#I am fully aware I could’ve cropped it out | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

hellzyeahwebwielingessays · 4 years

Text

The Not-So-Amazing Mary Jane Part 25: AMJ #2.1

Previous Part

Next Part

Master Post

Just like the first issue, I’m going to go through the issue page by page.

Believe it or not. the problems literally start on the recap page.

For starters check out this line:

....and staffed with outsiders (like MJ) whenever possible...

This is incredibly odd as it seemingly contradicts what issue #1 established.

I say seemingly because it depends upon how you define ‘outsiders’. Outside of what exactly?

The Hollywood system?

Traditional film or TV circles?

By those metrics the inclusion of so many criminals and former felons could fit the bill.

However, the recap lists Mary Jane as an example of such ‘outsiders’, which muddies the waters.

I suppose from a certain point of view she might be called an outsider but in context it doesn’t seem an appropriate descriptor at all.

Mary Jane has acting credits. She’s worked on Hollywood films before. She’s worked in TV before. She’s worked on stage before.

Alright, she’s not exactly Scarlett Johansson, but she’s not really an outsider.

More poignantly, the recap seems to be implying that MJ was included specifically because of her alleged outsider status. Putting aside how MJ isn’t really an outsider, this just doesn’t add up.

As detailed in parts 5-6, we the audience know that MJ’s inclusion is either due to:

Mysterio knowing about her connection to Spidey or

Kindred ordered Beck to include her.

The latter is the more likely answer. But even if it wasn’t the implication here is that Mysterio always wanted Mary Jane in his movie.

This is imbecilic of him because he is aware of her connection to Spider-Man!

Beck could be viewed as an obsessive and an egomaniac, but he’s not an idiot. If anything he is dangerously cunning. If he really just wanted an outsider actress with talent he’d have endless options other than Mary Jane to pick from.

Regardless of your feelings on the matter, the reality within Hollywood is that actors are a dime a dozen.

If Beck knows who Spidey is and therefore knows about MJ’s connection to him, he must have a specific reason for hiring her. He must have a particular need to keep her on set as he practically begged her to do in issue #1; a fact acknowledged in the recap itself. In fact in ASM v5 #25 Beck personally sought out Mary Jane’s former agent in order to get her into the movie. He didn’t look at a pool of actors and cast someone. He was incredibly specific.

Based upon the information we’ve been given, MJ’s connection to Spidey is the only explanation for all this. So what the Hell is this nonsense about her being an outsider? If he wanted an outsider why did he personally seek out Mary Jane?

I’m sorry, I can’t give the benefit of the doubt on this front. This is a clear cut example of incompetence. Either Williams and/or her editors weren’t paying attention to prior stories (including the first issue!) or they were and didn’t care.

Regardless it’s bad.

Moving on, we then have Cage McKnight referred to as a “superstar director”.

Wasn’t Cage supposed to be an indie director? Call me nuts but a ‘superstar director’ is surely someone like Spielberg or Ryan Coogler. An indie director is by definition not a superstar. It also further contradicts ASM v5 #29’s claims about McKnight harder to reconcile. In that issue McKnight was supposed to be a new and fairly unknown director.

But I’ll let all that pass because he could be a super star on the indie scene.

Additionally, the recap in general fails to acknowledge the presence of criminals on set. They are simply referred to as outsiders and people who were on their ‘last hope of making something meaningful’. This totally obscures the reality of the situation and paints it as a lot less dangerous or irresponsible.

We then come to the most damning line in the entire recap.

MJ agreed to keep Quentin’s secret—even from Peter/Spider-Man.

That literally never happened in issue #1.

There was never a moment MJ agreed to keep Mysterio’s secret from Peter. Sure, we never saw her tell him the truth. But the story never highlighted the fact she was knowingly withholding information from him. She was incredibly casual about the film project and showed no signs of apprehension about lying to her partner.

It’s not even that Williams was being incredibly subtle. The first issue simply failed to ever acknowledge the fact that MJ was lying to Peter; she just did it!

More significantly the implication is that MJ is keeping this secret from Peter specifically because she’s sympathetic to Mysterio and his crew’s desire to make something meaningful. So I guess Williams is maintaining the mischaracterization from last issue huh? See prior instalments for why lying to Peter, sympathising with Beck and trusting him is OOC for Mary Jane.

Honestly, how would Matt Murdock feel about MJ letting Mysterio tell his magnum opus before he dies? The last time he was dying and decided he needed a magnum opus his girlfriend died!

Surely Karen or Gwyneth or any of the other innocent people Beck killed wanted the chance to do something meaningful with their lives too?

Why should Beck be afforded such an opportunity when he denied similar chances to people far more deserving?

Now granted this is just the recap page but the importance of a recap page is not to be underestimated.

Every comic is someone’s first, Stan Lee himself said that.

Recap pages are important as they give new readers the opportunity to jump on ship and thereby hopefully buoy up the sales as they naturally decline from issue #1 onwards.

Speaking from experience here, growing up my UK Marvel reprints had fairly detailed recap pages that provided enough context for me to pick up basically any issue and generally understand what was going on.

Having the recap contradict the actual story is misinforming and can thereby create a false impression of the work. Screwing it up is also just a bad sign for the rest of the comic. That’s particularly true when it’s providing details that weren’t actually present in the stories it is recapping.

Anyway, as we get into the story proper, we see MJ performing a scene from the movie.

I am not exactly sure if Williams is trying to make some commentary on Mary Jane here.

The dialogue her character says could be interpreted as commenting upon MJ’s growth as a character, on how she grew more capable of defending herself. Of how as she grew older she realised the real dangers in life were human beings not childish imaginings of monsters.

The main reason I suspect this might’ve been meant as commentary is that the dialogue specifically pints out how people wear masks to hide their true natures.

Masks are a recurrent theme in the Spider-Man mythos and particularly prevalent with MJ’s character.

If this was Williams intent it demonstrates a certain understanding of Spider-lore and of MJ that’s been woefully been lacking for most of the 2010s.

And one could justifiable argue the dialogue about how she grew stronger and more capable of defending herself is supported by her evolution over time. MJ never underwent a clear cut arc where she became more capable of defending herself. She was basically just shown to have bravery, common sense and resourcefulness. The frequent dangerous encounters she endured afforded her chances to put those skills into practice thus she got better at it, but she didn’t undergo active training towards that end like Batman.

Furthermore the dialogue can be argued to be talking about Mysterio as well, specifically the lines about monsters hiding behind pleasant masks. This is applicable to Mysterio’s masquerade as Cage McKnight.

However the comparison (if intentional at all) breaks down in two key areas.

The dialogue implies ‘Mary Jane’ learned that humans are the real monsters in life as she grew older. This is patently not true as MJ’s father was frequently abusive even when MJ was a baby.

This was the norm for Mary Jane’s entire childhood and she herself created a mask of her own to cope with it.

ASM #259

It was even implied MJ suspected Peter of being a ‘monster’ like her father precisely because she knew he hid the truth of himself.

So MJ would’ve been acutely aware that people can be monsters and use masks to hide this fact.

The second way the comparison breaks down regards Mysterio. If we accept that the dialogue is commentating upon Mysterio then it’s Williams acknowledging that Mysterio is a monster in disguise. This in turn throws her characterization of MJ into question. It implies Williams is knowingly writing Mary Jane as an idiot and out of character. It also doesn’t jive with his sympathetic portrayal in issue #1; nor in fact in this issue as we’ll see.

Of course all of that is hypothetical. I fully admit I might be reading more into this than was intended. Williams could’ve just thought this dialogue seemed cool and that was all.

I should also briefly discuss the artwork. In issue #1 I critiqued it because at times it made the intent ambiguous. In fairness that might be more down to Williams or the editors as opposed to Gomez. I suspect it will become a problem that will crop up moving forward. Nevertheless, it doesn’t detract for the utterly gorgeous aesthetic of his artwork.

With all that’s said let’s get back to the story.

MJ’s scene is interrupted when ‘Cage’ realises a pair of men are removing the wind machine. Actually, they’re removing several pieces of equipment the crew were renting. Mallorie, ‘Cage’s’ right-hand woman (sorry I don’t know Hollywood lingo), snatches a small piece of equipment and makes a point of withholding it from the men. MJ begins to ask what’s going on, turning on some of the charm for one of the men (named Noah).

‘Cage’ though is far less polite, demanding Noah’s attention. He warns him that, once Hollywood hears of this situation, he’ll struggle to find future work. Noah angrily retorts that ‘Cage’ hasn’t paid his rental fees in weeks, a fact confirmed when he checks his phone.

There are a few things to unpack from these pages, most of which further confirms topics we’ve already touched on.

For starters, we could argue Beck’s rudeness and threat exemplifies the danger he poses. Not just because he is a violent man, but also because he is seeking to ruin an innocent man’s business. This is something he could theoretically use McKnight’s reputation to achieve even more effectively.

Admittedly, that’s a little nit-picky.

Beck in Cage’s role here didn’t act unreasonably. He’s a bad person but even a good person could be forgiven or at least understood in this situation.

The real Cage McKnight may well be miffed at his equipment being removed and the lack of professionalism. That wouldn’t necessarily be grounds for Noah’s business to be harmed either if he was genuinely being unprofessional. Not to mention, we could easily give Beck the benefit of the doubt and say his threat was simply a bargaining tactic to get what he wants.

However, what’s less forgivable is Beck’s carelessness.

In the grand scheme of his history, failing to check his phone or pay some bills is hardly his worse crime. But it is endemic of a larger issue. Beck has never made a real movie before, not as the director anyway. The closest he’s ever come are his crimes, which granted would demand certain similar skills. However, he pulled off those crimes with little concern for any henchmen he involved nor any legal or financial obligations. He funded his crimes through other crimes. He viewed his helpers as disposable. And as for breaking the law, that obviously wasn’t going to bother him.

In this story Beck has dozens of people who’s jobs (and possibly their careers) ride on his decisions. The narrative has even painted him as genuinely wanting to help them. And yet he has failed as an incredibly basic responsibility. He hasn’t even considered delegated that task to someone else. It’s exemplary of selfishness at worst, and poor leadership at best.

I’m not trying to argue any of this is out of character for Mysterio. Rather, it’s the implications of this within the status quo that are concerning.

On to of everything else, Mary Jane has decided to go along with Beck’s passion project without considering if he’s even qualified for the job. Creative vision isn’t enough, you need basic competency as well. You need to know how and who to delegate stuff to if it’s not your forte or not what you are interested in.

It’s also further exemplifies the potential damage Beck can bring to the real McKnight’s reputation. If word of this gets out suddenly McKnight at best might be regarded as rude, at worst a poor leader and incompetent. Incompetent with money no less, which (above anything else) is likely to paint him poorly in the eyes of the Hollywood power players.

This misuse of Cage’s reputation continues into the next page where Beck outright throws McKnight’s name around. He claims there has been a mistake because his movie was given a generous budget. Mary Jane tries to calm the situation down and sits in one of the fold out chairs. Her plan is to prevent the men from removing it off the set, a scheme Mallorie (literally) adds some weight to.

In spite of ‘Cage’s’ borderline verbal abuse, Noah expresses respect for Cage and the film project, suggesting he talk to the money people.

By rights MJ in observing this entire scene should be much more sceptical of Beck. At the very least she should wonder if she’s made the right decision in helping him. SPOILERS: She won’t.

What she does do though, is use her charm/social savvy to defuse situations and keep Mysterio under control. This is clearly part of the direction Williams wants to take the series in. In fact it’s the central conceit of this entire issue.

On this front Williams does a superb job. No seriously, I might hate this status quo. I might loathe the mischaracterization facilitating it. I might despise the contrivance that keeps it going. But it’s stuff like this where Williams once more displays a deftness with MJ’s character.

She understands that Mary Jane possesses superb social skills that can serve as a form of ‘super power’ within certain contexts. Williams has (clumsily) generated one such context and thus allowed MJ to shine. You could genuinely cite or post this scene to exemplify some of the strengths of Mary Jane’s character. If you want a Spider-Man comparison, it’s a little like citing Otto injuring Scorpion from ASM #700 as an example of Peter’s raw power. How we got to that moment was nonsensical but unto itself it is a great example of a singular aspect of the character.

Another example occurs when MJ prompts ‘Cage’ to seek out more money for the film.

This moment demonstrates MJ’s practicality and determination. It’s just a shame that display entails her helping a criminal and suggesting they con yet more people!

The next page is a montage of just that, with Hollywood money people turning them down. ‘Cage’ reacts by angrily flipping tables. In contrast MJ calmly and politely tries to inject some positivity into the meetings.

Williams again does a great job of showing MJ’s personality. She keeps in control and is a great people person. She is practical and knows how to help Mysterio get stuff done.

But take note of ‘Cage’s’ misbehaviour in front of the money people. This opens up the possibility of him being dangerous and unstable, therefore a liability if left unchecked. Were this an exception to the rule or extenuating circumstances, that’d perhaps be understandable. But Mysterio, whilst not exactly defined by his rage, is a violent person. He has inflicted physical and mental harm/abuse to people. And his bouts of bad behaviour are likely to negatively impact the real McKnight’s chances of working with any of these people in the future.

I’ll leave it there for now. We’ll pick up where we left off last time.

Previous Part

Next Part

Master Post

#Leah Williams #amazing mary jane #mjwatsonedit #mary jane watson #Mary Jane Watson Parker #MJ Watson #Mysterio #quentin beck #Spider-Man #Savage Six #Vulture #Peter Parker #Carlos Gomez

13 notes · View notes

morkhan · 6 years

Note

question: might it not just be that the TryGuys contracts were up at slightly different times? 'cause Quinta and Ashley, who were also in the crop of BFDP program, left at most a few weeks before and after ELY did. (I'm honestly waiting for Kelsey to leave too, her contract was/is also BFDP, altho rumor has it BF is loosening their outside/personal project standards)

it’s possible, but the thing is; Eugene still left first. even if all four guys agreed to leave when their contracts were up before Eugene walked, that doesn’t change the fact that Buzzfeed had unfettered access to Zach, Keith, and Ned for two months after he left and would have been correct in trying to tempt them with everything under the sun to get them to stay. that’s another thing. if that’s what happened (and i honestly think it was), i can’t even blame Buzzfeed for doing it, because that’s clearly what’s in their best interest. in terms of regular, dependable viewership, i think only Worth It could compete with the Try Guys at their best, and they put out videos way less frequently. Buzzfeed had a recognizable, bankable brand in the Try Guys that was on the rise, and they would have been insane not to try and preserve it in some way, whether by convincing the other guys to replace Eugene, or just having them continue without him ala 1D minus Zayn. it was absolutely in the company’s best interest to get those three to stay, so I have no doubt the company offered them a great deal to try and make it happen.

in other words; they had a choice. a choice between...

A. incurring no risk and no personal expense in the process of reaping great, guaranteed rewards from a billion dollar media company that would be backing all their moves going forward, all for the meager cost of one (1) friend, OR;

B. keeping that friend, but incurring all the risk, all the expense, with no guaranteed reward, at the potential cost of their very promising and burgeoning entertainment careers, on the eve of one of them starting a family.

like i feel like i am underselling just what a massive risk the other guys were taking by going independent. they could have been beginning new, more lucrative, renegotiated contracts with sizeable bonuses and guaranteed income for years to come. instead, they emptied their bank accounts to start their own business with no guarantee of success at all. they could have been working from Buzzfeed’s studios, with fully furnished offices, a dedicated staff, thousands of dollars of professional grade equipment, and paid expenses. instead, they decided to work out of Ned’s old house, with office furniture cobbled together from whatever he had lying around, the two-to-three interns they could afford to hire, and whatever camera equipment they could still afford to pay for after that, never mind expenses. there was a day without toilet paper. whatever your problems with Buzzfeed, I’m pretty sure Buzzfeed never runs out of toilet paper. they could’ve had a crew to shoot and edit for them. instead, they chose to drive themselves to the point of exhaustion by doing a lot of shooting and editing themselves, going 24-48 hours without sleeping in some cases, stressing themselves to the breaking point just to have enough videos to put out a consistent stream of content before their business/channel even launched. you can plainly see in their ‘Why We Started Our Own Company’ video that they are tired, stretched thin, and freaking the fuck out about what they are about to do. the very real fear that they might have just shot themselves in the foot and completely ruined their careers for nothing permeates their every word.

Zach, Ned, and Keith could have chosen Buzzfeed. they could have remained the Try Guys without Eugene, as sad as that sounds. a band can survive one member leaving, even a founding member. they could have done the safe, easy, sensible thing, and stuck to what they knew.

but they didn’t. they chose Eugene. they chose to go independent with him. because here’s the final thing; it makes sense to me that Eugene would leave first. that seems absolutely in character for him; he’s wild, he’s independent, he has a spirit that will not be tied down. Eugene was always going to leave Buzzfeed at some point, and i feel like anyone who knew him was well aware of that. so in a way, the other guys choosing to go with him is not just validating their friendship, it’s also validating Eugene, as a person; the way he does things, and the way he looks at the world. it’s the other guys saying ‘you know what? we could stand to be a little more like you, Eugene,’ and putting their money where their mouth is.

i mean, Keith did say in the Lie Detector video that they needed to do a better job of showing Eugene how much he means to them.

mission fucking accomplished, boys.

#the try guys #eugene lee yang #ned fulmer #keith habersberger #zach kornfeld #Anonymous

109 notes · View notes

peterknowsshit · 3 years

Text

Thank fuck for dogs... ( @MyJokersWild )

Peter:

-For someone who knows shit, I sure spent a lot of time not knowing shit. I never knew the shit I WANTED to know. Like when a sexy naked woman was about to come walking through the kitchen like that. It would’ve been helpful for a lot of things. Like maybe I could’ve refrained from taking that bite that just had me choking and sputtering like a moron. Or maybe I could’ve done something a lot cooler than an impression of a fish out of water while I watched her. Hell, maybe I could’ve done something smooth like have an extra spoon waiting, and whipped it out at just the right time. Or maybe… The smirk that took over as my mind went wild was a wicked one. And just like that, the room was way too fucking hot. And I was way too fucking not high. With one more look at the door where she disappeared, I forced myself to go out the back door to the greenhouse. If I didn’t get out and get some fresh air ASAP, my ass was going to go after her-

Tori:

[It had to be Rilla. There was no way you would have sent him after my towel like that. Right? It had been one hell of a trip so far and while I had stood there yanking the clothes out of the washer and putting them into the dryer, I just so happen to hear the slam of the backdoor as that laugh of mine left my lips with a half hearted shake of my head towards Rilla.] So which is it? You flying solo on this or did he put you up to it? [The temperature was in the low 70's for a Saturday night, having the window open hadn't been the norm but the closer it got to the first day of Spring, the more I would spend time on the roof. And that meant my voice carried.] Rilla, really? [Sure, I was teasing but I had to smirk, giving the four legged family member wink too.] He's going to let you take the wrap like that..? No way..

Peter:

-I couldn’t get the image of you out of my head. There was a pull I had already been feeling toward you that outshone any pull I had ever felt before. And this just increased it ten fold. As I propped myself up on one of the tables, taking a long toke from my joint as I stared at the house. I had hoped that distance and a joint would kill the urge to go after you. But it wasn’t. Not at fucking all...-

Tori:

Okay, okay! I'll let you out. Go get him, Rilla. [Laughing once again, I couldn't help myself. You left in such a hurry, feet carrying you swiftly out the door like a man on a mission, that it didn't occur to me that maybe the sight of yours truly, might have made things a tad awkward. Had I really been that off on all the signs? Baked or not, there had been something going on with you. There was an energy that seemed to buzz around you that went unspoken about and honestly I had thought it was funny, the look on your face.] Oh Gods.. [Even so, I figured the greenhouse was calling your name but when Rilla wouldn't stop being persistent in getting out the door to you, I made quick work of pulling the white top over my head, covering my naked form with my panties being next. With my good enough once over, I was well on my way of hitting the door but not before pausing to snatch up a handful of fruit loops when the faint scent of your signature blend hit my senses. Opening the back door, I smirked as it only became stronger and stronger and I watched Rilla run up ahead to find you.]

Peter:

-I hadn’t even turned on the back light when I came out to the greenhouse. So when I saw it flick on my heart jumped and there I was pulling that pausing act as I stared intently at the door, secretly hoping to catch another glimpse of you with nothing on. And blowing out a slow, disappointed breath when you’re not before chuckling at myself. My brain finally starting to function, I jump off the table I was propped up on and swung the door open, giving Rilla a pat on the head as he runs up to me before looking back at you when you reach us, unable to help the way my eyes still trail over your body as I hold out the joint in my hand for you- Did you get cold? -smirks-

Tori:

Not really. It was more for your benefit than my own. [There you were smirking and handing that joint over. Having let myself inside the greenhouse, I was quick to notice the eerie silence first, followed by your lingering gaze on my thighs until it shot up finally to greet my eyes, second. You had finally came into view with Rilla beside you and as I took my first hit, I held it for the longest before exhaling it slowly.] I thought maybe I scared you off.. [Taking a look around the space, that smirk I sported was still present as I took my next hit and handed the joint back to you, finally crouching down to pet on Rilla again.] But.. He seems to think you deserve the opportunity to explain yourself. Since you put him up to taking my towel.

Peter:

-thank fuck I hadn’t actually put the joint to my lips when you made that statement. Otherwise I would be right back to that moronic sputtering bit. I wasn’t able to stop the way my eyes briefly widened though, and hoped like hell you hadn’t caught it. Choosing to avoid that statement and play it cool, I casually shrug one shoulder instead- If you’re more comfortable naked, I won’t stop you. -shoots you a wink as I finally bring the joint back to my lips for a proper hit now-

Tori:

Oh really? [I quirked my own brow, surprised by your nonchalant manner in which you gave the go ahead. Giving Rilla one last scratch behind his ears, I bent down and whispered, letting him off the hook when he took off, leaving us to our own devices then. It was in that moment that I turned to face you and tugged the white top over my head, tossing it on the table behind you.] Even right now? [I was calling your bluff and as I moved to stand directly before you, I pluck the joint from your fingers as I felt a soft brush of your hair against my skin]

Peter:

-my feelings were conflicted when it started to become apparent you were going to call my bluff. There was a part of me that was thrilled at the idea of seeing all of you again. And then there was the rational part of me that knew I wasn’t going to be able to behave for very long. Before I could think much of it though, you were topless in front of me again. And just as quickly invading my space. Acting instinctually, my arm shot out, hand landing at the small of your back as I held you right where you were with a wicked smirk- Mm...but you still have those on. -to illustrate my point, my hand slides down a little further, thumb hooking in the hem of your panties and giving the slightest pull-

Tori:

Go ahead, I won't stop you.. [While brief, that smirk turned into a sly smile, at the use of your own words against you. As I teased a bit, I did some toying of my own when it came to running my free hand now up under that shirt. Maybe it was the effects of the high combined helps with tending to the plants. [It wasn't just an excuse to get your shirt off. I firmly believed it helped with making the grow process run smoother. At least that's what I told myself just then as I wagged my brows.]

Peter:

-swallows roughly at your words. You said them so damn casually, and I was well aware of how comfortable with nudity you were. The smirk that crossed my lips again had me thankful you couldn’t read my mind. Or you’d know some shit I wasn’t sure I was ready to confess just yet. But there was also a part of me that was really hoping that you meant more than that. And damn if that wasn’t another new feeling that was cropping up. Taking you at your words, I gave another firm tug at your panties, just enough until they were to a point where they could fall on their own to the ground. Then before you can make another move, I brought my hand to the hem of my own shirt, tugging it over my head and tossing it haphazardly over my shoulder in the direction of yours, popping my brows at you- In the name of good growing, right?

Tori:

Of course, to good growing. [That lip rolled between my teeth then as I nodded before it formed that smirk again, Seeing that shirt go flying, I let my gaze do some wandering, lingering really on your chest too while my panties found the floor and I stepped out of them. Now fully naked, that joint was long gone and I can't help but reach up to pull another one free from my hair. This time, holding it to your lips for you to take hold of.] And other things. [I left the rest unsaid, sliding my hand into your front pockets, in search of your lighter]

Peter:

-“And other things...” So maybe there was more. And that earned a grin before I caught the joint between my lips, my hand stopping its naturally path to my pocket when you begin to dig. I was well aware you could probably feel now what you were doing to me. But I couldn’t find it in me to care right now as I watched your face for any sign of recognition. I let you dig for a couple more seconds before finally speaking around the joint- Right pocket.

Tori:

You sure? [I caught sight of that all knowing grin as I continued my search, thinking "Alright Tor, enough teasing" when I slip my hand free to light the joint finally. Watching you take that first hit, I pondered my next words carefully. How long had I been back now? A while it felt like and this push pull vibe I got from you could only mean one thing. Not to mention the physical aspect of what I just felt pressed against wicked fingers.] You know, I'm keeping your spoon. I'm never giving it back now. [I smiled warmly and took a step back, letting you toke it all in, literally.] Unless you don't want me to have it but something tells me that you do. [I kept walking backwards, pulling you forward with me as my smile grew even wider.] Am I wrong?

Peter:

-Damn, you were beautiful. That’s all I could think as I allowed you to pull me along, my eyes unapologetically taking you. So lost in thoughts of that that I nearly missed you were asking me a question. Snapping my eyes back up to yours I offered you a lazy grin- No, you’re not wrong. I want you to have my spoon. -pops my brows with a smirk- It was inevitable that you took it...

Tori:

[My Gods, that damn smirk.. You let me pull you along by the hand, toking on that joint with your other until I paused in front of a couple of the plants you had stored there. Waiting for you to come to a stop in front of me again, I saw that look in your eyes and I reached up for the joint, taking it from you.] I like to think so. I mean there you were and you weren't really using it anymore. Not really.. [Smirking now, you actually had been holding it to your lips when you saw me but we both knew in this moment right now, we weren't really talking about the spoon. Taking my own hit finally, I took it upon myself to wrap my arms around your neck, finally feeling my skin pressed against your chest and I turn my head just so to exhale slowly.] Do you promise to always share your cereal with me?

Peter:

-as soon as your arms come around my neck, I waste no time wrapping my own around you, nodding seriously as I keep my gaze locked with yours- I promise. -offers you another lazy grin- As long as you want my cereal, it’s yours.

Tori:

[Placing a soft kiss over your heart, I lift my gaze back to yours after doing so with a warm smile this time.] For keeps, Peter Pan. [I held your gaze for the longest, feeling the effects of that second joint wash over me and hummed low, letting my head fall back as I hung in your arms.] I'll share mine too. Last question.. What about the blanket on your bed? Will you share that? [Okay, so technically that was two but you didn't seem to notice it when I all but hopped up to wrap my legs around your waist, smirking as I waited for your answer..]

Peter:

-my lazy grin turning into a wide one when you kiss over my heart, sliding my hands to your bare ass when you jump up, wrapping your legs around me- I’ll share any damn thing you want with you, pretty bird. -winks at that nickname, one of my hands moving to lightly cup the back of your head and pull your lips to mine for a slow, meaningful kiss, the whole time thinking how fucking glad I was that this night turned out the way it had-

0 notes

stephaniejuhnay · 7 years

Text

Prince On Every Tour: Sign O’ The Times

Good morning children. Jk, it’s not morning. It is very much night, but I’m currently jamming to The Dance Electric as I type this and I love the way he says that. ANYWAY. It has been quite some time since the last POET post. We last visited Parade Prince which was a TIME. It was the culmination of what felt like at least 2 or 3 months of being very much swept up in that era. But now we’re here. To my favorite album. Favorite rehearsal show. Second or third favorite era because he and Parade Prince consistently fight. There is no circulating tour footage outside of clips which is A CRIME AGAINST PRINCE-MANITY, but I have hope that we will get at least one concert from this tour. Just like we’ll get Second Coming. We’re gonna get these things guise. We will. Anyway, while in Detroit, my mom and I watched SOTT so I may throw a bit of that in, but I just finished Valium, which will be the focus. So, without further ado...

SIGN O’ THE TIMES. FIRST AVENUE. MARCH 21, 1987. LET’S GET INTO IT.

Overview: Welp. It’s happened. That thing that we all knew was gonna happen. That thing that probably hurt a few folks hearts. I know it hurt mine. Prince gave up the signature Parade slickback. Just as we were getting used to it. The 1999 curls that I LIVE for were stolen, and he lulled me into a false sense of security when I finally accepted the short, suave ‘do. But in true Prince fashion, he swapped it out for something JUST as fabulous: another set of wonderful curls with just enough to put into the world’s most unnecessary ponytail and what @the-beautiful-1 refers to as the fishing tackle braid. It’s all very glorious. He’s ditched suits for the most part for crop tops with matching pants and jumpsuits with ridiculous cutouts that would get any normal man sideeyed to death, but gets Prince these draws praise and adoration for the slayage. Valium starts with something everyone needs: Prince in a polka dot suit with a pair of glasses (which I would very much like to have for myself) looking like an entire Thanksgiving feast. He talks to the crowd, lets us know this show is basically a rehearsal we’ve been invited to. We don’t care. We know it’s going to be fantastic. Especially because of the getting got that will take place afterwards when you see him in the final number outfit. For my peace of mind, this person I’ve created in this series through which any of us can live gets got and lives the dream forever. Amen. Moving forward. We are joked with a bit, introduced to his new friends, some old friends, and my favorite friend: the polka dot suit. He also reminds us that if we don’t know who he is we MUST be on some type of drug. Daddy. Where the concert film opens up with a wonderful rendition of the titular song, Valium wastes no time in the edge-snatching and gets right into Housequake. How jarring it must have been for the still screaming crowd to hear “SHUT UP ALREADY, DAMN,” not knowing that it was the beginning of a song that would incite some of the hardest dancing of their life. He probably thought it was hilarious. Daddy.

This setlist is short, but sweet. We get some (then) upcoming SOTT album stuff, but a couple old gems with Girls & Boys and Kiss. The show is just over an hour and it does not let up at all, even when Prince disappears and let’s his band get some shine. Which brings me to my next point. This band. Now, I love The Revolution just as much as the next opera bloused, curly haired, fake moled 80′s enthusiast with lace gloves on, and am fully aware that much of SOTT was tracked with them. However, I cannot imagine this music being played by them. Not in it’s final form. The SOTT band is a band full of insanely talented musicians, and they executed a sound that was absolutely incredible and sounded a lot more....idk mature? Polished? I can’t put my finger on it. Not to take anything at all away from The Revolution because they too were insanely talented. The SOTT band just offered an element that the previous band couldn’t. If they could, Prince would’ve kept them around. He was exploring new sounds, therefore needed new inspiration. It’s why we love him. During the band’s solo’s, there wasn’t a single person that I wasn’t completely in awe of. Levi and his crazy bass solo was funky and in the pocket, Fink sounds the best he’s ever sounded on the keys, Atlanta Bliss and his God-awful ponytail are still puttin’ it down on the horn, my man Sith Leeds (soon to be) is KILLIN’ that sax, and Sheila. Miss. Sheila. What a legend on the drums. Miko is a wonderful guitarist, which we learned on the last tour, and Boni has some PIPES you hear me? And of course, I cannot forget about Cat. Technically the first REAL dancer to join the band, Cat brought an energy to the gang that really rounded out these shows for me. She put her ALL into those dances, and she even forced boyfriend to step up his moves imo. I would argue that this tour is the most he’s danced so far, and it’s absolutely delightful. Honestly, what is better than any dance he does during Hot Thing on the concert film? Precisely. Nothing. Thanks for agreeing. We also get the fantastic dancing during Housequake in both shows, and Beautiful Night on the concert film that warrants mentioning.

Favorite Number: This is the easiest pick of all the tours, however, let’s start with some honorable mentions.

Housequake: It’s a funky groove that you cannot escape. Be prepared to dance to it for the rest of your life no matter how many times you’ve heard it within a 5 day span. You’ll be fine, trust me. This number was a fave of mine in both shows.

Slow Love: First, it’s Slow Love. Second, during both shows it’s one of my top vocal performances. I love it when he sangs ya’ll. Third, shirt rip on the “shut the door, baby” during Valium. He also ripped his shirt a bit after that same line in the concert film. Never change, boyfriend.

Hot Thing: CUTOUTS. “COM’ERE BAAAAYBY, I WANNA TALK TO YA.” CUTOUTS. FACE DURING ORGAN PLAYING AT THE OPENING OF THE NUMBER. CUTOUTS.

Forever In My Life: The breakdown during both shows is funky as all get out. Another song on which he was SANGIN’, especially on the concert film. The “I gotta tell ya” screech? How do you not throw it back after that? Like....

Favorite of all though: Strange Relationship. Hands. Down. Disappointingly not in the concert film, this 12min funk marathon is rivaled by none, other than the very same song from the rehearsal boot. Maybe. I say maybe only because this version includes the simplest but greatest chord progression before he let’s Boni do her thing (Whatchya sayin’ Boni?!) for a little bit that I rewound a good 35 times when I first saw this show. Idk what it is, but it’s just right in the pocket and it gets me every single time. I love the little stuff like that. We also get the playful fake radio station with DJ Prince shoutout, and the always welcome Squirrel Meat groove. It’s the obvious winner. Even boyfriend knew it was too funky.

Favorite Outfit: WELL. SOTT is ripe with wonderful outfits. I’m even okay with the egregiously large-shouldered leather jacket that opened the concert film. I hope he burned it though. Or at least de-shouldered it. I’m a huge, HUGE fan of Prince in suits, especially polka dot suits as you will hear PLENTY of in the next POET post. And the Valium polka dot suit is a doozy. As is the crop top in that shade of blue that makes him look absolutely STUNNING in the final number during Valium. Hang it in a museum. Please. It wins as favorite outfit from Valium.

I also am a huge fan of the tasselled white number he’s in during Beautiful Night in the concert film. And the Orange cutouts he graced us with during I Could Never. And his adorably fine self in the black cutouts with the hat during Forever In My Life/It. However, Hot Thing cut out wins the concert film war. Because....I mean...like....

Still Would Rating: SOTT Prince fights for second place with Parade Prince constantly. It’s a fight I do not mind at all. Swoop me, the both of you.

Overall Rating: Overall, both of these are absolutely amazing shows. Well, one is an amazing show, one is a concert film made UP of what I am sure are amazing shows (audio) strung together with one heck of a visual performance that sure did fool me for years and years. Could’ve been a tour filmed for all I knew. Valium is a rehearsal that might as well have been an official tour show if you ask me. Even without the full production of the official tour, that show for 1600 people at First Avenue holds up to any of the other previous shows. Whether in a small club or a stadium, boyfriend slayed regardless. Daddy.

PREVIOUSLY, PARADE NEXT UP, LOVESEXY

#prince on every tour #I feel I should gif more SOTT #always gif all of the SOTT #for all time #especially more cutouts #not enough cutouts #*SIGH*#we need more footage ya'll #I was so hoping something wonderful would happen for the 30th anniversary #prince

132 notes · View notes

cosmere-drabbles · 7 years

Text

allergies

if there is not enough mindless, plotless fluff in the world then i will write it myself

Word count: 1618

Relationship: Shakadolin

[AO3]

A hacking cough to his left woke Adolin far before he would have liked. It was still mostly dark; the light outside was barely a dusky glow. None of them had to be awake for some time today. On his other side, Shallan grumbled and pulled a pillow over her head. “Did someone track dust in here again?”

Adolin made a vague attempt to kick in her direction. “That happened once, and I didn't.”

“Why's Kaladin coughing, then?”

“It’s nothing.” Kaladin sounded very stuffed up, quite contrary to Shallan’s claim of dust-caused coughing. “Go back to sleep, I’m fine.”

“You don’t sound fine.” Adolin propped himself up, concerned, and placed the back of his hand on Kaladin’s forehead. “And you feel hot.”

“Or maybe you’re just cold.” Kaladin sneezed. “Besides, you’re always saying I’m hot. I fulfill and exceed expectations.”

“Kaladin, it feels like you have a fever.”

“I feel fine. Who has the medical experience here, you or me?”

“I didn’t know Radiants could get sick. With Stormlight and everything…” Adolin glanced at Shallan--or, rather, the pile of blankets and pillows that Shallan was buried beneath--uneasily. Perhaps this was serious.

“I’m not sick,” Kaladin insisted, just before sneezing again. “I’m just… I’m allergic to lighteyes.”

“Strange that this should crop up now,” Shallan said dryly, as Adolin simultaneously deadpanned, “So you’re allergic to yourself sometimes?”

“Storms take both of you.”

“He probably knows exactly what it is,” Adolin told Shallan’s blanket lump, resigned. “The man can diagnose most people fairly accurately based off of what he can see and hear. Feeling symptoms probably makes it even easier.”

“I can hear you,” Kaladin grumbled.

“Perhaps he's in denial,” Shallan said flatly, still muffled by the blankets.

“I'm not in denial. I'm fine.”

“He hasn’t had Stormlight in a bit, so he could’ve caught it in between periods of using it, when his immune system wouldn’t have been bolstered,” Shallan continued, voice colored with a tinge of curiosity under the annoyance. “Or perhaps Surgebinders getting sick has a purpose. Build up immunity to spren that create illness, in case there are spren that can affect even Radiants. It’ll make him stronger and less susceptible to those diseases later.”

Kaladin narrowed his eyes. “Have you been reading medical books?”

Shallan ignored him. “Maybe Stormlight will help, but maybe we should only do that if it gets serious.”

“It’s not going to get serious, because I’m fine. Why are you talking about me like I'm not here?”

“Kaladin, darling, any evidence linked to your well-being points to the contrary being true, and if you're not going to acknowledge it, we will.” Shallan yawned, turning over to squint in his direction.

“It’s fine. I'm fine. In fact, I need to start getting ready for training.” Kaladin shifted, evidently trying to get up.

“No, no, no, no, you don’t.” Adolin scrambled to sit up fully and pushed Kaladin down. “No, you need to rest.”

“Do not. I have things to do.” Kaladin pushed against him, scowling.

“Yes, you do, and those things include getting rest right now. It’s still really early. Shallan, help me out.”

Shallan blearily reached across Adolin and held one of Kaladin’s arms, which did effectively nothing to help Adolin hold down the rest of him. Kaladin wasn’t fighting much, but it was difficult to keep him down while next to him, so Adolin eventually just shoved Shallan’s arm aside and sat on Kaladin’s abdomen, holding his shoulders down. Kaladin grunted in protest and tried to knee him in the back, so Shallan lethargically moved to drape herself across his legs.

“We can ask Syl when she gets back if she thinks you need to heal up. But until then, you should stay here.”

“No, I shouldn’t.”

“Kaladin, love,” Adolin coaxed, “Stormlight of my life--”

“Almighty, whatever you're about to say, you can say it without the gushy nicknames,” Kaladin groaned, rolling his eyes as he continued to try to wiggle out from under Adolin. Shallan snickered.

“What, you don’t like gushy nicknames?”

Kaladin went limp for a moment. “Oh, Stormfather. What have I done?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, you Ryshadium of a man,” Shallan said, tone innocent. “I would think you would have more faith in us to come up with suitable compliments, you picture of Heraldic Radiance, you rare and stunning chasmfiend gemheart. You ferocious and beautiful skyeel. You stubborn, elegant Shardblade.”

Kaladin snorted, quite obviously smothering a laugh. “You're ridiculous.”

“You're ridiculous, refusing to realize you need rest,” Shallan countered.

“I don't. I am rested and I am fine, and there is nothing you can do to convince me otherwise.”

“Nothing, you say?” Shallan’s tone became dangerously sweet, and Adolin felt the need to brace himself for whatever was coming. Kaladin set his jaw.

“Nothing.”

“Nothing, he says. Hm. You know,” she said, in mock thoughtfulness, “you breathtaking, spontaneous collection of rockbuds, we never did officially establish whether or not you’re ticklish anywhere.”

Kaladin froze, just for a second. “I’m not.”

The second was enough. Adolin turned around just in time to see Shallan grin maliciously and reach for Kaladin’s feet. Kaladin yelped, probably the most undignified noise Adolin had ever heard him make, and tried to kick her. She just laughed and pinned his legs down, tickling the bottom of his foot relentlessly. Adolin nearly fell off of him in the resulting explosion of laughter, but he couldn't help a smile--Kaladin laughing was rare, and Kaladin laughing beyond an amused huff was about as common as shalebark growing purple. Which was a shame. Kaladin had a lovely laugh, despite what he claimed; while it was often hoarse, it was spontaneous and infectious and real. But Kaladin’s uncontrollable laughter quickly deteriorated into a wheezing cough, and Shallan let up, concern evident on her face.

“Okay! Okay, maybe I do need to get some rest,” he finally admitted, once the coughing stopped. Shallan nodded and flopped back down. Adolin hummed in satisfaction, and Kaladin opened his eyes a slit.

“It’s not because of the compliments.”

“Mhm.”

“Or because of the tickling.”

“Okay.”

“Or your efforts to keep me immobilized.”

“All right.” Adolin heaved himself off and snuggled next to Kaladin again, ignoring how hot his skin felt.

“You two lightweights are nothing, compared to a bridge,” Kaladin continued, automatically pulling Adolin closer and worming an arm under his shoulders.

“Undoubtedly.”

“I could fling you both across the room if I wanted to.”

“I’m aware.”

“Without Stormlight.”

Adolin laughed. “I know you could, love.”

“I, for one, doubt it,” Shallan interjected, still lying across Kaladin’s legs. “The momentum and force that would be required isn’t quite possible with what you could pull off lying down and weighted.”

Kaladin rolled his eyes and gave Adolin a long-suffering look. Adolin snorted. “Shallan, I’m losing feeling in my legs.”

“Better to be down here than up there. You’ll get us sick too.”

“Shalllaaaaaaaannnnn,” Adolin whined. “We need to keep Kaladin warm for as long as we can before we have to go.”

Shallan grumbled. “He has a fever. He's plenty warm.”

“I can keep you warm, then,” Kaladin said. “Plenty of heat to go around. Because I'm so hot.”

She didn't move for another moment, still resisting. Adolin wiggled his feet underneath her, and she slapped at them.

“Fine. But you two need to move over so I don't fall off the bed.”

Both obliged, and she dragged herself to Kaladin’s other side, burrowing around until she was comfortable. Kaladin grunted and adjusted for her presence. He sighed contentedly once she was settled, nuzzling into her hair.

Adolin watched the faint light track across the ceiling, pressed against Kaladin’s side, listening to his heartbeat and breathing. It was moments like these that he really treasured; even though Kaladin was sick, they were all together, alive and away from the expectations they had to conform to in public. This… this was peaceful and calm. Once again, Adolin found himself making a mental note to have someone help him burn a glyph of gratitude for the two wonderful, amazing people here with him. He shifted a bit to drape an arm across Kaladin’s torso, found Shallan’s freehand, and threaded their fingers together. How had he gotten so lucky? To end up with Kaladin and Shallan, two powerful, beautiful, incredible Radiants with razor sharp wits and unique, lovely personalities and attributes… his love for them threatened to overwhelm him sometimes.

Surely they felt similarly. Perhaps they too were contemplating such things as they stared at the light, slowly drifting across the ceiling. Perhaps they too marveled at how the beauty of the world seemed to increase when people were with those they loved. Perhaps they too wondered at the intricate nature of the cosmere, how it aligned to bring them together.

“If we get sick, it’s your fault,” Shallan muttered into Kaladin’s side, interrupting Adolin’s thoughts.

Adolin closed his eyes briefly, an exasperated sigh threatening to escape him. Despite it, a reluctant smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

“No, ’s your fault.” Kaladin’s voice slurred slightly, already half asleep. “For not letting me Stormlight so I can get better faster.”

“I didn’t realize Stormlight was a verb.” Despite the barbed nature of the comment, Shallan’s tone was soft and quiet.

“S’not.” He sounded like he was fighting to stay awake, just to keep arguing with Shallan. Adolin rolled his eyes, allowing the fond smile to grow on his face. “Didn’t… use it like that.”

“Shallan, leave him alone. Let him sleep.”

“Fine.” She kissed Kaladin’s jaw. “If I must.”

Kaladin smiled sleepily, eyes closed. “I love you.”

“Love you too.”

“I love you too. Now get some storming sleep.”

#Stormlight Archives #Shakadolin #Shallan & Kaladin & Adolin #Shallan #Kaladin #Adolin #fluff #established relationship #post Words of Radiance #author: charjo #complete

23 notes · View notes

5hfanfiction · 7 years

Text

Too Close To Home - Chapter 9

“Mila, get your huge ass up.” Someone screams near my ear, waking me up from my slumber. As I slowly open my eyes, something that feels like a pillow made contact with my face.

“What the fuck?” I say furiously to whoever that was. My eyes and head hurts from the impact of the pillow. I’m also feeling a little hungover, so the pillow just added the throb in my head. My eyes got blurry for a minute so I just blink repeatedly to see who the hell it was.

“I’M SORRY… BUT HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!” Dinah screams, seemingly more happier about my birthday than I am.

Oh right. When I came to LA two days ago, the girls were already here. They were staying in an apartment they rented for a while and I got a hotel apartment as we were staying here for 5 days before actually going back on the road.

I had my concert tour yesterday and they all surprised me by coming to the concert. They actually bought the tickets when it was first out on sale. I could’ve given them for free but they said they said it wouldn’t be a surprise if I knew. It was sweet of them to do so, and they must’ve bought them early as it was sold out back in January.

We hung out and caught up with everything after I was done, just us 5. When the time struck 11, Normani and Dinah proposed going to a club, as my pre-birthday celebration. I agreed because well, it’s my 21st birthday so what the hell right?

We decided to go to the basement club under The Nice Guy restaurant. It’s definitely a place we don’t go often, only when we think it’s necessary. It’s so expensive and even if we’re all basically richer than an average young adult, we were aware of how much we should spend. Have you heard about the celebrities who got broke? Yeah, we don’t want that.

Not everyone knows the club. It was ideally for rich people and celebrities. There were rumors and speculations of the club, but no one actually confirmed them. You’d be surprised with how wild the celebrities are in this club. There’s no one who would rat them out, so the inhibition they have outside is pretty much gone out the window by 5 the time they step on the floor.

We drank, dance and partied with all of our might. I took advantage of my legal age to buy the drinks, even if the other 3 girls were basically 21 and above already. I just had to make good use of my age. Well technically, buying drinks isn’t really good but hey, I’m old enough to make my own decision and my instincts tell me to buy more drinks- so I did.

By the time it was half past two, we were too drunk to function. Before we actually collapsed, we were able to call two taxis and went our way, knowing that we’ll meet again the next day, for my birthday dinner.

Dinah actually went with me instead of the girls, saying that she wanted to catch up with me as an excuse. But once we went back to my room, we fell asleep. We didn’t even change our clothes or exchange one word to each other, that’s how tired we were.

Now, getting screamed at and hit on the face doesn’t really help from the inevitable hangover. I just at Dinah in disbelief, she knows how drunk I was. But she seems oddly fresh.

“Sorry, I was aiming at your body but yeah.” She says shyly.

“How bad is your aim Dinah?” I retort.

“Pretty bad, I wasn’t gonna hit you or anything but you’re such a heavy sleeper, I needed to wake you up,” she says.

“Why, and what time is it anyway?” I ask, now noticing the sun brightly shining through the room. They say that huge windows makes the scene outside more beautiful and I would have agreed before. But now, I just feel like the sun is shining on me just to spite me for taking advantage of my age. It just didn’t seem like a bad idea yesterday.

“7,”

“What the hell? why are YOU awake? You always sleep through. But more importantly, why the hell am I awake?” I say, laying back down carefully to not trigger my headache more.

“Because it’s your birthday, silly,” she says in an amused tone, “and Lauren’s waiting for you in the living room.”

I abruptly sit back up, my eyes wide and jaw slacken. Why is she waiting and why her of all people? I don’t mind, I’m just a little bit surprised.

Yesterday, when we went out, we were pretty friendly but we were never alone so that helped.

“Why is she outside?” I ask.

“You’re gonna go out with her,” she says nonchalantly.

“Why?”

“She wants to hang with you alone before we go out to celebrate for your birthday,” she says as if it was the most normal thing to do.

“Uh, again, why?” I ask, this is just odd, why Lauren of all people?

Dinah sighs, tired of answering my endless loop of asking why, “That, I don’t know. You can ask Lauren but for now, you better get ready.”

“But..”

“Camila, please.. she wants to hang with you.”

I contemplate whether to stand up or continue sleeping. But Lauren’s outside already, it would be rude to just ignore her. Reluctantly, I start standing up, the hangover gone out the window. It is now replaced with heart palpitations. Even if she hasn’t been on my mind lately, she still manages to make my heart beat rapidly.

I walk out of the room to the bathroom outside and see Lauren watching a movie on the TV mounted on the wall, she was wearing her casual ripped jeans and crop top. She looks confortable leaning on the couch with her feet on top of the coffee table.

The hotel suite is quite big, I kind of rented it this way. The girls said that we’re going to have my birthday celebration in my place. It wasn’t anything special, just a small dinner amongst ourselves. But since we’re doing it in my place, I had to rent a huge one, after all, this is gonna be my home for a week.

“Heyyy, happy birthday you oldie,” she says with a wide smile as I walk to the room, “we’re going out, probably for breakfast and shit.”

I thought maybe Dinah was tricking me but Lauren just confirmed what Dinah said. Instead of asking why, I just nodded with a smile. Again, she’s trying to make an effort to rekindle our friendship. I did agree on being friends.

“Yeah, sure… I’m just gonna shower and get ready first.”

“Alright,” she smiles, diverting her eyes back to whatever she’s watching.

It took about 45 minutes to shower. Yes, it’s long but I had to shave and everything, don’t want to flash a hairy leg on my birthday.

By the time it was 9, I was ready.

She smiles at me when she saw me walk out of the room and compliments me on my choice of clothing, making me blush and the butterflies in my tummy erupt in the process.

She drove with the car she rented, not telling me where we were going. She said it’s a surprise. The only clue I got was a restaurant where they serve breakfast. That could be anywhere.

“Lauren, I’ll ask this one more time, where are we going?” I ask in a threatening voice that doesn’t sound as such, it sounded softer than when a little girl talks. I was too curious to let it go to the point of desperation.

“And like I said, it’s a surprise, just lay back and enjoy the ride,” she says cheerily, her patience unwavering.

I sigh in defeat, too tired to ask again, Instead of asking where, “Why are we going out?” I ask hesitantly. It’s not that I’m not grateful for her wanting to go out with me, it’s just that I feel like she felt obligated to go out with me since it’s my birthday. I just needed a confirmation that this was her choice.

She looks at me for a few seconds before saying, “It’s your birthday, I wanna patch things up with you before the birthday. I know we agreed on being friends a few weeks ago, but we didn’t have time to actually act on it. This is my part of acting on it cause I wasn’t kidding when I said it. I-I miss you Camz and I wanna hang with you without any bad blood,” she rambles nervously, so its obvious that she speaking the truth.

“Okay,” I say while looking at her, not knowing what else to say.

“Okay?” she turns to me again, steering the car to the left a bit, making the car beside us honk, making us realize that she staring a tad bit longer than necessary.

I wasn’t much help either since I stared back. She has the best facial structure, it’s hard not to stare. I mean, those jaw line and the cheekbones, her thickly trimmed brows and the mesmerizing green eyes.

“Okay,” I repeat.

“Well then,” Silence issued a few seconds later before she occupied it again, “how do you feel about being an official-official adult?”

“Official-official, the repetition is a bit redundant, don’t you think?”

She chuckles before stating, “No.. Official is 18 years old kind of adult, official-official is when you’re 21.”

“Ahhh, well then… Ask me in a month, maybe I’ll have an answer. It’s still 10am, I’m not even sure I’m fully awake yet,” I respond.

“Right,” she laughs.

We talk for a little more before she came around to park the car in front of a restaurant that I knew too well. We used to go for hangouts back when we were still friends.

I smile, feeling warmth spread through my body, Lauren knows how to just do that. We went here before we got together so it was a long time ago. I’m surprised she even remembers, it wasn’t a really a known place and relatively far than normal restaurants. The restaurant is also relatively more expensive than average restaurants, but it held a lot of memories and it means more than money.

We came across this place when Lauren and I walked around back when we were still in X-Factor. She was too stressed out so we decided to walk around. We got hungry and this was the closest restaurant we could find. We laughed and joked around a lot every time we came here. This is probably the other place we never fought. But it doesn’t really count because we never stepped here when we got together.

We walk together towards an into the restaurant. The place looks clean and everything but I can’t help but reminisce. It looks the same.

We sit on a booth with her across from me. I look around and notice that the place is completely empty. Yeah, it wasn’t known but there were always customers around.

I wanted to ask, but she answered me before I could even verbally ask, “I rented the whole place.”

I look at her in disbelief. One, how could she know that I was gonna ask that and secondly, I thought that only happens in romantic movies. Not only that, they only do it on dates, this is just a friendly breakfast. Right?

“Why?”

“It’s your birthday,” she says as if it makes sense.

“Yeah.. I appreciate all this but why?” The word why is now my most used word at the age of 21.

“Privacy, I want to hang with you without any interruptions,” she simply says, smiling contently at me, making the butterflies flutter faster in my stomach.

She’s gotta booked the place before actually do that right. So when did she rent it? Since when did she plan this? I was gonna ask her but a waiter walks to the table with a tablet on his left hand, taking our orders by tapping on the device, leaving us alone once again after that, making me forget what I wanted to ask.

“So, what’s up?” I ask, trying to start a conversation but failing miserably. Who says that now? It’s the worst conversation starter. (Take note boys..)

“Are you seriously asking me that? How bad is your social skills?” She says in midst of laughing. “Anyway, the conversation we had when we all had dinner last year..”

…

Lauren’s POV

“Psttt, who says?” she turns to Cara with a mischievous smile. She looks down to her lips and back up.

Yeah, the night just got worse.

She leans in while Cara just sits there, probably too surprised by how advanced Camila is being right now. Cara has always flirted with Camila since way back but Camila never glanced her way. She just thought Cara was just being friendly. But I could tell Cara was interested in her. I mean, look at her, who wouldn’t? But Cara didn’t know about us, so she probably thought that Camila wasn’t interested in girls.

Camila has always been honest and loyal to me, but my insecurities got the best of me. It messed with my head for a while and I couldn’t take it anymore. I had to push her to break up with me, I was that much of a chicken to be the one to break it off. I made it her call to break up with me. I’m pretty surprised it took her about 5 months to actually call it quits.

I saw her cover of Say You Won’t Let Go in BBC Live Lounge yesterday, and it would be a lie if I say it didn’t open up a few wounds. I can’t help but feel that it’s about me. I don’t know if she’s dating anyone else and there were rumors about her with Shawn and Michael, but that song seemed like she’s singing about a girl. But maybe I’m just delusional, we broke up 10 months ago, she probably moved on already.

Now, looking at her shamelessly leaning to kiss Cara, it confirmed to me that I was too hopeful for such thoughts. I couldn’t take it so I ‘accidentally’ banged the table with my knee, startling both of them. But hey, at least they stopped their eyefucking.

Camila just smirks, knowing that that 'accident’ was deliberate while Cara just looks disordered. Camila never gave her any attention and now she wants to kiss her, so that’s pretty understandable.

Camila stands up immediately, downing another shot before grabbing my arm, dragging me downstairs saying, “Let’s dance.”

Once again, we’re in the middle of the dance floor, people around us dancing just as Collide by Justine Skye blast through the speakers.

She walks to my personal space just as she starts GRINDING on me.

If I wasn’t turned on before, I surely am now. I can feel my sex throbbing, arousal pooling my panties.

She leaned on my ear and started singing to my ear. Her voice dripping with arousal, just like me, quite literally. Her breathing was deeper than usual, her hands moving to my hair, disheveling it while her body moves seductively.

I been knowing you for long enough Damn I need you right now You can take your time, don’t have to rush This might take us a while, (yeah) I left all the doors unlocked and you said you’re on your way When you get here don’t just say a word, got no time to play.

It sounds so suggestive that I can’t quite respond. My body is tense and unmoving. I look around and notice that I’m the only one who isn’t dancing. I gaze back to Camila, her pupils dilated under the dim strobe lights.

“Come on Lauren, loosen up a bit, your girlfriend won’t have to know. It is just dancing after all.”

SHIT. Lucy…

She starts singing again, making my head spin. My girlfriend now lost in the back of my mind.

Lucy who?

I know you think that you know me But you ain’t even see my dark side This is for you only So baby do me right, do me right

I start dancing. It wasn’t as loose as most of the dancers but it’s a start. Camila leans back to look at my face, smiling proudly as if I’m a toddler who just stood up and walk for the first time, except that this is not as innocent.

She turns around and put her voluminous ass right at my sex, putting just the right pressure to make me want more. Camila will be the death of me.

She’s grinds her body sexually, making me think of our.. history. She was always so good in bed, making me scream on top of my lungs for her name repeatedly.

Yes, I’m a bottom - only when it comes to her though.

Seriously, people see her as this cute innocent girl, and she is, just not in bed. When she’s in bed, she becomes this dominant vixen, making dirty promises and actually putting out.

Now that she’s dancing with me, in front of me, and for me, I can’t help but start to get loose, but of course, under her authority. Our body fit together, knowing just how our body works. Our chemistry evident by just looking at our bodies.

We can go all, the time We can move fast, then rewind When you put your body on mine And collide, collide It could be one of those nights Where we don’t turn off the lights Wanna see your body on mine And collide, collide Baby it’s all your if you want me, all yours if you want me Put it down if you want me (tonight) Said it’s all yours if you want me,all yours if you want me Put it down if you want me (Let’s collide)

Her body is leaning against mine, her sweat mixing with mine. Her hand starts to crawl past her shoulder to my neck before turning again to look at me. She smirks, knowing that I’m turned on just by looking at my face and honestly, I didn’t even try to mask it.

I lean to her ear, “Who were you singing about for the cover?”

She leans back, confused at first. She seemingly racks her brain before realization dawn her.

She smiles, “You…”

She then walks back to the booth upstairs while I stood there alone in the middle of the dance floor while people moved around me, too starstruck to move. Ever since I heard her rendition, I was obsessed. Ive always wanted it to be the reason why but now that Camila confirmed it, I can’t help but feel like shit. Why am I thinking about Camila when I have a girlfriend back at home? It was only a wishful thinking at first..

I contemplate whether I should stay or not.

I could go home and sleep through it, maybe after a cold shower, or I stay and make sure Camila will be okay.

As I look up, I see her looking at me from the interior balcony, waiting. She bores her eyes through mine, making my knees weak.

I knew then that I would stay for her through the ends of the earth.

…

I look at Lauren, she just said that I almost kissed Cara but stopped myself. But I have a feeling that’s not the truth, her eyes doesn’t seem to be telling the truth. Too bad I was too drunk to remember anything. Maybe I could ask Cara next time.

Our food came minutes later, causing me to be distracted and dig through my food, not caring about how unattractive I might look right now by clogging too much food in my mouth or how Lauren’s looking amused at my extensive appetite.

Whatever, I’m hungry.

#UPDATE #series #non AU #angst drama #romance fluff #submission #Too Close To Home

5 notes · View notes

4saltinecrackers · 6 years

Text

Spotlight

The cropping looks really off and the quality got blurry, but I don’t know how to fix it so..

I hate being put on the spotlight. “Being put on the spotlight” to me ranges from telling the cashier my order at Whataburger (which is a patty melt, always) to public speaking at both AMA events and for academic purposes to people confronting me (also both good and bad). I definitely think this trait holds me back when it comes to going out of my comfort zone, which is something I’ve really been trying to do in my college career. Going out of my comfort zone is one of the main reasons I joined a sorority and am now running for Homecoming Queen. I believe when you start getting comfortable in a routine, you start becoming stagnant and your self-growth plateaus. I definitely think my hatred of being put on the spotlight stems from my anxiety and I wish I could just..not. Like not be like this. It’s so frustrating and annoying and I know it annoys my friends and family, but I feel like there’s nothing I can do about it. I see what I need to do, I’m aware I need to do it, I know how to do it, but I just can’t. I’m a person who likes to live without regrets because I know I’ll always be anxious about how things could’ve turned out had I not done ____ (insert thing I regret doing).

Anyway, on to the photos.

The photo in the top left is of a lantern lit pathway at a convent in Atlanta, Georgia (the lantern reflections look like spotlights ok let me live). I’m Coptic Orthodox, an Oriental Orthodox Christian group based in Egypt. We have many monasteries, a place for monks (men) to live in solitude and focus on dedicating their lives to religion and God in the US. However, we only have one convent in the US (the equivalence of a monastery but for women). On a trip a few years ago, 10-20 girls and women took a bus to Atlanta for a week of fellowship and spiritual growth. That was probably the longest road trip I have ever been on and 11/10 would never do again. The convent was built on the site of an abandoned country club that had been remodeled to include a few cabins with bunk beds. There honestly wasn’t much to do other than praising and mundane everyday tasks, but one thing that really stuck with me and has still stuck to me to this day was the beauty. There was something in the innocence and purity of the place and the women there that was enthralling and I can’t fully explain to this day.

The top right photo was taken within the School of Theatre and Dance here at the University of Houston. I saw a red chair near this light so I just moved it into the spotlight because I thought it looked cool. This photo was taken my freshman year (refer to previous post to see how much I hated that year) and I was just walking around campus exploring, since I didn’t even go to class.

The bottom left was taken at the Museum of Natural Science, I just thought it was pretty.

The bottom right was taken the week before classes started. This year I randomly got obsessed with plants and succulents so I decided to buy myself a few to put on my window. It’s my first year having my own bedroom in the past 3 years so I was super excited when I was buying back to school supplies. Now these plants are chillin on my windowsill, still alive but barely breathing (The Script, Breakeven voice). It’s not hard to water them but I couldn’t find pots that small, so now when I water them in the pots that they came with, it just leaks out because there’s holes at the bottom.

I realized my posts always end kinda abruptly, but I really don’t know how to wrap things up (don’t even talk to me during Christmas time haha puns) so..

Stay salty,

Alivia

0 notes