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angry-slytherin · 3 years

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We Really Like Fluff

a totally incomplete guide to dousy fan fictions that are a must:

according to me, anyway

no idea where to start? looking for a fic you read a year ago? I’ve got you.

help me find the tumblrs of those not tagged (if they have one)!

all we do is drive. (romantashas) @romantashas

Daisy has missed the open road. She used to always love taking her van out and just driving. Los Angeles was where she liked to stick around, but she would always go on these road trips just because she wanted to explore somewhere new.

She's always liked running away from things.

It was different, having someone with her.

In which Daisy Johnson helps Daniel Sousa explore the modern world by taking him on a cross-country road trip in a van. Post-Finale road trip AU with MCU tie-ins.

the first beloved fic by this fandom. completed in august 2020, it strays from canon somewhat at S7E11, but the characterization makes you forget that anything is different at all. truly a masterpiece, and definitely a must-read.

6/17/55 (lazyfish)

6/17/55.

She never thought it would mean 1955.

(Spoilers up to 7.06.)

one shot. soulmate au. beautifully written. it’s only just under 2k words but one of the most popular fan fictions under the tag on ao3. absolutely adorable and you’ll feel your heart flutter for them.

One Year Later (marvelsquake) @marvelsquake

Set right after the series finale's 'one year later' part where Daisy stares into space with Sousa and Kora.

Inspired by the 'anatomy analysis' bit Jemma says to Daisy.

there are so many amazing “anatomy analysis” fics out there. that is one of those “if you know, you know” things;) this one is really thoroughly written, and marvelsquake took their time to make every detail perfect. really, just excellent.

Stay (SteeleHoltingOn) @steeleholtingon

Not everyone knew she could feel heartbeats. Sousa’s sped up every time he looked her way.

His reaction wasn’t particularly unusual, and Daisy was an expert at fending off unwanted advances. But that was just it: Sousa hadn’t actually made any advances, and if he did, Daisy wasn’t sure she’d ward them off.

Her heartbeat, it seemed, liked to match tempo with his.

this one needs little introduction. it has been recced(??) to death, and rightfully so!!! the author is this incredible genius and I love them for giving this to us. it’s over 150k words, so be ready to commit some much deserved time to this excellent character study on both Daisy and Daniel.

Feel Good(I Like It) (enigmaforum)

It's not the the first time she’s felt something for someone since Lincoln but it’s the first time she felt like it had the possibility to actually turn into something. Something Good.

I’ve always loved the title of this fic, but that’s besides the point. enigmaforum is a very talented writer who does plot AND characterization like a pro. definitely an A+ in terms of quality. also part of a series with some other excellent works!

Exposure (agentquakingskye) @blcssqvake on instagram

Dying in a half-second blast of radiation wasn’t as bad as she thought it would be.

Dying all over again, slowly, because of that half-second of radiation?

That was worse.

okay I lied. we also love angst and this work is angst central. it’s a cancer AU following the finale, but it’s just as happy as it as sad. prepare your tissues, but also prepare for some seriously good writing.

A Week After Death (manoutoftimeandquake) @puddle-of-awesomeness

An explosion in an alien junkyard sends Daisy, Sousa and Kora back in time to meet some people from Sousa's past.

the astro ambassadors sent back in time to meet the AC cast(essentially). such a fun, action-packed, hilarious work. such a classic. go read it now!!

Where I Need To Be (JennaPotter)

This is set from Episode 7x03 onwards and follows the story of Daisy Johnson and Daniel Sousa, and how their relationship has been developing throughout this amazing season of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.! This story mostly follows canon but is interspersed with missing moments between Daisy and Sousa that I imagine could have happened off-screen.

almost 200k words of absolute beauty. it’s incredibly detailed and excellently written. it’s like reading a published novel!! but with dousy!!

you’ve got that power(over me) (romantashas) @romantashas

"It's you," Daniel whispers. He's in awe, looking at Quake. She steps back away from him. "Let me help you," he says, reaching out toward her injured arm slowly.

Daniel only gets a moment more to admire her glowing eyes and her purple hair before she turns and runs away, her hand slipping out of his.

In which the superheroes of the Marvelverse actually try to keep their identities a secret and Daniel Sousa is determined to figure out who is behind the mysterious Quake mask. Superhero AU with MCU tie-ins.

yet another classic(I’m definitely misusing that word… it’s deserved by these authors) work by romantashas. the description gives the gist of it, but it’s one of the best dousy AUs out there.

get ready for the shameless self promo…

Your Heartbeat On The Highline(Once In Twenty Lifetimes) (doctorsimmonswilson) @angry-slytherin

He’s a man out of time and she’s an orphaned superhero. They’ve just got to figure out what to do next, after the mission is over.

[aka Daisy and Daniel’s story post finale]

welp… I included my own story. honestly it’s because it is one of the most popular in the tag(I’m sifting through too kudos and top hits). I’m really super proud of it, so read it if you’d like. it’s canon compliant (and extremely fluffy for the most part:)

somebody hurt you(but you’re here by my side) (agentmmayy) @agentmmayy

Daniel doesn't leave Daisy's side, even when she's out of the healing chamber.

very popular, and for good reason. such a sweet, nice fic. I very much enjoyed it and it’s a quicker read than most on this list!

and here’s to the question marks

aka: unfinished works that are beautiful and deserve your attention

want you(to unravel me) (IzzieBee)

Daisy never wanted to be rescued, by anyone. She never wanted to owe someone that debt, but especially not to a handsome WWII Vet, traveling through time. Daniel, who was brave and decent, and kind of funny, and who she could easily depend on, which was way too dangerous to consider.

Daisy really wasn't ready for Daniel Sousa.

sexy, fun, well-written… what more could we ask for? it’s missing the last chapter, but the brunt of the story is there, and it’s satisfying either way.

A Truth Stranger Than Fiction (wordsmithraven)

Daniel Sousa was having the worst day of his life...and he’d lived through a war. Service had always been something he’d understood. Honor. Sacrifice. Duty. He’d just never thought his journey would mean leaving everything he loved behind.

a lot of daisy and daniel getting to know one another… a little bit of season 7 adventure… a whole bunch of fun.

Loving The Journey Together (manoutoftimeandquake) @puddle-of-awesomeness

Moments in the lives of Daisy and Sousa (and Kora) after the end of the team's final mission.

this one is a WIP(being updated currently). manoutoftimeandquake has some amazing snippets/slices of life waiting for you in that work!

it’s in the subtext (eggsaladstain)

Snippets of the relationship between Daisy Johnson and Daniel Sousa through the words they said and the ones they didn’t.

SO. FREAKING. GOOD. just go read it, okay?

and finally, some links to some authors who’ve written a bunch of amazing stuff.

romantashas

manoutoftimeandquake

enigmaforum

@hecckyeah

lazyfish

hereforthephilindafics

dearemma

seriously, there’s so many more amazing fics in this tag. I didn’t have the energy to include all 800+. these are just some that are most popular and/or deserve your attention.

thank you for taking the time to read through all of this! I hope you’ve found some things to bookmark(or binge-read;)

#dousy #agents of shield #the dousy fic rec post #daisy johnson #daniel sousa #aos fandom

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oodlyenough · 3 years

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life is strange true colours review

the non spoilery part: i LOVED this game, my personal fave game this year and the first franchise entry since the original that has really resonated with or moved me.

it's a life is strange game through and through, so if you don't like slice of life episodes or bonding with NPCs, it's not gonna be for you. but if you like the franchise, or even if you liked the first game but haven't been interested in/liked the other two instalments, i recommend giving this one a chance. i think it got closer to figuring out the formula while still doing something new and interesting.

more detailed spoilers and opinions:

alex

holy shit i love alex? bisexual chad... my darling... i'm gonna be real, a lot of the trailers and promo for this game made me worried she'd be kind of a dull wallflower Soft Girl character, but she's not! she's so funny, and even parts of her characterization i initially thought were maybe a bit of a stretch ended up making sense as i learned more about her. she stole the show. i straight up forgot how much loving the protag helps enjoyment of these kinds of games lmao ... finally a reason to click on everything in the room: to hear what alex will say about it.

i thought her backstory exploration in ep 5 especially was wonderful and emotive and great. broke my heart and explained so much about her :( baby girl

plot/choices

i loved the mystery. i don't think it was quite as Mysterious as the mystery in lis1, but that was okay, i was still invested in solving it. i also got invested enough in the NPCs around the town to make all the exploration bits really fun. i loved eavesdropping on the sagas of the random NPCs like bald man and ice cream couple... just fun little touches and narratives to follow that i enjoyed.

i really appreciated this script not being afraid to shy away from some messier emotions, even if in some cases i wish we spent more time on them. for example: alex feeling a bit jealous of the other people in town that got to know gabe better than her/spend more time with him than she did. or charlotte hating ethan!!! my jaw dropped, i thought that was so good, what a messy but realistic response.

I'm not entirely sure what all the ramifications of different choices are at this point, fresh off my first play. i ended up getting only part of the council to stand with me (eleanor & duckie) while losing pike and charlotte.

i do wish we saw a bit more fallout or exploration of what taking away emotion DOES. i took charlotte's anger, and obviously it meant she didn't stand up for me in the council meeting, but where does she go from there? does she like... ever return to feeling emotions lmao... I also think we probably should've had the opportunity to do that another time, instead of just 2 isolated events -- I think Diane would've been a good candidate.

the romance

i romanced steph, ofc, but i was surprised during the game how drawn i was to ryan too -- i really liked that Drama of him being the one who cut Gabe free, as well as later the drama of him being Jed's son. UNTIL HE DIDN'T BELIEVE ME... that made me mad lmfao, i have to learn what to do to make him believe me before i play a Ryan route bc i'll kill him lmfao.

the steph/alex romance was sweet... it didn't really, like, Consume Me as a ship, but by the end of the game I was still "aww"ing at their moments in the flashforward. steph was more rounded and flawed than i thought she might be, which i really appreciated! i was worried they'd just make her perfect idealized gf, but she has a bit of a temper and is kind of tempestuous and stuff... liked it. loved her standing up for alex so fiercely and immediately at the council meeting <3 and my main reservation about her in ep 4 was that i wanted alex to stay in haven, so when she offered to stay i was thrilled LOL

one semi-complaint i had was that something i loved so much about lis1 was how max and chloe's relationship was central to the entire game and story, it wasn't some extra thing on the side, it WAS the game... whereas here, the romance routes, especially steph's, felt like sidequests. I wish they'd found a way to incorporate those relationships a bit more into the main goings-on. I also wanted to spend more time with either romance option to feel like I knew them better -- splitting the time between Steph and Ryan means that I came away feeling like I didn't get quite as much of either of them as I would've liked, vs spending almost the entire game with Chloe lol.

however, this ended up not really bothering me too much because I DID really like the core mystery and themes, the exploration of grief and Emotion, etc.

other characters

considering everyone knew going into the game that gabe was going to die, i was impressed with how they did it, and how they managed to get me attached to gabe in a mere single episode. it's a tall order to introduce a character designed to die, who your audience KNOWS is going to die, and still make them work.

i thought this supporting cast was ... maybe the strongest in the franchise? or at least, they created scenarios where i felt invested in multiple people in the town, and was genuinely trying to build decent relationships with most of them. duckie cracked me tf up, i liked eleanor and riley, even diane and jeb were good for their roles. (fuck pike. i signed ur stupid thing and left your emotions alone and you still won't do shit? ACAB!!!) the choice to stay in haven or leave was a little harder than i expected honestly, considering how quickly i let arcadia bay burn to the ground lmfao.

gameplay/etc

also i know the whole internet has been dunking on "empathy" as a super power since the game was announced, and i get that it sounds corny and looks corny in the trailers, but i thought how they did it was really cool. i wish they'd branded it "Mindreading" more than empathy tbh because a lot of the cooler elements of it are more along those lines... using her power to manipulate people, potentially taking people's emotions away and what that does to them... very interesting imo!

i really liked the memory feature!!! cool way to give us character exposition and inform the story while encouraging exploration. finally a collectible that like, expands the story, instead of chloe drawing butts on the wall and sean taking 10 years to draw something.

it's definitely the most evolved-feeling LIS game, which it should be, given it's the newest. graphics looked really nice, loved getting to see the characters actually emote, even if there are still some scenes that were a lil comically blank-faced -- usually NPCs. i actually noticed this with Jed the most, which in retrospect maybe was somewhat intentional?

i had a number of visual glitches, nothing major but a little silly, like T-posing Alex, npcs t-posing in the windows, etc. i'm sure they'll get patched out soon.

anyway... i rly liked this game, i'm excited for the steph dlc and finally feel like i have reason to be optimistic about future LIS instalments. hooray!

#life is strange #true colors #listc spoilers #lis spoilers #secrets of haven

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kindahoping4forever · 4 years

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Dress // Ashton Irwin

Part of the fun of using prompt lists is finding ways to incorporate everything when someone requests multiple prompts in one piece. I had the skeleton for this story fairly quick and as always, @cal-puddies was a problem solving queen and helped me fine tune it into something that made sense. I wrote this maybe a month ago and got caught up tinkering with it and am so glad to finally get it out into the world!

Prompts: “I know for a fact that you can be a hell of a lot louder than that.“ and “I’m gonna fuck you so hard that you forget you ever even met that asshole.” and “Wow, I didn’t realize you were that… Flexible.”

Warnings: Supportive/protective/flirty friend!Ash, the slightest drop of angst, brief mention of unnamed character cheating, ridiculous amounts of sexual tension, spontaneous (but protected!) backstage sex

Word Count: 3k (on the nose. The 🤡 nose of course)

Masterlist

Let me know what you think!

————-

“I can kill him if you want,” Ashton offers.

You consider your friend’s offer. “I mean… I won’t stop you but I also won’t dye my hair and go on the run with you, I just got it to the shade I’ve been wanting.”

“Fake friend,” he scoffs.

Like most nights when you were visiting on tour, you and Ashton sat behind the venue, people watching and talking shit. Tonight’s conversation had a very specific subject: your cheating ex, a record label rep, who you just found out would be attending tonight’s show to scout one of the opening acts.

“I just hate the thought of you having to see that asshole again,” he seethes. “And I hate that I’m the one putting you in that position, as if I haven’t already done enough.”

You met “that asshole” (as Ashton exclusively refers to him) when you visited a 5SOS promo tour he was running so Ash has always felt somewhat responsible for your heartbreak, despite your insistence that he shouldn’t. It was a decent relationship; it never got too serious but you had fun and occasionally felt understood. But towards the end, he was always travelling and long distance made things difficult. Things became even more difficult when you realized he’d been cheating on you basically the entire time. You were hurt but your confidence was broken more than your heart.

You admit you’re nervous about potentially running into your ex but Ash is downright furious so you let him rant. You don’t realize that you’ve gotten lost inside your own head until Ash is snapping his fingers in front of your face. “Obviously I do love listening to myself talk but what I’m saying is for your benefit,” he snarks.

You shake your head. “Sorry. I think you can understand, I’ve got a lot on my mind right now.”

“That��s what I’m saying, I can’t stand seeing you like this.” He pauses and then enthusiastically squeezes your knee. “Here’s what you do: go back to the hotel while we’re at soundcheck, put on something sexy - Oh! That black dress you wore when we all went out in Austin? Do your hair, go all out and he’ll feel like a fuckin idiot if he even catches a glimpse of you.”

“Really?” You ask, skeptically.

“Trust me,” he insists, pulling you out of your seat. “It’ll make you feel good even if you don't see him.”

He’s right and you do feel better trading out your unofficial tour uniform of a messy bun, band merch and jeans for some soft curls, your favorite black slip dress and a pair of tall boots. You never thought of this dress as particularly sexy until Ash mentioned it but as you assess your reflection, you have to agree that it does flatter your body nicely. You throw on the leather jacket that Ash gave you for your birthday and head back to the arena feeling ready to take on the world, or at least your ex-boyfriend.

The guys all hoot and holler at you when they come back to the dressing room after soundcheck. (Ashton, of course, takes credit for your transformation even though all he did was suggest it.) You gratefully accept their sincere compliments, laugh at their hyperbolic ones and by the time they have to leave for their meet and greet, your face hurts from grinning ear to ear and you’ve essentially forgotten you were ever nervous in the first place.

But as they file in afterwards, Ash immediately notices your mood has changed drastically. You’re curled up under a blanket in an easy chair, mindlessly staring at your phone, your hair has been thrown back into a bun and as he tries to get a closer look without being too obvious, he can see your eye makeup is a bit smudged as if you’d teared up, if not full on cried.

He knows you well enough to know that if he hounds you, you’ll shut down and he’ll never find out what’s wrong so he just keeps an eye on you. But you know him well enough to know when he’s going to great lengths to ensure he’s paying you extra attention but not too much. He sits on the arm of your chair even though there’s plenty of actual seats available, he goes out of his way to include you in even the tiniest of conversations and when dinner arrives, he brings you a plate of food without being asked. You’re sure you’ll appreciate it in hindsight but right now you just want to be left alone.

You offer to keep Calum company when he goes out for a cigarette and as you’d hoped, besides a casual “You good?” and a side hug, he lets you stew in peace. When he starts to head back in, you tell him to go ahead, that you need another minute to yourself.

He pauses. “Ash isn’t gonna like that,” he chuckles. “But I’ll head him off best I can.”

Cal’s prediction is correct and you’re not alone for three minutes before Ashton comes barreling outside in search of you; you roll your eyes at the sight of him, fresh out of his ice bath, wet hair hanging in his face, white t-shirt and black shorts clinging to his damp body. You almost catch yourself admiring the spectacle before he starts making his way towards you and you remember how annoyed you are.

“Hey!” He brightly greets you.

“Jesus Christ, Ash,” you snap. “You’re gonna catch cold out here like that and then you’re gonna have to cancel shows and I’m gonna feel like it’s my fucking fault just because you can’t leave me alone for five goddamn minutes.”

His eyes briefly widen at your outburst but he quickly regains his composure and takes your hand. “Come with me,” he says quietly.

He leads you to the band’s warm up room and you throw yourself on the couch with a huff. He snorts and lifts your lower half up, sits close to you and rests your legs in his lap. He taps your thigh, “I’ll leave you alone if you tell me what’s going on.”

You sigh in response.

He tries again, “Don’t tell me you’re still nervous about that asshole because I told you ---”

“I saw him,” you interrupt.

“What? When?”

“While you were at meet and greet. I went out to the bus to get my charger and we passed each other on my way back,” you explain.

Ashton clenches his jaw. “What’d he say to you? I’ll go find him right now, I don’t fucking care.”

“He didn’t say anything,” you say plainly.

“What do you mean?” He asks, confused.

“I mean he looked right at me and didn’t say a word,” you explain. “Like I was nobody, not even worth ‘hello.’ Like I never meant anything to him.”

He comfortingly rubs your legs in his lap and watches you process what you’re feeling.

“I’m not sad, I don’t think. Because fuck that guy, for real,” you contemplate. “I think... I just feel like an idiot for letting him get to me and for caring at all he was going to be here and I really feel like an idiot for going to the trouble of putting on this ridiculous dress ---”

“The dress was an excellent idea, you look amazing,” he insists.

You purse your lips. “I look embarrassing, I hate this fucking thing,” you tug at the material in disgust.

Ashton lightly slaps your thigh in protest. “You love that dress. I love that dress.” Noting your look of disbelief, he smirks and continues. “Listen, it’s a good dress. I’ve had dreams about you in that dress. Like... dreams,” he emphasizes, suggestively wiggling his eyebrows.

You feel your face getting much warmer much faster than you would’ve expected. You study his expression to try and figure out how serious he is. “Liar,” you determine with a laugh.

“Oh you want details? OK, you first wore it to that label party and I dreamt we were at my place, talking on the couch kind of like this,” he gestures. “And I ran my hand up your legs and played with you under your dress until you begged me to fuck you.”

As you take in his confession, your eyes flicker across his broad frame, all of your fantasies he'd unknowingly starred in running through your mind. You had no doubt you were attracted to each other but you’d always enjoyed the kind of friendship where you both felt comfortable enough to flirt openly without expectation. But this feels like new and dangerous territory. You’re pretty sure you don’t mind it.

“You seemed to remember me wearing it in Austin?” You press the subject, your voice surprising you with how breathy it sounds.

He chews his lip before meeting your eyes. “Dreamt you rode me in a dark corner of that club we were at,” he answers in a low voice. His hand is still absentmindedly stroking your leg, though you are acutely aware it seems to have climbed a couple inches higher since this conversation began.

You’re shocked when you hear your own voice saying, “And when you wake up from these dreams…”

“Hard as a rock,” he offers without hesitation.

His answer hangs in the air as you sit up, resting your arm on the back of the couch behind his head. You’re as close to sitting in his lap as you could be without actually doing it. You’re not sure where the audaciousness comes from but you look him straight in the eyes and ask, “How many times do you think you’ve cum because of me?”

Ashton stares at you a beat longer than you would’ve liked but you never fear that you’ve gone too far. He only breaks eye contact to briefly glance at your tongue darting out to lick your lips; he leans in slightly but has clearly decided to let you lead how far this goes. Finally, you hear his gravelly voice respond, “Far too numerous to count.”

You nod briefly and then you find yourself closing the gap between you. You kiss him with more confidence than you’ve felt all day and your assurance grows as he deepens it with a groan. You tangle a hand in his hair and smile against his mouth when you realize how curly his hair is from air drying post-ice bath. You get lost kissing like this for a few moments before you pull off his shirt and move to lay back down on the couch, wrapping your arm across his broad shoulders in hopes he'll follow you.

He allows you to pull him on top of you and he swiftly adjusts your position so that he can rest between your legs. You're feeling bold so you lick into his mouth and raise your hips against his, electricity running through your body when you hear a slight moan in response and feel his growing arousal through the thin fabric of his shorts. It's your turn to offer up some sounds of pleasure as he focuses his attention on kissing along your jaw and down the length of your throat.

Ash pulls away briefly to search your face for permission as his hand starts to make its way up the skirt of your dress; you guide his hand to lightly brush over your panties and satisfaction flashes across his features when he feels you've started to soak through. You buck into his touch and he takes the hint, dipping into your underwear and running his fingers along your folds.

"Already so wet for me," he teases. "You ever thought about this before?" The large pad of his thumb rubs gentle circles around your clit as you feel two fingertips dancing around your entrance.

You whimper softly into the kiss he offers and he takes that as encouragement to slide his fingers into you. You pull away from his lips and answer with a shrug, “This? A few times.” You rock against his fingers for emphasis. “But not as much as I’ve thought about being filled by your cock,” you banter shamelessly.

He grins at your assertion, hooking his fingers in a way that has you gasping. “Oh, is that what you want?” He pulls his fingers from you, eliciting first a disappointed moan from you and then an aroused one as he promptly sucks them clean. “I’m gonna fuck you so hard that you forget you ever even met that asshole.”

Ash hikes your dress up over your hips and works your panties down your legs while you sit up and reach for his backpack on the coffee table across from the couch. You dig for only a few seconds before your hand resurfaces holding a condom. He gives you a surprised look and you toss it to him, snorting, “There’s no way my nosiness even cracks the Top 5 most shocking twists of tonight.”

He pulls his shorts down enough to get his cock out and rolls the condom on, chuckling. “I don’t know if I’d call us finally fucking shocking,” he comments.

“I guess that’s true,” you pull him into a kiss, laughing against his lips. “You’ve been trying to get it in for a while.”

He shakes his head fondly and settles himself over you once again; he pushes in and you both groan at the sensation. While you adjust, he pecks along your neck and the tops of your breasts where your dress has fallen down slightly; you decide you need more of that so you pull the bodice down further, exposing your chest to him. He immediately takes advantage and fits his mouth around a nipple while his hand toys with the other one.

You move your hips against him, signaling that you’re ready for him. He starts trying to build a rhythm and while it feels good, it quickly becomes apparent that the limited space of the couch isn’t giving you enough room to spread and accommodate his large build. It’s a giggly tangle of limbs as you both maneuver to try and determine the best course of action, eventually settling on you resting your legs on his shoulders.

Ashton begins slowly pumping his hips again and you both instantly feel the difference in depth; you moan and grabble at his back, bending your legs further towards yourself to get him closer. He growls at the sight. “Wow... I didn’t realize you were that flexible.”

“Missed opportunity for those dreams you’ve been having,” you tease, digging your nails into his arm as his cock drags against a particularly pleasurable spot.

He picks up speed, thrusting into you hard and deep, your pleased sighs and gentle whines spurring him to move faster and fuck you rougher. He notices you biting your lip to keep from crying out and decides that simply won’t do.

“Lemme hear you, gorgeous... need to know how I’m makin you feel. Thought you couldn’t wait for my cock to fill you,” he pants, pounding into you vigorously. “I know for a fact that you can be a hell of a lot louder than that.“ He presses down on one of your legs as he thrusts, reaching an even deeper spot inside you and you let out a guttural moan.

Your head is spinning as you look up and see a blend of lust and pride all over his face; you’d love to fire back some clever retort but he’s fucking you so good the best you can manage is a whiny “Fuuuuck… Ashhhh… pleeeease…” You’re surprised you already feel the beginnings of your orgasm creeping up on you and you claw at his neck and chest as your breathing intensifies.

“GOD, Ash… gonna cum,” you announce. It’s the last coherent sentence you produce for a while as you cry out repeatedly, your legs shaking and your pussy throbbing around his cock. You don’t usually orgasm from just penetration and the intensity of it is blinding.

He fucks you through it, holding your legs tight and encouraging you. “So pretty when you cum… feels so good around me,” he murmurs. Moments later, a series of grunts signal his impending release and you moan for him, watching as his hips stutter and he cums into the condom.

Ashton eases your legs down from around his shoulders and leans in to kiss you sloppily. He lays his head on your chest and you stroke his hair as you both process what just happened. He gets up after a few seconds to dispose of the condom and a comfortable silence fills the air as you both attempt to make yourselves presentable again.

He hisses sharply as he pulls on his shirt. “Goddamn, you scratched the shit out of me, woman,” he laughs in disbelief.

“Well, I’m gonna be walking a little funny for the next couple days so I think we’re about even,” you grin, relieved that at least this part of your relationship has remained unchanged.

You’re both just about ready to head back out when something occurs to you. “Hey, what did you mean when you said you know ‘for a fact’ that I can be loud in bed?”

Ash looks half-guilty, half-amused as he answers, “When you and that asshole first got together on that tour… I had the room next to you… things were overheard. Really difficult not to overhear, if I’m being honest.” He chuckles and shrugs.

You burst out laughing, cackling so hard you need to sit back down on the couch. Ashton looks at you in confusion. “I… I…” you struggle to get the words out, wiping tears from your eyes. “I was absolutely faking it for him those nights… most nights, to be honest.”

He giggles first out of shock and then at his next thought. “Well, if he’s anywhere backstage right now, he definitely just heard what a real one sounds like,” he smirks.

—-

Crystal’s tag list: @cal-puddies @mymindwide @suchalonelysunflower @pxrxmoore @loveroflrh @ghostofmashton @sexgodashton @feliznavidaddycal @castaway-cashton @boomerash @cashtonasfuck @megz1985 @ashdork-irwin @ashtonangst @angelicfluffs @findingliam-o @abadaftertaste @myloverboyash @youngbloodchild @irwinsbetch @ashsun @everyscarisahealingplace @wiildflower-xxx @metalandboybands @another-lonely-heart @realisticnotes @makeamovehemmings

Click here if you’d like to be tagged for future fics and click here if your name is on my list but crossed out (Tumblr won’t let me @ you)

Cass’s tag list: @cocktail-calum @1dthewantedlove @youngblood199456 @lustingforwunder @calumsphile @neso-k @rosecoloredash @radmcqueen @justayoungandwisefangirl @itsnotmyblood @lietoash @pushthetide21 @5sosfanficrec @therealmrshale @fallfrxmgrace @lukashemmos @justarandomgirlthatyoudontknow @5sos-microwave @madbomb @sweetheartmendes1000 @literally-anythin @lfwallscouldtalk @clemmingstylins0n @ccnicole02 @lustingfor5sos @buteverythingiscopacetic @rosesfromcth @bodaciousbonzi1996 @ashtontotheirwin @captainam-erika-trash @xxgendurvikixx @jazzyangel242 @bluebabycal @rhiannonmichellee @iovehemmings @glitterycalum1205 @katcontreras @cashtonasfuck @ificanthaveu @kindahoping4forever @here-for-the-uproars @canterburyfiction @opheliaaurora @queer-5sos @banditocth @gigglyirwin @glitterycalum1205 @rebelwith0utacause @thesubtweeter @myloverboyash @sublimehood @irwinkitten

#5sos smut #ashton irwin smut #ashton smut #5 seconds of summer smut #ashton irwin fic #kindahoping4forever #kh4f fic #smut #Dress #this was so fun to write #the banter and the tension #you know i'm a banter loving bitch #that's why my fics end up so long lmao #yes you get an ice bath reference and a shoutout to a white t shirt AND the shorts all in one fic #i am not even trying to front anymore smh #thanks again to everyone for motivating me to post!#i hope you enjoy #Feedback is appreciated

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kooala · 4 years

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once you realize - chapter three

USERNAME CHANGE!!

!!used to be kookie-off-his-kookie but now it’s kooala!!

A/N: Hey guys! I’m glad you enjoyed my last chapter! Here is the third one and I really hope you enjoy reading as much as I loved writing it!

I also hope you guys will be happy to hear that it’ll turn out to be longer than expected so get ready for five, potentially six chapters! (: ✨

Pairing: Jungkook x Reader, Taehyung x his girlfriend Mina, Jaebeom!

Tags: best friend! Jungkook, idol verse, friends to lovers!

Genre: angst, fluff, mutual pining, basically the cutest falling in love story

Wordcount: 3k

Warnings: language! flirting!

Parts: chapter one / chapter two / chapter three / chapter four / chapter five / chapter six / chapter seven

Summary: After the nightly confessions seemed to have put Jungkook into a much better mood, he felt like there was no harm in being a little more bold.

masterlist

It had taken you a solid hour of laying in bed without moving an inch before you felt confident enough to leave your bed to get some water from the kitchen, maybe some toast if you felt brave.

“Don’t you look like a fresh spring morning.”, Mina laughed as she walked around the corner and spotted you sitting on a barstool, your head resting heavy on the cooling kitchen counter. The toast next to you, still untouched as the thought of food alone made you feel nauseous.

“I feel fucking splendid.”, you mumbled and only as you saw Taehyung cut the corner a few seconds after her, you sat up, looking at him confused. He waved to you, only dressed in a t-shirt and shorts, messy hair, maneuvering the pans and fridge as if he had done it a hundred times before. She could’ve at least mentioned he was here.

“So why did you drink that much? And how did things turn out with Jaebeom?”, she asked nosy, leaning her elbows on the counter and watched you. You shot a quick look to Tae who was making scrambled eggs in a pan and although the smell coming from the pan was tempting, you declined his offer to make you breakfast. It felt too risky.

Erm...,” you started the conversation, feeling a little uncomfortable with the new extra in the house “I actually don’t.. know.”, you mumbled.

“What do you mean, you don’t know?”, Tae chuckled as he turned around with a plate of food, placing it down in front of Mina as he kissed her head softly and for a second you stared at them with an ugly jealousy raging inside of you. You didn’t want to be that jealous friend, but they seemed genuinely happy.

“I just can’t remember. I had too much to drink – I don’t even know how I got home...”, you mumbled sheepishly and watched Mina grab your toast you hadn’t touched.

“Jungkook took you home.” The shocked expression you must’ve had on your face, made her suspicious and she rose an eyebrow.

“Oh please no.”, you mumbled and covered your face with your hand embarrassed. Out of all the people to see you in this state, you really didn’t want Jungkook to be the one taking care of you.

Taehyung showed up with a second plate, offering it to you one more time and as you declined again, the both of them disappeared down the hallway together into Mina’s room.

Looking at the empty hallway for a moment, hanging after your thoughts, you eventually gathered yourself up and headed to your room as well, grabbing your phone anxiously.

You: 정국아~! Jungkook: 네? You: Did you take me back to the dorm yesterday? I’m so sorry for causing inconveniences... Jungkook: Don’t worry about it ㅋㅋㅋ Jungkook: How are you feeling? Hungover? You: I feel awful. Jungkook: ㅋㅋ I can imagine! Want to grab some lunch? Jungkook: I said I’d bring you breakfast but I think it’s good you slept in ... You: I don’t know if it would be a waste. I can barely even smell food... Jungkook: I’ll make sure to eat the rest of it! I’ll eat all of it ㅋㅋ You: Okay I’ll do my best and get ready. Lunch is on me though!!! Jungkook: Perfect - let’s meet at the one from last time in an hour! See you soon ((:

It took a deep breath and a lot of will power to peel off of your bed to head into the shower. Although seeing Jungkook made you feel all giddy and excited, nothing could overlook how awful you still felt.

Hoping for it to get better after the shower, you took your time to pamper yourself, taking your time to pick out some clothes, even if they were comfy and put on some make up just to make you feel somewhat human again.

The thing you were most thankful for at the moment wasn’t only the close friendship with everyone, it was also the fact that most of the promo was done. You finally had a little bit more lean way and although it wasn’t much, a day off like today was a day you could spend with your friends, especially Jungkook. It was rare that both of you were available at the same time and you wanted to take advantage of every second of it. He had always been a good friend and although it was never ‘easy’ to have a guy friend, Jungkook was very sensitive and caring and listened to you if you needed to talk about problems within your group of girl friends. He didn’t mind listening and giving advise which was one of his many amazing qualities you appreciated so much about him. This made the fact that he took you home while you had been knock out drunk yesterday, even more terrifying. Especially in combination with your confusing feelings you’ve been dealing with lately.

“Oh look at her, there she is! Party-queen, our Soju princess, give it up for the number one beer drinker in Korea!” You could hear him yelling from down the street while clapping his hands, cheering a couple of times.

Feeling the heat kick in, you put your hands on your cheeks and simply looked down to the floor, feeling absolutely embarrassed and terrified. All you could do now was pray that he would be decent enough to not exploit you right to your face today.

You looked back up, watching him make his way down the street, doing a little dance and you couldn’t tell if your cheeks felt hot from the embarrassment, or the way he looked today.

Jungkook looked like he hopped right out of a cover shooting in his ripped jeans with a tucked in t-shirt and a loose, open button up on top of it, looking even more put together than usual.

His fluffy hair was bouncing as he walked towards you and you couldn’t help but feel like you had to raise both of your hands and just slide them through his hair. “You know, there’s no need to be insecure about how cool I am. We can’t all be alike.”, you smirked as he walked up to you and you could see his bright smile, looking down at you. “Someone’s in a good mood. No headache?”, you asked and he shook his head, smiling brightly. “Not even a little. I am really good.” His dimples came out even more and he couldn’t stop the wide grin on his face as he opened the door for you to enter the restaurant first. “Thank you.”, you smiled and walked ahead, letting him go ahead though once you were inside since you quite enjoyed it when Jungkook was leading.

Both of you followed the lady guiding you to your seat and after taking off your coat and getting comfortable you saw him smiling at you suspiciously.

“Is there anything you want to tell me? Because I don’t know what happened last night, as embarrassed as I am to admit this.”, you mumbled after ordering your drinks and food and he rose his eyebrows, almost worried.

“Nothing? No memories at all?”, he asked, taking the drinks as they brought to the table and poured the small coke bottle into the glass for you.

“I can’t remember how I got home, first off. I also have no idea what happened after we played that shot game. I think the last thing I remember is having a very deep Soju fueled conversation with Jimin. Who I believe is the reason the night ended the way it did, by the way.”, you mumbled, thanking him for pouring your drink and taking a sip then.

Jungkook watched you in amusement and chuckled a bit at your innocent behavior, considering yesterday wasn’t one of your innocent nights at all. He got to putting the beef on the grill immediately while listening to you and you simply watched him work his magic.

“You had a conversation with Jimin, right. And then you had one with Jaebeom.”, he said and shot you a quick look to see if that sparked any memories and as you watched the meat sizzle on the grill, you remembered a couple of scenes of the night before.

“Oh god, I did sit next to Jaebeom...”, you mumbled quietly and put your hand over your mouth embarrassed since you remembered his hand around your hip. The worst part didn’t seem to be the hugging, it was the fact that absolutely everyone was there to witness it.

“Yea...”, Jungkook simply stated, not interested in getting into that topic too much because he didn’t feel like dimming his happy mood after the conversation yesterday.

He folded some meat and sides into a perilla leaf and held it over to you, offering. Bending in you took the bite and nodded thankful, covering your mouth while chewing.

“Why didn’t you say anything though? You’re my friend you’re supposed to protect me from dumb decisions, you know?”, you mumbled after chewing and chuckled. Jungkook didn’t seem too interested in the conversation and scooting a little bit on his chair, you could tell he was almost uncomfortable. He didn’t really reply to that comment and you just took a sip of your drink.

“What was I thinking though. Now I have to text him and tell him I’m not interested... Man this is so embarrassing.”, you mumbled quietly, dipping your pork into one of the sauces.

“Oh you told him alright...”, Jungkook laughed low, looking over to you to watch your expression carefully. Dropping the meat from your chopsticks onto the table you looked at him shocked.

“What?”, you asked in shock. “What did I do?”, you mumbled, your voice lower as you picked the piece of meat back up to eat it. Jungkook took a big bite and you could see that he seemed to thoroughly enjoy this conversation. “Well, do you want the long version? Or the short one.”, he smirked and took a sip of his coke.

You only stared at him and seemed to sink into your chair more and more, dreading the story that was about to come. With a worried expression, you nodded hesitantly.

“So, it started off with you sitting next to Jaebeom, right? And I mean it wasn’t bad but you seemed cozy. And then you walked off and so did I so I don’t know what happened in between, but when I returned with Yugyeom you were crying in the hallway with Jimin. I offered to take you home and as we were leaving JB walked after you and wanted to talk to you on the street – so I let you.”, he smirked and grabbed some of the radish. You listened to the crunchy sound it made while he was eating for a moment.

“You let me? Oh goooood.” Closing your eyes you covered your face with your hand again. You couldn’t even get yourself to look at Jungkook because you felt so embarrassed for everything he had already mentioned.

“Yea and he did the whole ‘hey, let’s meet up sometime’ and you did the dramatic ‘I’m drunk and I like someone else, we can’t’ and then I walked you home.”, he laughed and you couldn‘t help but reach over to smack his arm once for the smug smile on his face.

“I said I like someone else? God no...”, you mumbled, pushing your hair back nervous.

“I can’t believe I did that. And I can’t believe I don’t even remember it! God this is so awkward I’m sorry you had to witness all of it.”, you mumbled with bright red cheeks and Jungkook only smiled at you with an understanding look on his face.

Although he enjoyed the fact that you regretted all of it and from the conversation that had followed after he had taken you home, he knew that you weren’t going to end up dating Jaebeom, but seeing you like this made him feel guilty. He didn’t enjoy it when you suffered, no matter if it was a fun situation or not.

“Don’t worry about it, noona. It sounds worse than it actually is, it was no big deal. He was okay with it and it’s not like you were so black out you couldn’t walk or talk. It’s all good.”, he smiled and you crossed your arms on the table, resting your head on it embarrassed. If there was a super power you’d like to take advantage of, it would be disappearing into thin air. Right now.

Resting your chin on your palm for a moment you let your eyes trace over Jungkook’s face for a second, stopping at the little freckle on his lip and as you realized what you were doing, you turned your eyes back to the food on the table and started eating some radish quietly.

As you felt Jungkook ruffle through your hair for a second, you felt a warm tingle run down your back, followed by goosebumps. He ran his fingers through your hair again to tame the mess he had created and you had to take a couple of seconds longer to hide those red cheeks of yours.

“Please tell me you’re just trying to mock me.”, you mumbled then as you sat back up to look at him. He seemed to have trouble keeping that smirk off his face.

“Oh I wish. And when I took you home you tried to take my hand and asked me to take off your pants because you couldn’t do it yourself.” He blurted out the last bit without even noticing and although he felt a little guilty for exposing you that way, he really was looking forward to your reaction when you heard.

“How is that not bad?!”, you yelled way too loud and Jungkook turned his head to look around embarrassed, nodding excusing to the elderly couple next to you.

“Because it’s no big deal, Y/N. It was only you and me, no one saw. You had a moment, I helped you take off your make up and... pants and then you got into bed and it’s all history. I’m not going to tell anyone and I’m the only one who saw. Don’t worry.” He smiled over and you still couldn’t help but feel the embarrassment linger between the two of you.

“But you did say ‘I’m not asking you to grind on me, just take off my pants for god’s sake.’, or something along those lines. I may just dream of that.”, he joked and closed his eyes dreamy, forcing you to smack his arm one more time. With a bright laugh he rubbed his arm and shook his head.

“Won’t tell anyone, don’t worry.”

“You better not if I was only in underwear!”, you said and Jungkook couldn’t hold back his laughter now. He didn’t know why he enjoyed you being embarrassed about it so much but maybe it took away from the fact that he had in fact seen you only in your underwear and now he felt less bad about it once you knew.

“I mean you did ask me to take off your pants so if anything, we’re only closer now.”, he smirked and you couldn’t help but start laughing as well, playing with the glass in your hand.

“What are you doing tonight?”, Jungkook asked after finishing absolutely everything that was left on the table within a matter of minutes.

“Tonight? Nothing really. Probably listening to Tae and Mina making out.”, you chuckled and finished your drink while watching him pull out his wallet.

“How about you come over? A few people are coming over and we wanted to watch the new Avengers movie if you’re interested? Mina and Tae will be making out there for sure.”, he joked.

“But seriously, it will be fun. Also my schedule is going to be packed again so it would be nice to spend some more time together before I’m unable to.”, he smiled and looked over at you.

“Naw, look at you being a cutie.”, you teased a little bit and Jungkook jolted his head a little to the side, noticeably embarrassed about the comment and with a crinkled nose, he tried to hide his pinks ears by going through his wallet.

“Think about it. I’d like to have you there.”, he smiled honest and got up, walking over to the cashier to pay for the meal. The gesture absolutely surprised you because usually the both of you pay for your own meals. There was a tingly feeling that started spreading out in your stomach while you were watching him pay for lunch and you couldn’t hide your smile as he returned.

“What?”, he smiled, handing you your coat as the two of you walked out. “Nothing. Thank you for paying, Jungkook.”, you smiled over and he shyly waved it off, following you outside onto the street.

“Right then, I’ll see you tonight?”, he asked, pushing his hands deep into his jeans-pockets and giving you a breathtaking, dimply smile. Trying to collect your thoughts while looking at him you nodded, pushing your hands in your coat pockets to somehow cope with your nerves.

“Okay I’ll... come with Mina then she’ll know all the details.”, you smiled and Jungkook seemed to beam once you agreed to join.

“It’ll be fun, there’ll be loads of people and we can even share a seat if you want to.”, he smirked, walking backwards a few steps without taking his eyes off of yours.

“Get your head out of the gutter, Jeon Jungkook!”, you yelled after him and as he looked around worried to see if someone had heard you, you only chuckled.

“See you later.”, you waved at him. “Get home safe. See you later, noona.”, he replied with a smirk and you watched him walk down the street a little further before getting into a Mercedes.

If you’ve managed to read this far, I’d be more than happy if you could like and share my chapter if you enjoyed it! If you have any suggestions for improvement or any drabble requests - make sure to shoot me a message!

thank you so much for reading and I hope you’ll stay around for the fourth chapter! 💖

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drama-and-tv · 4 years

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First half of 2020 tv shows/dramas completed

SO apparently, my original blog “may contain sensitive media” (how my original blog contains them, I have no idea because I don’t think I have ever written nor posted anything that is inappropriate) so here I am, making a new one even though there are just so so many thoughts I poured in that blog since the beginning of 2018.

I wish I could put all of the contents from there here. But since I don’t know how to do that, I shall only put up my thoughts on the things that I have completed watching this year (2020) that I have put up from there.

With that being said, here they go... most of them in the original words that I had typed/written from last time. My only change will be the rating (now I shall use the numerical rating since I have figured how to rate things properly in numbers now) :

Season 2 of Sex Education was such a delight to watch! While I do feel that it lacks some Otis and Maeve’s interactions (and wtf is that cliffhanger?), I feel that the other characters are given the opportunity to flesh out and have really good story lines. Definitely a step up to Season 1!

FINAL RATING: 9/10

Bad news: The third part/season of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina is the worst part of the show that I’ve watched so far. Good news: I still somewhat like it.

The main issue of this new-released part is how messy it is story wise. There are far too many things going on that it felt a little bit too chaotic - like there’s the Pagan storyline, there’s that Faustus storyline etc etc. It’s just too much.

What makes me still enjoy it is because of its characters. I am attached to the characters and I wanna see their journeys in this show. For instance, Ambrose and Prudence are probably the standouts in this season because they are just super badass here.

Overall, it’s okay. I would still watch this show when the new set of episodes are released.

FINAL RATING: 6/10

Honestly, Chocolate would’ve been better or ranked higher if they cut down the number of episodes - from 16 to maybe just 8.

Despite its melodramatic tone and ridiculous story line, I actually really enjoyed the initial episodes. I mean okay, the time jumps are a bit too much but I was sold on the emotions and the characters. It’s a melodrama, for crying out loud - it’s not meant to be realistic.

But then, for some unknown reason, it got draggy around the second half of the drama. And it affected my love for the drama. It was like they put a brake on the main plot and save for it the last episode (which it did).

This does not mean that it’s not a good drama. For the most part, I actually enjoyed it and I was invested in the characters’ journeys.

Just that it could be better.

FINAL RATING: 6/10

Honestly, Black Dog was not a drama I thought of watching. The posters and the plot did not make me feel compelled to watch it because for some reason, I thought this drama would be something like those corruption dramas or corporate dramas - while I can enjoy those kind of dramas, I do have to be in the ‘mood’ to watch them.

It was only when I started seeing some gifs/images over Tumblr that I started to consider it. And when more and more people raved about it, I knew that I just have to check it out.

And just like what these people said, it was good. A really good drama, actually! I think what I love about this drama is how realistic it really is. I like that I can actually relate to the world and the characters in the drama. While Haneul and I don’t share the same type of field, I can empathise with her struggles in obtaining/maintaining her employment and sitting for the certification exam. I can empathise with how she tries to navigate the world of school and teaching.

All I know is I have definitely cried or teared up in some of the episodes. (that’s really a feat cause the last time I cried like this in a tv show/drama is season 3 of Anne with an E and we all know how I feel about that show.)

I also love how there is a good balance between drama and comedy in this drama. While this is primarily a drama, I like that it doesn’t feel heavy. It makes it easier to watch multiple episodes in one sitting.

If there is one minor problem with this drama, it is that it feels like the main drama ends with 12 episodes and the remaining 4 episodes are the epilogue or extra episodes. While the remaining 4 episodes are still pretty good, it has somewhat cooled my love for this drama. However, I do appreciate it and it gives a good look at what happened after Haneul’s first year of teaching.

With that, I have contemplated on whether to give this drama the best rating I could give in the drama or the second best. Considering that there is barely any flaw in this drama, I shall give it...

FINAL RATING: 10/10

Season 2 of Kingdom did not disappoint. It maintained the same energy and intrigue that it brought in the previous season. There’s the excitement, there’s the high-quality production and there’s never really a chance for it to falter or drag. Its pacing remains consistent and I remain hooked to the end. I also like that this show does not end in an agonising cliffhanger - it wraps up the main plot that was introduced in the first season and at the same time, teases on what is to come in the possible season 3.

Overall, a really good season!

FINAL RATING: 9/10

I gotta admit, Crash Landing On You was a pretty nice watch! I initially had quite low expectations for this drama - I have hard time being truly engaged in big budget romcoms because they tend to be unrealistic and too fluffy (and I like my dramas pretty realistic).

But to my surprise, I actually really like it. The episodes (particularly the first half of the drama) were candies to the mind and to the eye! Yes, this drama is hella trope-y and there’s a lot of moments which are very unrealistic and are there to be flashy and amp up the romance. But you know, something about this drama just works.

Of course, like a lot of k-dramas, the second half of the drama is less addictive to watch. But it was still a pretty good watch. I mean, it got my mum really addicted and my brother to finally watch a k-drama beyond Kingdom after all these years.

FINAL RATING: 8/10

For someone who doesn’t know shiz about baseball, Stove League was still a very good drama to watch. It has that underdog story (in this drama, the under-performing baseball team for 2 years in a row, Dreams) that makes it easy to root for. It remained tight and consistent throughout its run. Its tone is very balanced - has good balance of serious and comic relief.

And most importantly, it’s not very hard to like the characters that matter.

Overall, very solid drama!

FINAL RATING: 9/10

When the Weather is Fine is really a good drama to watch at the moment, during the midst of this current pandemic. Even though initially (the first episode) it did not win me over due the drama’s slow pace, I gradually enjoy watching it regardless of its pace and eventually, I was hooked.

This drama has a very calming and “healing” aspect to it even though the subjects dealt can be serious. I like that even though there’s some serious issues here, the drama remains well-balanced and still has plenty of light-hearted scenes. Lim Hwi (the male lead’s younger sister) is definitely my favourite character in this drama as she brings a lot of sunshine to the table with her innocent teen self. Also, the comforting presence of the community (whether it being the Good Night Book Club member or the people/families in the neighbourhood etc) along with naturally serene setting make the drama feels warm.

With that, I recommend watching this drama, especially to anyone who wishes to seek comfort and feel warm.

FINAL RATING: 8/10

Netflix’s Never Have I Ever was an unexpected treat for me. I did not know the existence of this show prior to its release. I did not see any of its promos/trailers etc. So there was no expectations whatsoever prior to watching it.

My brother and I only happened to stumble upon it when trying to find something to watch on Netflix. So you can say that this was a present that came out of nowhere because as soon as I just went into it (within the first few minutes), I already really like it!

This show was funny. It was relatable as someone who comes from an Asian background. And most importantly, it has plenty of hearts. Trust me, I was tearing up when watching the last two episodes of this season (I sincerely hope that the show will be renewed for the next season).

Definitely a really nice show to binge quickly as it only has 10 half-hour episodes.

FINAL RATING: 9/10

Find Me in Your Memory was a pretty decent watch. Yes, it is a very standard kdrama in the sense that the plot is very very generic and there are so so many obvious tropes here. However, its characters and the chemistry of the main leads still made it worth a look. This drama might not be the most unforgettable or unique drama out there, but it is very easy to watch and it makes a good addition to anyone’s watchlist if you want something straightforward and not complicated.

FINAL RATING: 6/10

Man, A Piece of Your Mind could have easily been this perfect drama that I’ve ever watched this year had it only retained its original length. It is not to say that this drama is not good - it is as of now, actually one of the top dramas among the dramas I’ve watched this year.

This drama basically fits the type of drama I typically love: a realistic drama which examines more on its characters and focuses on emotions etc. Yes, I know people have complained that it is very slow but to me, that was part of its charm. I love slowly getting to know its characters and how they are feeling etc. I like being emotionally connected to them and follow on their journeys.

So I’m just sad the drama was cut from 16 episodes to 12 (reason being because of its low number of audiences). While the drama did its extreme best in making it work and it does not affect the main plot of the drama other than speeding things up nor does it really diminish my enjoyment for this drama, I’m just sad on what could’ve been if they were able to keep the extra 4 hours to the story. Like, we could’ve gotten better exploration on the characters etc (especially for instance that character who was played by the evil mother in law from Search: WWW and the Eunjoo’s Homestay residents and even frigging Hoon, Hawon’s colleague... like why was he even in the grandma’s house in the countryside?) . Things would’ve been more... organically unfold.

Despite all this, I still really enjoy watching this drama and I still remain invested in the characters’ journeys etc. Our main leads’ relationship feels warm and comforting. The vibe of this drama is just my kind of taste. And most importantly, I feel comforted watching it until the end.

FINAL RATING: 9/10

With that being said, those are some of the shows/dramas that I have completed up until now. Others that I have completed are season 2 of The Sinner (5/10), ITV’s Belgravia (6/10), Netflix’s The Circle France (soooo entertaining with plenty of drama and strategies, 8/10), season 18 of American Idol (8/10) and most recently, Netflix’s Extracurricular (I will eventually share my thoughts on it soon).

Stay tuned.

#tv #kdrama #completed #s education netflix #chilling adventures of sabrina #jtbc chocolate #tvn black dog #kingdom netflix #crash landing on you #stove league #when the weather is fine #never have i ever #find me in your memory #a piece of your mind #the sinner #belgravia #the circle france #american idol

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romansrace · 3 years

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Roman’s Season 13 Meet the Queens - First Impression & Placing Predictions

Hi everyone! Great to be back for a new season so soon! My review and prediction for each queen, in order of appearance on Meet the Queens, just behind the jump:

DENALI

Gorgeous look, creative, nice mug. Energy giving me a bit Aja, a bit Phi Phi O'Hara. Energetic and positive-to-neutral seeming. My prediction: 7th. Not one of the weakest queens right away, but might get unlucky on several challenges.

ELLIOTT WITH 2 TS

Energy similar to Blair St Clair. Her look is somewhat dramatic, especially if she's known as a dancer. Might be charming or might be argumentative, hard to tell. I'm charmed by her, but she might be divisive.

My prediction: 10th, following several lipsyncs. Early challenges unlikely to play in her wheelhouse unless we get an early Rusical.

GOTTMIK

The strongest look so far in my opinion. She (pronouns?) will have the storyline as a trans queen to go far, unless Ru or Michelle haven't moved with the times as much as we hope they have. Besides her gender storyline, she seems a very stylised and fun queen. She's giving me a little of Adore Delano and Lemon from CDR1. She's cinched well in this promo look which is also incredibly creative, not to mention her metal (?) wig.

My prediction: 3rd/4th

JOEY JAY

Another top look, I love her punk image. Looks a little like Pink (the singer). The impression of being more masc in drag is a fun spin and might play as a story for her. Not wearing a wig guarantees she'll come to blows with Michelle and Ru. Perhaps she'll change during the show.

I feel she may clash with the judges, because her personality seems abrasive and like she won't scare easily, which they tend not to like e.g. Acid Betty, Thorgy. I like her a lot, but I feel she might not be long for it. My prediction: 8th

KAHMORA HALL

Right away she seems extremely likeable. She will likely get on with the judges and be a fan favourite. Jackie Cox jumps out as a personality comparison, or Jujubee. Her look and mug are strong and polished, with an edge of being somewhat more creative. The combination of kindness, low self-confidence, and somewhat shadiness is very well-rounded personality-wise for tv. I think unless things go dreadfully wrong, Ru should really like her which should help her go far. My prediction: 5th

KANDY MUSE

Straight away, really funny. This season's meme queen or Vanjie. She's likely to create a lot of soundbites throughout the season. A queen very ready for tv. Mug is pretty good, a little unusual with what she's doing with the eyes and colour scheme. I feel like she might struggle in sewing challenges. At the same time, I feel like she probably won't be the worst at a lot of challenges, which will see her far enough to keep going. My prediction: 6th

LALA RI

Charming, but probably one of the weaker queens we've seen so far. Going for the soundbites like Joslyn Fox type of the season. Her look is nice and mug polished, but not one of the more dramatic looks served for this MTQ. Ability to do choreo means she might be able to save herself if she falls early into the B2. I wonder if she might do ok in acting challenges too though because her personality is quite likeable. Or she might go to pieces. My tentative prediction: 9th, going out in a lipsync to a top competitor.

OLIVIA LUX

Charming also. Jersey will tie her to Michelle Visage. Says that she can do a bit of everything, but her energy is very much giving me Brita Filter. I feel like if she does worse than she expects she will, she might crumble. Her look is fairly polished, but she admits to being a baby queen. I'm not super convinced by some of the claims she makes in this interview. My prediction: 12th

ROSÉ

Seems quite funny and charming. Will pink be her theme? Like some other queens here, she is a jack of all trades and should be strong, unless something throws her off. The fact she has old references should play well with Ru. Her mug and look are quite natural. I don't love her promo gown, but I think that's a style note rather than a quality note. She seems intelligent, too. A nerves/anxiety storyline might be on the cards for her. Seems like a finalist. The fact that she's political will also play really well for her. My prediction: Top 2

SYMONE

One of the most creative looks we've seen here, with that Medusa-esque wig. Her accessories and jewels are good. Claims to like fashion but also to show a lot of skin, this might be a getout clause. She also likes old references and black heroes, which should play decently well with Ru. Seems very self-assured. I believe her. She does give me Jaida energy to an extent, and she seems like she'll be a strategic player. Hopefully a finalist. My prediction: 3rd/4th

TAMISHA IMAN

The second half of the mother-daughter pair with LaLa Ri. There's no way these two aren't cast in order to B2 against each other at some point. Tamisha's style is good, if a little old-fashioned perhaps. Sewing skills should get her through the first week or the first design challenge, but she may be held to a higher standard because of her experience. An unsuitable lipsync song will probably be the end of her. My prediction: 11th.

TINA BURNER

Extremely charming, a comedy queen, and seems like precisely the type they've been aiming to capture with the disqualified queen last year. Energy-wise, very similar to that queen, minus the criminal elements. Also she has elements of Bianca Del Rio and Ginger Minj, but more respectful. Also some elements of Katya to her. Her mug and wig are great, very 60s with pop art elements. Hard to tell how big she is, but I think she's cinched. Should get on with the judges, and be saved from lipsyncs. My prediction: Top 2.

UTICA QUEEN

Her Meet the Queens image is right away a little one-note. I like her look. She seems very divisive and like she's trying to be a meme queen. Queens she reminds me of include Miss Fame, Jade Jolie and Dusty Ray Bottoms. From this video, I'm not sure she's quite ready for Drag Race, although she has potential. I can't think from what she said of what challenges she might do particularly well or badly at. I don't predict she'll make it to Snatch Game. My prediction: 13th - first out, unless there's a twist where they suspend lipsync for your life.

FINAL PREDICTED RANKING OF ALL QUEENS IN ORDER:

TOP 2: Tina Burner and Rosé 3rd/4th: Symone and Gottmik 5th: Kahmora Hall 6th: Kandy Muse 7th: Denali 8th: Joey Jay 9th: LaLa Ri 10th: Elliott With 2 Ts 11th: Tamisha Iman 12th: Olivia Lux 13th: Utica Queen

#romansrace #rpdr13 #rupaul's drag race #rupauls drag race #rupauls drag race season 13 #drag race season 13 #denali #kahmora hall #tina burner #rose #elliott #mik #drag race review

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popculturebuffet · 4 years

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Jake Reviews Amphibia: Handy Anne and Fort in the Road

It’s finally here... the second time i’ve said that in three days but hey, Amphibia is back! After a years hiatus due to the show being shoved out in a month to get it on disney plus faster (Yet they STILL don’t have wonder over yonder so I can finally watch season 2. God damn. ), one of the best new shows of a year stuffed with them is back! I was excited about this one from the start. A great premise, a gravity falls pedegriee, and the wonderful Brenda Song, who I had a crush on when I was younger despite not really watching the first suite life that much, though I will admit what I saw was pretty decent and had a wonderful cast especially song and Phil Morris as Mr.Mosby.. it was just overshadowed by i’ts two leads being really sterotypical (the cool but dumb hustler and the stick in the mud nerd) and I was more of a nick middle schooler anyway so I barely touched it. Granted if I could go back in time and trade which shows I watched i’d trade it for Zoey 101 in a heartbeat, another show with awful leads but the rest of the main cast was really good concidentally.

Anyways I did watch more of on deck to kill time and absolutley hated it. Seroiulsy the show really sucks: Zack and Cody were turned into basically worse versions of Zack Morris and Ross Gellar, worse because while their just as douchey as those two, Mark Paul Gossler and David Schiwmer can actually act and Cole Sprouse could not yet. I do say yet since Cole Sprouse has grown because he wasn’t half bad in the one season of riverdale I watched. Riverdale, what happens when you have the entire writers room snort a line of coke and then tell them to write the most insane archie fanfiction they can and stitch the results together. Just with Archie alone from what i’ve seen in read he’s started a vigilante posse ala homer simpson, nearly joined hte mafia, been framed form murder, had the local cheerleaders do a number for him while he played prison football, escaped prison to hide in canda from both his former mafia boss whose also his girlfriend’s dad and the cult based on a DnD knockoff, got mauled by a bear and LIVED, and now is a superhero apparently. WHy I haven’t gone back to at the very least review this clusterfuck is a mystery. But the point is the twins were really terrible at the time, and if the fact Dylan’s only major role recently is in the sequel to After, that film based on self insert one direction fanfiction, which somehow got a sequel while Birds of Prey probably won’t because god really does hate me. So it was bad and she deserved better, got better with the social network but hadn’t done much i’d seen, so a new cartoon starting her in her elment and in a great show for once had me pumped. And.. my faith paid off. The show is beautifully animated, ahs a wonderfully morbid and fully fleshed out world, top notch voice acting (including BIll Farmer who is so unreconizable as hop pop I thought he was voiced by charlie addler), great jokes, action and storytelling. Just a slam dunk that left be jonesning for me. And now in one of the best weeks for animation in a while, more is here. I do mean that: 3/4 of disney’s major animated shows returning and close enough finally airing it’s a good time. When we last left our heroes: Hop Pop buired the box that brought anne there and lied to her about it which even a year later I think is a terrible decision.. one made for understandable reasons as he clearly knows something more about it than she does, but one that’s bound ot backfire whens he finds out her new grandpa lied to her and betrayed her. The plantars also spent the season preparing to leave wartwood. Soon after, Anne was forced to finally stand up to her manipulative, if to my utter shock still caring about her and possibly being into her? I mean it’s not like I haven’t seen the “villian whose overcompensating for a terrible past and likes manipualting people redeemed and ending up smooching the somewhat reckless but good hearted heroine” before.

Anyways Sasha ends up nearly falling off a giant tower, Anne tries to save her, with the rest of her new family pitching in, and Sasha, realizing just how terrible she’s been just.. let’s her self fall, only saved because Grime caught her. And just remembering that sequence god dman.. the fact they actually got the rights to lean on me for it really dosen’t help. But the day was saved and while Anne had a huge bundle of trauma, the family was ready to finally set out soon. And now a year later i’ts time. Now i’ve gotten all the personal stuff out of the way, let’s hop to it and see what the new season has to offer. Full review with spoilers under the cut!

Handy Anne

So the Plantars are finally setting off. We don’t touch on the Sasha thing much, just a quick bit at the begining to show that while Anne is insiting she’s fine it really traumatized her. I do like kids shows starting to show more that sometimes heroes just DON’T bounce back after something like this, especially young ones. While it’ isn’t nearly to the extent of Steven Universe spending an entire season having his lack of thearpy and unresolved issues slowly destroy him, it’s still nice to see. But the main thrust of the episode is it’s vacation time brother!

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Yup after a few episodes of build up last season with the valley clear, Hop Pop has bought a suprisingly nice and affordable wagon (As Polly excitedly explains someone died in it) so they can finally set out to hopefully find Anne a way home. Their going to Oregon! I mean To newtopia, the beating heart of Amphibia: a bustling metroplis built on knowledge where they can hopefully find a way to get Anne and friends back home, while Anne hopes to find Marcy. The rest of the kids are also excited just to get out of the valley for the first time. Everyone’s pumped.. but Anne starts to worry when she finds out Hop Pop has asked his friend Chuck, the “I grow tulips” guy from the bug ball episode last season who I forgot about but was reminded why I love him and am glad to have him back, to watch the house as given Amphibia is hard enough to surivive on a good day, let alone if your a stationary building. And Chuck dosen’t insprie confidence so Anne decides to fortify the house. And her reasoning.. is actually really sweet and shows how much she’s grown: Instead of like most times where her impulsivness is the reason shenanigans and life thretaning situations happen here.. she’s hit with the hard relization her new family is basically risking everything, their home, their farm, their chuck, to help her get home.

So Anne decides to armor up the house, getting a fuck ton of shovels and a ton of suplies from the blacksmith guy who suprisngly for once DOES have what she needs for her veggies, to the point his not backtracking weirds anne out, and gives her a tub of goo. This can only end well! Meanwile the rest of the family pack. Polly having maybe 3 possesions gets done quick, Hop Pop is being anal reteitive as always with his ascots (hilariously done and Bill Farmer really is the MVP of this series), while Sprig’s gone half insane just picking out which slingshot to take as he never left, which polly of course exploits. But things natrually go wrong as the goo creates veggie monsters the family fights (with sprig even calling fight time because this is normal to them at this point) the next mornign and then one colosus that destroys the house... and Anne’s anger and heartbreak over it .. awakens something. See something I hadn’t heard about and didn’t notice at the ebgining of the series was anne’s eyes flashing blue while fighting the mantis in the first episode. Many couldn’t tell if it was leading somewhere or just an animation error. Here though her eyes go bright blue in close up with it being clear this is part of her.. the question what is it and why? Just what power does she have now? And will it save the world or destroy it? Questions for later Anne saves the day, an admits she screwed up but Hop Pop is understanding: He’s touched by her actions but also explains their not just doing this for her: their with her all the way and any sacrifice is worth it. And I like that part of hop pop: while he can be overbearing, just see next episode.. he does genuinely mean well and has genuine wisdom, something they sometimes forget with grandparent characters in animation. He’s crotchety and a stick in the mud, but he’s still throughly nice and understanding and it shows here: He’s going to get his daughter back whatever it takes.. almost. Hop Pop calls on chuck who in a whilrwind of tools and tulips fixes the place.. and proves to be every bit the legend I thought him. He sells tulips and he’s great. We’ll miss you chuck. But as they get ready to leave Anne brings up the box and Hop Pop, remembering what he did, hastily says it’s better with their contacts. WHich again just seems short sided: while he is trying to protect her, especially since next episode confirms there was some sort of apocalypse once so odds are her being connected to it might not be the best, he can’t dance around her connection to it forever, and hiding the fact some apolcaypse was caused by it is only going to backfire when some vilian reveals it or anne finds it out for herself. Taking her to a place full of infomration where he’ll now have to work to hide the truth is just asking for this to backfire. Not bringing it is one thing, dangerous people could still get the box and use it for their own ends.. we’ve seen female newt sabertooth in the promos and we’ve met Grime. But not telling her is just setitng himself up for a big and deeserved fall soon. But with that settled our heroes set out!

Final Thoughts I: Overall this was a good start to the season: my one real complaint is the town didn’t really see them off or anything, so the large and loveable supporting cast is just.. absent unless the series returns to wartwood at some point and it would’ve been nice to see them once last time. Even star vs, as bad as season 3 was, knew we wouldn’t be seeing most of the earth cast for a whie and had marco have a meaningful sendoff before he left. But.. given how tight the phacing seems to be this season judging by episode titles alone, and they only had 11 minutes here. I do think it could’ve been in hte next episode, but it dosen’t ruin a decent, fun start to the season really rooted in character stuff. Not the series finest 11 minutes, but still really good and a good way to start us off.

Fort in the Road:

First off your welcome for that episode screencap. Now this one’s also simple, but ends up having a rather sizeable revelation nestled inside. The Plantars are going down the road and while the kids want to you know explore, see places, actually enjoy the trip especailly since Sprig and Polly have never been anywhere else before, Hop Pop, being hop pop, instead just wants them to sit and be quite and follow his rules. I mean it is hte grind but you can at least make it FUN for htem; Just look at this guy.

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It took an episode longer than I thought to refrence the trail to oregon given this season is about a wagon trip, but I’m glad to do it .. and do it again. I will fit pays to be an animal in here somewhere I swear it. WE’ve got time left in the road trip. Anyways this goes down terribly, though some rules like not posing dramatically as it smacks of hubris and never ends well. But understandably the kids are annoyed about it: Anne can’t even compallin because i’ts not in the rules. So naturally as Hop Pop should’ve seen coming at the first opprotuunity Anne fakes being cart sick and they run off to see a weird looking ruin with Hop Pop chasing them and leaving the cart to polly because that can’t end well but he’s on a short time. And this is where the season drops a 10 ton atomic bombshell. Anne being kinda magic in the last episode and it being fully part of things now is intresting and shocking.. but this is miles ahead of it and casts Hop Pop’s actions: Turns out whatever the clamamity box did set techniology in amphibia back to a little above the dark ages. I mean they have full light thanks to lightning bugs, but their still leagues behind.. but were once up to at least mid 2000′s levels of technology. The machine seen requires a disk to stop, but it’s still far beyond what I expcted from this world. Naturally Hop Pop shows up furious, then gets stuck on the assembly line with the kids deseprate to save him, with spirg ending up doing sow ith the rule book. Also we get Anne’s wonderful repsonse to Sprig asking what a disk is: “I don’t know! i’m from another dimension not the 90s!” They surivive, the factory blows up and the kids apologize and agree to go back to the boring way things have been going.. but Hop Pop thankfully realizes he’s been a bit overbearing and actually gives a good reason why: He’s never taken then out of the valley before and simply got overprotective. This is his family after all, all he has left of his kid and all he really has left beside Sylvia and the farm. It’s understandble he’d go a bit overboard. But Hop Pop decides to compromise a bit in a nice moment: while the impalment fields are obviously a non starter, he does get the kids ice cream (Anne even admits at this point she dosen’t pick the bugs out anymore), and they genuinely enjoy the trip while Sprig (in a hilarious bit of lampshadng as he does it repeadtly) wonders jsut what they were making.. and as I spoiled it was robots.. one of whom is now following them. Wether this means new doom or the plantars getting a new robot family member I don’t know i’m hoping for the latter. Everyone needs a vision in their life. Final thoughts II: While having a bit of an obvious conflict with an obvious resolution the character work combined with the MASSIVE plot bombshell really make this enjoyable and I hope to find out more about just what the hell happened and what these robots are for. Just another good solid episode and an excellent duo to start the season. Next week: Things take a turn for the western and Anne learns to hunt and more about the glow. And with the glow you need to grow to glow... until then i’ll likely have mor ereviews on this channel, I recently reveiwed all of season 1 of close enough if your curious, and until next time.. play us out Willie!

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I love what i’ve seen of this throughly stupid movie. Bye ya’ll!

#amphibia #handy anne #fort in the road #season 2 #brenda song #bill farmer #the suite life on deck #disney channel #disney xd #disney plus #anne boonchuy #hopidiah planter #sprig planter #polly planter #sasha #lord grime

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reinhartiisms · 4 years

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why don’t you just break my heart?

Cole: The day had been long and with no knowing when they'd be going back to work, Cole had mostly spent the day at home, trying to finish up some emails and work he needed to do before the weekend. Due to Covid testing not being back in time, they'd had a few days off and it had almost felt like being back on hiatus except they were in Vancouver. They couldn't travel and they didn't have to film, work was mostly scarce bar the things they could do over the phone or via email and so there hadn't been a whole lot to do. He and Lili had been texting one another which wasn't an unusual occurence and Cole actually found almost comforting. Since coming back to Vancouver they'd kept in pretty good contact and he was grateful. They hadn't talked at all over the hiatus and it was nice to feel like they were getting back into the groove of being friends and actually being able to act on that rather than just telling one another that when they talked. It was always easy to promise things like that but to be able to do it was nice too. When Lili asked if he was doing anything, Cole told her no. It was the truth and it'd be nice to have something to do on a Friday night rather than spend it with his nintendo switch. Getting somewhat dressed up, he slipped on some jeans and a button down shirt, tied his bandana around his neck and locked his door once he left the apartment. He stopped in to grab a bottle of wine, just to be a nice guest and made his way to Lili's apartment, knocking on the door when he finally arrived.

Lili wasn't sure what she was doing. Yes, she wanted her friendship with Cole to be steady but she also wanted it to be /healthy/. Having little to no contact with him after their breakup had been difficult, but needed. Lili was a clinger. She was a romantic. She hung onto things well after they were finished and then it became just that much harder to let go. He'd always be in her life because..well, he was just that person to her, but they had to find new ways they fit into each others lives. He said it himself - he couldn't be /that/ Cole for her anymore and Lili really took that to heart. With panic attacks, she stopped calling him. When she missed him, she wrote poetry. She was trying her hardest to find healthy ways to deal with not being over him and constantly spending time with him couldn't be the answer.

But..she was weak sometimes. She missed him. She missed watching dumb TV with him just to hear his sarcastic commentary. She missed talking to him, Cole always being so insightful with the answers he gave her. She missed his smile. His laugh. Just the mere presence of him next to her could be as addictive as any other drug. So sometimes she caved and asked him to come over and pretended like it wasn't a really bad decision. Like tonight. As soon as she heard a knock, Lili got up off her couch and walked to her front door to open it. "Hey," she greeted him and raised a brow. "Wine. Nice. I almost wish I had some cheese now and we could have a real party. Come in."

Cole: "Hey" Cole greeted Lili with a smile, stepping inside when she opened the door for him, "I nearly brought some but I wasn't sure if we were going for a charcuterie kind of night or a take out kind of night so I just went with the red, although I don't know whether or not Chinese food and wine is an award winning combination" Cole made his way into the kitchen, moving around as if he knew his way around although he hadn't been there too many times before. He managed to pull the cork from the bottle, grabbing two glasses and pouring some wine into them. Despite the tumultuous relationship he and Lili had, it was easy to feel comfortable with and around Lili and it felt at least like they were getting back to some sort of normalcy now that they were in constant contact with one another again. "So'd you have a good day? Feels kind of strange being here and not being able to work"

Lili shrugged her shoulders. "I've had worse food combinations." Chinese and wine sounded perfectly delicious to her. She followed him into her kitchen and grabbed some forks, figuring they'd eat straight out of the carton and then motioned him to follow her to her living room. Like the true lazy girl she was, Lili had bought fold out dinner stands so that she could rest her food on them while she sat on her couch and watched TV. The less work she had to do, the better. She took the glass of wine Cole offered to her and took a healthy swig, already relishing how it relaxed her. "Yeah. I mean, I think this is the new normal for now. Plus, it gives me time to do all my press for Swimming Lessons and still have time to relax." In the past, doing Riverdale and also doing promo work for other projects had been exhausting. Not having to film meant she got a chance to catch up on sleep and focus on herself. "I'd ask how you're doing but I feel like I can predict you're playing Animal Crossing and watching anime." She gave him a playful grin, taking a bite of her food.

Cole: "I'm sure you have, I think people in LA really like to eat some weird food combinations, especially the health nuts" There was always some kind of new diet or food fad going on over there and while Cole was a pretty adventurous eater he had never been one to give into any of the weird crazes like putting grass in your smoothies or anything like that. Thankfully Lili hadn't been either and she had been pretty easy to take out. Cole followed Lili back to the couch, sipping from his own glass of wine and taking the seat opposite her. "Yeah, I think we have to sort of expect this a few times during the season now. They have to prioritise the schools and such. Lucky it lines up with your book release. How'd it go?" Cole had been with Lili through all the initial stages of the book release and even when she'd been deciding which sort of project to take on and now that they weren't dating, he hadn't been keeping up with all of that as much as he could have. He knew lots of people were speculating about who some of the poems had been about but he'd read the book before and had enjoyed them all regardless.

Lili "It's going amazing." Lili couldn't help herself for having a prideful glow about her. She had put so much of her heart and soul into her writing and to see it well received, it was a dream. She was ignoring all of the trolls and the critics, only focusing on the positive feedback and relishing that people were connecting to her. She was more than just Betty Cooper and she was happy her fans were starting to see that. "I'm already working on a new book. I've got over a hundred poems saved, so now I just have to sort through them and figure out which ones I want to publish." Quarantine and hiatus had been chock full of Lili scribbling down all her thoughts and feelings. She took another bite of food, another drink of wine, and then swallowed. "Some..some of the poems will be about you, though. I mean, some were in this book but..you saw those. I hope it's okay." Lili wasn't exactly asking Cole for his permission for her to share her feelings but it wouldn't be decent of her to not give him some kind of fair warning.

Cole: Eating some more of his food, Cole was happy to just listen to Lili talk. She definitely seemed happier and more sure of herself at the moment and it was really nice to see. "That's great, I'm sure everyone will love the new book just as much as they loved the last one" It was good that Lili had had something productive to be able to put her mind to during quarantine and he wasn't surprised to hear that she'd written some more poems about him. Taking a sip of his wine, Cole replied "I expected nothing less" he told her with a smile. "And I'm sure they're just as beautiful and profound as all the other poems you've written" Finishing up with his food, Cole picked up the containers when Lili was also done and took them to the kitchen to clear them away. "I saw Bentley yesterday. He flew us to a shoot and got demoted to sitting in the back"

Lili hadn't expected anything less from Cole but she was still grateful that he gave her his blessing. It was one less thing she'd have to worry about. She never wanted to make Cole a villain because as betrayed as she still felt sometimes, he wasn't one. He hadn't intentionally broken her heart or relished in her pain - they both got hurt. It was something that just happened, a possible effect from their relationship falling apart. "Thank you," she told him softly and gave him a small smile. It meant a lot to her, still, when he complimented her art. She turned her attention back to her food and rooted around for her remote, finding it and turning on Netflix. She pressed play on some random show she had been watching just for background noise and after she finished her food, watched as Cole cleaned up. He probably wasn't even aware that this was what they had done in the past and how natural this routine still seemed. She bit her lip and tried to distract herself from the memories by listening to him. "Oh yeah? And how is your nephew? Or is he your son? I can never tell," she chuckled. She missed Bentley, and couldn't wait for her chance to see him.

Cole: "Of course" It all felt very domesticated, making sure the kitchen was clean and loading the dishwasher with what he could. Once he was finished, he brought the bottle of wine back down the couch, settling in comfortably on the opposite side to Lili. "Nephew, I feel like UncCole as a name fits me a lot better than Dad" There had been a time while he and Lili were dating that he'd briefly considered that being called the latter word by a tiny human being might not have been the worst thing in the world but once he and Lili had broken up, all of those thoughts had just silently slipped away along with all the plans and dreams of a future with her. "He's good, his leg's doing a lot better than it was at the start of the year and he was pretty happy to be out and about, same with Bradley. It was a nice day out too, a little windy but still nice, made for a good photoshoot at least"

Lili "That's good." Lili knew just how much Bentley meant to Cole and the happiness that bulldog brought him so she was glad he had gotten to see him. Drinking from her wine glass, Lili looked over at Cole. The silence now wasn't exactly comfortable but it wasn't /uncomfortable/ either. They were just trying to find that middle ground. They were doing much better than they had in the past month - at least there was no more crying or yelling, but they had a long way to go before they were back to even how close they used to be starting out on the show. They'd get there, Lili would make sure of it. "So," she broke the silence and reached over to pat Cole's knee. "What am I putting on to watch while we're getting wine happy?"

Cole: "Yeah, it was nice to see them again" Seeing Bentley was just one of the things that made coming back to Vancouver so welcoming, there was a lot of little things that made the city feel so home-like and the bulldog was definitely one of them. Getting comfortable, Cole took another sip of his wine, moving his arm to rest on the back of the couch before focusing back on Lili and what she was saying. "Uhhh whatever you like, put on something halloween-y if you want. Oh! You know that skeleton movie? The one with the make-up that you did? You remember the first halloween we did together and you painted my face? The Skeleton King or whatever his name is?" Cole was trying to explain it to Lili but he wasn't entirely sure that it was working. "I can't remember the name but we should watch that one. I still haven't seen it and I feel like I have to watch it since theres a picture on the internet with that on my face"

Lili sat, amused, as she watched Cole try to piece together the Halloween movie that had inspired their makeup years ago. She was baffled as to how he could've avoided seeing it all this time. "How did we date and you never once watched A Nightmare Before Christmas?" She asked slowly, shaking her head and widening her eyes. "This is a travesty and must be fixed." It was a classic. She navigated out of Netflix and put on Disney+, going to their Halloween category and pressing play. It was always her first choice once October rolled around and she had seen it twice already, but the third time was the charm. "His name is Jack, by the way. Jack The Skeleton King." Lili still shook her head before she sat up straight, eyes wide. "Are you going to let me put makeup on you again this year? Oh my God, Cole, /please/."

Cole: “I don’t know! You always used to sing that song from it and it’d always be stuck in my head but that’s all I remember to be honest” Cole knew that it was one of Lili’s most loved movies and he wasn’t sure why he hadn’t seen it before, especially since it seemed to be a Disney classic. At least they could watch it now since something gory and horror like wasn’t really anything Cole was interested in watching at the moment. He’d do that closer to actual halloween to really try and get in the spirit. “Uhhh maybe? I haven’t figured out my costume yet so I’m open to ideas if you have any good ones. I’m not sure whether we’re working but we’ll probably do a cast thing like usual anyways”

Lili couldn't help but clap her hands excitedly. The more wine she drank and the more her and Cole talked, the more it felt like old times. "I don't know my costume either," she shrugged her shoulders after taking another sip of her liquor. "I don't think any of us will be going out or there'll be any parties, unless we're all together." Lili loved Halloween so it was depressing to think that she couldn't get into the spirit this year, but safety trumped everything. A Halloween party with the cast would be the next best thing to going out to another party, probably even better since she was more comfortable with her group of friends than with strangers. "Ooh, here's the song." Cole probably meant Sally's Song, but Lili also loved This Is Halloween. She leaned across him and turned up the volume, biting her lip as the drink in her hand sloshed over the rim and got onto his shirt. "Oh, shit. I'm sorry."

Cole: “Yeah we’ll definitely have to organise our own little gathering if we want to do something but at least it’ll just be us then” Which was kind of nice if Cole really thought about it. A small amount of people and nobody else it’d be quiet and private which was just what Cole wanted. He wasn’t paying attention when Lili spilt the wine, just felt the liquid seeping into his white button down. “It’s alright don’t apologise” He shrugged it off, immediately slipping it over his head and getting up, “I’ll just stick in the washer and then dry it” he told her, making his way to put the shirt in the washing machine and then coming back. He’d taken all his shirts back from Lili when they stopped dating so Cole was left shirtless but he knew Lili wouldn’t care or he hoped she wouldn’t. He sat back down, finishing the red wine in his own glass before setting it onto the coffee table.

Lili tried not to look over at Cole as he shrugged his shirt off, but was failing miserably. He had gotten more buff over quarantine - it felt like she had gained weight and he had gained muscle, where was the fairness in that? His arms were definitely stronger looking than they had been when they were dating and she watched as his biceps flexed as he raised his arms up. She stood up immediately as he sat down, feeling flushed. "Be right back," she murmured and moved past the washer that he had started. He /thought/ he had all of his shirts back - there was a light green one he had given her a few years ago, with the hole in the neck that she had kept and hidden deep in her drawer before sending all his shirts back. She pulled it out and dragged her fingers through the soft material before sighing and making her way back to the living room. "Here," she said softly. "I kept it because it smelled like you and I just missed..anyways, here." She handed him the shirt and let her fingers linger against his own, swallowing.

Cole: “Oh thanks” Cole replied, pulling on the green shirt Lili had handed to him. It was still just as soft as he remembered and it brought back lots of memories of lazy Sunday mornings, Cole cooking choc chip pancakes and brewing coffee while Lili sat at the island wearing his shirt. It had lots of good memories attached to it and he was grateful she still had it. He watched the movie for a little while, looking over to Lili every so often. She hadn’t changed a bit over quarantine and Cole knew deep down his feelings for Lili hadn’t changed as much as he hoped they had. Once the dryer went off, Cole swapped his shirt back over, sticking his green shirt in the wash. “You can keep it. It looks better on you” he told Lili truthfully, moving just a little closer to her. Her eyes had always lured Cole in and maybe that was what prompted him to kiss her, that or the alcohol that was currently flowing through his veins.

Lili "Mhm," Lili nodded and gave Cole a small smile. At least he wasn't freaked out by the fact that she had kept his shirt. Clearing her throat and moving her hand away from his, Lili sat back down on the couch and tried to pay attention to what was happening on screen but everything felt charged now. Maybe it was the soft way Cole was looking at her again, or how his leg pressed against hers, or the wine flush spreading across her cheeks. She didn't know but something felt changed. She finished up her wine, making the decision to not refill it, and finally looked over at Cole to see him staring back at her. She smiled at him and then jumped slightly at the sound of the washing machine beeping. "Thanks," she chuckled and reached her hand up to feel her heated cheeks. Whew - she needed to turn the AC up or something - and then her eyes widened as she saw how close Cole was to her. When he kissed her, she froze but it didn't take long to fall back into that familiar rhythm and she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back. It felt wholly different and yet incredibly comforting all at the same time. Her fingers threaded through his long brown threads and she rested her forehead against his when they pulled back to get some air. "What are you doing?" She asked softly, not moving away from him.

Cole: Kissing Lili had always felt natural and this time was no different, it definitely felt like something had changed but not so much that all the feelings didn’t rush back. He breathed softly when they parted and Cole answered Lili “Trying to make out with my ex girlfriend, is that alright with you?” He asked somewhat smugly and soon, his hand had found her neck and he’d pulled her close once more. She was like a fire, igniting everytime they kissed, always wanting more no matter where they were. They’d even gotten in trouble on set for making out once the directors had called cut occasionally. But now, Cole didn’t want it to stop.

Lili rolled her eyes at Cole's response. Well, at least she could tell he wasn't drunk off his ass because that was /such/ a Cole line. "Shut up," she mumbled and pressed her hand against the back of his neck to bring him in for another kiss. Arousal pooled in her belly at the familiar feeling of him pressed up against her and even though warning bells were going off that this was a bad idea and she'd only get hurt later, she didn't want to stop. This was what she had been wanting, craving, missing all these months and now it was falling right in her lap. With a smile, Lili pulled back and ran her hands up Cole's chest to remove the shirt he had just put on. Her fingers explored the bare expanse of his skin she had been eyeing longingly just minutes before and she hooked her leg around his hip before jumping up fluidly, like she had so many times before. "Pause the movie and let's go to my room." She dragged her hand through his hair and smiled down at him, her heart pounding in anticipation before she dug her nails lightly into his back.

Cole: Immediately did as he was told, turning off the TV. The movie hasn’t finished and he hadn’t paused it either, just wanting to hurry up so he and Lili could continue. Lili had always been easy to carry and all it took was a hand around her waist and they were up and nearly at her bedroom, making sure to shut the door behind them. The bed felt like a fluffy cloud and Cole fell back towards it with a small ‘pod’, his hands already working on her shirt.

Lili When Lili woke up the next morning, it was to find herself alone in her bed. She reached a hand out to see if Cole was there and sat up slowly, trying to see if she could hear any sounds of movement. No coffee machine. Not even the dryer humming. It felt just like old times, when they were sneaking around and he'd leave early so that Mads wouldn't find out they were sleeping together. Trying not to feel too disappointed, Lili pulled the covers to her chest and rested her forehead on her knees. Despite missing him being next to her, she couldn't help but smile. That had been..incredible. With all that built up tension, maybe in the top five of best sex they had ever had. Maybe things were turning around and they could work on..No, she couldn't get ahead of herself. One day at a time.

Cole: “Coffee?” Cole asked Elise, handing her a mug over the bench top. Her brunette locks were sprawled out and hanging loosely over the blue cardigan of Cole’s she’d put on when they got up. He set about getting things ready for making breakfast and was mostly lost in his own world thinking about last night. Cole had fallen asleep entangled in Lili and when he’d woken up only an hour later, guilt had immediately crept in. He knew a lot of his confidence had come from the wine but Cole knew they couldn’t have a repeat. Their split had ended mutually but Cole knew he was the reason Lili had been so upset. The elevator incident and a lot of other things had proved that to him. He couldn’t go back and forth with her and she didn’t deserve to be with someone like him. He’d left the bed a few minutes later, calling Elise once he’d left Lili’s apartment. He needed to move on and forget about Lili as someone other than his co-worker. He couldn’t keep hurting her. Elise was nice and easy to get along with so the distraction was welcome and soon, it was morning and Cole had woken again to find a brunette with him instead of a blonde.

Lili had fallen back asleep and when she woke again, it wasn't dark anymore and bright light shined through her windows. She pulled out her phone to see if Cole had sent her any texts and saw he hadn't. Nothing. Even in the past, he had always at least reached out to her and this felt weird. The excitement and hopefulness she had felt the previous night was slowly fading to something like dread in her gut but Lili brushed it off. Maybe he was just asleep, still sleeping off their night. She'd take a breath, not panic, and then go out to get him some breakfast to surprise him with. Regardless, they needed to speak about what had happened and what it meant for them. Was it just a one time thing? Did this mean he still wasn't over her? Did they try again? So many questions and only Cole could give her answers. Getting dressed, Lili grabbed her keys and her mask and placed a mobile order for some breakfast. Off to Cole's it was. She debated telling him she was coming over but decided against it, wanting him to be surprised.

Cole: It didn’t take long for Cole to make a feast out of the breakfast ingredients he’d had in his house. Bacon and eggs and waffles were always a good combination and Cole was currently standing over the stove shirtless and frying the eggs as he waited for the waffles to finish. He set his coffee cup back down, listening to Elise talk. “Well he doesn’t actually fly the helicopter, his owner does that but he’ll definitely fight you for the front seat, that’s for sure” Cole chuckled, pulling the pan off the stove and putting the eggs onto a plate. He refilled his coffee up, drinking from it once more. He hadn’t had a hangover, just a headache and a guilty feeling from last nights adventures. Cole was hoping work on Monday wouldn’t be too awkward.

Lili picked up the breakfast fairly quickly and gave her Uber driver directions to Cole's apartment. Drumming her fingers against her lap and keeping the takeout boxes still, Lili stared out the window as the car drove. The closer she got to Cole's place, the more uneasy she felt. Something wasn't right. How could it have been so perfect, so natural the previous night and yet feel so strange and unfamiliar in the morning? Maybe it was because she was used to waking up next to Cole and cuddling with him until they were ready to get out of bed. This felt like a cheap hookup, and Lili never wanted to feel cheap or meaningless when it came to Cole. She thanked the driver as he stopped and got out, pulling out her phone and finding Cole's floor and room from the text he pinned in their group chat a few weeks ago. When she arrived, she knocked on the door and waited for him to open it with a small smile on her face.

Cole: Cole was halfway through breakfast when he ran out of coffee again and got up to fill his cup a second time. He heard the knock at the door and not bothering with a shirt went to open it. Cole was pretty sure this was what karma felt like. Seeing Lili on the other side of the door step made him feel sick and guilty all at once. He tried to plaster on a smile but Cole knew Lili wouldn’t buy it “Hey” he started with greeting Lili. “Cole, where do you keep your...” He felt Elise’s prescence next to him “Oh hey, I’m Elise”

Lili was a little surprised (but not necessarily disappointed) to see Cole shirtless again. "What's with you and shirts lately?" She joked, her smile widening as she held out the food. "I brought you some break..fast.." Her words trailed off as she saw a gorgeous brunette join him at the door. Her entire body went cold. It suddenly made perfect sense as to why he was shirtless and it made her stomach contract violently, thinking that he had slept with this girl right after her. He had touched her so lovingly, so gently and it had felt like she was the only girl in the world again last night. Now, she realized all she was was somebody to scratch an itch for Cole. There were a lot of things said about Cole by people who didn't know him and Lili had always defended him violently, knowing they didn't know the loving, thoughtful, kind man she fell in love with.. and right now Lili was wondering if she had ever really known him at all. "I thought you were different," she told Cole, not caring if this made him look bad in front of Elise. Her voice was choked. "And I thought I meant more to you than this. I guess you showed me, huh?" Her eyes filled with tears and she dropped the Styrofoam boxes right at Cole's feet, and walking away. She was shaking, she could feel it, and as soon as she got outside, she was going to throw right up into the bushes. So this was how it ended - not with a bang, but with a whimper.

Cole: This was exactly Cole had been trying to avoid and maybe he hasn’t gone about it the right way but his intentions had been pure ever if Lili wasn’t able to see that. “Should I go?” Elise asked “Yes. I mean no, I don’t know, do whatever you want” he told Elise a little more harshly than what he’d meant to and Cole picked a shirt from the coat rack and slipped it on, immediately following after Lili “Lil, wait!” He called out after her. Her words had really hurt, she had been the one person Cole could rely on to always have his back and now she had changed her tune. The elevator doors had shut before Cole could catch up and he hastily opened the fire escape, skipping steps in order to make it down to the ground and catch Lili. “It’s not like that, I promise” He told her, her tears just another punch to the gut.

Lili could hear Cole calling out to her and she didn't care. If they never spoke again, that was fine with her. Her heart was screaming at her that that wasn't true, that this hurt so much because he /did/ matter to her but just looking at Cole's face made her feel like she wanted to drop into a hole and stay buried underneath the ground. She hadn't felt this hurt since they broke up. When he finally caught up to her, Lili laughed and there was no humor in it as she turned around to face him. "Are you kidding me?" She asked, swiping at her eyes. She didn't want to cry in front of him but she couldn't control it. "What - what is it like, Cole? I was just some - some easy /fuck/ and you weren't satisfied so you called up 'Elise' to finish the job?" Her chest burned as she looked at him, not recognizing him anymore. This wasn't her Cole and maybe he hadn't been for a long time. "Who are you?" She questioned him, her green eyes still shining with tears. "I don't know this Cole. I don't like him. You just - you fucked me and you tossed me aside like I was nothing, like the past four years meant /nothing/. Maybe they did, to you." She shrugged her shoulders, a sharp ache in her chest at the thought of that being true. "Maybe I'm nothing to you now. You could've just told me that in a text instead of ignoring me like some fuck boy and calling up the next girl for you to sleep with. I deserve better than that." Lili nodded her head and exhaled. "I deserve better than you and I never thought that until now. So shove your explanation, Cole. Go be with Elise. I hope she likes this version of you because I sure as hell fucking don't." She scoffed and shook her head, walking backwards. "Don't call me, don't text me. As of now, we're just co-workers because you've shown I'm nothing to you. Goodbye, Cole."

Cole: This was not how Cole had wanted things to go. His whole idea had been so he wouldn’t upset Lili again and that had been exactly what had happened. It just confirmed to Cole that nothing good ever came from Lili associating with him and this was why they needed to be apart. He watched Lili leave, every word stabbing harder than the last and as much as Cole wanted to fight back and explain himself, he knew it was futile. Lili wasn’t going to listen to what he has to say and maybe it was better she left now instead of the two of them getting more worked up in the lobby. Letting out a scream of rage, Cole kicked at the nearest thing and immediately wished he hadn’t. The elevator doors were dented in, just another thing he’d ruined in his path of destruction.

#p002

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singing-and-humming · 5 years

Text

Under My Skin

Written for the @cloudfiveclub writting challenge. I’m so sorry for the delay.

I really don’t know what i went for there, i don’t really like it but it’s waaaaay too late for me to rewrite it so…

Désolée

Title from Ben l’Oncle Soul - I’ve got you under my skin (Frank Sinatra cover)

I’d tried so not to give in

I said to myself this affair never will go so well

But why should I try to resist when baby I know so well

I’ve got you under my skin

You’ve been working on the tour for a few weeks but you still not believe it. You started being serious about photography only a few years ago but that was enough to get noticed by some artists. It was one of them that recommended you to Clara when she was looking for a photographer to document CNCO’s new World Tour. You still had a part-time day job when the call came but you couldn’t let this opportunity pass so you took some days off and flew to Miami to meet the team. When you arrive you get explain what is expected of the person filling the position and they give you more details about the contract.

You also got asked to take some pictures and record some footage to see how you’d work around them. You tried your best not to be in their way too much but asked each of the boys to pose for a few portraits. Later that day, you got dinner with the team where you get to know each other a bit. Everyone seemed so nice, you were getting even more more anxious to get the job.

The “trial” must have gone over well because a week later you got the call announcing that you were hired.

—

At the very beginning, you spent a good amount of time with the PR team to make sure you get whatever would appeal most to the fans. They love the candid pictures you released from when they’re rehearsing or just goofing around. You made a compilation of the band just sleeping wherever they can. Everyone always jokes that Zabdiel is the sleepy one but really, you often stumble onto one in every quiet place they can find. The amount of time you found Chris asleep, his head on someone’s shoulder or lap, is getting ridiculous.

You’re often with them in the van, or the break-rooms, following them during soundchecks or in the studio. You get a lot of footage of them writing and recording new music but you have to keep it under wraps until some of them actually get released.

You hang out with pretty much everyone, being the boys or the staff, in any combination but you make sure to never be alone with Christopher.

You get that he probably thinks that you have a problem with him or that you simply don’t like him when, in fact, it’s the opposite. Christopher was your favorite band member when you were still just a regular fan, but you truly expected your opinion of him to change when you’d get to discover his private persona. However, you soon realized that he was always genuine in his interactions with others and that was you saw before was exactly who he actually is, a sweet, funny, smart and reliable man.

Though, what was also true was his flirtatious moments. You have experienced it first hand, starting with that first dinner. He didn’t even tried to be subtle about it and easily brushed off any of the teasing remarks from the crew. In the following days, he has asked you to go out for coffee or some food on several occasion but you always found an excuse to refuse.

The truth is that you were tempted to respond to his advances but you can’t get out of your head that getting involved with someone from work wouldn’t be a good idea for now. The fact that he is a public figure is also a major obstacle to you. You know that he isn’t supposed to be openly in a relationship, so you don’t know if you’ll be able to handle the hiding and seeing continuing to flirt with other women to not arouse suspicion or just because it’s in his nature.

You know that you are overthinking it and whatever might happen between you wouldn’t necessarily be serious but you’ve seen the comment of fans whenever one of the boys was suspected to date someone. You have no doubt that they’re not going to find you good enough for him.

–

It’s been two months since you started working for CNCO. In all this time, you’ve already been to 12 countries. You didn’t expect the kind of exhaustion travelling could bring/cause.

That day, being a somewhat functioning human being a little harder for you. Not for any other reason that you missed your friends and family. The fact that you didn’t have a place to settle is starting to sink in as well. You had to live out of your suitcase and be ready to work as soon as you get them down. You know this is what you signed up for but even all the great opportunities couldn’t prevent you from being homesick.

You are seated in a corner waiting for the guys to finish getting dressed to go on a promo event. Chris is the first one to exit the dressing room. He finds you crumpled in a sofa, catching up on loved ones’ life on Facebook. Not a lot has happened, or nothing too important; you’ve haven’t been going for that long but still, it makes you feel closer to them.

You quickly wipe a tear that escaped your eyes as Christopher approach, a concerned expression on his face. He might seem like he’s always goofing off but you saw him checking on people on several occasions, making sure they were alright and even once bring water to some overworked crew member on the verge of passing out.

“Y/N, are you ok? What happened?” he asks you, squatting down before you, putting a hand on you knee.

“Nothing. I’m just feeling homesick, it’ll pass, don’t worry.

- Oh, I get it. It happens to all of us. It’s hard to be far from everyone but we always try to remember that we’re blessed to do what we love. We have to stay strong for our family, for the people that believe in us. We have to enjoy each day because we don’t know how long it’s going to last.”

You nod your head showing your assent so he continues.

“It’s not just words when I say that this whole team is family. They’ll never replace your but everyone here is important and knows that they can go to anyone to talk. I hope you know that this apply to you too.We might not be very close but I’m here for you if you need me.”

His hand comes up to your face to wipe another traitorous tear before returning to you leg.

You stay quiet, reflecting what he just said. Obviously, you know that what you were feeling was going to pass but it felt good to get some encouragement from someone that has to deal with the same thing and for a longer period of time. You look up to thank him and got caught into his big brown eyes. His had such a gentle look on his face, smiling softly at you, making you feel a pinch in your heart. How can you accept the comfort from him when you don’t think you deserve it from him.

You hear someone call your name so you get up to join them to go to join them but you come not long after back because you forgot your drink on the table. Zabdiel must have finished getting ready in the meantime because you overhear the conversation between the two men.

“Did you talk to her? Asked Zabdiel.

- Not really. It wasn’t the right time.

- It’s been weeks Chris, you should talk so you’ll know where you stand. It’s starting to get awkward for us and I don’t like to see you like that.

- I know, Zabdi but she was feeling sad, I wasn’t about to bring out whatever problem she has with me on top. I can wait. It’s not like we can’t still do our job or like we don’t talk at all.

- I guess. But you should solve it as soon as you can. If she can’t get past her issues with you I don’t know how it’s going to work out long term.

- I’m not about to make her lose her job because we don’t joke around! Not everyone has to like me, I mean I know that I can be a bit much sometimes.”

“You know that he’s never going to do it, right?”. You jumped in surprise from Richard appearing behind you.

“I’m sorry what?

- He’s not going to ask you why you’re avoiding him. He’s just not a confrational guy. He’d rather stay away than make you uncomfortable, he explains, so you better talk to him and resolve whatever issue you have with him.”

You decide to take his advice and talk to Christopher after breakfast the same day. You catch him on his way to his room.

“ Christopher, can we talk for second?

- Sure. What is going on?

- I wanted to apologize to you.

- About what?

- Com’on you know! I have been acting distant and towards you and I wanted to make sure you knew that it wasn’t your fault.

- Umm okay?

- I have some issue that I shouldn’t have taken on you. I am sorry if I made you feel like it’s was because of something or that i didn’t appreciate you, because i do. So I promise to get over myself and stop acting like a lunatic towards you”, you attempt to explain.

“You don’t need to say sorry. If i make you uncomfortable for any reason you shouldn’t have to force yourself to change for me. I’ll be fine.

- I won’t be forcing to anything. I actually wasn’t behaving like myself around you and…

- Stop! Don’t worry about it. What about we forget everything and start over?” he suggests.

You look at him confused about how can this man be real. He just accepted your half-assed apology and decided to give you a second chance to act like a decent human being. He holds out his hand for you to shake. When you do, he starts walking again and uses his grip on your hand to drag you behind him. “Let’s go! We’re need to buy some snacks for the bus drive!”

After that you make an effort to be more friendly like you are with the rest of the team, not that it is particularly difficult. You never could stop answering to any of his smile. It kind of starts to show on the pictures you take of Chris. You have way more of goofing around or doing silly poses which are your favorites.

—

It is finally your birthday. You’ve been asked when it was when you first arrived but you didn’t think anyone would actually remember it. You get down to the hotel’s dining room only to find most of the crew waiting for you, even if some of them are half asleep on the table. Erick is the first one to give you a hug and presents you with a paper crown. It is obviously home-made with a lot of messages written on it.

“It is your birthday card so don’t lose your crown, reina!” he warns you before placing it on you head.

It is a touching attention that starts to get you emotional. You’re so grateful that they remembered it let alone plan a “surprise party”. You usually don’t make a fuss about your birthday, you don’t even celebrate it every year, but it’s always nice to get some attention from time to time. Everyone got you nice gifts, some of them pitching in to buy something more expensive.

Christopher is the last one to offer his gift. As you guessed it from the simple shape, it is a book. The title sounds vaguely familiar. Wait, was it…? You turn it to read the synopsis at the back. It really was.

“Un libro? en serio? Chris, if you didn’t have any idea what to give her, we could have bought something together”, says Erick.

“No it’s ok. I told him I wanted read this one.”

You didn’t feel like sharing why this book was important to you. Some time ago, you were talking about your childhood and you mentioned that your late grandmother used to read a book to you pretty often. You couldn’t recall its name but you shared with him whatever details you could retained about it. No one from your family knew what it was and you had pretty much gave up on finding it again. The fact that Christopher had recalled this conversation and that he would hunt down the book for you is astonishing.

This is making you realise that he might be more serious that you thought. The gift was certainly the cheapest you have received but he had spent more thought and certainly more time to find something meaningful to you.

You hug him to thank him and to hide the emotions that are surely showing on your, in shoulder.

“Is it really okay? I know it’s not much.

- Yes, it is. It’s perfect”, you reassure him. He tightened his hold on you for a second before releasing you.

After that, you start to lower your defense a bit more. He doesn’t really flirt anymore, or at least it doesn’t to do it with the same intensity ; you’ll still get the odd compliments sometimes, a hug or even a brush of his hands on your arm but it all seem more natural.

You get to spend more and more one on one time with him, just watching funny videos on youtube, jamming to old rock songs. You ask for his opinion on the edits you make because you like that he isn’t afraid to be honest about it and didn’t hesitate to tell you when he doesn’t like it or when something could be improved.

One evening, you notice him starting to pace the room. You stop what you’re doing because it wasn’t like the Ecuadorian to get nervous about trivialities so you know that something might be wrong.

“Christopher, what is going on?

- Nada, no te preocupes. No! No es nada, tengo algo que pedirte pero no sé si es una buena idea.

- You know that you can ask me anything. I will tell you if I don’t like it”, you tried to reassure him.

He sits next to you and clear his throat.

“ Would you like to go on a date with me?” He finally asks you, anchoring his eyes to yours.

He must catch your hesitation in it, because he tries to redraw what he said.

You stop him by laying your hand on his.

You explain to him your reservations and that you still need a bit a time to think.

He obviously understands and decides to give you some space. The team notices and thinks that you are back on your bullshit or that the both of you got into a fight. They get worried that you will eventually leave if you couldn’t fix whatever is happening between the two of you. Christopher succeeds in convincing everyone that it was nothing, just that you were a bit tired and that he decided to not impose his hyperactive loud self to you so you could get some rest.

Even though, you continue to see him every day, you start to miss him and got to the conclusion that he really got under your skin and there is nothing you could do to change that. He’s definitely not perfect so you do get annoyed quite often but his character N made up for it. In a short amount of time, he became such an important person in your life and you weren’t convinced that you wanted it to be any different. Was a relationship with him worth possibility of losing everything though? You’re not delusional about the fact that if you get involved and it goes wrong that the situation could become so complicated that you’ll have to leave.

You find him in a meeting room. He doesn’t even notice you’re arrival due to the fact that he’s engrossed into whatever he’s writing. Probably a new song. You lean against the door-frame and you can’t help but smile knowing that he will sing it to you first when he finishes, like he always does.

And just like that you knew what to do. You couldn’t believe how long it took it to reach that conclusion but was it really a decision or simply an evidence.

He really got under your skin.

Christopher finally notices your presence in the room and gives you a curious look.

Your answer by locking the door behind you and marching towards him.

I’d sacrifice anything come what might

For the sake of having you near

In spite of a warning voice that comes in the night

And repeats, repeats in my ear

Don’t you know little fool

You never can win

Use your mentality, wake up to reality

But each time that I do just the thought of you

Makes me stop before I begin

‘Cause I’ve got you under my skin

#i am so sorry i wrote this #cnco #christopher velez #cloudfiveclubwc #my writing

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couragehopelovefaith · 5 years

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Bravo, “Shadowhunters”-crew! Not even five seconds for 3x16 and I was already crying my eyes out. That must be a new record for me. That first scene.. oh, dear. My heart was shattered. I loved the domestic they were. Alec having learned about cooking and dancing by the influence of Magnus.. perfecto. Knowing how nervous Matt was about dancing, he did a great job. Alec’s speech and honesty next to Magnus’ hospital bed and to Lorenzo are one of the most heartfelt moments from this series, to me. I liked that we, perhaps for a split of a second, could see the more humane side of Lorenzo, but it didn’t make me feel sorry for him, even for a one bit. When he said that Magnus was born priviledged, I seriously wanted to throw something at him. That asshole is so full of himself it makes me wanna barf! The only decent thing he ever did in this show was removing the magic. Matt’s acting was amazing, you could see that he was trying so hard to follow Catarina’s advice and be polite. When Magnus woke up, I literally screamed. You know it's going to be somewhat okay (even we sadly know that it will last only for a minute), when the first thing Magnus worries about are his clothes. But you also know from the scene where they argue that this is the lowest and most in denial that Magnus has ever been (beside that off-screen moment when he was ready and tried to kill himself). Even though Alec is absolutely honest about Magnus being his only chance for true love, about the strengths of his mate...we can just clearly see that Magnus doesn’t believe that. “I have everything I need right here” is making my heart beam and surely partly sincere, but it’s plain to see that he is heartbroken because of losing his magic. The way he leans on Alec for support and is afraid of Alec leaving him.. all of this breaks my heart.

I was so excited about meeting the Seelie Queen and Kain again. I didn’t see her new form coming, but the actress was actually really good fit. Am I losing my mind or did you guys see the special connection between her and Jonathan? Has there been something between them? Kain’s actor is marvelous in my eyes. I just feel so sorry for him. The scene and connections and similarities between him and Simon are great and inspirational.

Clary… I know you’ve been through a rough time and the mark is effecting you, but could you see other people around you as well? We haven’t seen you talking to Magnus even for ONCE after you escaped from Jonathan. Not even an apologize for Simon, your best friend? At least you showed some compassion for Kain and Simon stood up for Jace. Did you see Izzie’s proud smile after that, by the way? It makes sense that it’s Jace who can keep Clary out of darkness. Anyway, I was all in for Morgernsterns to face Lilith. The one fact about Jonathan - the fact that I love - is you never quite know where he stands. How much he actually cares and where his loyalties lie. I love that their mother-son-moment was both creepy and yet so casual. Like mother, like son, it would seem. It would be the bomb to see Lilith and Asmodeus meeting. So exciting to finally hear more about the story between Lucifer and Michael and Heavenly fire.

I love the fact that Maryse got that shop for herself, finally visited Luke and refused to leave him behind. The man who is actually one of the strongest ones in this show. I just hope that he won’t push everyone away while trying to protect his loved ones. It might be hard at this point, but I really wish we got to see more of their past.

Sizzy.. really conflicted about them right now. On the other hand I love their connection: how they are real with each other, how Simon makes her smile and teaches her all the mundane stuff (how has Izzie been able not to hear about pinky-swear, though? *haha*). But other side of me crosses her fingers for them to stay single for a while. But since the show is ending (*fighting back the weep*), if they won’t get together now, it will feel very rushed in some people’s eyes. So I don’t know. I wanna know how things would’ve turned out if this show got yet another season. This is so unfair.

The ending was surprises after another. I never thought Kain would agree to help Lilith, but I understand why he did. Luke getting out, Simon biting Jonathan, and Clary imprisoning him were not what I expected, at least yet at this point. Alec meeting her mother about proposing and the fact how genuinely happy she was for both of them showed how far they have come and it made me beam - and cry. But as we all know, things will get messier soon.

This season just keeps getting even better and better. I refuse to see 3x17 promo on purpose, since I want no expectations for the next week. But it will sure as hell (no pun intended) be awesome.

(+ I forgot to add the fact that it is heartbreaking that Alec is scratching his hand because it shows that his tendencies of harming himself are still underneath..)

#shadowhunters #sizzy #malec #lilith #seelie queen #kain #Lorenzo rey #clace #jonathan morgernstern #my opinion

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smoochcal · 5 years

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numb without you (part eleven)

a/n: hello again! I definitely did not want to be creative and give the roommate a name so just know that RM/N is calum’s roommate smh. please give me feedback in any way shape or form you have it in my inbox :) suggestions are always welcome with all my writing but especially with this series!! I hope you guys are enjoying it so far and as always thank you to miss el for being my main inspiration for this entire writing work. if we could get this update to 20 notes that would be rad!! (part ten here)

pairing: readerxluke

word count: 1.7k

playlist: numb without you by the maine, piece of your heart by mayday parade

summary: Luke is fed up with the secrets and lies that Calum is giving him, the three of you have dinner together

rating: PG-13

warnings: swearing, secrecy

Y/N’s POV:

The three of you made your way back to your apartment after the appointment was finished. You swear you couldn’t stop smiling after you found out the news, and it’s true you have not stopped smiling for the past hour. You were so incredibly happy right now and you could not think of a single thing that could change your mood. You and the baby are both incredibly healthy and everything is going the way it should.

Once you all get back to the apartment, Luke and Calum decide the three of you need dinner. They both offer to go pick up some pizza. You make sure they get your favorite kind, cheese with extra cheese. Luke mentioned that any other kind of pizza would be gross, a jab at Calum for ordering something other than what the two of you were planning to eat. You mess with the necklace carefully placed around your neck as the two of them bicker about who knows what at this point. Luke got you this necklace for the first birthday you celebrated with him. It has a little butterfly charm on it and it has to be one of your favorite things that you own.

Before you know it the two of them are walking out of your front door and getting in the car to go pick up the pizza, they both insisted on having for dinner.

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

Luke’s POV:

You cannot believe the bullshit Calum is pulling right now. The two of you have been fighting practically since he showed up late to Y/N’s doctor’s appointment. After finding out about his whole roommate lover whatever situation, you really could not put up with his bullshit anymore. How can he even begin to care about Y/N and his own child if he’s too busy trying to fuck his roommate? Why did he even have a roommate? You definitely know he does not need someone else to help him pay rent, so this whole having a female roommate thing has to be something he has up his sleeve.

You did not get to say much to him last night when you found out about his roommate, mainly because he forced you out of his house the minute he realized you had met her. It’s not necessarily your fault that you found out about RM/N. You just stopped by to talk to Calum considering the two of you haven’t really talked much without Y/N being there. You have so many questions regarding this rather odd situation, and it was honestly hard to figure out a place to start. He was driving to the pizza place which was about a 25-minute drive from Y/N’s place. You had the time now, so you decided to ask him a couple questions about the whole situation as calmly as you could.

“So…what’s the deal with the whole roommate thing?” you ask Calum in the most nonchalant way possible.

Calum sighs with his eyes still glued to the road in front of him which you don’t know if he is doing this because he is driving or because he truly just does not want to look at you right now. He takes his time with answering your question. You know that there had to be some reason why he was keeping her from everybody. As far as you knew, literally no one knew about RM/N until you happened to stop by his house the one time he wasn’t home and she happened to answer the door. You feel kind of intrusive for being so blunt about the situation, but you did not have the time nor the energy to dance around this any longer. You were truly trying to understand where Calum was coming from with all of this and you wanted to make sure that Y/N and their kid would not be hurt in the process. Some song by Mayday Parade which you vaguely recognize was filling the empty space in the car and the silence made before Calum finally opens his mouth in order to talk to you about what exactly is going on.

“…I didn’t mean for her to get in the way of anything. I know it was probably wrong of me to keep RM/N away from you and the guys and Y/N and basically everyone in my life I just didn’t know what to do about the situation quite yet and I was hoping if I waited a little bit longer I would give myself some time to figure it out. You want me to start from the beginning?” Calum asks, glancing over at you for a nod of approval, which you give him.

“Basically, I was deep into the darkness that is the internet and I came across an ad for this girl looking for a place to live. Normally I would just scroll past something like that considering I definitely don’t need someone to help me with rent or anything like that…but then I read more of the description of her and saw her picture and got to thinking that I would need someone to watch Duke whenever we do promo and eventually go back on tour and why would I hire a stranger to come and watch my house while I was gone for months at a time when I could just have a roommate who would do that for me anyway because it was also their house and Duke already knew them…” he eventually trails off long enough for you to question exactly what he was trying to get at.

“So, you’re telling me that you found RM/N on a random Craig’s list ad and decided based off her picture and short description that she wrote about herself ALONE was the reason you decided you needed a roommate AND decided it needed to be her?” you conclude, looking at Calum skeptically.

“Dude, I know where you are going with this…and please just give me a break I know it’s weird, can we just get over that part? She lives with me now and I need to know what the fuck to do about it before you go blabbing to Y/N all about my home life that she doesn’t know about…” Calum responds, obviously concerned with what you are going to do with this information now that you have it.

You shake your head before ultimately responding in a somewhat decent way that would please Calum for the time being, “Fine, but don’t think that you are going to get off the hook that easily with all of this…especially that bullshit you pulled earlier with being almost twenty minutes late to the most important doctor’s appointment so far…like you are so incredibly lucky that the doctor herself was running behind with her appointments for the day because if everything was on time you would’ve missed the whole thing. What were you even doing that caused you to be so late?”

“I…uh…was writing a song…” Calum mumbles as he continues to stare ahead at the road in front of him, obviously avoid any and all eye contact with you to show what you had already confirmed.

“Well that’s a lie if I’ve ever heard one…what were you fucking your roommate or something?” you question, raising an eyebrow at your friend.

“No…never…why would you think…” Calum replies but doesn’t completely finish what he was saying as you could see a small blush appear on his cheeks. He was still avoiding eye contact with you, but this time for an entirely different reason.

Before you could interrogate him further on his romantic endeavors with RM/N, the two of you have finally arrived at Y/N’s favorite pizza place. His timing could not have been better as you were forced to hop out of the car to pick up the handful of pizzas you ordered for dinner for the three of you to share back at Y/N’s place. He may have gotten some time to collect his thoughts, but you would definitely be grilling him more about the situation and what exactly the two of you were going to tell Y/N after she finished her dinner. She deserved to know what’s going on with Calum, not only because he is the father of her unborn child but also because if anything comes of this roommate thing then there is another person that will soon join your group that is planning on raising this baby.

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

Y/N’s POV:

The boys were back after about an hour of leaving you on your own to do whatever you needed to do. While they were gone, you tidied up the place since you had kind of dropped the ball on keeping your apartment clean over the past couple weeks. You also spent some time browsing a couple maternity clothes websites before getting frustrated with it all and deciding that you would hit the mall sometime next week to get some new clothes that would actually fit you and your ever-growing baby bump. Your mom called about thirty minutes after Luke and Calum left to pick up dinner and you got to tell her the exciting news that she is going to have a granddaughter in about five months.

The three of you ate your pizza in almost complete silence. You did not know what was going on between Luke and Calum, but you were honestly getting sick of the secrecy. You finished the last slice that you could stomach and start to put away the leftovers while you waited for the boys to finish their food. Once everyone was done eating, you sat down on the couch and demanded for both of them to spill the beans on whatever they were so blatantly hiding from you.

“Do you want the short version or the long version?” Calum inquires with a sigh.

“The short version,” you say, being pretty short tempered yourself.

“Calum has a female roommate that he has been hiding from us for the past four months,” Luke states with a slight smirk in his tone.

~To be continued…~

#numb without you #jules writes #smoochcal #luke #Luke Hemmings #Luke blurb #Luke series #calum #calum hood #5sos

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mashitandsmashit · 5 years

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America’s Got Talent: Season 14 - Auditions 1

Hey.

How’s it going?

So there’s this show called “America’s Got Talent”, have you heard of it?

It’s a reality talent competition...

And...

...yeah...

I got into this show ten years ago! (And yes, I’m feelin’ hella old now!) Sure, I have my issues with this show and its manipulative nature, but even with all of these other big reality game shows, this is the one that I’ve been sticking with for all these years! And the main thing drawing me in is just the variety of talents that compete! Sure, there have been other shows lately trying to copy what it’s been doing...But has anyone been hearing from them lately?

I don’t know...I’m not paying attention...I think AGT is enough for me! (Hey, that rhymes!)

All that said, I have been growing cynical about it in recent years, and something about all the promotional stuff for this season didn’t help matters, as almost everything I saw in it looked like something I’ve seen before...

Hell, they even replaced their previous black female and blonde female judges with another black female and blonde female...So far, neither of them have shown anything that helps them stand out as judges, but since it’s only their first episode, I’ll give them time to help me get to know them (because these are the first two judges in the history of AGT I know nothing about beforehand!)

That being said, the new host Terry Crews is growing on me, so that’s a plus!

But I don’t watch this show for the cast of celebrities that have little else to do in their careers...I come here for the contestants! And while almost every act making up the first audition tonight clearly seem to be some spiritual successor to other acts we’ve seen in recent seasons (primarily the previous one), I gotta admit that almost all of them legitimately impressed me!

So let’s rank them!

9: Jackie Fabulous. I said ALMOST all of them...I found this lady to be more...cute than laugh-out-loud funny...She was by no means bad, but so far she’s looking to be the black (somewhat younger) version of Vicki Barbolak, who I ALSO liked more for her personality than her jokes...But I’m willing to give her a chance...She’ll probably make some decent progress regardless...

8: The Human Fuse. On a weaker night than tonight, I would gladly rank this guy higher, because launching yourself a great distance in the air while ON FIRE is definitely worthy of some props...But I think the main reason why these acts never get far in this game (aside from the whole going outside thing) is because instead of a few minutes of a performance with various highlights, it’s just a moment of suspense, and then they do the thing...It all just lasts a few seconds, and it’s not that much more dangerous than other acts that do multiple stunts while onstage...I wish this guy the best, but there are other more deserving acts looking to do something more productive with their million than...retire...That’s a very 1% thing to do!

7: Greg Morton. When I heard his smooth, buttery voice, I thought to myself, “He BETTER not disappoint!” And I must say, for a guy just standing there doing voices, he sure can put on a show! Far more entertaining than the “Star Wars” movies that aren’t the original trilogy!

6: Sophie Pecora. As usual, any singer that writes their own songs is okay in my book! Some personal lyrics, nice singing voice and...interesting rap verse, which seems to reflect the anxiety being expressed, make this a pretty effective ballad on par with the likes of Grace VanderWaal and Mandy Harvey...And she definitely seems to have graduated from the Chase Goehring school of acoustic guitar rapping!

5: Patrizio Ratto. Okay, there’s misleading us, and then there’s straight-up false advertising! I was wondering if this guy might pull a Tokio Myers or something, but I guess I’ll settle for some robotic body-popping...Nothing super-unique about his moves so far, but he’s talented enough that I look forward to seeing what else he can do!

4: Gingzilla. So let’s see, a guy from Australia taking on this flamboyant singing diva persona? Where have I seen this before, dahlings...? Also, my reaction to this character was quite similar to my reaction to Hans: Enjoying the personality, hoping the talent and entertainment live up to said personality, and then getting exactly what I wanted and then some! While so far I would say that Hans was slightly superior in the entertainment department, this chick is definitely a superior singer, and I look forward to seeing what she brings in later rounds!

3: Kodi Lee. I think it was inevitable that I was going to share a link to this SNL sketch that aired last fall sooner or later, and this seems about as good a time as any: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uysHtpAijpY...This felt just like what that sketch was joking about! But I do really like this guy, and while nothing’s certain yet, he does seem very much like a potential winner for this season!

2: Eric Chien. I think we all knew that there was going to be a magician this season piggybacking off of Shin Lim’s double-victory over the last year, and I guess if anyone can follow in his footsteps, it’s another attractive mid-20s Asian guy! (It also helps that he’s fresh off of a victory on Asia’s Got Talent!) He has a VERY TALL ORDER on his plate, and I definitely can’t say I’m rooting for him to win since he’s too similar to last year’s winner...But for now, it was an overall solid trick, and I think he deserves a chance...Who knows? Maybe he’ll make it all the way to the finals as well! But again, let’s maybe give something different a shot at the win this year...?

1: V. Unbeatable. Weird nipple-showing outfits aside, this group does show a lot of promise, even though Zurcaroh is a tough act for ANY dance group to follow! Like the previous two entries, this act could very well make it all the way to the finals, so long as they know how to up the ante! (And as yet another recent champion of a reality competition, I have no doubt that they can!)

So to sum it all up, this was like the Bruno Mars of AGT acts: I’ve generally seen it all before, but it was still just different and entertaining enough that I had a good time nonetheless! Not a bad start to the season, but I guess now would be a good time to exercise caution, because the promos still promise more soulful girl balladeers, at least one Light Balance successor, and other familiar AGT staples...And unless they can bring something fresh and new, I...do...not...care!

See you next week!

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courage-a-word-of-justice · 6 years

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Warning for discussion of 18+, potentially triggery things within the DakaIchi discussion...and the nature of that show being a yaoi will tell you whether you want to read that discussion in the first place. (There are full stops and lines around it in case you want to dodge that particular part, since Radiant comes right after it.)

...Otherwise, have at it.

Cells at Work! 13 (FINAL)

Apparently “distal” just means your extremities…

For some reason, I already knew about the fact that you can die from losing one third of your blood…because I read a Tumblr post that was meant to be for action writers and it was about blood loss.

…Huh? Was this a blood transfusion? That would explain why these new RBCs are so clueless about our RBC. Update: Yup, guessed it.

Come to think of it, there’s a WBC Nendoroid and a Platelet one but no RBC. That’s a bit disappointing…

The WBCs using that wobbly stick thing in the background are amusing, eheh.

Anyways, that was fun, even if I did get used to the routine of RBC getting lost and WBC fighting antigens in the end. See you next time!

Double Decker! 2

We’re now properly in the fall season, and of course now that the first drop’s out of the way, we’re starting with the best show this season (at least for the moment).

So does that mean if we’re NEETs we’re not paying for these detectives…? Is this an incentive for people to pay their taxes (LOL)…? (Okay, I’m kidding, I’m kidding. Sheesh.)

DD Partners…? Sounds…uh, partnery, considering what DD stands for.

Why is Travis blinking so much when he’s apologising…?

Snarky narrator is fun. I thought it was Kirill during ep 1 (or at least, it was for a bit), but now this narrator’s talking too much in 3rd person for it to be true. Maybe…it’s future Kirill. *collective facepalms from the peanut gallery* Or maybe it’s Kirill and a narrator, and Kirill will then break the 4th wall somewhere.

Now that’s monkeying around…LOL. *gets pelted by tomatoes* Oh c’mon, can’t I get in a decent joke around here?!

Well, as much as the can thing Doug does to Kirill is tropey for anime, I gotta admit this ain’t monkey busin-eh? You want me to stop with the jokes? Aw. Fine then, I’ll stop…

There’s something utterly relatable about having gone down the path of your dreams, only for it not to work out. In fact, I think I’m going down that path right now and I need to decide where to head next. That’s why I’m watching this episode right now – to make sure I don’t regret my future, by focussing on the present with a good anime.

According to this link to Google Books I got when I googled “ignis” and “desperatio” together, this might have something to do with a Panegyric of the Saints…something to do with hell, worms, fire and despair…? Uh, wuh? Am I just investigating this the wrong way?

Sanctus Bridge? As in “sanctuary”? Wow, that’s…ironic.

The rabbit police mascot…you can see it on Deana’s dashboard, LOL. Plus the bird police mascot that goes with it.

The name shots you get of these criminals aren’t nearly as good as “dick suck” (sic) in Kekkai Sensen, but they’re pretty close. Plus they actually do have correct Japanese translations, unlike “dick suck” (LOL).

Seriously, what’s up with Doug’s head prodding? Is it to stop him from trichotillomania (which is the pulling out of hair)? I can see it getting vaguely annoying when the excitement of a new season wears off…

The CGI is kind of awkward in this. You’d need to stare at it for a bit to realise it’s CGI and it’s not the worst effort I’ve seen (*grumbles* Tsukigakirei *grumble*) but it’s still pretty bad…

Oh! Those doors! Is Doug’s car…a DeLorean? (dramatic piano SFX in background)

Was it just me, or did Kirill’s face go funny for a second as he was moping about how he didn’t get to do anything…?

“Let me be your Double Decker!” – That’s what he says as a double decker bus goes by…clever wordplay, huh?

“One is poverty. The other is class.” – Okay, my studies tell me that’s pretty much impossible. Even in social situations, you have a clear leader and subordinates. Poverty is fine and dandy in regards to giving the boot – heck, that’s why things like the Millenium Development Goals exist (or rather, existed in that case, since those were replaced in 2015) – but class? That’s a bit of a difficult one, unless you want to resort to hardline socialist methods, Marxist methods…or communist ones. Not that any of those are bad, it’s just that I happen to like capitalism,even with its flaws and no matter what imbalances it causes to others. It’s just that not having capitalism would mean everyone’s equal, but then everyone’s worse off as a result…because if everyone has the same stuff, no one is different and no one is diverse enough to make anyone special. Get what I mean?

I think this episode sold me even more on the show, the premise…the everything. Except maybe that “I want to get rid of class” part.

That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime 1

I just memorise this show as “Slime Datta Ken”, so if you’re wondering what that is…now you know.

What was that opening segment for, man…? This is just a boring isekai intro.

I’m laughing! He values his computer over his life? As much as I know I’m attached to my computer, you should prioritise 1) getting Mikami an ambulance, 2) stopping the blood flow or 3) just getting Mikami to preserve his own life. Not that I’ve ever been in a life or death scenario, but that’s common sense, even if it’s a bit nihilistic or unrealistic.

Seriously, there’s currently no pull but how intriguing these unexplained “acquisition” scenes are. Like seriously. Those effects are cool and somewhat intriguing in the same way as Juuni Taisen was.

The picture of a flower…where did it come from? A child? Hmm, interesting way to express such a though process.

The CGI of the reveal was actually really good. Like, Houseki no Kuni good!

Actually, this is very Houseki no Kuni. Reestablishing what it is that makes humans human and what causes a creature to live and all that.

I never knew a slime could be this expressive…

“I see you have guts.” – That’s probably something you shouldn’t say to a slime, LOL.

Oh! This reminds me of a writing piece I had to do one time where you had to tell a tale from a monster’s perspective and make them sympathetic. I wrote about a dragon, so there’s something nostalgic about this.

There really isn’t a lot of movement in this show. Not that I mind it – Juuni Taisen I used to love a bunch and that was based off a novel, but this is an LN-based show…the level of writing in this show is clearly from the LN camp, for one thing. How it got such great production values, however, is another question entirely…

The slime and dragon friendship that just formed made me wanna go “ET!”, just because the gesture they did to seal said friendship did kind of look like that, haha.

Mechasoft Doors MX…hey, I am getting my fix of anime OSs this season after all! Just…not in Gridman yet. Update: There are zero OSs in Gridman, not in episode 1 at least...

Oh wow! That fight scene was so darned cool! It makes me wanna see more already! And the fact he (I already know from promo material the slime’s name is Rimuru) uses his slime form and human form interchangeably…that’s even cooler!

The font down the bottom and up the top of the next episode box appears to say “Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken” (due to the frequency of one of the symbols that appears to be an S, then you do the same for E and you realise it works…then you realise the text is just stylised romaji). There are zeroes and ones on the left and right sides, which might correlate to Rimuru’s “analysis voice”…whatever that may be. Anyways, I’m pretty confident this’ll be something for my lineup, but it’s too early for judgement calls. It’s a keeper…for now.

Run with the Wind 1

Now here’s a show I didn’t expect to follow going in…I picked it up merely on ANN recs.

I’m laughing like a maniac! As much as it was a compelling opening, after the dude arrives on his bike and asks “Do you like running?” to a thief, I lost it. For some reason, I find it almost so unrealistic it became hilarious, in a stupid sort of way. Or maybe I just have a really bad sense of humour. Who knows?

That one guy running in the back in the OP is basically me every time I’m meant to do something physical. Even going up three floors via stairs gets me out of breath though and I live a fairly sedentary lifestyle, so I ain’t a good comparison.

That nickname “Shindo” puzzles me. I can’t think of a kanji combo that would result in wordplay with the characters for “god” and “child” using the name “Takashi Sugiyama”, but I guess maybe we’ll find out in a later episode…?

Thank…uh, goodness for the censorship on Musa…

Musa speaks unusually politely (because I noticed he used “gozonji desu” at one point, which is a keigo variant for “shitteiru”). Maybe it’s because they barely know each other that there’s keigo being flung about. That seems reasonable, at least.

There’s something authentic about this sense of camaraderie. I can tell because my extended family is huge, so gatherings are often like this but multiplied in scale.

“Tsuru no Yu” – Technically that translates to “Crane’s Bath”…”Public Bath” is the place’s purpose.

I was wondering why we’d somehow reverted to not having 10 dudes, but then they show this is actually Haiji’s perspective of the event from the start of the episode and show the scar on his knee. That’s gotta be important for later.

…and Haiji left his towel, LOL.

I still laugh every time I see Haiji’s stupid face (the one he makes when he asks “Do you like running?”).

I’ve associated the slurring of words like “yakusoku-ssu” to be for smol bishies like Yumoto, so having Haiji use it is a bit of whiplash. Then again, apparently that slurring is only used by men to assert their masculinity as far as I know…so, uh, yeah.

Actually…I’ve been wondering. How long are courses at this uni? Where I am, being a straight literature major is 3 years (assuming you also do other stuff that fulfils a straight Arts degree). Also, Fune wo Amu (by the same creator) is about a dude making a dictionary…hmm, so the creator really likes books.

Wait, as far as my short term memory operates, most of these guys at Chikuseisou do arts majors, aside from the law student and the smoker (who does engineering). They do literature or sociology, mostly. So if that’s correct…the author also likes sociology. I’ve been thinking about doing some sociology myself, it would really complement what I know about international studies.

As explained by Kyra, chiku – sei – sou. The sei means blue/green and the chiku means bamboo. Switching the two and reading them differently gives you “Aotake”.

Rent’s $300? Must be cheap, eh?

Also see Kyra’s post for information about the food-based suicide note.

The Kanto Gogakuren refers to this manga, Sakigake!! Otokojuku. It’s basically Again!!, but with more Fist of the North Star-style dudes.

Hmm…turns out you can refer to this show as KazeTsuyo. That’s going to make me confuse it with SekaTsuyo, though…(SekaTsuyo = Wanna Be the Strongest in the World!) Also, it turns out the character for “Kakeru” in this case means “to run” (normally it means “to dash” with a kanji normally used for flying). Wait…did I ever mention how much this show’s aesthetic visuals always look as if they’re a Powerpoint theme (see images below)? They do look like that, don’t they?

I still have no idea why Kakeru has a bad case of resting b**** face, but…uh yeah, forget I said that. The sound direction in this show’s really nice. It really takes advantage of quiet moment to insert natural sounds.

I think if you go “yes!” when Haiji says “I’m going to win over all the dudes”, then you’re sold on the show. I did go “yes”, just without speaking. You know those feelings you only get in your gut and heart? Yeah, like that.

Huh? I noticed a dude called Bruce Chiou is in the credits and he’s definitely on RErideD this season too…

Out of this one, Slime Datta Ken and Double Decker it’s ranked last, but this show’s still a pretty strong addition to the seasonal lineup. Only time will tell if I kick it out or not…

Bakumatsu 1

The only experience I have with this era in anime is Bakumatsu Rock, I think…and that means I don’t know much about it.

Actually…considering the OP, scratch that. I know a bunch because of Touken Ranbu and other similar historical shows.

A…boob window? On a man? I get the black skintight vest is meant to be sexy, but I can’t see the point of that diamond…it’s just something extra for the animators and the illustrators to deal with.

C’mon. Can we not have Dudes Swishing Their Swords at the 4th Wall as something meant to hype up the audience? It’s a cliché, almost as bad as the running scenes you often get in OPs and EDs…Seriously, I can’t believe I’m getting mad at 10 dudes swinging their swords like this (specifically I’m getting mad because they were all in succession – doesn’t matter if it was in time to the music or not).

Okay, who transplanted WWI into this? I know that’s the point of the show, but the sepia really sold the idea of “this is meant to be Old-Timey Wimey Stuff and whoever’s meant to be watching is meant to be a history buff so they can spot the difference”.

Part of the ep title is “Mou Ichido no Bakumatsu”, so a better translation is “The Bakumatsu (Era) – Again!”

Wait, I thought Kondo was meant to look hotter than this (especially because he had what appears to be a coin – or an old-timey family crest – on his head). The frumpy mouth doesn’t sell the goods, yo.

Somehow…I knew Katsura would have glasses. He has them in Bakumatsu Rock. But is it historically accurate to have glasses in the Bakumatsu era, though?

Come to think of it…something that controls time would be pretty hard to destroy, no?

I think I read on ANN that swords being too big to draw in ship quarters is accurate. Hmm.

If this is such an important treasure…then why not have more padlocks on it? Or more guards closer to it (although those guys probably ran away)? Or some other protection around it? Couldn’t this supposed Yoshinobu-sama fight for himself?...Then again, I think this is just a case of overthinking. (insert MST3K mantra here)

Puh-lease. As much as I want a kunoichi (lady ninja) in my shows, don’t make them Naruto run. That’s one of my pet peeves…

Uh…Hagi? That’s probably it, considering there’s a river in the show.

Kakesoba.

Kamaboko.

Tanuki soba.

Well, there’s something to be said about being able to steal Shinsengumi jackets while the men are eating noodles. At least it didn’t involve knocking them out though (weak LOL).

Okay…why do the Shinsengumi look like waiters now? As much as I like a dude in a waiter suit, if I wanted a waiter, I’d go to a fancy French restaurant…

I feel like I’m being clubbed over the head with themes in this show. C’mon, have more tact than that.

There’s basically no chemistry between these guys (Katsura and Shinsaku). How did they meet?

Wait, so Darker Blue is Sakamoto if Green is Katsura and Red is Shinsaku? Sakamoto (Ryouma) is the redhead in Bakumatsu Rock, isn’t he? Okay then. But who’s White?

Seriously, Shinsaku. Learn from the kunoichi and stay quiet and stealthy. I don’t need another shonen hero…

Oh man, Toshizou is normally one of the Shinsengumi I like best (or at least I recognise his name more) out of these kinds of shows. If he has Perma-Scowl, I can’t possibly like this version.

Oh goodness. Souji’s a friggin’ sadist. Come to think of it though, I think this (Okita) Souji looks like the one from Gintama.

Why does Toshizou sound a frigton like any given Touken Ranbu sword…?

If that katana is symbolic…Toshizou must be hecka masculine, LEL. (Note: A “LEL” is not quite a LOL, it’s mostly done in jest. If anything, it’s probably about half a LOL.)

If that blonde ain’t Abe no Seimei, Yoshinobu-sama or some other important historical figure I know the name of, I’m eating my hat! (Not that I’m wearing one, it’s a figure of speech.)

I like Sakamoto’s face here, but man, I get distracted by the man candy below it…(i.e. his abs and bare chest, LOL. What did you think I was referring to?)

Oh great. (sarcastic) Sanada Yukimura almost always has that silly helmet, ever since Sengoku Musou I’ve pretty much tried to run away from it. I’d recognise it anywhere.

Who had the grand idea of letting Sanada keep his horse, anyway?

Okay, as much as I like making snarky comments, I made one too many here, methinks. Time for the drop pile.

Zombieland Saga 1

I read spoilers just a little bit, so I know the main twist is “zombie idols that sing death metal” already. If you didn’t want to know that at this point…sorry.

Whoa! They killed their protag off the bat? Not that I didn’t know that wouldn’t happen (already knew it would), but that’s gutsy. Truck-kun, go back to your darn isekai shows already.

Okay, I know this is a schoolgirl, but can we not with Sakura’s Schoolgirl Run for Dainty Ladies? This is a zombie show, dangit. Run properly. Can we also not with the boob jiggle?

Well, that’s one way to defeat a police officer (or get yourself arrested): Spade to the Brain.

Otsumami appears to be the name for the squid in Kotaro’s pocket.

You can’t see Kotaro’s eyes, even behind those sunnies…hmm…

Wow. Miyano sounds like he’s having such fun voicing Kotaro, y’know?

From the flyer: “They are coming soon from the underground...” Yup, that’s right, alright. Zombies have already come from the underground.

Tae’s credited under ????. They’re still holding out on us!

It seems like a pretty good keeper, provided you can keep up with who’s who.

...

DakaIchi 1

Yep, the BL anime. Thought I’d never try one? Think again.

As much as I do think I’d want to be hugged by Takato, his face…makes him look like he came out of Junjou Romantica…? Uhh…awkward.

Please don’t let this be a work full of sadism and BDSM. I’m not that kinky, y’know…?

Uh, if you ever knew “boundaries”, Azumaya, that would be great. Thanks.

LOL, what a way to win a dude over. $10! That is cheap for a star.

I’m still wondering if this all constitutes “assault” or some other illegal business. I mean, Takato agreed to everything under the influence of a bunch of drinks.

LOL, the director’s shirt says “concentration”. As in, “focus on the stuff you’re doing”.

Hey wait, how does anyone pull off a kabedon on an operation curtain?!

Uh…maybe it’s just my inexperience with the genre, but…what the heck was that scene with the feathers?

Dangit, Yaoi Hands. If I weren’t so aware of you already, you wouldn’t be breaking the immersion of this show!!!

Random Dance Ending? I so did not expect that, I’m laughing as a result.

Uhh…I cannot believe I did that. I watched an episode of a yaoi anime and coveredit without it ruining my pride! To think I watched 18+ shoujo ai before 18+ shonen ai is really something I cannot get my head around, though…not that I will ever tell you which shoujo ai show I watched. So…uh, it was actually pretty decent aside from the “I don’t get what the heck this scene is meant to be” bits which are probably staples of the genre.

...

Radiant 1

Uhh…why do I feel like I’m watching Deltora Quest for the 3rd time? Not that Deltora Quest is bad, it’s just too stereotypically high fantasy.

Mahoutsukai. Literally “mage”, but could be “wizard” or “sorcerer” if you went with it loosely. Then again, the French word for sorcerer must be pretty close to the English one which should be enough of a guide for translators, right?

Eh? It’s an…elephant –cow? What is this, Avatar the Last Airbender? (half-snarking)

I think as the show goes along, its comedic timing is actually getting…better. That’s something, huh?

The show’s just a tiny bit too heavy-handed with its themes of racism or whatever sorcerers stand for. Then again, this is a shonen show. It’s allowed to be this way.

Geez, stylised English really is the order of the day for anime these days, huh? Lessee here…Alma’s…uh, Observatory, I think it says…?

Uh…all this talk about grimoires is giving me bad flashbacks…bad, screamy flashbacks involving a certain Asta…

I just noticed Alma gets referred to that way by Seth. Are these two not related, even though they share the same house (?) and hair colour?

Oh great. (sarcastic) Toilet humour. One of my worst enemies, aside from fanservice…

What’s up with the bat (?)? It knd of seems to be Alma’s…

Hey, I…think I know this kind of story too well. It’s going to eventually end, after a long run, with an adult Seth and that girl from one of the key visuals together…or something. Shonen are weird like that. They always end with a happily ever after and an adult protagonist, or the “the adventure just keeps happening!” sort of thing…y’know?

The plural of Nemesis is “Nemeses”, but it seems the book Seth read said “Nemesis’ Egg”. So the plural is the same as the singular in this case.

Huh? They chose to put both fancily-written French and then Japanese under it, as a homage to the French origins of this work? Huh, interesting.

Tommy’s saying “Gyaaaaah!” not “Yaaaaaaah!” - there’s a difference between those two, y’know?

SSSS.Gridman 1

As a self-professed fan of heroes who never actually got into tokusatsu because I keep missing Power Rangers when it airs on local TV stations, this and Garo are filling in a genre space I never really had until I started wandering tokusatsu wikis...which was before the live-action Power Rangers came out, methinks.

Why do I feel like I’ve seen this font (the one “SSSS.Gridman” is written in)? I thought it was a Calvin Harris music video, since I have a few downloaded legally (due to a CD I found in one particular library), but Harris’s font is slightly different to this one…Well, after some experimentation, it seems to be Arial with extra kerning.

“Amnesiac” is starting to become an anime trope in itself…

Seven-Two-One, LOL.

Ahh, children in puberty. Can’t tell whether relationships are romantic or just platonic. (wistful)

If Utsumi isn’t the goth dude from earlier, I’m eating my hat! (Not that I’m wearing one right-oh, I’ve used this joke before, haven’t I?)

…dangit, now I have to eat my metaphorical hat. By the by, I thought Utsumi was an Ume sort of character (as in, the type who would usually get voiced by Yuichiro Umehara), but no, it was Soma Saito.

The girl with the purple hair reminds me of the Administrator (or whatever her name is, the AI) from Yakusoku no Nanayamatsuri.

Regardless of whether the scene was with volume or not, that awkward pause between Shinjo, Utsumi and Hibiki went just a weeny bit too long…

When Takarada approached Utsumi and Hibiki, the colours of her earphones and eyes really popped!

They seem to treat memory loss as something minor, like a cold. It’s a bit awkward, I think.

Utsumi, kid. If you think computers from the 70s and 80s are huge, you should see server rooms! Those computers are huge! Not to mention, the first computers filled up entire rooms (just like servers do). Even portable server units are about a good 160 cm tall with wheels…oh, you don’t want to hear me prattle on about this? Okay, moving on.

“This really is a pile of junk, huh?” I had to go back and check someone hadn’t skipped a word – they did skip the word, in fact.

T-This is what Trigger have held out on us for? A monster like this looks terrible in CGI, man. Even if it is one of the better efforts. I mean, the eyes don’t even look in the same direction…

Why does Utsumi refer to the computer as “Junk”?

The Ultra series? Y’mean Ultraman?

Let’s just say…Gridman looks much better than the kaiju here.

They didn’t even dispose of the kaiju head properly, LOL.

I feel like the battle didn’t quite get my blood boiling. (Probably because I was grumbling too hard at the kaiju and the parts where the execution got a little too silly.) I’ll put it on hold and see if it gets better in a few episodes, but I’m not holding my breath. Since this is Trigger, it could pull off some great stuff if it tried…it’s just this seemed a little soulless in comparison to everything else I’ve seen them do. Or maybe my increased consumption of anime this year has left me jaded...

#DakaIchi - I'm Being Harassed by the Sexiest Man of the Year #Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken #Kaze ga Tsuyoku Fuiteiru #chesarka watches hataraku saibou #double decker! doug and kirill #hataraku saibō #DakaIchi #that time i got reincarnated as a slime #Bakumatsu #Zombieland Saga #simulcast commentary #Radiant #SSSS.Gridman #run with the wind #Chesarka watches ZLS #Chesarka watches Double Decker!#Chesarka watches SSSS.Gridman

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closetofanxiety · 6 years

Text

Nitromare: My God, We’re Really Doing This

Joe has returned to the Land of the Rising Sun, but Mark and I for some reason are committed to watching every Nitro of the Vince Russo Era, when WCW went beyond the point of no return in the battle against the WWF. Tonight we’re on the second week of the first Russo reign: October 25, 1999, from Phoenix, Arizona. Let’s soak up the horror!

We open with Sting, in street clothes, coming out to the ring to demand the presence of JJ Dillon, the kayfabe commissioner. Sting lost to Goldberg last night at Halloween Havoc, but says that match wasn’t for the title, and so Goldberg should not be the champ. Dillon says there’s going to be a tournament to determine the champ, so Sting beats up Dillon. Goldberg runs out to make the save, and in the scrum, Sting’s t-shirt remains impressively tucked into his jeans. Why are they trying to make Sting into a whiny, shitty bad guy? The most natural babyface in the company since Ricky Steamboat. People want to cheer for Sting.

The first match of the tournament is Norman Smiley vs. Bam Bam Bigelow. It’s over in about five minutes, with Norman winning. I think it was a hardcore match?

Now the Filthy Animals come out to show video footage of them taking Ric Flair out into a desert at night and dumping water on him. I’m not sure why you’d film yourself committing a crime, but the 1990s were a different time. You know who Billy Kidman looks like? The singer for Missing Foundation. It’s uncanny. There’s footage on YouTube of that guy, Peter Missing, setting himself on fire at a show in Boston.

Rey Misterio says the Filthy Animals are going to “hump” Harlem Heat “like the dogs we are.” OK? Dean Malenko and Perry Saturn are apparently outraged, perhaps on behalf of dogs, and they run out and start beating on the Animals with lead pipes. Shane Douglas and Asya come out and kidnap Torrie Wilson.

Now we’re backstage with Mike Tenay and Curt Hennig. Is there any American wrestler whose career was more a story of thwarted promise than Mr. Perfect? He was so good at everything, but never really got the breakthrough, either because of injuries or working for the wrong company at the wrong time, or both.

Kevin Nash and Scott Hall are hanging around backstage. Somewhat grimly considering what we know now, they’re drinking beer from a cooler.

The next match in the championship tournament is Hennig versus Lash Laroux, a truly forgotten figure from the WCW era. His gimmick was that he was a Cajun. That was pretty much it, mes amis. While the match is going on, Disco Inferno comes out to do commentary with Tony Schiavone and The Brain. For some reason. Hennig gets DQ’d for hitting Laroux with a chair. Disco Inferno comes in to help Laroux, and gets beat up with the chair. The match lasts maybe three minutes.

We’re back in the ring after a commercial break with Kim Page and Mean Gene talking about the Nitro Girl competition. This was a contest to find a new Nitro Girl that I think Stacy Keibler eventually won. We meet two more finalists, both local, and watch footage of them dancing as Disco Inferno looks on. Was he the judge? His whole gimmick was that he was a bad dancer.

The Nitro Girls thing is interrupted by DOUBLE J himself, Jeff Jarrett, recently arrived from the WWF. He immediately says the championship tournament is “a big work,” which I’m sure sounded like a good idea if you were on cocaine. Jarrett is still wrestling today; he’s currently a titleholder in AAA. He’s had one of the most remarkable careers of any American wrestler, yet I’ve never really enjoyed him.

Another match in the It’s A Big Work Tournament. Perry Saturn vs. Eddie Guerrero, which in theory should be a great match. So far each match in this tournament has featured one wrestler who is no longer alive. There are empty seats on the hard camera side; Mark notes that the revamped WCW logo reminds him of the final flag of a soon-to-be-vanquished country.

The match is not great. A few decent spots, but then David Flair runs in and hits Eddie Guerrero with a lead pipe, allowing Saturn to get the win via the Rings of Saturn. It last six minutes.

We’re backstage, and the Revolution have Torrie Wilson imprisoned in a backstage area. “This is a great hiding place; they’ll never find us!” exults Shane Douglas, in front of a camera crew. Chris Benoit arrives and locks most of the Revolution inside a caged area, allowing him to beat on Dean Malenko. Everyone is wearing what would today be classified as Mom Jeans. Wasn’t Benoit part of the Revolution? Eventually he’d jump to the WWF along with Saturn, Malenko, and Guerrero, as the Radicalz. You could tell they were extreme, because they scorned the letter ‘S.’

Hall and Nash walk out, wearing street clothes. “It seems these new bosses we got from up North can’t have a wrestling show without the Outsiders,” Hall says, in a reference to Russo and Ferrara that 99 percent of the audience wouldn’t understand. Nash is wearing a FUBU jersey. His meandering promo is interrupted by Goldberg, who is standing in the crowd, wearing his gear and holding a microphone. As one does. “You’re both next!” Goldberg says. Technically, they can’t BOTH be next, Bill.

Macho Man and Gorgeous George come out. I don’t know why her wrestling name was Gorgeous George, but she wasn’t the worst person to wear the mantle created by George Wagner. There were so many terrible Gorgeous Georges. Even in the twilight of his career, Savage is still a compelling, charismatic performer. “Don’t hunt what ya can’t kill, cuz ya can’t kill The Madness!” he cautions, adding “I ain’t no punk bitch!” He takes some shots at Hogan and Flair. Gorgeous George is chewing gum and looking a bit lost. “I got too much money in the bank to get punked out by punks like you!” Savage yells, although it’s still unclear to whom he’s referring. Then he says he and Gorgeous George are leaving. OK.

The Filthy Animals are searching for Torrie backstage. How did they find Shane Douglas’ great hiding place?? But the Revolution have moved off to another backstage space to complain about how Chris Benoit beat Malenko’s ass.

Next WCW title tournament match: Madusa vs. Meng. Oh God. Madusa looks legitimately unwell. Everyone who knows Meng is terrified of Meng. He’s like nuclear war. This is not a pioneering intergender matchup: none of Madusa’s offense is effective, while Meng just stands around and growls like an animal. Madusa wrestled Bull Nakano a lot, so this probably wasn’t the scariest opponent she’d faced. Meng wins in about four minutes with the Tongan Death Grip. Remember when it was a big deal that Madusa jumped to WCW with the WWF women’s belt? Boy, they sure made the most of that, didn’t they?

Evan Karagias comes out to help Madusa. “Isn’t he gallant,” Brain sneers, and for some reason he pronounces it “guh-launt” and it makes me laugh out loud. That’s how I’m pronouncing it from now on.

Nothing stands still. Malenko comes out and challenges Benoit and then leaves. Russo’s WCW feels like experimental theater, right down to the destruction of the fourth wall and acknowledgement of artifice.

Mark describes Hall and Nash as “two retirees going around, causing trouble,” and this is a perfect description of what they’re doing at this point. I’m omitting about half the backstage segments, because they all last about 45 seconds and seem meaningless.

Lex Luger and Miss Elizabeth come out, everything we know about what would happen later making it very hard to enjoy any of this. I think this is a match in the title tournament? The WCW commentary team does not do nearly as much recapping as today’s WWE announcers, and it’s kind of baffling.

It’s Luger vs. Rick Steiner, and a shirtless Jeff Jarrett comes out to join in on commentary. “We saw your shtick in the WWF, we know you’d hit a woman,” Schiavone says. “This is not the WWF, this is the WCW, and I am the Chosen One!” Jarrett replies. Jarrett is upset that he is being blamed for hitting Liz last week. Jarrett tries to hit Luger with a guitar and gets Steiner instead. Jarrett runs off and Steiner follows him. The crowd seems bored and angry. Luger wins via count. The match was maybe three minutes long.

Kidman and Konnan are backstage. Konnan calls the Revolution “mark busters.” I can’t look at Kidman without seeing Peter Missing. Have you ever heard Missing Foundation? It’s really challenging stuff. What a group they were.

Another title tournament match, this time between Kidman and Konnan, fellow Filthy Animals. There’s a ref bump 45 seconds into the match. Harlem Heat comes out and beat up Konnan and Kidman. Who’s getting humped now, gentlemen, hmmmm? Now Rey and Eddie come out to fight Harlem Heat. In the ring, Kidman gets the pin on an out-cold Konnan. The match lasted two minutes at most. The secret of Vince Russo is that Vince Russo is not a wrestling fan.

Buff Bagwell’s in the ring and vowing to break all the rules. “I’m going to take every little thing that’s ever been sacred in this business and I’m gonna relieve myself all over it.” Then he says, “I’m not doin’ a J-O-B, a job, for nobody ever again!” He calls out “the two idiots in the back writing this crap,” which, Jesus. Two giant bald guys in suits com out who say “We represent the two idiots in the back writing this crap,” and then proceed to beat the stuffing out of Buffing.

We’re back from commercial, and Chris Benoit is going to wrestle Dean Malenko in a Mom Jeans Beatdown. No, it’s a last man standing match, but they’re both wearing mom jeans, without belts. That really bothers me for some reason. This is a really good match, the only good one of the night so far. Not entirely surprising. There’s no way to reflect on Chris Benoit without the shadow of his hideous crimes hanging over everything, but for whatever it’s worth, he was one of the best wrestlers of his generation. He had a graceful ferocity and total commitment to what he did that very few wrestlers have ever matched. Benoit wins.

The Filthy Animals run out to beat on Malenko, then Shane Douglas and Asya come out with Torrie Wilson. Torrie Wilson is notably taller than her captor, Asya. They should’ve got Nicole Bass to be their Chyna-alike. Douglas kind of sucked, didn’t he?

Jimmy Hart comes out with Hugh Morrus and Knobs from the Nasty Boys. Was there a new Nasty Boys with Morrus in place of Sags? Or was Knobs moonlighting? I’ll tell you what: the Nasty Boys put together a surprising number of extremely fun matches. This is not one of them: Sting comes out with a baseball bat, beats down Knobs, and gets the pin. I guess this was a no DQ match?

One thing to remember in the Nitromare: nothing has to make sense.

We’re backstage with Tenay and Bret Hart, who has what I think is a storyline ankle injury. Bret interviews like an earnest hockey player, which was part of his appeal. He didn’t have to scream or act like a lunatic to sell you on a match.

Now there’s a tag match between Konnan and Kidman and the defending champs, Harlem Heat. Konnan is also wearing FUBU; were they a sponsor?

I’m flummoxed that they’d allow so many empty seats facing the hard camera. Why not send people in higher sections down to take those seats? This is AWA-at-the-end level inattention to detail.

Meanwhile, in the match, Harlem Heat are beating the shit out of the Filthy Animals in a mostly uninteresting fashion. It’s a slog. There’s an inexplicable screw job finish that has Schiavone asking “Who won?,” which is always a good sign. The answer: the Filthy Animals won because ... Kidman bridged out of a pin?

Nitromare: Nothing Has to Make Sense

DDP and Kimberly come out. My God, Kimberly was attractive. And Page was insanely over with WCW fans; it’s galling how badly he was mishandled by the WWF. Did you know Page sued Jay Z over the Diamond Cutter hand gesture? They settled out of court, so we still don’t have settled legal precedent on whether you can trademark a hand gesture.

David Flair comes out. DDP is mad at Flair because Flair’s dad slept with Kimberly. Flair pulls out a crowbar and cheap-shots DDP, then starts whaling on him. David Flair looks like the character in a movie about rural 19th century America who’s described as “a bit touched.” Like a character who accidentally kills or injures a major character and then commits suicide in helpless despair. It’s not ... a great look for a pro wrestler.

DDP gets kayfabe stretchered out. Well, I believe he’s the winner by disqualification, so there is that.

Back from commercial. Hall and Nash, in street clothes, are in the ring. Their opponents appear to be local strippers. They’re not given an introduction, so we don’t know for sure. One of them motorboats Scott Hall. The crowd enjoys it, because wrestling fans in the 1990s were not very sophisticated. The other stripper is tagged in. “This is what it’s all about,” Tony says. Nash comes in. “The hot tag! The big save,” Tony says. One of the rare moments when I feel like Lou Thesz. A third stripper with balloon-sized fake breasts comes into the ring. The Outsiders lay down and get pinned. Who says Kevin Nash wouldn’t do jobs in WCW?

Goldberg mercifully runs into the ring and spears them both. The crowd likes it, but is also horny and mad that the woman with the huge fake breasts didn’t take her shirt off. The replay is brought to us by the Air Force, which at the time was using the slogan “Aim High.” Not a lot of that in Nitromare, I’m afraid.

I think it’s main event time. God, I hope it is. I’m so weary. Bret Hart hobbles out to the ring. He’s wrestling Goldberg, who has one of the all-time great entrances in pro wrestling history.

Tony says Bret’s shin is hurt, when earlier we were told it was his ankle. Later, Tony says it’s Bret’s ankle. Razor sharp.

Goldberg was not a great wrestler, and with Bret selling a broken ankle, it was hard to carry the big dude to a credible match. The story here is Bret’s insane pride and resilience, and it’s going well initially: the crowd rallying behind him as he tries to fight back against the onslaught from Goldberg. Goldberg does a good job of looking conflicted about wrestling a guy who’s less than 100 percent, which adds to the story. Goldberg finally starts working on the injured leg and then breaks the hold, hoping the ref will stop the match. Hey, this is actually not bad!

Bret fights out of a corner and applies the sleeper, which leads to, merciful God in heaven above, a ref bump. The Outsiders and Sid Vicious run out to take out Goldberg. Nash hits the most spectacular move in his arsenal, the sidewalk slam. Goldberg is out and Bret covers him for the win. This sucked.

Grade: D

Signs in the Crowd: WCW = Where Chumps Wrestle; Everyone Hates Rey, Man (so Nineties); Ryan Gill is Gay (also very Nineties, in a bad way); IM SINGLE; Goldberg Kicks Ass; Big Sexy in the House NWO 4 Life; Hall = Ratings; Filthy Animals = Circle Jerk; Can’t Stand Me No Fruit Booties; Buff is the Stuff; WWW. Rantsylvania . Com (still active! It’s Scott Keith’s blog); WCW Monday Maestro (was there really a person who liked the Maestro enough to make a sign?); Joe B is a Candy Ass; I Pimp Pimps; Russo Where’s the Gambler?

#NItromare #WCW #1990s wrestling #Vince Russo

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