Valentina did, and Juliana could not get enough of it. She liked it when Valentina would watch her for long moments, those pretty blue eyes seemingly glued on Juliana, even though it made her a little shy. And she liked gazing at Valentina in turn, never wanting to take her eyes off of her, because Valentina was the most beautiful person Juliana had ever seen, and she had the prettiest smile that made Juliana’s insides seem to fly.

This premise/idea is actually not a new one. I’ve been mulling it over in my head for years, but I’ve never been interested in putting one of my ships in this setting until Juliantina--not in writing or even in stories that are just in my head.

I’ve also wanted to write a certain kind of fic, a certain mood of fic, for Juliantina, but nothing seemed to fit their personalities--well, Val’s personality. I think this premise would achieve that mood without making them OOC. (I don’t know if I’m making any sense lol.)

Oh, and if you’ve reached this far, I wonder if you could guess where this story would be headed? 😊

#fic #au #mine #teaser #stories #if you are wondering about the harry potter au #like I said above #I've had a bad case of writer's block #I have the next installment outlined #but the words are stubbornly refusing to be formed #I had to take a step back #and increase my reading (not fics but published works) to sort of get those words #but somehow this was what came of that #oh well #I will still continue with the hp au though #the next installment just won't come soon

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surveys-at-your-service · 4 years

Text

Survey #298

“i don’t like what i am becoming / wish i could just feel something”

Do you have sensitive skin? Very. Do you wear necklaces or earrings more? Just my tragus piercing, really. I only ever wear a necklace sometimes if I'm taking a "nice" picture. Rings or bracelets? I currently don't wear any bracelets, but I do always have one ring on. How many toilets are in your house? Two. Is your current crush younger than you? By just a couple years. Are you a lighter complexion than your father? Yes; he's very tan, especially his arms from being a mailman. Ranch or barbeque sunflower seeds? I don't like sunflower seeds. Do you know the first five books of the Bible in order? No. Do you have a pet fish? Nah, they're not my thing. Do you believe being gay is a choice or a "disorder"? Neither; I believe it's a genetic mutation. It defies biology and the very motive for life, but I always say that a mutation does not, in any way, equate to "wrong." I am extremely adamantly pro-gay rights and bisexual myself, so I can't shit-talk it. What are some of your favourite sounds? Crunching leaves, rain gently tapping on windows, windchimes, birdsong... mainly nature sounds. There are others, I'm just blanking right now. Are you a warm weather or cold weather person? Cold, 100%. What time do you wake up? What for? This spans over a massive gap, honestly... I can wake up as early as 5 or as late as 9:30. Most often, it's pretty early, and I call that my "trial" of being awake, lol... because I will almost without fail go back to sleep for a couple more hours. Hell, that happens even if I sleep on the later side. Do you ever listen to music to fall asleep to? I used to do that in middle and maybe some of high school, I think; I'd fall asleep with my iPod on and earbuds in. I haven't done that in a very long time, though. Could you spend the rest of your life with someone who had bad taste in music? ... Yes? Their taste in music has nothing to do with them as a person???? Do you still talk to the person you fell hardest for? No, and it's best I don't. Have you ever wanted to get drunk and get your mind off everything? Yes, and that's how I found out I'm far from a lightweight. I wasn't going to drink more than I actually wanted to drink just to get wasted. Did you love playing hide and seek as a kid? Yeah. Who is the last child you held? My youngest niece. Have you ever woken up not knowing where you were? Maybe for a few moments after my surgery? I don't really recall. When is the last time you made the wrong choice in anything? Every fucking day when I decide what to do with my time. What is the most interesting thing in the room you are in? My snake, I guess. She's a champagne morph ball python. When washing your hands, do you wet your hands or put soap on first? I put on soap first. When was the hardest you ever cried? What was the circumstance? Probably when Mom literally dragged me home after I tried to walk to Jason's to talk the night of the breakup. I lost my fucking mind. Which gift cards do you have in your wallet? I don't think I have any. Coke or Pepsi? Coke. I hate Pepsi. What is better: cute smile, or amazing eyes? A cute smile. What song are you listening to? "Drilled a Wire Through My Cheek" by Blue October is on currently. Name your best friend(s): Sara. Do you know any mechanical stuff about cars? Nope. Last night you felt? I wasn't suicidal, but still kinda wanted to die lmao. Do you still watch Disney channel? No. How do you like your eggs? I only enjoy them scrambled, and preferably with cheese. What’s your all-time favorite song? "False Flags" by Massive Attack. If you could be any TV character, who would you be and why? Idk, I don't watch TV enough. Maybe Donna from That '70s Show. Very strong and independent, outspoken, and not to mention she has great taste. I find her to be a good female character to look up to. Do you ever come up with really good ideas for stories or movies? Do you do anything with them? Yeah; I'll try to integrate them into RP characters and plots. What sort of things do you post on your Tumblr? Vintage photos, screen caps, girly things? It's a Markiplier cesspit lmao. Sometimes I'll reblog shit I find funny. I've been very inactive on it, though. Have you ever had a dream that you couldn’t shake, even for days after you woke up? Oh yes. When was the last time you felt like a nuisance, or unwanted? Recently, I'm sure. When was the last time your dreams were crushed, or at least hindered? I dunno. How’s school going? I'm not in school. Are you angry at anyone right now? Myself. The last person to say they loved you? Mom. When is the last time you laughed hard? Hard? I'm really not sure. Are there any words on your shirt? No, it's just a blank black tank. Does it take a lot to make you cry? NOPE. Do you tell your parents everything? No. Do you get bored easily? I'm bored to the point of thinking being dead would be more fun at some point almost every day. I have anhedonia badly. I'm honestly starting to think I've over-medicated to a numbing degree so am trying to wean off some things. Have you ever burned someone's picture? No. How long was your last nap? Maybe three hours? I was really, really tired, though. Can you name the last time you felt happy? Probably when Sara and I talk-talked for the first time in a while. When was the last time you played with sidewalk chalk? Oh, I have zero clue. Probably not since I was a kid. Do you have friends obsessed with World of Warcraft? Bro wtf don't @ me. Have you ever punched a hole in the wall? No. Have you ever told someone you hated them? The only time I've seriously said that was to my dad before we reconciled after the divorce. What was the color of the bridesmaid dresses of the last wedding you went to? I actually don't remember... Favorite thing to do on Facebook? See The Memes. Do you wear flip flops, regardless of weather, all the time? I SAID don't @ me. What is in store for your future? I both do and don't want to know. Have you ever seen a live bat? Yeah. I adore bats. Do you chew on straws? No. Do you have any trophies? Yeah. Who’s the last person that creeped you out? Some guy who walked into the store I was at with Mom, continuously looking back and forth. Would you believe an ex if she/he said they love you? Well, that would depend on the person. Have you ever been kissed in the rain? Yeah. Anything exciting happening soon? My half-sister and her kids are visiting tomorrow and staying for a few days. It's a surprise for Mom. Do you keep a diary or journal (offline or online)? You could say these surveys kinda are. I don't have a designated "diary," though. When was the last time you took a painkiller? What was it for and did it work? I had womanly issues a few days back, and yeah, it helped. Have you ever had to go and rescue someone because their car broke down? When was the last time that happened? I mean, I've driven /with/ Mom to do so. I myself don't drive. What’s one sweet/candy you miss from your childhood? Is this item something you can still buy or has it been discontinued? Y'all remember Baby Bottle Pops??? 'Cuz I do, and I love those fuckin things. I still see them sometimes in gas stations. When was the last time you used some kind of moisturiser? A few days back for my hands. They were painfully dry. If you’re under lockdown/stay at home orders at the moment, are you struggling or managing okay? A bitch is s t r u g g l i n g. Has anything positive come out of the pandemic for you? Fuck no. Do you wear a watch? Is it analogue/digital? Does it it have things like a step-counter in it? No. Do you have any gifts from Christmas that you still haven’t opened or used? Not used, yes. Well, then some things are still in their boxes, but they're unwrapped. Do you know how to tie a tie? If so, who taught you? No. Who was your last missed call from? Did you ring that person back? Some number I didn't recognize, so no. When was the last time you had some kind of problem with your internet connection? Is this something that happens often? A few days back. It has occasional instances where it'll go out but come back on shortly. Do you have a favourite celebrity chef? No. Do you prefer pizza or pasta? Pizza. Have you ever volunteered anywhere before? What was the reason behind doing so? Once at PetSmart when they had dogs to adopt out, which was for school volunteer hours. I spent time with them, giving them attention and taking them outside. I also had two other animal-related volunteer days, but each was only a few hours because my fucking weak-ass body couldn't handle them. Have you ever been truly obsessed with something? What was it and how did you come to feel that way? I have an incredibly obsessive personality; I could probably name near on a dozen or so things I've been genuinely obsessed with. I don't know what it means to love in moderation. Some are/were pleasant obsessions, some aren't/weren't. Does it bother you when people turn up at your house without asking or waiting to be invited? Yes. Are you taller or shorter than average height? I'm the average for an American woman. Do you have any family members whose beliefs or ways of life completely embarrass you? YUP YUP YUP YUP. Are you scared of heights? Yes. When was the last time you lost something of great sentimental value? Did you ever end up finding it again? I don't know. Have you ever injured anyone in self-defense? No. What food do you find to be the most filling? Is this something you eat a lot of? In relation to its portion sizes, oatmeal or eggs. I can't have a whole lot of either. I wouldn't say I eat either a lot, but oatmeal is more common. Have you ever heard people talking badly about you behind your back? Did you confront them about it? Yes, and in at least two instances. Do you consider “home” to be the place you were born, or is it somewhere you create for yourself? I consider it to be my childhood home; not the one I was actually born in, but only because I was way too young to remember and we only lived there like, maybe two years into my life. Have you ever experienced having to leave your home due to a fire, or due to the threat of fire? No, thankfully. When was the last time you felt you were in a dangerous situation? When we had a serious tornado warning Christmas Eve. Yes. In winter. Are there any superstitions that you believe in? Which ones and what are your reasons for doing so? No. Are there any series of books/films that you never finished - either because you got bored of waiting or just lost interest? Oh, I'm sure. I Wouldn't say I lost interest in a lot though, I just wasn't interested enough, like for The Hunger Games. Which theme park is your favorite? I haven't been to nearly enough to know. Like, just one. Do you eat healthy? I try to be, at least. Though I've been doing very poorly about it lately because I'm a emotional goddamn eater and am having a very hard time. Do/did your parents fight often? They're divorced for a reason. Do YOU fight with them often? No. Would you say that you're respectful? I hope so. Are you a fan of Green Day? Yeah, I love them. Would you rather have 4 kids at one time or never have a kid? Jesus Christ, never. I don't want any anyway. Do you think 'friends with benefits' relationships really ever work? No. Do you or have you ever known a drug addict? Yes. Do you turn off the water while brushing your teeth or leave it on? I always turn it off. No reason to waste it. Do you have any nieces or nephews? Lots, if you include my half-siblings. Are caterpillars more cute or disgusting? I tend to find them cute. What's your homepage when you bring up the internet? Google. Was the last book you read for fun or was it for some type of assignment? It was for fun. Have you ever dated someone you met online? Yes. Would you go on a date with someone right now if they asked? Depends on who's asking. Do you own any band tees? Oh, I have lots. Off the top of my head, some that I frequently wear are Metallica, Otep, and Korn. Do you know someone who wears a wig? No. Have you ever kissed someone under fireworks? I don't think so. What kind of dressing do you eat on your salad, if any? I strongly prefer the Olive Garden kind, but I also enjoy ranch. What genre of music do you listen to the most? Metal of some sort. Have you ever dated someone who was way overprotective of you? No. Do you personally know any cops? No. How many different colleges have you gone to? Three. How much stress can you handle? Not much at all. How confident are you in achieving your dreams? I ain't got the slightest clue by this point in my life. What is one thing you thought you’d never do but have done or are doing? There's a lot of things, most bad, some good. Do you have to take medication for any mental illness? A lot. Do you like looking at pictures? It depends on what's in them. Specifically pictures from my past, that's usually a big no. Do you believe the dead can have connections with the living? I guess in very vague ways. Which family member do you get along with the most? Well, define "get along with." I by far have the strongest relationship with my mom, but we fight sometimes. As for who I stay on the most stable ground with, that's probably my dad. Would you ever be able to become a vegan? I know I couldn't, but I'd love to. How did you meet your newest friend? Who even IS my newest friend... Have you ever watched the show Teen Mom? What did you think about it? No, and I think it's an awful fucking idea for a television show. Put a spotlight on and money into teen pregnancy, yeah, that's a genius plan. Are you old enough to remember MySpace? Yeah. Do you think you’ll be a good mother/father? I wouldn't be. Do you have trouble deleting your text messages? I don't need to. Is there something that you haven’t told anyone that you actually would like to tell someone? No. Have you ever been called a tease? Yeah. Do people ever make fun of your religion or lack thereof? No. Do you say/do things a lot for shock effect? No? What was the last compliment you gave a guy? I probably told my nephew Ryder he was a good brother. Was one of your grandpas in a war? Maybe? Idk. I never knew either well at all. Have you screamed in a pillow before? Yes. What do you like more, acoustic or electric? Electric. Have you ever ordered something off a commercial on television? No. What's worse, having someone mad or disappointed in you? Disappointed. Do you still consider Pluto a planet? Yes. Didn't they reinstate it as one, anyway? Right now, are you at a high, leveled, or low point? What's lower than "low?"

#survey #surveys #questions #questionnaire #lyrics: ''i am machine'' by three days grace

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joshlwtf · 4 years

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hi everyone ! i’m ali ( she/her ) and i’m super excited to write with everyone!!! [[HERE]] is a little pinterest thingy for this dude, you can also find a other muse posts on [[THIS]] and a stats page [[HERE]]. under the read more you’ll find a bit more of info on this dood. here we go !

*°:⋆ₓₒ [ AVAN JOGIA, CIS MALE, HE/HIM ] hey, look! [ JOSHIL RAWAL ] aka [ @atmidnight ] is online and ready to write another anonymous post on the broken hearts club. rumor has it they’re here because [ HE FOUND OUT HIS EX WAS MARRIED AND HAD A FAMILY ]. out in the real world he is a [ ILLUSTRATOR ]. the [ TWENTY FIVE ] year old is known for being [ INSECURE + TIMID ] but make up for it by being [ EVEN-TEMPERED + GREGARIOUS ] if they were to describe themselves they’d say they’re [ DOODLES ON EVERY PAPER, FORGETTING TO CHARGE YOUR PHONE, SMUDGED PAINT ON YOUR FINGERS, BLACK COFFEE ] & their favorite song is [ FALLOUT BY CATFISH AND THE BOTTLEMEN ]

ok so josh (im pretty sure only his parents call him joshil) was born in canada and is an only child from v cool parents. none of them actually were canadian;; his mother is a v white english lady and his father, a gujarati first gen american, but they were living in vancouver because of their job (dad was a uni professor and mom was a high school teacher). he did pick up some french at school but they moved to england when he was twelve and that’s basically where he remembers his childhood from

josh wasn’t raised privileged (quite the opposite to be real), his family had a v simple lifestyle that he still practises til this day, like minimalism and vegetarianism,,, he had a nice time in england but high school was not a nice period. is high school good... like ever?! nope. he got a scholarship at a private conservative school his mom taught at so of course,,. he was the art kid who was p much forced to adjust to the most “normal” ways of expression and who believed because he was shit at maths he wasn’t going to amount to something--- but he still managed to graduate but got his ass out of there the second he could....

off he went to illinois, managing to get a scholarship at university of chicago.... there was something about turning written words and stories into some sort of visual explanation, being also kind of an interpretation, so he specialised in illustration and landed a gig right after graduation thanK SHIVA which meant yo boi wasn’t gonna be homeless and all alone in america like his parents thought. they worried a lot about him yes but he understood it was from a place of love, and who was he kiddin. he wasn’t gonna get rich from his art and thankfully he wasn’t doin it for the money

he sketches mostly but he also paints. there’s something about the smell of the paint and the brushes against a canvas that gets him... josh has a v carefree way of working where he just goes with the flow and however he’s feeling. he wishes he can gather good enough work to maybe organize an exhibition eventually.. that would be sick

so yeah. dude’s always drawing everywhere if he has a pencil or a pen in hand. has paint smudges on his shirts and on his fingers.. if he’s ever late to meeting u he’s most likely sitting down somewhere sketching the sun set before rushing to find you... personality wise he’s kinda timid so he listens way more than he speaks, but if they’re close, he loves chatting about the most random topics like.... cats or dogs? ok but why? why not a chinchilla ???

it takes FOREVER to get him angry and even then he works out his negative emotions v internally so for most people he’s v chill and kinda naive ? he’s got this romantic and positive side to him that sees the good in everyone and everything, being thankful for the lessons or whatever...,,, he’s got screwed over by a ex tho, they dated for a year and he found out the other guy was married and had a family in other state. so now he’s kinda in this spot where he can’t see one single positive of this shit show he’s been through, fucking heartbreak over someone so dishonest and basically not being able to go through with this “everything has a positive side” shit. so now he’s in this sort of dichotomy where he’s doubting a lot of things about himself and his own personality and beliefs......

shit what do a heartbreak do to u

but ok this was too long alread ? he chill he probably had loads of friends bc he talks to literally everyone on the damn dumbway or in the coffee shop about euthanasia being justified or how global warming is some fucked up stuff,... lmao i also have a little [[connection]] page with a few plots here and there but pls im v v open to brainstorming or any other idea that you’d see fitting !!

#hearts:intro #this is sHIT pls lets plot anyway

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artofalexfields · 5 years

Photo

Estefania "Steph" Xochitl

• 14 •straight • Mexican🇲🇽 • Guadalajara/Bronx • Aries♈ Steph was born in Guadalajara, Mexico to her father, a carpenter/construction worker and mother who worked in a medical clinic. Her father wanted to pursue a career in music but when he found out the lounge he and his band played at was a money laundering scheme for a drug cartel, he and his entire family were blackmailed and threatened with murder. They fled to the US with help from some relatives in the states. After Steph's father gave up on his dreams, she picked up where he left off. She's hoping her and her band (which includes Serena) make it big someday and she hopes even more that she can become a citizen.

Steph was the first person in her family to master English and she did so by listening to American rock music since she learned to speak. Because of her quick learning abilities, she was skipped a grade.

Steph is heavily inspired by The Warning, an all-girl rock band.

Steph has 3 other siblings, including her older brother who is a DACA student and her younger sister, the only person in her family who was born in the states.

Serena: You asked Carlos to join the band?

Steph: Yeah! Have you seen his drumming videos? He’s so good!

Serena: No, I haven’t. I didn’t even know he played the drums because I don’t talk to him.

Steph: Really? Don’t you guys sit like, right next to each other in English?

Serena: We do but that’s because of Mr. Scott’s stupid assigned seating chart. I didn’t choose to sit next to him.

Steph: That’s awesome, though because now it’ll be easier for us to talk to each other about meeting up to talk about band stuff.

Serena: (sighs) Couldn’t you find someone else?

Steph: Not really. Did he do something to you? Why are you not happy about this?

Serena: Because Carlos is an asshole! On the first day of school, he kept hitting on me and tried to ask me out even though I told him that I’m gay. And then he told me oh, you’re too pretty to be a “dyke” which is really fucking homophobic because he’s basically saying that lesbians are ugly and I got so pissed off and he just wouldn’t leave me alone even after I told Mr. Scott and I left to go to the bathroom to calm down and this sophomore found me in the bathroom freaking out and she took me to see Ms. Kartopolis and she called Carlos in and explained to him why what he did was wrong and he says he won’t bother me anymore but I don’t believe him because people like Carlos don’t learn that quickly. (she exhales) Steph:..Wow, he really said that? I’m sorry, I didn’t know. (She looks over her shoulder and sees Carlos approaching them) Oh, by the way, I asked him to sit with us today.

Serena: (groans)

Carlos: Yo, what’s good, girls?

Steph: Hey, Carlos. Um, before we start talking about the band, we have to talk about something else first.

Carlos: Ok, what’s up?

Steph: Serena told me that you were harassing her on the first day of school. Is that true?

Serena: Steph, you don’t have to--

Carlos: Yeah, I was being a dick but we moved passed that, right?

Serena: I don’t know. Did we? You didn’t agree to join the band because I’m in it, right?

Carlos: What? I ain’t into you no more. The fuck would I look like tryin’ to get with a dyke anyway?

Serena shoots up out of her seat and is about to storm away from the table but Steph grabs her by the arm.

Steph: Wait!

Serena: This isn’t going to work, Steph, he hasn’t learned anything!

Carlos: Yo, yo, yo, chill, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean that!

Serena glowers at him.

Carlos: I’m sorry. I am trying it’s just that I was taught to think that being gay and shit ain’t normal and it’s going to take a while for me to accept you and use the right words and shit. I really want to be in this band. I love playing the drums and I been dyin’ to play with another band besides the one at my church. I felt like God sent Estefania to me to give me this chance and now he’s telling me that I need to accept you because this means we’re gone’ be chillin’ together a lot. Look, I didn’t mean no disrespect, I just say and do some really dumb shit sometimes because I don’t know how to act sometimes. I really liked you when I first met you and I was mad nervous. If you can forgive me, I’ll never bother you again, I swear to God.

Serena: (sighs) Ok, fine. But if you screw up, either I’m out or you are.

Carlos: Copy! Thank you!

Steph: Ok, great! Now let’s get down to business. Have you guys ever played metal music?

Carlos: Yeah.

Serena: No.

Steph: Okay...well, I kinda want this to be a metal band so...

Serena: I’ve played some blues and hard rock. I’m not really into metal music but if I had the right sheet music and if you had me listen to some of the bands that you’re trying to emulate, I could pick it up.

Steph: Sounds great! I have some HIM music for you to listen to. Are you self-taught?

Serena: Yeah. When my grandpa died, he gave me his bass and I taught myself how to play it. How about you? Are you self taught or did you take lessons or...?

Steph: Same. When I was back in Mexico, my older brother found a Foo Fighters CD and I learned how to sing all the songs in English and I started doing guitar covers.

Serena: Wait, so English wasn’t your first language?

Steph: No. When I was little, I taught myself English by listening to the Foo Fighters, Nirvana and a bunch of other American bands. Like, I would sing along to their music, look up the lyrics in English and pick up how to say certain things. When my family came here, I was the only one of my brothers and sisters who could speak it really well and my parents were always asking me to translate everything for them.

Serena: Wow...

Carlos: That’s fire! You taught yourself English by listening to music?

Steph: Yeah. So you guys learning how to get along shouldn’t be too hard, right?

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jasonfvkingtodd · 6 years

Text

Wolf [Part 1]

Warnings: Slight mention of mental illnesses

I awoke with a throbbing headache from the earlier 'session'. Ive been stuck in this cell, tortured for weeks or even months on end in 'The Lab'. My own blood was on the floor and walls of the cells, it stank like the pits of hell. Why were they doing this? Both my tank top and tactical pants were caked with blood. When was the last time I actually cleaned up? Fuck.

A group of men burst into the cell and dragged me across a long corridor, illuminated with bright white lights. A bald man with a goatee wearing a white lab coat greeted me. As from what I’ve have gathered from the conversations my captors had, his name was Sadiq.

"Jasmine, nice to see that you've... recovered. Lets begin with our next session." Sadiq smirked.

I then glanced down to find that the stab wound from the previous time you were in The Lab healed fully.

The men tied me down to a examining table, awaiting for Sadiq's instruction. Not having enough energy to resist them, I laid there, exhausted and hopeless, awaiting the pain that’s about to come. Then, out of nowhere, men were shouting outside the Lab, followed by guns firing. Sadiq looked worried, terrified even and ran out of the room. Not so tough now huh.

Minutes later, the entire facility sat in a deafening silence. I started to realize why Sadiq was scared shitless. Something took out the entire facility within minutes. Strapped to the table, i was left defenseless. Unable to turn my head, I heard the door opening behind, followed by a dark shadow with... pointy ears? Was this a joke? A face loomed over, it was covered by a cowl. The man’s face was impossible to read. He then sunk a syringe into your neck as you slowly faded into oblivion.

Whispers were heard as you laid on what felt like a metal surface. “You can’t just bring someone like this into the cave Master Bruce. Especially not a criminal!”, a British sounding voice exclaimed. “She’s in need of immediate medical attention that even the best hospital in Gotham can’t provide,” a deeper, American sounding voice replied. How was I a criminal?

They’re going to torture me again. Another one of Sadiq’s mind games. The man in the mask moved towards me, his face inches away.

“Why are you in Gotham,” he growled.

“ I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I blatantly said.

“Let me ask you once more. Why. Are. You. In. Gotham.” The man in the mask repeated.

I remained silent. No point answering him anymore. He remained silent for a while, thinking.

“Do you remember fighting me?” He asked.

“No.” I answered.

“Do you remember fighting me for that thumbdrive?”

“Uhm no.” I hesitated. What on earth?

“She doesn’t remember a single thing from 6 months ago.” The man in the mask said to the older guy in a suit standing beside him, both seemed… vexed. Maybe I was really rescued.

The man then turnt to the machine and administered another substance into the IV drip. Before I could panic, I immediately felt the effect of the knockout drug, as waves of fatigue crashed over me, before I drifted back into nothingness.

I woke up to warm rays of sunlight on my face. Sunlight. Huh. It’s been forever since I’ve seen the sun. Last time I saw it… well, Sadiq almost executed me. Just one of his mind games.

“Good morning Miss.” The British guy walked in the room just as I was about stand up. I tensed up, my body on alert. I’m much stronger now, I can fight back. “You’re safe here. Don’t worry Miss…?”

“Jasmine. You can just call me Jasmine.” I managed to stutter out. That’s what I presume, my name I mean. Sadiq always calls me that. I never knew my name, I can’t even remember who were my parents.

“At your service Miss Jasmine. Oh, where are my manners. Alfred Pennyworth, at your service. If you need anything, ring the bell.” He gestured to your nightstand where a dainty-looking hand bell stood.

“Yes… Sure, thank you. May I ask where am I?” I probed. This sounded too good to be true.

“You’re staying in Wayne Manor, Bruce Wayne’s ‘house’” He replied.

Who? Who the tell was that? I gave a puzzled look to him. I heard him mutter under his breath, “Oh dear Lord, this is even worse than what Master Bruce has made it to be.”

He cleared his throat, “Would you like a tour around the manor Miss Jasmine?”

With that, I was cooped up in this manor for 2 months, recuperating. Not that I’m complaining, it’s been the best days of my life. On the plus side, I was getting stronger everyday, getting smarter everyday. I eventually found out who Bruce Wayne was, billioniare ‘playboy’, secretly Batman. Funny how I knew Batman first before Bruce Wayne. But like all the Robins before me, I found hope again.

The first time I met Bruce (a few days after I woke up in the manor), I hugged him. I know, totally not the most awkward thing to ever do when you first meet the Batman. Still, no regrets. “Thank you. For saving me.” I choked out. He smiled (HE ACTUALLY SMILED). And that was our first non-hostile exchange of information. He’s the sweetest person, although he doesn’t actually show it. He became a father figure to me after the 2 months.

As weeks passed, he started teaching me martial arts as I recovered. ‘To neutralize threats’ he would tell me, ‘is to take each and everyone of them down in the fastest way possible’ as he fucking flips me across the room.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m never becoming a Robin, Damien would murder me. Besides, I’m pretty sure I’m not cut out for this shit. I’ve had countless sleepless nights, even with the knowledge I’m safe, I can never sleep properly without medication. It’s a problem, I know. Thus, I would conclude, everytime I had an internal argument on taking up Robin’s mantel, I would never get that lovely 8h of sleep if I were to become Robin.

Meanwhile, as I’m fantasizing about my plans to take Sadiq down with the new learnt moves Bruce has taught me, I walked around the house. Then one day, I saw a figure looming over a picture in the library. Fuck is that a ghost? I’ve always heard stories from Dick that the manor had tons of wandering spirits.

As I inspected closer, it was a man. Around 6’2, in a grey tactical suit with a red bat symbol. As he sensed someone’s prescence, his head suddenly turnt to my direction, staring right back at me.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” I asked, getting ready to fight if there was a need.

He laughed, “What the fuck are you doing here? Alfred let me in don’t worry. “ He paused awhile and continued, “OH you’re the girl, Alfred’s talking about! You’re a clone or something right? Hi, I’m Jason Todd, former robin, now red hood.” He remarked.

“What th- First of all fuck you, I lost my memory I’m not a fucking clone. Second, name’s Jasmine, you shitfuck.” Shit was that too rude? FUCK.

Jason chuckled,”Woah, feisty. Nice to meet you Jasmine. Are you planning to fight Damien to overthrow him as Robin? Or are you going to take the Spoiler route?”

“Huh, definitely fighting Damien.” I joked.

Jason and I… We hit it off. It’s kinda like the dynamic I have with Dick, only much much more inappropriate. I talked all the way into the night as he drove you to what he termed “the most beautiful view in Gotham”.

“Woah.” I marveled at the city lights of Gotham city as both of us reached the rooftop of a rickety old brick building. “I gotta admit Jason, I had my doubts.”

“Never judge a book by its cover clonegirl.” He remarked.

“Fuck you.” I rolled my eyes.

Both our feet hung off the rooftop, sitting next to Jason’s childhood gargoyle, letting the stillness of the night fill the atmosphere. The view was amazing.

However, as I looked down, cop cars raced off along the road. I was reminded of the crimes that people were committing during Gotham nights. Then one thought led to the other, I was in Sadiq’s Lab again, filled with fear. Agony. Pain. Fuck this wasn’t the first time I’m having these flashbacks, but every. Damn. Time. It feels the same.

“Jason, do you ever have flashbacks?” I broke the silence.

“Of wha- Oh. Yea. I have them. Not the best thing when it happens. Although it did make me zone out when I was tortured down in Qurac.Why?” He remarked.

“Huh, nice. I just don’t know what to do. You can’t stop the images from forming you know? It’s not… I can’t.” My brain was not working.

“Fuck, what happened Jasmine?”

“I was tortured too. By a man named Sadiq. For months, the pain I was put through was unbearable. But he just won’t let me die. Whenever I wake up, my wounds, even a punctured lung, stab wounds… They’ve all been healed.” I rambled, before I knew, tears started streaming down my cheeks. “ Oh fuck. Sorry. You really don’t have to know that.”

“Hey hey, its going to be ok. You can cope with it. You’re here now right? Let’s start with that” Jason said, as he hugged be. Oh god. The warmth that radiates off him. I want this hug to last forever.

I sniffed, “I guess you’re right.”

I asked him all questions on coping with all these and he has been the best support. Don’t get me wrong here, Alfred and Bruce has helped me so much through these weeks of rehab but the emotional trauma… I don’t want to cast that burden on them, or anyone.

Jason and I, I realized, shares a lot of common things. We went through surprisingly similar experiences, similar tastes, humor…

“And that was how I knew I’ve done fucked up this time.” Jason concluded on his story on bringing a muddy raccoon back into the manor when he was 15. We were sitting shoulder to shoulder, sitting closer and closer together as our conversation and the night went on.

As we watched the sunrise, I rested my head on his shoulders. I felt him tense up. Ohhh shit, bad move Jasmine. He relaxed again as he let out a breath, resting his head on mine. Relief washed over me.

“We talked an entire day.” Jason cleared his throat as he got up from the ledge, “We should get some rest.” I guess he must’ve seen the disappointed look on my face. He then added,” You free tomorrow? Let’s go on a day trip to NYC.”

“Yea sure.” I chuckled. Is he leading me on? I don’t know.

As we arrived at the porch of the manor, we said our farewells.

“See you tomorrow, pick you up at 0800. Rest well doll.” He said, with the most mischievious looking smile ever.

“See you soon Jay.”

Thank you for 100 followers and for surviving this long ass read at my first shot at a fanfiction! I opted to go for 1st person instead of reader x Jason fic as I found it more challenging to write from that POV.This story also starts off on the first few issues of RHATO Rebirth. If i can, I’ll be following this series close to the current comics! :) Also, much much more fluff & action is planned out for this series! (I’ll keep on writing no matter) Already planned out a tie-in for #25 so hope yall would like it! Hope this concepts works out with logic haha. Any suggestions/tips for writing, pls comment! Much appreciated :) AND ALSO WHAT A TIME TO POST THIS YALL IMMA KICK START JASON TODD BIRTHDAY WEEK HERE WITH THIS STAY TUNED xoxo

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detective-sonshine · 6 years

Text

Chapter 1 - American Boy

A/N- This fanfic will be set in in a series of chapters based off of Sonny and Izzie’s lives. It will highlight almost Everything In Between (get it? bc that’s the name of the fic? hahahaa I love puns) this chapter and what is to come to their relationship.

Bare with me. This Chapter was mainly just an introduction chapter.

Rating- PG

AND PLSSSSS GIVE ME FEEDBACK BC THE LAST FIC I WROTE WAS ALMOST FOUR YEARS AGO.. I'm rusty

Middle school. The two words that give me instant anxiety. It was bad enough going into sixth grade and having no friends. But in my case, it was definitely worse to be one year younger than the rest of my peers AND to be moving here from the south.

My name is Isabella Sophia Troy. I am ten years old, born November 17th, 1982, only child, blah blah blah. And up until about two months ago, I actually loved my life a lot. I had tons of friends and a big back yard. I was born and raised in a small-town suburb of San Antonio, Texas and I had a dog named Marlin. My mom was a teacher and my dad worked as an athletic trainer for some high school, but I didn’t pay much attention to it. I was a dancer and I practiced a lot. I wanted (and still want) to be a dancer on Broadway.

When my mom and dad sat me down and told me we were moving to New York, I was excited at first.

“We wanted to talk to you, sweetheart. Sit down.” My dad gestured for me to sit on the love seat while he and my mother took a seat on the couch.

“Isabella, your father and I love you very much. Everything we do is to benefit you. It’s important to us that you remember that.” Mom turned to dad, taking his hand in hers. Her brown eyes looked as if they were filled with worry.

“I’m just going to jump into it. I have accepted a job with NYU,” dad said. “They offered me a full time athletic trainer position that is a once in a lifetime opportunity.”

“Okay. But NYU? What does that mean?” I ask. They just looked at each other.

“New York University.”

“So, we’re moving to New York...?”

“Yes. Staten Island. Your mom got a job at a high school down there so that’s where we will live. How do you feel about that, Isabella?”

“I feel great! Do you know how many plays I can be in? I can dance every single day!” I exclaimed. “How soon can we get there?”

It’s safe to say I regret my premature excitement. Standing outside of Franklin Middle School, staring at the ugly grey bricks, I regretted lots of things. One of those was taking the god forsaken placement test that allowed me to skip a grade and jump straight into middle school. I was supposedly academically “gifted” whatever that meant. I was fine with continuing elementary school in New York, but mom thought it would ‘benefit me greatly’ to skip a grade. So here I am.

Walking in, I was instantly intimidated. Older, taller kids surrounded me, walking every which way. I focused on the note in front of me, trying to remember where mom said the front office was. Walking in, I went straight to the front desk.

“My name is Isabella Troy. I need to speak with the principal.” An older, middle aged woman with bifocals looked down at me and began to laugh.

“Well aren’t you just adorable?” I didn’t know what she meant. What was so funny? Mom and dad always taught me to stand up straight and be up front with what I need. I didn’t think it was a laughable matter. “Take a seat. The principal will be right with you.”

I took a seat next to a scrawny, blonde haired boy with piercing blue eyes. He noticed me staring and immediately darted his eyes elsewhere. Gosh, does everyone in New York have a problem with me?

“Isabella, it’s nice to meet you. I’m Mrs. Plumley, principal of Franklin. I understand you are new, so I’ve arranged for a student to show you around. Dominick…” Mrs. Plumley turned her attention to the scrawny boy next to me.

“Isabella, this is Dominick. He will be showing you the ropes.”

“Mrs. P, I’ve told you. I wanna be called Sonny.”

“Sure, Dominick. Remember to take her through her classes. You kids have fun.”

Sonny rolled his eyes and faced me but didn’t make eye contact.

“Please don’t call me Dominick like everyone else here.”

“I won’t make any promises. I’m Isabella.”

“I know. Everyone’s been talking about a southerner coming to school with us. There’s bets being made about how thick your accent is.”

“My accent? What about your accent?” he started to laugh, and I followed suit. He was awkward but funny. The world needed more of him.

“Alright, we better get going before Mrs. P comes back.” He started to walk to the door before stopping abruptly. “Oh, and I’m going to call you Izzie. I have a sister named Bella, so it would be weird to call you by your first name.” I rolled my eyes, but I didn’t object, as I’d secretly always wanted to have a nickname of my own.

Walking down the halls, Sonny attempted to show me around but ended up getting lost a few times himself.

“I don’t know why Mrs. P put me in charge of giving you a tour. I’m new too. It’s not like I’m going to know this place any better than you. Well maybe it’s because of my sisters. I have three of them, ya know. They all went here before me—Teresa, Gina, and Bella. It sucks being the only boy and all but…”

I began to tune him out. Man, this boy could ramble. Eventually, we found my homeroom which just so happened to be his as well.

“Must be fate,” I said, walking in.

“Uh… yeah totally.”

Sonny

I was sitting in the office waiting for the new girl. Mrs. P told me I had to show her around. Lame. But hey, I would do anything to miss 30 minutes of class. I was twiddling my thumbs when a young girl with brown hair walked past me. She smelled of Japanese cherry blossom and she spoke with a slight country accent. I knew immediately it was the girl I was supposed to show around. When she introduced herself, my eyes went wide. She was kind of intimidating.

She sat down next to me and looked my way. I instantly darted my eyes another direction, I didn’t want her to know I was staring at her, but I couldn’t help it. She intrigued me.

When we started our tour, I tried to act cool. I talked almost the whole time, and I must’ve done pretty well because all she did was smile and nod.

We finally got to her homeroom and I realized that it was mine as well.

“Must be fate,” she said before walking in.

“Uh, yeah, totally.” My face flushed with heat and I scratched the back of my head. This intimidating, confident, beautiful girl just walked into my life and I immediately knew it was changed forever. I shook it off and followed her in. My focus was off for the rest of the day.

Izzie

“How was your first day, sweetie?” mom asked as I got into her car. I found it weird that a lot of kids here walked home, but I shrugged it off.

“It was okay.”

“Just okay? Did you meet any friends?”

“Well, I met this boy. His name is Sonny. Kinda weird but he’s really funny. I think we can be friends.”

“Well that’s great! I can’t wait to meet him.”

The car ride was quick. Our new house was only a few blocks away from the middle school. I got out, excited to finally be “home” when I heard commotion coming from next door. Turning my head, I saw three older girls walking towards their front door.

“Mrs. Troy?” you hear. You and your mom pause, turning back to the girls who were now walking towards you.

“Oh my. Do you girls live here?” mom said, pointing to the house next door.

“Yes! How funny,” one girl says. “Teresa, Gina, this is my new English teacher, Mrs. Troy. And you must be Isabella! I’m Bella! When I introduced myself in class, your mom pointed out that her daughter had the same name as me. How great! I’ve always wanted to meet another…”

I started to tune the girl out. She was nice and all, but I’ve had a long day. Wait, I thought. Bella… Teresa… Gina… lengthy rambling… These girls have to be Sonny’s sisters which means…

“Izzie?” I hear. I focused my eyes on the same scrawny, blonde haired boy that showed me around earlier who was now walking up to his house. He ran over to us, his blonde hair flopping.

“Hi, I’m Sonny,” he said to my mom.

“Oh, Sonny. You must be the boy who gave Isabella the tour. Thank you very much for doing that!” he shrugged it off, smiling a bit.

“I have a great idea, Izzie. We can walk home together! Ya know since we are neighbors and all.”

“That’s a great idea, Sonny!” mom interjected before I could say anything of my own.

“Cool. Well if we don’t get inside, Ma will have our heads. Bye Izzie, bye Mrs. Troy,” Sonny and his sisters waved to us before walking inside their home.

“Izzie, huh?” mom said, raising an eyebrow.

“Long story, mom. What’s for dinner?”

ughhh it’s horrible isn't it

#sonny carisi #detective sonny carisi #sonny carisi x reader #sonny carisi fic #sonny carisi fluff #sonny carisi fanfiction #svu #law and order svu #law and order: special victims unit #law and order svu fanfic #my writing #chapter one #everything in between fic #everything in between #sonny carisi imagine #sonny carisi one shot #mike dodds #barisi

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sesl2020 · 4 years

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The Details: are they God’s or the Devil’s?

I don’t care; I just love them.

Pick Stitching

Suit Linings

Interior Pockets

Flat Piping

Contrast Collars

and OMG the feel of the fabric.

In 2007 while working at Harry Rosen as Visual Coordinator for Alberta, the new spring season of Etro arrived. I almost cried. The jackets were so beautiful. Colourful mix-matched tweeds, luscious paisley satin linings and contrast lapels to die for. The guys thought I was crazy and not for the first time. (I had recently lost almost 100 lbs with Jenny Craig and was not quite sane) But…

Please excuse me while I rip off my shirt. I’m having a Chinook. This talk of menswear is making me hot. Yes ZZTop, there really is nothing sexier than a well-dressed man. Not necessarily expensive, just well. In the late 70’s/ early 80’s young men made a point of being grubby. Not even cool, like grunge, just grubby and unkempt with the absence of style. It was supposed to be Macho. Or Poetic. Hmmmm. Yes, this is the way I tell a story. Bare with me. He-Heh.

…But, the fresh new offerings reaffirmed my love of all aspects menswear. Back in the day, the mid 80’s, I remember the guys at Jack Fraser Menswear in Winnipeg where I was the Regional Display person (or Displaced Person as the called me) teasing me at my excitement over a new box of ties. Not just any ties. New Bosa silk paisley ties. Yes, it’s supposed to sound like Boss. I got so sick of polyester neats and stripes. It was like Christmas when something new came in to go with all the pink dress shirts. Oh the 80’s.

And then again yesterday evening…. André, my hunnybunny, had gotten paid in Brooks Brothers Gift Cards. $1800 worth. Go figure. Very sadly, during the apocalypse our local Brooks Brothers closed their doors and, as far as we know, permanently. So, unable to order online in Canadian Dollars, as usual I ended up calling them in the States where they manually entered my order and Gift Cards. Very Helpful, Thanks Michael!

Less than a week later and after paying $150 in taxes and duty Fed Ex delivered an oddly small box containing 5 pairs of dress pants, a windowpane suit jacket, and a $100 belt. I says to André: ‘why did you order another black belt?’ He says: ‘I’ve never owned a $100 belt before.’ Fair Enough.

Eeek! forgot to do my 500 steps this hour. Back in 3.

Pant! Pant!

As he modeled them, he has a very cute butt and he knows how to strut, I was carefully taking all the tags and labels off, the feel of the fabric and the precision of the stitching brought me back to my happiest career hours picking out coordinates for the windows and dressing bust forms. One of my weirder skills is being able to unpackage a dress shirt with all its itty bits put neatly in the shirt bag with my eyes closed in less than 5 seconds. If only there were Retail Olympics…

Anyhoo, it was the Grey Windowpane Jacket that really made me smile. The contrast red felt collar lining, the one red threaded button, the red flat piping along the interior lining and pocket. It even has a strip of lining to hold the double vents from flapping. Classic design well-executed is Nirvana. And makes me drool.

But, don’t forget to undo the Vent stitching. It makes you look…..inexperienced.

Subtlety and Restraint are two excellent ways to describe menswear in general. Well, British and North American menswear. The Europeans are much more outgoing. As I possess neither subtlety nor restraint these are things I admire and covet. Nothing makes me happier than a faint blue, red, or bronze stripe hidden in charcoal flannel. Pick it out with a blue or oxblood tie, cognac shoes and belt and it’s sublime. Step back (5 foot rule) to see if it works. If the suit is striped add a plaid Windsor Collar shirt or if it’s plaid add a yarn-dye stripe. And a pocket square if you’re feeling impish.

Ah the fabrics, and the ties, and the patterns and styles all with their unique lingo. Mmmm Lingo.

Whisper with me:

Bespoke

Epaulet

Haberdashery

Collar Roll

Sartorial

Pinstripe

Sprezzatura…..

Definitely the Devil.

I’ve bought a lot of menswear over the years. For myself. My former partner would have nothing to do with anything that wasn’t an old dirty fedora and a dusty ripped trenchcoat. God, he sounds like a Flasher. It was kind of the same thing as buying myself a present on Father Day because on Mother’s Day even after 3 children I still heard ‘you’re not my mother’. Not that I’m bitter. I gave the man Twins. What more can I do.

Having never been petite of stature or nature, sometimes menswear was my only option. 5’8, size 11 feet, and superbly curved I did not fit the skinny, big haired lollipop girl ideal of the times. Not only did they not offer any kind of fashion in a size 14-16, but all the pants were too short and all the sleeves were ¾. Ok, I had to take in all the waists in men’s stuff, but, as if being one of the only women working in menswear wasn’t enough, wearing it was my own personal rebellion against the female stereotype. That, and I loved the Jackets. Shoulder Pads reigned supreme at that time and they who had the shoulder pads had the power.

And, in any case, it was suicide to wear anything sexy or revealing. Sexual Harassment was rampant. And expected. And a man’s right. I almost stabbed a store manager to death with my wire cutters one day when he grabbed my ass and I automatically back handed him. Any job you applied for you had to have a professional answer ready for ‘How badly do you want this job?’ The things that were said to me on a daily basis even from my bosses would make your hair curl.

‘Do you know what would look good on you? Me.’

I remember a guy at the St. Vital store that kept trying to get me to go to his place for a quicky at lunch. One day I got so tired of it that I finally grabbed my tape measure and told him to whip it out ‘cause I wasn’t going to waste my time for less than 9”. He declined. And left me alone from then on.

I digress, it’s so nice to be older and wiser and not care about being taken seriously. And people go to jail now for being…. impolite. I dress like a sexy bamf on a daily basis, embrace my curves and still have more balls than most men I’ve known. And I still love menswear.

Omg! Chinooking again. Why? Why do I wear lycra pants? Oh ya, they make my butt look almost as cute as André’s, but so hoooot. And not in a good way. Excuse me as I take them off also. That’s better.

Despite the handicap of his father, I managed to raise my son to be a well-dressed individual. I think a lot of it was my Father’s influence as well. My Father came of age in the 50’s wearing khaki’s, Dack’s, golf jackets on the weekends and suits to work every day. And, of course, he taught me how to tie a tie. He was left-handed, but forced to be right-handed in school so he batted and tied his tie from the left. Which was awesome because I was right-handed so it all worked out when he showed me.

This is also the man who refused to by a new pair of jeans for the entire 70’s. He wouldn’t wear flares. He had a pair of twill demin pants in narrow white, yellow, and brown stripes that were so recognizable that my Great Aunt Vera recognized him from her moving vehicle as he was filling up at a gas station. It must have been the ’69 Biscayne*. She had just arrived in town from Winnipeg and hadn’t seen him for a few years. Those were some pants. But they weren’t flares.

The ‘80’s on were a big relief for him. He spent the rest of his life, we lost him to Cancer in 2005, in khakis and neat plaid short sleeved shirts and polo shirts. I kept his Grey Flannel Pants and Navy Blazer for years.

We also called him Sir…

And Again! Forgot to do my 500 steps this hour. Back in 3.

….When we would call him at the office, (in Grade 2, an avid reader, I called him every time I finished a chapter in Alice in Wonderland) you couldn’t just ask for Dad. Everybody was a Dad. So we asked to speak to George. When he came on the line he would say ‘That’s Sir to you, kid.’ And it stuck. Even our friends called him Sir. My sister’s kids called him Papa Sir. Kinda like Papa Smurf only more respectful. My youngest niece, Courtney, called him Papa Sewer, but that was just the way she spoke as a toddler. We found it very amuuuuusing. As did he.

Aaaaand, back to my son. I actually enlisted him to work part time at Rosen’s when he was 16. He wanted (or did he?) a part-time job and we needed a Saturday merchandiser. I’d already taught him and his twin sisters how to fold their clothes properly, iron a shirt, and do their laundry. I also taught them that when they look at clothing in a store they need to put it back exactly they way they found it. Respect for Retail. It was sooo fun to dress him and see him get measured for his first suit. Staff Discounts Rock! We never actually worked together at the same time, but it was cool to work at the same place.

I also told him, it being his first job, that ‘If you’re late, screw up, or make me look bad I will let them fire you.’ I also told him ‘Don’t forget we work this lifestyle, we don’t live it.’ Entitled is not a good look on anybody. He chose his Boss suit for Grad, slim fit with pointy shoes and put his long blonde hair in pony tail for the occasion. This was way before man-buns which he would have scoffed at anyway.

I was so proud of him at the first Christmas Party and and at the 2nd he wore his made to measure Tilford purple velvet peak lapel Jacket. As he danced with his girlfriend on the dancefloor I couldn’t help shouting ‘Shake what your mama gave you!’ He got me back when we did a company paintball tournament. The pic of us two in our guns an gear hung in the staff room for ages. But, kept he shooting me. It hurt.

‘William, we’re on the same team. Stop shooting me!’

‘Then stop being a pylon.’

If anyone has pics or memories of the things I’m describing, please feel free to share with rest of us!

*more on Dad’s Vehicles. ’64 Pontiac Stratochief ’71 Chevrolet Impala Custom and the Volaré Station Wagon Woh-oh. Volaré! Woh-oh-oh-no! Not a GM product. ‘Nuff Said. Stay Tuned.

#welldressedmen #menswear #devilinthedetails #metoo #haberdashery #merchandising #display

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blschaos3000-blog · 4 years

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Its 3:52 pm

Welcome to “8 Questions with…..”

In doing this series and especially of late,I have been really blessed to be able to talk to a lot artists that I have on a “wish list”. These are people whom I really want to talk with but I don’t think I’ll get a chance to. Ashley Kate Adams was on the list. I first was introduced to Ashley Kate and her talent when the cheetah and I watched a excellent film called “1 Message“. Its a story about a young woman who gets breast cancer amd who is slowly falling into a deep depression. When the young woman meets a man online while tracking down her family tree,the connection changes her life on so many levels. This is a movie that I loved quite a bit and I thought Ashley Kate Adams did a great job in what I found later was her feature film debut and she was only 21 when she filmed it. Since then I have been following her career and chatting once in a while on Twitter. Last week I decided to take a chance and ask Ashley Kate for a interview and to my surprise answered “Yes,I do” within 5 minutes. While we were talking,I asked about her new big project,”Boy Hero” which is set during the 1954 Senate Comic Book Hearings and where publisher Williams Gaines and his legendary EC Comics were grilled because of the content. It was also during the height of McCarthyism and the Hollywood blacklisting,a dark and despairing time (as well as a forgotten period). As soon as we as a society are allowed ,Ashley Kate is kicking “Boy Hero” into high gear and we’ll be posting updates on how the film is progressing. * As you can see,Ashley Kate is a woman on the go,go,go!! I am so happy that we got a chance to catch her in mid-stride so she could slow down enough to answer her 8 Questions…….

Please introduce yourself and tell us about your latest project?

Hello! My name is Ashley Kate Adams & I am an actress, producer & writer living in NYC! Right now we are so excited to be introducing Frankie! The Musical Cast Concept Album to the world. It releases this Friday, May 29th, on Broadway Records and will be available everywhere music can be streamed. Frankie! The Musical (@frankiemusical) is written by 16-year old Composer and light, Elise Marra. The album is produced by AKA Studio Productions & Mitchell Walker! Our other main project is “Boy Hero”, a feature film inspired by the Comic Book Trials of 1954. I wrote the 1950’s period film which was inspired by a panel I saw called “When the American Librarian Saved Comics” by Carol Tilley. The film is rounding out development and will be Produced by AKA Studio Productions, Pigasus Pictures & AR Productions and will film in Cincinnati! Please follow us (@boyheromovie) for more exciting updates on fundraising development and production of the film.

(Michael Kushner Photography)

How have you been coping with Covid-19 pandemic? How are you staying creative and focused?

I have been thinking a lot about this recently. I’ve been coping with Covid-19 productively. I think many things prepared me for this, the main being thing being the sudden loss of my father in 2016 to cancer. During that time I had to learn to balance many things in conjunction with being completely gutted out with grief. During that time I turned to creating to heal myself and process my emotions so during this pandemic I have followed suit. I’ve actually been working at home with my production company since 2011 so that routine feels like a continuation. We were very lucky, we had just gotten many incredible projects like Frankie! in the can before it felt as if the world froze. Now these projects are able to bring joy to others during this time. On Friday’s I’ve been going LIVE with #BYOP to lead conversations on Grief & Productivity for the Creative @ashleykateadams on Instagram. It’s been important for me to try to help folks navigate this time!

When did you first catch the acting bug and what was the reaction like with your family and friends?

I don’t know if I ever caught the acting bug I was kind of just born into the industry. It is what our family does as our family business. You know some families might have a restaurant or a heating & cooling company, we are performers. My parents, who also majored in musical theatre in college (that’s how they met) were VERY honest with me about how hard my future was going to be to move to NYC and pursue this full-time but they knew it was what I was called to do. And I got to make space here for my sister 10 years my junior, Audrey Belle Adams, who recently began her adult career also based out of New York City.

How did you land the lead role in your first feature film “1 Message”? What three things did you take with you from the experience? How important is faith to you?

I actually landed my role in “1 Message” thanks to my father. He pitched me at a dinner meeting where the director happened to be. I then auditioned and got the role. That film taught me a lot. The first was that leading a film and being on camera 14 hours a day, 6 days a week is an extremely challenging job. Which leads me to the second thing, I learned how to treat actors on set. The “1 Message” experience is one that seeded in me the need to become an independent film producer to make sure I was always taking care of my actors in an extremely supportive way. Environment, transparency & discernment are everything on a project. The third thing I learned was how strong and aware I was even at a younger age on set. Faith is important to me. It is important to me to believe in something much bigger than yourself.

(Michael Kushner Photography)

Which do you like more? Doing TV/film work or live theater and why?

I love both equally but for different reasons. Right now I am very much falling deeper in love with film. I love learning and because I was raised literally at a theatre, in film there is still so much to learn for me. I love each new project on any side. It’s a blast to me navigating each nuance!

(Michael Kushner Photography)

What have been the three pieces of advice given to you in regards to being a performer?

Wow! Great question. “Your best secret weapon is yourself”. That was taught to me by the head of my musical theatre program at CCM, Aubrey Berg. He was correct. I would say the next is to “Be a kind person who people enjoy working with” from Sandra Rivera of Dancensation Studios and the most recent from this past winter break to “Keep saying yes to the right things and keep expanding” from one of my high school mentors, the great Gail Benedict.

(Michael Kushner Photography)

What roles challenge you most as an actress and how do you adapt to make the role yours?

Wheeew. For me the biggest challenge of my actor life was doing “A Christmas Carol(e)”, a one- woman show, directed & written by Alex Freeman. It was terrifying because it was only me on stage for 70 minutes. All I could do to survive it was to walk through it and continue to adapt. Every. Single. Second. I had to be truly present without a fourth wall. There was no protection, no sheen. I love hiding behind characters. I revel in it. It allows me space for courage to be more vulnerable. I’m a weirdo, my prep is usually reading, researching and then I adapt my breath and body. Everything else just kinda happens. The magic of acting!

How did the idea for #BYOP come about? What makes a good producer in your opinion?

#BYOP (Be Your Own Producer) came from seeing the need for it. As a producer, actor and creative I can only take on so many projects full time at once but #BYOP allows me to be available to you and your project on an hourly basis. It also teaches content creators how to producer so they can become sustainable and independent! During the pandemic it expanded to teaching these intentions in a group digital setting. The brand is continuing to grow and diversify. In development are many exciting new pieces, perhaps something you could listen to and something you can hold. Stay tuned and be sure to follow @ashleykateadams for updates! ! ; )

(Michael Kushner Photography)

You created a one woman show called “A Christmas Carole” for the theater, where did you come up with the idea and how hard is doing a one person production on a nightly basis?

I helped to create the show but I cannot take credit for the idea or writing on that one, that was my creative partner in crime, Alex Freeman. We put it up in 6 days with the help of our two amazing stage managers. It’s exhausting and exhilarating doing a one person production. I lived like a nun during the day to stay calm and preserve all of my energy for the performances. I still can’t believe I did it!

How important are awards to you as a performer?

Awards are not important to me as a performer, but the respect and nod that comes because of them is appreciated. I got my first best actress award in 2018 for Alex Freeman’s two-hander “Love” at the New York Theatre Festival. It’s hard being a woman in the business on every side. Especially as a Producer. So when a group of people decide not only that you “did well” but that you should be “acknowledged”, that is nice.

You love to sing,what makes a good song and which three Broadway scores would you love to sing if given a chance? Who is your favorite singer/band at this moment?

I do love to sing! It’s a part of my identity even though I’ve been more internal as of late with my creativity. I would say three Broadway scores I would love to sing through would be “Waitress”, “Sunday in the Park with George” and “The Sound of Music”. My favorite singer is my sister, Audrey Belle Adams @abelleadams, always and forever because she has the most flexible vocal instrument I have ever heard and my favorite band right now is M.N.O.P. @MNOP_music. They have rockin’ folk punk music, a kick butt lead female singer & a really cute drummer : )

How important is self-promotion to you and your career?

Self-Promotion is a large part of a creative career. In the age of social media & “influencers”, it has to be. I have not always been good at it. I had to learn to produce others to get comfortable producing & promoting myself.

What do you like to do on your down time?

In my downtime I like doing yoga, going on walks, listening to true crime podcasts, reading, taking class and spending time with my loved ones.

The cheetah and I are flying over to watch to you in “A Christmas Carol(e)” but we are a day early and now you are stuck playing tour guide,what are we doing?

If A Christmas Carol(e) played NYC and there was a day off I would say to spend the morning in Central Park, afternoon around Bryant Park popping into the Strand Book Store & the Bean coffee shop and to spend the evening in the theatre district enjoying an OPEN Broadway. Late evening in the village hopping venues and listening to live music!

(Michael Kushner Photography)

I want to not only thank Ashley Kate for chatting with us but also for being inspired to make “Boy Hero”. I cut my fanboy teeth reading EC Comics growing up. When I read William Gaines bio and found out just how close that comic books were to being banned,it was shocking. Without Gaines and a slew of others,including many librarians fighting this censorship,there would no “Star Wars”,Marvel or DC or many cultural icons we take for granted today. Like I wrote before,this is a forgotten piece of American history and much respect to Ashley Kate and her production team on making this film to hopefully remind us of what we almost lost.

Ashley Kate has several different ways that you can keep track of her and her various projects.

You can follow Ashley Kate on her InstaGram page. You can check out Ashley Kate’s next project via her IMDb page. You can also follow “Boy Hero” on InstaGram as well. You can also visit Ashley Kate’s personal website by going here.

Thank you for reading and supporting (and sharing) Ashley Kate’s interview. Feel free to drop a question below and stay tuned for updates about “Boy Hero”. You can also read past “8 Questions” interviews by going here.

8 Questions with………..actress/producer Ashley Kate Adams Its 3:52 pm Welcome to "8 Questions with....." In doing this series and especially of late,I have been really blessed to be able to talk to a lot artists that I have on a "wish list".

#8 Questions With #actor&039;s life #Alex Freeman #Ashley Kate Adams #Boy Hero film #Broadway #Frankie the Musical #live theater #multi-talented #Music #New York City #Producer #singing

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artradhikita · 4 years

Text

The time I started writing a comic book / graphic novel (Part 3 of idk how many, this may take a while LOL)

This is Part 3.

Click here for Part 2:

https://artradhikita.tumblr.com/post/618741007439314944/the-time-i-started-writing-a-comic-book-graphic

Click here for Part 1:

https://artradhikita.tumblr.com/post/618740135510540288/the-time-i-started-writing-a-comic-book-graphic

@azonip So at this point in the story I introduce a new character. Her name is Shyamali and she’s Alex’s girlfriend. She’s Indian, obviously, because how could I write a story and not have a character representing my birthplace? duh!

Here are the sketches I did for her character.

Unfortunately, her character is such a cliche Indian girl it hurts to read XD

Also, here you find out that Alex and his friends are in a band! Because bands are cool, so why not? XD

Copy-paste of the original first draft:

alex is with a young woman. they are walking in the park, it's a sunny afternoon.

alex: how was your week?

shyamali: it was okay, but i couldn't wait to see you. why do you have to live so far away from seattle?

alex: it's only an hour and a half's drive away.

shyamali: i missed you.

alex: same. *leans forward and kisses her* you look beautiful, by the way.

shyamali: *blushes* thanks.....umm, listen alex. i need to tell you something.

alex: what's up?

shyamali: it's my parents. *sighs* they've got this crazy idea that young indian women shouldn't date....anyone. especially handsome white guys like you.

alex: oh.

shyamali: i haven't told them about us, i know they would freak out. i mean, they would be upset if i was seeing an indian guy, they'd say that it was improper and that if i wanted to be with a man i should ask them to arrange my marriage. *alex laughs* i know....but if they found out i was going out with a non-indian, well, it'd be like the end of the world for them...i'd never hear the last of it. my dad would forbid it.

alex: forbid it? but you're 21, and you're a mature and responsible adult. shouldn't you be able to make your own decisions?

shyamali: hmph! i wish. traditionally, indian girls don't get to choose who they spend the rest of their life with, that decision is made by their parents. and my parents are very traditional. i mean, i could just tell them to back off and let me be independent and all that, but it would cause a huge fight followed by awkwardness and more arguments and.....oh it'd just be a huge mess! *covers her face with her hands*

alex: i understand. i can relate. *moves her hands from her face and holds them* my father wanted me to join the army and become a general like him. it took me 17 years until i finally stood up to him.

shyamali: i don't think i'm ready for that. *looks up at him* but i love you....i don't want to lose you. the only way around this is if we keep our relationship a secret.

alex: okay, we'll do that then. anything to keep you with me.

they embrace

alex: *thinking: i'm glad you told me that shyamali, it's perfect. i thought i would have to break up with you to keep you safe from rafa and his gang. i know they would hurt you to try to get to me. but this way i get to keep you in my life without letting them know how much you mean to me. if we're both pretending we're not together they won't suspect us. i know the best thing to do for your safety would be to push you away from me, but i love you too much. i guess i'm just selfish.*

end.

a month later

alex is at home on the phone to lucy.

lucy over the phone: seriously! she's driving me nuts! she's talking about hooking me up with her friend's son so we can go to the prom together. i told her the prom isn't for another 2 months! she keeps complaining that i'm too much of a tomboy and i should get a boyfriend! please just let me come over for spring break. i can't have mom breathing down my neck like this all week!

alex: i can't. i'm really busy. i've got work, and a gig in seattle on friday.

lucy: i won't get in the way, i promise. please alex, you've gotta get me out of here. i beg you.

alex: i don't know. *thinking: it was dangerous enough having you here for 2 weeks in the winter. what if they notice you and try to hurt you?*

myrina: come on alex, the poor girl needs a break. i'll look after her if you're so worried. she'll be with me the whole time, i promise.

alex: okay, fine. *lucy rejoices* but you can't go running around like a wild child. you've gotta be responsible and stick to myrina.

lucy: no problem. i'll be an angel, you won't regret this i swear. thank you so much. see you soon!

alex: okay, bye. *hangs up* dammit. i can't have her coming around every chance she gets. it's too risky.

quan: lighten up dude. rafa's guys don't know where we live. she'll be safe here.

myrina: yeah. besides, she's a tough kid, she could handle them if it came to that.

alex: it's not going to come to that! and you're going to make sure, myrina, just like you promised. she's a skilled fighter, i know because i taught her, but she can't take rafa or any of his guys. they're too powerful. i don't want her involved in any of this. so everyone is going to have to pretend to be normal people, just like last time. okay?

myrina, ralph, quan, kai: ooookay.

end.

2 days later

lucy is at the brotherhood's house doing yoga in the back yard. when she's finished she begins climbing the redwood tree and kai enters.

kai: hi lucy, what are you up to?

lucy: *looks down* oh! good morning! just the daily exercise.

kai: ummmm, you might want to get down from there, if the wind blows you'll be knocked off and fall 30 feet.

lucy: jeez, kai, i'm not that light.

lucy keeps climbing, a breeze blows and the tree begins to sway. lucy gasps and embraces the tree until it stops moving and then starts to swiftly climb down.

kai: *laughing* i told you! believe me, i had to learn that one the hard way.

lucy: what, you fell 30 feet?

kai: almost. it's good to see you again. how about some fighting practice? just you and me, one on one.

lucy: *hops down from a branch* you're joking right? aren't you afraid? or have you forgotten that i'm a trained ninja? i would totally kick your ass!

kai: oh really? well prove it, kid!

lucy: *glares* don't call me "kid"!

lucy attacks kai, who blocks her. the two fight for a minute and lucy is floored. she gets up.

lucy: okay, you're better than i thought. i've been going easy on you, but not anymore!

kai: *laughs* you forgot that i've been your brother's best friend since we were 5. don't you think he would have taught me some of his skills?

lucy: that's fine, but i'm still going to kick your ass!

the two combat each other again, more fiercely. but they are very well matched and neither of them can get at the other. kai suddenly grabs her from behind and wraps his arms around her, locking her own arms to her body. lucy struggles to get free but kai is too strong.

kai: now what are you going to do? you can't move your arms and i'm too strong for you to throw down. i guess i win!

lucy: no you don't! you can't hold me here forever. you're just stalling.

kai: not necessarily. you see, this leaves your neck completely unprotected. if i were a vampire this would be my chance to kill you. *pretends to bite her neck*

lucy: *heart beating quickly* *looks at him* vampires? really kai? come on, what are you, 12?

kai laughs and lets go of her. lucy suddenly attacks kai and he falls to the ground on his back.

lucy: ha! told you! *walks away victoriously*

kai smiles and looks up at the clouds. he sighs.

end.

lucy is in the kitchen cooking. kai and myrina enter.

kai: whoa, something smells good. i didn't know you cook?

lucy: now you know.

myrina: what are you making? can we get some of that?

lucy: lasagna and cream of broccoli soup. there's plenty, i thought you guys might be interested.

kai: lasagna sounds good, i'm not so sure about the broccoli soup though.

lucy: oh believe me, after you've tasted my broccoli soup you'll be begging for more. *myrina tries to suppress her laughter* besides, it's alex's favorite. i always made it for him back home in san francisco.

kai: that's nice of you. i'm sure he'll appreciate it.

lucy: it's the least i can do after everything he's done for me.

myrina: yeah, alex has done a lot for all of us. *kai and myrina look at each other*

lucy: how did you meet him? i know kai's been friends with him since they were in 1st grade.

myrina: umm...*she looks uncomfortable* my brother and i went to uc santa cruz with him. that's how we met.

lucy: did you have any classes with him?

myrina: uhh, no we just kinda bumped into each other. oh hang on, i'm getting a call. i'll be right back. *she quickly exits*

lucy: i didn't hear her phone ring.

kai: how come you know ninjitsu?

lucy: my brother taught me. i didn't exactly fit in with the other school kids, i was a real tomboy and i used to get in a lot of fights. i got really beaten up once when i was 10, i stupidly tried to take on this big bully. that's when my brother started teaching me. when he left to go to college i continued practicing by myself. he would teach me new moves whenever he visited.

kai: yeah, he taught me how to fight too. i used to get bullied in school for being a native american adopted by german immigrants, *laughs* but he always stood up for me. he helped me become strong. i went through some difficult changes when i was a teenager, but he was always there, helping me through them. he's a real warrior, you know.

lucy: not that he had much of a choice. my dad put him in boot camp every summer since he was 8. he had to fight to go to college, the only reason my dad let him go was because he made alex promise that after he graduated he would join the army.

kai: i know.

lucy: if my dad hadn't died the next year alex would probably be fighting somewhere in the middle east. i'm glad he's free to follow his dreams now.

kai: i know your father wasn't very kind to you, but do you resent him that much?

lucy: my father resented me just because i was a girl. i have better reasons to resent him than he did. all my life i tried so hard to please him, i would even dress like a boy so he would like me, but he never noticed or cared. my mom, on the other hand, hated how i was a tomboy and never stopped trying to make me girly. i realized i would never be able to please my parents, so i stopped trying. alex was the only one who taught me to believe in myself. he always looked out for me and protected me. but sometimes i think he might be a bit too over-protective.

kai: that's only 'cause he cares. *smiles*

lucy: i know.

kai: so, how about some broccoli soup?

end.

it's night time. lucy is in a crowded hall watching her brother and friends onstage. she's in the front row looking at alex. he is singing and playing the lead guitar, kai plays bass guitar and sings backup. ralph plays the drums, quan plays the keyboard, and myrina alternates between a harmonica, eukelele, shakers, and a saxophone, depending on what each song requires. when the band is done, lucy claps the loudest. the crowd begins to thin and she gets onstage to help them pack up.

lucy: that was great! i can't believe i never saw you guys perform before.

myrina: i know, and your own brother started this band.

lucy: you're really multi-talented myrina.

myrina: thanks, i think i have the most fun out of all of us. *laughs*

a young indian woman approaches the stage and alex pulls her up. they kiss. everyone looks.

alex: guys, this is shyamali, my girlfriend. shyamali, this is kai, ralph, myrina, quan, and my little sister lucy.

lucy: "little"?!?! *she smiles and shakes shyamali's hand* you have a really beautiful name.

shyamali: thank you. it's nice to finally meet you. your brother talks about you all the time.

lucy: really? *grins at alex*

ralph: girlfriend, huh? since when?

shyamali: uhh, we're kind of keeping it a secret. my parents are a bit weird about certain things. *looks at alex*

myrina whispers to ralph: no wonder alex kept it quiet. he stresses out enough about having lucy around, i'm sure he's worried about her too.

ralph nods.

a group of girls approach the stage and flirt with kai, who flirts back. one of them goes up to ralph.

girl: gosh, you must have really strong arms to play those drums like that.

myrina: those strong arms only go around me, so back off missy! *glares with arms crossed*

girl: okay! jeez.

the girl leaves, the other girls chat to kai and quan, and kai leaves with a girl on his arm. lucy glares behind him.

shyamali: don't worry, i doubt he actually likes her. some men just need to have that sort of thing to feel better about themselves.

lucy: huh? worried? i'm not worried! i don't care if he likes her or not. where'd you get that impression?

shyamali: oh! i dunno, i just...i mean...ummm...

lucy: please, i don't think about him that way. i know what he's like. he doesn't do it to feel better about himself, he's cocky as hell. he does it because he can. he's never had problems with girls, they seem to just offer themselves up to him. but not me! and if he thinks he can flirt around with me, he's wrong! i really don't care about him. so he's wasting his time. *crosses her arms and frowns*

shyamali: okaaay...hey how about getting a sandwich with me or something while these guys finish packing up?

lucy: i'm a vegetarian.

shyamali: yeah, so am i. that's why i said a sandwich, not a burger.

lucy: oh. sorry. hey cool! i never met another one until now.

shyamali: really? i know tons. i can teach you how to make lots of vegetarian dishes if you like. most of them indian of course.

lucy: i love cooking! that would be great.

they walk out together.

quan: looks like lucy found her soulmate. *chuckles*

end.

it is morning time. alex is in his car and is dropping lucy off at the station.

lucy: thanks for the ride big brother. and thanks for letting me stay with you again. i really appreciate you rescuing me from mom.

alex: you're welcome. but you know you can't keep running away from your problems. if you really feel that badly about the way mom treats you, you should stand up to her. don't let her dictate your life. besides, i can't keep hiding you here.

lucy: i know. i'll try to be strong like you. i promise next time she bothers me i'll stand up for myself.

alex: good. i love you very much, and i don't want you to rely on me for your happiness. you should be happy living with mom, or wherever you are. goodbye. take care of yourself.

lucy: bye alex. you too.

lucy gets on the bus and waves to alex. the bus pulls away and alex drives off.

a hooded man sits in a car and watches alex drive away. he starts the engine and follows the bus.

end.

0 notes

serpent-jugheadjones · 7 years

Text

The Partner Revealed - Part 5

Pairing: Jughead Jones x Reader

Description: Their investigation on Jason has to take a break while they try to save the Drive-In.

Warnings: None I can think of.

Word count: 5384

A/N: Can’t believe I’m already on Part 5. You guys are awesome for the reading. Sorry it’s such a slow burn. Yep, there’s a subtle Supernatural reference... Thank you @jugheadxreaderinyourhead for helping me with vocabulary.

Jughead’s point of view

Jughead is woken up by loud noises at the Drive-In. He goes down, still in his boxers, ready to strike in case it’s a burglar, but it was just the manager. Seeing him makes Jug feel at ease again, relaxing his muscles, although the fact that the man is putting things in boxes can be a little concerning. “Hey, Jake. What’s up?”, he asks, puzzled. “Here’s your payment, Jughead.” The man hands him a thick envelope. “This is a lot more than I earn.” He tries to hand him back the envelope, for he might have given him the wrong one. “Oh, you don’t know yet. They’re shutting down the Drive-In.”, Jake says, while throwing his belongings into the cardboard box in a somewhat rough manner. Jughead stays silent with a dumbfounded expression. “It’s the month’s salary, next week’s advance and a little extra for all these years of good work.”, Jake explains the amount of money and goes back to packing. “Why?”, he simply asks, still thinking it could be a complete joke. “It was bought off.”, the man says sadly. Just like for Juggie, that place means a lot to him. “You should read this.” Jug takes the letter in his hands with the explanation from the Mayor. He can see the man reminiscing about his youth, talking about how he used to take his dates there, or that he worked at the projection booth douring high school, having managed the Twilight for most of his adult life, just as in many occasions they’d talk about all those things. But it was all going down now.

Jake loads his car with the last of the boxes full of memorabilia and personal objects. He closes the trunk door and shakes Jug’s hand, who is now fully dressed, including his beanie. “Take care of yourself, kid.”, he says with a lot of weight on his words. Jughead is left standing there, looking at everything like it’s both the first and the last time he’ll ever do, until the car is no longer visible. He remembers when he started working there and Jake found him sleeping on a thin mattress on the floor, head on his backpack. He was scared to death of being thrown out and fired over it, but the man simply walked out and came back half an hour later with a rollaway bed, a pillow and some blankets he assembled in the projection room without a word. With all that in his mind, he doesn’t even have time to think about what Betty found out regarding Archie and what she might do with such information.

He returns to his room and sits down on the bed, staring at the letter for a while, not being able to read past ‘It will be demolished’.”. His home away from home, the place in which he has had a few happy childhood memories is being torn down. Jughead looks at the envelope containing his last payment and then at the projection room he’s been living in for the past 2 years, wondering what the hell he’ll do next. He just grabs a jacket and leaves, walking for miles without paying attention to anything. The words from that piece of paper stand out in his mind: anonymous buyer, shut down, scheduled demolition… He adds a few on his own, like jobless and homeless. When this upset boy finally stops to look around, he recognizes the front door he’s standing on: Y/N’s. “When did she became the person I go to when I’m in need?” he asks himself and turns back. “Jughead!”, she shouts. He’s already walking away, not wanting to trouble that outstanding girl with that, when he feels her hand holding his. (She’s not gonna let him go.) He’s actually incredibly thankful she did that. Truth is he doesn’t want to be alone in that moment. He’s just not good at asking for help.

They walk in still holding hands. “Do you wanna talk about what happened?”, she asks, letting go of his hand. “If you don’t mind, that’s the last thing I wanna talk about.”, he answers, missing the warmth of her touch. “I have pizza. Pizza makes anything better.”, she says, taking out the box from the fridge and putting it on the pizza pan to heat it up. “Agreed.”, he tells her, but what really makes him feel better is seeing her. “Your parents aren’t home yet?”, he inquires, looking around, noticing pictures of her as a kid on the walls. “No. There was an emergency somewhere, with some patient.”, she tells him with little interest. “And they just leave you?” He wonders if that sounded rude. “I’m used to it. To be honest, I enjoy it.”, she tells him and he relates to her fondness for being alone, although right now he prefers being with her. “It’s my mom that doesn’t like it. My dad is the love of her life – she can’t stay away from him. But she’d like to be home more often.”, Y/N explains and he wonders if his dad was the love of his mom’s life; if so, how he stopped being.

The pizza is eaten before any slice even has a chance to cool down. Then they talk for hours, about the first time they watched ‘A Clockwork Orange’ and could barely blink, their favorite potato chips flavors, how they both love Edgar Allan Poe, some video games they both play and even a little bit about things he wrote before starting the novel. Jughead even forgets about the Drive-In. That girl makes him feel things he never felt before. He’s never even had a crush on a fictional character and now all he wants to do is be there, looking at her and hearing her talk about things they love. “I can’t help but notice you haven’t used the free food ticket I gave you.”, he remarks, wondering if she hasn’t used it because she’s not into him. Besides, it can be the last time he’s able to. “Wasn’t aware there was an expiration date.” They both laugh. “I was saving it for tonight, obviously. Come on, Jones. Buy me dinner.”, she says with a confident smile, something he had never seen on that pretty face before, and it matches her. “It’s a date… Did I just say that out loud? No, thank god. Also, did I just call this a date?” He rambles in his own mind.

Y/N’s point of view

The Chock'lit Shoppe isn’t far from her home. Even in the slow speed they’re going, it won’t take them too long to get there. “Sheriff Keller stopped by this morning, before you.”, Y/N tells him as they walk. “He’s been going around door to door.”, Jughead reports. “He heard about the fight and wanted to know about my involvement with Jason.”, she says mockingly, with air quotation marks, immediately noticing a barely perceptible frown on Jug’s face. “I told him he should come back another time, when my parents get home. I’m pretty sure he found that suspicious.”, the girl adds. “He doesn’t have any idea what he’s doing. I mean, nothing like that was ever supposed to happen in Riverdale.” He stops as the Sheriff drives by them not failing to stare until he was out of sight. “It’s starting to look a lot like Salem during the witch trials.”, he delivers it eerily and she can see he’ll use that in his novel.

They arrive at Pop’s parking lot. The red light form the neon sign shading their faces, the amazing smell of food being cooked inside watering their mouths. “Jughead!”, someone shouts and they turn around. Betty, Veronica and Kevin are walking towards them. “Hey, guys.”, Jughead responds unexcitedly. “And who’s this?” Veronica asks curiously. Y/N’s just about to answer, detecting Jughead’s difficulty in finishing his sentence. He’s stuttering on ‘she’ when Betty finally answers for them. “This is Y/N Y/L/N. She’s writing with us at the Blue and Gold.”, the blonde reveals and both Veronica and Kevin move on to a different conversation. “Am I?”, she inquires with a quite puzzled expression. “Yeah, if you take my offer.”, Betty concludes hopefully. “What offer?”, Jug asks, even more confused than Y/N. “Betty called me last night inviting me to work with you guys, but I’m not a writer.”, she says, expecting that would be the end of it. “Acording to my mother, you are.” Betty is not comfortable to bring her parent into the conversation, but she’s kinda desperate. “Alice is kind to say that. But if that internship taught me anything, is that I’m not cut out for it.” Y/N tells her, remembering how hard she had to work to keep up with the Coopers. “I don’t know about you guys, but I’m starving.”, Kevin interrupts, already walking in. “I’m Veronica by the way.”, the raven-haired girl introduces herself, shaking Y/N’s hand. “Nice to meet you. I’m a fan of the DIY manner you used to deal with the Chuck situation.”, Y/N says, observing Betty doesn’t take that the same way Ronnie does.

Hermione Lodge comes to take their orders as they sit in a booth. Jughead chooses the place in front of Kevin and Betty quickly sits next to him, leaving both Jug and Y/N wondering if she didn’t notice they arrived together for a reason, but neither being able to tell the girl. Veronica is already sitting next to Kev, so Y/N finds a chair to sit at the corner of the table, felling a bit left out. “So sorry about the Drive-In, Jughead.”, Kevin says, taking a sip from his soda. “What about it?”, Veronica asks indifferently, like she’s just making conversation. “They’re shutting down and demolishing it.”, Kevin explains, as if it was some simple small town gossip. “The Drive-In closing is just one more nail in the coffin that is Riverdale... No, forget Riverdale, in the coffin of the American dream.” Juggie sounds as if he was holding that in all day and now she knows why he looked so doom and gloom earlier. Y/N has a hard time processing the news but doesn’t fail to notice how poetic Jug is, even with the saddest of things. “This doesn’t make any sense.”, she agrees. The Drive-In is where she’d go with her father to watch cult movies and then they’d discuss their opinions afterwards at Pop’s. She can’t imagine that special place not existing anymore. “As the godfather of indie cinema, Quentin Tarantino, likes to say...” Jughead starts, but is cut off by Kevin. “Please, God, no more Quentin Tarantino references.” Y/N definitely doesn’t feel the same way as Kevin over Tarantino references. “What? I’m pissed. Not just about losing my job, the Twilight Drive-In should mean something to us. We should be trying to save it.”, Jughead claims desperately and Y/N is just about to back him up. “In this age of Netflix and VOD, do people really want to watch a movie in a car? I mean, who even goes there?”, Veronica asks rhetorically, making Y/N look at her with contempt, wanting to prove her wrong. “Me.” Y/N starts saying, but is cut off by Kevin, who she thinks has the annoying habit of doing that. “People who want to buy crack.” They both look at each other reprovingly. “And cinephiles, like me and Y/N, car enthusiasts.” Jug looks at her thankfully, really appreciative of her help on the subject. “Anyways, it’s closing because the town owns it but didn’t invest in it. So when an anonymous buyer made Mayor McCoy an offer, she couldn’t refuse...” Jughead is trying to explain, but Veronica cuts him off. ”Anonymous buyer? What do they have to hide? No one cares.”, she speaks her mind, laughing. “I do.” Both Y/N and Juggie say at the same time. “Anyways, you guys should all come to closing night. I’m thinking ‘American Graffiti’, or is that too obvious?”, he changes the subject a little bit. It’s visible he’s already thinking of other options. “Anything starring Audrey Hepburn, or Kate Blanchett.”, Veronica votes and Y/N thinks it’s probably because the girl herself looks like she’s been taken out from one of those movies. “Or ‘The Talented Mr. Ripley’.” Kevin suggests and Y/N wonders if they only enjoy movies they can relate to. She also wonders the same about herself. “You do have Tom’s jaw, Kevin.”, she says. “Thank you.”, he says and she’s not sure if it’s utter thankfulness or sarcasm over being compared to a killer, although a very handsome one. “Betty, your choices?” , he looks at the blonde girl who’s been silent this whole time, snapping the girl’s attention into the conversation for what seems to be the first time so far. “Maybe ‘Pretty in Pink’. How about you, Y/N?”, the Cooper girl wants to know, and Jughead stares at Y/L/N intently. “I think ‘Rebel Without a Cause’ is a good fit.”, she shoots. Hermione arrives with their food, putting an end to that debate.

“That’s an odd combo.” Kev says and looks at the trio who just walked in, making everyone turn heads. Archie with his dad and Miss Grundy, of all people. Betty quickly walks out without Jug or Y/N even having a chance to stop her. They know perfectly well that approaching him like that isn’t a great idea. “What’s happening?”, Kevin asks confused, just like Veronica. “Trust me, you don’t wanna know.”, Y/N responds, hoping they’ll let it go, but it actually makes them more interested. As soon as Betty walks out with the ginger boy, their curiosity grows. Unfortunately, none of them is about to tell why the blonde needed so desperately to talk to Arch. Y/N has just met Betty, having no long lasting friendship loyalty to her, and she doesn’t even know Archie, but she wouldn’t want to be told on if she was in that situation. “What’s happening out there? Do we know? Is it about me?” Veronica asks hurriedly and Y/N thinks how self-centered that girl has to be to think everything is about her. “I have a strong inkling.”, Jughead says vaguely. “I’d stay out of it if I were you.”, Y/N advises the New Yorker and she looks surprised Y/N even knows what’s going on. “But you’re you and I’m me. You do you, girl. I’ll be back.”, Veronica spits on her way out. Kevin respects their privacy out of fear of the unknown.

Jughead’s point of view

Alice shows up to pick Betty up before things get worse. Archie walks back in to his table as if nothing has happened and Veronica looks both pissed and surprised at the same time. “I’ll leave this to your very capable hands.”, Jug tells Kevin, who is desperate for gossip. “Y/L/N, if we may?”, he says pointing at an empty booth on the other side of the diner and she quickly gets up waving the ones staying good bye. They sit in front of each other, just the two of them. “As it should’ve been all along.”, the beanie-clad boy adds trying to salvage what could’ve been their first date. “Why didn’t you tell me about the Drive-In?” That’s exactly what he’s expecting her to ask. “I wanted to forget about it.”, he says sadly now that the anger has gone. “I want to be able to help you, Jug, but I can’t if you won’t let me.” He can hear the honesty in her voice. “Help me print out and distribute the flyers about the last screening?”, he asks for her assistance. “Absolutely. But we shouldn’t give up yet. We have to hit pause on Jason’s investigation. It’s not like we have any new leads anyways.” He nods in agreement. “We should talk to Mayor McCoy about keeping the Drive-In.”, she suggests and he realizes it would be incredible if they could find a way to change her mind about the sale. He’s also amazed at her tenacity to fight for something that is probably doomed, because it’s the right thing. After all that happened this night, he’s glad he didn’t call it a date. It would’ve been a complete epic fail. He pays for Y/N’s food as she hands him the ticket. “Keep it.”, he tells her. “Give it back to me when you need a free meal.”, she says, putting the piece of decorated paper in his jacket’s pocket. He can feel her finger gently touching his body. If they weren’t in a diner full of people, he would’ve probably kissed her.

Jughead arrives early at school to hand out as many flyers as he can. Archie finds him on one of the hallways and starts rambling about Betty discovering his affair with the music teacher. Jug cares about his friend, but he has more important things in his mind, like the roof over his head that is about to be demolished. Even if he didn’t, saying nothing was the most moral choice. He couldn’t either betray Arch and tell Betty not to do anything or warn the red-haired guy without going against Betty, who wasn’t wrong. He assures his friend Betty wouldn’t do anything to hurt him. Despite everything, he can’t miss the chance for some irony. “We’re both trying to hold on to something much older than us.”, he says, as he glues a poster on the school’s wall with a near perfect drawing of James Dean, made by Y/N, revealing the movie of choice: Rebel Without a Cause. Could he make it more obvious he’s falling for her?

Y/N is waiting for him outside after their last class, for they planned of walking to the town hall and talk to the Mayor. “Interesting friends you have.”, Y/N states, referring to the previous night’s scandal. “Archie and Betty are my friends, the others were just there…” He knows how mean that sounds. “So, only the womanizer jock/musician and the absent-minded blonde? Not the gay kid? Or the deluxe rich girl?”, she hits him with the same level of sarcasm he strikes the world with and they both laugh.

Mayor McCoy is not pleased with their visit and she makes that pretty obvious by not giving them her full attention, messing around with papers they are sure could be dealt with after the 15 minutes they asked for. Jughead looks longingly at the town’s model in the middle of the room and Y/N walks right to the Mayors desk in a stern way, demanding to be heard. “The Drive-In is a piece of this town’s history. You want to throw a 75th Anniversary Jubilee while you destroy our roots?”, Y/N asks with conviction and Jughead doesn’t think he could’ve put it better himself. “It’s called progress, Miss Y/L/N. Do you think we kept everything exactly like it was 75 years ago?”, the Mayor asks like Y/N is a kid and that angers Jughead. “There must be something we can do to keep it.”, he demands with a hint of desperation. “I’m sorry, but the Twilight Drive-In it’s a blight that’s become a cesspool, and a hangout for criminals… and transients.”, she says with little regard to the people who love that place. “And the deal’s done. Andrews Construction is scheduled to demolish the lot on Monday.”, she adds happily like that’s a job well done. “Mayor McCoy, when I was a kid, my family and I would go to the drive-in all the time. We couldn’t afford tickets for everyone, so my sister Jellybean and I would hide in the trunk until we parked. We’d sneak out.”, he chuckles and notices the soft expression on Y/N’s face who was listening attentively. “It’s like I’m home.” He emphasizes the word ‘home’, hoping that a more sentimental way could get to her. “Thank you both for your input on this. But the future of Riverdale is at stake. There’s nothing I can do.” She motions them to the door.

Jughead has the look of defeat all over him. “We’re not giving up. We can talk to Mr. Andrews. If he backs out, it will at least slow it down until we find a permanent solution.” She cups his cheeks talking very close to his, making Jughead’s heart skip a beat. He takes a moment to regain control of his body after she let go of his face. “I should be the one to do it. I’ve been best friends with his son all my life.”, he says trying to find an explanation to why he doesn’t want to involve her in this without having to mention his drunk father. “Makes sense. Let me know how it goes. I have to meet Betty for something anyways.” He thought she would be hurt by being left out but it actually surprised him she has plans with the blonde cheerleader. “Are you guys friends now?”, he asks with jealousy. “I wouldn’t go that far. She asked if I was in for some sleuthing. It’s probably Jason-related and she just wants my opinion.”, she explains. “So, about tomorrow… I can borrow my mom’s car. And I was wondering if you’d like to watch the movie from the audience’s point of view one last time?”, she asks with so much insecurity he thinks it’s cute. “I’d love to. I’ll fix the roll and meet you there.”. He looks at the beautiful smile now forming on Y/N’s face, not realizing he has the same one on.

Y/N’s point of view

Y/N stands at the address Betty texted her. Despite she’s not late yet, the Y/H/C girl has her doubts if she’ll really come or if this was just a prank. Thankfully, before she has time to fall into a panic attack over it, she spots the blonde Nancy Drew walking her way, alongside the raven-haired princess. “So much for letting this go.”, Veronica says as Y/N now realizes they are standing in front of Geraldine’s car. “Wow. Are we really breaking into Grundy’s car right now?” Y/N asks while Betty pulls out a slim jim out of her bag. ”How do you even know how to do that?”, Veronica asks whispering and looking around. “My dad and I fix cars together. Thank God, she drives an old…” Betty looks at the other girls with a proud look since she has successfully opened the blue beetle’s door and they all get in. “I have to say, when you said sleuthing I figured it was about Jason and not breaking in the music teachers car.”, Y/N whispers and Betty quickly looks around the car. “If I’m committing a felony, I need at least to ask the question. Are you doing this because you still have feelings for Archie, or…”, Veronica asks and that makes Y/N huff and fall back on her seat felling her body hit something. “No. We’re doing this because Grundy has Archie under some kind of sexual spell, and he won’t listen to reason. We’re looking for anything that proves Grundy isn’t as clean as she says she is.” Betty says. “Probably what you’re looking for.”, Y/N says and hands her a lock box she found on the back seat and Betty expresses a deep ‘thank you’ with her eyes. “Bobby pin.” She looks at Veronica who obviously had many hidden around her perfect wavy hair. “Ok, Ms. Gyver.” Veronica hands her the bobby pin and she masterfully opens the lock. “Nancy Drew detective handbook?” Y/N asks impressed. “Yeah!” Betty is proud to be compared to such a wonderful writer. She opens the box pulling out a driver’s license with the name “Jeniffer Gibson” and Ms. Grundy’s picture making the girls question the teachers real identity. However, what really surprises them is the gun Betty pulls out. They hear noises in the house. “We gotta go.” Y/N urges, already opening her door with as much care not to make a noise as she does when sneaking out of her room when her parents are home. Those little outlaws leave.

Betty convinced them they should tell Archie about what they found. Y/N really wants to be left out of it as she doesn’t even know Archie. But she was involved in it either she likes it or not. Obviously the red-haired wasn’t too pleased about the illegal actions the girl took, but he couldn’t deny that it’s suspicious for his lover to have an ID with a different name and a gun, considering a student was shot. He said he’d deal with the situation on his terms, not Betty’s, and Y/N thinks he’s right. Even if what the lovers are doing is wrong, it’s not their business. They leave with a very angry Archie slamming the door on them.

Y/N hadn’t looked at her phone while she was out breaking the law with Betty and Veronica, so when she get’s home, there are a few texts to answer. She skips her mom’s, going directly to Jughead’s.

From: Jughead

No luck with Mr. Andrews.

From: Y/N

Then let’s think of something else.

He doesn’t reply after that and she’s sure it’s because it must be a lot to take in. She has a lot of unfinished homework to get to. Since they became friends, she’s been spending her time in getting to know him rather than schoolwork. Fact is her parents wouldn’t be pleased if her grades started getting lower, which creates a strong conflict, because she really wants to keep his friendship. Y/N decides to sleep a bit less to try to make everyone happy, including herself, by making a cup of coffee to get her through those papers. She eventually falls asleep on the desk with only a few words left to write on her last essay.

Y/N takes one last look at herself in the mirror before leaving for the Drive-In. She’s not usually worried about her clothes the way Veronica and Cheryl are, because she feels there are more important things than appearance, but right now she wants to look good. She chooses a black see-through buttoned-down shirt that barely shows her bralette underneath, a red wine jacket, dark gray skinny jeans and simple converse shoes. She lets her Y/H/C hair loose and natural. The girl even attempts on wearing some lipstick, giving up at last because it feels too much.

She arrives quite excited at the Twilight, only second to the Serpents, who were probably there a lot earlier. Looking at the big sign showing “Rebel Without A Cause” makes her blush. The girl parks her mom’s 1967 Impala in the middle of the field where the lights from the concession stand won’t be visible and the noise from the gang won’t be too loud. The smell of fresh popcorn fills her nostrils and she buys two buckets, since Jughead will be joining her. Not too long goes by and the whole space is filled with cars. It has been a while since the Drive-In is this crowded. So sad to think it will be the last time.

Half the movie has gone by and Jughead is still in the projection booth. Y/N wonders if she’ll be stood up one more time. The Serpents are being loud and obnoxious, making it hard to hear what the characters are saying. Thankfully, Y/N has watched it many times before, enough to memorize the lines. She can faintly hear someone screaming back to the gangers, telling them to shut up. When she looks behind her, she sees Verocina sitting back down in Kevin’s truck. Everyone hunks in agreement.

The passenger door opens and Jughead sits next to her. “Took you long enough.”, she says, handing him a half empty bucket of popcorn. “Yeah, I ate it.” He chuckles, resting his hand on the back of the seat. “Smooth.” She thinks, glad he did that. Jim has just kissed Judie and Y/N faces him. He’s leaning in, getting closer to her face, brushing the locks of hair away from her face, glancing at her lips. She’s desperately waiting for him to finally reach her. Perfect mere inches from contact are ruined by one of the Serpents turning on his bike to leave and the noise makes him back away, quickly opening the car door. “I should get back to check on the film...” Before she even has a chance to reply, he’s already out of sight.

Jughead’s point of view

Joghead closes the projection booth and slides down till he hits the ground. “What the fuck was that?” He has never kissed anyone, never even wanted to. But then there he was, just about to do it, and he truly wished it had happened. Best of all, he could see she did too. If that darn bike hadn’t made him self-conscious of the risks of his actions, he probably would’ve. He’s not used to being scared, so he just left her there to be alone in his safe haven one last time, but in deep regret.

The movie ends and the loud noise of cars leaving makes him look from the small window at the field. Her car is the only one still parked. Jug wants to go down, but he can’t face her now. His phone buzzes.

From: Y/N

Do you need a ride?

From: Jughead

Nah, thanks. I still gotta fix some stuff, it’s gonna take a while.

From: Y/N

Ok. Good night, Jug. Sorry we couldn’t save the Drive-in.

He’s relieved at her messages. He was expecting her to be mad but it seems as if she could read his mind and know he was just afraid of being rejected. Jughead watches her driving away, wanting to scream for her to come back. Instead, he keeps his mouth shut with dread. He proceeds to pack his bag with whatever he can make fit, mentally preparing to leave for good in the morning, not even sure yet where he’ll go to, his dad’s place being the last one on the list. When he finally lays down, both his mind and body are tired and he falls asleep immediately, letting his unconsciousness continue the act he left unfinished earlier.

He grabs his heavy bag containing all his belongings and some souvenirs from the Drive-In. He takes a look at the walls that were about to be destroyed and he wants to add something of himself to that place. He tags “Jughead Jones Wuz Here” adding a crown on top with spray paint. After leaving his mark on the world, he’s ready to leave but is met face to face with the Southside Serpents’ leader. Anyone else in his place would probably shiver, but he was at ease. After all, the man standing in front of him is his father. FP may be an alcoholic gang-banger, but he truly cares about his son. He ensures his father he will be fine, mostly trying to convince himself. And he leaves The Twilight Drive-In without looking back.

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