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homeformyheart · 3 years

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hey~

hope you are having an amazing week!

how would you feel about doing a noah harris x mc request from the best vs worst prompts?

maybe 21. best day at school vs worst day at school OR 27. best game vs worst game?

hi anon! thank you for the request, #27 was fitting and allowed me to close-out the chapter of my noah x mc arc (a little bit got cut out from my outline, but at least now it's finished).

author’s note: when I got this prompt, I decided to take the outline I had written for a continuation of my other MTFL fics and retro-fit it here, which is why it’s a bit longer than typical prompt fills. this finally gave me the motivation to continue the relationship I started in “first choice” and “the perfect gift.” I also drew some real-life inspiration from patrick mahomes of the kansas city chiefs (national football league in the u.s.). enjoy!

copyright: all characters owned by pixelberry studios. series/pairing: my two first loves - noah harris x mc (emma price) rating/warnings: 13+; none based on/prompt: best vs. worst / 27. best game vs. worst game; also inspired by the song “never really over” by katy perry word count: 1.7k summary: two years after graduating college and agreeing to go their separate ways, the universe seems to want emma and noah back together.

best game vs. worst game

worst game

emma tapped her finger on her thigh nervously as she waited in her boss’s office for her first assignment. she had spent the last two years since graduating college curating a travel blog for a small magazine, which had allowed her to travel all over europe, north america, and south america – an experience she knew was probably once-in-a-lifetime.

but she was homesick and decided to return stateside once her contract was up. it didn’t take long to find a position with a professional agency that contracts photographers out for high-profile athletic and celebrity events. even as a junior photographer, she was going to have the chance to take her own photos.

her boss finally handed her a sheet of paper without so much as a glance, motioning toward the door. emma supposed she was excused then, quickly scanning the sheet as she walked out to her car. a pre-nfl charity meet-and-greet was the assignment, and if she wanted, she could stick around to take some back-up photos of the game.

seemed easy enough. except the team was the nightingales. where her ex-boyfriend was currently the quarterback.

a little over two years ago

noah gripped emma’s hand, leg thumping nervously in anticipation. his other hand held hazel’s, who wasn’t faring much better at keeping still. on the other hand, mrs. harris had sat frozen still in front of the t.v. for the last thirty minutes, and emma had to keep glancing over to make sure she was still breathing.

to say they were all on edge was an understatement. in a matter of minutes, they’d find out of noah was going to become a professional football player.

“and the twenty-third pick goes to… noah harris!”

the room filled with squeals as they all jumped up from the couch and gathered noah into a giant group hug. his arm never left emma’s waist, even as he lifted hazel off the ground in excitement.

“you’re coming with me, right?”

she avoided his gaze, choosing to hug him and duck her head underneath his chin instead.

“tonight is about you! we can talk about us tomorrow. we should be celebrating!”

emma took a deep breath and pulled her car out onto the main road, making sure her phone was navigating to the stadium. she hadn’t seen or spoken to noah since they broke up – even though he tried to understand her reasoning, which was that he needed to focus on football and she was going to be traveling constantly – and she wondered if he was still upset.

if they ran into each other, would he even acknowledge her?

her mind raced with different scenarios of how their “reunion” could go and before she knew it, she was pulling into the stadium parking lot reserved for press. you’re here to do a job, she reminded herself as she took a deep breath and made her way into the meet-and-greet area where players were speaking to and hanging out with several families and children.

she took a quick look around and sighed in relief when she didn’t see noah anywhere. she could do this.

about an hour later, she was packing up her equipment. the game would start soon and she needed to get into position. she hefted her bag onto her shoulder carefully before standing up, immediately wobbling under the weight and losing her balance.

a strong arm wrapped around her waist and steadied her.

“thank you—” her voice died in her throat as she looked up at the man that still haunted her dreams.

his eyes and face were mostly the same, but there was a hardened edge to them that wasn’t there a few years ago. his body and shoulders were much larger as well, and he pretty much overwhelmed her frame.

“hey cheerleader.”

she swallowed. “hi, noah.”

his hand lingered even as she righted herself and cleared her throat nervously.

“good luck—”

“it’s good to—”

they chuckled, tension broken for the moment as they looked into each other’s eyes.

“harris, let’s go!”

noah shoved his hands in his pockets and took a step back. “maybe we could catch up after the game, if you want to.”

her eyes brightened. “i’d love to.”

they didn’t get the chance. the world seemed to move in slow motion when emma saw noah go down in the pocket from a particularly bad tackle. he had to be carried off the field in a stretcher and it was all she could do to keep from running onto the field.

they had broken up so he could focus on his career. she hoped it wasn’t in vain.

best game

two years later

emma crouched low to the ground with her long-range camera, snapping pictures of the huddle. there was less than twenty seconds left in the game – just enough, if barely, time for one last play. they needed a touchdown. and she could feel the nervous energy in her body thrumming in time with that of the crowd.

when noah went down with that horrific injury a couple years ago, most people wrote him off and didn’t think he’d play again. and if he somehow managed to recover? they all just said he probably wouldn’t be the same. a collarbone injury was usually a career death sentence for quarterbacks.

but the media, press, and so-called sportscasters didn’t know noah like she did. how strong a fighter he was. how he picked himself back up after every setback and pushed onward.

this time, she was with him every step of the way.

that didn’t mean he had an easy go of it.

he had to get surgery and go through months of intense physical therapy to get his shoulder feeling back to normal. then he had rehab for football to try to get back into form. and there was always doubt as to whether he’d be as good as before.

the season hadn’t gone smoothly. they scraped and clawed their way to the playoffs, with opposing teams taking advantage of noah’s occasional hesitance in the pocket and conservative throwing by pressuring his position. but somehow, they pulled through.

sportscasters all over would remark about how something seemed to just “click” back into place for noah harris.

only noah and emma knew what that something was.

a few weeks earlier

“are you nervous?”

noah hummed thoughtfully as his hand trailed up and down emma’s shoulder.

“surprisingly, no,” he said after a moment. “win or lose, i have everything i’ve ever wanted right here in my arms.”

emma chuckled. “when did you become such a romantic?”

“you know you bring it out of me.”

he turned on his side so he could nuzzle his nose in her hair. “you’re it for me, babe.”

“me too, noah. i mean it. if you’ll have me forever, i want that with you.”

noah pulled back to look at her. “for real?”

she nodded.

of course, emma couldn’t say with confidence that their conversation made that big of a difference, but noah’s performance every game afterward seemed to be nothing short of miraculous. by all means, his shoulder should still be giving him trouble, but the way he was throwing today in the championship game would make anyone wonder if he had been injured at all.

but this was it. everything was riding on this last play.

they were down by three points and too far for a field goal. a touchdown would end the game and clinch the championship. the team wasn’t known for playing it safe, not with noah and his arm at the helm.

emma was glued to her camera lens and clicking away, but she was barely focused on the shots. she just hoped the footage was positioned correctly and usable. she heard noah call out the play and quickly scanned the field as players moved into position.

a hail mary.

it really was going to come down to these last few seconds.

she saw the wide receiver break through the line and speed down the field, turning back to where noah had stepped back, arm poised to throw. on instinct, emma moved her camera up and snapped the shutter, capturing the exact moment noah released the ball, right before he was tackled to the ground.

and then everything seemed to move in slow motion.

she swung the camera to the left, finding the receiver in the end zone with his arms outstretched. he jumped up and the ball came arcing directly into his arms and the stadium roared with such an intensity she thought she was going deaf.

emma quickly put away her camera and left her bag with her assistant before running on to the confetti-strewn field, weaving around reports, players, and staff.

she knew noah got tackled. she needed to see that he was okay.

despite the reporters surrounding him, she squeezed her way through and wrapped her arms around him.

“i’m so glad you’re okay,” she yelled over the stadium noise. “i knew you could do it.”

noah smiled and removed her hands from his neck. she frowned in confusion as he took a step back and dropped to one knee.

“what are you doing?”

he was holding out a ring box in his hand and she had no clue how that got there. did a trainer or someone sneak that over to him?

it didn’t matter. it didn’t matter that they were surrounded by tens of thousands of screaming fans or that this moment was likely being broadcasted live by the sheer number of cameras around them. it didn’t matter that his friends and teammates were all hollering and creating a protective circle around them.

all she could see was the love of her life looking up at her like she was the most precious thing in the world.

“the championship ring we just won today is nothing compared to what this ring means right here,” he said, opening the box to reveal a very sizable diamond.

“marry me, em?”

emma squealed, not caring that it made her look like an excited teenager.

“of course, i’ll marry you!”

noah carefully placed the ring on her finger before wrapping his arms around her waist and lifting her up. he swung her around before placing her carefully back on the ground, bringing her in for a deep kiss.

“i love you,” he whispered against her lips.

“i love you too, noah,” she whispered back as they held hands and headed off the field.

* * * * * taglist: @choicesficwriterscreations; @khoicesbyk; @nyastarlight; @chetachisblog; @robintora; @shows-simp-card; @brycesgirl;

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filmwuju · 3 years

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[TRANS] Character Introduction: People around Seongyeom & Mijoo

Ki Jeongdo (Male, late 50s) Seongyeom's father / Four-term assemblyman

A politician who was an athlete. Back then, he was renowned as the nation's thief for snatching actress Yook Jiwoo, who was the nation's first love, at the prime of her youth. Rising to fame, he threw his hat into the political ring, as if he was waiting for this. Him moving into his wife's family home as a live-in son-in-law was also for the campaign fund.

Managing a family that can be recognized by citizens during elections was also Jeongdo's long time plan. As a man, Jiwoo was his trophy; and being the father of siblings who are national athletes, he was able to bear national sentiment. Seongyeom's home becoming a show window family was entirely Jeongdo's volition. Family means gathering together when needed and taking a harmonious photo, that's it. Just one is hard enough already, how incredible is it to raise two national representatives of South Korea? He regards fatherly love as an instinct, and thinks what he's doing to his children is true love. Not knowing that for the person receiving the unwanted love, that love can become violence.

He has always been privileged with vested rights, and since he's in the upper class, he always lived with pride. He has never doubted his capability of going higher, higher up. Most politicians are likewise, their final goal is running for the presidential election. And since they're running, naturally, they want to win. But Seongyeom, who used to be an obedient chess piece, keeps causing trouble. So he's contemplating on how to quash him.

Yook Jiwoo (Female, late 50s) Seongyeom's mother / Actress

A top actress hailed as the nation's first love. If there's Suzy in the 2000s, there was Yook Jiwoo in the 1980s. During the early days of her career, she went by the stage name Jiwoo, without the Yook, because her last name comes off as stubborn. This was her agency's policy. Later, Jiwoo saw her name on a movie poster and threw a huge fit. Since then, she goes by her full name that sounds stubborn for a "female" actor.

She's a perfect actress named as the Queen of Cannes; but she's a born actress who, in pursuit of her career, is far from even the letter M in the word "mother", much less be an excellent one.

Ki Eunbi (Female, 30) Seongyeom's sister / Pro golfer

She doesn't know how to love in an ordinary way, because she's never lived an ordinary life. The world's number one female golfer. With that title alone, men—regardless of their skin color—approached her, not knowing how Eunbi is like after falling in love. There are no exceptions—whether they have a strong build, or got a straightforward personality. By the time they realize how scary Ki Eunbi is not as the queen of golf, but as a lover, it's already too late—so accept your fate. Once she takes a bite, she does not let go until she gets sick of it. There's no place to escape unless you go to the edge of the world.

Of course there's an exception. When their love for her dies down, she lets go without hesitation. It was always easier to figure out separation than love. The same goes for her family. The time she spent with them in her whole life wouldn't amount to even one year because of her trips abroad. They always separated the moment they met, and she felt worried at the thought of Seongyeom, who would be alone in the huge house. My poor little brother. Their father, who likes to rank, compares them frequently; the media, who likes to chatter, bashes him regularly. My little brother Seongyeom. Seongyeom, whose sin is getting born as my little brother.

Of course she worked hard, but Eunbi's talent played a bigger part. Her sense of distance is more outstanding than others, and she's exceptional in controlling her strength. They said the only thing left for a first placer to do is to fall downwards, but Eunbi didn't know how to fall. If she didn't have talent, would it be a different story? While having these thoughts, she saw Seongyeom and thought, hmm.. it would be stressful to have no talent.

She's even sick of the first place now. Feeling bored, she was thinking whether she should retire and rest a bit, but her beloved little brother caused big trouble. What can I do? My little brother wants to do it. It's an older sister's duty to act as his shield, and I won't die from doing it for a few years more—so just for a bit longer, I'd have to stay in the first place for him.

Kim Wooshik (Male, 20) National track and field athlete

He lost his parents at a young age and was raised by his grandmother. Unlike someone his age, he believes in superstitions. But rather than saying he believes in them, it's more like he's familiar about life and is treated as a precocious child. His self-sufficient grandmother clothed him in cleanly washed clothes even though they're old, and did everything she can so that Wooshik can grow up as a bright and optimistic person. Wooshik, who grew up just like how she raised him to be, was perfectly kind and honest. He wasn't good at studying but he was smart; his hands were slow but his feet were fast. Naturally, Wooshik chose track and field. It was also a sport that he could do even with no money. He fell in love at first sight after watching Seongyeom's race, ran all the way with Seongyeom as his goal, and became a national athlete. It's his wish to run a relay race in the same competition with Seongyeom before the latter retires. No records or competition, just as Ki Seongyeom and Kim Wooshik.

He once saw a passage that said forgiveness is the biggest revenge. That's like saying the powerless can't do anything but to forgive. Ever since his days in sports high school, he experienced countless assaults and abuse under the force of power. And you say that's the biggest revenge? It was a day when he got beaten by his seniors as usual. He roughly wiped the blood from his nose using his sleeves. The superstitions Wooshik believed in were of no help at all in the face of reality. The one who offered Wooshik practical help was Seongyeom. He told him that forgiving is the victim's right. He told him that he doesn't need to forgive if he doesn't want to. As the only person who told him that, how could Wooshik not admire him.

Kwon Young-il (Male, 29) National track and field athlete

South Korea's track and field record holder. As the best sprinter, he lives up to his reputation of South Korea's No.1 track and field athlete who receives unconditional support from track and field fans. He's a narcissist who cares about nothing but himself, but takes an interest only in Seongyeom. It's because he's jealous. Whenever he's free, he picks a quarrel with the forever runner-up Seongyeom and ends up saying foolish words. I'm the real first placer, but why does it feel like I'm being pushed back by Ki Seongyeom every single time?

But still, as Seongyeom's long-time colleague, and as a sportsman, he's a friend who supports Seongyeom for the path he's going.

Kim Hyunjin (Male, early 40s) Assemblyman Ki Jeongdo's aide

Would there be another expression that puts a limit on Hyunjin as much as the phrase "aide by nature" does? However, he is a capable aide—to the level that everyone would agree in unison—who grasps everything about the Ki family, including Assemblyman Ki himself. He's machine-like, making one wonder if his heart is made of steel; he does not feel things like conscience and warmth.

Park May (Female, 35) CEO of imported film distributor May

Her name was originally Maehwi. Was it her dad's poor hearing, or her mom's poor pronunciation? Her dad, who heard Maehwi as May, registered her birth with the name "May". For a long time, her mom called her Maehwi and her dad called her May. To May, the actual party concerned, it didn't matter whatever they called her by. What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.

May believed in fundamental things. This was also due to her peaceful and cool nature; is it because of that? Entering a translation and interpreting university at the top of her class and finishing her studies in a graduate school of the same expertise, she was walking the so-called elite course. But then she set aside her career path and went into foreign film translation. The reason was simple. Because films are fun, but film festivals are freaking fun. She was in Busan when she first met Mijoo. At the Busan International Film Festival, which she skipped her class for, their sharing of the same bed at the guesthouse was the beginning of their relationship. After getting to know her, she found out that she's a distant junior of hers under the same department in their university. Mijoo was 21.

There is no bad Mijoo in this world. This is the pet theory of May as the dog owner of Mijoo. Mijoo—rough and clumsy, which makes her cute and pure too—was like a dog sometimes, she had no hesitations in baring her claws at arrogant things. From then on, May took it upon herself to be the dog owner. She was worried. If Mijoo meets a good person, it feels like she'd overcome her struggles and become extremely successful*, and if she meets a bad person, it feels like she'd get stabbed with a knife in the midst of selling drugs in a backstreet. All or nothing—Mijoo, who has no in between, didn't have a lot of things. She said she's never met a nice adult in her 20 years of life. Ah... I'm stuck. No choice, I'd have to be the nice adult for Mijoo, she decided**. Just like that, she spent around 10 years of time with her, as a senior and roommate.

She had more curiosity and energy before compared to now, but she feels no excitement nor interest in whatever she does these days. When she was young, she simply felt that her older seniors were cool, but now that she's at that age, she understood. There's just no fun in doing anything. She's done them all, tasted them all; the energy she used to pour out without reservation had been exhausted since long time ago.

Around that period of ennui in her life, an unsavory incident broke out in the translation industry she's been working in. She left translation behind and set up an imported film distributing company. As a small company that mainly imported independent films and art films, it involved a lot of legwork, so business trips is a norm. Her dream was to be a salaried employee for a lifetime, but why'd she become a CEO? CEOs like salaries too.. she didn't know of this fact until she became one herself. Is this, depressing? May, who was mentally healthy, immediately began her visits to the psychiatrist. Antidepressants help people who help themselves, and May wants to help herself properly. And since she's on it already, it's better to be bright and healthy.

T/N: * The idiom used in the original text is 개천에서 용 난다, which literally means "a dragon rises up from a creek." Often translated as "rags to riches," it is used to refer to someone from a humble background who overcame their hardships and became extremely successful.

** A longer translation that would more properly express the nuance of the original sentence would be: May decided that: I'm not the best choice, but since there's no one else to do it, there's no choice but for me, at least, to be the good adult for Mijoo.

(orig post link from writer Park Shihyun’s DC gallery post)

#run on #run on trans #run on kdrama #run on drama #runon #run on jtbc #jtbc run on #run on icons #jtbc #kdrama #korean drama

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hellzyeahwebwielingessays · 4 years

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The Not-So-Amazing Mary Jane Part 27: AMJ #3.1

Previous Part

Next Part

Master Post

*pinches bridge of nose* Oh my God this is so bad

I was hoping last issue was a fluke but no. This issue also demands we dissect the recap page.

Let me just spell out for you all some fundamental dos and don’ts of a recap page.

DO please recap the events that happened in prior issues, or relevant context from any other issues.

DON’T introduce new information.

Last issue was guilty of that. And now so is this issue, arguably moreso.

This recap provides us with the working title for the Mysterio biopic. That’s right, the very first time we learn the name of the movie is on this recap page not in the actual story!

Want to hear another oh so slightly important DON’T to bear in mind?

DON’T contradict the story you are recapping!

The recap claims funding dried up when the footage of Beck abusing a crewmember leaked. That wasn’t the situation in issue #2. MJ speculated that that might be part of the reason. But the bigger reason was that Beck had sold the investors one one type of film and delivered another.

Let’s also consider this line from the recap.

…video of Cage acting more like, well, Mysterio…

So the recap (and by extension Williams, the editors and presumably MJ herself) acknowledge that Mysterio being abusive is standard practice for him. Good to know they are aware he’s a horrible dangerous person but are just ignoring that then.

The recap also confirms for us that MJ is definitely the only person who knows ‘McKnight’ is really Beck. So absolutely everyone on the crew are unwittingly putting themselves at risk, and MJ is just letting that happen. If they knew they might not want to work with him for one reason or another, but MJ and Beck are knowingly withholding that choice from them. It doesn’t matter that they are only getting this shot because of Beck’s charity, at least some of them would think twice if they were aware of the potential scandal they were working on.

The recap also contradicts last issue’s recap in regards to the staff of the movie. Last time it was staffed by ‘outsiders’ but now it’s ‘newcomers, rejects and outsiders’. Which is it? I’m not claiming this is irreconcilable or that big of a deal storywise but it’s another example of the incompetent craftsmanship on this title. Not to mention this recap again omits the fact that active villains are working on the film.

The recap also implies Mary Jane is ‘invested’ in the film. Let me get this out of the way now to save myself time later. Mary Jane wouldn’t be invested in this movie, at least not the way the story is depicting her as.

To a large extent this touches upon earlier instalments where I explained why MJ wouldn’t sympathise with Beck, why she wouldn’t regard him as a kindred spirit and why she wouldn’t value her career above the greater good.

Having said all that I don’t feel it’s necessary to dedicate a whole instalment to why MJ wouldn’t be invested in the movie. The idea that MJ would endanger herself and others for the sake of an artistic project she believed in or was interested in is fucking ridiculous.

The idea she’d be chummy with Mysterio is fucking ridiculous given their shared history and what she knows about him. But, just as a little reminder, here is Daredevil v2 #8, where MJ basically says Beck deserves no pity.

As we open up the story proper, Mallorie rescues a veteran actor (Sonny Diperna) cast as the Vulture. Specifically she rescues him from the Scorpion who trashes the set.

This scene has an admittedly funny meta-gag about Michael Keaton having played both Adrian Toomes in the MCU and Birdman in the eponymous movie.

Mallorie is also pretty cool here. Initially I was going to complain about how unlikely it is for there to be two capable and resourceful civilians in this story (MJ and Mallorie). However, in thinking about it, MJ didn’t become resourceful in the first place due to rare life circumstances. Therefore it’s perfectly reasonable that Mallorie be similarly resourceful in a crisis. Plus her job on set opens up the idea that she knows how to muddle through a crisis.

On the next two pages Vulture menaces the set and we are more formally introduced to his Savage Six. They consist of Vulture, Scorpion, Stegron, Tarantula (I don’t know which one), Rhino and King Cobra.

Whilst Williams characterization of Beck is generally great (albeit too sympathetic) the same can’t be said of Vulture. Making art or artistic vision a theme for this series (and Mysterio specifically) is perfectly invited by the premise of the story. However, it’s very ill fitting for a character like Vulture. Vulture is absolutely not defined by that theme whatsoever. He’s an inventor. He’s a grumpy, bitter old man. He’s someone who’s got a chip on his shoulder, out to prove that he isn’t passed his prime.

With that said, what the Hell is up with this dwelling upon ‘art’ in these two pages?

Fleeing the chaos, Diperna mistakes the villains as part of the film; a fact Mallorie goes along with. As Kangaroo (who’s basically the muscle on set) gets defeated, MJ and Beck try to escape. MJ insists they get the staff to safety which Beck agrees with, deciding to act as a diversion. MJ is concerned for his life, but Beck assures her it’ll be fine. Just then he’s dragged away by Scorpion.

MJ seeks out Noah from last issue and drives his truck towards the Rhino.

The art isn’t exactly clear on what she does next, but the end result is that she’s gathered up all the cast and crew into the truck. Meanwhile, Beck begins to engage the six by conjuring his trademark green smoke.

Mallorie and Diperna make it to the truck, with MJ lowering the ramp to allow them access. She is visibly concerned for Beck as they move out of sight of one another. The cast and crew for their part are star struck by Diperna. Diperna explains that he came out of retirement to play the Vulture as it was something different from the roles he was usually typecasted as. He elaborates that the movie has Hollywood on edge and that the elites do not want the film to succeed. He joined the cast to help them out a bit.

Elsewhere, Mysterio duels the Savage Six. He uses his illusions to trick them into believing they are in the desert. As they begin miles of marching, Vulture speculates McKnight is a double agent for A.I.M. When the illusion ends they find themselves at a national park, prompting Vulture to swear vengeance.

Much later MJ laughs at Beck’s trick complimenting his cleverness. However, the event has prompted several cast and crew to leave and delayed shooting even more. Thankfully Beck’s found a safe new location to film at.

Sorry for that lengthy description. I just felt it was more efficient to get through that whole sequence and then break it down fully.

First of all, see all my prior comments about how bullshit it is for MJ to compliment, laugh at, be concerned for, or be sympathetic towards Beck. I also find Williams choice to frame him in a heroic, self-sacrificing light to be questionable. He is after all none of those things. Just the last issue the story called out the movie as a vanity project.

Additionally, this whole situation is exemplary of many of the points I made in parts 19-23. Here we have a major crisis with super villains on the rampage. Civilians and property are in jeopardy.

And Mary Jane’s abilities to help are limited. They are in fact incredibly reliant upon Mysterio covering her. Noticeably, he is the one actually fighting the Savage Six. MJ’s abilities to help are limited to shepherding and transporting people to safety. But she’s only able to do that with Mallorie’s help and the presence of a huge truck that was there purely by chance.

What If Beck wasn’t present, or worse, on the Six’s side? What if Mallorie hadn’t saved Diperna? What if there hadn’t been a truck? How would MJ have succeeded realistically? I’m not saying it’s impossible but her chances of survival were slim at best and would’ve been reliant upon finding other resources to exploit to her advantage.

Furthermore, the Knagaroo was injured in the fray. Maybe not seriously, but he was nevertheless injured and MJ was powerless to prevent that. He was lucky to have survived at all, now imagine if he was a normal security guard who had no experience fighting super powered type? How likely would he have been to live?

Now of course, the Six’s attack wasn’t exactly Mysterio’s fault. We could argue if Beck hadn’t endeavoured to make the film or omitted to include the Vulture the situation might’ve been avoided. However, this isn’t the first production in the Marvel universe to include ‘real’ super villains. Had the real Cage McKnight (or any director) made any movie featuring the Vulture at this time, it would’ve happened. In fact without MJ or Beck’s presence the cast and crew’s likely wouldn’t have fared as well.

Nevertheless, as far as MJ knows a similar situation could have occurred (or could still unfold) with beck and/or his criminal crew. Last issue she already saw Beck start a panic in the streets by throwing a tantrum. She doesn’t know all the crew so well as to guarantee they wouldn’t do anything nefarious. And in such a situation, her abilities to help would be extremely limited and situational, just like they were here. In fact if Beck has just explained to her how he single handily dealt with six super villains (who’re all stronger than him by the way) shouldn’t that spell out to MJ just how dangerous he is? That he could very easily ‘deal’ with her too if he wanted to and her chances of victory would be extremely slim?

Then we have the revelation that cast and crewmembers have left the project. The implication is that these crewmembers left because of the Six’s attack. Either they were hurt or more likely they were concerned about the risk. However, none of them were aware that they were already taking a big health/career risk by working under Mysterio himself; whilst he was stealing someone’s identity no less. MJ’s complicity in this deception is removing the agency of the cast and crew for no justifiable reason.

More problematically we don’t know if any of the crew who left were the active villains spoken of in issue #1. If they were then MJ has just allowed them to walk away without facing justice! And realistically given how they are fugitives and the film was a unique opportunity they are very probably going to go back to crime! But Mary Jane is laughing!

Now in the interests of fairness I should point out Beck did put himself at some risk for MJ and the others. This is one of the important factors that has led Peter to giving criminals a chance at redemption in the past. We looked at several of these back in part 10. However, noticeably most of those people weren’t as bad as Beck. They also hadn’t hurt Peter or his loved ones as personally the way Beck has from MJ’s point of view. There were also other extenuating factors going on that led to Peter giving them a shot. Often this entailed Peter knowing there was something or someone capable of reliably keeping the reforming criminals in check. Whether that was his own super human abilities or an official body monitoring them, the point is MJ hasn’t got anything like that in this situation.

Beck might’ve shown a glimmer of promise, but MJ is fully aware how villains like Venom and Sandman have displayed moments of self-sacrifice too. They’ve continued to do bad things in spite of that, or gone back on any promise they once showed. That doesn’t mean that Beck definitely would, but it’s a humongous gamble to take with no insurance.

And let’s remember what Beck was willing to sacrifice himself for? His cast and crew? No. His art. Look back at the page introducing the Six. Beck accuses them of being ‘Enemies of Art’.

Yes, the most generous interpretation is that Beck genuinely cares. But it’s also more than possible his care fro his cast and crew extends merely to their contributions to his vanity project.

On the next page we discover Beck’s new, safe location is something of a shithole.

Beck’s hired a new crew, but with everything that’s happened cuts will need to be made. MJ suggests they cut the romance scene with her character. Beck points out that it’s less screen time for MJ. MJ counters it doesn’t take away from the hero’s development and that it was always self-indulgent anyway. She follows up that they are making a biopic, not a fantasy film. Beck seems miffed at this point.

There is a fair bit to unpack here.

MJ is being self-sacrificing here, which is true to her character. She’s allowing her career opportunities to suffer in order for the project over all to succeed. This further hurts the argument that MJ is sticking around for the sake of her career.

But the context is confusing.

In ASM v5 #29 dialogue from the script was ripped straight from Webspinners #1-3.

This dialogue involved Beck talking to an old flame (Betsy Schneider), arguably the only woman he was ever in love with. She was noticeably not a super heroine, yet in the movie she was. I didn’t bother to bring that up before because, this being a vanity project, it’s not unbelievable that Beck would misrepresent his life inaccurately. ‘Look at me I got a sexy super hero for a girlfriend! Aren’t I cool!’.

MJ wouldn’t necessarily know the truth of Beck’s lover so I didn’t bring it up before. Here though, Williams is implying that she has sussed out that Beck was making that aspect up. At which point MJ should further realise the movie is an exercise in self-indulgence. She even says so in this scene.

More confusingly, in issue #1 Beck heavily implied to MJ that he was making this movie (and wanted her in it) largely because he felt he let Betsy down. That being the case, wouldn’t cutting out the romance undermine the point of the movie? Or at least undermine it from MJ’s POV? Honestly, that’s not that big of a deal though. Beck’s motivations for making the film have already been contradicted since issue #1 anyway; it’s already a goddam mess.

Furthermore, the scene specifically says romance ‘scene’, as int eh singular. Call me crazy but whenever there is a romance between a protagonist and a love interest in a film their romance isn’t confined to just the ONE scene. It’s usually a few scenes at least. In this case, MJ’s character exists in the story fundamentally to be Beck’s lover. She’s been given much more than that due to MJ’s suggestions in issue #1. But that was still the primary role she existed for. This means MJ’s role in the movie goes against the entire reason Beck included her. So why would he agree to that? Why would MJ suggest it if her investment hinges upon sympathy for Beck? She has basically taken Beck’s original intention for her character and gone from improving upon it to basically substituting all of his original intent for something else entirely.

She even calls its inclusion unrealistic. That could be a display of her trademark confidence (MJ is fully aware she is attractive) and/or a dig at Beck. Either way she’s tempting fate there. She already saw him throw a tantrum last issue and now she’s altered arguably the most important role in the movie to him and thrown shade at him over it. Real clever.

Additionally she refers to Beck’s role as the hero. This further contradicts issue #1’s assertions that the film was portraying Beck as a villain. It’s also rich for MJ to claim the romance should be cut as the film is a biopic. By that logic Beck shouldn’t be framed heroically, empathetically and the film should apologise for his acts of evil.

There is also a meta-argument to be made about Williams’ intentions with this page. It’s possible she’s critiquing the superfluous nature of so many romance stories in Hollywood films, arguably super hero films in particular. I don’t really have any praise or problems with that if it is the intent. Just thought I’d point it out.

As for the new crewmember…we’ll get to them later.

Over on the next page ‘McKnight’ tells Mallorie to give MJ a producer’s credit. Beck explains that the new location is an abandoned zoo, hence why it’s a shithole. He proceeds to introduce the new members of the crew.

The only thing of note is Beck giving MJ a producer credit. This raised an eyebrow from me because it epitomizes so much of MJ’s role in the story thus far.

MJ’s most famous profession is an an actress. In the majority of adaptations that’s her job. It was part of how she was introduced to us in ASM #43. It’s one of the things that thematically connects her to Spider-Man. It’s also through her renewed interest in acting that we got this story.

In fact MJ gave a heartfelt monologue specifically about acting in ASM v5 #25 and it was this monologue that led to her job on the biopic.

And yet in this story Mary Jane has spent very little time acting. The story itself has ruminated very little about her role as an actress or depicted her acting at all. Mysterio has been acting far more than Mary Jane has.

MJ’s main role thus far in the story has been as Beck’s right hand, as his producer.

Isn’t that rather problematic? That wasn’t the story as advertised in Spencer’s ASm run, nor even in the initial build up to AMJ’s release. It also goes against the themes that have traditionally defined Mary Jane, especially within the context of her actually working on a movie.

I have a tinfoil hat idea as to why this might be the case though. Here is an excerpt from an interview Williams gave prior to issue #1’s release:

It's set in Hollywood and it's a film production, and my work background is actually in film production. I lived in LA for a little while. So drawing upon the full arsenal of my Hollywood hot mess stories of what goes on on film sets, that has been an absolute delight. Because then I can also demonstrate how MJ is able to think on her feet and be like, okay, well let's not do the bad thing. Instead, let's be smart about it. Very cathartic, again. So cathartic.

-From Bleeding Cool

I’m not going to presume working in ‘film production’ means Williams was a producer per se. I’ve also been unable to find any evidence that she was a credited producer nor that she worked as an actress.

But it seems to me Williams in drawing upon her personal experiences is skewing MJ more towards the jobs she personally did. In other words Williams is writing MJ as closer to a producer than an actress. It comes across very much like Spencer/the editors handed her a certain premise and she then terra formed it into what she wanted to do, rather than what the direction he set up implied.

That is all total speculation on my part. I have no hard proof at all to corroborate that.

But if that is what’s going on, then I find it kinda shitty. It’s not exactly what the role asked of her as a writer and more poignantly it’s not what MJ’s history invites either. It’s not that MJ couldn’t be a decent producer it’s just that that isn’t where the thematic resonance for her character lies. At least, not within the context of making a movie.

Let’s leave it there for now and continue next time.

Previous Part

Next Part

Master Post

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synkiller82 · 5 years

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Collapse Into Me Chapter 10 - Address

Adrien waited nervously in his room. Viktor had just left to pick Marinette up, and Adrien couldn’t wait to see her. While he was confident she would impress his father, there was that small voice in the back of his mind that told him he was about to lose yet another friend at his father’s hand. He heard the front door open, and went downstairs to meet their guest.

Viktor was closing the door behind Marinette and taking her coat when Adrien arrived. She was dressed in a traditional oriental dress paired with flats made from the same fabric. Her makeup was delicate, and her hair was pulled into a chignon. She looked absolutely stunning as she walked toward him.

“Good evening, Ms. Dupain-Cheng. Welcome to our home.” Both teens turned to see Gabriel standing at the top of the stairs.

Marinette bowed slightly. “Good evening, Mr. Agreste. Thank you for inviting me. It is truly an honor.”

“The honor is ours.” Gabriel replied with a polite bow of his head as he descended the stairs. “Shall we progress to the dining room?”

“You look great,” Adrien whispered to Marinette as he fell in behind his father.

“Thanks,” she returned nervously. She admired Adrien’s charcoal grey suit, which he had paired with a hunter green dress shirt and black tie. “You look good, too.”

“Thank you.” Adrien whispered as they arrived at the table. Adrien pulled Marinette’s chair out and made sure she was settled before taking his seat on the other side of the table. Gabriel was in between them at the head of the table.

“Ms. Dupain-Cheng, that is a lovely name. May I ask why your last name is hyphenated? It is quite unusual.” Gabriel looked over at the young woman as their water was poured and salads brought out.

“My mother never took my father’s last name, as is Chinese tradition, so they decided to combine their last names when I was born.”

“I see. Tradition is important in your family then?”

“Yes. We celebrate important days on both the French and Chinese calendars,” Marinette answered, wondering where this line of questioning was going.

“Have they owned their business long?”

“They have owned it for over 20 years. My father worked in my grandfather’s bakery when he was growing up and decided he wanted to continue the family business when he and Maman moved to Paris.”

“Neither of your parents are from Paris?”

“No, sir. Maman spent most of her youth in China, but a job opportunity brought her family to Provins, where Papa was born and raised. They spent a lot of time together, being the children of a chef and a baker. When they got married, my parents moved to Paris to open the bakery.”

Gabriel nodded, but said nothing, cataloging the information to be dissected later. Nothing she had said thus far was cause for concern, other than the fact that they were in a different social circle.

“I hear their bakery is the best in Paris. I would tend to agree.” When Marinette gave him a quizzical look, he added, “My wife would often visit their bakery for fresh bread when she was still here.”

Marinette nodded. “I am sorry to hear about your wife, Mr. Agreste.” She looked over to Adrien and gave him a compassionate look, which he returned with a small smile.

Gabriel nodded. “Thank you for your sentiment. All hope is not lost for her return.”

Marinette decided to move the conversation to less sensitive topic. “May I ask why you decided to go into fashion, Mr. Agreste?”

Gabriel glanced from his meal to his guest. “I always had a passion for art, and my original career choice was to be an artist. When I was about your age, I was sitting in a park when a beautiful woman passed by. I was truly inspired by her grace and elegance. I wanted to create something that matched her beauty and designed my first gown.” Gabriel was staring off into the distance with a fond smile on his face. “I asked a seamstress friend of mine to make the gown once I purchased the supplies. I waited in that park for days hoping the woman would pass by. On the fourth day, I saw her and presented the gown to her. We were inseparable after that, even going to the same university so I could study fashion design while she studied acting and business. We were married shortly after graduating university, on the same date that we met.” Gabriel turned his full attention to her, as if seeing her for the first time. “Speaking of which, that is an interesting ensemble, Ms. Dupain-Cheng. Did you design it?”

“Yes. I designed the dress, as well as the fabric.” Marinette answered confidently. “My Maman sent copies of the silk design I had drawn to her family in China, and they sent it last month. I had the shoes were made by a local cobbler.”

“I think it looks fantastic!” Adrien interjected into the conversation that felt more like an interrogation. Hoping to talk up her talents, he added. “You should see her sketchbook, Father. Her talents have really improved since the derby hat competition.”

“Maybe another day.” Gabriel mused, turning his attention back from his son to Marinette. “What was your inspiration?”

“I wanted to create something that was a fusion of my dual heritage. While the dress has an Asian influence, the flowers printed on the fabric are the national flowers of France and China. The ballet flats are made with the Chinese silk, combining eastern and western styles.”

Adrien listened intently to her explanation, sliding glances over to his father to see if he was as impressed by her talent as Adrien was. “That’s wonderful! Wouldn’t you agree, Father?”

“I do.” Gabriel took another bite of his meal before focusing again on Marinette. “You said you received the fabric from family?”

“I did, sir. Maman’s family still lives in China, and her sister knows someone who prints textiles, so they were able to have it made as a gift for my birthday this year.”

“That was really nice of them,” Adrien whispered.

Marinette watched as a sad expression crossed Gabriel’s face before his mask slid back. Before she could question him about it, Gabriel changed the subject.

“Are you planning on interning with any of the fashion houses here in Paris over the summer?”

Marinette looked up as she placed her utensils down, finished with her entrée. “I was considering applying for a few of the internship programs. I am not going to pin my hopes on them, though.”

“Do you not believe your talents are superior enough to receive one?”

“I wouldn’t be so boastful as to say that. I believe the experience would help sharpen and hone my talents. However, they are typically given to university and senior lycée students. I am content to apply for them to get my name out there and continue to work on my own until I receive one.”

“I look forward to seeing your portfolio on my desk shortly,” Gabriel noted as the dinner plates were removed and dessert was presented.

“You will be disappointed then, sir.” Marinette stated plainly, causing both men to look up at her as she sipped her water. “I will not be applying for an internship with your company.”

“Marinette…” Adrien gasped. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Why not?”

“Integrity. The same reason I turned down Mrs. Bourgeois’ invitation to New York two years ago after the fashion show with the derby hat.”

Gabriel was intrigued. “I am not quite sure I understand your answer. It would be a wonderful opportunity to work under any of my designers.”

“I’m sure it would be.” Marinette countered. “But I want to get into this industry on my own merit, not because I rode the Agreste coattails. I am not Adrien’s friend for the benefits.”

Adrien’s heart burst with affection for this girl. She was one of the first people to like him for him, not because he was an Agreste or a model or rich, and she had just told his father that. Could she get any better?

“Then why are you friends with my son?”

Marinette turned to look at Adrien. “Adrien is kind, thoughtful, and intelligent. He surprises me every day with how much love and kindness he has to give. He is faithful to his friends and sees the best in everyone he meets.” She smiled and turned to Gabriel with an intensity in her eyes that could cut steel. “Your son is more than just a pretty face to put on magazines and billboards.”

Adrien’s mouth fell open at the blatant jab at his father. Did she really just say that to the man who could blacklist her from her chosen industry? Did she understand that their friendship was on the line? He closed his mouth and dared a look at his father to see his reaction.

Gabriel was thrown off balance. He was used to having people submit before him, including his son. Nathalie was the only one who occasionally stood up to him. Marinette was a force to be reckoned with, and he wasn’t sure if he wanted to keep her close or send her far away.

“I see,” Gabriel responded as the dishes were cleared. “I will take your comment into consideration. For now, why don’t the two of you retire to Adrien’s room? He has his piano practice, however, I’m sure he would appreciate the company tonight.”

Adrien didn’t think he could be more surprised by the events of the evening. He was sure that Marinette would be forbidden from entering the house again after a comment like that. He was still worried it could happen, but he wasn’t going to look this gift horse in the mouth. “I would. Thank you, Father.”

Marinette nodded. “That would be wonderful. Thank you, Mr. Agreste. The meal was lovely, as was the conversation.”

“The pleasure was all mine, I assure you.” Gabriel replied. “If you will excuse me, I must return to my office.”

Marinette walked into Adrien’s room, confused when she didn’t see his piano. She was about to ask where it had gone, when she remembered she had only been here as Ladybug and wouldn't know that he had a piano in his room in the first place. She decided to play dumb, as if assuming the piano might be located elsewhere in the house. "Why are we in your room if you're supposed to be practicing the piano?"

Adrien grinned as he pushed a button on his remote and the grand piano appeared from the floor. He giggled at Marinette’s expression as her eyes widened and her lips formed an ‘o’ of wonder. “What can I say, Father is eccentric.”

Marinette giggled at his eye roll. “What are you going to be playing today?”

“I’m supposed to be practicing pieces by Bach and Chopin, but I’m not really in the mood for either.” He admitted as he sat on the bench, motioning for her to sit in his computer chair.

“What are you in the mood to play?” She asked, listening to his warm-up sequence of chords and arpeggios.

“Do you any requests?” He turned to see her shake her head. He grinned and started playing. It was a beautiful, upbeat song that Marinette recognized.

“This is from Howl’s Moving Castle,” she whispered, not wanting to disturb his playing.

“Yep,” he answered. “I learned it a few years ago. I know most of the Studio Ghibli theme songs. I like to play them when I need a pick-me-up.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“Maybe later. Right now, I just want to play for my best friend.”

Marinette nodded her understanding, though inside she was squealing at his sentiment. She knew they were close, but hear him say they were best friends was a victory all on its own. She moved to the piano bench, and got lost in the music. An hour of music transpired before he practiced his mandatory pieces. Although Adrien didn't seem to have as much fun with these pieces as he did with the Ghibli ones, Marinette thought they sounded just as lovely.

Gabriel sat his atelier, appreciating his son's music as it came in through the open doors. He thought back to Emilie playing the Ghibli songs to Adrien when he was little as the familiar notes filled his ears. His thoughts moved from his wife to the young woman he had just sat through dinner with. She had surprised him more than once with her honesty and ferocity. She wasn’t afraid to stand up for those she cared for, even in the face of someone like Gabriel Agreste. She reminded him so much of Emilie, his heart hurt.

He could sense the love those two had for each other, even without his miraculous, which meant his options surrounding her were limited. He decided he would keep Marinette close to the family. He would welcome her in and eventually, give her a place at his company. Then Marinette could take over one day and he could spend his golden years with his beloved.

Gabriel smiled as this potential future played out in his mind. All he needed was two pieces of jewelry, and everything would be as it should be. Two miraculous, one wish, and both Agreste men would have the women of their dreams.

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kgyeomiex · 7 years

Text

Distraction (M)

@isabelle-297 I know I may be late girl, but I promised to write this story and here you go 💕

“I could not tell you if I loved you the first moment I saw you, or if it was the second or third or fourth. But I remember the first moment I looked at you walking towards me and realized that somehow the rest of the world seemed to vanish when I was with you.”

JYP has announced a new girl group in the company and you happened to be one of the members. The moment you signed in, that was the moment you were hoping to just focus on music and your career, but something gets in the way. A massive love triangle is what causes a bumpy road for you and your future.

Part 1~

More Parts:

Part 2 // Part 3 // Part 4 // Part 5 // Part 6 // Part 7 // Part 8

Masterlist

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“5 6 7 8!” The moment the leader shouted the last number that’s when you knew it was your cue to start dancing with the rest of the members in your group. The beat began to build up and the first vocalist in your group Soo Mi began to lip sing as she stood in front of the whole group and doing her steps different from the rest.

You were so focused on hitting every step that your part came up and the moment you were suppose to lip sing it completely slipped out of your mind and the music completely stopped and Park Jin Young also known as J.Y. Park from JYP Entertainment raised up from his seat and looked right at you.

“Y/N this is the fourth time you messed up, what’s up?”

You have became overwhelmed a complete mess especially because your debut with your group PinkDesire was coming out very soon. The pressure is on and to be honest you had no choice but to work ten time harder to make sure you guys don’t mess up.

You have been training for about five years now and you still try to work as hard as you can. On top of that you're the youngest one in the group, you have to work harder than everyone especially because you’re a foreigner.

The thing about you is you’re not Korean once so ever, actually (You’re nationality) and you seem different to the rest but after living in Korea for a while now, you’re pretty fluent in Korean. Your mother moved to Korea out of the blue due to her job and at first you didn’t want to move and leave your friends, but little do you know you’re now becoming a star and here trying to make it big.

“I’m just a little tired.” You responded back to Park Jin Young and didn’t seem to please with the response but it was true. Last night you stayed up at the studio writing songs for your first album by yourself till 2 in the morning and you had to wake up at 5 in the morning for practice..

“Take 5.” Park Jin Young says and after that he gets up and walks off leaving your group completely alone. One thing you hated the most was disappointing people, especially your group. You could feel the head leader Min-Seo approach you and rested her hand on your shoulder.

“You know our debut is right around the corner right?” Min-Seo informs you and you slowly nodded your head and just continued to stare at her.

“Alright, you look completely tired, go home and rest. I’ll tell Jinyoung I excused you.”

“Bu-”

“Do it befor my offer expires. “ The thing about Min-Seo is she has the all of the qualities a leader needs to have. She’s strict and when she gets mad she gets really mad.. You just prefer to stay in her good side no matter what.

“Thank you,” was the only possible words you were able to form out of your mouth and from that point on you left out of the studio and was on your way back to the dorms for a good night rest.

You had your duffle bag on one of your shoulders and you suddenly felt your phone vibrate from your pocket, you grabbed your phone and there you see get information about tomorrow schedule.

Tomorrow was going to be day one for your first video shooting. Fun..

Without even noticing you felt your head hit something and you looked up and there you see a person standing right in front of you. Shit you were so distracted looking down at your phone you didn’t happen to notice a person standing right in front of you.

“I.. I’m so sorry.” You blurted out and the stranger standing right in front of you remained quiet and just continued staring directly into your eyes...

“Okay.. then.” You tried to walk by but you felt like everything happened so quickly. In no time you felt a hand grab a hold of wrist and you stopped yourself from walking and looked back at the stranger.

“New trainee?”

You silently nodded your head and then it all of sudden it hits you, you were speaking to Mark from Got7. Ever since you arrived to JYP, you never had a chance to communicate with the artist from JYP since most of the time you spent practicing and trying to get ready to debut.

“Hm, well my name is Ma-” before he could finish his sentence you cut him off making a huge fool out of yourself...

“Mark! I know, I’m a big fan...” You blurted out without even thinking and at that moment you realized... You should have shut up in the first place and just let him say his name. You felt your cheeks heating up from being completely embarrassed and Mark chuckles.

“What’s your name?”

You were about to speak up but you got cut off when you heard the sound of Mark name being called from the right. The two of you turned your heads and there you find Jaebum walking up to Mark.

What the hell should you do? Should you walk away? Should you excuse yourself from Mark and the leave? Or just stay here and remain quiet? Ah what to do what to do..

“Where have you been? We’ve been waiting for you for a while now.” You awkwardly could feel the ignorance of your presents so you knew that was your cue to leave and go back to the dorms. You awkwardly scratched the back of your neck and tried to walk out on your nearest exit till all of sudden you felt a hand on your wrist and you froze and looked up. What’s up with everyone grabbing on your wrist?!

“Oh! I was here with my new good friend..” Mark says as he looked over at you motioning to state your name and you looked at Jaebum who eyes were already glued to you.

“Y/N,” You awkwardly blurted out and you slowly bowed showing that you had respect to your older peers and all Jaebum did was stare at you. Shit...

“I better get go-”

“Why don’t you join us to get something to eat?” Mark asks inviting you out even though he had no idea who you were and what kind of person you were.

“Uh..” The problem with you is you don’t know what no is. No matter how much you try to let the word fall out of your mouth.. It never seems to form.

“Mark... Are you sure?” Jaebum asks looking over at Mark and you stared at Jaebum and looked away. Shit Jaebum probably thinks your some type of freak because you can’t speak. Get your shit together!

“Ah.. Maybe next time.. I should head back to the dorms..” You bowed and tried to walk off till..

“Wait..”

You stopped and looked back, you glanced at Jaebum and could see Jaebum looking at you examining you from head to toe. Aish all you wanted to do was go back to the dorms and sleep... But no here you are standing in front of Mark and Jaebum from Got7 looking like a complete fool.

“What brings you to JYP?” Jaebum asks you and from there you see Mark elbowing Jaebum at his stomach and they both exchanged looks with one another.

“Um... I’m a trainee...”

“From PinkDesire?”

“You heard about us?” You were actually completely surprised because you never expected JYP to mention your group at all until we finally debuted but maybe more people know about your group than you think..

“Yeah, you all are about debut am I right?” You were now actually having a conversation with Jaebum? Was this really happening? At first he seemed so uninterested in you in the beginning and now here he is asking whether you were debuting soon or not.

“Hm, you sure you don’t want to join us?” Wait now Jaebum wants you to join? Didn’t he just elbow Mark. You were beyond confused.

“Um.. I-” You were cut off when you felt a hand on your waist and you were being pulled by Jaebum. Again with the wrist!

“It’s good to get to know people in the same company as you.”

“Am I even allowed?” You asked confused as you were being pulled away by Jaebum and Mark right next to you and Jaebum just shrugs.

There must have been a reason why JYP hasn’t introduced you to the rest of the celebrities in JYP... Maybe you all weren’t ready for that? You were suppose to go back to the dorms and rest for music video shooting tomorrow but instead here you are going to get lunch with these boys... You’re a mess..

“Ah whatever it’s too late, you’re already joining us whether you like it or not.” You didn’t respond back. You just met these two boys and you were already going to have lunch with GOT7.

The moment you were standing in front of all of GOT7 next to Mark and Jaebum all eyes were on you. Damn it, it was far too late to run away now.

“Who’s she?” Bambam blurts out asking and Mark looks over at you and smiles.

“She’s a new trainee in JYP.”

“Actually about debut,” you interrupted and your eyes widen when you realized you interrupted Mark. Shit!

“I mean...” You felt your cheeks heating up and you felt completely flushed.. The bad thing about you, is you still haven’t had the chance to come out of your comfort zone, you were shy when you would talk to people for the first time.. But it was going to be a matter of time where you would have to get over that fear.

“Ah! That PinkDesire group right?” Jackson asks you and you just simply nodded your head.

“Yes u-” you were about to continue talking till you suddenly felt your phone vibrate. You quickly pulled out your phone and it was the leader to your group.

We will be at the dorms later than usual, hope you have a good night's rest and be prepared to shoot our first music video tomorrow.

Ah why do you suddenly feel guilty. Should you tell the boys you have to go? Or maybe... you can just stay eat and go back to the dorm and sleep like you should be doing..

“Is everything okay?” Mark asks probably reading off of you face expression you looked worried. You quickly looked at Mark and smiled.

“Ah.. Yeah I’m perfectly fine..”

“Good.”

At first just the thought of being left alone with seven guys having no clue who they were was scary. But the more you were around them, the more you realized they were just normal guys who happen to sing and dance on stage. The way they would pick on one another would make you laugh and couldn’t help but to feel like they were a small family.

“Y/N.” You heard your name being called and you looked up and see Mark looking right at you.

“Are you scared about debuting? You know releasing music videos and even going on stage and performing?” You were nervous about it but you had passion for dancing and before you became a trainee for JYP, you were a part of a dance group that used to perform in talent shows, record youtube videos or would dance out in public trying to get some type of recognition so performing couldn’t be too bad.

“Not really..”

“It’s okay to be a little nervous,” Jaebum adds and you just shrugged.

“Were you boys scared?” You asked and they all stopped and looked at one another and it was completely silence. At first you weren’t expecting anyone to respond but eventually someone said something at last.

“It’s not about being scared, I mean I’m not going to lie but I was a nervous wreck. Not only did you have an audience watching you, but you have your manager in the back watching you and cameras in all sort of directions... One screw up and it’s talked about.” Jinyoung says and your eyes were quick to widen.

So much for remaining calm.

“Yah, you’re scaring the girl.” Jaebum says elbowing Jinyoung and they both laughed. Well you weren’t scared before but Jinyoung had a point..

*Bzz Bzz*

You lifted up your phone and glanced at the text. It was a text from one of your members. You pulled up the text and was quick to read it.

Hey, I know you’re probably in the dorms sleep. But I swear there is a girl at the restaurant who looks a lot like you. Ha funny right?

~Soo Mi

You’re eyes widen. Shit was your group here? They’re probably taking a break and getting dinner. Fuck how were they going to react when they see your presences here at the restaurant with GOT7 and not sleeping and resting up..

You quickly got up and looked at Mark and smiled.

“I really have to get going..”

“What why?” Mark asks rising up from his seat as well and the two of you had the whole table eyes on you.

“Y/N where are you going?” Bambam asks and you smiled.

“Thank you so much for the meal, but I really have to go.” You took one last bow and from that point on you were off running to the nearest exit.

“Y/N.” You heard your name being called and you stopped and see Mark following you.

Shit he shouldn’t be saying your name this loud especially if your group is here. Mark caught up to you and was about to say your name again but you covered his mouth and hid behind a wall. Mark looked completely confused and you knew you had to explain, but it had to be quick.

You lightly removed your hand off of Mark’s mouth and he didn’t say a single word, instead he continued to just look at you and you sighed.

“I’m sorry... I just can’t be seen right now..” Ah you sounded like you were a runaway criminal!

“What why?”

You looked around and then looked at Mark.

“To be honest... I was suppose to go back to the dorms... cause I was off in my practice and I had to get well rested, but I bumped into you and Jaebum offered to join for lunch and I couldn’t say no.. Now my bandmates are out there and if they see me.. I can get in a lot of trouble.”

You continued to stare at Mark and you surprisingly find Mark smiling and you had no idea why.

“Why are you smiling?” You asked a bit taken aback and confused and Mark chuckles.

“Nothing... It’s cute.. when you ramble.”

Did Mark just say you did something cute? You felt your cheeks all of sudden heating up and you felt extremely shy all of sudden. Mark could probably tell that you all of sudden got shy, but he couldn’t blame you.. He just called you cute..

“Um.. Right but please explain to the boys when you have a chance.. I don’t want to come off rude.” You smiled and Mark placed a hand on your shoulder and continued to stare at him.

“Don’t worry... But I have a question.”

Mark had no idea who you were yet he’s been nice from the beginning. You weren’t used to his.

“Go for it..”

“When can I see you again?” You were surprised by his question but you couldn’t help but to smile.

“Soon..”

From that point on, you were gone and you were on your way back to the dorms and was hoping to go back focusing on getting rest for the big day..

To Be Continued~

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dracoisthebae · 6 years

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The Wonder of a Fairy-tale (Chapter 1)

James Ryan Haywood has felt something inside his mind telling him he doesn't belong here for a long time, telling him he needs to head away.

Gavin Free wants to escape but doesn't really understand why? Will Michael and Jeremy stop him from making such a big decision or will he meet Ryan on the journey of a lifetime?

Hello, welcome to my new fic! I've been planning this since watching Mamma Mia Here We Go Again so it's been a few months in the making, I'd appreciate any feedback I can get.

This was it. James Haywood was out of here. Three years of college had left him with a degree and a whole lot of debt, but that was something that future James could worry about. All through his youth James knew that there was no way he would enjoy the life his mother had planned for him, succeed in high school and head over to college where afterwards he could get a respectable job and raise his own family only to have her force his children through the very same thing. Before today he had only ever had slight instances of rebellious behaviour, growing his hair and staying out at night despite the fact that he didn't drink was about as bad as it got. But now, James Ryan Haywood is an adult, legally he doesn't have to live with his mother anymore. So this was it, this was the adventure of Ryan Haywood. He'd taken the decision that with his drastic change in life he was going to go by his middle name. He'd felt that a change like that was necessary to brace himself for what he was about to do.

After his graduation, he returned to his apartment with Geoff Ramsey and Jack Pattillo his two roommates whom he'd spent the last three years with. The apartment itself was quaint, originally sold as a one bedroom but the three of them had managed to fit, had a small kitchen that went mostly unused unless James felt up to cooking his famous enchiladas as well as one bathroom and a storage room. It was a vast improvement to the university digs from the first year. The apartment had a large fire escape attached to it that the three of them referred to as 'the balcony', even taking it upon themselves to move a set of chairs out on it.

"So, what now?" Geoff questioned, he and Ryan had sat out on the balcony while Jack went to grab two beers and a Diet Coke for the three of them. The other two never questioned Ryan's choice to not drink, instead choosing to accept and move along with it. At the beginning of their friendship, Geoff's only comment was that the less than James drank more left for him.

The three of them looked like a strange bunch of men, Geoff having a curly moustache and a fair amount of smile lines despite his age after spending so much of his life giggling, Jack and his big burly beard contrasted by the bright ginger tones within, and James. Ryan, James... he hadn't entirely gotten used to going by his middle name yet, he'd read somewhere that it was something the Welsh did. Ryan looked like somewhere between a frat boy and a hippie, he hadn't yet decided on his 'look' and honestly, he thought he never would. In his opinion, it was better to go off personality than looks.

"I say we just do what we did for the last three years but without the whole education bit," Jack responded, placing the drinks on the table before taking a seat next to the other two.

"What? So stay inside playing video games? Somehow I don't think that would work." Geoff spoke as though the thought of that was impossible despite the fact that they had seen many people do so before. But they had needed to live with their parents.

Ryan took in a deep breath and spurted his thoughts, "I'm leaving." Ryan turned to look at the two other men, the shock and confusion on their facer was clear. Geoff spluttered out the sip of beer he had just taken in.

"What do you mean you're leaving?" Jack questioned before Geoff butted in, "James, where would you go? You've just graduated?"

"Greece. I'm going to Greece, I just feel it calling me, You knew this wasn't for me. This life. This city. I've booked a flight to Paris tomorrow and then I'm going from there. I've decided that I'm going to be Ryan Haywood. No James. It's not me." Ryan stood, walking out toward the edge of the balcony and gazing out at the city. "I feel like my life just isn't gonna happen here, not that I don't like you two. You guys are the best friends I could have had, but... I just don't feel like me here."

Geoff turned to face Ryan, his hands had gone up to massage his face, "Right, but why the fuck are you going to Greece? It's a bit far, isn't it? Couldn't you just go to like a national park or something?"

"I don't know, I guess I understand the need to travel. Maybe you'll meet someone. I'm not quite sure why you waited until after a degree and a heck of a lot of debt before travelling the world though..." Jack had moved to stand next to Ryan, placing his hand onto Ryans back before continuing, "So is this a long-term thing or just a holiday?"

Jack had always been the voice of reason amongst the three, ironic considering him and Ryan had very similar voices. Jack also understood the tension between Ryan and his mother.

Ryan turned away from the balcony, "I don't know... For however long I need to feel complete. I wish I understood. It used to be so nice, it used to be so good" Taking the few steps back into the apartment, he began to pack his clothes. "Guys, you made me feel alive, but something died I fear. I really tried to make it out, but there's only so much of this type of life I can take. There's more I know it."

Ryan didn't have much in that apartment that was his, he'd always known that he wasn't going to stay. His bags were almost constantly packed for this very reason. Geoff and Jack had questioned his lack of possessions once or twice, he guessed it was all clicking in his head now. The only reason he came to college was for the sake of his mother. Ryan had always known that he was destined for something more than software development, the thought of working in a small office and doing the same thing every day until he was sixty was horrific to him.

Ryan sat on his bed, closing his suitcase and turning to his two roommates.

"They passed me by, all of those great romances. It’s as if you’re robbing me of my rightful chances. My picture clear everything seemed so easy. And so I dealt you the blow, one of us had to go. Now it’s different, I want you to know..." The two other men knew that Ryan was talking about his mother, he hadn't spoken much about her but what he had said was enough for them to understand that he had been forced into this college and career path.

Geoff moved towards the bed, picking up what was left of Ryans possessions. He could tell that Geoff had warmed up to the idea of Ryan needing to find himself as he began speaking, "One of us is lonely, one of us is only waiting for a call, sorry for himself. Feeling stupid, feeling small. Wishing he had never left at all. We know that you didn't want to come here."

"We just hope that you let us visit," Jack said as he moved over to the other two and helping pack away what little possessions Ryan had.

Ryan moved the last few items into his bag, "I saw myself, as a concealed attraction. I felt you kept me away from the heat and the action. Just like a child, stubborn and misconceiving," He stood up, moving towards the door and motioned to the other two, "Come on, walk with me. That’s how I started the show, one of us had to go. Now I’ve changed and I want you to know." His bag held in one arm, using the other to open the door.

Jack tilted his head to the side while Geoff headed towards Ryan, "You have told her haven't you?"

A great sigh left Ryans throat, "She'll find out, wherever she is. She'll know."

The three college graduates headed out into the damp streets, the recent rainfall reflecting the street lights back into their faces. Ryan knew that the other two would understand everything after a while, it was just the thought that he hadn't planned it despite the fact that Ryan had been planning this for his whole life.

"I have a plan, a loose one, I'm heading to France. Finding a hotel there and travelling. There's this island, Kalokairi. Only accessible by boat, I've been researching it every day in the library. Talking to the geography lecturers. I know that that's my goal." Ryans hair had flopped in front of his eyes, the shaggy locks were something he probably should've fixed before now. The recent sun had highlighted parts of his mane to become a light blonde.

His clothes were another thing, he didn't have many. Loved living a minimalist lifestyle while still having clothes that expressed himself. Brighter tones that played up his blue eyes to a shine that he knew never belonged in Georgia or even America.

"James, do we want to know the name of the game? What's your reasoning? Upturning your entire life for this feeling in your gut?" Jack appeared concerned for Ryan, his eyebrows had knitted together along his forehead.

"Yeah, I get feelings in my gut all the time but its usually just telling me I need to vomit." Geoff barely got through the sentence, giggling halfway and ending with a wheeze.

Jack glared over at him, "Time and a place Geoffrey."

Ryan turned around, walking backwards, "Schoolbag in hand, I left home in the early mornings. Waving goodbye with concern in my eyes. Is it so much to want a different life for your self? I feel everything slipping through my fingers. The feeling that I'm losing myself without even entering the world." His empty arm raised, "I let precious time go by."

"What happened to those wonderful adventures, the things we had planned to do?" The tone in Jacks' voice was honest and confused.

"We can still do all of that, think of all the adventures we can have when you visit, I'll write to you every chance I get." Ryans arms had lowered, a smile gracing his face. "A new place, new people, new adventures."

The main thing that had appealed to him when they had been hunting for apartments had been the fact that theirs was so close to the airport. A quick escape. No time for emotions to get the worst of things. In almost no time at all they had arrived at the airport after walking down the cobbled road, Jack finally accepting what Ryan was about to do.

"We'll be thinking about you." Jack had raised his palm onto Ryans shoulder while Geoff pretended that he wasn't crying his eyes out, "Yeah, you better share everything with us!" He had been so happy when he had finally gained an appropriate amount of facial hair to call a moustache, but now Geoffs moustache had drooped with the frown on his face.

Ryan took a deep breath, he had spent years thinking of this moment and he knew that all the thoughts he'd had didn't weigh up to the real thing. He turned to the two other men, "Bye gents, I'll share every moment with you." Ryan turned to rush up the stairs towards the check-in desk.

The first thing Ryan noted about the airport was that it was bright, almost congratulating him on making the decision. Walking over to the lady manning the desk he let out a breath he didn't know he was holding, "Uh hello!"

She looked up, her hair was tied back into a bun and she had a fake smile plastered on her face, "Hello Sir, where are you flying to?" Her hand came out to reach for his ticket, Ryan handed over the blue and white piece of paper that held his fate in its print.

"Ah, Paris. A romantic I take it then?" She looked back up at him, the smile had transformed. Oh... She fidgeted with a loose hair that had fallen out of the hold of her hairspray. Ryan moved a hand up to rub at his neck, this wasn't quite what he was expecting... The feeling in his gut told him to ignore her, Greece was more important, he would find his fate along the way.

"Uh, not really I'm just going around Europe looking for something..." The ticket lady scoffed and handed the ticket back to him, and Ryan said his thanks and went on his way over to security. This was right.

#ryan #ryan haywood #Gavino Free #Gavin #Gavin Free #mamma mia #freewood #geoff ramsey #Jack Pattillo #au #alternate universe #Wonders of a Fairy-tale

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growingupguidepup · 4 years

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Adventures In Puppy Raising Part 6: The Hard Part

At some point in the journey of every service dog puppy raiser, the puppy moves on to next stage of their life. Some will be career-changed or released from the program they started with, and others will go on to the next phase of training. If puppies go on to more training, this is when they leave their puppy raisers. This for me is the hardest part of the process, and I recently had to hand Penny over to Brigadoon Service Dogs so she could take the next step in her journey to become a service dog.

With all of our previous puppies we were given at least a month’s notice before we turned them in to the organizations. But with Penny, things happened a little differently. This was partly because Brigadoon runs differently than either of the two other organizations that we have raised for, partly because of uncontrollable events.

One of the co-founders of Brigadoon, Leon, just passed away, and Matt and I decided to make the trip up to Washington to attend his memorial services. Brigadoon is a very small organization, and it was important for us to be there to support them. When we let them know that we would be there, we were told that it would be a good time to bring Penny with us so she could stay behind and begin advanced training.

Normally we have time to prepare ourselves mentally; we have a chance to do some “lasts” with our puppy. We try to do all of that puppy’s favorite things, make sure they see their favorite people and dog friends. After all, when I have had a puppy for a year or more and help them grow and develop, it can be hard on my heart to let them go. I know that when I take on a new puppy that I will have to one day say goodbye, and it is part of the process.

“I have always wondered if other people could see the same potential that I saw in them as baby puppies, and they do.”

When we turned puppies in for Guide Dogs for the Blind, all puppies were turned in on a weekend. We could choose which day (Saturday or Sunday), and what time we took our puppies to the kennel (as long as it was during kennel hours). I also had the choice to walk the puppies to their kennel or hand the leash off to a kennel attendant. I always had the attendant take our puppies from us so that they didn’t see me leave them. When we turned Patrick in, we had a set date and time for turn-in. There was a luncheon and then we loaded Patrick up into their training vans for transport to the kennels.

Turning Penny in for training was a very different process from any other puppy. I will be the first to admit that we got very unusual and somewhat special treatment. How things went for us is not the normal procedure. We flew in on a Thursday morning and drove to Tahoma National Cemetery for a military memorial service, it was a beautiful service. Matt and I had a chance to meet and talk with employees who work at the correctional facilities where Penny’s siblings, Bernard and Bianca, have been training. It was nice to hear that everyone is very fond of the two of them and how sweet everyone thinks they are. I have always wondered if other people could see the same potential that I saw in them as baby puppies, and they do. They were all happy to meet the “other” sibling as well.

After the service we drove to Brigadoon. Denise was very kind to let us stay in a small room above the team training room. She even let Penny stay with us rather than putting her in the kennels right away. We had planned to stay for multiple days and we were able to get Penny comfortable with the grounds and the people who work and volunteer at Brigadoon gradually over that time.

The day after we arrived we took some time with Penny and explored the area, and what a beautiful area it is. We visited the downtown area for the first time and also checked out some of the different neighborhoods. We had a chance to see Bianca, whom we hadn’t seen since we dropped her off at 10 weeks old. She had grown so much, but was just as beautiful as she was as a puppy. Her temperament was very similar to Penny’s. She was shy and a little wary of people that she didn’t know, but warmed up very quickly. She was still very sweet and gentle. She didn’t recognize us right away, but I do think that after a little while she started to remember.

On Saturday, we had a chance to reunite Penny and Bianca with the help of one of the volunteers who helps take care of the dogs. We first let Penny and Bianca see each other through a fence, with each dog in her own area. After we gave them a few minutes to sniff and check each other out, we let them in one of the enclosed pens together. They were both so happy and immediately started playing together. Penny is actually a bit bigger than her sister and I don’t think that Bianca was used to being around a dog bigger than she is. After we saw that they were going to get along well, we let them into the very large play area where they were free to run to their hearts’ desire. What an amazing sight it was to see both dogs running together. When Penny can run full out it is quite a beautiful thing.

Another volunteer joined us in the play yard. Penny had been very wary of him earlier in the morning, but when she was in the play yard with Bianca and saw that Bianca was friends with him she was much more relaxed. He started playing fetch with the girls and that really helped Penny trust him. This was exactly what Penny needed. She needed to learn to trust the people at Brigadoon and see that it was a place where she would be safe and have fun.

Later that morning we helped set up for a reception for Leon being held at Brigadoon. While we helped, Penny had a chance to get acclimated with the kennels. This was a very important thing for Penny—kennel stress along with trusting people she didn’t know were my biggest worries about her. So an introduction to the kennels while we were still there was nice for all of us. She had a chance to learn the routine of the kennel and meet more of the people who help out and care for the dogs.

Once again the reception was lovely. We learned what an amazing person Leon was and how Brigadoon wouldn’t be here without his help. Many wonderful stories were told about him and both Matt and I wished that we had a chance to get to know him. We were both reminded again why we fell in love with this small but wonderful organization.

After the reception we took Penny for a walk at a local park that was absolutely beautiful, with waterfalls included. While on the walk we met a really nice woman who had adopted a released dog from Brigadoon. She too had nothing but great things to say about Brigadoon as an organization and the people who are a part of it. We got some of our last pictures with Penny and got ourselves prepared to spend our last night with her. Sometimes you just don’t want that night to end.

Spending the day in the kennel and probably feeling our emotional stress started to get to Penny and she did throw up in the car on the way back to Brigadoon. She hadn’t fully finished her breakfast or her dinner the night before either, so it was pretty obvious that she was feeling a little stressed about the change of routine. I spent some time cuddling with her that night and reassuring her that she will be in good hands. She was pretty exhausted and slept really well that night.

The next morning she didn’t really want to eat, but I took her out for some playtime and then she was more relaxed and ate a little bit for me. We let her hang out in the large play yard while we took a chance to play with the absolutely adorable six-week-old litter of collie puppies that Denise’s own personal dog had. I can’t resist puppies! Penny was definitely enjoying her time outside in the grass and trees.

Then it was time to pack up our things and get ready to drive to Seattle to catch our flight home. Penny was set up in her kennel and hanging out with one of the trainers. While I packed up, Matt spent some one-on-one time with Bianca and when I finished packing I took some time to play with her as well. And then we had one final play session with Penny. She absolutely loved being outside there; that is all she wanted to do almost the entire weekend. Once again, I didn’t want it to end and leave for home.

When it was finally time for us to leave, we took Penny to her kennel. We left her “My Little Pony” blanket, a few of her favorite toys, her pink elephant, and of course her pink bunny. This was the first time we were able to leave something familiar with any of our puppies.

“… there is a part of me that is hoping that I do get that call that Penny wants to come back to us, but there is also a part of me that really hopes that she excels without me and goes on to do great things for someone that really needs her more than I do.”

People may think I’m weird or crazy, but each puppy I drop off I talk to them and I hope that they understand what I am saying. I tell them how proud of them I am and that they are destined to do great things, no matter what their path is. Penny was no different. As I hugged her goodbye I told her how much I loved her and how proud I am of her. That her future was her choice, if the stress was too much for her to let someone know and that they would call me to come get her, but I really wanted to her give this training a chance before she decided. I told her that I will be forever grateful for having her in my life and that she helped make me whole again even though she will always have a piece of my heart. Each puppy we raise is special, each different and unique. With each one the experience and lessons I learn from them is just as unique as each puppy.

With Penny, she is special for so many reasons. She is the first puppy that we got to name. She is the first puppy that we got to actually choose to be the puppy we raised. She is the first puppy that was as big as I am. And probably the biggest reason that she is special is that she came into my life when I needed her the most. Along with letting go of Bianca and Bernard first, it was being able to raise Penny for the last year that showed me that I can still be a puppy raiser. My heart was very fragile but she helped heal me as a person that I don’t think that I am able to fully explain. Penny has a very powerful thing about her and I have seen her make other people who are emotionally hurting feel better. She seems to know and her gentle loving nature (and pushy need to hug) has some sort of magic.

Now I will be totally honest, there is a part of me that is hoping that I do get that call that Penny wants to come back to us, but there is also a part of me that really hopes that she excels without me and goes on to do great things for someone that really needs her more than I do. I know that she is in great hands with Denise and the crew at Brigadoon. The love and care they give their dogs is why I chose to place all three puppies with them. I know that they will do what is best for each of them. When we landed from our flight home we had a text message waiting for us letting us know that Penny had eaten all of her dinner, a good sign that she wasn’t too stressed out and adjusting already. Six days after we left Penny we got a short video of her playing fetch with one of the board members and volunteer, she looked so happy. We even got another short video of her in her kennel snuggled up and sucking on her bunny, so I know that they are doing everything they can to keep Penny happy, comfortable, and on the path to becoming a service dog.

So what is next for Penny? There is a chance that she might head to one of the correctional facilities and start learning more defined skills. The inmates are a huge part in almost all the Brigadoon dogs leaning the skills they need to assist someone. Almost like intermediate training. We did the foundation work, the inmates will do more advanced work and then the staff at Brigadoon will do the fine tuning when it is clear what type of work will be best suited for Penny. She still has about another year’s worth of training and learning ahead of her and we will eagerly await to see what path she chooses.

And what is next for us? Well Oscar is … we didn’t come home empty-handed. Like I said, we love this organization and want to continue to support them. We brought home with us a super eager to learn and energetic 15-week-old fox red Labrador puppy. So our next adventure is just beginning and hopefully now after our latest trip, a long relationship with Brigadoon Service Dogs. So stay tuned for more on the adventures with Oscar …so far he looks like he is going to be a really fun guy!

For more details on our products and services, please feel free to visit us at: service dog, service dog law, service dog etiquette, service dog puppy raiser, guide dog.

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torentialtribute · 5 years

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England football: Hopes are high that Gareth Southgate’s squad is developing

When England & # 39; s World Cup ended in Moscow in July 2018, Gareth Southgate claimed to be sure of the path forward.

& # 39; We have a core group of young players in this team that we think will advance us and others who come through the age group teams & # 39 ;, said the UK head coach. & # 39; We are starting to see success in the age groups, but it is an ongoing process. This team is by no means close to the level they can reach. & # 39;

It was easy to say and believe anything. Southgate and his players had given us so much to cheer during that summer in Russia we would have swallowed just about anything.

Gareth Southgate claimed to be sure of the way to follow when 2018 World Cup ended

But it happens that Southgate was right. About a year later, his England team – his core of 16 or 17 main players – is not flawless, but, as he suggested after that defeat to Croatia in the World Cup semi-final, his team has begun to evolve, improve and go naturally ahead.

At the start of a season that ends with a European championship tournament, which England will largely play at home, there is a feeling that phase two of Southgate & # 39; s team is now starting as a coach.

Last season gave us the Virgin Nations League, which we generally liked, and then a few boring trusted free hit Euro 2020 qualifying games, which England literally could not lose and did not.

Now that the road to Wembley – where England hopes to contest the semi-finals and finals next summer – starts well and Southgate will announce on Thursday a team that has a nod to both the performance of last summer and a future it looks a bit different.

At club level and in international football, player is washing and taking away. Sometimes careers that are safely on the right track can stop.

That has probably happened since Russia in 2018 with players like John Stones, His Alli and Eric Dier. Likewise, players like Kieran Trippier and Jesse Lingard have questions to answer, while dear old Ashley Young may have to accept that he is all his exceptional years of service.

Eric Dier & # 39; s career has demonstrably gone from safe watching right track to parking facility

Five of those six players started against Croatia and Dier came as a replacement. With the exception of Young, players are approaching their peak years – their average age is 25 and a half – and there is no reason why they should not return to prominence.

But Southgate's point as he spoke after Russia was that English football now has a production line through the age groups that are on the move again. The academy system seems to finally offer the English team a platform on which to renew and innovate.

When players are missing or injured, they can be replaced. With that in mind, last season's international football was notable for quickly following Jadon Sancho of Borussia Dortmund, Ruben Loftus-Cheek of Chelsea, West Ham & Declan Rice and the promotion of players such as Leicester full-back Ben Chilwell and Tottenham & # 39; s ball player Harry Winks.

The names in vogue are James Maddison (above) and Mason Mount of Chelsea

Add that defends the gifted Liverpool Joe Gomez, whose season was cut short due to injury, and the gradual and welcome return to Ross Barkley's form and the choices available for Southgate – especially in creative areas – are very clear.

This time, the Southgate chooses what should be simple home games against Bulgaria and Kosovo, the names in vogue are James Maddison from Leicester and Mason Mount of Chelsea. Personally, I think it's time for the first and too early for the last

Not everyone who saw Maddison playing for the Under 21s in a disappointing European championship in Italy in the summer, found the Leicester player to be enough drive and determination in a struggling team. But his form so far for Leicester suggests that he is ready for the next step. The 22-year-old was called up a year ago but did not play.

England disappointed in losing the Netherlands in the UEFA Nations League this summer

The time of Mount will also come, we hope. He impressed Frank Lampard's Chelsea patches, but still has to contribute to a consistent performance of 90 minutes. He may have to show a little more if his steady rise through the ranks is to reward him with full English awards.

It is of course good to remember that we did not win the Nations League. UEFA welcomed the presence of England in the last four in Portugal in June because of their profile that it led to the final in their inaugural year.

But when it comes to football, England was disappointed in losing Holland and winning a shootout in a bleak and meaningless third-party match against Switzerland. If someone needed a reminder how high the bar stays in Europe, they would come to Porto.

If there is an Achilles heel in the Southgate prototype, it would defend – Joe Gomez would can come in

If there is an Achilles heel in the Southgate prototype, then it concerns the defense. Despite all their control of the ball in advanced areas, England is unreliable at the back and, although Harry Maguire & s summer transfer to Manchester United will only speed up the progress of a good player, the fact that Stones was not a normal choice last season was for City something that the manager will enter into.

If Gomez is to become a normal under Southgate, the opening is likely to come as a partner for Maguire rather than fully.

There is no such thing as a riddle-free team, and with just under 10 months to go until the start of the euro, Southgate is virtually where he hoped he would be.

& # 39; We have a great opportunity to go to a World Cup Final, & # 39; he said on his way back from Russia last July. The springboard of next summer already looks and feels like a pretty big one.

HOW THREE LIONS MOVE ON …

Line-up for England / Croatia, semi-final World Cup (Moscow, July 11, 2018)

IAN LADY MAN & # 39; s team for England / Bulgaria, Euro 2020 qualification (Wembley, September) 7, 2019)

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#England football: Hopes are high that Gareth Southgate’s squad is developing"

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