#sometimes the drama works really well and other times well its just a bit goofy. doesnt make it bad but i dont think its the intent lol | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

sketching-shark · 3 years

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I think we should start a protection squad (although they don’t need it because they can protect themselves) for Sun Wukong and Guanyin

“Begone monkie kid fandom trying to down grade these really interesting characters with interesting personality’s and backstory ( the both of them like seriously Guanyin backstory is so cool) to a villain wile trying to justify your angsty backstory (that are no where near as cool as monkey who fights gods and Person who has 1000 arms and heads to help people in need) for the actual villain”

So who wants to join

Me:*raises my hand*

Ps: sorry if I got Guanyin backstory wrong am not an expert on it.

Haha okay so some critiques on the jttw & associated media western fandom & fandom in general coming up, so please skip this upcoming text wall if you don't want to encounter my undoubtedly ~devastating~ words (i.e. don't like don't read as people love to say, & if I have to be inundated with images of my notp every time I go into the sun wukong tag then I imagine people can be chill with me expressing my opinions & giving people fair warning that I WILL be critiquing common fandom trends, but no need for you to see that if you don’t want to. Cool? Cool.)

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PFFFFFTTT oh man there are many times when I feel like signing up for such a protection squad...when it comes to the current western jttw & Sun Wukong fandom I do feel like I'm often swinging at a rapid pace between "well it's fandom & people are allowed to make the stories they want" & "I am once again begging my fellow monkie kid enthusiasts (& sometimes creators) to do more research into the og classic/show it more respect so you can avoid any potentially offensive/off-the-mark misunderstandings of the status & cultural context of the characters in their country of origin (I promise it's super interesting & I can provide you with links to free pdf copies of the entire Yu translation, i.e. the best one ever created, so feel free to ask!) & maybe also stop constantly stripping away all the nuance of Sun Wukong's character for the sake of either making him an entire asshole so your little meow meow can look completely innocent in comparison and/or making the monkey king's entire life & character revolve around said meow meow."

Like I get that fandom's supposed to be a kind of anything-goes environment, but one thing that honestly seems to be true of a lot of fandoms--and the western one for Sun Wukong & co. is certainly not immune from this--is that there often seems to be a kind of monoculturalization at work in what stories are created & what character interpretations are made popular. Across a multitude of fandoms, you frequently see basically nothing but the exact same tropes being made popular & even being insisted on for the canonical work (especially hasty redemption arcs & enemies to lovers these days), the exact same one-dimensional character types that characters from an original work keep getting shoved into, the exact same story beats, etc. And I get it to an extent, as fandom is generally a space where people just make art and fic for fun & without thinking too hard about it & without any pressure.

This seems to, however, often unfortunately lead to the mentality that it’s your god-given right to do literally whatever you want with literally any cultural figure without even the slightest bit of thought put into their cultural, historical, and even religious context, even (and sometimes especially) when it comes to figures that are really important in a culture outside your own. For such figures--even if you first encounter them in a children’s cartoon--you should be a little more careful with what you do with them than you would with your usual Saturday morning line-up. It of course has to be acknowledged that there exists a whole pile of absolutely ridiculous & cursed pieces of media that are based on Journey to the West & that were produced in mainland China, but for your own education if nothing else I consider it good practice for those of us (myself certainly included) who aren’t part of the culture that produced JTTW to put more thought into how we might want to portray these characters so that at the very least (to pull some things I’ve seen from the jttw western fandom) we’re not turning a goddess of mercy into an evil figure for the sake of Angst(TM), or relegating other important literary figures into the positions of offensive stereotypes, or making broad claims about the source text & original characterizations of various figures that are blatantly untrue, or mocking heavenly deities because of what’s actually your misunderstanding of how immortality works according to Daoist beliefs. Yet while a lot of this is often due to people not even trying to understand the context these figures are coming from, I do want to acknowledge that the journey (lol reference) to understand even a fraction of the original cultural context can be a daunting one, especially since, as I’ve mentioned before, it can be really hard & even next to impossible to find good, accessible, & legitimate explanations in English of how, for example, the relationship between Sun Wukong and the Six-Eared Macaque is commonly interpreted in China & according to the Buddhist beliefs that define the original work.

That is to say, I do think it’s an unfortunate, if unavoidable, part of any introduction of an original text into a culture foreign to its own for there to be sometimes a significant amount of misinterpretation, mistranslations, and false assumptions. There is, however, a big difference between learning from your honest mistakes, & doubling down on them while dismissing all criticism of your misinterpretation into that abstract category of “fandom drama.” The latter attitude is kind of shitty at best and horrifically entitled at worst.

Plus, as I’ve discovered, there is a great deal of interest and joy to be drawn from keeping yourself open to learning aspects of these texts & figures that you weren’t aware of! I can say from my own experience that I’ve always really enjoyed & appreciated it when individuals on this site who come from a Chinese background--and who know much more about the cultural context of JTTW than me--have taken the time to explain its various aspects. It often leaves me feeling like woooooaaaahhhhhHHH!!!! as to how amazingly full of nuanced meaning JTTW is like dang no wonder it’s one of China’s Four Great Classical Novels.

And I guess that right there is the heart of a lot of my own personal frustration and disappointment with the ways that fandoms often approach a literary work or other piece of media...like don’t get me wrong, a lot of the original works a fandom may grow around are just straight-up goofy & everyone’s aware of it & has fun with it, yet the trend of approaching what are often nuanced and multi-layered works in terms of how well they fit and/or can be shoved into pretty cliche ideas of Redemption Arc or Enemies to Lovers or Hero Actually Bad, Villain Actually Good etc...well, it just seems to cheapen and even erase even the possibility of understanding the wonderful complexity or even endearing simplicity that made these works so beloved in the first place. Again, I feel like I need to make it clear that I’m not saying fandom should be a space where people are constantly trying to one-up each other with their hot takes in literary analysis, but it would be nice and even beneficial to allow room for commentary that strives to approach these works in a multi-faceted way, analysis & interpretations that go against the popular fandom beliefs, & criticism of the work or even of fandom trends (yes it is in fact possible to legitimately love something but still be critical of its aspects) instead of immediately attacking people who try to engage in such as just being haters who don’t want anyone to have fun ever (X_X).

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Anyway, I know I didn’t cover even half of the stuff you brought up in the first place anon, but I don’t want any interested parties to this post to suffer too long through my text wall lol. I was asked to try my hand at illustrating Guanyin, but as with you I’m nowhere near as informed as I should be about her, so I want to do more research on her history and religious importance before I attempt a portrait. I’ll try my best, and do plan to pair that illustration with my own outsider’s attempt to summarize her character. From what little I do know I am in full agreement that her backstory is so incredibly amazing...just the fact that she literally eschewed the bliss of Nirvana to help all beings reach it, and even split herself into pieces in the attempt to do so (with Buddha granting her eleven heads and a thousand arms as a result)...man, I can see why she’s such a beloved & respected deity.

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As for what western fandom commonly does with everyone’s favorite god-fighting primate...I can talk about this at length if there’s interest, but for this post I’ll just say that I guess one lesson from all of this is that for all the centuries that have passed since Journey to the West was first completed, literally no one drawing inspiration from the original tale in the west (lol) has come even slightly close to being able to equal or even capture half the extent of the nuance, complexity, religious, historical, and cultural aspects, and humor that define Wu Cheng'en's story of an overpowered monkey who defied even Buddha.

So thank the heavens we'll always have the original.

#journey to the west #jttw #guanyin #sun wukong #monkey king #monkie kid #fandom #fandom critical

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watching-pictures-move · 3 years

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Put On Your Raincoats #21 | Double Chinn Double (Double) Feature (with Hyapatia Lee)

By the time the '80s rolled around, Bob Chinn, best known for his collaborations with John Holmes (the inspiration for Boogie Nights), had been directing movies for over a decade. For much of that time, he'd been making them for peanuts (in an interview with the Rialto Report, he recounts being once asked to make a movie for five thousand dollars, which was handed to him in fifties on the spot), but in the early '80s, he was directing for Harry Mohney's Caribbean Films, working with respectable budgets (by porn standards). Some of these films starred Hyapatia Lee, one of the most popular porn stars of the era and one of the first contract girls. Now, I suspect these aren't necessarily the defining works of Chinn's career, and I do intend to get to some of his movies with Holmes. But Vinegar Syndrome had a sale and there were two double features of their collaborations going for dirt cheap, and because I am weak and foolish with money, they ended up in my cart and a few weeks later in my grubby little paws. How did this happen? Through the magic of Canada Post, of course! Anyway, what I found was that these didn't represents any extremes of artistic ambition. They were neither seeking to elevate the genre, nor were they hackwork. Rather, they represent a happy medium, movies that seek to deliver the genre's goods in a polished, diverting package. Slick cinematography, courtesy of Jack Remy. Catchy theme songs that wouldn't sound out of place if you caught them on the radio. Flashy titles. Lee recounted the atmosphere on set as one of professionalism and engagement, where everyone present wanted to do as good a job as possible. Chinn claims to have been losing interest in his work at this point, but the results onscreen are the result of confident execution by somebody who had been doing this kind of thing for years and knew how to put the production's resources to good use.

The first one I watched was The Young Like it Hot, where the operators at a phone company worry about being replaced by computers. To keep their jobs, they scheme to go the extra mile in helping their callers. As this is a porno, most of this help is sexual in nature, as when Rosa Lee Kimball stays on the line while an obscene phone caller played by Bill Margold finishes. (In an interview on the DVD, Margold says after shooting his scene, he was invited to record additional dialogue. Being the method actor that he was, he insisted on whipping it out during the recording session despite the lack of cameras.) Sometimes they are informative, as when Bud Lee (real life husband of Hyapatia at the time) explains why the perineum is referred to as taint ("cuz it taint cunt and it taint ass"). But the highlight of their efforts are Shauna Grant's increasingly life threatening home improvement advice to one poor sap played by Joey Silvera. Hyapatia Lee is ostensibly the star, and has a certain charisma, playing the supervisor, but this is really an ensemble piece, and she's joined by more experienced actors like Kay Parker and Eric Edwards. The latter I've occasionally found bland elsewhere, but he has a nice obnoxious quality that serves him well as the villainous manager whose idea it is the automate the operators' jobs. The movie reflects a very real concern (that's very much still an issue in the modern workplace), but overall this is a breezy, affable comedy.

A bit more serious in tone is Sweet Young Foxes, a coming of age story whose dramatic parts are more sensitively realized than I expected. The screenplay was written by Deborah Sullivan, Bob Chinn's wife at the time, and this is a case where a movie definitely benefited from having been written by a woman, and it seems like an earnest effort to capture the anxieties and yearnings of its young women protagonists. Lee moves closer to a real starring role, and is joined by Cara Lott and Cindy Carver as her friends, who aren't quite as strong actors as her but do have decent chemistry. I can believe they're friends even if their line delivery can be stilted. (That the movie has a good ear for genuine sounding dialogue also helps.) Kay Parker is especially good as Lee's mother, hitting some of the same notes as Taboo, and has a credibly emotional masturbation scene in front of a mirror that did not leave me unmoved. (In what way? That's none of your damn business.) This was shot by Jack Remy, the same cinematographer who worked on The Young Like it Hot. That movie looked nice and slick, but this one is a little more stylish, with the solo sex scenes in particular resembling magazine centerfolds. There's also some nice new-wave-ish music that shows up on the soundtrack, which I certainly didn't mind. I do wish some of the sex scenes didn't run quite as long (the previous movie kept them refreshingly concise) as I'd prefer more of the runtime was dedicated to the dramatic elements, but what's there is still good.

Body Girls goes back firmly to comedy territory, where Hyapatia Lee and the members of her gym are trying to win a bodybuilding contest despite a rival gym's attempts to undermine them. This comes in the form of a pair of schlubs in yellow tank tops who break into the gym after hours to sabotage their equipment, only to be foiled by Hyapatia and her girls who just happened to be having sex in the locker room as people do. Of course, despite Lee's attempts to teach them a lesson (which depending on your proclivities, may have the opposite effect), they don't give up, and during the contest threaten the judge at gunpoint. Not one to take things lying down (okay, poor choice of words here), Lee finds a way to influence the judge back in her favour. (The judge is played by Francois Papillon, bringing a dopey charm to the character as he fumbles through his lines in his French accent.) Her method is pretty ridiculous and certainly in service of genre requirements, but I did laugh.

Now, there's probably a dilemma in audience sympathy here as both Lee and her rivals are cheating, but Lee's methods are more agreeable and directed at the judge instead of her rivals so I guess we ought to root for her. She's also buoyant, charismatic and has a real star quality, and is joined by such fan favourites as Shanna McCullough and Erica Boyer, all of whom sport wildly different hairstyles. As can be expected given the exercise theme, most of the ladies have toned, athletic bodies (and given the decade, voluminous coiffures), with the exception of Tigr, who brings a wiry punkish energy that stood out to me despite her limited screentime, and she also performs the miraculous feat of making a mullet look cute. (I'd previously been moved by her work in Kamikaze Hearts, the great mockumentary about a porn production and her relationship with Sharon Mitchell. She didn't stay in the industry for too long, but I'd be interested in seeing more of her work.) The screenplay was written by Lee with her husband Bud (who plays the judge's assistant with an agreeable presence that's neither too alpha nor too schlubby) and is full of exercise-related dialogue. Most of this is pretty clunky and calling it wordplay might be a bit generous ("sexercise" features at one point), but I did appreciate the effort. Also as is requisite for the premise, the longest set piece in the movie is an orgy in Lee's gym with the various participants snaked around different pieces of equipment. I must note that one of the male actors resembles Barry Gibb and that Francois Papillon is shown to wear a tiger-striped speedo. Did I enjoy the movie? Yes, but not for reasons cited in that sentence.

At the end of Body Girls, Bud Lee suggests to Hyapatia, "Let's get physical", which is the title of the next movie. (Body Girls also features a character looking at dirty magazine with stills from Sweet Young Foxes and ends with a plug for some of these other movies, anticipating the MCU's narrative and marketing strategies by a few decades.) Now, all of these movies have had decent theme songs, but the one in Let's Get Physical has lyrics that are plagiaristically close to those of Olivia Newton-John's 1983 hit. (The delivery however is more shrill but not unpleasing.) This movie is a drama where Lee plays a dance instructor trying to put together a ballet performance despite her strained relationship with her impotent husband played by Paul Thomas. (In the interview I listened to, Lee speaks well of almost everyone she worked with on these films, with the pointed exception of Paul Thomas. If there was bitterness behind the scenes, it arguably helps their performances.)

Lee wrote the screenplay for this one, and unlike Body Girls with its surface level references to bodybuilding and exercise, the dialogue here feels packed with knowledge of the real thing, which is understandable given Lee's real life interest in dance going back to her childhood. (I looked up "Luigi jazz dancing" after finishing the movie and was pleasantly surprised to learn it was a real thing.) This movie goes all in on her star power, and features a number of dance numbers that seem genuinely interested in the form rather than just leering at the performers. (There is one scene where the song Lee dances to sounds suspiciously like "Beat It".) I did appreciate that the sex scenes were kept relatively concise and tied into the dramatic aspects, although in some cases, the choices made could be goofy, like the scene where Lee makes love to her student Shanna McCullough while Thomas, in a dramatically justified but still awkward gesture, watches from another room and jacks off. (I assume he's playing the audience in this scene. Also, McCullough's character remarks "I've never done this before" when going down on Lee, and yeah, okay Shanna.) Other highlights include a car stunt that may or may not have been lifted from elsewhere but still looks decently executed, as well as a dream sequence where Thomas (or his character at least) plays the piano and sings a song. This is held back a bit by the genre's demands, like when it places a completely superfluous sex scene at the end after Lee's reconciliation with Thomas, but on the whole this is probably the best one of the lot.

#film #put on your raincoats #movie review #the young like it hot #sweet young foxes #body girls #let's get physical #bob chinn #hyapatia lee

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darkpoisonouslove · 4 years

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Riven x Musa

Ok, so I keep seeing posts everywhere that basically badmouth S8 and after seeing ten seconds of the trailer (YIKES to the animation, what’s wrong with the industry that they are making everything anime? Powerpuff Gen Z, I’m looking at you – obs: I didn’t watch it fully yet) I can see where some of the criticism is coming from but anyways…

My favorite Winx!couple EVER has always been Musa x Riven since I was kid and first watched the show (Netflix is not helping ‘cause I ship them even there).

I remember yawning at Bloom/Sky, rolling my eyes at Stella/Brandom and making a completely incredulous expression that I could literally feel forming on my face at Helia/Flora (can anyone say ‘unrealistic’?). Timmy/Tecna are a second favorite.

And why my Winx OTP are Riven x Musa followed after Timmy x Tecna? Because it reflects real life. In real life you’re not gonna stumble into people whose real and deep relationship problems are solved in twenty four minutes (not even that considering that some episodes present the “problem” half-way through said 24 minute-episode).

The breakup between Riven and Musa in S6 (spoilers everywhere after all) was one of the most mature breakups in the history of breakups with the hope for the future (yes, I’m completely ignoring S7, sue me, the whole thing was one huge filler anyways). And, after reading a lot of opinions on both ends (defending Musa/attacking Riven and defending Riven/attacking Musa) and watching the episodes in question (reuniting through reconciling) I think I can give my own analysis.

Since Musa AND Riven (individually and as couple) are my favorite characters in Winx, I think I CAN give a fairly unbiased view (hopefully).

*clears throat*

Ok, keep in mind that I’m defending BOTH of them, because I ship them too hard not to.

Musa Being OC (sometimes being called ‘brat’): C'mon, people! Musa and Tecna are OC since S4 anyways, where are the tomboy and the nerd? With the sneakers, T-shirt and comfortable-looking clothes? Noooo, now they all need neat skirts and hot pink high heels and long, glamorous hair. Do they look good? Of course, but and I would totally be less pissed if there was ANY indication on the reason for the change. Are they just maturing? Expressing themselves differently? Crowd mentality? Tune and Stella finally broke Musa down and Tecna followed soon after? Was it just to please Riven and Timmy? ANYTHING (even the 'pleasing a boy’ would at least be A reason - a ridiculous one that would piss me off, but A reason none the less), was just a sudden impulse that took?

Sure, we can talk about “character growth” until we are blue in the face, but the matter of the fact is that there was none.

The changes we see in Musa and Tecna are basically the creators making them more like the rest of the Winx (I’m including Aisha in this too, where is the sporty girl that matched the boy’s interest in extreme sports? C'mon! Even Bloom and her Girl Next Door looks are replaced with Bratz and Clueless-level of outfits).

Is anyone really going to look me in the eye and say Stella wasn’t a shallow (if friendly and good-natured) Mean Girl? She got better, but as I re-watch the show (currently in S3, meaning almost half-way through the content), Stella still worries more about her hair than anything else even while under literal fire.

More and more, Musa, Tecna and Aisha are losing their identities and what made them, IMO, the more badass Winx.

How did the two on the left went from this…

… to this:

Yeah, yeah, Musa still sings, Tecna still technobabble and Aisha is still a Warrior Princess but Aisha was the first one to go Bloom and Stella on us with Musa and then Tecna following soon after. It’s not just their clothing style, it’s the way they carried themselves too.

Right now? The only thing keeping them apart is their BF blues (different kind of blues) and some personal interests (singing, shopping, tech, the whole drama with Domino/Sparks, etc). But that’s IT, their personalities are going down the drain!

Sorry for the long-winded text, but the reason I’m expressing my disappointment at their change is because Musa’s reaction fits it. S6 we have such an AMAZING breakup (didn’t even think that was possible, WTH, right? Amazing breakup?) only for her to be mad as hell at Riven at S8? Bad writing, that has been dragging her (and the rest of the Winx) down to becoming just one unilateral, shallow character (the Specialists are also falling into that pit, what in the world did they do Helia in S8? He sounds like Thor telling about his “brave exploits” there, yikes). And continuity what? What continuity? Do they even remember how the breakup was written?

But ok, let’s put the Audience View aside for a moment and focus only on the In-Universe terms.

S6: You’ll always be my hero.

S8: What on EARTH are you doing here.

I laughed a bit, the contrast just got to me but instead of getting mad at one or the other like most of the fandom, I laughed.

Musa followed that by saying that Riven has not maintained contact and just in that I would be beyond pissed as well and giving my support to Musa. WTH, Riven? I think that each season is more less six months to a year? Sort of? Still, zero contact for so long even after ending on amicable terms and wanting to stay friends? And he went off on his own! A text now going, “I’m not dead” would be the bare basics for Musa not to worry herself bald!

BUT then I also read comments about how this was a two-way street, why didn’t Musa call either? That’s unfortunately something that I very much doubt will ever be explained. One of those: did it or didn’t it? Musa could have called and went straight to voicemail with no signs of life from Riven or she might not have called and just expected him to call as if feminism were dead and all initiative must come from the guy (which doesn’t even fit because they parted as friends).

Since we have no info on the above, I put it on both of them. It’s not fair to say, “HE should have called!” or “Why didn’t SHE call?” because we don’t have fricking context. So the only thing we can take is: no contact.

BECAUSE I put the lack of contact on both of them, Musa’s reaction was a little too much, however, Riven shows up all smirks and leaning against a tree with his arms crossed and I would have flashbacks to S1 if it wasn’t for the animation style that made all the guys look like girls. Dude! Not the time for that kind of posture. Not saying that he should be all sheepish and rubbing his arm as if he had done something horrible (again: we don’t have context on the no contact) but a more neutral approach was warranted here. Nobody does themselves any favors with that kind of attitude no matter what how high of a horse they may be (rightly or not) riding on, if anything I would react like Musa solely on that one.

Next episode we have that Riven convinced the guys to follow the girls in some mission and Musa was angry. Again: I would be too. WTH? Yes, yes, they helped and if it wasn’t for them, the Winx would gotten seriously injured but Musa did have a point saying that this demonstrated that they had no trust in them and need their hand held, it was no sanctioned mission like on Earth after all. BUT, Riven does something that I would never expect from in S1-4: he explains, he reasons it, he puts it in all the words that he does trust Musa and co and that he only wanted to show that he’d be there for her (you know? One of the main issues in S6 that made them breakup in the first place? His inability to conciliate Specialist work with supporting his girlfriend and ultimately failing or feeling like failing in both?) and Musa still pouts, crosses her arms, and turns around. Geez. I expected that one from Stella, not Musa. I think the closest Musa has ever come to THIS was back in S2 when Jared explains that Riven was the one to recommend that he interview Musa and yada yada yada and she got mad and stomped off on the poor guy that didn’t even understand what was going on (only to immediately apologize to Jared and recognizing that it wasn’t him that she was mad at… like I said: what character growth?).

Riven then goes to show that he indeed grew when he asked for advice from Sky and Brandon (WTH, right? Can we picture that happening back in S1-3? He very grudgingly would LISTEN to UNSOLICITED advice from Nabu and Helia in S4-6). And does a very, very goofy and embarrassing show of affection. Yeah… again… I can picture Stella loving the light show with her face for IDK how many people to see but not Musa (although can we really blame the guy after the series went out of its way to make Musa all Stella-like? Clothes, attitude, the only thing missing is making Riven carry her shopping bags around and call him “Shnookums” (although the mental image is already enough for me to fall over laughing, just for the face Riven would make). Still, I have to count that one against Riven if only because (as much as the show gives only lip service to it) Musa isn’t Stella.

Riven being mind controlled (again) aside, those two are back together. And on the overall? Riven showed more growth than any other character in the show COMBINED (he is the Zuko of the show), that doesn’t go to say that he didn’t make mistakes since coming back in S8 (but that was more a guy trying to win back a girl than… betraying his friends for a pair of nice legs or… IDEK like in S1 – where, mind control or not the show itself made sure to make it clear that he had free will) or that he is now the one out of Musa’s league. I think that NOW it can actually work… if the show allows him to keep the progress, Musa is the next to see her flaws and work on them (which she showed to be able to do since S2) and put effort in the relationship. The difference between them is that Musa can actually work on herself and the relationship at the same time. That’s not me saying she is better than Riven in any way, everybody has their own pace and their own way to cope, to improve and to self-reflect.

I still root for them.

~*~

PS-IDK why, but I read posts about how Riven changed so much and posts about how all his progress disappeared and he is now back to his S1 attitude and I’m just cofused. Yeah, different of opinions and so on, but such opposite opinions on the subject of a guy whose relationship was focused on three episodes?

#winx club #winx musa #winx riven #musa x riven #rivusa #anti stella #submission

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decayedflower · 4 years

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Stranger II

⋆ gif is mine

Pairing: Yang Hongwon x Reader

Genre: Underground rapper!Hongwon, Barista!Reader | angst, fluff

Word Count: 5.6k

Summary: Don’t get attached. This was his number one rule. Attachment means getting hurt. Attachment means vulnerability. You are the only person you can trust. So how could she so easily sneak past and break the walls he had worked so hard to build around his heart when all she is, is a stranger?

Warnings: cussing, some angst, hamin being a noodle

A/N: Sorry this took forever to upload, life happens ya know? Next chapter should be more exciting as the ball gets rolling. Hope you guys enjoy :)

You told yourself that no matter how in love you were with someone, you could detach yourself from your emotions enough so that—should the day come—you could live your life without them.

Looking at yourself now, you admit you’re a little ashamed. You couldn’t stop bawling your eyes out for 2 weeks straight. You guess you didn’t do as good a job ‘detaching’ as you thought you did.

You mentally slap yourself. You once lived your life without him bitch, you can do it again.

It was on a rainy Monday afternoon that you found yourself in bed—cheeto dust on your titties—marathon watching Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-Joo. Curse Nam Joohyuk. How could a man be so goddamn perfect? He was handsome, funny, loving—and most certainly not a CHEATER.

You sigh and decide that you should probably get up and shower before Hyeri comes home and sees your miserable state. You feel bad worrying her so much. She’s always been way too kind and selfless for her own good.

You grab a fresh set of pj’s and determinedly head to the bathroom. The least you could do was stop moping and try to clear your thoughts of him. For both your sakes.

Just as you finish that thought, you catch sight of the item sitting on top of your dresser. Your favorite hoodie. His hoodie. You scowl and toss it into the trash bin. If only all men were like Nam Joohyuk. The world would be a much more peaceful place.

“Sooo, hey.”

“Yeah?”

“You know how Princess Peach is always getting her ass kidnapped?”

You laugh at the odd question. “I do recall the kidnapping of the Princess Peach ass, yes.”

“Well, it just hit me. Why doesn’t the bitch ever fight back? I mean,” Jin places a hand on his hip thoughtfully, “how is it that she manages to get kidnapped by the same dude every single time? She’s a princess. Shouldn’t she have high level security?”

“Huh. I never really thought about that.”

“How could you not! She has marshmallows for bodyguards. It’s outrageous.”

“Does it really matter?” you ask.

He sounds genuinely offended. “Of course it does. You ever see Daisy getting kidnapped?”

“Well, no but—“

“Besides, isn’t it a little ridiculous how there’s this expectation that Mario has to save her? I mean, he’s not even a prince or a knight, he’s a plumber! An italian plumber! The amount of disrespect is just astronomical considering the lengths he goes to—”

“Seokjin why are we talking about this?” You ask, baffled. You take a look at your workstation and head to the stockroom to get more large size cups. Jin trails behind you, obviously upset with your lack of interest in the conversation.

“It’s a legitimate concern, Y/N. Someone needs to pay attention to these details and it is the duty of I, the consumer, to voice the—whoa whoa whoa, since when do we have oatmeal raisin cookies?!” He screeches mid-rant, staring at a pack of cookies he holds in his hand.

You whip around to have a look, not believing your ears. “What the fuck?”

It’s true. The box of oatmeal raisin cookies sits atop the third shelf, right next to the double chocolate chip cookies.

“The boss sent an email out on Sunday,” Yoongi stands at the doorway holding a box of promotional flyers. If it were possible, you swear tumbleweed would have made its way between the three of you with the silence that follows as you and Jin stare at each other blankly.

“Which,” Yoongi drawls out, “I guess neither of you read.” he states dryly, walking away.

“Who the hell likes oatmeal raisin?” Jin asks defensively. Personally, you couldn’t agree more. Oatmeal cookies on their own were tolerable—it was the raisin part that completely ruined the entire cookie.

“They’re Satan’s spawn,” he scowls, tossing the aforementioned cookie back in the box as if it had personally insulted him. You chuckle and shake your head, walking back to your station with the box of plastic cups.

You start stocking them back up on the counter, making sure it looks neat.

“Hey Jin,” Yoongi calls out from the front of the store, “can you grab that window marker and write out the menu again? The rain washed some of it off.” He says, examining the missing bits of letters, nose scrunched in annoyance.

You could practically hear the way the older boy starts seething at Yoongi’s lack of use in honorifics. The tips of his ears flare a bright red, his eyes wide in disbelief.

“I’M SORRY, COME AGAIN?! I couldn’t hear you over the DISRESPECT.”

Seokjin takes great pride in being the oldest of the crew. He enjoys taking care of the others as if they were of his own blood, you included. He has a somewhat sarcastic sense of humor—but never overbearingly so—always exaggerating his facial expressions and reactions, which you personally find charming. Seokjin is also infamous for his constant dad jokes, the younger ones usually cringing at their cheesiness and have you bending over in laughter. (The other boys beg you to stop egging him on as it only fuels his desire to keep them going.) That being said, Jin is not someone who gets easily irritated. When it comes to certain things, he is just, well, a bit of a drama queen.

You stifle a laugh, watching as Yoongi pinches the bridge of his nose, a heavy sigh leaving his mouth, very obviously regretting his choice of words. “Hyung, will you please go rewrite the menu outside?”

“Thank you! Can’t you just do that from the get go? I swear you kids are so ungrateful sometimes. I mean, you all seem to forget how I practically raised you brats—”

“Hyung, please get your ass outside or so help me I will go into that break room right now, clock out, take the longest nap of my damn life and just leave you two out here to die.”

“Alright, alright,” he says, putting his hand up, “I’m going geez. What a drama queen.” He huffs his way to the entrance, shaking his head, marker in hand. “And you guys say I’m the dramatic one.” He scoffs, shaking his head.

Yoongi stands there looking up at the ceiling with his hands on both hips as if silently asking the heavens for a tiny shred of patience.

You snicker behind your hand. You swear hearing those two bicker is your daily source of serotonin.

It’s 3 more hours into your shift when Hamin shows up at the front counter with his signature soft boy smile.

He first visited the cafe during the summer one day back when you had just been hired. The intense summer heat wave had him coming in search of some shelter from the sun and a drink to cool off. The Grind was promoting the seasonal summer drinks and naturally, as a new hire, you tried your best to advertise it. It was only your second day on the job and in your nervous state you sold him a drink that, to just your luck, wasn’t available that day. You apologized profusely afraid that he would turn out to be a Karen, but Hamin had been very sweet about it. He befriended you after that, making frequent visits to the Grind, declaring that he had found a hidden gem.

After talking to him some more you learned that Hamin had studied psychology for two years at a local college before he decided to drop out and pursue his musical career. Of course he didn’t tell you that last part up until a couple of weeks ago, so you had been under the impression that the reason he spent so many hours at the coffee shop was to study for his exams. You weren’t the type of person to pry into someone’s personal life unless they decided to tell you themselves so you never asked. Ever since Hongwon confessed to you that both he and Hamin were working towards becoming musicians, Hamin began to share more about himself to you. He figured that now that the cat was out of the bag, he could be more open with you. Prior to that day, you knew very little about Hamin’s personal life.

“Hey you! You’re back,” you beam.

“Yeah, gotta grind,” he pats his bag for emphasis. “Ha! Grind...” he snorts suddenly. “Get it? Cause we’re at...” he gestures to the shop and laughs to himself. He looks goofy standing there in his bright lavender tie dye hoodie, a big contrast to the muted colors of the walls. His tall lean form stands out like a sore thumb. An Adidas baseball cap adorns his head but it’s so washed out you can’t even tell what color it is—or is supposed to be.

You laugh, shaking your head.

“Oh come on, it was funny,” he says, leaning on the counter.

“It was funny the first couple times Jin said it when I just started working here,” You correct.

“You still laughed though,” he winks at you, making you laugh again. “Anyway,” he straightens up, “Can I get the usual, please?”

You grab a cup and start writing his name. “Just you this time?”

“Nah, my idiot friend is coming but he’s gonna run late so I’ll just order ahead of him.” He sighs, reaching into his pocket in search of his wallet. “How much is it?” He asks, fumbling through a bunch of receipts and cards.

You wave him off. “On the house.”

“No way, I can—”

“Hamin, dude, relax. You do this every time. I keep telling you, discount: friend. Total: zero.”

“You gotta let me pay every now and then. I don’t want your coworkers to think I keep coming here to leech off you…”

“Look, if you were really taking advantage of me, you wouldn’t keep disappearing on me for weeks at a time. Consider it an advance payment for when you finally let me hear a song of yours. ”

“Sorry…” He smiles sheepishly, “It’s a deal then. Thanks Y/N, you’re the best,” he grins. You flip your hair dramatically, playing along.

You make his drink and note that work is slow enough, so you head over to his table instead of calling him over.

You place his drink on the table, “so what’re you working on today?” He looks up and thanks you, taking a sip before he answers.

“A solo project. I don’t have anything now that’s worth listening to though…” He says dejectedly. Admittedly, he’s been going though somewhat of a writer's block.

“That’s okay! I didn’t mean to pressure you. Whenever you’re ready, I’ll be glad to give it a listen if you’re still willing to let me. Good music also takes time, right?” You smile encouragingly.

Someone yells out your name before he’s able to respond. You turn at the sound, “Oh hey!” you exclaim when you see your roommate. You turn back to wish Hamin luck on his writing.

“Thanks for the lunch, Hyeri,” you pat your stuffed tummy in satisfaction. “I forgot to prep mine last night so I was honestly just gonna wait until I got home to eat,” you confess meekly.

She showed up during your shift planning to ask you what kind of food you were in the mood for so she could bring it to you, but Yoongi caught on and sent you on your lunch break so the two of you could eat together instead. Min Yoongi was a godsend.

“I knew it! Y/N, you have to eat your meals! Do you know how detrimental it is to your health if you’re constantly working and skipping your meals?!” you cower as she scolds you.

“I know…sorry. I just forgot...” you squeak.

“Ugh. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to raise my voice, I just worry about you,” she sighs, taking her seat again.

“And I’m so thankful!” you say quickly placing your hand on hers, “I’m sorry you’re always having to take care of me. I’ll work harder so that I don’t become a burden to you. I promise. I haven’t been myself these days but...just give me some time.”

She grabs your hand with both of hers, “Hey. You’re never a burden to me, Y/N. You’re like a sister to me. And I would never put your emotions against you. You need time to heal and that’s okay. Take it at your pace. I will always look after you, no matter what. Okay?”

Your heart warms at her words. You were so grateful to have her for a best friend. You engulf her in a hug and look at the time.

“I should head back. My break is just about over. Thank you for everything, Hyeri. Are you staying? I’ll make you a drink. On the house. You can study there?” you ask.

“Well, I was planning on going to my school’s library, but I guess I could use a drink…” She paused for a moment. “Is Jungkook working today?” She asks, hopeful.

Her crush on your coworker was so amusing. “Unfortunately for you, not today, sorry.” She pouts cutely.

“I’ll make you a green matcha latte?”

“Pretty please.”

You giggle, “Okay, let’s head back then.”

It was a good thing the two of you decided to eat at the chinese restaurant across the shop, so the walk isn’t long. You came here so often that the kind elderly woman who owned the restaurant had memorized your order. You couldn’t help it that their sweet and sour chicken was bomb as hell. What you would give for that recipe.

You’re internally groaning at the thought of having to go back into work when Hyeri stops in front of the entrance and lets out a low whistle.

“Whoa, hey. Which one of your coworkers drives a damn motorcycle?!” She points to a sleek, graphite motorcycle parked on the curb, two cars away from yours.

“Whoa. Uhh...no one, not that I’m aware of. Jin drives a Honda Civic and Yoongi ubers cause of car issues.” You shrug, opening the door. “Must be a customer’s.”

“Well, I don’t know if it’s just me, but that thing is screaming big dick energy.” She says, following behind you. You laugh and smack her shoulder.

“You say that but what if it’s some old bald dude that listens to metal?” You ask, leading her to a table farther in the back so she can study peacefully.

“Well err...hopefully not. I’m just saying whoever rides that thing, I wouldn’t mind riding too. Hell, I could ride all night…” she trails off. You bury your embarrassed face in your hands and try to hold in your laughter so you don’t disturb the customers.

“Oh my god. Stop talking. You’re gonna get me in trouble.” You point at a chair, “Sit here and I’ll bring your drink. Behave,” you warn playfully.

“Yes ma'am,” She winks and points shooter fingers at you. You laugh with a roll of your eyes, heading back to clock in.

“You seem...distracted.” Hamin says, amusement lacing his words.

“Huh?” Hongwon turns at the accusation with wide eyes.

He sighs. “I mean,” he says crossing his arms, “ever since you got here 15 minutes ago, it’s like you keep looking around for...something.”

“So, you’re saying for the past 15 minutes you’ve been watching me like a creep?” He turns his attention back to the music software in front of him. “I told you I don’t swing that way.” he says, clicking random notes on the half-finished project.

Hamin snorts. “Don’t change the subject. What‘s got you so distracted dude?” He asks, slurping up the remains of his drink through his straw.

“The only distraction here is the eggplant sitting in front of me...” He trails off when you enter the coffee shop with your friend in tow. You’re laughing, giving her a smack on the shoulder playfully at a joke she tells you.

Hamin stops his obnoxious slurping when he follows his friend’s gaze. “Ohhhhh!” he grins.

“What?” He snaps. “No ohhhh. Whatever you’re thinking, stop it right now.”

“I’m not thinking anything.” Hamin brings his hands up defensively. “Brain empty. No thoughts.” He taps the side of his head with his index finger. “Buuuttt if you were so interested you could’ve just asked, you know.”

“And what would I have asked exactly?” He asks with a tinge of annoyance.

Hamin tsks under his breath, exasperated. “Oh come on. I mean Y/N. You wanted to know if she was working. Am I right or am I right?”

“Why the hell would I wanna know that? I don’t even know her. ”

“Hongwon!” He’s caught off guard at the sound of your voice. He internally slams his own head against the table and forces a smile when you approach the table, avoiding Hamin’s gaze.

“Y/N, hey…”

“Hold on, you know each other already?” Hamin asks obnoxiously, “I only briefly mentioned you to him, but you already know his name!” Hongwon shoots daggers at the side of his head.

“Actually,” Hongwon says through gritted teeth, “we talked for a bit when I was on my way out the other day. It would have been rude of me to not introduce myself since she’s your friend.”

“He was even kind enough to walk with me on the way home even though it was raining. Thanks for that by the way, you really didn’t have to do that.” Hamin’s eyebrows shoot up in surprise. Shit. The smile you give him is so sincere that he almost misses what you say completely.

“Really!” Hamin grins, clearly enjoying the situation. He pats his shorter friend’s head in mock endearment. “That’s so sweet of him! I mean, considering he lives in a completely opposite di—” Hongwon sends a swift kick to his shin underneath the table.

“Fuck!” Hamin rubs the spot and laughs through the gritted teeth. “I mean...that’s sweet of him considering he’s normally so shy.” He growls at Hongwon and plasters a smile when he looks back at you. You probably think they’re both lunatics.

“Right…” You laugh, unsure of what’s happening. “By the way, did you want a drink? I’ll make it for you.” You tell Hongwon.

“Oh, uh yeah I was just gonna get an americano. Let me just—” He starts to stand up and take out some cash when you stop him.

“Are you sure that’s okay?” He asks. “I don’t want to get you in trouble…”

“Don’t worry, I get free drinks and pastries since I work here.” You say.

“And she shares them with me because I’m her favorite customer. Right, Y/N?” Hamin wiggles his eyebrows at you. You laugh and pick up his empty cup.

“Is he always this much of a moron when he comes here?” Hongwon asks, scrunching his face in distaste. You laugh and ask them to wait while you bring them coffee.

Hamin waits until you’re completely out of ear shot before he begins his interrogation.

“You know, for a pair of strangers, you two seem very well acquainted.” He states, eyes narrowed.

Hongwon scoffs. “You know, I don’t know if anyone’s ever told you this but somehow you have a really punchable face.”

“I don’t know if anyone’s ever told you this, but you’re a terrible liar.”

“Oh shut up. I didn’t lie. I didn’t tell you because I didn’t think I needed to.”

“‘I don’t even know her,’” Hamin mimics.

“I don’t know her. I know her name, that’s it. Not the same thing.”

“So you like her.”

He laughs. “What are you, five? How could I like her? I just met her, idiot.”

“You walked her home.” He says pointedly.

“Part way. I only did it because it was getting late and she’s your friend.”

“Ha! Since when do you care about my friends?”

“She’s a girl, it’s different. If something happened to her because I looked the other way, it’d be on my conscience.”

“You live in completely opposite directions.”

“So what?”

“You wouldn’t even do that for me.” Hamin deadpans.

“Yeah but you’re not a cute girl.” He shrugs, crossing his arms.

“So you think she’s cute!” He slams both hands onto the table, leaning forward to peer into Hongwon’s face accusingly.

“So what? She is cute.” He shoves him away, “that doesn’t mean I like her.”

“Hmm. Okay.” Hamin smirks and leans back in his seat.

“What?” He snaps.

“Nothing,” He says with a look on his face that screams everything but nothing.

Hongwon drags his hands over his face. “You really piss me off, you know that?”

“You may have mentioned that before,” he replies, appearing unbothered.

He’s lucky you decide to come back at that moment. He swears he’d have slapped the smile off his face had he been left alone with Hamin for a minute longer.

You set down the coffee and start to walk back to the counter. “Well, I shouldn’t bother you guys too much so I’ll leave you to it.”

“Wait, Y/N!” Hamin shifts in his seat to face you. “Are you busy Friday?” This puts Hongwon on alert.

“Hmmm...no, I don’t think I have anything going on actually. Why what’s up?”

“You’ve been wanting to hear some of our music for a while now, right? Well,” he loops an arm around Hongwon’s shoulder, “guess who has a gig that night?”

“No way!” You squeal, covering your mouth with both hands. “Wait, but I thought you didn’t have any music that’s finished.” You frown.

“Well, it’s not that we don’t, I just kinda wanted you to hear our new stuff first. But now that I think about it, this is as good a time as any. If you’re interested, a friend of ours is hosting a party and he asked a couple of artists to play for him. It’s at the Henz Club.”

“You mean that scary looking club in Mapo-gu?”

“Scary? I mean sure, some odd looking people hang around there, but they’re all pretty chill for the most part. Right Hongwon?”

Hongwon slaps his arm away. “Right. Well, you’re welcome to come but you don’t have to if you’re uncomfortable.” He supplies. “We’d understand if—oof!”

“Nonsense!” Hamin butts in, shoving his elbow into Hongwon’s side. “You can bring your friend over there if you want, so you don’t have to worry about being alone.” He motions his head in the direction of Hyeri who—not so discreetly—pretends like she hasn’t been trying to make out what the three of you have been talking about for the past 10 minutes.

“Ah, but either way we won’t ditch you after the performance, I promise. How about it?”

Hongwon is still recovering from having the wind knocked out of his lungs and before he knows it, somehow you’re agreeing and Hamin is giving you the details.

“I’m so excited, I can’t wait to hear you guys.” You say cheerfully.

“You should see this guy on stage,” Hamin gestures to Hongwon, “he really puts on a show. Like a true rockstar.”

“You know, you saying that doesn’t make me feel good,” Hongwon says with a frown, sitting back in his chair defeatedly.

“Oh and don’t be surprised if you hear a lot of screaming.” He ignores him, “There’s always a lot of fangirls, especially for Hongwon. They literally come in swarms, it's crazy.”

“Oh my god. Stop. You’re so embarrassing.” He groans, looking away.

“Wow, you’re really hyping him up,” you laugh.

“Ignore him. He’s just saying whatever the hell he wants.”

“No way, it’s really the truth.” He insists, folding his arms across his chest.

“Y/N! We need you in the back!” Yoongi calls out, his head poking out from the staff only door.

“I gotta go. I guess I’ll see you guys on Friday!” You say, waving. “Coming!” You call out, following after your coworker.

Hamin smiles stupidly as you leave. “Isn’t she sweet!”

Hamin and Hongwon hang around at the café for a few more hours until they decide to grab a bite to eat. For the remainder of the time they spent working on their music, Hongwon had not uttered a single word. The most Hamin had gotten out of him was a “sure” when he suggested they get burgers before heading home.

He exits his car, watching as Hongwon removes his helmet to fix the mess it makes of his hair.

Sighing deeply, Hamin leans against the side of his car, hitting the park button on his remote. “Come on, don’t be so cold. How long are you gonna give me the silent treatment for?”

He slips his hands into the pockets of his jeans, dreading to ask but needing to know. “Are you really that pissed off because I invited her?”

Hongwon slips the hollow side of his helmet onto the handlebar and mimics Hamin, leaning against his motorcycle. “Depends,” he says, taking out a pack of cigarettes from his back pocket to light one up, “why’d you invite her?”

Hamin considers his answer carefully, shifting his weight onto the other leg. It’s obvious that Hongwon is already upset, so anything he says will probably get him angry anyway. “I was hoping maybe you guys could hit off,” he says at last, deciding to be honest.

In truth, Hongwon isn’t surprised to hear this—he actually suspected it—but it still pisses him off nonetheless. It wasn’t the first time Hamin tried setting him up with someone. He wasn’t looking for a relationship. This was something he had told him countless times and yet, he continues to pull stunts like this.

“I know you said you aren’t looking for a relationship,” Hamin continues when he proceeds to bring the cigarette to his lips without a reply, “but I just think you could at least talk to her and—“

“And then what? We fall in love, get married and ride off into the sunset?” He cuts him off abruptly.

“No, I just—“ he starts to say but stops when he can’t think of how to word it correctly.

“I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking Y/N went through a bad breakup, and so did I. You think maybe the two of us can find the comfort we couldn’t find with our previous relationships, in each other.” He pauses to take a drag of his cigarette.

“I’m sorry to burst your bubble, but that's a load of shit. This idea you have that love can just make me forget about all my trauma, is a load of shit.” Hamin flinches at the sudden aggression in his tone. This really didn’t come across the way he intended it to.

“Guess what, I’m fucked up Hamin!” He continues, raking a frustrated hand through his hair. “I have too many damn issues and I don’t need some chick to try to figure me out or fix me. I told you already, I’m happy with the way things are. I’m not gonna play into your stupid games just because you want to play fuckin’ cupid.” Hongwon scowls, taking another drag of his cigarette.

Hamin keeps his gaze on the ground, frustrated with how easily and accurately Hongwon is able to guess what he’s thinking. He didn’t realize how terrible it all sounded out loud. He racks his brain for something—anything—to say and argue that those aren’t his intentions, but Hongwon is speaking again before he’s able to do so successfully.

“I don’t care if you invite her. Just don’t go expecting anything out of me.”

He nods his head weakly. “I didn’t mean for it to sound like that, bro…” He says scratching his neck, “I’m not trying to find someone to fix you...” he trails off.

“It’s cool.” He sniffles, the cold air getting to him. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to snap like that.”

Hamin is taken aback for a second, not expecting him to apologize. He kicks the floor with his sneaker, “S’cool.”

“You still hungry?” Hamin asks, afraid that their little spat would create unnecessary tension between them.

Hongwon tosses his cigarette onto the floor to put it out with his sneaker. “Fuckin’ starving.”

You went home together with Hyeri later that afternoon once your shift was over. It was always nice to go home when the sun was setting and the air felt cooler. You loved how quiet the city got, allowing you to simply be one with your thoughts.

Unfortunately for you, today was not one of those days.

You release a sigh as you continue to pretend to not notice Hyeri’s constant fidgeting. “Hyeri, if you want to know so badly just ask already.”

She releases a giant breath as if she had been holding it this entire time. “Oh thank goodness because I felt like I was actually going to die if you didn’t say something soon,” she says grabbing your arm excitedly, like a puppy who was just called over by its owner.

“What were you doing with those two hotties I’ve never seen before?” You couldn’t tell what made her more excited―the fact that she found them so attractive or the fact that you were talking to men other than your coworkers. “Is one of them single?” she stops walking and gasps, “Are they both single?!”

An older lady walking her Chihuahua gives you a scornful look as she passes the two of you and you bring your finger to your lips to shush Hyeri. “Sorry,” she says with a giggle, “but this is huge!”

You pull her along with you to cross the short crosswalk and to the steps of your apartment complex, “It’s not a big deal. Besides, you’ve seen Hamin before.” You say, slipping your house key into the lock and opening the door.

“Okay but, this time there was another guy too. And you guys talked for like 20 minutes! On your shift!” She says, removing her shoes quickly to stand in front of you excitedly. You stop untying your shoelaces to give her a look.

“He’s a friend I made through Hamin. Who is also just my friend,” You tell her slowly as if you were explaining it to a child but you can tell by her smile that she’s not listening. You sigh and slip your work shoes off, putting them in the hallway closet. Hyeri hovers behind you, not wanting to be too pushy but also too worked up to leave you alone.

You stand up straight and turn around. “Okay fine. Hamin invited me to this party,” this already has Hyeri clasping her hands over mouth, “he and his friend are playing a gig for a friend—”

She’s squealing and jumping around before you can finish your sentence. “And they want you there as their plus one! Oh my—”

“But I think Hamin knows about the breakup and he feels bad and that’s why he invited me,” you say quickly. Hyeri stops mid spin to give you an incredulous look. “I mean, they kind of saw the whole thing since it happened at work,” you say glumly.

Hyeri wraps her arms around you when she sees how you deflate at the reminder. “Hey, don’t make such a sad face. You guys have been friends for a while now, right? I haven’t met the guy but I’m sure he invited you because he wants you there and not because he pities you.”

“Sorry. I think I’ve been trying too hard not to think about it so all the negative thoughts are really hitting me now,” you say, resting your head on her shoulder. She always had such a comforting mom warmth to her.

She releases you and gives you a comforting smile. “Do you want to go?”

“Well,” you sit on your bed exhausted, “I actually didn’t know Hamin played music until recently. I’ve really been wanting to hear some of his stuff and apparently his friend does music too..”

“Girl, there’s your answer! Who says you have to spend your days sad and alone after a breakup? If you want to go, go.” She encourages you. She had a point. Although somewhere in the back of your mind, you felt guilty. When Hamin invited you, you were super stoked and set on going but now that you were really thinking about it, you couldn’t help but think of Jaewon.

“I can tell you’re overthinking this,” Hyeri says. “Don’t. You’re a free woman! Free from a man who took advantage of you and didn’t know how to treasure you. Do whatever the fuck you want because it’s no one’s business. It’s not like you’re planning to go sleep around.” She crosses her arms across her chest, “and even if you are guess what, it’s still no one’s business.” She says vehemently.

You pick at your nails and bite your lip. “Okay.”

“Okay?!”

“Yeah, I’ll go.”

She squeals again and launches herself onto you. You land with an oof on your bed, her head barely missing yours by an arm hair. “Oh, one more thing though,” you manage to say from beneath her. “They kind of invited you too.”

Hyeri lifts herself up at this. She stares at you with wide eyes, “what do you mean?”

“I guess they saw us talking together and figured we were friends. Also, they caught you trying to eavesdrop on our conversation.” You tell her.

“Nooooooooooo,” she cries and runs to throw herself onto her bed face flat.

“It was the hiding behind an upside down textbook for me,” you snicker.

“Y/N, please I’m in the middle of dying of embarrassment.”

#Young B #yang hongwon #yang hongwon x reader #yanghongwon #Khiphop #khiphop reactions #khh #khh scenarios #kpop imagines #smtm8

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cina-full-moon-xanadium · 3 years

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Man. What can I say about Dynaman?

I’m not gonna act like it done a lot for me or was hugely impactful - aside from rei tachibana san doing so much for feminism - but it was just a very fun show? Something that was just really really nice to watch 95% of the time with a lot of simple stakes and storytelling. I think where its biggest strength lies is in its villains; Prince Megido and Princess Chimera are a VERY entertaining duo who bicker with each other all the time, Chimera being the straight man to Megido’s barely restrained wackiness. Things shift to a different gear with them too at about two thirds into the show where Zenobia shows up to make everything A Serious Threat and kick off a bunch of villain politics, including the introduction of Dark Knight who is as much an intimidating rival as he is a dramatic clown.

I think maybe that shift to a Serious Threat doesn’t work for the show, though? Like... it leads to some technically well-done storytelling, it’s very tight, some really interesting things are happening with the villains in the last few episodes... but it just doesn’t feel in this show’s DNA? The pre-established villains are too funny, the setting too light and the main characters too simple for that to land as much as it wants. It’s a bit like Den-O’s final stretch -- it’s fine but a lot of people would call it the worst part of the show because it doesn’t gel with what the show was about. It’s less extreme than Den-O’s case but it’s the same basic problem.

Because yeah like the Dynamen are. Pretty simple? Hoshikawa Dynablack is probably the most identifiable due to his being a ninja and that factoring into EVERYTHING he does from his fighting style to what his plots are centered around to what he brings to the team, so while he doesn’t have a lot of personality (besides being a little goofy sometimes), that still works for the type of show this is and he’s likeable enough. Dynablue and Dynayellow are probably the two most Just Some Guys I’ve ever seen in Tokusatsu and barely have any identifiable traits -- Blue has some ocean themed episodes that stresses a link between him and the sea but I just never really felt it... and man at least he’s got that theme and his surf jet going for him because I could not tell you what Yellow’s supposed to have going on. A couple episodes say he’s a farmer, and the last episode says he grows flowers, or something...? He’s just really nothing, you could have dropped these two and nothing would change. Dynared is along the same lines, getting some backstory and personality and drive in the later episodes (he lost his mother and doesn’t want to see any child go through what he did), but it’s just not strong enough for me. This is before Toku REALLY started being a drama, I feel. And then Rei Tachibana-san is awesome and amazing and perfect and I love her and she’s so cool and she can do anything and I cannot get enough of her

Like Den-O though, I’d say this one’s more about the journey. Just fire up and episode or two and have some premier Sentai MOTW fun; if that’s all you’re expecting, you’ll like this one. Oh and the feminist and lesbian agenda of rei tachibana san existing, you’ll like that too

#explosionman

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dreaminpeaches · 3 years

Text

Paracosm: Honey Love Love ☕( Masterpost/Aesthetic/ Intro)

(While reminiscing about my Hetalia days I came across this Hetalia dating sim I used to be obsessed with and I decided to turn into a paracosm/au!) Here's the game its based in question: (Click ME)

(I don't have a moodboard or trailer for this yet, but I'll prolly edit in one soon..)

(This based on a rough translation, my Japanese is okay but its not that good but I feel like got a good understanding of the story anyways)

The story:

"Indigo graduated from a vocational school dreaming of becoming a pastry chef, but she couldn't find a job. The staff at the cafe "Regenbogen", who are rich in individuality and nationality, are seeing if she changes her mind about helping out at the cafe. The unfortunate handsome owner Gilbert. Ludwig, a quiet and strong cook. Arthur, a gentleman's tea wholesaler (whose popular with the ladies ohh~), and his younger brother, Alfred, a college student working part-time at Regenbogen, And the extremely mysterious extremely handsome and extremely chaotic, Antonio ... When she meets them, she'll be smitten.

Can Indigo focus on making sweets or will her heart melt for one of the guys like chocolate?

Who knows where this story will go?"

Characters:

Ludwig (Germany)- "The younger brother of the owner, Gilbert. He started making Kuchen, a german sweet, and it really caught on later becoming the selling point of "Regenbogen". Ludwig has gone on to learn more recipes and sweets from his diverse group of friends and hopes to make the bakery a place where one can travel the world one plate at a time. While Ludwig has a sizeable friend group, he's really bad at talking to women, which is why he keeps mostly to himself at work and works in the kitchen in the back, but when Indigo arrives and starts spending just as much time in the kitchen as him, things begin to change."

Gilbert (Prussia)- "The owner of the cafe "Regenbogen", and he's also the face of the cafe as well. The complete opposite of his quiet brother. Gilbert is very loud and boisterous, he's mainly in charge of customer service at the counter, he meets Indigo in a pinch as she just moved to town and is now the cafe's benefactor and has come to save it, because of this action Glibert is very grateful and treats Indigo like the sister he never had. Gilbert always seems to be up to something and cruses regularly, but is his bravado just a mask to hide his true intentions?"

Arthur (England)-"An old friend of Gilbert and Ludwig. He's not officially part of the cafe staff, but he's the one who buys "Regenbogen" tea, and he's even assigned shopkeeper. He's a true gentleman and is very smart. He treats indigo like any other lady he encounters, but when he gets closer, he starts to let his emotional side show a little bit more... "

Alfred (America )-Arthur's younger brother, (to Arthur's embarrassment), He's an active college student, and working at "Regenbogen" is just ONE of his MANY part-time jobs. He was as excited as a young puppy to know that a new person would be joining the staff, Alfred finds Indigo to be cute and likes to tease her about her height and carry her around princess style. While he's a goofy guy, he's willing to protect and defend Indigo at all costs like a true hero!"

Antoño (Spain) "A mysterious Spaniard, who shows up from time to time when Indigo needs him the most. He's been helping her out ever since she moved to town, he comes out of nowhere and takes care of her problems in any way that he can. He's a very strange guy and super unpredictable and whenever it seems like indigo is getting to know him a little bit more, he vanishes again!"

Kiku (Japan)-The landlord of the house that Indigo rents from Sadiq. He is an old friend of Sadiq, and cares for Indigo who lives alone while Sadiq is away on a business trip. No one seems to know how old he is.."

Feliciano ( Italy)- "Old friend of Gilbert and Ludwig. He is a helper in the kitchen of Regenbogen only during busy hours. He is friendly and especially good with women. She has a good sense of cooking in general and gives Indigo advice on everything."

Sadiq (Turkey)- "An old friend of Indigo's father, whom Indigo has called "Uncle" since she was a child. He advised Indigo, who was lost in her future, to move out and offered her his vacant house as her new home. He is currently on a business trip overseas."

Indigo (Parame)-A young woman who dreamed of becoming a pastry chef, (she even went to school for it too) , despite her small appearance and seemingly soft-spoken nature, she's a hard worker and is super creative. She's pretty patient when comes to making sweets but she's also a perfectionist and will keep making a sweet over and over again until she gets it right! she can be her own worst critic as well and also has a serious presence to her. When not stressed about her baking skills, Indigo's actually quite the jokester in the right mood, in her downtime when she's not practicing her skills, she can be found drawing up ideas for cute sweets (or just drawing in general), she's also a big nerd for anime, manga and video games (mostly visual novels and dating sims, but she does love playing a horror RPG game even now and then), she's also a sucker for cute animals and children, and likes to sit at home and watch cheesy teen dramas while eating a tub of her fave ice cream, cake batter."

Setting:

"Regenbogen" which is the German word from Rainbow, the cafe got its name from for all of the vast and wonderful variety of sweet treats it holds from around the country, or at least that's how the owner and staff would like it to be. While Regenbogen does have delicious sweets, its also know to be a very slow cafe since they only have one chef in the kitchen on a regular day, the waiter, while he is friendly, can become easily distracted and sometimes lack tack in the way he starts conversations with guest, while the place does have customer service its not very good, the owner can be very insensitive to customer's issues and will boast about how awesome he is, instead of actually helping and listening to their problems, he's also known to be very rude and blunt and customers can often hear him spouting inappropriate jokes and cursing. Good looking staff and well-made delicious food doesn't seem to be enough to keep business afloat, it's as if Regenbogen is missing something or more likely missing someone...."

#paraportal #paracosm: Honey Love Love #Honey love love #hetalia #paracosm aesthetic #paracosm intro #paracosm

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brucewaynehastoomanykids · 4 years

Text

Ideal Night

Request from @ravenfan1242 : "I would love a story where Superboy moves into the tower and Damian is struggling with his feelings for Raven. Con who flirts with everyone thinks Raven is absolutely beautiful but she has such an opposite (he might say frigid) personality. Until she helps him with something deep he struggles with and all of a sudden Damian has competition. And hilarity and make rivalry ensues. But Raven also has strong, hidden feelings for Damian."

_____________________________________

"Chin up, princess, or the crown slips." A voice purred above me.

I mentally groaned as I closed my book and looked up at the boy hovering over me. "You really are just so infuriating, Connor." I say plainly.

Connor only smirked. "Missing something?" He said, pointing next to me.

I looked down to see that my phone had been snatched from my side. I was surprised I hadn't noticed its absence, but then again, it's not like I was very attached to it, and I was a little too invested in my book.

I thought back to what Damian had told me just a few days ago after I had accidentally dumped into him in the hallway leading to my room: he had told me that, when I wanted to be, I wasn't very observant of my surroundings. I had thought he was just being bitter that I had bumped into him, but now I suppose he was right.

Oh, there I go again, thinking about Damian. I think I'm only now starting to fully come to the realization that I have feelings for him. Of course, I can't act on them, Damian obviously seems to feel the complete opposite with his judgemental remarks and slight glares in my direction. Though it will admit, there is something a little off with his inner emotions, like he's struggling to realize something. I try not to pry too much into people's emotions without their permission, but with him, it's sometimes unavoidable. His emotions and thoughts are simply too loud to ignore at times.

But even so, if I could act on my emotions, how would I even do it? I've never felt something like this before, and if I'm being honest, it's a little frightening, because part of me doesn't know how to handle it... which leads me to the question of should I even act on my emotions if that's the case? What if I do and I lose control? Ugh, enough of that now. Just see what Connor wants.

"Can you please explain to me why my phone is gone?" I asked with a cocked brow.

Connor let a small, devious smirk form across his lips as he held said cellular device up and waved it slightly. He leaned his body over the couch, wrapping his arms around me and holding my phone to my face.

"I was just gonna be like 'hey, can I take a picture of you,'" he unlocked my phone to a rather embarrassing photo of me from the day prior. I had fallen asleep reading, my head rested on my palm, mouth slightly ajar as my book seemed to slowly fall from my lap, "But I couldn't wake that cute little face of yours."

I raised an eyebrow once more. "And you couldn't have just taken this photo on your own phone because...?"

"I need a favor and I knew you wouldn't do it unless I blackmailed you." He pulled the phone away and set it in his pocket. "See, I got that picture set to post to social media with just the touch of a button. But if you do me a solid, beautiful, I'll give you both your phone and delete the picture."

Curse Garfield and Jaime for showing him how modern technology works. I couldn't just let this side, I should try to get out of this.

"Or I could just grab my phone from you and delete it myself."

"Ahh, see," he wiggled a finger in my face, "I knew you'd try something like that. Which is why I also have this on my own phone. The same phone that I actually don't have in the Tower at the moment for this particular reason."

I rolled my eyes. I was getting tired of his games. "If I do whatever you want will you please just leave me alone?" This earned me a goofy closed smile and a nod. I sighed. "Well, what is it?"

It was then Connor's face changed from its usual playful expression to a serious one. "I've been living with this nice couple, Jon and Martha Kent, for a while now..." he looked down at the ground, seeming a bit embarrassed of what he was about to say, "I wanted to let them know how thankful I was for them letting me in like I was their own son, so, I planned a dinner... and I, um..." he rubbed the back of his neck, "I kinda told them you were my date."

I sighed, holding the bridge of my nose between my fingers. Sure, I was shocked, but I also remembered who I was talking to, so it wasn't as large as a surprise.

"Why in the world would you tell them that?" I scolded.

"Because I think it should be true." Connor purred.

I rolled my eyes. "Pass. Post the photo if you'd like, and take my phone." I began to pick up my book and continue to read before a hand took it from me, I sent a glare in Connor's direction.

"Oh, come on, Rae, just pretend to be my date if you have to, please!" He pleaded.

I let out a sigh in defeat, seeing that it was obvious I wasn't going to get out of this any time soon. "Fine."

Connor's usual childish grin returned as he began to happily walk away, returning my book to me. "Great! Be ready by 6, babe!"

I cringed at the name, but I couldn't help but admit this dinner is a very kind and humble gesture to his semi-adoptive parents. I had never thought to see Connor this way, honestly. It was a nice side of him to see.

I grabbed my discarded book and began to resume my place in it when I heard the doors to the main area open again. This time, it was Damian, who had seemingly just finished his usual training session, judging by the sweat on his face and the water bottle in hand.

"Superboy seems to be somehow more unbearable than usual today," Damian commented once he had noticed my presence, "as I was leaving the training area, he had this stupid smile on his face as if he had just won all the wealth in the world."

Damian came and sat next to me as I chuckled slightly, setting my book aside, "Well, that's probably because of this stupid favor I'm forced to make for him."

Damian raised an eyebrow. "Favor?" His voice laced slightly with anger. I couldn't understand the reasoning behind the sudden temper, but I decided to ignore it.

"To make a semi-long story short, Connor wanted to have dinner with Jon and Martha Kent as a thank you for their kindness towards him this past year, and..." I let out a long sigh, "and I am his date."

Damian's eyes widened for a moment before returning to normal. I could feel his aura shift from it's usual state to something more mellow and... sad? Surely he wasn't actually upset by this, I must be going insane.

"I see," He said plainly, "I hope you enjoy yourself, then." His response came out slow and calculated, and it didn't match the emotion his inner self was feeling. Maybe he had forgotten I was an empath. Either way, my abilities have often made him out to be a bad liar, even though I rarely call him out on it to save the drama. I was about to ask him what was wrong when he walked away without a second glance, his body tense, and his head lowered.

The evening came and went. Jonathan and Martha Kent were two of the kindest souls I have ever laid eyes on, I couldn't help but smile in their presence. Though, it was strange to pretend to be interested in Connor, especially when the question 'is this your girlfriend' came up. But, I will admit, I enjoyed myself. I never thought I'd see the day I actually enjoy Connor's company as much as I had tonight, but I suppose even the impossible can happen.

We flew home in silence for a moment before Connor began to speak.

"So... that wasn't too bad, right?" He asked shyly.

I smiled. "No, no it wasn't, I really enjoyed myself."

He let out a breath. "Good, good. Remind me when we land I'll give..."

I looked next to me to see Connor was no longer flying beside me. He had stopped to look at the night sky. Dozens of stars danced and winced at the world below. This high above ground, you could see all the colors the stars had to share. Some green, some blue, white, yellow, and so on. It truly made the night sky a beautiful sight.

Connor let out another sigh. "This is just perfect, y'know? Is this Heaven? 'Cause it feels like Heaven."

I giggled playfully. "I suppose with me here it would make it more like Hell."

He let out a laugh. "Oh, so the 'daughter of darkness' does have a sense of humor. I'm shocked."

I rolled my eyes. "And it is a real shame nobody asked for that opinion." This earned us a shared laugh.

"Listen, Rae..." Connor's voice suddenly became serious, "before we actually head back, there's something I need to tell you..."

I turned my body to face him, giving him a worried expression. "What is it? Is something wrong?"

"No, no, nothing wrong per se, it's just... the real reason I made you come to this dinner was for you to see that I, um... well I actually have a bit of a crush on ya, babe. I-I mean, I know I flirt around and stuff but there's just somethin' about you..."

I huffed a smile, attempting to lighten his nervousness. "Crushing hard I see..."

"You have no idea... it's just weird, you see. 'Cause, and I mean no offense, honestly, but you're not usually my type to go for a serious relationship. Our personalities are obviously a little more than opposite, but that somehow makes my feelings stronger, I guess..."

I let out a laugh, "Trust me, I'm shy and antisocial at first, but I feel as though I do the stupidest things when I'm around someone I'm comfortable with, I just try to contain it as best as possible for... reasons..."

"In any case..." he grabbed my hand, "I just want it to be you and me against the world, babe. So, do you... maybe, wanna grab a coffee sometime? Y'know... have a real date?"

I let out a sigh, releasing his hand and flowing away from him slightly. "I would, but there are other factors in the way. The first one being... well, there's no easy way to say this without hurting your feelings... I have feelings for someone else."

"But let me ask you this beautiful: do you think you have a chance with me?" Connor looked at me with determined eyes.

"Honestly, Connor, with how you've been acting lately... I do see a relationship with you working... sure you can be annoying and flirty but looking past that side of you, you're very caring and sweet." I smiled.

"Well, then my advice to you is this, Rae: if you love two people at the same time, choose the second because if you really loved the first one, you wouldn't have fallen for the second."

I let out a small groan, putting my head between my hands. "That's the thing, Connor. While I am starting to develop some sort of feelings towards you... I don't necessarily love you. And this person... I definitely love..." I turned to face Connor once more, "I'm sorry if I gave you the wrong impression on that regard... but that's not the only factor. The factor of all factors... the reason I can't pursue a relationship with either of you, is who I am. My powers, while can be a blessing and a curse, are too powerful to not be handled with delicately. They are fueled by my emotions... and if I happen to feel too much--"

"Boom..." Connor finished sadly, "Look, I understand, Rae. It's just... are you doing this for the protection of me and this mystery guy, or for yourself? Is this something that you want to do? Because the way I see it, if you really love this guy, you'll make the sacrifice for him."

Connor reached into his pocket, pulled out my phone, and deleted the picture before returning it to me.

"Just... think about it, alright?" Connor said, beginning to fly away from me. "I'll meet you back at the tower..."

I watched as his figure disappeared from my eyesight before heading off myself. I felt guilty. I hurt Connor, I know I did, and I couldn't help but feel bad about it. He didn't deserve it... he just wants love, too... though, I couldn't help but wonder if he were right about me having to make the sacrifice for Damian. Though, I decided I shouldn't think about it now, and began focusing on making my way home.

When I had arrived back at the tower, it was late at night. Damian seemed to had just returned from his usual nightly patrol around Jump City. He was still in uniform, mask, and everything. He sat on the couch as if he were waiting on my arrival like an angered parent who just caught their child sneaking back into the house. Though, essentially, that was what I was doing. Still, it didn't explain his angered expression.

"What's the matter with you?" I asked quietly, afraid to wake anyone nearby.

"You and Kent seemed to be rather close this evening. Anything you care to share?" He raised an eyebrow through his mask.

"The better question is why the hell where are you stalking us? Wait, how did you even stalk us? Connor would've heard your heartbeat." I furrowed my eyes at him.

He matched my expression. "I kept my distance for that same reason."

His response only really ticked me off more, but I decided it would be better to keep my cool and answer his question. "No, Damian, I have nothing to share with you."

Silence filled the room for a moment before Damian seemed to finally snap.

"Why the hell would you go through with his nonsense, Raven?!" He yelled, standing from his seat and turning his whole body in my direction.

I remained blank-faced, nonetheless. "It's not like he would leave me alone until I agreed anyway, after all, it's people like him that deserve a high five with a chair... but maybe I just wanted to go with him, since when is that such a crime?"

"It is when you don't even like him!"

"Could you refrain from yelling, people are trying to sleep, you know."

"I'm not yelling, I'm discussing with you!"

"Yeah, with a loud voice. That means your yelling... oh, for the love of--just tell me what your problem is, Damian?" I said, putting a hand on my hip.

He lowered his tone. "Nothing's wrong."

"Obviously there is or else you wouldn't have followed us, and you wouldn't be freaking out the way you are."

He let out a loud groan, grabbing strains of hair between his fingers. He paced the room like this for a moment before dramatically bringing his hands down and yelling, "I really like you!" His eyes widened in what seemed to be shocked at himself and his own words then, "Um... I didn't mean to blurt it out like that."

I looked at him with my own sense of shock. "There's no way that's true, Damian." I awkwardly let out a laugh.

Damian sighed and walked up to me, his eyes softened. "No, no, it's true. I've loved you ever since I got to know you, I just hadn't fully realized or accepted it until recently--and even if you don't feel the same, I'm willing to accept that, too. But the truth is, I think about you all the time, and I have these feelings that I still don't quite understand about you, it's freaking annoying, to say the least."

I smirked. "Well, I'd hate to be such an annoyance to you, Damian."

He rolled his eyes. "You don't have to be sarcastic about it."

I shrugged. "It's recently kind of my thing."

He closed his eyes tight and sighed out a loud 'anyways' before opening his eyes back to their soft state. "I'm obviously not the person you want in your life... but you should know I'll still kill him if he hurts you."

"Yes, you are!" I assured him quickly before he could walk off. "When I was with Connor earlier, I admit, I had a good time, and I got the privilege to see a side of him I never see... but when he admitted his own feelings to me, I turned him down because I simply don't love him, but I do love you."

Damian smiled. It was then I realized how much his aura made sense. He was conflicted over his feelings, and now that he's not? It glows and shines again like nothing ever happened.

He closed his eyes and leaned. I panicked and backed away from him. "Which leads me to the next reason I turned him down... and will more likely be the reason I turn you down: my powers, my abilities... they're uncontrollable if I feel too much. I've been forced to live a life of mellowness all my life, and to suddenly change that now for love? An emotion I still don't quite understand? It's too risky... and I'd never forgive myself if I accidentally hurt you or anyone else with my own emotions."

"Raven," Damain came at me with a soft, reassuring tone, "you tell me you don't understand the feeling, but neither do I. We both need to figure things out for ourselves and who better to do it with than with ourselves. I don't know much about love, or romance, but I do know, from both watching Grayson and my own mother flaunt over my father, that it does demand sacrifices and risks."

It was then I had remembered what Connor told me before he left: "... are you doing this for the protection of me and this mystery guy, or for yourself?"

Both, I decided. I don't want either of them to get hurt because of me, but it's my own fears that cause this want to protect them. Fears of what could happen to me, and my team.

"Is this something that you want to do?"

No, absolutely not. I want to love, I want to feel love and to be in love.

"Because the way I see it, if you really love this guy, you'll make the sacrifice for him."

And so I will, Connor. Thank you.

I looked at Damian once more with a small smile creeping on my face. "Alright, Damian. Let's take a risk."

Damian smiled a rare, almost goofy smile. "Well, if that's the case, I should court you formally:" he cleared his throat, "Do you want to--I mean if you're not busy... go get lunch tomorrow? Or even just coffee this morning, if you want, or--"

I placed a hand over his mouth. "There's no need for courting, but your answer is still a yes," I removed my hand, "and I have a feeling we should kiss now."

And, of course, that's exactly what we did. A few household items began to float above their original place, but we didn't care. In the end, it was an ideal night.

_____________________________________

So I know that this was more Conrae than it was Damirae but whateves I really liked writing this one.

Also sorry for the late updates. For some reason, my Wattpad decided it just wasn't gonna let me write for a few days and I felt like it wasn't fair to post on here and not there. Anyways, just got it working again so we'll see how long this lasts I guess.🤷🏻‍♀️

#dcamu #dc #dcfilms #damirae #demonbirds #damian wayne x rachel roth #damian wayne x raven #rachel roth x damian #damian x rachel roth #damian wayne #damian al ghul #robin #rachel roth #raven roth #raven x damian #raven #damian x raven

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ganglylimbs · 4 years

Text

That Sweet Spring Heat

Fandom: My Hero Academia

Pairing: Katsuki Bakugou/Eijirou Kirishima

Summary: Spring had just begun to fully bloom, the air warming and flowers just starting to bud, when Kirishima Eijirou loses his goddamn mind and Bakugou Katsuki is not having it.

Warnings: Hybrid au, smut, breeding kink, no mpreg, dirty talk, cat hybrid Bakugou, dog hybrid Kirishima, lingerie, strength kink, slight feminization, bottom Bakugou, top Kirishima

Notes: A little more information than you need but the breeds of hybrids are:

Kirishima- A mutt (German Shepard/Rottweiler mixed with some lab blood) Bakugou- Purebred Dragon Li Cat (seriously, read the description for them. It fits him perfectly. Just more blond)

They don't show up a lot but I thought about this au for a bit so for the others: Urakara- A Shiba Inu (because they are round bois) Momo- Japanese Crane (her family seems very elegant and traditional and cranes seem very traditionally Japanese to me) Sero- Spider (because him shooting out tape reminds me about spiders shooting out silk) Ashido- Komodo Dragon (Basically my brain went, she has horns, they remind me of lizards, Komodo dragons are dangerous, she's dangerous, we have a match) Midoriya- Fuzzy Lop Rabbits (listen, I love all the fan art I see of rabbit Deku and his mask really does look like rabbit ears) Kaminari- Field Mouse (listen, I will not give up this headcanon) The two random OCs- Black Horn Sheep

Spring had just begun to fully bloom, the air warming and flowers just starting to bud, when Kirishima Eijirou loses his goddamn mind and Bakugou Katsuki is not having it.

Bakugou's blond fluffy ears lay flat on his hair, a vein popping along his forehead, his sleek tail flicking back and forth. His arms are crossed over his chest, staring down at his stupid ass boyfriend.

Kirishima stares back with bright eyes, a clueless grin on his lips as his large red tail thumps against the bed, ears perked. His full attention is on Bakugou.

They continue their staring contest for a full minute, in which Bakugou's scowl deepens and deepens.

Finally, he snaps. "Alright, you fuck, what’s up?"

Kirishima raises an eyebrow. "What?"

Bakugou throws his hands out, gesturing at all of him. "You! What's going on in that fucking brain of yours?"

Kirishima's tail slows down in its wagging, just a bit. "Ah, Bakugou, don’t be rude, man. I thought we were having fun." He wiggles his eyebrows.

"That’s not the point mutt-for-brains. You’ve been acting weird and I want to know why.”Bakugou's hands crackle and spark, a clear warning sign.

The effect is slightly weakened by the fact that they are both naked, Bakugou straddling Kirishima's hips, and Bakugou's thighs stained in Kirishima's cum.

Kirishima, because he's a goddamn idiot, ignores the warning explosions, his lightly hardened hands scratching at the skin of Bakugou's waist. He just tilts his head. "Babe, I really don't know what you mean."

Bakugou snarls. "Fine. Keep being weird." Then he climbs off that thick waist, stomping out of the room, Kirishima calling after him.

If Bakugou thinks about it, this whatever the hell is wrong with Kirishima started about a month ago, after one of the charity events their agency had set up.

Bakugou hadn't really been that interested in any of the interviews or journalists trying to catch his attention, no doubt most of them hoping that Ground Zero will give them some drama to report on. Instead, he had left that for the heroes like Red Riot and Deku and Alien Queen to handle.

He had chosen to focus more on why they are here. Children had been laughing and screaming and playing all around him, other heroes had been chasing after them or sitting to draw. He had seen Uravity throwing kids up in the air, letting them float for a bit before releasing and catching them. Creati had been making toys, laughing at the increasingly extravagant demands, her large white wings spreading out behind her in excitement. Cellophane had allowed himself to be strung up by his own tape, kids dancing around him.

A hand had yanked on one of his black sleeves, making him look down. A little girl, with wild curly black hair and narrowed brown eyes had frowned back at him. Two small horns peek through her mane and a small tail swished behind her, betraying her nerves.

He had knelt down, coming face to face with her, ears turning straight forward to show she had his full attention. "What do you need, squirt?"

Her eyes had narrowed even more. "My names not squirt ."

"Sure it isn't, squirt. Now, what are you bothering me for?"

She huffed and held up two wooden swords. "I want to play Pirates but none of the other kids want to play with me. They say I'm too rough."

Bakugou had given her a rueful grin. "Yeah? Well fu-frick them. I'll take you on."

She had gaped at him. "Really?"

Bakugou had snatched one of the wooden swords and stood to his full height. "Do you think you can take Ground Zero?"

She stared for a moment and then she had grinned, showing off her teeth. "Yeah!" Then she striked forward.

His sword had swept down to meet hers, making a wooden clack sound, and the two are off. They go back and forth, running all around the field, gaining and losing ground in waves.

When the girl is left panting, her dress covered in dirt and grass stains, Bakugou had finally allowed himself to be knocked to the ground.

She had taken the chance and had stabbed him in the stomach.

Bakugou had hissed and then his body relaxed against the ground. "Damn, ok, you got me, you got me. I give."

She giggled, before pointing her sword in the air, the other hand on her hip. "I did it! I defeated Ground Zero."

Bakugou chuckled, before grabbing her and bringing her close to lick at the dirt on her face, grooming her. "Yeah, yeah, squirt."

She smacks him with the sword, squirming. "Hey," he had said, letting her go.

She frowned down at him, putting her hands on her hips. "My name's not squirt . I won didn't I?"

He gave her a small smile. "Yeah, you did. You deserve more respect don't ya? So, do I get the honor of knowing who has beaten me?"

Her chest puffed out. "My name is-"

" Doi ."

Both of them had turned to see a harried-looking man jogging up to them. Kirishima right behind him a small frown on his face.

The girl, Doi Bakugou assumed, dropped her sword and had bite the bottom of her lip. Bakugou sat up, warily watching as the two approaches.

The man came to a stop right before them, huffing. "What did I tell you about being so forceful?" He turned to Bakuoug, bowing so low his curly horns almost touch his knees. "I'm sorry if she hurt you, sometimes she forgets her own strength-"

"It's fine," Bakugou interrupted, standing up and brushing the dirt off his costume. His tail lazily swayed behind him. "We were just having some fun."

The man had still looked unsure. Doi had been quiet, but she's had looked up at Bakugou now. "Are you really ok? I know she can-"

Bakugou waved off his apologies. "Yeah, of course. I'm a hero, aren't I? I can handle a little roughness. Besides, you have a great sword handler here." He made sure to catch Doi's eyes. "I hope you continue to work on them. You would make a good hero one day."

Her eyes had gone wide. "Do you really think so?"

"Of course," Bakugou had sniffed. "I never say anything I don't mean." Then he gave her a sharp smirk, hand ruffling through her hair. "Squirt."

"Hey!" She had gone to kick him, her father panicking again.

Bakugou had just laughed, ruffling her hair again. "Come back next year and show me how much you've improved."

"I will," she had promised. Then she had puffed out her chest. "And when I win again, you have to use my name."

"Promise."

Bakugou had watched the two of them go, Doi excitedly replaying all of their fight for her dad, who nervously smiled at her but a lot more relaxed than when he had first appeared.

He had turned to say something to Kirishima but is stopped short. Kirishima had been staring at him, eyes heavy and lidded with something that made Bakugou's throat go dry.

Then Kirishima blinked and he's back to normal, big goofy grin in place, his floppy ears bouncing as he walked forward to throw an arm over Bakugou's shoulder, bringing him closer. "Did you have fun, babe?"

Bakugou had grunt, side-eyeing him, not sure what that had been all about but not willing to let it ruin his good mood. "Sure."

Kirishima had just laughed and then they were swarmed by reporters and didn't have much of a chance to talk after that.

It's not that Bakugou is exactly bothered by what is happening. Kirishima has always been touchy, even before they started dating. He has wandering hands, that love to grope and grab at Bakugou and it's often Bakugou that has to remind him that they're in public, you idiot.

So he isn't bothered by the fact that, for the past month, Kirishima has been manhandling him more often, pushing and pulling him into positions or trying to bend him over their furniture. He isn't bothered by the fact that Kirishima will come up behind him, arms around his waist, as he presses kisses into his sensitive neck.

What is unusual is that Kirishima has taken to curving his large hands around Bakugou's stomach, his eyes unable to look away as he fucks his way inside Bakugou's willing body. He's a bit confused why Kirishima has become extra invested in his nipples, why he keeps calling them "tits", or why he sucks at them as if hoping milk will come out.

It's also pretty fucking weird that Kirishima has become insatiable these past few weeks.

Kirishima has always had a higher sex drive than Bakugou. It's worked for them so far. If Bakugou isn't up to it, Kirishima is more than fine with his hand.

But lately, Kirishima has become really, really insistent, grinding against Bakugou's ass or surprising him in the shower to finger him open. Bakugou has sat on Kirishima's knot more times than he can count, has milked Kirishima for all he's worth as the dog hybrid pinches his nipples and leaves bite marks on his shoulder.

In essence, Kirishima has become a bit sex-crazy and Bakugou just wants to know why. It can't be because it's mating season. Kirishima has never acted like this before. Something had to have set him off and Bakugou is going to get to the bottom of it.

By this point, Bakugou is ready when Kirishima comes sniffing around, his big bulky frame covering Bakugou's as he starts kissing at his neck, hand already gripping his hips.

Bakugou allows him for a few seconds, before turning his head, dislodging Kirishima's lips.

Kirishima whines, low in his throat, but Bakugou ignores him. "You can have what you want when you explain what's got you so riled up."

Kirishima huffs, giving him a squeeze. "Not this again. There isn't anything wrong."

Bakugou hums, before dislodging himself. His hips sway as he leaves the room, tail curling invitingly, and he throws a look over his shoulder. "Then I guess you'll just have to do without."

Kirishima watches him leave.

Kirishima tries two more times, only to be brushed off. Bakugou wakes up later that night to Kirishima panting in his ear and grinding against his ass.

Kirishima goes to sleep on the couch.

Honestly, Bakugou thought that it would just take two days before Kirishima gave in. The horny idiot could never hold out whenever they play this game, often too impatient to get to the good stuff.

So he's a bit surprised when, a week later, and Kirishima is still tight-lipped.

He's even more surprised when Kirishima begins to ramp up his deviant behavior.

They're on patrol, just finishing up their rounds on the 4th district when a call comes over the radio. They pause, listening to a description of suspicious activity before being told to stay put as the situation unfolds.

Bakugou had just started to grunt his agreement when he cuts off into a groan.

"I know you hate not being in on the action, Ground Zero, but this is the best plan," Ingenium says over the radio.

Bakugou can't tell him to shut up because he's too busy holding back moans.

"Yeah, Katsuki," Kirishima says, a smirk curling along his lips. "Just be a good boy and stay still."

Bakugou turns to glare at him, ears flat against his hair, face flushed. But before he can get anything out, Kirishima moves his hand again, stroking from the base of Bakugou's tail up to the tip.

Bakugou can't stop the sound that is ripped from his throat.

Kirishima's eyes dilate and then he's pushing Bakugou against the wall. He crowds in close, fingers still playing with Bakugou's tail. He leans in to whisper in Bakugou's twitching ear.

"Fuck, your mouth. It's so pretty, whether moaning for me or wrapped around my dick."

Eijirou," Bakugou stutters out, heat curling in his stomach. There was no way in hell he could stop the way his hips grind back against Kirishima.

"That's it, baby," Kirishima whispers. "Who's my pretty kitty?"

Bakugou closes his eyes and shivers. His head feels fuzzy, the sudden heat and want and the damn way Kirishima is playing with his tail makes it hard to think straight.

Kirishima leans down and nibbles on his ear, sharp teeth scraping against the soft skin, and Bakugou is gone. All thoughts of punishing Kirishima till he fesses up disappears, he just needs the mutt now and-

"Ground Zero, Red Riot, the situation has escalated. We need you."

The two jerk apart. They stare at each other, breathing hard.

Bakugou grits his teeth.

Kirishima raises his hand. "Katsuki, wait-"

He gets a face full of explosion, barely hardening in time.

"Die," Bakugou screams, face completely red and fur standing on end.

"I'm sorry!"

"Oh, you're about to be."

"Ground Zero and Red Riot, we need you! Do you copy?"

Bakugou bares his fangs, before pressing his comm. "We hear you, Four Eyes-"

"Ingenium!"

"Whatever. We're on our way."

Making sure his comm is off, Bakugou points at Kirishima. "You stay the fuck away from me."

Kirishima pouts, bringing out his literal puppy eyes. "Babe, please-"

"When we're done with this villian, I'm going to throw you through a goddamn wall." And then Bakugou points his hands down, blasting off into the sky.

The villain ends up being quickly brought down and slightly burnt thanks to an angry Ground Zero.

Bakugou is steadily ignoring Kirishima, resting up at the agency after their fight, but he does hear the way Kaminari comes up to the red giant and slaps his shoulder, no sense of self-preservation in sight.

"So, I see that you landed yourself in the dog house again, huh?"

Kirishima sighs. "Come on, man. I don't need this today."

"What? Have you been collared? Bakugou got you on a leash?"

"Kaminari, not cool, I don't make mouse puns about you."

"Um, because there are no mouse puns that aren't cool," Kaminari says. "So what has King Explosion Murder neutering you this time?"

Kirishima growls and even from where Bakugou is standing, he shivers at the threat there. "Make one more pun, I dare you."

Kaminari is silent for a minute. And then…

"You were being a horndog, weren't yo-"

Kaminari cries out as he is knocked to the ground, Kirishima standing over him with a hardened fist.

Bakugou hides a snort in his fist.

Bakugou's anger is at a shimmer the next day when Kirishima, the bastard, tries again.

They don't have any hero work for that day, just some paperwork they need to fill out about the incident they were involved in, and then they get the rest of the day off.

They decide to head to the gym afterward, splitting up for a bit as they get their individual workouts in.

Bakugou always finishes his up early, hitting the showers, before going out to spot for his boyfriend.

The cat hybrid would rather die than admit that this is actually his favorite part of their shared workouts. To be able to stare at his boyfriend unabashedly, watch those muscles bulge and work, watch his broad shoulders strain under the weights, watch as sweat glides down his body.

He might have initiated a sex ban, but that doesn't mean he can't appreciate the view.

Kirishima has moved on to the big weights, curling them as he counts, the sweat along his body letting Bakugou know that he's been there a while. He nods at Bakugou to show that he sees him before going back to lifting.

Bakugou stands a few feet away, next to the benches where he knows Kirishima will head next. He takes a long drink of water, eyes drifting up and down Kirishimia’s body and can’t help but smirk when Kirishima squats to drop the weights.

Then his eyes drift up to meet Kirishima’s in the mirror.

Kirishima’s eyes are dark and Bakugou finds himself caught in them. Kirishima licks his lips, drawing Bakugou’s eyes, before he stands back up, slowly. Bakugou gulps, but it’s too late to take back his mistake.

Kirishima has him caught, like prey.

Kirishima makes his way towards the bench, putting on his preferred weights, before beckoning Bakugou over. “You’re going to help me, aren’t you?” His voice has the start of rough edge and Bakugou holds in his shiver.

“Sure. Think you can actually beat that weak record of yours?”

Kirishima gives him a sharp smirk. “Of course.”

Then he starts to get to work. His arms are impressive as they bend and stretch, the heavyweights going up and down as if they were nothing. Bakugou’s eyes can’t help drifting to them or to the way Kirishima’s shirt scrunches up, showing off that toned stomach, and Bakugou watches for a brief second as it contracts and expands.

Kirishima clears his throat and Bakugou’s eyes jerk up to his. “You have a job to do, Katsuki. Don’t go slacking now.”

Bakugou tenses, tail twitching in agitation. “And you should be lifting. Whose slacking now?”

Kirishima grins, but continues his work out. Bakugou huffs, but focuses more on spotting. Wouldn’t want the idiot to hurt himself.

Kirishima finishes up and heads for the showers, Bakugou waiting just outside the locker room for him on his phone.

He is not at all prepared for when a hand grabs the back of his shirt and pulls him into the locker room. He twists his body around, hands sparking as they come into contact with someone.

Someone with hardened arms.

Bakugou barely has time to blink, eyes landing on red hair, before he’s being lifted up and slammed into the wall. Bakugou’s teeth clink together, but that doesn’t stop him from reaching out to grab at Kirishima’s throat.

They stop for a second, breathing hard, red eyes meeting red. Then their lips are clashing together, teeth biting at lips. Bakugou’s hands tangle in Kirishima’s hair, pulling hard. Kirishima’s hands are under his ass, squeezing, before pulling at Bakugou’s legs, helping them to wrap around his waist. Kirishima grinds down at him and Bakugou fucking groans.

“Shit, Katsuki, do you know what it does to me to see you drooling over my muscles?” Kirishima growls. “How hard it gets me that you love the fact that I could manhandle you into any position I want? I could slam you against these lockers, fuck you into your slutty body, and there’s nothing you can do about it.”

They both know that’s not completely true, that Bakugou would find a way to break free if he really wanted to, but right now, all Bakugou does is moan, yanking harder at Kirishima’s hair, lost to the images Kirishima paints.

Kirishima squeezes his ass, kneading the flesh there. “My second favorite part of your body, right behind your sweet tits. I especially love when it’s bouncing on my knot.”

Bakugou whimpers. He uses Kirishima’s hair to guide his mouth up into another kiss, no less desperate or hot. He tilts his head, drawing Kirishima deeper into the kiss, before pulling back to whisper against Kirishima’s lips. “I love your knot, love when it’s plugging me up, all your cum stuffed deep inside of me-”

Kirishima groans, eyes fluttering.

“You know what I love even more?” Bakugou asks.

“What?” Kirishima responds, body leaning even closer against Bakugou, eyes drifting down to Bakugou’s throat and chest.

“If you would just tell me what has gotten into you.”

Kirishima stiffens, before slowly looking up to meet Bakugou's eyes. Bakugou raises an eyebrow. Kirishima sighs. “I’m not getting any today am I?”

Bakugou raises his palm, his hand glowing. “Nope,” he says, popping the p.

After about another week and a half of this, Bakugou is done waiting. If the usual game isn’t going to get the job done, then he’s going to have to force Kirishima to tell him.

He is going to fucking break Eijirou if it kills him.

Bakugou stretches out, humming to himself. He has two meetings he needs to go to later today, but he rarely has this time to just sit back and relax.

Of course, relaxing for him means he’s still doing something. That something being yoga out in the living room.

He slowly moves his body from position to position, enjoying the slight burn. His ears perk up at the sound of the door opening, but besides that, he ignores his boyfriend, instead focusing on shifting his legs into the next position.

“Hey, babe, I brought lunch home,” Kirishima calls from the front door, where Bakugou knows he’s taking off his shoes before moving deeper into the house. “I thought we could eat together before you have to go- ach .”

Bakugou hides his smirk, shoulders shifting as he stands up. “Hey mutt, what’d you get?” He looks over his shoulder, showing his teeth at the sight of Kirishima standing frozen in the living room doorway, bags of food dangling in his hands.

Kirishima audibly swallows. “Uh, what are you doing?”

Bakugou snorts, turning away and moving to the next position. “What does it fucking look like? Yoga.”

“Yeah, but, um-”

“What? Does the cat have your tongue?”

“You’re naked,” Kirishima moans.

Bakugou looks down, as if this is his first time noticing his lack of clothes. “Huh. So I am.”

“ Why? ”

Bakugou shrugs. “Why not?” He bends down, his forehead touching his knees. He can practically feel the burn of Kirishima’s stare on his ass. “The sun is shining pretty bright today and you know how much I love to spread myself along the window sills to soak it up.”

His voice is practically a purr and he knows exactly what he’s doing, reminding the mutt of what happened the last time he was spread in front of the window, when Kirishima had been curled up behind him, both slowly rocking as the sun had warmed their skin.

Bakugou curls his tail, beckoning Kirishima’s eyes to follow along as he works his way through his routine. He can hear the other huff and panting, the mutt probably drooling.

“You’re torturing me here, Kat,” Kirishima says, sounding strangled.

“You know what you have to do if you want a piece of this,” Bakugou says. His hands, which had been wrapped around his ankle, slowly start to slide up his leg, gliding along the smooth skin.

“There’s nothing to-”

Bakugou shrugs, before turning around, coming face to face with Kirishima. He stalks his way forward, eyes half-lidded.

Kirishima might be holding his breath. Bakugou is pretty sure he’s not breathing.

And then Bakugou passes by him, brushing his shoulder, before heading up to their room. “Then I guess we’re done here. Let’s have lunch.”

The sound of Kirishima hitting his head on the wall echoes around the house.

Bakugou doesn’t do this often-

Ok, that’s a lie. He does do this quite often, but always in the privacy of their home. Rarely does he do it in public.

But by this point, he’s willing to pull out all the stops.

They’re back on patrol, walking around the 5th and 6th district, with the hot sun beating down on them. Bakugou curses. His gauntlets are already half-filled by this point, and he hasn't even done anything.

Kirishima taps on his shoulder, pointing to a stand selling water. They go over to buy some, only to have the vendor wave off their attempts to pay, thanking them instead for the jobs they do.

They go to stand to the side, in the shade, drinking their free water. Side-eyeing Kirishima, Bakugou casually leans against the wall and then pulls on the strap of his hero suit, as if he were trying to fan himself.

Kirishima glances over.

Then he does a double-take.

“Katsuki, no,” he says, almost in horror.

Bakugou innocently blinks at him. “What? I’m just drinking.”

But Kirishima is too focused on his bared shoulder to respond.

Bakugou looks down. “Oh, you mean the bra strap, huh? Yeah, I don’t know why, but I felt like dressing up a little today.” His fingers play with the baby blue strap, snapping it against his skin.

“Did-Is it a complete set?” Kirishima asks, tail wagging behind him, ears perking up.

Bakugou smiles, wide and all teeth. “Wouldn’t you like to find out.”

“You-you’re a monster,” Kirishima says.

Bakugou chuckles, pushing off the building. He rubs his head against Kirishima’s shoulder before pulling him back on patrol. “I know.”

It continues like that for the rest of the day, with Bakugou giving Kirishima little hints and peeks of the lingerie he wears underneath.

Kirishima follows after him, like a mutt on a leash, and more than once, walks into a civilian or doorway. Bakugou sits back and laughs at the way he goes red and sputters out excuses.

When they reach the agency, they both head back to the locker rooms to get changed out of their costumes. Bakugou barely passes the threshold, before he’s being grabbed, flipped, and pressed face first against the wall.

He sends a smirk at Kirishima. “What’s with you and manhandling me in locker rooms lately?”

Kirishima growls, low in his throat. “As if you don’t deserve it. You’ve been winding me up all fucking week.”

Bakugou bares his fangs. “And you haven’t been doing the same? I told you, Eijirou, all you have to do is tell me what’s been on your mind and then you can do whatever you want to me.”

Kirishima growls again, pressing close. He noses his way through Bakugou’s hair, huffing. “...I’m afraid you’ll think I’m weird or something.”

Bakugou pauses, before turning his head to rub it against Kirishima’s. “Eijirou, you never have to be afraid to talk to me about stuff. You know that, right?”

Kirishima drops his head against Bakugou’s shoulder, large arms wrapping around his waist. “I know but it’s...thoughts getting to me. Will you think it’s too weird, will you look at me differently, that sort of stuff.”

Bakugou reaches back to start to play with his hair. “You know I love you. You could say the weirdest shit to me and, maybe I might say the wrong thing at first, but nothing could ever make me stop loving you or thinking you’re too much for me.”

Kirishima is silent for a moment, squeezing tighter and inhaling Bakugou’s scent. Bakugou continues to play with his hair, fingers brushing against his ears, scratching right behind them in that secret spot that makes Kirishima melt.

“...M’ wanna breed you,” Kirishima finally mumbles.

Bakugou furrows his eyebrows. He feels Kirishima tense behind him and is quick to scratch that spot again, forcing him to relax. “Not that I’m saying it’s bad, but you know I can’t get pregnant right?”

“I know,” Kirishima says, still muttering into his shoulder. “I just...you know that girl, Doi? That you were playing with at last month’s charity function?”

“Yeah?”

“I saw you being all sweet with her and it was like I was suddenly hit with the image of you doing that to our daughter. And then other thoughts kept rolling in my head. You, holding our child. You, feeding out child. You, round with our child. And that eventually devolved into-”

“You trying to stuff as much of your cum into me as possible?” Bakugou asks.

Kirishima’s breath hitches. He digs his claws into Bakugou’s waist. “ Yessss . It’s consumed my thoughts. At this point, I don’t really care that you can’t have children, it’s all about the trying you know? I just want you to constantly sit on my knot, warm my cock, be a tight hot little cocksleeve.”

Bakugou bites his bottom lips, face flushing. “Damn, Eijirou. And you’ve been keeping this to yourself all this time?”

Kirishima lifts his head, catching Bakugou’s eyes. “You...you like that?”

Bakugou sniffs, looking away. “I mean, you’re the one whose saying all these dirty things. Of course I’m going to find that hot.”

Kirishima grins, pressing a kiss against Bakugou’s shoulder. Then he goes to whisper directly in Bakugou’s ear. “Yeah? You like the thought of you all fucked out on our bed, spread out, your hole wet and sloppy as I force my knot back in?”

Bakugou moans, low and heated. “You going to put a liter in me, mutt? Huh, you think you can?”

Kirishima rumbles, the sound vibrating deep in his chest, and Bakugou doesn’t have time to react before Kirishima bits into his neck, leaving a large mark. Bakugou whimpers, grinding his hips back. Kirishima takes advantage of that, moving Bakugou’s waist back so he can grind on his ass.

“I know I can. Going to keep you stuffed, make your tits all fat with milk.” One of his hands reaches up to cup one of Bakugou’s pecs.

“With that weak knot of yours?” Bakugou grits out, trying hard not to fall apart as Kirishima gropes him. “Good fucking luck.”

“You challenging me?” Kirishima asks.

“What do you think?”

Their eyes meet, sparks flying between them, both of their mouths pulling back to show off their fangs.

The door opens and they jerk apart. An intern peeks their head in, whistling before coming to a halt. They stop and stare at Bakugou and Kirishima, both of their costumes wrinkled and messed up, their hair wild.

“Um,” they say.

“Get the fuck out,” Bakugou screams, hands sparking.

The intern eeps, scrambling back and out the door.

Kirishima sighs. “Bakugou-”

“Don’t you fucking start,” Bakugou snarls. He runs a hand through his hair, huffing, before catching Kirishima’s eyes again. “You want to take a half-day and get the fuck home?”

“Gods, yes.”

They burst through the bedroom door, wrapped around each other, Bakugou climbing Kirishima like a tree. They’re not really kissing, more like they’re trying to eat each other’s mouths.

Bakugou groans, pulling back. "Fuck, Eijirou." His claws dig into the skin on Kirishima's shoulder, making the other hiss.

Kirishima practically throws Bakugou down on the bed, red eyes blazing. He's quick to get himself undressed, tripping on his costume in his hurry to throw it on the ground.

Bakugou is right behind him, shimmering out of his pants, trying to peel himself out of his top too, when Kirishima grabs his ankles and yanks him down. Bakugou lets out a little sound of surprise as he slides along the bed.

Kirishima crawls over him, slow and predatory, eyes glued to the panties Bakugou is wearing. Bakugou tilts his head, spreading his legs and fingering the lacy edges. “Do you like what you see? Want to unwrap me like the present I am?”

Kirishima licks his lips, grinning. “Fuck yeah, babe. I want to see the entire picture.” He lifts one of Bakugou’s legs, kissing the side of his knee. He slowly kisses his way up Bakugou’s thigh, keeping eye contact, before biting into the meaty flesh. Bakugou’s breath catches and then Kirishima’s soothing the sting with a kiss.

He repeats the pattern a few more times, leaving marks along the way, before reaching the bulge in his panties. He spreads Bakugou’s legs wider, nuzzling the covered dick, before biting on the edge of the panties, pulling down just enough for the tip of Bakugou’s cock to slip out. Kirishima gives the tip a lick, cleaning up the precum there.

Bakugou can’t tear his eyes away, little moans being ripped from his throat. Kirishima gives him grin before backing off. “Let me open my pretty present.” His large hands wrap around Bakugou’s waist, lifting the tight fabric of his shirt up to reveal Bakugou’s abs, then even higher. Inch by inch, blue fabric is exposed for Kirishima to drink in. It’s lacy and sheer, doing nothing to hide the way Bakugou’s nipples stand erect and waiting.

Kirishima, because he can’t help himself, pinches one of the pink buds. Bakugou arches into the touch, silently begging for more. Kirishima manages to get the rest of the shirt off, also throwing it to the side, his hand never leaving Bakugou’s chest.

Bakugou throws an arm across his face, face flushed and eyes narrowed. Kirishima’s tail is wagging a mile a minute, dick hard and heavy. “Come on, you mutt, I thought you were going to breed me? Are you going to break your promise?”

That gets him another pinch, making him hiss. “So impatient, my pretty kitty. Let me enjoy the way you look before we get to the fun stuff.”

Bakugou snarls. “That’s funny coming from yo- ah fuck .”

Kirishima hums, still twisting Bakugou’s nipple before twisting it to the other side. “That’s a little better. Keep making those pretty noises for me and maybe I’ll give you what you want.”

“Fuck- ah -you,” Bakugou hisses. He withers against the bed as Kirishima continues to play with his body, his other hand reaching down to give Bakugou’s cock light little stokes.

“My perfect cat, you’re going to look so good, all-round with my liter.” Kirishima leans down to give Bakugou’s stomach a chaste kiss. Bakugou wiggles.

“Eijirou, come on.”

“Someone’s needy. I haven’t even fingered you open and you’re already begging for me,” Kirishima says.

Bakugou flushes. "We've haven't had sex for nearly two damn months."

"And whose fault is that?"

"Yours."

"Hmmm, is that so?" Kirishima asks, fingers dancing along Bakugou’s inner thighs as he slowly pulls Bakugou’s panties down his legs. “I wasn’t the one who started the sex ban.”

Bakugou sneers. “Really? Who was it that kept their dirty little fantasies to themselves- fuck .” Bakguou’s body jerks as Kirishima’s fingers tap against his hole, wet with lube.

Kirishima chuckles. “You’re always so loud, babe.” He slowly pushes one finger in, wiggling it.

“Maybe, uh, maybe you’re just too fucking quiet,” Bakugou says, fingers digging into the mattress.

“Now we both know that’s a lie.” Kirishima adds another finger, scissoring. He licks his lips. “You look so delicious, spread out on my fingers. I can’t wait till it’s my knot that you’re splitting on.”

Bakugou moans, thrusting his hips down. “God damn, you’re fingers are so fucking big, Eijirou. Come on, fuck me already.”

Kirishima clicks his tongue. “Patience, Katsuki. I want you open for me, so my knot can just slide right in." He adds another finger, croaking them, pressing against that special place, and smirks as Bakugou's eyes widen.

And then he mewls.

They both still, Bakugou slapping a hand over his mouth, face twisted in horror.

"Did you just-"

"No!" Bakugou instantly denies, face going cherry red.

Kirishima can feel Bakugou's hands heating up. He moves fast, grabbing those tiny wrists in his hardened hands and slamming them on the mattress, right above Bakugou's head.

"You did," Kirishima breathes. "Do it again."

"What- no. Fuck no." Bakugou tries to thrash, but Kirishima straddles his hips, hardening his skin to make it heavier.

Kirishima leans in close, till their noses are almost touching. "I'm going to make you make that sound again, Katsuki."

Bakugou shudders, but he refuses to back down. "Is that a challenge?"

Before he can blink, he's being flipped over, arms pulled behind his back, chest and face pressed into the mattress, ass raised up. Kirishima palms his ass, a light touch, before giving it an echoing smack. Bakugou gasps, going still.

"That's a promise," Kirishima whispers directly into his ear. He gives the fluffy appendage a bite, two fingers shoving their way back inside, searching for Bakugou's prostate.

He knows he finds it when Bakugou's body jerks, Bakugou moaning low and long. But it's not the sound Kirishima wants. So he continues to press his fingers against it, milking Bakugou.

Bakugou is squirming, but with Kirishima's large body covering his and those hardened hands keeping his wrists pinned, there's nowhere for Bakugou to go.

Every time he moves, it just forces his hips back down on those thick fingers. It makes his cock throb, precum dripping freely. He whines, throwing his head back. "Eijirou."

Kirishima kisses his sweaty forehead. "Come on, Katsuki. You know what I want."

Bakugou shakes his head, ears twitching, tail curling and unfurling around Kirishima's wrist. "N-No."

Kirishima tisks, squeezing a third finger in, jabbing it against his prostate. Bakugou's eyes widen, mouth falling open. He pants, hole twitching.

"My pretty kitty, won't you make your sweet noises for me?" Kirishima continues to whisper in his ear.

"It's embarrassing," Bakugou practically yowls, hiding his face in his arms.

"Not if it's with me," Kirishima says, stopping momentarily. He nuzzles Bakugou's hair. "You have nothing to be embarrassed about if it's just me here, right?"

Bakugou bites his bottom lip. Kirishima doesn't move, allowing Bakugou time to think.

Finally, Bakugou sighs. Then, almost too soft to hear, he mewls.

Kirishima's grin splits his face. He kisses Bakugou again and starts moving his fingers. "Good boy, that's so lovely, yes please keep making those noises." He spreads his fingers. "Louder, kitty cat, louder."

Bakugou is shuddering, body beyond hot, as Kirishima fucks him open. His sounds of pleasure increase in volume, Kirishima encouraging him along the way.

It doesn't take long at all before he's coming against the bed, Kirishima's fingers still moving. He pants, little shivers of aftershock rocking through him.

When he comes back to himself, it's to the feeling of Kirishima rubbing his cock against his ass. He lazily grinds back. "Getting ahead of yourself, aren't you?" He mumbles. "I thought you were going to breed me?"

Kirishima bites into his shoulder, making Bakugou hiss. "If you can talk again, then I guess that means you're ready to be fucked."

Bakugou lifts his hips up, moving his tail out of the way to show off his stretched hole. "Come on Eijirou, fuck a litter into me."

Kirishima growls, low and heated. His cock presses against Bakugou's hole, sheathing himself inside that hot, wet heat. Bakugou cries out, the sound almost lost in the howl Kirishima let's out.

Kirishima wastes no time as he starts to thrust, hard and fast into Bakugou, hips slapping against his ass.

Bakugou whines, his moans being punched out of him with each thrust. Kirishima let's go of his wrists, his hand trailing down Bakugou's body to curl around his stomach.

"Can't wait to see you all fat with my seed. I'm going to make you sit on my knot all through your pregnancy."

"I want it, please Eijirou, please. Knot me, knot me."

"You're going to get your knot, patience." Kirishima brings Bakugou's hips up higher, so he can fuck into him deeper, his cock now slamming against Bakugou's prostate.

Bakugou is back to mewling, his cock growing hard again. He tears up the sheets, thrusting back against Kirishima. He can feel that fat knot bumping up against him, desperately trying to slip inside.

With every slam, Kirishima's knot spreads Bakugou open just a bit further, goes in just a bit deeper. Bakugou mewls and yowls through it, begging Kirishima with every other breath. His cock is fully hard by now, almost painfully so.

With one last, hard thrust, Kirishima pushes his knot fully in, locking them together. He snarls, biting into Bakugou's shoulder, hard enough to draw blood. One hand moves from his grip on Bakugou's waist to his cock, stroking him rough and fast.

Bakugou's eyes roll into his head, body going stiff. His orgasm is ripped out of him, joining his other release on the bed. He can feel warmth rushing into him as Kirishima cums, still slightly rolling his hips as Bakugou's hole milks him.

They stay like that for a minute or two, and then they collapse into the bed, boneless.

Kirishima turns them to the side, wiggling till they were in a more comfortable position as they wait for Kirishima's knot to deflate. Kirishima continues to pet and stroke Bakugou, singing him praises.

Bakugou shifts back slightly, settling into Kirishima's chest, hands drifting down to rest on his stomach. "So," he says after a moment. "Should we start looking at adoption agencies?"

Kirishima chokes.

#kiribaku #katsuki bakugou #eijirou kirishima #smuttish #hybrid au

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courage-a-word-of-justice · 4 years

Text

Maou-jou 9 - 12 (FINAL) | Idolish7 s2 10 - 15 (FINAL) | SLS 2

I’ve been holding off new seasonals because of other things, but after I post this I’ll have enough time to get around to them. That’s why I can’t guarantee winter 2021 seasonal tags on this post...maybe the next one will have them...

Maou-jou 9

…it seems shopping channels even are the same in the demon world.

Now even the demons have quests! (The frame is different to the princess’s, though.)

Oh! The quest failed.

Neo Alraune: in flower language, “the 2nd coming of happiness”. The worry from a little while ago was, “I’m worried about my brother.” The worry from recently: “I didn’t think about being happy that the princess didn’t kill my brother.”

The penguin demons are pretty cute!

Don’t you know how parents forbid children from sleeping until they finish all their homework? Must be something like that.

Yoku ganbarimashita! – Syalis worked hard!

LOL, mental age: 3. Poseidon likes cute things…I can’t read a lot of this…the hardsubs cover the JPN text.

They…both succeeded! (…LOL?)

Maou-jou 10

Owarinocity = Endopolis. It’s a good equivalent, if I do say so myself.

…oh yeah. What happened to Alraune? Update: There she is!

Also, that blonde guy in the infomercials doesn’t look too bad…*makes chef’s kiss gesture with one hand* Nice.

I wonder, was Twilight once human…?

LOL, there’s a goat symbol on the cleric’s pyjamas. Also “first time”, LOL.

I think they were playing shiritori at one point.

Hanamaru saikou yoku dekimashita!

Maou-jou 11

…How does one “sleep cheerfully”, anyway?

I think I saw Twilight drop something…some kind of paper…

Aw, Twilight blushing is kinda cute!

LOL, 70s shoujo style. Also, “It cannot be!”

Whoa, she cancelled it?!

I read up on this series on TV Tropes…and apparently the Demon King captured the Princess in her sleep.

Kagemusha? Like a ninja or something?

Apparently the Demon Cleric is much older than he looks.

Ooh! Hypnos is back!

A-whatsit really is abysmal levels of stupid!!! (LOL)

Maou-jou 12 (FINAL)

Who’s that one tiny guy occupying one of the Ten Kings’ seats?

*watching after Christmas, about a week after the anime finished* This is not seasonally appropriate!

…*thinks for a second, then spits* That’s the 2nd Nemu in the fall 2020 season!!!

Ooh, the head paladin doesn’t look that bad, either.

“…is it good to be…”

“…has seized the princess!”

“…that demon king is rather cute.” – See? Someone agrees with me.

Anyways, that was a fun series. See you soon!

Idolish7 s2 10

…Back at it after so long…(I can’t help it though – Crunchyroll, per month, is about double the local Funimation sublicensor’s fees, and for much less content that’s worth my money to boot!)

I’ve always thought Momo was like Sasara (HypMic), so seeing him anguished hurts me in the kokoro too…

I know Banri was involved with Re:vale somehow…this must be it.

…Male idols are also popular among men? Is this why there are 8 (!!!) idol anime in winter 2021 alone…? (Also, that’s why HypMic became popular? Multidemographic appeal crossed over with obvious merchandising opportunities?)

It’s kind of scary how Momo stepped the formality towards Yuki like that (to -san).

I guess in his heart Momo still reveres Yuki, some way or another.

The rakugo curtain really sold the moment that they (current Re:vale) were acting like an old married couple.

Yay! Silver Sky is such a cool song! Of course I recognised the intro when it came on.

…I see. The elder Kujo is entrusting his dream to Tenn, so that’s why he banned Aya from seeing Tamaki. However, it’s hard to know what to feel when Aya speaks in the vaguest terms possible.

I think that was a special ending for only this episode. I don’t know what its name is, but I guess I might recognise it on Spotify one day.

Idolish7 s2 11

LOL, Nagi’s reaction.

Considering the ‘rona is getting worse outside our very windows as we speak (type?), I think it’s correct to be concerned about your future right now.

Looking at these narrow streets reminds me of going to eat hotpot at the end of my Japan trip…only Japanese streets look like that, I think. Hong Kong’s streets are more crowded than that and America likes their suburbia.

Of course, when you say hajimemashite (nice to meet you), someone’s gotta say it back, hence the reply.

Considering there are people all over the world watching the Idolish7 anime, I would say you are telling the world about I7, Riku.

Oh! Restart Pointer! There was an MV for that one…I think it was around the time Idolish7’s MVs started getting better.

So this is the context around the new outfits! Cool!

There have been way too many puns about “idol” being…y’know, “ai (love) doll” and stuff like that…

I have one Twitter person who I follow (DejiNyucu, part of the creative team for Autumn’s Journey) because I don’t get much I7 content and they keep mentioning this “Haruki” person…and suddenly a “Haruki the Betrayer” showed up in the graffiti…they might be the same person, I think. Not Deji, but Haruki. Update: Sakura Haruki, perhaps…?

Sougo’s such a bad liar…

Sometimes, the best way to deal with things is to be direct…(I’m not very good at that, I naturally talk in a very roundabout sort of way.)

Sougo with long hair like Yuki would be really pretty… (<- has an obvious thing for guys with long hair)

Idolish7 s2 12

Nagi’s stupid accent is generally what he’s best remembered for (for me), so seeing him speak normally, and do a press conference on top of that, is…impressive.

A kabedon on top of all this! Whoa!

Shibuya 109 parody…? (I’ve seen that once or twice – parodying that means people know their stuff about Shibuya.)

I think the “it’s overflowing!” is referring to the hype in the “room”.

…this dejected Momo is worrying…(well, he is worrying and I am worrying about him.)

Oh, I see. The person responsible typed the letter so that they couldn’t be traced back. Kind of like those old movies where the culprit would cut letters out of newspapers to make threat mail, but…with even less traces than that, because cutting letters out leaves evidence.

…wow, it took a while for this ep. to have an intro…

…LOL, I just spotted Kenjiro Tsuda cited as the “fake Zero”, meaning the real one might never show up this season.

There’s something really stupid and infectious about these managers’ enthusiasm for drinking energy drinks. It puts a goofy smile on my face.

Is Musubi Tsumugi’s mother…? Update: Yes, she is.

…Wait, so the Chiba Shizuo guy is actually important?!

Idolish7 s2 13

Whenever someone says “by the way”, it means they’re changing the subject. I hate to state to obvious, but Sougo is clearly deflecting the topic of conversation from being about him.

I wonder if this guy (Haw9) is the actual Zero graffiti vandal…?

Hmph, I didn’t realise Tenn doesn’t refer to Kujo-san as his father, but…like that (“Kujo-san”) instead.

Oh hey! These are shots from Vibrato!

Most dramas can be solved with the power of Good Communication. That includes this one.

I feel like “he has a dark side” describes both Tenn and Kujo-san.

“Everyone, remember to wash your hands and gargle thoroughly.” – This is always a good thing to remember in the time of ‘rona. Reminds me of Jakurai’s line in ARB (<- this game started just after the ‘rona came down).

What did Sougo go to uni for (what specialisation)?

Idolish7 s2 14

I just realised Banri calls Momo -kun. Hmm…

Denki = electricity, LOL.

I feel like Tenn is basically Ramuda, give or take actual pink hair…guys in musical groups with pre-existing angst that they become the “centre” of. The fact Fling Posse have Saito Soma and so do Trigger strengthens the connection.

I would watch the heck out of a musical like that! Make it come true, Idolish7! (Also, today is I7 day! I’m not much of an I7 fan outside the anime, but…that’s cool!)

That shot of them jumping! I remember seeing it on the official site before!

Idolish7 s2 15 (FINAL)

There you go! I was wondering where Banri’s injury was – that was the only bit that didn’t add up for him to be Yuki’s old partner.

Hmm…Momo is 4 years younger than Yuki but 2 years younger than Banri…

This episode has a real concert vibe to it, to the point where I got startled by how loud the yell was at one point. (Even if it is mostly stills.)

LOL, lookit Okazaki!

Apparently, if you’re a hako oshi, you like all the members of a group. Someone with a green light and a pink light likes both members of Re:vale.

LOL, Usagi for Asahi beer.

…I forgot Nagi is 19.

…Ooh, I think that’s the kid from ZOOL. No wonder they needed a season 3!

That’s all. See you next time!

SLS 2

“fine and upstanding person” – That’s…hard to believe, Hayato.

I wonder how many bois Toboso designed for SLS…?

…The episode title is actually “Blank”. Not “Break”.

One of the guys’ shirts says moteki on it. That’s a period in one’s life where one enjoys more romantic attention than usual, literally “popularity season”.

The subs missed an I, so initially I knew Kiriyama’s name as “Kiryama”.

There are meant to be 2 wings, right…?

“He who controls information controls everything, right?” – For once, I’m surprised Hayato is right (and not just in that smug way of his).

“…I’m being treated like a manager.” – But Hayato is a manager! (In a sense.)

The plait guy jumps to nicknames really fast…also, why do I get the feeling Maeshima will lose the key?

I hate to say this Maeshima, but I side with your childhood friend (Kiriyama) here. As much as the anime wants me to back you, I’m watching for everyone else at this point.

That blocky building looks pretty cool. I think Zel (Archi-Anime) would like it.

Sasugai’s setup looks pretty cool, including his chair.

…hmm, Maeshima’s like me in a sense. I learn best by copying others, but memory is my best asset. If I don’t regularly train the fundamentals, I suck at everything. That said, I don’t have an eidetic memory. Also, I didn’t quite figure out Ken = Ken(sei Maeshima) until I watched long enough to connect the dots.

LOL, Derry’s. (<- reminded of a word for “butt” <- derriere)

Well, the guy’s (Souta…?) shirt does say moteki…

Kiriyama kinda looks like Jyuto (HypMic), come to think of it…Right down to his angry streak (although Jyuto has a reputation to keep as a “cool dude”, while Kiriyama is more of a Manza (Boueibu HK) and he’s more angry than he looks).

…This ED is nothing special.

…Hmm? Is that a small Terauchi and Maeshima…?

I think I’m sold for now, but I’m rooting for the other team, not Maeshima’s…not yet, anyways.

#simulcast commentary #skate-leading☆stars #idolish7 #Idolish7 Second Beat!#Maou-jou de Oyasumi #sleepy princess in the demon castle #Chesarka watches I7 #Chesarka watches Maou-jou

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dolansmith · 5 years

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CEO Pt. Two~ Grayson Dolan

A/N: I took too long to upload this and this isn’t even long enough to compensate for that lol oops. But I hope yall like it anyway c: Let me know what you think! (Next part will be longer I sweeeeaaarr)

Summary: YN is an aloof businesswoman that meets her match in the hopeless romantic that is Grayson Dolan.

Warnings: mentions of sex, fluff, angst towards the end

Word Count: 2,204

And if you haven’t read part one, here it is

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

The night consisted of a lot of hot sex, and a lot of laughing.

But despite that, the next morning, Y/N awoke to an empty bed. She wanted to be unsurprised. She even wanted to not care, but for some reason she did care. Sex with Grayson was some of the best she’d ever had—not that she’d ever get the chance to tell him so.

After talking a bit more about the project he wanted to start with Ethan, his twin brother, they drank some more and then started where they left off at the car. They both got oversensitive from how much they’d fucked, Y/N’s pussy tingled at the thought of it.

She sighed disappointedly before making her way to the bathroom to shower and get ready for her day. After having done her hair and makeup to her liking she entered the kitchen, surprised to see Grayson lying on her sofa. Her eyebrows shot up as she watched him snore. How did I miss that sound when I woke up? She thought to herself.

Y/N shrugged before making her way to the kitchen, making a breakfast shake and some toast. After placing the two smoothies, and a large plate of avocado toast on the coffee table, she turned the tv on loudly, taking a quick bite of her toast, sitting back and watching as Grayson sat up, startled by the loud music from whatever show she’d chosen off of Netflix.

Grayson looked around the room in a confused state before his eyes landed on a smirking Y/N. She turned the tv to a normal volume and gestured towards the food. “Made you breakfast as a thank you.” Grayson’s eyebrows shot up at the gesture, his chest warming at how kind it was. She wasn’t as cold as she made herself out to be. “A thank you? Also, is that smoothie dairy free?” He asked sheepishly.

She looked at him strangely, “No, it’s almond milk—the only dairy consumed in this household is cheese. I didn’t think that’d compliment the fruits very well, though, but if you want some—“

Grayson pecked her lips, effectively cutting her sarcasm off, “This was really nice of you…ma.”

For the first time, in what felt like maybe ever, Y/N blushed. Grayson noticed, but didn’t comment, he simply smiled triumphantly. “Why’d you sleep on the couch?” She asked, sipping on her smoothie. Grayson shrugged, “something told me you weren’t the type to cuddle.” He wanted to seem nonchalant, but his heart couldn’t help but stutter at the thought that maybe she wanted him to cuddle her.

“I’m not.” Or not, he thought.

“Then good thing I didn’t stay in your bed then, huh?” Grayson mocked her, a smirk finding its way onto his face despite the slight disappointment he felt. Y/N made a face, nodding a bit, continuing her breakfast. They watched the show in a comfortable silence, finishing their respective meals. Once they did, Y/N watched as Grayson gathered their dishes and made his way to the kitchen to wash them. She followed suit, sitting on the countertop by the sink as he cleaned up.

“Thank you,” she muttered as he finished. He leaned his hip against the sink, facing her, his signature goofy smile on his face as he said, “You made breakfast, it was only right. About last night—“

“I’d like to do it again, if you’re interested,” she stated. No use in beating around the bush, not when she wanted something. Grayson’s eyebrows shot up, his heart racing as he moved to stand between her legs. He placed his large hands on her thighs, “I think something could be arranged,” he muttered. Grayson softly rubbed up her thigh, his thumbs only an inch from her core, before he pushed them back down to her knees, rubbing circles into them, a smirk on his face.

He leaned in closely, his breath tickling her neck before he began to place small, fluttering kisses on it. Y/N chuckled as he made his way down, making Grayson’s heart skip a beat as he continued kissing down her chest and breasts through the fabric of her shirt, a small smile playing at the corner of his lips. Her laughter stopped when he pressed his lips to her hastily; his tongue swiping against her bottom lip for the entrance she decided against, pushing him backwards instead. Grayson groaned as the pretty, red painted smirk he knew he’d grow to be very fond of, took its rightful place on Y/N’s face as she said, “Not quite yet.”

Those three words ignited a flame that neither of the two would quite know how to extinguish. They met up almost everyday for three months, creating an unspoken, but strict, routine: on Sundays, Grayson helped Y/N film and edit her videos. He’d sleep over on Saturday nights. Most of those Saturdays consisted of Thai takeout and a movie followed by long makeout sessions and sometimes fast and rough sex, sometimes it’d be a nightlong 50 Shades ordeal, and sometimes they wouldn’t have sex at all—they’d just hold each other and talk, something neither of them could bring themselves to do with anyone else. The next morning Y/N would make breakfast while Grayson set up her equipment. At some point, he became her unofficial cameraman and would spend the evening helping her edit.

During work on weekdays, they’d spend hours on FaceTime. Helping each other through the lull that paperwork brought, and Grayson especially loved when Y/N began a new project and took him into meetings. Her eyes would sparkle as she ran through ideas with her team, her phone propped up so he could see her, and she always kept at least one AirPod in so he could hear her too. She had to learn how to acknowledge Grayson’s commentary while staying as professional as possible; she spent a long time earning the respect she had, she wouldn’t want to damage that.

A couple time’s a month, Y/N returned the weekly favor Grayson did on Sundays and would help the Dolan twins with their videos. She’d help them film sometimes when they needed more than one cameraman, and she’d helped them plan a few videos as well. They’d truly become best friends; Y/N knew Grayson almost as well as his own twin did and Grayson knew her better than anyone else did.

To Y/N, it was all perfect. She had someone she could call her best friend: someone who could make her laugh until she wheezed, make her scream in orgasm, someone who knew her Thai order without asking, and bought her tampons and groceries whenever he was able to—their dynamic was perfect. There was no drama, no distraction from work, no—

“I think we should stop,” Grayson said one Saturday at Y/N’s door. He’d gotten there a lot earlier than he usually did, but Y/N had a tendency to wear lingerie as loungewear so she was never not ready to be taken by him. He’d knocked so loudly, she imagined the scenario going very differently as she was already untying the red silk robe while opening the door. Her manicured fingers fell from the robe as he spoke.

While their friendship and all its factors meant more than a great deal to Y/N, Grayson was beginning to see that there was no future in what they were doing. No matter how close they became, no matter how happy they were, no matter how familiar they’d become to each other…Y/N was never going to see him as more than a friend. He’d come to terms with this reality. This didn’t mean that it didn’t hurt him, but it did mean that he’d asked a girl he’d met, and had a rather lengthy conversation with at a coffee shop that morning, out on a date. He liked Nancy enough. She was kind and soft-spoken. She reminded Grayson of sunshine, except on legs. He knew that if they were to go out, it was more than likely that he’d fall in love with her.

But she wasn’t anything like the fiery, intimidating, and blunt woman he’d grown to love. He wasn’t sure that anyone like Y/N existed, he highly doubted it—but at the very least she’d stay his friend.

“Stop what, baby boy?” Y/N asked as she furrowed her brows, not bothering to cover herself back up, her red lacy bra and underwear on full display as she left the door open for him to walk through. She took a seat on her couch and patted the space next to her, concern in her eyes. He seemed nervous and reluctant. She knew what he meant, but she didn’t understand where it’d come from. They were fine last night before he left to go back home to hang out with Ethan, what had happened in less than 24 hours that would have him wanting to leave her?

What did I do wrong? She asked herself, suddenly wanting to kick him out so she’d be in control of the situation. So maybe the sting of losing someone she’d become so close to wouldn’t hurt as much.

Grayson ignored the stirring in his pants at both the sight of her and the pet name. He’d never been one to be submissive, or enjoy it at the very least, but having Y/N dom him, made him change his mind. Judging by the color she was wearing, that’s what he would’ve been in for had he not said anything. He wanted to take it back as he took her in, his mind briefly imagining her tying him up and making him beg for her—but he pushed the thoughts down. He needed to move on.

“Stop the sex part of our relationship.” He clarified. There was a brief pause before he continued, “I met someone.” He was hoping to elicit some type of reaction. A part of him, the selfish part, hoped that she would realize his feelings if she felt him slipping away. That if she watched him begin to fall for someone else, that it’d change her mind about relationships, about commitment.

Grayson’s life wasn’t like the romcoms he binged with Y/N on Saturday nights, though. He’d always found it ironic that romantic comedies were her favorite, when commitment was something she couldn’t fathom. He was disappointed when a wide smile, one he didn’t think he’d ever seen before, made its way onto her face, “Really? That’s great, Gray! Tell me about her?”

It took him a moment to gather his disappointed pieces and shove them in a box but once he did, he told her about Nancy.

The pair sat together on the couch, discussing Grayson’s potential love interest, both doing their best to ignore the tension it brought between them as they both figured it was a figment of their own imaginations. Y/N didn’t want to let what they had go; she knew a relationship would take him away from her in big ways—not just sexual but also their weekend routines, or even just hanging out in general. He’d met someone, though. She knew what that meant to him because he wasn’t like her. He wanted a family one day. She wasn’t the person to give that to him. And the way he described Nancy? He described her as some kind of goddess living amongst them, and it was something she could never amount to even in her wildest dreams. Even if she was the ‘settle-down-start-a-family’ type, he wouldn’t love her. She was too much of the opposite of what he wanted.

What felt like hours later, but was really only half of one, Grayson checked his watch to see he had to get going or else he’d be late for the date. “She’s gonna love you,. Who wouldn’t?” Y/N smiled, fixing his hair a bit after walking him back to her front door. She knew she was doing the right thing, letting him go. It didn’t hurt her any less, though. Grayson’s eyes softened, silently begging her to ask him to stay.

But Grayson knew his best friend better than anyone. She either wouldn’t notice his silent pleas, or she’d ignore them. So instead of making any other embarrassing attempts to get her to ask him to cancel the date, he kissed her forehead swiftly and grinned, “I’ll let you know how it goes.”

She nodded, closing the door behind him. Y/N slid down her door, ignoring the startled feeling the cold tiles brought as they met her warm, exposed skin. She brought her knees up under her chin and tried to calm her breathing as her chest began to ache and tearless sobs racked her body. She didn’t want to cry, but the second the thought of Grayson no longer being in her life crossed her mind, the tears fell freely.

If he didn’t stick around for the sex, it was only a matter of time before the friendship aspect of their relationship deteriorated too.

TAGS: @szadolans, @sweetbily, @preciousd0lanboiz, @reblogdolan, @babyboydxlan, @afrophilia, @jeweldolan, @sugarfootdolan, @g-e-dolan, @miriamxsworld, @graysavant, @dolanskippy, @giggling-grayson, @whiskyryeandredlipstick

#dolan twins #grayson dolan #ethan dolan #grayson dolan smut #grayson dolan imagine #fanfiction #imagine #grayson dolan fanfic #ceo #ceo!gray #dolan twin imagine #ethan was at least mentioned in this part #sorry there wasnt any smut #:/ i wasnt in the mood oops #angst

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obeymematches · 4 years

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i want to req a matchup pls, im a hard worker and hate conflicts, im always trying to be nice even to ppl who have treated me like shit(unless i can get them out my life), i love animals, in my free time i draw and create many ocs, game, watch sitcoms, cartoons, i love daydreaming, sleeping, cycling, im a scorpio ,infp, a bit of a tomboy,strong, shy and blush easy, im a virgin in almost everything(hand holding first kiss you name it) my dream is find someone who accepts me the way i am (part 1)

i love my brother with all my heart, i would die for him, im goofy and sometimes i space out bc there are so many things on my mind, my weakness are soft ppl, im a hopeless romantic and thus love otome games, one day i want to make my own visual novel, i listen to many different music genres many hours a day( rock, pop, classic, ambient, game ost etc), i reaally love hugs but im wayy too shy, i tend to make jokes and try to lighten the mood when things are going bad (part2) like that one time i cut a piece of my finger on a machine and my only reaction was to tone it down as if it were nothing, im a though person to physical pain but hurt me emotionally and i will think about it until the day i die. i try to make everyone happy and compfortable except myself (self sacrifice is a bad habit of mine) but it just makes me happy to see others smile, the three words i would die to hear is: i love you, im a bit weird: i love cute but also dark and macabre things (part3) im sorry this is getting so long, you can ignore it if you want, i completely understand i love to take pics after work or school, be it the sky or a stray cat, a crow, a barn, i just want to capture the moment to never forget it, i love aesthetics, my fav fruit is watermelon and my fav flavour is peach, my fav season is fall, my fav weather is rainy or cloudy, i love the sound of nature, frogs and birds singing their song, i could add more but its wayyy too much (part 4) thank you for reading my req and taking your time, i dont have anyone to listen to me and my desires thats why i went abroad really sorry, but i truley mean it, thank you so much, i wish you a wonderfull day and hope all things you want to accomplish will succeed one day, stay healthy and happy for all eternity (part5)

Hi!!

Thank you for sending in a request!! ooohh, don’t worry, everyone is free to drop by my inbox if they need an ear to listen ❤️ thank you for your kind words 🥺 i wish all of these for you too!

I hope you like the result <3

The best match that came to my mind was Simeon!

Here is why:

Okay so he is a calm person himself, so the fact that you are avoiding drama means that his life will stay as peaceful as it can.

Simeon definitely appreciates a hard worker, although he makes sure you are not overdoing anything. He is a very caring angel after all, expect no less.

The fact that you are kind to everyone even if they are assholes means that you’d probably go better with someone with a heart similar to yours - very kind, gentle, and giving. Simeon is the same, like the only time you can see him be ‘mean’ is when he is trying to teach something important about life to Luke. This is one of the main reasons why I though he would be the best option. He is one of the safest choices.

He is a writer himself so I’m pretty sure he would love to hear about your OCs! even if you only have them for fun, maybe you could inspire the other !

Come to think of writing, if he wrote a series about the brothers, imagine how many ways he would include his beloved in his writings!

Okay so he is definitely not one to play games based on his knowledge on technology. But with some teaching from you, I’m sure you could get him to play with you. Hopefully you are patient enough! Also I’m sure he would be fascinated by human technology so maybe if you could talk to him about it in detail, that could also inspire him!

The fact that you are shy isn’t an issue here, Simeon can talk to literally anyone he wants to.

I think Simeon is very accepting, I mean he still keeps a good friendship with the brothers despite all that drama that was going on centuries ago. That also means he will never judge you and he is rather open-minded.

Your love being deep also means that he is a deserving candidate, I mean he will treat you really well. Being with him will probably boost your self-esteem to the skies!

I think he would find your spacing out as a cute things humans do and chuckle when he tries to get your attention but fails. Then he would be very interested in whatever daydream you were living in at the moment.

I hope he is soft enough for your liking?

He would definitely be very supportive of your visual novel!!!! he is very great at inspiring you and helping you on your way to make it public (if you want that). (the other candiadtes who would be very supportive of this are probably Levi and Satan)

Since you love music and he wants to get to know you more, he is going to ask you about music often! send him something calming, something that brings up a memory you are fond of, ect.

I think Simeon is also a good match because he will make sure your pain never goes unnoticed. Sure, he might not be as good of an observer as Satan, but Simeon himself is also very smart and can read people’s characters (see his works he baes on the charaters in the game). However, it is always important to communicate when you are in pain.

The other main reason for picking him was the fact that I kind of elaborated before - he would definitely not hurt you neither physically or emotionally. Maybe unintentionally but that is also very unlikely.

He really loves that you care for others so much, but you need someone who cares about you just as much if not more. So thats why!

I think he would also find you capturing moments like those adorable. He sometimes thinks about stuff like that but as he has been alive for several centuries, he has forgot many many of small moments. So thats why after he gets better with technology he might start doing the same thing thanks to your influence!

#obey me #obey me!#obey me matchup #om! simeon #obey me simeon #simeon obey me #swd obey me #obey me swd #om!#obey me shall we date

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favescandis · 5 years

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ICON Magazine: Cover Story: Million Dollar Bill (By Jessica Bailey)

Bill Skarsgård returns as the big-headed, balloon-toting demonic clown in IT Chapter Two. ICON sits down with the next big actor in Hollywood

NEW YORK CITY: Bill Skarsgård is talking me through how he mastered the sinister, bone-chilling laugh of Stephen King’s evil clown, Pennywise, in horror film It Chapter Two. “I wanted the laugh to sound like someone who is having a panic attack and is almost about to cry,” the 29-year-old Swedish actor explains. Suddenly, he begins cackling, his tall frame – which was seconds before slumped in his chair in the hotel room – rises and his eyes become so intense and fixated on something imaginary on the grey carpet between us. His voice is shaky, crackly, almost gasping for air. You feel like he could either lunge at you or burst into a million pieces at any given moment. It’s scary. “Even doing it out loud evokes a kind of unsettling feeling in myself,” Skarsgård says coming back to reality. “I kind of like it.”

Theatrical, serious and intelligent. It’s fascinating watching the actor come in and out of character; it seems as simple as flicking a light switch on and off. But Skarsgård insists the actual process on the It set – of which he, the human, disappears underneath layers of prosthetics – took more work than what I’d just witnessed. “I would scream and laugh hysterically before takes and reach a certain level of adrenaline to help me get into character for the scene,” he explains. By his own admission, Pennywise was by far the most physically and mentally draining character Skarsgård has played. But when I tell him I can’t seem to un-see Pennywise when I look at him, he almost shudders with distaste. “You see Pennywise in me?” he asks. “I think this is the first time anybody has said that. I don’t like to think too much about being associated with a murderous clown. I thought the makeup was my mask.”

While the wheedling and lethal villain is Skarsgård’s most notable role to date – and he’s brilliant in it, by the way – you might also recognise him from the 2017 mystery thriller Atomic Blonde (with Charlize Theron), the 2016 sci-fi film The Divergent Series: Allegiant (with Shailene Woodley) or Netflix’s supernatural drama Hemlock Grove. The actor has a slew of upcoming films, too, including thriller The Devil All the Time with fellow heartthrobs Robert Pattinson and Tom Holland, and drama Nine Days will see him return to fantastical fare alongside up-and-comer Zazie Beetz. To answer the obvious question, yes.

Skarsgård is related to 43-year-old Alexander Skarsgård, who is his older brother and is best known for his roles in True Blood and Big Little Lies. Both grew up in Stockholm in a family of 10, in which four of the eight children became actors. Their father, Stellan, is also a very famous actor in Sweden and starred as Professor Gerald Lambeau in Good Will Hunting. Post his ICON cover shoot in TriBeCa, NYC, we give the younger Skarsgård some pennies for his thoughts. Here, he discusses his titular character and the vast differences between his native Sweden, where no one locked the doors, and Hollywood, where men in clown makeup is a normal sight on the main strip.

ICON: Unlike Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker – an unhinged man in clown makeup – you essentially had to get inside the head of an evil and maniacal thing. How did you prepare for this role?

SKARSGÅRD: In a way, it’s even more abstract getting into the head of a madman because he’s not a man, he’s a thing. He’s a creature, an entity, so we had to come up with what the rules were for the character or the creature and then kind of humanise it in a way for me to be able to relate to it. He’s kind of the embodiment of evil – everything that’s nasty in people, he is. He’s a bully, he thrives off pain and fear and he’s mean. I used to draw on animals as a reference point a lot, like Jaws. The shark in Jaws is a monster, but it’s an animal. It’s going out trying to eat humans because it’s hungry and that element is in Pennywise as well; he’s hungry and he needs to feed. But what makes him evil and sinister is him taking pleasure out of feeding or pleasure of frightening and tormenting young children. In the first movie, the kids would cry and he would mock the kids crying and I thought that was like pretty much as evil as it gets, when you’re not only making a kid cry but you’re enjoying the fact that you’re making a kid cry. There are those people in the real world who are that bad, but I kind of wanted to go through the character mentally and think, “What is the most monstrous and evil thing I can think of?” and those things kind of came to mind.

ICON: Did you look to other famous clowns in history at all?

SKARSGÅRD: Not really. I watched Bozo The Clown and Ronald McDonald a little bit. There’s kind of a few of those iconic clowns, but the thing we didn’t want to do too much, or at least my entry way into the character, was not make him like this [makes goofy noises] doo-di-doo clown kind of a thing. Because I wanted Pennywise to have this really off thing about him. Also, Tim Curry’s clown [he portrayed Pennywise in the 1990 TV adaptation of King’s novel It) was very much more this villain, old-timey clown. That type of performance was great, but we wanted to do something different for this version. I didn’t go too far into the studying of a clown’s mimicry, but I took little pieces of what I liked and incorporated it into Pennywise.

ICON: At the time of your It audition, you lived with housemates and couldn’t practise Pennywise’s evil laugh in the house, so you had to do it in the car on the way to the audition. Tell me about that drive – in full clown makeup. Were people staring?

SKARSGÅRD: [Laughs] Yeah, that was for the callback audition. I had a version of what became his laugh pretty early on. I wanted it to sound like someone having a panic attack and it’s almost about to be a cry. That amplified became the laugh. Like it’s not someone who’s happy, it’s someone who maybe is miserable and almost having a crazy panic attack with its laugh. Even doing it out loud evokes a kind of unsettling feeling in myself that I kind of liked. But, yeah, I was driving around with this kind of basic clown makeup on and was just trying screams and laughs and everything. If it were recorded, it would have almost been a cliché of an actor’s life in Hollywood; it was so ridiculous. Going to the audition, there was only street parking, so I had to park the car and walk my way into the casting director’s office, which is right by Hollywood Boulevard, so there were construction workers out the front. When they looked at me, they didn’t even flinch. That’s just what Hollywood is, I guess. It’s like, “There’s a man walking around with a clown face laughing to himself” [laughs].

ICON: What was your experience like when you first came to Hollywood? Were there stray clowns?

SKARSGÅRD: I came to LA for the first time when I was seven years old and then again when I was 10. I’ve been travelling there since I was fairly young because of my dad, who would shoot movies out here as well. I don’t remember my perception of LA very much – I liked the weather, I liked the mall, the Beverly Center was the coolest thing ever. You know, Footlocker! At that time, you could get sneakers in America that you definitely couldn’t get in Sweden. I had all the Nike out fits.

ICON: Your brother Alexander has said he’s not a method actor when he takes on dark and dramatic roles. Are you a method actor?

SKARSGÅRD: No, I don’t need to stay in character. That approach doesn’t make sense for me. But everyone has different ways of reaching what they need to reach and I’m definitely not method, but I have my own methods. With Pennywise, it was less about character and more about the energy. You need to find a state of energy that is true for the scene that you’re playing. So say you’re doing a really emotional scene, you need to find that energy or that chemical in your body – which is all it is to me at least – and when you trigger it, tears can start. A talented actor can trigger it chemically. In your body you feel like you’re about to start crying, you make yourself start crying and it’s a chemical reaction to it, you feel it in your body. You need to reach that place before you go into the scene and that’s the sort of method that I work with.

ICON: How did this method work with Pennywise?

SKARSGÅRD: He was a very particular kind of character. He’s always so expressive and energetic. I would scream and laugh hysterically before takes and reach a certain level of adrenaline to help me get into character for the scene.

ICON: We’ve seen dark characters get to actors before. Australian actor Heath Ledger and his iconic role as the Joker – and his clown-like villain – is an extreme example of this. How do you get out of that Pennywise headspace when you arrive home at night?

SKARSGÅRD: I also heard it’s kind of a misconception; that’s a romantic idea that Heath died of the Joker performance. From all accounts I’ve heard, he really enjoyed it and he wasn’t method either.

ICON: He reportedly was very immersed in the character…

SKARSGÅRD: Oh, completely, but from actors who worked with him on the set, they were like, “He would talk about his daughter.” We have this romantic idea that “Oh, this man, he went crazy or he went to the darkest place ever and he couldn’t figure his way out.” As the public, we like those types of stories and sometimes they’re true and sometimes actors fabricate that truth in order for them to seem a little bit more remarkable. So you talk about his or her performance as, “Oh, they did all these things,” and that’s what made it so great. Sometimes I feel like some actors maybe want to feel a little bit extra special in that regard. If I go and I have a very particular type of scene, like if I’m hurting someone or if I’m being awful, that doesn’t feel good afterwards. I think the worst is not like a character like Pennywise or those kinds of villainous roles – they’re dark but they’re fun, the character enjoys what they’re doing – the characters that will really get to you are the characters that are depressed or inflicted by pain. Say you play someone who is so depressed that they are about to commit suicide. Like, if that is your day, every day going into that mindset, you’re not going to be a happy person, because your character is not happy.

ICON: Pennywise though…

SKARSGÅRD: Pennywise is enjoying what he is doing, and in the same way Joker is as well; they’re dark but they’re enjoying it. You’re playing a character who enjoys the darkness, so that is what you have to access, and you don’t have to access the lack of self-worth or characters who are paranoid or in their own head and stuff like that. There is a movie that I’m about to start doing and you read the character and he’s very unlikeable: paranoid, insecure, a pathological liar, mentally ill. As a result, he goes into this kind of schizophrenic state. I read that script and I was like, “This is going to be really, really tough for me to do. I’m going to feel like shit doing it because it’s a character who’s losing his mind throughout the whole movie.” That is the state I have to go into, so when I’m coming home from work and I’ve been in that mental state, I think those things will affect how you feel during the production of the film.

ICON: Some creepy things went down in Derry, Maine. You’re from Stockholm in Sweden – what was it like growing up there and in a household with, like, a million people?

SKARSGÅRD: It was great. Stockholm is a wonderful place for a kid. I grew up in what would be called an extremely gentrified neighbourhood, but it used to be a working class neighbourhood. It was very bohemian and we went to school with immigrants and people from different places around the world. It felt like a very diverse upbringing – at least compared to a place like LA, which is the most secluded, segregated place there is. So Stockholm was wonderful in the way that you were exposed to all these different cultures and people. You could attend different classes and we were all just going to the same schools, there were no private schools or none of that. I’m extremely happy that that was my background. It’s healthy for kids to be exposed to all of that, and my family – a big, big family – our home was always the home that you would bring your friends to. That was true for all of our siblings. Sometimes there would be like 10-15 kids hanging out in our rooms, because our parents very much had an open- door policy – nobody knocked and we never locked the doors. Everybody just walked in and out – it was a big party.

It Chapter Two is in Australian cinemas now.

Photography: Michael Schwartz Styling: Bill Mullen

https://icon.ink/articles/bill-skarsgard-pennywise-it-chapter-two-interview/

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#Bill Skarsgård #Michael Schwartz #ICON #long post #bill skarsgar

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weekendwarriorblog · 4 years

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The Weekend Warrior 12/4/20 – HALF BROTHERS, THE PROM, I’M YOUR WOMAN, BLACK BEAR, LUXOR, ANOTHER ROUND, ALL MY LIFE, NOMADLAND, MANK and Much More!

I hope everyone had an absolutely wonderful Thanksgiving. Mine was relatively uneventful, and I only spent most of my time watching movies. And holy shit, there are a LOT of movies out this week, but at least a few of them I’ve already seen and reviewed, and there are others that are actually pretty good, so I might as well get to it, hm?

First up is this week’s Focus Features theatrical release, HALF BROTHERS, a buddy road comedy directed by Luke Greenfield (Blue Streak, Let’s Be Cops) that’s fairly high concept but also with quite a bit more depth than the director’s previous movies. It stars Luis Gerardo Méndez as Renato Murguia, a wealthy Mexican businessman whose father left him to come to America when Renato was just a child. Just as Renato is about to get married while having issues connecting to his future stepson Emilio, he gets a call that his own father is dying, so he begrudgingly goes to see him. Once there, Renato’s dying father sends him on a scavenger hunt to find someone named “Eloise” with his annoying slacker half-brother Asher (Connor del Rio), because that will provide all the answers Renato is looking for on why his father never returned from America, remarried and had another son. What could possibly go wrong?

If you’ve seen any of the ads for Half Brothers, you may already presume that this is a fairly high-concept buddy road comedy that is constantly going for the zaniest and craziest of laughs. That probably would only be maybe 25% of the movie. Instead, this fairly mainstream comedy finds a way to take a very common comedy trope and throw in enough heartfelt moments that you can forgive the few times when it does go for low-hanging fruit. We’ve seen so many movies like this where two guys (or sometimes ladies, but not as often) are paired with one having zero patience or tolerance for the other, who is beyond aggravating to them. (Planes, Trains and Automobiles is one of the better ones.) Obviously, Renato fits snugly into the first category, and Asher could not be more annoying, very early on stealing a goat for no particular reason.

The Mexican angle and the fact that a lot of the film is in Spanish – Focus getting into Pantelion territory here? – does add to make Half Brothers feel like more of a personal story than we might normally see in this kind of movie, touching upon the immigrant experience, from the viewpoint of a low-paid worker as well as a well-to-do industrialist. It also deals with things like fatherhood and brotherhood and what it means to be one or both, so everything ultimately connects far better in the end than some might expect. I also want to give the filmmakers credit for putting together a cast of mostly unknown or little-known actors and getting such great results out of them.

On the surface, Half Brothers seems like just another buddy comedy, but underneath, it’s a heartfelt and emotional journey that touches in so many ways and ends up being quite enjoyable.

Another movie opening nationwide this Friday is ALL MY LIFE (Universal), starring Jessica (Happy Death Day) Rothe as Jennifer Carter and Harry (Crazy Rich Asians) Shum Jr. as Solomon Chau, whose wedding plans are thrown off when he is diagnosed with liver cancer. They realize they have to get married sooner since he might not live to make their planned date, so their friends launch a fundraiser so that they can get married in two weeks. The movie is directed by Marc Meyers (My Friend Dahmer), who is a more than capable filmmaker with this being his third movie in the last two years.

Now that I’ve actually seen the movie… I’ll freely admit that this is not the kind of movie I usually have very high expectations for, and maybe that’s because I’ve already been burnt twice this year with real-life romantic dramas, first with the faith-based I Still Believe in March and then more recently with Two Hearts. In both cases, I could count the issues and why they failed to tug at the heart strings as they were meant to do. Even though I’ve generally enjoyed Meyers’ past movies, I wasn’t even sure he could pull off this type of studio romance movie without having to cowtow to the corny clichés that always seem to slip in – or at least find a way to make them more palatable. (And let’s be realistic. This is the kind of movie that snobby film critics just LOVE to trash.)

First of all, Meyers already has two truly fantastic leads working in his movie’s favor. I’ve been a true Jessica Rothe stan ever since seeing her kill it in Happy Death Day and its sequel. Shum is perfectly paired with her, and the two of them are so good from the moment they first meet and we meet them. In every scene, you feel like you’re watching some of that rare on-screen romantic chemistry that’s so hard to fake. Their relationship is romantic and goofy, and you’re just rooting for them all the way through even if you do know what’s to come.

Eventually, Sol does fall ill, and it does lead to some more dramatic and tougher moments between the couple, but all of it is handled so tastefully, including their need to raise money so they can have their wedding rather than waiting. I am living proof that people really do come together to step up when they see someone in real need, so I couldn’t even tut tut at something like their fundraiser getting so many people to chip in. On top of his two leads, Meyers has assembled such a great cast around the duo, the most recognizable being Jay Pharaoh from Saturday Night Live, everyone around Jess and Sol handles the requisite emotions with nary a weak link.

There’s just so much other stuff that adds to the enjoyment of watching All My Life from the use of Oasis and Pat Benatar in the soundtrack just to the quality storytelling that makes it all feel quite believable. These sorts of movies tend to be rather corny and the diehard cynic who doesn’t have an ounce of romance or love in their body will find things to hate.

All My Life finds its way into your heart by being one of those rare studio romance movies that understands how human emotions truly work, and there’s nothing corny about that. It’s a beautiful movie that entertains but also elicits more than a few tears. Watch it with someone you love.

This week’s “Featured Flick” is Chloe Zhao’s amazing film NOMADLAND (Searchlight), which I reviewed out of its Toronto International Film Festival premiere, but it’s (sort of) being released in theaters this week. It stars Frances McDormand as Fern, a woman living in her van as she moves from place to place taking odd jobs within a community of nomads. It’s another amazing film from the filmmaker behind The Rider, who will make her foray into the Marvel Cinematic Universe next year with The Eternals, which I’m just as psyched about. There’s no denying that McDormand gives a performance that’s a knock-out, even better than the one in 3 Billboards if you ask me, and there’s also a great supporting role for David Strathairn, who I’ve been hoping would have another role as good as this one. Zhao is just a fantastic filmmaker, and I’m glad to see that The Rider was no fluke.

Unfortunately, Nomadland is only getting a one-week Oscar qualifying run, and I’m not even sure where it’s getting that run since theaters in New York and L.A. aren’t even open yet. Maybe Searchlight will do some drive-in screenings like they did for the New York Film Festival and Telluride? It will get a stronger theatrical release (hopefully) on February 21, just to make doubly sure it qualifies for Oscars.

Opening in theaters this week before streaming on Netflix December 11 is Ryan Murphy’s adaptation of the Broadway musical THE PROM, the first feature film he’s directed in ten years. The multiple Tony-nominated musical is about a high school girl named Emma (newcomer Jo Ellan Pellman) who wants to take her girlfriend (Ariana DeBose) to their senior prom, but the head of the PTA (Kerry Washington) cancels the prom instead. The national outrage the situation creates gets the attention of a quintet of self-absorbed Broadway actors who decide to improve their PR by taking up Emma’s cause. Oh, yeah, and those actors are played by Meryl Streep, James Corden, Nicole Kidman, and actual Broadway stars Andrew Rannells and Kevin Chamberlin. What could possibly go wrong?

I’ve never had any sort of positive or negative gut reaction to Murphy’s work on television over the past few years, but I’ve definitely been mixed on the three movies he’s directed to date. I wasn’t a huge fan of his Eat Pray Love, though I vaguely remember enjoying his debut, Running with Scissors. Either way, he certainly has found his niche with musicals from Glee (a show I’ve never watched) and finding a musical like The Promseems to be a perfect fit between filmmaker and material.

Having not seen The Prom on Broadway – surprise, surprise -- I was a little worried that it was going to go down the path of nudge-nudge wink-wink inside Broadway path that helped Mel Brooks’ The Producers become a Broadway hit. That I saw, and I didn’t hate the movie based on it, although I’m by no means a total movie-musical stan. There’s some obvious older ones I love, some newer ones that others love but I hated – Rob Marshall is about 50/50 for me -- and you might be surprised by which of them I liked best.

What I thoroughly enjoyed about The Prom is that Murphy manages to truly surprise everyone watching it, whether it’s in Kerry Washington’s single song – who knew she had such an amazing singing voice? – or how enjoyable Keegan-Michael Key is as the school’s Principal Hawkins, who not only loves musicals but actually admires Streep’s two-time Tony-award winning Dee Dee Allen. Considering my frequent disdain for Streep’s over-confidence, knowing full well that she’s one of the best living actors working today, she’s actually pretty amazing in the role of what many must assume Streep is like in real life, which makes her character more than a little META. In some ways, I can say the same for Corden, who is pretty fantastic as Dee Dee’s frequent stage co-star Barry Glickman, who has his own connections to Emma’s plight having been disowned by his mother (Tracey Ullman, who only shows up for one brief scene late in the movie) when he came out to her. Corden has one dramatic moment so powerful I was taken quite aback.

Even with those two actors and Kidman likely to get much of the attention, there’s no denying that the romance between Hellman and Debose, and the three or four numbers they have together, makes up the true heart and soul of The Prom. So here you have this amazing cast, and it’s a musical made-up of very fun and quite catchy songs, and that’s long before you get to Andrew Rannells as out-of-work actor Trent Oliver, who practically steals the whole movie with his showstopper of a number, “Love Thy Neighbor.” And then watching Key holding his own with Streep, both musically and dramatically, you might start wondering, “What is going on here?”

Like I said before, it’s pretty obvious that Murphy has fully poured his passion of movie-musicals into every second of The Prom, and it shows on the face of everyone joining him on this adventure. As much as the subject at the film’s core is fairly serious and a hurdle that many gay kids across the world every day, it’s also quite funny. Kudos must be given to Murphy for being able to emphasize those moments as well as the more dramatic ones. Besides that, Murphy really takes advantage of being able to go to different locations, including a sequence on Broadway that could have been done during the pandemic (it actually was built on a soundstage), another number at an actual mall and even at a monster truck rally. It also doesn’t hurt that Murphy hired Matthew Libatique, a god-like cinematographer in my book, to film the movie either.

Like most musicals, The Prom might lose a little as it goes along, since it gets to be too much that goes on for too long, but then there are more than enough great moments to pull you back. It’s by far one of the stronger movie musicals I’ve seen in a very long time, and just the right feel-good experience we all need right now.

I’ve already reviewed David Fincher’s MANK – a few times, in fact – but if you’re in one of the places where it opened theatrically in November, you can finally see it on Netflix starting this Friday. This is the general problem with the way things are these days because even though this only opened a few weeks ago, I already feel that it’s been discussed and forgotten before most people will have a chance to see it. Anyway, if for some reason, you’ve managed to avoid things about the movie, it essentially stars Gary Oldman as Herman Mankiewicz, the Hollywood screenwriter who ended up co-writing Orson Welles’ Citizen Kane in 1940. The film follows Mankiewicz as he mingles with the Hollywood elite in the 30s, including billionaire William Randolph Hearst (Charles Dance) and his young ingenue girlfriend Marion Davies (Amanda Seyfried) who would be the influence for his Oscar-winning screenplay. I expect to be writing a lot about this movie as we get closer to Oscar season sometime next year.

Also on Netflix this week is Selena: The Series, starring Christian Serratos. It’s the kind of thing that I probably would never watch unless I have an excess of time, and as you’re about to learn from the rest of the column, that doesn’t happen frequently.

The third chapter of Steve McQueen’s “Small Axe Anthology,” RED WHITE AND BLUE, will debut on Prime Video this Sunday, starring John Boyega as Leroy Logan, a young black man who joins the Metropolitan Police after seeing his father assaulted by police and wanting to make a difference in the racist attitudes from within. You might remember that I reviewed this out of the New York Film Festival a couple months back, so not much more to say there.

A week from Sunday, on December 13, McQueen’s fourth film, ALEX WHEATLE, will hit Amazon, and guess what? I’ve already seen it, so I will review it now. How about that? Alex Wheatle is also a true story, this one starring Sheyi Cole as the award-winning young adult writer when he was a younger and just learning the ropes as a drugdealer/DJ in Brixton before his involvement in the 1981 Brixton riots gets him thrown in jail.

As with the other three movies in the “Small Axe Anthology” there are recurring elements and themes in Alex Wheatle, mostly about the way the immigrants to England from Jamaica and other islands are treated by “The Beast” aka what they call the Metropolitan Police. It does take a little time to get to that, as McQueen, working from a screenplay co-written by Mangrove’s Alaistar Siddons, takes a far more non-linear approach than the other three films. We first see Wheatle being taken into prison where he’s thrown into a cell with a constantly-shitting Rastafarian, but we then cut back to his schooling for a short sequence that reminded me of Alan Clarke’s Scum. Both in prison and in school, we see Alex being abused by classmates and head matron alike, and this portion of the film includes another one of arty moments of actor Cole laying on the ground eyes wide open staring for what seems to go on forever. In some ways, this sequence reminds me of McQueen’s fantastic early film Hunger, since it seems to be cut from similar cloth.

Eventually, Alex gets to Brixton and that’s where this chapter in “Small Axe” really takes off as we see how naïve and green he is while dealing with quite a tough crowd and trying to adjust to city life among the Rastafarian community.

As with the other “Small Axe�� chapters, I love how McQueen and his team used reggae music to help set the tone and vibe for the episode, because like Baz Lurhman’s Netflix series The Get Down, the music is frequently a key to this biopic working so well. Of course, it’s also due to the performance by Cole and the actors around him that helps make you feel as if you’re seeing a real part of history.

As with Mangrove, this chapter culminates with an amazing recreation of the 1981 Brixton Riots, done in protest after a house party fire in New Cross that the police don’t bother investigating. The actual riots were a much bigger and scarier event going by Wikipedia which says that 279 police were injured and 56 police vehicles set fire, which makes it sound more like the ’92 L.A. Riots.

I’m not sure Alex Wheatle does as good a job explaining how the young man goes into prison as a DJ and comes out as an author, but like Red, White and Blue it’s still an important and inspirational story that adds quite a bit to the previous three “Small Axe” films.

And once again, here is my interview with McQueen from over at Below the Line.

Also, I should mention that Darius Marder’s excellent Sound of Metal movie, starring Riz Ahmed, hits Amazon Prime Video this Friday, too. Check out my review!

The magnificent Andrea Riseborough stars in Zeina Durra’s LUXOR (Samuel Goldwyn), playing British aid worker Hana who while spending time in the ancient city of Luxor, runs into her former lover Sultan (Karim Saleh), as she reflects on past decisions and her current uncertain situation.

I was quite interested in this one sight unseen, not only because it’s another great starring role for Riseborough. (Honestly, she is one of the best actors working today, and I strongly believe she is just one role away from being the next Olivia Colman, who had been amazing for years before everyone in America “discovered” her in The Favourite and then The Crown… which I still haven’t watched! ARGH!). I was a little anxious about the movie, having seen Rubba Nadda’s Cairo Time, starring Patricia Clarkson and Alexander Siddig, which seemingly had the exact same plot.

Durra is a much more capable and confident filmmaker and there’s a lot more overall value in watching Riseborough exploring Egypt as Durra quietly allows Hana’s story to unfold through her interactions with others, as well as her time alone, often languishing in one luxurious hotel room or another. Then there are the quiet and sometime awkward scenes between her and Saleh, the two of them having been lovers when they were both much younger. We also see Hana in far more vulnerable moments, so we know that she’s by no means actor, and it takes a great actor to really pull off such a dichotomy and bring such dimension to a character with so few words.

There’s something that’s almost comforting watching her dealing with emotions like loneliness in such a tranquil way. I’d even go so far to say that Luxor works in many ways similar to Nomadland, which obviously is getting the far more high-profile release with lots of festival love long before its actual release. Like that movie, Durra’s film benefits from having masterful cinematography by Zelmira Gainza and an equally gorgeous score by Nascuy Linares, to boot.

Luxor is a quiet, beautifully-made film that really took me by surprise. It acts as much like a travelogue of the title city as it does a tourist’s map to what it must feel like being a woman very much on her own in a foreign land.

I also spoke with Luxor filmmaker Zeina Durra, an interview that will be up at Below the Line hopefully sometime later this week.

With all the talk about Aubrey Plaza in Happiest Season (now on Hulu!), this would be a great time to release another one of her indies that played at the Sundance Film Festival this year, right? What can possibly go wrong?

In Lawrence Michael Levine’s BLACK BEAR (Momentum Pictures), Plaza plays Allison, an actor/filmmaker who arrives at the remote lake house of Christopher Abbott’s Gabe and his pregnant partner Blair (Sarah Gadon), to relax and work on a screenplay, only for the night to turn into philosophical discussions that transform into angry and even violent squabbles. In the second part of the movie, Gabe is the director, and Allison his actor wife, who thinks he’s sleeping with Blair, who is also acting in Gabe’s film.

That plot might seem a little vague, and I can’t exactly tell you whether there is much connection between the two parts of the movie other than it features the same three characters. The first half turns from a drama into a thriller before ending abruptly, while the second part is equal parts comedy and drama as we see a larger part of the world around the trio. In fact, the second part of Black Bear reminded me somewhat of Olivier Assayas’Irma Vep, one of my favorite movies, and that might be one of the highest compliments I can pay a movie.

But first, you have to get through the more quizzical and dramatic first part, which easily could have been done as a three-handed stageplay as we see the changing dynamics between the three people as things get crazier and crazier with one “Holy shit!” moment after the next. (It reminded me a little of Mamet or the play “Gods of Carnage,” although I only saw that as the movie version Carnage, directed by Roman Polanski.)

The fact the connection between the two parts is never explained might confound some people who were otherwise enjoying what is a pretty decent three-hander, but the common theme involves jealousy between the two women. Plaza is a fine dramatic actor when she wants to be, and Gadon is absolutely fantastic, which makes Abbot almost literally the odd man out, but the three of them just have great scenes together.

Black Bear is certainly an enigma of a movie, as much a mystery about what must be going on inside Plaza’s head during some of her softer and crazier scenes, but if you want to talk about range, this gives her so much material for her demo reel that no one could possibly doubt her as an actor again.

Thomas Vinterberg’s new movie ANOTHER ROUND (Samuel Goldwyn) reteams him with his The Hunt star Mads Mikkelsen for a comedy…. Ish… about a group of four middle aged Danish teachers who decide to hold an experiment to prove a theory that people only reach their maximum effectiveness and creativity when they’re .05% drunk. It starts out innocently enough but soon, the men are drinking heavily at school, leading to horrible and unfortunate side effects. I mean, what could possibly go wrong?

Even knowing Vinterberg’s knack for strange and twisted “comedies,” Another Round is definitely on another level, opening with a scene of drunken kids playing a drinking game that gets them so out-of-control drunk and rowdy. We then meet Mikkelsen’s Martin, a history teacher, whose rowdy seniors are so bored by his classroom technique that Martin is put in front of an inquisition of parents who think he’s going to make their kids fail their final exams. Martin’s home life isn’t much better with his wife Anika (Maria Bonnevie) or his own teen sons. Although Martin says he won’t drink when he has to drive, his friend Nikolaj (Magnus Millang) convinces him by announcing his theory about how everyone needs to always maintain a certain percentage of alcohol in their system. Over the course of the rest of the movie, we’re shown the alcohol level of our “heroes,” although most will see their behavior as some kind of synced-up middle life crisis. For Martin, it’s a breakthrough, as he starts feeling more confident and assertive towards his students, even trying to connect with them via their drinking activities, as seen in the opening montage.

Another Round is quite a different beast from The Hunt, because there’s a more humorous tone to the point where I could totally see an American studio trying to remake this with the likes of Will Ferrell and Adam Sandler, which would probably lose a lot of the poignancy of what Vinberberg was trying to achieve here. At one point, he throws in a montage of seemingly drunk world leaders, which is kind of amusing even if it’s not quite so apparent why it’s there. There’s a lot of really bad white guy dancing, too, for anyone who is into that sort of thing.

There is definitely a good amount of grief and sadness to the way this story resolves, although Vinterberg still finds a way to leave Martin in a place of joy with a closing scene that may surprise a lot of people. Another Round is another tremendous feather in the cap of the Vinterberg/Mikkelsen collaboration, and it will be in select theaters this Friday before going to digital on December 18.

Another Round will be in select theaters this Friday and then on digital December 18.

Fast Color director Julia Hart returns with I’M YOUR WOMAN (Amazon), once again co-written with husband Jordan Horowitz. It stars Rachel Brosnahan from The Amazing Mrs. Maisel (which I haven’t seen) as Jean, a woman unable to have a baby with her small-time crook husband Eddie. One night, Eddie brings home a baby for Jean, but then he quickly vanishes and Jean finds herself on the run with a stolen baby and one of Eddie’s accomplices, Cal (Arinzé Kene), and there are bad men wanting to question Jean about her missing husband’s whereabouts.

This is another movie where I really didn’t know what to expect, and having not watched Brosnahan on her award-winning show, I was watching this movie trying to figure out what all the fuss was about. It’s evident from the start that Hart/Horowitz were trying to make a ‘70s-set movie with all the trappings of ‘70s fashion and music, but when you throw in the crime element, it comes across a little too much like last year’s The Kitchen, which wasn’t very good but also wasn’t based on very good source material.

One would presume that the genre elements and a few scattered set pieces, like a shootout at a club, would be the main draw, but it’s almost 30 minutes before we even get any sort of plot, and that’s a big problem. An even bigger problem is that I’m Your Woman just drags for so much of the movie, and it’s pretty obvious that Hart-Horowitz were trying to create a ‘70s movie like some of the films by Scorsese and the movies John Cassavetes made with wife Gena Rowlands. By comparison, I’m Your Woman is stylized almost to a pretentious degree. Brosnahan does show a few glimpses of there being a good actor in there, but the material just really isn’t quite up to snuff. It also doesn’t help the movie to have the baby crying almost non-stop throughout.

Jean eventually pairs up with Cal’s woman Teri (Martha Stephanie Blake), her son Paul and Cal’s father (played by Frankie Faison), and this is when she learns more about Eddie’s life that she doesn’t know about. Eventually, things start to pick up in the last act, but the multiple problems Hart has with maintaining a steady pace or tone only mildly is made up for by her terrific DP and whoever put together the musical score. Essentially, the last 30 minutes of I’m Your Woman does make up for the previous 85 minutes, but it’s going to be very hard for many people to even get through how dull the movie is up until that point.

This is a week with some very fine docs, the first one being Weixi Chen and Hao Wu*’s cinema verité film 76 DAYS (MTV Documentary Films), which goes behind the doors of the Wuhan ICU Red Cross hospital over the first 76 days of the COVID pandemic after it hit the rural area of China. (*One of the film’s co-directors/cinematographers shot the film anonymously.)

Here I thought that Alex Gibney’s Totally Under Control would be the best or maybe even only movie about the pandemic released this year, but here we have a fantastic documentary that captures what it was really like in one Wuhan hospital as it was nearly overrun months before COVID started to rear its ugly head in the States. The film begins in January 23, 2020 and follows a number of cases as we watch the personnel, all decked out in head-to-toe PPE, trying to save lives and keep people calm while trying to struggle with all the stresses that come their way. There’s actually a little bit of humor in a cranky elderly man (clearly with some form of dementia) who keeps wandering around the hospital, frustrating his tenders, but there’s also a very moving story of a young pregnant woman who has contracted COVID, who ends up being separated from her baby after a Cesarian section.

There are moments early in the movie where you can see panic starting to set in as we see how out of control things begin, but the anonymous health care workers soon get things underhand and manage to find a way to deal with the panic that’s setting in. There’s no question that these doctors and nurses – many whose faces we never even see -- are the definition of frontline workers, trying to deal with this unknown virus without all the answers and solutions that have been discovered over the past ten months.

76 Days will open via the Film Forum Virtual Cinema as well as other places presumably.

I’m glad I had Dana Nachman’s DEAR SANTA (IFC Films) to watch after 76 Days, because I don’t think I could have handled another dark or deep movie after that one. This doc is all about “Operation Santa,” the amazing group of volunteers and adopters who receive the letters young kids write to the North Pole and go out of their way to fulfill the kids’ wishes.

I was a big fan of Nachman’s Pick of the Litter, so I’m thrilled to say that Dear Santa is just as wonderful and joyous, starting with a bunch of kids explaining Santa Clause enthusiastically, because they really believe in Jolly Saint Nick. Over the course of the film, Nachman profiles a number of Adopter Elves, who look through the letters written to Santa by unfortunate kids and pick a few to fulfill their wishes. A lot of them are in New York and Chicago where the program has led to a number of non-profits, but Nachman also goes to Chico, California where many of the families from Paradise, the town destroyed by fires in 2018, ended up relocation. One story of an Adopter Elf named Damion is particularly wonderful, since he, like many of those who get involved in the program, are trying to give back and pay it forward.

Operation Santa is such a great program and Dear Santa is such a wonderful movie, I challenge anyone to watch it and not tear up from how big their heart will grow while watching it.

Julien Temple’s doc CROCK OF GOLD: A NIGHT WITH SHANE MACGOWAN (Magnolia Pictures) is pretty self-explanatory from its title, but as someone who was never really a Pogues fan, I was almost as entertained by Temple’s film as I was by Alex Winter’s Zappa about a musician who I actually was a fan of. Temple uses MacGowan’s own narration to tell his story from growing up in Ireland, the early days of punk that led to the Pogues and eventually, mainstream success.

My absolute adoration of well-made music docs is fairly well-known at this point, and you can’t really get much better in terms of music doc makers than Julien Temple, who had his cameras rolling in the early days of punk, captured one of David Bowie’s more interesting mainstream phases and also made a very cool movie about The Clash frontman, Joe Strummer.

Although I never really cared for The Pogues, that’s probably because I didn’t know them from their rowdier days and more from their mainstream success from “Fairytale of New York” but Temple’s movie rectifies that with some amazing footage from the band’s earlier days. Even more impressive is the footage and pictures of MacGowan during the late ‘70s dancing in the audience at Sex Pistols and other punk shows. (Temple even interviewed MacGowan during this period in the ‘70s, then put the footage in the movie.) As MacGowan tells his own story about growing up in Ireland, Temple frequently uses varied animation to recreate the stories being told, and that does a lot to embellish the cartoon nature of MacGowan’s storytelling.

I still think MacGowan is a bit of an asshole -- I’m sure he’d agree with that assessment -- but Temple has found a way into this very difficult musician, sometimes using close friends like Johnny Depp (a producer on the film) and Bobby Gillespie from Primal Scream to try to get MacGowan to open up about as much as he ever might. Crock of Gold is certainly an eye-opening portrait of the Pogues frontman that surprisingly offers something to enjoy even for those who never got into his music, but it also shows another dimension to his many fans. If nothing else, it’s a fine testament to why Temple is one of the best music doc filmmakers.

Magnolia held a bunch of one-night only theatrical screenings on Tuesday and will have more on Thursday, but if you miss those, you can catch it On Demand/digital this Friday. (I also have a really enjoyable interview with Julien Temple over at Below the Line that you should check out.)

A.J. and Jenny Tesler’s doc MAGNOLIA’S HOPE follows four years in the life of their young daughter Magnolia (aka Maggie), who has Rett Syndrome. Maggie’s filmmaking parents talk about noticing her strange behavior and finding out that she had a genetic disorder that makes it harder for children to retain what they’ve learned in terms of movement but also might led to far worse disorders. It makes it almost impossible for her to communicate with her parents, which makes it heartbreaking but also quite inspirational that the parents would allow us into their very own difficult journey to try to get their daughter to use and develop all of the skills she learns by making her practice them every single day. The movie will be available to watch for the month of December on the streaming platform Show and Tell, but it’s such a personal movie and another one where I think it will be hard for many to watch without getting a little teary but more out of joy than sadness.

Also out this week is David Osit’s MAYOR (Film Movement), which follows Musa Hadid, the Christian mayor of Ramallah during his second term of office and determined to make his city a beautiful and dignified place to lived despite being surrounded on all sides by soldiers and Israeli settlements. It will open today at the Film Forum’s Virtual Cinema in New York after winning the Grand Jury Prize at the 2020 Full Frame Documentary Film Festival.

What there’s more? How about Braden R. Duemmler’s WHAT LIES BELOW (Vertical Entertainment), a thriller starring Ema Hovarth from Quibi’s Don’t Look Deeper as Liberty (aka Libby), a teen girl returning from camp only to learn her mother (Mena Suvari) has a hot younger boyfriend named John (Trey Tucker), who Libby soon begins to question whether he’s human. What could possibly go wrong?

I knew I was in trouble when Suvari is picking her daughter up from archeology camp (that’s a thing?) and I misheard her asking her daughter “Any nice digs?” (think about it), especially since Suvari is playing a stereotypically over-sexed cougar, something that becomes far more obvious once we meet her boyfriend that she’s been sexing up at her lake house. There’s certainly a danger of What Lies Below turning into a prequel to a Pornhub video, but thankfully, Duemmler gets away from the inappropriate sexuality inherent in John’s presence and into the weird behavior that gets Libby suspicious.

Sure, maybe calling the movie “My Stepfather is an Alien” would have been more apropos, and there’s elements of the movie that reminded me of the Tom Hanks’ movie The ‘burbs, and not in a good way. Even so, Hovarth, who really looks like Suvari’s daughter, does a fine job holding this together and keeping you invested in how things might pan out, as things get weirder and weirder and the movie eventually transforms itself into a halfway decent and creepy “body horror” flick.

Weird but well-done, What Lies Below is not even close to the worst thriller I’ve seen this year. That might seem like damning praise, but it’s the best I can do for this one.

Debuting on Shudder this Thursday is Justin G. Dyck’s ANYTHING FOR JACKSON (Shudder), a “reverse exorcism” movie in which a seemingly kindly couple, played by Sheila McCarthy and Julian Richings, kidnap a pregnant woman (Konstantina Mantelos) in hopes of getting the spirit of their grandson Jackson, who died in a car crash, and put him into her baby… with the help of demons. What could possibly go wrong? (If you hadn’t guessed, this is the theme of this week’s Weekend Warrior.)

I’ve been thoroughly impressed with the horror delivered by streamer Shudder this year, and Anything for Jackson is no exception. In fact, going over Dyck’s filmography, it’s kind of surprising how decent a horror filmmaker he is, because most of his other movies seem like Hallmark-style Christmas movies? Crazy. There are aspects of Anything for Jackson, written by Keith Cooper, who wrote some of those holiday movies for Dyck. I honestly can imagine the two of them making this movie just to be able to do something different, so they come into the horror realm with tons of fim making experience and easily transition into horror.

At the heart of this movie are McCarthy, Richings and Mantelos, who are all fine actors who do a great job selling the horrors but do just as well during the quieter dramatic moments. Not that there are that many of them, as Dyck/Cooper throw so many absolutely horrific moments at the viewer so that diehard horror fans will not be disappointed. Things shift into another gear when Josh Cruddas joins in as a Satanic cult leader they bring in to help them when they realize they’re out of their league. The results are something akin to Insidiousin terms of the types of demons and ghosts thrown at the viewer.

At times, Anything for Jackson was a little hard to follow, maybe due to its non-linear storytelling, but at least it has a substantial amount of decent replay value, since the demons and kills are so gloriously gory.

Eric Schultz’s dark and trippy sci-fi thriller MINOR PREMISE (Utopia) stars Sathya Sridharan as neuroscientist Ethan, who gets caught up in his own risky experiment involving memory loss when he becomes trapped in his home with his ex-girlfriend Allie (Paton Ashbrook), and he doesn’t remember how they both got there.

For his directorial debut, Schultz has taken the cerebral indie sci-fi film route that we’ve seen in other filmmaking debuts like Shane Carruth’s Primer, Darren Aronofsky’s Pi or Richard Kelly’s Donnie Darko, and if you’re a fan of those movies, you’ll already know if this would be for you or not. This is also the kind of movie that really requires the closest attention and fullest focus, which is not something I’m great at right now. Because of that, I don’t have a ton to say about a film that does a good job pulling the viewer in with its intriguing premise.

Schultz is a pretty decent filmmaker and discovering Sridharan, who has done a lot of single-episode TV appearances but nothing major, is quite a coup since this is quite a solid showcase for the young actor. I wasn’t as crazy about Ashbrook, which makes it for a rather uneven two-hander.

Minor Premise is just fine, and I think some people will definitely like it more than I did. I definitely will have to watch it again when I’m not so distracted by ALL THOSE OTHER MOVIES ABOVE THAT I JUST FUCKING REVIEWED!

It will be in theaters, in virtual cinema, and digital/On Demand this Friday, so check it out for yourself.

And finally…

Director Dennis Dugan of Big Daddy and Happy Gilmore directs LOVE, WEDDINGS AND OTHER DISASTERS (Saban Films), a “Love American Style” rom-com anthology with a cast that includes Maggie Grace, Jeremy Irons, Diane Keaton and more. Grace plays Jessie, a fairly inexperienced wedding plan hired to orchestrate the high-profile wedding of Boston mayoral candidate (Dennis Staroselsky), and then… oh, you know what? I’ll leave the rest of the description to the review portion of our review.

We meet Grace’s character as she and her soon-to-be-ex boyfriend are skydiving, which goes horribly wrong as they end up fighting all the way down and crashing through an outdoor wedding, caught on a viral video that gets her dubbed the “Wedding Thrasher.” Imagine what a PR disaster that would be for mayoral candidate Rob Barton to have her planning his wedding, but Jessie quickly bonds with his fiancé Liz (Caroline Portu) and begins preparations. Meanwhile, Barton’s problematic brother Jimmy (Andy Goldenberg) has gone on a game show called “Crash Couples” (that’s hosted by no less than Dugan himself) and he allows himself to be chained to a Russian “lawyer” named Svetlana (Melinda Hill) who is actually a stripper. They’re willing to stick it out since the winner gets a million dollars.

Surely, that’s more than enough stories, right? Nope. Turns out that Jessie’s main competition to plan the wedding is a legendary caterer named Lawrence Phillips (Irons) who is set-up on a blind date with Diane Keaton, who is blind. Oy vey. Also, there’s Andrew Bachelor as Captain Ritchie, who gives humorous sightseeing tours of Boston via the Charles River in an odd land/water vehicle, but one day, he encounters a young woman with a glass slipper tattoo, and he becomes quite smitten. We’ll get back to him. Maybe. In fact, Duggan spends so much time setting up different stories and relationships without much connection that you wonder whether he can tie things up in the oh-so-predictable way these things normally go.

Although the movie starts out fine, and it’s actually not a bad role for Grace, as soon as Duggan introduces the game show, then we learn that Svetlana (real name Olga) is a tripper connected to the mob and they get involved, things just start going downhill very fast. Also, the idea that Keaton -- who I haven’t seen in a good movie in almost two decades -- would not think twice about playing a klutzy blind person. As soon as she shows up and immediately knocks over one of Phillips’ signature champagne glass fountains, I knew we were in for a very long haul. I didn’t even mention the other storyline involving a musician named Mack (Diego Boneta) whose band Jessie is trying to get to play the wedding – one of the multiple meet-cutes in the movie -- although Mack is squabbling with his bandmate Lenny (Jesse McCartney) who has a new Asian girlfriend who is intruding in their friendship. (I’m sure the fact her name is “Yoni” is meant as as Yoko Ono reference.)

Then on top of that, Dugan steals the gimmick from There’s Something About Mary, by constantly cutting back to Elle King and Keaton Simmons as they’re playing folksy songs in the park. Okay, the fact that Dugan wrote many of those pretty decent songs they perform is pretty impressive.

But the movie is very predictable, especially how it all comes together for the finale, which obviously has to take place at the wedding to which everything has been building up to.

Otherwise, Dugan’s film is maybe 20% an okay movie but the other 80%? Yeesh!! It’s about as romantic as a date with the Marquis de Sade, and it somehow manages to be an equal opportunity offender... in terms of offending blind people, Asians, Jews, Arabs, gay people and even strippers and Russian mafia. It took Dugan 14 years to get this passion project made, and it’s pretty obvious why.

As usual, there were a couple movies I didn’t have time to watch, but not quite as many as the ones I did make time to watch:

King of Knives (Gravitas Ventures) End of Sentence (Gravitas Venture) Billie (Greenwich) Godmothered (Disney+) Wander (Saban Films) Music Got Me Here (First Run Features) Stand! (Fathom Events, Imagination Worldwide) HAM: A Musical Memoir (Global Digital Releasing) In the Mood for Love (4k Restoration)

By the way, if you read this week’s column and have bothered to read this far down, feel free to drop me some thoughts at Edward dot Douglas at Gmail dot Com or drop me a note or tweet on Twitter. I love hearing from readers … honest!

#TheWeekendWarrior #Movies #Reviews #ImYourWoman #Mank #Nomadland #CrockOfGold #TheProm #BlackBear #Luxor #AnotherRound #HalfBrothers #AllMyLife

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oveliagirlhaditright · 5 years

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Cherish the Moment - A SoKai Wedding Fic

Rated T. Sora and Kairi get married... Though there's some subverting expectations in here, since it's the only way I could write this--A, because so many others already have and B, because I felt I'd mess it up if I did it any other way--like, there are some moments Kairi's a bit sad that the few feelings she had for Riku will remain a question mark now (and thinks Sora might feel the same way about his feelings for Naminé)... But that really only lasts for five seconds, and can be seen as Kairi wedding jitters, as I swear all of this is really the fluffiest SoKai piece you'll ever read. SoKai, RokuShi, Namiku, Terqua, Gulava, VentusStrelitzia (as well as past PlayerStrelitzia). Slight RiKai and SoNami, but not really, but definitely more of the former, if any. Kind of written by accident when I needed a break from my other stories... and then it snowballed.

Kairi's PoV

As lovely as Kairi’s marriage to Sora was—that she did want more than anything else in that World, and that was a dream come true in so many ways—there was a little part of Kairi, that was sad that the questions she’d once had about Riku and herself would remain exactly that. And she imagined that… even though Sora would never admit it, the side of his heart that still existed in Castle Oblivion felt that about his tangled feelings for Naminé. But it was what it was—since this was real life, and it wasn't perfect, and Kairi wouldn't trade this feeling for the nothingness she’d felt at Sora’s disappearance for the world. Kairi wore something evergreen as her wedding dress—since it was the color she looked best in, and she wanted to look as beautiful as she could for Sora. ….Also, because Kairi had lost her virginity to Sora a long time ago, and she wasn’t going to lie or feel ashamed about it—and in order to match her, her sun was wearing a yellow tuxedo: that reminded Kairi of the bog world she and Sora had recently visited, that made her happy. Of all places they could've gotten married, the couple had chosen Monstropolus' laugh factory, for Kairi had thought if they got married in front of all the running doors, it could make a lovely sight. And it had. The two had also gotten Barbossa to marry them (when King Mickey had said he would be too nervous to do so). That had been Sora's idea… and Kairi got the sense that it was largely because he had been inspired by Will and Elizabeth’s wedding, who he thought they were like. Which was beyond sweet... And seeing the man's humorous reaction to this new world—before Sora and Riku had nearly instantly shoved him back through a Corridor of Light—had been more than funny to Kairi. But he'd actually officiated for them perfectly, in asking Sora if Kairi was the Elizabet to his Will or Calypso to his Davy Jones… But when Barbossa had begun talking about Sora and Kairi’s upcoming wedding night, Sora and Riku had furiously made him vacate the premises… and despite everything, Kairi had laughed. Even while she’d tried to defend the pirate from her husband and big brother (because yes, that was what Riku really was to her) But after that drama—right after they’d been married—Sora and Kairi had rode atop one of the doors together for a while—with both of them kicking their legs to and fro as it moved beneath them, like they’d both rocked on the paopu tree all those years ago. And while both Kairi and Sora felt somewhat bad that they were keeping their joy from everyone else, by having this special and private moment… they contended themselves with the fact that every other married couple would have been getting pictures away from everyone else at this point, anyway. "But maybe we shouldn't be doing this," Sora eventually said with a chuckle. "I mean, your wedding dress is so impractical for writing doors on, Kai. You might fall right off! And the last thing I want, is for my wife to die on our wedding day." But at this point that Sora had said this, the door had already reached its destination—sort of making Sora's words moot—but Kairi couldn't help teasing her love about it, all the same. "It's okay, Sora. Wielding the Keyblade gives us mastery over gravity, remember? That's how I fought in a dress in The Castle That Never Was. So, I’ll be fine if we want to do this again." But right now, they had bigger fish to fry. So Kairi walked towards Boo's door. The spouses had planned to go visit Boo during their wedding—because they'd wanted everyone they loved to be able to attend. And Kairi adored her, now that she’d gotten to meet her a few times. But now that she and Sora were at her door, planning to go through, Kairi found herself second-guessing if this was a good idea at all. They didn’t want to risk spooking the girl’s parents, who still somehow didn’t know about other worlds… "Sora," Kairi started, as she with loving eyes pulled him away from the door he'd just opened. “We can maybe disturb Boo later… But don't you think we should go see the rest of our friends for a little bit before our honeymoon? Sora didn't have to be asked twice; Kairi had sensed that he was missing Riku, after all. When the two of them got back to the Laugh Floor—where their ceremony had taken place—the lovers could see that Riku was trying to see if Naminé would eat the lemon meringue pie, if he got rid of the gooey bits from it, that she didn't like. …Riku and Naminé were wonderful for each other, and Kairi was honestly glad that they had each other... And Naminé ending up accepting Riku's offer was just further proof of that, in her eyes. And what were Sora and Kairi’s other friends doing right now? Most of the ones with responsibilities in other parts of the galaxy had left already. But some were still here. Like right now, Kairi could see that Ariel was thrilled that she could be part human, part mermaid in a monster form here if she wished... Aladdin was trying to stop Abu from stealing things, it appeared (though this was unnecessary, as both Kairi and Sora had told their guests that they were welcome to any of the decorations the two of them had brought here), and Kairi was glad when Xion kept reminding him that it was fine... Hercules was trying to convince Mike and Sully that they might as well have statues of themselves put up here in their world, like he had a few of his own in Olympus. And the Restoration Committee was trying to see if they could use the door system themselves, as some part of the defense mechanism. And a Lightning was wondering why just because a "Tron" (who had thankfully been restored!) had added a data version of her to his system, the real her had been invited to this wedding… Kairi didn’t even know the answer to that herself, but the more the merrier! Right? As for everyone else... Roxas was by Xion’s side in the whole Abu and Aladdin scenario. The former Nobody did seem somewhat sad that Xion was paying all her attention to it, instead of him… But since it was for Xion, it was clear that he was happy to be doing whatever she was. Terra and Aqua were dancing, and it made Kairi ponder whether or not they'd now decided they saw each other as more than siblings, after all. Lauriam and Ven were… comforting Strelitzia over Player's death. And Kairi once again thought about telling the poor dear that she hadn't had to come here—and that she could leave whenever she wanted to—but that she and Sora were both thankful she had come at all... And Lea, and Isa were catching up with Skuld at the punch table... And it looked as though King Mickey, Donald, Goofy, and Master Yen Sid were working on some amazing fireworks for Sora and herself? "Where do we even begin?" Sora asked nervously, as he scratched his ear. Kairi imagined that Sora probably wanted to go help with the fireworks display, but given his tendency to sometimes make things blow up—like those blasters back at The World That Never Was—Kairi didn’t know if that was the best idea. "Say, Kairi… what do you say we go talk to Ava first? Is it me, or does she seem lonely?" And Ava did seem that way. And Kairi got the sense that while the woman was thrilled, that what she’d done had helped to lead everyone here... that she was beginning to think what the Master of Masters had been after similar things, after all, and that maybe she had been wrong to kill him. And as soon as they approached Ava, she was telling them just that. "It's a beautiful wedding you’re having, Sora, Kairi... but my father should have been here, since he created all of this. But he isn't... and that’s my fault." '…Except that, as great as your father was… I think he did go insane from it all and would have destroyed the world, if you hadn't stopped him,' Kairi wanted to say, but didn’t. And judging by how Sora kept opening his mouth and shutting it again, Kairi thought that her other heart felt much the same way. But instead, she enveloped the girl in her arms--that Sora watched with a proud twinkle in his eye before he’d turned away from them, Kairi had seen. Perhaps he was about to find Gula and tell him to make sure his girlfriend was happy –and told her what was in her heart. "I get where you're coming from, Ava. Really, I do. And joyful times can make you think of all those who you've lost, who you wish could be there for you, too. …But I think you're looking at this in the wrong way. You've got to think about all that you have! Like your dear friends Gula, Invi, Aced, and Ira... and all of the various Key Kids who found their way here; and how you're now friends with us: the new guard when it comes to the Light, and together we've created some beautifulthings." And there was also the answer to Kairi’s own problem, wasn't it? She had been somewhat focusing on the teeny, tiny bit that she and Sora were losing in getting married—since they had had other feelings for others in the past—that she’d missed that, despite everything, she was finally tied with the love of her life in every way she had wanted to... and that meant more than all of the munny in the world ever could. And her words must have had the intended result of getting through to Ava, too, Kairi saw, because the older woman wiped her tears away... smiled at Kairi and Sora, as he joined them with Gula being pulled behind him, and said, "You’re right, Kairi. And in my heart, I’m still a leader to the Dandelion children. So why am I becoming undone, when I should be comforting Strelitzia--who's already lost so much!—about her love? If you'll excuse me, I'm going to go do that right now. Thank you, my King and Queen." Kairi blushed at that title she and Sora had been given after everything they'd done (Riku and Naminé had even been given some, too), but didn't let it show. Instead, she admired how at that exact moment, Gula had chosen to kiss Ava on the cheek—to show her that she was cared for, but not distract her too much from her mission; or so Kairi guessed—while Ven had chosen to kiss Strelitzia full on the mouth, who was responding positively while Lauriam was not. So suddenly feeling very much in love for a few reasons, Kairi leapt into her precious Sora's arms—wrapping her legs around his waist, as he caught her at the last minute after her surprise attack. "Sora, you know what I just realized?” Kairi asked, as she leaned close to Sora and prayed to Kingdom Hearts to give her strength to say these next words, since she was a terrible dancer. “We've been lame! in not giving everyone our first dance yet!" Sora chuckled at this, as he leaned his forehead against Kairi’s own and looked deep into her eyes with loving ones of his own. “Then let’s go give them a show, Mrs.” And everyone around them must have realized what they were finally about to do, because Terra wolf-whistled, and Riku called out with a hand over his mouth, "Dance already, you two! You've already broken tradition by having the other couples do so before you!" Sora stuck his tongue out at Riku for that one. So in wanting to everything wedding the traditional way now, Kairi let Sora lead her onto the dance floor—and he winked at her in a way that made a shiver run down Kairi’s spine in the best way possible—and she prepared to do a nice, slow dance with Sora... only for the song to change to the Cupid Shuffle. And Kairi and Sora cracked up, as they once again leaned their foreheads against each other’s, but also held both of each other’s hands this time while doing so. After dancing to the song by themselves very shortly, Kairi and Sora motioned for everyone to come onto the dance floor with them... which Kairi was glad for—since it would hopefully distract everyone how she always messed up timing or did the wrong thing in this song. But Sora was a godsent when it came to making her look good at dancing, and somehow seemed charmed by her bad movements, so it was a win-win. Fortunately, the Cha-Cha slide came on right after the Cupid Shuffle—that Kairi knew better than any other dance—and she was able to redeem herself some. And seeming to realize she wanted to leave the dance floor on a high note, Sora asked with the kind of kindness he’d had in his eyes when he’d told Chirithy she’d made him remember how good it was to experience things with a friend, "Want to give everyone else the dance floor now?" And Kairi shouted "Yes!" faster than anything she'd ever said in her life, since—as it was—her feet were starting to kill her in these high heels, too. Sora, truly being a psychic, swept Kairi up off her feet before she could even voice the thought. And she leaned her head into his shoulder, like a soldier coming home for the first time in ages. It was at this time that everyone seemed figure out that they were ready to leave. So there were last minute goodbyes (Roxas pretended to cry that his brother was all grown up—and this had gotten a kick out of everyone—nevermind the fact that Sora was older than he was), thank yous, and promises to see each other again soon....As well as Kairi trying to give away some of the lantern decorations that she and Sora had bought for the event... But soon enough, everything was sorted out and Sora and Kairi were leaving in the gummi ship to go somewhere magical for their honeymoon, as all of their friends waved at them... and it was then that Kairi promptly passed out in Sora's arms... all the planning, stress, and exhausting—though perfect day—having finally gotten to her. … When Kairi later awoke, it wasn't to her and Sora's honeymoon location—as nice as that would have been; and Sora was still keeping it a secret where they were even going—but to their room in their gummi ship. And Kairi had to say... even if there was always a part of her that would slightly prefer being home, she could certainly get used to waking up in their bed in the gummi ship together. Sora’s scent was all over the blankets and it was lovely; Kairi had to resist the urge to roll herself back up into them and go to sleep again, even. But Sora must have sensed what she was about to do, because he stole her blankets away from her before she could get too comfortable and Kairi glared at him... before descending into a fit of giggles. "Hey, Kairi!" Sora was laughing himself. "You can't go back to sleep yet! I mean... here I am, somewhat carelessly leaving the ship in autopilot to make sure I was by your side when you first woke up after we were married. And you don't even care? C'mon! Where's the Kairi who jumped through Corridors of Darkness to see me?" Suddenly feeling more awake now, and giddy, and even somewhat like their younger selves, Kairi sat with her knees on the black mattress, and spared Sora a glance and a thought. "You're right... I'm not appreciating this moment enough at all. I should be calling you a 'lazy bum', and slapping you upside the head... Or actually, not doing that, because I'm a sensible girl who knows how to deal with her feelings now, outside of physically hurting the object of my affections. Especially since I need no excuse to touch you now. Eep!" And even before Kairi herself knew it—and she was the one who had done this!—she was flying through the air and then in Sora's arms, as she peppered kiss after kiss on every inch of his face, neck, and shoulders. And when he gently pushed her away from himself—while still smiling stupidly—Kairi could tell that he’d been getting distracted, too. But Sora somehow got himself back under control soon, to which Kairi could only frown. "Kairi… not now. The gummi ship will crash. And we're saving this for our special honeymoon, remember?" Kairi wanted to do anything but let Sora go. But as she recalled how Riku and Naminé's ship had been nearly destroyed by Heartless not so long ago, she thought that being cautious probably was for the best. "…Okay, Sora. Go pilot the gummi ship—and take me to wherever this glorious new world is—and I'll get us breakfast." Kairi, who had been moved by Sora's cooking at the bistro, almost hated that she was going to make stuff for them now... instead of letting the professional chef make food for her. But she also thought it was only fair, since he was apparently going all out for her in another way. And besides, she was quite the cook herself, wasn't she? Hadn't she found many neat ways to cook fruit on the island, that Sora and Riku had adored? Kairi got her answer to that question soon enough, when Sora told her "Yes, please do that, Kairi! And bring out the fruit flavor even more in the orange chicken, as you do!" And then Sora was diving for the control panel, as both he and Kairi saw an asteroid heading their way. And the Keyblade master got the ship to move in just the nick of time. Kairi laughed. As much as, in some ways, she didn't want it to be... this was kind of like old times: like when Sora had been driving the gummi ship after saving her from Hollow Bastion, and Kairi had been left asking Goofy what she could do to help him at all, while the brunet and Donald had fought about who was driving. And as much as Kairi had grown since then and was thrilled by it, because she never wanted to lose her friends again but to rather be their equal... She still liked being cherished by Sora like this—especially the day after their wedding—and if creating non-breakfast food was her part of the bargain to have that feeling, then she'd gladly do it. And she did. And the happy couple ate merrily. When they were done? Sora was pointing out to her the biggest amusement park she could have ever imagined! "Is this where we're going, Sora? It seems so fun! Oh! What's that ride that looks like a skyscraper, and-" Kairi got her answer to that question when she saw the "elevator" within the false building rocket back down to ground level from a horrifying height. "...You know, Kairi, weirdly enough... I must have somehow drawn on the imagery of this place when I developed my Attraction Flow. Or something. Like, I almost wanted to make an attack like that skyscraper—like a guillotine, almost—but I didn't." Huh. That was odd. Kairi really didn’t know what forces governed the multiverse—so maybe all things happened for a reason—but even so, there was at least one thing she didn’t want to talk about in that... "I'm all for us being entertained by roller coasters as part of our honeymoon, Sora... But can we stop talking about beheadings, please? I think I’m going to be sick." And not needing to say anymore to convince him, Sora gently took Kairi’s hand in his own and began leading her through the exit… and the moment Kairi’s feet touched the ground, she was already having so much fun! She ran on the cobblestone to where she could get funny little hats, and then motioned with her eyes that she and Sora should go to the castle towering above them next! Which they did. And as the two of them had always wanted to fly with one another, they went on a ride together of soaring elephants. And it reminded Kairi of that “Dumbo” Sora had summoned on his first journey. She had seen this while being in his heart. And Kairi made sure to point this out to Sora, as she leaned as close to him in the seat as she could—even getting out of her own seatbelt, so she could be within his. Once they exited that attraction, one of the workers seemed annoyed with what Kairi had done... but upon seeing the rings on her and Sora's fingers, shook his head and seemed to imagine it was only expected of newlyweds. Or so Kairi guessed, since he let them walk by without chewing them out in the slightest. Then, Sora was amazed by something called vanilla ice cream—since the two of them had only had seasalt and chocolate before—and in trying it herself, Kairi decided it was every bit as good as Sora said it was. And after that, Sora and Kairi discovered something called "race cars" in a place called “Autopia”, that neither could get enough of. But too soon after that—or perhaps not soon enough—they were back in their hotel room (that had aesthetics they both loved. Kairi partly loved them because there were pictures of Sora here somehow! Maybe the two of them really were somehow connected to this place and the multiverse was trying to show them it). And then Sora and Kairi were worshipping each other's bodies, lazily, as warm air spilled into the room. They'd both been slow and nervous with each other when they’d started, almost like it was their first time again, but then they’d found their way—as they always did with each other—and had just opted to make slow love. "And to think we can start every morning like this, Kairi," Sora said sweetly, as he kissed her lips and the morning sun spilled in. "Mmm. That’s the most perfect thing I can think of," Kairi answered back… “Well, aside from a few other things to make this even better”, Kairi said cheekily, as she sat up and her lips started going down, down, down Sora’s body. And in a world where anything could be torn away from them in any given moment—including each other, as they both knew well—knowing that they could wake up together for a while really was the best feeling in the world. And Kairi cherished it.

#sokai #fanfiction #fanfic #fic #mine #my work #Shanna writes #my writing #canon #canon compliant #as much as it can be anyway #future fic #post-khiii of course #way past khiii

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