#truly sorry about the quality but some of these videos were filmed on potatoes and there was nothing i could do | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

sanstropfremir · 3 years

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second part of that long ask from ur swf anon :)

after the main dancer was chosen for each class, they would complete the choreo and decide formations for their performances. one of the benefits of the main dancer was that they were always center. they also had the benefit of wearing more embellished clothing to stand out (most noticeable in x class, where rian the main dancer was wearing orange while everyone else was wearing green). here is the full list (mnet truly has the WORST camera angles, so i only included the full cam ver of the performances):

1. assistant class: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aF2evLz98h4&ab_channel=MnetTV

2. leader class: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srjJzRVVmxc&ab_channel=CHANNIECHANNEL

the judges shared that even though no:ze was the main dancer/in the center/had the most shiny outfit, they didn't really see her. all the other dancers, in their opinion, stood out and overpowered her.

3. sub class: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mY_3E7W8v30&ab_channel=CHANNIECHANNEL

4. x class (i'm not sure what this class was called): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fC-_8fbn_s4&ab_channel=Whatthejess

judges shared that lip j was the stand out of this class. she's the girl on the far left at 0:36. (it was originally her choreo but rian was chosen as the main dancer so that's why she is credited.)

*i only included comments that were stand outs.

i'm not sure how much creative input the main dancers were given regarding stage design... they didn't show it in the episode so i'm assuming that mnet just told them to show up and perform (because like, the rainbow thing they shot at the end of the leader's performance seemed so random? it didn't match what they were doing). after each performance, the main dancers from each class were asked to pick someone who they thought was the worst dancer. in doing so, the person chosen would lose points for their crew.

judges also chose an mvp crew they thought were the best. prowdmon (monika + lip j + others [sorry i don't know their names. the show really only focuses on these two]) was selected and this gave them the advantage of choosing which crews went against each other in ep4. so, it wasn't a random lottery draw! in the episode, they only showed the part where prowdmon chose to go against wayb (context: no:ze, the main dancer from the leader class, chose monika as the worst dancer. and this made her mad so she was like we're going against wayb - no:ze's crew). i'm not sure why they didn't show how the other crews were paired up. because ya, coca n butter + hook is definitely an interesting match.

also like, wayb was eliminated from the show after ep4's mission.

and it seems like from here on out, there will be a mission each episode to determine who will be eliminated. i'm honestly not too sure. for their next mission, they're doing a mega crew mission and mnet doesn't really explain it; but it seems like each crew is doing a performance on a larger scale (with more members added to their crew). also, like mnet is ass and doesn't upload all the performances onto their channel..... they only upload the ones that were the most popular/had the biggest public reaction which is why i had a hard time finding the clips for the classes mission. hopefully they do from here on out.

another v long post. thank u again for reading and sharing ur thoughts! always love hearing them. (also, pls let me know if i'm oversharing. u mentioned not caring for the competitive nature and drama so i'm not sure if i was adding too much. there really isn't drama imo. mnet tries to do their best to edit and make it seem that way but when u watch the show, the girls truly root for each other and are friends.)

mnet truly has the worst camera angles i hate them so much. also why are they still streaming on a goddamn potato. the quality is SO bad i can barely see anything!! there's a lot of me complaining in this one i'm sorry in advance.

1. assistant class

i have to assume that whoever they chose as the main dancer is the one that stays in centre because i cannot tell from the clothing at all. i don't think she was a standout performer here, but also the camera and the fire effects are WAY too wild to actually get a good grasp on who even was the standout. i also have to assume that the dancers have no say in the design because design is not a big part of street dance and this kind of chaos screams m 'too-much-money-dont-know-how-to-use-it' net. they built this massive set, barely used it, and didn't leave enough room for the proper formation spacing!! ugh. i hope the judges actually got to see a locked off version of this without all that fire in front of the camera because if i were them i would be squinting down the end of my glasses like a grandma at the screen. that's what i was doing anyways but still.

2. leader class

i have to agree, i don't think noze stood out as the main dancer here. and geniunely i cannot tell that they embellished her costume more. like damn, that stylist took a masterclass in subtlety, because i was easily paying more attention to whoever was wearing those massive thigh high cutout garter stockings and woven bodysuit combo. i am assuming that the point of these challenges was probably to be noticed the most so that they can score points and pick who they went up against for the elimination round? i'm not entirely clear but my point remains; ngl i don't really like this method of creating performance because it means that no one is there to create a performance, yanno? troupe/group choreo like this thrives on teamwork to actually make it a good performance. i know it's a pretty classic method of weeding out people for auditions and stuff like that but personally i find it a wholly uncompelling viewing experience, especially when it's a fully produced stage like this. i know everyone very likely gets along behind the scenes but the incohesion of intent is very obvious. also what's up with the assistant class getting a massive set and the leaders getting a bunch of cars and some smoke pyrotechnics? i mean, i am glad they filmed it during the day, but i am confused by the disparity.

3. sub class

i wish i could describe how poorly mnet shot this. it's not a fucking mama stage, it's a dance stage!! we need to see the choreo properly!!!! and together!!! obviously i don't care about stitching together different takes for the final edit but just...not having a continuity at all in the choreo is a bit jarring. again, i am also not sure how one is supposed to evaluate how well these dancers did, because i can barely see what people are doing. or who the main dancers are. i know i'm railing a lot on mnet here but i can't give an accurate reading of the dancers because legitimately it is so hard to tell what's going on. if they want to bill this as a legitimate dance show, why are they shooting it like a kpop performance? the camerawork for kpop serves a specific function: to add to the visual spectacle and to highlight the idols' faces. you don't need either of those things for shoot choreography, so why do we keep getting closeups of dancers' faces? not that these dance videos aren't spectacle-y or fun, because they very much are, but they really suck at their one primary function, which is displaying the choreo.

4. x class

this is definitely the one where the camera work is the closest to what it should be, but then they go and fuck it up by adding rain! just the groundwater would have been fine, but noooo they had to add the extra rain so there would be extra water drops on the lens!! this is my favourite choreo of all four of these, i think there's the most cohesion and (excluding the rain) it's got a good mix of spectacle with the water and the blacklight and the right camera angles to show the choreo mostly well. i still don't understand why they cut in those sections that don't fit with the rest of the flow though. why. you could have one-taked this and it would have looked dope as fuck. i agree that lip j stands out the most, obviously it's her choreo so it's the best suited to her character and abilities.

---

if it wasn't a random lottery draw they should at least have the courtesy of showing people why who picked who!! that's the most interesting part! and i'm not that surprised about wayb being eliminated, prowdmon really stomped them into the ground with that revenge energy. i'm interested in this larger scale performances concept, because i'm not really sure what that looks like in this particular context. if they do end up on youtube i will review them! and you're not oversharing at all, the context is fine! i don't mind reading it as information, i just don't like actually watching it with my own eyes. i can't watch that kind of thing in reality tv because it makes me want to sit everyone down like a kindergarden teacher and go "ok, now why are we all yelling?". too many years of tense rehearsal conflict negotiation and i just want to whack everyone upside the head. it's not very cathartic for me lmao. i have no doubt that everyone is friends because dance scenes are small and i'm sure they've all worked together lots, but even just the editing sets off my fight or fight reflexes.

#street woman fighter #swf #swf reviews #yes i did mean fight or fight i have no flight reflex #i only know violence or advanced conflict management #go into theatre they said. costume design is fun they said #little did 18yro me know i was going to be yelling at actors for eating in costume and trying to convince directors out of stupid ideas #for 90% of my working hours #anyways swf anon i'm sorry this is mostly complaining and not really talking about the dancing #i will try to do more of that for the next episode #for a show supposedly about street dance there's not very much street dance? even the battles are kinda wonky #they dont follow the rules very well and theyre skewed waaaaayyyyyy more towards musicality/showmanship than technique #which is the opposite of how battles usually are graded. i know that it's likely because they don't have actual battle judges #(no disrespect to boa. but i don't think being a battle judge has been a career calling for her)#but its still a bit hmmm for me. i know the idols and the connection to the idol industry is probably what's bring in the views but #it is a very different industry than the street dance one #text #answers

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noona-clock · 6 years

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Please Subscribe - Part 5

Genre: AU/Fluff

Pairing: Hanbin x You

By Admin B

Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10

(A/N: This part is a bit longer, but I truly couldn’t break it up! Sorry [not sorry])

You’d told Hanbin to wait around until your meet and greet was over because you had some free time afterward; you two might as well film the video for your channel now, right?

Thankfully, your meet and greet had been nearing the end when Hanbin had shown up (you still couldn’t believe he’d done that), so you only made him wait about twenty or so minutes. You walked up to him after the last person in line had left, your lips pulled into a pretty huge, cheesy grin as you neared him.

“I honestly never even thought you would show up,” you told him. The shy smile on his lips was also a bit smug after you said this, so you knew he was proud of himself for coming up with such an ingenious plan.

And then you realized you two hadn’t officially, properly met. So you stuck out your hand, still beaming. “I’m Y/N, by the way,” you greeted.

“Nice to finally meet you,” Hanbin replied, shaking your hand. “I’m Hanbin.”

“It does feel like it’s been longer than three weeks since we started talking to each other, doesn’t it? But, anyway, I checked out the YouTube sponsored area yesterday, and there are tons of filming rooms. They’ve got lighting and backdrops and everything. Are you ready to film something now?”

“Yeah, absolutely,” Hanbin said with a slight shrug. “I’m ready if you are.”

You smiled yet again, though truthfully you hadn’t stopped since you’d seen him. “I just need to go up to my room and gather up what we’ll need.”

“We’re going to need stuff...?” he asked a bit suspiciously.

“Yes, we’re going to need stuff. Come on, you can come with.” You slid your arm through his, leading him over to the elevator and up to your hotel room.

“Is it okay if I vlog?” Hanbin asked as you searched in your purse for your room key.

“Oh, of course! Is this the video I’m in for your channel? Your vlog?”

“Yeah... I hope that’s okay,” he chuckled, his cheeks warming just a tinge. “I couldn’t think of anything else.”

“That’s perfect, actually! I love your vlogs the most, I think. Well, except for your songs. I really love your songs,” you gushed, sliding the card into the doorknob and opening it up.

“Well, thanks,” Hanbin murmured as he followed you inside. He turned his camera on and began recording you walking into your room. “So, this is how the other half lives...”

“I know, very luxurious, right?” you joked, gesturing to your unmade bed and your clothes from yesterday thrown on the floor. “We’re just here to pick up supplies for our collab video, though.”

Hanbin turned the camera around to face him, looking a bit nervous. “Ah, yes, the video... I have no idea what we’re filming, but apparently, we need supplies.”

“Should I tell you?” you asked, leaning against the doorframe leading into the bathroom.

“I mean, I’m going to find out eventually.”

“Very true. You’re going to do my makeup.”

Hanbin froze, staring at you. “I’m... what now?”

“You’re doing my makeup!”

He blinked a few times and then held back his laughter. “Okay, well, I hope you don’t have anywhere to go after this.”

“Oh, I absolutely do! We’re hanging out the rest of the day, of course,” you smiled before popping into your bathroom to take your makeup off and gather all the things he would need to do it again.

“Wait, you’re serious?” Hanbin asked, following you (and still filming, of course). “I’m doing your makeup? But you already have it on, and it looks really good! I’m going to do a terrible job!”

“It’ll be fine,” you assured him, turning on the faucet and pulling your hair up into a ponytail. “I trust you.”

Hanbin turned the camera back around to face him, looking extremely distressed. “She trusts me to do her makeup. I don’t know where that trust is coming from.”

You laughed, and a smile immediately pulled at his lips upon the sound. (Okay, he would probably have to edit that out so it wouldn’t be glaringly obvious he had a crush on you...)

As you proceeded to take your makeup off, Hanbin asked if he could help get your filming gear together. You thanked him profusely after telling him where your camera, microphone, and tripod were. Once he left to retrieve them, you quickly rubbed your cleansing oil over your eyes and lips so you wouldn’t look like a scary clown in front of him. You’d just met the guy, after all.

When your face was clean and moisturized, you grabbed your makeup case and began filling it up with the makeup you’d used earlier this morning. You had brought more than one of each product, of course, but you didn’t want to make Hanbin choose from everything. You wanted to go a little easy on him (if only to make him like you more).

“All right, I think I got everything,” Hanbin called out just as you were zipping up your makeup case.

“Me too!”

You stepped out of the bathroom, feeling surprisingly self-conscious about the fact you now had absolutely zero makeup on your face. You showed your bare face to two million people three times a week, so why would you be nervous about showing it to just one guy?

“Will it count as me doing your makeup if I just do nothing?” Hanbin asked, shouldering your camera bag.

“...No.”

“But you look better now than you will if I do it!” he chuckled, still trying to get out of this idea of yours.

“You’re going to do just fine,” you assured him, reaching out and putting a hand on his shoulder. “Come on, let’s go.”

He let out a sigh, but he followed you out of the room anyway.

You led him back downstairs to the YouTube area of the convention, showing security your issued badge and signing up for one of the filming rooms.

It took you guys about ten minutes to get everything set up - all the lights adjusted, the camera at the right angle, and all your makeup spread out on a table. You tended to take control in situations like this, but Hanbin was very good at following your directions. He certainly seemed as laid back as he did in his videos, but he was still a very hard-worker. Two very attractive qualities to you.

Before you sat down to start filming, you took a picture of the camera and posted it to your Instagram with the caption “About to start filming with @shxxxbi131!!!! Send us your questions!” You figured you could answer some subscribers’ questions in case neither of you knew what to talk about.

“Okay, you ready?” you asked Hanbin, pressing the record button on your camera and hurrying back to the table to sit next to him.

“Not at all,” he answered.

“Hello, lovely people!” you smiled, trying not to laugh thinking about how much Hanbin did not want to do this. “As you can see, I’m here with a special guest, and I’m way too excited to say more because Hanbin is going to be doing my makeup!”

Hanbin shook his head, hiding a smile as you clapped your hands with glee.

“If you’ve been living under a rock, or you haven’t been watching my videos for the past few weeks... Hanbin is a music YouTuber. He puts out amazing original songs, and he does reactions and vlogs, too. I’ve been, like, creepily obsessed with his channel lately, so I kind of forced him to meet up with me at VidCon and film something.”

“You did not force me,” Hanbin chuckled. “I came to your meet and greet all on my own, didn’t I?”

“That’s right! You guys, it was so cute earlier. I was doing my meet and greet which you probably saw on my Instagram story, and then all of a sudden, he was there! But you can see more on his vlog which I’ll link in the description box below.”

After a few outtakes, you finally got started with the whole point of the video: Hanbin applying your makeup.

“Okay, I know I’ve been complaining, but I think I can do this,” Hanbin said as he reached for one of your makeup brushes.

“Oh, yeah?” you asked with a slight smirk.

He nodded, rummaging through your products to find your foundation. “I’ve been watching your videos, so I have a pretty good idea of what to do. So... I’m starting with this stuff first,” he explained, showing the foundation bottle to the camera.

As he began to blend it out over your face, you grabbed your phone to check your Instagram. “So, right before we started filming, I asked you guys for some questions on Instagram. Should we answer some now, Hanbin?”

“Mm,” he hummed, his eyes narrowed in concentration as he swiped the brush across your cheeks.

“Okay, let’s see... Hmm... Ooh, here’s a good one: how do you make the perfect PB&J?”

Hanbin stopped blending to look at you in confusion. “What kind of a question is that?”

“A good one! My followers know I like random questions. You go first. How do you make the perfect peanut butter & jelly sandwich?”

“Okay...” He went back to blending before answering. “Get some potato bread, lots of crunchy peanut butter on both slices, then a thin layer of strawberry jelly in the middle.”

You gasped, turning to look at him fully and causing him to stop applying your foundation. “That’s my perfect PB&J, too!”

“Because it’s the perfect PB&J,” he replied, smiling at you.

Hanbin moved on to concealer, and you were very impressed with how he switched brushes to blend it out, blended it over your eyelids, and even set it with powder.

When he reached for your eyeshadow palette, you found another question, wanting to distract yourself from telling him which colors to choose.

��What did both of you do before YouTube? If you’ve been subscribed to me for a while, you’ll know I used to work at Sephora. All my co-workers would tell me I needed to do my own makeup tutorials, so one day I got out my phone and just did it. What about you, Hanbin?”

“Well,” he began, dipping into a light brown shade and sweeping it over your eye. “I was actually in a dance crew.”

You froze, pulling away just a little, forcing him to stop applying your eyeshadow so you could widen your eyes enough to sufficiently display your surprise. “You were what now?!” you cried.

“I was in a dance crew,” he blushed.

“Nuh uh! I want to see you dance!”

“Well, I mean... there are some videos on YouTube --”

“FIND ONE!”

You shoved your phone at him, your smile wide with anticipation as he pulled up YouTube and found a video for you.

“Here, this is one of the least embarrassing,” he murmured, handing the phone back to you. “Now close this eye again.”

You watched the video as he worked on your eyeshadow, your one open eye glued to the screen “Wait, is that you singing?”

“Yeah,” he murmured. “We started off dancing to popular songs, but then I started making my own, so that kind of kickstarted my YouTube channel.”

“Oh, my god!” you cried, smiling so widely your cheeks were starting to hurt. “You’re amazing! I didn’t know you could dance! And these guys are all so cute! Are any of them single?”

Hanbin froze for a second before resuming with your eyeshadow. “No, they’re all married,” he said quickly, obviously lying.

You simply chuckled softly before going back to watching the video. Good. Your not-so-subtle hint had had an effect on him.

You watched another video after that, and by the time it was over, Hanbin announced he was ready to do your eyeliner.

“Ooh, bold move,” you commended him.

“Well, you like to wear that little pointy eyeliner a lot, so...” He picked up your favorite eyeliner pen and scooted just a little closer.

“You really have been watching my videos.”

“Of course I have. Okay, don’t move.”

You closed your eyes, feeling him lean in, his hand resting gently on your cheek. Your heart was racing, and you had the strangest but strongest urge to just pucker your lips and kiss him. The feeling of him so close to you... the faint scent of his cologne... It was overwhelming.

When you felt the pen leave your eyelid, you whispered, “You smell really good.”

You heard Hanbin chuckle, and when you opened your eyes, you saw his shy smile and his pink cheeks.

“You can’t say stuff like that to me when I’m trying to concentrate,” he warned you, unable to stop smiling.

“Okay, sorry,” you apologized, biting your lips and closing your eyes again. No regrets, though.

Once he was done with your eyeliner and mascara (he refused to put on false lashes because he was afraid he would accidentally glue your eyelids shut), he picked up your contour palette to begin on your cheek makeup.

“Okay, let’s look for another question,” you said, getting your phone again. You scrolled through the comments on your picture, chuckling when you kept seeing the same thing.

“What’s so funny?” Hanbin asked as he brushed some bronzer on your cheek.

“I’m having a hard time finding a question because so many of them are like ‘you guys are so cute together, when are you going to date?’ So...” you simply smirked.

“Well, I doubt you’ll want to date me when you look in the mirror,” Hanbin laughed.

“What! Oh, come on, you really seem like you know what you’re doing! Besides, that’s definitely not a must-have for my boyfriend. I’d rather him be into his own thing than into my thing.”

“Yeah? Like what?”

“I dunno...” you shrugged. Should you just go for it? ...You should just go for it. “Like music or something.”

“What did I say about saying things like that?” he chuckled.

You simply shot him a little smile-smirk, wondering if you would have to edit that part out since you were so obviously flirting with him.

After he announced he’d successfully bronzed and blushed your cheeks, he reached for your highlighter. “This is your favorite part, so I’m going to just go for it.”

“It really is my favorite part! I like to --”

“Glow like a glowworm, which is probably the weirdest animal I’ve heard someone say they want to be like.”

You laughed, nudging his shoulder before he put a hand on you to remind you to be still.

“Sorry, sorry,” you laughed. “I’m terrible at this, aren’t I?”

“No,” he assured you, sweeping the highlighter over your cheekbone. “You’re not terrible at anything.”

You pressed your lips together to keep from smiling, but you couldn’t hold it back when Hanbin pulled away and examined your now highlighted cheek.

“Oh, yeah, that looks nice. Very pretty,” he murmured.

“Are you done?”

“Well, you always do lipstick last, but I’m really scared I’ll mess it up,” he laughed.

“You can do it! I believe in you!”

He sighed, thinking for a few moments... before reaching for your favorite purple lipstick. Man, not only had he watched your videos, he’d clearly paid attention to them.

The second he leaned in to apply the lipstick, though, you regretted the fact you’d urged him to do it. Having him this close to your lips? Not a good idea.

“Okay, not too bad... I think I’m done now,” he announced with a nod.

“Yeah? Can I look?”

“Yes, just let me get out of the room first,” he said, starting to get up from his chair.

“No!” you laughed, grabbing his sleeve and pulling him back. You reached for the mirror you’d brought, bringing it up to your face...

Okay, so it wasn’t good. But it wasn’t bad! You could definitely fix it! And man that highlighter! He hadn’t held back, had he?

“Look at that glow!” you cried, tilting your head around to get the full effect. “I’m into it! You did a good job!”

You set the mirror down, patting his shoulder and smiling at him.

“All right, guys,” you said, turning back to the camera. “I’m starving, so we’re going to go get some lunch. Don’t forget to check out Hanbin’s vlog linked down below, and give this video a thumbs up if you’d like to see more videos together!”

So, yeah... you hadn’t brought up doing more videos with him, but you wanted to, and you knew your subscribers would, too...

“I won’t have to do your makeup again, will I?” Hanbin laughed.

“No,” you assured him. “Not unless you want to.”

Once you’d successfully ended the video, you got up and turned the camera off and began to pack everything up.

“So... are we really going to lunch?” Hanbin asked as you were putting your makeup back in the case.

“Yeah! I mean, if you want to,” you replied. “I figured you’d want to film more for your vlog.”

Yes, that was the only reason. Not because you wanted to spend more time with him.

“Okay,” he said with a slight smile. “You can, uh... fix your makeup if you want to.”

“Hanbin, it really doesn’t look that bad! I wouldn’t mind being seen out in public like this.”

“Yeah, but I would. I don’t want to be seen with you looking like that.”

You reached out and hit his arm, giggling and hoping so hard you weren’t just imagining that he was flirting with you. Because you were trying your best to flirt with him.

Part 6

@cramelot, @sun-shinee-world, @daelicious-jongbulge, @yoyoyeola, @ankle-sockss, @ttelesilla, @katwangx! Here is part 5! Any other readers, let me know if you’d like to be tagged in the next update!

Master list // RULES // Submit a Request! // Read About the Admins

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bffhreprise · 6 years

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Entry 225

“Looks like we're all here. Jarod and Cosette, hop in the DB5 then. The rest of you in the limo, so you can ask any questions you might have after Alma apprises you of the situation.” ordered James, looking ready to rip someone's arm off.

Sis looked nervous, but I was sure things would be fine. Alma could handle about anything, and James was here. If the boss couldn't handle something, the city was in trouble. We sat in silence for a few after hauling into the vehicle, but Alma looked excited.

After the car was heading down the drive, she said, “What we’re about to do might well be dangerous for some of you.”

I wasn't entirely sure if she was being serious or not with how the twins smirked, but I was ready to rumble.

“The necromancer that has been plaguing this city has been discovered.” stated Alma, looking excited as she gazed at us all. “Mila, please show the footage from earlier.”

The television lit up, showing some old guy walking down a hallway. Was he in a hotel? He had a long coat over a large body. He seemed pretty friendly, but I didn't see the point of this clip.

“There. Did you see it?” inquired Alma as she looked around at us.

I was relieved to see that I wasn't the only one shaking my head. No one seemed to know what she was talking about.

Alma frowned, seeming unhappy about our lack of enthusiasm for this old guy. “Mila, please rewind and zoom in on the anomaly.”

I was really impressed with how much the camera zoomed without getting grainy. “Oh…” I muttered as I watched part of the man’s coat pass through a cart. How was I supposed to have caught that without knowing where to look?

“That, ladies and gentlemen, is quite obviously an illusion. Having noticed this, Mila increased her surveillance of this man and found this next clip.” explained Alma with a slight smile.

The next clip looked like it had been filmed on a potato in comparison. The old guy had a couple of friends strolling along with him. Did she think they were illusions as well? The guy looked plenty friendly to have a friend.

“Did you notice the odd gaits of the men who joined him?” asked Alma when the clip stopped.

As I shrugged, James quickly said, “They seemed a little stiff, but their movement wasn't that odd.”

“I'm with him, actually.” asserted one of the twins.

“Their walking wasn't that odd.” agreed the other.

Alma smiled and said, “Then watch them in this next clip.”

Another potato-quality video started playing. One of the old guys tripped and sprawled, but no one snickered. We all knew there was something here. My jaw dropped as I saw the man bend upward in the most freakish way before lurching after the other two.

“I suspect those two that joined our target are zombies covered in elaborate illusion spells. Even when the one fell, the clothing moved rather naturally. Yes, the clothing could be real, but I doubt our necromancer would bother doing dry cleaning for his creations.” explained Alma, looking pleased.

“Is this all?” asked James. Seeing her nod, he said, “I would hardly call this definitive proof of his involvement with the zombies though.”

Continuing to nod, she told him “Quite right, but I consider this plenty to question him. There are more clips of the three. Unfortunately, nothing much stands out in them.”

“Sorry, master, but many of the shops don’t have digital surveillance systems, at least not networked ones. If they had, I’d have accessed them.” explained Mila, sounding apologetic.

“If my suspicions are correct, he might well attack us when confronted. Assuming he does, I would like all of you to be on alert for more of his zombies. Obviously, you don’t want them to bite you. Though I doubt this man’s found a way to make the spells sustaining them contagious, they probably do carry disease. Furthermore, they’ll likely be far stronger than an average human. This man’s capabilities in constructing zombies are impressive. I’ve never heard of his match in this. Considering the explosions at the park, destroying the things at range is preferable.” explained Alma.

Without missing a beat, James said, “Hopefully, none of you will have anything to do, but remember that we are in public. The limo sticks out enough in some neighborhoods, so try not to draw additional attention.”

“Master, the man has entered a cemetery. There are people present nearby.” stated Mila.

James sighed and told her “Great. He’s probably out looking for fresh corpses.” Looking to the rest of us, he then said, “In case this is a man who truly is just out visiting the deceased, I still feel we should talk with him. Try to protect everyone if things get out of control. Portentia, I really don’t know how you get around town dressed like that, but you probably should wait in the limo unless things get messy.”

“Mila, will you please take care of any mobiles in the area should someone attempt to record something they shouldn’t?” asked Alma, though she sounded more like she was issuing a command.

“Of course, Lady Pendreigh.” replied Mila.

At first, I was excited. I never had dreamed that I'd get to fight zombies in real life! This was the type of thing Jarod and I joked about doing, not something I actually expected to try. As the discussion continued, the reality of fighting a rotting corpse destroyed much of my enthusiasm. These things had once been actual people.

I was sure I'd manage as long as none of the zombies exploded next to me. I had ways to heal small wounds quickly. I didn't know how well I could protect Brenna. Yeah, she had magic and knew how to fight now, but she couldn't heal up if she was injured. Even I might be in trouble if I caught some serious disease from them. The gravity of the situation was starting to get to me.

“Mila, stop the cars.” ordered Alma.

“What's wrong?” inquired James as he looked around inhumanly fast. “Ai? Mai? What are you doing?”

As he spoke, the twins rushed out of the vehicle. I started getting up. I needed to leave as well. Then suddenly, I looked at my hands and wondered what I was doing. I plopped back into the seat. Was I really about to walk off!? My head felt a bit weird.

“Ugh… he got us.” stated one of the twins as she looked back in the limo.

The other nodded and said, “Sorry, Lady Pendreigh.”

“I didn’t expect this either, so don’t be. Get back inside. We’re parking farther back. Mila, are there still people ahead despite the time?” asked Alma after the twins were inside.

“Yes, Lady Pendreigh.” answered Mila.

Then Alma asked “Girls, what were you about to do when you got out of the car?”

“We were just…” started one, stopping and looking to her sister..

“We were about to go home.” finished the other.

Yeah… that felt right to me, like I suddenly knew I was needed back at the mansion.

“Well, that’s convenient. There’s apparently some sort of warding spell to keep people away. The ones up ahead are probably zombies. I put a spell on all of you to counter the effect, but I want to look around before any of you get too close.” explained Alma. Then she stepped outside as the vehicle stopped again.

James sighed as he watched her, looking as if he didn't really want to be here. Whatever he decided, I'd follow him. He was the boss.

#Best Friend For Hire Reprise #Best #Friend #For #Hire #Reprise #Jovial Times #Jovial #Times #Fantasy #Fiction #Story

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