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mimi-cee-hq · 4 years

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Anonymous Text - Futakuchi x Reader

(I blame @/starlity’s blog for this story because it made me want to write for a Dateko character. 😊 )

Summary:

From Nametsu’s suggestion, Y/n starts taking requests to practise her makeup skills. Futakuchi starts texting her for fun without telling her who he is. But there’s a reason why he wants to stay anonymous.

I have a Futakuchi character summary post if you forgot who he is. I reference some of the scenes in that post for this story so I recommend taking a look at it. I also took a different approach to Futakuchi’s character, but it’s still based on canon events. Also, Nametsu Mai is Dateko’s manager, Koganegawa is their huge baby setter, and Onagawa is the season 4 dude with the big hair they nicknamed Pantalons.

Request from @rynn-lee:

hi, hi!! could i ask for a matchup? 🤓 well, i’m 18 and 5’4. i’m curvy and a bit chubby, and i have straight strawberry blonde hair and hazel eyes (also glasses uwu). my style is something in between 80s and rocker, i always wear black, RED, animal prints, leather… and my makeup has to be always on point lol (i’m studying makeup). about my personalityyy… i’m a very calm and patient person, i think i tend to be kind and very open minded. i can be shy sometimes, but i’m usually outgoing. i also love having fun, and i’m always teasing my friends. i may be a bit sarcastic too… 👀 but i always try to help and do all i can for them my passions are music (mostly hard rock and 80s), art, drawing, reading, cinema… (useless fact: i LOVE jurassic park omg) i also love very very much the beach, i could be there forever. and, although being calm, i have anxiety issues :( i’m a big nerd and i live for memes lmao i hope this works! thank you in advance! ❤️

Anonymous Text - Futakuchi x Reader

Words: 2,245

“You’re right. That looks pretty bad.” laughed Y/n.

“I told you. It looks worse than it actually is though. It doesn’t hurt that much.”

Nametsu continued to explain to Y/n that she had gotten the bruise on her cheek during the boys’ volleyball practice. Futakuchi had accidentally hit her when he turned around while carrying the volleyball pole.

“But seriously, I don’t know what to do with him. Futakuchi is supposed to be the captain, but he’s not exactly the best role model. Some days I feel like Aone would have been the better choice.”

“So is he the guy you have a crush on?”

“Futakuchi?” asked Nametsu. Y/n nodded. "Ew. No. You wouldn’t want to date him. He takes things too lightly. He was always causing trouble for our senpais.“

Y/n was in the same class as Futakuchi, but they had never really talked to each other. She’d hear about him at times from Nametsu, usually complaining about him. But Y/n was the kind of person who’d want to get to know someone herself instead of basing her opinion on what someone else had told her. She wondered if Futakuchi really was as bad as Nametsu had said.

“Okay,” said Y/n as she took a closer look at Nametsu’s bruise. "I might be able to help you out with this.“

It was Y/n’s dream to become a makeup artist, so she had recently went to a makeup camp for high schoolers. One of the things they had learned was to create a bruised look. She had also learned how to cover up bruises. So she was happy to help Nametsu with what she had learned.

“Thanks so much, Y/n,” said Nametsu. “I didn’t want people at school commenting on it all day.”

“It’s no problem,” Y/n smiled.

When she was done, Nametsu was amazed at her work. “It’s like it’s not even there anymore!”

“This is good practice for me too,” Y/n replied with a smile. “I could do this every day for you until your bruise disappears, if you’d like.”

Nametsu’s eyes sparkled, delighted at Y/n’s offer. “I’d love that! You’re the best!” she exclaimed as she hugged her. As Y/n packed up her makeup tool box, Nametsu asked, "Have you ever thought about taking requests? I bet other girls at school would love to have their makeup done by you.“

Y/n thought for a moment. She had never considered it before. "That sounds like it would be fun!” she replied with a grin.

A few weeks later, Nametsu’s bruise healed so Y/n wasn’t as busy with her make-up anymore. It was tiring for her to wake up so early every day, but she’d do anything for her friends. Nametsu helped Y/n create some posters to place around the school with information about this new undertaking of hers. It wasn’t too long before she got some make-up requests. But she also got an interesting one.

Unknown number: You do make-up right?

Y/n: I do. Is there a certain style you want?

Unknown number: Could you make my lips look plump? Extra plump? And really red? Could you also make my eyelashes 10 inches long?

Y/n smirked at the request. It seemed like she attracted a troll. But being the calm and patient person she was, she replied with sarcasm.

Y/n: Sure. I can definitely do that. Red is a nice colour. I’ll need $400 to cover the cost of the 10 inch false eyelashes.

Unknown number: What? They exist?

Y/n: Sorry, I forgot to add “/sarcasm”

“What are you doing?” asked Nametsu in class, noticing Y/n smiling at her phone.

“Just having fun with a troll,” she laughed. When she got another notification on her phone, she saw there was a reply.

Unknown number: I deserved that. How are you doing? Are you getting any requests?

Y/n didn’t expect that those first few texts to be the start of an interesting friendship. The two of them continued to text each other over the next few weeks. It was kind of weird, but also fun. She didn’t learn much about him. She knew he was a guy that went to her school. He had apparently seen the posters which is where he got her number. He told her that he wanted to keep his identity a secret for fun. She didn’t mind.

At first the texts were just silly. He’d share a picture making fun of one of the teachers. She’d share a meme in response. But after a few weeks of texting back and forth, they started sharing more with each other.

That guy: Have you ever dealt with people who say they understood what you said, but it looks like they didn’t understand at all?

Y/n: Lol. Are you having a hard time teaching someone?

That guy: I guess you could say that.

Another day, Y/n decided to share her worries with him as well.

Y/n: I’m starting to get anxious about my next request. The last one didn’t go so well. She didn’t like it.

That guy: What? You worked so hard! Who do I need to hunt down?

Y/n: Ummm… No. Please don’t. It’s not like you’d get away with it.

That guy: Don’t worry. I won’t get caught. I’ve had lots of practice!

Y/n just stared at that last text and laughed. “Who is this guy?”

“Who?” asked Nametsu, who was sitting beside her in class.

“Just ‘that guy’,” she replied.

“You’re still texting him?” asked Nametsu. Y/n nodded with a smirk. “Anyway, how are your make-up requests going?”

“They’re alright. I’m starting to run out of make-up though, so I’ll need to get more supplies.”

Y/n didn’t expect to see her tall and large classmate in front of her the next day. Aone handed her an envelope. When she asked what it was for, he just gestured to the note that was on it.

“This is for the eyelashes. I expect them to look awesome,” said the handwritten note on the envelope.

She read the note with a snicker. When she looked at the other side to open the envelope, there was an additional note.

“Actually, I don’t think they’ll suit me. Just use this to buy other make-up supplies.”

If this envelope contained what she thought, she couldn’t believe how generous he was being to her. He was really starting to spoil her and she couldn’t help but wonder who he was. He had told her that he still wanted stay anonymous. She didn’t know why, but she decided to respect his boundaries if he had a good reason to not reveal himself.

She opened the envelope and stared at the contents before she laughed her head off. “He’s such a dork!” she said, knowing that he likely didn’t mean to do that.

*****

Futakuchi felt his phone vibrate. He smiled when he saw that he got a text from Y/n.

Y/n: So what are your interests and hobbies? Besides texting me of course.

Futakuchi: They’re a secret. :P Are you still trying to find out who I am?

Y/n: Nope, just curious.

Futakuchi: Well, I’m not telling you. But what other things do you like?

Y/n: That’s hardly fair.

She decided to tell him her other interests anyway. She wished that their school didn’t have uniforms. She liked her own style: a mix of 80s and rocker. Futakuchi didn’t know what she meant by 80s style. She didn’t know if Japan had an equivalent style, so he ended up searching pictures for the fashion style during that decade. He laughed when he replied her.

Futakuchi: LOL! Their hair looks like Pantalon’s!

But it wasn’t until her reply that he realized that he let out a slip.

Y/n: Are you on the volleyball team?

Futakuchi panicked. He didn’t want her to know who he was. Now she was one step closer.

*****

A couple of months back, Futakuchi sighed as he walked back to his classroom. He had left his knee pads there the other day, so he had to get them before their morning practice had started. “I should apologize to Nametsu again,” he thought to himself. “I actually feel bad about giving her that bruise.”

When he arrived at the classroom, it was empty except for the one girl who had her head down at her desk. When he took a closer look, he saw that she was actually sleeping. He recalled Nametsu mentioning that Y/n had been helping her with make-up everyday. “She must have gotten here even earlier than us to do Nametsu’s makeup,” he thought.

He sighed, remembering that there was a time when he used to be like that.

In junior high, he had been best friends with a girl he had known for years. They had basically grown up together. He had liked her - a lot. She had decided to try to date him, but she had gotten overwhelmed with how much he would do for her. She had felt bad that she hadn’t been doing as much for him. He had told her that he didn’t care. But it had taken a toll on their relationship.

“I don’t think I can do this anymore, Kenji. You’re too serious,” she had told him.

It had hurt. So he had decided that he wouldn’t be so serious the next time he dated a girl. But as he looked at Y/n sleeping at her desk, he wondered if it would be different with her. “She works so hard for her friends,” he thought to himself. “Would she be the same for a boyfriend?”

He pushed that thought to the back of his mind, until he saw her posters. When he saw her number right in front of him, he decided to text her on a whim. He saw her smile at his ridiculous request. After she gave her sarcastic reply, he knew they’d get along. But as they texted, he didn’t notice that his feelings for Y/n had grown so much to the point where he was worried about her finding out who he was. Since he had given her money for her make-up supplies, he was especially worried that Y/n would feel burdened by it. At least he could still hide behind the anonymous label. Or so he thought.

Y/n: Thanks for the money!

Y/n: BTW, I know who you are now. You’re on the volleyball team.

Futakuchi started to panic. “She knows it’s me?” He started to worry about what her opinion was of him. But then she next text gave him a different dilemma.

Y/n: I’ve been helping you too. :)

He was confused because she hadn’t been helping him with anything. They barely even talked in person. But during their next volleyball practice, he saw that she was a lot closer with Koganegawa.

“Thanks so much for helping me Y/n-senpai!’ said Koganegawa.

"You’re welcome,” she replied with a smile. “I was happy to help.” Koganegawa was moved to tears from how grateful he was and gave her a hug.

Futakuchi found himself stepping between the two of them and pushing them apart. “Futakuchi?” asked Y/n, confused. “What’s wrong?”

For Futakuchi, this whole thing was wrong. She had been helping the wrong person this whole time. He knew he could set it right if he just revealed himself to her. He started to grow frustrated at this situation. He had to decide. Was better to stay behind an unknown phone number and to be mistaken for Koganegawa? Or should he reveal himself to her at the risk of Y/n potentially being put off by him?

Futakuchi told her.

Y/n blinked a few times and had to do a double take. “I think you were supposed to say something else first?”

That was when that he actually confessed to her instead. “I like you.” He wasn’t supposed to say that. But his thoughts were such a mess that he ended up confessing to her instead.

Y/n just giggled at him. “Well, I already knew it was you who was texting me. I was just waiting to see if you’d tell me yourself.”

Futakuchi blushed, not knowing if it was from the embarrassment of accidentally confessing or from how cute her laugh was. “But didn’t you say that you were helping me?” he asked.

“I have been,” she replied. “I’ve been helping Koganegawa with setting practice. Didn’t you say you were having a hard time teaching him?”

Futakuchi couldn’t believe that he had misunderstood the whole thing. Koganegawa started to excitedly ramble about how much his practices with Y/n had helped. She had scolded him every time his sets were too high, knowing that Futakuchi wasn’t good with those ones. He was shocked that she had done all of that for him.

With determination, Futakuchi suddenly grabbed her wrists and told her, “Go out with me.” He stared at her eyes intently, waiting for her answer.

“I think you’re supposed to ask,” she teased.

Futakuchi smirked at her. “Fine,” he complied. “Could you be my girlfriend?”

“Maybe,” she said as she started to walk away. But Futakuchi didn’t let her get away and hugged her from behind. “Okay,” she said with a smirk as she turned around to hug his waist.

“Hold on a moment,” said Futakuchi. “How did you know it was me?”

“Pro tip: use cash instead of a check if you want to stay anonymous.”

*****

Extras

The Dateko volleyball club was very confused at the whole scene because they never saw the two interact before. Nametsu knew they were texting each other but didn’t think they’d like each other.

Nametsu didn’t approve of Futakuchi at first until she saw how serious he was about her.

He offered to take her to any movie she wanted. Y/n just wanted to watch Jurassic Park all the time to the point where he got sick of it.

@rynn-lee was actually a setter, but because she didn’t put it in the request, I was vague about how Y/n helped Koganegawa. 😊

I hope you liked it. This story ended up being so meta with me answering my request with a story about Y/n answering her request. 😅 It was actually unintentional.

Check out my other stories. I have a completed long fic and some other short stories too. 😊

Matchup tag list: @nagichi-deku, @nxlx96 (let me know if you want to be added to or removed from the tag list) And tagging @haikoo because you usually like these stories.

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bluberrystarboy · 4 years

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Anti-Social

Hello! This is a NCT Dream High School AU! You could end up with any of the Dreamies! It's all based on your choices! As you read, you will be faced with a series of choices at the end of each chapter, and you can make the decisions. Each decision you make will make you closer with one of the Dreamies. Keep reading to find out who you end up with! This story is also gender neutral, so anyone can read it! I apologize in advance for any grammar and/or editing errors!

Words: 2,395

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All you wanted was one day. One day where you didn't have to deal with people. It's not that people themselves were necessarily bad, you were just shy. It's the way you've always been. You grew up that way. And it had its perks. Not many people talked to you because you were so quiet. But it also had its downsides. When you have to do anything that involves talking to people, you would start to sweat and stutter with every word spoken. But you can't help the way you've always been.

You were also the type to just sit back and observe. Just people-watch. It sounds creepy, but there's a lot you can learn about a person just by watching. The way they speak, their body language, and their facial expressions can say a lot. And although watching people can be fun, there are seven boys in particular that interest you the most.

Mark Lee- He's captain of the basketball team and a natural born leader. He was the first one to catch your attention. He's always smiling or laughing around his friends, never a dull moment between them. He seems to always be happy. Nothing can bring down his attitude. The only time you've ever seen him look unhappy is when he has his serious face on, usually on the day of a game. He's smart (his grades have to be high for him to stay on the team) and people admire him even more for that. He's too nice to say no to people, and can sometimes overwhelm himself with other people's problems.

Huang Renjun- The artist that's highest on the academic leaderboard. He's an amazing artist, with a knack for drawing faces. His art has been posted all around the school, even though he'd much rather prefer to keep it on the down low. He's also super smart. He has A's in all his classes, and everyone asks him for help. He says yes sometimes, but only if he knows the person is actually going to try. He's very sarcastic from what you've observed, and very quick witted. He tries to stay positive, but it doesn't always work when he gets stressed out. And his stress relief is drawing. You've seen him sitting outside a couple times, drawing the plants and trees.

Lee Jeno- An ice hockey player with a scary face. Even though he seems scary, everyone knows he's an actual sweetheart. He can even be shy sometimes too, blushing when his friends tease him. A lot of people are intimidated by him, and honestly you can't see why. Just by observation, he seems super sweet, almost like a puppy. When he smiles, you can't help but to smile. He's smart because of sports, but he isn't that interested in school. He would rather be in the rink, playing hockey than doing school work. And he's amazing at it too. Watching him play is always intense. You work at the local ice skating rink where his team practices, and you can see him giving all his effort. You always watch in awe of him.

Lee Donghyuck- A bad boy with a cocky personality. You're not really sure you could call him a bad boy though. He doesn't really break that many rules, only the ones he doesn't like. He's yelled at teachers before and skipped class, but he's never done anything illegal that you know of. He likes to try to be a bad boy though, wearing a leather jacket and skinny jeans to school everyday to come across as "tough". He can be very cocky however, teasing his friends without mercy. He knows when to stop, he just has a very playful nature. His aura is just playful and happy. His smile is the most radiant thing you've ever seen. It can cheer anyone up and from what you've heard, he has a secret talent for singing too, but will never show anyone, not even his friends. Those are just rumors, but you'd like to believe they were true.

Na Jaemin- The student body president and mister popular. Everyone, boy or girl, loves him. You can see why, his face is chiseled perfection. He can also have a cocky personality, but he's more merciful about it. He's definitely a people person, that's for sure. He's not a player, but does talk to people when he gets the chance, and he has dated a few of them. He loves being student body president. Talking in front of people and organizing events are things he's good at. And his events are always amazing because he knows what teenagers like to do. He's also very nice to people and has a nice personality. In everyone's eyes, including your own, he's perfect.

Zhong Chenle- The school photographer and choir kid. Chenle's voice is amazing. You've heard him sing whenever you walk past the choir room. He has the voice of an angel. He loves singing and has even gotten in trouble in class for singing a couple times. He's also a big talker, which has also gotten him into trouble. He doesn't do it intentionally, he just can't help it. He's big into photography as well. He loves to take pictures, especially of him and his friends. He put his talent for photography to use by joining the school paper and takes pictures around school. From the pictures you've seen, he's really good at what he does. Must be a natural born talent.

Park Jisung- The shy and timid dancer. He's a lot like you sometimes. He's constantly stuttering over his words and always just a little too awkward. Except for when he's with his friends. When he's with them, he's always laughing and even sarcastic sometimes. His smile is rare, but when it does show, it just adds to his cuteness. His friends are older than him, and sometimes fawn over his cuteness, and his smile just adds to it. He's also an amazing dancer. You've seen him in the dance room at school before. He moves with such a grace that you've never seen in anybody. Sometimes after school, he will head to the practice room with Chenle and dance while he sings. It's a beautiful sight, that you just so happened to walk past after studying in the library.

And you know all this information, just from observing. Not many people notice your existence, and you'd like to keep it that way. You don't really have friends. At least, not like them. Everyone around school calls their friend group the Dreamies. They all have big dreams, and stick together no matter what. You think the name suits them.

You only had two people you were close to. Your friend, Seungmin, who has been your friend since elementary school. He's stuck with you through thick and thin, even after making new friends. He was still there for you. The other person, was your brother, Yuta. He was an upperclassman, and was always busy trying to get ready for college, but you two were as close as ever. There was one thing always freaked you out though. He was best friends with Mark. They have been close for as long as you could remember. And that was great for Yuta, but not so much for you.

Mark was always hanging around the house. And you weren't complaining, but you, again, were shy. So anytime you saw Mark, you booked it towards your room. You would hope he'd understand that you were shy and didn't hate him, but you couldn't help it. You just couldn't face him. You liked him. And all the Dreamies for that matter. As cliche as the scenario sounds, you couldn't help yourself. They all have qualities that appeal to you and your heart beats hard anytime you see them or hear their voices. You were content not being noticed, okay with staying on the sidelines. But that was hard to do. Yuta knew Mark and Mark knew you, which meant that his whole friend group knew you.

They didn't talk to you, always too busy with each other, which you were thankful for. But sometimes they tried, especially Mark. As much as you liked them, you couldn't bring yourself to talk to them, always too scared or nervous. Instead, you ran and hid, like a coward. It's not your fault.

Today was interesting, however. It started off normally. Yuta pulled up and parked the car in the parking lot. You were about to get out, when the door locked. You looked back at Yuta with a questioning face.

"Y/N," He said. You kept quiet but continued to look at him.

"Mark told me that you avoid him and his friends. Why?" You didn't expect that. You continued to look at him, heat rising to your cheeks.

"Y/N, answer me," Yuta pushed.

"I- Well- You see-" You stuttered before sighing and trailing off, "I dunno.."

"Y/N, Mark's my friend! And his friends are nice too. You've known him for years and still don't talk to him-"

"Correction," You interrupted while pointing at him, "YOU'VE known him for years, not me."

Yuta sighed before continuing, "Listen, even if he is my best friend, your my sister/brother. I want you guys to get along! Do you hate him or something?"

"NO!" You said a little louder than intended. Yuta looked at you while smirking.

"Do you like my best friend?" He questioned. How do you reply to that?

"No," You said firmly, "I don't like him. And I don't hate him either. Yuta, you know how I am. No matter who it is, I'm not good at talking to them."

"You talk to me."

"That's different!"

"How is that different? You talk to Seungmin too! He's your best friend!"

"Yuta, I just can't."

"I don't believe that. There has to be a reason. Maybe it's not Mark you like, it's one of his friends!"

"Yuta, stop it, I'm just not good at talking to people. I can talk to you because you're my brother and I can talk to Seungmin because he's just always been around and doesn't expect many words from me anyways-"

Yuta cut you off, " Mark understands that. He knows your shy, but he still wants to be friends with you, or maybe more," he said, raising his eyebrows in a suggestive manner.

You blushed and looked away, "Yuta, just drop it, okay? I think he's nice and he's your friend, which is fine. I don't know why you think I like one of them anyway."

"You're blushing, and avoiding eye contact with me. Just tell me! I'm not gonna tell them! I'm your brother."

"Yes, you are my brother. I have nothing to tell you..." You trailed off again.

"I won't stop until I know who, and I'll drop it for now."

"Thank you-"

"But," There was a catch. Of course, "You're gonna talk to them today. I'll even go with you. Don't avoid them, Mark just wants my little sister/brother to be friends with him and the Dreamies!"

You sighed, giving up. There was no use fighting, he wouldn't give in. You looked over at him and said, "Fine, just open the door."

He smiled at you and unlocked the door. People watched you as you stepped out of the car with Yuta. I guess you could say people know you exist, but the just don't care enough to acknowledge you on your own. They just know you as Yuta's little sister/brother. You're content without the attention, but you wished they wouldn't stare at you everytime you're with him.

You looked down while waiting for Yuta to get his stuff and lock the car, trying to avoid the looks sent your way. Yuta looked at you and smiled, "Ready?"

"Do I have a choice?" You questioned.

"Nope," And with that you continued into the school.

Walking through the halls, you looked down, following Yuta's feet and almost falling over when he stopped in front of you. You looked up at him with questioning glance.

"He's not here yet, just give him a second." You scanned the hallways, looking at the different people around. Down the hall, you spotted Mark and his friends walking towards you. Your palms started to sweat and you started to get nervous. Mark saw Yuta and smiled, but then locked eyes with you. Although it was only for a second, his eyes lit up and he started to speed up. You could see the other Dreamies behind him and you could feel the butterflies erupting in your stomach. Mark reached you and Yuta before the rest of the Dreamies did.

"Hey Yuta!" He said excitedly before looking at you. "Hey, Y/N," He said, a little softer as not to startle you or scare you away like all the other times. You didn't reply, just looked down at your feet. Yuta nudged you with his arm.

"Hi Mark," you squeaked out without looking up.

"Sorry they've been avoiding you guys. They're obviously a little shy." Yuta said. You looked up to see all the other Dreamies there.

"It's okay," Jaemin replied from behind Mark while looking at you, "They're just more adorable."

You blushed and looked back down. Donghyuck chuckled before speaking, "I'll say. I thought they would never talk to us!"

"Hey, be nice," Mark said, "They're just shy, leave it be. It's just like Jisung."

You looked up with your face on fire and your stomach flaring with butterflies. You finally got a good look at them. They were all so much more handsome up close. Yuta nudged you again, motioning for you to talk to them.

"U-Um, Mark," He looked down at you," Sorry for avoiding you. I don't hate you or anything, I just, got nervous. As you can tell, I'm not exactly the best at talking to people like Yuta is." You hoped he would accept your apology. You didn't mean to make him think that.

"It's alright. I'm not mad or anything. Your Yuta's little sister/brother, I could never be mad at you. I just wanted to get to know you is all," He replied with a chuckle.

You could feel your heart pounding. He was so nice, just like you inquired. You showed him a small smile and blushed again.

"Well guys, we should probably get to class," Jaemin said, "Y/N, Jeno, Renjun, and I can walk you if you want, you're in our class."

You looked at Yuta. He looked back at you as if saying, 'It's not my choice, don't look at me,'

~~~~~~~

It's now your choice!

Go with Jaemin, Renjun, and Jeno

Refuse the offer

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nightowlgunner · 3 years

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Her

It was like June 2020 when I started playing with Kristine. That was also the time na she got laid off so we got the chance na magkalaro sa game full time. It was also the time na, I slowly opened up to her. Because I have strong walls eh, I do not let people come in my life easily. Since Kristine looks sincere and a listener to me, I gave her the way to get in. I talk about my rants about how my day goes and my relationship status with Joan. There is something about her that makes me want to know her more. There are many things na napagkakasunduan namin that leads to laughing and feeling na magaan lang kausap. I also liked that she is interested in the Game that I am playing, We shared things from the moment she started playing pc games back then, her ex gf's, her dramas in life, her fam, her girlfriend but not too much of it. She shares her problem too, the same goes with me.

Back then, I got curious about Kristine because of the stories that I have heard from Joan about her and her ex-gf and the toxicity of her relationship with Rose.

I admit she got my sympathy. Reminded me of my past relationship and how she handled it. Later on, whenever Kristine goes back here in Manila for a vacation, she always invites us. So I have no choice but to go with Joan though I am way too shy na makihalubilo sa mga tao.

By the first time that I met Kristine she was with her ex-gf Siena. There was nothing special or any thing that I felt. I was just nervous meeting her. Idk. Because I feel like she is intimidating. It was just a stage of knowing her, but she was nice naman. That time I remember Joan blocked her on my fb friend's list because of some reasons that i am not sure of, like Jealousy. Joan is always jealous which make me feel like hindi ako katiwa tiwalang tao. Lol. Grabe lang. And since then, Kristine unblocked me.

Way back 2018, I casually message her, like saying Hi, Hello, a little update of my day, and a little sharing of how me and Joan is doing.

I remember that it was also the time that she is trying to open up about her problems with Siena and so i made a GC where me, Joan and tine are messaging so she will not think too much back in Dubai.

I think she was on the verge of breaking up with Siena?

I have work back then so our exchange of messages was not that constant.

Joan used to rant at Kristine about me and how our life have been, which I do not like. Kasi nahihiya ako na kailangan pa ilabas ang mga bagay bagay na hindi naman dapat. There are times I feel uncomfortable kapag sinasabihan din ako ni Tine about our probs. But i just shrugged it off na lang.

It was also the time that I am focus to Joan too.

'Til Pandemic came. I am so happy may kalaro na ako sa game and that is her. Most of the time we play during afternoons, we also got the chance to try voice call each other on Messenger.

Then there goes the story, we talk a lot, shared a lot and our game time is way fun because she is a good team mate.

She was a good listener. And she understands me. Not all the time she is in favor of me, there are times she helps me understand things.

But most of the time, She makes me feel valid.

August came and Joan celebrated her birthday.

September and I celebrated mine, and I received a gift from her, it was a cake. She told me in Whatsapp that it was for me only. She just made it look like it was also for Joan since she never gave her any present last month.

October came, and I decided to make a surprise for her birthday, I'm talking about Kristine here. And so I did. We call her through VC in Messenger and I greeted her in my Facebook Gaming page, and made an appreciation post for her in my IG, which she really liked.

November came and I broke my thoughts to her. It was my nephew's birthday, Ethan.

I told her through Whatsapp that I liked her. That I liked her back then because of some reasons like, She went through hell in her relationships yet she stood up, etc. and my curiosity ate me.

I told her I might not feel uncomfortable talking to her because she already knew my secret that I like her. Then Kristine said, Bakit naman?

I asked her am I not likeable? She answered me, it's not that I am not likeable, she also said that she knew that I am a good person, and she reminded me that it was wrong. I told her I have no intentions of ruining her and Kamille. I just wanted her to know that I liked her, period.

Then we played a game, shared some secrets and stuff, because I started to trust her na.

Then as days goes by, we play constant and we talk mostly.

She even shared to me the time she went to sleep over with workmates because Kamille and her had an argument. We had our first Video Call in Messenger the next day before she go to work. Send me photos that I asked her too cause I am not seeing her lately.

We still talk even at her work hours, I listen to her work rants and stuff.

Then came an issue of this gaming headset that she wants to give me without malice as claimed by Kristine. Joan did not like the gesture. So, we talked secretly and talk about it. We agreed not to pursue the headset anymore.

December came and yah, we still play. I found out she resigned at her work.

I had an issue with a basher of my page, so I have to deactivate my gaming page and make an investigation who the hell is she.

So my attention draws closer to the game itself and also Kristine. and stop streaming for a while, She decided to install the Global server instead of using Garena for months because she is running out of VPN's to use for free anymore.

I felt like we have this kind of understanding where she gets me. And she agreed. But sometimes she sends me mixed signals.

I came to a point where I became confused.

I felt the need to share this because I am having these "time bomb" like feelings that if I cannot find a way to consult it to other person i am gonna explode and became clingy at her.

So I brought my classmate back in High School named Annarie, who prefers to call herself Pacsy. We play in Garena sometimes and we chat in Messenger too. I shared her my thoughts about Kristine. And I decide to her to be like the observant of the girl I liked if she feels the same way to me.

There are times that I felt jealous whenever there is a guy flirting with her on the game and sometimes she makes me feel that she is jealous too when I do the same.

And then came February, we had an argument.

My thoughts went confused, concern at Pacsy, and at the same time jealous.

Felt bad because we made a promise to each other to be open and not keep secrets. But things fail.

I broke down and cried.

Then came Joan who confronted Kristine, and Pacsy without me knowing it because I was asleep when Joan hacked my phone. I lost all of my phone datas and apps.

And I did not like it. Joan should have talked the proper way but instead choose to hysterical all the time.

She discovered that, there is something between me and Kristine based on our exchange of chats in Messenger.

Since I'm woman enough to admit my fault, I did.

I admit that I fell to Kristine.

Joan blocked her in my Messenger first.

And next is IG.

CODM became an exception.

It was a week of pain and confusion and discoveries.

I have discovered that She admits that she felt the same way for me.

That she doesn't want to lose me too.

That I am important to her, that she thinks of me by the time we lost our communication for like a week and more.

She was the one who initiated a contact.

I knew in my heart she wants it.

Let me just have a detailed flashback:

FEB 17: That night, we played, me, Pacsy and her. Dhanush invited me. I said sorry to them. And Kristine drop this line that it will be the last time she will talk to US. So I distant myself.

FEB 18: It was like 5pm, I called Pacs and I apologized to her of what happened and I cried because of what I feel in my situation. I told her, it was so hard to tell Joan that I fell in-love with her friend.

I asked Pacs not to update Kristine about me anymore because I wanna distant too.

FEB 18: 10:30 PM Pacsy texted me that Ktine asked her a favor to tell me that Joan is attacking her on messenger. I just said, it was noted.

FEB 19: Vertigo attacked me.

FEB 26: I received an XP rewards from Kristine. Just to be clear, giving away XP rewards is customized, you are the one who will choose who to give it to. And with that gesture, I knew in my heart she wants to talk and play with me. The past days Dhanush has been chatting me whenever he is playing with her. I told Dhanush I cant because she does not want to talk to me anymore and I wanna keep my distance too.

FEB 27-28

I played in CODM that night and I message her in the app, and invited her to play. Just a duo. At first she said, "Hi joan." then I told her, "Hindi nuh, hahaha." Then we play both off mic. And I notice she is messaging me while playing and says she misses me. "imy" I asked her "Kumusta" etc. At first I did not want to answer back I miss her too, because I am doubtful that it might be Kamille who's playing, but again, I knew it was her. So I told her, I miss this duo. Then she replied ":(".

Its like we had 2 games only, I said goodbye yet she tried to invite me again for another round for a squad with Dhanush but I have to leave the app and so I did.

FEB 29

We talked in CODM Global server app. We did not play instead we just talked. She told me she created an account in deviantart.com which is a website for artists, I actually have account there for art purposes. However she cant find my account there so I suggest how about Twitter. She opened up to me that day, as I remember, she apologized to me of the things she have done like how she cracked my secret to Joan etc. She said she does not normally say sorry to anyone yet she is doing it for me that day. I asked her if, "hindi ba kapani paniwala kapag ako ang nagsabi na mahal kita?"

She answered, she feels things the same way. She understands that my IG stories was for her mostly, and I claimed it. She told me she was scared to lose communication with me, that sometimes she feels like she's using another person just to get connected at me. And I get what she is saying. She said that she felt something for me.

I am sorry but the words we shared felt like... there is something.

Days have gone by, We played again. However I am hiding it.

I made a letter for her by using a website app. I told her everything there.

We also both made a Twitter account. Obviously, we missed each other.

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ryqoshay · 4 years

Text

How to Handle a Nico - Even Under a Love Curse, There’s No Way I Would Be Like This

Primary Pairing: NicoMaki Words: ~1.5k Rating: T Time Frame: Maki is in med school. Nico is working as an idol producer. They are living together as a couple, but not married yet. Story Arc: Stand Alone

Author’s Note: I must thank VNVdarkangel for help in giving a title to this chapter; I was honestly stumped. But this title gives it un certain anime’esque je ne sais quoi, if you will.

“Manga?” Maki asked, glancing over at the tablet her girlfriend was holding. “Haven’t seen you read that kind of stuff in a while.”

“Doujin.” Nico corrected, swiping to advance the page.

“Same difference?”

“In art style, sure, but not in publication.”

“Hrm… Hey, that girl looks like… me?”

Nico giggled.

“And why is she… What the heck?”

Nico laughed heartily.

“I don’t get it.”

“It’s my doujin, Maki-chan.”

“You drew a doujin?”

“Well, no, I actually commissioned it.” Nico amended. “And this is really just a proof of concept, not her finished product.”

“Her?”

“The artist I commissioned. She’s a former school idol, which is how I came across her work.” Nico explained. “One of her friends from that group works with Egao now.”

“Hrm…”

“She’s been drawing her own doujin for a little while now but hit a snag and decided to take a small hiatus. During that time, she opened commissions and I liked her work, so I got one. Uhm…” She scrolled through a folder. “Here it is.”

“You had her draw us from one of our old photoshoots?”

“Uh huh. Cute, isn’t it?” Nico grinned. “Brings back memories.”

“Yeah…” Maki studied the drawing on display. “I remember liking that set.”

“Anyway, the picture gave me some ideas, so I reached out to her again and asked if she’d be willing to work a bigger project.” Nico switched back to the doujin. “And this is what we came up with. Wanna read it?”

“Sure.” Maki accepted the tablet. It felt odd reading a story about a fanciful version of herself, but the artwork immediately pulled her in. “What the heck? ‘How to Handle a Maki’? I don’t get it. What kind of title is that?”

“A fitting one. Nico is left trying to figure out how to deal with Maki’s curse, after all.”

“Curse?”

“Sorry, spoilers…” Nico held up her hands apologetically.

Maki pursed her lips. For some reason, the name bugged her more than it probably should. Perhaps it was because it sounded familiar? But why would it be familiar? Odd…

“And Nozomi is in this too?” She asked after a few pages.

“Yup.” Nico confirmed. “And Eli. And Kotori. Umi, Rin and Hanayo have only been mentioned in name thus far, but they’ll probably appear later. I forget what her girlfriend had planned for Honoka.”

“Girlfriend?”

“The artist’s girlfriend is really into fantasy games and whatnot. She’s been a big help in coming up with ideas for worldbuilding, character design and plot points. There are a couple Easter egg jokes and references to gaming that were her suggestions.”

“I see.” Maki continued to read. “Wait, do I still think you’re younger than me?”

“Maybe?” Nico shrugged. “Not really sure how to take care of that just yet. Maybe it can just happen off panel at some point.”

“And one meal is all it took for me to become obsessed with your cooking?”

“Are you gonna deny that’s what happened in real life?”

Maki deadpanned at her girlfriend, earning a laugh.

“Well, maybe not just one…” The redhead tried to save face.

“Then definitely by the second.” The raven-haired girl decided.

“… Maybe…” Maki conceded.

“Nico knows how much Maki-chan loves her cooking.”

Well, there really was no denying that fact.

“Did they have coffee in medieval times?” Maki inquired a moment later.

“No idea.” Nico admitted. “But I know Maki-chan can’t face the day without it, I figured just alluding to it without naming it might work.”

“I suppose…” Maki furrowed her brow. “Are you trying to scam or cheat me?”

Nico blinked in confusion until she saw the page. “Nico is a professional saleswoman!” She huffed. “She would never cheat a customer. She knows Maki-chan can afford better gear than your average novice adventurer and she knows what upgrades will be most beneficial.”

“Also, what’s a grue?”

“An excuse to force players to bring light sources, I guess.” Nico shrugged. “That’s one of those gamer jokes I mentioned.”

“And the gazebo?”

“Another joke.”

“I see. And why does Kotori have a lion?”

“She’s a Beastmaster.”

“Ok, but again, why a lion?”

“Because she had one in the original photoshoot.”

“Oh yeah, that’s right, she did.” Maki’s memory was jogged a bit. “She was part of the focus pair, with Eli, right?”

Nico nodded. “And you were paired with Rin as the secondary.”

“Is that why I’m friends with her here?”

“Rin? Not really, I don’t think.” Nico shook her head. “I mean, yeah, you two are friends, but through Hanayo. I think they’ll appear in the next chapter and we’ll get to explore how you know each other better.”

Maki nodded and continued to read. “Say, why don’t you call the harpy what it is?”

“Because you don’t know what it is.”

“Yes, I do.” Maki furrowed her brow.

“I mean your character doesn’t”

“Why wouldn’t my fantasy character know what a harpy is when she lives in a fantasy world where they actually exist?”

“Because she was raised in the city and is only now becoming an adventurer.” Nico explained. “She’s not ignorant, she just knows stuff better suited for an urban life as opposed to someone out in the rural areas. Not much different than real life, right?”

“I suppose…” Maki reached the part she had seen earlier and frowned. Her girlfriend noticed and giggled. But upon seeing the next page, she sighed. “Ok, the glomping was one thing, but climbing into bed with you? After having barely known you a day?”

“Two days, I believe.” Nico pointed out, ignoring the deadpan stare directed at her. “And it’s because of the curse.”

“Yeah, but even under a love curse, there’s no way I would be like this.”

Nico smirked.

“What?”

“I should really record you drunk sometime.”

“I still…”

“Oh, c’mon, Maki-chan, I’ve even told you about your drunken clinginess before.”

“Mmm…”

“And your half-asleep clinginess.”

“…”

“And your…”

“Alright, alright, I get it…” Maki didn’t want to admit the memories that were swirling around in her head.

“I’ve always found it cute, by the way.” Nico pointed out.

“You’re not finding it cute here.”

Nico chuckled. “That’s because it isn’t real, it’s because you’re under an idol curse.”

“You mean a love curse.”

“An idol curse.”

Maki rolled her eyes. “Are you intentionally baiting me into making a snarky comment about idols?”

“Maybe.” Nico stuck out her tongue.

Maki sighed. “And let me guess, you’re going to have me be all embarrassed about it later.”

“Well that’s how Maki-chan is in real life. And a flustered Maki-chan is an adorable Maki-chan.”

As if on cue, Maki could feel heat in her cheeks. She really should be used to Nico’s teasing by now, but the older girl rarely failed to get a reaction out of her. And though she wasn’t fond of how predictable her reactions were, she couldn’t really fault Nico for seeking them. After all, Maki also loved Nico’s own flustered expressions.

“So,” Nico asked as the last page was reached “what did you think?”

“It was entertaining.” Maki admitted. “Was this posted online?”

“Not yet.” Nico shook her head. “She just sent this to me for approval. She hasn’t even posted it on her own site yet.”

“Hrm…”

Nico chuckled. “Don’t worry, anyone at the hospital who reads this kind of stuff will like it and won’t think you’re weird or anything.”

It never ceased to amaze Maki how well her girlfriend could read her.

“But we can keep it private if we want.” Nico added.

“No, it’s fine, I guess…” Maki decided. “And you said there was going to be another chapter?”

“Or Two. Or more. Depends on how many ideas we have.” Nico grinned. “Because you know we can’t leave things like this. We can’t let Maki-chan only love Nico because of a curse! It needs to be natural! Just like in real life.” She leaned over to nuzzle into her girlfriend’s side. “Although even if we’re trying to keep things realistic, we also can’t keep the readers waiting for years…”

Maki furrowed her brow as she realized what Nico meant. “I didn’t mean…”

“I know. I know” Nico interrupted, making dismissive motions with her free hand. “Maki-chan’s just a little romantically dense is all. And we figured things out eventually and got together and we’re all good now.” She turned her head and pushed herself up so she could plant a kiss on the redhead’s cheek.

“Uhm… You know it’s getting kind of late…” Maki said softly.

“Hmm?”

“Well, I have class in the morning and…”

Nico grinned. “Is Maki-chan hinting that she wants to climb into bed with Nico?”

“Maybe…”

Nico laughed. “Maki-chan is being unusually shy tonight. She has no trouble seducing Nico but is embarrassed to request a snuggle session?”

Maki pouted, earning more laughter.

“So, to bed it is.” Nico said, pushing herself up and off the couch. “But how about a bath first?” She turned to offer a hand to her girlfriend.

“Alright.” Maki agreed, accepting the help up before following Nico down the hall.

Author’s Notes Continued in Followup Post

#NicoMaki #Nishikino Maki #Yazawa Nico #How to Handle a Nico #Love Live #fanfic

23 notes · View notes

waywardandwestward · 5 years

Text

One Body (Chapter 1)

A Colin Ritman x OFC fanfic

"What you say or do doesn't matter; only feelings matter. If they could make me stop loving you that would be the real betrayal." ~ George Orwell, 1984.

Warning(s): Nothing much, just minor swearing. Was not beta read.

A/N: Hello friends! It’s been a long time since I’ve posted anything that I’ve written, mostly because of school and work, but I’m happy to say that my Thesis is done and I can focus on writing things for my own enjoyment again! I’m not sure how much more of this fic I’m going to write, especially because my focus is on finishing Let Me Be Your Shelter, but this concept has been in my head for days now and I needed to get it on paper so I could focus on other things. Depending on the response, I might write more!

It should also be noted that this takes place before the events of Bandersnatch. I hope you enjoy!

Chapter 1

Colin Ritman strolls lazily into the large office building with his hands in his pockets and an unlit cigarette dangling out of his mouth. His ears are covered by the headphones connected to his Walkman, which is currently playing nothing. He prefers to observe his surroundings without being intruded on by random people in the street or those chatting in the lobby.

When he lights his cigarette inside the elevator he gets a few looks from the men in suits next to him, to which he ignores by staring down at the pale Chucks he’s wearing on his feet. The elevator takes him up to his floor, and as he enters his work space, he’s a bit surprised to see the place completely empty.

Colin Ritman never cared very much about whether or not he was late for work. Given all the money he’s made for the company in the last year, his boss didn’t really seem to care much either. But, it did strike him as odd that he managed to arrive so early. In the last three years he’s been working for the company not once had arrived before anyone else. He shakes off the confusion rather quickly with another drag of cigarette and makes his way to his desk. He relaxes into his spin-style chair while he waits for his computer to boot up.

Just as his computer fully turns on, he finds himself falling into daze. Right as his eyes drift drift closed, he’s brought back to attention by the feeling of a tap on his left shoulder and the sound of a tiny cough.

“Excuse me?” The shy voice behind him says.

Colin spins the chair around to see a woman smiling courteously down at him. She stands hands together, playing with her mint painted fingernails until she feels the need to brush a strand of her curly brown hair out of her line of sight, and adjust her brown satchel hanging over her left shoulder. He pulls off his headphones and smashes his cigarette into the ash tray next to his computer. “I’m sorry to interrupt. I’m here for an interview with Mr. Thakur. I know I’m a little early, but I just wanted to make sure this was the right place….”

American, he notes as she continues on. Her face is round with soft features and the greenest eyes Colin had ever seen. She’s wearing a large lavender colored sweater with a white, collared blouse underneath. The sweater lays over a floral skirt, and she stands in a pair of brown oxfords with white socks that end at her calves. Her body is jittering. Drinks too much coffee, he observes. Moderately desperate, he assumes. “If you could just point me in the right direction, I’d really appreciate it.”

Too polite, he thinks.

“You don’t want to work here.”

She’s taken aback by his bluntness. “I don’t?”

“No, go home. He’s attempts to turn back to his desk, but she stops him.

“Hold on a second,” he raises an eyebrow up at her and than glances at the hand firmly placed on the back of his chair. “Sorry.” she lets go, but she keeps eye contact with him to make sure that he doesn’t turn around again. “This is one of the best game development companies in England-

“The world actually-” he corrects.

“Why wouldn’t I want to work here? You work here.”

“Yeah, well, never said I liked it,” Colin shrugs. “And, I’m not his type am I?”

“Excuse me?” Her forehead creases when she asks. He finally manages to turn his chair back fully to his computer this time. The young woman takes a second to compose herself, standing up taller and stiffening her back. “Look, I’ve dealt with plenty of jerks trying to get up my skirt before. I shouldn’t have to deal with it, but I do. Besides, who are you to say I don’t want this job?” Her hands have dropped to her side and Colin can’t help but notice that her voice has lowered an octave. The sudden change in demeanor almost made Colin turn around again. “You know? Don’t answer that, it’s irrelevant anyway. The fact is I need this job. I need it in order to graduate, so if you could please direct me to Mr. Typical-Boss-Man’s office, it would be greatly appreciated!” she ends her statement a little too sharply for Colin’s liking, but he does begin to feel that this stranger warrants his attention.

Colin sighs and thinks about apologizing for a moment, but figures after her meeting with Thakur, he’ll never see her again. Whatever job she’s going after, he knows his boss won’t give it to her. Even if she is his type. “It’s that room there,” he points to the open room exposed by glass windows. “There’s a couple of chairs if you want to...” he points out.

She nods and sits down across the room by Thakur’s door. Colin moves back to his work just as a few of his co-workers begin to arrive and set up at their own stations. He can still see her though, waiting for Thakur. She’s twiddling her fingers and the strap on her satchel, evolving back into the seemingly shy woman he’d seen the moment she’d tapped his shoulder. He does his best ignore her, but his eyes can’t help but drift away from his work.

“Well, shit,” he says to himself. Stupid Conscience. He walks over to her.

The young man hovers over her and she realizes how tall and almost intimidating the man is. Almost. His bleached hair and pin-striped jeans gave the sense that he cared somewhat about his appearance, or at least his aesthetic, and yet the way his body slouched over and the way his glasses slipped down the ridge of his nose made her wonder if he cared about anything at all. “For the record, I wasn’t trying to be controlling, or tell you what do. I was just trying to warn you.”

“Is that an apology?” she asks. He’s surprised she didn’t come off more offended. Instead she just seems curious.

“I don’t know,” he replies honestly. “I’m not really the “I’m sorry’ type. Sorry means regret, and I don’t particularly believe in regret. I just wanted to clarify.”

“Clarification noted, although I don’t know if I agree that apologies are the same thing as regrets,” she says. “And I appreciate the warning. I just don’t love it when people tell me what I want, especially when their complete strangers.”

“That wasn’t the intention. Then again, maybe I’m just a arse, and it was, I don’t know. In any case,” he breathes in, “Fresh start,” He sticks one hand in his pocket reaches out the other one. “I’m Colin.”

“Colin Ritman?” she asks taking his hand. He nods with a pierced lip. “I had a feeling. Your reputation precedes you.” There’s a small smirk creeping up the side of her mouth.

“I wasn’t aware I had a reputation, outside of the list of games I created.”

“An artist is reflected in his work,” she replies. “That and I have a friend who used to work here. He talked about you all the time.”

He hums and then says, “Good things?”

“Weird things.”

“That’s not surprising.”

“No, it’s not.”

Colin tilts his head at the response, both curious and amused by the playful look she has in her eye.

“Colin!” Mohan Thakur’s large voice booms through the office. He strides up to the pair. “How are you, mate?” Colin replies with another quick pierce of the lips. and a slow head nod His eyes stray toward his new friend giving her a wink that this was the man that she’d been waiting to see. “Who’s your friend, here?” She immediately understood what Colin had been insinuating about his boss earlier. Mr. Thakur’s eyes linger just a little too long over her body as he speaks.

“This is…” Colin freezes when he realizes he never caught her name.

“Lilith,” she replies to both of them. “Lilith Carlina.”

“Lilith, this is Mohan Thakur,” Colin says.

“Well, what brings you by...” his eyes are still lower than they should be, but the young woman shrugs it off, “...Lilith?”

She’s not sure if she should squint her eyes in confusion or roll them at his obvious crude behavior. In order to come off professional she chooses the former. “I had an interview set up for this morning. About the internship.”

“The internship?” It’s Colin who chooses to roll his eyes at his boss. “Right! See, this is why we need an intern. So I have someone else to remember my meetings for me.” Lilith attempts to laugh along politely while Colin slowly backs himself away from the conversation, giving the young woman a small wave as he does so. She does the same for him.

“Why don’t you step through my office here, and we can have a chat,” the older man says opening the door. Lilith can feel his eyes watching her as she steps through the door frame. She’s grateful that this room is completely transparent.

The room takes up practically a third of the office space and seems to double as the team meeting areal, for at one side of the room there is a large table, while at the other side there is a desk and a couch. “Go ahead and take a seat in front of the desk, yeah?”

She does as he suggests, crossing her legs as she makes it into the chair. Thakur takes his seat behind the desk. “So, where are you from, Lilith?”

“Kansas,” she replies.

“Oh,” Thakur draws out. “Well, you don’t sound it.”

What is a person from Kansas supposed to sound like? She thinks to say, but doesn’t. Again, she tries to keep herself composed. “My mom’s from New York and my dad’s from Michigan so…”There’s an awkward pause for a moment before Lilith decides to take control of the interview. “Look, about the job-”

“Yes, the job,” he pulls a pen out of a holder on his desk. “What makes someone like you interested in game design?”

Oh, here we go with the “someone like you” bull shit. she straightens up and makes sure that her hands which are now tightened into tense fists are hidden out of Mr. Thakur’s view..”My major is in computer studies, and about halfway through my sophomore year my roommate and I got a bit obsessed with Pitfall! and that’s when I realized game design was my calling.”

“Interesting,” he said. “What made you want to study in England?”

“Actually, I went NYU for most of my academic career. But I thought for my last semester I’d go exploring. I’m a part of a study abroad program.”

“Really?!” his false enthusiasm was beginning to grate on Lilith’s nerves.

“That’s why I’m here. One of my requirements is that I need to intern at a company that falls under the same focus as my career path.”

“I see,” the man sighs. “Well, unfortunately there’s not much I can do for you.”

Lilith’s pupils flared, “What? But I thought you said-”

“Our budget’s capped I’m afraid.”

“It’s a non-paid internship.”

“All the spots are full.”

“But you said-”

“Look,” he stops playing with his pen folds his hands and leans into the center of the desk. “You seem like a very nice woman. But, the spots are full. And if I’m being honest, I’m a bit worried you might be a distraction.”

“A distraction for who?!” she snaps. His words make her blood boil, but she sucks in a deep breath and quiets her voice. “You haven’t even looked at my resume.” She grabs her satchel and pulls out the sheet with her listed qualifications. “Just give it a skim, please.”

Thakur receives the paper in hand and takes a minute to reads it over. “This is good,” his eyes still on the paper. “Really good.”

“I know,” she says with confidence. “Please, reconsider.”

His eyes peer over top of the resume, drifting back and forth between it and her. He chews his bottom lip in thought before saying, “There is one part time position open. It’s not an internship, but I’ll still give you the hours you need order to finish school.”

“I’ll take it!” she says quickly with a tiny glimmer of hope growing in her eyes.

His face cringes, “You’ll probably want to hear what it is first.”

“What is it?”

“We have one job left open in the budget. It’s an assistant’s job.”

“An assistant? For you?” she says, praying it’s not so.

“I wish, but no, I’m all sorted,” he replies. This is the same man who forgot we had a meeting this morning, isn’t it? Lilith questions to herself. “It’s for one of our senior developers.”

“Oh!” her voice peaks. “That sounds perfect. I can get the hours I need for school, get paid, and gain actual experience from someone in the field I want to work in.”

“Yeah, but this guy doesn’t really like having assistance. Claims he’s a ‘lone wolf’.”

Lilith’s eyes close and she nods in understanding. “Colin Ritman.”

“Yes,” Thakur says. “It seems his reputation precedes him.”Lilith laughs to herself hearing her own words spoken back to her.

“So, are you in, or out?” Thakur asks. “It’s your choice.”

#colin ritman #colin ritman x ofc #colin ritman x reader #colin x lilith #bandersnatch #bandersnatch colin #will poulter #my fanfiction #bandersnatch fanfic #my fanfic #black mirror #black mirror bandersnatch

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twdmusicboxmystery · 6 years

Text

9x02: First Thoughts

Good morning! How did everyone like the episode last night? I LOVED it! I'm basically going to talk about the three major things aspects of TD that I saw in last night’s episode for today. Tomorrow I'll do a lot more detail.

I’m also going to apologize for going over these super-quick today. I got back from my trip in time to mostly watch the episode live last night, but as with any vacation, I'm going to be playing catch up for a few days, so I’m keeping it short today.

***As always, spoilers abound below for 9x02. Don’t read until you’ve watched! ***

1. Probably the most shocking thing we saw last night was a picture of Beth in the background. Did y'all catch this? I honestly didn't while watching the first time through. But it was posted in my group. The show decided to be sneaky and they focused on one of the pictures on Maggie's wall: the one of Glenn. The rest were in the background when Jesus sat at Maggie’s desk.

So, we have pictures of Glenn, Herschel, and Beth. We’re unsure about the others, but we think they could be Sean (Beth's older brother), and then either their mother or perhaps Patricia or Otis from S2.

The idea is that Anne drew them. When talking to Father Gabriel, she said she liked doing these drawings for people because it helped her feel like one of the group. The implication is that she's done them for others. Because she didn't know any of the subjects, it's sort of a sketch artist thing. They tell her what the person looks like, and she does her best to draw them.

What's really interesting is that this picture is almost an exact replica of a well-known one of Beth from 4x10, Inmates. Credits to @boltthrutheheart for this visual comparison.

This is a big deal We all know no one has said Beth’s name since 5x10. In fact, once the sun rose, and the music box awakened, it’s like they all forgot her name. Over the seasons, I've been asked several times, if somebody mentions Beth, will that make me doubt her return? I've always said no. That I’ll see it as a sign of her imminent arrival.

And granted, no one mentioned her by name in this episode. But this is the next best thing. We saw a visual representation of her, which we haven't seen on the show since 5x09. And it's very reminiscent of a picture that most of her fans would immediately recognize. It's also interesting how much green is used. Almost as if to tell us that green is her color (as if we didn't already know that). Notice that while there's a lot of color in all the pictures, hers is the only one that is predominantly green.

Like I said, more details tomorrow, but I also want to mention that Beth and Edwards discussed artwork at Grady. I think this is a nod to that. The first time we’re seeing her since 5x09 is as a piece of artwork, and Beth believed in the transcendence of artwork.

And yes, @wdway, I will totally run with the fact that it’s a dude named JESUS that’s sitting directly in front of Beth’s picture, as if to confirm all the symbolism we’ve been pointing at for 4 years. But I won’t go into any more detail than that for today.

So everyone in my FB group is totally hoping for a moment when Daryl goes into Maggie’s office and stares at a picture of Beth. How sweet would that be? *fingers crossed*

This was a very exciting thing to see, and I do think it foreshadows that will see her later in the season in some way.

2. Father Gabriel and Anne. I’ll admit that when I read the spoilers about FG and Anne making out, I had to laugh. I thought it was funny and very random. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't against the idea. More power to them, but it also felt to me like the writers looked around for the most unlikely couple, and decided to help them make out.

But, I was surprised at how sweet their relationship ended up being. On TTD, Denise Huth explained the rationale behind it and how these two actually do have a lot in common. I won't go into that too much today because I'm probably going to do a more detailed post about them in a few days. But for now, did everyone else see Bethyl in this relationship? Please tell me you saw this parallel!

Think about what father Gabriel says here. "I cared about her very much." And the fact that Anne asks about his celibacy as a priest shows that this “caring” is meant to be romantic. He didn't care about her as a sister or friend. He had feelings for her. "But I was afraid, and then I lost her.” Those exact words would be more than appropriate for what happened with Daryl and Beth, and S4/S5.

Then Anne asks, "Are you still afraid, because if you are, I’ll be very disappointed."

I'm seeing this as a foreshadow of Beth and Daryl coming back together. Lots of people in my group have wondered, when Beth and Daryl come back together, whether he'll make the first move or she will. I've always thought it would have to be her. We know Daryl super shy about that sort of thing. I think of Beth kissed him first, he would be a little surprised by it, but also happy and relieved that she felt the same way.

But this parallel suggests otherwise. Gabriel kisses Jadis first, which is surprising given Gabriel’s laid back personality. But I think this could definitely be true of Daryl when Beth returns. Even though he was afraid/unsure before, after everything Daryl's been through, I don't think that will be the case anymore. He seen too much now. He lost Beth the first time, which is the biggest thing that changed him. He's also seen Glenn die, Rosita lose Abraham, Tara lose Denise, Aaron lose Eric, and Rick lose Carl. I think he'll have a “life's too short” mentality and won't be afraid to tell her how he feels anymore.

One other quick mention: Gabriel emphasizes that he’s Episcopalian. I think we already knew that because it said so on the sign at his church in S5. We’ve definitely discussed it in our TD theories before. But it was emphasized here. And it’s always interesting to me because one, radical sect of Episcopalians (not all; let me emphasize that) worships snakes. So I feel like this is a snake reference, which is also a Bethyl think. ;D

Either way, this relationship made me very happy. I thought it was sweet and I like Anne and FG together. But I also see it as a foreshadow of Beth and Daryl. It's coming guys. Just a matter of time.

3.The bridge analogy. Near the beginning of the episode, Ezekiel talks to Henry about the bridge, he says, "It’s not just a bridge. Roads are the life blood of civilization. Rome rose and fell with its roads. Without this bridge there’d be no trade…this boring structure connects us all. "

First, he mentions Rome! As in Up the Wolves and “there’s gonna be a party when the wolf comes home?” I’ll just leave it at that for now.

But I thought this was all very interesting. We have the whole bridge theory, and I do still think all the bridges are analogy for Beth's arc. All of them point toward it coming. We've also seen the bridge be applied to many different characters. Like Abraham, Dwight, and even the characters in Fear. So it's interesting to say the bridge unites everyone. I'm sure it will end up being an analogy for all arcs on the show and a way to unite even the people who never met each other.

There are plenty of people since who never met on the show. For example, characters who died pre-S4 never met those who didn't show up until S4 or after. I know a lot of us had had canons about Beth meeting various characters who have now died before her return. I think it's really interesting that they're telling us that the bridge symbolism is important and will end up uniting all the arcs in some way. I really liked that.

That's it for today. There was a ton more stuff in this episode. I promise I will get all the details hashed out for you tomorrow. I really really loved this episode. So much great stuff happened (RIP Aaron's arm) and I'll show you all the other parallels I found tomorrow. Happy Monday!

#beth greene #beth greene lives #beth is alive #beth is coming #td theory #td theories #team delusional #team defiance #beth is almost here #bethyl

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lizardswithoutlegs · 7 years

Text

HOOOOOWOWOAH BOY

ART ASKS

when i walk into a building i get to eat everybodys pencils and they cant say no

do it

( also thanks for asking ! )

itd bother me a lot less if everybody came to my apartment and took one of these beautiful eggs

YEAH UNFORTUNATELY IM STILL..... WORKING THROUGH THE SAME WAITLIST but im comparatively REAL CLOSE to being done with it and i should be opening up sometime later in...... the Year

Boy Have I

theres This messy thing from a while back and then also

THIS, from even FURTHER back, when i didnt realize how fucking RED all the outlines on my things were because of the monitor i was using, two for the price of one

why not both

i do Not but it you ever see me walking on the street please throw handfuls of teeth at me theyre the only things my wretched body can digest and im always hungry

OH MAN ok so, an art telephone game is based on, of course, the game telephone, where one person says a phrase and then whispers it to the next person, and so on and on until the person at the very end says whatever they heard and if its done right the final sentence is wildly different than what you started with

an ART telephone game is the same kind of concept, except one person draws out a scene or character, and then other artists draw THEIR interpretation of whats going on, and so forth until the last person can end up with something COMPLETELY different than what the first scene was

youd think thered be less room for error with drawings, but as each person ONLY sees what the person ahead of them has made, they can get PRETTY OUT THERE - im gonna be a part of pythosarts game, and theyve done a couple of em before - for example one round started with THESE as the first two drawings

and then fourteen interpretations later, ended up with these as the final two

its good its real good

I Cant Control Where Bigfoot Goes, I Can Only Take Note Of Where Hes Been

YEAH, sort of ! on the main, iguanamouth, i have a bunch of different tags for art depending on what they are but not really a catchall one, BUT i do have an art only blog where everything gets tossed over !

HONESTLY THE ADVICE i got is basically what all art advice is gonna boil down to eventually - you gotta just. do it. you gotta DO it

absolutely nobody you know who draws things well started out at the level theyre currently at, and putting down the things youre visualizing onto paper is a combination of getting the the technical aspects down as much as getting the idea in your head

and that goes with figuring out anatomy and how bodies are put together ! ive got to use references for a Million things,. especially the dragon hoards - theres absolutely nothing wrong with using references for your drawings ! and being able to create accurate representations of things without looking is something that comes more with drawing something over and over and memorizing the body shape more than just, feeling like you should KNOW how to do something

so dont beat yourself up for needing references. if youre trying to shy away from them a little bit but still cant make something look nice without em, try using several different reference photos to put together an entirely different pose ?

theres ALSO the SHRIMP METHOD, which is great for practicing and getting good at one particular thing - this probably isnt SUPER HELPFUL but good luck !

god i tried. exactly ONCE maybe fourish years ago but it wasnt art, i was trying to stream the lion king movie and i had no idea what i was doing, i didnt realize i needed to wear headphones so the sound wouldnt snowball into a feedback loop of my own voice that never ended but i kept laughing and it kept distorting worse and worse, like the audio version of saving and resaving something as a jpeg

it was just me and my friend ronni in the stream and ONE other person who never left and never said anything and i kept addressing them out loud like WHO ARE YOU and that only compounded the noise problem and eventually i gave up

anyway i havent tried since

i uhhhhh dont think i COULD, really - fear especially is something thats kind of subjective and one persons Big Terror could be neutral or even cute to another person

like for me i used to have a lot of childhood fears about the ocean, and how deep and dark and vast it was, to the point where i couldnt play a lot of water levels in video games, even ( but i had almost drowned several times when i was Very young which probably had, a little somethin to do with that )

maybe sometime ill try to explore things IM afraid of, but its hard to encompass a psychological response in an image !! could be a fun experiment, though ! !

a few PLANT ANIMAL AZKZ, HUH, DONT HAVE A WORKING Z KEY

SHIT DUDE THESE ARE... SO GOOD thats the official name EVEN IF i didnt use. a daffodil as the flower base. it doesnt matter

yes

i got A BUNCH of flower and plant themed suggestions and theyre all REALLY GOOD ( way more than these ) but straight up im taking a break from em for a while - if anybody is else is reading this though you should definitely tackle one of em

WASABI ASKS

Do Not Feed Animals The Paste

i keep going back to read this ask because you could replace wasabi with my name and its the exact same. its the same. i feel like i have to hide somewhere

this was real and this is the award they gave us

there were other awards but the judges refused to give them out. they burned them in front of the other dogs. we won

it depends on the age ! wasabis pretty much an adult, so her sheds are pretty infrequent ( usually once every 7-8 months ) BUT when she was still growing back like 6 years ago, she would do a full-body shed every other month !

wasabi accepts tokens of appreciation in the form of : fruit, green beans. No Exceptions

i would never seperate wasabi from her hands

absolutely..... not. not even a little bit h h hh a this isnt a disney animal companion, i dont even know what “kind of like a dog” means with , a lizard who cant make any vocalizations or get up on their hind legs or NOTHIN sometimes if i hold a piece of fruit on my hand and she reaches for it she gets confused on whats what and tries to bite my fingers instead

ONCE WHEN SHE was attacking her reflection in a mirror i put my hand in front of her face to break eye contact and she SUNK HER TEETH RIGHT IN THERE but immediately let go like “oh whoops”

lissten . . . wasabi is so sharp, just absolutely everywhere, and these are the sharpest. the grabbers

heres a lil battle damage from earlier today actually

this is pretty tame BUT the long long lines are from claws, and the thinner, closer together ones are from holding her and her scales scraping against the skin. so not even just the Body is completely safe ! this is not an animal youre gonna wanna get your face real close to if theyre in a walkin mood

she doesnt even MEAN to scratch the shit outta me, its just kind of a byproduct of being a big tree lizard. her tail is absolutely the worst thing to get hit by though. the WORST. lucky me she doesnt attack anything that isnt a dog or a vacuum cleaner or her own reflection

ahhh i got her when i was 16 ! and i dont know her exact age but she was somewhere between 3-6 months when i get her - SHES probably closer to 9 years, but ive had her for about 8

LENGTH THOUGH...... the last time i measured her she was just barely under four and a half feet, but that was a few months ago and its possible shes. Just Slightly larger. shes currently sleeping as i type this so i guess we will never know

duel me

too late for coats..... its all tail action now

ROCK ASKS AND ALSO ASKS ABOUT PUTTING ROCKS IN YOUR MOUTH

oh MAN i feel you . . . . . . . . . . i dont think i could actually Bear To Eat any for real but some of em. just. they. i gotta. just. bite on em a LITTLE just a little bit, a tiny bit, a nibble

when i was real young i used to tap things against my teeth to tell what kind of substance they were made of based on the feeling/hardness/density WHATEVER and i still sometimes do it when im checking stuff out and. it uhhhhh sure is interesting finding out not a lot of people did that

a handful of these delicious raw agates, just for you

please stop spying on me

i DO NOT but you may eat this piece of bornite

meet me at the airport and ill cover your bus fair

theres a lotta different ways to figure out what kind of rocks you got but when you have absolutely no clue on where to start your best bet is to search for the biggest distinctive features of it, and try to narrow it down based on the results

like for something like these pieces of chalcedony, you could try “waxy green translucent mineral”, and from the search results find a few candidates that might be what you have on hand, and then look into each one to see if you can get a definite answer

ive got a handful of rock and mineral guide books that i always pick through whenever i snag something im not sure of, and if youre REAL into it those are always something you could start keeping an eye out for

now this is a REAL superficial way to telling what something is and wont be useful for a good chunk of minerals ( as a lot of samples can look really close to something else ) and THIS is a much more in depth way of telling something apart, but its also a lot more time consuming ! so good luck. and good eating.

Just Try And Fucking Stop Me

ANIMAL ASKS THAT ARENT............ ABOUT MY LIZARD

im married to this one actually

fuck. ok. heres. a secret. a In the ask Post secret. wasabi goes through a period that lasts a month every single year where she carries eggs in her gut, and spends that month not eating and digging around in everything, trying to find the right spot to lay these eggs. and. when it happens i never know what to do with them, and i dont want to just THROW THEM AWAY so i. eat them. i eat the eggs. i fuckin eat the eggs dude

Theyre All Goddesses

unless you plan on having your lizard roam around outside whenever they want, the outside environment doesnt really matter much for most reptiles as long as you set their habitat up right ! BUT i do know that australia has bans on certain reptiles ( iguanas are one of them ) and so youre gonna have to look up whats actually available in that area

bearded dragons are native and those are always a good option, but so are a lot of geckos - its really gonna depend on what youre into ( but i dont really recommend anoles if thats an option, because theyre fast as Hell and dont like being handled )

what the fuck is a bee

oh geez im sorry ! i remember going through this with spiders a lot when i was younger to the point where looking at photos of em used to be a fuckin, TRIAL

you could try a really gradual exposure deal, where you start off with getting comfortable with just images, and slowly working your way to dealing with one in a controlled setting ( like a petstore, maybe ? not HANDLING em or anything, but just being near one in a way where its absolutely impossible for them to touch you )

the shitty thing about this kind of phobia is that even if you KNOW its irrational theres sometimes not a lot you can do about it, but if you can stand looking at photos of them you could try learning up about them, and finding out the types of species youre likely to encounter around your house, and seeing how many ( if any ) are ones you should avoid ?

i know some people that have major problems with snakes are because theyre unsure if the ones they find are poisonous or not, and it might go a long way to confirm that the reptiles you meet wont be able to harm you even if they TRIED ( which is gonna be the case with a lotta house geckos, they cant do SHIT youre a GIANT )

very VERY few lizards have venomous bites, and the worst most of em can do is give you a bloody finger if theyre large enough, and even then its usually not much worse than a cat scratch !

still though, if youre really serious about trying to get past this, dont force yourself too quick into what you think you SHOULD be, and take tiny steps outta your comfort level when you can

this probably isnt uhhh SUPER helpful hh hhah but good luck ! shit im going through this post and its like ALL reptile photos. im sorry

i feel about them, with my hands

MMM it shouldnt HURT them unless theres something Really wrong, considering its a natural procession of growth, BUT its definitely itchy as hell, to the point where reptiles trying to remove it will drag their bodies over stones or walls tryin to get it off

sometimes wasabi drags her whole hind foot over her head like a dog to get it off and it is. a Sight

ahhh honestly there arent a lotta reptiles thatre gonna do much more than TOLERATE the touch and not really, enjoy it, like a dog or cat or bird

but speaking from experience with wasabi, youll probably want to avoid most the head and stick with the top of the back near the sides - wasabi doesnt enjoy having her tail messed with much either, but shes ok with her dewlap and feet being touched

the most important thing to keep an eye out for when youre touching one is their body language, because THATS gonna be a dead giveaway for whether you need to back off or not

closing their eyes is a sign of stress, not enjoyment ! same with tilting the head back, but if thats ALL theyre doing then youre probably not gonna face any retaliation

B U T if theyve got an extended dewlap with a raised body or tail off the ground, not a good idea to interact with em ! thats a defensive posture, and you risk getting hit with a tail or even bitten if your hand gets too close

youve got more to risk with males, who are way more territorial and generally larger, but if they seem pretty chill when you approach and dont stand up and stare at you, youre probably in the clear

COCK of the ROCK

I HAVE im so jealous of anybody whos got to see one in person - actually handling one is a level beyond that which i could even comprehend

OTHER THINGS.....

no but i was bit by a pigeon once

this is the only joke i know

i fuckin WISH !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ayy im into it - honestly i havent been following the band so much as just kinda, picking up whatever anybody else mentions and so my knowledge on Gorillaz Lore is pretty uhhhh h hh h scattered but im definitely interested in seeing where this goes

i remember watching the first and second season and it being pretty good - some of the episodes and jokes are hit and miss but you absolutely got me with the creature and alien design

havent seen any of the third season yet though !

i mean the fruit ones could be pretty up there

how bout. an abstract concept. who cares about physical forms wheres the dragon of melancholy

why come theres nothing to eat in my apartment but bread. im good otherwise but its all just bread

i havent watched either of em in YEARS and YEARS but i distinctly remember. these lil dancing mushrooms

oh wait FUCK

FUCK !!!!!!!!!

no... NO.... she is not allowed to eat ANYTHING from the plan shelf, try as she MIGHT

im a little mad that this sill isnt bigger because the only other one that gets sun is in my room and wasabi WIll... absolutely eat those. no doubt. a convenient and expensive salad, for my awful gremlin

god im looking at these and its all jade plants isnt it

little golden books taste the best but they can make you sick if you have too many at once. my favorite genre for snacking is sci fi fantasy but anything over 300 pages tends to get a little tough if you dont break it up with smaller chunks. non fictions always a gamble because the taste is wildly different each time but you can usually tell how ripe it is by the cover color

ayy im already a big fan of some of their stuff, ive got a couple songs from them in my music tag - im especially into i miss you and their shut up and bring it here remix

TOP FIVE THINGS

this is barely related but once i filled up a bathtub with water and then dumped about ten bags worth of mint tea into it and then just. soaked around in the tea. listen it was really nice. id try the cheese

i dont have any ships but i was on one of those model pirate boats once for a school trip. our boat was named naruto and the other one was named sasuke and the captains shouted “make them kiss” and ran them into each other. everybody on board drowned

youre trying to trick me into googling yoshi without shoes and its not going to work

me reading this message from the safety of my apartment :

nice try, but wrong again ! : )

THIS IS GOOD info, thank you

oh SHIT the other side of paradise, take a slice, life itself, and season 2 episode 3 are all my Big Faves

the way you phrased this makes me think you already have a strong opinion on it

hey uh. coming from a person who was absolutely CONVINCED that theyd be dead in the future when they were 12, a not insignificant part of that was me feeling that there was something irreversibly wrong with me for not behaving or acting in certain ways based on what was going downstairs

and obviously im still HERE but it means i can understand how devastatingly terrible it can feel when youre that young and it seems like the way you behave and feel are flawed, or dirty, and anything that can lessen that feeling and make you comfortable in your own body is huge, can save your life

not that im saying its always a LIFE OR DEATH decision !

i guess if youre viewing it as adults forcing a child into making decisions that you dont think theyre capable of understanding its easy to be hesitant about getting behind it, but nobody is forcing a child to be trans. nobody has tricked them into feeling this way. you cant just walk in and get started on treatment on an immediate whim - some programs require 2 YEARS of concrete evidence before theyll even consider it

i feel like you should try speaking to the parents of trans children before you really put down a concrete opinion on whether this is a good or bad thing, and seeing the difference ( if any ) its made in their lives

people whove detransitioned, or found they had ultimately a different identity than the one they were exploring could also be an avenue to look intto ! i have several acquaintances who, after a period of years, found they werent trans but wouldnt take back the time where they were figuring out if they were, and i know this doesnt invalidate the friends i have who ARE

ultimately this is what it boils down to for me : Its Sure Gotta Beat Being Dead

i WILL give you that ive definitely seen a lot of overreactions to seemingly innocuous topics on this website

but youve also got to keep in mind that everybody who is saying these things MEANS them, and to them theres a completely reasonable explanation to why they feel that way

im not saying you should blindly accept any criticism you get, but to instead try to get a grasp on WHY theyre responding the way they are instead of immediately dismissing it

its because i cant drive and they wont let me sit in the front on account of the smell

NICE THINGS

AHHHH I GOT.. a bunch of other really sweet messages to the point where id feel weird about putting em ALL UP BUT... IF YOU SENT ME SOMETHING i can promise i absolutely saw it and it made my day better and just, holy shit, thank you for taking time out of your life to say anything to me at all

because you didnt have to, even a little bit

youre all beautiful and im kissing you on the mouths all at once. no take backs

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doomedandstoned · 7 years

Photo

The Strange, Fantastic World Of Devil's Witches

~Interview by Mari Knox~

We will shock our readers when they read that behind the name Devil's Witches there is just one guy. So James, introduce us to your project, tell us who are you and where your music come from.

Thank you for having me. I'm not really big on talking about myself, not because I want to create some false of sense of mystique but because I want to create a very specific experience. When someone like Hendrix says, "Are you experienced?" he's talking about seeing things with an open mind. He talks about transcending the ego and getting lost in your trip, whatever form that may take. I feel like by focusing on the artist, you can destroy the immersion of the art, unless, of course, they become the art themselves, like David Bowie did during his Ziggy era. So my reluctance to talk about myself is more about this world I've created through the story of the album and the points in time I've referenced. I feel I'll get in the way of the immersion I want to create in the listener. I'd rather just slip into the background and let the music speak.

youtube

Your debut, 'Velvet Magic' (2017), is a concept album and your songs seem to find inspiration in the works of Jess Franco, Jean Rollin, and Russ Meyer, not to mention gorgeous and charming actresses like Tura Satana and Soledad Miranda. What more can you share about the fascinating story you're telling here?

The story of the album centres on a mysterious female who is fully in touch with her feminine magic. If anyone has read ‘The Satanic Witch’ by Anton LaVey, they will know what I'm talking about. I don't regard myself as a Satanist, but this aspect of the left hand path is of great interest, as is Crowley. This godlike female is affronted by the horrors of humanity, specifically the tragedy of Vietnam. Her goal is to use her magic to quite literally save the earth through sex. Sex, to me, represents life, not perversion or shame. She finds this male soldier who was part of some of the worst atrocities in Nam, including the My Lai massacre, and decides to redeem him to save everyone. The album follows his story as he comes back to the US and right up until the two of them connect in astral coitus. It's really quite a beautiful statement when you drop all baggage connected to attitudes towards sex. I enjoy playing with juxtaposition and you will find it all over the album and visuals. Polarity is a very powerful thing.

I am a very visual person. The music that resonates with me the most are ones that create pictures in my head or have videos or art that inspire me. I've lost count of the times the visual side of certain music has compromised my enjoyment of the songs. It works the other way too. I've had songs that may have been seen as mediocre, not necessarily bad, but I respond to them because of the pictures they create in my head. Obviously, the music is the main priority, but I see the visuals as quite high, maybe even bordering on equal. Interestingly, movie director Jess Franco, who is a big influence, was mostly concerned with pictures. He didn't even write full scripts sometimes and just shot with his instinct having other people overdub later on. Often times, he had no involvement in that process, as he was off capturing new images.

"Psyche, Fuzz, Doom, and 1960s Worship" -- these are the keywords you use to describe Devil's Witches. What are your biggest musical influences?

Hendrix is everything. He's the only musician I've ever heard who can hit a wrong note and it's still the greatest note you've ever heard. Second to that is Frank Zappa. His early output with the Mothers Of Invention in the '60s is my favourite. Zappa could take pop sounds and turn them into prog rock. He was a musical genius in the truest sense. Other influences are The Doors, Jefferson Aeroplane, and Grateful Dead. The heavy side of my music is inspired by Black Sabbath and Electric Wizard. What resonates with me most about heaviness is the physicality of actually feeling the music through the speakers, even at low volumes. The heaviest song on the album is none of the singles, and it's very dark.

It not easy to create such an impressive and variegated wall of sound like this all by yourself. Sometimes it feels like there are four people playing together. How do you fashion this sound? And, since this is a solo project, how did you record all of the parts?

Russ Meyer was one of the greatest auteurs the movie business every saw. He financed, scripted, shot, directed, and edited most of his pictures. Looking up to someone like that is very motivating when faced with great ideas and a lack of resources. This kind of inspiration is what helped me -- having great role models with cast iron work ethics. I recorded the album just like most bands would, but obviously I had to do certain tracks at a time. The key is to always try to stay in the place where music feels magical and not to get bogged down by the mechanics of it.

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At the moment, I know that 'Velvet Magic' will have a tape release via the Chilean label Golden Dawn Recordings. How did you get in contact with them? Would you like to release the album in other formats, as well?

They actually contacted me, in all honesty. Due to my love of the cinematic, I had previously played with the idea of having my name before ‘Devil’s Witches’ like old movie posters for example ‘Russ Meyer’s 'Supervixens.’ I decided against this for the reasons expressed earlier, but I forgot I'd uploaded some art with my name on it in this fashion. It became easy for anyone who enjoyed the output to find me. So Golden Dawn contacted me and expressed interest in releasing the album on cassette and that was even before they heard all the songs. Vincente Zamorano of Golden Dawn is a great guy who has believed in this music from the moment he heard it. I just recently sent him the whole album and he was very happy with it. Regarding other formats, I've also signed with another label who wants to put the album on vinyl. This label is enjoying the album greatly, as well, which is very promising. Stay tuned for the reveal of that. I'd love CD, but no one has contacted me. Maybe that format is dead. Also, it will be available digitally.

You really care for the band's graphics, from the art posted on social media to the music videos. Do you personally take care of that aspect or is someone else helping you with this?

Everything is done by me apart, from the logo. That was designed and drawn by a very talented Spanish artist by the name of Raúl Fuentes. He draws exclusively in black and white and has the most macabre underground style. His usual output is death and thrash logos and zine covers, but I asked him to capture the '60s in his style. The logo is very typical of the era, even labels like RidingEasy records have adopted this look and it was this familiarity I wanted Raúl to bring into the design. Combining that element with his underground horror qualities, Raúl takes the logo from '60s pop culture symbol into a darker place. This comparing of worlds is central to what Devil's Witches is about. Check Raúl out at Mörtuus Art .

The overabundance of female in the imagery obviously ties directly in with the music exploring feminine magic. I grew up exclusively around woman. My grandmother practically raised me and the only kids in my area to play with were girls. Even now, I live with five women, although two of them are cats. My admiration and respect for every facet of femininity is the cornerstone of Devil's Witches. I have deep religious feelings towards the divinity of the feminine, but maybe those conversations are for future articles.

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Trevor William Church, the frontman of Beastmaker, supported you a lot during the creation of 'Velvet Magic.' How was this collaboration born?

Just like everyone else, Beastmaker caught me by surprise. I saw them at a Blood Ceremony show and was sucked into their Mario Bava soaked world. Trevor seemed like the kind of guy I could get along with, but I'm a shy person so I never worked up the courage to chat with him. When I got home, I added him on Facebook and just through commenting on each other posts, we become familiar enough to regard each other as sort of long distance friends. When he heard "Voodoo Woman," he messaged and complimented me on the song, the riffs, melodies, but he said the mix was not where it needed to be. He gave me invaluable pointers and has been my go to guy these past months while for navigating the album mix and certain other music business details.

Any chance that we will get to see your project on stage or is this something you're not interested in making happen, at the moment?

I have thought a lot about what a Devil's Witches show would look like and it's not exactly a record label or promoter's dream. It doesn't involve a band simply playing the songs to tour an album. It would be a kind of performance art. It wouldn't even be like theatrical rock. Going back to my cinematic influences, you might begin to imagine what I'm getting at. I wouldn't even necessarily be present on the stage. The problem is that it needs to be very specific. One wrong move and it's a bit of a laughing stock. So I'm not sure you're going to see it touring the world anytime soon.

It's quite clear that you prefer bands from the '60s and '70s, so if you were to suggest a recently released album or a contemporary band, which one would you choose?

There's definitely one artist I would love to praise right here, but I’m going to keep that one for me. Let me just say she has managed to create her own universe in her music through imagery and performance. Her own life has become a work of art, too, and she's a million miles away from fuzzy doom. But those images I talked about earlier are very strong here and inspire me in very tangible ways. Maybe one day we'll get to collaborate.

Before we say goodbye to the Doomed & Stoned readers, I've got on last question to ask. What should we expect from you in the future?

I have already begun writing album two and the story follows directly on from Velvet Magic. I'm just as excited creating this as the first, so it may not be too long, but the future right now for everybody is Velvet Magic. Thank you for offering me a platform to connect with listeners and bring this experience to a wider audience.

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