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mymegumi · 3 years

Text

aere perrenius

pairing: akaashi keiji x gn!reader

genre: fluff, strangers to lovers, writer!akaashi and librarian!reader

word count: 2.7k words

warnings: disgusting amounts of fluff

summary: more lasting than bronze. a once in a lifetime opportunity turns into a twice in a lifetime chance, and before you realize it, it just turns into a potential lifetime

dedicated: to miss issy ( @cafemiya ) kind beyond words, incredible beyond compare

You’d once thought that life was cruel to you, a single librarian that ended up helping children find picture books and nasty teenagers that had to pay their overdue library fees. You often just moved through the movements, walking to the library every single day, picking up coffees for everyone that worked with you that day, and nothing ever really changed.

Until today.

Today, when you walked into the coffee shop that was only a block away from the library—a small little out of the way place that served the best croissants with chocolate butter you’d ever had before—you were shocked to note that there was another singular figure in the shop with you.

Typically when you went in, it was early enough in the morning that you beat out the high schoolers and people who went to their 9-5 jobs, yet you always managed to miss the people who worked night shifts, so the barista often told you.

Today, however, there was a singular figure sitting at a table, laptop on the table with a small white mug of coffee in his hands, glasses perched precariously on the bridge of his nose as he seemed intent to read whatever it is was on his screen.

His hair was curling over thin golden frames, flowing over his forehead and spilling against his ears as he pressed his lips to the coffee mug, blue eyes focused on the words before him. The morning light had not yet seemed to crest the mountains of skyscrapers that littered the Japanese skyline, so the warm lights of the cafe seemed to soften the edges around him, making him angelic as he just relaxed there.

Perhaps it was the pure shock of seeing him, or even just the lack of sleep you always seemed to suffer from in the mornings following a weekend, but something led to your mistake of forgetting to conceal your admiration of him.

In your trance of adoration, you simply forget the cafe has a bell over the door.

He glances his up when he finishes taking a sip from his drink, offering a smile your way in the way that two people up way too early would share a smile with each other—as if only the two of you knew the secrets that the sunrise would whisper if only you would wake early enough to listen.

“Your usual?”

The barista, a sweet girl named Akira who seemed to be pumped full of espresso for she was way too peppy for this time of the hour, draws your attention away from the man sitting by himself at the window table.

“To go, right?” When you shake your head, she laughs slightly, inputting your usual order into the computer just for her to end up making it only a few seconds later, “What’s with the change today, you always take it straight to the library.”

When she sees you steal a glance at the mysterious stranger, she leans in with a hand cupped around her mouth, devastatingly wicked glint in her eyes as she whispers to you, “He came in a couple of minutes of go, saying he’s new in town. A writer, if you could believe it. Maybe you could warm him up to the area?”

“I have to go to work soon,” you hiss back softly, feeling the warmth take over your cheeks as you resolutely refuse to look back at him in case he heard her gossiping.

“Yet, you’re taking your coffee here?”

She, unfortunately, raises her eyebrows suggestively at you as she slides your drink to you in a small white mug resting on a dish, steaming and hot with a less heated croissant on a separate dish. You make a noise of disbelief as you carefully adjust your bag on your shoulder, taking your breakfast with you to a seat, not too close to the writer and yet not too far away that you are unable to admire him.

Pulling out a book from your bag, you are content to just read and settle in for a few minutes that you would normally spend in the library doing random work until the doors unlocked. It’s a newer novel you’d just picked up from a bookstore, and it was only because the author would be visiting the library soon, so you wanted to get a feel for the writing style, in case there were any questions that the people had for the staff.

“A good read, is it?”

You don’t really register that anyone is talking to you, at first, instead intent on just reading In Regards to Aces before it clicks in your mind two facts; one, that you are indeed holding a book and reading, and two, that you are only one of three people in the establishment, not to mention one of the three was just a barista making herself a coffee.

When it hits you that the stupidly attractive man at the window is indeed talking to you, you shove a bookmark in the spot you were reading as you turn to him, “Ah, yeah, it is, though I don’t have much to say on it considering I just started reading it.”

“Initial thoughts, then?” His smile soothes you a bit, making you relax from the initial tension you’d felt, “I’ve found the author tends to use verbiage that rambles on, but that’s my own opinion on it.”

“Well, from what I have read so far,” you set the book on the table, star embellished cover twinkling in the lights of the cafe, “I like the way that the author describes the character’s feelings—it felt really authentic, and added to the atmosphere for the story.”

“Well, just wait until you read the ending,” he raises an eyebrow at you and a playful look comes across his face for a second before disappearing, “it’s a real gutwrencher, honestly, I’m surprised the author had decided to take it in that direction.”

“Well, hopefully I’ll be able to read a good part of it before the end of the day,” you muse, hand running idly along the edges of the pages, “I’m hoping to be able to talk to the author during the meet and greet later today at the library.”

He makes a thoughtful noise, a small content smile on his face as he sets his mug down on the saucer. There’s a look in his eyes, something that says that he knows something that you don’t, and yet when you go to ask about it, he says instead, “Tell me what you think of it when you finish it, I’d love to hear your thoughts on it.”

You watch as he begins to pack up his things, tucking the laptop away into a sleek black backpack, all while sipping gingerly on your drink, “Of course, perhaps I’ll see you again, I’m usually here before work.”

“I look forward to it.”

He shoots you a smile over his shoulder as he leaves the cafe, throwing away his things and setting aside his dishes before he exits. Watching him walk down the street, you let out a breath you didn’t know you were holding.

“Gosh,” Akira’s voice makes you jump in your seat slightly, “he was really pretty; you think he was a model?”

“I don’t know, but he could be if he wanted to be,” you smile to yourself as you check your phone, swearing as you realize you might be a few minutes late, “I gotta get to work, I’ll see you tomorrow morning!”

Chugging the rest of your drink, of which has cooled significantly, you end up rushing out of the door of the coffee shop, leaving a good tip for Akira before you go.

A meet-cute. Is that what that would’ve been considered?

Walking into the library, you have a dopey smile on your lips, and the meeting from the morning lets you float your way through work as if your feet haven’t touched the ground.

The writer meet and greet wasn’t for another few hours so when you were putting books back on the shelves, and when the flow of people tended to slow down, your nose was tucked gently into the pages of the book you’d picked up.

It was wonderfully written, with words that seemed to suck you in and captivate you, unable to truly pay attention to what you needed to be doing. You were so ecstatic to be meeting the author, to be able to see what sort of person they’d turned out to be.

They had been pretty secretive, declining interviews left and right and no one has been able to figure out who they were. No one really knew if Akaashi Keiji was their real name, or just a pen name either, a ghost writer who wanted to leave their mark on the world without claiming any credit for the impression they’d leave behind.

Truth be told, it was something you admired in them.

There was something special about someone wanting to create something, and yet walking about their daily life knowing that not a single person would recognize them for it. They weren’t doing it for fame, or for money, but because they truly enjoyed writing and creating books for people to enjoy.

“If you keep yourself in that book, you’ll never get these shelves done,” shit, you’d thought you tucked yourself far enough into the autobiography section that your coworker, Kaori, wouldn’t be able to find you, “what book is it this time?”

“In Regards to Aces…”

She raises an eyebrow at you, glancing at the big poster of the book’s cover displayed only a few feet away from the pair of you, “Uh-huh, gonna suck up to the writer? Get you a rich, anonymous sugar daddy?”

“Pft,” you smile at her with a crooked grin, “let’s be inclusive here, we don’t know if they identify as a guy, Kaori.”

She shrugs a shoulder at you as you begin to push the cart filled with returned books into the aisle, making your way to the front of the library, “Actually, Akaashi and I went to high school together. When he got famous, everyone at our school, like, made a silent pact to respect his privacy.”

“You know the Akaashi Keiji?” You give her an incredulous look, feet planting firmly in front of the help desk of the library, “As in, coming to our library, has won multiple National Book Awards in a row for their novels Akaashi Keiji?”

“Yeah,” she picks something off of her shirt with a sour look on her face, “I’m pretty sure Bokuto threatened a guy that said he’d leak Akaashi’s school name, but it might’ve been the whole group of them, honestly.”

“Bokuto…” you look at her with a bewildered look in your eyes, “Bokuto Koutarou, MSBY wing spiker, Bokuto?”

“Yeah,” she smiles brightly at you, which you quickly erase with a hand smacking her firmly in the arm, “Oh my god, what was that for?!”

“For not telling me you were surrounded by future celebrities in high school?!”

“Oh, as if there isn’t one person from your school that got famous,” Kaori levels a glare at you as she rubs her arm.

The pair of you are sitting at the reception area now at the front of the library, watching people flow into the seating area set up for the meet and greet. A copy of the book’s cover is set up next to the author’s seat, which is on a small raised platform behind a small red barrier.

“I’m pretty sure a kid in the grade above me moved to Argentina?” She laughs at your answer, a hand over her mouth as someone steps up to the desk, taking both of your attention away from the conversation, “Hey, how can we help yo— oh! Hi, again, how are you?”

Standing before you, straps of his backpack slipping off of his shoulders and glasses sliding down the bridge of his nose. There’s a little bit of a smile on his lips as he sighs, “Oh. Hello, I’m good. I rushed here because I was worried about being late—Kaori?”

“Akaashi,” she smiles at him, hand reaching out to shake his hand easily as you stare at the both of them flabbergasted, “Didn’t you get my text earlier about you coming to the library?”

“No, I was busy with the moving vans,” he turns his gaze on you and you swear your mouth dries up a little bit, “After I got a cup of coffee, I was arguing with the movers about a van of stuff that got lost. Turns out they were on the wrong side of town.”

“You mean to tell me,” you interrupt, hand coming up to stop Kaori from speaking, eyes trained on the wavy-haired man in front of you, “that you asked for my opinion on your book? Your own book?”

He gives a cheeky grin, teeth showing as he raises an eyebrow, “It’s easier to hear honest opinions if people don’t know I’m the author.”

You roll your eyes at him before he turns back to Kaori for a quick second, “Kaori, would you mind getting me some water, oh and maybe even a snack?”

She nods easily, hair swishing lightly as she pats you on the back and leaves, “‘Course, meet you up on the stage, bigshot.”

When she leaves, there’s a bit of an awkward silence, something like you don’t know what to say, and yet you know if you were to say anything, something might change. It’s only a feeling, but you suddenly want to spend as much time with this man as possible.

Now in the late afternoon light, you study him in a way you didn’t get to before. The warm sunlight that filters in through the windows makes his hair seem a bit light, but still just as unruly as it was this morning. His eyes are inquisitive, sharp in a way that observes and analyzes all within a moment’s notice.

There are patches of red and blue light dancing along his shoulders, refractions from the sun through the stained glass windows. His shirt is a little wrinkled but otherwise neat, one of the sides untucked as his loose tie hangs from around his neck.

He’s even prettier in the daylight, you decide.

“I’m sorry lied to you this morning,” his voice drops a little bit, inflection careful as he looks at you, “I promise I won’t lie to you anymore, if that means anything.”

“Well, if I catch wind of you lying,” you start, sidestepping the swinging door of the counter to start walking towards the stage area, “I’ll make your life a living nightmare, I know where you get your coffee, sir.”

“Oh, not the coffee,” He holds his hands up in surrender, “I loved their dark roast, where else in the town am I supposed to get it?”

“That, mister, sounds like a you problem,” you want to see him smile more, is the first thing you think when he laughs, “but only if you get on my bad side.”

“Do you think going out for dinner sometime might put me on your good side?”

There are moments in life that can shatter and alter the way that you think and perceive things for the future. For instance, that one time a teacher had given you a recommendation on a book had jumpstarted your love of reading which had turned into a job with lovely friends. If not for that one teacher, who knew where you would be now, because life is funny and doesn’t work out the way you think it will when things aren’t set exactly in motion.

This is one of those moments, and you know it is, because as he asks you out on, assumably, on a date, you envision a life for yourself.

A life filled with moments and snapshots with Akaashi Keiji at your side. He kisses your cheek one morning as you both make coffee for each other, his hand is warm on the small of your back as he leads you through the grocery store, and his voice is loving as he whispers to you at night before you fall asleep.

Now, you’ve always been somewhat a romantic, but you think this is the first time you’ve ever envisioned a life like this upon a second meeting. As Akaashi waits for your response, face neutral but content, you smile to yourself.

“Yeah,” you respond, leaning close to bump your shoulder against his gently, “I think getting dinner might boost your standings with me.”

#akaashi keiji fanfiction #akaashi keiji x reader #akaashi keiji x you #akaashi x you #akaashi x reader #akaashi keiji #hq!! akaashi #hq!! fluff #haikyuu!! akaashi #haikyuu!! fluff #grind for the wealth

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chrispaulcolfer · 3 years

Note

What do you think of Kurt’s relationship with:

Rachel

Mercedes

Santana

any other friendship with girl? Brittany or Tina?

Oh boy. Okay.

Rachel: hate it. Hate the way it transitioned to sudden besties out of no where. Hate how it turned Kurt into her cheerleader 90% of the time while she took the 10% to reciprocate (Swan Song for example, that was a good pep talk from her to him). Hate how when he's not with New Directions, she's happy to help him try for a solo because he's her "only competition". Yet, when he tries for leading man material at McKinley, she too laughs in his face. When he gets the NYADA letter and she doesn't, she turns his excitement into her pity party. When he wins Midnight Madness, she turns it into "I guess I'm not talented enough and won't audition for anything". I hate how when she ditches him for fake friends who bad mouth him, she doesn't see that as a red flag to ditch them, until they vote for him and not her. I hate how she manipulates Elliott into claiming Kurt kicked her out when it was her own damn choice, and disowns Kurt when he didn't automatically take her side by playing referee for her outlandish claims against Santana. I hate "my best gay", it isn't cute, it isn't quirky, it's stupid and Kurt Hummel does deserve a better best friend who doesn't just use him to hoist themselves up. I'm glad Colfer called it the fuck out in his episode, even if it was magically fine at the end again just because she showed up to his Peter Pan show - shocker. I hate how she destroyed him being the actual student president by cheating, but that's fine because she owns up to it I guess? Like they still had to claim the cheerleader the winner who did nothing all year, when they could've had Kurt who would actually have done something good, but aT LeAsT sHe WaS HoNeSt right?????? I mean she is the one who also decided to run against him for a hot minute too, but SHE DROPPED OUT GUISE. BFF'S. It would've been so much better if they both went to New York, and then agreed to be roommates because it would be cheaper and we see them expand into actual friendship from there. Kurt doesn't need to stay relevant as a character just by being Rachel's best friend on the fact they both are into Broadway. THAT is the stereotype. Because remember, he's gay and she has two gay dads, so meant to be in each other's lives. Also ew having Rachel as a surrogate, what the fuck. No. Keep that controlling person away from any child of Kurt and Blaine's, that'll just cause more problems.

Mercedes: Maybe it's Colfer and Riley's friendship chemistry showing on screen, but I love and will forever love this friendship. I love that Kurt can admit he's wrong with her! ON HIS OWN! No sob story, no passive aggressiveness, no call out. Him realizing encouraging her to lose the weight was wrong? Growth. No, it isn't a perfect friendship, but it didn't start out of no where either. Kurt being dumb with trying to set her up with dates so he didn't feel bad in befriending Blaine. Mercedes letting her religious blinders encourage Kurt to go to church with her - but at least she approaches this conversation honestly, she doesn't sugar coat it from her point of view, which is good. They're both honest with one another. They're in each other's corners. Kurt Hummel heart eyeing every time she performs is the best. And it's dumb that it got pushed to the back for season 3 and onward. It should've grown from high schooler kids to young adults like a fine wine, instead of getting overlooked. There was potential of Mercedes being the surrogate, or even just another egg donor! But you know, some people needed to be zeroed in on and characters had to be tied to that characters hip, and Mercedes wasn't it.

Santana: Can you imagine how great (or terrible) this could've been if Kurt remained on the Cheerios? We can dream! But what we got in S4&S5 was great. Nice bantering, a mutual respect and understanding becoming a thing over time. They made pacts! They swore to each other about things off screen! She and him would've made a dangerous duo in New York if Rachel never moved back into the loft. She could've encouraged him to loosen up more, he would've helped her unlock a more vulnerable side of emotions when it came to catching feelings! Would've loved to see them bonding more like they did with the boyfriend arms watching TV! We were robbed, and s6 destroyed it all together, so. I wish we could've seen them on double dates, with Dani and Blaine. I wish we could've seen her trying to hook him up with guys in season 4! But no, two Slytherin's teaming up is too dangerous I guess. Fuck you glee.

Brittany: In the first season, it's nice to see that Brittany was the popular girl but still showing up to Kurt's house and dancing with him. It's because of her he joins the football team, briefly, and we get to see him kick ass at it and make a win for the Titans for the first time in however long! That's a big deal. I'm glad that she also approaches him in his "straight" phase and offers to help. And I'm glad she encourages Santana to go support Kurt during Prom Queen. BUT ANYTHING AFTER THAT, is null and void. Because she suddenly becomes this overly stupid child who only wants things done her way. When she offers to help him with his running for class president, she only focuses on him being gay and that's it - because it makes him a unicorn? It's a homophobic school, you really think shoving it in the bullies faces won't get him laughed out of a win? And he ditches the idea last minute anyway, so why bother going with that twist anyway? And when he gives her the rundown on what he wants to do, she ignores him and does it her way. When he gets mad, all of a sudden it's poor Brittany, she was just trying to help, Kurt's a meanie face. And when he (stupidly) accepts her idea for the campaign posters, she's like "oh by the way, I'm running against you now sorry I didn't tell you lol". And the bullshit of season 6 of her telling him that he needs to get over Blaine, then magically wants them to be in her and Santana's wedding? No. Keep her as far away from Kurt as possible after season 2.

Tina: Remember when Kurt fake dates her first? Wouldn't that have been an interesting play throughout that episode? Seeing Burt ask about Tina, Kurt bringing Tina over for dinner, Kurt and Tina discussing this new beard-ship for his dad, and then when he comes out, she would've been so happy for him? WE WERE ROBBED, YET AGAIN. We see them being friends throughout the seasons, but there isn't any growth with it. We don't really see her and Kurt doing things outside of school again. We see her help him for his NYADA audition as Christine (which he replaces her for Rachel, big shock, fuck you). We see him defending her against the jock bullies in the hallway. We see them walking to glee club together. But there's still nothing expanded on so it just falls flat. Clearly she and Kurt talk still after he graduates, as they both enjoy gossip. But what else?! We don't know! It had potential for friendship outside of school and outside of just gossiping! But alas.

#answered #anti Rachel Berry #anti hummelberry #anti brittany pierce #long post #fuck glee basically #😌 kurtanacedes ot3 basically. could've had it all.

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feminaexlux · 3 years

Text

Miraculous Leap

Hey all, I wanted to share this little story with you! I've been wanting to write something like this since last year, shortly after I started working on A Needed Miracle. I can't really explain why I wanted to, but in any case here it is. Hope you enjoy and Happy Holidays!

AO3 link here

Part 1 of 3 probably?

⁂

She found herself looking down at a pair of bright blue eyes. Ladybug blinked a couple of times, wondering just what happened. A split second ago she had launched herself at Viperion and tried to get them out of the way of an oncoming blast of… whatever it was… and now she was here, on her hands and knees hovering over someone who looked… a lot like Viperion… except untransformed.

And older.

And her body felt… off. Like, really off. She felt a weird pressure everywhere but especially near her stomach. Oh, and there was… something really, really profoundly concerning that she couldn't really articulate or describe.

"Are you alright?" The man below her asked.

Wow, Marinette thought. His voice was deeper, silkier, and kinda hot. "Um," she said, startled at her own voice being deeper as well. "I… think I need to get up." She shuffled off to his side a little awkwardly, feeling very heavy around the midsection. She sat up and looked down at her belly.

It freaked her out a little bit. She was big. And then she felt… something moving inside of her. A… A-a-a baby? She… was pregnant? And not only that, but she wasn't transformed! Oh… oh no. How could she be pregnant? She was only 14 and had only gone so far as to kiss a few boys was she hallucinating was this the akuma?! Oh no she had to fix this right now.

Where even were they? She finally glanced up and took a look at her surroundings. Ladybug, Chat Noir, and Viperion had been fighting the akuma on the rooftops of Paris, but now it looked like she was sitting on a bed in someone's bedroom. A well-decorated bedroom in her opinion, full of music posters, rich fabrics, and even some fantastic looking handmade decorations.

For some reason her brain started replaying a memory of her dad talking about one of his favorite sci-fi shows called Quantum Leap, where the main character's consciousness "leaps" into other people to help solve their issues. This must be something similar.

Okay. She could look at it that way. She just happened to "leap" into someone who was… pregnant.

She just happened to "leap" into someone who was… in their bedroom at the time.

She just happened to "leap" into someone who had been pregnant, in their bedroom, on their hands and knees over a ridiculously good looking dude who happened to look like an older version of Luka Couffaine.

Marinette had the distinct feeling something intimate had been interrupted. Oh. No.

"This is going to sound weird, but," the man started. "I think we were both attacked by an akuma." Marinette looked over her shoulder and she finally took a better glance at the man. He… he definitely looked like an older Luka. Had long black hair that went down to his mid back and… and blue ombre tips. Black flat stud earrings. Same blue eyes. Same angular facial features with high cheekbones but slightly longer and filled out.

Oh and he was shirtless. Marinette noticed his large arm tattoo right away after she stopped scrutinizing his face. A teal diamond-patterned snake with peony and… apple blossom flowers filling the spaces in between the snake's coils.

"I honestly don't know what happened or where we are," he half-chuckled, curling in slightly on himself trying to come off as non-threatening as he could. "One second I was in the middle of helping out some friends and the next I'm here. You looked as surprised as I was so I thought you were also affected."

Marinette found herself nodding. "Y-yeah, same. I-I-I'm pretty shocked, yeah," she stuttered. "Sorry, I… I think I need some time."

He nodded and got off the bed, standing up. He was tall, apparently. "I'm… going to find some water. Did you want any?"

"That sounds great, actually," Marinette agreed. "Thank you." He gave her a lopsided smile and walked out of the bedroom.

Marinette shook her head and patted her cheeks with her hands, trying to refocus. So what if that smile reminded her way too much of Luka? She might have been projecting the closest looking friend onto this poor man. She needed to find a purse or wallet, a phone, a mirror, something that might give Marinette a clue into who she had "leapt" into. Okay.

Okay. Purse… purse… phone? Where would a purse or a phone be? Marinette scanned the room and squeaked out loud. She found a purse, alright, but it was her purse. Her pink and white polka dot hip purse with the signature M logo resting on what looked like a nightstand. What the heck was it doing here?!

Wait, maybe that meant Tikki was here too?

She got up gingerly, resting a hand against her belly and hoping she wouldn't fall. She toddled over to the purse and opened it, hoping to find a wallet or phone. She did find a wallet and she opened it up, looking through and trying to find an ID.

She didn't find Tikki. But she did find an ID. She kept herself from screaming.

Okay. There must be some magic happening that made her see the familiar in the unfamiliar. To protect herself from going nuts or something? She stared back down at the ID card. It had her name on it.

Her face, too. Older. She looked happy.

Except her last name was Couffaine. Her eyes were playing tricks on her. That was it.

Her phone, where was her phone? Okay, she found it. She found it (surprisingly it just looked like a shiny pink glass rectangle with softened edges, there wasn't even a case) and it automatically unlocked after recognizing her thumbprint on the screen. After greeting her with a "Good Evening" there had been a still image of a bunch of kids of various ages, all with black hair and blue eyes. Mmkay. There were two girls and two boys, the two boys looked like identical twins. One of the girls looked suspiciously like a younger Marinette herself, but… the girl's eyes were the wrong shade of blue.

The rest of the kids looked like… maybe a blend of her and Luka. Oh no.

Okay, she was getting distracted. And then she noticed the date. It was the right calendar date but the day of the week was wrong. She blinked a couple of times on that, so she navigated to her calendar. All the dates were on the wrong days… Oh and the year was 20 years in the future.

She had to sit down.

Luka came back with two glasses of water. At least, Marinette was pretty sure it was actually Luka. "I brought some water for you," he said, instantly looking worried when he found her sitting on the floor. "Hey, are you doing okay?" He knelt down next to her.

Marinette looked up at him, taking her glass. "I don't know," she said. "Are… are you Luka Couffaine?" He nodded slowly. "Huh, just a few minutes ago I was 14, and now it looks like I'm 34. And your wife." And pregnant with our 5th child.

He looked down at his hands. He wore several rings but there was a simple gold band around his left ring finger. Marinette had a rose gold band on hers. "Are you Marinette?" he asked quietly, looking back up at her. She nodded back and they stared at each other for a while, glasses of water forgotten.

"I think this is our future," Marinette said.

#fxl fic #lukanette endgame #marinette dupain cheng #luka couffaine #the house band #pregnancy #it's my christmas present to myself #lukanette #endgame lukanette

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rachaelswrites · 4 years

Text

Mission:AU

Chapter One- Gender Swap

Peter Parker x Barnes!reader

Previous Part

You woke up in an unfamiliar room and you sat up and stretched. You looked around the room to try and find something you recognized. You saw a phone on the bedside table and grabbed it. You caught a quick glance at your reflection on the screen and your jaw dropped. You were Peter. You looked down and saw that you were definitely in his body.

Peter woke up in a familiar situation. He immediately noticed he was you, since you had a full length mirror opposite the bed. He jumped up and looked around for your phone. He could hear music playing and figured Bucky was awake. He unlocked the phone and called you, or himself.

You got a call on the phone in your hands. You saw it was your own name (or Peter) and answered.

“Y/n? What the hell happened? Are you trapped in my body? Because I’m trapped in yours!”

“Yes Peter. It seems we are in quite a predicament,” you tried to remain calm while Peter freaked out. You both agreed to meet up at a park and hung up. You snuck out of Peter’s room and he did the same.

You didn’t know Queens very well, since you grew up in Brooklyn. You asked some people for help to find your way to the park. After about a half an hour of riding the subway and walking, you spotted Peter. You were surprised he managed to pick out such a good outfit. You didn’t even change out of the clothes you woke up in.

“Oh my god Y/n!” Peter ran towards you and pulled you into a hug.

You awkwardly maneuvered out of his grip, since people started giving you weird looks.

“Do you have any idea what’s happening? What’s the last thing you remember before this morning?” you wanted to get to the bottom of this.

“Umm. We were on the mission and the guy attacked us with the machine. And then I woke up in your room.”

You rubbed your temples in frustration. Peter walked you over to a bench and sat you down, sensing your stress.

“Damn it. It’s like we’re stuck in that one movie with the fortune cookies.” you tried to remember what is what.

Peter helped you out, “You mean Freaky Friday?” he asked.

You nodded.

“True but we don’t have to learn a lesson like they did. Maybe we have to do something else. Oo! Like in Teen Beach Movie! The characters get stuck in a musical and the only way to get out is to finish the storyline. Do you remember that movie?”

You glared at him, “No Peter. I don’t remember some stupid movie because if you can recall, I was stuck in Wakanda for two years and then I had to deal with my dad and my friend’s death. I didn’t have time to watch movies,” you snapped, “And besides. We’re not in a musical so there’s no storyline to finish,” He was taken aback. And quite frankly so were you. You never really snapped at anyone before. You stood up from the bench and Peter followed.

“I’m sorry Y/n I didn’t realize. Maybe instead of a storyline, we have to live the day as each other.”

You turned your head and looked at him. It did make sense. You sighed, “Yeah probably. We just can’t get caught. Try to stay away from my dad today and I’ll avoid May.”

“How am I supposed to lie to The Winter Soldier?” he asked.

“Tell him you have cramps. It always works. Plus, he’s not The Winter Soldier anymore,” you shrugged.

Peter was about to say something but you were already skipping down the sidewalk back to Queens.

Peter got back to the apartment complex you and Bucky lived in. He went upstairs and quietly slipped in.

“Hey sweetheart. Where’d you go so early?” your dad asked.

Peter hesitated until he remembered what you told him, “Uh cramps!” he blurted. He smiled sheepishly and waited for Bucky’s response.

He stood up and walked to Peter, putting his hand on his forehead, "Are you feeling ok? Normally you don’t leave bed because of those.”

Peter had to think quickly, "I just uh… needed some fresh air.”

Bucky nodded and left the room. Peter quickly made his way back into your room. He pulled out your phone and called himself.

“Hey Y/n. Did you get back ok?” Peter asked.

“I’m on the subway still. I’ll be there in a few though. What’s up?”

“I was just making sure you were safe. It can be dangerous out there.”

You giggled at Peter’s protectiveness for you. You two had only grown close over the last day but anything he had done had given you butterflies.

“I’ll be ok. I was a Hydra assassin for decades, remember?”

Peter nodded, even though you couldn’t see it. He remembered the girl at the airport. He didn’t want to hurt her. She looked so fragile until he saw her almost take down Natasha by herself. He so badly wanted to pull her away from the fighting and keep her safe. Tony had told him not to. ‘Who knows what Barnes and Rogers would do if they found out you took her,’ those were the exact words Tony said.

“Also there's a change of clothes I keep under my pillow. Just letting you know so you don’t have to dig through drawers.”

“Ok thanks Petey!” you said. You had never called him that before.

“Goodbye Y/n/n,” he said.

You hung up the phone just in time to get off the train.

The rest of the day was pretty boring for both of you. You had to shoo May away multiple times. Claiming you had a huge headache and just wanted to sleep. Instead of sleeping, you looked around Peter’s room. You studied his photographs and posters and flipped through his books and comics. You pulled down a cardboard box from the closet and opened it. They were a bunch of old yearbooks. You sat crisscross on the ground and read them one by one. School changed a lot since you were last in one. You imagined yourself in Peter’s place and then imagined yourself alongside him. Being his best friend through all these years.

Peter did the same thing you did. He went through some of your things from your childhood. He was always fascinated by history. He flipped through the clothes in your closet until he noticed a section in the back. The hangers were facing the opposite way as the others. He pulled them back and found a box. He grabbed the box and sat down on the bed. He pulled off the lid and stared at it’s contents. There were multiple journals, new and old. There were also loose leaf papers that looked like they belonged in a museum (which they did at one point). He emptied the box and looked at the papers. Some of them were flyers advertising the enlistment stations and others were photographs of you as a child. Most of them were either taken by Bucky or if he was in them with you, Steve. He saw a picture of just Bucky in his uniform by the train station.

“This was probably the day he left,” he said quietly.

He went to put the photos back but the bed dipped and some of the journals fell. He leaned down and saw one of them fell open.

He grabbed it and read the page it was on:

I dreamt I was on the beach. Dad and Steve were playing catch. I was wrapped in a blanket cause Dad didn’t want me getting sick. I was about three. Before they tried to enlist. I remember Steve was invited but didn't want to go at first because Dad said it was ‘daddy daughter bonding time’ eventually Steve gave in and joined. I don’t remember if this part happened: I was really excited and tried to go swim but dad grabbed me by the waist to stop me. He said I had to stay with him since I was so small. I didn’t like that so I pouted. Then he tickled me and chased me until I was smiling and laughing. I hope that part was real. It was one of the happiest times of my life.

Peter smiled at the thought of baby you being happy and stress free. He noticed a note at the bottom of the page. It was dated the day of your mission. Peter remembered you told him you had a good dream, this must've been it. He heard Bucky’s footsteps down the hall and quickly put everything back in the box and slid it under the bed. Bucky knocked and Peter let him in.

“Hey I was just seeing if you wanted something to eat. I can make something or I can order in. Up to you.”

“Uh I don’t really mind. I’m ok with anything.”

Bucky raised his eyebrows, "Really? Normally you beg me to order from Panda Express. I don’t even know why you like that place so much.”

“Yeah I mean I’ll have that. I just wanted to let you have a say also.”

Bucky chuckled and shook his head. He turned and closed the door. Peter heard him a few minutes later on the phone ordering food. Peter went to go to the bathroom. He looked down and screamed. Bucky came running to the room and opened the door. “Y/n? What’s wrong? Are you ok?”

Peter walked out of the bathroom and looked at your dad, "I’m...Uh...Bleeding.”

Bucky had concern written all over his face., "Oh. Do you need help with the wound or help cleaning up?” he asked.

Peter looked at him and realized he didn’t know what he meant, "It’s not from an injury though,” he explained.

Bucky looked confused. Then it hit him, "Sweetheart. You know this happens every month and is normal. Do we need to have the talk again?”

Peter was mortified. He totally forgot that he didn’t know that he was trapped in your body. Peter shook his head, "Umm. No, I'm good. It just sur-” a sudden wave of cramps hit Peter and he doubled over in pain, “Shit it hurts,” he mumbled.

Bucky bent down to pick him up. He carried him to the bed and sat him down.

“I’ll get you some meds ok. You can eat up here tonight,” Bucky kissed the top of his head and left.

You had run into a similar situation in Queens. You were laying on Peter’s bed staring at the ceiling, messing with his webs. You were shooting them around the room, seeing what you could grab. You were too preoccupied and didn’t hear May knocking on the door. When she didn’t hear a response she opened the door and went in. You got startled and somehow managed to web yourself to the bed. “Oh sorry Peter. I didn’t know you were doing… what ever you were just doing,”

“It’s not what you’re thinking Mis- I mean May,” you stuttered.

“Peter it’s fine. You don’t have to explain. But we do have to get you out of those webs,” she moved over to the drawer where Peter must’ve kept the web remover stuff. After a few minutes, you were finally free.

#x daughter!reader #x teen!reader #marvel #marvel fanfiction #bucky barnes #bucky barnes x teen!reader #bucky barnes x daughter!reader #bucky barnes x teen #bucky barnes x daughter #peter parker fic #peter parker x reader #peter parker #series #mission:au #peter parker x barnes!reader

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katachell · 4 years

Text

portal 2 project???

portal 2 has an AMAZING narrative. AMAZING. but if you want to rewatch the story... you cant. your two options are to watch let’s plays and randomly skip around to hopefully hear all the dialogue, or to read the quotes on the wiki... which are seperated by character, not scene, and dont give environmental details. this makes it impossible for people who dont want to put in a massive amount of time in to experience the story of the game in one definitive place. so, i propose:

THE PORTAL 2 PROJECT

the end product of this project would be a video, posted to YouTube, that has all of the relevant scenes and dialogue in order. it would play out like a movie, so people who haven't or don't want to play the game can still enjoy and understand the story in its entirety. it would use screen recordings of the game, so you can see whats happening and hear it.

what would be included in the video:

-any moment where there is dialogue (exceptions listed below)

-plot relevant details: for some examples, getting the portal gun, finding a rattman den, introducing a new puzzle element, when cave says that portals can be placed on the moon. (this is to better help people who aren't familiar with the franchise understand what the things they're seeing on the screen are.) (most of these would be short clips: for example, when hard light bridges are introduced, the clip would show chell walking up to it and standing on it, and then the video would move on.)

-major scenes, obviously. an example is when chell falls into the pit or unlocks old aperture.

-small, funny details. (without lingering for too long.) it wouldn’t be portal 2 if you dont show the little details! examples include the borealis dock, the elevator room screens, or when wheatly is monologuing and you can go back and he’ll keep monologuing (”you’re at my mercy! wait- come back! (chell goes back) FOOL! you’re at my mercy, and i dont have any!”

-exploring the enviroment: for example, the screen recorder would stop to look at the awards in old aperture, zoom in on chell’s name for the potato experiment, listen to the optional/hidden cave experiment dialogue, as well as look at old posters and signs that tell you about the dangers of old ap. just so the audience is grounded.

-ive touched on this in other bullet points, but not everyone has the time or willpower to look for the little hidden things in the game. this would make sure that you get a very full, portal 2 experience.

what would NOT be included:

-puzzle solving. some chambers take a few minutes to solve, and there is no dialogue. this interrupts the story. unless the puzzle solving is relevant to the plot, like quickly introducing new mechanics to the audience, it wont be included.

-unimportant dialogue. for example, in the neurotoxin generator area, whealtly will ramble for - i think i lasted 4 or 5 minutes before i left - a while, just trying to convince the neurotoxin generator to shut itself off or something. while entertaining, it takes away from the focus of the project.

an example of the formatting:

i imagine the format to look something like this: (im using chapter 1 as an example)

-full, uncut opening with the wheately escape. the cameraman waits at the door before opening it so you get his full dialogue. ~5 minutes

-chell goes into her old relaxation vault, listens to the announcer, puts a button on the pressure pad, then enters the elevator. this introduces the button/cube mechanic. (this scene comes directly after the last, with no cuts). since there is announcer dialogue and new mechanics, this stays relatively uncut. ~1 minute

-chell exits elevator, hears funny announcer dialogue. the camera looks at the room for 5 seconds so the audience understands the setting for the scene, as well as the act. ~15-20 seconds

-chell presses a button to open a portal. this is the first time a portal is seen. she walks through the portal. this introduces the core mechanic of the game. (~30 seconds) (once the mechanic has been used once or twice, the rest of the puzzle is cut)

that would be the basic format. for things like multiple uneventful test chambers in a row, it would show slow fading shots of the test chamber number so you understand that time is passing. this would be intercut with shots of the setting.

HOW CAN I GET HELP / THIS PROJECT STARTED??

getting all of this footage is too much for one person. editing it... is too much for one person. ALL OF THE FOOTAGE HAS TO COME FROM PEOPLE WORKING ON THIS PROJECT. IT CANT COME FROM OTHER PEOPLES YOUTUBE VIDEOS. For this project, I’ll need people to record the footage, people to help edit the footage, and 1-3 people who know the story well and are willing to go over the game’s plot and determine what scenes and details we need, so the records know what to record and what to focus on.

Do you want to help capture footage? if so, youll need:

-access to the PC version of the game with LOW LAG gameplay

-a screen recorder program. it CANNOT have a watermark on the finished product. needs to be high resolution footage.

-(the recordings will NOT feature your voice or a face cam.)

-(you do not need mods and please leave the portal gun with its base texture)

-(id be comfortable with each screen recorder person to cover around 1-2 chapters... so maybe 4-5 people, unless i can find more. youd be following some directions on what to record. you do not need to edit, just get the footage.)

Can’t do that? Can you EDIT video footage? you’ll need:

-a video editor. high quality. i dont know the editing industry, i dont know what software exists.

-MUST be able to export it without a watermark and in high quality.

-(each editor will be responsible for a chapter or chapters. then render your final product. one editor will put all of the finished chapters together. this means you can use different software from the other editors, and will have a good amount of control over your assigned part. i dont have a number for how many editors there will be. id like more than one.)

Can’t do that? What about choosing the important scenes and details and acting as a sort of ‘writer’ for the plot? You’ll need:

-a good knowlege of the game and its history and fun facts. if youre obsessed with this game and franchise... yeah same. but as long as youre interested and know it well, thats fine

-be able to browse the wiki

-time to review the game by watching lets plays or playing it yourself

-be able to choose the right details and communicate that to the screen recorders and editors. remember my example about chapter one earlier? youd have to lay it out in a similarly comprehensive way.

-take constructive criticism

-must be older than 14 for this. youve gotta make a lot of decisions in this role. ive seen some really creative and talented high schoolers, so thats where im drawing the age line.

-(im hoping for 1-4 of these people, including myself.)

IF YOU’RE INTERESTED IN HELPING, SEND ME A DM. IF YOU’RE CHOSEN TO WORK ON THE PROJECT, I’LL SET UP A DISCORD FOR THOSE INVOLVED. IF THIS GETS SOME SORT OF MASS SUPPORT, I’LL SET UP A DISCORD FOR ANYONE INTERESTED IN UPDATES.

The purpose of this project is to make it so you can relive the portal 2 plot without having to replay the full game. Other methods do not exist. No one video shows the plot in order with ‘filler’ removed. Voice lines exist in text form, but do not capture the visual aspect of the game, or give context, and are not a full experience. This story is a masterpiece and deserves to be edited so it is comprehensive and all in one place. No one will claim credit for owning portal 2 or writing the story - the video is showing gameplay, and just so happens to be the relevant gameplay. However, screen capture, editing, and direction credits will be given to everyone who participates. This project will allow you to introduce friends and family to the game without sending them a video where only 5 minutes out of the 1 hour video is relevant. I have wanted this project for a while, but I’ve realized that I can’t do it alone. Even if you can’t help directly, please spread the word and reblog.

#portal #Portal 2 #wheatley #Chell #glados #cave johnson

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orangepeelers · 4 years

Text

it’s you

my boys go to the beach and are a little very slow on picking up hints

***

Remus awoke to a text from Sirius.

As he saw his name on the screen, excitement bloomed in his stomach and made his toes curl. He felt elated for a brief moment, before forcing himself to punch the feeling down into the recesses of his mind. He couldn’t feel that way about Sirius. He wouldn’t feel that way about Sirius. He’s just your friend, he reminded himself.

His heart didn’t really get the memo.

Remus rubbed the sleep from his eyes and glanced over at Peter’s sleeping form. The four of them were staying at the Potters’ beach house, spending the hottest days of the summer eating ice cream on the boardwalk and swimming in the ocean. He hated that despite the fact that Sirius was in the room next door with James, a text from him could still have such an effect.

He unlocked his phone to read the text, anxiety and excitement mingling in his chest. Hey Moons. I woke up a little early today. Proud of me?

Remus grinned and rolled his eyes. Sure I am Pads. Of the four of them, Remus was the only early riser, a fact which he never let them forget. He found Sirius’ gesture endearing, if a little strange. Waking up early was so out of character for him.

His legs jiggled nervously as he awaited a response. He couldn’t help but wonder whether his waking up early was for a specific reason. Running through his head in an attempt to tamp down his overactive imagination was a constant stream of shutupshutupshutupshutupshut-

Wanna go for a run on the beach?

Remus’ fingers moved of their own accord. Sure. Breakfast at 3 Broomsticks after?

Of course!! See u in like 2 seconds. Love u Moons

At the last three words, Remus’ heart did a little skip rope routine. He knew it was just Sirius being Sirius, but the words still found the nooks and crannies of his brain and filled him with warmth. They stoked the fire of false hope he had burning in his mind, like vodka on their weekly beach bonfires.

He got dressed quickly, overthinking between his choice of old t shirts before settling on one from some event his parents had organized. Taking care not to wake Peter, he crept to the door and stepped into the hall, easing it shut. Sirius was already in the living room, long hair tied up into a ponytail. Black strands framed his face, bouncing against his cheekbones as he turned to look at Remus.

He flashed the grin that Remus had pictured so many times while trying to fall asleep. “Moons! Ready for our run?”

Remus smiled back. “Shocked that you have this much energy this early.”

Sirius shrugged, still smiling. “I was just in a mood today. C’mon!”

The two walked out the door into the oppressive humidity of the east coast. The orderly streets full of pastel-colored beach houses were quiet in the early morning, the people inside still sleeping off the previous day of swimming and sunbathing. Sirius immediately stripped his shirt off, tucking it into his waistband.

“Fuck, it’s hot.”

Remus pretended to shake his head in disapproval, but his eyes were tracing the sloping lines of the other boy’s biceps, wondering how it would feel to wrap his hands around them. He swallowed the thought before also stripping his shirt. Sirius grinned cockily.

“And I thought you were judging me.”

Remus mock-bowed. “Why, never!”

They started running, following the unpopulated streets to the beach. It wasn’t too far, and when they got there the sandy plains were mostly empty except for a few people walking. A bubble of laughter and conversation surrounded them, disrupting the early morning silence. They ran along the beach, listening to the waves lap against the shore as they sun came up. By the time they got to the Three Broomsticks, they were soaked in sweat and panting hard.

Sirius pushed his hair off of his forehead and mopped the sweat with his t shirt. “Hell, I’m never waking up early again.”

Remus laughed. “Hey, what about Belgian waffles?”

Sirius considered the waffles for a moment. “Hmm... You do make a very valid point. Maybe I’ll do it once more. As a treat for you, of course.”

They laughed before slipping their shirts on and going inside. The Three Broomsticks was Remus’ favorite restaurant on the boardwalk. The inside was quaint, with blue-checked tablecloths and pictures of patrons and vintage posters lining the walls. Natural light streamed in through the big windows facing the beach as a few other early customers ate and chatted. The brunch rush hadn’t started yet, so they were able to get a table close to the big windows.

Remus studied the boy sitting across from him. His eyes were gray and studious as he read the menu, with a hint of mischievous humor, like he might order blue eggs and burst into laughter before the waiter could say anything. Dark hair fell across his face before he pushed it back, still reading through the list of pancake varieties.

Sirius glanced up before Remus could look away. “Why are you looking at me like that? Is there something in my teeth?”

Remus just smiled, hoping the flush of embarrassment would be written off as a result of their run. “Just wondering why you’re reading this more intently than anything else I’ve ever seen you look at.”

“Hey, I take my breakfast very seriously, Moons.” He pointed a finger at him, pretending to be stern. “And you should too. It’s an important part of the growing boy’s regimen.”

“Okay, okay.” Remus put his hands up in surrender. “But I know you’re just going to order what you always do.”

“I also like routine, Moons.” Sirius said, shaking his finger before returning to the menu.

A waiter walked over and introduced himself before taking their orders.

Sirius pretended to think. “I think I’ll have... Chocolate chip Belgian waffles with strawberries and whipped cream.”

Remus shook his head at him. “I’ll have the same.” See, told you so, he mouthed. Sirius just rolled his eyes and smiled.

The waiter took their menus and walked away. Sirius turned his full attention to Remus. “So, Rem. Lily tells me you have a little summer romance up your sleeve.”

Remus’ heart beat double-time. He’d confessed his crush to Lily, because he just had to tell somebody and he trusted her to keep her mouth shut. Technically, he supposed, she hadn’t told Sirius, but his legs bounced nervously like his deepest secret had been discovered.

Remus laughed awkwardly. “Well, I guess you could say that.”

Sirius cast an analytical look before sinking back into his chair. For a moment, Remus swore disappointment flickered across his face. Impossible, he reminded himself. Silence hung in the air thickly.

“Well, not quite a romance. More like useless pining.” He amended. He met Sirius’ gray eyes, and for once, they were unreadable as he studied him across the table.

“Well, I think anyone would be lucky to have you.” Sirius said sincerely. “You should tell them. Who knows? They might feel the same, and you can have an actual summer romance.”

Remus smiled, a little sadly. “Yeah. Maybe.” He studied the tablecloth intently, a heavy layer of quiet laced with tension settling over them. They each pretended to be very interested in the cloth napkins.

Sirius cleared his throat, a little awkwardly, trying to break the tension. Thankfully, their waiter arrived with two plates stacked with thick waffles and glasses of fresh, bright orange juice. The arrival of food dispersed some of the binding silence and conversation flowed again as they dug into the hot, crispy-yet-soft waffles.

They finished up their meal and paid the bill, setting out to walk back to the house. It was about nine, which was still relatively early in beach time. A few people were laying out towels and umbrellas on the beach. The sun was properly up, beating its hot rays down on the morning and dispersing the dew. Sea breeze carried the scent of salt as it ruffled their hair and scattered their laughter.

As they got onto the more quiet streets, their conversation turned, once again, to talk of summer romances.

Why does he keep bringing this up? Remus thought. The last thing he needed was a reminder that the person he wanted most in the world was unattainable. The constant thought hung about his head like vines in a jungle, and he didn’t want to see those words personified as Sirius rambled on.

“I was really hoping this summer would finally be the one where I wasn’t afraid to speak my mind.” Sirius’ clear voice led Remus back to their conversation.

A lump formed in Remus’ throat as he nodded. “Me too, honestly.”

They walked side-by-side, spilling out a little onto the lawns of the houses. Remus saw Sirius glance over, almost nervously, as he continued. “Yeah, I’ve sort of had this major crush on someone for a while. But I’ve never been able to tell them.”

Remus laughed, a little bitterly. How ironic that they were each in the same situation, yet Remus knew that Sirius could get anyone he wanted. He probably hadn’t told this mystery person because he wanted to see how long he could drag it out. Not that Sirius was cruel, but he couldn’t see any situation in which he simply couldn’t tell somebody he liked them. It just didn’t make sense.

“Well, I think you should tell them.”

“Yeah?”

Remus swallowed thickly. What matters is that he’s happy, he reminded himself. All the useless pining in the world didn’t give him a right to impede Sirius’ happiness, or decide who he dated. “Well, if you’ve liked them for a while, then either they’ve figured it out or they’re too stupid to realize. Either way it would be a push in the right direction. And, you’re Sirius fucking Black.”

Sirius raised an eyebrow. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Remus pushed him lightly and smiled. “You know what it means, you egoistic dolt. Like you told me, anyone would be lucky to have you.”

Sirius smiled faintly, as if adding Remus’ words to a mental list. They continued walking until they were about a block from the Potters’. By now, Peter and James were probably being woken up by Mrs. Potter opening curtains and humming. Remus smiled to himself at the thought. He looked over at Sirius, who was deep in thought, brow furrowed. He wished he could see what the other boy was thinking.

All of a sudden, Sirius stopped. He grabbed Remus by the hand and pulled him so they were facing each other. Their chests were bare inches from each other, which Remus was hyper aware of as he looked down into his face. He was a few inches taller than Sirius, and being so close made that feel like a few feet. He could feel his soft breath as they looked into each other’s faces.

Sirius’ gaze was intense as he took a deep breath. He was still holding onto Remus’ hand and he gave it a subconscious squeeze, as if trying to gather confidence. They stood like that for several seconds until either of them remembered to talk.

“What-”

“Rem, I-”

They laughed a little breathlessly. Remus seriously thought that his heart would explode. All he wanted was to close the distance between them. But he restrained himself and settled for saying, “You first.”

Sirius hesitated a moment, before resolve hardened in his eyes. “It’s you.”

“What?”

“You’re the summer romance person. You’re the person I’ve liked for a while.”

Remus blinked. The words floated around his head before he was able to string them together. All he could do was stare back at Sirius, unable to believe what he was hearing. He felt like a fish gasping on a dry dock, unable to suck in air to form words. “I- um, I-”

Sirius stared back, expression alert as Remus floundered for words. Finally, he was able to peel the letters from his throat and force the sentence out. “It’s you too.”

They stared at each other for what felt like an eternity, as the realization of their words settled around them like snow. Slowly, Sirius placed his hands on Remus shoulders, the around his neck, fingers tracing the muscles there gently. His hands shook Remus out of his stupor and he pulled Sirius closer, hands on his waist.

Then Sirius kissed him.

The kiss was everything a kiss should be. Deep in his stomach, Remus felt the same excitement from earlier in the morning return a hundredfold. Sirius’ mouth was soft and sweet from the waffles. They were so close, bodies pressed together despite the summer heat. He felt like a body of stars, constellations blooming on his skin wherever Sirius touched him. Adrenaline raced through his body as Sirius pulled back to look at him.

He smiled, softer than Remus had seen him before, a smile just for him. “I’d say this is my summer.”

Remus smiled back, hands intertwining behind his waist. “I’d say so too.”

#wolfstar #moony wormtail padfoot and prongs #Moony #Padfoot #Sirus Black #remus x sirius #Remus Lupin #the marauders #beach au #harry potter #WOLFSTAR FLUFF #wolfstar fic #wolfstar oneshot #mlm fic

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marvelhero-fics · 5 years

Text

Silent Britain

Series - Prologue

Pairing: Tom Holland x Reader

Summary: You and Tom are working as love interests in a new Scorsese film, essentially leading to be love interests in real life

A/N: Sorry, it’s been a hot minute since I've posted! Anyway, this is basically going to be a whole series. I have no idea how many parts it’ll be, and I’ll be updating at least every two weeks (but I’ll aim to update it weekly!) I thought it was kind of a fun idea so essentially in the film Tom plays a bad-boy mob members son, while the reader plays the opposing mob members daughter. Please enjoy! (This chapter is a bit of a slow-burn, but it’s essentially just setting up the plot and everything!)

Also, all the italics in this story are the readers thoughts!

Word Count: 1,500

Silent Britain Masterlist || Full Masterlist

Prologue

The uncomfortably loud alarm buzzed through your tired mind. A glance to your left told you it was 7:00 am. Time to get up. One arm reached out to turn your alarm off, while the other went to wipe your eyes as they opened sluggishly, adjusting to the illumination in your bedroom that crept through the blinds. Wasting no time, you moved your body from your large bed and stumbled your way to the kitchen. The house was quiet, no music playing, no TV’s on, signalling to you that your roommate/best friend, Evie, hadn’t woken up yet.

The thick script left on the dining table caught your attention. It was for an upcoming, untitled Nolan film. You’d been asked to read the script to audition, however you only made it about half-way through it last night. Looks like thats on today’s agenda.

Acting was your absolute passion. You’d been lucky enough to start your acting career about 4 years ago, acting in 2-3 bigger films, every-so-often working alongside a well known celebrity. Working alongside Robert Pattinson in dramatic indie film was pretty cool, considering you’d grown up around all the Twilight hype. Playing Brad Pitt’s daughter in another film was also a big moment in your career. Not to mention your recent role in the Emmy award winning show Big Little Lies really helping define who you were as an actress. Ever since then you’d been asked to audition for quite a few more roles. Shockingly, it actually took a bit of a turn on you. People recognised you more often, which meant it was harder to leave the house. It also meant you started comparing yourself to other actors your age, to which you never thought you’d live up too. Being rich and famous really wasn’t all it was cut out to be.

While mindlessly making breakfast, your phone began buzzing on the hard, marble bench top. It was your agent, Melissa.

“Hey, Mel.” You quickly answered,

“Morning, (Y/N), how’re you doing?” Her thick American accent sung through the phone. Melissa was from California. You weren’t, you were born and bred in England, and you’d continued living just outside of London throughout your career. It was just much easier having an agent closer to the action of Hollywood.

“Good, I’m a little tired, it’s like seven AM over here.” You responded,

“Well it’s 11 at night over here, but I’ve just received some fantastic news and I couldn’t wait to tell you.”

“You’ve got my attention.” You chuckled slightly, leaning down to rest on the kitchen bench, ready to intently listen to whatever Melissa had to say.

“You remember that Scorsese film you auditioned for a while back, Silent Britain?”

Oh my god. “Yea, of course I remember, what about it?” Your palms became clammy and your voice shook slightly.

“You’ve been offered the role! You’re playing Elizabeth Baker!”

Your head immediately fell to your hands. You were just unbelievably over-joyed, you didn’t even know what to say. This would undoubtedly be your biggest role to date. “Mel, oh my god, this is such huge news, I really didn’t think I’d get it. This is so, so, so incredible.” You stood and began pacing the kitchen.

“It gets even better, guess who else is already signed on?”

“Who?”

“Tom Hardy is playing your father, Anthony Hopkins is playing your grandfather,” Your jaw had already hit the floor at this point, “Chrisitan Bale is also signed on, and Jude Law’s set to play one of the detectives.”

“Melissa, holy fuck.” You paused, “holy fuck. This- that’s so many actors, incredible actors-”

“And there’s plenty more to be signed on. So I’m assuming you’d like the role?”

“Of course I’d like the role!”

“I’m sending through all the paper-work and details for you to flick through, I’ll also mail over a script ASAP so you can go through the whole thing. You’ll have to fly out here in about 2 weeks for the initial meet up with Martin and the cast, so I’ll book that in now, and we can work out the rest of the details when you’re here, how’s that sound?” Melissa explained quickly,

“Yea, yea that sounds perfect, when’s filming set to start?”

“It says mid-June, which is in two months, if all the actors have been accounted for by that time.”

“Okay, I’ll get all my shit sorted out and I’ll see you in two weeks! Thanks so much Mel.”

And with that, the two of you hung up. Leaving you alone with your thoughts. A fucking Gangster Scorsese film. It doesn’t get better than that. That’s peak-of-the-career shit right there. Everything you did the rest of that day was purely in order to be organised for your flight. You hadn’t been this excited since you landed the role of Reece Witherspoon’s daughter in Big Little Lies. After screaming in pure bliss with Evie about the news, you went to your nearest shopping centre to get any possible supplies you may need. Shampoo, conditioner, dry shampoo, toothpaste, a power board, a charging cable, new comfortable clothes, not that you really needed anymore, new nicer clothes, not that you fucking needed anymore, the list went on. Evie even came with you, as if your impulse control wasn’t already low, Evie made it plumet, suggesting you needed every second thing she laid her eyes on. You even bought a notepad with the Taxi Driver movie poster on the cover because Scorsese directed that too, and it’ll be funny incase I ever need to take notes.

You shut the boot of your car, hopping into the driver's seat next to where Evie sat comfortably in the passenger’s seat.

“So who else is in the film? Besides Venom, Hannibal Lecter, Batman, and John Watson.” Evie smirked at her own joke,

“Ha ha. Very funny.” You stated, pulling out of the car park. “That’s all I know about at the moment, here” you passed her your phone, “check my emails, I might’ve gotten an update.” Evie took the phone from your hands and held it to your face to unlock it.

“Melissa Bradd sent another email, with attached file, more details…” Evie muttered, mainly to herself as she opened the document. “Hmm, Anthony Hopkins, Tom Hardy, you-” Evie gasped heavily.

“What, what is it?” You quickly interjected.

“I’m going to shit my pants, I’m gonna actually die right here, right now-”

“Evie, what the fuck!? What is it?!” You almost wanted to pull over the car.

“Timothee Chalamet is playing Joseph Baker, your brother!” She practically shrieked. Christ. Obviously you adored Timothee’s work, he was incredible and so devoted, but Evie absolutely adored him, for a long time now.

“Oh my god,” you uttered, just above a whisper. Reacting to not only Evies reaction, but also that another big name was going to be on screen beside you. “Anyone else?”

“It doesn’t even fucking matter who else is in it!” Evie sung, flailing her arms in the air.

“Evie, who else is in it!” You repeated, feeling a little on edge. Her gaze returned back to the phone screen, her excitement still clearly coursing through her veins.

“So far, Finn Wolfhard is set to play your younger brother, and Michael Fassbender and Christian bale are signed on as your uncles,” She read.

It was at this moment, your hands really started shaking. You tried gripping the wheel as tightly as you could, but it honestly felt like most of the blood in your body was vanishing, you didn’t seem to have control over much of anything, especially not your breathing. Evie looked over at you.

“Hey, (Y/N/N), you okay? You’re kind of looking a bit pale.” She spoke quietly,

“That’s a lot of big actors, Evie.” You responded, your mouth entirely dry.

“Yea, but you’re a big actor too, you know. You’ve been in some big films!” She lightly tried to reassure you.

“Eve, I’ve been a background character in like 3 big films.” You peered over to her, quickly returning your glare back to the road.

“You’re in Big Little Lies, that’s a big show.”

“I’m a daughter, I’m not a main character at all. This movie, I’m a fucking huge character in this movie. This movie practically fucking revolves around me, Tom Hardy, and Hopkins.” Your voice elevated as you spoke.

“Let’s just get home, and then we can talk it all through.” Evie said calmly, clearly not paying much mind to what you’d just said. You nodded in response. And, as if on cue, your phone chimed.

“What was it?” As you asked, Evie began scrolling through your phone.

“Another email from Melissa.”

“And?...”

“A couple more actors signed on.”

“And?...” Your head was far too close to exploding.

“Well, Rachel Weisz is playing your mum, and Daniel Craig is another uncle,” Evie was speaking softly, “Idris Elba is a detective, and- uhm- Tom Holland is your love interest…”

And there goes the explosion. “I need to pull over. I’m about to have a stroke.”

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boss-magne · 4 years

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PETA and Animal Crossing

Disclaimer: I have 0 issue with folks who are vegetarian/vegan. I also have no issue with people playing a game in a way that makes them happy. What I DO take issue with, however, are people who act like their way is the best or morally superior way, which is what I’m going to get into today. I also have no issue (and even SUPPORT) animal welfare and wanting animals to be treated better than they are. I do not, however, support the way that PETA does it, which is a whole ‘nother issue for another time.

That being said... let’s get into it!

So, what inspired me to write this was Illuminaughtii’s video on Youtube regarding the same article (archived here for reference). However, since she has never actually played the game, her perspective was, admittedly, limited... so being an active player, I felt it would be interesting to go through myself and Do a Thing. Now, my biggest umbridge is that PETA’s whole focus is that animals in the game should be treated like real animals. I’m not going to argue against this every time they pull this, because then this whole writeup would be nothing but “are you fucking stupid? They’re pixels,” so let’s get this out of the way first. Literally nothing in this game harms an actual, living animal. No animals are tortured, imprisoned, or murdered via fishing, bug catching, or anything else. This goes along with their first point... No, real-life fishing isn’t vegan. But this isn’t real life. It’s a video game. Yes, fishing can cause lots of real life problems... but these are PIXELS. On a fake island. These are FAKE BUGS on a FAKE ISLAND. Nothing here is REAL, so NO real life animals are being hurt here. Acting as though REAL LIFE ANIMALS are being TORMENTED because you wanted to catch a sturgeon or tarantula is disingenuous. None of the catches ingame have any real-world consequences. Fish will not magically be killed for every fish you catch. Just... take a chill pill. Skipping the next couple of sections that would warrant the same “please stop trying to guilt people over pixels...” Should I leave hermit crabs in this game alone? Oh boy. PETA. Like. Are you guys actually stupid, because... “Hermit crabs love hanging out on the shore of your island. Leave them there. When you capture a hermit crab in the game, the screen says, “I caught a hermit crab! I think it wanted to be left alone!” In this situation, the game demonstrates surprising awareness that we shouldn’t be bothering these animals and taking them from their homes.“ Do you... do you actually know what a HERMIT is? It’s wordplay. They’re making a joke. EVERY SINGLE catch in this game makes a joke like that. This has literally NOTHING to do with ANYTHING you just said, and trying to twist it to your benefit is pretty shitty and manipulative. Subsection regarding Blathers

They, for some reason, didn’t give this its own section, but I want to address it anyway, because of how colossally tone-deaf it is. So, they say: ”Blathers would like to build a museum of fish and insects on your island. Don’t let him do it! Just as fish don’t belong in tanks, insects don’t belong inside cramped cases in a museum for other villagers to gawk at. Your island should be a place where wild animals are free to live without being captured and exploited. In the real world, animals suffer in captivity at places like SeaWorld and roadside zoos. They’re deprived of everything that’s natural and important to them. In Animal Crossing, you have the choice to let the animals on your island live free from harm, so please, leave them alone!” Anyone who has unlocked the museum in ANY Animal Crossing game already knows exactly what’s wrong with this. For starters, even on the damn screenshot they used, you know there’s an entire section of the museum that doesn’t require you to capture animals. The fossil exhibit. Donating fossils hurts nobody, and is never even mentioned in their article, because they know it goes against their argument already... as does the rest of the damn museum. For the fish exhibit... all the fish are kept in large tanks, like a big, fancy aquarium.

(Credit: USGamer)

(Credit: Forbes) The bugs have an open atrium to roam around in:

(Credit: NintendoLife) Nothing about any of this screams “cramped cages,” which means PETA either: - Didn’t actually play that far and is making shit up based on the fact that they get placed in small enclosures if you put them in your house - Lied to push their agenda. I’m very much leaning towards the second because there has obviously been some degree of gameplay on their end, and it wouldn’t be the first time they’ve twisted things to their benefit. What would a vegan eat on a desert island? PETA. Guys. You can literally only eat fruit.

Acting as though you’re magically vegan for only choosing to do that is, again, proof you have no idea what you’re talking about. You CANNOT eat ANY animals in this game. AT ALL. There’s also literally no other reason for your character to NEED to eat anything. You don’t starve. You don’t die. The addition of the “you can rip up trees and smash rocks” now was literally only added to give an actual benefit to eating, because NOTHING HAPPENS IF YOU DON’T. Should I build a doghouse? PETA, obviously, argues “fuck no because SOME people are SHITTY and TIE THEIR DOGS UP OUTSIDE” and...

This is literally only decoration. You can’t have a pet dog. You can’t do anything with it except put it outside to make your yard look nice. This whole argument is virtue signaling at its finest... especially rich too, coming from a group that murders peoples’ pets. Is Tom Nook Exploiting you? Holy shit. Holy shit. Someone hold my coffee because I am about to lose my shit. Leave my boy Tom alone. “Tom Nook is a tanuki, or a raccoon dog, who are often killed for their fur. Others like him in the real world are beaten, anally electrocuted, gassed, or skinned alive. Cut him some slack.“ Okay. For starters here, there’s the implication that, yes, he’s TOTALLY exploiting you but it’s totes ok because this pixel tanuki is affected by shitty things people do irl. Bullshit about real life having any impact on a FANTASY VIDEO GAME with ANTHRO ANIMALS aside... Tom isn’t exploiting you anyway. You CHOSE and AGREED to his island package, which you can initially pay off in NookMiles, no bells required. Every single home update after is voluntary. The Noolkings will pay you for pretty much anything you bring them, which is incredibly generous and helpful. Nook himself will hold off on any upgrades until you give him permission. He also lets you pay off each loan on your own time, with NO interest or timegates. If anything, we’re exploiting HIM. Leave Tom the fuck out of this. How can you spread animal rights through Animal Crossing? This one is so goddamn pretentious I’m not even going to touch it. Like, again, play how you want, but don’t expect people to want to visit you, or have anything to do with you if you’re being a dick about it. PETA apparently received backlash for this, which caused them to add another tweet about the game, which they apparently very rarely do, but none of it was an apology, just doubling-down on their shit. So I will repeat once more for posterity, to make sure folks understand: Play however you want! If you want to play AC vegan, do it! Have fun doing it! But if you try to lie about real-life impact over how someone plays a game, or push your beliefs onto others playing the game, you really need to step back and re-evaluate your priorities. All that effort could be better used helping real animals who need real help, not virtue signaling over a video game.

#animal crossing #animal crossing new horizons #new horizons #acnh #PETA #magne speaks #long fucking post #time to brace myself for the inevitable vitriol

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a-lilacsong · 4 years

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Elena of Avalor Live text reaction: Giant Steps

I enjoy reading other people's posts where they watch episodes of shows and write reactions to things in the episode while they're still watching it. So I decided to make one for this new episode: Giant Steps.

Reaction starts under the cut (Spoilers for the episode since this is a reaction)

She needs a crew

Wait has she gone to Australia

Also I love that fish on the wall

To bad it wouldn't be able to sing most likely

Is that a wanted poster for the bat on the wall?

And it looks like she's selling Esteban’s hat as well

oooooh I think I feel a song coming on

also the letter text is so clear I could probably translate this

if I felt like it

Man, Elena is a fast writer

I really like the accordion in this song but so far it's been pretty casual

I don't know, I guess I was just expecting a big old villain song

What a cute parrot! Naomi should get a parrot

Oh that's a sword for a second I thought it could be a chainsaw

Don't mind him that's just casual Joe, casually showing off his casual sword to his casual friends Casually

Wow there's a lot of lens flares in this song, was it directed by JJ Abrams?

Maybe it's not even a big threat Naomi's coming to warn them about, maybe she's just going to come back to say hi at this point, she seems like she's really missing Elena

This is why she needs a crew, then she wouldn't be lonely

Having a good cry together?! All of the hurt comfort and angst fanfiction possibilities!

Oh look there's the not-Ash little girl

yes the Elena and Naomi feels are strong with this one

Ship does not rhyme with fate! this is the second time a line hasn't rhymed and it bugs me

And she's broke

Maybe she should have asked for some money along with a ship eh?

The Bat Wanted poster Is hilarious

And so starts her career as a bounty hunter

“So how much gold are you giving for his capture?” “heaps of it.” “But how much gold exactly?” “HEAPS. OF. IT.”

Yeah when you just draw bags of money on the poster it's probably a scam

Naomi unrolls the wanted poster, Me: *Gasps out loud* They all look so good!

I wonder if you captured those three along with the bat if they give you an extra gold for that or if they just only give you a reward for the bat

You probably wouldn't get any gold though cuz it's probably a scam

Sudden zoom in on the poster while there's a bell in the background like what

reminds me how they always always seem to do that during dramatic moments in Star Trek

What's in the bag a knife, a phaser, or is she just giving her the bag

Maybe a special knockout powder?

Oh cool it's one of those endless Space Bags

also what a cute red bird

This episodes giving lots of birds

But the Winged being I want to see most is Chatana

Oh look she sells harpoons! What does the store not have?

The necklace, of course she wants the necklace, I was thinking about was oddly noticeable with Naomi wearing two necklaces so of course she's going to have to give one away

Will she give it to her, Probably

Yep now she has the Magic Bag

And she got the take the wanted poster as well?! Wow !

It's not illegal to take down wanted posters?

Boy there is probably some kid out there who has fifty wanted posters just up decorating their room because they are very well drawn

I mean if I lived in that world and knew I couldn't get punished for it I would totally have a few of them up

Ash and Chatana just look so snug in their pictures, when why was Esteban just looks so innocent compared to them

Wait so ash gave Chatana the diadem off screen? okay...

I've been waiting months for this, yes, YES team Ash team Ash team Ash YES!

Now I finally get to see more of Chatana

I will finally get to see what her personality is really like yes

~~ but now I have to eat supper so intermission

Sarah give me spoilers Darn it ~~

Anyway

the bat can shape-shift!? wow I always thought that Esteban’s teleportation powers would take them to Vestrella but I was wrong

Of course they're seen immediately, probably because of Ash’s yelling

Wait if you Caught the Jaquin babies, what would you do with them Esteban?

He seems better at this villain stuff than I thought

Also both Ash and Chatana seem way too confident about this

I'm predicting it will be their Achilles heel

Bold of Mateo to assume that she would be looking for her friend instead of the villains

Probably spied on Naomi before

It seems Mateo's more Curious boy Then I thought he's willing to spy on someone if they're a friend

And she's right there, she probably ran past Armando and everyone else that's why they didn't get it notified of her arrival

Like she always does

Yay clumsy Mateo

And he didn't drop it!

No one expected you back this soon Naomi not even the audience

Lesbians lesbians lesbians

It's great other than the crippling loneliness

Mateo asks the kind of questions that I asked on tumblr ask blogs anonymously

“Ancient at least I thought she was ancient '' if she said that to Chatana’s face which you take it as a compliment or an insult I wonder?

Also continuity!

And of course she's only going to bring Gabe because he is the only guard She Knows by name

Sarcasm aside though I'm glad that these four will get to have another adventure together

They are the Ultimate Adventure team

Well Isabel is always welcome on it

But it is illegal for her to try to fight Esteban

Or Witness Elena seriously killing him

Wait is she going because she wants to be with Elena

Or to get the prize money

Probably both

I sure hope Elena doesn't feel betrayed if Naomi tries to get that prize money I mean she has to make a living somehow

Yes Elena, the team

It is the only team strong enough to defeat the evil team

Oh boy every time Chatana walks she looks like she's on a Runway! She is so poised and confident looking

Also it seems that they have gotten past that cloaking spell

And Esteban gets smacked in the face

They just love you using him for slapstick don't they?

I just love it how bat says casually that they're being watched

And Ash and Chatana flip out like they're about to be caught by the thought police

Okay, Esteban is hilarious

*Ash Eyeroll*

I wonder who has done more eye rolls in the series Ash or Esteban?

And she blocked it again, I guess it wears off over time?

SOME kind of cloaking spell!? it looks like the same one they were using before!

I sure hope Philly wasn't conscious with Chatana all those years

She CAN fly!

And we finally get to see her make a monster and it's so cool!!!

Spiders spiders everywhere!

Flying spider tornado!

Ash and Esteban’s reactions are valid

BABY spider Eagles! that changes everything

Now that means that they're really cute

I would still be distracted by them though

Esteban sass

Ash threats

If they weren't so evil they make a great sitcom team

~~~break to watch final episode of Pride and Prejudice with my family~~

Gabe makes yet another strategy which will be most likely ignored or never brought up again

Points for trying, Captain

Oh good, that’s just webs, thought it was something else for a moment

Down they go, too bad she can't use levaloop with that sceptre and they're going to have a hard Landing

Woo he didn't use levaloop he's learning new spells

Yay team Ash back views! I've been needing these for artistic purposes

Did Phili just spit fire Let me back that up

Wow I think he did

Awww, “Little one”

They must train together a lot, Ash just needs to give Esteban a look and he does what they need

That's the same unlocking spell as before

do the Maruveians only have one kind of lock spell

Also wait did Chatana teach that to Ash at some point?

Because she certainly didn't use that on the gate before to unlock Chatana...

Oh nice unlocking effects

some...BODY ONCE TOLD ME

MAMA <--May I also mention that my theory was right

Wait all of Chatana's creatures are locked up here?

I guess there are the Sunbird jars

True she was captured, (much better excuse than Pink Diamond’s)

And here is Esteban, the king of sucking up

In a way, Kizin Reminds me of Sarah

He Likes the tall funny man

Good recovery Esteban, you didn't make any snide comment that time

And now everyone else sucks up

Except Phili

Chatana smile

Kizin has other friends? AWW, he Just wants to help his friends!

Ash has done nothing other than that spell so far except yell and complain to others

And there goes a bat

We will probably get him later... or maybe we will just leave him

Oh look will team Avalor attack him immediately or will they try and reason with him first

If you needed more guards why didn't you just grab them in the first place

I know Migs and Skyler are Guardians but couldn't you have gotten another Guardian to go and get reinforcements?

Elena never planned ahead for things

Gabe the running LOL

So you're going to just attack him instead of reasoning with him? okay

I think that trip wire might be a little high Naomi

Wait Shouldn't Elena and Mateo wait on the other side of the tripwire so that they can surround Kizim just in case

Naomi tie the tripwire you won't be strong enough to hold it up yourself

Or maybe you will you are pretty strong

Hey look there's the bat

No Naomi, no Naomi no tie the rope Naomi, and then go after him

Tell Elena of your financial troubles don't risk it all

(to quote Ash:) foolish child....

Looks like the bats in the bag

Also why was he attacking ships in the first place, for the LOLs?

More Gabe running

*Sigh* should have tied it...

She hurt him he hurt her

Very good, Gabe protect

See Don't Use Magic on Kizim, use Magic on yourself

Oh yeah use the wizard to unlock the pots

And then an extra

You know it seems like every episode where Elena could do a lot more she gets injured and then another character has to save the day

It happened in the episode with the merman Prince

Naomi just sort of stands there and watches

Okay that scene is funnier in context than it is in the trailer

First aid! Someone actually knows how to do first aid!

Mateo disobeyed a plan and now Naomi disobeyed the plan

When will they learn that disobeying plans always leads to bad things

Sorry Princess I'm broke

And Too Proud to Beg

Okay, this is a complicated situation, on one hand Naomi is a big help in defeating villains on the other, why don't they just get a royal guard who is good with a lasso?

I mean there are definitely some personal emotions running here

But also it might have been better to wait to become a Captain until after the villains had been caught

I just think this might be both their faults

Although running out to the bat and not tying the Rope yeah

Little scared Mateo noise

I thought it was just going to run head-on into a wall

LOL if one man can't do it get the other guy to do it

Gabe with magic well that would be interesting…

Well yeah, he's normally there

Wait he's not going to attack Keatamos is he?

Gabe and Matteo wouldn't allow that

“Hello friends” awww

Uh-oh is right, that many shaking pots is never good

And now they're here to save the day

When you forget you have an injury

Although she Naomi should have felt the arm first to see how the sling should be set

He likes one cousin and dislikes the other

Wait magic wands are handed?

Don't worry that Blaze probably didn't hit the wood that's everywhere around here

How would releasing the bat help, I feel like he'd be on Kizim's side

Couldn't you have just caught him in the bag with the bat still inside

Actually no, the bat would get squished

Well Gabe, you are bringing the burn today

Esteban reacts to waiting for things the same way I do

Esteban knows he's the universe is punching bag

Ash facepalm

Chatana does care

And Phili never will

OOOOh Other allies!??!

It just seems like the Delgados inexplicably know about every different darkforce and possible magic thing there is

She is angsting, Naomi, Which she always does alone

Wow her arm is in a cast

Couldn't they just fix it with magic?

Does no one in this world know a healing spell?

Actually that wouldn't surprise me.

Get a room you two! Oh, you do have a room

now kiss

They love each other

You know you can hire your own ship crew at some point right?

I mean Captains classically command other crew members.

Wait is she coming back to the council

No Naomi don't ruin your life with politics!

Get out while you still can!

Wait, Naomi doesn't know she was replaced

Well it would be easier on Julio if he didn't have two jobs…

Which is the responsible thing to do

She lives to serve

Hugs

Every episode with Chatana so far has had Elena Naomi angst

That's the end of my reaction.

~~~~~

So here's my Mini review. Overall I liked the episode, sure the big conflicts could have been avoided if people actually talked with each other about their feelings first before the disasters, but that happens so often in TV shows I'm almost used to it. I loved seeing the villain force again (especially Chatana). Hopefully we will see them again soon. I wonder what job Naomi will get now, (Maybe being the minister of ships)?

#my post #my reaction #my live reaction #Elena of Avalor #Giant Steps #EOA #eoa spoilers

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a-bit-too-much-of-a-zelda-fan · 5 years

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LinkedUniverse Fanfic Ch. 13: Inn or Out... Maybe Just Inn

Stop! You’ve Violated the Law!

So, you’ve stumbled upon this original post for my Linked Universe fanfiction. That’s okay, it happens to everyone. As of March 2021, I’ve uploaded the entirety of this fanfic to my Archive of Our Own page. Along with finally giving the story a name–Oops! All Links: A Linked Universe Story–I made substantial edits to some of the chapters. These range from minor stylistic revisions to fixing a gaping plot hole that kinda completely broke the character conflict in the earlier chapters. I also renamed and renumbered (but not reordered) the chapters. Specifically, this is now Chapter 15: Inn or Out... Maybe Just Inn

The AO3 iterations of these chapters are the definitive versions. So, if you would like to read this fanfiction, please do so on AO3, right here. With this embedded link. Hehe. Geddit? Link?

Note: My screen name on AO3 is FrancisDuFresne. Yes, that is me. I am not plagiarizing myself.

Anyway, for posterity’s sake, the rest of the original post is below the cut.

This chapter in my @linkeduniverse fan narrative: the Links have made it Selggog. They’re pretty tired. It’s time for them to get some well-deserved rest. They’ll need to find an inn, first. Word count: 2581:

“The Town of Selggog,” Warrior let the words roll off his tongue. Well, he tried. “Selggog” doesn’t really roll off the tongue. “You think we can restock here?”

Wind looked around the town in awe. Its weathered but dignified buildings stood close to one another in tightly packed streets. The orange light of the setting sun reflected off the high windows. People bustled about on their last-minute errands. Compared to Windfall Island, it was practically a metropolis. “Yeah,” he replied. “Definitely. Look at this place!”

Time was reminded vaguely of Hyrule Castle Town. Being back in civilization was a nice change of pace. He drank in the sights and sounds and smells of the town. Some people eyed the Links warily, perhaps put on edge by nine heavily-armed young men. He supposed these people weren’t used to travelers, let alone warriors like him and his friends.

“Don’t get caught up in all of this,” Time warned the others. “We still need to be on guard.”

Four remembered the gang of thieves he encountered on one of his journeys. “Yeah,” he said. “We don’t need any pickpockets.”

“Anyone see an inn?” Sky asked with a yawn, looking for any sign of lodging.

“Not yet, sleepyhead,” Legend jested.

“We do need to restock, though,” Warrior repeated. “We need an apothecary for potions, a market for food, a fletcher for arrows… Twilight, do you need new pants?”

As he walked, Twilight glanced at his torn and bloodied pant leg. “No, I’m fine. I’ll fix them tomorrow morning.”

“Okay, what else?”

Wild spoke up hesitantly: “An armorer. I need a new shield… and probably a new sword, too.”

“A new sword? Seriously?” Legend asked, whipping around to face his companion. “What’d you do to your old one?”

“The fight with the stalfos really did a number on it.”

Warrior smacked his own forehead. ‘Maybe, if you took care of your weapons for once, they wouldn’t break so easily!”

“Yeah, come on,” Four chimed in. A blacksmith himself, it always bugged him when he saw how Wild treated his weapons.

Time sighed. Yet again, he needed to stop their bickering. “Lay off him,” he snapped. “Four, take a look at his sword in the morning and decide if he needs a new one.”

The one-eyed hero took a deep breath. “What we need to do right now is find an inn. No stores will be open at this hour.”

They turned a corner. As if on cue, they spotted a sign swinging from above a building’s door. A crescent moon was painted on the worn, wooden surface. Behind it, they could see the last sliver of sun creep behind the rooftops. Stars began popping into sight above them in the twilit sky. “Talk about good timing,” Wind said, stretching his arms upward. “I’m just about ready to collapse.”

The nine companions reached the inn’s door and opened it. A bell chimed as it swung open. The heroes filed in. The place had a cozy feel to it. To one side, several cushioned chairs were arranged around the crackling fireplace. On the other, high tables and stools stood near a bar. A stairwell was set in the far wall. The reception desk was ahead of them.

A portly, balding, middle-aged man sat behind the desk. He had clearly been nodding off, by the way he jolted when the bell rang. That, and the line of drool rolling down his chin; he quickly ran his sleeve across his face. Like the townsfolk outside, he gave the heroes a wary look. From the bloody slash in Twilight’s pant leg to the halberd on Wild’s back, they weren’t exactly dressed to the nines.

The man stood up from his stool and took a few seconds to look the Links up and down. “Welcome to the Black Pot & Kettle Inn. Can I help you?” he asked apprehensively.

Time stepped forward. The man stepped back. Spending so much time around Malon and his other selves made him forget how intimidating he could appear. Most folks weren’t accustomed to seeing people with one eye, never mind one with strange markings on his face, wearing armor, and carrying a massive sword on his back. He had to work to dispel that impression.

“We would like lodgings for the night, please,” Time said.

The man, who they reckoned must be the innkeeper, shot Time an incredulous look. “You fellas got the cash for this many of you?”

“Yes,” Time asserted. Firm yet gentle. “We’ll only need three rooms.”

He looked back to his companions, who nodded their assent. He turned to face the innkeeper, who was reaching under his desk. Time just barely caught the man muttering under his breath, “psh, only three rooms.” After a jingling of metal, the innkeeper stood up and held out three room keys. “Can I have a name for these?”

“Link.”

“Huh. Odd name for a… warrior… such as yourself.”

The man’s skepticism escaped none of them. If only he knew who they really were, they all mused. He likely noticed the indignance on all their faces, because he lowered the sarcastic tone as he said “Okay, Mister Link. That’ll be three hundred rupees.”

A few of them had to suppress gasps. That was a hefty price for just one night. Thinking quickly, Hyrule stepped up next to Time. He placed a forearm on the desk and stared down the innkeeper. “You know, sir, we don’t have to stay here,” he said, jerking his thumb toward the door. “I’m sure Selggog has plenty other fine inns that would love our business.”

The innkeeper’s demeanor changed immediately. “Yes,” he agreed, “yes, I’m sure they would. How does… two hundred fifty rupees sound?”

Hyrule wasn’t about to settle. “One hundred.”

Sky leaned over to Hyrule and whispered: “Don’t push it.” Hyrule shook his head.

“One hundred?!” The man exclaimed. “Do I look like a fool to you?”

Hyrule had to suppress the urge to answer truthfully.

The innkeeper caved a bit. “Fine, fine, you’re a tough customer. Two hundred.”

“One-fifty,” Hyrule pressed, maintaining his stony glare. “Final.”

The innkeeper considered this. Hyrule could practically see the gears cranking in his balding head. After a moment, the innkeeper sighed. “Alright, kid. One-fifty, but only cause I’m in a good mood.”

The Links hadn’t expected to get a cheaper price that easily. Hyrule grinned as he reached into his pouch and pulled out his wallet. He withdrew three purple rupees and placed them on the desk. The innkeeper’s eyes lit up. Losing half of his sale didn’t seem to bother him anymore. He swept the rupees into one hand and held out the keys in the other. Hyrule took them.

“Upstairs, last three on the left,” the innkeeper instructed, crossing his arms. “Bath is at the end of the hall.” He raised an eyebrow. “Don’t make a mess.”

Time stepped by Hyrule and held out his hand. The innkeeper eyed it suspiciously, then shook it. “Thank you for your hospitality,” Time said, “and your generosity.”

The innkeeper gave an indiscriminate grunt. The Links turned and headed up the stairs. The stairwell turned direction at a landing midway up, then led to the second floor. Oil lamps set above the doors lit a long hall with a threadbare rug running the length of it. The heroes walked to the end and looked about themselves.

“How should we split?” Four asked.

“Come on,” Legend said, “you of all people should know how to split.”

This got a few stifled snickers. “Very funny,” he shot back. “But seriously.”

“It doesn’t really matter, does it?” Twilight pointed out. “We’ll go by height.”

After a moment trying to figure out the order, Legend passed the keys around. They uttered goodnights to each other. Twilight unlocked one door and walked in. Time and Warrior followed. Wind, Four, and Legend did the same, as did Wild, Sky, and Hyrule. The rooms were like the rest of the Black Pot & Kettle Inn: cozy and inviting, if not a bit worse for the wear. Three beds with clean linens ran flush against one long wall. A desk, chair, and dresser were by the other. A mirror hung above the dresser, and a small, open window was set in the far wall.

In one room, the heroes began undressing from their battle garments. As Sky unhooked his sailcloth from around his neck, he looked over to Hyrule. He hadn’t expected a show like that from a humble traveler like him. “Hey,” Sky said, “that was pretty gutsy back there.”

“Ah, well…” Hyrule replied. “Three hundred seemed high, so I wanted to get it down.”

Sky cocked an eyebrow. “Wait, so if you don’t like the price of something, you just ask for it for cheaper?”

“Basically,” Hyrule said with a shrug. “People in my Hyrule charge whatever they want for everything, so I had to learn to haggle to get cheap prices.”

Wild propped his halberd against one corner. He paused, looking back on his own adventure. “That’s odd. Where I’m from, it’s as if there’s a price-guide everyone agreed to. Everything’s always the same.” He remembered how much Yiga assassins charged for bananas. “Well, most of it anyway.”

Something clicked in Sky’s head. He suddenly stopped undoing his baldric. “Wait…” he said slowly, “so when Beedle kept jacking up his prices, I didn’t have to pay them?”

“Beedle?” Wild asked. “You can’t mean the merchant, can you? The one who likes bugs?”

“I… yeah, I guess,” Sky said, scratching his head. “How can we know the same person?”

Wild thought about it for a moment. He let down his hair. “Aren’t you supposed to live thousands of years before me?”

“I think so.”

Taking off his boots, Wild looked up to his friends. Sky looked as confused as he felt. “That’s really weird.”

Hyrule slid his power bracelet off his wrist. “Wait, did you say this Beedle guy jacked his prices?”

Sky laughed. “Did he ever! I swear, he nearly drove me bankrupt. Something could be a hundred rupees one day, then be a thousand the next.”

“Seriously?” Hyrule asked. “You never tried to haggle?”

With a shrug, Sky undid his belt, then pulled his tunic and chainmail off over his head. “I didn’t really think that was an option,” he admitted.

“Well,” Wild said, unwrapping the patterned cloth from his forearms, “we can use that extra hundred rupees to buy more provisions. After this knucklehead here”—he jerked his head towards Hyrule—“got himself hurt, we’re out of potions.”

“I’m net even, then,” Hyrule said. “I used the last of the potions, and I saved us the money we need to buy more.”

Sky chuckled. “He’s got you there. You’re one to talk, too. It’ll be more than a hundred to replace that shield.”

Wild looked over the dented Stalfos shield lying next to his other weapons and sighed. “Yeah. That thing is awful.”

“Ha, I thought you were able to use any weapon you come across,” Hyrule joked, his voice muffled as he took off his tunic.

The young knight shot him a look. “It was designed for a skeleton. There’s practically no room for my arm. It’s also weighted all wrong.”

“Riiight.” Hyrule’s voice was tinged with sarcasm.

Just then, they heard a loud rumbling. Sky and Hyrule stood and were reaching for their swords when Wild waved at them dismissively. “Calm down,” he said. “I’m just hungry.”

Sky and Hyrule looked at each other and started laughing. Now that they were thinking about it, they realized they were starving, too. Wild reached into his pouch and pulled out a few strips venison jerky he made the previous week. He put one between his teeth and held the rest to his friends. Hyrule grabbed a couple and thanked him.

Sky shook his head. “I’m good, thanks.”

Wild raised an eyebrow, shrugged, then ripped some jerky off with his teeth and started eating. The people of Skyloft didn’t keep livestock, so their newest knight wasn’t comfortable hunting and eating meat. Survivalists like Wild and Hyrule were puzzled by this but stopped pressing him after a few days.

Even so, Hylia’s chosen hero was still hungry. “Do we still have any more of that soup?” he asked.

Swallowing his mouthful, Wild reached back into his bag. “Let me see… uh… hm… oh!”

He pulled out a corked bottle filled with soup. Twilight had shared this recipe with Wild a while back. He said it was the best soup he had ever had in his life. When Wild finally got around to making it, Sky requested that they leave the fish out. It was tempting to eat all of it then, but they had the sense to put a few bottles away. Wild handed him the bottle.

Sky uncorked it and took a swig of the cold soup. It was better hot, but still tasty and hearty nonetheless. He wiped his mouth and looked from Hyrule to Wild. It was only just after sundown, but they looked as exhausted as he felt. “Hey,” he said.

“Hm?” Hyrule grunted, mouth full of jerky.

“Let’s get some rest. Something tells me Time is going to wake us up early.” He sighed. “Again.”

Wild and Hyrule each nodded. The three of them finished undressing, crawled under their sheets, and—after Hyrule extinguished the oil lamp on the wall—shut their eyes to welcome sleep. A few minutes passed before a whisper pierced the darkness. “You guys good after today?” Sky asked.

“Yep,” Wild whispered back.

“…Yeah,” Hyrule replied. A moment’s pause, then “But what about the others?”

After a few seconds of silence, Sky spoke up. “I dunno. Twi looked pretty shaken.”

“Dark Link seriously messed with him,” Wild pointed out. “Those corpses he made Twi see…”

“And Time…” Hyrule breathed. “You guys weren’t there when he put on that mask. It was awful.”

Something clicked in Sky’s mind. “Was that him screaming?”

“Mhm. He was in so much pain. I can’t help but feel it was my fault. He did it to save me.”

Wild rolled onto his side and looked at Hyrule. The dim moonlight showed the guilt on his face. “Don’t. I was in that position once, so I know that he would do anything he needed to to save his friends. It’s on him, not you.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah.”

“Don’t let this haunt you. It’s not worth it.”

Hyrule let these words sink in. It was a weight off his chest, but he still had an inkling of that guilty feeling. Sky reflected on his own adventure, how Hylia used him and his love for Zelda so he would willingly run headfirst into unfathomable danger. This courage and love ran through every Link’s blood, he reckoned. “We’ve all been there,” he whispered, “and if I’m on the mark, we wouldn’t have it any other way.”

The Link who felt the least like a hero out of the nine looked up at the dark ceiling. “Yeah.” He closed his eyes. “Yeah… I guess you’re right.”

No more words were spoken that night. The three of them fell asleep in a few minutes, as did the six of them in the other rooms. After everything they had been through the past two days, just feeling a soft bed under them was enough to knock them out. The thought running through all of their minds was the same: It’s about damn time.

#linkeduniverse fanfiction #linkeduniverse #my own #my writing #inn or out... maybe just inn #text post

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slbp-secret-cupid · 5 years

Text

Notes: I'm a fan of a band called Wagakki Band, which uses modern and traditional instruments and mostly play j-rock. That's what partly inspired me to write this since I love how they sound.

Also, to my Cupid recipient, @michverse, I hope that you like it ^^ Happy SLBP Valentine’s Day - @otome0heart

PEEBLES IN THE WAY

“Did you have fun, Miss?”

The young woman turned around to see her personal maid, Matsuko, close the sliding door of her room with a big smile on her face and a mischievous twinkle in her eyes, and she felt a light blush cover her cheeks.

“Yes, I did” she replied while she gave her her coat and bag.

It had been much more than just 'fun'. The concert had been amazing, the music and the singing reaching to every single heart in the hall, which answered with as much passion as the musicians gave.

“And I suppose your fiancé's performance was great...”

She side-glanced at Matsuko, feeling her face even hotter, and the young maid could not help a chuckle.

“Of course, it was” she muttered, starting to unbutton her clothes.

“You don't have to feel embarrassed for having such a gorgeous and talented fiancé, Miss. I'd be really proud to show him off.”

She took off the dress and put it on top of the chest of drawers on her left. Then, she put her arms through the sleeves of her sleeping yukata, which Matsuko held for her.

“I know, and I am” she tied a sash around her waist. “It's just that... things are complicated...”

She turned to look at the maid with a small wistful smile.

“I know, Miss, I know...”

She sighed. Yes, the situation could not be more difficult. Not only was he a famous wadaiko player but also, her family was not making things easy for them. She breathed deeply and then, went to the other side of the room, opening the sliding door which led outside.

“Is everyone sleeping?”

“Yes. Your aunt turned off her lights as soon as she heard you arrive home.”

“Good” he smile widened, showing her satisfaction. “I'll be back in fifteen minutes. Take out the bedding and then, retire for the night. Thanks for waiting for me.”

“It was a pleasure, Miss” the woman bowed her head. “Goodnight.”

She made her way across the garden with only the moonlight as her guide. She had taken that stone path which guided to the far end of the enclosure so many times that she did not need any lights to illuminate her way. There, she stopped in front of a small old storage room which nobody used now for its distance from the main house and its decayed state. She unlocked it with a key she always wore around her neck and entered, holding the door in a way to avoid the hinges making any noise. Once in the safety of the one-room house, she sighed, relieved. In the darkness, she touched the wooden wall, where she knew there would be a candle and a box of matches, and lit it. The tiny flame lit a clean space that she had tidied with the help of her brother Yahiko and Matsuko, slowly and taking turns to avoid suspicions, except for when most of the family was away, when the three of them could work there for some hours. There, she kept the things that made her happy which had been forbidden by her relatives because they did not suit someone of her status.

Status. She snorted as she entered the room, the tatami creacking softly under her bare feet. That was all that mattered to them. Yahiko's status as the heir of the restaurant chain their parents had founded. He own status as the heiress to be married to make connections.

Little by little, they had stripped her of hobbies, friends and feelings to mold her into the perfect wife for a rich man. And she had complied. Or at least, she had made them believe it. She still kept in touch with some of her dearest friends and she had gathered whatever precious memories she had been able to save in that little room.

She walked to the center of the room, illuminating one of her favourite dolls, trophies she had won in sports competitions during school and a few romance novels and manga that still made her heart flutter each time she reread them.

She left the candle on top of a low cupboard and rummaged in the folds of her sleeping robe, taking out the ticket of the concert. A soft smile drew across her lips. What her relatives had never suspected was that they had given her the person that her heart had wanted the most for so long. When they had told her that they had already decided on a husband for her, she had tried to rebel. Even Yahiko, her brother, had. However, when she had discovered the identity of her fiancé, she had had no more reasons to protest.

She put the ticket on top of the cupboard, next to a photo frame, smoothing it carefully and then, straightened, staring at the poster in front of her. Almost unconsciously, she lifted a hand and, delicately, traced the features of the man in it. She had become a fan of his group when they had started their music career, years ago, and little by little, she had fallen more and more for him without realising that what she felt was not only admiration but love, until they had been introduced to each other. In that moment, her heart had flooded with a million feelings, filling each single corner of her being, and deep inside her, she had simply known that she had given him her heart.

With a low purr rumbling in his throat, Takeda Shingen turned in his bed, seeking a few minutes more of sleep under the warmth of the covers. He put his arm around the pillow, burying his face in it, slightly frustrated because his much needed rest had been disturbed and the last threads of unconsciousness which fogged his mind were disappearing. Slowly, he opened his amber eyes, wondering what had made him wake up. The thick dark curtains were tightly closed, not letting the sunlight enter the room and he had made sure his mobile phone was muted so nobody could disturb him.

He lifted his head, looking around through heavy lidded eyes and then, something at the back of his mind told him the reason. He looked at the space beside him on the bed and sighed, letting himself fall on the mattress again.

After a concert, he always brought someone home, one of those friends who, as him, looked for a way to relieve themselves without any strings attached, someone who would disappear in the morning with not so much as a 'till next time' and did not ask for something in return.

However, all that had ended when he had got engaged. He sighed. As much as his needs were still the same, he now had a serious committed relationship and he planned to be faithful. He could not help a small snort as he laid on his back, his eyes staring at the white ceiling. He did not know from whom he had inherited such righteous feelings, since his father was not precisely the perfect example of faithfulness. Or maybe it was precisely that which had shaped him in that way. Seeing his mother suffer in silence the none discreet affairs of her husband had probably made him promise himself not to make the woman he chose and loved feel the same humiliation. Well, he had not exactly chosen her but that marriage was the price he had to pay for his freedom, the condition his father had stated to let him continue in the music world while contributing to the family’s prestige, and he was willing to pay it. Beside, his fiancée was a pretty girl and he knew that, if he made an effort to get to know her, he could end up liking her. He sighed. The only thing that irked him quite a lot was her shyness and her seemingly docile character. She talked when told to, and did as told too. She was modest and proper. He pictured her in his mind, her long brown hair tied in a low bun at the nape of her neck, her white skin and her pink lips, the perfectly fit kimonos she had always worn when he had visited her and... He furrowed his brows for a moment, trying to remember any other detail about her. And it was then that he realised he did not even know what colour her eyes were.

The screen of his mobile phone turned on, distracting him from his musings and, turning slightly, he picked it up from the top of his bedside table. As every morning, Kansuke, his assistant and best friend, had sent him the planning for the day. Fortunately, he did not have many engagements, an interview for a magazine with the rest of the band in a few hours and in the afternoon, a visit to his fiancée's household to have tea. He half closed his eyes, already dreading it. It was not that he did not want to see her, but they were never alone. Her family had guarded her closely since the first time he had stepped in the house, and they had not allowed even a short walk in their gardens in full view of all of them. However, he did not see anything bad in wanting to take up with her for a few minutes and he hoped that, as the wedding approached, they let him get closer to her. He had the right to do so.

But, as he had expected, once again, the situation was the same.

When he had arrived, he had been guided by a servant to the usual room where they received him. Her fiancée and her relatives were already there, waiting, and as soon as he had entered the room, the ritual had begun. The first time he had gone to that house, he had been surprised at the formality and ceremony he found, and had felt stupid, following every step after his parents and the rest of the people of the room, who seemed to know what to do. Now, his actions were almost mechanic. He had sat formally and bowed deeply in answer to their formal greetings. Then, he had answered courteous questions asked by the elders related to his family's health and, taking his place next to her brother, he had watched as her aunt performed once again the tea ceremony. Fortunately, those only lasted around an hour. It was not that he did not like them; he loved the ritual and how each action was performed with detail, following a specific procedure. However, instead of the quiet and relaxed atmosphere he had experienced in them during his life, there, the feeling was oppressive and he felt watched, judged by every single one of his actions.

Now, as he bowed formally at the end of the ceremony, not feeling thankful in the slightest, he stole a glance to his right. The young woman who was going to be his wife was sitting straighter than he had ever seen someone do it, with her head slightly bowed, as every single time before. He had to suppress a frustrated sigh and he straightened, looking ahead again. One more day that he could not talk to her. At that rate, they would be married without him knowing her favourite colour.

“I hope you forgive my rudeness” her aunt turned to him with a slight bow after all the utensils had been collected. “But I have a previous appointment in a few minutes, so I feel myself in the difficult position of shortening your visit.”

Definitely, she was a damned witch.

“Of course” he bowed his head too, briefly. “Please, rest assured that I'm not an- disgruntled at all” the old woman smiled satisfied. “However, I would like to request something of you before I go.”

It was obvious that nobody expected that, because the silence hung in the room a bit too longer than it had been desirable.

“Yes?” he had to suppress a smirk hearing her slightly displeased tone.

“I'd like to request your permission to take my fiancée out next Sunday.”

The silence was even heavier/thicker this time as he waited for an answer.

“Well, the engagement has already made official so I don't see any inconvenience for her to attend any event that your family organises...”

It was his turn to furrow his brows.

“It's neither a family gathering or a social event” he breathed deeply and lifted his chin proudly. “I would like to get to know her better so I had thought of us having lunch together.”

He side glanced at her, only to see her turn her head quickly, just in time to see her expression, a mixture of surprise and horror. Yahiko was looking at both of them alternatively, his eyes wide.

The elderly woman's hardened features and her tightly pressed mouth followed by a sharp intake of breath told him immediately he had stepped on a landmine.

“I'm going to be frank with you” she started, and her voice was cold like ice. “Even though I'm old and traditional, I am well aware of what young people nowadays consider “get to know better”, as I am of your reputation. I can't believe you're asking such a thing, expecting us to agree. No, I will not allow you to tarnish the immaculate reputation of this household. You will have time to 'get to know her' once the marriage ceremony takes place” she squared her shoulders. “I expect you to reflect upon your behaviour before your next visit. And now,” she bowed curtly and then, lifted herself up. “If you please...”

Shingen tightened his jaw until he felt pain and took a moment to stand up. In any other occasion, he would not have let her humiliate him like that, but the last thing he wanted to hear was his father berating him for offending them and risking the engagement. Dying to get out of that room, of that house, he did not look at anyone. He held his head high, proudly, before leaving the place.

How could things have gone so wrong?

The young woman had listened to the exchange between her fiancé and her aunt terrified. It seemed that she still had the power to destroy her happiness if she wanted to. Out of the corner of her eye, she had seen him bear stoically the old woman's harsh words, and though his eyes reflected the hardness of precious stones, she had seen his wounded pride in them too. That was something that her aunt knew how to do really well, being one of her victims herself. She attacked someone's vulnerable points until rendering them speechless and backing them against the wall, and she knew why he was willing to marry her and that he could not risk his chance.

She had sprung to her feet as soon as she had done it, at the same time as everybody except for him. As if challenging the old woman, he had stood up slowly, a second later than the rest, towering them all, his eyes never leaving her aunt's.

She had felt so useless at that moment, thinking that the engagement had ended, that he would walk out of her life that very moment leaving her broken forever without knowing it. And then, she would probably be betrothed to another without a second thought. A sudden wave of nausea at the idea overcame her and in that moment, she knew that she had to do something.

When she had come out of the room, trying to remain calm and at the same time to think fast about what to do, she had seen Matsuko, her expressive eyes worried. Then, it came to her mind what to do. If she could not speak to him or send him a message, as she had been denied his phone number, she could write him a note. She looked at her relatives, gathered around the main entrance, around him who was with his back to them, probably putting on his shoes, and with a quick gesture, she asked the maid for paper and pen. She looked around and then, a dawning expression lighted her face, as she brought her hand to her obi and extracted what seemed a supermarket receipt. She took them quickly, scribbling something just before her aunt's voice, calling her name, sounded in the hall. With a few short steps, she arrived at the line of people waiting. However, just before she could stop herself, she treaded on the step and lost her balance.

His hand was fast, holding her arm and steadying her before she crashed against him. His fingers were strong but strangely gentle in their grasp, and for a moment, she forgot everything around her as she perceived the sensuous, though faint, smell of his perfume and the slight warmth that was starting to seep through the layers of her sleeve. His eyes were even more beautiful than she had imagined, reflecting his surprise at the situation and a faint curiosity. After all, it was the first time they had truly looked at each other.

Her aunt's authoritative voice broke through her daydreaming and she jumped, snatching her arm from his hand and taking her place in the row of relatives, bowing to him when the old woman bid her farewell to him. Through her eyelashes, she saw him take a last reflexive look at her before disappearing through the sliding door.

A low murmur filled the hall when the five people next to her started to move to other parts of the house, and she could feel Yahiko's concerned gaze on her. She walked past him, her fingers brushing his softly, as a way to calm him.

“Clumsy child” her aunt's voice carried a disdaining tone, and she bowed her head in a submissive gesture. “I expect you to behave properly next time.”

She nodded, her eyes not leaving the floor. However, instead of embarrassment, all that filled her heart was the hope of him reading her note.

Shingen closed the door of his car with more force than necessary. How he hated them... If it was not for the advantages that the wedding would bring him, he would never go back.

He reclined his head back, letting it rest briefly against the seat, his lids fluttering close for a moment, trying to calm himself. As soon as they were married, he would take her out of that house and, if possible, they would only return to give their New Year greetings.

With a sigh, he grabbed the seatbelt with one hand while searching for his car keys in the pocket of his jacket with the other. However, there was something else in his pocket. Slightly confused, he took it out. It was the receipt of a convenience store, something he was sure he had never put in there. He turned it around and his sight fell on some hasty strokes written with a pencil.

I'm sorry.

Without realising it, a soft smile drew across his lips, knowing instinctively who the author of that note was. So, the fall had not been an accident, as she had made all of them believe. His smile widened, turning into a smirk. It seemed that the delicate submissive pretty flower he was supposed to marry was not so obedient.

A desperate knock on the window took him out of his thoughts abruptly and he saw a boy look at left and right quickly, a frantic expression marring his features. He lowered the glass.

“Yahiko... right?”

He nodded once.

“I have to show you something” his tone was urgent. “Park at the back of the house and wait for me there.”

Before he could reply, the boy started running and soon disappeared around the corner of the enormous stone wall that surrounded the compound. Shingen blinked a few times, a bit perplexed, but his interest had been picked between the note and the boy's promise so, he started the car, drove for a few minutes to avoid suspicions and then, turned around a street to go back to the house.

As he had promised, by the time he arrived, Yahiko was waiting for him next to a small wooden door. Without a word, he motioned him inside and guided him carefully, without barely making a noise, through a bamboo garden before finding themselves in front of a small deteriorated wooden storage house. Then, the young man turned to him, his face serious and his eyes shining with resolve.

“You see, I'm doing this for my sister's sake...” he straightened his shoulders. “So before I take you inside, I have to know... What do you think about her?”

He was left speechless for a moment and then, even though he tried to stifle it, a hearty laugh left his lips.

“What's so funny?” Yahiko crossed his arms and furrowed his brows.

“Nothing, kid but, do you realise that you're asking for an explanation to a guy who is more than twice your age, height and built? Who could lay you flat on the ground in this same moment?”

The boy did not change his attitude, neither seemed intimidated by him, and Shingen felt satisfied with that. He bent over, putting his hands on his knees so he could look at him eye to eye.

“I'm going to be sincere with you. She is my freedom to do what I like the most, if I marry her, I can continue my music career without my father meddling in my business and that's what I desire the most” the light in the boy's dark brown pupils wavered but Shingen knew that he had done right. “She's pretty and, though her docile character was not very appealing to me, it seems that there's more to her than that.”

Yahiko swallowed hard and breathed deeply. It had been hard to hear his reasons, but he also knew that his sister was aware of his feelings even though she had barely talked to him, and that she loved what he did, so he just nodded.

“Thank you” he bowed, and was slightly surprised when he saw Shingen return the gesture. “As I promised you, I'm going to show you something...” he took out a key from his pocket. “It's my sister's dearest treasure.”

The feeling of curiosity sparkled even brighter inside him as the lock slid back smoothly, a sign that, despite the run-down state of the whole building, it was used frequently. Yahiko opened the door carefully, stopping when the hinges squeaked.

“I think that's enough space for you to slip past...” he said, taking a look at his broad shoulders and muscled body.

His jacket brushed the frame with a whishing sound and he was almost sure that the fabric had been damaged in some way. Then, he found himself in a dark room, the scarce sunlight that entered through the crack only showing him a step and part of a light brown tatami mat just before the door closed quickly behind him. He heard some rustling of clothes beside him and a switch turned on, the beam of a flashlight crossing the room.

“My big sister always uses a candle because she usually comes at night and she wants to avoid anyone knowing that this place is being used. But now it's daylight and there's a lot of commotion in the house so I don't think the flashlight will be seen. And we have to be quick, so it's more convenient.”

The boy, who had been taking off his shoes while speaking, stepped in the room with a dull sound, turning to him with a small smile, the light dancing around the place with each of his movements. He followed him, looking around. By what he could grasp, it seemed that the place served its purpose of storing things but curiously, everything was tidy and clean. Also, there were pictures on the walls and objects carefully set on top of the shelves, as if they were there to be admired and cherished. His fingers brushed the flower patterned skirt of a western doll which was smiling widely at him and his eyes fell on the titles printed on the spines of a few books.

“Before our parents died in the plane crash” Yahiko's voice was subdued, and he approached him, his eyes still darting around, trying to absorb as much information as possible. “My sister was a normal teenager who read cheesy romance novels and went to the cinema with her friends. Even though our family was prestigious, mum and dad wanted us to grow up as ordinary children and enjoy life while we could. I remember that she was cheerful and kind and that I loved her bright smile.”

He smiled bitterly.

“However, when our relatives took us in, that ended. I was still a little boy so they mostly left me alone. However, she was already fifteen years old and they decided that she was old enough to start being trained as a wife and disposed of all her things” his gaze had wandered around, but then, it returned to the man in front of him. “What you see here is what we could save: a doll, a few books, her medals and trophies from the track and field competitions she participated in, photos...” he paused for a moment. “She was forced to leave all that behind. They tried to tame her and make her the perfect wife for a renown family and, after seeing that rebelling didn't bring her any good, she complied.”

There were some photos on the wall, and Shingen walked to them to see them better in the semi-darkness. The beam of light followed him and, lit them over his shoulder. There, different pictures of teenagers smiled back at him, and in all of them, an all too familiar girl he could barely relate to the demure lady he was engaged to stood out on her own.

“However, she's strong like my mother and she has managed to keep at least part of her spirit. Sometimes, she escapes from here with the help of her best friend, the only one our relatives approved from her past, and meet old acquaintances or do things that she's not allowed anymore.”

While listening to the story, Shingen had kept on wandering the room, finding small objects that were surely attached to a memory. Fleetingly, he thought that, once they were married, maybe he could get her to tell him about them. Lifting the lid of a box, he saw a small pile of Cds and, curious, he took one to see what type of tastes his fiancé had in music. His eyes widened in astonishment.

“I bet you didn't imagine she was a fan of your band...”

He lifted his head to look at the young boy. He was with his back to him, pointing the flashlight to a poster in front of him, one Shingen knew too well. It had been the promotional image of their first national tour. He walked to him, staring at the picture too. It was a bit flashier than he remembered, and he could not help a small smile seeing that he still had his hair short at that time. However, there was another one next to that and he pushed the light with his fingertips to take a better look at it. It was a recent one and he was alone in there. It had been taken at one of the concerts and on it, he was with his back to the watcher, his profile outlined by the spotlights and his hair braided in small plaits on the sides of his head and then tied up in a high ponytail as he played one of the enormous waidaiko around him.

“She had admired you for a long time, and she barely could believe it when they told her that you were her betrothed” Yahiko's voice had turned slightly amused. “I'd never seen her more bewildered than at that moment. However, she had to make an effort to recover so our aunt wouldn't suspect something. But her hands were trembling under the sleeves of her kimono.”

He turned to the man.

“Now you know a bit more about her” a smile made its way across his lips. “It's what you wanted, right?” Shingen could only nod absently, still looking at the posters in front of him, trying to reconcile all the information in his mind. “Now, let's go. Somebody could come looking for me at any moment and it would be bad if they caught us. Especially for her.”

He nodded once again, more firmly this time, and it was then that something caught his attention.

Yahiko took some steps towards the entrance and turned to see if he was following him. However, he was still in the same place, looking at something in his hand. He pointed the light to him.

“Your sister... was at last night concert...”

Yahiko chuckled. “Of course! I told you she escapes the house sometimes, didn't I?

After coming out of the building and making their way carefully to the wooden door in the fence, Yahiko rummaged in the the folds of his kimono.

“Before I forget, here's her phone number and mail”

“I already have those...” Shingen paused for a moment and glanced at the boy, feeling a bit troubled. “Though to tell you the truth, I've never used them.”

Yahiko moved his head.

“Those are my aunt's, she had to make sure you had as little contact with her as possible. However, she doesn't know she has a private one that only the close friends who they think she has cut ties with have. Maybe she'll take some time to answer, since she can't check it often but you can talk to her without them knowing about it.”

He took the paper and looked at it reflexively.

“Why are you doing all this? Am I not supposed to be the bad guy who's marrying her for his own benefit?”

The boy looked at him seriously, putting a hand on his waist.

“My big sister is my only true family and I want her to be happy. And I know her only way to that is getting out of this house. To tell you the truth, I hated you so much when you came for the first time. But I've watching you this whole time and you seemed interested in her as a person. And that became clear today. Beside, you didn't freak out when you saw all this and realised that she's admired you for a long time. Any other would've thought she was a creep. That made me trust you.”

For a moment, the memory of her panicked eyes, of a beautiful shade of brown, and the rushed apology on the supermarket ticket, appeared in his mind and he could not help a soft smile. Then, he lifted his hand and tousled Yahiko's hair softly. The teenager's eyes stared directly at his, a sudden wave of uncertainty shining briefly in them.

“You'll free her, right?”

Shingen smiled widely, feeling strangely proud of that boy he barely knew but who already felt like a little brother to him.

“Leave it to me, kid.”

It was late at night when the young woman got up from bed and crossed her room. Silently, she pulled at the lowest drawer of the chest where she kept her clothes, taking it out completely, and she introduced her arm in the space. She closed her fingers around the thin device hidden there, a smartphone Umeko, her best friend, had bought for her. She extracted it from the fabric bag she had made to protect it and she switched it on.

Umeko had sent her some photos of the concert and she smiled upon seeing them, a few butterflies coming to life in her stomach when she saw one of Shingen that Umeko had edited with some hearts and sparkles, and the text “Your Husband” at the bottom.

Silly, she typed on the screen, feeling the blush that dusted her cheeks even hotter.

Also, she had notifications from communities about the band, where the fans were going overboard about their performance, and other less innocent things.

The phone vibrated when she was about to turn it off and she opened a new mail that she had received, even though she did not recognise the address at that moment. She became stunned upon reading the greeting, her heart thundering in her chest painfully, so loud that she feared for a moment somebody else could hear it.

She breathed deeply through her mouth as her fingertips brushed the screen, her pupils absorbing his words as if they were trying to engrave them in her mind.

He had read her note and she did not have to apologise for anything.

Something broke inside her and she felt weak with relief, her limbs suddenly heavy.

But he insisted on having that date he had asked for...

She bit her trembling lower lip, letting her hands fall on her lap as they held the device tightly, and closed her eyes for a moment, trying to regain her calmness.

A part of her was dying to say yes. Until that afternoon, she had been convinced that he had no interest in her and that he thought their engagement was a bother. That he had a lover... But the tone of his voice and the solemnity of his expression had told her of his serious commitment. And that he wanted to know more about her said that he wished to look at her as a person and not just as his freedom to live his life as he pleased.

However, a small voice at the back of her mind told her that she would embarrass herself in front of him. Up to that moment, she had been partly relieved that she had barely had to talk during his visits, as she was sure she would get flustered and stutter so much that she would be scolded in front of him.

Her fingertips hovered over the keyboard. She breathed deeply and pressed her lips in a thin line. However, she could not go on like that forever. There would be a time where she would have to break that barrier. She could not become his wife without being able to look at him directly or talk to him. And she had the feeling that if she refused, things would become awkward between them and starting a life in common under such circumstances would only damage their relationship. She needed to be brave, however nerve wracking the experience would be.

In that moment, a creak was heard in the corridor and she jumped. Quickly, she put the smartphone in her sleeve, put the drawer in its place and ran trying not to make any noise. She covered herself just in time for the door to slide a bit. She buried her face in the pillow to calm her breathing. She had discovered a few months before that her relatives sometimes watched her at night, especially when they had any suspicion about her actions. And that day events had shaken them deeply. She felt the urge to snort. As if a fiancé asking for a date with his betrothed would be something so scandalous.

After she felt calmer, she sighed and turned to the other side. She had mastered the art of feigning sleep to its finest after so many times staying up surfing the internet or chatting with her old friends until the early hours.

The minutes ticked away in the antique clock of her room until she finally heard the sliding door close again and light steps walk off until they faded in the corridor. She breathed relieved and, after listening attentively for some more time, she rummaged in her sleeve to extract the phone.

Her eyes read his messages again and then, swallowing hard, she started to type.

They had agreed to meet the following Saturday instead of the Sunday he had requested at first, to avoid suspicions, and upon telling her their plans, her best friend Umeko had readily offered her help. And that day, as he had told her, he was waiting for her at the entrance of a park situated in one of the wards in Kyoto further from her house, where her relatives would not probably find them.

For a moment, she contemplated him as he checked his mobile phone. He was leaning against one of the pillars that formed the gate, obviously dressed as not to attract too much attention though she could see that even wearing dark blue jeans, boots, a dark grey sweatshirt with an orange motive on the chest under the black gilet and a woolen hat which covered his blazing-red hair, some people turned their heads to him, admiration clearly showing in their eyes.

“He's even more gorgeous when up close” Umeko's voice contained a mixture of amusement and admiration, and then, she felt a soft push on the shoulder. “Come on, go and show them that he's taken.”

She turned to her friend, a grateful smile dancing in her lips.

“Thank you very much, Umeko...”

The girl nodded and then winked at her.

“Enjoy your date, and send me a text when you want me to pick you up.”

She made an affirmative sound and then, opened the door of the car.

Umeko observed her as she made her way to her future husband, and how he lifted his face when he sensed her near and smiled. Maybe it was not the smile of someone in love but at least, it was the gesture of a sincerely contented man who appreciated what he was seeing. She smiled satisfied as she used her turn signal and, giving them a last glance, joined the traffic to leave them in their own world.

“I'm glad to see you again” he replied to her formal bow and greeting. “And with not so many witnesses around us.”

She nodded briefly and swallowed hard, not really trusting her voice. Her heartbeat was almost deafening and she was sure that if there was not so much traffic and people walking and chatting around them, he could have heard it clearly.

“Did you have any problems to come today? Did your family said something, or were suspicious?”

“N-No...”

She frowned and berated herself when the first stutter left her lips. It was as if his mere presence rendered her unable to think or move coherently. She closed her eyes briefly, trying to even her breath. He was someone she had never dreamt of being near of, a man who had meant the world to her since she was a teenager. However, he was also a human being, like her, and the person she would share her life with. She had to gather her thoughts and courage, and start treating him, not just as her idol, but as her future husband.

“Are you feeling okay?”

His concerned voice brought her back to reality and she realised that her fear of embarrassing herself in front of him was becoming a reality.

“I'm sorry...”

Shingen looked at her slightly confused, tilting his head to the side to get a better look at her face.

“I'm making a fool of myself...” she lifted her hand and with the back, she touched the burning skin of her cheeks. “I'm really nervous today...”

A tender smile drew across his lips, realising that what for him was something pleasant and quite common like a tryst, for her, it probably was a nerve wracking situation between breaking even more rules imposed to her than just merely escaping to see a concert and being with someone she admired deeply. He recalled her brother's words about his band and himself in the warehouse, and understood that he could not behave as always with his past lovers or friends with benefits. He would have to break her walls one by one, forcefully and at the same time, gently.

“You don't have to apologise” she side-glanced at him. “Just forget about all that, at least for a few minutes” she furrowed her brows in a delicate frown, wondering what he had meant by 'all that' but he continued. “I just want you to enjoy today and, as I told your aunt, to get to know you a bit better” he let out a little sigh. “We're going to get married and I don't even know what your favourite colour is.”

'Even though you probably know everything about me...' the afterthought that flashed in his mind after his own words

She watched him for a few seconds and then, a small, wistful smile appeared on her face.

“You're right” she straightened her shoulders and lifted her chin slightly. “I should probably relax a bit and appreciate what Umeko and you are doing for me. It's just...” she paused, giving some thinking to her next words. “I think I'm not used to unwind anymore...”

He observed her for a moment, having a slight suspicion about that pause she had made, but did not say anything about it. Up to that moment, she had not mentioned a thing about him being a famous musician and, even though it intrigued him, especially since he knew how she felt about him, he decided it was not the time to bring up the topic, seeing her finally at ease in his company.

“Okay” he said putting one of his hands on his hip. “Did you think of anywhere you'd like to go?”

“Not really...” her cheeks became a bit warm when he smiled, but she swallowed, reflexively clenching her fingers into fists to suppress the anxious feeling that was, once again, arising in her chest, focusing her thoughts on her words. “You told me that you wanted to take me somewhere special so I didn't really give it too much thought. I'm really fine with any type of food.”

His smile widened.

“I wasn't talking about any restaurants, but about another place I think you'll appreciate much more.”

For a moment, a flash of mischief played in his amber pupils and her aunt's words when she had refused his request of a date with her sounded in her mind. However, she shook her head lightly, refusing to think that had been his purpose since the beginning. She had decided to trust him when she had accepted to go out with him, and that was what she was going to do.

“There's a taxi stop at a short walk from here” he extended his hand to her. “Let's go?”

She stared at it for a moment and then, she pressed her mouth in a thin line, her fingers closing tightly around the handle of her small bag. A single word left her lips and Shingen stared at her curiously.

“That's my favourite colour.”

His smile was wide and sincere, and she found herself answering it with one of her own while she extended her arm put her fingers in his palm. His slightly calloused skin was warm and she felt a pleasant tingle when he took hold of hers, tugging so she would follow him.

They walked at a leisure step, Shingen asking her simple questions about her hobbies and tastes and answering some of hers. From time to time, she glanced around, especially when she felt someone staring at them. She chuckled silently and that drew his attention.

“What's so funny?”

She shook her head.

“Nothing really... I was just thinking that no matter how you disguise yourself, you attract people's attention.”

He grinned at the amused edge of her words and how she had lowered her guard against her own thoughts.

“I know it's not the best one but at least, it conceals my special traits” he brushed the red bangs which sticked out of his woolen hat. “It'll be too much of a bother if they recognised me right away, when all I want is to enjoy this day with you” he watched satisfied as her expression became somewhat disconcerted. “And,” he added. “how do you know that they're not looking at you” he gave her a side smile. “That kimono really suits you.”

A wave of shyness washed over her. It was true that, after thinking and considering clothes for far longer that she had ever done, she had finally opted for her favourite kimono, a tsukesage in shades of purple with a seasonal motive in the hem, the upper part of the back and the sleeves, and as Umeko used to say, it was obvious in every one of her gestures and expressions that she loved to wear it.

However, she had never faced such an open flirting, not even in the only relationship she had had in all her life. Her boyfriend in high school had been easy-going and fun, but he had always felt a bit awkward when they had been in a situation that could lead to a romantic outcome. He had never behaved in any remotely similar way to how Shingen was doing. And she did not know well how to react.

Before she could think of a right way to answer his comment, he stopped, pointing to the row of taxis next to them.

“Come on, let's be quick or we'll be late.”

Instead of a place where they could have more privacy, the taxi stopped at the entrance of a large venue. As she got out of the vehicle, looking at the building with open curiosity, Shingen started rummaging in the bag he carried. He, then extracted two passes.

“Keep this with you all the time” he said giving her one with the logo of his band. “Though... I don't know if the clip will damage your kimono...”

“Don't worry” she replied, taking it from him and observing the little clamp for a moment before securing it in one of the inner wraps of her obi. “The fabric is not very delicate and in case it leaves a mark, nobody will see it there.”

He opened his gilet and hanged it from the belt of his jeans.

“Now we're ready” he took her hand again, pulling her towards the entrance.

“But, where are we going?” she tried to remember if the band had any event that morning, in whose case, he could not have been there with her.

His only response was an enigmatic smile over his shoulder.

They entered the building through a glass automatic sliding door, being greeted by a security guard and some of the venue workers and finally, he stopped just in front of a double door with a small window at the top. He turned and his grin was even wider than before. She inhaled deeply, trying to regain her breath after trying to match his long strides across the hall.

“I talked to our manager so you could watch our rehearsal for tomorrow night's concert” her eyes opened, pure bewilderment flashing in them, regarding him, and her lower lip hung slightly open, feeling unable to react. “After all,” he lowered his voice to barely a whisper. “You're my most precious fan.”

His words sounded deeply inside her and her chin trembled a bit. It was impossible that he knew her secret, she had been extremely careful not to let a single word about him or his band, or her deep admiration for him out, and it was impossible that with such a short time together he could have figured it out.

“Ho... do you know that...?”

“A little bird who loves you dearly showed me a very special room where my lovely fiancee keeps her treasures...”

She was mortified. He had learnt all her deepest secrets without her realising and now she was sure he would definitely feel uncomfortable with her. However, at that moment, her racing mind registered two facts. He had already known by the time they had met, and also, he had just called her 'lovely'...

“Don't look so troubled” he bent over her a bit to take a better look at her face. “He did it because he adores you so don't be too hard on him when you return home.”

She blinked slowly.

“Yahiko...?”

He nodded and was about to add something else when a stingy voice interrupted them.

“Could you cut out the flirting so we can start the rehearsal?” both of them turned , finding a blond man watching them with a disgusted expression.

Shingen gave him a side- looped smile and then, glanced at her, who was still recovering her composure.

“I bet you didn't expect our little angel to have such a sharp tongue. He's always so polite and smiles complacently to the public, but it's better not to be on the wrong side in one of his bad days.”

“So?” he crossed his arms on his chest and glanced at her for a moment with apparent disinterest. “Who's the wrench?” there were murmurs approaching, and behind Ieyasu, a few figures appeared after turning a corner, chatting among them. “It seems that you forgot that outsiders are forbidden after the mayhem with Hideyoshi and his messy double-dating game.”

That comment gained the irated glare of one of the other men who had just stopped by them.

“Don't you dare talk about Hideyoshi like that!”

They both got into an argument immediately and the others groaned, except for a light-built man with short light brown hair, who just smiled.

“And before you ask,” Shingen murmured in a clearly amused tone. “Yes, they're always like that.”

She stared worriedly at them for a few more seconds and then tilted her head upwards.

“Is it really okay for me to be here?”

But before he could answer, a blond man with an almost ethereal presence, turned to them and peered at her with slightly closed eyelids and a pleasant smile.

“And who is this charming lady, little tiger? An acquaintance?”

“She's my fiancée” his expression softened as he glanced at her, watching her cheeks dusted with a soft colour and her fingers grasp the handle of her bag even tighter, as she introduced herself to them.

Silence hung for a long moment in the hall and then, all of them started to talk at the same time, alternating incredulous remarks, the loudest ones from a man with dark hair and a pink T-shirt, with some congratulations and skeptical looks. All those ended when another man entered the scene and put some order. After a new introduction, the man ushered them all inside, indicating the musicians to take their places on the stage and her, a seat in the third row.

Shingen took out his gilet and sweatshirt, under which he wore a dark orange sleeveless T-shirt, leaving all that on the seat next to her. Before straightening and going with his mates, a slow smile drew across his lips and his eyes gleamed with satisfaction, a small spark of untamed passion flickering in them.

“I hope you have the time of your life.”

It was difficult to recognise the meek girl he had met a few weeks ago in the exultant young woman who walked beside him at the moment. Shingen watched her almost fascinated. It was as if every cell of her body was alive and everything, her steps, her posture, her long hair swaying in the gentle breeze, radiated light.

“So,” he said, lifting his brows slightly and pursing his lips momentarily. “I assume that you liked my surprise.”

She turned to him, her eyes bright and her cheeks flushed with excitement.

“It was one of the most beautiful things someone has ever done for me” she stopped, facing him and bowing. “Thank you very much, I'll never forget it.”

“Come on,” he said putting a hand in his hip. “Don't be so formal now.”

“But it was something amazing, like a dream coming true. I've heard a whole performance, I've talked with you all and you even invited them to our wedding...” she covered part of her face, trying to hide her embarrassment. “I won't be able to return such an unbelievable gift, even if I had three lives...”

Shingen laughed, watching each and every one of the small changes in her expression. Something inside him wondered how many more layers and expressions she had, and if he would be able to uncover them all.

“You don't have to give anything. I knew it would mean so much to you and it was something really easy to achieve.”

But she was not listening to him.

“Hey...” he insisted.

“I know!” her little outburst startled him. “I'll cook for you.”

He lifted an elegant brow, looking doubtfully at her.

“Do you know how to cook?”

She frowned, her eyes flashing with an offended gleam.

“”What do you take me for?” she crossed her arms over her chest, lifting her chin defiantly. “My father was convinced that you can't manage a food emporium without knowing it in depth. He was a great cook and he taught me well” her eyes misted a bit. “He had started to let Yahiko into the kitchen when... he passed away.”

It still hurt. Even though years had passed, she still missed them dearly and in each step of her life, she wondered what they would do in her place, and if they would have been proud of her. Now that her wedding approached, she wished they would be there to see her become a bride.

Shingen watched the change in her with concern, though he could understand it. His parents were still alive but he had missed the warmth of a true family and she had had it but lost it under tragic circumstances. However, it was easier to live without it not having experienced it than having done it and then being deprived of it.

He touched her back softly, attracting her attention back to him, and offered her a small smile.

“Alright, if you're so convinced, I'd love to try your food.”

She breathed deeply and then returned his smile, nodding.

“Though I have to warn you that my fridge is almost empty. I barely eat at home and when I return at night, I either grab something to eat at the convenience store or buy some take-out.”

She frowned.

“That's not healthy at all” he shrugged lightly and she sighed, a small sound vibrating in her throat. “Okay, I'll make you something really nutritive to give you strength for tomorrow's concert, so first, we have to stop by a supermarket.”

Once they arrived at his flat, he took out his keys from his jeans pocket.

“Welcome to your future home, milady” he said half jokingly opening the door for her to see a spacious hall.

She doubted for a moment, suddenly becoming fully conscious of the place where she was about to enter, and a sense of trepidation overwhelmed her. Shingen gazed at her, expectant at first and uneasy later, as if he was suddenly aware of her feelings. His smile faltered.

“If you're having second thoughts about this, we can still go to eat somewhere. There are some good restaurants in this area that can take us without a reservation” he made a motion to take the shopping bag she was carrying. “Give that to me. I'll put everything in the fridge and Kansuke can sort it out later.”

She shook her head, lifting her eyes to him. Her pupils still showed a hint of insecurity but her expression was serene.

“I'm fine.”

And then, she stepped into the house.

She took off her sandals, putting them correctly out of habit, and then, glanced at him, waiting for him to show her the way. The flat was a luxurious one room duplex with a spacious living room with enormous windows from where they could overwatch great part of the city. On their left, there was a completely equipped open plan kitchen with breakfast bar and beyond, a staircase led to the bedroom. Under the second floor, a half opened Japanese sliding door let her get a glimpse of a large bathroom with an ample vintage bath in the centre.

Shingen watched satisfied as she looked around filled with curiosity, her previous apprehension seemingly vanished.

“This way” he guided her to the kitchen and, after leaving their bags on the breakfast bar, both of them searched through all the cupboards and drawers to find the kitchenware she would need.

“Is there anything you can't eat?” she asked once everything had been placed in an orderly way.

He shook his head and then, leant his weight on the counter beside her.

“Are you sure you don't need any help?”

“Do you know how to cook?” she answered with a question of her own, and then pursed her lips seeing him deny it again. “Then, it's better if I do it alone” she gathered her sleeves. “Do you have anything that could be useful to tie them?”

“Maybe.”

Shingen returned with a male obi tha he had folded in three.

“But I didn't-” she was interrupted when he started to fasten them expertly.

“I don't keep ribbons or anything like that here, so this must do” he saw her open her mouth to reply but was faster. “And if it worries you so much, it's an old one, and made of synthetic fabric, so it's easy to take care of it.”

She sighed, resigned.

“And now, since I only would be in the way, I'll disappear from here and make myself decent.”

And turning around, he took the set of clothes he had left on the breakfast bar and made his way to the bathroom, closing the door behind him and leaving her dumbfounded and with the thought of having her fiancé taking a bath just a few metres away from her.

“This is delicious” Shingen picked up a few more vegetables with his chopsticks and ate them almost greedily, enjoying every single bit.

“I'm glad” she could not help the proud smile as she watched him, picking up a piece of meat from her own plate. He had come out of the bathroom just in time for the food to be served. They were sitting at the dining table he had near the enormous windows that faced the city, the sky a light shade of blue with only a few clouds floating in the distance.

He had changed into another pair of jeans and a long sleeved T-shirt and his red hair, long and luxuriant, fell down his back except for a lock which fell across his shoulder and chest.

He seemed to notice how her eyes returned to it once and again and he smiled, letting his chopsticks on the rest and propping an elbow on the table, his cheek leaning on his hand, some of his tresses following the movement and hanging like a curtain behind his shoulder, the light spreading its reflection on it.

“Anything interesting you care to share with me?”

His smile was flirtatious again, like that morning and a small voice inside her warned her against him. The situation was completely different and now they were alone in his own territory. And he was like a tiger, as Kenshin had called him, elegant, fascinating, tempting and dangerous.

She turned her attention to her own food and took her time to answer, searching for a convincing reason.

“I feel envious” she finally said, setting for the most inofensive reply she had been able to come up in such a short time. “You have really beautiful hair while mine” she took one of her locks, “ is just... normal.”

Before she could drop it, he got a hold of it and slided it down between his fingers, twisting the end loosely in his index.

“It's soft like silk...”

The warning filled her mind again but before she could act on it, he let it fall from his grasp and resumed his meal.

“I hope you can come back to cook for me again soon... It's been long since I had such a satisfying meal like this.”

The young woman smiled, feeling disconcerted at the sudden change in his behaviour and not really trusting her voice at that moment, quickly eating something to fill her silence.

Some minutes later, they finished the main course and she went back to the kitchen to bring tea and some dessert. Shingen widened his eyes in surprise and delight as she put a small plate with a few pieces of kinako mochi in front of him.

“I can't believe you managed to make this feast and my favourite sweets in such a short amount of time.”

“A good cook knows how to organise themselves and their time” she replied sitting down again.

He did not waste a second to try it, and she felt pleased to see his expression of joy. Way before she finished hers, he had eaten everything, not leaving even the smallest piece.

After finishing the tea and, as she showed sign to stand up, he beat her to it and picked up the tableware.

“I can do this” he said with a small smile. “Even I know how a dishwasher works” she laughed softly. “Have some rest while you can.”

He finished tidying everything up quickly, not wanting to waste the minutes they could still be together, but when he returned to the table, he did not find her resting. Instead, she was looking through the window at the city that extended beyond, the outline of the old buildings and pagodas giving the skyline the appearance of a city from a time long gone. Her fingers were barely touching the glass and it was obvious that her mind was far from there. Frowning slightly, wondering what had absorbed her mind so deeply, he stood by her, studying her profile, her long hair falling freely from the hairpin that gathered the top half of her tresses at her nape and the sparkles that the sunlight brought to her eyes.

When he realised it, he had lifted his hand to touch her, but before he could lower it down, she turned her head to him, staring into his eyes, serene and relaxed.

“What were you thinking?” his voice was barely a murmur, low and quiet.

Her cheeks covered in a beautiful shade of pink, but her eyes never wavered.

“That I'll get to see this view and live this life every day once I become your wife.”

Shingen swallowed hard because he knew he was about to give a step forward and he felt slightly uneasy that she would not follow, because a marriage to him was not just a quiet moment and a gold ring and after hours of relishing in the company of each other, sharing what both loved, there was another way of getting to know each other that he wanted to try up to where she let him. His fingertips caressed her warm skin and, maybe reading in his pupils his intention, she smiled softly.

He bent forward slowly to give her time to step back, to stop him, but she did not and he was the one who, stopped just a breath away from her face.

“Have you been kissed before?”

Her cheeks burnt at his question, her eyes searching his questioningly.

“O-Only once... A long time ago...”

He blinked slowly, his golden pupils never truly leaving hers, as he brushed her lower lip with the tip of his thumb in a deliberate caress. Her eyelids fluttered closed and Shingen dropped his finger, replacing it with his mouth, reminding himself to be gentle in that first chaste kiss. Her mouth tasted like the dessert they had eaten a few minutes ago and he felt compelled to try it again. He had barely separated from her when he returned, pressing more urgently against her, his teeth gracing the plump flesh of her mouth. Their breaths mingled as they parted for just a fleeting moment, seeking each other again, his tongue delving between her lips to entice her to follow him without reserves. A small sound left her throat, her fingers grasping the sleeves of his T-shirt when she felt her legs shake and Shingen's arms held her tighter against him. She was almost out of breath, her chest burning when he finally released her, his mouth brushing her cheek, dropping feathered kisses along it.

“You're so adorable... so endearing...”

He nuzzled at her jaw whispering her name and venturing lower. His lips locked on her throat, his teeth gracing her skin. Her heart thundered in her chest, abruptly taking her out of the pleasurable bliss she had been drowning in, and her eyes widened, her hands pushing at his chest.

“No, please...” she begged. “I can't have any... marks...”

He stilled, his mouth leaving her neck. However, he did not move. Instead, she felt the tip of his tongue trace slowly, almost lazily, a small pattern on her skin, making her shiver. Then, he pecked the same spot and lifted his head to look at her. His pupils were darken than before, almost golden like the sunset, a wave of desire still lingering in them. She lowered her head, feeling strangely awkward.

“I'm sorry...”

He cupped her face, his thumbs caressing her cheeks softly.

“Don't” he kissed her once again, briefly. “I just got impatient...”

Shingen leant his forehead against hers as her fingers covered the back of one of his hands.

“If it's a must, we'll wait until our wedding night” a mischievous smirk drew across his lips. “But I warn you that after so much restraining, I won't be letting you sleep at all, so be ready.”

He laughed heartily when she pouted a bit, her cheeks as red as ripped apples, and then, he drew her closer in a loving embrace. Her fingers grasped the back of his T-shirt and she buried her face in his chest.

“I promise you that I'll do whatever in my hand to make you happy.”

“And I'll try my best to become a woman you can fall in love with.”

He kissed the top of her head.

“You're fine as you are now. Your sweet side is charming, as well as the fire and the strength that lie behind it. In your own way, you're a great woman and I'm starting to like her much more than I had imagined at first.”

Her only response was to tighten her hold around him and he thought that they would really be happy, despite the peebles that life had and would be putting in their way. After all, he had a admirable woman beside him, one that he felt he had already started to love.

#slbp #2019SLBPCupidExchange #slbp shingen #michverse #otome0heart #fanfic

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jorlith · 5 years

Text

I’ve made some updates to my fanmade Overwatch Hero.

Hero Number: ??

Hero Name: Phoenix

Hero Role: Damage

Hero Health: 250

Real Name: Kekoa Havika

Nationality: Hawaiian

Occupation: Scientist(Formerly), Researcher(Formerly), Vigilante

Gender: Male

Age: 36

Base: Kahoolawe, Hawaii (Formerly). Watchpoint: Gibraltar (Formerly).

Affiliation: Hawaiian Preservation Research Station (Formerly). Nature Restoration Program (Formerly). Overwatch (Formerly).

Relations: Unnamed Family (Deceased).

Weapon: Flamethrower, named Phoenix Breath, that has two special tanks on Phoenix’s back. Primary muzzle is held in right hand, top of tanks resembles canons. Two exhausts that are shaped like feathered wings stick out of the middle of the tanks. When used too much, overheats and needs to cool down before it can be used again. (The overheat and cooldown is the reload.)

Abilities:

Primary Fire:

Name: Phoenix Breath

Type: Beam, fires a beam of flames.

Damage: 40 damage per second. Enemies caught in it receive an additional burn damage of 50 over a period of five seconds. Burn damage does not stack, if an enemy exits and re-enters the beam they do not get “reburned” unless the burn effect already wore off.

Projectile Speed: 20 meters per second.

Max range: 10 Meters

Ammo: 150

Ammo usage: 15 rounds per second.

Reload Speed: 1.5 Seconds

Secondary Fire:

Name: Phoenix Breath

Type: Beam. Fires a focused beam of flames, hit scan is smaller and more focused. Phoenix’s movements are heavily slowed while using this attack.

Damage: Instantly deals 120 damage, as well as burning the enemy hit by it. Phoenix’s burn damage deals 50 damage over 5 seconds.

Projectile Speed: 60 meters per second.

Max range: 10 Meters

Rate of fire: 1 shot per 1 second.

Ammo: 150

Ammo usage: 150 per shot.

Reload time: 1.5 seconds.

Casting time: 0.5 seconds.

First Ability:

Name: Flare

Casting time: 2 seconds.

Damage: 30-60, deals burn damage of 50 damage over five seconds.

Area of Affect: 5 meter radius.

Duration: 5 Seconds.

Cooldown: 10 Seconds.

Details: Phoenix exclaims “Here, hold this” when using. Phoenix throws cone like object, that doesn’t activate until it lands on the ground or an object. Once activated, the cone launches two meters in the air and produces a cone of flames that covers a 5 meter radius. Enemies hit by it receive 30-60 damage depending on how long they remain in the flame. Enemies damaged by Flare receive an additional burn damage of 50 damage over 5 seconds.

Second Ability:

Name: Burst

Casting time: 2 Seconds.

Damage: Knockback.

Area of affect: 7 meter radius.

Max Range: 2 Meters Vertically.

Cooldown: 8 Seconds.

Details: Phoenix exclaims “Back off!” when using. Steam builds up within the large tanks on Phoenix’s back, releasing a burst of pressure from the exhausts. Enemies within a 7 meter radius of Phoenix are knocked back, and Phoenix is launched, at the most, 2 meters vertically into the air.

Passive Ability:

Name: Phoenix Wing

Details: By releasing small amounts of fire from the exhausts, Phoenix is able to maneuver in the air. While in the air, pressing jump will cause Phoenix to launch himself vertically, working as a second jump. The second jump does not reset until Phoenix has touched the ground again. Holding the jump button while airborne will cause Phoenix’s decent to be slowed, letting go of the jump button cancels this ability.

Ultimate Ability:

Name: Purge

Type: Linear, Area of Affect, Beam??

Damage: 300 damage per second, burn damage of 50 damage over 5 seconds.

Max Range: 15 Meters.

Area of effect: 7 meter radius.

Casting time: 1.5 Seconds

Duration: 3.5 Seconds

Charge Required: 1500

Details: Teammates hear Phoenix say “Rise from the ashes!” Enemies hear Phoenix say “Ka nalu o ke ahi!” Phoenix anchors his flamethrower, bracing him in place. The tanks on his back move over his shoulders, releasing a wave of fire straight in front of him. The fire travels up to 15 meters in the direction he is facing and covers a 7 meter radius. While using, Phoenix is immobilized, making him vulnerable against aerial attacks and attacks from behind. Useful for area control, or to protect your team if caught in a Zarya’s Graviton Surge. Phoenix’s Purge instantly cancels out, and is cancelled out, by Mei’s blizzard. The Ultimates will instantly end upon meeting, so if there is a second left in Mei’s blizzard and your Purge touches it, both Ultimates end, wasting yours and vice versa. Phoenix passively generates 1% Ult Charge every 3 seconds.

A character can get rid of burn by picking up a health pack, healing by support heroes does not remove the burn.

Skins:

Classic: Phoenix wears a gas mask over his nose and mouth, the mask is shaped like a beak. Wears armor over a long sleeved shirt, the armor to support the weight of his flamethrower, the sleeved shirt to protect him against heat. A large, armored glove is worn on his right hand, so he can hold his weapon when it overheats. Armored leggings and boots to also help him support the weight of his weapon. His armor and clothes are a faded red and orange, representing fire as well as a Phoenix.

Rare Skins:

Ash: Armor and clothes are white.

Smoke: Armor and clothes are a mixture of silvers and greys.

Smolder: Black with a red glow.

Sulfur: Different shades of blue.

Legendary Skins:

Cadet Havika: Phoenix is wearing a classic Overwatch uniform/armor, his face is fully visible.

Secret Agent: Recolor of Cadet Havika, with darker colors.

Epic Skins:

Phoenix: Phoenix is wearing a headdress that represents the mythological bird, his mouth and nosed are uncovered with this skin. Multiple feathers run down from the headdress, covering his body in feathers. Has gauntlets and armored boots that represent bird talons. Skin is colored mostly with reds and some oranges and yellows.

Sun God: Recolor of Phoenix skin that is colored with mostly yellow and has some oranges and reds. Orange suns are drawn on random locations of the armor.

Fire Dancer: Phoenix is wearing a grass skirt over a tunic, as well as grass like boots and bracelets. A bandanna that appears to be made of grass rests on his head, as well as a necklace of grass around his neck. Grass is dark green in color, tunic is gold. The exhausts on Phoenix Breath look like ceremonial fire dancing staffs instead of wings.

Uluao: Recolor of Fire dancer, grass is brownish is color, tunic is white with black spots.

Emotes:

Heroic: Phoenix pulls left arm toward his body, and raises up his flamethrower.

Exhausted: Phoenix lays down on his back, sprawling out.

Really?: Phoenix extends left hand forward, looks to his left, confused. Phoenix then looks forward again, extending his hand further. ‘

Research: Phoenix takes out notepad and begins writing in it, before putting it back.

Technique: Phoenix spins in a circle, making a circle of flames, he then jumps and spins in the air, making a vertical wheel of fire.

Unbelievable: Phoenix puts his right hand to his forehead and wraps his left arm around his chest. Phoenix then shakes his head and snickers.

Voice Lines:

Really?

Everything Burns

From the Ash (Mai ka lehu)

I will get it done.

It’s just research

Light it up!

Move (Ne’e)

Play with fire… you’ll get burned

Relax (Ho’omaha)

Sounds Good (Maika’i loa)

Victory Poses:

Heroic: Stands with his flamethrower ready.

Research: Sits crossed legged, reading over notes.

Purge: Stands with his flamethrower’s canons aimed forward, anchored in the ground.

Family: Standing to his side, holding a holo-photo of him, his parents and his brother.

Highlight Intros:

Heroic: Pulls left arm toward his body, raises his flamethrower up.

Reason: Looks at picture of family, before putting it away, pulling flamethrower to the ready.

Burn: Lands on ground from air, anchors into place and activates Purge.

Phoenix: Uses his exhaust wings to slowly fly toward the ground, aiming his flamethrower at the camera.

Sprays:

1. Pixel: Unlocked by earning the “Into the Frying Pan” Achievement/Trophy.

2. Cute: Unlocked by earning the “Warm Things Up” Achievement/Trophy.

3. Lei: Circle of flowers or an Hawaiian Lei.

4. Research: Single page of research notes.

5. Amazed: Young Kekoa, sitting in front of a television screen, wonder on his face.

6. Flame: A single flame.

7. Birds: A group of colorful birds.

8. Phoenix Breath: Spray is Phoenix’s weapon.

9. Intense: Focus of Phoenix’s head/torso, with him staring forward.

10. Hero: Outline spray of Phoenix is overwatch gear.

11. Family: Picture of Phoenix’s family.

12. Flare: Cartoonish drawing of Phoenix’s flare.

13. Exhaust: Phoenix’s “wings” releasing pressure.

14. Clearing: Detailed Spray of Phoenix spraying fire.

15. Phoenix: Bird made of flame.

16. Experimenting: Phoenix wearing goggles, using a blow torch.

17. Purge: Phoenix’s Phoenix Breath in its Purge state.

18. Volcano: A volcano with magma spilling out of it.

19. Ash: A pile of ash with a soft glow in the middle.

20. Really?: Phoenix with his hand extended, a confused expression on his face.

21. Not a Morning Person: Phoenix is laying in a bed, sprawled out and asleep.

22. Declaration: A Poster of Doomfist, that is half burnt, and still burning.

23. Inspiration: A signed picture of Mei, Mercy and Winston.

24. Reason: Three gravestones.

25. Fire Staff: A burning staff used by fire dancers

Character Interactions:

1. Mei: “I Heard about what Talon did, I’m sorry about what happened to your family.” Phoenix: “I heard about Antarctica, I’m sorry about what happened to yours.”

2. Mei: “Revenge won’t bring your family back.” Phoenix: “It’ll stop Doomfist from doing it to anyone else!”

3. Phoenix: “It is an honor to work beside someone I looked up to my whole life.” Mei: “You can honor me by ending this path of death and revenge, and return to Overwatch.”

4. Winston: “You used to be so happy and carefree, I can’t accept what you’ve become.” Phoenix: “I’ve become a martyr to my beliefs.”

5. Phoenix: “It may be too late for me, but you are not beyond redemption.” Hanzo: “You know nothing!”

6. Genji: “You should meet with my master, he helped me find peace.” Phoenix: “There is no peace, only fire.”

7. Reaper: “You do realize that I killed your family.” Phoenix: “Doomfist killed my family, you are nothing more than a puppet on strings.”

8. Doomfist: “We both believe in being reborn through destruction, we should be working together, not against each other.” Phoenix: “What I believe is natural, what you believe is evil.”

9. Phoenix: “You better watch your back!” Doomfist: “I accept the challenge.”

When Phoenix gets discorded he says: “Kuamuamu!”

When Zenyatta discords Phoenix he says: “You are consumed by your own fire.”

When resurrected by Mercy Phoenix says: “From the ash!”

When respawning Phoenix says: “Phoenix rebirth.”

When selected during a game or when some changes to Phoenix, he says: “Let’s burn them down!” or “Phoenix, flying in.”

When Phoenix eliminates Mei, he says: “It should’ve never come to this.”

When Mei eliminates Phoenix, she says: “Maybe you’ll be reborn happier.”

When Phoenix cancels a Blizzard with Purge he says: “Let’s heat things up!”

When Mei cancels a Purge with Blizzard she says: “You need to chill out!”

When Phoenix eliminates Doomfist he says: “That, was for my family.”

When Doomfist eliminates Phoenix he says: “You were never a real threat.”

When Reaper eliminates Phoenix he says: “Join your family.”

When Phoenix is Nano Boosted he exclaims: “I can feel the fire burn!”

When Phoenix gets hacked he says: “Don’t play with fire!”

When there’s a turret Phoenix will say: “An enemy turret blocks our progress.”

When Phoenix destroys a turret he’ll say: “The turret has burned to ash.”

When an enemy Mercy resurrects an enemy player Phoenix will say: “They’ve been reborn from their ashes.”

When on the Payload Phoenix says: “Payload, ready for transport.”

When capturing a point Phoenix says: “Heating up the point.”

When the payload is being contested Phoenix says: “We need to get that Payload moved!”

When enemies are capturing the point Phoenix exclaims: “They’re on our point, let’s burn them down!”

When time is running out on offense on an escort map Phoenix says: “Our time seems to be coming to a close, we must act now!”

When time is running out on defense Phoenix says: “This Victory will make excellent data.”

When time is running out of offense Phoenix says: “We’re not here to lose, move!”

When Phoenix gets burned by an enemy Phoenix or Ashe he says: “So that’s what that feels like.”

When Phoenix is getting damage boosted by Mercy he says: “Let’s get this fire started!”

Ways Phoenix says hello: either “aloha” or “hey there”

Ways Phoenix says Thank you: “Appreciated” or “Mahalo!”

Ways Phoenix says understood: either “I get you” or “Ua lohe wai ia’oe”

When on fire Phoenix says: “I’m on fire… well, they are!”

When asks for healing says: “Medic!” or “Some healing would be appreciated!”

Ultimate Status: When under 90% Phoenix says “My Ultimate is charging” or “Purge charging”. When at 90%-99% Phoenix says “My Ultimate is almost ready” or “Purge almost ready”. When fully charge Phoenix says “My Ultimate is ready” or “Ready to burn them all!”

When saying to group up Phoenix says: “Everyone gather here” or “We need to form together!”

Map Interactions:

Volskaya Industries: “Good thing I brought some heat.”

Eichenwalde: “This place is a great example of withstanding what should destroy you.”

Oasis: “I’ve always wanted to come here.”

Watchpoint Gibraltar: “I wonder if Overwatch would ever accept what I’ve become.”

Achievements/Trophies:

Into the Frying Pan: Use Burst to knock an enemy into your Flare.

Warm Things Up: Use Purge to cancel out two Blizzard’s in a single game.

Character Lore:

Kekoa Havika grew up in a family of researches, growing up he was fascinated by the way some natural disasters, like forest fires, created new life. Kekoa spent a good amount of time studying rebirth through destruction, but only believed it should be allowed if natural. Kekoa had a great mind, and was good with technology. He had an energetic and carefree personality and joined Overwatch when he was in his twenties. He trained underneath Lena and Genji, while he looked up to researches like Mei, Angela, Winston, Moira and others. Kekoa had a great admiration for Mei and the Ecopoint crew, hoping to one day do research at Ecopoint. When Overwatch was disbanded, Kekoa went back to live with his family. The government was having his family research something that could benefit the unity between the omnics and humans. Talon had managed to gain Kekoa’s home address, and sent their agent Reaper to kill the researchers and steal the research. Reaper had happily taken the job as Overwatch Hero code name Phoenix was on his personal hit list. Kekoa was away from his lab doing personal research when Reaper arrived. Kekoa returned home to find his parents and younger brother murdered, all their research either stolen or destroyed. Upon watching the security footage Kekoa learned who was responsible for the death of his family. Kekoa vowed to destroy Talon and stop anyone from doing what Talon had done.

Character Introduction:

Phoenix: “Crime has risen, which shouldn’t be a surprise, given what they did to Overwatch. They disbanded our family, and yet they wonder how organizations like Talon grew to be so powerful. Of course evil people will take advantage of a world that lost its heroes! Which leaves a question, the people in charge of the world, how many of them can truly be trusted? I will kill Doomfist myself, and go after anyone who wants to do wrong to the world. I will make sure that what happened to my family will never happen to anyone else ever again! Talon thought they snuffed the Havika flame, well, didn’t they know, a Phoenix rises from the ashes!

Animated Short/Introduction:

Name: Reason

The story opens on the streets of a city, there are few lights as night had fallen. A group of Talon agents where running in fear, panting loudly as the ran as fast as they could. As the Talon agents came around a corner they say a large burst of flames erupt from down the street, engulfing the street. One of the Talon agents skidded to a stop before turning around, running down an alley. The sound someone flying overhead could be heard. A small cone landed at the end of the alley, shooting upwards and creating a cone of flames. The Talon agent stops and starts to turn around, Phoenix lands behind him no.

Talon Agent: “No, please,” Phoenix walks up to the agents and hits him with his flamethrower, knocking the agent to the ground. Phoenix uses his foot to press the agent against the wall, aiming his flamethrower at the Talon agent. The Talon agents mask had fallen off, the fear on his face fully visibly. Phoenix hesitates as he sees the Talon agent and his mind wanders to the past.

“Kekoa!” A woman called, walking around a research station. It was a bright and sunny day, the sounds of the tropical island echoed in through the open windows. “Kekoa, wake up!”

“Good luck with that mom,” a younger man who looked to be in his mid-twenties said, “Kekoa was up all night reading the research papers of Mei-Ling Zhou, and watching videos about Overwatch.”

“Go wake your brother up,” an older man said, he was typing while looking over some research notes.

“Yeah, yeah,” Phoenix’s brother sighed before he walked up some stares. Phoenix was younger and wearing a t-shirt and shorts. He was sprawled out in his bed, various research notes scatted on the desk beside his bed. Phoenix’s brother smiled as he jumped, slamming his elbow into Phoenix.

“Ow! What the?” Phoenix exclaimed as he shot up.

“Come on Kekoa, wake up,” Phoenix’s brother said as he started playfully pushing Phoenix.

“I am awake,” Phoenix laughed as he batted at his brother.

“I don’t believe you,” Phoenix’s brother laughed as he hit him again, “come on, mom’s been calling you.”

“All right, I’ll be down,” Phoenix yawned as he sat up.

“Don’t go back to sleep either,” Phoenix’s brother said as he left. Phoenix slowly got up and walked down to meet his family.

“Look who’s finally up,” Phoenix’s mom laughed, “good morning Kekoa.”

“Yeah, whatever,” Kekoa yawned.

“You got some mail today,” Phoenix’s mom laughed, “from some place called Watchpoint: Gibraltar.”

“What!?” Phoenix exclaimed as he sprinted toward his mom, who was holding a letter. “From Overwatch?”

“Yep,” Phoenix’s mom smiled, Phoenix opened it and pulled out a letter. Phoenix looked over it as everyone watched him.

“I don’t believe it,” Phoenix said, disbelief on his face.

“Aw, what’s wrong Kekoa, they turn you down? They charging you for harassment?” Phoenix’s brother laughed.

“No,” Phoenix smiled as he pulled a round object from the envelope, “they accepted me. I’m going to be part of Overwatch!”

“Congrats!” Phoenix’s mom said as joy filled the faces of all of his family members. Phoenix’s brother walked up to him, and nudged him with his elbow.

“So you might finally meet that Mei scientist you got a crush on?” Phoenix’s brother teased.

“I do not,” Phoenix laughed, “but I am excited, to meet her, and Winston, and all the others. Plus this means big things for the Havika family research!”

“It sure does,” Phoenix’s dad said as he stood up, “you’ll always have your family to call back on.”

“Right,” Phoenix nodded. The world seemed to change as Tracer was walking Phoenix through a base. Phoenix was looking around, amazement on his face.

“No I’m only here for a little while,” a voice called from the back of the room, “yes, Genji has been making great progress. I’m happy to see it, how’s it been in Antarctica Mei?”

“Mei!” Phoenix exclaimed happily as he pushed away from Tracer and ran up to the computer, “it is, you’re Mei! I’ve read all of your research papers!”

“Uh, thank you, who are you?” Mei asked.

“I don’t know who this is either,” Mercy said toward Mei.

“Ohmygosh!” Phoenix gasped in one, quick breath, “you’re Dr. Ziegler!”

“Sorry luvs,” Tracer laughed as she joined them, “this is Overwatch’s newest recruit, Kekoa Havika. He’s huge into research.”

“Mei, we need to exchange notes some time!” Phoenix exclaimed happily.

“Sure,” Mei smiled, “just ask Winston for my contact information, we can keep in touch.”

“Best day ever!” Phoenix exclaimed as Tracer pulled him away.

“Morrison just hasn’t been the same since Rialto,” Winston’s voice called from the room they were walking to.

“Well, can’t say I blame him,” McCree’s voice added. Tracer opened the door and she and Phoenix walked into the room.

“Aw, glad you made it, Jesse, this is our newest recruit, Kekoa Havika,” Winston said.

“Howdy,” McCree nodded.

“It’s Winston!” Phoenix exclaimed, stars in his eyes.

“Kekoa is a genius researcher, and he is quite talented with fire,” Winston said.

“That so?” McCree said as he walked past, “try not to burn the place down kid.” McCree said as he put a hand on Phoenix’s shoulder. The world returned to Phoenix aiming his flamethrower at the Talon agent. Phoenix lowered his weapon and picked the Talon agent up by his collar.

Phoenix: “Tell Doomfist, that Phoenix is coming for him.”

Phoenix let the Talon agent go and he sprinted away from the area. Phoenix walked for a while, eventually reaching a graveyard.

Phoenix: “I got your message Winston, and I agree, some one needs to do something. I can’t come back to Overwatch, I can’t do things they way they do.”

Phoenix pulled his badge out and placed it on a grave, he then turned around and walked away.

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burnouts3s3 · 5 years

Text

Anthem, a review

(Disclaimer: The following is a non-profit unprofessional blog post written by an unprofessional blog poster. All purported facts and statement are little more than the subjective, biased opinion of said blog poster. In other words, don’t take anything I say too seriously.) Just the facts 'Cause you're in a Hurry! Publisher: Electronic Arts Developer: Bioware Platform Required: Origin Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP): 59.99 USD How much I paid: 14.99 USD for Origin Premiere Access, a subscription service for Electronic Arts Rated: Not Rated as of the writing of this review. Can I play offline: No. Anthem requires a constant online connection to play. Controller Support: Yes. It was compatible with my Rock-Candy Xbox 360 controller. Keyboard and Mouse controls are also available. How long I played: 16 Hours to complete the main story mode on Easy mode while watching the (skippable) cutscenes. Microtransactions: An in-game Store to purchase skins, individual paint jobs or emotes for various Javelins, suits in the game. Purchases can cost up to 20 USD. What I played on: My PC. Performance Issues: I would use many words to describe Anthem, but "optimized" is not one of them. With V-Sync turned on, the Framerate dips wildly between 30-60 FPS. Several instances of clipping and pop-in textures. 3 Game crashes requiring me to restart the game. One instance of the game not loading the forge yet and me walking into the bottom pit while the forge spawed up ahead and I got stuck so I had to reset the game. But hey, the facial animations are pretty passable this time around. My Personal Biases: I am a Biodrone/Bioware apologist. I’ve played every Bioware game since Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. However, I’ve been having doubts on the company since the buggy release of Mass Effect: Andromeda. My Verdict: Less like a complete game and more like a prologue to hook early adopters in, Anthem feels like the first time in a long time that doesn't have Bioware's roleplaying there. With no romance options, very few conversations with side characters with limited choices and a ho-hum story, Anthem feels sorely lacking in several areas. Wait until Bioware puts in more content and a price cut before picking this one up. Anthem, a review

And so it's finally here. After years of Development, Bioware finally releases its new IP: Anthem. After the critical and financial flop that was Mass Effect: Andromeda from even hardcore Bioware fans, will the developer be able to get back into the good graces of their fanbase? Let's find out. This is a review of "Anthem". You are a Freelancer. Riding around in your mechanical jet suit, a Javelin, you adventure outside the world collecting artifacts of, what else, the remains of an ancient and mysterious race of creators that shaped the world through the Anthem. Alongside your friends, a veteran Javelin pilot Haluk and a Cypher (psychics who can listen and understand the Anthem), Faye, you adventure into the Heart of Rage, a dangerous location where even the most hardened of veterans fall. But when the expedition goes horribly wrong and most of the other Freelancers have been killed, you pull Haluk out of the Heart of Rage and retreat to Fort Tarsis. While I can safely say that Anthem isn't nearly the disaster Mass Effect: Andromeda was, it leaves a lot to be desired. It's less of a full game than it is a prologue to something else. Then again, in the age of the ongoing dumpster fire that is Fallout 76, I suppose a less than optimized game isn't nearly as terrible as a continuing PR disaster. Two years pass and you are finding any sort of work given to you. People have begun to lose faith in Freelancers and you and your new friend, Owen, try to make ends meet. However, Tassyn, an informant from the Capital, comes with you with a job offer. However, as you continue your adventure, you meet up with the enemy faction, the Dominion (those who believe they can control the Anthem and reshape the world) as well as its bloodthirsty leader, Monitor. In order to defeat the Monitor, you'll have to reunite with your estranged friends, Haluk and Faye, improve your Javelin, pass trials and re-enter the Heart of Rage. Can you finish the mission you ran away from two years ago? Anthem is a third-person shooter in which you complete quests to earn gear. As you level up and do more difficult missions, you'll receive better gear. This is where Anthem shines: the level of customizing your Javeline is immense and there's a lot of room for originality. There are 4 classes of Javelins: the Ranger, an all-around, versatile mech, the Interceptor, a light mech focusing on Melee attacks, the Storm, a mage type class that can fire elemental attacks and the Colossus, the tank class capable of soaking up damage. While each of the 4 Javelins can equip any weapon, specific Javelins are limited to certain parts. You'll gather and accumliate parts and salvage the parts to get components. You can use components to craft new parts ranging from Common to Uncommon to Rare to Legendary. If you earn a blueprint, you can craft some Legendary gear. Earning items can be done by playing story missions, doing side-quests, participating in Strongholds (this game's version of Dungeons) or going into Freeplay, an open world element in which you fly around the vast world and look for 'World Events' random missions that have specific objectives and reward a treasure chest full of loot. Flying around in the mech is a highlight. Being able to soar through the air and water while watching for overheating is probably the best we'll get to an Iron Man experience. Combat and mission objectives aren't quite as compelling. It's mostly doing the same thing over and over again: defeat waves of enemies, collect echos or fragments, wait until the Signal is decrypted, etc. And while the Javelins have different playstyles, abilities and Ultimate attacks, it does little to change defeating wave after wave of enemies for the umpteeth time. While Customizing your Javelin is vast, customizing your player avatar is sorely lacking. There's no character creator as the game only gives you preset faces to pick from. Worst yet, the majority of the game while in Fort Tarsis is set in first-person, meaning you'll almost never see your character for the majority of the game. The lack of roleplaying bleeds out into Fort Tarsis. Frankly, compared to the vast world to explore in Anthem, Fort Tarsis is claustrophobic. It makes Dragon Age 2's Kirkwall seem big by comparison. There's very little to explore and not helping matters is the snail's pace you're forced to walk while traveling around it. For Tarsis is filled up with NPC's in which you can have conversations. To advance certain conversations, you'll either have to do missions or enter freeplay. Unfortunately, your dialogue options are VERY limited. The infamous Bioware Dialogue Wheel is nowhere to be found and you'll be left with two choices to respond. Not helping matters is that most of these conversations go nowhere and do very little to define your character. (Though there are some exceptions. For example, I liked listening to Zoe talk about her son and why her motherly instincts lead her to take extra care of Javelins or helping an old woman who confuses you for her dead child). While the results may differ depending on what choices you choose, all the major stuff is being done off-screen. It's one thing to have a veteran Javelin pilot reminisce about the old days but when other characters are having adventures and bringing you up to speed on taking your advice, you can't help but feel a disconnect. The main story doesn't really help either. You don't even get to pick dialogue choices at all and you watch as your Player Character does all the acting. It truly feels like the first time the game is on-rails and you're not voicing any input at all on how to react. Worst yet, certain points in the main questline FORCES you to do tedious grinding to advance. When Faye asks you to do trials, they can only be accomplished by doing in-game achievements (i.e. Kill X enemies with a Melee Attack or Revive X players). It feels needlessly tedious and only bogs the game down. This is (and I'm speculating here) only there to extend the playtime so that gamers who payed for the 10 hour trial do not blitz through the main storyline.

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After that, you need to craft the Dawn Sheild and must help either Matthias, an Archanist who might be seeing triple or Sentinel Dax, a princess turned guard who's recklessness might get you killed, in order to do so. Worst yet, even after helping one of them, the game insists you help the other one to lower the crafting cost of the shield. The main questline is short and full of cliches. Not helping matters is that the Monitor is a completely generic big bad with no real personality and idiotic reasons for wanting to access the Anthem. I know Bioware is hardly the arbiter of original characters, but the Monitor is woefully lacking after the specific threats that were Mass Effect's Saren and Dragon Age's Loghain. And after it's done, the game 'teases' you with an after-credits scene that only exists so that Bioware can state "Don't worry; we have more content coming soon". Even after you complete the story and unlock the two other Strongholds, there's a woeful lack of content. You can repeat missions and do quests on higher difficulty levels to gain better gear, but it quickly becomes repetitive. Who is the audience for this game? In a world where Warframe is free to play, Borderlands 2 has a healthy player population and Destiny 2 has had its price cut, Anthem feels like a latecomer to the genre. But, even loyal Bioware fans (i.e. the people who bought Mass Effect: Andromeda on the first day and still defend said purchase), aren’t feeling this game. In fact, one of the Youtube creators I follow quit the game after he received a bug in which after unlocking his second Javelin, he was unable to access the account.

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Why would Bioware change its formula now? And it's not as if Anthem is a priority for Electronic Arts, either. With Apex Legends continuing to dominate Twitch ratings and Playerbase, Anthem will probably be pushed to the sidelines. The game requires constant online connection and has an in-game store. Fortunately, said microtransactions are purely cosmetic and do not feature loot boxes plaguing the industry. And while it isn't as rediculous and allows you, the player, to buy the items with in-game currency, it's still a bad precedent. But I could even forgive the game as a service model as long as I got to roleplay. For example, (and I’m aware this is a very subjective opinion that is not shared by other people), I really like Star Wars: The Old Republic. Even though many gamers criticized the game of being a World of Warcraft rip-off (and rightly so, I might add), there was a sense of roleplaying and seeing my character on screen. Plus, it was cool seeing how different the class stories differed from one another. I could tell you how my Twi'lek smuggler who romanced Akaavi differed from my Pureblood Sith Inquistor who romanced Ashara. If you asked me what differentiated my Male Javelin Pilot from my Female one, I couldn't possibly tell you. (I suspect that the game will inevitably follow the footsteps of Star Wars: The Old Republic, go free to play when the playerbase dwindles while walling off things such as Strongholds for subscribers). And it's very telling how developers and animators were pulled from Mass Effect: Andromeda to help work on Anthem. CAVEAT: As a developer, Bioware has always put things like inclusion and diversity first and foremost, even at the cost of things such as quality assurance or facial animations. "Strong Alone, Stronger Together," says Haluk. And for a lot of consumers, myself included, they feel conflicted on criticizing something they view as a positive force for the games industry. But whatever the consumer is, whomever they love, whatever the color of their skin or what they identify themselves as, Electronic Arts is pulling out scummy tactics to milk them out of their money. There’s still an ongoing debate of where things like representation, inclusion, exclusion, diversity and egalitarianism have in the industry. But wherever you find yourself on the culture war, the one thing we can agree on is that the last thing required are for giant publishers co-opting those social issues in order to scam its customers out of their money. Verdict: Wait for a sale or Rental.

#bioware #ea #Electronic Arts #origin #freelancer #haluk #faye #owen #tassyn #dominion #sentinel #dax #matthias #colossus #interceptor #storm #ranger

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