#we are free from the old drama that came with the show airing

[delladuck]

literally so happy about how awesome the ducktales/ duck fandom is at this point in time… like, wow, i’m so glad the ducks never left my brain because it feels much more free if that makes sense.

#we are free from the old drama that came with the show airing #community is so uplifting #thank you god #small fandoms for da win

[gunsatthaphan]

~ Monthly BL Breakdown: October 2023 ~ 

☔️ Happy November!!! 🍁

Disclaimer: ALL shows can be streamed here or here, as well as on Youtube and other platforms. For more info on where to watch what, check out this post! 

New breakdowns are coming at the end of every month - feel free to add stuff! -> previous breakdowns

What came out this month? (green = seen/currently watching)

🌟 Sasaki to Miyano - October 1st (Japan)

🌟 If It's With You aka Even If I Fall In Love With You - October 5th (Japan)

🌟 What Did You Eat Yesterday? Season 2 - October 6th (Japan)

🌟 Boys Like Boys (dating reality show) - October 9th (Taiwan)

🌟 Lucky Love - October 15th (Thailand)

🌟 GMMTV2024 lineup event - October 17th (Thailand) ✅

🌟 One Room Angel (manga adaption) - October 19th (Japan)

🌟 Bump Up Business - October 20th (South Korea)

🌟 My Dear Gangster Oppa - October 26th (Thailand)

🌟 The Camp Fire (part of Y Universe) - October 29th (Thailand) ✅

🌟 Shadow - October 31st (Thailand)

Monthly likes/dislikes

👎🏻 my rant of the month goes to the delulu ON stans and their fucked up actions like how messed up do you have to be fr. no idea where these peoples' common sense went but I hope this doesn't affect Kidnap in the long run. I'm excited for the show and I hope they can overlook the bullshit. I'm sure Ohm is used to it by now anyway but leave Leng alone ffs. big sigh.

New series & movie announcements

🎥 Dear Kitakyushu - Coming 2024 (Thailand/Japan)

🎥 1000 Years Old - Date TBA (Thailand)

🎥 Perfect Propose - Date TBA (Japan)

🎥 That Year 162 Rainfalls (novel adaption, by the author of HIStory: Trapped & Kiseki: Dear to Me) - Date TBA (Taiwan)

🎥 High Demand - Coming 2024 (Thailand)

🎥 The Hidden Moon - Date TBA (Thailand)

🎥 Eu Is Love - Date TBA (South Korea)

🎥 OMG Vampire (from the director of Dear Doctor) - Date TBA (Thailand)

🎥 Dead Friend Forever (a BOC original) - Date TBA (Thailand)

Other news from the BL world

❗️ FortPeat (Love in the Air) were announced as the leads for MeMindY's upcoming BL Love Sea. The drama will air in 2024.

❗️ BossNoeul (Love in the Air) were announced as the leads for MeMindY's upcoming BL The Boy Next World. The drama is considered a TharnType-spinoff surrounding Phugun & Cirrus and will air in 2024.

❗️ Dear Kitakyushu was announced as the first Thai-Japanese crossover BL movie. Mark Siwat and Uemura Souta will star as the leads; shooting has already begun. The film will air in 2024.

❗️ After rumors spread about an upcoming Thai adaption of the Korean BL Semantic Error, the author of the original novel came forward and negated the rumor.

❗️ The author of the adapted BL novels Triage and Manner Of Death announced that her novel Euthanasia will be adapted soon. It tells the story of a doctor who advocates euthanasia and becomes a suspect when mysterious deaths occur. One of the victims is the mother of an inspector who was battling cancer.

❗️ The first part of the GMMTV2024 lineup event was held on October 17th. The following BLs were announced:

We Are (starring PondPhuwin, AouBoom, WinnySatang, MarcPawin)

The Trainee (starring OffGun)

Summer Night (starring Phuwin & Dunk, with BL side cp)

Only Boo (starring SeaKeen)

Ossan's Love Thailand (starring EarthMix)

My Golden Blood (starring JossGawin)

Wandee Goodday (starring GreatInn)

My Love Mixup (starring GemFourth)

-> After initial confusions, GMMTV confirmed Kidnap to be a BL as well. The show stars Ohm Pawat and newbie actor Leng Thanaphon. This announcement however caused fans associated with the OhmNanon ship to protest publicly in the form of multiple LED ads across Bangkok, as well as public letters of complaint, shitstorms on Twitter and collective harassments on social media towards Leng. Neither of the actors nor the company have released a statement about the incidents yet.

❗️ Korean model and actor Nam Yoon Su was announced as the lead actor in the upcoming KBL Love in the Big City. Further details are yet to be announced.

❗️The Korean BL Unintentional Love Story is getting a spinoff revolving around the characters HoTae and DongHee. Filming is set to begin soon.

❗️ At the streaming event for the final episode of Love in Translation, the mains Daou & Offroad announced they will star in a movie together in 2024.

❗️ After winning the Be On Cloud reality show The Hidden Character, actors Ta Nannakun and Copper Phuriwat were offered the lead roles in the original Be On Cloud series "Dead Friend Forever", which was written by Sammon. The genre is described as 90's teen slasher horror. Filming has already started and the show is set to air on December 23rd.

Upcoming series & movies for November

👉🏻 Twins - November 3rd (Thailand)

👉🏻 Last Twilight - November 10th (Thailand)

👉🏻 Middleman's Love - November 10th (Thailand)

👉🏻 Beyond the Star - November 11th (Thailand)

👉🏻 Playboyy - November 16th (Thailand)

👉🏻 Pit Babe - November 17th (Thailand)

👉🏻 Wheels and Axle - November 17th (Thailand)

👉🏻 Bake Me Please (starring Ohm Thitiwat) - November 19th (Thailand)

👉🏻 7 Days Before Valentine - November 22nd (Thailand)

👉🏻 VIP Only - November 24th (Taiwan)

👉🏻 The Sign - November 25th (Thailand)

👉🏻 For Him - November 30th (Thailand)

👉🏻 Sahara Sensei to Toki-kun - November 30th (Japan)

👉🏻 Boy of God - November TBA (Thailand)

👉🏻 Wuju Bakery - November TBA (Thailand)

👉🏻 Online in Love - November TBA (Philippines)

#doreens monthly bl breakdown #thai bl #bl drama #upcoming bl #update #bl news #my personal highlights of this month: the semantic error rumors djkghfd #this literally started from fourth posting a picture with a suspicious haircut and ppl went crazy #i cant #every day we stray further from the light #also do we talk about the gmm lineup or..... #better not dflkghf #my only comment is that My Golden Blood is gonna be ridiculous and GreatInn sounds more like a motel than a ship sdkjhfds that's all thank

[adachimoe]

Random tidbits from Hashino's interview in the Persona Club P4 book

At the back of the Persona Club P4 fanbook, there's a 6 page interview with Katsura Hashino about the making of Persona 4. This interview is spoilerific and you have to cut the pages of the book to even read it lol. I have 0 desire to translate the entire thing (I don't trust myself with that, ngl), but here are some fun highlights from it related to Adachi. This interview/book was published in 2009, so before the anime aired, before Golden, before Arena, etc.

The identity of the true culprit - who filled Adachi's role before Adachi?

While developing the story, it originally had Izanami (Hashino very specifically mentions Izanami was planned since the start) and Namatame, and one of the themes was "how the characters get info". From what Hashino says, Namatame's role during this earlier stage in development sounds very similar to what we got in-game. Back then, he was considered the true culprit and he was well-meaning, but he lacked some pretty critical info. After Namatame, there would be the feeling that there was still someone out there, but that someone was Izanami, not Adachi.

The staff felt the plot was lacking, so they wanted to add in a stepping stone between Namatame and Izanami as an extra plot twist - a true, true culprit. And the first character who they considered for the role of the true culprit was................... not Adachi.

The very first candidate for the true culprit was Yukiko. Yup. This came from a half-serious, half-joking convo between Hashino and Soejima. Their reasoning for picking Yukiko was because in the Kindaichi Case Files, whenever there's a murder in the sticks, it's always the lady who runs the ryokan who's the culprit.

The next person who they considered was.......... Yosuke. They thought that because of how his character was shown as a decision maker with a good head on his shoulders, maybe he'd have a relatable reason for devising everything? They talked about making him a villain who would still be adored by players regardless. But Hashino was against the idea of having one of friend group as the culprit.

Ultimately, the reason why neither Yukiko nor Yosuke became the culprit was because their motives for murder would be too personal. Hashino thought that if it's murder driven by personal motive, then players won't be as invested. A personal motive would be too much like the "Tuesday Mystery Theater", a Japanese mystery TV show that was - from my understanding - character driven drama.

Hashino went back to the theme of "how the characters get info". At the time, there existed a person in the plot who's function in the game was to give the main cast information from the police's side. This character just so happened to give you info, and seemingly consequence free on their part - after all, what you did with the info after had nothing to do with them. They were careless. And Hashino followed this train of thought, thinking that kind of carelessness went well with antagonism.

Originally, Adachi was the aforementioned character. He was not the culprit, and he gave the characters info about the police's investigation. Following Hashino's train of thought, then the person who was giving away information would become this new culprit between Namatame and Izanami.

But there was an issue - if he was giving the main cast info about the investigation, then he would stand out among the adult cast, and him standing out might spoil that he's the true culprit. Thus, Hashino changed directions during development and started to create Adachi's character.

(See bottom of this post for a footnote about Adachi's old character design and some ramblings about his old role.)

The Thousand Curses and the Myriad Truths

Per Hashino, Persona 4 is about media literacy (no seriously it says media literacy in katakana wasei-eigo even). Izanami's Thousand Curses represents the lies of the media that humans believe in. The protagonist's Myriad Truths represents how, in this sea of misinformation and lies, you can only trust and believe in the words of those who are close to you.

(I suppose now is a good time to mention that the Japanese name for Myriad Truths is "Tens of Thousands of [Mantras / True Words]". A mantra is a phrase/word you repeat over and over, so it seems the Myriad Truths is a visualization of the protagonist unleashing all of the truths from his social links and bonds. All 10,000+ of them.)

Adachi's Given Name

Adachi's given name was not always Tohru. At first, it was Tamotsu, which is written 保. Hashino changed it to Tohru because the character for Tamotsu 保 could also be read Yasu when used as a name, and at the time, the staff was trying not to spoil who the culprit was.

Why would Tamotsu / Yasu spoil the game, though? Because "Yasu did it!" is an old ancient ur-spoiler meme thing from the 1983 adventure game the Portopia Serial Murders. Think of like... "soylent green is people", "Darth Vader is Luke's father", "Sephiroth kills Aerith", etc. Not only that, but the main character of Portopia is a detective, and Yasu is your buddy cop sidekick.

Hashino was already aware of the Yasu comparisons because one of the staff who read the script reacted by going, "So Yasu did it, huh?" But Hashino thought that Portopia was so damn old that gamers wouldn't know about it. Only turbo nerds working at Atlus know Portopia, right?

Wrong lmao turns out a shit ton of people knew about the Portopia spoiler. After character art of Adachi was released in a magazine promo for Persona 4, people reacted with, "Yasu did it", so Hashino very quickly changed Adachi's given name.

They had already recorded the audio for the game at this point, which included a line of Adachi saying, "I'm Tamotsu Adachi" when he introduces himself. Hashino had the audio team cut out him saying "Tamotsu", and this is why Adachi says, "I'm Adachi" and not "I'm Tohru Adachi" in April.

I'm sure there's an alternate universe where his name stayed Tamotsu and in that universe I am instead blogging about how you can read it as "Yasu" while explaining the Portopia Serial Murders. :')

Footnote Commentary

If you're familiar with the Persona 4 Design Works, Adachi's page mentions that originally during development, he wasn't the culprit but rather a misdirect. After his role in the story was revised to be the true culprit, Adachi's design was also revamped to be the design we know of today. But this red haired design was his original design back when he was apparently just a leaky faucet. I suppose since we know his name used to be Tamotsu, we can call this version of him "Tamotsu" lol.

Hashino doesn't really go into what he meant by "create Adachi's character", but I'm assuming since the Adachi character already existed in the plot, he meant like... "re-create" the character to fit this new role as the true culprit with this consideration about how he'd come off in the plot.

Hearing that the character originally gave you legit info about the police investigation is interesting, cause in the Design Works, opposite this page of Adachi's old design, Soejima also mentions that Adachi was originally a red herring. I can see how those go hand in hand - a guy feeding you accurate info? How would that not be suspicious?

I also get the impression that Hashino is indirectly saying that the Adachi we got in-game also feeds you bullshit, as to make him seem *less* suspicious, if him giving you legit info would make him more suspicious. Which, well, considering the first thing he says is, "Yukiko did it!" ...Hmm yeah okay lol.

I was pretty amused to see that Yukiko and Yosuke were names being tossed around to be the true culprit. Wild to see that the ancient internet rumors are actually true. Notably, Dojima is still not true. Very funny to read that the real origin was some partially nonsense convo between Soejima and Hashino where they're like, "Hey, so, about the Kindaichi Case Files."

The real moral of the story here is that Adachi is truly no one's first choice. Even his role as the true culprit was originally just a confused Namatame.

#persona 4 #tohru adachi #yukiko amagi #yosuke hanamura #izanami persona #taro namatame #interview #katsura hashino #shigenori soejima #日本語ヘタです #im going to be laughing about the yasu thing for a good year #adachi going “yukiko did it” when she was the first pick for the true culprit is really fucking funny #persona club p4

[waitmyturtles]

The Old GMMTV Challenge: The Master Post and Explainer

Updated: April 24, 2024

Hello! Welcome to The Old GMMTV Challenge (OGMMTVC), my personal syllabus and journey through the most important, and/or impactful, and/or seminal of Boys Love (BL)/Series Y dramas from Thailand.

I started watching Thai BL series in 2022 with the airing of KinnPorsche. From there, I dallied with shows that were referenced across Tumblr -- but I didn't dig into learning about the genre as a whole until I watched 2021-22's Bad Buddy, and was thoroughly moved by it in countless ways.

I subsequently learned that Bad Buddy was, in large part, constructed to communicate with tropes and expectations established previously by the genre. In order to get to a point where I could appreciate Bad Buddy in all of its historic glory, I therefore decided to start from the top -- to watch Thai BLs in chronological order so as to help me better understand the tentacles of this young genre. I was also impacted by a post from a BL Tumblr lifer, @absolutebl, who talked in 2022 about current shows by the GMMTV network, the biggest producer of BL dramas in Thailand, that were answering for mistakes made in the early Thai BL days.

Bad Buddy is a GMMTV show -- but in order to learn fully about the genre, I've created a syllabus of shows and movies that spans well outside the GMMTV network and sphere of influence. In the spring of 2023, I crowdsourced information about Thai BLs from the INCREDIBLE BL community on Tumblr, and came up with the syllabus below.

This syllabus is ever changing, especially as this young genre (which was arguably born in 2014 with the airing of Love Sick) continues to explore itself outside of its male-and-male romance genre boundaries, by centering women and/or non-binary individuals, and even leaving romance behind for horror, suspense, mystery, crime, and more.

Besides watching dramas on this syllabus, I'm also in the process of reading English-language books and articles about the Thai BL genre and its influences in Thailand and across Asia on queer and non-queer communities, as well as on the most marketed-to BL audience in young women. Links to reading materials are below the syllabus.

If you're looking to learn more about BL, this is but one resource to use. There's an incredible community of bloggers here with vastly more knowledge than me about the history of this genre. This is only my path, and I encourage you to explore the corners of Tumblr to create your own Thai BL journey!

The Drama Syllabus and Review/Meta Links

1) The Love of Siam (2007) (movie) (review here) 2) My Bromance (2014) (movie) (review here) 3) Love Sick and Love Sick 2 (2014 and 2015) (review here) 4) Gay OK Bangkok Season 1 (2016) (a non-BL queer series directed by Jojo Tichakorn and written by Aof Noppharnach) (review here) 5) Make It Right (2016) (review here) 6) SOTUS (2016-2017) (review here) 7) Gay OK Bangkok Season 2 (2017) (a non-BL queer series directed by Jojo Tichakorn and written by Aof Noppharnach) (review here) 8) Make It Right 2 (2017) (review here) 9) Together With Me (2017) (review here) 10) SOTUS S/Our Skyy x SOTUS (2017-2018) (review here) 11) Love By Chance (2018) (review here) 12) Kiss Me Again: PeteKao cuts (2018) (no review) 13) He’s Coming To Me (2019) (review here) 14) Dark Blue Kiss (2019) and Our Skyy x Kiss Me Again (2018) (review here) 15) TharnType (2019-2020) (review here) 16) Senior Secret Love: Puppy Honey (OffGun BL cuts) (2016 and 2017) (no review) 17) Theory of Love (2019) (review here) 18) 3 Will Be Free (2019) (a non-BL and an important harbinger of things to come in 2019 and beyond re: Jojo Tichakorn pushing queer content in non-BLs) (review here) 19) Dew the Movie (2019) (review here) 20) Until We Meet Again (2019-2020) (review here) (and notes on my UWMA rewatch here)

21) 2gether (2020) and Still 2gether (2020) (review here) 22) I Told Sunset About You (2020) (review here) 23) YYY (2020, out of chronological order) (review here) 24) Manner of Death (2020-2021) (review here) 25) A Tale of Thousand Stars (2021) (review here) 26) A Tale of Thousand Stars (2021) OGMMTVC Fastest Rewatch Known To Humankind For The Sake Of Rewatching Our Skyy 2 x BBS x ATOTS (re-review here) 27) Lovely Writer (2021) (review here) 28) Last Twilight in Phuket (2021) (the mini-special before IPYTM) (review here) 29) I Promised You the Moon (2021) (review here) 30) Not Me (2021-2022) (review here)

31) Bad Buddy (2021-2022) (thesis here) 32) 55:15 Never Too Late (2021-2022) (not a BL, but a GMMTV drama that features a macro BL storyline about shipper culture and the BL industry) (review here) 33) Bad Buddy (2021-2022) and Our Skyy 2 x BBS x ATOTS (2023) OGMMTVC Rewatch (Links to the BBS OGMMTVC Meta Series are here: preamble here, part 1, part 2, part 3a, part 3b, and part 4) 34) Secret Crush On You (2022) (review here) 35) KinnPorsche (2022) (tag here)  36) KinnPorsche (2022) OGMMTVC Fastest Rewatch Known To Humankind For the Sake of Re-Analyzing the KP Cultural Zeitgeist (part 1 and part 2) 37) Honorable Mention: War of Y (2022) (for the sake of an attempt to provide meta BL commentary within a BL in the modern BL era), with a complementary watch of Aam Anusorn’s documentary, BL: Broken Fantasy (2020) (thoughts here) 38) The Eclipse (2022) (tag here) 39) The Eclipse OGMMTVC Rewatch to Reexamine “Genre BLs” and Internalized/Externalized Homophobia in GMMTV Shows (watching) 40) GAP (2022-2023) (Thailand’s first GL)

41) My School President (2022-2023) and Our Skyy 2 x My School President (2023) 42) Moonlight Chicken (2023) (tag here) 43) Bed Friend (2023) (tag here) 44 La Pluie (2023) (review coming) 45) Be My Favorite (2023) (tag here) (I’m including this for BMF’s sophisticated commentary on Krist’s career past as a BL icon) 46) Wedding Plan (2023) (Recommended as an important trajectory in the course of MAME’s work and influence from TharnType) 47) Only Friends (2023) (tag here) (not technically a BL, but it certainly became one in the end) 48) Last Twilight (2023-24) (tag here) (on the list as Thailand’s first major BL to center disability, successfully or otherwise) 49) Cherry Magic Thailand (2023-24) (tag here) (on the list as the first major Japanese-to-Thai drama adaptation, featuring the comeback of TayNew) 50) Ossan’s Love Returns (2024) (adding for the EarthMix cameo and the eventual Thai remake)

51) Dead Friend Forever (2024) (thoughts here) 52) 23.5 (2024) (GMMTV’s first GL) (thoughts here)

Additional Reading Material

Dr. Thomas Baudinette, Boys Love Media in Thailand

Dr. Peter Jackson, Queer Bangkok

Intersections: Gender and Sexuality in Asia and the Pacific -- Issue 49, Thai Boys Love (BL)/Y(aoi) in Literary and Media Industries: Political and Transnational Practices, June 2023

#the old gmmtv challenge #ogmmtvc #i needed to make this post because my pinned drama accountability post is almost at its link limit lol #turtles catches up with thai BLs #turtles catches up with the essential BLs

[shh-nueklmn]

your acquaintance and first date with zb1

by the way, friends can go on dates too

a/n: I am writing for the first time and english is not my native language, but I hope you will like it

jiwoong

-you met on the set of a drama

-you were his makeup artist and complimented on his appearance

-as a result, you began to text and communicate more on the set

-i think jiwoong asked you out pretty quickly

-he was screaming inside, when you agreed, but didn’t show it

-you went to a restaurant after work

-he tried his best impression on you and acted a gentleman (maybe a little flirting)

-after a date, he took you by the hand and walked you home

- he might be a little shy at the next meeting, but then he became a typical jiwoong

zhang hao

-he saw you playing the guitar and made a compliment, but right away forgot about this situation

-but I guess it was a fate and the next time he asked for your number

-he rarely wrote first because he was busy, but always tried to answer quickly

-sometimes he called you after a hard day because your voice was soothing

-probably you were the first to ask out him somewhere

-he didn’t have much free time, so you just took a walk during your lunch break

-hao definitely called it a date and teased you a lot

-bought you a drink, even when you minded ("we have to go on another date so you can buy a drink back for me")

-told a lot of stories and sulked that you're so quiet

-at the end of the date, he gave you a peck the cheek and giggled at your reaction

-after that, he started flirting more in messages (“this wedding was so cool, but we have to do better”)

hanbin

-you met at a dance event

-you came up to tell him how amazing he danced and he showered with compliments in return

-"we should dance together" (as a result, you exchanged numbers and started seeing more often in the hall)

-once after practice, he offered to have lunch together (i don't think hanbin cares if it's a date or not, but if you ask, it will definitely become a date)

-you talked a lot and he often asked if you wanted to order something else

-he asked you to text when you are at home and you gave each other a high five goodbye

-in the evening he texted a big message where he said that you are an amazing person and he wants to get to know each other

-he became more tactile and softer through next meetings

matthew

-you were walking in the park with a dog, and he couldn't stand not to pet it

-he started asking a lot of questions and then told about his family's dog

-he offered you a walk with the pets together

-he was very active and your meetings were filled with laughter

-he asked you to call him oppa (when you did that, matthew was very shy)

-you were meeting with each other more and more often and you decided to ask him out

-at first he didn’t fully understand why you were without dogs, but happily walked with you

-when you mentioned that it was a date, he started thinking more about it (probably he was confused)

-on the next walk, he brought a small bouquet for you and he did his best (still trying to convince you to call him oppa)

taerae

-you met at your friend's birthday party

-you talked a lot in the kitchen and were surprised that you didn’t have a conversation before

-once taerae brought a guitar to a picnic

-during one of the songs, your eyes met and it felt like you were the only people in this world

-at the end of the picnic, you asked him out

-you went to the open air cinema for some old movie

-but you were more interested in talking and watching his dimples («sorry can I touch your dimple?»)

-insensibly you held hands and you put your head on his shoulder

-when you returned home you got a voice message in which he sang (taerae will do this almost every day)

ricky

-you met in a tattoo studio when he came to get a tattoo

-at first ricky flirted, but then he became too worried about the pain

-you noticed it and started to praise him and said that you would finish soon (oh no, I see how ricky is melting from the praise)

-it turned out you have a lot in common and finally he asked you out

-as a result, you went in modern cafe

-he tried to impress you and to be a cool guy, but then he relaxed and joked a lot

-ricky wanted to take your hand, but he was afraid it was too fast

-when the date came to an end, you stood awkwardly for a few minutes because no one wanted to leave first

-after that he often visited you in the studio and brought coffee

gyuvin

-you met in the game (I do not know anything about roblox, so there will be a genshin)

-he helped you once, but then began to constantly enter your world (teased that you can't do anything without him)

-once you called in discord and he just listened to your voice for a few minutes

-smiled broadly when you laughed at his stories

-offered to see with you, but he was too nervous (as a result, he came 10 minutes earlier and pouted that you were late)

-gyuvin was very shy and he was silent, but when you paid attention, he started joking more

-at the end of the date, he hugged you and didn't want to let you go

-when you left, he immediately started texting and wanted to see you as soon as possible

-he forced you to put paired statuses in genshin

gunwook

-you studied at the same school and you immediately noticed him (I mean, everyone said how kind and responsive he was), but you were too shy to take the first step

-finally, your friends told him that you wanted to get to know him and gunwook did it himself

-you met on break and he asked a lot about you

-it turned out to have a lot in common and you started having lunch together every day

-after a while, you dared to call him to the cinema after school

-in the end, all you thought about was gunwook sitting next to you and drawing circles on your palm

-after the movie he took you to a cafe and you ate a lot of french fries and laughed

-he walked you home and said he had a great time

-the next time you saw each other at school, he held your hand and whispered compliments

yujin

-you also met at school (I think it's too obvious)

-he asked your friends what you like and after a while chocolate milk began to appear on your table

-once you noticed how he did it, but yujin blushed and quickly left

-as a result, he started avoiding you until you texted him that want to hang out and talk more

-he denied calling your meeting a date (but really wanted it)

-you went to the arcade and every time he rejoiced his victory and stroked you on the shoulder when you lost (at first he worried about this, but then became more tactile)

-also he won a few toys for you

-you finished a meeting (date) in a cafe with bubble tee and argued about your favorite flavor

-after that, he started chatting with you more at school and chocolate milk appeared on your table again and again

#zb1 scenarios #zb1 reactions #zb1 #zb1 fluff #sung hanbin #kim jiwoong #zhang hao #seok matthew #kim taerae #shen ricky #kim gyuvin #park gunwook #han yujin

[oswlld]

Reveal Your Watch and Rewatch List

tagged by @talays-portkey (i don't tell you enough i LOVE UUUU) ♥♥ my last post was in april, so this is an update

watching

ms marvel (eng, s1) —  i have one more ep to catch up on and then the finale this wed. this show is so light and charming, vastly due to iman vellani’s portrayal as kamala khan. the production is super impressive and the drawings/sketches are contained very well. it doesn’t shy away from the cliche (affectionate) turmoils of superhero origin story, but it never feels cliche (derogatory). my experience with marvel boils down to one goal: me having a great time. and i’m having a blast!

with kinnporsche completed last sat, i don’t have a bl/drama in progress.

planning to watch

what we do in the shadows (eng, s4) — this is probably the only show in the last several years, besides doctor who, that i watch live on cable on the days they air (in this house, we dvr if we need to miss some eps rather than streaming it). what else is there to say other than i miss my deranged vampire family and their vampire hunter husband.

vice versa (thai, premiering) — so ready to be unhinged and feral about this, i can’t believe its almost here!!!! i still haven’t watched the mv and the bts, but will hopefully get around to it before it airs this sat. did i mention it airs this saturday? if anyone outside of the bl world actually wants to know what its about, just imagine a reality where those who experience (accidental??) death are revived in another body in an alternate universe. their conscious is still their own but the physical body could be any random person of that world. and the only way back to your world comes with layers of emotional connections for both your world and the present AU world. she’s bonkers, she’s complicated, i’m watching her live as well.

old fashion cupcake (jpn, s1) — this is a last min add, replacing mr unlucky. this came thru my dash unexpectedly and peaked my interest immediately. i am going into this cold turkey, relying on the very little info i have gathered through gifs. from what i can tell thus far, it’s a 5-ep bl that deals with an age gap and first experience in same-sex attraction. the biggest draw for me is the aging of the characters/story. it’s refreshing to witness a love story beyond people in their 20’s. i want more!!

i still keep up with this watchlist, feel free to take a look at what's beyond july

rewatching

sense8 — i do this almost every year, or at least jump around between my fav eps/scenes when 8/8 comes around. this year, i am making an effort to get another edit or two out of it. i’ve made a birthday edit before, so i am still brainstorming ideas (maybe a character set for each child?)

this is the only sched rewatch on my calendar. i stated in my last post that i don’t make it a habit to rewatch shows in full, even moreso with my watch sched.

--

tagging @lulabo (would love to see an update pretty please!), @epiphanjins (im actually considering extraordinary attorney woo!), and @dramaism (bringing it back!)

#tagged #vishingwell #this is jessi #todramaism #let's revisit in Oct someone pls tag me again lol #don’t be surprised if i have bad buddy on my calendar right at the end of the year lol #i’m not sentimental pfft

[gaybabything]

Nooppeee I don't have the money to go to any professionals about it atm, but I do definitely want to one day.

Also, yeah I miss high school a lot. Junior year I was in band and drama and had a bunch of really good teachers and friends. It was so fun! My... senior year was also the COVID year so it got all messed up. So, I really liked it before then? Elementary was a whole other mess- I was bullied pretty bad so that wasn't very fun.

Do you have any stories that nobody would belive unless they were there to see it? How about any place that makes you really happy/nostalgic? (The woods behind my old childhood home is full of little secrets that make me happy and remind me of my childhood ^-^)

-🌻

The RAADS Test is a free online assessment! I highly recommend taking it! My score was 211, and I make like all of my friends take it to compare scores :)

Just last week I was in our auditorium after school to help work on some props for our next show. It was me and 1 other person, and we were on the stage getting ready to leave. Then, we heard what sounded like someone running down the aisle towards the stage. But there was just no one there. All the lights were on, the entire building fully lit, and we were center stage so we could see the entire house. It sounded like someone just full on sprinting from one side of the seats to the other, then up and down the aisles, and just all over the house. And this is a VERY distinct sound. You literally can not mistake it for anything else. There was no one there. No one was in the curtains/backstage, no one was in the house, no one on the catwalk, no one in the pit, and no one was in the entry way. We were the only people in the entire building. While we were looking around and calling out for people the sound never stopped. It moved all over the house and didn't stop until another one of our classmates came in through the side door that led outside. It stopped as soon as they reached the stage. Never experienced anything like that in the 3 years I've been helping in this auditorium before. I'm just assuming it was a ghost cause we don't have another explanation for it, and theaters tend to be haunted ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Our old theater teacher was also a massive asshole who would make kids do crazy stupid things, like carrying a giant 3.5ft by 8ft solid wooden door up an actively falling apart ladder 15 feet in the air. (Yes that actually happened, we were genuinely shocked no one got killed.) And he required we put in a number of after school hours, which would lead to kids being forced to stay past 1 a.m. on school nights or he'd fail them. He once made us all stay til 2 a.m. on a school night to finish a strike because he didn't want to deal with it in the morning, and threatened to fail the kids if they left (we believed him, cause he'd done it before). I would not be surprised if he did kill someone in that auditorium and now it's haunted.

As for nostalgic places? Definitely the roller rink in my town :) Hasn't changed at all since way before I was born, and it's always really fun! And also the museum in my town! I've been volunteering there since I was little and it's kinda like a second home! The soccer fields are also nice to go to every now and then, since I grew up playing there :)

Have you ever had to go to the ER? (I've been twice, at age 3 and age 5. The only thing I really remember is that the beds were super comfortable. Also it's ok if you don't want to answer this one!)

Do you have any crazy stories? Or any stories you want to tell that are even semi interesting? I just love hearing stories 💛💛💛

#🌻

[stardewlily]

Chapter Seventeen of My Everlasting Light

A Stardew Valley fan fiction about the relationship between Sebastian and my farmer, Lily.

Synopsis: The town's harvest festival and an unexpected fortune telling brings friends and family together

Cast: Original Female Character, Sebastian, Evelyn, Robin, Demetrius, Sam, Abigail, Welwick, other villagers mentioned plus a special surprise character (not telling, you have to read to find out!)

Contents: Established Relationship (Engaged), Family & Friendship Dynamics, Village Festival, Drama, Love, Romance

Warnings: None

A Sweet Harvest Gift

Sebastian smiled as he watched Lily arrange their festival display. Their wedding was only a week away now, they'd scheduled it so that the rush of harvest would be over and they'd be free to relax and enjoy it. He tried to imagine how it would feel to be her husband. Warmth spread through him at the thought of it and at the sight of her, dressed so simply in jeans and a soft rust coloured sweater, strands of dark auburn hair waving around her face in the crisp October air.

She was so beautiful, even while she was working. He couldn't help himself, he moved behind her, slipped his arms around her waist and laid a soft kiss on the curve of her neck. He heard her sigh and then she stopped her work and leaned back against him. He could feel the tension in her body and pulled her closer, happy beyond all belief when she softened a little in his arms. He wondered if he would ever get tired of holding her, of knowing that his touch could have that effect on her.

"Are you okay, baby?" he asked. He knew she had been feeling down since the news about her mother and he also knew how nervous she got at festivals. Truth be told, he'd wanted them both to stay home today but Lily had wanted to attend and he knew better than to try to talk her out of it. Showing the village the fruits of her labours was important to her, she wanted everyone to see just how well her grandpa's farm was flourishing under her care.

"I'm all right, Sebby," she folded her arms over his. "I just… I wish my mom was coming to the wedding, that's all. I thought she might go against him just this once. I so badly wanted her to see the farm, too… but… well…" her head dropped slightly.

"I know. I wish she was coming too but we both know how your dad is. It's hard for her to leave."

She sighed more heavily and his heart ached for her. Before she moved to Pelican Town Lily's life had been full of abusive relationships. Fortunately, she had been able to escape them. Her mother had not been so lucky. Still locked in a life with her alcoholic husband, ruled by a mixture of fear and learned apathy, Lily had known it was too much to expect for her to break away to attend the wedding but she had been unable to stop herself from hoping anyway.

"Oh my," a sweet, quavering voice interrupted their concerns and they both looked up to see Evelyn approaching their stall, tapping her walking stick in front of her. "How nice it is to see young people in love!"

The tiny old woman beamed up at them from beneath her fruit-bedecked autumn hat. "Good morning Lily and Sebastian, I just came to see your display and to tell you how much George and I are looking forward to your wedding. It's been so long since we had a new marriage to celebrate in town!" She waggled her cane amiably in Lily's direction. "My my, just look how pretty you are, you'll make such a beautiful bride! How happy your grandpa would have been to see it! Why, I remember when you were just a little tot come to visit his farm and now look at you, all grown up, taking over the very same land, about to be wed, and to such a handsome young man to boot!"

"Thank you so much, Evelyn," Lily smiled at her enthusiasm. "I like to think gramps would have been happy too."

"Oh he would, he would. George and I often say how proud he would be of you. You've already done so much since you arrived here. Now, did you plant those rose bushes I gave you for your engagement gift?"

"Oh yes, they're already centre place in our flower garden."

"You didn't forget to give them plenty of mulch, did you now?"

"They're all tucked in," Lily laughed.

"Good, good," Evelyn joined her in her laughter.

Sebastian caught sight of his mother frantically waving at him from over near her stall and dropped his mouth to whisper into Lily's ear.

"Judging from the fit my mom's having over there I think she wants my help, will you be okay without me for a while?"

She flashed him a bright little smile. "Of course, Sebby. I'll be fine."

"You're sure?" He didn't feel entirely convinced. Besides which, he could see Marnie, Shane and Jas approaching and really didn't want to leave her to deal with so many people on her own when she was already feeling so fragile.

His mom gestured more violently and he grimaced, torn between responsibilities.

"Really, I'll be fine. Your mom deserves a little help after ferrying all my stuff here in her truck!"

"All right. Evelyn, I'm sorry, my mom needs me." The old woman smiled indulgently at them as he turned to Lily, slipped his arms around her and pulled her close. "I won't be long. Don't overdo things. If you need me, for anything at all, just come and get me, okay?" He bent his head and kissed her gently, then, on hearing her sweet little whimper, kissed her again. "Ah, it's so hard to put you down!"

Lily smiled and brushed her fingers fondly through his hair. "You'd better go before I change my mind," she whispered, lips still grazing his.

He huffed out a soft little laugh, stroked her face and kissed her one final time before reluctantly letting her go. He smiled his greetings to the ranchers who had just arrived and hurried over to where his mom and Demetrius were busy arranging their own stall, desperately wanting to be done as soon as possible so he could be back with his Lily once more.

"Oh, thank Yoba you saw me, Sebby," his mom drooped with relief when she saw him approaching. "I'm so glad you're done at Lily's display, we could really use the help over here!"

"Well, Robin," Demetrius teetered on a chair as he struggled with the stall's banner, "you simply had to bring half your workshop with you! What did you expect?"

"I need as many new customers as I can get," Robin pouted up at him. "And it was so hard to decide what to bring."

"You didn't need to bring all of it!"

"Not all of it, you said half!"

Sebastian rolled his eyes as his parents continued their bickering and started lifting various pieces of his mother's hand crafted furniture off the back of her truck. "Where do you want this?" he asked, hefting a carefully carved shelf.

"Oh, put it on the left hand side, I'm trying to set up a little faux living room over there."

"Okay." He wondered where Maru was as he continued ferrying piece after piece into place. He wished he had her talent for always managing to be elsewhere whenever there was any heavy lifting to be done. He swallowed his complaints as usual, knowing that Demetrius would have an excuse ready for her.

"How's Lily doing?" his mom asked as she busily pinned some price charts to the front of her stall. "She seemed a little upset on the way over here. Is something wrong?"

Sebastian frowned and looked over at Lily who was now doing her best to maintain a cheery conversation with Marnie and Shane while carefully putting back into place all the things Jas kept taking from her stall.

"Yes, it is," he said, still watching her, wondering how she managed to stay so sweet and patient despite her anxiety. "She really wanted her mom to be here for the wedding but she's not going to be able to make it."

Robin looked over at him, eyebrows raised. "Well that's a shame, no mother should miss her daughter's wedding. Why can't she come?"

He tore his gaze away from his love and turned back to his mom. "Ah, it's complicated. You know how Lily's father is…"

"Yes, I think I remember you mentioning it a few weeks ago…" Robin let out a frustrated cry and dragged Demetrius off his chair. "Dear, you're hanging it back to front! Ah, if you want something doing right, do it yourself!"

Sebastian frowned, was this really that much more important than what he was talking about?

"Oh, I'm sorry, Sebby," his mother said distractedly as she climbed up onto the chair and started reeling in the misaligned banner. "Try not to worry about it too much, I'm sure it'll sort itself out somehow."

Sebastian's frown deepened. He was used to being brushed off but he'd honestly thought his family had been changing for the better lately. "Well," he said hesitantly, "if you don't need me anymore, I'll get back to Lily."

"Yes, yes," his mom waved a vague hand in his direction. "We can manage now, thanks for your help."

"Okay then…" Sebastian started to make his way back towards Lily's stall, unable to see her at the moment due to the bustle of people now milling around as the festival began to take off. He felt a little deflated after his conversation with his mom and, seeing Sam standing in line at the fortune teller's tent, called out a greeting, hoping a little friendly interaction would make him feel better.

"Yo dude!" Sam saluted him. "Did you know Abby's back from Zuzu? I think she's over by the displays now."

Sebastian felt a jolt of alarm run through him. She wasn't looking for Lily was she?

"Don't worry," Sam caught his expression. "She seems much better now. I think the move to the city's done her some good."

"I'll head over that way." For some reason he didn't feel reassured by those comments. His parents had done a real number on him. Crazy how something so seemingly inconsequential could change your mood so quickly. "I'll catch you later, okay?"

"No problem!"

Sebastian pushed his way through the growing crowds wondering why the hell so many people were here for a small town harvest festival. Dammit, they were everywhere! Where was Lily? And, more to the point, where was Abigail?

"Hi, Lily."

Lily jumped and turned to find Abigail standing next to her stall. The goth girl looked a little bashful and seemed to be struggling for something else to say. For some reason Lily didn't feel quite so intimidated by her as she normally did and tried to find a way to lighten the mood a little.

"Hi Abby, it's good to see you back in town! What do you think to the displays? I think your dad's probably going to win again, I tried my hardest but…"

"Oh, yours is good too," Abigail rushed her words and then blushed. "I mean… your pumpkin is awesome, I've never seen one that big before!"

"You think so?" Lily smiled, it was nice to actually talk to the girl without her usual resentful attitude spoiling things. "Would you like it after the festival is over? Your mom says you're really good at carving them, I'd love to see what you'd make of it."

"Oh…" Abigail twirled her hair around her finger and looked down at the ground. "Ah… dammit… Sam is always right." She looked up again. "Lily," more hair twirling. "I want to apologise… for being such a bitch when you first moved here. I was just jealous and I shouldn't have been. I should have been happy for you and Seb. Sam has told me a lot about you, that you were really nice and if I gave you a chance I'd like you… and… well… I'd like that chance, to get to know you I mean…"

"I'd like that too."

"You would?" Abigail looked surprised.

"Of course, I never wanted to be on bad terms with you, you're one of Seb's friends after all."

"He still wants to be friends with me?"

"He does when you're being reasonable like this."

They both turned to see Seb approaching. Lily looked up at him thankfully as he moved behind her and put his arms around her again. Even though he'd only been away a short time, she'd missed him. He'd looked a little worried as he'd approached them but she was relieved to see the furrow in his brow soften slightly when he saw Abigail all smiles. He still seemed a little uneasy though and she made a mental note to ask him what was wrong as soon as they had a minute alone.

"It's nice to see you, Abby," he said. "It looks like Sam was right, the city has done you some good. What have you been up to?"

"Oh, nothing much, y'know, started Uni, bought my first car, started dating a really cute guy."

"Ah, is that why you're so chill now, you finally getting some?"

"Fuck you!" Abigail punched him on the arm and he laughed. "It's good to see you, too, you asshole," she said. "Both of you. And thanks for the wedding invite…" she looked down, "…that really meant a lot to me. Hey, why don't I treat you both to getting your fortune told?" She looked up again with a grin on her face. "See what a great married life you've got ahead of you?"

Seb looked down at Lily. "What do you think, baby? I don't know if I really believe in all that stuff but…"

"She's really accurate!" Sam chose that moment to arrive by their side, massive pizza box open in one hand. "She just told me I'd have a lucky find and I saw this stall selling giant pizzas not five minutes later!"

"That's probably not what she had in mind, you dork!" Abigail laughed.

"Does that mean you don't want a slice?"

"I didn't say that!"

"Go ahead," Sam grinned as Abigail snatched a piece. He offered the box to Seb and Lily. "There's enough for everyone, I like to share my good fortune!"

He waved a hand at Welwick's tent as they helped themselves.

"Come on, let's head over there. I'd love to know what's in store for my best friend and his wife to be!"

Sebastian felt some of his worries lifting as they approached the bright red tent. Colourful flags snapped from its peak and the sounds of his friends laughing along with Lily eased his mind. Yoba knew, it had taken a long time for Abby to come around but it seemed that finally he could have his full set of friends back again. He looked at the smiles on their faces and remembered he hadn't told Lily about the weird little conversation with his mom yet. Ah well, there would be time for that later. He was probably just being over sensitive. For now he was just going to try and enjoy himself.

"Go on you two," Abigail was bouncing slightly as she gave them their tickets. "Go ahead and see what she says but you have to promise not to tell me afterwards, no matter how much I might ask, or it won't come true!"

Sebastian took Lily's hand. "You ready for this, sweetheart? Wanna see what weird pyrotechnics she's got set up?"

"I think so," she said with a wry smile. "Though I don't think we can possibly get as lucky as Sam!"

"You know, I think I'm gonna go get another one," Sam looked thoughtful. "Anyone fancy pepperoni this time?"

"Just ignore him," Abby rolled her eyes and flapped her hands at them, urging them into the tent. "Go on, get in there!"

They both laughed and entered the tent. It was much darker inside than out and for a moment Sebastian felt completely disorientated, then his eyes adjusted and he saw a small table with a crystal ball on top and the hooded figure of the prophet Welwick sitting behind it.

"Please sit down," her voice was soft and sweet, a curious contrast to her shaded face. There was only one empty seat in the tent and he sat down on it and pulled Lily gently into his lap, trying to quell his sudden jitters in the mysterious atmosphere.

"I usually wouldn't tell a joint fortune," she continued, " but I sense something different about the two of you so I shall make an exception in this case. Please, I would like you both to concentrate on the crystal in front of you, try to let your minds relax and I will read what unfolds…"

Lily let out a little sigh and he held her closer, the air in the tent seemed to condense around them and he could have sworn he heard the sound of leaves rustling in the distance.

"Ah," Welwick lifted her hand and placed it on the ball. "How lovely, such beautiful colours I see right now, it seems I was right to read you jointly!"

The scent of fruit and flowers drifted through the air and Sebastian couldn't help but look around. Where the hell were all these things coming from?

"The colours are coalescing… I see a rich farm, bursting with life, trees with many fruits hanging from their branches. A beautiful garden full of flowers, the two of you are sitting hand in hand, surrounded by drifting petals, you seem so very happy together."

A soft glow filled the tent and Welwick looked up at the two of them, he could see her face now and her eyes were as expansive as the sky.

"I see this happiness stretching far into the future, like a trail of endless stars. I have never seen a light quite like the one that surrounds the two of you." She stood and extended her hands to both of them. "I would wish you all the luck in the world going forward but I know you will not need it. You already have all that you need in each other."

Seb raised himself and Lily to their feet, wondering why the hell he was shaking so much. He took Welwick's left hand at the same time that Lily took the right and the prophet let out a soft laugh at their touch.

"You two have been the highlight of my day. I have one more thing to tell you. A wonderful surprise awaits you outside my tent. Please go forth and give thanks to your friends and family for their sweet gift."

Seb and Lily exchanged a confused glance before turning and leaving the tent.

"What on earth could she have meant?" Lily asked and then her voice trailed off into a little gasp at the sight that greeted her eyes.

"Hello darling," her mother smiled and held out her arms. Lily's hand flew to her mouth, a disbelieving sob tore from her lips and then she flung herself into her mother's embrace crying so hard she could barely see.

Sebastian rocked on his heels and turned to see his family, Sam and Abigail all grinning widely at him.

"You really think we're that heartless?" his mom laughed delightedly, even Demetrius smiling at the reunited couple. "It was Abigail's idea but we were all in on it! Maru went to pick her up this morning. Lily's mother is going to be staying with us for a while now… until she can make a new start, that is."

"Mom?" Lily looked into her mother's eyes. "Is it true?"

"It is," her mother took out a hanky and started mopping her face. "I thought it was time for me to be as brave as my daughter. I'm so sorry about everything, love."

"Oh mom!" Lily started to cry again and Sebastian stepped forwards to take her into his arms.

'Thank you,' he mouthed at his friend.

"I owed you," Abigail said softly, a sea of emotions in her gaze.

Sebastian laid his cheek on the top of Lily's head and cradled her gently as she turned to him and sobbed into his chest, her mother laying a tentative hand on her back at the same time.

"It's all going to be okay, Lily," they said as one, smiling in surprise as they echoed each other's words.

Sebastian closed his eyes and and offered up his gratitude for his friends and family. Thanks to them their wedding day would be more perfect than ever.

Read Chapter Eighteen

Cute little page dividers by @chachachannah / Boring old plain green ones by me!

#stardew valley sebastian #sdv sebastian #stardew sebastian #sebastian stardew valley #sebastian sdv #sebastian stardew #stardew valley sebastian fanfic #sdv sebastian fanfic #stardew sebastian fanfic #stardew valley sebastian fanfiction #sdv sebastian fanfiction #stardew sebastian fanfiction #stardew valley fanfic #sdv fanfic #stardew fanfic #stardew valley fanfiction #sdv fanfiction #stardew fanfiction #stardew valley sebastian x original female character #sdv sebastian x original female character #seb x lily

[j-graysonlibrary]

The Xiang Chronicles: Book Four Chapter 27

Title: The Xiang Chronicles: Book Four

Author: Jay Grayson

Word Count: 118k

Genres: Fantasy, adventure, drama, LGBT+

Available on: my website

Synopsis: In order to save the world from the continuous subjugation and potential annihilation at the hands of Tiandi, hard lines must be drawn. The Great Spirits that were imprisoned ages ago must be unsealed and awakened, no matter the consequences.

The players are divided—those who stand blindly with Tiandi, such as Xiang Merra and her disciples versus those who want to tear the system down and give the power back to the people. Even a few of the most religious Lords change their minds when they learn the truth of the world—that Tiandi is no more than a dictator with no love in his heart.

It is up to the last, real Xiang and the ill-fated Chaaya to put everything they have into tearing God from his throne and creating new possibilities for the future.

Full chapter 27 under the cut

Chapter XXVII:

In spite of everything that had happened, Lord Dio still greeted everyone with a big smile on his face and wide open arms. His wife showed a more serious expression at his side—crossing her arms and regarding Pangu with worry and some lingering confusion.

“Hello again,” Pangu said and faltered immediately afterward, not quite sure what to say next.

Luckily, Viren was there. “I trust the letter Alf sent you went over all the important details? If not we can go over them now.”

Pangu sighed in relief at having his thoughts articulated for him. “Yes.”

“That would be unnecessary,” Dio responded, “We are here to free and meet Gnome right? And, afterward, you will be going to Agni for Salamander and then confronting that new Xiang head on, correct?”

“That is the plan, yes.” Pangu nodded.

“Then what else do we need?” The lord gestured widely and laughed.

Evie, however, pinched the bridge of her nose. “You seem to be overlooking the fact that the old Xiang is back from the dead.”

“Does it matter how it happened?” Dio challenged, “He is here and he is helping. And we can help him to help us. That helps our people and the world. The little details do not matter at the moment.”

Pangu could see the frustration in Evie’s face but, from her perspective, there was probably no use trying to convince her husband. He had seemed to have made up his mind about the matter. If they had more time, Pangu would have sat down with her to answer her questions but the looming cloud overhead, metaphorically speaking, crept ever closer.

“So, we ready to go?” Kira asked, breaking up the momentary silence.

“I am.” Dio set his hands on his hips, pushing his chest out.

“If he is then so am I,” Evie seconded. Her defensiveness dropped and she shook her head. “Besides, I am curious to see the great Gnome for myself.”

Pangu wondered if Alf and Oli had included in their letter the fact that the Great Spirits, so far, had been choosing people to form a link with. And that link was strongly tied with a sort of divine rule.

He looked between the lords in front of him and thought if Viren was, simply, so sure that Gnome would choose Dio that he was not mentioning it.

Who Gnome formed a link with did not matter as much to Pangu. He trusted everyone in the group and, obviously, believed that most everyone there would make a fine lord. His point of concern came with whether or not they would be able to convince Dio to involve himself or his people in the upcoming fight.

It would make sense if they wanted out, entirely, but having their backup would really bolster morale. Plus, if Dio or Evie were picked by Gnome, they would need to be there in order to summon the spirit.

Still, no one made any note of those particulars as they walked to the monument.

There were more villagers out and about, many of whom were excited to get a glimpse of Dio. The lord waved and chatted in Foi’rra to a few people, receiving all sorts of reactions. Giggling, waving, fists pumping in the air.

At least the atmosphere in the village itself was cheery, Pangu tried to tell himself.

A group of children crossed them on the last leg of their trek to the arrowhead, their hands full of toys and their eyes filled with delight. They talked so fast that Pangu could not have picked out a single word if he wanted to.

He looked to Kira and then Viren who both seemed just as lost. Oli, on the other hand, chuckled to himself so he might have caught a few words they did not.

Alf kneeled down closer to the kids and spoke a few, slower, lines in Foi’rra. “No ho sentu. No finerous, okay?”

The kids, collectively, pouted. “Okay.”

One of the girls threw up her hand and waved. “Bye.”

Dio patted her on the head and rattled off more fast paced Foi’rra that Pangu could not follow. Whatever he said, however, made the kids laugh and they all ran off in a hurry.

“Alright, Pangu, we are ready,” Alf stated once they were alone and in front of the dark stone.

All eyes were on him suddenly and his hand twitched at his side. He had encountered no trouble creating a portal to the spirit realm until that moment—his body refused to cooperate.

“Does it require a lot of concentration?” he heard Evie whisper after a few moments when he had yet to move.

Pangu’s brow furrowed and he tried to force himself to move. Then, a hand landed on his shoulder.

The thin, strong fingers pressed along him before Viren’s voice reached his ear. “You are alright. We are all with you, okay?”

“Nothing is going to happen to you while we are in there with you,” Kira seconded, also keeping his voice down. He did not grab onto Pangu like Viren did but he did not need to.

His words were enough.

Pangu took a deep breath and finally reached out, forming a circular motion with his right hand. As the light blue, shimmering portal appeared, Dio and Evie both murmured with interest.

“So, we just walk through?” She asked once Pangu stepped to the side.

He nodded. “I go last.”

“I will go first,” Kira offered, “That way you know it’s safe.”

He then stepped through, followed by Viren and Oli. Then Alf and Dio passed through, one after the other. Only Evie showed genuine hesitation as she faced the shimmer of blue in the air.

“It is safe,” Pangu assured her although he meant the portal itself and could not, fully, speak for whatever awaited them on the other side.

Evie had always been the more level headed of the two Meala lords and she looked at things through a cynical lens far more often than her husband, however, the expression on her face did not read, necessarily, as cautious. Her brows pinched together and she frowned, almost appearing scared.

“What if Gnome is unhappy? Or worse? If they are truly dead?”

She looked to him and Pangu could feel the strain—invisible yet strong. “I worry the same things,” he admitted, “but we have to see for ourselves. If Gnome is dead, that will be a tragedy, yes, but I must keep going onward. If they are angry and they lash out…I will protect you, Dio, and Alf.”

Her eyes darted to the side but, after a beat, she nodded. “…Alright.” Her throat bobbed as she swallowed. “I am trusting you.”

When she stepped through the portal, Pangu watched her disappear and, strangely enough, he felt better about his own fears. He still had to push himself forward to enter but, knowing that Evie actually put her trust in him was a surprising motivator.

It was dimmer on the other side as the purple clouds passed over the source of light. They looked as though they might twist into storm clouds and Pangu recalled the lightning flickering in them before his death. It all looked the same—there was nowhere he could look to avoid that fact.

“Is it always this…dark?” Alf asked as he turned his head up, toward the sky.

“No,” Kira answered quickly with a frown. “You were right, Pangu, it is pretty dreary here.”

It made him wonder if it had less to do with Tiandi’s fury the last time he was there or if it was more directly correlated with Gnome. His chest tightened as he looked upon the grave.

Out of all the sealing stones they had seen, Gnome’s was certainly the largest and the most intimidating to gaze upon. Sylph and Undine’s could have been mistaken for scattered ruins but Gnome’s looked like it was home to a corpse.

“Wow…” Evie walked to the side, taking in the sight, “This is where Gnome is sealed…?”

“And has been for thousands of years,” Oli commented with a frown. “You do not really understand the gravity of it until it is in front of you, huh?”

Pangu glanced between all of them as they stared at the stone. Dio and Evie both had some mixture of awe and hurt on their faces while Alf was soaking it in as a wonder. Oli, too, hardly blinked. Viren and Kira, however, kept their eyes on Pangu instead.

“Should we go on ahead?” Viren asked, nodding his head to the side to gesture to Kira.

“…Yes.” He really was not sure what would happen once Gnome was free—what they would be like or how they would react. There were so many innocent people he had brought into the mix this time. It was not like with Undine where it was just the added stress of the King or Sylph where everyone had some sort of ability to protect themselves with. If things went poorly, they would go very poorly.

Viren and Kira approached the boulder of a sealing stone and checked in with each other, without a word, before the miasma and vines began pouring out.

Black mist billowed around the ground and wines snapped up out of them, looking greener than the usual ones Kira would summon so Pangu knew they were a result of Viren’s energy. They encircled the rock, winding around the ropes and twisting until they snapped. Those, along with the sealing papers, fell around the ground—either being crushed or severed.

Usually, that would cue the bright beacon of light but nothing happened. Viren’s vines retreated and Kira dropped his hand with a frown.

“Do we keep going?” he asked Pangu, glancing back over his shoulder.

Pangu’s mouth went dry as he started to suspect Gnome could really be dead. He gulped and tried to find the right words but the earth trembled under them and his eyes shot back to the boulder.

A hairline crack ran along the surface, snaking down to the bottom and splintering off, breaking small pebbles away from the base. Then, a light. Much dimmer than the others but still jarring in the moment. It burst through from the crack and Pangu kept a hand over his eyes, just in case.

It turned out not to be necessary since the light weaned and the rock shifted, completely broken. A similar sized object took it’s place but Pangu could not make heads or tails of it at first. Not until it began to move.

“We may want to back up,” Kira warned as he and Viren started to walk backwards.

Everyone took his advice and moved further away as the dark mass began to shift and rise. Thankfully, the movements were slow enough to where the earth did not shake too terribly and they were all able to keep their footing. But, if the spirit were to hasten their ascent, they would be in trouble.

The grave had, seemingly, only been covering the top of Gnome’s head. Pangu had not seen that many spirits—certainly not all of them—but he could still pretty securely guess Gnome was the largest. Their body was difficult to fully see since it was buried under the foothills of the mountains behind them. But, judging by their tortoise-like head, Pangu could guess the body matched—or else the spirit used the earth itself as it’s shell.

“Hmmm?” Their voice sent tremors through the air and the earth. It was deep and reverberated through the bones, leaving a lingering impression. “Who…approaches…?”

“Pangu,” Pangu answered and took an experimental step closer. He introduced everyone after himself and then said, “We came to free you from your imprisonment and ask that you help us and your mother against the forces of Tiandi.”

“Humans…” They bellowed and, even if their voice did not sound particularly hateful, there was still an instinctive fear that came with hearing it. “I…have no strength…I require…rest…” They blinked, slowly, and shifted their attention between everyone. “Rest…within…”

Everyone exchanged a few, mixed, glances. Kira was the first to look back to the Great Spirit. “Rest within…what?”

Gnome took a long, deep breath and it could be felt in the ground, pushing and pulling under their feet like a tide. “In the days…of old…I would bestow…power to a King…He who offers me respite…shall be one such King…”

There was a long pause—no one dared speak as they could not be sure Gnome was done talking. Thus far, they tended to take long lulls between words so the group just leaned forward, ever so slightly, waiting for them to continue.

“One…cannot be…” Gnome shifted their gaze onto Pangu.

“Right.” He smiled a little. “I am not from Terra.”

“I would like to count myself out, if I can,” Kira said, raising his hand. “I do not think all the miasma in me would be that great for you.”

“I have…made my choice…” Gnome breathed, a minute on the inhale and another on the exhale. They blinked, slow and one eyelid after the other. Then, they stared down the middle. “You…It is your fate…”

Everyone else also looked and, unintentionally, the group parted around him. Viren met the spirit’s eyes and gave a terse nod.

“If that is your decision,” he responded, “I will do what I can to help you.”

“Now…let me rest…” Gnome’s form, or what could be seen of it, was enveloped in light, slowly shrinking until they were nothing more than a floating ball in the air. They raced toward Viren and slammed into his chest, disappearing completely.

Pangu instantly reached out to grab him, keeping him from collapsing. “Are you alright?”

“Yes…” Viren clutched his arm to stay standing and, with his other hand, covered his face. “Perhaps I, too, should rest.”

He did not need to be told twice and immediately took them all back into the mortal realm. From there, he rushed to get Viren to a seat and helped to lower him down into it.

“Is Gnome still connected to you? Can you tell?” Oli asked as he knelt beside him.

Viren nodded. “My chest is full…and I am tired.”

“Fascinating.” Alf rubbed a hand over his chin as he stared.

“I am sorry…” Viren glanced up at Dio, “I had assumed Gnome would pick one of you. Maybe Alf…I do not know why I was chosen.”

Kira walked over, having left without anyone noticing, and passed Viren a cup of water. The lord took it, wordlessly, and drank over half of it in one gulp.

“Well,” Dio responded with a sigh, “I must say it is odd that our ancestor’s guiding spirit chose someone from the new world but I cannot be resentful that it was you. Had it been someone like your uncle Lao however…”

Viren gave a breathy laugh. “That would have been an insult to everyone.”

“I will admit,” Evie said as she regarded Viren, “I do not envy your current state. Perhaps I am glad that neither I nor Dio was chosen.”

“Yeah, and maybe you need a nap,” Alf mentioned.

But Viren shook his head. “We need to discuss our future plans. We are working on an alliance against Merra and we—”

“I will handle that, cousin,” Oli cut him off and rested a hand on his shoulder. “I know all of our talking points.”

“Pangu, you handle the talking too,” Kira said and gently nudged him closer to Oli. “I will stay with Viren. Politics have always bored me anyway.”

#the xiang chronicles #my novel #my writing

[slashingdisneypasta]

Total Drama Villains x Reader || Drabble Set

Plot: You forget to take a towel to the shower and only realise after the shower, so you open the window to stick your head out and ask whoever's out there (Hoping someone is out there) to grab you one but to your chagrin- there's just a villain.

Includes: Chris, Heather, Mal and Scott.

Warnings: Mmmm, I dont think so. Swearing? A kiss?

~~~

All:

You slowly look around the room, very very aware of the fact that you're naked and cold in a room that does not have a great lock on it. "Ohhhhhh no." The words come out low and steady... but are just brimming with panic.

No. Towel.

No towel!!

Finally you gasp, covering the bottom half of your face with your hands and looking at the benches and the sinks in dread. You accidentally came in here without a towel!!

The sudden sound of footsteps out the back of the cabin rips a gasp from your throat and you lunge at the window, unlatching the lock and opening it to see who it is. Before you even stick your head out, you're calling for whoever it to stop. Please. Hold on! I need your help!

Chris McLean:

*You are an adult camper.

When you actually see who's standing out there, you groan. Chris McLean stands outside on the grass, hands in his pockets and an intrigued look in his eyes. He know's he's about to be amused, or he's going to amuse himself depending on what kind of trouble you're in- or what kind of help you apparently need.

"What's up?~"

"Nevermind."

"Oh no no no! Come on, you can confide in Uncle Chris, cant you?"

A whine tumbles out of you. Uncle Chris?? Grooooooooss. He see's and acknowledges your disgusted reaction to him calling himself that, but just giggles. He doesn't leave, to your utter annoyance.

What other choice do you have?? Rolling your eyes, you look down at your feet instead of meeting his beady eyes and wiggle your toes. And mutter suuuuper quietly, half hoping he doesn't hear you. "I forgot to bring a towel... and I really need one... " And, this part you say especially quietly. For seriously asking Chris fucking McLean for a hand would be akin to letting your dignity pack its bags and fly the coop. "... and would you please get one for me... "

"... Sorry, I didn't catch that. What didja say?"

Oh god. A little louder, you say shortly. "... I forgot a towel... "

Chris smirks at that, rolling back on the feels of his feet. "And? What would you like from me, Y/N?"

Finally too frustrated to keep playing this stupid game with the show's host, you snap your eyes up to his and cross your arms. "Fine! Damnit. Get me a towel, please."

Immediately, a cat like grin slowly spreads across Chris' face. Its the most evil thing you have ever seen.

"Now why would I do that when I could get Chef here to send in a buncha rabid bats with you and flush you out?" Christ teases - no, threatens. But then again, does he know the difference in the first place? - , that famous, alabaster white, terror instilling grin on his face as usual. "Now that's, good TV!"

You groan, head falling back on your neck, in frustration. "Chrr-ris!!"

"Ha ha! Well? What do you expect?" You cant argue with that, but you cans till groan again. "Okay, fine. I'll get you a towel! But what will you do for me, heh? Nothing comes for free."

"Oh, don't I know it. I've been on this show for 3 seasons now." For some reason.

"Heh heh."

"Fine, I'll... " Ugh, something for Chris... You blow air out of your cheeks slowly, in thought. What would Chris like? Well, he'd sure get kick out of you getting one of your friends hurt but that's sure as hell not happening. Finally, after a few moments, you get an idea. And scowl. "I'll be sure to drum up some drama for you. Good TV, right?"

"For sure! Promise?~"

Sighing, you lean tiredly on the window sill. "Oh, I cross my heart and hope to die." You promise him like he's a child, which he basically is. Chris McLean has got the maturity level and the intelligence package of a 7 year old on crack.

"Wicked! Heh heh, this'll be good. Okay, hang tight. I'll be back."

You smirk at his retreating back.

~

When he finally gets back and hands you a towel - a much nicer towel then what you and the other campers have been using. Which is nice? But also, you cant help but worry about what kind of strings might be attached to it, - through a crack in the door, you carefully wrap it around your body and tightly tuck it in.

"I'll want that towel back" He snaps, cranky. Why?? He could've just gone and gotten you your towel! "I imported that from Fiji!"

Of course he did.

Now you take a deeeeeeep breath, gathering all your courage, and killing the butterflies reeking havoc in your stomach. Then open the door again and grab hold of the front of Chris' signature teal shirt and wrench him close before he can walk too far off.

And you smash your lips together and slam your eyes tightly closed.

When you pull back from the kiss - a horrible, unpleasant, bad kiss, - you immediately wipe your mouth with your arm and let him go. But when you reveal your mouth again, you're for damn sure smirking at the stunned man. "Is that dramatic enough for you, Chris? A camper and the host? Scandalous- I bet we'll be front page news."

Then quickly you lock yourself inside the bathroom again, not really caring for his reaction- which only comes, finally, minutes later when you're half way dressed.

"DAMN IT Y/N!!"

Heather:

"Hm." Heather crosses her arms, an evil smirk on her lips- opportunity has knocked on her door. Or, the inside of the shower cabin. "You need something from me. Well! What will you do for me return? Hm?"

As expected. "I will vote for whoever you want me to at 2 different instances of your choice going forward. Except for myself, I wont vote myself out."

She thinks for a moment, but definitely looks pleased. "Three, different instances of my choice."

Fucks sake- "Fine! Just- please! I'm getting cold and one of the boys could come in here at any time and see me butt ass naked!!"

Uncrossing her arms and setting her hands on her hips instead, Heather laughs. "Oh- one of these boys? Shower? Haha. Have you smelled them??"

You blush darkly at her joking with you; At your worry but not your expense, before shaking your head of silly feelings and usher the pretty girl Heather, forward. "Go! Go! Get my towel already."

"Be right back." She rolls her eyes, heading off.

~

When she gets back, she reaches up to the window with the towel and you gratefully take it, beginning to dry off any drips from your body and get dressed as quickly as possible. "Thank you Heather!!"

"Mhm, yeah. Sure."

A few minutes later when you leave the door, Heather's waiting for you on the porch and you basically have a small stroke- jesus christ, why is she there!? STILL!?

"Oh, relax. I'm just cashing in some of your part of the bargain." She sneers, walking closer to you and pressing a sharp fingernail into your chest. "Dont forget, you owe me now."

"I remember Heather, we did this like 10 minutes ago."

"Good." She smiles, a tint of evil to it still. Pleasantly surprised that you're being so obedient. She leans back. "Okay, so Gwen's got to go. You got that? She's out. Vote for her and you're third done with your debt to me."

"Yes ma'am." You smirk, brushing by her and stalking off back to your cabin to put away your things.

Heather watches, hands on her hips and her own smirk on her lips. You might just be useful out of this bunch of losers. Not quite a diamond in the rough, but... better, at least. For sure. "Hm."

Mal:

"Oh- Mike!" You exclaim excitedly as soon as you see the lanky, dark haired boy. What luck!!

But then he slowly turns around; A dark, sinister grin on his face and hair over one eye. And your heart immediately drops.

This is not Mike. Neither is it Chester, Svetlana, Vito or Manitoba- any of which would have been just fine alternatives for this moment.

This has to be fucking Mal. You've met him before, and absolutely nevermind on the luck front.

"Nope." Yep- the grizzly, deep voice that responds to you can belong to no one other then Mike's chaotic evil alter. Shit. Shit, shit, shit. You continue to chant curses in your head as he turns around fully and comes forward, looking up with evil glinting in his eyes at you like a twisted Flynn Rider to your Rapunzel.

The kind that makes you rather stay inside your tower- its safer here then out there with him. You don't go out to meet the rabid pit bull!!

"Ummm, nevermind! Go about your business, I'm fine here. See ya!"

"Oh no. What'd you want from little Mikey?" He asks, crossing his arms and tilting his head to the side, cruelly inquisitive. You chew on your bottom lip. Damn it; You've peaked his interest. Fuck.

"Um... " The sound comes out quiet and insure as you look down at the grass before his feet instead of his face. You're so nervous. "Well, I... I forgot my towel before I took my shower, and uh... I was just gonna ask him if he could go get me one."

For a moment, he's silent. Your gaze flickers up to his face to see an utterly wolfish look on his face, eyes gleaming with mischief before averting your eyes again to the grass.

Then a loud puff of hard, unpleasant laughter escapes him. He doubles over, holding his stomach as he guffaws at your embarrassing situation. You roll your eyes and cross your arms.

"Oh shut up," You snap, bravely- making him cut off his laughter immediately and look at you. You dare to fucking talk to him like that? "Come on, go get me a towel, please!! I'll owe you one."

After a moment, he stands up straight again and crosses his arms. Yes, he could do something horrible to you right now to teach you not to talk back to him; but it looks like you're going to struggle without his help. All he has to do is watch! "Hmm, nope!"

"Come on!"

"Not gonna happen."

"Ugh." You groan, leaving the window and Mal and plopping down on a bench. Fucking bastard.

This is so awkward. Especially since you know he's still out there!! And he could send someone in at any time.

... Minutes later, and you're still dripping wet but now freezing fricken cold, a towel is flung in through the still open window and lands on the wet floor near your feet. Your eyebrows fly up your forehead, as you look from it in surprise and to the window.

Mal's voice calls through it. "There! Its no fun if you just sit and bear your punishment." Huff. You can just imagine the cute boy - the look works for Mike, but is just very odd on Mal, - crossing his arms and setting his jaw, or even pouting. His voice just sound sooo frustrated. "I'll get you another time, anyway. Everyone will go down, eventually."

"Oh... mhm, oh sure." I mean, I can at least listen to his evil babble since he got me a towel, you think as you start drying yourself down and getting dressed.

A moment after you've got your shirt on, the door is kicked open and Mal stands on the threshold, making you jump. "Jesus christ!- "

"Kiss thank you?"

"Get outta here!" Absolutely not!

Scott:

Peering out from the window, you nearly miss the boy leant up against the cabin beneath you, in fact you would have- if it weren't for his bright orange hair. You gasp, unintentionally getting his attention and smiling brightly when he looks up to find you. "Scott!"

A confused, yet somehow still evil expression paints his face. "Y/N?? What are you doing?"

"Well farm-boy, how do you feel about giving a lady a hand??"

Scott snorts, getting off the wall and stepping back to see you properly. "Lady? I don't see any lady here."

Oh- Bastard. You look back into the bathroom before disappearing from the window for a moment before returning, and promptly clobbering him with an empty shampoo bottle. "You see her now!?"

"Ugh... yeah." He grumbles more malleably now, much more open to suggestion as he rubs his forehead. "Sure, now I see her... ow."

Now you feel a little bad. He looks so pitiful when he's in pain... and yes he's a rat but... its still not okay to hurt someone. You aren't Chris. And also you're getting colder and colder as the water drips unimpeded down your skin and maybe its making you soft. "Ohh... okay, I'm sorry."

He glances up at you, surprised at your apology. "Ahh, no problem, I guess... " Did someone just apologise for whacking him on this show? He crosses his arms, raising a curious look to your disembodied head. "Uhh, what'd you need a hand, with?"

"I... kinda... forgot a towel... could you please go get one for me??"

For a moment you watch his eyes narrow and a wicked grin flicker at the corners of his mouth and get anxious that he's going to ask for something in return- before he rolls his eyes and just shrugs, turning and heading off to the cabin. "Yeah, sure, whatever. Be right back- try not to gather too much attention, haha."

As he walks off, you duck under the window again, sighing in so much relief. "Thanks, Scott!"

~

When he returns, you're waiting at the door and crack it open just enough to get the towel from him immediately- which you quickly wrap around yourself comfortably and sigh. "Thank you so much!"

"Hm. No problem." He huffs, wondering why the hell he did this for you anyway and crossing his arms again.

From inside, you carefully ask: "Are you gonna get weird if I hug you now?"

Immediately Scott's ears go bright red and he quickly loses every little bit of cool-guy vibe from a moment ago. "I-In your towel?? N-No!! I mean- yes!" He rubs the back of his neck, looking away from the door like its you, or he'll accidentally spontaneously develop x-ray vision and damnit, he's a gentleman. "I mean... " Or at least he tries to be.

Grinning, because Scott's unexpectedly cute now that you've flustered him, you quickly open the door, hug him quick, then close the door again and shout 'BYE'.

#Total Drama Villains x Reader #Total Drama Island #Total Drama All Star #Total Drama Revenge Of The Island #td x reader #Chris McLean #td Heather #td mal #td Scott #Td Heather x Reader #td Heather Imagine #td Scott x Reader #td Scott Imagine #Total Drama Imagine #Chriss McLean x Reader #Chris Mclean Imagine #td Mal x Reader #td Mal Imagine

[cherryatiny]

𝐒𝐮𝐠𝐚𝐫 𝐃𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐲! 𝐀𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐳: 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭

GIFs are not mine, credit goes to their respective owner

❁ 𝐊𝐢𝐦 𝐇𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐣𝐨𝐨𝐧𝐠

It was no secret that your sugar daddy Hongjoong is a born aristocrat, as his rich taste in everything showed up a lot. Ever since a young age, he was taught to love art in all its forms. When his grandparents passed away sadly, he was the chosen one to inherit the prestigious art gallery their family ran for more than 7 decades.

Although he wasn't an artist of the top level, his love to express himself through art never died. So the very first day he took over the gallery, the first thing he ordered his subordinates to do, was to clear out the smaller room in the back of the director's office.

Soon after, he designed the space to an art studio of his liking, where he could freely spend his free time painting, reconstructing clothes, or just rest while stimulating his brain to function more creatively.

Soon after he met you and you two got into the sugar daddy relationship, he found his muse in you. At first, it started by him just taking pics of you at the moments he deemed to be artsy, not long after that he however started calling you to his little studio in the gallery he ran. Always making you sit or lay down on the old valuable settee, that looked like the ones from Renaissance paintings.

Taking you by your hand, he showed you the paintings of the new exhibition he was preparing. The paintings harmonized well, all of them tuned in a dark abstract setting. Loosening your hand out of his grip, you grasped his wrist the same he did with your often, dragging him to the office. He was slightly taken by surprise as he did not expect you to drag him there since you haven't agreed on him painting you today. „Lay down, for today, you'll be my muse Joongie.“

He was laying on the settee, looking up at the ceiling, so his side-profile was fully visible to you, as you painted him on the canvas. Mixing colours to your liking, you made the portrait of your Hongjoong look abstract, as it matched the art style he often used.

After hours of painting, when you did the last line with your paintbrush, you sighed out tiredly, wiping the sweat off your forehead as you observed your creation. „My muse, you can come here and admire yourself on the canvas.“ Standing up swiftly, he came over to you, leaning forward, his arm wrapping around the shoulder of your sitting self as he was all eyes on the painting.

„It's... spectacular. I- I'm at a loss of words, why did you never tell me you had a talent for painting my darling? If I added this painting to the exhibition there, I can guarantee you, that this will be the most favoured painting in my gallery.“

❁ 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐒𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐡𝐰𝐚

You don't even know why you applied to become Seonghwa's secretary a few months ago, considering you've never worked in this type of branch. But it was probably the best decision of your life because if you wouldn't have applied for the secretary position, you wouldn't have met your sugar daddy Seonghwa.

At first, the work was a disaster as your relationship with your boss didn't start off very well. He was giving you tons of work to do, the stupidest arrangements that were completely unnecessary to make, or the most boring workshops and meetings to take you to with him.

But after the one night at a business conference in Milan when you two got closer than one would expect you to and got into the sugar daddy relationship, his attitude to you drastically changed.

Your secret relationship also made him give you easier and different tasks to do, he as well deemed you to be more reliable than before, which resulted in him giving you free hand in literally everything. He was actually taken aback by how competent you were at your tasks. Doing everything you were told to do, ten times better than he would have probably done.

One night, as you two were cuddling on the couch in his place while looking out of the large glass wall with the sighting of the whole town, he spoke out, „Y/N why didn't you tell me you had such talent for scheduling, strategic planning and business stuff? I should have made you the director of strategic planning or something like that. But then... I get to be closer to you when you're my secretary, my beautiful baby.“

❁ 𝐉𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐘𝐮𝐧𝐡𝐨

„Ah, shit! The actress who was supposed to play the walk-on in the hospital scene with Yunho, can't get here as something happened to her. What do we do now?“ yelled the director out of frustration as the actress announced she can't arrive just a few minutes before they were supposed to shoot.

You were just finishing your sugar daddy Yunho's outfit for the shoot as you were the main costumer for this k-drama. Yunho stood up from his seat as you finished his stylist, bending down to plant a kiss on your lips, before going over to the director with a worried look on his usually joyful face.

You were clearing off the stuff you used on him back to where it belonged to. Eyeing Yunho talk with the director from distance, the two of them occasionally flashing looks at you. When they stopped talking, Yunho jogged to you with the beaming smile you knew that well on his face. His puppy-like features always flashed out when he had any good news, giving him the look that was asking him what he wanted to say.

„Get changed. You've got the role of the girl who's missing.“ you raised your eyebrows at what he just said, taken aback as you did not really understand what he was talking about. You and acting? „Come on, get dressed, we don't have much time. Here's the script.“ handing you the bunch of papers and the outfit the girl was supposed to wear, he motioned for you to go to the changing room.

You wiped the sweat off your forehead as you went away from the shooting site. „Wow, ms. Y/N, are you sure you didn't study acting? Although it was supposedly your first time acting, it was so natural. Wow, I'm glad Yunho showed you to me, you are for real like a hidden gem. Would you... maybe be interested in any more acting in future?“ asked the director with a glance of hope in his eyes after you finished shooting the small part in the k-drama your sugar daddy was starred in. Looking at him, wondering what Yunho's opinion was, the proud and encouraging smile on his face hinting that he really wanted you to accept the offer made by his boss.

„I'm so proud of you princess. My little talented actress, I love you.“

❁ 𝐊𝐚𝐧𝐠 𝐘𝐞𝐨𝐬𝐚𝐧𝐠

Groaning softly, you rubbed your eyes as you sat up, looking at the empty spot beside you. You were sleeping at Yeosang's home, but as you could see, he didn't seem to be sleeping. Slipping your feet into the fluffy slippers with rabbit eyes, you wrapped your body tighter in Yeosang's shirt you were sleeping in, as the air was rather cool.

Opening the door of his bedroom, you went down the stairs of his apartment, down to the living room where a small table lamp was lit. Your sleepy sugar daddy sitting by the desk covered in many papers that seemed to be related to his prosecutor work.

Approaching him, you caressed his shoulder, which woke him up from his quick nap, „Mhm, Y/N. You can go back to sleep, I'll be there soon, I just have to finish this.“ You knew well that that wasn't the case and he won't be there soon. Sighing, you wrapped your arms around his neck, sitting down on his lap, his hand caressing your exposed thighs. „What are you working on, Yeo?“

„I'm treading through the case files, but I just can't take the next step. The police want me to indict him of murder, but the defendant is justifying himself saying that it was an accident and that he should be only indicted of manslaughter.“ Taking the case files from his hand, you read through them since your unbiased opinion might be of help to him.

Taking a pen from his desk, you underlined the facts you thought were important in your lay opinion. Handing it to him, he read focused on the underlined sentences, his eyes lighting up in hope. „Oh my god, Y/N. You're the saviour of my life, this is the core issue but it hasn't even struck up to me. I love you so much, my little prosecutor.“

❁ 𝐂𝐡𝐨𝐢 𝐒𝐚𝐧

„Sannie, could you please tie my swimsuit?“ you held your hair in a ponytail so it did not get into the way as San tied the ribbon on the back of your swimsuit. You smiled at him as a way to say thank you, leaving the hotel suite your sugar daddy San reserved for you two to enjoy your vacation to the fullest.

San took your hand in his, your fingers intertwining as you walked down the hotel's luxurious corridors to the private beach. „Now, what does my beautiful baby plan on doing today?“ questioned san as he pulled you to him as close as possible. „Hm, I don't know, I'll probably do nothing all day long, just lay on the beach and sunbathe.“

„Then I'll keep you company while you do your nothing.“ giggles were leaving you two as you talked more while on the way to the sea. But as you started nearing the beach, loud dance music coming from the speakers. „What's that...?“ As you got to the beach, a group of people was doing dance work-outs there to the rhythm of the music.

„I have no idea what they are doing, but let's try Y/N“ and without giving you a chance to protest, San tugged you there by your wrist, right to the centre of the imaginary dance floor. He started dancing just as the instructor did, gesturing you to do the same.

Soon after you submitted to his nagging, doing the same as him to the rhythm of the energetic music. „Y/N, you're doing so well. Would I have known about your talent to dance, I would have taken you to some studio a long ago.“

❁ 𝐒𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐢

After that one ball, you two met together at, you got invited to countless more balls to keep your boss company. Over that many times you two spent together, you get to know each other more and more until eventually, he somehow became your sugar daddy and boyfriend in one.

Tonight was very special, Mingi as the chairman of one of the biggest conglomerates in the country, got invited to the ball held by the president for the most influential people in the country. And when he stopped by your apartment with a beautiful night-robe, a pair of brand-new heels and a golden envelope with the letter of invitation in it, you almost fainted from the delight you felt.

Sometimes he couldn’t help but watch you like a movie on nights like this. Because you seemed so interested in these events, that it truly amazed him how you could act so interested in the talk of the attendants when it bore him to death. You just seemed so natural at attending events like this, you could dance, you knew all the protocol rules, you could pretend interest or know how to answer to the business talk others often held with you. He just couldn’t help but admire the talent you had for the formal events.

Excusing you from their speech, Mingi wrapped his arms around your waist, taking you to the middle of the dance floor as your favourite dance song was playing. Moving slowly, you melted into his touch as you enjoyed each other’s presence dancing the slow dances. „I'm amazed my dear Y/N, I can't bring myself to be interested in talking to these egoistic geezers for more than 5 minutes. Thank god I have you, my talented princess.“

❁ 𝐉𝐮𝐧𝐠 𝐖𝐨𝐨𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐠

When you spent the night at your sugar daddy Wooyoung’s place, you usually weren’t allowed to even be near the kitchen as he insisted “he treats his princess food and she shouldn’t cook, because what if she cuts herself?” so today, as he had to rush to the work early in the morning because of some urgent, leaving you in his immense mansion alone.

And that meant you had a free pass to cook something in his kitchen. But seeing how emptied his fridge was, you opted for something more simple in a form of stir-fried tofu with vegetables. Washing the fresh vegetables thoroughly, you dried them, placing them on the breadboard, to cut them. All of his knives were sharp as Wooyoung was doing his best to keep his kitchen in the best state.

Throwing the tofu cubes onto the pan with a heated droplet of olive oil, you stirred them until they roasted into golden colour, adding the cut vegetables and cooking rice in the meanwhile. Not at all realizing that there was a pair of eyes watching you from the doorframe.

Leaving you like that, Wooyoung in the meanwhile went to change into some sweatpants and a t-shirt, maybe a quick shower. And so when he came back, you were already turning off the stove. „Well, well, well, what do I see? Looks like someone used my kitchen behind my back.“

You jumped in your place lightly, your breathing heavy at how startled you were upon Wooyoung talking to you out of nowhere. „Jung Wooyoung, for how long have you been there?“ he put on a grimace, pretending to be pondering over it. „Probably ever since you added the veggies to eat and started singing to those annoying songs.“

„They’re not annoying, you’re just too old to understand them. Anyway, if you want to nag at me for using your kitchen, do it after you taste my delicious meal. Seems like you were in rush this morning, so you probably haven’t eaten anything“ Placing the plate in front of him, you sat opposite of him, waiting to see what his reaction would be as he had never tasted your cookings before.

„Mhmm, are you sure you’ve cooked it yourself? If so... why have I never let you in my kitchen, when this is so delicious? Gosh, my princess is such a good cook.“ Your smile was full of delight at his compliment as you watched him stuff his mouth full of your food.

❁ 𝐂𝐡𝐨𝐢 𝐉𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐡𝐨

„Y/N, I’m going to the restroom, you’ll wait for me, right?“ you nodded, watching your sugar daddy Jongho leave the studio. Standing up, you sat down on the now-emptied armchair in front of the PC screens, your eyes scanning the colourful music segments on the screen.

You picked up the sheaf of papers with the notes to his newest song, along with the lyrics he’s written himself. Your eyes ran over the notes and the lyrics and as you were re-reading the text for the 3rd time, you started humming to it, trying to get the right melody Jongho was intending on having in the song.

Opening the door to the studio, Jongho noticed you sitting on the chair, your back turned to him and that resulted in you still being oblivious to his presence. And he didn’t dare to make a move, standing in the door-frame and watching you humming to the song in amazement that you weren’t tone-deaf like most non-musical people were, as you hit all the tones.

„Woah Y/N, are you a trained singer or something? Why didn’t you tell me you were good at music? I would have taken you here long time ago...“

❁ taglist : @galaxteez @gyubaby @bobateastay @tinytinyblogs @ateezinmymind @chososchaos @cvtiehoon @a-soft-hornytiny

#IT'S SHITTY I'M SORRY #I PLANNED IT BEFORE HAND BUT I STILL HAD WRITERS BLOCK #ateez #sugar daddy!ateez #ateez sugar daddy au #ateez fluff #ateez reactions #ateez scenarios #ateez imagines #ateez headcanons

[catgirl-brain]

[ENG] Another Night - Kazui Mukuhara Voice Drama

Aand... it's been forever since this came out... I had a lot of trouble deciphering what Kazui was trying to say in some portions, so please take this translation with a grain of salt... It's super rough at some parts, sorry!

Kazui: Alright then… Let’s see how this turns out.

(door swings open)

Es: Sorry for the wait,

(door shuts)

Es: Prisoner number 7, Kazui.

Kazui: Excuse me,

(restrains Es)

Es: W-what!?

Kazui: Sorry, give me a second to be ridiculous here.

Es: (struggling) You…! That’s rude!

Kazui: Now, now… I won’t hurt you, so don’t be afraid…

Kazui: Huh..?

Es: (breaks free and gasps)

Kazui: What’s this…? I’ve suddenly lost my strength…

Es: (heavy breathing) Prisoner number 7, Kazui! Do you have any idea what you’ve just done!? You’ve just committed a serious crime.

Kazui: (hums)

Es: Hey! Are you listening to me, Kazui!?

Kazui: Prison guard-kun fought me when I squeezed them… That’s not the image I got from Futa’s account. I thought you’d overpower me,

Es: Huh?

Kazui: but you tried to get out as soon as I started, and - “What’s this?” I suddenly lost control of my own body.

Es: (huffs) I don’t know all the details either, I just know that a prisoner can’t attack the guard.

Kazui: I see… (laughs) But it’s not like a magic barrier- An old man like me wouldn’t be able to handle that… (As an old man, that helps) Still, in terms of reality… it feels a bit like it was hypnosis.

Es: Hey! I don’t care about that!

Kazui: Hm?

Es: Sit down there, Kazui!

Kazui: (chuckles) Ok, ok.

Es: The manner of these prisoners towards their prison guard... Don’t treat me as if I’m a kid, but that behavior is uncalled for... I'm not going to forgive you (for treating me like that), what do you have to say for yourself?

Kazui: Hmm…

Kazui: (claps) Sorry!

Es: Huh?

Kazui: Really- sorry, sorry! I was worried I’d get injured by you, Prison guard-kun. From now on I’ll try to get information safely. Depending on who they are, everyone has their own method of gathering information.

Es: Huh?

Kazui: I’m an anxious old man, so I just needed to verify if Prison guard-kun was armed or not.

Es: You...To do that sort of thing to me…

Kazui: Mm? I thought it would be fine, but I suppose it wasn’t.

Es: Oh? But I didn't like it.

Kazui: Oh, no no, I don’t mean to offend you. Well, it’s no problem, if we can’t attack you, you can’t attack us, either.

Es: Hmm? (approaches him)

Kazui: What are you doing?

Es: (slaps him)

Kazui: T...that hurts….!

Es: Hey, what’s wrong? I was able to attack you?

Kazui: That was uncalled for-!.. Even so... that seems to be true…

Es: What, should I have said that earlier? Should slap you again to see if it works that time?

Kazui: Aw, I get it! I’ll be patient… (clears throat) I suppose the guard has decided the situation… We’re just scared of unfamiliar situations, don't you hate it - not knowing things?

Kazui: If I can’t expect it, it could hurt me. Even if not, it's better to see first. There’s always something dangerous. And what’s more, from the beginning of this session, you seem unfazed by this “mechanism”- somewhere, it sounds like pieces of something are moving. (??)

Es: What are you trying to say?

Kazui: In other words, we’re divided into the positions of Guard and Prisoner. We’re both trying to glean the information we lack.

Kazui: I think it’s “fair” in that sense.

Es: Me and you guys… we’re “fair”?

Kazui: Well, that’s my guess. I was hoping that Prison guard-kun would agree with me if I decided it was okay.

Es: Hmm… but you’re such a chatty man.

Kazui: (laughs) That’s true (laughs) I’m worried all the time, this old man’s no good.

Es: Well, what you’re saying is pretty interesting. It’s true; at some times I don’t even know everything about MILGRAM.

Kazui: (affirmative hum)

Es: But! I am the Prison Guard of MILGRAM, and you’re a prisoner, that much is true.

Kazui: (hum)

Es: That’s the most important thing here. Now then, Prisoner number 7, Kazui. Let’s get started.

Kazui: Alright, very professional aren’t we? (laughs) Well, let me introduce myself. I like this too. This isn’t my first time introducing myself to you.

Kazui: Once again, it’s Mukuhara Kazui, age 39. Nice to meet you, Prison guard-kun.

Es: Hm. You guys are all murderous prisoners. Kazui, you shouldn’t be so cheerful.

Kazui: Murderous... is that it? Well, you’re not wrong there.

Es: Mm? Confess it then.

Kazui: Confess.. At the very least, I believe I’m a murderer. I admit that. I don’t know if that’s a good way to put it.

Es: A good way to put it…?

Kazui: And that’s all there is, for the most part. To me, there should be no murderers aside from me. (??????????????????????????????????????)

Es: What do you mean?

Kazui: For example, for what reason are you gathering us murderers here? That’s something a crazy person would do. Is there a better word other than “murderer”? The term is too broad.

Es: Hey, Kazui. This isn’t the time to be asking questions.

Kazui: And I’m not recognizable as a murderer, unless you know my crime. Why the hell are we even on trial? It doesn’t make sense.

Es: I don’t give a damn about all that. I am the one who will decide whether to forgive you or not.

Kazui: Oh, is that so? Even though I don’t know who you’re working for?

Es: They’re fluffy. And if there's a problem, they’ll show up.

Kazui: Hm..? It’s something like that..?

Es: Stop acting like a detective, it’s unpleasant.

Kazui: Okay, okay.

Es: (sighs) Kazui. How do you feel about the other prisoners?

Kazui: Oh, that’s a good one. Don’t worry, everyone is well and friendly. The younger ones often get stressed, but there seems to be a good balance.

Es: That answer would be the same no matter who you ask. Don’t worry about conflicts between prisoners.

Kazui: Isn’t that what’s happening right now? I don’t really know what’s in my head, and you don’t know what life is like outside of here (???)

Es: Hm?

Kazui: There's an air of good feelings around the prison. I would be okay with living here forever. Why have you prepared such an environment..?

Es: Hey! Stop trying to get the conversation off track!

Kazui: (laughs) I got caught. Forgive me, alright? I’m an old man, I can’t help teasing kids like you- I have to be a little mischievous.

Es: You’re the same as Shidou. I hate it. I swear, does every adult act this way?

Kazui: (laughs) Did Shidou-kun also do that? He’s really calm, isn’t he? Can’t take that one sitting down.

Es: Are you different? You seem just as childish.

Kazui: Mmm… Does it seem that way? That’s good.

Es: What’s good about that? I don’t get this.

Es: This is a place where your consciousness will reveal itself (?) calculated by the impressions from others, but they can easily lie.

Kazui: This is, this is… You’re pretty tough. (laughs) But you’re not showing your true self, and neither am I.

Es: Hm…

Kazui: But, I’m older, so I have to take more responsibility/I need to try harder when I’m around kids like you. I’m an old man, so I need to keep a smile on my face while hiding my fangs.. Even if you are young.

Es: I see..

Kazui: You can tell I’m lying… Well, that may be the case. Unfortunately for you adults are very good at lying.

Es: Adults, huh?

Kazui: You’ll be stumped(?). Although, maybe you have some mysterious power...

Es: (cute laugh) Hey, Kazui…

Kazui: Yeah?

Es: That’s exactly it.

Kazui: Eh?

Es: I see your weakness. I can look inside you and unravel the sounds of your heart… What’s more, that adult technique. (??)

Kazui: (laughing) What? What’s that supposed to mean?

Es: Stop laughing, it’s unpleasant.

Kazui: (oh hoho…) Oi, oi, What on Earth is going on here….

Es: Are you a sweet-natured man who takes his losses well? Or are you really someone else?

Kazui: (hums)

Es: I’m looking forward to seeing it… Is it possible to hide anything from it? (‘it’ being the MILGRAM machine that produces the songs). I see now...

Es: In time, that’s what I’ll do. I’ll see the vulnerabilities in the lies of a murderer.. Though I’ve already seen through it a while ago.

Kazui: So… You’re going to do all that?

Es: What do you think?

Kazui: Well, it’s not so bad… sounds just like an adult, doesn’t it?

Es: (laughs) Being an adult, huh… Don’t use that as an excuse for you behavior, coward*

Kazui: (offended sound)

Es: In this place, it doesn’t matter whether you’re an adult or a child. MILGRAM forces you to stare deep into yourself, and you can’t escape.

Kazui: I…. see. I don’t care about this place of yours, and it hasn’t even scratched my surface. I just want to be stronger than it. (?)

Kazui: Of course, I’ve killed, and now I have no reservations about breaking any other laws. It’s different… I wonder if I’m in trouble. Nothing has changed, but I don’t know how to feel. Don’t talk to me like you know what I’m feeling, kid.

Es: (offended noise)...

Es: Welcome, Mukuhara Kazui. I feel like we’ve met before… It's nice to meet you. I am Es, the prison guard of MILGRAM.

Kazui: (exhales, chuckles) Starting again, huh? Well, you won't regret it, that kind of relationship would be painful,

Es: That’s alright, isn’t it? Causing you pain is my job.

Kazui: Mm, you’re a pro.

Es: Surely, as just a regular human being, you can’t be totally prepared for this.

(Bell rings, machinery starts whirring)

Kazui: What’s this?

Es: It’s time for your cross-examination. You’ll face your regrets from now on.

Kazui: (sighs) Someone help… this is too much for me…

Es: That’s right, Kazui… show me your true feelings.

Kazui: Ahaha… Well, I’m embarrassed to concede to a child and say all that…

Es: Don’t worry. I’m going to know your soul from now on.

Kazui: Finding the truth of my inner feelings, huh? Alright.

Es: That’s right.

Kazui: Ah… oh, Prison guard-kun?

Es: What is it?

Kazui: This personality of mine… I’ve developed it from living in the world. Could you tell me about your own experiences? It’s a little annoying to have such a one-sided relationship, isn't it?

Es: I’m not interested in myself.

Kazui: That’s a lot of new information to add to the situation… I… I hide my own sins behind a delusion… I don’t know what you will see when it’s opened.

Es: Kazui…

Kazui: How’s that? Can you see how fickle adults are?

Es: Shut up. You’re the one who’s fickle.

Kazui: (laughs) Tough, isn't it? But is it the end?

Es: Prisoner #7, Kazui. Now, sing your sins.

#MILGRAM #voice drama #ミルグラム

[chelsie-fan-55]



‘Oldies are doing well’ Phyllis Logan hails older generations as Downton helps BritsDOWNTON Abbey star Phyllis Logan says it was “fabulous” to be reunited with the cast and production crew to shoot a second film due out early next year. The sequel follows on from the events of the first film released two years ago, which was set in 1927 with Robert and Cora Crawley, the Earl and Countess of Grantham, receiving a visit from King George V and Queen Mary during a royal tour of Yorkshire. Filming of the second film, which sees Dominic West, Hugh Dancy and Laura Haddock join original stars including Dame Maggie Smith, Hugh Bonneville, Michelle Dockery and Elizabeth McGovern, started at Highclere Castle in Hampshire in April and finished in June. Phyllis, 65, who has portrayed Downton housekeeper Mrs Hughes in all six series of the original ITV drama and reprised the role for both films, said: “It was fabulous to be reunited with the cast again, we had such a lovely time, but it was over far too quickly. “During the six seasons that we did (for TV) we usually started filming in the February and finished in the autumn, so we had a good six months of each other, and now it is curtailed into a matter of weeks, so it was done a bit too quickly but we had a great time. “There is lots of nice, really fun stuff in it, I must say and some lovely star turns.” Phyllis, who is also the narrator of fly-on-the-wall TV show The Highland Vets, which starts its fourth series on Channel 5 tomorrow (MON) night, believes period dramas like Bridgerton and Downton have provided much-needed escapism during the past 18 months of the Covid-19 pandemic. She says: “With the likes of Downton Abbey it looks so magnificent, the costumes are magnificent and the mores of the time are different where you don’t air-kiss and have to be suited and booted, and straight-laced, well certainly outwardly.. who knows what they got up to behind closed doors. “But we try to show some of this too and the public just can’t get enough of this type of costume drama. “Everyone has been bingeing or re-bingeing on their favourite shows just to give them a sense of normality. “If you can watch Bridgerton, if you can watch Downton Abbey, or your favourite comedy show, you think the world is ok now, or get a sense that life is continuing in a fashion.” Downton has also led the way in using older actors in prominent roles at a time when TV and film has been criticised for being ageist. Phyllis says: “It’s been fabulous and long may this continue. With Dame Maggie (Smith), Dame Penelope (Wilton), myself and Jim Carter, the oldies are doing well.” Her husband Kevin McNally, who is also 65, is best known for portraying Joshamee Gibbs in all five Pirates of the Caribbean films but joined the cast of Downton for its second series on ITV as Horace Bryant. Phyllis says: “It was nice to have my husband in Downton as well but it was very peculiar the way it happened. “He was on set at one point and said I have just been offered this job and I said ‘oh, what is it?’ And he said Downton Abbey, and I said ‘very funny, what’s the job?’ And he said Downton Abbey and I said ‘oh come on, I haven’t got time, I’ve got to go back on set’. And he was being serious. “They did not even tell me they were going to offer it to him and I thought they should have run it past me first, surely.” She adds: “And it ended up with most of the scenes we were involved in being together, which was unusual. “In normal circumstances as he was playing a posh person and I was playing the housekeeper as usual, I thought our paths would never cross but the way the storyline worked we were always together. “So sometimes we got picked up in a car together to bring us to the castle and it felt like ‘bring your husband to work day’, so I thought ‘what is going on?’” Phyllis, who also starred as Lady Jane Felsham in Lovejoy with Ian McShane for eight years, met Kevin, who portrayed Bernard Ingham in The Crown last year, when they co-starred in mini-series Love and Reason in 1994. Since then they had only appeared together in short films and an episode of comedy show Rab C Nesbitt until their joint stint in Downton, but Phyllis says she would be happy to work together again in the future. And Kevin’s help was vital when it came to recording the narration for The Highland Vets, which follows the vets, nurses and receptionists at DS McGregor & Partners veterinary practice in Thurso, Caithness, as they treat animals in the remote northern tip of the UK mainland. After recording the first couple of episodes of series one in a studio in London’s Soho, Phyllis has been forced to do her narrations since the first lockdown in March last year from the study of her home in west London. She says: “Kevin was my sound engineer for the Highland Vets. They sent all this equipment and I was so useless at using it that Kevin was thankfully around and on hand to be my sound engineer.” The fourth series of the Highland Vets, which contains seven hour-long episodes, starts with the vets treating a young Common seal spotted struggling on a beach by a walker. She adds: “I haven’t done many narrations. I enjoy this one because it is such a lovely programme, there is always something different cropping up, so it is a pleasure to do it.” As a result of the repeated lockdowns for the pandemic she has yet to travel up to Caithness to meet the staff at the vets. But Prince Charles did pay them a visit during a two-day tour of Scotland, where he is known as the Duke of Rothesay, at the end of last month (JULY). Unfortunately the TV cameras were not there at the time but wearing a kilt, he was welcomed by senior vet and director Guy Gordon, who introduced him to his team, including Katie Reiss, 22, who had only started work a few days earlier. Ms Reiss said: “It’s an unorthodox start to work! We spoke about my training at Edinburgh University and chatted about how the vets have been really helpful integrating me into work. “He (Charles) said to stick at it and not lose hope because I have wanted to be a vet since I was a wee kid.” Guy says: “We felt honoured that Prince Charles was keen to visit our veterinary practice to meet the staff and learn about what we do. “He stayed with us for about 45 minutes chatting about aspects of our work with genuine interest and insight. “The light drizzle didn’t dampen this special occasion nor cause him to hurry, he took time to engage with everyone. “So they have the royal seal of approval.” She adds she loves getting to see The Highland Vets before anyone else to do its narration. “There are a few sad bits that do not go to plan but it is so heartfelt.. and the fact that they are in that location which is absolutely spectacular, that they all love it, they love their lives, their jobs, their workmates, their animals. “It’s just beautiful and lovely and life-affirming stuff, even when things go wrong.” Phyllis also stars in a film, The Last Bus, with Timothy Spall which they shot two years ago but has just been released. It tells the story of an old man whose wife has just died using his free bus pass to travel to the other end of the UK, where they originally lived, with her ashes in a small suitcase. She will also be seen in the second series of BBC drama Guilt, which is due to air later this year. *The new series of The Highland Vet starts tomorrow at 9pm on 5Select. Source: Sunday Express

#downton abbey phyllis logan #Phyllis Logan #downton abbey #elsie hughes #the hightland vet #guilt #lovejoy #the last bus #ladybaby

[keerishima]

HELLO! I saw you were a new blog that needed requests and I was wondering if you could write head-canons for todoroki, bakugou, and kiri (separately) with a s/o that has a witchcraft quirk? TY

well hi! thank you for the request, it was so cool to write! now i’m assuming you mean like a quirk that works like potions and herbs/crystals and spirit summoning and spells which is the road i’m taking i hope that’s okay?

now this boy is

excited

when he first saw the mist swirling around your fingers as you fought the robots in the UA exam, a shock went through his body

what was that? 

okay he didn’t mean to stare- considering he was in the middle of an exam- but the way you moved and the glints of a crystals around your body was just so cool

time passed and he got closer to you, during the dorm competition your room was the only room he wanted to see and boy did he love it

the green ivy and plants in your room, the pots and white smoke curling from diffusers and shelves full of powder and inks organised in a neat row

your room felt like a whole new world- like magic

literally after everyone had left he was still in your room looking around like a meerkat assessing it’s surroundings

fast forward; you guys are dating and he was VERY curious as to how your quirk worked, and you explained how your spells and energy came from the crystals and jewels

each crystal gave you a different energy, which converted to your power!

kirishima literally watched in awe as you pointed at all the different coloured gems and jewels and the symbols on your walls

he even asked to touch some of them and asked where you got them

he also asked to see them in battle, and asked if you had any similar to his own quirk!

the both of you engaged in LOTS of different mock battles, which almost always ended up in a play fight rather than real training- just because he ends up enjoying watching you use your quirk too much to actually focus

once you two had engaged in a long, breathless make out session against one of the walls- what can I say? you wanted to see what it felt like to kiss kirishima in his red riot form and have him melt back to normal under your touch

yeahh...it was a bad idea to do that in the school gym, where half of class 1-B caught you two mushed together against a wall

back to the hc!

he asks SO many questions

sometimes just sits on your bed for ages and asks one after the other after the other, to the point where aizawa has to come and send him back to his side of the dorm

let me tell you now: if you are 1) planning to get anything or 2) NEED anything, don’t let him find out

you once let it slip that you were considering getting pouches to carry these crystals, and the sweet, sweet boy went out and bought BUCKETS of bags

yes buckets because he didn’t know if your crystals would be affected by material or size of the bag or- god forbid what if it did and he ruined your quirk in battle?! 

he’d never forgive himself.

ever.

like literally he’d be on his knees ready for punishment of how you saw fit because of his mistake

what can i say? the boys dramatic

but its endearing :,)

it ended up being the cutest date of you cuddled up on his bed wrapped in his blankets like you were drowning in them,

whilst he sat on the floor, presenting each little bag and pouch to you, all teleshopping style.

‘and THIS 🤩 gorgeous article comes with not just 1😱! not just 2 😱! but THREE 🤯🥵🥳🥳 buttons to clip close to ensure a tight, secure hold of your 😏 special package’

yeah he made a sleazy face

yeah you threw a plushy at him

all of them were bought with your costume in mind and how could you not keep some of the bags? with kirishima watching you with the biggest eyes and slightly-pouting-lips-but-he-would-never-admit-it there was no way you didn’t keep the most useful ones

you asked him to return the extra bags so he wouldn’t have wasted his money, whilst you repaid his kindness with lots and lots of kisses and cuddles

;) or more depending on how you want it

todoroki is uhh...

emotionally constipated

but thats not his fault

#fuckendeavour

sometimes it comes off that he’s not interested in your quirk in a general sense, but it’s only because he doesn’t know how to ask without seeming pushy

he gets shy (but doesn’t show it) but with time that decreases to a sort of dry affection

i’m not saying he’s a dry boyfriend but he definitely isn't as spritely as someone like Denki might be

the way you’d see that he wanted to know more was if he asked you to come and fight with him, train with him and study

this is where he asked about your quirk

he didn’t ask to the extent of kirishima, who said everything that came to mind, he asked precise questions that gave him all the information he was desperate to know because you are so cool it makes his heart burn needed

and he also knew you would add more information as you explained, which he loved because he loved hearing you talk so passionately

this time your quirk allowed you to control people to an extent, depending on different plants and herbs you used

the plants each had a special line, muttered as you dropped the herbs anywhere on your opponent for it to activate

best believe todoroki asked for one to knock endeavour out, literally out of nowhere💀

once, one night you had been laying on your bed, and todoroki had popped over to see you. it was still quite early on in your relationship so you weren’t expecting him to cuddle up beside you and tuck into your smaller body, chin hooked onto your shoulder whilst his eyes bore into yours from below todoroki loves eye contact

‘Do your plants have meanings?’

that’s it, that’s all he softly whispered in your ear

‘What do you mean?’ You whispered back

‘Like...like roses mean love...do your herbs have a meaning linked to what they do?’

okay now he was blushing, very gently because he didn’t want to annoy you, or ask you a question you’d never thought of and make you feel silly or insecure about his quirk

YOU on the other hand were smothering a dopey grin. you knew your boyfriend and his boundaries, and you knew that him asking you in such an intimate setting meant he was trying hard for you

you also knew that he’d just given you free reign to ramble however you saw fit

so you explained, how each herb did this, how if you mixed them they did that, if you made a liquid infused with them it helped with your application in battle and so much more

todoroki listened silently, but his eyes were gleaming

literally glowing in the darkness- I mean was that even possible? it had to have been considering how todoroki looked at you that night

after you were done, he replied with a similar thing about his own quirk, and both of you had a long long chat that went from quirks, to schooling, to life, to aliens and more

todoroki had the weirdest humour, he never knew he was being funny until your quiet giggles morphed into full blown laughter- and caused a knock from the next room over because you were being too loud

he would let out his own little chuckles and smirks, seeing you enjoy his company so much

it was a while after that day when something new happened

you’d sent him a message, whilst he was sitting right next to you, and your contact name flashed on his screen suddenly, catching your eye

‘my calendula’

you looked at todoroki

todoroki looked at you

you both blinked

‘calendula?’ you asked

‘yes’ todoroki replied

‘why calendula?’

‘because,’ todoroki blushed deeply, eyes flickering away from yours

‘because you said calendula means joy...you’re my joy. arent you?’

and god help anyone who tries to say you aren’t todoroki’s joy

because you would literally throw them to the ground

your heart soared at how todoroki loved you and your quirk so much

even though it wasn’t blatantly obvious, it was the little things he did for you 😍

he originally going to call you his basil until Bakugou came round behind him asking him if he was writing the dorms grocery list. safe to say that plan was aborted immediately :D

oho

sorry I just

*pfft*

bakugo amuses me, he really does he’s so entertaining

okay sorry back to the headcanon

I headcanon you’re REALLY strong

like STUPID strong

Remember bakugos reactions to all the students quirks and he was like ‘shit I cant beat them 😨’

And his reaction to todoroki? yeah he’d literally see you use your quirk and just

no I’m joking

but I feel like as your s/o he’d be super obsessed with your quirk

he’d always want to train with you, he’d see it as an amazing part of you that he wants to help hone so you can be the best of the best

not better than him obviously but the best anyway

not that he’d SHOW all of this awe and pride to you, it’s normally delivered in a bunch of bakugo sentences:

‘oi your form is shit. do this instead.’

that means he’s realised a new way you can throw this punch, with much more force

‘tch, go train. you need the training.’

he wants to train with you. again.

‘....finally. took you long enough to learn that.’

you’ve just done something successfully and he’s trying so hard not to blush at how well you did it.

here your power is more destructive

you can create sigils using a your finger in the air and they create attack power

this with bakugos quirk makes a formidable duo, and if he doesn’t get partnered with you he will most likely throw a fit

but not a long fit more of a like ‘oi why is she over there we work better together’

but he realises as heroes you need to work well with anyone you meet, so he’s not too fussy

because of the fact that you draw the sigils, you have a habit of tracing out patterns and new symbols and any sort of designs subconsciously

this is done normally on any part of your skin, with a pen

bakugo being old man bakugo 🙄 got mad at you

he told you off for almost giving yourself ink poisoning and ruining your hand and making it all dirty drama queen

but throughout all of this bakugo had been clutching your hand, and best believe he wasn’t letting go

he used the hand he was holding to pull you along and sit comfortably, dropping his own palm into your lap and mumbling something that kind of, sort of, might have been along the lines of ‘use my arm dumbass’

now you had bakugos arm to scribble on to your hearts content.

you used this when you were stressed, worried that your nerves were causing you to forget things or simply because you wanted to hold bakugo close

in fact, bakugo himself had adopted this habit, and you’ll notice I said arm instead of hand

bakugo got nervous around you, and therefore sweaty, which therefore lead to tiny little explosions in his palms when you were near

but this habit had started to make him feel comfortable with his hands around you, it made him trust himself more

he knew his power was strong and he didn’t want to hurt you, your quirk was something that helped him with that

and he wouldn’t tell you that but he was grateful. VERY grateful

he once asked why you used pen, and not your finger on your skin considering the pen ink is toxic

you answered very quickly, by pulling out a sheet of people and sliding your finger across the surface in a sigil shape

promptly the paper burnt into a cinder :)

and bakugo never asked again

and that is the end! I hope you liked it and I did the idea of Witchcraft justice 😅 please do send some more requests!

god I loved this so much they’re all so cute :,) thank you for this request!!

#my hero academia #boku no hero academia #my hero academy fanfiction #mha x reader #MHA #mha headcanons #bnha #bnha headcanons #bakugo fluff #bakugo #bakugo katsuki #bakugo katuski x reader #kirishima #kirishima eijiro #kirishima x reader #kirishima mha #todoroki x reader #todoroki #todoroki shoto #todoroki fluff #todoroki MHA #bakugo mha #anime fanfic #anime #manga #manga fan fictions

[lubdubsworld]

Better Man.

~~~~~~~~~~~~`Just to see you smile, I’d do anything. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Taehyung x Oc

Rated 18 +

Post Divorce, Getting Back Together, Second chances, Angst.

Chapter 1    Chapter 2   Chapter 3   Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Do you ever truly know what someone is feeling?

You could spend decades , breathing the same air, hands held , your fingers brushing ....connected physically and even mentally but a person’s emotions, they’re hidden away. 

You only ever know what they’re willing to show .

And yet, 

all of us build relationships, convinced that we know exactly what the other person will feel when we act a certain way. Buying her flowers will make happy....visiting him at work will take away that little bit of stress.

But sometimes, what we think someone feels, may not be what they truly feel.

And that’s when your actions, well intended actions..... end up with disastrous consequences. 

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

“So....last night...” Jungkook’s teasing voice did nothing to ease the pounding in my head.

“I do believe you promised not to tease me about it if I drank two glasses of water, which I did by the way.” I told him firmly, trying to bring the words on my planner into focus as i squinted. Three meeting. Each two hours long. 

kill me now. 

“I wanted to ask HR to give you the day off but you have quite a schedule today. “ He said casually,  leaning over me to peer into the planner . I glanced at his wrist resting on the table, the expensive rolex showing that it was a little past 9. 

“ We’re planning out the Christmas campaign first and I have a meeting with Taehyung’s team in the afternoon so we can go over the contract see if they have any requirements and then the social media team in the evening at four to discuss promos and revamping the website.” I glanced up at him. 

He gave me a smile before casually leaning down, lightly gripping my chin and tilting my face up. I felt the brush of his lips against mine, fleeting and gentle. 

‘You’re beautiful.” He smiled. 

I blinked.

And then took a deep breath.

“Your wife...” I said softly. “ I saw her today.” 

Jungkook went completely still at that. 

“She was waiting in the lobby on my way up. I didn’t know who you were married to and I was a little shocked and also little upset because....” I glanced at him. “ She was my best friend in college. “

Jungkook swore. 

“Fuck.. I told her to stay the fuck away from my company. Did she say something to you?” 

i shook my head.

“I didn’t greet her because I wasn’t sure if she remembered me. And I wasn’t sure if i was remembering her right. i didn’t know she was your wife till i heard someone mention it in the elevator on my way up. Did you know that she and i knew each other?” 

Jungkook looked just a little guilty.

“When you first joined the company, she saw your resume on my cvomputer. told me a lot about you. She remembers you. Fondly. She wanted to come meet you but...things happened.  “ He shrugged.

Things like infidelity and divorces . 

“Ahh...” I smiled. “ Tell me i wasn’t another way to get back at your ex wife, Jeon Jungkook ssi...” 

He made a noise of protest.

“no... No of course not Christ...it’s just...I’ll admit she made me curious about you. She spoke of you being spontaneous and fun and wild and I’d seen you as this demure, elegant woman in the office. i was curious. I wanted to know which one was the real you. “

“Were you curious before she cheated....or after?”

“ Jang Mi...this isn’t what it looks like .. I’m done with her. She fucked my best buddy and ruined my fucking life...” He sounded pained. 

I frowned. 

“It’s hard to believe she would do something like that. The Aera i remember had a very strong moral compass.” 

“Yeah well, apparently, you can live whole entire lives with someone and never really know the person. Listen, do we really have to talk about my ex wife?” He asked, eyes shining with discomfort. 

I shrugged.

“I’m not fond of drama. I won’t tangle myself in a relationship that risks hurting a lot of people Jungkook. That’s just not the kind of person I am. I’m sorry.” 

He made a noise of impatience, shaking his head. 

“We won’t be hurting anyone... We have fun together. We like each other. We’re attracted to each other...that’s all that matters....” He said sharply.

“ If we were in our twenties , without kids ....maybe. But that's not how it is now. I have a son, you have a daughter and I think I’m not completely over my marriage yet.” I said softly. 

He froze.

“And i don’t think you’re completely over your wife either.” I smiled.

He glared at me. 

“Ex-wife.” He snarled.

“She makes you feel things, Jungkook. You need to sort that out before you start something new with someone else. I’m only saying this because we’re old enough not to 

He growled and punched the desk. 

“God, how can she keep ruining my life even when she’s out of it.” He muttered, stepping away from me and moving to the door. 

I watched him storm out of my office and bit my lip. 

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

By the time evening rolled around, I was exhausted. But the day had been productive and I was happy because the contract had been finalized, the theme had been decided and we’d also spent an amazing three hours redesigning the website. Although it wasn’t in my job description I had studied web design in college and the creative department always welcomed my inputs. 

“You’re in a good mood...” Taehyung’s voice was a complete surprise and I turned to him, shocked. He was dressed in a black t shirt and blue jeans and sneakers and looked a whole decade younger. 

I felt affection rise up my throat so fast I nearly choked. 

“What are you doing here?”

“My agent told me you guys were incredibly cooperative today. She also told me you were quite possibly the loveliest woman she’s ever met and that I’m an idiot to have let you go.” He smiled. 

I laughed, shaking my head and my gaze shifted to the small bunch of tiger lilies in his hand. 

I felt warmth bloom in my chest. 

“You remembered.” I said softly, pleased. 

“Thirteen years since our first date.  The lily to my tiger. ” He held the flowers to me and I grinned, pressing the flowers to my chest. 

“Man I feel old.” I muttered.

“You are old.” Tae grinned and i grimaced, before tossing him a glare. . 

“You’re supposed to say I still look as beautiful as i did thirteen years ago.” I said. 

“But you don.t” He grinned impishly. “ You look a billion times  more  beautiful.” 

I felt the atmosphere shift, the air charged with something dangerous and i looked away. Usually, this was when I would laugh and throw my arms around him. Pull him close and press my lips against his , slip my fingers into his t shirt and trace the skin of his back. Feel his hands on my waist as he lifted me up to twirl me around and kiss me just like that. 

How often had we kissed that way? Thirteen years is a long time to count the number of kisses we’d shared. 

We both stayed quiet, looking anywhere but at each other.

“I...there’s a reason I came.” He said finally.

I glanced at him.

“Oh?”

“The lawyer. Ms. Lee she ... recommended a relationship counselor”

I blinked, my breath catching in my throat. 

“Taehyung we’re-”

“Just hear me out. Its not mandatory and it won’t affect the divorce in anyway. its just something the court offers all couples going through a divorce and we’re free to refuse it. “

“Did you?” I asked. 

“Did I what?”

“Refuse it. Did you tell her no?” 

He stared at me. 

“No.” He said finally.

I exhaled sharply.

“Wow.” I whispered, feeling jittery and unbalanced. He sighed and came closer, reaching out to lightly grip my wrists. I let him tug me closer into a hug and held him tight, my heart pounding with anxiety.

“Mia.... I just... I’m not saying we should try to fix this.... relationship.” He said softly, eyes gentle and pleading, “  I just think this whole thing has taken a toll on both of us and maybe we can heal better if we get the help of a professional. Come out of this with closure. Instead of battling guilt and regrets everyday. Just ....it could help us move on. Don’t you think?”

You could never really tell what the other person is feeling. 

I couldn’t tell what Taehyung was feeling right now? 

Hope ?

Hope that we would fix our marriage....

or maybe hope that he would finally move on from me.. Maybe this whole thing was his final attempt to end things with me for good. So he could walk out of my life forever without any lingering guilt or regret. 

I would never know. 

I clung to him harder and somehow the pain of the entire two years we’d been apart, rammed into me at once. 

I choked on a sob. Breathing became difficult and I felt myself gasping for air. 

“Mia?” Taehyung’s panicked voice was the last sane thought that registered. 

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

“Are you sure you’re going to be okay? I can stay the night if you want. I’ll sleep in the spare bedroom . ” Taehyung whispered,  seated on the warm fluffy blanket that he’d managed to dig out of the closet in the spare bedroom. i was already tucked into the bed, fingers clutching the satin lined edges . 

i shook my head.

“I know how much you need your gazillion pillows. Go on... I’ll be fine.”

“i feel terrible. i pushed you into a panic attack.”

I waved off the guilty words. 

“You didn’t . i was already a little frayed and i guess i haven’t really been processing all the stuff between us the way i should have. i just got a little overwhelmed.” 

A panic attack. At the age of 32. The last time i had one I was twenty four. I wanted to crawl into the bed and never resurface. 

Taehyung’s gentle fingers , stroking my cheek brought me out of my own head. 

“I was so scared.” He said softly and my heart ached.

“I’m sorry i scared you.” I said apologetically, gripping his wrists lightly and stroking the skin there with my thumb. 

“I really want to stay. i don’t think I’ll be able to sleep if I go home right now.” He whispered. 

I bit my lips. 

“Okay... but... You need to hug something. To sleep. “ 

He grinned at that. 

“I’m old enough to survive one night without a pillow, Mia .” he chuckled. 

I flushed, sinking deeper into the covers.

“Okay.” 

“You don’t have to worry about the counselor thing. I’ll tell Lee we don’t want to do any-”

“No!!” I said quickly, a lot  louder than I’d intended. 

Taehyung blinked.

“I just... I realized that I haven’t been dealing with any of this...the right way. I’m so confused and disoriented all the time and I .. I don’t mind getting some help. To sort things out. Just for myself you know...without the pressure of trying to fix...well us.” I finished .

Taehyung gave me a wide smile before bending down and kissing my forehead.

“ Okay, Mia mine. Sleep well, and I’ll see you in the morning.” 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

#taehyung fic #taehyung smut #taehyung fanfic #bts smut #bts fic

[joshjacksons]

Joshua Jackson interview with "Mr Porter" (2021)

Minutes before Mr Joshua Jackson joins me in a booth for a Friday afternoon drink at a vibey hotel bar in Santa Monica, he’s confronted by his past. Or rather, a woman in her early twenties who is binge-watching Dawson’s Creek, the teen show about a close-knit group of high-school friends coming of age in a sleepy American town, which made Jackson incredibly famous between 1998 and 2003. The series, which also made household names of Ms Michelle Williams and Ms Katie Holmes, went off air 18 years ago, but is now streaming on Netflix, to the bemusement of Jackson, who played lovable rogue Pacey Witter. “This girl was like, ‘Are you...?’ And I’m like, ‘Yes, I am. He got old. I’m sorry to break it to you,’” he says, before ordering an iced tea and a charcuterie board to tide him over until dinner time. “It always surprises me when young people say they’ve just got into Dawson’s Creek. I’m like, ‘Is it a costume drama to you? Do you feel like you’re watching a historical documentary?’”

The idea of a Friends-style reunion episode or a Sex And The City revival feels equally far-fetched to Canadian-born Jackson, now 43 and wearing it well in a pale green linen shirt and tailored linen trousers by Oliver Spencer that complement his fading brown hair and Cali-tanned skin.

“I don’t know why you’d want to [bring it back],” he says. “Nobody needs to know what those characters are doing in middle age. We left them in a nice place. Nobody needs to see that Pacey’s back hurts. I don’t think we need that update.”

And Jackson doesn’t need Dawson’s Creek. From Mr JJ Abrams’ sci-fi series Fringe (2008-2013) to the Golden Globe award-winning The Affair (2014-2019), from Ms Ava DuVernay’s ground-breaking true-crime drama When They See Us (2019) to the recent Ms Reese Witherspoon and Ms Kerry Washington-produced Little Fires Everywhere (2020), he has commanded the small screen – with a collection of dynamic and diverse work – ever since.

His latest role as Mr Christopher Duntsch, the Texas surgeon convicted of gross malpractice when 33 of his patients were left seriously injured after he operated on them and two of them died, in chilling Peacock crime drama Dr Death, is only stepping his career up another gear.

“I’ve never played anyone irredeemable before,” says Jackson, who is joined in the eight-part series (based on the 2018 Wondery podcast of the same name) by Messrs Christian Slater and Alec Baldwin. “He is charming, gregarious and has a high-level intellect, but he’s also a misogynist, probably a sociopath, certainly a narcissist and a complete incompetent who is incapable of seeing himself.”

If Duntsch is terrifying, then Jackson’s portrayal is even more so. The artist formerly known as Pacey is virtually unrecognisable (thanks to prosthetics) in the opening scene, but the real challenge for Jackson was allowing himself to view someone who is so “spectacularly evil” as a human being in order to walk in his shoes. “It’s a more damning portrayal of the man to make him into a human being, rather than just make him the bad guy,” he says. “He really believes he’s the hero, he’s the genius and that he’s the victim, so once I got past my own judgment, all the other things fell into place.”

Jackson might have his pick of stellar roles – and challenges – now, but it has not happened by accident. Take it from someone who has been in the business since landing his first job aged 14 in Disney’s live-action movie series The Mighty Ducks, opposite Brat Pack alumnus Mr Emilio Estevez.

“You try to make it look like it happens accidentally,” he says, “but there is no way to do this and not be ambitious. I’d say I’m extremely ambitious because I’ve been doing this cutthroat job for nearly 30 years. I’m in the pay-off phase of my career now. One of the benefits of surviving for as long as I have is you get to learn from your own mistakes.”

Such as? “I wouldn’t say, ‘I wish I hadn’t done that,’ because it all becomes bricks in a path, but [after Dawson’s Creek] I was not choosy enough about the things I was doing. You get stuck. You start trying to perform the performance you think people are hoping to see you do. I was so used to working all the time that I just worked all the time. There was definitely a conscious moment in my mid-twenties when I realised I wasn’t really enjoying the work that I was doing. My manager at the time just said, ‘Take a breath. You’re burnt out.’”

The turning point came in 2005, when Jackson was offered a role in the two-hander Mr David Mamet play A Life In The Theatre, opposite Sir Patrick Stewart. “God bless him, Patrick could have made my life miserable because I had no idea what I was doing, ” he says. “I hadn’t been on stage since I was a kid and now I was in the West End in over my head. But it reminded me that I actually enjoyed being an actor, that it’s not about the red carpet or travelling around the world. What I really enjoy is working on good material with good people.”

It’s no surprise Jackson’s time on Dawson’s Creek led to a career crisis. From the ages of 19 to 24, he lived with his fellow cast mates in Wilmington, North Carolina, filming day in, day out, in an arrangement he likens to college. “You get to the end and they’re like, ‘Here’s your degree. Go live now. You’re an adult. Go out into the world,’” he says.

But most graduates don’t have to deal with global fame. “It’s transitory. You’re only ever cool for a moment and then you become much less cool. I was always pretty dubious about flatterers,” he says, recalling a time he was stung in London in the mid-2000s. “I went on a date in Hyde Park with a woman whose name I will not use – she was socialite-famous – and she was acting completely bizarre, looking over her shoulder the whole time. I came to find out that she had hired a photographer to follow us through the park and gave a whole story to the tabloids about how I was going to meet her family.”

It was his growing fortune, rather than fame, that caused Jackson the most anxiety. “Suddenly, at 19 years old, I was making more in a week than most of my friends’ parents would make in a year,” he says. “It was lovely to have the money, but it was that feeling of nobody is worth that kind of money. You feel like a fraud and it took me a long time to forgive myself for not being the thing that I was perceived as.”

Born in Vancouver, but raised in Topanga, California, until he was eight (before moving back to Vancouver following his parents’ divorce), Jackson bought his childhood home in 2001 and lives in it today with his wife, British Queen & Slim actor Ms Jodie Turner-Smith, and their 15-month-old daughter.

“My father unfortunately was not a good father or a husband and exited the scene, but that house in Topanga was where everything felt simple, so it was a very healing thing for me to do,” he says. Fast-forward to 2021 and his baby daughter now sleeps in her father’s childhood bedroom. “There was a mural of a dragon on the wall in that room that I couldn’t believe was still there, years later. The owner [who sold him the house] said, ‘I knew it meant a lot to somebody and that they were going to come back for it some day.’”

Becoming a first-time parent during a pandemic sounds stressful, but it afforded Jackson months at home with his wife and child that his normal work schedule wouldn’t have allowed.

“I now recognise how perverse the way that we have set up our society is,” he says. “There is not a father I know who works a regular job who didn’t go back to the office a week later. It’s robbing that man of the opportunity to bond with his child and spend time with his partner.”

Despite his obvious career ambitions, fatherhood has changed Jackson’s priorities in “every possible way”, he says. “It’s 100 per cent changed how I approach my work and my life. That has been made so clear to me in this past year. For me to feel good about what I’m doing day to day, my family has to be the central focus.

“There are plenty of things left for me to do, but now the thing that gets me excited is experiencing the world through my daughter’s eyes. I can’t wait to take her scuba diving. I can’t wait to take her skiing. I can’t wait to read a great book with her. I’m not worried at all she’ll be a wallflower. She’s been a character from the word go.”

Jackson met Turner-Smith, 34, two days after his 40th birthday. He had been single since his 10-year relationship with German actress Ms Diane Kruger ended in 2016. “I was not looking to fall in love again or meet the mother of my child, but life has other plans for you,” he says.

The couple met at a party. Turner-Smith was wearing the same The Future Is Female Ejaculation T-shirt Ms Tessa Thompson’s character, Detroit, wears in the 2018 film Sorry To Bother You. “That’s what I used to break the ice. I shouted, ‘Detroit!’ across the room. Not the smoothest thing I’ve ever done, but it worked. We were pretty much inseparable from the word go. It was a whirlwind romance and I can tell my daughter I literally saw her mother across a room and thought, ‘I have to be next to this woman.’”

A self-confessed “useless” shopper, Jackson gives his wife full credit for his current wardrobe. He is jewellery-free, apart from a wedding band and a gold signet “JJ” ring on his little finger (a present from his wife), and discovered tailored sweatsuits (by Stampd and Reigning Champ) in the pandemic.

“Jodie has influence in the way that a wonderful wife encourages you, through love, to dress well. She was like, ‘We’re going to throw away all the sweatpants from your past and I’m going to get you some that actually make you look like an adult male and you will still feel comfortable around the house,’ and I’m like, ‘What an amazing idea!’ Who knew you could get sweatsuits that actually look good on your body?”

Jackson’s style has evolved, he says, “from slovenly teen to it’s-nice-when-your-clothes-actually-fit-you”. The penny dropped after he auditioned for his former co-star Estevez, who was directing the 2006 Mr Robert Kennedy biopic Bobby. He said to me, ‘You only got this job because I know you. You came in here to play a very well-put together 1960s political operative and you’re wearing jeans and a hoodie.’

“I had to grow up a little bit. We are very much raised in Canada to never, ever show off, so it took me a while to recognise it’s OK to look good when you go out.”

Still, when you’ve grown up in front of the camera, “every pimple literally documented”, and lived (very successfully) to tell the tale, you can probably be forgiven for the odd fashion faux pas.

“I wore a silk Ascot to an event once in Paris and I still have nightmares about it,” he says. “I looked like Fred from Scooby Doo, but you live and learn.”

#joshua jackson #interviews #jodie turner smith #dawson's creek #dr death #fringe #emilio estevez #mr porter #patrick stewart #michelle williams #katie holmes