#foolish is a reference to that tails comic you know the one

[greensun]

literally cannot stop thinking about this clip from gumi. why did she say that. anyway here's my take on it.

#qsmp #qsmp fanart #q!badboyhalo #q!bbh #badboyhalo #bbh #badboyhalo fanart #q!foolish #foolish #foolish gamers #q!foolish gamers #foolhalo #suggestive #foolish is a reference to that tails comic you know the one

[the-travelling-witch]

Hiii Travelling Witch💜

For the Special Valentine's Day Offer ♡ can i put a custom order for a love potion with Sweet flower,Butterfly wings and Fur of a Kitsune to use with Sanzu 🙏🏻

TYSM

Hi there, lovely, thank you so much for putting in order; your potion is ready to be picked up♡

I had a lot of fun with this one and hopefully, you will enjoy what I came up with as well. For future reference, I´d appreciate a little feedback on just what effects the potion had exactly ✧.*

Tempted to order your own potion? Check out my Special Valentine´s Day Offer ♡

Love at first...switch?

Ingredients: sweet flower, butterfly wings and the fur of a kitsune combined in a love potion

pairing: timeskip!sanzu x gn!reader

warnings: mentions of implied violence but no description

You should know better than to indulge the whims of your pink-haired friend, so why did you let him rope you into his latest antics? Truth to be told, while you were always making a show out of scolding him for causing trouble, you secretly enjoyed the spontaneous adventures he whisked you away to. But right now, you couldn´t really make heads or tails of just how you got here.

The last thing you remember before waking up with a maddening headache was Sanzu, persuading you to try out these new pills he got from god-knows-where and for whatever foolish reason, you agreed, if only to get him to shut up. That was how you found yourself glaring down at your own figure, currently sprawled out on the couch in Sanzu´s apartment.

“Listen, I already told you I didn´t know this was gonna happen, okay? Though I see now, what the gal meant when she said it would be one hell of a trip.” It was weird, hearing your own voice coming from someone else. It was even weirder seeing this smug expression on your own features, composure so relaxed in a situation like this. “Makes sense too, why I needed a second person.”

If it wasn´t your face, you would´ve smacked him. Narrowing your eyes -or well, Sanzu´s eyes- even further, you mumbled something that could be understood as “Why did I have to be the guinea pig though”

“Because everyone else is no fun. Besides, I won the jackpot here, right? Getting to switch bodies with you, isn´t that a dream come true?”, he said, wiggling his eyebrows and sending you a cheeky wink. You wondered what would happen if you strangled him right now.

But you didn´t get the chance to find out, broken out of your annoyance by his ringtone. Reaching over to grab it from the coffee table, you nearly dropped the phone when Mikey´s name appeared on the screen.

“Uh-oh, that´s no good”, Sanzu said, leaning closer to peer at the contact info. In a sing-song voice, he added “Well, pick up then. Can´t leave the boss waiting.”

Answering the call and putting Mikey on speaker, you tried your best to sound as self-assured and confident as the right-hand man to the boss of Japan´s biggest gang. The very one who was currently halfway draped over your lap, causing your heart rate to jump from unusually high to probably unhealthy.

“Sanzu, the gang we were supposed to meet in three days changed their conditions. The meeting´s been moved up to today. Be here in two hours so we can go over everything again.” Then he hung up. You turned your head to Sanzu, comically slow like you were starring in a sitcom.

“No, absolutely not.”

“You gotta, (y/n). It´ll be worse if you don´t show up at all.” His hands found purchase on your shoulders. “You can do it. It´s just a meeting to exchange intel, there won´t be anything…messy, yeah? If things go south, just pretend you´re high or drunk.”

Just like earlier that day, you let him talk you into going to the Bonten headquarter, pretending to be him in front of a group of notoriously dangerous gang members. Livid, that was what you should be. Not cooperating. You knew very well just why you were so bad at telling him no, you just didn´t want to admit it. Because admitting it would mean you´d have to do something about it, right? And currently, your feelings were going haywire; your little crush on your friend totally blown out of proportion, but why?

So, while you were off playing good little criminal, Sanzu took the time to explore your body and no, not like that. While he was certainly curious, you were his best friend and there were lines even he felt bad crossing.

Laying back down on the couch, he stared at the ceiling before stretching his hand up in the air. Well, technically it was your hand. The one he´d grabbed so often when you ran from whatever trouble he caused. The one that had, more often than he could count, bandaged just about every part of the body currently on its way to a gang meeting.

Compared to his big and rough ones, yours felt so delicate and smooth. There were no callouses from handling a weapon and no scars from an injury that could´ve also cost him a finger. To him they looked so frail, yet, he knew that their softness wasn´t to be mistaken for weakness.

No, you put up with him, after all, which wasn´t a job for those of weak heart. And he appreciated it, he truly did. But for the first time, stuck in your body, he realised that you might not know, that he didn´t show it enough.

If he was completely honest with himself, he´d known that all along. And the reason for it, too. He, Sanzu Haruchiyo, was scared. Scared that if he came even close to showing you what he really felt, he´d pour out too much of the emotions he buried so deep inside and he´d scare you away in return. That was the one thing he couldn´t face, seeing the only person who´d ever genuinely cared for him leave. So, he´d resigned himself to simply being your friend, instead of losing you completely.

Truth to be told, Sanzu was worried about you taking his job, even if only for a few hours. In his opinion, showing up as you or not showing up at all were definitely worse but this wasn´t ideal either. Looking like him, you definitely wouldn´t be stopped on your way but he feared what would happen if Mikey found out.

Right now, as he questioned why he let you go to his workplace in the first place, the feelings he harboured for you returned tenfold and more deeply than ever before. While he pondered the reason for his sudden sentimentality, a tiny hopeful voice planted the idea that he could be sharing a part of your feelings in his head. Wouldn´t that mean that you felt the same? No, it couldn´t be.

Sanzu was an actual criminal. The things he had done to realise Mikey´s vision of a new era of delinquents were nothing you should stomach this easily. And you…you were you. His bright and pure best friend, who stuck out like a sore thumb against everything that surrounded him. If acting on his feeling meant plucking a flower so innocent, would getting his way still be defendable? Then again, he couldn´t deny the dizzying feeling your touch had or how having your attention on him was like a rush he´d never felt before and that meant something.

He was still lounging around on the couch when he heard the keys turn in the lock of his front door. Immediately perking up at the sound, he tried to gauge your mood as you took off his shoes and jacket before also discarding the mask and gloves by the doorway. In his defence, it was harder to read his own scarred face, which seemed to revert to a practised poker face out of habit. Rising to meet you halfway before you could make it to the couch, he asked how it went.

“Well, I´m still alive, so I´d like to think it went well”, you chuckled dryly. Or was that just how his voice sounded normally? To his own surprise, he had his arms wrapped around you before he could stop himself. “Sanzu, what-? Were you that worried about your body?”

“No, I was worried about you. Doesn´t matter what happens to me as long as you´re safe. I´m an asshole for putting you in danger like that, sorry.” He thought his heart cracked open when he felt you tense at his words. Already starting to pull away, he was held in place by his actual arms as you reciprocated the hug.

“You really are an idiot, Haru, but I guess that´s part of what I like about you”, you hummed, head placed on the shoulder that was normally yours. He hummed in agreement before the indication of your words settled in. Now he was the one who went rigid as a log.

“Wait, what?”

“You heard me, dummy. Fine, I´ll repeat it for your slow ass.” You wiggled out of his grasp and cupped the face currently hiding the actual Sanzu, between his long and slender fingers. “I like you. Frankly, I didn´t imagine I´d say that while looking into my own eyes but that doesn´t change the truth. I realised that I needed to let you know how I felt when I saw what you´re going through every day. It was scary to think I might miss my chance.”

For a few seconds, slightly widened familiar eyes stared back at you as if you had grown a second head. Considering the situation you were in, you supposed it wasn´t too outlandish either. With a gentle nudge from you, the (currently not so) pink-haired man seemed to re-enter this plane of reality.

“I´m sorry, I just… I´ve never felt this way before. I don´t know what I´m supposed to do or say but I want to try. For you.” Normally not one to be embarrassed, the heat that crept up his cheek was foreign, something he hadn´t experienced in a long, long time. It was okay, though, if you were the one who caused it.

“It´s okay, just be yourself. Everything else will fall into place eventually.”

Leading him over to the couch, you plopped down on it and pulled him on top of you. This whole day was probably the weirdest yet most interesting one you´d ever had and this wasn´t at all how you´d plan a confession but it worked out and that´s what mattered in the end. Wrapping both arms around Sanzu again you looked to where he had placed his head on your chest, staring at you expectantly.

“What is it, Haru?”

“Can I get a kiss now?”

“No.”

“What? Why not?”, he whined.

“I´m not having my first kiss with you stuck in your body. You can see it as your punishment for causing this whole mess in the first place.”

After he complained your ears off about how “that wasn´t fair at all”, he went oddly quiet. The rhythmic rise and fall of his chest against your own and his even breathing were clear indicators that he´d fallen asleep and you couldn´t help but feel the tranquillity of the moment pull at your eyelids as well.

You woke up the next morning to a steady thumping sound right next to your ear and a heavy weight pressing down on your waist. Only after you blinked the sleepiness from your eyes, you realised that it was Sanzu´s heartbeat and his arms holding you tightly against him. You sat up a little and looked down at him, pushing his pink bangs out of his face.

And that´s when it hit you. Pink hair. You were looking at Sanzu in his own body!

Roused from his sleep by your movements, he stirred before coming to as well. You waited for realisation to sink in but before you could say anything, he pulled you down to his level. Cupping his face in your own hands this time, you sent him a soft smile.

“Haru, did I ever tell you I like you?”

“Maybe do it again just to be sure?” Grinning up at you and ignoring an incoming text message, his bright eyes held a mischievous glint. “So, about that kiss…”

You rolled your eyes at his suggestive tone, yet, you leant in closer nonetheless.

“Mhm, I guess it´s only fair.”

[When Sanzu checked his phone later, he saw the message Mikey had sent.

“(y/n) did a good job yesterday, you could´ve sent them over sooner”]

#holly´s potions #special valentine’s day offer ♡ #letter by: a mysterious customer #tokyorev x reader #tokyo revengers x reader #tokyo revengers fluff #tokyo revengers headcanons #tokyo revengers scenarios #sanzu x reader #sanzu fluff

[darkqueenofshadows85]

Sonic Colors (2010) Story Review

Disclaimer: I will be judging this game by the plot and writing, not the gameplay.

Introduction

Greetings, mortals! For today's review, we'll be looking at what I personally consider to be the beginning of the franchise's downfall in terms of writing and storytelling quality, Sonic Colors.

So now we've officially reached the point where the overall tone of the Sonic series went from "shonen anime" to "bad Saturday morning cartoon". This game marks the beginning of what is commonly referred to as the Meta Era, which is known for its butchered characterizations, continuity blunders, bizarre tonal shifts, self-deprecation, obnoxious/painfully unfunny attempts at humor, laughable/insincere attempts at drama, stiff character animations and lifeless cinematography and editing. The 2010's were unforgiving to franchises being rebooted into silly comedic cartoons for babies, which was an unfortunate trend that the Sonic franchise sadly fell victim to.

This is part of a series of reviews in which I’ll be going into slightly more detail about my thoughts on the main series Sonic game storylines, and why I think they're either well written and engaging, or an absolute trainwreck (or somewhere in-between). I’ll be giving my stance on the character portrayals, visuals, soundtracks, voice actors, and what themes/messages they had to offer. Keep in mind that these are just my own personal thoughts. Whether you agree or disagree, feel free to share your own thoughts and opinions!

Anyway, let us begin! ^^

Plot

Dr. Eggman has built a space amusement park made from the aliens known as the Wisps. Sonic and Tails go and investigate this new Eggman plot.

Characters

I don't know why they had to completely reboot the franchise to the point where it killed the characters. The new writers, Ken Pontac and Warren Graff, heavily flanderized Sonic, along with the rest of the cast, thus turning them into hollow shells of their former selves.

This was the beginning of Sonic's character decline in my opinion. The writers decided to focus on only one or a few of his character traits. 1) he's cocky, 2) he's a bit of an asshole, and 3) he just stands around telling shitty jokes that only five year olds would find funny.

Tails in this game was basically just a glorified info machine. He doesn't really contribute much to the story besides spouting exposition and translating the Wisps' language by using a translator device that's about as accurate as Google Translate. Seriously, you would think that Tails, one of the smartest characters in the franchise, would be able to build a translator device that works properly. Well actually, he could have, if the writers weren't using it as an excuse to tell bad jokes.

Eggman is a complete joke at this point. The Meta Era games seem to go out of their way to make him look as incompetent and foolish as possible. Hell, he even acknowledges that his plans always fail! Seriously, they don't even try to make him a threatening villain anymore. Say what you will about his portrayal in Unleashed, but at least he was somewhat threatening. Here, he's just a bad Saturday morning cartoon villain who I personally find impossible to take seriously.

Orbot and Cubot are basically just the games' equivalent of Scratch and Grounder from Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog. They're just shitty comic relief and nothing else, although I do find Orbot to be the less annoying one out of the two.

The Wisps in my opinion, are one of the cutest things in the Sonic franchise next to Chao, Death Leeches, and of course, Eclipse's Dark Arms from the Archie comics ^w^

Visuals

Well, I'll admit that the CGI cutscenes do look fantastic as always, and the in-game cutscenes look pretty good as well, despite being made on a lower budget than the previous games' cutscenes.

Soundtrack

The soundtrack in my opinion, is one of the few soundtracks from the Meta Era that stands out to me and is actually pretty good. The main theme, Reach For the Stars is really catchy and upbeat, and one of the few good vocal tracks from the Meta Era besides Infinite's theme from Forces. The ending theme, Speak With Your Heart kinda sounds like a generic pop song in my opinion. The Sonic Symphony rendition of it however, is an ABSOLUTE BANGER.

Voice Acting

This was the one of the first games, along with Sonic Free Riders, to use the Studiopolis voice cast, and I'll admit that they're actually quite talented, and they did give it their all, despite the subpar material that they're given. Roger Craig Smith actually does a pretty good job voicing Sonic, and Kate Higgins is probably the second best Tails voice next to Colleen O'Shaughnessey. Mike Pollock, the only voice actor from the previous cast who wasn't replaced, still does a great job voicing Eggman. Kirk Thornton and Wally Wingert also do a good job voicing Orbot and Cubot respectively, despite the latter being an irritating character in my opinion.

I'm going to sum up the Studiopolis voice cast in four words: good acting, terrible script.

Theme/Message

I honestly can't think of one. I guess the central theme of the story is nature vs technology, like the Genesis games? I don't know... The Meta Era games' writing quality is so shallow, that they all just feel entirely pointless to me.

Conclusion

While the plot itself is somewhat decent, the writing on the other hand, is absolutely atrocious. Hiring Pontac and Graff was the worst decision SEGA has ever made. They did this because the critics bashed Black Knight, Unleashed, Secret Rings, the Adventure series, ShTH and 06, and yet they praised trash like Sonic 4. While Sonic Heroes has a kid friendly story that still took itself seriously, Sonic Colors was super kid friendly and took NOTHING seriously. I'll give credit where it's due though, it's not the absolute worst that the Meta Era has to offer (that "honor" goes to Sonic Lost World). It had a decent enough premise, which could have been great with better execution, the ending was sweet and heartwarming, and it did some world building, adding the Wisps to the franchise. That's fine (in fact, I think the Wisps are adorable myself), but the story could have been more if it dropped the "laugh at myself" attitude (self aware comedy).

My final score:

2.4/5 (Mediocre)

#sonic the hedgehog #sonic colors #review #blog post #opinion post

[jupitermelichios]

Jupiter’s Multi-Fandom Spoopy Halloween Recs

Happy Halloween my doves! It’s been a while, but have some fic recs.

These run the gummut from gothic horror to good old fashioned monster f*cking, but they’re all appropriately spoopy. Warnings added where I feel they’re necessary in addition to those on the fic, but please do check the warnings on the fics themselves before proceeding.

you are in my blood by suzukiblu (The Witcher, Geralt/Jaskier)

“I don’t know anything about you,” Geralt says.

“You never asked,” Jaskier says, a little defensive. “I haven’t lied to you.”

“You’re a vampire!”

“So are a lot of people!”

A Little More Beast Than Beauty by SenkoWakimarin (Marvel Comics, Cable/Deadpool)

Wade knew well enough that when someone paid you to find and, if at all possible, kill what they called “that fucking horrorshow”, you weren’t supposed to fuck it. When “that fucking horrorshow” had somehow devastated an entire squad of highly trained monster hunters, you were really, really not supposed to fuck it. Like, it went without saying; it wasn’t even supposed to be on the table.

Wade really,  really  wanted it to be on the table.

Nine Tenths of the Law by bendingsignpost (BBC Sherlock, John/Sherlock)

Harry tells him he’s overly cautious, but look at her. A destroyed marriage, her job at risk and the neighbours beginning to look at her a bit funny. They’re both susceptible. If John is too strict on himself – which he isn’t – it’s only because there’s no one else to keep him in line. As a doctor, he can’t help but see it as more than an act of indulgence. This is a moral issue.

All the same, when his patients at the surgery begin to show up anaemic and sporting someone else’s bite marks, John is more angry and possessive than he is sickened.

He may not hunt on his territory, but that will never mean he’s not ready to defend it.

Blood Ties by Teland (DC Comics, Jay/Roy)

"You can't -- you can't help me."

"Jay --"

"You *know* what this is!"

Roy -- takes a breath. And nods. But -- "Are you the kind *without* the teeth?" Because he's not saying the word 'vampire' until Jason does, or at least acts like he can *hear* it without losing it more.

Another painful-sounding laugh -- and Jason is showing Roy his teeth again. Showing him -- growing canines. *Lengthening* canines. Fangs.

Warnings: repeated references to past underage Jay/Bruce

An Investigation into the Recent Occurences at Baltimore State Hospital for the Criminally Insane by Chi-chi-chimera (Hannibal, gen)

 Fifth excerpt from the recordings of Dr F Chilton. Location: Orderly station near the cell of Dr H Lecter. Present are F Chilton and B Matthews.

BM: No-one’s willing to go down there since he came back from medical. No-one but me, and I’m sure not keen on it. Something wrong with the lights down there. It’s all dark in his cell and he keeps to the corners, so all I see is shadows and a shape. Maintenance have done their best, swapped out the fuses and the bulbs but as soon as they get the new one in it breaks again. It’s not natural.

FC: Hannibal Lecter is a monster, but this isn’t a horror movie, and I don’t mean that literally. I’m sure there is some perfectly reasonable explanation for everything that’s happening here.

make them stay, make them stone by bullroars (The Man from U.N.C.L.E, Napoleon/Gaby/Illya)

Napoleon’s been in love before.  Of course he has been—he’s pushing five hundred and fifty, and he’s never been in the habit of denying himself pleasure, or companionship, or happiness.  

It’s just been a long time, is all.  And he’s out of practice, and unsure if he’s feeling what he’s feeling.  It’s distracting.  He should be working.  

The Unquiet Grave by Shennanigans (DC Comics, Roy/Jason)

Roy always felt like a rough hewn bit of cedar plank next to them, ruddy and freckled with thick stripes of pink scars and one crooked tooth that matched the mess of his nose. He'd given up being the pretty one, so he settled for being the fuckup. And when that almost killed him, he settled for being the loyal one.

He looked at the picture, looked at where Jason had been and where he'd disappeared. Finding Jason was why he was here.

Roy had always been able to find the target.

Baba by Crownofpins (Castlevania, Alucard/Sypha/Trevor)

“Baba Yaga?” Alucard looks incredulous. “She is a myth, a legend only.”

Sypha whips her head around to look at Alucard, son of Dracula. She gives him a look that involves a lot of eyebrows and a lot of blinking.

“Um,” she says, and Trevor just vibrates because he’s still so mad. Alucard considers his words, considers the woman staring at him, and then seems to remember a few basic facts about his identity.

“That was a foolish thing to say, and I apologize.”

Harry Potter and the Inconvinient Condition by Mirabella (Harry Potter, Harry/Draco)

"You're at St. Mungo's," Malfoy told him.  "Granger drafted me to sit with you at night, seeing as how I'm a day or so from being released anyway – well, and I think she hopes you'll kill me –" Harry shook his head, wishing he knew where his glasses were.  "Wait, that I'll what?  What in buggery have you done now, Malfoy?  And why am I strapped to the bed?"

The sweetest sounds within by Teland (DC Comics, Bruce/Dick/Jason/Tim, Bruce/Harvey Dent)

Bruce stands and turns --

And blinks. Several times. He --

The man --

The --

The being smiles, wry and soft, as his long, spade-ended tail switches and coils in the air. "I'm going to give you a little while to adjust, k?"

Warnings: Bruce is a teenager and the boys are immortal demons in this one, but it’s still Bruce being shipped with his canonical kids so proceed with caution. Also blasphemy. Just a lot of blasphemy.

#geraskier #cablepool #johnlock #jayroy #drarry #brudick #brujay #brutim #hannibal #trephacard #napoleon x illya x gaby #i can't believe i'm reccing drarry in the year of our dog 2k20

[alexdrawsagain]

How will Norman Osborn/Green Goblin be setup in your story? I'm asking this question because the Green Goblin is one of Spider-Man's most formidable villains and he knows how to hurt Peter physically and mentally. In what way would he associate with All for one and Shigaraki with the league of villains.

He does exist as i’ve drawn him already as seen here.

However, I save this as the last comic I’d do if i ever walk away from MHA/spidey comics because it would be “the series finale“. The short version being that the Goblin is M.I.A. and presumed dead after a final battle in an inferno during the tail end of Peter’s vigilante year.

Norman survived and has been biding his time and will not only go after Peter but his close circle of friends as well. And much like in the original comics, he does so by attacking and abducting them from their homes with surgical precision. In our story, Norman also places the lives of several ordinary random people in danger telling our heroes that one foolish slip up and their deaths are on their heads. And I absolutely plan to reference this cover.

He accepts no help or invitation from the league and in fact even insults them considering them to be ineffectual amateurs that pisses Shigaraki off to no end. Especially calling Shigaraki a spoiled child prone to temper tantrums. And Normans pride bites him in the ass big time at the end of the story courtesy of the league.

With Normans eventual defeat Peter will leave UA for a short time to go back home for a bit of mandatory mental recovery. With the promise he’ll return to his friends soon. The class seeing Peter’s plane depart being a bittersweet moment knowing it’s not goodbye but rather “see you later“.

I’d love to draw that story someday.

[ryewi]

v for victory - kth

Summary: For as long as you know for yourself, your mother and your first neighbor Mrs. Kim held a never ending prank war. They were just that petty to get back at each other for an accident that happened in high school. It didn’t help that you somehow fell in love with Taehyung, Mrs. Kim’s only son. Or did it?

Genre: Boyfriend!Tae, c r a c c / humor, fluff

Words: 7k 

Warnings: language, but other than that none~

Early AN: Probably one of my favorite pieces I’ve written. I had so much fun writing this.

Moments in which your mother discussed her mischievous plans organized against Mrs. Kim weren’t frequent. She’d usually keep all of the ideas to herself, arranging them in silence and secrecy, only to surprise everyone when ready. The pranks your mother pulled were of all categories, ranging from bribing the neighborhood kids to egg her windows to calling her phone just to say “sike”.

Mrs. Kim, whose first name you didn’t know, wasn’t any less of a devil. That rotten bitch, as she was referred to in this household, pulled pranks quite often too. Whether it was delivering fake news or setting off the annoying alarm on your black Honda CR-V at 2am. Sometimes, you asked, did these women ever notice how obsessed they were with each other? Would really any type of enemies put this much effort into planning how to spite the other?

The reasons behind their escapades were something you thought you could only find in movies. The kind in which one woman steals another’s man, and she gets her back by spilling a drink on her dress or something. Just, in this case, Mrs. Kim stole your mother’s best friend, dating him for three weeks, during which she completely ruined their (reportedly) strong friendship. Your mother replied to that by sending Mrs. Kim’s nude to everyone in school. Ever since then, they got back at each other, back and forth – and it didn’t help that years later, with their respective families, they’ll purchase houses that were right next to each other.

You used not to care about their childish fights when you were young, probably because they weren’t on each other’s necks as much as they are now.  

Or maybe because back then, firstly your best friend, now boyfriend, wasn’t Kim Taehyung, Mrs. Kim’s only son.

Your mother called a meeting in the kitchen, explaining that this is the greatest idea she has had in a while and that the whole family needs to hear it. Being a number one fan of these daily doses of entertainment, your father was the first one to take a seat on a big cushioned chair. She began what seemed like the most dramatic speech ever, introducing the main role, your dog Orwell, for a decent half of it.  

Once the presentation was over, you made a beeline towards your room, trying to sustain the laughs that were threatening to spill. Your father on the other end, began coughing from the amount of air that suddenly left his lungs. The greatest idea was indeed the most hilarious one yet.

Finally reaching the safety of your bedroom, you grabbed your phone that was resting on the bedside table. Every once in a while, when a “revolutionary” (read foolish) idea has been revealed, your boyfriend would be the next person to hear about it. This time not being anyhow different, you were quick to write a short message, that’ll in a few words explain what was about to go down.

To: SpillTheTae - 15:46

“My mom’s sending Orwell to shit on your lawn in ten”

From: SpillTheTae – 15:47

“Roger that”

Opened ✓

Usually, Taehyung would walk out on the balcony, effortlessly leaning on the marble edge and waiting for your clumsy being to stumble outside before drama began. At such angle, especially when looking from the ground, he appeared as an angel. Sometimes you’d stare at his beautiful irises, feeling as if you’re in space and witnessing a thousand stars before your own eyes. He was the whole universe gathered up in one person. It wasn’t possible to completely focus on whatever was leaving Taehyung’s mouth when a pair of puppy eyes captured every bit of attention.  

So, when you finally situated yourself on the balcony, you expected to lock eyes with Taehyung, instead of the “devil” herself. It was Mrs. Kim.

Her cold eyes pierced right through yours, squinting as if she’d be able to somehow burn holes into your forehead. That action dragged on for over a minute and an uncomfortable laugh was threatening to escape your lips. In the end, a puff of air managed to break free and all dignity was sent flying out the window. Mrs. Kim frowned and shook her head in discomfort.  

It wasn’t a secret that she hated you as much as she hated your mother. Just the sight of the female part of your family made “that rotten bitch” frown in disgust. For no reason, you heard through Taehyung that your name was “overly baked potato’s minion” in their household. At the beginning it infuriated you, mostly because that forty something year old woman had the audacity to insult you like that. Taehyung began using it while texting you, occasionally having to just use “minion” to awaken your bratty senses, but as time passed by, it stopped being relevant.  

It took around five more minutes for your boyfriend to show up, silver hair disheveled and sticking out chaotically under the hood. Taehyung wore a black oversized puma hoodie that you’ve bought him for thanksgiving last year, fully aware of what kinds of things it did to you.  

“Summarize the plan, captain” he laughed, deep voice fading out into equally as dark of a chuckle. While waiting for an answer, Taehyung leant on the marble fence of his balcony, watching your mother hurryingly carry a caramel corgi across the yard.

“She figured out that Orwell should do the deed somewhere where it won’t stink as much as it usually does” you nudged your head in the direction of Mrs. Kim famous roses. The whole plan made you laugh again, so much time was wasted arranging all of this, for only two minutes of entertainment.

“No way” Taehyung gasped loud, turning around to get a better view of what’s about to happen. He, as Mrs. Kim’s son, should probably feel bad, try to prevent such acts from happening, maybe say a few words to you about this issue - except he doesn’t. Taehyung literally couldn’t care less about his mother’s roses, or the drying eggs on the windshield of their car. Nothing else other than huge amounts of amusement mattered to him. Especially after he got to know “the overly baked potato” and her “minion” (soon-to-be-his-girlfriend) lived next door.

“I swear to God if she doesn’t let him down soon, he’s going to-” you began, somehow predicting what kind of tragedy will play out. The caramel corgi couldn’t prolong the urge to do the deed any longer, casually lifting his tail and clenching his muscles. All while in the arms of your mother.  

An ugly laugh escaped your lips, hand coming up to cover your mouth quick before any sound reached others. Taehyung’s eyes were the size of ripe avocados, the sight before him clearly way too comical and interesting to look away from. You were sitting on the floor, eyes watering, missing a particularly special part of what’s happening. Taehyung’s eyes remained wide open, mouth agape, but his boxy smile only grew wider the longer he watched.  

Mrs. Kim seemed to notice some kind of commotion outside, her long and quick strides taking her outside just in time. Your mother was holding Orwell arm length away, over the fence and the other’s flowers. Her wrist was coated with the most disgusting stroke of dark brown, while an equally as disgusted expression decorated her face. Orwell’s face was one of relief, his mouth widening in an accidental smile, finally being offered some kind of alleviation.  

“Your mother, I swear to God, I love that woman” Taehyung whispered, loud enough for you to hear, and while in your half-high state, you could only nod in response, wiping a few stray tears away. Taehyung would get along perfectly well with your mother if it wasn’t for the whole drama surrounding you. Neither of the two women know that Taehyung and you were friends, let alone in a relationship, and for a very logical reason, neither of you ever brought that topic up with them.  

“Are we still ok for today?” He asked, once your mother let Orwell down and ran back inside. Her fingers pinched her nose, preventing the horrible smell of poop from causing any more torture. It was easy to catch his eyes again, balance finally on your side, as you stood up and leaned against the metal bars of the balcony.  

“2? That’s in like half an hour?” You asked, eyes darting towards an imaginary watch on your wrist. He nodded and tilted his head slightly to the left, bangs falling gracefully over his face. What an angel.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”  

“You don’t wanna go out, do you?” Taehyung asked, faint smile playing on his lips. It was a casual Saturday, that one day of the week no student really bothered doing schoolwork, rather dedicating the whole day to staying home and binge-watching whichever show they found suitable.

Suddenly, a yell of his name echoed throughout their house, faint sound making it to your own ears too. It startled him, look of confusion and surprise overtaking his facial expression. The voice belonged to his mother, tone harsh and hurried, familiar to the one yours used to call today’s senate. Then, as if on que, the two of you looked at each other, smiled and nodded. Apparently, Mrs. Kim has already made up a plan how to get back at your mother and it had to be set on the table as fast as possible.

“Your turn” You said.

“My turn” Taehyung replied.

“Well then, text me when it’s over, Taehyungie”  

⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰

“Oh, dear lord”

Taehyung’s head rested comfortably on your lap, legs raised on to the bench. His hands flapped around the free space available, explaining whichever fiasco was going on in his house. If you heard and understood right, over the obnoxiously loud volume of your laughter, Mrs. Kim was going to hire a kid two blocks away to knock at your door and throw a cake into your mother’s face. Taehyung’s face was one of pure disbelief, left hand occasionally coming up to his mouth while his eyes rolled the perfect 360. Your parents were most definitely bigger kids than you were when you were 5.  

Your hands threaded through Taehyung’s soft strands of hair, gently massaging his scalp and earning satisfied groans in return. Taehyung loved when you played with his hair, your fingers moving just right to completely relax him.  

Looking into the distance, your eyes caught a relatively special sight. A boy and a girl sprinted across the park, hiding behind a set of ramified bushes, evidently running away from someone. Upon following the direction of their gaze, you saw a middle-aged woman with a stern face pacing through the same path they ran by just a minute ago.

In unison, as if annunciated, Taehyung and you spoke up.  

“Remember when that happened to us?”  

Two years ago, Taehyung asked you to come hang out with him at the nearby park. He planned on informing you about the newest plan that was in conception inside of the Kim house. Back then, your friendship was relatively new, the excitement of having such a special friend resulting in constant meetings with the other. After finding out that the women in “fight” were your mothers, you became extremely close, almost inseparable. Daily stories brought you out almost daily, smiles and laughs way too important to miss.

Just as he was setting his head down onto your shoulder, listening to whatever you had to say, Taehyung’s eyes caught a sight of a way too familiar woman. One of relatively small built, short brown hair and straight posture, walking with a slight jump in her steps. Taehyung’s hand immediately grabbed yours, dragging you away from the bench and behind thick bush just a few steps to the left. It took a moment for you to realize what was happening, especially after witnessing Taehyung’s brazen smile as he peeked over the branches.  

It was Mrs. Kim, probably returning from her work earlier than expected. She didn’t seem to notice you, eyes staring far into the distance, looking but not seeing. Thankfully, your boyfriend managed to spot her and react, before your agreement burned to ashes.  

The agreement? The two of you decided to not reveal the friendship (relationship) to your parents, or at least the female half until you’ve had your fair share of entertainment. There was a modest dose of irrational fear that if they somehow managed to gain the knowledge of you two, they wouldn’t continue their war; probably put off by the idea of their children being friends. So, until any kind of notice, Taehyung sealed the deal with a pinky promise that the friendship will only ever stay a secret inside of the two households.

Somehow, eventually, your father found out, probably upon noticing his daughter waiting for someone in front of their gate, every single workday. Upon further exploration, and interrogation, he got you to admit it was Taehyung you waited for, followed by the whole history of your friendship and your previously stated agreement. He promised to not voice out a word about it to your mother, very understanding of your reasons. Unfortunately, his knowledge only reached to the friendship barrier, the detail that Taehyung was your boyfriend now, still very well hidden from him.

“That was so long ago, why am I still putting up with you?” You sarcastically said, moving a few stray strands away from his forehead, smiling the moment your eyes met. Taehyung had beautiful, big brown eyes that always comforted you and brought a certain feeling of home. You often wondered how on heaven’s earth did you get so lucky to be blessed with the angel named Kim Taehyung? Have you mayhaps ended World War II to get such a chance in life?

“Have you ever thought about teaming up against them?” Taehyung asked, hope noticeable in his voice.  

“To be honest, no, but now that you’ve mentioned it, it seems pretty interesting” You replied, already intrigued by his idea. Then, wouldn’t that make your relationship known, therefore interrupting the chain reaction of constant pranks? 

Anyway, it didn’t matter, because the conversation didn’t grow from there. The suggestion didn’t have any positive nor negative outcome, question barely floating in the air before it disappeared. Truly, what would you do? The creativeness of your parents was way above yours, would you ever be able to compete with these masterminds?

Upon your walk home, you passed by an all too familiar household. The Charles. A two floored, obnoxiously white house with curtains that were always hiding the inside from the outside world. In there, lived an elderly couple that no one liked. Especially the younger part of the neighborhood. Of course, Taehyung and you fell into that group of people too.

Why so? It was simple – they were complete and utter cunts. Imagine two pre-pubescent 12 year olds that are going through their “quirky” phase, trying to mess with other teenagers and prove themselves as the shits? Exactly, pair that up with raging hormones of the previously mentioned teenagers – all trapped inside of two eighty something year old bodies. Science still can’t explain such a phenomenon.  

Suddenly, Taehyung felt small ball of strange texture hitting the back of his head. Cringing and craning his neck back, Taehyung felt a sticky and wet patch on the place he has been hit on. Immediately looking down and noticing a tiny wet and scrunched up paper ball, Taehyung’s eyes moved up to witness the door closing.

“Fucking hell, don’t you have some decency? Wrinkly rag” Taehyung hissed at the direction of their door, hand rubbing the back of his neck. It wasn’t the (non-existent) physical pain that irritated him, it was mostly the mental pain that he had to endure each time such thing happened. And to know that it will happen again the next time he passed by, wasn’t offering him any kind of relief. Were all adults and elders in this part of the town more childish than the younger citizens of it?

“I’m getting sick of them, ever since I saw that old man’s tinky winky, I gag at even the slightest sight of their house” You added, hand coming up to hold at the bottom of your throat, choking sounds leaving your lips. Taehyung audibly gasped at your proclamation, eyes almost popping out of their sockets. When your head turned to look at him, his mouth that hung wide open greeted you.

“He showed you his what?!” He yelled, not believing the words that left your mouth just a few seconds ago.

“Taehyung you’re acting as if I asked him to show it to me! Didn’t you tell me the woman flashed you a few weeks ago too?!” Now it was your time to laugh, but your entertainment was soon cut short, as Taehyung decided to remind you of the terror he went through. Very vividly.

“Her tits were the saggiest shit ever when I tell you! I swear to God titties have been ruined for me ever since that happened!” Taehyung bit back, hand covering his big eyes quick, as if closing them will prevent the mental image from playing before them. If Taehyung had a chance to delete any memory from his mind, no matter how horrifying or embarrassing, he’d choose to forget those two sacks of fat reaching the other’s knees. Gosh that was such a terrifying sight.

“When we’re talking about unfortunate events regarding “family exhibition kink”, remember when Hoseok said he saw them-”

“I swear to god if you put one more mental image into my head- the poor guy couldn’t sleep with anyone for weeks because of that!” Taehyung whined, shaking his head extremely fast, flashbacks of Hoseok’s storytime replaying in his mind.

“How about we use them as a diversion for our counterattack on our mothers?” you asked, to which Taehyung only hummed along, mumbling something along the lines of “we’ll see”.

⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰

Usually, your father was home during this time of the day, but thankfully to his old discovery, Taehyung was able to freely visit and hang out at yours whenever suitable. To be quite honest, your father adored the tall, ashy haired boy. Taehyung’s appearance always bribed out the biggest smile from him. Somehow, they shared similar interests. Although the age gap was over 20 years, their conversations were always so intense and interesting to listen to. It didn’t help that both of them were so well spoken, many great ideas and points expressed and left hanging in the air, waiting for someone to catch, write down and forever remember.

Often, Taehyung would forget the time your mother came back from work (you’d too, of course), but thankfully, your father was there to alarm you. He’d either speak loudly when the entrance door opened, or he’d beat the woman to it and open the door before she did it herself, automatically drawing attention.

Then, Taehyung, with his recently discovered trait of having cat legs (always falling on to his feet), would open the back window and jump outside, firstly finding purchase on your hind plastic container, then the ground and over the high fence into his own garden. When he tried escaping for the first time, the container wasn’t there, therefore he had to think quick before the woman climbed up into the room. Having long legs, under the bed wasn’t a suiting spot and being way too tall, the inside of your small closet wasn’t available either.  

Just two seconds after his jump, you heard a painful groan from beneath the window, but there was no time, you only had enough of it to close the window and draw the curtains.  

Only later, did you find out that Taehyung sprained his ankle and had to lie about it to his parents.

From: SpillTheTae – 17:31

“I sprained my ankle and had to blame it on running after the bus”

To: SpillTheTae – 17:32

“Taehyung you never take the bus”

From: SpillTheTae – 17:34

“I fucking know! Now I’m grounded because mom thinks I left our area without telling her???”

To: SpillTheTae – 17:34

“Y-you’re an adult, y-you can move wherever you want Taehyung”

From: SpillTheTae – 17:35

“Mind coming over and explaining that to her? :)”

To: SpillTheTae – 17:36

“I’d rather not lol”

Seen ✓

This time however, Taehyung made sure to check outside for the position of the green container. Unsurprisingly, it was on its place, waiting for the impact that was yet to come. Taehyung sat on your bed, patting the empty spot beside him. Taking it as a que to join him, you crossed the small distance between your now closed door and the comfort of your bed. His big hands found purchase on your waist, swift movement bringing your frame down to comfortably rest on his strong lap. A barely audible sigh left your lips, already occupied by another pair on them.  

Kissing Taehyung always felt magical, different factors upping the experience each time that it happened. His hands would often escape under your arms, wrapping around tender shoulder blades, as he tried to pull you the closest he ever could to himself. They’d often stray underneath the thin fabric of the shirt you wore, but only for a second, before finding their next purchase. Taehyung’s lips would sometimes graze the sensitive spots under your soft jawline, bribing out the most beautiful of sounds that served as a reward to his delicate work. You’d push him down so his back rested over the comfortable covers, never failing to notice whenever his exceptionally big palms moved south, cupping or squeezing your ass.

It was a surprise that your father never asked you about any deeper relation that you might have with Taehyung. Usually, he’d ask about your best friend, nothing more, referring to the boy you brought home way too often. Truthfully, he has had his fair share of doubts, but upon going years without any notice, they were dismissed, the image of perfect best friends replacing them. Maybe it was for the better.

After thirty minutes of a rather steamy make out session, you laid on Taehyung’s side, one leg propped over his, fingers trailing invisible patterns on his wide chest. The boy was humming a familiar melody, the one that he had reserved for special moments like these. Rarely he would sing, self-conscious about his singing voice, despite your repetitive attempts at convincing otherwise.

Abruptly, the door clicked. The alarm went off.

“Oh, you’re home early again!” Your father all but screamed at your mother, spit probably spraying all over her beautiful face. She greeted him with as much enthusiasm, first hugging and then kissing the other with much love, like always. She disposed her heavy handbag on to the living room table, hefty coat already draped over the coat hanger. Your mother was quick to ask if you’ve arrived home, already familiar with your usual Saturday whereabouts.  

Usually, upon seeing the open door of your room, the other would reply yes, waiting for your happy frame to pop up and run towards them. This time, unlike all the others, it didn’t happen and your father began panicking. Have you not heard him? Did the two of you fall asleep?

“How did your day go?” The man tried again, voice rising in volume for at least two TV lines. The woman looked at him with confusion in her eyes, uncertain as for why did her husband begin screaming all of the sudden. She wanted to laugh, corners of those soft lips already tilting downwards, cheeks working in opposition and rising higher each passing moment.

“What’s up with you today?” Your mother asked, although the question was rhetorical. No answer was anticipated, feet already carrying her smaller form up the stairs and towards the closed door. The man downstairs prayed to all the outer forces that you heard him, as if this was the worst possible thing that could happen in your lives. The scene was pretty hilarious, if it were filmed and edited well enough, it would probably look like a cut from The Office.

“I think she may be sleeping!” This time you’ve heard him. Somehow, Taehyung’s humming and warm embrace managed to captivate you so well that your father’s attempts went by unnoticed. Third time’s a charm, right? Right?

Panic. That’s all you felt at that moment, pushing your boyfriend off the bed and ushering him towards the open window. Taehyung seemed to need a moment to regain his composure and thoughts, before he was moving the endless curtains, stepping over the edge and preparing for a quick jump. Even after meeting eyes with your panicked ones, he dared to steal another fast kiss, before he was off and gone.

Just in time. The door opened, presenting your mother, dressed in full black and with a huge smile spread on her lips. She walked over, enveloping you in her arms, a tight hug preventing any movement from your side. Suddenly, a faint “god damn” was heard from underneath your open window, the wind flowing through your room shutting the door quick with a loud pang. The woman let go of you, eyebrows scrunching in a confused and curious manner that overtook her features. Closing your eyes, you breathed out heavily, head moving left and right softly, disbelief filling your whole being.  

“Who was that?” She asked, moving quick towards the open exit, head peeking out quick. As quick of a runner as Taehyung was, it just wasn’t enough. Exactly the moment his figure partly escaped behind the corner of your house, your mother looked out, catching the last sight of his right leg and hand that grabbed onto the edge to soften the turn. She noticed the unique pattern on their converse and shiny rings on each of their fingers – each one except the ring finger. How convenient.  

“Who was that?” The woman tried again, watching as your pupils dilated and trembled. Yet, although your leg began to jump as a result of anxiety, you tried to gain some composure and regain your poker face. Somehow, it worked, hell, it was everything at stake here, and you managed to shrug and dismiss the topic with your hand in such manner that seemed perfectly convincing.

Instead of opting to stay in your room and stand a chance to continue with the investigation, you headed down the stairs, meeting a relieved looking man at the end of them. Seemingly he noticed that the procedure, apart from being a close call, went well, and after your nod of confirmation, he walked back to his usual spot on the couch.

God fucking damn you, Kim Taehyung.

⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰

Since then, your mother was more cautious and attentive, questions about a possible boyfriend floating around more often. To those suggestive brow rises and “touchy subjects” your father would act rather defensive, frequently dismissing the topic with a mention of your best friend. The woman didn’t know that boy either. So, over the course of a few days, she pushed on the idea of meeting this beautiful man that you apparently hung out daily with. A seemingly easy problem to fix – apart from Taehyung’s overdramatic response when you told him Hoseok will have to do the job.

Hoseok, a close friend of yours, was someone you’ve met a year ago in school, he was a year older than Taehyung, and also a lot different personality wise from your boyfriend. He lived a few streets away and rarely did you see him out of school, but when you did, it was probably a highlight of the week.  

From: SpillTheTae – 11:19

“Wow is that another man I hear coming over”

To: SpillTheTae – 11:19

“You’re invited too if you want”

From: SpillTheTae – 11:20

“If you don’t want your boyfriend’s dick to serve as war loot, then no xxx”

To: SpillTheTae – 11:20

“What if you’re wrong there?”  

From: SpillTheTae – 11:20

“Your kinks are becoming more and more weird, I don’t think I can keep up baby”

Seen ✓

Hoseok’s visit went by pretty well, considering this was his first time over and first time meeting your parents. His movements were forced, legs too stiff as he crossed them over. Left heel skipped up and down repeatedly as he listened to whatever your father was saying. Hoseok was someone who has never had any problems meeting new people and blending into the environment, but this encounter with people two generations (and more) older than him, just wasn’t a favorable cup of tea.

To be quite honest, the whole situation wasn’t the most comfortable for you either. If Taehyung were on the elder's place, it might’ve brought many negative reactions from the female part of your household, but at least the hand on your knee would’ve felt more comforting. Thankfully, the man seemed to sense your discomfort and eventual hesitation to showing much skinship, so the hand retreated back to his lap.

Your father sensed the tension pretty quick, at the beginning of the whole fiasco actually. The visit seemed like this young man (that he met today) came to an interrogation rather than a casual hang out. Yet really, who really came to hang out with someone’s parents?

Taehyung, being extremely curious about the whole situation, wouldn’t stop texting you. Constant buzzing soon forced you to silence the device, but that didn’t stop him from annoying you further. Eventually, after Hoseok was cut some slack by your mother (who was pleasantly surprised that you’ve brought someone so energetic and handsome home), he relaxed further, accepting to read and reply to your boyfriend’s messages with you. To anyone else - your parents too - this act seemed like two teenagers gaming and watching videos, when it was actually three people playing, three people in the room, listening, talking.

Eventually, you suggested moving up to your room with a quick hum and thumbs up in the direction of the stairs. Hoseok shook his hand in dismissal, moving his left sleeve up to check out his wrist, no clock or accessory currently on it. Thankfully, no one else other than you managed to catch a glimpse of the unoccupied patch of skin, a small laugh escaping through your pursued lips. Forcing out a sigh, Hoseok jumped up, a slight frown on his lips, before he was quick to pull down the sleeve and head towards the door.

“You haven’t even stayed for lunch” The woman in front of you said, disappointment evident in her strong voice. “We expected you to stay a bit longer”.  

“I’m sorry Mrs.,” He replied, cute pout currently situated on his lips buying him enough sympathy from the other already. “I have some errands to run, it’s a Thursday after all... I barely made some time for a visit today, although thank you from the depths of my heart for such a heartwarming welcome”. Before leaving, Hoseok made sure to bow quickly, a short ‘goodbye’ left hanging above the shoe rack as the door closed behind him.

“What a nice young man, I can only sense great energy from him” Your mother replied tone serious and determined, ready to voice out her conclusions from this meeting. “Have you ever thought about stepping your friendship up with him?” She turned to you, eyes expectant and full of optimism. Shaking your head and snorting at her direction as a sign of disbelief, you caught a sight of your father behind her, hands covering his mouth. He oh so desperately tried to sustain laughs from spilling out as the other pushed on the idea of you two being the cutest couple ever.

Oh god little did she know...

⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰

Unfortunately, a secret as big as your relationship couldn’t stay undisclosed forever. Despite many attempts to stay hidden and carefully choosing your whereabouts when hanging out, it unveiled in a quite regretful and accidental matter. Now how did that exactly happen...

After whole two days of planning, Taehyung and you finally managed to wrap your minds around putting a rather easy plan into action. The whole preparation ran around faking a shocking or surprising event organized by the elderly couple a few blocks away (which, really wasn’t hard considering the Charles family), then snitch on “them” like toddlers would to their parents. Considering the overprotective nature of your mothers towards their two most precious angels, they were to get straight on to plotting a revenge. That way, both of you, the rest of the tortured teenagers and your mothers (although without an actual reason) would get some payback for all these years of torment.

The plan was seemingly flawless, the reason and time already settled, the only thing needed being realization of the said arrangement. Thankfully, even spring worked in your favor, letting you have a whole week of perfect weather for the said attainment. Only, had it not been for a rather huge detail that you seemed to completely miss.  

It didn’t help that Mrs. Kim was plowing a small patch of land, for what you assumed were her future roses, at the same time. A hurried pair of young adults ran up the street and stuck to the entrance gate like bird shit instantly sticks to the windshield of a car. It didn’t take long for Mrs. Kim to notice these two exhausted creatures hurriedly catching breaths while leaning on to the wooden planks. For a quick moment, she felt a dose of empathy, even sympathy, as she straightened her back and walked towards them, ready to offer a refreshing drink. Yet, as expected, the reaction wasn’t so positive when the two heads moved up, facing the older.  

“Taehyung?!” Mrs. Kim yelled her son’s name, but her eyes were boring holes into yours, intently watching each move of your muscles – waiting for a lunge. But you weren’t a predator, you weren’t an animal, a monster, whatever her crazy mind labeled you as. “What are you doing here?!” Her voice was dripping venom, but cautious steps indicated that the woman was indeed a harmless kind. All talk but no action.

“The Charles household have once again been cunts to us-” Taehyung began, voice harsh but uneven as a result of lack of breath. Despite having an admirable stamina, your boyfriend still had trouble breathing properly. Mrs. Kim still had her irises trained on to you, evidently not paying attention to whatever her son had to say. Catching every third word, she tried to understand the story, while also planning what her next words would be. Taehyung continued blabbering, letting your heartbeat and breaths steady, all while his increased in speed. You heard every word from his mouth, swearing that his acting proved to be so good that it had you believing it for a quick moment.

The woman in front of you just didn’t care, her next words being a solid proof of that. “The two of you were together?” She asked, for the first time, finally, turning to face Taehyung. Taehyung didn’t want to directly answer her question, opting to continue adding more details to the fake story, when she cut him off. “Taehyung.” A warning. “Why is she here?”

At that moment, as if called, your mother walked outside, apron still tied tightly around her waist. Her eyebrows furrowed upon seeing firstly Mrs. Kim and then Taehyung in your company. Through her mind flew a thousand possible scenarios, harmful and harmless, and she was quick to run towards your side.  

“Well hello” Your mother chimed in, surprising everyone else present. A sly smile played on the corners of her lips, eyes glimmering like water under clear moonlight. Protectively, the older put an arm around your shoulders, watching as the other woman did so too to her son. Taehyung and you exchanged funny looks, cheeks rising to almost impossible heights. “What’s happening? Am I interrupting something important?”

“I’d gladly stuff your mouth with dirt to stop you from asking any more questions, but I guess Taehyung has something to tell you” Mrs. Kim said, widening her lips in a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. Fake as her current tolerance for the other woman. After not receiving an answer, the older whacked the back of Taehyung’s neck, making him wince in pain.  

Your boyfriend was quick to comply to the previous request, repeating his speech, word by word like the two of you revised not even an hour ago. Your mother slowly, but noticeably lifted her hand from your side, now stepping forwards to look at you in disbelief, all while the boy was still talking. It was obvious that the woman had same doubts and questions that the other put on the table not a while ago.

“Now explain to me why the two of you were toget- Wait" She began, but a moment of sudden realization seemed to interrupt a train of thought. Her eyes were trained on to Taehyung who was currently tying his shoelaces, crouching with one knee on the ground. His converse looked extremely familiar, but she would’ve dismissed it as a coincidence if it wasn’t for the matching, shiny rings. On each finger except the ring finger.

“You were the one that I saw running through my yard a few days ago!” Your mother screamed, hand coming up over her mouth quick, trying to stop any unwilling gasps of realization from spilling. It was him, that son of a literal bitch. “It was you!” She pointed at him with a tender finger, almost threatening to stab him with her long nails.  

Mrs. Kim looked at her son in confusion, obviously demanding some kind of explanation. To this sudden knowledge of you two “accidentally” being in each other’s presence, experiencing the same terror from “The Charle’s”, Taehyung’s appearance in your yard just added fuel to the already expanding fire. Both women weren’t stupid, the puzzle was solving itself slowly, all pieces coming to place one by one.

Then they turned towards you, eyes wide and expectant, as if you were about to reveal the world’s top secret. Your eyes were trained on the ground, sometimes moving from a stray crack in concreate to the beautiful hands and long fingers of your significant other. He seemed to look up at just the perfect moment, catching the mischievous glint that your pupils offered. If we’re going down, let’s go down with style.  

Suddenly, Taehyung was lunging forwards, his huge hand enveloping yours, pulling you away and giving you little time to catch up with his fast pace. It took a few trips and slips from your part, but thankfully, Taehyung would slow down and prevent you from falling. Surprisingly, neither of the two women were running behind, just looking down the street with dumbfounded expressions and open mouth.

Taehyung took that moment to stop you and cup your cheeks, delivering a hurried but passionate kiss to your lips. There was barely enough time to reach upwards and wrap your hands around his neck, as he squeezed your hips tighter and closer to him. He didn’t intend to dive in for a second kiss, but the plump red of your lips and lovestruck eyes were way too inviting. Now, his hands moved upwards, crossing and resting on your shoulder blades, trying to portray just how much love he held for you through one tight hug. Fuck both of you were so lucky to have each other.

Honestly, the purpose of Taehyung’s kiss wasn’t to hold a make out session in the middle of the street, but he didn’t mind that it had developed into it. Breaking apart, he grabbed your delicate hand once again and continued running, all while listening to your surprised and happy giggles behind him.  

He turned around through, and sent a peace sign followed by a sincere grin in the direction of the two mothers that now presented the biggest smiles of their own.

“To say that I didn’t expect this to happen, would be a lie” Your mother said, leaning against the gate with one arm. She looked at the other, nodding her head in understanding upon witnessing her smile for the first time. “It has always been in the back of my mind, just sitting there, a what if...”

“It’s like a cliché rom-com, isn’t it?” Mrs. Kim asked, voice chirpy.

“It really is, we should write this and make it a proper movie, bet it would be popular” Both women laughed, sharing one of the greatest moments together. Mrs. Kim straightened her back, wiped a few stray tears that managed to spill from laughing so suddenly, and proceeded to ask a question she never thought she would.

“Wanna come over for a cup of coffee?”  

Your mother was surprised at that, but accepted the offer nonetheless. In any other situation she would’ve answered no, a huge sceptic inside of her screaming that it was a bait for whatever “that rotten bitch” was to pull out next. But today, oh today, was a different page, chapter, story, calm after the storm. Excusing herself for a moment so she could dispose her apron, your mother yelled at the other to prepare papers and pens so they can begin writing their movie plot, to which Mrs. Kim once again laughed.

Unfortunately, you weren’t there to experience the reunion. Yet, the sudden disappearance of ugly nicknames and pranks were a good enough indicator of what happened while you two were away, kissing on your favorite spot in the park.

⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰

AN: Oh god this took forever to proofread,,, anyway I had so much fun writing this, hopefully you had fun reading it! This is probably the longest one shot I’ve ever written tbh,,, thank you for reading, i love u sooooo much and i hope to see you again soon!

#taehyung #kim taehyung #taehyung scenario #taehyung imagine #taehyung fanfiction #taehyung fluff #taehyung crack #taehyung boyfriend #boyfriend taeyhung #bts #bts scenario #bts imagine #bts fanfiction #bts fluff #bts crack #boyfriend bts #bts boyfriend #kpop #kpop imagine #kpp fanfiction #kpop fluff #kpop scenario #kpop crack #boyfriend kpop #namjoon #kim namjoon #seokjin #kim seokjin #yoongi #min yoongi

[katedrakeohd]

The softer side of Neville..

I had fun writing this for @sirbeepsalot and the #SofterSideofNeville prompt. I hope everyone likes it.

Word count: 4164..( it kind of got away from me. LOL)

Writer tags: @dcbbw @choicesarehard @jovialyouthmusic @ritachacha @tornbetween2loves @bobasheebaby

Warnings: None really, I guess you could rate it PG.

_______

_Masquerade_

A month after King Liam's coronation the Capital city was abuzz with preparations for the annual Harvest Festival. It was the last social event of the year where the Palace and grounds were open to the public. All over the city Cordonia's citizens were gathering their family's best recipes in hopes of winning the pie baking contest.

A week before the Masquerade Ball, costume designers and local stores were busy with shoppers looking for something special to wear. It was a black tie event and by invitation only. Rumors among gossip magazines, entertainment blogs, and social media outlets were flying with who among Hollywood's elite might be there.

In a menswear shop on Fenton Street, the Capital's posh upscale shopping district, Lord Neville Vancoeur and his friend Earl Rashad Domvalier were browsing through designer suits.

"Neville if you show up in another boring Armani suit it's hardly going to be a costume." Rashad scoffed.

Neville rolls his eyes, "No kidding. So this time I'm looking for some inspiration. If I'm going to be rubbing elbows with commoners, nobility and celebrities alike I want to look good. For the first time in decades, Cordonia has a young King who everyone wants to get to know."

Rashad was looking forward to seeing the ladies at the Ball. His father was anxious for him to find a wife and settle down, but Rashad wasn't quite ready for commitment just yet. He was more interested in finding a hot Hollywood girlfriend. He wasn't sure about Neville's romantic ambitions though, he'd never seen his friend successfully pick up a date at any one of these events.

"So Neville, do you have a theme in mind for your costume? A rakish, well dressed comic book supervillain perhaps? Or  something more from a classic movie character angle." Rashad wondered out loud as he looked through a rack of pinstriped dark suits.

Neville pauses from where he was looking at dress shirts, "Hey, that's not a bad idea."

"Which one?" Rashad raises an eyebrow.

"Either one. Hmmm, do you think I could pull off that dark grey pinstriped suit and that fedora as a gangster or something?"

Rashad narrows his eyes, trying to picture Neville as Al Capone or Elliot Ness from the Untouchables.

"Eh, I don't know. But that dark suit with a top hat would make you an excellent Penquin from DCs Batman."

Neville tilts his head, trying to picture it. "You know what? I like it. I wonder if they have a suit jacket with tails?"

As Neville walks over to the shop employee to ask, Rashad chuckles to himself. He could totally see Neville pulling off the dapper yet cunning Oswald Cobblepot.

Rashad frowned in thought. What could he wear to the Ball? He wanted to look handsome, not foolish. Checking out his reflection in the mirror he considered his dark features, piercing eyes and slim but athletic build. What heroic movie character could he fit into?  Spotting a black pair of suit pants and an embroidered white shirt on a rack behind him in the mirror, his eyes go wide when his mind clicks onto an idea.

Zorro. Oh my goodness why hadn't he thought about that before?

Spinning back around, his eyes searched the shop for clothing pieces he could put together.

At the Palace boutique, Hana, Madeleine, Riley and Olivia were looking through dresses for costume inspiration. Riley would be on Drake's arm and she had convinced him to wear a tuxedo. He had balked at the idea of dressing fancy but she had insisted. Now she was wondering what to wear to look nice next to him.

"No, no, no." Olivia protested. "None of these dresses are the right style." She had planned to wear a sexy vampire costume with a mask. She'd already had the mask custom made to fit her face, and none of the Palace dress offerings were good enough to go with it.

Hana and Riley both roll their eyes at Olivia's whining. Riley speaks up, "You must have something suitable at home then. I know how much you covet the color red."

Madeleine turns away from the rack she's looking at and folds her arms, sneering at Olivia. "Oh please, she'd look much better in something black to match her cold dead heart."

Olivia scowls at her, "You're one to talk. Why Liam chose you as Queen is beyond me. Oh look Maddy, here's an icy blue dress that would suit your cold heart too."

Hana smirks, "Oh would you two just let it go already."

Riley picks up on the 'Elsa' reference and bursts out laughing. Olivia and Madeleine both scowl at her, not getting the joke.

Still giggling, Riley tries to catch her breath. "So Hana, do you have a date for the Ball?"

Hana bites her lip, "Not really. But I'm assuming Maxwell will be without a date either, so he'll make do as a companion."

Olivia scoffs, "You two are both so foolishly cheerful most of the time you make a good pair. I'm assuming Riley is going to stumble around the dance floor with the oafish Mr. Walker."

Riley frowns, "Hey, we've been taking dance lessons. I'm sure Drake and I will manage just fine."

Olivia turns to leave the boutique, "Whatever you say. I have some calls to make to my favorite dress designer. Good luck Ladies."

The night of the Ball, Drake goes to Riley's room to pick her up. Stopping outside her door he tugs at the white collar of his dress shirt, trying to loosen the strangled sensation his black bowtie was causing around his neck. Sucking in a deep breath to calm his nerves, he lets it out slowly then knocks.

Standing at her mirror, Riley fixes her earring. She was wearing a long black satin gown that skimmed her curvy figure in places, and hugged it in others. It was cut low in the back, and dropped into a deep vee in the front. She hoped the ballroom wasn't going to be too chilly. On her face she wore a black lace cat mask. Her hair was in a partial updo, secured with a black sparkly clip, the rest of her hair falling in chestnut curls  against her shoulders. Her makeup was simple, so as not to be ruined by the mask, and she wore a bright red lipstick that matched her fingernails.

"Come in," she says when she hears Drake's knock.

Drake swings the door open, "I hope you're rea-.." Then his mind goes blank. Wow, she looked incredible. Turning around, Riley smirks at his dumbstruck expression. Walking over to him she straightens his tie.

"What's the matter Drake, cat got your tongue?"

The cat's got my everything tied up in knots at the moment, he thought.

Having her so close to him in that ridiculously sexy dress, those red lips of hers turned up in a sly grin, he felt warm all over. He needed to get control of himself, quickly, if he was going to lead her into the ballroom and not embarrass them both. Damnit she was still touching him, smoothing the lapels of his jacket...

Drake steps back, brushing her hands aside. "Ahem, enough fussing over me Brooks. I already feel like I'm dressed like one of the waiters."

Riley scoops up her clutch from the desk and then takes his arm.

"Nonsense Drake, you look very handsome, even if a tux isn't really much of a costume. Who are supposed to be?"

Drake leads her out of the door then closes it. He hadn't a clue what to say at first, but then glancing at the cat mask she was wearing he had a spark of inspiration.

"I'm Bruce Wayne."

A red carpet lolled out of the doors of the Palace like the long tongue of a snake. Flashbulbs of press photographers bombarded each limousine and sleek luxury car as it pulled up to eject its passengers.

Flocks of Nobles from all over Cordonia and Europe, Hollywood movie stars, and local dignitaries were arriving. Some wore elaborate costumes, some wore formal wear and masks, and some were just dressed in formal wear.

Neville and Rashad shared the backseat of a limousine. Waiting in a long line of other sleak automobiles, they were both getting impatient at the delay.

Rashad shifted in his seat again, adjusting his mask, every time he moved the sword he wore at his side rattled. Neville rolled his eyes at him and sighed.

"Seriously Rashad, the Palace security isn't going to let you into the Ball wearing that thing. Even if it is part of your costume."

Rashad looked over at Neville. With his top hat, monocle, and cane he looked like the dapper gentleman. He felt kind of foolish in his black mask, bolero hat and tall boots. But he had no doubts about who was going to catch more attention from the women. He wish he could have arrived on horseback since it suited his Spanish persona better. The press would have eaten it up.

Hana and Riley are standing next to a table of hors d'oeurves and sipping champagne. Drake had ditched Riley shortly after they made their grand entrance into the ballroom. When the camera flashes had gone off, Drake's body had stiffened and Riley had to keep a death grip on his arm to stop him from running away. Once he had spotted Hana at the hors d'oeurves table he escorted her that far and then made himself scarce. Riley didn't mind, because she knew these sort of events weren't his kind of thing, but she had made him promise to give her at least one waltz before the night was over.

The two ladies were oohing and aweing over the various costumes and trying to pick out the celebrities and nobles that they recognized.

Hana, in her flowered goddess of spring costume dress was getting plenty of looks of her own. With Riley's dark and sleek next to her sweet and ethereal they were the perfect picture of opposites. Yin and Yang.

Hana took a sip of her champagne and then gestured to a group of men standing across the room, nursing drinks and plates of food of their own.

"I can pick out Drake for sure, because for once his dressed up tuxedo looks casual compared to the other guys. But who is that guy in the tophat, tails and gloves? I don't recognize him."

Riley takes a moment to appreciate Drake in his tux, and then looks over the other men. She didn't know many of the noblemen at court, but she could pick out most of the Hollywood celebrities.

"I haven't a clue but the tall man in the bolero hat and boots looks like a tasty snack."

Hana takes in his costume and frowns. "He looks like a cross between a thief and a pirate. What is he dressed as?"

Riley takes a sip of her champagne and then smiles as she catches his eye from across the room. "He's not wearing the sword, but that is definitely a Zorro costume."

"What's a Zorro?" Hana asks.

"Not a what, a who. He stole from the rich and gave to the poor, sort of a Spanish version of Robin Hood." Riley says.

As the orchestra begins the first waltz of the evening, guests start pairing up. Drake stays rooted to his spot, there wasn't enough whiskey in him yet to attempt any dancing foolishness. The costumed  men next to him were openly debating which available women they wanted to proposition to be a dance partner. He eavesdropped on their conversation, waiting for the chance to defend the honour of Riley or Hana if they received any harsh comments.

Neville sipped his wine, and listened to Rashad talk about his options as he scanned the room himself.

"The dark haired vixen over there keeps looking at me." Rashad says, tipping his hat at Riley.

Drake frowns and then interrupts, "Actually I think she's wearing a cat mask."

Rashad smirks at Drake, "Oh believe me, I know a fox when I see one. Pardon me, I think I've found my first partner for the evening."

Before Drake can protest, Rashad weaves his way across the dancefloor and makes his way over to Hana and Riley.

Neville notices Drake's frown deepen as Rashad sweeps his cape to the side with a flourish, removes his hat and bows low to kiss Riley's hand.

"You seem to be interested in her as well, do you know her?" Neville says turning to Drake.

Drake tears his eyes away from Riley and Rashad, just realizing that the stranger next to him had asked him something.

"Huh? Oh yeah, I know her." Drake says, downing the last of his whiskey. 

When he looks back across the room he sees Hana standing by herself. Damn, that Zorro dickhead took her for a dance. He searches the crowd for his ridiculous hat, seeing them both on the far side of the room.

Neville gestures to Hana with his wine glass. "Well now that Rashad has claimed the girl in the black dress, why not take her for a spin instead? She is quite attractive."

Drake attempts to swallow the lump in his throat. He knew he couldn't keep up with the rest of the gentlemen dancers on the floor. He decides to spare Hana's toes from getting stomped on.

"Go ahead. She's a nice dancer. Her name is Hana by the way."

Neville grins, pulling off his hat and gloves and handing them to Drake. "I wouldn't mind at all, she does have a lovely smile. Here hold these will you?"

Drake is left alone at the bar, reluctantly holding Neville's things, as he strides over and approaches Hana. Looking down, he shoves the hat and gloves toward the bewildered bartender and then walks away.

Riley smiles up at Rashad as he whisks her across the dancefloor. He was an excellent dancer, even if she had to keep moving his hand off of her ass from time to time. He kept blaming it on the slippery nature of her gown, but she knew better. He held her against him a little too firmly at times as well, but she just went along with it. The dance wouldn't go on forever, and he was ridiculously charming. From time to time she spotted Hana dancing with someone as well. The dance steps of Hana's partner were more precise than romantic, and Riley wondered who he was. She'd lost sight of Drake entirely, and her scanning the room for him meant she often fell out of step with Rashad. He kept correcting her, and was losing his patience from her not following his lead.

Maxwell, carrying a plate of appetizers, finds Drake standing alone in the corridor between the ballroom and library. "Hey there Drake, I thought you came to this shindig with Riley?"

Drake sighs with exasperation. "Yes I know, but dancing isn't really my thing."

Maxwell looks hurt for a moment, since he was Drake and Riley's dance teacher, "But you were doing so well with your lessons."

"Dancing with Riley in private is one thing. But dancing with Riley with everyone else watching is something else." Drake replies, he really hated the idea of Riley dancing with somebody else, but he didn't want his own limitations to get in the way of her enjoying herself.

Maxwell pats him on the arm. "I understand buddy, big events like this can be overwhelming. But she's your date, and I know she would rather dance with you, squashed toes or not."

Drake nods, swiping the last shrimp canapé from Maxwell's plate and eating it. "You have a point. I promised her a dance afterall."

Maxwell smiles as Drake turns and walks back into the ballroom. "Go getter tiger."

As Drake makes his way through the crowd, he sees Liam talking with Madeleine nearby. Liam waves him over. Once he's within earshot Liam smiles and says, "So Drake, how are you enjoying the festivities so far?"

Drake shrugs, picking up a glass of  champagne from a passing server, "The food is tasty, but the drinks are better. So everything is fine."

Madeleine smirks, "High praise from Mr. Walker, so glad we're keeping you entertained."

Drake frowns at her and then downs his champagne. Stifling his burp with his fist. He feels amused at Madeleine's look of disgust.

Liam just shakes his head and grins. "So Drake are we going to see you on the floor during the upcoming Cordonian Waltz?"

Drake's eyebrows shoot up, and his eyes desperately search the crowd for Riley. "Uh, if I can find where my date has run off to sure!"

He breathes a sigh of relief when he sees Riley walking over to them. "Oh look there she is."

Drake smiles as Riley steps up to him and tucks her hand under his arm. "Good evening your Majesty, Countess Madeleine." she says with a curtsey.

Liam looks Riley over from top to toe and gives her a warm smile.

Madeleine quirks an eyebrow, taking in Riley's risque choice of dress. "Good evening Riley."

As the orchestra begins the opening notes of the Cordonian Waltz, Madeleine pats Liam on the arm to draw his attention away from Riley. "Uh sweetheart, shall we dance?"

Liam's face flushes slightly as she leads him away, "Oh certainly..."

Drake slips an arm around Riley's waist, feeling how thin her dress actually was, sweeping his hand over her hip he didn't feel any discernible undergarments. Leaning in he whispers in her ear, "Please tell me you're not naked under this dress."

Riley turns her face toward him, her lips a breath away from his. "Maybe, maybe not." she says.

Closing his eyes, Drake groans and then looks away. "You're trying to kill me aren't you?"

As Riley leads him onto the dancefloor she whispers, "You'd die a very happy man Drake."

As guests start pairing up again, Riley sees Hana being led onto the floor by Rashad, Penelope is in the arms of his friend.

Taking up the starting position Riley checks Drake's form, he seemed to be ok. "Ready?" she asks.

"Yup," he lied. Drake was terrified.

As they sweep through the first few steps without any problems, Drake feels his confidence rising. Maybe he could do this afterall.

They both stumble a little but manage to avoid eachother's toes, and the other dancers. Drake holds up his arm and watches Riley do her spin. He smiles and brings her in close, her back pressed up to his chest. As the music changes, Riley twirls out of his arms again. When she gives him a slight curtsey and then turns toward her next partner, Drake starts to panic. Oh crap! I forgot this was supposed to be a group thing.

Drake turns to accept his next partner. It's a woman in a bluish green costume dress, he guessed by the design and the sequins she was supposed to represent a mermaid. She flashes a dazzling white smile at him as he takes her hand, leading her through the same steps as he did Riley. He tries not to step on the hem of her sparkly dress as he goes through the motions. Her red curly hair kept whipping him in the face, and he clamps his mouth shut so he doesn't have to taste it too. When he raises her hand and she does her spin she giggles and nearly trips over her dress. He gasps and reaches out to grab her by the waist to steady her. When she leans in close and attempts to kiss him, he panics and pushes her away gently. "Uh sorry, but no thanks."

Looking at the other dancers around them, to see which move he was supposed to be doing, he carefully turns her around and after giving her a slight bow, hands her off to the next gentleman.

He takes a quick look around the room to see where Riley was. She was with a man he didn't recognize, but by her smile and blush she did seem to recognize him. Drake tries to ignore the person who was tapping him gently on the shoulder with a shrug. "Um Drake?"

He turns to see Hana, and then breathes a sigh of relief. "Oh thank God it's you. Please tell me this waltz ends soon."

He takes Hana's hand, not fighting her as she corrects his form and they go through the rest of the steps smoothly together. "Don't worry Drake," she says with a smile. "I should be your last partner."

Drake doesn't mind dancing with Hana, as she participated in Maxwell's dance lessons with him and Riley. She knew how to avoid his clumsy feet and smiled and nodded as he performed steps of a dance correctly. She was an excellent and patient teacher.

Drake smiles as she dances gracefully next to, and with him as the music ends. As he bows and she curtsies to end the waltz he's deeply relieved. "Thanks Hana. I'm so glad you didn't turn out to be another drunk mermaid."

Hana giggles and takes his arm as he leads her off the dance floor. "Oh my goodness Drake you poor thing."

Drake and Hana meet up with Riley, Rashad, Neville and Maxwell by the bar. Riley smiles and settles in next to Drake. He wraps his arm around her again, laying his hand on her hip. She wraps her arm behind him as well, tucking her thumb into his back pocket and cupping his ass cheek. Drake shoots her a warning look and she just smirks back at him with defiance.

Hana cozies up next to Maxwell, giving him a hug and a kiss on the cheek. Rashad and Neville exchange a surprised glance, assuming they're standing with two couples. Rashad removes his hat and mask, raking his hands back through his hair to fix it. He smiles and extends his hand to Maxwell in greeting.

"Lord Beaumont can you properly introduce us to your friends? I know we've both danced with these lovely ladies tonight but didn't know they were friends of yours."

Maxwell laughs and then shakes Rashad's hand, "Oh I'm sorry, sure. This lovely goddess of spring next to me is Miss Hana Lee of Shanghai.  Hana meet Earl Rashad Domvalier."

Hana and Riley remove their masks. Hana smiles, "It's a pleasure to meet you Rashad."

Rashad smiles, bowing low and taking Hana's hand and kisses it. "The pleasure is all mine Miss Lee. You are a lovely dancer."

"Thankyou Rashad, you're too kind."

No he's not, thought Neville. He's a lecherous lothario and if you only knew, you'd probably want to wash that hand Miss Lee.

Rashad straightens back up again, and then smiles, patting Neville on the back.

"Oh where are my manners? Lord Maxwell, Miss Lee, this gentleman next to me is Lord Neville Vancoeur."

Neville nods and smiles, "It's a pleasure to meet you both. And who are your other friends Lord Maxwell?"

Maxwell turns and indicates Drake and Riley. "Oh this is Drake Walker and Riley..."

"Riley Brooks!" ... Neville's eyes go wide. "Oh my goodness I recognize you now. Those tabloid photos of you and Tariq didn't do you any favours did they? You're far lovelier looking in person."

Riley's smile falters, not sure how to respond. Drake's arm tightens around her protectively.

Neville's expression goes from one of surprise to being apologetic, "Oh don't worry I don't believe the trash in the tabloids."

He steps forward and gives her a slight bow. "It is a pleasure to meet you as well Miss Brooks, and from what I've read you're being sponsored by the Beaumonts, a most honorable house."

Riley smiles, relaxing a little, "Thankyou Lord.."

Neville smiles, "Oh please, just call me Neville."

Drake extends his hand in greeting, "Lord Neville."

Neville shakes it, "It's a pleasure to meet you as well Mr. Walker... Walker?..Why does that name sound familiar?"

Drake braces himself for some kind of commoner insult. But it doesn't happen.

"The son of Jackson Walker I presume?" Neville's smile widens, he keeps a hold of Drake's hand, placing his other hand on Drake's arm to extend his warm greeting.

Drake frowns slightly. "You knew my Father?"

Neville shakes his head, "No unfortunately, but it's an honour to shake the hand of the son of a National Hero."

Drake grins, feeling a mixture of pride and embarassment. He'd never been acknowledged that way before. "Th..thanks."

Neville lets go of his hand, still smiling. He turns toward the others in the group. "Well now that we're all acquainted, why don't we all celebrate with a round of drinks?"

Drake glances at Riley, raising an eyebrow. "Sure, why not?" She says with a smile.

Everyone turns back toward the bar.

"Bartender? Six whiskeys please." Drake says.

-- the end--

#thesoftersideofneville #theroyalromance

[gamesplusculture]

Bayonetta + Culture: Kulshedra

"A possessed whip, sealing away the soul of the ancient serpentine demon Kulshedra. Summoning the power of the demon from a portal on the weapon's hilt, it can be used in the same manner as a normal whip."

Kulshedra

In an almost comical 180 from the Shuraba, the next weapon Bayonetta receives will be arguably one of the weakest weapons in the entire game (aside from the handguns).

Kulshedra is most used during the “Stay in the Air” challenges in the Alfheim stages but experienced Bayonetta players somewhat enjoy the fancy tricks that you can do with Kulshedra. They go as far as to say it is more fun to use Kulshedra than it’s Bayonetta 2 counterpart, the Alruane due to its variety in the weapon’s move pool. 

So... Is the mythos as interesting as this weapon?

Uh... I suppose?

Kulshedra are female dragons and the final form of bollas in Albanian folklore.

Bollas are evolved demonic snakes who keeps their eyes shut unless it is Saint George’s Day because the man cursed the bolla (a bolla? There are some stories implying that there are only one bolla) into being blind except for this one day. It opens its eyes on this day and eats any human that it notices. If the serpent haven’t been seen by a human for 12 years, it will then metamorphose into a kulshedra.

So if you think of it as a Pokemon evolution line... Some random snake -> Bolla -> Kulshedra

There are two widely accepted depictions of Kulshedra, one of them could be a human woman, lizard, turtle, frog, Pepsi can, you name it. Whatever the case, it generally has woolly red hair, a long tail, multitude of heads, saggy breasts, and poisonous breast milk and urine. This seems to be a more German take on the folklore as it seems.

The other way cooler version of Kulshedra (and is most likely the version Bayonetta referenced in the game due to Jeanne’s version of the weapon) is a multi-headed serpent dragon that is able to cause droughts and water-related disasters such as storms, torrents, floods, tsunamis, etc. The dragon can also take water from a land until the people sacrifices one of their own in order for the dragon to return back their water.

In Albanian folklore and culture, a kulshedra also have the ability to take the sun or a moon, so Albanians would shoot arrows into the sky or cause commotion via banging pots and pans in order to frighten them away.

"A possessed whip, sealing away the soul of the ancient serpentine demon Vritra. Summoning the power of the demon from a portal on the weapon's hilt, it can be used in the same manner as a normal whip."

Jeanne’s version of the Kulshedra references our good friend Hindu mythology once again!

The story of Vritra comes in two versions. The Vedic and Puranic version.

The Vedic version explains that Vritra or “Ahi” (Sanskrit for “snake”) as some of the people in the tale call him, was a dragon blocking Earth’s rivers so the land cannot get water. Indra, the god of the Heavens and lightning, was apparently born just to defeat this monster.

Indra visits the house of Tvastar, a heavenly builder and a maker of divine implements (think of him as a Hindu Hephaestus) , in order to take a drink of Soma, an elixir, to prepare himself for battle. Then Tvastar’s created Indra’s iconic thunderbolt weapon and Indra slayed Vritra, saving the lands.  

In Puranic version, Vritra was created by Tvastar in order to take revenge on Indra for the death of one of his sons, Trisiras. 

Tvastar, an asura, only created his son so he can dethrone Indra and take over the devas. His plan backfired since Indra ,in a fit of rage, killed Trisiras in front of the gods due to his lingering suspicion that Trisiras was a traitor (he was right). Without any evidence to conclude that Trisiras was a double-crosser, Indra fell into depression and berated himself for acting so foolish once again. Gods such as Vayu, Varuna and Agni were worried about Tvastar if the news came to him.

The news came to Tvastar and he was 🎶p i s s e d🎶.

He then created Vritra in pure anger solely to kill Indra for revenge. Vritra obey him and defeats Indra in battle. Vritra was going to digest him but with Varuna’s yawn arrows(?) the serpent yawns wide which helps the Gods retrieve Indra from his mouth. Vritra notices their escape and get furious at their cowardice. He ends up slithering to a nearby lake and swallows the Earth’s waters in one gulp, knowing that the Earth will wither and the devas will be forced to face him.

After Indra recovers, he visits Sage Dadhichi so he can sacrifice himself to gain access to his bones. Despite Indra’s negative feelings towards the request, Sage Dadhichi accepts and leaves his bones so the devas can make Indra’s iconic thunderbolt weapon.

Indra returns to the serpent for a rematch and kills Vritra via creating a large cut in its body so the Earth’s waters can go back to where it was.

There you have it folks! A weak weapon turns out to have strong mythology attached to it. Next time, Hindu mythology takes the spotlight in the next weapon we will discuss.

If you have any thoughts or corrections, I am always willing to listen and consider! I am learning therefore I will do my best to gain the right knowledge!

Until next time, bye bye!

#bayonetta #bayonetta tag #culture #video games #mythology

[hopeep4-blog]

Episodes of Hope

However, they have to set a good deal of pressure on themselves to get those stories which could successfully make an impression on people's thoughts. The group hasn't planned for these recently ordered episodes. Greg has proved himself of producing the top quality product on television and we expect that we are going to acquire same type of episodes.

It's a famous fact the 'Raising Hope' is an American comedy television series that's attained popularity in only a few days. There's been plenty of pressure on the group of the series as the Fox has ordered a full season of episodes. Greg Garcia, the founder of this series has shown that because the show has attained positive responses from viewers all over the world.

The men and women who have overlooked the episodes if Raising Hope , they can log on to the net. There are tons of websites with event's details, images and even videos. They can use these sites and come to know what was there in the past episodes. Some people have started watching this show after a few episodes. They could return to the history and receive the details about a number of the episodes that were telecast in the early days. This is only one of the top platforms to get the info about the crews and cast of the comedy show.

This series is now popular among youngsters, adults and young ladies. This show will last to be on the air for the remainder of the season as it is among the most promising tv shows. There have been a lot of reviews on the sites and individuals have voted in favor of Raising Hope. The story is all about a young

Comedy shows have always been enjoyed by people, all over the world. One of the most talked about comedy shows these days is 'Raising Hope'. In this series, a young boy named Jimmy, seems after his woman child who is a result of his one night stand. This series began on September 21, 2010 and you're able to watch this show every Tuesday at 9PM on FOX. Since then, a lot of episodes of Raising Hope happen to be viewed by viewers and have received positive responses. The web plays a significant part in our own lives. This is because it can be accessible at anytime during the night and day.

If you would like to see your favorite episodes over and over and wish to laugh; you could search for the movies which are readily available online. All you have to do is get on your favorite search engines and enter the right keywords to get the details about available videos. You can even save them onto your own personal computer and watch them in any given point of time to have fun with your family and friends.

He had been requested to create nine episodes of Raising Hope. As per this guy, he obtained panicked about the stories that should be shot for the new episodes. He's happy and hopeful about the achievement of each episode of the series to be shot. He believes that creating a story for each and every episode is one of the hardest things to do but he's picked up the deal. Virginia, a grandmother before age 40 (played with Martha Plimpton), is getting a cash crisis along with being depressed about "missing her calling ." (No surprise regarding either of these problems, being that she does a not-so-good occupation of cleaning houses for a living.) While accompanying a friend in search of love-life advice, she finds a crass, loud-mouthed "Psychic Reader" palming wads of cash from gullible customers. Virginia's problems are solved.

2. Dead Tooth- It was revealed on televisions on September 28, 2010. In this, Jimmy realizes a day care is required for looking after your kid. He plans Sabrina for help who requests him to get in contact with Shelley, her cousin. She was his love interest two years back.

It has been discovered that people have missed some of those episodes of the show and a number of them have started really late. Glimpses of this show about the preceding episodes are elaborated below:

From the time this article is scheduled to be published, the TV incident to which I'm referring could be available on YouTube or elsewhere with no copyright restrictions which are in place. If you didn't grab the "Tarot Reader" installment of ABC's sitcom Raising Hope (Season 2/ Episode #13, ironically), take the opportunity to do so and make up your own mind as to the level of its offensiveness.

Originally I took issue with that comment, until I watched her clientele. This Isn't to mention there were not potentially-objectionable depictions before

3. Fantasy Hoarders- In this episode, the boy teaches his child how to creep.

I will fess up to seeing this show on a normal basis. I love the Roseanne-esque nature of the quirky family and discover their entire thing foolish and heartwarming at precisely the exact same moment. It is fortunate that my daughter also appreciates Raising Hope because at the night in question she telephoned to alert me that not only was the series about to start, but the topic of the night was Tarot. Quickly I reached to get a notepad and assumed my place on the futon.

4. Say Cheese- This is among the most comic episodes as Sabrina learns horrible family photographs history as anticipated by Virginia.

1. Pilot- This event was telecast on September 21, 2010 and in this type of young boy specifically Jimmy had a 1 night stand and ended with a girl. The mum is a serial killer and convicted of murder. The boy gets custody of the kid who he believes he'll raise. However, he had been totally clueless about raising a child and his parents support him rename the child Hope.

5. Happy Halloween- Jimmy is encouraged a Halloween celebration by Sabrina who has struggle with her boyfriend. In this event, Jimmy asks his father to stay away from Hope as he comes to know that his dad was scaring him for a long moment.

Boy who finds it difficult to raise an infant child who has been left by his mom as she has to undergo a death sentence. This series will definitely acquire admiration in the coming time.

This is excellent! Virginia always wished to be her own boss, being "bossy by character," and figures Tarot reading is a great way to meld all her talents into a profession. She places her neon sign from the window proclaims, "We wait patiently for the idiots." A stranger gets the secret and magical answer to the issues of life.

Which brings on more potentially-objectionable depictions:

All in all, I would give this installment of Raising Hope a "7" on the offensiveness scale, an "8" on the internet value scale, along with a "9" on the entertainment/interest scale. Tarot includes a great deal of difficulty being taken seriously, and this little melodrama probably did not help matters. However, the Tarot, such as an elusive dream, does manage to regularly float to the face of American popular culture. If you happened to have seen the episode, I'd be interested to hear your thoughts.

Clients who seek out the guidance of Tarot readers are idiots and so deserve what they get.

Since Virginia soon finds, there's a great deal of responsibility that goes along with telling people things to do. Initially, she is very impressed by this: "Now folks sit up and listento me, like I'm a god... or even Judge Judy." But soon she sees the havoc she's wreaking from the abuse of her presents, and as quickly because neon sign went up, it comes down. "It is too much stress! Too much power!"

Clients are permitted to let you know exactly what to do because they're all-knowing.

Near the end of season two of Mad Men, Don Draper joined Pete Campbell to get a business trip to Los Angeles that saw Don moving AWOL and ending up in the desert with a lot of aristocratic oddballs. It was the strangest episode of this show...until this past week.

Readers tell you exactly what you want to hear so you will pay them.

Both the reader and the customer have to know about the actuality.

The clients who hunt Virginia's brand of guidance are a hapless group. Blindly trusting , they consume everything that Virginia spews, all of which is rooted in her own view of what they need to do: "Cut that rat tail!" "Neuter your truck!" "Call your mother!"

Beaded curtains and tacky furnishings are a necessity for the trade.

But in a back-handed type of manner, some great points were made:

Idiot readers attract target customers and vice-versa.

We all reap what we sow: readers, clients, and everybody in between.

Some Tarot professionals will understand this episode and be biased. The item is chocked full of these recognizable and persistent stereotypes, and I wouldn't blame anyone for being insulted and upset. For me, the worst insinuation was that anybody who goes for a Tarot reading has to be ignorant, pathetically helpless, misguided, and ill-informed. This hurts everyone involved in all sorts of ways.

Psychics are ready and prepared to accept payment (cash only, please) to get false information.

It is an installation where great distances are explored - from feelings of alienation into the bridging of amazing relational chasms into the literal separation of

...and perhaps the Confessing the truth worst cut of all

At least the authors remained true to card significance in this sector of the episode, because Virginia is waving round the King of Swords for the truck (you had to be there), the Queen of Cups for its mother-calling, Three of Swords was in the mix involving a love triangle, etc..

A reader's motivation counts: Is it about the power? Money? Self-importance?

This stage:

Readers are a demanding, rude and abrasive lot. The scene is an illustration of how great Mad Men is. In that short moment, we receive as much information, but it comes in the kind of behaviour, not clunky, expository dialog to telegraph the dynamics on the job. This really is a two-part set-up that is paid off first from the conference room with Heinz, and more importantly, in the end of the episode, between Don and Bert Cooper.

When the Heinz man fretting about the pitch, Peggy informs him that they've done exactly what he asked for. And then the Heinz man claws her into the wall by telling her to quit writing down what he asks for and begin giving him exactly what he needs - the timeless customer lament. Peggy's instincts are right. She turns the tables on the client, as she's seen Don do heaps of times. She accuses the client of enjoying the campaign, but enjoying a great fight even more. She insults the man in front of the room, giving him little room to save face. Ken Cosgrove tries to ease the blow, but just manages a stalemate, and the customer agrees to allow them try.

In the workplace, Peggy and her office-mates are all uptight and crabby. Ginsberg, who's been nothing but agitated since being hired (except for if Don pops-in to get a rare appearance), is annoyed at Peggy when she walks in on a personal phone call. Stan blows in overdue and pissy because he could not find a location to...piss on the best way to work. The 1 ray of hope for Peggy comes when she finds her blessed pack of candy, but it's short-lived. As Megan says "hello," Don takes her away, to get a last-minute trip to observe a potential client. Stan tries to improve her by telling her it's a ultimate vote of confidence from their hero.

The Heinz presentation seems to be going well, with Peggy providing a Don-like presentation of the proposed campaign. The problem is, she's not Don. Even though Don Draper can tell a story about roasted beans that provides it the gravitas of a Russian novel, Peggy can't quite pull it off. Not yet. Instead, the man out of Heinz is frustrated, much like Peggy's boyfriend Abe.

Since the conversation changes to Abe's frustration in Peggy's psychological space, she informs him sounding more than a little like Don when he had been married to Betty, "I desire a second once I walk in the door" "You sound like my father," he snaps, moving on to explain that he's a boyfriend, not a focus group before storming off. This dialog will perform again, such as an echo, but using a different person.

Two individuals over a fantastic distance. It is hypnotically interesting, and just like every other twist and twist in this wonderful show, I saw none of it arriving.

The episode opens with a half-dressed Peggy, at home, frantically looking for a fantastic luck charm pack of candy that Don gave her. She is preparing for work and a significant demonstration for Heinz, the bane of her existence. He puts on a happy face and attempts to divert her, but she's having none of it.