#i look back fondly to chapter 1 script where said something like

[muckyschmuck]

mspaints the angries

[captnjacksparrow]

I heard there were rumors about Naruto being developed into seinen after Shippuden. Wouldn't that have been wonderful? I think it was such a wasted opportunity for another amazing experience. We wouldn't have any child marriages, or that recycled bs Boruto. And a challenge for Kishimoto. Although I am not sure about that last one, he kind of lost the plot towards the end there.

But even so, what a wasted opportunity.

What's your take? What could have been the implications of that?

Am just going to take this ask as an heartful rant!!!!!! 😊😊😊😊

Just because of this ask, I decided to dig deeper into his past interviews and found things that even confirmed my opinions even stronger. 

Damn you!!!! Kishimoto!!!!

Thanks to you @sneezemonster15 🤩🤩🤩. LOL. Because When your speculation becomes true, you will experience some satisfaction which is immeasurable.

[[Anything I am going to cite from an old interview, after this line of the post is something I got to knew only today. Which means I never knew about these interviews before. Probably SNS shippers knew about these long back but to me it’s a new thing.]]

I heard there were rumors about Naruto being developed into seinen after Shippuden. Wouldn't that have been wonderful?

I never heard of such development and even if they do, they already did a lot of damage in the name of Boruto. And I don't think they can tell anymore story after Shippuden in a convincing way.

For me, Shippuden is in and of itself looks like a big seinen based Manga because I believe there were certain themes which were told in part 2 that are simply not suitable for a 12 year old to comprehend. Even I was overwhelmed by such plots because it really questioned my world view.

I mean, what can a 12 year old understand about Hatred or World peace which Nagato planned to implement or Itachi's pain? Yeah, there may be very few who could understand but majority don’t and hence we could see some part of fandom who still thinks ‘Sasuke should have left alone and made to start a new Village as a Revolution, or he should’ve destroyed Konoha to dust’. Any mature audience who consumed various media and have a broad world view would never spout such nonsense. Because the real world wouldn't work that way.

he kind of lost the plot towards the end there.

He didn’t actually. I believe he was made to create that Kaguya plot as a thread to continue Borutoverse. It may not be his idea. I am just speculating. Because Kishi is a damn genius in dropping threads much earlier in the story.

Example, Uchiha Madara.

When Sasuke and Naruto battled in VoTE1, I was wondering about the statues as to who might they be?. Then Kakashi slightly hinted us that the statues represents the men who created Konoha, but they were fighting until the very end for some reason. Similar to how Naruto and Sasuke fought there. And when Madara’s name was dropped for the first time when Sasuke suppressed Kurama, it just got only better.

So, I think Kaguya was a plot which was created right when Naruto was decided to pair up with Hinata and have a baby who will lead the Next Generation. When the series was going on and on about Sharingan, all of a sudden it took a U-Turn towards Byakugan. I was like, ‘Who the fuck cares about Byakugan anyway?’

Then it all made sense after looking at the abomination called ‘Boruto’, where all the Aliens were seen having Byakugan. So, It feels like he lost the plot. But I really think he was forced to. 

So far, whatever I wrote till now was my observation. 

That Damn Kishimoto gave an interview long back which proved my hunch right.

So, You see, he was never interested in a sequel series to happen. He was just forced to. 

Do you know what was the real ending he aimed for?

In many of my posts, I wrote about how SNS was a carefully constructed bond which Kishimoto paid a lot of attention to. I mean, there’s no way we can call the chapter 698 as a Retconned one. Every clues and hints were already there.

It seems that the bastard confessed about this 15 years ago, in 2006 Shonen Jump Interview and again in 2015 NYCC comic con.

He didn’t talk about Ships and shits in any of these interviews. He already planned the ending long back when he finished Part 1. The ending with Naruto and Sasuke doing Reconciliation Seal with Hashirama and Madara statues by visualizing everything into details and that too in freaking 2006. 

[[Click the picture to see the full view]]

Reconciliation of Naruto and Sasuke was something Kishi planned long back after finishing part 1. He even visualized all the panels in detail and that's the ending he was striving towards.

It seems, he never planned about pairings and stuffs ahead as many shippers would like to claim. I am not saying he planned SNS as the endgame couple either. But I honestly think, Kishi wished for an ending similar to Chapter 699. Like without any pairing trash, finishing off with Naruto and Sasuke sharing their dreams and hopes together. 

And this is what I’ve been screaming in all my posts... That I speculate, I guess, I believe and so many similar words... that Kishi always wanted to finish with Chapter 699 and Chapter 700 feels like an afterthought.

But anyways, with Studio persuaded him into pair up his Main Characters, he was asked to write Boruto Script for one last time and it seems, that’s the only movie where he wrote the entire screenplay from A to Z. He said that Boruto movie is the ‘Pinnacle of his career’. Does it mean, ‘The Last’ movie was not his pinnacle, eh??? 

And what do I always scream about Boruto series in every posts?

That I feel like Naruto and Sasuke seems to Babysit Boruto like a parent. 

And that’s what he wanted to finish as the last chapter of Naruto.

I mean throughout the movie, there were no trace of Hinata and Sakura playing any major role in their Child’s life, instead Sasuke is seen talking fondly about Naruto to his Son, I mean Naruto’s Son. So, If he envision drawing 2 guys taking care of a child as the last chapter, then what was he trying to say?

This Kishimoto is just too sinister!!! 

And it seems, he dissed ‘The Last’ movie subtly in his own words. Like almost he claims he had no part in that movie. Well, I always had my doubt regarding that movie. Never expected Kishi would say this.

Couple of days ago, I made a post about, how Kishi never gave 2 fucks about Sakura from the beginning. I analyzed that post based on my observation by carefully reading through panels in the initial chapters and his motivations to draw the panel in a certain way. That gave me an idea of what Kishi’s style of designing a character. I never knew about this Interview thing, when I wrote that post.

It seems, in an Interview, he pretty much confirmed my view about him.

Kishi’s assistant was posed with a question, ‘How every character, no matter how bad they are, gets redeemed in some way?’

To which he answered, ‘Before even making a first appearance, Kishi will lay out how he wants the character to be, what it’s personality traits are, what was it about to do.’

So, Kishi really never planned to make Sakura redeemable. Her fate was sealed when she unveiled her grand dream in chapter 4 before her teammates.

What I would like to conclude is,

Kishi developing anything after Shippuden will not have his full heart. So, that development based on Seinen may not be true. 

Kishi planned Chapter 698 long back when he completed Part 1. He even visualized every panels about how it is going to be. So, probably Chapter 699 is where Kishi intended to end the series. Hence, the abomination you were made to see in Boruto is not his idea.

He never planned about pairings unless he was asked to. Hinata was the popular one and he just went with it. It’s not like he always intended for Naruto to end up with Hinata.

When he was asked to write a story about Boruto, he envisioned Boruto movie as the final chapter of Naruto series, if only he had the opportunity to draw this as a manga. In this movie, Naruto became an Hokage, Sasuke is a Shadow Hokage, Naruto’s son was adopted by Sasuke. Hinata and Sakura were the bench warmers. 

It seems to me that Kishi somehow wants to place Naruto and Sasuke as the face of this series towards the end. He knew that he can't make them as an official couple and when things didn't go as he planned he made them into an unofficial couple who takes cares of a boy with all the care.

Geez!!! I wish I were wrong😏😏😏😏. But all these interviews proves that I was right about many things without even realizing it was there.

[sonickedtrowel]

1, 2, 4, 10, 20!!

Tell us about your current project(s)  – what’s it about, how’s progress, what do you love most about it?

Oh boy so I’m sure I must have mentioned it at some point but I won’t turn down a chance to ramble about it again: me and @regalpotato​ are working on a Day of the Doctor rewrite and I’m pretty psyched about it!  Basically, Eight is there rather than War (although War does make an appearance!) and also River is there, because Duh, and there are other Things going on that are different from the episode/novel, but that’s spoilers and also still partially cooking in my brain, lol.  It’s at 11k-ish right now but still pretty early in the story, too early to probably say what I will love most.  But I’m having a ton of fun with it, especially the dialogue, and currently torturing Ten in every way I can think of.  You know, lovingly torturing.  For the most part.

That is the really big thing I’m excited about, but I do still have two prompts left from a couple weeks back (I didn’t forget you, anons!) and those are milling around in my head too waiting for inspiration to strike. 2. Tell us about what you’re most looking forward to writing – in your current project, or a future project

No secret that I love writing multi-Doctor / River stories, and in fact having somewhat recently finished an 8 and 11 / River fic I will have to be on my toes to not repeat myself too much haha.  But I just love getting everyone together and letting them yell at each other for a while - the best honestly - and then later we get Revealing Conversations about Feelings, as well as POV changing chapters.  Not to overhype it but!  I think it’s gonna be fun! Putting the rest under a cut because I am long-winded lol.

4. Share a sentence or paragraph from your writing that you’re really proud of (explain why, if you like)

Hmmm I’ll pick something I like from the WIP that’s all my writing - this is from Night of the Doctor with Eight and Ohila, but it’s diverged from the original script here and iirc pretty much all new dialogue for Eight.  I don’t normally write this sort of Doctor speech because I’m usually doing romance, but I can hear Paul McGann righteously shouting/soliloquizing in my head so I’m pretty happy with it: *** “What would you have me do?” the Doctor hissed.  “What does your broken prophecy foretell?  That I become one more loyal soldier in Gallifrey’s glorious army?  I can join this fight and take a thousand lives, die a thousand deaths, and this war will still go on.  The universe doesn’t need another soldier!” “Not a soldier,” said the Sister, “a warrior, with the power you’ve refused to wield.  You could have destroyed the Daleks before they were even created.” “Yes, I could have done.  And I didn’t, because I have no right!  Whatever it is you think you can turn me into, Sister, you’ll continue to be disappointed.  Because there’s one person who is always needed in a war: a good doctor, willing to help whomever they can.  No matter if they’re despised, or called traitor— no matter who they lose or how many times they fail!  There will always be more lives to save, and I’ll be there, helping, wherever I can.  I only hope I’m strong enough to carry on doing it half as well as another doctor I knew.” ***

(Yes of course we have Liv Chenka references!) 10. How would you describe your writing process? It takes me forever to get ideas, but once I have a sort of general amorphous direction for the story and an emotional starting point for the characters, I just jump in.  And then I keep getting shower thoughts about more and more stuff happening and what was supposed to just be some fun fluff starts growing a plot and getting wildly out of hand and this is just my life.  I am very much not in control. 20. Tell us the meta about your writing that you really want to ramble to people about (symbolism you’ve included, character or relationship development that you love, hidden references, callbacks or clues for future scenes?) Ohhhh this is such a good question!  Definitely going with There is a love I reminisce because there’s a lot going on under the surface in that fic and not all of it stated super explicitly.  So um, huge spoilers below if you haven’t read it!

Manhattan and Trenzalore (both times) are essentially retconned, through a combination of River’s innate abilities and Eleven going around the timeline trying to do better after being confronted with his shortcomings in TNOTD.  How the Doctor survived Utah is explained and it’s not because he was in a stupid robot.  It spawns an implied post-Library reunion with River, Eleven and the Doctor’s oft-referenced and never quantified or named children from Gallifrey.  It implies a different resolution to the Hybrid thing and an alternate series 10.  And of course it uses BF’s far-superior Ravenous 4 plot twist to preemptively annihilate the timeless children crap, and a combination of Ravenous 4 and Doom Coalition 4 to make River basically a time goddess.  But maybe my favorite thing was giving life to this headcanon of mine.  IT CANNOT BE REFUTED!  They’ve never said ANYTHING specific about his family so it’s free real estate baby!

*** “Yes, sorry to harp on about this, honey, but I think we can discuss the regeneration semantics later,” River cut in.  “You’re saying I came back from your future to your distant past and just… stayed?”

“Well… yes, I think so.  There were certain things we couldn’t discuss.  I had always just assumed that I’d reached the end of my last regeneration and you weren’t too pleased with that, so…  You know, describing it now, it does seem very irresponsible.  But I don’t recall having any complaints.”

“No, I shouldn’t think you would.”  River smiled, but her mind was racing.  “How would that even work?  Eventually, we’d come back round to when we first met on your end, and what, I wipe myself out of your memories?  Selectively, for your entire lifetime?  I think you might notice a little thing like that.”

“I suppose you must have had a plan for it, but I can’t remember it now.  I just remember the two of us, together through the centuries.” He smiled fondly and River felt like the ache in her chest would strangle her.  “I remember our family.”

“Our what?” she cried, as the older Doctor had a sudden choking fit.

“Our family.  Our children and…”  Dread slowly dawned on the young Doctor’s sweet face.  “Oh, please, no,” he whispered.  “Don’t tell me they’re…  No, this happened! It happened in both versions of my memories!”  He looked to his older self, panic-stricken.  “Tell me you remember!”

“You had a family,” River soothed, as Babyface stumbled over his own tongue.  “It just wasn’t with me.”

“What?” he laughed incredulously.  “Who else would it be?”

“Your first wife, sweetie.  I’m your second.  Well, the second one that counts.”

“No, that’s— I’m sorry, that’s nonsense.”  He turned to the older Doctor again. “You can’t tell her, is that it?  Because she hasn’t done it yet?  I’m sorry, River, maybe I shouldn’t have—”

“No!” Babyface shouted, finally collecting himself.  “Yes, we— I had a family, on Gallifrey, before I ever left.  River wasn’t there, obviously, because that’s not how anything works!”

“Who, then?” the young Doctor demanded.  “Who was your first wife?”

“I— I— she was—”  He opened and closed his mouth silently, looking increasingly horrified.

“You don’t like to talk about it,” River explained.  “She passed away.”

“Yes, but just between me and myself,” the young Doctor pressed on with an utter absence of tact that made it easier than ever to see this was the same man before her, “who was she?  And your children, what were their names?”

River hesitated, watching as the older Doctor wrestled with himself.  These were details not even she had ever asked him for.  She knew the general outline, of course, and that was enough.  It was a hurt so deep and so impossibly ancient, she couldn’t truly imagine how distant it must be for him now.  No sense in forcing him to open that door and dwell on it again.

“I, I don’t,” he finally muttered, looking almost fearful, “I don’t talk about it.  I don’t think about it.”

“You’ve forgotten them,” the young Doctor said, voice low and furious.  “How could you?”

“S-Susan,” Babyface stammered, wide-eyed.  “I left Gallifrey with Susan.”

A relieved smile flashed across the young Doctor’s face.  “And where did you suppose she came from?”

“No, she… I don’t…”  Chair legs scraped abruptly across the tile as the older Doctor bolted up from his seat, white-faced, and stumbled back from the table.

“Doctor?”  River stood, her hearts racing.  

His eyes met hers for a split second, the strange terror in them sending a chill through her, and then he was gone like a shot.  

“Doctor!”  She made to chase after him, but his younger version was still clasping her hand.

“He’ll be fine,” he reassured her.  “He’s just working it out.”

“Working it out?” she repeated, too stunned to reach out and grasp for the obvious.  She turned to him in a daze.  He smiled, and for a fleeting moment she fancied she could see the long contentment of a life she’d never dared dream of, etched in each little line on his older, younger face.

“I told you, River.”  He laid his other hand over hers, warm and steady.  “It was always you.”   ***

[lexthemondo]

Dirty Dancing {1}

Pairing: Min Yoongi x Park Jimin; Radio-host!Yoongi; Fem!Yoongi; Translator!Jimin; Alternate-universe!AU; Non-Idol!AU.

Warnings: Language, mentions of smut, violence, transgender character, mentions of suicide, eating disorder, talks of mental health, mentions of self-harm, talks of racial discrimination; POLITICS

Other Notes: V-Hope, NamJin, Sana of Twice is in this story, SanKook, Lisa of Blackpink is in this as well, Liskook, Trans!Hoseok

Summary: Local radio talk show host, Min Yoongi, has been running from his past for years, but when his closest friend Jung Hoseok introduces him to a handsome translator from Korea, Yoongi thinks he might have found something- or someone- to run to.

Song of the chapter: You’re So Cool, Jonathan Bree

Word count: 3,507

“Now I’ve had the time of my life…”

Yoongi sang along happily, letting his eyes close slowly as the lyrics flew out of his mouth. His body slowly started grooving along to the music, and without a second thought, he got off the couch and started dancing along with Johnny and Baby. Yoongi twirled around the living room without a partner, and barely missed trampling his precious Holly by mere inches.  

“You’re the one thing, I can’t get enough of…”

Yoongi continued to sing as his not-so-perfect dance moves made him feel invincible. He was on cloud nine, and it wasn’t until something cold and wet splashed on his feet that Yoongi snapped out of his daze. He groaned loudly, Holly’s water bowl was upside down and the freshwater was now soaking his carpet. Yoongi ran a hand through his hair and looked at the tv to see that his favorite part of the movie was coming up. Baby ran as fast as she could towards Johnny, and his strong arms lifted her up into the sky. Yoongi sighed and looked at the floor. Holly was licking his foot.  

“Holly,” He said sadly, “You’re lucky you’re a dog. You don’t have to find someone who can beat 1980s, Patrick Swayze.”

He got a small whine in response. “I know girl,” Yoongi bent down and picked up the toy poodle, “They don’t make them like they used to.”

Yoongi walked back to the couch, completely ignoring the mess, and plopped down. Holly curled up in his arms while he finished watching the last few minutes. Dirty Dancing was easily Yoongi’s favorite movie, he could recite it word-for-word at this point, and even being a hopeless dancer, he managed to engrave the choreography in his mind. It was at the part where Johnny is mouthing the words of the song to Baby when his phone chimed making Holly let out a squeaky bark.

“Hush, it’s not the doorbell,” Yoongi scolded, mentally reminding himself to change his notification tone.

Hobi [11:43 PM] Bonjour hyung!

Yoongi smiled fondly at the screen. Hoseok had been his closest friend since middle school. The pair were never apart, and even when Hoseok had come out to Yoongi and told him of their gender crisis, Yoongi had never turned his back to Hoseok. They had formed a bond, and when Hoseok had fallen in love with a foreign man during college, Yoongi did not feel anger when the two of them did not see one another as often. If Hoseok was happy then so was Yoongi.

Me [11:44 PM] Salut. What’s up? I thought you were with Tae.

Hobi [11:46 PM] Oh, I still am! He’s such a dreamboat, hyung! Propre sur lui, charment, tres beaux.

Me [11: 49 PM] Are you just going to talk about Tae because I’d like to know how your doctor’s appointment went. I’m sorry for not being able to come. I had to finish my script for tomorrow night’s show.

Hobi [11:55 PM]

No worries! Well, the surgery is going to cost a shit ton of money which I was expecting. That’s not really a problem. I have the money for it. The weird thing is… the doctor was kind of rude once I told him that I didn’t want breast implants

Yoongi felt his ear heating up. Most doctors reacted the same way. Hoseok’s decision to keep their flat chest was a popular topic at their support groups and therapist office. To keep it frank, it pissed Yoongi off. He knew how much it hurt his friend when someone downplayed their gender identity solely because they did not want fake breasts. Hoseok had explained to Yoongi that they had thought about it and realized that it was a decision that they were very firm on. Hoseok did not want implants, not because they were confused or having second thoughts, but because they were a professional gymnast. Hoseok was constantly surrounded by muscular women who had a chest like their own. Of course, this did not stop the weird glances at them once they let this little fact about themselves be known.

Me [11: 58 PM] Did you tell him your view on that whole situation? Maybe he was trying to see if you were serious because of how expensive a vaginoplasty is?

Hobi [11:59 PM] No…kind of seemed like he didn’t take me seriously after that.

Me [12:01 AM] Are you for real? What the hell happened?

Hobi [12:03 AM]

Yeah. He went from being supportive to trying to talk me out of the procedure. I just told him I would go somewhere else.

Hobi [12:06 AM] It wasn’t a great feeling at all

Hobi [12:15 AM] Kind of like I wasn’t woman enough to be getting a sex change. He even commented on the fact that I’m still going by my “male” name. I had to share personal shit with the guy. Then he misgendered me twice and even said it was odd that I wanted a sex change even though I don’t go by female pronouns. Like dude what the fuck?

Yoongi stared at his phone and felt the heat from his ears spread across his entire body.

Hobi [12:17 AM] Anyway, Taehyung’s friend from Korea is coming to France for a few weeks and he wanted to know if you were down for dinner with us. From what I’ve seen of him, he’s super cute 😉

Me [12:19 AM] Are you seriously trying to set me up with some dude right after telling me about some fucking asshole treating you like garbage when he’s supposed to be helping you? Really Hobi? Are you okay?

Hobi [12:21 AM] Yeah, I’m great. I’m used to this kind of shit by now. I don’t completely blame the guy for being hesitant. It is a life-altering surgery. I won’t be able to go back afterward. I didn’t appreciate the comments about my sexuality or the misgendering, but my entire transition has been a wild ride for everyone involved. Even you. I promise you that I’m okay. I would’ve called you crying by now if not and we both know it lol. Are you coming or not?

Yoongi felt himself cooling down. His heart filled with adoration for the woman Hoseok had become. It had been a very confusing and hard journey to get where they are now, but Yoongi was so proud of his friend. Hoseok had gone from ‘Henri,’ the only other French-Korean kid in Dijon, to ‘Henri’ the “flaming gay” in middle school, and finally Hoseok, the professional gymnast in their woman’s league during their freshman year at university. Yoongi would always cherish those memories. Though they had been the hardest times of his life, and even harder for Hoseok, he would not change a single thing. Those were the days that gave him the most important person in his life.

Me [12:26 AM] Yeah, I’ll be there. Is it just me, you, Tae, and his allegedly cute friend?

Hobi [12:27 AM] Those are the definite ones, yes. Kook said him and Sana might drop by before they go back to Japan

Me [12:29 AM] Great.

Hobi [12:31 AM] I’m not happy about it either. I don’t like her any more than you do, but Jungkook is Taehyung’s best friend and I’ll put up with her so they can see one another.

Me: [12:32 AM] I miss Lisa. Kook seemed happier, and he is miserable in Japan. Jungkook misses France. Jungkook misses Lisa. I wouldn’t be surprised if he snuck out to see her.

Hobi [12:34 AM] Everyone misses Lisa, hyung. If Kook’s willing to deal with Sana, then let’s let him be happy. We can’t bring up his ex every chance we get just because we don’t like Sana. But that doesn’t mean I’m not team Lisa all the way.

Hobi [12:37 AM] Oh, he hasn’t...yet. We did make reservations at the most wonderful Korean restaurant in town though. Who knows, maybe a certain Kim Namjoon’s little cousin will be waiting tables... and our table just might be in her section as told to me by the uncle’s husband himself. Apparently, Lisa got a phone call last night and ran out during closing. I think she was running after her white rabbit.

Me [12:38 AM] Team Lisa > Team Sana

Me [12:47 AM] I do love Jin’s lamb skewers. I don’t know Hobi. That seems like we’re stepping over certain boundaries. Jungkook is a grown man. He’s not our little bunny boy anymore. You know that. Whatever is going on between him and Lisa is between them. Sana is his girlfriend. I don’t like her, I don’t think I ever will, and you just said you were going to play nice. All this is going to do is stress out Kook, piss off Sana, and really hurt Lisa. So, please don’t make her wait our table and give Sana another reason to keep Jungkook as far away from Dijon as possible.

Hobi [12:40 AM] I hate it when you’re reasonable. Look, I understand that and all, but Sana is hardly a girlfriend. Kook doesn’t even smile when she’s around. I don’t want them together. I want him to dump her and get his head back on and get with the most perfect girl. I’m going to make this happen Yoongi, one way or another I always get my way. Anyway, I’m tired. What are you talking about tomorrow? Make sure to message me when you’re about to start. You’re my only source of entertainment when Tae’s at work. Get some sleep, you need it. No more all-nighters. Thanks for being wonderful and supportive. Don’t worry about me so much! I love you~~~~~~ niiiiiight!

Me [12:41 AM] I know you’re trying to help him, but please just let Jungkook figure these things out on his own. I’ll talk to him if that’ll make you feel better... just don’t put Lisa through that. You know how she feels about him and seeing him there with a supermodel on his arm is going to destroy her. Do you really think Jungkook deserves Lisa after all he did? Do I miss them? Yes, but I understand that everything changes. Let her move on and let Jungkook become an adult on his own. We’re talking political parties and shit. Namjoon’s idea. It’s about as exciting as watching paint dry. You’re going to pass out within the first two minutes. Sadly, I don’t have a funny or entertaining story to tell, and Joon really wants any excuse to rag on the communist party. I don’t blame the guy, but I hate talking about the same shit repeatedly. I’ll text you. I’m out of my pills and melatonin doesn’t work. Not a problem. I’ll always worry about you. You too. Night.

Yoongi tossed his phone on the coffee table in front of him. Not even flinching when the impact made a loud clang. Holly jumped, suddenly startled, and hid her face in the crook of Yoongi’s neck. He laughed, although he didn’t make a sound, and began to soothe his puppy.

“It’s alright Holly,” He said, lightly stroking her curly hair, “It’s nothing. I’ll protect you from the vicious sound demons. I promise.”

Then, without a second of hesitation, Holly turned her head and gave Yoongi a big lick on the mouth.

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

“Good show tonight,” Yoongi said, flipping his hair behind his shoulders in search for a rubber band. “I can’t say the same for my hair, though. I have to go to dinner with Hoseok and Tae tonight, they’re trying to hook me up with some rando.”

“Tragic,” Najoonn replied, raising an eyebrow and picking up his duffel bag from off the floor.

“Cool it with the whole ‘being an asshole’ thing you got going on,” Yoongi looked at Namjoon and then the coffee cup in his hand, and then back again, “What’s the matter? You’re not usually this pissy.”

“Fucking Jin. He keeps on saying that Jungkook and Lisa are getting back together. It’s pissing me off. The guy is in Japan with some model now. Lisa was just starting to get back to normal and now I hear this prick is coming for a visit. I don’t get it. If he doesn’t want to be with Lisa, then why won’t he leave her alone?”

Yoongi pursed his lips and looked at the ground. He was not sure how to respond. He loved Namjoon dearly, and Lisa as well, but picking sides was not his style. He knew that Jungkook had hurt Lisa, which in turn, turned half of their old group against him, but Yoongi was aware of Lisa’s faults as well. He was a bad listener, but she was a control freak. When Lisa would make a mistake, Jungkook would be uncontrollably angry, but when the roles were reversed, she was spiteful. They were not picture-perfect, but for every bad thing that had ever happened at least a hundred, good things did. They were happy until the very end. Until Jungkook abruptly ended things and moved to Japan. Until he was on the cover of magazines. Until he was with Sana.

“Joon, look,” Yoongi began, finally finding his hair tie and wrapping his hair up haphazardly. “Lisa and Kook are grown, and for your information, it wasn’t just your husband making all this planning. Who do you think put the bug in his ear?”

Namjoon rolled his eyes and wiped his hand down his face, “Hoseok.”

“Bingo. Don’t worry, we’ve been talking about this for the past three days. I convinced them to let me handle the situation and just talk to Jungkook. I just want to see where his mind’s at. They’re just trying to help.”

“Help?” Namjoon stood up hastily, fumbling a bit, his cigarettes falling out of his lap. “Do they think any of this is going to be good for my baby cousin? No, of course not. All they care about is Jungkook and how he feels. He left Lisa. He hurt her. Why are they so worried about him when he’s a rich model with a rich model girlfriend?”

“Because he’s miserable, Joon.” Yoongi replied.

Namjoon’s expression fell. Yoongi could almost hear the “you may speak now” when he looked into his friend’s eyes. Namjoon was getting defensive, and when he gets defensive there is nothing you can do but let him get it out and move on. If you do not leave it alone, then he becomes excited and angry, a real hot-head, and when it is all over, he will not speak to you for at least two weeks. Luckily for Yoongi, however, he and Namjoon work together every day. He could not escape him even if he wanted to.

“I know Lisa is your cousin, I get it. You need to remember that you used to be the one that would talk to Jungkook when he was down. You were his favorite. He looked up to you like a God. You were the big brother he never had and the father he always wanted. He is miserable. Miserable enough to call Lisa the first night he gets to Dijon to meet with him. Miserable enough to come back home knowing that his best friend hates him. Miserable enough to sit at a table with half of the people he cares about not there because of him. Jungkook is not happy, and Sana is nothing more than a distraction. You know that as much as I do.

“I agree with you, Joon. Lisa deserves so much better and I have tried time and time again to reach out to her, but she won’t answer my calls. You and Jin are the only two people who she speaks to, she avoids us like the plague and didn’t even have the decency to tell Hoseok she wanted to switch gyms until the last minute when she knew they needed her for competition. But the second Jungkook is in town she drops everything she’s going to see him. She is a grown woman. I’m mad at them both. Stop making the boy feel guilty for breaking up with someone.”

“Lisa is not ‘just someone’ Min Yoongi,” Namjoon picked up his cigarettes, slung his duffel bag over his shoulder, and walked away, roughly shoulder swiping Yoongi on his way out. “Have a nice time at dinner. Hope your new boy toy doesn’t end up like the last.”

“Go fuck yourself,” Yoongi replied, but the door was already slamming shut.

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

Yoongi checked his appearance in the car mirror once again. His hair had been tied up to hide how awful it looked after wearing a beanie for the entire show, and he was still skeptical of his makeup. He never did the best job when he was angry. After touching up his eyebrows and mascara that he had put on that morning before going to work, he lightly concealed his under eyes and the small acne scars that dotted his cheekbones, powdered, and applied a generous amount of lip gloss to his lips. He was nervous that the small light in his car was deceiving him into thinking he looked better than he did, but it was too late to fix anything. He was already running late.

He stumbled out of his truck, ankles almost giving out and he could not figure out if it was a bad hop or the heels, he picked out specifically so he would not bust his ass.

“Of course, I fall,” He said to himself, “I should know that always happens when I try to look cool.”

He knew Hoseok was there the second he walked in. He did not have to see them to know they were there. That laugh was distinct and the Korean flying out of their mouth only solidified that fact. He followed the sounds to a little booth in the back of the restaurant, a small divider giving the party some privacy. Yoongi gave it to Jin, at least they would not bother the entire restaurant…hopefully.

“Hyung!” Taehyung exclaimed, his smile widening in a cute box shape, and it reminded Yoongi just how boyish he was. “You’re here!”

“I said I was coming, didn’t I?” Yoongi replied, finding a seat at the floor table.

“Well, you were late so I wasn’t sure you would show up.” Hoseok added, giving Yoongi a dirty look.

“Don’t look at me like that. I can’t control traffic or Namjoon’s bitch fits at the end of the day. I’m sorry I fucked with you OCD, though.”

“Geez,” Hoseok rolled their eyes, “What was his problem this time?”

“The whole Jungkook situation. He got pissed off that I was coming to dinner with you guys even though Kook would be here. Things escalated from there. He brought him up, too.”

“He did what?” Hoseok’s eyes widened, and slammed their drink on the table, “Are you serious? That bastard.”

“Eh, this is Joon we’re talking about. The most melodramatic person on the planet. It’s no biggie. Anyway,” Yoongi looked around, “where’s this ‘attractive’ friend of yours, Tae?”

“Oh, he went out for a smoke. He should be back in a minute.”

“You’re hooking me up with a smoker? Really? That’s gross.”

“Smoking is the dirtiest thing that boy does,” Hoseok defended, “Just give him a chance. Jimin’s your type. Small, fair, funny, sweet, and his butt is nice. He used to be a dancer before becoming a translator for advertising companies in Seoul and let me tell you… you’re going to change that tone when you see him.”

“See who?” Someone suddenly piped, making Yoongi flinch and turn his head.

He turned around and there he was. The small, fair, funny, sweet, dancing angel. His lips were full and plush, his nose small and slightly flat, but still buttoned enough to frame his face, his eyes shined a warm, chocolate brown, and his hair was a charcoal black. His skin almost glowed and not a single imperfection was insight. Yoongi suddenly felt very insecure. He was hyperaware of the coffee stains on his pants and the fact that he was wearing a five-year-old thrift store shirt with small holes in certain spots, while Jimin was dressed to the nines in the most casual way possible, black jeans, a black button-up, and some worn black dress shoes.

“Oh!” He exclaimed, and Yoongi melted at the sound of his voice, “Pardon me. I’m Jimin Park. You must be Yoongi. Hoseok has told me so much about you.”

Yoongi almost laughed out loud at the awful accent Jimin had when he spoke French, but simply smiled and shook his hand.

“I speak Korean. Don’t worry, it takes a lot more than going out for a smoke break to get me worked up.” 

He was shocked, the words falling from his lips completely backtracking from what he has just told Hoseok.Yoongi could only imagine the shit-eating grin on their face right now. I told you so. Yes, yes you did, he thought.

Jimin sighed and returned the smile, “You know, those two kept trying to tell me that you were cute, but they didn’t do the best job at explaining just how cute you actually, are.”

[comicteaparty]

February 29th-March 6th, 2020 Creator Babble Archive

The archive for the Creator Babble chat that occurred from February 29th, 2020 to March 6th, 2020.  The chat focused on the following question:

What is the thing you’re proudest about regarding your story?

Deo101 [Millennium]

I hope saying "That I'm actually doing it, and that I'm still doing it and loving every minute of it" Is an okay answer ^^ there is a lot that I am very proud of myself for with regards to this comic, but I think I take the most pride in actually sticking with something for this long.

carcarchu

I agree with deo, sticking with it is what i'm most proud of and it's probably one of the hardest things to do

Capitania do Azar

Hah I can't say I'm proud of everything, right?

It's hard to put it in words but I really enjoy the comic making process and I'm proud of what I'm accomplishing with it, both in terms of writing and of art. And I think it's rather visible that I put a ton of effort into it

Spring-heeled Jack

I am proud that I prepped ahead of time because the last two times I tried, I didn't. Both times I got about 10 pages in and quit because I felt overwhelmed. With the story itself, I think I'm proud of my characters. Characters are the easiest part for me (plot and central conflict I always flounder on) but I'm still so pleased with them.(edited)

Tuyetnhi (Only In Your Dreams!)

For me, it's just getting the work out there. Actually finishing chapters. compared to the first comic story I want to put out, this story I know for sure where its going and gives me a sense of ease? There's some days when I feel i'm slumping along but in the end, I'm pretty happy how it turned out. Pretty much what Deo and carcarchu said lol: my story is long but not super long, but I'm glad I'm still working on it among my other stories I want to share (edited)

Ash🦀

For me, what I'm most proud of is my artist, Katie. We're a collaborative team, I'm just the writer so I don't do much. And she takes my words and just... adds so much life to them. Seeing every page she makes is so amazing. Every time she's growing in her style in leaps and bounds, and seeing her push her lighting, expressions, and unusual panel styles, ugh, it's just so cool seeing her grow. I am so proud of her and what she's done, she's a total rockstar and I love her. I couldn't have done this without her, and every day I'm more grateful to her.

DanitheCarutor

That is a really good question, I don't really show pride in stuff I do usually. I guess the closest to being proud was either when my new comic passed the stopping mark for my old comic, which was discontinued at chapter 3, or when I got chapter 1 rescanned for print recently. The latter was kinda challenging because I rebubbled the whole chapter, and how I rebubbled was a little... awkward, pasting over the old bubbles in photoshop afterward.

Sorry! Apparently the image file was weird.

keii’ii (Heart of Keol)

I actually semi-recently wrote a raving tweet thread relevant to this topic. Basically, for years and years, I did not know what it meant to be proud of your work. I've been happy with my work, both the process and the result. But was "proud of my work" completely synonymous with "happy with my work"? I legit did not know. Even asked a former English teacher friend, who's very good at explaining this sorta things, and I still didn't get it. Then as I made progress through the most recent chapter, I noticed this brand new, strange feeling welling up in me. Yep, you guessed it. For the first time ever after starting this comic, I was proud of what I was making. Not just happy with it, but proud of it. Took me a while to realize, oh, this is proud. Afterward, something happened IRL that temporarily borked my sense of time (one specific week felt like months). So because it felt like it had been months since I made it, I got to experience the last couple pages of the chapter as a reader, not its creator. And I gotta say, thank you past me, you've made something truly heartfelt, and you had every reason to be proud of this. In short: I'm proud of how my comic is an honest reflection of what my heart wants to see, what I want to read. And I'm proud of my most recent chapter being the pinnacle of that. I hope to make more, higher pinnacles down the road, as I continue my way through this story.

spacerocketbunny

I'm proud of how me and @FeatherNotes(Krispy) have shaped our characters and fleshed them out! I'm also super proud of our team dynamic and how if something didn't feel right in the story or art etc., we've always challenged it and come up with something better and stronger! Because we've been so thorough and willing to reconsider, I'm always perfectly comfortable to stand by what we've put out there, even if we've had to go back and fix past mistakes!

Mei

Hoh boy, the thing I'm proudest about in My Husband is a Cultist is the audience interaction. I've been told the comic is funny, and that makes me immensely chuffed, because it means I'm doing something right. I'm always so nervous when putting my work out there with how it's going to be received. That seeing people engage with the story and find it funny and liking the characters... it just warms my heart so much, and it makes me truly feel like I'm on the right path. I'm also pretty proud of the stuff I've written that's not been featured in the comic yet. I look forward to developing those and making them come to life, and I hope people enjoy the grittier parts of this strange comedy as much as I do! And mostly I'm proud that I'm still doing it and haven't given up yet. My lord, I just don't know how it's gonna keep going! but hopefully just onwards and upwards!

eli [a winged tale]

Reading through all of these and I’m so touched. Super proud of you all!

I’m most proud in finally chasing my dreams. Life threw me a bunch of curveballs and creating this comic is a reflection of how I dealt with things and at the same time be thankful for what I have. When I reread my comic I can see mistakes but I also see parts of myself that are genuine. I can’t wait to continue on the story and let the comic be part of my life moving forwards

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

My comic went on so long behind the scenes before I was comfortable enough to share it, so I tend to think of my past self quite differently than my current self. So, I'm very proud of 'past me!' She started the project completely unaware of how long it would last or what it would become - just a few characters and story threads and a whoooole lot of ambition - and my present self has had the pleasure of weaving those threads into a project I'm truly proud of. The comic has brought me so much joy - much of it delayed, like a ticking time bomb - and it's all thanks to my younger self. She wasn't sure of what she was doing - but now I know she made some excellent decisions in the beginning. I'm very grateful she started all of this. It's made my life all the more joyful

chalcara [Nyx+Nyssa]

I got a BUFFER. My first non-fancomic died because of work-comittments and lack of buffer, but on Nyx+Nyssa I manage to work ahead. More than anything I am proud of the discipline I developed to allow for that.

FeatheryJustice

I'm proud of almost completing Teasday. I had some long hiatuses but I will finish the story for now. Also proud of where I grown from the beginning of that story to now. The time and effort shows that I did do a lot, which makes me really happy to know.

Nutty (Court of Roses)

I'm proud of a lot of the work that goes into my comic, but what I'm most proud of was this page. I wanted this to be grand and a pivotal moment if what the comic was about. I don't think even a couple years I could've done anything at this scale, but I split the areas into chunks that I completed over the span of two weeks. Always look upon this page fondly.

eli [a winged tale]

That is gorgeous!

Spring-heeled Jack

Impressive!

snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights)

I can point out four moments in Super Galaxy Knights http://sgkdr.thecomicseries.com/comics/ that I'm the most proud of - 1. The end of Book 1 Chapter 4. Chapter 4 was intended to be a big "growing the beard" moment for the comic's action setpieces - the first three chapters were more about introducing characters and plot elements than actual action, so I consider chapter 4 to be the first "real" fight of the comic. The way the action was presented in chapter 4 would go on to represent how action would be presented throughout the rest of the comic, and IMO I pulled it off fantastically. 2. The end of Book 1. Kinda self-explanatory, but Book 1 was the first major story arc of the comic - the fact that I managed to pull together a satisfying conclusion, something that I theoretically could have ended the comic on, was super satisfying to me. 3. This page: http://sgkdr.thecomicseries.com/images/comics/160/30997a1543363807f2141157006.gif . When I wrote in my Book 2 script "they fight for a bit in a big looping animation" back in 2016 I was hoping my animation skills would advance to the point where I could pull it off. And it turns out, they did. 4. Well... today. Ever since starting the comic back on leap day 2016, I knew today would be a big milestone, and I'm proud of myself for sticking with this project long enough to get to this four year mark.

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

oh my god, that looks incredible and I've never seen a page like that before!

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

I am not very far into my comic, but when I try to think about what I am most proud of in my work, it is definitely all the behind-the-scenes work I have put into the comic. The world-building. The map-making, language developing, culture exploring, building a political structure, writing histories, character work, etc. All this time and energy I devoted to something that wouldn't be seen by others for many years to come. It is only now starting to come to fruition, despite technically having been working on this project since 2014, with the first scripts, the first character designs, and the first paragraphs about the world of Whispers of the Past. All this work that nobody will ever see. I am proud of sticking with it and putting my heart and soul into it despite the lack of return for so long. I have given up my adolescence to this project, and I am giving up the rest of my youth. But when I think about it, there is no worthier recipient. Because without this story, I feel like a large part of my identity would be gone.

snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights)

Thank you @Eightfish (Puppeteer) ! The storyboarding alone for that animation took a week so I'm glad you like it!

eli [a winged tale]

I totally get you Cronaj! So much goes behind the scenes but that creates the world’s depths and it will resonate with readers! continues dedicating the rest of my life to comics

SL Black

@Cronaj (Whispers of the Past) yes! There is so much prep work involved. I have three full scripts for UO that will never see the light of day (mostly because they are terrible). Comics are such a marathon. All that hard work will be appreciated so much by your readers!

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

@SL Black Man... That sounds like me. I myself went through at least 3 scripts too. I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels this way about the BTS work

Desnik

I'm proud that I'm putting myself out there with a WIP comic script and learning how to not only write, but collaborate with other writers.

renieplayerone

Im really proud that i started a comic and have stuck with it for a year and just how much ive learned by making it^^

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

I'm proud that even after 70 pages I've never missed a scheduled update!(edited)

Tuyetnhi (Only In Your Dreams!)

Awe yeee thats always good to have a streak like that!

eli [a winged tale]

That is #goals!

Cronaj (Whispers of the Past)

Agreed!

[howlingmoonrise]

Dear Yuletide Author

thank you for signing up for yuletide, i hope you have fun!

i’ve put all my letters in one place so you don’t have to juggle links around, feel free to send me an anon (is that allowed?) if you’re in doubt as to whether i’d like a certain trope or not! (and so sorry about all the ranting oops)

things i like in general:

pining. TONS of pining. ALL the pining! i have a lot more fun reading about idiots in love that aren’t together yet than if they’re already in an established relationship

i’m good with either gen or romance if you’re not comfortable with shippy stuff! what really works for me is the relationship itself, platonic or not, the development of it, and the interactions/feelings regarding the other. when it comes to the characters i’ve picked, for me it makes sense for them to develop trust and fondness/affection for the other before they get into any sort of relationship so gen is all good!

i’m veeeeeery fond of enemies/rivals-to-friends-to-lovers, and bickering pairs overall (as you can see by all my choices in characters lmfao) since they’re so much fun and provide such an opportunity for character and relationship development :D

continuing from above, nothing kills me as much as characters that bicker all the time but in the end they rely on the other and go to each other before they go to anyone else

conceptual AUs are fine! by this i mean stuff like soulmate AUs, AUs where they met differently from canon, i’m-your-next-door-neighbour-and-i-had-to-break-into-your-flat-to-get-my-cat-back AUs, canon divergence, that kind of thing - AUs like that are super fun!

fun tropes (sorry, these are a bit romance-heavy): fake dating, “accidentally got roped into x thing and shenanigans are happening”, What Do You Mean We’re Not Dating?, “oh no there’s only one bed”, misunderstood confessions, trope subversion in general is also GREAT

i REALLY like the canon and characters for all the fandoms i picked, so sticking at least to their characterisations and the overall “tone” of canon are a huge plus!! “missing scenes” and “what if” canon-divergent situations are excellent but like i said, i also like conceptual AUs so don’t be afraid to mix up the scenario a bit if you enjoy it, because i do too!

things i don’t like a lot in general:

kidfics. unless it’s petshop of horrors - where Chris and the pets are an exception - next gen and stuff are a pass for me

far into the future fics in general, actually - what really does it for me is the development, so if we skip ahead to much later on i feel like we end up missing it all

i usually don’t like most angst stuff since it feels a bit gratuitous to me when it comes to most fandoms and characters. the one exception for this is psoh (see below if you’re picking this fandom) or when it’s introspection fic. as a result of this, i’d pass on most content with major character death, sexual abuse, self-harm, the like, though of course there are always exceptions to the rule and you’re free to write as you wish! 

hard AUs are a bit ehhh to me - by this i mean world-heavy stuff like harry potter AUs, where the focus ends up more on the setting than the characters more often than not. i’d also pass on high school AUs (gsnk being the obvious exception) and ABO. 

i heavily dislike things involving cheating/infidelity, and genderbending is a bit ehhhh for me

script-based or roleplay fic is not really my preferred format, i really enjoy prose instead of nearly all dialogue!

if you’re going for nsfw:

kinks: moderate sadism/masochism, bondage, choking/breathplay, xenophilia and tentacles (which only make sense here for like... 1.5 fandoms lmfao), moderate degradation, edging

squicks: scat, vomit, praise kink, daddy or baby kink, vore, forced feminization, pet play, gore

--

PETSHOP OF HORRORS

i’m usually not partial to angst AT ALL but psoh is the one fandom where i don’t mind it if you wanna go ahead - psoh is RIPE for angst. we got two people with abandonment and inadequacy issues: leon who decided to leave his whole life behind to chase someone who gave him life and left him after thinking that he didn’t care for him at all, and d who is supremely fucked up by his upbringing and had to push leon off the ark to continue his family’s mission and let drop one (1) single tear that he was not supposed to cry over a human.

THAT BEING SAID, i also!!!! love slice of life shit for them!!!!!!!! GODS i love how much they bicker but then they turn around and the other is the person they rely on the most and who they trust above all others and how they keep roping each other into ridiculous shenanigans. neither of them are particularly communicative with a few rare exceptions, so there’s also a lot of room for introspection there on both sides, which i LOVE. my son leon in particular is also super underestimated when it comes to his intelligence and tolerance for gay shit both in canon and fandom, and he performs ridiculous leaps of logic and instinct that somehow turn out to be right but that are super ???? for everyone else involved, and that’s always fun to see. hell, just another missing scene where leon brings d some cake and they banter fondly over tea is A++++ to me!!

nsfw???? bring it!!! this is the fandom amongst these three where you’re free to go super dark and kinky if you wanna, or if you wanna write tender loving reunion sex where d cries a little while leon cherishes every bit of him that’s also excellent! 

psoh is the most excellent genre triangle where i’d be super happy to receive anything on the slice-of-life/angst/smut corners! (also, slash is 3249823% acceptable if you couldn’t tell by my ranting)

--

GEKKAN SHOUJO NOZAKI-KUN

yuzuki seo is my absolute favourite character on the series and i love her and how ridiculous she is! waka is also gr9, and i really love that little sadist streak he has going like when he kept teasing seo with his “confessions”, that was probably one of my favourite chapters! 

for gnsk either canon-verse or a conceptual AU would be excellent - if you’re going AU, i’m very fond of those where seo is a siren/mermaid and possibly man-eating (because those are the best kind amirite??) canon-wise i LOVE their interactions and how waka keeps accidentally getting taken on lowkey dates while resolutely defending they’re not even friends and even more accidentally retributing those with thoughtful gifts and the like haha

another thing i love is when waka is capable of looking past appearances to see seo, like in the chapter where they gave her the “lorelei” makeover and no one recognized her but him. i also love how stupidly happy seo is whenever she sees waka, it’s so cute!!

--

HOWL’S MOVING CASTLE

the thing i like the most in hmc are the characters’ flaws! i love the ghibli movie, don’t get me wrong, but they took away the bits i liked the most - sophie’s stubbornness and nosiness and temper and howl’s cowardice and vanity and his silver-tongue whenever he tries to slither around sophie, and all their banter and arguing. 

there’s nothing quite like their stupid arguments where sophie pretends she didn’t mess around with things she shouldn’t and howl is torn between being amused and exasperated at her expense - even better if he’s trying to do something good sneakily behind her back so he won’t be accused of being a good person before he finds another excuse to justify it. 

for this fandom i’d really prefer it if it were from anywhere from the beginning of the first book to before their marriage (i haven’t read the sequels and prefer non-established relationship anyway), but a conceptual AU would also be pretty nice! hmc in particular is very good for trope subverting, which i’m extremely fond of! for example, take a soulmate AU with the first words written on the skin thing: we could mess it up a bit since calcifer was in possession of howl’s heart and as such his first words would be on sophie instead of howl’s - cue shenanigans while sophie wonders how someone can have a soulmate bond with a sentient fire with no words of his own, howl panics internally about sophie not returning his mark, and so on! 

another thing i love about the book is the writing style and that incredible sense of humour in the writing, so something lighthearted and in the spirit of canon would be great!

[pinkmilkyblue]

Sonnet 34: A Rotten Prequel (Nick's P.O.V.)

Hello everyone! I hope you enjoyed the previous chapter… Now here’s the second one! Sorry if anything is ooc or inaccurate (especially the play scene that I’ll talk more about later). Please feel free to leave any comments or suggestions! It would help me a lot. This is the fun and silly chapter so enjoy!!

Chapter 1

CHAPTER 2

Soon enough, it was morning. The skies were clear and the birds were chirping; a great way to start the day. I got up and I was instantly greeted by our newest member. “Good morning, Mr. Bottom!”

“Morning, William. How was your sleep?” I asked, still trying wake myself up. “It was fine. Didn’t really get much sleep. I was too nervous for my first day in the troupe.” he confessed.

“You’ll do fine.” I reassured him, despite not being the best at advice. He seemed to take it though. Once Nigel woke up, we had a light breakfast and headed downstairs to the theatre.

After a couple of minutes, the rest of the troupe arrived. They all gathered around me as I passed a copy of the script to each member. Then, I cleared my throat so the troupe could settle down. It worked. I had their full attention.

“Hello everyone. I’m glad you could all make it today.” I said. “As you can see, we have a new member.” I added before pointing to Will who was standing beside me. All eyes turned to him. “He will be part of this production from now on, so I think it would best if he introduced himself.”

William took a deep breath. He flashed a confident smile and said, “Hello, fellow actors. I am William Shakespeare, but you may call me Will. I come all the way from Stratford-upon-Avon and I am now sixteen years old. It is an honor to be a part of your troupe and I cannot wait to begin rehearsing.”

The actors started whispering, mumbling and even nodding in approval. They took turns to shake Will’s hand as he grinned before joining their circle.

Once that was over, I began to assign roles. The play was in two weeks, and we had to get started. We were doing a little play that I wrote called, The Tale of Thomas and Celeste. The two main roles of Thomas and Celeste went to Will and troupe member Robin respectively. Both actors were thrilled to hear they got the leads.

Then, we started reading lines. Nigel sat on a chair to watch while playing with some of the props.

As expected, the entire troupe gaped in awe of William’s acting. Though, what I didn’t expect was how much they would admire him. It was only his first day yet it seemed like he’d been acting for years.

Everything was going well so far. At this rate, we would surely be ready to open in two weeks time.

We took a lunch break at around noon. Nigel joined us on stage to eat. He went up to Will and commended him on his first reading. The young actor smiled and told my brother it was nothing.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. “I’ll get it.” I said, leaving Nigel with Will before answering it.

I opened the door and in front of me was a man carrying a huge crate. “Delivery for the Bottoms.” he announced.

“That would be us.” I led the man inside.

“Please sign here.” he said, handing me a quill and a piece of parchment which I took and signed. The delivery man thanked me and left as I returned inside.

The rest of the troupe, on the other hand, noticed the big crate in front of me and began to gather around. “Our costumes are here!” someone shouted, causing everyone to crowd around the box. 

Immediately, all the actors were passing and throwing their costumes around. It was like a marketplace! I had no control whatsoever. Whatever title of leader I possessed was ignored completely. I just stood there and hoped none of the costumes would get damaged.

Once everyone finally had their costumes, I let out a sigh of relief. The troupe settled down and started trying them on.

To my surprise, I spotted Will near the crate still searching for his. I approached him and said, “Is something wrong?”

“I can’t find mine.” he frowned.

Then it hit me. I forgot to let the tailor know that we had a new member! But, I couldn’t just tell him, “Hey, Will. I forgot to get you a costume because you didn’t exist before. Oops!”

I didn’t want him to feel bad. The poor guy had only been here one day. He needed a proper welcome. So instead, I turned to him and said, “Actually, your costume isn’t here right now.”

He raised a brow. I had to think of something and fast. Since the rest of the troupe obviously had no plans of continuing rehearsal any further, I decided to dismiss them. Then, I went back to Will and smiled, “Come on, William. We’re going shopping!”

“I want to come! Please!” Nigel exclaimed, tugging on my sleeve. I laughed, then carried the child.

“Wait. Shopping?” Will asked, confused.

“Yes. You heard me correctly.” I answered. “Since you’re new here, I thought it would be best to let you choose your own costume.”

William’s face lit up. He grinned widely and happily skipped upstairs to get his jacket. Nigel also hurried to our room to retrieve his satchel, while I reluctantly grabbed some of our theatre savings and got ready to leave.

We proceeded outside with Nigel on my back. The three of us strolled down the streets of London. It was a nice day. Last night’s storm seemed like it never happened. The weather was just perfect. Nigel even got off my shoulders to chase a butterfly. Will and I ran after him too until we eventually reached the store. It wasn’t too big, but there was still a lot to choose from.

“Hello, Mr. Bottom. How may I help you?” the store clerk greeted.

“We need a costume for this young man.” I said, gesturing to William who was beside me. The clerk brought us to the fitting room and offered various outfits.

William seemed to enjoy modeling and posing in front of us. Nigel enjoyed this immensely. So did I. Will came out with a different look each time. From a jester, King, peasant to even a witch, he certainly entertained us with all his goofing around. It had been a while since I let myself have fun for once. I was on all fours laughing when he came out with a donkey’s head. Our laughter was so loud, that we may have annoyed the clerk…

Finally, William chose a costume. It was a black Prince outfit with a matching crown. We spent nearly an hour joking around and it was unfortunate that we had to go. I paid the clerk and thanked him for his service.

However, before exiting the store, I spotted a collar on one of the shelves. It was made of white lace and it was very frilly. In fact, it was really quite silly. I never understood why most people chose to wear one…

The other two exited the door as I stayed behind for a while. I quickly purchased the collar and caught up to them outside. Nigel was now on Will’s back and they were still laughing about what happened earlier. I called out to them. They turned around and stopped to wait for me. “What took you so long, Mr. Bottom?” Will asked.

“I bought you a little something.” I replied, handing him the collar.

He laughed. “You didn’t have to buy me a… um… silly looking collar.”

“Exactly. This should remind you of all the silliness we had to go through just to find you a costume.” I grinned slyly.

Nigel put it on his neck and giggled. “It looks perfect!” he concluded.

“Yes it does.” I agreed, laughing slightly.

Will smiled. “Thank you, Mr. Bottom. This means a lot.” he said, stroking his new collar fondly.

“Seriously?” I frowned. “I just gave you a present… How many times do I have to tell you to call me Nick?” I rolled my eyes.

Will did the same. “Fine. Thank you, Nick. I’ll cherish it forever.” he smiled. I smiled back. With that, we headed home.

Will and I began to get along from then on. The next two weeks were tiring, but still fun. Will started to gain lots more confidence being in the troupe. Maybe it was all their admiration, or constant praises. Who knows? But all rehearsals went smoothly and Will was part of it all.

However, the day before opening night, I entered the theatre with the troupe in chaos. Everyone was either panicking or complaining to one another as I stood there, very confused. I could barely hear myself think. To settle this, I stepped on a stool and shouted, “QUIET!”

The room went silent.

“Thank you.” I said, relieved. “Now, can somebody please tell me what on earth is going on?”

Then, a member of the troupe stepped out of the crowd and said, “Nick, I’m afraid Robin is ill. And no one else can replace him. Nobody knows his lines.”

Great. Now what? Where are we going to find another actor? I thought to myself.

Suddenly, from behind me, as though he read my mind, I heard Nigel say, “Nick can do it!”

My eyes widened and darted to Will, who was just as shocked as me. “Wait. What?!” we both chorused.

“I said, Nick can do it! He wrote it, so he memorizes every line.” my brother repeated.

“B-but, I-”

“The play is tomorrow! We don’t have time to look for another actor.” another member pointed out.

I thought about it for a while. From the corner of my eye I could see Will. I could only imagine how uncomfortable he was with the situation at hand. I looked back at him, but he quickly turned the other away to avoid eye contact. The show had to go on, right?

“Alright, I’ll do it.” I groaned.

Everyone cheered.

“But,” I added as the cheering immediately stopped. “Only if it’s okay with Will.” I finished.

They all stared at William who now had to make a decision. After a few seconds he sighed in defeat and shrugged, “It’s fine with me.”

We both exchanged looks. What had we just gotten ourselves into? “Alright then. Let’s do this.” I said reluctantly to the troupe’s delight.

We first rehearsed the scene where Prince Thomas and Princess Celeste meet. The lights dimmed and the background set twinkled to represent the evening. William got into his costume, while I put on a curly blonde wig along with a periwinkle gown and some make up. I had played women in plays before, but this was all so sudden. And I was paired up with someone who I’d only known for two weeks. Sure, we were much closer than the rest of the troupe, but was that really the problem?

Nigel gave the signal, and both of us entered the stage to start rehearsing.

I bumped into Will after supposedly running from thieves.

“Madame, why art thou running?” he asked me in concern.

“Good sir, thieves desire to taketh my things. Will thou help me?” I asked in a high-pitched voice.

“Of course, fair….er….maiden. Follow me.” William offered, trying very hard not to break character. Then, he took me by the hand and we rushed off stage.

After the set changed, we entered the stage which was now the palace garden. “Thou may stayest with me o'er here in this sweet rose garden.” said William.

“What is thy name?” I asked him.

“Prince Thomas. And what is thine, fair lady?” he charmed, kissing my hand.

“Celeste. Princess Celeste.” I replied.

“Thou art more beautiful than all the stars in the sky.” he declared.

“Thou art too kind, sir.” I said, pretending to blush.

“Will thou give me the pleasure of a dance?” William asked, offering me his hand.

I froze.

“Sorry, what?” I said in disbelief.

“Will thou danceth with me?” he repeated, trying to keep the rehearsal going.

“N-No!” I refused, completely ignoring the girly-act.

“Nick! It’s part of the script, remember?” Nigel whispered loudly from the wings of the theatre.

I soon realized he was right. “Sorry… I just panicked a bit.” I apologized, scratching my head in embarrassment. What was wrong with me today? I never messed up that bad.

“It’s alright, Nick. Just continue when you’re ready.” my brother smiled encouragingly.

“Alright.” I said as I turned back to Will who was laughing. “Stop it.” I frowned.

“I hope you know how to dance.” he smirked.

“The question is, do you?” I smirked back.

We got into position and he repeated his line, “Will thou give me the pleasure of a dance?”

“Most certainly.” I answered with a slight grin.

I took his hand, curtsied and began to waltz around the stage. We spun, twirled and danced to the music. Luckily, no toes were stepped on. He was quite the dancer. Finally, the last note played and we stopped.

“That was most delightful.” I panted, grinning widely. Will smiled.

Then, to my complete and utter shock, he leaned in closer. And closer and closer until his face was only a breath away from mine. I could feel my face turning red. 

A smile crept up his face as he softly whispered, “Indeed it w– Nick! Are you blushing?” Will pulled away incredulously.

I blinked several times to get myself back together. “N-no I’m n-not.” I stammered nervously.

“Yes, you are!” he teased.

I punched him lightly on the shoulder. “Whatever. I freaked out alright!” I defended. “Why didn’t anyone warn me?!” I asked.

“It’s in the script!” he snickered.

“No it wasn’t!” I argued.

“T-Technically, it was Nick.” Nigel pointed out.

“The lights were supposed to turn off the moment I said my line, but I guess some people,” said Will, glaring at those in charge of lighting, “thought it would be funny if I kissed you.” he explained.

“Thanks a lot…” I said sarcastically. Will laughed again for before ruffling my hair and walking away looking very pleased.

“Let’s take a break.” I sighed, still very shaken by the whole thing. The troupe agreed and began to disperse from the stage too.

After the break, the rest of the scenes went pretty well. That’s probably because this time, I actually re-read the script. I couldn’t understand why I had forgotten it all in the first place! No more surprises. Except for the final scene.

Will was lying on the floor, ‘stabbed’ by a jealous suitor, while I rushed to his aid. “Thomas!” I cried, kneeling beside him.

“My love, thou must leave. Thy safety is far more valuable.” he coughed hoarsely.

“I cannot. Thou will die.” I told him.

“I shall not die in thy heart. Spreadeth our love where it may live for eternity.” he smiled weakly.

“I will.” I promised.

“I love thee.” he said, before closing his eyes.

This was the time where I supposedly cried and kissed him on the forehead. So I bent down slowly and kissed his forehead lightly. Suddenly, Will woke up with a start. He stared at me in astonishment.

“Is that supposed to happen?” I asked in confusion.

“I-I didn’t think you’d actually k-kiss me!” he flustered, wiping his forehead with his sleeve. I laughed. So did Nigel. “Well, now you know how I feel.”

Will rolled his eyes and said, “Whatever. Let’s just end this rehearsal.” before lying back down to his original position.

Once he was ready he repeated, “I love thee” again and closed his eyes. I bent down once more and kissed his head then said, “I will always love thee,” before hugging him closely.

The curtain fell and the lights went out. The second the curtains touched the ground, Will and I separated instantly.

“We did it!” I cheered.

“That wasn’t even the final play…” he groaned.

“But we did it!” I grinned happily.

“Yeah… I guess we did.” he grinned back.

“We should really have backup actors.” I pointed out. “Actually, I think all theatres need them.”

Will nodded profoundly.

From out of the wings, Nigel ran towards us and wrapped us both in a big hug. “You two did great!” he exclaimed excitedly. “I mean Nick could’ve tried harder at first, but it was still great!”

“Thank you, Nigel.” we smiled.

“You did well today, Will.” I told him.

“You weren’t bad yourself.” he replied with a grin. “Not bad at all, Nick…. Or shall I say, Nicky.” he added, smirking.

“Nicky?” I raised a brow.

“Nicky the sweet fair maiden.” he laughed.

Nigel snickered too. I rolled my eyes. “Don’t ever call me that.” I frowned.

“Too late, Nicky. I think making you blush has just become one of my greatest achievements as an actor. Sorry!” he teased.

I sighed in defeat. There was nothing I could do about it, so I just let him be. I thanked the rest of the troupe as they all left the theatre. It was very late. Almost midnight actually.

I yawned. “We should probably head to bed… ” I told Nigel. But when I turned around, to my surprise, he was already asleep on Will’s lap.

“Oh.” I said.

“He just fell asleep immediately.” Will chuckled.

“Sorry ‘bout that.” I whispered.

“It’s not a problem at all.” he replied.

“Why don’t you stay at our place again? I’ll bring the sleeping bags and mattress down here. We can camp on the stage.” I shrugged.

“That would be wonderful.” he agreed.

I rushed upstairs and brought down the mattress and sleeping bags along with blankets and pillows. Carefully, we placed Nigel on the mattress and tucked him in. Then, Will and I got into a sleeping bag each and gazed up at the ceiling.

“Will?” I whispered.

“Yes?” he answered quietly.

“Thanks.”

“For what?”

“For being here. It has always just been me and Nigel. He’s all I’ve got. But now, at least I can count on someone else to take care of him when I’m not around.” I replied with a smile.

“Anytime, Nicky.” he smiled back.

That night, I fell asleep with a smile on my face, knowing I had found my best friend. I could tell this was the start of a new friendship. One that would last a lifetime…

NOTE: So a few notes… First, I clearly don’t have the best knowledge of Renaissance plays and the Renaissance period in general. If I were to use an actual Renaissance play, I wouldn’t be able to write the scenes well due to my limited context and background… So I made up a random little play (The Tale of Thomas and Celeste) to make up for that, but it probably isn’t all that historically accurate and stuff (especially the dialogue lol idek what I was doing anymore hehe). I hope it still made sense though! Besides, what matters is they had a show together and it was adorably hilarious :)

Which brings me to my next point: that entire part can be seen as romantic, platonic or whatever you want! It’s completely up to you. I personally read it as platonic with a bit of implied Bard Romance, and maybe even some intimidation, but that’s just my view! You can view it all sorts of ways…

Finally, before this gets way too long, thank you again for reaching the end of this chapter! There’s one more left to come so get ready for that. It’s the last chapter, but I’d love to hear your comments on this one! Tell me what you think, talk to me about my precious sons and don’t judge me too hard on the play part… I really tried T_T

Thanks for reading again!!

[doctor-who-hears-a-horton]

These Grey Stars Above Us (Ten x Rose)

Rating: Teen

Chapter: 7/?

Rose Tyler is a young lady of standing in society, and thinks little of marriage. She meets Dr. Johnathan Smith, a former soldier with taste for little else besides whiskey and reading. She finds herself intrigued by him and wonders if she can draw him out and bring him back into society

HISTORICAL NOTE**************** I made up the war for the purposes of plot, so there was no war like the one I describe in Victorian times.

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6

Read it on AO3 Here!

Nothing happened for a long while. He walked with her, her arm through his, and Rose was terribly infatuated with the feeling of him against her, however brief the contact.  It was something that made Rose feel lighter than air, and she was certain that she would never understand it.  But he spoke to her as if she were an old friend, and she found that he really was an easy person to talk to.  He was wonderful, smiling and quite happy.  She liked a smile on his face, she decided, and wondered how she should tell him so.

“And what did you think that we should do, in town here?” Rose asked finally.  “Hm?”

He looked down at her with a fondness that she was not ready to classify.  “What do you think of going to a tavern?  A nice one, mind, one that is not full of drunks.”

“Oh, so you shan’t be allowed to enter,” She teased, nudging him.

He let out a surprised laugh.  “Well, I suppose not, but since I am escorting you, I feel as though it will be appropriate.  What do you think?”

She lifted a shoulder. “I have not been to a tavern,” she admitted.  “I was never allowed inside.  By my parents, not by the people serving,” she laughed, feeling suddenly nervous, “I fear I would not know how to behave.”

“Just behave as yourself,” he replied, and smiled fondly at her.  She was starting to become addicted to the way he looked at her.  He made her feel like she was of much higher rank, just in his gaze.  

She agreed, although a bit reluctantly, and decided she should ask him about what bothered her most.  She tugged his arm a bit to get his attention back on her.  He returned to her instantly, arching an eyebrow at her questioningly.

“What-” she cleared her throat, afraid to ask, afraid of overstepping her bounds.  She looked up at him resolutely, trying to keep from slowing her pace so that he would not know she was nervous.  “You mentioned, in your letter to me, that your mother was planning an arranged marriage for you.”

“Ah…” He nodded.  “Yes, she is.”

“And does she know you are with me?”

“Does your mother know you are with me?” Jonathan countered, “You make it very clear that we are not courting, Miss Tyler.”

She looked down at his sleeve and plucked at a loose thread there.  “That does not mean I wish to share you, Dr. Noble.”

“So you wish to begin an illicit affair?” He whispered lowly, his voice teasing.”

She blushed hotly and thumped him on the chest with her opposite hand, the one not in the crook of his arm.

“I do not know what I wish for, but it is not an illicit affair,” she said.  She wondered though, if that would be so terrible.  If she could have him all to herself in such a way, in secret.  It was thrilling in a way that made her scold herself for even thinking such thoughts at all.  He was not an object, nor was she, and if she wanted him all to herself, she could simply marry him.  Something told her that would be terribly difficult, though.  She was not sure she was ready for that, and she was not sure that he was either.  She could see in his eyes that he had been drinking that morning, and as much as it filled her with disappointment, she realized she would be foolish to expect him to be rid of his addiction so easily.  Besides, it was not changing how he behaved with her, he was still the same man.  At least, she thought so.  He was put together, his hair styled and his suit fit him nicely.  He was a very beautiful man, and she could never recall finding a man beautiful before.  He struck her in so many ways.  She wanted to get to know him in ways no woman had ever known him before.

But of course, such primitive thoughts were disgusting, and she tried to push them away.

“Yes,” he said, breaking her out of her thoughts, “She is trying to match me with a young woman from France.  None of us know her, other than the fact that she is available for a courtship.”

“But do you not have to initiate the courtship?” She asked.

“Yes,” he acknowledged.  “But I am afraid my mother holds a great deal more power than I would like to admit.”

Rose felt her heart begin to race.  She was not ready for marriage, not ready for a life of being tied to a man and his estate, but Jonathan was something special, and she could see it even now.  But she could also see that he was potentially dangerous, and perhaps he was not the sort of man she should give her heart to.  She clutched his arm a little tighter, and he let out a sound of discontent.

“I will do what I can to make sure that does not happen,” he said, “I know you fear commitment.”

“I do not,” She replied.

“Yes you do, you just have not admitted it yet,” Jonathan replied. “Do you not think that I have not noticed?  If I thought you did not have an interest in me, I would not be pursuing you.”

“That is a lie,” Rose said, laughing a bit, “You would have, simply for the adventure of the chase.”

He smiled down at her again, something that she was growing disgustingly accustomed to, and nodded.  “Only if I was chasing you.”

She wrinkled her nose at him.  “That was decidedly less charming than you thought it would be,” she told him.

“I am plenty charming, Miss Tyler.”

“I don’t know, Dr. Noble, perhaps you should try other ways of charming.”

He rolled his eyes at her, a very ungentlemanly thing to do, but one that made her laugh and skip along next to him.  

It was only a few more steps to the tavern that he was going to take her to, and when he walked her inside she realized it was more than a bit ridiculous that she had been nervous about it.  The tavern was well lit and seemed very high class.  She had expected something seedy and dark, with drunks lurking about.

“You are surprised?”  Jonathan said, feigning as though it was a question; he clearly knew this would surprise her

     She blushed, not wanting him to see but unable to hide it. “I am, a bit,” she admitted.

     He nudged her gently and led her to a table, throwing up a signal for the man who stood by a podium. The man nodded and appeared at the table they sat at with two leather bound menus.

     “Thank you,” Rose said, surprised, as the man departed. She looked at Jonathan suspiciously, as he was already looking at the menu. “Is this where you bring all the girls?” She asked him, only half teasing.

     He looked up at her in surprise, not expecting her to say something so blunt. “No,” he said firmly, and reason gone from his voice. “Only you.”

     She was struck by the notion that she wished to kiss him. Very much so, in fact. She has simply no idea how one was to go about such an act, but she knew he had a lovely mouth and that was quite enough for her for the time being.  She watched his lips move as he read menu items silently to himself, his brow furrowed as though perhaps he needed reading glasses and had left them at home. Unobserved, he was like catching a glimpse of the rarest animal, one you might spook if you got too close to it.

      In short, he was beautiful.

      She had just returned to her own menu, written in cursive script, when she felt his foot touch her ankle. She jolted and raised her eyes to him, but he was stubbornly acting as though nothing had happened. Instead, he kept reading, a far too innocent look on his face. She flushed hotly, as his foot did not more but instead stayed pressed against her boot at the ankle, underneath her skirts.

     It may seem an odd thing, but Rose has never been touched there, and was hardly certain what to do because of it. Not certain at all, she moved her foot towards him, giving him room and permission to do what he liked.

     She heard a gentle breath, one she was willing to label as a sigh of relief, and smiled softly to herself. It was sweet, that this unnerved him so. She was simply trying to pretend that her heart was not racing and trying to climb out of her chest.

If her mother knew that she was letting Dr. Noble do something so blatant.  Luckily, her mother would never know, and that was quite enough for her.  He left the toe of his boot right there, right against her, and she pushed her foot closer to his.

“You order for me,” she said finally, looking up at him after what felt like years and years.  His gaze was slower, his eyes darker, when he looked into her eyes again.  He smiled softly at her and nodded.

“I can order something that you would like,” he said, this time looking her directly in the eye as he slid his foot farther up her skirt.

“You know what I like?”

“I would like certainly like to,” he said, his voice low.  She took a deep breath, restrained by the crushing fabric of her corset and dress.  It was so easy to forget, with him, and the rest of their meal was much the same. Though he drank, she found that it did not bother her, and she felt her head spinning the entire time.  

When they finally left the tavern, Rose felt as though she had a better understanding on where Jonathan came from, why he was so different from the rest of the noblemen that she knew.  

She took his arm again as they left the tavern and she tugged on him, pulling him into a narrow alleyway.  He seemed surprised but did not object to the situation.  He stood in front of her, at a respectful distance, which made Rose feel like she needed to scream.  

“What do you think you were doing?  In the tavern?” She demanded.

“What do you mean?” He asked, stepping forward, closer to her, now closer than was prudent.  His hair was less perfectly coiffed now, his fringe starting to fall towards her forehead.  

“You know perfectly well what I mean,” Rose said, tilting her chin up.  “You were underneath my skirt.”  She managed to fight a blush, but only barely.

He smiled at her, a boyishly charming smile.  “I was not.  You, Miss Tyler, have not had anyone underneath your skirt.”

“And you?”

“I have not had anyone underneath my skirt either,” Jonathan said, and this time, she moved closer to him, feeling bold and daring in the shadows of the alleyway. She had never been in town without her parents or Amelia, and now she was alone with a man. She felt like she was flying.  She reached up and cupped his cheek in one hand, her fingers shaking against his skin.  He seemed just as breathless as she was, and leaned into her touch, his eyes falling shut.  

“Miss Tyler,” he breathed out, lifting a hand to her waist. “You should know, I have… Never done this before.”

“Neither have I,” Rose said.

“Ah-” he started to say something, but stopped himself and leaned forward to kiss her.  It was not a bad first kiss, tentative and soft, with her hand on his cheek and his against her waist.  He grew a bit more bold, reaching around her waist to draw her against him. Neither of them moved to deepen the kiss, both of them afraid to shift it into something neither of them were familiar with.  He slid one hand up her back and after several moments, opened his mouth over hers.  She was not sure how to respond; no one had ever told her how to do this, but it felt like liquid fire shot through her body, so she opened her mouth in return, letting him lead their kiss with a gentle touch.

Only a wolf whistle from the main street broke them apart.  Jonathan pulled back from her with (what felt like) an obscenely wet sound, and pink colored his cheeks.  He leaned back in to kiss her cheek and remained near her for a moment.

“I - know you do not wish to court-”

“I could be persuaded,” She said, cutting him off.  “But I do worry about the drink,” She said softly.

His jaw set and he nodded. “Perhaps we should speak about this in depth, later.”

“Yes.  For now?”

“Yes?” “Kiss me again,” She begged, sliding her hand up into his hair.

He did, and by the time the two of them left the alleyway, they were both quite experienced and quite in need of the cold air.