#so I think we should be supporting him and his professional success <3

[m4gp13]

with pre-battle of Manhattan Ethabaster in the Barbie meme, Ethan is the one with the dead straight, slightly worried face while Alabaster is having an absolute blast. Post-battle of Manhattan Ethabaster the roles are reversed, Alabaster's facial muscles have forgotten how to smile and Ethan is running the Underworld like he owns the fucking place.

[piwstri4]

gracias por nada | ln4

paring: f1driver!ex!lando norris x fashion designer!ex!reader

summary: you were robbed of a happy married life.

part two - masterlist

ynclo

liked by danielricciardo, lewishamilton, fancolapinto and 33,769 others

ynclo 'cause i know we fall apart when nothing's new

view all 444 comments

danielricciardo i took literally all the pics of you and this is what i get?

ynclo u are very goodlooking if i were you i'd stop complaining (thnx 4 the pics danny ric)

danielricciardo 👎🏼

user1 so are we gonna ignore the plushie bc,,,,

user2 ikr like miss girly?????? are u gonna address the rumors or????

user3 what's the issue? i think it's rlly cute

user1 she crocheted that for her (ex)bf so yeaaaa

user3 WHAT

user2 they are (were) engaged but neither are addressing the topic

user4 it's their lives maybe yall should stop forcing them to talk abt it

user5 THE SHIRT OMG SHE'S NOT LETTING IT DIE

user6 i just KNOW that danny showed that pic to charles and he rolled his eyes

user7 it's getting kinda old tbh atp it's just cringey

user8 literally no one asked

lewishamilton new collection drop when?

ynclo VERY SOON stay tuned king 👑

user9 he truly is her biggest supporter

user10 isn't she like 23 or smt?? why does she talk with drivers that old anyways??

user11 daniel's her cousin...

user12 it's been 3 hours and no lando like or comment,,,,,

user13 well it is rumored that they called it off so

user14 what am i missing wtf?????

user15 some ppl are saying they broke off their engagement or smt we dont know bc they haven't said anything yet

user16 she also posted a story then deleted it like 2 minutes later w some shady lyric

user13 omg????

user17 fr "u can think that ure in love when ure rlly just engaged"

user18 the caption?

user19 first her story and now this...

user20 omg i saw it too wtf

landonorris

liked by mclarenf1, oscarpiastri, danielricciardo and 99,687 others

landonorris in the back of the nightclub sipping champagne 🥂

view all 10,023 comments

carlossainz55 great night 🥂

landonorris it always is w me 😉

user1 im gonna say this just one time ok? wtf

charlesleclerc let's do it again!

landonorris sure!

user2 looking hot as usual!!!

user3 bestie r we gonna talk abt u know what

user4 frrrrrr liek wtf was this post

user5 omg let the man LIVE ffs

user6 this is getting rlly annoying tbh

maxverstappen1 🔥

landonorris 👍🏼

mclarenf1 nice after race party drunk boy

user7 omg i love the mclaren admin

user8 the admin deserves the world

user9 so like....... u and that fashion girly?????

user10 i wanna know too guys but pls stop commenting that on their posts!!!

user11 he's just happy to be on the podium i love him sm

user12 THE SONG????

user13 idk if ur talking abt the caption or yn's story

user14 let's not bring her here pls

user13 i miss yn in the comments....

user16 he didn't comment on her post either :///

user15 stop bringing her up omg

DUSK.CLOTHING

liked by ynclo, lewishamilton and 1,567,814 others

DUSK.CLOTHING Once again a success! Thanks to everyone who was a part of this, we could have never done this without every single one of you, we love you always.

view all 87,947 comments

ynclo i love you guys so much!!!! nice job everyone, you all looked stunning out there🫀

user17 i love her so much

user18 lando news?

user19 she just loves her crew so much i cant😭😭😭

lewishamilton nice runway, you never disappoint

ynclo i WILL cry

lewishamilton ???

user20 she's just so perfect with her designs but THE MODELS OMG everything is so on point it's amazing

user21 how come she's so young and yet she serves THIS

user22 nepotism

user24 do you even know what nepotism is????

user23 yall just throw the word around like it's nothing huh

danielricciardo the talented one of the family

ynclo thanks i know

user25 gorgeous as always

user26 admin knows anything abt the l*ndo topic??

user27 admin here is strictly professional

lewishamilton a masterpiece.

DUSK.CLOTHING Always happy to have you!

ynclo thank you!!

ynclo

liked by lewishamilton, arthurleclerc and 42,923 others

ynclo jodiendo en el presente los planes del futuro (los quise sola pero nos imaginé juntos)

view all 16,892 comments

user28 translation: "fucking up today all the future's plans (i wanted them alone yet i pictured us together)"

danielricciardo nice bouquet

ynclo thank you danny ricc got them 4 me

danielricciardo he sounds like a nice guy

ynclo ehhhhh

user29 isn't it weird that she keeps flirting with older drivers???

user30 they've said it a million times danny and her are cousins

arthurleclerc go bestie go!!

ynclo shush ure embarrassing me in front of the cool ppl

user31 i know yall saw her flirting w [] too

user32 he's her fucking cousin

user33 NOT THAT ONE, THE YOUNGER ONE

lewishamilton fire runway🔥🔥

ynclo thanks i designed the clothes myself!!!

user34 mother always serves

user35 ofc she does she's drop dead gorgeous

user36 she could literally model her own clothes

user37 is the caption abt u know who???

user38 istg if the comments section starts to fill up with shit like this im gonna crawl under everyone's bed

user39 not confirmed yet

user40 she speaks spanish????

user41 she's from latam!! her fam moved to italy when she was like 10

user42 aren't her and danny cousins tho??

user43 god forbid immigrants have family in other countries right??

user44 i need her to address the elephant in the room

user45 let's not do that here

user47 ikrrrr she needs to talk abt it asap

landonorris

liked by oscarpiastri, carlossainz55, mclarenf1 and 98,928 others

landonorris lost my girl but she aint worth the prize

view all 87,823 comments

user48 he really is just a man

danielricciardo rude

user49 go tell him king!!!

user50 danny defending yn makes me believe in men again

user51 didn't she say something abt still being friends???

user52 yea but he's a dick and he made sure everyone knows that

user53 she's a bitch tho

user52 lol?

user54 she wanted him to keep his reputation yet he's out there ruining it

user55 her fault for being a shit gf

user56 go touch some grass girly

user57 they were giggling and hugging at the paddock last week wtf happened

user58 they were getting MARRIED next month what the hell happened

user59 kinda get it tho? she was annoying

user60 l*ndo stans and yn haters are fucking crazy

user61 cry abt it

charlesleclerc looking fire but talking shit

landonorris cant hear u im busy

user62 "i carry him in my chest wherever i go, because otherwise i'd be devastated from the sorrow of not having him around"

user63 "i have never loved someone like i love him, he holds together the pieces of my heart"

user64 "for all i know we could be together in every lifetime because i don't think my soul could ever long for someone else"

user65 nice now i'll go cry

user66 kinda happy that they broke up

user67 he looks happy now

user68 she dodged a bullet fr

user69 she was in love with him

user70 he was too.

user71 doesn't look like he was

ynclo

liked by DUSK.CLOTHING, arthurleclerc, francolapinto and 57,287 others

ynclo tú vete tranquilo, no me debes nada. empaca tus cosas, no te dejes nada.

view all 51,723 comments

user72 mom's getting angry in spanich omg

user73 in spanich

user74 im her official translator now girlies dw "you can leave in peace, you owe me nothing. pack all your things and dont leave anything behind."

user75 im in love w u thank u so much!!!

user74 no prob!!

user76 GRACIAS POR NADA!!! GRACIAS POR NADA!!!! @ him bestie

user77 she's a benito fan omg

user78 a what???

user79 latino artist

user80 she saw him trashing her and said fuck peace, go girly!!!

danielricciardo el gordo lui

ynclo cant believe u only learnt to say that in spanish

danielricciardo hola me llamo daniel

user81 is she home???

user82 came back to italy this morning i believe, she posted the airport in her stories

user83 she really said im getting over l*ndo

user84 she doesn't look happy :(((

user85 she looks tired, i guess all that time in the relationship drained her

user86 they were happy, dont trash their relationship like that

user87 "you think that you're in love when you're really just engaged" anyone?

arthurleclerc come visit me one day, we're country neighbors

ynclo im not setting a foot there unless u take me to the casino

arthurleclerc I CANT EVEN BET IN THE CASINO

ynclo sounds like a u problem

user88 is she flirting w that guy again??

user89 well she's a bitch, of course she'd do that

user90 they've been friends since she met danny

[boopiddyboop]

Woodz / Cho Seungyoun Natal Chart Reading

So this is my first natal chart reading about an idol that I barely know. I’ve definitely heard his music (even before X1 came and went) but I’ve not really seen any content of his personality.  So I went to do some research... which led to me getting tickets to see him in December. OOPS. So congrats, anon, ya got me to spend money on your boy.

We’re running with an assumed birthtime of 3 AM, which apparently Seungyoun dropped verbally at some point? I found other websites with this as the cited time, so clearly, the internet never lies  😃

Full Disclaimer: Most of my knowledge is by traditional astrology, which involves but is not limited to: using whole signs, excluding Uranus-Pluto for natal charts, different sign rulers, and different planetary interpretations.  Astrology is subjective by nature; I do not think my way is best, simply that this is the version of interpretation that makes the most sense to me. This is not a professional service, simply a hobby meant for entertainment purposes only.  Feel free to disagree with or question my conclusions.

Placements:

Sun: Leo - 2nd House

Moon: Aries - 10th House

Mercury: Virgo - 3rd House

Venus: Gemini - 12th House

Mars: Cancer - 1st House

Jupiter: Capricorn - 12th House

Saturn: Aries - 10th House

Ascendant: Cancer

Midheaven: Pisces - 9th House

North Node: Libra - 4th House

So, Seungyoun is a Cancer Rising being ruled by a Moon in Aries. Now, I love a good fire moon; they bring a sense of playfulness to a chart, especially one in Aries. So for that Moon to the chart ruler… he’s not really understated. And really, when you glance at the composition as a whole, he’s got almost all cardinal and mutable energy. Now, quick refresher: cardinal signs are the starters, and mutable signs are the adaptable ones. Now, I’ve waxed poetic about why I like idols and earth signs, and in some ways that extends to fixed signs. There’s a stubbornness needed to be an idol that both provide, so seeing not a lot of fixed energy had me worried for a bit. Thankfully, his one fixed placement, his Sun in Leo (!! sign in rulership !!), is sitting in his 2nd house, putting a lot of his personal power into achieving material success. Phew. This won’t be the only time Seungyoun’s work ethic gets supported either. 

Mars in the 1st one of these helpful placements, though it’s getting cut off at the knees by being in Cancer, it’s fall sign. Inversely, Cancer rising is a very emotional, artsy placement. Looping back to the rulership by Aries Moon, it leads to someone who is very impulsive and emotionally driven. So when the drive kicks in, it’s powered by that Mars and just goes. Also to not be discounted is his Moon sitting in the 10th house, the house of profession. It gives Seungyoun a lot of emotional investment in his career and a drive to obtain a good reputation in it. 

But once again ~unfortunately~ his Saturn in Aries is also sitting in the 10th house, bringing restrictions and growing pains to this house. I haven’t really touched on Saturn returns (they are both life changing and not as scary as they sound), but there’s a huge potential for his current career to make or break around his return. And that’s about as far as I’ll speculate on that. On the other, other side, that Saturn placement is actually trine his Sun, so once again, he’s getting support to his work ethic through his repeated struggles. Seungyoun has learned what hard work looks like in his life and how to utilize it towards his goals. We should also note that his Jupiter in Capricorn is helping his diligence as well. 

Now that I’ve talked about Seungyoun and his work ethic and career for three paragraphs, let’s switch to different fare. We can see his Mercury in Virgo (!! sign in rulership #2 !!) sitting in his 3rd house, the house of communication. Seungyoun is great at using his words.  Interestingly, I think this Mercury placement ruling his Venus in Gemini is greatly helping his social acumen, which could otherwise be in detriment due to it’s placement in the 12th house. Gemini Venus itself also enjoys quite a diverse range of people, as we can see through the numerous friendships that he is known to have. That Jupiter I mentioned previously is in the 7th house, also assisting him with making deep connections. Also, these are his two main mutable placements, making him very adaptable socially.

So, in conclusion, Seungyoun has a lot of aggressive energy that is thankfully being channeled well into his work. Overall he seems gregarious and spirited, with a deep need for fulfillment through what he does, and the astrological placements to support it. Interestingly, a lot of the placements I mentioned doing this (Jupiter in Capricorn, Saturn in the 10H, Mars in the 1H), also point to someone who desires  authority, so it doesn’t surprise me that he found his way to being solo long before others in his field.

A random tangent fits nowhere: I despise the spelling of his name. Of all the ways 연 can be romanized, I didn't know this was my least favorite until I saw it.

[ask-serendipity-sky]

Jimin Live (2023.09.01)

After participating in Dior's event, Jimin gifted us his presence.

The first thing that stands out is that this is taking place in his home which we had only seen during his billboard top 100 live.

He starts off his live by explaining that the redness in his red knuckles came from exercising. He doesn't specify what type but we can conclude it is by boxing based on the work out equipment he later shows us.

The nice thing about Jimin's live is that he gives us a Too Long; Didn't Watch at the end of his live.

We stan an efficient King. I wouldn't doubt it if he actually wrote down the topics in a list. Jimin's mind is neat and organized.

Unlike his house...he said it was dirty.

Anyway, he states that his live was about:

So let's address things in that order:

1. "I am living life thinking of several things."

Jimin explained that he took a "cold" approach in order to assess his performance during his promotion time during FACE:

The level of self awareness that Jimin has is incredible. Not many people are able to look at themselves rationally in order to correct themselves so they can start all over and be able to talk in such a way that doesn't come off as victimizing themselves.

It seems to me that Jimin was able to view the big picture, which was the entirety of his promotional activities and the smaller details. He didn't overlook anything. He never does.

Instead of coming to weverse to be coddled, he purposely didn't go on weverse so he could work on himself and clear his head.

He took the time to explain the Tiffany drama that shouldn't have been drama in the first place. Small things around Jimin are always blown up and made into drama.

He looks content and in a place of comfort and confidence.

Basically, he said "I needed to change so I did."

2. "Mood lights are pretty."

I will probably not be over this part of his live ever, either.

It's amazing that he is a millionaire with access to everything he wants in life and he needs a relatively inexpensive mood light that projects the planets.

Some people put value in the small things in life. It's heart warming that Jimin is still one of those people.

3. "Dior show was so much fun and beautiful."

He is THE Park Jimin.

Elegant and sophisticated yet humble and down to Earth.

4. "Please give Jungkook many wishes."

During his live, Jimin talked a tiny bit about Jingkook's birthday.

He stated:

•Jk was busy.

•They talked the day before.

•Jk was very busy.

•He hopes Jk takes care of his health.

•Please send Jk birthday wishes.

There is a certain way that Jimin gets when he talks about Jk. It's just something else.

Others things he sprinkled throughout his live were:

• He is working out and taking English lessons.

• Namjoon(ad) greets him when Jimin goes out to exercise.

•He cut his luscious locks.

• He needs our support and he will continue working hard too.

• He abandoned Suga marimo.

• He misses Hobi and Jin and hopes to pay them a visit soon.

• He wants to make his 30s the happiest times.

My impressions

I absolutely loved this live. I felt alive after watching it. It has so much meaning to see Jimin like this after everything that has happened. He is starting over like the professional he is.

It seemed a bit metaphorical that he opened his house for us to see in the same manner that he opened his thoughts for us to hear.

Even though he is more successful and famous now, he still the same Jimin from before. The guy who eats cup ramyeon and appreciates a good joke. And who loves to leave us puzzled by a watch that tells Jk's time of birth.

Whatever Jimin is going to gift us next will be even more amazing and perplexing, I'm sure.

He is a genius and we should trust him and support him. Always.

[g-xix]

Not the same anon but Lewis has gone on podcasts and spoken about struggling to trust people considering how people have treated him before and the level of racism he faces being the only black f1 driver and the most successful driver in history. When going into f1 he wanted to be alone but there articles describing seb as talking his ear off during their early days. But I think it took him a long time to fully trust seb because they weren’t calling each other friends until like 2020. They both said they’ve spoken about the issues and seb suggested taking the knee in stance with BLM because he thought it would make Lewis feel supported and seb said he would put himself close to Lewis during knee ceremony to show his support. As well as when Lewis was racially abused last year by a retired driver seb was the only one who acknowledged that this isn’t just a one time thing for Lewis and every time we need to stand with also the only driver to name Nelson Piquet in his statement. A lot of the time when Lewis speaks on seb it always expressing how he thinks more people should be like him and be passionate.

Whoa hey, so sorry it's taken me YEARS (2 weeks, I'm hyperbolising) to reply :)

But that's really good from Seb. Horrid that Lewis has gone through stuff like that in his professional career, especially from ex-drivers no less.

It's nice to see Lewis had someone throughout all that, but to be honest I', surprised that there weren't more people that stood with Lewis from his team/group... I'm not sure whether that's just me being naive about the world or whether that's a flaw in the people around Lewis, though

I hope they're still talking n all of that, they sound like they have a proper healthy friendship <3

[thegoldenphig]

Kinktober day 22: All of the lights

words: 1.018 kink: voyeurism but not really other themes: angst

snippet: Shayne's heart seemed to travel to his throat. He looked at HIS best friend. Damien looked at him, then his eyes lowered to Shayne's lips. The sounds from the office were still going on.

Shayne and Damien were finally done playing Baldur's Gate 3 for the night. They kind of forgot they were still in the Smosh office. All the lights were out, so they used their phone flashlights to guide them through the winding corridors, to the entrance of the once industrial building. All of the lights, except one. Ian's office was still busy, it seemed. But then they heard it.

"Anthony…"

"I know now, Ian. I thought I let this chapter behind me, but I just now realized, you are the reason why I even ever questioned my sexuality. Please Ian I'm so sorry, I get myself finally. I was always jealous of your girlfriends, because I wanted to BE them. I… I love you, Ian. As your lifelong, best friend. But also as something more than that.

"So, all these years I've been secretly looking at you, your body, your smile, your eyes and your fucking gorgeous hair, I could have just had it?"

"Yeah."

"Fuck, dude."

"Yeah…"

"Yeah?"

"Why not. Nobody's here anyways."

Damien looked at Shayne wide eyed. He accidentally shone his flashlight in Shayne's eyes. Shayne gestured they should turn their lights off.

"Are our bosses… together?"

"Holy crap."

"Holy fuck."

More sounds came from Ian's office. Giggles, sighs, moans. The sound of passionate kissing, someone being pushed over the desk. Pants being undone. Flesh on flesh.

Shayne and Damien had taken place under a table outside of the office.

"Dude, we should just go!"

"What if they hear us?!"

"What if they see us when they get out of here as well?!"

Shayne was thinking. Honestly, he was spiraling. So there was more than just friendship between Ian and Anthony. He remembered every conversation he'd had with Ian about Anthony, every interaction he'd had with the two of them, the late night tears Ian had shed at the lowest point of Smosh. The way Ian had fought for them to survive, to make it work, to keep going… the way Smosh had always remained a thing of Ian AND Anthony, even when he was gone. How Shayne had tried to step up, support Ian emotionally, professionally, as a friend. Yet not once had Ian ever even as much as hinted at there being more between him and Anthony.

So, best friendships could actually grow into more. Shayne couldn't help noticing his proximity to Damien, how they were huddled together under the table, so goofy. How their skin touched, arms grazing, merging body heat. Shayne's heart seemed to travel to his throat. He looked at HIS best friend. Damien looked at him, then his eyes lowered to Shayne's lips. The sounds from the office were still going on. Shayne blinked a couple of times.

"Damien, let's get out of here."

Damien snapped out of it.

"Y- Yep. There must be something in the air or something.."

They made their way outside.

"Well, that's going to be fun tomorrow!" Shayne tried to lighten the mood. But they were both very aware of the vibes that were just exchanged between them.

"Come on, let's hug it out," Damien said with a friendly grin.

They hugged and Shayne sighed. Yes, they were best friends. Their friendship wasn't in any danger.

When he got home, Shayne looked at the ceiling from his bed. His bosses were walking a dangerous line. He didn't know how to feel about it. Their success had come from their friendship, but it had also undone their friendship. But they had literally just reconciled, BOUGHT their company back, together. They were responsible for a lot of people's livelihoods. Could they really afford to be so cavalier?

His own best friendship was also tied to his work, but not dependent on it. If him and Damien would ever become.. exes or something, they would find a way to film different videos, he figured. Or in the worst case, one of them would quit and find another job. Ian nor Anthony could do that.

"Damnit!"

Of course there was that other thing. Ian looking straight into his soul with those shining eyes that eclipsed all other light. Getting worse and worse, then miraculously getting better mentally. Then HE had reappeared and it had all made sense. Shayne had decided to be happy for Ian and not be too suspicious.

"If he left once, he could do it again," he'd thought but quickly shoved that thought to the side. He trusted Ian to be as strong and stable as he had been all the previous years. Now it felt like the entire foundation of Shayne's life, for yes, Smosh was his entire life as well, was shaking.

"Hey dude, what's up, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I just wanted to hear your voice. I keep thinking about what we witnessed at the office."

Damien sounded like he had waken him up, and he felt guilty. But he needed some support.

"Yeah, that was crazy."

"I just… I had always thought they had this epic friendship, and now… I don't know anymore…"

"I think it's great that they are exploring their feelings. They still do have their epic friendship! That's not going anywhere, Shayne."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I am actually. Every successful marriage is a best friendship, with benefits."

"Huh, I hadn't thought of it like that actually."

"And what's more like a marriage than a business partnership?"

"Fair," Shayne laughed. Fuck, Damien always made him feel better.

"Now, go back to sleep and we'll chat in the morning, alright my guy?"

"You're right, I'm being silly."

"No! I mean, you're always being silly, this is just your baseline."

"I love you buddy, g'nite"

"Love you too."

Wow, we have such a healthy friendship, Shayne thought. And all of a sudden he pitied Ian and Anthony, having to have repressed their feelings all through the nineties probably and also the twothousands. And still their friendship had been so strong it could entice millions of views, be the foundation of a whole epic company. Maybe they deserved a little treat. Maybe he did, too.

Shayne fell asleep, thinking of the table, the sounds and Damien's eyes.

[thepalmofyourfreezinghand]

I was just catching up on your blog and wanted to thank you for your level headed approach to this whole thing. It has been sooooo disappointing to see how people have turned on Joe in a second. All because he now is the ex to their favorite singer. And they wonder why this relationship maybe wasn’t working for him anymore! The level of scrutiny that he has gone through for 6.5 years with his personal life and his professional life is beyond. And I do believe he has handled it really well.

I don’t know why there seems to have been a change in direction in their relationship. The news of the house is kind of heartbreaking because this was not something that was coming. They weren’t growing apart or had personality conflicts. They may have had differences on how they wanted to approach fame and ambition and careers (especially for the next 2 years while the tour was happening), but this tour was not something unknown. For it to blow up 3 weeks in... Some things just aren’t adding up and I can’t put my finger on it, but I really hope there aren’t regrets when they both calm down and realize they made this decision when not even together in the same country and with a month of distance and both working hard.

I do feel for Joe that this will eventually calm down and the Swifties that are talking so much about him now will move on to the next victim, but then TS11 will come out in a few years. And he’ll have to relive it again. And I have a hunch that the music and the fans reaction to it will not be kind. So I hope he has the best support and that Taylor can remember how most of the 6.5 years were very happy and how much he did for her and not go scorched earth. Even if it’s her right to do that. All of sudden I’m not laughing with her anymore about her comment on whatever talk show she was on for Red TV where she said she didn’t care about their feelings. Praying they can be civil one day.

This is all very well said, anon, thank you. And I agree with you about Joe handling things well. When you look at celebrities, 95% of them say the wrong thing at some point. He’s never done it, even though he was the partner of the most successful singer in the US. They were never able to dig up anything negative about him, and even when he was asked about Taylor or he received rude questions during interviews he always remained calm and composed. And I so admire him for that.

About your last paragraph… it’s such a thorny situation and I don’t have a definitive answer. We should absolutely not police Taylor’s voice and tell her what she can or can’t sing about. But the repercussions of her music are enormous. It’s not Taylor’s fault, but it’s not fair that Maggie Gyllenhaal got asked about the scarf. It’s not fair that people danced in a club to an edit of Jake Gyllenhaal crying. It’s not fair that people right now are making fun of Joe. Nor is it fair that they made fun of Tom for years.

Is there a solution? No. And Taylor should be able to write whatever she wants, that’s the most important thing. For my part, I think that fans bullying the subjects of her songs are a disgrace to the fandom. And I’ll never stop worrying about what the muses think, maybe because I’m too sensitive.

Taylor said it herself: she wants us to make the songs she writes about ourselves. If we can’t do that, the very least we can do is not bother people we don’t know over fights that aren’t ours.

[musicalchaos07]

curious to know what your headcanons for future jancy are - marriage or no marriage? any kids? where would they live? etc

SO MANY ANON SO SO SO MANY

I fully believe they get married at 23 because boyfriend/girlfriend doesn't cut it anymore. It's a small ceremony in the park like her family, his family, and Argyle. (The Wheelers are not happy about her getting married and Mike has to drag them basically). I think Nancy does take his last name but professionally goes by Nancy Wheeler. (they have a joke about him being Jonathan Wheeler) I always picture them in New York (don't ask me how they get there) I think in the early years Will lives with him while he's going to NYU and Mike comes in from Cornell on the weekends. So their first apartment is a little crowded but they're happy. Mike moves in after graduation and the four of them live together for a while until Mike & Will finally get their own place in the mid-90s I think Nancy gets in with the New York Times right after college because she had internships/editorial experience and just general privilege and she works her way up. She takes on way too many assignments and travels around the state for investigations but Jonathan is super supportive and isn't intimidated by her success but does feel a little guilty about her having a salary and benefits because Jonathan struggles with his career for a while working odd photography jobs and as a bartender. (so he feels like it's unequal and he's relying on her too much) He works with the Associated Press for a while covering Clinton's election/presidency in the 90s so he's not home a lot which he hates and then Nancy finally convinces him that they can afford for him to quit. So he does and then gets his big break following a famous band around for Rolling Stone (think almost famous) and he finally gets a job there and that's his career. It may be controversial, but I think eventually they do have kids. Eventually like, they're the last ones in their friend group to have them. But one day they're in the park or something and Nancy's just like I want a baby and Jonathan makes a bad joke about kidnapping and she's like no yours and Jonathan.exe has stopped working. So in late 1997, they have their first girl. And are very happy as a family of 3 until their daughter wants a sibling and Jonathan "my brother is my best friend" Byers is like we should have another one so in Spring 2002 they welcome another girl (I think Nancy went to grad school in the meantime). I think they only have two kids because that's enough but Nancy worries anout not having a boy after some coworkers (and her mom) make comments. Jonathan is just like does that seem like something I'd care about? Like he's THRIVING taking the girls to ballet, having tea parties, and playing Barbies with them Girl dad Jonathan Byers is very important TO ME. I think Nancy worries a lot about being a "good mom" but Jonathan is very reassuring and she never misses an appointment, recital, or first day of school.

ANYWAYS can you tell I think about living a nice quiet (relatively) life A LOT

[thecheckeredchaser]

Ch 2

Insured Gains

Chapter 3- Personally Interested

Jake walked over to Gibbs who was talking with Eric from the legal department. He shook both their hands and turned to his partner.

"We've done it again. Another successful quarter for the books. I think many will increase their investments," Morgan said, delighted.

"Well, it's exactly what I'd wanted." Eric had turned to observe the room while they chatted, and Jake was suddenly having Eric's elbow jammed into his middle. His brows furrowed, but he looked to where he was looking. The heavy set investor was filling a third container of sandwiches, which was a bit much, but at A&G an investor could kill an intern and get away with it.

"This guy can't help himself," Eric weakly joked.

"The investors make this company what it is. And the food is literally for them. You certainly shouldn't attempt to tease them while they are still here," Jake chided quietly. He glanced at Morgan, who seemed in full agreement. Jake also suspected he was a bit miffed that Eric should be surprised people would want to take his food home, fat or not.

"It's everyone's favorite, too," he added, proudly.

"Well, Jake you just want to not let it be your favorite like that. You might be asking him for his suits soon," Eric said, giving Jake a once over. Jake was taken aback for a moment. He was certainly not familiar enough with Eric for him to feel comfortable enough to say that to him, but his fumbling now was not making that clear. Gibbs cleared his throat and lowered his voice.

"Andrews had just told you not to go after an investor, so you decide to go for an investor and an executive at the company that has made your job. I'm appalled Eric. Can you believe this ridiculousness Andrews," Gibbs said, turning to him. Jake shook his head.

"I was unsure of where he found the right myself. In the future be sure to withhold any personal suggestions unless requested. And do refrain from elbowing either of us or any boss you have in the future." Eric apologized and very quickly left, mortified. Jake turned to Gibbs, who had been so supportive.

"It was not appropriate. I bust your balls, and probably shouldn't, but we are partners. I'd like to think you would tell me if I was bothering you too bad. And I'm no idiot. I can see there are other things in your life going on. Who the hell is Eric? I said united front and meant it Jake."

"I appreciate that."

"Good one with the "boss in the future". Very foreboding. Now, I will gladly take some sandwiches home," he said, taking a to-go box. "Come on Jake, no need for chastity." He laughed at his own joke. Jake joined him in making a container and announced he'd make one for Alexis too. "What a smoke show she is, huh?" Gibbs commented.

"She is a beautiful woman," Jake said, trying not to blush over it. "And a great worker," he added, to resume professionalism. Gibbs cleared his throat and agreed, and then the gentleman parted ways, and Jake headed back to his office. When he got out the elevator to his floor, he was disappointed to see Alexis had gone. He went into his office and began organizing his debriefing notes into his files. He felt his phone buzz and saw he had a few messages from Alexis.

"Hope your meeting is going well."

"All orders are placed. Documents for signing in your basket." He checked the basket and saw several things for him to sign. She had been very busy.

"I'm heading out for coffee and a snack. Want anything for when you get out?"

And the most recent message. "I think I know you well enough." Jake busied himself with signing the documents and looked up when he heard the elevator doors open. Alexis came out and when her eyes met his, they lit up. She came into his office, after putting her purse down.

"How was the meeting?"

"Very successful, but dry. I'm sorry I wasn't getting back to you. I was more wrapped up in it than I thought I'd be."

"You are a working man. I didn't expect replies honestly." She put the bag she had been holding on his desk and handed him an iced coffee. Even though he hadn't experienced hunger at all that day, he reached in the bag.

"You really did not have to get me anything." He could feel his heart beat a little faster. He had been dying to be around her all day, and he was specifically interested in where they had left off. He pulled out a very large cupcake in a plastic clamshell container. "Oh wow. German chocolate. I absolutely love this kind. Did you get one for yourself? We could enjoy it together." She shook her head. "We can split it too. Obviously I don't have to have the whole thing."

"I am all set, but please you should enjoy it." She tucked a sliver of her butt on the edge of his desk and perched up on it.

"I have been eating all day and am still pretty full from lunch. It's probably best to save it for later." He looked up at Alexis, who looked like she wasn't buying it.

"You want it Jake. Eat it," she said simply. He opened it up, feeling a little sheepish about it.

"Thanks Alexis," he said, taking a bite and instantly getting whisked away by the flavors. He moaned and closed his eyes. He could hear Alexis move across the room toward him, behind his desk with him. He opened his eyes when her hands were on his shoulders and her hair started to fall beside his face as her hands reached down his chest. The smell of her shampoo captivated his senses.

"I have been thinking about you all day Jake," she whispered in his ear, kissing his neck. "You were so hot this morning, I've been replaying it in my head." Jake's skin crawled all over at her touch. His eyes darted to the elevator, nervous that anyone would exit onto their floor. He played through several scenarios, including his partner, the cleaning ladies, and even Eric coming to frantically apologize.

"Alexis hold on," he said, placing the cupcake down and putting his arms up in protest. She pulled away and moved to look at him. He pushed his chair back and put his hands on his thighs. She looked far more worried than he felt.

"I'm sorry," she said quickly.

"Please don't be sorry. I just need," he paused. He didn't know exactly what he needed, besides stopping. "I don't know what." He rubbed his thumbs on his temples. Alexis seemed to ease.

"Maybe we should slow down," she said calmly, making her way to the chair across from the desk. Jake sighed, relieved. He mentally was kicking himself for being too frazzled to just let things happen. She clearly took a risk by coming on strong, and he hoped she was considering trying again, later.

"I'm sorry," he said, embarrassed.

"You didn't just jump on your boss," Alexis said lightly, with a smile.

"I'm just worried we'll get caught. That would about end what I have left in my life," he said, sighing heavily, looking at his clasped hands. Alexis' soft delicate fingers came over on his own, their cool feeling soothing him. He looked up at her. "That sounded way sadder than I'd intended," he said, with a short laugh.

"I completely understand Jake. This is why you are the boss," she said with a wink, pulling her hands back and placing them on her knees. "I am honestly a little surprised at myself. Like what am I doing? I just feel kinda crazy about you I guess, and responsibility went right out the window." Jake felt himself blush.

"That's the most surprising part," he said, picking the cupcake up and taking a bite. Alexis' lips curled up in sync with her eyebrow.

"Why does that have to be surprising though?" she said, looking playfully annoyed. Jake smiled. She was funny. He unbuttoned his jacket and looked down at his belly. It pushed against the buttons of his gray button up and rested in his lap, puffed up from his filling day.

"I'm fat. That's one reason," he said, taking another bite of the cupcake. "You've noticed."

"Be surprised that I'm into fat guys all you want. You are very attractive to me." Her eyes washed over him, and he couldn't feel more exposed. She looked back into his eyes and smiled. "You have such a handsome face too," she whined.

"Okay, you don't have to lay it on that thick," he said.

"I'm not! Jake," she paused, looking bewildered. "I can't believe you said that." Jake smiled bashfully.

"Sorry. I don't handle compliments well. My wife had me trained to assume it was underhanded or insincere. I appreciate the kind words." She smiled victoriously. "But fat and old?" he said, squinting at her. She laughed and rolled her eyes.

"Jake. First, I don't even know how old you are. I assume 40ish, but I honestly don't care. You look fantastic."

"I'm 44," he said, eyeing her.

"I said what I said." He kept staring at her. "Oh. I'm 26." Jake raised his eyebrows.

"Wow. I guess I should feel flattered. But right now, I'm only feeling huge. I ate way too much today."

"Tell me all about it," she said leaning back in her chair. Jake told her about all the items he consumed throughout the day, not really focusing on how unusual a thing it was to report on. He realized as he told her that it was quite a lot within a few hours.

"I have no idea what is compelling me to finish this cupcake, but my stomach is so full right now."

"It's that appetite of yours," she replied, deep in fantasy. "You can eat Jake. That's for sure. And I'm completely entranced by that fact." Jake swallowed a mouthful of cupcake and took another bite, feeling Alexis' gaze intensify. "You look like you could use a belly rub, and I'd love to give you one."

"Typically I wouldn't want someone anywhere near me when I feel this full, but I'm not going to deny you the opportunity." He glanced at the window behind her. "Just uh, close the blinds." Alexis did as he asked and made her way back over to him, slowly.

"If you need me to stop, just tell me Jake." She knelt in front of him and spread her fingers across his belly, seeming to be sizing him up. She began to rub the sides and Jake softly moaned, surprised by himself.

"Feels good, huh? I can tell how stuffed you are." Jake was enjoying her touch too much to dig in on how she could know that just from touching him. There wasn't an inch of his stomach she wasn't massaging. He had never been comfortable with people touching his stomach, especially as he had been gaining weight. He had to keep any self consciousness away by reminding himself that Alexis offered to perform the act. She wanted to. Though he was a bit unsure at first, he wanted her to too. "You look so good with this little chubby belly Jake."

"Little?" Alexis looked at him like he was a complete fool to question the comment.

"You have a belly, but it's not that big."

"Feels big to me," he said, pushing the last of his treat in his mouth.

"I can only imagine why," she said playfully. She gave his belly a little poke. Jake burped long and grumbly.

"Ugh. Excuse me." Jake didn't love how slobbish he kept finding himself to be around Alexis, but she never seemed to mind.

"I bet your belly feels a little better now." He acknowledged that she was correct, but he felt no less embarrassed. He reached for the iced coffee and took a long drink. "You feel so nice in my hands," she said, gripping him.

"Well it feels nice on my end too. Really good actually." He finished the coffee and sighed. He was stuffed. Alexis drummed lightly on the side of his belly, and Jake found himself burping again, louder than before. He groaned, annoyed and relieved at the same time.

"What a cute little piggy," Alexis said, before he could say anything. She snorted at him, playfully and jiggled his belly. "You got another one in there," she said, pressing on every angle of his stomach. Jake was once again excited by the name calling. He was thoroughly embarrassed, but couldn't help but like her attention. Very unlike his wife, who in the last year, would get up and walk out the room, if any such bodily function would occur, typically calling him a disgusting pig. The extra movement from Alexis' hands pushed another big burp right out. "There you go. What a hot pig," she praised. "God, I could kiss you," she said, looking into his eyes. Jake's eyes went wide, as he didnt think the events elicited that response, but he was thinking the same thing. He pulled her in for a kiss, and found her kissing him back hungrily. He pulled her closer to him, forcing her to straddle his lap. She rhythmically bounced there, amplifying his excitement. If they didn't stop, Jake was confident he'd be unbuttoning his pants any second, which despite his raging erection, he knew he could not. He slowly and reluctantly broke off the kiss. Alexis got up off his lap and breathlessly leaned on his desk in front of him.

He smiled at her, completely taken by the moment. He rested his hand on her knee a moment and wiped his hand down his face. "Alexis," he began, with a sigh, "What are we getting into here?" He didn't want to make anything weird, but felt like clarity would be helpful. She shrugged with a goofy smile.

"I'm into you Jake. That's what I'm going off of."

"I'm into you too." He didn't know if she intended to have a quick fling with him or if she was looking for something serious. Considering he was still finalizing his divorce, he thought neither was probably best, but was thinking he wouldn't mind the latter.

"Let's just see what happens. I feel like if I say, "Jake, let's date," things will get ruined before they start. If you decide that's what you want to do later, let me know. For now I'm perfectly good with keeping, whatever this is, up and running."

"And what is this, anyway."

"Fat fetish and feeding kink stuff. I assumed you were familiar with it all, since you have been going along with it all." Alexis looked over at him, suspiciously. "You don't know what I'm talking about?"

"That's a fetish? I have never heard of that at all." Alexis looked embarrassed now, and she rarely seemed to be. "So you have been getting me all these treats for that reason." She looked like she was being sent to the gallows. Jake paused, trying a different approach. "All of which I appreciated. I guess I just thought you were nice."

"Oh man," she said.

"Listen, it's fine. If what we have been doing was something you're into, that works, because I was into it too."

"Jake I've been calling you a pig to your face, and you aren't even part of the community," she groaned. Jake felt his cheeks get warm. She looked at his flushed face and smiled. "Maybe you didn't mind that."

"It was new for me. I guess I liked it, surprisingly." Alexis looked at him curiously.

"There is so much more I could show you Jake. If you are interested." He was.

They decided to pack up and walk out together. Everyone else appeared to have already left the office. Once in the parking garage, Jake pulled Alexis in for another kiss and she pressed herself into him firmly and kissed him hard. They eventually pulled back and stared at each other. "See you tomorrow," she said.

"See you tomorrow." She started walking to her car and Jake watched her butt switch from side to side. "No treats tomorrow," he called after her. She spun around, walking backwards.

"Is that an order, Sir?" Jake smiled.

"No," he called back. He wondered what she'd bring.

Ch 4

[neonacity]

LUCID | NCT DREAM ‘00 LINE X READER | CH.3

LUCID DREAMS - A TYPE OF DREAM WHEREIN THE PERSON IS AWARE THAT THEY ARE CAUGHT IN A DREAM WORLD.

Summary: It was supposed to be a harmless, professional transaction. You were to tutor a group of boys, get your pay at the end of the day, and go home to your loving fiance. Kids aren’t supposed to be dangerous, right? So why, then, are you caught up in a web of madness that slowly makes you feel like you’re in a living nightmare?

A/N: Third chapter is here! Again, thank you to all those who are supporting the story. Once again, this is a yandere plot featuring NCT Dream ‘00 line which means there will be mature themes in the story as well as obsessive, toxic behavior. If you’re a minor, please refrain from interacting. If this isn’t your thing, then just scroll and skip. In no way am I condoning anything written here— this is not love, this is obsession—nor do I think that any of the people mentioned here will act any way like in this story. This is purely a work of fiction.

Genre: yandere, horror, suspense

TW: abuse, obsessive behavior, toxic relationships, suggestive scenes, stalking, possible kidnapping, mental health. Age gap–though nothing dramatic. Everyone is of legal age. Creepy, creepy, creepy! This will be updated as the story goes along.

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

“Insane madness of the living can be more, more terrible than the bloody hunger of the undead...”

― Silvia Liam

The rules of hunting down prey are simple. First, you observe to take note of their weakness, then you stalk...waiting for the right opportunity to take your shot. Hunting is more often about a game of time than aim sometimes. You jump too soon and you risk scaring your target to a successful escape, or you do it too late that you let them fully slip through your grasp. Hunting... has always been about perfect timing.

"You already know the rules of the game, right boy?"

The frail form of a seven year old child cowered against the foot of a dead tree, eyes shaking as it regarded the man leering at him. The sky was a deep dark velvet above them, and the only source of light came from the full moon that dipped in and out between the passing clouds. A bell dingled from the tight chain strapped around his left ankle when he moved, the sound causing the smile on the man's face twist into a wicked grin.

The hum of a gun being cocked sent the boy to give a choked sob. He shakily tried to stand up from his spot and pressed his palm against the rough bark of the tree to support himself, his wide eyes set on the looming form that has taken a step closer to where he stood.

"It's the first sturgeon moon tonight, so we are going to change the rules a little bit, okay?" Those words only made the child shake harder, the thin shirt he had now clinging to him like second skin due to the cold sweats gripping him.

"You run. And if I catch you, you die," the man cooed as he craned his face a bit to the side, causing the light from the moon to illuminate his features briefly. He looked handsome, inhuman, like he was one of the fallen souls exiled to earth at the beginning of times.

The man moved the arm holding his hunting gun and used it to lift the chin of the boy still cowering in front of him. He smiled—a smile so beautiful and dangerous it can make angels weep.

"But if you die, then your brothers will be the one running in this forest to take your place. So...make sure I don't catch you, hmm?"

Tears finally streamed down the bruised cheeks of the child as he realized what he was up to tonight. Eyes wide with fear, he pushed himself off the tree he was leaning on and started making a run for it.

He could still hear his words even as he dove deep into the woods, the bell on his feet masking his thundering footsteps.

"Seven bullets! You have one minute to hide, son~!"

Gunshots pierced the night air like a wailing scream.

------

Bang!

Jeno lowered his hunting rifle and let go of his breath slowly. Despite the shadows cast by the towering trees surrounding him, his eyes could still clearly see the slight flailing of the fawn he just shot before it went completely still. Above him, a flock of crows looked down on the fallen prey with their beady eyes, as if gauging the best time to dive for their feast.

He slowly picked himself up from his hiding spot, a wide oak tree with overarching branches that hid him from sight. He's been crouched there for a good half hour or so, just waiting for the fawn to finally circle the area. He's been observing it for the past week or so, taking note of its routes, and today he decided to make the kill.

Unlike other hunters, Jeno prefers the thrill that comes with stalking his prey over simply making a successful game. For him, the fun of hunting is in the process and not in its ending—a kill , after all, means nothing if you didn't work hard for it.

He looked down on the small fawn now as it lay lifeless on the mossy forest ground with its glassy eyes still open. Leaning over, he lightly pressed his hand over it to feel its heartbeat just to check if he killed it properly.

It was so beautiful and graceful just prancing in the forest a few days ago….it would be a shame if it suffers now.

"Hey, you got it?" A voice from the edge of the clearing made him look around. Haechan emerged from between the trees, his own hunting rifle slung over his shoulder.

"Yup. What did you get?"

The other boy lifted a brown sack and gave it a light shake.

"Got three rabbits. I'm too lazy to skin them here so I'll just ask Taeyong-hyung to do it. Want to go back now?"

Jeno turned to look back at the fawn in front of him briefly before finally shaking his head. He didn't really want to go back to the mansion yet, so he decided to just throw an excuse to the other for now.

"You go ahead. I'll just skin it right here," he said casually over his shoulder at his brother. Haechan, too cold and too bored to stay another minute in the humid woods, gave a wave of his hand before turning back. Unlike Jeno, he prefers the comforts and luxuries of the manor over anything else.

"I'll go ahead then. Try to get back before nightfall, the forest can be a dangerous place~" he said in a sing-song voice, knowing full well it was a useless warning he just gave.

Jeno simply ignored him and silently pulled his skinning knife from his belt so he could get to work. Nights in the forest have never scared him, he knew it like the back of his hand.

If anything, it is the creatures there who should be terrified of him.

------

You glanced over at Jisung and Chenle who were currently immersed in their readings over the page you’ve been scanning. The sun is about to set in just a few minutes and you have the last session of the day scheduled for the pair before you could pack up and go home. Your lips slightly quirked into a smile as you watched Jisung lean over slightly into the other to silently ask about something, Chenle looking up from his pages to roll his eyes before patiently answering. The two have such different personalities from each other, which adorably and ironically, makes them work so well together.

If you're going to be honest with yourself now, you'd say it is your time with the two youngest that you enjoy the most as Rosewood's tutor. Chenle and Jisung were withdrawn and shy at first, but the pair slowly started warming up to you as time went by. Maybe it's because they are younger, but you prefer the innocent air around them every time you would have your lessons. Chenle is the chattier and the more confident of the two, but with his help, even the shy Jisung also started lightly joking around with you on his best days.

That's not to say that you hate your time with the rest of the brothers. You've only ever had one session with Mark—which went so well as expected from the eldest—while the rest have always been polite and casual. There isn’t really anything about your job and connection with any of the boys that should put you on edge and yet... you have to admit that there are still those rare moments when you just feel as if something is out of place. You couldn't really place your finger on it, nor have you blatantly caught anything suspicious, but sometimes you just feel odd whenever you are around any of the four middle children. It’s something similar to being watched...like there is an imaginary pair of eyes always pinned to the back of your head, or the ghost feeling of hands hovering around your throat.

Your eyes flickered now to the grand clock on the far side of the room which finally struck five. Closing your own book which you have been scouring over, you called out towards the two who quickly looked up from their work.

"Alright, time's up. Have you answered the first two questions at least?" You asked with a smile. Chenle groaned and pointed at Jisung accusingly.

"I only got three questions because he kept disturbing me, noona."

Jisung frowned and you had to keep your laugh back with how offended he looked.

"Hey, I wasn't disturbing you. I was just asking questions."

"Okay, okay. Don't fight now. Do you want an extension for the chapter quiz? We do have our next lesson the day after tomorrow."

Their faces simultaneously lit up.

"Can we do that?" Chenle asked.

"Yes, but I'll have to leave you the assignment of reading another chapter and finishing the questionnaire for that as well. That'll be your homework, okay?" You tried your best to put on your best impression of a stern look, which only made the two giggle.

"Okay, noona."

"You promise you'll do it?"

Jisung put up his right hand and placed his left one over his heart.

"We promise."

That made you chuckle. "Well then, that will be all for today. I'll see you again tomorrow, okay? I'll have lessons with your brothers but just come to me if you have any questions." You gathered the rest of the papers that you have sprawled on the desk you were using before waving the two goodbye.

You were in the middle of trying to fit in a rather stubborn pile of files on your bag that you didn't really notice the tall figure that entered from the front door. When you finally looked up, it was already too late for you to stop crashing straight first into someone's chest, if not for the strong hands that held you steady. You felt an arm settle on your waist, and another on your back as you almost toppled when you hastily stepped back.

"Oh! I am so sorr—" you looked up with wide eyes to see Jeno looking down on you. Your words died in your throat when your eyes caught the red stain on his neck and you gasped.

"Jeno, what happened?!" Your voice raised in panic as you stared wide eyed at the blood running down the side of his neck. He gave you a slight look of confusion before raising a hand to touch the area you've been staring at.

"Ah… this…"

You didn't wait for him to finish. Quickly, you grabbed his hand and turned on your heels to drag him to the opposite direction. You didn't look back to see his surprised expression, and before he could even say anything, you had already pushed him into one of the expansive bathrooms down the nearest hallway.

"Sit there."

You pushed him urgently on the closed toilet seat before you proceeded to rummage on the hidden compartment behind the mirror that Taeyong showed you before. You quickly grabbed the box of first aid kit there and hastily opened an antiseptic wipe.

"Uhm...noona…"

You didn't pay him any attention, too focused on what you needed to do. You quickly kneeled in front of him so that you were more eye-level with each other before finally pressing the damp wipe against his injury.

"Shh. This might sting a little. We have to see how deep your wound is and stop the bleeding," you said, a small frown creasing your brows as your fingers gently dabbed at his skin. You were so focused on what you were doing that you didn't notice the light in his eyes shift as he looked at you closely. 

His gaze dropped to your slightly parted lips, then at the look of concentration on your features.

Are you...worried about him?

Your frown deepened as you finally managed to wipe most of the blood away from his skin. The antiseptic sheet you were using has already turned dark red from the liquid, but still you haven't—

"It's not my blood," Jeno said plainly, his voice suddenly sounding too close to you. You looked up to him in confusion, and for the first time you realized how close the two of you were. His gaze didn't waver from your face, pinning you into the spot where you are kneeling in front of him.

"Not your…"

"I was hunting. I was skinning the game I caught but my hand slipped and I hit a major vein. This is deer blood."

If your face wasn't burning after realizing how close the two of you were at the moment, it is definitely on fire now. You opened your mouth to say something, then closed it again in embarrassment. Jeno continued staring at you and you watched as his lips ever so slightly curled into a smirk.

That made you suddenly stand up from your crouch. He calmly followed you with his gaze, a mix of curiosity and amusement in his brown eyes.

"I-I'm so sorry. I thought you were injured so I panicked," you stuttered as your eyes fell on the bloody wipe that is still on your hands. You quickly ducked to throw it away just so you could avoid his gaze.

Jeno followed your every move closely before slightly leaning his head to the side. He seems to be mulling over something, face now devoid of any telling emotions.

"Were you concerned about me?" He asked, tone curious. You glanced at him in surprise, stunned that he would ask such a question. It was bad enough that you stumbled over your words when you finally managed a reply.

"Of course I was concerned. Anyone would be."

Jeno slowly stood up from where he sat and for the first time, you realized just how much he towered over you. It didn't help that the two of you were in a much smaller space than usual which sent a wave of claustrophobia to wash you over briefly. You involuntarily took a step back, eyes only high enough to meet the base of his neck.

"Why though?" He asked again, and you could genuinely hear the curiosity in his tone. You frowned. He was asking...as if he isn't used to such a level of care. As if things like this are so foreign to him.

"Because you are my student. And I wouldn't want to see anyone hurt."

For a moment, Jeno didn't say anything else. He simply looked at you while you tried so hard not to flinch under his heavy gaze.

Then, as if a switch had been turned, he took a step to the side to free some space between the two of you. Your eyes shot to his face when he did that, and you were met by his boyish smile that crinkled his eyes into half moons.

That made you blink. You see it on him whenever he is with the rest of his brothers, but it was the first time he ever smiled that way to you.

"Thank you, noona. I appreciate it."

It was as if a blockage in your throat dissolved all of a sudden. You smiled back, a sense of relief overtaking you.

"Don't worry about it. I'm sorry I panicked, too."

"It's cute. Nobody has ever…" he trailed off before shrugging. "I guess, it's because we're all men here. So none of us are used to that kind of care."

You nodded slowly at that. It really must be hard...being in this kind of household. Now that you think about it, the boys are technically orphans.

"Anyway, I have to go. I need to get back before dark. I'm not really a big fan of night drives," you said as you picked up the bag you had haphazardly thrown into the sink in your panic earlier. Jeno simply watched you silently from where he stood.

"Make sure to be careful next time alright? Don't give anyone a heart attack again," you smiled before finally excusing yourself out. He smiled back and gave a nod of goodbye as you closed the door.

Jeno turned to the mirror in front of him and slowly touched the part of his neck where your fingers grazed earlier. It was cold now from the antiseptic you had rubbed, but he could still remember how good the warmth of your touch felt against his skin when you were trying to wash the blood away. He curled his fingers slightly over the area now, leaving half moon marks as his nails dug there.

Oh what he would do to have you touch him again.

-------

"Pretty neat, huh?" You grinned at Jaehyun as he parked the car in front of the manor. You watched as your boyfriend's eyes moved over the impressive facade of the structure in front of him, knowing full well that his architect training is kicking in.

"Not bad. Victorian-era, probably. The stones look old but the place looks pretty well-kept…"

You grinned to yourself now as you leaned back on your seat. Of course you have absolutely no reason to be proud of something you don't own, but you can't help but boast a little at your boyfriend. It is your workplace after all.

Jaehyun turned to his seat now to give you a slightly guilty smile. He sighed before reaching out for your hand.

"Are you sure you will be okay though? I'm sorry about borrowing your car all of a sudden, the timing is just so bad."

You gave his hand a squeeze before patting it with your other. He was supposed to go on a three day business trip away from the city when his car, all of a sudden, just wouldn't start this morning. He wouldn't make it if he waits for the shop to fix it so the both of you decided to just have him use yours for now. At least he has enough time to drive you to work, which is why the two of you now are parked outside the manor, 10 minutes before your first lesson has to start.

"Don't worry about it. I'll make sure to pick up your car later. I'll have the taxi drive me there."

Jaehyun glanced back at the mansion briefly.

"Are you sure you can get a taxi here though? This is pretty far off the main road…"

Well...to be honest, you weren't even really sure about that yourself but he didn't have to worry about it right now. You nodded and reached over for your bag with a smile.

"Yes. Or I'll just ask Taeyong for help if I can't get one. I'm pretty sure they have some taxi companies in contact."

Jaehyun still didn't look convinced but gave you a small nod nevertheless. His eyes were back to studying the house again which made you chuckle.

"Jae, I'll be fine. You have to go now or you'll be late to your conference. Thanks for driving me here," picking up the last of your things, you leaned over to give him a quick peck on the cheeks. He responded by pulling you over for a slightly longer kiss when you tried to move away.

"Yah, Jung Jaehyun. We'll both be late if you don't stop," you whispered softly with an amused tone. He laughed before finally letting you pull back.

"Just getting my fill of it since I won't see you in three days. Call me once you get home later, okay?"

"Mmn. Take care, too. Go get that deal closed," you gave him a wink before finally opening the passenger seat. You watched as he finally pulled away from the driveway and waited until he disappeared again on the long winding road before turning towards the manor again. You were almost at the front steps when the doors finally opened, spilling Haechan, Renjun, and Jaemin out of them. You frowned slightly as you took notice of the canvases they were carrying as you approached the group.

"Hey...are you going somewhere? Class is about to start." You asked curiously, eyes landing finally on the small leather bag that Renjun was carrying. It seems to be full of art supplies.

"We're doing a free art class today, right noona?" The eldest of the trio asked. You nodded, still a bit confused.

"Renjun suggested we do it in the garden since the weather is nice today," Jaemin finally said. "We think it'll be a nice change from the stuffy rooms inside," he slightly jerked his head back at the wide windows of the manor which are currently shut back with thick curtains. You glanced at them briefly too before nodding slowly in understanding.

"Oh… I mean… It's not a bad idea. We can have the first session outside while the sun is still bearable, I guess."

That made Jaemin, and most especially Renjun smile. The boy can be withdrawn most of the time, but you did notice that he looks happiest whenever you do creative classes.

"Thank you, noona."

"No problem. I'll just put my bag inside and then I'll follow you. Why don't you set up your things first?"

You've taken a couple of steps towards the front door already when Haechan suddenly spoke up.

"Who was with you, noona?"

That froze you on your tracks. Slowly, you turned to face the trio again. They saw Jaehyun drive off?

"Oh, that was my boyfriend. He dropped me off today," you said casually with a smile. Haechan leaned his head a little bit to the side in curiosity.

"But he took your car…"

"Yes, he did. His broke down so he had to borrow mine. He's leaving for a three-day trip so—" you stopped all of a sudden, realizing that you're explaining things too much. There's nothing wrong about what you said but there was still a part of you that made you feel a little...exposed. Jaemin, Haechan, and Renjun, fortunately, didn't seem to notice and continued to politely look at you.

"Anyway, I'll just grab a cab to go home," you continued with a smile. "There are some who stop by here, right?"

"Yes. Or we can just ask Taeyong-hyung to drive you. He is the only one who has a license among us," Jaemin offered with a casual shrug.

"Ah, maybe I'll have to bother him this one time if I can't get a cab," you said with a sheepish smile. "Okay, I do have to bring my things inside. I'll see you."

You have already reached the top of the steps before the double doors when you finally realized something. Quickly you turned to the three boys who were just about to disappear to the side of the house leading to the manicured gardens.

"Wait, where's Jeno?"

It was Jaemin who answered.

"Oh yeah. He can't come. He is on bed rest."

You frowned.

"What happened?"

Haechan snickered which caused Renjun to shoot him a reprimanding look.

"He got into a hunting accident," the boy explained as he barely tried to keep his lips from twitching with amusement. "He was foolish enough to get stabbed in the chest by a stag."

-----

You gave the oak wood door a few light taps before drawing your hand back to yourself. You still weren't sure if this is a good idea, and yet here you are standing outside Jeno's room, the expansive hallway making you feel too small and out of place. This is the first time you've been in this part of the mansion since you only ever roamed the lower floors for your classes, and you couldn't help but feel a little strange at the heaviness of the air clinging around you now.

Maybe it's because it is where the private quarters of the boys are, but the corridor was only slightly illuminated by dimmed lighting from the lamps on the walls. Everything was silent, and for a moment you wondered if you got the wrong door that Taeyong gave directions to when you told him you wanted to check on Jeno. You have already taken a step back and was about to turn away when you heard some rustling from inside the room. It was followed by a voice muffled by the thick wood separating you from the other side of the door.

"Come in."

You froze on your spot for a few seconds before finally managing to shake yourself to open the door before you slowly. Peering around it, the first thing you noticed was how big the room was—it looked more like a smaller section of a house than a private quarters. It was dark, but a quick look at it told you that it was mostly bare if you don't count the essentials, which is a simple desk by the side, a long couch, and, in the middle, a four poster bed.

Your eyes landed on Jeno who was looking at you with equal mild surprise. He was propped against the headboard of his bed, the light from the laptop on his lap illuminating his face. You noticed that he didn't have a shirt on, but most of his skin from the right shoulder down to his chest was covered by bandages.

"Hi," you smiled, suddenly feeling conscious now as you stepped into his room.

"Um. Hi. What are you…"

"I heard that you were injured so I just dropped by to check on you," you quickly answered to diffuse any awkwardness that is in danger of settling between the two of you. Jeno blinked, as if processing what you just said.

"Uh… sorry, I didn't realize that I might be disturbing you. I can also just go back another time and—"

"No," He said all of a sudden before you could excuse yourself. Quickly, he closed his laptop and put it away on his side. "You can stay for a bit."

"Oh...great. I uh…" your eyes roamed around his room once again, hoping to find a chair that is closer to his bed. There was none. You figured the couch was the only place you could go to so you started walking towards it, Jeno's eyes on you.

"You can sit here," he suddenly said and you looked up to see him pointing at the foot of his bed. That made you stop before glancing again at the couch at the farther side of his room, something which he immediately noticed.

"It's too far away. It'll be awkward for us to talk if you sit there,” he said, as if he read your mind. 

That...makes sense. With a slight nod, you closed the distance between you and the bed instead and chose to sit by its far end.

Jeno was back to watching you as you settled down, his expression curious. You softly cleared your throat.

"How are you feeling?"

He glanced down his chest briefly. "Oh, I'm fine. It didn't hurt as much during the weekend, but I was still told to stay in bed. I can't really move that much yet."

"What happened anyway?"

He scratched the back of his head almost sheepishly and looked away.

"I was trying to hunt a deer. I didn't know its mate was just around the area when I approached it so...yeah."

You winced as your eyes fell on his bandaged chest. You know next to nothing about hunting, but you know enough that an angry stag doesn't spell good news for anyone. Things could have been more serious for him.

"Are you sure that you shouldn't be in the hospital though?"

"Yes. We have a private doctor anyway. I just need to make sure I don't move too much to keep my wound from opening. And I also hate hospitals so I prefer to stay here…"

"You have to be more careful next time, okay Jeno? The forest is such a dangerous place…" you sighed before shifting your attention towards the window at the far wall of his room. He only had his curtains partially open but you could still see a sliver of the woods from where you sat.

Something about what you said shifted something in him. You missed it entirely thanks to the shadows from the room's dim lighting that masked his features, but it was there, hiding in plain sight.

"You take care of us so well."

You turned to him again as you heard him whisper something.

"What?"

Jeno simply smiled. He leaned back against the headboard, as if mulling over something.

"Since noona is worried about me, can you help me change my bandages?"

You blinked. That wasn't something you expected him to ask at all. Before, you figured Jeno to be one of the more withdrawn among the brothers, always with this air of intimidation about him, but lately, he has been throwing you off with these kinds of moments. He isn't flirty like Jaemin or sly and playful like Haechan, but he’s just so...direct. Almost pushy, sometimes. 

"I uhm… I don't know. I wouldn't know how to do it, maybe I can call someone and—"

You watched as he already started to undo the bandages on his torso, your eyes growing wide as he started to expose more skin.

"Jeno wait, I think we should call Taeyong for thi—oh my god."

Your words were cut off when he finally let the last of the bandages fall to reveal the cut on his torso. It started from his right chest, a few inches above the collarbone, and ran sideways to the middle where it cut off. Stitches held the skin together, and you could see the darkening sides of the flesh where it broke.

Yet it wasn't only that which caught your attention. Despite the dimness of the room, you could see other marks in his body, old scars that adorned his pale skin here and there. They varied in length and thickness, and you couldn't figure out what might have caused them. Were they from hunting accidents too…?

You immediately turned to look away. You didn't want to seem rude for staring. Jeno, however, seemed unbothered, if not mildly amused. Watching you through hooded eyes, he let you squirm for a little bit first before finally calling for your attention once more.

"Noona."

"Yes?"

"Help me, please?"

The tone he used on you finally made you turn with a slight wince, which only made him chuckle.

"You're not used to seeing injuries?"

"I'm not fond of them. I don't think anyone is."

“So let's get this over with then. I just need you to hold one side of the bandage for me while I wrap it again. It's hard when I do it alone."

You were about to open your mouth to say something again but chose to purse your lips after in the end. With a soft sigh, you finally picked yourself up from your spot by the foot of the bed to move closer to him. Jeno had already uncapped what looked to be a bottle of antiseptic at this point and had started to dab gently at his cut. You tried to watch without wincing too much as he tried to do the job, but it was probably too painful for him to move too much because he was missing a lot of it.

"Hey, just give me that. I'll do it," you asked as you gently took the cotton pad from him. Jeno wordlessly let you take it, eyes closely watching you as you ducked a little to clean his wound. You tried your best to keep your eyes on target, not allowing them to move anywhere else…

"It looks so bad… I'm surprised you can still move…" you whispered, more to yourself than to him as you frowned over it. You completely missed the way the corners of Jeno's lips ever so slightly tilted as your fingers brushed against his skin.

"Your fiance must have never gotten injured before, noona."

Your hand froze at what he said. Slowly, you looked up at him, only to see him smile at you.

"How did you…"

"Oh, Taeyong-hyung told us. He just reminded us to be nice to you or else you might quit. He said you are saving up for your wedding."

You didn't say anything at first after his explanation. There's nothing wrong about it, and it seems very in-character for Taeyong to say that since he seems to be the most worried about the possibility of you quitting. Still, you couldn't help the odd feeling that tugged at your chest, one you tried to shove back as you turned your attention again to what you were doing just so you could escape Jeno's gaze.

"Well… yes. I am saving up for it. But I also enjoy my time here… so far…"

Jeno smiled to himself as he looked down on you, eyes watching your every move.

"We'll behave too, we promise," he said softly that you almost didn't catch it.

"Until then, I'm sure your boyfriend wouldn't mind us borrowing you from him."  

----

"Jisung! Chenle! Don't run too far into the forest, okay?" Taeyong called out to the two boys who have already turned on their tails and have started running towards the woods. You watched as the two laughed and pushed at each other playfully before finally disappearing into the forest edge.

Taeyong sighed beside you and let the hands he had on his hips fall to his sides. You turned to him and he gave you an apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry for suddenly asking you to watch over them. I totally forgot that I had to drive the rest to their dentist appointment today," he said with a scratch of his head. You simply shook a hand at him to wave him off.

"Don't worry about it. I don't have any other classes today anyway so I'll just wait here for them. But... uh... are you sure that it is safe for them to play there?"

"Yes. As long as they stay in the right zones. There are parts there where some wild animals might roam around this season but Jisung and Chenle already know that, don't worry. It won't be the first time they'll be going there too. They've been playing there since they were kids."

You nodded slowly, still a little bit unsure as your gaze floated over to the woods once more. If it were you, you wouldn't let them go near it, especially after what happened to Jeno.

"I'll have to go then. I promise I'll be back by 5. Then I can drive you back to town after."

You turned to look at Taeyong once more and gave him a grateful smile. You usually would have declined the offer under normal circumstances, but you honestly think it will be easier and safer for you to just have him take you back later.

"Thank you. I appreciate that."

The other nodded before giving you one last smile. Turning around, you watched him go to the car where Haechan, Renjun, and Jaemin were already waiting. Jeno was still in bed rest, so he is skipping the impromptu trip this time.

You only turned back to look at the woods ahead when you finally saw the black sedan disappear down the road. The forest looked foreboding in front of you, one look at it and you know there is no way you'll venture there in your own free will. With a sigh, you picked up the book you've brought with you and let yourself take a seat by the grass as you wait for Jisung and Chenle to return.

A sudden sharp caw that tore the air made you look up in surprise from the current chapter you were reading. You didn't have any idea how much time had already passed after you lost yourself in your book, but you were surprised to see that the sky had gone red over the horizon as a flock of crows soared from the depths of the forest. You watched as they circled just above the trees before finally disappearing far into the sky. That was when you realized it; it's been a while since Jisung and Chenle left.

With panic slowly creeping into your chest, you glanced at your watch then back at the mansion behind you. Taeyong didn't say anything about a curfew for the two kids, but your own sense told you that the pair should be back before night falls. Your gut told you that you should start looking for them, but the problem is that there is still more than half an hour left before Taeyong said they will return and the only other person left in the manor was Jeno—who can't even get out of bed. 

You swallowed. Before you could make any decision, however, a bone-chilling sound floated into the air that made your blood turn cold. It was faint at first, making you wonder if it was just your imagination playing tricks on you, but then it called out again, and you felt your heart drop to your stomach.

It was Chenle. Screaming.

You broke into a run without a second thought.

It took you everything you have not to topple over the uneven forest floor as you wove through the trees. You have no idea where you were going, your mind and vision reeling as you tried to follow the voice. Your skirt have caught countless times on shrubberies and wayward tree barks as you tore through the woods but you kept going, not minding the tears on the fabric and the skin of your legs.

"Chenle! Jisung! Where are you!"

You called out desperately when the cries suddenly stopped. You were only barely aware of your heart thundering in your chest and your lungs burning from overexertion.

No. No. Don't stop screaming. I can't find you if you do.

"Chenle! Jisung!" You called out again desperately as you stopped at the edge of what seemed to be a small patch of land that dropped off to a ravine. The trees beyond were denser than the ones at the edge of the forest and the already fading light of the day wasn't helping the thick canopies above you that rained shadows on where you stood. You looked around and swallowed thickly. Something inside of you told you to turn around and run again but you stayed frozen on your spot, waiting for any sound from the kids.

It took you a few more heartbeats to pick up something again. Jisung's voice sounded far off to your right, maybe about 15 meters from where you currently are.

"Noona! Help! Chenle fell down!"

Your adrenaline jumped into action again.

"Jisung?! Jisung! Wait—Is Chenle with you?” A soft voice called out and you breathed in as you recognized the latter's tone. “I'm coming! Don't stop calling for me, okay, so I can find you!"

You were about to turn away from the edge of the steep ravine you were still standing on when you felt your back hit something hard. Before you could even turn around to look at it, however, a blunt force hitting the middle of your shoulder blades sent you toppling forward, straight into the sharp fall beyond.

You screamed, before everything went quiet as your head hit the bedrock below.

---

A.N. GOD THIS WAS SO LONG IM SO GLAD IT IS FINALLY DONE.

Taglist:  @negincho,  @jhornytrash, @jaeminhyuckiii, @jungwoosswhore, @jsturkey​, @aj--7, @pukupukupawpau​, @tomiesgirlfren​, @vsszn

CHAPTER 4

[nerdflash]

Lights, Camera Action

A/N: Here’s the second part of the Lights, Camera, Action series. You can find Part One here

Synopsis: Tom Holland x Fem! Reader. You’ve started developing feelings for Tom on the set of his new film. On a day off, you receive a message, that makes you question if he is flirting with you.

Word Count: 1.6k

Mentions: Alcohol and alcohol use, lousy ex boyfriends, men being players and social media.

PART TWO - Mixed Messages

You’re not sure what time it is when your room mate wakes you up leaving the apartment, but you mutter a curse word and reach for your phone to check the time. Even though it’s 10am you’re still feeling wiped out after getting home around 4am but you know you won’t be able to get back to sleep now you’ve looked at your phone. Vanessa has sent you a message, you click on it and smile.

“He asked me out on a third date! He asked ME!! Fancy going for a few drinks later and I can fill you in on all the details?” 

“Sure, I have an apartment viewing at 2pm but free after that. Let me know where, I don’t want to show up looking casual, if you’re in one of your dressing up moods! ;)” 

A few seconds later your phone pings with a reply.

“You’re never going to let me live that down, are you?! Fine, let’s meet at The Varnish around 7pm. Dress code smart casual!” 

“See you later! I can’t wait to hear about your date! <3”

You roll on to your side and reach down to plug your phone charger in. Time for a social media binge before you get out of bed. You scroll through Facebook and reply to a couple of messages to friends back home. This would be the longest amount of time you’d spent away from home, but when you’d been offered the job to coordinate on a feature film, you couldn’t turn it down. You’d had to say goodbye to everyone you loved, knowing you wouldn’t be able to see them for around 8 months, but Vanessa had become a firm friend fast. She was also proving to be a great mentor and had helped you learn so much more.

You click on instagram and are scrolling through, when you see that Tom has uploaded a photo. He’s sat reading through a script and the caption reads “Can’t wait for you guys to see what I’m working on. I hope you like it.” 

You smile as you scroll through the comments and see nothing but support and excitement for Tom from his fans. Quite a fair number declaring their love and apparent attraction to him. You lick your lips and decide to leave a comment. You’re fairly sure he gets that many notifications and comments, he probably won’t even notice it, right? Besides, he doesn’t even know you have instagram.

“They’re going to love it, because you’re much better than you give yourself credit for Mr Holland.” You hit send and decide to face the day, but first coffee. You switch on your Spotify playlist and head into the kitchen, thankful that you don’t have to make small talk with your horrible room mate and her horrible “boyfriend” Soon the kitchen smells of freshly brewed coffee and you’re feeling excited about a bit of a girls night tonight. Your phone pings with a notification.

You click on the screen and are taken to the Instagram app, you feel your palms break out in a sweat when you see that Tom has started following you. You click on the inbox and see a message from Tom. Letting out a little yelp of surprise, you throw your phone on the side as though it’s burnt you.

You pace back and forth for a moment before reaching for the phone and taking a deep breath. You open the message.

“You don’t have to call me Mr Holland on your day off! ;)” 

In spite of the nerves running through you, you can’t help but laugh.

“I don’t have to call you Mr Holland at all…” You hit send and bite your lower lip as you see that Tom is typing something back.

“True...But I kind of like it when you do… Anyway, I should let you get back to sleep right? :P”

Something warm travels deep within you and you realize that you have crossed a line now, where you no longer see Tom as a friend and a work colleague, but someone who you want to spend time with, someone you want to learn more about and give him reasons to smile and be happy. You want to reply with every cell of  your being, but you decide you’ll talk to Vanessa first. She’d noticed that you and Tom spent alot of time talking between takes weeks ago, when she’d asked you about it she’d known by the colour of your cheeks that you had developed a crush on Tom.

Whilst she technically shouldn’t encourage anything, in order to maintain a professional environment on set, she also said that the two of you looked good together and if anything was to happen, then there were some legalities with HR that would need to be sorted but it wasn’t against the law, you wouldn’t lose your job and that she would like ALL the details if anything happened.

You shoot her a quick text.

“Can we meet a bit earlier? Say around 4pm? I need some advice!”

“Of course, are you ok?”

You smile at her concern and reply

“I need to talk about Tom and get your thoughts on a message he sent me!”

“I’ll be there...I want to know everything!”

-

You smile over at Vanessa and pick up your glass.

“Cheers to you and your very successful second date. It sounds like he really likes you Vanessa.” The woman sat opposite you smiles and takes a sip of her drink, a shy smile on her face. Vanessa was so confident at work and amazing at her job, but for some reason, she’d seemed to have dated a lot of losers and in turn, it had made her not be as confident in herself. But she was beautiful, smart and successful, and honestly, this guy did seem really nice.

“You think so?” You nod your head and put your hand on her arm.

“Of course, I mean he kissed you and asked you on a third date, which involves cooking for you. Please. He’s smitten!” Vanessa smiles at you and clinks her glass against yours before taking a sip and sitting back in her seat.

“So...Tell me about this message from Tom.” You fill Vanessa in on a bit of the backstory about how he’d told you he doubted his talent and the name you use to tease him with. You show her his message and watch as she reads. 

“He is totally flirting with you!” Vanessa looks at you. “The way he says he kind of likes it when you call him Mr Holland!” She raises her eyebrows at you and wiggles them, causing you to laugh.

“But, what if he’s just a flirty person and it doesn’t mean anything?” You shrug your shoulder knowing this must be the only explanation because there’s no way Tom Holland could be flirting with you. Vanessa shakes her head and looks thoughtful.

“No, I don’t think so. Usually guys who are just flirty with everyone, tend to keep their comments private because they want to play multiple girls at once without them knowing about the others existence. You need to post a selfie or a hot pic of yourself and see if he comments.”

Your eyes widen at her suggestion. “A selfie? I don’t know. What if he doesn’t comment? I feel like it’s going to be worse if he doesn’t because then I’ll feel extra stupid for flirting with him.” Vanessa looks at you sternly.

“Don’t be ridiculous. You need to make sure he has no choice but to comment. Come on.” She stands up and grabs your hand and leads you over to a wall decorated with flowers, she orders another two drinks from a passing waiter and reaches into her bag. 

“What are you doing?” You ask, as she takes out some setting powder and starts wiping gently across your head and down your nose. 

“Getting you ready for a photo.” You sigh, unsure of what to say. She tells you to put some more lipstick on, so you oblige and shake out your loose curls. Vanessa adjusts them over one shoulder, and pulls one of the straps of your dress down.

“Again, what are you doing?” You reach for the strap but Vanessa swats your hand away.

“Leave it. Trust me, right now hold your drink in this hand, and look that way.” You sigh and roll your eyes.

“I feel ridiculous!” Vanessa laughs and snaps a photo.

“But you look amazing! Ok, stop frowning on this one. Smile….Y/N smile...No, you look like your cringing. Is it hard to smile because you’re British?” And you don’t know why, but this makes you genuinely laugh out loud. Vanessa walks over to you after a few moments, looking pleased.

“Here!” She passes you her phone and you look at the photo, feeling somewhat pleasantly surprised. Your smile is genuine and the way she’s framed the photo, makes it look as though your laughing at someone you’re looking at off camera. The fallen dress strap brings attention to your neck and clavicle, which kind of gives it a sexy vibe. 

“Ok I’m impressed. Send it to me?” Vanessa smiles and takes her phone back. You save the photo on your phone and bite your lip wondering if this is a good idea. Your friend shakes her head and looks you in the eye.

“Come on, post it. You look amazing!” In spite of your nerves you smile and decide to post the photo with the caption.

“Blowing off some steam after a long week at work! Photo credit to my girl @VCullenLA”

You look at your friend “Now what?” She smiles and leads you to the bar.

“More drinks!” And you think nothing more of the photo.

[lucky-dreamfisher]

Queer Subtext in The Illusion of Living - Part 5/5

It’s time to address the elephant in the room: Henry.

Joey tries very, very hard to ‘no homo’ his relationship with the man:

“His presence was helpful, I can happily admit, but his absence was even more so. Not having him at the studio ended up being one of the best things that could have happened to it. Of course, the funny thing is, I couldn't have not had him without having him in the first place. Just like you can't appreciate the light if you haven't spent time in the dark, so too does a person's absence become clear only if he has been around.” TIOL, page 154

“A letter from Henry. You might not think I'd keep such a thing, but I do. I have no ill will toward the man as you know. Him leaving, as I said, was the best thing that could have happened to the studio. His letter reminds me of that.” TIOL, page 218

The lady doth protest too much, methinks.

The only hint we get regarding Joey’s true feelings for Henry is the following note by Nathan:

“NateA: Joey has always been a professional person, far more so in many ways than me. That is why this section of the book is so forgiving of the man who abandoned the studio he helped create. Joey can't help but see the good in people. That being said, as a good friend of Joey's, I know that Henry's departure was a great upheaval for him and a great personal betrayal. Joey never truly forgave Henry, and I don't think he should have felt obligated to. The fact that Joey is so gracious in this part of the book is a reflection of his incredible generosity in allowing Henry Stein to be stainless in the eyes of history. I think, had he lived longer, Joey might have in later years called it his greatest illusion.” TIOL, page 155

I’m very surprised by the harshness in Nathan’s tone here. Especially since Henry appears to believe that he and Joey have parted on good terms, and Joey admits that they have continued to exchange letters for a while after Henry’s departure. We’ve also seen Henry’s note to Joey in the game, and it comes across as warm and supportive:

It really doesn’t sound like anything ugly happened between him and Joey. So then why are both Joey and Nathan convinced that Henry is a monster?

While I can believe that Joey is pathetic enough to consider anyone who slights him his worst enemy, Nathan comes across as a more level-headed person. So for him to voice his approval for Joey’s petty grudge must mean that he knows something that we don’t. But what could it be?

Honestly, nothing else comes to mind except for romantic heartbreak. It’s the only thing that could justify a man holding such a deep grudge for so many years. This isn’t Joey’s first friendship that grew apart over the years - his army friends have moved on with their life as well. It’s a normal part of life and there’s nothing in TIOL that would suggest Joey is unable to cope with that. We also know that the studio did fine for quite some time after Henry’s departure, so it’s not like Henry left Joey deep in debt. Henry wasn’t even the only animator at the studio:

“When the studio opened I surrounded him with artists of all skill levels, and the Writing Department had its own de facto leader in Mr. Hemmings, and so the whole of Creative was well managed for that first year of the company before I had to part ways with Henry.“ TIOL, page 155

And so we’re left with only one rational explanation: that Joey isn’t so much hurt by Henry leaving his job, as by the fact that Henry left specifically for the sake of his marriage.

Try as I might, I found no reference to Linda in TIOL. Even though Joey claims to have been friends with Henry for many years, he makes zero mention of ever having met Linda. While there are some hints that Henry wasn’t yet married to her at the time when he and Joey opened the studio together (such as the fact that he claims he hasn’t seen her in “days” even though he presumably slept at home, implying that he and Linda weren’t living together at the time. A shopping list among his notes in the Handbook also suggests that he cooked his own meals, which would be unusual for a married man with a demanding job), the two were already a couple by then, and must have known each other for a while already. Surely, as Henry’s friend, Joey would have met her?

Even when talking about Henry leaving, Joey uses a cryptic language:

“Henry left for his own reasons, and the correspondence between us became less and less. To be honest, it was almost like a weight off when he left. He had grown more sensitive as the studio became more successful and giving him pep talks had become exhausting for me. All the good qualities he brought, the hard work and diligence, were being undermined by a restless need for something different. Something that wasn't Bendy. I will never understand that drive. Bendy was and is perfection.“ TIOL, page 177

In DCTL Norman claims that Henry left to spend time with his wife. Why doesn’t Joey say that? It doesn’t make him look bad to admit that an employee left to enjoy a quiet family life. It’s almost like he refuses to acknowledge Linda’s existence at all. Like it’s too painful for him to speak of her.

Perhaps the “personal betrayal” that Nathan is referring to is related to Henry choosing a real family, over the “studio family”, and the possibility of having a real child, as opposed to a fictional one?

The symbolic image of Bendy as a child shows up multiple times in the game: for example the drawing from Henry appears to depict Bendy, Alice and Boris as a happy family, with Bendy holding onto their hands like a child would:

There’s also Alice using a womb imagery to describe the ink machine:

And of course, the final monologue is centered on Henry’s choice to pursue a family:

That monologue is very interesting if we assume Joey to be gay. Because a gay man would never have been able to follow Henry’s road. Gay!Joey could never choose to have a real family with a man he loved, because that option was denied to him by the homophobic society he was living in. The studio is the closest thing to a family that gay!Joey could ever hope to have. 

And evidently, that was not enough for Henry.

If Joey’s indeed gay, that must have felt incredibly unfair to him - knowing that he had no chance of happiness in marital bliss from the start, through no fault of his own. This would explain his desire to create a real, living, breathing Bendy, no matter the cost, just to prove to Henry that Joey’s “child” can be just as real as the one Linda could give him.

“Bendy was Joey's child, and he felt just as strongly about Bendy as I feel about my flesh-and-blood son.“ TIOL, page 2

This idea of an illusory choice very much resembles the choice between the Angel Path and the Devil Path in Chapter 3. It’s the only choice that Henry ever gets to make in the game, yet no matter which way he chooses, he still ends up in the same corridor. Some of the golden messages highlight his helplessness:

The symbolic meaning of the choice between the Angel and the Devil also shows up TIOL. There’s a scene in the book, where Joey writes a play about an Angel and a Devil fighting over the soul of a human man. Eventually, the Devil confesses that he doesn’t want the human to make his choice, because then one of them would have to leave. The play was supposed to end with the man making his choice, but according to Joey they lacked a third actor, so the ending was never played out.

I believe that the play is symbolic of the relationship between Henry and Joey, specifically with regards to Henry choosing a relationship with Linda over his friendship with Joey.

There are several reasons that lead me to believe this:

The human in the play making a choice between the Angel and the Devil is reminiscent of Henry choosing between Devil Path and Angel path in BATIM.

The play highlights that the Devil is on the left side of the human, while the Angel is on his right side:

“ANGEL: Spending my time with a devil has been an enlightening experience. Working with you over these years with you sitting on that left shoulder, so far and yet so near, all our debates, they were invigorating for the spirit. 

DEVIL: I won't miss you! Fighting all the time, trying to trick you into agreeing with me, trying to push you off that right shoulder of yours. The violence and the anger. I won't miss it at all!”, TIOL page 89

Much like the Devil Path is on the left side in the game, while the Angel path is on the right side:

The Devil is obviously a stand-in for Bendy. Joey even dances on the stage at one point, and one of Bendy’s nicknames is “The Dancing Demon”. Joey also claims that the Devil from the play was an inspiration for Bendy:

“Let's start with the basic idea of a cartoon.You need a main character. Someone who has adventures and who the audience relates to." I did. I needed that. I needed a character who didn't just reflect the general population back to itself, but a more exciting version. I had no interest in moralizing, besides I didn't think moralizing was particularly realistic. People don't see the world as one populated by do-gooders. I thought of the angel in my play. She could never be a lead character. The devil on the other hand…” TIOL, 165

The fact that Joey claims the ending was never played out is strongly reminiscent of the missing ending of the Tombstone Picnic

It’s possible that Joey is lying about the ending not having been played out, to hide Henry’s role in the success of the play, much like he removed his part in Tombstone Picnic. After all, what would be the point of writing a play for 3 actors, when you only have 2? Why not ask someone to play the 3rd?

Although the play itself is centered more on the relationship between the Devil and the Angel, rather than their relationship with the human, there is still a strong queer symbolism in the play:

“Abby shifted nervously next to me the whole evening. She was in a dress for the first time in a long time, white and soft. I was pleased she'd come in character. For my part the only red thing I owned was a garish bow tie, so that was all I was able to contribute visually.” TIOL, page 82

The angel is played by a woman, who usually wears men’s clothing, but of course, the Angel being a symbol of Christian values couldn’t possibly be portrayed breaking the gender norms. She had to wear a dress, though Abby is clearly uncomfortable in it. She’s essentially performing heteronormative feminity. Next to her we have Joey as the Devil, dressed in a red bow tie, which as I’ve mentioned in the first part of this analysis, used to be a symbol of homosexuality. 

This contrast between the uncomfortably heteronormative Angel and flamboyantly queer Devil is striking. It’s also very much in line with the views of the society in the 1920s. For something to be the symbol of purity and goodness, it has to be heterosexual, and the Devil is queer, because he’s also the symbol of sin.

That symbolism could be indicative of Joey’s own internalized homophobia. Back in his army days, his friends used to bully him for breaking gender norms. Joey likes to present himself as the hero, who was easily able to outsmart the bullies, but many of his later remarks in the book and in DCTL show that some of that attitude has left a deep mark on him.

The symbolism could also be intentional. Joey boasts about having personal ties to Noel Coward, a real life gay playwright, who was known for his many affairs with men, and for putting an ungodly amount of queer symbolism in his works:

“The old woman took a liking to me, and she was nice enough. Besides, her connections were incredible. She knew everyone, she even had the playwright Noel Coward come to stay with her whenever he was in town.” TIOL, page 144

There’s a lot of evidence pointing to the play being symbolic of Henry’s choice between his relationship with Linda and with Joey. But it’s also symbolic of Henry’s choice between Bendy, and a real child. The studio family, and a traditional family. Heteronormative relationship vs a queer relationship. 

Although there’s no indication in canon that Henry might be bisexual, he doesn’t need to be. The game has beaten into our heads that the “choice” is an illusion. Henry was never going to choose the Devil, or at least that’s what Joey believes. Although we’re never told what choice the human in the play was going to make, we’re told that he was supposed to be dressed in white, which suggests that he chose the Angel. 

“(The door stage right opens. A man all in white enters calmly and chooses a seat, brushes it off carefully and sits. He takes his hat off and holds it gingerly in his lap.) (Quiet.) (Curtain.) THE END” TIOL, page 91

That might be why the Devil in the play confesses that he doesn’t want the human to make his choice, fearing that one of them will have to leave once such a choice is made:

“DEVIL: You think he has made a choice? 

ANGEL: It is possible. 

DEVIL: Do you think he might be all bad? 

ANGEL: I hope he is all good. 

DEVIL: If he is all bad, my job here is done. If he is all good, you can go home. 

DEVIL: Strange. If we win we also lose. You would think that would be something I would find delightful. 

ANGEL: You would think I would love to make such a personal sacrifice.” TIOL, page 89

The line about a “personal sacrifice” is very interesting in this context. The Angel and the Devil clearly care for each other and for the human, and don’t want their relationship to come to an end. Though the Devil in the play seems to make gestures that the audience interprets as romantic in nature, Joey insists that it isn’t the case:

“I leaned in and placed a hand on Abby's knee. There was a gasp from someone in the audience, but I knew Abby wouldn't be flustered by it. That wasn't the nature of our relationship.” TIOL, page 89 

It makes me wonder if perhaps Linda and Joey used to be friends at some point, and both competed over Henry’s attention.

There’s a much overused trope in fiction where two men compete over a woman, which ends up ruining their friendship. It would be really interesting and subversive to see a man and a woman competing over a man instead.

EDIT: I can’t believe I forgot to add this part:

"Joey, thanks for coming," said Henry, approaching from behind us. I turned to look at him He had dressed up for the event but every item of clothing looked slightly wrong. The sleeves of his shirt a bit short, his vest a bit long, his tie askew. He smiled, though, with such confidence that I couldn't help admire him. I still do.” TIOL, page 160

Joey fell for Henry’s smile, how romantic!

“We watched in silence as he worked. Despite his lack of genius, to this day, I will always say that watching Henry work was a real pleasure.“ TIOL, page 173

“It's fascinating. Henry was never the showman like I was. He didn't tend to be easily remembered by those who met him when we did business. I was invariably the face of the company, the one introduced first at a gala, the one to whom people slipped their business cards.Yet in the end he ended up setting up camp in this small corner of my memory. I can't deny that he is tied to the creation of Bendy, to the creation of the studio itself. That at one time, in one small apartment, one too warm evening, we had shaken hands. That once upon a time we had been partners. He'll always be there, in the dark recesses of my mind. Always linked to me that way. Funny how the forgettable man is now forever in my mind” TIOL, page 177

[writingtoforgetreality]

Professionally Unprofessional (Sam Wilson x Reader)

Request: Samuel wilson x reader, reader is an interviewer who is on the ground when wilson speak with the senator, they had a huge fight before but wilson is like grab her and kissed her and then like "fuck this shit, cmon lets get married gurl" (by anonymous), [Marvel-Masterlist]

Summary: You were everything but average. As a reporter, people expected you to be laid back, professional. You were all those things, you simply added a bit of spice into the mix to lend your interviews something special.

Words: 2,696

Warnings: language, humor, sarcasm, fluff (?), arguments, female pronouns used, REQUESTS ARE OPEN!

[Thanks @shmaptainhotchner for helping me out with this one! <3]

If you like my work & wanna support me: a coffee would be highly appreciated ❤

You were part of a local news station, usually the one doing interviews & all of that sorts. The viewers liked you so much because you did not ask typical, boring questions. Whenever you had someone in front of your microphone, you went out of you way to create something special that entertained the people. Much to your boss’ dismay. But then again, she would never fire you because your views would drastically sink if she did so.

Thanks to your job, you had interviewed most of the Avengers throughout the years. That was how you met Sam in the first place. You somehow made yourself appear mysterious enough for him wanting to get to know you better. Mainly because of your odd approach at asking questions. It made you stand out. It did not take all too long for you guys to start dating. Your personalities harmonized perfectly together & whenever you two were out, shit was about to go down.

“You working today?” Sam asked as he stripped on his new suit that Bucky gifted to him.

“If someone’s worth interviewing.” you shrugged mindlessly. “You know, someone with a metal arm for example.”

“Yeah?” he approached you. “What about Captain America?”

“Meh.” you answered absently, not even looking in his eyes. Simply to mess with him. “That guy’s too boring. Literally nobody wants to see him.”

“Is that so?” Sam came to a halt right in front of you. Just as he stretched out his arms in your direction did you spin around & distance yourself from him. “Hey!”

“What?” you turned to glance at him again, an innocent expression on your face. “Something the matter?”

“Baby.” he spoke in a warning tone & you had to hide your giggle. “What are you planning?”

“Damn, you’re really thinking the worst of me, huh?” one corner of your lips lifted slightly.

“I know you, (Y/N).” Sam shook his head. “You’re trouble when it comes to interviews.”

“Well, the trouble ensures for my income. Not everyone is an Avenger, alright?” you crossed your arms over your chest & pretended to be angry at him.

“Maybe you should ask your boss for a raise.” Sam pointed out.

“She’d fire me before she’d give me more money.” you laughed at the absurdity of it. Because honestly, you really believed every day could be the last at your current job.

“What if I end up ignoring you amongst all other reporters?” he was kidding, of course he was. Usually, it was the other way around. You were the only interviewer he ever paid attention to & therefore he knew about your quick changes in questions. No matter how much you had prepared, in the end you were always straying far from that.

“Then it would mean no money at all. Sam, come on. It’ll be fun.” you sent him a big enthusiastic smile.

“Come on, baby. Not this shit…” he sighed loudly. So you were planning on messing with him later today but you were not enlightening him. There was no way he could possibly prepare for the chaos you would put him thorough.

“Oh, so my creative, well thought-through profession is shit but you risking your life flying around like a fucking bird while throwing a metal frisbee isn’t?” you looked at him expectantly but no answer came. Sam simply approached you, leaned down & pressed a quick peck on your cheek. It brought a sweet smile to your face. While the playful banter & arguments between you two were pretty much a constant, you always made sure to say goodbye properly. Though, if you were honest, you already had some questions in mind that would bother the shit out of him. Oh, this would so turn out in your favor.

Being Captain America’s girlfriend was not necessarily easy. Especially when his life was at risk almost daily. And Sam did give you a scare or two (or maybe even a thousand) ever since the Flag Smashers had been doing their things. Of course you loved joking around & pretending that none of this truly faced you but if you were to be entirely honest, you probably were the one who worried the most. More than Sam & Bucky combined. You were not as successful as you hoped to be when it came to hiding your feelings. Luckily, your boyfriend read you like an open book & he never teased you about it. Not about something as significant as this. So, without actually addressing the topic, he cheered you up & eased your mind without you even realizing it in the first place.

You had been awaiting the phone call for a while now so when it finally sounded up, you felt relief washing through you. Not Sam was calling but your boss.

“(Y/L/N). Heading to the main event soon?” she asked without greeting you first. Simply getting straight to business. As you were used to from her.

“Yeah, sure. Just waited for your call. The team is already on its way I guess?” you inquired & already walked over to your closet to pick an appropriate outfit.

“They are…Can I trust you?” she hesitated & you rolled your eyes at her stupidity. You two were not the best of friends if that had not been clear yet.

“You can always trust me, boss. Otherwise you wouldn’t have called me.” you concluded & smirked when you heard her sigh on the other end.

“I wanted to sign Brock up for this one, actually.” she took a deep breath before she continued. “But we all know what the viewers wanna see & it ain’t your colleague.”

“I’ll be on my best behavior today.” you straightened your back though nobody could see.

“That’s what I’m afraid of…This is a big deal, (Y/L/N). We really need a good interview.” she informed you. Your boss was aware that every task you handled ended up being successful so you did not quite understand her worries.

“I’ll be there in 15.” was all you said before you ended the call & tossed your phone on your bed from across the room. It was frustrating to have your boss calling you with the same plea every time. By now she should perceive your take on interviews & the views spoke for themselves. You believed her biggest concern was you messing up big time. That big, in fact, that your news station would go bankrupt afterwards. But each time you finished talking to someone in front of the camera, your popularity only increased. Maybe you were not an average reporter but who cared for average in the 21st century? It was no secret that you were a master of your profession, collecting tons of people who envied you over the years & delivering accordingly when needed. Without you on their team, your station would have gone bankrupt. You were the only one keeping it alive & every member knew that.

You smoothed out the material of your pantsuit, checking if everything was ready for the live interview that would happen soon. The cameras were already working & your sound man fiddled with the microphone attached to your fabric one last time before he left you alone to do your job. When you first started here, your heartrate picked up its pace whenever you were about to interview someone. Nowadays, you simply relaxed, took a few deep breaths & went for it without too much overthinking. The fact that your boyfriend was on the other end of your microphone aided your calm demeanor as well.

Tons of people surrounded you & you scrunched up your nose at their attempts to stand in the front row. Your team had arrived pretty early so your cameras focused on the main area where the real deal would happen. Honestly, if it were not for you actively working as a reporter, you would have loathed that profession. Then again, you differed from the others. That kind of excused the ugly side of that job. Voices grew more frantic which meant that something was brewing. Your eyes flickered up & there he was. Your boyfriend. Captain America in all his glory. In his new suit that simply took your breath away. When you first caught a glimpse of it & even now.

Stupid & boring questions were fired at Sam’s way but he sidestepped them like a pro. The microphone in your hand was moved around from one side to the other. One thing you had learned in this job was to have patience. And to stand out because then, people tended to approach you more often than the rest. So you ordered your camera man to film Sam’s encounter with the Senator before you would interrupt. Your smirk was wide when you watched Captain America clapping back at the higher-ups who believed the entire world revolved around them. Seemed like he finished his speech because his back faced them & he made his way over to the swarm of reporters. But his eyes only trained on one. You.

“Captain America.” you nodded as you stretched out the microphone in his direction. He rolled his eyes at you trying to stay professional. The first words & you were already failing. “Mr. Wilson. Let’s keep it simple, shall we?” you corrected yourself.

“Sure thing.” he nodded, not once breaking eye contact with you.

“All of America is wondering about one thing.” you made a pause for dramatic effect. “Have you lost it?”

“What?” Sam was confused yet at the same time, he was used to the perplexity that came with you interviewing him. It was the same old.

“Your sanity.” you stated without batting an eye, appearing as serious as ever. He tilted his head backwards & could not hold his laughter in any longer. Success for you.

“Everything is as it should be.” he brushed you off but you were better prepared than this, of course.

“Yeah? Then explain this…Imagine your worried girlfriend sitting at home, simply waiting to receive the news of her boyfriend getting his ass kicked.” it was no secret to the world that you two were dating but you were not allowed to include that in your interviews. But when did you ever follow rules?

“Well, she can’t be that worried. Since she’s standin’ here & all.” he pointed out & you had to admit that he did have some good comebacks today. People would love the bickering between you two.

“We were lucky enough to watch your encounter with the Senator.” you quickly changed the topic in order to keep the conversation alive & interesting. “Don’t you think it’s time for you to give credit?”

“Credit for what?” he inquired with furrowed eyebrows. You had him again.

“Generally, when someone gets inspired or when they had help, for example with coming up with a speech that leaves everyone stunned, it is only fair to give credit.” you saw how deep he was in his thoughts to process what you had said but it seemed useless.

“Baby, you’re literally making no sense.” Sam shook his head, one of his hands raising to his face to brush over his chin. He just called you by your nickname during a live interview, the media would go crazy over that. It was the very first time because, again, you were not allowed to mix work & private stuff. You needed to figure out a reasonable excuse to tell your boss later on.

“While that speech was remarkable, it is everything but fair to skip the fact that your girlfriend was the one helping you create it in the first place.” only after your explanation did he understand what you were trying to say. But you were literally selling your viewers bullshit.

“Improvisation doesn’t need credit.” one of his eyebrows perked up as he chuckled.

“I agree with you on that, Mr. Wilson.” you contemplated his words, acting as if you were giving in. But you were not. “And we’re totally even if you give me credit for your speech there.” you then turned around so you were looking straight into the camera. “It was me who wrote little cards for him to memorize every day during breakfast. You’ve gotta know that I have the brains in this relationship so-“ Sam interrupted you, came up right next to you & nudged you with his elbow. It earned him a little grunt & an unhappy look from you.

“Who the hell watches this?” his question was directed at your team behind the camera who only shrugged in return.

“A lot of viewers expect quality content, Mr. Wilson. So if you could please occupy your previous position so I can finish this interview in peace, that would be very much appreciated. “ the camera angle changed once more as you shoved Sam back to his place. He let it happen but in the back of his mind, a plan had already started forming. Just as your mouth started opening, Sam snatched the microphone from your hand, ripping off the one that was connected to your pantsuit in one swift movement. You were too shocked to reply right away. Seemed like your team was experiencing similar emotions because nobody moved or said anything. When you were free, he grabbed your wrist & dragged you away from the scene. Your mouth opened & closed a couple of times yet no words were coming out. Hundreds of interviews & never had something like that occurred before. There was a first time for everything.

“The fuck?” was the first thing you breathed out after Sam pretty much shoved you into an alleyway.

“Yeah, likewise.” he laughed, his eyes holding the softness that were reassurance enough that nothing was wrong & that he was not mad at you. His lips pressed onto yours in a fiery & passionate kiss. One that caught you completely off guard. That was a…different reaction to you teasing him during an interview. A pleasant one at that.

“Should I ask?” you almost whispered after you two had to pull apart for air.

“Damn, let’s get married, baby.” he said it so casually, as if there was nothing special about it. Your bewilderment gave you away. You had discussed marriage before just not that straight forward.

“What, you got a ring?” your head tilted to the side & the look on his face was priceless. He did not expect your answer to be as bold as his suggestion. “I’m kidding, Sam.”

“We could go buy one.” he shrugged & made you laugh. Honestly, that was such a typical move of him.

“You wanna marry me even though I literally messed with you back there?” you questioned. Sam held out his hand for you to take & you intertwined your fingers with his. A gentle smile played at the corners of your lips.

“I didn’t expect anything else from you.” he commented after a short pause.

“You gotta admit, though…I was on fire today.” you nudged him & widened your sparkling eyes at the genuine smile he gave you.

“If on fire is another word for annoying, then hell yeah.” he sighed loudly, the sarcasm clearly detectable.

“I didn’t remember you to be this rude, Mr. Wilson.” you emphasized the last part & loved watching his body tense up. His grip tightened & his steps fastened.

“Come on.” he urged you on but you wanted to keep this game alive for a little while longer.

“Where are we going?” you glanced at him with innocent eyes.

“Home. We can buy your ring another time.” so you two made your way back to your shared apartment. Throughout the entire walk there, you fought the urge to bite your lip at your clever approach for this interview. If that was what you got out of it, then you were fine with being fired as well. Because, truthfully, you did not believe your boss would keep up with you any longer after today. But she did not fire you, no. The views were skyrocketing & she needed you to keep their station alive. You got your well-deserved raise, finally.

Published (05/13/2021) by Cathy

✨MY Ko-fi PAGE✨

Tags: @zestyemby, @met4no1a, @missroro, @bibliophilewednesday, @msmarvelsmain, @weareironmanbitches, @patricexirene (thanks for your support <3)

[wevegottogetaway]

Thanks fo’ saving my ass tonight

I got so much going on with uni, but I couldn’t resist. If you too are queen/king of procrastinating uni work, you have my deepest support! Hope you enjoyed x

TW: none (except fool language)

Part 2    -    Part 3*

Office parties have never been y/n’s cup of tea, the idea of enjoying yourself in the very place people usually count down the hours before they can leave, is rather ludicrous in her humble opinion. Alas as the boss’ personal assistant, she not only had to plan and organize the whole shebang but her presence was also required, supervision purposes and all that. The only solace sweetening the deal for her was that she’d be in charge of the catering too, and y/n learnt very early on that good food and greater booze could make any boring work function at least tolerable.

Now that the festivities are in full swing, conversation flowing almost as heartily as the champagne in the guests’ eager mouths, y/n thinks she did quite well. The vast open space of the office is decorated with taste, the music set at the perfect level as to not overpower the boring chitchat bouncing off its walls, and to her greatest delight, the catering company she hired has truly outdone themselves. All in all, everybody seems to be having a grand time, and y/n decides that’s reason enough to officially relieve herself of her supervisor’s duties.

As she scans over the assortment of canapés, mini-quiches, crudités and other mouth-watering ambrosias, y/n fails to notice the tall figure casually approaching her. She’s in the midst of pondering whether she should try the humous or a cream cheese and salmon toast first, mouth salivating and stomach growling in appetite, when a raspy voice interrupts her inner battle, "I see m’not the only one who’s here just fo’ the food".

Her eyes pop off the delicious hors d’oeuvres to the sight gracing them next and she doesn’t know which is the most appetizing. Because standing a few feet from her is Harry, vibrant smile and pretty dimples on show, as he leans over the verrines platter to pick the best-looking one. He’s wearing an olympic blue floral suit on top of a scandalously unbuttoned transparent shirt, a bold number that would grant anyone else looks of surprise and confusion but looked absolutely divine on his broad frame. Besides, after two years working at the office, everyone had gotten used to his unconventional fashion choices by now.

Y/n quirks an eyebrow in curiosity as she dips a cucumber stick in a bowl of humous, before quipping, "not a big fan of these things?"

Harry lets out a small chuckle in a ‘no kidding’ way, and attaches his emerald eyes to hers, "they’re kind of a drag, if m’bein’ honest."

She smiles at his admission, realizing they both share an aversion for mundanities, "I know right. Like, why party here where everyone has to be on their best behavior when we could be down at the bar without the boss gallivanting around?" she cries out in exasperation and not for the first time, Harry thinks she’s quite possibly the most endearing thing he’s ever seen. His smile widens the tiniest bit at her passionate rant, "my thoughts exactly. Do we even know what we’re supposed to celebrate?" The question makes her laugh, she wouldn’t have known either if not for her involvement in the affair, "well as the person behind this all drag," she give him a pointed look at his jeering choice of word, "it would be weird if I didn’t."

Harry’s face falls at the possibility of having offended her, but his uneasiness quickly dissipates when she starts laughing at him. "M’sorry, that came out wrong," he tells her before letting out a giggle of his own and y/n revels in the moment. The idea of interacting with him beyond the usual ‘here’s the presentation for today’s conference’ or ‘do you have the quarterly report ready’ is rather intoxicating for her already feeble nerves. "Don’t worry, I take no offense, I’m just as bored as you are," she reassures him with a smile, "the party is for a new potential investor, something about wooing them with some ‘corporate fun’. S’a load of bullshit if you ask me".

Harry nods at the explanation unimpressed, his boss’ intentions being the least of his worries. Aside from being the classic douche every manager typically insists on being, the guy has always made his distaste about him pretty clear, so Harry would rather focus on more interesting things. Like how beautiful y/n looks right now, her hair tied up in a loose bun at the top of her head, leaving a few strands to fall around her face. "You look amazing, by the way," he brings himself to say, though he thinks his compliment doesn’t even do her justice.

Y/n looks down at her own outfit then: a knee-length red dress composed of a skater skirt and a backless top that only holds with a couple pressure buttons clasped behind her neck. Her cheeks warm up to match the color of her apparel, betraying the timidity she’s always fallen victim of whenever he happened to be in her vicinity. Y/n’s never been one to shy away from her feelings or trip over her own words when facing her crushes, but there is something about Harry that teleports her right back to her sheepish 13 year-old teenage self. Also, she’s not too keen on office romances and the drama that usually ensues so she’s always made sure to stifle her blossoming attraction and keep their relation work-appropriate. Surely that must account for most of her awkwardness, doesn’t it?

Her eyes trail back to his face and her response comes in a shy euphemism, "thank you, you clean up quite nicely yourself." It’s enough to quirk Harry’s lips in a bashful smile, their  complexion evidently on edge as they tread uncharted territories. Professionalism has always regimented their interactions with kind but polite rigidness, neither of them quite inclined to cross that invisible line, but tonight seems to challenge that.

Tonight, Harry is resolute in his infatuation, no longer inhibited from social construct but driven by a quest for knowledge; anything that will help him decipher her carefully shielded crux. Tonight, he endeavors to scrape the edges of her rough diamond to expose the gem encapsulated inside, peel back the stoic layers of her exterior to find her unapologetic and intrinsic nature. Tonight, he is thirsty for secrets and confidential disclosures, and he won’t leave until he’s drained it all out of her. Unless she tells him to fuck off, obviously.

Harry keeps the conversation going as he browns the buffet for a new delicacy to snack on, "so, what would you be doing if you didn’t have to be here?" He wants to know everything, the present and the past, the good and the bad, the superficial and the substance, the messy and the orderly, but he figures he should start by what she likes to do in her own time. The things that loosen her up after a tense week at work, the things that will make her eyes shine with passion as she relates them back to his curious mind.

The question reaches her ears as she takes a sip of her drink, "mmm," she smiles around her glass before placing it back on the table, "-that’s easy. Playing pool with the gang at Gibson’s." Her answer spills without hesitation, a heap of follow-up questions already brewing up in Harry’s brain, but the foreign name is what beckons his attention first, "Gibson’s?" he echoes with a faint rumple pulling the skin between his eyes. Is that the name of a friend? A boyfriend? Out of all the questions he’s contemplated, y/n’s relationship status never crossed his mind. He’s always assumed her to be a single woman, the evidence of a significant other never present in her language and demeanor.

A wave of relief washes over him at her elaboration, "it’s a bar couple blocks from my place. It’s been my friends and I’s HQ ever since we all met." The sentiment has her eyes sparkle at the remembrance of all the happy memories the place hosted, and Harry stores the information in his mental list of all y/n’s soft spots.

"Sounds rad, so you play pool?" he inquires with enthusiasm. He’s been knows to play a game or two in his youth, though it’s been a hot minute since he’s felt the weight of the cue in his hands as he sinks ball after ball in their respective pockets. He remembers the elation of it all, the adrenaline coursing through his veins at each successful strike, and his heart flutters at the thought of ever sharing a game with her; she seems like the competitive type in the most entertaining way possible. Before his thoughts can spiral into much filthier realms, like bending her over the table mid-game when his own skills prevail and she turns into a sore-loser, y/n’s voice rings him back to reality.

"Uh uh, correction," her expression suddenly turns in false seriousness before she proves him right about her competing tendencies, "I win at pool." Her eyes are so full of confidence, a spice of mischief sparkling in their corner, she would have no difficulty persuading anyone of anything that passes the threshold of her mouth. Harry certainly doesn’t doubt her mastery of the bar game, but it doesn’t stop him from challenging her in a slightly elevated pitch, "oh is that so?"

Y/n only grins at the banter, not at all fazed by his taunting remark, "maybe you’ll have to find out for yourself." She reaches for another snack, not taking her come-hither look off his handsome face, and Harry revels in her flirtatious advances, a smug smile taking possession of his lips as he surfs of the same wave of seduction. "Is that a challenge?" he philanders back, fueling the sensual back-and-forth they seem to have embarked upon.

"Not much of a challenge if I know I’ll win," y/n replies with cheek, her self-assurance once again burgeoning like sexy wildflowers sprouting from the ground underneath Harry’s feet, wrapping around his ankle and growing along his body to twine around his spellbound heart. He absolutely loves her unfaltering aplomb, finds it undoubtably sexy but he can’t let her know that just yet.

"Cocky."

"Confident."

They both chuckle at their repartee, enjoying this ping-pong of quick-witted banter they’ve never found in anybody else before. It’s like their intellects were meant to collide in galvanizing forces, the encounter of two fiery psychs too brilliant to one up the other.

Harry is mesmerized by their connection, if he knew sparks would fire this bright, he would have made a move ages ago. "Fuck, you’re something else," he shakes his head in incredulity before confessing, "definitely not what I expected."

Y/n’s chest tingles at his comment, a rivulet of liquid glee leaking through her arteries to pump her heart and her ego full of bliss, "Oh so you expected something, did you?" She punctuates her teasing with a thousand-watts power smirk, and Harry finds it strikingly alluring.

Not about to let her have the upper hand however, a burst of smugness crosses his features as he boomerangs her earlier allurement back to her, "maybe you’ll have to find out for yourself." It earns him a deep jazzy laugh rooted in her tummy and a tinge of pride swirling in his own. He wants to pry laugh after laugh from her belly until her last giggle, only relenting once the muscles in her chest are aching from unbridled joy.

Y/n sighs in content before taking a bite out of a mini-tartlet as she considers how to proceed in this much too flirty conversation. "So what would you be doing tonight, if not for this stupid party?" she returns his first question before realizing,  "-wait a sec, what are you doing here if you hate these things so much? My presence was mandatory but yours isn’t."

"I’ll have you know I was coerced into coming too," he quips back in a fake defensive tone, hand pressing to his chest, "Mike from accounting begged me to tag along, he just broke up with his girlfriend so I didn’t have the heart to tell him no." The selfishness of the gesture softens her heart in a goo of adoration, but she can’t let him know that just yet.

"Softie."

"Chivalrous."

His comeback has her giggle, a rejoinder already tiptoeing at the edge of her lips, "see, who’s cocky now?" Her eyes are full of jest and lightness, somehow taking the weight of the party off his shoulders. Turns out, food and booze are not the only remedies for boring work functions, y/n’s company is just as effective if not more, and that’s with the guarantee of a hangover-less comes next morning. Harry is truly happy he decided to make an appearance tonight, a sentiment he definitely didn’t foresee for the night. The realization has him faintly shaking his head in amazement, his lips letting out another whispered "something else" softly enough that it doesn’t quite reach her already inflated ears.

"So did you have any plans tonight?" She reiterates the question not wanting to ever stop talking with him.

There are probably a hundred exciting plans he could have conjured up to come off half as intriguing as she seems to be, but instead he decides to go the honest route, "nah, I would have probably crash on my couch, this week’s been pretty hectic." His truth is confirmed by the faded blackness tinting the skin below his eyes, a proof of hard work and long hours under the heedlessness of a greedy superior. Y/n knows it all too well, having had firsthand experience with her boss’ jackassery. That’s why she directly inquires, "boss giving you trouble?"

Part of Harry is eager to steer the conversation back to more pleasant waters but he guesses talking a little bit about work was inevitable at some point, especially since they both share palpable distaste for their superior. "The maniac keeps giving me last minute reports like I’m expected to work all night along on his bullshit projects," he explains dejectedly before running his hand through his luscious curls in sign of frustration. "Barely finished in time fo’ the party tonight, I had to slip in his office to put the file on his desk, that fucker had already left."

Y/n listens attentively, her chest tightening in empathy at the recollection of his misfortune. She’s very familiar with the embittering feeling that comes with working your ass for someone that barely registers your efforts and dishes the office hours before you can even dream of clocking off. She’s faced the same scenario time and time again, including tonight, when she’d come up to lock the boss’ office hours after he left to get pampered for the party. She barely got time to make the double commute to and from her place, much less spend hours getting dolled up. She does remember the odd file on her boss’ desk though, "oh I was wondering what that blue folder was about, he never usually leave unattended paperwork on his desk."

Harry starts nodding in confirmation before stopping dead, eyes widened in distress, "wait, did you just say blue?" he asks in urgency.

Y/n frowns at his sudden agitation, her mind reeling to try and visualize the state of the surroundings she left several hours ago. She’s pretty positive she saw a blue binder laying there, not that she knows the ramifications of that simple fact, "yes I think so, why?"

The dire nature of the situation becomes painfully obvious as Harry’s face turns into a mess of  dread and panic, "oh shit, oh fuck, no no no," the words keep tumbling from his mouth in a ramble of nerves. "So stupid, m’so fucked" he keeps muttering self-admonition in quiet anger, hands griping at the root of his hair.

Concern is starting to fester in y/n’s guts as she takes in his disheveled state, "Harry, Jesus, take a breath, tell me what’s going on," she steps closer to him, one hand softly holding at his biceps as she tries to connect their gazes.

Once his eyes plug into hers, pupils blown out in turmoil, he finally calms down enough to word  out his mishap, "s’not the right file on his desk, I only use red binders for the reports." Spinning around out of her hold to shout his stress back to the wall in a loud "fuck!", Harry’s mind is caught up in a swirl of possible excuses to give to his boss, all sounding more ridiculous than the other. He can’t think of way to fix his mistake and escape the inevitable berating coming his way comes morning.

Fortunately for him, y/n is not about to let this happen, "it’s okay, we’ll fix this," she encourages. "What’s on his desk right now?"

Harry looks back at her then, not totally convinced that this all mayhem is salvageable. His boss is never going to tolerate this minor negligence, especially once he finds out the irrelevant material mistakenly slipped amongst his work. "My 14 year-old niece’s english project" the answer comes out as a question, a hint of self-deprecating humor lacing through his words. "Bloody hell, he’s gon’ have my head fo’ that one."

Harry is adamant in his doom, but if anything, y/n is not a quitter. "No he’s not. He hasn’t seen it yet, right? You said he was already gone when you brought the file."

He takes a long breath, "I suppose not."

"Guess it’s a good thing I have the keys to his office then, yeah?" She smiles proudly as a beacon of hope shines on his conflicted face. The forest green of his eyes seems to breath back to life in an endearing revival, effectively tugging at y/n’s heart’s merciful strings.

"Fuck, you’d do that fo’ me?" his shoulders loosen up in relief, the tension slowly simmering down to a gentle buzz, as he envisages the possibility of an illicit break-in. Well, as illicit as it may be, considering they have the keys. Still, best they don’t get caught snooping in the boss’ office, for both of their sake.

"Of course, silly. No questions asked," y/n answers with a smile, and her willingness to put herself in potential trouble, warms Harry’s heart from inside out.

"Y/n, you’re an angel, a life savior," he grabs her shoulders in each of his hands, his gratitude painted all over his soft traits. "Fuck, I could kiss you right now." The words fly out of his mouth without him realizing their significance after spending the last ten minutes coming onto her. And well, y/n isn’t too opposed to the idea either, and she thinks she might hold him to that promise in retribution for her saving grace when the time and space works better in their favor. "Alright Casanova, let’s get your ass out of this mess," she grabs her purse form the table and takes his hand to guide him through the cluster of people milling around the office space, eventually reaching the row of elevators across the room.

As they stand waiting for their lift to come, Harry starts fidgeting with nervous energy, feeling like a kid who’s about to get caught trying to steal straight from the cookie jar. "Shit, alright, we have to be discrete if we want to pull this off," he tells her, not taking his eyes off the room in case someone would look at them and read their plan straight off their guilty-looking faces.

"Says the guy in the flashy suit," y/n immediately counters, in an attempt to revive the playfulness of their synergy. The night was going swimmingly before the whole ordeal, and she’s convinced this foxy little adventure can only add to the appeal of an evening full of surprises.

Harry’s indignation at her dig teeters from his pouty lips, "hey! It’s not that bad." She giggles at his poor rebuttal, and as the doors of the elevator open, they quickly take a few steps inside.

"Harry, that suit is so loud, it could break the sound barrier," y/n teases as she eyes the crowd of people frivolously chatting away, while waiting for the door to close back.

"Thought I cleaned up nicely," he cheekily throws back her words from earlier, letting them resonate within the small confines of the elevator as they make their way up to their boss’ office.

She turns to face him then, a smile spreading on her supple lips, "don’t get me wrong, you look wonderful, just nowhere near decent for a secret spy mission."

Her words have him beaming back at her in a second, his mind fixated on her compliment rather than how impractical it is that his clothes are flashier than the Queen’s; in his defense, neither are y/n’s. "Damn, just got upgraded from nice to wonderful, this night is actually turning around," he chirps as the door open to the deserted hallway of the top floor.

"Alright, more action and less flirting, Styles," y/n playfully chides him. "Go get the right file, while I open his door, we should be quick in case he decides to bring the tour and his special guest up here." She sends him off with a tilt of her chin in what she knows to be the direction of his office, and Harry complies with ease and starts backtracking a few doors down, "yes ma’am."

While he’s gone to fetch the correct document from his office, y/n rummages through her purse to find the key of her boss’ office and unlock the door. Once she’s inside, she makes her way around the imposing mahogany desk commanding the space, and finds the imposter file sitting innocently on the polished wood. For pure curiosity’s sake, she starts leafing through its contents and lets a small chuckle as she takes in the endearing work of a young aspiring writer.

Her reading is interrupted by Harry’s hurried strides when he joins her in the room. "Here’s the damn report," he flings the folder on the desk next to his niece’s, red clashing with blue, mocking him for his slight negligence. As he absorbs the sight of y/n’s face engrossed in the teenage’s fiction, he moves slowly behind her, getting a glimpse at his niece’s whimsical words over her shoulder, before his eyes settle on the bare skin of her back.

Y/n welcomes his sudden proximity, has stranding on end as she feels the soft puffs of his breaths against her neck. "Your niece is quite the writer, does she always come to you for advice?"

She ignores the shivers running down her spine, and gulps when Harry’s voice greets her ears in a deep quiet hoarse, closer than she excepted, "usually, yeah. I was the one who got her into writing, so it’s kinda become our thing, I guess."

She smiles at his softness, "that’s really sweet," and draws in a long breath in a vain attempt to calm her jitters. She can almost feel his presence on her skin though they’re technically not touching, her fingertips tingling in anticipation.  

Another frisson travels through her when he responds with a low "mhm," his nose slightly grazing behind her ear, taking in her beguiling fragrance. Jasmine and vanilla, fresh and soft, exciting and comforting at the same time; it suits her perfectly.

"Harry-" she doesn’t know what to follow the whisper of his name with. Careful? Not here? Please don’t stop? At this point, she wants nothing more than to succumb to his affections, regardless of their improper whereabouts.

Harry brushes the back of his index down the smooth skin of her back in a featherlike caress, "thanks fo’ saving my ass, tonight," he murmurs into her ear, before laying a small kiss behind it.

Y/n is exulting under his tender ministrations, her eyes closed to enhance the feeling of his touch. "Anytime," she breathes out as her head tilts backward, a hand coming behind his neck in a silent plea not to let go, and Harry smiles against her skin at her receptiveness, goosebumps of his own blossoming across his body.

His next words are out of his mouth before he can think, "mmm, I owe you a big one," his playful persona resurfacing now that the situation was handled. They snort in unison at the double-entendre, and Harry slides his free arm around her waist to bring her closer to his chest in silent remittance. Y/n doesn’t mind though, she kinda likes this boyish side of him, but she can’t let him know that just yet.

"Gross."

"Hilarious."

Their ping-pong of wisecrack is back despite the tension permeating the air. It’s the kind that speeds heartbeats and moistens palms in lustful anticipation, the kind that curtails people’s breath as their lungs fill up with voluptuous aphrodisia. "Will you let me kiss you? Show you all my gratitude? I really wanna have a taste, love," he pleads for her permission, and y/n is too consumed by desire to deny him, "have it."

In one swift move, he spins around and latches his eager lips onto her. Passion ensues, hands roaming all over each other to find the perfect hold; the back of a neck, the lapels of a suit jacket, a few strands of hair, the curve of an exposed ribcage, it’s all intoxicating but there is always more to explore. Their tongues are caught up in a heated tango of their own, swirling around each other to quench the thirst of passion, licking their lustful way around their mouths.

At one point, Y/n finds herself pressed against her boss’ desk, one leg around Harry’s waist as he attaches his hips to hers in a heated embrace that leaves them breathless upon parting. He rests his forehead against her temple as they both process the intimate exchange, not ready to burst out of this fairy bubble. "Fuck, been waiting to do that for a while," he exhales with a smile, still incredulous at the evening’s proceedings, and the girl nestled in his arms.

"Same," she agrees and gently cups his face to bring his eyes back to hers, barely believing the adoration and warmth swimming within his lovely olive irises.

Harry’s heart feels like a ticking bomb about to implode, the sweet taste of her lips already providing him with a fix he didn’t know he was addicted to. "One more," he demands against her mouth before diving into another searing kiss. This time his hands explore more meticulously, scavenging for other soft spots to add on to his mental list. The dimples in her back right above the curve of her ass seem to rival the area at her side right below the swell of her breast, but Harry is pretty sure he’ll find more sensitive spots in the near future. Hopefully.

Once again, the need for oxygen compels them to part way, but neither of them make a move to separate their tangled limbs. Y/n is reveling in the moment she’s been daydreaming about for months, "so good," she keeps whispering sweet nothing against his lips while rubbing her nose against the bridge of his.

Harry clears his throat as he regains his bearings, realizing that there are still very much in the middle of their boss’ office, a place they are not supposed to be in, doing stuff they’re not supposed to be doing. At least not here. "Let’s get outta here, yeah?" he brushes a strand of hair that fell in front of her face, "you can kick my ass at that game of pool as promised, and I’ll tend to yours once we’re back at my place, what’dya say?"

And well, how can one say no to that?

➪ Masterlist

[teawaffles]

There’s No Business Like Show Business: Chapter 3

“Fred. How’s their acting like to you?” Jack asked in a low voice.

They were seated at the edge of the stalls. They could also see Bond from where they were, completely focused on the stage.

“I’m not an actor myself, so this is just my personal opinion — but I think they’re awfully good,” Fred replied.

Jack gazed at the stage with a serious look in his eyes.

“I think so too. I won’t discount the fact that their sets and props look a little homemade, maybe due to a lack of budget; but when it comes to acting, each one of them is highly skilled. I can tell that the performers are all deeply familiar with the intent of the script.”

They were no theatre professionals for sure, but they possessed an eye for the true essence of their art.

The creases near Jack's eyes deepened as he quietly groaned.

“And best of all is that lady.”

“Yeah, I thought so too,” Moran agreed. With Fred included, all of them were focused on the lone person on the stage.

As Jack had pointed out, Maya, the chairwoman, was the standout actress even among the highly-skilled members of her own company.

Although she only held the lead role in “The Little Match Girl”, and was relegated to supporting roles for the other stories, the delivery of her lines, the movements of her body and hands, and even the slight shifts in her gaze — each and every one of her actions was perfectly under her control. They had seen a glimpse of this when she’d stood before her fellow company members previously, but this person on stage was completely different from the one who'd spoken to them at the entrance.

Even accounting for the fact that she had written the script herself, this level of sophistication in acting was not one which could be achieved by some run-of-the-mill actress. Moreover, the lines and pauses in the script had been carefully crafted to make it easy for the audience to relate to the stories.

From then on, the three of them enjoyed the rest of the play in silence, marvelling at her exceptional talent. Eventually, the rehearsal came to an end.

“——That concludes our performance. Thank you very much for coming.”

After her closing words, the company lined up on stage, silently waiting for Bond’s comments. While there had not been any flashy moments during the performance, almost all of them had sweat on their foreheads. Each breath they took revealed the depth of their concentration.

“…………”

For a short while, Bond stared at the stage without saying a word. Growing uneasy at the silence, the company members lowered their gazes slightly.

After what seemed like an eternity, Bond cleared his throat, and adjusted his posture. Seeing that, the company members straightened their backs.

“——If I were to summarise my thoughts, I think your acting has already reached a high standard. I’m sure all of you have put in much time and effort to achieve this.”

Their faces beamed at his compliment. But Bond would not allow them to be satisfied with that alone.

He rose from his seat.

“But that’s also why some bad habits have stood out to me. For example, the witch in ‘The Little Mermaid’: there were times when your movements were too exaggerated. I know that you wanted to emphasise her sinister nature, but the way you did so may turn off the audience.”

“Y-Yes……”

The actress who’d been singled out hung her head, perhaps out of shock. But Bond ignored this, and pointed to another woman.

“Now, you played the main character in ‘The Red Shoes’. I watched your steps after putting on the shoes — have you properly studied dance? It’s true that even some stage professionals may think that it’s alright to just mimic the real thing, but if you really want to make your performance more authentic, you must take the time to learn how to do it properly. Your audience will not be satisfied unless you show them a level of skill that will astonish even people in that profession.”

“Understood!” she responded with vigour.

“Next up is you: the way you project your voice——”

Then Bond singled out each of the performers in turn, highlighting in detail what they needed to work on. He only needed to watch their play once to spot areas for improvement at such a fine level of detail — his eye for the arts gave them all a sense of the former professional’s brilliance.

At last, Bond finished addressing every member of the company. But he then swept his gaze over the entire theatre.

“In addition…… this isn’t your fault at all, but your success today was only possible due to the small size of this theatre,” he said, with some distress. “If we were in a bigger venue, the hall would be wider and deeper to accommodate the larger audience. In other words, I’m afraid that with your current performance, your voices simply would not reach the entire audience.”

Maya paled.

“So, in order to accommodate the size of the venue……”

“Yes. The worst-case scenario would be that you have to rework the entire play. By the way, when is the opening night?”

“T—Two weeks later.”

The entire room was enveloped in silence. Even from where they were seated, Moran and the others felt the weight of their despair: all the hard work they had put in thus far, might just have amounted to nothing.

Even Bond, who had revealed this harsh reality, dropped his gaze and grimaced.

“Well, there are a fair number of productions that focus only on the stage, and do not account for the size of the audience, so you may not have to change——”

“——No, we’ll do it.”

Maya sharply interrupted his proposal.

“You’ve seen how I am; I’ve always been timid and hesitant…… but theatre is the one thing I will never compromise on. Especially now — this is a rare opportunity for us. For my fellow company members, for the people who’ve supported us this far, I want to show them something I’ve put every effort into making.”

“…………”

At her words, the rest of the company nodded in silence.

Even with the actual performance only two weeks away, Maya and her company had steeled their hearts and chosen to start again from scratch. That stubborn determination surprised Bond, and even Moran and the rest.

“U—Um…… Mr Bond, I actually have something I wish to discuss with you……”

Out of the blue, Maya’s voice had grown soft.

“U—Um, if it is alright with you, just for the next two weeks, could you sit in during our rehearsals? A—Ah, actually, just whenever you have the time would be fine……”

Bond chuckled.

Even after being told about all those problems, they refused to stand down, and even continued to ask for help. Their mental fortitude sparked hope in him, and he couldn’t help but let out a grin.

Bond shot the party in the stalls a questioning look. Moran looked to Jack and Fred in turn, before giving him a thumbs-up.

With that, the former flames of passion within Bond burned even hotter. He faced the company members with a determined grin.

“——Okay. But I will be especially tough on you all, so be prepared.”

Then, he called out to Fred.

“Fred-kun. I would like your help as well — is that alright with you?”

“Understood,” he replied, standing up.

“Bond, I’m always happy to teach knife-wielding.”

“And you can always ask me about gun handling.”

“Now that would be helpful,” Bond smiled at Jack and Moran’s jests, then turned back to the stage.

“Well then, everyone — for the next two weeks, let’s do our best together.”

✦ ✦ ✦ ✦

“During a performance, you must be always be aware of three things: the audience, the other actors, and yourself. If the feeling of being ‘watched’ becomes too strong for you, first direct your attention within yourself. Then, you will be able to focus on your acting once again.”

“I don’t advocate the idea of getting into a role. In the end, acting is just a skill: what you should focus on instead is how you are moving.”

“Although an effective way of bringing out emotions is to dredge up your past memories, I would advise you to avoid that. Recent memories are too concrete and vivid — if you must do so, use memories from your distant past. And be careful: if you frequently immerse yourself in negative emotions, you will hurt yourself on a spiritual level too.”

In a small theatre in Whitechapel, Bond’s instructions came forth ceaselessly.

He stood on stage together with the company members: carefully reviewing their movements, even acting them out himself as an example on occasion, and putting in every effort to raise the level of their production.

The remaining two weeks were short, but with their foundations already strong to begin with, Maya and her company steadily honed their acting skills to perfection.

One week left until the show. His work as an instructor had finally ended for the day, and he let out a sigh as he sat in the stalls to catch his breath.

“Good work today — fancy a sip?”

Having watched the proceedings from the stalls, Moran handed him a bottle of water. It was a beer bottle — very Moran-like — and Bond accepted it with a smile.

“Thanks, Moran-kun.”

Bond gulped down a single mouthful of water.

“So, how’s the play going?”

“At first I thought we would be hard-pressed for time, but they truly exceeded my expectations. I think we might just make it. ……Scratch that, we will make it.”

Moran nodded.

“That’s right. And they seem to be well-liked by the residents around here. I really hope they can pull it off.”

As Moran gazed off into the distance, a thought just occurred to Bond. He cocked his head.

“Come to think of it, you really didn’t have to tag along with me all this time, you know?”

Ever since the day Bond had agreed to lend his support to the company, his other colleagues had stopped over from time to time to cheer him on. However, Moran had made it a point to come to the theatre every day without fail.

Moran scratched his cheek in embarrassment.


“……Well, it’s not like I have anything else to do when there aren’t any missions. As a senior member of this organisation, I’m just here to see how my junior works.”

“Even though you’ve been skipping out on chores at the mansion?”

“D—Dammit, I told you before: I always do my share of the work, you know.”

Bond had said that half-jokingly, but his words flustered Moran nevertheless. It seemed he had not been entirely wrong about that.

Bond returned his gaze to the stage.

“……Thank you, Moran-kun,” he said quietly.

“Hmm? Didn’t you already say that earlier?”

“This one means something different,” he said, with a hint of mischief in his voice. Moran raised an eyebrow in bemusement, but the presence of a caring senior alone warmed Bond’s heart.

Just then, they heard the sound of the theatre doors opening.

As the two men turned to look, they saw a portly middle-aged man with a magnificent moustache standing at the entrance.

Maya hurriedly bowed in his direction. “T—Thank you so much for your help thus far! What brings you all the way here?”

From her formal manner, it seemed this was the very noble who had asked them to stage the opening act for his theatre.

“Ah, you’ve been working hard, I see,” he said as he stroked his moustache, a big smile on his face.

“Yes; with your assistance, we’ve been able to prepare for the performance in time. I’m sure the audience will be satisfied with——”

“Well, about that.”

The man interrupted Maya, still all smiles.

“——Your performance has been cancelled.”

“What?”

No one could believe their ears.

Her expression brimmed with confusion.

“U-Um, what do you mean……?”

“What does it mean? Just pretend our conversation back then didn’t happen. That’s all.”

The man made another simple pronouncement, then smiled as if nothing was wrong.

“Honestly, it’s just as well that this has happened, since I’ve also been troubled over your debut. So what I’m saying is, your company doesn’t have to turn up. That’s alright with you, isn’t it?”

The entire company was still in a state of shock. Then, Bond addressed the man directly.

“Now hold on just a moment. What do you mean, you were troubled? Then why did you ask them to perform? What’s more, isn’t it a little late to cancel the performance at this juncture?”

Hearing that, the man sighed in displeasure.

“Who are you, anyway? Someone connected to this company? I’m not happy to be asked so many questions at once.”

“Then I’ll summarise it for you. If you were going to cancel the performance so easily, why bother requesting Maya and her company to perform anyway?”

At Bond’s question, the nobleman shrugged his shoulders.

“Well, that’s simple. I just felt like it.”

“……What?”

Those shocking words froze him to the core.

“I’d heard about a reputable theatre company in the slums. Since there’s this notion of noblesse oblige anyway, I thought a performance would be a good topic for conversation and approached them. But then I grew to realise that the thought of poor people stepping onto the sacred stage of an official theatre just didn’t sit well with me. So yesterday, I finally decided to put an end to this madness.”

“How could you……”

He had asked Maya’s company to perform on a whim, and then cancelled their act on a selfish whim as well. And this was all decided just ‘yesterday’. Even though they had been putting in every effort into their play.

The nobleman continued.

“That’s all I had to say. You poor folk are living off the graces of the nobility, so be grateful that I even bothered to come all this way to talk to you. Now that I’m finished here, I’ll be leaving. The smell here is simply an assault on my senses.”

Right before he walked out, the man spat out one last line.

“Well, at least you all had a nice dream, didn’t you?”

“………!”

A violent rage surged within Bond. Somehow, he managed to grit his teeth and hold himself back. If he were to retaliate right now, he would be inviting unnecessary reprisal on Maya and her company rather than himself. So all he could do was look daggers at the nobleman’s back as he left.

The theatre was enveloped in a mournful silence. Everyone seemed to have lost their verve, and no one uttered a word. Bond was shaking with frustration.

Amidst the heavy atmosphere, just one man — Moran — gazed upon the situation with composure.

Finally, Maya, the chairwoman, mumbled in a thin voice.

“Um, I’m so sorry. I think, I’m not feeling too well……”

Then, with a hollow expression, she headed to the dressing room, her footsteps shaky.

[gra-sonas]

CW viewers first met Nathan Dean as Jackson on the hit "Vampire Diaries" spinoff "The Originals." However, his werewolf stint on the series wasn't his first foray on TV. The actor starred in over 300 episodes of "General Hospital," later scoring roles on shows like "Bunheads," "True Blood," and "Once Upon a Time." Between his notable TV appearances, Dean appeared in movies such as "Teeth," "The Roommate," and "Pet."

Luckily for CW followers, the network frequently features actors from past projects in new endeavors, providing fans with plentiful reunions. After a successful run on the vampire show, Dean scored a leading role as Max in "Roswell, New Mexico." Sticking true to his supernatural roots, Dean plays an alien deputy (the outer space kind, of course). Early in Season 3, the CW greenlit a Season 4, with filming on the horizon.

Looper spoke to Nathan Dean in an exclusive interview, during which he dished on Season 3 of "Roswell, New Mexico," what he really thinks about UFOs, and what it was like working on "The Originals," "Once Upon a Time," and "True Blood."

Do you have a favorite moment with the cast on or off set?

I mean, I think this past year was probably just our first day back, being everyone was so locked down in the pandemic and just the fact that we were able to come back in October. I remember the first [day] we were trying out all these new COVID protocols. We had to wear masks. We had to do the thing, but just to see our crew again here.

I mean, the crew we have here in New Mexico is such a family to us. And being able to be on set, we had a day zero, and a day double zero, and test days. And the first day back was just the crew and me. And it was just so wonderful to see everyone again and realize it wasn't necessarily the apocalypse, the end of the world like we all thought, and we're back. We're back, and everyone was good, and everyone was very conscious of being healthy and staying in the bubble that we had, and just to see their faces again was fantastic.

The series recently changed showrunners. How do you feel about the new direction? And can you tease anything that fans might expect from Max's character arc this season?

Yeah. We did. I mean, Chris Hollier is our showrunner now, and he was a producer for us the last couple of years. And when he took over, we tried to move not only Max, but I think every character, into a more adult, mature way of operating. We spent a lot of time in Season 1 in particular, but Season 2 as well, flashing back to high school. And we all had a high school outlook on each other. And moving forward, we've been able to mature the characters, I think. And this year is a great year, I think, for Max in particular, because he has to literally look himself in the eye and become the person that he was meant to be instead of someone he used to be.

Were you a fan of the original "Roswell" before snagging your role on the series?

I had never actually seen it. I mean, I don't watch a whole lot of TV, and I was familiar with the show, and I knew the book series. So yeah, when we decided to reboot this thing, it was really, really cool to see the support that we got from the original show. And we've had some of the people back. Shiri [Appleby] directed episodes for us. Last year we had ... Jason [Behr] was back for a little bit. And it's just great to know that we're in this family. It's not like no one saw us as trying to take it over or rewrite history. We're just embracing the history that's already there and just building on it and spinning it into a modern world. So yeah, their support was wonderful, and we're excited to have more of that going forward.

What direction do you hope Max goes in the future?

Well, Max spends a whole lot of time this season having to look himself in the face — literally questions a lot of things. We've done a lot in the past, the high school flashbacks and this and that, but I think this year, not only for Max but for all the characters, we see this maturation happen where you're no longer looking backward into who they used to be. Now this season, we're finally looking forward to who we want to be. And I think Max and Joan embody that dynamic, but yeah, you see it with Michael, Isabel, Maria, Liz. You see every character really take a step forward this year, and that's a credit to our showrunner and to our writers for trusting us to take that leap and move the show, looking forward instead of looking back.

Are there any particular adult storylines that you're excited to maybe see him tackle or that you'd like to see him tackle?

Well, I think it's his relationship with Liz, really. We ended Season 2 in a pretty bad place. I mean, Liz runs off, Max goes all arsonist on her, it's a little bit of an immature response to something. You just have a temper tantrum and light everything on fire. But I think this year, yeah, we really see Max and Liz move forward in a way that is much more mature and adult and respectful. And they, I mean, obviously the elephant in the room is, "Well hey, you blew up all my stuff." "Yeah, sorry." But how do you come back from that? And I think we see them take a step forward in a big way this year, and I'm excited for people to see that this year because we haven't historically had a very adult relationship, and now we're moving towards that.

Is there anyone you'd love to see appear on the show?

I mean, I would love to have Jason [Behr] back, I would say. I mean, he wasn't with us for long last year, and it was just great to see him and learn from him and watch him work. So I would love to see some more of the 1940s flashback-y kind of stuff, learn some more of that. We have a little bit of that in season three. We have some of that, which is a lot of fun, and yeah, I mean, I'm always in for that.

I love flashbacks, other time periods, different things that shows do. Is there a time period that you'd love to see the show tackle in flashbacks?

Yeah. I mean, we get into it this year, more of the ... Because the crash was what? 1947, I believe. We get into that a little bit more, and that's always fun. I love that time period. I love being able to play in that arena, and hopefully, we get some more of that in Season 3, and hopefully, going forward in Season 4, we'll have some more of that as well.

Have you been able to direct yet?

I have not. I haven't tried. I haven't asked to. Actually Maria, Heather [Hemmens], who plays Maria on our show, she directed this past year. And I know Michael Trevino, who plays Kyle, he wants to get into directing. So hopefully, we'll have him this coming year. And I haven't looked to direct on this show. I would love to direct a short film or something like that, but on this show, I'll leave our show to the professionals. I'll find directing somewhere else.

"Roswell, New Mexico" actually films in New Mexico. How do you think that choice has positively affected the feel of the show?

Oh, it changes everything. I mean, New Mexico, I don't know if you've had a chance to come out here, but New Mexico is such an amazing place. I mean, they call it the Land of Enchantment for a reason. Growing up in Texas, I've driven through New Mexico a million times, but I never stopped. And when I finally got here and just took it in, I mean, the sky is huge out here. The air is different out here. It's everywhere you look: the sunsets are incredible. It informs so much of the show.

And also, having crew from New Mexico, having a local crew out here, you see it on our show, the turquoise, just the style, the whole thing. But we see that every day. That's just the people that we work with, and to be able to film here, I think, informs so much of what it is to crash land in this crazy place. And yeah, I don't think we could pull this off anywhere else. This is such a wonderful place, and yeah, we're very lucky to be here.

Speaking of crash landing, New Mexico has been a hotbed for reported UFO sightings for years. Have you ever seen anything weird yourself, or have you heard stories from other cast members or locals?

I haven't heard any abduction stories, but it's definitely ... we get on set every time there's an airplane or an airline will report that they've seen something weird. We're the first ones to know about it. I mean, the skies here are crazy — there are times when you look up in the clouds, you're like, "Is that something? I don't know." But yeah, I mean, we have all that here. We're very much in it, but yeah, I have not personally been abducted yet, but I'm hoping for it.

Fingers crossed? [Laughs] So in June, the government released a report confirming that they can't explain 143 UFO sightings, which is a wild revelation. Do you think that there's any credence to the idea that these might be actual extraterrestrial events, or do you think there's a simpler explanation to all of that?

I mean, I think it definitely it could be. I'm not writing it off. When you hear, you see videos, you can see video of Air Force pilots, and there's something on their radar that you just can't explain. I don't know if it's aliens. I don't know if it's probes or some sort of drone that someone sent out, I don't know. But it wouldn't surprise me if it was true. I mean, I think the universe is too big of a place for us to be all alone here. And if aliens are going to come somewhere, you should come to New Mexico because it's awesome and we're waiting for you.

So would you be team "Leave the aliens alone and let them do their thing," or "Let's initiate contact and see what happens"?

Oh, I would love to initiate contact. I would love to. I would love to go on a spaceship. I would love to go explore that. I think if ... There are all these movies, "War of the Worlds." There's all this stuff that imagines aliens are going to come here and destroy us. If you're going to travel all that distance, you're not looking to destroy anybody. So I think it would be a really interesting conversation. I think we would have a lot to learn from an advanced civilization that traveled all this way. I think we would have a lot to learn.

The series tackles a ton of critical social issues like immigration, ICE, and domestic violence. Have there been any of those subjects that particularly resonate with you and that you're proud of the show for homing in on? And is there something that you'd like to see them do in the future?

Well, for me personally, I mean, I'm a cop on the show. That's been a huge debate over the last couple of years, and this season, we get into the good and the bad of that. We see the good sides of it and what it can be, and then we also can see the bad side.

And for me personally, that's been something that I think we've talked about a little bit that I'm very happy with. And also, I mean, everyone just went through this huge pandemic. We can't ignore that. So that's something, when our character of Kyle, who's a doctor — what he's had to go through — I think that's one of the things that makes our show relatable and makes our show ... we're not shying away from the cop controversy. We're not shying away from the things people had to go through with the pandemic.

We're willing to talk about it. And thankfully, we have such a great platform to do that with this backdrop of aliens and all this stuff. We can really home in on the human aspects of that world, given the fact that we're an alien show. It makes talking about the human stuff much more, I think, palpable. And yeah, that's something that we've always done. And going forward, we'll see what the world has in store for us the next year or two, and we'll talk about that, whatever comes up, we're here for it.

Several other actors from the "Vampire Diaries" universe have also come to "Roswell." What was it like working with Riley Voelkel and Steven Krueger again — and getting a chance to work with other "TVD" alums, like Michael Trevino and Kayla Ewell?

It's great. I mean, CW does a great job of keeping the family together. Working with Trevino is fantastic. He's a great guy, and I've known him for a long time. Same with Jason Krueger and Riley. I've known them for a long time, and just to have those familiar faces around is always nice, but it's fun too then to see these people who, we come from this vampire-werewolf world, and now we're in this alien world. It's fun to see that transition and get to see what else they can bring to the table.

Definitely. So you've been a werewolf, you've been a vampire, you've been an alien, and you've even been a fairytale character. Do you have a favorite? And do you gravitate more toward shows with supernatural undertones, or did it just sort of happen that way?

It just sort of happened. I mean, I would say for me, my favorite is always just being a human. That seems to be the hardest job to get, but no, I mean, it just sort of happened. And it's fun because, like I was saying, having a backdrop of something supernatural highlights the humanity.

I mean, if you have this ... There are aliens, and there's this, and there's that, but then you have these human moments, and those are the ones that you hold precious because sure, you can throw people around and you can jump out of trees, and you can do all this crazy supernatural stuff. But at the end of the day, it's about the human moments. And I think that's what supernatural shows tend to bring out the most.

"Roswell" isn't your first time being on a CW show. You also starred in "The Originals." What was it like working on set with Phoebe Tonkin and Joseph Morgan and the rest of that cast?

Oh, they were great. I mean, we were out in Atlanta, and I mean, geez, that was like five, six, seven years ago now.

Really? That long?

Right? Crazy. But it was great. I mean, every set is going to be different, and we were in Atlanta for "The Originals." And so we had the Atlanta crew there, and we got to know that city a lot. And then moving out here to New Mexico, it's a completely different landscape. It's a completely different setup.

Thankfully it's nice to always have the familiar faces, but yeah, we have a New Mexico crew, and this platform is totally different because we're not talking about supernatural witchcraft and this and that. We're talking about sci-fi. We're talking about aliens. We're talking about all this other stuff. So I mean, they're both different. I mean, I loved Atlanta. I will always love Atlanta, but yeah, I'm just grateful to be out here in New Mexico now.

Is there anything you wish that Jackson did on the show before your storyline ended, and how do you feel about your character's first ending and then getting to meet Hope and Hayley again at the end?

I think that was a really sweet way to go out. Jackson was always a passenger on that ship. The story was about the vampires and about Phoebe's character, and Jackson was always just sort of a bystander. So, to have that kind of closure with Hope at the end and have that moment, it was nice. I think Jackson serves his purpose. The story wasn't about him, but yeah, it was nice that they brought me back, and I was able to have that moment.

To that end, "The Originals" birthed the backdoor pilot for the "Legacies" spinoff. Would you come back for something like a flashback episode if given the opportunity? Or are you happy with where it ended up?

I'm happy where it ended up. I think "Legacies" is on its own journey now. And I know the actress who plays Hope, and I know that they're on their own path. Jackson doesn't really have a place there.

The great thing about the entire "Vampire Diaries" franchise is its deep roots in history, culture, and folklore. Do you have any favorite storylines, time periods, or pieces of folklore that the show tackled throughout its run?

Yeah, I mean, I think when I was doing the vampire/werewolf stuff, it was fascinating to learn so much about where those legends came from. The origin stories of, you have, what was it? Vlad the Impaler was one of the first people thought to be vampires and these horribly dark stories that gave rise to these myths and legends.

And it was really, really fun to just learn about all of that and to learn the history of where these myths come from and why they're so compelling today. I mean, why do we still talk about this stuff? What is it that draws our attention to it? So it was just fun to learn, I mean, from an intellectual standpoint, just get into the mindsets of people that may have thought these bloodthirsty sorts of things. It was kind of wild, and yeah, it was a lot of fun to learn about.

You had a stint as James in the last season of "True Blood." Was it difficult coming on so late into such a beloved show? Were you nervous, or did you feel welcomed right away? And what was your biggest takeaway from that series?

I definitely felt welcomed. I actually knew Deborah Ann Woll, who played my love interest off the top. I knew her from way long ago. We actually go way back. So I was familiar enough with the cast and crew. They welcomed me in. It was weird coming in at the end of a show because they had been together for seven years at that point, that cast.

And stepping in, I got to see a lot of the heartbreak and the sadness of it coming to an end, but I was grateful to be a part of it. And I learned a lot from Stephen [Moyer] and from Anna [Paquin], and it was a great environment. I wish it had gone on longer, but I was grateful for the year that I got there.

You played another classic fairytale character in "Once Upon a Time" as Hansel. What was that experience like? And how do you feel that the show handled its own spin on the Hansel and Gretel fairytale? And do you have any fond memories of that set and that cast?

Well, I love that set. I mean, actually, our current showrunner, Chris Hollier, was one of the writers on that show. And I was in a situation this year similar to the one I was in when I was on "Once Upon a Time" — getting to have this dual life, this secret life. And I like the direction that they went on "Once Upon a Time," it was a lot of fun, but it was a great crew. It was a great cast. And it was fun to play a little darkly twisted version of a fairytale character. You think fairytales, you think happily ever after, but yeah, I didn't have one of those kinds of characters on that show, and it was really fun. It was very fun to play the dark side of all that.

Is there any other franchise that you'd like to break into? "Star Wars"? Marvel? Anything like that?

Oh, any of it, all of it. Yeah, sure. I mean, I would love to, Disney+, they're doing a lot of great stuff with Marvel and with the "Star Wars" franchise. And I mean, I would love to be any part of that because Marvel's just awesome. So, that would just be fun, but "Star Wars" is cool because it's a time period in and of itself. They really have created this out-of-time universe that there are spaceships, but they also have lightsabers, and they're sword fighting, but they're flying through the galaxy. So it's this weird mashup. That would definitely be fun. I mean, I would love to get into any of that.

Would you want to play an alien? A Jedi? Or a Sith?

Ooh.

That's the real question.

Maybe a Sith. I don't know. Yeah. I think that would be fun. Yeah, yeah. You just don't have rules at that point.

I feel like the Jedi don't follow any of their rules either. [Laughs]

That is true. They have a lot of rules, they just don't listen. Yeah.

Is there anything else that's upcoming for you that you want to talk about?

I don't know. I mean, right now, I'm just focused on Season 4. We get started in a couple weeks. I'm curious to see how we springboard off of Season 3, because Season 3 is wild, and I hope people enjoy it as much as we did filming it. So I'm excited to tackle Season 4, and then beyond that, we'll see if we get to Season 5.

We'll be lucky to do that, but yeah, I mean, there are always projects. There's so much happening in the world of TV right now and in film, and there are so many different avenues that you can take. We had actors on our show that were directing their own short films this past year that were doing all this. So there are tons of avenues for it. And I'm just focused on Season 4 right now. I'll be doing that for the next six months, and then beyond that, we'll see. We'll see what comes down the pipe.

Is there anything else about the show or anything else you want to add?

No. I mean, not really. I mean, I think I'm excited to hear feedback and to hear what people think about the different, the Jones, Max difference, this sort of dichotomy that we have in Season 3. I'm excited to see what people think about that and what that reveals going forward. And then, yeah, again, I'm excited to see these characters take a step forward in terms of their maturity with each other and respecting each other and Liz and Max finally figuring it out and finally getting on the same page for the first time. So that'll all be fun. That'll be fun looking forward.

Definitely. Well, congratulations on getting a new season before the current one has even popped off. I love seeing that.