#it feels a bit weird to announce it considering i never had a consistent schedule ever but here u go

[gwinverarrouz]

So, huh, I've overworked myself pretty badly, and now I'm taking a break. Take care!

[responsiblyirresponsible]

The Most Irresponsible...Man(?) in Space, Chapter 1: At Liberty You May Be, But Not To Say Just Anything

Peacetime settles upon the crew of the Soyokaze enroute to home, as an unexpected announcement brings an upheaval even to the consistently irregular lives of those who serve under Tylor. Just what awaits them on the other side as peace finds the crew with more time than they could ever want away from one another, and what exactly is the cause of it all?

Once I started fronting, it seemed like the right thing to do that I, well, do the 'write thing'! If you've never watched the Irresponsible Captain Tylor, well, you're allowed to do whatever you want, whenever you want. As for me? I'm posting this.

Thanks to @beedokart for the illustration commission!

On AO3 and under the cut:

There were many ordinary days aboard the United Planets Space Force destroyer Soyokaze, and perhaps just as many extraordinary ones. The thing about either of those kinds of day was the difficulty in determining which was which.

After all, when the extraordinary becomes frequent, doesn’t it become typical? And when the ordinary becomes less commonplace, isn’t it exceptional when it happens?

Is the extraordinary simply that which defies convention?

And if so, on a ship like the Soyokaze, could it not be said that a day when everything goes according to schedule and all crew members perform their duties as assigned is, well….

Really fucking weird?

This was the question, put in more polite terms, that Yuriko Star and Makoto Yamamoto put to one another. As the sole members of the crew who had ever held to anything even approaching the by-the-book standards of the UPSF, their ordinariness was itself extraordinary.

“Ms. Star,” Yamamoto chuckled in a more amiable tone than he might have used earlier in his service aboard the Soyokaze, “sometimes I wonder whether you and I are the only sane people aboard this ship.”

“But Mr. Yamamoto, wouldn’t that make us the aberrant ones?” Yuriko asked with a smile. This conversation (and variations upon it) had been continuing for some time across several days, and reaching this point caused a smile to sneak across her lips.

“And therefore, insane?” Yamamoto affirmed with a nod. “Yes, that is exactly what I was thinking. And if insanity is the norm, and being sane means that we are in turn insane, then therefore…?”

“We’re the same as everyone else aboard, is what you’re saying?”

Yamamoto came to a stop, standing almost as if at attention as he slapped a gloved fist into his palm, barking, “precisely!”

He held the pose for a single beat as Yuriko stared at him, her slight smile threatening to break out into a full grin until Yamamoto’s rigid posture relaxed.

“Too much?” He asked, his smile seeming a bit more abashed as he scratched the back of his head, ruffling his hair and shifting his uniform cap forward on his brow.

“Maybe for the rest of the Space Force, but I think it’s just right for the Soyokaze,” Yuriko answered, starting to walk ahead of him. She took the halls in with a long, sweeping gaze, wondering aloud, “who would have ever thought that either of us would become, well, so very accustomed to this ship and its crew? That this place, this ship could become….”

“Home?” Yamamoto suggested, moving quickly for a moment to catch up.

Yuriko turned her head to look up at him as he neared, and said, “I was thinking, more like ‘family’.”

Yamamoto looked up, to the right, down, and back at Yuriko, his brow furrowed in thought.

“Do you suppose that makes the Captain the ‘father’?”

Slowing her stride for a moment and falling behind Yamamoto herself, Yuriko considered it, and shook her head. “I’d say he’s more like an eccentric uncle, but even that….”

“...Somehow doesn’t feel exactly right, does it,” Yamamoto agreed. “Well, we’ll have to come up with something to say about him. They’re going to be writing books about us, Ms. Star.”

“Not exactly the way you hoped to go down in history, is it?” Yuriko asked, sighing.

It wasn’t quite defeat, nor amusement.

More like….

Acceptance.

“I think the Captain would say,” Yamamoto began, doing his best to imitate Tylor’s relaxed expression after a quarter century of taking himself seriously, “that it may not be what we expected, but ‘that’s alright anyway, isn’t it?’ Or, well, something to that effect.”

“Yes,” Yuriko agreed, “it’s certainly alright. Or at least, better than the times when we were demoted, held captive, or thought the Captain was going to be executed.”

“Commendations and promotions all around? Recognition of meritorious service for our role in ending the conflict with the Raalgon Empire?” Yamamoto asked, staring into a distance that may have laid far beyond the turn in the hallways that stood some meters away from them. “Yes, Ms. Star, I certainly do think it’s better than all of that.”

Yuriko laughed softly, and was about to observe that being held captive by the Raalgons had actually been fairly decent under the rule of Azalyn Goza XVI when she overheard a pair of familiar voices at a volume just outside of the range of intelligibility.

“Is that the Captain…and Admiral Mifune?” Yuriko asked, looking at Yamamoto.

He paused, listening with a hand cupped to his ear before whispering, “it sounds like it. I wonder what they’re…but it wouldn’t be right to eavesdrop.”

Blinking, Yuriko considered that.

“That’s very true, Mr. Yamamoto,” she quietly agreed as a slightly mischievous glint came to her eyes, “but is it really eavesdropping if it happens in a public corridor on the way to the bridge? We’re heading that way, anyway.”

As she started ahead, Yamamoto shook his head slowly and followed, murmuring something that sounded like, “I believe Ms. Kim may be a bad influence on you….”

It was indeed the Captain up ahead, a video communicator in-hand and displaying the image of Vice Admiral Mifune, the camera pointing at an angle that would not have shown them peering around the corner.

“I understand,” Mifune was saying as Yuriko and Yamamoto edged further around the corner, “then, in recognition of your achievements and that of your crew, I hereby grant Commander…’Justy’?”

It was an odd emphasis on the Captain’s name, and it made Yuriko move into view of the communicator to try and prompt an explanation, as Tylor hummed for a moment in apparent consideration before replying, “well, I guess it’ll do for now.”

“Then, Commander Justy Ueki Tylor, I hereby grant you and the crew of the Soyokaze a period of no fewer than three and no more than five months of liberty,” Mifune said, seeming to notice the pair of eavesdroppers. “Ah, Lieutenant—no, Lieutenant Commander Yamamoto, Commander Star. The same goes for you as well. Good work.

“Liberty—you mean shore leave?” Yuriko asked, searching her admittedly fairly detailed memories of regulations, and coming up with no explanation. “But for such a long period of time?”

“Admiral Mifune, isn’t liberty typically measured in days, not months?” Yamamoto asked, looking uncertain of what he might even do with that much time. “What possible cause could you have for that? A quarter of a year at the very least?”

Mifune’s eyes moved oddly in Tylor’s direction, and Tylor nodded.

“Off the record, the reason is medical leave. Command has become aware that Captain Tylor is in need of a routine procedure for reasons that are not life-threatening, but will nevertheless mandate a lengthy period of recovery. On paper, however, the justification will be that maintenance crews have discovered potentially critical faults in the Soyokaze’s engines. Once her Captain is cleared to return to duty, the Soyokaze will likewise be declared spaceworthy,” Mifune said, sighing before muttering under his breath just loud enough to come over the comms, “if it could ever be called that in the first place.”

With all of his usual grace and sincerity (which is to say, very little and perhaps too much), Tylor managed a salute and an ebullient, “Thank you, Vice Admiral, sir! I promise you won’t regret it.”

As the transmission cut out, Yuriko could swear she heard Mifune grumble, “I already—”, but Tylor was already ambling away, his usual bowlegged gait seeming somehow more contained. Yet at the same time, spritely.

It might have been Yuriko’s imagination, but it even almost looked like his hips were swaying.

“I’ll be in my quarters for a bit, ‘kay?” Tylor said with a backwards wave. “Feel free to tell everyone the good news!”

Turning to face Yamamoto, Yuriko was met by a mystified expression that matched the one she felt on her own face. The ship’s XO gave the shrug of a man who had just been told he was going to have a months-long vacation with obscure justifications: a physical expression of the sentiment of, ‘well, yeah, but….’

“I think it goes without saying at this point that anything involving our captain is going to defy common sense,” Yamamoto said, sighing through his nose and slumping bodily downwards for just a breath, before straightening up and saying, “but does that change our duty? I think not. I, for one, am due on the bridge, and anything else will simply have to wait.”

With that, he led the way, and Yuriko followed after.

The usual bridge crew greeted her:

At navigation, pilot Harold Katori, recently risen to the rank of Lieutenant proper. Joining him in that promotion was helmswoman Kim Kyung-Hwa at the conn. Yuriko had come to accept that, in spite of their idiosyncracies, the pair were perfectly capable of running the ship without command in an emergency.

Aside from the Captain’s hopefully temporary absence, the bridge also saw one addition who was just as common by his presence as Tylor was by his absence: the ship’s surgeon, Hidezaburo Kitaguchi, presently peering down the open doorway into the hall that led to the Captain’s quarters. Among all of the oddities of the ship, Doctor Kitaguchi was perhaps one of the oddest due to one simple detail.

That detail was inexplicable, and Yuriko still did not fully believe it, but supposedly, somehow...Kitaguchi seemed to function better as a medic when he was drinking. It wasn’t that he suffered any kind of debilitating withdrawal; modern medicine and UPSF healthcare being what it was, the thirtysomething naval surgeon had a healthier liver than many civilian teetotalers.

“I don’t need to be the best doctor in the fleet to know that something’s up, between your expressions and the Captain’s shit-eating grin,” Kitaguchi said, glancing back again towards the door to Tylor’s quarters before turning to face Yuriko and Yamamoto, adjusting his lenses as he did. “Mind filling a guy in?”

“Well,” Yuriko said, “the Captain did encourage us to tell everyone.”

With a self-satisfied smirk, Yamamoto announced to the three other crew members present, “Commander Star and I happened to catch the Captain speaking to the Vice-Admiral. The crew of the Soyokaze will soon be enjoying the rare treat of several months of liberty!”

“You’re kidding!” Lt. Kim gasped, as Katori let out a less articulate noise of surprise.

“Months? In my informed opinion, that’s what we call ‘mighty suspicious’,” Kitaguchi said more to himself than the audience around him, rubbing his bushy brown beard. “Even with our accomplishments of late and the formalization of peace with the Raalgons, a leave that long? Why, it just doesn’t make sense!”

Yuriko shook her head. “Doctor, you took the words right out of my mouth.”

“Is that so?”

Taking her usual seat, Yuriko searched for answers in the view of the vastness of space beyond the Soyokaze. If the stars knew something, they weren’t indicating it, so she was left to ask, “if it’s medical leave, why wouldn’t they call it medical leave in the first place? To call it liberty…!”

“Medical leave?” Katori gasped, looking at Yamamoto, and then at Lt. Kim; the former nodded his head, while the latter let out an ‘I dunno’ noise.

Doctor Kitaguchi, in turn, let out a laugh.

“Oh, is that the situation? That explains everything.”

As the ship’s surgeon relaxed and took a swig from a bottle that the rest of the bridge crew hadn’t noticed until that moment, Yamamoto boggled.

“You mean to tell me, there’s precedence for this?”

Taking a moment longer to drink, Kitaguchi let out a breath and said, “well, sure! A UPSF officer whose medical records show he’s in perfect health, going on medical leave that’s officially reported as shore leave? That’s textbook cover for, well…it isn’t my place to say.”

Yuriko was shocked at Kitaguchi's sudden clamming up. “Doctor!”

In turn, Kitaguchi’s expression soured behind his ever-present sunglasses and thick beard. “Haven’t you people ever heard of a little thing called medical ethics? If the Captain doesn’t want us to know, and the brass didn’t say anything, then my lips…are sealed!”

At that, he took another swig, and made his way to the exit from the bridge, leaning against the doorframe in a hunched posture.

“But—!” Yamamoto uttered as he reached out towards Kitaguchi , before seeming to let it go, palming his face and groaning into his glove, “oh, who am I kidding? A man is entitled to his privacy, after all.”

Straightening up a bit, the doctor slipped out from the bridge, saying something very strange as he did.

It sounded more than a bit like, “a man and his privacy? Well, give it a few months. We’ll see which part of that remains true.”

---

This was it.

After months of sitting around uncertain of what exactly to do with himself, fielding question after question from members of the crew who were certain that he must know something of what was happening to Captain Tylor, and only being able to offer the same assurances that he was reliably informed that the Captain was in good health and would be returning soon….

The Soyokaze was declared spaceworthy and ready.

From what the Vice Admiral had said, that meant that Captain Tylor was alright and would be back to his usual self. The lifestyle to which Makoto Yamamoto had become accustomed against all odds was finally going to be restored, and the mind-numbing routine of the life he used to treasure was at long last behind him.

Or at least, it would be.

After he put on his best crowd-pleasing smile and tried to not scream about a bunch of politicians, celebrities, and who-knows-who’s-whos with the right connections to be invited on a tour of the refitted, refurbished, re-shined and resplendent Soyokaze.

The crowd continued filtering in, familiar and unfamiliar faces alike blurring into a sea of disingenuous ingratiation. It all felt so fake, so plastic. A cheery mask hiding the frustrations at dealing with people who didn’t know the first thing about what was going on underneath the surface.

Not that he’d ever let it show.

That was the point of a mask like that. You showed people what they wanted to see: the gleaming blue Soyokaze, the ship that had brought peace between the United Planets and the Holy Raalgon Empire, pride of the UPSF.

Not the mis-fitted boat full of misfits that he had come to adore.

These talking heads wouldn’t understand the charm of it, the brilliance of the Captain who was still absent. After all, even Yamamoto himself had needed to endure mortal peril to grasp it. How could someone understand if they had never served under any commander, much less Tylor?

Oh, the media had tried their best to find out. But to their frustration, the crew’s interviews were seemingly inconsistent—all of them containing some kernel of the truth, of course. And the Captain was even harder to find, with the UPSF brass seeming to block any information about Tylor that wasn’t a mere trickle of the same facts of his public achievements.

It was actually all kind of strange.

They hadn’t even officially released any photos of the man. And when Yamamoto noticed that a broadcast of one of his own interviews had been oddly cut, he learned that the Space Forces Public Relations Bureau had mandated a redacted version of not only his own testimony for the camera, but all other crew members.

So, no.

None of the people touring the ship could understand it, and they certainly couldn’t understand Tylor. The mystery of it and the inability to properly convey the admiration he had come to feel for his Captain was an irritant that Yamamoto could not allow himself to show, of course.

So, he suffered through the introductions.

The xenoanthropologist Vivienne Hawkins, a noted expert on Raalgon culture.

Bradley Stanton, a vocal critic of the war who seemed no happier that things had ended peacefully, looking about the ship as though he expected something to go wrong at any moment.

Millie Russel, a popular scientist often appearing on televised discussions of the news of the war. Filmmaker Dean Emmerich, celebrity reporter Audrey Pitillo, some politician named Ebert Lerner, basketball star Charles Thiele, diplomat Ilene Ziyi and her sister Ling, other politicians like Ishirō Watanabe and Gareth Anno, retired warship captain Gordon Douglas, author Martin Stevens….

An endless parade of people whose names and faces he increasingly only knew because he had spent two days studying the list of those who would be allowed aboard the Soyokaze for its official pronouncement as spaceworthy.

There were, of course, a few last-minute changes he didn’t recognize, but he’d been advised of that, as well. Not that those responsible could be bothered to tell him the names. He was fairly certain that he had the count right, or….

Yamamoto stifled a yawn by inhaling and exhaling deeply through his nose, the action briefly distracting him from the total count.Well, it was just a matter of redundancy in accounting for every person boarding the ship. They wouldn’t have even gotten onto the shuttle if they hadn’t been someone allowed aboard, after all.

He didn’t need to worry about it.

The Captain wouldn’t want him to worry about it.

The Captain would….

“Where is he, anyway,” Yamamoto muttered under his breath, looking around. The Captain really should have been there to greet every one of these people. In fact, he was rather surprised that none of them seemed bothered by the fact that they were only being greeted by the ship’s first officer.

Yes, none of them looked all that out of place at all.

At least until the last member of the tour group came through the shuttle door, and Yamamoto was compelled by her appearance to blurt out, “Commander Star?”

But no, it couldn’t be her. After all, the brown-haired woman in the red halter dress that stood at the door to the shuttlecraft couldn’t possibly have been the same person as the fellow officer who had not yet budged at her place by his side. Yuriko looked just as surprised, but more at his questioning stare than her doppelganger.

“What is it, Mr. Yamamoto?”

He looked back and forth again, as the woman found her way to the crowd of politicians and celebrities, and pointed as politely as he could, saying, “it’s just, that woman looked so much like you—Commander Star, is she related to you somehow?”

Craning her head over to look, Yuriko narrowed her eyes, and shook her head. “I’m afraid I’m the only child of only children going back a few generations. And I really don’t see the resemblance, myself.”

“Oh, well, if you say so,” Yamamoto murmured, snapping to attention and putting on his best smile. “Ladies and gentlemen, if you’ll just follow myself and Commander Star, we can get started on the tour!”

It was mind-numbing pleasantries with people he couldn’t relate to, all while he found his eyes sweeping over the refitted and polished Soyokaze for anything amiss. Yamamoto knew he was often taken for a man who did well in social situations and prestigious environments, but the truth of it was that he was simply very good at following the rules as presented. He thrived on structure, on being able to predict his day, on certain norms.

And under Tylor, he’d gotten used to the rules being misrule, the predictions being less reliable than outright gambles, and the norms being abnormal.

Things going according to plan seemed, well…distressing, at this point.

As Commander Star took the lead on presenting the Soyokaze’s interior to her guests, Yamamoto looked for something, anything to seem unusual enough to get him back into the constant abnormality of serving under Tylor.

His eyes settled onto that last woman who had exited the shuttle, whose name didn’t come to him, in spite of her oddly familiar appearance. She seemed to linger towards the back of the group, a khaki bundle of heavy fabric folded up tight under one arm. Perhaps some sort of odd bag or case. The security sensors on the shuttle and in the Soyokaze’s bay would have detected anything dangerous inside of it, so he ignored it in favor of the woman’s appearance above the shoulders as she fell into step less than a meter beside him.

On closer examination, he had to admit that the resemblance wasn’t quite as strong as he’d thought at first. Where Commander Star’s hair was a pleasantly warm chestnut brown matched closely by her dark eyes, the hair of the woman in red was several shades darker.

And her eyes…he found himself lost in them as they moved across the interior surfaces of the Soyokaze. A deep and endless blue, like the promise of the vast seas or the open skies. A downward slope of azure, like the stony sides of a distant mountain. What was it that type of eye was called? Ah yes, ‘tareme’. The kind of eyes that, if his life was a work of fiction, might have suggested a soft innocence, a sad yet delicate kindness. Eyes that said the nearby ears would listen to his heart.

Those eyes met his gaze, and crinkled with an almost mischievous smile.

There was something familiar about those eyes, and that smile. Beyond the resemblance to his fellow officer, he just couldn’t shake the feeling.

The group ahead of them had shifted far enough forward that he couldn’t quite make out what Commander Star was saying, and anything he himself might have said would have surely been inaudible to anyone aside from the woman beside him. And so, he cleared his throat and asked in as sober and professional tone as he could muster, befitting a man of his experience and rank, “um, have we…met somewhere? It’s just, you look so familiar.”

“Oh?” The woman uttered, her voice surprisingly husky, the richness comparable to a well-aged liquor. As her eyes narrowed with a widening smile that made the blue sparkle like sapphires, he felt certain that liquor was the right comparison: he felt drunk on that smile.

What a man like him wouldn’t do for a smile like that. It was the kind of smile that could charm you even if you weren’t the sort to find women attractive, especially with those eyes, moving over him so mirthfully as something tugged at her lips.

A sound bubbled up from inside her beautiful form.

And to Commander Yamamoto’s confusion, it was a snickering, snorting laugh.

“Mr. Yamamoto,” the woman said in that rich, deep voice, a voice that was strangely familiar, “you can’t mean to say you don’t recognise me after all? I know I’ve changed a bit, but you of all people?”

He felt sweat beading on his brow, in the palms of his hands, and a few more unmentionable and uncomfortable places.

Swallowing down his nerves, Makoto Yamamoto murmured, “you know my name, but to my shame as a man, I cannot seem to recall yours. I’m afraid you have me at a disadvantage, Miss…?”

Now smiling more toothily, a wide and guileless grin, the woman held out her hand in greeting—no, no greeting at all:

She slapped him on the shoulder, saying, “oh, Mr. Yamamoto, you silly man! It’s me, Captain Tylor!”

They say that a chick that cannot break its shell will die without being born. But was the Captain we knew really just an egg, or is it the whole world that’s scrambled?   Next time: I Told You That So I Could Tell You This. Watch for it!

[tripleaxeldiaz]

maybe one day i’ll fly next to you

chapter 2/8

read on ao3

start from the beginning

Autumn Classic doesn’t mean anything, really — the USFSA won’t look at it when considering Olympic spots — but it’s Buck’s favorite competition of the year. It’s his first chance to see new programs, size up competition, gauge where he thinks he’ll be landing this season. It’s also the first buzz of nerves and adrenaline that he feels after six months of break, and it’s a high he keeps chasing all season.

It’s a long flight to Toronto plus time changes, so he’s exhausted by the time they get to the hotel. He blearily accepts his room key from Bobby as he heads to the elevator, leaning heavily against the wall on the short ride up. He’s already dreaming about falling into bed as he opens the door, expecting to see Chimney as usual, but instead sees Eddie, standing in the middle of the room, scrolling through his phone. He looks up as the door shuts behind Buck and gives him a small smile.

“I, uh, didn’t know which bed you wanted, so I figured I’d wait until you got here.”

Buck, brain still half-offline, just looks at him for a minute before saying, “You’re not Chimney.”

Eddie lets out a surprised laugh, “No, not last time I checked. Bobby said he volunteered to chaperone the Juniors floor so he gave him a single. Guess that means you’re stuck with me.”

Buck makes a mental note to hunt Chimney down in the morning, but right now all he wants to do is sleep so he’s at least somewhat rested for practice at the asscrack of dawn.

“This one’s fine,” he says, dropping his bag at the foot of the closest bed before belly flopping onto it. He already feels himself drifting off as Eddie rifles through his own bag.

“Mind if I shower first?” he asks. Buck waves him a “yes” without moving the rest of his body. He thinks he hears a snort before the bathroom door closes and the shower turns on. The drone of the water almost puts him to sleep again, but he gets up with a groan instead, propping himself against the headboard while he waits. He could just say fuck it and go right to bed, but he’s been in three different airports today and feels disgusting, and he’d rather not wake up at 4am to shower in the morning.

He’s scrolling through the schedule Bobby emailed, figuring out the absolute latest he can set his alarm for, when the bathroom door opens again, steam pouring into the room. Eddie emerges, towel wrapped around his waist, droplets of water still falling down his flushed chest and shoulders, and Buck feels like he swallowed his tongue. Because, yes, he might hate the guy, but he also has eyes. Eyes that are currently taking in miles of skin and lean muscle so perfect it looks like he’s carved out of marble. His back muscles ripple as he leans over to grab a shirt from his bag before going back into the bathroom, and Buck actually feels his mouth water. 

He hasn’t had sex in...a while. Two and a half seasons, to be exact. He hasn’t felt this attracted to someone so quickly in even longer. Since his leg healed, his sole focus has been skating — practicing day in and day out to get his jumps consistent, his skating skills back up to speed. And since he’s still having issues, he hasn’t even let sex or relationships cross his mind, didn’t want to lose focus. Apparently, he was a lot more focused than he thought he was, if it prevented him from noticing all this.

That lust — so intense he still feels it lingering in his gut — quickly turns into familiar irritation though, because of course, along with being a world class skater, Eddie also looks like a goddamn supermodel. Buck knows he’s no slouch himself, but this is a stupid new level. A distracting new level, and distractions are not something Buck needs right now.

Plus, he’d never sleep with Eddie anyway. He hates him.

The bathroom door opens again, and this time Eddie is, thankfully, fully clothed. “All yours,” he says, jerking his head toward the door as he sits down on his bed. 

Buck nods, quickly grabbing his things and shutting the door behind him. He turns the shower to cold and gets in immediately, the shock of it waking him up and burning any lasting arousal out of him. He closes his eyes, trying to forget Eddie’s everything and focus instead on the things he needs to work on at practice tomorrow, where he put his KT tape, literally anything else.

He’s better by the time he’s done, just at the usual baseline of annoyance he’s always at where Eddie’s concerned. Eddie’s still awake, TV quietly playing a rerun of some sitcom, when Buck comes back and falls into his bed. He ignores Eddie as much as he can as he texts Maddie and sets his alarm, though he swears he feels his eyes on him when he’s not looking. Exhaustion finally takes over as he turns off his lamp, and he’s asleep as soon as he flips to his side. 

He dreams he’s falling again, but this time, someone with golden skin and a blinding smile is falling with him.

~~~~~~~~~~

The first half of the week goes by in a blur — three days of wake up, skate, eat, skate, sleep, repeat — and before he knows it, it’s short program day. He wakes up to Eddie’s alarm — they had to be up at the same time anyway — and takes a minute to just lay in bed, feel the butterflies already forming in his stomach, excitement and anticipation lighting up every nerve ending.

Rooming with Eddie has been...not terrible, so far. He’s clean, quiet, doesn’t hog the bathroom. The second night, after long practices that left them physically drained but mentally wide awake, they even watched a movie together — some made-for-TV psychological thriller that started as background noise but quickly turned into them coming up with the most ridiculous ways for the movie to end, and Buck actually getting it right.

It’s...weird. Buck has spent most of the last year actively avoiding Eddie, but now that the cold shoulder he usually gives him has thawed out a little bit, it’s not so bad. He’s still irritatingly perfect on multiple fronts, but he can at least hold a conversation with him now.

They leave the room together, grabbing a quick breakfast at the hotel before heading to their last practice. It’s silent, each of them in their own heads about when they need to get ready, but it’s not awkward. Buck would almost call it comfortable.

The practice rink is as chaotic as expected by the time they arrive. All 15 competitors plus coaches and choreographers are there, most in the stands stretching and warming up, watching the first group run their programs on the ice. There’s a small group of reporters as well, snagging people when they can for quotes and comments. They scan the crowd for Bobby, finally see him waving from the spot he and Hen secured at the far end of the stands. They make their way across to them, smiling and waving at familiar faces as they go. It feels forced for Buck, at least — making nice despite the fact that they’re all secretly hoping everyone else will tear or bruise something bad enough that they’ll have to withdraw. Eddie, on the other hand, is genuinely warm to everyone, friendly slaps on backs and laughs at jokes that don’t have a hint of fakeness. He’s nice, even to people he has to know cheer a little bit every time he falls.

Buck resists the urge to roll his eyes, but just barely.

They finally make it to Bobby and Hen and start warming up. Buck takes real stock of the crowd now as he stretches his hamstrings, noting costumes, levels of panic he can see on faces, who’s skating to what music as it loops through the sound system. Overall, he feels good — at a smaller competition like this, he’s usually one of the strongest technically and artistically, and this time feels no different. 

Their group gets called to the ice, and they each have one more chance to run through their program. Buck has two quads planned for his three required jumps, and he lands both of them cleanly and fully rotated. It’s still ambitious, given his consistency — you never know what will happen in front of the judges — but as long as he stays out of his own way, out of his head, he’ll be just fine.

He hopes.

When their time is up, Buck packs his things up quickly, waving to Bobby, Hen, and Eddie as he hustles to the green room to drop off his stuff before heading to the main rink. The first group for the rhythm dance is just starting their warm-up as he finds May in the stands, sliding into the seat next to her. It’s not often that their segments are spread out enough that they can all watch each other compete, but Buck and May always take full advantage to cheer on Maddie and Chim and judge everybody else.

“Did I miss anything?” he asks.

She shakes her head, eyes on the ice. “The Polish team almost collided with one of the Canadian teams, but it looked like an accident.”

“I don’t know, those Canadians love to cut it close during warm-ups, they think it scares the other teams.” 

“They tried it at Worlds and got yelled at pretty bad, I don’t think they’d try it again so soon.” Buck whips his head over just as Eddie sits down on his other side, like he’s part of their little cheer squad too. 

“What are you doing here?” Buck asks, tone a little more accusatory than he wanted.

Eddie just shrugs. “I usually stand in the back and watch, but I saw you guys and figured I’d join,” he says, meeting Buck’s eye. “If that’s okay with you?”

May elbows Buck in the ribs as she turns to Eddie herself. “Of course it’s okay, as long as you tell me everything that went down with that team at Worlds.”

Eddie smiles as he launches into the story. It takes Buck’s brain a minute to catch up with Eddie being sociable and funny, not hiding in the green room and ignoring everyone like he always assumed he did. They all fall into an easy banter as the first team begins their program, and by the end of the first group, they’re having to stifle their laughter and commentary as the people around them shoot dirty looks their way. 

Their cheers are the loudest when Chim and Maddie are announced during the warm-up, and again when they start their program. Buck loves watching Maddie skate — she’s the reason he got into the sport in the first place, and the way she looks so graceful and effortless is something he never gets tired of seeing. Their tango is smoldering, easily covering the ice and drawing the audience in, and their group isn’t the only one giving a standing ovation at the end. They take first place by a good margin, Buck and Eddie letting out matching wolf whistles as their scores are announced. 

Buck never would have imagined being here, cheering on his sister with the guy he’s hated for longer than he can remember, but now that he is here, it’s...nice. Much nicer than he expected. He actually likes hearing Eddie’s opinions on lifts and spins, likes hearing him laugh at his jokes, likes the feeling of their arms brushing against each other in the cramped stadium seating…

Yeah. Nice. Weird and a complete upset of his world view up until the beginning of the week, but nice nonetheless.

~~~~~~~~~~

He may be sitting in the kiss and cry, but Buck still feels like he’s flying. He landed both quads, including his quad loop which is chronically underrotated, and nailed every step and spin. The audience was thunderous when he finished, and he almost wanted to cry because it really felt like the beginning —  the beginning of his redemption, the beginning of chiseling his name into the record books, the beginning of finally achieving everything he’d dreamed of.

He is, of course, miles and miles ahead of himself, but that doesn’t stop an ember of hope glowing brightly in his mind as he gets his score — first place, 20 points above second. Bobby squeezes his shoulders, shaking them in excitement, and he stands and waves to the crowd. They’re just making their way to the green room as Eddie’s name is announced, and rather than avoiding watching himself get knocked to second, he stops just outside the exit and turns back towards the ice.

He’s seen Eddie’s short a million times in practice — usually watching against his better judgement to see if he screws up — but watching it in full in a competition is a completely different experience. The opening notes to “Dust in the Wind” start playing, and Buck watches Eddie’s whole demeanor change, swears he sees his mind locking into all he has to accomplish in the next two minutes and 40 seconds. Pundits always describe his skating as “classic but refreshing”, and Buck is more than inclined to agree. Eddie possesses all the charm and grace of old school skaters, but manages to put his own spin on it, making it feel like something no one’s ever done before. Buck’s a little in awe, if he’s honest, and watching Eddie’s nearly perfect program this time doesn’t fill him with the usual annoyance or ill-placed rage, it makes him feel...something. He can’t quite put a name on it, but he knows it’s a good feeling.

He’s inclined to blame that on the high he’s still feeling from his own skate, but part of him also knows that that’s not the case.

Eddie does knock him into second, but only by five points. There’s a pang of bitterness, but it’s dull, because five points is nothing. Five points is one perfect jump, one spin combo, one seamless step sequence. It’s not insurmountable. And even if the gap were bigger, Buck would be hard pressed to find any flaws in Eddie’s program anyway.

The pundits don’t lie. He’s incredible. And maybe Buck is starting to appreciate it.

The rest of the day passes in snapshots: pressers, watching May win gold in the ladies’ event, dinner with the team that was overflowing with excitement tinged with nerves about free skates the next day. He’s asleep as soon as his head hits the pillow, distinctly not thinking about how he and Eddie sat shoulder to knee at dinner, or how Eddie’s eyes glowed almost golden in the low lighting of the restaurant, or how crushed he might be if he doesn’t win tomorrow.

~~~~~~~~~~

Buck’s skating last, which means he’s going to be nauseous for the next two hours while he watches everyone else go. He considers just putting his headphones on and ignoring everything, going in blind to the scores, but he can’t. He has to know where he stands, his margin for error, how much perfection is needed.

He alternates between watching the first group on the TVs in the green room and going through every possible scenario of him screwing up and how he’ll fix it mid skate. Eventually, he’s just picturing himself falling on every jump, over and over, placing last and going home a loser before the season even officially starts.

He’s not sure if it’s doing more harm than good, preparing him for success or failure, but they’re announcing the second warm up group, so it looks like he’s about to find out.

Eddie goes right before him, because the universe really wanted to test the strength of his stomach, apparently. Buck always loves “Hallelujah” programs, but Eddie’s is, of course, on a completely different level. He puts every emotion — the anguish, the uncertainty, the faint hope — into his movements, and it pulls at Buck’s heart so hard he’s afraid a blood vessel will snap. He’s so enthralled that he almost doesn’t notice that Eddie was supposed to do a quad toe on his last jumping pass.

But he doesn’t. 

He triples it, losing him five base points.

Buck feels bad (which is...new), but he also feels a surge of hope buzzing in every bone.

Does that make him a bad person?

He doesn’t have time to process that as Eddie’s scores are announced and he moves into first place. He stands and waves at the crowd from the kiss and cry, smiling widely and looking genuinely pleased. Maybe he didn’t know he messed up? Maybe he’s still in blissful ignorance, will stay that way until he looks at his protocols? That’s the only thing that makes sense to Buck — he’s aware of every mistake as soon as it happens, and even minor ones send him right off the rails, no amount of points able to bring him back for days.

There’s a hand on his shoulder, squeezing as it passes. He meets Eddie’s eyes, and that genuine smile is still there, directed him now.

“Good luck out there,” Eddie says, and Buck blames the flutter in his heart and flush on his cheeks purely on adrenaline and nerves.

The audience cheers as he skates to center ice, and he sees Maddie and Chim, still wearing their silver medals, near the top of the stands. He takes a deep breath as he stands in his opening pose, letting the crowd, the noise, the worry, everything wash away. This is all that matters, these next four minutes that could define the rest of his season, the rest of his path to the Olympic podium. Maybe it’s too much pressure for a preseason competition, but Buck’s been fighting for it, clawing his way through for the past four years, and a strong start is exactly what he needs to convince himself and every other coach, analyst, and skater, that he is here to win.

The music starts, and everything just clicks, like the notes are flowing through him while he moves, carrying him along. Every jump is clean and balanced, every spin is fast and poised. The music itself is about birds, flying through and away as quickly as they came, and that’s exactly how Buck feels. Like if he jumps high enough, he’ll float away like he does in his dreams, but this time, it’s not scary. There’s no jolts to his brain while he jumps, pulling him carelessly to the ground, and he takes every one with a bit of gratitude, knowing how easily he could second guess himself and make it all come crashing down around him, figuratively and literally. But there’s none of that today, just confidence and precision and joy that he only ever gets at moments like these. He still feels like he’s flying as he stops in his final pose, audience on their feet around him.

If he could, he’d bottle this sound and take it with him everywhere, have it follow him through Grand Prix, through Nats, all the way to Beijing. If this is the way the season is starting, he feels like he can’t go anywhere but up.

Or anywhere but down, a terrible voice whispers. Luckily, it’s drowned out with the crowd before it burrows too deep.

Bobby is all smiles when he comes off the ice, hugging him and slapping his back as they sit in the kiss and cry. He’s just catching his breath as they announce his score — first place, 9.5 points above Eddie. He wishes the gap had been a little bigger, but he’ll take what he can get. He waves at the crowd as they roar again, but he doesn’t have long to bask in it all before he’s whisked away for the medal ceremony.

It’s short, thankfully — no fanfare, just the president of Skate Canada and an ISU official handing out the flowers and medals. Buck skates out as his name is announced, taking his place on the highest podium between the bronze medalist from Japan and Eddie. Eddie beams at him, that same blindingly earnest smile, and Buck can’t help but smile back.

He gets a little misty when they play the national anthem. It’s not so much the song itself, but the accomplishment it represents, the fact that his blood, sweat, and tears were all for something. 

Eddie falls in step with him as they make their way to the presser, shoulders brushing in that casual way they’ve made a habit this past week. Buck doesn’t know if they’re friends just yet, isn’t sure if a week is long enough to shed a decade of bad feelings, but he does know that there’s something about Eddie that keeps drawing him in, makes him want to dig past the annoyingly perfect exterior and figure out what’s going on inside. Is he always this positive and friendly? What makes him snap? He’s spent years trying to think as little about Eddie as possible, but it’s been harder and harder to do, and Buck doesn’t really want to fight it anymore. It was taking up too much energy, and he has bigger things to worry about.

“Congrats, man, you looked great out there,” Eddie says, squeezing his shoulder again. This time, Buck squeezes back.

“Thanks, so did you. Your triple axel was so perfect it literally looked computer generated.” Eddie laughs, sharp and bright, and something in Buck wants to keep hearing that sound as often as he can.

There aren’t many reporters, but they ask all the same questions — how did they feel about their performance, what are they looking to improve, how do they feel about the other competitors, blah blah blah. As they’re given the two minute warning, the last reporter stands, pointing her microphone towards Buck.

“Evan, you really started this season with a bang. Do you think you’ll be able to keep coming out on top?”

Yes, he thinks automatically. I can and I will.

Maybe, says the whisper again, or maybe you won’t.

“Anything could happen,” he says, a phrase he has a feeling he’ll be repeating again and again, “but I’ll keep fighting no matter what.”

[cherripeach]

Chapter 4

Little Match Maker

Summary: Your life motto is “I have the power of god and anime on my side, don’t mess with me,” and you stand by that with your life. No human, magician, or random creature could ever stop your firm belief in it. 

However, getting transported to this world that seemed to turn your already bad luck worse was not what you wanted to be in your life story, but you made the most of it.Making friends, enemies, and disasters, you were in your prime in this world, and so you decided to help as many people as you could flourish, at least what you believed to be.

Prologue 8-10: hurricane katrina more like hurricane tortilla

Chapter Summary: Everyone in this school needs their hearing checked.

Warning:  Curse words, jokes about death, slight violence, fire,

Words: 4.3k

Relationships: developing but future twstxreader

While you normally say “Sleep is for the weak,” this is not what you meant. And honestly you want to be weak compared to the literal 7 minutes of sleep you got. Everything felt off, and it wasn’t like your regular sleep schedule was great anyway.  All you did the entire night was make up scenarios in your head and contemplate both life and exploring the campus more. However, by the time you decided to go find the tallest tower (just to see it dude), all three ghosts were floating above you close to your ceiling. 

You whispered as to not wake up the sleeping cat that needs to stop taking up the bed, “Yo, not cool dude.”

The ghosts just winked at you and proceeded to try and scare the cat out of his slumber by reminding him about cleaning the school, but Grim seemed more like a teenager than you when he responded with a wish of “five more minutes.” 

The ghosts did not find this at all amusing, so they continued and even tried to make a morbid joke:

“Laze about too long and you’ll never wake up!” The smaller one started the joke. 

“Just like us!” And the largest one ended it.

The ghost's appearance frightened the cat causing the little demon to spring from under the covers and frantically run around the room basically accomplishing nothing. The ghosts, however, did not find this appealing and turned to you.

The tallest one spoke to you, “Are you all going to be living here? You’re gonna get pranked.”

Nodding your head, you agreed to the wonderful idea, but with a twist, “See dude I know you wanna prank us, but I would love to help all of you prank others.” You paused for a second and put your hand on your chin. “I’ve never had ghost friends and I really wanna know what you guys can do..” 

Grim was the exact opposite and continued to scream at the ghosts, but you just nodded your head at your brilliant idea and thought of all of your plans that you could get away with ghost friends. 

Right at this moment, the oh so gracious headmaster appeared out of thin air and greeted you, “Good morning, you two. Did you sleep well?”

Grim apparently did not, which peeved you off because you were the one up all night, so you just responded with, “Yeah the best sleep I’ve had since I was conceived…”

You knew the headmaster would not understand sarcasm, but honestly why is he even in your room in the early morning without knocking? The world will never know. And with a small world from him you zoned him out. At least until he mentioned cleaning the Main Street of the Campus. Once he stopped his speech his eyes flew to yours to wait for an answer.

“Sure, headmaster, but what am I supposed to use and where is this “Main Street”??” He never explained anything to you. I mean even if you listen when you try, the man tells you nothing. 

Here he goes trying to not explain anything to you, “I'm counting on you. You have permission to have lunch in the school cafeteria. Take care of your work enthusiastically.” He yeeted out of here just like your world did to you. 

“Ughhh, at least we get lunch…” You sighed into the unknown hoping someone would save you from this.  

“Tsk... No way I'm doing any cleaning. I wanna go to class, and bang! Boom boom boom! Use a bunch of awesome magic.” There was no use speaking to either of the two children of the school. 

“Dude, please, let’s just go and get this over with. Got it?” The cat just muttered in response to your reasoning, and you took that as a sign that he listened and that was the best you were ever gonna get from him. 

You got yourself together and decided that since nothing was gonna go your way, why act like it was. Your ideal belief made you not even look at yourself in a mirror, but just pull up the hood you had on from yesterday and grab some of the cleaning supplies that you found in the dorm. 

You and Grim headed out, and you waved a goodbye at the ghosts and blew a kiss at them because it is for the homies. 

Grim did end up abandoning you for a while to go find some “great tuna” for him to snack on. 

While walking out of the dorm and into the normal path of the school you encountered some odd people, and you actually considered yourself to be odd so these people were like the weirdest of the weirdos. One was a really jacked up on steroids furry, another was this pair of twins who everyone was avoiding and had weird anime twin hair which was the same hairstyle but parted differently or something, and you even saw an adorable boy, which is not considered weird, but he looked incredibly peeved at the rocks that he was kicking. Their outfits were all similar, but you did notice that there was a slight color difference between all the different people. 

Since life is not going your way and probably never will, you decided that the next person who you saw that you did not already see before you would ask directions from. The one problem with that is that the dude had a very sus vibe. He had on like a hat that was from like the 1800’s, but he did not have any other terrible features. He was rather breathtaking if you thought about it, but his eyes moved all around the crowd walking to get somewhere, and that gave you enough stalker vibes. His blonde hair in the bob was very cute, and maybe a little bit attractive, but his fashion sense was eccentric. Honestly, he was just eccentric. However, weighing your options, he is mostly approachable, and besides who isn't afraid of everyone they meet. 

You strided up to the man with as much confidence as a supermodel has. The male’s eyes swiftly darted to your form once you changed directions just making everything more awkward. Confusion spread through his face, but you kept on walking and stumbling and even lifted your hand for a small wave to him. The male did observe you just like you did him and found that you would not be a threat at least not that much and allowed your approach. 

Once you were within a distance where both of you could hear one another, he spoke, “Well, well, well, is there anyway I can help you, canard?” The man gently smiled at you, and damn you were hooked, but the man totally watched you stumble around wondering who to turn to, so this was just a cute situation. 

“Um, you see, I don’t know where the main street is..Could you help me?”  This man was actually making you nervous, but you put it all to how charming he was. 

“Oui, who would I be to not help un petit canard.” His hand went to his chest, and while with the headmaster and most of the others on this campus would piss you off if they did it, the male in front of you actually made you feel a little reassured. 

Your mind paused for a second to finally realize, ‘It’s been five minutes and I already have a slight crush… wow.’ 

The male waved his hand to motion for you to follow him as his grin just grew and he turned around, and you in your confused glory stumbled after him. He slowed his footsteps to allow you to both match him and keep up with him in the long run, and he began to make conversation with you.

“You must be the magicless student, oui?” As gentle as he looked when he lightly smiled and closed his eyes, he also had an air of danger floating around him. You wanted to trust him but also didn’t. 

“Yeah, dude...don’t know why I’m here either, and I can’t leave. Nothing seems to be going my way.” You shook your head and sighed deeply, but you were just happy that someone would listen.

“Poor petit canard, it would be my honor to help you with any of your problems,” he’s really good. He’s probably the best person you have met since the sun because he actually seems a little nice. 

“Thanks a lot. With all of the assholes and weirdos here, I didn’t exactly expect someone who would care about me.” You placed your gaze on the ground where you watched your feet and his walk while your lips turned up slightly, but you did think that this guy was weird enough for making you feel embarrassed and his whole odd vibe.

“It is no problem, petit canard, but I would recommend giving a chance to the people here,” he halted his speech and steps for a second just to land in front of you and to turn around causing his gaze to meet yours while you slowly looked up at him, “No one is like they seem.” His eyes did those weird anime think where a light shines over them for a second. 

“What?” Your mouth gaped open in visible shock at the man before you. 

At least until he twisted back around with the wind giving his jacket a flutter, “We have arrived, canard. Do have a nice day, oui?”  With a bow of his hat, the blonde hair man was out. 

“You know what, that is probably gonna be the most normal person I will meet at this school,” you thought for a second recognizing that you forgot about the dude from last night, “either him or the silver haired sleeping beauty.” You chuckled to yourself. 

You began to scan your surroundings which consisted of seven different statues and a long path leading up to the school one way and out the gate another. Many trees also decorated the area outside the path. 

And from this you determined that you would need the broom and washcloth you brought, but a rake would be appreciated. 

You groaned out to announce your displeasure and got started on cleaning up the place, and that is when Grim showed up to begin complaining that he had to pay for the tuna and that no one would give it to him for free. He even said that someone even threatened to kick him out of the school, but that did not surprise you. You just threw a cloth at him and told him to go scrub the statues.

He did his job for a good ten minutes without mouthing off at any of the students walking on the street getting ready to start school, but he did turn to you while washing the statue of the Queen of Hearts from the Disney movie Alice in Wonderland. 

“Hey, servant,” the cat peered up at you with big doe eyes, “What’s with all these statues? All seven of them look pretty scary,” the cat gazed up at the statue he was cleaning again, “This granny looks especially snobby.”

You just giggled at his statement, but a male with red orange hair and a red heart on his face came up to you too, and he was puzzled, “You don’t know about the Queen of Hearts?”

Grim gawked back at the male, “Queen of Hearts? Is she important?” 

“Grim, no one is important unless someone makes them important, so logically speaking no.” You just had to cut in with an idea about society that you just thought about.

The male with the heart on his cheek had something to say and started going on and on about how amazing she was as a queen. You just ignored him and went to work because you have heard of her and all that she was before, but Grim was captivated and started basically worshiping the words that came out of the male’s mouth. Grim even added in comments about the Queen here and there, but then Grim asked, “By the way, who are you?” and that caught your attention from cleaning. 

“I’m Ace, a fresh-faced first year. Nice to meetcha~” Ace winked at the two of you.

But you had to open your mouth, “Who calls themselves a fresh-faced first year. That’s basically saying you're fresh meat.” You raised an eyebrow while asserting your belief. 

However, neither of the boys listened to you. 

“I’m Grim, a genius who’ll become the greatest magician.” Grim just had to introduce himself; he even introduced you and called you both a dimwit and a servant which did not surprise you. 

Ace turned to you and in your eyes tried to compliment you, “You’ve got an odd sounding name.” 

“Thanks I guess, dude, but why are you here?” He had to be leaving for class soon, but he was just sticking to you two. His introduction confused you about his personality because after all the people you have met only three of them had been slightly nice and even then, all of them were odd. This guy had to be hiding something, and you think it might be something to do about his personality. 

“What are you talking about? I’m just here to help you two. I don’t mean to cause any trouble.” Ace responded.

‘So he wanted to cause trouble,’ was your immediate reaction. 

Ace then turned back to Grim who started a conversation about Scar from Lion King. All that was in your head was “Be Prepared” the villain song in the movie while you watched the two discuss who Scar was and what happened in the movie. But Ace never mentions his death or how he betrayed those who helped him. From your understanding, there was a serious misconception about villains at this school. Now that you thought about it they must clearly respect and reverence them because they had statues of some of the worst Disney villains. And throughout your debate, those two started to talk about Ursula from The Little Mermaid, but Ace referred to her as “The Sea Witch.” Nothing was similar really from the interpretations of the story in your world or this other world’s interpretations. 

While you will admit that some of the villains were not as bad as they could have been and that they were not total villains because most times the main characters and heroes of the stories were total pretentious assholes who knew nothing of ruling a kingdom or anything, romanticizing villains is a little wrong. Moana, though, an absolute queen. Cinderella also deserved better. 

The two visited every statue from Jafar from Aladdin to the ‘Evil Queen’ which they called the ‘Beautiful Queen’ from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs to Hades from Hercules but the entire storyline was off because in greek mythology Hades wasn’t even the villain behind the story but whatever. The two finally gathered their stuff next to Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty, so you followed the two along because this was the last one and you needed to observe Ace, “the fresh meat,” more. 

Grim asked the question about the statue, “And the last one, with the horns?” 

Ace went on about her too, “That is the Witch of Thorns from the Magic Mountains. Noble and elegant, even within the Seven, she is top class in magic and curses! She can summon lightning and storms, cover an entire country in thorns, her magic is on a whole other level. There was even a time she transformed into a huge dragon!” You just nodded along at his speech. 

Grim even contributed again, “Ooh! A dragon! All monsters look up to them!” Grim looked so overjoyed for having someone to tell him about the villains; he’s just your idiotic cat sibling. 

“They’re all so cool!”  There had to be a moment where Ace showed his true self but he hasn’t done it, “Unlike a certain raccoon.” And there it is!!

Grim backed up in alarm from the kid and switched his gaze quickly to you in panic. He was an incredibly trusting cat which made you feel pretty bad for him.

Ace ignored the communication between you and Grim and like a proper villain presented his monologue to you two, “Pfft... Ahaha! I can't bear it anymore! Ahahahaha! Aren't you the guys who went crazy at the entrance ceremony? You were summoned by the Dark Mirror even though you can't use magic, and you, a monster, weren't called but still trespassed. Yeahhh, it took everything I had not to lose it at the ceremony.” His laugh sounded like a fart trying to come out but was halted by the butt cheek and the fabric of the pants so really not cute. 

Grim shifted his attention back to “fresh meat” and gawked at him, “Whaaa!? You're a rude one!”

Since you wanted to find more about this kid before you beat him up, you gave him a second to explain himself.

“And now you aren't allowed in and got regulated to be a janitor? Haha, how lame.” Is this kid kidding? Grim even agrees with you after his noises of distress and disagreement with the kid, but the kid kept going, “On top of that, you don't even know about the Great Seven. How ignorant can you be? As I recommend you go back to kindergarten before coming to Night Raven College.”

You just shook your head at the boy ready to step in once he finished his little speech.

“I thought I'd just mess with you a bit, but you really blew my expectations away. Unlike you two, I actually have classes to attend. Keep this school squeaky clean, you two~” The boy whistled at you two and waved at you and walked away.

At least he tried to before his collar was in your hands and your eyes were right in front of yours. 

“Y’know I’ll give you some praise because you are the most pretentious fuck I have met at this school,” You let go of his collar and knocked his feet a little to make sure he would fall to the ground, “ And what are you like five. All of your jabs at us are literally terrible, but that’s not even the worst of it. You must be so bored of your life or have such a small dick that making fun of people supposedly weaker than you, just gets you off. I never get people like you who belittle and tease others. Is it fun kid, huh, to make jokes to basically another kid when you just know how they are gonna react? ”

Ace sat on the ground stunned by your comments acting like a helpless child who just got yelled at with his red flushed cheeks and his balled up hands by his side. At that point, you realized that there was a crowd gathering around your little spat, and Ace’s cheeks and embarrassment was probably due to getting yelled at by the magicless student who became the janitor. 

However, Grim did not process that you were already lecturing the kid before he blew flames at the two of you.

“Are you kidding me GriM? I’m right here!” Normally fight or flight would respond to his action, but yours was not working causing you to stay in the same spot while some of the flames got closer. 

The kid was running away screaming stuff like “Nope not today” and “why,” but after he stood all the way up and walked a couple footsteps his collar was in your hand again. 

“Not happening, pipsqueak. You’re gonna pay for your actions.” You pulled him around to make sure he could hear you and see the mess of people running around behind you and the cat still trying to blow fire at the two of you.

Grim even started yelling, only making the flames worse and more rowdy, “It's what you get for making fun of me! I'm gonna light up that fire-head of yours!” Grim even smirked to make his point and pointed at the boy still in your hold.

This immature boy was not able to read the atmosphere and stood up to the fire breathing cat, “Fire-head, huh?Heeeeee. You've really got guts picking a fight with me. You too. I'll turn you into a puffy, little toy-poodle!” 

You slapped him on the back of the head for that causing his head to go forward and his hand to grab where you slapped. But Grim kept on shooting fire.

At least until Ace managed to get out of your hold by twisting and wiggling so much. Once he left he ran over to join in Grim and have a fight, and it just seemed like these past couple of days nothing would go your way. 

Ace took out the pen thing you saw yesterday and pointed in directly with a light coming out of it at Grim causing wind to go everywhere blowing the fire. More people also began to crowd around the two and murmurs and gossip broke out everywhere, but all you could pay attention to was stopping them. 

That didn't work out. 

The two kept on spitting insults at each other and magic, and once you got close you grabbed Ace by the ear pulling on it causing him to slightly turn from the fight. You tried to lecture Ace in that moment to tell him to stop, but Ace was far too focused on the cat in front of him and ended up grabbing your wrist, throwing it off his ear, and then shoving you right on your hands and butt into the cement where some flames were. 

All in all basically getting roasted alive was a solid 3/10, but you are sure some people got pictures and videos of it. Since you did get out of those flames in a split second and ‘Stop, Drop, and Roll’ which surprisingly worked, all you ended up with is some burns on the palm of your hands and the back of your calves. And since everything was pissing you off today you also found out that the cult-like cloak you were wearing is fireproof.

Grim got more enraged the more the fight went on and finally had enough, “Eat that!” 

A great amount of flames appeared darted toward Ace, but Ace had other plans, “And I just change my trajectory with the wind like… that!” The wind sent the flames hurtling to the statue of the Queen of Hearts causing the statue to be engulfed into flames.

And your only thought was, ‘This school needs to offer a physics class even a basic math class if all these magicians are as bad at predicting as this one.’

The two children were panicking and running in circles with their stupid tails between their legs screaming at each other and blaming each other. You just wanted to get this over with because you knew that you would be in trouble even though you can’t control anyone or threaten anyone because you are magicless. Grim is also a wild cat, and cats never listen. 

Right as Ace tried to reason with Grim the headmaster showed up, but that only caused two to overreact in fear of him and run away from him and the problem both of them caused. 

Neither escaped of course because they both got whipped which made you think what were the laws regarding teachers and children because you know that whips mostly were not allowed at school and not to be used on children. 

Nevermind that because the lovely headmaster with his gorgeous top hap and magnificent cape started another lecture, “This is my Lash of Love! It'll be another hundred years before you can outrun me!I told you just yesterday to 'not cause any trouble', didn't I?Then you go and char the statues of the Great Seven!I very much would like to see you expelled.” 

You could not wait to be let out and with a blank voice you let out, “Honestly, please let me out. I’ll take the streets over this.” 

No one heard you or at least no one seemed to. 

“Assholes,'' you grit your teeth ready to bear with another problem the headmaster gave you. 

Ace did not agree with you and screeched out, “Wait! Not that!” He whined like the baby he is. 

The headmaster could only make your day worse by turning to you who by the way is still covered in burns and had a look of pure defeat on your face and address, “And you, this is not how you supervise Grim.”

You just exhaled and promised to yourself that while getting expelled and kicked out of this school sounded great, living on the streets did not (Even if it did for the tiniest second there), so you nodded and smiled as best as your strained face from anger could take. 

The headmaster thought that was enough and turned to Ace asking, “My goodness.. You, what's your grade and name?”

Ace actually replied, most likely in fear, “Ace Trappola, first year.”

The gracious headmaster was pleased, “Then, Trappola, Grim, and you as punishment, I order the three of you to wash 100 window around campus!” He bounced his head probably affirming to himself that he chose the proper punishment after he pointed at you. 

Grim did not agree, “Nyaaa!? It's all cause this joker was making fun of us!”

Ace also did not, “Eeeh!? Me too?”

You silently sympathized with the headmaster for having to deal with so many children because he could only respond undoubtedly, “Most definitely! After school, meet in the cafeteria. Understood?” 

The two children groaned in disapproval but went with it.

And Grim stated something that you couldn't agree more with,“Nothing but misery since yesterday!!”

Your only response to the entire situation was to fall onto the cement again and try not to cry because a bad bitch doesn’t. 

~~~~~

Hahaha...I can't with myself. I tried to make this short, but it's the longest one so far. Thank you so much for reading everything, and I hope you have a great day!

[muthaz-rapapa]

Let’s talk TroPreCure! (^∀^ 🌺)

i’m so stupidly proud of this dumb pun “tropurikyua~”, hahahahaha

Last post of the year and wow is there are lot to be excited for!

I even had to make a list for the stuff I want to talk about and I’m sure I already forgot one or two things but we’ll get to them as we continue to float~ along the wave to February 28th, mmkay? :)

Now for what has peaked my interest so far. And yes, we have to talk about the following first:

1) HealPre the shortest Precure season??

Unless they plan for double features in February (which I doubt but you never know), HealPre is likely going to reach only 45 episodes long instead of the usual 48~50 before TroPre I’m using this shortening of the title for now so if there’s a better alternative, tell me and I’ll switch out begins its broadcast.

Understandable because the producers probably want to get back to their normal scheduling as soon as possible (toy sales, y’know) and I suspect pushing the start of the new season back by a month is the most they’re willing to compromise.

As for me, I’m quite happy about this since HealPre’s lost its hold on my attention a while ago so the sooner TroPre gets here, the better. Though the downside might be a scrambled climax and a rushed, underwhelming ending for HealPre (I dunno if it’s January’s titles that feel a bit messy or if the hiatus is still throwing me off) but whatever. We’ll refresh ourselves with the new blood Cures so it’s all good.

2) Tropical movie announced for Autumn 2021, no All Stars??

(source)

First saw this mentioned on Youtube somewhere but it’s all over the fandom forums by now. I mean, HealPre’s movie is set for March, the usual time slot for All Stars release. If Toei intended for there to be an All Stars in 2021, there’s no way they would announce the seasonal movie before it so speculations of them skipping it this year are probably true.

To squeeze it somewhere between March and October-ish would force them to readjust their budgets as well and I don’t think even Toei wants to go through that extra hassle after all the trouble the pandemic’s caused for everyone already. It’s just easier to resume All Stars in 2022.

That, and I think Laura being a major character in TroPre despite not having a Cure title (yet) would make for an awkward situation when the three latest teams gather so perhaps that’s also one of the reasons. But I’ll get back to Laura in a bit.

3) Cure Summer is a RAINBOW Cure

So god help me if I see anyone calling her a Pink Cure.

Yes, she’s the lead Cure for this season. NO, she is not a Pink Cure.

Look, even the official website has a rainbow overlay for her profile pic and text font while everyone else’s respective theme colors are a solid hue:

Therefore, RAINBOW.

In promotional material and merchandising, they’re probably going to advertise her primarily with pink bah and at worst, she might occasionally be labeled as a White Cure with multiple subcolors (her outfit is not pink-dominant) but definitely NOT. PINK.

...also, this goes without saying but f***yea, we finally got a lead Cure practically and unabashedly wearing the LGBTQ flag and you cannot tell me otherwise, Toei!

Own up to it! Declare Manatsu/Cure Summer as the Precure queer icon!

I’m not gonna stop yellin’ until you do! 😠

4) Laura = obvious midseason Cure is obvious

First of all, Laura is a babe. I already love her the best and she’s not even Precure yet. <3

Anyways, the set-up is pretty much in the description. Important main character who’s not a mascot, stated to have a self-confident personality and just speaks her mind (oooh, I like~ :D), magical/foreign being from another world looking for Precure to save her home, possesses her own special item(s), has aspirations to become the next Queen (so she’s a princess-candidate or something to that effect, I suppose).

We’ve seen various combinations of these traits in past midseason (and a few starter) Cures so nobody should be surprised when we all guessed that one of the Cures would be a real live mermaid.

The only question is why not just make Laura a Cure from the get-go if she’s introduced to us at the beginning (like Hime or Lala) and having a team of five with no unnecessary extra add-ons later on (like Smile).

Well, there’s a simple answer for that: formula.

Toei is afraid that if they don’t spit out some new animation sequence at the halfway and third quarter points of the show, the kids will lose interest and abandon the series altogether. Which means failed toy sales. Oh nooo... [/sarcasm]

...Yea. 

And this way they can also have Laura available in the Cure lineup for the next All Stars in 2022 instead of making her sit the fight out if we were going to have one in 2021. I’m convinced that’s gotta be one of the reasons. *shrug*

But ok, whatever. Her debut is gonna be later, that’s all. She’s a delayed Cure.  Midseason Cure, same difference.

Moving along to the more important stuff now like what’s her Cure name gonna be, y/y?

Well, knowing Toei, a translation of the term “mermaid” into another language is the most predictable route even though we already have a Cure Mermaid. Not like that ever stopped them from repeating words before (ex. Cure Happy vs Cure Felice). Though if they do go down that road, I hope they opt for the Spanish/Italian “sirena” and not the French “sirène” because the latter sounds too close to how Cure Selene is pronounced in Japanese. And, putting it nicely, we all know Japanese pronunciation of foreign words is as off kilter as can be.

Hell, even the the Portuguese “sereia” sounds aesthetic as hell so it’d be nice if they can just remember there are other languages that exist out there besides Japanese, English and French when making the final decision at the writing table! *stomps foot* >:/

Alternatively, “nereid” or “naiad” are good choices too but they remind me too much of Greek myths and Laura’s from the Grand Ocean which covers more than just a couple of seas (Greece is surrounded by three, btw) so...

I dunno. But whatever it’s gonna be, she’s definitely got a strong association with water and her powers will probably be based on that.

As for theme color, since there’s noticeably no blue or green Cure in the starter lineup, it’s likely she will take up that spot when she debuts around ep 20.

Pink is also open since Cure Summer, again, is technically not a Pink Cure and Laura’s hair and tail fin are hot and light pink respectively but looking at Laura’s design and concept, does anyone seriously believe that?

Her upper torso consists of aquamarine while the body of her tail is definitely some shade of cyan, implying they’re aiming for somewhere around the middle of green and blue on the lighter spectrum.

And yea, I’m aware that green and blue are considered exchangeable in some perspectives with how close some of their shades are to each other but officially, I think Laura’s gonna be grouped with the Green Cures.

Cuz of the hair. If Laura’s gonna keep it the same or a similar shade after transforming, that is. The Blues have always had cool-colored hair so putting Laura in with them might disrupt that harmony whereas if you put her with the few Greens there are (including Parfait), she’d fit right in.

I mean, we’ll see but that makes the most sense, doesn’t it?

On another note, I just want to say that I love how they added frills to her arms instead of letting her elbows go bare naked. It definitely makes her look more like a genuine mermaid than if she didn’t have them (remember, half fish doesn’t mean half the body :P).

5) Magical Items

Frankly, I’m tired of seeing the transformation device being a compact again even though one of the main motifs is make-up this season. But at least, as far as Precure compacts goes, the Tropical one is my favorite cuz of how cute and delightfully colorful its toy version looks! So I guess I’m okay with it.

The Heart Rouge Rod, though? ...I dunno. I think it would’ve been fine without that...straw (?) jutting out at the top. It looks weird, doesn’t it look weird? :S

As for the collectible clip-ons, I can live without those for the rest of my life. Yeesh.

Laura’s items, the Aqua Pot and the Ocean Prism Mirror.

Again with the portable, travel-size housing. *sigh* 😩

Alright, I can let this year slide cuz Laura (I’m so soft for her, omg) probably won’t be getting legs for 20 weeks so she’s got to move about on land somehow. But unless they’re really thinking about turning this idea of carrying your apartment around in your bag/pocket/purse into a reality (cuz that would be effin’ awesome), please be more creative with your toys.

On the other hand, I’m much more interested in the Ocean Prism Mirror but from what Kusyami (the Precure merchandise reviews I follow on Youtube) said in his latest vid, this is the ED dance item so don’t know if it’ll actually have an relevance to the story or not. But I did hear him mention it having something to do with the Queen as well and since Laura wishes to become Queen, maybe it’ll be important after all? Maybe it’s her transformation device?

That’d be super cool. Let’s continue the trend of the midseason Cure having a different transformation item than the starters. Honestly, we should alternate every other year or two but we’ve gone three seasons with all of them using the same henshin gimmicks up till HealPre and I just want a break from that.

6) Fin sleeves??

These look so impractical for combat so maybe it’s exclusive to group attacks.

And/or a sort of precursor to the super forms?

*GASP* Does that mean they all eventually turn into mermaids? 🤩

7) Yui finally became Precure!! 😭

lol, it’s all crack from this point on so don’t take it too seriously but man, after Yuni’s deceptive braids, I thought I wasn’t gonna see anything that reminded me of Yui for a while and lo behold, Sango.

kehehehehehe xD;

Though Yui might be closer to Minori in terms of personal interests (fairytales and storybooks).

8) Akira, the actual Onee-chan version

I didn’t think this when I first saw her but once I read “Onee-san” in her profile, there’s no saving you now. Sorry, Asuka. 😅

Also, damn, do her sandals make her feet look big! Compare them to the heels she wears as Flamingo. Are they even the same?! lololol

9) ...this sounds awfully familiar...

Translation:

Tokimeku Tokonatsu! [Exciting/Thrilling Everlasting Summer!] Cure Summer! Kirameku Hoseki! [Sparkling Jewel!] Cure Coral!  Hirameku Fuurutsu! [Flashing Fruit!] Cure Papaya!

Japanese reiteration:

Mallow/Mao: Pink no tokimeki! Lillie: Blue no kirameki! Lana/Suiren: Yellow no kagayaki!

….........

@Toei 

Care to explain yourselves, punks?! 

୧(ʘ ∀ ʘ ╬)

[angel-of-death-2015]

I finally finished this long ass fanfic lol.  I just hate that Tumblr won’t keep the italicized words despite just copying and pasting the entire thing.  Anyway, this one’s for @luciferokisses!  I hope you like my RojoRave fanfic!  Just know that it’s black as hell and that Master Raven and Miguel may be a little OOC in this fanfic.  But I hope everyone else enjoys it!

Meeting the Folks

A sigh left her. She just...couldn't keep her nerves settled. Today is going to be hectic in so many ways possible. But at the same time, she really anticipated this day for weeks. Her dark brown eyes stared at the open door. Different kinds of people were going through the door. Men, women, children, those in between. The woman felt disappointment sitting on her shoulders. What if…? What if they weren't here?

Just before she could sink deeper into her doubts, the woman's eyes immediately lit up from seeing the very person she's been waiting for. A tall man with dark curly hair exited from the opened door. He was wearing a white long sleeve shirt with comfortable black pants and shoes. He was carrying a red satchel in one hand and his fashionable winter coat in the other. His eyes sparkled from seeing a dark-skinned woman several feet in front of him. It took all of his strength to not run to her.

"Raven!" The man exclaimed, not caring about the pairs of eyes staring at him. He quickly walked to the woman and placed his belongings on the floor. He hugged her with some of his strength.

Raven giggled. "Miguel! It's very nice to see you too!" She hugged her boyfriend back with equal strength. The ninja allowed herself to get a little lost in Miguel's warmth and cologne. It's been too long since they've last held each other.

Master Raven releases Miguel after a few more seconds and fixes her coat. "Come on! We need to get your suitcase and get moving." She rolled her eyes a bit. "Traffic's going to be a pain in the ass to deal with."

Miguel nodded and picked up his belongings. He followed behind Master Raven through the sea of passengers in the airport. Miguel looked all around. The airport was huge and everyone was hustling and bustling to get to their next destination. Though the Spaniard felt a bit out of place. Especially since he was in a foreign country again. There were just so many different faces in one place! Just when he felt himself getting overwhelmed, Miguel felt soft yet calloused fingers lock with his. He couldn't help but smile. His heart warmed when Raven gave him a gentle squeeze.

"So? How was the flight?" Asked the ninja as she pulled her boyfriend to an escalator. They descended to the floor below, walking past and around stragglers looking for loved ones and luggage.

"I guess it was good. I'm still not completely used to flying everywhere in different time zones." The Spaniard said as he recalled the previous times of the countries he's visited. "Especially if it's over last minute bookings."

"That I can understand despite our differing circumstances. Not everyone is fit to adjust in different time zones. Whether it's for the military," Master Raven looked back at Miguel and smiled, "or in your case, modeling."

The couple walked towards a very large conveyor belt presenting suitcases in various sizes. Miguel looked around for a moment and spotted his large suitcase. It was dark blue with two stickers that had the logo of his local football team back home. He grabbed it and allowed Raven to guide him out of the bustling place.

"I suppose you're right." Miguel said, continuing the conversation. "But it's also hard to adjust because of the people around me too."

Raven perked an eyebrow. "Oh? And you couldn't just ignore them?"

"It's kind of hard to when you're trapped in between two fans that want to do nothing but take pictures with you and snore loudly for most of the flight."

Raven couldn't help but feel a bit bad for her boyfriend. With fame as a new model, comes with a price of privacy being invaded. But luckily, Miguel already knew how to keep his boundaries from getting crossed. But even if he was able to reject the offers from his fans, Miguel wasn't able to get any rest during that very long flight. He's probably so excited to have a nap sometime soon.

"But if anything," Miguel smiled softly, "it's worth it. I'm here with you aren't I?"

The ninja couldn't help but feel her cheeks heat up. Miguel was just too damn sweet at times. Raven quickly dragged him away from the baggage claim towards a train. They got inside and took a seat. Both of them realized the sudden change in atmosphere when the train moved. The couple felt pairs of eyes staring at them. Miguel wasn't able to hear the faint whispers of disbelief and excitement from others when they saw him board, but Master Raven could. And it was a little annoying. But she wasn't too bothered by their disbelief. She could understand their fascination about Miguel. He was very handsome and charming. After all, that's what got her to go out with him in the first place. Miguel worked his way into her heart and Raven couldn't be any happier about it. Even if it took some time considering how different their lives and time differences are.

The announcement on the intercom jolted the ninja from her thoughts. She tugged Miguel's hand to signify that they were at their destination. Once the train stopped, Master Raven and Miguel got off and headed towards the exit. They went to a parking lot filled with rental cars. The ninja pulled out her keys and unlocked the doors.

"This looks like a fancy car!" Miguel commented as he loaded his large suitcase and satchel into the trunk.

"That's because it is. I'm glad you like it!" Raven snickered as she got in the driver's seat. She started up the silver vehicle once Miguel got comfortable. "Let's just hope traffic won't be too bad."

________________________________________________________________

To her surprise, traffic didn't seem to slow the ninja down. In fact, she and her boyfriend were able to get to her apartment way earlier than she expected. Master Raven fished for her keys in her pocket. She unlocked the door with a simple click before allowing Miguel to step inside.

The Spaniard couldn't take his eyes off of the decor. Simple, lavish, and sleek with the colors consisting of red, white, silver, and black. His girlfriend's taste in decor definitely reflects her in every aspect.

"I'll take that." Raven declared as she took Miguel's winter coat. She placed it on a rack along with her own coat. She took off her shoes and neatly placed them by the door. "I didn't think we'd be this early on schedule! Traffic during this season is always terrible!"

The ninja looked at the clock. It was barely eleven-thirty. "Well, we still have an entire afternoon before the main event. Are you hungry? Need anything?"

"Yes." Miguel answered huskily. He came behind Raven and wrapped his arms around her middle. He couldn't help but sigh from inhaling her vanilla sugar perfume. "I need you."

The ninja felt butterflies dancing in her stomach. Her heart pounded thousands of miles a minute. She leaned back into Miguel's toned chest and breathed deeply. This was why she wanted to hurry up and get home so quickly.

Master Raven turned herself around and let her hands roam up Miguel's stomach and chest. Her hands gingerly stopped at his neck. She sweetly glides her fingers upwards on his skin, basking in the warmth she missed. She caressed the Spaniard's face with her thumbs, satisfied with the reaction of his eyes fluttering shut at her touch. Raven gently pulled Miguel's face to hers. She touched her large nose with her lover's, gently rubbing them together. A laugh suddenly escaped the ninja when she felt herself being lifted into the air.

Miguel spun Raven around twice, laughing along with her. He sets her down on her feet and hugged her with all his strength. He buried his face in her shoulder. His heart raced when he felt Raven hugging him just as hard.

She sighed wistfully. "I really missed you…"

Hearing those words softly coming from the ninja brought tears to Miguel's eyes. "I missed you too moon sugar…"

Master Raven smiled at that little nickname. At first it sounded weird, but the more Miguel said it, the more she loved it. She released the Spaniard and let her hands wander up his back. Raven softly massaged Miguel's scalp with one hand while twirling a few strands with the other. She smiled hearing his moans of pleasure. The ninja tipped her head up and sweetly kissed Miguel's forehead. She kissed his cheeks. She kissed his nose. Her dark brown eyes gazed into Miguel's. Raven could never get tired of how Miguel's eyes sparkled in the light. They held love, longing, excitement, and a hint of exhaustion.

Miguel's eyes fluttered to a close. He leaned his face closer to Raven's. This time, it was his turn to give her some kisses. He kissed her forehead. He kissed her cheeks. He kissed her large nose twice just to hear her giggle. Miguel slowly leaned in closer and closer. He tilted his head slightly. He could feel Raven's lips so close to his. Just...one...more...inch…

Ring! Ring! Ring! The couple stopped in their tracks. Master Raven couldn't help but grunt in annoyance. Whoever is calling her on her cell phone better have a damn good reason for interrupting her reunion with Miguel. Master Raven snatched her phone from her coat pocket and sighed. She calmed herself down once she saw the caller I.D.

"Hello?"

"Hey! How you?"

"I'm fine. How are you mama?" Master Raven playfully rolled her eyes when she heard Miguel giggling behind her.

"I'm okay! Did your friend get in okay?"

"Yes. He got in just fine. I'm trying to get him settled in." Raven swallowed her gasp when she felt strong arms wrap around her middle. It was difficult not to melt immediately from Miguel cuddling the free side of her body.

"Ooohhh! I can't wait to meet your lil' friend! Remember, dinner starts at four!"

Raven felt her cheeks heat up a bit from the comment her mother made. "I know. I haven't forgotten."

"Alright! Oh! Make sure you bring some wine when you get here! Ooohhh I can't wait to meet your friend! I'll see you later chica!"

"Bye mama!" The ninja hung up the phone and sighed. She giggled from Miguel kissing her jaw. She tilted her head higher to give him more access to her neck.

"She sounds very nice." Miguel chuckled as he continued giving soft kisses on Raven's cheek. He chuckled again, gently squeezing the ninja and making her squeak.

"Believe me, she's a lot nicer than you think." Master Raven turned her head, giving Miguel her undivided attention. Seeing his soft smile had her weak in the knees. His strong arms around her made her feel loved. Raven slowly guided her fingers down Miguel's face and caressed his lips. "You'll be seeing her later. But right now, I want to...get back to…" Raven barely whispered the last few words before Miguel interrupted her with his lips.

Fireworks flared down their spines. It's been too long since they've felt each other's lips. The pair separated after a couple of seconds then reconnected. Master Raven moaned, loving Miguel's fingers gliding smoothly across her stomach. And he wasn't even touching her skin yet! The ninja was slightly disappointed when Miguel pulled away. But the disappointment faded when Miguel lead her to the couch. As soon the Spaniard lied down and pulled Raven with him, his lips went right back onto hers.

His nerves were going haywire. Miguel thought he'd explode from happiness. Too many nights did he have fantasizing about being with this woman while she was away. And despite being in the same country with each other at times, they weren't able to see each other. Raven would be too busy fulfilling her mission given to her by the C.I.A. while Miguel would be busy with photoshoots. Frustration would consume him because he couldn't just go to the side of the country where Raven was. He couldn't touch her. Hold her. Kiss her. Make love to her. And it would be like that for months. But that separation of being so close, yet so far pays off in the long run.

Raven pulled away to catch her breath. All she could do was stare deeply into Miguel's eyes. Oh, those pretty eyes just sparkled with love and warmth only for her! A surge of love made the ninja lean forward and give her boyfriend a deep, soft kiss. It took everything in Raven to not do it again. She sat up and stretched. She giggled from Miguel tugging her arm to lay back down with him.

"I'm not done reuniting with you yet!" Miguel whined while smirking.

Raven pushed him back with one hand. "You have two and a half months to get 'reunited' with me! Besides," She turned on the television, "you need some rest. I know how exhausted you are from your flight." She adjusted a pillow before getting up from the couch. "You need as much sleep as you can before you meet my parents tonight. And you can already tell how much of a handful my mother is."

Miguel smiled. He sighed in content as Raven combed her elegant fingers through his hair. He grabbed her wrist and sweetly kissed each finger. "I'll rest if you stay here with me."

Raven playfully rolled her eyes. "Go to sleep already. I'll put your stuff in my room and I'll be back okay?"

The man smirked and released his girlfriend. He turned his attention to the television, not really paying any interest to the American show. He heard Raven's footsteps disappear down the hall of her apartment along with his luggage. Alone with the sound of the television, Miguel thought back to how Raven first came to his flat. He remembered that night vividly. He remembered how it took some time for her to get truly comfortable in his flat. How the tables have turned!

"By the way, do you still need anything?" Raven asked as she came back to the living room. "Aside from me that is."

Miguel smirked at the last comment. "No. I'm fine. I'm just waiting on a pretty lady to come and nap with me."

Dark brown eyes rolled in amusement. Raven sauntered over to the couch and sets the alarm for later on in the afternoon. She doesn't really need it given how she was trained to be up at a certain time, but it'd be beneficial for Miguel considering the time differences and jet lag that'll affect him soon. She sets the phone on the coffee table and is lead back down on top of Miguel. She snags a blanket resting on top of the couch and drapes it over her and her boyfriend. The ninja sweetly snuggles Miguel, smiling in content.

The Spaniard glided his hands up and down Raven's back. He breathed deeply and kissed his girlfriend's crown of locs. Oh, how much he missed this kind of intimacy! Miguel was so enraptured in his euphoria, he didn't realize how fast he fell asleep.

Raven smiled at Miguel's soft snores. Hearing that sound made her feel at home. But despite this sweet reunion, she can't help but feel nervous about it. Hell, her nerves have been rattling ever since Miguel made the suggestion to meet her family months ago. Sure, the ninja wanted to bring home her boyfriend at some point in her life. But this would be the first time that Master Raven, a well-seasoned, high-ranking ninja of the CIA, is bringing home a lover to meet her parents. And it wasn't just an ordinary person. The person she's bringing home is a brawler, a man whose life went to shambles due to the Mishima wars that turned to a new life of being a well-known model that lives on the other side of the world.

The woman sighed internally. Maybe she's just overthinking it. After all, her parents are rather open and loving people. But they aren't pushovers either. Especially her dad. Raven took a few breaths. She grabbed the remote and muted the television. Perhaps a little nap can help ease her worries about introducing her boyfriend to her family.

Silence cradled the lovers in its gentle arms. Unfortunately, the loud ringing of an alarm disturbed Miguel from his restful nap with his lover. He stretched his arms to the ceiling after Raven got off of him. He scratched his head and yawned.

"That nap went by too quickly." Miguel said while rubbing his eye.

Master Raven chuckled. She fixed her hair and clothes. "It did! Do you feel a little more rested?"

Miguel nodded. Truth be told, it's the best nap he's gotten for a little while. He got off the couch and walked to Raven's bedroom. He opened his suitcase and took out a fresh change of clothes.

"You don't mind if I take a quick shower do you?" Miguel asked loudly.

"Define 'quick'." Raven snarkily yelled back.

The Spaniard laughed heartily, walking into the bathroom. He quickly turned on the water and stripped. As soon as the hot water hits his skin, Miguel sighed in tranquility. Being on that very long flight and sandwiched between two people would make anyone want to take a hot shower.

While her boyfriend was in the shower, Raven went over her plan she made earlier. All she had to do was go to the store, get some wine for everyone to enjoy, go to her parents' house, and introduce Miguel. It should be simple, right? After all, it's just her parents! The ninja's thoughts were interrupted when Miguel appeared from the bathroom. He was dressed in a black turtleneck with jeans and comfy black shoes. His gold necklaces accented the look. And Master Raven suddenly felt thirsty.

"Are you ready?" She asked, putting on her winter coat.

"Yes. Oh! Wait!" The man raced back to the bedroom and grabbed his satchel. He quickly put on his coat as well. "Now I'm ready."

Raven arched an eyebrow. "Any particular reason why you're bringing that?"

Miguel grinned, standing close to the ninja. He turned the lock and opened the door. "You'll find out when we get there."

Master Raven smiled back at the Spaniard. She'll follow along with his plan for the moment. She walked out of her apartment with Miguel right behind her. With the door locked, the couple rides down the elevator.

While descending, the elevator makes several stops on different floors. The space in the shaft soon got crowded with other residents of the building. And because of the amount of bodies taking up space, Master Raven and Miguel got squished together. It did annoy the ninja somewhat. But her annoyance melted away from the nice scent of cologne on Miguel. It took every ounce of willpower for Raven to not bury her face deep into Miguel's chest. She'd have to save that for later.

The large doors opened for what seemed like the eleventh time throughout the journey to the lobby. The couple, along with a few people, stepped out of the elevator and scattered in their own directions. Master Raven walked to her car and popped the trunk for Miguel. Her highly trained ears could hear some of the residents talking lowly while unlocking their vehicles. She could hear their excitement and compliments about Miguel, wondering if he's some kind of model or handsome business man of some kind. What took her by surprise was when they made nice comments about her, wondering if she was some kind of model too. Before she could open the door, Miguel beat her to it and opened it for her.

Raven flashed a smile. "Thank you."

Miguel returned the smile. "You're welcome." He shut the door once his girlfriend was settled in and got in the car himself.

"And now," Said the ninja as she started up the vehicle, "on to the main event!"

________________________________________________________________

For once, Master Raven was grateful to know the ins and outs of her city. Traffic was starting to build up with people coming in and out on vacation for the holidays. She was also grateful for knowing what kind of wine to get for the dinner as well. There were too many last-minute customers in the store trying to buy food and drinks to make for their families. Though that didn't stop the customers from doing double-takes when she and Miguel were walking around the store. But could she blame them? Miguel has to be one of the most handsome men she's encountered and fell in love with him. And he's in love with her. He could've fallen in love with anyone else but he fell in love with her. The ninja sometimes can't believe that this man charmed his way into her heart and kept him there. And now she's bringing him home to be introduced to her parents. Though, in a sense, it was bound to happen at some point. But it's still nerve-wracking. What would her parents think about her long-distance relationship with a man living on the other side of the world that's a brawler-turned model?

"Moon sugar? Are you okay?" Asked Miguel.

"Y-Yes."

He wasn't buying it. "You sure? Your mind seems to wander when it isn't on the road." Miguel frowned at Raven's small reaction to getting caught. "Are you nervous about this?"

The ninja sighed as she turned the corner. "Well...yes. Even though I told them I was bringing a 'friend' home, I can't help but wonder what will happen."

Miguel could only nod. Could he blame her for being nervous? This beautiful woman is a top-secret ninja of her country's intelligence agency that's been involved with dismantling dangerous rings created by sick people and corrupt politicians from many countries, even from her own country, and either prevented or ended wars. And she was the one to put an end to that wretched war with the three generations of Mishimas. No doubt did her impressive career come with a hefty price with her home and love lives. Miguel could only imagine how Raven could even keep a good relationship with her family throughout her career as a ninja.

"I don't know what will happen either. But I know it'll work out." He grabbed Raven's hand and caressed it during a red light. "I know it will."

Raven smiled and took a breath. She gently squeezed the man's hand before turning her attention back to the wheel. She really needs to stop overthinking this. Even if her parents think of Miguel differently, he'll still love her the same.

After a few more turns, the couple drives into a nice neighborhood with big houses. They varied in different shapes and colors. Miguel had to credit these owners for their good tastes in structures and windows. Master Raven pulled into a cul-de-sac, spotting the familiar house.

"And here we-" Her brown eyes widened from seeing several familiar cars parked in the driveway and on the street, "-shit."

"What's wrong?"

Raven parked the car in front of a neighbor's house. She dragged her hands down her face. "Those are my relatives' cars. You're not just meeting my parents." She turned off the vehicle. "You're meeting the rest of my family. Dammit! I knew I shouldn't have told her anything!"

The newfound information made Miguel gulp. It's already nerve-wracking that he's meeting his girlfriend's parents. But to meet her entire family? Miguel took a breath. He got out of the car and opened the driver's side. He beckoned Raven to come out and took her into his arms.

"Raven…" Miguel gently caressed his lover's face. "If your family didn't care about who you were in a relationship with, would they all not gather at one place to see who I am? For all they know, I'm probably just some horrible man in disguise that wants to use you and your family for personal gain. They're just curious and want to protect you. That's what family is for, right?"

The ninja exhaled at Miguel's reasoning. She buried her face in his chest, inhaling that cologne she loves on him. The wisdom this man has!

"You always know what to say!"

Miguel chuckled. He sweetly kissed Raven's forehead, then her nose, then her lips. He gave her one last kiss and made sure to savor it. He shuts the car door and took out the wine and satchel from the back seat. He took Raven's hand and kissed it.

"Everything will be just fine. Besides, I was bound to meet all of your family at some point! It's just way sooner than we expected!"

"Well, you have a point." Master Raven locked the car and guided Miguel to the house. They reached a dark red door with a wreath settled right on top of a crafted window. She turned to Miguel. "But I just want to warn you before we go in. My uncles are rather...competitive and like to joke about almost everything. They tend to make fun of everyone that brings home a partner. Especially if they...well...don't look like us. But, they'll make fun of me a lot more than they will of you."

Miguel was taken aback. While it was helpful of Raven to give him a warning before they step inside, the Spaniard can't help but feel a bit tense about what's to come with Raven's uncles' comments. He nods and squeezes the ninja's hand.

Raven cleared her throat and fished for the door key. She turned the lock and stepped into the large house with Miguel right behind her. Immediately, the couple was bombarded with heat, aromas of food, and sounds of televisions and conversations.

"Who just came in the door?" Asked a female voice coming from the kitchen.

"Hi mama!" Said Raven as she hung her and Miguel's coats and his satchel in the closet.

"Raven!" Heavy footsteps rushed through the hallway and got to the entryway of the front door. A dark skinned woman with short black hair done naturally walks briskly to the ninja with arms open wide. She laughs as she hugs Raven with all of her strength and kisses Raven's cheeks. "Oh my baby's here! How are you?"

"I'm fine! Feeling alright!" Master Raven cleared her throat as she released her mother. Butterflies danced wildly in Raven's stomach as she took the wine from Miguel and held his hand in her free one. "Mama, this is my 'friend', Miguel Caballero Rojo. Miguel, this is my mother Antoinette."

Raven's mother looked up and down at the Spaniard's frame. She was taken aback at how tall and handsome this man is! But she also didn't expect Miguel to be of a different race! But there was an...aura coming from him. It was a mix of love, sweetness, calm, and rugged. And it was pretty powerful! When Antoinette glanced at Miguel's eyes, she saw it all. His nervousness. His excitement. His genuine desire.

Miguel swallowed his nerves and extended his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you!"

Antoinette had to keep herself from squealing at the man's beautiful accent. She shook his hand quickly and smiled wildly. "Likewise!" She extended her arms. "Aw don't be shy now! I won't bite! Come on and bring it in!"

Miguel smiled as he hugged Master Raven's mother. He could feel the love and warmth flowing from the embrace. He released Antoinette and fixed his shirt.

"Come on in! We're about to say grace!" The group walks down the hallway and into the kitchen. An older man was struggling to carry two full pans of food. Without thinking, Miguel intervenes and takes the pans.

"I got it! Where do I take these?"

The older man was stunned. "Uh...to the other side of the counter over there. Put them in the empty spots." The man looked behind him and saw Raven and her mother. "And this is…?"

"It's Raven's lil' friend!" Antoinette blurted.

"Mama!" The ninja groaned before helping Miguel place the food.

"Wait, did you just say that's Raven's lil' friend?!" The older man asked with widened eyes. Seeing the approving nod, the older man covered his dropped jaw. He smiled for two seconds before smirking. Oh, the joyous day he's been waiting for has arrived!

The food was placed properly and carefully in their spots. Pleased with the outcome, Master Raven looks over the food to see if there's anything out of place. There wasn't. With her highly trained ears, the ninja heard her name being called in the kitchen.

"Ma'am?"

Antoinette grinned, crossing her arms. "I believe you neglected to speak to your uncle!"

Ah shit! The ninja grunted internally. Oh well. Might as well get it over with. She beckoned her boyfriend over while preparing for whatever smartass comment her uncle has in mind.

"Uncle Jeff? This is my friend Miguel. Miguel, this is my Uncle Jeff. He's my mom's second oldest brother."

Miguel extended his hand. "It's very nice to meet you sir!"

Jeff shook the Spaniard's hand and grinned. "Nice to meet you too! Though I ain't sure I've heard of you from Ray-Ray at all!" He turned the formal handshake into a familial one and brought Miguel into a hug. "Don't be too nervous son! You're among family today!" Jeff looked at the time on his phone. It was 4:30 on the dot. "Right on time! Let's get everyone into the family room so we can say grace!"

Jeff and Antoinette leave first to join the rest of the family. Miguel grinned while Master Raven bit her lip nervously. She grabbed the Spaniard's hand and led him through the living room.

"I thought you said your uncle would make jokes and comments about us?" Asked Miguel.

"That's because he hasn't even gotten started. He's waiting until you meet my dad and my other uncles before letting loose."

Raven didn't need to see Miguel's smile fall. She could just feel it. But she knew that his frown wouldn't last for long. The couple enters the family room where they're greeted by Raven's hosts on aunts, uncles, and cousins varying in age. Before Raven could introduce her boyfriend, her great aunt called for the family to settle down and join hands. The television was put on mute for everyone to hear the prayer.

"Mister Jeffery, I want you to lead us all in prayer." Said an old woman.

"I dunno mama. I'm not the preacher like Lonnie."

"Shut up Jeffery!" About everyone, including Raven and Miguel, were chuckling or actually laughing from the comment.

"Hurry up so we can eat! Damn!"

"Alright, alright! Now bow ya'll heads!" Jeff took a breath. "Dear Lord, we come before you today to thank you for the food. We thank you for this family being able to come together once again. You always seem to make a way for us somehow in times of trouble. I thank you for covering my family in your blood, protecting them from the many dangers of the world they may encounter. Whether it'd be right here at home or overseas. We ask that you bless the hands that prepared the food and let it nourish our bodies. May we continue to fellowship with each other and with new friends to come in the future," The comment made Raven twitch and Miguel gulp silently, "in Jesus' name, amen."

The majority of the family repeated the closing phrase and unlinked hands. Before they could disperse into the kitchen for food, they all greeted the ninja while eyeing her boyfriend.

"Ray-Ray! It's been a long time since I last seencha!" Exclaimed a different uncle. He hugged his niece and turned to Miguel. "And who is this? I don't recall this pretty boy at all!"

"Uncle B-Dell, this is my friend Miguel. Miguel, this is my mom's eldest brother Bobby. We just call him B-Dell."

Right on cue, Miguel extends his hand to the older man. "It's a pleasure to meet you sir!"

B-Dell shook the Spaniard's hand. "Same here! Aye Jeff! Ain't you say that Ray-Ray's hard ass wouldn't even bring home a souvenir?"

"Shiet! I said she wouldn't even bring herself! But she brought back something alright!"

Master Raven facepalmed while Miguel tried to keep his blushing to a minimum. Now he understood what his girlfriend meant. And the uncles were just getting started. Before Raven could retort, a familiar voice interrupts the uncles from their roasting session.

"Out of everybody, you ain't try to come and see me?"

The ninja's eyes lit up. She smiled as she hugged a man with a shaved head. She released him and turned to Miguel. "Miguel, this is my daddy Samuel. Daddy, this is my 'friend' Miguel Caballero Rojo."

The elder looked the Spaniard up and down like how his wife did earlier. "So you're Baby Girl's 'lil' friend' huh?"

Miguel gulped. "Yes, I am."

Samuel chuckled. "I ain't trying to give you a hard time son." He hugged Miguel with some of his strength. "I'mma leave that to my brother-in-laws!" He laughed when the ninja groaned loudly in irritation. "Come on Girlie! You know it's your turn to get the treatment! You being away with your job doesn't exempt you from any of it!"

"I was afraid of that…" Raven sighed. Regardless of her predicament, she smiled, grateful that her parents are giving their approvals to Miguel for the moment.

"Alright! Go on and get ya'll something to eat! You're in for a treat Miguel! I hope you like soul food!"

"I hope he does Sam! Ain't no telling what Ray's been feeding him!" Jeff commented, laughing at his niece's embarrassed expression.

While some of the family members went to get food and drinks, Master Raven introduced Miguel to everyone who hasn't met him yet. Hugs were exchanged, nice comments were made, welcomes were warm, and smiles were given. Everything seemed to go on without a hitch. That is, until Raven's stomach growled loudly. The ninja groaned the umpteenth time in the evening, causing the Spaniard to giggle.

"I can make you a plate if you want me to." Miguel offered.

Raven shook her head. "It's alright! Come on!" The ninja led Miguel back to the kitchen where the family members were in line getting their portions of food. She grabbed the plates and handed one to Miguel behind her.

The Spaniard's mouth watered at the sight of the food. It all looked so delicious! He really didn't know what to take. So he just took a little of everything that was presented. He took a portion of greens, green beans, ham, turkey, mac n' cheese, cabbage, corn, one piece of baked chicken, and a piece of cornbread. He was curious and excited to taste the food from Raven's culture. Especially since it was her elder family members that made it.

"What kind of drink do you want? We have different sodas in the coolers or water." Raven asked as she grabbed the utensils and napkins. "Or do you want a beer?"

"Soda is fine. I'd rather eat first before I do any drinking."

The pair walk back to the family room and sit in the middle of one of the fold out tables. A male cousin sat on Raven's right while a female cousin sat on Miguel's left. One of the ninja's younger cousins happened to pass in front of the table.

"Juju! Can you get me two cokes please?" Asked Raven before she started chowing down.

"Okay!" The girl skipped back to the kitchen.

Miguel took his fork and stabbed his vegetables. His eyes widened at the burst of flavor and juice in his mouth! His expression didn't go unnoticed by the uncles.

"Well you look at that! Pretty boy done got a real good taste of them greens!" Yelled Jeff as he took a sip of his beer.

"They are very good!" Miguel softly stated as he finished his chewing. Poor guy had almost all of the attention on him due to the callout. He could see Raven trying not to snap her fork in half in irritation.

"Good! That's what matters right? I mean, I put my foot in them-"

"Shut up Jeff! Let the boy eat!" Exclaimed Raven's great aunt. She rolled her eyes at the shenanigans.

With a short sigh of relief, Raven and Miguel continue to finish their plates. The ninja looked up to see her younger cousin bringing two cans of sodas. She thanked the girl and handed one can to Miguel. He finished the rest of his food and wiped his hands before opening the drink. After he took a sip, the Spaniard stood up and took his and Raven's empty plates.

"Where's the trash can?"

"It's at the end over there!" Raven's female cousin pointed at the trash can across the room.

"Ah, thank you!"

The ninja exhaled. Her belly was full, Miguel was full, and everything seemed to go on smoothly. She felt a tap on her arm.

"Girl!" Raven's female cousin giggled excitedly. "Where did you find that fine specimen?! He is too fine to be here!"

"You know Ray," The male cousin began, "I never thought you'd be into dudes that aren't the brothas!"

"Not to mention that he does look rather familiar…"

"Will you two please behave? It's enough that my uncles are being themselves." Master Raven pleaded.

"Fine! Fine! But only because he's so fiiiine!"

Miguel came back to his seat after throwing away some of the plates from the elder relatives. He was a bit concerned about his girlfriend, seeing her downing her soft drink. He took a sip of his drink with a free hand while he patted Raven's thigh with the other in comfort.

"So...Miguel was it? Can you tell us more about yourself?" Asked the female cousin.

The man's heart sped up. He could feel almost everyone's eyes on him. "What do you want to know..um…"

"Christina! But you can call me Chrissy!" The woman said excitedly while twirling her hair. "For starters, where are you from?"

"Chrissy!" Chided Raven.

"What? I wanna know!"

"Yeah! So do we!" Jeff exclaimed while drinking more of his beer.

Before the ninja could retort, Miguel gently grasped her hand and squeezed it. "If they want to know, I'll tell them." He turned his attention to Chrissy. "You can already tell that I'm not from here. I'm actually from Spain."

"Spain?! Are you serious?!"

Miguel nodded. "Yes. I was born in the city of Barcelona."

"That's amazing! What's it like?"

The Spaniard chuckled. "Well, the city is full of old buildings that date back to when the Moors arrived. There's a lot of art museums and old cathedrals still standing. The marketplaces are rather large and vary in different products. Many expensive wines also come from different places in Spain, but many known brands are from Barcelona."

"Extraordinary! So, the real question that everyone wants to know is how did you and my cousin meet?"

The pair's eyes widened, causing all of the uncles and older cousins to smirk and giggle. Miguel scratched his cheek as he tried to think of a way to explain the story without getting an overreaction. He glanced over at the usually cool and collective ninja. Even she seemed to be uncomfortable about the situation at hand. Realizing that there was no escape, the Spaniard drew a breath to swallow his nerves.

"Well, it was last year in April. Raven was on an assignment to bust a group that was using a fighting tournament as a coverup. I was...one of the fighters at the time. I was rash and I ended up screwing up her operation on accident. But it was a good accident! She got the thugs and I grew a pair to ask her out afterwards."

Master Raven sighed internally. Truth be told, her boyfriend's rendition of the story was more or less true. Although, he was missing key details about what he was doing and how exactly he asked her out. Though it seemed like everybody bought the tale.

"Oh! So you can fight! What kind of martial arts do you practice?"

Shit! Master Raven thought in a panic. She hoped no one would ask that question but of course they had to!

"I practice Judo!" Miguel said without missing a beat. "I've wanted to see how far I've come in my skill so I signed up for the tournament to put them to the test! I just didn't know that it was a coverup for a smuggling group." Except Raven taught me the basics a few months ago but they don't need to know that! Miguel thought smugly to himself. Who knew that his twists on the truth could come out smoothly like hot butter?

"Okay okay! So he can fight. Alright player-player! What do you do for a living?" Asked B-Dell while he picked food out of his teeth.

"Well, I used to work in construction. But recently, I've started modeling. I'm still debating on doing modeling full-time."

"Hold on a sec!" Chrissy whipped out her phone. "You model right?" She pulled up an ad for men's suits. She looked back and forth between Miguel and her phone. "You're the top male model for Men's Warehouse?! And for Nike?!"

Miguel couldn't help but chuckle at the reaction. "Yes, that's correct. I've also modeled for Dior and Vera Wang's collections. In fact, in several weeks, I'm going to be in a fashion show for wedding tuxedos here in the city."

A good portion of the female cousins and aunties "oohed" and "ahhed" at the information while the men were really intrigued. Some of the family members asked questions about how Miguel got into modeling and what other companies he modeled for. In the midst of the questions and answers, Raven's mom beckoned the ninja to follow her into the kitchen.

"Excuse me!" Master Raven got up from her seat and followed her mother. She felt guilty leaving her boyfriend behind with her family. She only hopes that they won't subject him into answering even more personal questions while she's gone. She turns her attention to her mother. "What is it mama?"

Antoinette opened the refrigerator. She took out two bottles of water and handed one to Raven. She took a swig and smiled. "I figured you needed a break from my brothers giving you a hard time."

The ninja opened the water and took a big gulp. "Thanks. Though I'd rather help him from getting eaten alive." She took another swig and sighed. "Mama! Did you plan this? For everyone to come today? I thought it was just going to be us today?"

"Actually, it was your daddy's idea. He was the one that wanted to give a warm welcome to your friend in some way." Antoinette grinned. She couldn't help but be amused with her daughter's expressions. She took Raven's hand. "You really do love him, don't you baby?"

The softness in her mother's voice threw the ninja in a loop. When Raven saw how joyful her mother's eyes were, she felt hot tears coming to her eyes. She looked away, seeing Miguel coming from the family room with some of the cousins and descending to the basement. Her heart skipped a beat seeing a nervous yet exciting smile on him.

"I do. So much mama. I….I've never really felt this way about anybody before. Much less actually being able to have a relationship outside of my job." Raven gave a small laugh. "And to think that we'd be here right now all because of his interference with my mission!"

Antoinette sniffed. Her heart warmed at her daughter's confession. "Baby Girl, look at me." She turned Raven's head. "All my life, I've been wanting to see you happy and healthy. Even if it was hard when you went away. I always feared that I'd never get to see you experience such joy! But to see you now!" She gave a watery laugh. "To see my baby grow up into this beautiful, powerful woman that's so in love! God really blessed me with such a wonderful daughter!"

The ninja wiped away an escaped tear. She smiled and hugged her mother tightly. She really missed her mama's hugs! The ninja released Antoinette and wiped her face with a paper towel. Raven gave a square of the paper towel to her mother to clean herself up with.

"So, what do you think of him?" Raven asked after she blew her nose.

"I'm very curious about how he managed to charm you, Miss Very-Stubborn-Like-Her-Daddy!" Antoinette giggled. "How he was able to get past those walls even your daddy and I couldn't break through!" She hugged Raven again. "Oh I'm just so elated for you! I just can't wait to see your relationship blossom! Even if he's from the other side of the world!"

"Mama!"

"What? Some long distances work! Especially in your case considering you work for the C.I.A. and Miguel travelling around the world for his modeling and whatnot. Speaking of which!" Antoinette released Raven and wiggled her eyebrows. "When is that fashion event of his? I really want to see him in a tux!"

"I am not telling you that!" Raven laughed as she got herself a wine glass from the cabinet. She spotted the wine she bought earlier on the counter and popped it open.

"Fine! Be that way!" Antoinette joked. She got herself a wine glass out of the cabinet as well. "Pour me some too please!"

Raven poured her mother's glass first before pouring hers. She took a sip, savoring the flavor. She and her mother whipped their heads around when they heard sudden shouts coming from the basement. Curious, the women went down the stairs to find Miguel, young adult, teenager, and kid cousins raving about Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. And from the looks of it, Miguel was in first place in the last lap on one of the tracks. And sure enough, Miguel crossed the finish line before anyone else could.

The female cousins cheered at the Spaniard's success while the male cousins were clowning each other for losing. The kids were bouncing everywhere in excitement, asking if they could have a turn. The cousins that lost the race were forced to give up their controllers for someone else to play. Some of the kids asked if the older cousins play with their favorite characters if they couldn't play. One of the cousins happen to look up and spot the ninja and her mother on the stairs.

"Ray! Ain't you still good at this game? Come whoop this fool since neither any of these dummies can do it!" Exclaimed one of the players, salty that he lost.

Master Raven snorted and walked down the stairs. She took a sip of her drink before weaving threw and stepping over her cousins to get to the large couch. She sat two seats away from Miguel and placed her drink on a tray-table. Shock was visible on her face. Right there in Miguel's lap sat Raven's two year old cousin Serenity. And the girl was sitting still holding her dolly without fussing. But the shock soon wore off with a look of confidence.

"I need a controller!" Raven said as she extended her hand. "I'm surprised that Donny couldn't beat Miguel! What happened Donny? Me letting you win finally got to you?"

Miguel snickered with the cousins from his girlfriend's comment. He sat up and made sure Serenity and her dolly were comfortable. "Ready to lose?"

Raven playfully rolled her eyes. She selected her character and cart. "I should be asking you that!"

Half of the cousins were cheering for Raven while the other half were cheering for Miguel. The competitors were neck-in-neck. Master Raven won the first and third races while Miguel won the second and fourth race. The last race was intense. The ninja was surprised that Miguel could even keep up on the Rainbow Road track. The Spaniard was in first place, but ultimately came in second place when Raven passed him in the last .86 seconds. The ninja laughed at Miguel's jaw dropping in disbelief. The room was filled with a mix of cheers and groans and laughter.

"And you said I should be ready to lose!" Taunted Raven as she took a sip of her wine. She handed the controller back to a younger cousin. She got up from her spot, stepping over cousins in the process. "Let me know if you want to lose again in something else! I'll be upstairs!"

The adult and teenage male cousins snickered at the ninja's comment while the female cousins rolled their eyes. After the ninja went upstairs, the kids began to fight over who gets to play the game. Not wanting to be caught in familial crossfire and tantrums, the Spaniard takes the toddler off his lap and gets up. He smiled when the girl tightened her grip on his turtleneck. He knew it was useless to try to pry Serenity off so Miguel just carried her and her dolly upstairs.

Miguel went to the cooler in the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water. After all, spending so much time playing the game with a bunch of family members ranging from kids to young adults did make him thirsty! Though it was a tad bit difficult to open the bottle with a two year old and her dolly in one arm. The drink was suddenly snatched from Miguel's hand. He looked over to the culprit and smiled.

"You know, you never cease to surprise me." Said Raven while opening the bottle. "Reny never goes to anyone that isn't her parents, granny, or me." She got the cap off. "What did you do to get you to hold her? Without fussing?"

Miguel chuckled and shrugged. "I don't know! All I did was say hi and she gave me a hug. She ended up asking me to sit her in my lap." He took a swig of his water with the free arm. He heard the little girl yawn in his ear. "And it looks like somebody's getting sleepy."

"I can tell." Raven touched Miguel's shoulder. "Are you doing alright? I know today was a bit overwhelming considering you flying in today and interacting with my family."

The man smiled. "I'm great! Except from losing in the game." He and Raven chuckled. "Though I do want to have a drink." He looked at the sleepy toddler. "Though I'd rather not drink anything around the kids."

"Okay." She motioned Miguel to follow her.

The walked to the family room where the uncles, aunts, and very few older cousins were sitting around playing cards, chatting, or watching sports. Raven and Miguel sat on a leather loveseat, ensuring that the toddler doesn't stir. The toddler being held doesn't go unnoticed.

"Well I'll be damned! Pretty boy actually got Reny to sleep! If it were me, she's just be crying her little head off!" Exclaimed Jeff as he threw out a card.

"That's actually quite an accomplishment! How'd you get her to be all friendly?" Asked B-Dell.

The Spaniard could only shrug a little. "I don't know! All I did was say hi and the next thing I knew, she wanted to help me play games downstairs. But she's all tired out from playing for a while."

"Hm! In my book, anybody that can get Reny to be friendly without throwing a tantrum and get her to sleep without struggling is good in my book! You alright!" Said Jeff, taking the book of cards he won.

Miguel blinked. "Uh...thank you!" That kind of comment was unexpected from Raven's uncle. He was sure he'd get roasted or interrogated again.

"Ah shit!" Jeffery yelled while throwing his cards. "Looks like I'm out!"

________________________________________________________________

The night started to really wind down as time moved on. The majority of the cousins left, including Serenity as she was carried away by her parents. The food was put up, save for a plate or two for Miguel considering how early he ate due to his culture, and the coolers emptied. All that remained were Miguel and Raven and a handful of Raven's relatives well into a card game called "Hot Seat". They already played several games of Spades earlier. Miguel will have to thank Raven later for teaching him how to play the game in advance.

The game was intense. Despite his winning streak, Miguel was close to being eliminated. He threw out his card after Raven's dad. And it was the wrong one. The uncles cheered in triumph.

"Ha! Pretty boy is out! Go on and get your ass up!" Exclaimed B-Dell, gathering the cards to start a new game. "You too Sam!"

Samuel laughed as he got up from his seat. He saw his sister and daughter take the empty spots. "Get his ass out baby!"

Master Raven laughed. "I'll try!"

As the cards were being dealt, Samuel tapped Miguel on the shoulder. He signaled the Spaniard to follow him. He couldn't help but snicker at his brother-in-laws' taunts.

"Ooohhh! What he do?" Jeff laughed.

"I dunno! Ray-Ray! Maybe you can tell us why pretty boy's in trouble!" Taunted B-Dell as he counted his cards.

"Shut up dumbasses!"

________________________________________________________________

It was silent, save for the pouring of liquor the glasses. Samuel handed the Spaniard his glass then put the bottle back on the shelf of his bar. He could tell Miguel was nervous from the way he was holding his glass. He smiled.

"It's okay son. I'm not gonna bite ya or anything." Samuel took a sip, savoring the vanilla whiskey.

The Spaniard sighed internally. He sipped the dark liquor to ease his nerves. He hummed in surprise by the taste. It was really sweet! He heard Raven's dad chuckle softly.

"You like that huh? I figured you would."

Miguel nodded. "I do. What's this flavor? I've never had anything like it."

"That son, is vanilla whiskey. Believe it or not, Raven was the one that introduced me to it. I've been drinking it ever since." He paused. He sat on the bar chair. "Come on and have a seat."

Miguel sat next Samuel. He took another sip of his whiskey. He felt so awkward drinking with his girlfriend's father. Especially since it's so quiet between them. He glanced over to see Samuel looking...content.

Raven's father sat up. "Miguel." There was a pause. "How are you feeling?"

The Spaniard blinked. "I'm alright."

"And a bit tired no doubt. You're not used to having this much family interactions are you?" Samuel smiled at Miguel's reaction. "But you took it rather well! Especially since you're not from around here." He took another swig of whiskey. "Though I do want to apologize to you."

That stunned the Spaniard. "Whatever for sir?"

"For throwing you into the wolves with my family. I really didn't mean to subject you to being overwhelmed by everyone. Especially my brother-in-laws. Even if that's what they do with everyone." Samuel laughed a little. "They did that with me when I started dating Antoinette. But they only do it out of good fun."

Silenced danced between the men again. Samuel took another sip. "You know Miguel," He smiled softly, "this is one of the happiest days I've ever had. My family is doing well again. We're moving on with our lives. My Baby Girl is flourishing in many ways.

"I still can't believe how incredible she is. Hell, I still can't believe she's even here. My family has been through too much. From my wife being diagnosed with cancer to almost losing everything from that shitty war those Mishimas put us through. I remember Raven wanting to do things that, well, I wanted to keep her away from. Even got into arguments with her at times because all I wanted to do was protect her like a father should." Samuel sniffed. "I'll never forget the day of how she got roped into being enlisted. I couldn't even save her. I didn't want her risking her life and putting herself in danger just for her efforts to go in vain and unappreciated. But I couldn't do anything.

"She came home one day. She had fresh scars on her face. I was upset and afraid. Someone hurt my Baby Girl and I never knew about it. And those people tried to threaten and hurt my family because of what she did to stop whatever they were doing." He wiped a few tears. "And one day, she told me that it'll all be okay. Then she just upped and disappeared. For years. I had no way of contacting her. Every day I pray that I wouldn't have to wake up to the news to hear my baby girl going missing and unrecovered or just in a body bag. Mentally or physically. But then she came home again one day. Completely unannounced. She came in. Didn't say a word. All she did was hug me. And that's when I knew.

"Raven meant what she said. Everything was okay. And after that, I didn't worry anymore. It was like a heavy weight lifted from my shoulders." Samuel grabbed a napkin and blew his nose. "Though sometimes, I still wonder if I was a good father to her." Samuel poured more whiskey into his glass. "But I do know that I did a decent job. My baby girl is a goddamn ninja! It's no wonder why she's been gone for years! Have you seen what she can do? What she did? My baby is out here saving lives! If not the world! I've never been so proud!"

There was another short silence. Samuel turned to Miguel. "Do you want to know why I'm telling you this son? It's because out of all the people in this world, my baby girl trusts you more than anyone. Out of all the people in the world, my daughter, my very hard-headed, busy, courageous, ass-kicking daughter, who probably wouldn't even think about maintaining any relationship outside of family, much less actually keeping a relationship with her family due to everything, wants to build something with you. And the fact that I can see, with my own eyes, of how happy she is with you? How deeply in love she is with you? How she really wanted me to meet you?

"I never thought I'd be alive to see the day where my baby girl wants to love, is in love, and is loved by someone. Especially after everything that we've went through." Samuel smiled and passed a napkin to Miguel.

The Spaniard didn't realize the tears he was shedding. He gratefully took the napkin and cleaned his face. To hear Raven's father tell Miguel about the hardships his family faced, how he could've lost his daughter, and how overjoyed he is to know that his daughter is happy with where she is as a person, and how deeply Master Raven cares for him brought him to tears. He thanked Samuel for refilling his glass after he blew his nose.

"Ain't nothing wrong with getting emotional son." Samuel took a sip of his whiskey. "It shows how human you are. And how much you care for others." Samuel turned to Miguel again. "Tell me son, how did you fall for my daughter?"

The Spaniard looked down at his liquor. He recalled the memories of him and the ninja. It was hard to pick one because everything she did made him fall for her over and over again. "I...I really can't explain it."

"When you first saw her eyes, did you see how sparkly they were? And all of a sudden you wanted to start loving her?"

A sudden flash of memory popped into Miguel's head. He recalled how pretty Raven's eyes were despite being an obstacle to her mission. He looked straight into Samuel's eyes.

"Yes." He said without any doubt in his body.

The elder couldn't help but laugh. Just like the time he first saw Antoinette. He placed a firm hand on Miguel's shoulder. "You know Miguel? You're more than alright. I mean, you handled my brothers-in-laws and their jokes well, you easily got along with all of my nieces and nephews and cousins, all of the elders show favor to you, and you got little baby Reny to like you! That kid never goes to anyone! Not even me! And the fact that she was so trusting to you to the point where she went to sleep without fussing is truly something!"

Miguel felt heat rising to his cheeks. He wasn't used to hearing these kinds of compliments. "Th-Thank you sir."

Samuel patted Miguel's back a few times. "And you know son, the main reason why I brought everyone over was to make you feel welcome. To feel at home. Baby Girl didn't go into detail, but she told me how you didn't have a family. I could tell in your eyes that you haven't had a family for a long time."

Hot tears threatened to leave Miguel's eyes again. "...Yes sir.."

Samuel offered another napkin. He got out of his chair and beckoned Miguel to do the same. He placed a comforting hand back on the Spaniard's shoulder. "Well, it may be rather very soon, but I want to welcome you into my family Miguel. It's quite obvious that you make my daughter happy and loved. And you give her a kind of love that neither Antoinette nor I can give her. For that, I'm very grateful. Should you move forward or separate in the future, just know that you're a part of this family. No matter what. Now, I don't want to put pressure on you about what you and Raven will do when the time comes. But just know that we'll be, or rather I'll be here to welcome you with open arms. So long as God will allow it."

It was difficult for Miguel to not become a sobbing mess. The father of the woman he loves just welcomed him into his family just from meeting him for the first time. He placed all of his trust into the Spaniard without question. This man gave Miguel years worth of fatherly love that he never got from his own father in just a span of hours. And even if Master Raven and Miguel decide to go separate ways in the future, Samuel would still be there for him. All of this love was very hard to take in.

"Thank you sir! I really mean it!" Miguel choked out.

Samuel laughed, letting tears of happiness fall. "Come on now! Bring it in!"

The men hugged each other with all of their strength. Muffled laughter filled their ears with occasional sniffles. After a moment, they released each other. Samuel grabbed his glass. Miguel grabbed his.

"To the many blessings of love, happiness, and fellowship for days to come!" Samuel declared.

"To the many blessings of love, happiness, and fellowship for days to come!" Miguel repeated.

The men downed the rest of their drinks. They cleaned their faces and walked back upstairs. They heard laughter and the television in the distance. They walked into the kitchen and cleaned their glasses.

"By the way Miguel," The elder man started, "has anyone showed you any pictures of Raven at all today? When she was younger?

Miguel shook his head. "No sir."

Samuel grinned as he dried the glasses. "You're in for a treat son! But I'll show them to you later. Gotta get back to the game." He closed the cabinets and led Miguel back to the family room. "By the way, who taught you how to play so well in Hot Seat? I ain't never seen somebody with a winning streak that long!"

________________________________________________________________

It was very late into the night. The large house was silent, save for the television in a bedroom. Samuel barely paid attention to the movie playing on his television. He was too wrapped up with finishing the next chapter of his book. He yawned briefly, exhausted from cleaning up after the rest of the family left. He heard the bathroom door opening to his right. His wife tiredly came out in her pajamas and satin scarf. He closed the book and snuggled Antoinette when she got comfy in the bed.

"Movie any good?" She asked with a yawn.

"I was barely paying attention. What movie is it again?"

Antoinette snorted and changed the channel to a show in black and white. She sighed in exhaustion. "So Sammy?"

"'So' what?"

"What do you think?"

"About?"

The woman playfully rolled her eyes. "About Raven's lil' friend!"

Samuel thought to himself for a second. He sat up, looking down at his hands. He nodded several times. "He's my son-in-law."

Antoinette wasn't surprised. She chuckled, sitting up as well. "You saw it too huh?"

"Yep. I saw it when your brothers were asking all them questions." A slight pause. "When did you?"

"From the moment I met him. Samuel, that man loves Raven more than life itself. It's in his eyes." Antoinette stated. She looked at the television when she heard some sniffles. Only it wasn't coming from the monitor. It was coming from her husband. She grabbed a box of tissues from the nightstand and handed it to him. Her dainty hand strongly held Samuel's.

"Sammy? What is it?"

The man wiped his nose. "It's just…" He took a breath. "In all my years, I never thought I'd live long enough to see this day. I have my wife. I have my daughter. I have my family. And to see her be so in love and to be loved so hard? I could've lost you. I could've lost my baby. I could've lost my mind. But God favored all of this."

Antoinette kissed her husband's fingers. She couldn't help but shed a few tears as well. She grabbed a tissue to dab her eyes. "We really are blessed aren't we?"

"Truly! I'm just...I'm just so happy for Raven! I'm excited to see things just bloom and manifest for her and Miguel! Those two are just made for each other!"

"Of course they are! They couldn't deny it if they wanted to!"

Samuel softly laughed. He blew his nose and threw away the tissue. He turned the lamp off, snuggling his wife afterwards. He breathed deeply.

"I can't wait to do more bonding with Miguel. I gotta teach him a few things!"

Antoinette playfully rolled her eyes. "I'm sure you do!" She turned the volume down on the television. "Did you show Miguel the pictures of Raven yet?"

Samuel wore a wicked grin. "That's what this weekend is for!"

[thismanateelovestowrite]

When you and Chan meet after being friends for a long time and he confesses to you

Thanks so much for the request, cutie! I’m sorry I took so long with this >< Nevertheless, I hope you enjoy this! ^^

i tried T-T i hope this is okay~

Words: 4387

Fluff i guess?

Requested by anon ♥

”I’m at the airport right now. I just ate some breakfast and now I’m just sitting here in the café, going through yesterday’s work,” you explained to your phone that you had placed on the table, balancing it against a fake plant.

“When did you go to sleep last night?” Chan - the person you were having a Skype call with - chuckled.

“Rather early,” you rubbed your eyes.

“What time, though? Knowing you, you probably went to sleep at five or something.”

“Hey, I actually went to bed at three last night. So not that late at all.”

“And you got up an hour ago, so… You slept, like, four hours? Do you have any idea how bad that is for your health, huh?”

You groaned at his nagging. “Says the one who sleeps five hours a night at most… You know, you aren’t exactly leading a healthy lifestyle either, mister. So don’t at me. Besides, I’m going to sleep on the plane anyway, so I won’t actually be sleep deprived when I arrive in Korea.”

“Fine, you win,” he sighed, earning a tired smile from you. “But don’t expect to have a sleeping schedule like that when you’re here. This trip of yours is all about our mutual interest in music and just relaxing. Got it?”

“Sounds like you have already created a schedule for the next two weeks,” you laughed at his words.

“Yes, and to summarize it to you right now, it consists of music and fun, relaxing stuff. You can do an absolute maximum of two hours of school stuff a day, only on weekdays. Got it?”

“Good thing I finished most of my assignments already, then,” you said.

“Indeed,” he agreed. “Anyway, I have to go meet a few friends. I’ll see you at the airport,” he smiled and you nodded with a small smile before the call was ended by him.

While listening to the landing announcement, you looked outside from the window next to you. Even though it was raining, your mood was nice since you were so excited. You were in a country you hadn’t visited before and you were about to meet a long-time friend for the first time. Your lips curved up at the thought of finally seeing Chan in real life, not just through a screen. Granted, you were nervous but it was mostly covered by how excited you were.

As passengers started to rise from their seats, you sat still. Your feet moved anxiously while you sat, urging you to get up already, but you calmly waited for the busier people to get out first. You weren’t in a hurry, so why should you rush out?

While sitting there, you packed your small handbag that you had had with you during the flight. You took out your phone, taking it off airplane mode. After packing your things in the bag, you slowly stood up and went to the hallway. The man who had sat next to you during the flight helped you get your luggage from the shelf and you thanked him with a smile, which he seemed to appreciate. After acquiring your luggage, you walked to the exit and got off the plane. While walking to get your bigger suitcase from baggage reclaim, you texted Chan.

Just landed~

Your steps were light as you arrived in the baggage reclaim area and spotted your suitcase on the conveyor. Before you reached it, you could feel your phone buzz in your pocket. While walking towards your suitcase, you pulled your phone out.

What does your suitcase look like?

You were focused on your phone so you didn’t look where you were going, bumping into someone in the end. You stumbled back at the impact and looked at the person with an apologetic look. Your mouth opened but you couldn’t get words out, only smiling.

“It’s that one, isn’t it?” Chan asked you with a grin, pointing at a suitcase.

You looked in the direction. “It’s not,” you chuckled and walked to your suitcase, pulling it down from the conveyor. “It’s this one, dummy.”

He looked at it with a weird look. “It doesn’t match your style at all,” he stated boldly.

“Well, excuse me for not having the money to spend two hundred dollars on a suitcase just for the aesthetics,” you said with a grin. “I like my grandpa’s good old buddy from when he traveled the world as a youngster.”

He looked at you and chuckled. “That must be ancient.” You nodded proudly. “It has seen a lot.” He just laughed and you couldn’t help but smile upon hearing the familiar sound of his laugh. You looked at him, amazed that he was finally standing there, in front of you after all those years.

“It’s really nice to finally have you here,” he said with a smile. “All the Skyping was getting tiring. Now we can just see each other’s faces for two weeks straight.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised if I got tired of seeing you during that time,” you joked. “Anyway, it’s nice to meet you, finally, like you just said.” “Was the flight tough?” he asked, grabbing the handle of your bigger suitcase and pulling it over to him. He apparently planned on helping you carry your bags to his car.

“Thanks,” you thanked him for the kind gesture. “The flight was kind of tough,” you shrugged, grabbing your smaller suitcase’s handle. “I got some sleep, though, so it wasn’t that bad. I also worked on some lyrics and did some school work.”

You two began walking towards what you assumed was the exit.

“Don’t tell me you brought all your study materials with you?” he asked and you gave him a guilty grin, causing him to sigh.

“I didn’t bring everything! I swear, I just brought a few books that I can read during the evenings if I have time.”

“What am I going to do with you?” he shook his head in disappointment, a small smile on his lips.

“I have tests coming up,” you gave him a small pout.

“I know, I know,” he said. “Just swear you won’t waste this opportunity, okay? I don’t want to hear you whine later about how stupid you were to waste your time on studying while here,” he gave you a grin.

With a nod, you assured him that you wouldn’t waste the holiday on studying. You definitely didn’t want to do so either.

“Wow, what a mansion,” you exclaimed upon entering Chan’s place.

You could hear him snort behind you. “It’s a two-room apartment, what mansion are you talking about?”

“This is a mansion compared to my dorm back home,” you looked around in fascination. “Besides, you live rather close to the city center. This place must cost a fortune!”

“The rent is actually lower than you’d think,” he placed his keys on the drawer in the hallway. “This neighborhood isn’t known to be too nice so that brings the prize down quite a bit.”

You hummed in understanding, still looking around in fascination.

“You can use these slippers,” he took a pair of slippers out of the drawer and placed them on the floor.

You hurried over to put them on and a wide smile spread across your lips. “Why do these look like you bought them for me?” you asked and looked at him.

He hung his jacket on the coat rack in the corner of the hallway, right next to the door. “Keep dreaming,” he chuckled and walked past you while pushing your luggage towards the living room.

You took your jacket off, put the slippers on and followed him. After discussing about it for a long time, you two had decided that it would be easiest for you to stay at his place during your visit. At first the idea had sounded a little wild for you both but as you thought about it further, it seemed like a reasonable solution. It wouldn’t cost you as much - you would still pay him a little for letting you stay over - and it would be more convenient considering that you two were going to spend most of the time together anyway.

He showed you around the apartment and you listened attentively. In general, the apartment seemed tidy and cozy, and you liked it a lot. He was glad to see how much you liked it, smiling widely at your excited expression. You didn’t notice it at first but when you did, you stopped and looked at him with a curious expression.

“You seem happy,” you stated.

“That’s because I am. It’s nice to have you here.”

“Is it really?” you asked, surprised to see him so genuinely glad.

He nodded, still smiling. “I’ve been waiting for this day for a long time. We finally get to share our music face-to-face, we get to hang out for real and there are no time zones between us. Don’t you think it’s great?”

“I must admit,” you sat down on the small couch he had in the living room. “I like it too.”

Chan’s POV

The time I spent with _____ filled me with so much joy that all my stress disappeared during the first few days of her visit. My friends liked her too, to the point that I felt a little like an outsider when we hung out one day. We had so much fun that I felt like I had never been happier. The two of us spent the evenings listening to music and just lounging in the living room, chatting about everything from toes to space - I’m not even kidding. We felt comfortable around each other, despite just having met for the first time a few days earlier.

Be it toes or space, anything and everything _____ talked about sounded incredibly interesting to me. I loved her company more than I ever would have imagined I would. Before meeting her, I had thought that I would only be that excited at first - that the over-excitement would die down rather quickly - but towards the end of her first week in Korea, I still faced her with the same excitement in the morning.

We had somewhat agreed - she had opposed a little - on her sleeping in my bedroom while I slept in the living room, on the couch I slept on quite often anyway. I had, of course, changed all the bedding for her just like I had hurriedly tidied up the apartment the evening before her arrival.

On the Saturday evening of her first week, we went out to town to hang out with some mutual friends of ours and ended up staying out longer than expected. We all had fun but when the two of us returned to my apartment at midnight, we were exhausted. We had been up since seven in the morning since we had wanted to go out early, so it wasn’t a surprise that we were so burned out.

After washing up, I headed straight to bed - or couch. She had washed up before me and I assumed she had gone to sleep, too. Apparently, she hadn’t; when I went to wake her up the next morning, I found her sleeping in my bed, a book under her head. I sighed at the sight.

“Did you attempt to study last night?” I asked while gently taking the book away from her. “I’m guessing you didn’t get much done,” I chuckled and closed the book.

I crouched down next to the bed to be on her eye-level. She was sleeping peacefully, her mouth slightly open. The blanket was only covering her feet. Despite being a complete mess, she seemed adorable in my eyes.

After smiling adoringly at her for a few seconds, I got up and left the room quietly.

I let the door close behind me as I kicked my shoes off and put on my slippers. I carried the two bags filled with groceries to the kitchen. There I was greeted by a sleepy _____.

“Morning,” I said, opened the refrigerator and started emptying the plastic bags one item at a time.

_____ just stood there quietly for a bit before coming over to me. “What did you buy?”

I glanced at her. “Food. Well, ingredients, to be exact.”

She seemed a little confused.

“I thought it would be nice to hang out here today,” I stated with a smile and closed the refrigerator’s door. “It’s not the prettiest weather and you said it would be fun to cook something together one day. Besides, yesterday was pretty exhausting.”

“Sounds nice,” she said with a smile, causing me to smile too. “I’ll go take a shower before that, though.”

I nodded and she went to take a shower. I checked the clock on the kitchen wall - 11:00 am - and went to change in to something a little more comfortable.

Half an hour later, the two of us sat on the couch in the living room, browsing through out music selection. We were trying to pick out some music to play while we were cooking.

“Upbeat songs would be fun,” she suggested and I agreed, searching for a nice upbeat playlist.

After a bit, I found one that we both agreed on and hit play. The music caused us to get up from the couch and walk to the kitchen with light steps.

We decided to do multiple dishes since I had bought a wide variety of ingredients. Even though we divided the tasks and focused mainly on our own stuff, I turned around every few minutes to glance at her. She moved along to the music while cutting vegetables and I smiled, glad to see her enjoying herself.

Every time a favorite song of ours came out, we would turn to each other and just enjoy the song to the fullest while attempting to still do our tasks. To be honest, it did feel like we were in a corny drama or movie when we did that but we decided to ignore that. We were having fun so what’s the point in overthinking.

Thanks to the excitement, I forgot that I was cooking and dealing with a hot stove. Of course, I accidentally had to hurt myself while jamming out to a song with _____. I cursed out loud when my hand hit the hot surface, pulling it back immediately.

“Oh, my, are you okay?” her eyes widened.

I just hissed and opened the faucet to give some first-aid to the burn. She came to stand next to me and we looked at my hand together (as if it was a sight to see). While I cringed at the pain, the cheerful music kept playing in the background.

“You should have been careful,” she scolded me.

I turned to look at her and was slightly taken aback by how close her face was to mine. “Sorry,” I apologized almost subconsciously, just staring at her.

“Oh, well. You’re a big boy already, you’ll live,” she threw a joke and patted my head like I was a kid.

I snorted in amusement and she returned to where she had been cooking, a wide smile on her lips. She moved a little along the music and I watched her while keeping my hand under the running water. The smile remained on her lips and I was almost mesmerized by it.

“For how long are you planning on just standing there?” she chuckled after a while, waking me up from the daze.

“Oh, right,” I closed the faucet and hurried back to what I had been doing before the small mishap.

Your POV

Your eyelids were starting to grow heavy and you kept yawning. Chan was so focused on the movie that he didn’t notice how tired you were, which you thought was a good thing. Subconsciously, you kept glancing at him. You found yourself staring at him a few times. To the sleepy you, he seemed a whole lot more interesting than the movie you two were watching.

“Are you getting tired?” he suddenly asked and turned his head to look at you.

Surprised, you sat up straight and shook your head. “I’m wide-awake.”

You purposefully looked at him with wide eyes, making him let out a chuckle. “I didn’t know that you tend to snore when you’re awake.”

“What?” you asked, bewildered. “Snore? Me? When did I ever?!”

He just laughed and you grabbed a pillow, smacking him with it. “It’s kind of cute.” “Shut up!” you felt somewhat embarrassed and felt your cheeks heat up.

“I’m serious! It’s adorable, really,” he just found your reaction amusing.

It could have been the fact that you were super tired, but you felt upset about his behavior, giving him a glare and getting up. “I’m going to bed. I hope you choke in your sleep.”

“What? Wait a second,” he still sounded amused and you decided to just ignore him, slamming the door shut once you were in his room. “_____,” you heard from the other side of the door.

Ignoring him, you went to bed, covered yourself with the thick blanket and closed your eyes. You felt childish but figured it was best to just sleep it off.

The next morning you stood in front of the door for a good ten minutes before going out. You were embarrassed for how you had acted and you were more than ready to blame it all on how tired you had been. Still, it felt weird to face Chan.

“I’m sorry I let you down,” he said immediately when you went in to the kitchen where he was making breakfast.

“What?” you asked, confused.

He turned to look at you. “I didn’t choke in my sleep. I’m sorry.”

You were dumbfounded for a second, not sure how to react to his joke. “I was just joking, you know,” you said and walked over to him. “I didn’t mean it. I was just tired. And you pissed me off. And-“

You were cut off when he stuffed the sandwich he had made in to your mouth. “Eat,” he said, smiling out of amusement at your surprised expression. “It’s my apology for being stupid.”

“You weren’t stupid,” you said after swallowing the bite.

He gave you a look.

“Okay, well, maybe just a little.”

Your comment made him grin and he returned to making a sandwich for himself. “So, what do you want to do today?”

You ate some more and hummed. “Well, you said there’s a studio nearby.”

“The one Changbin owns? Yeah, it’s nearby. You want to go there?” You nodded. “You could show me some of your new compositions. I know you have some.”

He looked reluctant. “I don’t know. Those are pretty bad, to be honest.” “Maybe I can help you with them?” you suggested.

“Only if you promise you will help me record a little,” he demanded and even though you felt slightly nervous about the idea, you agreed in the end.

“Want to go straight away?” he took a bite out of his sandwich.

“Can we?”

“Changbin lets me use the studio freely, so I can go pretty much any time I want to,” he explained.

“Well, I don’t mind,” you said. “I’ll go get changed and we can leave?”

He nodded and you downed the last bits of your sandwich before heading to his room to change. It didn’t take long and soon you two were outside, walking to the studio. You both enjoyed the fresh air in your lungs, mentioning it to each other briefly. You thought it was refreshing to be outside after having spent the day before at the apartment.

“It still amazes me how Changbin got this place,” you stated when you two arrived in front of the building where the studio was located.

Changbin was a mutual friend of yours. He was a mystery to both of you and you were baffled about where and how he had gotten enough money to buy a place for the studio. During your stay, you and Chan had come up with a few conspiracies as to how it had happened.

The studio was neat; there was a lot of equipment for producing music varying from actual instruments to a mic and a desktop. It was also tidy - unlike you had expected - and you were pleasantly surprised by that.

Chan headed straight to the desktop, turning it on and sitting down on the chair in front of it.

“How often do you come here?” you asked.

“I usually spend most of the nights here,” he confessed with a grin. “He works here during the day and I don’t want to bother him.”

“How thoughtful,” you said teasingly and he snorted. “Haven’t you two produced a few songs together before?”

“Yeah, with one friend of ours,” he said while you dragged a chair over and sat down next to him. “What would you like to hear first?” he turned to look at you.

“The one you dislike the most,” you suggested. “I want, for once, to see a genius fail.”

“Stop saying things like that,” he nudged you with his elbow, though he was smiling a little. “Anyway. If you want to see me fail, I’m sure you’ll love everything I have to offer you right now.”

You gave him a look but he ignored it, clicking play on one of the demos he had saved on the desktop. You listened to it, wondering why he disliked it so much; to you, it sounded okay.

“Next,” you said when it ended. “That one was good. You don’t need my magical skills with that.”

He rolled his eyes in amusement and let you listen to the next one. “For this one I want you to record a bit. I think your voice would fit it perfectly.”

“Fine by me,” you shrugged and listened to the music carefully.

He showed you the lyrics he had wrote and soon after you were attempting to record a few lines with the mic there. It wasn’t professional in any way but he wasn’t trying to make a finished track out of that recording anyway, so it wasn’t a problem. After a few tries, you stopped.

“Should we try together?” you asked. “I feel like the chorus needs more than just one voice.”

He agreed and you tried together a few times. You liked how your voices blended together and a smile curved your lips up as you recorded the chorus over and over again, both leaning close to the mic. You didn’t realize how close your faces were before you turned to look at each other and your noses almost touched. Surprised, you both leaned away, just staring at each other.

After a brief awkward silence, you let out an even more awkward laugh and looked away. He kept looking at you and it bothered you a little. The music kept playing and you returned to your original position to attempt recording a little more. Before you could say anything, he leaned closer and pressed a kiss on your lips out of nowhere.

“Sorry definitely not sorry about that,” he said when you looked at him with a shocked expression. “I’ve been meaning to do that for a few days now.”

“What was that?” you asked.

“Me expressing that I wouldn’t mind being more than friends with you,” he explained rather calmly.

“Why?” you blurted out.

“Why not?” he asked. “I like you.”

“You do?” you blurted out once again.

A small chuckle left his lips. “You think I would have kissed you if I didn’t?”

“I don’t know. I can’t read your mind.” “Are you flustered?” he seemed amused.

“Yeah, a little,” you admitted. “That was sudden. I wasn’t expecting it. Like, at all.”

He was silent for a few seconds, just looking at you with a smile. “Can I do that again?” he asked, making you wonder what kind of black magic he was practicing to remain so calm and collected - you on the other hand were having some sort of a breakdown. “Would you mind?”

“No,” you answered.

“What does that mean?”

“That I wouldn’t mind…?” you hesitated.

He leaned in for another kiss almost immediately, catching you off-guard once again. Your heart raced and your cheeks felt hot as the kiss lasted longer than the first one. Just as when you were starting to enjoy the moment, you two were interrupted by the sound of something dropping.

You two pulled away from each other and turned to look towards the door of the studio where you discovered Changbin. He was standing there, a bag on the ground next to his feet.

“Oh, you’re here,” Chan seemed to remain his calm while you were, once again, freaking out a little inside your head.

“Pretend I never saw that,” Changbin said with a frown on his face. “Don’t get me wrong, my lovely friends, I’m all for love and happy endings but please don’t use this sacred place of mine to do your dirty stuff.”

“You hang out here with your girlfriend all the time, though,” Chan pointed out as Changbin closed the door and picked up his bag.

“That’s different,” Changbin claimed, earning a snort from Chan.

“Yeah, whatever,” he said and turned to look at you. “Should we go “do our dirty stuff” elsewhere?”

“Ew,” Changbin exclaimed from across the room. “Don’t word it like that.”

“Let’s go,” Chan ignored him and grabbed your hand before leading you out rather quickly.

Your cheeks were still hot when you got outside, and you were in sort of a daze from what was going on.

“Now,” he turned to look at you. “We don’t have many days before you leave so I want to use all the time as effectively as possible.”

“What do you mean?” you asked.

“We have to do all the cheesy, lovey-dovey stuff couples do,” he grinned. “What do you want to begin with?”

And so, you two spent the rest of your visit going on dates and being lovey-dovey. It made leaving harder for you, sure, but you couldn’t have enjoyed the time you spent with him

[ariistocracies]

adelaide kane. cisfemale. she/her. — did you see { scarlett forrester }, i haven’t seen the { twenty-eight }year old in a while! you know, they’re a { meteorologist }, and have been living in jersey city for { eight months }. some say they’re { capricious & censorious }, but i think they’re { poised & eloquent }. regardless, i’m glad { scarlett } is here.

STATISTICS:

full name: scarlett cordelia forrester nicknames: scar or scarlett gender: cisfemale sexuality: pansexual / panromantic occupation: meteorologis birthday: february 14th, 1990 hometown: savannah, georgia spoken languages: english and italian hogwarts house: ravenclaw

BACKSTORY + PERSONALITY:

off the bat scarlett is a southern girl through and through .. born and raised in savannah, georgia for her whole life and the only reason she could handle living in the south was bc savannah was relatively a bustling city more than just ... immense farmland that surrounded on the outskirts when u get further and further outside the city so it made her time there relatively better

scarlett absolutely hated living in georgia .. not a v big fan of the heat and as someone who’s incredibly liberal in her beliefs, being suffocated by her extremely conservative parents and in such a highly red state , she always felt like she was destined for bigger things than what georgia had to offer her

not to mention she lived under the thumb of her parents which ?? sucked majorly bc her mom and dad were some odd mix of modern and old ideologies ?? scar tolerated her dad more than her mom tbh but not by a lot bc he refused to believe climate change was real lmao.. he was an english professor at georgia southern university who specialized in biblical studies and greek works and had heavy beliefs that he tried pushing on to scar like .. tried policing which book she would read and hated that she would consistently read things by oscar wilde and other famous victorian authors bc of the underlying themes of homosexuality and scar was like ,, fucking get over it gdi

like he lit didn't want her reading harry potter bc he felt as though it made a mockery of the bible with its references and wizards n shit so scar is just v.. tired of her parents. like they lived comfortably bc of her dads tenure position and her mom owned her own beauty salon that was p successful so it’s whatever

her mom named her after scarlett o’hara bc gone with the wind was one of her favorite movies and her dad was :// so he got to choose her middle name and he’s lame and chose cordelia bc she’s the perfect daughter in shakespeare’s king lear but lmao how’d that turn out

but her mom always had this weird thing about money where she wanted to flaunt it and have people think they were wealthier than they were ?? wanted so desperately to fit into that whole southern debutante society bc she came from a working class family and they didn't have money for that kind of stuff

so unfortunately for scarlett and her younger sister virginia ,, their mom lived vicariously though them and pushed the two girls into beauty pageants once they were trained to the degree she wanted up until she could force them into debutante season and try to make them into two lovely southern belles

uHHh scarlett absolutely hated it ?? wanted nothing to do with it but she was young and no matter how much she vocalized her dislike for them , her mom shushed her and told her she didn’t have much of a choice so scar was like lmao wait until i turn 18 .. so yeah scarlett went through the likes of etiquette and what it means to be a lady and some of it is still engrained in her which she hates but it’s there and she’s bitter about it

literally scar and her sister were those little girls with huge curls and sequined dresses and bright lipstick . it was a mess tbh but the transition from that to debutante was intense and it gives her war flashbacks tbh

but one thing that came out of it was that scarlett joined the competition of miss gerogia teen usa and won .. which is wild enough but fake it to u make it am i rite laid ease !! but that’s not even the wild part bc from that ,, when she was 17 scarlett moved on to miss teen usa  which was a different type of hell and scarlett fully believes the whole thing is an inner ring of hell thing that everyone will experience sooner or later but anYWHO !! scarlett hates herself bc she ended up winning the 2009 cycle of miss teen usa

it’s weird though bc there’s a disconnect from pageant scarlett to what she actually is like ?? especially in high school when all this was going on and she was considered widely popular by her classmates bc of winning georgia teen usa and then miss teen usa but she rejected it ?? had a secure circle of friends and minded her own business . smarter than people anticipated for her to be and kept up with clubs that fit into her schedule like the schools production club which put on the morning announcements where she was a presenter and just the biology club and just .. ignored boys in general bc lmao they all sucked and just wanted to get their dick wet

lmao her parents were 👀 bc scar excelled in the scientific fields and was interested in pursing anything science related in college .. her dad was butthurt bc he’s like but scarlett !! biblical studies !! and her mom was butthurt bc scarlett !! what about miss america !! and when she graduated scarlett was like lmao sike !! told her parents she was majoring in meteorology / atmospheric sciences and u know dad i read harry potter and i loved it !!!!

so naturally her parents were outraged and while they didn’t blacklist her from the family , they never called her when she was in school and vacations were oddly quiet and scar feels bad bc now their sole focus in on virgina and making her the ideal daughter that scarlett wasn’t so rip virginia

u can bet that scarlett went up to nyc for college at coumbia and her ass loved it !! loved the bustling city of new york and just generally glad that she was able to get out of georgia and just escape the heat lmao ,. also her parents but she fucked with the fall and winter seasons. plus she managed to get an internship at a news station and she fits right in bc her pageant days come in handy for charming people and getting them to like her so sis secured some good letters of recommendation !!

it helps out bc when she graduates she’s offered a position in some small town in rhode island and she accepts it bc u have to start somewhere and from there she settles for a year or two before she’s bounced around numerous times .. each time to a bigger city bc of her hard work ethic and dedication .. plus it helps that she’s conventionally attractive and knows how to work a camera and ppl love her when she’s on air

about eight months ago scarlett is contacted by the news station she interned at while in college and they tell her that their tv meteorologist moved stations to over in chicago so they offered her the position p much and scarlett was like !! i get to be back in new york !! except lmao sike bc it’s expensive so scarlett decided jersey city is the next best thing so rn u probably see her doing the weather on the news and she loves her job

never talks about her beauty pageant past so if u want to embarrass her then pls do sjfdsjk she’ll just brood and sulk if anything .. but overall she’s a p chill person who is actually p chatty and can be incredibly persuasive since she knows her way around words and has a bit of a silver tongue .. but for as much as she likes to talk to ppl she’s very tough to get to open up about herself of get into a friendship w her

v critical and blunt about her thoughts just from putting up with her parents bullshit and especially bc her dad is butthurt over her being a meteorologist bc he’s just stupid and thinks climate and weather are the same .. but generally still comes across as v poised and ladylike just bc it’s so engrained into her from all the pageants and what not so thanks mom

has the complete opposite of resting bitch face jdsljk i guess resting pleasant face ?? she hates it bc it can often bite her in the ass bc people take it as just being super kind and never shutting up and telling them their life stories and while she enjoys talking to ppl she has to be in the right mood .. so issa struggle

has a backbone of steel and it takes a lot for her stubborn ass to change her mind so if she swallows her pride and ever apologizes then know it’s a big thing for her jdfslk will she ever truly escape her miss teen usa ?? who knows !! hopefully not bc having her groan about it brings me joy so someone make her suffer

[craniumhurricane]

i’ll have the eggplant emoji

So I started writing a fic back in February and intended for it to be a Valentine’s gift for @katchyalater but that never happened SO! Merry Christmas Kac!

On AO3!

Bellamy: Can I come over tonight?

Clarke: It's Saturday?

I thought you had a date tonight??

Bellamy: I did

It ended earlier than I planned.

Clarke: Shit!

Yeah sure

Did you make it to dinner?

I'm ordering takeout

 When Bellamy lets himself into Clarke’s apartment he's wearing what she considers his “dating outfit”; a pair of nice dark wash jeans with a blue button up and a jacket that has those weird elbow patches that he somehow pulls off. He’s even got contacts in instead of wearing his glasses which is really a shame. He’s adorable with his glasses and artfully messy hair. Not that it matters, all forms of Bellamy are attractive to Clarke. But she refuses to let that get in the way of helping her best friend. She’s already got a beer waiting for him on the coffee table which he immediately grabs and twists off the cap before taking a pull.

“Food should be here soon,” she tells him as he sits down next to her on the couch. “And the cat will come skulking out once she realizes you're here. Bad date?”

“Just what I came for,” he says with a rueful smile and then frowns, bringing the bottle up again but pausing before it reaches his lips. “We broke up. Or rather we aren't seeing each other anymore. Fuck, I don't know. Do you consider it dating after only four dates?”

“Some people might but hey, what are labels really?” She shrugs and takes a sip of her own beer.

“Thanks,” he says with a smile before finally taking the swig.

She really does feel bad for him. Not that Clarke liked Echo. To be honest she couldn't really stand her, but Bellamy hadn't dated anyone since Gina broke up with him two years ago for reasons Clarke doesn't even know. It was amicable and the two of them are still friends but Clarke just wants her best friend to be happy. And for all intents and purposes, he did seem happy with Echo. Even if she was a royal bitch to most of his friends.

The cat comes out from the hallway and Bellamy seems distracted trying to get her attention so Clarke clears her throat and asks, “Netflix or Discovery Channel?”

Which is how they end up finishing the six pack Clarke had in the fridge and starting in on the bottles of weird foreign beer that her mom gave her as a Christmas present last year. They're watching some cheesy romance movie that came on after a Parks and Rec rerun marathon and were both too lazy to reach for the remote. The cat is curled up in Bellamy’s lap and Clarke's not sure when his head ended up on a pillow in her own lap or when she started carding her fingers through his hair but she's not going to comment on it.

“See and that's all it really takes,” he says suddenly, breaking the comfortable silence and gesturing at the TV.

Clarke knows he's nowhere near drunk. They've gone to Gina's bar more times than any of their friends and those drinks usually consisted of hard liquor which Gina was very generous with. Bellamy has spent more than one occasion holding her hair back and in return she's held onto his glasses and few times for him. She's pretty sure they're both fine right now, if maybe a little tipsy.

“Emotional manipulation until you have the girl right where you want her but surprise! You’ve been a good guy all along?”

Bellamy frowns and then suddenly sits up, dislodging the cat from her position with an indignant meow. He's back to sitting next to her on the couch but now he’s close enough that their shoulders graze each other. “No, just a simple gesture to show you like someone. Like,” he gestures at the TV again, “sending flowers. All these kids today sending dick pics and eggplant emojis. People still want to be courted. Gestures that are cute and thoughtful are way more intimate than grainy photos of hairy dicks.”

Clarke stares at his profile for a second and feels a slight blush creep up her neck and onto her face that she will blame entirely on the alcohol. It isn't until he turns to look at her that she realizes that he probably wanted a reply.

“Do people send you hairy dicks often? Isn't manscaping supposed to be a thing?”

He laughs, like she knew he would, and shoves her lightly which gratefully creates some space between them. “Shut up and put Netflix on.”

Bellamy helps her clean up the takeout boxes and leaves without any fanfare about two hours later. Clarke offered to walk him halfway but he turns her down mumbling something along the lines of it being only a 10 minute walk. She crawls into her bed and aimlessly scrolls through her social media feeds, actively ignoring the thought that hasn't left her alone since Bellamy had mentioned it when they were lying on the couch.

She pauses once she gets the text that he made it home, interrupting her scroll through Tumblr. She considers it for half a second and then opens a new tab in her web browser and before she knows what she's doing she's found a reasonable florist in the area that makes deliveries.

“That’s all it takes,” she breathes as she types in the delivery information.

*

She'd like to think she's the type of person that wouldn't obsess about it but let's be real; she is definitely the type of person to obsess about it. She spends most of Monday morning checking her phone every 5 minutes for the time. Not sure if the delivery confirmation or a text from Bellamy will come first. She's honestly not sure which she wants to receive first.

Thankfully she actually does get swept up with patients at the clinic and is gratefully distracted until close to her lunch time.

It's just after 11:30 when she's walking Mrs. Kane out that she gets a text from Bellamy. He has combination lunch and office hours from 11:30 to 1:30 which is why she indicated this as the best time for delivery. Clarke quickly announces to the front that she'll be in her office before she hurries in and shuts the door. The text is a picture of the arrangement but she’s too distracted by the blinking dots that indicate he's still typing to really appreciate them.

Bellamy: [image]

Thanks for the flowers, Princess.

I'm really not that upset over Echo but I appreciate the gesture.

Clarke stares at the messages and waits for more... But none show up. She exits out of her texting app as if that will refresh it but when she goes back in there's still nothing. Now she's scowling at her phone because that idiot didn't get it!

Or maybe he doesn't feel that way about her?

Once upon a time she thought he did but the timing wasn’t right. She had just gotten out of a rough relationship and wasn’t looking for anything serious. And then, when she was ready, he was dating Gina. Next was Niylah for her followed by, most recently, Echo for him. When she was ordering the flowers, Clarke didn’t allow herself to debate over whether it was a good idea. She just thought, with both of them single, that this could finally be it. But maybe it was too late. Maybe they missed their window.

Halfheartedly, because she knows he'll think it's weird if she doesn't reply, she types out a response.

 Clarke: Glad you like them.

 And a part of her means it. Her friendship with Bellamy is more important to her than unrequited feelings. Still, she pockets her phone and doesn't think about it for the rest of the day.

It's later that night, when she's sitting at home with a bottle of wine, that he sends her another picture. He’s brought the flowers home and put them in one of the shitty vases she made when she thought pottery was going to be her new hobby. An assumption that she had been so so wrong about. He mostly kept it as a reminder that not all her ideas are good ones but she has to admit that the arrangement does look good in it now that she actually looks at it. The vase is simple, if a bit lopsided and lumpy, yet colorful and with the flowers it looks very... homey. He has them displayed in the center of his kitchen/dining table where she knows he does all of his grading.

 Bellamy: [image]

Look, your vase has a real purpose

Other than taunting you

Sorry, couldn’t resist. I really do appreciate the flowers though

 A goofy smile returns to Clarke’s lips and a flicker of hope reignites in her chest. She decides that she isn't giving up that easily. The gesture was sweet but maybe not grand enough...

*

Bellamy teaches at Ark University and Clarke knows his schedule as well as she knows her own which is how she knows he has lecture hall on Wednesdays. She plans her next delivery accordingly.

She purposefully took a late lunch and at 2pm she shuts herself in her office, pulls her phone out, and waits. At four minutes past the hour her phone lights up with a selfie of her and Bellamy at the fair, indicating a phone call.

“Hi,” she answers with a smile.

“I think the florist you used messed up your order.”

She startles upright in her chair, “Wh-What?”

“You ordered a delivery for Monday, right?” Bellamy asks before barreling on as if he's distracted, “They just came in at the end of my class with five more arrangements. You might want to call them and make sure they didn’t charge you for all of these.”

She blinks a few times. Of course, of course, he would worry about something like that.

“No, that's right,” she says carefully.

“Which is why you should call them,” he says, as if it’s the most obvious thing to do. “Tell them you only wanted the Monday order. The guy already left and I doubt they'll take these back so I'm giving them to my students.” She can hear him shuffling and talking to other people.

“No! That's not what I -”

“Related note; this does not help me get my students to stop hitting on me,” he says pointed.

She’s slowly moving from exasperated to frustrated. The smart thing to do would be to wait for his attention to be back on her and slowly and calmly explain that it's not a mistake and that, yes, she did send another five arrangements to his place of work, in front of his students, so there would be witnesses.

But Clarke's brain doesn't always work when she's frustrated and now this declaration of love is a thing. She's not backing down yet.

“We can work on that,” she says with determination.

* 

Bellamy's taking his classes on a field trip to the museum on Friday and won't be home all day. The clinic is only open until noon so Clarke has a free afternoon. It's the perfect opportunity.

Clarke has a key to his apartment because of course she does. He had given her a key after that one time when she waited outside in the hallway because he was running late and felt guilty about it. She uses it all the time to let herself in so she really doesn't feel bad about using it now...

She smiles when she sees the original flowers she sent him on Monday are still in the vase she made and are still sitting on his kitchen table. He must be changing the water every day because they still look really good considering they're a few days old.

She doesn't have long to admire them because the delivery guys are right on time. Clarke lets them in and begins directing them on where they can put stuff. Once they’re done unloading, she gives them a generous tip and sets about adjusting the arrangements herself. If five wasn’t enough for him to get it then maybe fifteen will do the trick.

In a true moment of feeling sappy, she decides to put her note in a card holder in the original arrangement.

After one last look around she gives herself a nod of approval and locks up as she leaves. She manages to keep the skip out of her step but not the smile from her face as she walks the few blocks to her place.

She’s playing with the cat and still smiling when Bellamy calls just after six.

“What the hell, Clarke?!” he yells into the phone in lieu of a getting. Loud enough that the cat startles and runs away.

“I had to get your attention,” the smile is a little hard to keep with him yelling at her.

“And bringing on an allergy attack was the way to do that?”

She feels the frustration begin to set in again, “Didn’t you see the card?”

“What card? Clarke, what is going on?”

She lets out a strangled noise. “The card on your kitchen- you know what, I'll be right over.”

When she arrives at Bellamy’s apartment she uses her key once again to open the door. He's standing in the middle of the room, eyes darting around to each arrangement as if he's unsure where to begin before his eyes land on her.

He sniffles and that does make her feel a little guilty, especially when his eyes are slightly red.

“Seriously Clarke, what the hell?”

She squares her shoulders like she's preparing for a fight and walks over to the table where she had left her note. “You said a simple gesture would work but apparently, with you, that isn't the case. So I had to go bigger.” She pulls the note out and whirls around.

He's frowning at her when she turns around so she just thrusts her hand out and shoves the card into his chest.

“And when that didn't work I decided I had to go even bigger,” she gestures around the room.

His eyes drop to read the note and there’s suddenly silence in the room. She doesn't know if it’s as awkward as she thinks it is but thankfully he starts talking before she can start rambling.

“You love me?” he looks up at her with something that looks like hope in his eyes.

All at once she lets out a breath and feels the tension drain from her shoulders only to be replaced by nerves and that damn blush again. “Well, yeah.”

Instantly, he closes the space between them and kisses her. Clarke's hands immediately go to the hair at the nape of his neck as if they were magnets just waiting for permission. Likewise, she can feel one of his hands thread through her hair while the other rests on her cheek.

They break apart for air but he doesn't go far, just rests his forehead against her’s with his eyes closed. “I'm in love with you too,” he says and suddenly they're both smiling at each other before she’s surging forward for another kiss.

They continue to make out for a few minutes before Clarke breaks out into a fit of giggles.

“What?” Bellamy asks as he pulls back to look at her.

She’s still chuckling but the look on her face is fond, “I should have just sent you an eggplant emoji.”

“Shut up,” he says with absolutely no heat, unable to keep his own smile off his face. “But yeah, could have saved yourself the trouble.”

“I'll remember that for next time.” But she doesn't think she'll need it.

[your-dietician]

MLB Trade Rumors and News: Cub throw no-hitter, Josh Bell to undergo MRI

New Post has been published on https://tattlepress.com/mlb/mlb-trade-rumors-and-news-cub-throw-no-hitter-josh-bell-to-undergo-mri/

MLB Trade Rumors and News: Cub throw no-hitter, Josh Bell to undergo MRI

The MLB Daily Dish is a daily feature we’re running here at MLBDD that rounds up roster-impacting news, rumors, and analysis. Have feedback or have something that should be shared? Hit us up at @mlbdailydish on Twitter or @MLBDailyDish on Instagram.

It is always nice to start the day with some good news and Cubs fans woke up to fuzzy feelings all around as Chicago used four pitchers including starter Zach Davies and closer Craig Kimbrel to no-hit the Dodgers. Kimbrel looked like the Kimbrel of old and lets not understate how difficult it is to shut down that Dodgers offense. Really impressive.

The Nationals suddenly find themselves surging in the NL East and right in the thick of the race for first place. Unfortunately, Josh Bell, whose hot hitting had helped propel Washington up the standings, is headed for an MRI on his right side which is never great news.

There was a bit of news coming out of the NL East last night on the eve of the series finale between the Braves and Mets. For the Mets, it was good news as Michael Conforto was activated from the injured list after dealing with a hamstring injury for a month or so. The news was less good for the Braves as MVP candidate Ronald Acuna Jr. ended up being a late scratch from the game due to tightness in his lower back.

MLB’s routine foreign substance checks for pitchers, which began on Monday, got a little weird on Tuesday night. Nationals ace Max Scherzer lived up to his “Mad Max” nickname, rolling his eyes and throwing his hands in the air during an early routine check. Then when Phillies manager Joe Girardi requested that he be checked for a third time during the middle of an inning, Scherzer threw down his hat, unbuckled his belt, and looked like he was about to take off his pants before being discouraged from doing so. As it turned out, Scherzer walked so Sergio Romo could run, as the veteran A’s reliever threw down his hat, glove, and belt before dropping his pants during a foreign substance check.

The Rays promoted top prospect Wander Franco, and he immediately made his presence known on Tuesday night, hitting a game-tying homer for his first major league hit while also collecting a double and a walk. At Triple-A Durham, the 20-year-old was slashing .323/.376/.601 with seven home runs in 173 plate appearances.

The Mets’ rotation sustained a pair of blows on Tuesday, as the team announced that lefty Joey Lucchesi will undergo Tommy John surgery, then right-hander Marcus Stroman exited his start early with left hip soreness. While they have a comfortable lead in the NL East, the Mets continue to be dealt an incredible amount of adversity, so it’ll be interesting to see if they can stay afloat.

The Blue Jays have signed veteran reliever John Axford, reports Jamie Campbell of Sportsnet. The 38-year-old hasn’t seen a major league mound since 2018 and had been working as an analyst on the Jays’ pre and postgame shows before being asked to pitch for them again. The bulk of his career came with the Brewers, as he played in Milwaukee from 2009-13, but now the Ontario native will embark on his third stint with Toronto.

The Tigers have released Wilson Ramos, per a club announcement. The 33-year old signed a $2M deal with Detroit at the beginning of this year, and he looked like he was really giving the Tigers the most value for their buck after going yard six times in his first nine games. Unfortunately that took a turn in early May, when a back injury completely derailed the 12-year major league veteran. Should he be able to heal quickly enough for a late season renaissance, he could make a great extra backstop for a team in contention. Posting a 105 wRC+ for the Mets in 2019, he’s still got some gas left in the tank for whatever team is willing to take the risk.

Astros third baseman Alex Bregman is going to be out for an extended period after suffering a quad injury trying to beat out a double play last week.

Rays ace Tyler Glasnow’s season is in jeopardy after he suffered a partially torn UCL and flexor strain in his right arm. He’ll initially try to rehab the injuries rather than immediately opting for Tommy John surgery. In an interesting crossover with the biggest story being discussed around baseball right now, Glasnow said MLB’s crackdown on foreign substances contributed to his injury, as he stopped using a mixture of sunscreen and rosin, and as a result he began gripping the baseball so hard that he injured his elbow.

A lot has been made in recent weeks about the proliferation of foreign substances used primarily (but certainly not exclusively) by pitchers to get better grip on balls to have better command as well as to generate greater spin. It has been clear that MLB was going to crack down on the practice and now it looks like it has landed on its chosen punishment, as it was announced that players found to be using such substances will receive a 10 game paid suspension.

The Cleveland Indians received some pretty rough news about the reigning 2020 CY Young Award winner as Shane Bieber landed on the IL with a strained shoulder. Cleveland’s pitching staff has struggled to stay healthy and/or effective for most of the season and with the loss of their best pitcher in Bieber for a few weeks at least, their quest to try and run down the division-leading White Sox just got that much harder.

It is fair to say that the 2021 season has been a particularly weird one. Teams that we all thought would be good haven’t been and teams that were thought to be afterthoughts have been anything but. Our own Andersen Pickard broke down the five most surprising teams from the 2021 season so far.

It’s the most glorious time of the year: here’s your 2021 MLB Draft primer for notable players, draft order, and more.

The Twins are dragging their feet for extension talks with Jose Berrios, SKOR North’s Darren Wolfson reports. Berrios has one last year of arbitration eligibility before he’s free to sow his wild oats and hit the market in the 2022-23 offseason. And as of now, the Twins have done little to nothing to stop him. Could that be because the NL Central 4th place team is looking to use him as a lucrative trade chip come this year’s deadline? The 27-year old could bring a significant return for Minnesota, but is it enough to risk for them losing him? He’s having another strong season this year, with a 3.49 ERA and a 26% strikeout rate. Either way, as the trade deadline gets closer, we’ll see what moves the Twins are thinking of making.

After going 5-24 in the month of May, the Arizona Diamondbacks are reeling and are already buried in an NL West where even a good season would not guarantee a playoff berth. In order to try to stop the bleeding and try to get back to some level of decency, Arizona fired hitting coaches Eric Hinske and Darnell Coles. Sadly, given the breadth of that roster’s issues, it seems like that they will still end up as one of the league’s worst teams.

Baseball’s draft is slowly transitioning more and more to how drafts are run in other sports which is definitely a good thing. While the MLB draft has certainly been covered as an event, there were not a lot of players present during the draft festivities because of the conflict with the college season and the pre-draft workouts were largely private and lesser in number, again, because of conflicts with games being played. The league appears to be trying to change that as they announced a draft combine with over 100 players scheduled to attend towards the end of June.

Designated hitter Khris Davis, the 2018 major league home run and an imposing slugger for the last half decade, has been designated for assignment by the Rangers after slashing .157/.262/.333 in 22 games with Texas. Davis, who was acquired from Oakland for Elvis Andrus in February, will now look to latch on with another club, though he may have trouble finding another opportunity considering that he’s no longer a viable option in the outfield.

Yankees starter Gerrit Cole, long suspected to be one of baseball’s most prominent sticky substance users, delivered an extremely uncomfortable minute-long answer when asked by the New York Post’s Ken Davidoff whether he’s ever used Spider Tack while pitching. Cole did not provide an explicit yes or no, saying “I don’t know quite how to answer that, to be quite honest” and suggesting the shady practice was the fault of veterans who had passed it down to younger pitchers.

Outfielder Jarred Kelenic, widely regarded as one of baseball’s top prospects and the potential savior of the Mariners organization, was optioned to Triple-A Tacoma after getting into an 0-for-39 slump. Kelenic, who played just 28 games in the upper minors (21 at Double-A in 2019 and seven at Triple-A this year) before reaching the majors, has an .096 batting average and .378 OPS in 23 major league games.

The Orioles have placed John Means on the injured list for a strain in his throwing shoulder, which yes, is totally a bummer from any standpoint. While an MRI revealed no structural damage, reports Roch Kubatko of MASN, Baltimore isn’t taking any chances exacerbating his shoulder. He’ll be reevaluated after seven to ten days and the team will have a clear decision on what to do from there. In the meantime, Zac Lowther has been recalled from Tripe-A Norfolk to take his place.

The Nationals really needed Stephen Strasburg to look like the Stephen Strasburg from their World Series run in order to be consistently competitive during the 2021 season. Unfortunately, that hasn’t been what we have seen from Strasburg as he has lost some velocity and his stuff is not as crisp. Now, the Nats got even worse news after Strasburg was forced to leave his start against the Braves early as he was placed on the 10 day injured list with a neck strain that is causing nerve irritation.

The Mets had been hopeful to get Noah Syndergaard back in their rotation soonish to try and hold off their division rivals in what has been a surprisingly bad National League East. Unfortunately, they will have to wait a good bit longer, as Syndergaard’s rehab hit a setback, and elbow inflammation will keep him out until at least August.

Mickey Callaway has been awaiting his official fate from the league in the wake of some some serious and troubling allegations regarding his treatment of female members of the media. Well, MLB announced the results of their investigations where they found that Callaway had engaged in lewd and inappropriate conduct regarding his sexual advances towards journalists. He is now suspended through at least the 2022 season, and the Angels immediately fired him upon the decision being made.

The Rays have traded Willy Adames to the Brewers in a four-player deal. Trevor Richards was also dealt to Milwaukee in exchange for relievers Drew Rasmussen and J.P. Feyereisen. The 25-year old Adames was arguably the core of the Rays’ young lineup last season, though he had struggled this season before being dealt. He will be taking over as the shortstop for that Brewers, who have been starved for consistency at the position and in desperate need of an offensive boost.

Perennial MVP candidate Mike Trout probably won’t win the AL MVP Award in 2021, as he’s going to spend the next 6-8 weeks on the shelf recovering from a calf strain. Even though Trout had slumped in May, he still led the majors with a .466 OBP and 1.090 OPS due to the ridiculous .425/.523/.781 slash line he posted in April, and his loss is as massive as can be for an Angels team that was already struggling to stay above water in the AL West.

The Dodgers signed veteran slugger Albert Pujols to a major league deal, less than a month after he was designated for assignment and released by the Angels. For a moment there was a rumor floating around that the 41-year-old might sign with the Cardinals so he could play out his career with the team he made his name with. But clearly the Dodgers believe he has some fuel left in the tank, despite the .198/.250/.372 slash line he posted with the Angels this season.

Remember when the league and MLBPA got in a very public back and forth that resulted in MLBPA essentially calling the league’s bluff and calling for a shortened slate of games with the idea that the players were going to file a grievance? Do you remember that Manfred tried to one-up that by saying no season was going to happen at all unless the players waived the right to file a grievance? That was fun…and that grievance has arrived as MLBPA formally accused the league of negotiating in bad faith on the terms of the 2020 season.

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[pluckyredhead]

Daredevil 101: The Nifty (Late) Nineties

Last time on Daredevil 101, Matt had yet another nervous breakdown, and Foggy finally found out, after 30 years of canon, that his best friend was Daredevil.

Now, with Matt having un-faked his death, he, Foggy, and Karen are free to settle into a new status quo - and it’s a refreshingly light-hearted one! Honestly, I would say this is the peppiest Daredevil ever is - there’s less melodramatic thought-bubbling than the Silver Age, and no undercurrent of severe depression like in the Waid run. It’s just sheer, pleasant fun.

In fact, it’s basically a romcom, with wacky misunderstandings and lots of workplace shenanigans thrown in. Which, considering we’re talking 1996-1998, is right on schedule.

Over the next three posts we’ll be covering Daredevil Volume 1 #353-375, mostly by the creative teams of Karl Kesel/Cary Nord and Joe Kelly/Gene Colan (the latter of whom also drew much of Silver Age Daredevil, aw).

Content Warning: Reading between the lines, emotional abuse by a parent.

We begin with Matt deciding that the best way to announce his return to the world is to stroll into the courtroom during one of Foggy’s cases and just start arguing it alongside him, creating a media circus. Foggy’s...less than thrilled:

How on earth would he know you’re really blind, Matt? You never a) explained anything or b) apologized, you literally just jumped out the window and ran away.

Anyway, they don’t have time to go into it (and Matt gets to skip out of apologizing again) because they get a shocking message:

1. Foggy, you are a fashion icon, never change.

2. How does he know Rosalind Sharpe? And why is he so agitated at the prospect of meeting with her???

Meanwhile, Karen's trying to find her own direction in life:

Matt’s always been pretty careless and jovial about Karen selling out his secret identity - he has literally never tasked her with or blamed her for it - but it weighs on Karen. Also, I don’t blame Karen for not being sure what job to take, since her last two were “handing out anti-porn pamphlets on a street corner” and “running a drug addiction hotline,” both of which are noble causes but neither of which seemed to come with a salary.

Side note: this haircut is very dated but it is my 100% favorite Karen haircut of all time. So kicky! So fresh! So Monica Gellar circa Season 2! I love it.

Meanwhile, Matt’s gone back to “swashbuckling banter-er” when it comes to fighting crime:

I mean, Matt’s jokes are stupid, but that’s part of the point. At least he didn’t say “Talk to the hand” or “Don’t have a cow, man.”

Later, he and Foggy meet with Rosalind, and she offers them both junior partnerships in her firm. Foggy instantly, gleefully accepts, but Matt’s more reluctant:

So yeah, Rosalind is a stone cold bitch, and I don’t use that word lightly. I think she’s a fascinating character but not because she’s, like, not an awful person or anything. (For anyone reading this who doesn’t know why this is so awful: Rosalind is Foggy’s biological mom, though Matt and the reader don’t know that at this point. That’s why this means so much to Foggy.)

It’s also pretty baffling, because Rosalind declares Foggy “adequate” and Matt “astounding,” but Matt has been a) disbarred and b) declared dead twice, while Foggy is a former district attorney and legal counsel to both the Fantastic Four and Tony Stark around this point in time. The perceived wisdom about the characters up until Bendis takes over in a couple years is that Matt is a brilliant attorney and Foggy’s a fumbling buffoon, and both Kesel and Kelly steer hard into that curve, but not only does it not match what the characters actually do, it never made any sense from a character point of view. Why would Matt, The Greatest Lawyer Ever, saddle himself with an incompetent? And how could he run The Most Successful Law Firm In New York while dragging Foggy’s dead weight behind him when it’s canon that he barely ever has the time or emotional capacity to do legal work? I WILL NOT STAND FOR THIS FOGGY NELSON SLANDER!

Anyway, Matt and Foggy take some time to hash it out (though Matt obviously doesn’t tell Foggy about Rosalind’s ultimatum), but it’s a tense discussion considering how hurt Foggy still is about the Daredevil thing:

“I can only say I’m sorry so many times, Foggy!” Maybe start with once? That’s a good number to begin at, Matthew. (This “UGH get OVER it” attitude continues for a while, btw, until Foggy finally stops bringing it up. Gee, I wonder where he learned to put up with such belittling dismissal from his loved ones?)

That’s Liz Osborn at the door - formerly Liz Allan, Spider-Man’s high school dream girl, now the widow of Harry Osborn, mother of his child Normie, and head of OsCorp. Foggy helped her with a legal matter recently and she’s come to, well...

Yeah, she’s there to ask him out. GET IT, GIRL. Liz knows what’s what. (Well, she does now. Not so much when she was 16, but then who among us did?)

Check out Foggy’s foreshadowing about Rosalind there in panel 2, btw.

Matt, meanwhile, realizes that he really does owe Foggy this after, you know, the lying to him forever thing, so he tells Rosalind he’s in, on one condition:

Yeah, so Rosalind wants to fuck her son’s best friend, right? That’s what’s happening here? I mean, I kind of get it - Cary Nord draws a hell of a Matt - but also Jesus Christ, no, Rose, keep it in your pants.

And so Nelson and Murdock becomes Sharpe, Nelson, and Murdock. Meanwhile, Karen is fully on board the Foggy/Liz train:

Matt, as usual, is deliberately obtuse/borderline resentful of the fact that Foggy might have other relationships. Oh, Matthew. I’m sure if you just tell Foggy you’re in a triad with him and Karen he’d be on board.

Hey look! It’s Misty!

(She’s the investigator for Rosalind’s firm. She’s also talking about Danny there, yes. They dated pretty consistently in the comics for like 40 years. They’re very cute. COMICS DANNY IS BETTER. Anyway I like it when she and Matt flirt.)

Oh and hey, while we’re here, let’s have the one-two punch of Nelson and Murdock in action. ONE: Matt, having badgered Foggy into defending a supervillain for convoluted Daredevil reasons, fails to show up in court:

Foggy, you are a sartorial wonder and a joy forever, I love you. (Seriously: KILLING. IT.)

TWO: Matt bursts in, either in costume or out, with evidence he’s just come into possession of that’ll blow this case wide open!

There you go, that’s every Daredevil trial scene ever except for the time Matt made Peter dress up as Daredevil so that he could cross-examine him.

Please note Rosalind cackling evilly back there, because she’s trying to get Foggy to throw Matt under the bus, because...she resorted to extortion to get Matt to join her firm and now she wants to ruin his reputation? Which will hurt hers to? Again, Rosalind’s so busy being calculating and cutthroat that her actions frequently don’t make any goddamn sense.

But this is also pretty much the moment that Foggy lets go of his resentment over Matt’s secret and re-pledges his troth, so I feel a lot of feels about it. Even if I would like to see Matt dangle a bit longer.

Meanwhile, Karen’s found a job, though she’s been a bit cagey about what it is with Matt. Why? Well, she’s a late night DJ/talk radio host...but for WFSK, which is owned by - you guessed it - Fisk. But she’s great at it!

This dialogue is 100% ridiculous but also 100% believable, can’t you just hear her cadence? If you’re old enough to remember this kind of thing, at least.

Rosalind has decided to turn Foggy’s friendship with Daredevil (who of course she doesn’t know is Matt) into a win for the firm by branding him as “Daredevil’s Pal,” so she calls in and puts a very startled Foggy on the phone so that he can talk about his relationship with Daredevil:

YOU GUYS. I’M CAN’T. <3 <3 <3

A few callers dial in with weird theories and questions (“What if he has weird bug eyes?” “Whatever happened to those funny little kids he used to hang out with?”), but then “Mike” from the Bronx calls to ask what Karen - I mean, “Paige Angel” - thinks of Daredevil:

Karen goes on to say that Daredevil’s saved her life, and she wouldn’t be the person she is without him. “Mike” replies that Daredevil must be blind...if he can’t see how lucky he is to have people like her in his corner. He adds that whoever Daredevil is, he’d probably be impressed that “Paige” is trying to do some good from the inside at a place like WFSK.

Karen, not being an idiot, recognizes Matt and is touched. And Matt, who’s just heard his two favorite people wax rhapsodic about how wonderful he is?

AWWWWW LOOK AT THIS HAPPY BOY! You enjoy it, buddy. You don’t get to have it too often.

Next up: Nelson family drama, and the return of two of Matt’s old flames!

[watchmist1412]

Break The Ice - Chapter 1

Co-written by @bloodredruby and @watchmist1412

Full cover

Words ~ 2000

Rated K+

Summary: Figure Skating AU. After an accident Gray, a professional figure skater, has to take some time off to heal and he’s not enjoying it AT ALL. What he didn’t expect was meeting Juvia, a swimmer tired of her career, even less ending up as her coach. Lucy, an aspiring figure skater, came to realize it was a whole new experience with a pink haired weirdo and his equally weird cat by her side.

Fanfiction.net

Next Chapter >>

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Gray had been sitting alone in this empty room for a while now. He had left the skater’s waiting room with a lame excuse to find the most abandoned part of the building to sit alone with his misery. So there he was… sitting with his head clasped tightly between his hands.

It hurt so much! Why did he have to go and get sick on the Final of the skating competition? Curse his luck!

He had taken a painkiller half an hour ago but it didn’t seem to work. The pain had yet to leave him. He couldn’t even stand having the lights open because the light hurt his eyes. He was so pathetic.

“Popsicle? Where are you? It’s almost your turn.” a familiar voice was heard from the corridor. Of course Gildarts would send him to look for Gray. He figured he couldn’t stay in his little room for long but the skater was hoping for a bit more peace and quiet. Well as much peace as he could have with his head feeling like a thousand needles are poking it. He hadn’t been gone for that long though, had he?

Gray sighed and slowly got up, “I’m here flame brain! Why do you have to make such a fuss?”

A pink colored head poked out from the door, “Found you! Why are you here anyway? Gildarts made me look all over the place for you. And what’s up with the lights?” Natsu commented while looking around the room.

“I don’t know… they must be broken.” He lied

“Of course you found the darkest place to sit and brood. But hey, don’t worry, if you want to chicken out of the competition I understand. It’s natural to be intimidated by my awesome performance!”

“Yeah you wish!” Gray smirked. Even this little motion made his head pound. “That would be your only way of winning”

“Oh yeah? We’ll see about that.”

Loud clapping could be heard from the distance. The previous skater must have finished his free skate.

“That’s my cue.” said the pink-haired skater “I’ll definitely beat you ice princess!” he shouted as he left the room.

“Yeah in your dreams!” Gray shouted after him. He took a big breath. He could do this, he had practice the routine a hundred times. Even if his head was hurting he couldn’t let it destroy his efforts.

It was going to be alright. He had memorized the routine by heart. It was going to be alright.

————————

“That was an amazing performance by Natsu Dragneel! The score will be…”

Gray tuned out the announcer’s voice. He had to focus. His head felt like it would burst into pieces any moment now.

“Next up… Gray Fullbuster! Skating to “Frozen Soul”

Gray took off to the ice and took his starting position. He was feeling dizzy. Were the lights always this bright?

The music started playing and Gray mechanically started his free skate.

A little headache wouldn’t bring him down.

He prepared himself for the first jump, a triple loop.

Perfect. He could hear the audience clapping.

Slide left, then right and then a quadruple flip.

Just before his feet begun to leave the ice, he felt lightheaded. He then knew he messed up badly.

Gray hit the ice roughly, not managing to break his fall. He felt a jabbing pain coming from his leg. His head was spinning even worse than before.

He felt his vision blur. He tried to get up but he didn’t succeed. He should get up, he had to finish the skate.

He started to lose focus of the world around him. He could faintly hear the announcer’s voice. “There seems to be a problem! Fullbuster isn’t getting up!”

Why was everything spinning?

He couldn’t keep his eyes open any longer. Why did they have to be so loud? He felt like the noise only added to his headache. He just wanted to sleep.

Then everything went black.

———————————–

Natsu stared at his friend’s sleeping form.

Yes, he did consider him a close friend despite their constant fighting. They didn’t really hate each other though they would never admit that.

Gray was in the hospital after a nasty fall. Apparently, the idiot had a fever but refused to tell anyone and decided to compete and didn’t that go wonderfully. That’s why he was covered in bandages and unconscious.

Natsu had rushed to the hospital with Gildarts, their coach, and now here he was waiting for his sleeping rink mate to wake up while Gildarts talked to the doctor.

He heard the door opening behind him and he turned to see Erza, a longtime friend of theirs and a fellow skater.

“I came as soon as I could. How is he?”

“He’s sleeping like a log.” Natsu gestured to Gray’s sleeping form “Gildarts is still talking with the doctor.”

Erza sighed “Right before I forget” she reached for her bag and pulled out a gold medal “This is yours. The judges gave it to me after you fled the rink, they were really pissed that the gold medalist left before the award ceremony.” She offered him the medal.

Natsu stared at her extended arm for a moment “I don’t want it.”

“Natsu…”

“I don’t deserve it! If I’m going to win gold I should win it fair and square! Not when that idiot went and got injured!”

He knew it wasn’t his fault that Gray was in the hospital but he couldn’t help but feel guilty. He should have noticed something was off. He should have noticed… then none of this would have happened.

“Who are you calling an idiot flame brain?” said a weak voice

“Gray you’re awake! How are you feeling? Is anything hurting?” the redhead was never calm in these situations.

“Relax Erza. I don’t think I’m in a critical condition” Gray tried to lift himself from the bed but failing.

“I should go find a doctor. Wait here!” Erza fled the room.

“It’s not like I could go anywhere.” murmured Gray.

“Nice to see you haven’t lost your humor” said Natsu dryly.

————————————-

Gray was sitting in his hospital bed alone. He had sent Natsu, Erza and Gildarts home. They insisted of staying but Gray needed some time alone to process what happened.

“Damn it!” Gray hit his hand on the bedside table from frustration.

According to his doctor he had badly injured his knee. He also hit his head in the fall but thankfully, he avoided a concussion.

He had to wear a cast for seven weeks and he will be walking with crutches. Even after his leg would be healed and he could take out the cast, he would have to wear a knee brace and start physical therapy.

Fortunately, he wouldn’t have a permanent problem but he couldn’t participate in competitions for a long time. He couldn’t even walk without help at the moment, let alone skate.

Gray’s hand started trembling. He tried to force himself to calm down. His lips tightened with frustration. How did he manage to screw up his life so badly?

Gray let out a shaky laugh, “I guess I really am an idiot.”

———————————-

When Gray was preparing for a competition a month felt like a week.

Now a month of staying in his house to heal felt like a year.

He wasn’t completely alone though. Erza, Natsu and Gildarts visited him regularly as did some of his other friends. Even Gramps, the owner of the Fairy Tail ice rink, came to visit sometimes.

He wasn’t alone yet he felt empty inside.

He couldn’t laugh with his heart and even bickering with Natsu wasn’t the same. Not that he’d let the flame brain win their fights.

Gray missed skating. He missed the feeling of his skates cutting through the ice. The cold on his skin and dancing with the music. Feeling free…

He missed it terribly.

———————————–

Seven weeks had passed since the day of the accident and Gray would be finally able to take off the blasted cast. The thing was really getting on his nerves.

He had to use crutches to move around and he even had to swallow his pride and ask for help a number of times. Bathing was an absolute nightmare.

“What do you mean there’s a problem?”

“Calm down Mr. Fullbuster. It’s nothing that can’t be fixed with time and physiotherapy. You’ll just need a little more recovery time than I first expected. If you follow my instructions and be careful with straining your leg there shouldn’t be a problem.”

Gray shut his eyes “Skating… what about ice skating. When will I be able to start again?”

“Let’s see… if you do physiotherapy and watch out for your leg it should be about six to eight weeks. After that schedule an appointment with me and we’ll see.”

“That much? Can’t it be sooner?”

“Not if you want to cause serious damage where it didn’t exist.”

“Alright…”  

He just had to wait. Wait a little longer.

—————————

It was finally the day he could skate again. He got permission from his doctor and as long as he wouldn’t strain his leg it was alright. He could stay on the ice only for a little bit but it was better than nothing.

Gray opened the doors of the ice rink center and his practice rink for many years.

Fairy Tail was Magnolia’s local ice rink and one of the best in the country. It was consisted of 4 separate ice rinks; a medium sized one for visitors and 2 private ones for the professional skaters to practice. There was a lake too, which was used as a rink during the winter. That attracted many visitors not only on winter but on spring too when the cherry blossom trees bloomed. Fairy Tail was a pretty famous spot after all.

Gray usually trained with Erza and Natsu in their own rink. It wasn’t theirs but they booked the same one every single time,

He went in and stared at the place. He had really missed it. He noticed Natsu was already on the ice. The pink haired man didn’t notice him, too engrossed in his skating. He had to practice his new routine after all.

Natsu executed a perfect triple loop.

Gray felt a little jealous of his rink mate. Not that he would ever admit it. He wasn’t allowed to do jumps for now. If ever…

He shook his head. He could go back to his usual routine soon. He would just have to be patient.

Gray tied on his skates and stepped into the ice.

————————————————————

A blue haired woman was sitting on a couch with her legs pressed against her torso. She stared intensely to the TV with the remote clasped tightly between her hands.

The announcer’s voice could be clearly heard in the silent room. ”Gray Fullbuster’s fans are devastated since their idol hasn’t completely recovered from his unfortunate fall on the last final and it seems that he won’t be taking part in any competition this year. Now moving on…”

The screen turned black and the announcer was cut off. The room was enveloped in silence.

“Gray-sama.”

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Hello everyone! I hope you enjoyed me and ruby's collab fic. Just you wait we got a lot in store for you! Tell us what you thought of the first chapter, we look forward to reading them! 

We have made a couple of fanarts for the fic that you can find under the tag "break the ice". right here Also you can see Gray’s skating outfit right here

See you next chapter!

[theseventhhex]

Kelly Moran Interview

Kelly Moran

Photo by Timothy Saccenti

Composer, producer, keyboardist and multi-instrumentalist Kelly Moran made an early name for herself in New York collaborating with dance performance and composing for long-term John Cage collaborator Margaret Leng Tan. It was with the 2017 album Bloodroot that Kelly Moran began to reach wider attention. Now, on her Warp Records debut ‘Ultraviolet’ she continues to interpret these wealth of inspirations into a sound all her own and pulls off a nearly impossible feat: the annihilation of experimental music’s imposing, esoteric, über-academic status quo in the name of pure, unbridled intuition, of human joy. ‘Ultraviolet’ plays to a wide, arresting array of stylistic influences: dazzling inflections of jazz and dream pop, classical composition and black metal, darkness and light, encapsulated in a single, mystifying LP… We talk to the delightful Kelly Moran about overcoming anxiety, running daily and her beloved cat Wendy…

TSH: How valuable is it between projects for you to turn your brain off and reset with a new approach towards your music?

Kelly: I think it’s good for anyone who’s in a creative discipline to examine what their process is every couple of years. It’s key to revisit how you approach doing things just so you don’t get stuck in a rut and continue to make the same thing, which is a problem that I’ve had for years. I always had the same approach to everything and I felt like I wasn’t growing as an artist. However, when writing new music lately I’ve been finding that the methods I used for ‘Ultraviolet’ are not really working for me right now. I feel like I need to constantly defamiliarise myself with my musical habits and set to default again. It’s good to step outside of your comfort zone and see where it takes you.

TSH: Tell us more about your latest EP entitled ‘Origin’...

Kelly: With the exception of one track, all of the pieces on ‘Origin’ came before ‘Ultraviolet’, hence the name. This EP predates ‘Ultraviolet’ and almost all the songs are the actual demos that I improvised, recorded and had been working with. The versions of ‘Autowave’ and ‘Water Music’ that you hear on ‘Origin’ are the actual versions of those songs.

TSH: Is your music impacted much at all by the current affairs in America?

Kelly: Well, living in America, our politics have been shit for a long time. We had a bit of a break with Obama but things have been bad since Trump took office. People thought great art would arise out of the political turmoil with Trump in power, but it didn’t. I find that politics in general is distracting and overwhelming for me. I need to separate from the current political state - not in a way that I don’t know what’s going on - but I have to knowingly detach in a way because if I don’t, it can be really difficult to even exist because of how shit and terrible it can be out here. For me, when I pursue art and music, it’s mainly an escapism from the dregs of reality.

TSH: Does being immersed in music help you to overcome your anxiety and stress hurdles?

Kelly: At times, yes. A lot of my anxiety in the past was about performing or not reaching my potential and maybe not working hard enough, but I feel like I’m in a good place with all these factors now. I feel very confident as a composer and with my musical abilities. It is funny though because I suddenly have a much bigger platform after being signed to Warp. I do feel more exposed to the world in many ways than I wasn’t before. I am now dealing with new anxieties that I have to contend with...

TSH: What sort of issues have you been facing?

Kelly: Well, now that I’m a little more known I’ll get a lot more weird messages from people online. For example, during the recent Warp 30 announcement I got so many random DMs and rude Twitter messages. Also, sometimes if I read the YouTube comments for my music videos people say stuff like ‘Is this what Warp has become? It’s going so downhill.’ It’s weird because people never used to reach out to me to say random things like that but in the past year it’s happening more regularly. I’m dealing with these little new problems now.

TSH: It must still be so rewarding that individuals connect with the way that you communicate your music...

Kelly: Yeah, it’s a double edged sword I guess. It is nice when people connect to my music - it really is great. I mean I try to be an accessible person on social media. I try to be very open and speak with people directly when people tweet at me or send me messages, but sometimes I do feel very emotionally drained by it. There are messages I don’t want to have to respond to, in addition to the mean messages. The thing about the internet is you can get a thousand nice comments and one bad comment, but you’re gonna focus on the bad one, haha! I’ll have to just develop a thicker skin.

TSH: What do you recall about fleshing out the excellent track entitled ‘Helix’?

Kelly: Like all of the pieces on the album this one started out with improvisation. The original piece I created of ‘Helix’ was very exploratory because I had figured out how to play piano in a more percussive way where I was alternating between my hands. This discovery of me playing the instrument in this new way led to a very minimalist pattern that drives this song. The improvisation has similar patterns to what you hear on the original version and I ended up transcribing it trying to be as accurate as possible .When I recorded it I listened back to it and streamlined it a little bit. To me, figuring out the underlying chord progressions that I was implying in addition to figuring out a bass progression really gave this piece direction and drive - it was so crucial.

TSH: Did you select ‘Radiant’ as the album closer quite early on?

Kelly: I kind of knew it would be the closer because I like ending albums on a gentle note. I like for the last song to be the most simple and like its saying goodnight to people - sort of like sending them off with something delicate. ‘Ultraviolet’ was already an intense record and not many of the tracks are relaxed so I wanted to give the listener a break as the record was ending. It’s funny because the original of this track was more busy and hectic; it had more piano arpeggios and additional melodies.

TSH: How important is running to your daily life?

Kelly: It’s very beneficial. I’m one of those people that really strives off having a structured schedule. Unfortunately for me I picked a career that really does not enable this whatsoever, ha! For me, running is the one way that I can have this sort of consistency to my schedule. I strive for this factor, especially when I go on tour. I always bring my workout clothes and it’s an added bonus if I stay at a hotel with a gym. I just think the endorphin rush you get from running and also having a ritual a day helps me to get in the right mental space.

TSH: Are you still listening to a lot of hip-hop when you run?

Kelly: Haha! I haven’t actually been listening to much hip-hop whilst running recently. I’ve been listening to Aleksi Perälä, who is on Aphex Twin’s record label, as well as K-pop and even some Miley Cyrus from the Black Mirror soundtrack.

TSH: Is it hard to leave your cat Wendy behind when you go on tour?

Kelly: It really is! It’s definitely one of the most challenging parts for me because I’m very attached to her and she’s my little daughter. Unfortunately, I have a high maintenance cat who doesn’t like many people - she only likes me. So I feel really guilty when I leave for my travels as I think she’s not getting the right attention. She’ll stay with my mom and she’s been warming up to people but she’s not a friendly cat at all. I’ve had her for 5 years and only been travelling for the last year or so, therefore she must be wondering what’s going on. I never used to leave my apartment and now I’m out of the country every month. I guess I have to earn that money if Wendy’s gonna keep eating those fancy feasts!

TSH: Being a huge figure skating fan, how proud were you to witness the great Yuzuru Hanyu win Olympic gold on your birthday?

Kelly: Yes, he won his second Olympic medal on my birthday. I remember watching him win and being like ‘Holy fuck! This is absolutely incredible’. It’s funny because for my birthday party the next day I had a bunch of friends over and we were drinking and listening to the new Oneothrix Point Never record whilst also watching recaps of the figure skating.

TSH: What factors do you mostly consider exploring when it comes to collaboration?

Kelly: Well, there are so many artists that I look up to and respect that I would sell my right arm to collaborate with someday. When I first got signed to Warp the first thing I thought was if I ever have an opportunity to collaborate with someone else from the label that would be so cool. I basically worship everyone on this label. The kinds of collaboration that are important for me is to work with people that I’ve looked up to and who are respected. I’m also really interested in working with people who are just completely different from me and can push me outside of my comfort zone. For my next record I want to have a few collaborators from totally different genres to enable interesting results.

TSH: What matters most with your musical endeavours as you look ahead?

Kelly: I think my biggest drive is to keep improving and to keep surpassing myself. I always try to hold myself to what my own standard is. My goal is for my next album to be even better than what I’ve put out before - I want to push myself to reach new places musically. A lot of people describe me as a pianist who does prepared piano but in the actual timeline of my musical activity prepared piano actually occupies a very small part of that timeline. It’s really only been 3 years in my entire career that I’ve worked with prepared piano. There’s this part of me that wants to show people that I can do a lot more than that. As a pianist I feel really free because there are so many ways that I can translate what I do to other genres, it would be very easy for me to do techno, hip-hop or even black metal. I feel that my biggest strength is my malleability as a performer and as a composer, so I just want to show people that I have many different sides as an artist and not just one thing as people know me as now.

Kelly Moran - “In Parallel”

Kelly Moran - “Water Music”

Ultraviolet

[athleisure-aesthetic]

This is a long post because I went on a few rants, but there are workouts and stuff in there, I promise ;) stay tuned for commentary on vanity sizing and non-scale victories!

April 13 Thursday’s workout was super speedy. Legs and a quick stretching NTC workout. I meant to do curtsy lunges to finish it out, but I was crunched for time and my legs were already burning from the seasaw lunges and step-ups because my bench was higher than a normal one would be. I always get kind of frustrated when my NTC workout ends up being a lowkey stretching one, because I use it to replace cardio for the day. I’m starting to think I should either do more than one or just do cardio anyway. At least I got in a nice half hour walk at lunch; it was much colder than I was expecting since the rest of this week has been so nice! Still pretty out tho. And my skull shirt is badass. The end.

Went to Whole Foods with Ani when I got home to get some goodies for the weekend, and really stuck to my list (which I was proud of, bc that store is a literal TRAP) which included chocolate milk as a post-workout fuel… ASK ME HOW HYPE I AM TO START DRINKING CHOCO MILK AGAIN!!! (very. obviously.) Also started growing a mini protein bar collection because now I’m terrified of not properly fueling post-workout, so now I’m going to have very little excuse not to, since these babies are extremely portable. Just throw one in ya workout bag, and there you go. Don’t even have to remember to get it from my lunch box. I’m finally trying RXBAR and a few Quest Bar flavors (shoutout to @runningwhilenotdying for the suggestion, ty girl!) for now, in addition to the Luna Protein bars I still have. Still going to have to try a few to find out which works best for me.

Legs / butt workout 3x each 15 reps weighted glute bridges, 10# 15 reps goblet squats, 10# 20 reps step ups, alt. sides, 10# 20 reps seasaw lunges, alt. sides 15 reps weighted lying leg curls, 6# 40 s wall sits 10 reps burpee + high jump alternating leg swing stretches instead of curtsy lunges bc I’m a wimpy bitch lol

Listening to: “Under You” by Nick Jonas

April 14 Today is the day John Mayer’s full album is out, something I realized halfway through Friday morning while working from home, so I blasted the FUCK out of it in my apartment and haven’t stopped listening since. Ani took the day off, so it was just me at home designing, which is literally what I wish every work day of my life could be. Making my own schedule, eating and working out whenever I want and not having to worry about when I’m going to finish, not having to talk to people lol.

I decided to workout around 11ish and had to do arms / upper body without weights, which was a bit challenging considering my weak wrists and lack of free weights. BUT I made it, and my wrists weren’t ded afterwards, so I guess I’m building up some strength? Plus check out my schweaty knees, aren’t they purty? It was a dec workout, so hype it. HOWEVER, in the middle of my last set, this awful ringing started in my apartment, which I identified as the fire alarm after panicking for like 2 seconds. Then there was this weirdo announcement in our hallway as if we were in a damn dorm, saying to evacuate asap so I was like o fuck ok let me get my things. Ran outside with my purse and a jacket, ran into the woman who legit hates me and Ani for being loud on the weekend two whole times (fuck her tho it was a Friday and Saturday at like 11pm get your panties out of your ass amirite) and she was like idk what’s going on I’m probably not going downstairs. I was like ????? um if there’s a fire I’m not dying so bye. So I ran down 8 flights of stairs to find no one in the lobby. Sick. It was a false. Alarm. Bc they’re doing construction right in front of the elevators. Motherfuckers. So I had to go back up 8 flights of stairs once I got the approval from the doorman. Thx for the cardio break, how’d you know I needed that? 🙄 Finished my set, worked for a bit longer, then showered and decided I was done working for the day lol.

It was pay day and I was bored so I kinda went a little nuts on a shopping trip. As usual, I mostly bought athleisure, buuuuuuuuuuut there are some significant things about this shopping trip that I must share.

1: I willingly purchased two pairs of athletic shorts. I do not wear anything but leggings to workout in, because I hate the way my legs look, and I usually feel much more mobile and flexible in leggings, even if it’s like 90 degrees out and July. But I tried on two pairs of black shorts, and could actually see myself not only wearing them like to bed, but like… doing active things in them, and being ok with seeing my legs. First #NONSCALEVICTORY o the day.

2: I not only willingly tried on a one piece bathing suit, I tried on two, AND I purchased one. Every person alive knows too well the personal torture of trying on bathing suits, especially in dressing rooms that have awful fluorescent lighting that does not flatter anyone. But for some reason I was in a good mood about my bod (perhaps after the shorts win), so I grabbed two suits and said to myself, fuck it, don’t feel bad about yourself, but do not get your hopes up. This could go great, or it could not. Don’t let this be a reflection of how hard you’ve been working. It might just not fit, that’s not your fault. BUT THEY BOTH FIT REALLY DECENTLY OK. The one was like bright red and v scandalous and tbh I did not have the boobs to fill out that sucker. So despite it fitting ok, I couldn’t go with it. But the other was stripey and rouchey and pretty comfortable, so I was like welp. I need at least one suit for the summer, and can’t picture myself using any of the ones from last summer, and I don’t feel like total crap in this. So. I bought it!

3: I purchased at least one thing of every size (S, M, L, and XL), which proves that sizing is fake and literally doesn’t fucking matter. I like all my tops a little baggy and all of my bottoms tight (except those shorts I ended up getting, but who knew I would even buy shorts…). That’s just my personal preference style-wise. I went to four different stores, and ended up getting clothing that fit me, but when I was ripping the tags off when I got home, I noticed that all the sizes were different. I bought a shirt from Uniqlo (AMAZING STORE, btw, never been before today) that was a size small, which is something I haven’t done in like literally maybe 7-8 years. I also bought a cropped sweatshirt from Marshall’s in XL, even though I thought it was a large when I bought it. Either way, it’s not like my body morphed mid-shopping trip. I was the same size all day, but the stores decided I was all over the place. This just makes me a, hate the fashion industry for forcing this imaginary 00 system and ideals of size-shaming on us, but also b, feel better about myself because I know that I can’t be reliant on just being one size. I used to think of my weightloss in terms of pants sizes. Like last Friday when I was wearing actual pants, they were 12s. But like. A 12 at one store could be a 16 at another, or an 8. I used to say, oh I just want to be down to a consistent 8. That would be the perfect amount of weight to lose. If I get there, I’ll know that I’m good. But I’m really starting to see that that number and that size doesn’t exist. There is no universe in which an 8 at every store will fit the same. So judging yourself on a system that’s literally impossible to fit into is just a recipe for hurt and shame. So now I’m just gonna grab any size that looks like it’ll fit. It’s still not fun to see a higher number, but that’s going to be a mindset I have to get myself out of, and this post is proof that it doesn’t matter. I want to base my happiness with my fitness on phyiscal progress: what I can DO with my body, not just how it looks in the clothes I inevitably have to wear. But today, for a few reasons, I felt really good, and I’m proud to have seen not only one, but a few non-scale wins. Hype it the FUCK up.

Whew. That was a lot, sorry. I almost feel like a doing a ~haul~ like I’m on some fashion youtube channel, I bought so many fun things. But whatever, I doubt anyone cares about that except me lolol.

Honestly sometimes I think I just like to buy some things because I’m happy they fit me, not because I need them or are in love with them. Is that weird? I feel like I’m a pretty specific shape (very short and curvy, but not curvy everywhere), so when I find something I actually think fits me, I usually just say, yeah I’ll wear this. I definitely am spending too much money that way, but it’s nice to feel like a lot of things are fitting me well for once.

Arms / upper body workout 3x each 20 reps shoulder taps, alt. sides 10 reps pushups 20 reps walk outs + twist, alt. sides 10 reps tricep dips 50 reps arm circles forward 50 reps arm circles backward 20 reps lat pull downs + shoulder squeeze 35s, 40s, 45s plank 10 reps decline push ups 10 reps burpee + high jump + 5 jumping jacks PLUS 8 flights of stairs when my fucking fire alarm went off and the elevator didn’t work 🙃

Listening to: “Burlesque” by Christina Aguilera OR the Voices in Your Head a cappella version, both are fun

April 15 I was hella nervous for my run today; 6 miles seemed like a lot to me, and after last week’s long run on the treadmill, it had been a while since I’d done a long one outside. The last time I finished a long run outside, I felt like death. So this time I wanted to be really prepared; I read some articles and youtube videos on how to run longer without like dying, and made sure to focus on my breathing and warmup. Once I left my apartment, I didn’t start my timed run for about 10ish minutes but still ran slow to get my legs ready. Then I did some of the moves from the videos, and set off. Today I went towards the art museum and Kelly Drive for the first time, which was definitely busy for a Saturday morning, but it was kinda gray out and mid-50s which is like perfect running weather. I felt really good for like literally the whole run, and I couldn’t tell if it was the new place, good music, or what, but I was surprised at how quickly the miles came and went. I stopped at 4.56 miles to take the picture in front of the art museum, walked briskly up the hill to the building, then ran the rest of the way on the rest of the Schuykill River Trail and back towards home. I finished a little ways away from home and was inspired by a boy who seemed to be blind or albino who was running with a small leash with a girl, and continued jogging all the way home. So I really totalled something like 7.10 miles and they felt GREAT which is INSANE for me. Like that’s so many miles. And I haven’t run that far in so long, and they actually felt GOOD??? Like who am I?

I rewarded myself with a cinnamon roll protein shake, a little more shopping (I ended up getting the black Nike Tanjuns for anyone who saw my post last night lol), and Chick-Fil-A nuggets for lunch. Was considering making this day a cheat day when I saw the Chick-Fil-A, but I was good and only got the nuggets. My resolve was tested when I saw a girl with a Rita’s cup right when I got home and I wanted to be like OMG GIRL WHERE IS THERE A RITA’s AROUND HERE???!??! But clearly I held myself back.

Guess that means more Easter chocolate for me tomorrow hayyyyyy

6.02 mi 10'20" min / mi

Listening to: “Hair” by Little Mix

[maximelebled]

2016

Wo-ho-ho-ho there, it's time for my yearly blogpost again.

We all know how bad this year has looked; 2016 is a terrible year, 2016 was the worst year, 2016 this, 2016 that. And really, who could blame anyone for thinking that? But I feel like I'd be doing myself a disservice by focusing too much on the negatives; with our cognitive bias and all that, we tend to forget that the world keeps on getting progressively better and that despite appearances, overall, things are looking... up? Not that we should let our guard down; in fact, more than ever, we need to be aware of each other and look out for each other. The two greatest values you can have, and that you can transmit to other people, going into 2017, are empathy and curiosity.

But anyway, I'm not a skilled writer and other folks will have already said more or less the same thing already, so now it's time to talk about myself again!

Before I do that, though, I would like to give my most heartfelt thanks to the people who have supported me through this year, whether from close circles or from further. I know, it's cliché, but at the same time I feel like people don't realize how much their support means to me, and the true, hidden impact it has had on my life. You know who you are! ♥

I still find writing this blog post to be as oddly awkward as last year, but it's good to let things out, have it all laid out in front of yourself; especially when things keep becoming more of a blur over time. I can't really distinctly remember specific periods from this year as well as 2015, but then again I'm also writing this while coming down from a nasty flu. I've read that things become more of a blur over time the more you age, because you have more of a frame of a reference to go through. That prospect makes me uneasy, but at the same time, I don’t dread it as much as I used to.

2015 was arguably a worse rollercoaster as far as I was concerned, with higher highs but also much lower lows. 2016, smoother ride? Less exciting. Even though from an outside eye it may look more impressive, which feels like a weird contradiction.

In February, I got taken onboard at Nightdive Studios to work on a really cool project: a remake of System Shock. It started out as a 1:1 project (almost like a Doom source port, if you see what I mean?) but eventually the ambitions grew into actually doing a full-fledged reboot. We ended up releasing a "pre-alpha" demo for a Kickstarter that grossed $1.35 million, and people seem to be quite excited, which I'm happy about. I wasn't very happy with my animation work in the demo but since then, I got time to iterate on it and I'm more at peace with it right now. Of course, I wish I could talk more about the project, but I obviously am not in the position to! ;)

It's funky, going from nearly two years of Dota & "cartoonish" animation right into something more AAA-realist, with less stylization, and the transition is a bit hard, but of course, it's a very valuable process to learn how to dial your own style back. I’ve felt that animating kind of goes like this:

At first, you have zero idea what you're doing and everything is super stiff and robotic. Then you learn about follow-through and inertia and you start doing that everywhere because it makes things smooth... too smooth. So then you dial it back... back... oh wait, things are too stiff again! And ultimately, after 15 years of repeating that process, back and forth, you'll probably be an amazing godlike Pixar-worthy animator... when you reach the point of being able to animate stiffness that looks smooth.

Of course, all that is a (relatively humorous) generalization but it's a pattern I've observed in other animators, mostly in the SFM community; their growth in skill over time seemed to have this sort of trend.  I think I'm about halfway there... hopefully!

Right now, we’re in the middle of our vertical slice phase. My favourite part of the project is— well, I have quite a few of them, but I wanna say my coworkers are an absolute delight and our lead programmer is a freaking angel. I feel really lucky to be able to work with these people. And that’s gonna sound dumb, but it makes me feel weird that they LIKE ME BACK. But you know, impostor’s syndrome, etc. though that’s gotten better recently. Still, it’s hard to get used to the thought of things like “dude, there are animators from Blizzard who follow you on Twitter, stop doubting yourself for a second”.

July rolls around, and I decided to participate, again, to The International 2016′s Short Film Contest. This time around, I teamed up with EDJE (Erick Wright) and @zandraart — and I won again. First place! I was legitimately expecting to get third, at best, even though there were people like SirActionSlacks telling me “dude you won already stop worrying”. Unfortunately, my brain was louder than their voices; I remember the night before the results were announced, I couldn’t sleep despite having taken two sleeping pills...

As self-centered as a statement like that may sound, winning three animation contests and having worked on four games eventually ends up drilling in your head that there is no reason to let shitty people influence your brain. I guess it’s a self-esteem thing 😃

This sort of feeling that I was not being myself, forcing myself to not be me, well, it’s gone! And for the first time I’m starting to feel like I got my shit together, even if only just a bit, so that’s relieving.

We did the movie in two weeks again, but I’m not gonna lie, I’m not as happy with it as I was with Enigma’s Exasperation. The execution might be a little stronger but the idea is weaker for the one minute format. But a good thing to remember: it’s fine to not always outdo yourself even if you meant to.

That said, for next year’s contest, I hope I’ll be able to dedicate more time to making the film. I’m hoping they extend the maximum time to 90 seconds and make the prize pool less top-heavy again... but, unfortunately, knowing Valve, I wouldn’t count on it.

Here’s a list of my favourite music albums that I listened to this year:

The Timura Trilogy series of albums by Bjørn Lynne (Wizard of the Winds, Wolves of the Gods, The Gods Awaken)

Fortress by James Hunter USA (bandcamp)

Everything from Nelward

Orange Express (1981) by Sadao Watanabe

Memories in Beach House (1983) from the CBS/Sony Sound Image Series

The Dark Crystal movie soundtrack by Trevor Jones (if you’ve never watched the movie, you should, it is absolutely incredible)

Now onto health... I believe I've mentioned this subject a couple times before. Being a nerd who works from home, I'm subject to many of the sins that come with having a commute consisting of merely walking down the stairs from one's bedroom. The two biggest being 1) a terrible sleep schedule and 2) lack of physical activity.

I use the Sleep as Android app; upon telling it that I'm in bed, it starts using my Pebble smartwatch to track my motions and determine the quality of my sleep, the phases, the cycles, and whatnot. But the most insightful data doesn't even come from that algorithmic tracking; the times for "when I went to bed" and "when I got up" are more telling. Here's a chart of my sleeping times since the beginning of 2015. Each vertical bar represents the sleep of one day.

I've taken the liberty to highlight the time range between 22:00 and 9:00 in the morning, sleeping times that would make you say "yeah, this person is a reasonable adult". As you can see, my sleeping times often didn't fall into that range, and the whole graph has a stripey appearance because my sleeping times keep shifting a little every day, almost like I'm living 25, 26 hour days.

What I love about this graph is that you can definitely see the times when I had to get it together; The International 2015 is very noticeable, with no "stripe" pattern where there would have been three previously.

Here's a zoom on only 2016:

There’s actually a bit of improvement here; the length of the "stripes" keeps growing, and in the middle of some of the stripes, I hang to regular times for longer and longer before slipping away into indecency again. I’m trying my best to keep that progress on the right track. (a track that goes right to my bed)

Now, as for the lack of physical activity. It's very tempting to stock my fridge and then live like a hermit for 3 days, but I've tried to make sure this wouldn't happen. The goal is to not have a single day where I don't move at least a minimum amount of time, unless I have a very good reason to (like illness).

I use the S Health app to passively track my steps; it offers a few fun statistics, and also counts steps onto an additional counter if you've walked fast enough for a certain amount of time, that is to say, at a pace that is considered physical activity. If I were to walk for 1 hour, and during 15 of those minutes, I was at a pace that was above 100 steps a minute (I believe that’s the threshold), it would amount to about 6000 steps, 1500 of which would then be qualifying as "healthy steps".

I took all the average monthly values and put them in this chart:

It's really easy to see on here when my motivation just plummeted post-TI5, after all that terrible stuff I've mentioned before. It took quite a while to shake the depression off. I would consider 3000 steps per day to be the baseline goal, as it amounts roughly to 30 minutes of walking per day. In the latter half of 2016, I managed to reach that goal!

The last thing I wanna talk about, health-wise, is understanding, in my opinion, the two big hidden plagues on ourselves: the first one is sugar, the second one is stress. I saw a very eye-opening documentary on Arte that talked about how cholesterol was made to take the fall for heart disease and whatnot, and sugar is in fact the true culprit — combine that with recent studies showing how it’s, in fact, “similar to drugs”, and it’s easy to see how we’ve come to think it’s harmless but it’s not, much like how we thought cigarettes were good in the 50s. This makes me glad I stopped drinking sodas and eating candy as much as I did four years ago; I’ve largely replaced the drinks by either carbonated water or the stuff that’s light on sugar (both in terms of sugar AND taste).

The second plague is stress. This ties into mental health. I deeply believe that learning how to stay sane and relaxed, as weird as that may sound, is one of the fundamental keys to living well; don’t worry about stuff you can’t control. Of course, that doesn’t mean “be apathetic to the world”. Our cognitive bias makes us focus so much on the negatives that it’s become so hard to perceive the positive side of things. This is gonna sound stupid but I hope you see what I’m trying to get at here: for example, there are really shitty people being all like “I’m gonna run over Black Lives Matter protestors”, stuff like that, and we get outraged at it, and rightly so; but in the process, we forget that it’s a really good positive thing that BLM exists in the first place. You know what I mean? I don’t know how to phrase it. Like I said before, I’m not a skilled writer!

And it’s frustrating, really, to have all these ideas, vague concepts floating around your head; you know what you mean to yourself, but you don’t know how to communicate that to other people. Language, writing, and communication are skills far more important than most people realize!

Anyway, to reiterate what I’ve already said like three times now, it comes down to not worrying about things you can’t control. It’s hard to internalize and it took me years to understand it, but it’s a valuable life lesson.

There are a ton of other little life lessons that I don’t actively think about but which have been super valuable on a day-to-day basis; these are also, for the most part, hard to phrase into coherent words, but the best one would be that it’s okay to be wrong and to make mistakes, but it’s also (even more) okay to admit that you were wrong and that it’s not a personal failing, as in, a failure of you, as a person, to have made a mistake or whatever. I think it’s something that is extremely important to teach people, because it’s part of the entire “be open-minded” package, if that makes sense? It was hard for me to change myself until I realized that admitting that I made mistakes. It’s kind of like the five stages of grief; the first one is acceptance, and you’re not going to make any progress until you go past that...? When you say to someone, “you did something wrong”, or “you made a mistake”, whether it’s moral, personal, professional, whatever, if you don’t have that mindset, that person would perceive it as a personal attack. But to err is human, and errors are not reflections of your moral standing as a person. I guess it comes down to having this distance between... yourself... and what you do? See, here, words fail me again. That said, I hope you see what I’m getting at.

Anyway, that’s it for looking back on this year... here’s a sneak peek at my next big personal project, hopefully to be released in the first trimester of 2017!