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#i was talking to my grandmother and i heard him say bop while he was working on something and i had a sudden realization
jungshook69 · 3 years
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Comforting him
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DISCLAIMER: This doesn’t represent the members’ actions or the army’s actions in any manner it’s pure fiction. This is an original work, do not copy.
WORD COUNT: 2.3K
PAIRING/S: Taehyung X female reader
GENRE: Idol x Staff au ; Best friends au
WARNINGS: None
SUMMARY: Being an idol brings an overwhelming pressure on one’s shoulders. And that pressure is heightened when there’s an audience in front of you and you’re in a very vulnerable emotional state. Taehyung needs your help. He needs your comfort. And that’s exactly what you give him.
A/N: This is not necessarily my first fanfiction, but it is the first one I’m ever gonna post on Tumblr! Well hope you guys like it and it does well:) Also I’m sorry in advance if there’s any spelling errors:(
Hi, my name is Min Y/N. I’ve been working as an editorial assistant under Big Hit for a group known as BTS for the last 5 years, ever since BTS had their debut.
I was sitting in my hotel room on my desk eyes fixed on my laptop screen as I watched some of the boys on their own Vlives. Yes this became a part of my job for the last 2 years. I was responsible for watching their Vlives and making sure nothing went wrong. By wrong I meant there were incidents when fans asked questions that were too personal or idols lost their cool on Vlive but Bang PD-nim trusts the boys and I was just assigned to do this as a precaution.
Today only Taehyung, Yoongi oppa and Jin oppa were doing Vlives. Jin oppa wrapped up pretty quickly with his EatJin Vlive segment and signed off. Now the only ones left were Yoongi oppa and Taehyung. Yoongi was bopping along to his own lyrics while Taehyung was just sitting and staring at the camera.
Even though it was just me watching his Vlive, I could almost feel his eyes bore through the screen staring straight into my soul. I suddenly saw Yoongi oppa’s screen go black. I didn’t hear him say anything it just stopped. I texted him asking him if he wanted any help with setting it back up but he said that he didn’t have any problem he actually ended it by saying goodbye and everything. Maybe I didn’t hear him because I was busy staring at Taehyung.
And yes I texted him. I know they don’t really text too many people and very rarely females, but me and Jungkook’s makeup artist Park Min-Young, were the only females from the staff that the boys were closest to and most comfortable with. Personally I am the closest to the ’95 liners Jimin and Taehyung, not just because of the same age but we just get along the best.
Soon I shifted my gaze back onto the only Vlive left, Taehyung. He was leaning over and reading the comments. He remained still for a long time with a blank look on his face.
Soon curiosity got the best of me and I wondered what he was reading and began reading the comments too.
Comments:
@army1: Oh my god your guys 3rd muster performance was amazing!!! I was there Taehyung oppa!!
@army2: Aww I’m broke I couldn’t go T-T
@army3: Taehyung oppa are you okay?        
@army4: What happened?
@army5: Didn’t you hear Taehyung cried during the concert?
@army6: Oh my god I cried too T-T
@army7: wHaT?! send me a link aSaP!! T-T
@army8: The concert was just yesterday it’s not up yet!!
I was going through the comments when I heard Taehyung speak up. He looked up at the screen with a serious face. I knew exactly what was gonna happen. He was gonna tell everyone the same thing he told people on the day of the concert. About his grandma.
I was surprised at how calm he was because everyone knew how sensitive he was when it came to his grandmother. He kept a straight face and told everyone about his grandmother. I suddenly heard his breath hitch and looked at him concerned. I knew that face. He wanted to cry but he was holding himself back. I watched as he suddenly picked up his phone and began doing something on there. As soon as he kept his phone back down my phone lit up with a little ‘ding’. I opened it and saw what he had written.
I was surprised he texted me and not Jimin. Without overthinking it too much I quickly put on my hoodie and my white sneakers and put my phone in my pocket and stepped out of my hotel room.
I was on the 2nd floor and got into the elevator to ride to the 4th floor. I reached his door and stopped in front of it. I took a deep breath and knocked on the door. I heard a bit of shuffling on the inside and about 5 seconds later the door opened and my eyes met with his.
“Come in…” he said.
“Yeah…”
I said as I proceeded to take of my shoes.
*A/N: don’t come at me with the whole stinky feet thing y’all where I live its normal to be barefoot in the house*
“Soooo….” I started.
“Here take a seat”.
I sat down on his bed and he pulled up his chair in front of me.
“I want you to know that you can tell me anything okay. Whatever you feel whatever’s been on your mind just pour it out don’t hold anything back. I’m listening okay?” I said trying to comfort him.
With that he burst into tears in front of me.
“Heyy heyy its okay just let it all out its okay” I said softly.
“You must be thinking I’m such a baby right?” he said sniffling.
“No no no no who said showing emotions is being a baby?”
“T-t-thanks.”
I raised my hand to touch his arm to comfort him. As I touched his arm he looked up at me. I thought he felt uncomfortable so I quickly jerked my hand away from his arm.
“I’m sorry.”
“No no no just—“
With that he engulfed me in a warm embrace. And its not like we haven’t hugged before. We have plenty of times. But this was different. He seemed more vulnerable now. He buried his face in my neck and sobbed onto my hoodie. I could feel his tears soak my hoodie but I didn’t mind it at all. My hand instinctively flew up to his back and started rubbing it.
After a while of enjoying each other’s comfortable silence and warm embrace I felt him stir under me. He pulled away desperately trying to wipe away his tears. I pulled my hoodie over my palm and grabbed his face with one hand. Using the other hand I wiped away his tears slowly. We looked into each other’s eyes for a few seconds till I broke the eye contact.
Smiling I said to him, “Are you okay?”
“Y-yeah…”
“Ok good. Lemme get u a bottle of water.”
I stood up and walked over to his side table and picked up his water bottle. I walked over to the bed and sat back down. I handed him the water bottle and he took a sip as I waited for him to finish.
“Don’t look at me I’m a total mess right now.” He said.
“Personally I think you guys look better without makeup.”
He stared at me and the corner of his mouth lifted a tiny bit.
“Yaaahhh there’s that smile.” I said.        
“Thank you so much Y/N.”
“Anytime Tae Tae.”
I giggled. I checked my phone. It showed the time 11.00pm. I didn’t realize I had been here for an hour.
“Well are you sure your feeling okay?”
“Yeah much better” he said smiling.
“Ok cool. Its not like I wanna escape or anything but it’s 11 so maybe I should let you sleep and I should be heading back to my room.” I blurt out. Truth being I wanted to stay with him. But I didn’t want to seem too clingy.
“Oh yeah right.” He said with a disappointed look on his face.
I grabbed my phone from beside me and put it in my pocket.
“I’m sorry I soaked your hoodie.” He said.
“Heyy don’t worry about it.”
“Ummm Y/N?”
“Yeah?”
“If you don’t mind me asking how’s your life going? I mean I feel like all we’ve been talking about is me…”
“Yaahh I’m…” I sighed. “…fine.”
“What’s wrong? Is it about the guy your crushing on?” he asked his tone slightly off.
Yes I told Taehyung and Jimin that I’m crushing on a guy but I refused to reveal his name. Well if I would reveal his name to anyone all hell would break loose.
*A/N: I think you know what I mean ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)*
“N-no… I mean m-maybe” I said stuttering, scared to accidently reveal the truth.
“Tell me what’s wrong?” he pressed further.
“Don’t you have to sleep or something?”
“No talk to me.”
“Well I haven’t told him that I like him.”
“Why not?”
“I can’t!”
“Why not?”
“Because—because I just can’t. Let’s just say it’s forbidden or it’s against the rules or something.”
“You’re still not gonna tell me his name huh?”
How can I tell you that the man I’m in love with is you.
“You’re still not gonna tell me his name huh?” he pouted.
“Nope.” I said popping the ‘p’.
“Are you afraid?”
“Yeah, that he won’t like me back, cuz I’m me and he’s…” I sighed. “It won’t work out.”
“What do you mean you’re you? You’re literally one of the smartest and prettiest girls I know. Your kind, forgiving, humble and caring towards everyone around you.” He said practically ranting.
“Aaaaww thank you Tae but correction I’m not pretty… look at me c’mon?!”
“I am looking.” He says in a deep voice.
He stares into my eyes and his hands reached out to my face as he took of my glasses.
“I think you have beautiful eyes it’s a pity I can’t see them well because of your glasses”
“Yaahh that was Jimin’s line!!” I smile.
“But I meant it.”
He said putting on my glasses.
“Oh god it’s so blurry”
He said pinching the bridge of his nose and rubbing his eyes. His gaze didn’t falter once from my eyes. I looked down at my lap trying to avoid his gaze. I could feel my cheeks heating up. I froze when I felt a finger gently lifting my chin up.
And there he was the man that I couldn’t have, the man that I was too afraid to confess too, about to steal my first kiss. He stared at my lips while licking his own. He slowly leaned forward and I closed my eyes waiting for the impact. And then I felt it.
Soft plump warm lips gently brushing against mine. He pulled away to see my reaction and I sat right there with my eyes closed and lips still puckered waiting for his warmth to come back again. He clearly saw me wanting more and leaned in again. This time his hand went to the back of my neck as he pulled me closer to deepen the kiss. He got up from his chair and leaned over me. He began to push me back gently as I felt my back touch the bed and felt him hovering over me. We remained in that position for like barely 10 seconds until the loud doorbell rang.
Me being me, I panicked at the loud sound of the bell and and jerked my head up to sit up and accidently banged my head with Taehyung’s who was hovering over me. I immediately apologized and touched his forehead.
“I’m okay, are you?” he says brushing my forehead.
“I’m fine”
He begins chuckling as he made his way to the door.
“Wait! What if someone sees me here at this time?” I freak out.
“It’s probably just one of the guys relax.”
He opened the door to reveal Jimin look up from his phone.
“Taehyung-ah I saw your Vlive and I cam— oh hi Y/N what’re you doing here so late?
“Taehyung texted me to come over so I did.”
“Oh Taehyung-ah are you okay? Cuz I saw the Vlive…”
“Yeah I’m fine now thanks to Y/N.”
He said biting his lip and smirking at me.
I blushed looking away.
“Anyways it’s pretty late. I just came to check up on you and now that I know you’re okay I’m gonna have to get going. I have practice early tomorrow morning with hobi hyung. I’ll leave you two alone now! Byee!!” he spoke in a blur and left immediately.
As soon as Jimin left I got up from the bed and checked the time, it read 11.20pm.
“I should really get going Taehyung.” I said looking down at my feet unable to meet his gaze.
I started walking towards the door. Suddenly a hand flew from beside me and pushed the door close. I turned around to see Taehyung looking down at me, trapping me between the door and him.
“So your still not gonna tell me his name?” he said, his voice extremely gruff.
“W-who?”
“Aaaww look who’s all flustered.”
“I-I’m… n-not…”
“You know exactly who I’m talking about.”
“Well whoever he is, I think you should tell him that you love him no matter what the rules are. He deserves to know. And if he says anything to hurt you I swear to god I’m going to break his spine in half!”
I think he was trying to be threatening but I found it rather cute. I giggled. Oh Taehyung-ah if only you knew…
“You really think I should tell him?’
“No, be mine…” He mumbled.
“What?” Did I hear him right?
“Y-yes.”
“Ok then I will.”
“Great.” He sighed.
He moved away from me and started walking away towards his bed.
“I love you Taehyung.”
He stopped in his tracks and turned around slowly his gaze fixed on me. I looked down at my feet feeling the heat crawl up to my cheeks. I jerked my head up in shock when I heard what he said next.
“I love you too Y/N.”
With that he walked towards me grabbing my face with his hands as he smashed his lips onto mine as we stood there against his door, not wanting to escape each other’s warm embrace. That’s when I knew that something called true love does exist.
*A/N: I hope you guys liked it:) Smile for me:)*
Don’t forget to follow @jungshook69​ for more content:) You can check out more works of mine here. Have a great day:)
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BEST YEARS
gh
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I am feeling very out of character so here is some a fluffy crazy romantic Calum blurb. It’s not even smutty. Who am I?
Calum grinned as he glanced over at the bouquet on his desk. It was just like you to surprise him with flowers at work. You were wildly romantic and refused to let his cynicism affect that. Your refusal to be anything but optimistic is what drew Calum to you in the first place. You refused to be daunted despite what the world threw at you, and he marveled at your toughness. 
When you met neither of you had been single, he was dating a woman who had the potential to be serious, and you were getting weary of a relationship that had seen better days. Your sister got involved with Calum's roommate, and while you found Roy incredibly tedious, Calum and Duke made the house one of your favorite hangouts. 
Your friendship grew closer and everyone noticed. Calum's relationship petered out. Meanwhile, your relationship quickly fell apart under constant accusations that you were cheating with Calum, or both him and Roy depending on how nasty the fight became. At that point, you hadn't even been alone in a room with Calum, and after such an ugly breakup you had no intention of jumping into a new relationship. The two of you had an easy friendship, and even after your sister upgraded her romantic partner you still came around to hang out with your boys as you called them.
Calum plucked a peach rose from the bouquet inhaling its scent, remembering your first date. It wasn't supposed to be a date, the two of you were bored out of your minds and decided to get out of the house. Calum wanted to get food, but you weren't hungry and insisted on going for a drive. You'd taken over the music, randomly selecting songs and making Calum sing along. Within an hour you'd rocked out to "London Calling," shimmied to "Jungle Love" and "Whatta Man  " His high notes in "Dancing Queen" had you giggling, but his rendition of "One Less Problem" sent you into hysterics. You made him pull over at every cheesy tourist trap and buy postcards. After a while, you were both starving and Calum pulled into the first restaurant he saw that wasn't fast food.
Opening the door he found a tiny Italian restaurant almost empty except for an older couple sharing a pizza in a corner booth. The hostess looked like someone's grandmother from the old country in Sicily. Her eyes lit up when he saw the two of you. She fussed over the two of you, blatantly ogling Calum in his blue jeans, docs, and a tight black T-shirt. 
"I'm Bianca, my husband works in the back," she introduced herself. "You two make a cute couple," the hostess commented, leading you to a table, decked out with a white linen tablecloth with white red checkered placemats.
"Thanks, it's our first date," Calum told her, leaning in towards the older woman,  lowering his voice as if he were telling her a secret.
"You came to the right place," she told him, patting his arm before giving you a not so subtle thumbs up. 
After she lit the small candle on the table, she left to let you look over the menus you'd looked at Calum, confused. 
"Shhh play along," he whispered with a wink and a brilliant smile. "We can pretend to be on a date, can't we? 
The staff went all out, starting with complimentary bruschetta which Calum made it a point to fawn over when Bianca told him it was her specialty. That was followed by antipasto before the house specialty pasta Verde, linguini with white wine sauce, chicken and spinach. There was so much food you both took several boxes to go. The drive home was slow, the music turned down so you could talk as you watched the sunset over the hills. 
You'd been a little drowsy when Calum dropped you off and walked you to your door. 
He hesitated before giving you an awkward hug and hurrying off leaving you cursing yourself for not being bolder. He was halfway home when he realized you'd left your leftovers in his car. He knew you were looking forward to the tiramisu you'd insisted on paying for yourself. He sent you a text and turned the car around. He still got butterflies thinking about how nervous you'd looked when you answered the door. How when he'd finally been ready to make a move you'd pounced first. Standing on your tiptoes in bare feet as your arms wound around his neck your lips found his, and just like that his heart was yours. 
Calum was snapped back to the present by his phone ringing on his desk. He frowned at being pulled out of his daydream until he saw your face flashing across his screen. 
"My love," you could hear the smile in his voice when he answered. "Thank you for the flowers." 
"I was about to say the same thing, but I think you went a bit overboard," you laughed holding the phone out so Calum could hear your coworkers cheering in the background. 
You worked at a small design firm with just three people and the company owner. Calum had sent all of them flowers although much smaller than the ostentatious display of orchids overwhelming your desk. 
"Nonsense, you all work so hard, and I may have had an ulterior motive," Calum confessed, putting his feet up on his desk.
"Yeah I can tell, suddenly my boss is insisting I take the afternoon off. So what's the plan Hood?" 
"What if I  order takeout from Mama's Kitchen and if you'll pick it up, I'll stop and get wine and meet you at the house. I've got a couple of calls to make, but I've canceled everything else. Sound good?" He asked her. 
"Of course, what's the special occasion?" You asked, a little confused. You'd sent him flowers on a whim, and now you were wondering if you missed something. 
"I'm in a romantic mood, what can I say? I'm not allowed to woo my beautiful girlfriend while also giving in to my craving for tiramisu," he paused, "and other sweet things," he finished, his voice trailing off to a deep rumble. 
"Order a whole one this time, you always eat more than you think you will. I'll see you at the house, love you," he grinned when he heard the "ooohs" of your coworkers. 
"Love you too, sunshine," he hung up and called the restaurant. 
The nickname, sunshine, came the day he'd asked you to move in. Nine months as a couple and he was set to go home for the holidays when his regular dog sitter fell through. You jumped at the chance to stay at Calum's place to take care of Duke. You'd sent Calum a video each night highlighting your day with Duke. One night while video chatting with he'd suggested you go through his closet a bit to try on his clothes, and take a few pics. He still had one of you in his silver sparkle jacket with nothing else on except red heels and lipstick as his lock screen.  By the time three weeks were up Calum was frustrated by how much longer the flight home seemed to take. He'd arrived home grumpy but relieved to see your car in the driveway. He'd come in the front door but heard nothing until he got further in the house. Your voice was coming from the backyard and Calum followed the sound until he saw you. You were singing to Duke, bouncing and shuffling your feet and he danced with you bopping around on his little paws.  
"You are my sunshine, my only sunshine," you'd sang, almost finished with the song before a twirl brought you face to face with him, stopping you cold. He remembered the bashful look on your face and the way you couldn't meet his eyes. Duke has been caught off guard and toppled over when he ran into the back of your legs. Calum didn't say a word as he took two steps before folding you into his arms and singing the final lines. 
"You'll never know dear, how much I love you. Please don't take my sunshine away." He'd asked you to live with him that night and you'd been his sunshine ever since.
The cars might be different but the relief at coming home to you was still the same. Duke met him at the door and he could hear you in the kitchen. He set his flowers down on the hallway table under the mirror, and scooped Duke up to give him chin scratches. He found you setting the brushetta out on a plate while the pasta was kept warm in the oven. 
"Hey handsome, dinner's ready." You greeted him with a smile wiping your hands on a napkin as he set Duke down. 
"Food can wait, I want you first," he sighed sliding his arms around your waist and pulling you in close. 
"Mmmmm I don't know what's gotten into you, but I like it," your voice caught in your chest as Calum's lips found your neck. 
"I'm hopelessly in love," he murmured feathering kisses across your collarbone. "I know I'm not always good with words but I just wanna tell you how I'm feeling. I gotta make you understand." Calum's hands began unbuttoning your shirt and he backed you up against the counter. Your fingers tangled in his dark curls as his teeth scraped against your skin. 
"Understand what," you gasped as he pushed the food aside before he lifted you onto the counter. 
"That I'm never gonna give you up," he whispered, pushing your shirt off your shoulders. "Never gonna let you down. Never gonna run around and desert you. Never gonna make you cry. Never gonna say goodbye. Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you. Never gonna give you up. Never gonna let you down. Never gonna run around and desert you. Never gonna make you cry. Never gonna say goodbye. Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you. Never gonna give you up. Never gonna let you down. Never gonna run around and desert you. Never gonna make you cry."
@kiiiimberlyriiiicker1995​ @sexgodashton​ @tea4sykes​ @sublimehood​ @irwinkitten​ @kchillout​ @cal-pal-cuddles​ @ghostofmashton​ @noshamenion​ @ukulelecal​ @maluminspace​ @calteahood​ @h0tsos​ @wildmichaelflower​ @itstheholls​ @dukehoods​ @toofadedtofight​
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eden-abbott · 4 years
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Hey guys  !  It’s Korrie here, back at it again with my fourth muse  !  Below the cut is some information about the mess that is Ms. Eden Abbott  !  Like the other times, you can read her biography on the “About” tab on this blog  !  I’d love some plots for her, so feel free to hmu here or on Discord and let’s plot  !  TW: Death, cancer
BACKGROUND
Eden’s mother, Tracy Abbott, had an affair with a married Devil’s Disciple when she was eighteen. The man’s name was Samuel Monroe, but since he was married when Tracy found out she was pregnant with Eden, she didn’t tell a soul who the father was, in order to not break up Samuel’s family. 
Tracy was kicked out of her mother’s house, as soon as the woman found out she was pregnant. So there was no contact between them when Eden was growing up. 
For the first four years of her life the mother and daughter lived at the Highway Motel, where Tracy worked. 
They later got a really small apartment, but it was all Eden’s mother could afford. Because although she worked two jobs, having a kid costs money, but Tracy never once resented Eden. She was her little miracle. The two grew a close bond which lasted through everything.
At Eden’s twelfth birthday party, Tracy’s mother appeared and practically begged to be allowed to be apart of Eden and Tracy’s life. Tracy eventually allowed it, but only after she made her mother promise to be a constant in their lives, and not to wig out again. 
After their family reconciliation, Tracy and Eden moved in with Eden’s grandmother in a house in Charming. The three of them became a close family, all of them spending a lot of time at the family owned salon, Curly Bops. 
As Eden grew up she became increasingly curious about who her father was, but her mother shut her down time and time again, eventually leading to an argument where Tracy asked Eden to never bring up her father again. 
At twenty-four, Eden was working at Curly Bops as a hairdresser full time and being prepared to take over. When her grandmother died of old age and left everything she owned to her only child, Eden was forced to step up even more and learned more about the business aspect of things. 
About a year ago her mother was diagnosed with cancer, and Eden was there for her until her last breath. Tracy Abbott passed away two months ago.
Having lost the only family she ever knew, Eden has felt alone ever since.
When clearing out her mother’s things from their shared family home, Eden found a letter her mother had written for her years prior, letting her know that her father was Samuel Monroe of the Devil’s Disciples and explaining the whole story.
This came as a shock to say the least, since Eden had heard about Samuel’s death. Even worse was the fact that she was close to Samuel’s son, Casey James otherwise known as CJ Monroe. 
Being close to her half-brother without knowing he was her half brother, Eden’s currently struggling to figure out how to tell him and his siblings that they’re her half-siblings. 
PERSONALITY
Eden used to be a very outgoing and social person, fond of parties, getting dressed up and having a good time. 
But since her mother’s death, she’s pulled into herself increasingly more. She feels very alone, despite having friends in Charming. 
Eden is good with her hands and enjoys all sorts of beautification things, such as hair, make up, fashion and hair, even going as far as sometimes sewing her own clothes. 
Usually very friendly and prone to giving second and even third chances to people who don’t deserve them. But once she has enough, she’s very hot-tempered and will give you hell.
She cares deeply whenever she cares for someone, whether it be as a friend or something more. 
Is bitter that CJ and his siblings got to grow up with a dad, while she didn’t. Is also bitter that they have each other while she’s alone. 
CONNECTIONS
LIFELONG FRIENDS  —  Someone who’s lived in Charming all or most of their life. If they’re around Eden’s age, they could’ve even attended high school together. I see this as like friends who Eden could share her deepest secret with. 
CUSTOMERS  —  People who come into Curly Bops to get their hair done. Eden’s usually chatty when she’s working. 
EX-FLING  —  Someone who Eden thought things might be getting serious with, but things ended badly and now they avoid each other. 
EX-BOYFRIEND  —  She hasn’t had a boyfriend since her early twenties, so this could be someone who left town and came back or something else entirely. Whatever we come up with. 
FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS  —  Someone who Eden feels attracted to and close to, but could never date. They’re friends first, everything else second. 
DISLIKE  —  Someone who dislikes Eden or whom she dislikes. Can be for any number of reason. Let’s talk!
NEIGHBORS  —  Someone who lives next door to Eden’s grandmother’s house, which is now her house. Depending on their age, they could’ve been friends growing up too. 
GOSSIP FRIENDS  —  Eden likes her share of gossip, so I imagine she and a few other girls or guys gather every now and then in a “book club” but it’s just an excuse to share gossip.
ANYTHING WE CAN COME UP WITH !!
@charmingintro​
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Chloe
It had been a few weeks since school had started.  Chloe and Aubrey had more than doubled down their efforts to recruit new members.  They’d posted flyers in every building where they had classes, and Aubrey had even gone so far as to post flyers where neither of them had class.  Chloe had tried to talk to every female in her classes that wasn’t already in an a cappella group. She’d even tried to convince Aubrey to talk to every female - not just the ones with “bikini-ready bodies.”
She’d been having a good time with her mysterious shower duet partner as well.  She had yet to see her, and she still didn’t know her name. She couldn’t always get her to sing.  She seemed to know most pop hits, although many were only by the chorus. She didn’t join in on songs from movies most of the time.  Anything sung by Justin Bieber or any boy band was met with a sharp exclamation of “No way!” every single time. She knew every single Broadway hit Chloe sang, though.  This morning, Chloe thought she had just the right duet. She hoped the girl didn’t have any roommates and that Aubrey wouldn’t kill her for how loud it was likely to get.
Anything you can do, I can do better. I can do anything better than you.
Sure enough, her duet partner didn’t miss a beat.
No, you can't. Chloe: Yes, I can. Mystery Girl: No, you can't. Chloe: Yes, I can. Mystery Girl: No, you can't. Chloe: Yes, I can, Yes, I can!
Chloe was thrilled.  The song had always made Chloe laugh, and she’d had a feeling the mystery girl knew it.
They went through the whole song, and Chloe was sure she heard a laugh when the song was over.  She almost made a comment but thought better of it. Anytime she’d commented before, she’d ended up singing solo the next day.
Chloe lingered for a few extra minutes outside her front door.  She hoped that she’d catch the girl. She just wanted to put a face to the voice, maybe learn her name, and get her to join the Bellas.  Okay, so that last one might be pushing it, but it didn’t hurt to hope for the first two.
Chloe waited about as long as she could before heading to her car in time to park and get to class, never seeing her mysterious duet partner.
Beca
Beca started her shower and chuckled to herself as she heard the opening lines of “Anything You Can Do” from Annie Get Your Gun .  Whether it was the redhead or the blonde, Beca wasn’t sure.  However, she knew they’d discovered her weakness for Broadway.  Beca happily joined in, not missing a beat.
She couldn’t help but chuckle at the end.  Her grandmother had helped her discover a lot of older Broadway shows, and she loved them all.  Singing it had brought up happy memories of her grandmother, especially the brief period of time she’d spent living with her in New York when she was twelve.  She waited for her duet partner to comment, but she did not.
Once Beca was dressed and ready for school, she stood at her front door and looked out the peephole.  The redhead was just standing there. Beca wondered if this meant the redhead was her mystery duet partner.  It didn’t matter, really, because she wasn’t planning to tell the girl. She wasn’t joining the Bellas or any other a cappella group, and she didn’t want to listen to her pitch the idea again.  Besides, she was nearly positive the blonde girl hated her - all the more reason not to join.
Come on, she thought.  Just go.   Finally, she saw the girl blow out a sigh of frustration before heading down the hall.  Once she saw the door to the stairwell close behind her, Beca left.
A few minutes later, Beca sat in her car, stuck in bumper to bumper traffic.  She was mad at the redhead for making her late, and then she was mad at herself.  She really should have just sacked up and left when she needed to. Why was she avoiding the redhead?  It’s not like the girl could force Beca to join the Bellas.
By the time Beca finally arrived on campus, she’d already missed half of her Introduction to Philosophy class.  She also realized she’d skipped breakfast, so she headed to the dining hall to grab something quick before her next class.  She set down her coffee and bagel and pulled out a few papers, figuring she’d at least try and do some of the reading to catch up on what she was missing.  Just as she was finally relaxing for the first time since getting into her car that morning, her dad walked into the dining hall. He took a seat at her table.  Beca put her bagel down and folded her arms.
“Gee, Dad, why don’t you have a seat?” she asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
“Funny, this doesn’t look like your ‘Intro to Philosophy’ class,” said her dad.
“I’m posing an important philosophical question: If I don’t actually go to that class, will it still suck?”
“Look, honey, college is - it’s great.  You get to create memories here. I see it every day.  You just have to give it a chance. You’ve been here - what? A month now?  Do you have any friends?”
Beca simply folded her arms.  She wasn’t sure what she’d call Jesse, and she didn’t even know her mystery shower duet partner’s name.  Even if she did, that wasn’t something she was going to tell her dad.
“You gotta get out there, Bec.  You gotta try something.”
“I got a job at the radio station.” 
“Oh, great, that place,” said Dr. Mitchell. “Yeah, it’s dark and dirty and has, like, what, those three weirdos working there?”
“Well, four, now.”
“You gotta try something new, Bec.  Join one club on campus. Like that,” he said, pointing to the flyer for the Bellas that must have fallen out when Beca pulled out the textbook she’d been studying.  “Do that. Or run in a circle. Wait, don’t do that. Those kids aren’t right. Just do something new.  And if, at the end of a year, you still don’t wanna be here, you still wanna go off to LA and be P-Diddy, well, then, you can quit college.  And I-I will help you move to LA.”
“Seriously?” asked Beca.  She couldn’t believe what her dad was saying.
“Yes, seriously, but I really need to see it, Beca.  This is college. Join in!”
He left the dining hall after that.  Beca took a moment to collect her thoughts.  She finished her bagel and looked at the flyer again.  Auditions were in two days. It was definitely worth considering.  Besides, her dad didn’t say she had to like it.
Chloe
It had been a really frustrating day for Chloe.  First, she’d gotten stuck in traffic on the way to school, causing her to arrive halfway through Russian Lit class.  She’d slipped into the back of the room, only to be completely lost as to what the professor was discussing. Her English professor assigned a lengthy term-paper, and her Statistics professor assigned a huge project.  Both would be time-consuming and due on the same day. She wondered if any of her professors realized their students had other classes, and Bellas rehearsals would be starting the day after auditions. It was the one day of the week she had an evening class, so she didn’t even leave campus until close to 9 at night.
Her first thought when she finally got home was to see if Tom was down for her absolute favorite way to relieve stress.  The two of them had dated early in their freshman year, but they’d soon learned they were really better as friends - sometimes with benefits.  They’d had a loose arrangement over the past few years. One would text the other when they needed to relieve some stress or the like, and they’d hook up.  It only happened when both were single, and Chloe was really hoping Tom was still single.
C: Had a rough day.  Care to help me de-stress? T: I’m down.  Be over in ten. C: Don’t forget your toothbrush! 😉
When Tom arrived at the apartment, Chloe immediately grabbed him by the front of his shirt and pulled him into her bedroom.  She grabbed her Bellas scarf and tied it around her doorknob - the sign she and Aubrey had agreed upon to tell the other they had an overnight guest in their room.  Aubrey had been holed up in her room studying when Chloe got home, barely acknowledging Chloe’s greeting, making this an excellent night to have Tom help her out.
Beca
Beca headed to the radio station after classes.  She was glad she’d remembered to bring her headphones with her that day.  Her taste in music clashed big-time with that night’s DJ, so she decided she’d listen to her own music instead.  She’d been stacking CD’s for a while, listening to some of her music mash-ups when she felt someone slip the headphones off of her head.
“What the hell?!” she exclaimed, trying to take her headphones back from Jesse.
“I just wanted to know what had you bobbing your head while stacking CD’s,” said Jesse, holding them up where Beca couldn’t reach.
“Jesse, cut it out!”
“Come on.  I need to know what makes our Becky smile and bop like that.”
“You know that’s not my name.”
“Then, why haven’t you told Luke?”
“He’s never let me finish a sentence,” said Beca.
“I’ll give them back if you let me listen for just a few seconds.”
“Fine,” said Beca, rolling her eyes.
Jesse put the headphones on and Beca saw his mouth spread into a wide grin.  “This is amazing!” he exclaimed and handed back her headphones.
“You think so?” Beca asked quietly.
“Oh, yeah,” said Jesse.  “You should try and get Luke to play it.”
“Right,” said Beca.  “He can’t even use the right name.”
“Try anyway,” said Jesse.
“I guess it can’t hurt,” said Beca.
“The squeaky wheel gets the oil,” said Jesse.
“I’m not a squeaky wheel,” said Beca, rolling her eyes.
 When Beca got back to her apartment, she ate a quick dinner before slipping her headphones on and working with her mixing equipment.  She spent the whole evening perfecting what she thought was the perfect mix of “Titanium” and “500 Miles.”
Even if she couldn’t get Luke to play her music, she figured she’d better work on some different mixes anyway.  If she was moving to LA, she’d better be prepared with examples of what she could do.
She sat and thought for a bit before going to bed about her father’s offer.  She wasn’t sure what club she’d want to join. Maybe she’d run in a circle anyway, just to see her dad’s reaction.  She then remembered how strange the students at the activities fair were and agreed with her dad - those kids weren’t right.  Could she join the cycling club? No, probably not. She’d have to get her dad to get her a bike, and she didn’t think organized bike riding was something she’d enjoy.  She wasn’t a writer, so the feminist writing club with the amusing name wasn’t really an option. The Barden Review - the campus newspaper - was also not an option for that reason.  Besides, if anyone learned that her father taught comparative literature at Barden, they’d expect way too much from her.
As much as Beca didn’t want to admit it, a cappella singing with the Barden Bellas just might be her ticket to LA.
The next morning, Beca woke up with “Titanium” stuck in her head.  It had taken her a good amount of time the previous night to match it up with “500 Miles.”
She started singing before she even turned on the water in the shower.
You shout it out But I can't hear a word you say I'm talking loud not saying much I'm criticized but all your bullets ricochet You shoot me down, but I get up
Just before she turned the water on she heard two voices in the bathroom - one was her usual duet partner, and the other was male.
“You said we’d try it,” said the male voice.
“I’ll get electrocuted!” exclaimed the female.
“How?” asked the male.
Beca grinned.  Get it, girl, she thought.  She continued to sing and was surprised to hear the neighbor join her.  She thought for sure the girl would be occupied by her boyfriend or whoever the guy was.
I'm bulletproof nothing to lose Fire away, fire away Ricochet, you take your aim Fire away, fire away
She continued the song, her neighbor not missing a beat.  Beca thought it was probably their best duet yet.
“You have a lovely voice!” called the male.
Beca cringed.  She’d been so wrapped up in her singing that she’d momentarily forgotten that her neighbor had a guest.
“Thanks!” she called.
She cringed even more when she could hear rhythmic moans from both voices as she was drying off.  She was glad she’d worn her noise-canceling headphones when mixing the previous night.
Chloe
Chloe woke up in Tom’s arms.  It had felt so good to have his hands on her, and it had been a while since she’d seen any action.  She kissed his bare shoulder and told him she was going to take a shower. She happily accepted his offer to join her.
She’d just turned on the water and was about to step into the shower when Tom walked in with one of her favorite toys in hand.
“Now?” asked Chloe.
“You said we’d try it,” said Tom.
“I’ll get electrocuted!” exclaimed Chloe.
“How?” 
Chloe had vaguely recalled Tom finding her vibrator when he’d reached into the drawer in the nightstand where she kept the condoms.  She’d remembered agreeing to use it with him, but she didn’t remember the shower being part of that conversation. She was about to tell him she didn’t know for sure if the vibrator was waterproof when she heard her neighbor singing none other than her favorite “lady jam.”
Chloe immediately joined her.  Tom was used to Chloe breaking into song, so he didn’t even try to interrupt, opting instead to rub his hands all over her.  She was a little surprised to hear Tom tell the neighbor she had a lovely voice. Once the neighbor had thanked him, Chloe immediately crashed her lips into his.  He reached for the vibrator, but Chloe shook her head, grabbing a condom instead.
She knew they were being especially loud this morning, but that song had made Chloe desperate for release all over again.  Luckily for her, Tom seemed very happy to help.
As they got out of the shower and dried off, Tom gave Chloe a quick kiss and told her he had to go right away.  He was already late for class.
“Okay.  Bye, Tom!”
“See ya, Chloe!”
Chloe grabbed her things and hurried out of the bathroom, knowing full well there was likely a very angry Aubrey waiting for her.
She opened the door to see her best friend, looking every bit as angry as Chloe had anticipated.  Chloe had expected Aubrey to holler at her, but her friend simply angrily stomped into the bathroom and slammed the door.  Chloe knew it was best to just let Aubrey stew in these situations. She’d probably calm down at least a little by the time Chloe got back from classes.
She glanced at the time on her phone and realized she was also running late.  She dressed quickly, did her makeup, grabbed a pack of pop tarts to eat in the car, and headed out of her apartment.  She didn’t have the time to wait up for her duet partner that morning, so she headed straight to the stairwell. She heard a door squeak open just as she was entering the stairwell.  She turned around and was shocked to see the girl she and Aubrey had met at the activities fair - the one Aubrey had deemed too “alternative.” The girl had made fun of a cappella and had told Chloe she didn’t even sing.  Well, their morning shower duets said otherwise.
“You can sing!” exclaimed Chloe the minute she caught the girl’s eye.
The other girl shrieked in response.  Chloe stood in the doorway of the stairwell, preventing the girl’s escape.
“How high does your belt go?”
“My what?!”
“The tone of your voice is so beautiful. You have to audition for the Bellas!”
“Please let me through.  I need to get to class!”
Chloe ignored the girl.  She had to get this girl to audition.
“Just consider it. One time we sang backup for Prince. His butt is so tiny, I can hold it with, like, one hand.”
“I’m going to be late!”
“You were singing ‘Titanium’ right?”
“You know David Guetta?” asked the girl.
Chloe looked at her incredulously. “What, have I been living under a rock? Yeah.  That song is my jam. My ‘diddle’ jam.”
“That’s nice,” said the girl, not meeting Chloe’s eye.
“It is! That song really builds.”  She shot the girl a wink before asking, “Can you sing it for me?”
“Why?  So you can...ummm...right here?” The girl was blushing deep red.  “No way! I’m going to be late for class again!”
“ Again? ”
The girl sighed.  “Fine. I’ve been avoiding you.”
“Why?”
“Because I didn’t know if I was singing with you or...the blonde...Audrey?”
“Aubrey.  No, you’ve been singing with me.”
“And you are…?”
“Chloe.”
“Beca.”
“So, can you sing it?”
“Chloe, I’m going to be late.”
“Well, I’m not leaving here until you sing.  And I can stand here all day .”
Beca appeared to be mulling this over for a moment before sighing and singing the chorus.
I'm bulletproof nothing to lose
Chloe joined her on the next line, harmonizing as she’d done in the shower.
Fire away, fire away Ricochet, you take your aim Fire away, fire away You shoot me down but I won't fall, I am titanium You shoot me down but I won't fall I am titanium
“Wow,” said Beca, grinning.
“Yeah,” said Chloe.
“So?”
“What?”
“Chloe, I have to go to class.”
“Right,” said Chloe, stepping aside to let her pass.
“Bye,” Beca said quickly as she passed.
“See you at auditions!” called Chloe.
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youngboy-oldmind · 4 years
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ALBUM REVIEW: Late Registration
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“So they asked me…Why you call it Late Registration Ye?/Cause we taking these motherf***ers back to school!”
Hip-hop trail blazer and Chicago legend Mr. Kanye West follows up his status-establishing album The College Dropout with a sophomore project that proves he’s far from a one hit wonder, relishing in his own league of musical production, lyricism, and soul touching artistry.
Overall Thoughts
I mentioned in an earlier post that Late Registration is my favorite album by Kanye, so it shouldn’t be a surprise that I can endlessly rave about it. In 70 minutes, Late Registration(LR) utilizes the perfect number of skits, Grade-A featured verses from Jay-Z, Nas, Lupe, Common, Paul Wall, Cam’Ron, and Consequence, and a stellar instrumentation that combines old-school soul samples and flawless string orchestration. It also doesn’t hurt that film score composer and record producer Jon Brion helped produce some of the best tracks (Gold Digger, Roses, We Major).
Kanye elevated his pen game on this 2005 classic record. Before he made albums, he was already a solid writer and could definitely put together a verse. On LR, he exceeded to a new level, talking about himself, success, survival, while matching the prophetic vibe of “Jesus Walks” on tracks like “Diamonds From Sierra Leone”, “Roses”, and “Crack Music”. On top of these commentary tracks, he produced the tear-jerking track “Hey Mama”, my favorite dedication-to-mother songs in hip hop period.
I should also acknowledge the skits in LR. Through 4 clips, a story unfolds in a fraternity: Broke Phi Broke. In the four skits, they chant their various financial difficulties and struggles with a sense of pride. And in the final skit, we see Kanye get kicked out of the fraternity for being caught having new shoes in his closet. This is not only hilarious, but a clever commentary on his progress/success, and separation from the common plight and status of black men. Also, the topic of the skits excellently transition to the next song. Skit #1 talks about not having gas money, and the next song is “Drive Slow”; Skit #2 just repeats “broke, broke, broke, broke”, and the next two songs are “Diamonds from Sierra Leone” and “We Major”, both thematically about money and success. Skit #3 ends with a joke about not affording Christmas trees and the mother pretending to be one, and the next song is “Hey Mama”. And Skit #4 ends with Kanye being removed from the frat, and the next track is “Gone”. Expert skit placing on his part.
LR is a near perfect album; The “Empire Strikes Back” of hip hop sequels. This project has a song for any mood and definitely makes my top 10 favorite albums.
Album Breakdown
LR can be broken down into five section, each with their own distinct topics and tones, and separated by the four skits. These sections are:
Section 1: The Hits (Wake Up Mr. West) - Heard ‘Em Say, Touch The Sky, Gold Digger Section 2: Introspection (Skit #1) - Drive Slow, My Way Home, Crack Music, Roses, Bring Me Down, Addiction Section 3: Claim to Success (Skit #2) - Diamonds From Sierra Leone (Remix), We Major Section 4: Family Business (Skit #3) - Hey Mama, Celebration Section 5: Late Departure (Skit #4) - Gone, Diamonds From Sierra Leone (Bonus), Late
Section 1- The Hits
This section kicks off the album with bang after bang after bang. West and Adam Levine team up on the opening track “Heard Em Say” to lay down two themes of the album: Everything happens for a reason and nothing in life is guaranteed. He says several times “Nothing’s ever promised tomorrow today” accompanied by Levine’s harmonies that echo simultaneous sadness and hope. West also talks about some of the plagues African Americans, including low wages, AIDS, police harassment, admiration of drug dealers, and the pursuit of money and success. While talking about these inherently depressing topics, there’s a twang of hope and faith; there’s an energy of overcoming those obstacles and maintaining the belief that things will turn out alright. 
In a 180 degree flip, the next track “Touch The Sky” completely contrasts the mellow mood of “Heard ‘Em Say”. With exhilarating trumpets sampled from Curtis Mayfield, West and Lupe bring an energy of celebrating success; reminiscing on the where they were before they got to the height they are now. A year before his debut classic Food and Liquor, Lupe spits one of the best verses on the album; matching Kanye’s energy while outshining him with his lyricism.
“Gold Digger”, possibly his most famous song, needs no introduction. This iconic track sampling Ray Charles’ I Got a Woman” is known by deep cut hip hop fans and mainstream fans alike. Jamie Foxx’s vocals on the chorus yelling “I Gotta Leave!” and Kanye’s verses about this girl who only wants him for his money makes an entertaining story but also indicates his new found status. He went from songs about not having money, to songs about dealing with a woman who only want him for his money. Talk about a bragging.
Section 2- Introspection
After two bop tracks we get “Drive Slow”, a track more mellow and laid back than the intro. Through a multitude of car metaphors, Kanye and Paul Wall talk about taking things slow, not to rush things, whether its spending money or sleeping with girls. Generally a middle of the road song for me. Nothing mind blowing but definitely easy to listen to.
In “My Way Home” we get a short, 16-line verse from Chicago all-time great Common, who talks about the struggles of the hood being home. This contrasts the hopeful tone on “Heard Em Say”, introducing a tone of relief he’s out that situation and he’s not going back. Fun fact: this is actually Common’s song that he decided not to add to his album Go!, which is why it just sounds like Common’s song instead of a Kanye song featuring Common. The slowed down samples vocals create a groove that almost makes you forget this is a sad song.
“Crack Music”, one of my favorites, paints an analogy to crack addiction and hip hop, hence the title. The Game brings a unique aggressiveness to the hook, which pairs well with the choir on chorus. However, the final leg of the song introduces an unsettledness: shakiness in the vocals, music freezes, and Malik Yusef delivers a poem that still gives me goosebumps to this day. The voice of legendary Charlie Wilson harmonizes perfectly with the chorus as well.
Next up we hear “Roses”, another instrumental masterpiece with Patti Labelle’s vocals and a Bill Wither’s sample on the chorus. West talks about the hospitalization of his Grandmother and the tightness/unity of his family. I love the quietness that plays during the verses and then the kick of the drums in the chorus. That excellently helps emphasize the intimacy of the situation.
Unfortunately, this leads into “Bring Me Down”, which is my least favorite track. Brandy’s vocals and Jon Brion’s instrumental are perfect, but it seems wasted on West’s verse. It’s disappointing to hear the epic strings and orchestration accompanied by Kanye saying weak lines like “There’ll always be haters, that’s the way it is/Hater n*****s marry hater b**ches and have hater kids” and “Yo girl don’t like me, how long has she been gay/Spanish girls say ‘Yo, no hablo ingles’”. The track honestly would’ve been better as an interlude with just Bandy’s singing, similar to “My Way Home” with just Common. But, the addition of West’s lyrics actually makes the song weaker. 
Luckily, the project picks up with “Addiction”. However, I’ll admit I’m not a fan of lyrically. This isn’t a track where West is trying to demonstrate any lyrical expertise, so I’m not expecting a load of double entendres and layered meanings and mind-blowing messages. However, even for a surface level track, hearing him fake-stutter became a little annoying. But I like the topic of the song; him being addicted to all three “money, girls, and weed”. Although the topic and lyricism isn’t unique, it was at least entertaining.
Section 3- Claim to Success
Following the second skit, we get “Diamonds From Sierra Leone (Remix)” with hall of fame rapper Jay-Z. This track is interesting because Kanye and Jay don’t discuss the same topic. Kanye talks about his conflict with buying diamonds, knowing they’re Blood Diamonds and his purchase of them could result in the killing of Africans, of whom he’s a descendant. On the flip side, Jay talks about his label and his success. Although Kanye’s verse has more substance, I think Jay’s verse was better. There’s one particular set of lines I’ve always loved
“This ain’t no tall order, this is nothing to me/ Difficult takes a day, impossible takes a week/I could do this in my sleep/ I sold kilos of coke, I’m guessing I can sell CDs/ I’m not a businessman, I’m a business, man /Let me handle my business, damn”
Then we get the top tier track “We Major”, which is the album’s best collaboration up to this point. Jon Brion shines again with the instrumental, creating this epic atmosphere of accomplishments. Really Doe and Tony Williams illuminate the chorus with the vocals, while Kanye comes through with poeticism he hadn’t reached since “Heard ‘Em Say”. I want to add a quote of my favorite part of his verse, but it would be half the verse. And to top that, Nas comes through with an even STRONGER verse, a contender for the best verse on the album, competing with Lupe on “Touch the Sky” and Common on “My Way Home”. And to top THAT off, the last few minutes are basically Jon Brion, Warryn Campbell, and Tony Williams showing off their expertise while Kanye shouts them out, along with The Roc and his label, G.O.O.D. Music. His vocals during this part are echoed so it feels like the listener is at a concert. You could have headphones on in a quiet room and feel like you’re soaring. Easily a top 10 song in West’s career.
Section 4- Family Business
After the height of Diamonds From Sierra Leone and We Major, the record dies down and returns to mellowness, continuing with the heart-string-pulling “Hey Mama”. Here, we get West’s lyricism reminiscent of the College Dropout style. This definitely was a poem or song he’d written prior to this project. As I said earlier, one of my favorite mother-dedicating songs in all of hip hop.
The next song, “Celebration”, is one of my favorites on the album. The lyrics aren’t impressive; West goofily slant rhymes “wild” and “endowed” at one point. He just discusses drinking, girls, and the accidental birth of his kid through a busted condom. However, I believe it’s the placement of the song on the record that makes me love it so much. After hearing the epic-ness of songs like “Touch The Sky”, “Diamonds From Sierra Leone”, and “We Major”, this song feels like an after party. An intimate gathering that allows West and the listener to reflect a little, over another brilliant composition by Jon Brion. And while the verses are nothing to look twice at, the chorus is serene. West’s harmonization with himself improves his voice. And at barely past 3 minutes, the song is short enough where the sub-par lyrics aren’t too distracting.
Section 5- Late Departure
When I first began writing back in middle school, I used to rap to the instrumental for “Gone”. This song is foundational to my hip hop appreciation and extremely underrated. To start, the Otis Redding sample is perfect. Jon Brion again combines his expertise with West to create a beat that evolves as it progresses, increasing in complexity and instrumentation. The verses improve with song as well, Kanye delivering the first and last, while Cam’ron and Consequence deliver excellent verses in the middle. Between Consequence’s verse and Kanye’s final verse, we hear the beat breakdown and evolve even more, building up to a final verse that leaves the listener speechless. West reflects about a multitude topics: being so innovative that his labels won’t approve his ideas, wanting to leave public light, his come up from being broke just wanting to upgrade from his “cheap ass sofa”, leaving his hometown that had nothing to offer him, inspiring new artists, never selling out, and ultimately showing he’s no longer on-call for anybody to use him. He’s established enough to choose his company and produce as he pleases. This is a perfect culmination of the themes throughout the album, and is the perfect closer.
Now, I say that with hesitation because technically there are two more songs on the record: The original “Diamonds From Sierra Leone” without Jay-Z, and “Late”. “Diamonds From Sierra Leone” is an excellent track. Instead of talking about Blood Diamonds or guilt, West talks about his writing process, feeling snubbed from awards, and ultimately himself. Definitely some of his strongest pen game on the album.
“Late” contrasts the previous song with a very calm feeling, possessing a lullaby quality. Here, he drives home the point that he’s going to be late with things he does, tying together the album title and the context of the album’s release, which was released months late. However, the lateness definitely worth the wait. It’s a toss-up between Gone and Late for which I prefer as the better closer. Gone is an epic reflection on the album’s theme and messages, and displays some of the best lyricism on the album. However, Late is a surreal, warm ending that feels like more of a winding-down end. If I HAD to choose, I’d say “Gone”. Because while both are great, I can’t imagine the project without “Gone”, whereas I could see it without “Late”.
Top 3 Songs:
1) Gone 2) We Major 3) Hey Mama
Overall Grade: A
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taterjoseph · 5 years
Text
Nobody know,
I fuck with him on the low.
We never show up together
But I text him when I’m ready to go
Leah Jones bopped her head as she pulled up at her Uncle Mike’s house, Megan Thee Stallion blasting from the windows of her River as she pulled into the garage. It was her favorite song to date, and she played it everywhere she went. It had gotten to the point where people knew it was her whenever they heard it.
“Ayye!” She burst into laughter as she watched her fifty-year-old aunt jokingly twerk in front of her husband as he shook his head in amusement. Climbing out the car, she heard her name called from several different directions at once. She always knew she was blessed to have such a large black family, but that could be very difficult. Like now, she didn’t even know who she was gonna go towards first.
“Kinfooooolk!” She turned sharply, making eye contact with her cousin, Rodney. Resisting the urge to both roll her eyes and flee, she accepted his hug, squeezing him tightly.
All Rodney did was beg, and she didn’t see why because the nigga had checks. Military, social security, retirement, alimony from a rich ex-wife, injury on the job, lawsuit settlements, you name it, he had it. He would rather sit on cash and spend everyone else’s money than do something for himself and spent his own money. Fifteen minutes and an, “I got you cousin,” later, she was out of $50 and on her way to say hello to her Big Mama and her grandmother.
“Hey, Big Mama,” she said, kissing the older woman on the cheek before moving onto her grandmother.
“You must’ve felt me talking about yo fat ass. How you gone speak to Rodney fonkey ass fo you speak to me heifer? I’m bout half broke down but I’ll still whoop yo ass.” She laughed loudly at the woman’s statement, feeling her place a kiss on her forehead. She was blessed to have her Big Mama still sitting there, 97 years old and still as sharp as a tack. Once she left the group, she was swarmed by her cousins, older and younger alike, the group seeming to move as one, all finding their place under her uncle’s giant tree.
“Girl where is Lamar?” She rolled her eyes as she sat down next to her cousin Tiffany, pulling her hair out of her face. Lamar was her ex and she was glad for it. That man made her life hell for six years and it took her six years to see it. She drew the line when she caught him tampering with her birth control, and threw him out after delivering swift justice with a baseball bat. Her next-door neighbor damn near applauded when she began tossing his things over the railing of “their” apartment.
“Lamar ass is no longer in my life, and I know I said it plenty of times before, but I have never felt more sure of myself than right now.” Tiffany smiled, rubbing her cousin’s arm in sympathy. She knew that despite how much of an asshole he was, Leah loved Lamar and would’ve given him the world if he’d asked for it.
“Well I’m glad you got rid of that nothin ass nigga. He came here last month and I was about to shoot his ass.” She laughed as she remembered the spades game gone wrong. Lamar was caught cheating and then tried to fight her dad, which resulted in him getting jumped by Leah, her brother, and her mama. Looking back on it, it was funny, but at that moment, it wasn’t. Her cousin, Mayno, offered to shoot him while he was walking her to her car.
A little more time of sitting under the tree and dancing with the family, it was almost time to eat and people were really starting to arrive. Leah and her mother were talking as she braided her niece’s hair. It was about her plans as far as moving was concerned. She loved her apartment, loved her neighbors, but it felt like Lamar had tainted the space and she wasn’t going to keep living there, so she was looking into something she had considered for a long time, having her own house built.
“Hey y’all.” She looked up from her conversation to see a face she hadn’t seen in a long time. She could remember it almost as if it were yesterday, and not eight months ago. Her mother offered him a word and a smile, but she stood to give him a hug. She hadn’t heard from him at all since she’d announced her engagement to Lamar and it often made her sad to hear about how he always “just left” or “couldn’t make it”.
The way his arms wrapped around her nearly made her stomach tie itself in knots, making her take a deep breath to calm herself, only to be filled with his scent. Polo Red, just like she remembered. Prying herself away, she sat down, feeling her mother’s eyes on her.
“Hey Erik, Baby!” She and her mother laughed as her Big Mama switched over to where the three of them stood, wrapping her arms around his waist and peering up at him. He didn’t even break eye contact with Leah as he leaned down and pulled the older woman into his arms, kissing her in the cheek. The older woman laughed, patting his shoulder. “Boy, you almost had me hot and bothered.” A chorus of Big Mama!’s and Mama!s filled the yard, Leah shaking her head at the older woman’s antics.
“Lee you planning on braiding my shit when you finish working a miracle on Ashanti big ass head?” The thirteen-year-old swatted at him, talking about how her head wasn’t as big as his. He chuckled, falling into the seat next to her and giving her his best puppy dog eyes, causing her to roll her orb.
“She good. YO nappy ass head, on the other hand,” she trailed, splitting a section of hair into two. Ashanti hissed as the hand she reached up to “scratch” which was popped by the comb. Listening to him smack his teeth, she continued, finally finishing the last ten braids of her niece’s hair. Stretching her arms over her head, she saw Erik with a heaping plate of food and a bottle of Hennessy, nodding his head towards the front of her uncle’s house. Standing, she followed him, ignoring her mother and aunt making kissing noises behind her.
“Look who decided to hang out with the big dogs.” she rolled her eyes as she climbed up the four steps leading to her aunt and uncle’s front door, taking a seat at the top while he sat on the middle step. She watched as he rearranged his plate and his bottle so that she could sit comfortably before leaning back, looking up at her.
”Boy if you don't shut the hell up,” she said, reaching down and grabbing her rat tail comb off of the step beside her, getting at working on taking down his braids. Ever since he decided to get dreads, she was the one to take care of him, and she guessed he was a few months into restarting them. They weren't twisted well, and it looked like multiple people had been doing them, judging from the odd way they were twisted. Sighing, she shook her head, continuing on her way.
”What’s wrong?” She contemplated her answer before fully voicing her opinion. If it were her hair, she would cut it before it got too long. He had a good amount of new growth and his hair was healthy. But she also understood the attachment. Black hair was sacred, and to suggest he cut it just because it wasn't aesthetically perfect could go many ways.
Thankfully, he didn't take it any wrong way. In fact, he asked her if she would cut his hair. She was rendered speechless by the sheer amount of trust that he had just freely given her. Not even letting her refuse, he stood, opening the door and going inside, heading up the stairs towards her aunt and uncle’s bathroom, where she'd cut a huge plug in his head whilst using him as a guinea pig for cosmetology school after she’d dropped out of high school at sixteen to get a job. At the time, her dream was to open her own salon, and with time, that dream had come true. Now, she owned three salons and barber shops in the community and used her profits to buy and flip houses.
The snip of the scissors in her hands continued as she moved around him, careful not to mess up anything. She didn't care how many clients shed had, she always wanted them to look good. Whether it was braiding hair in her mom’s garage or cutting hair at the shelter, everyone got quality customer service.
”Damn, Lee you can relax.” She ignored him, eying his hair as she envisioned exactly what she wanted to do. He still had enough new growth to braid, so he could still get braids and all she really had to do was shape him up. Nodding, she made her way over towards the shower, reaching up to grab her aunt’s shampoo and conditioner and making her way back over to where he sat.
Washing, conditioning, and relining his hair was a but therapeutic for her. Being more business oriented as time went on, she couldn't even remember the last time she put in hours at either of her shops or salons. Soghing, she got to work at braiding his hair and before she knew it, she was done and he was fast asleep, snoring like it was no one’s business. She used that time to clean up all the excess hair before dragging his sleepybass down the stairs to lay him across the couch.
Before she could turn to head back outside, his hand gripped her wrist, pulling her forwards before she fell flat on his chest, his chuckle filling her ears. Rolling her eyes, she yawned, feeling him pull her closer to him. That is how her grandmother, mother, and aunt found them a few hours later, the two of them awakened by the flashes of the cameras in front of them.
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yaachtynoboat711 · 5 years
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Fonder 5.2
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A/N: So this is obvi a follow-up of Ch.5 as well as its conclusion. Hopefully, the plot won’t be as shook up as it was in 5.1 or will it? I hope y’all enjoy.
Word Count: little over 3K
Warning(s): Plot progression, fluff, specks of angst(?)
NEW YEARS DAY 2015, 11:47 A.M, Malibu, California NEW YEARS DAY 2015, 11:47 A.M, Malibu, California
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Peace and serenity—the most fitting way to transition into the New Year. The overlapping sounds of seagulls and crashing ocean waves outside would usually pull Yaa out of her deep slumbers. If it wasn’t the beach sounds, then it was her actual alarm. But let’s be honest: no one really has an alarm go off on New Year’s day, especially if you had the night that Yaa had had. Yaa’s snoring went in sync with the crashing waves and her wavy, honey blonde locs scattered at every which way across the silk taupe pillow case. Boom boom boom. The heavy knocking on her bedroom had startled her out of her post-sex slumber. Who was banging on her door like the feds before noon? The trio of knocks continued until she reluctantly got out of bed and searched for anything to put on.
“I’m comin’...damn!”, she tried to yell, but her hoarseness wouldn’t allow her. She winced in pain as she hopped into a pair of shorts and a tank top and began limping towards the door. She opened the door to see that it was her best friend, Tanisha. “Bitch...somebody better be dead, hurt, or dying.”
Tanisha chuckled. “Well, Happy New Year to you, too. Lover Boy is down there making brunch.”
Yaa looked at her friend in total confusion. “Is that what I’m smelling? Tanisha nodded. “Well, I’m surprised you aren’t somewhere fighting a hangover.”
Tanisha rolled her eyes. “I didn’t get a lot of sleep last night. Between you gettin’ your cervix tickled, and trust me, it sounded like he was giving’ you the BUSINESS, and me throwing my night up, I was going through it. Started the new year off on the wrong foot.”
Yaa felt herself turning red and her eyes bugging out. “Were we really that loud?”
“Sis, he might’ve worn you out, but you must have that voodoo pussy. Wanna know why? You got Michael B. Jordan in your kitchen cooking yo magical pussy having ass a 5-star brunch on New Year’s day. If that ain’t power, then I don’t know what the hell is. Done turned this nigga into a damn domestic overnight. Speaking of, text me when breakfast is ready. I deserve whatever he’s whippin’ up.”
Tanisha went back into room, presumably to catch up on her missed Z’s. Yaa went downstairs to see Michael for herself. The further she got down the stairs, the louder the “All About the Benjamins” got. She carefully hopped off the stair landing and Diddy bopped her way through the den, making a slight left to go through the back way into the kitchen.
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She pursed her lips to keep from laughing as she watched Michael also Diddy bop back to the stove to finish cooking whatever he had cooking on the stove. Wearing only a pair of heather grey cut-off sweats and Nike slides with socks, his shoulders and upper body bounced to the beginning of Total’s “Can’t You See”. He placed a kitchen towel over his shoulder before plating his brunch creation.
“So what’s on the menu, Mr. Jordan?”, she spooked.
He seized, clenching the small saucepan he had in his grasp. “Shit!”
Yaa chuckled, “I’m sorry I couldn’t help it.”, she stopped to look over his shoulder, “you still haven’t answered my question.”
“Cajun catfish and cheese grits, fruit, and peach bellinis.”
“Oooh shit! Lemme find out the B in your name stands for ‘Brunch Daddy’! I’ll get Tanisha up.”
Yaa called Tanisha from the bottom of the stairs. Tanisha came down moments later. The three sat at the table passing bowls, skillets, and pans to each other. The room was filled with the sounds of clacking plates and satisfied stomachs.
“Who would’ve known Michael B. Jordan was a whole ass chef? I learned something new today.”, remarked Yaa as she sipped her Powerade.
Michael chuckled at Yaa’s comment, “Word? Well, to be honest, if this acting thing didn’t work out, Plan B was being a chef. My mom taught me how to cook and I haven’t looked back since. Now from what I hear, you know how to get down yourself.”
It was hard for Yaa to be humble, but she managed to keep her cool. “I mean, I’m a country girl. Carrie, my maternal grandmother, taught me most of what I know. She and my Rainey raised me and my siblings when my parents were working pretty much around the clock for a few years.”
“How many siblings?”
“2. I have a twin sister, Farrah, that’s fraternal as hell, and a brother, Jahlil, that’s 5 years younger.”
He laughed at her statement about her sister Farrah. “I also have two other siblings--I’m a middle child. An older sister and a younger brother.” Tanisha, the oldest of four, and Yaa both cringed at him being the middle child. “I couldn’t imagine having two sisters though.”
Yaa shot him a look. “Watch it, son.”
He placed his fist in front of his mouth as he chewed. “So, I heard you say you were a country girl, so how country are we talkin’?”
“I was born in Alabama and graduated high school and college in Alabama, but I was raised in a massive mansion in rural Louisiana, so I’m a Louisi-Bama. You’re a Jersey-Cali boy from my understanding?”
He shook his head in the affirmative, impressed with her knowledge about him. “Ok! President of the fan club is showing herself worthy of the title.”
“Boy, don’t get cussed out.”
*****
Missed Call: Maybe: Winny the Pooh
Yaa tapped on the missed call notification without hesitation. She almost forgot they weren’t talking. Immediately after their last exchange, Winston’s number went to the good ole Block List. Something told her to unblock his number the day before leaving for California. So she did and now here she was, returning her ex’s ca—
“Hello?”, Winston answered.
“He-heyyyy you! Happy New Year! I saw you called and I’m just seeing your text.”, Yaa replied. Silence. You could hear a rat piss on carpet.
“Ummm…”, he cleared his throat, “...so you down for lunch?”
“Oof. I just had brunch. How does coffee or tea sound? Bean in Beverly Hills?”
“That’s even better. Meet me at 4ish?”
“Make it 4:30 and we’ve got a deal. See you then!” Click.
*****
Yaa walked out of the bathroom from her shower feeling renewed. Skin washed away of the little makeup that remained on her face from her...celebration from the previous night. Skin glowing thanks to the best shea butter Ghana had to offer. Locs looking healthy as always. Her glow increased when she saw Michael laying in her bed reading his phone but looking up when he sensed her presence. He stopped looking down at his phone to admire the beauty that was Khalida Abdullah.
Even in such a simple task as putting on clothes, Michael could see why her exes were head over heels with her. Every move she made was graceful. From the little twerk she did to get her chub into her light gray yoga capri pants, to the overhead jig to get into her oversized black monogrammed tank top with a gold fleur-de-lis. She walked to his side of the bed to retrieve her new Apple Watch from its charger. Before she could walk towards the door, he snatched her up onto the bed with him, playfully gnawing at her neck.
“Where you goin’ looking all good and delicious for, hmm?”, he implored.
“Well, Kari, I’m meeting someone for coffee. It ain’t your business who gon’ be there, either.”, she answered with sass.
“I see. Secondly, who gave you this trash ass Saints shirt? I need to get you at least two Falcons shirts.”
She escaped from his grip and returned a sour look. A record scratched in her head. “I-I-I’m sorry. I SLEPT WITH A FUCKING FALCONS FAN?! MY FAMILY RAISED ME BETTER THAN THIS!”
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“Oh, you some super fan or something?”, he questioned.
“I’m surprised Tanisha didn’t tell you. Have you know, one, my family holds minority stake in the organization, making us minority owners, and two, my first boyfriend and best friend to this day is a proud SUPER BOWL-WINNING Saint. Now if you excuse me, I have to rush to my meeting and go reclaim my dignity.”,she bragged as she walked out of the door. But before she could walk out of door, she poked her head through the door and flipped him off.
“You so fucking CHILDISH, Khalida!”
BEAN BEVERLY HILLS, 2:19 P.M.
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Yaa had accomplished many things in her life, from graduating college at 18 to receiving 4 degrees before turning 25, but nothing was as nerve-wrecking as meeting up with Winston. Let’s face it: their last meeting left such a distaste in her mouth.
Her left Chaco tapped softly yet persistently against the dark hardwood floors, while the right rested underneath her bottom.With one hand rested against her warm cup of honey-sweetened hibiscus tea and the other texting Tanisha for guidance into this awaited meeting, she attempted to clear her mind of the past and concern herself with the future. Would he be on that bullshit again? Will I have to smack a bitch? Has he decided to grow up? Does he look dusty? She looked out of the window and zoned out as she watched Beverly Hills slowly wake up after the wild night everyone had.
“Khalida?”, Winston called loud enough to pull his ex-girlfriend out of her daze. She shook her head and looked up to lock eyes with her former lover.
“Hey, hey!”, she greeted. She slowly got up and limped two steps to hug him. It was almost like they’d never skipped a beat. For a moment in time, it felt like they were the only people in the coffee shop, which if you exclude the employees and maybe three other people scattered around the shop, they were. Bitch, get offa him. He spazzed on you, remember?
Immediately upon having the thought, she separated from him and she gestured for him to sit. “So, I might’ve ordered a blueberry scone or two for you. I’m pretty sure you’ve put yourself on some depressing ass diet, but treat yourself.” Almost if on cue, the barista placed a small pink box in front of Winston, along with a caramel latte.
“You didn’t have to do that, but I appreciate it.”, Winston acknowledged. The two shared a nervous laugh and got themselves comfortable in their seats. The tension between could have been cut with a cleaver; so much could’ve been said, after all. The two looked at each in an attempt to find their words.
“I wanna apol-”
“Sorr-”
“You firs-
“No, you fir-”
“Gotdammit! Somebody finna fuckin talk out of sync.”, Yaa finally said by herself. “Guess I’ll start. Lemme cut to the chase—why are we here?” She sipped on her tea as she waited for his answer.
He pondered before speaking, “Well, first, I just want to apologize for acting like...being an ass a few months back. I wasn’t in my right mind in that relationship. Michelle was a nightmare after that night and we broke it off not even a week after our last meeting. I tried to call you, but I’m more than you confident you blocked my number. Hell, I don’t blame you. Now, I called you on a fluke last night and after analyzing what I said and even getting some choice words from my mom, I was wondering if your offer for friendship was still on the table? I messed up twice, and I don’t want to do lose you anymore.”
Yaa looked around the coffee shop and firmly gripped his chin to get a better look at him. “Is this the same Winston that I saw a few months ago? I’m almost afraid to hear the answer.”
WInston grimaced from the pain shooting to his jaw. Though small, Yaa’s hands had strength, or “country strength”, as she called it from years of herding large animals and even people. “Woman, I need to resize your strength.” Winston moved his jaw from her grip and moved it from side to side to alleviate the pain. “If we’re being transparent, I cried just about every night thinking about how I treated you when we broke up. I’m pretty sure I’m the biggest idiot for allowing a woman such as yourself to walk out twice. At this point, I just want us to be back on good terms.”
“Don’t fucking play with me, Winston. Are you sure? Is this what you truly want?”
“Yes. I just miss you. Aside from the romantic aspect, I just miss the little things, like your random calls in the middle of the day about some tea you just got, your spirit, and even getting cursed out by you.” Poor Winston. Though she knew his sincerity, Yaa found it hard to believe his sap story. If he could help it, he would’ve been on his knees pleading for a second chance.
Yaa’s face was unreadable—stoic, yet unreadable. It was a face that was over apologies and all for corrected behavior. A face that was finding itself conflicted with two men. Deep down, she wanted to be back with Winston. After all, he was her true love. But true love is tested. The plane needed to be taken apart, diagnosed, and rebuilt in order for it to be cleared for service. Everything was sounding good, too good to be believed without doubt. Yet, she still felt the urge to suplex Winston for crumbling her heart and her feelings back in June.
Khalida sipped the rest of her tea before breaking the painful silence built between her and her pitiful ex, “Do you want me?”
“What? Of course, Khalida! What are you talking about?”, Winston replied confused and taken aback from the question. Khalida chuckled—shoulders and all—as she nodded her head.
“No,no, no, baby boy. Do you want me? As in a your lifelong partner, forever and always? Not just in the physical or in lust, but as your better half, trusted confidant, your No Limit Soldier, ya yeah wit da yeah? How we should be instead of how we used to be?”
Winston paused to word his answer, “...Yes. You shouldn’t even have to ask me that question.”
“Well, if you want me, then you have to earn me.”
“Obviously, Olivia Pope, but you make it seem easier said than done. How do I earn you back?”
“Stick with me for a moment. You remember that plane analogy I used in Louisiana?” He nodded. “Aight, so boom: right now, the plane is completely outta service, y’eardme? The best way to have it back in service is to completely dismember the plane—start from scratch. Next, we gotta find the parts of the plane that caused the malfunction. We get better parts and rebuild, bit by bit. Soon, we’ll have an improved plane that’s better than the old plane. The crew’s gotten more experience, been with other pilots and co-pilots, and next inspection, the plane will be ready for service. It’s not an overnight process, but we’ll get through it. So...are you in?”
Winston offer his hand to shake on the new agreement, an offer in which Yaa accepted, along with a hug. “To new beginnings. A clean slate. Let’s start: I’m Winston. You are?”
Yaa snorted, “Khalida,but you can call me Yaa.” They shook hands once more, sharing a laugh. The laugh led to two genuine smiles. Their hearts skipped beats as they saw each other’s smiles.
“So...I’ve been meaning to ask, what or who’s got you glowing like this? There’s only so much Shea butter in the world…”, Winston inquired as he stirred the remainder of his caramel latte.
Yaa’s mind flashed back to nearly 12 hours ago when she was calling God’s name more than Kirk Franklin and the Family. Mental vignettes of Yaa and Michael moaning and the sound of skin slapping flashed throughout her mind, causing her to re-adjust her sitting position in her seat.
“I...I...uh…met someone last night. Everything happened so fast. Once the smoke clears and we establish something or the lack thereof, I’ll tell you more about him.”, Yaa stopped herself from turning flush.
While he smiled, Winston felt a small part of him die, but he realized that it was only fair that she get her shot of a relationship. But he knew her and the person she was—she was the prototype. Any man or woman would be stupid to not fall for her in some way. His smile widened as he locked eyes with her. Oh, how he’d missed that look.
The two began catching up about life beyond the romantic aspect. The basic “how ya momma nem?” conversations. After that, they walked about of the coffee shop, but not before he helped her out of her stiffened position from the seat. They hugged once more before going their separate ways. Not even 10 feet away, he turned to speak again. “I’m sorry.”
“You just apologized like 20 minutes ago, moe.”, Yaa yelled.
“No.”, he closed the distance between them, “I’m sorry for not knowing how to be a decent boyfriend to you. You’re a special woman with who needs a special man in her life. I know I’m that man, but just not right now. Whoever he or she is that you met last night, I hope they understood that the moment they laid eyes on you and plan accordingly. I wish I did when I met you. Sorry...I just needed to get that off of my chest.” By this time, his large hands enrobed her small hands and he hadn’t realized it. When he did, he promptly removed them.
“It’s ok, love. Today was fun. I gotta bounce, but be safe and have a happy new year.” She walked to her rental Prius and honked at him as she passed him.
He chuckled to himself as he walked to his car, “Oh, I will, Dr. Duke, I will.”
MY LIST, MY LIST, BETTER THAN YO LIST!!
@muse-of-mbaku @kumkaniudaku @eriknutinthispoosy @whoramilaje @mbakusthrone @mbakuwife @crushed-pink-petals @inlovewithmakeupcomicsanimelove @jackburtonsays @randomwordprompts @bartierbakarimobisson @wakandan-flowerz @blackpantherreblogs @babygirlofwakanda @eerythingisshaka @washyourlinens @turn-thy-paige @doublesidedscoobysnacks @wakandas-vibranium @oceanscorazon @oshasimone @destinio1 @sonofnjobu @teheeboo @sarahboseman @iamrheaspeaks @chaneajoyyy @lovelynervouschaos @cay-cah @coonflix @katasstrophey @mareethequeen @jozigrrl @great-neckpectations @thememoireeofme @forgottenthoughtsandmemories @ljstraightnochaser @jellybean531 @yofavcocoa @storibambino @maya-leche @blackgirloneshots @royallyprincesslilly @texasbama @certifiednatural @abeautifulmindexposed
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thefreshfinds · 4 years
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THE RAW SHOWCASE
By: Natalee Gilbert
The RAW Showcase lived up to its name. Like its tagline states, everybody came to vibe. From a mile radius, friendships were formed, people were singing from the top of their lungs (the old and new bops), and everyone was anticipating to see the “R.eal A.uthentic W.itty” artists do their thing. Those who stepped onstage were S.B, Bindi Liebowitz, Sunliight, Kory Hiii, and Zeke Marlee (who, unfortunately, I missed speaking to.) The show was ran by Vision Society, Najee Lucky and J. Shider. Stepping into the atmosphere, I felt genuine connections. The lighting made the room setting intimate and many were allowed to interact with the artist performing. Those onstage shared common ground. All considered theirselves artist and had an undying passion for music. Their music stood for something, held a message and didn’t lead way to gate-drugs or violence. Some spoke on a personal level, dashing some relatability when telling what they’ve seen or heard. Overrall, everyone came from a good place. One of understanding. The music left others feeling good and at peace. The RAW Showcase came in with the new and left worries at the door. Everyone was having a good time.
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S.B:
Every track from S.B doesn’t sound the same. Granted that his sound is constantly evolving, the artist makes music for any vibe, whether it be one that’s happy, confrontational, sad or nonchalant. One thing never changes, however. No matter where S.B steps foot, he happens to garner a new fan. S.B ultimately fits the depiction of a music vet. He’s got the suave stage presence down pat, and lyricism just comes easy. There’s no way to put him in a box. He’s multi-dimensional, to say the least. Since youth, S.B was one with music. At six, he learned how to play the sax and shortly after, S.B taught himself how to play the piano. Eventually, S.B began writing music. Then, everything accumulated. To date S.B has released 6 bangers. His recent, “Didn’t They” comes with gully, slick-mouthed bars that aren’t afraid to leave you with a black eye. “Fire Emoji,” on the other hand, comes with the Jersey talk. Once the alarm blares, S.B says he’s representing Garden State, but addressing the differences between himself and others. Spread over the aggressive back-drop, listeners get an earful of punchlines and entendres, that only bite back through the speakers. His feature, D.N.A matches the energy and comes hard like the natural vet, making sure that each line is not misunderstood. All-in-all both showed that nothing in life should be a gimmick. Be real. His discography also includes his enticing, fun, jungle-fever banger “Finna Get Naughty,” smooth cruising “Fly First Class,” “No Adderralls,” and highly acclaimed, “2 P.M” ft. Ziggy Zombie, This song was the most challenging because it took 2 weeks to figure out the chorus. But after that everything came easy. His word of advice for the upcoming artist and world is to keep growing. Don’t be scared to be different.
Instagram: @remembersb
Spotify:
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KORY HIII:
Once Kory Hiii stepped in, the crowds got hyped up. His commanding stage presence came at attention spans with no delay. As Hiii’s words spluttered across the echoey room, it bounced back with an aggressive tone. People were feeling what he was saying. What he said held truth and it’s safe to say the crowd thought so too. Over time, Hii’s lyrics were being chanted back at him. There was even one moment when the crowd became a unit. However, this can be symbolic for many reasons. While interviewing the Union native, I came to know a line that spoke volumes, “I feel like planting the seeds and waiting for harvest/What you expect? I came from the Garden.” which essentially stands for Hiii’s city and state. The Garden, being New Jersey and the rest, “I feel like planting the seeds and waiting for harvest” being Union. Union’s mascot just so happens to be The Farmers. From just this proverb, one can see that unification is one of Hiii’s values.
Hiii considers himself a musician but moreso an artist. His music journey started with his cousin, 2 Honest, whose been rapping since he was young. 2 Honest always tried to push Hiii to rap, but he was playing basketball at the time. However, as Hiii got older and basketball was no longer a reality, he started rapping with his homies. That led to being put into his first song. Eventually, Hiii went on to work with his cousin and landed into Morgan State. Alone with a MacBook, Hiii started making music and getting more into it. Then the rest is history. Before he gets in the booth, he prays and also does so when going onstage. However, the rapper puts God before everything. His sound is nothing but organic. Hiii says he wants people to gain awareness. The message behind his sound is positivity and consciousness. In our interview, he goes to say “I’m just trying to get my sound right.” If you haven’t already bump his song, “The Get Back” everywhere! This song falls a tribute to Hiii’s grandmother and I can vouch for its star-power. Truly, a banger for the books. Hiii’s visual for “The Get Back” also made its way to World Star earlier this month, garnering traction from everyone riding through the city. Hiii also has a project out called Revenge of the Soular Sun.
Instagram: @koryhiii
Spotify:
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Bindi Liebowitz:
A woman who can get pass you (especially if you don’t act right), Bindi Liebowitz is a female phenomenon full of charisma, wit and sultry energy. From the beginning of her performance, many listeners broke a sweat. Her stage presence, made jaws drop to the floor. Swaying in with high-knee boots and smokey black eyeshadow, Bindi sung soulfully and tapped into a confidence that made hearts flutter. The topic at hand was love and Bindi did diligence and giving each song a feeling. No denying it, Bindi basked in star-power. The singer/songwriter knew she loved singing since she was 6 or 8 years old. One day she was singing Aretha Franklin’s “Chain Of Fools” for her mother in the car. Once she finished, her mother caught the groove and said “Um, what? Girl, sing it again,” Then, with a vocal snap, Bindi went into a raspy, deep, soulful note range. However, Bindi didn’t know it was a talent. Naturally she felt the words and it was just a skill she mastered well. Bindi loved being onstage. This passion led her to NJPAC at 13 years old. Here, she took vocal lessons and began reading music, etc. Bindi was so into music that she even played the violin and joined chorus’. But she didn’t take it seriously until high school, “From choir, I began auditioning for the shows like American Idol and X Factor.” In 2014-2015, Bindi make her mark on American Idol. One year later, Bindi was on The Voice (Season 11), moving those across the nation. Now, Bindi continues to prosper in performing. No matter the gig, her impact spreads like wildfire. Likewise, the womanist empowers the generation and other woman. “We’re all beautiful and I’m going to let you know so. If you’re dope, the same thing. I don’t believe in giving someone the cold shoulder. I want to be the voice to let people know that we are getting things done, we do have feelings.” she says while adding “My style is based on the mood. I’m okay with that. I let it be expressed while I’m performing. I don’t want to pretend for the people that support me. I want to be real. Honestly, its edgy, bad-ass.” Bindi currently has 3 singles. “Over You” is her first single and one she gets excited performing. “Complicated” was released last year whereas “FaceTime” dropped in July.
Instagram: @thisisbindi
Spotify:
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SUNLIGHT:
To describe Sunlight is this very line from his song, “Sunrise,” when they see the shine they know what’s up. His name matches the vibrant energy he possesses. To further put it, Sunlight radiates in all-around positivity. Between rapping vulnerable bars then undeniably hard ones, and singing with tranquility from the heart, Sunlight warms your soul as his voice flows through the ear streams of many. During our encounter, I could see passion shining through his eyes. His words came from a sincere place and I automatically felt at-home with this ambitious, fun-spirited musician. Sunlight started his music journey when he was 12 years old. He says “I always had a passion for it, I always enjoyed it. But I didn’t take it serious because I thought people wouldn’t take me serious. I was basing my performance off the judgement of others.” Thanks to his friends and family, Sunlight kept at it. He says they pushed him to keep going. Now, he’s here. His music’s style is undefinable. It’s something you have to get an earful of and determine. Sometimes he’ll get Chance the Rapper, others Kendrick Lamar or PARTYNEXTDOOR. Essentially, Sunlight makes feel-good music. For instance, the musician says that “Sunrise” is more of a wake-up song that demand you to have a good time whereas “Sunset” is for boo-loving. His project Too a Good Summer puts it to a tee. Alone, Sunlight’s sound gives off a cool, calm and collected vibe. The sunny-side-up artist finds influence in Childish Gambino and Jamie Foxx because they’re versatile. One New Jersey artist he’s like to collab with is Chris Patrick. And we both agree that he’s that dude. Sunlight leaves this word of advice for the upcoming artist: Be yourself. Don’t force a look or persona.
Instagram: @suunnnlight
Spotify:
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leejrdans · 5 years
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       you can try to conceal your heart with red and gold titanium,        but you can never truly hide from your demons.
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Merlin’s beard, what is ( LEE JORDAN ) doing out at this hour? For a ( HALF BLOOD ) who is ( 19 ) years old, ( HE ) really ought to know better. You know, I hear that they’re aligned with ( THE ORDER ), but that could be just a rumor. I do know that ( HE ) is ( A CIS MAN ) and a ( GRYFFINDOR ) alumni though. They’re very ( FORTHRIGHT ) and ( CAPTIVATING ) but also quite ( IRREVERENT ) and ( BIASED ), which could be why they remind of ( LAUGHING TO FEEL ALIVE AND SPEAKING UP TO STAY ALIVE, A RESTLESS FEELING IN THE PIT OF YOUR STOMACH THAT ALWAYS DEMANDS MORE MORE MORE, HONESTY AS YOUR NATIVE TONGUE ). Some people say they’re the spitting image of ( TREVOR JACKSON ), but I’ve never heard of them. 
LINKS: pinboard. stats page. wanted plots is COMING.
CHARACTER PARALLELS: will be added one day when my brain does work
HEY GUYS, it’s mar again. lee is a new muse. as in NEW. completely fresh. i am Nervous! but i love 1 man!!!  note: lee is quite a Social Man, so i kind of went ahead and assumed some stuff about his position at hogwarts ( like, popularity & how the slytherins receive his biased commentary ) but i’m not trying to generalise at all and say that THIS IS HOW YOUR CHARACTER SHOULD FEEL bc i hate that LMAO take it all w a grain of salt its just how i?? ig imagine things went but if they went differently that is Okie
history.
lee is born in st mungo’s, to a halfblood mother & a muggleborn father. they’re not married. hell, they’re barely in love, but she still squeezes his hand during it all, and he cries, and for a moment they think that - maybe - they can be happy. ( someone should have told them that a child is never the solution, that it doesn’t work like that. )
lee’s mother moved into his father’s place -- a tiny flat, in peckham, but it was bigger than her own place -- and brought only two suitcases and a backpack ( warning sign one ). they tried, hard, for a while. lee’s father worked and his mother was at home, most of the time, looking after her son and making empty wine bottles appear ( warning sign two ) and then staying away during weekend nights ( warning sign three ). 
she leaves for the first time when lee is nearly one, taking one of her suitcases and her backpack and slipping away in the death of night. lee’s father is lost -- for a while, but finds help in neighbours and sisters and his mother, mainly. and that’s how it went for years --- his mother coming back, and leaving, and coming back, until she didn’t come back again, not really. lee’s dad said it was enough, one day, and lee’s mother retreated to her own place. his father tried to get full custody and got it, eventually and then there was his mother, not cut from his life completely, but only semi-there, appearing when she could and - most importantly - wanted to.
he doesn’t really get it, in all honesty, as he’s five when his father tells her mother she can’t live with them any more, and most of his life after that is him and his dad and his aunts and his grandmother. plenty of family --- plenty of reasons to be happy, but an inexplicable gap, still.
lee grows up in peckham, london, and attends muggle elementary there. he goes to diagon alley on afternoons after school and weekends, with his dad, and later alone. he likes gazing at brooms ( wistfully ) and hanging out with fellow wizarding kids and magic, magic, magic. there’s magic at home too, of course, but his grandmother and aunts are all muggles, so there’s not much, but in diagon alley there’s so much of it. he likes the muggle world, sure ( especially video games & music ), but it’s nothing compared to the wizarding world.
i mean --- it’s not like he’s bored, because everything is excitable for young lee, and there’s fun to be found in everything, but there’s just more in the wizarding world - more mystery and excitement and ways to wreak havoc. because that he does love --- pranks, innocent and less innocent, hijinks and shenanigans. getting on his teachers nerves with bad jokes and cursewords. 
lee doesn’t grow up with a lot of the things that some might consider crucial -- financial stability, a stable family life, a nice neighborhood. but it’s good and it’s whole in its own way. there’s plenty of people lee loves and plenty who love him back and it’s good, and when he’s off to hogwarts he’s both mad excited and secretly a bit scared and sad to leave his fam behind.
hogwarts, though, is a BLAST. lee is sorted in gryffindor ( because where else? ) and finds friends, fast. in his own house, outside of it, in his teachers, kind of ( he personally is convinced that minerva mcgonagall adores him, despite her disapproving glares ). he’s okay at his classes -- he has the skills, sure, but not the concentration and focus -- and better at everything else. 
lee starts commentating on quidditch matches after he doesn’t make the team. he’s not broken up about it, in all honesty --- he sees how hard the team has to work and laughs at his mates who have to sweat while he gets to sleep in. commentating is more fun, anyway. it gains him some popularity, some enemies in slytherin, maybe, because he’s not very unbiased in his commentary. he loves his time at hogwarts, in all honesty, even more when he gets that gig.
his father meets his current girlfriend when lee is in his fifth year. they marry in the summer after his sixth year and have their daughter -- zoe -- about a year later. lee loves them. he’s conflicted at first, but he’s happy for his dad, and his baby sister is CUTE AF.
lee jordan is a rebel. in tiny, fun-loving ways ( pulling pranks, cracking jokes, being a bit of a class clown ), but also in a political, angry way. it doesn’t show in his earlier years, but as the war starts, and he grows older, too, he finds his priorities shifting. lee knows injustice. he’s dealt with prejudice his entire life --- at muggle school, at hogwarts, even. and as prejudice and bigotry gains the upper hand in the wizarding world, he grows angrier. restless. 
the DA is a way to rebel more effectively, he supposes. protesting when he’s not in school. cracking open history books when he’s supposed to be practising for his NEWTs ( and he is not taking history ). lee looks at the world and he’s angry, he’s restless, he wants to do something but he does not know what---- because where do you start when so much is wrong?
right now.
lee has graduated hogwarts ( believe me when i say that those last months without fred & george were fucking boring, but he at least got to focus a bit more on his NEWTs ) by now and he’s floundering around. i like to think that he’s working for/with the twins, helping with inventing stuff and marketing kind of things for the www, but if this doesnt mesh with any potential fred/george players, i can 100% alter this skjsdf. 
he wants to do something more, though. tell stories. speak up. journalism has always pulled at him --- not written, but on the telly or radio. he likes music too, of course, and the truth, especially --- and an idea is starting up in his mind. he’s slowly working towards setting up an underground radio, gathering equipment and figuring out ways to organise it. potterwatch is coming, and once the ministry is taken over ( if -- of course, that’s where this rp’s plot takes us ) it will be there, the urgency bigger. i don’t know exactly --- i’ll probably discuss this w sarah too but i think right now potterwatch is just an untitled work in progress.
lee’s not an official order member, but i do think he’s alligned, in one way or another. he’s willing to do what’s right, keeps his DA coin on him because of it, but also tries to take the world with a grain of salt, still. laughter is what makes him feel alive, and everything else he does to stay alive, to still make this world a livable place. 
rebel boi.
personality & tidbits.
lee is a dank meme lordt who would be an icon on social media, if we had it. he just likes dumb ass humour. a bit of a class clown --- he just likes attention, but he also likes making people laugh and having a good. fucking. time.
lee is hilarious and it’s the truth.
he rly loves his fam!! is worried abt them!! he still lives at home its  a blast but he wants to move out tbakjdsf. 
his mother doesnt rly ... idk he does think of her as his mother but not rly as part of his family, bc family is not blood anyway. he’s had a few good talks w her since he’s grown older tho but it’s a sore, complicated spot.
lee loves music a Lot. hip hop, trip hop, some punk here and there ... bonus points if it’s a political bop!!
has the mouth of a sailor and now that he’s out of school he doesnt even try to fight it. no mcgonagall around to tell him off after all!!!
enjoys smoking pot & drinking beers w his buds. just -- letting go, having a laff and relaxing to the fullest. likes watching muggle tv when high especially, such a hobby!!!
idk!!!!!!!!!!!! will add more mayhaps???
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igotshinee21 · 5 years
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Dear Jonghyun,
A year. That's what it's been. I still can't believe it. You have everyone around the world missing you and crying and praying that you're ok. It seems like just yesterday I was 5 sitting in front of the TV in my grandmother's house watching SHINee's debut stage. All I could focus on was you. It took my grandmother having to pull the Korean news channel up on her computer for me to go eat breakfast and get ready for the day.
I couldn't stop watching you. I knew you were singing for your Noona but I. I felt like you were singing for me. You were smiling but looked so focused on the dance that you just radiated 'LOOK AT ME IM THE BLING!' and I just remember asking my grandma who you were and she reads the Hangul going across tbe screen and says 'Kim Jonghyun' and that's when I fell in love.
That whole day I went through Kindergarten class singing Replay and all the kids around me called me names cause they spoke English they didn't understand who you were or how powerful you were. You made a 5 year old have standards for guys that I shouldn't have had.
I went home that day still humming it and went inside. I went on the computer and just searched you and then I saw you. The next few years went by. I fell more in love with you by the day. But after you debuted and became my center the worse took place.
My step dad the person who I was to go to for comfort and feel protected by began to abuse me. Every night I would lay in bed crying and wondering why a now 6 year old had to go through this. I started sobbing and the only thing that calmed me down was you. The smile that your face brought and the twinkle your eyes shown. I laid in bed everynight thinking of you begging you to come get me from the life I was living.
The abuse got worse. I was 7 with depression and having to steal my mom's makeup to cover up bruises. That's when I started having panic attacks and hyperventilating. The one night I couldn't breathe and had to go to the hospital but the doctor asked me if I had a way to calm down and I said yes. Music. And more specifically SHINee, you. He played like 3 of your songs and watched as I went from on the brink of passing out to dancing to replay.
He told me that it was because of you I was breathing and hadn't died of oxygen lack. So I left happy. But the abuse didn't let up. If anything it got worse. He used you guys against me, told me I was getting punished cause you guys saw me as a disappointment. But I knew it was a lie. You guys brought a smile to my face every time I thought of you. But when I turned 10, that's when I turned to you for the late nights in the bathroom. When the only relief was self harm. After a while of sitting there you talked me into putting the blade down and cleaning up and that I could make it cause your voice gave me hope it gave me a safe place. Weeks later I was in the same spot though. Except this time I wanted to end my life. I sat there crying and didn't move. No one was home. But my iPod started playing randomly and the first thing I hear is you. Your voice came through the headphones clear as day. I fell asleep on the bathroom floor feeling like I was gonna be okay because I felt like you weren't gonna let anything happen to me. But of course he had other plans. He took most of my innocence and told me if I told a soul I'd get in so much trouble. So I kept my mouth shut. Now 2014 comes and I'm turning 11. I'm in the 6th grade and it's November. Thanksgiving time. next week and a half is hell for me. my grandma dies and you know who helps me cope??? You.. you let me cry myself to sleep thinking I was gonna be okay.
YOU WERE MY HOPE
YOU WERE MY SAVIOR
YOU WERE THE ONE WHO SAVED ME
But of course let's rewind some of 2014. You became 'Blue Night's radio host and every day it never failed I'd listen. Even though I didnt understand much your voice got me through the everyday life.
Now 2015. By this time I had tried ending my life a total of 4 times. I self harmed more than what I wish I did and I became so wrapped up with my pain and the fear of people seeing me weak I was diagnosed with Smiling depression. The same thing you had. But you held me through all the pain and suffering. My mom leaves my step dad. And actually right now in 2018 shes in the process of divorcing him.
We move down south from New York to Georgia (USA). I was afraid of people making fun of me that I barley listened to kpop. I was so absorbed with not getting put an outcast I almost lost you. But you still were there. The nights I cried. The nights I have like tonight where i just hurt and don't know how to fix it.
2016 rolls around and I lose it! You release you're she is album on my birthday and I felt like the luckiest girl ever. I called my grandma and told her how you wrote she is for me. And yes at the age 13 i swore we were soul mates. I had ever since I was 5 so why stop?
And then 2017... I lost sight of you. I barley kept in touch with what SHINee and you were doing. I knew you stopped hosting. And y'all dropped a Japanese song (GET THE TREASURE IS A BOP! But so is every SHINee song) i was so focused with school and sports I lost sight of you. Then I moved to where I am now. And face more shit. I was sexually harrased the first 3 months I moved here, I stared self harming again and pulled all nigher just so I wouldn't have nightmares. Then December 18th comes. I wake up to my friend blowing up my emails and feed with the news. I was lost deviated shocked numb. I couldnt feel anything. You were my everything. My rock. The reason I kept fighting. And I couldn't help you from the thing you helped me from.
I didn't do anything for the next two weeks. I was of course numb. I did the bareminimun. I barley ate. I didn't sleep. Then I cried non stop in my room. I couldn't let everyone know I was hurting. My family didn't even think there was something wrong with me cause I hid the pain so well. I mean I became so good at looking okay people just assumed I had the best of everything.
January 1st came and I didnt want to do this. I didn't want anymore tomorrows. But as I sat in my room crying over you I heard it. The same thing I heard every time I cried like that. You told me id be okay and that you'd always be there. Then for some reason I couldn't stop wanting to see you. Every SHINee video I watched. Every video of you I watched.
I haven't read your letter or watched the funeral. I refuse. I guess I'm afraid it'll make it like official official that you're gone and that I have no choice but to say goodbye. But I don't wanna say goodbye you became my reason for fighting. The reason I rolled out of bed. The hope that life was gonna get better
I wish I could have helped you. I'm so sorry. I just hope you're okay and happy and not hurting.
You did well bling bling. I'll post more later today. It's just gonna be my favorite moments of you. You and SHINee. Always and forever.
I hope the words I could never say reach you. 'THANK YOU'
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(just some people on insta paying tribute)
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allforagoodgrade · 5 years
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Favorite Songs
“If I Had You” – Adam Lambert
           “If I Had You” by Adam Lambert is the first song I can remember ever calling my favorite. I was eleven years old and I remember that when I heard it for the first time on the radio, I immediately starting dancing around to the song in my kitchen. I would go as far as to say that this song is my all-time favorite because in the nine years I have been listening to it, I never get tired of hearing it on replay. I first started liking this song and continue to like it for its beat and catchy lyrics. This song makes me want to get up and start dancing no matter where I am when I hear it and can instantly put me into a good mood by listening to it. This song also made Adam Lambert my favorite singer as well; I have continued to follow him on social media and attend his concerts whenever he is nearby.
 “Gotta Be Somebody” – Nickleback
           I know everyone hates on Nickleback, but this song prevents me from doing so. I first heard “Gotta Be Somebody” as a Kidz Bop rendition, because when I was younger, my mom used to buy me Kidz Bop CDs to listen to. Even though I did not hear it for the first time as sung by its original band, Nickleback, the song quickly became one of my favorites regardless due to its beat and lyrics that made me want to start wishing for my own “someone to love”. In sixth grade I entered a grade-wide talent show and sang this song in front of my classmates because I liked the song and knew all of the lyrics well enough to sing without the words in front of me. As the years have gone on, I now listen to Nickleback’s version of the song and I keep “Gotta Be Somebody” on my list of favorite songs due to my history with the song and as I get older, it gives me hope that there is someone for me to love out there.
 “Screaming” – James Durbin
           “Screaming” by James Durbin is one of my favorite songs not only because I like its beat, but also because I can relate to its lyrics and message. The song’s lyrics talk about not fitting in, being bullied, having friends worth losing, and standing up for the outcasts. At the start of middle school, I hung around with a group of girls who teased me and did not respect or genuinely care for me at all. About six months later, I became friends with a group of people that I am still friends with today and left my previous group of “friends” behind. They care about, respect, and appreciate me and I could not ask for better friends. My current friends and I were never considered popular throughout middle school and high school, and because of that we were always judged and ignored by the majority of our grade. My group of friends was and still is a good, solid support system, and in high school we stood by and stood up for each other whenever any of us needed help.
 “Forever or Never” – Cinema Bizarre
           “Forever or Never” by Cinema Bizarre is one of my favorite songs because it reminds me that my life is not eternal and that if I want to do something, I should go ahead and do it now while I still can. This song has motivated me on more than one occasion to take chances and to stop procrastinating, which are often challenging things for me to do. Listening to this song puts me into a positive mood and is able to get me hyped up enough to do things I have been putting off.
 “To Where You Are” – Josh Groban
           “To Where You Are” by Josh Groban is one of my favorite songs because it reminds me of my grandmother who passed away in 2009. I liked this song prior to my grandmother’s passing because my mom used to play Josh Groban CDs in the house regularly, but while coming home from my grandmother’s funeral, this song came on my iPod and brought tears to my eyes because it reminded me that the memory of my grandmother will always be with me even if she physically is not. I continue to listen to this song and call it one of my favorites because I enjoy listening to how beautifully it is sung and because it makes me remember all of wonderful moments I spent with my grandmother.
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canemnecredite · 6 years
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surrender.
date: 22 december 2017, approx. 5:00 pm location: arbitrary patch of snowed-over meadow between cohort barracks  parties: adriana caninii & jax karavadra
synopsis: After a month of avoidance following their former.. event, Adriana and Jax finally break their silence by means of a deadly snowball fight. @avadakaravadra
Adriana hadn’t seen snow like this in years. One of the wintry gods or goddesses usually allowed a day or two of flurries around the peak of the holiday season, but a full-blown snowstorm was a rarity-- and she thanked them for it. The surprise weather was a reprieve from the tensions throughout New Rome. Whether Roman or Greek, everyone who so wished was enjoying the weather, side by side, as if the new laws didn’t even exist. Adriana had chosen to take equal advantage of the peace. She had cancelled the next week of drills (hers, anyway). Her cohort had been heavily inflicted by the local drama and the time off would be good for them. But while most of her legionnaires had gone outside to enjoy themselves, Adriana had cozied herself up in her quarters. There were no shades blocking the view out the windows-- the snow was beautiful, but also cold. She wasn’t so fond of the latter.
The fire spreading warmth from the side of her room popped and sizzled with the shift of an ashen log. Adriana was busy reading, sat on her bed in an oversized sweater, pouring over some of the documents her grandfather had sent her-- interior designs and correspondence between the patrons and acting companies whose performance center was being rebuilt following its destruction in the Forum fire. She’d been receiving frequent files like this lately and had begun to suspect that Gaius was easing her into the role of her inheritance -- at least more directly now than he ever had before.
Septimus rested at the foot of her bed, watching the snowfall beyond the glass pane with the occasional low decibel whine. He even snorted a few times, subtly trying to get her attention. When that didn’t work, he sat up to place his paws and chin upon the edge of her bed, producing a sort of bark-whine that led her to sigh. “I know, I know,” she glanced down at him with a sorry smile. “We’ll get out there soon, but I have to finish my work first. You know the rules,” his nose was bopped by the blunt end of her pen, which caused him to sneeze, and won a quiet chuckle from the centurion. Septimus dropped down onto his four paws when Adriana returned to her work. He padded over to the fire, tempted to lie down there until she finally finished her paperwork. But his patience was terminated the instant her door swung open.
There was a knock at the door. Septimus’ ears stood straight, his full form at attention, poised. A legionnaire stepped beyond the threshold to ask his Centurion about a previously discussed armory order, and as soon as there was just enough space, the canine bolted. The legionnaire was promptly cut off. “Shit.” Jumping off the bed to haphazardly pull on a pair of boots and a scarf, Adriana offered the boy a look of apology. “I’m sorry, Aidan. Don’t worry about the order for now, okay? We’ll talk about it later.” She ushered him out with a gentle hand on his back. Her brisk steps dropped him by the boys’ wing of the cohort. “Go have some fun.” And then Adriana jolted into a run not unlike her companion. It was easy enough to follow his pawprints in the snow, despite the cold that leaked through the knitting in her sweater and the thin fabric of her leggings. The Gryffindor scarf was a savior to the skin around her neck and shoulders that may have otherwise been exposed. Still, she was already shivering by the time she found Septimus rolling around in the snow, snapping at the stuff as if there was some edible quality about it to be snatched. There wasn’t.
“Septimus!” she barked at him, but he made no indication that he’d heard her or intended to cease whatever it was he was doing. After a fierce groan, Adriana begrudgingly trudged through the snow towards him, landing mid-calves deep in the frosty accumulation. She stood there, hands on her hips, watching him, glaring, and hoping that the intensity of her look would kill his enthusiasm. In a way, it did. He stopped rolling around like a five-year-old, but faced her belly-up with tongue hanging out in replacement, to which she sighed. “What in Lupa’s name am I going to do with you?”
Ever since his and Adriana’s... tangle, Jax had been avoiding the girl as if she were the plague. It was entirely clear why, even to himself, though he mostly told himself that it was simply because he wasn’t willing to put up with whatever teasing Adriana might try to dish out when it came to their previous meeting. But it had been strange, having far less of the woman in his life than he was used to. First Adriana’s departure from the Cult had sent them in a wider scope than they’d been in before, and now with him actively running into her as least as possible-- it was probably the least Jax had seen her since they’d first met at his tender age of six... excluding her recent summer trip to Europe. However, that trip had been expected, this particular separation was not. And though he didn’t think he’d ever be one to wish to know when he would or wouldn’t be seeing Adriana, the absence of her was definitely something that had been affecting him, though he couldn’t say exactly how.
As if the Fates themselves had heard his thoughts, he soon saw Septimus bounding down the snowed over meadow, which could only mean Adriana wasn’t far behind. Already Jax was turning on his heel, planning to continue his diligent dodging of the daughter of Mars. However, Nashira, his often constant companion in the form of a raven, squawked out her annoyance at his sudden change in direction, trying to right herself. Her voice filled his head, as he could thank his grandmother Nox for his ability to understand creatures of the night. “Hey, what’s the deal?” she said irritably. Though as soon as her beady eyes caught sight of Adriana making her way after Septimus her question had answered itself and she let out a bird’s version of a chuckle. “Oh. Are you still avoiding her after the mating? Come on. I’m tired of not getting treats from her.” Already Jax could tell Nash was going to do something he most certainly would not want her to do. Though he wasn’t quite sure what it was yet. The bird had always had a mind of her own. Nevertheless, he sternly told her not to do whatever it was she was thinking of doing. “You’re not the boss of me. I want treats,” was all she said as a response before she took off from his shoulder to scoop a pile of snow into her talons.
Jax could only watch as Nashira soared over Adriana, dropping the snow on her in a way that could easily be perceived as coming from him. Framed by his own raven. What had the world come to? There was nowhere to hide, at least nowhere close enough to get to before Adriana began to look for whoever was responsible for her new snow-covered state. It didn’t help that Nash had disappeared as soon as she’d finished her bombardment.
Septimus could have heard Nashira's squawk from miles away. The sharp noise was an unofficial signal for him to aid in a plot they had loosely devised not long after their human counterparts had begun avoiding one another. While Nashira was driven by a lack of treats, or so she let on, Septimus was far more concerned with Adriana's wellbeing. She may not have acted any differently on the outside, but he knew her well enough to tell when she was upset, and that sort of gloom had been following her around for weeks. She must have missed Jax, he thought, like he had missed her when she had left him to go on her long walk with AJ. Septimus had bought time rolling around in the snow, knowing the clever bird would have something in mind. She always did. He liked that. When her deed was done, he flipped onto his paws and bounded a few meters away from Adriana, ready to watch the scene unfold and well aware that he shouldn't be in the angry human's way.
The sudden smack of frozen substance against the back of Adriana's neck made her gasp and yelp simultaneously. Her hand flew to the spot where her skin had already begun to sting from the contact. It hurt, and the anger that resulted in her was entirely natural. She spun around in search of the culprit and when her eyes landed on Jax-- oh boy did that anger flare up. Not only had he (presumably) hit her from behind with a fistful of snow, but he had been intentionally avoiding her since... that. Of course, she had been avoiding him just as well. It was the silence between them that made her furious. They had known each other for twenty years, and hardly within those twenty years had they been this aloof towards one another. She thought they were more than simply two lifelong neighbors. They had an odd sort of frenemyship that she relied upon heavily, and it wasn't until their relationship had come under such strain that she had realized just how desperately she needed him in her life. And Adriana loathed nothing more than feeling dependent upon another individual, especially one as irksome as Jackson Karavadra.
"Really?!" She yelled at him from where she stood, hands in such tight fists that she could feel her nails penetrating skin. She made a short advance, a few steps, before she halted in momentary control of her rampage. "After all this fucking time, that's--" her muscles loosened, then tensed again. With shut eyes and a clenched jaw, she channeled a heavy breath... then those eyes snapped open again, and even at the distance between them, the relentless fury was clear. "You're a dead man, Jackson Karavadra!" Instantly, the daughter of Mars swooped down to pack together a dense ball of snow and hurled it directly at his face, putting all of her strength behind the pitch. She didn't care how fast or hard it hit. If it broke his nose-- good. He deserved it.
A Latin curse fell from Jax’s lips as Adriana turned on him and her words reached his ears. He knew well enough by now every single form of anger the daughter of Mars could exhibit, and though this wasn’t an entirely murderous form... it was certainly not one of the calmer ones. Most likely, Adriana wouldn’t be satisfied until she had his blood. Perhaps he was being over-dramatic, but he couldn’t help but be when Adriana insisted on reacting so fiercely. Vainly, he attempted to explain. “Adri, wait! It wasn’t--” But his words were cut off as a snowball came into his vision, hurled at an alarming rate. He only just managed to keep it from hitting his face, though it smashed into the side of his neck instead. Instantly a shiver ran down his spine as the coldness of the snow cut into his skin. The fact that he tended to run hot didn’t help to make the new icy sensation feel any more bearable, the contrast in temperature seeming even greater because of it.
He’d tried for a single moment to prevent World War III from happening, but as the snow melted onto him, he knew all intentions of solving this like adults was off the table. “Fuck it,” he said before bending down to collect the snow at his feet into a tightly packed ball. But just then Nashira seemed to return from nowhere, collecting more snow from the ground and dropping it squarely on top of Jax’s head. “Oh, come on!” he yelled towards the bird, and once again Nash was sent to cackling her strange bird laugh. He began to dart around in an attempt to make hitting him more difficult, and waited until there was a good moment to fling his own snowball towards Adriana at a speed far greater than would be seen in any regular snow fight. He yelled back to her, “That’s strange! I’m entirely certain that I’m still alive and breathing!”
Jax may have dodged her frozen projectile for the most part, but that scrape of it that did hit had Adriana grinning in a sort of twisted satisfaction by violence. She couldn't beat down that rage. The snow was no match to the fire that had come to possess her heart and mind. It was blind and ferocious, and when Jax reciprocated her shot, the thrill of an official fight charged her with a dangerous energy.
His snowball was fast, but so was she. Adriana ducked, dodging it by an inch. Then she broke into a run, still lower to the ground as she scooped up a handful of snow and hurled it at him with the added momentum of springing back to her full height. "You're a real dick, you know that?" The daughter of Mars couldn't withhold her words when she could hardly control her anger. Another snowball was pitched in his direction between shouts. "Don't get used to it! You're already heartless anyway! It won't take much to drop your dead ass in the snow!”
This time he was ready for her throw, and the duck and subsequent roll he went into carried him safely out of the snowball’s way. While he was rolling, he scooped another ball of snow from the ground, flinging it towards Adriana with deadly accuracy and velocity as he came out of his maneuver on the ground. In the next instant he was standing once more. Her words only further confirmed his suspicion of her being pissed, though he wasn’t entirely certain what he’d done wrong. “Tell me something I don’t know!” Perhaps his sense of self-preservation should keep him from egging on Adriana’s anger, but it had never been that way between them.
Jax could guess that her anger most likely had to do with their last ‘meeting,’ but as far as he knew, Adriana had wanted him just as much as he’d wanted her. Yes, he’d been avoiding her, but hadn’t she been avoiding him too? Though now that he thought of it... how could he know whether or not she’d been avoiding him when he hadn’t even given her the chance to approach him? “I’m sure the snow would love that! Not everyday someone gets to be sat on by Jax Karavadra!” The distance between them made shouting necessary, and he packed yet another snowball into his palm.
Adriana didn't quite dodge Jax's snowball this time. She slid aside a second too late and her shoulder took the brunt of the hit. The thickness of her sweater cushioned the blow somewhat, but the pain still rattled through her bones and again escalated her emotion. She retaliated instantly with an even stronger, faster pitch. The angrier she got, the more power she possessed.
Adriana wasn't angry about what they'd done; she was angry about the aftermath. They had both been avoiding each other, but a part of her had been wishing for him to overcome that avoidance. Jax was one of very few people she trusted, and out of everyone she knew, it was likely that he knew her best-- but not in entirety. Just the thought of losing him over something so... natural had left her frustrated and alone, even if she presented herself otherwise. "With a narcissistic attitude like that, you might as well go fuck a mirror! Clearly you care far more about yourself than anyone else!" She had stopped moving to yell at him this time, her breath made heavier by exertion and rage. After a few breaths, she produced a shrill whistle that called Septimus to attention.
The dog sat up straight and alert, ears pointed and ready to receive a command. "Septimus, braccare." He bolted into action without hesitation. Running straight for Jax, the canine growled, aiming for intimidation. But he didn't attack Jax. Instead, he began to corral the man with a vicious series of barks and feigned nips at his ankles. They were trying to drive him closer to Adri, who planned to smack him in the face with a snowball so hard he'd be seeing stars for a month. Her throws would be far more deadly at close range.
Another curse tumbled from him as he recognized the command Adriana had given Septimus. Normally, he had a rather soft spot for the dog, but having the canine nipping at his every step was currently not the cutest thing the German shepherd had ever done. It was obvious to see what endeavor the two were trying to achieve as he was forced closer and closer to Adriana. There was really no avoiding the dog unless Jax wanted to kick him away, or let himself get bit. The first option was utterly repulsive to him, while the second... was just something he’d rather not have to deal with. He could sense Nash circling above, and called out to the bird via the mental connection they shared. “Do you mind doing something useful for once in your life?!” The dark bird flew lower, as if considering the idea before finally making a sound that would be the same as a human sigh if Nashira was flesh and bone rather than mostly feathers. But her answer came back soon after. “Fine.”
This time, the snow that the raven scooped up went directly towards Septimus as she tried to hit the dog with her snow bombs, hopefully giving Jax a temporary reprieve and the ability to gain some sort of upper hand. He flung his other snowball at Adriana. They were considerably closer than before, so his aim would most likely be truer... but so would hers. He’d already opened his mouth to make a smart reply in her direction, but it was her mention of not caring for anyone that had him second guessing it. Did Adriana think he didn’t care? It was a word he didn’t extend to many, but obviously she should realize that by now, after their twenty something years of being friends, or rivals, or whatever they were there would be more than indifference between them. “Is that what this is about?” he called back.
Septimus liked the snow, but he did not like having it dropped on his head. Yelping and stopping in his tracks, he shook the frosty powder from his fur and snorted grumpily at the raven flying above. He'd played his part. Now they could wait and see what transpired between their two humans.
There remained a distance between Adriana and Jax, but it was considerably lessened by Septimus' efforts. She wasn't sure how she felt about it. Drawing him closer for a more accurate blow had sounded better in theory-- only, now that their contact was nearing, the tension was tighter. Adriana developed a strain in her breath. Her glare was no less passionate, yet a slight tremble crept into those flames. Gods. He made her unsteady in a way that her Invidian blood was useless to combat. And she loathed him for it.
Though she ducked and rolled backwards, the cold rush of his hit scraped along her back. She cursed as the impact set in. Her hands were already numb, lacking any sort of protection from the snow's touch, but she didn't care. She could ignore that pain in focusing on another. "What else would it be about?" She snapped at him before her tone crescendoed into a semi-scream. "We haven't spoken in a month! You couldn't even look me in the eye! What do you expect me to think about that?!" Thoughtlessly, she flung a freshly constructed snowball at his stomach.
Jax could afford a small sigh of relief when Septimus finished his pursuit of the man, but that didn’t mean he was happy about how close the dog had managed to get him to Adriana. At least, that’s what the practical portion of his mind was saying. The other half, the half that had pushed him wholeheartedly into kissing Adriana when she had pulled him down on that fateful day nearly a month ago was rejoicing. He hadn’t been this close to Adriana since that day, and it almost felt as if his body was propelling itself forwards towards her of its own accord, as if they were opposite sides of a magnet-- unable to fight whatever inexplicable pull was telling him not to bother with avoiding the snowball... with avoiding Adriana.
He’d been fighting it for a month now, and as he saw the snow gathered in the daughter of Mars’ hair, the white of it making an all enrapturing contrast between the flakes and her auburn locks, for once in his life he decided to stop fighting. It seemed that all he’d been doing as of late was fighting. Fighting with Cat. Almost fighting with Leo. Fighting with Lina when he was doing his best to act as if they weren’t fighting. Fighting with everyone at the Centurion dinner. He was tired of it. Certainly, just this once, he could afford to let the side of himself he never let win have its way. And the way it wanted in this moment was Adriana, though he couldn’t explain exactly how it wanted her. So as he let the snowball hit him and the pain sting through his gut, he let out a grunt and stopped fighting-- though he would refuse to call it a surrender.
He wouldn’t throw any more snowballs. He wouldn’t keep up with this ridiculous attempt to slide away from Adriana’s gaze and out of her path. Jax let the momentum of the tug she had on him continue to pull him forwards, telling himself that he was doing this because it was the sensible thing to do. If he was close enough to her, there would be no space between them for snowballs to fly. And he was planning on getting close. Such was obvious as he barreled straight into her, his arms moving to wrap their way around her and twisting at the last moment to make sure they’d fall on their sides, rather than her having to bear the full weight of him taking her to the ground with him. But a second later he was turning once more, trying to get her under him and pin her hands above her head, not trusting her to not resort to hitting him. “Adri,” he started calmly and sincerely, his breath showing cloudy and warm in the chilly air as his face hovered above hers. And for a single second he was thrown back to that moment when the nickname had slipped through his lips as he’d caught her under a tree and the moon soon after the Senate Fire. It had been the first time in ages, and it seemed that once it had started again... he couldn’t stop. “Adri,” he repeated. “I didn’t mean to make you think that, okay?” The heightened emotion of her last yells had told him that something was seriously wrong. Now that he’d heard the things she’d been yelling, the words about him not caring were echoing in his head. That had to be what was really happening, right? Though he couldn’t imagine why Adriana was so concerned with whether or not he cared. “I just didn’t-- I was confused. And there’s been so much going on.” It was likely the most sincere he’d ever been with the daughter of Mars, and the closet he’d ever come to admitting he cared.
After she had loosed her most recent throw, Adriana had locked herself in place. There was no suggestion of further offensive or evasion. She stood there with only that glare and the rise and fall of her shoulders on heavy breath to indicate that she remained poised to fight. That's what she was made for, wasn't it? She couldn't back down now, not when she had the upper hand. Yet, as she waited for him to retaliate to her hit and he didn't, she let her guard down. Why wasn't he fighting back?
Apparently, she had assessed him too soon. By the time she tried to turn on her heel, his arms were already around her and he tackled both of them to the ground, resulting in a yelp from the daughter of Mars. Despite the pillowy look of the snow, their landing was not as soft as anticipated. She was still recovering from the shock of it when Jax moved to pin her down. He got a hold of her hands alright, but that didn't keep her from squirming and kicking-- she was pretty sure she jabbed him in the hip because she felt the familiar impact of bone on bone ring through her knee. "Jax! Gods! Let me go! Fucking- inferna--" She was growling at him, throwing Latin curses, not much quieter than she'd been shouting, so she hadn't registered the first time he called her by the nickname he'd neglected for ages. Consciously, anyway. It must have reached her in some way, however-- because the moment he'd gotten her trapped more steadily and repeated that name, she ceased her struggle, and what's more, all of her will to defy him disappeared from her eyes.
Even if she was made to fight, she didn't want to. It was a reflex that took physical restraint to calm, and Jax knew that. He'd known it for years. As soon as he broke through her anger, the cold hit her all at once, leaving her winded as if her chest had been struck with blunt force. His clouds of breath were alone between them and the faint warmth they supplied kept her eyes staring diligently into his gaze. The words that he spoke sent a new chill down her spine. Finally, a tiny puff of breath formed at her lips. "I'm sorry," she whispered on a strained voice, a tired voice. "I've just been so angry, I couldn't--" Her eyes squeezed shut for a moment to blink away the memory just before his own recollection -- that ridiculous offer of a dance in the midst of ruin. Because that was what this felt like. She hadn't known what it was then and she didn't want to know what it was now. Their world was in too great of a mess for their own to add to it. "I thought it would be easier. I was wrong. Jax, I can't go on like this..." It didn't matter how she felt; Adriana needed him back. As an ally. As a friend-- or, whatever they were. Especially when everything was falling apart around them. Neither of them would admit it to the other, but there was no question about it-- they worked better together than they ever did alone.
The kick of hers that connected with his hip was still vaguely throbbing, though the pain of it was quickly fading as his focus went entirely to Adriana. With how close they were, he could almost make out every individual fleck of gold in her eyes, and for a moment he was wondering how long it would take to count them all. Now that they had both stilled, Jax could see that the snowflakes hadn’t limited themselves to landing on her hair. There were a few caught in the lashes of her eyes, and for a reason he wasn’t entirely sure was unrelated, the smallest smile began to grow on his lips. He shouldn’t be smiling in a situation such as this, not when a guilt was quickly rising in him for having inadvertently built Adriana to this state of screwing her eyes shut and apologizing for things he most likely should be saying sorry for as well. “We’re both idiots,” he offered as a means of taking the blame from her. “That’s why we get along so well,” he teased, quite obviously referring to the fact that they hadn’t been able to go any more than a half hour without dispatching sharp and smart quips to one another since the woman beneath him had been four.
Jax could only ignore their position for so long when the cold of the air and their recent exertion had turned Adriana’s cheeks, nose, and lips a flushed pink. I thought it would be easier, she’d said with that enticingly rosy mouth. “It doesn’t have to be difficult,” he answered quietly, not entirely certain if his next move would be something that was welcomed. But she’d taken the leap of faith last time, even if the initial meeting of their lips had been his fault. Though, could it really be considered a fault when it had resulted in the moments that had followed? The moment they were sharing now? With his heart beating fast in his chest, for once his mind seemed to grow quiet as he closed the short distance between them, and one of his hands slipped to her chin, tilting her face upwards towards him. Jax looked at her for one more moment, savoring the picture she made before his lips captured hers in a sweeter kiss than they’d shared before. His ever-present voice of reason was silent in that moment. He didn’t need to think to do something that felt so natural as kissing Adriana here and now.
There was a long moment when she was lying there, catching her breath, that he just looked at her, and for the most unfathomable reason, she found herself entranced by him. It was the oddest sensation -- they were looking straight at each other, and yet, their focus wasn't entirely on the person above or below them, but on their features. Adri had memorized what Jax looked like -- the color of his hair, where every scar was, how he dressed. Those standards had developed over years of companionship. As close as she was to him now, she was intrigued by all of the little details she hadn't recognized before. His eyes had always been dark from a distance, most automatically assumed black, but they weren't. They were still dark, only rather than solid black, there were sheens of deep browns and shimmers of russet softening his gaze, which she never would have noted otherwise. And as if that wasn't fascinating enough, she found herself staring into her own eyes through his. His eyes actually reflected light, and the flecks of gold in her eyes were exactly the sort that shone back. She could have laid there all day just studying every new pigment she discovered. But there was a shift in his focus, however minute, to her lashes, which released Adriana from her daze. It was his growing smile that then caught her attention. "What--?" She blinked at him, perplexed, and bashfully attempted to escape being the source of that expression. "What?" His smile was infectious, however, and though she was avoiding his gaze at the time, that didn't stop a helpless little smile of her own from breaking out. The quietest laugh bubbled up thanks to his tease. "Yeah," her head tilted back with a roll of eyes. "So well."
“It doesn’t have to be difficult.”
Jax had done it again, summoned her attention. Her tiny laugh had died off and her eyes were back on his. She sensed where this was going. No, she knew where this was going. Her heart was racing, pumping warmth into her veins and preparing her for the inevitable. When he cupped her chin, there was no further question, but she didn't reach for him this time. She wanted to see what he would do, how he would do it. She needed some way of telling whether or not what he wanted and what she wanted were truly the same thing.
Adriana melted into his kiss. It was soft and warm-- not what she would have tagged him for, but brilliantly just- perfect. Her hands, no longer needing restraint, found a home, one at the side of his neck and the other at his cheek. The latter brushed along his skin, intent on resting behind his ear, but every appendage was trembling in the cold, numb to the touch, though she didn't seem to care. She was still catching up on her breath, so she stole some of his from directly between his lips, in essence leaning upwards into his kiss of her own volition. However, when that breath she had stolen was exhaled, she pulled her lips free, leaving them to hover just a fraction away, finding new contact where her forehead touched his brow and their noses brushed ever so slightly. "Then it won't be," she whispered against his lips, blinking her eyes open for the brief pause of conversation. What they revealed this time was far gentler than their previous encounter. They shared agreement, understanding, and want-- but rooted in the need for comfort and companionship, not the sheer, untamed physical lust that they had experienced before. She was... happy? To have him back. To have someone she trusted back on her side. And there was more to it-- but she didn't feel like exploring the deep emotional depths of her soul would be wise at the present time.
Her smile and laugh had been two of the sweetest things he’d witnessed since... he wasn’t actually entirely sure of when he’d last beheld something so bewitching. Jax had rarely been a person to see the beauty in things. No. He’d always been the one to see things clearly, hold things in his mind’s eye for exactly what they were. But now, the strangest phenomena had begun to occur, and it seemed that his mind’s eye and his physical sights were overlapping, leaving him to only see the version of Adriana that was... radiant.
The instant she’d broken away from him, he was already wondering when it was he would next be able to return to her lips, though the feeling of her speaking against him added yet another layer to his want for her. It was the strangest thing-- Jax had been confident he knew nearly every in and out of Adriana and who she was, was familiar with every angle she could possibly be viewed from. Yet as they lay there in the snow, he couldn’t help but feel as if he was uncovering an entirely new facet of her. It was almost as if he were meeting her anew once more, revealing a part of her he’d never had privy to knowing before, and being entirely gratified for the chance to learn it.
Once more her eyes blinked open, and there was a split second in which he had forgotten what it was he’d been thinking of. It was a moment of connection, nothing more than two spirits meeting through what people always claimed were the windows to the soul. The encounter was fleeting, yet full-- the simple eye-contact making for the sensation of recognition between one another... and companionship.
What finally awoke him from his state was the final realization that the places where Adriana touched him were distinctly cold, not to mention he’d caught on to the shivering that was making its way through her body. And it wasn’t the same shivering he’d found her to exhibit when he did something particularly delicious to her with his hands or lips. Begrudgingly forsaking his wish to take her lips in his once more, he instead clasped her hands in his, bring the icy skin to his lips and breathing his warm breath over them, going so far as to experimentally kiss the tips of them. He’d never wanted to kiss someone's fingertips before, but he was done questioning the things he wanted to do. Ignoring the more practical voice in his head was what had gotten him to this point. Whatever this newfound part of him was doing, it hadn’t steered him wrong yet. A moment later he enveloped her smaller hands entirely in his, trying to provide as much warmth as he could.
“You know, if you wanted to turn into a popsicle there are faster ways to do it.” As soon as he’d spoken the words, a nervousness gripped him. Would him speaking somehow ruin whatever it was that had fallen over them? But teasing one another was simply a part of who they were, and though it wasn’t obvious-- anyone who knew him well would know it was simply his way of caring, hinting that perhaps they should get her into the warmth of indoors. He didn’t want Adriana to freeze out here, no matter how much he might want to stay and kiss her until they were warm enough not to feel the cold.
The development between them was keeping Adriana on her toes, alert so as not to miss a single detail. She was rediscovering Jax by the second. The way he spoke, looked, and acted towards her were shifting rapidly in the wake of this wintery event. She was hopelessly caught by curiosity, suddenly eager to show the private sides of herself that not even he had seen before just to get a new reaction from him. There was no sense in playing with all that now, however. She wanted to spread out that intrigue-- wanted to be cautious. Because despite the evolving status of her heart, she had been raised to avoid feelings at all costs, especially those that might lead to an emotion as obstructing as love.
Yet, when Jax took her hands to warm them, she decided to break the rules for the rest of the day. She'd never had her hands kissed before, besides in the polite greetings of certain local gentlemen. It wasn't a gesture she had heard of either, much less witnessed. But, she found it impossibly endearing-- which was a bizarre term to be associated with Jax. Another small smile and a redder coloring of her cheeks graced her features as a few spots of sensation gradually returned to her hands. The cold remained no less numbing, though. The longer she was out here in a lack of appropriate winter clothing, the more likely she was to fall ill from her exposure to the frigid weather.
"Well, considering I've lost feeling in my hands and feet, I think I'm already about halfway there. Seems like pretty good timing to me." That smile of hers curled into a teasing grin, one that he'd seen many a time but with a more lighthearted gleam in her eye than ever before. What they had stumbled into wasn't going to go away just because their lips weren't locked. Adriana was convinced of that. They had been apart for too long for this momentum to slow down. Perhaps they were making up for lost time. "But we should probably head inside before I really start freezing to death.”
A small sigh fell from his lips, knowing that this particular moment in the snow was coming to an end. But perhaps it wouldn’t truly be coming to a close, he planned on giving the promise that there would be more kisses to share... amongst other activities. His eyes rolled as she mentioned her icy extremities, and a faint prickle of frustration made itself known in his chest. If he’d taken the time to analyze it, he would have realized that it was the concern that comes over a person when someone they care about was doing something that wasn’t in their best interest. Instead, he simply said, “Don’t worry. I know some foolproof ways of warming you up,” with his nearly trademark smirk, it being all too obvious exactly what it was he might be referring to.
But before he rose from the snow, Jax took the scarf from around his neck to wrap it around Adriana’s hands. Hopefully that would help to warm them, though he’d rather enjoyed holding them. Of course, he couldn’t help but to ruin the sentiment with a comment. “Kinky, huh?” He lay there for a single moment more, giving Adriana one more brief, but warm kiss, wishing that he could find a way for them to live in this little moment for at least a while longer. Unfortunately, time insisted on rolling forth, and he wanted to get Adriana in out of the cold. Rising to his feet, once he was upright he bent down to retrieve Adriana. At first it seemed as if he would be lifting her into his arms to hold her as he had the night he’d carried her to the infirmary-- but instead he kept on going, attempting to throw her over his shoulder in a tease. “Maybe Septimus didn’t bring anything back from his hunt,” he teased, referring to the command she’d given the dog earlier, “but I got rather lucky with sacking a doe.”
His smirk alone would have told Adri exactly where this was headed. Not that she was surprised. Or that she would refuse. But, the cliché content of his teases had her rolling her eyes. He drew a snort and brief laugh of pure sarcasm from her with his scarf trick, also. "Mhm. Right. Kinky as hell. Very original." Then he kissed her again, the warmth of his lips tempting her to just stay here and continue what they had already started. It was all too easy to get distracted from outside threats like temperature when she was so lost in such a needed moment. However, it really was cold, and while the scarf around her hands was a relief, it wasn't nearly enough to warm her up properly.
She had sat up already by the time Jax bent down to retrieve her, intending to make the lift slightly easier-- not that he required any assistance. Being thrown over his shoulder rather than carried, though... needless to say, she wasn't the biggest fan. "Oh no, don't you dare--" It was a tease, of course. She knew that. Mostly. Maybe? Whatever the case, as she tried to kick him in the front to be released, the playful, annoyed laughter they had often shared as kids sounded on the winter air. "Come on! Jax! Ugh--" Despite the fact that it couldn’t be seen, her shift in tone indicated that she was pouting at his clear reference to another childhood phenomenon, "I am not a deer."
Jax couldn’t resist the amused laugh that fell from him as Adriana’s own cut through the icy air, and he swore for a moment it seemed to warm him through the wind and cold of the weather. Though he refused to admit it, there was something incredibly cute about the way she insisted on pouting while he had her slung over his shoulder. He really was enjoying the tease he had managed to implement, but alas-- he wasn’t all that fond of being kicked by Adriana, and he’d most likely already had enough from her to last his entire lifetime. Reluctantly he shifted her once more, holding her in his arms bridal style rather than returning-from-a-hunt style. “Sure you aren’t, Bambi.” Again, it was a nickname he hadn’t used for her in quite while-- most likely since they’d been children running wild. But he couldn't’ resist the joke. At least hopefully she would stop kicking him in this position.
His feet began to carry them back to his Centurion room in the First Cohort, knowing that it would be warm enough amongst his rather ridiculous amount of pillows and blankets, in addition to the fireplace. “Anyway. We have to warm you up.” Again his smirk slid across his lips. “And we all know the first step to combating hypothermia is getting you out of those wet clothes. One way or another.” With that he continued his trek across the snow, his pace quickening in the slightest. He couldn’t deny he was eager to finally get to his room, though he was certain the sparkling memory of this particular snow encounter would be one he’d be treasuring for an amount of time he was reluctant to admit.
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Ghoul Squad Island Ghouls: Review!
Back by popular demand are more reviews for Adventures of the Ghoul Squad!
I will be reviewing each new episode after they are released! with screen shots and an in depth analysis.
lets jump right in shall we?
I stated in my first review that I don’t care for the theme song and the more I hear the more I still don’t... I wish they would have leaned more in the direction of James Bond that they were aiming for instead of the repetitive kidz bop sound it actually has.
Secondly the animation. in my first review I was undecided if I liked the art style or not and I have finally come to a conclusion on what’s bothering me about it. The art style used for the Ghoul Squad series falls into this weird valley of stylized but not stylized enough: I’ll explain.
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The main 5 ghouls doing the exact same poses as their box art counterparts which I do not have a colored art for at my disposal but they DO use the box art silhouettes for the logo so I’ll use that.
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Just looking at the silhouettes alone shows major differences in the art styles used here and I personally prefer the box art style because it’s more delicate, current and makes them look like actual high schoolers. The style used for the webisodes is clunky, I really hate their thick popeye arms/ankles and I feel like this art style infantilizes them. To be fair the original web series kind of suffered from this clunky popeye arm thing too but to a much lesser extent.
Now this does not mean I am against stylization as a concept, I frigging love the art for the vinyls so much.
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However, the art for the vinyls is SO radically different and far removed from the box art style I can see it as it’s own separate thing where as the ghoul squad art is close- but not close enough, it’s just different enough that it bothers me but it’s not so different I can appreciate it on a new level. ( the same thing can be said for shows like Teen Titans Vs. Teen Titans Go!)
Anyways the show starts with Dracula being tech-illiterate and running back to his books which is kinda funny because I can’t even get my 80 year old grandmother to give up her old flip phone, I can’t imagine trying to get someone whose hundreds of years old up to date.
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This might be the first time since the reboot we’ve seen consequences for them not doing their school work... I know, I was shocked they actually went to class as well.
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Cleo didn’t do her humanology assignment so Dracula doesn’t let her go on the Island adventure. I wish she would have wanted to be there for more than JUST sand (sun, surf, pool  boys, etc) it makes her sound kinda one note and anyone who knows even the teeniest bit about the ancient Egyptians knows that sand was a constant curse upon them, getting into their food and eroding their teeth- but alas, I’m here to review cartoons not cover world history.
interesting footprints for someone whose wearing shoes.
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Once they are on the island they run into native wild life, a ‘spider monkey” which is essentially just a regular monkey with extra arms, kinda uninspired I think.
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I much prefer the spider monkeys in the pre-boot that had a bit more spider in them and I thought they were unique!
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But that’s what the reboot was all about right? making things cuter? even if it’s at the cost of what makes them monster-like... :\
The subplot of this episode is Cleo working on her paper while helping Dracula navigate modern technology.
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it’s not a bad subplot but I feel like him being loud in the same room she is trying to work in kinda undermines the good example he was trying to set by keeping her there in the first place...maybe a better subplot would have been if she had the flu or some type of mummy sickness and had to stay behind vs her being punished but not really being punished.
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once we get back to the main plot Lagoona and Clawdeen find a scale that belongs to a fresh water monster! and I really like that they explain only salt water creatures can live in the ocean, kids may not know that fresh water creatures would live in water on the island instead of around it. However this does bring up the question: that if all the monsters have been in hiding and isolated from each other how does Lagoona know what a fresh water monster scale looks like? I’ve mentioned before in both my reviews for the movies and the first episode that erasing all the history the monsters had together was a mistake and this is one of the many problems you create when you do that... if monsters don’t interact with other monsters in this universe like what is stated in welcome to monster high then are there still feuds between the species? Fangelicas words in the first webisode imply that vampires and werewolves being friends is surprising so I want to say yes...but that doesn’t make sense when in universe they stated that all the monsters are in hiding and thus do not have their own culture because they are isolated from other monsters.I am well aware that for lots of people this may be a good thing as many people were growing tired of the whole Gil / Lagoona soap opera of his parents being bigots and her being a salt water creature but I liked that conflict, as someone in an interracial relationship myself I can empathize with them and those kind of problems with families don’t always have a nice ending like they do in after school specials sometimes they are ongoing, sometimes they never get resolved or sometimes something worse....but it does happen and I like that the pre-boot didn’t shy away from that but let’s see if the reboot follows in those footsteps.
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I talk a lot of crap about the reboot designs, like I really hate Lagoonas eye color needlessly changing but one thing I do like is that she has more freckles! unrelated to the picture: I also like how they pointed out that printed books can become out of date.
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If monkeys can’t talk HOW is this one activating the mapalog? does the mapalog just respond to any language you say at it? including spider monkey??? what are the rules!?!?!
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Dracula being a weenie is getting kinda old. remember when we thought he was going to be all menacing based on his portrait in frights camera action?
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yea...me too.
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....Why....would any sea creature make their home on the side of an active volcano... is Gil living by himself!? where are his parents!? did he run away? if they’re not in the picture maybe there will be no Gil / Lagoona soap opera drama.
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We finally see Gil! my boy! in his pre-boot look but with a new water breathing apparatus that just covers his gills instead of his whole head....super interesting how Gil has a varsity jacket in colors for a school he’s never heard of and a swim team he’s never been on. man you really do not wanna give that boy new clothes.
One thing I will say about Gils updated look is that he looks more Japanese? I’m not sure if it’s a conscious design choice by the Mattel team or if I am just imprinting @peppapigvevo‘s beautiful Gil head cannon on to Gil but either way I like it!
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This is not at all how surfing works.
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Cleo is so strong, dang.
GIL JUST PEACES THE EFF OUT! I genuinely laughed at this moment.
It’s still early in the series to judge it too harshly but I’m glad we got Gil! it’s also super interesting to see what monsters they are going to “find” first like....I wonder if that’s whose dolls sold the best? I have so many questions! we’ll find out if they have answers, in the next episode!
<- Previous Webisode Review.
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jaskiersbard · 7 years
Text
Most Definitely a Scamander - a Newt/Tina + Rolf fic
Tagging: @pinkdiamonddolphin
a/n: The two sections of this fic take place at different points – close together but not on the same day. Hope that clears up any confusion!
Summary: “I mean, you have freckles and…and my awfully untidy hair… I’m afraid you’re most definitely a Scamander, whether you like it or not.” (Or: Newt and Tina comforting their grandson Rolf)
The afternoon sun was warm and lovely; there was the sound of children chattering and laughing, and all of the Scamander and Kowalski grandchildren were playing together quite blissfully.
All except for one, that was.
Rolf wiped his nose on his sleeve, not caring that his mother said it was ‘dirty’, and pushed himself against the back of his grandmother’s favourite chair; she usually sat here with the Kneazles, stroking them while she read a book or smiling fondly while she knitted something – she would make room for him on her lap though sometimes, if he wanted a cuddle with her. Currently his grandmother was outside with the rest of the family, probably talking to her sister, and he didn’t want to disturb her with his bad thoughts; it would be unkind to ruin her afternoon.
Zippy, the youngest of his grandmother’s Kneazles, hopped up on the armrest and nudged his head against the boy’s; Rolf stroked him behind the ears, still not feeling better when he purred happily. Usually petting his grandparents’ magical creatures made him feel happy and pleased – but his heart just wasn’t in it today.
He was so caught up in his sadness that he didn’t notice his Nana Tina entering the room – he only realized when she stopped in front of the chair, looking rather worried.
“Rolf, dear, what’s the matter?”
He sniffled, shaking his head. “’m f-f-fine, Nana.”
“You’re crying,” She corrected, and she put a hand on his knee. “Oh, come here – come and tell me what’s got you so upset.”
Rolf suddenly reached out for her, crying into her shoulder when she lifted him up into her arms; he was young and still rather small for his age, thankfully, otherwise it might have been a tad more difficult. Tina shushed him gently, sitting down so that she could settle him on her lap as she listened.
“I’m…” He sniffled, shaking his head. “I’m odd.”
“Odd?” Tina repeated, looking somewhat confused. “What makes you say that?”
“People say stuff,” He told her miserably, not meeting her eye. “They say mean stuff ‘cause I’m…’cause ‘m darker than everyone else.”
She didn’t miss a beat. “That doesn’t make you ‘odd’ at all, Rolf, I promise.”
“But…But…�� A few tears tricked down his face. “The other children…they make fun of me ‘cause I’m darker, a-and…and they said that…”
Oh, Tina had heard some of the things said about Rolf; he was the youngest of their grandchildren, a surprise given that their son Leo hadn’t been planning on children, but still very much loved and adored. She’d seen some of the things written in the papers by journalists, however – it was mostly lies fabricated for the sake of drama, lies that so-called ‘famous author’ Newt Scamander was disappointed that his son had married a woman he’d met on his travels in Nigeria, that Rolf was quite literally the ‘black hippogriff of the family’. Fabricated stories of themselves, Newt and Tina both found funny to some degree because of the ridiculousness of them – but ones about their grandchildren were, of course, crossing the line and extremely inappropriate.
“You don’ love me as much as the others!” Rolf cried, fingers clutching at her clothes.
“Don’t be silly,” Tina sighed, rubbing his back with soothing circles in the hopes of calming him down. “We love you very much – just as much as the others. Your skin has nothing to do with anything.”
He pushed his face against her collarbone, shoulders shaking. “No, you don’t…’cause I’m darker than everyone else, ‘cause ‘m not like Bram or Mari or the others-”
“Rolf, dear, look at me,” Tina interrupted steadily, and she waited until he lifted his eyes to her. “You’re no different to Bram, Mari and the others, not in that way at least – you’re all wonderful in your own ways, and we wouldn’t trade any of you for anything… You’re just like your grandfather too, you know.”
He wiped his nose on his sleeve again, looking rather unconvinced. “How?”
“Well…for one thing, you’ve both got the unruliest hair I’ve ever seen,” She teased fondly, and he let a giggle slip when she mussed his hair. “And you both love magical creatures – I think Zippy, especially, is very taken with you...”
The Kneazle mewled in agreement, watching from his perch on the armrest as his tail flicked happily. Rolf was smiling somewhat sheepishly.
“You’re covered in freckles, just like your Grandpa Newt,” Tina continued affectionately, and he laughed quietly when she bopped his freckled nose. “And, to add, I love the both of you very much.”
“Oh, I love you too, Nana!” Rolf announced, throwing his arms around her.
She was beaming affectionately as she embraced him, squeezing tightly. “I know you do, Rolf. Now, don’t forget what I’ve told you: no matter what anyone else tells you, me and Grandpa Newt love you very much – and nothing will ever change that.”
Rolf was sat on the bed, as expected, back against the wall and face buried into his pillow as he cried loudly. Newt sighed before walking into the room, wondering what he could say that could possibly make the situation any better.
The next person he heard implying that Rolf was different or unwanted because he was “coloured” would be hexed, he vowed – Tina was still rather handy with those kinds of spells, after all, and he was certain that she’d have no problems whatsoever hexing such people.
“Rolf,” He muttered, tucking his hands into his trousers as he debated what to say.
He didn’t need to; his grandson looked up, face tear-stained, and reached out his arms for some kind of comfort. Newt immediately scooped the boy into an embrace, settling on the edge of the bed as he cradled him; the tears soon started again, sobs muffled by the fabric of the Magizoologist’s shirt, and he waited patiently.
It wasn't fair, Rolf cried to him, tiny shoulders shaking; it wasn’t fair that he was the odd one out, that he didn’t fit because his mother was black and he was considerably darker-skinned than his cousins. He wanted to be normal, he told his grandfather miserably, shaking his head: he wanted to fit in with the rest of the family, wanted to stop having people stare at him like he was an animal in a zoo because he was different.
Eventually Rolf’s sobs quietened down into hiccups, and Newt gave a heavy sigh as he rubbed at his grandson’s back. “I know that you’re very upset – and I’m very angry that someone implied…well, they don’t matter,” He stated firmly. “I know what it’s like to not fit in; I was considered strange when I was younger too…I still am in some ways, I suppose.”
“I’m sorry,” Rolf mumbled, giving a loud sniffle. “I’m sorry I’m not white like you and Nana and Daddy and everyone else.”
No child deserved to be made to feel that way – it was awful, and his heart felt heavy inside of his chest. “Don’t be silly,” Newt tutted, fishing in his waistcoat pocket for something he could use to dry the tears from the child’s face. “There’s no need to be sorry at all – the ones who say things, now they’re the ones who should be sorry, not you.”
“I…I don’t fit in,” Rolf said unhappily, still pressed close to his grandfather. “I don’t look like a Scamander, that’s what someone said.”
“Now, that is ridiculous,” Newt scoffed in disbelief. “Why, you’re every inch a Scamander, I can assure you – while I’m not sure that’s something to be particularly thrilled about, I can tell you that you’re most definitely a part of this family. I mean, you have freckles and…and my awfully untidy hair… I’m afraid you’re most definitely a Scamander, whether you like it or not.”
They were both silent for a few minutes as Rolf calmed down, wiping his eyes but not moving from his perch on Newt’s knee; it was only when he’d finished drying his tears that he seemed to slump a bit, relaxing tiredly in his grandfather’s arms.
“Nana Tina said I’m like you,” Rolf muttered quietly, looking down at his hands.
“Hmm. Funny that,” Newt mused, grinning to himself. “I’ve always thought that you’re like your Nana Tina actually.”
His grandson looked puzzled by this admission. “How? I don’t look like Nana or do any of the stuff that she likes to do.”
“Well…you have her eyes,” Newt stated fondly. “Big brown eyes – and you smile exactly like her, Rolf.”
“I…I do?”
“Oh, yes,” The Magizoologist chuckled, patting the boy’s unruly hair. “Your Nana Tina has the most radiant and wonderful smile I’ve ever seen; when she really smiles, you know it because it makes you feel warm and loved – you have that same smile. Let me think now…ah, yes, you’re both very stubborn too, and – though she won’t admit it – very….ticklish!”
His grandson giggled as long fingers suddenly started to tickle at his belly, clearly trying to distract and cheer him up. “S-S-Stop, Grandpa!”
Newt grinned, pulling his hands away. “Alright, alright. Now, I think it’s time you got some rest, my lad – we’ve got an early start with the Graphorns tomorrow.”
Rolf pouted but gave a nod anyway, allowing his grandfather to tuck him underneath the blanketsl his eyes were wide as he examined Newt, curious. “Grandpa? You and Nana…you really love me as much as the others? You’re not saying that to make me feel better?”
“Of course we love you – just as much as the others,” Newt agreed fondly – though he didn’t dare say it aloud, his grandson was just like Tina in that they were both rather insecure in some ways. “Don’t worry, Rolf – after all, worrying means-”
“-you suffer twice,” Rolf yawned, closing his eyes and rolling onto his side. “I know, I know. G’ night, Grandpa Newt.”
Perhaps Tina was right – perhaps Rolf was more like him than he had thought.
I had no idea on Scamander grandchildren names (shrugs) Bram means ‘raven’ and Mari is short for ‘Mariposa’ which apparently means ‘butterfly’ (it has Spanish roots?) So, yeah, not sure if I’ll stick with these names, just used them for now. I’m also unsure as to which of my Scamander kids had children of their own (other than Leo, who is Rolf’s daddy in my fics).
Please leave feedback if possible!
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asaseya · 6 years
Text
The Princess of the Court: Chapter Nine
Link to chp 8
Ao3 link
Blouse and Skirt, check. Blazer, check. White socks, double check. Feeling like today warranted a bit of sparkle Majida switched her front pair of earrings for golden star shaped studs. She normally kept her hair in one style during the week, today she styled the front portion of her hair into a crown braid and swept the rest into a side ponytail. The box from the uniform company was waiting by her apartment door after basketball practice last night. Since she had ballet practice the next morning she pressed it immediatly and placed it in a garment bag. She rode her bike to practice carefully so that the bag wouldn’t fall from on top of her basket. And hung the bag up as soon as she opened her locker.
Natsuki clapped as Majida did a little twirl.  “I thought you said your uniform wasn’t due to arrive til Monday?” she asked.
Practice passed quickly today. Their instructor noticed Majida’s good mood and was a little bit harsher on her than usual, not that Majida cared. “I thought so too, but I’m not going to complain.” She looked down and waved her foot. In her excitement she’d even shined her shoes, a pair of black leather mary janes, she could see her reflection in them. “It’s weird to see my legs.” The skirt should reach just below her knees, but like most girls she’d rolled her skirt up, just enough that the hem line was above her knee. She’d go higher but it didn’t seem appropriate, nor prudent. Accidentally flashing her neighbors while she rode her bike wouldn’t raise their opinion of her.
Natsuki giggled. “Are you sending your male uniform back?”
“They said I could keep it so...I guess I’ll keep it? Never know, I might break it back out in the winter. I don’t do cold.”
Natsuki laughed a bit louder now, drawing looks from the other girls in the locker room. Now that Majida thought of it they probably didn’t hear Natsuki laugh loudly often, if at all. Guess that’s the natural outcome of isolating a person.
Majida swiped on some lip gloss before zipping up her bag. She slung it on her shoulder and draped her garment bag over her arm. “Ready to go?”
Natsuki nodded and grabbed her things. “Are you sure that you don’t want a ride?”
“Yep. Wanna feel the breeze.” Majida made a swooshing motion with her hand, inspiring another loud laugh from Natsuki.
Furuse stood at the same spot as yesterday, watering the plants in his grandmother’s sted. Majida wondered if she should stop and say hello, but decided not to push her luck. She’d had enough weird conversations for the week. Furuse watched her as she speed past,eyes wide. That reaction was the standard once she entered the school. The stares continued as she walked down the hall, even her classmates greeted her with silence.
Amari-kun broke the ice. “Good job” He gave her a thumbs up. “Though you could roll the skirt up a little bit mo-”
Maki-chan bopped him on the head with a notebook. “Please stop.”
Amari scratched his spiky hair, he seemed to think the upward style made him taller. “Don’t worry I still like your legs the best Ma-”
Maki flushed.  She hit him with the notebook again, harder this time. The thunk could be heard throughout the classroom.
“Think this counts as spousal abuse?” Airi asked dryly.
“Sp...spousal!?” Maki got even redder and moved to attack Airi. Wielding her notebook with a vengeance.  
Airi doged, barely. She scrambled to stand behind Hina, a strange sight since Hina was the shorter of the two
Hina raised her hands defensively and Maki, dejected, stopped her assault. She sulked back to her seat.
“Sooo,” Hina started once she was certain she was no longer in danger. She disentagled herself from a still wary Airi. “Nakamura-kun, what do you think about the change?”
“Why are you asking him?” Majida asked as she sat at her desk.
“I hate it,” Shin answered.
Majida squinted at him. “Huh?”
“Doesn't fit in with my plans to smuggle you onto the team,” Shin said matter of factly.  He didn’t look up from his sports magazine.
She rolled her eyes at him then turned to face forward in her seat. “Yes, because living my life according to your plans is my ultimate destiny.”
Shin flipped a page in his magazine. “I’m glad that we’ve come to an understanding.”
“You two are the weirdest couple,”  Hina said as she took her seat in front of Majida.
Majida’s brain fizzled, managing only to stare at Hina in her shock. Where did she get that idea?
Airi took her seat next to Hina. “Oh! She’s not denying it!” she said in a sing song tone of voice.
Shin lowered his magazine as he laughed. “I’m sorry? You think we’re together?” He gestured to Majida. “Oh, that’s funny.”
“Ouch,” Hina said. “Are you okay with this?”  
Majida shrugged. If he denied it then she wouldn’t have to. “Not at all concerned.”
“Ignore Hina Majida-chan,” Hayashi said from across the room. “She just likes to play matchmaker.”
“No one asked you,” Hina responded bitterly.
Several students charttered, giving overlapping accounts of Hina’s failed matchmaking attempts. The jovial conversation was halted by the class door opening. Everyone turned to see Furuse-kun standing in the entrance. His eyes flitted about, looking for somewhere unintrusive to rest. He blushed deeply when his eyes met Majida’s. A sinking feeling washed over her. Please, Please, PLEASE let that just be a sign of general embarrassment.
Furuse ducked away, hurring to his seat. He was quickly ignored by the rest of the class.
“Excuse me,” Ko always felt ten times taller when visiting the first year floor. He felt five times taller when was a freshman, but the growth spurts never stopped.  He was now around 6’2” and if his father was any indication he still had an inch or two to go until he reached his full height.  The first years sitting outside of their classroom looked up at him with wide eyes. As if he’d suddenly snap and eat them if they made the wrong move. He was never good at managing his neutral expression and had stopped trying after middle school. At the very least he never had to worry about anyone disrespecting him, something he used to his advantage whenever possible.
The girl stood first. “Yes?” she answered, her voice wavering.
The boy stood soon after. He patted the girls shoulder before taking over. “What can we help you with?”
Absently Ko wondered how much hair gel the boy used to make his hair so spiky. He resisted the urge to ask.  “I’m looking for Mikami-chan.”
The pair looked to each other, communicating without saying a word. The boy broke their gaze first, moving to poke his head into the classroom. “Majida-chan. Someone’s looking for you.”
“Yeah?” Mikami called from the classroom.
Ko moved to stand in front of the door, quickly scanning the faces in the room. Mikami rose from the gaggle of girls who had pushed their desks together at the center of the classroom. Huh...Ko had heard a lot about Mikami. Mostly because she was a popular topic of discussion. The neighborhood was fairly insular so anyone from a larger city piqued the student body’s interest. Last year a transfer from Yokohama was the subject of rumors well past the first quarter. Mikami? She seemed bound to give the rumor mill material for years.  Ko didn’t take kindly to rumors. It felt rational to limit his ideas of people based on what he knew instead of hear say.
What he did know? Well, he wasn’t at all convinced that Mikami made a convincing guy. Mostly because he spent too much time around guys to miss certain tell tale signs. Most notably, she didn’t reek after practice. He had seen her in the male uniform and could see how an unobservant person could make the mistake from behind. And maybe someone who’s ideals of manliness were shaped by pop stars could think she was a boy from the front. But anyone who interacted with her and still thought she was a guy was an idiot. Cultural differences aside, she carried herself like a girl. Even her style on the court lacked the aggression and showmanship popular in basketball currently. Too many boys, himself included, watched too many NBA games and tried to copy what they saw.  Or at least they did until a good coach could drill proper form into them. None of the girls he knew who played, Mikami included, had this affliction.
As for the rest, she was stupidly flexible. Which meant the rumors of her studying ballet had to be true in some form. Ko toyed with the idea of making her flexibility a taboo topic for the team. The constant jokes made it such that he could not but notice or consider its implications. It was weird. It was weird because sure he would have noticed anyway, he wasn’t some paragon of virtue like Masaru seemed to think just because he didn’t have a new girlfriend every month. He checked girls out all the time. But she was, at least for the moment, a part of the team and thus off limits.  
Today’s meeting added to his knowledge of her physical attributes. She had rather shapely calves. Like, obviously she never skipped leg day and he needed to know her routine. Also, baggy gym clothes should be banned for women because, he sighed internally, hips. And now he was staring, okay maybe she didn’t need to be off limits all the time, just on the court. Or just- Ko now realized that she had caught him staring. “You changed your uniform?” he asked lightly.
“I have.” She didn’t seem to completely buy his cover. He’d seen her do this before while playing, that piercing gaze. Masaru did it too when he played, must be a point guard thing, always watching, always picking people apart. Masaru didn’t make him feel ticklish whenever he did it though.
“Have you already eaten lunch?” he asked, working hard to strengthen his voice. To pretend that everything is normal, that he didn’t just get caught.
“No, Captain. Not yet.” she answered with a little too much deference for his liking.   
“Good, Can we talk for a moment?”
“Sure.”
“The captain huh….” a girl with short hair held back by a headband said. She gave Mikami a smug look.
“Must be some serious team business,” a girl with a high ponytail added.
“Hmm, but why would he only want Jida-chan then? Certainly Nakamura-kun should be going too.” headband girl said .
Ko managed to keep his expression calm. “It concerns the female team.”
Mikami looked over to the two girls with a smile that said “See, nothing to fuss over!” The girls didn’t look convinced. There was going to be another rumor circulating by the end of the day.
The walk to the courtyard was longer than usual. Partly because she walked silently behind him like he was leading her to the gallows. Added to that were the weird looks they were getting. There was no need to wait for her year mates to start rumors it seemed. By the end of the day It would be said that one of them had confessed their feelings or whatever because apparently life worked as depicted in his little sister’s manga collection.
Ko found a spot where they wouldn’t be overheard under a large tree and sat down. “I need to ask something before we get to business.”
Mikami sat, taking extra care with her skirt. That was another thing about her that he noticed. Sometimes her movements were oddly delicate, maybe it was because of the ballet thing. “Should I be concerned?” she asked.
“No, just.” He leaned in a little. “How do you deal with that?” He jerked his thumb towards the school building. “Do they always stare like that?”
She smiled knowingly. “Staring seems to be everyone’s reaction today.”  Gesturing to herself she continued. “It may take a while for everyone to get used to the uniform change.”
“You got me there.” Ko had the decency to look sheepish. “I’ll ask the student council president about it. Maybe he could drop a line to the teachers and-”
“No, you don’t have to worry that much over it. I’m new of course they are curious.”
“I’ll talk to him.” Ko reiterated firmly. “I’m a member of the student council, so its partly my job anyway.” He reached his hand out for a handshake. “ But we’ve already skipped a few steps. I don’t believe I’ve introduced myself.  I’m Akino, Ko.”
She returned his handshake firmly. “Mikami, Majida.”
“So, I knew the gist of why you’ve been training with the boy’s team. But I just recently heard the whole story from Mia.”
“Are you going to ask why I choose this school?”
He smiled, which seemed to catch her off guard judging by how fast she looked away. Interesting. “Why did you choose this school?” He asked as he picked up his bag. It was filled with various types of store bought foods. School kept him far too busy to pack his lunch like he used to.
“My grandparents live in the area and I didn’t want to go to the all girls school. I didn’t know about the girls team being disbanded though.” She unwrapped her lunch as well.
He could smell the fried shrimp from where he sat. Not fair, not fair at all. “So your parents moved here to be closer to your grandparents?”
“No. Work has them traveling around for the next few years. Since it’s a bit silly for them to drag the kids along I decided to stay here. My little brother’s still in the U.S. though.”
“So you live with your grandparents?”
“No, though I do visit. Actually,” she tapped her chopsticks against her lips. “I need to stop by again soon.”
He cocked his head as he looked at her, uncertain of which question to ask first.
She spoke again after she finished chewing. “I didn’t want to be driven everywhere so I found a place in a central location,” She said, answering at least one of his unasked questions. “It’s actually pretty awesome living alone. I can use the space however I want. Cook whatever I want.”
“So you cooked that?”
She offered her lunch box to him. Ko wasn’t proud enough to decline. Another bit of information. She could cook.  
She looked at him expectantly.
“It’s good,” he answered. That seemed to satisfy her, she beamed at him before continuing to eat. “We got a bit off topic,” he said after a few minutes of silent eating. “No one’s explained what happened with the girl’s team last year did they?”
Mikami shook her head.
“Their ranking is pretty low, so the number of girls who joined have always been limited. Last year the team was comprised entirely of second years.”
“All of the third years last year retired?”
“Or moved on to the volleyball team, yes. And as for the freshmen, no matter how many recruitment drives they ran last year no one took the bait. The administrators wanted a boost to the school's reputation so they hired new coaches.  It worked, the girls were finally winning games. But anyone who knew the team could tell something was off.  They always looked haggard, Mia especially.”
Majida grasped the hem of her skirt tightly, suddenly not wanting to know the answers to her many questions. “They didn’t complain?”
“ Never. After one game where Mia missed a shot she was made to practice for hours after school with no breaks.”
“That was for a mistake,what happens if they lost?” she asked. Her voice felt small, distant to her own ears.
The captain sighed roughly  “Luckily they were still eligible for the winter cup,” his voice had began to harden.  “But the practice afterwards? One of the girls was pushed so hard she twisted her ankle. She changed schools a week later.“
“How,” the proper translation was slipping. It happend sometimes when she got emotional. She pushed the looming anxiety from her mind to grasp at the Japanese words she needed. “How well did they do in the winter cup?”
“They lost in the first round”
“Oh.”
The captain took a deep breath, he closed his eyes before speaking. “Mia showed up to school the next day with a black eye.” He could no longer hold back the anger in his voice. His eyes burned when he opened them again.
Majida shifted uncomfortably, setting the rest of her lunch down.
“ Rukiya told me the whole story. The head coach went nuts, the assistant coach...Er You’ve met Coach Ueda, had to step in. Broke a few fingers while fighting the head coach off. Needless to say the head coach was fired.”
“And they pressed charges?” she asked, willing some hope into her voice.
“Never got the answer to that question.”
Silence, and not the pleasant kind, stretched between them. Majida gathered the words she needed once again. “I looked up this school and didn’t see anything about it. So I guess not.”
“The principal, he generally means well, but he’s not the only one in charge of things. And Mia just wanted to forget.”
“If I had known I-”
“You wouldn’t have come here right?” he snapped. His face softened after speaking. “Sorry,” he said, calmer. “I didn’t mean-
“It’s alright. And possibly yes,” she answered honestly. “But even if I did come I wouldn’t have tried to reform the team. Or at least I wouldn’t have been so pushy about it.” She leaned back a little. “I feel kinda heartless now.”
“ I don’t think Mia completely hates basketball. She just has no confidence when it comes to playing. She told me that she told you that she would need to see your dedication?”
“Yes.”
“Well from what I can tell she definitely sees it. The problem now is your skill.”
Majida was puzzled, she didn’t bother hiding it. “My skill? Am I lacking anywhere...no I mean sure there is always room for improvement but-”
The captain interrupted her by holding up his hand. “I don’t mean it that way. You are good Maybe the best at handling out of the first years. But don’t tell them I said that.” He winked at her. He better not be flirting right now. She wasn’t prepared for something like that right now...Okay she wasn’t prepared for something like that ever but somehow managed to swallow the squawk rising from her throat. Glory be he’s still talking so maybe he hasn’t noticed. “It’s a bit intimidating actually. They probably don’t feel like they could match up, and would just be dragging you down.”
Majida thought back to their short conversation yesterday. “So that’s why she said I’d be better off on the boy’s team?”
“Most likely,” he nodded somberly. “Also,  the logistics of hiring a new coach. I suppose coach Ueda could go back to the women's team but…”
“Adults aren’t immune to trauma,” she filled in.
“Yes, as you’ve noticed he’s a quiet man. He offered to resign but was shown leniency because he came forward with the whole truth after Mia was assaulted. Either way he’s sorta window dressing now. He mostly just watches and takes notes. I doubt he’d be an effective head coach for a reforming team.”
Majida cradled her face in her hands and took a few deep breaths. “I don’t even know what to do now,” she said from behind them. She can’t, she won’t, cry now. She wasn’t upset about not being able to play, not anymore, this was just impossible. Her upperclassmen were convinced of their own inferiority and had no hope that they could improve. And why would they? Maybe in another year. Maybe at another school. But now? She’d probably want to quit too if she was in their shoes.
Gingerly the captain pried away a few of her fingers. Majida froze, through her traitorous eyes didn’t stop producing tears. He removed his hand to retrieve a dark blue handkerchief from his blazer. The gesture made her laugh.
“Sorry.” She dabbed at her eyes with her fingers. He offered her the handkerchief again and this time she took it. “What are you a shoujo character?”
He grimaced. “Please don’t.”
She laughed again. “I’ll wash this and get it back to you.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
“You know that’s not gonna happen. Now that the trope’s been activated I have to follow through.” Her comment made him laugh , the sound made her heart flip.
“Are you still going to try and reform the team?”
She thought for a bit before answering.“I’d like to, but don’t think that’s going to happen. At least not this year.”
“At least  you can stay sharp while practicing with us.”
“I only have one more week of that left so.”
“The principal can talk Coach Saitama into it if you asked.” He picked up his lunch and began to eat again.
“Actually, he might.” The thought wasn’t comforting.  The principal would do it just for the entertainment value. “I guess I’ll just have to adjust.”
“You seem to be fitting in just fine.”
She picked up her lunch box and messed with her food a little. “It’s going as well as can be expected.” Nishi was probably still sore over that last game. This afternoon’s practice was going to be interesting.
“Are they bothering you?” There was a warning in his tone. The last thing she wanted was to get any of her yearmates in trouble but the thought of him standing up for her at practice was appealing. She knew that it wouldn’t help in the long run.
“No, just getting the pecking order sorted out. Nothing time won’t fix.”
“Alright.” He didn’t sound convinced.
Majida gave up on the rest of her lunch. “Should almost be time to head back already.”
Ko pulled his cell phone from his back pocket. He checked the time before setting it down.  “Yeah. Want me to walk you back?”
“Please don’t.”
“Don’t?” He seemed almost offended. She wasn’t sure of what to make of that.
“I just don’t think it would be productive.”
He laughed again and she knew she was doomed. There was no going back on this crush now.
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artificialqueens · 7 years
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Home With You - (Bitney) - Dandee
Summary- Bianca brings Courtney to Mardi Gras.
AN- So I’m from and live in Texas, but my whole family lives in New Orleans. So with all the Bitney circulating recently, I thought I’d write a fic about Mardi Gras! It’s just a little fluff, nothin too special :) I mention Blanche DeBris in this one, which if you haven’t seen or heard of her, you should check her out, she’s a good queen. Hope y'all like it! PS I’m still looking for a beta!
When you bring someone to New Orleans, it’s almost like you’re seeing it again for the first time though their eyes.
She didn’t bring her to Cafe DuMonde, or any of those voodoo shops, or the Hard Rock Cafe, or Jax square. No. She wanted to show her the real New Orleans, her Nola.
She took her all around the West Bank, passed through the upper ninth ward to drive by her old house, then ran past the church her parents got married in. She took her to the north shore to see the swamp, stopped for a parade that threw cabbage and onions as well as beads, then went to eat the best fried okra this side of the Mason-Dixon Line. She took her to Farrah’s and lost about thirteen hundred dollars. She took a walk with her through city park. She snuck her onto a float in a downtown parade and threw beads to kids. She took her to the Fat Monday Luncheon where she was named one of the two “Queens of the Luncheon”.
Courtney seemed to enjoy it most when people would stop and talk to them. It feIt like Bianca knew all of Louisiana, and the weekend was just kind of this repetitive cycle of people stopping them, calling Roy by his real name, Roy exclaiming and hugging them tight, then engaging in a lengthy conversation, and of course losing track of time. But Courtney was a good sport about it, and she’d either stand and listen or wander away to look at something, not bothered. She was patient as ever, and a smile would grace her lips when she’d steal a look at Roy, watching him light up.
And here they were now, in Oz, on Fat Tuesday. It felt so good to be in her home bar, and she was glowing as she leaned back and watched Courtney bumble about and socialize with the other queens, easily captivating all of her old friends with her charm. Bianca rolled her eyes at the thought of all the questions she’d get later, and the next year when she’d return without her. She could just hear it now, “Where’s Courtney?” “Where’s that little Australian boy you brought to Mardi Gras?” That’s how it was in the south. You brought a cute friend home for a good time, and everyone wanted you to get married.
Though Courtney was a special case, she supposed.
Bianca sipped her Chardonnay and watched her, the scene in front of her almost playing out in slow motion. Courtney’s bright smile lighting up her face, her head thrown back in laughter. Her kind eyes falling on the young queen in front of her, her hand finding her shoulder and giving a gentle squeeze. Truly engaging in conversation, genuine as ever. Her goodness radiated through her pores at times, and it often shocked Roy how well they got along.
And the thing about Courtney was that there were always these new little things, little details that Bianca would find that she’d somehow missed. A new earring, maybe a crinkle in the corner of her eye, the way her fingers would toy with the napkin on her drink, a different freckle on her shoulder. She’d actually noticed this new thing she’d been doing earlier in the day, she would side-smile every single time she moved her hair behind her ear, which Bianca thought cute but odd. She wondered if it was because his hair was longer and shaggier these days, a look they’d both decided they liked, and he was starting to develop a tic.
“Well you’ve never been a gawker,” Blanche interrupted her thoughts, making Bianca jump a bit as she plopped down heavily into the chair next to her, “I’m impressed.”
“A gawker?” she asked, giving a relaxed laugh and raising an eyebrow, “What the hell is that? What are you talkin about, bitch?”
“You’re gawking,” she stated simply, stirring her drink with a coy smile, “You’re staring at her.”
Bianca opened her mouth to speak, then shut it. She exchanged an all-too-knowing smirk with her friend, then shrugged nonchalantly and swirled her wine, “Yeah, I guess I am.”
“Nothing wrong with that,” Blanche continued, now looking Courtney over, “It’s just a new look for you.”
She rolled her eyes, “God, don’t start.”
“It is, I’m just sayin,” she put her hands up in mock-defense and shook her head, “You’re usually a cunt to everyone, so it’s nice to see you have a friend.”
Bianca’s head fell to the side and she laughed. The older queen laughed with her and she threw and arm around her shoulder, hugging her closer.
“You’re a douche,” Bianca snickered, placing a hand on her shoulder, “I hate you.”
Blanche sighed and rubbed her back affectionately, “It’s good to have you back in town, B. We’ve missed you here.”
Bianca smiled back at her, then reached down to pat her knee, “Yeah, I miss you too. It’s always nice to be home.”
They slipped into a comfortable silence, old friends simply enjoying the company of one another. Both of their gazes eventually drifted back to the Aussie on the dance floor, who bopped her hip to the music idly as she chatted up another one of Bianca’s friends.
“Quite the social butterfly,” Blanche mused, taking a small sip from her drink.
She nodded in response, “Oh yeah. She’s friendly alright.”
Blanche narrowed her eyes, “Oh stop it. She’s lovely.”
“She is,” Bianca agreed, raising her eyebrows, “She is, and about half of the Australian population knows it. First-hand.”
The older queen shook her head and chuckled, then turned toward her friend, “You don’t have to do that, you know.”
“Do what?”
“Make everything a joke,” she answered readily, a soft smile still in place but a more serious tone in her voice, “You don’t have to be funny all the time, Roy.”
Bianca turned to gaze at her friend, the sensitive subject causing the smile to begin to fade from her own face. This was an old topic with Blanche, and it was an ongoing victory for her; she was always right about Roy, she was the one friend in the world that could call him out every single time. Always with love, though still annoying.
“I know,” she said quietly, nodding with a slight eyeroll, taking a larger than usual sip of wine.
“You know what I mean,” Blanche said, Bianca’s change in demeanor not going unnoticed. She sighed and patted her leg, “There’s nothing wrong with likin’ someone, angel.”
“I know that. And I do like her very much, she’s a very good friend.”
“Well I know you and your ‘very good friends’. Don’t go runnin this one off.”
Bianca scowled and swatted her arm with the back of her hand, “I don’t run them off!”
Blanche raised her eyebrows and blinked dramatically, causing a smile to creep onto the younger queen’s face. The two of them laughed, and Blanche shook her head before taking another sip, “I swear, you live in your own little world of hate.”
“You know it, bitch,” Bianca replied, holding her glass in the air and clinking it to Blanche’s.
They fell silent again as they drank, still watching Courtney as she chatted up yet another couple of Roy’s friends. The light caught every bounce in her blonde curls when she waved her hands about animatedly, caught up in some story she was telling. Many eyes were on her tonight, and soon enough some gorgeous blonde stud-muffin worked up the courage to approach her.
Bianca watched as he tapped her on the shoulder politely, momentarily interrupting her conversation, and leant toward her ear to speak. After listening for a moment, Courtney pulled back and gave a sweet smile and a wave of her hand. The young man only nodded with a goofy smile while she shook her head, and he awkwardly shuffled back into the crowd when she turned back to giggle with the other two. While the queens checked him out as he walked away, Courtney stirred her drink and laughed. She then tried to steal a glance at Roy, and their eyes met briefly before she turned her attention back to his friends.
“Mm,” Blanche nodded slowly in response, turning to face her, “Looks like she’s only got eyes for one tonight.”
“She’s just being polite,” Bianca rolled her eyes, “She knows nobody’s takin my old ass home tonight, she doesn’t want me to feel bad.”
“Well what a very good 'friend’,” her words dripped with sarcasm while she glared, “I would’ve sold my grandmother to fuck that boy. You’re full of shit.”
“She’s just a friend, bitch. A friend. It’s not like that.”
“And why the hell not?”
“Because it’s not! I don’t know!” Bianca exclaimed, laughing at her friend’s ridiculous persistence, “Why do you care so much all of a sudden? You’re worse than my mother.”
“Because I like her,” Blanche answered with a smirk, then motioned toward the blonde with an open palm, “I mean look at that,” she let her arm flop and slap onto her thigh as Courtney took a selfie with their friends, “I never like anyone you bring around but this one, I mean look at her. She’s so… good.”
“Yeah. Too good,” Bianca nodded, taking another swig.
“For you?”
“Yeah.”
“How true.”
Bianca smacked her friend’s arm playfully, snorting lightly, “Yeah, exactly. I’m a piece of shit.”
Blanche cocked her head in faux-thought and nodded, “Can’t say I disagree.”
“But you know what?” Bianca chuckled and reached to place her empty glass on the table in front of her, then turned back to face her, “Somewhere out in this world, there’s another piece of shit, waiting for me. I just need to find him. I need to find my other half. My other piece of shit.”
Blanche laughed that deep, belly laugh of hers that cracked Bianca up every time. She shook her head and grabbed Bianca’s hand, “I cannot fuckin’ stand you. You’re a fuckin’ idiot.”
“But I’m your fuckin’ idiot,” she replied with that signature smile.
Blanche rolled her eyes and grinned, her attention turning back to Courtney, “You’re good too, B. You’re not such a bad bitch.”
“I know,” she found herself watching the Aussie again, “I know. You’ve been telling me that for years.”
“And I mean she seems to like you enough,” Blanche continued, crossing her leg over the other, “Couldn’t you just… try?”
“You know my policy on dating other queens,” Bianca sighed and flatlined her hand across her chest, “It never works, and I don’t Kai Kai.”
“Who said anything about a Kai Kai? Times change, Bianca.”
“Can’t teach an old dog, Blanche,” she mocked her tone.
“Oh for God sake, quit bein such a pussy,” Blanche grumbled, draining her glass of its contents and setting it on the table, “You’re crazy about her. Don’t-” she held a hand up to the beginning of Bianca’s protests, “Dont even start, because I don’t have time for that shit. You like her, I’ve known you for a long fuckin’ time and I know when you like someone. And if you don’t snatch her up, somebody else will. I know it and you know it.”
Bianca only smirked as her friend spoke, not able to contain her smile as she watched Courtney. That Blanche was a relentless cunt, always had been.
“Okay, well what do you think I should do, since you’re so fuckin’ smart?”
“Just tell her,” Blanche shrugged her shoulders, “Tell her how you feel.”
“Oh, sure,” Bianca nodded sarcastically, “That’ll work out great. That always works out great. I won’t look like a douche at all.”
“You always look like a douche,” Blanche countered, “Why should tonight be any different?”
“Fuck you, cunt.”
“It’s Mardi Gras,” she assured, again gazing at the blonde, “Just have another drink, get you a good buzz goin’ and talk to her.”
Bianca sighed. She could, of course she could talk to her. There was a chance that Shane felt the same, but that was just it. A chance. A chance that Roy never liked to take when it came to feelings and friends. There was a reason he’d been single for most of his adult life, he didn’t like putting himself in that position. It was too vulnerable, and not that kind of vulnerability America was looking for. No, that real vulnerability, the kind that made you hate yourself in the morning when you looked in the mirror.
“Tell you what,” Blanche placed a hand on her shoulder and rose from her chair, “I’m gonna get another round. It’s four in the afternoon, and I’m not drunk enough. You want a shot?”
“Of what?” she asked, eyebrow raised.
“Have I ever brought you anything that wasn’t tequila?” Blanche asked with a hand on her hip. Bianca only smiled in response as she watched her friend shuffle her way through the crowd and head to the bar.
She turned her attention back to the sea of arms on the main floor. She had to admit it was actually kind of pretty, the sort of over-embellished display of flailing limbs and neon lights. Her gaze eventually drifted to Courtney again, only to find the Aussie looking right back at her, and she suddenly wondered how long she’d been watching. Smiling impishly and chewing on her straw, she excused herself from the other queens and strolled over to Bianca.
“Hey you,” she grinned as she sauntered toward her, then took the seat that Blanche had occupied and gave her suspicious eyes, “What were you hens clucking about over here?”
“Oh, nothing really,” Bianca replied casually, throwing her arm around the back of her chair, “I never really know what she’s talking about, I just smile and nod.”
Courtney laughed and swatted her knee, relaxing into Bianca’s side, “You’re so full of shit. You were talking about me, Rizz.”
“I was not!” she defended, though a smile eventually played across her lips and she sighed in defeat, “Technically, she was talking about you, not me.”
Courtney nodded and sipped her drink, then looked at her with hopeful eyes, “All good things, I’m sure?”
“Of course, Miss 'Queen of the Luncheon’,” Bianca teased, causing Courtney to grin into her drink, giving it a shy stir.
“That was totally rigged,” she looked up at her from under her lashes as she continued to stab at the ice, “You did that, I know you did.”
“I didn’t,” Bianca retorted with a chuckle, “I don’t have that kind of power. Every year the krewe picks someone from here, and they pick someone else from out of town. And you’re the out-of-town sexpot this year, so they happened to pick you.”
“Sexpot?” Courtney asked, that dazzling smile spreading wide as she raised a brow.
“Not my words,” Bianca grumbled, glancing around to find Blanche. She could use that shot right about now.
“No, of course not,” she replied cheekily, laying her head to rest on Bianca’s shoulder.
The older queen eyed her discreetly, trying her best to conceal her affection. Courtney quieted, her eyes shutting in relaxation as she continued to mindlessly stir her vodka. They stayed that way for a while, Bianca lightly tapping her foot to the erratic jazz music that blared throughout the club while Courtney fooled with the napkin folded around her drink.
“So,” Bianca spoke quietly, deciding to break the silence, “What do you think?”
“About what?” Courtney murmured, eyes still closed.
“This,” she replied with a smirk, turning her head to look down at the younger queen, “All of this. My home. Does it all make sense now?”
She lifted her head from Bianca’s shoulder to meet her gaze. Her eyelids were heavy from the alcohol and her smiling lips were all too close as she spoke, “What, you mean why you’re a cunt? Yeah, it makes sense.”
Bianca laughed, poking her in the side, “Asshole.”
“Well, you asked,” Courtney giggled and jumped a bit, swatting Bianca’s hands away from her ticklish spots. She nestled back into her side and took another sip from her drink, then nodded, “No, I love it here. It’s so different from Mardi Gras in Sydney.”
“Just a little,” Bianca chuckled.
“I mean everyone’s just so warm and inviting,” she continued, watching the crowded dance floor as she spoke, “Every person I’ve met has been nice to me, and everybody just seems really happy. It’s not like that in Australia. It’s not even like that in LA.”
“Yeah, that’s Nola,” Bianca mused, her fingers beginning to toy with one of her blonde curls, “Everybody hugs you, everybody loves you. Everybody tries to feed you.”
“Yes!” Courtney slapped her hand to her thigh, “What’s with everyone trying to give me food? It’s like people think I’m starving or something.”
“It’s called southern hospitality,” she smiled fondly, then went on to explain, “When you grow up here, chances are you don’t have a lot. But we’ll give you what we do have, and that’s usually food. It’s a comfort thing, being able to feed someone. It’s an old attitude that’s stuck with this city, you look out for your neighbor. Even if I’m down to my last two crab cakes, I’m gonna give you one. It’s just always been that way, ever since I can remember.”
Courtney gazed at her for a moment with a look that Bianca couldn’t place, then nodded and emptied her glass, setting it on the table in front of them, “Well I’ve been offered a 'take-home plate’ about six different times since we’ve been here.”
She laughed and shook her head at the Aussie’s attempted southern accent, “Yeah, that sounds about right.”
Bianca’s eyes fell to her lips, and she suddenly felt more drunk than she was. “They really love you here,” Courtney then spoke in a honeyed voice, her eyes drifting back and forth from Bianca’s lips to her eyes, “They never stop talking about you, they just go on and on. It’s incredible.”
“Oh yeah, they all act like they know me,” she smiled and rolled her eyes, “It’s funny how many people come out of the woodwork once they find out you have money.”
“No really, you should have seen them today,” Courtney’s eyes crinkled with her wide grin, “When you and Blanche were up there doing the awards. They were going crazy over you.”
“They were going crazy over you too bitch, when I brought you up on stage. Everyone’s been crazy about you since we got here, they all just keep asking me questions.”
“Questions?” Courtney tilted her head and furrowed her brow, and Bianca regretted the words the minute she’d said them, “Like what?”
Bianca gaped for a moment, then sighed, “You know, they ask me about you… And me. If we’re together. All that. They’re all a bunch of nosy coon-asses.”
“Oh. Well,” a smirk grew onto Courtney’s face, “I mean is that really anything new?”
“No,” Bianca chuckled and shook her head, her voice low, “No, it’s not.”
Courtney noted the change in her voice and she searched her eyes, “I mean, you and I always joke about that. Does it bother you now?”
“No… Not really. I don’t know. Kind of,” Bianca trailed off, averting her eyes from Courtney’s, “It’s different when you bring someone home. Because then it’s the people that really know you asking all those questions, and you can’t really hide anything from people like that-” She met Courtney’s puzzled eyes and lost her train of thought, she knew she wasn’t really making sense anyway.
“Hide?” Courtney asked, her smile faded away.
Oh God.
“It’s just–I just,” she stammered, then took a breath and evened her tone, “It’s just that everyone that’s met you absolutely adores you, and I know they’re all gonna be asking about you for years. And every Mardi Gras I show up to from now on, it’s gonna be, 'Where’s Courtney?’. I’m never gonna live you down,” she shrugged with a sheepish grin.
Courtney blinked for a second, then turned back to face the dance floor. She opened her mouth a few times to speak, then shut it abruptly. She seemed lost in thought for a moment, head tilted to the side as she shifted her weight in her seat. She spoke slowly at first, squinting in apprehension, “Well, I… we could…”
Bianca hung on her words, keen on what she was about to offer. Her breath hitched in her throat as she fixated on her expression, and when she didn’t seem like she’d finish her sentence, Bianca glared nervously in anticipation, “We could what?”
Courtney then turned to face her and exhaled briefly, an unsure smile gracing her lips, “I could just come back with you every year. So no one would, you know, ask where I am.”
Bianca looked back at her in astonishment. She wasn’t really sure what direction Courtney was going in at this point. The reality seemed questionable, that this person sitting beside her could be so thoughtful. She almost didn’t seem real at times, the little Australian Barbie with the biggest heart she’d yet to witness. Not able to pinpoint her motives, Bianca just matched her smile with a chuckle, “Talk to me when you’re sober, bitch.”
“I’m not drunk!” she defended, her eyes wide and her smile even wider.
“And I’m not a man,” Bianca quipped, her eyes sparkling.
“You’re not!” Courtney laughed, rising from her chair and standing with a faux-indignant air, “You are one hundred-and-ninety percent biological female, Bonnie Del Rico.”
Bianca cackled and took her hands into her own, Courtney now standing above her and beaming, “You’re a drunk, and so I am.”
Courtney rolled her eyes playfully and leaned toward her, “Alright, maybe a little. But that just means I need another drink. Come on, Pussyface!”
“Wait, wait hang on,” Bianca laughed and held on to Courtney’s hand as she turned toward the bar, pulling her arm and leaning forward in her chair, “I want to tell you something.”
Courtney slowed her steps and turned back toward Bianca, languidly taking the other hand the older queen offered her with a look of question, “Oh, okay. Are we being serious right now?”
“No, we don’t have to be serious-”
“-oh thank God, you know I hate being serious.”
“I know you do,” Bianca nodded, her thumbs grazing over the Aussie’s fingers, “And it’s not…I’m not trying to… I don’t know what I’m trying to-”
“Roy,” she softened, the corners of her mouth turning upward and squeezing his hands reassuringly, “Just… go ahead. Spit it out.”
Bianca looked up at her and took her in for a moment, pausing in thought. “Alright, well… just because it’s Mardi Gras,” she started with a smile, “And Blanche says at Mardi Gras, you tell the truth.” She sighed and shook her head, “Look, alright. This is my home. I call New York my home too, and now I live in LA. So, I have a lot of homes now, and sometimes it can be… overwhelming, feeling like a part of so many different places. And I know you know how that feels.”
Courtney gave a short breath of a laugh and smirked, “Yeah, I do. Definitely.”
“And when I come back here,” she continued, looking down at the Aussie’s small hands in her own, “It always feels less and less like home. Like I’m drifting away, like my heart’s not here anymore. But this year, it was different. I haven’t… I’ve never felt more at home than I have in the last few days, and I think… I think that’s because of you,” she glanced up to meet Courtney’s now very serious, very sincere eyes.
Bianca always struggled with her words when it came to this kind of thing. What a time, she thought to herself, drunk and at Mardi Gras, and she inwardly kicked herself for listening to Blanche. Still, she kept on, holding Courtney’s hands and narrowing her eyes in thought, “And it’s crazy, because it happens when I’m in LA too. I’ll be in a funk, feelin’ sorry for myself, and you’ll just walk into my apartment and– and it feels like I’m home,” she shook her head and chuckled, “I don’t know what I’m trying to say here.”
They fell silent, and Bianca felt very unsure of what to do. She’d already said too much, of that she was sure. She only looked back at the blonde standing before her, who’s chest now rose and fell heavily as she held their gaze.
And then Courtney wordlessly took a step forward, her eyes never leaving Bianca’s, fingers still intertwined. She moved her legs to either side of her and fell delicately onto her lap. She slipped her hands out of the older queens and brought them to her cheeks, brushing a thumb over her lips. Before Bianca could process anything, the blonde leaned in and placed a feather of a kiss to the corner of her mouth, so light and so timid that she wasn’t sure she’d felt it at all. She lingered there for a moment, and Bianca watched her with wide eyes when she finally pulled back, pushing a curl behind her ear and giving that side-smile.
That was all it took.
It felt electric when Bianca suddenly pulled her back down and captured her lips, and Courtney smiled against her mouth as her hands slid down the older queen’s face and neck. She found herself completely enwrapped in Bianca’s arms, bodies pressed desperately close together. Years of suppression ran through her veins and Bianca was unable to tame her hungry mouth, her hands pulling wildly at the back of her dress. She knew her make up was fucked but she didn’t care, the only thing running through her mind was the fire blazing in her chest and the way Courtney’s gentle fingertips moved down the hard line of her jaw.
“Oh yes, happy Mardi Gras!” Blanche interrupted unceremoniously, dancing toward them, sporting a tray of shots and a shit-eating grin. The two of them broke apart hastily, and Bianca glared up at her friend, hands resting on the Aussie’s thighs. Blanche only grinned back at her and tilted her head to the side, “Oh, now don’t let me interrupt! Y'all keep going!”
Courtney’s eyes widened when she met Bianca’s. Her face broke into a wide smile before snorting with laughter, and she leaned forward to hide her face in Bianca’s shoulder. Cheeks flushed, Bianca laughed with her and grazed her hand along her sides, turning her attention toward Blanche and shaking her head, “Fuck you! I’ve never liked you!”
“Oh can it, you old twat,” Blanche cackled, clearly not phased as she set the tray down on the table, grabbing two tequilas and holding them out toward the queens, “Here, now take these, we are gonna have ourselves-” she reached behind her to grab the third, and spun back around excitedly, “A toast!”
Courtney grinned and reached to take the shot, swinging one of her legs over so she no longer straddled Bianca, but sat in her lap. Bianca took her glass as well and patted the seat next to her, signaling for Blanche to sit. She happily obliged, beaming at her old friend as she plopped into the chair.
“Alright B, go ahead, you got this one,” Blanche smirked knowingly as she raised her shot into the air.
Bianca looked between the two of them, and lingered when she caught Courtney’s eye. It was a look of relaxation, of complete comfort, and Bianca felt like she was seeing her with a new pair of eyes.
Bianca winked at her and smiled, then lifted her glass into the air and shouted, “Happy fuckin’ Mardis Gras!”
“Happy Mardi Gras!” Blanche and Courtney hollered, and the three of them clinked their glasses and downed their shots, slamming the glasses down on the table in anguish immediately afterward.
“Shit,” Courtney muttered with a scowl, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand and searching the table, then her lap, “I didn’t get a lime, did I drop it? Where the fuck-”
She stopped when saw a very familiar-looking lime hanging out of Bianca’s mouth, who waggled her eyebrows and inclined her head suggestively.
Shaking her head, Courtney smiled and leaned forward, pressing her lips to Bianca’s. She bit down and sucked the lime in her mouth, breaking into laughter with the older queen. Her toungue danced with Bianca’s for a fleeting moment, and then she pulled back with a devilish grin. Bianca only returned her smile and blew the lime to the side, eyes mischievous and dark.
“Happy Mardi Gras, Roy,” Courtney whispered inches from her lips.
“Happy fuckin’ Mardi Gras,” she murmured with a smile, eyeing her lips momentarily before pulling the blonde back to her.
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