#found this video today and made these gifs out of the sole reason that i need to watch his fingers just a little longer

[marimayscarlett]

Richard during the "Deutschland" performance on 20th of July 2022//Tallinn

[video source]

[shallyouobeyme]

Dodge

Yandere!Crime-Boss x Reader (GN)

Summary: Kidnapped in the dead of night in front of your own house, you were locked away in a cell with no idea why or what would happen to you, so when the opportunity to escape arises, you did what anyone would do and took it.

! MINORS DO NOT INTERACT !

TW: Kidnapping, getting shot, blood, weapons, violence, torture (mentioned), swearing, killing, yandere, dark!content, I don’t condone this, this is all fiction

Day 4 of my Yandere Writetober - Today’s Entry was inspired by a comment by @Sol565, if you have any cool ideas, then let me know: Tomorrow’s word is ‘Map’

The coldness of the metal floor seeped into the soles of your bare feet as you hid inside a locker, barely big enough to let you squeeze into it with your breath held and every muscle tensed. Throughout the slits a few measly, small rays of light hit your face as you tried to make out what was happening on the other side of the door. You heard steps and then you saw the silhouette of a rather robust man. It was probably one of the men who had taken you checking on you. If you weren’t so careful about not making a sound you would have sworn. You were supposed to have more time. After days of sitting alone in the cold, bare cell you had managed to correctly estimate how much time would pass between the patrols of thugs checking up on you or bringing you food.

Before your inner eye you could already see all your hard work being for naught. All the hours spent trying to open the door with the two hairpins that they hadn’t taken from you - probably not realising you had them - and thanking whatever entity was out there for your hyper fixation on lock picking in your middle school days would be for nothing now. He’d see you were gone and the entire place would be on high alert, taking away any hope you had of sneaking out of there.

“Fuck,” you heard him swear. You recognise his voice, he was one of the men who had taken you, he was the one who had punched you in the gut and told you to ‘stop fucking crying’ when you had sobbed and begged them to let you go. He was also the one who refused to give you any kind of explanation as to why they had taken you right from your front door, just laughing at you and telling you that you’d find out sooner or later. No matter what scenarios you went through in your head, you had no idea what you could have done, you didn’t owe anyone money except the government, you hadn’t started any fights or drama with important people, honestly you generally kept to yourself. “The fucking bitch got out! The boss is on his way back here, if we haven’t found that whore before he’s here there’ll be heads rolling.” Through the gaps you could see him looking around, but he didn’t seem to have any interest in the locker - luckily for you - and quickly ran off after giving an update through the radio he was wearing.

For a moment you were frozen in place. ‘The boss is on his way back here.’ That was what he had said and for some reason it seemed to have something to do with you as well. Would that be the day you died? Wasn’t that the most logical. They had kidnapped you and held you prisoner for some unknown reason, but they never did anything to you other than a punch or slap to silence you, they hadn’t questioned you, hadn’t made you hold a newspaper for a ransom video, hadn’t made you call your family asking for money. Not that there’d be much money to gain, but that would have at least given the whole ordeal some sense. Messed-up sense, but sense nonetheless. So, in your mind, the only logical explanation was that they had waited for this boss to come back so that he could finish the job himself. If you didn’t get out of there quick, you’d be dead by the end of the day.

Trying to gather your nerves and calm your breathing, you - as quietly as possible - opened the locker door and stepped outside. Looking around you tried to find something to defend yourself with but the outside of the metal cell you had been kept in was just as barren as the inside. Just a single chair and an empty table. But then you saw something standing besides the desk’s legs and quickly rushed towards it. It was an empty glass bottle, the label had been scraped off, but the smell alone would make it seem like it had been some kind of beer. It wasn’t great, but it was better than nothing. With your new weapon equipped you started making your way through the building, trying your best to avoid any people making their way through it searching for you.

Honestly, it was going astonishingly well as you managed to go two stairwells up without running into anyone, and the window on the floor you arrived on made you hope that you had managed to make it onto the first floor. The first floor which hopefully held the exit from this hellhole. Adrenaline was now flooding your veins even more than it already had and your heart was beating so loudly that you were sure the sound of it would give away your position. High with hope of escape you started being careless, especially once you stood at one end of a long corridor with the door standing at the end of it looking so very much like an exit. The only thing standing between you and the door was the same man from earlier, talking with someone through the radio, but you couldn’t make out the words over the blood rushing through your head. You had seconds, if that, before he’d turn around and see you, so you decided to take your fate in your own hand. You swung the glass bottle right onto his head and the sound of glass breaking and shards falling to the floor broke through your trance, the man stumbled to the side and swore, so you took your chance and ran towards the door when there was a loud ‘pang!’ right besides you. It didn’t take a genius to guess that you hadn’t disoriented him quiete like you hoped and that he was now shooting at you. You tried to dodge the shooting as best as you could, sidestepping every second even if the hallways didn’t give much room for it, and hoping his aim wasn’t very good with the blood seeping from his head.

The door was almost in reach when suddenly a hot, searing pain took you to the ground. It felt like your thigh was on fire and the flames were spreading towards the rest of your body. When you hit the ground you had already realised that you had been shot, but somehow that realisation overloaded your system and you didn’t have the mental capacity to hold out your hands to soften your blow onto the hard, cold, concrete floor. And so after your leg and your upper body hit the floor, your head followed with a searing pain that not only made you so nauseous you were surprised you didn’t immediately throw up what little you had gotten to eat the last days, but also gave the pain in your leg some serious competition.

Everything became slightly blurry and blotches of black danced in front of your eyes and your brain had trouble keeping up with what your senses were transmitting. The only sensations that seemed to reach your conscious mind was the sound of steps, oddly calm in the light of the discord that was happening around you. Then in the corner of your eyes you saw something black, first you thought it was just more of your consciousness leaving you, but then you made out the difference in dimensions. The shining black besides you were what seemed to be shoes, spotless and in perfect condition. Lastly, before your vision went black and everything around you disappeared into the void, you heard a deep, authoritative voice call out into the hall: “What do you think you’re doing?” One last thought was spared towards a question. Not the question as to who that man might be, it was obvious to you that he was the boss, they had been talking about, neither was it the question if his remark had been directed towards you or his ‘colleague’, instead the last question in your head was: “Where do I know this voice from?”

You hadn’t been able to consciously think about it, but if you had, then you would have probably assumed that you wouldn’t wake up again. And if - which again, you would have doubted - then probably in some dingy cell where you’d just wait to be tortured and killed. Neither of that was the case though, instead you woke up, lying in a bed so soft and so comfortable, that you would have assumed you were in heaven, hadn’t it been for the throbbing pain in your head and your leg.

For a few minutes you were just lying there, trying to work through everything that had happened. Has it actually happened? Maybe you had just had the most realistic nightmare induced by some accident that you couldn’t remember yet. Any hope in that unlikely scenario was squashed when the same voice from before your unconsciousness, called out to someone else: “Yes, I want everything set up as soon as possible… No, I don’t care. I told you what to do, so you better do it or you’re- See, I knew you’d get it. Thank you. I’ll call you as soon as we’re prepared on our end.”

Given that you could only hear one side of the conversation, you assumed that he was talking on the phone. His voice was so calm, but it was the kind of voice that left no room for arguments, the voice of a leader. Again, something in you recognized the voice, but you couldn’t tell from where, every attempt at remembering caused your head to throb even more painfully. That wasn’t the most curious aspect though, much more interesting was that his voice was so close, like he was sitting right next to you.

It took some preparation, mentally and physically, but after some moments of deep breathing you finally managed to force your eyes open. First, you were greeted by the white ceiling, slightly blinding you by reflecting the bright light, then you managed to tilt your head slightly towards the side where you had heard the voice and found a man - he was rather tall and you could see his muscular build through his dress shirt, with blemish free skin, a jawline sharp enough to cut and deep green eyes which were inspecting something on his phone - leaned back in a chair, one hand on his phone and one…

Holding yours.

The shock of the situation caused you to tense up, which made him aware that you were awake. He immediately put his phone down and came closer to you.

“You’re awake, good, I was getting worried. The doctors assured me that your wound was minor and that there was no damage to your head, but I couldn’t live with myself if you were hurt,” he said with such a loving voice that you would have thought he had mistaken you for someone.

“W-What?” you coughed out, just now realizing how dry your mouth and throat were.

The man immediately turned around and grabbed something - a glass of water as you saw - and brought it towards your lips, but you still had some sense of self-preservation left so you turned your head away.

“What? Do you think I put something in it? Would it help if I drink first?” he didn’t wait for your response, but took a big gulp as soon as he was sure you were watching, then he brought the glass towards your lips again and this time the desperation won over and you drank everything the glass had to offer.

Then you took a few breaths before asking what you were so very worried about.

“Are you going to kill me?”

His eyes widened in absolute shock. "What?!? No, of course not, even seeing you suffer from a cold would kill me, you have no idea of how much agony I was in to see you hurting, I never want to see this again.”

“W-Why? Why me?”

“You don’t remember me, do you? That’s okay, I know your life hasn’t been easy and… what happened the last few days wasn’t supposed to, but I’ll remind you, don’t worry. I promised I would always protect you and even though I haven’t done the best job of it these past few years, I won’t let you down now, my little bug.”

That’s when you realized where you had known him from. His voice had changed a lot and so had his body and his looks, but the tone of voice, the way he enunciated, was still almost the same as it had been when he had lived in the house beside you and protected you from the bullies who had it out for you. When he had given you your first kiss and when he had promised he would always protect you, when he told you he would become someone others wouldn’t dare cross and then he’d make sure no one would ever hurt you again.

It seemed he had succeeded with the first part.

“Ethan?”

“Yes, yes my little bug, I’m here now,” he muttered and leaned forwards to press a kiss to your forehead before patting your head lovingly. “I’m sorry about what happened to you, you weren’t supposed to be picked up yet, I wanted everything to be perfect, but- one of my men must have misunderstood. He- What he did, how he treated you… It’s unforgivable. I made sure that everyone who assisted him was properly punished, but I have a special surprise for you-“ he said and pulled out his phone before pressing some buttons and then a video showed.

You were so shell shocked, so confused, that you had no idea how to react. The video showcased a dark room with something in the middle.

“We’re good to go,” Ethan said to no one in particular. Or at least you thought it was to no one, until the video showed the light in the room being turned on - you realized it was a life feed and not just a video - and now you could see that the something in the middle was someone. It was the man, the guy who had shot you, with his hands and legs tied and his mouth stuffed with a gag. He looked like someone had beaten him up viciously, but once saw someone pushing a table filled with what you could only assume to be torture devices, you figured that he had the worst yet to come.

“Now, I really don’t want you to see this, but I need to prove to you that I will let no one hurt you and get away with it. No one…”

[ikkos]

#VICTORY !   We finally made it, huh ?   Take two !

hello everyone !  it’s ‘ya girl, bonnie (she/her, 21+) comin’ in with that very delayed intro post since tumblr is a bully. i hope you’re excited, because i am - for jeon komi, i mean.. your resident * secret * heir looking to uncover mysteries buried deep in her families’ past; all while looking like a complete princess for her online blog and influencer life. she’s brand spankin’ new to this small town & looking for lovelies to call her own. so, why don’t you check out some pages or click the read more ?  i know it’ll also be really fun if you drop down a hex code or color name in the replies for a wonderful little surprise, hm ? 

⠀

﹅ ​  ✩     一     PROFILE  /  PAST   /  PLOTS

⠀

Death TW.

February 1998 would be something many claim as a.. tragedy, or, better yet, a curse. Starlight Bay claimed their first major event that had flooded a decent portion of the city - introducing the beginning of an ancient ghost story, ‘The Jeon Family Disappearance’. It just deems bad luck that the next following heir, Jeon Jaejoon, had birthed his first child exactly a year later on February 18th when the missing family was officially announced as deceased.

Jeon Komi was born beautiful. She radiated the idealistic traits from her mother and could easily squish her way into anything she wanted. The girl lived a quite normal life, well, as normal as one could be living within the high class capital of Gangnam. From golden spoons to titlements, everything was easy.

From a young age Komi had always been more on the creative side - even to the point she scribbled on walls, tore and restitched clothing, honestly creating some trouble for her parents as she had to always add something of herself to anything she did. The only way they found to ease her impulsive outbursts were stories of fairytales and happy endings like it was some therapy session to become the perfect princess. (This alone later drilled into her head extreme unrealistic romantic realities, becoming the sole reason for failed relationships or her being able to express emotions in a healthy way).

It wasn’t until her entry in middle school did she begin makeup, something her mother decided to share with her over Komi’s natural creativity. This, of course, easily became a stress output for the girl. She wasn’t just good, she was professional. It came so naturally for her. She could utilize makeup products like they were brushes - what a boost in popularity this was for her as beauty was her norm.

Barbie? No. Mean Girls? Maybe. Stereotypical popular pretty girl? Yes!

@BAEMI! Such a cute idea. A combination of her mother’s maiden name and Komi’s generation name. It was, quirky? Easy to remember. Easy to search. Easy to trend. Naver blog, Instagram, Tik Tok, Twitter; followers blew up with her unique fashion and makeup ideas - thoughts and fans full of wanting to be alike to such an outspoken rich girl. I mean, who wouldn’t want to read on how BAEMI does her morning routines or the aesthetics of her phone? This quickly became her dream and something she worked hard at most. The only next thing is to finally create her own brand as a professional business.

Perhaps that smile’s a little fake, the one printed all over her bursting instagram? Yeah. Perhaps this life of feeling as the ‘perfect princess’ or the school’s local queen, isn’t all that it’s worked up to be. At home her father continued to stress day after day, lashing out in verbal violence. She could never understand why; she could never figure out where he’d go or disappear to for weeks. Why’d mother always lock away certain rooms or prevent Komi from listening in on some phone conversations. It didn’t matter after a little, she stopped caring. She allowed the secrecy and continued to live her life the best she could despite a bubbling curiosity.

Oh no.

No.

What?

“Komi, darling.. Your father he-” Her world shattered. 2020. Her first major life experience that wasn’t a glossed up storybook. Things changed so quickly, so fast. Her mother pushed and shoved lawyers towards her way. At first the girl couldn’t comprehend what was going on. Then it clicked like a heavy weight. 

Komi already knew she was destined to claim the heir of the Jeon Group, something previously owned by her uncle and aunt, which she’s never met. She only remembers faded photos and videos via her father, the yearly ceremonies of those praying for the mysterious return. Was she ready? Could she handle it? How does this even work?

The year went by quickly as she adjusted to such a change and extreme case of responsibility. Lots of paperwork and court cases. Even.. arguments with her mother. A mother who wanted to take claim on the Jeon Group and destroy a home she’s spent a summer with her father at. Why would she want to do that?

To say the least, today, Komi made her way to the small town which claimed the very home her aunt and uncle used to reside. She’s trying her best to fight for ownership, to reclaim that land and start a new chapter of her life before her mother demolishes something so important to her father.

Exchanging mini skirts and printed thigh highs to formal suits and responsibilities. It’s harder than it looks given that everything was always handed to her like it came out of a story book. It’s time to grow up, it’s time to stop treating life like we’re still in high school. Yet her mindset bounces back and forth with uncertainty of were she’s going.

I guess you could call it quite the redemption story..

[nctzendreamz]

Psycho — Bae Joohyun

Irene really, really loves you. Too much, you begin to realize.

Warnings: Psychotic!Au, mentions of abuse, murder, language, and in general dark themes.

Word Count: 7k

January 16, 2020 — 9:45PM

She might as well have been a celebrity, as she was the key reason that this coffee shop got visitors. Her silky smooth skin, complimented by her sparkling eyes and perfect build was everything the masses needed to get up early in the mornings before work.

She couldn’t count all the numbers she had recieved in just the couple of months she had been employed at Velvets; the coffee shop that rested in the center of the city. It’s red and pink decor, followed by the hand crafted decorations from so many visitors in the past, was exactly where Bae Joohyun, more frequently referred to as Irene belonged.

She always had the same greeting. It was in the protocol, after all.

“Hello! Welcome to Velvet’s. How are you doing today?”

And today is no different. She always tries her best to look right at the customer as soon as she hears the familiar bell, indicating the door had opened, but her nail was chipping, and it was driving her nuts. She says her line, still fiddling before she realizes that it can’t be fixed until later.

“I’m so sorry! It’s been a long—“

And then she stops. She has seen a million people come and go to her place of work. Most of them found her beauty to be enchanting, but even the finest of them could barely make her blink. No matter how hard they tried to merge the conversation onto dinner, or what she was doing after her shift, her facial expression stayed the same—dull and unimpressed.

But you. You’re standing here in all of your glory, hair perfectly sculpted to your face. She loves this look on you. It’s the perfect color to compliment your perfect skin, and daring eyes as they swallow her whole. Usually, she did this to others, yet here you were, snatching her soul—seemingly without even trying. 

“A long day.” She finally breaths out. Her heart is racing at a dangerous pace, and she knows she looks like a creep right now. Her dark eyes are trying to break you down, and bring you to your knees, but it’s not working.

“I understand that.” You giggle. You seem tired. The bags under your eyes are slight, but still drooped enough to which she can tell you’re either a student, or you work a nine to five. Regardless, you’re not always free. Your clothing is simple. Sweats, a hoodie, and some ugg boots to shield you from the cold weather. “Your nails are so cute, by the way.” You smile, and it’s calming. It’s not a full on cheese session, but that makes it even better. It’s simple, just as you seem to be.

“Don’t flatter me.” She begins, showing them to you in full form over the marble counter. “It’s chipped.”

“And still cute.” You assure, smoothly moving a sole finger across the nail. “Is it gel polish?” You question with an adorable head tilt. Absolutely priceless. You’re probably very good at getting what you want. You know exactly how to move, and lighten your voice to make people feel what you want them to feel.

“It is. You know—

“It stays on longer.” You finish for her.

“Exactly.” She can’t hold in her smile. Was her heart...warming? If so, that meant her cheeks were turning pink, which also meant that you could see clearly that you were doing it right. If you were flirting with her, you were doing it so well, and so respectfully.

“I’ll just take a hazelnut.” You breathe out. Your hands are in your pockets, and you’re shifting the weight from your toes to your heels repeatedly. You must be cold. When you’re cold, you get jittery it seems. That’s why you’re in here in the nick of time. You’re definitely in school. You probably just got out of class, and have a shit-ton of homework to finish. That’s why you need the coffee and that’s why you seem so exhausted; although you’re trying to hide it from her.

“Hazelnut!” She shouts, turning around and giving the ticket to the real worker in here. She doesn’t even look at him as reaches out to snatch it from her. “Is that your favorite?”

“The only coffee I will drink.” You admit, covering your face with your hands. You’re embarrassed. You probably feel somewhat uncultured, and childish for even saying that out loud.

“Have you ever tried another?” She says in a light tone, tilting her head just as you did a few minutes ago. Still, you’re unfazed. You actually close your eyes for a moment before snapping them back open.

“I have. I think it was roasted chestnut? Whatever it was it was not good at all.” And now you’re laughing. Your laugh—it’s beautiful. It’s not a subtle, shy chuckle that would indicate you don’t laugh often. You laugh all the time. She can’t tell if it’s a boyfriend that always has you geeked like this, or maybe your friends. Maybe, even your girlfriend, but that would break her heart too much.

“Well, coffee isn’t the only good thing here. We’re not Starbucks, but our frapachinos are pretty good.” Irene mentions, eyes flicking to the frap menu to the left of her. She lets the red sweater she spotted slip off her shoulder ever so slightly, and you’re looking at it. It was for a mere second, but she saw it.

“Here you go.” Josh—the chef of this shift interrupted, handing you your coffee quickly.

“That’s the fastest you’ve ever done that.” Irene seethes, shooting an annoyed look to her co-worker.

“Trying to close. No offense.” Josh nods to you, already starting the trials and tribulations that closing involved. He’s wetting a rag in preparation of wiping all of the counters down.

“Oh, none taken. I hate to be that customer that comes in late like this. I just have all this work to catch up on and I figured buying aderall from the guy who sits beside me in Psych wasn’t the best idea.”

Irene breaks into a fit of laughter. Truthfully, she wasn’t faking it. You were so funny. But she was also right. She hit the nail right on the head, actually. Josh couldn’t believe his ears as he had barely seen her smile a genuine cheese. Of course he stayed silent. “You’re funny!” She coughs out through her fit.

“Don’t flatter me.” You smile brightly. Your smile is so pretty, just like you. God, she was running through too many scenarios on how she could make you stay. “Thanks for this pleasing experience. Today sucked and I needed it so badly. Do you guys have like a manager or something? Or like a survey?”

She had never been asked this before. No one had ever cared to commend them on their excellent service and caffeine recovery program they had in place for the addicts. “Um...no. But what you can do is come back. To repay us.” She whispers the last part.

She needs your name. She just knows someone like you has the most goregeous name.

And the heavens answers her request. She already saw that you had a necklace hiding under your hoodie, but you’re pulling it out now. It’s a name; she just needs to know who it is.

“That necklace, I love it.” She leans over the counter, squinting to see the name. “Y/N.” She mumbles. “Is that your name?”

“It is.” You respond. “People say it’s stupid to wear your own name, but it’s comforting to me. Plus, I don’t have someone else’s name to wear so.”

So, you were single.

“Don’t get too discouraged. Someone could come and change that. Very soon, actually.” She purrs, and she finally does it. She’s getting in your head. You’re seeing her.

You leave, your walk mezmorizing her in ways that makes her tingle. She barely follows the procedures of cleaning, as all she wants to do is go home. She needs to know everything about you.

“Y/N L/N. Twenty four years old. Younger than me.”

It wasn’t that hard to find your all your social media. All public, minus your Facebook account. Your Twitter consists of retweets of memes that probably made you scream, and your own little comedy that your select friends liked as they felt obligated.

She can’t lie; she was expecting to see a tweet about her. Something about a beautiful girl in the coffee shop. But there was nothing. Not a peep. Then again, maybe this was a good sign. Maybe you liked to keep your loves private. She’s searching through your pictures, embellishing in the sight of you until something stops her scrolling.

It’s a picture of you, and another guy. His hair is black, but his features are far from plain. He’s not impressive to her, but she knows to you, he’s everything. He seems to be just your type.

It’s been two years, and yet, it feels like a thousand.

The caption is so short, yet so sweet and gentle. It’s telling a million stories with one sentence, and even she can tell there’s real love in the photo. On your side, at least. She feels sick now. He’s tagged on the photo.

Lee Taeyong. That’s his name. The first place she searches is his likes, where she knows she’ll find proof of him being a scumbag. The way you addressed your necklace; it’s almost as if it was a mere replacement for a previous. It was a somber, silent story.

A lot of his likes are filled with hip-hop. Viral dances, artist appreciation, funny memes just as you enjoyed. You two probably found love through a similar interest. She continues to scroll though, where she finds something that truly twists her stomach. A quote.

Do you ever wish you could turn back time? Fix a mistake? Go back to when everything was perfect? When you could hold her and she was yours? Because same.

He hurt you. She didn’t know what he did, but she knows he hurt you. Her first guess was cheating, and she was going to stick to it. Maybe your chill nature was because your walls were up so high. Maybe your intense laughter wasn’t because you laughed all the time, but instead because you hadn’t laughed in a while. And it was all his fault—fuck Lee Taeyong.

He works at a video game store. No—he owns an arcade to be exact. She was going to see him. She needed to observe him in person. See his vibe. In the mean time, she can follow you on Instagram. That’s not too weird, right?

January 17, 2020 — 7:30PM

“Welcome to T’s.” A dull voice speaks.

Although the lighting in the arcade is practically blinding—all the neon creating a cool atmosphere, their customer service is awful. Probably a telling to his personality if that’s the kind of people he hired.

She waited for a moment, waiting for more. How can they just assume she knows what she’s doing? What kind of place was this? It’s a Saturday afternoon, and it shows because people are everywhere. Kids are running around, and adults are talking trash to eachother as they bet money on who will win the car game. “Men.” She sighs. But with her sighs brings the man she’s looking for. He’s almost blending in with his all black clothing, but she knows it’s him. He’s hard to miss, but not because of his features. It’s because she hates him.

Her current outfit; a tight red dress and dangerous heels aren’t really arcade attire, but she doesn’t care. She clacks her way over to Taeyong, who is surrounded by many people. He must be popular. He definitely cheated on you. The girls around him were ridiculous. So much for missing you.

She knows approaching so quickly would be foolish. It wouldn’t make sense. She decides instead to creep around, wanting to know who these people are. As she gets closer, she can recognize almost all of them. Chungha—your seemingly bestfriend was here, some guy with his arm around her shoulder. The Johnny she had seen pop up on your feed a few times, the Ten, and lastly, the Momo. Momo also seems to have some unspoken feelings about you.

She could feel it in the way she comments under your pictures. You couldn’t notice her flirtatious nature, but it was there.

The most beautiful human in the world.

My favorite.

Can I be you?

More like—can I be with you?

“Excuse me.” Irene finally speaks, interupting their laughter. She was hoping they’d give her a dirty look, so she could have even more of a reason to turn you against them, but they don’t. They look at her in synch, smiles still on their faces.

“What’s up?” Johnny says, a dashing grin on his face. Another who thinks she’s too beautiful. Exactly how she felt about you. “Are you new around here?”

Chungha punches him in the shoulder promptly, clearly not a fan of his approach. Irene can see why she was your chosen best-friend. Then again, was she really your friend? I mean, all of these people were hanging around your ex boyfriend and the only person who wasn’t here is you?

“Sorry about that.” She apologizes. “Us pretty girls are hard to come by, and they get extremely thirsty.”

She’s funny, but not as funny as you.

“Oh it’s fine. I’m Irene.” She introduces, placing her frail hand out. It connects with Chungha’s, and it’s genuine. “He’s right. I am new here. I’m a tad overdressed, I see.”

“I’m not complaining.” Johnny adds, receiving a punch from Taeyong this time.

So, he’s somewhat of a woman supporter too. I mean, he didn’t have to stop him from his words, but he did.

“I’m Taeyong.” He sighs, but he doesn’t place his hand out. That’s odd. The glow of games is making all of them look nothing less of models, but that doesn’t mean she’s impressed. No one was better than you.

“You know, you’re allowed to touch a girl other than your family and Y/N.” Johnny jokes.

The mention of your name makes everything in Irene’s body spike. They were acknowledging you, even though you weren’t here, which means maybe you didn’t mind them being here without you. Or maybe you and Taeyong weren’t exactly broken up. Something complicated instead.

He doesn’t say anything, just squints at his friend in an evil manner.

“Y/N.” Irene interrupts, putting a hand on her chin. “I met someone with that name last night.” She says. She knows exactly what she’s doing. “I work at Velvets, and this girl came in. She was wearing a necklace with that name.”

She watches for Taeyong’s reaction, and she gets what she wants. The mention of the cafe makes him almost flinch. Velvets must have been a place you two frequently visited together when you were dating. But then again, why did you seem so clueless about the menu? No, you weren’t. You mentioned you tried other coffee. It must have been with him. The way you laughed, it all makes sense now. You were thinking about him. A memory popped up.

She wants to ask if you were his ex, but that would be crossing the line. She had only known them for two minutes. It would seem too odd.

“Was she wearing sweat pants and a hoodie?” Momo questions now. Her hands are crossed over her chest, and Irene can’t read her. She doesn’t like that. Momo somewhat has her guard up.

“Yeah. I think she was.”

“That was definitely her. She’s been dressing like a complete bum lately.” Momo giggles now. If she didn’t already know this was her competition, she knows now. Momo is giggling just from thinking about you. You must make her laugh a lot. Irene doesn’t like her judgemental nature. You would be perfect in every state if she was a real one, but she’s not. So maybe she isn’t going to be a problem after all.

“You described her perfectly.” Irene seethes, quickly switching back to her normal state. The bright smile, and pink lip.

“How was she?” Taeyong questions. He still cares. She can see in in his eyes, but even if she was blind, it wouldn’t matter. His voice was so frail when talking about you.

“Oh brother.” Ten sighs

“I have a right to know.” Taeyong argues. He’s frustrated. He’s hot headed; at least when it comes to you.

“She seemed perfect to me. Laughing a lot, making jokes and stuff. I apologize if I’m out of place for this, but what’s going on? Is she okay?”

All of their faces seem to freeze for a mere second. They’re not uncomfortable with her question, but it seems like they’re wondering do they have permission to tell your buisness like that. They’re looking at Taeyong, presumably because it’s technically his buisness too.

Chungha is the first to speak. “She’s fine. These two,” she points to Taeyong, and then seemingly to thin air, “they broke up.”

Momo is oddly silent. She’s seemingly fuming, but no one is paying attention to her. That means none of these people know about her feelings for you. She’s been keeping it bottled up this entire time.

“Oh...sorry for asking.” Irene quickly scrambles, tucking her hair behind her ears. “I should’ve put that together by myself—

“It’s okay, beautiful.” Johnny places a hand on her shoulder, and she wants to slap the stupid grin off of his face, but he was going to be useful. He was stupid, and naive. One pull down of her panties, and he would tell her everything she needed to know. She moves into his touch, giggling just a tad.

The vibration of her phone distracts her, and she quickly searches for it in her Louis purse. You followed her back. One by one, you’re liking her pictures, and she can feel her heart beating hard through her little chest. Was her fairytale going to happen? Was she finally going to be able to fall in love again? God, she loved you already. Your sexy demeanor, your perfection. She needed you, and she would do anything to get it.

The bell of the shop dings, indicating that more people are walking in. From the way that they all freeze once again, she knows exactly who it is. She turns around and there you are. Her knees so badly want to get weak, but she controls herself. Today, you’re wearing an oversized t-shirt. She can’t tell if you have shorts on under, but she hopes you doesn’t. The shirt is from some band you listen to, and you have white converse on your feet. High top.

Momo is the first to greet you. She practically jumps into your arms, and Irene notices the way you don’t seem to mind. Her brain is starting to shock her, jolting her anger to all the wrong places. She could fucking kill Momo right now. The two of you are spinning around, Momo’s legs around your waist and you inhaling her scent. Everyone else is looking at the scene with a soft smile—they’re so stupid. How can they not see?

Momo finally returns back to the floor, and now you’re looking at her. She quickly fixes herself up, so quick, that you don’t even notice.

“Irene?”

The way you say her name is causing her to pool. She wants to hear you say it for the rest of the night. She takes a deep breath, not hiding it this time before she strides to you, hugging you. She knows this won’t make you uncomfortable. You seem to be willing to catch some affection for people you like. When she feels your hands on her middle back, she inhales you. You smell like spring, even in the winter, and that’s so beautiful. You’re so beautiful. She allows her cheek to graze against yours ever so slightly, and your noses to touch before she backs away. She sees the way you bite your lip. No one can see you but her, and she likes the thrill. It’s dangerous.

“Johnny.” You sigh, walking past him without a look. You don’t like Johnny—that’s obvious. Was he possible the reason for you and Taeyong’s break-up? “My Tenny!” You screech, putting his face in your hands like a baby and kissing his cheek softly. You have a soft side. “Chungha~” You sing, embracing her tightly. Now it was the big reveal. Would you speak to Taeyong? Or would you two do the awkward stare.

He still loves you. It’s obvious in the way that the love practically pours out of his eyes, and his hands shake. “Y/N.” He whispers. It’s like no one else is in the room. You must have not seen any of them in a while, based on the way they stare at you admiringly.

“Hey.” You whisper back, slowly moving to hug him. He closes his eyes for a mere second, and it’s all over. Now you’re back beside Irene, who’s very pleased.

“Irene was just telling us that the two of you know eachother.” Johnny speaks. He’s trying to get back into your good graces. It’s so obvious it’s painful.

“Yeah.” You smile, but not at him. “I was at Velvets getting my usual, and then we met. Surprised to see you here though.” You’re looking at her now.

“What? Just because I’m in a dress means I can’t be a gamer?” She jokes, and everyone around laughs. Everyone but Momo.

“No. Momo wears dresses.” You say, slapping her thigh gently. Why do you keep touching her? She’s standing right here, looking good for you, and you’re flirting with Momo? “There’s just a lot of assholes in a place like this. You don’t seem to be interested in that.”

“Well, how about I prove you wrong? Loser has to buy the other coffee.” She prompts.

She hopes everyone else looks jealous. Especially Momo. Knowing you, even if you wanted to say no, you weren’t going to deny her.

“Any coffee?” You question with a raised eyebrow.

“Anything you want—that is, if you win.”

“I say we have a tournament.” Momo adds in. “I mean, it’s been a while since we’ve all been together lile this.”

Shut up, slut. God, Irene just wants to wrap her hands around her neck. She had to get you away from her as soon as possible.

“Sounds good to me.” You agree. “Is that cool with you?” You look back at her. You’re already hooked enough to have to ask permission when you had only known her for 24 hours.

“Does it matter if she is?” Johnny mentions.

“Johnny!” Chungha screeches. “Why are you being such a dick!”

“Don’t answer that.” Ten prompts, taking his friend by the hand and leading him outside.

“Anyways, that sounds like a great idea to me. Let’s roll!” Chungha yells in sorority fashion, and now all of you are going to where the fun is. There’s a million games to choose from, but it seems like you guys have a section you’re leading her to.

“As you can see, the games only get harder and harder from here.” You explain to her, placing a hand on her lower back.

“So like, kids shouldn’t be going this far.” She giggles.

“Exactly. Consider yourself privileged.” You wink.

“Just because I’m short and cute does not mean I’m a child.”

“You’re going to have to prove that to me.”

You’re definitely flirting with her now. And to make it even better, more fiesty than she had expected it to be.

“What are you doing after this?” She flirts back, placing her hand on your back now.

“You’re taking me to get coffee.”

“Velvets will be closed.” She pouts.

“I didn’t say you had to take me to Velvets. They sell hazelnut coffee everywhere.”

“You really think you can beat me, can’t you?”

“No. I know I can.”

And you did. You beat the clean breaks off of her in every single thing. The whole tournament went to hell as you and Irene were completely in your own world. You ran from game to game like children.

You weren’t rude enough to not say goodbye, but it was quick. You knew exactly what was going to happen after tonight, and you needed it. It had been too long.

“You’re not coming over?” Is the last thing you hear right before you and Irene head out. It’s Momo again, and her eyes are sad as she seems to know exactly what’s going on. “We haven’t had the big sleepover in so long, and I cleaned my house.”

Irene is reading you like the open book you are, and you’re fighting it. You haven’t seen your friends in a while, and you want their attention. You love the fact that they miss you, and you miss them even more, but you don’t crave them like you’re craving her right now.

“I promise next weekend.” You try to plead.

“But I got drinks.”

“A promise is a promise.” Now your pinky is out. The way Momo seemingly gives up on her complaining shows that your promises held weight. She connects her pinky with yours, before lightly caressing your knuckles with her thumb. You don’t think anything if it, but Irene knows, and her eyes are burning holes into her skull.

As soon as the two of you reach the car, you’ve forgotten about the coffee.

With a slammed hand on the foggy window, Irene is in bliss.

“So much for that hazelnut coffee, huh?” She purrs, kissing you once more.

“You still owe me.” You giggle.

“You’re absolutely right.” She’s now crawling down your body, fully prepared to repay you for your victory. More like her victory. She had won, and it was easy. You were easy, and yet she still loved you. She would never let you go, and anybody who got in the way of you two being together forever will feel her wrath.

February 17, 2020 — 2:00PM

“Wait wait, so you’re telling me that I leave for two seconds, and Y/N and Irene are fucking?”

“Not just fucking—fucking dating.”

Johnny and Taeyong were catching up, just as brothers did. After being pulled out of the arcade by Ten, it had been decided that Johnny needed a break from his crew. There was clearly some animosity—rightfully so within the group, and a month break was much needed.

“I didn’t even know Y/N...”

“Exactly.” Taeyong finishes for him, taking an aggressive sip from his coffee. With the slam, some of it splattered on the table. He can’t help but think about how you would immediately clean it up as little things like that bothered you, if you were here that is.

“Well, how do you feel about it?”

“I don’t understand how this happened so quick. I mean, think about how long it took me and Y/N to start dating. We talked for what felt like years before you guys pushed us to make it official.”

“You mean pushed you.” Johnny corrects, sipping his Americano with shade.

“Whatever. I just don’t like it. I mean, this Irene girl just shows up, and takes Y/N away that quick? That quick?”

“I mean, she is fine as hell. Are you saying you wouldn’t be down for that?”

“Can you not be gross for like two seconds?” Taeyong fumes.

“Shh.” The congregation of the library says in unison, causing him to throw his head down in shame.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. Month of meditation actually did something I can assure you.”

“I want to look into her.”

“As in, like stalk her? Do you really think you’ll find anything?”

“I don’t want to, but this all happened too coincidentally. I know you think I’m crazy,” a nervous habit formed as a little boy, Taeyong is scratching his elbow like a manic. His rash has appeared, and rash equaled bad news.

“Well, you know I’m on your side. You might be stupid and crazy, but as your best friend it’s my job to make sure you don’t do it alone.”

They weren’t alone, even when they thought they had found a secluded area. She was there, disguised as a typical college girl. She sported a bob that made her look extremely basic, and her ears heard every drip of that conversation. Of course, being the idiots that they were, a bathroom break included them leaving all their belongings on the table.

February 21, 2020 — 12:00AM

“Do I know you?” The blonde girl says in a low voice. She’s scared as she approaches her vehicle. She worked the late shift tonight, and deep down she knew it was a horrible idea, especially when her boyfriend was too drunk to come and get her.

“You don’t need the extra money—I got you, babe.”

But she ignored him.

“No, but I know you.”

“Did my boyfriend sleep with you? Because if you want revenge, I’m not the one you need to be speaking to.”

“What would make you think that?”

“Past trauma.”

“So he’s cheated before.”

“No, past trauma.” She doesn’t know why she’s entertaining this stranger. Maybe it’s because she’s so beautiful. You can’t help but to trust her, even in such a suspicious predicament. I mean, she was leaning on her fucking car like she pays the note. “Are you an addict or something? I barely have anything for myself, okay? Maybe next week.”

“You’re Johnny’s girlfriend, aren’t you?”

“I’m calling the police.”

But Irene snatches her phone from her, slamming it on the ground. The black gloves that cover her hands secure her non-existent finger prints, and the phone shatters.

“Literally what the fuck!” The blonde screams, but it doesn’t matter. They’re in a parking garage and there’s no one here to save her. She tries to run away, but Irene is just too quick. The knife that was behind her back connects to the back of her neck, and she haults.

“This is for your nosy fucking boyfriend, who believes that he can somehow find out about my past and make Y/N leave me. How foolish of him.” She chuckles, letting the blood trickle down her arm.

She’s crying and screaming, but as stated, it’s irrevlant. Irene 2 — Johnny 0.

February 18, 2020 — 9:00AM

“I just...I just can’t believe it. I told her not to work that stupid fucking shift.”

“It’s not your fault, Johnny.”

“Yes it is. If I wouldn’t have been drunk out of my ass, I could’ve saved her somehow—I don’t know. But now she’s gone. I loved her. I loved her so damn much and I was finally pulling it together because of her.”

The rest of you sit on the couch, struggling to find the proper words for such a tragedy. Johnny is sobbing into his hands now, while Ten is rubbing his back gently. Taeyong is off to the side staring into space. You’re familiar with this look. He was thinking heavily about something, but you obviously would never find out what it was. Chungha is sitting on your right, rocking back and forth. Her nails are chopping at her fingers—a clear sign of her fearfulness. Similar to Taeyong, Momo is silent. You expected her eyes to be on you in search of some answers, or silent suspicions, but she refuses.

Finally, Irene is beside you to the left. You didn’t know Johnny’s lover that well, but you knew she was a decent girl. She didn’t deserve this, and you couldn’t even imagine what would it would feel like to lose someone you loved. Anyone sitting in this room. Her frail hand is locked on your elbow while her thumb is trying to soothe you.

“I’m so sorry.” She whispers. Her lips find your shoulder in something sweet and comforting. “Who would do something like this? Did she have an ex boyfriend?”

It takes a minute for Johnny to find a response.

“She did tell me about some guy who began to get a little possessive, so she broke it off. But she never mentioned him coming back.”

“Maybe it was him.” Irene says quietly. You can tell she’s trying not to say too much, as she hadn’t been hanging with the crew for too long. You’re grateful that she’s here for you.

“Let’s just let the police do their job.” Momo finally speaks, standing up from the loveseat she sat on alone. Something is wrong with her, but you’d have to figure that out later.

“Let’s order some food.” You decide, standing up as well. “I know you might now want to eat right now, but it’ll clear you head even if just a little bit. We are all under a lot of stress right now.”

“I agree, babe.” Irene commends, smiling at you sadly.

“Alright.” Johnny sighs. He also rises, but he goes straight into the back of his apartment instead. None of you were worried about him hurting himself. You knew he needed time to let his emotions out, as he was constantly trying to be society’s definition of a man.

Your phone vibrates, and it’s Irene who’s hitting you up.

I think you should check on Momo. Was she friends with her? She just seems really upset and I know how close you two are.

You have to contain the smile that wants to come out for the sake of the situation, but she was so perfect. She didn’t get jealous about anything. And she was so in love with you. It had been too long since you could confidently admit that this wasn’t a one-sided situation.

Your feet are approaching the kitchen softly, trying not to make such a scene. Momo is leaned over the counter at first, but when she sees you she tries to straighten up.

“Hey.” She whispers, preparing for eavesdropping.

“Hey.” You say back.

Why was this so awkward? It was never like this before.

“I just wanted to check on you.”

“I’m fine.”

Which means she’s not. You see her observing your current outfit—yoga pants with a shirt she had bought you years ago covering your body.

“Do you want to talk later?” You offer, putting a tiny smirk on your face remembering that usually made her feel better.

“I think that would be good, actually. I don’t know if we’ll have the time, but maybe when everyone’s asleep?”

“The best thing I’ve heard all day.” You open your arms out, and you know she won’t deny you. She lets out what seems to be all the stress from her week as she lets you engulf her. It had been so long since the two of you were close like this. On your nights where you couldn’t sleep from past thoughts, it was Momo who would come over and hold you until you could.

“I’ve missed you.” She mumbles into your shoulder. “So much.”

“I missed you too. I’m sorry I haven’t been exactly here as much.”

“Irene...I know.” She pulls away at the mention of her name, and it’s odd timing. “Let me just ask you something— as one of your best friends?”

“Go ahead.”

“Don’t you think the two of you are moving a little fast? I mean, we saw the girl for the first time a month ago, and now you’re all committed and in love with her. I’m just concerned.”

She made several points. It wasn’t that you made people wait for you in the past. This whole scenario was just too quick, especially since you had just gotten out of a relationship not too long ago.

“Are you insinuating that I’m not over Taeyong?”

“No.” She’s confident in her answer. “I don’t want you to be with him anyway. He cheated on and is a fat jerk.”

You snort at her last two words, and she’s punching your shoulder lightly even though she’s laughing as well.

“You’re so negative minded.”

“Continue.” You breath out, covering your mouth.

“I just feel like—

The door flies open, revealing Irene on the other side. “Sorry to interrupt, but have you ordered the pizza yet? We’re all starving.”

In reality, she wasn’t in the mood for food. Ten and Taeyong had went to the back to check on Johnny, and Chungha was using the bathroom. She had heard your whole exchange and to say she was pissed was an understatement. Why didn’t you try and defend her? You should have walked out of the room, and straight into her lap the minute the slut tried to question you on something she knew nothing about.

Both of you look like you’ve been caught, and she relishes in that. The fear that is in both of your eyes.

“Yeah I got you.”

That’s all you have to say to her? First, Momo was able to get you to open up that fast, when you hadn’t even revealed to her any details of you and Taeyong’s relationship.

“Or, you can order it if you want. Me and Y/N were just catching up I’m sorry to take her away.” The slut speaks. Her voice bleeds cockiness, even though her face is soft and sweet. She knows that Irene is mad. She’s enjoying it.

“Okay.” Is all Irene mumbles before going back to the living room.

“What was that about?” Momo is looking at you in confusion and fear. She had always had suspicions about Irene. She just seemed too nice—too willing to be everything you needed, when in reality she didn’t fit the role.

Momo had been in love with you since she met you. Your smile, the way you loved everyone no matter their differences, and your seemingly never ending talent of making her laugh. You were magical, but she was okay with being on the sideline. She had done it for two years straight while you were with Taeyong, and even during your nights of crying over she kept it to herself.

She knew keeping it to herself was only hurting her, but she was willing to be hurt for the sake of your happiness as you were happy with Taeyong. She could see how much the two of you loved eachother, and even after everything went down, she didn’t want to stop your journey of loving herself to have to figure out a way to reject her feelings nicely.

“Guess I’ll have to find out later.”

You seem frustrated as your leg is tapping up and down—even though you’re not sitting. Your breathing is getting faster and faster, and she knew this picture. This is exactly how you used to react when Taeyong made you upset, or neglected your feelings.

“Does she know what pizza you like?” She decides on, trying to pick your mood up with her bare hands as you were always able to do for her. She finds herself dancing slightly—her go to when she didn’t know what to do.

“I should probably go find out.” You smack her exposed stomach before walking back into the living room, where everyone has returned. Momo is behind you, and Irene is staring straight at the wall.

“The pizza should be here soon.” She whispers without removing her eyes.

“That’s goo—

By soon, even she didn’t seem to have meant this soon. The door is being knocked on quite aggressively, and all of you are looking at eachother trying to decide who’s going to answer.

“I’ll get it.” You step up. You were always the one in the group who would rise to the things you knew they were scared to do. Before you can even put your hand on the knob though, the banging is coming again, this time even louder. “I’m coming!” You spit full of attitude, and at the same time, everyone but Irene is rising to the occasion to stand by your side. You would always protect eachother—even from the pizza man. Johnny steps infront of you, opening the door himself.

It’s the police, and they don’t look happy.

“Are you Johnny Suh?” The chubby officer questions.

“Uh—yes.” He stutters. “The police said I wasn’t getting questioned until tomorrow.”

“Oh cut the crap.” The other offer says. “You’re under arrest for the murder of Cierra Valdez.” He rips the handcuffs from his belt, and he’s trying to turn Johnny around, but Johnny will never go down without a fight.

“What are you talking about!”

“Get off of him!” You yell, immediately trying to pull him in your direction. Everyone else follows, together more powerful than the police. Johnny is out of their grasp for just a few moments before a gun is pointed towards all of you.

“Drop your hands now!”

“You’re not gonna fucking shoot us!” Taeyong screams. It was the most passion Irene had heard come from his lips, and she was quite entertained. She was entertained by all of this. If you wouldn’t have been letting Momo flirt with you, she would’ve gotten up to shield you, but you didn’t, which is why she’s sitting on the couch in fake shock.

“Y/N get over here!” She yells. She doesn’t even have to wipe the sly smirk off her face as nobody is looking at her.

But you ignore her.

“I didn’t kill her!” Johnny is crying all over again, his whole face soaked in tears. “I loved her. Why would I kill her?”

“Anything you do or say will be held against you.” The Miranda rights are flowing out of the officer like he does this all the time, and now they’re dragging him out. His back is scratching on the cement.

“Y’all have to help me!” Johnny screeches. The whole apartment complex can hear what’s going on, and it’s killing him inside. He didn’t kill the love of his life. He didn’t. “I loved her.” He cried once more. “I fucking loved her!”

Continued

[the-omni-princess]

Frozen Heart [Chapter 1]

Author: @the-omni-princess​

Summary:  After the war against Hydra, King Bucky comes home to take what has been promised to him since he was young, you. But he is not the same person as the young boy that you grew up with. Can she break through his tough shell and bring back the young man she once fell in love with? Or will she be forced to marry the monster everyone thinks he’s become?

Word Count: 2.1 k

Pairing: King!Bucky x Fem!Reader (Royalty!AU)

Warnings: War, angst (slight), hella violence, mentions of torture and bad things happening to good people, bit of fluff at the end (if you squint)

A/N:

Here’s the first chapter for my Royalty AU! I decided not to do a prologue as it felt off no matter how I wrote it, so henceforth, here's a chapter one. Finals are coming up for my summer classes, but I’ll try to write chapter two asap.

More chapters to come <3

[Series Masterlist]    [Masterlist]

-------------------------

Waiting. That’s all Princess Y/N of the Southern Lands ever seemed to do anymore. Wait. Wait to be older, wait for her brother to return, wait for her love to return to her, wait for the war to end, just wait. The Great War started just months before your birthday. You were to come of age and be wed to the man you’ve been promised to since you were both children running in the halls. The war stole many things from you, your sanity, your promised, your brother. As far as the letters said, both were alive, but both were fighting for their lives, never knowing if they would make it out alive.

When the war started, your parents, the King, and Queen of the Southern Lands, were apprehensive to send their only son, the Heir to the Southern Throne, out to fight. But true to his nature, your older brother Steve did everything in his power to join his best friend, Prince James, on the front lines. He asked, pleaded, begged, he even made a compelling powerpoint slide show; your older brother by two years wanted nothing more than to fight the Hydra forces invading the edges of your territory.

After months, your parents caved, sending your brother off to die. According to Natasha, your Lady in Waiting, that thought was a bit overdramatic, yet with your parents signing more and more letters of Death Notices from the front lines, your worry for your brother and your betrothed grew. The wedding that had been planned for after your birthday was postponed until further notice and all you could do was hope for both your brother and your love’s safe returns.

Only three years older than you, you grew up with your betrothed, Prince James Buchanan of the Northern Lands, or as he always insisted, Bucky. He was a year older than Steve but seeing as the latter always seemed to get himself in trouble, Bucky was there to promptly get him out of trouble. You’ve both known you were to eventually be married after you came of age since you were both merely teens, and soon you found yourself falling for the dorky yet charming boy you have been best friends with since you could walk. You went to classes with him and your brother, trained together, and since you’ve been a child, before responsibility and duty came into play, you three were inseparable. Movie nights, walks in the garden, a chat over some tea, whenever Bucky was around to annoy and/or protect Steve, he was there with you as well. It only made sense that you fell head over heels with him.

Your parents were firm in their belief that everyone should be educated, including you. The usual and traditional Princess etiquette classes were a must, but you also participated in languages, history, economics, the sciences, and your favorite, combat. That’s where you currently found yourself, in hand-to-hand combat with Natasha. Although she was (officially) your Lady in Waiting, Natasha was much more than the fiery yet innocent redhead she presented herself to be to the outside world.

Sweaty, panting, muscles aching for relief, you pinned Natasha down to the training mats. You hoped that the harsh move would make her yearn for a water break, so you could give yourself a much-needed break as well, but alas, the redhead simply smirked up at you, amused at your efforts. “I know your stressed Y/N, but I feel like you should take that out on the punching bags and not me.”

You groaned, lifting yourself off of her. “You’re the one who wanted to spar so badly,” you spat back at her, crossing your arms across your chest after you helped her up to her feet. It was true, you were very much indeed stressed. It had been weeks since you last heard from your brother. The last letter he sent was vague to say the least, but it elated you, as he was finally coming home. “I just want him back home Nat, and maybe he will finally tell me about what had happened to Bucky.”

When Hydra started to press against the border between their nation and his own, Bucky was forced by his parents to leave for the front lines. You had heard multiple stories as to what had happened there, as Bucky would always try to send letters, and once Steve was there, he almost always took the time to send letters to you and your parents as well. Yet soon the letters from your betrothed stopped entirely, and Steve’s begun to sound more hopeless. Bucky had been captured, and you could only presume what had been done to him past what they told you. The sole heir to the Northern Throne, Hydra had plenty of leverage against his kingdom as they held him for ransom, torturing him to try to gain knowledge to kingdom secrets.

To prove their threats credible, they did the unthinkable, they sliced Bucky’s left arm off, sending it to the King and Queen, attached with a video of them torturing him. Your own parents never let you near the video, and the only reason you knew it had even occurred was because Natasha told you. She knew every secret in the kingdom, and she knew how much you cared for your betrothed, so she told you, never one to lie to you. She left out the gritty details, but you got the point, Hydra was breaking your beloved. You thanked every god your ancestors worshipped when a letter arrived stating Steve had rescued Bucky. Of course, they wouldn’t get so lucky as to think that would be their only misfortune.

Leading the Howling Commandoes, warriors chosen personally by Steve and Bucky, they kept pushing back the Hydra forces. Desperate to gain traction on dying grounds, Hydra sent stealth operatives to any opposing forces’ palaces. The one sent to your lands proved unsuccessful, as they had underestimated the training of the princess, of you. They assumed you had been trained like any other princess, in only basic self-defense, so Natasha and you were quick to take the operative down. However, the attempts on the other lands were more successful than the attempt on your own. The one sent to Wakanda, an allying kingdom that lay west of your own borders, assassinated their king, King T’Chaka, before being compromised, forcing Prince T’Challa to ascend the throne. The one sent to the Northern Lands, to your dismay, was also successful in their attempts to assassinate King George and Queen Winifred, forcing Bucky to ascend the throne in the middle of a war, both physically and mentally, as he had only recently been freed from Hydra’s grasp.

Princess Shuri of Wakanda, one of your closest friends and one of the smartest people you’ve ever met, built a robotic prosthetic for Bucky, which was only accepted once his parents were killed. You knew him to be rash at times, but the year that followed the assassinations was one of the bloodiest, death-filled year of the war the nations had seen, yet these deaths weren’t of your own people. Furious at the kingdom that was taking everything away from him, Bucky had rained death down on Hydra. They had named him the Winter Soldier, as he showed no mercy to any Hydra soldier that crossed his path. Those who could flee did, leaving a broken skeleton of an army behind. Defeated and dying, Hydra retreated, signing a declaration of peace, effectively ending the war.

You had only recently received the news that Hydra’s King, Alexander Peirce, had signed the treaty. Now you waited, as per usual, to see your brother again for the first time in five long years. Of course, you had hoped Bucky would follow him, as desperate as it sounded, you had missed him in the years since you had last seen him. However, that wasn’t the case. Bucky returned to his own kingdom, was coronated, and was bombarded into every single matter of the kingdom that his parents had left behind, as well as building it back up now that Hydra was gone. You had hoped he would at least send a letter, as he hadn’t sent one since his capture years ago, yet you received nothing. At the very least, now you would be getting your brother back.

Natasha looked towards you, sadness lingering in her eyes as she spoke, “I think we’re done for the day Y/N. Clean yourself up, your brother should be arriving soon.” You sighed softly, nodding.

“Thank you, Nat. I think I’ll bathe myself today, I would like to be alone.”

Nat grinned, nodding as she replied, “Of course your highness,” she exaggeratedly curtsied, making you giggle, much to her delight. “There’s that smile, now go, I’m sure you and Steve will spend eons tonight talking.”

You ran out of the training rooms, smiling faintly as Sam started to flank your left side. Captain Sam Wilson, your personal guard, and the Captain of the Royal Guard of the Southern Lands, one of the sweetest and most infuriating men you knew. “How was training y/n/n? Nat kick your ass again?” He said teasingly as you both made your way through the castle, heading towards your chambers.

You rolled your eyes, “No, as a matter of fact, I kicked her ass,” you smiled proudly. Nat was probably taking it easy on you today, but you couldn’t have cared less. “Now I’m going to bathe and clean up, please announce when they see my brother at the front gates Sam.”

“Of course, your Highness,” he replied with a smirk, opening the doors to your personal chambers, before closing them and standing dutifully outside them.

Making your way to your bathing chambers, you turned the water on, already disrobing. You were quick to bathe, making sure to wash your hair, wanting the stress of the last five years to drain away with the dirty water pouring down the drain. Thoroughly scrubbed and clean, you turned the water off, quickly drying off before dressing. It was a simple dress, one that resembled one of your old favorites as a child, a summer dress, floral, lined with yellows and pinks, and lace sleeves made of flowers that reached the middle of your forearm. It was floor-length, so you slipped on ballet flats, just as Sam knocked on the huge wooden doors that made the entrance to your room. “Your Highness? Your brother has arrived and is just outside the castle gates.”

You sprinted into action, quickly shaking your damp hair out so it could naturally finish drying, you would probably ask one of the maids to braid it for you later, but you had higher priorities at the moment. You rushed out the door, catching Sam in surprise. He chuckled as he followed you, racing towards the front doors of the palace. He didn’t bother with any snide comment, knowing how badly you wanted to see your brother.

You arrived just as they opened the doors, Steve’s now huge form illuminated in the noon light. “Stevie!” You cried out, already barreling towards him.

His eyes lifted away from your parents, who were standing there to greet him, and landed on you, his grin lighting up his face as he rushed forward towards you, dropping the shield in his hands. “Y/n/n!” You were quick to jump into his arms, both of you smothering each other with a hug, desperate to make sure the other sibling was really there in their arms.

You pressed loving sisterly kisses in his hair as you hugged him tightly, tears already welling up in your eyes. “Oh Stevie, I missed you so much, I was so worried, I was afraid they would take you or you would be killed,” you kept babbling on, eager to keep him close. He laughed, and your heart lurched, finally settling that yes, of course, your brother is right here in front of you, safe and sound.

Steve grinned up at you before placing you back down on the floor, “I’ve missed you too, Y/n/n, so much.” He pulled away for only a minute, quick to hug and kiss your parents, the heartfelt reunion making your heart grow. He turned back to you as you wiped your eyes, trying not to cry any more than you’ve already had. He offered you his hand, “How about we catch up as we take a stroll through the gardens Y/n, I’ve a lot of catching up to do.”

You grinned, eagerly taking his hand, and then lacing your arm in his, “Of course brother, let’s.” You didn’t hesitate to start walking towards the gardens, not caring that he was dirty and sweaty from riding on horseback here. All you cared was that he was alive, and that he was finally back home.

--------------

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[patriotsnet]

What Republicans Think Of Trump Now

New Post has been published on https://www.patriotsnet.com/what-republicans-think-of-trump-now/

What Republicans Think Of Trump Now

What Is Happening To The Republicans

Republicans Face ‘Civil War’ Split Over Remaining GOP Loyalty to Trump

In becoming the party of Trump, the G.O.P. confronts the kind of existential crisis that has destroyed American parties in;the past.

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Content

But, for all the anxiety among Republican leaders, Goldwater prevailed, securing the nomination at the Partys convention, in San Francisco. In his speech to the delegates, he made no pretense of his ideological intent. Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice, he said. Moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue. Goldwaters crusade failed in November of 1964, when the incumbent, Lyndon Johnson, who had become President a year earlier, after Kennedys assassination, won in a landslide: four hundred and eighty-six to fifty-two votes in the Electoral College. Nevertheless, Goldwaters ascent was a harbinger of the future shape of the Republican Party. He represented an emerging nexus between white conservatives in the West and in the South, where five states voted for him over Johnson.

Opinion: Why Donald Trump May Lose Influence In The Republican Party

Common wisdom holds that former president Donald Trump remains the dominant force within the Republican Party. The truth is that his personal influence and standing are not as powerful as many imagine, and his power is as likely to decline as it is to increase.

Theres no denying that many Republicans still revere Trump. He remains highly popular with GOP voters, and candidates for office still vie for his endorsement. Two recent Politico/Morning Consult polls show how strong he remains. A mid-May poll found that half of Republicans surveyed would vote for Trump in a hypothetical 2024 presidential primary matchup, and another poll released this week shows that 59 percent want Trump to play a major role in the party going forward. Trump is clearly the single most influential figure in the party today.

Other signs point to the gradual erosion of Trumps influence. Candidates may seek his support, but those who fail to get it dont drop out of the race. Trumps endorsement of Alabama Rep. Mo Brooks for his states open Senate seat did not dissuade Katie Britt, a former chief of staff to retiring Sen. Richard C. Shelby, from entering the race on Tuesday. Her three-minute announcement video barely mentions Trump and strikes traditional conservative themes of faith, family and hard work.

Democrats Return The Favor: Republicans Uninformed Or Self

The 429 Democratic voters in our sample returned the favor and raised many of the same themes. Democrats inferred that Republicans must be VERY ill-informed, or that Fox news told me to vote for Republicans.;;Or that Republicans are uneducated and misguided people guided by what the media is feeding them.

Many also attributed votes to individual self-interest whereas GOP voters feel Democrats want free stuff, many Democrats believe Republicans think that I got mine and dont want the libs to take it away, or that some day I will be rich and then I can get the benefits that rich people get now.

Many used the question to express their anger and outrage at the other side.;;Rather than really try to take the position of their opponents, they said things like, I like a dictatorial system of Government, Im a racist, I hate non-whites.;

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Republicans Cant Understand Democrats

Only one in four Republican voters felt that most or almost all Democratic voters sincerely believed they were;voting in the best interests of the country.;;Rather, many Republicans told us that Democratic voters were brainwashed by the propaganda of the mainstream media, or voting solely in their self-interest to preserve undeserved welfare and food stamp benefits.

We asked every Republican in the sample to do their best to imagine that they were a Democrat and sincerely believed that the Democratic Party was best for the country.;;We asked them to explain their support for the Democratic Party as an actual Democratic voter might.;;For example, a 64-year-old strong Republican man from Illinois surmised that Democrats want to help the poor, save Social Security, and tax the rich.;;;

But most had trouble looking at the world through Democratic eyes. Typical was a a 59-year-old Floridian who wrote I dont want to work and I want cradle to grave assistance. In other words, Mommy!;Indeed, roughly one in six Republican voters answered in the persona of a Democratic voter who is motivated free college, free health care, free welfare, and so on.;;They see Democrats as voting in order to get free stuff without having to work for it was extremely common roughly one in six Republican voters used the word free in the their answers, whereas no real Democratic voters in our sample answered this way.;

Also Check: What Major Cities Are Run By Republicans

Taking The Perspective Of Others Proved To Be Really Hard

The divide in the United States is wide, and one indication of that is how difficult our question proved for many thoughtful citizens. A 77-year-old Republican woman from Pennsylvania was typical of the voters who struggled with this question, telling us, This is really hard for me to even try to think like a devilcrat!, I am sorry but I in all honesty cannot answer this question. I cannot even wrap my mind around any reason they would be good for this country.

Similarly, a 53-year-old Republican from Virginia said, I honestly cannot even pretend to be a Democrat and try to come up with anything positive at all, but, I guess they would vote Democrat because they are illegal immigrants and they are promised many benefits to voting for that party. Also, just to follow what others are doing. And third would be just because they hate Trump so much. The picture she paints of the typical Democratic voter being an immigrant, who goes along with their party or simply hates Trump will seem like a strange caricature to most Democratic voters. But her answer seems to lack the animus of many.;;

Democrats struggled just as much as Republicans. A 33-year-old woman from California told said, i really am going to have a hard time doing this but then offered that Republicans are morally right as in values, going to protect us from terrorest and immigrants, going to create jobs.

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Emboldened ‘unchanged’ Trump Looks To Re

Across the party as a whole, an NBC News poll released late last month found, a majority of Republicans considered themselves supporters of the GOP, compared to just 44 percent who supported Trump above all, the first time that has been the case since July 2019.

But mild dissatisfaction with Trump isn’t the same as political courage. Most prominent Republicans have publicly aligned with Trump even as voter support erodes, and they’re buckled in for the long haul. That creates the opening for more traditional Republicans to toy with forming a new party but it’s a slim one.

America Should Deport Illegal Immigrants

Republicans believe that illegal immigrants, no matter the reason they are in this country, should be forcibly removed from the U.S. Although illegal immigrants are often motivated to come to the U.S. by companies who hire them, Republicans generally believe that the focus of the law should be on the illegal immigrants and not on the corporations that hire them.

Read Also: Who Is Winning Democrats Or Republicans

Republicans Think Democrats Always Cheat

The Republican strategy has several sources of motivation, but the most important is a widely shared belief that Democrats in large cities i.e., racial minorities engage in systematic vote fraud, election after election. We win because of our ideas, we lose elections because they cheat us, insisted Senator Lindsey Graham on Fox News last night. The Bush administration pursued phantasmal vote fraud allegations, firing prosecutors for failing to uncover evidence of the schemes Republicans insisted were happening under their noses. In 2008, even a Republican as civic-minded as John McCain accused ACORN, a voter-registration group, of maybe perpetrating one of the greatest frauds in voter history in this country, maybe destroying the fabric of democracy.

The persistent failure to produce evidence of mass-scale vote fraud has not discouraged Republicans from believing in its existence. The failure to expose it merely proves how well-hidden the conspiracy is. Republicans may despair of their chances of proving Trumps vote-fraud charges in open court, but many of them believe his wild lies reflect a deeper truth.

Despite The State Of Our Politics Hope For America Is Rising And So Is Youths Faith In Their Fellow Americans

What GOP Leaders Think of Trump, Then and Now

In the fall of 2017, only 31% of young Americans said they were hopeful about the future of America; 67% were fearful. Nearly four years later, we find that 56% have hope. While the hopefulness of young whites has increased 11 points, from 35% to 46% — the changes in attitudes among young people of color are striking. Whereas only 18% of young Blacks had hope in 2017, today 72% are hopeful . In 2017, 29% of Hispanics called themselves hopeful, today that number is 69% .

By a margin of nearly three-to-one, we found that youth agreed with the sentiment, Americans with different political views from me still want whats best for the country — in total, 50% agreed, 18% disagreed, and 31% were recorded as neutral. In a hopeful sign, no significant difference was recorded between Democrats and Republicans .

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What These Republicans Think About Donald Trump

Michele Gorman U.S.Donald Trump2016 Presidential Campaign2016 Presidential ElectionRepublicans

| We’ve been hearing it for months: Many established Republicans won’t support Donald Trump, who now is the party’s 2016 presidential nominee.

Since May 3, when Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus urged the party to unite behind the real estate tycoon, several prominent Republicans have publicly said they won’t back the New York billionaire in the general election. And some have said they will skip the Republican National Convention, scheduled for July 18 through 21 in Cleveland.

Trump’s inflammatory remarks toward immigrants and women have given pause to some members of the party, while others differ on his policy stances on issues including the economy, foreign affairs and international trade, to name just a few. Meanwhile, a small number of established members of the party have publicly supported the presumptive nominee.

Below is a look at who has said what…so far.

With Trump Off The Ballot Republicans Look To Regain Votes In The Suburbs

Trump’s influence in Ohio even after defeat so far has showed no signs of decline.

In the Ohio legislature, where the GOP controls the agenda with a super-majority, Republicans are looking to enact new restrictions on voting, following Trump’s baseless claims of fraud in the 2020 elections. There have even been proposals to rename a state park after Trump and to honor him with a state holiday. U.S. Senate hopefuls are jockeying to be the most pro-Trump Republican candidate. And the fact that a Cleveland area GOP congressman, Anthony Gonzalez, voted to impeach Trump in January has made him a handy target for Republicans looking to catch Trump’s eye, and maybe an endorsement.

But even at the Licking County GOP gathering, there were a number of opinions about the former president and the role he should play going forward in Republican politics.

The guest speaker at the event was GOP consultant Matt Dole, whose remarks offered a bit of consolation to audience members who may have loved Trump but were far less fond of his Twitter habit.

“We had to defend whatever Donald Trump did on a day in and day out basis,” Dole told his audience of about 50 Republican Party members. He added that they were all for Trump’s policies, “but sometimes his tweets got in the way.”

Republicans wish Trump were still in office, but according to Dole, they are now free to go on offense and focus on attacking the policies of Biden and the Democrats.

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Forty Percent Of Young Americans Expect Their Lives To Be Better As A Result Of The Biden Administration; Many More Feel A Part Of Bidens America Than Trumps

By a margin of 2:1, young Americans expect their lives to become better under the Biden administration, rather than worse ; 25% tell us that they dont expect much of a difference. We found significant differences based on race and ethnicity.

Whites: 30% better, 28% worse

Blacks: 54% better, 4% worse

Hispanics: 51% better, 10% worse

Forty-six percent of young Americans agreed that they feel included in Bidens America, 24% disagreed . With the exception of young people living in rural America, at least a plurality indicated they felt included. This stands in contrast to Trumps America. Forty-eight percent reported that they did not feel included in Trumps America, while 27% indicated that they felt included . The only major subgroup where a plurality or more felt included in Trumps America were rural Americans.;

39% of Whites feel included in Bidens America, 32% do not ; 35% of Whites feel included in Trumps America, 41% do not .

61% of Blacks feel included in Bidens America, 13% do not ; 16% of Blacks feel included in Trumps America, 60% do not .

51% of Hispanics feel included in Bidens America, 12% do not ; 17% of Hispanics feel included in Trumps America, 55% do not .

Have Expressed Reluctance Or Misgivings But Havent Openly Dropped Their Backing

Paul Ryan and John Boehner, the former speakers of the House: Both have expressed their dislike of the president, but have not said whom they will support in November.

John Kelly, a former chief of staff to the president: Mr. Kelly has not said whom he plans to vote for, but did say he wished we had some additional choices.

Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska: She has said that shes grappling with whether to support Mr. Trump in November. She told reporters on Capitol Hill in June: I am struggling with it. I have struggled with it for a long time.

She said: I think right now, as we are all struggling to find ways to express the words that need to be expressed appropriately, questions about who Im going to vote for or not going to vote for, I think, are distracting at the moment. I know people might think thats a dodge, but I think there are important conversations that we need to have as an American people among ourselves about where we are right now.

Mr. Sanford briefly challenged the president in this cycles Republican primary, and said last year that he would support Mr. Trump if the president won the nomination .

That has since changed.

Hes treading on very thin ice, Mr. Sanford said in June, worrying that the president is threatening the stability of the country.

Maggie Haberman contributed reporting.

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Will Not Support Trumps Re

Former President George W. Bush: Although he has not spoken about whom he will vote for in November, people familiar with Mr. Bushs thinking have said it wont be Mr. Trump. Mr. Bush did not endorse him in 2016.

Senator Mitt Romney of Utah: Mr. Romney has long been critical of Mr. Trump, and was the only Republican senator to vote to convict him during his impeachment trial. Mr. Romney is still mulling over whom he will vote for in November he opted for his wife, Ann, four years ago but he is said to be sure it wont be the president.

John Bolton, the former national security adviser: As he rolled out his recently published book, The Room Where It Happened, Mr. Bolton said in multiple interviews that he would not vote for Mr. Trump in November. He added that he would write in the name of a conservative Republican, but that he was not sure which one.

Gov. Phil Scott of Vermont: Mr. Scott has said multiple times this summer that he will not be voting for the president, a position that he also took in 2016. He says he has not yet decided whether or not he will vote for Mr. Biden.

William H. McRaven, a retired four-star Navy admiral: Several Republican admirals and generals have publicly announced they will not support the president. In an interview with The New York Times, Admiral McRaven, who directed the raid that killed Osama bin Laden, said, This fall, its time for new leadership in this country Republican, Democrat or independent.

Most Republicans Still Believe 2020 Election Was Stolen From Trump Poll

May opinion poll finds that 53% of Republicans believe Trump is the true president compared with 3% of Democrats

A majority of Republicans still believe Donald Trump won the 2020 US presidential election and blame his loss to Joe Biden on baseless claims of illegal voting, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll.

The 17-19 May national poll found that 53% of Republicans believe Trump, their partys nominee, is the true president now, compared with 3% of Democrats and 25% of all Americans.

About one-quarter of adults falsely believe the 3 November election was tainted by illegal voting, including 56% of Republicans, according to the poll. The figures were roughly the same in a poll that ran from 13-17 November which found that 28% of all Americans and 59% of Republicans felt that way.

Biden, a Democrat, won by more than 7m votes. Dozens of courts rejected Trumps challenges to the results, but Trump and his supporters have persisted in pushing baseless conspiracy theories on conservative news outlets.

US federal and state officials have said repeatedly they have no evidence that votes were compromised or altered during the presidential election, rejecting the unsubstantiated claims of widespread fraud advanced by Trump and many of his supporters. Voter fraud is extremely rare in the US.

Still, 67% of overall respondents say they trust election officials in their town to do their job honestly, including 58% of Republicans, according to the poll.

Also Check: How Many Republicans Are Currently In The Senate

[titmasjack]

Mystery Box Briefing

For the second half of BA1b, and as our brief overlap just before our first submission due on the 26th of February, today I was introduced to the ‘Mystery Box Project’. Our largest element of animation that will be produced in the first year, this project gives us the opportunity to focus on and explore the medium of our choice as an introduction to not only choosing a specialism but interpreting, designing and creating an outcome in a much more industry-led process.  

With the opportunity to explore either CG or Stop-Motion our brief introduction to either medium over the previous three weeks gave us our first initial insight to the programs, processes and techniques I am expected to incorporate throughout either path I decide to pursue. Whilst I don’t have to initially decide today, my first instinct was to pursue CG not only for my keen interest in the medium itself but its inherent dominance in today's animation market. And with the capability of spending additional time in one area of animation, I believe it would best suit me to pursue and explore the medium that I could most incorporate within an animation career down the line. 

Although I have particularly enjoyed stop-motion more over the past few weeks, I believe I would be able to create a more refined and better-animated outcome through the use of CG. Using a pre-determined rig provided by the ‘11 Second Animation’ Club, I think that my approach to animation would best suit CG’s process of iteration and editorial capabilities in comparison to Stop-Motion’s very much straight ahead approach to animation. 

Having to consider how I can best incorporate the principles of animation into my work, I believe that through CG’s inherent ability to reiterate and add additional animation through the use of passes I would be able to create a much more ‘refined’ and ‘animated’ character that uses and exaggerates more prominent principles such as exaggeration and secondary action in comparison to the same rigged character using stop-motion. 

Brief Expectations

With four weeks to create a short animated sequence using a pre-defined 3D rig or stop-motion armature, we’ll be exploring an industry influenced process in which I establish the journey between the beginning to the final outcome of my main animated piece for the second half of BA1b. To create an 10-15 second animated sequence, I will have to establish a character entering on screen, interacting and looking into a ‘Mystery Box’ followed through by reacting to its content. 

Whilst the action must take place within a fixed shot, I have the flexibility to explore the use of angles and dynamics of the character as well. Considering who the character is through their use of action can I determine a character through their use of posture and gesture alone. Even though we’ll all be working with a pre-defined character and rig, how can I ensure that my character is unique through the way they act? What's in the box, even though I’m not allowed to show the contents of the box to the audience, will I allow what's in the box to determine how my character reacts, how will this establish the characters fear or intrigue to the box in the first place? 

These are all things I can consider and will have to build upon throughout the first weeks of my project. Not only expected to create an animated outcome, but I will also have to deliver an established variety of storyboards that showcase my original ideas. A detailed animatic that shows a moving image sequence detailing the intended actions of my characters, and my up to date blog that highlights not only my progression, reflection and thoughts on the weeks that go by but the array of research I have gathered to support the development of my project. 

We’ll be breaking down these tasks into the upcoming weeks, establishing how one acts upon another, if all goes to plan, I should be able to a clear progression in how my work has developed in the hopes of a final animated outcome. Introduced to a new task each week I understand that it’s my responsibility to keep up to date and on top of any work we are given by working additionally outside of NUA hours to get my work to the standard I hope to achieve. 

Week 9: Setting a Foundation

Introducing the brief, this week establishes how we can pursue the briefs outcomes through either specialist pathway. Through introducing us to the importance and continuation of reference footage we have our second lesson with Sarah Perry in a performance workshop that will establish how we can use ourselves and peers as an influence to build a character. This lesson will re-establish the values and lessons we learnt in BA1a as a refresher to the importance of acting in animation. 

Alongside this we will be introduced to Helen Schroeder, a storyboard artist for films such as Aardman’s ‘Arthur Christmas’ we’ll reflect and criticise our initial storyboards to develop, suggest and evolve our ideas to how we can establish a better and sense of clarity to our final objectives of the brief. 

This will give us the chance to reflect on our initial ideas and take what we’ve learnt before establishing a more refined rendition of our first thoughts and processes surrounding the mystery box project as we begin to develop our ideas.

Week 10: Developing my Ideas

Branching off the ideas we established in week 9, Helen Schroeder will showcase how we can translate our storyboards to a much more organic and industry-led, animatic. To showcase a more in-depth rendition of our ideas, this will help re-iterate the key poses, gestures and actions we want to establish throughout our scene.

Our first chance of animation in this project, this will establish how I can use the process of blocking in a much more loose and organic style to represent the motions of the character. Although I have chosen to pursue CG, this will hopefully give me the opportunity to once again introduce TVPaint in my work, as I have found so far that this is easily been the most prominent program I have relied on and gone back to, to establish and develop my ideas to a standard that I can understand. 

Week 11: Transitioning to Animation

With an established idea for my project, Week 11 would initiate the starting point for our animated outcomes. Using a new program such as Maya, I want to ensure that I have enough time to not only get to grips with the software once again but consider any overlap for the previous week's work that I may have to catch up on. 

Although having a plan of the work I intend to produce is great, this week of overlap will allow me to catch up on any work that on the off chance I don’t get around to completing. Although I’m fairly enthusiastic to kick start this project, this is something I must always consider as I will have to produce a blog alongside my work, finding time to reflect on each week work as well as handing in previous projects that have already been established and will be handed in during this week. 

Week 12: Refining my Outcome

Solely focusing on producing my animation, I will spend the majority of this week in the Media Lab, animating, refining and creating loads of iterations and passes on my animation in the hopes of showcasing how my ideas have not only developed but incorporated the animation principles throughout my work, justifying my reason for originally picking CG animation.

Although not set in stone, I will discuss my reasoning for picking CG and my first initial animator influences based on research of existing artists and processes that are used in the industry today. I'm excited to get a head start on this project and to establish a strong foundation as I make my way through the four weeks of this project. Unlike previous projects, I aim to once again start to get my blog back on track in completing each blog post the day or within 24 hours in which we learnt about the subject. I believe that once I’m able to get this upcoming deadline out of the way I’ll have the time and resources to solely focus on this ‘Mystery Box’ Project to produce the best outcome possible.

To summarise;

I established what I’ll be completing over the course of the next four weeks and how they will be used to produce my intended outcome.

Consider how I can begin to create and establish a range of ideas using external influences and storyboards.

Begin to research existing animators and influencers that may widen my knowledge on the industry-led process or how a character has been used outside of the animation industry.

Discuss which specialism I hope to pursue and why I have made this decision.

Sources;

‘Mystery Box Animation Reel’ Youtube Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsYlrbdcLpc

‘emmakniemis’ Instagram Link https://www.instagram.com/emmakniemis/

[expeditionlife]

26/01/2017-29/01/2017

This week was long and tiring in all of the best ways.

For those of you who don’t know, I’m studying abroad, but instead of studying, I’m completing an internship with the US UK Fulbright Commission (they’re the people who give out the Fulbright scholarships). I’m really enjoying my time with them, but I especially enjoyed this week. We’re in a really busy time of year because applications are getting ready to close for a lot of the programmes, but there are also a lot of programmes that are new and in need of promotion. As an intern with them, I’ve been working on a variety of tasks, ranging from writing up articles on events, creating a social media promotion for Twitter and Facebooks (follow us @fulbrightawards on Twitter and US UK Fulbright on Facebook), measuring the success of those promotions, editing documents to be used in commission board meeting, and general communication activities. This week was a big hodgepodge of all of that because I was only working 4 days and had a lot to get done.

Friday was special because it was my first day off of work and my first trip out of the country (UK). I was really excited because we were going to Belgium 🇧🇪 and who doesn’t love chocolate and waffles? Let me just preface by saying that they did not disappoint in either of those departments and there will be a separate post dedicated solely to some of the food I consumed while there.

We left London around 6:45am and got on the coach (bus) to Bruges. It was about a 5 hour commute that involved walking, a coach, a coach on a train, normal coach mode, and more walking. It wasn’t too bad of a trek and I luckily slept through all of the boring bits.

When we arrived to Bruges it was around 12:30pm and we were all starving and on the lookout for food before we had to check into our hostel. We some how came across a very eclectic restaurant that only featured 3 menu items, it made ordering easy.

After lunch and checking in, we were all set for a walking tour of the town. While small, Bruges had so much character. Everything in it was old, gorgeous, and well preserved. I know I wasn’t in France and there are other towns like this, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t sing that one song about being a provincial town from Beauty and the Beast non stop over the weekend. After (…during) the walking tour, Madi and I stopped to get some chocolate 🍫 (when in Belgium) and exited the place with two bags of chocolate covered peanuts and two hot chocolates. They may or may not both have been finished by the end of the walking tour. Definitely worth it.

The rest of the day was spent exploring and eating as well as planning our morning for Saturday. Through the program we were going to Ypres, a town where quite a few WW1 battles were faucet, but we figured we should get some exploring time in before we left. Madi and I got up early and rented bikes to ride around town. It was a beautiful morning and a great decision. We came across a market that was most definitely not for foreigners but entered anyways (lured in by the smell of freshly baked bread). For whatever reason, people stared at us the entire time, if it was our bright green bikes or the fact that we were dressed for negative degree weather, I couldn’t tell you, either way it was worth it for the delicious pastry we left with.

When we got back we had a few minutes to recharge before it was time to head to Ypres. The bus ride there was about an hour and was full of pretty scenic green fields, but not much else. When we got there, we picked up our tour guide and began our exploration of the WW1 locations. Most of them were cemeteries but the spot I was most excited for was getting to see actual trenches from the war. In high school I had worked on a project having to do everything with the battle of Ypres and trench warfare, it was really interesting and exciting to actually see it in person and get to walk through it. I wasn’t a fan of the mud, however and definitely had flashbacks to trench foot 🤢

After the touring ended, we were given A LOT of time to explore Ypres. There wasn’t honestly much to do there, which I guess gave us a good excuse to indulge ourselves in some of the best food I’ve had so far. I won’t go into specifics, but the general theme was chocolate, waffles, chocolate, and more food.

Today was the most laid back of the days. We still got up early because we wanted to make the most of our time there, so exhausted doesn’t even begin to explain how I feel right now. We climbed the Belmont tower which is their giant clock tower in the town center. It was 366 stairs each way and the view was amazing It was 100% worth it. I’m not sure if I would go back to Bruges because I don’t know what other things I would do, but if you’re ever in the area, I recommend stopping by because it was on of the prettiest places I’ve ever been.

Pictures of the most amazing food can be found here

and a video from my bike ride through town can be found here