#heheh 'Those that Remain' would be the game title | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

judymulder · 7 years

Text

Title: Hearts of Angels

Author: Judy Mulder

Author’s notes: Rumbelle Christmas In July 2017 gift for the wonderful and incredibly talented @rufeepeach. It was such an honor and such a challenge to write for one of the best writers I know. It’s impossible to raise the bar that high (especially when English is not your first language!) but I made my best effort ;) Prompt: “It wasn't love but chance”. I have no idea why I wrote what I wrote, to be honest, because it has no direct relation with that phrase, lol. I incorporated your prompt in a way that is kinda cheating, hehehe. Nevertheless, I hope you like it. From your Santa, with so much love.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart to @grace52373 for being my beta!!!!. This fic improved a lot because of you <3.

Summary: When Gideon’s behavior suddenly changes at school, Belle and Rumple start to wonder if they have spoiled their son too much, just like everyone in Storybrooke claim they had.

AO3 Link or continue reading after the cut

Rumplestiltskin gathered all the mail accumulated inside the pawnshop’s mailbox. Perusing through the envelopes, he wished that those ridiculous anonymous letters were finally over. He was sure it was a joke from someone trying to make fun of him. For the past couple of weeks, every day except for the weekends, he had been receiving a blank envelope with a few dollars inside and a computer written note that read “Storybrooke Rent Funds”. That was it. The amount of money never exceeded ten dollars. His patience about this matter was running thin because he knew someone was having fun at his expense, and the whole idea made his blood boil. The last thing he wanted was for people to think he was weak or harmless but it was extremely difficult to inflict great fear in the heart of people when they saw him everyday playing with a little boy and looking at his wife with absolute adoration. Not to mention his bi-monthly attendance to bulky family dinners where all the Charmings-Mills-Jones clan was reunited (along with several dwarfs from time to time). It definitely was not easy being the Dark One under these circumstances. Not that he actually wanted to be the man he was before, but at least he wanted peace and respect and the only way to get both was by keeping the façade of a dangerous and ruthless sorcerer in front of anyone who wasn’t Belle or Gideon. So, this was the reason why these mysterious letters were driving him mad. Someone was daring to believe that he wasn’t dangerous anymore. He would not allow it. Unfortunately, he was unable to investigate this matter further because he had much bigger and pressing problems at his hands right now. He sighed and put away the damn letter along with the bunch of other correspondences he had no intention of opening at that moment. He only wanted to close the shop for the day and go home, albeit he was afraid of dealing with a painful situation.

Gideon, his beloved five year-old son, was going through some sort of a “phase” that was driving him and Belle crazy. Until a few weeks ago Gideon was a perfectly behaved boy, with excellent grades at school, and in general, he was the pride and joy of his parents and teachers. But recently, he was utterly failing and slacking off at school. Mary Margaret was the first brave teacher that spoke to Rumple about Gideon’s change of conduct. Then other teachers followed and finally even the Principal had to intervene. Gideon seemingly stopped caring about school completely. He slept during classes, all his homework was half done or plain missing and he didn’t pay attention to any teacher’s instruction. Mary Margaret was sincerely worried because that was not the Gideon she knew. Before all this, Gideon was by far the best student in her class. If she were honest with herself, she was jealous that Gideon was a much, much better student than Neal was. They were even in the same class because, although Gideon was almost 2 years younger than him, he was way more advanced than any other kid his own age. If his own teacher was so worried about Gideon, there were no words to express how lost and alarmed Belle and Rumple were once they learned what was happening with their son.

They tried everything. They helped Gideon with his homework after school. They talked to him over and over again in the hopes he would open up to them. They took him to Dr. Whale and then to Archie. According to both specialists, there was nothing physical or psychologically wrong with the child. Gideon kept insisting to his parents that he was fine but that he simply didn’t like school anymore.

It was a common murmur among the inhabitants of Storybrooke that Rumple and Belle tended to coddle Gideon excessively. They never paid attention to those comments before because they never saw anything wrong in Gideon’s behavior and they were firm believers that if their son knew nothing but love, he would grow up happy and full of love to give. Deep inside, Rumple and Belle also knew that they were trying to compensate for whatever suffering the Black Fairy inflicted upon their son in another life. They never punished Gideon, they never yelled at him, because they both clearly and painfully remembered that Gideon was under the clutches of the most ruthless and cruel woman in all the realms. Nevertheless, and given the latest turn of events, Rumple and Belle started to re-evaluate their role as parents. To their dismay, they had to consider the possibility that they might had been accidentally spoiling Gideon during all these years.

Despite their best efforts to approach their son with love and patience, hoping that he would change his attitude towards school, nothing had worked so far. So today, when Rumple returned home from work, he and Belle would start taking other measures and attitudes towards Gideon, even if those would break their hearts. They were desperate and they had to do something. Gideon needed to know that even in his young age he had responsibilities to fulfill with himself and with his family. He needed to know what the consequences of not being responsible were. Otherwise, he would grow up as a flighty, capricious and untrustworthy man.

Rumple wished that everything that had happened in the past two weeks was just a bad nightmare and that Belle would be receiving him at home with a wide smile, telling him how proud she was that their son got another A+ in Mathematics. But when Rumple entered the living room, he found exactly what he feared. Belle’s expression was worried and sad and Gideon was sitting on the large couch with his face down, like he was already expecting a severe sermon. For a split second that image of Gideon reminded him of Belle fearing to be chastised for taking a magical object without his permission, causing an unmitigated disaster inside the Dark Castle. That thought made him feel like someone had just punched him in the stomach and guilt overwhelmed him for so many reasons. The last thing in the world he wanted was his son to be afraid of him. But he had to be firm tonight. He had to be a parent and not an enabler. It was all for his son’s sake.

“Gid failed his exams and homework again” Belle sentenced without any intention of prolonging this agony further. He could hear the disappointment in her voice.

“Son, do you have anything to say?” Rumple asked, shortening the distance between them. He crouched down in front of him as a last offering of playing this nicely. “Please Gideon, please tell us what’s wrong? Please tell us why you don’t want to study anymore? Your mom and I only want to help you.”

Gideon kept his gaze glued to the floor when he replied to his father “There is nothing wrong, dad. I just can’t be a good student anymore.”

“Well, that’s not a good answer.” Rumple stood up in all seriousness but still addressed him in a very calm tone. “If you want to be someone in life you have to study and you have to fulfill your obligations at school whether you like it or not.”

“Gid, you know dad and I love you more than anything, right? But this has to stop. From now on and until you decide to be good student again, you are grounded. You come home directly from school to your room. No TV, no computer, no video games, no toys” Belle informed her son and bit her bottom lip in an attempt to remain strong. Both she and Rumple decided together there was not going to be a “good cop/bad cop” routine in all this mess. Both of them would share the hard responsibility of disciplining their child.

“Also, in case you’ve forgotten, your birthday is next week. If you don’t change your attitude by then, there will not be a party and you won’t receive any gifts from anyone.”

This time, Gideon looked up and faced his parents with clear agony reflected in his eyes. He was the perfect image of Rumple and Belle combined into one tiny person. He had chocolate dark hair like his mom and he also had her chin and lips. But his eyes were identical to Rumple’s: same almond-like color, same sweetness inside of them. Now, those eyes were filling up with tears. It was clear that Gideon wanted to say something, but he didn’t, and instead he ran towards his room where he finally allowed himself to cry. Belle and Rumple look at each other with so much remorse and sadness from what they just had to do. Immediately, Belle closed the distance between them and buried herself in Rumple’s arms which held her tight. In no time, he felt his shirt wet and he knew she was crying too. And his heart broke because for the first time in years, he didn’t know how to fix this chip in his family.

***********

Gideon couldn’t stop crying. He was lying on his stomach in his bed and his face was hidden between pillows. He knew his parents were angry at him because he was not a good student anymore. But he couldn’t be one. Not if he wanted to help his friend Melissa. Gideon was willing to live with the anger of his parents and all the punishments they wanted to give him if that meant Melissa was safe and happy. But why Gideon was crying had nothing to do with being grounded and everything to do with the idea that his father didn’t love him anymore. How could he if he broke a promise to him? People were afraid of him because he was the Dark One and he’d never broke deals or promises under any circumstances. But his father had just broken a promise that he made to him in his second birthday. Gideon still remembered it like it was yesterday. He was opening dozens of gifts with his parents after a night filled with nightmares. “Mom, dad, you will always be with me to open birthday gifts, right?” They looked at him with a transparent smile and his father replied to him “Of course, Gid. I promise you that your mom and I will always be with you on your birthdays, you will never spend a birthday alone, and we will always open presents together.” Now, his dad told him there wasn’t going to be a birthday, nor gifts opening, which meant a broken promise. Gideon cried harder believing that the only reason his dad would do such a thing was because he didn’t love him anymore. Maybe mom and dad could only love a son who was smart and good at school. He loved his parents so much that the idea of them not loving him was very scary and very painful. But his parents were not in trouble like Melissa was. He needed to keep doing what he was doing to help her.

“Mom, dad, I am sorry for being such a burden for you. But please, please don’t stop loving me” Gideon asked in a whisper and kept crying until he fell asleep.

*************

Days passed and nothing improved in the Gold’s household. On the contrary, Gideon was closing off to his parents even more because he felt alone and unwanted. They were treating him with coldness that he never experienced before and he just didn’t understand it. Was school so important to parents? Was it so important that if you fail at it they would stop loving you? It truly seemed like it to Gideon. Every day that he came home from school with bad grades and teacher reports, he was sent straight to his room. He was only allowed to be outside of those four walls to share the family meals. And even those shared moments were awful. Silence predominated at the table right after his parents asked him for the zillionth time if he needed help, and obtaining a negative answer. Belle and Rumple were so lost about the whole situation that they never saw the increasing severity of their treatment towards Gideon. Although their only intention was trying to help their son to overcome this total apathy towards school, they were completely blinded about how much their kid was actually suffering.

And then, Gideon’s birthday came. To his utter dismay, it was a Saturday. During a school day he could have pretended that it was just a normal day, but now he had the entire weekend ahead of him and he was painfully aware that he was going to spend his birthday in complete solitude, remembering that his father broke a promise to him. Belle and Rumple were by his side as soon as he woke up, to say happy birthday and to hug him, which pleasantly surprised him. But there were no gifts, no celebration, and certainly no truce from his punishment.

**************

It wasn’t without difficulty that Melissa convinced her mom to let her go to her best friend’s house. Her mom, like pretty much everyone else in Storybrooke, was always wary of the Dark One. Yes, Melissa had heard terrible stories of Gideon’s father. In fact, the Dark One was the reason why her parents were in distress. Melissa also wanted to blame the sorcerer for Gideon’s suffering. But she knew better than that. She was the only one to blame for everything her friend was going through. And guilt was not letting her live in peace. She didn’t know what to do. If she said something, her own parents would be suffering the consequences, but if she stayed quiet, Gideon would continue hurting. With this internal fight occurring inside of her, and her mother saying things about “running” and “yelling for help” in case something weird happened inside the Dark One’s house, she grabbed the birthday gift she had for Gideon and left home.

The Gold’s house was just a short ten minute walk from Melissa’s. She was always in awe about how majestic the Victorian pink house was. Her own house was so tiny and simple in comparison. She wondered if one day she would be able to have enough money to live in a place like this…or just to have enough money so that her parents would not work to exhaustion to put a plate a food on their table. Melissa rang the bell of the mansion and a few seconds later, the Dark One himself appeared on the door frame. His expression was extremely sad.

“Hello Mr. Gold” the little girl with red hair, blue eyes and cheeks covered in lovely freckles, greeted with certain hesitation.

“Hello Melissa. Can I help you with something?” Rumple inquired, a little surprised of this Saturday early morning visit.

“I came to see Gid, Mr. Gold. I brought him a birthday present!” she explained, showing him the golden wrapped packaged she was carrying. A wide smile appeared on her face.

Rumple hesitated because Gideon was grounded and he was not supposed to receive any visits or any gifts. But for some reason, he couldn’t turn down the girl that was standing in front of him.

“Come on in. I will let Belle know that you are here, ok? Please take a seat” Rumple guided Melissa to the living room. She sat down contentedly in the biggest, most comfortable couch she spotted, and waited there for Mr. Gold to come back.

Rumple went to look for Belle in their in-house library. She was surely immersed in a book, even though reading lately was not a joyful activity as it used to be. For Belle, reading had rather become a research activity in an effort to understand what was happening to her son.

She didn’t even hear when Rumple entered the room and he had to clear his throat, trying not to startle her. When Belle’s eyes finally made contact with his, Rumple curiously peeked at whatever she was reading because it was clearly not a book about childhood or child behavior.

“What are you reading?” He warmly inquired, sitting beside her.

“I needed a break from psychology books. My head was killing me since we woke up. You noticed how sleep eluded me most of the night” He nodded and Belle returned her attention to the book in her hands. “This is poetry, a compilation from different authors. I was just reading the most beautiful one…listen to this Rumple” Belle immediately began reading, excitedly, without letting Rumple tell her why he was really there.

“It wasn't love but chance and rather sweet-

your newly weaned son asleep in his crib, your breasts too tender

to be touched. And touch itself, too early, indiscreet.

Your small son breathed and coughed. I tried to sleep

but couldn't ignore what your body engendered

in mine. It wasn't love but chance and strangely sweet.

I like your name; you're used to mine, ironic repeat

of your old lover's. With so few facts ought two people surrender

to touch? (Better to date, slow down, try to be discreet.)

Ok, let's walk around the pond, take a few months or weeks

to study each other and see what portends or

not. It wasn't love but chance and rather sweet.

I'm moved by you as well as touched: shy and indiscreet”.

“What do you think? Isn’t it beautiful?” Belle asked when she finished reading, smiling and snuggling against him.

“It is, sweetheart…but I came looking for you because there is something you need to know. Melissa is here.”

“Gideon’s best friend?”

Rumple assented. “She brought a birthday present for our son. Maybe we should make an exception in his punishment for today?”

Belle’s smile disappeared completely. She stood up and closed the poetry book, leaving it abandoned on a small table.

“There is nothing I would like more, Rumple. But remember what Archie said, if we change the set of rules that we already laid out for him, Gideon might think that we will eventually accept whatever he wants us to accept with respect to school. We can’t give in now. Not even when this is so painful.

Rumple nodded sadly, knowing that Belle was right. Rules were rules, as much as deals were deals. They couldn’t be broken.

“Come on, let’s explain the situation to Melissa”. Belle took Rumple’s hand leading him to where the girl was waiting.

“Hi, Belle!” Melissa chirped a happy greeting the moment she entered the room and went to hug her, returning afterwards to the couch.

“Hello, Meli. Rumple told me why you came to visit. I appreciate how much you care about Gid. But you must know that he is grounded and unfortunately he can’t receive any birthday presents for now.”

Immediately, Melissa’s face turned sad, almost like she wanted to cry.

“That is not fair! Gid deserves to celebrate his birthday more than any other kid that I know.”

“But you are aware that he hasn’t been fulfilling his obligations at school. Until that change, I am afraid he will continue to be grounded.” Rumple said, and Melissa looked at him. There was a hesitation in her eyes, but suddenly, there was determination as well.

“Then it is true! You don’t love Gid anymore because he is a bad student?” She angrily retorted.

“Of course not. Why would you think something like that? A parent never stops loving their children no matter what” Belle intervened because Rumple was not able to even formulate an answer.

“Gid thinks you don’t love him anymore. He said you broke a promise to him, and you never break promises” Melissa continued, still looking at Rumple.

“What?” Rumple managed to ask although a sharp pain was surrounding his heart, keeping him from breathing properly. When Melissa didn’t answer, Rumple tried again. “What promise did I break?”

“Um, he told me that when he was two years old, you promised him that he would never experience a birthday alone. That all his birthdays would always be filled with joy”

Rumple felt those words like a needle in his heart. Melissa was right. He did say that and he didn’t remember it until now. He made that promise to his son after a nightmare he had on his second birthday. It was a nightmare about him being alone and scared in a very dark place. Rumple knew what that dream meant and he wanted to reassure his son that he would never experience that. How it was possible Gideon remembered it and not him? Rumple was just so upset about what was happening at school that he just completely forgot about that promise.

Sensing the tribulation inside her husband, Belle intended to defend their choice with respect to Gideon’s punishment. “Meli, Rumple nor I intended to hurt Gid in anyway. We love him more than anything in the world. It is because of that love, that we made a difficult decision when he refused to care about school anymore. No kid has a future without education and we are trying to ensure that Gideon understands that, so he has the best possible future.”

Melissa hesitation was crystal clear again. She wanted to say more but was afraid of something.

“Gid never stopped caring about school. In fact, I think he could skip a few years without any problem.” Melissa said, avoiding Rumple and Belle’s confused looks. “You are wrong about everything. Gid isn’t lazy or irresponsible.”

“He falls asleep during classes, he fails at exams, he doesn’t do his homework…” Belle retorted but was abruptly interrupted by the little girl.

“He falls asleep at school because he doesn’t sleep at night!”

“That’s impossible. Gideon goes to bed every night at 9:00pm.” Rumple managed to explain.

“He only pretends he is sleeping at that time, then he waits a couple of hours, and when he is sure that you two are already asleep, he starts working until it is almost morning.”

“He works? Works on what?” Rumple questioned further, completely confused about what he was hearing.

“He does the homework for other students that pay him to do it. He is very good at imitating calligraphy so the teachers never catch him. He does about 10 different kids’ homework for them each day, especially for sixth and eighth graders. That’s why he can’t do his own or stay awake for an exam.”

“What?!” Rumple and Belle exclaimed at unison.

Melissa jumped from her seat, startled at that reaction.

Belle knew immediately that they needed to calm down if they wanted to reach the bottom of this nonsensical story. She sat besides Melissa, putting a hand on her shoulder.

Rumple remained standing, motionless in the same spot.

“Meli, I am sorry we scared you. We just really need to understand what you are saying because it doesn’t make any sense to us right now. Gideon is in second grade. How is it even possible he is doing homework for eighth graders?”

“That’s why I said he could skip years at school without problem.” Melissa replied with a hint of pride in her voice.

“Why on earth would Gideon want money for? Why did he think he needed to work for money? He has everything he needs and wants under this roof.”

Melissa dropped her head and gazed directly at the floor. When no answer was provided, Rumple pushed again. “Melissa?”

When the girl looked back again at him, he could see she was crying.

“He is doing everything for me. It’s my fault that he has been suffering this much for the past weeks!”

Belle reached for her and hugged her.

“Hey, it is ok, Meli. I am sure you have done nothing wrong”

“But it is my fault! I told him that Mr. Gold was taking the house away from my parents because they couldn’t pay rent. I told Gid I was afraid of living on the streets and he said he was going to help me with the rent!”

“Oh, gods, the envelopes!” Rumple felt sick to his stomach and in an effort not to throw up right there and then, he dropped on the armchair and covered his face with his hands.

“What envelopes?” Belle asked with a broken voice and tears welling up in her eyes.

“Gid put the money he was getting everyday in an envelope with a computer-written note and secretly slid the envelop in the pawnshop’s mail box before coming home. It was supposed to be a rent fund to cover my parent’s rent and whoever else that needed it. Gid said that way, his father would not have to leave anyone without a house anymore.”

The moment Melissa ended her explanation, Rumple audibly sobbed with his hands still covering his face. The girl looked at him with a mixture of curiosity and concern. Was the Dark One crying? That was impossible! Then she looked at Belle and she was crying too. Did she do something wrong? Was she in trouble? Was Gid in even more trouble because of her? She only wanted to help her friend and she thought that telling the truth would help. But now she was not sure what was happening.

Understanding her confusion, Belle cleared her throat in an effort to speak. But she failed miserably and only managed to sob harder. She was overwhelmed by emotions. Now she understood everything and she simply didn’t know what to do with the feelings she had at the moment. Gideon did the most beautiful, selfless sacrifice for a friend. He endured stoically every unjustified word, every unjustified accusation, every unjustified punishment both at school and at home, just to help his friend.

While Gideon was doing everything right, Belle and Rumple were doing everything wrong. They caved in and listened to everyone else’s advice. Deep down they always knew all this had nothing to do with their son being spoiled but everyone else in Storybrooke thought the opposite. Oh, how Belle regretted listening to them! If she felt this guilty and hurt inside, Belle couldn’t fathom how Rumple was feeling. But if the way he was trembling and sobbing with his face well hidden between his hands were any indication, he was in absolute hell. Belle needed to be strong now if they wanted to start making amends with their son. She cleared her throat again and this time she forced herself to speak.

“Meli, thanks so, so, so much for telling us the truth. We didn’t know what was happening and now that we know, we will reverse how unfairly we have treated Gideon.”

“I just want my friend to be happy again. I… don’t mind living on the streets if that means Gid is happy.”

“Oh, Melissa…” Belle kissed the girl on the forehead. If this little angel could love her son in this way, then she was like a daughter to her too. “I promise you that you will not live on the streets. Rumple never intended to leave your parents without a house. He is just a little…strict with rental agreements. You have my word that you and your parents will always have a roof over your heads.”

“Thank you, Belle!” Melissa hugged Belle again, finally free of the heavy weight that keeping this secret had on her and knowing that revealing it could cost her family’s home and everything they had. “Can I see Gid, now?” she asked excitedly.

“I am afraid we have to talk to him first, Meli, and it could take some time. Let’s make a deal, ok? Go back to your house and we will call you as soon as we have resolved this. Then we can celebrate Gid’s birthday all together. How does that sound?”

“Good! I can’t wait for Gid to see the present I got for him!” Melissa stood up and grabbed her present, ready to go home. She wanted to say goodbye to Mr. Gold but he was still in the same position and Melissa was sure he was still crying. “Is Mr. Gold ok?” she asked Belle.

“He will be. Thanks to you. Now, let me take you to the door. Be careful on your way home.”

At the door frame Belle hugged and kissed Melissa again. “Thank you so much for loving my son with your heart of angel.”

Meli smiled and started her way back home. When Belle returned to the living room, Rumple hadn’t moved an inch, although his breathing was a little more even now. She crouched down in front of him and took one of his hands between her own. When Rumple finally looked at her, she wanted to cry again. That haunted expression, red eyes flooded with tears, was crushing her heart.

“Rumple…” she managed to say and then she just hugged him, knowing there were no words in this world that could take back what they have done to their son.

Rumple hugged her back as if his life depended on it. He was a shipwrecked man and she was his salvation table. He bitterly cried on her shoulder until he was able to speak again.

“What have we done to our son, Belle?”

“There is no way we could have known. And please, I know you are doing it, but don’t put the blame on yourself.”

“How isn’t it my fault? I was being a monster, like I always am, while my son was being an angel… I don’t deserve this family!”

“Stop it Rumple, please. Yes, you could be nicer with your tenants from time to time, but you also very well know that you were never going to evict Melissa’s parents. It is your job collecting the rent. And sometimes that is not a pleasant job. That doesn’t mean you are a monster.”

“I hurt my son in the worst possible way. I am a monster.”

“You tried to do what you thought was best for him. We were wrong and misled by everyone else’s advice about parenting.”

“That wretched cricket and that stupid doctor Frankenstein!” Rumple replied angrily.

“They were dead wrong about our son. But we have the biggest responsibility here because we are his parents and they aren’t.”

“How can we fix this, Belle?”

“Well…I think we can start by apologizing to our son.”

“How I can look him in the eye now? I feel so unworthy of him. What if he doesn’t forgive me?”

“He will. How he couldn’t with that pure heart he has?”

Rumple was a little bit more hopeful now. He silently thanked fate for having Belle by his side. She was his strength as always.

“Come on. Let’s not allow our son to spend one more minute alone on his birthday.” Belle said while standing up and taking Rumple’s hand.

Those words were enough to arm Rumple with sheer determination. Gideon never deserved a birthday like this. But they still had time to change it.

They went up to their son’s bedroom and Belle gently knocked at the door.

“Can we come in, Gid?” she asked.

Gideon was reading a book and was surprised to hear his parents at his door. He thought they would not talk to him until lunch time.

“Yes, mom” he replied.

Belle and Rumple entered his bedroom and spotted their son curled in a corner with a book between his hands. The sight brought tears to their eyes again. This was so unfair and cruel. He should be playing with his birthday gifts, not all alone and sad just reading a book.

“Did I do something wrong?” Gid asked without understanding the expression on his parents’ faces.

“Of course not, son. You did nothing wrong…but we did.” Rumple knelt in front of Gideon. Belle followed the movement. Gideon’s expression was a complete puzzle.

“Dad? What’s happening?”

“What’s happening is that we know the truth, Gid. We know everything you did to help your friend Melissa.”

“But how?” Gideon gasped.

“Melissa was here and told us everything.”

“Dad, please do not take away Melissa’s house! They don’t have another place to live! I promise you I will work very hard to give you their rent money!” Gideon was so scared about the prospect of his friend being homeless that he didn’t even realize that his parents were trying to apologize.

“Gideon, I would never do something like that. I am so sorry that I let you believe quite the opposite.”

“Your father is a strict businessman Gid, but he is not heartless. He would never leave an entire family on the streets.” Belle intervened.

“I am sorry, son. Truly I am. You were doing something noble and brave for a friend and I was treating you unfairly and I even broke a promise to you because I was angry. I know all of that is inexcusable but…can you forgive me? Can you forgive us both?”

“Do you still love me?” Gideon asked both of his parents with a doubt that hurt so much.

“Of course we love you, son!” Rumple and Belle hugged Gideon “No matter what you do, we will always love you. Never doubt that.

Sadness finally left Gideon’s heart.

“I am sorry for lying to you and for not doing my homework. I was just trying to help Melissa.”

“We know that now, Gid. And we are so proud of you! But next time that you have a problem of any kind, please come to talk to us. We will resolve it together, as a family. Ok?” Belle pleaded.

Gideon nodded, smiling for the first time in weeks.

“Now, how come you were making ten dollars a day for ten eighth graders’ homework?” Rumple asked after kissing his son, in an attempt to lighten up the conversation.

“Um, well, the kids said that was a fair price.”

“Well, I have the smartest son in the world, but I think I could give him a lesson or two in business.”

Belle chuckled at that, but Gideon completely missed the joke.

“We are so proud of you. We will have to talk about having an in-home tutor because it is obvious you are more advanced than the other kids your age. But that can wait. Now, we have a birthday to celebrate!” Belle announced excitedly.

“Really!?”

“Of course, Gid. We will do whatever you want to do today and tomorrow. Oh, and you should call Melissa. She has a present for you!”

“Yes! I want to see her to tell her that you are not angry with me anymore! Can we go to Granny’s for a hamburger and iced tea and invite her?”

“Of course. That sounds like an excellent idea.” Rumple replied with guilt still gnawing at his heart, but feeling more in peace than he had felt in weeks.

“Thank you, dad, thank you, mom. I love you both so much!”

“And we love you too son”

The End.

#rufeepeach #rumbelle christmas in july #rcij #rumbelle #rumbelle fanfic

31 notes · View notes

irishcoffeeslushie · 7 years

Text

Nobuta wo Produce review (excerpts) - I

Disclaimer: I didn’t write this, although I wish I had. Source.

High school.

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times; it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness; it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity; it was the season of teenage angst, it was the season of puppy love; it was the spring of maturity, it was the winter of childhood; we had everything before us, we had nothing before us…

God bless his soul, but Mr. Dickens must be turning in his grave this very minute knowing that his iconic opener from “A Tale of Two Cities” was hijacked by some slush-brained Jdorama fangirl, and then bastardized into a paean to the Universal High School Experience. Even worse, imagine his horror to find this piece to be just a pretext for a long and gushy tribute to a rather unsightly pair of Japanese teen idols — one scrawny and effeminate, the other looking perpetually lobotomized — who, by their performances in the drama that’s about to be dissected, have effectively clinched said fangirl’s undying affections (pure and, uh, otherwise). If our esteemed Victorian novelist only knew that his classic lines would later be co-opted into a rhapsody about a couple of Johnnies fer gawdssakes, he wouldn’t just be turning in his grave by now, but doing freakin’ somersaults while chewing on his elbows or something — or worse, gyrating furiously to the “Seishun Amigo” chorus. (Sacrilege!!! Is nothing sacred now? Not even Dickens???)

I know it may sound funny (and even counterintuitive), but “sacred” is exactly what I hold this drama to be. Admittedly, Nobuta wo Produce hardly looks impressive on the surface, and can be dismissed by the casual observer as just another idoru vehicle set against the disposable backdrop of high school — with the fluff, the stereotypes, the puerile laughs — only to be swallowed in a sea of other mass-produced Jdramas of the same teen-wanking formula… But no. This one is different. Because once in a while we drama fans are gifted with a viewing experience so transcendent in both style and substance, a triumphant synergy of directorial creativity, of writing deep and resonant, and of characters so heartbreakingly authentic.

Nobuta wo Produce is the Jdrama that is closest to my heart, the one that means the most to me out of all that I’ve watched (and re-watched). (And you thought it was something Kimura had starred in? Close, but no ciggy.) Although I cannot speak for all fans of this drama, I know that many, like myself, have come to love its three protagonists — Shuji, Akira, Nobuta — with a fierce allegiance, and can identify with their own feelings of disquiet and trepidation as they stand, inevitably, on the brink of adulthood. This is a deeply personal drama to watch — and that, for me, is what makes it sacred in no small way. Just as we all — whoever and wherever we are — inwardly uphold as sacrosanct the universal themes that this drama explores to rich, rewarding ends: the painful reality of growing up, the strange duality of alienation and friendship, and the “self-revelatory odyssey” of finding yourself as you make your way through life.

Robert Lloyd of the Los Angeles Times had this to say about another seminal teen drama from the other side of the world that remains, in my opinion, the best of its kind to ever be spawned by Hollywood — and also, regrettably, one of the most underrated and short-lived. The title? My So-Called Life (ABC, 1994).

“Every so often in the collaborative art called television a little miracle happens. There is a meeting of minds, a confluence of vision, a gathering of particular talents. The planets align, the cards fall into place, and something is born whose worth is instantly apparent to all involved, not as a generator of revenue — at which it might fail completely — but as an ennobling refraction of some little bit of the Truth, of what it means, or could mean, to be alive. Each department pushes the others a little bit harder; excellence from one corner prompts ambition in another. What might have begun as just the next greenlighted project or available job becomes a sort of holy mission, even if none of the participants would ever dare call it that — this being, after all, only television.”

These words also captured all that I felt about Nobuta wo Produce and had hoped to articulate in my own inadequate way. And the stars did seem to align for myself and this drama: a few minutes into the first episode I knew that something extraordinary was unfolding on my TV screen. There was no way this would turn out to be just another teen drama. Nor did it feel like an “idol drama” in spite of its cast; I saw no idols playacting for the paycheck, but three regular high school kids in a coming-of-age story that was all at once funny, heartfelt and bittersweet. NwP isn’t an outstanding high school drama, but an outstanding drama, period.

Based on the novel by Shiraiwa Gen, the screenplay by Kizara Izumi serves as the backbone of the whole drama… and oh my goodness, how can I NOT gush about THE WRITING — it both warms and pierces the heart. And it’s so… HIGH SCHOOL, y’know? It gets it, as in it really gets what high school is all about, that different planet we’ve ALL been to, where the drama and the heightened emotions and the clique wars and the desire for validation and the puppy love and the tortured ruminations matter more than they ever will by the time we’re these Big Old Boring Grownups. Nobuta wo Produce is about Becoming and Belonging, and about finding fast and true friends who will help you along the way.

Everyone loves Shuji – from his teachers right down to his peers, from his coterie of “bye-byecycle” homeboys to their simpering, magazine-flipping counterparts, from the resident toughies to the nerds and outcasts. And he lives for their acceptance, he craves their admiration, he likes to be liked by everyone… Well, maybe not everyone, because if there is one person he simply cannot stand, the bane of his high school existence, it’s this boy, the Weirdest Human Being Shuji has ever met. There simply is nobody else on earth quite like… Kusano Akira (Yamashita Tomohisa).

If Pinocchio were a special child and had magic mushrooms for breakfast every bleeping day of his life… then add a few more embellishments like the bleached hair and rolled-up shirtsleeves, the baggy pants and wallet chain, the spacey giggling and face-pulling, the repertoire of funny voices and horribly infectious expressions — bakayaro! kon-kon! Shu-uuuji-kun! sukebe! – and a partiality to quoting Nietzsche while incongruously flailing his arms like a gooney bird… voila! Kusano Akira, Resident Freak of 2-B. And the worst thing about this little creep? Is that he seems to harbor an unhealthy liking for… Shuji. (Oh NOES!!!) (Ohhhh YESSS!!!! Hehehe)

So what on earth makes this unlikely twosome team up for a common cause? Shortly after the new girl’s arrival, Shuji and Akira chance upon a particularly nasty case of girl-on-girl bullying coming from inside the ladies’ room. The victim turns out to be that odd little transferee Kotani Nobuko (Horikita Maki). Reluctant to get involved, Shuji stays outside the washroom while Akira goes inside to try and reason with the bullies. With no image to protect, Akira has nothing to lose by sticking up for someone like Nobuta — even if it means getting hosed down himself. For all his flakiness and irrational fears, Akira is no coward.

I like how the writing gives the viewer a comprehensive crash course in product development, brand marketing and image management. I have no background in this field, but still found this stuff incredibly fascinating. And there’s a certain *wink, wink, nudge, nudge* aspect to this drama, given that Shuji and Akira’s marketing strategy parallels how the entertainment industry manufactures, packages and sells celebrities, be they TV/film stars or recording artists or — yes, teen idols. (I really do wonder if Messrs. Kamenashi and Yamashita ever realized how meta the whole “Producing Nobuta” story line was. Did they ever look up from the script during one of the read-throughs and go, “Huh? But this is US!” Heh heh.)

A crucial point for Shuji comes in the Valentine’s Day episode, where he must choose between showering Nobuta with flower petals, or dousing her with cold water. The first option will spell kryptonite for his Cool Guy status, while the second will undoubtedly break Nobuta’s heart. What to do, what to do? As much as I wanted to wring Shuji’s neck for vacillating through most of the episode, you understand how much it means to him to put his popularity on the line.

This episode builds with delicious suspense — will he, or won’t he? — and concludes with a most unexpected twist. Damn, but when Bando (as a last-minute substitution, as per Nobuta’s request) pulls the cord and those petals come raining down on Nobuta, I frickin’ cried my eyes out. What’s more touching is when Nobuta realizes that Shuji, after an agonizing night of soul-searching, had in fact played, and played, and played a random eeny-meeny-miney-mo game until he finally arrived at “flower” instead of “water.” (Awwww, Shu-uuuji-kun!)

97% of the drama’s humor emanates from this singular bundle of goofy laughs. And Akira’s screwiness is surpassed only by how bloody endearing he is. You come to not only tolerate his foibles, but embrace them — because as a viewer you can look past appearances to see his good, stout and true heart. He may be off the wall (actually WAAAY off the wall, lol), but Akira is the Real Deal. He is also the perfect voice for an entire generation of aimless, unmotivated youngsters trying to make sense of, well, everything. “I dunno what youth is all about,” he bleats to Shuji on the rooftop in Episode 1. “I don’t have anything I want to do, and I don’t want to do anything.” (To which Shuji replies: “Isn’t everyone like that?” Hmm, good point, Shuji.)

If Shuji and Nobuta’s personal bugbears are dishonesty and low self-esteem, respectively, for Akira it is growing up. In Episode 6 he promptly leaves home to escape his dad’s mounting insistence that he take over the family-run company someday; and for the boy this is a most horrifying prospect, a life that will not only saddle him with a staggering load of adult responsibilities, but also take him far, far away from what he most holds dear. He tells Shuji before drifting off to sleep (having crashed the Kiritani home after a violent disagreement with his dad) “I don’t wanna go back home. I like that tofu guy and I can drink ‘mame chichi’ and be with Shuji and Nobuta everyday…” (Oh, Akira.)

Akira has the best lines when he’s at his tortured, lovesick worst. When Shuji the Cynic asks him what his immediate plans are — “What are you going to do? Confess to her, and then go to the zoo on a date, or something?” — Akira mulls it over a second, then answers: “What I want to do the most is… MARRY HER!!!….. How embarrassing!” (Then Shuji dryly comments via voice-over, “His reality goes way beyond my imagination.” LMAO!!!! Man I love those boys. *tear*) So, you don’t wish to deny him his petty fits of jealousy, like attempting to throw away Shuji’s short film – with insanely funny repercussions: “Akira DOWN!!!” (Lol!!!) Then, “My heart hurts…” (Awwww…) But he can’t keep his wrongdoing a secret from Shu-uuji-kun, so he confesses right there on the video room floor: “I’m the worst guy. The WORST.” To which Shuji quietly replies, “I’m the worst, too.” (Man I really, really love those boys. *tear*)

Salinger’s angstily f*cked-up hero Holden Caulfield fears becoming one of those adult “phonies” whom he detests so much, and instead envisions himself a catcher standing on the edge of a cliff, intercepting little kids as they come through a field of rye. In Nobuta wo Produce, Shuji, Nobuta and (most of all) Akira grapple with similar feelings as they face the terrifying inevitability of growing up. In this sense, both “Catcher” and NwP run counter to conventional Bildungsroman lines because the characters try to resist this process of maturity. It is only later that they learn to accept, and embrace it as part of life.

NwP is chock-full of these soul-stirring vignettes, and I’d like to include a few here. One unforgettable moment is a shot of Shuji and Akira on their bikes, pausing in the middle of a tree-lined road and turning to watch the adult pedestrians, these working stiffs in suits, hurry past in the other direction. Shuji: “I thought about how we’re gonna become like those boring-looking people someday.”

And this obviously pushes That Button inside Akira, sending him into Spaz Mode: “I don’t wanna be like that! Don’t wanna, don’t wanna, don’t wanna be like that!” (LOL oh Akiraaa)

#nobuta wo produce

2 notes · View notes

abundantchewtoys · 8 years

Text

HS Map update

Holy shit, the Homestuck map was updated!! It's been 48 years! Finally!

Blaperile and I agree that the Masterpiece is probably going to be called just that. Maybe in Caliborn's all caps quirk, too.

And I think A6A6A2 might be called "LAND OF SOMEONE'S HANDIWORK I TOOK", heheh.

The rest remains to be seen. Will the Credits be shown separately? I think so. Would Act 7 just be called "ACT 7", or like Blaperile thinks have the sub title "Thanks for playing"? Maybe it will be "The Ultimate Reward"!

Also, I highly doubt it, but it would be neat if the Snapchat updates got their own section.

I also wonder what colour Act 6 Act 6 and Act 7 will be given, since they're on a separate "cartridge" than the previous parts of Homestuck. (Maybe the Credits will be on their own, seeing as their "container" is not a game or CD anymore, but rather a smartphone.)

Lastly, I wonder if each of the "sections" under Act 6 Act 6 Intermission 4 will be from a separate point in the timeline that John jumps too.

For that matter, I wonder if the big Retcon is perhaps designated in a special manner, too? Unlike the Critical Moment or the claiming of the Ultimate Reward, it isn't a separate flash, but it is however the final part of a sub component of the story.

----

Ah come on, Andrew added a designation/sub division for the Pre- and Post-Scratch timelines! Heh, two sides of a fourth wall. Why not an unscratched disc and a scratched one, though? Okay, granted, that's already in use for the "Discs" of Homestuck. So that seems to support my theory that the Pre- and Post-Retcon timelines might be designated differently too? Maybe "Side 3", heh. (Also, I don't think the sides are about the children being inside and then later escaping the story, since it's the fourth wall that John and Jade broke through being used as the logo, not the white endgame house.)

Ah, yup, Act 6 marks Side 2. Heh, it seems like such a small hole they made in the pane, come to think of it. I'd forgotten about the "split Act_6" command above Act 6 Act 1. What's it going to be for Act 6 Act 6, then? "Shatter", perhaps? The kids were once again scattered, isolated on their separate planets, by both the glitches and the Condesce's mindcontrolled drones Jane and Jade.

It marked Caliborn's attempt at turning the whole story in a game of pool, in that manner, you know. I... made that observation before on Tumblr in the past.

Part 3 of Homestuck starts together with Act 6. I suppose this means Act 6 Act 6 will be contained within Part 4 together with the conclusion of the story.

Pfff, looking back at the icons of the sequences, I forgot the start and end of the Jailbreak section were marked by quasi-identical images like that.

Blaperile poses a good question, what would the pseudo-symbols for the Act 6 Act 6 subacts be? Maybe just Caliborn's head each time, like what was shown in the manual for the A6A6A6 cartridge, heheh.

I knew it! Part 3 and Disc 2 both end with A6I5. (And Side 2 continues.)

Don't you just love that even grouping the fractal act structure is made into something confusing by Andrew, using Parts and Discs and Sides? Heheheheh. Oh, right. "Sides". Like sides A and B of a record. Or a disc, you could say. But in this case, there are more discs than sides, pfffff.

Another good question by Blaperile, which symbols will be placed underneath Part 4? Mayb the god tier symbols of the kids + symbols of the surviving trolls? But then, Vriska wouldn't be featured. Hmm... Tough matter. Also, what the name for the next "disc" might be is also up for speculation. (Before we scroll further down on the page and read it.) Disc 3 is inaccurate but least confusing. Cartridge 1 would be most accurate but lame. Let's settle for Cartridge 3. :P

Ooooh, split Act_6_Act6 it is! Hah, okay, and it uses Caliborn's theme colour! Oh yeah... That's right, it's because that was also the colour of the shitty curtains he used, that never stopped being a thing.

Oooooh, part 4 is designated by Caliborn's and Alt Calliope's filled cheek swirls. That's actually really fitting, given the theme of predomination at play. I hadn't thought of that. Heh, okay, as I should've seen coming, A6A6A1's title is "Homosuck". And for some reason, not one but TWO cheek swirls are used as the pseudosymbol.

So, the cartridge art is not the art for the sub act, but for the last sequence, and it's Caliborn's gloating pose instead. Fitting too.

Oooh, what's that? A6A6A1 wasn't part of a disc, but after the cartridge gets inserted, we get a new designator...

What would the name for A6A6I1 be, last guess?

... "Stardust". That's a less direct reference to the glitches than I would've thought. ... Instead of just Cartridge it says "Supercartridge", pffffff. That's probably the name used in the manual. Putting Grimbark Jade on the cover really sells the events in the sub intermission, by the way.

So, will the line for the Supercartridge perhaps not end with Act 7, but instead A6A6I4? When John blows it out of the slot? :) ... Wait, no, Blaperile reminds me Lil Seb put the thing back. (Where it came from.)

Perfectly chosen symbols for A6A6I1 sequences, by the way.

... Oh god yes. The acronym's not even spelled out, but A6A6A2 is named after LOSHIT. Called it!

That pseudosymbol though. Perfection. And indeed, once more a unique symbol.

Ahahahah, it's fitting this sub act has so many Johnfaces to go with it. (Matching icons for you and your squad.)

A6A6I2 = "theres problems" Ooooooh, yeah! Those are actually indeed the arc words to go with this sub act, with all the events leading up to the next intermission (which starts with [S] Game Over), like everyone meeting up on LOFAF.

Looking further ahead, I think Lord English's face (specifically in his "sprite form") will be the icon for A6A6A6, by the way.

And perhaps A6A6A3 is called "GAME OVER, KID", to go with "GAME OVER"? Or like Blaperile speculated, a manga reference.

... Oh. Well, yeah actually, that title does make "more" "sense" (in context). Oooooh, perfect art and pseudosymbol, too! I was just thinking of Caliborn's watermark, but in the context of whether they could serve as the act title. "Original act title, do not steal".

If my eyes don't fool me, it seems the icon for Game Over might be partially green to show it transfer from act to intermission in the same flash! Awesome. (Though the art doesn't give much away about the events in the flash, perhaps for the better.)

Hmm... Blaperile's right, it's kind of strange the events post-game over warrant so many of their own images.

Act 6 Act 6 Act 4 is called "Dark night of the feelings", pfff. I was wondering how Caliborn "moping" and feeling especially "emotional" as an artist could be translated to a good title. Oooh, and there's the CalCoin logo as the pseudosymbol - well, for a second, I'd wondered whether CalCoin would've been used as the title for this intermission...

I'm glad Caliborn's "Pure Art Skill" (and the art style of that sequence) is immortalized in icon form, by the way.

Ooooh, Blaperile was right, A6A6I4 is called F1X TH1S, hahahah. We're almost at the end! Just 5 more acts / intermissions to go, including the credits!

I like how both Rose's and Aranea's death judgment is featured on the map. Them being so close behind each other makes for a nice contrast.

Plus I like that Shelby's art is also featured.

Ooh, and like I speculated, each jump of John's warrants its own icon. R3UN1ON, Lemonsnout interrogation, MOM3NT...

Pfff, the line of icons going "John judging the scarf list - Gamzee is caught O_O - Making out underneath a cracked sky - Vriska: Turn - Plop" is hilarious.

Maybe Vriskagram logo will be the first icon for A6A6I5. I doubt "she's 8ack" will be the title, it's more likely what Blaperile thinks, "Why is everything always so wonderful". Though I wouldn't mind a "Web 3.0" reference. ;)

Heeheh, and there's the Masterpiece. Pffff, tiny clay Caliborn could actually serve as an icon on the forums.

Actually, now that I see the first icon for A6A6I5, it hits me how Caliborn's toothed grin looks like Gamzee's in A6A6I3... Or maybe also Lord English's mouthlaser pose, though since that's also Caliborn...

... PFFFFF A6A6I5's title is actually "She's 8ack", oh my freaking god. Well, that sure goes with the art.

All them lilypad scenes.

Ah come on, now that I see them side by side, I notice the parallel between Meenah and (Vriska) sitting on an edge talking and Dirk and Dave doing the same. In fact, the sky of LOTAK is also filled with explosions, just like how the "sky" in the dreambubbles was filled with other bubbles exploding.

Wow, again, so many nice icons and juxtapositions of them. Roxy creating the Matriorb, (Vriska) in tears while one row earlier she was still happy, GCATavrosprite and (Tavros) side by side...

Awww, (Vriska) and (Terezi)'s meetup as symbol for Terezi: Remem8er.

Ooooh, Collide marks the end of Part 4, is designated by PM's Victory (yussssss) and... it's pseudosymbol is the curtain thingamabob we see for the last time at the end of the flash. Tssssh.

Ahhhh, right, and so the post-Collide images are counted together with it, just like how the post-Act 4 pages were basically still part of that act.

QDFQDFQDFQSFQSFQSDFQSDF

Act 7 IS THE RAPTURE?????

DDANG ANDREW.

THAT WAS A MYSTERY WE THOUGHT NEEDED SOLVING INDEED.

Wow, I had not thought the Rapture to be Act 7. Wow. So, in hindsight, what he meant about this blowing our minds is that it's Homestuck The Anime!!

Ooooooh, and so Collide and Act 7 have title cards in opposite colours, black and white. So retroactively, Collide is meant to be the thing symbolized by the black circle on the "disc specibus" we saw way back first in Act 5, heheh.

OOOOohh, The Credits are not only featured, but designated "Post Canon"!!!

So, you know, you could kind of count the Snapchat updates into them as well! Maybe if Andrew ever makes an archive for them, they'll get added here?

---

So that was it. A great update, I wouldn't have counted on such good names anymore, it's been so long. But I like them all a lot, they're really fitting.

Like Blaperile suggests, Andrew probably took the time rereading the latter part of Homestuck to determine the icons and find good titles for all of the sub acts.

Too bad there's no icon for the Ultimate Bro Hug of 2015. Oh well.

#homestuck #upd8 #reaction #spoiler alert #[s] collide #(vriska)#[s] game over #act 6 act 6 #act 6 act 6 act 6

3 notes · View notes

alygelaeunice-blog · 7 years

Text

The killing of Charice Pempengco ...and the birthing of Jake Zyrus

So you think you have heard it all? No, you haven’t.

This much has been revealed:

Charice Pempengco is “dead;” long live Jake Zyrus!;

Jake has his boobs removed and he’s taking hormones preparatory to his transition to full-fledged manhood; and

Jake has broken up (dumped?) with Alyssa Quijano for a new non-showbiz girl.

On Oct. 6 at the Music Museum, the newest kid on the block will make his formal introduction at a concert aptly titled I Am Jake, produced by The Mad Union Entertainment Production and Echo Jham Productions. It will be Jake’s coming-out party, directed by Calvin Neria with Troy Laureta as musical director (he’s a Fil-Am keyboardist and record producer who has worked with international artists such as Ariana Grande, Deborah Cox, Iggy Azalea and David Foster who is like a second father to Jake).

“I’m excited about the concert because I will be able to finally express my real self,” Jake told Conversations. “I’m also excited about the kind of music that I will be performing. The concert is perfect for those who want to celebrate themselves.”

Added Calvin, “It might not be the birit singer that you will see on stage but you will be surprised what Jake will present.”

Aside from the tattoos (one in honor of his mom Raquel and another in memory of his dad) all over his arms, Jake bared more of his new persona in an exclusive Conversation.

Why didn’t you have the names of your lovers also immortalized on your arms? You have more than enough space.

(Laughs) “Parang Johnny Depp, hahahaha! May tattoo siyang ‘Wynona Forever’ when Wynona Ryder was his girlfriend and when they broke up, he had the ‘na’ erased and what remained was ‘Wyno Forever.’ Parang ganoon? Hahaha!!!”

If memory serves, I stood as one of theninongs/ninangs at the baptism of Charice Pempengco and her confirmation as a Roman Catholic. What happened to her?

“Nag-abroad na, hahahaha!!!”

Since you are not my inaanak, I am withholding my gift for you.

“Ganoon po?”

Very BB Gandanghari who said that she killed Rustom Padilla but she couldn’t be accused of murder. No body, no evidence, no crime. See?

“Ganoon po ba yon? Hahahaha!!!”

There are so many Jakes already — Jake Gyllenhaal, Jake Cuenca, Jake Vargas, Jake Ejercito and Citizen Jake (the titular character of Mike de Leon’s comeback movie starring Atom Araullo). Why not Jack?

“Kasi that’s how I feel, eh. Actually, I had many choices — Christian, Kyle. Hindi ko pinili na dapatsomething na close to Charice. I stood in front of the mirror and mentioned the names na napupusuan ko.When I mentioned Jake Zyrus, kinilig ako. Nice name, di ba? Jake Zyrus.”

So kamag-anak mo na si Miley?

“Pinsan, hahahaha!!!”

Isn’t your “pinsan” coming out yet (joke!)?

“Ikakasal na nga, eh…kay Liam (Hemsworth), di ba?”

Have you already told your Ninang Oprah (Winfrey)?

“Actually, kay Miss Oprah ako unang nag-come out as ‘trans’ in 2014 during my last guesting on her show. It was overwhelming! She called the staffers who used to work for her para daw it would feel like the first time, the same staffers whom I met when I first guested on the show. Miss Oprah had them fly to Chicago. Napaka-tahimik! It was a one-on-one interview. Then, Miss Oprah broke the silence, ‘I’m so proud of you! I’ve been following you!’ Updated talaga siya, silang lahat!”

Hindi ba siya na-shocked?

“Not at all. Feeling ko may alam na sila. Sir David (Foster) was also among the first to know. It didn’t come as a surprise to them.”

So are you going to change your name in your passport, passbook and other documents?

“I will still be using my passport with my full name in it, Charmaine Clarice Relucio Pempengco, unless magpa-sex reassignment ako. Wala pa naman ako dun.”

Are you really having a sex reassignment?

“As a transgender, it’s important for me to feel complete, to feel whole. Everything matters, not only the way we dress up; ang puso, isip at damdamin namin ay lalake kami. Iba-iba kami. A lesbian is different from a transgender. Ang lesbian, they know in their heart na babae pa rin sila. May lipstick lesbian, ‘yung hindi halata kasi babaeng-babae ang dating. May butch, yung nagdadamit babae, nagku-cross-dresssila. Transsexuals are those that have undergone sex reassignment.”

So are you serious about having sex reassignment?

“Not anytime soon. I’m in the transition process, kumbaga nagbibinata pa lang ako, hehehehe!!! I’m just enjoying everything, all the changes. That will happen but as I’ve said, not anytime soon. Kumukuha pa ako ng lakas ng loob.”

You’ve been taking hormones. Doesn’t it affect your voice?

“The hormones are being injected every three months. I had my second shot last week. No effect on my voice; only the range will change. If I hit high notes, high notes na ‘yon ng lalake, hindi sa babae.”

So talagang happy ka na ngayon?

“Yes, I feel so free, so happy, so relaxed. Before, every time I performed as Charice, I was careful about my movement, parang lahat may wall…teka, ano ba itong ginagawa ko, baka may mapansin sila. May mga anxiety akong ganoon, may halong pagkukunwari; ingat na ingat ako.”

In short, you were not your real self.

“Even when I came out as a lesbian, I knew that I was not really a lesbian. At that time kasi, you are either tomboy or bakla. I was afraid that I might be bullied. Yon lang ang nire-recognize nila. They were not yet talking about transgender or the other types. Now, there’s LGBTQI.”

How old are you now?

“I’m 25 na.”

You mean to say that in the past 20-plus years you were pretending to be somebody you were not?

“I felt like I was in a movie.”

How old were you when you realized that you were, uhm, different?

“I was five years old, I was in Grade One. Never akong nagka-gusto sa lalake, I never had a crush on a guy…as in never! My crushes were girls. First crush ko nga si Donna Cruz. My brother and I used to play a game; siya ang artista at ako ang bodyguard at driver. He even gave me a name, Jeric Taperas. I didn’t know where he got that name. As early as that time, I knew deep in my heart that I was a boy.”

Oh so you started early, huh!

“Yes. What people knew was the Charice na girlie-girlie but what they didn’t know was that as soon as I got home, I would take off my girlie-girlie dress at pinapalitan ko ng damit panlalake.”

Have you had a girlfriend?

“When I was 13…kaklase ko, hehehe!!! Puppy love, ganoon!”

And when did you lose your innocence?

“Ano po ‘yon?”

Kelan ka na-devirginize?

“Ha?” (Long silence) “Next question, please. Hehehehe!!!”

Anybody in your family or those around you that must have influenced you?

“I’m not sure, pero ayoko naman sabihing wala.”

Your lola is so funny. Maski anong gawin mo daw, babae ka pa rin at magkakaroon ka pa rin ng regla.

“No more like that. When you’re having hormone injection, wala nang ganoon.”

How is your life now?

“Enjoying life as a man. Enjoying everything new, ‘yung mga hindi ko naranasan bilang lalake.”

And enjoying time with your new love. What happened ba between you and Alyssa? Did you really quarrel about money, mga ganoon?

“Nothing like that happened. We parted amicably.”

What about your differences with your family?

“Well, we are a typical family. Minsan may hindi pagkaka-intindihan, you know. Minsan OK, minsan hindi.”

You were not able to save daw because you are waldas (spendthrift)?

“Who said so? As if they know me well, as if they are sleeping with me. Yes, I am waldas because I buy things that I need for myself, my clothes, my music equipment, and other things I need for my career. It’s my money and I spend it the way I want to.”

How do you see yourself 10 years from now, padre de familia?

(Laughs) “Maybe. I will still be performing and having my own studio.”

At this point, something dropped, creating a loud bang. Charice, er, Jake, reacted by breaking into a little scream. I teased him, “Uy, babae ka pa rin ha!” He laughed and said, “Hindi, pare, ha! Hehehehe!!!”

http://www.philstar.com/entertainment/2017/07/30/1722810/killing-charice-pempengco-...and-birthing-jake-zyrus

What i just want to say in this article is that we should let him do his choices. The guy already spent 20 years of her life pretending to be a girl that she doesn’t really like. We are already on a fast phase and we should be more supportive and accepting when it comes to our brothers and sisters who are making a big changes in their lives. We should support them because those changes will make their life happier. Here in the Philippines, being in a LGBTQ community is a tough choice because they get bullied, they get discriminated, and most of the people that surrounds them doesn’t even support them. The last thing they need is getting insulted from us. And plus they’re human beings, like all of us they have feelings and they deserve to be treated with respect. they haven’t done anything to harm us and why can’t we just accept the fact they chose to be that way and we can’t do anything about it. Most LGBTQ members are successful because of the hard stuff they go through and maybe if we fully accept them the world would be a better place.

-Alysia Ichinose

0 notes