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writing-in-april · 3 years

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Erotica Explained

Spencer Reid x Female Reader (Spencer’s POV)

Summary: Spencer discovers his girlfriend’s writing.

A/N: Hey Heyyy- this is my twenty-sixth fic for my 30 fics in 30 days for April! It’s based on this request- and I did end up using a small snippet from one of my other fics! Sorry this ones out late too lol had a very difficult day. Feel free to leave me an ask here (I promise I don’t bite) Thanks for reading and hope y’all enjoy!

Warnings: 18+, Smut, Sub!Spencer, Unprotected sex, A little bit of grinding, A little bit of overstimulation, Creampie

Main Masterlist Word Count:1.7k

I don’t use technology often, if I can help it I don’t use it at all. But, I had to use it right now, there was something I needed to look up on the computer. It wasn’t for a case or anything, I was just too curious and too impatient to wait to go to the library.

Because I don’t use technology often at all, I didn’t own a personal laptop. The only one I regularly used was the one I was given at work, and that was done begrudgingly. Though I couldn’t use that one right now as I was at my apartment I shared with my girlfriend. My girlfriend however, happened to have a laptop that she wouldn’t mind me using.

When I opened up her laptop, it was already unlocked with a tab already opened. My eyes unintentionally quickly glazed over the page, my eyes widening as I flitted across the page. It was some sort of story, one that contained things that made me blush. At the end of what was visible without scrolling down it read,

His fingers twitched at his side when you blew cool air onto his length, you sneered again, “If you touch me I’ll stop.”

My own trousers started to grow a little tight after reading that, then confusion made its way into my face, wondering what in the world I was reading. I clicked around, not really knowing what I was doing and I fell into a wormhole of reading. It wasn’t until I glanced up to see who owned the documents it all clicked together. They were my girlfriend’s stories.

They were her stories about a slew of characters that already existed in other media, the first one I had read even happened to be about a Star Wars character- Poe to be specific. Once it all clicked together I slammed the computer shut, feeling like I had invaded her privacy. Then I swiftly got into a cold shower, ready to freeze my arousal and wash off my shame.

—-

My foot was tapping even crazier than normal as I sat next to my girlfriend. We had decided on a night in, choosing to order take out and watch a few movies on a rare night off for me. It was her turn to choose, and unsurprisingly she chose Star Wars.

“What’s wrong?” She asked me when I started to basically vibrate when Poe came onto the screen. I couldn’t keep it in any longer, the guilt was eating me alive sitting here while I watched a constant reminder of what I read.

“I’m sorry-“ She was about to open her mouth to probably ask me why I was apologizing, but I steamrolled over it by ranting, “I looked at your writing- the erotica you write. I- I think it’s about already existing characters? Which I hadn’t heard about before-“

She finally did get a chance to cut me off by calling out my name, getting me to stop my nervous rant, “Are you mad- that I umm am writing about someone who’s not you?”

“No! It’s natural to be attracted to different people even while you’re with someone…” I was already falling down into another rant, this time however I caught myself and found the point I had been looking for, “I actually think it’s kind of hot.”

“Oh yeah?” Her eyebrows had shot up almost high enough that they were up into her hairline. I flushed a little at that, feeling vulnerable under her gaze even though I knew she always kept me safe.

“I- um actually was wondering if you could do to me-“ The words died on my tongue when my eyes met hers again, and just by her eyes I could see that she knew what I wanted. She just wanted me to say it out loud.

“What do you want me to do to you?”

“Wh-hat I read- can you umm-?”

She didn’t let me stumble any longer, cutting off my stuttering, “You want me to do the things you read about to you?”

I nodded vigorously, but that wasn’t enough for her. She leaned forward, grabbing my cheeks between two of her fingers, then prompting me, “Use your words.”

I whimpered at that, remembering seeing it in one of her writings. I learned from the character, who had mouthed off in the fanfic, instead breathily answering, “Yes, I want you to use me like you wrote.”

Soon enough my clothes had been taken off by me as I had to follow her command to ‘strip’. She did so as well, then straddling me, starting immediately to grind on my cock. I moved my hands to her hips to try to get her to do something more, but they were quickly pushed off. She then pinned them above my head, leaning forward to whisper into my lips, “No you don’t get to touch unless I tell you too.”

“Yes, Miss!” I gasped out instantly, wanting to be perfect for her.

“Mmmm good boy.”

That made me keen even more, loving the praise she gave me a dash of, I craved her showering it onto me. She kept her course of action, grinding onto my cock until her own arousal completely soaked it. All it would take was for the head of my cock to notch at my entrance, she was so wet I could slip in easily. But, all I could do was wait until she let me have her. I’m sure if I begged she’d only smirk at me, so I kept my mouth shut and took what I was given.

She finally sunk down onto my cock, though it was excruciatingly slow. I tried to fight my instincts, keeping my hips flush with the couch so I wouldn’t get scolded for moving without permission.

When the backs of her thighs finally hit the tips of mine, I groaned unintentionally. She seemed to love it, starting to buck her hips enthusiastically at my response. My hands balled up into fists, knuckles turning white from how hard I was gripping them. It was taking so much to not cum already, her hands pinning me and how beautiful she looked above me making it overwhelming.

“Awww are you already so close? You love getting used like this don’t you?” She goaded once she realized how much I was fighting my release with my squinted eyes.

It took me a minute to find the words, as all my mind could focus on at the moment was how she felt around me. My IQ was completely slashed to 60, but I did eventually get out, “Yes miss”

She sped up her pace at my words, alternating from grinding down into me hard and bouncing vigorously on top of me. When she lent forward to give me a bruising kiss, she swallowed all the noises I was making, until she dipped her head down to mark up my collarbone. It was all too much; I didn’t know how much longer I could hold on.

“You’re such a good boy for me Spencer.” She gasped above me, writhing on my cock while she continued to bounce. It was getting so hard to bear, especially with more praise, but I wanted to wait until she came. She looked like a goddess, especially just as she was about to cum, which she soon signaled by saying, “Oh god baby, you’re gonna make me cum!”

All I could do was watch as she removed one hand from where they were wrapped around my own to rub circles into her clit. She tipped her head back, mouth dropped open in a moan, and thighs shaking as her orgasm washed over her. She shook above me for a minute, hips stuttering as she tried to continue the pace she built while her orgasm was ripping through her. Once she had come down from her release she then focused on mine, building the pace back up to be even faster than her original one.

“Go ahead and cum baby boy.” With one more swivel of her hips, I fell off the edge at her command, filling her all the way up with my release. She held my hands up above my head still and still moved her hips while I rode out my high. When she stopped her movements once I whimpered loudly out of overstimulation, she finally let go of my hands.

I let myself relax as she slumped over onto me, resting her head onto my still somewhat heaving chest. With my hands once again free I wrapped my arms around her middle, entrapping her this time.

Looking up I then noticed the movie was still going, completely unobstructed by our actions. It was towards the end of the movie already, telling me how long we had been going at it. Though I didn’t care that I missed it, I got to act out a partial storyline from it, even if it was a made up one. The movie could only hold my attention for so long, there was someone far more interesting with me.

“So are you gonna write some with me?” She giggled out while tracing her fingers up and down my chest, lingering over my sternum. Her proposition was an intriguing one for sure, especially now that she explained some of it to me. Though, I think my writing style is more suited for more of an academic setting.

I snorted a little, giggling a little myself, then brushing my hair out of my eyes so I could see them more clearly. When I tipped her chin up with my fingers and their eyes met mine, they were full of mischief. She was definitely trying to get me riled up again, but I had a quip back of my own, “I don’t think I’d be good at it- but maybe you’ll let me read from now on? I wouldn’t mind editing some as well, it sounds fun.”

Ask Me Anything

——

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All Works: @shotarosleftpinky @90spumkin @kyra-morningstar @spenxerslut @boxofsparklingmuses @multixfandomwriter @takeyourleap-of-faith

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#spencer reid #spencer reid x reader #spencer reid smut #matthew gray gubler x reader #matthew gray gubler #matthew gray gubler smut #mgg #mgg x reader #30 fics in 30 days

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jazy3 · 3 years

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Thoughts on Grey’s Anatomy: 17X9

SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

I loved this episode! The writing was excellent, the cinematography was phenomenal, the acting was great, and the sets and costumes were gorgeous! They did some very interesting shots. It was very avant-garde and when done right I love that kind of thing. Also, we got to see Meredith back in action as she wandered around Teddy's dreamscape and talked to her which I loved. They took a risk with this episode and I think it paid off.

This episode was really beautiful in terms of the sets and costumes that we’re used. I loved Meredith’s jacket, the blue wedding dress that Teddy wears is gorgeous, and I loved her silk pyjama set and robe. Very fierce. I love that they recreated Teddy’s apartment in Germany and dressed it up for the wedding. That set was really cool! The flower arrangements were interesting, and the disco balls were a nice touch. I loved the hotel set where Tom and Teddy run away to. It was very flowy and surreal. Teddy’s bedroom in New York was also well done. The wicker bedframe made it feel particularly true to the era.

This episode made me feel like I have a better understanding of where Teddy is coming from now and it made her a lot more sympathetic and understandable than in the past. I’ve been open about the fact that I’ve found Teddy’s motivations and point of view difficult to understand this season. She spent the first half of the season treating Tom horribly for no discernable reason. She’s been cruel to Owen after finally getting what she wanted all these years and I repeatedly found myself wondering what she expected to have happen after she acted the way that she did.

I didn’t think it was possible for me to like Teddy after the way she’s been acting all season and the careless way she’s been treating other people, but this episode made me understand her a lot more and actually have sympathy for her. What this episode addressed in a big way is that Teddy has never gotten treatment or really dealt with the trauma that she has experienced in the way that other characters have.

Owen, Teddy, Megan, Riggs, April, and Parker all served in the military and experienced trauma as a result. But Teddy has never gotten treatment or any kind of help for what happened to her. We’ve seen Owen go through therapy for his PTSD and other issues multiple times across the seasons. We saw Megan receive treatment and she talks to Owen about the fact that both her and Riggs go to individual and couples’ therapy weekly to deal with their trauma and issues.

While we don’t see April go to therapy we do see her work through the trauma of having served, losing her son Samuel, losing her marriage, and we see her go through a crises of faith later on. We see her process those emotions and get help from those around her. Last we see of resident Casey Parker, Teddy and Amelia are admitting him for treatment and he’s reported to be doing better. We never see Teddy do any of that. We see her go to a grief group after Henry dies, but that’s it. As Amelia says to Owen in this episode, they have both openly acknowledged and received treatment for their illnesses and issues. Teddy never has and clearly that's been affecting her more than any of them, including Teddy, realized. This episode addressed the long standing issues that Teddy has and I’d like to see her get therapy going forward. Through Teddy’s dreams we find out that she blames herself for Allison’s death because she wanted to stay in and make her pancakes for breakfast, but Teddy said no.

Allison wound up going to the restaurant Windows on the World for breakfast and then to work at the World Trade Centre and Teddy grabbed something quickly and then went into work at the hospital. Teddy feels that if she had just said yes to breakfast and to Allison making her pancakes or if they’d both called into work and taken the day off that Allison wouldn’t have died, but as this episode makes clear Teddy couldn’t have known what was going to happen. And having breakfast with Allison may not have saved her life. She could have been somewhere nearby the day of the attack and suffered smoke inhalation or been hit by debris.

Or she could have randomly been hit by a car walking down the street. You just don't know what’s going to happen. But nevertheless, Teddy blames herself. In her flashbacks we see Teddy learn of her mother’s sudden and unexpected death at the age of 50. We learn that Teddy’s father was sick for years before he died that same year. That Allison carried her through that and that’s how they fell in love.

So, when Allison died in a horrific unexplainable terrorist attack that same year Teddy was gutted and so she ran away and joined the military in order to try and help the people who were trying to get the people who killed Allison. While serving in Iraq she fell in love with someone who was engaged and when she was discharged and they reconnected she found out he felt the same way but was with someone else who he later married.

So, she moved on and fell in love with someone else who promptly died. Owen then fired her so she would take her dream job at MedCom in Germany and when they reconnected once again, she found him married to someone else. He flew all the way to Germany to see her and she finally thought they were going to have their moment only to discover that he’d been sleeping with Amelia the night before. She kicked him out only to realize afterwards that she was pregnant.

She once again returned to Seattle only to find out that Owen and Amelia had gotten back together and had kids. So, she started over and began a relationship with Tom only for Owen to once again declare his love for her at the worst possible moment. They got back together and she thought she was happy, but the moment she realized that Amelia’s baby might be Owen’s she panicked and ran back to Tom.

Only to discover that the baby was Link’s and that she just blew her life up for no reason. She couldn’t admit to what she’d done because all of that is tied to her previous trauma that she still hasn’t dealt with. She couldn’t face Tom because she didn’t know how to explain her actions. She couldn’t tell Owen because she still doesn’t understand why did what she did and all of that is wrapped up in those past events that she still hasn’t come to terms with. Then Owen can’t forgive her because that lie makes him feel like everything about their relationship has been a lie.

As for the show choosing to introduce and explore Teddy’s deep love for Allison this late into Teddy's tenure I'm of two minds. On the one hand, I wish they had introduced or hinted at Teddy being bisexual or being in love with Allison earlier on in the series as it would have made more sense and been less of a shock. On the other hand, I've really enjoyed seeing the show explore this storyline more and dive deep into what trauma does to people and how the devastation of losing someone in a tragic incident such as 9/11 can make you close off parts of yourself. The actress who plays Allison, Sherri Saum, does a fantastic job and her and Kim Raver, who plays Teddy, have great chemistry. I found their scenes particularly moving.

As for Owen’s behaviour in this episode, while I understand why Owen was upset, I felt it was hypocritical of him to be so mad at Teddy for not telling him that her and Allison were lovers when he got involved with and married both Cristina and Amelia without telling them that Teddy existed. They both found out after or around the time they got married to him that he was in love with Teddy when she showed up in Seattle. What Teddy did was awful, but Owen's no saint. He's done just as bad and worse. I think it's time for him to let go of his animosity toward her and forgive her. I'm also just really sick of watching them fight all the time. No thank you.

As Amelia says to Owen in this episode, forgiving her doesn't mean that they get back together. It can simply mean that he chooses to let go of his angry and work through his emotions so that they can be friends and co-parent together as he and Amelia have done. I thought Amelia was great in this episode. We saw her step up and advocate for Teddy and counsel Owen even though she didn’t have to.

She told Owen what he needed to hear knowing he was likely to listen to her more than others. She supported Teddy and advocated for her even though she didn't have to because that's who Amelia is and she wants Teddy to experience the same sanity and peace that she's attained now that she's had her brain tumour removed and has her addiction under control. Plus, I think she genuinely wants Owen to be happy and for the kids that they are all raising together to be happy. Happy parents make for happy children. She wants that for them.

Amelia has grown so so much in the past few seasons. She’s gone from someone who was mentally unstable and out of control to the point that she refused help for what were clearly serious issues for literal years and then treated Meredith horribly after Derek’s death and made everything about her and whined and complained when Owen and Meredith pointed out that she wasn’t the only one who missed Derek and that Meredith did not have the luxury of falling apart because she had three small children who need her to someone who is sane and stable and has her addiction under control to the point that she is able to advocate and help others and is able to support Meredith and look after her kids with kindness and compassion.

I loved the Beth and Cristina mentions in this episode and all of the flashbacks especially the early one to when Teddy first shows up and we the audience learn that her and Owen have been in love forever, but he's with Cristina and before that he was engaged to Beth. In this episode we saw Meredith and DeLuca accompany and guide Teddy throughout her dreamscapes which I thought worked really well.

I loved seeing Meredith up and about and talking to Teddy and guiding her through her trauma and her response to it. Meredith is Teddy's patient, she wants her to live, and because Cristina and Amelia are her sisters and she's known Owen by extension for a long time she has information that's useful to Teddy so I thought that made sense. I particularly loved the field of bodies scene in the snow where Teddy is blaming herself for Allison, Henry, and DeLuca’s death and Meredith’s tells her there’s nothing she could have done.

Then at the end Meredith says to her, “Come on let’s leave this place.” And Teddy looks at her and says, “Please don’t die.” And Meredith says, “I’ll try.” I thought was funny and also very poignant. DeLuca helping to guide her made sense to me in that he was someone she worked with closely during the pandemic and who died on her table. She desperately wanted to turn back time and save him the same way she wanted to save Allison, her parents, and Henry.

While I’ve never been a DeLuca fan, I genuinely thought his scenes in this episode were funny and the actor had good comedic timing. The road trip with Tom and DeLuca was hilarious. It makes me wonder what the character could have been if they gone with a more comedic route. What would have happened if in Season 15 instead of pivoting and going in a completely differently direction they had stayed the course and after getting his mojo back had him continue to pursue Neurosurgery as a speciality, had Amelia continue to mentor him, and given him more comedic dialogue.

I think that really could have worked well because from Seasons 12 to 14 DeLuca worked well as a side character and in a supporting role. I didn’t have a particularly strong opinion on the character back then and I only started to hate him as a character in Season 15 when they turned him into a complete asshole who was rude and disrespectful to everybody for no good reason. Presumably out of fondness for the actor they decided to give him a bigger role in Season 15 and made the choice to pivot from him having a supporting role to a romantic storyline and then a dramatic one.

Which was a real shame because it took DeLuca from being a decent side character that most fans either liked or were neutral on to being a real asshole that most fans hated and couldn’t stand. The reality is that character and that actor just didn’t work in a romantic storyline with the main character and his mental health storyline did not come across as intended. I think that’s because the actor and character were best suited to a supporting or comedic role and just didn’t work as a romantic lead or in a dramatic storyline.

My favourite scene of the episode was when Tom and Teddy were in the hotel room and the grenade suddenly appeared and then it went off! I didn't expect it to actually go off and blow up Tom! That shocked me and made for an interesting transition. I really liked seeing more of Tom in this episode. He’s a great character and he’s contracting of COVID-19 has really sidelined him recently so I enjoyed seeing him back in action. The actor, Greg Germann, has great comedic timing so that was a treat to see and I loved seeing more of Tom and Teddy together at the hotel room.

Until next time!

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gumnut-logic · 5 years

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We’ll Be Home For Christmas 1.1

Title: We’ll be home for Christmas

Day One – A Tale of a Fateful Trip – Part 1 (Prologue)

Author: Gumnut

8 Dec 2019

Fandom: Thunderbirds Are Go 2015/ Thunderbirds TOS

Rating: Teen

Summary: The boys can’t fly home for Christmas, so they have to find another way.

Word count: 3490

Spoilers & warnings: language and so, so much fluff. Science!Gordon. Minor various ships, mostly background.

Timeline: Christmas Season 3, I have also kinda ignored the main storyline of Season 3. The boys needed a break, so I gave them one. Post season 3B, before Season 3C cos we haven’t seen it yet.

Author’s note: For @scattergraph

This is my 2019 TAG Secret Santa fic and it is a big one ::headdesk:: I hope you enjoy it. I know I have thoroughly enjoyed researching a gorgeous corner of this planet.

Many thanks to @vegetacide and @scribbles97 for cheering me on and their wonderful support through this craziness. And to @onereyofstarlight for geeking out with me over the setting.

And as always, thank you all for creating such a fantastic fandom. Thundernerds rock! I hope you all have a wonderful festive season. Thank you all so much for everything.

Disclaimer: Mine? You’ve got to be kidding. Money? Don’t have any, don’t bother.

-o-o-o-

Day One: A Tale of a Fateful Trip

Virgil was miserable.

Pain was minimal as long as he didn’t move too much. He didn’t really even need any of the painkillers that he was given to take with him at the hospital. It was just that he knew his brothers were tired, and despite the attractions of the beautiful city of Auckland, all they really wanted to do was go home.

His brothers could quite easily do just that. The ‘birds were at the local GDF base, it would be a matter of minutes and they would be home. But Virgil wasn’t allowed off the ground, they wouldn’t risk him and they wouldn’t leave him behind, no matter how many times he told them to do just that.

The glare Scott raked him with the last time he suggested it had been scathing.

Didn’t make him feel any better.

Grandma, of course, sensed his sadness and was known to slip up behind the couch he was chained to and wrap her arms around him. She kissed his hair and mumbled reassuring words in his ear.

He was ever so grateful, but he was still miserable.

Balled up cartridge paper lay about his feet. His pencil just wouldn’t create anything of value. Creating gave him a boost, and he desperately wanted to feel something positive, so he persisted, but the pile of balled up paper at his feet just got bigger and in the end he threw the pad and pencil aside, wincing when the pencil hit the table and likely destroyed the lead inside.

With a groan he levered his feet onto the couch and curled up into a flinching ball of misery.

His brain conveniently listed off all the positives about his life, everything he should be thankful for and all the reasons he shouldn’t be feeling sorry for himself. That just made him angry and annoyed that he was so pathetic.

God, he hated this.

He wasn’t really that ill. Just had some small difficulty moving and couldn’t fly to go home.

His family was suffering and it was all his damn fault.

“Hey, Virg?” The voice was soft, but it was definitely Scott testing to see if he was awake.

“What?” So he was grumpy, big deal.

“You’re awake.”

Well, yeah. He didn’t answer that.

Scott edged into his line of sight. Maybe his brother sensed his foul mood.

Of course, that thought just made him feel worse. The word ‘burden’ came to mind.

He closed his eyes, took a second, and then forced himself once again upright. Familiar hands reached into help, gently holding his shoulders until he was steady. “I’m fine.”

Scott shifted the detritus over on the coffee table and sat down in front of Virgil, his long frame folding neatly and a lot smoother than Virgil had any hope of achieving at the moment. “How would you like to go home?”

Virgil looked up at him. “How? I can’t fly.”

“Flight is only one way to get to Tracy Island.” He smiled. “We have a very versatile aquanaut on our team.”

Virgil stared at him. “Thunderbird Four? It’s just as pressurised as Two. Carries the same risks.”

The smile softened. “No, Virgil, Gordon can pilot more than a submarine. He’s bought us a boat.”

“A boat?”

“Actually, technically it is a yacht and a luxury one at that.” Gordon’s grin was broad and eager as he entered the room. “All aboard for Tracy Island, bro. She’s got all the perks and enough under the hood to get us there in time for Christmas.”

Virgil stared at him. Then stared at Scott. “Really?”

Scott’s smile was a sight. “I really don’t know why we didn’t think of it earlier.”

“Because all you pilot types live in the clouds.” Gordon strode up to his eldest brother and dug him one in the ribs before turning to Virgil. “So, what do you say, Virg? Up for a little cruise? Should take us about three days. Kayo and Grandma have gone Christmas shopping and will likely haul half of New Zealand’s food supply back in Two. Scott’s already stashed One and Tracy Two can stay until we need to pick her up.” Gordon had obviously worked out all the details. His brother was literally bouncing where he stood. But then it wasn’t often the aquanaut got to ferry his family around.

Virgil stared at his brothers. “Us three?”

Scott’s smile became a grin. “No, us five. All of us.”

“Five bachelors cruising on the open sea.” Gordon waved his hand across the room as if peering into a far horizon.

Virgil arched an eyebrow at him. All of them. All five brothers. Together. On a boat. For three days. His gaze turned to Scott. “You sure you want to do this?”

There was something in his brother’s blue eyes. “I’m sure.”

Virgil straightened where he sat. Surprisingly, he felt lighter, more positive. Could be the energy radiating off Gordon. His brother was always a bucket of sunshine in the rain. “Okay. When do we leave?”

“Yes.” Gordon actually fist pumped the air. Virgil couldn’t help but grin. “Now, big bro, pack your bags, we are going now.”

Virgil’s eyes widened. “Now?” That explained why he had been alone all morning.

But Scott had already started moving, Virgil’s meagre pile of supplies being shoved into the overnight bag that had sufficed for his hospital stay. “Well, we want to be home for Christmas, so we have to get going.”

Virgil moved to stand up.

Gordon stepped in front of him. “Hey, no, you stay there. This is a full service operation, Virg. We’ve got this.”

Another arched eyebrow was an answer to that, but Gordon was as good as his word and before Virgil could think twice, he was in a car, luggage in the trunk and on his way to the docks.

-o-o-o-

Scott was tired. It had been a long...well, everything. International Rescue never stopped, Tracy Industries never stopped and apparently, his brothers never stopped.

Virgil had scared him.

Okay, so nowadays appendicitis was a mild inconvenience, but in the past it was a killer and a painful and sudden one at that. Perhaps it was because it was something innocuous, something not related to a rescue and so out of the blue that it knocked Scott around so badly. But what worried him more was that his brother had ignored the warning signs of serious illness in favour of International Rescue. It wasn’t the first time and he wasn’t the only one of the brothers to do such a thing. Hell, Scott himself had done it. Lives had been saved despite injury and illness many times. But perhaps this was a louder warning. Perhaps they should be taking better care of themselves.

Grandma’s scathing words had driven it home. The Tracys were taking this Christmas off. They were due the time, they were tired, Virgil was ill. Any of those three on their own were cause for concern. All three together forced their matriarch to lay down the law.

Scott knew his place.

And she was right.

But their dilemma was a frustrating one. None of his brothers, particularly John, could fully relax away from home. There were celebrity issues to begin with, and this forced idleness rankled badly.

So, when Gordon suggested they go home via sea, Scott jumped on the idea wondering why he hadn’t thought of it earlier. Three days on the ocean. They would still be idle, but they would be away from restrictions, out beneath the blue sky and they could be home for Christmas.

And how long had it been since all five of them had been together like that? Had it happened since they were children on one of Dad’s road trips?

Scott swallowed as the car with himself, Virgil and Gordon made its way down to the docks. The sight of the ocean lifted his spirits more than he would ever admit to his aquanaut brother.

The vehicle slipped through a security checkpoint and into a private area.

“Isn’t she a beauty?” Gordon was bouncing again, this time in his seat. The aquanaut was going to have the time of his life over this little trip. Scott couldn’t help but smile at his happiness.

And yes, the boat was a gorgeous craft, even to a flyboy like himself. She had clean lines and looked fast sitting still. White with a streak of yellow down her length...no doubt, very recently applied along with the name on her bow, A Little Lightning.

She was large, but not huge. Just big enough for five tired brothers to live in comfort and fly fast over the waves.

Gordon was spouting off her specs to a politely interested Virgil. Scott tilted his head to one side...no, that spark in his engineer brother’s eyes spoke of genuine curiosity. Scott smirked just a little. Might need to watch Virg for the first couple of days to keep him out of the engine. He could pull it apart and put it back together once they were home and he was better.

Scott lent his brother a hand to get out of the car. He was still walking slowly, careful of his incisions, but he was a touch straighter than a couple days ago and he was off medication - though that was no surprise. Getting him to take any medication at any time was a challenge.

“She’s beautiful, Gordon. How did you find her so fast?”

Their brother grinned. “I have friends, Virg. You know, those people you can share a drink with from time to time.”

Virgil’s flat eyed glare was more fond than exasperated. “How much money did you throw at these friends?”

A shrug was all the answer he gave. “It’s worth it.”

“Give me a number and I’ll throw it your way.” Virgil was sincerity itself.

“Forget it, bro. Not required.” The hand waved in Virgil’s direction was entirely dismissive. “Just have a look, Virg. This girl has speed!” And the discussion devolved into specs again as the two of them walked towards the pier.

Hmm, apparently, Scott was cabin boy today.

To be honest, he didn’t care.

Loading himself with luggage, he followed their slow progress onto the dock.

-o-o-o-

John wasn’t much of a sailor, but when Gordon suggested the trip, he jumped on it.

Out in the middle of the ocean he could see the stars unhindered, it would be quiet except for the wind, water and their boat and, to be honest, it would be good to just be with his brothers uninterrupted.

And besides, on Earth, the ocean was the closest he could get to the weightless freedom of space.

So the astronaut was happy to help prep the boat. Being a resident of Tracy Island required at least some marine knowledge for safety’s sake and it felt good to exercise it for a change.

Alan was a little less enthusiastic until John mentioned a new video game recently released in beta. He had meant to mention it to his littlest brother some weeks ago, but life got in the way. Years ago, the two of them used to tackle each other in various games and they hadn’t done so in ages. John had contributed to this game at the request of a couple of associates from college. It was a high level space simulator matched with an adventure storyline. It should have a good enough mix of reality and fantasy to keep the hi-octane teenager amused in those moments of too much quiet.

Gordon had already allocated some time to some extra-curricular activities around the Kermadec Island group south of Tracy Island, so there would be plenty of the softer sciences to go around somewhere in their second day of the voyage.

John smiled at Gordon’s reaction to the term ‘softer sciences’. He hadn’t known his younger brother actually knew the definition of the word he used. Then again usage didn’t always prove understanding. A few more words in Swedish at a later date should clarify that situation.

As he placed the last of their food supplies into refrigeration, he heard the first distant rumble of a familiar voice, followed by the excited chatter of his aquanaut brother.

His smile widened and he made his way out onto the deck. Virgil had an arm tight against his belly, but his expression was excited as Gordon rabbited on about the engine specifications of his new boat.

Well, John, Alan and Scott had contributed to the cost of the boat, but it really was Gordon’s regardless. None of them really cared about it other than it getting them and their brothers home safely. Gordon was the one who loved a good ocean-going vessel and this was definitely a brilliant contender.

John rolled his eyes at Virgil as he offered him a hand getting onboard and his brother grinned at him. A few solid steps and the engineer got his feet securely on the boat. His brown eyes caught John’s and he suddenly found himself caught in one of his bear hugs. Perhaps not as rigorous as usual, but just as warm.

John couldn’t help, but hug back.

“Hey, where’s mine? This was my idea, after all.”

Virgil laughed and wrapped his arms around Gordon. “Thanks, fishy.” It was brief, but all three men were grinning as the two brothers separated.

“Well, that’s sweet and all, but some of us have to work for a living.” John smirked as Scott arrived at the water’s edge draped in luggage. A quick leap onto the dock and he helped him shed bags and the odd suitcase and with Gordon’s help, lug them onto the yacht.

Virgil was hugging Alan, who had emerged from the cabin.

John nudged Scott. Under his breath, “He okay?”

“Seems happy enough about the boat.” A sigh. “Looked miserable enough to sink it before I told him.”

“Let’s hope it cheers him up.”

“Let’s hope it cheers us all up. It’s Christmas, for crying out loud.” Scott grabbed the bag with Virgil’s art equipment, which had been added to without the artist’s knowledge and clambered onto the boat and headed in the direction of the cabin assigned to Virgil.

Gordon had dragged Virgil up to what he called ‘The Bridge’, what Scott called ‘The Cockpit’ and what was blatantly and obviously the control centre of the yacht - it would be flyboys versus fish for the entire voyage, no doubt. Said fish could be heard still babbling excitedly to his engineer brother.

John made a note to rescue the invalid if necessary.

Between John and Scott, they unloaded the last pieces of luggage and sent the driver on his way with a generous tip. John ran the supplies list through his head. Gordon had managed all the permits and regulations an international voyage by sea required and there were quite a few. There was less red tape in space.

Of course, when your daughter is an AI, the red tape moves just that little faster. And yes, he did smile to himself. He couldn’t help it.

-o-o-o-

A Little Lightning left dock just after the tide turned midafternoon. It would have been better to leave early in the morning, but time was what it was and they set out when they could. It had been decided that between the autopilot and four out of five brothers and no, Virgil, you are not piloting this ship, so forget it, they could make up the time overnight.

“It’s a boat, Scott.”

“Semantics, Gordon.”

“Reality, Scott.”

Virgil rolled his eyes. “Are we going to hear this discussion the entire way?” He had stashed himself in a comfortable seat at the back of the ‘bridge’. He had a great view of Waitemata Harbour as they cruised slowly past the CBD of Auckland itself. The weather was fantastic and the sea calm as glass. The forecast said the same for the next three days and the only stormy hints were in his brothers’ eyes.

“Regardless of the type of craft, Virgil, you aren’t able to drive a car at the moment, much less pilot a boat.” Emphasis was put on the word ‘boat’ as his eldest brother glared like a petulant child at his aquanaut brother.

“Fine. I’ll be chauffeured.”

Gordon snorted as he directed the yacht between past an incoming liner. “Now you know how it feels.”

“Know what feels?”

“Not being allowed to drive.”

Virgil glared at his brother, but couldn’t think of an adequate retort.

Alan snickered.

“Shut up, Alan.” Okay, so perhaps Gordon had a point. “She’s my ‘bird, Gordon.”

“It’s okay, Virg. We understand, don’t we, guys.” Gordon grinned back at him. John smiled. Alan rolled his eyes.

Scott shrugged. “I don’t have a problem. Virgil doesn’t hesitate to let me fly Thunderbird Two.”

“You’re hardly ever on Two.”

“So? Virgil doesn’t have a problem with me flying Two, do you Virg?”

Four pairs of eyes stared at him in challenge, but not all from the same perspective.

“Er...”

“You think Scott is a better pilot that the rest of us?” Alan was always the direct one.

Virgil opened his mouth, but his eldest brother beat him to it. “I am a better pilot than all of you.”

“What?!” It was an offended scoff from the two youngest.

“Though I will admit that you each have your specialities with your ‘birds. Virgil is much better with Two than I am, for example.”

“And you are totally pathetic in Four, let me tell you.” Gordon was staring out across the bow, but there was still a smirk on his face.

“Excuse me?”

“Who buried my girl in sea sludge recently?”

“That was unavoidable.”

Gordon spun on the spot. “What?! You’re still claiming you had no choice? I gave you recommendations on comms, you ignored them and look what happened, oh mighty pilot. You may be the greatest in the air, but you suck underwater, Scott, face it.”

“And I can run rings around you in Three, trust me on that.” Alan folded his arms and stuck his nose in the air.

“Hey!” Virgil shouted and cut off the discussion. “What the hell? You’re all damn good and fine pilots, no matter the craft. So, I’m a control freak with my girl. You’re all the same. When was the last time I piloted any of your craft? I’m fully trained and fully capable as any of you are, but she is my ‘bird and while I’m alive and kicking, I will fly her. That is no reflection on your capability, only on mine. And for god’s sake, get over it.”

Okay, so he got a little angry. It wasn’t his best attempt at diffusing an argument, ever, but the dumb ass looks directed at him were at least silent ones.

“Now stop fighting and let us enjoy this trip.” He blinked. “And Gordon, you might want to avoid that oncoming container ship.”

The aquanaut jumped and the yacht swerved as he shifted her quickly to the left to give way to the massive cargo carrier bearing down on them. The sharp dirge of the ship’s horn emphasised her captain’s ire at their deviation into his vessel’s path.

“Sorry!”

It was a vain apologetic gesture of his little brother’s part. It did put an effective end to their argument nonetheless.

There were many islands at the mouth of Auckland’s main harbour and it was extremely scenic, particularly the volcanoes.

Virgil was intimately familiar with volcanic structures and had visited several as part of IR, he understood their power and had witnessed it first hand, but the artist in him never failed to be caught by their symmetry and their mystery. They still caught his imagination and stunned him.

As they accelerated around the islands and out into the bay proper, the sea opened out into a beautifully flat expanse of watery blue. They were still surrounded on all sides by distant patches of green. Another little volcanic island reared up and they cruised past. A couple of dolphins danced along in the wake at their bow. John helped Virgil climb up the stairs to the railing at the front of the boat. He twinged several times, but ignored it despite the frown of Scott following up behind him.

It was worth it to stand up the front, the wind in his hair, a brother either side of him. The last of the islands passed by and the ocean opened up in front of them.

Dolphins continued to keep them company.

Both Scott and John kept a grip on an arm each, wary of him stressing himself in any way. Virgil turned his face into the wind and closed his eyes, letting the sensations fill his mind.

“Better?” It was a whisper from Scott, barely heard above the rush of air over his ears.

Virgil smiled.

“Better.”

-o-o-o-

End Day One, Part One.

Day One, Part Two

#thunderbirds are go #thunderbirds #thunderbirds fanfiction #Virgil Tracy #Scott Tracy #Gordon Tracy #John Tracy #Alan Tracy

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kaitycole · 5 years

Text

Katie x Damien (ARM stand alone)

Summary: This wraps up the Katie x Damien storyline in A Royal Mess.

Word Count: 1380

Pairing: Katie x Damien, Katie x Leo (implied, past tense)

Rating: Fluff, longing (kinda)

Tag List: @chiarace @grimalkjn @jyreusser85@hopefulmoonobject @enmchoices @indiacater @captain-kingliamsqueen @katurrade @darley1101 @zilch3@sleeplessescapades @bobasheebaby @mrsdrakewalkerblog @lynn1214 @umccall71 @drakelover78 @thequeenchoices @stopforamoment @lauradowning29 @lodberg

“It’s me. Well of course you already knew that. Uh…uhm…I’m here.”

“Here?” There’s an urgency in their voice now.

“Here.”

The line on the other end dies and so does the small amount of hope he had when he showed up. He turns around, trying to decide what’s left for him now that he’s destroyed the very thing that he wanted.

“Wait!” An out of breath voice yells at him, “Stay!”

He turns around and sees the brunette he’s been waiting for, running towards him. He walks towards her before catching her as she jumps into his arms.

“You came back.”

“I wasn’t sure you’d want me to.”

“I’ve been waiting for you.”

“There were rumors about you and Leo. Leo and Asher.”

Her face falls, the biggest downside in her life was the lack of privacy, “I wasn’t sure you’d come back. I just wanted Asher to have the best life.”

He places her down, letting her gain balance before letting her go, “I don’t know where to go from here.”

“How about you see Asher first.”

She leads him through the palace, both getting judgmental looks from the palace staff and the few nobles who were there. Finally, they reach the nursery and walk in.

“Oh, the nanny must have Asher, they’ll be back soon.”

Damien places a hand on Katie’s cheek, pulling her into a kiss. She melts into him effortlessly, wrapping her arms around his neck to pull him in closer. They are interrupted when the door opens.

“Oh, for Christ’s sakes, can’t you two keep it in your pants?” Leo scolds them, Asher propped up on his hip.

“Leo! I didn’t expect you to have Asher.”

“The twins wanted him to be outside with them.”

“Did you…” He cuts her off, “Yes I put sunscreen on him, the baby kind, and he did have on his hat as well as placed under the umbrella Noah brought out for him. He may not be mine Katie, but I have raised other children before.”

Leo places Asher in the bouncer before leaving. If he hadn’t turned away as quickly as he had, one would’ve seen the heartbreak he felt knowing his days with Asher were soon to be over.

“That’s…him? Wow, he looks so much like you,” Damien says, looking at the seven months old baby boy, “He’s a lot bigger than when I saw him last.”

“He looks a lot like you as well.” She picks him up and hands him to Damien who doesn’t appear to confident in his abilities to hold him.

“Hey little guy. It’s me, your…” he hesitates, not sure if he’s worthy of the title “dad”.

Katie picks up on this and quickly finishes, “it’s your dad, bubbas.”

Tears prick his eyes, “Yeah, Asher, it’s me, your dad.”

* * Two years later

“Kick the ball, Ash!” Damien says, cheering when Asher hits the ball with his foot. He falls, but starts to clap and giggle instead of crying.

“Harred makes the goal! Chelsea wins!” Damien scoops up Asher and cheers “Harred” as if his two-and-a-half-year-old son has won a prim league game.

“Dada silly!” Asher giggles.

Katie looks up from her book on the park bench, watching her husband and son. It took a long time to get here, a long time for her to find this amount of pure happiness and she wouldn’t trade it for the world.

She watches as he kicks the ball back towards him and how Asher tries to kick it with all his might. She watches as he hoists him up on his shoulders and carries his over to the jungle gym.

Damien places Asher on the top of the slide before rushes to the bottom just in time to scoop up the giggle boy and repeat the process.

Her attention however is pulled away when she hears her name.

“Momma! Momma!”

She turns her head to see Noah and Caroline rushing over to her. A smile spreads across her face as she wraps them into a hug. It’s been about three months since she’s last seen them, they’ve been with Leo finishing up the school year.

“I’ve missed you both so much! I know I missed your birthday, but we can have a little party while you’re here, okay?”

“Yeah, okay.” Noah says.

“Oh. But we don’t have friends here.” Caroline adds.

“It can just be you two and the family.” Katie smiles.

She watches their faces fall. Even with everything that’s happened, she knew they still didn’t see Damien as anything other than one of the reasons their family broke up. But she knew with time, they’d accept him.

Katie slightly jumps back seeing another familiar figure walk over to them.

“Leo? I uhm didn’t think you’d be here.” She pauses, “You never come with the twins.”

“I was coming to New York for business,” he shrugs, “didn’t think it’d be an issue.”

Since their divorce was finalized, Leo always sent Bastien or Sebastian to escort the twins to Katie’s. They hadn’t actually seen each other since all the legal proceedings were over.

She bites her lip as she looks at her ex-husband. His once shaggy blonde hair is now a clean cut like his younger brother’s. His jeans and t-shirt have been replaced with khakis and a solid colored V-neck: has he been working out? He looks really good.

“It’s not an issue, just a surprise.” She looks his up and down once more before Damien walks up.

“Hey guys!” He puts up his hand for a high-five, “How does it feel to be nine?”

The twins look at each other, rolling their eyes, “We’re ten.”

“Oh wow. The big one zero, eh?” He looks up and behind them, “Leo.”

“Damien,” he nods at his former best friend before looking at the little boy already attaching himself to Noah, “Hey Asher.”

He buries his head into Noah’s leg before looking at Leo, smiling. The twins take Asher towards the jungle gym, leaving the adults alone.

“Sebastian will be here to pick the twins up in two weeks.”

“Two weeks!?” Damien says, shocked.

“Is that too long to pretend that my children don’t bother you?” Leo’s snide remark clearly getting under his skin.

“Just wasn’t aware,” he looks at his wife.

“Well, the twins have their cousin Princess Lilly’s baptism to attend and they’ve decided to spend their summer at camp.”

“Sebastian will come. If something changes, I’ll let Noah and Caroline know.” He walks over to the twins, hugging them goodbye. Caroline reluctantly lets go of her father, breaking Leo’s heart.

* *

“I’m sorry I got angry earlier,” Damien says to his wife, who is preparing dinner.

“He shouldn’t have made that comment, babe.”

“I just…just feel like I’m in his shadow. Especially with the twins.” He presses his forehead on his wife’s shoulder, “I mean he technically bought our house.”

It was true, technically Leo had help them pay for their townhouse. When going through the divorce, Leo offered a hefty sum to Katie to help her get on her feet after they parted completely. He did it mostly for the twin and Asher, but try as hard as he could, he knew deep down he did it because he still had some love left for her. She was the mother of his children after all.

“That may be, but it’s OUR home. Mine and yours. Not his.”

“I just don’t like feeling like I need to measure up to him for approval.”

“That’s their dad, Dam. No one can replace him. Don’t feel bad.” She turns around and kisses him softly. He wraps his arms around her, pulling her into him, her scent calming him, “You know, I’ve been thinking.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Maybe Asher would like a baby brother or sister. He is kinda lonely when the twins leave.” Katie says.

“Oh really?” Damien picks her up, placing her over his shoulder, “Let’s get started!”

“But the kids! Dinner!” She sequels.

“The kids are all napping.” He leans over the stove, cutting the burner off, “We can just order a pizza.”

Katie giggles as he carries her down the hall and into their room, thanking all the higher powers she could think of for her newfound happy life.

#choices rules of engagement #roe #roe fanfic #roe mc #roe leo #roe damien #katie x leo #Katie x damien #choices au fanfiction #a royal mess

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commander-rahrah · 5 years

Text

RESIDENCY (AN OPEN HEART FIC): PART NINE

Pairing: MC (Jordynne Holland) X Ethan Ramsey X Bryce Lahela; MC X Bryce; MC X Ethan

Masterlist: Click Here

Chapter Rating: T (Swearing)

Word Count: 5300+

Description: Jordynne helps Ethan confront Dolores’ family, and she finally finds out the truth about Patient X.

Disclaimer: Characters, storyline, and parts of the dialogue are taken from Pixelberry’s Choices. They fully own the characters, dialogue, backgrounds, etc. MC Jordynne’s background is my own creation, based loosely off of MC in-game’s personality and provided with more details.

Author’s Note: I have been trying to write in more original pieces, but there were a few scenes from in-game that I just loved too much that I wanted to include as part of Jordynne’s story. Also, I skipped Chapter 9 because MC and Ramsey fighting about her thinking he was playing a joke on her with the patient was super out of character to me and I hated it soo I’m pretending like it never happened. As always likes, comments and reblogs are very appreciated! If you would like to be added to the tag list please reply on here or DM me! <3

Update: I was on mobile view and went to fix the tags and it deleted all of the text in the post but not the post?!?! So I readded the text just now. Mobile Tumblr will be the death of me.

Taglist: @drakewalkerfantasy @owleyes374@professorortegasstudent@mindlessdreaminxo @mayar-mahdy @paisleylovergirl @nicquix @emilymay100 @octobereighth @jenp02cutie-blog @llamasgrl @timmagicktoad @lilyofchoices

Previous Updates: Part One Part Two Part Three Part Four Part Five Part Six Part Seven Part Eight

PART NINE

“As usual, Rookie, you’re only half-right. And in medicine, that counts for nothing.” Ethan took a sip of his coffee, using the cup to hide his face. Lonely? Is that what she thought of him? Could she see through him that easily?

The vibrating of his pager on his hip saved him, “Come on, then. My pager is buzzing. We should be getting back.” Ethan finished the rest of his drink in a swallow, tossing the cup into the garbage can.

He watched as Jordynne tried to carefully balance her cup in one hand while trying to put her coat back on with the other. Letting out a chuckle, he watched her struggle for a moment before grabbing onto the loose sleeve she was having trouble with.

Holding it out for her, she gave him a breathless, “Thank you,” before staring down at the ground for a moment after he helped her, her cheeks flushed.

Nodding his head to the door, the pair left the small cafe, their strides falling in pace with each other. The walked in silence for a moment, shoulder to shoulder.

“Are you dating that surgical intern?” Ethan blurted out, not really registering the words coming out of his mouth.

A look of surprise crossed Jordynne’s face, and she turned to look at him. “What?”

He clamped his mouth shut, waiting for her to answer.

“Just trying to figure out the politics of this place?” She raised her eyebrow — repeating herself from when she dug into his relationship with Harper.

He chewed his lip subtly, “Sure.”

Shoving her hands in her pockets, she strode a bit ahead of him — but not before he saw her cheeks flush red again, “I’m not dating anyone, Ethan.”

”I’ve just heard some nurses gossiping. That’s all.” He tried to keep his voice casual.

Her blonde hair flicked wildly as she flashed him a look, “I never took you for a gossip, Dr. Ramsey.”

He stammered, “I’m — I’m not.”

She stopped in front him, making him stop in his tracks, “Then why do you care?” Her arms were crossed over her chest.

Why did he care? Ethan strained to keep his face blank, “I’m making conversation, Rookie,” He said with a shrug, before stepping around her and walking a bit faster. This is the exact opposite of distancing yourself. Stop it. He thought to himself.

He heard her let out a loud sigh, before stretching her legs to keep up with him. “Dolores’ sisters are visiting the NICU again today. Their finalizing everything with the social worker.”

Ethan’s footsteps slowed — allowing Jordynne to catch up. He looked at her out of the corner of his eye — she was watching him, waiting for his reaction.

“Are you ever gonna come meet with them? They’ve been asking for you for weeks now, Ethan.” Her eyebrows were high on her forehead.

“I know.”

She let out a quick breath through her nose, “Dolores named her child after you. His aunts deserve to meet his namesake.”

“I know, Jordynne.” He said abruptly. Shoving his hands into his jacket pocket, he hid his balled up fists. “They’ll look just like her.”

She nodded, her green eyes shining, “Yeah, they do.”

They were standing outside of the hospital now, several feet from the entrance doors. “You just need to do this, Ethan, please. For me.” Her green eyes were big, trying to catch his.

He stood there silent, his mind racing and stomach twisting at the sight of her face. He watched her take the final swig from her paper cup before she placed it in the trash can next to them. “Thanks for the coffee, Dr. Ramsey.” She gave him a sad smile, before heading through the sliding doors back into the hospital.

Ethan stood there on the pavement for a moment — staring at the spot that she had been standing in. There were too many thoughts running through his head — facing Dolores’ family, figuring out what was wrong with Naveen, the competition. How angry he felt when he saw Jordynne and that damn scalpel jockey together. Her lips on that coffee cup — god, he wished he could be that cup. He cut his thoughts off, shaking his head. With another loud sigh, he ran his fingers through his thick hair before heading back into the hospital.

_______________________________________________________________________

The hallway was brightly lit and quiet — the trio spoke in hushed tones, just standing outside of the NICU window. Ethan’s hands were tied behind his back — his fingers intertwined together, keeping them steady. He was focusing on keeping his face normal — be professional.

“We’re so glad Dolores had you. Knowing she had a friend with her — it helps.”

His Adam’s apple moved deeply as he gulped down the building sense of guilt. “I’m sorry. I wish I could have done more.”

“Dolores would just be happy baby Ethan is okay. We’ve made peace with that.” The two sisters were the spitting image of her — just some wrinkles and a few grey hairs setting them apart. They had handled everything so gracefully — he had no idea how they were doing it.

“Dr. Holland has asked to be updated on baby Ethan — for us to send pictures and emails. Would you like that too?” The older of the sisters offered, her eyes soft.

Ethan glanced behind him through the window, spotting the familiar blonde standing in the NICU chatting with an Attending. He hadn’t realized it but she had spent a lot of time in there — even though the case was done, the file handed over to the social worker. She was still working closely with Dolores’ family. Jordynne cared so much — and she was starting to show him it wasn’t the worst thing. “I would. Thank you.”

The sisters gave him a small smile, nodding their heads in agreement. They glanced through the window once more, before fidgeting with the purses on their shoulders. “Well, we should head over to the social worker’s office. Thank you, for speaking with us Dr. Ramsey.” They both took turns placing gentle hands on his elbow.

“I’m sorry it took me so long.” He croaked out, his voice low.

The pair looked at each other knowingly for a moment, before turning back to him. “We know, honey.” Joining hands, the two sisters walked down the long hallway together. Ethan watched them until they disappeared around the corner.

Stepping back into the NICU, Ethan hesitated at the door. The other Attending had left — it was just Jordynne in there now. He felt his heart squeeze as he watched her. She was cradling the baby in her arm, his head pressed up onto her chest as she gently bounced him up and down. She hadn’t noticed him yet — her eyes still low as she stared at the top of the baby’s head, a small smile spread on her pink lips.

Jordynne finally looked up, realizing Ethan was there. “Hey,” She whispered, her smile remaining on her face.

“Hi,” He kept his voice low, walking towards her. He stopped a couple feet away, still trying to keep his distance from her.

Her green eyes studied his face as she continued to cradle the infant, her eyebrows furrowed a little in concern, “You okay?”

He nodded at her, keeping his eyes trained on the baby. His lips curved into a smile when he saw how peaceful he looked nuzzled up to Jordynne. “You’re good with him.”

“This little guy and I are best friends now.” One of her tan fingers grabbed onto his tiny hand, lifting it slightly. “I still can’t believe you don’t want one of these,” She pursed her pink lips, staring down at the tiny fingers.

“I never said I didn’t want children.” He said quickly, before suddenly stumbling on his words, “Just that — that I didn’t think they would be in my future.”

He watched her chew her lip softly, thinking before speaking again, “Things could change.” She said earnestly, offering the baby’s hand for him to take.

Ethan offered the infant his pointer finger, which it eagerly took, wrapping its fist around it. “Two full-time doctors and a baby, do you really think that’s a good mix?”

“Two doctors, hey? So the enigma Dr. Ethan Ramsey only dates doctors. Good to know.”

Ethan scoffed, looking up to roll his eyes at Jordynne when he suddenly realized how close he was to her. His hand was less than an inch from her chest as he held onto the baby’s hand. His face so close he could smell her perfume again and notice the freckles dusting her nose and cheeks. A heat started to spread through his neck and up onto his face. “That’s not what I meant.”

Jordynne’s sly smile only grew wider as she noticed his face redden. “I’m just teasing.” The smile faltered as she looked into his tired, green eyes, “Are you sure you’re okay, Ethan?”

Gently taking his finger back, he took in the image of Jordynne cradling the small infant to her chest once more, his stomach tightening with want and guilt. “I’m fine.” The vibration of his pager saved him again, and he sighed in relief. “Don’t forget your other patients, Rookie.” He said coldly, before turning on his heel and heading out of the NICU quickly.

______________________________________________________________________

The warm glow of the bedside lamp was shining in the room, casting a low glow on everything. Ethan sat in a chair, watching his friend laying in the bed. Naveen’s breath was short and shallow, his eyes fluttering as he fought sleep. Feeling a lump forming in his throat, Ethan put his elbows on his knees, bowing his head into his hands as he blinked away tears.

Sensing someone watching him, he looked up and his eyes met two familiar green ones. He saw the flick of blonde hair as the person started to run away. Anger flared in him at first, then waves of guilt of keeping it from her. He jumped to his feet, rushing past Naveen’s bed and out the door. “Rookie! Stop!”

Jordynne froze in place, her shoulders pushing up into her neck. Spinning on her heel, she gulped as she faced him, “Dr. Ramsey… I’m sorry… I didn’t mean…,” She stood on her tip-toes, glancing over his shoulder, at Naveen’s window. “But… didn’t Dr. Banerji resign? What is he doing here?”

Ethan felt his face fall, realizing what this meant, “Jordynne, you cannot tell anyone what you’ve seen here. Do you understand?” Naveen would never forgive him if the hospital found out because of this.

She nodded profusely, her eyes wide. “I understand.”

“Thank you…,” He let out a sigh of relief. Ethan scratched his stubble roughly — it was getting long, he really needed to go home tonight.

“Dr. Ramsey… what’s going on?” Her eyes were filled with worry, watching his movements intently.

Sucking in a ragged breath, he finally answered her. “He’s dying. Dr. Banerji is dying.” There — he had admitted it out loud. It was out in the universe now.

Her eyes darted back to the window, “What… what does he have?” A worry line formed in the middle of her brow.

Shaking his head, Ethan stared down at the ground as he admitted his defeat, “I’ve been trying to figure that out for the last month.”

Pursing her pink lips, she tried to catch his eyes, “Dr. Ramsey… I’m so sorry. I know how close you two are. This must be incredibly difficult.”

Ethan’s tired green eyes finally met her blue ones. He nodded to her in a silent thanks.

“There must be a reason you’re hiding him here…”

“I…” His pager beeped, interrupting him. A grimace flickered across his face — the one time he didn’t need a save from his pager. Quickly reading the message, he mumbled an apology, “I’m sorry, I have to go. Please, say nothing of this.”

“Dr. Ramsey!” She raised her hand to him like she was going to grab onto him but thought better of it. “You can’t just tell me one of the greatest doctors this country’s ever seen is dying and then… walk away!”

Ethan felt torn, unsure of what to do. He needed to tell her — it felt so good knowing that someone else knew too. He needed to explain this to her but he couldn’t do it here. There was too much to risk. Rubbing his chin again, he let out a sigh. “Come by my house after work tonight. I’ll explain everything, I promise.”

Jordynne nodded, her eyes studying his, “I’ll be there.”

He let out a sigh of relief at her acceptance. “I mean it, Jordynne. Not a word of this to anyone.” Instinctually, he grabbed onto her forearm — his face serious. “Not even Harper Emery. Promise me.”

She swallowed, her eyebrows furrowing. “I promise. You can count on me, Ethan.”

He let go of her arm gently, their touch lingering on his fingertips. “Thank you.” His pager angrily beeped at him again, and he gave her a nod goodbye. Turning on his heel, he passed by Naveen’s window on his way out. His steps faltering as he caught sight of his friend — he looked so small in that bed. The man was everything, so big, so untouchable before — but now. Ethan swallowed the emotion building in his throat, attempting to refocus as he left his friend all alone once more.

_______________________________________________________________________

Wringing his tan hands together excitedly, Bryce had to force himself to slow his pace. He had killed it in his last surgery. Dr. Nguyen had said he was seriously impressed with him and he couldn’t help but continue on his high.

Turning down the hall on floor five, his brown eyes searched for the familiar blonde hair and white coat. He found her, standing in front of the vending machine — her eyes glazed over as she absent-mindedly chewed on her fingernail. He was memorized watching her pink lips — especially after he had experienced what they could do the other night.

“Jordy,” He sidled up next to her, bumping her with his hip gently.

“Huh? Oh, hi.” Jordynne said, her voice quiet. Her eyes didn’t leave the vending machine.

“So, I was thinking,” He grabbed onto her hips playfully, turning her to face him, “We could go somewhere other than Donahue’s tonight?”

A sad smile flickered across her face, “I have plans tonight actually.”

“Oh! What did Sienna plan for the roomies tonight?” He questioned, flashing her a smile.

“Nothing with them,” She glanced over his shoulder, biting her lip. “Look, I gotta run.” She grabbed onto his bicep easily, giving it a quick squeeze. “Tomorrow, Lahela. Okay?”

She had taken off before he could answer, stopping at the nurses’ station quickly before heading into a patient’s room.

Bryce’s dark brow furrowed in confusion, watching as she disappeared from him. Who would she meeting if it wasn’t her roommates or him?

_______________________________________________________________________Holding down the buzzer on the intercom, Ethan’s eyes darted to his reflection in the mirror hanging in his entry way. He looked exhausted — purple bags under his eyes, his stubble dark and rough, the grey sweater he wore wrinkled. Nervously fussing around with his hair, he waited for her knock at the door.

The sound of her knuckles on the other side of his door caused his stomach to tighten nervously. Turning the knob, he took in the sight of Jordynne. She stood in his doorway — blonde hair still in her usual ponytail, but she had changed into a cream cardigan and jeans. Her fingers were curled around her messenger bag nervously, her green eyes taking him in.

Rubbing his eyes wearily, Ethan motions for her to come inside. Jenner was dancing around their ankles excitedly — already trying to sniff her. “Rookie. Come on in.”

He watched her bend down to greet his dog, smiling down at the pet. Her eyes darted around staring his apartment, and her pink mouth opened a little. “Wow. Nice digs.”

Shrugging, Ethan closed the front door quietly before glancing around his apartment. “I’m barely ever here. Wine?” He padded into the kitchen, grabbing onto the already opened bottle sitting on the quartz counter. He had already had a lot of it — on account of his guilt from Naveen and nervousness at Jordynne coming into his apartment. His hand hesitated over the empty glass he had set out for her — waiting for her answer.

“Yes, please.” She said. She was eyeing his books now, still bent over petting the dog, who was now following her every move.

He poured her a glass, matching his already very full one.

“That’s probably enough…,” He heard her say softly.

“Huh?” Realizing, he stopped pouring the wine. “Oh, sorry.” He grabbed onto the glasses, and held it out for her, finally seeing the worry in her eyes.

Their fingers brushed as she grabbed the glass, her eyes not leaving his. He raised his glass in front of him, letting out a sigh, “To the unknown.”

She humored him, clinking her glass to his, “To the unknown.” Her voice was quiet.

Ethan took a long sip as he sat down on his leather couch, feeling defeated. He eyed his furniture — wondering where she would go. The spot next to him, the armchair. He licked his lips as she sat next to him, their legs brushing as she adjusted. Jenner immediately sat in between their legs, his tongue panting as he begged for her attention again.

She ignored the dog for the moment, turning to face Ethan, “Dr. Ramsey… what’s going on? What’s Dr. Banerji’s diagnosis?”

He stared down into his wine glass, his eyebrows furrowed and lines formed in his forehead, “I don’t know.”

Her mouth hung open, “But you’re the best diagnostician in the country!”

A short, mocking laugh escaped him. “The second best.”

Giving up, he watched as Jordynne put down her glass long enough to scoop up Jenner and place him on her lap. She scratched him absent-mindedly, balancing her wine in the other hand, “When did his symptoms start?”

He breathed in through his nose, recalling the memory, “About two months ago. Started out small enough. Cough, fever, confusion. I noticed he was having trouble with his memory. When I confronted him, he said he was just getting old. But there was something in his eyes when he said it. I knew he knew something was wrong.”

Her eyes hadn’t left his face, “What did you do?”

“Whenever I told him to take time off and rest, he laughed and told me to focus on the real patients.” He chewed on the inside of his lip. “It progressed to severe headaches and high fever. He couldn’t keep fluids down.”

“Meningitis? Pneumonia?” Jordynne offered.

Ethan shook his head, grimacing, “I hoped it was just that. But then it got worse. Breathing trouble, organ dysfunction.”

“He’s in sepsis.”

Ethan nodded, keeping his eyes away from her — staring out into his apartment. It was filled with things he never even had the chance to use. He stared at the record player in the corner — if it hadn’t been for his cleaner, dust would be settling on it. It had been months since he had used it.

“I told him I was going to tell Dr. Emery. He chased me down and begged me to keep it to myself. I’ve never seen him beg before. The idea of anyone knowing he was sick… almost seemed to break him.”

Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion, “But… why would he feel that way?”

He took another sip of his wine, “I’ve spent so many nights wondering that myself. Sometimes I think he just can’t stand the idea of being pitied. Other times I wonder if he assumes that anything he can’t diagnose is really hopeless.”

“Ethan…” His name on her lips caused him to grip the wine glass a little tighter.

He continued speaking, “Either way, he won’t tell me.”

“So… he wasn’t seeking treatment? He wasn’t even treating himself?” Her eyes were so big as she listened to him. She was taking in every word, she cared so much. Why? Why did she care so much?

“No, I struck a deal with him. I told him I’d keep his secret if he let me work his case. He said it was a waste of time, but he relented. I began running tests on him under a false name.”

“Patient X.” She answered for him, “Nobody got suspicious?”

A chuckle escaped Ethan. “You mean, besides you?” He took another long sip of his wine, before giving her a small, humorless smile. “People tend not to ask questions when I want something.”

Jordynne licked her pink lips, “But you didn’t tell Chief Emery…,”

He shook his head, “Perhaps the old her would’ve taken my side. But today, she’s the administration. Her duty is to the board of directors now. But it must be done. When there isn’t a path, you make your own.”

She placed her thumb in her finger, chewing on it as she thought, “Alright, but what did the tests show?”

Rage flickered in him, “Nothing. I’ve run every test I can think of and nothing is conclusive. And now his kidneys are failing.”

Her hand lingered on her lip, squeezing the soft, pink skin, “Is that why he resigned?”

“Yes. It was impossible to keep pretending everything was fine. He thought it was the end… he almost booked a flight to lay on a beach and die in the sun.” Ethan looked up at the ceiling, swallowing down the emotion forming in his throat. “It took everything I had to convince him to let me admit him in secret and get him on dialysis.”

Getting up, he strode over to the kitchen counter again, filling up his wine glass. He offered the bottle to Jordynne, who held out her wine glass for a top up in silent agreement. He emptied the bottle into her glass, before settling in front of one of the windows. He leaned up against it, looking out into the dark skyline, “I just don’t understand it. I’ve spent my entire career saving lives and solving problems. It’s always been… easy. And it never… it never really meant anything. It was like a game I’d mastered. A — a competition against death I was winning handily. And now…,” His voice broke, water forming in his eyes, “I lost Dolores, and I’m going to lose Naveen. The two people on Earth I gave a damn about are the two people I couldn’t save.”

“Don’t talk in past tense, Ethan.” Her finger played with the rim of her wine glass, her face turning sad, “Dr. Banerji means a lot to you, huh?”

He stayed quiet for a moment, keeping his eyes on the night-time view outside as he took another large gulp. “He’s my mentor.”

“I think it’s more than that.” She said seriously, twisting so she could look at him better. Her chin resting on the backrest of the sofa.

His green eyes met her blue ones, he couldn’t lie to her. “I’m not close with my parents. I became a doctor without their help or approval. Honestly, I never thought I’d need or want anyone’s approval. When I arrived at Edenbrook, I knew I wanted to learn from the best. And Dr. Banerji was… is…,” He corrected himself, “The best. I expected him to be hard on me. But I didn’t expect him to be so… so kind. He recognized my talent and took me under his wing. But he became more than a teacher. He became…,”

“Family?” She offered, her eyes understanding.

Ethan nodded, his fingers playing with the stem of his wine glass and he blinked fast. “Naveen never married. He doesn’t have any children. I’m all he’s got.” He placed his glass onto the coffee table, crossing over in front of the sofa, staring into Jordynne’s eyes. “I can’t let him die, Jordynne. And I can’t break his trust. If anyone finds out the truth, he’ll fly out to that beach, and I’ll lose any chance I have to save him.” He slumped back down into the sofa, his knee bumping hers. “I don’t know what to do. I’m only one doctor.”

Hunching forward Ethan pushed his head into his hands, covering his face. He started taking big breaths, trying to calm himself down — to stop the water welling in his eyes. His breath faltered for a moment as he felt her warm hand reach out and grabbed onto his knee and massaging his leg. He didn’t move away from the gesture.

“I’m here.” She said quietly, ducking her head so she could look up into his eyes.

He gulped, his eyes flicking to her hand that was still on his leg. “I know.”

“You’ll solve this.” Her voice was serious, her mouth in a hard line.

He chewed the inside of his cheek, “You sound so certain.”

Jordynne nodded at him, “I am. If there’s anyone in this world who can, it’s you.”

Picking his glass back up, Ethan swirled around the last of the red liquid. “I just hope it’s not too late.”

“We’ll figure this out.”

“We?” He questioned, looking over to her. Jenner was still cuddled up onto her lap, his eyes closed happily as she strached his head. Her cheeks were flushed from the wine, and it had stained her lips a little. She looked so comfortable — sitting on this sofa with him.

“Ethan, you’re not alone in this anymore. Let me help you.” She reached out and grabbed him again, her fingers gently grabbing onto his wrist as he went for another sip of wine.

He brought the glass away from his lips, nodding at her. “Okay.”

She pushed some of the hair that had fallen out of her ponytail back behind her ear, biting her lip. “Did you eat? ‘Cause I’m starving and all this wine is going straight to my head.”

“Right,” He got off of the couch quickly, startling Jenner. Taking their now empty glasses, Ethan placed them on the counter and opened up the fridge. He heard the pads of her feet behind him and the familiar jingle of his dog’s collar following her. He looked at the empty fridge, sighing, “I, uh, haven’t been home in a few days. I could order something in…”

Jordynne scoffed at him, “Dr. Ramsey, you need to be more resourceful.” She ducked under his arm holding the fridge open, looking into it. Her back was so close to him, her hair tickled his nose. “All my years as a starving medical student has trained me for this.”

Stepping back, Ethan left her intoxicating scent behind and he gave her room to work. He watched with a smile as she started grabbing jars and a block of cheese out of the fridge — juggling the supplies in her arms. Her hands automatically went to his cabinets and drawers, seemingly finding exactly what she wanted every time she opened one up — almost like she had been here before. A warmth spread through his chest as he watched how comfortable she was in his home, even after spending less than one hour there.

She placed a charcuterie plate in front of them — it was pretty bare, but it had some cheese, pickles, olives, and crackers. Her face twisted into a playful smile, “Better than nothing?”

“Better than anything I would have found in there.” He grabbed onto the plate and placed it onto his bar, sliding out the two stools in front of it for them. He steadied the stool for Jordynne as she sat down, and she looked over her shoulder to smile at him, in a silent thanks. Sitting down at his own stool, he realized how close they were to each other again — their elbows brushing each other. Why were they always so close? It was like she was a magnet.

The pair picked at the charcuterie plate in silence for a moment — the only sound was the occasional whimper of Jenner begging underneath them. Ethan’s eyebrows started furrowing as he got lost in his thoughts again, thinking about Naveen laying in that hospital bed all alone tonight. But when he looked up to Jordynne, it softened a little, the line in his forehead going away. “Why did you become a doctor, Jordynne?”

Her eyebrows lifted a little at the question as she finished chewing her cracker, “Hmm, my mom.”

“She wanted her daughter to be a doctor? Not a lawyer, or accountant?” His mouth went dry, but not from the crackers or wine. He had gone against his parents wishes when he became a doctor, maybe she just followed in line with what was expected with her.

“No, nothing like that. She was diagnosed with breast cancer when I was eleven. Her doctor was amazing — she was intelligent and passionate. I just couldn’t think of anything else I would want to be after that.” There was a small smile on her face as she told the story. It made Ethan’s stomach flutter. “And I’ve always loved science. Medicine just… it felt right. It’s what I meant to do.”

He watched her, studying her again. She was so determined but gentle. Kind but fierce. Both a lion and a lamb. He wasn’t sure how long they sat there for — picking at their food, asking each other questions about their lives — both in and out of the hospital. She skirted around questions about Naveen, giving him some space which Ethan wholly appreciated. He didn’t bring up Lahela again — even though he was dying too. He also wanted to know why she was here with him, why she cared. But he was too afraid of the answer.

Around midnight, he watched as she gathered her things and started placing dishes in the sink for him. “I should probably get going, I didn’t realize how late it was.”

Getting up from his stool, Ethan shoved his hands in his pockets, suddenly feeling awkward. Maybe it was because he didn’t want her to leave. “Thank you for letting me explain.”

“Of course,” She nodded at him. Her fingers were knotted in her messenger bag nervously as she stood near the door.

“I would take you home, but with the wine…,” He motioned back to the empty bottles sitting on his counter. “Can I get you a cab at least?”

“Oh, it’s fine. The subway will be good.”

He looked out at the dark night sky, and his stomach twisted. He could walk with her — would that be crossing a line? “Can you text me then? When you get home? So I know you’re safe.”

Her pink mouth opened in surprise a little, but agreed, “Oh, yeah sure.” She gave Jenner one last scratch behind the ears, and got up and left. “Goodnight, Dr. Ramsey.”

“Night, Rookie.” He noticed the flicker in her eyes as he called her that — a flash of hurt. But then she was gone down the hallway. Waiting for her to disappear from his line of sight, he closed the door softly and padded back to the couch — slumping into it.

Jenner lingered at the door, staring up at it as if he was waiting for her to come back any moment. “Jenner, come here.” He patted the spot next to him, but the dog didn’t budge. “Boy, she’s not coming back.” The dog’s ears drooped a little and he waddled over to the sofa. He sat on the spot Jordynne had used earlier, sniffing it before curling up in a ball on the seat — his eyes sad.

Ethan let out a sigh, noticing his dog’s reaction, “Ugh, not you too.” He reached out and scratched behind his ears. Suddenly, without her presence, his apartment felt emptier than ever.

Part Ten

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calliecat93 · 5 years

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Red vs Blue Season 17 Review, Part Two

(Part One)

This got long (it’s around 11-12 pages) so I decided to half it. Continuing on from where Part One ended, we continue the Character discussion with Grif.

So..., I’m sorry. I really am, but this season suuucked regarding Grif. He got it better than Simmons and Sarge, but not by much. It wouldn't be so bad if S15 and S16, two seasons that took MAJOR steps in developing his character, didn’t exist. Last season, Grif was the closest thing to the main protagonist that we had. He went through the most character development, began sorting out his issues, quit whining about his problems and instead tried to work through them. Begrudgingly yes, but still he made the effort. And in the finale, he not only showed that he grew by rejecting the pizza to stop Genkins, but then realized Genkins true plan and was too late in stopping it. There was a ton of build-up for Grif’s character, especially since he was the one most tied into the plot at that point, and the finale especially set up plenty of chances with him… and I guess that the season got paradox’d along with him because it forgot all of that.

Okay to be fair, Grif never complained about the mission and did his part willingly, and I did legit love how he got revenge on Tex. There is also this subtle theme of Grif being legit angry and hurt by Donut’s previous betrayal, just compare his calm but noticeable anger to Sarge’s more comical execution suggestions in Episode 7. There was also him assuming that Donut was betraying them again in Episode 10, and I find that interesting especially since he was the same way last season regarding Doc. May have been unintentional, but it’s still noteworthy. But the problem is they don’t really let Grif show his past development. Like in Episode 2, he’s the only one willing to hear Donut out and what he’s describing feels familiar... and it’s promptly dropped and forgotten. Grif finds out that something horrible happened to Huggins and while he does express worry... it once again gets ignored. Then she comes back and Grif’s allowed to be relieved for a minute or two before that too is promptly dropped. Yeah, he apologizes and it’s cute to see him happy to see her… but they never talk about what happened in S16 and never truly reconcile, so it felt wasted.

Grif was the only guy who knew what happened before the paradox aside form Donut… and nothing results from it. When he sees Genkins for the first time after, at a point where everything from the finale should really be hitting him, what’s his reaction?, His mind goes to pizza… even though he had outright rejected it which was supposed to be THE big sign of his character development. Okay, maybe that one’s an overreaction on my part. But the point is while I don’t mind Grif not being the main character since Donut is perfectly fitting and needed the development, it doesn't excuse how badly they dropped the ball with him after these past two seasons. And I’m not asking for anything dark and angsty, what I’m asking for is consistency. Let us see Grif’s growth and development from the past two years. Let us see how the past season really affected him and helped him grow due to it, especially since this is the end of the storyline that allowed said growth. They were able to do it with Tucker, and it took only a minute or two to do so. Sadly, what they gave for Grif wasn’t good enough and I really hope that whoever helms S18 will make an effort to at least try and improve it.

I will give them credit though with both him and Sister. The finale legit teared me up with their scene. It retcons Grif being drafted… but honestly? I prefer this. It makes sense that Grif would want to go out on his own and left for college/enlistment. It makes sense that Sister would be upset with him and have her own guilt about the fire. It kind of explains how even though the two clearly love each other, they’ve been kinda distant and a little awkward since Sister came back into the cast. And learning that she set their childhood home on fire and their mom is now in a trailer park… ti adds a lot to her as well. She’s not just a walking sex joke anymore, she’s a three-dimensional character and I am SO HAPPY to have that. The two didn’t get much, and I ranted about why that’s a problem with Grif, but I did enjoy them getting this moment.

Finally, let's talk Cosmic Powers… oh wait, they didn’t appear at all. Yeah, that was bullshit. I know that people had issues with them, but there was SO MUCH potential with these characters. I guess that they can do stuff in later seasons, but them being completely absent felt… weird. We only got Huggins, and THAT left a shit ton of problems. I was happy to have her back… but her return was so awkward and forced that it really feels shoved in. Nothing between her and Grif gets resolved, and my anger about that I cannot properly convey. She’s there and then after Episode 8, she’s dropped. We don’t even see her reunite with the Cosmic Powers after how pivotal she had been before. Huggins was reverted to a plot device. That is bullshit. Utter bullshit.

So yeah, I think I made it clear how annoyed I am at how the Reds and Blues got treated this season. It’s how I felt in Freelancer when Carolina came out of nowhere and it became about her and Church while the others (aside from Wash, and that’s very arguably) were put aside, and in S9’s case technically not even there. The difference though is that the end of that arc DID give them some solid stuff, like going to save Carolina and Church despite having no obligation to do so, that to me cemented them as a team. It’s something that every season following always had near their ends, but… I never really felt like we got that moment here. And I do understand that some characters were going to have to be shafted due to the number of them. Carolina at least got lucky since her plot tied directly into Wash’s plot, so there’s something to show on her end, the repetitive ‘Carolina is guilty’ theme aside. In other words, the Freelancers again get attention and Donut lucked out, while everyone else just… existed, I guess. I’m sorry, I know I sound harsh and I hate getting that way. It’s just really, really frustrating to me.

At the end of the day though, I cannot sit here and say that I hated it. I know the above… bazillion paragraphs may not show that, but that’s just hindsight hitting in. The Reds and Blues did have some legit funny bits, like Sarge’s speech in Episode 6, and Caboose and Tucker got some small but nice scenes. The Labyrinth really gave some interesting perspectives, Sarge especially I was not expecting. I don’t even mind Grif’s that much since I can at least see how it would fit with his character, even if I do think that a better reflection of his development could have been used but meh. No one felt OOC to me, just underutilized. I really did enjoy Donut and Wash’s arcs and putting my fan opinion aside, I cannot call those arcs bad. I had a fun time seeing those arcs unfold, Wash’s outright made me emotional. So is the execution flawed? Big time. But was it all bad? No. I liked what we got… just, next time I hope they balance it out better.

Story

The story of the season goes like this. Time is broken, and Genkins is breaking it even more to free Chrovos. With the others trapped in the past without knowing it, Donut has to go back and free all of them and then stop Chrovos from being freed. That is the basic plot of the season. For what it’s worth, the first half is really good. The bizarre pacing form last year is gone. The plot went fast but it felt right. There was little filler and the stakes were set up right away, so we got to get right into things without any distractions. They were funny, had character development, and when Wash came back in the interactions with him and Donut were really enjoyable. Episode 5 was a fanservice episode done well, not overstaying its welcome and actually having a point. It and Episode 6 wrapped up the first half very well, bringing the gang back together, letting Wash and Carolina reconcile, and setting up the second half with Huggins’ return and Genkins tossing off the kiddy gloves. It was straightforward, never wasting our time and always kept the story moving, but still had plenty of good jokes and character bits. I really enjoyed those first six episodes, especially due to Wash and Donut’s interactions. Hello new OTP~

Sadly, the second half I felt wasn’t as good. Episodes 7 and 8 were by far the weakest of the season. If only for their awkward exposition dumps. As much as I love Huggins, her re-introduction felt forced and rather rushed. The fact that she was dropped after Episode 8 did no favors. It really says something when I went from being ecstatic that she was back to starting to wonder if her remaining dead would have been for the best. That is NOT something that I should be thinking. The other episodes were better as the straightforward pacing returned and had great emotional scenes with the Freelancers. Genkins tricking Chrovos was also a move that took me by surprise but in a good way. I admit that I wish we saw more of the guys fixing the paradoxes, and I REALLY wish that we got to see some of the alternate timelines because of all the ‘what-if’ potential. But I can understand how that would cause things to drag, so it’ll have to remain as fanfic fuel. On that though, both Genkins and Chrovos were super entertaining villains. Not much else to say there, I just loved them so much~

The Labyrinth is a terrifying concept that I love… and I kinda feel would have been a better as the main plot setting instead of the Everwhen. Just have Chrovos use her limited power to send them in there as punishment for Donut’s betrayal against her and let Donut try to indirectly break them out, having to recruit Wash to help. The same concept, but it allows for more opportunities for character development, both funny and dark. But that’s just me, of course. I do really like the concept though and it was a nice look into the characters psyche. Carolina and Sarge’s were my favorites, the former because I like seeing Carolina against her demons, and the latter because it really lets us have this deeper look at Sarge that we never really get that really adds to his character in a new way. But they didn’t all work like Simmons was utter bullshit and I am NOT happy with how it was a joke, and not even a good one. Still, good concept.

The biggest theme of this season is, of course, the time travel… and that’s all that I can really say because trying to talk about anything good or bad will kill my brain. Yeah, I did not understand any of this. So… the Everwhen is connected to Chrovos’ prison due to it being the backswing for The Hammer. Okay, that makes sense. So… the Everwhen takes you through time? How did it end up existing? How can it exist with Chrovos’ limited power? How are the Reds and Blues memory wiped? Yeah, there’s the paradox, considering that Wash was in the present, shouldn't they have been as well in a similar state? One where they both did and didn't time travel instead of being trapped in their past memories? It would make sense if The Everwhen was more or a simulation or a copy of the past that Chrovos put them in… but it seems to imply that it’s just another form of time travel like the time guns due to Huggins being able to go through it. It’s really, really confusing and the show really doesn’t do a good job at properly explaining it. And that’s not even going into the black hole stuff with Huggins that I’m not even going to bother with. I’m more confused than I was with the time travel stuff in S3, and that nearly made my brain melt. Now I fully admit that this could just be me being an idiot, but… yeah, you do NOT want to think too hard about this particular aspect.

Then, of course, we have the finale. I’ll give them this, they wrapped everything up better than I thought that they would. I have no idea how the fuck Genkins became Chrovos makes sense, but I have given up on understanding time travel at this point. Plus it makes for a good ‘Hoist by His Own Petard’ story and it was a shocking as Hell twist. I’ll give them that one. I kinda do like how Chrovos, while not good, is more benevolent than she had first seemed and hey, she’s imprisoned but still around. The ending was kind of abrupt, but it leaves plenty open for future seasons, lets Donut complete his character development, and hey Lopez lived! Burnie avoided losing his only remaining character! Yay!

The season did very good with pacing and keeping its focus. It had plenty of funny and sincere moments and I was engaged all the way through. I never knew what was going to happen next, which really speaks to how unexpected the season was. For that, it stands above the previous two seasons, which were rushed (S15) or just bizarre (S16). But the season failed in its character writing outside one or two of them, properly explaining exposition dumps that just left me confused more than S3 did, and it’s second half felt much more rushed and awkward as a result. It felt like they tried to cram in two seasons worth of information, kinda like S15, only they tried with just six episodes this time. By the time of the finale… I liked it, but I shouldn’t feel relieved that the season is over. S16 left me wanting more, feeling emotional and anxious for what the next season was going to bring, while this one just made me feel like how I felt after RWBY Volume 5: just utterly done and glad that I have a year until the next season.

So taking in my above critiques, both in this and the Character section, why is that it that I think it ended up that way? This is of course just speculation on my part, but if I really had to guess I would say the 12 episode count. Yeah, I really think that we needed the standard 19, or 15 at least. Not because of episode runtime or anything, shows like Steven Universe has done a lot with only 11 minutes per episode after all. But it’s because it means they had a very limited amount of time to give this season what it needed. You see, 12 episodes is great because you have less filler to add, can keep the plot focused and moving, and you can properly develop the characters closer to the plot such as Donut and Wash. It is not good, however, for long-term character writing for those not as directly involved in the plot, means you have to cram in as much as possible without properly setting it up, and the end result can come off as rather rushed and sloppy. This format works for RWBY since, while every season has its own plotline, it has a long-lasting narrative that each season contributes to that can justify some of the choices, like shafting a character in favor of others. But for a show like RvB, which usually tells a complete story in generally two to three seasons, it doesn’t work nearly as well.

At first, I thought that going with this format was okay. As I said, the first half was paced very well and kept things moving in a satisfying way. But once we hit the second half, it had little to no time to explain things properly (like the time travel) or give characters who had ongoing developments the focus that they needed (like Grif and Huggins for example). They really had no idea what to do with the other characters, which yeah that’s gonna happen with a big ensemble cast like this, but they handled it in the worst way: demoting everyone but a select one or two into essentially background characters. The episode count limited ways in fixing many of these problems, and unfortunately, it showed. Time is always going to be the biggest enemy to shows like this, after all. The format could work if they decide to continue with it, which I’m not opposed to. But I do think that they need to work harder on figuring out how to make RvB work with a more limited episode run. Which if they go into a new storyline with the episode count in mind instead of continuing one, I think is very feasible. We’ll see.

Would I call this a bad season? No. Absolutely not. I had a really fun time watching this season, the first half especially, and I was ultimately glad that I watched it. As I said, the pacing was a lot better. It never dragged or got boring, and I was fully engaged as much as I was annoyed. But the season is still flawed. The second half felt more sloppy, the exposition was not done well, and it suffered very badly in balancing its characters, prioritizing Donut over everyone else. I feel like the season simply wasn't given enough time to do all that it needed to do, and as a result, we got what we got. It’s good and one that I recommend, but like all seasons it has its issues. Ones that maybe annoy me more due to what I’m a fan of than others in all fairness.

So then, what’s my opinion of Jason Weight’s writing? I think… that he did a really good job! Yeah, I’ve critiqued stuff, but I did overall enjoy what Jason brought to the series. There were a LOT of really good jokes, plenty of emotion, and the characters overall felt like the characters,. Given the circumstances of more or less having to finish a story that he himself didn't conceive (he WAS an assistant writer last year, but Joe was still the showrunner and got the final say) I think that he did the best that he could. I would love to see him come back for RvB18 and be able to craft his very own arc because he showed a ton of promise both here and with the last season. If he can��t because of his own show (that I still need to see, haha…) or other reasons, I can certainly understand. But if he can come back, I’d really love to see what he does. I do ultimately wish that Joe got to finish his own story, but I think that Jason did a good job of carrying it out, and I am grateful for both of their contributions to the series. Love you guys~!

Final Thoughts

Well, that was longer than I had intended. Guess I had a lot to vent out. Well, let’s wrap this baby up~

S17 is not a perfect season. I think that I’ve made my issues with it very clear. But I would not at all call it a bad season. I hope that I illustrated that just as much as I did with the criticism. As a fan, it could have been better. As a critic, the season was overall done competently and I can’t fault what we did get. I overall had a great time watching it and looked forward to each new episode. That’s all I ever ask for, to have fun. Hopefully, S18 will improve on these issues, but no matter what, I’ll definitely be there for when it starts.

#rvb #rvb17 #rvb spoilers #rvb reviews #callie reviews

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natsthinkitythinkthinkthonk · 6 years

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Underrated Anime Series (Part One)

I can’t say that this will be the only part, but I don’t know when the next part will come! “Underrated” is a little broad.

My definition means that I haven’t met a whole lot of people that have watched it, and I haven’t seen a whole lot of content or it on this website. Of course, you might not agree with this list. If there’s one missing, it’s probably because I haven’t watched it (Mushishi, 3-Gatsu no Lion, etc.).

In order to qualify, I watched 12+ episodes or the complete series (only Honey and Clover remains uncompleted for now).

NO ANIME MOVIES! That’s over here “Underrated Anime Movies (Take One)”

The descriptions, general information, and recommendations are generally provided by MyAnimeList with some editing done.

This list started off small then swelled out of control. It took me a long time. Hopefully, you can find a new anime to like on this list! Prepare for a long post!

Hachimitsu to Clover / Honey and Clover

Genre: Comedy, Drama, Josei, Romance, Slice of Life Studios: J.C.Staff Length: 24 episodes (23 min per ep)

Three poor college guys live in a rundown apartment building. Shinobu is a mysterious, quirky person, who does things on a whim. Takumi is passionate both in work and love, and Yuuta is a simple person with simple dreams and desires. They meet a girl named Hagumi who is friends with Ayumi. Hagumi is a petite young-looking girl (basically, what the internet calls a loli). Ayumi is a beautiful and talented young lady. Together, they all try to get through college life and romance.

Similar Anime: - Nodame Cantabile: College students from artistic faculties both overcome personal hardship while finding their own personal romance. - 3-Gatsu no Lion: From the same creator and mangaka, the slice of life way of telling the stories of these dynamic characters and the differences and contrasts between the two stories definitely make them unique in their own right.

This is a great anime with a light palette, a simple yet stunning soundtrack, and a great story that brings realism and charming characters together. With strong performances from the voice actors, you will notice notable names like Tomokazu Sugita and Hiroshi Kamiya. To me, this was one of Sugita’s best roles. It showed me a more dramatic, vulnerable, and emotional side of his acting which was probably shown in Gintama a few hundred episodes in.

My complaints are that the pacing is a little slow sometimes (as expected with a slice-of-life series), and I didn’t like Hagu much because the internet poisons those types of characters (lolis). It makes her romances very shady and uncomfortable for me. You also might be deterred if you don’t like the genre.

Death Parade

Studios: Madhouse Genres: Game, Mystery, Psychological, Drama, Thriller Length: 12 episodes (23 min per ep)

This originally came from a short film called Death Billiards which was part of the Young Animator Training Project's Anime Mirai 2013. This series is basically a young animator’s film being made into a series, and I think that’s awesome. It has the same director as Mob Psycho 100 despite being a dramatic series with no comedy.

After death, you arrive at a bar with no memory of how you died. Without heaven or hell, there stand two options: reincarnation or the void. To decide, you play a game like bowling, darts, or pool. Winner gets reincarnation while the loser is sent into the void. Welcome to death! Don’t be fooled by the opening, this anime is not happy.

Similar Anime: - Jigoku Shoujo: Divine punishment is delivered by emotionless beings. Each episode seems to have its own cast with an overarching storyline even though Jigoku Shoujo is a lot longer. - Psycho-Pass: Even though I haven’t watched this one, both touch on very philosophical subjects that contain the idea of the difference between right and wrong and the lines in between. They are both psychological thrillers.

This anime was one that introduces a new story every episode but has an overarching plot that wraps it together. Its development is done well. The characters may seem blank, but that’s for the sake of the new characters that come with each episode. It can be felt to be very emotional so have your tissues at hand for the finale (I didn’t cry, but I hear it was really sad?)

The art fits the plotline perfectly. The voice acting is strong with a cast that is filled with notable names like Tomoaki Maeno and Asami Seto, but there are many names in the supporting cast as well.

The side plot seems poorly done at times, and there are plot elements that are introduced that indicate another season, but we won’t be having one. There is pretty much no happiness to be found here.

Barakamon

Studios: Kinema Citrus Genres: Slice of life, comedy Length: 12 episodes (23 min per ep)

Handa is a calligraphy prodigy who is sent to the Goto Islands as punishment for punching a veteran judge who called his work “unoriginal”. He must find inspiration and learn the ways of his new life.

Similar Anime: - Poco Udon World/Sweetness and Lightning: I’m not including Usagi Drop because of the manga. SCARRED ME FOR LIFE. These are all about people who fall into a single-parent situation. - Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso: Both are about child prodigies who have to explore life beyond the book, but Shigatsu takes a more romantic drama kind of approach. *Gin no Saji: [ON THIS LIST - Please look at both anime entries to see why!]

This is one of my favourite anime out there! Its story is relatable to many people who grew up with expectations. It’s about a guy who gets wisped into a life he never asked for and experiences a taste of the childhood he never had. This is one of the first anime I recommend to anyone of any age especially if they’ve never watched anime before. I think this was the first anime I showed to my own mom, and she enjoyed it.

Gakkou Gurashi!

Studios: Lerche Genres: Psychological, Slice of Life, School, Horror, Mystery Length: 12 episodes (24 min per ep)

Yuki loves school so much that she never wants to leave! But it’s not as if she can. She’s part of the School Living Club which consists of the president Yuuri, Kurumi, Miki, Sakura-sensei, and the club dog Taroumaru all live at school. Despite the illusions of Yuki’s imagination, the real purpose of the School Living Club is to escape from the shocking and disturbing truth: the girls are in the middle of a zombie apocalypse and have barricaded themselves inside the school as the sole survivors.

Similar Anime: - Madoka Magica/Higurashi: I haven’t watched Madoka and Higurashi, but they both use cute as a facade to hide the darker themes and horrors behind everything. “Moe moe kyun”? More like “moe moe kill”. (I’m going to be kicked in the balls for that) - Girls’ Last Tour: I haven’t watched Girls’ Last Tour, but I know they have post-apocalyptic cute girls doing normal things. They all only have each other and try to enjoy each day peacefully. - Angel Beats: Both shows present normal high school students who live in excruciating circumstances that all hide a deeper meaning. This show has less cutesy moe stuff though.

It delivers on the promised cute elements. I even tried recommending it to a friend who likes Love Live! Let’s just say, there are some differences. The voice actresses do a great job, and I actually found this anime kind of scary (although I get scared too easily).

Gin no Saji / Silver Spoon

Studios: A-1 Pictures Genres: Comedy, Slice of Life, School, Shounen Length: 11 episodes (23 min per ep)

Hachiken is a studious and diligent student who found it unbearable to live with the expectations of his parents and society. With his entry into high school, he decides to attend a unique boarding school in the countryside. The new environment isn’t what he expects, and along with meeting his new classmates and surroundings, he tries to adjust while trying to survive his new life.

Similar Anime: - Fullmetal Alchemist: This is an unexpected entry, but they have the same creator! Both are beautifully developed stories with lovable characters that you get attached to. Hiromu Arakawa is a genius in her own right, and this story has her art and her brilliant storytelling. *Barakamon: [ON THIS LIST - Please look at both anime entries to see why!]

The voice acting here is great too, and the animation does its job well, but the real magic here is in the storytelling and the characters. I love the entire cast so much. Each of them are realistic and hardworking despite having their own quirky attributes. The setting and the meaning of every line of dialogue really sticks with me. The morals in both Barakamon and Gin no Saji are ones that I will never forget. The only reason why I don’t actively recommend this is because it is a farm, and those with weak stomaches might not like the idea of dealing with farm animals that get eaten, but if that’s the case, why eat meat at all? No animals are killed on-screen.

Hai to Gensou no Grimgar

Studios: A-1 Pictures Genres: Action, Adventure, Drama, Fantasy, Isekai Length: 12 episodes (24 min per ep)

*Isekai = Term used for fictional stories where characters are thrown into a new (usually fantasy RPG-style) world

Thrown into a foreign land with nothing but hazy memories and the knowledge of their name, a group of strangers is given no other choice than fight and eliminate anything that threatens the peace in their new world, Grimgar. This is no game—there are no redos or respawns; it is kill or be killed. It is now up to this ragtag group of unlikely fighters to survive together.

Similar Anime: - Sword Art Online/Goblin Slayer: They are of the same genre, but Grimgar does a better job than both combined (but I dislike SAO and Goblin Slayer). - Tate no Yuusha: Another Isekai anime (like SAO and Goblin) except unlike the two other similar anime, these ones are both done well. Tate no Yuusha already has a following.

The voice acting here is great, and we see Hosoya playing the main role for once! The art and animation are done well. This anime takes a far slower approach comparing to other Isekai anime. They spend more time on the emotional burdens of each of the characters and their slower adjustments. While that’s a turnoff to some, they make you view the lives of these former normal citizens and make you wonder whether you’d be able to survive these circumstances, and if you don’t like that... well... there is the fan-service I guess.

Hinamatsuri

Studios: feel. Genres: Comedy, Seinen, Slice of LIfe, Supernatural Length: 12 episodes (23 min per ep)

Yakuza member Nitta is rudely interrupted when a young female esper barges into his life. He quickly finds himself being a caregiver and parental figure to the girl. The unlikely duo lives life unconventionally as circumstances change and everyday chaos ensues.

Similar Anime: - Mob Psycho 100: The number of similarities often go unnoticed, but they are both about shady adults (a conman and a yakuza) taking in a young esper (Mob and Hina) with hilarious stories. YOU MUST WATCH BOTH. - Gintama: Odd choice, I know. Both are quite similar in terms of humour. Gintama takes the shounen route while Hinamatsuri is a seinen series.

The majority of this voice cast are newbies (meaning people I’ve never heard of before), and honestly, they do such a great job that I genuinely thought that these people were seasoned veterans. Same with the studio. I don’t usually see them take on these kinds of projects (with most of their things being basic Slice of Life). The faces are hilarious. The characters are hilarious (thanks to brilliant writing and voice casts). It was so much fun to watch. I had to conceal my laughter at 2am because I was secretly binge-watching this. I failed multiple times.

Net-juu no Susume

Studios: Signal.MD Genres: Game, Comedy, Romance Length: 10 episodes (23 min per ep)

30-year-old Moriko Morioka is unemployed—and she couldn't be happier. Having quit her job of over 11 years, Moriko quickly turns to online games. With the pesky societal obligations of the real world out of the way, she dives into the realm of an MMO. Life online and in the real world intertwine.

Similar Anime: *Wotakoi: [ON THIS LIST - Please look at both anime entries to see why!] *ReLIFE: [ON THIS LIST - Please look at both anime entries to see why!]

This oddly relatable and adorable (don’t know what other words to use) romance between two people who meet online is honestly so pure, but let’s not forget that one of the high-ranking staff members of this anime is... uh... less than wholesome.

Kazuyoshi Yaginumi (director) is a Holocaust denier and a supremacist who has radical political views. But hey, if you’ve watched the third season of Natsume’s Book of Friends, Naruto, No. 6, Tokyo Magnitude 8.0, Hotarubi no Mori e, Black Bullet, Beck, or Akira, I hate to break it to you, but he was a part of all of them. I found this out after I watched the anime. I probably would not have watched this if I knew. But if you dismiss the anime that this man has worked on, you are truly missing out. Let’s not forget that he wasn’t the only person working on these projects, and he isn’t the creator, but let’s pray that he isn’t hired to do anything else!!! I don’t know of any other major work he got after this one (aired in 2017)

Wotakoi

Studios: A-1 Pictures Genres: Comedy, Romance, Slice of Life Length: 11 episodes (22 min per ep)

Narumi Momose finds herself running late for her first day of work at a new office. She makes a promise to herself that none of her coworkers will find out about her dark secret: that she is an otaku and a fujoshi. This goes wrong when she runs into Hirotaka Nifuji, a friend from middle school. Luckily for her, the only witnesses to this slip-up are Hanako Koyanagi and Tarou Kabakura who are otaku as well. But what happens when otaku date each other?

Similar Anime: *Net-juu no Susume: [ON THIS LIST - Please look at both anime entries to see why!] *Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun: I constantly swear on this anime because I like both of these anime a lot.

I liked this one better than Net-juu no Susume, but that isn’t because of the director of the other one. I like this one for its cast of characters, its use of references that go beyond the gaming world (although this anime touches on it too), and the fact that there are different type of otaku out there. I seriously understood more references than I would’ve liked.

No. 6

Studios: Bones Genres: Action, Sci-Fi, Mystery, Drama Length: 11 episodes (23 min per ep)

Many years ago, after the end of a bloody world war, mankind took shelter in six city-states that were peaceful and perfect... at least on the surface. However, Shion—an elite resident of the city-state No. 6—has an encounter with a mysterious boy, Nezumi who lived in the desolate wasteland beyond the walls of the supposed utopia. Despite knowing that the other boy was a fugitive, Shion decided to take him in for the night and protect him, which resulted in drastic consequences. Now, a long time after their life-altering first meeting, Shion and Nezumi are finally brought together once again—the former elite and the boy on the run are about to embark on an adventure that will, in time, reveal the shattering secrets of No. 6.

Similar Anime: - Banana Fish: I haven’t completely watched Banana Fish, but it features the darker sides of society with loads of casualties. *Zankyou no Terror: [ON THIS LIST - Please look at both anime entries to see why!]

Hosoya and Kaji are both amazing in this anime. This anime meant a lot to both of them. Hosoya wanted to give up voice acting while Kaji was a fan of the original series and was hyped to hear its news for adaptation. This heartwrenching story suffers from the whole “rush this bad adaptation”, but as someone who doesn’t read manga/novels, this anime is a great look into the inside of this intricate universe. Again, most of the shortcomings have to do with poor pacing and toned down storytelling (and toned down violence) which come from being badly adapted from the source material, but even after taking away all that good stuff, we’re still left with a pretty good anime. Just don’t cry... too hard... yeah.

Kimi to Boku

Studios: J.C. Staff Genres: Comedy, Drama, Romance, School, Shounen, Slice of Life Length: 13 episodes (24 min per ep)

Four high school boys, who have known each other since childhood, hang out together in school every day in their mundane lives. There's the handsome twins Yuuki and Yuuta Asaba, the gentle Shun Matsuoka, and the calm class head Kaname Tsukahara. Although they have become used to a lack of excitement in their lives, the addition of a new transfer student, Chizuru Tachibana, may add a little more adventure to their routine.

Similar Anime: *Danshi Koukousei no Nichijou: [ON THIS LIST - Please look at both anime entries to see why!] *Hachimitsu to Clover: [ON THIS LIST - Please look at both anime entries to see why!]

While I wouldn’t classify this as a complete shounen nor would I call it a shoujo, it achieves a happy medium with enough anime cliches to call it an anime and enough ordinary elements for me to truly feel that it can be relatable. It has a really nice OST that’s sung by Aoi Shouta at times. We have a stacked and entertaining voice cast, and the story is slow but nice. It pulls more at the slice of life side rather than romance.

Danshi Koukousei no Nichijou / Daily Life of High School Boys

Studios: Sunrise Genres: Comedy, School, Shounen, Slice of Life Length: 12 episodes (24 min per ep)

Hidenori, Yoshitake, and Tadakuni are just an everyday trio of ordinary guys trying to pass the time, but who said everyday life couldn't be interesting?

Similar Anime: *Nichijou: [ON THIS LIST - Please look at both anime entries to see why!] *Kimi to Boku: [ON THIS LIST - Please look at both anime entries to see why!] *Gintama: The shows do share a number of voice actors, the humour is similar, and the general nonsensical writing will draw audiences from both sides.

Here’s the more comedic and strictly non-romantic side of Kimi to Boku. This one is probably relatable in way that shouldn’t be shared with the general public. Unlike the other Nichijou (with girls and by Kyoto Animation), this one doesn’t rely on the animation. It relies on humour in its writing. There aren’t any really good female characters in this anime. It does focus on three guys and their antics though. And I mean, is anyone in this anime really a winner?

Natsume Yuujinchou / Natsume’s Book of Friends

Studios: Brain's Base Genres: Slice of Life, Supernatural, Drama, Fantasy, Shoujo Length: 12 episodes (24 min per ep)

Takashi Natsume has had a connection with youkai all his life and soon discovers that his deceased grandmother Reiko had passed on to him the Yuujinchou, or "Book of Friends," which contains the names of the spirits whom she brought under her control. This makes him a target of enraged youkai that want their names back. His only companion is a self-proclaimed bodyguard named Madara. Fondly referred to as Nyanko-sensei, Madara is a mysterious, pint-sized feline spirit who has his own reasons for sticking with the boy.

Similar Anime: *Mushishi: I haven’t watched Mushishi (even though it’s on my watch later list). It contains similar ideas and concepts. *Hotarubi no Mori e: Same creator/mangaka! Yuki Midorikawa has taken her masterful storytelling to other stories, and Hotarubi has a wonderful anime movie that manages to get you with the feels in less than an hour.

I know this anime gets a lot of attention already, but I feel like I haven’t met a whole lot of people who’ve watched it. A shoujo without romance? It’s unusual, but this definitely works out. The simple art works in its favour, and its music is beautiful. This anime has a way of making all of its stories resonate, and if you aren’t going to watch it for the youkais’ stories, watch it for Nyanko-sensei. He’s honestly the best.

Sakamichi no Apollon / Kids on the Slope

Studios: Tezuka Productions, MAPPA Genres: Drama, Josei, Music, Romance, School Length: 12 episodes (22 min per ep)

Introverted classical pianist Kaoru Nishimi has just arrived in Kyushu for his first year of high school. Having constantly moved from place to place since his childhood, he abandons all hope of fitting in, preparing himself for another lonely, meaningless year until he encounters the notorious delinquent Sentarou Kawabuchi. Kaoru begins playing the piano at after-school jazz sessions, located in the basement of fellow student Ritsuko Mukae's family-owned record shop.

Similar Anime: - Your Lie in April/Shigatsu no Kimi no Uso: Both anime are about classical musicians breaking out of their shells in beautifully written stories. Sakamichi no Apollon is arguably more serious and take on a bit of a darker and more mature tone since Shigatsu is a shounen anime while Sakamichi is a josei. *Kimi to Boku: [ON THIS LIST - Please look at both anime entries to see why!]

This anime suffers the same thing that No. 6 does. The story gets watered down and condensed to fit the short-episode format, and so much is left out in terms of pacing. The voice acting in this is phenomenal. Ryohei Kimura and Yoshimasa Hosoya do not disappoint. Yuuka Nanri barely has any other lead roles, but she does an okay job here too. Yoko Kanno on score composition is one of the best decisions to be made for this anime even if jazz isn’t her main genre of choice. She composed everything masterfully. I wouldn’t have thought that she did it if I didn’t see it on the staff list. Those things are the reasons why I liked this anime so much. The OST and voice acting are good enough for me to recommend this anime despite (like No. 6), the adaptation quality not being that great. Even taking that stuff away, we are still left with a great anime.

ReLIFE

Studios: TMS Entertainment Genres: Slice of Life, Romance, School Length: 13 episodes (23 min per ep)

Hopeless 27-year-old loser Arata Kaizaki bounces around from one job to another after quitting his first company. He meets Ryou Yoake who offers Arata the opportunity to change his life for the better with the help of a mysterious pill. Arata takes it and awakens to find that his appearance has reverted to that of a 17-year-old. He takes part in a unique experiment and must attend high school as a transfer student for one year. Arata struggles to adjust to his hectic new lifestyle and avoid repeating his past mistakes, all while slowly discovering more about his fellow classmates and himself.

Similar Anime: - Erased: Both anime are about adults reliving their past and trying to make amends for past mistakes that they’ve made. Erased takes more of the murder mystery route while ReLIFE stays in a simpler slice of life style. *Net-juu no Susume: [ON THIS LIST - Please look at both anime entries to see why!]

This anime suffers the same thing that No. 6 and Sakamichi no Apollon does. The story gets watered down and condensed to fit the short-episode format, and so much is left out in terms of pacing that they had to fit hundreds of chapters into the second season which had FOUR episodes. This one has an awesome casts which mixes experienced voice actors with newer ones. This was one of Yuuma Uchida’s first major roles, and we see new(er) people like Reina Ueda and Himika Akaneya mixed in too. In terms of experienced voice actors, we can look forward to Kensho Ono and Ai Kayano playing the main characters along with Haruka Tomatsu and Ryohei Kimura also playing major characters along with appearances from Noriaki Sugiyama, Daisuke Namikawa, and Miyuki Sawashiro. With a bunch of new EDs with practically every episode and an OST that people seem to love or hate (jazz piano riffs have to be your thing, and I liked it), the music is hit and miss. For me, it was a hit. The jazz soundtrack is out-of-place but unique. It takes a sharp contrast, and it isn’t bad music.

Senyuu

[This anime is on the “Anime with Short Episodes” list]

Studios: Ordet, LIDENFILMS Genres: Action, Comedy, Parody, Fantasy, Shounen Length: 13 episodes (4 min per ep)

In a story we’ve all heard before, the demon lord is sealed until things go amiss! Amateur adventurer Alba Frühling and sadistic talented soldier Ross must go defeat monsters and seal the demons away.

Similar Anime: - Saiki: Both episodes have short run-time and derive their humour from parodying genres. Senyuu takes the RPG adventure genre and flips it on its head while Saiki takes overpowered espers and pulls it like Hinamatsuri and Mob Psycho 100. - Konosuba: I know this is strange coming from someone who actually detests Konosuba. I couldn’t stand the characters that were flawed to the point where I couldn’t like them no matter how hard I tried. Both take the RPG adventure world and parody it to the point where you wonder why these flawed buffoons are trusted with anything.

This anime is one of my favourite short anime out there. With a short run-time of four minutes, it quickly got me invested in the story and the characters. It was so funny that I found myself binge-watching both seasons and the OVAs within the same day. Yuuichi Nakamura and Hiro Shimono provide their perfect performances for this anime. The other cast members contribute a lot as well with other names like Ai Kayano, Yumi Uchiyama, Takahiro Sakurai, Kenichi Suzumura, and others. Hiroshi Kamiya also takes the lead role in the OVAs. Overall, it’s a great watch when you have no patience for 24-minute episodes.

Honobono Log

[This anime is on the “Anime with Short Episodes” list]

Studios: Fanworks Genres: Romance, Slice of life Length: 10 episodes (2 min per ep)

Insights into couples, why they’re better than being single, and why you’re just a sad loner.

This is actually based off a picture book.

Similar Anime: NONE! I truly haven’t seen an anime like this around. While Tsurezure has its similarities in short-run time and romance, this one is vastly different. Dareka no Manazashi is too different to say it’s similar. Both are short (although Dareka no Manazashi is a short film) and about life, but Dareka no Manazashi is different because it focuses on one person doesn’t have romance and relies on more of the “growing up” part whereas Honobono relies on each specific situation.

This anime is another one of my favourite short anime out there. With a short run-time of two minutes, they manage to guilt-trip you for being alone and single. Of course, not all of them are about cute couple stuff, but some are about family and growing up. Miyu Irino and Asami Seto do an amazing job, and the OP is really nice and adds to the heartwarming factor of this anime.

Zankyou no Terror

Studios: MAPPA Genres: Thriller, Psychological, Drama Length: 11 episodes (22 min per ep)

Six months after a mysterious unsolved terror attack, a strange video makes its way onto the internet. In it, two teenage boys who identify themselves only as "Sphinx" challenge the police, threatening to cause destruction and mayhem across Tokyo. The police struggle to act effectively against these terrorists, with Detective Kenjirou Shibazaki caught in the middle of it all. The two boys behind the masked figures of Sphinx are known as Nine and Twelve, and they stand strong in a world of deception and secrets while they make the city fall around them, all in the hopes of burying their own tragic truth.

Similar Anime: - Death Note: I haven’t actually watched Death Note (haha), but they are both similar. I know that much. Both are about the police lagging behind some teenager as they wreak havoc, but while Light Yagami has a god-complex, Sphinx has its own secrets. - Psycho-Pass: I haven’t watched this one either, but both take on philosophical ideas that make you wonder whether society should be run one way or another. They are both centred around law enforcement and the detainment of those who step out of line.

Yoko Kanno provides yet another stunning masterpiece for this anime’s score which really drives the anime further. Along with extremely strong art style from Studio MAPPA, it creates for a very mysterious and eerie tone that fit the anime so well. The voice acting from the two leads and the detective are amazing, but I can’t say they have good female characters in this anime, and without good characters, I can’t say there was good voice acting on their parts, although, Megumi Han did sound pretty good in her given role. Soma Saito and Kaito Ishikawa are both close in real life, and it almost transcends onto the screen in this anime.

The story is riveting even if it’s been done before. It’s not the most unique in that right, but I still found myself finding these characters to be human. It was well-paced too and didn’t feel dragged or rushed for the most part. Shinichiro Watanabe directed and created this, and you might know him for Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo, Kids on the Slope, Space Dandy, and more, and he certainly does not disappoint with this anime.

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childofthenight2035 · 6 years

Text

Protect You (Part 1)

A/N: this is so damn long i aint ever gonna finish this am i featuring everybody and Ji Chang Wook

Pairing: Lee Taeyong x gn!Reader, Ji ChangWook x gn!Reader, Jung Jaehyun x gn!Reader

Summary/Prompt: Your new bodyguard doesn’t seen the friendly type.

Genre: Angst, Fluff, Bodyguard!AU

Word Count: i wish i knew, its really really long

Warnings: None?

Links to the other parts can be found in my masterlist!

“Y/N-ssi?”

“Ey, why this formality, Hyunwoo? Just because you’re leaving doesn’t mean that we’re going to be strangers from now on, right?”

“You’ll be okay?”

“Of course I will. I’m a strong person. Besides, the agency found a replacement, haven’t they? I’m sure I won’t ever be alone.”

“When is he starting?”

“In a few days, I think. They’ve cast me in ‘As The River Flows’. So I’m sure that they won’t even let me out without someone.”

“Congratulations on that. Who was directing that?”

“Park Sunho-ssi. I’m really looking forward to it.”

“Well. Good luck.”

“Thank you, Hyunwoo. Take care. Keep in touch, yeah? If I’m ever in New York, I’ll call you. Tell Minhyuk I said hello.”

“I will.”

“Channie! What’s up?” I propped my phone up to my ear with my shoulder as I washed out the bowl I had eaten lunch in.

“You might want to check your email right now,” he suggested, a note of amusement in his voice. “Might be something useful there.”

“Wait, what?” I set the plate down in the sink and wiped my soapy hands on a spare washcloth, taking the phone. “What do you mean?”

Beep. Beep. The idiot had hung up. I sighed, scrolling through my apps and opening my email account. The first thing I saw was the sequence of emails regarding the drama I was cast in. I opened it, curious. It had been forwarded to everyone who had something to do with it.

I scanned the email, a huge smile breaking out on my face. The minute I finished reading it, I phoned Chanyeol.

“Chan!” I yelled when he picked up. “Kai’s been cast?!”

I could hear his smile. “Yep. Thought you’d like to know.”

“Wow!” I could hardly believe it. So my friends were going to be with me. Don’t worry, Hyunwoo, wherever you are right now. I’ll be safe. “Wait.” I thought struck me. “It said the last casting. But there are two main leads. If one is Kai, who’s the other one?”

“Ah. I don’t know.” I sensed something in his tone that seemed suspicious, as if he knew who it was but didn’t want to tell me. I decided not to press.

“So will I see you for the meeting tomorrow?” I asked.

“Sure thing.”

“No, wait, don’t hang up! Could you give me a ride?” I made my voice as pouty as it would get, trying my luck. Chan seemed in a good mood.

“Ah, Hyunwoo left, didn’t he?” He paused, considering my request. “Alright. Fine.”

“Thanks, Channie!” I hung up and went back into the kitchen to finish washing out the dishes. A small smile graced my face. I couldn’t wait to start.

“Can this traffic get any slower?” I groaned, sliding down against the seat and shielding my eyes against the light.

Chanyeol scoffed. “We would have gotten there already if someone hadn’t taken way too long to get dressed.”

I pouted but didn’t reply. I knew I deserved it.

We got there half an hour late. I took off down the hall, Chanyeol on my heels. I rounded corner after corner, all the while thinking that gosh, if anyone was to come around the corner, I would smash right into them and then this would be the complete drama scene but at the same time I was noting the lack of people in the hallways and I knew, I knew, that the meeting had long since started and that was why no one was here. I was in trouble. I knew it.

I burst into the conference hall, to be met with sudden silence. I winced.

“I’m sorry, Sunho-ssi.” I tried hard to catch my breath. “Traffic was horrible.”

His unimpressed gaze fell on me. “Of course it was. Come inside.”

I bowed low in apology, Chanyeol imitating me. I walked over to where Kai stood with the other actors, leaving Chanyeol with his studio artists. Each step I took seemed like a gunshot in the silence. The director’s eyes followed. I hated this. The lead role and the music director late for their own drama. Once I had smushed myself near Kai, he turned back to the group. Kai’s hand found mine and squeezed reassuringly. I managed a smile.

“As I was saying before we were interrupted—“ the emphasis on interrupted, “—we need to arrange our travel—“

The door flew open, drowning out the rest of his words. I bit my lip to stop myself from laughing. At this rate, he would never finish his sentence. I was going to tell that to Kai when my eyes found the tall young man who had just walked inside. My jaw dropped.

“Ji Chang Wook?” I breathed out softly, awed. I heard Kai chuckling beside me. I searched for Chanyeol, to find that he was already looking at me and smirking. I felt my face turn red. I knew very well what had brought this on, why he hadn’t told me who the other lead was.

It was barely anything of a story. The three of us had got together to have some drinks and ended up playing a tipsy game of Truth or Dare. I didn’t quite remember what had happened, but apparently I had mentioned that the actor I wanted to hook up with was Ji Chang Wook. But in my defense, I wasn’t in my right mind. Sane, I saw him and respected him as my sunbaenim. And maybe had a tiny crush on him. I mean, the man was gorgeous and was an amazing actor. But I probably wouldn’t try anything. Ever. Those two idiots had never let me hear the end of it.

But now I was facing him. I could almost feel Chanyeol’s eyes boring a hole into my skull as I watched Ji Chang Wook’s apologetic expression morph into happiness on seeing the director. I couldn’t hear any noise around me. My vision was focused only on this man I looked up to so much. I registered that he whispered something in Sunho-ssi’s ear, the director’s face fell, and the two of them abruptly walked to the door. The meeting was apparently over.

I was still in a daze as the people filtered out of the room when Chanyeol clapped me on my back, hard. I twisted away from him, face scrunching up in pain.

“Like your present?” Chanyeol’s smirk made my hands ball up into fists. I knew better than to try hitting him, though. The man was built like a bull. I seized his shirt and shook it.

“What am I going to do?” I wailed. “I can’t act normally around him! I’m just going to embarrass myself!” I buried my face in his jacket, pitying myself as he wrapped an arm around me.

“It’s gonna be okay,” he assured. “He probably won’t even look twice at you.”

I felt an impact and Kai’s voice. “Hyung, that might not be the best way to make her feel better. Don’t be stupid.”

“Are you calling me stupid?”

“Y/N-ssi?”

My head shot up. Someone had called my name and it wasn’t either of them.

I turned around. One of the younger camera operators stood in front of us. Despite his tender age, he was quite tall, as tall as Chan. He bowed to the three of us and spoke nervously. “Uh, Y/N-ssi, Director-nim is asking for you and Kai-ssi.”

Chanyeol gently pushed me forward. “You two go on, I should get to the studio and see my peeps.” He pushed Kai too. “Go. Don’t make him mad.”

“What’s your name?” Kai asked the camera assistant kindly while he led us to the director’s office.

“Oh. Lucas,” he said, smiling awkwardly.

“He reminds me of Minho, doesn’t he, Kai?” I remarked. Kai peered into Lucas’ flushed face.

“He does.” Patting Lucas’ shoulder, he continued, “Minho is my sunbaenim. He’s an idol.”

Lucas nodded respectfully and bowed again. “Thank you, Kai-ssi, Y/N-ssi.”

I smiled at his gestures. The boy needed to loosen up a little bit, but I wouldn’t be the one to say that. From what I knew, most of the camera assistants were students studying cinematography.

“Good luck, Lucas,” I wished him as we reached the office. “Work hard.”

He bowed. “I will. Thank you.”

Kai knocked on the director’s door without hesitation, before I could snatch his arm back. We heard a muffled ‘Come in!’ and Kai smartly opened the door.

Park Sunho-ssi was seated quite comfortably in his swivelling chair, rocking slowly from side to side, slight frustration and worry on his face, but he was smiling, he was laughing with the man seated in the left of the three plush chairs in front of his desk.

Kai and I bowed to the director. “Good morning, Director-nim,” we crowed in unison.

“Ah yes, good morning. Please have a seat.” He gestured to the remaining two chairs. Kai immediately drew out the right chair. I thanked his sense. At least he wasn’t going to subject me to humiliating myself in front of Ji Chang Wook and the director. I sat down as he occupied the central one.

“We have a slight dilemma,” the director began. “You are aware of the storyline, I hope. We have yet to find an actor for the role of Lee.”

“Oh, the boyfriend in the States?” I asked.

He nodded. “The actor who had originally agreed to take up the role, suddenly backed out. Chang Wook is aware of that, I presume?”

“Aishh, is it Taejoon?” Chang Wook-ssi’s deep voice rang out, a twinge of annoyance in it. “That punk.” I glanced over past Kai. Chang Wook-ssi seemed quite relaxed. Of course, I thought. They’ve worked together before. “Should I talk to him?”

Sunho-ssi shook his head. “Forget it. Let him be. We’ve set up auditions again.” He set his elbows on the desk and pressed his fingertips together. “Without casting that role, I can’t afford to shoot in the States. So what we’re going to do is finish the shooting at the border and Bukhan river and hopefully by the time we’ll have a lead.”

I nodded in agreement.

He smiled at me. “Chang Wook-ssi, you haven’t met our other leads, have you?”

I heard Chang Wook shifting in his seat and in my peripheral vision, I could make out his keen gaze roaming over me. I pressed my lips into a thin line nervously.

“Y/N-ssi, nice to meet you.” Surprised that he knew me, I twisted in my seat to face him. As his flawless face came into focus, I felt my heartbeat rise. He had on his characteristic smirk that he was famous for in his dramas. I’m going to faint.

I inclined my head. “Thank you, sunbaenim. It’s an honour to meet you.”

His lips parted in a broad smile. “Ah, so polite. And Kai-ssi,” he added, turning to him, “pleasure to meet you as well.”

“Thank you, sunbaenim.”

Chang Wook-ssi shook his head in amusement.

“Wook-ssi, I hope you’ll take care of our maknaes, eh?” The director remarked. I knew my face had turned pink by now.

“Oh, I will, director-nim. Don’t worry.”

As soon as the director’s door closed behind the two of us, I seized Kai’s hand and pulled him with me, wanting to get as far away from there as possible. Kai was all but two seconds away from laughing at me.

“Y/N, if you don’t get used to him, how are you going to shoot this drama?” he asked, his cackle echoing in the hallway.

“Shut up!” I hissed. “He doesn’t need to know anything!”

“Doesn’t need to know what?”

Both of us swivelled around with neutral innocent expressions on our faces. I dropped Kai’s hand. Ji Chang Wook planted his hands on his hips.

“Were you talking about me by chance?” His eyes narrowed playfully.

“Oh! No, sunbaenim, we were—“ Kai began.

“Relax, both of you,” he interrupted. “You don’t need to be so formal. We’re all friends here, aren’t we?”

Kai and I looked at each other. “Really?”

Chang Wook-ssi nodded. “Of course. Don’t be scared of me, please. I wouldn’t be able to bear it if you are.” He placed a hand over his heart and pouted. My heart broke. Aigoo, he’s so cute. Wait, what am I thinking? I grabbed Kai’s hand again.

“Thank you, sunbaenim, but we really have to go.” I bowed quickly and dragged Kai as fast as I could, leaving Chang Wook in the hallway, confused.

“Y/N, you’re really crazy, you know that?” Kai scolded.

“I know I’m crazy!” I cried. “I don’t know what to do!”

“Y/N, we’ve found a replacement for Hyunwoo.” My manager informed me over the phone as I walked over to the elevators, on my way to the music department.

“Oh. That’s good, manager-nim,” I replied, digging around in my handbag for Chanyeol’s car keys. “What’s his name?”

“Lee Taeyong. He’ll be starting in two days. I’ll let you know.”

“Thank you…” I dragged out the last syllable and hung up. “Aishh, where are those keys? Channie’s going to kill me.”

The ‘ping’ sound of the elevator bell sounded and, without looking up, I walked inside, head still in my bag. My head promptly collided with a firm surface.

“Oh!” I exclaimed, jolting. My eyes found a young man in the lift, a hand over his chest. Did I just walk into someone? “I’m so sorry!” I bowed low before straightening up, finally getting a good look at the person.

His hair was dyed blonde and carefully styled so some fell over his forehead and framed his face. It looked very well done. He was tall and lean and had a sculpted face. Young. He looked young and regal. I was almost speechless for a moment. He was absolutely breathtaking. In that minute, I totally forgot that Ji Chang Wook existed. He stood aside for me and I shuffled inside awkwardly. I noticed that he was wearing a Metallica t-shirt.

I pressed the button for the 17the floor and let five floors pass by before I burst out, “Are you an idol?”

He looked surprised. “Idol?” He let out a nervous chuckle. “No. I’m not.”

“Are you an actor?”

He seemed at loss for words. “Um. No, I’m not an actor.”

“Then what—“ The elevator ‘ping’ed and opened. He looked apologetic.

“This is my floor. I’m sorry. Nice meeting you!” He stepped out swiftly. I stuck my hand out in front of the sensors.

“At least tell me your name?” I called out, knowing that I had to remove my hand from the doors as they were blocking service. I reluctantly pulled my hand away.

He stopped two paces away. “Taeyong,” he said, turning around and staring at me dead in the eye. “Lee Taeyong.”

The doors closed.

The story was simple enough, really.

It was only inspired by the book by Lynne Reid Banks. Only inspired. No space to make up a whole controversy about plagiarism. Credit where it was due. One More River was a book I had grown up reading and it was about a young girl emigrating to war-stricken Israel and learning to adjust among the people there. The story of the drama was similar, the story of a person whose circumstances caused them to leave the United States, their friends and the one they had thought they would spend the rest of their life with. But no. The country failed them, their friends were sympathetic but helpless and the lover was never there when they needed support. Fair weather friends, all of them. Not willing to face challenges, having been brought up in nothing but comfort.

So they return to a country they have no memory of, to a province near the border of two worlds at war with each other. Their only solace is the river. They struggle to grasp the language, the culture, the fear of the people around them. They meet two young men in different ways, in different situations and they find the voice of their heart harder to hear, harder to understand.

In its essence, that was the plot. Sunho-ssi’s direction would make all the difference.

I folded my arms and stared at the blonde head in front of me. It was two days later, and my new bodyguard was taking charge.

“Y/N, this is Lee Taeyong,” my manager informed me.

“Yeah, I know. We’ve met.”

I half-expected him to reply, but he remained stoic, his expression hard and stern. I turned away, pouting a little to myself. From what I saw, he seemed like a contrast of Hyunwoo. Needless to say, I knew who I preferred.

“Are you always so stiff?” I asked him, staring straight ahead as he followed me down the hall. I spun around, walking a few steps backward. “Don’t you smile? I think my manager is scared of you. That would be a first.” He didn’t reply. “Don’t you talk, either?”

“Don’t walk backward, you’re going to fall.”

I scoffed. “Wow. Okay.” I turned back around, footsteps echoing slightly in the empty hall. I could just make out the murmur of voices in the rooms adjacent to it. “You’re good at ruining the mood, you know that?” Again, silence. “Hyunwoo and I got to know each other right away. Do we have to be so formal?”

“This is professional, if I’m not wrong.”

I shrugged. “Well, so was Hyunwoo an—“

“I’m not Hyunwoo. So please stop this comparison. I’m here to do my job. The means are irrelevant.”

That was the longest he had spoken since I first saw him. I stopped walking, guilt riding up in me. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to compare the two of you. I was only asking if we could be friends.”

He stopped a pace behind me. “I’m only your bodyguard. You have plenty of friends.” I didn’t know what to say. I was hurt, to say the least. “Keep walking, Y/N-ssi.”

“Sunho’s going to have a heart attack,” Kai muttered. “Where is he?” I watched him, amused, as he sat on the steps of the bus. Almost the entire crew was bundled into three buses that would take us from Seoul to the Bukhan river and the locations we would be shooting at. Obviously we weren’t allowed into the DMZ. But we were going to film some of the barriers and the soldiers that were stationed there. The story was set in the time of the Korean War in 1950, so we had to make it seem real. The DMZ didn’t exist at the time. We had already been delayed some, and Park Sunho was currently going around pulling out his hair because time was limited and Ji Chang Wook was nowhere to be seen.

I leaned forward from my seat in front, reaching over the bar and ruffling his hair. “Calm down, Kai. Chang Wook-ssi will be here soon.”

As if on cue, Kai let out an exclamation, pointing towards the gates of the agency. Chang Wook was jogging towards our bus, a rucksack bouncing against his back, muscles flexing within his t-shirt. I bit my lip at the sight. His bodyguard was not far behind.

“Jesus, Y/N, stop drooling,” Kai hissed as he got up from the steps, hitting the bottom of my chin. I quickly closed my mouth. When had it fallen open? I was glad that Chanyeol hadn’t seen it. He would never let it slide like Kai would. I cleared my throat awkwardly. “Get a grip on yourself, okay? It’s not going to happen.” He squeezed my shoulder and slipped past me to his seat behind mine. As Sunho-ssi chewed Chang Wook out for being late, I thought about what Kai said. Of course nothing was going to happen. It’s just a tiny crush. It’s like idol worship. I don’t love him. I just really admire him.

A large body slid into the last remaining seat next to me and I seized up, straightening suddenly in my place. I scooted over as near the window as possible, lips pressed tightly together. I could feel it. He was looking at me. His shoulder bumped into mine and I jolted, face turning upward to look at him. He was smiling endearingly at me and I thought I would melt.

“Still afraid of me, Y/N?” he teased.

“N-no, I’m—“ I tried to say.

“I’m just kidding,” he said, bumping playfully into me again. I hung my head, suddenly shy, my hair falling in front of my eyes. I felt heat crawl up my cheeks and I hastily covered my face with my hands. “Yah, what happened?” I heard him ask, his tone now concerned. I sat up, pushing my hair away from my face.

“Aishh, why are you like this, Chang Wook-ssi?” I muttered lowly, my bottom lips stuck out slightly in a pout.

He must have heard me, because he asked, “But what did I do?”

“You’re my sunbaenim, aren’t you? Why are you being so friendly?” I whined. “Now I don’t know whether to respect you or be friends with you.”

“Be friends, obviously,” he replied, a smile dancing across his perfect lips. “Do you know how tiring it is to hear people talk to you as if you’re a judge that’s going to sentence them to death?”

“Ah.” I hadn’t thought of that. “I’m sorry. How should I call you?”

“Chang Wook. Do you want to call me Wookie?”

I blushed. “No. Please, no, I’ll call you Chang Wook.”

He stared at me for what seemed like ages. His gaze was so intense. I couldn’t blame the people who made him an actor. They weren’t wrong at all. I’d seen his performances and wished ever so many times that I could be his co-star. So I let myself look back into those eyes. Then his face broke out into a cute little shy smile that forced the corners of my mouth upward. When he opened his mouth, I was expecting something else to come out.

“Do you like dogs?”

My eyebrows must have disappeared into my hair from my surprise. “Oh. I….yeah. I suppose I do. Like dogs.” If I listened carefully, I was sure that I could hear Kai sniggering from the seat behind me. I bit back a scowl and refocused on Chang Wook’s shining face. He snapped his fingers at me and squirmed in his seat, his hands digging into the pocket of his jeans. When they withdrew, he was holding his phone. Unlocking it, he leaned closer.

“My sister has a dog,” he said. “The cutest little poodle.”

“Oh? Really?” I responded eagerly, leaning closer to him to get a better view. He scrolled through his gallery and, face lighting up, held out a photo. I couldn’t help but gasp in delight at the fluffy white dog that had draped itself over Chang Wook’s lap. “Aigoo, so cute!” Even the dog has great taste in men, I thought privately. What wouldn’t I give to do that? No! Y/N, you’re not supposed to think things like that. Stop it.

We spent quite some time looking through the pictures on his phone and before long, our conversation had surpassed poodles and hobbies. He described funny incidents that had happened during the shoots of his previous dramas, a memorable one being that he and Taejoon had poured glue into Nara’s hair during Suspicious Partner. She hadn’t spoken to either of them off set for a week.

I laughed so hard that I almost fell off the seat. Suddenly I caught sight of Taeyong staring at the both of us with something only a little less than murder in his eyes. Utter disapproval. I abruptly stopped laughing and looked down at my phone. Chang Wook, confused at my sudden halt, turned his head to follow my gaze. Evidently he had seen Taeyong’s expression as well, because he cleared his throat and leaned away from me. The rest of the ride was silent. I spent much of it staring out the window, fascinated at the beauty of the countryside.

“Wahh,” Kai breathed as he stepped out of the bus behind me. That simple sound summed up my feelings too. The wide Bukhan river stretched out in front of us, winding its way to where I knew the border was. The sun had just begun to set, the sky glowing in a thousand shades of red and orange. It seemed like the doors of heaven had been thrown open.

Kai squeezed my shoulder and I let out a huge sigh, letting the serenity of my surroundings seep into me. Even Sunho-ssi seemed at ease.

“It’s so beautiful,” I whispered to no one in particular. “I can’t wait to start.”

We bunked at a hotel for the night in the nearby town. But I could barely sleep. I was far too excited. Had I read the whole script? No. Did I know which scene we were going to shoot tomorrow? No. All I knew was that I was playing the unfortunate victim of financial crisis who returns ‘home’. Chang Wook was playing the young man from across the border and Kai the boy who lived nearby, the boy who my character was depending on. I sighed and snuggled deeper into my pillow. Whatever came, I would face it.

“Can you believe this?” I asked, coming up behind Kai. He glanced up from where his stylist was fussing over his hair. Temporary tents had been put up near the trailers for hair and makeup and last minute adjustments. I was tired and sweaty after the shoot. Kai was about to do his scenes and thankfully, I wasn’t in them. All I wanted to do was rest my feet. “I’m literally about to die and he wants the photoshoot done right now?”

“Wait, he wants the photoshoot now?” Kai choked out, rising from his seat. “I thought-“

“Calm down.” I forced him back down. “Yours is after your scenes are done. Sunho-ssi’s in a permanent panic mode.” I ducked a little to see myself in his mirror and fixed my hair. “Wook and I are doing ours now. We’ll wait for you. Don’t screw up your scenes.”

“Wook?” Kai raised an eyebrow. “You seem to have completely skipped the formalities. You got to know him so well in two days?”

I bit the inside of my cheek. There was no way I would admit to Kai that we had exchanged numbers and spent half the night texting. Kai would tell Chan and Chan would….well, what wouldn’t he do? Instead, I shrugged innocently. “Must be good chemistry.”

He smirked, seeing through my façade immediately. “Chemistry, huh? Don’t forget that you end up with me at the climax.”

I pursed my lips. “Gross. Who wants to be with you?”

“Y/N, it’s time to go.” Chang Wook’s voice filtered into the tent. “Where are you-Oh.” His tall frame bent to pass through the low opening. “You ran away from me to see him, huh? Kai-ssi…let her have a minute, yeah?”

From Kai‘s utterly bewildered face, I knew he was about to say something. “Ah, Wook-ssi, we should go, the photoshoot…” I slid up to him, my fingers curling around his wrist and dragging him out of the tent.

“Can you two please get closer?” the photographer begged. “You are lovers, can’t you show that here?” I glanced sideways at Kai, who had finished his scenes in a heartbeat. I suspected that he was desperate to see me make a fool of myself. I felt Chang Wook’s hand on my lower back and I let him adjust me close to him. I could feel the warmth of his breath on my shoulder. But then, he pressed his lips to the base of my neck and I jumped out of my skin, my shoulder connecting harshly with his jaw. He let out an exclamation of pain and withdrew, covering his mouth.

I smacked my forehead in frustration. “Chang Wook-ssi, I’m so sorry!” I reached up, ignoring Kai who was clearly having a field day in the back. “Are you hurt?”

He shook his head, removing his hand and smiled at me. “I should have asked your permission first. I’m very sorry.”

“It’s okay, I was just surprised.” I turned back around and he fit his body behind mine again. I swallowed, determinedly avoiding the back of the room. Chang Wook’s hands slid around my waist. His lips brushed over the skin on my shoulder before firmly kissing my neck. My eyes fluttered closed. Gosh, I’m enjoying this way too much. His grip on me tightened and for a split second, I let myself believe that he was too.

“What the heck is wrong with you?” Kai hissed in my ear after the photoshoot. I had certainly been more comfortable with him than with Chang Wook. He was my best friend, after all. We had already passed the awkward stage and now he could literally do anything and I wouldn’t flinch.

“What’s wrong with me?” I asked him, following Taeyong and Kai’s bodyguard (what was his name? I forget) to our car. Seeing the back of Taeyong’s head, I remembered that he had been cool for the past few days. Maybe I could be friends with him after all.

“Did you even see the way he was looking at us?” Kai asked as we climbed in the vehicle. “Jesus, I’ve never had someone look at me with murder in his eyes.” He shuddered, clicking his seatbelt into its lock. “Why couldn’t you have been more touchy with him and not me? Aishhh.” He hit his head against the glass of the window. “You’re really stupid.”

“I second that.” The voice came from the passenger seat up front. What?!

“Yah!” I burst out. He looked sharply at me through the rearview mirror. “I mean, Taeyong-ssi. Why are you calling me stupid?” He looked at us. Was that a smile he had on his face? Sure, a smile that was making fun of me. But dang, he was smiling?! “I can’t believe this. You two are ganging up against me now?”

“It’s because you go around completely oblivious of life and make everything worse,” Kai interjected. “You’re just dense. That’s all.”

“Wow. Thanks.” I muttered. “At least I’m not a coward.” I folded my arms. “How’s Sehun, by the way? You, uh, talk to him recently?”

Kai promptly turned red. “Oh. Um. No.”

“And why is that?”

“Yah, you know I’ve been busy.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

“Yah, where do you think you’re going?” Stiff calloused fingers wrapped around my wrist and yanked me back. “Are you crazy? That’s the border.” I glared up at Kai and wrestled my arm free.

“Why do you care?” I shot back. “None of you give a damn about me anyway. Let me cross it. With luck, I’ll get killed.” I turned back around to gaze fiercely at the river, wind whipping through my hair.

“Why are you being like this?” He shouted. “Can’t you understand? Don’t you know what they’ll do to you?” He reached out and gripped my arm again.

“They’re not dangerous,” I whispered, my voice barely heard over the wind. Kai froze.

“It’s him, isn’t it?” He spat.

I closed my eyes. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You’re going to see him, aren’t you? Your boyfriend from across the river?”

“He’s not my boyfriend!” I yelled.

“Then why do you care?” Kai steered me away from the river.

“He’s in danger!” I cried, pulling as hard as I could to get away. “I need to help him!”

Kai roughly grabbed my shoulders and shook me. I was stunned into silence. “Listen. There’s nothing you can do for him. If you go to see him now, he’ll only be in even more danger. So if you want him safe, listen to me. Don’t cross the river.”

I burst into tears and fell, limp. Kai stood over me, unsure of what to do for a moment, but then lifted me to my feet.

“It’s for your own good,” he whispered. “Stay away from the river.”

“CUT!”

Kai immediately let go of me and I fell to the ground. “Ow!” I whined. “What was that for?”

He pointed at his arm, where my fingernails had cut through his skin. “For that.”

“I hate you.”

“I love you, too.”

“Y/N, Kai, please clear out.” The director’s gruff voice reached us and I scrambled to my feet, bowing and rushing out of frame. I stood beside Kai, watching the others act, when suddenly my stylist came over with my phone. Chanyeol was calling. I thanked her and tiptoed to a distance away to answer it. The director hated it when we slacked off during a shoot.

“Chan?”

“Y/N, can you come see me now? Is your shoot over?”

I furrowed my eyebrows. “Now? Why?”

“Just come to my room. Please. But only if you’re done.”

I glanced quickly at the director and cameramen. I spotted Lucas and waved him over. “Chan, hold on a second.” I covered the mouthpiece. “Lucas, could you find out whether my scenes for today are over?” He nodded and dashed off to the assistant directors. I watched anxiously as he conversed with them. At last, he looked over at me and gave me a thumbs up. I smiled. “Yeah, Chan, I’m done for the day.”

“Then get your ass over here.” He hung up.

I sighed, scouring the area for Taeyong. I held my hand over my eyes, shielding myself from the light. I couldn’t see him anywhere.

“Looking for someone?” A voice spoke directly behind me. I jumped. Taeyong.

“Hey, don’t do that,” I pleaded, a hand over my heart. “You scared me.” He smirked. I’m going to ignore you. “Hey, can you drive me to the hotel? Chan asked for me.”

Taeyong shrugged. “It’s my job. Come on then.”

The ride back to the hotel was quiet. Not awkward, just quiet. As if Taeyong was aware that I wanted peace and quiet. I was grateful, anyway, but I was fully intending to start conversation.

“Have you been watching the shooting every day?” I asked curiously.

“Yes.”

“What do you think of the drama? Have you read the script?”

He shook his head. “I’ve heard the outline. I think it’s pretty interesting.”

“It’s inspired by a book. One More River by Lynne Reid Banks.”

“I’ve never heard of it.”

I smiled. “Not many people have. I have a copy. You want to read it?”

He let out a breathy chuckle. “Sure. Why not?”

When he pulled up in front of the hotel, I bounced right out, eager to give him the book. “Y/N-ssi, wait!” I heard him calling and slowed down only a moment.

I unlocked my room and kicked off my shoes, running to my suitcase to find the book. When I found it, I thumbed at the worn edges before turning around. Taeyong hadn’t come inside, choosing to respect that this room was my space.

“You can come inside, you know,” I remarked, handing the book to him. “I’m going next door to see Chan. You can wait here if you want. I don’t think he lets people into his studio.” He inclined his head and watched warily as I padded over to the adjacent room and knocked.

“Come in!” I turned the knob, but it didn’t budge.

I hit the door with my fist. “Yah! Idiot! Don’t tell me to come in after you locked it.”

“Crap, I’m sorry!” I heard him shuffling around. “Wait a sec.” I heard thuds on the other side of the door. I was aware that Taeyong was watching me from outside my room. And I also knew that he must be looking at me with that amused smile of his. With a sharp click, the door opened.

“What is it?” I asked, walking inside and plopping down on the sofa. “What couldn’t wait until I got back—Oh. Wendy?” I raised my eyebrows at the young woman who had just stepped out of the bathroom. Chanyeol slammed the door shut. “Chan…why am I here?”

“Don’t misunderstand, you pervert,” he snapped. “She’s working on the soundtrack with me. We called you here because we want you to sing for the album.”

I must not have heard him right. “I’m sorry, what?”

Wendy laughed aloud. “You’re going to sing. We called you here to listen to the track.”

“You want me to sing?” I couldn’t believe my ears. “Why me?”

“Good point.” Chanyeol’s phone rang suddenly. “Ah. What a coincidence.” He slid his finger over the answer button. “Yeah, Kai? Yeah, she’s here with me….Who?....Ah, hello, Chang Wook-ssi. Could you come over for a while?....no, nothing serious….Yeah, she’s fine. Could you—oh. Okay. Thanks.”

“What was that?” I asked furiously as he tossed his phone onto the bed.

He smirked teasingly. “Someone was pretty concerned that you weren’t there.”

“Why did you ask him over?”

“Both of you are singing a duet.”

My eyes popped. “Why with him? Why not with Kai?”

“Because that would be boring for me.” He shrugged.

“I can’t believe this,” I wailed. “The entire world is against me.”

“Oh shut up, drama queen.” Chan flicked my forehead. “Literally.” The doorknob turned gently and Taeyong poked his head inside.

“I heard someone crying,” He explained. “Are you okay, Y/N?”

I nodded and gave him an A-OK sign. “Yeah. I’m fine. Just…rehearsing.” He forced a smile and withdrew, the door snapping shut behind him.

Chanyeol started laughing. “Takes his work a bit too seriously, doesn’t he?”

“Yeah he does, and that’s a good thing,” I defended. “If something happened to me, you would blame him first, you hypocrite.”

Chan stared at me. “No. I would blame myself.”

Both of us glared at each other until Wendy broke the tension in the room.

“So, is anyone hungry?…”

Around two weeks later, I found myself completely unable to sleep one night. Sighing, I rolled over to switch on the light. Might as well get in some practice rehearsing the dialogues for tomorrow. I found my script and sat down on the sofa to look through it, highlighting my dialogues and mouthing them.

I was almost nodding off when I heard a knock at the door. I sat up, checking the time on my phone. It was almost midnight. Who was it at this hour?

I crept to the door and opened it slowly, just a crack. Chang Wook’s face smiled at me. I let him inside, confused, but glad to see him nevertheless.

“I couldn’t sleep,” he explained before I could ask. “I saw your light on and thought I could keep you company.” I smiled.

“I was rehearsing tomorrow’s scenes,” I offered.

He brightened. “That’s cool. Maybe we could practice together?” I nodded.

“I’ll be okay,” Chang Wook whispered to me, sliding a hand under my jaw. “You don’t need to worry.”

“How can I not?” I answered his silent plea. “You mean too much to me.”

“Nothing is worth your life.” He brushed back a lock of my hair. “I wouldn’t forgive myself if anything happened to you.”

“But you are,” I murmured, my fingers finding his shirt and gripping it. “You’re worth everything. I would do anything if it meant saving you.”

“You can do anything.” His face contorted in pain. “Anything except cross the river.”

“Then why do you return?” I asked, despair in my voice. “Stay with me.”

“My family,” he replied, sorrowfully. “They need me.” He moved my hair away from my face. “You’re so beautiful. But they would never accept you. You would be miserable there.”

“What do you want me to do?” I pleaded.

“Wait for me.” He sighed. “When this war is over, I will come back to you. I promise.”

“And until then?” I couldn’t keep the desperation out of my tone. “Until then?”

He glanced briefly at my lips. “Until then?” He leaned forward. My heart leapt. His lips pressed against mine and a shudder ran through my body. I responded meekly, trying hard to remain in character.

He broke away quickly but didn’t move away, his eyes searching mine.

What was my line?

“I will wait for you,” I murmured. “I promise.”

There was a long pause. I thought that he had forgotten his dialogue.

“Wook—“ The rest of my sentence faded into nothingness as Chang Wook tugged the script from my hands and tossed it onto the coffee table. “What—“

And then he was kissing me. Really kissing me. As if his life depended on it. His broad hands ran up the sides of my body, sending shivers through me, before finally coming to rest cupping my face. His fingers ran through my hair, pushing me higher through the clouds, dizzy. I whimpered involuntarily. The kiss was insistent, forcing through my defences, ripping my sanity apart. His lips never stopped moving against mine, breaking apart only to draw in a breath, kissing me over and over and over….

I gasped, pulling away. His eyes were hooded, pupils dilated, bedroom eyes. Pure seduction. I found that I couldn’t help but swoon at the strands of hair stuck to his sweaty forehead, the way his lips were red and slightly parted, how his chest was heaving up and down. I couldn’t bear to look at him for long.

“What are we doing?” I managed to ask, heart still racing. He seemed to ponder his answer.

“I like you,” he said simply.

The words went straight to my gut. “What?” I asked faintly.

He wet his lips. “I’m sorry if I….I’m sorry. But I like you, Y/N. I like you a lot.”

Where did words go? How to speak? What is my thought process right now?

I swallowed thickly. “I…I really like you, Chang Wook, but….” I hesitated. “I don’t know. I don’t know whether….whether I like you as an idol or as a man. I….I don’t know. I’m sorry.”

He nodded. “I shouldn’t have….I’m really sorry, Y/N. Take your time. I should go….um. Good night.” He stood up hastily, bowed and let himself out.

And me? I cried myself to sleep, hugging my knees to my chest.

What was I doing? I didn’t have a clue.

A/N: What am I doing? I don’t have a clue either. i promise you that this is a Taeyong fic and not Ji Chang Wook but honestly if you don’t like Ji Chang Wook, go home we aint friends the man is fine af

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cordonianchoicesqueen · 6 years

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Rewritten: The Royal Romance: The Hedge Maze (Part Seven)

A/N: I did actually pay for this diamonds scene the first time I read it and it was what made me feel like Liam was the only person for Riley... for a little while.

Summary: Riley and Liam sneak out after the Masquerade to the Hedge Maze. Riley is introduced to Bertrand and finds out about the financial difficulties the Beaumonts are facing.

Choices Chapter: Book One, Chapter Four

Disclaimer: Characters and main storyline from Pixelberry’s Choices.

Word Count: 2600+

Warnings: tiny little bit of NSFW, but pretty PG-13

The Hedge Maze

The King gave a short thank you and farewell then the party dispersed either back to their rooms in the palace or to the cars out front. Within fifteen minutes I couldn’t hear a sound in the building. I paced my room, watching the clock. I thought about changing but something felt so exciting about running around a hedge maze in a ball gown I couldn’t afford with a Prince who wasn’t allowed to be alone with me, especially at this hour. The shoes and mask however were abandoned at the side of my bed. Adrenaline coursed through my veins as I creaked open my door and tiptoed down the hall being careful to check for staff or security. I somehow found my way back downstairs and made a bee-line for the ballroom. The staff were clearing the room so I waited for an opportunity to sneak through and go out onto the veranda. As I made it out into the garden, I broke into a sprint heading for the hedge maze, feeling the dewy, well-trimmed grass beneath my toes. The maze was much larger then I thought as I got closer, the hedges towering above me. The tree at the centre with it’s elegant lights throughout the branches looked magical. Just as everything did in this fairy-tale world I’d found myself in. Out of nowhere, Liam materialised, looking even more dashing with the added touch that this wasn’t allowed.

“Cutting it a little close there,” I chided him, looking at my wrist as if I was wearing a watch. He sighed, “I was trapped in a conversation about table seating for tomorrow’s picnic but I managed to tear myself away from that truly awe inspiring discussion… for you. Shall we?” His eyes twinkled, a handsome quality, and he offered me his hand. I liked the way he did that. Always giving me the option to either walk alone or with him. It was my choice. It was an easy choice. I took his hand and we approached the maze, “it really is beautiful here at night.” I gestured over to a colossal fountain depicting dolphins jumping and lights cascading through the spitting fountains. “I wish I could take all the credit but the gardens out here were my mother’s vision,” he said with pride, “it was her last wish. Sometimes when I stroll this garden at night, I think of her.” I squeezed his hand as we paused. He looked up at the star-studded sky, more stars than I had ever seen. The city lights in New York drowned out the natural sky and seeing it now, I was filled with wonder and how I had survived without this spectacle for so long. “I’m sure she would have appreciated how much you care for her garden and her creativity,” I said softly. “Thanks. The garden holds a lot of good memories as well. You probably think my games with Drake are silly,” he blushed. “I don’t know,” I said, “it… sounds like a lot of fu- TAG, you’re it.” I let my hand slip out of his, tapping his shoulder and ran straight into the maze. I hitched my skirt with one hand and ran my other hand along the wall of the maze with the other, feeling the cut hedges graze my finger tips. I could hear his laughter and his feet pounding the ground chasing after me. I knew there was no way he could hear what direction I was going with my bare feet carrying me at what felt like the speed of light. I kept my eye on the tree at the centre, trying to find the right path. “Cheater!” I heard him yell a little way off. I couldn’t help but let out an excited giggle as childish excitement pulsed through me. Despite my head start, I knew he was gaining. I turned a sharp corner and was faced with a straight path to the centre of the maze! With new energy I sped ahead. The hedge here arched over me and beautiful flowers bloomed from the walls. Fairy lights were strewn across wooden beams and I was mesmerised. I could hear Liam approaching round a corner connecting to my path and instead of going straight ahead I dug my heels in and stopped. As he turned the corner I jumped out at him. He let out a small yell and barrelled straight into me. We both went tumbling to the ground, but Liam’s reflexes were fast and he held onto me tightly to take the brunt of the fall. I lay on top of him as we breathed heavily, laughing. All pretence of nobility and monarchy disappeared. “We made it, I can see the centre just up ahead,” he said, our faces only inches apart. “I do believe I win,” I said, picking a blade of grass off his shoulder. “How do you figure that?” he raised an eyebrow. “Easy, I am on top,” I giggled. We both suddenly became very aware of just how close our bodies were. We could feel each other’s hearts pounding in our chests from running. You could have cut the tension in the air with a knife as my body straddled his. We both wanted each other, deeply, intensely. “Hey! We don’t know who tagged who here. I want a second ruling,” he teased, placing his hands on my hips, pulling me down onto him. “Well we don’t always get what we want… even princes,” I teased, whispering in his ear. He laughed. His gaze resting on my red lips. I bit my bottom lip, trying to control my desperate need to kiss this man, to strip him naked and have him kiss every inch of my body. I could only imagine that he was thinking the same thing looking into his craving eyes. “There’s something about you…” he shook his head, “that is just so right.” He cupped my face in his hand, his fingers warm and soft linger on my cheek. “I can’t help myself,” he whispered, caught in the moment. He pulled my face towards his and my desperate need for his mouth was answered. I feasted on his lips, as our kiss quickly intensified. He tasted like champagne and strawberries. His hands moved across my back, gripping me as close to his body as he could. I bit his lip and kissed down his sharp jaw line, licking the bone, sending shivers down his spine. He let out a small groan and arched his body against mine as I kissed his neck, sucking lightly and playing with his skin with my teeth. With an animalistic growl from the back of his throat he flipped me onto my back so that he was on top of me. It was a delicious noise that made me want to scratch my nails down his back and take off all his clothes. I wrapped my legs around his back but he was careful to not put all of his weight on me as he expertly kissed my lips and wrapped his fingers in my hair. I didn’t want him to be careful with me though, I wanted to feel his full weight against me. He kissed down my neck, gently, his hands on my tits and squeezing them. He hit a sensitive spot on my neck and I let out a whispered moan of his name. “Liam,” I said in ecstasy, craving him more than I had craved anything in my life. However, my call of his name had the opposite of the desired effect I wanted it to have on him. He seemed to shake himself awake and pulled himself from the dream we were in. “Oh, I’m, eh,” he stumbled, blushing, “we shouldn’t. We don’t know what will happen… I can’t hurt you... What if…” And like that the moment was lost as he stood up and backed away from me. That was the question. What if I am about to watch him fall in love with someone else. What if I am about to watch him literary choose someone else over me. I had known this man a day yet I wanted to give him everything. I trusted him and felt like I knew him but two intense days together did not mean I was the definitive choice. Olivia had said herself that she had known him since they were children. I did not have a bond like that with him. It was far more likely I was going to end up heart broken in this situation. No matter how you looked at it. “I know,” I said standing up and trying to shake some of the dirt off my now off-white dress. I didn’t want to look at him. I felt embarrassed for beginning to assume that we were on the same page, in the same position. We may have a connection but I was nothing. I felt small. He came up behind me and surprised me by wrapping his arms around me and whispering in my ear, “what is it about being around you that makes me want to break all the rules I’ve ever learnt?” I let myself sink into him, already at the level of comfort you’d expect to have from someone you’ve known for years, “maybe, you need someone like that in your life.” “Maybe I do,” he kissed my cheek. “This was unexpected… but it was perfect.” I felt the embarrassment ease as I could tell he was being honest. I wasn’t reading the signs wrong, he wanted me as badly as I wanted him. I guess he just had better control. “You laughed more in this maze than you did all night at that ball,” I finally turned in his arms to face him, snuggling into his chest. “I guess, I really needed this,” he enveloped me close. “Thank you, Riley.” “Thank you, Liam,” I said. We held each other for a moment, as equals. As two people without responsibility or somewhere else to be. “Will I see you soon?” I asked, looking back at his chiselled jaw and glittering eyes. “Yes, tomorrow. It will be very busy… but I’m sure I can find some time… for you,” he kissed my forehead. “I look forward to it,” I smiled, warmly but with still a twinge in my heart.

When I snuck back into my room I rest my back against the door and let myself slide down it until I was sat on the floor cuddling my knees. I was so sleepy but awake because of the jet lag, so sad but happy, so confused but so sure. A million thoughts in my head. Suddenly, I heard a tap at the door. So late at night, I wondered who it could be. I wondered if Liam had managed to get away from his guard, not wanting to be away from me unless he had to be. I opened the door. “Maxwell, hey!” I said, hiding my body behind the door as I was still wearing my white dress, now covered in dirt. “Sorry. I know it’s late but there’s someone you should meet,” Maxwell replied, with excitement. “Bertrand, this is the one I was telling you about! This is Riley!” Maxwell stepped to the side to reveal an imposing man with a stern expression. He was nothing like Maxwell, I could already tell by his stand-offish stance and the way his eyes sat stone cold. “This,” he said slowly, “is the girl you’ve chosen to represent our house?” “Yes! Nailed it right?” Maxwell exclaimed. “Riley, this is my older brother, Bertrand.” I realised it was probably weird I was still hiding behind the door and stepped out to shake his hand, “It’s nice to meet you, Bertrand.” He looked down at my hand with a scowl and took in the dirty marks on my dress and my dishevelled hair, “the proper way to address a Duke is ‘Your Grace.’” “Oh! I’m so sorry, Your Grace,” I said, dropping into a neat curtsey. He rolled his eyes in a very Severus Snape-esque style, “at least it looks like you can be trained.” I was so fed up of these nobles looking down on me that I couldn’t control what I was saying when I angrily and wearily replied, “hey, I’m not your pet!” “He doesn’t mean it like that,” Maxwell looked at Bertrand with pleading eyes. “Maxwell… a word in private,” Bertrand responded. Without waiting for a response, Bertrand grabbed Maxwell’s arm and yanked him further back into the hall. I turned around to give them privacy. Although I could just about make out what they were saying in hushed, angry whispers. “That’s the girl you picked to represent our family?” Bertrand hissed. “Yeah. Liam really hit it off with her when they met at the restaurant for his bachelor party. She was our waitress,” Maxwell said, positively. “A waitress…” Bertrand said but then repeated in an explosive whisper, “You brought a WAITRESS? I knew I shouldn’t have trusted you! We could’ve had our pick of any unsponsored duchess or countess in half of Europe!” “Well sure, but like I said, she and Liam have a lot of chemistry. I think he really likes her,” Maxwell said, completely ignoring his brother’s outburst. “I know you probably don’t care but she could make him really happy. Like I have never seen him look so happy kind of happy. Shouldn’t Liam have a shot at that, even if he is the Prince?” I smiled to myself. No wonder Maxwell was being so kind to me, a stranger. He was really just being a great friend to Liam. He thought I would make Liam happy and was going out of his way to make sure we had the opportunity to explore that. He knew making me happy would make Liam happy. “Spare me your sentimentality,” Bertrand grumped. “You’d better hope that this waitress doesn’t ruin everything.” I heard his heavy footsteps making their way back to my door. I turned, knowing I was doing a bad job of covering up that I had heard their entire conversation. Bertrand squinted his eyes at me, “we have to trust one another to be successful.” “Right,” I said nodding. “Perhaps Maxwell didn’t full explain this, but if our house puts forth the Prince’s choice, we’ll win fame and recognition…” Bertrand said clearly. “Something we could really use right now, because we’re actually kind of broke,” Maxwell pulled a face. “Maxwell! You overstep!” Bertrand yelled. “Sorry,” Maxwell sighed. “You’re broke? Is that why I had to sort out my dress for tonight?” I looked down suddenly wishing I hadn’t just rolled around in the dirt in something that wasn’t easily replaced. “That’s precisely why,” Bertrand said. “Sorry about that. We can only afford to get you the bare minimum through this process. No one outside of our family really knows how bad things are,” Maxwell said playing with his hands. “Do you get money if I marry the Prince?” I questioned. “Not directly but we get leverage through prestige. It would be best to get that leverage before others find out about our… situation. In the circles we run, if word got out of our financial ruin, it would be a scandal,” Bertrand exclaimed dramatically. “But our name is worth something at least!” Maxwell interjected. “At the very least, we can introduce you to the right people, get you invitations to the right events, even a couple dresses to help you through. I only regret that we can’t offer you more.” “Speaking of which,” Bertrand said curtly, “we must prepare you for tomorrow’s event.” “The Derby!” Maxwell said. “You know what a Derby is?” Bertrand looked at me raising his eyebrows. Completely on the spot, I felt like I was on a quiz show, “isn’t it just fancy horse racing?” “Basically, yes. It will be your first opportunity to make an impression on the press as they will be covering the event,” Bertrand did not give me any points for my correct answer. “The press love events like this, especially with all the tabloids taking a huge interest in the search for the new queen,” Maxwell said. “Everyone in Cordonia will be influenced by what is written about you. The monarchy serve the people. You will need the approval of the press and, therefore, the people to win Liam’s hand,” Bertrand explained. “The Queen will, also, be present. You must earn her favour.” Looking at my tired and overwhelmed face, Maxwell said, “we’ll speak tomorrow more about it. Nothing to worry about. You’ve got this.” Maxwell gave me a quick hug. “Goodnight,” Bertrand said already half way down the hall.

#rewritten #trr #choices #cordonianchoicesqueen #cordonia #choices trr #choices app #playchoices #choices fandom #fanfic #the royal romance #maxwell beaumont #bertrand beaumont #trrgang #prince liam #pb

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ss-squad-au-real-world-stories · 6 years

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Ch. 1

The following storyline is one big roller coaster ride of emotions. It will have its ups and it will have its downs. It will have its OMG moments and cliffhangers. Lots of cliffhangers (how else do you expect me to keep ya coming back?) there will be angst, drama, action, mystery, and possible love. Not sure on that yet, we’ll see where it goes. I will do my best to keep the language down. I’m not fond of using the F’ bomb, but words like bitch and asses may be tossed around. That’s about the most of it, but nothing too profane. I know that some of ya’s are under 18. So as to not get myself or you in too much trouble, I’ll do my best to keep the language in check. Just know that this story is all over the place and you read at your own risk. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!

Roman watched Logan working at his desk in his room while leaning on his door frame. He gave him a mischievous smile "Hey Microsoft Nerd, wanna a change of atmosphere?" Logan sighed, stopped typing on his laptop and looked up at Roman "What did you have in mind?"

"Well, I thought that maybe you could grab your car keys, a bathing suit (provided you own one) and we whisk Padre and Hot Topic off to the Beach!"

Logan mulled this proposition over in his head; he had been working on his thesis for a while, he looked up at Roman and smiled "That sounds... actually quite enjoyable. I'll text them and ask if they would like to go to the beach with us." Roman raised his hand and chuckled. "No need, they're uh, actually waiting for us downstairs." Logan stood up shaking his head in amusement "I see. So you decided on this before asking me. Very well then, I will be downstairs in about 15 minutes." Roman let out a childish giggle "Ok," and bounced out of the doorway down the hall.

Downstairs everyone waited as Logan got ready, excitedly chatting about the day ahead of them. "Now we all have sunscreen, right? We don't need any lobsters tonight." Asked Patton.

"Do not worry Patton; I have packed everything necessary for a good beach day." Replied Logan as he walked down the stairs, holding a large tote bag, with his beach towel wrapped around his neck. Patton smiled "Great, and I have the cooler packed with goodies to nom on." The roommates worked together to pack the car and set off for their beach adventure.

After a while of riding in silence, Roman slid in a Disney CD into the radio, when it started up everyone groaned. Roman pouted "Well, the silence was starting to bug me." Virgil shook his head in annoyance "That's what earbuds are for Princey. Try using them." Logan nodded his head in agreement "I hate to say it, but I must agree, I can't focus on my driving with your music blaring and bouncing around." Roman turned off the music and pulled out his phone mumbling to himself "No one appreciates good music that's all." Patton let out an amused sigh and went back to watching the scenery pass by out the window.

They continued to drive in silence. That is until... "YELLOW PUNCH BUGGY, NO PUNCH BACK!!" Screamed Patton and punched Roman from behind in the shoulder. Roman rubbed his shoulder in pain "OW!!"

"Did. Did you just punch Roman, Patton?" Giggled Virgil. Patton gave him an amused smile "Well yeah! A yellow Volkswagen Beetle was driving next to us!"

"Had I known we were playing Padre, I would have gotten you ages ago. Well, since you took the first strike, I guess the game is on. You in Virgil?" Virgil let out a small sigh, "Sure, as long as you both promise not to leave bruises like the last time." They both laughed, "Agreed." The rest of the ride was in silence as everyone was on high alert, carefully keeping watch for any more Volkswagons. Logan nudged Roman's hand at a stop light and pointed. Roman smiled and leaned over the back seat. He punched Virgil in the knee yelling like Stitch "BLUE PUNCH BUGGY!" Virgil glanced up to where Roman pointed and back at him. "Gah. Point to you." Then from behind Roman, he saw a black Volkswagon. He smiled at Roman and leaned forward, Roman's eyes went wide, and he looked in the direction Virgil was looking in and knew what was going to happen, but before Virgil could punch him "Black punch buggy, no punch back!" laughed Patton as he punched Virgil in the arm. Roman let out a sigh of relief knowing it was Virgil who got the blow and not him.

Logan let out a laugh "And with that Patton wins, as we have arrived at the beach. Game over." He turned into the Beach parking lot and parked near the boardwalk.

The four piled out of Logan's car, Virgil stretched and popped his back "Finally!". Patton gave a big smile and inhaled deeply "Mmm, smell that Ocean Breeze. Roman gazed out at the waves, "Breathtaking." Logan stretched and surveyed the beach; he points off to their left "That looks like the most optimal spot would be over there. We'll be able to see the car, and we'll also be close to the restrooms and water."

"Not to mention in good view of the lifeguards," said Roman.

They unloaded the car and set out for Logan's spot. Once they were all set up, Patton held up a bottle of sunscreen, "Who's first for sunscreen?!"

Virgil sat down under the umbrella "Uh, I don't plan on stepping out into the sun. So I'm good." Patton looked down at him with his (as they so fondly named it) Dad look. Virgil rolled his eyes "Ughhhh fine."

Logan pushed his glasses up on his nose and looked at Virgil "You know Virgil, even though you're shielded from the suns rays by the umbrella, the sun off the ocean can still affect you." Virgil was about to give Logan a snide comment, but two young women approach them. Both were holding a small stack of papers in their hand. The shortest of the two walked up to Roman and handed him one.

"Hi, my name's Nelly, and this is my teammate Kara. We're from the Orlando Swim team, and we're holding a Sand Castle Contest. Judging is at Sunset, and the first place winner will receive $20,000 and a family pass to Walt Disney World, 2nd place will receive $10,000, third place will receive $5,000, and honorable mention will receive a family pass to a restaurant of their choosing. We hope you'll join in."

Patton looked over Roman's shoulder and smiled at the girls "You bet! Thanks for the heads up." The girls smiled and walked away. Patton snatched the flyer from Roman looking at it. "OH MY GOSH RO WE HAVE TO DO THIS!! We're gonna have so much fun!"

"I concur, what say ye gents, shall we join in the festivities of Sand Castles?" asked Roman with his hand on Patton's shoulder. Virgil let out a sigh "Welp; there go my plans of hiding under an umbrella. Logan, you in?" Logan smiled "Well, I do have my sketch pad with so we could come up with a game plan." Patton jumped up and down with excitement "YAY!! I know we'll come up with something amazing!"

Roman surveyed the sand in front of them "How big should we go? I was thinking about something that maybe kids could go into?"

Logan took out his sketch pad and stood next to Roman trying to imagine what he may be seeing; he then started to draw "Hmm, That may be difficult, however, if we added some support here like this and maybe..." Virgil came up behind Logan and gently moved him back into a sitting position under the umbrella. Then Roman and Patton joined him as they leaned over watching him draw.

"That looks like a great start Logan. I'm going to go and start making the mud." Said Patton. Logan nodded his head, "Remember one pail of water to eight pails of sand!" Patton waved his hand to show he heard him. Virgil grabbed a huge brimmed hat from his backpack "I'm gonna go help him." and he walked over to where Patton was gathering the sand.

Roman grabbed a pail "And while your drawing and their making mud, I shall go and look for some seashells along with some driftwood. In the rules, it says that we're allowed to use the driftwood for decoration only. How long do you think you'll be drawing up the plans? So I'm back in time to help build."

Logan looked up at Roman, then to the sand where they were going to build and back at his pad "uh, I should be done in about fifteen minutes at the most. Before you go, could you relay that to Virgil and Patton for me please." Roman gave him a two-fingered salute "Will do" and headed off in the direction of Virgil and Patton.

While Logan drew, a Volley Ball struck him in the back of his head, knocking his glasses off into the sand. He swore in pain and then fumbled around in the sand trying to locate his glasses. He heard someone running up to him; he couldn't see who they were. "I am so soooo sorry. Are you ok?" Came a young male voice. Logan let out a frustrated grunt "It's quite alright I was more shocked than hurt, but it seems though that my glasses have flown farther than expected."

"Oh here, let me get them." a quick moment passed, and Logan felt a hand touch him, the hand turned his hand palm up, and he felt his glasses being placed into his palm "Here ya go." Logan gripped his glasses and put them on. The owner of the voice and his surroundings came into view "Thanks. Please be more careful next time." The young man nodded his head "Will do, my name's Thomas by the way. " He held out his hand; Logan took it and shook Thomas's hand to be polite "Logan."

Behind them, another male voice called out. "Hey Thomas!, Stop flirting and come finish this game!" Thomas let out a nervous laugh "Uh, I gotta go. Uhm, maybe later, you and your friends can come and join us for a round of Volley Ball?"

Logan looked at Thomas's friends and then back at the empty beach, "Thanks, but no. We entered the sand castle contest and well my one friend has big plans so that we may be at it all day." Thomas shrugged his shoulders. "Well, the offer still stands if you finish early. Bye!"

Just as Thomas met back up with his friends, Roman walked up to Logan with his hands full of driftwood. "Who was that?" as he got close.

"His name is Thomas. He suggested a game of Volley Ball later. I told him we might not be able to join him, as we're already committed to this contest and yet he still insists that should we finish early we should play at least one round with them. I, however, won't participate as you know I'm more of a cross-country runner and not a ballplayer, but if you and the others would like to play a game with them, that's up to you three." He sat back down under the umbrella and finished working on his sketch.

Roman looked in the direction of the game "Uhm they're a four-person team specs. You would either have to join in or force one of their team to sit out, but I wouldn't worry about it. That won't be for a while; we can figure things out at that time. If there's still time to play. You about ready?"

Logan held up his drawing for Roman to look at; he was amazed how each page was detailed and thought out on how they were to build the castle. He smiled down at Logan "Do you think we could move in after we build this?" Virgil walked up behind Roman and snagged the sketch pad from him "Let me see." he flipped through the pages "This looks really cool. Hey, Patton get a load of what Logan drew!"

Patton ran up to join his friends Virgil handed him the sketch pad "OH MY GOSH!!!!! It's amazing!!" Logan stood up and took his sketch pad back from Patton. "I'm glad you all approve. Let's start by marking out the walls."

"uh-oh" interrupted Patton. His eyes narrowed as he looked past his friends. Virgil gave him a concerned look "What's wrong Patton?" he asked. Patton raised his hand and pointed past Logan, they all looked to see what he was pointing at "It's Devleon and his band of miscreants."

Logan rolled his eyes at the sight of them; he turned back to his friends "We are all adults here. If they try to do something, we'll just report them." He clapped his hands to get their attention "That being said, we'll just stay a bit more vigilant so that we're ready, should they try to and do something."

Roman put his hand into the middle of their group "All for one!" the other's caught on to his reference and put their hands in "And one for all!"

Logan smiled at his friends "Ok, let's get to work, as I was saying before we should mark out where the walls will go. We can use these four pieces of driftwood to mark out the four corners to the castle."

Virgil pointed over his shoulder with his thumb "We have four pails of mud filled to start the walls with, maybe we could do a fire line to move it faster?" Logan nodded his head "That's an excellent idea."

They spent the next 2 hours working tirelessly on their castle, the base of the castle was finally complete. "ROMAN HEADS UP! INCOMING!" Yelled Patton from his side of the castle. A volleyball was flying fast towards Roman's side of the castle walls.

Before Roman could even react, Virgil quickly snagged the volleyball in midair before it could hit. "Nice catch Hot Topic. That was a close one." complimented Roman as he helped Virgil up.

The four friends looked around for the owner of the ball to appear. Just as they figured, it was Devleon "Hey coon face, Toss the ball back over!" he yelled at Virgil.

"After you apologize to my friends and I and promise to be more careful," exclaimed Virgil.

Devleon Shrugs his shoulders "I'm sorry the ball got away, but I can't promise it won't happen again. I can't control where the ball flies when we hit it." He gave them a malicious grin.

Virgil shook his head and chucked the ball back as hard as he could. Devleon caught the ball "Ya call that a throw?" he teased and turned back to his game.

Thomas walked up to them holding a tray of drinks "Looks like you all could use a refreshment after that encounter." The four took a drink from the tray and thanked him in their own way. "If ya want, I could stand guard for ya while you work on your castle."

Logan smiled at him "That's really kind of you Thomas. We wouldn't be keeping you from your friends would we?" Thomas shook his head "Nah, they all went to work." The four friends chatted for a few with Thomas about the castle, then got back to work.

Thomas watched Devleon and his friends play Volley Ball, the ball did fly their way a few more times, but with each attack, Thomas caught the ball and tossed returned it. Three hours passed, Thomas walked up to Logan "It's been about a half hour, and nothing's flown this way. I think they may have given up, which is good, cause I have to split soon. I have work in a few minutes." Logan looked at him dismayed "You should have mentioned something sooner. No need being late to work, because of us."

Thomas laughed "No worries, my jobs right there." He pointed over to the lifeguard tower. "Take it easy! Peace out!" He ran off giving them a peace sign as he ran towards the tower.

"Bye Thomas!" Called out Patton and Roman. Virgil waived "Peace out to you to Thomas! Thanks!"

"Alright, now all we have to do is decorate," said Roman, he handed each of his friends a pail with seashells and small bits of driftwood and seaweed. It only took them fifteen minutes to decorate, when they finished, they stepped back and admired their work.

"I'll go and find the Judges!" Exclaimed Patton. "I'll come with you" Virgil offered, and the two ran off together. "While they're gone, I'll take this side, and you take the other side so we can defend the castle from Devleon. Just in the off chance him and his friends try any more tricks, now that we're down in manpower.

Logan nodded his head in agreement "Good idea Roman." he took off to guard his side. A few moments passed, and Patton walked up to Roman.

"Judging will begin in two hours; the judges say that we're 6th on their list." He looked around "Where's Logan and Virgil?"

"Logan's on the other side of the castle keeping a lookout for Devleon. As for Virgil? I thought he was with you." replied Roman.

"He was, but since I needed to use the restroom, he said he'd head back here without me."

"Knowing him, he probably went to get more food for us on the boardwalk. Let's give him some time before we worry."

Patton looked back the way he had come "Ok...."

A half hour goes by when a teen walks up to Roman. "Hey, are you Roman?" he asks.

"Yea, who are you?"

"Jack. Some dude in a yellow bandanna asked me to give this to you." He hands Roman a piece of paper and walks away "Deuces!"

Roman reads the note and turns pale "We gotta go, now." he exclaims, crumpling the note into his pocket.

"What's up?" asked Patton, looking worried.

"They took Virgil. He's in trouble, grab Logan and catch up." He took off running. Instead of running to Logan he called out to him.

"LOGAN! SHAKE A LEG! VIRGE NEEDS US!" Logan came running around the corner of the castle to see his friends running away. It didn't take him long to catch up.

"What's going on?" He asked, trying to keep up.

"Devleon has Virgil...an.. and he's going to... to throw him in the Ocean... If...if we don't surrender our castle over to him," replied Roman between gasps of air as he ran.

"Well, he...He can just sw..swim to shore," said Patton.

"He can't swim." Gasped Roman "He didn't want you two to know." Patton's feet gained more speed after hearing that.

Logan reached the Jet Ski Rentals before the other two "Two Jet Ski's please." The owner eyed him "That'll be a hundred dollar deposit." Logan pulled out his wallet. "Here hold my Credit Card. We're in a hurry. A life is at stake."

the owner raised an eyebrow at him "What?" Roman slammed his fist on the counter "Just call the damn cops AND GIVE US THE KEYS!!" he demanded. Wide-eyed the owner handed him two sets of keys with the numbers 8 & 9 on them. They ran to the Jet Ski's and hopped on, Logan with Patton, Roman alone and headed off to find Devleon's boat.

*On Devleon's boat*

Devleon watched the shoreline through his binoculars, with Virgil tied to his boat with a cloth bag over his head. Virgil struggled to get free as he walked up to him. Devleon removed the bag and looked Virgil in the eyes.

"Sorry about that, my friends got carried away. You know you really shouldn't struggle next time. Just let the kidnapping happen." Virgil looked around at his surroundings; when he realized he was on a boat, he started to panic. "What the heck man?!" he exclaimed, "I thought we were chill! Take me back to shore and let me off, I.."

Devleon cut him off. "How about... no. I gave your friends a choice. Either you or your castle, so it's their choice, not yours." he went back to looking out at the water with his binoculars.

"They're not going to come for me; they'll just call the cops on you and have you charged with kidnapping. Now take me back to shore, and ya know what, we'll just forget the whole thing went down. Are you even listening to me?"

Devleon smiled as he saw Virgil's friends arriving on their jet ski's. He turned around and started to untie Virgil. "Seems your wrong, coon. Look for yourself." he handed Virgil his binoculars and pointed in the direction he had seen his friends. Virgil cautiously stood up and looked through the binoculars "I can't believe it, they’re actually trying to save me?"

"You wanted off?" Devleon giggled "Well, off you get." Virgil turned around to tell Devleon he couldn't swim, but it was too late. Devleon hit the gas pedal, and the boat engines roared, and lurched forward, the force of the boat taking off sent Virgil flying backwards off the boat hitting his head into the water.

"VIRGIL!" screamed his three friends as they watched him go under the water.

@thatsthat24 @thejoanglebook @tallykat3 @oresawesome @immacrazyfangirl @anxietystatement @bunny222 @wooflesthatwoof @wicked-rosie @tsfanart @anxiousangelvirgil @iris-sanders-athena @randomslasher @youtuberswithalex @just-an-anxious-mess @ts-storytime @lilkrazykat

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geminimoonbeamx · 7 years

Text

In the Land of Gods and Monsters: Part Four

A/N: this story, as I said, will continually jump from past to present until eventually the storylines meet up and we figure out exactly what’s happened and how it all built up to that. It’s honestly the biggest writing challenge I’ve ever given myself, but I’m really enjoying writing it.

Word Count: 2k+

Warnings: Cursing, Mild mentions of incarceration.

Summary: You knew what you were getting yourself into when you met Bucky Barnes. He was a known wise guy. A feared mobster. Everyone in the neighborhood knew his name. Funny, in retrospect, you think that might have been why you couldn’t help but be drawn in like a moth to a flame. This first and foremost, is a love story. Blood stained and littered with bullet holes, but the story of how you fell in love with the man none the less. Mobster!BuckyxPlus Size Reader

-Present-

Interrogation rooms in movies are dingy, dirty and dungeonous. They were fearsome cells that police men threw criminals like you in; right before they water boarded you until they got the answers they needed. Hollywood has a way of skewing real life though, of taking just the best bits and pieces and glamorizing them. Because yeah; you’d rolled ecstasy on yachts’ and gone to parties that would leave most others starstuck. Been in homes that could fit three of the apartment you’d grown up in- their living rooms.

But at the moment, as you sit in the uncomfortable plastic chair; there’s nothing glamorous about it. The room you’ve been sat in is clean and clinical; plain painted brick walls and linoleum floors. Small enough to make you feel antsy, but not a hole in the basement of the station. But still- it feels like torture. You stare, blankly, only blinking when your eyes start to burn from drying out, at the wall. At the dull grey, at the little flecks where paint had begun to fleck. You’d been focused on the clock mounted on the opposite wall, but that had been even worse. You’d go stir cray if you kept looking at that, so now your eyes just flashed to it every once and a while, checking sparingly.

You’d been in this room for eight fucking hours, including that little drop in with Fury that had accrued a few hours ago.

You were exhausted, physically- but the prospect of sleep seemed ridiculous to you. You couldn’t fucking sleep, every time you even closed your eyes to blink, even for a moment flashes of the previous night stabbed through you. The room wasn’t all that cold, and yet you felt chilled to the bone. Your arms wrapped around yourself tightly, the shaking had stopped significantly, but small tremors still rocked you. You knew this feeling all to well: shock. Your body had gone through this a handful of times over the years. It never got any easier to deal with.

The door handle jiggles and then opens and you could cry when you see the familiar face, the head of red hair that’s knotted in a sleek bun on the back of her neck.

Jean is being led in by an officer, the moment she see’s you her face softens and you try to force a smile. It’s more of a grimace.

“I’m her lawyer” Jean tells the secretary cop who’s still fucking babysitting you from his place at the little desk “I’d like to talk to my client in private, please”

Her tone is even, professional- but commanding. The man gives her a wary look, his gaze flashing to you for a moment before he stands; telling her that there’d be two officers just outside if you “Needed anything, Mrs. Grey”

You clench your teeth and scoff. Two, huh? Who did they think you were, some kinda’ Capo?

When the door is shut and the two of you are alone in the room and she’s giving you the first soft, truly compassionate look you’d had all day, you accept her hug. Lean into her taller frame, your eyes pricking threateningly. But you refused to cry.

“We’re being recorded right now” She whispers to you and you nod. Yeah, you’d figured.

“My babies?” You ask, desperate. She’d tell you, Jean had always been a very straight up kind of woman. Which you figured was why she was the lawyer of most of the wise guys; She’d been Bucky’s lawyer for years, had gotten him out of a slew of shit. Kept him with you, fought hard for his freedom even though most of the time he was guilty of the crimes he was being accused of.

“They’re okay, I made a few calls. Child protective services has to release them to the safest next of kin- I called Bucky’s sister. Rebecca will take them until we figure this out” She assures you as the two of you pull apart and you blow out a breath. Okay, that was…okay. Rebecca might not have been your biggest fan, but she was a good person. She’d take care of your children, get them out of the city until all of this blew over of it came to that.

You sit back down, her across from you at the small table.

“Y/N, this is serious. They’ve got a decade worth of evidence and they’re just looking for someone to hang with it. RICO’s been all over this for years, this is a federal case-”

You’re trying to listen to her, you really are. As she goes through the listing of charges, just had Fury had. But now that you knew your kids were going to be okay…the question that you had barley kept behind the floodgates seemed to overwhelm you.

With a shaky breath you interrupted her.

“Are they alive?”

And you were worried; about Steve and Tony and Sam. All of the people who had been in that situation with you- but she knew exactly who you meant. And you were absolutely terrified of the answer that she was about to give you.

“I don’t know, Y/N, the hospital’s keeping everything pretty locked up. I know he’s still in critical care, but there hasn’t been any reports of deaths. I’ve been checking, I promise”

That makes you bury your face in your hands.

Don’t cry, you command yourself. Don’t cry-

But how could you live without him? You and Bucky had built everything together; he was the foundation to your life. How the fuck could you be expected to go on living it if he wasn’t there?

“Y/N”

“Just…give me a minute” You tell her, without lifting you head, muttering it into your palms.

“We might not have a minute, we need to lay down a game plan because Fury will be back and he’s not going to stop until he’s convicting someone. The man’s a fucking bloodhound” Jean has never sounded this worried before and you take a deep breath and remove your hands, running them through your hair instead. Pushing the locks away from your face.

“You’re going to get out of here soon, they don’t have anything on you, you know they don’t-”

It was unsaid, but you knew exactly what she was trying to communicate. Bucky had always fought tooth and nail to keep your name clean, he’d made sure to keep the “business” from touching his family to the best of his ability.

-“They can only hold you for 48 hours without pressing charges- and you’ve already been here for nine. You’ll get out, but that doesn’t mean you’ll get away. They’ve got everything frozen- all the accounts. They’ve got taps and eyes on everyone- this one isn’t going away, Y/N”

Your stomach churns and you swallow the bile that rises up your chest.

“What do we do?”

She sighs, folding her hands on the table before looking you right in the eye “We need to start thinking about taking one of their offers. Fury’s offering you immunity for your cooper-”

Your face skews up and you reel back at her words.

“Excuse me?”

“I know, it’s not…ideal, but it can end up keeping both you and Bucky out of prison”

“And what? Condemning everyone else? Fuck no, I’m not doing that” you shake your head vehemently.

“Fury-”

“Can go to hell”

“Y/N, think about your kids. What are they going to do? Grow up with both of their parents incarcirated? Rebecca works at a diner for Christ’s sakes, she cant provide for them. And your accounts are frozen, they might stay that way forever. It’s time to start thinking about what you’re going to do to save your family. Your husband- and not everyone else”

This was hard, you felt cornored and wild and like you were about to be thrown into a panic attack. How could you make a decision like this?

“He would hate me”

Bucky would, he’d be so fucking upset. Because first and foremost; your husband was loyal. Known for it.

“He would get over it eventually. He’d get to watch his kids graduate from school and grow up-from outside of a 6 by 8 cell”

Don’t cry, don’t cry, don’t cry.

That’s your mantra once more. You cling to it.

You hadn’t been born into this life, or grown up in it…but you’d been accepted into it. It had been all you’d known for so long. And the first thing you learn, the first lesson this lifestyle had taught you was-

That there was no dishonor above disloyalty. The absolute worst thing you could do was snitch-

“I wont rat, Jean. There’s no fucking way” There’s stiff resolve in your voice and she deflates. She’d heard those same word out of various people. People who’d chose this honor code over their freedom. It was hard, and sad- but she knew there was little chance that you would be swayed.

You were loyal to your husband, undyingly so. And he was loyal to the mafia.

And both of you were about to go down with this sinking ship.

@buchonians @papi-chulo-bucky @geekyweed @kelly96q @missrobyn81 @iamwarrenspeace @docharleythegeekqueen @beccavesper @buckysforeverprincess @yslbucky @prettybubblesintheair @4theluvofall @huntressxtimelady @crazyplantladyy @welcometothelordsden @jacks-on-krack @peacefulwriter88 @thejenniferincident @lostinthoughtsandfeelings @eshia16 @shayla-markele @xotaku-baekx @rcsgcld @manlyflower @grande-and-thediamonds @xplussizereaderx @carryonmyswansong @quinntwilight @crazyplantladyy @badassbaker @honeydrippin-cutefattie @sophiealiice

Okay so I know I’m probably overwhelming everyone a little bit with all of these updates but I want to get as many in as I can before school starts back up(I’m in college and it’s a ball buster, guys) so while I have the time to write in really going to try and let the creative juices just flow. As usaul, let me know what you guys thought if this one! I absolutely love Jean Grey and I knew I wanted to incorporate her in this fic somewhere.

The more mob/organized crime films and docs I watch the more I realize one underlying theme. No one wants to be a rat, and I think in all her years of being in the life she would have had that reidderated to her. So it’s not surprising that she’s so adamant about it.

I just want to thank you guys so much for taking the time to read this story. I love you all so much! Let me know in the comments if you’d like to be tagged in upcoming parts of the series! Give me some feedback if you can! You guys are the best. And ps. The next chapter is where the smut starts😉😉😉

#bucky barnes x plus size reader #bucky barnes #bucky x reader #bucky barnesxreader #bucky barnes smut #mob!bucky #mobster!au #mobster!steve #jean grey #marvel au #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes x you #mob au

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maxattack-powell · 7 years

Text

Winter Break - Christmas

Winter Break - Christmas (1-17e) NSFW

***This is an original fic that fits in between the Luxury Date special and Book 2/Chapter 1 in my masterlist)***

Masterlist - go here for other chapters and related original fics

Disclaimer: The following are fics (adaptations from actual game chapters AND original works) to Choices: The Freshman and The Sophomore stories. It is a fictional adaptation. I do not work for Pixelberry Studios, the game developer or own the rights to the characters Chris Powell, Nicole or any other IN GAME character. All of the ORIGINAL characters, storylines and events were developed for my adaptation of The Freshman story.

Comments: I enjoyed playing Choices The Freshman… and then I found this awesome group of people and their works - I’ve loved it all, very much so. Deciding that I wanted more interaction than the options allowed, I’ve gone through the first book, chapter by chapter (omg painfully slow) to follow the story (95-99% I’d say) and add to it as I felt would benefit. Now I am doing the same to Book 2 as well.

Basically, I wanted to include certain things that weren’t really full fic worthy, adding more substance to the story. However, I did add some full size fic moments also… some are included in cannon chapters and some are their own full chapters in between. I wanted to see MC and Chris through their freshman year… with more angst, fluff, sweetness, real life and overall detail. So, if you like that pairing then you’ll be satisfied, otherwise sorry James & Kaitlyn fans lol. I even added some parts from Chris’s POV, so that we have a chance to see what he’s thinking, knowing what she experienced.

NSFW moments in this chapter - Mature Readers Only Please

Paring: MC x Chris

POV: ~MC~ or ~Chris~

~Chris~

Chris wakes suddenly due to a loud crashing sound. He turns his head and focuses on his door for a moment, not entirely sure if it was real or he dreamed it. After a moment he hears a pair of pounding footsteps flying by his door, followed quickly another set.

The second, slightly heavier set is also accompanied by his younger brothers angry muffled shouts. “MOM! She won't leave me alone! And she took my Captain figure, again! MOM!”

Chris shakes his head and lightly laughs as he hears his little sister’s cackle from further down the hall as both sets of footsteps fade. He stretches under the covers, suddenly realizing something. He reaches down to adjust himself, finding it futile. He rolls over onto his stomach, attempting to pin his hard length under his weight as he groans into the pillow. He knows it’s not the normal morning bodily function test that he and every other male has learned to deal with since their adolescent days.

No. This time it is from a dream. Or dreams really. Visions of MC are still flying through his mind, even now as he breathes into his pillow. Usually, dreams start to fade the moment a person wakes, but not these. The images, the feelings, the smells, they were all too real. Chris grabs his phone and opens his photos, scrolling through months worth of images, mentally selecting his favorites of her.

He contemplates taking a very cold shower and trying to put it behind him, or the alternative - taking care of it himself, which he knows would probably feel much better that the first option. He thinks about it though, and looks at the time on his phone. It was a few minutes after 10 a.m., which makes sense as to why his younger siblings were just making so much noise. He knows better than to assume he can sleep in while at home, but after last night, he still had hoped.

Deciding against both previous options, now knowing the time, he decides to send MC her morning text, still laying face down on his bed. ‘Merry Christmas Eve, beautiful’

He shifts on the bed as he waits for a reply, knowing she won't make him wait long. He groans as the friction from his movements don't relieve the pressure, but increase it.

He sighs. “Damn it.”

Chris begins to think he should have gone to the shower before he sent her a message, now unsure if he can make it through any interaction with her in his current state. He really wants to talk to MC, but at the moment he hopes she will just send a text so he can fix his grave mistake.

However, Luck decides to watch him squirm instead, as he receives a request for FaceTime. He sighs and hesitates, but only for a moment, knowing he doesn't want to miss the chance to see her eyes. He quickly adjusts again, thinking he may have made it better this time as he slides the screen to accept the call. While it connects, he leans the phone against his headboard so she has a decent view of him as he stretches down the length of his bed.

MC comes into view, her form still curled up under her covers as she waits for him to answer. He can tell she propped her phone up on her nightstand while she huddles under the warm layers. She doesn't notice the call has connected at first, so Chris takes the time to enjoy the wonderful vision in front of him. He even takes a picture of her bundled up form, her face peeking out just enough with her hair covering most of it as she looks down her bed and speaks softly to her dog Max.

She eventually realizes that the ringing has stopped, finally looking up into the screen. Chris was already smiling as he waits for her eyes to meet his, making her startle slightly from his intense yet humorous expression.

“Jesus, Chris. Even from Maine you can sneak up and scared the crap out of me.” She gasps out, her startled eyes wide.

Chris laughs and looks at her defensively. “Who called who, woman? How is this my fault?”

“You should have said something!” She accuses him, a small smile threatening to split her face as she mock glares at him from under the covers.

“What, and ruin my view? No way. I was enjoying myself.” He winks at her and she snorts in response.

“You're incorrigible.” She narrows her eyes at him playfully, peeking out a she tucks her nose under the covers.

“You like it.” He laughs.

MC doesn't respond with words, but rather lowers the covers momentarily as she hisses at him like a cat, her smirk simultaneously annihilating her attempt at a threatening response.

~MC~

She watches as he laughs through the phone with his handsome smile. His hair is disheveled in just the right way, making her want to reach through the screen and run her hands through it. She watches him shift slightly on his bed, causing his brow to crease with concentration as he looks away from the screen for a moment. Confused, she raises an eyebrow and waits.

He finally looks back at the screen and sees her expression. “What…”

“Um, what are you doing?” She scoots a little closer to see his face a little better.

She watches as he blinks a few times, looking anywhere but the phone as he attempts to answer. “I’m… uh, trying to get comfortable.” He lets out a short single laugh, almost more of a scoff directed at himself.

Her eyebrow reaches higher. “Can't you just roll over..? I’m usually not comfortable on my stomach either.”

He closes his eyes and tries not to laugh. “Yeah, that won't help.”

Still confused, MC looks at him questionably. She watches as he becomes highly embarrassed, rubbing his hand roughly across his stubble as he lets out a huff of air.

“Do you want me to show you why… why rolling over it won't help?” He looks at her in a very particular way, trying to get his point across.

After a moment something clicks inside MC, her face flushes hot immediately. “Oh…” She quickly pulls her covers over her head and begins to laugh with her own embarrassment.

Even with her blanket over her head, she can clearly hear him through the covers. “You're laughing? Really? I’ll have you know, MC. This is all your fault.”

She instantly rips the covers off her face, causing her hair to fly wildly around her as she looks at the phone astonished. “What?! How could it possibly? I’m in Connecticut!”

He shakes his head as he lets out a rough sigh, smashing his face into his pillow. She can barely hear his muffled response when he speaks.

“No, you weren't. You’ve been in my head all night. And every time I reached for you, I ended up with a cold pillow.” Chris’s frustration shows as he balls his pillow up, wrapping his bare arms under it as he lays his cheek down to look at her again, his expression one of pleasant surrender as he searches her face.

MC doesn't know how to respond right away, so she just watches him for a second. She absorbs the way his muscular arms are stretched out and under him, making his arms tight as they pull at the muscles down his side, watching as they flex with each breath. Her eyes make their way down his side and then back up his rippling back, finally seaking his eyes again.

“What did you dream about…” She says in almost a whisper, her eyes unwavering as they lock onto his.

“Uh... “ Chris lifts his head up and looks towards his headboard, a nice red flush sliding up his neck and coloring his cheeks enough to be noticable. He clears his throat and swallows hard as he focuses. “You… you really want me to tell you?”

MC feels her face flush to match his when he turns his eyes back to her. “I…” She stammers, now unsure of her question as he watches her contemplate.

Chris shakes his head and looks away again, “I don't want you to think I’m a creep, MC...” He trails off, embarrassed as he face plants back into his pillow.

“I don't.” She whispers. “I’m curious… I want to know what happened in your dreams that affected you so strongly…” She feels her mouth go dry as she acknowledges her wicked thoughts.

His gaze whips back to her steady eyes. “What?”

She gives him a little smirk. “You heard me Powell.”

He lets out a exasperated laugh as chews on his tongue as he tilts his head, a small smile trying to take hold. “You’re killing me.” He groans out.

She waits patiently for him to continue.

“It was just… It was a series of memories, and uh… “ His eyes flick to hers briefly before he shifts them down, suddenly very interested in some fuzz on his pillow. “...thoughts, I’ve had.”

“Like…” MC gently prods.

He shakes his head and looks at her again. “Like… when we first met… when we kissed that night, and every time after… when you were all at my game before I…” His face falls for a moment, but he shakes it off and grins.

“The ‘C’ you painted on your stomach… I have a lot of dreams about that. Apparently my subconscious knew to watch for you, way before the rest of me did.” He laughs at himself, almost in a scolding way.

“Those moments affect you that much..?” She gently asks, feeling her heart rate rise as butterflies fill her stomach.

He clears his throat again, looking down at the offensive fuzz. “Kinda, but… It was probably more the repetitive memories of us in L.A., on the field… and the way my mind continued the night, as if we weren’t interrupted…”

~Chris~

Chris feels his flush burning hotter and higher as it creeps up his chest to his neck, covering his cheeks. He suddenly feels very uncomfortable with her gaze on him. He's not embarrassed that he thinks of her that way, not at all. He can tell she's attracted to him, and he most assuredly knows how he’s attracted to her in return, so it makes sense to him what he's feeling physically.

He is worried though. Worried that MC will think just that - that he’s only interested in her physically, that he wants to use her. He’s thoughts are adamant; that’s not who he is. It never has been, even when he thought he might try it, because of what Nicole did to him. He shakes his head and swallows, worried that he’s possibly someone he doesn't want to be.

“Chris…” He hears her soft voice speak his name, so he takes in a breath and slowly meets her eyes.

“Yes?” He responds tenderly.

She pulls in her bottom lip and chews on it slightly, searching his face for a moment before she speaks. “That’s kinda a turn on…”

He just stares at her, unblinking, for what feels like an eternity. He finally swallows hard, her words completely registering. “Wait, what?”

She’s so still on the screen that he grabs the phone, pulling it close, thinking it's frozen. Then he sees it. The slightest curve at the end of her lips, slowly turning upwards. He lets out the breath he has been holding in a huge rush, his forehead falling onto the mattress while still holding his phone out in front of him.

MC speaks again, almost like she's been holding her breath underwater. “It’s exciting, to know you’ve been thinking about me--”

He groans into the mattress and cuts her off. He lifts his head enough to rest his lips on his left bicep, biting the taut muscle while keeping his eyes closed. “MC, I need to call you back later.”

Without looking he can hear the worry in her voice. “Chris, I’m sorry… I didn't mean--”

He shakes his head violently and opens his eyes, giving her a reassuring smile. “No ma’am. You didn't do anything wrong. I just need a shower. Right now.”

Chris stares at the screen until he sees her posture relax, letting him know that she understands everything is fine. “I really need to go though, talk to you later?”

She gives him a reserved smile, making him wink at her before he ends the call.

He tosses his phone on the bedside table and slams his fist into his pillow, his frustration reaching a new high. He groans and rolls out of bed, quickly grabbing a set of clothes and his phone before he leans out of his door, making sure the coast was clear as he jumps across the hall, hiding his erection behind a handful of clean clothes.

Chris quickly shuts and locks the door, making sure his siblings don't interrupt his time in the bathroom. He was used to them popping up just about anywhere, and this was not a good time for that to accidentally happen. Throwing his stuff on the counter, he turns on the water, but instead of cold he lets it become warm, almost hot.

As he waits for the water to heat up, he removes his boxer briefs and grabs his phone. Steam begins to fill the room as he scrolls through pictures. He looks for MC, some from their first quarter at Hartefeld, such as random times around the suite and on the roof. Others from the formal where his eyes scan up and down her curves wrapped in that perfect dress.

He scrolls again, to more recent pics. A few from their trip to L.A., where he can see her sexy football outfit and a picture he snuck when she was asleep on the plane back to Hartfeld. Her lips were slightly parted as she slept. He remembers her soft breath running across his neck when she was tucked against his chest. He groans as he thinks of those lips, wishing he could taste them now.

Chris continues to scroll, looking at pictures of her she's sent or he’s saved during their conversations on break. A few times she sent him somewhat flirty pictures, where he could see a little cleavage or her exposed hip, like that one from the first night. The memory makes him quickly scroll to that specific picture, knowing the moment he had opened it, that it would be one of his favorites. Forever.

His eyes drift along her fair form, her tousled hair covering half of her face while part of her eyes and smirk remain exposed. He shifts his gaze down her smooth arms, her halfway visible cleavage, her sloping waist into her sharp hip bone, showing just enough of her panties before the photo cuts off. He tosses the phone onto the counter and quickly checks the water, the temp hot enough to almost turn the room into a sauna.

After turning the water temp down slightly, he steps in and leans his head against the wall as the water beats his back. He turns slightly, facing away from the water stream and closes his eyes. He starts imagining being there, in that moment, on the bed, with her. He groans and reaches down, getting a bit of conditioner in his hand before grasping his hardening length. He starts stroking it as he imagines her shifting in front of him, running her hand down his neck and onto his chest. Her touch light on his skin, but heavy enough to build the anticipation as she gives each sculpted muscle its own adoration, slowly making her way down to his lower abdomen.

He fantasizes her running her hand across his hip, down his leg to his mid thigh. Once she runs her fingers down the closest leg, she slowly moves her fingers back up. This time closer to the inside, brushing exceptionally close to his manhood as she goes back up, circling around his belly button and playing with the area above at his elastic band, before trailing back down the other leg. Chris squeezes himself more firmly, slightly speeding up his rhythmic movements as his breathing frequency increases.

He can see her clearly, feel her touch as he imagines her smell, the one he's come to know so well, making him want to taste her. He knows what her lips taste like, what her neck smells like, but he wants to taste her. All of her. He wants to kiss his way down her neck, sucking on her pulse and nipping at her tender flesh until she shivers under him in pleasure. He wants to make her pant with his calculated touches.

Chris imagines moving down her chest before moving to her adorable stomach. The stomach where he always visualizes his red ‘C’, but only for a few moments before he moves even lower. He grunts as he tugs harder as his erection, the heat in his lower abdomen pooling up, making him sweat, even in the shower. He envisions her hand moving back up his other leg, this time directly crossing his extremely hard length as it strains to break free from his restrictive underwear.

Chris gasps in the shower, clenching his eyes tighter as he imagines her reaching up and pulling the edge of his uncomfortably tight boxer briefs down. He would raise his hips slightly, helping the fabric slide over his tense hips. He envisions her running her hands up around his midsection, tracing the V shape his muscles make as they head to his ridgid length.

He speeds up his actions, increasing the friction on his engorged member, now breathing hard as he imagines her hand on him, stroking him with her smaller but firm grip. He knows it would feel a thousand times better than his own calloused hand, but he makes due, and pretends it’s her instead. As he increases the frequency of his strokes, Chris’s eyes close tightly as he fantasizes her warm hands grasping him, pumping feverishly as she gives him a sultry look.

“Ah, MC...” he groans huskily.

He imagines her slowly leaning down, her breath tickling the inside of his thighs as she looks up at him. Her big hazel eyes sinking deep into his. He shakes his head though, knowing that's not what he would do with her first. He would flip her, laying her comfortably on the bed before he removes all of her clothes. As he frees her from the offensive materials, he would run his hands and lips over every square inch of her body until she was writhing under him, begging for more.

That's what he wants.

hat imagery is what does him in, as he continues to stroke himself repeatedly, panting with his eyes closed as he sees her face. Her expression filled with pure pleasure, her lips parted as she arches her back and she flexes towards him, gasping his name. Only his name. Chris suddenly bucks his hips into his hand. He reaches his climax before he actually realizes it’s near, his mind still on her soft skin and engorged lips, while her body moves in waves under him.

He grunts a few times as he pumps through his climax, sighing when he finally finishes, keeping his eyes closed as he envisions her doing the same from his reciprocal touches. After a moment he lets go, turning to face the wall. He leans there for a moment, his forehead still resting on the cool tile as he lets the hot water soothe his tense muscles. After a few minutes he feels his heart rate finally level out, his breathing becoming even and balanced once again.

Chris leans back and lets the water rush through his hair and over his face. He quickly scrubs his body and washes the mess of hair, knowing he has been in the shower too long already and doesn't want to raise any suspicion about it.

When he steps out, Chris wraps a towel around his waist and leans towards the counter to grab his toothbrush. Once Chris finishes with his normal routine, he attempts to dry his hair as much as possible. He knows it's Maine Cold outside. Meaning, the house will have a chill no matter what the temperature inside is set to so it would benefit him to limit his exposure. After he gets dressed, Chris tosses his dirty clothes in his room and pauses in the hall, pulling his phone out of his back pocket.

He thinks back to how quickly he cut MC off, feeling bad about it, and immediately sends her a text. ‘Sorry about earlier, can we FaceTime later - when it turns midnight..? I have a surprise.’

Chris puts the phone back into his pocket and heads to the living room. He finds his little sister on the piece of furniture deemed the ‘timeout chair’ ever since he let their old dog run through the house, completely covered in mud when he was eight. She had the same look on her face that he had on his back then, making it hard for him to hold his laugh in.

The small blonde snapped her gaze towards him, narrowing her eyes at the sound of his laugh.

He shakes his head. “What did you do, Jo…” He asks, more of a statement really, knowing his little sister all too well.

She crosses her arms and juts out her chin towards the kitchen. Chris turns to look in the direction she's glaring in, seeing his brother and mother. His mother looks up from loading the dishwasher, her eyes meeting his with a frown. She sighs as she glances at them both. His brother Kyle is sitting at the kitchen table, shooting daggers back at his little sister. Chris walks over to the counter, keeping an eye on them both as he approaches his mom.

“What is going on? I woke up to crashing sounds and what I assume was a high speed chase down the hallway.” He juts his thumb behind him, towards his room.

His mother reaches for something on the counter and tosses it at him. He easily catches it, his football handling skills coming in handy. He turns it over and realizes that it’s his old Captain America figure.

He turns to them both, his brows creasing with irritation. “This is what I heard earlier? You guys are fighting over this?” His eyebrow arches up as he holds it up for them to clearly see.

When they dont answer and look away from him, Chris becomes a little angry. He’s only been gone for a few months and they are acting like wild animals. He knows his mom doesn’t have the energy to deal with them if they keep it up, not with the hours she has at work.

“Seriously you guys? I leave for one quarter and you both tear the house up and give mom hell?” He sees them both shift uncomfortably under his scrutinizing gaze.

“Don't make me lock all the cool stuff in my room before I leave.” Both sets of eyes snap up and look at him wide eyed. Finally having their attention he continues, calmer now. “You guys know I’ll do it. I'll go see Kenny at the hardware store and put up ten different locks to keep you jackasses out if I have to.”

Kyle and Jo both look down, regret crossing their faces. Chris just stands there and waits, letting it sink in that this behavior has to stop. They were bad enough when he was around, he knows it has to be tough for his mom without his interference.

“Well? Do I get to spend the rest of my winter break with my sista and brotha, or am I stuck with two hellyans who won't give their motha a break?” His his accent becomes a little more pronounced as he raises his voice slightly, determined to get his point across.

They both look up to him, then to each other, silently agreeing to a truce with a nod. Chris nods as well when he sees it, putting the Captain America figure back on the counter.

“Alright. Get your freaking jackets on you jokers. We’re going out in the snow.” He claps his hands and turns towards his mom, receiving a thankful smile in return.

“Ah, I’ve missed you Christopher.” She laughs and gives him a kiss on the cheek when he comes around the counter and gives her a hug.

Kyle and Jo jump up from their spots and speed walk towards the front door, avoiding causing more trouble by tearing through the house again. Chris grabs a homemade blueberry muffin from a stack further down on the counter as he passes, ingesting it in less than three bites.

He hears his mother cluck behind him as he heads to the front door as well. “Chew your food, Christopher.”

Chris quickly swallows and nods. “I did… three whole times.” He grins at his siblings as they stifle their laughter behind their gloved hands.

He hears her sigh, following with a faint. “I swear…”

Chris gets his jacket and boots on in record time, easily catching up with his younger siblings. He playfully bumps Kyle as he's trying to steady himself as he adjust his pants over his boots. “Come on man, we’ve got some snow to enjoy.”

Kyle laughs and stands up straight, but only for a second before he uses all of his force to shove Chris back. Chris shifts his weight to adjust, but otherwise doesn't budge, making Kyle grunt and push harder against him.

Chris laughs and pats him on the back, noticing that his little brother is becoming noticeably stronger, but almost nothing can move Chris if he doesn't want to. He quickly bends over and grabs his younger brother, tucking him under his arm like a bundle of wood and walks outside as his sister opens the door with a grin splitting her face in two. She sticks her tongue out at Kyle as Chris passes. The oldest doesn't miss the behavior and quickly grabs her the same way, walking outside with them both tucked under his arms, each sporting matching glares.

He turns his head around and yells, “Hey Ma--” But instantly stops when he sees his mother already at the door, grinning at them all as she gives a small wave and shuts it behind them.

Chris walks over to a deep snow drift and drops both his younger siblings in the middle. They let out matching shrieks as they flail around, sputtering as they wipe the snow from their faces.

He keeps walking, towards a specific area of their yard that has forever been the Snowman Section. “I told you two to cut it out.” He yells over his shoulder, not turning to look as they collect themselves and run to catch up.

When they reach his sides he glances at them both, his face turning serious again. “I mean it you guys. Mom doesn’t need this. If I hear that you start acting like that again, we’re going to have a problem. I’ll drive the six hours to prove it too.” His eyes narrow slightly. "You hear me?"

He looks at them both and receives two conformation nods, this time knowing they clearly received the underlying message. He kneels and pulls them towards him, wrapping an arm around each of them. They hug him back, the three of them staying like that for a moment as Chris holds them tight.

“I miss you guys. Do me a favor and behave like I’m here all the time, okay? It’s not easy for me either.” They both nod against him and he pats their backs before he stands again.

He claps his hands and looks around for a good starting spot. “Alright, what's the plan? One huge snowman? Every man for himself?”

The three discuss their options and finally make a decision. Each will create their own snowmen or objects in the snow. His siblings head over to the shed and dig out their different snow tools and decorations. Chris remembers he had sent MC a text a while ago and pulls out his phone. He has yet to receive a response though, making him frown a little, thinking back to all of their conversations so far during the break. She usually replies fairly quickly, until today that is. He starts to wonder if his abrupt reaction ending the call earlier had upset her in some way.

He stares at the screen for a moment, trying to decide if he should say something else or let it go for now. Noticing his sister running back towards him, he decides to wait for now and stuffs the phone into his back pocket. He wasn't ready to tell them about his friend MC. He knows, even at their ages, that his siblings won't take kindly to the news, still having some memories of his behavior shift during his senior year at Cherryfield High. Its just now been over a year since he started down that ugly path.

He definitely wasn't going to bring MC up to his mother, knowing she would probably deeply frown and ask him a lot of personal questions. Questions he didn't know the answer to yet. Questions he and MC would need to cover before he felt comfortable bringing her up to any of his family. Not because he was ashamed or scared to be connected to MC, but because he knows what his behavior did to his family, his friends, his school… the entire town. He sighs and shakes his head, trying to lose the guilt that is starting to creep in.

Chris makes himself busy, helping his siblings collect snow for their projects as well as his own. Halfway through their builds, a black Ford Bronco pulls up. Chris immediately straightens, recognizing his friend Ryan’s ride. He and Ethan step out and walk towards Chris, the three of them giving their typical greeting nod.

Chris looks at Ethan, then the Bronco, and back to his redheaded friend. “Where’s the truck?” He looks at Ethan curiously, knowing how much his friend loves his truck, rarely seeing him without it.

Ethan shrugs it off. “It’s at the shop, radiator went out so Mr. Johnson is replacing it for me. I gotta pay for the part and he’s letting me clean up the shop for the labor.”

“Need any help?” Chris offers, still packing snow into his creation.

Ethan shrugs again, “Nah, I’m almost done with it actually. Thanks though.”

Chris nods and flicks some snow off his glove towards Ryan, hitting him in the face as he watches the kids squabble over whos snow was whos.

He sputters when some makes it into his mouth and brushes off his face. “What the hell man…”

Ethan turns his humorous expression to his slightly shorter friend and snort laughs. “Maybe it will teach you to shut your mouth, standing there looking like a damn Cusk.”

Chris chuckles as Ryan finishes wiping the snow from his face, so he can shoot Ethan a glare. “Don't make me pack snow in your asscrack.” He forcefully points down for emphasis.

Ethan just stands there with a smirk as he crosses his arms, daring his feisty friend to follow through. Chris watches as Ryan attempts to let it go, his chest rising and falling with controlled breaths as he contemplates his next move. He actually does better than Chris would have thought, making him wonder if Ryan has been working on his reactionary behavior during his first quarter at college.

Unfortunately, Ryan only lasts about a minute, maybe a full 90 seconds, before he lunges at Ethan. The slightly taller and wider redhead locks arms with his stocky raven haired friend. They start grappling right there, both digging their legs into the snow and leaning into each other.

Chris sighs and turns to look at his snow sculpture, suddenly worried of their proximity, knowing how quickly things could go south. He decides to move them away, quickly taking a few fast steps in their direction, wrapping his arms around them both and pushing them away, making them lose their footing and tumble over into the snow.

They could care less though, still grappling with each other, now on their sides and completely indifferent of their new perspective from on top of the snow. Chris laughs and turns back to his unique snowman. He doesn't want anything bad to happen to his idea as he has spent a lot of time on it already, and he needs to get it right.

After five exhausting minutes wrestling in the snow, his friends get up and brush themselves off. Both finally conceding to a draw, the usual outcome. They split and head over to Kyle and Jo, offering assistance to Chris’s siblings. Kyle had decided to build a giant snowman, so Ethan helps him collect and roll large snowballs over to add to the ones he had already created. Ryan asks Jo what she’s working on, causing her to put her hands on her hips as she makes a face when he can't tell.

He scrambles for an excuse, telling her that he’s not very creative and can't see what things are until someone tells him. She seems to buy it and relaxes as she shows him what she had been working on. Turns out, once she tells Ryan it was a shark, he could actually see it. Chris just laughs to himself, trying to hurry with his snowman so he can help his siblings and friends.

A few minutes later he steps back, assessing his work. Something was missing. He turns and heads to the flower beds around the house, picking out two tiny and one medium size stones, all black. He walks over and carefully places them in the right spots and steps back again, this time accepting it as done. He pulls out his phone and takes a few pictures, the last few selfies with his work. He pulls up his messages and shoots a few to MC before he heads over to his brothers and sister.

It doesn't take long to receive a response, the message almost unreadable. ‘OMGwhatdidyoumakeisthataSNOWMAX?!’

He laughs quietly, to not draw attention as he replies. ‘He forgives me. Hope you do too.’

MC’s response is a picture of her and Max, both smiling together in front of her Christmas Tree. ‘Nothing to forgive. Thank you for my Snow Max.’

Chris types a reply without thinking. ‘Anytime baby.’ The moment he hits send, he feels instantly cold, his eyes staring at the text while it mocks him from beyond.

“Shit.” He says under his breath.

Ethan is the only one to hear him as he looks at Chris questionably while arching an eyebrow. He receives a quick shake of the head from Chris, brushing it off, while he’s trying to forget what just happened.

Chris tried, but he couldn’t let it go. He wasn't sure how MC would feel about it, and that bothered him a little. Honestly, he wasn't exactly sure how he felt about it, knowing that they weren't officially together, he didn't want to appear like he was pushing himself on her. He was concerned it may come off a little too forward.

He thought about texting something to recover from his slip up, clenching and unclenching his jaw as he stares at the screen. He finally decides to let it slide, hoping she won't notice, and if she does, that she wont have an issue with it.

He sighs as he walks over to his friends and distracts himself with the artworks in front of him.

~MC~

MC is still looking at the pictures Chris sent. Zooming in and looking at all the work he put into the snowman of her beloved dog. It makes her smile. Then of course, she spends some time looking at the selfies he sent. On those she really zooms in, smiling harder as she sees his face. He looks happy, but then… there's something else there. He almost looks apologetic.

She frowns as she ponders why that might be, then she realizes as she scrolls that she missed a text from him earlier. MC immediately feels bad, realizing that he may have thought she was ignoring him after his abrupt departure during their call earlier in the morning. She knows he was already feeling awkward about that conversation, making herself frown.

She wasn't mad or upset about that, at all. Actually, it was more of the opposite. She felt… flattered. There was something about knowing that he wanted her, yet was sticking to his word and giving her control over what they did and when. It helped her feel more and more comfortable around him, knowing that he wasn't going to try anything. She used to think she could trust him, and now he was proving it, making her feel comfortable with the idea of them as exactly that… them.

MC starts typing an apology for missing the text. ‘Sorry, I didn't see your text earlier. I'll be there at midnight. Don't forget about me.’

But before she can hit send, his reply to her thank you for the Snow Max comes through.

‘Anytime baby’ Her breath catches in her throat as she reads it, and rereads it, and rereads it. “Baby…”

He said called her ‘baby’, again. It makes her wonder if he did it on purpose this time. Her body begins to tingle at the thought. After the way he was talking this morning, she hopes it is intentional, the idea becoming quite trilling to her. However, since she isn’t sure, MC decides to send her previously typed response and wait to see if he does it again.

Only a second passed before he sends his reply. ‘Impossible’

She grins and grabs Max, hugging him tightly. She loves her dog, but she can't deny that she’s wishing it was Chris she was hugging instead. Max doesn't mind.

Hours pass as she visits with family members on Christmas Eve. Her mom made a big dinner and invited her Uncle and his family over to join them. Basically the same thing they do every year. She had a great time playing with her cousins and joking with her Aunt and Uncle, but she was eager to talk to Chris. She can’t stop her curiosity from growing all evening, needing to know what he has planned.

Eventually her Uncle’s family leaves, his kids passed out and slung over his shoulders as they walk to their car. She hangs out with her parents for a while, watching different Christmas Specials that are playing such as The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, Frosty The Snowman, and Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer. The last is her favorite. She wonders which special is Chris’s favorite, knowing that someone as excited about Christmas as Chris had to have at least one.

She sends out texts to all of her friends. Including the ones here, at home, and the new ones she's made at Hartfeld. Some respond right away, others take their time, but they all tell her something similar in return and share stories and pictures of their holiday. She smiles as she misses her Hartfeld friends.

Especially Zack, as she has grown even loser to him over the break through their many texts and calls. Sometimes he would ask her about Chris, how things were going with him, if he was behaving. She always picks up on his protective tone or comments, making her smile and feel beyond happy to have such a loyal friend watching her back.

As the time passes, the communications slow, eventually leaving her alone with her thoughts again. Another hour passes and she leans forward on her spot on the couch, checking to see if her parents are still awake. When she determines that they are in fact not, she takes the opportunity to quietly creep around them and slip into her room. Max, of course, was right on her heels, being more stealthy than she ever could.

The time is 11:50 p.m. and she glares at her alarm clock, wishing for the next ten minutes to hurry.

At 11:55 p.m. she fidgets with her phone, still scrolling through FaceBook to burn the time as she looks at pictures of her friend’s holiday experiences. She sees many posted by Kaitlyn and Abbie right away, each sharing multiple albums of images. A few from Zack, Tyler and Brandon cross the screen as well making her grin at their selections to share.

However there were none from James, not that she actually expected to see any. He barely knows how to log into Facebook, forget about uploading pictures or making posts. She laughs at the visual of him struggling with the website for hours, mentally making a note to try to get him more active on the social networking site.

A loud ringing shoots out of her phone as a FaceTime requests pops up, making her jump and clench the phone tightly. “Seriously…” She grumbles, mad at herself for letting it startle her.

She quickly checks her appearance in her dresser mirror and jumps back onto her bed, sliding her thumb across the screen to accept the incoming call. Her eyes eagerly search the screen as she waits for it to connect. When it does, she doesn't see anything except his empty bed. Chris is nowhere to be seen.

A crease forms in her brow as she frowns slightly and looks around the small screen for the person she's been thinking about all day. There's no sound, so she starts to think the call is frozen and reaches to reset the phone, until she hears it. A guitar. A very familiar guitar.

She cant stop the smile from escaping and taking over her entire face. MC does however stop herself from bouncing on her bed as she continues to wait. “Chris!” She finally shouts, unable to wait any longer.

She hears him laugh, a beautiful sound she knows she would never get tired of. He comes into view then, still strumming some cords on his guitar as he settles in front of his phone. “Can you see me alright?”

When she nods he asks another, “How about the sound? Am I clear?”

He flashes her a big smile as she nods again, her eyes glued to his. “What are you up to Powell…”

He shakes his head and winks at her as he raises a finger to his curled lips, instantly silencing her. He adjusts on the bed and clears his throat as his hands find the correct starting positions. MC watches as he starts strumming a familiar sound. She feels her chest swell and pain in her cheeks from smiling as she hears his voice. It’s slow and deep as he looks into her eyes.

“I don't want a lot for Christmas. There's just one thing I need.”

His smile grows, and MC bites her bottom lip, trying to control herself.

“I don't care about those presents, Underneath the Christmas tree. I just want you for my own...”

Chris takes in a deep breath before he continues, his eyes looking deep into hers.

“More than you could eeeever know. Make my wish come truuuuue. You know that all I want for Christmas is yooooou...”

He draws out the last word, his cheeks now tinted a slight red. He continues strumming for a minute before he misses a string, making him laugh as he stops, “I told you I need more practice…”

Chris bites his cheek and focuses again as he picks back up where he left off, his hands moving around hesitantly on the guitar.

“I won't ask for much this Christmas, I won't even wish for snow...”

They both start laughing at that, each having at least 12-14 inches on the ground outside already. He quickly clears his throat and continues.

“No I'm just gonna keep on waiting, Underneath the mistletoe...”

He turns his head and looks behind him slightly before turning back to flash her a huge grin. That's when she sees it. Chris had pinned a piece of mistletoe to the wall behind him. She breaks into a huge gaping smile, making sure to keep quiet as she happily watches his actions.

“There's no sense in haaaaanging stockings”

His voice gets a little husky as he raises it slightly, closing his eyes as he emphasises the words with more feeling.

“There upon the fireplace… cause… Santa he won't make me happy, With a toy on Christmas day.”

He looks at her with a sad but cute pout as he shakes his head. She covers her mouth as she smiles, making herself stay quiet so she can hear.

“I just want you here tonight...”

He nods with much enthusiasm and looks around the room quickly with a ridiculous grin as if he was searching for her. MC squeaks as a single laugh pushes its way out between her hands.

“Hooooolding on to me so tight!”

He closes his eyes as he says sentence with force, his jaw clenching as he shakes his head and lifts his shoulders, pretending she was there doing just that. MC bites her thumbnail as she watches his antics.

“Girl what can I doooooo…”

He opens his eyes and stares into hers as he stretches the sentence out.

“You know that all I want…” He pauses, tilting his head down and lowering his voice slightly. “...for Christmas is…” A smirk appears on his lips, “...you”

Chris loses his place as he stares at her and starts laughing again as he lightly smacks the body of his guitar with mild frustration. “Ugh, okay I really need to practice more…”

He laughs a bit more and shakes his head before continuing, looking up to lock his gaze to hers again, his expression is back to performance happy as he flashes her big smiles.

“And all the lights are shining, So brightly everywhere. Aaaand the sooooound of children's Laughter fills the aiiiiir. And everyone is singing...”

He shrugs as he gestures to himself in a humorous way.

“I can hear those sleigh bells ring~ing...”

Chris nods and scrunches up his face as if he's at a metal concert. MC starts laughing and bobbing her head with him. His expression changes as he quickly tears his eyes away from MC’s and looks down at his hands before he sings the next lines.

“Santa won't you bring me the one I really love, Won't you please bring my baby to me~eeeeeee….”

MC feels the butterflies as they come back in full force, making her stomach do flips as her eyes move back and forth, waiting for him to look up again. She swallows, then a second later he does the same before slowly raising his eyes back to meet hers.

“I don't want a lot for Christmas, This is all I'm asking for. No I just want to seeeee my baby…”

His neutral expression turns into a tiny smirk as he sucks in a deep breath and crushes his eyes closed, his voice becoming louder and more intense as he grinds out the next line.

“Standing right outside my door!”

His eyes slowly open and lock on hers, his expression almost pleading.

“I just want you for my ooooown… More than you could ever knoooow”

Chris gives her a soft warm smile and nods faintly as his pleading eyes stay on hers.

“Make my wish come truuuuue, You know that all I want..” He takes a deep breath, not breaking eye contact, “...for Christmas, Is yooooou…”

His cheeks rise higher as his smile grows. MC feels her face flush and her lower body tingle with the look he's giving her. His voice grows softer as he slows down his guitar.

“Is yoooou….” He strums the last few cords and lets out a small nervous laugh after it becomes quiet again.

~Chris~

Chris leans back a little, stretching his back from its folded position around the guitar as he looks away for a moment. He suddenly feels very self conscious as the silence takes over. He finally gets up the courage to look back at the screen, and is pleasantly surprised.

MC is searching his face, her eyes moving all over as he shifts awkwardly on the edge of the bed. He gives her an anxious grin, and laughs through his nose, unsure of what to say.

Thankfully for Chris, she takes care of it and speaks first. “I wish I was there…”

He lets out a huff of air, making his bangs move a little with the force of it, before he runs his right hand through the tousled mess. Chris clears his throat again and rubs the back of his neck as he watches her, his voice a little shaky and unsure. “Yeah… me too.”

She presses her lips together and gives him a small demur smile. “Merry Christmas, Christopher.”

His eyes crinkle at the corners as he gives her the biggest smile. “Merry Christmas, beautiful.”

She playfully arches an eyebrow. “What, no ‘baby’?”

He blanches for a moment, sucking in a breath as his mouth falls open. He sees her grin grow and he recovers with a warm smile, his confidence in full swing. “I thought you liked beautiful…”

She laughs softly. “I like them both, actually.”

He laughs through his nose and nods. “Well, then… baby...” He pauses and places emphasis on the last word, looking up at her with his head tilted down. “...have a good night, beautiful.”

#chris x mc #chris powell x mc #TheFreshmanChronicles #Chris Powell #Christopher Powell #The Freshman #the sophomore #choices #choices fanfiction #choicestoriesyouplay #choices stories you play #thefreshman #thesophomore #choices the freshman #choices the sophomore #choices the junior #tf/ts/tj

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bigklingy · 7 years

Text

Pokemon Generation Thoughts

Since a blog I follow did this, I thought I’d do mine. Gen 1:

Pros: -The one that started it all. -How crazily into it kids at school were. -Gym Leaders were pretty memorable. -For the time, a good twist for the final battle. -Glitches are fun to mess with. -The crit formula based on base speed was actually kind of interesting. Cons: -Incredibly glitchy, to the point where speedrunners keep finding more and more insane ways to break the game. Spawning item balls that are also trainers that are actually wild Pokemon?! Making a sign give you an Eevee?! Beating the game in 0:00?!?! I know these are glitches you’re unlikely to find without intentionally trying, but there are MANY game-breaking ones you’re very likely to encounter by accident. -Very unbalanced battle system. Psychic types are broken, some moves were coded badly and worse than useless (Focus Energy QUARTERED your crit rate), X Accuracy + OHKOs destroys the game, Wrap/Fire Spin etc were extremely annoying. -Most of the Pokemon haven’t aged well stat-wise. Gen 2: Pros: -I liked the Johto region. -Greatly fixed a lot of Gen 1′s gameplay, far less glitches. -Split Special into Special Attack and Special Defense. -Introduced breeding. -Had another entire region for the postgame, with 8 more badges. -Normal trainers have names now! Phone numbers gave them a bit of personality. -You can actually delete HMs now! -You can catch both mascot legendaries regardless of your game. Cons: -Most of the new Pokemon are extremely mediocre or outright terrible, with very few good ones (stat-wise). -IMO, second worst starters in the series. Typhlosion’s stats are directly copied from Charizard, why?? -The “split path” after the 4th badge, where you could get the 5th, 6th and 7th badges in any order, was a good idea in theory but not well implemented. Whichever path you take last ends up horribly underleveled. -Low levels overall, leading to a fairly easy main story. -Kanto is horribly balanced, almost everything is a joke for the point you have access to it. -Until Crystal, phone calls were generic and boring. In all versions though, phone calls get very annoying. -Cross-gen trading is clunky and awkward, you had to manually delete any move that didn’t exist in Gen 1. -Introduced roaming legendaries. Gen 3: Pros: -Nice graphical upgrade. -Abilities, Natures and the revamped EV system add more strategy to battling. -Introduced a new way to play in Double Battles. -The Hoenn region is pretty nice if you ignore the water areas. Some cool new area concepts we haven’t seen before, like deserts and volcanoes. -Significant plot differences between versions now. -Emerald’s Battle Frontier is very fun. Cons: -Loss of compatibility with older versions, meaning that a huge number of old Pokemon weren’t available until Kanto remakes. -Hoenn in general went really crazy with required HM usage. WHY DID THEY MAKE ROCK SMASH AN HM! -Vanilla Ruby/Sapphire have the worst postgame in the entire series by far. (Just a Battle Tower and one roaming legend) Fixed in Emerald and slightly fixed in the remakes. -Team Magma and Aqua were lame and unmemorable. Fixed in the remakes. -Introduction of version-exclusive legendaries. -Champions excluded, Hoenn probably has the worst Elite Four in the series, with incredibly boring, repetitive teams. -Completing the national dex was insanely convoluted, as Pokemon were split up across multiple games and spinoffs. You needed at bare minimum 4 games, a Gamecube and a Gamecube to GBA cable to do it. Gen 4: Pros: -Physical/Special split, increasing the viability of a lot of Pokemon. -Introduced WiFi, making trading MUCH easier. -Expanded the TM list, allowing for more options. -Most of the new Pokemon introduced had good stats and movepools. My favourite new batch of Pokemon. -Gave much-needed evolutions to many mediocre old Pokemon. -The “route split” where you can choose whether to fight Maylene or Wake 3rd, was kind of well-done. -Best starters in the series imo. Cons: -Diamond and Pearl are PAINFULLY SLOW. Both on the field and in battle. Saving takes forever. Surfing is horrendous. Platinum fixed some of this though. -Diamond and Pearl’s regional dex is horrible. Only one Fire type besides the starters, some of the newly-introduced Pokemon aren’t even in the dex! -And they made some very questionable choices to go with it. Protip: if your regional dex only has two Fire type lines, you PROBABLY shouldn’t have a Fire type Elite Four member. -Team Galactic and Cyrus are my least favourite villains by far. Their plot is a giant mess and it’s not paced well. I could go into more detail, of all their encounters before the halfway point, only one has any bearing on their main goal. The rest are just random acts of villainy for no reason. The Grunts don’t even know what the bosses are planning. -Main story is badly paced, HUGE drought between badges 2 and 3 (fixed in Platinum), and the massive level jump between Gym 8 and the Elite 4 forces a ton of grinding right at the very end (also fixed in Platinum) -No random online battling. -GTS is a mess, only trade via online forums or chatrooms. -Worst Safari Zone in the series by far. -The snow routes are awful. Good music though. Gen 5: Pros: -The fresh start the series desperately needed. -A regional dex of all new Pokemon. -Most new Pokemon have VERY good stats. -Main adventure is very balanced overall. Pokemon are available at just the right times, for the most part (Larvesta and Deino are exceptions) -Introduction of exp scaling, making it hard to get too overleveled during the main story and letting you more easily train low-level Pokemon to Lv 50 in the postgame. -HMs, besides one forced use of Cut, are entirely optional. Thank Arceus. -Gym Leaders are decently challenging, and actually do things in the story. -Some of the best storylines and characters in a Pokemon game. -Awesome twist on the formula at the end. -BW2 are full sequels instead of 3rd versions. Add new areas.. -BW2 has the best balance of old vs new in a regional dex, with an almost exactly 50/50 split. Some old Pokemon are given fresh new spins, like Riolu and Eevee being catchable early in the game. -BW2 has probably the best postgame in the series. -PWT is an awesome callback and a pretty fun battle facility. -Battle Facilities in general stopped cheating as much as they used to. -Added Shiny Charm, giving a non-cosmetic reward for completing the Dex. Cons: -Competitive metagame was kind of a mess, Smogon had to make several complex bans to try and keep everything under control. Mostly only applies to Singles though. -Introduced random online battles, but Ragequitting was rampant. -Introduced Triple and Rotation Battles, but were very under-used and barely anyone plays them competitively. -Worst starters in the series imo. -The Unova region is very linear and, at least in BW1, a quarter of it is postgame-only. -BW2′s plot was far more standard for a Pokemon game. -Some of the new Pokemon evolve at painfully high levels, which got bad when they showed up earlier in later games. Gen 6:

Pros: -First full 3D main series game. -I kind of like Kalos as a region. -Added Fairy type, helping nerf Dragons. (Though they might have gone overboard, Fairy is now kind of overpowered) -The starters are pretty good. -Ruby/Sapphire remakes were nice. -Added tons of nice Quality-Of-Life features, especially making breeding and EV training WAY easier and more accessible. -WiFi is amazing, especially the PSS. -A lot of Pokemon available in the dex. -Sycamore is a cool professor. Shame he wasn’t the Champion. -You won’t know it if you use the Exp Share, but basic trainers are actually very challenging, often having smart movesets and strategies, even egg moves. Try a no-exp share run sometime. These are actually among the hardest Pokemon games if you do. -The postgame Looker quest actually has a better story than the main game.

Cons: -Game Freak did a total 180 on their stance with Gen 5, and decided Pokemon would now be all about the old rather than the new. The games began a trend of GF extensively pandering to Genwunners at the expense of actual new stuff. Very few new Pokemon, all of them almost intentionally made rare. It almost felt like GF was ASHAMED of them, and had to hide them from the wrath of the Genwunners. Other pandering included a direct rehash of Viridian Forest, Snorlax, and a forced first encounter with a Pidgey. Not a new Pokemon, a Pidgey. -Worst tutorials in the series. It’s possible to catch a full team of 6... AND THEN BE GIVEN THE CAPTURE TUTORIAL. -Way too many rivals. Tierno and Trevor are barely there, and Calem/Serena feels undeveloped. -Team Flare are my second least-favourite evil team. They shouldn’t have bothered trying to hide Lysandre as the villain, it was so obvious. -Early pacing issues. Big gap between Gyms 1 and 2 (could’ve easily been solved by making Clemont Leader 2), Team Flare plot doesn’t start until pretty late in. -Worst Champion in the entire series. -Most Gym Leaders and all the E4 not named Seibold are jokes. (XY are weird in that on a challenge run, you’ll be steamrolling the bosses but getting destroyed by basic trainers) -THE EXP SHARE IS HORRIFICALLY BROKEN. Have it on all game, and you’ll be overleveling everyone by 20-30. It ruins what would otherwise be a pretty challenging game. -Kalos Route 13 is the worst route in Pokemon history. -THEY BROUGHT BACK SINNOH’S STICKING MUD, WHY?! -Sky Battles and Inverse Battles are really underused for something they spent a lot of effort marketing. Neither can be done in multiplayer. Sky Battles limited to a bunch of one-time trainers, Inverse Battles limited to only one. Neither can be done in multiplayer. -Controversial opinion, but I actually really hate Super Training. The EVs/Time ratio is way too small to be worth it, horde battles are far better. I only use it to finish off the last couple of EVs on a spread. -Mega Evolution is a mixed bag. It makes some weaker Pokemon useful (Beedrill, Kangaskhan, Charizard), but also makes some already good Pokemon even better (Scizor, Metagross, Gengar, Lucario, SALAMENCE). This means a lot of the more interesting Mega options go unused because you can only have one Mega slot. Evidence of not just popularity power, but more Genwunner pandering is on display. I like Charizard and Mewtwo, but I don’t think they needed two Megas. And NO Gen 5 Megas at all, and even after ORAS only one? (And it’s terrible?) -No new non-Uber legendaries, instead re-using, you guessed it, the Gen 1 legendaries. Gen 7:

Pros: -NO MORE HMs, FINALLY! -More new Pokemon than Gen 6. Each new Pokemon is given at least one unique gameplay trait, which is cool. -Alola is a pretty nice region. -Story and characters are great. Not as good as BW but a big step up from XY. -Team Skull are hilarious, playing all the unintentionally funny things about past evil teams for intentional comedy, almost acting as a bit of self-aware parody. -Genwunner pandering is less evident. Yeah only Gen 1 Pokes got Alolan Forms, but most of them needed upgrades anyway. NPCs from all gens get cameos, not just Gen 1 NPCs. -The Big Bad of vanilla Sun/Moon is a great villain. -The Exp Share is actually kind of balanced now, oddly enough. -Some of the trials are great boss fights, even better than most Gyms. -Poke Pelago’s “EV Bake Oven” allows for easy EV training. Cons: -Went back on a lot of Gen 6′s good multiplayer features. Festival Plaza is confusing and terrible. -Removed horde battles, replacing them with the extremely annoying SOS Battles. This also means EV training is a lot harder. Poke Pelago is good, but it’s non-interactive. -The first island is very hand-holdy and takes a while. -Island 3 feels oddly small for how big it’s supposed to be. -Still not THAT many new Pokemon. -Crabrawler and Charjabug’s evolution methods are DUMB, making them useless for the main story despite being catchable early. -USUM ruined Sun/Moon’s Big Bad’s characterization. Overall favourite to least-favourite: Gen 5 Gen 2 Gen 7 Gen 3 Gen 1 Gen 6 Gen 4 (But my favourite for competitive battling)

#Pokemon #Opinions #Thoughts #Generation 1 #Generation 2 #Generation 3 #Generation 4 #Generation 5 #Generation 6 #Generation 7

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pookiescurls · 7 years

Text

Blizzard// Shawn Oneshot

I wrote this in my creative writing class last year and I gave the girl a name and made Andrew his brother to make the storyline work out better.

“Oh my God!” Shawn said as he stepped out of the house with Savannah.

“I didn’t think it was gonna snow tonight,” Savannah said.

“Neither did I,” Shawn said taking Savannah’s hand.

“The roads are full of snow. We should just walk to Andrew’s house,” Shawn said.

“Or we could just stay home,” Savannah suggested.

“No we need to go over to Andrew’s. I told him that we would be over.”

“But Shawn!” Savannah whined.

“We’ve taken too many rain checks. We need to go over and meet his new girlfriend,” Shawn said as he and Savannah made their way down their driveway.

“But why do I need to meet her? Andrew is your brother, not mine.”

“Well that pretty big rock on your finger says otherwise,” Shawn stopped walking and looked down at Savannah, “He’s going to be your brother-in-law, Sav. He wants us to meet her because he really likes her and she’s his plus one for our wedding.”

“Fine.”

Shawn and Savannah started to make their way to the neighborhood next door. They had started walking through a park as a short cut. Savannah walked ahead of Shawn and picked up a hand full of snow then threw it in the air. She watched the snow fall in awe as Shawn watched her in adoration. He was absolutely in love with her and couldn’t wait another month before they were married. Their wedding would be in the middle of January. They both knew it would be below freezing in January in Canada but Savannah wanted a winter wedding and Shawn gave the love of his life whatever she wanted. Savannah’s favorite season was winter, she loved the snow. She wanted her wedding to be a winter wonderland and having a wedding in the middle of January in Canada would fulfil her dream. The wedding also had to fit into Shawn’s schedule. He was a famous singer and would be on tour most of the following year. He hated to leave her for such long periods of time but that’s what his profession entailed.

As the last snow flake from the handful fell, Savannah looked at Shawn with big eyes. He knew exactly what she was going to ask.

“Do you wanna build a snowman?”

Shawn smiled at her then bent down to start building a snowman. Neither of them had mittens so they pulled the sleeves of their hoodies over their hands. Shawn had finished the base as Savannah came over with a slightly smaller middle part. She started to pick it up and Shawn bent down to help her but she looked at him with an icy gaze.

“I can lift this myself, thank you. I’m a strong, independant woman who can lift a large ball of snow all by herself.”

Savannah then set the ball on top of the larger one and Shawn just smiled at her. Her dark brown hair had small white spots in it from the snow. Savannah turned around and looked at Shawn.

“Why are you just stand there? Our snowman needs a head,” Savannah put her hands on her hips. “While you make the head, I’m going to go find some sticks for his arms.”

Savannah went to look around the trees that were all over the park for some sticks while Shawn started to make the head to the snowman. Savannah came back as soon as Shawn put the head on the body of the snowman.

“I found a few sticks and some nuts for his eyes and buttons.”

Savannah handed Shawn the sticks and kept the nuts. Shawn walked over to each side of the snowman to put the sticks in so their snowman could have arms. Savannah put three nuts in a straight line on his torso as buttons, two more on his head for eyes and five for his mouth. They stepped back and took in their masterpiece.

“He looks so cute Shawn!”

“Yeah he does,” Shawn looked at Savannah and took her hand in his. “ Jeez Sav! Your hands are freezing!”

“I’m fine.”

“No. We're going to Andrew’s now. You're gonna get frostbite.”

“Fine.”

Shawn and Savannah then continued their journey to Andrew house.

“Do you know who she is?” Savannah asked looking up at Shawn.

“Know who who is?”

“Andrew’s girlfriend.”

“Oh. No I don't but Andrew said that we would really like her.”

Savannah nodded in acknowledgment.

They had just entered the neighborhood that Andrew lived in when the snow started to come down very heavily. They could barely see a foot in front on themselves. They continued to walk on what they had assumed was the snow covered sidewalk when a pair of blinding head lights came toward them.

One second Savannah was standing next to Shawn and the next she wasn’t. Savannah lay on the snow covered ground in a small pool of what appeared to be blood. Shawn looked at her in shock then quickly regained his senses. He pulled out his phone and dialed 911 as he bent down to her side. As he told the operator where they were and what happened he tried looking for the source of the bleeding. He hung up the phone as soon as the operator said that help was on the way. Shawn continued to look for the source of the bleeding but couldn't find it. He then looked up at her head as saw the large dark red gash on her head. She had rolled over the car and hit her head on the pavement. At this time, the driver of the car came out.

“What the heck was that?” Shawn heard an all too familiar voice.

After taking off his sweatshirt and wrapping it around Savannah's head to try to stop the bleeding, Shawn looked up and saw Andrew. Andrew took in the scene before him and became speechless. An ambulance pulled up and took Savannah from Shawn. They put Savannah on the gurney and loaded her into the back of the ambulance then quickly made their way toward the closest hospital.

“Shawn…” Andrew said.

“Just stay here and I'll go to the hospital.”

Shawn then ran home, grabbed his keys and drove as quickly as he could to the hospital. He parked his car and ran into the hospital.

“I'm looking for Savannah Smith,” Shawn told the nurse at the reception desk.

“And who are you?”

“I’m her fiance.”

“She's in room 204. The doctors are seeing her now.”

Shawn quickly walked toward room 204. It didn't take long to find and as soon as he found it he saw a doctor walk out.

“How is she?” Shawn asked.

“And you are?”

“I’m her fiance.”

“Let's talk somewhere privately.”

The doctor took Shawn into a room with a table and a few chairs in it.

“Due to the force to her head of the accident, her head is filling up with blood. I’m sorry but there is nothing we can do at this point except make her as comfortable as we can.”

As the doctor told him this, he felt his heart break. He has to wait and watch the love of his life die.

“I'm so sorry.” He heard the doctor say.

“You can go see her.”

Shawn stood up and made his way to Savannah's room. There, she lay lifeless in the hospital bed. She was hooked up to the machines and their steady beeps filled the room. He sat in the chair next to her bed and took her ice cold hand into his.

“I love you,” he whispered to her as tears fell down his face. “And I always will. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me. I love you so much Savannah.”

Shawn had stayed in the chair for hours. He watched as doctors came to check up on her and as people walked passed Savannah's room. He had just fallen asleep when he was woken up by a long beep coming from one of the machines. He looked at her and tears filled his eyes as he began to process what had just happened. The love of his life just died and it was all his brothers fault.

#shawn blurb #shawn oneshot #shawn mendes #shawn peter raul mendes #oneshot #blurb #blizzard #sad #my writing

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christophercori · 7 years

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Possible Blog/Journal Entry Nov 18, 2015

Ok. So, the following “entry” was written while In Brooklyn House Detention Center, overlooking the Carroll Gardens/ Crown Heights (right neighborhood?) shortly after being remanded back into custody after being out on ball for not even 30 days, following nearly 8 months on Rikers Island, which was excruciating enough in and of itself. Needless to say, my unexpected reintroduction into yet another lion’s den, after such a brief taste of freedom, was nothing short of a bad hit”, leaving the proceeding mood to be plenty somber. And so commences the woeful narrative of a young man in reflection.

House Lights: Dim Music: Cur ominous/dramatic, foreshadowing Jazz Note: Written as if in Retrospection from some point in the future. So, let’s get this out of the way. between 21 and 25 I was in and out of jail. Yes, me the handsome suburban “white” boy. I had two major stints each lasting about a year (second on more like 3) with maybe a year and some change of freedom in between. You better believe there is nothing more soul-crushing than getting your life back together after a year in the “can”, just to have it taken from you all over again. Sure, I’m responsible for ending up there in first place, I made some poor, impulsive decisions I mean, sue me. Who makes many good decisions in their early twenties anyway? I just happen to have been in that small majority (oxymoron?) of poor suckers who get caught, mainly because I got to be one of those assholes so full of myself, I never thought it would happen to me. Some things I wish I could take back, but other aspects of it I am grateful for and would consider an instrumental part of my personal evolution. Why was I in jail you ask? Well the finer details will have to be suspend until a much lengthier piece comes into being, but the long short of it is the result of my menacing and hostile behavior resulting from emotional instability and substance abuse. Had I been healthier and more stable at the times of my arrest, probably none of it would have ever happened, but we can't turn back time and I've long since come to terms with paying the price of allowing myself to get spread so thin and become so unhealthy to the point where I’ve lashed out at those around me. While I’m far from playing the victim in any context, it's still ridiculous that I even did time for the petty bullshit I got myself wrapped up in, but in the end, I take responsibility for my actions and after all the insanity, I think I can say with confidence that I'm a better man for it. Even more grateful am I than for the lessons I learned along the way, are the amazing people I was blessed enough to cross paths with, who also, totally did not deserve to be there, just as they felt about me. Some people just have “dumb luck” enough, I guess, to get their hand caught in the cookie jar, doing something the law makers” generally from upon. Rut just because you may have allegedly done questionable in the eyes of society, one cannot fairly or appropriately labeled a bad person”, something which needs serious clarification here. Just because you've been to jail or even have a felony as a result, doesn't mean society reserves the right to judge or even stigmatize you (even though they do, the fuckers). A majority of civilians, not much unlike yourself, have no idea how the criminal justice system really works (how could you without having experienced it first hand?) and to what degree it victimizes and deliberately, calculatingly dismantles the lives of some very good, if at most misguided, “impulse control lacking” individuals, who have had the misfortune of, more or less, being in the wrong place at the wrong time. A majority of people who even end up arrested are victimized by some king of discrimination (a huge issue to be revisited another time), a mental breakdown we’ve all bad those moments), or guilt by association (some people truly are innocent and get caught in the crossfire of hanging with the wrong crowd). Now, once they have their slimy claws in you, they'll bleed you dry, break you down and do everything they can to kill your spirit, backing you into a corner where you're ready to hang it un or plead guilty just to get the hell out of jail (or onto state prison, which gets the clock ticking), which la not the most pleasant place to be to say the least. It's certainly not terrible (surprising, hub?), this is isn't Hollywood people, but it's no Holiday Inn either, as they say. So, after a couple of months of fighting the power, no matter how proud, strong, or rebellious you are, just about everyone sets themselves up to be haunted by this enslavement, in some way, for the rest of their lives. End of Entry #1 (to be expanded upon?)

Entry #2: Postured for a new day/first post launch of a new blog/publication whatever the kids are calling it these days. Hey Everybody and welcome to the disorienting documentation of my mind-boggling life (As if you care [laughs]). First, let me start by saying that I think this journey I am (we are) about to embark on is absolutely friggin’ ridiculous, but for some reason it appears to be one of the necessary evils of modern life for anyone who wants to be noticed for anything. Gone are the days of the next big thing showing up on a street corner, strumming a six string for space change. No those days are long gone and have been replaced by compulsive teenyboppers (is that even a category anymore?) and obsessive narcissists compulsively posting self-indulgent excrement out on every social media outlet available. Regardless of how socially retarded people have become as a result, for some freakish reason, it works People are gaining notoriety from this dysfunction, fame ever (or some bizarre degree of it) And even though human beings are gradually losing their ability to function naturally and normally in everyday life, thanks to their addiction to living though palm sized screens, this is how anything worth knowing about, gets circulated. Or at least that’s what the marketing professionals would like us to believe. While dinosaurs like me might go to the library, pick up a newspaper, drop by a community center, or peruse a bulletin board at a local coffee shop, the greater percentage of “society” is thumb-tapping their way through the search bar of their preferred information engine. I guess at the end of the day there’s nothing wrong with it except of course, the inability to say hello to a passing stranger, or get through a meal without checking for alerts, which is so incredibly rude, by the way. I suppose it's just about time that I catch up with the rest of the wonderfully dystopian populace. Like the old saying goes: “if you can’t fight’em, join'em”. So here I am world. From here on in you’re going to get to completely invade my privacy whether you like it or not. Because whether you care to cyberstalk me or otherwise, the people I'm looking for might just take notice and maybe, just maybe, it will bring me closer to my goals. So get ready world, as I post, tweet click, and ping my way through the twenty first century, while I attempt not to throw up all over myself and everything I value about my individuality. Here's to kissing that all Goodbye. Here's to my rebirth as a regular ratchet ho. End of Entry #2 Note: Disorienting originally was “Digital” after typing it up I see it probably should have been changed. Note: this could also be used as part of a fictional storyline/script as I'm not sure I could lower myself to actually publishing this.

Entry #3: Reminiscence Rant Can you remember when everything was just fucking awesome? I can. What, in God's most holy name, happened to those mind-bogglingly epic adventures? The endless nights and following morning where we wandered for miles peaking on LSD, experiencing the supernatural, making friends with homeless cartoon characters and stubborn runaway suburban kids calling themselves “gutterpunks” and “Occupiers”. What happened to the times when, all of a sudden, I'm on a subway wearing a stolen skintight glitter shirt, doing backflips next to a girl rocking a panda-bear cap with these stupid little gloves hanging like arms from either end of the accessory, while on the way to some disgusting, mold infested, totally illegal, basement rave with the illest DJs on the planet spinning the most face meltingly ass-shaking, torso-wiggling, abso-fucking-lutely, subatomically intoxicating dubstep that these ear pieces have ever had the pleasure of being blown away by. Bassdropping capsules of MDMA while being passed an endless chain of blunts until after what feels like no time at all, someone is shaking me awake, and just when I’m about to question if any of this is real, a fat glow in the dark Eskimo shapeshifter, ever so gently guides me to the exit which opens to reveal the painful slap In the face of bright, 8 in the morning daylight, only to look at mv fellow nightlife cohorts who are smiling, still wired, totally ready to continue the adventure; the words “what do we do now?” never once crossing the mind, as the flow that we're grooving with is unquestionably sure of itself. Man, how I miss those sacred moments. Will I ever get them back? Or is my yearning for them and desire to pursue or force moments like those into being. Exactly what is keeping them out of my life? Better yet, maybe those kinds of ridiculous things are only allowed to happen at certain points of one’s youth when even attempting to live so irresponsibly is even an iota within the realm of acceptable and to pursue such experiences is categorically “juvenile”? Well, fuck that!! I have faith, yet. One day, I'm gonna breath in the taste of that on-top-of-the-world air, no matter how old I get. I don’t care what anybody says. There’s no cut off age for soulshaking borderline religious experiences, never-going-to-feel-the-same-way-about-having fun. Sure, we all do have to accept reality and the responsibilities of adulthood, but that’s no reason to get bitter. Just because it’s not happening for us right now, and there seems like there are still people out there, yet to step off the “magical schoolbus.” But, how do we get back on? Does all of this fall into that realm of philosophical conversations we have at three O'clock in the morning, stoned, contemplating the meaning of life and the pursuit of happiness? It might just be. Maybe all of this just falls into the very personal narrative of my never ending quest to he truly happy, a point which I'm presently a ways from.

Having been there before, I know I'll be there again and while I'm not terribly depressed at the moment, it doesn't seem all that far away. In fact, I have a more or less framework plan for how I'm going to get there when I move on from where I’m at now, but the first step is getting out of this place. Part of me is just totally stunned at life’s great contrast. How can you go from being a happy go lucky, free spirits urban street showman, to living in a cesspool of society’s unwanted pregnancies, in what feels like a blink of an eye? Boy does time fly. What feels like yesterday, simultaneously feels like eons ago. A lifetime ago. Earlier today, some mad at the world hoodrat wannabee gangster told me I sounded like an old man, reminiscing over decades of life.

To which I responded: I’ve lived. That I sure have. I’m 23 years old and I've lived a lot of life, the details for which I’ve got little to show for other than my own words and the culmination of institution records labeling me as Bipolar, criminal, drug abuser. That's right. On paper, I’m a dual diagnosis, polysubstance abusing, mentally-ill criminal, presently laid up in jail, the lone “white-boy” in a sea of “brown” skin, for some strange reason perceived to be rich, Jewish or both, nicknamed after any celebrity I can possibly bear resemblance to, for allegedly roughing up my wife during a record breaking psychotic melt-down. In a world where the credentials hold more water than the person they represent, I'm a mentally-ill, drug addict, criminal who has a problem with women – who doesn't? Do you know how this looks? Seriously this is what I've been reduced to. These are the highlights of my "career”. In the eyes of society, I'm some kind of monster, a scumbag. I've somehow gotten myself lumped into the category which the mainstream media would call “marginalized”. Me, the kid in highschool with the long curly hair, who wore patchwork tie-dye jeans and Victorian blouses, looking like a white Jimmy Hendrix, or someone straight out of Prince music video, who just wanted to share the Love, pass the buds, and give everyone a hug. The kid who was dubbed “most likely to be famous” in his graduating class yearbook, who everyone knew just wanted to save the world, one smile at a time. And I still do, but my updated methodology is a bit more practical these days. Now, I have a stigma to live with, all of which completely overshadows and nullifies that at the age of 22 I incorporated and developed a thriving start-up, destined for success which was abruptly cut short by my untimely run in with the Law – a result of my unfortunate emotional instability which emerged from the fallout of a tumultuous and ultimately failed relationship with my now ex-wife, who I became married to and divorced from, all while behind bars. But that is another story for another time. We are, after all, just beginning to scratch the surface of this crazy rollercoaster which is my life. At this stage I don’t see the point of sugar coating any of It. No matter how bad any of it looks. I'm proud of who I am, the positive things I’ve accomplished (however overshadowed). I’m destined to achieve even greater success than that which I feel I have already tasted and I will never be ashamed of the nasty details. I love who I am and no matter how much this backwards system tries to victimize and marginalize me, I'm never going to let them snuff out this light. The End (For now)

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