#the idea of being able to rent out an entire theater when you want to see a movie is like...

[cookinguptales]

what the heck, TIL it's wildly affordable to rent out an entire movie theater. seeing prices between $100-500 depending on the size, location, and whether you want to watch a current movie. you can apparently hook up video game systems, too, and have a giant mario party night with your friends or something.

idk why I thought it'd be like $1000 minimum or something... like if you're going with enough people, it could even be cheaper to see a private screening than to all get tickets...

I saw one person say that every year they have a Christmas party with their friends and family and they rent out a theater to watch a Christmas movie. they all bring Christmas snacks and the theater is like $100 total. that's wild to me.

[midnightsunnyday]

Spoilers for the Devilgram Movie Date:

I've probably done about 80 summons, and this is the only card (plus Asmodeus gaurentee card) that I managed to get 😑 So for those having shitty luck or just can't get Mammon to come home, I give you spoilers galore!

Part One: MC runs into Mammon at RAD, who is alone mumbling to himself and seems very preoccupied over something. MC attempts to speak to him, to which after a few blunt responses, gives them the cold shoulder and walks off.

The next scene opens with MC in a classroom looking visibly dejected, to which Simeon notices and asks what's wrong. MC states that Mammon is being cold and aloof, to which Simeon is unable to imagine. It's then Mammon enters the classroom acting just as strange as before, yet when you attempt to speak with him again, he simply brushes both you and Simeon off and leaves.

Simeon is surprised by Mammon's behavior and believes he may be hiding something, to which you both agree to follow Mammon for answers.

Part Two: Simeon and MC follow Mammon, who is acting very "suspicious." They see him walk inside a boutique and try on a suite and Simeon wonders where he could possibly be going dressed in such a way. He then walks inside the movie theater, to which Simeon questions whether he could be going on a date.

The next scene opens with Mammon inside the theater seemingly preparing for some kind of event. Both MC and Simeon walk inside, with Mammon asking what they're both doing here. Simeon admits that it was his idea to follow Mammon, yet only because MC came to him stating that he wasn't acting like himself lately. Mammon states that the reason he's been acting strange is because a lot has been happening to him lately. Simeon then leaves the theater so that MC and Mammon can have a proper conversation.

Part Three: Mammon apologizes for his strange behavior and admits that the reason he kept avoiding MC was so that he could throw them a surprise date for the new Harrison Potter movie that came out. Mammon rented out the entire theater so you both could have your own private viewing party, spending the entire time decorating the theater and even planning to give MC a proper invite. Yet since the surprise is ruined, Mammon suggests getting started with the movie. Mammon also picked out an outfit for MC and tells them to hurry up and get changed.

Part Four: both you and Mammon begin to watch the movie together in your loveseats. He's even prepared your favorite snacks and refreshments. During the movie he asks you to feed him, which you have the option of telling him to either feed himself or to oblige.

As the movie starts, he also asks you to come closer, which you also have the option to either focus on the movie or move closer. Mammon is clearly excited the entire time, to which you can either tell him to be quiet or tell him how cute his reactions are.

By the end, Mammon comments that was the best movie ever and depending on which option you choose, the ending branches off:

If you ask "what should we do now?" Mammon says he'll take you wherever you want to go and if there's anything you had in mind, in which you can choose "I want to sit with you forever" or "I want to kiss you." Sitting with him forever leads to Mammon stating that we must really find the love seats comfortable and he doesn't blame us for not wanting to leave, with him agreeing with you to watch the movie again. The "I want to kiss you" option leads with Mammon telling you not to tempt him and what would we do if he couldn't control himself? To which MC proceeds to ignore him and cover a blushing Mammon in kisses. He then states that we aren't giving him much of a choice and that since no one is coming into the theater, he'll show us what he means.

If you say "I want to watch it again," Mammon says he'll watch it with you however many times you want. He then admits that he isn't exactly good at planning surprises and wasn't able to ask you out properly either, but that seeing you smile makes it worth it. You can then say it either "went exactly how you expected" or that "it's your turn to surprise him with something." If you choose the former, he asks if you're implying that his plans always fail, and throws a bit of food at us as a joke. He also tells us that he knows he isn't always perfect, but thanks us for accepting him as he is and asks that we continue to have fun together.

If you choose the latter, Mammon states that it isn't really much of a surprise if you tell him and now he's expecting something to happen. Yet he appreciates the offer and is just happy hanging out and having fun with you. Mammon further stated that the best surprise for him is a chance to be together with you.

Tl;dr: Mammon is acting weird. MC and Simeon follow him and act like they're on an episode of Cheaters. Turns out Mammon rented an entire theater to throw us a surprise movie date. Crises averted. Gets all the love.

My thoughts: if you're a Mammon simp, I definitely think you'll enjoy this card. Lots of fanservice and us just genuinely enjoying his company. Though there is the option to be kind of a jerk to him, yet who wants to do that? The way he melts when we return his affections is too cute to deny. Also, never go to a movie with Mammon. He'll either scream the whole time or react to everything in it. You'll definitely get kicked out.

Also, MC in this card is probably even more tsundere than Mammon. How sad they are when he ignores them. Their general reaction to the belief that he's cheating on them. And how they take the initiative in the theater with the kissing option, leaving Mammon a blushing mess. It's A1 stuff. 

Also, Simeon was here. He did things, I guess.

Overall, I give this card...10/10. Honestly, I think it's pretty great and shows how much Mammon is willing to do for us. Best boy.

Bonuses:

MC in their feelings over Mammon:

MC ready to whoop that ass:

Mammon may be a demon, but even he wouldn't committ adultery:

[chidoroki]

TPN - “Dreams Come True”

What better way to cheer up the TPN fandom after the second season’s final episode than with the special exhibition chapter finally being fully translated. I caught glimpses of a few pages here and there over the past couple months but seeing all the children live happily together in the human world in their own little village that they made close to Emma and Alex warms my heart. Of course I would’ve loved if we got to see more of the GP Resistance (because the anime denied us of them) but following the GF kids around the world as they experience their dreams is fair enough. We started the series alongside them so might as well finish strong with them too. I really loved seeing everyone grow up but no matter how old they get or how much time passes, I’ll probably never get used to seeing Emma without her iconic “63194.” It’s a bittersweet feeling for me, but her smiles bring me so much joy and I’m beyond happy that she accepted everyone into her life as they accepted her without her memories.

I haven’t a clue on how much time passed since everyone found Emma in ch181 to now, but seeing her call out everyone’s names is a little detail that I love so much considering she had no idea who anyone was at first. Trying to remember 60+ names doesn’t seem like an easy task to me. No doubt I was just as shocked as our girl upon learning these mere children bought a goddamn plane! We learn in a couple pages that it’s because of Norman’s company that they can afford it, but still, he’s like 15 or 16 now? He’s still a child! And I’m impressed! Not only at him, but that Oliver and Violet became pilots as well! It’s especially cute when you remember that Lucas gave Oliver a little toy plane during their time at Goldy Pond.

Speaking of GP, is it just me or does Emma’s current outfit resemble her GP one just a little bit? Sure we have no idea what color scheme this one has but come on, the short jacket, the dark shirt and jeans.. just imagine it! Jemima, Yvette, Alicia and Mark remade Gillian’s original GP outfit sometime before the Grace Field Raid arc (ch137 extra page) so I don’t doubt they could’ve done the same for Emma. Of course that’s just me being completely hopeful and missing the Goldy Pond arc to death but yeah! I’m also so happy to see Chris up and moving again! Seeing him wake up briefly in ch181 was nice but this is so much better. I imagine he and Emma have a lot to catch up on in terms of stories, with him being unconscious since ch105 and Emma not remembering anything.

But here we go, the original 15 escapees plus Norman, Phil, Sherry, I believe I saw Carol somewhere and a couple other random kiddos ready to see the entire world. They get to accomplish so much.. and in a single day too I believe? At least that’s what Phil and Alicia say a bit later about everyone’s wishes, but aahh what a lucky bunch. Hell, I’ll say we’re lucky readers too to be able to see such a great story. Can’t thank Shirai and Demizu enough y’all. I wish we got to see more of Alex though. He’s such a kind soul but I’m sure he’ll be just fine staying behind with everyone else.

This entire page where we learn about Norman as a CEO is gold. I still can’t believe this child successfully built up an entire multipurpose company not only to help their search for Emma but also because he didn’t want to live off the Ratri clan. I wish I knew about this last week when writing out Norman’s birthday post because hell yeah this deserves some praise! AND he managed to graduate school as well during all that! Well, by skipping grades which totally makes sense. I mean, if he managed to pass all the Grace Field and Lambda tests effortlessly I’m sure normal human world school was a piece of cake for him. Holy shit dude, keep on impressing me why don’t ya. Not only him but Nigel and Sonya too! I’m not surprised that Vincent helped out but I’m glad those two got a tiny moment to shine as well! Ray is another obvious choice when it comes to helping Norman, as they’re best friends and he’s always been good with machines.. but boy, I can’t take you seriously when you’re just sitting there unamused and eating chips! Hahah I love him so much! And the fact he replies to Norman’s idea with just a simple “kay” is an eternal mood.

Okay boys aside, can we talk about our fabulous girls now? Because oh my god, they’re so darn beautiful! They’re more fashionable than I’ll ever be and it’s so cute how they drag Emma along to take advantage of the 3-for-1 deal. But our girl pulls off that sporty look so well! (r.i.p. goldy pond outfit ver2.0). I’m not at all surprised that Nat wanted to go see the opera. That's perfect for him and I’d like to think the anime did something similar with that one shot we see of him in the human world. We don’t see him in a theater like this but to me it looks like he’s on the streets of Broadway? At least that’s the vibe I get from it. I’m sure there was something music related on one of those signs.

I can’t get over how adorable all the children look and how happy they are fulfilling their wishes, even if some of them aren’t as extravagant as others. Like eating a fluffy pancake and a ton of ice cream? We can do that whenever we want. But for these kids, it means everything and they absolutely deserve to experience such simple joys like that after all the harsh nonsense they’ve been through. I also love how Ray continues to be such a great older brother by still looking out for them too. The fact he remains completely unfazed by the haunted house is perfect. This boy has been haunted by his own nightmares and demons his entire life, there’s no way a couple of lousy jump scares are gonna spook him. Though I do find it funny that Alicia and Rossi still manage to get scared while Yvette is having the time of her life. I can’t help but laugh at Thoma’s “Shirai face” as well.

I find it interesting that out of all the different kinds of exhibits they could’ve shown us while Rossi visits a museum, they give us dinosaurs.. like that seems so silly to me. Y’all have seen several demons in your young lives already and yet dinosaurs manage to amaze you too? God these kids are precious. And then our boy Phil finally gets to see and ride a train! Just look how happy he is! The poor kid can’t even sit still he’s so darn excited and I can’t help but smile with him! Thankfully the anime showed us this too.

We eventually get to Ray’s wish and guys.. oh my fucking god. Tell me that this is not the absolute best and prettiest smile we get to see from him!! It honestly leaves me speechless okay? Ray never imagined he would ever get to see the outside world, let alone live past the age of 12, and yet here he is, seeing such a beautiful sight such as this, right in front of him instead of from inside a book. You can’t believe how happy and proud of him I am right now. Did you see how ecstatic I was when the anime kept Isabella alive? Multiply that feeling by ten and there ya go. That’s my level of happiness upon seeing my favorite boy smile like THAT! AAHHH!! That panel is gonna live rent free in my head until the end of time. I can’t get over how damn perfect it is. His smile is so pure and how he looks like he’s in complete awe is beautiful. He’s about to burst into tears and I swear I might do the same because I’m making myself emotional over this fantastic boy. Someone hold me.

No seriously, hold me because we’re about to get into some angst as we move onto to Emma’s wish. We all know that ever since 2039 her one dream was to ride a giraffe once they got outside, so here we are, about ten years later and the animals in question are within reach. Our girl should be totally excited, right? Ha, not quite.

That wish was something the old Emma wanted, but since demon god had to be such a bastard, this Emma doesn’t know what to think, let alone what to even feel. She hasn’t experienced the same hardships as her family. She hasn’t gone through hell and back while holding onto that one wish that would make all the suffering worth it. The amount of joy everyone else felt upon living out their dreams, she wonders if she would be able to feel it too.

They brought her here to make her happy, but is this truly want she wants as well? This is old Emma’s wish after all. What about her and what she wants? Could this wish make her just as happy as her old self? She knows her family is only trying to help, but seeing her doubt herself does a number on my heart. Even without her memories, she’s still the same Emma deep down, as she doesn’t want to disappoint her family. She spends so much time worrying about living up to her family’s expectations, to try and be that Emma they all love so dearly.

Little does she know that she acts the exact same as usual, almost as if nothing has changed when she finally expresses how much she wants to ride a giraffe. And that’s great considering when they first arrived at the giraffes, no on had even mentioned riding them. She came across that feeling all on her own and everyone else can’t help but laugh and feel relieved. Her mind may have forgotten but her heart remembers everything. There is no “old Emma” and “new Emma” to her family, just “Emma” and words can’t express how wholesome that is because they love her regardless. All that matters to them is Emma’s happiness because if anyone deserves to feel and experience that, it’s her.

I just made myself tear up, damn it. I started this series with season one okay? I heard about this precious girl’s dream within the first minute of the first episode and here I am, a little bit over two years later, finally reading about it coming true and seeing that bright as hell smile on her face. Do you know how amazing it is to come full circle like that? My heart feels so full right now. I’m beyond proud of her and love her to death. Say what you want but I believe this to be the true manga ending in my eyes.

(damn this series for always getting me emotional)

[kimnjss]

roleplaying | requested reaction

NAMJOON

Joon would be so into it. Might even be the one to suggest it to be honest. He wouldn't hesitate at all if you were coming out and saying you wanted to try roleplaying because he'd more than likely would be thinking the same thing.

He'd get really involved when it came to what roles you wanted to play and would want to make it as realistic as possible. Namjoon would take his role very seriously and wouldn't break character the entire time. And seeing you getting into the characters and hearing the things you come up with to say would turn him on like crazy.

Out of all the roles and scenarios the two of you have come up with, his favorite is undoubtedly professor/student. He would, of course, purchase a cute uniform for you to wear while he came dressed in a pair of glasses and a nice suit. Joon would even went as far as re-renting the set used for their Boy In Luv music video, to truly set the tone of your scene.

How into it he gets really has you sticking to your character and him taking his role so seriously is what makes roleplaying with him that much more fun.

JIN

The two of you wouldn't do it often, since it would require a bit of planning before hand Jin really enjoyed going for it whenever the moment felt right. He'd be interested to try if you were bringing it up to him and would take it seriously for the most part. When you had first mentioned it, he thought that you were only kidding.

But once he knew that it was something that you actually wanted to do, he'd be into trying it out just to see a smile on your face. Before, during and after. The scene would be something simple, since it is something that the both of you would be new at.

Something easy that is overplayed in pornos, he'd play the delivery guy – whether it was pizza or a package. Jin would try his best with keeping up with the character and saying the right thing. In the back of his mind, he's wanting to fast forward to the part where he'd actually get to drop the act and do what he's best at. Making you feel good.

Once you'd be getting down to it, Jin would end up breaking character more often. His personality leaking through, but of course you didn't mind it. You thought it was cute how hard he tried to stay in character just to end up breaking it to tell you he loves you.

YOONGI

It wouldn't necessarily be on the top of Yoongi's list, much more preferred just fucking you regular without all the tricks and gimmicks, but he wouldn't protest if he saw that it was something that you really wanted to try or if it was something that he knew you were into. He just wouldn't care too much about it.

Since he's pretty blasé about the whole thing, he wouldn't get too into his character and would choose the most simple scenario to get into. Strangers who just met and decided to sleep together would be his go to because he can just ct as if he doesn't know your body like the back of his hand. Of course, he'd be dropping character halfway through, not being able to hold back from making you moan.

You'd find it funny, because he would try to keep it together but at the end of the day it just wasn't for him. It didn't matter much, though. Overall, you always enjoyed yourself when the two were together you had zero complaints.

There are times, though. Where he has literally surprised you in public. Acting like an actual stranger and baiting you to come home with him. Instances like those were extremely rare, but you loved the randomness of them.

HOSEOK

The first time you met Hoseok was at one of his shows. A chance meting behind the arena when he was getting into his car. You had enjoyed the show, sad to leave and annoyed that the Uber driver had you walking all over the place just to be picked up. Your merch a dead giveaway that you were a fan, so he was easily striking up conversation.

Your ride came just as he was working up the courage to ask f you wanted to spend more time together. Instead, you're taking his number and spending the entire car ride home and the rest of the night talking to each other.

It as safe to say that, that was his favorite moment. With how fond he grew of you after the fact, he's thankful for his friends urging him to go say hi to the pretty girl. He would be the one to suggest roleplaying after you were showing the slightest bit of interest in it.

He loved and cherished the relationship that the two of you had, but it never truly left his mind what it would've been like if you had slept together the first night you met. So reliving your first meeting with the addition of claw backs and sweaty kisses would be a lot of fun for him. And for you too, sleeping with him that first night was something you wondered a lot about too.

JIMIN

It would be your idea from the start of it, but Jimin would be down or the experience. Even though you had brought it up, he would take over the planning of it, wanting the whole thing to be as dramatic and creative as it possibly be. Which meant costumes and intricate well rounded characters. An entire theater production in your bedroom.

He'd be all smiling cheeks the day everything came in for your night together. Announcing that out of the options you had told him to pick from, he chose the angel and demon scenario. Him as the angel, of course. Some wings for him to wear and a latex one piece for you.

Unlike normal nights between the two of you, you'd be in complete control. Him as an angel caught at the hands of a vengeful demon. It was cute to you how much thought he put into the story and you'd easily find yourself slipping into your role.

Despite the amount of care he put into getting this night together and how excited he was up to this day, Jimin would be breaking character almost immediately. Which you would find hilarious and wouldn't budge to his whining. It wasn't often that you got to take control and with safe words in place, you could comfortably make him squirm with or without roles.

TAEHYUNG

As for fully thought out scenarios, Taehyung wouldn't be too into it. Wouldn't be too interested in getting into character and all that, but would naturally fall into a dominant role almost every time the two of you were venturing out to try something new. You liked how he got when he was in control, so not taking part in actual scenes really didn't bother you.

Safe to say, Taehyung new you and your body like the back of his hand – so not much guessing was needed when it came to pleasing you. The two of you liked to keep thing fresh and exciting in the bedroom and he was always down to try out whatever you wanted and vice versa.

Props aren't a stranger to the bedroom with you. Whether he's securing a leash around your neck or cuffing your hands to the headboard. He'd reach the height of his dominance in those moments, loved it the most when you were desperate for him so having you cuffed was the best in his opinion.

Switching wasn't something he did often or even thought about, but he'd let you have your fun for a little while he was going to take control again. Hardly ever did you try to cuff him and if you were to brave it – a punishment would definitely be in order.

JUNGKOOK

A lot of thought would be put into what roles and scenarios the two of you would play. Jungkook would be all for the idea and excited to do his best the moment you were bringing it up. For the majority of your relationship, the sex between the two of you has been pretty dry cut normal. Not boring, but nothing out of the ordinary.

So he was jumping on the chance to spice things up. The type of characters the two of you would play is the first thing he's figuring out. Grinning when you're agreeing to his superhero/villain idea. And he's quick to go out and buy costumes for the both of you.

Where you guys did it wouldn't really matter to him, fitting whatever spot it would be into his scenario. He knew that you were most comfortable in your shared apartment, so he'd get to putting something nice together for the two of you there.

He wouldn't for a second break character, playing the hell out of his superhero one rogue role. You, as the villain he caught and is more than ready to have his way with. Jungkook would make sure to make it fun for the both of you and with how serious he took his role, you'd be doing the same.

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[domesticnct]

NCT In a School Play

Hey y’all this is my first set of headcanons for soft boys NCT. Even though it’s not really domestic, these are some random headcanons me and my friend had for them from my school theater days. I hope you guys enjoy them! Warning, it’s kind of long.

Taeil - Supporting Lead

This man has a BEAUTIFUL voice so of course he has a super important role. He originally wanted the lead role (who doesn’t), but there was a specific song that Doyoung wanted him to sing. 

If it weren’t for Haechan’s performance being so extra, Taeil’s voice alone would have stolen the whole show. 

He also takes on the older sibling role and likes to help the other cast members memorize their lines, practice their songs, and warm up.

Doyoung was originally in charge of leading vocal warm ups, but Taeil just sort of took over because people took him more seriously than Doyoung being the oldest. 

He’s the nicest person on the set and always makes sure everyone has what they need and takes the stage and backstage managers jobs frequently during dress rehearsals. 

But the day of the actual performance he let them do their part and focused on his performance and it turned out amazing.

Taeyong - The Director/ Casting Director

Super chill and is really just there to make sure things don’t get too chaotic. 

It was his idea to do a play so they could make new friends and also bond together. 

He organized most of the things for the play like finding and renting a theater, coming up with the budget, picking the actual play, setting up rehearsal times and making sure water was always provided, but he also left a lot of other responsibilities up to the other members like costumes, selling and designing tickets, and designing the set.

He would make an appearance in the play just because the other cast members begged him to so he complied. 

He had the most fun out of everyone because everyone was just having fun together and their happiness is his happiness.

Johnny - Stage Hand

This man is HUGE and has MUSCLES so he would definitely be in charge of all the set changes. 

During practices he’s mostly goofing off and not paying attention to his cues causing chaos and calamity to ensue. 

Him, Haechan, Mark, Yang Yang, and Chenle give Doyoung the hardest time out of everyone. 

The day of the performance he would show up in all black with a ski mask and it would scare tf out of everyone. They thought someone was breaking in to murder them. 

Jisung saw him and DIPPED and probably ran crying to his mom  Taeyong saying there were all about to die but then Taeyong was like “oh that’s just Johnny, I can’t believe he actually went through with wearing it when I said a black tee-shirt was good enough.”

He shows up as an extra in a scene or two and jokes around with Mark on stage and gets the evil eye from Doyoung so he stopped. 

Yuta - Makeup artist/ Costumes

As soon as he heard there was going to be a play he volunteered to do makeup.

Taeyong told him they didn’t really need anything extra, but he still wanted to go all out.

During dress rehearsals he would give everyone really cool and unique looks which of course made Doyoung flip out because the play was supposed to be about the performance, and not the appearance.

He also never shows up to any of the practices, only the dress rehearsals and performances. 

He also designs and makes the costumes and they’re super detailed and absolutely amazing. 

Everyone talked about the costumes for weeks and he was GASSED.

You know I had to do it to him

Doyoung - Producer/ Casting Director

Let’s be real, Doyoung is the REAL director of this play. 

I see him being the producer who has a vision and being really extra about it and lowkey annoying. 

He kind of micromanages everyone involved, but it’s because he really wants everything to be perfect. 

He had like 10,000 breakdowns during production because the boys can be so rowdy and don’t always listen. Taeyong doesn’t help much because he’s usually goofing off with everyone else and tells Doyoung not to take it so seriously because it’s supposed to be fun.

On the day of the play he’s super anxious and everyone thinks he’s going to have a breakdown, but he’s actually surprisingly calm and does a complete 180 from how he was during the rest of the production. 

Everything went according to his “vision” and he probably cried at the end of the show because it turned out better than he ever imagined. 

Jaehyun - Ticket Sales

The love of my life

This man is SO fine they would use him to promote the play. 

Most of the audience are girls because all he had to do was flash a smile and they bought tickets. 

EVERYONE was disappointed when they saw he wasn’t in the play, though he did show up as an extra in like one scene because Taeyong said everyone had to participate, and also they needed someone to sing the low harmonies.

The one scene he was in his acting was really good despite having like two lines because actor Jaehyun  and Doyoung kind of regrets not giving him a bigger role. 

But they knew they needed someone insanely attractive and extroverted to be able to sell tickets. 

The ticket booth was crowded before the show and people showed up to buy tickets just to catch a glimpse of him because he is ethereal. 

Has a lot of fun with Mark and Johnny on set but also tells them to tone it down because he doesn’t want to upset Doyoung too much.

Jungwoo - Backstage manager

Jungwoo didn’t really want to be in the play because he wanted to support Doyoung because he knew how crazy the boys can get. 

He volunteered to be the backstage manager making sure everyone was in their costumes and in the wings in time for their performance. 

During rehearsal’s he usually just sat next to Doyoung trying to get him to calm down, but the second Doyoung stormed out he was joining in with everyone else before Taeyong said they really did need to get serious. 

On the night of the actual performance he was a frazzled bean running all over the dressing room bringing people water, tea, cleaning up clothes that were strewn about, and making sure people were listening for their cues to get ready to go out. 

But he also goofed off a little bit and still had fun. He maybe popped in for one scene as an extra just to appease Taeyong before running back to make sure everything was in order. 

Mark - Extra

Mark originally wanted to be in the play and have a speaking role, but the second he found out it was a musical he tried to back tf out, but of course Haechan dragged him back into it. 

Is one of the main people giving Doyoung a heart attack at every rehearsal. 

He gets bored easily because there isn’t much for him to do except stand around most of the time so he starts goofing off.

Walks around purposely singing the songs off key and terribly during practice annoying everyone and making them into raps, but on the day of the actual performance he sounds like an angel.

Despite not having a very important role, he has a lot of fun with everyone and shows up to every practice to show his support for everyone.

Haechan - Lead Role

This man was not originally cast as the lead, it was supposed to be Doyoung who was lowkey micromanaging the whole thing. However, when Taeyong had a certain vision for Doyoung’s role he left, causing Haechan to swoop in and take it. Though Haechan may or may not have been speaking into Doyoung’s ear about why he should quit because he wanted the role. 

He is a straight up DIVA on set. Like this man is a Gemini he would probably have ridiculous requests and demands such as organic lemon tea with manuka honey at a super specific temperature. When Jungwoo brings him his cup of tea he would spit it out all dramatic like “this is NOT what I requested.” Like Squidward with the lemonade in that one episode of Spongebob.

But he’s really just messing with everyone and when he isn’t being a little bit of a diva, he’s playing around on the set causing Doyoung and Taeyong headaches.

He would be the reason Doyoung walked out on several occasions from frustration saying he was quitting because no one took him seriously. 

Despite not being originally cast for the role, he does an amazing job. We all know Haechan is extra and can lowkey be a bit of a diva and he plays it UP for this role.

Doyoung is actually very satisfied with his performance and everything goes well.

Kun - Stage Manager/ Casting Director

Kun is the calmest person throughout the entire production. 

He’s so used to the chaos at this point that he remains the calmest. 

Since he’s the stage manager, he doesn’t really have much of a role outside of dress rehearsal’s and the actual performance. 

So, he offered to help with casting which he really enjoyed. 

Throughout the process he sort of backs Doyoung and Taeyong up in keeping everyone in check.

He also helps in several other areas whenever support was needed. 

Whether it was helping someone with their lines, helping Winwin perfect the choreography, or setting up the sound system for Jisung and Chenle to use, he does it all.

He also was the main person who assigned singing parts to all the extras and worked with everyone to make sure their harmonies were perfect. 

The day of the actual performance, he makes sure everything runs super smoothly. He makes sure Johnny is aware of when the set changes need to occur and makes sure everyone is on the stage at the right time.

He’s also super proud that his kids pulled it off when the whole thing is over.

Ten - The Star

He doesn’t even have the leading role but he steals every scene he’s in, even from Haechan.

His dancing is so captivating that no one can take their eyes off of him during the musical numbers. 

His acting his a little bit awkward at times because he’d much rather be dancing, but it’s what sets him apart from everyone else. 

He also helped design the sets with dancing and placement in mind so no one would trip over anything or be too distracted by props. 

He also designed the tickets for the show at Jaehyun’s request and made all of the posters. 

He also helped design and make the costumes. 

He was also like EVERYONE’S understudy because they were doing his favorite musical so he already knew all of the songs and most of the lines because he’s seen it a million times.

During rehearsal he mouthed everyone’s lines and hummed all the songs so Taeyoung knew he would be the best understudy for Haechan.

Winwin - Choreographer

Takes his role SUPER seriously and works very closely with Ten to make sure everything is perfect for the musical numbers.

During production he tended to get really caught up in the music and got a bit emotional a few times when he was feeling it too much. 

He has a really hard time teaching the choreography to everyone else when they start messing around because he’s really quiet so Ten takes over a lot of the teaching. 

To prepare for the show, he watched a bunch of other renditions of it to see what type of choreography was used and draws inspiration from several different sources and his result was really beautiful. 

It wasn’t too difficult so no one complained but in the end it looked really good and he received a lot of compliments on how good everything looked.

Lucas - Security

They don’t even need security, he just wanted to be involved in the play without having to perform so this is the job Taeyong gave him.

He helps Jaehyun out at the ticket booth so he can hit on girls and mainly guards the girl’s dressing room, again so he can hit on them.

Flirts with every girl who’s in the play or who came to see it.

He’s in like two scenes of the play but keeps winking at people or messing around with the members where no one can see. 

Yang Yang is the other security guard so the two are definitely SUPER annoying and chaotic.

He also thinks that being on security grants him some sort of authority that he tries to exploit but everyone is like Lucas wtf are you saying rn ??

Xiaojun - Supporting Lead

This man has the voice of God I swear.

He also auditioned for the leading role, but Doyoung thought there was a different role that suited him much better. And of course Doyoung knows best because of his “vision”. 

All of his performances are incredibly emotional.

He takes the production incredibly seriously and doesn’t mess around as much as everyone else. 

He probably wrote a song that was inspired by the play that Doyoung decided to add because he thought it would give it more flavor. 

He’s the one that gets way too into the role and starts lowkey acting like the character outside of practice so just even more like a simp.

He def cried in his room singing his song from it because he was overcome with emotion.

Whenever he sang at rehearsal the whole room just got kind of quiet out of respect because it was SO emotional and during the actual performance he made some members of the audience cry.

Hendery - Props and Costume manager

He is completely CLUELESS as to what is going on.

He just showed up to have a good time and now he has to help secure costumes and pick and make props.

Probably brings the most RANDOM things and he’s like “I thought we could use this pipe as a decoration.” And everyone is like Hendery wtf.

Is always doing and saying out of pocket things just to make everyone laugh. 

He feels like his role is a little useless, but he didn’t want to be in the show and he also didn’t want to be left out. 

Spends most of his time goofing off with Lucas and Yang Yang and as punishment, Doyoung made him an understudy. 

When he actually got serious, he found things that perfectly matched Doyoung’s vision. 

He also helped design and build the sets which he really enjoyed doing. It was a great outlet for him to be creative.

During the actual show he helps Johnny out with set changes a lot and gives cues to Chenle and Jisung in case they forget to turn the lights off or close the curtain.

YangYang - Security

Basically just copy paste everything I said about Lucas for him. 

He flirts with everyone and only took the job because he knew it included zero responsibility. 

He shows up to every practice and knows all the words to all the songs and even the choreography so Doyoung decided to make him an understudy which he absolutely did not want.

Also jokes around and tells girls he’ll give them an autograph and they’re like “Who are you?” and he’s like “I was the dude in that one part that said whatever.” And they’re like “Yeah I don’t remember...”

Renjun - A Supporting Lead who really seems like he should be the Lead

His voice is absolutely gorgeous, his dancing graceful, and his acting performance were all absolutely amazing and Haechan was lowkey jealous of him. 

Renjun is the one who has been doing theater since he could speak so he’s right in his element. 

He auditioned for Xiaojun’s role originally, but got a different important role. 

He’s not focused on being the star of the show, rather he just enjoys performing. 

He also helped design and paint the set because he’s really artistic. He did things according to Doyoung’s super specific vision, but also managed to convince him to give him a bit of freedom.

Even though he doesn’t steal the spotlight and isn’t the star, he’s the most passionate out of everyone while performing and it really shows.

Jeno - The extra that all the girl’s are in love with

He’s really just there because his friends dragged him into it, but then later got on twitter to see a bunch of people from his school asking who he and his friend were.

He literally doesn’t do anything or have any lines. He just stands there, does some dance numbers and some background vocals and yet the girls go wild over him. 

This goes to his a head a little bit and he tries to flex it at the cast party which kind of pisses Lucas and Yang Yang off because they tried so hard and got nothing.

Jaemin - The extra that all the girl’s are in love with’s best friend extra

There isn’t much to say about Jaemin’s role he just came to have fun but ended up being super popular because girl’s were in love with him. 

He’s also kind of the mom of the set and just makes sure everyone has everything they need. 

During rehearsal’s he’s usually messing around with his friends and isn’t really being serious. 

ALWAYS in the sound booth checking up on Jisung and Chenle (and annoying them) asking if they need snacks or anything. 

Always brings snacks to everything. 

He showed up to the first dress rehearsal with a cake and everyone was like ???

He’s also always eating and giving snacks to Jungwoo and everyone is like “Now isn’t the time y’all.” 

The day of the actual performance he comes stocked with a bunch of snacks which Jungwoo distributes backstage and also gets tweeted about because a bunch of girls are like “WHO IS HE WHAT IS HIS NAME.”

Chenle - Lights and Audio

There isn’t much to say about Chenle doing lights and audio other than he kept doing things to purposely annoy Doyoung. 

Flashing lights, playing the wrong songs, or turning the volume up super loud or making it super quiet during rehearsal. 

Does the most EXTRA sound checks.

Always talking into a mic to make really dumb announcements. 

On the day of the actual performance he only played one joke on Doyoung at the end of the show and it was probably just putting a spotlight on him in the audience or something, which Taeyong quickly played off as them wanting to thank him for his hard work. Doyoung was super embarrassed and tried to murder him after.

Jisung - Lights and Audio

The one who made sure things actually went right. 

He kept telling Chenle to stop and they should actually practice and listen for cues. 

The two had originally been extras in the show, but Doyoung realized they would need lights and sound, so he assigned it to him and Chenle.

He also plays a few jokes during rehearsal but way less because he didn’t want Doyoung to kill him.

He had a lot of fun doing the play but is too shy to ask if they can do another one.

Sungchan - Extra/ Assistant Backstage Manager

MY BABY

He originally didn’t really want to do it, but Shotaro and Jungwoo talked him into it. 

Because everyone else was so busy with the production, he and Shotaro planned the cast party.

As the new members to the group they wanted to do something nice for everyone as sort of a thanks for accepting them.

He made sure to get decorations that were fitting for the musical’s concept and convinced his parents to buy a really fancy cake that resembled a prop or something.

He makes sure everyone is having a good time without being too in the way because he’s shy. 

Shotaro - Make up artist assistant/ extra

Sorry I can’t really write much for him as he’s so new and I haven’t seen much Shotaro content yet :(.

He’s new to the group so he mostly follows his role model Yuta around. 

He carries his makeup cases, sewing kits, face paints, etc. 

He watches him very carefully and Yuta even lets him practice on a few people.

When he’s not with Yuta he’s chatting with Sungchan or the dreamies. 

He’s one of the only people who doesn’t give Doyoung a hard time and he praises him for always being the only who listens.

[kaitoujokerscans]

The Night the Silver Cape is Set Ablaze CH8

<8> Battle Between Rivals

"Hmm, I don't get it..." In the Riviera HQ corridor, Joker tilted his head.

"Same here. Should we do a magic square or rock-paper-scissors like we did before?" Beside him, Hachi tossed out a random guess.

"The magic square and rock-paper-scissors... Ohh! I know!" Joker suddenly exclaimed.

"Joker-san, did you figure it out?"

"Yep, thanks to your hint. You have to combine the magic square and rock-paper-scissors for this puzzle. We just have to work out which one wins every time when going horizontally, vertically, and diagonally!"

"Really?" Hachi examined the numbers.

Joker took out a notepad from his pocket and copied down the 16 numbers. "First, going vertical. The leftmost column is {5, 0, 0, 0}, which works out to paper, rock, rock, rock. Paper wins. That means all the 0s lose," Joker said and crossed out the three 0s.

"Next is the second column. This is {2, 5, 2, 5}, making it scissors, paper, scissors, paper. Scissors wins here, so the 5s lose," said Joker, crossing out the two 5s. "Do the same for the third and fourth columns and X out the rest like this, see?" Joker crossed out the 2s in the third column and the 5s in the fourth column.

"I get it. So any of the numbers that lose here aren't the one we're looking for, right?"

"Yeah. Now go horizontally. Do the same rock-paper-scissors conversions we did with the columns, and..." He went across the rows crossing out one number after another, and in no time, there were only two numbers left out of the sixteen. The other fourteen were all crossed out. The remaining numbers were the 2 in the top row, rightmost column, and the 2 in the second column.

"Which of these two is stronger?" asked Hachi.

Joker puffed up as he answered. "There's still the diagonals, right? The line going from the top-right to the bottom-left is {2, 0, 2, 0}, rocks and scissors, so the scissors lose!" Joker crossed out the top-right 2 last of all.

"Which means..."

"Right. The 2 in the top row, second from the left, is the 'number that doesn't lose'!"

"I see now. That was incredible, Joker-san!"

"I got it because of your hint, you know. All right, time to push the button!"

"Okay! Right on!" Hachi jumped up and pushed the "2" button. There was a low beep, and then the clang of something unlocking. The door slowly opened, revealing the door of the safe holding the Riviera recipe behind it. It certainly looked like a sturdy door.

"Let's get to opening this thing up!" Joker pulled a giant electric saw out of hammerspace.

"Joker-san, what's that...?"

"Hm? This baby can crack open any door or safe. It's my custom Joker electric saw!"

"Then couldn't you just have used that from the start!?"

"Ha ha, now that wouldn't be any fun. A phantom thief uses his brain wherever possible when breaking in." Joker smiled from ear to ear, just before hitting the electric saw's power switch. After a LOT of noise and rattling, the safe was quite literally busted open.

Joker fished the recipe page out of the safe where it had been kept. But he didn't exactly look pleased. "Sheesh, what a letdown. And here I thought I'd finally get back at him for what happened with the Crimson Crystal."

What he said confused Hachi. "Huh? What do you mean?"

"This is where Noir works."

"Whaaat!? Really!?"

Joker picked up an empty popcorn bag off the ground and started to explain. "Yeah. After Noir quit being a spy, he ended up in charge of security at Riviera HQ. If you wanna protect an international secret, get yourself an international spy."

"That makes sense. So he got a job where he could put his spy skills to use... But then why is Noir not around? It's unsettling how there's nothing here."

"You've got that right. I thought sure he'd have a trap set..."

They looked around at the safe room again. It was stark empty, not even a desk or table in sight. Save for a small security camera in one corner, there didn't seem to be much of a security system at all.

"Well, whatever. Let's blow this joint."

Joker and Hachi were just about to leave, when...

The door that they had just come in through budged.

"It's gotta be Noir...!" Joker reflexively pulled out his cards. But the one who came in wasn't the person he had expected.

"Spade!"

"Spade-san!"

Right in front of their eyes were Spade and Dark Eye, who had opened the last door and entered the safe room. They looked surprised to see Joker and Hachi as well.

"Joker!?"

"Kyo kyo kyo!"

"Spade, what are you here for?""

"I could ask you the same thing? Wait, what about Noir...?" Spade asked, darting his eyes around. Apparently Spade had also learned about Noir's link to this place and had come to steal the treasure.

"He's not here. You were a step too late, besides. The 'Riviera Recipe' is mine!" Joker dangled the recipe page and waved it about.

"...Oh, so that's what you were after. Where's Noir? There's something I have to return to him," Spade said, taking an object out of his pocket.

When he saw what it was, Joker was shocked. "That's my Crimson Crystal!"

Spade held up the bright red gemstone and turned up the corners of his lips. "That's right. Noir left it with me because he wanted me to return it to you. But my pride won't let me do that."

"Pride? What exactly did Noir tell you?"

"Well..." Spade clammed up. Noir had said something that injured his pride, no doubt about it. Joker had some idea of what it was. Noir had stolen his treasure.

Then, realizing something, Spade inhaled sharply. "Now I get it. This is Noir's strategy."

"Strategy?"

"He damaged our psyche and provoked our anger, all so that we would come across each other like this."

"You mean he knew that we'd come here?"

"Yes, exactly. And we each have the treasure that the other wants..." Spade's gaze focused on the recipe in Joker's hand. He probably also wanted the recipe so he could put Noir to shame. And in Spade's hand was the Crimson Crystal which Joker had stolen from Kaneari. The two of them stared each other down.

"Joker, this is a great opportunity. How about whoever wins gets the other's treasure?" Spade shot an incendiary look at Joker. He recalled what Noir had said: "Go ahead and chase behind Joker forever..." I'll prove him wrong...!

Joker whipped out his cards and readied himself as well. "Fine by me. Let's do this, Spade!"

"Here I come, Joker!" Spade swiftly unholstered his Ice Shot and aimed it.

A low bellow droned through the dark sky. An enormous ship floated upon the endless night ocean. It was one of the world's most luxurious passenger crafts, Urban of the Sea. The ship, which was 3000 meters long, housed over 1000 guest rooms as well as all kinds of recreational facilities. With its own pool, restaurant, theater, multiple liquor lounges, an ice-skating rink, and even a rock-climbing wall, it was like an entire city stuffed onto a boat. It hosted over 3000 passengers per voyage and visited tourist destinations all over the world.

Tonight, this enormous ship was filled with silence.

The ship had been rented out to VIPs from the Kingdom of Lachla. These VIPs were staying in the best guest room there was, and it was in this room that the Lachla Crown was being kept under heavy security.

This guest room was near the fore of the ship. Spaced away from it, at the aft of the ship, was a huge structure. Though "huge" is an understatement — it was as tall as a five-story building. This cabin, with its obtuse angles, curved up to a circular floor at the top. It was meant as an observatory deck where one could survey the outside scenery. A man stood atop the observatory deck, his black cape fluttering. It was Noir. He was quietly awaiting Silver Heart. Soon, I can have my long-awaited revenge...

"So you're here..." murmured Noir, sensing a presence. A man had come up behind him. His white double-breasted suit was smartly buttoned, and his silver cape fluttered. His straight, upright bearing hardly suggested his age. This was the legendary phantom thief, Silver Heart!

"It's been a long time, Noir."

"Yes. I wanted to see you, Silver... or rather, you're Silver Heart now, aren't you?"

Strangely enough, Silver Heart didn't feel at all wistful as he observed Noir. He had certainly aged, but Noir's face hadn't lost the keenness from when he had known him as a spy. Silver Heart glared at Noir. "I heard, Noir. So you've become a phantom thief."

"Yes, I retired from being a spy. Because of you. Now I'm the head of security for a beverage manufacturer."

"Because of me?"

"You heard me. You ran away from me and kept being a thorn in my side..."

"You're right. I was probably running away from you... from my responsibilities as a spy. I couldn't put up with the ruthlessness of it anymore. I couldn't become as cold-blooded as you..."

"Heh heh heh, are you so sure that's the case?"

"What...?" Silver Heart continued to stare down Noir.

"We'll fight once more, with you as cold-blooded as you once were. Whoever wins the match can take the Lachla Crown," said Noir. He pulled the cloth off a table set up on the deck. Lying upon it was a crown studded with brilliant jewels. Noir had already stolen the Lachla Crown!

"I've already put the Lachlans to sleep. If you want this, you have to steal it from me."

"So that's what you're after..."

"This brings me back... you and I once infiltrated Lachla in order to destroy this. But it was your fault that the plan went awry. Now that I think about it, we've been at odds ever since..." Noir mused, his eyes focused on the crown.

But Silver Heart lowered his voice and spoke. "I will never again be like I was. There's not an ounce of spy left in me."

"Heh heh heh, humans don't ever really change. You're a cold-blooded spy. And if you aren't, you'll never be able to win against me..."

"That's not true. I'm going to fight against you as a phantom thief." Silver faced back to Noir and strengthened his grip on his rod. "Noir, our long-overdue reunion wasn't so emotional after all..."

"I expected as much. Here I come, Silver!" Not even a moment later, Noir kicked off the ground and lunged at Silver Heart.

The floor split open with a bang, and Joker and Spade plummeted down towards the floor below.

"Joker-san!"

"Kyo kyo, Spade-sama!"

Hachi and Dark Eye peeked down over the edge to see them lying on the ground, still squabbling with each other. The lower floor was a recreational sports center with a pool, exercise machines, a running track, and more. They let each other go, took their distance, and stood off against each other.

"Been a while since I fought you like this, Spade."

"Yes, but that's because you never take me seriously."

"Not true!" Joker took an advance notice card out of his pocket and quickly scribbled something on it. "Spade, I'm gonna take the treasure from you, no two ways about it!"

"Heh heh heh, now that's more like it. Then we'll face off in a minute-long match, like the one you lost to Noir in."

"Ghh..." Joker bit his lip bitterly. So Spade had known about Joker and Noir's match after all. "All right. I'll steal the treasure from you in one minute, no more than that!"

"And if you can't?"

"I can!" Joker pulled cards out of his breast pocket and threw them at Spade. "Emblem Fire!" The cards caught fire one by one and flew straight towards Spade.

"Ice Shot!" Spade used his Ice Shot to closely target and freeze the cards.

"Not bad! Emblem Fire!" Joker tossed more cards out. A flurry of cards scattered to every corner of the room, sticking into the walls and sinking into the pool. While Spade was shooting down the cards that were coming his way, Joker jumped to the side. He flipped around and leapt toward Spade. Once he was in front of him, he fanned out his cards. "Straight Flash!"

"Not good enough! Ice Shot Mirror!" Spade spun his Ice Shot around and made a small mirror of ice in midair. It reflected the light from the Straight Flash, blinding Joker.

"Gwah!"

"Ha ha ha! Your attacks are so repetitive!" Spade froze the pool with his Ice Shot, slid the blades out of his shoes, and skated onto the makeshift rink. "Catch me if you can!"

"Gah! Says the guy who only ever uses Ice Shot!"

Going after Spade, Joker stepped onto the makeshift rink. But he slipped and fell right onto his back with a magnificent thud. "Owwwww...."

"It's been almost a minute. There's no way I'm going to lose to you...!" Spade spun about on the ice and faced back to him. He was saying this not just about Joker, but about Noir as well.

"Say that again...?" Joker glared hard at Spade.

Spade was looking down at Joker with cold eyes. "Now that I'm standing before you like this, I feel a bit of pity. For myself. I hate how bothered I am by your existence."

"..." Joker listened quietly.

"Well, it's just about time. Fifteen seconds left... if you admit your loss here and now, I'll at least acknowledge you have the skills to be my rival." Spade silently pointed his Ice Shot.

But Joker shook his head with a derisive laugh. "No thanks. I'll decide my rivals on my own. And Spade, you're my rival in every respect."

"I'm what...?"

Just then, the ice under Spade's feet cracked loudly. "What!?" Spade involuntarily lost his balance. Joker immediately ran up to him and swiped the Crimson Crystal out of Spade's hand. At the same time, he pushed against the ice and jumped over to the poolside.

"Waaaugh!" The ice surrounding him split, and Spade splashed into the pool. Thoroughly soaked, Spade poked his head out of the water with a gasp and scowled at Joker. "W-What... did you do!?"

"It's simple. I set up my Emblem Fire inside the pool."

"You what...!?" Sure enough, when he looked at the ice, there were ashes from the burned cards. "...But the fire should have gone out when it was underwater!"

"Didn't you know? Gunpowder doesn't need external oxygen to burn, so it can stay aflame even underwater. There's a substance in fireworks that lets them keep burning even when they're immersed."

"You're kidding..."

"As soon as I saw the pool, I knew you'd freeze it over. That's why I shot Emblem Fire into it in advance. Then I just had to wait for the spot you were on to melt."

"You... predicted my attack..."

"Heh heh, you're pretty repetitive too," said Joker, spitting Spade's words right back at him. "Just as warned, I've stolen the Crimson Crystal in under a minute!"

"Ghh...!" Spade bit his lip and balled up his fists.

"Spade, you can challenge me any time," grinned Joker.

Just then, they heard a scream from outside the window. "KYAAAAAAAA!"

Looking out, they saw a blob of pink in the night sky approaching them at high speed. It was Queen, holding onto Balloon Gum.

"Queen!?"

Carried by powerful gusts of wind, Queen was hurtling their way.

She's going to crash into the window glass...! Joker used his Emblem Fire and Spade used his Ice Shot to break the glass, and Queen was forcefully swept into the building.

"T-Thanks."

"Queen, what's up?"

"Trouble. Noir sent out an advance notice. He's going to steal the treasure that Grandpa is after!"

"He's what!?" Joker and Spade exclaimed in unison.

Then there was a series of loud rumbles as reinforced shutters rolled over each wall and the ceiling.

"Oh shoot...!"

The three of them were trapped on this floor.

[katiebruce]

adios, amigo.

Well, 2020. What is there to say that hasn’t already been said, tweeted or Instagram-ed a thousand and two times about you? I’ll save us all the generic stuff—“unprecedented,” “nightmarish,” “absurd”—yes, 2020 was all of those things, but on a deeper, more personal level, there is so much more I have to say that doesn’t fit quite into those clichés.

So, this will be my attempt to document and reflect upon one of the strangest years I’ve encountered in my thirty-one years on this planet. Buckle up, buttercup.

Like many others before me have frequently observed, the way I spend my New Year’s Eve has always set the tone for the year to come, and boy, was this year a picture-perfect example of exactly that. Because I had to work on January first, I spent my New Year’s Eve at home watching a depressing movie with T, quietly kissing on the cold back patio as fireworks went off in the distance. I remember feeling both happy and sad about this evening (a duality that was a major theme for me for the fifty-two weeks to come, if only I had known). I was sad not to be celebrating my favorite holiday and even remember telling T that I didn’t want the year to come to be one I spent not going out, staying home, and becoming reclusive as I finished up the stressful process of finishing my MFA thesis in the course of ten (or, what I thought would be ten) short months.

But on the other hand, being held in T’s arms, I remembered feeling so happy that I could have this little quiet holiday—something that felt so private and personal—so entirely our own. It really set the tone for our relationship for the year, and for the obstacles we not only overcame together but dominated, one right after the next.

January was cold, snowy, and full of flight cancellations, which I remember to be something worth celebration at the time. I stayed home and snuggled my way into Aquarius season, the time for me and my brethren to shine, feeling positive that I had lived my thirtieth year to one of great satisfaction and maximum travels taken. (If only I had known then that that late-January El Paso layover where my crew and I walked across the border into Juarez to eat street tacos and laugh over Mezcal would be one of the only times I would leave the country for the year, well, I might have taken a few shots of tequila and really enjoyed my stay abroad just a bit longer).

February came, and with it, the promise of friends. My darling Kristopher, as always, flew to Chicago on the day of (also the day I completed and passed my eighth recurrent [!]) and, thanks to my other darling baby, Nicole, scored tickets to one of the highly coveted format reunion tour shows happening in March* for me, her, and my momma.

(*It did not, in fact, take place in March).

I turned thirty-one in the way I’ve come accustomed too—surrounded by my favorite people (this year at Dorians—a jazz club to end all jazz clubs) too drunk and too smiley to even coherently remember the evening properly. As much fun as I remember having, I told T that I thought it was my last year to host some sort of birthday gathering, and to hold me to it come next year. (He did very well—a few weeks later, after spotting an ad in a discarded newspaper for the Chicago tour of Moulin Rouge happening on my birthday weekend, we bought tickets and I sat peacefully with the fact that one of my new year (or, new age) resolutions was so quickly and poignantly adapted).

By this time, I was already deep in the throes of my first thesis writing course, meaning that I was pretty stressed out all of the time and surely a misery to be around (sorry to those of you who were). Basically, in three semesters’ time, I was expected to draft, edit, and rewrite a fully formed novel (70,000+ words) and the idea of accomplishing such a feat felt like a ton of bricks being carried on my shoulders. I had at least four mental breakdowns in the beginning of the year (again, we all know what lays ahead for the year, I know—but at the time, this seemed like an unbearable amount of stress for one person to have to carry. The joke is not lost on me).

In the coming weeks, things began to get even weirder. Covid scares began sprouting up in cities all around us, and as the government asked people to stay at home, airline ticket prices became massively reduced, so more people began traveling. I mean, this shit was like spring break on acid—it was hugely stressful, and though the threat of the pandemic had yet to reach Chicago, I felt more and more at risk with each passing day as careless amounts of people cashed in on what they thought was the deal of a lifetime.

By the time March reached its midpoint, I, like so many others, was terrified. We had no PPE at work—literally nothing. No gloves, masks, or even hand wipes. Cleaning the aircraft still wasn’t considered a “no-go” item, as far as regulatory practices go. I remember watching the news on my layovers only to keep myself up at night wondering if the virus was going to take hold of me or anyone around me, and if so, how long until they would recover, or perhaps wouldn’t.

St. Patrick’s Day came, and after fighting about whether or not to go out with friends (we didn’t—and for the record, T and I rarely fight—but this was, after all, his first St. Patrick’s Day as a Chicagoan—so his resentment was more than justified) we saw a matinee movie (Onward) and while in the theater, read about how Chicago restaurants, as a precaution, were shutting down the next day due to rising concerns about the spread of the virus. We reacted by grabbing drinks & lunch at one of our favorite neighborhood eateries and tipping the waitstaff more heavily than I think I’ve ever tipped anyone in my life (not mentioning this to brag, or whatever—just remembering what it was like to feel utterly helpless and unsure of what to do or what was to come—we had to find our positivity in some way, and on that day, this was how we saw fit, and it helped).

Then it all sort of happened at once—Lauren’s store was closed with no impending reopening date. The grocery stores (and I swear to god, I will never forget this) became a madhouse—people taking things out of other people’s carts when they weren’t looking. I remember going into Mariano’s with T and insisiting we tie bandanas around our faces for safety, feeling like a goddamn bank robber about to make a heist. But there was nothing left to even take. Frantically, we got what we could and got out of there, and I went home to have a full-fledged panic attack about the state of the world we were currently living in and what we were going to do if things didn’t turn around quickly.

As if overnight, everyone cancelled their airline tickets. It was for the better, and though it put my job in serious jeopardy, I was in massive support of it but still felt an eerie sadness looming around the countless empty airports, airplanes, hotels and city streets. There were times when my crew and I were the only guests in a place—times when I had zero passengers on a revenue flight. And then came the mass flight cancellations—and I mean mass. Everyday became a battle of anxiety as to what was going to happen to my job in the next twenty-four hours, and then cooing my stressed-out thoughts to sleep, only to relive the anxiety with every phone buzz waiting to find out if I had lost my job overnight. By mid-spring, I was hugely considering dropping out for a period of time, just due to the stress of it all, but thanks to support from my friends, family and T, I chose to stick it out and roll with as many punches as I could until I was finally knocked-out.

Quarantines were happening all around me, and without the ability to travel or the (former) grueling expectations of maintaining a social life, I started to reconnect with myself in ways that felt both organic and new, yet much like returning home after a long time away. Lauren taught me to knit, and we celebrated her birthday on the floor of our apartment in an Indian-food induced daze renting Emma and making thousands of tiny knots onto needles that would eventually become blankets. We took walks, did puzzles, and Lauren drove me to and from the airport on the rare occasion that I actually had a flight to work, as the CTA had, unfortunately, become a cesspool of targeted attacks on flight crew members (seriously) because they were often the only person in any given train car.

A rare glimpse of optimism then presented itself via two different opportunities: a chance to take a ninety-day leave from work, and a job offer in the form of editing a book for publication. I said yes to both and hoped that I would be able to take a step back and deal with the crumbling world around me easier with both of these opportunities now on my horizon.

This period of the year (May-July) started off swimmingly. Knitting, reading, and even smoking weed for the first time in nearly a decade (I took two hits and spent the rest of the evening sinking into the couch painfully aware of how bad I am at breathing and worrying that I might stop at any given moment). I fell in love with yoga and felt myself loosening up parts of my body and my mind that had been twisted into a series of knots for god only knows how long. I spent days reading in the sun, baking bread like everyone else in the world, and learning to make my own pies. Things were going really well, and I was even ahead in school, now on track to graduate in August—when things started getting heated.

I’m not going to go on a rant about race, although I very much could, but I will say this—the fact that we are still in a race war in this country in the year 2020 (and even now, a few days into 2021) makes me so sick to my stomach I don’t know what to do. Every injustice that passes by us, overshadowed by the next untimely death or wrongdoing makes me angry in ways that I cannot even fathom putting into words. It burns the color red that is so hot and so vibrant that I can see it soaking through my eyelids even when I squeeze them shut. This country lost a lot of love from me this year, and even more respect. There are not only things we can do better—there are things we must change. And honestly, most days, I don’t think most of the country is ready to not only admit that but to also work for. And that not only sickens me, but depresses the living hell out of me. I feel so stunted all of the time when I picture a world so at peace with its own injustice. It’s just so unfair.

I watched as the world was (rightfully, although woefully) destroyed around me. My neighborhood turned into a desolate, looted shadow of itself—one where Lauren and I could sit on our back patio safely until dusk, when the crime and gunfire became so rabid that on occasions, we sat in the living room in total darkness, listening only to the radio, afraid to let anybody at street level see that we were, indeed, at home. The opportunists that took advantage of the message of this movement made me numb to such a large demographic of the population, and I found myself crying myself to sleep enough times that I thought it might be time to leave the warzone that had become Chicago for a little while as escape down to Florida. So, we packed our bags and left. It is not lost on me that so many did not have this option, and for so many minorities, just simply existing during this time was enough to cause assault. I know I am fortunate—I carry it like lead in my pockets every day.

While in Florida, the first retailers began to reopen and I found myself waiting in an hour-long line to buy soaps and hand sanitizers, and to get a glimpse of what this “new normal” might look like when things started picking back up again. Like many, it was jarring to see empty tables, capacity limits on items, cashiers behind plexiglass sheets shouting to be heard over both the physical barrier and the cloth one strung across their faces.

By the time T & I arrived home, Lauren was already making plans to reopen her store “safely” and I felt sorry for her. How could anything be safe when nothing had changed? Why were companies acting as if business could go on like before—even though nothing had gotten better?

My final months of my MFA were just ahead of me, and I had one month remaining free from work to finish my first full-length novel, and I all I really remember is stress stress stress.

And then Andrew, being Andrew, offered a glimmer of hope, in the form of a drive-in concert celebrating fifteen years of Everything in Transit in southern California, a mere matter of hours from where Nicole had been working. It took a matter of two or maybe three text messages to confirm that we would be attending, and once the ticket was purchased I practically packed my bags and headed off to visit her and try and make light of my heart.

As suspected, the trip was magical. Being around Nicole, per usual, was magical. My heart felt so fully aligned seeing a little piece of her story and getting to experience her way of life once more—drunken hot springs and all their glory. There truly are few things in my life I love more than sitting in the passenger’s seat as Nicole drives us all over the country, and experiencing it again felt so right and so perfect that I honestly thought it was one of the happiest experiences of my life. Because I had requested so, she drove me all the way to Venice Beach the day of the concert so we could see where the infamous album cover was taken. We ate cbd gummies and listened to jack’s and ate in-n-out burger like our lives depended on it. When the concert began, it was eerie, yet hopeful to see all the new protocols of something that had become so familiar to me in my former life. Drinks were ordered through an app and delivered, as was merch, and clapping was replaced by the exuberant honking of car horns. We streamed the sound through the radio and laid the in the back of Nicole’s converted SUV as we cried and sang along to the songs that made everything, even just for one night, feel like it was all going to be okay again. We ended the evening marking ourselves with our first stick and poke tattoos—hers a sun to my moon, positioned to kiss one another when we stand next to each other on our preferred selfie side (lol). I left worried about how long it might be before I could feel her warm embrace again, the embrace of one of the truest friends I’ll ever know, but also recognizing that we were lucky to have had such an experience at all during such an insane year and feeling eternally grateful for its memory.

The last weeks of what I referred to as my Rumspringa were ahead of me, and one sunny afternoon I wrote the final pages of my novel. In a mad rush to edit, revise and complete my portfolio for official review, I never really sat with myself and what I had accomplished or congratulated myself; I wrote a book in seven months’ time, and even though I am unhappy with it (more on that later) there’s no denying that I actually did it. I did it, and nobody can ever take that away from me; it’s an accomplishment I will forever have, and it’s all my own. And I need to remind myself of that. I need to let myself feel proud.

I was back to work in September and taking a huge pay cut, though working the same hours. It was stressful, but once I found out my portfolio had been accepted and I, indeed, would be receiving my MFA I felt a bit at peace for a while. I had let my hair grow long all summer, and all but stopped wearing make-up (mascara makes me feel entirely dolled up now). I felt in an odd way free—almost bare.

The fall came and went fairly quickly—the weekends alone at home and grocery-store-only outings feeling more and more like normalcy. It had been such a tough, trying year, that it suddenly felt nice to just stand still for a bit. So, I did.

In a brief amount of time, I watched (safely) as friends got married, got sick, got older and fell in love. I watched, with great anxiety, as our country voted in the most important election of our lives so far and took the deepest breath I’d ever taken as I watched that man face defeat—although he’s yet to swallow it. I watched as ex-lovers had babies, got engaged and never really stopped to think twice about any of it. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: the safety (and not in a lame, “safety-net” sort of way) of having T in my life has turned me into someone who not only craves quiet time at home, but really also sort of fell right damn into it very easily, though unexpectedly. I’ve heard the saying so many times before, but you really don’t realize everything is different once you find the right fit because that place feels like it’s always been home. I am grateful to not only have that now and moving forward, but most certainly throughout the trying, unstable times of 2020. In fact, I don’t know how I would have survived without it.

The holidays always creep up on me, and after being dealt a shitty hand from work (don’t even get me started, I’m still fuming) they came that much quicker. T & I were lucky enough to spend the holidays back home in the swamp, visiting my parents and his Dad. The time went by fast but was relaxing, fun, and reenergizing. We spent New Year’s Eve playing giant Jenga and yard Yahtzee with my parents in the cool, tropical winter of Florida. It was nice. We got tired right around 11, so we laid in bed until midnight talking, staying awake just long enough to share our new year’s kiss. It felt right—a proper send off to such a strange and unusual year. I was exctly where I needed to be—wrapped up in a blanket of T’s embrace, comfy in a bed in my childhood bedroom.

So now, here it is: 2021—the supposed upgrade to 2020, or so everybody secretly hopes. So now, as I sit here, drinking a warm, soy-chai latte (homemade!) I find myself having great difficulty setting an intention for the days ahead of me. I feel so beaten and bruised and physically fatigued for no reason but the experiences of 2020 and the courses they ran all over my life. I’m feeling reflective of having finished yet another year of my life (and my Saturn return! Halleluj!) and finding it hard to be anything but fatigued. I guess it’s from the year that’s just finished—more so than any other year it physically pained me at times to be alive at times. I’m missing so many of my friends who I haven’t been able to see for extended months at a time now. I am craving a sense of normalcy, of safety, so that I can feel better about making plans, but as for right now I just don’t have it. I am quietly trying to make subtle changes within myself and how I react to the world around me, but just like the start of this new year, that process is a slow one.

One of my resolutions (though I’m growing to hate that word more and more with each passing year) is to get back to writing. I had a good, albeit stressful, thing going while still in school, and after finishing my novel and receiving feedback, I couldn’t shake the feeling of absolute failure. It’s still there—it’s really hard to try and celebrate an accomplishment when you don’t feel like your work was good enough to warrant anything at all—especially not a fine arts degree. I never said I was a fiction writer—I just wanted to get better at writing fiction—so I need to remember that and allow myself to veer away from that for a while, to work on something new. Something I’ve been saying I’m not ready to write for many years now, something that when I now say that is just a plain old lie: My memoir. I’m ready to close the chapter in my life where I am a flight attendant, so the timing feels more than perfect.

I learned so much about what I want to do within my career and what sort of boundaries I don’t want to place on myself—and I’m trying, I really am. T gifted me with my own pottery wheel for Christmas and we are going to set it up this weekend and I am so excited to get my hands muddy and start creating. Until this year, I didn’t realize how much I needed a creative outlet other than writing—I had been depending on it for too long, my little cup felt bone dry. So, I’m excited to see where this new hobby takes me and how it influences my ability to return to the blank page—quite literally.

I know this year will not be the quick fix that so many are hopeful for—I think quite the opposite, actually. But here are some things I know for sure will happen: I will move out of my apartment and in with T. We will then, immediately get a dog and a new apartment. This, alone, feels like enough to fill the pages of the blank year ahead of us. I will go long periods of time without seeing my loved ones, and without traveling (bleak as this lifestyle may be). I will write, even when it’s hard to. I will publish something—I’m at work submitting pieces as we speak, and though the process is slow, I can tell this is my opportunity—I am ready t fight for it. I will turn 32, and the numerology of my life will seem more aligned. I will spend my birthday at home, alone, because of course Moulin Rouge has now been cancelled (I’m fine with it). I will learn more about myself the more I use my hands to create, to plant, to sculpt, to mold. I will love with fervor. I will smile more, because it’s actually healthier for you, even though my black heart hates to admit it. If I’m lucky, maybe I’ll get to attend a live concert, though I realize this might be wishful thinking at this point. I will do mushrooms and giggle with the colors. I will cry. I will hurt and I will cause harm. But through it all, I will persevere. Because if 2020 taught me anything, it’s that I am capable of regenerating into new versions of myself that I didn’t even have the time to dream up. I can adapt to whatever is thrown at me, though it will often times feel impossible. I can, and will, create. I can be reborn (as many times as I’d like to, too).

So, thanks, 2020, for teaching me more about myself than any other period of five years has ever taught me. I definitely feel like I’ve been through the ringer a couple of times, yet I find myself still standing day after day. It must be the way a domino feels, standing up, time after time, knowing that something right in front of you is about to knock you down. But instead of thinking about what I’m bringing down with me, I’m thinking of the entire collective as a whole—we are all experiencing this together. And maybe, just maybe, on the other side, there’s a kid with a smile waiting to do it all over again. And that’s perhaps where the beauty lays: we have to tear everything down in order to do better, be better, make change. Nobody likes to catch fire, but everyone loves rising from the ashes. We’ll all get to where we’re headed, one way or another. And eventually, I hope, we’ll see that the other side is better than we could have ever dreamt of.

I hope that 2021 is a bridge that brings us from destruction to creation. I hope the journey is long, so we all appreciate the outcome.

I love you all and wish you warmth and wellness into this year and beyond.

Happy new year—honor the circumstances you have around you and let them help you grow.

[hereforlou]

36 or 63 or 84 hl please? or all of them if you want jekdsj?

Thank youuu. Sorry about where this one cuts off haha

84. “I can’t believe you talked me into this.”

When Harry had nonchalantly asked Louis how photogenic his dick was a couple of days before, Louis had not thought this would be the outcome. He knew what Harry did for a living. He didn’t judge - it paid his half of the rent and groceries, and honestly whatever Harry wanted to do with his body was his business. He’d never seen Harry at work, for obvious reasons, but he could hear him through his bedroom door sometimes, and he’d signed for his toy deliveries on more than one occasion. As off-guard as the question had caught him, Louis had answered (he had quite a pretty cock, if he said so himself) and then dismissed the whole interaction as just one more slightly weird conversation with his slightly weird flatmate.

Two days later, here Louis was, sitting buck naked on Harry’s bed, a fluffy purple cushion covering his junk as Harry fiddled with the laptop perched on his bedside table. Swallowing down a wave of nerves, Louis tried to distract himself by looking around Harry’s room. It was the first time he was seeing it from this angle, as considering how private Harry was about it, Louis thought it looked remarkably normal. The bed was neatly made and it smelled clean, but the desk was cluttered and the wardrobe looked like it was puking clothes, shirts hanging from half-open drawers and trousers bundled up on the floor. It was obvious Harry only bothered to tidy up the part of his room that was always visible on camera, and Louis couldn’t help but start wondering just what it was that Harry did: did he play a character? Did he use a fake name? Had he ever brought other people in here to film himself having sex with them for money or was Louis the first?

“We’re not going to have sex,” Harry had said the night before, when he’d been trying to convince a shell-shocked Louis that this was a good idea. “I’ll just suck you off. Your face won’t even be in the frame.”

Apparently, his regular…watchers? Audience members? His…fans, or whatever had been requesting Harry replace his toys for the real thing for a while now, and apparently they would tip him way more than usual if he agreed. That’s the word Harry used: “tip”. Louis was not in the habit of paying for his porn, so he had no idea how the whole deal worked, but when Harry had assured him that they would be able to cover rent for the next month, it wasn’t that hard of a decision to make. 

It wasn’t like Louis was having second thoughts, exactly, but he was starting to get nervous about maybe not being able to, um, perform. When he’d asked Harry how many people usually watched him, Harry had said a couple thousand. Somehow the amount had not fully sinked in for Louis until he was waiting for Harry to finish angling his camera just right. A couple thousand was a lot of people. Louis had only ever been naked and hard in front of one person at a time. Being naked and hard in front of Harry alone was already nerve wracking enough, thinking about having a whole entire theater worth of people watching him made his balls kind of shrink up his body. 

When Harry turned around from his laptop, something in Louis’ face must have been showing his apprehension because the satisfied smile that had been on his face dropped away.

“Are you having second thoughts?” he asked, and Louis shook his head. It was difficult to have second thoughts when Harry’s mouth was right there, looking pouty and pink as Harry nibbled on his lower lip. Louis had not started thinking about Harry’s mouth on him the last couple of days - he’d been obsessing for a while now. It wasn’t easy to stop obsessing when he knew Harry was doing all sorts of filthy things just a few meters from him most nights. 

“Show me how it’s going to look,” he said, nodding towards the laptop. Harry had a fancy camera all set up on a tripod next to the bed. It was connected to his computer on his bedside table, and Louis watched as Harry clicked on a few icons and then there he was, in high definition from the neck down, knuckles white where he was clutching at the cushion on his lap. “Oh, fuck.”

“Just make sure you don’t slide down the bed and it’ll be okay,” Harry told him. 

“You don’t mind that they can see your face?”

“I don’t think they pay much attention to my face,” Harry said and Louis nearly scoffed in disbelief. As lovely as the rest of Harry was, Louis would have paid a lot of money to stare at his face as he came (if he were a creepy old man in a cabin somewhere). It was easier to think the people watching them were far away in a cabin in Siberia or somewhere secluded like that, and not people who could bump into them in the street. He wondered if that had ever happened to Harry, but he knew now was not the moment to ask. “And I don’t think I’m doing anything, like, embarrassing. I don’t need to hide my face.”

Now Louis felt a bit judged for wanting his face hidden, but he couldn’t take any chances, he had teenage sisters who lived online. Louis didn’t even let them follow him on instagram.  

“I can’t believe you talked me into this,” Louis said weakly, shaking thoughts of his sisters out of his head.

“Are you sure you’re sure?” Harry asked. He was sitting on the edge of the bed, leaning towards the camera to press record, and on the laptop screen, Louis could see the number of people waiting for the stream to begin.

758. God. 

But then he looked at Harry again, bright green eyes, flushed cheeks, and fuck, his mouth.

“Yeah, let’s do it,” Louis said, and Harry smiled, dimples digging into his cheeks, and pressed record.

[d3-iseefire]

The Symphony of Cinderella Chapter 2

This chapter is short, but the others are all longer. :D

Adagio (Chapter 2)

Bilba stared dully at her reflection in the cracked mirror.

She felt awful.

It had been a week since her performance at Aegnor's theater.  A week filled with interviews at small news stations desperate for stories, and Lobelia's brilliant idea that she should set up a piano outside and give an impromptu concert. Her stepmother had been adamant that not only would it boost ticket sales, but someone in the crowd would undoubtedly film it and create a viral video.

Bilba was fairly certain her stepmother had an incorrect understanding of how viral videos were created, but it was easier to obey than get screamed at so she’d dutifully sat on the rickety bench in front of a rented piano and played classical music on a random street corner.

Instead of instant fame, all Bilba had gotten was rained on.

She'd awakened the next day with a scratchy throat that had soon developed into a full-on head cold. None of this had deterred her stepmother in the slightest, which was why Bilba was currently in a run-down room in the back of a theater so small and old she doubted anyone in Mirkwood remembered it existed.

Lobelia and Lotho always demanded she spend the entire day of a performance at the venue, which she usually appreciated because it gave her a much-needed break from them. Lobelia was out shopping with Priscilla while Lotho and Otho had gone off...somewhere.

Bilba sighed. She could barely breathe through her nose, her eyes were so dry it hurt to keep them open, and every time she swallowed it felt like razor blades were shredding her throat. On top of all it felt like her head was in a vise, as her blocked sinuses made their presence known in the form of a raging headache.

She dug her fingers into her temples in the futile hope it might accomplish something. When that did nothing she folded her arms on the counter and dropped her head on them, letting out a groan of pure misery as she did. 

"Are you all right?"

Bilba twitched in surprise at the deep voice behind her but lacked the energy or desire to lift her head enough to see who it was. There were always stagehands running about, preparing for either her performance or the one after that people actually wanted to see. They were usually too busy to speak to her and she’d started thinking of them as almost background noise. Present but on the edges of her perception, simultaneously there but not there.  

She was pretty sure they saw her in the exactly the same way, there but not really. Not a person so much as the “talent.” Just one more act in a long string of ever changing acts.

"Miss?"

Right, guy behind her. She'd half hoped he'd take the hint and leave her to her misery.

"I'm fine," she managed to mumble into her arms. The act of talking irritated her throat enough to make her cough and her shoulders bunched as her lungs tried their very best to expel themselves from her body. Traitorous bastards. When they finally gave up and settled down she let out another groan and sagged deeper into her arms. "Just kill me."

"I'll be right back," the deep voice said. Footsteps retreated out of the small room.

Bilba grumbled something unintelligible and relaxed. She simply wasn't up for any sort of company. She'd be lucky if she were up for the concert. Maybe if she were given the chance to rest for a few min--

Her train of thought was cut off by the arrival of another stagehand, this one to call her up for sound checks. He left and Bilba lifted her head, which felt like it weighed a ton. She kept her eyes shut for a few more minutes, as she always got vertigo when she was sick, her ears getting stopped up so badly it affected her balance.

When the wave of dizziness passed, she pushed to her feet. A glance in the mirror showed she looked as bad as she felt and she was grateful she hadn’t looked up when either stagehand had appeared. The fewer she traumatized the better.

She had to resist the urge to groan again as she left the room. Her entire body ached, and she desperately wanted to lie down, but knew that wasn't an option for hours. Instead she consoled herself with the knowledge that, even if she could lie down, she'd just end up with her sinuses even more stopped up and her lungs trying all the harder to escape her body.

Maybe she’d get lucky and a piece of scaffolding would fall and knock her unconscious for an hour or two.

That would be nice.

Tragically, no scaffolding fell during her sound check and, what felt like ages later, Bilba wandered down the corridor back to her dressing room. 

If anything, she now felt worse.

The theater was under construction to repair water damage from the same storm that had made her ill. Most of the work was in the main lobby, leaving it and the stage filled with sawdust that clogged her sinuses even worse and left her eyes feeling like someone had rubbed sandpaper over them. 

Someone had pulled the door to her dressing room closed and she hoped that meant it was relatively clear of more sawdust and she’d be able to relax a bit. She grabbed the knob and shoved it open, desperately hoping that she would be left alone long enough to rest for a few minutes.

She took a step inside and stumbled to a stop at the sight that greeted her on her small vanity. 

A small teacup with steam rising from it, next to a bottle of extra strength aspirin and a box of nasal decongestant. There was also an unopened box of tissues and an extra-large bag of cherry flavored cough drops. Finally, just behind the cup of tea, sat a large bowl of soup, steam rising from it and a spoon placed neatly beside it.

Bilba spotted a note propped against her mirror and picked it up.

I didn't know what you'd like but I figured you can't go wrong with green tea and chicken soup for a cold. I hope it helps!

Bilba's vision wavered and she pressed her lips together. The last thing she needed was to cry while being sick. She remembered the door and spun to close it. If Lobelia and Lotho found out someone had done this they'd be angry. They'd insist she must have been complaining and told someone a sob story to manipulate them. They'd say she'd simply done it to make them look bad, as if they didn't do that all on their own.

She sank down into the chair and dragged the bowl and cup toward her. They both smelled heavenly and she was already fantasizing about the feel of the hot liquid on her abused throat.

As she reached for the spoon, her eyes caught on one more item she hadn't originally noticed. A small cell phone tucked just behind the bag of cough drops.

Bilba hesitated, and then reached for it. She didn't recognize the brand, but it lit up as she picked it up, revealing a home screen that looked standard. With a sinking feeling, Bilba pulled up the contacts and saw a single name in the list - "Bringer of Asprin"

A slight smile tugged at the corner of her lips, even as her heart fell further. He was one of those then. The ones who only did something nice because they had convinced themselves they'd get something in return. A date usually, but it was always something. He was probably nearby, had seen her go in her room and, any minute, would text the phone with whatever it was he'd decided he'd "earned."

She scowled, tapping one finger idly on the desk as she waited for the phone to buzz. A minute passed, followed by another, and another after that.

Nothing happened.

She chewed on her lower lip self-consciously, eyes darting to the soup and other supplies. Several more minutes passed until, finally, with a grumble, she leaned forward to grab the teacup.

If he tried to get demanding later she’d give him an autograph or picture or something.

 The tea felt heavenly, as did the soup. It didn’t make her feel 100% better, but her throat felt less raw and her stomach begrudgingly settled a little.

 After she was finished, and had hidden everything as best she could, she retreated to the small couch. The aspirin and nasal decongestant had helped, and though she knew she’d probably soon be going through the entire box of tissue because of them, she was relieved to feel her headache drop to a dull throb in her temples.

She shoved the cell phone under the cushions, tried to prop herself up so she was sort of half sitting/half lying down, and shut her eyes.

If she did manage to fall asleep, she imagined she’d wake up to a demanding text or call on the phone, verifying what she already knew.

 Nobody was ever simply kind.

 It was a lesson she’d learned over and over since her parents has died.

 Hopefully, one day she’d stop feeling so disappointed by it.

Follow on AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22263070/chapters/53163472

[prettylittleflowerx]

Affordable Interior Home Improvement Ideas

Searching for some simple interior home improvement ideas that may enhance the appearance of your house without huge expenses? We've got some inexpensive ideas for you.

Why Update?

So you've lived in your home for a couple of years and its showing wear and tear. There are a great deal of home improvement ideas which you can do inside your home that do not cost much money; that is if you do them yourself. It's far cheaper to do what enhancements you can by yourself. These improvements could even enhance the value of your home so that it's well worth looking into them.

Wet Paint

Painting the interior of your home is something you can do very easily. Matte-finished paint is very simple to paint with. Your regional home-improvement shop can fill you in on what supplies you require. It may even teach you what materials you need and the processes you want to go through to successfully paint your interior walls. You might even learn how to perform stenciling or other decorative techniques.

Curtain Call

You may replace your old, faded curtains with bright new ones at a minimal price. Hit the deal stores for these rather than the high price stores however. Remember you are attempting to keep everything as cheap as possible. 

Kitchen Duty

Kitchen responsibility involves brightening up the kitchen you've got. You only have to replace the cabinet doors with new ones if they're too badly aged. Another way to brighten them up is to paint them. When they have a protective finish on them it will need to be eliminated first through sanding or stripping. Then all you've got to do is use a great quality high-gloss or satin-finish paint to lift their appearance. Also replace the knobs with fresh ones. Do not overlook the drawers either.

Clean the Carpets

Simply shampooing the carpets will work wonders for your entire house. Carpets have a means of being stained and grungy looking if not cleaned periodically. We walk all day without realizing we're grounding in dirt that dims the colour of the carpet. It is possible to rent shampooers or do it professionally; either way is an inexpensive investment in your property.

Shine the Floors

For those who have hardwood flooring gently clean them and if they have a finish on them you might have to strip and then redo the flooring. In the event that you have tile flooring though examine the flooring to see if there are cracked tiles that the need replacing. If you're able to still get that exact same style of tile the majority of the time that the broken ones can easily be replaced. You may want an expert for this job if you aren't handy with your hands.

Basking in the Bathroom

You want to have the ability to appreciate your bathrooms. What's fun about taking a look at a whole lot of worn out fixtures however? Replace these unsightly fittings with shiny new ones. These too can be substituted or in certain cases resurfaced. This may cost you a bit for the bathtub but a sink or bathroom isn't that big of an expense.

Doing the above mentioned improvements is quite reasonably priced and well worth doing for the appearance and value of your dwelling.

Home Improvement Ideas: The 10 Most Worth It

Summarized below are 10 home improvement ideas that may make your area more effective and more enjoyable filled than ever. Here are those:

1. Kitchen Remodelling

Kitchen upgrade not only increases your home's buying value, but also its aesthetic allure. A light green tile backsplash, by way of instance, helps emphasize your simple white wood cabinetry or white marble ledges. When there's a modern feel to your rooms, then you can select from clear natural colours to bold tiles, such as red or orange. Colorful recycled glass tiles, on the other hand, can result in a classic room's pragmatic feel. Generally speaking, coupled with other remodelling ideas, the final output is dazzling, yet not exaggerated, balancing the last design of your dwelling.

2. Roof Replacement

Given the broad variety of roofing types and materials you can choose from, roof replacement may invariably alter the personality and the vibe of your dwelling. By way of instance, if you would like a natural texture to your roof, you can select natural thin layers of slate. If, on the other hand, you want an energy efficient and a fire resistant roof that comes in designer colors, a metal roof is a good idea. Actually, there are quite a few other options aside from these. But all in all, all roofing materials and types can increase your home's appeal, besides it shielding you from catastrophes.

3. Deck Addition

Deck addition can increase the value of your home, it may also make it a more desirable area to go home to, after school or after work. I mean, there is nothing like relaxing on a deck, enjoying the view with a hot or cool beverage in your hand, right?

4. Bathroom Remodelling

Bathrooms are more than merely a utilitarian area in your house, since you are able to place many spins on it. There are lots of available bathroom systems it is possible to choose from. By way of example, you can put in a bathroom system using a walk-in bathtub which will make it possible for you to go into the bathtub with much simplicity, without needing to measure over the awkward barrier of a conventional tub, which may cause you to slip or fall off. Apart from that, many other striking alternatives are readily available. You could even add taps and mirrors, and then paint it to freshen it. In any case, building a better toilet, to make an perfect at-home oasis, is officially needed.

5. Reinventing a Room

You can reinvent your space by turning any unoccupied spaces in your house, such as your attic and your own bathrooms, and convert it into a bedroom, a living area, or a game room instead. In this manner, you can maximize your home's space, and also its worth.

6. Establish a Backyard Patio

Having a backyard terrace, you can get cozy and intimate gatherings with your nearest and dearest, without needing to go outside and spend lavishly. All the more, you might have a cool place in your home, where you are able to enjoy your java in the morning and at night. That would truly be a relaxing place to visit.

7. Basement Waterproofing

Basement waterproofing, so to speak, eliminates mould, and base and wall problems within your dwelling. Not just that, it may also prevent seepage and function as a vapor barrier. These benefits speak for themselves, as to why cellar waterproofing is a home improvement option to take under account.

8. Update your Yard

The front lawn is a vital component to accentuate your home's curb appeal. By upgrading your front lawn, you can enhance your home's flow. Moreover, you can strategically place trees, which may help decorate your lawn, help shade your home from heat, block cold winds during winter, and thereby reduces cooling costs. Consequently, adding some hanging baskets, flower pot, plus trimming hedges and lawns, can definitely create a welcoming impression.

9. Attic Remodelling

Exactly as with other empty spaces in your house, attics may also be turned into a possible functional space, if revived properly and designed more creatively. It could be turned into an office area, a home theater, a reading area, or a sport area. To put it simply, you can feel more at ease and alleviated with the cold breeze and the quiet night on your attic.

10. Make Your Home Exterior Pop

Color plays a important role in fostering your home's curb appeal. It can make your house either stick out from the pack or blend in pleasantly with the environment. To create your home's exterior pop, you can pattern the color of your roof's shingles following the designs you used in your dwelling. By way of instance, higher contrast colors accentuate your roofs' finest characteristics, while low contrast colors tend to hide its flaws. Moreover, beside the shingles, you may also make it pop by buying a front door entrance, that's the home feature that delivers the most adaptability in color choices.

[artificialqueens]

Échappé / Chapter 6 (Branjie) - DenDenMonMon

Massive thank you to Mac for the beautiful mood board! 

A/N: Remember this is a slow burn? Yeah. Okay. Please, don’t hate me. -Monkey.

 AO3 Link

Chapter 6

“Miss Brooke Lynn!”

The loud clap made Brooke land back into reality. She fell off the relevé, her heels loudly hitting the floor of the stage. She felt her entire body vibrating with the dying notes of the violin, even when she had stopped listening to them several counts ago. Brooke turned to face the head choreographer, confusion filled her features as she literally woke up from her daydream.

“It’s time you come back to us, girlie,” Alyssa said as she motioned to herself, her long arms extending and closing slowly. “The last show is tonight and your mind is everywhere but here, baby.”

Brooke kicked her legs out, one at a time, trying to wake them up as she moved to her mark. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I’m here.”

The choreographer stood straight, her hands clasped together in front of her. “Good. I’m not your Stage Mom, girl. Don’t give me one more thing to worry about. I already have my hands full with Squiddly and Diddly over there.”

Her thumb pointed to the other end of the stage, where Katya sat on the floor, her legs wrapped around her own head. Kameron laughed as she held Katya’s crossed ankles with a hand and the other pushed down her hamstring.

“Come on, bitch,” Katya encouraged her. “We can go lower than that.”

Detox, who had her legs opened wide in front of her, threw a slipper in their direction. It was enough to let them know they were being observed. Both Kameron and Katya sat up, going back to their warm up and stretching, as if nothing had happened.

Alyssa’s attention returned to Brooke, who already stood in fourth position, her chin up high, waiting for the music to start.

“That’s how I like it,” Alyssa smiled widely. “Take charge of the whole scene, bitch.”

“From the top?” Brooke’s question sounded more like an order. It was hard to keep the voice of command in check but, when they were on stage, Alyssa was the ruler. Nobody forgot that.

Alyssa clicked her tongue against her teeth loudly and lifted a finger in the air. The prerecorded orchestra started sounding through the speakers to her cue, and Brooke’s back straightened in expectation.

Her limbs started moving by themselves. Brooke trusted her trained muscle memory to carry her through the solo. She had done the same part the whole season, she could allow her mind to go blank while her body followed the music. Dancing was her sanctuary, her salvation. Many years of struggle had been survived thanks to her opportunity to dance. If it hadn’t been for that hour a day she could lose herself to the music, she would have probably gone insane. It allowed her to travel through time and space and land on the farthest planet of the galaxy, all by herself, where no trouble could reach her, where no harm could touch her.

Brooke didn’t have many safe places in her life anymore, but there was no place safer than her mind when she was dancing.

The only problem was that, today, her mind didn’t precisely empty like it always did. Dance was usually able to push every thought out of her head, this time, however, one single thought was unshakable: her.

Vanessa.

Vanessa’s lips.

Vanessa’s lips on her.

Even if Brooke and Vanessa had been texting, a lot, it had been a week since the last time they saw each other. Seven full days since they kissed on Vanessa’s old couch. They hadn’t known it was going to happen, or at least Brooke hadn’t planned it. She definitely didn’t have any idea that she was going to like it so much. Kissing Vanessa had felt like floating on air but, at the same time, it had been the most grounding thing in the world. Brooke had never felt that kind of exhilaration before, which, ironically, invaded her whole being with utter peace and calmness. Vanessa’s soft lips had numbed every single one of her senses, yet every nerve ending had stood at attention.

The whole make out session had suspended time for the two of them. They forgot the ticking of the clock as they explored each other’s mouths, as tongues ran against teeth, and hands brushed over skin.

Then Vanessa’s phone had rang.

Yvie innocently asked what was the type of vegan milk that Trixie liked. She could call Trixie herself but she didn’t want to interrupt anything. So foolish of her.

That night, Brooke left the girls’ apartment wearing her fancy dress again. It didn’t matter how much she had insisted to take the clothes she had borrowed from Vanessa, it was pointless. She could wash it herself, Vanessa had repeated over and over again. Brooke knew she should’ve pushed it a little more. When she sat alone in her rented room, missing Vanessa, she wished she had a little piece of her to provide some comfort.

Since then, Brooke and Vanessa hadn’t seen each other, both engrossed in their own lives.

It was silly, childish, and so unlike her. Brooke had never felt like this before, like a twelve year-old gushing to her diary about her new crush; and she wanted to do exactly that. At thirty years old, she had a note on her phone to go get a notebook, for the sole purpose of writing about her feelings. She wanted to draw hearts and put their initials inside. She wanted to put stickers around their names and mix them together, so their friends could recognize them as one entity.

“Kameron, that elbow, girl!”

Alyssa’s voice, once again, worked as an alarm clock, letting Brooke know it was time to join the real world and exit her fantasy land.

Her solo had ended long ago and Brooke noticed it just then. Detox and Kameron flanked her as the three of them performed their piece in perfect sync.

She was panting, Brooke realized, and she could feel the sweat pooling around her brows as she danced. Her feet hurt inside the pointe, her toenails were digging deep into her skin. She decided to focus on that, to concentrate her complete attention on the pressure on her toes. The pain would work as an anchor, so she wouldn’t drift off to the memory of Vanessa’s hand running up and down her side.

Shit.

It wasn’t working.

By the time rehearsals were over, Brooke had a splitting headache, literally. Her mind couldn’t maintain a linear logical process, jumping from Vanessa to the sequence Brooke was practicing. It felt like her synapses would short-circuit any second, trying to balance the movement of her body and the racing of her thoughts.

There was only one way to fix things, she knew that, and took care of it in the shower right after the final run through, with hot water falling on top of her head. Everybody did it, they had recommended Brooke to do so many times before. She simply had never felt the need to go there.

Your eyes will look so much brighter on stage, they had said.

It’s a great way to loosen up your muscles, they had advised.

It helps your mind to slow down, they had reasoned.

All of those sounded like false arguments until she did it. It wasn’t until she saw white flashes before her eyes, Vanessa’s name falling from her lips, and two fingers of her own hand deep inside of herself, that she finally understood.

Brooke felt better right away. The process of getting ready was so much easier. As always, she was the first one to be done, with the exception that she was relaxed as she waited for her dancemates. She walked around the place, tightening up corsets and tying up hair buns, passing tissues and applying eyeliner. Everybody commented on her mood and she brushed it off by saying she was excited about the closing night. She was. Excitement was the only feeling she was allowing herself to have. If she didn’t think about leaving the following Monday, it made it feel less real.

A few minutes before the heavy red curtain was pulled up, Brooke peeked through the wings to see the attendees filing inside. She wondered if Vanessa was already in her seat. She was probably trying to find popcorn outside, grumpingly realizing actual theaters didn’t work the same way as the movies. A smile crept to her lips as Brooke went back to the dressing room area. All the while, she imagined the little powerhouse making a scene in the lobby, asking who was in charge of the food up in that joint.

Funny enough, none of that was taking place. Vanessa was already seated, her feet, fueled by anxiety, were tapping the carpeted floor rapidly. Her dress was too tight, the inside wiring was pressing against her ribcage already. She didn’t know how long plays lasted but she imagined several hours; there was no way she was going to be able to sit there in pain for so long. She started wondering why she allowed Trixie to convince her to wear such a stupid thing.

Vanessa looked around, the place was fancy. She couldn’t really remember why the Dolby Theater was so important, but she did know The Oscar’s had been held there. The plates with the winning movies at the entrance confirmed it. The guests looked extremely elegant, it made perfect sense for them to be there, they belonged. Vanessa didn’t feel like she did. It was a thought that usually appeared whenever she entered Brooke’s world, and it wasn’t a nice feeling to host.

The program in her hand had become a thin tube, as she nervously kept rolling it between her fingers. Vanessa straightened the paper against her knee, her palm hitting flat on Plastique’s figure printed on the cover. Intricate golden letters spelled The Sleeping Beauty at the top of the page. She figured she didn’t need to open the program to see what was inside, Vanessa had watched the movie many, many times growing up and she knew how it went. She also knew more than a few of the dancers of the company. If anything, she wanted to picture what role could be played by each of her new friends, placing bets against her imagination if she got the casting wrong.

That was when the second call sounded through the speakers.

Next to Vanessa, Trixie was calmly going through her phone, piece of gum between her teeth, and the pink binoculars she had found at the Dollar Tree resting on her lap. Vanessa wondered if she was even going to use them. They were right in the middle of the audience, taking the places reserved for friends and family. The stage was relatively close, there was no way Trixie was going to need them.

Just as Vanessa made those observations, shifting to fix her corset yet again, the lights went down slowly. People around them clapped rather dully and both friends followed suit, looking at each other in conspiracy. The little smiles played on their lips as the stage was revealed.

The production was… expensive, Vanessa decided. She had known the ballet company had money, but she didn’t know they actually had money.

A staircase, with a golden handrail, stood in the background. In pairs, dancers walked down the steps, with outfits that seemed straight from, like, three centuries ago. All of them were girls, but half of them wore men’s clothes as they represented couples attending a reunion. They looked pretty funny. Vanessa bit her lip trying not to laugh. She turned to Trixie who had the exact same look of amusement on her face. They chuckled and whispered about the horrible wigs, the baggy pants that looked like diapers, and the ugly mustaches.

By the time the queen and king showed up, dancing and jumping around with a fake baby in their hands, they absolutely lost it.

Trixie pressed her hand to Vanessa’s mouth, forcing her to be quiet, yet barely being able to contain her laughter herself. Then the music stopped and the fingers ran down Vanessa’s chin as Trixie dropped her arm in surprise.

Brooke appeared on the stage. The dancers stepped away to the sidelines and pointed in her direction. Her steps were sharp and her face was serious, making her look regal. A bright blue corset enhanced her round breasts and small waist; from her hips, a sparkling tutu stuck out in every direction, leaving her butt in full display under the soft pink tights. She stood still for a moment, her long leg went up in the air, and she landed on the pointe shoe after a little jump.

Everybody in the company loved Brooke, Vanessa had gathered as much. She had heard many comments about how good Brooke was as a director, her creative mind was complimented a lot but, above everything, the girls wouldn’t stop talking about how talented she was as a dancer. When they were preparing The Dream Girls for the dance competition, Vanessa had gotten a glimpse of that. Brooke would randomly start dancing at the back of the room, being silly and having fun. Her body clearly showed that she worked hard, but more than once Vanessa doubted if maybe her friends’ love for her made them exaggerate Brooke’s abilities.

It was time for Vanessa to witness the magic first hand.

Accompanied by soft music, Brooke seemed to glide across the stage. Her legs reached so high, it was out of this world. Every single one of her moves was gentle, delicate. She turned and turned and turned until Vanessa felt dizzy, but Brooke was completely unbothered. It was hypnotizing. She made it look so effortlessly graceful. Her smile was big and her facial expression was relaxed as she moved around the cradle with the fake baby.

Something warm invaded Vanessa’s chest, and it took her a minute to identify what it was. It was pride. She felt proud of Brooke. It filled her entire body, making her feel good and alive. Tears gathered in the corner of her lash line, and Vanessa blinked rapidly to get rid of them. She couldn’t take her eyes off of Brooke, of her flawless body moving around the stage as if she had been born to grace it.

Brooke stood front and center, her feet performing an intricate sequence as she held her head up high. Her eyes travelled across the audience, and looked straight to Vanessa. She knew that it couldn’t be true, Vanessa had been on enough theaters to know the illumination blinded the dancers, forcing them to see nothing but darkness behind the lights. A part of her wanted to believe that it was possible, she wanted to think that Brooke was holding her stare and dancing just for her; because that was what Vanessa had done. During her performance in the dance competition, she had found Brooke, locked eyes with her, and forced the rest of the people to disappear from her field of view. She wanted to believe Brooke was doing the same thing.

The audience gasped loudly as Brooke jumped high in the air, spun more than once, and landed in a perfect split. Her arms went up to frame her head, her torso fell back, then front, she extended one leg and, just like that, she was back up.

A pang of disappointment hit Vanessa when suddenly Brooke was not alone on the stage anymore. Detox, wearing a green version of Brooke’s dress, walked to her side with extended arms, then the beautiful quiet girl — that Vanessa couldn’t remember the name of — showed up on the other side, dressed in pink. The girls started moving in immaculate synchrony, as if they were three versions of the same person. The physical resemblance made it hard enough to pick them apart, if it hadn’t been for the different colors they were wearing, it could’ve been an impossible task. What made it even more difficult was the way they hit every mark at the same time, how their minds and bodies seemed to be connected.

“What, are they, like, triplets or somethin’?” Vanessa tilted her head towards Trixie, unable to turn away from the dancers on the stage.

“They are the fucking fairies, you idiot.”

Of course they were. Trying to remember the movie, Vanessa made the connections. The baby was Aurora, who would, in the next act, grow up to be Plastique. The fairies would take care of her.

The music changed dramatically, everybody around them clapped effusively as the stage lights dimmed down. Vanessa looked around, her heart rate raising to match the tempo of the powerful song.

From behind the staircase, appeared a figure in black. The audience members collectively held their breaths as the shadow, whose face was covered by a thick veil adorned with feathers, danced around the frightened fairies. This was nothing like the graceful dance that they had been witnessing. It was primal and filled with rage.

Even before the dancer with the horns was disclosed, Trixie started jumping up and down in her seat.

“That’s Katya!” Trixie stage whispered to Vanessa’s ear. “That’s my girl!” She turned to face the stranger to her other side. “My girl is the devil.”

Katya took off the cover and revealed an outfit pretty similar to the other dancers’, but it was black and had enhancements of purple across her torso. She looked beautiful, wickedly so.

A lady, so politely that it verged on condescendance, tapped Trixie’s arm. “That’s Carabosse, darling, the Wicked Fairy Godmother.”

“No, bitch, my girl is Maleficent.”

The woman pressed a hand to her chest in shock and, with a huff, returned her eyes to the stage. A battle was taking place, specifically between Katya and Brooke, whose dance style matched their roles to perfection. Katya, with her arms arched above her head, and her legs kicking high up in the air, seemed to be casting spells to the people around her. Brooke spun and turned, managing to stay clear of the imaginary rays of magic.

Katya moved towards the crib, a vicious smile adorning her face, as she made a whole scene of enchanting the baby. It was very clear that Katya was having the time of her life. Her happiness was contagious. She was visibly having fun killing the guests of the party and fighting her friends in a fantastic combat.

After several minutes of pure tension, of Vanessa literally sitting at the edge of her seat, Brooke managed to scare the evil fairy away. With a guttural grunt, loud enough to be heard above the orchestra, Katya left the stage in the same obscure way that she had entered. And the red curtain came down a second later.

The ballet company was good, really, really good, but there was only one person that stole the show. It didn’t matter if Brooke technically had a secondary role, she owned the floor as soon as her pointes made contact with the wooden stage.

Seeing Plastique dance with imaginary animals and falling in love with a girl dressed as a prince was probably the least appealing part of the whole thing.

Vanessa’s favorite part was when Plastique danced happily at a party, then Katya showed up to ruin everything again. With a white sheet covering her dark fairy dress, she pinched Plastique’s finger. Plastique made a dramatic fall to the floor before Katya revealed who she was. Laughing loudly, and extremely proud of herself, Katya exited the scene. The whole act was engraved in Vanessa’s mind only because, seconds later, in a vision of white, Brooke had looked like an angel as she came to save the day.

It seemed to be an ongoing theme for the girl, to show up out of literal nowhere and become the salvation needed. Brooke had pretty much saved Vanessa’s ass, in more ways that she even allowed herself to consider. There were many things that Vanessa had stopped her brain from thinking about, many feelings she had prevented her heart from having, but not anymore.

The play lasted about two hours; surprisingly enough, Vanessa didn’t feel like it had been that long. The whole three acts had been mesmerizing.

As Brooke took her final bow, with a big smile and holding the hands of her dancemates, things became very clear for Vanessa. She wanted to run, go up that stage, and tell Brooke, in front of all those people, how special she was and how the world was unworthy of her talent. Vanessa wanted to take Brooke in her arms, a river of praises falling from her lips as she worship her body with kisses. She couldn’t do any of that, not there. They all had plans to go out after the show, to celebrate the closing of the season, maybe then.

Meanwhile, Vanessa stood with everybody else, giving the dancers the standing ovation they deserved, but knowing the tears of joy were running for one ballerina, and one ballerina only. The one Vanessa was madly in love with.

A/N: 

So I took some creative license and tweaked the original play to mix it with the Disney movie. No disrespect to Tchaikovsky and his masterpiece. I just figured it would make more sense to read something we are all a bit more familiar with. That’s also the reason why I jumped to Vanessa’s POV during that part, so we wouldn’t get lost in the technicality of Russian ballet. Hope you had liked it :)

[intheheartofthematter]

TFBM "Lioness" (Source: Flickr/ exodus-travels)

Photo by Gramps, Nov ‘68, 4th birthday, Knott’s Berry Farm... Knott’s first every visit for little cars, farm animals, horse rides.

TFBM 2016 “Happy Birthday, Dad! I love and miss you! (I sang Happy Birthday, too) First birthday since...” ❤️

TFBM 2013 (Three months after my grandpa died, his dad) “Today is my Dad's birthday. I called him and he's really sick again, and sounds so depressed. He says he's getting old and he's so tired of being in pain and stuck in a wheelchair and in a nursing home. He doesn't want me to visit him today, but said maybe tomorrow. As usual, he let me go quickly, said he needed his pain shot and then said, I love you, through tears, almost sobs and hung up. It's so hard and I don't know what else I can do for him. I just needed to say something, think out loud.”

TFBM 2014 (Bill Eppridge—LIFE Picture Collection) “In late 1968, not long after famously capturing Robert Kennedy's assassination, Bill Eppridge spent two healing months among wild horses in the fabled landscape of the American West.”

This share is not about the main lyrics...

Sent to me shortly before he died, ‘So you won’t forget me’ I never could. I will remember you throughout eternity! ❤️

A couple of my Grandpa’s late years ‘wild horses’ paintings  *card size prints in an album

Tonight! Tuesday Tuck In

One tradition passed down from my grandparents & dad💕 My baby at Knott’s riding horses there like me when little. And, just like me, didn’t want to get off when time was up.

Currently watching...

I’m hoping to find photos showing how different Knott’s was when I was little. I’d like to point out my favorite memories. The farm animals area had a mascot dog, Queenie, who was always a tail-wagging greeter. She was the first one I wanted to go see and hug and get face-licks from. Just like Lassie, they were brilliant in naming each same breed dog Queenie over the years, when one would pass. Later, Knott’s Scary Farm and Knott’s Merry Farm came into existence. T likes to go to the Halloween Haunt every year. I used to go all the time, too. Since my birthday is just two days after Halloween it’s usually celebrated in some Halloween combination. I remember when I went to Knott’s Scary Farm with my friends for my 16th birthday and I couldn’t wait to visit the farm. “Farm?” Yeah, it’s still here although not a main attraction now. I went home with a Red Satin bunny. I named her Pumpkin. 

An oil painting by my grandpa. A couple of detail shots... 

I couldn’t avoid the lighting on it in my room... 

I have a small oil painting of cats, given to me when I was a little girl, and three of his pen etchings; a fox, a rabbit, and my favorite of a tree. I also have two paintings of flowers I asked for. All used to be up on the walls in my homes. T has a few of them in my stored belongings at their place, as well as my piano. I hope they don’t get damaged at any point. There’s a sad story about a lot of my grandfather’s work, and who has them, who avoided me after the funeral. My family out there say they will try to figure out a way to get them back, but I know they won’t, or can’t. This woman is wealthy and thinks she’s entitled. Anyway, it’s not important. My family who have paintings of his offered them to me, to take them down off of their walls (of course I couldn’t take them)... this woman avoided me at all costs, with several excuses, until I had to leave. I don’t know why they’re so important to her! Anyway, this painting was one that my dad loved. He had it hanging in his homes for years. When he became paralyzed, he pleaded with the doctors to let him go home again. Once he pushed through physical therapy and proved he was strong enough to do it, they released him. But, sadly, his roommate came home one day to a tipped over wheelchair, blood (and more) all over the walls and floor, and my dad missing. Thankfully, a neighbor heard him cry out and called an ambulance. We had no idea which hospital he was taken to. By the time I found him, walking into the ER room sectionals, the nurse across the way told the others, his DR says he’s DNR. I looked over and saw that it was my dad... too many details to tell it all, but I said, “No he’s not! Resuscitate him right now!” Who are you? - His daughter. What doctor said that? He’s fired. And I had her call my dad’s Internal Medicine doctor, who agreed to become his primary doctor. Too many details, but even after all that happened, they didn’t insert the tube correctly, and I pointed that out, because they were saying it was useless that he was going to die. So, they rushed him to x-ray and found out I was right, and corrected it. Everything was a nightmare. There’s so much more. He had a raging staph infection. His skin was discolored throughout his entire body, looking leopard-like. They said he wouldn’t recover from it... just like when they wanted me to pull the plug and he fully recovered. It goes on and on... too much to think about, really. But, that’s when the doctor did the dirty work for me and told him that he had to go back to a nursing home. Anyway, this painting, and some of my dad’s other belongings (when I moved him out of that house with his roommate), was kept in the warehouse where I worked. When I finally got my piano and the other stuff out of there only a few years ago, I planned to bring this painting to my dad and hang it in his room at the home. He was looking forward to it, but then his health took a turn, and he died before I could bring it to him. So, it’s been sitting in my room since... painting side against the wall, to protect it, braced by other things. If I could get my own place, I would hang them all again. I think at this point, we’re stuck here until spring, losing more money to rent, medical, meds and all in the meantime. I just hope that nothing changes by spring and we can still make this happen before I won’t be able to contribute anything or do for myself in that way. We’ll see 🙏🏻

Oh! I almost forgot! Look what I came across yesterday: baby...

I noticed my photos program created this video this August. It’s mostly of Aiden (T’s Make-A-Wish kitty) one of the last times when he was real sick, and I’m also trying to connect on Skype with T for him in the video, lol... It helped him a lot. We finally managed to get through to each other. They Skyped daily a few times... he was anticipating it in the one shot. It was awful how he died. Just like my dad. Neither should have gone through what they did. I can’t let that happen to Marozi. Everyone needs to brace themselves soon. Neither my aunt or T are ready to have him put down, and I talk about it all the time, but both keep saying he’s better in between... For what? Half a day? Anyway, dreading it, too. But I can’t experience more like that. I just can’t. It’s too much for me. I’ve seen and been through too much already. The flashbacks of both of them are hard. And, not just of them... of the children I watched die in the hospital, of all of the medical stuff I saw with my kid, my dad, Alex, others and my beloved animals, too. I just can’t. But, here’s the video... strange... the music doesn’t fit either. And, although Aiden looks awful in these photos, it’s not so bad that I wince and cringe and feel that deep emotional pain. Just sharing to get it out, I guess: 

Currently watching, The Last Airbender, on our new 55″ TV. Not bad. Theater sound. Our old TV went out two days ago. Waiting to hear if T & Alexandria are coming over for AHS. I have the house to myself for a few hours. Relaxing now... Trying to get my symptoms to calm down. Hours late on meds. Still can’t go without them. I guess I need Prednisone this time. I don’t think life will ever be easy for me. Ever. Nothing new.  I have to accept that, and have, and will. (Wed. 1:45pm)

(Art by willow-s-linda) - 9/26/19 2:18-2:42pm

Oh! You want to know what’s happening...

Well, T & Alexandria came over last night, but didn’t stay as late as usual. In part because my brother had to drive them home and needed to get up early today because he went to Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights. It must be nice to receive disability and health insurance and spend most of your time watching TV or playing video games or constantly going to amusement parks... Bitter, who me? And, I wasn’t feeling well, with my head foggy, so I didn’t feel like talking about any plans or progress on their part and they didn’t bring it up either. But, today, feeling worse I wrote to T. No response yet, but classes and work, etc. I’ll just paste screenshots. I left one little part out that is a little too personal to disclose publicly. Even if no response really, just knowing someone cares and listens is comforting (and I might delete a few later, but leave one that gives the gist for reference remembrance). I have to fwd them to be able to add here. I need a few. OK, here we go:

Maybe I said too much and it will just be skimmed again. But, I text, sent a detailed email before, and talk in person when I see them when I can and it doesn’t seem like I’m getting through to them. T tends to go into denial about the seriousness of a lot of things. I think it’s a coping mechanism. Like with Aiden and Marozi. Anyway, I noticed a few typos, too. Whatever. And, I typed loops instead of hoops (make you go through), but it feels more like loops, so it’s fitting, lol. I’m propped up in the living room chair with my support cushions and pillows, since my brother’s not here to take over the chair, and just made myself Double Spice Chai in my Stitch mug, and hope to find a movie to distract myself with for the time being. Hope your day is going smoothly! :)

Currently watching. Nothing else on...  Previously known in person, but I’ll take it as a refresher on these types.

TFBM (Source: thinned-skin via -thefixisin)

New listing townhouse. I went ahead and sent the link, saying that if we could get a different lender and a little more offered (not much more) this would be ideal. Coupled with my subtle joke, the funny part was in the real estate wording, trying to make it sound like an automatic chair was a big selling point: “What a deal!’’ (I don’t think they thought it was funny.)

Hard to see, but the stair chair is to the right, top of stairs.

TFBM

Peppermint tea and lights off, darkening blinds closed, diffusing a mix of Frankincense, Eucalyptus and Rosemary for the first hour. Next, I’ll add Peppermint and Lavender. The baby wants in with me so bad. He keeps rattling the doorknob and meowing in such a sorrowful way. He leaves and then comes back. It’s mid-afternoon. He can cat nap on the cat tree.

Putin will try a few scare tactics, through his cronies, but will let it go, not really caring. He has other tactics to gain his end, but I don’t think he realizes just how outdated most are, lol. It’s kind of funny to watch. But, on the serious side, it’s scary. 

Frankincense, Eucalyptus, Rosemary, Peppermint and Lavender is an odd combination. I’m mostly smelling the Frankincense and Eucalyptus now. The others must have brought out those two to the forefront. Frankincense helps boost the immune system and reduces inflammation. Eucalyptus stimulates the immune system, relaxes sore muscles, helps with depression and fatigue, sinus and allergies, and mental exhaustion; per science.

Chewbacca (Source: aleriydraws)

One

Two

Three

Four

Five

Six

Seven

Eight

Nine

And Saved

Just a gist :)

#FBF This goes with the Knott’s stuff (Camp Snoopy)

WAIT! Something’s happening behind the scenes, like... I hear whispers and see many faces and finger pointing... what is it? WHAT IS IT? This pinned tweet is a distraction, a place holder, something people will stay with mentally, his signal to the alt right? I can’t tell. It’s a signal but for what? To who? Something’s going on. I hope it’s not something devastating. Stay vigilant whoever you are. I need to tune in, focus to see. WTH Trump? (Fri 9/27 8:45 pm)

ahem

I’m using this song to help focus...

Yes, I can. You underestimate me. Give it to me. IT, explosion, something missing. OK, blocking with energy. 

I Am Lion

+ Still no response from T even after I wrote again today...  I gave them a percentage of the original lender offer to deposit into their savings account to show we had at least that much for a down payment. Since it’s taking so long and doesn’t seem like it’s going to happen I’ve repeatedly told them both I need that money back to either use to afford moving/living expenses on my own, or medical if I’m without insurance much longer (part of the reason to move out of state), or to redeposit into the account it came from before the end of the year, if we move but not until spring, so I don’t get penalized for taking out too much this year without investment or proof of other mentioned.

Lemongrass tx alone right now, might add a few others. 

Cliff Burton has a few things to say in my last personal post. I’ll be adding them soon… lending his energy. Thanks for reminding me Faith No More. And, get well, James… I’ll be with you soon in energy. too. You’ve been through enough. And you’ve remained one of the nicest guys I know. Remember. (Yeah, I sound crazy. Who cares. I know what I’m doing.) Here’s this for now, live footage, from “Ride The Lightning” =

For Whom the Bell Tolls (9/28 4:24)

(5:23) Are you listening to the bass too?

Orion

The Call of Ktulu

The Four Horsemen

And, what do you know... I got a response, finally. It looks like I possibly can get insurance through them. Will be checking out the link sent to me soon. Fingers crossed.

Lemongrass tx, now with Teatree, Lavender & Cedarwood too.

OK, I’ll admit it, I’m slow because I haven’t been feeling well. We got part of it figured out... I used a “green” light, “green” in the Metallica song... money is “green”... Trump is suddenly receiving a lot of money, so they say... a golf course is “green”. IT, Intelligence Test, [What is an IT raid? IDK] (IT, Institute of Technology; IT, In Training...) Thank God for energy in the meantime... still need more.

Ohhh!!! IT, Income Tax [raid]. “Green” is money, and sudden donations, tax evasion… Trump! OK, we’ve gotten a little farther… oh, this is good. OK, golf resorts are “green”, too. Whispering on the “green”. Those who can do are you listening? Do the math… you’ve got this! There’s more. I’ll keep on, too.

I keep getting Moscow. Not Russia. Not Putin. Moscow. I don’t understand.

Even though T gave me info, and said they could give me the money back, nothing more was said. I told T to hang onto it for now and explained no rush, but by mid December at latest to redeposit if we don’t move before spring or if I need it sooner for medical expenses. Asked what they’re thinking at this point and an important question to be able to get the insurance too. I think they’re upset with me. But, come on... I’ve been more than fair and patient until now, when I have pressing matters. It’s sad and sucks. Everything.

[ourmanifestoisfun]

4x14 episode thoughts

We’re back from hiatus! And I was finally able to sit down and watch the episode and I AM SO EXCITED BY THINGS!!!

“The navy. it brings out the sparkle of justice in your eyes” is such a cute line

Marco, you are a terrible businessman

I feel that all of the reasons that Greg lists to be in West Covina for his thesis are legitimate, personally. Being near Rebecca is probably a nice bonus. 

I do like that he apparently asked Heather to help out, given that she is very competent and no-bullshit kind of person.

Actually, the parallel “I’m not in love with Rebecca” scenes were a bit much, but I think they showed something kind of interesting in the extent to which the guys’ feelings are influencing all of them in their actions. Like Greg’s priority is very much the restaurant and Rebecca being nearby is more of a really nice bonus, Nathaniel’s volunteer work and interest in Rebecca are about equal since he started out doing it for her but is doing it more because it is the right thing to do while still be interested, and Josh is doing theater tech directly because of Rebecca. I don’t know if it is meant to be scaled like that, but I feel like it is, which is interesting.

Estrella judging Josh was the best.

I do like the set of Il Cabino. Not entirely sure when they started to use it, but it’s pretty

What is a cold chamber, exactly? What’s its purpose?

I feel bad for Valencia feeling let down about Beth’s surprise, but given rent and housing these days, it is a very big deal that you need to sit down and talk about.

“Quite an engagement” - not how you drop a hint, Valencia. Though I have to say, in this case rather that Valencia being concerned about appearances the way she was in her relationship with Josh, it seems just like she is ready to be with Beth for good, and part of her romantic hopes still include a proposal. She still loves those things, and she wants them for herself.

I don’t like ultimatums in general, but I do understand Valencia’s point, in that she knows what she wants with Beth right now, and she wants to know that they are on the same page, because she has been in a relationship where she waited and the other person didn’t know what they wanted/were happy to stay where they were, and she doesn’t want that again.

It was left unresolved, but I hope that they do get engaged/married. I wanna see Rebecca helping out at their wedding and killing it!

Valencia speaking from experience is both good advice to be cautious but also :(

Josh doing theater tech actually makes me happy. Sure, he’s doing it to be near Rebecca, but he’s so good at making people look and feel good about the best parts of themselves, that being part of a stage crew might actually be a good fit for him.

…though I would still prefer having him as a choreographer in some capacity because canonically, he is such a good dancer.

…Tim really does look like he has chicken legs in that suit. oh dear. I blame the bloomers.

“Our bulwark, our stalwart, our Walmart.” - i just like this wordplay

Nathaniel volunteering (getting volunteered?) for the play had me cackling. While I find the idea that he’s done musical theater before needs a little mental adjustment, I could see him doing it with a mental justification that it looks good on college applications (especially if he got cast in a lead role) and I can definitely see it being something he wouldn’t mention because it does not fit the image he wanted to portray.

Also him singing the alphabet - what a little bastard

Also what’s with that brightly patterned tie, Nathaniel? It’s not bad, I quite like it, but it’s much brighter than what he usually wears

Love Connie’s scarf flinging. And the scarf just keeps getting bigger and bigger until it’s a long cardigan.

Rebecca’s wearing red nail polish!

I love Paula’s interview outfit, it makes her look really good.

Chris!!! He is so tall! And he has a palate!

I love Valencia, Josh and Nathaniel’s expressions at the lyrics to Etta Mae’s Lament

Aunt Myrna reference!

oh Tim, your character song was not forgetful, I promise you that.

I love Paula’s faces though!

Darryl also has quite the palate - and the penmanship!

…canonically, Valencia and Nathaniel have now officially hung out and we did not see any exchanges? RUDE!

They have so much they could talk about! They are both good-looking people with body issues, image issues, and have experienced dramatic shifts in their relationships with Rebecca due to her initiating severely inappropriate kisses. The possibilities are endless!

Josh asking Rebecca to sign the Camp Canyon Grove playbill was super sweet, but I’m glad that it was one he got on eBay, instead of one he actually kept, because it’s mostly giving me very strong “Dear Joshua Felix Chan” vibes and uh…that’s not entirely great.

Nathaniel singing about being a saloon madam is GREAT. Sacrifice your dignity at the altar of love, dude. 

Not that you have much of it left. Which is not a bad thing - it’s good to be willing to sacrifice your dignity, builds character.

I have been wondering for a while now if they would have Rebecca write musical theater songs, and the fact that they are hinting at this pathway is really really exciting to me. Having her actually write the songs in her head and create a musical would be really, genuinely exciting.

“Someone else is singing my song” - oh my GOD my heart fluttered at that. I hope we get a full thing.

I am sad for Darryl but yes, Paula, know your worth!

Mindy-who-is-April! Good to see you as Darryl’s date. Hope things are going swimmingly.

Valencia makes a beautiful pirate bride, but can she actually be the pirate, instead? Because yikes those lyrics!

Paula’s face was exactly right.

I am genuinely sad we missed all of the songs that directly applied to Darryl and Paula’s situation

God, Rebecca’s saloon girl outfit is so cute, even if her song is so terrible.

WHAT’LL IT BE REPRISE!!!!! Called it!

I have mixed feelings about Greg’s revelation that everything he hated about the town was more of a projection and that as a result, he’s going to stay and run his father’s restaurant. Not because I don’t think it makes sense with his character, but I just get tired of the trope that the hometown is always the place you’ll end up again if you change your attitude. Sometimes, hometowns just suck.

But for Greg, who I think has been specifically described as a character who tries to be a caretaker, which running a restaurant that people love would be something that would fulfill him, so I think I’m good with it.

Every time I think I have a grasp on where the love quadrangle stuff is going, it gets a good shake, because while when Rebecca discusses the three guys, she treats it as if they are on the same plane, but when we see their different interactions, they are treated differently.

New tweak to the old theory: given that Greg now has confirmed a dream that is not linked to Rebecca at all, the next two episodes will be showing us what Nathaniel and Josh’s respective paths will be, so that we know that even though the guys might not end up with her, they have something that takes up their time and attention and fulfills them and it’s a good ending for them.

Preferably in that order, because I do still consider Josh to be part of the original series trifecta (Rebecca-Paula-Josh) and given how recent his affection for Rebecca is, I think that will come into play when he finds out what makes him happy and their relationship should be given some extra weight.

Now that Paula is interviewing at other firms, I still kind of hope that her, Nathaniel, and Darryl choose to separate from MountainTop and start their own firm. That could be really interesting and work well with their arcs. Nathaniel and Paula will make it successful, while Darryl gives them heart and makes them less scary to prospective clients.

I will still be very surprised if it ends up being an actual choice rather than a fourth or fifth option being taken, but given how the “true love is theater” concept got called out in this episode, I really am not sure where it’s gonna go. Still excited to find out!

[spaceorphan18]

Spaceorphan’s Movie Reviews: Batman (1989)

Before settling down to watch (and rewatch) all the films related to Marvel properties, I thought it’d be fun to take a look back over at DC.  Batman was probably the first superhero I was aware of? Since he (and Superman to a lesser extent) were the most well-known superheroes in the cultural zeitgeist.  I still say DC’s merchandising is far more prominent among children than Marvel, so of course, even in the late 80s, when I was a very young little person, I knew who Batman was.  

Of course, before 1989, there were other iterations of the character, most notably the Adam West series (and TV movies) of the 60s.  I remember catching those old episodes when it reran on Nick-at-Nite in during the 80s - I mean they were ridiculously campy, which of course also makes them family friendly, and so we had them on all the time.    Then Tim Burton came along and updated Batman to be dark and gritty.  (Like the comics! Actually, I have no idea, I’ve never read any Batman comics, so I can’t actually comment on that.)  Of course, being six at the time of theatrical release, I didn’t know what a big deal this would be.  

I don’t remember when I first watched the film.  It wasn’t in the theaters (I was too young - but not too young to see the sequel!), but I did see it a lot once it came out on VHS.  And I’ll be honest with you, it straight up scared me as a kid.  The Burton-esque imagery, mixed with dark cinematography, and the horror-esque elements of the film really seared into my young brain.  It wasn’t a film I sought out (though I don’t remember my parents watching it either, even though we owned it, I wonder if my brother watched it) but it was one that had a lasting impression, much like Ghostbusters and Back to the Future - it’s a film that I vividly remember from my childhood.  

The interesting thing (to me) is that I haven’t seen it (until now) since I was a kid.  I can think of no time as an actual adult that I’ve had the chance to pop it in again and watch it.  But, interestingly, there wasn’t a single moment of the film that I had forgotten - watching it again after, maybe, fifteen-twenty years, I really do remember every beat of this film.  However, maybe for the first time, I really understand the film as it’s intended - cause, yeah, it’s not a kids’ film (even if there was a ton of merchandising for kids - which there was, we had a toy batmobile and batwing).  

So, how does this film hold up all these years later? Surprisingly well - for what it is.  

So, maybe this is the analytical person in me, but I think this film is, maybe, more fun to talk about than to actually watch.  Of all the super fascinating things going on - the plot is the least interesting part of it, even the film itself seems to loosely hinge on the random things The Joker decides to do and is a little, meh, don’t think too hard about it.   To sum it up quickly - Gotham is being run by a crime ring and mob bosses and Batman is single handedly taking them down.  Meanwhile, The Joker is a crazed guy who wants to be bigger than the mob bosses who whole him back, and after he nearly dies in a vat of acid - he decides to become even more of a psychopathic killer and tries to kill everyone.  Because why not?

First, standing out to me much more as an adult, is all the Tim Burton-ishness about it.  Which I don’t say as a bad thing.  He has a certain Gothic, horror, cartoon-ish style, which I may say, is slightly toned down in this film than a lot of others.  Visually, I think he was a good choice of director, I think the film has such a captivating stylized look that it holds my attention when the plot doesn’t.  I think what stood out to me the most was that Burton went a drearily dark, with an occasional splash of white that made the whole film almost seem like it was in black and white - which was purposefully contrasting to the colorfulness of The Joker.  I mean, Burton is purposely giving artistry to the cinematography in a way that I don’t necessarily see in superhero films anymore, and I think that’s kind of cool.  There are times when the film is, maybe, too (literally) dark - but I feel like had the technology been just a bit better, it would have helped.  

Burton also seems to be aware of the special effects limitations of the time, because at no point was I taken out by how cheesy the graphics looked (it helps that there weren’t very man), and some of the scarier images from when I was a kid, like when The Joker kills the guy by incinerating him, hold up pretty well.  Some of the fight scenes seem weaker and stiff, not helped by the fact that I don’t think Michael Keaton could move much in that suit, but the action isn’t overdone.  The action sequences aren’t what they are today, by any means, but I think they work fine given the era of the film - I don’t really judge them for that.  

So - Michael Keaton’s Batman.  Does he do a good job? I say mostly.  As Bruce Wayne, I completely buy him.  He’s a bit charming, a bit reserved, a bit mysterious, and a bit crazy - and when Keaton is actually allowed to do something with the character, he comes alive pretty well.  The unfortunate thing is that this film really isn’t about Batman - it’s about The Joker (which I’ll get to in a moment) and therefore we don’t get to see much of Bruce Wayne doing anything - except staring off into the distance thinking about things.  I get The Joker is iconic and everything, but Keaton has made Bruce Wayne interesting enough that I do wish there had been more - because his character doesn’t get to move much beyond ‘brooding about my parents; murder thirty years ago’.  

As for Batman himself, he’s… fine.  I don’t really have any complaints, but he feels incredibly limited - more so because of the suit, and the constricting ability to do much while wearing it than anything in Keaton’s performance.  It makes sense that Batman would be a near silent warrior, but not being able to see Keaton’s expressive face holds this version back a bit.  

Meanwhile… The Joker.  Before I rented the film again, I was looking through some old reviews - and many of them mentioned that this film seemed to be more about The Joker than Batman.  And I was a bit taken aback.  I hadn’t remembered it that way.  However, it wasn’t like I was paying that much attention as a kid.  But yes, it’s true, this film really is not Batman’s film.  It’s The Joker’s.  And I understand why - The Joker is possibly one of the most intriguing characters and villains in all of literature.  He’s a character who merges tragedy, comedy, and psychopathy all in one - and yes all three are in this film.  I’m sure there are hundreds of think-pieces on The Joker as a character - understandably so.  So, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised at how much of the film he takes up.  

I’m not invested enough to say who played The Joker the best, I hardly think comparisons are necessary (even if inevitable), but I really like Jack Nicholson in the role.  More so now than what I remembered.  Nicholson really embodies that whole crazed-lunatic pretty well, and I think he’s captivating enough that he does steal the show from Batman himself.  I feel like there are so many people who discuss The Joker, much better than I can, that I won’t elaborate much more.  But yes, Jack Nicholson’s Joker is pretty amazing, and I think it holds up relatively well.  

Rounding out the limited cast is Kim Basinger’s Vicki Vale.  And, well, she’s… there.  Despite being the literal stand-in for the audience during most of the craziness - an outsider coming into Gotham and being a conduit between Batman and The Joker.  She doesn’t get much to do and is the pretty standard obligatory love interest.  Keaton and Basinger don’t have that much chemistry - but I don’t blame them, they really only have one big scene to sell the romance, and for me, that’s just not enough.  You just really aren’t given any reason why these people would like each other more than they’re supposed to.  

Meanwhile - during the scene where The Joker is dancing around with Vicki - I kept think about that one test where if the woman is replaced with a lamp, would it change the scene?  And no - no it really wouldn’t.  I get the time period of the film, and how the ‘romance’ angle is kind of beat by beat what you would find in most films around this time, so I’m not judging too harshly.  But still, she’s almost third wheel to the more entertaining and layered dance Batman and The Joker are having throughout the film.  

Smaller Thoughts: 

Prince was the official artist of this films’ soundtrack - and I’m not entirely sure how I feel about it.  The film has such a 40s-esque feel about it that when something slams it into the modern 80s, it feels a little jarring.  At the same time, the dirtiness of 80s New York, and the cultural materialism is all over this film, so the Prince songs fit nicely in.  It’s a weird dichotomy.  

Music, in general, is also what sells this film - and keeps it at ‘Classic’ level.  Danny Elfman (Tim Burton’s go to director, and a personal favorite of mine) does amazing things with the score - and helps deliver the atmosphere Burton is going for.  

I have a soft spot for Alfred - even if he weirdly decides to bring Vicki to the Batcave unannounced.   She’ll disappear next film anyway - so ultimately it won’t matter. 

I kind of enjoy the fact that Jack Nicholson insisted the actor who played Bob be in the film - and that Bob is unceremoniously and somewhat randomly killed off.  

This film is very murdery - even Batman is murdery.  He tries to kill off The Joker whenever he gets the chance.  

Billy Dee Williams is here as Harvey Dent - so that’s a super interesting thread that was never pulled on again.  

Most of the government/police force was kind of meh - and I couldn’t even really tell who Commissioner Gordon was.  

I did really like the flashback to Bruce Wayne’s parents’ deaths.  That guy who they had play a young Jack Nicholson? Spot on.  

There’s a lot of mask symbolism throughout the film.  Again, I’m impressed by Burton as an artist - and as someone who’s willing to tell a more layered film within a superhero film.   

Things that scared me as a kid: The mimes, the parade floats, The Joker’s girlfriend wearing that mask, the two dead models, the dead mob guy being burnt to a crisp, The Joker’s grin, The Joker’s laugh, really every time Jack Nicholson was on screen, and that laugh box that kept going after The Joker had died.  This film really did use to scare me.  

Final Thoughts: This film was incredibly interesting and enjoyable to come back to as an adult.  I don’t think it’s entirely rewatchable - it’s plodding along at a snail’s pace during some sequences, and I don’t think the plot is that engaging.  But I do think there’s a lot of artistry here given to us by Burton, and worth coming back to every now and then to see a film that would inspire superhero films for decades to come.  

[elanorjane]

Drinking Do’s and Don’t [Chapter 2/3] [Love on Ice series]

Summary: This would have been written for June’s @a-monthly-rumbelling non-smut prompt “drinking, karaoke, dancing, kissing, date” if I had gotten it in on time. Part of the Love on Ice series, wherein disgraced ex-pairs figure skater Gold is hired to coach ice princess Belle and her partner Gaston to the Olympics. If Gold and Belle don’t kill each other first.

AO3 Link

Due to her training, Belle didn’t often get the opportunity to drink. Her birthday party had been the exception. She remembered vividly how gutsy the champagne had made her. She’d felt no shame in stalking her coach in the secluded nook of the hallway or how effortlessly the flirtatious words had left her mouth. Despite her uncharacteristic boldness, she’d woke up the next morning hangover and regret free. Her feelings behind her suggestive actions had only been the truth, after all. Her work with Archie made verbalizing her thoughts and feelings while sober easier now. Yet these particular feelings about Gold still needed some lubrication to process.  

She reached across the table and wrestled a beer pitcher to her side of the table and filled a plastic tumbler to the brim. She didn’t know if you were supposed to sip beer or not but the mouthful she took that made her cheeks puff out was flat and strong and gross. She thought about going to the bar and ordering something fruity but the bitter taste matched her sour mood, so she drank.

The libations weren’t for her own feelings, she decided. She was clear about those. She’d even worked them through with Archie because Gaston was sick of hearing the ticker tape of “he loves me, he loves me not” constantly running through her head. Archie warned her against using the L-word, but this wasn’t a girlhood crush either. It was Gold’s feelings, or lack thereof, that drove her to drink. She wasn’t imagining the spark between them. Yet he snuffed it out at every opportunity. She didn’t think it was out of disinterest. More like fear. She got it, a skater and coach embarking on a relationship was dangerous, least of all because of the strain it could put on their working relationship. It was also a little taboo because of their age difference, but she wasn’t a minor by any means.  

Usually abstinent, the beer quickly went to her head so she studied him openly down the row of tables, not caring if anyone, including him, caught her. He was sitting among the coaches and he didn’t look as miserable as she felt. He wasn’t the life of the party, but he chatted with the group and even laughed a few times. He never laughs for me . Belle took another deep gulp. She noticed he didn’t touch the light colored beer in front of him, just fingered the glass. He was from Scotland, he probably hated light beer.  

Could it be he was uncertain of her feelings? Is that why he wasn’t making a move, or at least meeting her partway? She thought she’d done everything imaginable, include throw herself at him at her birthday party. Had he thought she was drunk and didn’t know what she was saying? What more could she do, show up to his hotel room wearing nothing but a bow? It was an idea and, yes, she wanted him that way but not only that way. She also wanted to be able to talk to him like a human being. Belle suddenly missed practice. If she was on the ice, she’d be too focused to obsess like this.

It wasn’t long before he made an excuse to go to the bar. Her suspicions were confirmed, she knew wasn’t a beer guy. He walked directly past her without once glancing her way, leaned across the bar and spoke low to the bartender, who nodded and turned away for a moment. He returned with a short glass filled with something brown. Instead of returning to the table, he settled onto a stool and gazed up at the television over the bar that was playing the week’s soccer highlights, not in a hurry to return to his raucous table.

It was the ignoring her that did it. If he’d shot her even one of those half smiles he’d given her when he first entered the bar she could have lasted the rest of the night on that memory alone. But no, he was back to pretending she didn’t exist outside a rink.

Well, the alcohol inside her decided, if he wasn’t going to come to her, she’d go to him. She was allowed to talk to her own coach in public, there was no rule against that. It wouldn’t look weird to anyone. In fact, it would be weird if she didn’t say anything to him.

She marched up to the bar, but hesitated behind him. She didn’t know what his reaction would be. Go away little girl? Would he say something cold and unfeeling like he normally did? Pretend they’d never skated together? Make an excuse to leave? The bottle the bartender had poured from looked expensive so he wouldn’t be in a hurry to leave his drink before he’d finished it. Now was her moment. She boosted herself onto the stool next to him.

He acted surprised to see her there, like he’d forgotten she was even in the bar. She could go back to the hotel right now and spend the night feeling sorry for herself for that reaction alone, but she charged ahead anyway. Her thoughts were taking an extra few seconds to reach her mouth and he struggled to fill the silence.

“Nice job on the ice today,” he told her.  

Belle was unimpressed. She knew she was a good skater. Everyone told her. Been telling her that her entire life. The gold medal sitting on top of her suitcase proved that. She didn’t want to talk about stupid skating.

“I know,” she replied brusquely.

He blinked at her blunt response.  

Is this what a date with him would feel like? Is this as close as she’d ever get, this stilted conversation? Was she wrong and their connection was limited only to the ice?

“I didn’t know if you were coming out or not,” she tried again. “I stopped by your room but nobody answered.”

“I was at the gym.”

So that explained the strength she’d felt in his arms when he’d tossed her on the ice. That also partly explained how he spent his time when he wasn’t standing at the edge of the rink glaring at her.

He swiveled in his stool and looked over his shoulder at the tables of skaters and coaches. People had dispersed around the room and weren’t paying a bit of attention to them. Ella was sloppy drunk across across the table, laughing uproariously at something Ariel and Eric’s couch had said. Gaston was over in the corner playing darts with a group of other skaters.

Was he worried about someone getting the wrong, or better yet right, idea about them? Why should they suspect anything? Who, besides Gaston, would think she was sitting next to him because she wanted to date her coach?

“You don’t you play with your friends?” he asked, but not unkindly. He wasn’t trying to get rid of her so much as giving her an out, which was laughable. He’d watched her professionally for months. He should know by now just how tenacious she could be when she set her mind to something.  

“I’m where I want to be,” she assured him. When they’d first met he’d accused her of being a stuck up, prissy ice princess. She used that tone to her advantage now. She wanted what she wanted and she wanted it now. They were alone. Outside a rink. Finally . Just because this wasn’t a traditional date, didn’t mean it couldn’t turn into one. They weren’t a traditional couple anyway.

She caught a hint of a smile, as if he was amused with her answer, but he hid it behind his glass as he took another drink. She want to get another one out of him. One he couldn’t hide. She used the edge of bar to spin herself towards him and squared her shoulders. “We’re getting a room later,” she announced.

The amber liquid stuck in his throat. It bubbled up out of his mouth and back into the glass. He coughed so hard a stranger leaned across an empty stool and clapped him on the back until Gold held up a hand to signal he was fine.

“A what?” he sputtered. His panicked eyes sped around the room, clocking every skater and coach within hearing distance.  

“A karaoke room,” she clarified. “They have them upstairs to rent. We’re all going in on one.”

The alarm drained from him, but he didn’t look any more thrilled. In his competition days, he’d been the consummate performer. But the idea of Gold singing “Billie Jean” in front of crowd of skaters made her giggle.

“Planning on singing a duet with LeGume?” his voice was hoarse from coughing and it came out like a growl. There was that familiar sneer, the bitterness that tinged the end of all his sentences. Before, she wasn’t able to see past his tone. She’d been too annoyed at him for barking at her in practice. Maybe it was her work with Archie that made her see through him now. If he thought she’d be scared off, he was mistaken. She was done playing around with him. If she didn’t get a straight answer from him about his feelings one way or another she’d burst.

“I don’t want Gaston,” she told him. “You know I don’t,” she added quietly, some of the wind gone from her sails.  

That dumbed in into silence. Better that than the wrong impression. Belle played with the hem of her skirt. Maybe it was time to slink off the bar stool and back to the hotel. Gold beckoned the bartender over for a fresh drink. Belle was steadying herself for as graceful an exit as possible when Gold pointed his thumb at her. “Pink Passion.”

The bartender nodded and started taking a number of bottles off the wall. It took her a second to realize what he’d done. He’d ordered for her. Her heart soared. The confidence with which he requested her drink was terribly attractive. It was like a date, not that she’d been on many. She kind of missed the whole holding hands in a movie theater and going for milkshakes kind of dating. She’d trained and competed her way right through it, with nothing but trophies to mark her pre-teen and teen years. Now she was thrown in the deep end with grown-up dating. She wanted it. Desperately. But it was like learning how to ride a bike without training wheels first. She was constantly plagued with nervousness and uncertainty.

The glass the bartender placed in front of her was Barbie pink with a lemon twist garnish. “It’s almost too pretty to drink!” She grinned down at it for a moment before leaning over and sipping the rim. It tasted like peach and some sort of berry and lemon. It was refreshing and delicious and took that disgusting beer taste right out of her mouth. She closed her eyes and hummed in approval. Now she understood why people drank. This was good.

She studied his profile while he stared into his drink. His long hair obscured most of his face and his ever present scruffy beard concealed a great deal of the rest. She supposed he thought it made him inscrutable. “Want him or not, he’s your ticket to an Olympic gold medal,” he told her, bringing them back to her skating again .  

“Funny, I thought that’s what you were for,” she retorted. If he insisted on talking about skating, it was going to be about his, not hers. She fingered the rim of her glass. “Is that all your partner was to you, a ticket?” That was low of her, she knew he had been married to Milah, but she bristled at Gaston, her closest friend, being referred to as nothing more than a tool.

He chuckled ruefully. “That is all I was to her,” he lifted his glass, “in the end.” He brought the drink to his lips.

His vulnerability, even if it was hidden behind bitterness, cooled her annoyance. “What happened?” she probed gently.  

“You saw it.” It was a statement, not a question. He suspected she’d watched his disastrous last Olympic performance. Last performance period if YouTube was anything to go by.

“I don’t believe it.” It was true. The skater she’d been with on the ice was not the same one she’d seen in the grainy footage. Belle knew firsthand how a skate could go from bad to worse, but what she’d seen had been something else entirely.

He smiled, but despondently. It was possible he was the saddest man she’d ever met. “Oh, believe it, dearie.” The sympathy she was feeling must have shone in her eyes. His elbow dug into the bar when he pointed at her. “Don’t,” he ground out.

Belle quickly schooled her features. She got it, he didn’t want anyone pitying him. Belle had experienced no worse feeling than stepping off the ice after a bad skate and seeing all those compassionate, pained faces. He stared at her for a long time to make sure she’d wiped any and all compassion off her face. Belle struggled. She was a naturally expressive person so she could only manage so much.

He decided something then, like a man standing on the edge of the Golden Gate Bridge who’d committed to jumping. “She told me as we were about to step onto the ice that she was leaving me.” He muffled any further words with his glass.

Belle tried to imagine herself getting terrible, life altering news right before a competition. Then he had to immediately skate with his soon to be ex-wife no less! What a bitch. He was better off without her as far as she was concerned. “You never thought of getting a new partner?”

He shook his head. “When I commit to something, I commit to it. I retired that day. I only put skates back on recently.”

It took her a minute to process the implication of his words. Twelve years. He hadn’t laced up a pair of skates in twelve years. All this time he’d stood on the sidelines while she and Gaston flew around the ice free as birds. Huh. “No wonder you’ve had a stick up your ass.”

He almost choked on his drink again.

“How could you not skate?” Belle demanded, completely riled up about the entire travesty. Belle sometimes dreamed of not competing, definitely taking a few weeks off, but never quitting skating cold turkey. “How could you let her take that away from you? Didn’t you miss it?”

He shook his head, “Honestly, no. I had a son to raise on my own.” She had heard of this son in New York. These simple words did nothing, she was sure, to illustrate the struggles of single parenthood.

“But you could have found another skating partner,” she argued. She knew their age gap made it impossible they could have ever have been partners, but Belle liked the daydream of having the ability to be his partner on and off the ice. “We’re good together,” she offered shyly as an example. “We don’t even need choreography.” She was aware it sounded like she was suggesting they also wouldn’t need choreography for something else as well. That they’d be good in bed together. But, thanks to the Pink Passion, Belle realized she meant the statement both ways. By the narrowing of his dark eyes and the tick of his jaw, she thought he might have caught her double entendre. Belle leaned forward on her stool. She heard the squeak of his bar chair as he shifted his weight but she didn’t dare break their eye contact.

“Belle, c’mon!”

Belle blinked hard, jumping in her seat. A group of skaters and coaches stood at the foot of the stairs under the blinking karaoke sign. They waved her over excitedly.

Belle’s heart fell. She knew, without even looking at him, that the spell had been broken. Wherever their conversation had been going, the others had effectively thrown a bucket of ice water on it. She slid off her stool and moved to follow the group disappearing up the steps. A couple steps away she looked over her shoulder at Gold, slowly sipping his drink. He was alone, like always. Even in a group he stood apart somehow. She didn’t care what kind of spin he put on it or walls he put up. He was lonely. She bit her lip, catching his gaze and letting her eyes slide from his, down to his scuffed brown boots and back up again. “Aren’t you coming?”

[aetheternity]

The only sound in Midoriya's office was the patronizing sound of the clock. Midoriya had led the man Shouto Todoroki into his office sat him down and basically stared at him while the other male just continued to balance a pencil in between his fingers.

If Midoriya had the chance to ask Yaoyorozu anything right now he'd probably ask her how he'd ended up with a dream manifestation seated just across the desk from him in blue jeans and a white button up with a red tie on. The same one he'd seen only a day before right outside the market. This is fine.

Midoriya shut his eyes focusing completely on calming his eccentric heartbeat, almost worried over how hard it was beating. At some point he had to figure all of this out but work came first. He could still get this day normal again.. Except no he couldn't at this point it would be impossible.

"Midoriya? Right?" Midoriya flinched back in his office chair at the soft voice of the heterochromic male. The man seated across from him was now staring, pencil idle between his fingers and both his legs slung over the side of the chair he was seated in not much different from how he'd been when Midoriya had asked him inside.

"Y-y-yes!"

Todoroki blinked turning his attention away from Midoriya and towards the filing cabinets lining the rooms walls.

"My boss would want me to inform you that I need to know as much as possible about this establishment." Todoroki rolled his eyes as if this information meant nothing to him personally. "Want to tell me a bit about this work space?" The smirk on the man's face was enchanting, seductive as if he was really here just for Midoriya which at this point would be less than a surprise.

"W-well.. Um.. Wh-what do you need t-to know?"

Todoroki's eyes flashed gently still locking his gaze with the curly haired male across from him. "What ever you can tell.."

Midoriya couldn't stop himself from gulping. His entire body sweating profusely and his pulse tightening as he reached up pulling on his white collared tee. "Well.. Uh.. W-we.. W-we're.. This buisness we're currently in.. Is the Airel post the second m-most famous n-newspaper in th-the city.."

Geez he probably already knew all that coming in! Why did Mr. Aizawa stick him with this job? Sure he didn't know about Midoriya's dreams but he did know how easily nervous Midoriya got around new people. It was like the universe was shoving this man at Midoriya in the hopes of the curly haired male took some kind of hint.

"Can I have the tour?" Todoroki remarked sitting up correctly.

"Didn't Mr. Aizawa just give you a tour?" Midoriya asked

Todoroki shrugged. "He didn't quite give me a tour more like lead me upstairs and barked at me to keep up whenever I wanted to stop to look at something."

"O-ok.."

The entire building was about twenty floors with Midoriya smacked right in the middle working eight to four all week on the tenth floor. Because of this the entire building had many floors that weren't even working on the actual paper but instead had workers dedicated towards gathering information on things for the reporters to cover and even a floor for printing the paper once it was finished.

"So Midoriya.. I assume you'll be my guide for the month."

The curly haired male practically lept out of his skin at this direct statement. "W-well I um.. I don't actually k-know.. I mean-"

"You're pretty cute Midoriya." The male interrupted. This time Midoriya just went for full fledged silence as his body flushed with heat, pooling red into his cheeks.

"Do you have a girlfriend? Or boyfriend?"

What the hell?! Was he asking Midoriya out?!?!! Seriously?!!?!?

If they hadn't just arrived at the ninth floor Midoriya might have screamed. "Th-this is o-our.. Printing fl-floor.." The dark haired male remarked wearily. "H-here.. Is where the newspaper.. the final cut anyway.. Is produced.. th-there are also people on this floor who proofread it f-for the last time."

He couldn't really tell if Todoroki was actually paying attention seeing as he was focusing his attention to the walls of articles and other posters lining the walls as they walked. Honestly Midoriya felt a little jealous of the people on this floor they were allowed a lot more freedom thanks to Mr. Aizawa rarely ever coming down here. So unlike the tenth floor where the walls outside the offices were kinda bland and drab this floor was covered with personality from everyone that worked on it.

"I like this floor. This is the floor Aizawa took me to before your floor." Todoroki replied quietly still scanning each and every poster and article. Eventually he paused peering closely at a framed article just beside a poster of a cat with the text reading hang in there, it's almost Friday! "This is the Mayor's key ceremony.. It happened recently.. Right?"

"Yeah.. About a month or so ago.."

Todoroki nodded slowly hands in his pockets. "Even the Daily Basis wasn't able to get a story on this. It was overpopulated with tourists and reporters that day.." The male next to Midoriya blinked at the article before his eyes flicked back to the curly haired male. "I'm impressed." He remarked smoothly.

While Midoriya hadn't been the one to write this story he still flushed hair whipping into his face as he turned away from the heterochromic male.

"Hey! Midoriya!" Midoriya's head shot back up to see Kaminari racing towards him a slightly startled Kirishima being dragged along with him. "What brings you to our floor?!" He questioned enthusiastically.

"And who's this?" Kirishima butted in smirking first at Midoriya than at the male next to him.

"Uh.. Th-this.. Is Todoroki.. He's.. H-he's um.."

"I'm here from Endevor enterprise. To study this work facility and document whether it's clear or should be shut down promptly." Todoroki interjected. His tone was a lot less causal than it had been when he was only with Midoriya.

"Wo-woah what?!"

"Y-you work for E-Endevor?! One of the richest men in the city?!" Midoriya gaped staring at the male in front of him who looked extremely unenthused.

"Wow!" Squealed Kaminari

Todoroki shifted his gaze across each male in front of him shrugging. "He's my old man I accepted his job offer to keep an eye on him." Responded the male as if he was simply discussing the weather.

"Wow that was super manly of you!" Retorted Kirishima.

"Midoriya, we were just about to take a coffee break why don't you and-"

"Call me Todoroki." The male finished for Kaminari.

"Sure! Todoroki why don't you two come get coffee with us in the break room." Kaminari offered rubbing his hands together as though he'd just thought of the best evil plan.

"How're you taking a break its only 9:02?" Midoriya questioned only getting a shush from the yellow haired male in reply.

"So what's Endevor like anyway? Is he as buff as the magazines make him look?!" Kirishima began as they all sat down at the circular table located at the very back of the break room.

"Honestly I rarely see him. He works at the very top of the company he makes his bucks off taking down the little pizza places owned by families who can barely afford to pay the rent much less get rid of mice. Or taking down the huge new theater establishment because while it looks glamorous it has a tick problem." Todoroki said taking a small sip of the coffee Kirishima had handed him.

"Geez that's sad but you at least see him on the weekends don't you?" Kaminari asked

Todoroki blinked setting his sights on a nearby table. It was much smaller than the one they were currently seated at with only two stools pushed under it, each one shaped like a cube. "I see him when he has work for me." Todoroki remarked coldly

"I'm so sorry Todoroki." Midoriya cooed resting a hand on the man's shoulder.

Todoroki relaxed a bit under the warm touch letting a small smile flutter onto his features. "Don't be. It's not as bad as it used to be."

Midoriya removed his hand cupping the plastic drink ware in front of him between his hands. "But it's not ok no one should treat their son like that... Everyone deserves time with their family. Isn't that why you took your father's job offer? Subconsciously at least?"

Todoroki's eyes flickered with an emotion Midoriya hadn't seen and couldn't even put words to what it could be. His eyes fell back to the brown liquid in his cup.

"I have to agree with Midoriya there's no good reason to push aside your kids. Even if it is for your job." Kirishima commented Kaminari nodding along.

"His job mandates he always stay with it. There are new establishments opening everyday. Some that beg for his attention while others fall under the radar not wanting to be touched with his hard hitting hand." Todoroki spoke dryly staring into his own halfway drunk cup. "He tells his worker the tinest misdemeanor and we shut the place down.. No matter how big."

This last comment stunned the table into silence Kirishima and Kaminari both staring at each other as if they'd just seen a ghost.

"M-maybe we should all get back to work.." Kaminari stated almost making his chair hit the floor with how fast he stood up.

"Y-yeah that's not a bad idea.." Retorted Kirishima who also stood up quickly both men fleeing the room as fast as they could heading back to their individual offices.

Midoriya blinked turning to a smirking Todoroki. "Does your father really say that?"

"Yes I wasn't lying to get them to leave if that's what you think." The male explained, eyes warm as they glossed over to Midoriya. "As nice as they seem I think I enjoy just your company for now.."

And with that Midoriya's heart started it's fast plummeting down his ribcage.

8 8 8

The day had gone by fairly quickly, while him and Todoroki hadn't reached every floor they'd at least made it to the 8th, 7th, 6th, 5th, and 2nd floor all before needing to retreat back upstairs by the time the clock struck 2:32. Midoriya immediately collapsed in his desk chair the second they were in his office. He blinked tiredly and tears stung the corners of his eyes as he yawned briefly.

"I like this establishment so far." Todoroki stated. Midoriya sat up to see the man pulling a black bag over his shoulder laying the strap out flat aganist his body. He definitely didn't remember Todoroki having that when he'd come in but at this point Midoriya was too tired to care. "Well I have to return to my desk at the office and type up a review of my first day. It was good to meet you.... Midoriya." The man smiled heading towards the office door.

"W-wait!" The curly haired male hadn't meant to yell but now Todoroki was paused, head turned towards Midoriya. "I-I uh... I-I need to ask you.. something."

The male nodded pulling himself back around towards Midoriya's desk. "Yes." He said plainly

"Uh.. I-I y-yesterday when.. Ar-e you um.. Ok I have these dreams and-"

"Midoriya." His door suddenly flew open Mr. Aizawa walking in without bothering to knock. "If you're down young Todoroki I'd like to speak with Midoriya alone."

"Sure. See you tomorrow Midoriya." Todoroki waved leaving promptly, shutting the door behind him.

"Mr. Aizawa?"

"You haven't done the editing for Aylsia.." The man remarked coldly

Ida had told him many times before that he had a crying problem but all his emotions were flooding out now and he couldn't help but let the tears fly out of his body like a tidal wave. "I-I'm sorry! I w-was taking T-Todoroki around a-and I l-lost track of time a--and!-"

"Stop yelling." Mr. Aizawa said plainly. "Forward me the latest copy I'll take care of it. Go home Midoriya."

"Wh-what?!"

"Your job for the next month is to take care of Todoroki first he is your main priority. Make him happy and keep this company above water." Mr. Aizawa finished opening the closed door. "I really don't care how you do it." And with that the man was gone

His tears stopped and his heart raced uncomfortably in his chest as he sat down in his office chair pulling up the latest draft of the upcoming paper. He didn't pull his hand away from his pulsing heart as he worked quickly forwarding the draft, laying back in his chair.

"Take care of Todoroki.." Those words echoed in his brain. "He is your main priority." "Keep him happy... I don't care how you do it.."

This was going to be a long month.

8 8 8

Train traffic was more brutal than usual that day, with two of the trains Midoriya had been on shutting down, one due to too much train traffic and the other holding a sick passenger. It was only about eight stops from his home to work and vise versa... On a good day. Even worse he still had to walk the last two stops. Tired, hungry, and incredibly annoyed Midoriya unlocked his front door at around 5:02 walking past a chatting Ida and Uraraka to go lay on the couch.

The two adults at the table ended their conversation walking over to their friend, Uraraka being the first to wipe the sweat from the curly haired male's brow. "What happened to you?" She asked concern filling her voice.

Midoriya blinked up at the brunette with tried green eyes half lidded and worn out. "Long day.."

"Did you hear about the train traffic today it was brutal!" Announced Ida making Midoriya flinch briefly.

"Yes.. I did.."

So how was your day?" Uraraka began pulling herself up to sit on the couch next to Midoriya resting his legs on her thighs.

The green eyed male shut his eyes for a second. "I saw him again today.. At my job."

"Why was he at your job."

"It's a long story..." Midoriya began almost turning over but not wanting to kick Uraraka in the process. "But he's gonna be there.... For a month." He whispered on the last words.

Surprisingly Ida wasn't the first one to say anything after Midoriya's previous comment. "I don't like this.. He could be dangerous." This time Uraraka's voice sounded slightly more irritated than concerned and she crossed her arms against her stomach.

"I think it's an opportunity! One for Midoriya to further understand his dreams." Ida retorted as calmly as he could get.

He was about to speak on it further when he felt the smooth buzz of his phone. He pulled the device from his pocket blinking twice at Yaoyorozu's number.

"Yeah Yaoyorozu?" He answered running down the hall to his room.

He could take the call in the living room but not without Ida butting in his two sense every time he felt it was necessary so more often he'd try to take his calls away from his nosy roommate.

"Yes.. Izuku I think I found something... Something about your dream. Come over when you can."

Her voice sounded almost faint like she was speaking with the phone a couple feet away from her.

"I'm coming."

I don't know if I made it clear when posting the last chapter but every chapter so far is posted on Ao3. Since I'm not going to post every chapter here you guys should check it out over there. ;)