#She is straight going to pose as a dude and perform a song for her like AAH!

[coconut530]

WE BACK BABY!!!

[takerfoxx]

The Sandman, Season 1, Episode 7, "The Doll's House," First Impressions!

Where one adventure ends, another begins.

Don’t think I haven’t noticed how the last episode, which capped off the storyline of Preludes and Nocturnes, began with Dream moping around that his adventure was over and he was left feeling unsatisfied, while this one is all about setting up another fetch quest for him, though one of a very different nature.

The Sandman sort of pivots back and forth in regards to Dream’s status as the POV protagonist. Sometimes it’s all about his story, sometimes he takes on more of a supporting role in another person’s story, in this case that being of Rose Walker, his sort of grandniece (which we’ll find out about later) and the new Dream Vortex, a sort of living dream anti-matter that will naturally draw all dreams to her and destroy them, and by extension the Dreaming itself.

Like before, we have a mixture of bits that feel like they fell right off the pages of the comics and others where things have been really shaken up. Perhaps the biggest change, which promises to have drastic effects on the next episode, is that of Lyta Hall taking Rose’s mother’s place (with a cheeky, fourth wall winking acknowledgement). Furthermore, Brute and Glob have been switched out for new character named Gault, who is apparently a shapeshifting female Nightmare. Now, that is interesting. So she isn’t in the Dream Dome with her dead husband, pregnant with Daniel, inside of Jed’s subconscious? Hector straight up got confirmed in her own dream, so we’re almost certainly going to get Hector next episode. But if Lyta isn’t with him, how is that whole Daniel business going to work, since she’s, you know, not pregnant with him, and thus he didn’t gestate inside a dream. And when we do get Hector, what’s he going to be like? I’m assuming he’s not going to be Silver Age Sandman, since they want to distance herself from everything DC related (though not without reference, given Rose’s toys). How is this going to work? Is there going to be a dream form of Lyta with Hector who’s going to combine with the real Lyta when Dream destroys the, er, dream?

Also, seeing how Lyta’s no longer Wonder Woman’s daughter, will they include her relationship to the Fates, come Kindly Ones?

Speaking of changing things, it was a little off-putting to see Despair wearing clothes, as weird as that sounds. But as soon as she used her ring to carve her own cheek, I was like, ah, there she is!

But while speculating about changes is fun, it’s also really nice when things just stick to what we know. The scene where Rose enters the boarding house and meets all the residents had me smiling like a loon. There’s Hal! There’s Barbie and Ken! Gee, I wonder if any of them will be important later, lol. There’s the Spider Women! And a picture perfect Gilbert, to boot! And Mervyn, my man! Oh, please give us the scenes where he’s bitching about Dream and Dream just shows up right behind him! I need to see that Pumpkinhead get that “Oh shit!” look.

And thank you so much for including Hal’s entire drag performance! Everything’s coming up roses, indeed! Though it only just occurred to me that his drag name, Ms. Dolly, is a straight up reference to the volume’s title. Maybe song from Guys and Dolls would’ve also been appropriate.

In the meantime, the climax at the Cereal Convention starts to get set up, with none other than Nimrod, Funland (oh boy), and a female version of the Good Doctor starts making plans. The Collectors was always one of my favorite storylines, so this is getting me really excited. I really hope they have that one serial killer fanboy posing as that dude that got killed off in Swamp Thing show up. Given that he was a white supremacist and an incel, it would only be, you know, topical. Also, while it’s not necessary, I also hope we get Funland’s iconic wolf ear hat.

But yeah, the Corinthian continues to weave his webs. I like him agreeing to be the convention’s guest of honor is now part of his greater plan to get at Dream instead of it just being someone he did for funsies only to get caught with his pants down. Speaking of which, all I can say to Rose’s housesitter is, dude, trust me when I say you do not want that guy calling you back! I know the hot dude with sunglasses is sexiness personified, but my guy, consider yourself lucky he left it at a one night’s stand!

And...okay, yeah, Rose is in the Dreaming! That's interesting. Like, there was one scene where she just popped into Dream's castle and he was amused by her, but now they're actually going to have a conversation? Huh.

All right, next episode promises to be a big deviation from the original comic. I am very curious to see what they have up their sleeves.

[bechloeislegit]

25 Days of BeChloe Christmases - 2020

Day 11 - Thank You, David Guetta

Prompt from Tumblr user Anonymous: Beca meets one of her biggest inspirations, David Guetta. She fangirls and insists on thanking him b/c if it wasn't for him she never would've met the love of her life, Chloe. I made a minor change in the prompt; I hope you like what I did with it.

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"Chloe! Are you home?" Beca called out as she entered the house she shared with her girlfriend, Chloe. "Chloe!"

No answer. Beca pulled out her phone and flopped down on the couch.

LoveOfMyLife: Where are you? I got some awesome news today and can't wait to tell you about it.

Beca sent the text off and threw her phone down next to her. Beca heard a noise and looked down at her phone, only to realize the sound was Chloe's key being inserted in the door. Beca jumped up and ran to the door.

"Hey, babe," Chloe called out, stopping short when she almost ran into Beca who was standing right in front of her. "Oh, I just saw your text. What's the good news?"

"Not just good news," Beca said. "Awesome news."

"Okay," Chloe said, chuckling. "What's your awesome news?"

"First things first," Beca said, pulling Chloe to her.

Beca kissed Chloe and Chloe kissed her back.

"Thanks for that," Chloe said. "What's your news?"

"Guess where we're going to be on Christmas Day night?"

"Um, at Aubrey's with the Bellas?"

"What? Noooo," Beca whined. "I mean we'll be with them for most of the afternoon. And we'll be leaving early to go to, are you ready for this? 'Cause, it's huge!"

Chloe walked over and sat on the sofa as she laughed at Beca's excitement. "I'm ready for it. Tell me where we're going to be."

"We, as in you and I," Beca said, joining Chloe on the sofa. "Are going to be at a special Awards Dinner for David Guetta."

"David Guetta?" Chloe squealed. "Is this for real?"

"Yes," Beca said. "David Guetta is getting some kind of special award. Theo and Khaled asked me to represent the studio since they'll both be out of town for Christmas."

"I'm so happy for you, babe," Chloe said, kissing Beca's cheek. "I know how much you admire David Guetta and how big an influence he was in you getting into music."

"I can't wait to meet him," Beca said. "It's like a dream come true."

"I can't wait to see you fangirl when you do meet him," Chloe said, laughing.

"I do not fangirl," Beca said, looking shocked.

"Yeah, you kinda do," Chloe said, pulling Beca into a kiss. "You get all awkward and say awkward things. But, that's okay. I think you're adorable when you're awkward."

~~ Day 11 of the 25 Days of BeChloe Christmases - 2020 ~~

Three weeks later on Christmas morning, Beca and Chloe sitting around with the Bellas at Aubrey and Stacie's. The friends enjoyed watching Stacie's daughter, Bella, open her gifts.

The Bellas had finished exchanging and opening their gifts when Beca leaned over to Chloe and whispered, "Are you ready to go? Our glam team should be at our place soon."

"I'm ready," Chloe said. "I need to say goodbye to Brey and Stacie."

"Let's do it," Beca said, standing and holding out her hand to Chloe.

"Sorry, guys, but we have to go," Chloe said to the group.

"Aww, can't you stay longer?" Emily asked.

"I wish we could," Beca said. "But, we have to get ready for the Awards Dinner."

"Brey, thanks to you and Stacie for hosting," Chloe said, wrapping her best friend in a hug.

"I'm just glad you two could still come," Aubrey said. "I know how much you were looking forward to attending this dinner."

"And meeting David Guetta," Stacie added.

"Damn straight," Beca said, smiling brightly.

"We'll see the rest of you later," Chloe said to the rest of the group.

After more hugs, goodbyes, and see you laters, Beca and Chloe left.

~~ Day 11 of the 25 Days of BeChloe Christmases - 2020 ~~

Beca and Chloe were ready and their limo was waiting outside.

"Let's go, Becs," Chloe called from the front door.

"I forgot my lipstick," Beca called out as she hurried up the stairs.

About a minute later, Beca was coming back down the stairs.

"Let's do this," Beca said and she took Chloe's hand and walked out the door.

It was a short drive to the venue and the limo queued up to drop Beca and Chloe at the red carpet.

"I didn't know this was going to be such a big deal," Chloe said as they waited their turn to exit their limo.

"I don't think it is usually," Beca said, looking out the limo window at the crowd. "But, I think David Guetta and Beyonce might have something to do with the crowd."

"Beyonce is going to be here?" Chloe asked.

"So, I've been told," Beca said. "I don't think she's performing though."

"Who is performing?" Chloe asked. "I mean besides David Guetta."

"I don't know," Beca said. " Everything's been kind of hush-hush."

The limo pulled up to the red carpet and the limo door was opened. Beca got out first and reached out her hand to help Chloe exit.

The paparazzi were ready for them and flashes started going off, temporarily blinding them.

"Just keep hold of my hand," Beca whispered to Chloe.

A photographer would yell out, "Beca! Over here!" and Beca and Chloe would stop and pose for photos before moving on.

The couple finally made it inside and are shown to their table.

"Beca, there's David Guetta," Chloe said, pointing at the man sitting at the table they were being led to. "We're sitting with David Guetta."

"I see," Beca said, as they reached the table.

"Why aren't you freaking out?" Chloe asked. "We're sitting at the same table as your idol, THE David Guetta."

"Beca, it's good to see you again," David Guetta said, standing as he spoke.

"Again?" Chloe asked, looking at Beca with an arched brow.

"Yeah," Beca said. "We met at the studio last week. He's friends with Khaled."

"And you must be Chloe," David asked. "I've heard a lot about you."

"David Guetta," Beca said. "I'd like you to meet my girlfriend, Chloe Beale. Chloe, this is David Guetta."

"It's an honor to meet you, Mr. Guetta," Chloe said.

"It's nice to meet you, Chloe," David said. "And, please call me David."

Beca pulled out Chloe's chair and Chloe sat down.

"Thanks, babe," Chloe whispered.

Beca took the seat next to her and Chloe looked over at David.

"So, David," Chloe said. "Beca didn't tell me she already met you at Khaled's studio. Did she fangirl over you?"

"Chloe!" Beca squealed, blushing as she looked over at David.

"She did somewhat," David said, grinning at Beca. "It was actually cute and endearing. Although, she did tell me I smelled like cookies, which I found a little odd."

"Cookies?" Chloe asked, laughing.

"Yeah," David said, laughing as well. "I'm still not sure how what she meant by it."

"I don't know what I meant by it either," Beca said, her cheeks red.

"What else did she say?" Chloe asked, putting her elbow on the table and resting her chin in her hand.

"I don't know if I should tell you this part.," David said. "Mainly, because I'm not sure I believe it actually happened.

"Go ahead and tell," Chloe said. "We're all friends now."

"Did you really barge into her shower to make her sing Titanium with you?"

"Oh, my God," Chloe said, covering her face with her hands. "I can't believe she told you that."

"So, it did happen," David said, laughing at how bright Beca's cheeks were.

"Sorry, babe," Beca said. "I just wanted him to know how special you are to me."

"Again, I thought it was both funny and adorable," David said, chuckling. "I tried to convince Beca to sing Titanium tonight, but she had a different song in mind."

"You're performing tonight?!" Chloe yelled, slapping Beca on the arm. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Ow," Beca said, rubbing her arm. She turned and glared at David. "It was supposed to be a surprise."

"Sorry," David said, putting up his hands in surrender. "My apologies for ruining your surprise."

"It's okay, dude," Beca said. "You're David Guetta, and I can forgive you this one transgression. You are the sole reason I wanted to become a music producer. Being a singed just kind of happened."

"I do recall you mentioning that when we met," David said. "Besides, I didn't tell her about-"

Beca's hand shot up and covered David's mouth.

"Dude, seriously," Beca said. "You promised you wouldn't say anything to Chloe about that."

"About what, Becs," Chloe asked, leaning over to whisper in Beca's ear. "What are you hiding from me?"

A shiver ran down Beca's spine as Chloe's breath caressed her neck just below her ear.

"Surprise, remember?" Beca managed to squeak out.

Chloe blew softly in Beca's ear, causing another shiver to run through her.

"Okay, okay," Beca said. "I'll tell you. David and I are talking about collaborating on a few songs together."

"Oh, my God, Beca," Chloe said, pulling Beca into a side hug. "That's huge news. I'm so proud of you."

Chloe turned Beca's head toward her and gave her a quick kiss.

"It's still in the early talking stage," Beca said, looking at David Guetta. "But, hopefully, after the first of the year, we'll be able to put some time aside to start working on it."

"I'm looking forward to it," David said. "Beca's very talented and has a good ear. I foresee some really great work in our future."

Servers began coming out to place salads in front of the guests. The wine was poured and drank. The conversation continued and everyone was enjoying themselves. The main course was served, and then finally, dessert.

After the guests had finished dessert, it was time for the entertainment portion of the evening.

Beca whispered in Chloe's ear, "I need to use the restroom. I'll be back shortly."

"I'll go with you," Chloe said and started to rise.

"No," Beca said quickly, pushing Chloe back into her seat. "I don't want you to miss any of the show."

"Oh, okay," Chloe said and settled back in her seat.

Ryan Seacrest was emceeing the event and walked out onto the stage as he was being introduced.

"Ladies and gentleman, our first performer really needs no introduction," Ryan said, looking out at the assembled guests. "She first came on the scene two years ago and has made quite the impression on, well, just about everyone. And, I'm told she has a special surprise in store for you. Ladies and gentleman, Beca Mitchell!"

"Beca's singing first?" Chloe asked, looking at David Guetta. "I wonder what the surprise is."

David smiled and nodded. "Just watch and listen."

Chloe smiled and turned back to watch Beca, who was now standing in the middle of the stage.

"I would like to thank David Guetta for asking me to perform tonight," Beca said into her microphone as she looked over to their table. "I'd also like to thank him for the song Titanium because that song helped me meet the love of my life."

Beca paused and smiled over at Chloe. "And, lastly, I'd like to thank him for giving me permission to do what I'm about to do."

Music started playing and Beca looked Chloe in the eyes as she started singing.

I've got sunshine on a cloudy day When it's cold outside I've got the month of May Well I guess you'd say What can make me feel this way? My girl (my girl, my girl) Talkin' 'bout my girl (my girl)

I've got so much honey the bees envy me I've got a sweeter song than the birds in the trees Well I guess you'd say What can make me feel this way? My girl (my girl, my girl) Talkin' 'bout my girl (my girl), ooh

Hey, hey, hey Hey, hey, hey Ooh, yeah

As she sang, Beca walked to the stairs and down onto the floor. She continued singing as she made her way over to Chloe.

I don't need no money, fortune, or fame (ooh, hey, hey, hey) I've got all the riches baby one girl can claim (oh, yes I do) I guess you'd say What can make me feel this way? My girl (my girl, my girl) Talkin' 'bout my girl (my girl)

I've got sunshine on a cloudy day With my girl (my girl) (Talkin' 'bout my girl, my girl) I've even got the month of May With my girl (my girl, whoa)

She's all I can think (my girl) (Talkin' 'bout my girl, my girl) Talkin' 'bout, talkin' 'bout my girl (my girl, whoa)

The crowd started applauding and jumped to their feet. Beca took Chloe's hand and knelt down before her. Everyone got quiet and a few oohs and awws could be heard.

Chloe's hand covered her mouth in surprise.

Beca put the microphone to her mouth. "Chloe, I love you so much and I fall in love with you more and more every day. I sometimes wake up in the morning and have to pinch myself when I see you lying next to me, just to make sure I'm not dreaming and that you're real. What I'm trying to say is, I love you, Chlo, will you marry me?"

Beca held up a ring box she had in her pocket. Chloe wiped at her tears.

"Yes," Chloe finally said, leaning over to place her hands on Beca's face. "I love you."

Beca smiled and closed the distance to kiss Chloe. She then stood, pulling Chloe up with her.

"She said, Yes!" Beca announced pulling Chloe to her for another kiss.

David Guetta and everyone applauded the newly engaged couple.

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A/N: My apologies for not posting this yesterday (12/11/2020); life got in the way a little bit. Today's chapter (12/12/2020) will be posting later today. Thank you.

[creativenostalgiastuff]

Butterflies

Summary: Virgil made Roman promise that he wouldn’t fall for him. Virgil never made the same promise. And as they get ready for the High School Theater Awards, Virgil is left not quite sure what he thinks. Pairings: Prinxiety Warnings: homophobia mention, theater mentions, falling mention, stress, worry, awards, kissing, flowers Word Count: 5853 Author’s Note: I was watching Phineas and Ferb and Isabella says a line that was my springboard for this story. It takes place after Locked and before Last Words. I guess it's kind of forming its own Prinxiety Human AU because I keep adding more to this set up. Anyway, again this can be read as part of that or separately. Up to you. Just lots of feelings that were fun to explore. 

Virgil lays on the stage, a foot dangling over the side as he places his head down on his knee, waiting, amongst the confetti scattered across the floor. The lights are up in full, the castle backdrop that had been used in at least twenty different productions before this one swaying slightly in the breeze from the open backstage door. 

He closes his eyes, listening to the commotion in the vestibule outside of the theater. All of the families, friends, teachers, and other students gushing over the cast of the show, congratulating them for their performances and hard work. It will still be a bit before the cast comes in to turn in their mics, not that Virgil minds. He knows his family isn’t out there (he didn’t tell them when the show was… or even that he was in another show) and he doesn’t like crowds anyway. He is happy to just sit there and calm down from the show hype.

Virgil takes a deep breath, shakily letting it out as he looks around the theater. Admittedly, Virgil can’t quite figure out why his chest feels so tight. Maybe it has something to do with the release of all the pent up stress from his role as Prop Master. Running backstage had been stressful enough when he wasn’t in a leadership role, but lord help him when it came to being put in charge of the props. 

Or, maybe, it had something to do with the impending high school theater awards nominations. The student critics had been attending the show all weekend. Their reviews would come out by Wednesday, nominations for awards announced Friday, and then two weeks until the Gala where the winners would be announced.

“Oh, Virgil!” a sing-song voice rings as the door to the theater opens. “You have visitors!”

Virgil smiles as his eyes find his friends. Patton skips down the center aisle towards him, a flower tucked behind his ear, probably from a cast member’s bouquet. 

“It really was a great show,” says Patton, his grin large and genuine. “And you did a great job backstage! Everyone is talking about it. Best Junior Senior show in the history of the program! I can’t wait to take a turn at it next year with you guys!”

“It is regrettable that we were not able to participate in this show,” Logan nods. “You designed a fantastic, functional carriage and your props organization system was highly regarded by both the cast and crew.”

Virgil laughs dismissively as he stuffs his hands into his hoodie’s pocket, “Right. System. Or, you know, excessively fussing over items to the point of annoying the cast into submission.”

“You did well, Virge,” Patton reassures. “I wouldn’t be surprised if you get a nomination.”

 “Yeah, nominations,” Virgil blinks as he thinks about the upcoming city awards for the different high school theater programs. Cinderella was the last show before nominations were announced. “I don’t know. It's a talented city.”

“Don’t sell yourself short,” Patton encourages. “Go to the cast party and just relax. What’s done is done.”

Before Virgil can respond, the doors open and a blob of bright, glittering blue fabric fills the doorway. An arm emerges from the blob followed by the torso of a girl shouting, “Ay, yo, Prince! Push me through!”

“Dude, I’m trying. Your hoop is stuck!”

Virgil sprints up to the stuck Cinderella, “Woah, wait, stop! That hoop is a rental! Alana, back up, fold the hoop and then come through.”

Alana does as directed and gets through the doorway easily this time, “Yeah, I think the costume department would cry if I tore this dress. How many hours did it take?”

“It was a semester project for Talyn, so more than you want to know,” Roman answers as he follows his princess through the door, straightening the golden crown on his head. Virgil can’t help but notice the confidence that was almost glowing around this Prince: his posture straight and tall, a smile that could stop traffic, a sparkle in his eye that made them seem bright and full.  Snapchat wished it could make a filter to make people look like Roman did after a great performance, thought Virgil as he took in the sight of his friend.

“Virgil?”

Virgil shook his head, snapping back to reality, “Sorry, yeah?”

Alana turned around and pointed at the battery pack hidden on the hip pocket at the back of the dress (did Virgil say how amazing the dress design was for student work?), “Take my mic? I need to get out of this monstrosity.”

“Right,” Virgil says as he helps Alana get out of her mic, trying to ignore Roman; a task which was getting harder for Virgil as their friendship grew. Roman was such a big personality he seemed to demand attention. That meant that the more time Virgil spent with him, the more attention Roman took.

“Roman, Alana!” Patton calls as he bounces up and wraps the two leads in a big bear hug, “I am so proud of you two! That was such a good show!”

Virgil  finally untangles Alana, “You’re good to go.”

“Thanks,” she responds as she turns to face the group, “And thanks, Patton. It was a good last run. Only thing that would make it better is if we can at least get a nomination my senior year. It’d be nice to leave a legacy.”

“What is a legacy?” Roman immediately starts asking, striking dramatic poses. “Its leaving seeds in a garden you never get to see.”

“Come here, Mr. Legacy,” Virgil quips back with a roll of his eyes. “Before you pull a wire with your dramatics.”

“And I’m going to get out of this,” Alana says as she grabs as much of her dress as she can. 

“Need help with doors?” Patton asks, already headed towards the door. 

“That’d be great,” answers the princess. “Logan, can you help grab more of this?”

“Yes ma’am,” responds Logan as Alana hands him an armful of dress. “How did you do this for the production?”

“Mice,” Alana answers flatly as she picks up more dress. She takes a moment to pointedly make eye contact with Virgil, as if trying to send a secret message. Whatever the message is, Virgil doesn’t catch it, but it does make his ears red as the three of them maneuver her out of the theater and down to the green room to change. 

Virgil returns his attention to getting the mic off of Roman. The costume strategically hides his mic pack in his red sash, the wire running along it up to his shoulder before it blends into his hair. Easy enough to free. Without a word, Virgil gets to work fishing it out of the sash as his friend works to free himself from the mic in his hair.

They are friends, right? After the events in the locked choir room, Virgil doesn’t really know what is happening as far as their relationship, if you want to call it that, is concerned.There was a time where Virgil couldn’t stand the sight of Roman Prince. But things change. Roman has been true to his word, not telling anyone about Virgil being gay. They are fine doing things without Logan and Patton with them, which hadn’t always been true.  

Throughout the run of the show, Roman had gone out of his way to ensure that Virgil was included when the cast and crew did things; extending invites and offering rides. And Virgil realized he didn’t mind the large social gatherings with Roman. Something about Roman was almost calming, reassuring in those situations. Virgil almost found himself waiting for the next party, just so that he could hang out with Roman when he was in his element as Mr. Popular. Wanting to spend time with friends was normal, right?

“So, Virge,” Roman asks quietly, pulling Virgil from his thoughts, “you are coming to the cast party with me, aren’t you?”

“Uh…” Virgil begins, stuttering. With me?

“I mean, I’m taking Logan and Patton in my car, so it just makes sense you’d come too,” Roman explains as he hands the mic over his shoulder to Virgil, his words fast. “Sorry, I shouldn’t assume you’re going. It’s totally up to you. Just, you know, you always have a seat in my car if you want it. ”

It takes Virgil a moment to steady his voice, aiming for his signature indifference,  as he takes the mic and checks the battery is turned off, “Sure.”

“Perfect!” Roman turns, a smile beaming before he starts walking towards the door. “Give me five to change and then we’ll head out!”

Virgil  waits until the door to the theater clicks before he lets out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. He takes a steadying breath as he heads towards the sound booth, his face burning up and heart fluttering. 

~:-:~

Virgil sits in his last period class, his leg bouncing as he watches the second hand on the clock make its rounds, counting down the minutes. Why does the last period on the last day of the week always feel like the longest? He knows he isn't the only one anxious for once. 

The whole Cinderella cast had been a mess since Wednesday when they got their reviews from the student critics. They had been overwhelmingly positive, showering them with praise for everything from their costume design to their ensemble to their leads. Virgil found it hard to stay realistic, getting swept up in the hope of his fellow cast and crew. The energy had been undeniably infectious and Roman was definitely the patient zero of the group. As soon as that bell rang, the whole theater department would take off running to check the board. 

“They do realize the stampede of students will be worse than when they post the cast lists, right?” Logan inquires to Virgil, turning in his seat to face him. 

Virgil shrugs, chewing absently on his thumb nail, “Will that stop us from doing it?”

“No, I would think not,” Logan smirks as he turns back and folds his hands on his desk. Virgil rolls his eyes at Logan’s quiet patience. 

“What are the odds we get nominated again?” asks Virgil, leaning forward so that he could talk softly to Logan’s ear. 

“As I have told you, it depends on the category,” answers Logan while still facing front, his hands folded on the desk. “North Valley had a well recieved My Fair Lady, Mount Battenhorn’s stage for Les Mis was all anyone wanted to talk about in the forums for months.”

“Right, right,” sighs the emo as he sits back in his seat. His eyes flit back to the clock and the remaining few minutes before they would be dismissed. His class was about as far from the theater as he could get. Virgil would have to push upstream of the students if he wanted to check the board. Fast, too, if he wants to catch his bus. 

Virgil can’t help the burning question from bubbling out, “But like, what are the chances that Roman…” 

“Roman will get nominated?,” Logan finishes the question in unison with Virgil. He sighs as he pushes his glasses up his nose. “As I have told you the last three times you have asked in this class alone, I am optimistic of Roman’s chances. As I am sure you would agree based on your personal experience, he makes a very convincing Prince Charming. ”

Virgil stops, not quite sure what Logan is trying to insinuate. Was that referring to Virgil’s experience of Roman as an actor, a friend, or something else? 

“Excuse me,” a voice comes over the PA system, cutting off Virgil from retorting. “Teachers, please command a presence in your classroom.”

There is a pause before the voice continues, “As many of you are aware, our theater department just wrapped up the Junior Senior show last weekend, Cinderella. Ms. Martin, the director, is here with some big announcements.” 

“Well this is unprecedented,” comments Logan, loud enough for Virgil to hear. Virgil can feel his pulse skyrocket, adrenaline flooding the system. This can only mean something big. They wouldn’t announce publicly no nominations, right?

“Thank you, Principal Arthur,” the director’s high soprano voice said. “I am here to happily announce that this year’s show set a new school record for nominations, with a total of four nominations!”

“What?!” 

“We have nominations in best costumes, best supporting actor in a musical lead actress in a musical, and best musical!” Ms. Martin rattled off quickly, her voice getting squeakier with each word. “The awards will be given out at the Gala in two weeks. Congrats to everyone on a job well done. Oh, and I need to meet with you all in the theater immediately. Thanks and congrats!”

Virgil doesn't remember standing up. All he knows is that he is looking down at Logan, still sitting in front of him with a smirk, “I guess the odds of nominations were pretty good.”

“We were nominated.” Virgil states, not quite sure he can believe the words coming out of his own mouth. 

The teacher motions towards the door, “I believe your presence was requested in the theater, Virgil?”

“Right,” Virgil says as he picks up his backpack and hurries out the door.  When he gets to the doorway, he sees fellow cast and crew members in the hallway, running and jumping, whooping with excitement. Virgil can’t tell if he wants to join in for a moment as he takes in what they said. The cast is nominated. Roman is nominated. 

Roman. God, he would be so excited.  

A cast member runs past him, “Come on, Virge! They’re waiting!”

Virgil takes off after the rest of the cast, joining in the growing group of theater kids as they get closer to the theater. 

Once in the theater, he follows his fellow techies to the back of the theater as the cast fills the stage, just as they always did for full rehearsals. The whole room is loud with whoops of excitement and genuine joy. Someone hits the lights for the house, leaving the lights for the stage on from the drama class that had just been in there before the cast had taken over. 

“Can I get a mic?” the director yells from the stage, hardly audible over the excitement. She’s a short woman, blending in easily to the small ocean of high school students. One of the sound kids finds a mic and runs it up to her. “Thanks, is this thing on?” the director asks.

“Someone get the spotlight!” shouts one of the actors. 

“I’ll get it,” Virgil yells back. He honestly had missed being in the lighting booth for this show, having gotten his start in the technical side as a spotter. Quickly, Virgil scrambles up the ladder to the lighting booth tower. It takes him a second to turn the nob on the light to turn it on, his hands shaking from the excitement. Finally he gets it, turning on the spotlight and hitting the director. 

“Ah, thank you,” the director calls. “Okay, quiet down. I know we’re excited, but I have a few things we need to cover before dismissal.”

The chattering continues until a “Quiet on stage!” is barked by a familiar voice with a demanding presence. Virgil’s eyes follow to the sound of the voice over the others and smiles at Roman. The cast quiets down at the request of their Prince. 

“Thank you,” Ms. Martin says. “First of all, congratulations to everyone for everything you have done. We wouldn’t have gotten the Best Musical nomination without each and every one of you.

“As you are aware, the Gala is in two weeks. We have been asked to perform a song from the musical at the Gala. I would like to suggest we honor our fabulous leads by going with ‘Do I Love You’. Any objections?”

There’s silence before someone yells, “Give it up for our Prince and Princess, both nominated in their category!”

Virgil finds Alana in the crowd as people turn towards her and hits her with the spotlight quickly while flipping the other one on and spotting Roman too. Both of them laugh as they try to block the light to see who is spotting them.

“Let’s not forget our behind the scene’s nominations too,” Alana calls, finally giving up trying to see Virgil on the spot. “Talyn for that beautiful blue mammoth of a dress, as well as the rest of the costume department!”

Virgil finds Talyn in the group to spot them too and swinging the light from Alana to Talyn. 

“And to our beautiful director for all of her hard work,” Roman shouts as the kids break into applause and cheers. Virgil swings Roman’s spot back to Ms. Martin who has tears in her eyes. “We wouldn’t have set the school record without her!”

A student starts blasting music through the sound system to the cheers of everyone in the theater. Virgil takes a deep breath as he watches the stage, all of the students are hugging one another and dancing in celebration. The room truly feels electric. Virgil can[t help but watch Roman as he make his way through the entire stage, congratulating everyone, before jumping off the stage and making his way to the tech crew, continuing the celebration with them. A few of the other cast members follow him, with a few techies climbing on the stage until it was just one sea of celebration. Virgil is happy to watch from his place on the tower, feeling part of the joy while being comfortably separated. He never wants this moment to end. 

The bell rings, causing all of the students to scramble to find their discarded bags. Virgil watches, mesmerized by the movement below him.

“Okay, Alana and Roman, I need to see you first thing Monday so we can set a schedule to rehearse before the Gala,” Ms. Martin shouts into the mic and the students start to rush for the door. “Great job, everyone! I’ll let you know more details as I get them. Thanks and have a great weekend!”

Virgil sighs, resigning himself to miss the bus after seeing the rush for the door. He needs a minute to calm his shaking hands and falling from scaffolding was not something he plans to do. He sits on the ledge, swinging his legs and waving to the other techies as they head out of the theater. 

Ms. Martin points at him from her spot on the stage, “Virgil, aren’t you going to miss the bus?”

“Yes, ma’am, but its okay,” he waves to her. “I just need a minute to wrap my head around it all, if that’s okay.”

“Well don’t take too long,” she calls back, her eyes drifting to the bottom of the tower where the sound equipment was kept. “I’ll be in my office doing paperwork. Holler if you need me?”

Virgil nods and watches her exit the stage. He takes a deep breath, continuing to swing his legs back and forth. The adrenaline in his system was finally starting to calm back to what Virgil would consider an acceptable level now that the others had left. Virgil pulls out his phone and checks the time. He curses under his breath when he does the math in his head; if he leaves now he might walk in before his parents. Maybe. 

It's not that his parents are bad. They just don’t get Virgil, you know? They are always fighting over really dumb things, like his hoodie or his hair or why he wasn’t dating. After his coming out to Roman, Virgil just didn’t want to deal with questions his parents might ask. He could never tell them that he was gay. 

Virgil rubs his eyes, telling himself to stop sitting here thinking and go home. He gets up on the platform and quickly hits a few buttons to turn back on the lights to the house and the stage lights out. He scrambles down the ladder when an unexpected voice says, “Hey, Virge.” 

Startled, Virgil’s feet slip and he falls, “Shit!” He feels his body tense as he readies himself for the inevitable contact with the ground.

Instead, he is surprised again by a pair of arms catching him from the fall. 

“I guess the promise was that I wouldn’t fall for you, not the other way around,” Roman’s amused voice came. Virgil feels his heart skip a beat having nothing to do with the fall he just experienced. 

He opens his eyes and lets out a laugh of relief, “Roman, warn a guy next time, will ya?”

Roman winces at Virgil’s point, “Sorry. Still excited I guess.”

“Yeah, the cast did great,” Virgil responds as he places his feet on the floor. “Best Musical and all. I’m sure it wouldn’t have happened without you and Alana getting your own nominations.”

“That’s kind, but it was a group effort,” adds Roman as he helps Virgil get steady on his feet. 

“I’m sorry,” Virgil teases, “But is the great Roman being humble? I never thought I would see the day.” 

“You wound me, sir,” Roman retorts, bumping Virgil with his shoulder. “I’ll have you know, humility is the least of my many redeeming qualities.”

“Oh, right, my apologies,” Virgil laughs as he rubs the back of his neck, “I forgot who I was talking to.” 

Roman picks up Virgil’s backpack from where he had unceremoniously thrown it on the ground, dusting it off, “I wanted to ask, some of us were going to go get ice cream to celebrate. Logan and Patton are coming.”

“Oh,” Virgil responds. As soon as he says it, he wants to smack himself in the face. Really? All of that clever banter and now all you have is oh?

Roman extends his hand to Virgil, still holding the backpack in the other hand, “You up for it, or do you need to get home?”

Virgil swallows hard, trying to ignore the somersaults his stomach was doing, as he takes the offered hand. The simple touch is like flipping the switch in his head that made him worry and panic. For Roman, he has all the time in the world. 

“Yeah, ice cream sounds nice.”  

“Sweet,” Roman slings the backpack on his own shoulder, keeping a hold of Virgil’s hand. 

~:-:~

Virgil stands backstage at the High School Theater Awards Gala, fidgeting with the sleeves on his borrowed-from-the-costume-department metallic purple jacket. Talyn had insisted he wear it due to how it matched his purple Converse he had insisted on wearing. He didn’t mind the look it gave him with his black dress pants and button down shirt, only it was a bit impractical given his task of helping Alana manage the blue sparkling dress that had earned the nomination. He wasn’t sure why it was him helping and not one of the other techies who had the job during the show, but he didn’t ask questions.

On stage they are announcing another award, a technical award. The school had won for best costume already, thanks to Talyn’s beautiful and practical designs. They had taken everything into account, such as Alana’s nervous fidgeting with the beading on the dress, a habit she often showed backstage as she prepared for this section of the show. The costume department had reinforced the beading to allow her to fuss without breaking it. 

Virgil checks on the single flower he had placed in his pocket earlier, ensuring it is still okay. His breath catches at the sight of the red petals against the black lining of the jacket. He swallows hard and closes the jacket, nodding to himself. Now is not the time to think of that. Roman would win his award. He returns his attention to Alana, walking up to her spot in the wings.  

Virgil bites at his thumb as he looks across the stage from his current place. In the other wing Roman sits on a box, staring at the floor, blankly. His body reads as tense, folded up on itself more than Virgil is used to from the man. 

Roman had been acting weird the few days leading up to the Gala. He was more argumentative, more withdrawn, and refused to listen to reason. He insisted on using all of his free time and energy to work and rework the song for the Gala, ignoring their pleas for him to take care of himself. They had all tried to distract him by watching Disney movies or playing board games. Patton had baked cookies and brought him food whenever he refused to stop working. Logan had made a schedule to help Roman optimize his time to take care of himself. 

Virgil, admittedly, didn’t really know what to do. He had spent most of his time just sitting with Roman as he worked through the song, not saying much except the occasional reassurance that Roman knew what he was doing. Virgil wanted to do more, but he just didn’t understand. The performance had nothing to do with who won the award. This performance was supposed to be for fun.

Yet Virgil is nervous too, isn’t he? Maybe because he was worried of what would happen if Roman lost the award. Or maybe for other reasons. Now wasn’t the time to worry about it. 

He looks at Alana, acknowledging her own anxious energy as she messes with the reinforced beads, “You okay? You know you already won, right?”

Earlier they had announced her win.  She had been crying in relief and excitement as they had been getting set up for the performance, but now she clearly seems on edge. All that was left out of their nominations were Roman for Best Supporting Actor in a Musical and Best musical.

“I just don’t want to let anyone down,” Alana admits. She turns slightly to look at him without moving the dress, “Yeah. Can you do me a favor though, before I go on?”

“Yeah, what is it?”

She nods across the stage, “Go calm him down. He’s making me nervous looking that pale.”

Virgil snorts, “You say that like I haven’t been trying to all week. I don’t know what I’m doing.”

“Go talk to him?”

“You think I’m your best bet for talking?”

“Just try. You always have an effect on him. I think he needs you right now.”

Pushing the knot in his stomach down, Virgil agrees he has to try, “Alright. Just don’t move until you step on that stage, got it?”

Alana nods again, so Virgil slips around the backstage, avoiding all of the moving people and props, until he ends up behind Roman. Virgil stops and tries to think of something to make Roman laugh. He could just say hi, but that could scare the guy if he wasn’t careful. 

He could say what he was thinking: that he would never get tired of Roman in the Prince costume. That Roman had nothing to worry about. That he would make them all understand why he was nominated in the first place. That everyone was so proud of him, that Virgil was so proud of him. That he was glad they got locked in that choir room. That he was glad they were friends. That he, maybe, wanted… No, it wasn’t time to worry about the gift in his pocket and the words he might  end up saying. 

Virgil takes a deep breath before choosing his words, “I was going to say something clever, but honestly I got nothing.”

Roman keeps staring absently at the floor, “Hey, Virge.”

A stagehand passes them, placing a hand on Roman’s shoulder as he does so, “Two minutes, your highness.”

“Thank you two,” Roman mumbles as he stands up. 

“I’m here, Ro. What do you need?” Virgil asks in a rush, wanting to help before it is too late.

Roman’s head snaps up to look at Virgil and the use of the nickname. Virgil swallows the lump in his throat as he realizes he had never actually said that name before, only sending it in group messages with Logan and Patton before. He isn’t sure if its okay or not with Roman.

Roman gives a small smile, “Honestly? You won’t hate me?”

“Not possible,” answers Virgil as he crouches down so that he can be eye level with Roman. “Whatever it is, I got it, promise.”

“Just… hold my hand?” asks the Prince in a small voice. 

Virgil takes Roman’s hands in his own, his heart hammering hard inside him. He looks over the actor, not saying anything as Roman holds on and closes his eyes. Virgil can’t help but watch in awe as Roman takes deep breaths, seemingly breathing in confidence with each breath. 

“One minute,” the stage hand comes back and informs them. “Mic is going live now.”

Roman stands, nodding, pulling Virgil with him, still holding his hand while he takes his position in the wing. Virgil can’t help but notice the almost electric feeling in his hand in Roman’s. He’d be lying if he didn’t say it was intoxicating, standing in the wings next to  Roman Prince about to go on stage. 

The music comes in under the MCs voices, helping to set the tone for the love song. Roman gives a final squeeze to Virgil’s hand before he lifts it up and kisses it softly, causing Virgil’s brain to go crazy with bells and alarms. Virgil reaches up and straightens the crown on Roman’s head before giving him the thumbs up and a smile. 

Roman and Alana enter the stage and sing the song, “Do I Love You Because You’re Beautiful” like they were born singing it. They hit all of the notes, the staging is natural, and they both look absolutely stunning. Virgil just watches from his place in the wings, like he had every time the song was done for their show. He just adores how Roman sings the song, so full of meaning and emotion. He would never admit it, but it was his favorite moment in the whole show. He ignores the lump in his throat that forms when he realises its the last time he will watch them perform this song together. 

They end the song to the roar of applause at the kiss. Roman and Alana take their bows before Roman escorts his princess off stage towards Virgil. The two of them are beaming, knowing that they nailed it. Virgil can’t help but beam with pride for the two of them. 

Not saying anything, Roman lets go of Alana’s hand and takes Virgil’s. He doesn’t stop as he pulls Virgil through the crowded backstage, taking his mic and handing it to the techie waiting for it without breaking stride. 

“Roman?” Virgil finally asks when he finds his voice. “Where are we going?”

“Need some air,” Roman answers breathlessly as he pushes on a door marked with an exit sign. “Come on.”

“Wait,” Virgil says as he stops. He takes off his shoe and places it in the doorway, preventing the door from closing completely behind them. “We don’t want to get locked out.”

Roman nods and walks a few steps away from the building into the alleyway, letting go of Virgil’s hand, “You’re always looking out for us.”

Virgil leans against the brick wall as he watches Roman pace in the alley, just trying to catch his breath and calm himself down. Roman’s hands are on his hips as he walks the nervous energy out, causing Virgil to grin before saying, “You did it, Roman. You guys killed it.”

Roman shakes his head, a smile spreading across his face, “Yeah? You think so?”

“Obviously,” Virgil adds as he crosses his arms to try and stop them from shaking. “They’d be crazy to not have you win your category. Anyone with eyes can see you deserve it.”

“That… means a lot, coming from you,” admits Roman. 

“Uh, I’ve been trying to tell you that all week!”

Roman laughs as he approaches Virgil, staying on the bottom stair,  “Well, you know, I never do listen.”

“Oh, I’m well aware.”

“Hey, Prince!” Alana’s voice comes as she leans her head out the doorway, working to put her earrings back in her ears. “Get your butt back in here. They’re getting ready to announce your category.” 

“Coming,” Roman responds as Alana disappears back inside. Virgil grabs Roman’s hand as he starts to pass, “Ro, wait, I almost forgot.” He pulls out the single rose from his inside coat pocket and extends it to Roman, his hand shaking. “For good luck, not that you need it.”

Roman takes another step towards him, “You shouldn’t have. I didn’t get you anything.”

Before Virgil can say anything, Roman kisses Virgil softly, gently, yet electrifying. Virgil is caught off guard and tense for a moment before he relaxes into the embrace, closing his eyes and accepting the moment. 

“Roman!” barks Alana. 

Roman pulls back, causing Virgil to come back to reality, at the separation. “I’m sorry. I…” Roman mutters as he hurries past Virgil and heads inside before Virgil can say anything.  

Virgil stands there, stunned for a moment as he tries to process what just happened. Roman Prince had just kissed him. And Virgil had wanted it to keep going. It's the most alive Virgil remembers feeling. He hears a commotion inside the theater and snaps back to reality. Roman. 

Virgil grabs his shoe and heads into the theater, and hears the MC read all the nominees in Roman’s category. He starts running, sliding into the wing as they read off, “And the winner for Best Supporting Actor in a Musical goes to Roman Prince.”

Roman walks on stage, radiating at the announcement, waving to the crowd. Virgil knows Roman needs the validation from others when it comes to his creative work. And now he had it. Virgil joined the cheering as tears started filling his eyes. He can’t help the pride welling up inside of him for his friend. 

Roman accepts the trophy and waves it in the air, signing thank you to the audience as the MCs start ushering him back towards the wings to keep the show going. Virgil isn’t thinking, he just starts moving towards Roman coming off stage. His Prince’s eyes find him, tears of joy shimmering, as Virgil offers him a hand and pulls him further off stage and out of the way.

 “Virgil, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have...”

Virgil leans in and kisses Roman to stop him from talking. Virgil is gentle, but pushes all of the things he hasn’t said to Roman into it. All of the longing, the pining, the quiet hoping. Roman melts into him, wrapping an arm around him to pull them closer together. Virgil pulls back and wipes away a tear that had fallen down Roman’s cheek with a soft smile.  “Butterflies,” he says in response to Roman’s statement earlier. “You give me butterflies. Always.” 

[stereksecretsanta]

Merry Christmas, a-wolf-and-his-boy!

For @a-wolf-and-his-boy. I hope you enjoy this work, I had fun writing it.

Read On AO3

*****

A Summer Night's Ball

Chapter 1 - The Ball and Garden

“Come on, Stiles. Everybody is going to be there and who knows, you might run into your mate!” Scott said. He was (unsuccessfully) trying to tug Stiles from his bed without ripping any blankets. “Sitting in a ball of misery isn’t going to help things. So Lydia isn’t the one for you, so what? You’ll find someone just as good.”

Stiles poked his head out of the cocoon of blankets he’d made to say, “Scott, there’s not going to be anyone as good as Lydia and I’m probably doomed to be alone for the rest of my very short life. Just because you met your mate at the masquerade ball doesn’t mean I’ll meet mine. Why is that even still a thing? There are better ways to meet people than dancing with a bunch of masked strangers that you’ll never see again.”

Scott made a grab for Stiles’ head, getting a handful of hair before Stiles could retreat back into his cocoon. “It’s the biggest event in the country and plenty of people go to see if they might find their mate.” Scott grew claws on the hand not holding Stiles and slowly brought it closer to the chunk of hair in his grasp. “So get out of bed or you’ll be getting a new haircut this minute.”

“Don’t mess with the hair, dude!” Stiles tried to toss the covers off, knocking Scott off-balance who ended up falling on top of him.

“No crushing the Stiles either. Get off of me.” Stiles shoved Scott to the side, who ended up on the floor given how small the bed was. Stiles got up and reached for his closet doors only for Scott to stop him.

“Dude, my mom and your dad got something for you to wear to it so go to the bathroom and change into the clothes hanging in there and then we can go.” Scott turned Stiles around and shoved him out of his bedroom. Stiles mumbled as he walked to the bathroom about the traitor keeping him out of his own kingdom, got in and saw a full suit hanging. Never had Stiles felt so betrayed since that time in school when Scott refused to watch Star Wars with him, only to end up watching it with Allison later that year. After changing into the uncomfortable outfit, Stiles got out and saw Scott in a similar suit, though thankfully not matching like a couple. Both of them were wearing half-masks covering only the upper half of their faces, one of the more traditional choices. The bright red mask Stiles wore was slightly less traditional but he’d already given in to wearing appropriate clothes, he wasn’t going to wear a boring white mask too. He’d worn it to every ball and he wasn’t going to break that streak for anyone, luckily it looked like their parents knew that since the mask matched with his suit.

“Well, let’s get going. Sooner I’m done with this, sooner I can go back to my den of despair, misery and hopeless pining.” Stiles said.

“That’s the spirit! Who knows, I still think you might meet someone.” Scott said.

“And that’s why I have you, a ball of infinite optimism and sunshine.” Stiles said. The pair got into Stiles’ old beaten jeep and went to the old castle near the center of Beacon Hills. The country’s royal family lived elsewhere (nobody sure where the Hales currently lived after their last home burned down. Luckily, none of them were hurt.) but the castle itself was still used for major events like the Annual Ball that happened in the summer on the solstice. Being a spark, Stiles knew it was one of the major days of performing magic and the ball was originally a ritualistic event performed by the community to shelter them from anything evil. Nowadays, there were quicker, easier and safer methods so the ritual itself had stopped but the gatherings took on a new purpose. They were a chance for people to get together and possibly meet their mate or let people gossip about the latest incident or talk business. It was a day devoted to love according to the romantics like Scott or business to the less romantic like Stiles.

They pulled into the designated parking lot, almost full because it had taken Scott a long time to drag Stiles out so the pair were late since it started at six pm and it was close to eight and sunset. Stiles was feeling a little jitterier than normal, his spark was acting up a little but he put it down to what always happened at this event. It wasn’t like that last year when part of the Hale family didn’t show up but that was a coincidence as far as Stiles was concerned. After walking past the security, they entered the crowded ballroom.

“I’m supposed to meet Allison near the refreshments table so I’ll be heading on over. Go socialize a little, maybe dance a bit. My mom should be floating around if you are really bored but I think she finally got your dad off for one of these things and invited him.” Scott said.

“Dude, you should’ve told me that earlier and I would’ve come without a fight!” Stiles said. He gestured a little too strongly and almost hit a woman next to the pair. She glared at him and walked away so he turned back to Scott. “We’ve been trying to get them together for ages now, I thought it was agreed we tell each other any developments pronto.”

“I thought you already knew! You always seem to know everything before I find out so I thought you knew about them coming together too. Look on the bright side, we might be brothers soon!” Scott held his hand out with Stiles giving him a high five. Scott turned and his face took on a dopey grin.

“Guess I can’t bother Melissa then. She’d kill me if I ruined her chance.” Stiles noticed Scott was no longer paying attention to him. He shoved Scott and said, “Go on, I know where your mind is.”

“Thanks, Stiles. I’ll see you in a couple hours. My mom said we could be out as late as we want so don’t expect me to ride back with you.” Scott blurted out and then took off running, knocking a couple people over in his rush to get to his mate. Stiles shook his head and walked the opposite direction, the band switching over from the high-paced song they had been playing when the pair walked in to something slower. Stiles spotted his dad and Scott’s mom on the dance floor, swaying to the song, his dad in a similar suit to him and Scott while Melissa was in a matching dress. It was obvious they have been planning this for some time now and Stiles was pretty disappointed he hadn’t seen this before Scott.

The area near the dance floor was crowded as can be, a mix of people leaving the floor and trying to get on causing a traffic jam with no end in sight so Stiles gave up on dancing after trying for a few minutes. Spotting an exit nearby, Stiles took it to get some fresh air and maybe see what else he could see in the castle. While it was generally open to the public, there were still some parts that were off limits that he might be able to see this time around, even though he’d tried last year and failed so badly his dad had to bail him out. The exit he took led to a hallway he’d been in before, with less guards around to block him from snooping luckily. He peaked in a few doors only to see empty rooms with no furniture. Some had obvious cobwebs in the doorways and dust stir after he opened the door so that was a major disappointment for Stiles. He’d been hoping for something interesting given he was never allowed in but the rooms were filled with nothing after nothing after nothing.

His last hope for anything of interest was the last door at the end of the hall. With a quick charm, he was able to unlock the door and exit into what must have been a garden. He hung his jacket from a nearby tree branch and placed his mask on top of it, glad for some cool air after being inside the hot room. Most of the gardens were open to the public so he figured he’d probably seen this place before during daytime. He turned to leave until he noticed the large white wolf statue in the center straight ahead on the path from the door. That was something he had never seen before. Stiles approached the statue, noticing that the fur was extremely detailed, every strand was lovingly carved. The wolf was posed as if to threaten any intruders, teeth bared as if in anger.

He was almost to the statue when he heard a growl which he jumped and thought came from the statue itself until he heard it again. Turning around, he saw a large black wolf, eyes glowing a haunting yellow, staring right at him and felt a shock at the sight from his spark. He froze and saw the wolf do the same before it took a deep breath and softly whined at him. Stiles had no clue what to do about the obvious werewolf and stood still, slightly trembling. The wolf crouched down and approached him, Stiles wanted to back away but doing that now would be a giant mistake. He had to hope that the wolf wouldn’t do anything to him for obviously trespassing on Hale property.

“Nice sourwolf. No need to get violent. I can go back to the party and we can forget I ever did something this stupid, okay?” Stiles held his hands up in surrender. The wolf was almost to him, still taking what he thought looked like a submissive stance, before it reached him and shoved its nose up against him and loudly breathed in. “Whoa there, don’t you think that’s a little too personal? Buy a guy lunch before you start sniffing him like that at least.”

The wolf rolled its eyes before it gently grabbed his vest and tugged him away from the statue and away from the door he had come from. He followed along since he didn’t have much choice, ending up approaching a small bench that was hidden further into the garden. He saw a basket full of clothes next to a small bump on that side of the bench but ignored it as the wolf shoved him at the bench. He flailed for a moment before landing on the bench, mostly upright. “Hey, be gentle! You could have nudged me and I’d have sat down.” The wolf turned, grabbed the basket by the handle with its mouth and walked behind a bush. “Oh, so that’s for you to change back. Might actually get to talk to the man behind the wolf, huh? Don’t take too long.”

A couple branches shifted and one cracked loudly while he waited, probably the wolf turning back into human form while crouched down, Stiles guessed. A hoarse masculine voice said, “You aren’t in trouble for coming back here. I didn’t expect to find my mate here but I’m glad to see the white wolf is still looking out for my family.”

The man came out fully only in a shirt and jeans, eyes no longer glowing a bright gold. It was hard to tell what his looks were from how late it was getting until the man walked right by Stiles and pressed something on the other side of the bench and lights sprang to life in the garden. The gentle glow illuminated all the flowers, breathtaking in how they were arranged like rays of the sun coming from the center where the wolf statue was vaguely seen from where they were.

Stiles looked the man over, his shirt was tight against muscles he’d love to see, stubble he’d love to rub his face against but the eyes were the man’s best feature. They sparkled in the light, flecks of gold and possibly other colors glittering within. His admiration of the man’s perfect body halted when he registered what he said. “What do you mean, mate?”

“Can’t you feel the bond? I knew from your scent you were my mate. I have been catching your scent at these things for years, today was the first time I’ve seen you. I never expected my mate to be the local sheriff’s son.”

“And who are you? You’re obviously a werewolf, you are allowed back here and are an unmated man so you have to be a Hale but there are a couple it could be.”

“Derek Hale.” Derek stepped forward, hand out for Stiles to grab. “Grab my hand and you should recognize the pull if you haven’t already.

Stiles looked at him, eyes slightly squinted, before grabbing Derek’s hand and felt his spark leap out of his skin, reaching deep inside the werewolf to embrace Derek, both man and wolf. Stiles lost his footing but Derek pulled him close, holding him steady against his chest.

“Now do you feel it?” Derek said.

“Yeah.” Stiles breathed out. It took a couple moments for him to steady himself but he didn’t leave Derek’s embrace. “So what do we do next?”

“I was hoping you can come meet my family, they’ll be thrilled to see I’ve found my mate. It will have to be after the ball ends, could I convince you to stay until then?”

“I think that can be arranged.” Stiles said, pulling Derek down to sit next to him on the bench. “Why don’t we sit here and get to know each other a little before you drag me in front of your family.”

“Deal.” Derek said. “But can I have a kiss first so we can seal the deal? I’d rather do that here under the stars, in the garden, with nobody around to see.”

“Fine with me, dude.” Stiles said.

“Don’t call me dude.” Derek said.

“I’ll call you dude if I want, sourwolf. Guess you’ll have to shut me-” Stiles said before Derek interrupted by kissing him, slightly too forceful and at an awkward angle that soon changed to something much more enjoyable.

Derek pulled away and said, “Good to know that works.” He kissed Stiles again, the garden hiding the pair from other eyes while they found ways to entertain themselves while waiting for the party to end.

TBC On AO3!

[werezmastarbucks]

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word count: 818

TAPE TWENTY

This tape wasn’t supposed to belong to the Parkers because it was made in the Summers house. It was actually Ruby’s. She turns on the camera and poses it on the cupboard. We can see her pretty round face, eyes very serious, as she takes a deep breath.

“Tape one, Ruby Summers performing. It’s the seventeenth of September, nineteen ninety three”.

She masters a doll smile and steps away in two hops. She walks to the music player and pushes the button. Good lightning Ruby! “That’s the Way Love Goes” by Janet Jackson starts playing. Come on now, Ruby, you can do better than that.

She starts dancing, and she’s a doll. She’s a picture. It’s closing to sunset, and the soft purple shining in the skies is reflected and beaming on the tile ground behind the open glass door on the other side of the room, behind dancing Ruby’s back. We can see corner of the pool, water calm, it’s windless. Perfect weather, just like summer doesn’t want to go at all.

She’s very sexy, and she’s finally officially a grown up. This room sees her for the first time in a long time – mama Summers has been so lonely without her girl, studying all the way back in Massachusetts. You get it, yeah? Ruby’s great. She’s a great witch, she’s great at dancing, she’s smart and likeable. She’s short, but that’s her only drawback probably. As the song reaches its peak, there’s a muffled slam somewhere on the other side, and Ruby jumps and looks above the camera. She freezes uncertainly, and then there’s recognition on her face.

“Uh… hi? What are you-”

Fast steps, and the dark flash that’s a human grabs her. Ruby’s swept away, her hands fly up as her instincts kick in. Malachai is in shot, he appears like a bullet, sprinting into the picture and moving the essence of it. She tries to chant, but Kai takes her by her shoulders, and the camera catches the beautiful yet terrifying scale of his rare power. As he sucks the magic out of his ex-girlfriend, she goes soft in his arms, her legs bend in knees, and her hands scratch on his green shirt lightly. It looks like she’s almost unconscious, but his face doesn’t express anything; it’s a mask. His eyes are black, his chin is perfect – any American boy would kill for that jawline, and he’s got it. I mean, the guy doesn’t have anything else in this world except his stunning looks that he managed to hold on to over the years. He cocks his head, examines his victim, concludes: she can’t struggle. Kai lets go of her shoulders and grabs her by the waist, and Ruby moans weakly, her legs sweep the carpet. Kai drags her outside through the glass door, into the neon pink evening where the hummingbirds sing quietly over the water. The pool looks completely blue because of its clean walls. The song is over, and the player is silent now, and everything is quiet. Suddenly, Ruby cries out and tries to stand on her feet. We can see them both, in a rectangular window of the open glass door. Kai takes her by the neck with his steady arms and slams her on the tiles, beating her face down. She gags and goes quiet. Kai stands on one knee for her. He turns her head to him, laying her body near the edge of the pool.

“I gotta do it, I’m sorry, Ruby”.

Honey, you don’t look sorry at all. Only now do I realize that Malachai never actually looks sorry, even when he screams that he is. It’s just a phrase that he heard on TV, so he repeats it because it’s credible. It’s what people usually want to hear – I’m sorry.

He kisses her bloody face and then puts it in the water. There’s nothing the young witch can do, she’s already half dead because Kai drained her good. Her legs and feet shake as she tries to struggle, but he puts his knee between her shoulder blades. There’s weak splash or two, and the fight is over. Kai sits there, holding her head under water, and waits, looking into the pool. The minutes go, and you might think he’s reconsidering or falling asleep, but he’s just thorough. Finally, he gets up without bothering to take Ruby out, and you can see water is red now, so, together with the blue walls, the pool is purple, just like the clouds.

He stretches his arms and turns around, wipes his mouth with the sleeve of his shirt. It has Simpsons logo on it. How childish is this dude? Kai walks straight up to the camera, and picks it up. His face is in the shot as he checks if it’s on. Then his eyes dart directly into its eye.

“Self-fulfilling prophecy”, he says.

[percysmarguerite]

nothing is funnier than firmin growling “two bars will be quite sufficient” in the most annoyed voice possible

“i was not at my post” bruh where were you then.  why is there no one else who’s there to make sure the fly system works.  where is the osha compliance

lmao my man lefèvre is just straight up out of there.  he’s gone so fast u can see dust behind him like in bugs bunny cartoons

i hate the way they walk across the bridge in the title song, it just looks so weird, i hate how the phantom is holding christine’s arm Like That, it just looks so odd

everytime i watch this staging of music of the night i get so mad that christine just stands around the whole time.  i mean the phantom kind of does too but like this is a song of exploration!!!!  it’s one where you’re supposed to be like running around and discovering things!  and if we’re gonna be nitpicky in this show christine was a part of the ballet corps please can we get some dancing up in here?????  idk i’d just like more visual matchup with the song.  maybe other performers do this/other productions

ramin be screamin.  lmao.  me too buddy.

buquet carrying around a literal noose and be like this will work out fine.

also buquet giving a book-accurate description of the phantom?  interesting

“what is it we’re meant to have wrote? ……………………….WRIT TEN.”

carlotta did nothing wrong

everyone’s trying to deal with carlotta’s drama and raoul is like can we.  can we please go back to the part where this strange man is trying to be super controlling of my childhood best friend.  can we please go back to that. 

i think hadley’s really good at playing the strategist side of raoul

at the end of prima donna they were like “meg!  we need levels!  kneel!”  and then for everyone else they were like “eh…..you’re good”

will never understand how lnd has meg be in love with erik like……she never even met the dude….

it would be really interesting to figure out just how much of the phantom’s tricks are real…almost all of them i can understand except carlotta croaking because how does he get her to do it?  #they’re in on it together?

cracks me up when andre turns 87 pages in the program to find the ballet in act 3

you can see raoul run off right after buquet is killed so he can go find christine as soon as humanly possible.  aw we love to see it.

i’ve said it before i’ll say it again but the mulder x scully dynamic is strong with raoul and christine

CHILDHOOD BEST FRIENDS TO LOVERS EXCELLENCE

ok i’m gonna zone in here but that bit in all i ask of you when he kneels down and it’s like…basically the marriage proposition pose????  and then she gets down on her knees too?????????????  i lose my mind every time

also the fact that raoul waits for her to iniate the kisses…..can you believe this man invented romance

all i ask of you (reprise) :(((((((((

forreal it seems to be sadder here and also more powerful

ugh we stan

also i KNOW, listen i KNOW, as a theatre technician i KNOW there was now way to do the chandelier crash in the space they were in.  am i still salty about it?  yes.

[captainmeowvelwrites]

You Times Two (Ch.9)

Pairing: Marinette/Ladybug | Adrien/Chat Noir Words: 4345 Summary: Ladybug knew this was necessary. She was the Guardian. He had the Cat Miraculous. But when his suit evaporated in a glow of pale green, she sure hadn’t expected him to have something far more precious: her heart. Cross-posted: AO3 and FFN

Chapters: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | ...

Recap: Previously, on You Times Two… Maribug was a bit of a depresso espresso, what with the impending Adrigami date and fifth wheeling her friends. That is, until our favourite dude cheered her up with pizza, turtle talk and some good ol’ Mario Kart. Of course, her kitty-cat’s banana puns might’ve helped a smidge. But will dustings of Adrigami continue to throw her off? And when Chilluka rocks up, will Jealadrien be far behind?

---

Chapter Nine

An hour after Adrien's slippery ascent to victory, they turned to Ultimate Mecha Strike III for some more hearty butt-whooping.

With one final zap of an energy beam, the words "KAGAMI WINS" flashed across the screen, and her crimson mecha-tank launched a clawed fist in the air.

"Aw maaan!" Nino dumped his controller on the coffee table. "How could I lose to a total noob?" He froze. "Uh – No offence! You did good, dudette – I mean Kagami!"

Alya clutched her stomach, her cheeks red from laughing. "Nice one, Kagami! You – You really got him good with that – ah – that triple kick hyperstorm combo!"

"Yeah, Kagami!" Adrien nudged her shoulder with his own. "Only your third game and already you're winning!"

Marinette gave a thumbs up. "You're a natural."

Kagami threaded a strand of hair behind her ear, the slightest of blushes grazing her cheeks. "Thank you, everyone. I couldn't have won without Marinette's expert teaching." She bowed her head, her mouth curving into a smile that simply looked like it belonged there.

That small fact made Marinette's own smile double in size.

"But, dudes, I'm sick of UMS."

Alya tapped down the brim of Nino's precious cap. "You're just sick of losing, babe."

Pouting, he straightened his hat. "That's not the point, Al." He bounced to his feet, eyes on Adrien. "Why don't we fire up Just Dance instead? Let's show 'em our swagger!"

Adrien's face practically glowed as he leapt from the sofa, Kagami's hands falling from his arm to her lap. "You're on, Nino!"

"Ha!" Nino flashed his signature finger guns. "On like Donkey Kong!"

With an overly dramatic scoff, Adrien placed a hand to his chest in a decidedly Chat Noir fashion. "Excuse me? Only I have the rights to that line… especially after my ape overthrew our princess." He sent Marinette an over the shoulder wink and naturally, a flush flamed across her face.

While Nino set up Just Dance, Adrien shrugged out of his blazer in one fluid movement and flicked it over the sofa with a ridiculous amount of flair. He rolled his neck, laced his fingers and stretched his arms out before him. Pair that with the fact his polished shoes, snug jeans, and long-sleeved dress shirt were all black and wow, he was but a tail away from his alter ego. The only thing missing was a poorly timed pun. The flush across her face deepened.

Adrien strutted up to the TV. Umber drapes framed the wide balcony doors to his left, swaying with the wind that weaved through the living room to fan his golden hair. With his eyes on the screen, he raised a thoughtful hand to his chin. His fingers were soaked in sunlight, its rays catching his ring at just the right angle to inspire a shine of silver. Buzzfeed had once dubbed this particular pose The Pondering Prince. It was easy to see why on a rainy day. And even easier when sunbeams spilled across his hair like a literal crown of sunshine.

Marinette wasn't staring.

Nope, not at all.

The choruses of classic pop songs cut through the air as Nino cycled through choreographies. She knew the moment a song stood out to Adrien, by the way The Pondering Prince transformed into The Keen Cutie.

An annoyingly catchy melody sprung through the speakers:

'Take me by the tongue and I'll know you. Uh! Kiss me 'til you're drunk and I'll show you—'

The boys exchanged an eager high five, while Marinette bit back a snort. Chat Noir choosing Moves Like Jagger?

"Only you would, Adrien. Silly ca—" Her mouth snapped shut, but his merry eyes were already on her. She went ramrod straight in her seat. "Ca – Can't be used to describe you row—I mean now – no, right now." She shook her head madly. "Or – uh – any time, really. Because you're so great. At moving. With your feet!"

Adrien stared at her. She could almost see the cogwheels turning in his eyes. Hopefully those cogwheels had nothing to do with her slip up and everything to do with interpreting her word vomit. Finally, he graced her with one of his classic, heart-warming smiles. "Thank you, Marinette!"

She threw two thumbs up. "Well done! I mean, welcome!"

To her right, she could just feel concerned eyes on her.

And to her left, Alya facepalmed.

Adrien's soft smile lingered on Marinette for a moment longer, before a "Ready, bro?" brought his attention back to the TV. She sucked in a breath.

That smile. That classic Adrien smile. It was a gentle, shy sort of smile. One that made you feel special. Chat Noir's smile, on the other hand, was silly, cheeky, at times flirty—and had prompted her to groan on several occasions. Totally different, right?

But they were the same person! As classmates, she could probably count the amount of coherent conversations she'd had with him on her hands. But as partners, they were closer than ever. She'd thought of him as one of her dearest friends long before learning his civilian identity. Now, an unpleasant question reared its awful head. Were his smiles wildly different? Or just her reactions to them?

Alya's voice pulled her from her thoughts. "Daaang!" she called, flaunting a smirk. "You boys are pulling out all the stops today. Where've you been hiding those dance moves, Adrien?"

Marinette looked up at the boy in question and saw her friend, Adrien, dancing with the unbridled joy of her partner, Chat Noir.

And Alya's words must've emboldened him, for he broke away from the choreography with a suave spin on the spot. "Come on, Al. You don't actually think I spent home-school doing schoolwork, do you?" As Maroon 5 whistled on, he executed each move with a flawless flourish. To think, this was the same guy who high-fived street signs with his face.

Alya snickered. "Not bad, Blondie. Not bad at all!"

With an achingly familiar bow, he enacted the tipping of a fake top hat. A silent thank you. One with the pizzazz befitting of her partner.

His theatrics brought out a giggle. She'd seen her silly kitty cut a rug, as he liked to call it, more times than she cared to count. On quiet patrols. In the heat of battle. A few months ago, an amateur video of his dancing had even trended online (he'd reminded her for over a week). His timing was never impeccable, but as they'd grown closer, stifling a smile at his zest for interpretive movement had become increasingly tricky.

"Yes!" Nino wheezed, flinging his arm in time with the dancing avatar on the screen. "I'm catching up!" He was so out of breath. "Keep distracting him!"

"Oh Adrien," her bestie proclaimed, as he moonwalked like a professional zombie from Thriller. "Our dazzling King of Swag!" He held a hand to his ear, spurring her on. "Your flow knows no bounds. I must bow before such unrivalled finesse." True to her word, she bowed in her seat.

And boy, did he lap up the praise! He performed a ridiculously smooth body roll, and concluded it with a click of his fingers. His smile was nearly blinding.

That was all the motivation Marinette needed to pop in her own compliment. "In the not so distant future, bards shall sing of our swagtabulous leader's epic freestyling, and their song shall aptly be named Moves Like Swagdrien!"

Just when she'd thought he couldn't shine any brighter, a laugh burst from his lips. It was one she seldom heard without his mask and the fact she'd brought it out only swelled her sprinting heartbeat.

His next move involved a little hip swaying and a lot of arm swinging. Marinette had only played Fortnite a handful of times, but she had a sneaking suspicion she'd once witnessed it there.

"Keep going, ladies!" Nino implored. "I'm finally winning!"

"Yaaas!" Alya called. "Swagdrien The Suave!"

"Woo!" Marinette launched her fists in the air. "Swagdrien The Debonair!"

"Adrien," Kagami cut in, her puzzled tone stark against the laughter of her friends. "You aren't following the choreography?"

"Rules," he panted, "are made to be broken." As if to emphasise his point, he pulled a double arm wave.

Her brows scrunched. "But you're losing?"

Adrien, now mid-robot, incorporated a shrug into his dance. "This way's more fun"—he threw her a smile—"don't you think?"

His dancing didn't die down in the slightest, nor did the laughter that ensued in its wake.

---

Marinette, like most people, enjoyed bobbing along to Despacito at the best of times.

But this wasn't the best of times.

No, it was the worst. The absolute worst.

More good-natured trash-talking had led to Nino challenging Adrien to a dance-off. But not just any dance-off. No, a double couple dance off (read: everyone but her).

Furthermore, the universe was really testing her limits today—because Despacito's choreography was jam-packed with touching between partners. Sure, Kagami was rather stiff. She'd never played Just Dance before, but Adrien's skills more than made up for that. His hands nestled on her hips, their smiles broad and their bodies close as they moved to the beat.

She tried to smile. She tried to be happy for them. This was what they both wanted. Inserting herself between them – like matter between two magnets – would only be selfish. Even so, she couldn't deny the way her gut writhed at the sight of the happy almost-couple. And she couldn't help but notice Kagami's growing blush.

A distraction.

She needed a distraction.

As if some higher being had honed in on her thoughts, three knocks echoed throughout the apartment. Knuckles on wood had never sounded so wonderful!

Marinette jumped from the sofa. "I'll get it!"

Finally, she'd no longer be the fifth wheel to a quad bike. No, with Luka here, she'd instead be a part of some strange, six-wheeled hybrid. Much more appealing. She raced to the front door and swung it open.

Teal eyes smiled down at her, and their owner gave a little wave, black nail polish shining in the light of the stairwell.

"Luka!" She sprung a hug upon him and without hesitation, he returned it. The exchange only lasted two seconds – three tops – but by gosh, the rich scent of sandalwood delighted her senses long after. "So, how was your shift?"

"Oh, it couldn't end fast enough."

Truer words had never been spoken.

Marinette took his free hand in hers and guided him to the living room. The two couples were still dancing up a storm, guitar chords and Spanish lyrics echoing through the room. "Hey, I see you brought your guitar." She beamed up at him. "You'll have to play us something later. I'd really love to hear my song again!"

From the corner of her eye, Adrien stumbled mid-step.

"I saw that, Blondie!" cackled Alya, her hand in Nino's as they grooved from side to side. "You burning out?"

"Never!" He broke away from the choreography and Kagami quirked a brow as he puffed his chest out into a body roll, even more fluid than his first.

Luka slipped a guitar case off of his shoulders and against the sofa. "Hey, everyone!" He was answered by an array of breathless greetings. "Oh, right." He chuckled. "They're just dancing."

Marinetted laughed—

Until she realised the wordplay wasn't intentional.

"Wow!" Luka chimed, settling on the sofa. "Nice moves, Adrien."

Green eyes remained on the screen. "Thanks."

Marinette swiped the pizza box from the table, four pieces saved within it. "As promised, Luka!" Handing over the box, she sat beside him. "If you're not a cold pizza kinda guy, I can always heat it up for you?"

With a slice of pizza in hand, his free arm reached behind her, resting across the back of the sofa. "It's okay, Marinette. I'm perfectly fine with cold pizza." His eyes were as gentle as his smile. "The thought's appreciated though. Thank you."

A flush crept up her face as he looked at her, but she didn't mind. Not at all.

---

'We are one tonight, and we're breathing in the same air—'

With an easy smile, Marinette tapped her toes in time to the lively tempo of Turn Up The Love. To no one's surprise, Alya and Nino were nailing every move thrown their way—and fast approaching new high scores.

"Wow," Luka spoke up beside her, and her eyes flitted toward him. "They're so in tune, don't you think?"

Marinette gave a merry nod, recalling a time she'd said similar words to a certain blond.

She leant against the coffee table, smiling at the sight of her dancing friends. "They're so in sync with each other."

"You're right," Adrien said, from the other end of a FaceTime call. "Someday I hope I'll find someone I can share everything with… like they do."

In the present, she pursed her lips. Had Adrien been thinking of Ladybug then? Her eyes drifted toward the boy in question, only to catch his eyes zipping away that very second.

"Too right, Luka!" Adrien leaped into their conversation—and winced when his voice shot up an octave. Clearing his throat, he directed a smile at the dancing duo. "When's the wedding, guys?"

Alya skipped around Nino, her arms swinging to the beat. "We don't know the date just yet."

"But don't worry," Nino puffed. "You'll definitely be my best dude!"

"They're only fourteen, Adrien." Kagami tilted her head, her dark hair shifting. "How young do you plan to get married?"

Beside her, Marinette felt him tense. "Oh – I – Ye-ah." His voice cracked. "Fourteen's way too young! The legal age is – uh – eighteen, right?"

"You plan to be married at eighteen?"

"Err – Well, I don't – I don't know?" He squeezed out a laugh. "I mean, maybe. For the right girl?"

"Does that mean you'd marry the wrong girl if you were older?"

"No, I just—"

"Your indecision is troubling, Adrien."

Those words seemed to resonate with him. He shrunk into the sofa like a silent apology.

Marinette's nails dug dents into her palms—but Kagami didn't deserve her ire. She wasn't exactly well-acquainted with social cues. Heck, she probably didn't even realise what she was doing.

Flexing her paling fingers, Marinette turned to Luka, a wordless plea to fix this. She didn't trust herself to.

And he didn't disappoint.

"Hey, Marinette?" Both fencers looked his way. "Has anyone else tried your macarons yet?"

Adrien clung to those words. "I saw the carton on the bench, but I didn't want to be the first one to crack into them!" With a sheepish chuckle, he dipped a hand behind his neck. "I figured we were saving them for later in the day?"

If he didn't get his passionfruit macaron today, Marinette would scream to high heaven. "No no, Adrien!" She waved her hands for emphasis. "Feel free to help yourself. No, actually—"

She launched to her feet.

He did the same.

"—I'll bring them over," they said in unison. Blinking at each other, they laughed at once. "Sorry," they said. "I – Uh. You go first! No, you—"

Marinette held up a hand. "I'll bring the napkins. You bring the macarons. Deal?"

"Deal!"

---

A minute later, Alya and Nino collapsed onto the sofa, their chests heaving after their dance. To his delight, Nino had come out on top, destroying his former high score along with Alya's. (Not at all suspiciously, Alya had matched him point-for-point until the last thirty seconds, when her dancing had deteriorated just enough to let him win.)

A cardboard carton, with a golden emblem adorning its lid, rattled in Marinette's palms. While Adrien shared napkins around, she plonked down beside Luka. "I hope all this dancing's worked up everyone's appetite!"

Alya accepted a napkin. "By the grin on Adrien's face, I'd say his answer is a resounding yes."

"Can't blame him, babe. Those moves were unreal."

"It must be the fencing."

"From what I saw, he was a one-man sonata."

"Or a unicorn."

"Girl, did you just call Adrien a unicorn?"

Marinette nodded, unabashed. She was trying to get over him, yes. That didn't mean he wasn't still one of a kind.

With all leftover napkins now on the coffee table, Adrien resumed his seat between Marinette and Kagami. "Full disclosure: I'd make a magnificent unicorn."

Laughter erupted.

And only as it died down did Marinette speak again. "In that case, I sure hope unicorns like macarons!" She flipped back the carton in her lap, revealing an assortment of brown and yellow treats. "We've got two flavours: Belgian chocolate and passionfruit. I would've made more, but I was a little short on time."

"I'll believe it," Alya teased.

She stuck out her tongue. "Just a heads up, everyone—"

From the corner of her eye, Kagami reached for Adrien's hand and threaded it with her own. His smile wavered. He went to pull back, but Kagami tightened her grip—without realising? Adrien's struggling stopped.

"Yike—"

Marinette glimpsed a stern look from Alya.

"I mean LIKE! Yeah. I was, like, extra clumsy this morning and – err – dropped the macarons on this side." She jabbed a finger toward the left of the carton. "So – Um. Sorry about that."

Hands reached from all sides, lightening the carton in her hands, and delighted hums soon floated through the living room.

"Girl, you've really outdone yourself this time!"

"Ditto, babe!"

"I agree." Kagami admired the yellow, half-eaten macaron between her fingers. Her other hand still gripped Adrien's. "This is really delicious."

Adrien's face inched near as he marvelled at the macarons. "You made these, Marinette?" She thought she felt herself nod. "They look delicious!" He took one from the tainted side. Passionfruit, of course. His first bite— "Wow." He gazed at the treat like it was the answer to world peace. "Marinette, this macaron. It's… It's perfect!"

She felt herself beam as he savoured a second bite. This beautiful moment was most definitely worth the many Sundays she'd spent baking a single macaron.

In or out of the suit. Chat Noir or Adrien. He was her friend. Maybe she'd never see those three kids or that hamster. Maybe she'd never have that dog or that beautiful house. At least, not with Adrien.

Because they were superheroes.

Because of apocalyptic cataclysms.

Because he said he loved Ladybug, but in the end, he chose Kagami.

But she could still make him happy.

Luka reached for a treat last. His side pressed into hers as he leaned closer and picked a chocolate macaron. Like this morning, he went for the street-sullied side. With his free arm splayed behind her, he settled back into the couch cushions and savoured the snack with his eyes shut. "This flavour's even better! You're so extraordinary, Marinette."

Cheeks aflame, Marinette brushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

Extraordinary.

Luka said she was extraordinary.

And it wasn't the first time. No, the first time he'd been under Hawk Moth's cruel influence. And she tried not to take a supervillain's words to heart.

But then he'd said it again, his hand warm on her arm and his eyes warmer still.

"You're the most extraordinary girl, Marinette. As clear as a musical note and as sincere as a melody. You're the music that's been playing inside my head since the first day we met."

Was it time to tune along to his song?

Marinette swallowed, searching for a reply to the wonderful words of her friends. Instead, she caught the green gaze of another boy watching her fondly.

A lump lodged in her throat.

From the day she'd met him, her heart had been his.

But he didn't want his classmate.

From the day she'd met Luka, she'd been the song inside his head.

He made sure she knew where they stood.

He supported her every decision.

He made things simple.

The logical choice was clear.

Yet her heart throbbed at the thought.

No matter what, someone was bound to get hurt. Her friend. Her partner. Herself.

For over a year, she'd saved Paris with quick-thinking and convoluted strategies. She was the girl with a plan, the one people came to when times were tough. Yet here she was, unable to think up a single way to save her and her loved ones from heartbreak.

Why was she so useless?

Why couldn't she just keep everyone happy?

How could she possibly choose between them?

"Earth to Marinette?" Alya interrupted her thoughts. "Guys! I think we broke her with compliments!"

"No! Sorry, I just—" Marinette placed a hand to her chest and drew in a breath. "Thank you, everyone." She meant that wholeheartedly, and turned to Alya with a smile. "Wanna get back to dancing?"

"You know it!"

---

'Starships were meant to fly! Hands up and touch the sky!'

Of course, Alya had picked an old favourite of theirs: Starships by Nicki Minaj. A bop that never failed to bump up her mood. She knew the choreography well, but was still surprised by her soaring score. Her every move displayed a grace she'd never thought possible without a little latex magic, and over and over, the word "PERFECT" flashed gold on the screen. It was like the game was a one-word dictionary, but she sure wasn't complaining.

"Oh my gosh, M!" Alya puffed. "You are killing it!"

"Call me Swagrinette!"

Adrien laughed from his place on the sofa. "I don't think Swagrinette has quite the same ring to it." She threw a smile over her shoulder—just as Kagami eased her head onto his.

Marinette misstepped, but caught herself before the floor could. "Oops!" She wheezed out a laugh. "Spoke too soon, Al." Her arms circled through the air in sync with the dancing avatar.

Alya snorted. "You're still owning it!"

"She's right," Kagami added. "Your dancing's impressive, Marinette."

She glanced back at Kagami, another smile at the ready. It died on her lips at the sight she beheld. Adrien's eyes were on his hand, laced with Kagami's, and the look he wore was a resigned one. Knitted brows. A slight weight to his lips. He was unhappy—

Pain sliced through her ankle.

In a tangle of limbs, she tumbled to the floor.

Voices cried out her name.

Steps pounded.

She didn't know when, but her hand had clung to her ankle, and her face twisted as it throbbed beneath her fingertips.

"Are you okay?!"

Her eyes flew up—and what they beheld was excruciatingly familiar.

Two hands were extended before her: black nail polish painted the one on her right and an unmistakable ring adorned the one on her left. Her right hand remained around her ankle. Her other lifted off the floor. It drifted left, right, then paused dead centre.

With a composing breath, Marinette chose neither. Instead, she reached for a nearby ottoman, small and round and pastel pink, and chose to help herself off the floor. "I'm fine, guys," she said, reaching her feet.

Everyone stared, eyes rife with worry, while Starships thumped on in the background. Such upbeat music now seemed woefully out of place.

Alya propped a hand on her hip. "You sure, Marinette?"

Nino stepped to Adrien's side. "Yeah, that was one heck of a fall."

"I agree." Kagami's eyes were on Marinette's ankle. "It looked pretty serious."

Marinette fixed up a smile. "Really, I'm A-OK. See?" She shifted her weight to her right—

Another zap of pain.

Two sets of hands sprang to her shoulders, steadying her.

Marinette waved both boys away. "No no. I've got this." She hobbled over to the sofa, stifling a wince, while steps tapped behind her. "It's not as bad as it looks"—she wasn't sure if that was a lie—"but just in case, I think I'd better be a spectator for the rest of the day."

Luka seated himself to her immediate right. "First, we should really take care of your ankle." He looked to a concerned Alya, who'd seated herself on the arm of the sofa. "Do you have any ice packs?"

Adrien claimed the free spot to Marinette's left. "Plus something to act as a barrier between the ice pack and her skin." An instruction, not a suggestion. "Painkillers too. And some anti-inflammatory cream."

"On it!" Nino rushed to the freezer.

"We gotcha!" Alya's red hair whipped behind her as she dashed to the bathroom.

Marinette clung to the cushion beneath her. This was a disaster. A complete and utter disaster. But she could at least avoid dragging her friends down with her. "No need to fuss, guys." She kept her tone light. "It's really not that bad. And I don't wanna ruin the afternoon by—"

A comforting weight on her hand gave her pause. "Never." Adrien's eyes creased as he smiled, giving her hand a light squeeze. "We're just looking out for you. You'd do the same for any of us."

Luka's hand found her shoulder. "You can tell us if you're not okay, Marinette."

"Yeah, I can call you a doctor," Adrien chipped in. "Or get my driver to take you. Just say the word, Marinette."

Kagami knelt on the floor ahead of her, a cushion in hand. "I believe elevating the injury above the heart reduces swelling. Here." She placed the cushion on the coffee table and with a substantial amount of care, eased Marinette's foot upon it.

A smile flooded her face. Her friends were truly the best.

---

With a metallic whir, daylight broke upon the silhouette of a lean man, and flocks of butterflies stirred, their pale wings catching the sun.

"Ahh… An aspiring artist with a penchant for Picasso. One whose dreams have been crushed by a hard-hearted critic." Each word floated from his tongue with a delighted lilt. "What perfect prey for my akuma."

He beckoned a nearby butterfly to his awaiting palm, carefully caging it between two gloved hands. Darkness materialized, clinging to the insect and soiling its snowy wings.

"Fly away, my pretty akuma, and evilize this wounded soul!"

[buckyspetpsychopath]

The Show

David Dobrik x reader Vlog Squad A/N: I know the victorias secret show was ages ago

Masterlist

“You know everyone is starting to think I’m lying about having a girlfriend” David calls out whilst I shower.  “hmm, and who’s everyone?”  “The guys, my parents, Esther, Sara, Toby, even Jasons mum mentioned it!” he huffs coming into the bathroom. I wipe away some of the steam on the glass door. I pout at him teasingly and he deadpans, making me giggle.  “Why do you even care what they think? I am your girlfriend” I sigh as he starts taking his shirt off, his pant following as he speaks.  “Do you not think its a little weird that we’ve been dating 6 months and we haven’t met each other's friends or families?” he sighs, stepping in the shower behind me, wrapping his arms around me. “I mean we’re comfortable enough with each other, that we can shower together and not make it awkward or sexual, so there’s something else wrong” he moans and I huff turning around to him, wrapping my arms around his neck. He backs me up into the wall, resting his hand on my hips and his forehead against mine.  “You wanna know why I'm so hesitant?” I mutter and he nods against my head, so I take a deep breath, connecting my hand to his cheek. “Because I love you. That's it. I haven’t had a good history with relationships, my parents got divorced when I was little and my sisters husband cheated on her after having 2 kids together. I guess it just scares me”  “I’m sorry I made you feel that way”  “No its not you. Well I mean it is, I guess. You’re so perfect and you give me everything I ever wanted, I’m just waiting for the day that one of us fucks it up”  “And what if that day never came? What if we’re perfect together? What if I love you as much as you love me?” he whispers. My heart hammers in my chest as I lean my head up to his, smashing our lips together. He pulls me by my hips as close to his body as I can get.  “Are you sure we can take a shower together and not make it sexual?” I tease and he chuckles into my neck, lifting me up and turning the water off.  He steps out the shower and forgets the towels, heading straight for my bedroom. 

The next morning I wake up, David is already awake on his phone.  “Hey Mr.”I grin.  “Hey baby, good sleep?” he speaks raspy, so I know he’d just woken up. I nod, moving myself closer to him wrapping my leg around his bare waist and resting my head on his chest.  “You know I always sleep better with you here” I hum.  “I know. The boys are wondering where I am, we planned to go out today” he hums back.  “Can I speak to you before you go?” I ask and he nods.  “You can ask or tell me anything you know that” he chuckles.  “Well I have an audition today” I start.  “modelling or movie?” he asks, knowing I do both.  “Modelling. I was wondering how you felt about it, its uhm…” I stutter.  “Baby why are you so nervous to tell me” “its for the victorias secret fashion show ok?” I huff. He’s silent for a moment so I sit up turning to look at him.  “You think I’d have a problem with that?” he grins widely and I nod.  “I mean, IF I get it, its only an audition at this point, I’d be on TV and photographed everywhere in only my underwear”  “I have all confidence in you that you will get it! And I can’t believe you think I’d have an issue, when have I ever? I mean you know how cool it’d be to tell the guys my girlfriend is a Victoria’s secret angel?” He laughs and I blush. “None of the other people watching get to touch you like this” he mumbles against my neck with his hand grazing my naked butt.“They don’t get to see you like this” he continues trailing his hand up over my stomach and to my boobs squeezing them.“And they don’t get to kiss you like this” he whispers connecting our lips, him now hovering over me. I smile pulling him closer.“Because you’re mine and only mine” he adds pulling away and pecking my nose. I giggle and slide out from under him. 

“On that note I need to go and so do you” I say and he groans. “I just wanna stay with you all day!” He whines and I roll my eyes. “Me too, especially after last night and this morning but we have priorities baby, we can do something tonight?” I suggest and he thinks for a moment. “Movie and olive garden?” “Yeah, I’ll text you when I’m ready” he nods and we get dressed leaving my apartment.

I go to the audition and it goes really well. About a 2 days later I'm in the office. I had gotten called in for a meeting and when I open our usual meeting room there are poppers and my whole team roar in celebration. My eyes are wide as I look towards my manager.

"You got the VS show!" she yells and I almost choke. "I DID?" I scream and everyone cheers again. I start crying and my manager comes over hugging me and showing me the letter.

The next couple months are amazing but gruelling. There was a lot of fittings and a ton of trips to the gym. The morning I wake up for the show I know its gonna be worth it. I was in a hotel in New York and my boyfriend was going to be there, what could be better? I had gotten David, Jeff, Ilya, Jason, Erin, Carly, Todd, Natalie and Zane invited, obviously it was great to fill the seats up with influencers but personally I’m just happy David will be there.  David had shown me the video of when he had told everyone and they had all freaked out.  The boys were ecstatic that they had been invited, though fairly confused. David and I still hadn't revealed we were dating, as far as they knew we had never even met.

*Day of show* 

I get dressed and make my way downstairs. I go to a quick morning gym session and a huge breakfast afterwards before I make my way to the venue. My hair is put into rollers straight away and then I'm taken to makeup. We go through rehearsals and everything and soon the show is about to start. I'm in my first outfit talking to some of the other models, getting pictures with models I look up to and the friends I had made. I'm posing for a picture when I feel arms wrap around me and a kiss placed to my cheek, before I can react fully the camera flashes with a big grin on my face. I turn around and see David. I smile wide and lean in to kiss him while everyone close to us wolf whistles. We pull apart and I giggle wiping the lipstick off his lips.

"Baby you look stunning" he whispers. "I didn't want you to see me until I went out" I pout and he rolls his eyes. "You have two other outfits to surprise me with" he says and I nod. "I guess so" I smile. "Did you try your new wings?" he asks and my smile immediately drops. "Yeah I did, they're super heavy" I frown. I had amazing wings for my last walk but they broke yesterday in transport to the venue, so in rehearsals I couldn't walk in them. People had been working all night to make a new pair and when I had gotten to the venue this morning and tried them, they were super heavy. Maybe they'd ease off when I started walking. "you'll be ok, you're only out there for 20 seconds" he says and I nod, leaning up to him again. "No, no more kisses. You already ruined her lipstick!" One of the makeup artists run over and we laugh. I peck his lips quickly. "No boyfriends backstage" she tuts poking his face with a brush. He smiles wide and holds his hands up. "I have to get back anyway, I told everyone I was going the toilet and the shows about to start." he explains. "I love you" I grin as my lipstick and gloss is reapplied. "I love you too. What song are you coming out too first?" he asks. "Not telling you, you'll have to keep your eyes peeled" I wink and he groans before leaving. 10 minutes later the show starts and Leela james is amazing. We all cheer Taylor on as she starts the entire show and then all the other models. I wasn't in the first song. 

But in no time, the chain smokers and Kelsie go out and start their song. Candice is first to go out and then a load of other models follow. I breathe out as the model in front of me walks out and I know I'm next.

"Go y/n" they call out and my heart leaps as I start walking out. I immediately scan along the ground for David and see him stand up and yell with his hands up. I grin and when I get up to him I put my hands into a heart and then point at him. The crowd go crazy and I know the camera was filming our exchange. I continue the short way to the end and pose.

When I turn to walk back I find David again and he winks at me as I walk past. I take a glance at his friends and they’re all shell shocked, staring at us. I blow them a kiss and their eyes widen. I laugh and continue my way backstage. 

Daniels Pov* Y/n isn't in the first song and I sigh. "Why're you bummed out, we're watching models!" Jeff exclaims earning a slap on the head by our mum making everyone laugh. I shrug and perk up when the next song starts. Candice Swanepoel comes out first and Ilya is hyped. A couple other models come out and then I see her. My eyes widen and I stand up, holding my hands in the air and screaming out a 'YES'. Everyone is so confused but I don't take my eyes off y/n. She sees me when I stand up and smiles. When she gets in front of me she holds her hands in a heart. I point back at her and mouth I love you. She poses at the end and I'm screaming and clapping loudly. When she's on her way back I wink at her and watch her wave to the crowd. I sit back down when she's passed us and turn to the guys. Their mouths are all dropped.

"What the fuck just happened?" Zane asks. "Dude" Erin says. "That's my girlfriend," I say proudly and they all freak out.  We continue watching the show as I explain to them how we met and whatnot.

Normal POV* I quickly rush to get into my next set. I walk out again while Bebe Rexha is performing. I go out second and start dancing immediately, unable to help myself (if you've seen the show I'm picturing Josie Canseco dancing down the runway haha). 

When I get to Bebe I dance to her and sing the lyrics back to her. She smiles while she's singing and copies my dance moves back until I'm past her. I pose at the end of the runway and then dance my way down the runway again. I catch David's eye and he shakes his head with a huge smile. My dancing seems to amp up the crowd so I shrug it off and clap for the models passing me. I pose for the camera backstage and then hurry again to get changed.

When I emerge in the new lingerie I'm left to watch a couple songs. When Rita is performing a team quickly rushes over and starts securing the wings around my arms and hips. I wince at the weight of them so my manager Elizabeth comes over to talk to me while they’re lacing me up. 

“Hey baby you ok?” She asks concerned, she’s like a second mother to me. I nod and shift uncomfortably. “Yeah these wings are just really heavy” I sigh. “Only a two-minute walk and you can take them off” she encourages and I smile at her painfully. They take a while trying to make them comfortable but its no use. The Struts sound throughout the venue and I gulp knowing its time to walk again. “Okay we’re done here, 1 minute until stage” Elizabeth says and I nod. I go to walk and wince. “Are you sure they’re ok? They’re really sore around my hips?” I huff adjusting them slightly. “It’ll be ok, you can take them off as soon as you get off the runway, we don’t need them again so I’ll cut the ribbon” she nods and I nod back, letting out a breath.  

David’s POV* “I still can’t believe you didn’t tell us your girlfriend is a VS angel!” Natalie exclaims.  “She’s gorgeous” Carly smiles.   “She’s got a nice ass” Todd says and I frown. “That’s mine, my ass” I pout and they all laugh. “Congratulations dog, she seems really nice” Jason smiles. “Yeah she’s amazing” I whisper looking over to the models coming out. Y/n comes out next and we all cheer.   “She doesn’t look comfortable in those wings though, they look like they’re really hurting her” Zane comments and the guys nod. “They had some issues with them, she tried to original ones on and they were fine but they snapped on the way to the venue yesterday so they quickly had to make a new pair and she didn’t try them until right before the show. I don’t know what they used she’s too small for them, they’re so heavy. I don’t know how she’s wearing them right now especially in heels” I tell them and they make ‘ooohing’ noises. She is strutting down the runway confidently and gets to nearly the end when the wings get too heavy for her and she falls to her knees, the entire crowd gasps and the people are going crazy backstage I assume. 

Kendall Jenner comes up from behind her and helps her up. She looks like she’s about to cry but poses anyway, making the crowd let out roars of applause. She looks as stunning as ever. The boys hit my back so when she turns around to walk back I stand up and leave my seat, walking along the edge with her. She looks down at me painfully and I smile at her reassuringly. She never breaks out of her modelling pose and tries to amp the crowd up as much as possible. I run forward a little and enter the backstage area with my pass and go around the curtain to where y/n was coming out of. When she’s out of sight of the crowd she lets out a little sob, letting the tears trickle out. She shuffles off stage quickly and people immediately are on her, cutting her out of the wings. I gasp when I see her stomach and back. She sobs louder when she sees the red marks and the forming bruises around her hips and shoulders. I hurry over to her as she looks around frantically. I pull her into a gentle hug and she sniffles.

Normal POV * As I’m waiting to go out I can feel the wings getting heavier and heavier, rubbing against my hips and pulling my shoulders down. I put on a brave face for the audience and camera. It is increasingly difficult to walk in the heels as I move along the runway having the wings weigh me down. I’m nearly at the end when it gets too heavy and I feel myself falling to the floor. I wince as I fall on my hands and knees. My face heats up looking at the crowd who are all staring at me wide-eyed. Kendall comes up behind me and pulls me up.

“Are you ok? They’re really heavy?” She whispers and I nod. She gestures in front of her and I look at her appreciatively, the crowd go crazy as I pose, happy that I got back up. I continue the walk back and moan as the wings dig in further, I try to smile and wave but as soon as I’m out of shot I start crying, hurrying to get backstage so I can get them off. They make quick work cutting me out of them and I wince as the pressure is removed. I look around for David and he appears next to me, pulling me into a hug. I sniffle into his neck as he lifts me bridal style walking me over to a paramedic. They treat the burns and bruises for me, a little on my back it had even cut me open so they clean it up, placing a bandage on it. I huff when they're finished and everyone walks out for the last walk on.

“What are you doing you're not going back out there,” David panics. “Yeah I am it’s the end of the show” “You're hurt” “It’s a little cut and a couple bruises I’m fine” I wave him off. He sighs lets me go. The crowd's applause doubles when they see me, all bandaged up but still with a smile. “Can we give a huge round of applause for our acts, for our crew and for our angels, some injured but still smiling” the presenter says. I dance around with some of the models. We all start exiting the stage and I try to keep in step with everyone in my heels. When we get backstage we all get a picture taken and we stick around a while to get pictures with the other models. I’m not wasting an opportunity, I may never walk in the show after my fall. I quickly get changed into a nice black dress I had brought as we were going for dinner after the show. When I’m dressed and everything I come out of the changing room and David is waiting there. I squeal and run over to him.

“You did so amazing baby” he cheers and I grin. “Omg David I can’t believe this is your girlfriend” I hear and turn to the source. I blush when I recognise his friends.  “Uhm yeah, guys this is y/n and y/n this is Natalie, Ilya, Jeff, Todd, Jason, Carly and Erin”

"Hey its nice to meet you, you were amazing out there” zane says, pulling me into a hug and I wince. “Sorry, were huggers” Zane laughs.  “It’s ok, you just caught my bruises ” I wave off and he frowns. “You should sue them or something for that,” he says and I shrug. “It’s nothing major, just a couple bruises” “You were bleeding” David hisses raising his eyebrow. I shrug it off and he sighs. I hug everyone else gently and when I hug Natalie she’s so nervous.  “I’m sorry this is so weird, I love your movies and your vogue edit last month was stunning. And I mean, now youre David’s girlfriend that’s crazy” she gushes and I blush. “Thank you so much. And hopefully, I’ll be around a while” I smile, looking up at David. He wraps his arm around my waist gently pulling me into him so my hand rests on his chest. “Definitely” he smiles pecking my forehead. 

[alphabees-writes]

Glee - S1 E4 (Preggers)

And from this moment onwards, Kurt Hummel proceeded to steal every single damn scene he was in. I’m actually unironically excited for this one. I didn’t think that could still happen! Here goes!

I will always love this Single Ladies scene. I will always love season 1′s Tina/Kurt friendship. Also, Brittany’s here, inexplicably. Did he pay her for this? In Pixie sticks, perhaps? Or Monopoly money?

“Kurt’s Superstar Playlist” is the most adorable name his playlist could possibly have. All we get to see on it are 4 Beyonce songs, and 1 Gwen Stefani - but it’s a cute little insight.

God sometimes I forget how cute Jenna Ushkowitz is and then this scene really slaps me round the face with it huh!!!

WHY are you filming this, Kurt? What are you using this for? I’d love to know. I’d say it’s just to check out his own dancing technique but it’s in black and white… Where are you posting this!!!

I want that swingy-suspended chair thing he has in his room sooooo bad

Ok now the fact that this is being filmed is giving me fic ideas…

BURT HUMMEL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! BURT F U C K I N G HUMMEL BABIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

God the look of fear on all three of their faces when they see Burt??? Don’t you worry kids he’ll come around real soon…

Burt’s approving nod when he yanks on Kurt’s unitard… God I love this man.

The LOOK on Kurt’s FACE when Brittany says he’s on the football team… I can hear his inner monologue like “bitch we may be in the basement but I will make a window to throw you out of”

Kurt just wants to relate to his old man so bad :( Baby boy he’s already so damn proud of you!!! Also that LAUGH.

He really just slapped Tina’s ass! And she completely rolls with it, the absolute champion. Also, the subtitles Netflix provided me with were (smacks bottom) and I just love that.

Oh god it immediately cuts to the WORST scene. Terri learning to give birth. William Schuester trying to help. Just let me perish, RIB?

Shout out to Kendra’s actress for somehow managing to make her character even more despicable than Terri!

Actually the shit she says to Will here is almost valid… All three of them are fucking awful huh!

Seriously why are Kendra and Terri the best actresses on this whole show? It’s the only reason I care about this fake pregnancy arc anymore…

The teacher’s lounge is always either an arid, desolate wasteland, or the only watering hole within 100 miles where all the thirsty ass teachers congregate. Take your pick.

Why does Will pretend to hesitate before going to sit with Ken and Emma? They’re the only people we ever see you talk to dude!!!

Ken with the psychoanalysis, wow. Just hit her right there buddy!

THAT’S HOW SUE C’s IT!!!

Rachel really just EXPECTS every solo… I almost forgot how bad she was when she started. “Maria is MY part!” Not anymore!! Kudos to Lea Michele for managing to make Rachel really sound like she thinks she’s the victim when she really isn’t.

Tina’s face… She was seriously happy. Season 1 Rachel SUCKS for even trying to take this from her. She IS talented. She IS ready!

Everybody else knows it’s a fat load of BS… Kurt lowers his sunglasses to look at her like she’s a bug beneath his shoe. Also, Kurt, why sunglasses? You don’t start getting hangovers ‘til next episode, sweetie!!

“You’re trying to punish me” I think being a total martyr might be one of Rachel’s worst traits early on in the series. I get that performing is her deal, but she can’t even take a second to at least fake being happy for Tina? Unreal.

Everybody else just moving straight on with it is hilarious. They’re all so happy for Tina and don’t give a shit about Rachel’s melodrama, which I’m living for!

I wanna be all “Finn’s an arrogant bastard for assuming Kurt wanted to ask him to prom, grr!!” But then I remember Kurt’s canonically in love with him at this point, so I’ll let him off this time

Kurt’s devious little smile when he asks Finn for a favour… I love one (1) boy!

AHHH THE TRYOUT SCENE. INCREDIBLE. This might honestly be my favourite scene from season 1. It’s definitely up there, anyway.

Cute brotherly Furt moments. Finn putting that helmet on for him. “Red’s your colour!” And they DON’T make Kurt get all giggly about Finn just being nice to him? Kurt just telling him he’s really cool? Pure.

“Rehearsing–” “PRACTICING!”

Finn tells Kurt he’ll be murdered if he uses his music and Kurt comes straight back with that rum chocolate souffle line. This show would be NOTHING without Kurt.

And THIS is what I mean when I say Kurt was a Gryffindor from the get-go. Even now he’s refusing to be anything less than himself for anybody, even the jackasses that harass him every day when he’s on their pitch.

Shut the fuuuuuuuck up, Puck!

“Hi, I’m Kurt Hummel and I’ll be auditioning for the role of kicker.” What did we do to deserve him?

His starting pose… His hips… The footwork… “That was good, right?” His whole ATTITUDE. THE ROYAL WAVE.

As if the TV network would cancel Sue’s news segment for having a few Cheerios in the glee club?

Oh god. Quinn telling Finn she’s pregnant. The fucking cinematography here… The camera work, the audio mixing…

“Think of the mail… Think of the MAIL…”

Did Quinn seriously just say “Ask Jeeves” told her the hot tub could knock her up? I mean, I know she’s lying, but ASK JEEVES? That should’ve tipped Finn off more than anything else…

Damn. Season 1 really had the power to get me shook, laughing, and then crying in the span of 30 seconds? Or maybe it’s just because I can’t stand seeing Diana cry…  

Sandy lets his kettle whistle for far too long, it stresses me out

Sue just… Offers this fired man a job? I know she’s got Figgins by the balls over the stockings commercial, but come on, surely the council would get involved or whatever???

Rachel sucks right now but god damn it Taking Chances gives me chills every time I hear her sing it… And she’s so cute when they tell her she got the lead!!!

If musical stuff is so frowned upon socially here, how are they expecting to get a full cast for Cabaret? Especially if NONE of the other glee kids are interested?

And there’s no funding for the arts but they have a whole ballet studio on school property…?

Sign #12 That Mr Schuester Is An Asshole: He just straight up tells Rachel that he’s the only person that likes her, which is wrong for so many reasons

He does have a point about Rachel needing to take a step back sometimes though. I hate that she’s so awful sometimes that I have to agree with Schuester.

He’s not HURTING you Rachel, he’s giving a chance to grow to somebody else!

Jenna did a beautiful job with this solo… Tina’s so cute too! I love her singing this sweet song with her goth aesthetic

This scene between Mr Schue and Tina was almost sweet BUT:

Sign #13 That Mr Schuester Is An Asshole: He did NOT need to touch Tina’s shoulders, or get that close, or whisper to comfort her.

Don’t take one for the team, Tina! Take one for YOURSELF!

I’ll let him hugging Finn slide because, wow, Finn’s breaking my heart right now…

However I will not let it slide that he’s seemingly taken him off campus for lunch…???? Dude, take him to your office. This is creepy as all hell even if he has good intentions…

“I got this at the school library. Did you know that you can just… Borrow books from there?” Protect him. Protect him at ALL costs. He was so genuinely inspired by watching Kurt make those goals that he went to a library for the first time in his LIFE oh my goodness

Oh god. The camera panning from a random father and his young son, over to Mr Schue looking at Finn? HE’S NOT YOUR SON MY GUY, HE IS YOUR PUPIL. PROFESSIONAL BOUNDARIES!!!

Terri and Will are both brushing their teeth with no toothpaste… Freaks…

Have I mentioned how much I adore those little background choir soundbites between scenes? They did so much for this show…

SHUT! UP! PUCK! Drink your fucking character development juice already!!!

Kurt just casually dropping in Sun Tzu’s Art of War… He just knows that. He’s prepared to just drop that in conversation. Son, why are you so ready for combat,

Also the way Kurt commands their attention? They can rag on him all they want but they all know he’s legit…

Look at all these doofuses in their football gear busting a move. Look at Kurt sat at the front just watching, judging, as he was born to do

MIKE! KILLING! IT! I love that they let us see a sneak peek of his moves… Serious HC that Kurt making the football team dance is the first time that Mike really got to show off his skills

Kurt shooing Mr Schue away like that gives me life!!! Sit down old man

“All right boys…”  And they all look so concerned behind him lmao… “Oh– SNEAK ATTACK back to the ring…” Mike’s trying so hard to keep in time. I love him. OH and there’s Matt! Most valid glee club member simply because he never says anything.

“Comb through the hair… SLAP THE BUTT!” And they’re all trying so hard… 10/10

“I’m your best friend,” says Puck, to the boy he has been consistently fucking over for four (4) episodes, and presumably many years prior…

I really do hate Puck for the first part of this season but god damn does he have some lines. “’Sup, MILF?” “Well, CALL the Vatican! We got ourselves another ImMaCuLaTe CoNcEpTiOn!”

I remember the first time I heard the term “Lima Loser” but I didn’t know the show was set in a place called Lima (I would’ve been, like, 9) and I thought it was lime-a-loser. Like he was going to have limes thrown at him. And it was this big, serious threat…

How the FUCK did Terri get into Quinn’s car? Why is that never addressed? Like, ever? Quinn doesn’t even ASK?

Do this many people turn up to American high school sports events irl??? And do they really play the national anthem? That must get old

Why are all these football players 30… I’m so thirsty for realistic casting…

BURT’S HERE TO SEE HIS SON!!! We love a proud dad.

“I TOLD YOU! I TOLD YOU!!!” And now he’s doing high kicks. Kurt’s doing the absolute MOST.

I will never understand the rules of American football… And I mean NEVER.

“Ring on it on three” I love that it has a code name. And they were all too busy being dudebros to call it Single Ladies…

The one dude on the opposite team who starts boogying along is the real MVP

NEVERMIND. BURT BOPPING IN THE STANDS IS THE MVP!!!

“Can I pee first?” Legendary

Burt just going “he’s so little…” In the middle of the silent crowd…

MY BOY NEEDS HIS MUSIC!

BURT’S SO FUCKING PROUD I’M ACTUALLY CRYING??? YOU CAN HEAR HIM SHOUTING “THAT IS MY BOY!!! THAT IS MY SON!!!” THROUGH THE WHOLE CROWD!!!!

I feel like Puck seeing Finn and Quinn kiss and then the crowd going silent as he walks away is meant to make me feel… Bad for him…? But we’ve only ever seen him be mean to Quinn, really. You’ve got to earn those moments!

Ah… The skincare routine. He’s thriving.

Burt! Hummel! Is! Proud! Of! His! Son!

Burt… I’m pretty sure he assumed you wished his mother was alive. As opposed to her corpse being at the big game.

Oh boy here it comes…… Chris looks SO young here. So scared. So vulnerable. The way he slightly stutters… He nailed this scene. So much.

He’s gay!

He knows.

Do they make sensible heels in sizes for three year olds…? Asking for a dad

The raw EMOTION on Kurt’s face. It’s killing me.

This is the starting point… “I’m not in love with the idea, but I love you.” And it only gets better from there…

And he THANKS his SON. He’s sure. He’s so sure, Burt, and you are going to be so proud of him forever.

Finn gives Quinn that blanket his dad gave him when he was a baby… Did she give it back? I fucking hope so…

You tell him, Finn! Puck IS an asshole!

MIKE’S IN GLEE!!! SO IS MATT!!! And Puck’s here I guess, yay… He’s got a season or so of sucking to go before I can get excited about that.

“Regionals” here we come? My guy, let’s get through sectionals first…

Rachel’s big, cruel smile when she thinks she’s going to be handed Tina’s solo. Why would she presume that it’d just get handed to her??? I mean, I know why, but like, why… And she has the audacity to look like she’s been betrayed. Not even slightly, hon! You deserve nothing if not getting one solo is all it takes for you to quit!

This Sue’s corner genuinely gets me through some shit. “There’s not much of a difference between a stadium full of cheering fans and an angry crowd screaming abuse at you - they’re both just making a lot of noise. How you take it is up to you. Convince yourself they’re cheering for you. You do that, and someday, they will.” Hits me hard!

This one was longer. Primarily because of Burt, I will admit, but it can’t be helped. Perhaps it’s the best episode of season 1 because of Burt! Now that’s a break through…

[dwtspd]

DWTS 28 week 2

Just fyi, this week’s scores + last week’s votes + last week’s scores + viewer voting through the ET show contributed to elimination.

Also I’ve figured out that ABC commercial breaks are consistently ~3.5 minutes long. Way better than Fox.

James and Emma cha cha cha: ohmy god this guy is SO GOOD with his feet. Slides were so smooth. He could use a bit of latin shaping but he had good hip action. He’s flexible too. I mean the straddle jump?? The en rond kick - second one already. Judges are kinda nitpicky, esp Len. There was still plenty of dancing despite the gimmicks. 7-6-7 T20

Sailor and Val rumba: okay Sailor’s dancing is very stop-and-go. Like, she does a step, then she literally stands still before doing the next move. Also, I think she was thinking very hard of keeping her legs straight that she didn’t allow for the slight bending that naturally comes with movement so it looked very steppy. 6-6-6 T18 I mean that sounds fair, but Len really thought this was same score as James? Nah dude.

Ray and Cheryl foxtrot: yo, what was up with the camera in this dance? Second mishap already this season. Anyway, Ray started out rough - Cheryl threw him right into the water with the choreo there, but the final pass ended up looking somewhat decent. Not a good song for foxtrot. He looked quite fun in the jazz interludes. I loved seeing those reverse cramp rolls. Props to Ray for continuing to smile despite his mistakes, and his response to the criticism was well done. 5-5-5 T15

Ally and Sasha Viennese waltz: She is still very hard hitting and jerky. What was with that angsty face in the beginning... The basic waltz steps were good but she stumbled on some more complex steps. At one point she literally slammed her arm down onto Sasha’s while jerking her head in the opposite direction - very harsh, more tango/paso-ish. Also, needs to point her toes. 7-6-7 T20 I don’t think she’s as good as James. But it’s more of James being underscored as the first one out than people getting overscored.

Mary and Brandon cha cha cha: oh man, I wanted this to be good. There were parts where she was really selling it, but then she would lose balance or miss a step. Fun tidbit: Brandon actually used traditional cha cha counts (1, 2, 3, cha-cha-cha/one, 2, 3, cha-cha-cha; lots dance now use 1, 2, cha-cha-cha.) 5-5-5 T15

Lauren and Gleb paso doble: Also very stop-and-go like Sailor, with Ally’s jerkiness. Was that really all she was doing when Gleb was waving the skirt around?? Just keep posing? Even those poses came across kinda awkward. Can’t blame Len for not being a fan. And all around lacked spanish shaping. 6-6-7 T19 whaaaaaat, now THIS is overscored. Do Len and Bruno really think this measures up to Ally or even James?

Lindsay and partner tango: Mate, whatever you think about him, that dance was decent. Stayed on count. No tango gliding, all stepping and walking, but he knew the choreography. They kinda did them in with the song though, since we’ve had some pretty great performances with this song before. 6-5-5 T16

Karamo and Jenna quickstep: Wow! He was light on his feet, clean with footwork, those turns were smooth as butter. Whatever his future mom in law told him, he took to heart. His arm was kinda crooked at times but a really good dance. WTF is Len’s problem with Karamo???!!! Is it homophobia? Is it racism? Mate I didn’t even realise he was wearing boots. 7-5-7 T19 WTF Len.

Kate and Pasha foxtrot: Wow, Kate moves really well. The actual foxtrot steps looked really good. She was a little jerky in the jazzy interludes but not hard-hitting like Ally or Lauren. Also, her eyes looked like they were sometimes rolling back into her head - happens sometimes when you try to be conscientious of keeping your chin up. 7-7-7 T21 highest score so far, well deserved!

Kel and Witney samba: Oh man, this was a pretty good effort! I thought he started out really strong, had bounce and all that. That kind of faded off as the dance progressed, but he somehow kept the energy out. He saved the slip at the end. 7-6-7 T20

Lamar and Peta salsa: Oh dude, he looked so scared to face the judges after that dance. Much better this week and he looked a lot less stressed. Glad he had this dance to let loose. He looked so dejected oh man. Peta designed that routine well such that she could lead him if he looked like he was blanking. 4-4-4 T12

Hannah and Alan Viennese waltz: Ooooh what a lovely dance! Some people said after last week that Hannah might be a latin-strong dancer but she proved she can do standard. Beautiful lines. Only like 2 small moments where her hard-hitting-ness showed through. Len, their turns were good. 8-8-8 T24 I wasn’t expecting a full board of 8s, thought Len would still hold out and give a 7. But can’t really be mad.

I’m not gonna do math and figure out the aggregate rankings across both weeks, but you get the idea - Hannah and James are at the top, Lamar at the bottom.

Oh okay so the hosts will reveal a bottom 2 and the judges will save 1 couple. Kinda SYTYCD-y.

I’ve kinda missed how they called out who was safe one by one.

Lamar is SAFE. Those basketball fans must have shown up.

Bottom 2: Mary and Ray

Aw man, what a sad bottom two. Both have potential in this competition and it would be a waste for either to go home now.

CAI saved Mary.

Bruno saved Ray.

Len saves Ray.

Sad to see Mary go, sad that Brandon has another season truncated. He has so much potential as a pro.

[peaches-of-1]

📷 Photo Evidence 🍋

Jay Park x Female!Reader x G Dragon

Summary: You and your friend are invited to a pool party for Jay Park’s not yet released song and it’s not only the water that gets you wet.

You had put on your favorite bathingsuit today for the pool party concert you were invited to through some connections. They would be using it for filming but wanted it to be a genuine party. One of your best friends was a makeup artist, so she wanted to do your makeup for it.

“I have products that could withstand armageddon.” She said.

“I’m going swimming. I don’t need makeup to swim.”

Then she corrected you, “You’ll be swimming on camera, though. I won’t do anything crazy. At least let me give you a red lip or something. Please? It’s an AOMG party. You have to let me do your makeup. Glitter. C’mon, (Y/N). I’ve never bothered you this much about makeup before.”

“Prom?”

“It was prom, and it was just foundation, eyeliner, and gloss!”

You rolled your eyes, but she got on her knees and hugged your legs. There was no way you could reject her. She was a makeup artist. You’d look fine no matter what she did.

With a sigh, you said, “Ok, only a red lip and some liner. I don’t wanna do any foundation or anything too extreme.”

“BB Cream at least? Smooth the pores?”

“Tilly!”

She put her hands up, “Ok, lip and liner. Nothing more. I’m doing eye primer though to make sure it lasts.”

“Fair enough.”

After Matilda aka Tilly finished, you were glad she didn’t do more than she said. The lips were more pink than red, but at least it matched your bathing suit. It wasn’t too extreme considering how she usually styled you for celebrity events. You weren’t even a celeb. Not an idol. Not a model. Just you.

You threw on some denim shorts, a crop top, and some sandals you wouldn’t mind being affected by the pool chlorine. After borrowing a pair of Tilly’s glasses and making sure you had everything you needed in your tote bag, you and her left your apartment and hopped into a taxi. The drive wasn’t too long, and all expenses would be paid once you showed the valet your invite. You and Tilly listened to all of the songs that had come out by AOMG artists.

To be completely honest, rap and hip-hop weren’t your favorite genres, but you loved the artists more than their art. However, 90% of Jay Park’s stuff was a bop. Tatted head to toe. You wondered if there were any that you didn’t know about and where they were.

Tilly tapped your arm, “You good, sis?”

“Uh, yeah. Just thinking.”

“You think too much.” She scoffed. “What was it this time?”

Jay Park’s possible dick tat…“Nothing.” You replied. “Just a bit nervous, ya’know? What if something happens?”

She laughed, “Like what? Jay-oppa notices you and you get into the VIP area?”

“Oh my god! Even if I did, we would only be using our lips.”

“To suck dick!”

“To talk! To ask why I’m there in the first place.”

Tilly laughed, “You don’t have to be innocent with me, (Y/N). I’ve seen your computer.”

Your cheeks began to burn, “You what?”

“I was joking, but now I’m curious.”

“Don’t be.” You shoved her arm.

The pair of you began to wonder if you should’ve gone to a cafe first even though you had eaten at home. Not too much because you wanted it to all be down before getting in the pool and drinking some booze. Once at the party, you got the driver paid and he asked if you guys needed to be picked up afterwards. Tilly said she’d let him know and he drove off.

The shorter valet asked if you girls wanted to be entered in a raffle to get backstage passes. You both said yes cuz why not? Phone number and name. They’d text you if you won. Then off to the pool deck. Lots of people had shown up already and sat around the edge looking cute. Why the hell were there heels beside some sunbathers? Ugh. Like, it’s fine to be fashionable and whatnot or like to feel tall, but it’s a pool High heels weren’t the smartest idea for footwear.

Then again, Tilly was wearing peep toes behind you. You two parked your things besides two pool chairs that were next to each other and then walked around to check things out after discarding your tops to reveal the bathing suits underneath. You had talked her into wearing matching gold body chains the day before but now wondered if it made you stand out too much.

You looked out from behind your reflective monsters that a fan gave Tilly from Gentle Monster, but she had just bought the same pair in a different color. The fan sent one was her fave color, so she gave the ones she bought herself to you. So many young fans, no one over 35 in sight, or at least they had gotten enough work done that they didn’t seem their age.

“So, we gots a bar, an off limits lounge, food, and lots and lots of pool toys.” Tilly announced. “What do you wanna do first, (Y/N)?”

“Food.” You answered as if it was the obvious answer. Cuz it was.

Where the food was located, it was all Valentine’s Day themed. The video would be coming out that day as well. In a week. You were excited to see it mostly because of Jay Park and whoever his special guest was. Most of the internet said it was Mino from Winner or one of the rookie rappers that came out this year.

If it was being teased this much, it probably was someone more famous than a rookie. At least, that was your plan of thinking. You piled your plate up with fruits and all sorts of chocolates. There was a fountain, so you stuck a skewer through some mini soft pretzels and let the milk chocolate drizzle all over them.

“Someone’s got a sweet tooth.”

A voice made you jump as you pulled the skewer back. You set it on your plate and looked back to see Jay Park smiling at you. Where the fuck was Tilly?

“Yeah,” You said. “It’s a 24/7 thing. Never a thing as too many sweets.”

He laughed, “You got that right. Wanna do me a favor?”

“Depends what it is.”

Jay smiled, “I like a clever girl. Anyways, here.” He handed you a pink camera. “Take a few good shots for me? Just stick ‘em on any board you come across.”

You shrugged, “Sure, sounds like fun.” You grabbed the camera. “Can’t wait to see you perform later.”

“Well, I just hope you like it.”

“I probably will.” To say you couldn’t breathe would be an understatement.

The Jay Park was smiling and chilling right there in front of you. Someone called his name and he had to go prep or something. You exhaled and wanted to scream, but you were able to snap a pic of him walking away with one hand. He turned around, and you just smiled.

“You told me to get good shots.” How the f were you being so smooth?

He pointed at you and then continued on his way. Internal screaming intensified. You looked around and  noticed the other eyes watching. Tilly. You walked back to your seats and set your plate on the small table near it.

“Gorl,” She said.

“I know!”

Her eyes were wide with shock, “What the frick? He gave you a camera?”

“He wants me to get some good shots of the party. I don’t know what they’ll be used for, but I can’t believe he asked me directly.”

“What did you say to him?” She patted her knees in excitement.

So you told her about how you might have flirted on accident and she told you to secure the Jay shaped bag. As if you could! You decided it was just an artist to fan thing and did as told after eating your fill of chocolate covered salty bread. Most of them were taken of just the scenery and of Tilly. Some of them were taken together in cute poses.

After they were spat out all aesthetic and stuff, you went through and chose your favorites to put on the board. They were sectioned off into colors. Blue, mint, pink, white, red, and orange. You guessed it was just to make sure that’s how they made sure which pics came from where or whatever.

Then as the sun went down, an official looking person asked for the camera back. It was hard to take pics in the dark. Made sense. You danced to the music on one of the floating stages with Tilly’s hand on your hip. Some tipsy dude bro decided to dance behind her. She raised her brow, and you put your tongue in your cheek. Not her type.

The two of you jumped in the water and swam off to the next stage over.

You were now closest to the stage when the lights suddenly changed.

“Yo, waddup, waddup?” Jay showed up with a mic pressed to his lips.

Everyone cheered.

“How we feelin, tonight?”

Louder cheering.

He smiled, “That’s what I like to hear! Now I know y’all out here to hear my new song tonight, but we gonna sing some of your faves first.”

He launched into “Ain’t No Party Like an AOMG Party” and went straight into “Soju” the remix and all the other peeps he collabed with showed up to. Then your fave Jay Park song came on, and you screamed so loud that Tilly was shook. Then she laughed at you. This was your song! Your body moved to it as your mouth moved the words like it was a prayer you knew from birth. Then again, if this was prayer, you’d become a nun or a monk.

Some girls in hot pink bikinis and guys in their own bathing suits began to get into place and dance as a familiar song came one. It was the tattoo you had gotten on your hip. “Mommae” You and Tilly began to twerk to the song like every other girl at the party, even some guys to be real with you fam.

“Get it, Gold Chain!” You heard from the main stage.

Turning your head, you saw him pointing directly at you. At this point, you were loosened up enough not to care about everyone staring at you shaking your ass. So you turned around and twerked in a circle getting more cheers.

“Yeah, girl!” he laughed and copied you.

You laughed as well and onto Tilly’s shoulder. Once a new song came on, you didn’t know this one, like at all. It was a bop and a half. You danced with your bestie as he rapped and then another familiar voice was heard.

Then screams so loud that they’d break the sound barrier. G Dragon’s first public appearance since being discharged. He got a lot of the weight off, but that was the life of an idol. There was like half a love handle left and you loved it for sure. They sounded damn good together. Everyone cheered when it was over and didn’t mind the cameras and drones.

“Thank you!” G Dragon said and bowed.

Jay jumped on his back and screamed. They were such dorks. Then the two men went backstage and told everyone to have fun. You and Tilly went back to your seats to dry off and get some more drinks and food. It was greasy and carbfilled, so you hadn’t gotten too drunk yet. Maybe a little bit past tipsy.

You still had your own head and chilled on the side for a bit as other AOMG hits played. Tilly began gushing about how Jay had noticed you again. She loved coming to parties with you because of how different you seemed. Of course it was just cuz you loved a party whether there was booze or not. As long as there was music and room to dance, you were gonna have a good time.

Then you checked your phone and replied to some messages, took a selfie or six. Some Snapchat video. Insta too. Then you got a text from an unsaved number.

> Hey there, (Y/N). You win the backstage pass! Meet me by the Tiki Bar ASAP.

OMG are you serious?<

>Absolutely! Do you accept or should we choose another winner?

I’m on my way! <

“Tilly, I won the backstage pass!” You said as you pulled your shorts on. “Watch my stuff and don’t go home with any strangers unless you send me a pic of their face first.”

“I ain’t going home with anyone. Here.” She said as she handed you the lipstick she had used on you.

Just because you didn’t know what would happen and a part of you hoped your fantasies had part in it, you refreshed it and then stuck it in your pocket. You thanked her and then started walking to the meeting location.

Tilly then called after you. “Get sum dick, gurl!”

You shook your head with a smile and went to the Tiki Bar with your phone in your back pocket and praying no one knocked you into the water. Luckily, you made it to the bar as dry as possible. The woman checked your phone to make sure you were actually the winner. You also had to take a breathalyzer test.

“Good enough.” She said.

What did that mean? Then you were taken into the VIP area. Black lights and neon lights led you up the stairs.

There were three doors at the top of the stairs. One with a cloud, a pink heart, and a t-shirt. You were told to ender the cloud room, so you did.

You approached the bed and saw your pink camera there on pink fur. Well, it wasn’t yours, but it was the one that had been given to you earlier by--

“So, you won.”

“Holy fu--Jay!” You were thinking of punching him. “Stop sneaking up on me, holy crap!”

He laughed, “Sorry. But I’m glad it was you.”

You smiled and felt your cheeks blushing, “Thanks. Um, so what do we do? This seems more VIP than Backstage.”

The platinum blonde GD walked up to you two, “Depends. What do you wanna do? I mean, I have some ideas, but I wanna know if you’re up for it.”

“Tell what you have in mind and I’ll let you know.” You replied.

“You were right about her.” He smirked at Jay and picked up a camera. “First, some memorial pics.”

So the boys got some pictures of you and them being all cute in the neon scene. One of their managers took the photos when both of them wanted to be next to you. You were sitting on their laps when GD kissed your neck, and you made a noise. It was maybe a moan. More like a gasp. Jay just smirked and told the manager they’d take the rest of the pics. She set the camera down on a surface and left.

“What was...that?” You looked at him.

“My original idea.” He smirked at you.

Jay squeezed your hand, “Do you want to?”

You nodded, “Yeah, but I get to say no at any time.”

He smiled and then you looked over at G Dragon to see him grinning as well and then licking his lips as he surveyed your body.

“Of course.” Said Jay Park.

“Wouldn’t have it any other way.” G Dragon agreed and began kissing your neck once more.

You giggled and the other began to wrap his arms around your waist and pull you closer to his chest. Your eyes fluttered shut as he kissed your lips as if it were the last drop of water on Earth. Ring covered hands began to feel up your body through the bathing suit. Even though you felt G Dragon move from the bed, you were too preoccupied to give it any more thought. Jay’s hands rubbed up your thighs to the waist of your jean shorts.

He unbuttoned them with his lips still locked on yours and slid his hand down. You moaned into his kiss when you heard the click of a camera. Looking at the source, G Dragon had the pink camera in his hands once more...and his tank top was tucked into his pocket.

“What a beautiful shot.” He said as he grabbed the photo and fanned it to help it dry. “Very nice. You wanna see?”

You nodded and he showed you the sensual picture. Jay asked if he could keep it, and you said yes. He smiled and turned you around to straddle him as your lips met once more. Another click, but you ignored it this time as you got brave and took off Jay’s shirt to place pink kisses all over his neck and chest. This was all going to your head, but you’d let it just for tonight.

His hands grabbed at your breasts, and you could feel him smile as you returned to his lips. You tipped him over until his back was flat on the bed. He rolled over so that he was on top of you now. Another click, this time from Jay Park himself. You were already breathing hard and things had barely even started.

“God damn, Beautiful!”

He got off of you as G Dragon began to slide your shorts off. Click. Click. And tossed them to the side. You only saw wet blonde hair as his mouth tugged on the area of gold chain which rested on your bathing suit covered stomach. A moan escaped when you felt his fingers slide into your wet pussy.

Click.

“Oh fuck!”

“Who, me?” GD asked with a cocky grin.

He trailed his tongue all the way up the chain until it reached your neck. You’d be wearing turtlenecks until summer with all the attention he gave the space above your shoulders. Although you wanted to give a cocky response, his tongue was too good to even think about speaking. And the way he was grinding on you told you he wanted to use so much more to please you.

Your hands began to undo his belt and you gave breathy moans from underneath him.

“Take ‘em off.” You said and looked over at Jay. “You too.”

“Yes, ma’am.” GD said. “Eager, aren’t we?”

You bit your lip as their members sprang free. They had been ready for a while, it seemed, probably since pictures. You couldn’t help but lick your lips. Click. It wasn’t until now that you realized that the kiss marks you had left on him were glowing under the blacklights. GD’s lips had a slight glow to them as well.

A naughty part from inside you wondered what else you could get to glow as you beckoned Jay towards you. God, you just wanted his cock inside you. Wanted to taste it. So you did. You licked around the tip and grinned to yourself when you saw that there was a tattoo on his cock. It said “Handle with care”

You laughed, “Oh look, it comes with directions. Hopefully it’s not the only way it comes.”

Before he could reply, you loosened your jaw to take him in. Not spectacularly long but thick as hell. He cursed as you took him in. Click. He really wasn’t one to miss out on a photo opportunity.

“Look at me, Beautiful.” He said and took a photo when you did.

GD grabbed the straps of your bathingsuit, “Don’t want this getting dirty, so let’s get it off of you, huh?”

You let him strip you of the rest of you ‘clothing’ and noticed Jay shifting his attention to the man behind you. Click, and G Dragon chuckled. You couldn’t really look back, so you just trusted him to show you the picture once it came out of the camera, which he did. It was a photo of G Dragon opening a condom wrapper with his teeth.

Then click from behind you, “You’re so wet, Beautiful. You ready?” the blonde asked.

You nodded and he slid into your vag with much ease, letting out a lovely moan as he did. The trusts on both sides became more animalistic. Jay used both hands to keep your head still as he fucked your eager mouth. Your favorite part was that they weren’t afraid to let out their groans of pleasure and praise you every chance they got.

“Oh, god, (Y/N). You’re so. Ah! Good, (Y/N)!” the AOMG member crooned while the BigBang member left hot breath and steaming kisses down the spine of your back.

“Oh, your pussy clamps down on me when we say your name. You like us calling out your name, (Y/N)?”

You could only moan in reply. It did make your pussy tingle to hear two of the most handsome men on the planet say your name as if it were the name of a goddess. As Jay got more erratic with his thrusts, you could tell that he was close. The strings of curses got longer.

GD chuckled, “Close, old friend?”

“Yeah. Yeah. So, unf, close. (Y/N)~” He had his head thrown back, and you couldn’t help but whine at the way he moaned your name. “Close your eyes, Beautiful.”

You did as told and kept your mouth open as he rubbed himself in front of you, moaning and panting until you felt wet ropes of heat on your face. He was pleased with himself. Click. A souvenir of his work. It was soon after that G Dragon did the same, releasing into the condom and taking a moment before sliding out.

He tied it off and then the two boys switched. Jiyong kissed your cum covered lips and flipped you on your stomach, 69-ing you while Jay got himself ready again. Your legs began to shake as you came. GD kept them open as you moaned all over his cock and your eyes were shut tight as he kept lapping up your juices as you orgasmed.

When he took his cock out of your mouth, you were breathing so hard. You couldn’t recall the last time you came like that.

“Fuck.” You laughed.

“Speaking of which. We’re not done yet, (Y/N).”

You couldn’t help but smile at the wild sparkle in Jay’s eyes. You spread your legs wide enough and let himself get situated. He pulled you up into his lap so that he could kiss you while GD kissed your shoulders. Part of you told you not to be so loud, but it was being drowned out by your moans. The smells of sex and three orgasms filled your nose.

Tilly was right. The passing thought came to you. Your tongues tangled with the rapper in front of you as you gripped his shoulders tightly. The next orgasm was collecting rapidly in the pit of your stomach.

“Relax, beautiful.” Jay said. “We’ve got you.” He looked into your eyes.

You nodded, “Ok, Jay.”

That boy was tiny but knew how to work his mf’n hips! You screamed his name and GD’s as he played with your exposed breasts and nipples. You were gonna cum again, and Jay chuckled in your ear.

“Let’s do it together, yea?”

“Yeah.” You replied breathlessly.

It wasn’t even five minute later as you rested your head in the nape of neck and felt the wave of pleasure crash. Jay Park pushed your back on the bed and then slid out of you to let himself cum onto your heaving stomach and chest while GD came on your face. They laid next to you and told you to smile for the camera.

Click.

You didn’t know how long you had been gone until you saw Tilly backing dat azz up on a cute stranger. The three of you had had one more round in the shower as you got cleaned up. Your bestie quickly came towards you, drink in hand and obviously knowing what happened.

“I want details.” She smiled.

“You were right, but it was both of them.”

“Both of who?”

They had come out of the house and people cheered for them as they jumped into the pool with the remaining party guests. Mostly just AOMG members and the people they were planning to sleep with and their friends and a few managers who were off the clock. Also a few people passed out here and there. G Dragon called out to you.

“Yo, Gold Chains, join us!”

“Gorl.” Her eyes widened at you.

“Girl, I know!” You replied.

The two of you grabbed hands and ran and jumped into the pool together. You stayed until the threat of sunrise showed in the sky. The two of you were given gift bags and one of Jay’s drivers to take you both back home. You and Tilly couldn’t stop talking and fangirling as you told her everything. She was only shown a few of the pictures of you still clothed.

[sunyoonandstars]

Let’s Play ... (BTS fan fiction)

Well, well. I’m quite new to writing / posting scenarios, fan fiction and stuff like that anyway. Still, right now I’m taking it already to a whole new level. I just hope I don’t overdo it lmao >.<

Here goes nothing. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I do writing it! 

I will post the story by chapters and do my best to update it regularly.

Let’s play ... 

It was supposed to be an uneventful evening, just you and the boys. How the hell did it come to this? What on earth is going on? And who is this mysterious stranger, playing games with your lives? 

“Now that the rules are clear, let’s see how far you’d go for your precious little sister. Let the games begin!”

Angst / Drama / Action / Romance / OC 

Pairing: You + ... well ... let’s find out. 

Disclaimer: This story contains violence and / or death! 

Chapter 1

About three years ago, back when you had first started working for Big Hit Entertainment as a mere intern, you would have never imagined you were ever going to be this close with the members of BTS, a by now world-renowned boy group that never seems to get tired of breaking the records they set themselves. However, here you are, in the passenger seat of their van, on the way back home from yet another successful concert held in front of thousands of fans, screaming their names and singing along to the lyrics. The boys are mostly just tired, so it is oddly quiet inside the van. Perfectly reasonable, having performed for hours straight, putting their hearts and souls into each and every dance and song, as usual. And, to be honest, you appreciate the silence after such a long, strenuous day as this. Only the younger ones are excitedly chatting in low voices, still wired up after having gotten to meet one of their favorite female idols after the show. „Dude, she touched my shoulder, when we were posing for the photographs!“, Jungkook whispered in an agitated, high pitched voice. „I know, right? She’s so cool and pretty, and her voice - she has the voice of an angel…“ „Would you shut the fuck up!?“, you hear Yoongi mutter under his breath in the seat right behind you. „Suga, language“, Namjoon scolds him, his tone calm as always. „Fine. Would you please shut the fuck up!?“ You cannot help but chuckle to yourself at the bad-tempered rappers comeback. „Nice going!“, Jimin laughs from the back of the van, where he is seated in between Jin and Hoseok. Even the driver, a man of stern personality who ordinarily gets quickly annoyed at the boys’ bickering, breaks into a smile now. This is nice, you think to yourself. A pleasant conclusion to a fruitful day. This is as good as it gets. You get to do a job you enjoy, with people who have become dear to you, every single day. You still cannot believe how lucky you are, when you are startled by a sudden thump at the car window right next to you. You are parked at a red traffic light, so how and why would anyone come up to your car? Alarmed, you spin around in your seat to discover a dark figure standing in the middle of the street, by your side of the car. Following a reflex, you immediately lock the doors. A tall man dressed in a black hoodie, his face hidden behind a dark mask, his hands in black leather gloves, keeps gesturing wildly, indicating you to roll down the window. You adamantly shake your head, which leads him to hammer at the window time and again, harder and harder. „What is it? What’s going on?“, Hoseok anxiously asks from the back seat, leaning forward, trying to sneak a peek at the harasser.   „What’s with this jerk? What the hell does he think he’s doing, huh?“, the driver keeps cursing next to you, obviously increasingly nervous, repeatedly honking the horn. You signal him to stay calm, gesturing towards the boys. He nods in agreement, silently apologizing. „Hey? What is it? Will someone talk to me, please? Who is that? What does he want from us? Does he have a gun? Is he armed!?“ Hoseoks voice quickly turned into a high pitched squeal. „It’s nothing, Hobi.“ You try to sound calm and reassuring, but your pulse is racing. „Probably just some drunk guy.“ You look back to flash him a hopefully convincing smile, letting your eyes linger on the other members for a brief moment. Jungkook and Taehyung, seated in the middle, kling to each others arms, frozen in paralysis, their eyes wide, as are Hoseoks, while Jimin seems to try his best to play it cool, sporting an insecure smile, patting Hoseoks shoulder, whereas Yoongi is apparently untroubled by the turmoil, fast asleep. You exchange a quick glance with Namjoon, who seems to get ready to guard the members with his life, his posture tense.  He nods to you, you mimic the gesture.   The two of you had practiced this, in case there was ever going to occur a situation such as this while there were no bodyguards around. You had a whole routine worked out, knowing the strengths and weaknesses of each member by now, so you would be sure to guide and protect the ones who were prone to panic. „Okay“, you take a deep breath, trying your best to block out the unceasing hammering at your window. „We will just wait calmly until this damn light turns green, continue on our way and see if we are being followed. If that’s the case, we will inform the manager and he will immediately inform the authorities. Does that sound reasonable?“ The driver agrees with you, and so do the members, except for Hoseok, who is hyperventilating in the backseat, unable to speak, struggling for breath, his face already turning blue. Even Jimins caring words cannot seem to bring him to his senses.  „It’s alright, Hobi, would you calm the hell down!?“, you try to reason with him. „Don’t you dare panic on me now! The light will soon turn green and —“ You are cut off in the middle of your sentence by a deafening bang, followed by the sound of glass splintering and number of screams. Your instincts take over and you cover your head with your arms, keeping most of the splinters from hitting your face. What the hell …? Hesitantly you open your eyes, intuitively checking for the members behind you, and notice your sight weakening. Everything seems to be blurred. You try to blink the fog away, but cannot seem to clearly make out the boys faces, merely vague forms. Darkness is beginning to surround you, closing in on you from all sides. You are almost certain you hear them all shouting, mostly Hoseok screaming his lungs out in the backseat, but you cannot be sure. All the sounds around you seem to be muffled, overlaid by a painfully unpleasant ring in your ears. You cannot even hear your own voice as you shout: „Is everyone okay? Is anyone injured?“ You receive nothing but vague murmur for an answer, but at least they all seem to be alive. As you turn to face the driver, however, you cannot hold back a scream as soon as you lay eyes on the gaping hole in his skull, blood and cerebral mass all over his dead body. You press a hand to your mouth, fighting the urge to through up. „Y/n, are you alright?“, you hear a familiar voice, so faint you have trouble understanding the words. You turn towards it and find Yoongi leaning forward in his seat, reaching out to you, all of a sudden not so calm anymore. „What? What is it?“, you ask, as you see his eyes widen in shock, his hand frantically feeling your right arm. „Yoongi, what is it?“ Never before had you witnessed the normally well composed rapper this horrified. His dread frightens you more than anything right now. „Fuck, Yoongi, talk to me, damn it! Are you hurt anywhere?“ He shakes his head, his face even paler than usual. „You’re bleeding! Y/n, you’re bleeding! So much blood…“ You follow his gaze down to your shoulder, where the fabric of your denim jacket is ripped and soaked in deep red blood. Up until now you had not even felt the pain. Only this instant it strikes you with fiery intensity, burning through your flesh and your every vein, quickly spreading throughout your shoulder and your entire upper body. „You’re shot! You’re shot, too! Are you alright? Where are you hurt? Y/n, can you hear me!? Y/n!?“ Yoongi looks so worried, but you are unable to get out even one single word, frozen in shock. You were close to fainting before, but now the darkness continues enclosing you with increasing speed, coming at you from every possible direction. Yoongi’s face grows hazy before your eyes. You see his lips move but cannot hear the words. He takes you by the shoulders, shakes you, but you just feel numb. And cold. So cold. What takes place next happens too fast for your dazed mind to follow. Something seems to be thrown through the broken window, and the van’s interior rapidly fills up with smoke. You hear distant screams, shouts and coughs, as your eyes close and you sink into deep, black nothingness...

[hollywalkerlma32]

Major Performance Rehearsal  Big fun and Me inside of me

The scene before big fun Kurt and Ram are being told how to behave by there parents, traditionally these are played by men as Dads however we have changed it to moms. However it is really effective as to assert dominance they use a southern American accent which can be quite intimidating, we try teasing our parent by calling them dudes which results in Rams dad holding Kurt’s arms and telling him to call himself a sissy, now although this scene is funny I think it’s a huge insight into Kurt and Rams life, how they are shown no sympathy and that there parents could be considered as bully’s which shows a lot about how they behave in school when they bully other people, it could be because they have a lot of built up emotion and they have learnt from their parents the only way to let it out is violence. That’s the route i decided to go down I show no mercy to any character, I even bully Ram sometimes, i believe this adds depth to Kurt therefore making it more engaging to the audience, also helping people in my cast react with me.

Big fun is one of my favourite numbers, it’s Kurt’s best friends house party and the whole school is invited, by the end of the song it results in the Heather’s trying to humiliate Veronica’s best friend and Veronica has had enough and argues with Heather and is then sick on her. 

We spent a little bit more time on this number that what was scheduled as it is a big number, it opens with the lyrics “Dad said act your age” however we have changed Dad to Mom as we have females playing them so we turned them into mothers, so we adapted that straight away. It starts with a series of frozen positions this is to help the audience understand that we are at a party and getting drunk. I pose with two of the Heather’s and this sets a scene later when Kurt tries to touch a Heather in a cemetery. 

This number is like a big burst of energy, a lot of the other numbers our choreography has been much more subtle however I struggled with how fast this number is and it involved spins so i just started off learning the choreography with the counts and adding things as I go along. As you can see in this video (figure 7) this is the very basic structure of a section of the dance with the counts as you can see I am mainly focusing on counting but I do have the basic choreography nailed. I start of just learning with counts to develop my muscle memory, then I always find attaching lyrics to movement helps me to remember and if i rehearse with full effort and attack this helps with my stamina. I work really hard on my facial expressions and find these come easier when performing with energy and usually this helps me with the choreography then as it isn’t my strongest quality so strong facial expressions still make it enjoyable for the audience and they are less likely to know that it is my weakest quality. Choreography is a challenge I face which is why I watch my tutor carefully so I can get the most out of the dance class, I also ask lots of questions to try and solve this problem, and it’s an on going challenge but it’s something I am working hard on.

We also have partner work which i think is great as it gives you someone to react with, although my partner is dancing with me I still make sure to face the audience as it will make them feel more included, with everyone in pairs it covers the whole stage so no matter where you look you are submerged in the party. Whitemore.J (2020) says “Audience engagement is an essential part of meetings as a meeting room is like taking the stage, your audience maybe stressed or pre occupied so it’s important to make eye contact and speak clearly so you can connect with them”. Which is why in big fun I have used this opportunity to engage the audience and make them feel apart of the party.

Figure 7: Big Fun Choreogrpahy with counts

Me Inside Of Me 

Veronica and JD have just killed Heather Chandler and are trying to forge a suicide note, it then shows the teacher Miss Flemming demonstrating how it could be a good learning activity for all the students. 

Kurt and Ram when they are handed the suicide note, don’t take much notice of it, and that’s the same feeling all the students are having no one takes much notice, until we all gather in the corner and Miss Flemming leads us in a choir like fashion and we sing ‘no one thinks a pretty girl has feelings’ when conducting my character analysis I feel like this lyric related to my character in the sense that no one thinks a popular boy has feelings which is why in this section my posture has changed and i am more willing to take part but as soon as it’s over I go back to normal like it was some form of trance.

So far my feedback has been really positive, my tutor said that she knows when I am given direction I apply it straight away and that’s a good trait to have, also I work quickly and engage other people while working. If I was to give feedback to myself at this point it would be to not be too hard on myself with the vocals as I do take a little longer to process them but it does come with practice and application, I have recently found that when I implement all the elements so the acting, singing and dancing I retain the information quicker.

[whatwhat--pregameup]

tl;dr: it was worth EVERY CENT to go see Great Comet and I’m gonna be on those tour tickets if/when they go on sale

spoilers for things not on the album and things from other parts of War and Peace

Cast at this performance: Shoba Narayan (u/s) as Natasha, Brittain Ashford as Sonya, Grace McLean as Marya D., Lucas Steele as Anatole, Amber Gray as Helene, Nick Clark (u/s) as Andrey/Bolkonsky, Gelsey Bell as Mary, Paul Pinto as Balaga

Pre-Show:

- The lobby/hallways to the house look like a dingy back alley somewhere in Russia. After looking back at Dave Malloy’s Genius annotations, I realized that it was basically a recreation of his experience stumbling into a Russian club (which incidentally inspired a lot of the show)

- I was in a table seat on/in the stage, so we entered at the top of the stage through the huge doorway that gets used during the show. I was literally breathless when I walked in because I had a chance to look out over the entire theater and it’s…it’s just stunning.

- There’s Russian opera/folk music playing in the house, which is p cool

- So when the show starts, there’s an air raid siren (and I fought down the urge to go “SILENT HILL OH NO”) and most of the cast literally jumps out (there are TONS of hidden doorways in the walls) and runs around/through the audience.

- It was at this point that we got free potato dumplings! I think they’re only given to the stage seats? But they were delicious. - Paul Pinto (Balaga/hella people) was our dumpling deliverer and just a hella cool dude in general - my jaw practically hit the floor when I saw Amber Gray (Helene) walking around. holy hell if I didn’t know I was queer before then I SURE DO NOW

Prologue:

- the opening accordion note is REAL long and the first verse actually happens while Andrey is bidding farewell to Natasha and going off to war. He gives her a necklace. This is actually p important as a symbol but this also sets up Natasha sympathetically from the outset because you get to see her and Andrey together

- Shoba Narayan sings beautifully, is totally charming as Natasha, and incredibly sweet in person. I hope she gets to do all the things ever. <3 

- HOW DOES THE ANDREY/BOLKONSKY QUICK CHANGE HAPPEN SO DAMN FAST??? I JUST SAW ANDREY ALL DRESSED UP FOR WAR GO THROUGH THAT DOOR?????? the costume department is doing one hell of a job

Pierre:

- not gonna lie I was a little skeptical of Josh Groban because he has That Voice, but rest assured, he DOES deliver “dear bewildered and awkward” Pierre. 

- watching Old Bolkonsky, Dolokhov, and an ensemble member all playing guitar together was p great, especially with Bolkonsky hobbling away

- I could dedicate an entire post to little things that Lucas Steele did throughout the show tbh. Anatole is ALWAYS up to something, but for now I’ll just mention that he takes a lot of shots during this song and stumbles right by Pierre when he goes “you empty and stupid contented fellows”

- have I mentioned that I’m still 500% queer for Amber Gray while Helene just has this Look on her face like she’s just so tired of Pierre’s Philosophical Melodrama Hour

Moscow:

- Marya is noticeably less excited about Sonya arriving. Honestly 25% of Marya is just in Grace McLean’s facial expressions and mannerisms and she’s already a Large Ham on the recording so. 

- Grace McLean gestured at our table when she said “faded and fading princesses”.

- Natasha does this little dance where she twirls around while humming to herself and it’s just…it’s so cute.

The Private and Intimate Life of the House:

- holy SHIT I need to take a minute to talk about Gelsey Bell. She actually plays a bunch of minor/incidental roles throughout the show, and the things she can do with her voice…holy crap.

- if you didn’t feel bad for Mary on the cast album then uh watching Gelsey will change your mind. especially for anyone who has experience caring for an aging family member.

- Natasha’s “I know they’ll like me, everyone has always liked me” got a healthy laugh from the audience

- one of the ladies at my table was the “cheap French thing” who Old Bolkonsky flirts with and it was hilarious. 

- Paul Pinto (Balaga) also plays the butler/servant during this scene with this hobble and hunch, and he moved SO quietly that I legit didn’t notice him moving in between me and the woman next to me. but he served us shots (of water), which was p cool

Natasha and Bolkonskys:

- Natasha and Mary fetch stools and sit down at one of the tables right in the middle of the stage. silently getting people to scoot over is just as awkward as you might imagine, but also really funny to watch and adds to the general awkwardness of their interactions that later contributes to Natasha’s refusal

No One Else:

- aka the moment where Shoba Narayan slayed my whole existence

- the staging for this, I just. where do I even start. Natasha in the moonlight, singing to the audience, the gentle winter snow at the end, fuuuuuuck

- at “I feel like putting my arms around my knees”, Natasha was sitting on the steps on the other side of the stage, right next to a girl who probably wasn’t more than 12-13 years old. when she said “like this” and put her arms out, she did it like she was showing her how and it was THE CUTEST 

- also you get to see Andrey reading her letters and Natasha desperately reaching out for him, and it…wow. man. my heart. it’s so much sadder in person.

- she also delivered part of the “maybe he’ll come today” lines to another audience member sitting next to her, like she was looking for validation, and I just….oh sweetie.

The Opera:

- Paul Pinto sighting: the guy who goes “welcome to the opera” and announces various characters

- Sonya jumps a little when Marya comes back in because she’s just so forceful

- EVERYONE points at Natasha for “Natasha smooth your gown” and her facial expression is kind of like “okay, geez”

- Sonya and Natasha holding hands and running around together is cute asf

- okay, having seen the opera in person, I gotta say…it’s still really hard to explain. but I’m gonna try.

- “act 1″ features 2 main singers (played by whoever plays Mary and Balaga) and two dancers (your featured dancers, basically). it’s basically opera by way of performance art and it is purposely weird. fun fact: Tolstoy was not fond of opera and straight up uses “pretentious” in the text of War and Peace (check it out here!)

- lights up after the first opera scene, Sonya was tilting her head to the side. same, girl, same

- something I didn’t quite pick up on the album: both Sonya and Natasha do the initial description of Anatole when the doors open. it’s hard to notice on the album and I didn’t really put it together until Natasha was like a few feet away from me

- when Anatole shows up, the bass is BOOMING. like, it shook the floor. as it should. and Lucas Steele’s poses on the beats, dear lord. and true to character, he was flirting with/eye-fucking audience members as he walked down the stairs

- 100% getting bowie vibes from Anatole tbh

- Lucas Steele has the most amazing blue steel face (approved by ben stiller, for the record), everyone else can go home. also his cheekbones tho

- towards the end of the opera, Natasha watches Andrey die (he gets dramatically opera-stage-murdered by two ensemble members who pull long red sashes). she’s visibly shaken by it and Anatole enters her box (giggity) right after that

Natasha and Anatole:

- when he seizes her from behind and kisses her on the neck, Anatole GOES IN. like, grabs part of her skirt and lifts it up partway. it’s, uh. something.

- I’m not 100% sure if it’s meant to be a real thing that happens, honestly?? I’m gonna have to check the text of war and peace again to be sure but the way it’s staged, I honestly thought it was something Natasha briefly imagined and then tried to pretend that she didn’t

- Anatole directed the “isn’t that so” to a male audience member with a little wink wink nudge nudge thing

- also, hello unwanted touching: he grabs her wrist at “it’s alright, Natasha, I’m here” and it doesn’t look like a wanted touch on those ~bare arms~

The Duel:

- OH MAN THIS IS SO MUCH FUN. another instance of getting free shots, and toasting with the cast

- IT TURNS INTO A RAVE. straight up. strobe lights and everything.

- Grace McLean has A Booty. Instance #2 of “if I didn’t know I was queer before…”

- and how do I know that? because she was wearing a catsuit and waved her butt in my face. and smacked it with a riding crop. 11/10 she can get it.

- also there was another dancer in the ensemble who danced up on the railing next to our table basically wearing leather that wouldn’t be out of place at folsom street fair. one of the ladies at my table was caught a little off guard but I swear to god in that moment I thought “eh this is nothing, I’m from San Francisco”

- Paul Pinto sighting: the duel announcer

- Pierre basically wins the duel because everyone is trashed. He’s so drunk that he stumbles and fires too early (giggity), and lucks out because he shot Dolokhov (who is also quite drunk by this point) in the shoulder

- based on my understanding of the album, I expected Helene to be a lot more sarcastic/cold at the end of the duel, but she looked surprisingly shaken. I’m not sure if it was because she almost lost her boytoy or because she would lose the material comfort/privilege of being married to her husband, but it was definitely interesting to see

Dust and Ashes:

- aka Josh Groban’s “for your consideration” moment for the Tony voters

- ok but for real I saw some glassy eyes in the audience during this one, and I totally get it. this song is beautifully written (”we are a god and angels weep” is out of Tolstoy’s writing, IIRC, and it’s brief but impactful) and it is a complete emotional journey. I, too, am ready to wake up.

Sunday Morning:

- when Natasha looks into the mirror, she’s positioned so that Pierre is right behind her, i.e. he’s reflected in the mirror. she really did see her future (War and Peace spoiler: Natasha and Pierre are happily married later on in the book).

- oh man, nothing like 19th century church to fan the guilt that goes with budding sexuality/a crush

Charming:

- ok so when this song starts, Natasha has just taken off her dress. She’s only in lingerie when Helene drops in. she’s literally exposed/vulnerable

- Natasha’s face when Helene tells her that Anatole is into her though!!! anyone who’s known a teenage girl knows that facial expression. it’s fucking precious

- Natasha goes from lingerie -> Helene’s fur coat -> her ball outfit (final chorus). she’s in her underwear for most of it, so make of that what you will

- a really important moment: Helene removes the necklace that Andrey gave Natasha (with some protest) and replaces it with a multi-string pearl necklace (and who wears multiple strings of pearls first…?)

- guys I’m unapologetically queer asf for Amber Gray (#3)

- at the very end, Natasha is copying Helene’s dance moves with her little dress swishes. it’s cute but also a nice little bit of symbolism.

The Ball:

- good god Shoba Narayan is an actual princess ok

- it’s interesting that Natasha and Anatole are actually dancing on opposite sides of a circular portion of the stage when Natasha’s describing their dance. you get a real sense of her inner monologue/the fact that the two of them are having somewhat different perceptions of what’s going on

- I’m actually kind of surprised at how many people listen to the album and don’t really register the fact that Anatole is blocking Natasha’s path/hurting her when he grabs her arm. pair it with the music and that already sounds like Bad Times, but it’s definitely Not A Good Thing when combined with watching Natasha’s reactions (she’s literally running from him)

- the sound when they kiss is the entire ensemble playing the rims of water glasses. Helene’s note is the longest.

- Anatole’s face when Natasha goes “but I love you” is hilarious and a pretty good hint (just in case anyone missed it) that he is not interested in her affections beyond an assist to get her into bed with him

- during the “I’ll do anything for you” exchange, Natasha is reaching up with outstretched open hands. Anatole has a closed fist. it’s a small thing, but it says a lot about the power dynamics at play

Letters:

- Anatole’s love letter to Natasha gets “sent” through the audience. It got a little held up and Natasha was desperately/frantically gesturing for them to move it along. eventually, a guy got up from his seat to hand it to her and he got a round of applause

- the second repetition of “a love letter”, Anatole does the hand motion for a woman’s figure (you know the one)

- Lucas Steele holding out every extended note just because he can. 

- “just say yes” is delivered with Anatole holding Natasha by the waist/hips and kneeling in front of her.

- Anatole fist pumping after Natasha goes “yes! yes!” and lets go of him

- Anatole has this smug expression as he walks off at the end, and Sonya makes eye contact with him as she’s approaching. it’s a really small silent exchange but you can immediately tell that Sonya knows that something is up and isn’t having any of it

Sonya and Natasha:

- you know that text post about “you know you’ve become an adult when you watch the Little Mermaid and you’re like ‘YOU DON’T EVEN KNOW HIM’”? yeah, that’s basically this scene

- Shoba!Natasha put so much sass into “I do not grasp the question” and “you don’t understand anything”. it’s little mannerisms like that that make her 100% believable as a teenager tbh. I swear I caught her rolling her eyes at one point and I was like “yep definitely made that face before”

- literally sitting between them during this argument is intense my dudes.

Sonya Alone:

- I’ll be honest, I have a habit of skipping this song on the album because it’s such a lull between the intensity of the end of the preceding argument and the beginning of the abduction. but in person…holy fuck.

- Brittain Ashford is everything in this scene. obvi still open to other actors’ interpretations, but her voice is just so right for Sonya’s raw sadness and determination

- this scene ends with Sonya reaching for Natasha, who just holds her letter and turns her head away, and my heart. augh my heart.

Preparations/Balaga/The Abduction:

- doing these all together because it just…happens

- Pierre is actually ptfo at the beginning of this scene (implied bc he was drinking); Anatole accidentally wakes him up on his way out, so his “ah Anatole” is actually sort of half-asleep

- I caught a glimpse of the first chair cellist grinning ear to ear once the ostenato part starts and I was just like “YEAH GIRL GET IT”. she was so pumped to do this sequence

- the patter in this is real and Nick Choksi fuckin kills it.

- also it was during this scene that he smacked a teacup (and it was a very nice looking metal one too!) down onto our table in front of me while listening to Anatole’s nonsense. he would later take my hand and make sure I used it to raise a glass during the abduction

- it’s very subtle but you can catch various ensemble members grabbing instruments and getting ready towards the middle/end of Preparations. Amber Gray caught my eye (obvi) because Helene basically goes and puts on a vest as soon as she’s out of the scene and gets a tom. Amber Gray playing the tom in the lead-up to Balaga is my aesthetic (#4)

- the shakers come out with the rest of the ensemble at the beginning of Balaga - we were given a basket and basically told to take one and pass it down. you’re allowed to keep them and I brought mine home with me :)

- Paul. Motherfucking. Pinto. Dude is full of so much energy that it is infectious 

- it’s impossible to not sing along when people are playing instruments/dancing/singing right next to you

- got another round of shots before Pierre’s toast

- during the “it’s a russian custom” break, Anatole sat down next to two older ladies and hardcore flirted with them #BlueSteele

- so the “fur cloak” scene features a pizzicato violin soloist (who is wearing the fur cloak in question). she has tattoos on her hipbones that look like the holes on a violin that are highly visible with the outfit she has on. A+ casting right there

- Pierre does the ‘ding’. It was a great ‘ding’ and I am v proud

- Gelsey sighting: the maid

In My House:

- the shakers stopped IMMEDIATELY. Grace McLean has THAT MUCH PRESENCE.

- so she starts off this song with a smile, but it is through clenched teeth and utterly frightening. holy fuck I do NOT want to be in trouble for the rest of my life after that

- small fumble on “what is it to me”, but Shoba said it and corrected it so quickly that it actually worked because it sounded like Natasha had a case of Angrish because she was so upset

- another instance of “I am sitting in the middle of this argument and this is incredibly uncomfortable” because it’s so intense

A Call to Pierre:

- jesus christ do NOT piss off Marya D. but I love how it’s not just anger, there’s legitimate worry and panic. like, I get the feeling she’s about to cry just from all of the conflicting feelings leaking out of her eyes

Find Anatole:

- the lights go up when Pierre goes to the club, and I’m sure it’s no coincidence that it makes the table seats super visible to the orch/mezz audience

- Helene is in her lingerie when hiding/comforting Anatole. Considering their interactions throughout this show, that’s definitely on purpose

Pierre and Anatole:

- last instance of “sitting so close to an argument that it’s uncomfortable”

- Anatole “frowning and biting his lip” looks a LOT like a small child sulking during/after a temper tantrum. Also Lucas fumbled with the stool a bit and knocked it over which added to the whole tantrum/possibly slightly disoriented from Pierre shaking him thing

- Natasha’s poisoning is VERY obvious (which is obvi something you don’t get from the album alone). You see her coming down the steps with the arsenic and water and she is in the middle of the stage, between Anatole and Pierre when she goes through with it

- The Note. holy fuck.

Natasha Very Ill:

- Anatole is actually very slowly on his way out through the doors during the first part of the song. He disappears riiiiight about the time that the electronic parts stop (not a coincidence)

- There’s a lot of silent acting going on during the show, but I mention it here because what really struck me was Pierre comforting Marya during this scene.

Pierre and Andrey:

- Andrey is both noticeably changed from the war and heartbroken over Natasha. It’s no surprise that he can’t bring himself to forgive her, considering the state he’s in (minor W&P spoiler: he eventually does tho) Nick Clark's "never speak of that again" is more forceful than on the album - he basically shouted it. definitely got than anger

- I noticed Sonya holding Natasha in the background. not sure if they were both crying

- At the very end of this scene, Andrey goes and sits (well more like collapses into) the chair that his father sat in earlier in the show. and he ignores Mary (who looks so excited to see him, poor girl) on the way there

Pierre and Natasha:

- ok I felt my eyes starting to do The Thing during this scene. it is heartbreaking to watch frail, ill Natasha weakly walk down the stairs in front of you while clinging to the railing for dear life when you’ve been watching her dance/run/sing up and down them for the entire preceding show

- “I don’t know, I don’t know at all” hit me right in the gut. I thought I might cry, but I figured that with my dry-ass eyes, my contacts would take care of it…

- …and then The Line happened. I felt exactly one tear make it out (which is a LOT for my stupid dry allergy-tastic eyes). I also saw a lot of glassy eyes in the audience and heard a lot of sniffles

The Great Comet of 1812:

- so I was seated super close to the comet itself. it’s right over the center pit/Pierre’s salon and I was maybe a few feet from that, so it was amazing to watch it come down.

- it’s really hard to describe the comet chandelier but I can tell you that the “actual” comet is just one bulb, but when it happens, it is the single brightest thing in the theater. it’s also the final light to go out after the giant chandelier lights up and fades out.

- Pierre sits down to watch the comet at the very end which seems like a neat cue for the groban stans to stop staring at him and pay attention to the really cool thing that is happening

General/stuff I thought about later/stage door:

- something I realized after I left: Andrey wasn’t the family’s saving grace, Pierre was. within the bounds of the show, he saves Natasha and her family from disgrace and Andrey and Anatole’s lives (avoiding a duel and Anatole getting charged with bigamy). in the larger context of the book, he also saves the Rostovs from their financial issues because ends up inheriting his father’s title and money and Natasha marries him.

- “stupid child” really is a good descriptor for Anatole

- Or Matias, the music director, is practically a one-man show. honestly I’d see this again just to watch him jam out. his conducting is quite possibly the most entertaining, non-traditional conducting I’ve ever seen

- basically everyone besides natasha/sonya is part of the ensemble at some point outside of The Abduction sequence. and a lot of them play instruments (see: Helene on the drums, Dolokhov on guitar). it’s rad.

- Dolokhov has some srs eyeliner on his lower lashline - but only on the lower lashline (and nobody else does). I wonder if it’s supposed to be for preventing glare since he’s a “crazy good shot”

- there are a bunch of interactions between Anatole and Helene that are uncomfortably close for siblings (and Helene coddling him in her lingerie near the end of the show basically seals the deal). it’s a great nod to the book. 

- Helene/Dolokhov/Anatole is as close to a canon OT3 as I’ve seen anything get in a long time.

- there are same-sex pairs of dancers throughout the show. I managed to spot 3 during The Ball, but there might be more. 

- This show is what I wish our entertainment could look like all the time. colorblind casting, vibrant production, and so much fun. 

- Josh Groban is the nicest dude. His publicist kept coming out to remind us that he didn’t have time to do photos since they were on their way to something else, but Josh insisted on signing everything that he could. I also happened to capture a pretty excellent little moment (here)

- Shoba Narayan was also super sweet! I’m gonna forever side eye the kid next to me who thought that “you sound just like Denee” was a good compliment tho

- Gelsey reassured a fan that Mary’s life does get better later on in the book

[kitto-toberu-sa]

Sailor Moon Musical - Le Mouvement Final

So on the 23rd of October I went to Aichi to see the Sailor Moon musical~ Our bus arrived at 6am, so we spent the day chilling and checking out the Pokemon Centre and the poor selection of Digimon items at Kiddyland…

From Nagoya, it took an hour and a half by train to get to the venue, Ai Plaza Toyohoshi. We were cutting it really close (missed a train), but managed to power walk there in time. Thankfully goods were being sold in the break and after the show.

Unfortunately, the venue was dead.

The first floor is S tickets (8000 yen), the top floor is A tickets (6000 yen?). A third of the first floor was occupied, with a smattering of seats in the top part.

I feel so bad for all the cast and crew. It must have been really awkward to be singing to a bunch of empty seats. I’m not sure how much this was promoted, but having the venue so far out of the city really didn’t help things.

Personally, I had wanted to go to see the show in Osaka, but thanks to Aichi not being sold out, we ended up having really amazing seats ;; We were ninth row from the stage and I was on an aisle seat. It was seat 29, and I was going fight my friend for seat 30 (lucky number lol) but I’m glad I didn’t.

The show itself is explanatory. It’s the finale of the manga.

The start with Mamoru half proposing was wonderful. You could feel the audience’s hearts getting excited for Usa. It was obviously much more condensed than the manga, which I was thankful for. It gave us time to jump straight into things; however, the cute dance between Mamo and Usa at the start was really nice!

Chibi-usa was gone from the start, instead of leaving part way through. Ami is the one to notice something is wrong with Usagi, rather than Minako. Iron Mouse isn’t killed straight up either. She’s able to go back to Galaxia, say she’ll do better next time and gets a reprieve after having her butt handed to her. We get a rift in the four Galaxy Sailors here.

(Honestly, Seiren and Crow can step on me any day of the god damn week)

Chibi Chibi is insanely adorable. I am honestly not a fan of small children, don’t want kids and always ??? at people when they try to coo and tell me how cute their munchkin is. But damn. This kid was cute. It didn’t feel fake sweet or like she was out of place.

I also really enjoyed the scene where the girls are trying to figure out whats up with the Lights. Minako mentions they might be chicks. Setsuna has chibi faces of them on a white board. “….then they’d wear mini skirts if they were scouts…” A fight ensures as she tries to fuku them up, while Minako and Makoto are mortified haha

Usagi being forced to remember what happened to Mamo happened straight after Mercury and Jupiter dying, so it was very raw. I don’t think Venus’ loss really had as much of an impact. Rei’s did. For me, at least. Rei’s always been my number one girl, but her last thing she said was ‘sorry we couldn’t protect you’. I think it says a lot about her character, especially when most other people just said ‘Usagi’.

Usagi has a dream where everyone is alive and Mamo’s a chef and it’s all just very pure and sweet and then she wakes up and everyone’s still dead  The scene in front of the door was sufficiently eerie. I think Usagi’s wavering and ChibiChibi’s innocence helped this scene a lot as well.

At one point after the interval, Galaxia is singing. She walks down the aisle, right next to me. HO DAMN! Even with those stupid coloured lips she’s amazing! Her performance was one of the best, even when she was speaking, her expressions and pose said it all.

Kakyuu’s death was touching. As was the Lights. The problem with this arc is that everyone dies. Done in a weekly anime or manga, it’s probably more emotional, but losing 10+ characters in under three hours makes it a little less so. In saying that, I cried a couple of times lmao It was nice that there weren’t as many Senshi tho. This isn’t Oprah folks.

The scene where everyone is resurrected was great. The song was powerful, the girls looked bad ass. Wonderful. 100/10. Chibi Chibi talking to Chibi Moon was also really good. And of course, when she transformed as well. Everything about her is just stunning. Her outfit was perfect, she was perfect, 100% would cry over again.

I also really like how it discusses all the past enemies. They put up images of all the old enemies, up to Galaxia, on a sheet that came down in front of the stage. It gave it a warped feeling, and kinda made it more space like. Unlike the manga, the musical goes more into detail about who Cosmos is. Same about the whole siblings thing.

The wedding scene was really cute. I’m not sure if it happened in all versions, but Minako said she’d definitely get married next. Of course, Rei is the one that catches the bouquet ;;

Once everything is finished, The End comes up on the screen. They also do a montage of the previous musicals from this run. A lot of the audience was emotional. I only saw last year’s and this year’s live, but it’s super nostalgic. Afterwards, they did the usual performance stuff, mixed with songs from previous musicals as well. Yuuga was both Tuxedo Mask and King Endymion. She teases the audience so well I can't deal with her.

There was a point Yuuga came down the aisle. Yes, right next to me. We made eye contact. I squealed and leaned into my friend after she passed. The crowd was losing it. At one point a dude behind me asked his SO ‘…that’s a dude right?’ and the SO just scoffed ‘no’.

I’ve always understood Yuuga’s appeal, but it never clicked with me personally. But nine rows from her? I get it. Even my friend, who is a as straight as an arrow, went wow a few times. God bless Yuuga.

My heart’s still racing <3

It would have been nice to see the Crows in their true form. And get to see more of the girls going back to their own castles and stuff, but what can you do? Considering the time frame, they got through a heck of a lot of this arc, and there’s only so much they can do with budget constraints. Aichi certainly did not help in that. I’m honestly not sure why they didn’t make tickets cheaper and just give those that had pre booked an extra bonus or something (as it is we got cute post cards)

This musical had a really nice balance of comedy and seriousness. It felt quite real. The directorship was really good. Some of the songs were repeated from earlier musicals. Considering they were some of my faves, I’m not complaining.

The cast was excellent, as always. Thanks to the seats, I was able to see in so much more detail and was able to make lots of eye contact with the cast haha! Uranus completely stole my heart with her gaze <3

At one point I was signing up to buy the dvd. Unfortunately I didn’t ask if I could pay later (has happened other times I preorder these dvds). She didn’t confirm that with me either. So I filled out the form only to tell her I didn’t have the cash (how much money do they expect people to have on them?? Most people were spending at least 3000 on goods (many were spending more) so they expected you to have at least 20,000 ($200) on you for one musical? That’s ridiculous). She was honestly really fucking rude and basically snatched the form out of my hands and tossed it in the trash. The staff at Osaka were so much nicer.

The guys at the door were cool, and a lady was sitting in our seat. I didn’t want to cause a scene so we went to a staff member and asked to be guided to our seat (obviously he then mentioned the other chick was in the wrong seat). There was a surprising amount of foreigners, considering how few people were actually there ;; Someone I knew actually saw me but I didn’t see them haha ;;; The fans were really nice.

Except for that old fucker who felt asleep and started snoring before the interval. Fuck him. (There was a lot of old people there? Like I’m talking 55+?? Why)

Anyway, as we left, walking back to the station, a lady cut in front of us. It was one of the actresses! She had track pants with an off the shoulder white shirt, which I thought was a little odd, but then I saw she still had the shoes on. I’m still trying to figure out who she is. We didn’t approach her – she had headphones in, and kept glancing around to make sure people weren’t following her. That’s one reason why crowds are kicked out so quickly here – this is the third time I’ve seen cast leave. Depending on the area/fame, they’ll walk or taxi out of the venue, so the chance of them being spotted and harassed is pretty high. The faster the crowds are gone, the safer it is for them. In any case, I hope she enjoyed whatever she bought lol

I enjoyed it! If I lived closer I’d go see it again. I heard other people say the same. My friend was surprised by how professional it was. She really enjoyed it! I recommend seeing it if you can! If not, please support it officially where possible. Also, if you have any questions feel free to ask! This isn’t as in depth as normal, sorry ;;