#today's been a good day so far though. i'll be productive as well later on. i will definitely keep this up

[justanotherwriter140]

Kung Fu Panda 4 - The Trailer

Another really, really long discussion post.

PLOT PREDICTIONS/POTENTIAL SPOILERS AHEAD!

I know I'm late to the party. Oops!

Well, I think it's as good of a time as any to write another discussion post because what's better to write about than the Kung Fu Panda 4 trailer? Nothing, evidently, because take a wild guess what I'll be rambling about today.

The first (and possibly last—aside from the Christmas day teasers and product advertisements) Kung Fu Panda 4 trailer was posted to YouTube on December 13th, just under three months before the film's current release date (March 8th). It quickly gained mass public attention, garnering over 140 million views across all social medias on which it was released within its first day of being online. That's...utterly insane.

As an avid Kung Fu Panda fan, I'm thrilled at the attention the new film is getting; however, I'm not ignorant to the many concerns that both fans and casual viewers alike have regarding the content shown in the trailer. In this post, I want to acknowledge and discuss any and all opinions I've seen so far, both positive and negative.

Before I begin, though, I want to let it be known that this isn't a hate post. I want to be respectful and fair above anything else. I will be discussing things that I dislike in the trailer as well as things that I like, and if you don't agree, that's alright! This isn't a persuasive essay, it's an extensive ramble of personal indulgence in the terrifying freedom with which the internet presents us in today's day and age.

So, given that freedom, let's talk about the Kung Fu Panda 4 trailer! Spoilers, nitpicks, and annoyingly specific thoughts lie ahead.

My attention is immediately brought to the changes in the art style. I enjoy stylization a lot, and I think that if done well, it could work favorably when applied to the KFP franchise. The previous movies have toyed with temporary art style changes, usually in backstories and dreamscapes, all examples of which were done expertly and fit well within the respective films in which they appeared. I guess that's all to say I'm definitely on board with alternative art styles being utilized for storytelling purposes (or just because they look awesome).

With that said, though, I'm very much hoping to see the incredibly intricate painting backgrounds/landscapes make a comeback. They've always been a highlight of the films for me and I think that they're a unique detail that adds to the franchise's feel. Suffice it to say, I will be disappointed if that tradition is dropped.

I can't think of a good segue, but I want to point out a detail many fans online were discussing upon the trailer's release: Shifu's staff.

The golden band that has been wrapped around Shifu's (formerly Oogway's) staff since the second film has miraculously disappeared. This is a very odd inconsistency with Shifu's character design.

While it's a small detail, I wanted to point it out and hear some other opinions as to why the staff suddenly looks different. I'm assuming the shot hasn't been fully rendered and as a result, some of the easter eggs that the fans (including myself) like to nitpick simply haven't been added yet.

Outfit change (kind of)!

The trailer features a snippet of Po's battle with a sting ray, which could be interesting seeing as none of the previous films prominently featured any kind of marine life. I'll admit that I'm a bit skeptical about the overall importance of this battle (I'm primarily referring to the relevancy this has to the rest of the film) as the sting ray never appears again in the trailer, but I want to refrain from making snap judgments until I actually...you know...see the movie.

Something tells me this is an introductory sequence of sorts—not necessarily what the film opens with, but perhaps the first time we see Po. The hat and cape are reminiscent of KFP's iconic opening, and the bridge that Po later pins the sting ray against somewhat resembles the bridge in the first movie's dreamscape.

This frame looks cool, but I could have gone without the "Keep your surf off my turf!" bit. On a positive note, I like the paint stroke in the background, it gives a very distinct vibe and I can appreciate it.

The progression of Po's expressions in the "inner peace/dinner please" sequence is fun to watch.

On the other hand, the implications of this scene do not line up with the other movies at all, and—put bluntly—they scare me a little bit.

I fully believe that every individual will realistically have to achieve "inner peace" multiple times in their life. We are constantly changing and growing, and our understanding of ourselves and the world around us will reflect that change.

However, this is the fourth installment of this series, and when themes are repeated three times within the same franchise, they become redundant. It is a sequel's job to make sure that themes aren't repetitious and that the audience feels like they're experiencing something different each time.

Please understand that I don't mean the idea of inner peace should be completely dropped, as I think that the sudden irrelevance of inner peace in a KFP movie would stick out like a sore thumb. Even so, as things are currently, I don't think we need another movie about finding inner peace.

That all is to say Po's seeming inability to achieve even a temporary sense of inner peace in this segment is jarring. If it's a trailer-specific clip or a skit included for laughs, that's fine! But I'm sorry guys, I can't do another "Po finding inner peace" arc. I'm not strong enough.

Moving on!

Thoughts:

The portal looks awesome! Bonus points if the tendrils are made to look like bits of paper—maybe in reference to the Dragon Scroll?

Viola Davis as the Chameleon was an amazing choice, kudos to the casting director!

The lizard army looks pretty cool! I'm excited to see them in action.

As for Tai Lung's legitimate resurrection, I don't know how I feel about it. The "bringing back dead characters" trope has never been a personal favorite of mine, but I want to wait and see what the film has to offer. I understand everyone's qualms regarding this specific plot point, though, and all the ones I've seen so far are valid.

The Chameleon looks cool! I love seeing fanart of her on Tumblr, as well, all of the artists I've seen so far have given such interesting and fun interpretations of the character. I'm excited to see what she brings to the franchise!

Admittedly, I have some reservations regarding her "powers." The third film already explored the notion of stealing life force/kung fu from other kung fu masters (both alive and dead), and as many other fans have pointed out, the Chameleon's abilities seem awfully similar.

I've seen a lot of people talking about how the shadow in the frame above looks like it could belong to Shen, and I don't disagree, but my attention is more so on the fact that the Chameleon has Po's staff—maybe traveling to a foreign city with an outlaw wasn't the best idea.

As for Zhen, anything I could say about her has already been said, for better or worse. I didn't find her voice to be especially irritating in the trailer, but (in my opinion) her design is unfitting for the KFP universe. It's not bad at all, but it doesn't fit.

I can't see myself caring too deeply for her character, but this likely won't be of any consequence because—this is a theory I've seen floating around, I haven't heard anything solid to give credit to the idea—I don't think she's going to end up as the Dragon Warrior.

As for her dynamic with Po, I'm interested. While their interactions have been short and not especially telling in advertisements, it seems like they have the potential to be an entertaining duo. We shall see.

We're back to the fun frames—this looks super cool! The circular structure in the middle of the palace (?) reminds me of a tulou, which is a traditional Chinese communal home of sorts.

I'm very happy to see Li and Mr. Ping making an appearance, they had a fun dynamic in KFP3 and they each have very sentimental and meaningful relationships with Po. The frame above seems to imply that they accompany Po to the city, which has the potential to create a really fun atmosphere for the film.

This looks cool, too! The action sequences look like they're going to be fun.

Zhen's earring looks eerily similar to the architecture of the Chameleon's lair, which leads me to believe that Zhen is either working with the Chameleon at the time of the film or is a former student of the Chameleon.

With that said, I feel like the "plot twist betrayal" is incredibly obvious, but that's likely the point—the movie could very well play it off as being extremely evident (maybe even to a comical degree).

The posters of Zhen are very KFP-esque, and I appreciate the comical frequency of the posters—having so many on one wall almost overlapping one another is overkill.

Sorry, I had to.

Po and Shifu's dynamic has always been top-tier, and hopefully, KFP4 adds to the long list of awesome interactions between them.

This is a 6-second sequence comprised solely of Po choking on peach petals. Alright!

The textures on the chair are beautiful! The silk of Shifu's clothes looks wonderful, too; however, I have to nitpick (not to be genuinely critical, rather just an observation) the arrangement of Shifu's robe (?). If you reference Shifu's appearance earlier in the trailer, the robe goes over his left shoulder instead of his right.

The image above could be mirrored (inverted?) for the sake of the trailer. In the previous clip, Po was facing the right side of the screen—having Shifu facing left could be a way to relate two segments that (obviously, considering the backgrounds) aren't in the same scene.

Anyway, points for awesome weapons!

(Sorry for the bad quality, I couldn't find a great frame to pause on.)

The color palette of this frame is gorgeous, the shades work with one another very well and the way they're applied reminds me of the colors used in the first KFP movie.

I love the architecture! Interestingly enough, the designs to the far left and against the red wall in the background remind me of ancient South American compositions.

The swirling designs on this doorway (?) look very similar to the ones in the frame! While I know it's more than unlikely for there to be South American influence in a KFP movie, when I say "all of my thoughts about the KFP4 trailer," I mean all of them.

To my knowledge, the picture above is of Mayan architecture (which is often confused with Aztec and Inca). Please correct me if I'm wrong, I haven't deeply researched any of the previously mentioned empires in years.

This looks awesome. I love how the "camera" is moving, almost swinging, and how the characters are briefly disproportionated so the shot looks more dynamic.

I really like the look of this part. The color palette is fun, the animation is impressive, and the glowing chameleon trap is a new addition to the films—none of the other movies have featured traps before!

This door (?) in the background is cool-looking!

I...like the colors.

Okay, cool. WHERE ARE THE FURIOUS FIVE?

To be completely transparent, the Furious Five's absence is enormously disheartening. I'm aware that the director stated that they're all on separate missions—which I'd be fine with if the movie either utilizes a B-plot following their respective missions or somehow intertwines their missions with the overarching storyline—and that they'll "make an appearance," but...☹️

I don't see the FF as side characters that can reasonably be absent from a film with no repercussions plot-wise (and viewer-wise, depending on the audience). Each member represents a form of kung fu, and they have proven influential to Po's character throughout the series (especially Tigress, but that's neither here nor there given the context).

That all is to say I miss the Furious Five. KFP4, give me five minutes of content, it'll tide me over for the next five years. I can write so much based on a singular micro-expression, you have no idea.

The Furious Five's absence is disconcerting, but otherwise, I'm not completely turned off from the film yet. It has a subpar trailer but one could reasonably argue that all of the KFP movies had lacking trailers (purposefully so, likely for the sake of being deceptive).

Believe what you like! We won't know anything for sure until the film releases, and even then, movies are subjective (which is both a blessing and a curse).

Thank you to those who decided to deal with my erratic trailer thoughts and read this post! I know I didn't discuss the storyline/plot in much detail, but I want to hold off on doing so until the film releases.

If you're interested, all of my thoughts regarding the story (that I still stand by) can be found in my previous "really, really long" post. I refrained from discussing the storyline much in this specific post because the trailer wasn't especially telling of the overall story, and I've already expressed my opinion regarding the film's plot.

Rest assured, I'll be writing a very lengthy plot-centric post come the release of the film. I'm very excited to admire the animation and hear the iconic Hans Zimmer KFP soundtrack (because we already know it's going to be phenomenal).

To end on a positive note...

It's giving accidental renaissance.

Happy (belated) New Year and thanks for reading---I need a break. 😭

[cheonsayang777]

Friends Part 2 (Renjun Imagine #2)

This is Part 2 of Friends, it is a story about Renjun who gets a new neighbor, she is an exchange student. They had one encounter and have slowly been taking an interest in one another. In part 1 they still haven't had a real conversation, they just have friendly interactions. She overheard a private conversation and now the two are trying to become friends.

*********

Two weeks later...

Two weeks had passed since you heard the conversation between Renjun and the building manager. There had been a few times where you and Renjun had run into each other and had minute conversations. Today was going to be different. You decided to leave the cat headphones at home and try to talk to Renjun.

Leaving your apartment walking downstairs you run into him with the intention of asking him for a friendly casual dinner. Smiling at him you say, "Hi Renjun, how's your day been so far?"

Startled by the brightness of your he replies, "Good. You seem in a rather bright mood. Y/N did something happen?"

You are trying to figure out how to talk to him. Being as introverted as you are, it was difficult and painfully awkward. Back home with friends it wasn't so bad, but meeting people you had just met in another country was not easy. Thinking quickly, getting right to the point you say quietly. "Will you accompany me to dinner tonight?"

Renjun was still struggling to comprehend this situation but remembered his promise to try to become your friend. Even though talking to other people outside of his friends was equally as awkward. "Yeah, what time should I get you?"

"Is seven fine?" You asked, surprised he agreed and that you made it this far talking in Korean, you had been studying Korean for two months.

"Seven works for me. Y/N is there a particular place we are going to?" He questioned, wondering at this suddenness to have dinner together. At this point the two of you were only acquaintances, nothing more.

"I can cook," You stated thinking of the instant Ramen, kimchi, and other convenience food products you had in your cupboards. After all, you didn't say you were going to make a Michelin star dish, just that you could cook.

"OK, Well I guess I'll see you then." Renjun said it more like a question then a statement.

You say by internally cringing at the palpable awkwardness between you two. It was difficult speaking in Korean for a long period of time for you, thus the headphones. You hurried out the door feeling your cheeks warm at the thought of having asked someone to dinner.

Renjun sighed at himself,he could have done a better job at the conversation, it was something he would have to work on before having dinner with you.

********

You had all the food prepared, ready and waiting. Now all you had to do was wait for Renjun to show up. You heard a knock on the door, opening it you saw Renjun standing there. He was ten minutes late but with his work schedule at least he showed up.

"Dinner's already on the table, I wasn't expecting you to be late." You say as you stand back to let him in.

"I'm so sorry, Y/N." He says as he follows you in. "It smells wonderful."

You both sat down at the table. The silence that fell between the two of you was one of awkward companions.

Finishing your cup of Ramen you sit back and look at each other, finally saying. "I know what my uncle told you, not surprising really for him to be worried over his niece."

Renjun's eyes widened, the building manager being one of your family members made more sense as to why he was worried about the new tenant. "So you know then that I'm trying to be your friend and he told me to look after you?"

"Yes, Renjun. I want to be your friend as well, after all it does get tiring being lonely all the time." You reply looking him in the eyes.

"Friends?" He asks, holding out his hand for you to shake.

"Friends." You confirm, placing your hand in his, shaking it.

After that night things became less awkward between you and you began to spend more time with each other only as friends as you promised. Looking after one another. Renjun helped you study your Korean, while most of the time getting off topic. But it was fine since you were comfortable.

**********

I'm sorry if this story is boring guys, this is my first time writing a fanfic. I hope it isn't too boring!!! Thank you to everyone who reads both Part 1 & 2 of Friends.

[colorguardsweetheartblurrsgirl]

Totally did something I was not expecting.

Work on story: No

Work On Art: No

Had all the resources infront of me ready to get a few ar Peices done. 😏🥴😖😓😒😒😒 YES!!!

What did I do instead you may ask???

Open the Sheet music app and began retooling my song front two years ago that was originally the main theme for the first act. Or at least the first half of the first act. I took advice from friends and family that it just needed a little something more at the start and end. There was a good oomph as start made me think battle scene... but it needed something. I finally thought of the sound I wanted.

Found the Drum Rills I wanted (Though it took hours to find the exact one I litterlaly typed the exact words in the name and toik hours to find some reason and countless searches).

Found a bell sound I was totally like Yeha that could eb a fun opening..

Theb thought, eh I made the document. Might as well plop the opening down.

I have problem currently staying up all night zi guess.😓🤣😂😅😅😅

Yep, spent all night working on the song. I ahve to admit the guitar part so uh nds coll. The opening including open ik gn chorus. Sounds awesome. Maybe a few tweeks here and there. I restyled and also redid the notations and the octaves of tlntoss as well as their notation time signatures to fit with the new speed and design I'm going foe with the comic. And funny enough didnt even get the main theme in there this was all the themes that combine with it

Later parts are a but messy. But blhoenstly first minute sounds pretty cool, totally plants an image. So I hope it works out. Just have to retools thjnklgs Inliked about the old open in ng a but more before ri works. But after alls said and done what leads into the opening a piano followed by a guitar pick iij ng up thebebat a bit. Can say it sounds far better then the old music.

All the same cnat believe how much time I spent on it. But I got started on the new angle I'm going for. And it kinda gives a real atmosphere to it. Hopefully you guys will like it I've studied both college level and under music practically my whole life but I'll say 25 years practically since I was 5. So writtinflg music is soemthing I often do. I just havent really performed my lyrical stuff. I even have a lyrical song or a few I came up with for the comic. Although, I'm not sure they will fit with the comics main theme.

I will say thebprologues theme has been ready and done for 2 years now. And yeah I'm not changing that puppy. Its... well saying anything will give away a plot point. I'll just say it will get you're heart pumping... in a scary kinda way. Showed it to friends and family and they are like "Okay that was freaking creepy. That, you wrote that miss ray of sunshines?" I just knew what I wanted for teh prologue had a certain tone I wanted setting in. And it worked.

Well heres today's update for you. I'll probably post some pic later today. But till then take care. I'll see if I could post a snippet of the song later tod sass y or in the next few days. Probably will have to use one of my actual music programs to do that without saving and unfinished product.

... but till whatever update comes next.

Take care and have a blast.

(Ps. I knwo how to play the harp and paino. However, I dont own a harp anymore where I used to rent closed its doors long ago. And my piano is a keyboard I've had since 7 whose cord keeps absconding from me, so if your wondering I can play instruments I jsut have difficulty keeping track of them thus I use programs instead) I recently fo uh nd recordings I made at my families property two years ago on the old family piano, just me silently at night alone plucking out cords and slowly creating a song, and occassionally messing up... it was when I was first figuring out Lenna's theme. At the time trying to keep it more towards H.S. in theme and sound. This has since changed and I'm leaning more towards the other inspiration that shaped most of the characters since the start. So the sound has since changed. It used to have a country western sound to it.

[rinharu-purple]

Emmm 👉👈 can i request Gavin's spring festival date analysis?! Ehem especially when Gavin said "I've waited a long time for today.." 💙

But Of course if you're not busy.. I'll wait patiently.. I just.. love read your analysis 💙 like i can feel your love and dedication for Gavin.. a lot of Gavin stan is very smart and loyal.. just like Gavin itself

Hello nonny and of course you can! Thank you for your lovely ask and reading my posts. It makes me really happy to hear this 💞 I can also double up what you've said, Our birdcop is smart and loyal and I really love being a part of Gavin-standom which includes so many talented writers, artists, analysts and it has @cheri-translates! There are so many great posts from various accounts and one can feel the love, passion and loyalty towards Gavin in all of them! 💫

An analysis on Spring Festival date is so overdue, so it is me who should apologize for not having written this before. I will more than gladly include your request scene, I hope you enjoy it ^_^

MC Testing Waters: Spring Festival Date

At the beginning of the game, MC is a young woman with lots of love in her heart, however without much experience in love. Fortunately this starts to change when she meets LIs as adults.

Spring Festival Date takes place after Firework Date and before the Romantic Date, although the timeline is quite messy, which I will come to by the end of this analysis.

If you look closely, you can see MC checking Gavin's romantic feelings towards her by using this "boyfriend game" and also uses the opportunity to get beyond his hardened exterior and touch his vulnerable side 💗

Spoilers start below this line

This date comes to, because MC lies to her aunt about having a boyfriend to avoid arranged blind dates and even promises to visit her on New Years with her boyfriend. Speculatively it seemed like a solid play, until...the time literally came.

Thinktanking about a way out of this with Kiki and Willow, they weight different options as to tell them she broke up with him, leave the city or call in sick but then the best wingman on earth Minor saves the way and suggests that she just takes a "fake boyfriend" with her, surely enough with Gavin in his mind.

MC goes through her contacts list to search for a suitable candidate, but her heart Whispers her the answer by skipping a beat as her fingertips scroll down to one name.

... Gavin

As such... MC has chosen her player for the game and Gavin's Heart Trial with MC's family commences...

---Press Start---

Creativity Test

Unluckily Gavin actually shows up for this highly important date late, with his phone off! From the storyline he arrives a couple of minutes late to MC’s aunt's place, thus starting the game one point behind. He was late because he was buying presents for the whole family! With the spot on gifts which are well received by the family because they're expensive, imported goods, limited products, cute and thoughtful he makes up for the lost points.

But it's just the first stage and he has 3 more stages to clear, the pressure is slowly rising.

This gray suit has a lovely story behind it, which you can find by the end of the story.

Decision Test

Gavin has passed the creativity test with flying colors, but in the second stage more challenging questions are on the menu. The eldest aunt wants to know Gavin's age, occupation, salary(?!) and possessions(?!). The last two questions are fairly over the line and is a no-no in my country. Asking people about their financial status as well as bragging about it is perceived as rude and insolent, that's why the way Gavin answers these questions skillfully without bragging about his wealth adds just another brick on my Gavin-temple.

Age: 24

Occupation: Police Officer

Salary: Covers the bills

Possessions: A flat in the city and a motorcycle.

In my Prank date analysis, I've mentioned about Gavin's ability to deal with impertinence and also here, he stays friendly, but only answers the questions necessary to get through with the situation. MCs family is checking whether he's wealthy enough to take care of MC (which is sad that in the 21st century that in some countries women need to be financially secured by men). So Gavin just gives them just the right enough of information to pass the test and pass he does.

There is another aspect to his way of answering though. You see, Gavin is an unmaterialistic man. He doesn't care about money or any other meta. He doesn't touch upon the fact that he's coming from a wealthy family, or that he inherits his grandparents house or that he can afford designer dresses, overseas travels or gems without giving a second thought. That shows just how humble Gavin is and I love him for it. What defines him is not his wealth, nor does he allow anyone define him on his financial status. It's his character, the values he stand for, the vision he embodies, the way he treats MC.. Ehm.. And.. His champion body and drop dead gorgeous looks (comes as an extra;))

But the game is far from over, because the family council is now going to challenge him on...

Affinity Test

This is where things get rosy as the family would like to know how they've met and whether they've been together since high school.

Look, Gavin is actually not playing a game, but living the moment. He is well aware of the fact that once he and MC become an official pair, he will be standing on the same spot a year later. He is serious...

So when they ask about their affection, he gives them his genuine answer and confesses his crush on her during high school and says that they've been going out since fall. This dazzles MC, as if she hasn't been dazzled enough lol.

The three glasses of drink he gulps surely has a role in this sincerity and taking three glasses of a drink as a punishment also becomes a tradition for MC and Gavin in the future.

And so, he proudly passes the Affinity Test with flying colors, effortlessly. Only one more stage and he's done it!

Execution Test

Every hero has his moment, when the fight takes a gloomier turn against his favor and the odds don't look good as before when he gets a strong blow, that is when the family hits him with the question "Don't you get alone well with your family?".

This is Gavin's weak spot, his cryptonite, his bleeding wound and MC's family just pressed on it. What makes this scene so heartbreaking is not just the topic itself and we know why it is a sensitive topic for Gavin but also that Gavin actually tries to signal them that this is not his favorite topic. He tells them he doesn't go home for holidays (friendly warning number 1), the aunties pushes by telling him to take some meal with him to which he replies "Thanks, but that's okay. I've been away for a long time" (friendly warning number 2) the family pushes further and as a one last resort he tells them that during college he rarely went there and spent holidays working afterwards (friendly warning number 3). Sadly the auntie than ignorantly ask whether his family doesn't worry about him and now because he's given three fair warning shots which, he downright gives them a brief and resolute answer:

- No.

That's usually the latest where people with common sense stop digging in further. Unfortunately then the auntie asks whether he doesn't get along well with his family to which Gavin no longer responds. This is the perfect way of dealing with such people and Gavin has a very intuitive talent for dealing different people from different mindsets. Give them three friendly and fair warnings, still pushing? Then give them a last chance by one final brief and to the point answer, they choose to ignore the signal? Stop interacting, you can only waste time beyond this point.

The only problem with this situation here, is that these people are not just somebody, Gavin wants to win these people over, so he cannot just ignore them. But also he cannot do it without a timeout, so he goes to grab some wine. (God it makes me so sorry everytime he has to face his family drama or is misjudged. I just wanna hug him bring him hot cocoa, give him a backrub and bring spicy food for him. Luckily he has MC ^_^)

But let's not talk only about about Gavin, because MC is struggling too. And we should recognize her stick up for him with the most cherishing words:

-Auntie, you got it wrong. He is a decent and pure man and has come to my aid many time and in quite dangerous circumstances.

When she comes back however cannot find Gavin, once she does, a heartwarming moment blooms between them.

This scene is very crucial in Gavin and MC's relationship because this is the first time MC sees Gavin tired and flustered. She feels sad for him but also happy for herself, for she feels as though she gets closer to him, thus seeing the real Gavin. By the way she show him her genuine care, Gavins heart melts and kisses the back of her hand as a gesture and so the first intimate moment involving them having a kiss ensues. Furthermore, they show each other their mutual care, which brings them one step closer and this gives Gavin the only courage he needs to tackle the situation.

When our hero gets the courage and the stamina he need from his girl, nothing can stop him now. Having gatherer his strength, Gavin returns to the dinner table:

“I am so happy to be here with you all today. In fact, I haven't felt this atmosphere of family in a long time. I have a very strict father and a brother I seldom see...I don’t even know when I turned into such a loner. Eating alone, sleeping alone, doing everything alone...until I met her. It was a beautiful autumn day. The gingko leaves were floating in the wind. I was also going through a pretty dark time. But she saved me before I hit bottom...It’s she who told me I could live a stronger life. And it’s also she who told me I could live a more tender life. I never felt lonely before, until I met her. I started to get used to star-gazing with her, having dinner with her, spending the New Year’s with her. In the future, I'll give it my all to stay with her, to take good care of her and love her. I wanna make up many times over for all the times I wasn't there”

MC’s heart stopped, aunties eyes teary, the elder Aunt want his actions to back up these words and thus Gavin has a pass from MC's family. Now that he's won the game, it's time to collect his prize.

After they leave MC's aunt's house, our lovebirds walk together in the night full of fireworks and Gavin tells Mc that Minor has mentored him on being the perfect son-in-law, hence he was late. He also asks her what she would do if he didn't show up, to which she says that her intuition says that he won't fail her and he murmurs quietly:

- I've waited a long time for today.

Of course he doesn't repeats himself when MC asks him about what he just said. But that's what kept him going all night long.

He has waited for six whole years to meet her again, to stand by here, take good care of her and love her. Tonight, he could do them all by being her "boyfriend", giving his word to her family and having their blessings. He could see that she also cares a lot for him, worries about him and wants to be there for him. He landed his lips for the first time on her delicate skin and could give her warmth.

He could finally confess his feelings for her and say the genuine things he will only say to her.

So yes, he has waited for a long time for this moment to come and when it came, he made sure to grab it tightly.

----—----—---

Timeline issues:

- The order of the dates in the game doesn't always reflect the real course of events. The grey suit that Gavin wears is actually bought after Romantic Date, which takes place after this date.

-Even though MC plans this whole game to avert blind dates, but she still gets set up later on a blind date by another aunt lol.

Thank you once again for your patience nonny and I hope that the analysis proves to be worthy of your wait 💗

Masterlist

For MC's confession let me take you here

For Gavin and MCs relationship milestones here

For a fun trivia about this date you can click here

[imagines-by-a-typical-fangirl]

Love On-Set (Pt. 05 of 10)

Pairing: Dacre Montgomery X Reader

Word count: 2.9K

Summary: You knew acting on Stranger Things season 3 would be a challenge, and you also knew, from the start, you'd have to work closely with Dacre Montgomery. But is wasn't a big deal for you, since this is your job and you're determined to act professionally. You had it all figured out, or so you thought, until the moment you were out face to face with Dacre. Then, this job became a lot harder than it was supposed to be, since you can't seem to focus whenever you're around Dacre. And you'll have to be around him a lot until the end of production.

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{Dacre Montgomery Masterlist}

{Stranger Things Masterlist}

×

All The Right Signs

“Gaten, get it together! It's fake raining!” Finn yells as Gaten messes up the scene for the fourth time. Everyone just laughs as you brace yourself.

“Five minutes everyone!” James shouts and you follow the kids as they run out of the rain as the water is turned off.

Today, you're glad the scene is outside, with all the main actors. It's always fun, and you need to keep your mind away from what will happen tomorrow. You thought the kissing scene was too far away, but now it's just around the corner. And you didn't do as James said. Every time Dacre showed up to work on that, you'd just sit, watch something and talk. And you always have fun together. The director never asked about the video though, so you just decided to let it go.

But now, it's tomorrow. And you're trying hard not to think about it until it's inevitable.

“Are you cold?” Dacre comes to stand before you, messing up your train of thought.

“A little, yeah.” You answer, removing some hair from your face.

“Well...” He steps closer, his hands rubbing your arms. You immediately feel warmer, but you don't think it's because of the gesture. “If Gaten manages to say his line without bursting into laughter we'll get out of the cold very soon.”

You can't help but blush, staring into his blue eyes. “He is–”

A camera flashing gets your attention, and both you and Dacre look at the source. Millie tries to hide her phone as if the bright light didn't startle you.

“I can't wait for tomorrow.” Natalia comments.

Unfortunately, they will have to be here, because the kissing scene isn't the only one scheduled. You still don't know if it's good or bad. Probably bad.

“Alright, let's get it done.” As James speaks, the water is turned back on and it starts raining again.

“Let's go.” You say in a low voice, accompanying Dacre back to your positions.

It takes another four attempts for Gaten to finally say his line without messing up, and the rest of you are free to finish the take. Afterward, before you can run to your dressing room to shower and change out of the soaking clothes, the guys decide to make some silly pictures with everyone soaking wet. In the middle of the commotion to strike a pose, Dacre finds he's way to stand next to you, an arm either on your shoulders or around your waist. You try not to give it much thought, hoping Millie's phone camera won't get your blushing cheeks.

When it's all done, you take a warm shower before heading to the van and an hour later you're at your hotel room. But the day isn't over yet. The guys are coming here to finally start working on the Battle of Starcourt scenes. But you still have some time before they show up, so you make yourself comfortable on the couch, a blanket around your shoulders as you watch Jaws since you're in the mood for a classic movie.

A knock on the door startles you a little, and you notice you were too immersed in the movie. Dragging the blanket with you, you walk over there after checking your phone. There's still an hour until they come and you didn't order anything. But you unlock it and swing it open, biting your lip when you see Dacre. “Hey.”

“Hi.” He furrows his eyebrows when he looks down at you. “I absolutely love your dress.”

“Really? It's the last fashion in my living room fashion week.” Giggling, you step aside, closing the door shut when Dacre comes in. “You're early. Nobody got here yet.“

“Yeah, I know.”

Raising an eyebrow, you shrug your shoulders. It's not like you would send him away. “I'm watching Jaws. So we can either watch it or put on something else.” Making your way back to the couch, you watch as he does the same, settling down beside you. “You want the blanket?” You decide to ask, just to be polite.

“Sure.”

That you weren't expecting. It's not cold. Well, not that cold. You just took the blanket to feel more comfortable since you're wearing shorts and a light blouse. “Ok.“ You mumble as you take the blanket from around your shoulders, fixing it on both you and Dacre.

Then you focus on the movie. Or you try to focus the best you can. Why is Dacre here? Millie's voice comes back to your head, her lastest advise making you bounce your leg nervously. She told you Dacre is giving all the signs he's into you. And you should do the same, or else he'll get the idea you're not interested and step back. Natalia assured it'll happen because Dacre is a gentleman, always have been, and he won't keep pushing you into something you don't want.

Taking a deep breath, you think about your options. You feel how Dacre's arm is touching yours, and you have an idea. Feeling the butterflies in your stomach going insane, you lean closer to Dacre. “Can I?” You ask, laying your head on his shoulder.

“Sure.” He answers, and after a few seconds of the most uncomfortable silence you've even been through, Dacre moves, putting his arm around your shoulders, what makes you snuggle closer to him, your head resting partly on his chest and neck. Your whole body is frozen for a moment, wondering what this is. Then he moves again, his arm sliding down to embrace your waist, and you decide to just end the small distance that was between your bodies, completely leaning on him. “Is this ok?”

“Yeah.” You nod, eyes tightly shut as your cheeks start burning. “The shark is attacking.” Trying to ease the tension, you gesture at the TV.

“It is,” Dacre mumbles, and you feel his chest vibrating as he speaks.

As the minutes pass by, you feel more comfortable. And it feels good to finally allow yourself to do this. It's something so simple, so silly, but still, it feels right. You've been dying to do this and you didn't even know.

Unfortunately, the hour passes by, the knocks and the chattering announcing that your time alone with Dacre is over. Sighing, you leave the blanket behind and go open the door, hoping nobody will notice that Dacre was here already.

•

“Ok, ok. Positions...” Joe says after the coffee table and couch were pushed aside, leaving a free space in the middle of the room. You stand beside Millie, script in hand as you wait to find out what scene they'll start with. “You there. You can be... There.”

“Why do I have the feeling we interrupted something,” Natalia whispers as she walks by, tilting her head at Dacre, who's discussing something in the script with Sadie.

“Dacre just came to...” To do what? Did he even come to do something specifically? “He came a little earlier.”

“I didn't know you could get this red,” Millie exclaims, staring at you. “Oh, my God, I'm so happy I'll get to see the kissing scene.”

The kissing scene. Nobody in the freaking universe will let you forget it. As if you needed them to remind you that Dacre's lips will be on yours by tomorrow night. “I want to get it done on one take, so don't screw it.”

“You should ask us to ruin it as much as we can so you'll get to kiss him more times.” Natalia sing songs and you Millie laughs, nodding.

“It won't be Dacre and I. It'll be Billy and Amy. It's a scene, it's our job.” You don't know what gets to you, the words just roll out. And they're all true. It won't be a real kiss. It's not like you don't want to do it. You want to kiss Dacre, and this is making you nervous, but it just won't be real. “Let's just focus here, ok?”

The next hours are tiring. They were right to do this because the Battle of Starcourt will be chaos, and it'll be a lot better if you kinda know the dynamics before having to actually shoot it. But you're distracted, forgetting your lines so many times you have to just keep the scrip in hand and read it. You're thankful for the kids being so crazy because they make you laugh and forget your anxiety for a while.

It's past midnight then they leave, and as you're saying your goodbyes at the door, you notice Dacre falling behind. When he's by the door, the others are already disappearing down the hall.

“Guess I'll see you tomorrow.” You mutter, looking down at your feet. If it wasn't for a meeting James called with the whole cast in the morning, you'd have the whole day to deal with before going to the set. It's better this way though, you think.

“Yeah. I'd be down for another gym date but I have this job that won't let me.”

Giggling, you bite your lip. “You think it'll be about changes in the script?”

“I'm sure it will,” Dacre mumbles, giving a look at the hall. When you follow his gaze, you see three blurs in the shape of heads, vanishing into the corner. “We're being watched.” He lowers his voice as if you were in great danger.

“Hope it's not the Demogorgon. I'd hate to save your ass. Again.” When you look back at him, you find his blue eyes already set on you. It makes you sigh, wondering why your legs won't work, and make you step back, returning to the normal distance you should put between you and someone else. “I'll get some sleep... Rough day tomorrow.”

“I agree.” Another glance at the hall, but you don't have time to check if anyone's there this time. Dacre leans closer and places a kiss on your cheek, as he usually does. Only this time is different. It lingers, for far too long, and at the same time, it ends too soon. And you're sure you felt the corner of his lips on yours. “Good night, (Y/N).”

“Good night.” Whispering, you stand by the door as he makes his way to the elevators, giving one last look back before disappearing in the corner.

• • •

Your hands are shaking a little, and you blame it on the cold wind. But the wind isn't that cold. Is it?

You're already in your position, at Hawkins Community Pool's parking lot, next to this random car and your stylist is finishing with your hair and giving the final touches on your make-up. No lipstick. You can't imagine why.

On your left, you see many pairs of eyes set on you. After this scene, James wants to shot the sequence, when the kids find a Demodog in the pool, so everyone is here. But you can't think about that now, you have to focus. Amy needs to come to life today, and you need to act like a professional. You knew acting in Stranger Things would be huge, and difficult, but you'd never guess it would be this hard.

You take the deepest breath you can when you see Dacre coming your way. Mullets were an atrocity to humankind, you think, but damn, he did make it look good. How is it even possible? He shouldn't be allowed to do that.

“Hey. You–”

“Everyone ready?” James' thunder voice cuts him off, and you have no idea if that's good or bad. No time to figure out. “Clean the set, let's do this. Dacre, (Y/N), are you ready?”

Nodding, you force your mind to remember the lines. You're Amy now... Which sucks because by now, Amy is already in love with Billy. Nothing will help you, you just need to get it done, give the audience the show they want.

“Great. Alright then... Ready and... Action!”

You're not ready for that, but you move anyways.

“I can't believe you took almost an hour to get here, Hargrove!” Amy yells, walking fast to end the small distance between her and Billy. “There's a freaking Demodog in the pool!”

“It's dead. So why the hurry?” Dacre keeps the smug smirk, the one that makes you want to slap Billy. Just a little bit. “Chill.”

“Don't tell me to chill. Can't you miss one single date? Not even when there's an interdimensional monster involved?” You punch Dacre hard on the chest, well not so hard, but he does give a tiny step back. This is Amy's jealously attack, and you make sure to make her look frustrated because despite the emotions overflowing, she knows she shouldn't be doing this.

“Why the hell you always think I'm with some girl?”

“Because that's where you always are.” Jumping to conclusions. That's the way Amy found to keep her heart away from Billy. Didn't work though. “You know what, it doesn't matter. We have a bigger fish to fry.”

When you turn around to leave, Dacre gets his cue, grabbing your arm and forcing you to stop and stumble back. “The damn thing is dead, it can wait.”

“Let go.” Amy pleads, stepping backwards as Billy comes closer. That's the moment where she gives up trying. This thing with Billy has been going on for a while now, and, as in real life, there's just this point where you stop fighting it. “Seriously, I'm tired of this shit so let's just–”

“I know you're jealous.” He mutters, just when your back hits the car. James loves to have you trapped like that. “Just need to figure out why.”

“I've said it once, and I'll say it again.” It's hard to follow the script, it's hard to keep breathing normally. It's so damn hard to keep eye contact with Dacre right now. “I won't be one of your flings so back the hell down.”

It comes out too low, and you wait for James to stop the scene. And you want him too. You can't do this. You can't stop looking at Dacre's lips, you can't control the butterflies in your stomach. This is just a goddman scene, why can't you get it together?

“Who said I want you to be a fling?”

That's it. It's happening. Dacre leans closer, so close that you have no choice but to close your eyes. He's saying something else, but you don't hear it. Your hands find their way to his chest, grabbing his jacket as if to steady yourself, to get a grip of reality. When his lips brush on yours, Amy is gone and you break character, taking a deep breath before pulling him closer, eager to end the small distance and finally–.

A loud noise, an explosion, makes both of you jump. One of the cameras near you come crashing down and if it wasn't for Dacre pulling you away, it would hit you. The whole thing moves like a domino effect, knocking a few more cameras with it. You barely hear James's voice, stepping further back, making sure you're far enough. The rest of the cast abruptly stand up from their chairs, worried.

“Everyone back off!” James shouts.

“Are you ok?” Dacre asks and you simply nod, a hand on your heart.

James dismisses everyone while he and his assistants check what happened. You silently walk beside Dacre until you reach the rest of the crew, looking down and trying not to think about the kiss. Or the almost kiss.

“What the hell happened?” Joe asks, and everyone starts talking at the same time.

There isn't much to talk about. Four of the five cameras are wrecked, and the director is pissed. But still, you're too far away, your mind stuck in the phantom of the kiss you craved for so desperately. Dacre stands by your side, but you can't look at him right now. So you engage in the conversation, ignoring Millie's and Natalia's stares, hoping nobody will notice your blushing cheeks.

An hour later, the big news arrive. Well, they're big news fort he cast, not for James. After analyzing the damage, James will have to suspend the shooting for five days. Which means you'll have five days off. Everyone starts making plans, and the ride back to the hotel is filled with happy chattering about who will go where. But you already know what you'll do. You'll fly home and use these days to rest. And think.

“Hey.” Dacre gets your attention, following out of the van when you reach the hotel. “What are your plans?”

“Uhm... I'm flying home.” Shrugging your shoulders, you keep his pace through the main hall.

“Oh, you live in LA, right?” Giving him a quick glance, you nod. “I'm living there too, I don't know if I told you.”

This lights up a spark in your heart, and suddenly, you're not so excited to stay away anymore. “No, you haven't.”

“We can book our flights together... If that's ok.”

His hesitation gets you by surprise, but then you notice how distant you've been acting since the kiss. Damn, he might be thinking you didn't like it or something. That he made you uncomfortable. That's exactly what you don't want him to think. “It is. When do you wanna leave?”

“Tomorrow morning?”

“That's fine by me.” You finally decide to look at him, and you immediately regret avoiding his eyes. Being nervous is... Normal. Maybe. But his eyes give you the reassurance you need. “I'll stop by your room in an hour so we can buy the tickets.”

“I'll be waiting.” His lips break into a smile, and you can't help but bite your lip and smile too.

“I'll be there.” You say as the doors open on his floor. Dacre mutters a goodbye, and right before the door closes again, you see when he winks at you.

×

@baker151910 @shinydixon @dreamin-of-dacre @hanoi15 @lickmymelanin @foccus @multific @uncookspaget @kellysimagines @peakascum

[acciocriativity]

Yule Ball|| Harry Potter

Pairing: Fred Weasley x Reader // Harry Potter x Reader

Summary: It's been a year since you had a huge crush on Fred Weasley, but you never had the courage to confess it to the redhead. What will change when the Winter Ball takes place at Hogwarts? 

Word Count: 3.2k 

 The fifth year of Hogwarts couldn't be more confusing and crazy, the students from Beauxbatons and the Durmstrang students had just settled in the Great Hall, when the principal made the announcement that it was going to be the joy / despair of all the girls. That's right, with no middle ground. 

- Along with the Triwizard Tournament, the Yule Ball will also take place, just as it is in tradition - he said calmly as always, with a smile on his face. 

 Professor McGonagall explained the details but my mind was already far away, obviously my case is one of despair, not for lack of confidence but for opportunities. There was only one boy I would like to invite, but how would I do that if not more than one word we have already exchanged? I would not like to go with a stranger, a friend at the very least. 

I was already 5 years old at Hogwarts, why haven't I done anything yet? This is easy, two very simple reasons. We are from different houses, as a Ravenclaw I don't have many Gryffindor friends, unfortunately. It is very comfortable to form a social circle restricted to the home itself and I was a shy child, can anyone judge me ??  

I clearly remember the day I saw him the first time, it was the same day that I got my first Gryffindor friend. 

 I was hurrying up the stairs to the first floor, where the library is. It wouldn't be a surprise to anyone, but this time it was more urgent, it was two weeks before the 4th grade exam season and I didn't feel ready for the Arithmancy exam. 

I had barely stepped into the hall when I heard two excited voices talking, I didn't have to look more than once to find out who they were. The Weasley twins had quickly formed their own fame at Hogwarts, the only ones who didn't like them were the targets of their pranks, I still haven't had that bad luck, and probably their Slytherin opponents. 

It was the first time that I had a chance to see them without a circle of people around wanting to buy their limited products or their own friends around, and I didn't imagine what that little moment would do to me.

Although they were identical, one in particular had caught my attention. I didn't know what his name was and I didn't even have time to ask, as they walked to another corridor, opposite where I was. 

It was his warm smile and bright eyes, that enchanted me at that moment and even though neither was for me, I couldn't forget it and I tried. 

Later that day, I was trying to find a specific Arithmancy book when I noticed Angelina, a gryffindor and a year older than me. Difficult not to recognize since she is also popular, being on the Quidditch team but we never really spoke to each other, until that moment. 

- Are you in 5th year ?? I never saw you in any of the classes - I remember her saying looking at my hand, in which I was carrying an advanced potions book.

- Oh no, I like to advance some subjects when I finish studying - I replied calmly with a small smile as I took my book, right next to her head. 

- So are you good at potions? - she asked looking at me and I just nodded before she continued - and could you help me? It's a little difficult to pay attention to the class, when Fred and Jorge are there - she finished with a giggle, as if remembering something. 

From then on, we met at the library when they had no training and during those two weeks we got close enough, but not to the point of mixing our social circles and going out together. 

 I turned to face Angelina, even though she was away she met my gaze and smiled, she knew I felt something for Fred Weasley but I never said how deep those feelings were or she would have managed to help me a long time ago. 

I noticed that she made one of the signs that we invented to communicate when we were far from each other, that one meant that we were going to talk later in my dorm and I just nodded before I started eating. Too bad I didn't notice the attention of a certain redhead, because of my silent conversation with the girl.

 In the months that followed, because Harry's name came out in the Goblet of Fire and the first task was around, the atmosphere became extremely tense within the school and the animosity with the ball cooled. People commented on all sorts of nonsense and I did what I could when something like that happened in my presence, because it bothered me a lot. The whole school was against Harry, basically and I had made it clear that it was ridiculous, even though I didn't know the boy well. 

Because of that, I ended up getting away from some friends who disagreed with me and thought that Potter wanted to get attention again, but the good part is that I ended up spending a lot more time with Angelina in the Gryffindor Common Room, she always told me the password although the Fat Woman didn't like it that much. 

Today is Saturday and one of those days, I left my dormitory early because I had nothing to study and walked unhurriedly through the almost empty corridors. It seems like a rule, teenagers don't leave bed before 9 am. I saw the girl alone in the middle of the Gryffindor table so I walked right over there, sitting next to her. 

- Good morning Angie - I greeted with an excited smile while taking a look at the already full of food table  

- You dreamed of the 10 N.O.M.S. today, didn’t you? - she smiled at me before completing - or was it with a certain someone? 

I felt my face heat up as she laughed at me, the mornings when we are in a good mood usually start with these morning teasing and then we move on to the same topic…

- When are you going to invite Fred to the Ball? You know that when it comes to perceiving feelings, he is slow - she insisted just like every day that I should do something.

- He must have been invited already, It’s almost a month away- I gave her my most common answer, there are some days that I say I would invite him, but that never happened. 

- He is still available but at some point he will be not! Do you really want to see him dancing with another girl? - She looked at me defiantly even knowing the answer.

- If I promise that this time I will ask him to come with me, will you let me eat in peace ?? - I asked, holding her gaze and received a satisfied smile in return. 

 Sometimes I didn't even understand the reason for all this nonsense, at times I just wanted to be able to confess my feelings and if I was rejected, I would just move on. But then I got close to him and couldn't, at least that way I had hope. The gryffindor in me will have the courage today, thanks to Angelina and my stupid promise. 

Gradually the students arrived and among them were our friends. Alicia Spinnet, Dino Thomas, Olivio Wood and Lino Jordan. Soon the trio, Harry, Hermione and Ron came down and then Fred and Jorge with the usual good humor. 

- Good morning girls - they both winked at us at the same time with a smile from someone who’s up to no good.

- Good morning - we answered together but with different reactions, Alícia simply ignored it, I controlled myself not to blush and Angelina just smiled more.

 Fred sat two chairs to the left in front of me and Jorge beside him, there was no way I could talk to him during breakfast and I thanked him for it, but I regretted it soon after.  

- And haven't you became a man yet to ask someone to the Ball, Ron ?? - I heard Fred's super discreet voice, interrupting my conversation with Lino.

 Obviously everyone there turned to pay attention, the teasing between them was always fun, especially in the morning. 

- You didn’t ask anyone too, where's YOUR courage Fred? What are you afraid of ?? - I never had seen Ronald Weasley with such a satisfied smile on his face or an expression so outraged on the elder. 

- I'll show you the courage, look and learn Ronald - he had made a point of getting up and I held my breath when I saw him looking in my direction, it couldn't be ...

- Hey Johnson, do you want to go to the Yule Ball with me? - He asked without realizing my expectations and a piece of my heart breaking after that. 

 She replied an yes after looking at me quickly, I didn't mind her accepting it. They are friends and I already knew that she wanted to go with Jorge, the reason why she had not accepted any invitation until now. I had already thought about what it would be like if this situation happened, in my head it was much worse. 

The next few days followed with little change about Fred, at all times if I could avoid him, I would. Not out of anger or anything, I wanted to take my focus off him. I had declined 2 invitations because I hadn't imagined myself with another guy, and that was going to end. 

Alicia and I had just returned from London, we went to look at some new dress options, as many girls would go to the witch shops nearby. We barely stepped into the Great Hall when Hermione walked out furious and a little upset, she didn't even greet us as she always did.

- What did you do to make her so upset ?? - I asked facing Harry and then Ron, before sitting down next to Harry.

- I just said that she could come with one of us to the Ball - explained the redhead while devouring the food on his plate.

- Now? It’s a month away, I would have been angry too - they both looked at me without understanding and I had to take a deep breath - you don't understand anything about girls, do you?

- She felt like the last option, nobody would like to feel that way, obviously, you should have invited her long before - Ali replied without patience, while the realization seemed to hit their faces. 

 Ron seemed to reflect for 3 seconds before eating again as if nothing had happened, so there were only the three of us left to talk.  

- And your partner Harry? Mcgonagall is going to freak out if you have to open the Ball alone - I commented while getting me some soup. 

- I haven't found the right girl yet ... - he replied a little uncomfortable and looked to the side as if he had remembered something. 

- Not wanting to intrude, but already intruding, you two could go together. Just as friends - she completed as soon as she saw the boy look at us petrified but relaxed shortly thereafter.

- No problem for me, I was thinking about not going, but at least it could be fun - I spoke with a small smile and he nodded. 

 For the rest of the month, I ended up getting closer to him and consequently to the most unbearable couple that ever existed. I love Hermione and Ron, but how can two people be so stubborn? I don't know, it's a mystery but at the same time, it was good entertainment and I managed to disconnect from my feelings for Fred. 

It was getting close to the time to start the Ball and I had barely stopped to think that I would be forced to deal with Angelina and Fred dancing together, even though I had never been jealous of the two before, the scene didn't seem pleasant. 

I took one last look in the mirror analysing my dress, a long red velvet dress with sleeves and a slit up to my thigh that defined my body in the right measure. I was feeling incredibly beautiful the way I was and nothing could ruin my good mood, not even my unrequited crush. 

I agreed to meet my friends near the stairs and there they were, Hermione in a pink pretty dress talking to Vítor Krum further away, Ron was about to explode at any moment and Harry, as usual, seemed to be trying to find an excuse to get out of there and I preferred to help with that. . 

- Hi boys - I said quietly standing on the first step of the stairs and as they had their backs to me, they jumped and I couldn't help laughing.

- You can't come like this and scare others, I almost had a fit… - the redhead put his hand on his heart dramatically, it seems that the hatred has vanished too.

- Everyone will go down the stairs, you should be gossiping in a more discreet place. It's about Hermione again, right? - I asked shamelessly without caring about the complaints about my comment. 

- And why would I waste my time talking about a traitor? - his face went from white to red in a few seconds, it seems that the anger had returned.

- I only know one thing, we can't be late, right Harry ?? In fact, I need to talk to you quickly - I didn't even let him agree and I pulled his arm and walked to a spot nearby without anyone

- Did something happen? - he said while adjusting his glasses and I just denied it with a smile, making him even more confused. 

- I just wanted to give you a break from Hurricane Ronald Weasley but if you want to go back there, I don't mind - I said looking behind his shoulder and there it was, a clear image of the redhead fighting with an innocent student.

- In fact, a few minutes without having to listen to his rudeness is great, not that he's a bad friend, but sometimes it's a little ... too much - he replied with a small smile of thanks.  

 We talked for a few more minutes before Mcgonagall officially announced the start of the party, where we would have to dance first. We had rehearsed a few times, so we weren't ashamed, although I wanted to laugh at the memories that came to mind and I could see the same in Harry's eyes. 

After that moment, the other champions also danced with their partners and then the party really started. I preferred to avoid dancing more than necessary, because that would be shameful but it doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it. 

I was sitting at a table with Harry and Ron because apparently his partner was not very happy, but I decided not to go into that. Until I see Angie approach and place her hand on my bare shoulder.

- Can we talk for a moment?? - She said and by her expression, it seemed to be important. 

 I nodded and as the two continued talking to each other, I preferred not to interrupt and just went with the older girl to a corner with fewer people. 

- Did something happen? - I asked calmly and noticed that she looked towards the direction where Fred and Jorge were with another girl.

- Yes, I already knew it would be a complete mess, since you wanted to come with one person and I with another, but I think you can fix it in time - she said looking back at me.

- I don't know Angie, just with a Time-Turner and a little bit of luck, then I would be able to ask him to come with me. 

- It was wrong but I just overheard him saying something to Jorge, he said he wanted to invite you. I was noticing for a while, I was pretty sure he liked you and I just had the proof - she said with a small smile and then immediately took my hand and continued - I don't want to see you two suffering.

 I barely knew what to say so I preferred to demonstrate it in the best way I could, that is, with a hug even though it wasn't much of a hug most of the time. 

 

- Thank you for telling me but I think I'll be forced to steal your date now - I replied with a small smile and stepped back from her. 

- Someday I'll forgive you for that, but this conversation is for later - she winked at me and walked away to the other side of the party. 

 I took a deep breath and as soon as I looked back in the direction where the twins were talking, I realized that there was no one there anymore and I couldn't help being disappointed. 

- Looking for me, love?? - a voice well known to me spoke at a minimum distance from my back and I immediately turned around.

- Actually, yes, but you came here, so it must be important - I replied with a smile without being affected by his proximity, since it was not uncommon for him to try to frustrate me with this type of provocation.

- Since when is something I have to say unimportant ?? - he spoke in an indignant voice but his smile denounced him - let's go for a walk, what do you think? It’s too full here - he said and then held my hand, how could I refuse such a request? 

 I just nodded and then we left the Hall, walked, still holding hands, to the garden. I am sure that did not fail to pass through the attentive eyes of my friends, but it was not the time to think about that. 

- I know we've only really known each other this year - he started talking and then stopped walking - but I really started to like you a lot - his voice were softer and even a little uncertain. 

- Of course, we all became fast friends - I replied with a satisfied smile, maybe it was mean but I was loving this moment and I didn't want it to end so quickly.

 He looked away and took a deep breath before looking back into my eyes with a lighter expression.

- You're having fun, aren't you? It's pretty funny, isn't it? - He asked and I could see his eyes shine, the kind of glow that appears when he has just made a prank. 

- Yes I am. How could I not be when I left Fred Flirt Weasley frustrated? - I replied holding the desire to laugh, for the situation and the new nickname I invented. 

- I had a much more fun idea, love, you'll like it - he said confidently.

 Before I could ask what it was, one of his hands found my face and the other on my waist, pulling me closer. A second later we were giving our first kiss, the first of many to come.

Harry Potter Masterlist

[caye-otome-translations]

100 Days Princess Event - Royal Prince Stage Episode 02 (Translated) 

Quick Links:

Events Page

Prologue

Previous: Episode 01

Next: Episode 03

Louis Howard’s Route

Byron Wagner’s Route

Giles Christophe’s Route Episode 02 Part 01/05

Giles: “MC, do you want me to help take you home?”

When I looked behind me, I saw Giles there offering me a bottle of water.

MC: “No, I'm fine. Thank you for the water.”

MC: “...Do I really look so drunk that I shouldn’t go home by myself?”

Giles: “No. You’re talking clearly and behaving well, so I don't think you’re that drunk.”

After he spoke, Giles lightly caressed my cheek.

Giles: “Still, I’m worried about you.” *Top Left Picture*

MC: “...”

His eyes stared at me with warmth, and my heart began to slightly throb.

(The reason why I get so excited whenever he looks at me like this… is because I love Giles.)

This wasn't the first time he looked at me so tenderly.

(Judging by how he looks at me, I think Giles feels the same way as I do.)

(But we can never confess our feelings… because we must avoid any scandals.)

Giles: “Do your cheeks still feel a little hot…?”

MC: “...I’m fine, I should be calming down soon.”

The heat in my body seemed to rise even more, and I instinctively averted my eyes.

MC: “Thank you for your concern. ...I'll get a ride from my manager.”

Giles: “Yes, please do that. That will give me a peace of mind.”

Giles’ hand left my cheek, leaving behind only a lonely feeling.

Giles: “I would like to help you more…”

Giles: “But there are a lot of people here, so we would immediately be misunderstood if someone saw us.” *Top Right Picture*

Giles Christophe’s Route Episode 02 Part 02/05

Giles: “But there are a lot of people here, so we would immediately be misunderstood if someone saw us.”

MC: “...You’re right, we need to be careful.”

I felt frustrated with my relationship with Giles right then, as it seemed we never could move forwards or backwards.

But I buried that feeling deep down and forced a smile.

***

The next day, I shot a scene of the drama with Giles…

I decided to take a break and sat down in a chair a little far away from the shooting location.

(I wonder what other scenes we would have to shoot together in the future...)

I flipped through the script I received from the crew earlier.

That’s when I saw that there was a scene where the heroine kissed her fiancé.

(My fiancé… Giles!?)

Giles: “MC, is something wrong?”

MC: “No… it’s nothing.”

Giles: “If that’s the case, then why do you look so flustered…?”

Giles sat down next to me and looked at my script.

Giles: “Ah, is it this scene?”

Giles: “Did you not know that there was going to be a kiss scene when you accepted the role?”

MC: “I knew. But I didn’t know who it would be with.”

Caye: “Now I’m nervous because that scene will be coming up soon…”

(I wonder if I can do this properly.)

As I lowered my head in anxiety, he smiled.

Giles: “Oh, I see now. You’ve never done a scene like this before.” *1st Middle Left Picture*

MC: “Yes…”

Giles: “It’s understandable that you’re nervous. But…”

Giles: “I’m honored to be your first kissing scene.” *1st Middle Right Picture*

MC: “...”

*princess check*

Giles Christophe’s Route Episode 02 Part 03/05

Giles: “Oh, I see now. You’ve never done a scene like this before.”

MC: “Yes…”

Giles: “It's understandable that you’re nervous. But…”

Giles: “I’m honored to be your first kissing scene.”

MC: “...”

He gazed at me with a shining smile and I looked away out of embarrassment.

(I already feel uncomfortable with just him looking at me like this, how am I ever possibly going to be able to handle kissing him...)

(I can’t be shy, though. I need to play my part well.)

As I was deep in thought, his fingers gently cupped my chin and lifted it up.

MC: “Giles…?”

Giles: “It will be okay. You can rest assured that I won't bite you.” *2nd Middle Left Picture*

Giles: “Besides, we will only be pretending to kiss.”

MC: “What? Is that so?”

Giles: “Yes. In this scene, you pretend to cheat.”

Giles: “Like this…”

Giles smiled and leaned in…

MC: “...!?”

I held my breath as Giles stopped at the tip of my nose.

Giles: “If we both lean in like this and angle our faces away from the camera a little, it will look like we’re kissing.”

Giles: “Although we might be asked to bring our lips a little closer together for the actual shot.”

MC: “...I didn’t know fake kissing was so complicated.”

(I thought he was going to really kiss me…)

Giles removed his fingers from my chin as I focused on my frantic heartbeat.

Giles: “If you feel so uneasy about shooting the scene, how about we practice?” *2nd Middle Right Picture*

MC: “Practice…”

Giles: “You don’t know how to do a kissing scene, right…?”

Giles: “So why not practice with me until you get the hang of it?”

Giles Christophe Episode 02 Part 04/05

Giles: “So why not practice with me until you get the hang of it?”

Giles: “I’ll be happy to meet with you.”

(Should I practice kissing with Giles…?)

I couldn’t give a straight answer when he looked at me with that seductive gaze of his.

Giles softened his expression.

Giles: “I’m just teasing you.” *3rd Middle Left Picture*

MC: “Ah… okay.”

(He had looked so serious that I thought he meant it. But...)

Even though he was just kidding, I was still worried if I would actually be able to perform well in the scene.

(Giles had meant it as a joke...)

MC: “Giles… It’s just a pretend kiss, but if I were to really ask you for practice, would that be a problem for you...?”

When I cautiously asked, Giles looked stunned.

Giles: “That… I wouldn’t mind if you really wanted to.”

MC: “That’s a relief...! Then, can I ask that of you?”

MC: “I'm just really worried about it as it is… and I want to be able to do it properly when we shoot it.”

When I looked up at him, a smile appeared on Giles’ lips.

Giles: “You’re really sincere about your passion for acting.”

Giles: “That’s what I like about you...” *3rd Middle Right Picture*

Giles stopped and covered his mouth with his hand…

Giles: “But do you really trust me to stop kissing you once we start…?”

*princess check*

Giles Christophe Episode 02 Part 05/05

Giles: “You’re really sincere about your passion for acting.”

Giles: “That’s what I like about you...”

Giles stopped and covered his mouth with his hand…

Giles: “But do you really trust me to stop kissing you once we start…?” *Bottom Left Picture*

The strong wind rustled the trees and drowned out Giles’ words.

MC: “Giles? Did you say something just now…?”

Giles: “No, it’s nothing.”

Giles lightly shook his head, and his frustrated expression turned into a soft smile.

Giles: “We can practice on our next day off.”

MC: “Please…! And thank you.”

Giles: “You’re welcome.”

***

That night…

When I got home, I was so exhausted that I just fell onto my bed without changing my clothes.

(What am I going to do? We will be practicing the scene soon...)

(A fake kissing scene usually has nothing to do with the feelings of the heart…)

But the person I would be kissing was Giles, who I just so happened to have a crush on.

I pressed my heated face into my pillow.

My TV suddenly turned on automatically according to the timer I had set on it.

(Ah… It’s that time already.)

When I lifted my face up from the pillow, the nightly news program I always watched had started.

Giles: “‘Good evening, everyone. Today's opening news will be given from in front of the studio.’” *Bottom Right Picture*

(It must be tiring to do this right after shooting the drama…)

(But I'm glad that I am able to see Giles on the news program I watch often.)

After Giles became a news anchor on the program, I have been looking forward to it even more than usual lately.

I had even set a timer for when the program would be on so I could always watch it in time.

(But Giles has always been mainly active in acting.)

(Why did he take on the job of a news anchor…?)

As I watched the TV, I became drowsy.

Eventually, I fell into a deep sleep.

***

A few days later, Giles and I both had a day off from filming…

We visited a building owned by the production company to practice our acting.

Giles: “It's been a while since we’ve used this place.”

[crystxlclear]

sudden desire

chapter three: so, maybe i’m not okay

part four of sudden desire

prologue / one / two / masterlist

in which two best friends won’t admit they’re in love so decide to have a baby together instead.

pairing: marcus pike x original female character

word count: 2.5k (short lil chapter today!)

warnings: mentions of illness? other than that, none that i can think of? maybe the tiniest smidge of angst if you squint

Coraline has always been close to her father. One of her very first memories involved her perched on his shoulders at a Fleetwood Mac gig. He'd managed to sneak Cora, her brother, Daniel, and her heavily pregnant mom side-stage — the perks of him managing the venue at the time, in between jobs — and he'd cried when he'd heard her singing along to his favourite band. The show was all she'd talked about for a solid two weeks. Sure, the memories were a little grainy and probably warped by a crackly VHS tape of her mother's that she used to watch almost every day, but they were memories she held onto it as tightly as she could.

It was her father who took her first (dreadful) headshots, and him who she'd turned to when her sister died, and him who'd persuaded her that leaving everything and everyone she knew and loved back in Michigan to settle down in California (and then, later, D.C.) was a good idea. She owes her dad a lot, which is why the phone call has been playing on her mind all day.

The call came at 3am. She'd only fallen asleep two hours earlier, after Loren had arrived to pick up Maisie an hour late, hair a mess and rushing to apologise. Marcus had left a little while later and she'd practically collapsed into bed a few minutes later. She'd been woken by the low humming of her phone vibrating against her bedside table as it shot light through her dimly lit bedroom. She'd groaned uncomfortably and reached for it, cheek wedged awkwardly between her pillows and the mattress and legs tangled wildly in the sheets (Scott had always said she wriggled a lot in her sleep, but she'd always assumed he was exaggerating, until she slept alone).

She'd scowled when she'd seen it was her dad; he knew her schedule, and she'd told him she was up early when they'd spoken earlier that day. He never rings her late and it takes a moment for the frustration of being woken early by her phone to bleed away into worry and concern.

"Hello?" She'd croaked our groggily. "Are you okay? Is mom okay?"

She'd been met with a chuckle. His voice was low and gruff when it came, unusually thick and strangled. "Hey, Corrie." There was shuffling on the other end, hushed voices floating in and out of focus, until the phone went silent enough to think that maybe he'd hung up and hadn't meant to disturb her at all.

She'd scowled but her phone assured her he was still on the line. "Dad?" She'd called out to him. The panic had begun to rise when it wasn't his voice that replied.

"Coraline," her mother's soft voice breathed out. It was like a sigh of relief. "Sorry to bother you." Her French accent tipped the corner of her words. It always got stronger when she was upset or worried or scared, and it was especially thick now.

"What's wrong?"

Another pause. "Your father is in the hospital."

"What?" She’s suddenly holy upright, fear turning her blood to ice.

"He's fine, don't worry." She'd assured her. "He’s had some problems with his breathing again. They're doing some tests."

She'd almost booked a flight back to Michigan, almost abandoned filming and ran back home to make sure her dad was okay. The last time he'd been in hospital, it had been touch and go, and they'd spent an entire day huddled at his bedside in fear, just in case he'd stopped breathing. It was touch and go, and she couldn't live with herself if the worst happened and she never got to say goodbye to the man she owed so much to. She'd been in the process of scanning over the next flights on her laptop when her dad had taken the phone back from her mom and practically demanded that she stay in D.C.

Eventually, she'd relented. He'd promised to update her and she'd told them she loved them both before hanging up. But the phone call had sent her entire day into a tailspin.

She’d tried to sleep the extra hour and a half before she had to haul herself to work but her mind was running too wild for that. Even despite the reassurances, worry was plaguing her thoughts and panic was forcing her eyes open. Everything was just too much.

The last time it had happened, she'd had Scott. It was back when things were good, and he'd held her as she'd finally fallen asleep, curled up against him in an uncomfortable hospital chair.

But, now, he’s gone. Now, then, she was stood on set alone, trying her best to bite back a yawn and the tears, with so much concealer hiding the dark circles under her eyes that she can feel it clinging desperately to her skin. And, of course, life had picked the day when they had the most action scenes to film to deprive her of sleep.

Her entire body ached. She isn't sure how she's still standing after the first hour of work, with her legs protesting with every movement. Two hours of sleep and the running and the jumping and the endless stunts had sapped every last scrap of energy from her bones. She'd carried on stoically for most of the morning but she's truly never been more grateful for a lunch hour before, when she finds herself curled up against the couch in her trailer, passing out even despite the panic still swelling in her chest. She'd been surprised when she hadn't cried — maybe she was just too exhausted and her body simply couldn't muster the tears — but she's grateful she manages to keep the tears in because she doesn't want to haul herself back to set with mascara tears on her cheeks.

She’s even more grateful when she makes it home after a day that feels like five rolled into one and the scattered couch cushions look far too inviting for her to ignore.

It's an uncomfortable sleep and she wakes with the beginnings of a headache thrumming through her skull and a stiffness in her spine that she can't seem to straighten out. She's not sure how long she's managed to sleep — barely half an hour, she assumes — because she's woken by a soft knock on the door instead of the alarm she'd set on her phone. It wakes her with a jolt and she can't help but groan at the aching protests her limbs give when she stands. She shuffles across the apartment to the door and Marcus is stood there, smiling, his suit jacket and tie draped across his arm.

She's half dressed too - only he looks a damn sight better than she does, because his hair isn't dishevelled and messy and his shirt isn't twisted half way around his torso. She shouldn't have slept in her clothes but at least she had the hindsight to take off the stiff jeans. Except, now, she’s startlingly aware she’s standing before Marcus in nothing but her underwear and an unforgivably tight tank top.

"Good evening, Sunshine." He grins, that smile that makes her think that maybe he should be the one she called 'Sunshine'. "I brought you coffee." An odd offering at nine on a Wednesday evening but she’d been complaining, via text, about the lack of quality caffeine all day. Marcus offers her a polystyrene takeout cup as he steps inside.

"Lifesaver," she mumbles as she grabs it by the flimsy top and shuffles towards the kitchen to pour it into her unused Death Cab for Cutie mug — the mug her brother bought her three birthdays ago — and sips on the coffee. It's far too hot but she doesn't care; she needs the caffeine just to keep her eyes open. She grabs the blanket that she’s been sleeping under and wraps it around her waist, hyper-aware that she’s still wandering around in her underwear. She’s almost too tired to care.

"Are you okay?" It’s almost like he can tell. Though, she’s sure it probably has something to do with the dark bags beneath her eyes. She’s sure it probably looks like she’s been punched square in the face.

She shrugs. "I'll be fine. 'm just tired," She hums. Coraline slumps back against the couch cushions, pulls a thick blanket back over her body and lets her eyes flutter shut again. She groans and pinches the bridge of her nose.

"Bad night sleep?" There’s bags and piles of fresh laundry piled on the chair he usually sits on, a product of Coraline’s half-hearted attempt at productivity. Instead, he resigns and sits down beside her at the opposite end of the couch, lifting her legs absentmindedly to rest in his lap, sipping on his own drink, and smiling at her sympathetically as she stifles a yawn against the back of her hand.

Her eyes drag towards him when she opens them again. They rest on his face, studying everything from the softness of his brow and the curve of his prominent nose, to the scattering of facial hair that dances across his jaw, small patches of grey poking through at the edges. She’s glad he kept it after whatever undercover work he’d been assigned to before they’d even met. "If I tell you it was the worst night sleep I'd ever had, in my entire life, would that make me sound dramatic?"

"You? Dramatic?" Marcus scoffs and a smirk tugs at the corner of his lips. His free hand rests on her leg; he draws patterns against her skin but she’s not even sure he realises he’s doing it. "Never."

“Shut up.” Coraline glares at him but smiles, regardless. "Well, I think I'm allowed a pass today."

His face falls at her words. "What happened?"

She sighs and takes a hand through her hair. "My dad-" She eyes him as he watches her intently, brown eyes soft and comforting. "-he's ill again."

Cora had told him about her dad's illness, about how she worried he'd wind up back there again, in the hospital, that things would be worse this time. He'd listened to her like what he was saying was the most important thing in the world and she'd almost cried when he'd held her in a hug a little longer than usual. It was that night that she’d tried to ask him about his past; she wasn’t sure if he was trying to avoid telling her because he didn’t trust her or because it held things he didn’t want to relive. She half-hoped it was the latter, but she hated to think that he might be bottling things up, things he didn’t want her to know or didn’t feel comfortable sharing.

She wishes he’d tell her things. She’ll understand, no matter what it was. She’ll listen, like he does to her, for as long as he needs, as long as he wants.

It’s almost comical how different they are in that sense. Marcus is reserved, closed off, but in way that doesn’t suit him. It’s like whatever exists there, whatever memories lingered, had been withered by sadness, by something or someone, until there’s a barrier guarding his secrets and story that he hasn’t meant to build. She sees the softness in his eyes when she tells him her stories or shares her fears, like his heart is aching to spill the details of his past. Like he can’t let it out. It works for his job — undercover work, secrets, classified information — but somehow it doesn’t suit the smile and the softness of his words as he illuminates Coraline’s darkness.

Coraline, on the other hand, finds her words spilling from her chest before she can even hold them back. She’s not sure if it’s just him — the reassuring smiles, the soft brush of a hand, the gentle voice — but they pour from her at an almost embarrassing speed, like a waterfall of words cascading at regrettable speed. She’s not even entirely sure that she won’t spill her secrets to the next stranger in the street who offers her a smile. But that works for her job; people prying, picking her apart like vultures, scavengers of information found tucked away out of reach. It’s the worst part of the job description, to expect someone to know every detail of your private life, but she often thinks she’s open enough to sate them, until they leave her alone at last.

On paper, they make no sense. Jobs, the polar opposite, necessary privacy mixed with relentless publicity. Open and closed doors. But Coraline thinks, perhaps, that’s why they work. It balances them both out.

Marcus reaches over and catches her hand in his. There's barely any space between them because of the way they’re sat, with her feet prodding at his knees. "I'm sorry, Cora," he whispers, his thumb running over her knuckles softly.

After a shaky smile, gazes locked for maybe a little too long, Coraline stands up and smooths out her shirt. As much as she appreciates it, and appreciates him, she doesn't want to cry. Not today. "It'll be okay." She scrapes her thumb under her eyes, brushing away the black smudges that she's sure have formed underneath her eyes, and finishes the last of her coffee. "Everything will be okay."

Cora isn't entirely sure she believes that.

[techni-kolor]

Strep, Surprise, and Spiced Tea

AO3 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27771862 !!!

"Oh, and I brought your tea for you, it's the same blend you liked last week. The one with the cinnamon, and the orange peel, and the little bits of cardamom."

Martin smiled awkwardly, placing the cup down on the desk with a soft click.

"I know you enjoyed this one so I, well, I made sure to get another box of it, just so that we'd have it."

Jon stared up at him, and then at the faintly steaming cup of tea

The cup of tea that was his absolute favorite blend, one that was hot and spicy and amazing, and that at any other time would have been delicious, had his throat not been absolutely burning. The ache that had been lingering there for days solidifying overnight from a bit of a cold that he could easily hide behind a few half stifled coughs and the dryness of the stale air in the archives, to a near firey pain that raced down from his jaw to his chest with each swallow.

"Yes, erm, thank you, Martin." He said as clearly as he possibly could, despite the way that the words seared up his throat. "I'll– I'll definitely try it– try it later."

Martin's face shifted to an anxious expression.

"Is it still a bit too hot right now? I tried seeping it in just a bit of a higher temperature than usual, but I wasn't sure if it would be too warm or not."

Jon froze, as much as the feverish tremors would allow.

"No, no. It looks, er, okay."

Martin's face creased further in a way that looked nervous, and just on the wrong side of apprehensive.

"Is there something– something else wrong with it then?" He asked, sounding almost jittery with anxiety.

Jon mentally cursed himself, and his own lack of foresight. Had he simply said that it was too hot for immediate drinking, he could have left it to cool on the desk under the guise of the heat, and then discreetly disposed of it later when he felt less as if he were swallowing glass shards. Now, Martin was staring nervously at him, wringing his hands, and fidgeting in front of the desk in clear apprehension.

"No, no. It's–" He broke off, not just due to the sharp ache at speaking, but also that he didn't have an excuse that didn't involve the phrase 'I've caught a cold'.

Martin's pale blue gaze almost bored into him with the anxious question reflected in his eyes.

"It looks– good." Jon said awkwardly, and in a movement he knew he was about to regret, raised the steaming cup to his lips and drew in a sip of the tea.

It absolutely burned, the heat of it searing a path down his inflamed throat, and stinging immensely as the flavors of the herbs touched the swelling and the red, raw patches that he knew were lining the inside of his mouth.

Involuntarily, he let out a pained cry, muffling it behind tightly shut lips as soon as he could, but still obviously just a beat too late, as Martin's face went from nervous to absolutely panicked.

"Jon! Are you– are you okay?"

Jon swallowed again, the sting of it near bringing tears to his eyes, and an absolutely vicious shiver racing through his body.

"I'm– I'm fine." He choked out, the raspy, scraping tone to his voice that he had gone to great pains to hide slipping through to hang awkwardly in the air.

"Was it– was it the tea?" Martin asked, looking still almost ready to bolt with his blue eyes near comically wide, and his lips parted in a stuttery gap.

"No– no." Jon managed to say, still blinking back the absolutely horrid combination of feverish shivering, and the pain in his infected throat. "Wasn't– it's not that."

Martin looked only faintly less panicked but a curious, and almost probing look, formed across his face.

"What was that then, Jon? Because it looked– well, it looked pretty painful."

For the second time, Jon froze.

"It– er, was just– just."

Martin's brows creased at the stammering.

"Did you hurt yourself somehow?" He asked, adding in a softer, more perplexed tone. "Not sure how you'd injure your mouth though."

Jon flashed through a multitude of lies, each one less credible than the next. That he'd recorded too many statements that morning and it had wrecked his throat, that he had cut his tongue on a crunchy biscuit, that he'd been hungover and that the acid from the vomiting had given him a sore throat.

"I– I have a cold." He finally muttered.

"You have a cold?" Martin repeated, his voice sounding both still slightly confused, as well as edging into the territory of concern.

"Yes, I've– I've been a bit under the weather."

"And your throat– it hurts bad enough that you can't even drink anything?"

"Well I can still drink some things." Jon corrected. "Just not anything too hot– or spicy, or well, too much at once, or really anything that has too much sugar."

The last traces of confusion flickered away from Martin's face, but was instead replaced by an abundance of concern.

"How long has it been that bad, Jon?" He asked, the edges of his lips down turning into a frown.

"Not since today, it– it's felt sore for a while. But it wasn't this bad until this morning."

The words didn't cause the concern to fade from Martin's expression as Jon had hoped, instead it ratched up to a level that had Jon squirming faintly in his desk chair. Feeling, for once, almost pinned under Martin's gaze and the surprisingly intense sheen of worry emanating from his blue eyes.

"How long have you been sick?"

"It's only been– well, erm, it's been a few days."

Martin's frown deepened.

"And how bad is the pain– in your throat I mean?"

"It– hurts." Jon muttered, aware that the answer was in no way informative.

"Jon, this is important, how bad is it?"

"Excruciating. It's– it burns."

"Do you know if you have a fever at all? Or have you felt sick in any other ways?"

"I've felt–" Jon mumbled. "I definitely am– well, I do have a fever. I believe it was near 38.5 degrees last night, and I've been a bit sick to my stomach."

"Jon," Martin's voice was far more intense than Jon typically heard it, not wavering in his usual anxious way or trembling. "Can I look into your mouth? It sounds like– well like you might be a bit more ill than just a cold."

Jon fidgeted awkwardly at the prospect of Martin of all people staring into his mouth, the idea feeling uncomfortable and far too invasive. But the sharp, stinging ache all down his throat was rapidly reaching a point that was near intolerable.

"Alright." He mumbled.

"Alright to check your throat?" Martin asked, still frowning.

"Yes, it's– yes."

Martin nodded, and took a careful step forward, sliding the cup, that damn cup of tea that had started all of this mess, over to the side.

Gently, he placed his hands on either side of Jon's jaw, the touch feeling uncomfortably freezing against his burning skin.

Martin frowned deeper as well as his fingertips touched the heat, but said nothing, instead gently probing at the sides of Jon's throat before lightly tapping on his jaw in a signal to open his mouth.

Jon squirmed a bit, but still pried open his jaw in a stiff, painful motion.

Martin instantly made a soft, almost hissing sound, carefully tilting his head up further towards the office's lights.

"Jon," He said softly. "That– that's pretty bad. It looks like it could be strep, especially with how sick you've been."

"What?" Jon said stupidly as soon as Martin's hands left his face. "It can't be, I'm an adult, and– and it's seemed like just a cold, just with a, well a horrible sore throat."

Martin's frown turned almost sad.

"Jon, adults still get strep, especially if their immune system isn't fully working."

"But– I never, I hadn't had it in grade school. How do you even know?"

Martin winced a bit. "Well, you've got– it's– it's pretty swollen. And those whitish patches don't really tend to happen unless you've got an infection, and it looks just like strep."

Jon sat back in the chair, slumping a bit from the absolute shock of not only getting into far too close quarters with one of his assistants, but also the idea that he could have a nasty, childhood illness.

Added to the already feverish exhaustion, and the absolutely vicious chills, he was almost tempted to simply remain rooted in the chair until he felt better, or until the archives closed for the night, which was only in about seven hours since he'd already been there far earlier than the opening.

"Jon?" Martin asked softly.

"Yeah, er– yes." Jon mumbled, glancing back up to Martin's still concerned face.

"Are you okay? Well, beyond the– well, strep."

"I'm fine, Martin."

The mixture of illness and exhaustion, and truthfully everything was just a lot.

Far too much really, and he was seriously considering the plan of remaining rooted in the desk chair for the rest of eternity, not just the rest of the work day.

"You–" Martin said haltingly. "You're going to need antibiotics. If it really is strep, it's only going to get worse and there could be complications."

Jon let out a breath, hissing at the searing pain of his throat as the air crossed the swelling. And the pus, if Martin's assessment had been accurate, however disgusting the thought might be.

"Yes, well, I'll go to a clinic this weekend."

Martin looked apprehensive again. "It's– it's not exactly good to wait that long, Jon. You really should go today, before it gets worse."

Jon felt the tug of resistance rise up at the idea of being instructed by Martin of all people, and the very idea of leaving work far before business hours were finished, but again, for what felt as if it were the hundredth time that day, the searing ache in his throat and the weight of his own exhaustion laid heavier than his pride.

"Alright, I'll go to the clinic."

"Now?" Martin asked, looking almost relieved in a way that was annoyingly sincere.

"After lunch. I need to be at least a bit productive today."

A look of disapproval crossed Martin's features, but he nodded softly.

"Alright." He said, fidgeting slightly in the odd space behind the desk. "I'll just take this, then?"

He gestured to the still faintly steaming cup of tea, "It's– well it's not exactly going to be useful now."

Jon huffed out something that would have been a chuckle if not for his swollen throat. "Yes, well, likely not."

Martin smiled awkwardly.

"I'll just take it back to the break room then, and check back– well I mean, I can come back later, before you go to the clinic?"

Jon frowned at the reminder of his plan of exiting the workday early. "Yes that's– it would be fine."

Martin nodded. "Alright then."

He turned towards the door, the mug held cradled in his hands still steaming with just the tiniest wisps of fogginess.

"Oh, and Jon?" He asked.

Jon glanced up from where he had been staring back at the statement, trying to make sense of it through the haze of discomfort still surrounding him. "Yes?"

"What are you going to tell Tim and Sasha?"

Jon groaned.

[hunnyuwu]

Connected // Pt.1 || NCT 127

Summary: Humanity has reduced down to a dystopian wasteland. Women disappear daily, civilians now rely on physical modifications and nodes to feel alive, and the concept of civilization is a far cry from their current state. While the one who reigns supreme is the puppeteer of societal affairs, will a small group of men be able to regain the humanity they once held so dearly when they were young? Or were the doomed for an eternal state of dreary, impoverished slums?

Genre: dystopian, cyberpunk, futuristic, angst, romance

WC: 2k

~ ~ ~

Part I : 008

"How are you feeling, 008?"

A small woman regained her consciousness as she was shaken from her delusional state. She always hated these examinations.

"I'm fine." She stated, wanting to do nothing more than pull the dumb wires and circuits out of her sore limbs. She waited patiently as the examiner in all white, wrote down a few bullet points on a small clipboard.

"You are done for the day, 008. Except, for visiting the girls and the head master, of course. Who will you visit first?"

The examiner assisted the girl with long, wavy black locks out of the machine's system, pulling out about a hundred thick and thin wires that were attached to separate areas of her small frame. The girl became impatient as the process was taking too long.

"I'll visit the girls first, then visit the head master. Thank you for your assistance, 375." 008 started ripping cords out, even if they did sting like no tomorrow, but she was finally free of her mechanical restraints, so that was a win in her book.

"Before you go, 008. I have a question for you."

008 started walking out of the room, but halted when 375 piqued her attention.

"What is it?"

"How have you lasted... here so long? When the others haven't?"

008 thought for a second before a simple little smirk grazed her lips, an odd sight to say the least.

"I think that is a question I will have to answer another day. See you tomorrow, 375." 008 gave a little bow to her companion, leaving the examination facility hastily. She always hated that place. Her 'skin' crawled every time she heard the place even mentioned, never forgetting her first experience in that wretched room.

"How are you, trainees?"

008 entered a large room within a smaller, pristine white building a little further away from the main compound. Why did everything have to be so white? It almost made her sick at the bleakness of it all.

"Good!" The girls all replied, turning their attention to the respected woman on the grounds. They all looked up to her, not only was she a top tier, but she has also maintained her position for years, a feat that only belonged to her. It's not like they wanted to be there, but if they wanted to hang onto a sliver of their lives, they might as well do what they do with dignity.

"What has been the progress for today? Any new recruits among you?" 008 stated sharply, picking up a pile of clean cut white papers, quickly grazing through reports of treatments, part changes, the usual business.

"Today, we have started weapons training, starting with the pulverizers."

008 quickly cut off the lead trainer of the recruits, her eyebrow quirking into a confused frown, "You started with the pulverizers? And how is that working out?" She stated lowly, a threatening growl laced through her simple question.

The trainer visibly gulped, nervous by 008's unrelenting strictness, "It's been..." She trailed off, her body freezing under 008's glare. There was no point in even continuing her report as 008 already knew the answer.

"We start with every day objects, 489. If these ladies can't defend or attack with the bare minimum, then there is no chance of survival for them outside of the barriers. In our world, high tech gadgets are nice, but sometimes there's no time for that. Now, get back to work. I know I've taught you better than this, 489."

489 nervously bowed to 008. Her cold, militarism attitude left her shuddering every time they interacted. She nonetheless had nothing but respect for 008, if you didn't respect her, she would make you do so.

"Good, I'll be leaving. I would like to hear better news tomorrow. Have a productive training, Ladies." 008 ducked, a ton of 'thank you's' and 'yes ma'am's' rung from around the room. 008 went to her next destination within the heart of the main complex. She knocked on a large golden door, a soft 'come in' allowed her to enter the large, gadget laced office.

008 came face to face with the back of a sleek, high-tech office chair, only allowing her to see the top of the head master’s balding scalp.

"Hello, Head Master. I have gone through my examinations and the check in with the girls. Was there something else you would like me to complete today?" She stated softly, her hands instinctively tucked in front of her torso as a courteous way of addressing him. His chair slowly spun around so that she could see the man that she has known for far too long now. The man she wanted to bury into the soil of the earth herself. That day would have to wait.

"Hello to you too, Dear. Please have a seat. You have had a long day." He purred, gesturing to the mini couch in front of his extravagant desk. 008 tucked her bottom lip under her teeth, complying to his wishes. She gently and gracefully took a seat in front of him, sitting exactly like she was taught so long ago.

He simply examined her physique as she stared at the ground. One of the most basic rules of interacting with the Head Master was to never look at him unless asked to do so.

"So, tell me. How have I been dealing with the resistance?"

"Is that something you would like my opinion on, Sir?" 008 stated gently as her back stiffened. He always asked her questions like these that she was afraid he was going to kill her for one of these days. It was only a matter of time she stepped out of line.

"I have always trusted your opinion, Dasom. That is why you have served me for so many years now."

008 gulped, hearing her name being spoken by the Head Master. A name he only allowed himself to call her. Was it endearment? Did he want to feel special to her? Was she particularly special to him? Yes, yes, and yes. She didn't know what his obsession was with her, but whenever he reminded her of her sheer withstanding permanence within the force, it made her heart drop to the floor. When would he finally pull the plug out of her?

She hummed, pondering his serious question, carefully plucking and choosing the precise words she would present to him, "Well, as you have heard, the resistance becomes larger and stronger, slowly but surely. I believe that you have deployed more units recently, Sir?"

He nodded, concentrating on every word she said, "Well, I believe that the increased influx of violence and push back is causing the resistance to attract more attention and following. I think it would benefit with you if you would not deploy more units, but instead, spy on their movements, waiting for the perfect moment to exterminate those who are discovered. They all have one another's backs, Sir, so spying on them would be beneficial to you." She sighed silently after spewing her thoughts. She always regretted giving him her strategic thoughts, she was simply too intelligent. While it helped her live this long, it also came with a great price.

He gave her an endearing smile, folding his aged hands down onto the table.

"Why won't you let me designate you as the tactician, Dasom?"

Dasom forced a smile, gritting her perfectly shaped teeth. She received this offer so long ago, but politely declined ever time, even though he continued to persist with the offer thereafter. She was lucky enough that he gave her a choice to begin with; others never, ever get choices around here.

"That position is above me, Sir. I am very grateful to continue assisting the new recruits through their training."

"Do you intend on betraying me, Dasom?" He said wistfully, walking over to the fully-glass wall that gave a perfect view of the whole city. The neon lights permanently illuminating his enormous accommodation on the highest floor of his personal skyscraper.

Dasom sucked air through her nose, eyes shooting wide. She didn't dare look over at him, not even with his back facing her.

"Never, Sir. I intend on staying loyal to you until the end of time."

"I've never trusted anyone as long as I have with you, and here you are, still beside me. You will continue to follow me until my empire crashes and burns, won't you Dasom?" He cooed, every word dripping with honey, but in actuality, was a constant threat that he inflicted on everyone who worked beneath him.

Dasom felt fear course her body for once, a feeling that she rarely felt. The Head Master simply trusted her too much in such an untrusting, back-stabbing world.

Dasom must survive at any cost.

"Yes, Sir. I will follow you until the very end of time itself."

~~~

"The streets are too quiet today."

"You didn't have to state something so obvious. Stop wasting your breath, Mark."

"Damn, okay then."

The shorter of the two mimicked the older by scrunching up her face and quietly restating what the other said. The two bickered for a little while, scoping their district from the top of a skyscraper with cameras and binoculars.

"Why do you think Taeyong has been so uptight lately?" The younger, Mark, lazily asked while bringing his binoculars up to his eyes, scanning the other side of the block.

"I'm not sure, but I sure as hell wouldn't ask him whatever you do. You know how he is whenever he is upset about something."

"Which is always."

The older gave a strict glare at Mark, but he payed no mind to it. The two were like brothers, but they could barely acted like it anymore; everything was becoming so tense so fast nowadays.

"Ah, he texted us to come back. Ready to go, Johnny?"

"Yep, lemme quickly pack up my shit real fast."

The two headed back to their underground compound, disguised as a zap shop above them. (will be explained later)

"S'up boys."

Mark said while throwing up an awkward peace sign, gaining the attention of a few who were doing various tasks within their underground mole hole. None of them gave a response.

"Oooookay then." Mark puckered his lips into a pout, going to the kitchen to look through their little to nonexistent food supply. They were become flesh and bone fast, so they were going to have to make a supply run soon.

"The streets are clear tonight." Johnny reported to Taeyong, who was going through some documents on his small table in the corner. He didn't believe in private offices, so they had one large common area where most of them did their work.

"Intriguing..." Taeyong muttered to himself, setting down a file that he had been going over and over. He ran a hand through his silver hair, biting his lip as he ushered Johnny to leave him alone.

"Taeyong, I have a letter for you."

Jungwoo happily walked over to the tired male, making said man always wonder how the younger could be so happy during such miserable circumstances they lived in.

"Thank you, Jungwoo." He sent him off before opening the small envelope.

“Who sends physical mail in this day and age?” Tarting whispered as he smoothed out the creases of the paper.

I miss you. I miss you to the point that I wish I could simply forget what you did to me. The hell that you couldn't even bother to save me from. But it's fine; it is easy to live and forget, right?

Love you to the end of time,

BD

No, no it couldn’t be.

Taeyong threw the letter, hands quivering as he rolled his chair as far away from his desk as possible. The members in the common area were startled by Taeyong’s harsh reaction, jumping up in their spots respectively.

Taeyong shot up from his chair, body pin straight as he sneered down at the clean piece of paper limply sitting over his laptop keyboard. Emotions that he hadn’t felt in awhile flooded his system like a tidal wave and he didn’t know how to digest it at all.

He took one look at his members before bolting out of their grounds.

Doyoung was the first to react, cautiously walking over to the slip of paper that had their leader shaken up to the point that he literally left their site.

“What did Taeyong do?” Doyoung whispered to himself, feeling strangely upset by the letter of someone who he didn’t even know.

“And more importantly, who’s BD?”

~ ~ ~

Prologue || Part I || Part II

[lovemecharlie]

Five Months In.

Charlie's Gender Reveal x Kristina the FreakyThief finds a new love 💕

Charlie felt like she was on her period almost, but without the blood and once her belly had grown to a noticeable size, suddenly everyone in her life was an expert on pregnancy and babies, feeling the need to tell her everything they'd ever half-read or heard. Her parents had stories about her childhood for days, odd stories that only Erik wanted to hear so that he could look at her and laugh. He wanted to get slapped, Charlie had the suspicion that he got off on it especially since she'd been a bit more temperamental than usual. Her moods changed quicker than Bastion's outfits. Her clients had helpful tidbits at times, but mostly empty aww's, nosey digging questions, and general knowledge. Nothing for the swelling, constipation, or bloating. She was grateful for the consideration and well wishes, but she wished people would mind their own business in the most polite way possible while keeping their hands to themselves. They weren't at the Apollo and her stomach was not a block of wood people could rub for good luck. Anyway, that was neither here nor there, the day of her gender reveal had arrived and she was determined to have a great day. She felt energized and there was a party to prep for.

"Need help," Erik asked waltzing into the room. He never knocked, he'd always just barge in.. often not even saying anything, just staring out of the window. Sometimes she'd stand next to him and he'd hug her. Those were the times she wondered if he was really okay, though she never asked, she just stood with him. "Nope, I'm feeling pretty decent so I've got this," Charlie smiled casually lifting from the bed to take her shower. Erik walked to her west facing floor to ceiling window. Nearly all of her walls were replaced with windows tinted from the outside. Thick glass stretched horizontally across the room, giving a magnificent sky view, property view, and beyond. He could see everything from her windows, the perfect high perch.

"You know this used to be my office before we met? I used to come in here to think when life, Wakanda, the center, Hennessy, Angéle, Kimora, and that damn Davita," he smirked, "..would get to be too much." He paused looking out and Charlie made her way to his side to stare out as well. "Sometimes they would really raise a nigga blood pressure to the point where I could either snap and do something terrible that I'd regret or I could walk away. It's like the same decision has been presented to me over and over again my whole life and because of the love implanted in me by my father, I've been forced to face these situations head on. Because I loved my wives, I couldn't hurt them like I'd hurt someone else. I'd lock myself in this room and look out these windows reminding myself of why I chose this road. Why I ain't give up in Wakanda? Why do I still push for these folk who act like they don't give a damn when I do it for them? Why I let myself fall in love?"

Charlie simply listened as Erik was transported back in time through his thoughts.

"I want you to know that no matter what happens in this house, you're special to me like this room is special to me. I'm safe with you. Don't think I don't appreciate it and all the times you spent right here with me while I was going through it."

Wordless, Charlie wrapped her arms around his waist, her head against his bare chest. He smelled good.. clean and fresh like rain. His fingers absentmindedly played in her curls as they stood there in silence.

"Can I be your safe place," he asked suddenly, catching Charlie off guard and causing her to realize that other than prayer.. she didn't really have one. She didn't trust anyone enough to be that vulnerable. Did she even trust Erik? She had to think about it. No, she didn't, but if she was going to stay with him, she needed to start. There was a long silence, since she refused to give him a yes that she did not mean and he was patient as he said he'd be.

"..Yes," she finally whispered into his raised skin answering the spoken and unspoken questions between the two of them. On her return to the household, she'd promised she'd try to make the marriage work and this was taking a giant step in the right direction. She hoped she wouldn't regret it.

The shower was exactly what her body needed and when she emerged towel-wrapped and hair wet, Erik was still there at her window. She approached and he did a double take, taking in the wet curls draping over her shoulders and her glistening skin. As if forgetting the thoughts he'd been tangled in, he tilted her head back kissing her on the forehead and lips before halting her with his hands in the air. "Wait here, I'll be right back," he stressed before jogging off. When he returned a minute or so later, she was sitting on the bed, waiting. He held out a garment bag and what he unveiled was a jumpsuit. An iridescent champagne colored jumpsuit with a long bejeweled train glowing from the waist. It was beautiful.

"This is for me?" Charlie leaped inspecting the garment. It was precisely her style.

"Try it on," Erik grinned full of pride, helping her into it. It was a perfect tapered and comfortable fit with space for her growing belly. She looked in the mirror, her smile wide as he stood behind her adding a chunky diamond choker set in more diamonds in rose gold. "Don't worry," he rushed watching her expression, "I'll return it if you don't wanna keep it, but for today let me ice you out. Then you can trade it for a mountain of haircare products or whatever it is you splurge on."

She laughed. She splurged on gifts. The Kompound was bougie and fancy as hell. Diamond this and that, cars on cars.. She couldn't buy them Calvin Klein. Calvin Klein??? She'd be shot! No, she saved her coins and splurged on holidays so that she could afford the big brands.

"I'm a spoil my lil monster when she comes. She finna be the iciest baby all because her mama wanna be plain."

"You can spoil our SON however you wanna spoil our SON, HE's our SON," Charlie grinned.

"Like I said, my PRINCESS will get the south pole around her neck."

"Poor polar bears," Charlie chuckled admiring her sparkling reflection. She needed to beat her face and throw on some heels, although her feet were swollen. She wondered if she could jam them into some heels.

"Just wear flats," he chuckled dropping some sparkly flat shoes near her feet.

"I want heels. This look needs heels!" Her hands posed on her hips, she was feeling herself, standing on her toes.

"As clumsy as you are without them? I don't need a reason to worry. Angel's pregnancy stressing me enough."

"How are you holding up?"

He looked at her like he had just run a marathon and was out of breath, shaking his head.

"Damn," she grimaced. "It'll be worth it. Once the twins get here and she's given birth, she will heal and you will too. You'll be able to show her all the love you've been afraid to and the twins will help you."

"I'm scared, Charlie. I need her around. I don't know what I'll do if... I can't.. I can't do this shit without her-"

"I know. She'll be okay," Charlie smiled holding his chin in her hand, "She will!!! You'll be okay. You'll look back on all of this and it'll be another segment of your crazy life that you've fought through. You're Killmonger! If anyone can make it through this rough stage, it's you. Positive thoughts. In fact, let's go see Angel right now."

---

The time had come and Charlie's face was finally beat, her hair twisted with added hair in a long ponytail. She felt like a badass intergalactic fairy. Erik wore white, his vest accented with the same champagne iridescent material. The wives, Kristina, and Davita wore variations from the same color family from champagne to white to silver to lavender.. as did the extended family for the most part. Diamonds dangled all over and everyone was beautiful. The event was in the massive backyard near the lush garden where the large gazebo stood overgrown and taken over by flowers. The DJ mixed oldies like Frankie Beverly and Earth Wind & Fire with new music from the likes of Sango, H.E.R, Khalid, MNEK, etc. There was even a sprinkling of some lit gospel, something for everybody. People drank, laughed, danced, and feasted on a spread produced by the mansion's kitchen staff. Of course, Josphine and Kristina had to contribute a few gems like cobblers and pies because they had a specific way of making them that couldn't be duplicated.

When the games came, the guests got even louder and Charlie was grateful that Erik owned so much land, the neighbors were far away. "It's a boy, her stomach is low!" "She a little fatter in the middle, it's a girl." "It's gotta be a boy!" "No, the baby's too high, she's a girl!" Charlie earhustled as the loud debates went on and Erik being the hustler that he was took bets causing Charlie to roll her eyes. Nakia insisted that the baby was a girl siding with Erik while T'Challa refused to comment. Nakia's sideeye kept him from disagreeing. The wives refrained from comment too, already aware of the baby's gender since they'd set up the reveal.

"Travante!" Charlie yelled, waving excitedly when she noticed the chocolate man appear in white and silver, his smile the whitest of all.

Erik's brow raised as he watched the exchange from a short distance away, his ears listening hard as he watched her lips trying to read them. He decided to trust that Charlie knew what she was doing while he socialized, but he still stayed close.

"I'm glad you could make it," Charlie grinned giving Tre a loving side hug and dragging him to meet the other wives. "Y'all this is THE Trevante. Trevante, this is Hennessy, Kimora, her sister Davita, Bastion.."

"I've seen you before," he pointed to her and she grinned, swishing her dress, flattered.

"This is Aly'Sha, Ryley, Angel.."

"Wow! I've heard about you. I'm glad you're doing better.. and you look stunning. You strong as hell," he gaped and Angel's warm smile made him smile.

"Aight nigga," Erik spoke in warning stepping back to Angel's side in her tricked out Chanel inspired black and gold wheelchair. He was being extremely patient and Charlie was proud, giving his hand a squeeze as she smiled at Tre. Tre nodded, calm and understanding.

"And this is Josephine, Homie, and where is... oh there she is!" Charlie grinned. Over by the dessert table was Kristina making sure everything remained presentable and attractive. She wore a champagne sequined one- shoulder dress that fit her like a second skin, her cleavage sparkling and her full and flowing. "Kristina," Charlie yelled waving her over. The second she spotted Trevante, her eyes focused in on his face and she swallowed.

"This is our little bee, Kristina. Little bee, meet Trevante," Charlie gestured. Kristina's face flushed and Trevante grinned. It was an instant connection that Charlie felt. She could see the chemistry creating bonds on their eyes. It made her feel like playing Cupid.

"Aow SHIT," Charlie yelled dropping her glass of sparkling cider. It shattered and Erik pulled her away quickly from the glass. As he was about to bend to pick it up, she gripped him hard pausing him. "Tre, would you mind going to find a staff member to clean this up? Check in the house. Kristina, could you escort him so that he knows where to go? I'm so clumsy, wow. I can't believe I did that.. Sheesh!"

Watching the two walk away toward the house, Charlie saw the visual herself and Erik in the early stages and it made her smile.

"Okay, Cupid," Erik grinned, "I see you."

"See what happens when you trust me," she mused.

As the festivities continued, the moment everyone had been waiting for finally came. Charlie was so anxious with excited energy that Erik had to rub her arms and he was just as antsy. "Are you excited, are you excited, are you excited?" Charlie bounced.

"AHH," good his eyes widened before he shook his head laughing out the excess energy.

"Look at you, you shook boy," Hennessy teased. "We already know the gender, it's fun watching you sweat," Ryley laughed enjoying the flustered Erik. He put up a playful middle finger, pacing and Charlie could see him taking deep breaths. "As long as it's healthy," she mouthed and he nodded picking up the bedazzled handgun and aiming it at the target set up free and clear in the distance, a large white balloon with 'Charlie & Erik' written on it in black script. She picked up the identical gun laid out for her and aimed it at the large black balloon with the same writing in white.

"You ready, C?"

Charlie made sure her aim was on point. "Let's go get'em!"

The guns fired simultaneously and both balloons popped flaring into two pink explosions. Erik dropped the gun, not knowing what to do with himself as his arms swung across his body.

"TOLD YO ASS," he grinned with an aggressive index pointing, eyes wet. Charlie wiped his eyes nodding. She was speechless, her own eyes wide in shock. She really thought it was a boy, but she was happy regardless. Nakia could be heard in the crowd telling M'Baku to pay up and all of the wives congratulated the happy couple one at a time followed by the party-goers, some of them very drunk. It was a perfect moment.

"Daka," Charlie whispered in Erik's ear with a humored expression once they caught a break, "Where did the little bee and Trevante go? Did they ever come back?" Erik grinned rubbing his beard and shaking his head before looking to the house. They'd been MIA for a while.

@poosypoosy @bastioncarterstevens-udaku @hennessystevens-udaku @itsangeludaku @alyshastevens-udaku @itskimorafireudaku @allhailnjadaka @bidibidibombaclaat @blackpinup22 @destinio1 @hold-me-like-a-heart-beat @leahnicole1219 @vikkidc @thehomierobbstark @trevantesbrat

[rainyrowan]

Sunkissed - Chapter 1

description: Wedding of the century rolls around as the previous college clique, along with the rest of their family members, stay in preparation for it. During this time, Riley meets Lucas, a gorgeous, green-eyed wallflower who happens to be immediately taken by her. Little did she know, he has a deep secret. One that will either change her views on him forever or make her feel closer to his world.

word count: 2,626

pairings: riley x lucas

Song: Annabelle’s Homework by Alec Benjamin

chapter one; riley

Sparkley Farkley: Did you know that the slowest marathon time ever is 54 years, eight months, six days, eight hours, 32 minutes, and 20.3 seconds? Yeah, in 1912, an Olympic marathoner from Japan supposedly disappeared during the middle of a race. Some say that he stopped to get a drink from an outdoor party, but ended up staying longer than he should have. Risque, if you ask me. Anyways, he was too embarrassed to finish the race, so he flew back to Japan instead. Years later, he decided to finish what he started by running the whole marathon himself. What I'm trying to say is WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU? Riley, you're seriously taking much longer to get to the boardwalk than this Japanese marathon guy. Hurry!!

I looked at the horrifically long paragraph Farkle had sent me and sighed. Being best friends with him also meant being best friends with your very own encyclopedia, which can be extremely useful at times. Although, it really isn't when your phone is constantly being bombarded with numerous texts about everything and nothing.

Gentle reminder that I live farther from the beach than you do. I'll be there soon! Don't miss me too much :)

I quickly text back. I gripped onto my camera strap, which is draped over my shoulder, as I start quickening my pace.

When we became closer over the years, Farkle and I both created a tradition of spending almost every Saturday down at the boardwalk. In regards to this, the main rule that we've agreed upon would be that if one of us couldn't make it, we would have to have an extremely valid excuse. Me being the more "laid back" friend, I've been pretty lenient on Farkle if he couldn't make it. Wish I could say the same about him, though.

Last night, I had to stay up till two in the morning helping my mother out at the flower shop. Arranging flowers isn't as easy as one may think. In result, I woke up later than usual, causing me to be about 30 minutes late. So far, I've received a fact text from him for every minute I ran late. It truly amazes me how he could just drop these facts off the top of his head.

I'm practically already running when I see Farkle by the entrance, arms crossed.

"I'm sorry!" I pant. I take a second to breathe before I continue speaking. "I.. I woke.. Wow, I'm not cut out to be.. an athlete, huh?" I joke.

He rolls his eyes as a grin forms on his face. "Where were you?"

"I was up all night helping my mom with the flowers. I woke up super late. I'm so sorry."

He nods in approval of my excuse. "That's okay. However, I don't think we could go to the diner now. Brooklyn and her minions are there. Seated in our spots too!"

The thought of Brooklyn made me sick to my stomach. Brooklyn was the Regina George of Harbor High School, and basically all of Santa Cruz. Like your typical teen cliche, she was the popular girl who also the prettiest. Brooklyn also had her own entourage, as she always had two minions following her. With her bitchy personality, you may say that it's surprising that she gets all the guys. With her body, though, it really isn't. It's probably how she had my crush of four years and counting, Charlie Gardner, falling for her.

"Well, I guess we would have to postpone our meal then," I say, linking my arms with his. We enter the boardwalk and head straight for the arcade. We're surrounded by all the games you could never ever get tired of. From Dance Dance Revolution to laser tag to racing games, the Santa Cruz Boardwalk Casino Arcade has you covered. Farkle and I have our common favorite, air hockey.

He let go of my arm, dashing straight to the air hockey table. "You ready to get your ass beat?"

He asks, slipping in a token. We love each other very much, but when it comes to air hockey, it's like we're two different people.

"You should be asking yourself that, Minkus." As air starts to shoot through the tiny holes from the table, we both grabbed our paddles. Suddenly, the puck falls through my pocket instead of Farkle's. "Well, that's a first! I guess I'm starting."

I hit the puck as hard as I can towards his goal. Hoping that this time my first hit would make it, he blocks the puck in a swift move and smiles. "Not today." This goes on for quite a bit. I concentrate on the puck as it glides across the table back and forth. That is, until a distraction came my way. Charlie.

I offer him a double take before actually realizing that it was him. He probably didn't even notice me, which was a good thing on my part. I didn't want him to know that I was here. Out of impulsive thinking, I ducked down to hide behind my side of the table. This wasn't really the best decision, though. Farkle managed to make a goal and yell on behalf of his victory. I don't even have to see what's happening to know that attention was surely brought towards us.

"Farkle!" I call out in a whisper. He walks around the table and takes a seat next to me.

"So, explain to me why we're hiding behind- "

"Riley!" Charlie exclaims. Mortified, I lift my head up to find him standing right in front of us.

"Hi, Charlie." I saw awkwardly. Thankfully, Farkle gets up off the ground and pulls me up, as I was too scared to even move.

Farkle clenches is jaw subtly enough that no one could notice, except for me. It's safe to say that he never liked Charlie. I don't blame him. Most of the time, he can be a total jackass.

I'm not too sure how or why I've liked him for so long, and still currently do. I like to think it's because of the fact that I'm always seeking the best in people. I don't necessarily like making assumptions out of people based on looks or first encounters. For Charlie, I realized how much of a good person he is, deep down, whilst working on a school project with him in the public library. My father, who so happened to be my teacher, assigned both of us as partners for a project that we had to turn in a matter of three days. Within those three days, we'd head to the library at night to work, but we were never productive. All we did was talk. Well, all Charlie did was talk. About himself, of course. I would just sit and listen. It was kind of odd not taking part in the conversation, but I mostly did not mind. As a matter of fact, I remember feeling like it was for the best since I would most likely say something stupid. Plus, I got to learn more about him and who he truly was. The downside of it was that I had to take our project home and finish it myself, but I thought that it was worth it. From that moment on, I couldn't help but keep thinking about him, about us.

Charlie extends his hand out to Farkle, expecting a shake, but he steps back. "I'll wait for you outside." He tells me. No, no. Please don't leave me alone with him.

"Well, that was awkward." He laughs. "But anyways, I am so glad I caught you. I was wondering if you're free like right now? I was hoping that you could help me out with something."

Crap. As much as I would love to help him, I promised Farke that I would spend the day with him. However, as I was looking up at Charlie's mesmerizing brown eyes, I seem to have ignored that fact. "Um, sure." I squeaked. I clear my throat and try again. "What would I be helping you with exactly?"

"You see, we're doing headshots in drama, and you're kind of known to be a really talented photographer," I blush as he says so.  Along with the fact that his words make me swoon, another thing about Charlie that I liked was the fact that he is a performing arts fanatic. I'm presuming that it's something that he would like to achieve in the future. He's actually really talented if I'm being honest.

"So, would it be alright if you got a couple of portrait shots of me by the beach?" Charlie asks.

"Maybe in return, I can buy you a milkshake afterward."

Farkle is so going to kill me after this.  "Er, okay."

"Great! C'mon, let's go." He starts heading towards the exit as I trail behind him. Hoping that he was the gentleman I thought he'd be, I expected him to open the door for me. Instead, he ends up leaving it to close behind him. I sigh, disappointed for getting ahead with my thoughts. Once I've exited the arcade, I immediately scan my surroundings in search for Farkle.

"I'm here." He calls out from behind me. I turn to find him leaning against a wall.

"You're going to hate me," I confess.

A smirk creeps up on his face. "Not gonna lie, I was already kind of assuming."

"You're not mad?"

"No," Farkle says softly. "I still hate that bastard, though. But I mean if you like him that much-"

I pull him into a hug. "Thank you," I whisper.

"Yeah, okay." He wraps his arms around my back and chuckles lightly.

"Riley?" Charlie yells.

I pull away from Farkle and adjust my outfit. This would technically be the first time I get to hang out with Charlie alone, so I obviously want to look presentable. However, that's clearly not the case since I'm currently in my maroon Harvard sweater that Farkle had actually bought me from when he visited last year, along with a pair of faded ripped jeans.

"Do I look okay?" I ask.

He holds two thumbs up. "Can't say no to a girl in Ivy League gear."

"I love you, and thanks a bunch!" I plant a quick kiss on his cheek before running towards Charlie.

Once I've caught up to him, we both head to the beach together.

I truly do love the beach. I love the ambiance of waves crashing against the shore, along with the wailing of seagulls as they soar across the sky. Not to mention, the smell of the ocean beach as well. Everything about the beach is so captivating and peaceful, especially since it's a little early and not a lot of people are here. The afternoon is the absolute worst time to visit the beach. The fact that there are so many people who usually come on a day to day basis, makes me a little anxious to go.

Charlie leads me to where the dock is located. Farkle and I would usually come to take pictures underneath the dock. This area is quite aesthetically pleasing.

"I think this is a great spot." He says, placing his bag down as I begin to adjust the settings of my camera. I let him know that I'm ready once everything's all set. Charlie then runs towards the shoreline and starts posing of a shot. Since I'll be capturing portrait shots, I made sure that my camera is set so all my photos can have a shallow depth of field. This way, Charlie will be in focus as the background will be a bit blurry. After taking a few photos here and there, I stop to look at them. Charlie was perfectly centered, the lighting was on point, and all shots have great composition. Perfect. I think to myself. However, Charlie apparently doesn't exactly think so when he sees them.

"Yeah, this situation just isn't working for me. Let's try something different." He looks around for a moment. "Here, why don't you get some bird-eye shots of me laying on the sand."

I was a little offended that he didn't like the photos I originally took. I spoke out, irritated. "I thought we were taking portraits?"

"I'm just trying to think outside of the box here, Riles. Maybe the photos will turn out better." I scoff at what he had just said. What difference does it make? You're just going to be lying down. And I thought all headshots were portraits. There he goes acting like a douche, but here I am, still taking interest in him.

Charlie lies down on the sand and places his hand behind his head. From the looks of it, he could pass for a Hollister or Abercombie & Fitch model.  I stand directly on top of him to get good shots. If I'm being honest, this isn't the ideal position I'd want to be in. It's a little uncomfortable and weird, really.

Suddenly, water hits the shore and Charlie attempts to save his khaki pants by jerking straight up. Instead, jerking straight up somehow caused me to tumble forward, allowing both of us to fall back down. I also end up dropping my camera on the sand. Water continues to run beneath Charlie, which caused his whole outfit to be soaked. "Shit!"

The water still kept going around us. I panic as I watch it slowly ooze towards my camera. Miraculously, the water stopped before it could reach it. I graciously let out a sigh of relief. "Will you get the fuck off of me now?!" He yells in annoyance. I flinched when he does so and realize that what was happening: I was on top of Charlie Gardener. Because I was on top of him, I didn't get hit by the water at all. I quickly scurried to my feet and grabbed my camera.  I turned to Charlie, who was still really angry that he was drenched. He got up from the ground and gathered his stuff. "Thanks to you," He snaps. "I am soaking wet, and I have rehearsals for the musical after this!"

I feel a familiar tightness gripping my throat. As Charlie continues to curse at me, a burning heat rushes through my body and I can hardly breathe. The DJ over by the boardwalk starts blasting music that seems to be ten times louder than usual. My surroundings then become too horrifically bright. My hands become clammy as I start to lose control of my body. My vision starts to get blurry and my heartbeat begins to speed up to the point where I could hear it.

Once Charlie finishes grabbing his stuff, he walks over to me. He stops and takes a deep breath. "Just email me the photos whenever you can." And with that, he walks away. When I've lost sight of him, I walk towards the pebbles near the ocean. I stare out to sea, trying to take big breaths. I stay until I've finally coaxed my heartbeat back to normal.

[yuumie-tries]

2 May 2022, 9:47 PM

I just wanna say hii amazing person reading this ヾ(＾-＾)ノ I hope you're doing well and have good rests as well as strength in your studies!

Also I tried to do the April challenge last month but couldn't update frequently and got embarrassed to start again. But new month new chances I guess? x) so I'll just continue to post my study journey here without trying to stick to a challenge first. Though I'll look forward to doing it if the time comes when I post consistently!

Today I wasn't so productive.. at least during the day. So I'm trying again now tonight :) I'm believing that we can have a new start anytime in our days if we want to! And I'm taking it right now.

Right now I'm making my Chinese vocab flashcards :> my goal is to revise Chinese for 3 hours! Also I'm listening to "Sunrise chill" music by blue turtle. I'll link it when I come on later! So far it's been so relaxing yet not sleepy. My mood has been lifted up so much cos of their music. So if u're bored, I hope you can try it too and maybe it'll lift your mood up too! Hey we can do this ya!

(๑˃̵　ᴗ　˂̵)و

Actually my mid year exams start like the day after tomorrow but unfortunately I haven't gotten as much revision in as I want to.. But never mind I'll just do what I can now.

Thanks for reading this :)) I hope you have a good day whoever you are!

[mksc77]

For a couple of weeks, Sharon filled her days with sipping a couple of mugs of coffee on the porch and getting things done around the house in the mornings, enjoying the pool in the afternoons, and reading in the swing in the evenings once dinner was in the oven. It was a much-needed break after retiring, her honeymoon, and visiting her parents, but she tired of it fairly quickly, just as she'd known she would. On a Monday in June, she was enjoying her last day of idleness, as she planned to go to St. Joseph's the next morning to inquire about volunteer opportunities. For today, she was floating around in the pool with her book and Captain Morgan. She felt like she'd read more in the last few weeks than in her entire life, but she wasn't complaining. The weather had been mostly in the seventies and low eighties, so it hadn't been too hot. She had music playing from the porch, and she never knew if it was music that made her want a drink or alcohol that made her want good music, but her rum and pineapple juice with a splash of cranberry and sprite was melding pretty well with John Mellencamp. She hadn't made a habit of drinking during the day, but she'd allowed herself a couple of light drinks two or three afternoons a week.

The winter days, they last forever

And the weekends went by so quick

Went ridin' around this little country town

We were goin' nuts, girl, out in the sticks

One night me with my big mouth

A couple guys had to put me in my place

When I see those guys these days

We just laugh and say do you remember when

That's when a smoke was a smoke

And groovin' was groovin'

And dancin' meant everything

We were young and we were improvin'

Laughin' laughin' with our friends

Holding hands meant somethin' baby

Outside the club "Cherry Bomb"

Our hearts were really pumpin'

Say yeah yeah yeah

Say yeah yeah yeah

Seventeen has turned thirty-five

I'm surprised that we're still livin'

If we've done any wrong

I hope that we're forgiven

Got a few kids of my own

And some days I still don't know what to do

I hope that they're not laughin' too loud

When they hear me talkin'

Like this to you

Emily came out of the house, dressed in her swimsuit, and got on another float in the pool. At almost seven months, she was getting more uncomfortable, but a float in the pool usually did the trick. She and Emmett hadn't wanted to rush to get married before the baby was born, so they'd set the date for December. It didn't really matter, as far as the church was concerned, but Emily wanted them to be married before the baby was baptized. "Blair just called, and she and our other high school friends want to give me a baby shower. She told me to go ahead and start thinking about dates for a wedding shower, too."

Sharon looked over at Emily and noticed that she didn't seem too happy about it. "Your friends want to give you a couple of showers? That sounds just awful!" She said, with mock sympathy.

Emily rolled her eyes. "I just feel like I'm doing this all in the wrong order. I don't feel like I've done anything wrong, but with the wedding and the baby getting more real, I kind of wish we'd just gone ahead and planned a quick wedding before the baby came."

"Em, there was no need for you guys to do that. Unlike me, I'm sure this will be your only wedding." Sharon gave her a wry smile and sipped her drink. "You should enjoy it. You and Emmett are giving this baby a family that loves her and will take care of her, and that's all that matters. The order in which you do this isn't important."

"I know, but with the showers that are being planned and everything, it's just making me more aware of the fact that I'm having a baby before I'm married. Everyone's been great about it, and I haven't really thought much about it until now, but it just seems off or something."

Sharon was a little surprised that Emily was starting to feel the old Catholic Guilt, but she understood. "Once things pick up and you don't have time to overthink everything, I think you'll feel better about it. This in-between stage is unsettling, in general, and I know you've never liked change."

Emily nodded. "I think you're right. Thanks, Mom."

"You're welcome." Sharon placed her drink beside the pool and flipped over to lie on her stomach. Despite slathering herself with sunscreen every day, she was still getting a little bit of a tan. Any skin damage she had from the sun had probably mostly happened during the baby oil and iodine days of her teenaged years and young adulthood, anyway, when the sun's rays weren't thought to be anything but healthy. She wasn't in the pool for the purpose of tanning, but she loved to be in the water and feel the sun soaking into her skin. She'd never been much of a swimmer for exercise, but she'd been making herself swim a few laps most afternoons. Once she got herself settled into a more productive routine, she planned to take either morning or evening walks around the neighborhood, but she'd stick with floating around the pool for now.

A couple of hours later, with dinner in the oven, Sharon assumed her evening perch in the swing with her book and a glass of wine. Andy came home soon after that and joined her on the porch. "Am I just going to have to get used to being a swing widow?" He teased. Their evening dynamics had definitely changed since they moved. At the condo, Sharon sometimes sat on the balcony for a while in the evenings after watering the flowers, but she was still usually inside for most of the evenings. Now, she usually went inside just long enough to eat dinner and help clean the kitchen before going straight back to the porch.

"You can always come out here," Sharon pointed out.

"But the game will be on in there," Andy protested.

"True..." Sharon looked around. "We should put a TV out here. It would be nice to watch football out here this Fall."

"Then you'd never go inside." Andy pecked her on the lips. "How was your day?"

"It was nice, but I'm ready to get out of the house. I'm going to start at church tomorrow, but I think I'd like to pick one or two places and stick with them for a while instead of doing things here and there like the people at church do. I know they'll be able to steer me in the right direction, though." Sharon closed her book. "What about you? Is Captain Hernandez any better?"

Andy heaved a dramatic sigh. "She sent my paperwork back three times before it was finally good enough for her! And I thought you were a perfectionist."

Sharon had been a stickler about paperwork at the beginning, but she quickly learned to appreciate the talents her team had in other areas of investigations and gave up on perfect paperwork from them. "She'll learn to pick her battles, just like I did."

"Pick your battles? You sound like you're talking about toddlers!" Andy whined.

"Well, some days I felt like I was dealing with toddlers." Sharon kissed Andy and went inside to check on dinner, and Andy went inside to change clothes. Sharon peeked into the living room first, and Emily was watching TV with a jar of pickles in her lap. Sharon still wasn't used to Emily not being pencil-thin. Her face had filled out a little, and her legs were actually a little bigger than twigs. "Dinner will be ready soon...By the time this baby comes, I'm going to forget what you look like without a jar of pickles in your hand!"

"I know, right? If it's not pickles, it's watermelon. At least I'm not craving something terribly unhealthy."

Sharon nodded. "Yeah, like the strawberry ice cream that's still on my thighs thirty-five years later."

Emily rolled her eyes. "Whatever, Mom, your legs are, like, perfect."

"They're not perfect, but I'll take it.”

The rest is on ff.net

[paildramonnn]

Good luck on your writing endeavors! New year, new content! Here's an idea I'll offer: Ken and Daisuke are voice actors for a cheesy kids anime. Bonus points if Daisuke loves the script and Ken is just desperate for money.

This is the kind of prompt I really love.  Snowglobe AUs are my absolute favorite.  Thank you so much for submitting!  I hope you like it!

The Taller Chronicles racked up three full volumes before it got green-lit for eight episodes by one of the smaller production companies – streaming only.  Children’s anime wasn’t what it used to be, according to the director.  All gimmick and no quality.  But they got a contract with one of the better animation studios, hired a good art director, and left enough aside to pay their actors more than a pittance, which was a nice step up from the usual.

Daisuke auditioned for the role of the hero: Ueda, the plucky and determined eleven-year-old who makes friends every adventure and, at the end of the run, manages to save the day.

Daisuke got the role of the villain: Kuroyashi, the loudmouth who loses his temper every time Ueda foils his plans.

In the lead up to recording, Daisuke read all the manga, talked at some length with the producer and director, and even managed a meeting with the series author, who wasn’t as insightful as Daisuke had hoped.  The enthusiasm was appreciated, all the same.  By the time the show actually airs, Daisuke’s committed to the character one hundred percent.

(It goes like this: Daisuke is on the phone while in line at the grocery store.  It’s a faux pas but Daisuke’s never been all that good with being polite, and it’s his mother, who will blow him up if he doesn’t answer, so whatever.  There is a young-ish couple ahead of him in line, a kid of about six attached with determination to his mother’s hand, but craning around to stare at Daisuke in what can only be suspicion.  Daisuke can’t hear the kid, but he clearly sees him mouth Ueda’s catch phrase while giving him the stink eye – “tsuite masu” – and that’s it.  Daisuke is so proud to be Kuroyashi he might actually be glowing.)

It still stung a little that he didn’t land the Ueda role.  For one, the merch is better on the hero side.  But what really irritates him is how good Ueda’s actor is.  If it had been bad casting, that would be one thing.  Daisuke could at least be smug about it.  But no.  Ichijouji is great.  He’s got this soft, almost sweet voice that you don’t hear the steel in until the stakes are high and some other character is in trouble, and then Ueda might as well be a mountain.  It’s the sort of depth he guesses the casting director didn’t hear in him.

Worse than that, though, is that Ichijouji seems to be a genuinely nice person.  In print interviews, the author is always delighted to point out how good humored Ichijouji is, how polite, how effacing and well spoken.  And in digital format, podcast or video, Ichijouji does actually appear to be all of those things, so he probably isn’t just bribing anyone to give him good face.

Daisuke couldn’t say for certain what kind of person Ichijouji is.  They’ve only met a few times.  The studio they record in is big but they only get one booth at a time, which means that Ichijouji is usually done by the time they bring Daisuke in.  They’ve overlapped once or twice, passing each other in the hall and exchanging polite but impartial greetings.  Hardly the sort of thing that you can hinge an opinion on.  But now that they’re nearing the end of the first season run, it’s time to campaign for a second one, and that means press.  Which means, in turn, plenty of opportunity for the two of them to get to know each other better.

Their first interview together is via conference call, because Ichijouji is already working on another project and is booked solid for another four days.  They squeeze the call in after he finishes up for the day, sounding a little rough through Daisuke’s less than studio quality headphones, but just as polite and eloquent as promised.

Ichijouji praises the hard work that everyone has put in on the show.  Ichijouji praises the series creator, who continues to produce wonderful stories for them.  Ichijouji talks about what a pleasure it is to work on a show that has such an enthusiastic audience.  Ichijouji shares an anecdote about the children in his building finding out who he is.  Ichijouji has perfect hanging all over him, and if Daisuke has to listen to the interviewer giggle flirtatiously one more time, he’s going to interrupt, he really is.

“Were you a fan of the manga before you auditioned?  What made you want to be Ueda?” the man asks, and for the first time since this thing started, Ichijouji surprises Daisuke.

“Oh,” he says, smile still audible in his voice but sheer wattage lowered.  “When my agent told me about the series, I did buy the first volume.  I liked it a great deal.  But, actually, I really wanted to play Kuroyashi.”

Daisuke and the interviewer lap over each other in disbelief:  “What?”

“I think Kuroyashi is really wonderful.  He’s very passionate about everything he does, and I admire that a great deal, even though he doesn’t necessarily want the right things.  I was upset when I didn’t get the part, actually, but Motomiya does such an amazing job with him.  I couldn’t do what he does.”

Daisuke sits forward in his chair so fast he actually manages to bump into his mic.  He bumbles an apology over whatever inane question was going to follow that, and then just keeps going.

“I didn’t know that!  I read for Ueda,” he says, too late to attempt cool detachment but realizing it too late.  “I’ve always played the hero before, you know?  When they told me they wanted me to be the villain, I was pretty mad.  I thought, no one wants to be the bad guy.”

Ichijouji’s laugh is quiet and sweet, just like his character’s, and Daisuke has to bite down on his tongue, hard, to keep in the sudden desire to swear.

A week later, Ichijouji is free and so they meet for another interview in person.  The cafe is European style, not quite busy in the late morning, so it’s easy to spot Ichijouji sitting at a table by himself, cup of coffee already in hand.  Daisuke ignores him for the moment in lieu of caffeine.  His definition of “morning” tends to start a lot later than most people’s.

Ichijouji waves at him, smiling soft and friendly.  “How are you today, Motomiya?”

Daisuke could handle some rivalry before coffee kicks in, but this open pleasantness drags at him.  He collapses into the chair next to Ichijouji, letting himself slump miserably for a few long seconds before rousing, and only that when Ichijouji gives that soft laugh of his again.

“This is my first interview with Animage,” Ichijouji says, confessing or just trying to make Daisuke feel better.

He’s not sure what he’s supposed to do with that information, but staring uselessly probably isn’t it, so he clears his throat and opens his mouth, trusting it to do the work for him.  It usually does.

“I did one a few years ago, for this fighting thing I worked on.  They did a spread on all the actors for the hero group, you know?  Just little snippets, really.  It was all done over email.  It wasn’t a big deal.  I mean, it wasn’t like this.”

Ichijouji wraps his hands around his mug and nods.  “Hino,” he says, and Daisuke is so distracted thinking long, pale, slender that the word bounces around between his ears for a bit before his brain actually catches it.

“You, uh.”  He makes startled eye contact and then looks away in a hurry, failing hard at being casual.  He forces a laugh.  “You watched that?”

It wasn’t very good, is the thing.  Pretty rote, as far as fighting stories goes.  It got twelve episodes and then no renewal, due to disinterest by all parties, mostly notably the publisher, who had forced a sudden finale out of the mangaka and moved on to another mediocre title.  The fanbase that was still around had left in bitterness and that was it for Hino and the other heroes.

Daisuke dares another look at Ichijouji, watches him go a little tense, a little pink.  The earth shifts.

“I’ve seen all your work,” Ichijouji says, definitely a confession this time.

Daisuke pictures his CV, all typed out in acting credits.  It’s not that deep, mostly side characters, a few episodes here and there on various longer series, just two leads, and now a single villain role.  It would take some serious trawling to find all of it.  Even Daisuke hasn’t seen all of it.

Daisuke pictures Ken’s filmography: leads in smaller projects, independent studios and short films, two RPGs, a visual novel, and even a couple live action items, from back when he was a teenager.  He actually had to email the distributor of the NVL, to get ahold of a copy.

“Yeah,” Daisuke finally says.  He doesn’t realize he’s still staring until Ichijouji looks up, until he feels the spark of eye contact again.  He smiles.  “Yeah, I’ve.  Yours too.  I mean, to be honest, I had the RPGs before I knew you were in them.”

He has a figure of Ichijouji’s character, too, but he’ll go to his grave with the secret.

Ichijouji goes pinker but holds his gaze, and Daisuke can’t help but lean toward him.

“In the new chapter,” Daisuke says, “when Ueda and Kuroyashi find each other in the haunted house, they can feel their hearts beating together.”

Ichijouji presses his fingertips against the front of his sweater, so gently the fabric barely shifts under the touch, and Daisuke swears he can feel it under his ribs.

[sarahsbpd]

I had a productive visit with my psychologist today. We will be starting EMDR therapy soon and I'm pretty excited about that. We went through disassociation questions today and did the initial screening for EMDR. She also is teaching me Container Therapy and that is my homework. At least once a day (and she wants me to do it before bed as well) I have to think of something that has really been bothering me and create an image with it. She had me tell her something and then asked me what it looked like to me. So I created a picture in my head of what not feeling like I am enough looks like. Then she had me think of a container that I thought would be strong enough to hold this thing that bothers me. I decided to go with The Pandorica from Doctor Who. She said anytime this feeling is getting to me and is overwhelming she wants me to picture it going into The Pandorica, my container closing, and then putting it away somewhere to be opened later. She said if it comes back to just keep picturing it going into my container. She also told me that if I would like to I could open it, even just a little at a time, but she primarily wanted me to focus on putting it away to help learn not to let things overwhelm me and cope with triggers.

I had my appointment at 1pm and I have already used my Pandorica like 6 times ahaha. It is working though and that is nice. I told Kenaniah about it and asked him to be my advocate because sometimes I don't recognize when I'm going into a hole. So he knows that if I am to just mention my container. I enjoy talking to him about my therapy sessions. I feel so vulnerable when I share them, but it makes me feel loved in an odd way.

He is still upset with me for yesterday. Understandably.

He brought it up before we went to bed and it turned into an argument. Which with us generally consists of me crying because I'm a sensitive idiot and him yelling and saying hurtful or brash things.

He was very angry with me and thought I had maliciously planned to look through all his things. That I had planned all of this prior to getting married and lied to him about saying nothing would change between us. Which is all untrue, but whenever he gets upset he comes up with these schemes that he believes people come up with just because that is the way that he thinks. I am too naive and childish to be that elaborate. I didn't even have the common sense to know he would receive a security alert email saying someone logged into his other email account haha. I could never lie and scheme against him.

The way he painted me was hurtful. It made me wonder if I am that way and just don't realize it. I was standing in front of him crying, wringing my hands, my lip quivering and my head hung in shame. I FELT like a child being scolded. I was thinking "Is this who I am?" Am I some abuser who plans out these scenarios and meticulously picks the things I say to trap and manipulate people? What if I am? I do not believe that I am, but I don't really have a sense of self the majority of the time so how the hell could I even know. If I were I don't think I would've been standing there feeling so young. I don't think I'll get over that. I literally felt like a little kid. The more I unveil about my mental illness the more I feel that way. It's like I'm regressing. Or maybe I was always like that and I've just given in to it. I explained to him, or at least tried, what it felt like when I let myself slide into this black pit (that I've begun to realize looks like what I picture my illness to be). The pit is not nice. It is not merciful and it does not do me any kindnesses. It pulls me in until I'm at the bottom, and then it grabs ahold of me with its black, dripping roots. Then I'm stuck. I'm too far gone. I can't get free.

That is when I do something stupid. Like go through my husband's emails because I think he's hiding nude photos of past women he's slept with. Then since I let this dark, disgusting demon take over I let it drive me further and further into insanity. I'm not longer driving, it is. Then when I don't find what I expect to instead of letting it go I come up with another place I think I could expect to find exactly what I'm looking for. I dig and dig and dig and dig until I'm left with nothing but emptiness. Emptiness and shame. Then the pit lets me go and I have to slowly climb myself out of it. When I was explaining it to him he asked me if I was saying it was a relapse and I was like, "YES". That was the perfect way to describe it because that is exactly what it feels like. You fight your demons constantly and try and make sure they don't get their claws into you, but sometimes you just get so tired of fighting. That is when they strike.

My psychologist told me today that we will unravel my mysteries. That made me feel good. I've been to therapy before, but she has already taught me more in my first two sessions than the others did in the entire time I worked with them. I'm excited to unravel my mysteries and finally be free of that pit.

Anyway. Another thing that he said to me was that nothing had changed apart from the fact that we have gotten better at hiding it. I do not believe that. We have really grown together as a couple and strengthened so many things together. Is there some things that are unresolved? Yes. They will be fixed though. I know they will. As I learn more about myself and change these unhealthy behaviors I truly think things will be heavenly. I want to change. I want to be the best I can be not only for myself, but for our kids and for him. He handles so much when it comes to me and I am grateful. I don't think he realizes just how much he holds me up and carries me through the pain. It is one of the things I love about him. He has taught me how to be more of an individual and not lean on someone. I know how much he must love me because even though he has left in the past when it became too much for him, he still comes back. He recognizes my areas of growth and lets himself be vulnerable with me again, and we fall back into place. If not for my love for him I don't think I would've been capable of achieving it on my own. He doesn't like that I say that, but I do not think it is a bad thing that he gave me the will to want to fix myself. I have never loved someone (besides our babies of course) the way I love him and I will never stop fighting for that. It keeps me centered. Just as he has learned so much from me and grown not only in our relationship, but as a person. I am truly blessed to have him. I can't wait to see our adventures together as I heal from all my traumas.

I think I am done rambling about every little thing that pops into my head now. I feel lighter and warm.