#can I meet the guys who scripted that app ? | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

bisclavret · 1 month

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hello I'm thinking about that gifset you did. yaoi cocaine. whatever it was. with gwaine and merlin having figured each other out. and gwaine looking betrayed while merlin looks elated is SO IMPORTANT TO ME YOU DON'T EVEN GET IT.

GWAINE USES HAVING MERLIN FIGURED OUT TO BRING HIM JOY. MERLIN USES HAVING GWAINE FIGURED OUT TO HURT HIM.

fuckkkk it just. you can sort of see it with how they distance themselves too and what their relationship looks like in s4 & 5. ESPECIALLY 5 bc at the end of the season merlin uses his knowledge of gwaine (that gwaine cares about him and would risk his life for him without hesitation) to hurt him (not being honest with him about his magic or allowing him to help get it back) LIKE OH MY GOD. THEY HAVE EACH OTHER FIGURED OUT. MERLIN KNOWS IT'LL HURT GWAINE IF HE DOESN'T TELL HIM THINGS BUT HE ALSO KNOWS GWAINE WILL DO ANYTHING FOR HIM AND I JUST. AUGH. I THINK THAT SHOULD BE EXPLORED MORE BC LATER SEASONS MERWAINE TOXIC YAOI IS EVERYTHING TO ME

oh im so glad you picked up on that too! theyre literally ideological foils to each other in that episode: even as they bond over some shared values and trauma (and attraction), the key conflict between them is that gwaine's life experiences have made him a staunch anti-royalist while merlin is prophecy-pilled into believing he lucked out with "the good ones". from the moment merlin learns gwaine's dad was a knight he relentlessly uses this fact to convert gwaine back to catholicism nobility so he can stick around as a knight of camelot, which merlin rationalizes as a kindness because gwaine seems lonely and leads a dangerous life.

but the way gwaine reacts to merlin's attempts at persuasion is conflicted and suspicious because "what's this guy's agenda?" and i don't think that ever fully lets up. even as gwaine concedes that arthur is one of "the good ones" i do believe it's just for merlin's sake because there are no "good ones" in a class war lol he sees how rooted merlin is in his beliefs (not to mention the repressed sexuality) and wants to reassure him that even though he's in no rush to join him, he's not judging him either. and merlin is relieved and happy with this outcome because gwaine kindly didn't call him out on the homosexuality and he stopped trying to threaten his beliefs. that whole episode is the equivalent of being a leftist on a dating app in 2022 wondering how low you'd stoop for a cute british twink that's unironically mourning queen elizabeth. but i digress.

merwaine is toxic yaoi to ME because not only does it start with them butting heads ideologically, merlin's ideology WINS and gwaine abandons everything he stood for to become a knight in the hopes of finding love and community. and then of course by the time s4 and s5 roll in there is so much grief and shame and fanaticism in merlin that he refuses to indulge, refuses to go off-script and allow gwaine to be anything except a tool and a weapon. which is obviously not the vibe gwaine was getting off of merlin in s3, but by his last episode he's surrendered himself to the reality that that's all merlin allows himself to want from him to the point where after merlin rejects him one last time he literally gives him his sword and lets him walk away. grim!

then again, they're both complicit in making each other feel worse! gwaine sounds like he already has some mistrust of magic when we first meet him, and by s5 he's parroting camelot-isms about magic, "you are a sorcerer and a heretic", and killing sorcerers who did nothing. and then merlin quietly marks their grave and keeps repeating to himself that "it'll get better one day" while refusing to listen to anyone who has any criticism whatsoever.

and to circle back to the point of "they figured each other out": THAT'S WHY IT'S SO POTENT. TO ME. merlin knows that gwaine loves him best of all but whenever gwaine tries to act on his love merlin recoils because of catholic fanaticism he's convinced everyone he shares his secrets with will die. the repression is off the charts. and gwaine resents repression but he's forced to abide by it because he's disarmed by merlin's apparent selflessness and bravery (and the fact that merlin gets to live a life of adventure and self righteous fighting while not actually being a noble - that's literally gwaine's dream!) but i simply cannot look at gwaine in honestly ANY of the seasons he's in and go "oh he doesn't mind :) he just wants to be involved!" the man practically died of a broken heart. merlin broke his heart. and gwaine let him, he was also an active participant! i like to overanalyze eoin's acting decisions and try and pinpoint moments where he bites his tongue lest he says something that goes against merlin's (and the show's) ideology that will cost him his place. which is not unlike hiding a secret identity if you think about it

#the fact that gwaine never rly told anyone else his dad was a knight is sooo interesting as well.. kinda gay to keep pointless secrets!#you rly opened pandoras box here. hi #hello. finally. lets talk about how fucked up merwaine is. thank you #asks #eviltoxicmosssauce #merwaine #gwaine x merlin #bbc merlin #bbcm

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skinwalker-bratz · 6 months

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Just read the dr post and holy shit- I thought ej would be like. One of the less filthy ones💀 Did you ever meet Ben, or X-virus? I know you said they’re not social whatsoever(which makes sense), But like. I’m curious- Did you have to do any of the ‘Work?’ Or like,,, Did you have a ‘job’ there, or jus kinda vibed? Also wdym sally was scary- Ok well that’s vague of me,, I mean like. I figured she’d just look like a normal, if not shell shocked, 8 year old covered in blood-

OH ALSO did you ever see kagekao? What were some of the scarier looking creeps?

-💀 (sorry for talking so much, I’m a big fan of creepypasta so I’m very interested ^^; )

I HAD WRITTEN A TEXT HERE AND LOST IT WHEN I CLOSED THE APP AAAAAA

Talking about my experiences shifting to creepypasta reality again:

I also thought that the EJ was clean before shifting. I had simply told the universe to send me the most realistic version of them possible, both psychologically and physically. And come to think of it, a being with animalistic instincts, who is "undead" and possessed by a DEMON, it became more obvious that he would not be clean. Besides, he seemed to have a deplorable mental state, I don't know if he had low self-esteem like people do in headcannons, but he seemed to have little energy for everything, almost like a like a depressed person.

About Ben and xvirus, I only saw them a few times, I didn't have much interest in them, but I can say that Ben was another virus that only manifested itself in electronic objects, only without a physical or ethereal body, like an Alexa. The x virus was a weird guy, like the ones that make you uncomfortable just by their presence. He looked like any ordinary white guy, not ugly or handsome, but he had a horrible vibe.

My "work" there was like everyone else's, but I decided to put it in the script that I would "blackout" until I finished doing it. Since it involved not so cool things and I didn't want to have memories of that and come back here with some trauma even though it was "me" doing it (which would probably make it much worse). The mansion and living with those monsters were enough.

As I said, Sally gave me the most chills, but that wasn't just because of her appearance,which was quite sinister since it could often appear malformed and sometimes missing parts, such as legs, parts of the skin or face. She disturbed me because I remembered her story and what she went through, and as I'm a person who thinks too much, I kept wondering if she got the justice she deserved. if her uncle suffered any punishment, how the family reacted when they found out what happened to her, or if they managed to find her. And her story is very sad for me and gives me a lot of triggers, and seeing her in person was something that made me even more disturbed by her. Oh, and sometimes she would follow people around the mansion, or wants to play with you if she likes you, which can't be very nice if you are not used to her and given the circumstances regarding her appearance. And if you see something being dragged or hear footsteps behind you and children's laughter at night, it could just be her.

Regarding kagekao, no, I didn't see him there. I also had no interest in meeting him since he is friends with certain people that the entire fandom hates... I wouldn't be able to bear meeting this certain person, and also whoever he's friends with, but maybe I can see him next time, just put it in the script.

Even though my experience was less than pleasant most of the time, I gave up after a week there, I was able to shift more easily, now I have the symptoms of hearing voices, feeling touches and my body floating when I shift, which is a little scary but it means I've improved a lot. Apart from the ease to do it now, so it was worth it in that aspect.

#reality shift #reality shifting #shifter #creepypasta shifting #shifting experiences #shifting #creepypasta #eyeless jack #creepypasta fandom #cody x virus #x virus #kagekao #ben drowned #sally williams #sally creepypasta #slendermansion #slendermanor

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aichi-division · 2 months

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Shouta's thoughts on Itabashi Division

Bernard Miyamoto

"Bernard looks like a pretty eccentric guy. I like his clothing style, he looks great. It's nice to meet other people with a passion for the arts. Even though we are in different areas, the performing arts really come into their own, and Bernard looks like someone who is quite talented in that regard. Haha, I even feel like he's going to start giving me a performance of some Shakespeare script any minute now.

From what I hear, he comes from London, right? It must be beautiful there, I've never been out of Japan. I wish I could meet him and share travel talks and tastes in art. Maybe he could recommend me some plays to see? Well, hopefully for free, I don't have the money to pay for a ticket with my kids- I mean, teammates".

Raiden Koyama

"WAIT A MINUTE! R-Rai? Rai is part of this whole competition thing? No way. He never mentioned to me that he was part of a division…. Wha-

Well, umm, how should I put it…. Rai and I had a few encounters before, y'know, through dating apps and stuff. We found some common ground, like a passion for the arts, parties and cigars. I don't remember exactly how things went down because I got drunk and…. well, I can remember his eyes and his hands on my thighs, whispering something... He's someone hypnotic, I can't deny it. He is my type, if you know what I mean...

After those encounters, Rai has not maintained much contact with me. Well, we're from different locations so it's understandable, isn't it? I wonder how he would react if he knew I was a division leader, I can't help but smile at the thought of his face-"

Issey Ito

"Oh wow, another Issey!! Although this one looks… completely opposite to our Issey, for sure.

He seems to have a rather surly attitude, reminds me a bit of SOMEONE. Anyway, he seems like a pretty talented and mysterious guy. Maybe our Issey can get some smiles out of him or something…. well, if he doesn't get killed first.

I hear he is a medical student, what a nice career! I wish him all the best! Heh, I can't help but feel a little nostalgic when I see guys his age accomplishing their goals. There is only one way to make a living and that is with hard work and dedication. I hope this kid has everything he needs to succeed in life."

Itabashi Division

I won't deny that seeing Rai- I mean, Raiden, has been a great surprise. I didn't openly know his musical side, although I sincerely believe that it was still expected that he would accept to be part of something like this. I'm genuinely glad to be able to see him again. Anyway, I think this division has a lot of potential and a lot of talent. Unlike other leaders I've met, Bernard actually looks like a pretty cool guy to spend time with. Eccentricity is part of the magic of art and music is not exempt. I already want to see what they are capable of doing.

-@itabashi-division

#hypmic oc #aichi division #cloud 9 #hypnosis microphone oc #hypnosis mic #hypnosis microphone #hypmic #shouta takeda #itabashi division #bernard miyamoto #Issey Ito #Raiden Koyama

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amythetraveler · 4 months

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Hello there,wonderful reader!!Welcome to my safe space!!

Ive decided to start an acc on tumblr to also share my shifting stuff and my journey to my dr here.

**This post will be updated as time goes on...

🦋Current age:19(imma change this throught the years),

🦋Gender:Female,

🦋Where im from:planet earth :),

🦋pronouns:She/Her,

🦋U can call me amy(i dont like to reveal private info abt me),

🦋I have been on shifting since maybe 2021-2022 and been between leaving it and returning to shifting due to various reasons(mainly bc i cant stick to one dr and keep going until i arrive there lol),

🦋I havent arrived to any of my drs atm(ill update when this happens),

🦋I love many stuff,like anime,art,cinema,etc,

🦋Where i have my scripts:Lifa app(its an app thats on the ios and android,its pretty useful TRUST ME),

🦋What i Want to mainfest in this cr(yeah,theres stuff i wanna do here too even that this reality is super crazy):

🐱An healthy romantic relationship(and a marrige),

🦋Be an Youtuber or an Artist,

🐱Maintain and achieve Independence,

🦋Having a healthy family by adoption(many kids out there need an home tbh),

🐱gaming consoles and electronics,

🦋And inner peace with myself and my self esteem(wich im trying to learn how to acept myself and my own body).

🦋Realities i want to shift(not in an cretain order btw):

🦋Dune(yea i havent seen ppl talk abt shifting to this one,so i made this one mainly because of Leto Atreides...Yeah i wanna be his duchess,and he wont die on my dr,that man deserved better),

🦋Stranger Things(im currently choosing between season 1 and 3 because i want to get used to the dr before the event of s4),

🦋Big hero 6(yeah id admit it,im there mainly bc of tadashi and baymax),

🦋Harry Potter(maybe,or maybe not bc it involves war and idk if i would go there tbh),

🦋Berserk(yeah i wanna be guts sister and meet judeau,that man deserved better),

🦋Star Wars sequels(but my dr not being ruined with the whole palapatine thing,or making it better than what it turned out to be),

🦋AND MORE Drs!!(imma updare soon on that),

Dni: Homophobes,rap11ts,anti shifters,ped00s,racists,more!!

ALSO,FORGOT TO MENTION:

Some codes i will use:

😐=Random cr Rant abt my daily life,

🤣=Random Rant i do Abt an movie,series,etc from this Cr,

😍=Random Motivation for u guys(yeah i wanna give motivation to the ones who arent motivated :')

😅=Stuff Abt My Drs Script,

These are "Codes" for when u know of wich dr im talking About :

Castlevania=🫠

When im at Harry potter=🪽

When im At Dune=🏜

When im at Berserk=🌸

When im at Bh6=🧭

When im at Stranger Things=💥

Take care and enjoy my blog!!

#reality shifting #shifting community #shifters #shifting advice #mha shifting #dune #shiftin #shiftinconsciousness #consciousness #shifting antis dni #shifting methods #loa methods #loassumption #loa tumblr

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hightailinghazel · 2 years

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Alright. Interview with a voice actor from “Hightailing Hazel”, Trevor Cane. Trevor Cane worked as a voice actor for the character, Bus Driver, as well as smaller background characters. Here’s the transcript. Please don’t mind any spelling errors. I tried to make it as professional as possible.

Interview with Trevor Cane, March 1, 2023, 3.45 PM.

N: Ok so I’m online. Sorry I’ve never done this before.

T: Ok.

N: And I had to download this app, I don’t use this to talk to people usually.

T: Ok.

N: Ok. Ok! Ok, So, Ok, So you’re good?

T: I’m here.

N: Yea, yea ok so. Ok.

T: You can start anytime. N: So, I’m Nathan. You know me already of course. Can you introduce yourself?

T: Trevor Cane.

N: You’re a professional voice actor right?

T: Semi.

N: Right. What does that mean?

T: Semi means sometimes.

N: Course. Ok so, purpose of this. So as you know I’m running a blog archiving the abandoned project, “Hightailing Hazel.”

T: Yea I know.

N: Reasoning behind simply I’ve never seen it anywhere else online before. SO, I’m trying to sort of gather ever

T: Gonna stop you right there Nathan.

N: Ok?

T: Lemme just get the basic shit over with.

N: What do

T: Hightailing Hazel, was a half baked idea between two families who apparently had nothing better to do. They hired me, some artists, some other voice actors, and got as close to animating some episodes before the whole thing blew up, and they buried that shit. I’m sure they didn’t expect some random guy online to harass washed up voice actors about it.

N: I…Ok. Uhm, yea! Ok. Two families?

T: Yes those are the words I said out-loud yes. Good job repeating them.

N: So who hired you-who were the families?

T: You don’t need names.

N: Right! Well I do because I

T: Because your archiving. Ok.

N: yes.

N: So it was two families? Did they run… a uh. Media company, or a studio at all?

T: Two or three of them were artists and parents so they thought they had the key to instant mind numbing cartoon success. They didn't.

N: No company.

T: No. Though I’m sure they were business majors. They had a studio. That’s where we worked. Pretty ok place. Small.

N: Why do you say half baked?

T: They went about it with so much chaos I’m surprised they were able to organize it into your little cd at all.

N: Well it really isn’t organized.

T: Ok.

N: Ok. So. So…I have some uh. Question suggestions from some of my followers.

T: Still trying to follow a script huh.

N: Can you tell me what the recruiting process was like?

T: Uh Ok. I was recruited in 2009. The guy who first interviewed me told me they were looking for up and coming voice actors ready to “start their careers with something small but memorable.” I read some lines, they called me back a week later. I met their “crew”. They were adamant on us getting along and acting like a family. I met most of the two families. I met some other voice actors. I met some artists. Before this I’ve only done commercial work or indie work so. I didn’t really know how this shit worked.

N: Did you meet Liam Hahns?

T: What.

N: The uhm artists and I believe character designer.

T: Yes. He was more than that. He was one of the creators of the show itself.

N: Oh?

T: Yes.

N: Who all..created this show in the first place?

T: Show. Hah. Well Liam. His brother. His friend.

N: uhm. And their names?

T: No.

N: Uhm. Ok uhm. What about the other voice actors?

T: All hired either right outta school or found buried in some website hopelessly offering their services. They hired all fresh staff. Brand new artists and animators and voice actors.

N: And writers?

T: No writers. They handled all the writing. Scripts summaries plot storylines. Whatever.

N: This all sounds very odd and unprofessional.

T: Oh yea? Really?

N: Still I do like the end product.

T: Because you didn’t see what went in it. You didn’t see the sausage casing being rolled up.

N: What?

T: It’s an expression.

N: I don't think it is?

T: It is.

N: I’ve never heard of it before?

T: Ok.

N: …You played the character uh, just called Bus driver right?

T: Yes. They wanted me to voice some other background characters as well. Two line type characters. No titles.

N: And-but uh, Bus driver, you wanted him to be named after you?

T: Well Trevor is a lot fucking better than just bus driver isn’t it. They had a weird thing about names. And this was 14 years ago, I just wanted this one off character have more of me inside him. He was the main character of the episode. Besides the dog and cat.

N: Did you have any say on the script, or character at all?

T: No. And No Ad-libbing either. They were very strict when it came to the script.

N: How did you get along with the other crew?

T: Ok.

N: Uh?

T: Yea like ok. We were fine.

N: are you still in contact with anyone from the project?

T: No.

N: How’s that?

T: Ok. Here’s the deal Nathan. Stop posting on your blog. Stop trying to fucking bother people over some failed old show. And for god’s sake don’t post peoples fucking emails on youtube.

N: I really didn’t uh.

T: You're only going to find shit you don’t want to learn. Leave this shit buried. I’m serious. Theres nothing about this that matters enough to be talked about.

N: How could you say that? People put real work into this-including you. Real artists, animators, designers. Voice actors. Obviously I know know anything about these families, and you wont tell me much, but this is still a real passion filled project that is lost to time. I think the work at least deserves to be admired, or learned from, just known about at all. Art deserves to be seen.

T: And people deserve to be left the fuck alone. This show was meant for fucking ten year olds anyway why are you so interested in it.

N: It is still art. And its creative. And [unintelligible]-it’s-and it’s cute.

T: You sound like Natalie.

N: Natalie I recognize that name. I assume she was a character designer or artist?

T: You know I try not to think about the beginning of my career. I took a lot of stupid pointless jobs that didn’t pay enough, didn’t matter, didn’t further my career. Hightailing Hazel paid me enough. That is all I can say about it.

N: Ok,

T: Find a different hobby buddy, ok?

N: So-

T: I voiced one character, once. I got paid. I left. Ok?

N: Ok.

T: Ok. So we good?

N: I guess so.

T: Great interview. Don’t contact me again.

End of interview, Trevor Cane logged out immediately after.

___

My notes:

none at this time. Sorry.

#hightailing hazel

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iphisesque · 1 year

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Hiii just a question if you're comfortable of course. How do you have threesomes!! I'd like the idea but I'm very shy and i have no idea how to plant the seeds or create the vibes or whatever

Do you have any advice/a script/a magic recipe to follow? Tnx in advance

hi dear!! i feel like if you're a girl or otherwise female-presenting it's relatively easy to find a threesome: dating apps are chock full of couples seeking thirds, so that's like the bottom tier of the threesome pyramid, and i have had a few tinder threesomes myself — all you have to do is match with the couple, flirt for a little bit and talk about how you'd love to Expand Your Horizons and Have Unusual Sexual Experiences, and then actually meet up with them and seal the deal.

obviously this opens itself to all the usual dangers and risks and potential unpleasantness of dating apps in general, so it's not for everyone; if you want to have a threesome with people you know irl it's a little harder and more heavily dependent on a case to case basis, the same way having sex with a person you know irl is going to be different than finding a hookup on a dating app. all the threesomes i have had where i knew the people beforehand were with my childhood friend who's bicurious and into me + her npc boyfriend of the year, and i would say mine is a pretty good recipe: befriend a bisexual or bicurious woman with a partner, find out their relationship and sex issues, get drunk together and talk about your sex lives at length until everyone involved is uncomfortably horny, proposition a threesome or suggest making out with the woman (or the man if you're into guys! obviously im not into men so their input tends to be tangential, i like to have the other woman in the middle so we're both touching her and not so much each other) and go from there. it's more heavily context-dependant, but that's how i tend to lay the groundwork, and if it goes south you can blame it on the alcohol — i like to play sex and relationship expert to my straight couple friends, which gives me the opportunity to pepper in some hints before building up to the big proposal.

the biggest advice i want to give you is to basically just be a heightened version of yourself! im someone who is very forwards and somewhat sexual naturally, even around people i don't want to sleep with, so i just play a more exaggerated version of my natural characteristics; it's very cliché to say that there's always going to be someone who's attracted to you for yourself, but it is true, and for finding threesomes or hookups in general i would say the rule of thumb is to get out of your shell and exaggerate a little bit but still stay true to your personality.

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catullus16 · 7 months

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Hello, hope I'm not bothering you. I got a job in Japan (I'm Italian) and I've never been there before and my Japanese is N5 level (I am trying to study). I am moving in two months (I already got the accomodation covered by my company) and although I know things of Japan, because I've have always watched movies anime Yadda Yadda. I wanted to ask. Was it very difficult to adapt once you first moved? I know you had your husband but did you have moments of anxiety? What did you do to feel more comfortable? I am very anxious. It's not the first time I live abroad one but first time in Asia.

not bothering me at all!!

things were a little scary at first, for sure. i was always afraid of running into misunderstandings with people because of the language barrier but the more i practiced japanese the more my confidence grew. you definitely don't need to know all that much to get by day-to-day (customer service interactions all basically follow the same script). i prioritized learning speaking and listening skills over kanji, (which some may consider a huge mistake that i'm paying for now T__T) but it helped me get to a conversational level much faster. so that now if i can't read a sign or menu or something, i can just ask someone what it says.

i have a lot more i can say so imma pop in a read more

when i first moved here another thing that scared me was how much i stood out (especially cus the country was in covid lockdown at the time so there were no foreign tourists so i looked super out of place). to feel more comfortable i kind of studied how women in tokyo dressed and for a while tried to mirror it (i also have dark straight hair and brown eyes and am really short and everyone was still wearing masks at the time so it was really easy for me to blend in), though now that i'm more confident i mostly dress like a time traveling wizard that would look out of place almost anywhere haha.

also people here are generally very kind, patient, and eager to help. the more you get out and explore and interact with people the more the anxiety will fade away, so the first few weeks where you have but little experience and the mind is free to catastrophize might be tough but it will only get easier and easier. i'd say studying people's mannerisms and ways of doing things (train etiquette is very particular), and knowing how to do those things will also help with the anxiety. but no one is too bothered if you commit a faux-pas, so don't worry too much about accidentally doing something wrong, people tend to be super forgiving! but for me, accidentally doing something wrong was a huge fear.

i'd also say definitely avoid reading reddit boards or twitter pages about "being a gaijin in japan" or whatever cus a lot of those people are really bitter and reading it scared me a lot when i first moved here, but i've found very little of what they've said to be of any substance.

the hardest part is definitely socializing and making friends but it is completely possible and will help a lot! i joined a kimono class with my mother in law around a year and a half ago and everyone there is so kind and friendly and they have lots of social events. there are also inter-cultural events that municipal centers will host sometimes, and i've seen a few "english speaking" cafes where you can meet locals who want to practice english. i did try a language exchange app once (i think it was hellotalk) but since i had to upload a photo of myself for the profile, literally 99.9% of the people who messaged me were guys looking for a foreign gf (even though i put that i'm married in my bio) so use those at your own discretion haha.

i'm definitely very lucky though to have a japanese husband and very sweet in-laws who can help me, but i have lots of other foreign friends who came here all on their own and are doing great! like any country, it has its problems, but japan is a really nice place to live and i feel very lucky to be here!

i hope you too can enjoy your experience living here! if you have any other questions about living in japan please feel welcome to ask, i'm happy to share what i know!

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denimbex1986 · 8 months

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'British director Andrew Haigh has spent much of his career telling intimate queer stories that defy genre expectations, finding the poetry in our ordinary yet captivating realities. His characters grapple with self-consciousness, feeling as though they are constantly being observed and judged by a largely indifferent straight society. They carry the weight of their gay identity within a world that may no longer care either way, until it suddenly does.

His new film, All of Us Strangers, explores how gay men hide from themselves. It’s a companion piece to his 2011 masterpiece Weekend, a melancholy meditation on hook-up culture centered on two British guys in their 30s whose 72-hour affair is cut short by one of them leaving for America.

In All of Us Strangers, two men again connect against dramatic obstacles after a one-night stand. The paradox of Haigh’s approach is that his meticulous realism, capturing faces teetering on the edge of rejection, reaches for the extraordinary. He has remained true to his original, gritty vision of queer life, even as Hollywood executives clamor for a certain stripe of adult gay tragedy, in the vein of Brokeback Mountain or Philadelphia, or now increasingly, YA hits like Heartstopper and Red, White and Royal Blue.

Gay vulnerability is a crucial aspect of Haigh’s creative process—especially evident in All of Us Strangers, arguably his masterpiece. Haigh adapted the script from Taichi Yamada’s 1987 novel Strangers, a metaphysical ghost story set in Tokyo. The book revolves around a divorced man who starts an affair with a woman named Keiko, the only other tenant in his apartment building, while simultaneously encountering manifestations of his long-dead parents as they appear to him from childhood.

This plot unfolds like a universal metaphor for the modern mind, alienated in an impersonal cityscape, yearning for sexual fulfillment as well as the safety and familiarity of home associated with one’s inner child. The protagonist reconnects with his estranged son at the novel’s end, subsuming his grief over his parents into the duty of fatherhood.

When the film opens, the middle-aged protagonist, Adam (Andrew Scott), is struggling to work out a screenplay about his closeted childhood. The top of his laptop screen reads “EXT: 1987,” conjuring an image of a young boy growing up on the outskirts of London with conservative parents. This is the era of homophobia streamed on airwaves with the rise of Margaret Thatcher’s election, and the spread of HIV/AIDS; one can imagine a structure toggling between past and present.

But Haigh, in line with his previous films, deliberately steers away from flashbacks. What sets All of Us Strangers apart not only from its source material but other LGBTQ+ movies is the specificity of its central question: How can queer people contend with the grief of losing parents before getting a chance to reveal their true selves?

Haigh films his desolate London cityscape like an eerie dream. His opening shot captures the apartment building Adam lives in alone—or, almost alone. There are only two lighted windows. The person occupying the other apartment is Jake (Paul Mescal), a younger, thickly accented hot guy. We meet him holding a bottle of whiskey as he knocks on Adam’s door. His flirty banter carries an apocalyptic tone as he jokes (or does he?) that they live in the type of building designed to make people want to jump right out of it. Jake insists that since they are the only people in this building, they may as well get to know each other.

There is a hurried, rapid urgency on Jake’s face, the sort of pained longing familiar to many struggling gay men, scrolling apps at three in the morning, hoping for a stranger beside them to quell the unease of loneliness. But, as Jake stands helplessly at the threshold like a lost puppy looking for a home, Adam shuts the door: he is a stranger, after all.

Quite unlike the original source material, Haigh also proves attuned to the psychosexual dynamic between father and lover that the story suggests in thoughtful editing. When Adam strolls through a park and comes across a stranger who seems as if he’s cruising in the bushes, the man (Jamie Bell) tilts his head back like a proposition. But Adam—and by extension the audience—are instead led back to his childhood home.

This stranger is not a potential lover, but Adam’s dead father in early-middle-aged form. Adam’s parents died in a bicycle accident when he was 12 years old; the scenes that follow with their ghosts play out like a lost soul searching for catharsis and resolution in a fantasy. Adam comes out to his mom (Claire Foy) in the way he wishes he could’ve when she were alive. His Mom expresses worry that he could get AIDS, but Adam assures her,“It’s different now.”

The next day, after rekindling a relationship with his parents, Adam finally welcomes Jake into his apartment. They proceed to talk about semantics of queerness, Jake complaining that replacing the word queer with “gay” has taken the “cock-sucking” out of the whole thing. Adam admits he feels like his (straight) friends have abandoned him to raise kids in the suburbs. The heterosexual suburban fantasy connotes loss for Adam, both in childhood and adulthood.

Haigh takes advantage of the novel’s urban atmosphere to present a tragically relatable fable about what it means to be gay in the modern world, drawn to places and people which ultimately reveal themselves as intangible, even haunted. The camera’s steady, unsentimental lens, however, never steers the story into soap.

Instead, the unraveling of Adam’s metaphysical experience makes for Haigh’s most experimental, trippy filmmaking to date. In one scene, Adam attempts to introduce Jake to his parents; the house is empty. Riding the Tube back to London, Adam screams like he’s just heard the news his parents have died all over again and the screen rends itself apart like a Francis Bacon painting.

In Hanya Yanagihara’s novel A Little Life, recently adapted for Broadway, tragedies constrict the central queer protagonist’s personality so tightly that he seems like little more than a collection of symptoms, almost presented as a dish to arouse the reader’s appetite for sorrow. All of Us Strangers, however, takes a different approach to trauma and characterization. The film delves into why Adam’s loss of his parents, who have never rejected him, results in profound sexual shame in adulthood. It lingers on the question rather than the answer.

What sets Haigh’s adaptation apart is his use of Yamada’s source material to contemplate why trauma exerts such an addictive grip over all of us and hinders our ability to form genuine connections with others. Adam and Jake, representing different generations of gay men, serve as foils for exploring broader themes of the universal experience of alienation among gay men throughout time.

As Adam aptly puts it about gay life to the ghost of his mother, “It’s different now,” but in some ways, it remains the same. After all, the only ghosts that can haunt anyone are those we willingly invite through the door.'

#Andrew Haigh #Paul Mescal #Andrew Scott #All of Us Strangers #Taichi Yamada #Strangers #Weekend #LGBTQ+#Claire Foy #Jamie Bell

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newsworld-nw · 11 months

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'Fingernails': See 'The Bear's Jeremy Allen White in New Sci-Fi Romance (Exclusive)

What if you happen to may take a take a look at to ensure your companion is one hundred pc for you?That is the premise of the upcoming sci-fi romance Fingernailswhich star the bearof Jeremy Allen White and an Olivier winner Jesse Buckley As Ryan and Anna, a pair whose relationship is put by the ringer when Anna begins working at The Love Institute, a facility that runs simply such an experiment. Sadly, that is an intense one."You pull the fingernails of every individual within the couple and put them right into a machine and it tells you if it is a one hundred pc match," provides Riz Ahmed, who performs Anna's colleague Aamir. "Whether it is, then the couple is in love. If it is 50 p.c, then just one individual is in love, and if it is zero, then nobody is in love."The black mirrorFrom writer-director Christos Nico, stems from the ubiquity of recent courting apps and the way that digital disconnect impacts the way in which we meet potential companions."It was actually fascinating. He began speaking about cell telephones and the connection of your finger to your cellphone, and the fingernail was a part of the method of swiping proper and swiping left," White defined of assembly Nico concerning the movie. "So we needed to take it out of this world -- there have been a number of fascinating particulars."Whereas the take a look at referred to as into query Ryan and Anna's relationship, Buckley mentioned there was no such issue connecting with White on set."Actually, the primary day, we have been bare within the bathe collectively, so it is like a baptism of fireside as as to if or not you are going to date somebody," she remembers with amusing. "He made it really easy. He is such an incredible actor. Typically you come to work and it simply matches and it feels very easy, and that half felt so necessary to me as a result of I needed it to be troublesome for Ryan and Anna. No matter. One thing else."Additionally acted within the movie Luke Wilson As Anna and Aamir's boss, Duncan, and actor, he mentioned he was drawn to the mission each due to the distinctive premise and his proficient co-stars."Once I learn the script, I did not know what to anticipate in any respect, and that is very uncommon," he remembers. "And likewise, once I learn the script I knew that Reese and Jessie and Jeremy have been going to be in it, and all three of these guys I've grow to be followers of.""I am 51 years previous, so there's part of me the place it is like, the music I like, the folks I really like are all older, the actors I really like are from the 70s and 80s," she added. "To see new actors which can be so fascinating and so dynamic... it is nice to see younger actors."The movie was produced by the Oscar winner Cate BlanchettAdditionally starring Annie Murphy, Nina Keary, Claire McConnell, Juno Rinaldi, Jim Watson, Varun Saranga, Christian Mir, Amanda Arcuri and Katy Brier.Fingernails A restricted theatrical launch on October 27 adopted by an Apple TV+ streaming launch on November 3. All interviews are carried out previous to operating The SAG-AFTRA strikewhich began on July 14, 2023.Associated Content material: #Fingernails #Bears #Jeremy #Allen #White #SciFi #Romance #Unique Read the full article

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kennieswrld · 1 year

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the "wyd tn?" text.

since joining the LA world of hookups last year, I've learned some things. These things being; Tinder is solely for hookups, Hinge says it's for "long term/non-hookup like" relationships but if you're looking for something more hetero-normative then the men will 10/10 be looking for pure hookups- nothing more, Bumble and all the other D-list dating apps are complete ass and have redditor-like weirdos lurking behind every profile (even when they are cute, and yes. I am using the term reddit in a derogatory language).

I have been on countless horrible dates with men with whom I would have self esteem lowering sex with that same night and never see again. I have had the totally scripted "talking stage" with around 50 men who's names I will never try to remember. I even had the occasional guy of the month that I would go on casual dates with before being ghosted (totally fine, this totally didn't send me on an emotional spiral from not feeling adequate enough for anyone). And after awhile I began thinking, "Well gee! Maybe I am the problem!" which yes, this is slightly true. But in the case of the constant "wyd tn?" text on my lockscreen, I can't be the issue...right?

Yes, I have started realizing that my internet persona that I have tried crafting over the past 6 years is probably the reason for all of these horned up men in my phone (because being attractive AND a person looking for something that isn't totally focused on my own body is totally not a thing anymore!). But, that can't be the only reason for all of these men to treat me like a disposable vape at a frat party. I am way more than that.

So for a while I stopped entertaining the hookup like texts and started to focus in on a guy we will call- Jimmy. Jimmy and I held amazing banter and some of the same interest. It totally felt like we had an instant connection (i also have bipolar and this could be the real issue here but that's for a later time), I was so excited over this guy and literally started dreaming of him. But as soon as we tried making plans to meet up and do something in person, he literally snapped his fingers and went straight into "wyd tn?" mode. It was absolutely horrifying seeing how fast men can do that.

I honestly started writing this because I felt like I had something important to say regarding this issue in my life, but it feels like whatever that thought is has vanished. Even though I've barely lived a full life, it feels like my life is scarred and tainted by all of the atrocity's men have caused towards me. I felt like I could finally hold the control they think they had over me, and with this bullshit I feel helpless. It feels as if I have to completely give up on the idea of trying to be romantic to discard this entire fiasco. But why do I have to make this sacrifice? Being good for your own mental health is unfair and difficult some days.

I will be totally fine with not receiving another obvious fuck-boys attention ever again, but shit like this really make me feel as if no one sees me for me, but only my physical being. I'm sure it will get better, I just felt like complaining this morning.

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hotarutranslations · 2 years

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It Feels The Best To Go To Sleep When You Are Sleepy

Evening

Its finally tomorrow! Evening!

📺️

10/13 (Thurs) 9:00~2:30AM BS Skyperfect--!

LiveTake From The Morning! 2 ~With Ishida And Kishimoto~

It'll be a 5 and a half hour live broadcast 🐣

Looking at the script, It seems super fun, I've already ended up grinning

fufufufufu

But with that, thats right, When it was decided the 3 of us would be on the show, It was already funny and I was laughing

🤣 lol

I wonder if we'll be able to have those kinds of conversations tomorrow too!

Please watch it and enjoy--

Today was a shooting day but, In the evening, I thought, I'm sleepy!! I had some free time so I laid down and slept, And then I was full of energy and refreshed,

So I'm not sleepy at all now 😎 fufufu

It matches the rhythm of the activities of tomorrow, It feels like a good rhythm←

I'm completely prepared for tomorrow!

I'll think about it again the day after tomorrow! lol

Also, today anan-san was released

Everyone is supperrr wonderful, right! When I first got there in the morning and saw a cute girl in makeup, I first let out a, cutteee!

We also talk a lot in the interview as well, Please enjoy and take your time with it 😌🍀

I got a dorayaki with, Morning Musume '22 and a panda on drawn on it!

First off, I'm feeling happy about it......

I definitely want to visit again 😌🍀

New ✍️

🔵 Tokyo Sports note Series 🔵 #83 The Day I Finally Realized Kaedy Is Graduating

Todays updated contents is, as per the title But its not sad so! Lets cherish every day~

📺️

10/28 (Fri) 8:00~9:00PM BS Sky Perfect! FULL CHORUS ~Music is a Full Course~ One Night Only Revival Special!

Um! This program has greatttlyyy helped us out! Full Chorus-san are doing things on one night only 💛

I'm happy! Joyful!

📺️ We challenge HOUSE #1~3 🕺 Premiers 10/20 (Thurs) 11:30PM~

This time we recording #4~6 🕺 Premiers 12/1 (Thurs) 11:30PM~

Hello Pro Dance Academy Season 8

🐣

10/8 Osaka

10/9 Osaka

Also I drew something as a joke, I recommend this as well, 😎

Clear Multi-case (Halloween ver.) I drew a tricky guy who dresses up as Santa for Halloween

If there is a Christmas ver., I'm worried about what I'll do 🤔 ...... (its possible......)

This clear multi-case, I also love the one, with the selfie and cat I drew! Its convenient for cotton balls and medicine~

📻️

Morning Musume '22 Morning Jogakuin ~Houkago Meeting~

Radio Nihon (Sat) 12:00~12:30AM STV Radio (Mon) 3:00~3:30AM KBS Kyoto (Wed) 9:30~10:00PM

I'll be in attendance the 4th and 5th week of October ⚠️

🌏

UF Good Order I would like to let everyone know that buys concert goods, there is an app that you can conveniently use for that-- 🐣

Fukumura-san Introducing It By all means please check it out!!!!!!

🍀

Currently Holding Auditions The deadline is 10/24 (must arrive) 🐣🤍

Also, lastly,

This was announced today!

We, Morning Musume '22 Will be appearing at COUNTDOWN JAPAN 🔥

Our first time!!!!!! Finally, I'm happy!!!!!!

Thank you very much for your support on December 29th

see you ayumin <3

https://ameblo.jp/morningmusume-10ki/entry-12769102200.html

#Ishida Ayumi #Morning Musume '22 #Morning Musume #Hello! Project #Translation #Blog

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latenightbreezeinheaven · 2 years

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Manifestation✍🏻💭💬

I suddenly wanted to get these things out of my head, so I'm going to tell you about my personal story related to manifestation and it's specifically about "accidentally manifesting random things and realizing after all those events" so yeah let's get started.

About two months ago, I read this book called "girl online" by Joe Suggs (don't attack me for reading this please because people in goodreads app were kinda aggressive about it and idk why though). And whatever, if you've already read this book, you would know the whole plot but if you haven't yet, I'll tell you a short summary about it. There is this girl from London who had to accompany with her parents to New York as her parents were responsible to hold the wedding of this another rich couple. Then, in New York, she met this kinda ghetto-gothic styled young man (idk lol I still can't visualize his appearance till now) who could sing well and who could play the instruments. Then, as you've guessed, they fell in love and the book went on like that. After reading that book, I had this strong urge to have this kind of boyfriend who could sing well (kinda like a singer) and who could play the instruments and I had been thinking about it everyday like "omg I wish I had this type of boy in my life" "I'm not getting a boyfriend until I meet someone like him" and things like that. At that time, those were just simple intrusive thoughts but cheesy feelings also kinda followed through those thoughts unnoticeably. And about two weeks later after reading that book, I met this guy through the internet who could sing well and who could play the instruments. He is not a famous singer but he is really good at singing. We talked and talked and now we are still friends but I know he's my soulmate. I can just feel it. He's going to be "the one" for me in the very near future. Periodt. 💅 And this can be said to be some kind of miracles because we met on an app (not a dating app) and we were matched randomly out of those millions or thousands of users who were using that app at that same time. Is this a coincidence? No, I don't think so.

Another personal experience: So, I am fond of creating pinterest pins and boards almost all the time. And about two months ago, this song "beautiful in white" was stuck in my head so I decided to make a particular board fulled with wedding photos. I am a Buddhist and the photos I saved were the Christian wedding ones. I will attach one of those photos underneath to make things clearer. It was not intentional, actually, I just had this sudden desire to quickly add those Christian wedding photos in a board because those were so beautiful and made me want to get married asap lol. And guess what? That guy I met on the internet. His religion is Christianity!! Maybe this is just a coincidence for others but for me, it's not.

I experience these types of synchronicities quite often and I also have encountered other really spooky ones too. The thing that I want to remind you all is to be aware of what you do and how you act in your daily life. That doesn't mean you need to restrict your feelings, emotions and routines but be careful with who you talk to, who you share your energy with, which movies you watch, which songs you listen to, which kinds of thoughts you let into your head, which photos you save into your gallery and small things like that. You won't actually believe me when I say this but everytime after I've listened to sad and breakup songs on loop for about a week, something that breaks my heart happens. I started to notice this about four months ago. I also watched "friends wih benefits" movie about a year ago and I felt fascinatei with the idea of it unintentionally. Then, I met my ex-crush who wanted me as a fwb. I have already cut him off though. I also want to say not to underestimate some scripting methods because I made 12 scripts on the full moon day in last October, I guess and I just realized that 5 of them already became true including my exam marks. But a big BUT also remember that thoughts ALONE cannot manifest into reality. So, you don't need to worry about your negative thoughts manifesting into reality because they won't. You need thoughts, feelings, actions and faith to manifest. (credit to the book "Make it happen" by Jordanna Levin) *if you're the one who's manifesting a sp, please don't read this whole book. Skim some parts even if you want to read because some of the contents are opposed to the topic of manifesting a sp so yeahh umm*

My thoughts are kind of complicated at this point, so I might make some grammar mistakes or create some confusions in this post but please understand me because English is not my mother language. I hope that guy doesn't use Tumblr and see this post because if he did, he would freak out af LMAO 😂. Thank you for sticking to the end and yeah buh-bye pretty bees!! 🐝💛

P.S. OMG I just realized that I also listened to this song in our country which contained some lyrics about going together to the church as a couple and making agreements for a wedding, on a loop for several months. Oh-My-Gawd.

One of the pictures I saved in my Pinterest board-

#manifestation #law of assumption #law of attraction #subconciousmind #personal story #spirituality

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thekisforkeats · 3 years

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Ooh jm + shy kiss for the prompts?

Ohhh good one! I had to think about this a little and actually wrote up a bunch that didn't quite work at first. But! Here it is!

Set somewhere in the first few minutes of 160, in those weeks between arriving at the safehouse and Hazel Rutter. Featuring autistic Martin trying to navigate social situations because that is evidently what I write now.

(Incidentally the term "weak ties" was coined by a Stanford researcher in 1973. Link to the relevant paper. Credit where due, and all.)

(No beta no edits we die like archive assistants.)

It takes Martin a week to convince Jon to come down into the village with him.

If he's being honest with himself--and he's trying very hard to be honest with himself these days, so he can identify any Lonely-type thoughts--he really just wants to show off his boyfriend to the nice lady at the little shop in the village where he's been picking up essentials.

Martin is a naturally friendly person, or maybe a naturally personable person. This was not always the case; he had to practice a great deal to memorize all the scripts to smooth social interactions that other people seem to navigate without thinking about it at all. It can be horribly exhausting, just going to the shops. It's one of the reasons the Lonely appealed to him; how much easier to just move through life without having to recite all those canned lines?

Now that he's out of its grip, he's come to realize how much those interactions matter. He's been reading a lot on the internet about depression and social interaction, about social circles, and one thing that caught his eye is the idea of "weak ties," those people we're not exactly friends with, but who we see on a regular basis and who help us feel connected to a larger community. People who don't really know us and yet know something about us that helps us feel seen. The bus driver who gives you a familiar nod every morning. the barista who's prepping your order as soon as he notices you in line, the shop lady who tries to keep your favorite tea in stock.

So Martin is trying to cultivate those relationships, to feel part of a wider community, rather than just relying on Jon. He thinks that maybe if he'd had more of that, before, if he'd tried harder to go through the world being seen, he might have handled Jon's coma and his mother's death in some kind of healthier manner.

Maybe not, of course, but he's going to use any tool he can to keep the Lonely at bay.

At any rate, even beyond being very good at social scripts, Martin does genuinely like people, he's a good listener, for an autistic guy he's practically a social butterfly. And Elspeth is a nice lady, maybe mid-40's, the kind of person who runs a shop because she actually likes interacting with a stream of customers on a regular basis. So she's just the sort of person for Martin to practice his "weak tie" skills.

Because, naturally, one of the key benefits of "weak ties" is that they are the sort of people you get to be public about your relationship with when none of your closer friends are around.

Yeah, no, all of the above is just flimsy justification, if Martin's being really honest with himself. He's just madly in love and wants literally everyone within a 500-mile radius to know.

That morning, Martin makes a big show of how badly he wants to spend time with Jon, no really, but he really does have to go down into the village.

"We're out of tea!"

"I don't think we have anything for dinner!"

"But I really want to keep listening to you talk about Scottish history!"

And so on.

Jon gives him a tolerantly amused look, and Martin flushes. Is he that transparent, or is Jon just that good at reading him?

"I suppose I can go into the village with you, Martin," he says, eyes glittering. "Since you're so terribly interested in the House of Stuart. I'd hate to leave you wondering what happened to James II."

Martin would feel guilty, but he can tell Jon is pleased to be "indulging" him, and it's not like Martin hasn't been listening to Jon infodump about whatever random facts Beholding's been given him all week.

They hold hands all the way down into the village, and it's nice, to walk through the place and be seen, together. It's comfortable. They'd held hands on walks before, long ago in London, before the Unknowing, but back then they hadn't been sure what they were, hadn't managed to broach the delicate barrier between "friends" and "something else." Now, they're "boyfriends," and Martin keeps finding himself wanting to go up to each person he sees on the street and shout, "This is my boyfriend, Jonathan Sims!!"

By the time they reach Elspeth's shop, he's feeling a little giddy.

He pushes open the door and the little bell rings, and Elspeth looks up from behind the counter and smiles. "Martin!" she says, and Martin's whole body warms in a very pleasant manner, that this woman he's only known a week remembers him. "Oh, and this must be the elusive Jon." She gives them one of those teasing smiles people give to new couples, glittering eyes and amusement at the silly things people do when they're in limerence.

"Yes," Martin says, and suddenly the words stick in his throat. "Yes, this is... is... umm..." Oh, why has he suddenly frozen like a deer in headlights? Why can't he remember the right words?

"Jonathan Sims," Jon says smoothly, stepping forward to offer the woman his hand. "And yes, I'm Martin's boyfriend."

It occurs to Martin, all at once, that neither of them have said that out loud to anyone else. No wonder he's frozen up.

Elspeth glances at the burn scars on Jon's hand only briefly, then smiles--and it's a genuine smile, not one of those pitying ones people sometimes put on when they see scars like that--and shakes said hand. "Pleased to meet you," she replies. "Elspeth Douglas." She has the Highland accent, but softened; she spent her 20's and 30's in London, she's said, and came back to take over the family store when her father fell ill. The similarity might be part of why Martin likes her--that and the fact that it seems that helping her sickened parent improved her life.

"Ahh, yes. The not-so-elusive Elspeth." Jon actually flashes a grin, which Martin finds remarkable. Since when is Jon... friendly? Well, maybe he's trying for Martin's sake. If so, Martin very much appreciates the effort.

The woman behind the counter laughs, and says, "How can I help you?"

"Oh," Martin manages, his brain catching up and letting his mouth work again, "we're just here for tea and things."

"Of course," Elspeth says. "I'll be here when you're ready."

They turn away, to go deeper into the aisles.

"She seems nice," Jon says almost absently. "Shame about her fa--" He pauses, and frowns. Shakes his head, looking irritated. "You didn't tell me about that," he grumbles.

"No, I didn't. But thank you for trying to keep it in," Martin says.

Jon sighs, lowering his voice. "It's becoming harder and harder to separate what I've learned on my own from what Beholding gives me. How much of my thoughts are mine anymore? Did I actually memorize all those facts about the House of Stuart, or am I getting the... mental Wikipedia page, as it were?"

"Seems like a thing you'd know," Martin comments offhandedly. He's focused on figuring out what kind of rice to buy. He wants to try his hand at sticky rice, which really should have calrose, but Jon likes jasmine rice. Do they get both?

He doesn't want to think about Beholding, and how much of it is Jon anymore. He prefers just thinking about it as something like a smartphone app Jon can use without having to actually have a phone in front of him. He does not want to think about how much of his boyfriend has been potentially consumed by some kind of eldritch thing that feeds on fear.

He really doesn't want to think about the idea that maybe soon, Jon won't even need rice anymore, and will just live off statements, no matter how much he jokes about his partner's "eating habits."

Jon has been talking as Martin's been staring at the rice, but Martin hasn't heard any of it. He's brought back to himself by a squeeze of Jon's hand in his.

"Hey," Jon says softly. "You okay?"

In Jon's voice, Martin hears all the concern that Martin himself has been feeling. He forces himself to look at Jon, and sees bright green eyes staring out of a deep brown face. He realizes he's gotten used to the color of Jon's eyes; before the coma, Jon's eyes were brown, like a deep carnelian, and so large and dark sometimes Martin thought he could fall right into them and be happy drowning there. Now they're green, bright and disarming, and Martin's pretty sure this is why Jon still wears glasses he no longer needs, to hide those strange eyes behind plastic lenses.

Those eyes are looking up at him intensely now, and Jon's brow is furrowed, and his mouth is pulled into a frown in a way that highlights one of the worm scars near his lip, and all of it is adorable, but it's also disconcerting for the contrast between the softness of his voice and the intensity of his expression.

Is Jon as afraid of losing Martin to Forsaken as Martin is of losing Jon to Beholding?

Martin frowns at him for a moment, then sighs. "I just..." He has to look away, back to the bags of rice. "I just... don't like thinking about that. Beholding, and... all of it. I just... I just wish..."

"You wish we could be normal." Jon's tone is still soft, and filled only with love and no sort of guilt or self-recrimination.

"Yeah," Martin says, still staring at the rice.

There's a hesitation, and then Jon says, softly and slowly, "You know... normal people deal with these sort of difficult things, too. There's so much out there that can hurt people... the things we deal with, they're weirder than most of the rest of it, but..."

"Yeah, I know, Jon, I just..." Martin hunches his shoulders. "Don't want to lose you again," he finally mumbles.

Jon hesitates a moment, and then he leans in to give Martin a soft kiss on the cheek.

Martin flushes bright red--Elspeth's right there!--and turns to stare at Jon. "W-what... what was... that for?!"

Jon, too, is blushing. "I just... ah... I just... wanted you to know that... that I'm... here. You haven't... lost me. Or anything."

"Oh," Martin says. "Well. Thank you."

There's a moment where they just look at each other, and then Jon blurts, "...Can I kiss you again? It's just, I haven't all morning, and I really sort of wanted to spend the morning cuddling, but you wanted to come down to the shops..."

"Here?!" Martin stares at him.

"We can go behind the shelves if you like," Jon says, blushing furiously.

For some reason, this makes Martin giggle, and then he leans down to brush his lips to Jon's. Softly, shyly, as if they haven't been kissing each other all week, because he really is terribly aware of the fact that there are other people around.

"Tell you what," Martin says as he pulls back, surprisingly breathless despite how short the contact of their lips was, "let's finish up the shopping and then we can cuddle all afternoon."

Jon smiles up at him. "Promise?" The smile widens. "You're not going to drag me around to introduce me to every villager individually?"

"I was not--!" Martin glares at him, but now Jon's smile has become one of those shit-eating grins he gets sometimes, and Martin can't stay mad at him at all.

"You knew," he accuses, but there's no heat in it.

"I had a hunch," Jon says, humming. "I didn't want to spoil your fun, though."

Martin rolls his eyes, and then reaches out to take Jon's hand again. "Well, then, we'd better get to it. Jasmine or calrose? Rice, I mean."

"Both, I think," Jon says. "I find myself very much desiring normality of late, and rice is a terribly normal sort of thing."

#wow this got long #thanks for the prompt i loved writing this!#the magnus archives #tma #jon sims #jonathan sims #jon the archivist #martin blackwood #jonmartin #jmart #otp: one way or another together #my writing #my fanfic #writing #fanfic #prompt fill #season four

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another-tmnt-writer · 4 years

Text

Truth or Dare?

Raphael x Reader

Author: Admin Mo

Summary: When Mikey needs another actor for his film project, Raph gets roped into it. He didn’t, however, expect for his costar to be so cool.

Note: There are not NEARLY enough college au fics for the bayverse boys, so have this as my first contribution. <3

Warnings: Swears, mentions of drinking, plenty of fluff

Word Count: 3.9k

“Raph, PLEEEEEAAAASE!!!” Mikey folded his hands together, pleading. “We need actors for our project and our group members can’t be in it.”

Mikey, as part of his endeavor to explore every creative program at the university the turtles were currently attending, was taking a filmmaking class. And, as a part of that class, he and his fellow classmates were required to make short projects in order to learn the basics of filmmaking, from writing to directing to using the equipment to editing. As an added bonus because his professor was so especially cruel, none of the people in his group could appear in his project, and while they had managed to recruit some of their classmates to fill in the smaller roles, one of the main roles was still unclaimed.

Raph scoffed. “Mikey, you know I can’t act for shit.”

“You don’t have to actually be good at it!” He pleaded. “You should see some of the other projects. No one in the program is good at acting.”

Raph was quiet for a second, his large arms crossed in front of him, thinking. “How long is it gonna take?”

“Few hours.” Mikey shrugged. He raised an eyebrow. “And your costar is really, really hot.”

Raph sighed, disgruntled. “When?”

“YES! DUDE THANK YOU SO MUCH! YOU WON’T REGRET IT!” Mikey ran and returned with a script and a schedule, shoving it into his older brother’s hands. “We film tomorrow!”

Raph’s eyes widened. “TOMORROW?!”

***

Raph went with Mikey to where the rest of his group was meeting to film their project. He hadn’t really had time to look at the script and Mikey assured him that they’d be filming in small enough chunks that he wouldn’t need to have very much memorized at a time. He also didn’t really know what kind of movie it was and he didn’t care; he just couldn’t wait until it was over.

A few minutes after they arrived, so did his costar. And god, he couldn’t stop staring. Mikey was right. God, why was Mikey always right?

“I am so sorry I’m late. The bus almost hit a pedestrian and it was a whole thing.” You apologized.

“Don’t worry about it!” Mikey waved off your concern. “This is my brother, Raph.”

“Nice to meet you, Raph. I’m (Y/N).” You introduced, a warm smile on your face.

Raph didn’t miss the way your eyes lingered on him, but instead of the looks disdain he usually got, instead it seemed to be curiosity. Awe, even? Weird, he decided, but not unwelcome.

It was a long, awkward moment before he realized he’d better respond. “Oh, uh, nice to meet you too.”

“Um, you guys can get to know each other a little better. We’ve gotta get the equipment set up.” Mikey said, leaving the two of you on your own.

The filming location was a place you were very familiar with: the library. Particularly, in front of the cozy little coffee shop in the library.

“I didn’t really, uh, look at the script, but I’m guessing they needed a monster for a horror movie or something…” Raph flipped through the pages, skimming.

“It’s a rom com.” You corrected quietly. “I’m the main character. You’re the love interest.”

If Raph could physically blush, he was sure his cheeks would rival the color of his mask. “…Oh.”

“Is that alright?” You asked.

“Oh! Yeah, yeah it’s fine, I just…” He chuckled to himself. “I ain’t ever acted in anything before, let alone anything romantic.”

“It’s not too much, I don’t think.” You reassured him. “I’m pretty sure the most they’ll have us do is awkwardly brush hands. It’s a coffee shop meet-cute.”

“Gotcha.” And while he was relieved, he was also a little…disappointed? Huh. Weird. “So, uh, what’s yer major?”

“I’m a film major. I’m in Mikey’s class and they needed actors, so I’m paying it forward in case I need someone in my project. What’s yours?”

“I’m undecided. Just, uh, taking some time to figure things out, you know. I never really had any…school experience before this.”

“That’s a lot to adjust to.”

“Yeah, it is. I’m getting used to it, though.”

“That’s good! If you need any help with anything, let me know. I’ve picked up a bunch of good tips and tricks.”

He chuckled. “I will, thanks.”

“Do you have snapchat?”

“Yeah, I do.”

“One second.” You fished your phone out of your bag and unlocked it, opening the app to your snapcode, which he scanned and added you. “There you go.”

“Thanks.”

“Of course.”

Raph took some more time reading over the script to get the gist of the scene and you were right. Indeed, it was a rom com. Not his preferred genre, by any means, but maybe he’d warm up to it a bit over the course of the day.

“Hey (Y/N)?” Mikey called from over where they had the camera set up on the tripod. “Do you know how to white-balance this thing? Everything is orange for some reason. Which is a great color, but I’m sure Smith will dock us points for it.”

“Oh, I’ve got you.” You nodded. You looked up at Raph, your purse in hand. “Will you hold this for a second?”

“Uh, yeah. Sure.” He nodded, holding out a giant three-fingered hand to take the bag from you. He watched you walk over to where the rest of the group was standing, crowded around the camera. You worked your magic, shuffling through the menu and helping adjust the camera correctly. Raph couldn’t stop staring. You looked so focused. So passionate. He could tell you really liked film and everything it entailed and he wished he could just find something he cared about as much as you cared about your major.

“Awesome.” He heard Mikey say, his eyes fixed on the camera’s screen. “Thanks!”

“Of course!” You walked back over to where Raph was and he handed you your bag back. “Thank you.”

“Yeah, no problem.” He opened his mouth to say something else, but Mikey walked over to the two of you.

“You guys ready? I think we’re good to start now.”

“All set.” You confirmed, giving him a thumbs-up, and Raph nodded.

***

Raph might have to reconsider his stance on this acting thing. Did he think he was all that good at it? No. But so long as he had you as a costar, he’d act willingly in any project Mikey (or you) needed him for. And at the end of the shoot, he ended up having a really good time. So much so that when you guys were all done, he was…sad. Like, really sad about it.

You parted ways. You weren’t in any of his classes, so Raph wasn’t really sure if he’d see you around that much. And he didn’t see you around…until a few weeks later.

He was at the library studying with his brothers at their favorite table when suddenly, his phone buzzed, a message from snapchat coming in. He looked at the notification, doing a double-take when he read your name there. And when he reached to answer it, he moved too fast and knocked his shell-shaped cell phone off of the table.

Shit.

He bent down to pick it up and when he opened the snapchat, he was surprised to see…the back of his shell? It was captioned: “I spy with my little eye…Something red and green 😉”

Immediately, he whipped around, and sure enough, nestled in a table by the windows was you, looking at him over the top of your laptop screen. You giggled when he spotted you, waving.

Raph nudged Mikey, who was sitting across from him and Mikey traced Raph’s eyeline to where you were, his face immediately lighting up.

“Oh! Hey (Y/N)!” Mikey waved. “You wanna sit with us?”

“Is that alright?”

“Hell yeah!” Mikey motioned you over. “The more the merrier! We can pull up a chair over here on the end.”

So, you gathered your stuff while the guys rearranged some things, putting you on the end of the table, right between Mikey and Raph. When you got over there, you noticed they were sitting with the other two giant mutated turtles on campus, who you had heard of, but hadn’t met yet.

“(Y/N), these are our brothers. Leo’s over there in the blue, our fearless leader. And this is Donatello, the one we go to for homework help.”

“Not tonight you aren’t. This paper is due at midnight and it is…” Donnie glanced down at the clock on his laptop and as soon as he did, he started typing impossibly faster. “Eleven thirty-seven. Do not look at me or breathe in my direction.”

“Noted.” Mikey nodded, a trace of fear in his eyes.

“Nice to meet you, (Y/N). You’re in one of Mikey’s classes, right?”

“Yep! I’m in his film class.” You smiled, taking a sip of your iced coffee. “I got the pleasure of costarring with this one.” You nudged Raph lightly, causing him to smile the most genuine smile Mikey had ever seen on his older brother’s face.

Huh. Mikey took note, something devious stirring in the back of his mind. Interesting…

“What did you get on that, by the way?” You asked.

“We got an A! Well, Minus. But you know how Smith is.”

“Dude that’s awesome!” You bumped your fist against his. “Good job. I’m pretty sure my group got a B, but we’re not mad about it. C’s get degrees, as they say.”

“Cheers to that.” Leo chuckled.

“What are you working on today, Raph?” You asked, tilting your head in a way that sent his heart racing in a way he could not explain.

“I have a paper for my Writing 150 class.”

“Oof that sucks. Who do you have?”

“Trainor.”

“Ouch. She hated me.” You grimaced, shaking your head. “She found out I was bi and it was all over for me.”

“Did you report her? I’m pretty sure you can report her for that sort of thing.” Raph asked, trying not to get heated over it. He was pretty sure she didn’t like him very much either, but it was probably due to the fact that he was a giant green turtle. “That’s bullshit.”

“I’m in the process of that right now.” You nodded. “She’s a bitch. I don’t know if they’ll actually do anything about it though.”

“Keep me posted. I might file something too if she doesn’t stop glaring at me during class.” Raph grumbled. “It’s annoying.”

“That would be annoying. Her beady little eyes glaring at you for two agonizing hours of ‘This is how to correctly use a comma’.”

He chuckled. “Yeah. It is.”

You glanced at your phone, which buzzed with a text from one of your roommates. “Oh! Uh, do you guys have any plans this weekend?”

“Nope. Why?” Mikey asked, curiosity seeping into his voice.

“My roommate is throwing a party, if you guys wanna come. It’ll be pretty chill. Drinks, pizza, some music.”

“Oh hell yes.” Mikey nodded. He looked at Leo. “Leo, can we?”

“I don’t see why not.” Leo shrugged. “Sounds like a good time.”

“Is there a dress code?” Mikey asked. Now that he was finally allowed to socialize, he didn’t want to fuck it up.

“Nope. Just casual. Come as you are.”

“Do you need us to bring anything?”

“If you guys have a drink of choice, bring that, I guess, but otherwise, my roommate’s boyfriend works at a pizza place, so we get a pretty good discount and we have literally so much wine.”

“That’s amazing.” Mikey nodded, making a mental note to look into jobs at a pizza place later.

“We’ll bring a veggie tray.” Donnie said, his fingers flying across the keyboard of his laptop until finally, he stopped. “I finished, by the way.”

“Good job, dude!” Mikey gave him a thumbs up. “You wanna write mine next?”

“Ha.” Donnie stared at him. “Funny.”

“What’s your paper on, Raph? Maybe I can help.”

Raph turned his laptop towards you. “We have to write it about like growing up. You can, uh, read it if you want. I don’t mind. I’m kinda stuck right now anyway.”

“Okay.” You agreed, switching his laptop for yours. You winked. “Trade ya.”

“What are you writing about?” He asked, scrolling to the top of your document.

“Women in Film.” You shot finger guns at him. “I’m about to make some Film Bois REALLLL mad.”

“Roast ‘em, (Y/N).” Mikey laughed, knowing all too well exactly which film boys you were talking about. He was not a fan.

“That’s the plan.” You chuckled and then started reading over Raph’s paper. You had known before meeting them that they hadn’t exactly had the best childhood, but…wow was it eye-opening reading the experience from his eyes. “Holy shit.”

“That bad?” He joked, trying to read your expression.

“No, it’s…Raph, this is really good, but wow. You guys went through a lot, huh?”

“Yeah…” He shrugged. “It wasn’t all bad, but it sure wasn’t normal by any means.”

“Mmm…” You nodded, looking up at him. “I mean, normal is kinda overrated.”

He chuckled. “I’m glad ya think so. Not many people do.”

You shrugged, smiling softly. “Well, it’s a good thing I’m not like many people.”

***

“(Y/N), this place is as clean as it’s gonna get. It’s a party. It’ll be messed up in,” your roommate, Haley, glanced down at her watch, “like twenty minutes.”

“I know, I just…I’m nervous. These guys are basically superheroes. I want to make a good impression.”

“Fair point.”

You swept the kitchen floor and got out the cutest paper plates you had in the cupboard as well as some solo cups and plastic wine glasses. If you could avoid broken glass today, that was probably the move.

The doorbell buzzed and your heart raced, but it was just your other roommate’s boyfriend with the pizza.

“Is Darcy here?” He asked.

“She’s upstairs getting ready, you explained, helping him get the pizza and breadsticks and everything set up on the counter. He’d also brought a few two-liters of Pepsi, which was good. You put it next to the giant jug of fruit punch you’d bought at the grocery store. It was important to make sure your non-drinking friends had something to drink, too.

A few minutes after, guests started arriving. Darcy came downstairs and started up her iconic party playlist. Your neighbors popped in. It was easier to invite them and let them have a good time with you than have them call security on you guys for throwing a party, even if it was the weekend and it was only nine.

You turned off the lamps in the living room and instead set your strip lights to party mode, causing them to cycle through a bunch of colors in time with the music. It was then that the doorbell rang again and you rushed to the mirror to check yourself once more. You adjusted your hair, straightened out your top, and checked your teeth for food. Nope, you were good.

So, with the rest of the hosts distracted, you opened the door. On the other side of it were four tall, green gentlemen, one of them carrying a veggie tray.

“Hey guys, come on in!”

You moved out of the way so they could step inside.

Mikey’s eyes widened, looking into the living room full of dancing college kids. “Woahhhhh this is awesome!”

“Glad you think so.” You laughed. “There’s food and drinks in here, the bathroom is in the hallway, and everyone else seems to be either in the living room or the back yard.”

“Where do you want this veggie tray?” Donnie asked.

“Thank you so much for bringing this, by the way! You can set it over by the pizza boxes. I can get a spoon for the dip.” You said, walking towards the silverware drawer and producing a spoon while Donnie popped the lid off of the plastic serving tray and opened up the dip. You handed him the spoon.

The guys were each sporting their signature color, but they were wearing clothes you hadn’t seen them in before. Usually, Raph liked to wear a large gray hoodie, but today, he was sporting a black t-shirt and an impossibly large red flannel with some jeans. It looked good on him. Like, really good.

Apparently, he was thinking the same thing, because as soon as you were free, he walked up to you and nudged you gently. “You look really good.”

Your cheeks flushed with warmth and you wished you could blame it on wine, but you hadn’t even had a sip yet. “Thanks. You clean up pretty nice yourself.”

Had you worn a red top on purpose? Yes, absolutely. Would you admit to it, though? No, definitely not.

But Mikey noticed. Oh, Mikey noticed everything. And he couldn’t help but think that you and his older brother would make quite the couple. Maybe there was something he could do to just…give it a little push.

***

The time came later, when the party was finally starting to wind down. Some people had left. Your neighbors had gone home, and you’d switched the strip lights to a light, warm color. You’d also switched the upbeat party playlist for something chill to play in the background. The remaining partygoers were all settled in a circle in the living room, eating whatever pizza was left, sipping on box wine, and playing a game of truth or dare.

“Haley, truth or dare?” Darcy challenged.

“Truth.”

“Okay…Fuck, Marry, Kill: Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth and…..Chris Pine.”

“DAMN.” She cursed. “You can’t do that to me. Shit. Uh…Fuck Chris…Hemsworth. Marry Chris…Pine? And—”

“Don’t you do it!” You warned.

“Kill Chris Evans.”

“Noooooooooo!” You whined, taking a sip of your drink. The rest of the group laughed. “Poor Captain America.”

“Rest in pieces, Cap.” She agreed, shaking her head. “Okay…Mikey, truth or dare.”

“Dare.” Mikey answered quickly. He always picked dare, so in the fifth round of the game, it wasn’t much of a surprise.

“I dare you…to take a shot of straight lemon juice.”

“Easy peasy.” Mikey scoffed, pouring himself a shot and downing it.

You watched as his face contorted at the sour, sour taste. You couldn’t help but giggle a little at that.

“Good job, Mikey.” Donnie laughed, dipping a piece of broccoli in dip before popping it into his mouth.

“Taking it like a champ.” Leo added, nodding.

“Alright, my turn?” Mikey asked, looking around the circle for his victim, pretending he hadn’t been planning this since round one. “(Y/N). Truth or dare?”

You thought about it for a second. How easy it would be to just choose truth again, but for some reason, you were feeling a little brave, so instead, you picked, “Dare.”

“Oooooooh,” the circle said, all of them a little surprised by that choice.

“Okay. Alright.” Mikey rubbed his hands together mischievously. All according to plan. “I dare you to kiss the hottest person in the room.”

“OOOOOOOHHHH!” The circle all stared at you and you thought for a second, a smirk settling on your features.

“Oh that’s easy.” You got up and crossed the circle until you were standing in front of Raph. Even sitting down, he was almost your height. “Think I could get a kiss?”

Raph stared up at you, shocked, waiting for you to say Sike! HAHA! Did you actually think I thought you were hot?! Loser!

But you never did, instead looking down at him with sincerity, patience. Were you a little…nervous, even?

“Why me?” He whispered, his eyes fixed on you. There were plenty of good-looking human guys still there, and yet you were certain. Unwavering. Then, louder, he asked, his heart absolutely fighting to get out of his chest, “Are you sure?”

“Positive.” You nodded, starting to lean closer. Once you were most of the way in, you let him meet you in the middle, your soft human lips meeting his, which were, you had to admit, way softer than you thought they would be.

Raphael kissed you like you were made of glass, like if he moved too fast, you would shatter. It was his first kiss, after all, and he didn’t want to fuck it up.

When it finally ended, you walked back to your seat in the circle, your cheeks rosy, heart racing. Haley gave you a nudge and you giggled, your stomach filled with butterflies. The rest of the game went along with little fanfare, and once everyone was tired enough, the apartment cleared out even more, leaving just your roommates, Darcy’s boyfriend, and the turtles, who insisted on helping clean everything up. Well, it had been Leo’s idea, but the rest had agreed to stick around to help.

You volunteered to go out into the backyard to pick up all of the stray solo cups and White Claw cans. You hated litter. You worked out there alone for a bit. As you bent down to pick up the last can you heard the signature screech of the sliding door opening.

Raph squeezed through the narrow doorway, cursing his shell for making him so damn wide.

“Hey,” you said softly, tucking a piece of hair behind your ear. Your voice was almost swallowed up by the sounds of the choir of crickets outside.

“Hey.” He closed the sliding door. “Can we talk?”

“Yeah, of course.” You nodded, tying off the trash bag you were using to collect garbage. “How was your first college party?”

“It was great. Really, really great.” He said, taking slow steps through the grass towards you. “Um…I…did you mean what you said? Earlier.”

“What do you mean?”

“When you…was I really…” he laughed at the absurdity of it. “You think I’m hot?”

“I do.” You nodded. “Of course I do.”

“I’m sorry if I find that a little hard to believe.” He shook his head, stopping right in front of you. When he was standing in front of you like this, he was remined of just how big he was compared to you, just how much he towered over you. Just how different you were. “I’m just used to the opposite reaction.”

“Believe it.” You reached forward and took his hand in yours, gripping one of his giant green fingers.

“I’m trying to.” He chuckled and fiddled with your little hand, nervous. “You know, uh…that was my first kiss in there. I wasn’t too awful, was I?”

“I didn’t mean to steal your first one.” You laughed softly. “Sorry. But to answer your question, I thought it was perfect.”

“That’s a relief.” He was quiet for a moment, thinking. “Uh…If it’s alright with ya…I’d like to give you my second kiss, too.”

Instead of answering, you took another step closer, looking up, up, up into his piercing green eyes. “You’re gonna have to come down here; I can’t reach.”

He laughed. “Right.” Raph craned his neck down, one of his large hands tilting your face up towards his so he could meet you in the middle for another perfect kiss.

***

“What are you doing?” Leo asked Mikey, who was peering through the blinds into the back yard of the apartment.

Mikey only grinned proudly, nodding to himself. “Works every time…”

#raphael #raph #raphael x reader #raphael imagine #raph x reader #raph imagine #tmnt #tmnt 2014 #tmnt 2016 #tmnt imagine #bayverse

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tefilovesreading · 4 years

Text

It’s a Match! Part. 3

Pairing: Charlie Gillespie x Fem!Reader.

Word count: +2,9k

Warnings: A few swearing words but nothing else!

A/N: It’s a Match is finally back!! Let me know if you wanna be added to my taglist!

Edited by: @theamazingtomholland

MASTERLIST // PART 1 // PART 2

The soft melody Charlie was playing on his guitar made her look at the propped-up iPad while she cut some veggies and her heart skipped a beat with the intense look he was giving her. If that’s how he made her feel through a screen she knew she was bound to collapse under his gaze once they met in person.

“What are you playing?” Y/N asked with one last look, before setting her attention on the cutting board. If she ended up with a missing finger because of him and his tempting smile, she was going to block him.

“Traverser l’hiver” he answered, and Y/N raised her eyebrows in surprise, she definitely wasn’t expecting him to answer her in French, “I’ve been listening to that song on repeat the last couple of days, and now I’m trying to learn it.”

“What does it mean?” she questioned, putting down the knife for a bit, so she could focus on his explanation.

“Making it through winter,” Charlie replied, plucking the guitar strings softly, “the song talks about how his relationships never last and that he’s glad that they made it through the winter because he can’t get enough of her.”

“Send me the song later,” she mentioned with a smile. That sounded like a good song, and she wanted to know what his music style was like.

Calling each other on FaceTime while they did their own stuff quickly became their thing since they matched on the app two weeks ago, just enjoying the company and asking questions once in a while. Normally it was just her doing stuff like cleaning her desk or cooking while Charlie sat there playing the guitar or reading a script.

“It’s in French,” he warned her, and even if she wasn’t looking at the screen, she already knew he was giving her That smile, the one that made her stomach flutter with excitement.

“Music is a universal language, Charlie,” she chuckled.

“I thought that was love,” the boy pointed out playfully, “I’m gonna send it as soon as we hang up. Promise.”

“Good, because I’m not sure if I’d be able to find it.”

Y/N saw him throw his head back as he laughed, the movement loosening his man bun. She inhaled deeply, before looking away from the screen. She wanted to know if his hair was as soft as it looked.

“What are you cooking anyway?” Charlie questioned when his laughter died down, and he stopped playing with the guitar strings.

“I’m meal prepping actually,” Y/N admitted with a grin.

“No way,” he gasped, and she felt her cheeks blushing.

“This is the first time I’m trying so don’t make fun of me,” she begged as a joke.

“Never, I’m actually impressed with your commitment because that takes a lot of time,” he mentioned with a soft smile.

She smiled at him and bit her lip. Fuck it, she was gonna ask him to meet up. There was no way she could wait one more week, her assignments could wait.

“Y/N,” Charlie called her, and she tilted her head just a little to let him know she was listening, “let me take you on a date. You get to choose the place.”

She tried to hide her smile without much success, just knowing that Charlie was thinking about the same thing she was thinking made her feel so happy and excited about going out with him.

Two weeks ago, she’d have never thought about developing such a strong connection with him or that she’d get so happy whenever a new text from Charlie appeared on her phone. The thought of their connection made her relax, she could feel it on her heart that this wasn’t gonna end in another ghosting experience for her.

“Can I tell you something before I answer?” Y/N asked with a grin.

“If you tell me you’re married, I think I can share,” he joked but nodded giving her the green light to ask him whatever she had on her mind.

“I was about to ask you the same thing before you asked me out,” she confessed and the look in Charlie’s face made her whole body tingle. He was too good with eye contact for his own good.

“In that case, I’m glad I asked first,” Charlie mentioned winking at her, and she knew her cheeks were blushing with that simple gesture.

When Jo came back home, she found Y/N smiling at her phone while French music played through the speakers. There was no doubt about who was responsible for putting that smile on her friend’s face.

“What got you so happy?” Jo asked even if she knew the answer to her question.

“I’m going on a date with Charlie, in two days,” she responded holding back the excited squeal that was threatening to escape from her mouth.

“Dude, finally!” Jo scoffed but smiled at her excitement. Y/N deserved to have fun and go on dates. Her friend deserved to feel something for a guy again.

“Oh shut up!” Y/N laughed and put her head on her friend’s shoulder, “I’m so scared of how I feel about all this and I haven’t met him yet.”

“It’ll be okay,” Jo promised, resting her head on top of Y/N’s, “and if it doesn’t, we can always watch sappy movies and have ice cream for dinner.”

Two days later Jo followed the anxious girl pace in their living room, babbling about not knowing what to wear for her date or hypotheticals scenarios where Charlie would kidnap her and sell her organs on the black market.

“Y/N,” Jo said and the girl ignored her, “Y/N!” this time her friend stopped and looked at her with regret, “if you don’t wanna go then tell him.”

“But I do wanna go,” she grumbled as she sat beside Jo on the couch, “I’m just nervous about the date.”

“Where are you going?” Jo questioned.

“I told him we could go to Salt and Straw, ‘cause he has never been there,” Y/N responded biting her nails, “and then I think he said something about going to Vista Hermosa, but we’re not sure.”

“That sounds like a good plan, just make sure you go somewhere where you can talk and get to know each other.”

“Yeah, I know,” she mumbled, “I should probably start getting ready.”

She pressed her lips together in front of the mirror before throwing the lip gloss on her bag and making sure she had everything.

“Keys, Kleenex, mints, wallet and…,” she whispered and her friend’s hand appeared in front of her, “I don’t need condoms, Jo. It’s our first date, I’m not gonna have sex with him.”

“Honey, you never know,” Jo claimed with a knowing look on her face, “take them, just in case.”

“You’re a nightmare,” the girl huffed but took them and put them in her bag.

“I’m just making sure you have protection in case you need it,” her friend laughed and Y/N rolled her eyes trying to hide her smile.

Her phone chimed with a new text and her heart started racing in her chest.

Charlie: i’m outside.

“Shit, shit, shit,” she whispered and looked at Jo with panic in her eyes, “he’s here. What do I do?”

“Tell him to come upstairs, I’ll open the door, so he knows you have someone waiting for you to come back,” Jo ushered her to send her a text back.

Y/N: almost ready!! can you come upstairs?? i’ll buzz you in Charlie: sure!! no problem Charlie: what apartment??

Just a few minutes later she heard a knock on her door and Jo walked out of her room to go and open the door. She took off one earring as she heard her friend’s voice letting Charlie inside their apartment. As soon as Y/N heard his voice, she felt the butterflies go mad in her stomach.

She grabbed her bag and made her way to the living room, putting on her earring again to pretend she wasn’t ready.

“Hey,” she let out and held back her breath when their eyes met.

“Hi,” Charlie said standing up from his seat.

If Jo felt the electricity that filled the room while they were looking at each other, she didn’t mention it. But Y/N felt her whole body tingle with excitement at the sight of the boy right in front of her.

She lifted her right hand nervously, not sure if she should go for a handshake or not, but her hand got trapped between her body and Charlie’s as he went for a hug. It wasn’t long, just really soft and kinda comforting.

“Sorry,” they both said at the same time when he noticed Y/N went for a handshake instead.

“It’s okay,” Y/N said giving him a reassuring smile and tucked a loose piece of hair behind her ear.

“Ready to go?” Charlie asked pointing with his thumb to the front door. With a soft nod, she followed him to the front door, giving her best friend one last glance, Jo winked her eye at her and gave her the thumbs up.

“I parked the car around the corner,” Charlie mentioned once they were out of the apartment building.

“You found a parking spot nearby?” Y/N questioned in surprise and when he nodded eagerly she let out a laugh, “lucky guy.”

Hearing him laugh at her comment right next to her made the butterflies in her stomach go crazy. He took the car keys out of his pocket and unlocked the orange Subaru close to them.

“Thank you,” Y/N smiled at him when Charlie opened the door for her.

“No problem.”

“Get it together, Y/N,” she muttered before the boy opened his door. The nervousness coursing through her body made it feel like her tongue was tied, and she didn’t know how to put into words how glad she was to be there with him by her side.

“So which Salt and Straw are we going to?” Charlie asked, starting the car and getting out of the parking spot.

“We should go to the one near Little Tokyo, that one is closer to Vista Hermosa,” she replied and furrowed her eyebrows, trying to recall if it was actually close or not.

“Can you,” Charlie started, trying to get his phone out of his pocket, “type in the address? I’ve been living here for years, but I still need the GPS.” He handed her his phone after he unlocked it.

“When did you move here?” Y/N asked, taking the opportunity to start a small conversation

and getting to know him a little better.

“I moved to Toronto right after high school and then moved to L.A. a few months after,” he bit his lip, probably trying to do the math on his mind, “About 3 years now?”

“I’m gonna let the GPS pass just because you are brave enough to drive here,” she joked and Charlie shot her a grin that screamed trouble. And she loved it.

The fifteen minutes ride from her apartment to the ice cream shop went by in a blink of an eye, between questions, jokes, and the occasional humming coming from Charlie whenever the radio played a song he liked or knew.

“What flavor should we get?” Charlie questioned, placing his hand on her shoulder to keep her by his side in the busy shop. She glanced at the hand over her shoulder and her heart started racing.

“What if we get the flight?” Y/N hinted, pointing at the option on the board, “that way we can pick four flavors.”

“Good idea, then I want Brown Ale and Bacon, and the Double-fold Vanilla,” Charlie said with an excited smile on his face to the guy behind the counter, “and you?”

“Strawberry Tres Leches and Chocolate Gooey Brownie,” Y/N responded after a few seconds of thinking which flavor could match better with Charlie’s choices.

“You realize we still got chocolate and vanilla ice cream, right?” Charlie chuckled and Y/N rolled her eyes, but couldn’t hide the smile forming on her lips, “next time we only pick the monthly flavors, deal?”

Y/N looked up at him and nodded in response, knowing very well that meant he was considering going on a second date with her while the first one just started.

“They’re not gonna last till we get to the park, Charlie,” she warned as they made their way back to the car.

“That’s why I bought cookies,” he smiled as he tried to balance his car keys and the box with ice cream in one hand, “C’mon hurry up,” he ushered her, grabbing her hand with his free hand and guiding her through the surrounding people.

It wasn’t like he laced their finger together or something like that, he just grabbed her hand to make sure he wouldn’t lose her in the crowd, but the touch made her wish he would never let go of her. Of course, it wasn’t the first time he touched her, but the small amount of time she got to spend with him in person was enough to feel drawn to him in such a magnetic way, she never imagined possible.

“Oh that one is fucking delicious,” Charlie gasped after Y/N’s hand moved away with the now empty little spoon, his eyes still focused on the road ahead of them, “which one it was?”

“That was Strawberry Tres Leches,” she replied with a hint of pride laced on her voice, “your pick isn’t bad, you know?”

Charlie raked a hand through his hair and turned around just a few seconds to show her a bright smile.

“I have good taste,” he observed in a tone that let her know he wasn’t just talking about ice cream flavors.

Y/N opened her mouth, but the words never came out, shaking her head in pure amusement she dipped the tiny spoon in another flavor and offered it to him. What was she supposed to say?

“Why did we think we’d get there with ice cream?” Y/N questioned when Charlie opened the car door for her.

“No idea, but we have a plan b,” he added, giving her the bag with cookies and opening the back door to search for something, “there we go.”

“I want that one,” Y/N said, taking the orange and mango-flavored Capri Sun out of his hand with the biggest smile on her face.

“I’m gonna give it to you just this time because that’s my favorite,” Charlie scoffed, but the smile that seemed to be permanent on his face gave him away.

He made her feel so relaxed but his energy was so contagious, she felt like she could do anything if she wanted to.

“Would you go on a hike with me?” he asked her before taking a sip of his Capri Sun. The juice pouch looked ridiculous tiny in his hands.

“You’d have to take it easy on me,” she commented and closed her eyes to feel the sun on her face with delight.

“So that’s a yes,” Charlie stated and the excitement in his voice made her open her eyes, so she could look at the boy sitting next to her on the grass.

“Sure,” she giggled and turned her focus to the impressive view. The overlook of Downtown Los Angeles always took her breath away, reminding her how little she really was.

When they left the park, just minutes before it closed, both of them wanting the date to last a bit longer.

“Do you mind if we stop for a coffee?” Y/N asked, her voice just loud enough for him to hear her above the music playing, her hands fidgeting on her lap.

“I was gonna ask you the same,” he replied, “we can always drive all the way to the beach if you’re up to that.”

“Are you serious?” Charlie’s beaming smile was the only answer she needed, “let’s go then.”

Being stuck in traffic with Charlie wasn’t bad at all, that meant more time together and a jamming session for them. Y/N knew he could sing, she heard him humming on their previous video calls but getting to listen to him really sing without a care in the world was amazing.

“Stop bragging, I get it, you can sing,” she teased him.

“Don’t be shy, I know you can sing too,” Charlie said as he parked the car. And there it was, the weakness that meant seeing him backing up the car with just one hand.

“Right,” she said clearing her throat and unbuckling her seatbelt after he fully stopped the car, suddenly the car felt too hot for her.

“Don’t you think you’re gonna get cold without a jacket, Y/N?” Charlie questioned, grabbing two hoodies from the back seat.

“I was counting on borrowing yours,” she admitted with a shrug.

“Let’s go before we miss the sunset,” the corners of his mouth turned up glad she was finally flirting back. Not that she didn’t do it before, but it was nice to hear she was as interested as him.

Their arms were brushing, bodies as close as possible while they faced the ocean and the sky changing colors as the sunset on the horizon. The breeze sent shivers down her spine and she pulled the sleeves to hide her hands to keep them warm. Charlie looked at her and put his arm over her shoulder, pulling her closer.

“I guess my hoodie won’t be enough uh.”

tagged: @cordeliascrown @crybabyddl @phantompogues @the-romanian-is-bae @doaspeggy-says @thatsmyfavoritewhiteboy @samanthawilliamspring @searchingunderthestars @luke-patt @moneybagmgk @angisbr @happinessinthedarkesttimes @knitsessed @teti-menchon0604 @randomstuff7 @warmness0ul @merceret @headheartbellarke @caitsymichelle13

#charlie gillespie x reader #charlie gillespie imagine #charlie gillespie fic #charlie gillespie fanfic #charlie gillespie x y/n #charlie gillespie one shot #charlie gillespie #jatp cast imagine

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