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en-hale-archives · 3 years

Text

Me with You ~~

pairing ⑅ bestfriend!Jake x fem!reader

genre ⑅ friends to lovers, fluff, slow dancing, suggestive/smut

words/read time ⑅ 3.9k/12-19 mins

warnings ⑅ 18+ content, light cussing

synopsis ⑅ Jake is back in his hometown to spend time with his closest friend. During some fun and frivolous dancing, things start to heat up...

author's note ⑅ I’m really proud of how this story turned out. I'm not a huge fan of second person, so I wrote in first, but if anyone asks, I can copy and post again in second person. It's more fluff than anything, but it does get a bit steamier towards the end, so I’m just going to go ahead and put a warning.

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When the back door finally slammed shut and the cacophony of barks faded down the street, I could finally let out my sigh of relief that I had been holding in since this morning. I tapped on my phone. How many days had we been watching Mrs. Chen’s pets? And just how was I able to put up with hours of barking, the smell of fresh turd lying across the lawn, and dog walks till dark? Including their rigorous feeding times and bathroom breaks -- I’m surprised I haven’t exploded yet.

I had so much planned the minute they left my house, but instead, the sudden silence felt all too relaxing and I laid my head against the cold countertop. I could finally stop stressing, stop thinking, and stop worrying about reprimanding for chewing on my shoes or peeing in the house or the continued barking that never ended. I was free. I felt like I could’ve stayed laid on the countertop forever, drowning in the evening sun. Who knew watching five dogs would take such a burden out of a person. Jake and I had taken on the job of dog sitting for Mrs. Chen while she visited some family in Tokyo. We both switched off every other day; some of the dogs at my house and the others at his; until we realized it would be easier if he just spent the few days at my house as we co-doggy sat. He got up bright and early to take them on their walks while I prepared their highly detailed and specific meals. Then from there, we spent the rest of the day making sure they didn’t run off somewhere or cause too much destruction in the house. But alas, Mrs. Chen came back early from her getaway and picked up Toby, Caleb, Khao, Sofia, and Pickle on her way home. Although I was exhausted from watching 3-foot dogs all day, the pay was amazing for me, and it would help tremendously for all the online classes I was going to be taking next semester.

The warmth of the sun cast a comforting trance over my heavy eyelids, and soon enough I was fast asleep, standing in the middle of the kitchen with the soft sound of nothing surrounding me.

By the time I had fluttered my eyes open, I had realized I was now seated in my dining chair and a large black jacket was placed over my shoulders. I sat up and let out a yawn, wincing at the bright light coming from the tv and shaking my now numb arm awake. I must have been sleeping for a while because the evening sun had turned to pitch of black. The moonlight beamed through the window and danced along with the sways of the large oak tree out front. I stood up and walked over to the refrigerator in which I grabbed two water bottles and some leftover pasta.

I was sure that Jake hadn’t eaten since lunch, seeing as he only ate if someone sat food in front of his face. I dragged my feet up the stairs until I heard the slamming of a book and the fast typing of a keyboard come from the living room. I turned and looked behind me. Jake had settled his things on the coffee table and floor, large books, folders, and several amounts of crumpled up pieces of paper found their way around Jake, himself slouched up against the edge of the couch. He had changed clothes since the last time I had seen him, he now wore a plain blue shirt with grey sweats, his eyebrows furrowed as he worked hard on whatever he was getting at.

“Oh yes, I was starving!” Propping himself up on the couch, he took the plate of pasta. I placed the waters on the coffee table and settled comfortably on the couch beside him.

“I can’t say that I’ve ever seen anybody sleep standing up before. Look,” Jake took his phone off the charger. “I got a picture.” He pushed the screen in my face, and of course, there was my unconscious body laying on the counter, mouth open and all. I playfully pushed it back his way as his face lit up with a smile I was all too familiar with.

“What are you doing down here so late, it’s almost 12 in the morning,” I asked. Jake’s smile disappeared when he was reminded of the work he had been doing seconds before.

He let out a large huff of air. “Trying to get some words on paper but instead it turned into a paper massacre,” he jokingly replied, “sorry for the mess.”

“Don’t worry about it,” I replied, taking a swig of water. I was going to ask if he wanted to watch a late-night movie, or pull an all-nighter and talk endlessly until the sun rose, but I could tell by each passing second that Jake was worried about this, and he wanted the time he had now over the summer to work on his music. I wished I was motivated to work on my own music, but unlike Jake, I wasn’t in a globally popular boy band. My complicated best friend for over 10 years had been working his butt off since middle school. It was his annual time to sit back and relax while he had the time to, but instead, he chose to use that time to help watch a bunch of dogs with his hometown bestie. God, I loved him.

Jake pulled himself off the couch and right back onto the floor, leaving the rest of the pasta to me. He picked up his pen again and started scribbling down words as quickly as he could, trying hard not to forget the lyrics that had floated into his head. Until he stopped, closing his eyes for just a split second, and let out a powerful sigh. Crumpling up the sheet, he stacks it on top of the others in frustration and started frantically tapping his pencil against the table.

“Maybe it’s best to just try again in the morning,” I advised, taking a small bite of the pasta that was left by my side.

“How come I’m having such a hard time with this?” He gazed up at me frantically for a clue, as if I had the answer to fix a problem as big and as important as his was. I looked at his doleful eyes and the bags that were starting to grow underneath them. I couldn’t help but think, because I made you sit up and watch a bunch of dogs with me.

“Do you want me to see if I could come up with something?”

“If you want. But, hold on, I think my thoughts are coming back up.” He quickly grabbed another piece of paper, his eyes narrowed in concentration.

I tried my best to keep occupied by watching videos on my phone, but I found myself suddenly bored out of my mind. I laid out on my back and picked up one of Jake’s folders. Briefly looking through it, I couldn’t help but feel a bit jealous at the amount of fan art and letters, praising him and the other members. Followed with that were just more and more engene stuff, full of nothing but kind words and heartfelt messages. Part of me wished that I was able to travel with Jake and see the world like he was. How fun would it be to meet people that praised you? And how cool would it be to see that you had fans? I couldn’t help but plaster on a huge smile as I skimmed through some of the notes until I finally came to one with familiar handwriting.

Remember Me were the words written on the top of the paper in bold and bright colors. But the message written underneath is what caught my attention:

To the person that makes me the luckiest guy in the world, this song is for you. It’s okay if you don’t feel the same, but please just remember me -- it was Jake’s handwriting.

I didn’t feel like I was breaking any crime reading his stuff until this moment, but curiosity killed the cat, and right now I didn’t mind being a feline. I checked to make sure Jake was still busy, and he was, almost like he had teleported into his own world. I quietly turned back to the sheet and started reading. It was about a girl, presumably his crush I’m sure. She was someone important to him, someone who made him love so much that it hurt. But this was far from a happy song, in fact, it was terribly heartbreaking. She didn’t understand his love, she wasn’t able to interpret it like he wanted her to. But he confesses that he was scared of what telling her would do, worried that she wouldn’t feel the same. So instead, it was like he was apologizing, and asking that she forgive him for not being brave enough to tell her, and if he did ever get the courage to, for her to remember him even if she wasn’t able to love him like he wanted her to.

The song ends like how the title began, and I find myself flabbergasted at the beautiful mixes of rhymes and metaphors that read like a poem. This was the first of Jake’s songs that made me feel this way, like I had just finished watching a tragedy movie with Ryan Renolds starring. I blink back the tears that I didn’t realize were forming. How come he never told me this? We never kept secrets from each other, like ever. It never mattered the subject or the severity, we had always promised that we would be open and honest with each other. I wish I would’ve known this sooner, maybe I could’ve saved him from feeling this way. And what girl could it possibly be? I knew for sure I was the only girl he was presumably close to; but was there someone else?

I glanced down at Jake, who was still in a focused state of mind with the pencil in his mouth and mumbling lyrics softly under his breath. I tried picturing my bubbly Jake writing these agonizing words and miserably failed.

Jake looked up at me as if he could feel my gaze on the back of his head. “I think I’ve found the chorus, but it’s the rest of the song I’m not able to get, and how come it’s so hard to find another word that rhymes with severe? Beer? Sphere? Revere? Appear? Gosh, rhyming sucks some serious ass!”

“This song is beautiful.”

Jake furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. “Huh?”

“This song I found in your folder.” I glanced back at it in my hand. “Remember Me.”

Jake’s gaze leaped from my eyes to the sheet, and I felt his body tense. “Where’d you get that from?”

“I was just going through one of your folders. Did you accidentally get it mixed up in your fan folder? Cause this is -”

“Did you read it?” He interrupted.

“Yeah, and it’s perfect.”

Jake glanced at me for a split second before turning back around, obviously uncomfortable. “I was watching one of those Kdramas you love so much and it inspired me. Could you help me rhyme with severe now?”

I knew Jake like the back of my hand, so I knew continuing on with this conversation would get him upset if he’s clearly avoiding it. But, I wasn’t going to just let him off that quickly. “Jake, come on, you can tell me anything. Who is this about?”

Jake looked back at me with a hint of something in his eyes, something I’ve never seen before, and something I wasn't able to decipher. “Nobody, I was just feeling really inspired, that's it.” His tone had switched from calm to agitated.

I give him my I’m-not-stupid look and he comes back with his own you’re-being-delusional stare. “It’s seriously nobody, truthfully and honestly.”

“Okay, okay I’ll back off.” I could tell he was starting to get defensive, and when he got like that, it took him at least a few hours before returning to normal. I watched Jake's Adam's apple move up and down, a way in which I could tell he knew I was not convinced in the slightest. “Well, sometimes we go through things that can remind us of situations like that, but not necessarily in that same exact context, you know? It has to be amplified for that audience appeal.”

“Okay...but have you ever felt this way before? Not exactly like how it’s written, but maybe somewhere along these lines?”

I thought I was going to get another vague answer, or worse, an aggravated one. But instead Jake looked down at his pencil as he tapped it along his wrist. “...maybe, but I think everyone can connect to the words in some way. I mean, everyone feels some kind of heartbreak in their life, right?” Jake's answer was still pretty vague, but at least I was able to get something out of him.

“Okay, but you know you can tell me anything, like, anything ever because you know that you’ll never actually have to feel this way, right?” I said, maybe too much in a hurry.

“Of course I know that.” He replied, giving one of his awkward grins.

“And if anyone has made you feel this way, then you know you can tell me that too cause there a sucker to lose out on a perfect person like you.” I teased in a sing-song way, poking his shoulder hard. Jake chuckled and poked me back.

A weird silence grew in the room, and Jake went back to trying to find rhyming words. I tried getting back on my phone, but I knew I needed to say something to let go of the tenseness in the air.

“Hey, crystal clear rhymes!”

He leaned his head back and looked up at me. “Nevermind, I give up for tonight.”

I could see the stress that played on his face. “Don’t worry, you’ll figure it out.”

“Yeah, but by the time I do, it’ll be too late.”

“What do you mean?”

Jake pulled his knees up to his chest and spoke. “This was going to go on our album comeback that needs to be finished in the next four months. By the time I think of something, it'll be too late and I’ll have to wait until the next four months. But by then, I'll have forgotten. This always happens and I have no idea how the hell to fix it.” I couldn’t tell if he wanted my help or just a bit of comfort.

“Did you try asking the other guys to see if they had any ideas?”

“Yeah, but they’re working on their own parts, I can’t ask them to do this too.”

“I’m sure they’d be willing to help if you asked,” I assured him.

“I know they would, but I just don’t want to. I always ask them for help, I thought being away from the studio and being back home would help my brainstorming abilities.” He gave a weary chuckle that almost sounded like a groan.

“Well, maybe tomorrow will come with better results.” I did my best to give him some motivation, but I could tell I was failing miserably at that too.

Jake watched as a car zoomed past the window, a low bass sounding off as it zoomed away. “I bet it’s easier to just listen to music than to try and come up with it. I remember when I would just blare NCT all day long and jam out in my room. It seemed so much easier back then to come up with stuff than it does now. I miss it.” He took a slight pause before continuing. “ Did you know that song you read was the easiest thing I have written in my life? I remember writing too. I just had this super weird feeling in my chest one day so I basically locked myself in my room and took maybe two hours and just wrote a bunch of words down and connected them to sound like a song. For once my mind had just gone blank and I couldn’t stop thinking and feeling that song, like I knew what it was supposed to sound like, I knew what the lyrics were supposed to mean. I just knew everything. And I miss that feeling, that feeling of like- '' He broke off his sentence when he looked back up to my eyes. It seemed like he was talking more to himself than to me. He swallowed hard and looked back at the pencil still in hand.

“Well, I'm sorry you don’t feel free anymore. I wish there was something I could do to make you feel like that again-”

“No, please don’t feel like that. It’s just something that had just recently started happening, something I really just can’t fix…” His voice gets softer and softer the more he spoke.

“Have you spoken to your manager about it?” I asked. “He’s super nice from what I understand. And he’ll probably have better answers than your friend who can barely play the piano, let alone produce an entire song.”

Jake laughed before I had the chance to. “ See, now you're underestimating yourself. Remember that song from freshman year? The one about-- what was his name, Josh?” Jake teased. I grabbed a pillow and slammed it into the back of his head. “Oh my gosh, I thought we promised we’d never bring it up again!”

Jake chuckled and laid his arm on the couch completely turning towards me. “How about we sneak out and go get ice cream and try to not wake up your mom in the process?”

I suddenly jumped to my feet when I have the perfect idea on how to cheer up the gloomy Mr. Shim. “Or, we could do something even better!”

“Urgh!” Jake groaned.

I grabbed my phone and hooked it up to the speaker. I was going to turn on his hit song Drunk-Dazed as a joke, but Jake needed this break from his career, so instead, I crunk up Beyonce as loud as it could go without disturbing my mom who slept upstairs. I turn back to Jake and reach out for his hands, already moving my hips to the music.

He shook his head and threw it back onto the couch as if throwing a temper tantrum. “I literally dance for a living.”

“Okay but this will be different, I promise.” I grabbed the piles of papers on the ground and threw them in the trash, I then pushed the coffee table near the wall and piled his folders and books neatly on top.

“Come on, cowboy!” I grabbed his hands and helped him up. He was reluctant to get up, but he threw one last groan before standing on his feet.

“This will get the brain juices flowing again!” I told him. I go back to my phone and switch it to one of my favorite Beyonce songs that she covered, At Last.

I sang dramatically to get Jake to smile, and luckily, it worked. I placed both my hands over his shoulders and swayed us back and forth, still miming the song as overly exaggerated as I could. Jake still couldn’t help but smile, and it didn’t take him long to join me in the rhythm and sway naturally with me. I learned at our middle school dance that Jake had perfect rhythm. He was able to impress the rest of the crowd when he busted out moves from BTS. Everyone was impressed, including me.

Now we were on a steady roll. I accidentally stepped on his feet a few times, but it was fine seeing as I was wearing foam flip-flops and he was barefooted. After a while, the song switched and played another of my favorites that didn’t match our style of dance, but we still moved slowly to the beat. Jake tried twirling me, but since I have two left feet, I almost ended up hitting the wall each time and Jake laughed loud at my clumsiness. The moonlight from the kitchen had now switched to the window in the living room. It gleamed through and glistened on Jake like a spotlight, just like the ones on the stage did for him. In a split second, I was reminded that he wouldn’t be here forever, just like he wasn’t here for the past year. I tried to not let it settle on my face that I was scared to see him go again, so I played up on the fun we were having now. Jake looked like he was at ease; finally, since he’d been here, he looked genuinely happy and I wasn’t going to ruin that.

After another handful of songs full of laughs and giggles, we were soon sweating and taking deeper breaths than normal. Each song was different from the one before, but it didn’t stop us from sticking to our style of dance. Even with the simplicity of the moves and the slowness of the steps, I had to take a minute to relax. I hooked my arms around his neck and rested my entire body on his. I could feel Jake’s own sweat seeping through his shirt, But I didn’t mind the wetness that was now attached to my cheek. I thought he would act awkward and ask for me to pull away, but instead, he gripped tighter on my hips and started slowly moving me side to side. I let out a long overdue sigh, trying my best to match the steady breathing of Jake’s with my own. It was actually therapeutic: hearing his heartbeat in one ear and the softness of the music in the other.

I tried to continue our steady breathing together, but his had picked up a bit, almost out of nowhere. I felt the heat of his breath on the nape of my neck, and it made my entire body tingle in a way it never had before. After this sudden feeling, I realized just how close we really were. His leg hair tickled my legs, I could feel the bone of his foot connecting to mine, I could feel his thin waist against mine as well. I felt like I needed to back up, but instead, I couldn’t and continued to sway softly against him. A few seconds later, Jake’s hands rose a little higher, planting themselves on my waist and tightening their grip as if they were trying to pull me closer than we already were.

The sensation hadn’t stopped though, it clung to my body like my damp shorts did on my thighs. Sooner or later I felt pressure on the lower part of my stomach and thought for sure that Jake was messing around and wasn’t feeling what I was, which indicated that I needed to pull back before this feeling became too much.

This is so embarrassing. I thought. How could I let myself feel like this? How was this in any way okay? I finally pulled back, the sensation becoming too unbearable, and glanced up at his face. His pupils were large in a way I hadn’t seen before. His mouth was slightly open and a drop of sweat slowly traced down his forehead, onto his nose. That pressure I was feeling on my stomach had now doubled in force, and Jake's face had switched from calm and subtle, to alarmed and panicked...

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(part 2 possibly...?)

Thank you guys so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed it! Please, leave any constructive criticism you have on helping improve my writing!

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None of the images are mine, They all belong to their rightful owners :)

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razberryyum · 4 years

Video

The Untamed/陈情令 Rewatch, Episode 14, Part 2 of 2

(spoilers for everything MDZS/Untamed)

[covers MDZS chapters 55 and 56]

WangXian meter: 🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰+🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰+🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰+🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰+🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰+🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰🐰+🐰🐰+🐰🐰+🐰🐰

Every glimpse we’re provided of the Jiang family life is really equal parts discomfort and electricity because of Madame Yu. Even though each scene usually involves both familial and marital strife, which is usually very uncomfortable for me to watch, I find myself completely incapable of turning away because of her, even as I’m wincing for Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian’s sake. Madame Yu is just so AWESOME. The way she sweeps into every scene she’s in, eyes flashing, taking charge and commanding the room is really breathtaking. As I’ve mentioned before, while I would never want her to be my mother nor do I support her method of mothering, I still completely respect and love her. Every line of dialogue from her is spoken with such conviction and impact and ferocity that I can’t help but grinning in admiration, even when her words are meant to hurt and belittle the boys I love.

I mean, that alone is pretty brutal to say in front of her son and ward. While I’m sure Jiang Cheng and Wei Ying spent most of their lives hearing divisive statements like that from her, it’s really a testament to their basic good natures that they still ended up being so close. I’m sure Jiang Fengmian being present to counter his wife’s harshness helped a lot, but if JC or Shijie were even the least bit petty, arrogant or unkind, they could’ve been easily swayed by Madame Yu’s influence and held her words against Wei Ying. The fact that they didn’t at all and still loved this orphaned boy like their own flesh and blood brother really makes me love the siblings that much more. I’ve always thought it’s quite sad that Madame Yu couldn’t find it in her heart to love Wei Ying as well, especially since he really is so lovable and adorable, but jealousy is an ugly and powerful monster that is hard to defeat, so it’s really a shame that she let it overcome her to the point that even her relationship with her husband and children was negatively affected. Not to mention, I can only imagine how unhappy Madame Yu herself felt, believing as she did that she will always be inferior to the memory of a woman who has already passed and also questioning her husband’s fidelity and loyalty even so many years later. It’s obvious that her quick temper and biting words are the manifestations of her unhappiness. For such a capable and strong woman who could have easily been a sect leader in her own right, I really wish she could have been had a more joyful life.

It should be noted that for her all her magnetic screen presence and impressive performance, actress Zhang Jing Tong, who portrays Madame Yu, is only 30 years old with just a few credits to her name. It’s amazing when I think about the fact that even though she’s only two years older than Xiao Zhan and Xuan Lu and seven years Wang Zhuo Cheng’s senior, she pulled off the Jiang matriarch role with total aplomb. Watching her I never for one second doubted she was their mother, head of the Yunmeng Jiang sect and household because of the authoritative air she possesses. Prior to looking up her professional history, I actually thought she was an industry veteran and I somehow just never saw any of her shows even though I’ve watched my fair share of Chinese dramas. The fact that she hasn’t been in that many shows just makes me appreciate her work in CQL even more. The degree of success in which she's brought Madame Yu to life is truly amazing: it’s as if the character literally just walked off of the pages of the book. I hope she gets a lot more high profile professional opportunities from now on as a result of her wonderful performance in The Untamed.

Yunmeng Bros Love

It’s so difficult not to cry or at least get teary-eyed watching this scene now; I sure as heck couldn’t get through it without a few tears this time. The love these brothers have for each other, what they sacrificed for each other, just makes my heart hurt so much. What’s most heart-aching is that this really is the last time they can still laugh and embrace like this without any reservations, without any sadness or true regrets, because their family, despite its imperfections, is still whole. So this moment, this promise, in addition to serving as a testament to their bond, also feels like a marker of the end of their childhood and their innocence since soon after this is when all their dark days start arriving.

Clive Barker Would be Proud

Going back to the Xuanwu of Slaughter’s cave, even though I still don’t understand enough about the anatomy of the creature to be able to figure out how it can have so much room in its own shell to allow for storage space since the last I checked, that’s not how a tortoise’ body fits inside their shell, and if it’s actually a snake then why couldn’t I just come out of its shell to go after the boys earlier, I still appreciated the set design within its disgusting abode. Team CQL really did execute the gore and squelch elements quite well. That interior was pretty effectively creepy and gross.

Prelude to the Yiling Patriarch

Not gonna lie, that smirk does funny things to my tummy. It’s so deliciously sexy and evil. Makes me wish they had gone full darkside with Wei Ying when he became the Yiling Patriarch, or at least retained most of the moral ambiguity he had in the novel. We get his Yiling Patriarch smile a few more times after this, thank goodness, but since this is the first glimpse we get of it, I will always have a soft spot for this moment.

I would love to see Xiao Zhan take on a truly villainous role one of these days since I think he would really excel at it and can totally succeed at making the audience both love, hate and fear him in such a role, but considering his elevation to leading man status now, I doubt that will ever happen anymore. Such a shame. He would’ve been scarily effective and alluring.

Jin Zixuan Appreciation Time

I’m going to take a moment here to show some appreciate to our dear bro-in-law. At the outset, I had thought he was a dick unworthy of our dear Shiji because of the way he treated her in the beginning and his rudeness towards Wei Ying. I have since warmed up to him considerably, and now I think some words of praise is due. For being the son of a perverted piece of shit and growing in the lap of luxury, Jin Zixuan honestly turned out to be much better than his genetics and upbringing should have produced. Actually, I should give Madame Jin some credit, since she seemed to have a somewhat good head on her shoulders considering her favoring of Shijie. Most likely the reason why JZX turned out to be a decent enough man was because his mom did most of the parenting work. Despite his initial treatment of Shijie, I was impressed by how protective he was towards Mian Mian when she was being targeted by Wen Chao. Being a product of a total lecher of a father, it’s actually amazing that he never predatorized Mian Mian himself. Hell, I wouldn’t even be surprised if he had to protect her from his own father (yeah I really don’t think highly of Jin Guangshan at all). But no, he’s absolutely upstanding and I did also appreciate the fact that he went back with Jiang Cheng to rescue Wei Ying and Lan Zhan when he could have easily just not do so having already escaped. He was risking the Wen’s wrath in doing that so I know it did take guts and a strong sense of chivalry. I guess that’s why Shijie fell in love with him early on: she obviously saw something in him right from the start that took me this long to see.

Other Odds and Ends

I remember being flabbergasted when I first saw this image on Wei Ying’s headboard because I simply could not believe what my eyes were seeing. Naturally I wanted to know everything about that illustration: did Wei Ying draw it himself? Who was he thinking of when he drew it? I know it can’t be Lan Zhan since the drawing obviously predates their relationship, so who could it be? Jiang Cheng? That thought actually did cross my mind very briefly way back but since I prefer their brotherhood above any shipping possibilities, I dismissed that thought almost as soon as it arose. I know now that drawing is probably nothing more than an Easter Egg by Team CQL, but I still appreciated it since I thought this was even more blatant than the gay porn they snuck in back at Cloud Recesses’ library pavilion scene. That drawing wasn’t as clearly shown as this one and seemed more ambiguous. Really, bravo to their boldness, and bless the censors for overlooking this little bit of fun as well.

This poor kid. I should’ve known his life would soon come to a premature end as soon as they focused on him and gave him a sweet learning moment.

Just FYI for anyone who cares: looks like this while thinking of Lan Zhan is the reason this scene gets two 🐰.

Questions I Still Have

- Why did Lan Zhan let Wei Ying keep that disgusting, bloody sword even though he had to have clearly seen the demonic black smoke coming from it and surrounding Wei Ying while they were fighting the Xuanwu of Slaughter. Even if Lan Zhan missed the smoke, why wouldn’t he have at least sensed the all the evil and resenting energy emanating from the sword? Considering its origins, you’d think its ominous aura would be so overwhelming that even someone with a low level of cultivation would sense it, much less someone as cultivated as Lan Zhan. Not to mention, just in terms of sanitary issues, why would someone like him, who prefers cleanliness and has some knowledge of infection prevention, even let Wei Ying continue to hold on to that filthy thing anyway? I know story-wise, the sword is important and needed for later on, but I’d honestly rather they kept with the novel in this instance and had it just fall back to the bottom of the water in the cave. It could still magically reappear at the Burial Mounds later on because it already recognized Wei Wuxian as its owner or something like that.

- Actually, what I also don’t understand is why Wen Ruohan never sensed this most powerful piece of the yin metal when it was so close to his stomping grounds? Why did that the first piece of metal he obtained call out to the pieces that were farther away instead of this one which was much closer? Unless, the reason is because the yin metal sword was activated because the other pieces finally reunited?

Huh.

I actually never considered that possibility until now, but if that’s the explanation, I can accept it. I guess this question might have been answered.

Overall Episode Rating: 9 Lil Apples out of 10

Disclaimer: The Untamed would not be possible without Mo Dao Zu Shi and Mo Xiang Tong Xiu-laoshi. I mean no disrespect whatsover when at times I may favor the shwo over the MDZS bible that is the novel. All hail MDZS and MXTX-laoshi, always and forever!

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chocoluckchipz · 5 years

Text

Dance with Me, Chaton - 2

Read it on A03, WattPad, FF.net

Written for @ladynoirjuly2019

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2. Civilian Lives.

She was smart, this Ladybug of his. Adrien had to give it to her. Tracing the origins of her email had brought him to a public computer at a library half a city away from Gabriel’s offices. And a very busy library at that, as it stood in between a few educational institutions and the flow of students who needed to use public computers there never ceased.

His next idea was to infiltrate his father’s company and snoop around for any clues. Not that he didn’t work there but now Adrien needed to actually mingle with employees instead of showing up for photoshoots and disappearing as soon as those were over. Don’t get him wrong, Adrien wasn’t an antisocial person. It was the mountain of responsibilities and studies that had kept him away. However, now that his official education was over, he could try to fit in better. Surely, he’d spot his Ladybug soon enough. Such fire and passion as she displayed in her email would be hard to miss.

His mind made up, Adrien called Nathalie, his father's long-time personal assistant and more of a parent to him than Gabriel ever was. A short conversation later she agreed to provide him with an official cover and access everywhere he needed. Adrien couldn't be happier. He was one step closer to his freedom.

However, it was a reply to his email that really made his day. Adrien emailed Ladybug in a hustle, having nothing better to do. He didn’t dare to hope she’d reply. Yet, here he was clicking on an email from a Ladybug addressed to him, not his father.

From: [email protected]

To: [email protected]

Subject: RE: Hello stranger

Hey, Chat Noir. Although I cannot approve of anyone bestowing a title of Bad Luck upon themselves, I like your logic with choosing a name. It was rather clever and fun.

I’m also glad you share my sentiment regarding M Agreste’s latest fashion choices. Let me assure you that writing that email hadn’t come easy to me. I deeply respect M Agreste and his work. He’s been my idol since I can remember myself and seeing him suddenly trying to pull this nonsense hurts me too much to stay silent. First, for M Agreste’s and Gabriel’s reputation. Second, for all of us working here. I’m saddened to learn he ignored my email, especially because I was voicing concerns of the whole team. It’s rather disappointing, but, well, at least we tried. All we can do now is to keep our fingers crossed the line won’t flop too badly, and we’ll still have a job after the show.

Thanks for letting me know.

Ladybug

Adrien started to type. If Ladybug replied once, who is to say she won’t reply again, and then who knows, she might let something slip about her civilian identity. Paired with his infiltration of the company, his chances of finding this mysterious Lady Luck was looking more promising with every minute.

From: [email protected]

To: [email protected]

Subject: Lovely to hear from you

Hello again, my lovely Ladybug. I’ll be honest, I didn’t expect you to write back, but I’m so glad you did. You mentioned my nickname choice. Well, let me assure you it’s a fitting title. Most people would say I’m a lucky fellow, but I do not consider my life to be all that fortunate. What others see as fortune, in fact, is a gilded cage with no viable escape routes. And this cat has been yearning for some freedom ever since he remembers himself. However, less about me, it came to my attention you mentioned you were voicing concerns of a group of people. May I assume you and I aren’t alone in believing that sequins, neon sneakers, and Mickey Mouse bows aren’t a staple of formal wear? Especially when they all go together.

Eagerly awaiting your reply,

Chat Noir

She took longer to respond than he’d like, but nevertheless, an email arrived at the end of the day.

From: [email protected]

To: [email protected]

Subject: RE: Lovely to hear from you

Oh, please! That combination still gives me nightmares. I mean it looks like a five-year-old half-heartedly tried to beautify her CEO father while he was passed out drunk on a coach. The first time I saw those sketches, I was dead sure M Agreste was joking. But then it wasn’t April Fool’s Day, and he looked serious, so my conviction has changed into a hope, a hope that was squished soon thereafter. I don’t know what happened to him, but I cannot see any sane person who wears formal wear to even think about wearing that combination. I doubt M Agreste himself would wear it, and honestly, I feel sorry for the models that would have to put that on. I bet they hated it as much.

As for the opinions of others, yeah, there are many people who are just as confused and flabbergasted as I am. We hoped he’d listen to the email, but I guess it’s too late now.

Bug out.

Ladybug

Adrien flopped on his bed with a dopey smile on his face. Ladybug thought about what the models thought, aka him and his coworkers. That felt strangely nice. He wasn’t a stranger to wearing whatever nonsense the designers came up with, but no one ever was concerned with his opinion on the matter before. Those who dared to comment were told to suck it up. It was their job. They had to obey mindlessly whatever the designer said. So, Adrien never voiced his thoughts. Knowing that someone was sympathetic to his fate did feel kind of incredible.

From: [email protected]

To: [email protected]

Subject: It’s never too late

Honestly? I think a five-year-old would do a better job on her CEO father. ;) Speaking from the experience of a person whose friend had done something similar to her non-CEO but still a formal-suit-wearing father.

Also, funny story but M Agreste was drunk when Audrey Bourgeois challenged him to make the abomination work. And he’s too stubborn and proud to back away from a drunken bet. Even if it means sinking his company.

So, this might be a crazy idea, but what do you say if we try convincing him again? Maybe if we combine forces, we’ll be more successful.

Chat Noir

From: [email protected]

To: [email protected]

Subject: RE: It’s never too late

With all due respect, Chat, it’s just a little over a month until the show. Even if we convince him, it’s too late to come up with and produce a whole new line. But I appreciate the initiative. It’s cute, though naïve.

Ladybug

From: [email protected]

To: [email protected]

Subject: RE: RE: It’s never too late

Have you missed the subject of my email, my Lady? It might be hard, but it isn’t impossible. What’s the worst that can happen? He’ll change nothing or he might pull pieces out instead of creating new ones. He might adjust the existing designs. That’s plausible, right? We’ll never know unless we try, so we should. What do you say? Let’s meet for a cup of coffee and come up with a plan.

Chat Noir

From: [email protected]

To: [email protected]

Subject: RE: RE: RE: It’s never too late

Nice try, Kitty, but I’m not meeting with anyone. You might be M Agreste himself, or one of his henchmen. Even his antisocial, thinking-that-he’s-better-than-anyone-else son. So nice try, but I love my job, and I’m not losing it for wishing to spare the company some major embarrassment.

Ladybug

Adrien pursed his lips and shifted in his bed. She was smart, but he wasn’t the antisocial, thinking-that-he’s-better-than-anyone-else son of Gabriel she thought he was. He was just too busy to forge friendships at work. Not that he needed to justify himself to anyone, but he had friends; he wasn’t antisocial. He had Chloe since forever, and Nino, a guy he’d met in his university. There was also a prospect to befriend Alya, Nino’s new girlfriend. Nino promised they’d hang out together as soon as Adrien would get a break from his responsibilities. So there! He wasn’t antisocial. Not at all. And he did hate his father’s upcoming collection. Given a choice, he’d burn it all with fire. He was nothing like this Ladybug seemed to think of him.

From: [email protected]

To: [email protected]

Subject: RE: RE: RE: RE: It’s never too late

You wound me, my Lady. My proposal comes from the sincere heart of the person who loathes those sequins as much as you do and who would hate seeing Gabriel being dragged through the mud after the show.

However, I understand your concern. So, here is my second offer: we’ll discuss details over email? Or we can set up a chat room in one of those chat apps for convenience since I suspect you won’t be giving me your phone number any time soon. If you ever would want to back out, just delete the app and emails, and I shall never contact you again. Whatever you decide, it was my biggest pleasure to talk with you as much as we did.

Wishing you all the best. Goodnight.

Yours,

Chat Noir

With that, Adrien closed his phone and turned the lights off. Hopefully, she'd reply. Because if she did and they succeeded, he might just kill two birds at the same time: get his freedom and get his father to accept the reality of the horrendous line he’d planned to present in a month. And, even though he understood Ladybug’s concerns, Adrien knew better. His father swore he wouldn’t fire her. Unfortunately, Adrien couldn’t exactly tell her that without revealing his own identity, and seeing her opinion of him, he doubted it was a good idea. In any case, the ball was in her court now, and he had to get his sleep. Tomorrow was a big day: his infiltration would begin.

_______________________________________________________________________

Next >

#ladynoirjuly2019 #aged up #dwmc

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mooribi · 7 years

Text

I Hear You Talk, I See You Speak //Baekyeol//

Pairing: Baekyeol/ Chanbaek

Word count: 1,577

summary: Baekhyun was an artist going blind

When would the bright colours come back?

When would his glasses start working again and help him see anything, just anything, but smudges of dull colour?

The large, tinted orange sun sunk bellow the trees, like ashes of bright green-grey. Baekhyun’s hand moved to his cheek, flicking away the tear with a nudge of his gold-rimmed glasses.

Closing his eyes, he let the wind brush through his hair and tickle at his skin. A light smile drawing to his lips as the wafting smell of home cooked dinners carried past him in the breeze.

He didn’t really want to open his eyes.

—

A sigh left his thin lips as Baekhyun fought with a comb; brushing it up along small strands of his hair to fluff it up.

The brown colour he had died his hair for 180 dollars was now black. Dull and boring, like his eyes and pasty skin. He could barely notice the double eyelids he had coughed up 2000 dollars for when he was younger.

He looked so plain. Like a 1940’s TV actor.

–

“I want everyone to just…express how they feel!! Let your brush guide your hand” the studio teacher said to the room full of students with wide movements of her arms.

Baekhyun stared at the white canvas, then down to the pallet. Blobs of grey tinted greens, reds and blues. Dipping his brush into what looked to be a blue colour Baekhyun began painting the sky, adding swirls of the black to match the sky he had seen the night before.

As the class was packing up, the studio teacher called out to him, stopping him from leaving with the rest of the class.

"I have good news!!“

Baekhyun smiled a little for her to continue

"A scout from the gallery of Seoul came to see your artworks!!” She said, catching the younger man’s attention.

“R-really?“

“Yes! He chose not one but three of your artworks to put in the gallery!"

"Three…?"

"Yes, remember the one of the tree! And the portrait and the-"

Baekhyun’s eyes trailed down from the teacher, connecting with the wooden flooring, dotted with paint.

"Sorry, but could you please decline” Baekhyun said, the teacher stopped with a flabbergasted expression.

“Baekhyun, this is everything you’ve dreamed of. What are you saying?"

"I’m sorry but…they’re all from last year…"

"So?"

"I can’t…” Baekhyun stopped as he remembered the three artworks he was most proud of. The bright colours he remembered that stained the white canvas.

"I can’t do that anymore” he said before turning, leaving the teacher in the empty studio, shocked.

–

“I like your hair, you seem a little artistic"

Baekhyun stared at the man sitting across from him. His phone with an article in the large font, forgotten in his hand.

The college cafeteria was filled with students eating and talking loudly.

The large area causing the sound to echo and pang him Baekhyun’s ears. Though the man’s voice was loud enough the drain it all out.

“You’re an art student, right?"

Baekhyun nodded, a light feeling bubbling in his chest.

"I’m Park Chanyeol. I’m a music student"

–

"Do you like it?"

Chanyeol’s eyes glowed as Baekhyun nodded his head to the music coming through the ear piece. Eyes closed. The base sending delightful shivers through his body as he smiled.

"I really like it” Baekhyun said, opening his eyes when Chanyeol suddenly threw himself on to him.

"Thanks, Baek. It means so much to me"

Baekhyun nodded, cringing slightly at the loud voice right next to his ear. But as he stared at the taller man who clung to him, bubbles of delight and shyness filling his chest.

Yet something in Chanyeol’s words nagged in the back of his head.

Why does he talk so loudly?

–

It was a late evening. The sun was just starting to disappear behind the horizon. The spotlights onto the basketball turned on for the students still dribbling it out. The college art studio was on the 4th floor of the building, however, Baekhyun’s small, personal studio and gallery was placed on the 5th.

The light flickered on as Baekhyun stepped in after Chanyeol, closing the door behind him. The taller man looked around in amazement, spinning in slow circles to take in each artwork hanging from the white walls.

"They’re amazing Baekhyun” Chanyeol uttered, stepping towards one in particular.

It was the quietest Baekhyun had ever heard him talk.

"It’s you” Chanyeol smiled at the portrait, patches of vibrate pinks and blues, greens and reds replacing the normal tones a person would possess. A large grin was painted onto Baekhyun’s soft features, one eye shut in a wink.

“You should smile like this more” Chanyeol said with a chuckle till Baekhyun stepped up beside him, observing the painting with a look Chanyeol almost thought to be hate.

"I like this one too" Baekhyun nodded softly, contrasting the look in his eyes.

“It used to be so vibrant but now it’s…not” he laughed bitterly.

“What do you mean? It’s the most vibrant coloured here” Chanyeol glanced between Baekhyun and the painting.

“Yeah, I suppose. It’s still obvious what the colour is. But soon it’ll all be the same as the others” Baekhyun shrugged before looking back to Chanyeol who’s brows were furrowed and his lips pulled into a frown.

“I’m going blind, Chanyeol"

Chanyeol pulled him into a tight embrace. He wasn’t quite sure but Baekhyun thought he felt tears soaking into his shirt.

—

“Byun Baekhyun. I’m telling you! your hair was not black! It was brown” Chanyeol argued as he towelled Baekhyun’s hair.

“I thought it turned black again…” Baekhyun grumbled in defence.

They were sitting on Chanyeol’s bed, the two cross-legged and facing each other as Chanyeol rubbed the fluffy towel on Baekhyun’s hair.

A large grin was spread across Chanyeol’s face as Baekhyun began to whine about when he could finally see.

“Okay! I think it’s dry enough. Let’s go!” Chanyeol gleefully leapt from the bed, pulling Baekhyun along with him.

Swinging his room door open, Chanyeol lead Baekhyun to the floor bathrooms, avoiding Baekhyun from any mirrors on the trip there. All whilst he shouted loudly about how great it looked.

“It’s good, right?”

Baekhyun glanced to Chanyeol’s rightfully happy reflection, then back to his own with a gaped mouth.

“It’s pink..it’s really really pink"

Aside the ugly, orange painted wall behind them, the pink of Baekhyun’s hair was the only colour not tainted with the dreadful grey.

“I really really like it” Baekhyun broke out into a smile before turning to Chanyeol, who stared at him expectantly.

“Huh?” Chanyeol asked as if he had missed something.

“I said!” Baekhyun hugged him “I really really like it"

–

"I’m so excited!!” Chanyeol yelled shaking Baekhyun in his arms as they stood on the train.

“Shhh, Chanyeol you’re too loud” Baekhyun scolded but the taller just continued humming loudly and shaking his hips in some sort of dance.

Baekhyun couldn’t help but laugh, gazing at the taller’s handsome and amusing face. He wanted to remember. He watched to etch the charming grin into his mind. Caught in a trance till he caught an old lady seated near the door scowling at them.

"Chanyeol be quite” Baekhyun whispered but the other kept bobbing his head and humming.

“Chanyeol!” Baekhyun hit Chanyeol’s arm, making the man jump slightly with wide eyes as he stared at Baekhyun.

“What?“

"You’re too loud…you can yell when we get there” Baekhyun said and Chanyeol’s eyes dropped slightly

“Oh, sorry” he chuckled nervously before leaning into Baekhyun and pressing a finger to his lips.

“Shhhh"

Baekhyun laughed and stared into Chanyeol’s sparkling eyes.

"You have such a pretty laugh, Baekhyun. I love it"

They arrived at the stadium the concert was being held in high spirits. Baekhyun laughing as Chanyeol danced excitedly next to him as they went toward the ticket collector.

"Seats 245 and 246, stand 3” the ticket man said then pointing his arm to the left where gate 3 was.

Baekhyun nodded and headed forward Chanyeol following him quickly.

“What did he say?” Chanyeol asked

"Just the seats…“ Baekhyun said

"Ah” Chanyeol laugh “I couldn’t hear him from down there. He was almost as short as you"

"Hey!"

The concert started, the band entered the stage as the crowd cheered. confetti bursting into the stage song after song.

Baekhyun was mesmerised, the lights and falling confetti soaking into his brain. The large crowd they were a part of, jumping in time with the beat.

He had been to concerts in his younger days but not when he really appreciate how beautiful it was.

As Baekhyun swung his head to the music he looked over to Chanyeol. His large grin falling when he noticed the other had his eyes closed.

Baekhyun stared at him. This wasn’t what he wanted to remember. but he felt as if it was going to stay with him forever. The tears.

Tears were falling from Chanyeol’s closed eyes as a large smile was plastered on his face.

But Baekhyun could only stare.

Chanyeol finally opened his eyes as the song finished and looked to Baekhyun, noticing that the shorter man as staring at him. Quickly whipping his cheeks and laughing, Chanyeol pulled Baekhyun closer and hugged him.

"I want to remember it, Baekhyun” Chanyeol whispered and Baekhyun felt tears soaking his hoodie as the latter held him tightly.

“I’m going deaf, Baekhyun”

60 notes · View notes

worldcakecakecake · 7 years

Text

Feliciano and the King of Hearts

Chosen by the gods as the Queen of Hearts from the moment of birth, we follow Feliciano’s story as he grows into royal life, learns to rule, go against age old customs, and his relationship with his husband to be, the King of Hearts.

Chapter 1 I Chapter 2 I Chapter 3 I Chapter 4 I Chapter 5 I Chapter 6I Chapter 7 I Chapter 8 I Chapter 9I Chapter 10 I Chapter 11I Chapter 12 I Chapter 13 I Chapter 14 I Chapter 15 I Chapter 16 I Chapter 17 I Chapter 18 I Chapter 19 I Chapter 20 I Chapter 21 I Chapter 22 I Chapter 23 I Chapter 24 I Chapter 25 I Chapter 26 I Chapter 27 I Chapter 28 I Chapter 29 I Chapter 30 I Chapter 31 I Chapter 32 I Chapter 33 I Chapter 34 I Chapter 35 I Chapter 36 I Chapter 37 I chapter 38 I Chapter 39

Being honest, I’m not proud of this chapter, one that kind of has to have meaning being the 40th but my mind was going through a lot while writing it and I didn't feel like I gave this one enough until I guess the end. But it’s still important you read it guys, sorry. Still...I hope you enjoy despite!

Chapter 40

Tall slim mountains in blues and greens, beautiful villages and prestigious temples at their tops or slopes, active rivers, birds and even dragons flew above them in liberty, Feliciano had already captured enough in his sketches the last three days and he truly wanted to have more, but he really had to stay true to his power and magic teaching, especially after Priya’s warning.

“Focus, sharp, cut,” Feliciano repeated to himself, eyes shut, both his hands together over his face as he got the right concentration. Once he considered himself to be ready, he opened his eyes, he swiped his fingers and cut the little brownie he put before himself to practice, without a single touch of his skin or of an item. He clapped in triumph, jumping on his seat, as a reward taking a piece and placing it in his mouth, moaning at the amazing chocolaty taste. Ludwig just did the same with his own brownie, not minding at all in sharing the taste.

“These came out amazing Ludwig,” Feliciano complimented.

“Really? It’s a very simple recipe Alfred once taught me on a visit, even I could make a nice batch the first time I tried,” Ludwig reminisced, remembering how proud he had been, now the recipe one of the many he tried whenever the time was available.

“You should still teach me the next time we bake,” Feliciano suggested.

“If the ingredients appear again, sure.” Feliciano couldn’t wait already.

“Okay, now together,” and Ludwig brought forward many potatoes they kept in their hold, all which needed to be cut for a potato salad he craved for.

This time they let their magic combine, a passing of energy that they felt even in their minds, then spreading throughout their bodies. Keep you power down, keep your power down, keep your power down, Feliciano kept repeating to himself as he felt their unified impulse. With their combined power, they slashed, fiercer and quicker, in the same movements that made it seem like a mirror, until all their potatoes were but messed pieces. Ludwig gave a small smile and Feliciano clapped with the same exaltation, only to be stopped when their carriage came to a sudden halt. So distracted they were in their practice none had dared to peek out to where they reached, so when Ludwig checked, he noticed bustling people, the lightening of buildings, entrance into the middle of a town alive in its usual routine. It was rather sudden, for the last thing they spotted out the window was a valley, river, hills, no such closeness to any civilization.

“Your highness.” Ludwig turned and spotted a man who had taken hold of the horses, before the stable the animals were trained to stop at once they reached Hong Kong. Oh yes, Hong Kong, Feliciano and him were supposed to go find that group now. He nodded to the man as he bowed, returning inside to tell Feliciano, pouring the cut potatoes into a jar, getting their bags and making sure they weren’t leaving anything important behind. Pookie took his usual sitting in Feliciano’s shoulder, curiously looking to these new surroundings as the two royals listened to the man on where they should go next. They thanked him, then Feliciano thanked the horses with caresses and nuzzles before he departed with Ludwig into the bright streets, confusing, full and strange.

They entered the marketplace, where all kinds of things were offered, shouted, others running to give their interest, buy, test or be disappointed. Feliciano had given his liking in many things, like the amazing carpets, flowers, tattoo kiosks, lanterns, even an artist creating jaded masterpieces. Ludwig could clearly see his wonder, stopping them as he would watch different demonstrations.

“Feliciano,” he would scold, taking his arm and pulling him away, having to decide to take a hold of his hand the rest of the way so the surroundings wouldn’t continue to temp him away, but nothing was really strong enough to hold him from his big appetite.

A scent took his interest, a wonderful one that even Pookie joined him in as they breathed this night air to try and find it. By luck, they happened to be right across it, a kiosk selling a ball kind of snack. Further reading by the symbols at the top, since Feliciano couldn’t read Cantonese, he understood that they were fish balls. Pookie seemed to have come to the same conclusion, who even began to fly close to it, wanting his own. Feliciano just couldn’t take it, he ended up taking out a small little wallet with money and ended up buying two little bags, one for himself, and one so he could give to Pookie, handing him his treats as they continued to walk along by Ludwig’s side.

“All right, and that’s the last thing we’re going to buy, you hear me,” Ludwig scolded.

“Oh look, they engrave your name on a potion vile!” It was like he hadn’t even listened to the blond.

“Don’t you dare! Come on!” And this time he pulled him away with real force, only to be halted once he met what was before him… a shelf, but not just any shelf, as the man demonstrated, it was one you could accommodate to however size and form, to fit into anything and anywhere you wanted, having such an item would be perfect to organize his books in the King’s study room in Berlin.

Feliciano chuckled, noticing the interest and wonder in his eyes. “It’s only nine silver Spadian coins,” Feliciano only continued to temp him, “think of all the things you could save there other than books and then place it in the prettiest way possible in our room wall, it would be amazing!”

“It would be the perfect space to put my Heartian coin collection, my study cards, my pens, even my battle practice scrolls,” and that was just a couple from the many things Ludwig had in his mind.

In the end, he ended up buying it, tugging it into one of their bags and Feliciano hadn’t stopped chuckling.

“Stop!” Ludwig was still too embarrassed, but it only intensified Feliciano’s laughter, and godsdammit, a grin was growing on his own face and slowly it changed until it joined Feliciano in his own fits of laughter.

“Okay, okay, were done, were done!” Ludwig finally managed to silence into only smiles and small chuckles, to bring their hands to a hold as they continued the rest of the way, finally out of the marketplace and into more residential areas.

They were told by the man that they had to go up a street named Wong Chuk Hang, which they spotted easily with its rising carts that went through most part of its hill. They thought it no wrong to ride them, going forward in the direction the man had told them, a better view for them to see all kinds of houses and streets until they spotted it. It was hard to miss as the man had said, this house had a paneling with a large flower mending in a distinguishable homey glow that Ludwig and Feliciano were instantly drawn to. The cart stopped and they both came down to the street, easy steps until they reached the rather small woodened house, lost in the shadows of fire, confused on how exactly they should announce their arrival when no door was present. Should they knock, should they shout?

There was a sudden ruckus, shouts, banging and crashing items, and then something ripped apart the flimsy paper of this wall, a pot that could have smash Feliciano directly in the face if Ludwig hadn’t moved him out of the way in time. After the pot, a girl came crashing through, with a potent kick, proud and flying, the wall now torn to shreds. With a punch she brought the pot itself into flying pieces, landing on the floor with a gracious and practiced position. Once she noticed her feat, her face glowed in joy with child innocence, her long brown hair jumping along with her as she clapped and spun.

“Told you all I could do it!” She acclaimed, turning, Ludwig and Feliciano left flabbergasted, clearly confused and slightly scared.

“Um…Cheng!” She called, suddenly shy and nervous, seeming to hide herself in a meek stature.

Four people then reached the hole she had created, first of all checking if she was okay and if she truly destroyed the pot as she should have done and then eyes finally falling on the two important figures.

“Ah, your highness!” This Cheng bowed and the other three quickly did the same, nervous and fearful.

“Okay, so…we can totally explain this,” a young boy quickly hoped to discuss.

“We’re sorry, we weren’t expecting your visit so soon,” the woman in turn said, trying to move away the royal’s intention from whatever nonsense Lei was bound to say.

“Please, please, come in,” Cheng welcomed, for a moment wondering if they could just enter through the newly made hole, but a glare from Lien stopped him, deciding to simply roll up the blind that was the true door.

While Cheng ushered for them to enter, the young girl followed behind to work along in ordering the house. Hurriedly they hid…targets, dummies, bows, arrows, swords, knives, daggers, all kinds of pointy things that made Feliciano tremble the more as they moved around trying to make everything disappear. They did so swiftly, turning down fires, replacing with vases, plants, paintings, rugs, tables, incense, simple candles, using magic to fix the hole and dressing themselves in their own comfortable clothing, all in wonderful blues and silvers that uttered peace and tranquility…despite all the dangerous things they just hid right before their eyes. Once they were all presented, they bowed once again, now showing more respect and appearance to the Heart royals. Ludwig and Feliciano were still too stupefied to give them a definite answer.

“Um…” Feliciano uttered first, yet no words seemed to reach him yet.

“Yes, um, we’re very sorry about that, but we are part of the Spadian High Protection Squadron and we do need to practice every chance we get,” Lien excused.

“Spadian High Protection Squadron?” Feliciano instantly questioned.

“Only the best to fit the job of leading the arising Heartian rulers on what’s left of the road to Washington!” One boy proclaimed with deep meaning and a resounding voice.

“We work for the castle, fancy specialized guards you could say,” Lei tried to explain.

“So you really are the group they wrote to us about?” Feliciano understood.

“Yes, an honor to meet you, your highness, I am Lien Chung, these are my cousins, Cheng, Lei and Mei Wang, and Young Soo,” she introduced each, all taking their own personal greetings.

Once that part was out of the way, they prepared the table for dinner, a flamboyance of different plates from the region, standing quite a contrast to the danger that had been habituating. Noodle soups, spring rolls, dumplings, potstickers, rice and a very nice seasoned chicken, Feliciano took from all, and although Ludwig had indeed enjoyed the food, he was slightly gloomed because he couldn’t have the potatoes he had already cut in the carriage. Feliciano, as friendly as ever, easily found himself chatting to them, learning of their coming provinces, more about this Spadian group, the kind of training they went through and continued to practice, as well as finding out that Cheng, Lei and Mei were all younger siblings to the Jack of Spades, Yao Wang. He was the one who even suggested this particular group of their force, trusting well their abilities to go against any dangers that they tried hard would not occur on what was left of the journey. Ludwig then joined once they started talking about different kinds of fighting tactics, taking mental notes and trying to see how he and Feliciano could use it as well with their own kinds of teachings and magic.

With dinner over, they said they should prepare themselves to sleep, they were to leave the very next morning on course to Shanghai, and Ludwig and Feliciano obeyed, both being granted their own personal room, comfortable and homey after having spent the last two nights sleeping in a coach. They instantly drifted off as soon as their heads found contact with their pillows.

Yong was the one who awoke them the next morning, with loud yells and laughter that Ludwig and Feliciano couldn’t ignore, groaning as they dressed in their own style of blues and picking their bags. They had a quick breakfast in the household, all while watching the others run around getting their own luggage, shouting, hurrying, making sure nobody forgot something since the house would be locked well before leaving. Once it was all done, the house behind them, off into the new morning, they took the known cart ride down the hill, through the streets, all until they reached a sort of warehouse, only their presence for their loud voices to echo through the building. Ludwig was just about to ask what they were doing there until they stopped before…was that a carriage or a ship? It had wheels…but it was just too big, an immenseness with even a deck, windows that showed rooms, even a sort of steering at the front. While the group boarded, preparing the odd thing, Feliciano starred on with ultimate wonder, taking it to detail to later draw in his sketchbook, while Ludwig could only continue to stare with question, disbelieving and not sure if she should even step on it. Feliciano was more than excited to, and so were the rest, looking to them from the sides, waiting.

“So…do you guys want to get on or are you seriously planning on walking all the way to Shanghai?” Lei teased, but with impatience.

“Don’t, walking will probably take you weeks, come on! We can’t be stalling or else the castle worries,” Mei hurried, back into the thing to prepare and work.

Feliciano ended up having to pull Ludwig in, into this square thing which even held a little hall that lead to a table to eat, a mini kitchen, some rooms to sit, rest, sleep…there was even one for games!

“Get used to it, we’ll practically live here for the next three days,” Lien warned as she took her side by Cheng at the wheel, ready, giving a nod to Lien.

“Yong!” She called.

“On it!” He opened a sort of compartment, a weird device inside, the only thing known but a couple of Spadian symbols. Yong took a deep look of those symbols, closed his eyes and breathed in a spell. The symbols began to alight, a spread that slowly gave this entire thing life, a rumbling going on under them until it disappeared. Yong closed the compartment and gave a signal to Cheng and Lien. They both nodded and in turn they gave Lei and Mei their own signal, for them to show acceptance after gazing around the area. Cheng began to move this sort of carriage out of the warehouse, into the streets, with the meet of population, Lei and Mei continuing to give signals to show when it was safe, when to stop, when to let a group cross and when they could go fast ahead without a care. Ludwig and Feliciano, still curious as to how this worked, remained by the deck, watching how the surroundings just flew by them, how everything remained standing, in a comfort that could actually let them rest and work on anything without worry of falling or shaking. No one paid attention to this huge thing, they were used to it, just as the roads, surely some weird Spadian contraption that all had accepted to.

Soon enough they left the city behind, roads between woods, green hills, lakes and rivers, quite a beauty, but Ludwig and Feliciano still remained stupefied to everything, afraid to move, afraid to even let their bags drop to the floor.

“Um…what’s wrong with you two?” Mei wondered, after she easily let herself slide down from the top.

Lien chuckled, “they’ve probably never seen a carriage like this.”

“Oh, but don’t worry about it, it’s not going to explode or anything, we’ve used it plenty of times and all kinds of families around Spades own one, surely they will be traded to your kingdom in the future,” Mei explained hoping to ease them.

The rest began to move freely around, making sure everything was working fine, joking in their own chats, some talk of playing games and making some snacks. With that normality, Ludwig and Feliciano slowly accepted to it, joining along themselves in those conversations. Ludwig helped on checking the carriage from time to time, even having a turn in spinning and turning the huge thing once they met with a winding road. Feliciano helped Lien with all the cooking, both sharing recipes and creating quite a mix of their foods for breakfast, snack, lunch and dinner. Ludwig and Feliciano used a lot of their free time to either join the group in card games or train their magic, learning and applying new things that weren’t in the book with the knowledge of the group.

They passed quite the beautiful sceneries for Feliciano to sketch and color in the nights. Ludwig would gladly stare on to them, sometimes joining Feliciano in the coloring, both creating their space to peacefully do it together without disturbing the other even if they were sharing one sketchbook. Lately Ludwig had learned to accept whatever he did, he was finding the beauty in what he could do, no matter if good or bad, just enjoying and being proud of his own skill, Feliciano always smiling that way that made him want to continue, wanting to see that grin all throughout.

On the late afternoon of that third day, the city was finally showed to them, a splendorous jewel that took all the coast of this river, quite beautiful, with a towering temple to reign unlike anything they had ever seen. Feliciano couldn’t keep his face from the window as they drove past the far scenery, soon making their entrance into all its streets, activity and life, there before him true, for him to be a part of, to gaze to the intricacies of golds and blues of their structures, of their houses, signs, and different kinds of lights glowing and brimming. They continued deeper in their drive until they reached a sort of fortress, at its entrance a unique symbol of Spades along with those of the crown, which meant territory of royalty. The carriage went right in until it reached a center, all kinds of people running and preparing to greet.

All instantly bowed in precise order as soon as Ludwig and Feliciano touched their grounds.

“Your highness,”

“It is an honor,”

“We hope your stay here is to your liking,” many of them whispered, only to move away once they passed, to the rush, to the surely hastiness that came with being a large Spadian High Protection Squadron base.

As they were led by the group across the halls to get to their room, Feliciano marveled at how beautiful they kept everything inside, with jewels, mosaics, marble and tapestries, a powerful sense of magic and presence of other known creatures.

“All kinds of people have and still work here,” Mei began to explain seeing Feliciano’s fascination. “From elves, fairies, sorcerers, wizards, tamers of all kind, and stories go around that even angels,” Mei whispered that last part like a big secret, “they all helped to build this place and still help to keep it strong, beautiful and rich, but just wait till you see the Spadian castle.”

They took a lift to one of the high towers, to the residential areas where a room was prepared for them. With its grandeur, comfort, luxury and the amazing view to the city, Ludwig and Feliciano didn’t wish to leave, their dinners brought and both enjoying it in their own kind of comfort, silent, only but a few words between them still complimenting their accommodations.

While having their dessert of a Chinese cake, Feliciano worked on his sketching while Ludwig busied himself on some reading. Feliciano truly wanted to capture the centering temple, but due to the room location, part of it was covered, and no matter where he stood or turned, he was not given a complete image. He noticed that his own tower continued upward, higher than the near buildings, which meant that if he went to the top, not only will he have a better look of the temple, but of the entire city. He hurriedly picked his things wanting to head out instantly, jumping with an excited step as he went to the door.

“Where are you going?” Ludwig asked, with a scolding look as he still held the book before him.

“I’m just going to the top of the fortress to have a better view of the Lim Chen Han temple to draw, it’ll only be a couple of minutes. This is a fortress, there’s nothing to fear,” Feliciano convinced.

Ludwig glared on, but ended up sighing in approval, finding confidence in the strength of this base. “All right, but bring Pookie with you and remember to use that emergency spell we taught each other if anything,” he advised, going back to his book.

Pookie, having heard the command, flew over and took his ready protection stance on Feliciano’s shoulder as per usual, earning from him a chuckle and a hand reaching to pet the little thing as he headed out, closing the door behind him and settling on his mission.

His trek was simpler than he thought, and all the directions he asked was from a wandering maid that helped him as to which lift would bring him to where he wanted to go. He swayed on his own toes as he was raised, smiling over to Pookie and thinking about what kind of color should he choose to capture the temple’s sapphires. Once it landed on the floor, that he could move forward, one side showing the expanse of the city, the cold wind hitting, making him shiver and blowing his curls and clothes, the other but a wall. He moved forward until the wall ended and he could meet with the fullness of the temple, the great view, and two cloaked figures, in familiar blues, surely members who came out to enjoy the nice air and amazing view. Feliciano was just about to greet them, hoping they wouldn’t mind his presence.

“-they feel protected here, now would have been a perfect time to kill them,”

“You know the orders, no harm is supposed to come to the arising Queen of Hearts, besides, this placed is swarmed with all kinds of guards and protection spells, if we did something we would have been easily captured. Just stick to our original plan,”

“This spying business was a load of crap, weeks just to tell the rest that they would be here, waste of time it was.”

Feliciano took instant hiding behind the wall, freaking and covering whatever noise or suddenness Pookie would do by wrapping him well in his arms.

“It was just to assure them of what kind of route the Spadian crown chose for them, knowing they’re here in Shanghai means they’re going to take the Wu Si Lu route to Washington, we can prepare a good capture, they will be on foot, unaware and unarmed, we’ll get rid of the others and have the arising King and Queen of Hearts taken to King Khaos immediately, then we will reach the walls to commence the attack of the city,”

“It won’t be a city once were done with it.”

Feliciano could tell one was smirking proudly.

“We have planned this for months and have done well in keeping it away from ears of the kingdom. It’s as Khaos said, everyone will be too preoccupied with their visit, the city will might as well be ours,”

“Then it’s Paris,”

“Moscow,”

“and finally Berlin,” such fury and vengeance in the way he said Hearts’ capital, like the city itself could be the biggest enemy.

“Only a matter of ten days,” one reminded.

Anything else Feliciano couldn’t hear…he had run off quickly before they could notice him. He needed to tell Ludwig.

#Feliciano and the King of Hearts #fatkoh #f&tkoh #gerita #gerita fanfiction #gerita fanfic #gerita fic

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backonefish · 7 years

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ANNUAL WRITING SELF-EVALUATION 2016

@paynner tagged me in this (i hope this is still her name :p). And I’m super excited to do this even if I really don’t have much to say. But anywho, here goes.

1. List of works published this year:

A Whole New World

In a World Like This

(it hit me the minute I posted my second fic that both the titles were incredibly similar and it was too late too change. Le sigh. Tis life)

2. Work you are most proud of (and why):

I know IAWLT was the more popular one, but I’m quite impartial to my first one, AWNW (what the hell are these acronyms? Is this what I get for naming fics after song titles?). It was the first one I wrote for the 1D fandom and it kind of took a life of its own. The minute I saw the prompt, the plot fell into place and I loved being able to write all the Disney into their banter. It was just so much fun to write. I don’t think I’ve written anything that has been that much fun and I kept having to tell myself to focus on actual life and not write.

3. Work you are least proud of (and why):

Um… neither? I know I’m more proud of AWNW, so ergo, the other should be my least. But I really loved writing both and I’m quite proud of both. I mean they’re not literary masterpieces, but I liked them enough to publish… Having said that, there is still stuff I would like to change.

For AWNW, I still feel like the bet was a little too rushed and forced. I had to keep re-writing that part and wished I could’ve fleshed it out more. I also feel like I suck at endings, bc I get super into developing the plot and once I figure out how to end it, I rush into it so quickly and just want to be done. And then when I go back, I wish I had a full more bodied ending. I dunno if that makes sense, but it’s something I need to work on.

4. A favorite excerpt of your writing:

Can I pick two? I’m going to pick two. Both are from AWNW. (this part turned out to be quite long. sorreeee)

“I Just Can’t Wait to be King” is what wakes him up on Wednesday. It used to be what woke his parents up every day when he was a child and the Lion King was the best thing ever. Except he’s no longer a kid and karma’s a bitch.

Today when he drinks tea, he covers Simba’s face with a strategically placed thumb. He places the mug in the sink once he’s done, only to double back and place a kiss on Simba’s face. It’s really not Simba’s fault that his neighbour is an asshole who can’t respect sleeping hours.

That night, Louis stuffs his ears with cotton and hopes for the best.

---

On Thursday, hopes come true. For the first time that week, Louis is woken up by his alarm. Not some –

The angst filled notes of “Let it Go” comes thudding through the walls. Never mind then. Hopes are meant to be dashed.

---

It’s Friday and “Tale as Old as Time” is playing through his walls and really, being woken up every fucking day by a piano playing, Disney loving neighbour, is a tale as old as time. Tomorrow is Saturday. Surely, his neighbours understand the sanctity of a Saturday.

---

Surely he has been more wrong in his life? It’s currently 7:20 and Louis is lying in bed listening to a much improved version of “A Whole New World.” Neighbour #2 is getting better at this. Too bad the same can’t be said for Louis’ sleep.”

K, So I loved this bit bc I was quite proud with how things flowed. It was one of the first ideas that came to me about the fic and stylistically, I enjoyed the movement from one day to the next and the chance to incorporate the Disney songs into the transitions.

And

Perhaps he too should write a poem.

He pulls out a blank sheet of paper and chews his pen.

Harry. He’ll write a poem for Harry.

Hair that shines like a princess

No. He scratches that out and starts again. It’s still too soon.

Skin as soft as a petal

Hair as shiny as the sun

Eyes so – what rhymes with petal? Metal? Nettle? Kettle? Ah, yes. That will work.

Eyes as green as my kettle

Harry, you are my number one.

Dimples as deep as the sea

Lips that make me want to come

Heart as pure as can be

Harry, you are my only one.

Perfect. Literary genius, he is. This is Pulitzer Prize worthy. He rewrites the poem carefully on a fresh sheet of paper and then decorates it with hearts and flowers. He spends the rest of the day in eager anticipation for when he gives the poem to Harry.

Ten pm finally rolls around when Harry texts Louis to say that he’s home. Louis bounds over eagerly, knocking obnoxiously until Harry opens the door.

“Here,” he bypasses Harry’s greeting to thrust the poem taped to a bouquet of flowers he’d picked up on his way home.

“Lou,” Harry breathes, caught off guard, “What is this.”

“I wrote you a poem,” Louis points at the paper, rocking on his feet impatiently. “Read it.”

“Okay,” Harry says, floored. He places the flowers on the table and carefully pulls the poem free. He reads silently, lips mouthing along the words. When he’s done he looks at Louis, eyes wide and slightly teary.

“This is the nicest thing anyone’s done for me,” Harry says, voice wavering slightly.

“So you liked it?” Louis asks, shy all of a sudden.

“I loved it. Your kettle is very green,” Harry agrees.

Louis nods. He’s quite proud of that line. Harry reaches out to cup Louis’ jaw with one hand, poem still clutched tightly in his other.

“Your lips make me want to come too,” Harry whispers, leaning down.

This is my other favourite bc its so absurd. The poem is so bad. I love it. It’s crazy and stupid. It was the most ridiculous thing I could write and I did write it and it just worked with the nature of the fic. Also I could easily picture Larry being this ridiculous about shit (*cough* the wind makes nice waves) and being so in love with each other that they can’t see how bad it is. So yeah. These two pieces.

(also wow, apologies for all the grammatical errors in AWNW)

5. Share or describe a favorite review you received:

Ahhh, I love every single kudo, like, bookmark and comment. I’m still flabbergasted that someone would take the time to appreciate my fic in any sense. So thank you.

If I had to pick one (im sorry if this is cheesy) but I loved the comment paynner left on IAWLT. I wrote it based on her prompt but never in a million years would I expect her to leave such a heartfelt comment on my fic. Like, she picked excerpts she liked and commented on it, promoted it on tumblr and then even proposed to me (I said yes). It honestly doesn’t get better than that. Forever grateful.

6. A time when writing was really, really hard:

Oh… um right before I started writing Larry. I used to write for other fandoms and stopped bc I was no longer inspired? And just real life got in the way and I didn’t see the purpose of writing anymore.

7. A scene or character you wrote that surprised you

This is super tough. I want to say the Harry and Louis I wrote for AWNW. They’re both so ridiculous and over the top. I never imagined writing them like that and it actually working.

8. How did you grow as a writer this year:

Well one, I started writing again, and two, I’m writing RPF and AUs which I never imagined id do. But moreover, I wrote more comedic, light hearted fluff. I used to write angst bc I get angst and it was what I always wrote. So coming back into a completely different genre was nerve-wracking but also so much fun and quite rewarding. I got to be sillier in my work, insert more of my thought process into the characters, and actually create worlds.

9. How do you hope to grow next year:

I want to return to angst next year, and write a longer fic. Mainly, commit to something long enough to actually write it. The last time I wrote a multi-chaptered fic, I was so tired by the end of it and was the worst at updating. So yeah, commit to writing, create a proper schedule to write, and all that jazz.

Oo I also really want to develop my side characters more. Make them more well rounded and bodied and more central to the plot.

10. Who was your greatest positive influence this year as a writer (could be another writer or beta or cheerleader or muse etc etc):

Can I just say all the authors in this fandom have been a huge inspiration. I’ve been reading fic for the past year and a half and I’m always so incredibly floored by the variety, talent, and uniqueness of each fic. So, yeah, a huge thank you to everyone who has written.

I will pick out three (bc I love doing things in threes) who have definitely been a positive influence.

Zarah5 (I hope that wherever she is, she’s doing amazing.) Stylistically, the way she writes… wow. The ability to convey emotion and fears through actions and dialogue only, is so unique and I’m in awe of how she does it. Her plots are so detailed and nuanced and just pull me under (see what I did there? I can be punnier than harry). Also her sentence structure? She embodied the characters as the narrators so well and utilizes that into unique sentence structures. I’ve yet to see someone who can write in such a manner.

@alienproof so I’ve commented on chelsie’s work about how she creates atmosphere. You read her fics and you’re instantly pulled into the mood of the world. Finding Lou? The Wonderlands? Omh, the wonderlands. Guys, you don’t understand how much I love that fic. I’ve never waited that eagerly for a fic update in my life. Her Louis and Harry are so much older, but so well written, their fears and motives and dynamic. And the atmosphere. It always boils down to the atmosphere and I love it.

@paynner . duh. I adore her writing. ADORE. Her fics are the best pick-me-ups you could ever need. They’re so funny, so smutty, so unique. Also she’s this plethora of prompts and every time I come across one of them, I’m like ooo I want to write it. Obviously, I went and wrote one. So, literally, she’s been the most positive influence. But yeah, I love her mind, I love how well she writes and I LOVE how somethin’ bout you was so different than her usual style of writing but it works so well! I remember only realising who the author was bc princess isn’t subtle at all, but otherwise I got so sucked up in the world and the plot and the unique way the love/hate dynamic worked that I couldn’t even tell it was her. Oh, also – how the hell did she manage to write so much in a year?

You people amaze me. And make me think, hey i should give this writing thing a shot too.

11. Anything from your real life show up in your writing this year:

Lmao, my love for BSB? Im still amazed that I was able to insert them into a fic. I literally wrote three dates for Harry and Louis in IAWLT bc I wanted to write about the Backstreet Boys and then I went and named the fic after their song. Sue me, I’m trash for them.

12. Any new wisdom you can share with other writers:

Write what you want. Write what’s fun. You’ll enjoy it more than if you try to write what other people want to read. Also write for fic exchanges bc it puts you on a deadline and provides you with prompts and gives you an automatic audience. (I guess this is mainly for newer writers, but I really have no new wisdom for experienced, established authors… )

13. Any projects you’re looking forward to starting (or finishing) in the new year:

Oh… finishing for sure. I’m working on a med school, friends with benefits fic, set in Canada which is multi-chaptered bc why not bite off more than I can chew. The entire thing is planned out, but I’ve been stuck on the third chapter and life is a thing that refuses to be ignored… so yeah. Lets see. But I’d like to get it finished this year.

keep everything crossed

14. Tag three writers whose answers you’d like to read. ;)

@donotdialnine and @juliusschmidt who I’ve recently been reading again. So much love for their work. And @sadamenoito bc i’ve read all her fics a few too many times. Dunno if you’ve done it already, but if you haven’t….

*All answers should be about works published in 2016. Also, you can skip any questions you hate or don’t want to answer, but please leave them on the list so that others can do them if they want. :)

#mine #i hope this isn't trash #thanks for tagging me j <3 #reminded me why i love writing again #fic things #writing #im gonna shut up now

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