#so i’m back on my film hype after a brief break!!!

[unproduciblesmackdown]

oh lmfao edited to add. the thirty tags are maxed out but i have to work in the wordplay of: call this post-it notes

speaking of [happening to think about, then for a separate reason talk about, the film “stand by me,” an adaptation of the stephen king short story “the body”] last night, & tumblr ads reminding me, i did turn around after listening to the podcast ep extensive, research enhanced analysis / discussion of specifically the book like hey yeah yknow what. i’ll watch the It films; not the miniseries / the one with tim curry, which i saw the first half of but wasn’t really inspired to commit to the latter half. and you Know like yeah i’m truly interested in the choice to build on [stephen king kicking his legs like “whaaat are some Problems kids could have.....um being a girl.....being jewish.....having a stutter.....”] with “what if someone was gay or some shit” like yeah right on, which idk that steve ever wrote into any vaguely primary characters even though it’s markedly made textually relevant. and the cultural alignment for kleinsen enjoyers is still very funny. i forgot about even the arm cast business till halfway through. even the [break it again] joke kind of manifested lmao

anyways the point is i’m like, my two primary modes of [this experience] being expressed via [mad men meme In The Cinema seriously considering the material] and [the shot of that guy in the alternate titanic ending where he’s like ahahahaha throwing his head back and the camera is overhead zooming out a little bit] and the like Oh Hey. This Is All Coming Together? kind of [that madman cinema meme] moment hit in The Second Part because it’s like, it’s Remarkable for a stephen king story to have Adults Who Are Friends. which is where it can be cross referenced with Stand By Me, which is about kids who are friends, but Framed by like, this story is written in the future by the main kid, who wanted to be a writer & now is, mostly about his friendship with this one other kid who was like “hey man you can & should be a writer. believe” and that classic [stephen king High Concept stories] central plot impetus / definition which is “the one where some kids go on a trek to find/see a dead body” and then ending with Adult Main Kid with that classic / standout remark “i never had any friends like the ones i had when i was twelve. god, does anyone?” which is included even in the film via seeing him type it out on bulkier ye old computer terminals while his kid is now twelvish i guess and talking to a friend. after also musing on like, yeah that bestie who hyped me up the most and who i saved in turn, with a gun, tragically died. iunno where those other two kids in the group are, living kind of underwhelming lives out there probably but whatever. lmfao like man i dunno write them a letter, call them, you could do a little digging here and get in touch. but yeah it’s not gonna be Exactly The Same as when you were kids, nor exactly the same as it was when things aligned to have a brief but dramatic adventure, nor when you Could just all spontaneously decide you wanna go walking & camping to find a body & then just up & do that. but like, you can consciously make & maintain friendships i prommy my man lol. like “it’s great when things align so you Happen to have these friends when you’re twelve and you all like offer each other emotional support and can understand each other like nobody else can. but then you Will all just drift apart” like, i mean, will you. you can have friendships beyond what you just Happen to have / hope that the magic alignments will just continue falling into place for you so that those friendships still exist

and probably part of it is that it’s really mostly About the two kids who are friends even though there’s four of them, i.e. the protagonist & the moral support bestie, as well as the fact that this is a short story so there’s presumably only so much time to focus on characters at all really or delve into any setup and bg lore and whatever all else, i dunno. but thinking how it’s like, oh hey, in It it’s kind of its own serendipitous alignment of elements there to be like, here’s a group of adults where it’s peak relevant that they’re friends, for once. because afaik that really just doesn’t happen in sking stories, like, yeah adults kind of have friends but it’s Not Very Deep / it’s just kind of convenience about working together moving plots along & it’s like yeah uh i don’t fucking know i guess we see each other / hang out for dinners or post dinner drinks together or join forces about whatever fucked up shit and just talk about that, mostly....and probably people are just dropping off like flies eventually, the protagonist man of that [sooo many protags who are just some fuckin middle aged guy who’s a writer] type, and it’s also in part just because like, characters don’t really matter that much / have to be particularly distinct / Are Disposable when plenty of the point is to go “was that fucked up or what?” about whatever’s happening, so yknow you go “there was once just some fuckin guy, i dunno, he probably has a wife he’s paternalistically protective of but maybe also resents and maybe a kid or two or something, whatever....” like, being the main character doesn’t really matter, it’s just this avatar through which we are told a story of some fucked up shit and to whomst any fucked up shit can even happen, being other characters also really doesn’t matter

so it’s like huh, stand by me / the body as obviously this Ode To Twelve Year Olds’ Friendship And How Your Emotional Support Of Each Other Defines The Entire Path Of Your Life Though Mostly For The Main Character, Everyone Else Fucked Off Or Whatever like right yeah, but with that difference of how like clearly as an adult this isn’t gonna be about this guy going like “hey yeah where are those still living scamps today,” he’s reminiscing only, he’s talking about how he now doesn’t have any friends like the ones he had when he was twelve....then what changes in It is like, hmm how are these adults where the fact they’re friends actually is peak relevant? how does one remain friends with even Any childhood friends there huh. and then the fact it works out like that is like aha, well it’s because they don’t lmfao. that everyone happens to scatter to the winds at some point when it maybe will eventually rear its head amongst even their own adult guardians like hey, yknow, maybe let’s not live in murderville. or coincidence. whatever. where the point is that like oh also, everyone just magically forgets the goings on as kids including the existence of their friends, but is about to be reminded of them / remember all that, for a specific external reason rather than [adults are like hey let me try getting in touch with that mf] and already plot and magic is relevant to all of this. they’re not going to have gotten together for the shittiest high school reunion if not for the connection of Friendship, this is about adults but it’s about that childhood plotline still, so Twelve Year Olds’ Friendships still stands / is relevant, so we can even fathom these adults having a connection, b/c yes they Didn’t have it as they got older there, but now they’re jumping back into it actually, b/c magic, and because also this is Directly About (Childhood) Trauma which was also like, hey damn, even outside the stephen king oeuvre & its tendencies (solid & wretched), this is also transcending grievances i so often have with Horror, as someone who likes horror and doesn’t like horror but likes horror but doesn’t like it, and just like. questionable employment of [you Are bothering to focus on Character, and their emotional arcs being entirely relevant to the story here] when sometimes it’s like, do you need a story? the strength of horror shorts to just go “was that fucked up or what.” do you need the characters with the emotional arc relevance at all, or is it just a little avatar walking around with enough vague motivation to have / see / make fucked up shit happen? are they particularly characterized to play into some Metaphor, what’s that metaphor, is it shit, is the execution of it shit. and oftentimes Trauma is just like, idk, it’s like well here’s this person’s Weakness, and it being horror that’s more likely to make it into a Fatal Flaw, like way to have trauma you dumbass, if you were so weak as to fail to just get over it already / Overcome it, you just might be killed for it

annoying, shallow and hackneyed, insulting, etc, and it’s also like, the Individual Focused emotional journey like and here this character who’s been weakly propped up by the Stronger people supporting them will have to go through the crucible of being alone, facing down their Issue like their trauma, and getting through it in this big dramatic one and done way so they can finally stop being a pussy and an obstacle to others. or else fuck it up & die. and it’s like do you know how this works lmfao (no) why shouldn’t the support help. why should it Have to go away. why shouldn’t everyone be crowdsourcing their emotional support amongst their group lmao and never needing to “overcome” it Forever, alone. and that’s at least mostly what gets to go on in It lmfao, like, so obviously this is About Childhood Trauma. whereas It = any of the forces that make people act in ways that create, facilitate, or simply passively allow trauma. (or just some shit that really fucks shit up sometimes i guess.) and you have kids who get caught Alone getting got. but then you have a larger group of some twelvish year olds who are like alright fuck this then, and that’s enough to get through it, the same way that naturally in the less magical / more literal realm of their lives, that friend group & joining forces & providing this like actually (relatively) safe and supportive environment amongst themselves is what protects them & makes everyone a lot more of a force to be reckoned with than they are when out / caught on their own. and it just doesn’t happen to be about choosing to write about like, and then all these kids got picked off one by one anyways, despite their efforts, f. which like i guess it could be, but when the Point is so Directly about the emotional support some kids get from each other / that they Are crowdsourcing protection re: their individual vulnerabilities, that wouldn’t really emphasize that Point so much if regardless of the [having a friend group] everyone was fucked anyways. or the fact that like, again, this is About trauma and what can create it and how that can persist and all, the Magic Rules are about the emotional component of it all, when it’s like, oh this just so happens to be a magic murder entity that’s picking off kids but also prefers to torment them and/or like idk takes the route of going “oh you’re gonna hate this” and hooks up their consciousness via usb cable to the zillionth dimension void & then sips their life force through a crazy straw, or, as it would be to clown entities, a normal straw, and i dunno, that if the usb is unplugged vs eternal living death then the torment juice can give people the interdimensional premonition / telepathy across space & probably time shine(tm) like good for them i guess. call that hypervigilance?

and then that like, into the Adults timeline, not only is there this cheat like woops a stephen king story where adults are friends b/c they’ve reconnected the usb cables where the [friends like the ones i had when i was twelve] has now become immediately relevant and active again, i was like, mad man cinema contemplation meme a bit confused going into the second half until i realized some particular fact of the plot And it was slowly like....we’re kind of goofin huh, is this Being Funnier? b/c i mean, the first one wasn’t not ever funny or like otherwise not super solemn & heavy, and also i’m just Used to horror to the point it’s not gonna like bother me probably, i was watching alone and turned off the lights b/c i couldn’t adjust my screen’s lighting levels & the overhead light in here was gonna create glare via the mirror behind me, and i didn’t think anything of it at any point, i had to also be like “@ me, okay stop saying ‘me’ the moment you realize anything [A Scary Moment] is transpiring for no especial reason,” and yknow, it’s like a roller coaster to me, or i’d say like being tickled except actually i hate that one & will start physically fighting lol, where it’s like yeah aaaaaa but it’s fun & i’m Humored really, i’m experiencing the [horror & comedy are two sides of the same coin], when i’m startled or going like oooh that was, to be sure, creepy, it’s still like, ahaha, i’m figuratively tickled, going :] at the screen, i especially liked the same [ooh hehe yeah that’s eerie] type of moments in both halves like yeah very [your standard marble hornets enjoyer] of me....but anyways so then it did take me an extra few moments maybe in the second half like oh is this Markedly More Humorous? oh it is, then....sort of unexpected but then it immediately makes sense and was Fascinating like, oh, this is so In Conversation With the first movie and with the Overall Story here lmao. like, we are illustrating the Perspective Shift, the [kids timeline] is still relevant and defines everything that’s going on, but they Are adults now and That itself is relevant. b/c otherwise it’s like, it Is just the same situation played over again lmfao like damn we were the [kids fight & defeat a murder sewer clown monster] and now we’re the [adults fight & defeat a murder sewer clown monster]. and Of Course It Makes Sense for there to be overall more Drama for the kids, who are more so just living & immersed in their normal lives in that storyline, and of course, Are Kids, where like anything “was that fucked up or what” that’d happen would be more intense & threatening, and sure applying that perspective like, not only “yeah i’m just experiencing some media, but if that was really happening in life that’d be fucked up, if it was happening for real to me, i’d be like, whoa uh oh holy shit aaaa” lmao, and then an Additional layer of “and if i was twelve” like “yeah aaaa oh shit” way compounded by that, naturally. 

but then i’m Also like, listen, i’d be more like halfway through my 27 yr time jump but i’m the adult with cptsd lmao and so i’m Madmen In The Theatreing because of this angle as well, and intrigued, positively, by the uptick in levity about everything. wherein it’s like okay, it’s sure Also true that like, undo the [and if you were twelve] angle, but The Same kind of fucked up shit happening would of course still be like well this sucks, and is startling, to Anyone who’s an adult, right. But Also like, again the way it’s relevant to touch base with the [kids] timeline, because that’s Defining Everything, this isn’t just “and they’re adults which means everyone’s just tougher than they were when they were kids” and That’s That, it’s like, these are adults who were these specific kids with specific experiences vulnerable to and exposed to bonus trauma, and now this is a “time to jump back in to a head on confrontation with that” plotline but As A Group again rather than this being just the story of like any individuals, or just the main kid/guy, who is now to be sure the [the middle aged writer guy of a stephen king story] lmfao, congrats....and you had [repressed memories but like, magically extensively encompassing] as the device here to as what allows for this outlier scenario of like “but how can adults possibly maintain friendships formed organically in their youth? well, they didn’t lol. but now they’re back.” and the past Has to be relevant and freshly Active because again, this Is directly about trauma lol, not just about whatever broader thing and anyone might secretly have this Hangup or two that’ll get them got. and they all Know this lol, this may be some exclusive knowledge more broadly, but this is Not a secret amongst this group of adults like ah yes my marinating issues that nobody suspects i have....which is a bonus to [even though they’re adults in a stephen king story they don’t all or even mostly have to die] and then like, as i am trying to get around to, that it’d be Different being just any adult approaching this as a new situation to them vs being an adult With Trauma(tm) lol like. the way that one might go “well, this would suck for anyone, but i have a different vulnerability b/c [cptsd involving this shit]” but Then Also the resilience that nobody should have to have and it’s technically a “strength” even though then actually people interpret their [lack of honed ability through direct life experience to cope indefinitely with traumatic experiences] as the strength, a la “wow why’s that person put up with that, i wouldn’t stand for it b/c isn’t it So Clearly Bad & Unpleasant?” victim blaming mentality and people “used” to that shit “putting up with” said shit, which other people would throw up their hands like Wow Just No and walk away from. which in turn isn’t a “weakness” lmao like, there’s no moral judgments to being someone w/trauma or someone without it. that people shouldn’t Have to have cptsd or Resilience, of course, but then that they do. i’m certainly relating to like, yeah it’s Magic Rules / Exaggeration the way that only people young enough can detect & deal with this shit directly, the first time around, and then that they still have access to it as adults presumably b/c of that exposure as kids and because [the childhood trauma doesn’t just Go Away b/c you grew up, even though Also people just think that it ought to or like wow so immature or wow you’re Letting it affect you too strongly still, huh] etc. and anyways, relating to like, yeah enjoyed the way some adults would just be cool & generally supportive, but i also only had so much access to such adults, all Through parents or via school where it’s like, yeah but all the adults there have to Make Sure You’re Behaving Properly in various ways that lead to [punitive] ends and if anyone’s being like particularly supportive / understanding that’s a personal individual choice & they’re probably going Above & Beyond. kind of impressed how useless, and actively unhelpful / counterproductive, any adults were later on when i was dealing with it all the more / had it coming to a head in ways lol, didn’t have an epic friend group i hung out with at twelve or ever who Knew Me that well or i shared anything with or got lifechanging emotional support from, but there Were occasions of like, yeah these peers get it, huh. and now with the perspex of [cptsd having adult] it’s like, yeah, i’d have repeated dreams of parents showing up & i start physically fighting them off with like a shovel and shit lmfao. even now when i rarely have dreams ft. like a more general monster / menacing figure, like i did last night, go figure, Dream Me is always like Oh Okay and immediately physically charges them unarmed lmfao. (also had a dream cameo where some guy on a home computer who was making up like building / engineering schematics? was a Wrole like omg hey buddy. unfortunately a limited interaction, that plot got quickly waylaid by the one where i launch myself at some entity. booo) i can be like “ah, here goes the adrenal response” mostly only noticing sometimes when it’s like, my physical tension has gone to the point of [i can notice my legs/knees shaking], i can also Not Notice It / not think of it b/c you know, it’s like this is truly mundane / everyday shit, in the Relative / Comparative way that it can be. it can be stealth mission time to do some ordinary shit like you live in a survival horror game. it can also go “yeah i could very easily see how if, say, there was this manifestation of trauma / the shit that causes/facilitates/sustains/allows it, i’d go sicko mode on that shit just immediate physical attack” lmao. i know if i’m startled it’s like, that can be a) ordinary, and/or b) unpleasant, and probably c) immediately followed by my being ready to go sicko mode, possibly being a bit pissed off lol. like i can’t even be worried like oh no it’s nighttime what if something was menacing. like yeah that’d be scary and suck, i might get got, i’d also immediately be pissed off like fucking try me you asshole. and it’s like, again the way comedy is A Framework, it’s not what happens when a situation is Lighthearted, Unserious, Frivolous, etc. the like, obvious fact like wow people who are funny can be sad? can have had some fucked up, Serious experiences? can even joke about that? like yeah of course humor can be Deliberately Employed To Cope, including to even communicate about shit, where you’re cueing hard like, i’m not necessarily collapsing under the weight of this right now but it’s a reality and when i’m telling you about it with Humor it’s not in turn asking for you to fix it or even do anything about it at all except be listening to / comprehending the info i’m giving you. and that even looking back on shit can be funny To You because it’s just like, sure Elevated and can be a bit absurd. so it’s like oh yeah of course it’d be funnier, in a way characters are aware of & actively interacting with lmfao. like of course any adult would be like “jesus christ. yikes. aaaa” lol while also being more inclined and able to tackle bullshit right off, but Also being specifically an adult with the [this is your childhood trauma] can be like, yes i’m both still affected by and vulnerable to this shit, but i’m Also less vulnerable than some rando might be, actually, and prepared to / more used to this, and able to go “jesus christ yikes aaaa lmfaooo ahaha” about it. like, i feel that lol. 

paragraph break just because that one was getting Extra long: oh and also the matter of Genre Awareness, that this isn’t just some fucked up shit that happens to be scary and fuck your shit up, but this is expressly an antagonist coming after you with the intention to be scary to you, and you Know that, you are aware you’re in a Horror Genre situation lmao, so meta, surely helpful. and sure sometimes i felt the like comedy vs horror; comedy vs drama sometimes didn’t transition perfectly like, my kind of feeling ambivalent at this one point like uhhh is this scene more straightforwardly dramatic? hmm i guess it was. well anyways. but that’s fine, meanwhile continually delighted even to realize like, here we are going over this all again but with this Shifted Perspective / Framework, we’re clearly goofin a bit. and like how i can clap & cheer like ooh yeah that was creepy lmfao, i got Got comedically like idfk dozen times or what all. ahehe....not to mention the [i Am going insane. society] experience of scrungy expression spit take coughing laughter when overlaying [titanic guy going HaHaHaHaHaHaHa XD as the camera lifts away from overhead] upon [mad man serious contemplation of cinema png] while experiencing like wow the gay Text is more textual than i though, more extensive, turns out i had some things to go into entirely afresh without going “oh yeah, i remember what i osmosis’d about this” to then go :0 =0 about, or that i didn’t quite get Everything through osmosising that i did recall, to then spit take about and become titanic guy fifty times over. i Am a bit joker mode, you really just have to be. and laughing about [when stephen king and PPL go “you know this type of guy” and we all go “yeah i guess. i know Of them [possible knowing looks amongst ourselves, or to the camera]” and then they go “you know how they’re—” and then our answers of “maybe like gay or some shit” overlaps with their “just another heterosexual amongst all the rest of us, unless we’re gay, but we’re talking about how all the protagonists we write are cishet i guess?” like. haha. what an alignment, good for everyone in the overlap....oh and i was like ahahaha when the podcast discussion of The Book Specifically nevertheless had one guy knowing the lore already that the stephen king cameo here as Some Secondhand / Pawn Shop Type Place Owner Guy was someone who, in stephe’s (not a typo, making stephe as = steven happen, with particular enunciation of the ph vs v) own written text as the description of That Guy in the book, is like, this gay caricature who is like wearing some mesh or i think they said it said “fishnet” shirt and like clearly reading this gay porn mag. because how else would someone be gay lmfao? how else would you Know you’ve encountered one of them?? lmfao like, a) i also agree with the podcasters who are like, stephe’s a coward for not staying true to that specific description he wrote when cameo’ing as that person, and b) like, people are gay, stephe....but classic matters of [running down a hallway going Noooo and knocking shit down behind you while being chased by [the way stephen king writes about [take your pick] and/or just like, what do you think is going on in life re: [take your pick] exactly, stephen king, i swear] lol)

anyways This has turned into [gif of the guy emphatically pointing at a laptop and also at some unseen listener to this Serious Monologue] because i have endless things to say about anything. the point it it’s like, well hey i think that was remarkably successful re: choosing to have Characters with Emotional Arcs tied to a Metaphor in this horror media, when usually i’m like, the execution of this is so shit that it’s like, just don’t have characters lol, don’t try to make it a metaphor (although you know, difficult for it not to be tied to anything irl, so don’t be unaware of how it Could be), if it’s gonna be this kind of a mess. the fact that like, you can’t have [trauma] be a character weakness fatal flaw that gets them got b/c they weren’t individually Strong Enough, b/c this is All About a) having & interacting with that [trauma] first and foremost and b) how having a group of relationships affects that (helpfully). my pleasant surprise about how like yeah of course you can’t just make the exact same movie again but i wasn’t necessarily expecting a noticeably more outright comedic angle for round two, but duly kinda delighted by it, and that felt very Appropriate and Verisimilitudinous for the new angle of And You’re Completely Grown. that stephen king Rarely writes about relevant friendships and all the more rarely to never writes about relevant friendships between Adults but whoops, that happened here, b/c there was a magical workaround where “drifting apart” was not entirely congruous to the real life literal actual way that’d happen, and b/c the way this is about childhood trauma means that the Rest of that childhood is relevant to adulthood / adult identities, and he ends up with “god, does anyone?” being answered by “yeah, sometimes” lol. and yeah being a deh enjoyer / being haunted byer / analyzer means anytime something is About the connections someone, say a young person for one, might make and how that can be relevant to All Their Issues, i’m sitting up & taking notes like oh ya don’t say. that stephen king shit overall is like, well this is Interesting and i could talk all day but i’m also like, personally more ambivalent and bound to run over like hey stephe i’m shoving you around, bitch. until we form an unlikely, begrudging alliance to instead go after stanley kubrick, then boo the the shining movie, but whatever. the the shining book ending, one of the few things i particularly remember from actually reading that one, is true like, stephen king endings tending to be a hot mess that maybe aren’t super successful but here we are and it was like, why’d it get so goofy all of a sudden lmfao like i’m telling you with the schrodinger’s boiler that’s old and temperamental and if you don’t maintain it it’ll blow up probably, and that the way things end in the book is the [middle aged dime a dozen writer man protag] being possessed by a hotel is like oh fuck me lmfao, not the boiler i can’t maintain myself even though i’m possessing a hotel, it hasn’t been maintained, and then as always in any of these stories things go off the rails and yakety sax starts to play while after hanna barbera cartoon scrambling in place for a second, your haunted hotel avatar starts sprinting to the basement or wherever it was but Too Late, it blows up and the hotel dies kind of. and that’s kinda fun and funny lol but yknow, put it back in. beating up kubrick aside, i’ve seen all of? nigh all of? wasn’t paying much attention. the movie and it’s like oh okay whatever. but as with like [anything stephen king] and my not even being born till the 90s, it’s like, i can’t possibly experience this afresh, we can all agree that surely this is the best known stephen king work b/w book & film adaptation, even among biggies that really just permeate pop culture overall, who can know what i’d think if these things were New and pre [own significant influence on relevant genres / mediums] or also i was a younger reader/viewer at the times as people could often be. but i was like....expression where you scrunch your face up and look to the side like “are you seeing this” bemusement like...this is. fine i guess? it’s not really scary lmfao. and regardless, resurrecting kubrick to beat him up. but on that note it’s also funny that god knows why i ever mentioned the hypothetical of watching the shining once in passing to my mom, it would’ve been humorous / not in earnest b/c no way would i have been suggesting we watch that or even that i had watched it necessarily, so i Think i must’ve just been informing her of some things that were on tv at that moment with some goofy but technically accurate suggestions like that one, and she is a bit indignant like clearly disapproving of the general idea because, as she says, she doesn’t think it’s Right to tell kids they should ever be afraid of their parents. but between “but like. they go axe murder possessed by a hotel mode here, wherein i think it’s very appropriate?” and [someone who watches It and keeps looking into the camera one zillion times / is fascinated by the fact it’s like oh wow, any horror talking about What If You Had Trauma that isn’t like fundamentally misguided throughout and probably egregiously insulting about it] i take a perfectly comedically timed pause and then we freeze frame on my doing a spit take Laugh into my own drink. not actually in the real moment lol, i just Say Nothing and file that one away lmfao

oh and as a little postscript here i want to shoutout my going “just like Watch Your Step in goosebumps the musical the phantom of the auditorium” where it’s like, schrodinger’s warning about how a kid could just up and accidentally die via this trapdoor or like anywhere anytime, but you don’t really realize that b/c you’re kids, but I’m Telling You. and like, he’s right in general to be sure, you can just die, as well as unknowingly right of course like oops yeah some kid did just up and suddenly die via this trapdoor, grimly. and that’s Stand By Me / The Body handshake emoji It, like of course that mortality is ever relevant particularly in horror, but that also it’s like, kids realizing the reality and Proximity of that, like You Can Die, this could be you or could’ve been you. [horror, and it’s middle schoolers] wins again

#how long is this. and i could've gone on lol. if i have anything to say i Can [never shut up] #it #like what even addendums could there be for the tags....like don't even start b/c of course i could max shit out #i guess the Interesting Fun Fact that in doing research the podcasters were able to be like #''well i'm not Sure abt this; the source was maybe vague & it Would be vague; but that naturally ofc plenty of story elements in #stephen king stuff can be things where he's like yeah [xyz] was directly inspired by some real life shit [abc]'' and that like there was #Maybe this childhood event where he saw a friend / some other kid get hit by a train but then right off fully blacked out on that memory #which obviously would be pertinent here re: Remembering Litchrelly Nothing abt childhood till it all suddenly is brought back into play #but also like the part of stand by me included a scene like woops Almost getting hit by a train. dunno if that's in the short story though #but i'm gonna say Probably Yeah. plus learning again via the podcast like oh stephe got mega hit by like a minivan in '99? i was 5 lol #so i would not have been aware of that news. and i have not since Caught Up on the man's life history. nice not dying there #there was probably some other sidebar i wanted to throw in here but i forget and quick let's post this before I Keep Going On & On #scrolling up ''oh this isn't That long'' scrolling back down ''oh wait maybe it is kinda long'' #it's all relative. i like horror i dislike horror. i said a lot i was so concise. #for one thing lmfao like sure is Interesting how; say; i was always Intrigued by horror as a kid even #like i think that's true for plenty of people & there's more than one way to enjoy a genre & s/o to Horror Expressly For Kids or anything #expressly for kids when it's like good & genuine & apropos it's Not just necessarily abt diluted or lesser versions of that For Adults #but anyways like i Also though def experienced like; this does freak me out & in an [i'm not having fun] way. But I Also persisted lol #like me thinking ''but i have to power through & build up a tolerance here'' when like; of course i really Didn't. why would i. #did that re: like thrill rides too sometimes; kinda liking them & the suspense; kinda really not; at least for a good while #i Did build up a tolerance &/or just how i got older & now i think all thrill rides are entirely Fun. except just straight drop towers maybe #haven't tried one lol but i've tried like roller coasters that are supposed to be Especially intense & i didn't even realize like oh. huh. #like it was fine actually lol we have fun...and same with horror; again how like yeah i'm not expecting Especially Intense but yeah ofc i'm #gonna fire this shit up alone in the dark & never think anything of that. munch crunch #like hmmmmm re: my being a little kid who Was bothered more by such shit sometimes while also intrigued / having fun #but who regardless was like Well I Have To Try To Be Okay With It / seek it out & power through. vs ppl who are just like well no i don't #enjoy or like horror stuff particularly and/or roller coasters lol. compare & contrast & contextualize w/me also being a little kid who is #experiencing trauma & trauma responses as what is for me some mundane / everyday / par for the course / Anytime shit lol and of course i do #not have the info / context / perspective / framework to realize this. so i get distressed by ''that Would be fucked up'' but what else is #new or what have you? why shouldn't i also go ''well i guess i have to Get Good at tolerating this / Enduring it'' lmao

[mibeau]

[Travelog] Subhanallah, I’m Amazed by…: The Landscape of Istanbul

Assalamualaikum. Hi. Kindly bear with me through the upcoming paragraphs, as I may appear a bit scattered. These background stories might be necessary to comprehend well my thought process and emotions.

When I was a kid, I enjoyed the animation "The Hunchback of Notre Dame." The storyline and illustrations of the city captivated my interest. In secondary school, I was crazy about TVXQ and bought their “3rd Photobook: Prince of Prague”. The enchanting architecture and ambience of Prague mesmerised me.

And my late mother reads a lot. Like, A LOT. Earning her the nickname "The Moving Encyclopedia." Throughout my childhood, she extensively delved into books, often sharing the rich histories of Turkey, Bosnia, and various other places. With her, I watched many documentaries So, I kind of have had some general ideas of the demographics of Turkey since young. It wasn't until I watched "Istanbul Aku Datang" that I truly began to admire the city of the Ottoman Empire.

In 2011, I was captivated by the cinematic brilliance of "99 Cahaya Di Langit Eropa."

The film not only showcased the beauty of Europe but also deeply resonated with my emotions. One pivotal scene in Istanbul, where Acha's character prostrated in the Aya Sofea, sparked a strong desire within me to visit the city. Ever since then, I have been fixated on visiting Turkey one day.

Now, finally, let's go!

A couple of years after the "epiphany," during the semester break in July 2017, I chose to undertake a solo "expedition" to Turkey.

I’ve planned the itinerary since September 2016 and secured all reservations by March 2017. My journey took me to three cities: Istanbul, Pamukkale, and Cappadocia, each with its distinctive characteristics that left me with unforgettable memories and valuable lessons.

Arriving in Istanbul, I enjoyed the sea view on my way to the hostel, enhanced by the pleasant natural lighting.

I stayed at "Cheers Lighthouse" in the Fatih district, strategically located just a few minutes walk from Aya Sofea.

After settling in and taking a brief rest, I set out to explore and find some local cuisine. My initial dining experience was at a restaurant near Sultanahmet Square, where I discovered that Turkish foods are characterized by their heat, cheesiness, rich flavours, and enticing charred quality—simply delicious. However, a word of caution: eateries within a 10km radius of Aya Sofea tend to be extra pricey, something I realized only after further exploring the city. But hey, I was famished.

The next morning, I descended for the complimentary Turkish breakfast, eagerly anticipating the spread. Admittedly, the cheese and fruits offered a unique twist, but overall, it didn't leave a lasting impression. I found myself thinking that

Turkish breakfast might be overrated. However, my perspective took a complete turn when I had breakfast in a Cave Inn during my visit to Cappadocia the following week—I was absolutely blown away. The breakfast was exceptional! At first glance, it appeared to be a typical breakfast buffet, but the array of fresh fruits, cured meats, cheeses, and spreads, coupled with their distinct and delightful flavours, made me exclaim, "Wow!" It was an experience truly worth the hype.

Alright, back to Istanbul.

That morning, I made friends with one of the breakfast staff, a girl named Jenny from Indonesia. She had taken a gap year to travel and, intriguingly, worked in hostels wherever she went in exchange for free accommodations. She kindly offered to show me around Istanbul whenever she had free time, and I was ecstatic about it! I felt genuinely grateful for her generous offer, as it allowed me to experience things that were not originally part of my itinerary.

After breakfast, I explored and immersed myself in the essence of nearby historical sites such as Aya Sofea and the Sultanahmet Mosque, finding them every bit as mesmerising as they appeared on the screen. I snacked on Nutella Simit and Ayran (readily available everywhere!), got an Istanbulkart from one of the metro stations, and spontaneously hopped onto trams and underground trains for the experience. My aim was to observe the locals, note the differences in building designs between Asia and Europe, and soak in the surroundings. Interestingly, dogs seemed to be everywhere, even within the outer compounds of the mosques. Moreover, the underground stations had a distinct smell of

seawater.

In the late afternoon, I rendezvoused with Jenny at the entrance of the Basilica Cistern. The atmosphere inside was dim and damp, with a somewhat suffocating feel, reminiscent of Harry Potter's Chamber of Secrets. At the end of this underground "cave," there stood a fountain where water flowed from the mouth of a lady that, in my imagination, resembled Medusa. Visiting the Basilica Cistern is a unique experience that I would recommend at least once, as such a place is not commonly found in Malaysia.

Next, we went to Topkapi Palace.

The main entrance had a castle-like appearance, and while I wasn't initially expecting much, my perspective quickly changed upon entering. If you have a passion for architecture and history, this is an absolute must-visit in Istanbul – you cannot afford to skip it! The relics housed within are truly astonishing. If I was impressed during my school visit to Istana Besar Johor back in 2004, my excitement at Topkapi Palace was at least tenfold. The compound features open-air spaces, several pavilions, and the main building with wings. Various rooms within the palace showcase different designs and concepts based on their functions. One room, in particular, reminded me of Thai architecture, adorned with intricate engravings. My personal favourite was the "Tea Room," which made me feel like a member of the scholars in the Baitul Hikmah – quite a delightful

experience!

After exploring all the relics and rooms, I stepped outside to admire the exteriors of the palace. As I approached the perimeter's boundary, I beheld a breathtaking sight: the Bosphorus Straits. 

This picturesque view took me completely by surprise, leaving me stunned and momentarily speechless. It was as if I had stepped into a real-life painting—a magnificent scene that surpassed my expectations.

I had always thought that landscape paintings mimicked real-life scenery through their choice of colours, not realizing that they actually portrayed what the eyes see, sometimes even better than a photograph. Allahu Akbar. I couldn't believe my eyes. MashaAllah Tabarakallah, thank you, ya Allah, for this incredible opportunity. I hope to visit there again one day, insha'Allah.

Then, we visited the Grand Bazaar, a place where you can find almost anything -- the amusing names of the spices added to the experience.

I went there for Turkish Delights and teas. Many shops offered samples, making it a great spot for window shopping. It's a bit on the touristic side, though. Personally, I lean towards the Spice Bazaar – smaller yet lively. On our way back to the hostel, we opted for McDonald’s Lamb Doner Burger for dinner and strolled past the Obelisk of Theodosius with ice-cream cones in hand. Fun fact: McDonald’s provided ketchup and mayo packets there.

Having fallen in love with the strait view the previous day, I decided to get on a cruise along the Bosphorus.

Boarding from Eminonu, I purchased a nonstop ticket for a cruising ferry that only stopped at the last ferry stop—a little sightseeing trip to a small village. Alternatively, you can opt for the normal ferry, which I chose for my return journey. The normal ferry can be accessed using the IstanbulKart. Along the straits, you get to see numerous houses and buildings, and the scenery brings to mind images of Greece. The water view was exceptionally beautiful, resembling a horizon line. Oh, and at most ferry stops, boats are selling Balik Ekmek (Fish Sandwich), served with lemon juice and salt. The taste was as expected, it's fine to skip the sandwich and simply observe the seller. After all, it's the experience we seek, much like visiting floating markets in Thailand.

Continuing my exploration, I headed to Karakoy to catch a glimpse of Istanbul from atop the Galata Tower.

In this area, numerous shops sell Turkish Pide. Jenny had already been waiting for me there. She joined me in the queue, and when it was my turn to enter, I went up alone, while she went off to do some shopping. Cos she has been there before. The tower's summit was packed, akin to a busy night market. Standing still for more than a minute was a challenge in the one-way flow of people, which slightly irked me. However, my irritation faded away as soon as I laid eyes on the breathtaking view. SubhanAllah~ I was enchanted once more. The panorama was unlike anything I had ever seen, featuring the Bosphorus Straits and the old European neighbourhoods. Perhaps influenced by illustrations from fables, the view brought to mind "Pied Piper of Hamelin." If you're not constrained by budget, consider indulging in a meal at Galata Tower to savour the view longer. Otherwise, I recommend future visitors to instead, find higher grounds in Karakoy and enjoy a similar view for free, saving both time and Liras on Galata Tower.

Overall, the European side of the city exuded better vibes and boasted truly appreciable architecture.

Jenny led me through a pedestrian walkway, and we arrived at the sea banks. I was taken aback. Seeing people fishing in the city was fascinating. According to Jenny, it was a regular activity for the locals who relished daily sunsets. We also visited a renowned baklava bakery, the name of which I unfortunately don't recall. It was an amazing experience, and we even had conversations with locals. I'm quite certain I wouldn't have discovered these places if it weren't for her.

Later, heading to Taksim, Jenny took me on a funicular ride, providing yet another interesting experience.

The interior of the station reminded me of Pyongyang's subway station, which was a novel sight for me. I wasn't aware that this mode of transportation was available in Istanbul, so it was a pleasant surprise. In Taksim, we were humoured by street performers and the tantalizing aroma of baked potatoes. However, Jenny's intention was to introduce me to her favourite dessert shop specializing in Kunafe. I ordered a goat cheese Kunafe, which had a robust aroma but tasted exceptionally good— a regular syrupy Kunafe adorned with pistachio bits and a generous amount of cream cheese. We spent some time exploring the square and concluded the night.

Back at the hostel, we met other solo travellers and relaxed in the common area with chay and nargiles. It was then that I realized, despite just meeting, we shared similar mindsets. Perhaps that was the reason we all chose solo travel. We exchanged experiences in Turkey and learned about each other's cultures, including different parts of Brazil, Turkmenistan, and Indonesia.

I turned in early that night as the next day required an early start for Pamukkale.

Instead of staying overnight there, I slept in my carriers. Once I was back in Cheers Lighthouse, I slept for a long time and woke up feeling hungry.

My roommate suggested that we grab dinner together, given that we were both on tight budgets. We roamed around our hostel street in search of affordable street food, a task easier said than done in Fatih. We came across a Domino's, but he strongly preferred to have something different from what he could have back home. We bumped into another girl from our hostel and our quest became a trio mission. To my surprise, my roommate finally approached a restaurant waiter and asked for directions to find an inexpensive option. Instead, the waiter instructed us to wait, assuring us that he would bring us food. After about 10 minutes, he returned with three sets of Durums, wraps similar to shawarma but with a distinct taste—different, like Nasi Goreng Cina to Nasi Goreng Kampung. The wraps were incredibly delicious, marking the best cheap meal I had in Istanbul, Alhamdulillah!

Before flying to Kayseri airport and taking the shuttle bus to Cappadocia, I spent my last days in Istanbul unplanned.

Mostly, I revisited more streets, bought souvenirs, and took photos. Oh, there was a day when I got lost for almost half a day because I tried to venture outside of the city. It led to a minor anxiety attack since outside the city, there were hardly any English signboards, and fewer people spoke English. It was an experience I wouldn't want to go through again.

I spent three days in Cappadocia, which, in retrospect, wasn't enough.

Ideally, you need at least five days there. Cappadocia has a more laid-back atmosphere, with kinder and more respectful people. There are also fewer sleazy encounters, something I found less enjoyable when walking alone in Istanbul due to the staring and catcalls from men.

While my sharing may not contribute much to planning your trip, it offers a glimpse into my perspectives, and hopefully, it broadens your mind. Cheers!

#blog #travelog #Istanbul #Turkey #solo traveller

[lesbiangracehanson]

i Need to go to the cinema asap .......film date with a cute girl when!!!

#by asap i ofc mean after 17th may #but everyone’s chatting abt the cinema on my twitter tl #so i’m back on my film hype after a brief break!!! #rambles

[feelingofcontent]

DNP Rewatch: Easter Baking - EXTREME TRIPLE CHOCOLATE NESTS

Date video was published: 04/04/2015 (X)

DNP Main Channel Rewatch: 265

The first Easter baking video!

0:10 - that bunny costume is kind of terrifying. They had it from a merch calendar they made. Phil also posted a slightly disturbing picture wearing it.

0:11 - but Phil just thinks it’s funny enough to do the tongue-thing. He’s trying so hard to be able to make eye contact with Dan.

0:25 - Phil with the brief up-and-down look and then the casual grooming/fixing of his hair. And a fanfic reference. The start of this video is something else. “Pruning each other like monkeys” indeed.

0:38 - much less disturbing than the bunny head. Phil has so many “excuses” to just look at the start of this video.

0:45 - love that Dan did the decorating again, just like in the Halloween baking video. Yeah, they don’t have that many decorations...so apparently a lei and piranha plant flowers are “Eastery” enough, lol

0:57 - wtf Phil. And then Dan’s fond “you’re such a strange person” 🥺 Same energy as “nice to know after all these years, he’s still fucking weird.”

1:27 - Dan hyping it up. There is no reference to Delia Smith in this baking video, for the first time.

1:29 - WHY did they hang the bunny-head upside down in the background?! 😳

1:32 - I don’t know about the look in Dan’s eyes as Phil says “preparation” 

1:38 - Dan’s like...where is this going. Then the fond little giggle and Phil is so proud of himself.

1:51 - “not Japan” ...where they will be going later in the month. Dan with the subtle foreshadowing.

1:56 - this is not nearly as bad as the hanging bunny head, Phil...

2:05 - they had the silicone discussion in the Halloween baking video too...why are they so impressed with that. why Dan.

2:30 - I’m impressed that Phil actually managed to catch all of those.

2:58 - of course they’re open. It’s a running theme at this point that Phil has to pick at least one ingredient to eat ahead of time.

3:06 - lol at Phil in the back silently increasing the count 😂

3:13 - they’re better off when they don’t actually have to put things in the oven, usually

3:20 - jesus christ. It wouldn’t even be that bad, except Phil has such a strong reaction, lol.

3:23 - and then we have a jump cut and Phil’s top shirt button is undone. umm.

3:32 - every time they say “microwave” I think of PINOF 2

3:45 - Phil’s shirt is buttoned fully again. Smart to heat the water in the kettle first!

4:02 - “mate....s” nice save there Phil

4:31 - Dan finds everything Phil says amusing. And then is ready to play-off of it too.

4:50 - “never go full northern” I love it 😂

4:56 - Phil can do a very convincing deadpan when he wants to

5:15 - “just let it drip out” did not need to be said in that tone...

5:50 - Attack of Titan theme singing, of course. Also, so much Phil arm and freckles in this video!

6:01 - just over there giggling to themselves and leaving it in the video

6:10 - they did not balance that spoon well

6:19 - it is more that theme than Easter, lol

6:46 - the origins of the naked-man apron! I love Dan’s reaction when he first sees it. Phil is so pleased with himself.

6:54 - love the growth from not showing any further down here to Phil completely not giving a shit years later

7:00 - they’ve switched burners for some reason. Now Dan keeps calling it “extreme” too, lol

7:07 - Phil’s top button is undone again. What are they doing.

7:23 - love the choice to zoom in on Dan for his little “yeah”

7:32 - they love to have little songs for everything. Phil’s “yeah” was infinitely more disturbing.

7:50 - Phil’s fond teasing like ‘we have more bowls you idiot’

8:13 - I can’t believe they didn’t dump it completely at least once with the amount of issues they seem to be having

8:26 - “into my coffin” what is Phil’s brain.

8:35 - his voice isn’t that bad here, but it turned out he did have laryngitis 

8:37 - “husky sensual voice” thanks for sharing there, Dan

8:39 - well it’s far to late to worry about that; personal space does not exist in this video, lol.

9:05 - this is by far the least-complicated decorating they do in a baking video

9:12 - well neither of them are wrong...

9:29 - I live for Phil’s eyerolls

9:43 - not sure that zoom-in was necessary. The creepy bunny eyes in the background do not help.

9:52 - that’s an even better Phil eyeroll 😂

9:56 - I want to know what’s in the little white containers in the fridge door. It almost looks like extra of the melted chocolate, but I wonder what they were doing with it

10:06 - Dan looks so caught out, lol. This is quite a screenshot...

10:16 - no thank you 😨

10:24 - Dan does not like it either, hahaha

10:26 - and after the break, Phil’s shirt is fully buttoned again and he’s stolen the flower crown

10:35 - the “display unnecessarily” annotation is great

10:39 - Dan’s got the crown back

11:01 - and Phil with the crown again. Are we missing a crown-fight during the jump cuts, or did they just film things out of order?

11:04 - why does it vaguely looks like Dan is holding a baby

11:15 - Phil really does just say whatever comes to mind sometimes

11:21 - Phil is opening his mouth so wide, lol. Dan starts to go ahead, and then he paused and realized he needed to say something about it, probably.

11:31 - clearly Dan is not that concerned about sharing germs with a maybe-sick Phil

11:37 - “I’m a genius” Phil is so proud of himself.

11:55 - Dan immediately amused by trying to figure out what that means

12:08 - Phil with the instructions while trying not to laugh

12:15 - Phil arms 👀

12:32 - Phil’s not even on camera for the draw-Phil-naked intro here

12:41 - all the TABINOF/TATINOF promo had been on Dan’s channel and social media so far!

I love this baking video. Although I love pretty much every baking video. When it’s a simpler bake like this it’s less chaotic though, lol.

Also have to mention that this was the year of the first DanAndPhilCRAFTS April Fools Day videos (1, 2, 3) a few days before this.

#dan and phil #dnp #dnpRewatch #amazingphil #daniel howell #phil lester #danisnotonfire #amazingphil videos #Easter Baking - EXTREME TRIPLE CHOCOLATE NESTS #cw food

[nitrateglow]

Favorite films discovered in 2020

Well, this year sucked. I did see some good movies though. Some even made after I was born!

Perfect Blue (dir. Satoshi Kon, 1997)

I watch a lot of thrillers and horror movies, but precious few actually unsettle me in any lasting way. This cannot be said of Perfect Blue, which gave me one of the most visceral cinematic experiences of my life. Beyond the brief flashes of bloodletting (you will never look at a screwdriver the same way again), the scariest thing about Perfect Blue might be how the protagonist has both her life and her sense of self threatened by the villains. The movie’s prescience regarding public persona is also incredibly eerie, especially in our age of social media. While anime is seen as a very niche interest (albeit one that has become more mainstream in recent years), I would highly recommend this movie to thriller fans, whether they typically watch anime or not. It’s right up there with the best of Hitchcock or De Palma.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (dir. Sergio Leone, 1966)

Nothing is better than when an iconic movie lives up to the hype. Clint Eastwood, Eli Wallach, and Lee Van Cleef play off of one another perfectly. I was impressed by Wallach as Tuco in particular: his character initially seems like a one-dimensional greedy criminal, but the performance is packed with wonderful moments of humanity. Do I really need to say anything about the direction? Or about the wonderful storyline, which takes on an almost mythic feel in its grandeur? Or that soundtrack?

Die Niebelungen (both movies) (dir. Fritz Lang, 1924)

I did NOT expect to love these movies as much as I did. That they would be dazzlingly gorgeous I never doubted: the medieval world of the story is brought to vivid life through the geometrical mise en scene and detailed costuming. However, the plot itself is so, so riveting, never losing steam over the course of the four hours it takes to watch both movies. The first half is heroic fantasy; the second half involves a revenge plot of almost Shakespearean proportions. This might actually be my favorite silent Fritz Lang movie now.

Muppet Treasure Island (dir. Brian Henson, 1996)

I understand that people have different tastes and all, but how does this movie have such a mixed reception? It’s absolutely hilarious. How could anybody get through the scene with “THA BLACK SPOT AGGHHHHHHH” and not declare this a masterpiece of comedy? And I risk being excommunicated from the Muppet fandom for saying it, but I like this one more than The Great Muppet Caper. It’s probably now my second favorite Muppet movie.

Belle de Jour (dir. Luis Bunuel, 1967)

I confess I’m not terribly fond of “but was it real???” movies. They tend to feel gimmicky more often than not. Belle de Jour is an exception. This is about more than a repressed housewife getting her kicks working as a daytime prostitute. The film delves into victim blaming, trauma, class, and identity-- sure, this sounds academic and dry when I put it that way, but what I’m trying to say is that these are very complicated characters and the blurring of fantasy and reality becomes thought-provoking rather than trite due to that complexity.

Secondhand Lions (dir. Tim McCanlies, 2003)

The term “family movie” is often used as a synonym for “children’s movie.” However, there is an important distinction: children’s movies only appeal to kids, while family movies retain their appeal as one grows up. Secondhand Lions is perhaps a perfect family movie, with a great deal more nuance than one might expect regarding the need for storytelling and its purpose in creating meaning for one’s life. It’s also amazingly cast: Haley Joel Osment is excellent as the juvenile lead, and Michael Caine and Robert Duvall steal the show as Osment’s eccentric uncles.

The Pawnbroker (dir. Sidney Lumet, 1964)

Controversial in its day for depicting frontal nudity, The Pawnbroker shocks today for different reasons. As the top review of the film on IMDB says, we’re used to victims of great atrocities being presented as sympathetic, good people in fiction. Here, Rod Steiger’s Sol Nazerman subverts such a trope: his suffering at the hands of the Nazis has made him a hard, closed-off person, dismissive of his second wife (herself also a survivor of the Holocaust), cold to his friendly assistant, and bitter towards himself. The movie follows Nazerman’s postwar life, vividly presenting his inner pain in a way that is almost too much to bear. Gotta say, Steiger gives one of the best performances I have ever seen in a movie here: he’s so three-dimensional and complex. The emotions on his face are registered with Falconetti-level brilliance.

The Apartment (dir. Billy Wilder, 1960)

While not the most depressing Christmas movie ever, The Apartment certainly puts a good injection of cynicism into the season. I have rarely seen a movie so adept at blending comedy, romance, and satire without feeling tone-deaf. There are a lot of things to praise about The Apartment, but I want to give a special shoutout to the dialogue. “Witty” dialogue that sounds natural is hard to come by-- so often, it just feels smart-assy and strained. Not here.

Anatomy of a Murder (dir. Otto Preminger, 1959)

I’m not big into courtroom dramas, but Anatomy of a Murder is a big exception. Its morally ambiguous characters elevate it from being a mere “whodunit” (or I guess in the case of this movie, “whydunit”), because if there’s something you’re not going to get with this movie, it’s a clear answer as to what happened on the night of the crime. Jimmy Stewart gives one of his least characteristic performances as the cynical lawyer, and is absolutely brilliant. 

Oldboy (dir. Park Chan-Wook, 2003)

Oldboy reminded me a great deal of John Webster’s 17th century tragedy The Duchess of Malfi. Both are gruesome, frightening, and heartbreaking works of art, straddling the line between sensationalism and intelligence, proving the two are not mutually exclusive. It’s both entertaining and difficult to watch. The thought of revisiting it terrifies me but I feel there is so much more to appreciate about the sheer craft on display.

Family Plot (dir. Alfred Hitchcock, 1976)

Family Plot is an enjoyable comedy; you guys are just mean. I know in an ideal world, Hitchcock’s swan song would be a great thriller masterpiece in the vein of Vertigo or Psycho. Family Plot is instead a silly send-up of Hitchcock’s favorite tropes, lampooning everything from the dangerous blonde archetype (with not one but two characters) to complicated MacGuffin plots. You’ll probably demand my film buff card be revoked for my opinion, but to hell with it-- this is my favorite of Hitchcock’s post-Psycho movies.

My Best Girl (dir. Sam Taylor, 1927)

Mary Pickford’s farewell to silent film also happens to be among her best movies. It’s a simple, charming romantic comedy starring her future husband, Charles “Buddy” Rogers. Pickford also gets to play an adult character here, rather than the little girl parts her public demanded she essay even well into her thirties. She and Rogers are sweet together without being diabetes-inducing, and the comedy is often laugh out loud funny. It even mocks a few tropes that anyone who watches enough old movies will recognize and probably dislike-- such as “break his heart to save him!!” (my personal most loathed 1920s/1930s trope).

Parasite (dir. Bong Joon-ho, 2019)

This feels like such a zeitgeist movie. It’s about the gap between the rich and the poor, it’s ironic,  it’s depressing, it’s unpredictable as hell. I don’t like terms like “modern classic,” because by its very definition, a classic can only be deemed as such after a long passage of time, but I have a good feeling Parasite will be considered one of the definitive films of the 2010s in the years to come.

Indiscreet (dir. Stanley Donen, 1958)

Indiscreet often gets criticized for not being Notorious more or less, which is a shame. It’s not SUPPOSED to be-- it’s cinematic souffle and both Ingrid Bergman and Cary Grant elevate that light material with their perfect chemistry and comedic timing. It’s also refreshing to see a rom-com with characters over 40 as the leads-- and the movie does not try to make them seem younger or less mature, making the zany moments all the more hilarious. It’s worth seeing for Cary Grant’s jig (picture above) alone.

The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (dir. Joseph Sargent, 1974)

This movie embodies so much of what I love about 70s cinema: it’s gritty, irreverent, and hard-hitting. It’s both hilarious and suspenseful-- I was tense all throughout the run time. I heard there was a remake and it just seems... so, so pointless when you already have this gem perfect as it is.

They All Laughed (dir. Peter Bogdonavich, 1981)

Bogdonavich’s lesser known homage to 1930s screwball comedy is also a weirdly autumnal movie. Among the last gasps of the New Hollywood movement, it is also marks the final time Audrey Hepburn would star in a theatrical release. The gentle comedy, excellent ensemble cast (John Ritter is the standout), and the mature but short-lived romance between Hepburn and Ben Gazarra’s characters make this a memorably bittersweet gem.

The Palm Beach Story (dir. Preston Sturges, 1942)

Absolutely hilarious. I was watching this with my parents in the room. My mom tends to like old movies while my dad doesn’t, but both of them were laughing aloud at this one. Not much else to say about it, other than I love Joel McCrea the more movies I see him in-- though it’s weird seeing him in comedies since I’m so used to him as a back-breaking man on the edge in The Most Dangerous Game!

Nothing Sacred (dir. William Wellman, 1937)

I tend to associate William Wellman with the pre-code era, so I’ve tried delving more into his post-code work. Nothing Sacred is easily my favorite of those films thus far, mainly for Carole Lombard but also because the story still feels pretty fresh due to the jabs it takes at celebrity worship and moral hypocrisy. For a satire, it’s still very warm towards its characters, even when they’re misbehaving or deluding themselves, so it’s oddly a feel-good film too.

Applause (dir. Rouben Mamoulian, 1929)

I love watching early sound movies, but my inner history nerd tends to enjoy them more than the part of me that, well, craves good, well-made movies. Most early sound films are pure awkward, but there’s always an exception and Applause is one of them. While the plot’s backstage melodrama is nothing special, the way the story is told is super sophisticated and expressive for this period of cinema history, and Helen Morgan makes the figure of the discarded burlesque queen seem truly human and tragic rather than merely sentimental.

Topaz (dir. Alfred Hitchcock, 1969)

Another late Hitchcock everyone but me seems to hate. After suffering through Torn Curtain, I expected Hitchcock’s other cold war thriller was going to be dull as dishwater, but instead I found an understated espionage movie standing in stark contrast to the more popular spy movies of the period. It’ll never be top Hitchcock, of course-- still it was stylish and enjoyable, with some truly haunting moments. I think it deserves more appreciation than it’s been given.

What were your favorite cinematic discoveries in 2020?

#thoughts #belle de jour #topaz #family plot #the taking of pelham 123 #the pawnbroker #nothing sacred #my best girl #applause #muppet treasure island #perfect blue #die niebelungen #parasite #the good the bad and the ugly #the palm beach story #they all laughed #indiscreet #oldboy #anatomy of a murder #the apartment #secondhand lions

[septicstories]

Never Seems to Be Enough Time (Part 1)

A/N: A Peter Maximoff and Dadneto fic! There will likely be hints of Cherik in here, because I can’t help myself. But I wanted to write a fic on Peter Maximoff, dig into his character a little bit more, y’know? I’ve only watched X-Men: Days of Future Past and X-men: Apocalypse, as well as WandaVision, but that one isn’t an X-men film. So, have some Peter Maximoff with a side of daddy issues. And a dash of historical inaccuracies. The first Walkman was created in 1979, yet Peter uses one in DOFP, which takes place in (mainly) 1973.

Genre: Angst (sorta?)

Warnings: Cursing, daddy issues, hurt and no comfort, anxiety, derogatory thinking, other things of that nature spoilers for X-men: DOFP and Apocalypse

Word Count: 3.7K

Peter Maximoff never really had some place to call his own. It never really bothered him much either. He’d run around, ending up wherever his body decided to take him, only to return to his mom’s basement.

It was never his room. He’d always been the loser who lived in his mom’s basement. The freakishly fast kid with kleptomania. The kid with no dad. The mutant. The fuck-up. And he always would be.

Up until 1973.

The hollow noises of the ping pong ball hitting the table over and over as he rushed from side to side almost drowned out his mother yelling down to him. He just heard the word cops. He paused, but only for a moment.

He left his paddle in the air as he went upstairs, seeing three men beginning to walk into the house. 

After a quick pickpocket or two, he found a folded up paper. Unfolding it, he found the car that sat in front of his house was not a cop car, but a rental car from out of town.

Somewhat peculiar for cops to be driving a rental car, right? Especially if it’s from out of town.

He made his way back to his ping pong game, grabbing the significantly lower in the air paddle and continuing to play by himself.

As the three men came down the stairs, he didn’t bother to stop.

“What do you guys want?”

He noticed the first man who had entered the basement was attempting to follow him around, seemingly astonished. He snickered under his breath, but it was short lived as the ball almost bounced a second time on one side.

“I didn’t do anything!”

The other two men who trailed behind the first quickly followed suit, trying to keep their eyes on him. Not like they could.

Peter dropped the paddle and let the ball bounce off the table as he stretched across his couch.

“Been here all day,”

“Just... relax, Peter. We’re not cops,” the first man said, approaching the silver haired teen a bit.

“Course you’re not cops, if you were cops, you wouldn’t be driving a rental car,” Peter said, his hands resting on the back of his head.

“How’d you know we got a rental car?” the man with long hair asked, his accent making any “T” he said almost non-existent.

“I checked your registration as you were walking through the door,” Peter replied quickly, almost interrupting the second man. “I also had some time, so I went through your rental agreement and saw you’re from out of town. Are you FBI?”

He stood up, stealing the second man’s wallet out of his pocket and flicking it open.

“Nope, you’re not cops. Hey, what’s with this gifted youngster’s place?” 

Just as quickly as he picked up the wallet, he dropped it only to grab a popsicle.

“That’s an... old card,” the second man grumbled, replacing his wallet in his pocket.

“He’s fascinating,” the third man said with a small smile.

“He’s a pain in the arse,” the second man scowled.

Ouch.

Not the first time Peter had been called that. Not by a longshot. But time doesn’t make things hurt any less, now does it?

“What, a teleporter?” the third man asked, looking at the first man.

Peter looked at the first man, who just seemed exasperated.

“No, he’s just fast,” the first man sighed. “When I knew him, he wasn’t so... young,”

Peter sat back down on his couch, the half eaten popsicle quickly disappearing into almost nothing as he spoke, mouth still full.

“Young? You’re just old,”

“So you’re not afraid to show your powers?” the third man spoke, his tone sounding off. 

Peter couldn’t say why it sounded wrong, it just felt out of place.

“Powers? What powers, what are you talking about?” Peter asked sarcastically. “You see something strange here?”

The second and third man shared a glance before looking back at him. Peter’s eyes met theirs, almost like a challenge.

“Nothing anybody’d believe if you told them?”

The first man gave Peter a look that made him downright uncomfortable. Once again, a look he’d get from a lot of people. Teachers, the cops, his mother. That slight head tilt to the left, that frown with pursed lips, that furrowed brow. The look he’d grown used to. The look he associated with disappointment, annoyance, exasperation.

To avoid looking at any of the men, he sped off to his Pong machine, playing through the game at a rapid fire pace, the bare popsicle stick dumped in a nearby trash can.

“So, who are you? What do you want?” he asked, his dead expression staring back at him among the ball that danced between the sides of the screen.

“We need your help, Peter,” the first man said.

“With what?”

“To break into a highly secured facility. And to get someone out.”

“Prison break?” he asked with a smirk. “That’s illegal, you know.”

After a brief pause, the first man spoke up again.

“Well, only if you get caught.”

“So what’s in it for me?”

“You,” the second guy began. “You kleptomaniac, get to break into the Pentagon.”

Peter paused, the game frozen with the score at 3 to 2. 5 balls he let slip past himself. He turned to see the three men, glancing at them all again.

The look had disappeared from the first man’s face, all of them looking at him expectantly.

“How do I know I can trust you?” Peter asked carefully.

“Because we’re just like you.”

Peter’s eyes bounced around the three men, none of them looking to have any sort of mutation or remarkable thing about them or their appearance. If all three of them were mutants, why didn’t they at least look the part like he somewhat did?

“Show him,” the second man said to the first man.

Peter looked to the first man, who made a fist and clenched it.

A sickening noise that sounded somewhat like a squelch began a series of bone-chilling sounds as a trio of boney claws sprouted from the clenched fist.

Peter’s breath caught in his throat, looking at the bone sticking out of the man’s fists before meeting his eyes.

“It’s cool, but it’s disgusting.”

Okay, don’t fuck it up, Peter. Don’t fuck this up.

Peter continued to walk through the hallway in stolen garb from one of the guards, holding a lunch tray. A plastic gun stayed attached to his hip as he entered the area with the holding cell.

He looked down through the glass ceiling of the cell, seeing the prisoner asleep on what could barely qualify as a bed, looking a lot more like some sort of folded up blanket.

Peter placed a slip of paper on top of the lunch tray, and slid it through a chute on the floor to give it to the prisoner.

The tray slid down, waking up the prisoner who read the note. He looked up, and Peter gave a grin in response.

Kneeling down by the edge of the cell, he placed his hands on the glass, taking a deep breath. He began to move his hands up and down at an unrealistic pace, the glass shaking underneath his fingertips.

Peter’s grin grew massively as the glass shattered, the prisoner shielding himself before pulling himself up out of his cell.

“In three seconds, those doors are going to open. And 20 guards will be here to shoot us,” the prisoner said, looking straight ahead.

Peter quickly ran behind the prisoner, the guard’s hat falling off, placing his hand on the prisoner’s back and head. “I know, that’s what I’m waiting for.”

“What are you doing?” he asked.

“I’m holding your neck so you don’t get whiplash,” 

“What?”

Shit, he must’ve spoken too fast.

“Whiplaaaaaaaaaaaash,” Peter drew the word out before turning his eyes back to the door.

The doors opened, several guards appearing with plastic guns. “Don’t move!”

Peter’s grin grew massively as they rushed into a closing elevator. The guard he had left in there still nicely stuck to the wall by duct tape.

The prisoner wobbled a bit, but he was ignored for the moment as Peter got out of the stiff, stolen uniform and back into his stiff, leather outfit.

“You’re good, it’ll pass,” Peter reassured as the prisoner leaned against the wall of the elevator. “It happens with everyone,”

That single beat of silence between the two was too much for the silver haired teen, what with all the questions swirling in his head.

“Must’ve done something pretty serious... what’d you do, man?”

The lack of response from the prisoner only helped Peter gain a more playful attitude toward the whole situation. “What’d you do? What’d you doooooo?~ Why’d they have you in there?”

Before Peter could ask his question yet again, the prisoner spoke up. “For killing the president,”

Peter’s jaw couldn’t decide whether to drop or snap shut, so he just opted to nod.

Wow... shit!

“Everything I’m guilty of is fighting for people like us.”

“You take karate? You know karate, man?” Peter asked, wanting to hop off the subject.

“I don’t know karate. But I know crazy,” the prisoner sighed.

Peter, still hyped up on adrenaline, could only smile and look down at is feet, ignoring the feeling of anxiety beginning to bloom in his chest.

After a while in the elevator, Peter piped up again. “They told me you control metal,”

“They?” the prisoner asked.

“You know, my mom once knew a guy who could do that,” Peter snickered to himself, the elevator rising steadily before coming to a halt.

As the elevator opened, Peter saw the men he learned were Charles and Logan, standing in a kitchen area, absolutely fucking drenched. The sprinklers were going off.

“Charles?” the prisoner asked quietly.

Charles’ face twisted in anger and quickly threw a punch at the prisoner’s face with little to no remorse. The prisoner fell to the ground from the force, Peter backing up.

Why was he punching the guy they were breaking out?! He could kill all of them if he wanted to!

“Good to see you too, old friend,” the prisoner said, moving his hand from his jaw. “And walking.”

“No thanks to you,” Charles spat.

The prisoner stood up, staring Charles down. Peter had no clue what to do, just standing by idly, waiting to see if he or Logan would need to separate the two.

“You’re the last person in the world I expected to see today,” the prisoner said.

“Believe me, I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t have to,” Charles voice was stern, like that of a scolding parent. “If we’re getting you out of here, we’re doing it my way: no killing,”

“No helmet,” the prisoner said with a smirk. “I couldn’t disobey you, even if I wanted,”

“I’m never getting inside that head again,” Charles said coldly.

Peter shared a quick glance with the guard taped to the wall before looking between the two men.

“I need your word, Erik,”

The sexual tension in the room is rising faster than I can run, holy shit.

The prisoner nodded before guards burst into the kitchen.

“NOBODY MOVE!”

“HOLD IT, RIGHT THERE!”

Peter followed behind the prisoner and left the elevator, hearing him murmur “Charles,”

“DON’T MOVE! HANDS UP, OR WE WILL SHOOT!”

“Freeze them, Charles,” the prisoner said firmly.

“I can’t,” Charles muttered quietly.

“HEADS UP!”

Items in the kitchen rattled before things flew up into the air.

“NO!” Charles yelled as he placed a hand in front of the prisoner.

Things that were toppling mid air slowed to a near halt, as did the sprinkles and the people.

All except for Peter.

Turning on his walkman and putting on his headphones, he took a deep breath.

A quick crack of the knuckles, and he went off running, going up onto the walls.

If I could save time in a bottle

Wall running was always such an exhilarating experience. One that always got the blood pumping. It never failed to make Peter smile.

But running on a wall and running through droplets of water? That was something else.

The first thing that I’d like to do

A nearby pot was flying through the air, whatever sort of stew in the pot spilling ever so slowly.

Without thinking, he brought a finger up for a taste, water still splashing onto his goggles.

Hm. It could probably use some more salt.

Is to save everyday ‘til eternity passes away

As he continued along the walls, he flicked off the cap from one of the guards, and poked another in the face.

The slowness of everything else around him combined with the speed of the poke was going to make him go fucking flying. 

Just to spend them with you

Peter grinned just thinking about it. This was the most amazing experiences he’d ever had in his nearly two decades of life on this Earth.

If I could make days last forever

Peter hopped off the wall, literally dodging a bullet and throwing a plate at the nearest officer.

The plate slowly glided through the air, not even close to making an impact yet. That was going to leave an egg on the guard’s head for sure, probably shatter as well.

Okay, maybe that was a bit overkill.

But then again, he didn’t care. He was having the time of his fucking life!

If words could make wishes come true

Bullets continued to slowly soar through the air as Peter continued fucking with the guards. 

He never once thought he’d get into the Pentagon, let alone to absolutely obliterate anyone who was in there!

I’d save every day like a treasure and then

The next guard he saw, he decided to have a little bit more fun.

He took the gun from his hands, and curled his hand into a fist, making it meet his cheek. He wishes he brought a camera with him so he could take pictures of these moments.

Again, I would spend them with you

Two guards who stood next to each other had their arms cross so their guns were in each others faces. And for a extra oomph, he decided to steal a hat.

At least he’d get some sort of souvenir from this event.

But there never seems to be enough time

The guards were all going to be met with a peculiar fate, but there was one thing left in the equation to fix.

The bullets.

To do the things you wanna do once you find them

Peter ran toward the bullets, taking a look at them for a moment.

Maybe if I moved one over there... no, that’d end up nicking him in the neck. Oh, wait, that’ll work.

I’ve looked around enough to know

He lightly nudged the bullets around, making sure that they’d all avoid the three men in the kitchen. 

Their aim was absolute horse shit. One or two of those bullets would’ve easily hit Charles if he weren’t there to move them.

If they were aiming for him, that’s one thing. But if they just wanted to hit the prisoner, they would’ve failed miserably.

That you’re the one I wanna go through time with

Peter ran to the other side of the kitchen and stopped entirely.

Time went back to a normal pace around him as guards and food went flying, and the men flinched as the bullets hit the elevator doors behind them.

Peter turned off his walkman and took out his headphones, looking at the astonished trio.

The prisoner and Logan shared a glance, all of them leaving the kitchen slowly

A mere mumble of a “Thanks, kid.” came from Logan as he walked past him, but that was all.

He was too hopped up on adrenaline to care, frankly. At least, for now.

Peter didn’t know.

He didn’t know.

She didn’t tell him.

He should’ve figured it out.

Who else could he have been?

The news said it all, though he really wish it hadn’t.

“Leaders from all communities are urging their citizens to remain calm as police and armed forces are mobilizing to find Lehnsherr before he can strike again. If anyone has information about Lehnsherr or, as he is also known, Magneto, contact your local authorities immediately and proceed with caution as he is considered highly--”

“Peter?”

His mother’s voice calling his name snapped him out of the trance the television had put him in, flicking it to the next channel and going to the Ms. Pac-Man machine in his room.

“‘Sup?” he asked as his mom came down the stairs.

“Just checking on you,” she said calmly, an empty glass in her hands.

How could she be calm about all of this?

Peter’s mind was anything but calm as his wrists flicked the joy stick much more harshly than he usually would, as if it’d release all of the tension building up inside of him.

“I’m good. Playing Pac-Man,” he internally cringed at the way his voice broke when he spoke. He couldn’t play it off as puberty, obviously. He was 27.

He heard whatever bullshit movie was playing on his TV switch back to the news he both did and didn’t want to hear.

“Sure you weren’t watching this?”

He dropped a near silent profanity from his mouth before glancing at the screen.

A picture of Magneto in the top right corner as the news anchor continued reading off of his script. Something about it being ten years since mutants and humankind had reached peace.

He helped out with that, and he realized it after the event had taken place.

And it took him ten years to come to a second realization about his break-in at the Pentagon.

“You’re going after him, aren’t you?” his mother asked tiredly.

“You wanted me to get out of the house more, right?” he asked semi-sarcastically, the flicking of the joystick having calmed slightly.

“I can’t stop you,” his mother sighed. “Nobody can. But trust me, this won’t end well. Nothing does, with him.”

Peter stopped, looking back at his mother. His poor, tired mother, who had to deal with him and his sister. His sister wasn’t the problem in the family. No, that was him.

“I’m not afraid of him,” he said genuinely.

“You should be,”

His mother’s voice barely reached above a whisper, seeming to grow more and more tired of him by the minute.

And with that, she left. She just dropped that final bomb on him, and left.

Was that going to stop Peter from what was likely to be a not-so-perfect reunion? Of course it wasn’t. Like his mother said, nobody could stop him. Especially not himself.

He pulled out the card from Charles, old and worn from years of being put in his pockets or wallet.

Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters

Charles Xavier

Professor

Beneath the name sat the address, only being a few states over. He could get there in absolutely no time at all.

But, today wasn’t the day to do it.

Peter placed the card back, laying on his bed as the news droned on and on. It had moved off the topic of Erik Lehnsherr, which was as much of a blessing as it was a curse.

He needed to know more about him, but it was going to drive him fucking crazy if he heard that man’s name again.

“Fuck,” he hissed, swallowing the steadily growing lump in his throat.

The topic never made him cry when he was a kid. So why was he crying over this now?

He knew crying wasn’t a weakness. He knew it, he heard it, he told that to others when they felt like shit for crying. But whenever he did it, it made him feel vulnerable.

That’s why he always did it alone.

He didn’t want anyone to see how vulnerable he truly was. It was much more of an anxiety issue than anything else. He’d been told things like the usual “boys don’t cry!” sort of stuff. 

But things he was told never helped him with keeping true to that statement. And time didn’t make him more mature or calm. He still acted like a child, which he never heard the fucking end of. He was still a disappointment, especially to the Maximoff family name.

His mom worked her ass off to take care of him and his sister, only for him to fuck it all up by stealing and not getting off of his lazy ass and getting a damn job.

“Fuck!”

His nails dug into his palms painfully as he smacked himself in the head with the heel of his palm. He needed to stop thinking like that. He needed to stop thinking. He needed to stop.

A deep breath in.

A heavy, shaky sigh out.

Grabbing his walkman, a hoodie, and his headphones, he left his room.

“Ma, I’m going for a run,” he nearly spat the words out so his voice wouldn’t crack.

He just got a noise of acknowledgment before he left the house.

He needed to get away.

So he ran. He ran nearly across the entire country, landing in Glasgow, Montana.

Most secluded area in the States.

What did he do?

He flipped up his hood and sprinted behind the cemetery. The small town had so much space for him to run around.

Instead, he screamed.

He screamed long and hard until his lungs were begging for him to stop. Until his throat ached. Until he couldn’t hear his brain anymore.

It was stupid. The fact that just hearing his name made him spiral. 

His brain wasn’t even thinking about him anymore, all set on insulting the place it was kept.

Bastard.

Mistake.

Fuck-up.

The words that would just repeat over and over until he started screaming again. He wasn’t built to handle that mental pain. He wasn’t built to deal with anxiety. Hell, he wasn’t even supposed to be built.

His father left his mother before he was born because it was an affair. There was no fucking love involved. Just a quick fuck and gone. He wasn’t supposed to happen.

And it was obvious that no one had told his father who he was or showed him what he looked like.

Because when he saved Erik Lehnsherr from the Pentagon, Peter Maximoff didn’t get any recognition from his father.

A/N: Part one has been finished! So, I hope you enjoyed it, because there’s going to be a second and possibly third part to this. There will be more movie based stuff, but once we finish scenes from X-men Apocalypse, we’re ignoring Dark Phoenix and just making shit up. So, for now, have angst. I don’t necessarily have a tag list for my X-men stuff yet, so I’m just gonna tag my beta reader! If you find that you’re interested on being on here, just tell me somehow! I hope you have a good day/night!

Tag list: @siivermoon​ 

#peter maximoff #peter maximoff (x-men) #x-men days of future past #x-men days of future past spoilers #x-men dofp #x-men dofp spoilers #x-men apocalypse #x-men apocalypse spoilers #anxiety #anxiety mention #anxiety tw #daddy issues #daddy issues mention #daddy issues tw #cursing #cursing tw

[missjanjie]

Taste of a Poison Paradise | Chapter 7

Title: Taste of a Poison Paradise Summary: Life at Jackie Cox’s strip club, Poison Paradise, isn’t just lapdances and g-strings. There’s enough drama, lust, and heartache to rival any soap opera. None of the girls know what to expect on any given shift, especially while navigating their torrid, complicated relationships. Word Count: ~3k (this chapter) / ~21.2k (total) Relationship(s): Lemyanka (Lemon/Priyanka), Crygi (Crystal Methyd/Gigi Goode), Sportsdoll (Jan Sport/Nicky Doll), Jaidie (Jaida Essence Hall/Jackie Cox), BVK (Brooke Lynn Hytes/Vanessa Vanjie Mateo/Kameron Michaels), Rosnali (Rosé/Denali Foxx) Rating: E

Read on AO3 | Ko-Fi

Chapter Summary: Denali and Jaida collaborate, Rosé's roommate takes care of Lemon, and Jan and Nicky go to Paris.

-

Jaida glanced over her shoulder as she adjusted the lighting setup in her room. “Now, are you sure this is gonna get the reactions we want?”

“We can’t be sure about anything other than death and taxes,” Denali pointed out, “but my gut is telling me this is exactly how we kill two birds with one stone.”

Although she wasn’t completely convinced, Jaida decided to trust Denali’s judgment on this. She was the one that had been doing this for a living, after all. If she says filming a scene together could be both the final push Jackie needed to come to terms with her feelings and ignite a spark of either jealousy or passion (or both) in Rosé, she just had to trust the process, right? “Alright, let’s do this.”

“You could be a little more enthusiastic,” Denali remarked in mock offense before turning the camera on.

“Sorry,” she exhaled, “I just need to get in the zone.”

After a brief moment to hype herself up, Jaida was ready to go. She and Denali admired themselves in the mirror, at the lingerie they were both wearing, then began filming. They didn’t bother with pretenses – their viewers didn’t want a preamble or plot, they wanted two hot girls having sex, and it was something they could readily oblige with.

They started by making out, hot and heavy and full of pleasured sighs and breathy moans. They peeled the lingerie off of each other, taking time to kiss and grope the newly exposed skin, getting each other worked up until they were naked and ready.

Jaida pinned Denali’s wrists above her head with one hand and with the other, eased one finger, then another into her, thrusting and curling her fingers into her. “Good girl,” she praised, “taking me so well.”

And Denali fell into her role perfectly, which wasn’t particularly difficult when she was with someone as skilled as Jaida. She tossed her head back and moaned out, arching towards her fingers. “Fuck, feels so good,” she whimpered. Her body rocked in perfect tandem with Jaida’s fingers, and when the other woman switched to using her tongue instead, her moans only got louder and her body moved more fervently.

Jaida gripped onto her hips firmly, keeping her just steady enough to alternate between sucking on her clit and thrusting her tongue in and out of her. She could feel when Denali was about to come and doubled down on her efforts, fucking the smaller girl through her orgasm and not relenting until she was certain she was spent, then even a moment longer for a final touch of overstimulation.

They shared a few calm, chaste kisses as they recovered, then Jaida shifted so Denali could get up and turn the camera off. “I’ll edit it, should be good to go by tomorrow,” she assured with a smile. “That was great, by the way. Jackie’s in for a treat once she comes around.”

“Thanks,” she couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh. “Here’s hoping.”

------

“Hey, listen,” Rosé poked her head into Mik’s room on her way out for her morning shift. “Check in on Lemon every now and then if you can. She’ll be out cold with a hangover until noon, but, you know, after that.”

Mik looked up from her phone and nodded. “Sure, gorge. It’s so refreshing to not be the messiest bitch in the house.”

Rosé rolled her eyes. “I’m serious, Mik. It’s never taken her this long to bounce back from a girl, and she wasn’t even in a relationship with Priyanka.”

“Like I said.”

She sighed, knowing that her roommate had a point. “Okay, sure. Just make sure she isn’t completely shitfaced by the time I get home, she missed her last two shifts and I promised Jackie she’d show up at least mostly sober.”

“Relax, I’ll take care of her,” she assured, then waved Rosé off, waiting until she heard the front door close before laying back down. She still had a few hours before she had to be on Lemon duty.

But it didn’t take a few hours. It had only been an hour and change before Lemon wandered out of her cousin’s bedroom and, upon realizing Rosé wasn’t there, into Mik’s. “Did she go to work?”

“Did no one teach you how to knock?” Mik asked as she sat up, then added, “yeah, she left a little while ago.” She rubbed her eyes and looked the blonde over, and she looked as rough as Rosé had made it sound. “Jesus…”

Lemon rolled her eyes. “Spare me your pity,” she mumbled and flopped backward on Mik’s bed. “I’m aware of how fucked up I am.”

“Admitting it is the first step,” she shrugged, then smiled slightly when Lemon almost laughed. “You just want some company, then?”

She pushed herself up, only to shift and lay by Mik’s side. “You don’t mind? I know I’m no one's first choice to keep around these days,” she murmured.

“Oh, shut up,” Mik scoffed and shook her head. “You know everyone’s worried about you because they care about you.”

“Not everyone.”

She pinched the bridge of her nose, silently figuring out what she could do to pull Lemon from this mindset. “I could offer you some distraction sex in this trying time.”

Lemon tilted her head. “Yeah? Because I’m about to take you up on that. This is the longest I’ve gone without getting any in ages.” She got up and straddled herself across Mik’s lap and pulled her shirt off. “Let’s do this.”

Mik’s brows rose at the blunt quickness of Lemon’s decision, but it didn’t deter her in the slightest. She sat up and tugged her shirt off and tossed it aside, then leaned up and kissed Lemon as her hands rested on her ass. “I’ll take care of you,” she assured before flipping their positions so the blonde was now underneath her.

“Please,” she exhaled, arching her hips up to wiggle out of her shorts and toss them aside.

“So eager,” Mik cooed as she ducked down to kiss at her neck. “Just how I like them,” she added, smirking to herself as she moved a hand down Lemon’s body, stopping between her legs and using two fingers to rub her clit.

And Lemon couldn’t have denied it if she tried. Instead, she just let out a moan and arched into her touch.

Mik smirked, moving her head between Lemon’s thighs, sucking on her clit as she eased one finger into her, letting it curl as she thrust slowly. She waited until she felt Lemon start rocking against her finger that she added another, thrusting, curling, and scissoring them inside her, feeling the way her body writhed and the sounds of her moans.

Lemon hadn’t realized just how badly she had needed this until waves of pleasure crashed over her body. Now, her only challenge was not letting her brain wander to anyone but Mik. The very last thing she wanted was for Priyanka’s name to spill past her lips while another woman was fucking her.

And Mik was oblivious to Lemon’s train of thought. Her goal was to get her off, plain and simple. So, her ministrations were steady and firm until she could feel the other girl come, fucking her through it until she was sure she was spent. “You good, princess?” she asked gently.

“Yeah,” she exhaled, laying flat on the bed. “As I’ll ever be.”

------

“Priyanka?” There was silence, followed by a more forceful “Priyanka!”

“Hm?”

“Are you on your phone right now?”

The question, and the harsh tone it was asked in, jolted Priyanka into reality. “Um… I thought it might be an emergency,” she replied, knowing her voice wasn’t as convincing as she would’ve liked it to be. But she didn’t know what she expected when she decided to check instagram while her fiancé was having sex with her and perhaps should have been more subtle.

“Come on,” he groaned, “if you’re only gonna let me hit it once a week, you could at least pretend to be into it.”

Priyanka rolled her eyes, which of course he couldn’t see, and set her phone aside. “Sorry, proceed.”

Luckily for Priyanka, a few fake moans were enough to convince Mark that she was into it, which she repeated a few more times until he came, and she went right back to scrolling through instagram while he threw the condom out.

He laid down beside her with his hands behind his head. “My mom wants to take you dress shopping. She said you can bring your maid of honor or whoever too,” he told her.

“Cool,” she replied, as if her heart hadn’t dropped into her stomach, “I’ll text Scarlett.” It made much more sense that she would pick her best friend since college to be her maid of honor as opposed to one of the girls from the club. She loved the girls, but it would just be too messy. She wasn’t sure if she was even going to invite them at all. Maybe some of them would understand, but she knew for sure all hell would break loose if Lemon was anywhere in the vicinity of the venue.

———

“Something on your mind?” Mark asked tentatively, knowing more often than not it was pointless to try to ask.

“Just… thinking about how much we have to do for the big day.” She only ever referred to it as ‘the big day’ — ‘wedding’ made her stomach churn and it was hard for her to say without gagging. But that wasn’t enough for her to call it off. She was in this too deep, how could she ever turn back now?

She couldn’t, that’s how. No amount of sickness in her stomach or pain in her heart would break her free of this. At least, that was what she would keep reminding herself.

“What do you think of the room, ma chérie?” Nicky asked as she led Jan into the hotel suite they would be staying during their weekend getaway.

Jan’s eyes widened as she looked around. It was nearly the size of her apartment back home and decorated with the elegant Parisian flair she had only seen in fashion magazines. “It’s gorgeous,” she exhaled, setting her suitcase by the bed and walking around for a better look, wandering into the bathroom. “That is the biggest tub I’ve ever seen,” she said as she came back out.

Nicky chuckled fondly as she watched her girlfriend dart around the room like a kid in a candy store. “This is the reaction I was hoping for,” she hummed, wrapping her arms around Jan when she finally stood still long enough for her to do so.

“Nicks, this is so beautiful,” she gushed, kissing her sweetly. “I know, at least financially, this is easy for you, but I still appreciate you doing it for me.”

“I would still try to do the most for you if it was difficult,” she replied with a soft smile, gently caressing Jan’s cheek. “I love you,” she added in a voice barely above a whisper.

Suddenly, the room didn’t matter. Nothing mattered but Nicky and hearing those words come out of her mouth. Her heart started racing and she pulled her into a deep kiss, her hands cupping her face to hold her in place. “I love you too,” she murmured against her lips.

Nicky hadn’t even realized there was such a weight on her shoulders until it lifted with those four words. She melted into the embrace, nothing in the world could have made her happier than being there with Jan, now knowing they loved each other. “As much as I would like to show you exactly how much I love you by fucking you within an inch of your life, we have dinner reservations in an hour, and there’s a surprise for you in the closet that will be part of it.”

Jan looked at her curiously, letting go of her face and walking towards the closet, her eyes going wide when she opened it. “Oh my god, this is beautiful. And it looks like it’ll fit perfectly, which, no offense, I didn’t expect from French fashion.” Being five-foot-four and a size eight meant she was generally fine with mainstream clothing, but when it came to lingerie and ‘high fashion’ she was often, to put simply, shit out of luck.

“I had a friend alter the dress to your measurements. I know it isn’t easy to fit your triple-d breasts, as much as I enjoy them,” she hummed.

She bounced excitedly on her heels as she took the dress off the hanger and got changed. “It fits perfectly, I love it, baby,” she beamed.

Nicky smiled warmly as she got changed as well. “Then let’s go, I’ve got to broaden your palate to French cuisine. I promise I won’t make you eat any snails.”

------

Denali’s video with Jaida was burned into Rosé’s mind. She was frustrated — she had no right to be jealous if Denali wasn’t her girlfriend, but seeing another woman fuck her — a woman who knew what she was doing in bed — made her blood boil. But when Denali invited her over after work, it all clicked. She wasn’t oblivious, she could put two and two together and realize this was a ploy to get some extra attention.

“If that’s how she wants to play,” Rosé said to herself, “it’s game on.”

“Hi, Rosie,” Denali greeted cheerfully as she let her in. “How was work?”

Rosé didn’t have time for pleasantries, unceremoniously yanking Denali into her bedroom and pinning her to the door. “You think you’re so clever, don’t you?” she clicked her tongue and shook her head. “Getting me all worked up by letting Jaida fuck you on camera. You can act like you were just helping out a friend all you want, I know you were trying to make me jealous.”

Denali’s heart started racing and her face felt hot, but she did her best not to let her expression falter. “And what if I was?”

Her grin darkened and she tilted her chin up with two fingers. “Well then, Mommy’s just going to have to give you what you want, aren’t I?” She backed off of her, hands on her hips. “Go on, grab the strap and get undressed.”

“Yes, Mommy,” Denali breathed out, grabbing the strap-on from her drawer and setting it on the edge of the bed before stripping out of her clothes and tossing them aside.

Rosé smirked, undressing and fastening the harness around her hips, then took her sweet time rifling through another drawer. She knew where Denali kept her silk ropes, but it wouldn’t be a punishment if she didn’t drag it out to tease her. “Here we go,” she finally pulled one out and walked back to her. “Don’t give me that pout. You wanted my attention so badly and you got it,” she clicked her tongue as she tied her wrists together with her arms above her head.

And she knew she couldn’t argue with that, so she lay in place and watched as Rosé slicked up two fingers with lube, easing in one after the other, instantly arching up into the contact.

The taller woman allowed it, thrusting and curling her fingers into her until she deemed her ready, then eased her fingers up and lubed up the dildo, gently guiding it into her and giving her time to adjust before she started to thrust. And she knew she didn’t need to stay gentle for long — that Denali preferred it rough and could take her fair share of manhandling. So, she started thrusting hard and fast, keeping a bruising grip on her waist.

Denali whimpered and moaned, her hips bucking up as she eagerly begged for more. She kept up with Rosé’s fervent pace, though her hips started to jerk more erratically when Rosé began rubbing her clit as well.

“You gonna come, baby?” she cooed. “Go on, come for Mommy,” she prompted, then continued to thrust through her orgasm. She waited until Denali laid flat and spent on the bed, but didn’t move. When the woman underneath her looked up inquisitively, the smirk returned to her lips. “You didn’t think I was done, did you?” And after a beat of silence where Denali realized what she was in for, Rosé began thrusting again.

The cycle repeated longer than Denali could’ve anticipated. After the third orgasm, she started to feel lightheaded, after the fifth, she could barely keep her eyes open, let alone focused on anything.

And mercifully, when Rosé realized she was about to tap out, she stopped, pulling out of her and untying her wrists. She tossed the rope aside and shimmied out of the harness. “There we go, you were so good, baby,” she praised as she got the two of them under the covers. “How are you feeling?”

“‘M good,” Denali mumbled, cuddling up to Rosé and nuzzling her head into the crook of her neck. She didn’t have the energy to stop and think, to overanalyze her actions and stop herself from crossing the line between friends-with-benefits and… something more. That didn’t matter. What mattered was Rosé being soft and warm and very attentive when it came to aftercare.

“Do you need anything?” she asked gently. “Water? Something to eat? Advil?” As comfortable as she was in bed with her, she would’ve gotten up at the drop of a hat if need be.

But Denali shook her head. “I’m fine, Rosie,” she assured in a soft, sleepy voice. “Just don’t move, I need you to be my body pillow.”

“Go ahead, baby. I’m not going anywhere,” Rosé promised. They laid in comfortable silence, though it left her alone with her thoughts. She started to analyze her feelings when she saw the video, the possessiveness for someone she had no claim to. Even though they were both single, she had the wherewithal to realize this could go down a similar path to Lemon and Priyanka’s if she wasn’t careful. “Hey, Denali, I—”

Oh. She was asleep.

“Maybe next time,” Rosé murmured to herself.

#rosnali #lemyanka #sportsdoll #and i guess hallfoxx and gottlemon lol #rpdr rpf #rosenali

[artificialqueens]

Taste of a Poison Paradise, Chapter 7 (Multi) - Joley

Chapter Summary: Denali and Jaida collaborate, Rosé’s roommate takes care of Lemon, and Jan and Nicky go to Paris.

ao3 link

Jaida glanced over her shoulder as she adjusted the lighting setup in her room. “Now, are you sure this is gonna get the reactions we want?”

“We can’t be sure about anything other than death and taxes,” Denali pointed out, “but my gut is telling me this is exactly how we kill two birds with one stone.”

Although she wasn’t completely convinced, Jaida decided to trust Denali’s judgment on this. She was the one that had been doing this for a living, after all. If she says filming a scene together could be both the final push Jackie needed to come to terms with her feelings and ignite a spark of either jealousy or passion (or both) in Rosé, she just had to trust the process, right? “Alright, let’s do this.”

“You could be a little more enthusiastic,” Denali remarked in mock offense before turning the camera on.

“Sorry,” she exhaled, “I just need to get in the zone.”

After a brief moment to hype herself up, Jaida was ready to go. She and Denali admired themselves in the mirror, at the lingerie they were both wearing, then began filming. They didn’t bother with pretenses – their viewers didn’t want a preamble or plot, they wanted two hot girls having sex, and it was something they could readily oblige with.

They started by making out, hot and heavy and full of pleasured sighs and breathy moans. They peeled the lingerie off of each other, taking time to kiss and grope the newly exposed skin, getting each other worked up until they were naked and ready.

Jaida pinned Denali’s wrists above her head with one hand and with the other, eased one finger, then another into her, thrusting and curling her fingers into her. “Good girl,” she praised, “taking me so well.”

And Denali fell into her role perfectly, which wasn’t particularly difficult when she was with someone as skilled as Jaida. She tossed her head back and moaned out, arching towards her fingers. “Fuck, feels so good,” she whimpered. Her body rocked in perfect tandem with Jaida’s fingers, and when the other woman switched to using her tongue instead, her moans only got louder and her body moved more fervently.

Jaida gripped onto her hips firmly, keeping her just steady enough to alternate between sucking on her clit and thrusting her tongue in and out of her. She could feel when Denali was about to come and doubled down on her efforts, fucking the smaller girl through her orgasm and not relenting until she was certain she was spent, then even a moment longer for a final touch of overstimulation.

They shared a few calm, chaste kisses as they recovered, then Jaida shifted so Denali could get up and turn the camera off. “I’ll edit it, should be good to go by tomorrow,” she assured with a smile. “That was great, by the way. Jackie’s in for a treat once she comes around.”

“Thanks,” she couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh. “Here’s hoping.”

——

“Hey, listen,” Rosé poked her head into Mik’s room on her way out for her morning shift. “Check in on Lemon every now and then if you can. She’ll be out cold with a hangover until noon, but, you know, after that.”

Mik looked up from her phone and nodded. “Sure, gorge. It’s so refreshing to not be the messiest bitch in the house.”

Rosé rolled her eyes. “I’m serious, Mik. It’s never taken her this long to bounce back from a girl, and she wasn’t even in a relationship with Priyanka.”

“Like I said.”

She sighed, knowing that her roommate had a point. “Okay, sure. Just make sure she isn’t completely shitfaced by the time I get home, she missed her last two shifts and I promised Jackie she’d show up at least mostly sober.”

“Relax, I’ll take care of her,” she assured, then waved Rosé off, waiting until she heard the front door close before laying back down. She still had a few hours before she had to be on Lemon duty.

But it didn’t take a few hours. It had only been an hour and change before Lemon wandered out of her cousin’s bedroom and, upon realizing Rosé wasn’t there, into Mik’s. “Did she go to work?”

“Did no one teach you how to knock?” Mik asked as she sat up, then added, “yeah, she left a little while ago.” She rubbed her eyes and looked the blonde over, and she looked as rough as Rosé had made it sound. “Jesus…”

Lemon rolled her eyes. “Spare me your pity,” she mumbled and flopped backward on Mik’s bed. “I’m aware of how fucked up I am.”

“Admitting it is the first step,” she shrugged, then smiled slightly when Lemon almost laughed. “You just want some company, then?”

She pushed herself up, only to shift and lay by Mik’s side. “You don’t mind? I know I’m no one’s first choice to keep around these days,” she murmured.

“Oh, shut up,” Mik scoffed and shook her head. “You know everyone’s worried about you because they care about you.”

“Not everyone.”

She pinched the bridge of her nose, silently figuring out what she could do to pull Lemon from this mindset. “I could offer you some distraction sex in this trying time.”

Lemon tilted her head. “Yeah? Because I’m about to take you up on that. This is the longest I’ve gone without getting any in ages.” She got up and straddled herself across Mik’s lap and pulled her shirt off. “Let’s do this.”

Mik’s brows rose at the blunt quickness of Lemon’s decision, but it didn’t deter her in the slightest. She sat up and tugged her shirt off and tossed it aside, then leaned up and kissed Lemon as her hands rested on her ass. “I’ll take care of you,” she assured before flipping their positions so the blonde was now underneath her.

“Please,” she exhaled, arching her hips up to wiggle out of her shorts and toss them aside.

“So eager,” Mik cooed as she ducked down to kiss at her neck. “Just how I like them,” she added, smirking to herself as she moved a hand down Lemon’s body, stopping between her legs and using two fingers to rub her clit.

And Lemon couldn’t have denied it if she tried. Instead, she just let out a moan and arched into her touch.

Mik smirked, moving her head between Lemon’s thighs, sucking on her clit as she eased one finger into her, letting it curl as she thrust slowly. She waited until she felt Lemon start rocking against her finger that she added another, thrusting, curling, and scissoring them inside her, feeling the way her body writhed and the sounds of her moans.

Lemon hadn’t realized just how badly she had needed this until waves of pleasure crashed over her body. Now, her only challenge was not letting her brain wander to anyone but Mik. The very last thing she wanted was for Priyanka’s name to spill past her lips while another woman was fucking her.

And Mik was oblivious to Lemon’s train of thought. Her goal was to get her off, plain and simple. So, her ministrations were steady and firm until she could feel the other girl come, fucking her through it until she was sure she was spent. “You good, princess?” she asked gently.

“Yeah,” she exhaled, laying flat on the bed. “As I’ll ever be.”

——

“Priyanka?” There was silence, followed by a more forceful “Priyanka!”

“Hm?”

“Are you on your phone right now?”

The question, and the harsh tone it was asked in, jolted Priyanka into reality. “Um… I thought it might be an emergency,” she replied, knowing her voice wasn’t as convincing as she would’ve liked it to be. But she didn’t know what she expected when she decided to check instagram while her fiancé was having sex with her and perhaps should have been more subtle.

“Come on,” he groaned, “if you’re only gonna let me hit it once a week, you could at least pretend to be into it.”

Priyanka rolled her eyes, which of course he couldn’t see, and set her phone aside. “Sorry, proceed.”

Luckily for Priyanka, a few fake moans were enough to convince Mark that she was into it, which she repeated a few more times until he came, and she went right back to scrolling through instagram while he threw the condom out.

He laid down beside her with his hands behind his head. “My mom wants to take you dress shopping. She said you can bring your maid of honor or whoever too,” he told her.

“Cool,” she replied, as if her heart hadn’t dropped into her stomach, “I’ll text Scarlett.” It made much more sense that she would pick her best friend since college to be her maid of honor as opposed to one of the girls from the club. She loved the girls, but it would just be too messy. She wasn’t sure if she was even going to invite them at all. Maybe some of them would understand, but she knew for sure all hell would break loose if Lemon was anywhere in the vicinity of the venue.

———

“Something on your mind?” Mark asked tentatively, knowing more often than not it was pointless to try to ask.

“Just… thinking about how much we have to do for the big day.” She only ever referred to it as ‘the big day’ — ‘wedding’ made her stomach churn and it was hard for her to say without gagging. But that wasn’t enough for her to call it off. She was in this too deep, how could she ever turn back now?

She couldn’t, that’s how. No amount of sickness in her stomach or pain in her heart would break her free of this. At least, that was what she would keep reminding herself.

“What do you think of the room, ma chérie?” Nicky asked as she led Jan into the hotel suite they would be staying during their weekend getaway.

Jan’s eyes widened as she looked around. It was nearly the size of her apartment back home and decorated with the elegant Parisian flair she had only seen in fashion magazines. “It’s gorgeous,” she exhaled, setting her suitcase by the bed and walking around for a better look, wandering into the bathroom. “That is the biggest tub I’ve ever seen,” she said as she came back out.

Nicky chuckled fondly as she watched her girlfriend dart around the room like a kid in a candy store. “This is the reaction I was hoping for,” she hummed, wrapping her arms around Jan when she finally stood still long enough for her to do so.

“Nicks, this is so beautiful,” she gushed, kissing her sweetly. “I know, at least financially, this is easy for you, but I still appreciate you doing it for me.”

“I would still try to do the most for you if it was difficult,” she replied with a soft smile, gently caressing Jan’s cheek. “I love you,” she added in a voice barely above a whisper.

Suddenly, the room didn’t matter. Nothing mattered but Nicky and hearing those words come out of her mouth. Her heart started racing and she pulled her into a deep kiss, her hands cupping her face to hold her in place. “I love you too,” she murmured against her lips.

Nicky hadn’t even realized there was such a weight on her shoulders until it lifted with those four words. She melted into the embrace, nothing in the world could have made her happier than being there with Jan, now knowing they loved each other. “As much as I would like to show you exactly how much I love you by fucking you within an inch of your life, we have dinner reservations in an hour, and there’s a surprise for you in the closet that will be part of it.”

Jan looked at her curiously, letting go of her face and walking towards the closet, her eyes going wide when she opened it. “Oh my god, this is beautiful. And it looks like it’ll fit perfectly, which, no offense, I didn’t expect from French fashion.” Being five-foot-four and a size eight meant she was generally fine with mainstream clothing, but when it came to lingerie and ‘high fashion’ she was often, to put simply, shit out of luck.

“I had a friend alter the dress to your measurements. I know it isn’t easy to fit your triple-d breasts, as much as I enjoy them,” she hummed.

She bounced excitedly on her heels as she took the dress off the hanger and got changed. “It fits perfectly, I love it, baby,” she beamed.

Nicky smiled warmly as she got changed as well. “Then let’s go, I’ve got to broaden your palate to French cuisine. I promise I won’t make you eat any snails.”

——

Denali’s video with Jaida was burned into Rosé’s mind. She was frustrated — she had no right to be jealous if Denali wasn’t her girlfriend, but seeing another woman fuck her — a woman who knew what she was doing in bed — made her blood boil. But when Denali invited her over after work, it all clicked. She wasn’t oblivious, she could put two and two together and realize this was a ploy to get some extra attention.

“If that’s how she wants to play,” Rosé said to herself, “it’s game on.”

“Hi, Rosie,” Denali greeted cheerfully as she let her in. “How was work?”

Rosé didn’t have time for pleasantries, unceremoniously yanking Denali into her bedroom and pinning her to the door. “You think you’re so clever, don’t you?” she clicked her tongue and shook her head. “Getting me all worked up by letting Jaida fuck you on camera. You can act like you were just helping out a friend all you want, I know you were trying to make me jealous.”

Denali’s heart started racing and her face felt hot, but she did her best not to let her expression falter. “And what if I was?”

Her grin darkened and she tilted her chin up with two fingers. “Well then, Mommy’s just going to have to give you what you want, aren’t I?” She backed off of her, hands on her hips. “Go on, grab the strap and get undressed.”

“Yes, Mommy,” Denali breathed out, grabbing the strap-on from her drawer and setting it on the edge of the bed before stripping out of her clothes and tossing them aside.

Rosé smirked, undressing and fastening the harness around her hips, then took her sweet time rifling through another drawer. She knew where Denali kept her silk ropes, but it wouldn’t be a punishment if she didn’t drag it out to tease her. “Here we go,” she finally pulled one out and walked back to her. “Don’t give me that pout. You wanted my attention so badly and you got it,” she clicked her tongue as she tied her wrists together with her arms above her head.

And she knew she couldn’t argue with that, so she lay in place and watched as Rosé slicked up two fingers with lube, easing in one after the other, instantly arching up into the contact.

The taller woman allowed it, thrusting and curling her fingers into her until she deemed her ready, then eased her fingers up and lubed up the dildo, gently guiding it into her and giving her time to adjust before she started to thrust. And she knew she didn’t need to stay gentle for long — that Denali preferred it rough and could take her fair share of manhandling. So, she started thrusting hard and fast, keeping a bruising grip on her waist.

Denali whimpered and moaned, her hips bucking up as she eagerly begged for more. She kept up with Rosé’s fervent pace, though her hips started to jerk more erratically when Rosé began rubbing her clit as well.

“You gonna come, baby?” she cooed. “Go on, come for Mommy,” she prompted, then continued to thrust through her orgasm. She waited until Denali laid flat and spent on the bed, but didn’t move. When the woman underneath her looked up inquisitively, the smirk returned to her lips. “You didn’t think I was done, did you?” And after a beat of silence where Denali realized what she was in for, Rosé began thrusting again.

The cycle repeated longer than Denali could’ve anticipated. After the third orgasm, she started to feel lightheaded, after the fifth, she could barely keep her eyes open, let alone focused on anything.

And mercifully, when Rosé realized she was about to tap out, she stopped, pulling out of her and untying her wrists. She tossed the rope aside and shimmied out of the harness. “There we go, you were so good, baby,” she praised as she got the two of them under the covers. “How are you feeling?”

“‘M good,” Denali mumbled, cuddling up to Rosé and nuzzling her head into the crook of her neck. She didn’t have the energy to stop and think, to overanalyze her actions and stop herself from crossing the line between friends-with-benefits and… something more. That didn’t matter. What mattered was Rosé being soft and warm and very attentive when it came to aftercare.

“Do you need anything?” she asked gently. “Water? Something to eat? Advil?” As comfortable as she was in bed with her, she would’ve gotten up at the drop of a hat if need be.

But Denali shook her head. “I’m fine, Rosie,” she assured in a soft, sleepy voice. “Just don’t move, I need you to be my body pillow.”

“Go ahead, baby. I’m not going anywhere,” Rosé promised. They laid in comfortable silence, though it left her alone with her thoughts. She started to analyze her feelings when she saw the video, the possessiveness for someone she had no claim to. Even though they were both single, she had the wherewithal to realize this could go down a similar path to Lemon and Priyanka’s if she wasn’t careful. “Hey, Denali, I—”

Oh. She was asleep.

“Maybe next time,” Rosé murmured to herself.

#rpdr fanfiction #taste of poison paradise #joley #lemyanka #jan x nicky #rosnali #lemon #priyanka #jan sport #nicky doll #jaida essence hall #denali foxx #rosé #gottmik #lesbian au #smut

[sideburndanny]

Batman Movie Villains Ranked from Worst to Best

Recently, a YouTuber I follow by the name of Mr. Rogues released a list of Batman villains ranked from worst to best. I have nothing but the utmost of respect for Mr. Rogues as a content creator, but I took issue with his list because his long-standing biases were often the deciding factor in many of his rankings. So, I decided to do a list of my own.

I’ll be going over every Batman villain to appear in the movies, briefly analyzing their portrayals and ranking them on a scale of 1 to 5. To prevent the list from being too cluttered, I’ll be separating the villains by which movie series they’re part of. Here we go!

Burton/Schumacher Tetralogy

Bane: Perhaps the only villain in this series I’d call “bad.” The calculating tactician of the comics is nowhere to be found here; instead, he’s reduced to a monosyllabic, brain-dead stooge for the other villains. Overall, he does nothing that couldn’t be done by a random henchman. 1/5

Two-Face: A deeply layered villain in the comics, Two-Face sadly gets upstaged by the other major rogue in the movie, but that’s not to say he doesn’t leave an impression. Tommy Lee Jones gives him a manic and mercurial demeanor that, combined with his colorful design, wouldn’t be out of place in the Adam West series. The size and scope of his criminal organization make him a genuine threat, and there’s something darkly fitting about Batman’s former ally being responsible for the creation of Robin. 3/5

Poison Ivy: Mr. Rogues for some reason ranked her as the worst Batman movie villain of all time, and frankly, I don’t see why. Like Tommy Lee Jones as Two-Face, Uma Thurman gives this character a delightfully over-the-top demeanor that combines with a colorful, comic-booky ensemble to make for another great “what-if-this-character-appeared-in-the-Adam-West-series” take. She does a good job juggling the differing facets of Ivy’s character: she’s the put-upon cynic, the craven opportunist, the radical eco-terrorist, and the suave seductress all in one package. 3.5/5

The Penguin: Fuck the Razzies. Danny DeVito made this role his own and set the stage for the character for years to come. He’s a bit of a departure, but a welcome one: far from the refined gentleman of crime Burgess Meredith portrayed, this Penguin is an animalistic thug warped by a lifetime of anger and hatred of the society who rejected him due to his deformities. His signature wardrobe, trick umbrellas, and Penguin gimmick are all there, but DeVito sells the role by showing amazing versatility: he can go from a comical and pitiable weirdo to a terrifying sociopath at the drop of a stovepipe hat. 4/5

Mr. Freeze: I honestly can’t say much about this character that my mutual @wonderfulworldofmichaelford hasn’t already. Arnold Schwarzenegger perfectly encapsulates both popular versions of this character: the flamboyant, pun-loving criminal genius from the Adam West series and the Animated Series’ traumatized scientist desperate to cure his loving wife of her terminal illness. Sure, the puns and hammy one-liners are what this version character is known for, but Ahnold definitely knows when to apply the brakes and give a greatly emotional performance as he tries desperately to cure his wife. 4.5/5

Max Shreck: Probably the only time you’ll see a movie-exclusive character on this list, and deservedly so. Corrupt businessmen are dime-a-dozen in Batman stories, and most of them have little personality outside of being greedy scumbags who either get defeated by the hero or betrayed by the other villains. Shreck, however, is different. Not only does he have an eye-catching fashion sense on par with any of Batman’s famous rogues, but Christopher Walken brings his signature manic intensity to the role, creating a character that’s as wicked and sinister as he is cool and stylish. You totally buy that the general public sees him as the good guy. His warm relationship with his son is also a delight to watch. 4.5/5

Catwoman: Michelle Pfeiffer does a lot to really make the character her own. She gets a lot of genuinely badass moments, but underneath all of her coolness lies the undercurrent that she’s a broken, traumatized character lashing out at the people who abused her and took her for granted. Even when she takes these ideals to unreasonable extremes, you never stop feeling like the retribution she brings on her enemies is at least a little warranted. Also, she has amazing romantic chemistry with Batman and her costume is fucking metal. 5/5

The Ridder: It’s Jim Carrey. 5/5

The Joker: This role is perhaps the one that set the standard for future Jokers to follow: Jack Nicholson’s humorous yet unnerving performance signaled to audiences early on that this would not be the goofy trickster of the Silver Age, but a different beast entirely. This Joker is a film noir gangster on crack: a disfigured mob hitman who quickly takes the entire criminal underworld by storm and unleashes his special brand of chaos and destruction across Gotham. He’s an artist, a showman, a charismatic leader, and the man responsible for ruining Bruce Wayne’s life. 5/5

Christopher Nolan Trilogy

Talia al Ghul: You know that recent trend in Disney movies where a side character we thought was harmless and inconsequential turned out to have been the villain all along in a twist with no buildup or foreshadowing with the reveal happening too late in the movie for this character to really do anything cool or impressive before being unceremoniously defeated? That’s Talia. DKR is the weakest of the three Nolan films, and I feel like it would’ve been much better received without this twist villain contrivedly shoehorned in. Also, while I could kinda forgive the trilogy’s whitewashing of other villains like Ra’s al Ghul and Bane due to the talent their actors display, Marion Cotillard doesn’t get a pass because she just doesn’t have the charisma or screen presence needed to pull it off. 1/5

Victor Zsasz: While the idea of redefining Zsasz as an over enthusiastic mob hitman instead of a serial killer is very interesting, it’s ruined by the fact that he barely even appears in the movie and doesn’t really do or say much of anything despite the buildup he gets. 1.5/5

Two-Face: Aaron Eckhart portrays Harvey Dent as a character of tragedy in a slightly different way than other tragic villains in superhero movies: he’s lashing out at a society he feels wronged him, but instead of being a lifelong outcast or put-upon loser, he was a handsome, successful crusader for the common good who lost everything he once held dear all in one fell swoop. You really feel for him even as he does horrible things. If I had to nitpick, though, I am slightly bothered by the fact that he plays some comic book movie cliches straight (i.e. they never call him by his alias and he dies at the end,) but it’s a solid performance overall. 3/5

Scarecrow: I’ll be upfront and admit that I’m more than a little annoyed that certain facets of the character had been changed in the name of “realism” — once again, they never call him by his villain name and he never wears a comic-accurate costume — but other than that, I can’t complain. Cillian Murphy plays the character with a smarmy, eerie charm that really makes his scenes stand out, his willingness to ally himself with other villains suits his character well, and the fact that he appears in three consecutive films with a different evil scheme in each really helps tie the movies together. 3.5/5

Catwoman: Much like other secondary villains in this trilogy, she really doesn’t get a chance to shine compared to the main antagonist — and, once again, it pisses me off a little that they do the whole “never refer to her as Catwoman but vaguely hint at it” thing — but she’s everything a modern Catwoman should be. She’s sly, manipulative, really holds her own in a fight, has great chemistry with Bruce Wayne... it’s all there. It’s also great to see Anne Hathaway break away from her usual type casting to play a role this dynamic. 4/5

Ra’s al Ghul: He’s a character that was in desperate need of mainstream exposure, and by God that’s what he got. Making him Bruce Wayne’s mentor adds a layer of personal tragedy to the climax where our hero has to stop the man who made him who he is from destroying Gotham with his admittedly brilliant plan. Add in a strong, captivating performance from Liam Neeson before we found out he was a racist asshole, and we’ve got one hell of an overarching villain. 4.5/5

The Joker: Everybody’s already discussed this version of the character to hell and back and likely will for years to come, so I’ll keep it very brief. He’s funny, he’s badass, he’s terrifying, he has great dialogue, it sucks that Heath Ledger didn’t live to see his performance reach the audience it got, and he basically makes the entire film. 5/5

Bane: Mr. Rogues actually ranked Bane higher than Joker on his list, and keeping it 100, I actually agree with him here. Finally, after decades of being dumbed down and misrepresented outside of comics, Bane is finally portrayed as the tactical genius from the comics. Tom Hardy plays Bane to perfection, being very believable as the peak of human physical and mental achievement, the man who broke Batman physically and emotionally. His design is iconic, his every line is quotable, his voice is weirdly fitting, and the memes are funny. 5/5

DC Extended Universe

KGBeast: Another point where I agree wholeheartedly with Mr. Rogues. He is absolutely wasted in BVS, being nothing but a generic henchman for Lex Luthor. He doesn’t wear his costume from the comics, he’s never referred to by his alias, he doesn’t have his signature cybernetic enhancements, and he never does or says anything noteworthy. 1/5

The Joker: Ugh. I don’t know what’s worst: the tacky clothes, the stupid tattoos, the weird Richard Nixon impression that passes as his voice, the fact that promotional material hyped him up as a “beautiful tragedy” of a character even though he’s only in the movie for like 10 minutes and barely does anything, Jared Leto’s toxic edgelord behavior on set done with the flimsy pretense of “getting into character,” or the fact that he’s just trying to copy Heath Ledger instead of making the role his own. 1/5

Victor Zsasz: Chris Messina proves undoubtedly that Zsasz CAN work as a secondary villain in a Batman movie. He’s once again a mob assassin who enjoys his job a little too much, but unlike Batman Begins, he really gets time to shine. He’s just as sadistic and depraved as in the comics, but he also has this disarming, casual demeanor about him like he’s just indulging a hobby instead of slicing innocent people’s faces off. His close friendship with his boss Black Mask adds some depth to the character as well. 3/5

Killer Croc: Sadly, he doesn’t get much time in the spotlight, but he’s pretty cool nonetheless. The makeup and prosthetics used to create him look amazing, and Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje’s deep voice and imposing body language make him really stand out as an intimidating presence. He’s often in the background, which fits his role as an outcast by choice and a man of few words, but whenever he does get focus, he has everyone’s attention. It really would be a shame if this character’s only appearance was in a mediocre schlock action movie, but he makes the most of what he has. 3.5/5

Deadshot: Another highlight of what would otherwise be a forgettable film, Deadshot is just as cool and competent as he’s always been in other media, but this portrayal stands out for one simple reason. Will Smith was a very odd choice to play the role, but it worked out for the best here because you get the sense he truly understands the characters. He’s ruthless and pragmatic, but has just as enough charm and depth to make him likable. 4/5

Black Mask: I, like many, was skeptical when I saw early trailers depicting Roman Sionis as a foppish weirdo who doesn’t wear his signature mask, but upon seeing the final movie, I really feel like he has the high ground over other DCEU villains. Ewan McGregor is endlessly captivating in the role, portraying him as a swaggering dandy who is nevertheless dangerous due to his boundless narcissism and explosive temper. Sure, those who deal in absolutes would be put off from the differences with his comic counterpart — who is far more cold and humorless — but from a certain point of view, this flamboyant take on the character isn’t so much a departure as it is an addition to make him stand out while keeping his role the same. Black Mask has always been a middleman between the traditional mobsters of yesteryear and the colorful rogues that plague Gotham today, and this portrayal perfectly encapsulates that. He works in the shadows, but isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty; he flies off the handle and gets reckless at times, but there’s no question that the whole operation was his idea. 5/5

Harley Quinn: Margot Robbie owns this role. She’s unbelievably dazzling as a badass, funny, sexy antihero who deals greatly with tragedy and proves that there’s always been more to her than her initial role as the Joker’s sidekick. Again, not much to say, but she’s almost perfect. 5/5

#dc villains #batman #batman villains #dark knight #dc extended universe #batman movie

[cherryonigiri]

Hello! May I ask headcanons for Kiseki no Sedai? Their reaction to their girl being cool and sexually dancing (something like k-pop girl group cover dance, if you know it) with her dance team at a school festival (or something like that).

A/N: Since my character limit is five I chose to do hcs for Akashi, Aomine, Kise, Murasakibara and Midorima, hope that’s fine with you! I immediately thought of Loona’s dance cover of Cherry Bomb by NCT 127 (https://youtu.be/s7kxoMYg3l8) which is so BADASS (both the song and choreography) and Move by Taemin (inspired by Twice’s cover: https://youtu.be/QTfzryUBlO0). Reader is in a group that dances to both in one set! Also I’m assuming the reader is in the school’s dance club/group that decided to do a cover of a lit K-pop song for some kind of school festival!

Akashi Seijuro

Since he is president of the student council, he is backstage helping ensure the performances/festival runs smoothly

Has timings of each performance down to the second — and he knows exactly when you and your dance group is slated to perform

Since your dance group had to submit the songs + a short clip of your performance to the student council, Akashi already knows what songs you are going to perform

Was going to do some more research on what the choreography involved, but you begged him not to because you wanted to surprise him at the festival

Doesn’t stop him from listening to the songs and familiarizing himself with the melodies and lyrics - k-pop is something you are passionate about and he always want to learn more about his girlfriend

While you and your group are on deck and getting ready to go on stage (he knows there are still two more acts before you) he stands next to you

Maybe kisses your forehead I AM SO SOFT FOR FOREHEAD KISSES FIGHT ME

“I’d say good luck, but I don’t think you’ll need it darling” afjaofe;ja;feka

You’re Akashi fucking Seijuro’s girlfriend - he has high standards and probably would date someone who is equally as hardworking + high achieving as him 

Besides, outside of basketball he knows Rakuzan has an equally formidable dance program so the boy knows you are talented

Is so impressed when you start dancing to Cherry Bomb - the choreography is intense and requires so much synchronization as you switch between all the complex formations - he thinks you could teach the basketball team a thing or two about teamwork

You go HARD with the tutting at the end before you start doing edging your feet out until you’re almost doing the splits - Akashi respects how much strength and training went into performing the dance break + ending flawlessly

When the music changes to Move he is STARING at you - eyes are glued to your form as you perform

The moves are so sensual and he can see how you intensely look out into the audience - he can sense the sexual tension that fills the room 

At the same time is awed by how much control you have over your body - he can see how every movement is planned, from the position of your hands to the way you shift your weight between each dance move

As your hands glide along your body, he can’t help but get slightly turned on

Also glares at all the male members of the student body who are looking at you a little too intently

When you finish your set he calmly hands you a water bottle while smiling proudly

May ask you for a private encore later

Aomine Daiki

You mention the performance in passing, probably while you and Aomine are having lunch on the roof 

Despite his nonchalant response, Aomine remembers that you’re performing in the back of his mind - although he does get the occasional reminder from Momoi or teasing remark from Imayoshi 

Doesn’t really want to get too involved in the school festival - it’s far too rowdy and he thinks the idea his class came up with for the festival is a hassle (imagine if it was a butler cafe LMAO poor Aomine) 

Probably sneaks away from his shift managing his classroom’s booth or to find you and wish you luck (or uses you as an excuse to ditch his shift for a couple of minutes)

He knows you’re good at dance - he’s seen how many hours you spend rehearsing and how much you love dancing (and Kpop) 

Will sneak into the auditorium and probably stand in the middle of the crowd - probably doesn’t see the point of cramming in the crowded area right in front of the stage

Impatiently waits for you to come up on stage, he’s bored and is sick of the skits that other groups are putting on 

When it’s finally your turn he’s focusing intently on the stage. The instant you come out in a badass outfit with dark makeup and a black crop top he grins because you look AMAZING

The music starts and you launch into an intense sequence of tutting and formations shifts that has his eyes widening in surprise 

now he understands why you always felt the need to drill the choreography into your muscle memory, because remembering moves on top of switching spots with everyone else makes the performance that much more impressive

Proud of his badass girlfriend

When Move comes on he smirks - although you can’t see him, he watches you move your hips and trace the outline of your figure 

Can appreciate the sensual yet serious expression on your face that makes you look gorgeous, but definitely does not appreciate the dumbass boys in the audience who are drooling over your body 

After the performance he finds you and kisses you before wrapping his arm around your shoulders

Scowling at the now intimidated boys from before, he says “Gotta remind those idiots that you’re mine”

Will definitely invite you over to his place to spend the night for some “quality time” 

Kise Ryouta

Kise knows you’ll be performing a kpop dance at the school festival and is super excited

He probably helped style you and your team for each song - pulling out some leather jackets and ripped jeans for Cherry Bomb and picking out a diverse all black ensemble + accessories for your cover of Move

He hypes you up all day about the showcase: sends you good luck texts and gives you a hug before you have to go backstage + will keep you company when you do your make up before hand

Is not afraid to elbow his way through the audience so he can have a front row seat to your performance

Made the entire Kaijo basketball team come with him and instructs them to cheer loudly for your performance 

He’s pretty up to date with current music trends and listens to a fair amount k-pop himself so he’d probably recognize the songs you were dancing to + be somewhat familiar with the choreography

When you come on stage he’s already shouting “Go y/n-chii!!!” which makes you smile and you manage to make brief eye contact with him right before you get into your starting pose

It’s like a switch is flicked - you went from being his cute and smiley girlfriend to a serious BADASS - your expressions are so intense and serious Kise can’t help but be drawn in

When he hears the opening line of Cherry Bomb he’s thinking oh shit because damn that choreography is tough

From the tutting, to moving in sync with all the other members, to all the different formation changes - he knows this is a challenging piece to perform

Gave you his leather jacket (he probably got it from a modelling gig or something) to wear and seeing you dance in his jacket is just *chef’s kiss* stunning 

and it lets all the other annoying boys in the crowd know that you’re his because it has his jersey number embroidered on the back 

If people start shouting the fanchants he’ll join in because anything to support his amazing girlfriend

When you all change outfits and switch to move he is dying

He’s right in front of you and you are making very direct and SENSUAL eye contact with your boyfriend while you move your hips into another body roll

Kise smirks back and will pin you with an equally intense and lustful stare

When he sees you after the performance he immediately strides towards you and pulls you into a fierce kiss 

Spends the rest of the festival with his arm around you, bragging about his amazing girlfriend to anyone who will listen, then he’ll take you home and ;) 

May take advantage of perfect copy and learn a duet/routine with you sometime in the future

Midorima Shintaro

MY CARROT BOI — I swear I am taking this seriously

Midorima probably doesn’t listen to too much kpop - he prefers being able to enjoy the lyrics of a song and listening to Japanese music means he won’t have to look up lyric translations

Maybe has heard some Japanese versions of kpop songs on the radio, but is overall unfamiliar with the genre (context: Since Japan has such a huge market for K-pop, it’s not uncommon for groups to release Japanese albums where they sing the the in Japanese) 

When you first mention that your club is going to be performing at the school festival, he probably pictures some cutesy, bubblegum pop girl group song 

Is putting this into his calendar and making sure he sets reminders because he is NOT about to miss his girlfriend’s performance

Secretly happy because you are putting in extra practice for the rehearsal which means you stay late at school. Since basketball practice always runs late he’s glad he now has the chance to walk you home

Day of: checks your Oha-Asa horoscope and makes sure that you have your lucky item - he will buy it himself if necessary 

Knows you worked super hard on this performance so he knows you’re going to be fine

This tsundere carrot shyly wishes you good luck before you head backstage: “Good luck y/n, not that you’ll need it! Nanodayo…” with a slight blush on his cheeks 

Makes his way back to the audience - he made Takao save him a spot

Somehow Takao got his hands on a setlist/hear rumors and figured out what you were performing and is secretly filming Midorima’s reaction because your boyfriend is about to COMBUST

Cherry Bomb comes up and Midorima immediately realizes this is NOT the cute girl group dance he was envisioning

Is probably watching your performance intently - he never realized that your choreography would be this intense and physical 

Probably not as blushy during this one, just entranced and absorbed into your performance (will refuse to admit that he stared at you the entire time, even though Takao teases him about it later)

But when you transition to the cover of Move, oh gosh, this boy goes from stony faced to bright red tomato

Is 100% blushing and gaping at you while you perform the sensual routine, especially when your hands move across your body and you purposefully make eye contact with him

Realizing holy shit my girlfriend is so sexy holy shit you thought he was staring at you during Cherry Bomb his eyes are glued to your figure during Move

Probably rushes up to you awkwardly and gives you a surprise hug before whispering “Give me a little warning next time y/n.” 

You giggle a bit, not mentioning the routine you’re learning on your own (Dally by Hyolyn: https://youtu.be/b75eENj0WCQ) surprise him with it in the future hehehehehehe)

Murasakibara Atsuhi

Murasakibara is hanging out in your dorm room when you mention that you have an upcoming performance

“Ohh y/n-chan that sounds fun”

Lowkey pouty baby because he wanted to laze around during the festival and just spend the day trying all the food with you

Now he won’t have his girlfriend to keep him company for the whole day 

When you ask him if he’s going to come and watch, he’ll agree, because it’s at the school and it isn’t too much of a hassle and he knows you put in a lot of practice so he wants to support

Tatsuya probably still has to remind him about the performance on the day of

On the morning of your performance you wake up to find a bag of your favorite snacks and candies hanging on your doorknob

Murasakibara probably went to the nearby convenience store and bought you a bunch of “good luck” snacks to surprise you

Tatsuya and him walk into the auditorium, is kind of disappointed to see that it’s already packed so he has to settle for a seat farther away than what he liked

Thankfully he’s tall AF so he still gets a clear view of the stage 

Snacks through the other performances/skits and gets pretty bored, he’s here to see you and you only

Finally, they announce your club - Murasakibara immediately perks up with interest

Your group has a badass entrance before you start performing Cherry Bomb

You decided to temporarily dye your hair red for the performance and Murasakibara is surprised when you whip off the hat you were wearing to reveal bright cherry tinted hair

He’s watched you practice the moves several time and knows you struggled to master some of them - super proud when he sees you slay those hard bits of choreography on stage

Move comes on the speaker and he immediately can sense that this is definitely a very sensual dance

Like damn, watching you move your hips to the beat and confidently gazing into the crowd, he is very turned on definitely wants an encore from you in private

When you hit the last pose and the lights dim he is IMMEDIATELY walking out of the auditorium to find you 

Sees that you’re surrounded by some newly acquired fanboys and casually steps in behind you to wrap an arm around your waist

Towers over the guys surrounding at you, a scowl from him scares them off

You giggle at his antics because he’s cute when he’s jealous: “You don’t need to be that mean to them Atsushi” 

“Y/n-chaaaan, can we go get food now?” - probably buys you all the snacks you want because he is proud 

Also suggests that you dye your hair to match his purple locks just because

#kuroko no basket #knb #knb imagines #knb hcs #akashi seijirou #akashi x reader #akashi seijurou x reader #kise ryouta #kise x reader #kise ryouta x reader #aomine daiki #aomine x reader #aomine daiki x reader #midorima shintarou #midorima x read #midorima shintarou x reader #murasakibara atsushi #murasakibara x reader #murasakibara atsushi x reader #kiseki no sedai #rakuzan #touou #kaijou #shutoku #yosen

[thethousandyearwitch]

The Show Must Go On! Chap. 7

- A Youtuber AU you didn’t want and didn’t need -

Hisoka Morrow, italian Makeup Youtuber, enjoys his life in the comfort and occasional drama of his profession. But nothing brings more drama into his life than the eldest son of the Zoldyck fashion magazine empire.

Meanwhile, aspiring australian Twitch Streamer Gon Freecs forms a special bond to a Speedrunner commonly going by "Kil".

Chapter 7 “Montero” out now!

AO3 Link

What could be worse than taking care of a teenage boy who is developing a steady video game addiction?

There was a loud bang coming from the room above the kitchen, followed by laughter and cackling. The boys were in Gons room and tried their hardest to set up the sleeping cod. They refused help, naturally, convinced that they are just as capable, confidence heightened by being in each other’s presence, hyping each other up, and the consumption of their own body weight in burgers.

Another bang. A shriek. More laughter. Mito sighed so deeply that she feared a piece of her soul might have left her.

Taking care of TWO teenage boys who are developing a steady video game addiction.

Her phone vibrated with a new message. Gon had sent her a selfie of himself and Killua on the cot, which seemed to be standing securely. The boys were flexing their arm muscles (or lack thereof) with proud looks on their faces, and the only caption was “#success”. Well, at least they are having fun.

.

.

.

Bellissimo<3: Good morning. I am going to pick you up at 1pm, be dressed by then, and pack your bag for tonight’s show. We are going for a brief detour.

Hisoka stretched out on his bed and squinted at the too-bright phone screen. It was 10 in the morning, though the rooms curtains were drawn shut tightly as a defence against harsh sunlight. A lazy smile spread on his lips.

Hisoka: Are we finally running away together to get married in Las Vegas? I thought you’d never ask~~❤️

Bellisssimo<3: I am trying to reward you for not getting arrested last night.

Bellissimo<3: Do not make me regret this.

Hisoka: I should avoid getting arrested more often ❤️

Bellissimo<3: 1pm Hisoka. See you then.

Hisoka let his phone drop back into pillow-mountain. This was certainly an interesting surprise, and an opportunity that the make up artist wasn’t going to waste. Getting One-on-One time with the Zoldyck was something precious and rare to him. Because Illumi was a rarity himself. In a world of increasingly bland and repetitive personalities, especially in his field of work, Illumi presented a challenge of raw potential. Cold and calculated to the masses, an obedient dog to his family, a revolutionary in his work. Hisoka knew that he must be hiding so much more, and the more walls he encountered with the man, the more he wanted to tear them down with his bare hands. Hisoka hated calling whatever this was a ‘Crush’. Sure, he was affectionate towards the other man, and at this point he couldn’t deny the pleasant twist of his heart whenever they touched. But he didn’t yearn for lazy Sundays in bed together, didn’t want the peaceful domesticity that seemed to be inherited in being a ‘couple’.

What do I want?

Hisoka pulled himself out of bed, and made his way to the shower, determined to abandon this pesky train of thought. There was no point in pondering the unlikely. Though… Illumi had been indulging him. And he was going to indulge him again this day. Maybe he wasn’t the only one getting soft, even if neither would ever admit it. The thought brought another satisfied smirk to his lips as he massaged his favourite shampoo into his scalp.

He wondered how Illumis family would react, hypothetically, if they were to end up a couple. The eldest son of the Zoldycks, not just gay, but in a relationship with a makeup artist who is famous for starting drama whenever possible. They certainly would be a more feared and adored couple than if Illumi were to marry some busty heiress who hooks up with her tennis coach when he’s away.

Silva Zoldyck would drop dead right on the spot if Hisoka would ask him if he should call him dad, he was sure.

He stepped out of the steamy shower and mustered his refreshed face in the mirror. Maybe that’s all he wanted. To form something with Illumi that would be even more powerful than the Zoldyck empire, to make everyone else envy/fear/adore them. They had the capacity and the ability to do so, no doubt.

Or maybe he just wanted to have something he wasn’t supposed to have.

Hisoka shrugged to himself, before he went over his usual beauty routine. Today could prove very interesting.

.

.

12:45 pm, Hisoka leaned on his kitchen island, absentmindedly scrolled through social media to beat time. Illumi wasn’t going to be late, but he’s never been early either.

He decided to go with a casual look, fitted beige khakis, with an oxford blue button up, sleeves rolled up just above his elbows, debated with himself on how far unbuttoned would be appropriate-yet-slutty (Top 3 Buttons unbuttoned, was the conclusion). Under his eyes, rested on his cheekbones, he had painted his signature star and teardrop, eyebrows plucked to perfection, and after 10 tries he managed to get a satisfying cat eye done. It was perfectly normal to want to look like hell on wheels while meeting with your friend-partner-associate-crush-insertsatisfactoryterm.

The afternoons were always the worst time to check social media, the calm before the posting-storm that comes during the evening and night. Hisoka had already reached posts that were done last night, a few screenshots taken here and there for future reference and roasting purposes.

Almost fed up with endless scrolling, suddenly it appeared. Hisoka had followed a twitch streamer on twitter recently, some kid who was definitely going to screw up in some point of his career (they always do, when the fame gets to their heads), and didn’t want to miss that mess. “Foxbeargaming”, what the fuck is even a foxbear, he had thought.

He had seen the brat before, in his profile picture and clips of his streams. But that wasn’t the problem with the newly posted selfie.

The problem was that he also recognized the second brat in it. Remembered the way Illumi boasted about his talented little brother, the same wild hair and blue eyes as he showed him a picture of the kid. Killua Zoldyck is currently in the middle of nowhere Australia, and his family most likely doesn’t know about it.

Oh, this will be delicious.

Hisokas day had been upgraded from surprisingly interesting to extremely entertaining if everything were to go smoothly. Immediately revealing to Illumi before their date that his little brother is out in the desert trying to tame himself a boyfriend wouldn’t do either of them good. Let it simmer, let it fester, keep Illumi away from his phone the rest of the day.

Lost in his scheming, he just barely noticed that the clock hit 1pm. He grabbed his bag from the floor and stuffed his phone into his back pocket before he headed out the door.

Hisoka wasn’t sure what he expected, yet he was taken aback by the sight in front of him as he exited the apartment complex.

Illumi leaned leisurely against a black sports car, as if that were his only purpose in life. His sleek hair was tied into a neat ponytail, eyes hidden behind a pair of sunglasses. Hisoka let his eyes take in every detail of him. Peridot green jeans, fashionably washed out, paired with a simple grey polo shirt, the collar popped open just enough to reveal more neck than usual.

“Are you waiting on an invitation?” Illumi didn’t sound as agitated as he probably intended, giving Hisoka only more reason to push his luck.

“I was thinking about whether I want to pounce on you now or later.” He approached the other man, who in turn straightened up his posture in defence. But instead of any hostile movements, Hisoka simply took Illumis hand, and bought it to his lips for a caste kiss. “But I’d rather not spoil our date this early.”

Illumi pulled his hand away, though maybe with a second’s hesitation. “Not happening, also not a date. Get in the car before I change my mind.”

The car was equipped with fabric seats, which Hisoka was grateful for in the Italian heat. “Maybe I should film one of those Vlogs today, what do you think of the title ‘Partner takes me away for secret date’?”

“What about ‘Multimillionaire kicked me out of a speeding car’?”

“Touché.” Now Hisoka was sure that his companion had to be in a good mood, despite what he’d claim, he’d never go along with his jokes if he were feeling neutral-to-pissed otherwise. He rolled his shoulders back into the seat comfortably, golden eyes fixated on the way that Illumis elegant pale hands wrapped around the steering wheel. “I didn’t know you can drive, considering you always have someone to do it for you.”

“I prefer it over flying, and I still consider myself a better driver than half of our staff.”

“I’m sure you’re great at handling stick shift as well.”

“Of co-“Illumi pressed his lips together in sudden annoyance, he most definitely had caught onto Hisokas smirk as he waited for an answer. “That is repulsive.” That prompted the makeup artist to break out into self-satisfied snickering.

“No clue what you’re talking about, Tesoro.” This earned him an eye roll, and silence as the car made its way through mostly empty streets. Hisokas eyes fell onto Illumis phone that rested on the console of the car. “Ah, I’m sure mister multimillionaire has Spotify Premium, right? Let me turn on some music.”

“Use your own phone.”

“I ran out of data volume. Are you that afraid I’ll discover your disastrous music taste?” His teasing smirk was met with another, more defeated eyeroll and a sigh.

“Don’t play anything trashy. The passcode is 0707.” After a questioning silence, he added “It’s Killuas birthday.”

Hisoka replied with an appreciative purr, before he started scrolling through the others music library. No personal playlists, not even a profile picture attached to his account. He was almost offended at the man’s lack of care for something as deeply personal as ones Spotify account, something that surely could tell a lot about a person. “Tchaikovsky? I’m not sure if I am impressed or utterly bored. Oh-“ His eyes stopped on a familiar album cover. “Maybe you’re not a lost cause after all, dear.”

A button press later, and the familiar opening sounds to Tame Impalas “Currents” played. The faintest trace of a smile curled on Illumis lips, barely noticeable, but Hisoka wanted to burn it into his mind anyway. Never mind that he took the brief distraction to turn the others phone onto silent mode. No unnecessary distractions.

It took the rest of the album until Illumi pulled the car into the exit towards the nature reserve near Lago di Bracciano, the last notes of “New Person, Same old Mistakes” dying together with the engine as they parked.

Hisoka stretched at the warm sunlight that caressed his skin when he exited the vehicle. Birds sang happily in the trees that lined the path around the large lake, and the only other person in sight was an elderly woman walking a small white dog. As the second car door shut close, he turned around with a pleased smile that showed off his shining teeth. “I never took you for the kind to take afternoon strolls.”

His friend-or-whatever set a relaxed pace onto the path and looked out onto the deep blue water. “I can’t sit around the hotel room the entire day, can I? And Rome is crawling with sweaty tourists and noisy journalists.”

“So you wanted to get some quality time outside?” Hisoka absentmindedly ran his tongue over his own sharp incisors.

“Correct.” Illumi didn’t seem to notice, or at least ignored, the predatory gesture.

“With me.”

He missed a beat before a simple, “It seemed appropriate.”.

This earned him an appreciative purr, before the men walked in silence along the large lake. Italy still wouldn’t reach its heights of temperatures this time of year, but any breeze was still a welcomed change from the rising humidity and sting of the sun. Hisoka wondered how much the others pale skin would change if he’d expose himself for a bit longer to the sun, if he’d immediately burn up in red, or if he’d start to tan, even just the faintest bit. He’d definitely look more alive, less like a puppet on invisible strings.

They continued to walk in a comfortable silence next to each other, took in the different sounds and sights of nature and the others presence, until eventually they reached the border of one of the shore towns. Beautiful stone buildings climbed the side of a smaller hill, only interrupted by greenery sprouting up between them. The main path was lined with flower shops, cafes, and Gelateria, whose smells mixed into a pleasant sweetness in the air. But one store in particular stood out. It wasn’t super flashy, it could have been found in any city and any street, but Hisoka knew this one from memory.

Without hesitation, he grabbed the others hand, effectively stopping him in his tracks.

“Excuse me-“ Before he could free his hand, Hisoka intertwined their fingers and pulled him closer.

“Let me treat you to something as well, I promise you won’t regret it,amore.” As his flaming eyes were met with a wrinkled nose, the sunshades Illumi were as not-telling as his eyes, he added “If you do regret it, I’ll gladly let you drown me right here.”

There was hesitation as the other mans wrist twitched against his hold. “You’d love that, wouldn’t you?”

The absence of a struggle was still taken as accepting whatever had gotten him so excited, and thus Illumi was quickly pulled and seated outside the small café. Hisokas attitude had changed from a lazy yet scheming happiness, to pure, unfiltered excitement. It became almost impossible for him to sit still, he rapidly tapped his fingernails against the small glass table, until a waitress (in her mid-40s, he assumed) stepped out. She handed the men a small, leather bound menu, though both were immediately snatched by Hisoka and held back towards her.

“Non sarà necessario. Ordineremo la Cheesecake alla fragola. Grazie.”

“Certamente.” The woman replied with a smile, before she retreated into the shop.

“Cheesecake?” Illumi asked with a raised eyebrow, he had taken off his sunglasses by now and placed them on the table.

Hisoka tutted, “Not any Cheesecake, dear, it is the best Cheesecake you will ever have. I will have it at my wedding, funeral, and every occasion in between that.”

“I take it you’ve been here before.”

“When I had just moved to Rieti, I’d come here almost every weekend, though I unfortunately stopped when weekends became workdays as well.” He considered carefully how much more he was willing to share about that time of his life with the other, though the decision was taken off him as the waitress approached with two plates, each adorned with a generous slice of cheesecake, topped with strawberry slices and strawberry jam dripping off it.

His jaw clenched in anticipation as he watched Illumi take the first bite of the cake, reminiscent of all the rituals he’d do for him whenever he visited. It felt degrading to admit that he wanted to impress and gain the approval of the Zoldyck, but not degrading enough to stop the attention seeking behaviour.

A bite. Some careful chewing. Averted eyes because Hisoka was staringbut he did not care. He swallowed.

Illumi didn’t look at him as he spoke, seemingly engrossed in studying the décor of the shop. But his eyes betrayed him, Hisoka swore he saw something within the dark orbs glisten and flash to life. He didn’t know people could smile only with their eyes, but Illumi continued to be different in the most intoxicating way. “It’s… really good.”

Hisoka tried hard not to pick up his train of thought from the morning, tried not to think about what he wanted from Illumi or a relationship, and he especially tried not to think about the growing urge to leap across the table at that very moment to kiss him until their lips were sore. Instead, he started to eat his own cake, and failed to supress his sharpened smile.

They ate mostly in silence, safe for Hisokas muffled crazed snickering, and ordered espresso to chase down the thick cake.

“Hey, let’s play a game. What is wrong with that woman over there?” Hisoka pointed at a blonde who rested against a railing near the lake.

Illumi seemed to consider for a second whether he even wanted to play a weird game like that, before he stopped mid espresso-sip. “Ah. Those red heels are obviously spray-painted on.”

“Bingo~! It’s super obvious, right? You can still see the black shine through.”

“I’m more concerned about the uneven stitching on her shirt. Either she did that herself, or she has gotten scammed.”

Somehow that conversation triggered them to analyse the fashion choices of every stranger they encountered on their way back to the car with increasingly devilish tones. Illumi Zoldyck was a surprisingly good gossiper, and Hisoka filed that fact into the growing corner of his brain that he reserved just for him.

In the car, Illumi informed him they would just head to his hotel room to get dressed for the show, and then head there together. Any attempt at a joke about spending hotel-room-time wisely was, expectedly, cut off.

.

.

.

Illumi had never focused on the road this much in his entire life. He tried to be grateful that they had managed to get ready for the show in his hotel room without any major incidents, but now Hisoka was seated next to him again, wearing the suit he made for him. He looked good, annoyingly so. Naturally, Illumi wouldn’t grant him the satisfaction of telling him that though. He had indulged the man plenty enough for that day already and was holding back from chastising himself for it.

Last night had made him soft, Illumi decided. A brief waver of confidence and self-preservation that made him want to spend one-on-one time with Hisoka, in what may have resembled friendship to an outsider.

But his head was clearer now, cleansed from whatever foolishness had overcome him – the image of his mother recovering from a coughing fit and regaining her composure crept itself into his mind. Unrelated, he thought, though cleared his throat regardless.

“Machi says the crowd tonight is dreadful. Do you think she is just saying that to keep me from going~?” Hisoka tapped his long nails against the screen of his phone. Machi was a model they both have worked with in the past, though she was no where close to a breakthrough. A pretty face, objectively spoken, though smaller than most models, and the personality of royalty about to be executed. Do they always text each other?

“She’s there as well today?” He tried not to sound bitter. He didn’t have a reason to be bitter.

“Mhm, she’s modelling for a friend of hers it seems, though all the examples she sent me looked like someone with a priest-kink designed them, so it doesn’t hurt as much that she didn’t hire me as her artist.”

A moment of silence. “I see.” Illumi was not going to indulge Hisoka even more by inquiring about the nature of his relationship to the woman. It did not concern him; it wasn’t relevant to him or his work.

“Illumi?” Hisoka leaned over in his seat, golden eyes piercing into the side of his face.

“Yes, Hisoka?” Just now he noticed that he had been clenching his jaw uncomfortably.

“Are you jealous of Machi?” He didn’t need to look to know that Hisoka was smiling from one ear to the other, voice dripping with joy. He wasn’t going to look at Hisoka.

“You are insane. Why would I be jealous of her? I pity the girl, still having to work as a favour for acquaintances.”

Predatory eyes continued to drill into him, and a dangerous purr escaped the man, “Is that so?”.

“Yes, don’t be ridiculous.” They pulled into the valet line.

“Then you surely won’t mind that she’ll meet us in the entrance hall, wonderful!”

Illumi shouldn’t mind. It should be perfectly fine that instead of spending the evening alone with Hisoka, a good-looking young woman with an unclear relationship to him would meet them. He definitely couldn’t be jealous; it would be irrational and yet-

He threw the keys to the car at the valet and grabbed the number-marker without a word. His face wouldn’t give it away to others, that he was practically fuming, but Hisoka seemed to take pleasure in the subtle way that Illumis facial features tightened. “I heard jealousy can give you wrinkles~” Hisoka whispered cheekily as they approached the venue entrance, rows of reporters and interviewers lined at the sides, even more so than at the opening day before.

“You must have a lot of experience with that.” He hissed in reply and straightened his posture as they passed the crowd, mostly reporters who desperately tried to take pictures of attendees. Pictures, Interviews, all loathsome cries for attention that Illumi has always tried to avoid as much as possible without damaging the families reputation. He looked down the carpeted entrance and spotted the young woman known as Machi Komacine, clothed in a painfully tight black dress adorned with rosaries draped around her waist like belts, her messy pink hair pulled into a high ponytail. Her posture signalled boredom, but her eyes screamed murder.

Illumi was not a man who easily feared anyone, especially not a woman who stands at 5’2 proud; But he also was not necessarily thrilled to approach her. As he tried to hiss something in Hisokas direction again, something about not having much time to chat with their acquaintance due to meeting a client, he noticed: The other man had stayed behind, and was now busy posing for numerous cameras. Their eyes met, and with a mischievous grin, Hisoka held his hand out to beckon Illumi closer. For Pictures. Together.

Take pictures with Hisoka together in a public appearance that will most definitely set the gears of the rumour mill in motion; Or approach Machi alone and run the risk of uncomfortable conversation about our respective relationships to Hisoka?

He looked back at Machi, whose eyes met his instantly with a raised eyebrow. Fucking Hell-

Illumi made his way back to Hisoka, casually disregarded the hand that was held out to him and positioned himself as practiced – left arm leisurely to the side, right arm three quarters across his front. Not too strict, but not too relaxed either. In contrast, Hisoka had his left hand in the pocket of his suit, his right hand rested on Illumis shoulder as if were the most natural thing in the world. Journalists started to yell even more for their attention now, asking pesky questions that he tried to ignore, telling them to stand closer to each other, the likes. He kept the façade of his neutral face through the blinding flashes intact, even as Hisoka snaked his arms from his shoulder around his waist. “Do you wish for a public execution?”

“It looks better for the pictures~”

Illumi brushed a few strands of hairs behind his shoulder and used the motion to glance back to where Machi was waiting, her steady gaze on the two of them. “It’s rude to let her wait.”

“How considerate you are!” Hisoka snickered. “I know you aren’t jealous, caro, but I’d still like to reassure you of something.”

“And what’s that?”

“Machi and I look for, how should I say, very different things in a partner.” He tugged at Illumi waist and pulled him closer. “She’s looking for women and I am not.”

“Oh.” Illumi continued to look at the reporters cooing for their attention, as he tried not to think of the warm hand on his waist that felt searing hot and- Wait.

“OH.” He turned in Hisokas hold to properly look at him, who in turned grinned like the cat that ate the canary, then he looked back to Machi, and suddenly he felt stupid, which he didn’t experience a lot.

“Feeling relieved, even though you definitely weren’t jealous?”

“I think they got enough pictures.”

Illumi heard Hisokas snickering trail behind him as he made his way down the entrance. Machis eyes met his again, hands steady on her hips. Up closer now, he could observe the details of her dress, white seams stitched into crucifixes that crept up the sides, and the number “3” painted on every bead of the rosaries. It was cleanly executed, but Illumi was confident in the superiority of his own work.

“Miss Komacine.” He extended his hand to her, which she shook half-heartedly.

“Illumi. I’d like to get to business talk right away, so I don’t have to look at this clown longer than necessary.”

“Business talk?”

The young woman lit a cigarette for herself and shot a glare to Hisoka. “I assume you didn’t tell him I wanted to speak with him?” This granted her only a shrug and a smile from the man. “Fine, whatever. Illumi, I want to model for your next line, it would proof beneficial for both of us.”

“I don’t deal in women’s fashion. Furthermore, I do not see how I’d gain benefits from having you work for me.” Finally, a topic he felt comfortable to speak about, even it was only to criticize the woman for her awful attempt at business.

“I don’t mind wearing a suit, you should be at least competent enough to make smaller sizes, right?” She stepped closer to push a sharp index finger against his chest. “And about those benefits; Having me model for you would give me more exposure from a mainstream crowd, and thus exposure for my group. You would gain exposure to a wider audience of underground fashion-following, that isn’t influenced by your family’s name, meaning you could manifest a name for yourself. Unless you prefer being ‘a Zoldyck’ forever.”

The nerve. The audacity. Illumi considered just calling her a presumptuous cunt and leaving with his pride intact, but Machi looked like the kind of woman who knew how to slice car tires and break-wires.

A manicured hand curled around his shoulder, and Hisoka pushed himself between Machi and him. “What could be better than this; My two favourite people in this world, getting along, talking friendly business. Unfortunately, dear Machi, there’s some people inside that are dying to meet us tonight, so we’ll catch you later~”

Before he could object, Illumi was pushed through the entrance of the venue. The large runway was occupied by a high-end brand that premiered their women’s gala collection, mood-lighting engulfed the rest of the room, rhythmic beats of low music drowned out most of the talking crowd.

“Be a darling and just let her offer simmer a little. Machi can be very scary when she’s mad, and not in the way I enjoy.” Hisoka purred closer to his ear.

“Did you know she was going to ask?”

“What if I did?”

A waiter offered them drinks on a tray, and Illumi leisurely grabbed a glass of champagne.

“What does that even mean, ‘a Zoldyck’, as if it is something bad.”

“Don’t wreck your pretty head over it, you know how women are.” Hisoka laughed, and Illumi wasn’t sure how serious he meant that, considering that personally he had no idea how women are, and after newest revelations, neither did Hisoka.

But through the course of the night, Illumi couldn’t get it out of his head. He pretended not to notice how people approached Hisoka, addressed him by his name, first or full name, and talked with him about the content he has created, complimented on his most recent videos and looks. And he pretended not to notice how people approached him, addressed him only by his last name, and asked about the family business. “Mr. Zoldyck, are you going to write an article about this line?” “Mr. Zoldyck, about the next issue-“ “Mr. Zoldyck, tell my greetings to your father.”

No word about his own collection he had premiered. No one even uttered his first name.

He was ‘a Zoldyck’. Nothing more, nothing less.

“If looks could kill, we’d be ankle deep in a blood bath by now.” Hisoka snaked an arm around Illumis waist again and rested his hand on the tip of his hip. The designer took a long sip of the bitter champagne, casually slapped away the offending hand, and kept his dark eyes fixed on the crowd. “Still pouting because Machi was being a bully?”

“I am not pouting.”

“And you weren’t jealous either, got it~”

An eye roll, followed by “I have a headache, what’s the time anyway?” Illumi tried to reach for his phone in his pocket, though before he could grab it, Hisoka took hold of his wrist. They locked eyes, and even in the dim lighting of the venue, Illumi saw something wild glisten in those amber eyes. “Let’s leave, together, to my place.”

“Very subtle, Hisoka. I am not going to-”

“Indulge me, Tesoro, I want to show you something.” Determined to blame it on the repulsive atmosphere that had build itself up at the fashion show, Illumi let himself be swept away by Hisoka for the second time that day. The thought of getting away from noisy reporters and cockroaches of the industry who only knew him as the eldest Zoldyck.- former Heir to the empire, was pleasant enough, yet he also didn’t have to be alone and actively think about his reputation, name, and being a ‘lapdog’, technically a win-win situation.

The drive back to the apartment was oddly quiet, despite Hisokas prior excitement. The car tore through the dark night primarily in silence, only accented by the ‘The Velvet Underground’ album they agreed on after scrolling through Hisokas bizarre Spotify library. It definitely wasn’t the kind of music he was used to from the home he was raised in, didn’t fit between the classical music his mother used to play before her headaches made it impossible and the obscene noise music that Killua would play to trigger the same headaches.

“Could you check my messages for me?”

Hisoka hummed in response and grabbed the phone, manicured nails tapping on the screen, before dropping it unceremoniously back into the cup-holders. “Batteries dead.”

“That can’t be, I charged it before I went out this morning, the battery is supposed to hold for a minimum of 72 hours when idle.”

“Your dainty British batteries sometimes give out under Italian heat, invest in better engineering, and charge it at my place for now.”

“…This will better be worth the trouble.”

The streets of Rieti were expectantly empty, and Illumi parked the car right in front of the apartment (Was it a legal parking spot? Unlikely. But parking fines barely matter when seemingly half the world knows your families name.)

The stairs, the door, the entrance, Illumi knew all of these things about Hisokas apartment. “What is there to show me?”

“Patience. Come here~” Hisoka opened the doors to the balcony, white drapes gently tossed in the fresh breeze. The Zoldyck followed- with sceptical hesitation, but followed nonetheless.

He rested his hands on the railing, eyes turned sky-wards, a few strands of hair upset by the wind.

“If you took me here to just look at the stars, I’m not sure which one of us is the bigger fool.”

“Right, if we wanted to look at soon-to-be dead stars, we could have stayed at the show. But we’re not here for them. They are insignificant, always there to look at until one day they vanish and are forgotten. The real star of the show is over there.” He pointed a long nail at the night sky, and Illumi tried to follow where it pointed.

“The moon? Really?”

“Close, but also mundane and boring. Here- “Before Illumi could react, the strange man had placed their heads next to each other and started to correct Illumis position with a pointed yet gentle grip on his chin. “Look straight ahead.”

Just a little bit off to the left of the moon shone a star brighter than anything else, for a moment Illumi felt ridiculous for missing it.

“It’s Venus. Among all these long dead stars, she’s ever present, stands out the most, and is a rare sight to behold.”

“You took me away from the show to gaze at other planets?” Illumi turned towards the other man, suddenly all too aware of how close they were standing once again.

“I took you away from the show because no one there is capable of understanding your true potential. The way everyone there only sees you as an extension of your family is so infuriating, that it makes me want to ruin all their hopeless little dreams right in front their pitiful faces.” With a swift movement Hisoka had pinned the designer against the railing of the balcony. “You could crush all these people under your heel and make them beg for forgiveness. And there’s nothing I’d rather see than that.”

“I don’t need to make anyone beg, if I want something, I get it. It’s always been like that.” A cold thumb traced the line of his sharp chin, followed by a dark chuckle, and all of a sudden Illumi felt fatigued, all air leaving his lungs. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he remembers his mother recalling symptoms like that. It’s a sickness, nothing more nothing less.

“You get it because you’re a pretty show dog held on a short leash by your family.”

Fucking lapdog. The weight on his chest feels like it could crush his organs any second.

“I’m not asking you to bite the hand that feeds you. But I’d give everything to see what you could do if you were free of restraints.”

Feeling like he needed to hold onto anything, Illumi grabbed onto the back of the other man’s head, fingers buried in wild hair. “And why would you care so much? If you’re just trying to rile me up, there’s ways that don’t make me want to throw you off the balcony and watch your mangled body struggle for life.”

“It’s because you fascinate me, Illumi. You’re my Venus in a sea of dying stars. I want to observe you in all your glory as you outshine everyone else, in your full potential.”

“Who says I won’t crush you as well?” His fingers grasped harder on a few strands of hair. Everything in his body felt wrong, the way his skin was freezing all over, but searing hot wherever he made contact with the other man, the suffocating weight on his chest increased by the second, and in the back of his mind something about sickness echoes again.

They locked eyes, and just then Illumi noticed how close they truly were, Hisokas hot breath falling onto his lips.

And he should have pushed him away.

Should have slapped him, insulted him like the sorry maggot he was.

But he felt weak and sick and so cold, and Hisoka radiated pure heat.

Their lips met, softer than expected of either of them, and Illumi wondered if this is what it feels like to be saved from drowning.

A pleasant warmth seeped into his body, and his lungs felt weightless, like he could breathe for the first time in his life.

Hisoka kissed like each touch might be the last, and Illumi let himself be guided as he wanted, eventually wrapping his arms around the others neck, eager to steal as much of this intoxicating heat as possible.

The man kissed along his jawline, stopping just barely below his ear. “Stay here tonight, cuore mio.”

And Illumi placed a kiss to his temple, as gentle as a man who was never been taught gentleness with people could manage. “Let’s go inside.”

#hxh fanfic #hisoillu #killugon #hxh #hisoka marrow #illumi zoldyck #killua zoldyck #gon freecss #mito freecss #machi komachine #fanfic #fanfiction #I continue to have the worst update schedule known to man <3

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Why the Wallace Cup Arc is one of the best returning character arcs

Introduction:

For those who have been following the Pokémon Journeys anime, know that Dawn was one of the latest former cast members to return the series for a two-episode arc. As I admitted in my episode 74 review (I’m contemplating reviewing episode 75 as well), should know I hadn’t really been keeping up with the anime up to that point as I felt all the issues, I had mentioned in one of my previous posts all culminated and I needed to take a break as I wasn’t enjoying the series. It felt more like a chore to watch the Journeys series rather than a pleasure and I felt horrible feeling this way about a series that I had loved for such a long time. However, if you’re enjoying the series, that’s great and I’m glad you find some enjoyment watching it.

Nevertheless, those that have read my posts or know me personally know DP is one of my favourite Pokémon series and I absolutely love Dawn, her Pokémon and Contests to pieces. So, when they announced she would be appearing for two episodes, I knew I had to watch. However, after sitting on these thoughts for a couple of weeks, I had to admit overall I was a little disappointed. This is a shame because I absolutely love Dawn but the reasons, I felt disappointed were:

The pacing/length – in both episodes, I felt like some areas were really slow and could have easily been cut out which in turn caused the areas that should have been slower and more fleshed out to feel incredibly rushed such as the battle with Matori Matrix. I felt like another area that could have been sped up was the exposition/discovery of Darkrai and Cresselia’s symbiotic relationship, don’t get me wrong it was interesting but I feel like it could have been handled better. I think if this DP arc had been four episodes long like the Sword and Shield arc, the pacing could have been better, we could have explored Ash and Goh’s side of the story more and we could have actually seen some Contest action. Additionally, it would give us a break from the episodic and slightly disjointed nature of the Journeys series and engage more with the story.

Chloe’s development – Now for those that have read my previous posts, should know that I like Chloe and I’m interested to see where they go with her development. Especially considering she’s meant to meeting an Espeon and Umbreon trainer in the upcoming episode. However, it kind of felt like the only reason they brought Dawn back was to help Chloe develop. It would have been nice to allow Dawn and her other Pokémon to shine more. Also, as  I mentioned in my episode 74 review, the argument between Chloe and Dawn felt completely unnecessary to me. In my opinion, one of the ways Chloe had subtly developed under Eevee’s influence was that she learnt to relax a little bit and not take things so seriously. This is why I was finding her behaviour in episode 74 to be a little annoying.

Also, it would have been nice to at least see Chloe attempt to participate in a Contest and at least try something out once even if it's not for her. Considering, Pokémon is an anime tailored towards children, it's better to send out the message of at least trying something even if it's not something for you in the end. This was something I would have liked to have seen with Serena, as before discovering Pokémon Showcases, she didn’t really try to find her goal/path. However, judging by the preview, at least the writers are acting on the idea of Chloe meeting other Eevee and Eeveelution trainers.

Dawn and her Pokémon – As I mentioned previously, it kind of felt like the only reason Dawn was brought back was to contribute to Chloe’s development. Whilst, it was nice to see Dawn and her Piplup again it would have been nice to have seen Dawn’s other Pokémon outside of a flashback. We did have that brief scene where Dawn gave Chloe a demonstration of a Contest Performance but outside of that we hardly saw anything else to do with contests. They could have done something similar to the Darkrai film and show the contest in the end credits as a one-off/special ED. Or if the arc had been longer, they could have devoted more time to the contest aspect and we could have seen Chloe and Dawn participating in the Eterna City contest. It just would have given Dawn a better opportunity to shine and show off her skills as a Coordinator.

They could have featured the rest of Dawn’s Pokémon in the beach scene at the end of Episode 75. I just wanted a Buneary and Pikachu reunion ToT

Apologies, for turning this into a critique of episode 75/this mini-arc. However, it brought me back to this point and I’ve seen people always make this comment or have made videos on it when critiquing Journeys. The problem Journeys has is that any returning characters have basically been treated as fan service that the older fans including myself have eaten up. But when you think about it, it's honestly doing these characters a disservice, and they deserve so much better. Take Korrina and Iris, Iris, in particular, they had hyped up their returns to the series and it ends kind of falling flat as they both lose to Ash to help him to further his goal (which contributes to Journeys pacing issue). Nevertheless, their losses end up diminishing all the development they built up to that point, particularly with Iris’ Haxorus, this was a Pokémon I would have loved to have seen develop more on-screen and when we see him fully evolved as he has always dreamed it was sad to see him lose.

This brings me to this point that I’ve made and so have others, that the Wallace Cup arc has arguably been one of the best arcs/methods of utilising a former main cast member. And it’s due to the reasons, I had listed were the latest DP arc fell short:

The pacing/length

May and her Pokémon

Dawn’s development

The setting

I feel like the setting, in particular, was one of the main reasons why the Wallace Cup arc was so successful. If you’re still reading this, thank you and sorry for the incredibly long introduction.

The pacing/length:

I feel like these two aspects go hand-in-hand so I decided to place them under the same bracket. Now I don’t know whether some count the Wallace Cup arc as five episodes rather than four as May does briefly appear in Our Cup Runneth Over! But I count it from A Full Course Tag Battle! Nevertheless, whether it be four or five episodes, this arc didn’t feel like it dragged on or rushed, it was the perfect length in my opinion. A Full Course Tag Battle! Was a great way to re-introduce us to May and her character, to learn of her progress/struggles in Johto and to see some of her Pokémon again. This episode had helped integrate May back into the main cast perfectly as we learn she keeps in contact with Ash and they both still have their halves of the Terracotta Ribbon and we see that May and Dawn develop a fast friendship through their shared interests and current hardships. In addition to this, I like the call-back to May’s Kanto Journey, with her fire-water combination in the Tag battle as well as the food-loving aspect of her personality (same May same).

The following episode, Staging a Heroes Welcome! Showed off one of my favourite aspects of Contests in the anime, the Performance Stage. In addition to this, it allowed us to see May’s new skills and style in a Contest setting. I really enjoyed May’s performance, as we learnt her timid Squirtle had evolved into a confident Wartortle (one of my favourite starter Middle Stage evolutions) and I loved their simple performance, it reminded me of a pebble/stone skipping across the water and you couldn’t take your eyes off Wartortle. I really enjoyed Ash’s performance, it’s not the first time he’s competed in a Contest but I love the fact he competed with Buizel, who wasn’t that interested in Contests under Dawn’s ownership. Additionally, I love the fact Ash used Dawn’s feedback to help with the performance but it honestly felt like an Ash performance, just showing off his and Buizel’s love of battle.

Finally, it’s getting closer to Dawn’s turn and naturally, she starts to have doubts, causing Piplup to launch a Bubble Beam at her face. It was a short but cute display of Dawn and Piplup’s relationship and how they support one another especially as Piplup tried to gently encourage Dawn throughout her slump. In this case, he decided to be a little more forceful. Despite a little stumble, Dawn and Ambipom ultimately delivered a simple and clean performance taking on Zoey’s advice. Ultimately being rewarded with a place in the Battle Stage. Overall, this episode was a brilliant way to introduce to the Wallace Cup, the beginning of Dawn re-gaining her confidence and seeing the Hoenn cast of characters.

Pruning Passel of Pals! Personally, this is the weakest episode of the arc, just for the fact it has the least amount of battling but we expand on DP’s main plot with the Lake Trio as Ash catches sight of Azelf and we expand on the Sinnoh lore. We also get a cute Team Rocket moment, where James and Meowth arrange for Jessie to act as a TV commentator for the competition, their sense of comradery is so cute (also if Jessie’s happy they’re happy). I liked the fact we got to see Dawn’s first battle of the competition after renewing her confidence and I did enjoy the battle, as we hadn’t seen Buneary in a Contest battle for a while. Up to the Quarter Finals, we mostly got still-shots or brief cuts of the other battles which is what makes this episode weaker in comparison to the others. However, it allowed us to see May’s Skitty and that her Bulbasaur evolved all the way to a Venusaur.

Once, we reach the Quarter Finals, we see Ash battle against a Coordinator named Kyle. Sadly, Ash ultimately loses the battle and is eliminated he didn’t entirely lose out as he and Buizel are more in sync and the Ice Aqua Jet that Dawn couldn’t perfect with Buizel under her ownership was finally successful. However, Kyle brought up an interesting point during his battle with Ash that stuck with me, that in these types of contests such as the Wallace Cup and the Grand Festival, varying your Pokémon is vital so your opponents can’t figure out all of your strategies. This was what led to Solidad defeating May in the Kanto Grand Festival as observed May’s tactics and battle style. I just found this observation interesting and it was something that stuck with me.

Finally, my favourite episode of the arc and probably one of my favourite Contest episodes ever, Strategy with a Smile! Now, this is how you conclude a Contest arc! There was plenty of action, the first Semi-Final Battle we have is between Kyle and Dawn, what I loved with this episode and subsequent battles was seeing Dawn confident once again and having faith in her skills re-using the spin tactic, she developed in Oreburgh City and combining it with Bide causing Piplup to glow purple and turn his opponent’s attacks against them.

Then we have May vs Zoey, which allowed us to see May’s new skills and battle style on full display. We also get to see May’s Beautifly again! One of my favourite Pokémon. Once again, we got to see, why Zoey is one of Dawn’s toughest rivals utilising the pool to electrocute Beautifly. However, I liked the way May turned the tables on her, something I don’t think we saw too often with her in previous Contests. But she didn’t give Zoey the chance to counterattack either. I just really enjoyed seeing this new fierce style, May had developed during her time in Johto.

However, the next battle had to be one of my favourite Contest battles of all time. What better way to conclude the Wallace Cup arc? Then having our two main Coordinators go head-to-head, DP was the series when the visuals for Pokémon began to increase in quality and I really loved the visuals throughout this battle. Not to mention we got to May’s newly evolved Glaceon shine in a Contest Battle as we hardly got to see it in action as an Eevee.

Some fans were upset at the fact, May the more experienced Coordinator had lost to Dawn and I’ll explore factors and reasons why this could have happened. But I felt the need to hammer this point, Dawn only won by half a point and Contests aren’t about strength, the winner is the Coordinator who best displays their Pokémon’s traits in a Performance and Battle. And say if May won, either way, both Coordinators would have had a positive experience, it would have been similar to the conclusion of Dawn’s battle with Maylene. Despite the loss, Dawn still would have regained her confidence but I think her winning the Aqua Ribbon gave her that extra sense of affirmation, as Dawn won a Contest that attracts competitors from all over the globe. I can’t think of a better way of renewing a character’s sense of self-confidence than in a setting such as this. All in all, it was a great way to conclude the Wallace Cup arc.

It felt like every episode set out to fulfill the job it was meant to do and succeeded. Naturally, they couldn’t show off every battle in the competition and it’s the same in other Contest episodes, utilising still-shots. But I generally enjoyed every battle they chose to focus on and the way the pool battlefield was utilised throughout the competition. In addition to the character development featured throughout this arc, we had some progression to the overarching plot of DP. This section ended up being an episode-by-episode review of the arc but I hope it gets the point across!

May and her Pokémon:

The issue I’ve been having as of late is that it kind of felt like the only reason former main cast members were returning was to help develop a current main cast member and that just doesn’t feel right. These characters deserve to shine and we want to see how they developed. This is why one of my favourite aspects of the Wallace Cup arc is that we truly got to see May shine and see the progress she’s made from the naïve beginner trainer she was in AG to the fearless Coordinator she is now. In addition to May, we got to see all of her Pokémon shine in their own way at least once (yes, I’m including still shots). Which is why I’m glad we had the Full Course Tag Battle! The episode gave us the chance to see her Blaziken, as using a fire-type in a contest that celebrates water-types in a battlefield with a pool probably wouldn’t be a good idea.

One of my main reasons, May split off from Ash, was because she felt like she was imitating his battle style and she wanted to develop her own. And we got to see that in the Semi-finals and the Finals of the Wallace Cup, where May defeated Dawn’s toughest rival, Zoey by utilising her own tactics against her in a very Ash/Drew-like style.

Nevertheless, we also saw that old habits die hard, as to some extent as May still relies on luck-based moves as shown in the final where May had Glaceon use Secret Power which worked the first time and paralysed Piplup however, the second time it backfired and ended up making Piplup shine more in comparison to Glaceon.

All in all, we also learnt of May’s progress in Johto we essentially got to see it for ourselves, which is something fans who have followed May’s journey appreciate all the more.

Dawn’s Development:

As I mentioned in the previous section, it felt like as of late former main cast members was being brought back to help develop members of the main cast. What I love about the Wallace Cup arc, was that even though May was the more experienced Coordinator, at the time they were going through a similar experience and were both on losing streaks. In Dawn’s case, she needed to regain her confidence after two consecutive failures in the Performance Stage, the second time in which she over-compensated for the previous loss.

However, from this experience, Dawn didn’t just regain her confidence, she learnt that simplicity is best and can allow her Pokémon to shine and be the focus. This can be seen in her later Contest performances and in Arriving in Style! In which her Pokémon do something as simple as spinning or jumping whilst uniquely utilising their moves and remaining the focus of the audience.

Moreover, many fans were upset that May, the more experienced Coordinator had lost to Dawn in the Finals. All things considered, Dawn only beat May by half a point, Dawn could have edged May out at several points in the battle as Contests aren’t about strength, the victor is who best displays their Pokémon strengths. With May, having relied on luck-based moves too much, to Dawn utilising previously used tactics such as Piplup riding his Whirlpool (from Dawn’s second Contest) to using May’s water curtain tactic from the Semi-Finals against her.

To this day, this is still one of my favourite battles from the Pokémon anime, not only because I love Contests, seeing our two main Coordinators going up against one another but seeing Dawn having the confidence in her own tactics but being influenced by those around her as well.

The setting:

As I mentioned in the introduction, I believe the setting is one of the core reasons why the Wallace Cup arc was so successful. Having May’s return be featured in a Contest setting just makes so much sense. Not only that, but it allowed us to see May’s growth alongside Dawn. However, we also got to see Ash and Buizel’s relationship develop and to see Ash successfully execute one of his best strategies for the first time with the Ice Aqua Jet.

Conclusion:

Overall, in my opinion, the Wallace Cup arc is one of the best narrative uses of a former main character. As it not only allowed our current cast to develop but it allowed us to see first-hand, May’s growth and aggressive battle style that she’s developed in Johto, especially those who had been following May’s journey from a naïve beginner trainer to the fierce Coordinator she is today.

Dawn’s growth was great from re-gaining her confidence and not allowing it to become over-confidence. Learning simple is best, and that tactic allowed her Pokémon to shine the most. Ash developing new strategies and bonding with his Pokémon. And some slight plot progression to the overarching narrative/story of DP.

The pacing and length of this arc, was just right, as it didn’t feel too long or too short and every episode fulfilled the job it had set out to do. It's nice to experience short story arcs, as it gives the audience a chance to be gripped to a story/narrative and I enjoy having that sense of focus in a story.

Honestly, I think the writers had hit the nail on the head, with this arc and it's sad they couldn’t really replicate the success of the Wallace Cup arc with future character returns. I have seen over the years that the Pokémon anime is capable of some great story-telling and amazing character arcs as shown by this entire post. This is why, I’m finding some aspects of Journeys frustrating, that they set up some amazing plot lines or potential development and fall flat on the delivery or don’t even act on it.

I don’t know if it’s just me setting my expectations too high or I’m being overly critical. I would like to think it's healthy to have some criticisms of a series rather than to just blindly love it. Initially, I did enjoy Journeys but after the episode 60 mark, my enjoyment began to wear thin which makes me sad as I genuinely love to watch the anime alongside playing the games. Anyways, I feel better getting this off my chest and if anyone actually read the entirety of this post thank you! I’m thinking of making another post possibly focusing on why I’m not enjoying the episodic formula of Journeys but that might be another day!

#pokemon #pokeani #analysis #may (pokemon) #dawn (pokemon) #ash ketchum

[wolfie-posts]

Can you do a pro hero!bakugou x fem reader where she’s his secretary and always leaves him little notes on his desk that cheer him up, but one day he doesn’t get one and that’s because the reader is sick at home? You can end it however you like just make it fluffy please! Thank you so much!!!

Pro Hero!Bakugou x Secretary!Reader

Author: @wolfie-posts

Warnings: none really just a lot of fluff

Chapter length: 4,031 words

A/N: This is my very first request that I received and I am literally so in love with the scenario. I got so hyped for this request that I just couldn’t stop to write. The result is a 4k word scenario. I really hope it meets your expectations, I had a lot of fun writing this. Also, a huge thanks to my beta readers who are literally the best, love you guys! That was everything I wanted to say. Please, enjoy reading my lovelies! 

Life as a pro-hero is hard, nobody talks about the bad things that this job brings along. When you watch the news you always see the pro-heroes in their amazing suits jumping straight towards the danger, putting their lives on the line for the well being of the citizens without even thinking twice about it. Their jobs are admirable but dangerous, always saving the day with a big smile, a proud grin or a simply smirk on their face and if that isn’t enough, they even give interviews right after they captured the villains. It doesn’t matter how beat up they are afterward, they still make time for their small fans.

Nobody really talks about the stuff that happens behind closed doors but that is exactly what you were getting paid for. Your job is one of the most important ones in this whole pro-hero domain because you are the secretary of one of the greatest heroes at the moment. You were Ground Zero’s own personal “hero” with the superpower to organize his whole life and career.

Answering calls, taking messages, arranging appointments were all part of your job and let’s be honest, Ground Zero wasn’t the easiest boss to have. Your work phone was never really silent, reporters and tv companies were calling every day to get a special statement from one of the best heroes or inviting him to talk-shows or other tv specials. At some point, the management of the tv-show “The Bachelor” even called to ask if Ground Zero would be interested in finding the love of his life while being filmed 24/7, that was actually one of the most fun phone conversations you ever had.

Normally you had to punch yourself through a lot of annoying, ignorant and dense representatives from companies, crazy admirers, reporters, and interviewers, so when you took the call from “The Bachelor” production you really had to force yourself to stay serious. You had to admit, Bakugou, as the bachelor would be some quality content to laugh about, just imagining him in a suit surrounded by a horde of horny women, made you break your professionalism and snort.

Apart from those tasks you also filled reports, organized Ground Zero’s meetings, manage the database, liaised with important clients, coordinated the public life of your boss and if that wasn’t enough, you also looked out for Ground Zero’s health by treating some of his wounds, forcing him to go to your companies personal “Recovery Girl”, bringing him food, because let’s be honest otherwise he probably would have already starved to death. You also bring him coffee every morning and the most important thing you cheered him up.

Cheering your boss up was one of your favorite things to do on the job and one of the easiest things too because all it took was a simple post-it note on his desk.

You didn’t really talk much with your boss, because he literally is always busy. If he isn’t in the training room, he was saving the city, which made your work a lot harder. Most of the time you were updating him on the way from one place to another. For example, you always reviewed the appointments for the day right after Ground Zero’s morning workout when he was heading from the training room to the changing room.

Being a hero was an all-day and all-night job, so he didn’t really spend much time in his office. When you first started to work for your boss you were convinced that he even slept in his hero costume.

The result of all those briefings was an increase in your stamina, which you didn’t complain about except for, in those briefings, you didn’t really talk much, which is kinda unusual for your job. That was until the day you decided to write him his first post-it note.

Back in high school, you started to make post-it notes to remind yourself about important stuff because you tended to forget things if you didn’t write them down. Now it kinda became your way of communicating with your boss.

It all started really simple, one day you just put an apple on his desk with the note “an apple a day keeps Recovery Girl away”.

Flashback

You were a nervous wreck, why did you even decide to write that note? Why did you want to cheer him up that badly? ‘Maybe because you wanted to see him smile for a change?’ your inner voice told you, which made you shake your head violently in response. You had been debating with yourself for the last 2 hours. “I shouldn’t have done this,” you mumbled, thinking about taking the apple away again before he has a chance to see it.

'It’s just an apple, calm down (y/n)! It’s not like you are proposing or anything.’ you tried to calm yourself down without any luck. You had been a nervous wreck since you placed that apple on Ground Zero’s desk, always glancing towards the elevator to see if he was coming to his office, shuffling around in your chair and bopping your knee to the annoyance of some of your coworkers.

It finally stopped, the moment the elevator doors opened and revealed your boss with a few new bruises and scratches, but the moment you saw your boss step out of the elevator a wave of terrible overthinking and fear washed over you.

'What if he gets mad?’ you thought, rubbing your sweaty hands over your pants. All you wanted was to see Ground Zero smile for a change, so him getting pissed at your silly note would be the exact opposite of the goal, but there was no going back now.

As Ground Zero walked past your desk, you nearly dropped your pen in fear of what was going to happen in the next 2 to 3 minutes. Will you lose or job? Will you get an apple thrown into your face? Or just a sarcastic comment which will ruin your whole career? While overthinking the situation into oblivion you didn’t even notice that your boss had been talking to you.

“(y/n)!” he said with a rough voice, snapping you out of your thoughts.

“Yes!” you said a little bit panicked while sitting up even straighter. You could see a frown form on your boss’s forehead as he raised an eyebrow at your unusual behavior. You gulped hard as you withstood his stare, feeling like his crimson eyes could see straight into your soul and read what was on your mind.

“Did anything important pop up?” he asked in a way calmer voice after seeing your reaction to his previous approach. Bakugou knew that everyone had a lot of respect for him and everyone was acting kinda scared whenever he was in a bad mood or right after he had captured a villain. Everybody but you. You just looked at him as if he was just another person and you didn’t really flinch or look away when things were getting a little ugly. You saw him as your boss and you saw him as an authority but not as some kind of god you needed to fear and worship.

That made your behavior now just seem even weirder to him. It was so out of place but he hadn’t done anything to scare you or make you nervous, he hasn’t even seen you all day.

’Maybe something had happened between you and another employee or something involving your private life.’ Bakugou thought to himself, trying to shove that uncomfortable feeling in his guts away. 'I’m probably just reading too much into it’ but why did he even care? You were just another employee, right?

“Nope, nothing new has come up!” you said after looking over your laptop and calendar. It seemed like some of the tension you were feeling was lifted from you, after Bakugou had asked you something about work. It was like turning a switch inside of your brain, immediately you just powered up your professionalism again and dug back into work. You had even given Bakugou your typical smile after confirming that he could actually take a break right now.

You watched your boss sigh in relief as he turned to walk into his office and just for a moment you had forgotten about your note. That was until your boss’s hand reached for the door handle and your nervousness got the better of you again making you shot up from your desk.

“Ground Zero!” you yelled, which not only surprised your boss but also yourself. You could feel your ears and cheeks begin to heat up as your boss paused in his step and turned back to look at you.

“Yes?” he simply asked with a raised eyebrow.

How could you get yourself out of this situation? Should you play the “I am not feeling good” card and just leave to die in shame at home? How could you even stop your boss from seeing that note? You ran over all the different excuses but none of them would work without having to pay the consequences afterward. So what now? You had already gained the attention of your boss, which means that you had to say something without sounding like an idiot.

“Good job today” you blurted. It was the first thing that came into your mind that didn’t sound totally stupid, what you didn’t consider was the blush spreading across your face as you realized what you had just said.

You have never really complimented your boss for winning a fight against a villain, it was a normal daily routine for him and he already gets all the praise from his fans, so why should you compliment him too? He knew that he was good at his job and it wasn’t like those villains were a challenge for him, so why should you pour some more gasoline into the fire and push his ego even more?

The moment you had said those words, you wished you could have taken them back. It was so embarrassing, your face was probably already tomato red and the fact that your boss had the widest grin ever on his face didn’t really help, but for Bakugou that wasn’t even enough torture. Without a word he just turned back around and entered into his office, knowing damn well that this action was like pouring salt into an open wound.

“What have I done?” you mumbled to yourself while dropping your head into your hands. The embarrassment was getting so overwhelming that you had to get up and walk it off for a bit. You escaped into the office kitchen to get some water, which gave you a little relief but it didn’t change the fact that you wanted to disappear forever.

After cooling down for a bit you finally returned to your desk, forcing yourself to just focus on work and to forget about what happened. At least that was what you wanted to do. Before you could even dig into your paperwork, your boss came out of his office again with an apple in his hand. You stared in horror as he took a huge bite from it, a pleasant smile spreading over his face.

“I am heading out again. Call me if something important comes up,” he said casually, not breaking the eye-contact, but all you could do was pick up your jaw that had dramatically dropped to the floor and nod in silence.

After getting your confirmation Bakugou gave you another mischievous smile and headed for the elevator. There was no way in hell you wouldn’t get bullied over this situation from your coworkers.

“Oh and (y/n)? Thanks for the apple,” your boss said in a loud and amused tone, making you snap your head towards him, only to see his big grin right before the elevator doors closed, not even giving you the time to react at all.

Who would have thought that one apple with a note could change your whole work atmosphere just like that?

Flashback end

From that day on, Ground Zero received your post-it notes every single day, some of them were informative others were silly with the goal to make him smile.

After the first few sticky notes, it didn’t take long for the two of you to call each other by your normal name, which wasn’t any different for Bakugou because he had always called you by your first name. On the other side, you were the only employee to ever call Ground Zero by his non-hero name, which caused quite the tumult in your company and making you the topic of the daily gossip for at least two weeks.

The notes became part of a routine that Bakugou looked forward to every single day, it didn’t matter how bad his mood was, a single note from you could make him forget about all the shit that happened during the day.

He normally wouldn’t even smile at work, his employees needed to see him focused and serious, so they wouldn’t have an excuse to slack on their job but whenever he read your notes, he just couldn’t control his facial features. It even went so far to the point that he actually laughed out loud in his office. It was that one time when he had read the note you wrote right after your phone conversation with “The Bachelor” production company.

“I can’t take it anymore! You need to get a life and I need a vacation! So I decided to sign you up for the reality dating show ‘The Bachelor’ ;) have fun” was written on the note, he knew you would have never done anything that stupid but still, you got him good with that one.

He didn’t even have a sarcastic response to that note, because he damn well knew that his life only consisted of the job as a pro-hero, but he loved his job and even though it wasn’t always easy, he wouldn’t have it any other way, because deep down he knew that he had you to pick him up.

——

Today had been an awful day for Bakugou, a huge villain attack had occupied his whole morning, not even giving him the time for his morning coffee and to his misery, one of the villains had also copy quirk. That clearly was already enough to piss him off but it didn’t stop there, the other villains had pretty strong quirks too, which made the fight a lot more annoying.

After a chase throughout the whole city, some building damage and some pretty terrible ass-kicking, Bakugou and some of the others had finally managed to capture every member of the group of villains.

This fight took everything out of Bakugou, he was exhausted. His whole week had been filled with sleepless nights due to villain attacks and Bakugou’s lack of sleep wasn’t just showing in his facial features, no! It was also showing in his fighting, his impressive reflexes were kinda normal and he could feel that his strength wasn’t at 100 percent.

All he wanted to do was go home and get a good night’s rest, but that isn’t how this job works. The villains hadn’t even been loaded into the prison transport when the first reporters decided to hold cameras and microphones into Bakugou’s face.

“Ground Zero, how do you feel about the organized crime and the group behind it?”

“How come we never see you out with a woman or your pro-hero friends from U.A.?”

“Is your power getting weaker or are the villains getting stronger and smarter?”

“How do you feel after reading this month’s pro hero rankings?”

All those questions turned into an annoying buzzing sound in Bakugou’s ears. His blood was boiling, how could they ask him that kind of crap? 'Getting weaker? Pff the villains could only dream about that!’ he thought to himself.

Normally he would go to the crowd of bystanders and take some pictures with his fans but right now he just needed to get out of there before he exploded. You had always scolded him for being incapable of socializing and after getting scolded every single time he refused an interview or making a kid cry, you finally convinced him to follow your publicity plan.

'Nope, not today!’ he thought, walking away from the crowd.

"No comment” was all Bakugou said.

He just couldn’t handle it today, not in this condition, so he simply catapulted himself into the air and blasted away through the air.

'She is gonna be so pissed’, a small voice in his head told him after arriving at his company. Bakugou knew exactly how you would react, you would scold him for a few minutes while tending to his wounds, followed by giving him his coffee, some lunch with a second scolding as dessert for not taking better care of himself and telling him that he can’t just live on coffee.

Bakugou had already mentally prepared himself for your scolding, but when the elevator doors finally opened, he wasn’t greeted with your pissed off face at your desk. It was a rather unusual sight, which made him wonder about your whereabouts, but he simply pushed the thought away with a 'maybe she’s busy’.

Fully expecting to find a sarcastic note on his desk he walked into his office, only to find a clean and empty desk waiting for him.

“What the fuck?” he mumbled as he searched his office for your daily post-it note without any luck. Was he blind or did you forget to make a note? No, you would never forget to make him a sticky note, that wasn’t like you at all and you didn’t have a day off so where was his note?

His mood was dropping even further after his unsuccessful search for your note, he really needed that little post-it note to cheer him up after a morning like that.

He didn’t even care how shocked his other employees were when he showed up to their workspace, which was on a different floor.

“Has anyone seen (y/n) (l/n)?” he asked with a stern voice causing the whole room to go deadly silent.

“S-She called in sick today,” a small woman said in the back of the room. All eyes had been on Bakugou, which meant that everybody had seen his utter surprise when that woman told him you were sick. You were never sick, in those two years you had worked for him you had never called in sick. Bakugou was convinced that you couldn’t even get sick, he always thought you had a quirk which made you super healthy or something but he apparently was proven wrong about that.

“I am taking the rest of the day off. Don’t call me, even if the whole city goes up in flames, we have enough other heroes who can take over. Call Deku or someone else but don’t you dare try to reach me!” Bakugou threatened, not bothering to see the terrified faces of his employees, as he was already on his way out. He knew exactly what he was going to do for the rest of this day and no villain could stop him from doing so.

A sudden knock on your pulled you out of your feverish dreams. 'Who the hell would have the indecency to bother you on your sick day?’ you thought to yourself as you wrapped the blankets around you and shuffled towards your door.

As you opened the door you couldn’t believe your eyes, was this another fever dream? You stared in pure shock at the person who was standing at your doorstep. Some wires in your head just snapped and before you even knew what you were doing you had slammed the door shut into your boss’s face.

“If you don’t open up that door within the next 10 seconds, I will blast it open!” you could hear him growl from the other side of the door.

What the hell was he doing here? You looked like a freaking zombie, there was no way in hell you were opening that door again, but your thoughts got interrupted by Bakugou’s pissed off counting.

“5.. 4.. goddammit (y/n) just open the fucking door, I brought you soup!”

He did what now? Not even a seconds after Bakugou had spoken out the word soup the door to your apartment swung open. It wasn’t a dream, your subconsciousness could never produce the picture you were seeing in front of you. A terribly beat up Bakugou was holding up a bag with some steam coming off of it. He couldn’t even dare to look into your eyes as you were staring in disbelief at his face, which made him blush even harder.

“Are you gonna invite me inside or not?” he grumbled, making you snap out of your trance. You simply gestured him inside as you held the door open even wider, watching his every step as he helped himself into your kitchen. 

You followed him silently, observing his every move as you tried to figure out if this was really happening right now and not just a dream or a bad joke, but your doubt was immediately forgotten the moment you smelled what Bakugou had brought. 

Your mouth started to water and you couldn’t hold back the growl your stomach made, causing Bakugou to raise an eyebrow at you. You hadn’t eaten all day due to your sick stomach but that soup smelled so good even your sick stomach couldn’t resist. You watched how your boss moved through your kitchen effortlessly and not even a minute later a steaming hot bowl was placed in front of you.

“This is sooo good!” you mumbled to yourself, shoving the soup down like you were drinking shots at a bar.

“Thanks,” Bakugou said in a pleased but still casual voice, which made you choke on your soup.

“Don’t tell me… you actually made that soup yourself?!” you managed to choke out underneath your coughs. 

'Bakugou could have never made a soup like that, he barely even feeds himself so there was just no way in hell he could make something this delicious.’ you thought to yourself while gulping down your water glass but when your eyes met his crimson ones you knew he wasn’t kidding.

“Yes I made that soup myself! You know, I can take perfectly good care of myself and I don’t really need you to bring me lunch every day,” he said blankly. Nobody in the world would believe you when you would tell them that Ground Zero was an outstanding cook, you didn’t even believe it yourself if you weren’t eating the soup yourself at the moment.

“You wouldn’t even survive a whole day without me” you shot back at him with a challenging stare. You were feeling so much better already, not only because of the amazing soup but the company was helping too.

“Pff I could survive at least a week without you!” he replied with a snort, rolling his captivating crimson eyes at you, but you were ready to end this man’s whole career right then and there.

“Yeah? What is your social security number?” you fired right back at him with an award-winning smirk. You knew you had won this fight before you could even see Bakugou’s facial expression drop in surrender.

“That is what I thought! You would be screwed without me,” you laughed out loud after seeing his sour face, but you couldn’t help yourself this whole situation was just too crazy. Never in your dreams would you have imagined that your boss would nurture you back to health with homemade soup after you called in sick for the day, but here you were sitting in front of your boss having the best time of your life, completely forgetting about your headache and sick stomach. You were laughing with all your heart at this point, squinting your eyes and clutching your stomach, nearly missing the small smile that had crept its way onto his lips as he said: “I really do need you.”

#bnha #mha #bnha scenarios #bnha imagines #mha scenarios #bnha x reader #mha x reader #pro hero bakugou #bakugou x reader #bakugou katsuki x reader #boku no hero academia #boku no hero academia x reader #bnha imagine #my hero academia #my hero academy x reader #pro hero bakugou x reader

[mcheang]

Pre-Chat Blanc Dates - Award Show

I took advantage of the night and decided to watch Chat Blanc one day early. I feel better now. Sure the ending made me teary. My opinions between the French and Eng dub remain the same. (I prefer the break up in French and the ending is my fav scene for the English version.) It is still my fav episode. To celebrate, i decided to write one more Chat Blanc fic today. The last chapter of this date series. Enjoy! 😁

Today was the day. Adrien was finally going to tell the world that he and Marinette were dating.

Everyone wholehearted supported the plan.

Rose loves love.

Marinette loves truth.

Adrien really wanted everyone to know his beautiful Girlfriend.

Master Fu wanted to say “I told you so,” to Wayzz.

Gabriel wanted to akumatize Adrien’s fans. Lila and Chloe wanted Marinette to be targeted by hate mail.

Alya just likes spreading news.

Previously, when Adrien announced that he had to attend a film award show, Marinette did not expect to be invited.

They had agreed beforehand to keep their relationship away from the media, not only to save Marinette from Adrien’s crazy fans, but to get some normal dating in before the craziness started.

And so far, the everyday dates were fantastic. Adrien and Marinette could actually relax and be their dorky/clumsy selves without fear of reprimand/shame.

So why reveal their relationship now? Everything was perfect so far.

Adrien had explained in an apologetic voice. Apparently, he had enlisted Wayhem’s help to prepare the fans for the breaking news. And Wayhem had advised to strike now because his fans were already getting very suspicious of their constant proximity to each other. That, and it was also better to tell the media before the hype over Adrien and his Ladybug-voice actor costar got excited again.

Adrien wanted to tell the world on their terms instead of letting fans and reporters stalk them and catch them unprepared.

Marinette hesitated, she was scared about the whole thing, and understandably so.

Adrien held her hand and soothingly rubbed his thumb over her palm. “It’ll be OK. I promise. No one will hurt you at the premiere.”

Marinette did not look reassured. “What about after?”

“Did you know the Gorilla has a brother? He’s willing to help guard you until the mania dies down.” Adrien’s eyes were earnest and pleading. He really wanted to do this.

And to be honest, a part of Marinette wanted it done too. She was tired of seeing Adrien take Kagami as his Friend date to events like this. It doesn’t exactly soothe the green monster in her to hear Adrien assure her by saying Kagami was just a Friend. That was her title before they started dating!

“Fine,” Marinette relented, smiling. “But you have to stick by me. I don’t know what to do at these events. I’m usually just the waitress.”

“I’ll stick to you like glue,” Adrien promised. “And I happen to like your waitress outfit. It is very cute.”

Marinette blushed. “Oh stop it!”

That comment of his actually set the gears in Marinette’s head whirring. She took out her waitress top and added a black skirt on to it, along with some fine detail at the white collar. All that was left were the shoes, but a shopping spree with the girls solved that.

The ensemble issue was solved.

Now all that was left was the anticipation of waiting.

The waiting was not fun. Marinette’s nerves even affected her dates with Adrien. The sweet boy took it all in stride and just patiently kissed her forehead and hand as he repeated whatever Marinette had not heard.

At last, the day arrived.

Marinette kept bouncing her knees up and down until Adrien laid his hand over her own and gave her a smile and laugh. “Relax Marinette. The paparazzi will love you.” (Behind his back, Adrien crossed his fingers and hoped for the best. The paparazzi were sharks!)

Adrien lifted Marinette’s hand to his lips and kissed it. How many times had he kissed the same hand beneath a battle suit? It’s become a habit. One Plagg was certain would expose them until time settled his nerves.

Marinette breathed in deeply. “You’re right. I can do this.”

Marinette could not do this.

The moment they stepped out of the limo. The camera flashes blinded her till she had to raise her hand to shield her eyes from the glare.

Adrien was used to the cameras flashing however and never let go of her hand as he led her forward.

The reporters started yelling questions at Adrien, asking who his date was. Other better-informed reporters recognised her as the designer of the very hat Adrien was wearing and from the gossip mill. They asked if the pair were dating instead.

Knowing Marinette could not face the reporters while blinded, Adrien gathered his nerve and walked past the reporters, knowing Nathalie would chew him out for it later. But he didn’t care. Marinette came first.

Still, this was their one chance to announce their relationship to the world.

Adrien whispered, “We only need to give them one good photo of us as a couple before we head inside.”

Marinette blinked rapidly. Now she knew how Reflekta must have felt. “Then let’s make it a good one.”

Adrien grinned. He subtly turned Marinette so she was facing the cameras then gave her a brief, reassuring kiss on the lips, her face cradled between his hands.

To her credit, Marinette didn’t flush that time. She gave off the appearance of a girl used to the model Adrien giving her kisses.

The photographers clicked their cameras madly.

That was their cue. Adrien pulled Marinette inside swiftly.

Marinette leaned against Adrien and let out a gasp. “I don’t see what all the hype is about red carpets. All you get is a face full of flashbulbs.”

Adrien laughed and shrugged. “You get used to them after the first or second time.”

Marinette blinked one last time, then smiled widely. “We really did it, didn’t we?”

Adrien kissed her again. “We sure did.”

Another celebrity walked past and gave them a knowing look. Marinette blushed and pulled away but left her hand in Adrien’s.

Adrien looked at Marinette adoringly. “Come on, Princess. I want to introduce you to my friends from the studio.”

The premiere date had been a success. Marinette got along swimmingly well with the stars.

Adrien’s Ladybug-voice co-star greeted Marinette cheerfully and later commented that Marinette could have given her a run for her money in impersonating Ladybug’s voice. (Marinette and Adrien laughed nervously then.)

Jagged and Clara enthusiastically greeted Marinette, leaving Adrien awestruck over the former. He knew Marinette was Jagged’s favourite designer, but still!

Thomas Astruc was happy to meet his fan again.

Even Audrey complimented Marinette on her design.

Also, Adrien won the award for best male voice actor! Marinette didn’t suspect a thing, thanks to the kwami magic.

Once the event was over and Adrien had dropped Marinette off at home and was snug in his own bed, he sighed happily.

Plagg was on the adjacent pillow, munching on his midnight cheese snack, used to the lovesick boy’s ramblings.

Despite the foreboding future of fans-turned-akumas (and Gabriel’s evil plans + Nathalie’s lecture), the night had been exquisite.

Marinette belonged with him. Of that, Adrien had no doubt, and he slept dreaming peacefully after this very long night.

#miraculous ladybug fanfic #miraculous ladybug fanfiction #miraculous ladybug fic #ml fanfic #ml fanfiction #ml fic #adrienette #chat blanc #chat blanc fic #chat blanc fanfic #chat blanc fanfiction #pre-chat blanc dates

[peachyromanoff]

Worldwide

Ah, yes, the long awaited update has finally, finally presented itself. Today I’ve come bearing good news, and an addition to a post I’ve written in the past. You see, all the way back in April—seems as though it’s been years since then—I wrote a post on the musical group, Big Time Rush, reuniting. Alright, well, it wasn’t exactly a proper reunion with the expected hugs, group selfies, and all that; which was mainly due to the current conditions. Though, it still served as a small glimpse of light during a dark time for the world—one that we still can’t seem to break through. If you hadn’t yet read my post on it, I’ll go through what the “reunion” actually entailed. Now back in April, the group—consisting of members: Kendall Schmidt, Carlos Pena-Vega, Logan Henderson, and James Maslow—decided to surprise their fans with a brief collaborative message. Due to health restrictions, they had to film the video from their homes, instead of together. The video itself was essentially a minute long PSA telling their followers to stay connected with their friends and family from a safe distance during a time where most people were isolated as to protect the well-being of themselves and others. The video had each respective member in their little box, each speaking their peace after the other, though the message was all the same. However, it was when Carlos was given his time to shine, that we were given a sneak peak of what was to come. In the last few seconds, he dropped a bombshell stating “-and who knows? A lot to look forward to at the end of this. See you guys soon.” Now, the timing was admittedly poor on the Nickelodeon band’s part—y’know, having a reunion during a global pandemic and all that—but it was undoubtedly needed. It’s something the public didn’t want—not me, I’ve been praying for this day since they broke up—but needed, especially after waiting nearly a decade for an sense of activity from them. By activity, I mean as a band, though you should definitely check out Heffron Drive, if you get the chance. Sorry, aside from promoting my favorite member, why exactly am I bringing up months old news? Well, that’s the best part, it’s no longer old news filled with—what was assumed to be—empty promises.

Just this week, the group decided to reunite on video again—but this time they’ve offered us something even greater than a PSA. You got that right, for the first time in nearly a decade, the group performed, arguably their best song, “Worldwide.” I said “arguably” because we as a society would be nothing without their 2010 hit song, “Boyfriend,” but I assume that they couldn’t perform that due to difficulty contacting Snoop Dogg on such short notice—though, I’m still anticipating for that to be their next live performance. Now, due to the second wave making an unwanted, yet predictable appearance, the group had to unfortunately perform from their own respective recording studios. Though, if Logan’s couch is anything to go by, they likely recorded inside their own homes. As for the performance itself, I honestly think it lives up to the hype. Yes, it’s just a simple acoustic performance, but it gives us a hopeful glimpse of what we can expect after the pandemic ends—if it ever does. Their vocals still flow well with each other, even after all these years, and their talent hasn’t wavered. It’s clear to see that though they’ve grown and found their own respective levels of success after the group took a hiatus, they still work and sound well together. I, personally, was surprised to see them release anything during this time, especially a live performance of one of their most popular songs. Aside from the performance, the band also included another message to their supporters. “These challenging times around the world have made us want to connect with all of you so much. They have also made us want to stay connected with each other,” the band wrote in an Instagram post. “We got inspired to record and sing together again seeing how many smiles our check in video created weeks back. We spent some time recently recording one of our favorite songs (safely apart) and wanted to share it with you all as our small way of saying thank you. We are sending love to all of you WORLDWIDE. Please take care of yourselves, take care of each other, pls take care of all of your fellow neighbors. We’ll be thinking about you...” Overlooking that unsettling conclusion to the caption, the message was sweet—albeit prewritten by an underpaid intern, but still sweet, nonetheless. C’mon, you know I can’t praise people with bigger followings than me for more than a few minutes at a time. While we’re on the subject, I’m also overlooking the pun. Not for any specific reason, I just hate puns despite making an abundance of them myself. Now, before we get anymore off track, I just want to say that overall, I believe that that performance was worth the wait. That, and I’m looking forward to anything else they have to offer us in the upcoming months.

#big time rush #btr #music #review #kendall schmidt #carlos penavega #logan henderson #james maslow #nickelodeon #nick #opinions #opinion #my writing #writing

[paulieshore]

The Dynamic Duo

Thank you @anxiousdork​ for the ask/idea, thoughts keep flowing with this so I think I’m going to turn this into a five-part mini story of mystery-drama/fierce friendship/growing romance/bromance.

Warnings: none

Word count: 1593

Characters: Mc, Minor, Victor, Gavin, mention of Kiki

Brief summary: Mc is presented with an opportunity by Victor to collaborate with a well-known production company from America (Barner Wors), thinking this to be a perfect opening to show just how well she can do; she immediately takes on the job with a small hand selected group from her team. However, it seems someone is sabotaging this joint production costing a bit of money in setbacks. Without knowing who, and why, fingers and accusations start flying back and forth. Victor is then involved when production comes to a halt, considering the reputation in America, Victor seems persuaded that the fault falls to you and your team. With no evidence to claim your innocence, you find yourself in an embarrassing confrontation with your biggest investor and boss. Minor steps in to support you, and then Gavin? Not knowing how Gavin knew the situation exactly, but touched none the less when he too joined in with Minor to defend your honour as a producer against the ruthless/annoyed Victor and solve this conundrum. You bear witness to a growing bromance between hero and sidekick, Gavin and Minor. They set forth to unravel if there is more too these unfortunate events as of late, you cooperate with Gavin and allow him to really use his power of authority in and around the studio. Seeing Gavin in yet another new way you find your heart beating more and more by the mere sight of him. Minor becoming possibly more of an opponent then a friend for Gavin’s affection, only later to find out Minor’s sort of digging you!

Part One: Incompetent

.

.

You just couldn’t quite wrap your head around the situation, none of it made sense, and even worse the most rational of people you thought for sure could help, didn’t! Victor only seemed to have looked down on you even further, “Are you so incompetent? Can you not hold down your team and manage them as a boss should do?” You honestly didn’t know how to respond, Victor seemed so sure this was all your fault.

A fort night ago he came to you and gave you an opportunity to work with Barner Wors, they were shooting some episodes in Loveland for their newly hyped tv show. Being able to collaborate with such a famous company was beyond a dream come true. Victor may be a stern boss but occasionally gave you way to really show your potential.

The first couple of days of shooting were fine, you made introductions with all crew and actors and got things started off right. After the dust had settled, things started to go downhill after a camera ‘malfunctioned’ on set during an outside shooting. The following days, numerous of insignificant things started happening, such as props you’d provided being faulty and nearly hurting the actors. The chosen areas around Loveland for shooting becoming too wet or vandalized when coming into work, you made the decision to film what scenes you could in studio thinking weather/bratty kids had a part to play. Minor and Kiki were being suspicious during one lunch break, they couldn’t help but feel as though someone was sabotaging this collaboration. Things that only staff/crew knew were leaked to the public causing a complication. On top of that gossip about Barner Wors, some of the actors and your own team seemed to be going around. You dismissed their outward thoughts and did your best to keep everyone on track and away from criticism, sometimes bad things just happen.

One late afternoon, tension seemed to have reached its peak. Minor appeared to have had enough with the supporting actress in the scene, she was messing up her lines and making subtle hints about how ‘your team’ was to blame for all the unwanted stress and misfortune. The supporting actress was the renowned Nicole Kissman, famous for her dominating Oscar winning roles in huge box offices. She was also known for her diva like attitude off screen, with a quick revise of lines before the dramatic scene, Minor encourage her to ‘break a leg’. Well, as Nicole laid on the floor weeping in the shot, one of the spotlights above came crashing down close to her leg. This was the final straw on both sides, everyone seemed eager to pass blame, leaving you no choice but to call Victor when the lead of the production halted everything due to liability. The phone call with Victor was brief and he arrived not to long after you told him one of the actresses was involved in a near miss.

Here you were now, standing in front of everyone as Victor pressured you for an answer, “WELL?!” It was rare for Victor to raise his voice, but today everyone felt the impact it truly had.

This was beyond frustrating and further more embarrassing, you wanted to scream at him, but you didn’t want to prove any truth to the gossip lingering that you couldn’t ‘handle things.’ You wanted to cry; Minor could see the tears threatening to fall whilst your face contorted with angry.

“Handle her team? Incompetent? Mc has been ‘handling’ us and their team, during this soap opera drama of its own!” Minor pointed as he stepped forward towards Victor, placing himself between you two. “I understand you’re the big boss here, but isn’t it a little premature to lay blame on her when no one seems to have any idea what’s going on?!” Minors voice was raised in the slightest, you wanted to clamp his mouth shut. As lovely as it was for him to stick up for you, Victor was of all people someone you didn’t want to be up against.

“Excuse me, and who exactly are you, executive producer? I suggest you get back to work and let the ‘bosses’ continue talking.” Victor gave Minor a quick analyse head to toe; scowling, before looking back at you.

Minor stepped sideways, obstructing his view before pressing on, “No, you were judging, passing verdict without even hearing anyone’s side!”

Fear took hold of you, worried perhaps Minor was over stepping and possibly going to get himself fired or have Victors investment revoked, you were about to pipe in. Just then, a light calming breeze swept through the studio, moving your attention to the direction it carried. Walking through the studio doors was Gavin, announcing himself as he approached face as stoic as ever.

“Afternoon, I do apologies for the intrusion. I’m Police officer Gavin, I was called in to take statements for an incident that’s occurred to rule out…”

** scanning the studio to every one present before continuing ** 

“possible criminal intent.”

 Everyone went stiff, Gavin was in full uniform, wait…

did he say he was called??? Your gaze drifted then to Minor who was gleaming with pride at his hero friend from high school walked in.

Victor then approached Gavin, “I apologise for wasting the time and efforts of our police services, may I ask exactly why you suspect such malice?” Victor as usual, cut straight to the point.

“Miss Mc, one of your notable employees, filed a concern the other day with worries and suspicion of something not quite right within her company’s environment. Now for the safety and liability of everyone here, I will have to open up an investigation.” Though he spoke calmly and affirmative, he made eye contact with you - his eyes were saying it’s alright, I’m here now.

Victor turned to you next, “You didn’t say you called the police?” eyebrow raised.

“You didn’t exactly give her a chance before chastising her.” Minors boost of confidence to talk back to Victor, made it clear to you who called and informed Gavin of the events.

You faced Victor and simply stated, “We had to do what’s right for everyone and take account their safety.” Adding *we* in there made you feel better then taking the credit for Minors quick thinking. That didn’t stop the stress you felt for everything to come, and the guilt you had for Gavin, he was always busy with his own work and now he had ‘your work’.

Gavin walked straight passed Victor not even giving him a second glance, proceeding forward, “Id like statements from every one of today’s events leading up to my involvement, please. No one is to leave until I have received statements and should I have any further questions I advise you stay until further noticed.”

“Mc, with me now! You and I will continue our discussion as the officer here starts his investigation.” Victors says dryly as he starts walking towards the exit.

“Excuse me, Sir. You cannot leave.”

Victor stopped dead in his tracks, wiping around quickly.

“Neither of you are leaving, until I have confirmed no foul play and if there is, that you, are not involved in anyway.” Gavin was quick to speak before you could follow Victor out, he spoke boldly to the scary CEO. Throwing his authority towards Victor just like Victor had previously to you, this gave you a funny sense of pulsing in your lower pelvis, and slight heat to rise to your cheeks. Seeing Gavin assert his authority to the ‘not so easily bullied’ Victor really turned you on! You shook your head from your drifting thoughts, now of all times was not the time to swoon over Gavin’s out right bravery.

Victor and Gavin stood 8 metres apart staring at each other with such coldness in their eyes… Oh boy what a soap opera this was becoming indeed…

To Be Continued.

Like, reblog and follow for future posts, if youd like to be tagged in the next part please let me know. Thank you for reading and Thank you again anxiousdork for the inspiration to write this!

Master-List for Parts

#mlqc #mlqc victor #mlqc gavin #mlqc minor #mr love queen's choice #mr love gavin #mr love victor #mr love minor #minor needs more credit #bring on the bromance #battle for gavin #love and producer #minor #hero and sidekick #mystery